A/N: Hey everyone. Thank you again for your support for this story, I've really appreciated it. I might not be able to update again until later this week, if not the weekend. I've got a lot of RL things I'm going to be working on and they'll be taking up a lot of my time. I won't have time to go through and try to catch any mistakes I've made in the next chapter for a few days. I'll try to update before Friday. Again thank you for those who've taken the time to review, I really appreciate those who take the time to let me know what they think of this story. I'll update as soon as I can.

Chapter 4

With Casey's help Leonardo and Splinter got Raphael bandaged up and back to the lair where Splinter would be able to tend to his wounds better. Leonardo was glad that Casey had brought the van so that they were able to get Raphael home faster. But even then it seemed to take forever. Leonardo stayed by Raphael's side the whole time, clutching his brother's hand in his own and praying that Raphael wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

He knew it was his brother's stubbornness that had saved him out there in that dark alley, freezing in the dropping temperature and losing more blood than he could afford to lose. Raphael was too stubborn to simply roll over and die, he'd fight until his very last breath. But even with the disadvantage of not being able to see him, Leonardo feared that that could be any breath now.

Under the infirmary lights Raphael's skin was even paler than it had been when Splinter had found Leonardo kneeling over his brother. Leonardo had been talking softly to his brother, his hands pressed over a wound on his side that had turned Leonardo's hands red. Splinter had acted quickly; he gently pushed Leonardo aside to see just how bad the wound actually was.

He knew it had to be bad, he'd smelled the blood as soon as he and Casey had gotten to the mouth of the alley. In order to smell it that strongly he knew that his son had lost a lot of it. But even the blood loss and the wound weren't what troubled Splinter the most. Raphael's heart rate was sluggish, his breathing strained and uneven. He had gone into shock, and had been in shock for a while. With the temperature continuing to plummet Splinter knew that they had no choice but to take Raphael back to the lair and get him warmed up and treat his wounds before returning to look for the others. Splinter hadn't had the heart to tell Leonardo that there had been no sign of Michelangelo or Donatello, and that he couldn't feel them there. The one he had felt from the beginning was Raphael.

Raphael's once deep green skin had a grayish tinge to it, he had several new bruises on his arms and legs, and a few shallow cuts on his hands. But those were all artificial, the more pressing wound was the side wound.

Once Raphael was settled on the cot that Leonardo had been occupying earlier Splinter unwound the makeshift bandage that Casey had torn from his shirt. Leonardo had found Raphael's blood soaked masked gripped in his brother's limp fingers. Splinter knew it was probably the one thing that had stopped Raphael from bleeding out so quickly. But it had been so blood soaked by the time they had gotten there that it was no longer useful. Instead Casey had ripped off a piece of his shirt and they'd bound Raphael's side as tightly as they could. Splinter eased the blood soaked material from his son's side, wincing in sympathy as it tore at the edges of the wound. Splinter was silently grateful that Raphael was too out of it to feel their ministrations, he was sure if Raphael had been conscious he wouldn't be a cooperative patient.

Fresh blood began to flow and Splinter wiped it away gently with a warm cloth. The wound was serious; Splinter was certain of that just by looking. He wasn't sure if the blade had caused any internal bleeding and he wouldn't recognize it if he checked. This was Donatello's field of expertise not his. He knew basic first aid, how to set bones, and how to stitch up wounds. But it was Donatello who had been doing the extensive research on their biology, learning as much as he could in case situations like this happened.

"Leonardo, your brother needs blood - he has lost too much and still he bleeds," Splinter said keeping his voice steady so as not to alarm Leonardo to the dire situation they were in. But he knew the truth, if they couldn't find Donatello soon Raphael would only get worse.

"Donny's been stock piling blood," Leonardo said his hand resting gently on Raphael's shoulder. "There should be a few bags with the medical supplies."

Splinter was about to ask Leonardo to go grab what his brother would need but then remembered that Leonardo wouldn't be able to read the labels. Splinter knew that Donatello had been working on putting Braille labels on everything like this but he hadn't gotten around to much of it yet. Instead he stood up slowly, his joints protesting and cracking loudly.

"Stay with him, Leonardo," Splinter told him quietly as he passed him.

Leonardo nodded grimly and squeezed his brother's shoulder.

Splinter walked to the storage container Donatello had set up for medical emergencies. He located the blood bags but had to shift through several of them before he found one with Raphael's name on it. He put the other two bags back where he'd found them, Donatello had been very firm on keeping the medical supplies organized, especially after Leonardo's sight had been taken. Splinter didn't want his son to find something out of place when they got him back.

