And another chapter for you all. Sorry, but it's short again. All the end chapter might be short. I want to get this done by Friday 'cuz I will be loosing internet access for a few day due to moving, so I want to have this fic done before that happens. Which I'm sure will make all of you happy. XP Anyway, enjoy this next chapter. And review please. :)


Chapter 23

"LEO!!"

The call rang out echoing in the sewer junction.

Raph ran, trying to got faster, but everything seemed to slow down into agonizing seconds. He saw Leo press the tanto to his wrist, saw him slash it open, the blood dripping down as his hand fell to his side once more. Leo's back was to him, but he knew the moment his brother's right hand raised it was going to happen. Leo was going to finish himself off! So he called out. Long and loud in hopes of stopping his brother before it was too late.

Leo jerked as his name echoed to him. He whipped around on the pipe, staring at Raph with wide eyes, slipping on his own blood in the process. His arms waved in the air as he tried to keep his balance, the tanto flying out of his grip in an instant. His eyes widened even more as slipped off before he could even stand up straight, plummeting toward the rushing and swirling water beneath him.

"Leo!" Raph burst into a faster sprint and dove for the edge of the whirlpool, grabbing Leo's left hand just before he touched the water.

Leo slammed against the brick of the ground, head smashing against it after Raph grabbed him, and quickly became limp.

Raph sighed in relief after catching Leo. He gritted his teeth as he felt Leo lose consciousness. He felt stickiness where he had a hold of Leo's wrist. He glanced at it and found it to be the one he had seen Leo cut. "Crud. Leo why'd you have to do that?" he muttered in frustration.

Laying on his stomach, holding Leo by the one wrist, Raph reached and tried to get Leo's other arm to better pull him up. "Come on... come on..." he murmured.

With a lurch, he managed to grab Leo's lower right arm and gripped him better. Relieved that he wasn't going to drop his older brother into the churning water, he started tugging Leo up, being careful with Leo's cut wrist. He grimaced. He had to get that bandaged up fast.

Having Leo halfway over the edge, Raph's cell starting going off. Loudly against the stillness Raph felt at seeing his older brother unconscious. After pulling him all the way up and a great deal away from the water, he pressed one hand on Leo's bleeding wrist and with the other he ripped out his cell and answered. "Get over here!"

"You found him?" Mikey asked hopefully.

"Yes. At the east junction. Now get over here," Raph repeated frantically once he saw blood oozing from Leo's chest. He snapped the cell shut and pressed his other hand on the wound on Leo's chest. Both hands covering a bleeding wound on his older brother, Raph grunted. "You're an idiot you know that?"

He scoffed.

"I'm sure you know that or you wouldn't have tried this."

Raph growled with more frustration and hurt. "Why couldn't you just talk to someone? You're so stubborn!" Raph vented while he waited for Don and Mikey to come. He was never so scared in his life seeing Leo high up on that pipe with every intention of not coming down alive. His anger soon turned partly on himself as well. Why couldn't he just get over himself and talk to Leo? He was just as big an idiot as Leo was. He could have changed this, but had refused to do something about it, letting it come to this. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the thoughts. He had to be strong. He always was and wasn't going to start acting weak now. Leo needed him. And he would help his brother. Whether he wanted it or not.

"Leo!" Mikey yelled.

Don was ahead of Mikey by just a fraction as they ran into the junction.

Raph was very much relieved to see them. "'Bout time you two got here."

Don slid to a stop, kneeling next to Raph and Leo. "Let me see..." He gently pulled Raph's hand off of Leo's chest and inspected the wound. "It's not that deep," he said obviously relieved.

Raph sighed as well. It had looked pretty bad to him.

Don reached into his bag and started cleaning and patching Leo's chest as best as he could.

"What happened?" Mikey asked, standing next to his brothers. His voice shook he saw the blood, both on Leo's chest and sneaking out from under Raph's hand on Leo's wrist.

"He tried to off himself," Raph muttered.

"These wounds aren't enough to do that," Don said softly. "But had that chest cut been a little deeper, it's possible it could have been fatal." He lifted Raph's hand off of Leo's wrist and started wrapping that as best as he could. "I'll have to do more back at the lair, but all the bleeding should be stopped."

Raph nodded. "Good."

"Why is he unconscious?" Mikey asked.

"His head hit the stone when I caught him," Raph said grimly. "He slipped while up on the pipe up there and fell. I caught him, but the blood on his wrist made him slip a little from my grasp and he swung into the stone."

Don inspected Leo's head. "His head looks to be fine, but I'll have a better look at home."

Both Raph and Mikey nodded.

"Raph, you and I will carry him home. Mikey, you run ahead and inform Splinter when you get there. Also get a bowl of hot water and bring it to the lab," Don ordered.

Mikey saluted. "On it." He took off out of the junction.

Raph watched Mikey jog off for home and then turned his gaze down to Leo. "Idiot," he couldn't help but murmur again.

Don sighed. "Come on. Help me carry him."

Raph nodded and, with Don's help, picked Leo up and started for home. He didn't say anything else as they walked. He didn't know what to say even if he wanted to talk, not that that was his style. No, he was never one for talking. Raph scowled. That was what had gotten them to this mess. If he would have just gone and talked to Leo maybe they wouldn't be carrying Leo home like this. He might not have listened right away, but maybe he wouldn't have gone this far.

Raph sighed. Leo was worse than he wanted to believe. He had to fix this. As soon as Leo woke up.

As soon as they got to the lair, Splinter and Mikey were waiting for them, a sad look in both sets of eyes. Raph and Don laid Leo on the cot in the lab as Mikey and Splinter crowded a little close.

Raph instantly dragged a chair close and refused to leave Leo's side as Don continued to patch Leo's wounds up and check his head where he had hit it. He wasn't going to leave Leo's side. Not again. He had gone to Leo's closed door so many times just trying to get up the courage to talk to Leo. Tell him sorry he for what he tried to do. He knew Leo knew. He saw it in his older brother's eyes. And he wasn't going to leave Leo alone again. Not after this morning. Finding Leo gone from the lair and trying to kill himself. No. Never would Raph let something like this happen again. Ever.