(Nine Days Later)

The red-masked turtle's forehead creased with concentration as he correctly lined up the cylinder heads on top of the new head gasket for the engine of the Battleshell. He bent lower to double-check their alignment before even touching his torque wrench.

Raphael's gaze was drawn to Donatello suddenly, and a smirk emerged. His purple-masked brother was putting the finishing touches on a top coat of polish over the right side of the Avalanche, using extremely precise strokes. Bet Marc will be really happy to get his car back. Donny did a great job on the body work. You'd never know the thing had a run-in with a dumpster.

He returned his attention to his own task, and began tightening down the bolts on the cylinder heads. There was no doubt that his brother could have handled the repairs for the Battleshell too, but Donatello had taken pity on him. This is one of the only "technical" things that Don and I can do together. It also provided Raphael with motivation to work as cleanly as possible, to make certain that his brother was never tempted to hog all the mechanical chores for himself.

Raphael inspected the new parts he'd installed carefully to make sure that the head gasket was properly sealing the cylinders. Satisfied with his work, he fished his car keys off his belt. "I got the gasket in," he announced. "You wanna have a look before I start 'er up, Donny?"

Don glanced over his shoulder. "You know what you're doing. If everything looks aligned, then give it a go."

The red-masked turtle climbed behind the wheel of the van, and started the car with anticipation. His grin widened when the Battleshell came to life with a perfectly normal roar. The turtle chuckled as he stuck his head out the open door. "You hear that, Donny? It's a beautiful sound."

"That it is. Nice work."

The engine had been no small repair, but the blown head gasket and cracked engine block were exactly the type of stimulation that Raphael was craving after being in bed for over two weeks. He pulled the key out of the ignition and crossed over to look at Don's paint job up close.

"I don't know how you do the detail work. You've got more patience than me, bro."

"That's a given," his brother replied without looking up. "But I had to do it slowly. It's pretty easy to mess up with our fingers."

Raphael snorted. "Who knows how we do anything with these hands?"

That earned him a grin from Donny. "The paint has had a week to cure. Think it will pass inspection, Raph?"

"Oh, yeah. Marc's ready to get his baby back."

The purple-masked turtle took a step backwards. "I'm sure he is. It'll be nice to get the Battleshell back on the road too."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Eh, she probably could have been back a month ago if you'd gone digging for treasure like you used to."

Don shook his head. "It's easier to replace broken things with quality parts than it is to get another vehicle entirely, Raph. I want to get the best possible life out of the Battleshell. As long as I have money to put into it, you can bet I'm going to."

"It's not a bad plan, Donny. It just takes longer." Raphael rubbed his hands together when another thought occurred to him. "It's been a while since we tested the weapons system ya know."

Donatello gave him a wary look. "I understand your enthusiasm, but I still don't want you to fire a missile just to see what happens."

"Don't we need to check if they'll go off at least?"

Donny sighed. "I did a missile test the last time we left—"

"Yeah, you did. When do I get a turn?"

"Have you read the manual yet?"

"It's over 200 pages. You want me to read 200 freaking pages so I can shoot one missile?"

"We've been through this, Raph. They're not toys, no matter how exciting it sounds. If you read the manual, I'll see about setting up another test."

"You gotta go and ruin it for me."

"Knowledge is power."

"I'm more interested in fire power."

The younger turtle shook his head once more. "You must be feeling better."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I can think of a few reasons."

"If Doc signed off on me, y'know you ain't got nothing to worry about, Don."

"He may have been tired of listening to you complain."

"Do I force him to hang out in the lab at all hours? It's like he has nothing better to do than tie one of us down."

"Yeah," Don said distractedly.

The far-away look in his eyes and the one word reply let Raphael know that his brother was thinking about something else, and he also figured he knew what it was. "You doing okay?"

"Sure," he replied swiftly. "Things are moving along."

"When's the test? Has Doc said?"

"Sometime tomorrow afternoon. Marc wants to be there too, so we'll wait until he can come down."

"It's no big deal right? Not like surgery."

"No, it's not a serious procedure."

"Then what happens?"

Donny shrugged. "We'll analyze the information we have and go from there."

"You seem nervous. Are you afraid of what you guys are gonna find?"

"It's just the unknown at this point, Raph. There are a lot of possibilities for what could be causing his breathing issues. I'm hoping we get to rule out a few things."

The red-masked turtle nodded. "Are you at a good stopping point with the Avalanche?"

"I'll do one last coat of wax tomorrow morning, and be ready to hand the keys back to Marcus."

"You wanna get something to eat then? Because I seriously worked up a massive appetite."

Don smiled. "You never needed much work for that. Thanks for your help with the Battleshell."