"Master Splinter?" Casey's voice made Splinter jump; he had thought Casey had gone home. He hadn't heard anything from the vigilante for quite some time now. Casey had been uncharacteristically quiet in the car driving back to the lair, Splinter had seen the man's bright blue eyes shooting back to where Leonardo and Raphael were huddled in the backseat, Splinter right beside them. Leonardo had been oblivious of Casey's obvious worry, but Splinter hadn't.

"I a...I talked ta April and she thinks she could help. She and Donny have been doin' a lot of dis research and biology stuff together. She's on her way down," Casey said his eyes locking onto Splinter's, his face drawn and pale.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones," Splinter said giving him a slight bow. "I am afraid that this wound is more serious than I am capable of caring for. Any additional knowledge is greatly appreciated."

"I'll go wait fer her," Casey said quickly and made his way towards the elevator.

Splinter sighed, this night had been particularly hard on all of them. But Casey had never seen Raphael so broken before. None of them had. Raphael had had his fair share of battle wounds, but he'd never come home with something like this.

Splinter returned to the infirmary to see Leonardo exactly as he had been before, though this time he was talking softly to his unconscious brother.

"And I remember how you just looked at me," Leonardo whispered, his head bent low. "You looked so lost, so scared and I knew I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't just let go and leave you here. I'm begging you, Raph. You've gotta keep fighting. I know it hurts, but we… I still need you."

Splinter wasn't sure if he should be intruding on his son's emotional breakdown. He was half tempted to go back and pretend he had forgotten something to give Leonardo a few minutes to compose himself.

Leonardo drew in a shaky breath. "Did you find the blood, Master Splinter?"

Splinter should have guessed that Leonardo had heard him come in. His hearing was much sharper now and he picked up on the slightest sounds around him.

"Yes, my son, I did," Splinter stepped forward and gently turned Raphael's free arm and started searching for a vein where he could start the blood bag.

"Is he… " Leonardo's voice shook and Splinter looked up from what he was doing to see his oldest son's mask soaked with tears. He felt something twinge in his chest at Leonardo's grief and turned his attention back to the task at hand. It took him a couple minutes but was finally able to find a vein, gently he slid the needle into his son's arm and hung the bag from the nearby lamp.

"Is he gonna make it, Sensei?" Leonardo asked as he turned his blank eyes towards where Splinter stood.

Splinter shuddered. He hated that question. It was the same question Donatello had asked him the day Leonardo had been ambushed by the foot. By the time they had gotten out of April's building Leonardo had slipped into a coma, he'd almost never come out of it. It had been the closest he had been, up until that point, to losing one of his sons. It had been the most horrible experience of his life, and that was including his Master Yoshi's death. It was different when it was one of your children.

"Your brother is strong, Leonardo." Splinter reassured his son, resting a hand on Raphael's forehead and frowning at the coolness of his skin. "He will not stop fighting as long as he has the strength to."

"I know," Leonardo whispered again his hand released Raphael's shoulder and fell limply at his side. "But I've never… " He hesitated a moment before continuing. "He's never been hurt like this before."

"We must have faith that he'll pull through this, Leonardo," Splinter said firmly.

"Master Splinter? Leo?" April's voice was sharp in her worry. Leonardo flinched a little but turned as their long time friend hurried into the infirmary.

Splinter saw her red hair was ruffled as if she'd been tugging on it, her eyes were red with dark purple shadows underneath them giving her face a sunken look. Her face paled a little as she saw the turtle lying on the cot, and rushed forward, her teeth sinking into her slightly swollen lower lip, as if she had been chewing on it all night. April gently touched Raphael's cool face before her eyes trailed over the rest of him, stopping on the wound in his side.

"Oh, Raph," April breathed as she kneeled to get a better look. Splinter and Leonardo hovered protectively over Raphael while April examined the wound.

"Casey!" April barked bringing the vigilante, who had been hovering in the doorway. "Get me a penlight from the medical supplies would you?"

Casey nodded, rushed to get her the required item. Splinter winced as April clicked on the light and gently pulled open the wound so she could see inside. Splinter could see what looked like his son's bottom rib from where he stood and quickly looked away, his sharp breath betraying him.

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter," April apologize as she straightened up and moved back to Raphael's head to gently peel back his eyelids to check his pupil reaction. "I had to see how deep it was, and if there was any internal bleeding. Of course the only way to know for sure is by opening him up or having an x-ray or sonographic image. From what I can tell though the bleeding has slowed."

April let Raphael's second lid close again and moved her hand to his neck, feeling for his pulse. She counted the beats she felt quietly, but Splinter watched her lips move while his stomach continued to tighten at the line that appeared between April's eyebrows.

"Master Splinter, do you know where Donny keeps his ventilator?" April asked. "It would help ease his breathing. Leo, we need more blankets he's freezing. Get some extra pillows too."

Leonardo nodded and left.

"Tell me, April," Splinter said quietly once he was sure Leonardo wouldn't be able to hear.

"It's bad, Master Splinter," April muttered as her hand touched Raphael's face again. "I'm not sure of the extent of the damage in his side, and Donny never showed me how to work his x-ray machine. I don't want to try it without him being here. X-rays can be dangerous if done wrong and I don't think we need something else we need to worry about right now. His blood pressure is too high, his heart is trying to compensate for loss of blood by beating faster. We need to get that down or Raph could go into cardiac arrest, his breathing is strained and he's in shock. His pupil reactions are fine, so I don't think he has concussion but I really wish Donny were here, he knows a lot more about this stuff and he can work the machines he'd need to help patch Raph up. I'm afraid to even stitch him up, if the blade nicked his liver or one of his intestines… " She trailed off and looked away from Splinter.

Splinter didn't need her to finish. If Raphael's internal organs had been damaged, there was not much they could do for him. He doubted even Donatello would know how to help him. Surgery in the sewers was too dangerous, the risk for infection too high. Raphael might not even survive the surgery, if he did he could die from exposure or from an infection. It was a risk that Splinter hoped they wouldn't have to take.

"Do you know where the ventilator is?" April asked again, quickly changing the subject.

"I believe it would be with Donatello's larger medical supplies - probably over there." Splinter pointed to the far corner of the infirmary where several machines were pushed together. April hurried over and began to search through mess of machines, finding what she was after just a few minutes later. She quickly powered it up and put a clear oxygen mask over Raphael's mouth and nose, sliding the strap behind his head to keep it in place.

Raphael's breathing eased considerably as the oxygen rushed down into his lungs, forcing them to expand fully.

"Here's the blankets and pillows, April," Leonardo said as he hurried back into the room his arms burdened with his load. He paused and cocked his head. "What's that noise?"

"We put Raphael on a ventilator to help ease his breathing, Leo," April said gently as she walked over and took the blankets from him. "Go prop his legs up under those pillows - we've got to keep his legs elevated."

Leonardo obeyed without argument. April spread the extra blankets over Raphael's still form and felt his forehead again. Splinter's tail twitched as April's face fell.

"Master Splinter, may I talk to you a minute?"

Splinter turned to face his oldest son, who was standing at the foot of Raphael's bed, his hand resting lightly on top of the blankets.

"Of course, my son," Splinter agreed automatically. He turned and walked slowly out of the room, hearing his son's soft feet padding along behind him.

Casey was in the den, the TV was turned to the news but the sound was low. Splinter was sure that Casey had just turned the TV on in habit but that he wasn't really paying attention to it. He'd turned the volume down so as not to disturb anyone else with the reporter's chatter.

Splinter entered his room and sat down on the edge of his mat, and waited for Leonardo to kneel on the mat opposite of him. Leonardo found the mat easily, years of being here made it easier for him. He bowed his head, keeping his blank eyes on the floor.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about, my son?" Splinter asked gently.

"Master… " Leonardo said tilting his head up so his blank eyes were on Splinter. "Please, don't lie to me. How bad is he?"

Splinter had expected this, he knew that Leonardo would have guessed that April had sent him out of the room so she could talk to Splinter. But how was he supposed to tell his son that his brother was dying?

"It looks bleak right now, my son," Splinter said quietly.

Leonardo pulled in a shuddering breath and nodded once to himself as if he'd expected that to be the answer.

"Did you find any trace of Mikey or Donny out there?"

"No, Leonardo, we did not. Though Casey and I searched high and low for them they are not there. I feel like they've been taken somewhere else."

"Their shell cells… did they have them?" Leonardo asked his head snapping up.

"They might have, but if they were taken captive, my son, I doubt they'll be able to answer."

"No, we can trace the signal, give us an idea on where they might be!" Leonardo said enthusiastically, though his face was still strained.

"Leonardo, your brother's work is ingenious. But I do not know how to activate the tracking chip in your brothers' phones."

"I do – and so does April. She could tell you where the signals are coming from!"

"Even if we turned on the tracers, my son, how would you find the right address?"

"This," Leonardo said fingering the plastic bracelet on his wrist. "It has a built in GPS, it'll let me know where I am. I'm sure if I got the right address from Mikey or Donny's phones that I could use this to get there."

Splinter frowned. He didn't like this. He couldn't send his blind son out there on his own to try and rescue his brothers, but he couldn't leave Raphael alone with just April and Casey either. He couldn't leave Raphael not knowing whether or not he'd still be alive when he got back, and he knew Casey would feel the same way. Raphael was his best friend, besides April of course, and always had been. To ask Casey to assist Leonardo would be like asking him to tear himself in half.