Raphael's arm fell across his brother's shell. "Now if only I can you back in the dojo with me."

Donatello gave him a leery glance. "One thing at a time, Raph."

Raphael eyed the sink full of dishes with dread. Mike had fixed a fantastic dinner, but he'd also used almost every pot and pan they owned in the process. He had a bad feeling that he was going to be set up with cleaning duty, and hesitated from even leaving the table. His blue-masked brother was seated across from him, seemingly biding his time too.

Well, can't avoid it forever.

The red-masked turtle rose with a stretch, heading to the sink with his dishes. He was surprised when Leonardo instantly followed him. "I know it's gotta be my turn," he grumbled.

"Don't worry about it."

"Huh?"

"I'll handle it. Why don't you go sit with Sensei while he's still awake?"

Raphael glanced at the mountain of dishes. "There's a lot here, Bro. I don't have to abandon you completely."

Leo shook his head. "Splinter has been retiring earlier, Raph. As much as he'd like to stay up, he doesn't have the energy. Go ahead and see him while he's still conscious enough to know you're there."

"Um…okay. Thanks."

Raphael expected to find the rat in the living area, but there was no sign of his Master. He musta already gone to bed after all. The turtle jogged across the room to the hallway and rapped a fist on Splinter's door.

"Come in," Splinter called in return.

"Hey, Sensei." Raphael entered the room to the sight of his father stretching to reach a blanket that was folded up on the end of his bed.

"Raphael." Splinter grunted through the greeting while he tried to get a hand on the quilt.

The red-masked turtle immediately retrieved it for him. "You cold, Father?"

"Yes. It seems a bit chillier down here than normal."

Raphael said nothing while he spread the blanket over the rat and tucked it in slightly on the sides.

"Thank you, my son."

"Your welcome. Do you want to get some sleep? You don't have to talk to me or nothing."

"No. Tell me about your first day of freedom," he urged.

"Uh…I was just helping Donny. The Battleshell hasn't been running for a while, but she's all fixed up now."

"And Dr. Sloan's car?"

"Donny's putting the last touches on it. He said he'd hand it over to Marcus tomorrow."

"Good. Everything can return to normal."

Raphael couldn't think of a suitable response. This was a "normal" that he didn't want to accept. "You must be glad they're finally getting the biopsy out of the way, huh?"

"There seems to be no choice for me. Our medical 'staff' would not have given up until I agreed."

"It's supposed to help you, isn't it?"

"That is their intention. I simply worry of how many other tests they may require of me." The rat scowled.

Raphael looked away briefly. "I know it ain't fun, Sensei, but you gotta do it. Whatever they say, don't fight 'em on it, okay? They're smart, and they won't put you through something if they don't think you need it."

Splinter's face softened. "Yes, you are right. But it is not enjoyable being a patient for an extended period of time, as you well know."

The turtle grinned. "Nope. But you gotta put up with it. It's for your own good."

Splinter stretched toward him, and Raphael leaned closer so that his father could reach his arm easier. "Your wellbeing will do me good, Raphael. You gave me much reason to fear."

The red-masked turtle struggled to hold his onyx gaze. "I know, Sensei, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get that far off track. I should have called for help."

"Or accepted it from Dr. Sloan to begin with," Splinter said gently. "My son…sometimes you behave as though you are a solitary unit. But what you do and what happens to you affects us all."

Raphael nodded heavily. "I get it. I've sort of been running for a while here, Sensei, and making things tough on Leo." He paused for a long moment. "I don't know how to handle you bein' sick like this. It's new territory. Leo's watching out for us more…and it's an adjustment. I'll get there. I don't wanna be the one weak link dragging the team down."

Splinter's grip tightened. "You will never be a 'weak link', unless you choose to rely only upon yourself."

"I won't, Master. I'll do better – I promise."

"I know you will," he said confidently. "That is part of the reason I feel little fear for my condition. Your heart, your brothers' hearts are in the right place, and you function well as a unit. All that remains is to strengthen what is already in place. Given the passage of time and the difficulties of life, any relationship can suffer. Your job is to fiercely guard the kinship with your brothers. And once you set your mind to something, Raphael, you will never give up."

Raphael shook his head. "No, Sensei. We're gonna stand together. There's no other option for us."

"None that you will choose." Splinter's fingers loosened their grip, and Raphael laid the rat's arm down on the bed.

"Why dontcha go on to sleep, Master? I'll stay with you a bit longer if you want."

"I love you, musuko." (son)

"I love you too, Otousan." (father)

The red-masked turtle squeezed Splinter's hand, letting go much sooner than he wanted to. "Sleep well."