"Master, please," Leonardo's voice was low, pleading. "We've gotta get them back. If we do then maybe Raph will have a chance."

Splinter studied the determined look on Leonardo's face. He saw a muscle jump in Leonardo's jaw. He knew that he had no right stopping Leonardo from going out after his other brothers. He had proven himself just as skilled as he had been before his sight had been taken, and his skill continued to improve on a daily basis. He knew that Leonardo could easily handle himself, or get away if a situation got out of control. He'd also have his shell cell with him in case something happened. But still he worried, as ingenious as some of the gadgets Donatello had made for him were, Leonardo was still vulnerable when he went topside. And hadn't gone topside to fight the foot or purple dragons alone since that dreadful night. Leonardo had gotten used to one of his brothers constantly being there, backing him up in case they ran into trouble. To send him out alone now might be asking too much, Raphael's condition depended on Leonardo being able to retrieve his brothers from the clutches of the purple dragons. And what would happen something did happen to Leonardo? What if, in his compromised state of mind, he made a mistake?

Splinter hadn't forgotten Leonardo's trip earlier this evening either. Although Leonardo had recovered fairly quickly he hadn't been able to hide his self disgust from Splinter.

Splinter knew Leonardo still struggled on a daily basis on whether or not he should not just pass the role of leader onto Raphael. Raphael was more than capable of handling the role itself, and had proven himself to be a skilled warrior when they fought in their battles - he was also always there to protect his brothers whenever he saw they were in danger. Raphael was strong, courageous, passionate, and loyal to a fault. He would handle the role of a leader as well, but Splinter had raised Leonardo to be the leader of the four of them for a reason. Raphael often sought out his own independence, would let his anger cloud his judgment, and was always eager to fight despite what odds they might be facing. Leonardo was more strategic, thinking things through, planning out the battles in his head before giving his brothers the go ahead to engage them. He always positioned them in places where they were more likely to succeed. Leonardo's main concern was always the well being of his brothers, putting them into a spot where they would have the best chance of winning. Leonardo had shown responsibility towards his brothers at an early age, always looking out for them even when they were younger. Splinter had known then what a heavy burden his oldest son would bear.

He had never expected it to be like this though, that his son would be struggling on a day to day basis with just the simple tasks of normal day living. It made things much more complicated for him, and some days he could see Leonardo's face fall when his brothers weren't looking. Splinter had often feared for Leonardo's mental stability, he'd watched quietly while Leonardo had gone through his katas only to stop, his shoulders slumping a little and he'd walk away. Splinter would not see him for several hours when Leonardo got that way, and he knew it was best to let Leonardo alone.

Leonardo had come to Splinter several months ago asking him for permission to pass the role of leader onto Raphael. Splinter's chest still tightened with pain when he thought back on the conversation. His sons had fought a particularly difficult battle earlier that night and Michelangelo had gotten injured. Not badly but it had made Leonardo doubt his role as leader because he could not see when one of his brothers got into trouble like he used to. It was only later that he learned Michelangelo had gotten injured because he'd been protecting Leonardo. Leonardo's pride had been wounded and he no longer saw himself worthy of leading his brothers. Splinter had gently told him that this was something he should discuss with Raphael. If Raphael felt that Leonardo really should pass on the role as leader than Leonardo had his blessing to do it.

Raphael had refused his brother's offer of taking the leadership role. Splinter wasn't sure what it is that Raphael had said to his brother, but Leonardo's spirits had lifted a little after his talk with him.

"Master?" Leonardo asked, breaking into Splinter's train of thoughts.

Splinter shook his head and stared at his oldest son. Leonardo's face was still determined, his body tense as a spring, waiting for his answer.

"Be careful out there, my son," Splinter said quietly placing a hand on Leonardo's shoulder. "Trust in yourself and bring your brothers home."

A/N: I didn't want to add this at the top because I didn't want to spoil anything in this chapter. But I know there are some people who have questioned why Splinter did not accompany the turtles when they felt he shold have. This might be one of those situations, but I have my reasons for not having Splinter accompany Leonardo in rescuing Donatello and Michelangelo. One of them, of course, being Raphael. Splinter knows that he won't do much good for Raphael, he can't do anything more to help him other than being there for him. But he can't tear himself away from him either, afraid that Raphael might slip away while he's gone. Though as I've said I don't do death fics, they are far too depressing. But Splinter also knows that Leonardo needs to prove to himself once and for all that his blindness does not make him any less than what he was before. He knows the only way Leonardo will be able to prove that to himself is to do this alone. So please don't send me any hate mail because of it. :D