Moving his hand up further, it stops at Raphael's unmoving chest. He prayed for any movement but none came. Raphael's chest remained unmoving under his hand. Leo paled. "No; this can't be happening? I won't believe it." Leo checked for even a whisper of breath; nothing. Raphael lay completely still. "No, don't you dare leave us Raphael!" Leo quickly began CPR. "Please little brother; come back to us. You can't die, just can't." Leo frantically pushed air into still lungs. "Donnie, Mikey help!"
Donnie still held the controller in his hand when he heard Leo's screams for help. Mikey looked over at Donatello. They both raced into Splinter's room only to find Leonardo frantically trying to revive Raphael. They stood in shock for a few moments. Is Raphael really gone? Sounds of Leo giving CPR brought them back. Donnie rushed forward pushing Leo out of the way. He continued several resuscitation efforts until he heard a sharp intake of breath. Mikey blankly stared at the scene before him. Leo trying to save Raph's life while he just stood there dumbstruck and Donnie pushing breaths of life into Raphael's still lungs. He felt helpless to do anything other than pray his brother pulled through. Mikey gritted his teeth and silently promised that whoever did this to his big brother is surely going to pay. Squinting his eyes shut, he failed to keep the tears at bay. Quickly wiping them away, he took a seat next to Leonardo. "Is Raphie gonna be ok?" Don continued to keep his eyes on Raphael. "I don't know Mikey. I thought he was recovering but with this is setback. We are going to have to keep a closer eye on him." Donatello gently stroked Raph's forehead. He silently prayed to whatever gods that can hear him to keep his brother with them. The three brothers dared not leave Raphael's side let alone fall asleep. Each turtle struggled to keep their eyes open as the day wore into night. Leonardo lay up next to Raphael on the left while Donatello slept on the opposite side. Michelangelo rested his head on Raphael's plastron; his hand gently gripping his brothers uninjured hand. Each silently prayed that he remained with them past the morning.
A loud groan caught Donatello's attention. Raphael grabbed his head as the world spun. A large bump already formed on the back his head from the blow. Losing sight for a few brief moments, he focused on avoiding another blow to his left. The whoosh of a bo-staff rushed past him as he rolled out of the way. Grunting, Raphael tried pushing himself of the ground but collapsed as another wave of dizziness combined with nausea slammed into him. Another swing of the bo-staff caught him in his ribs. "Uggh!" Raph clutched his ribs. Pain radiated out from his now broken ribs. He coughed up some blood. Not caring to wipe it away, he pushed himself of the floor. Blood splattered across the lair floor. "Please bro snap out of it. I know you are stronger than this." The wielder of the bo-staff laughed. Raphael stumbled to the ground. "I'm sorry." He weakly mumbled before blacking out. A dark maniacal laughter echoed throughout the lair. Donatello snapped awake. Glancing around, he still found himself with his arm wrapped around Raphael's chest. His hand rose and fell with the gentle rhythm of Raph's breathing. Relieved, he put his head back down. As soon as he closed his eyes, a scream hit his ears. Don's eyes snapped up. The others are still sleeping and Raph is still comatose. The scream sounded just like Raph in his nightmare. But how could that be? Don paled. There is no way he let himself go back to sleep now; not without seeing his strong brother lying beaten half to death on the lair floor. "Raph, come on bro. Please wake up. We need to know what happened. Why is it always you that is hurt and fighting for your life? Please tell me why Raph? Why?" Don half screamed at his brother's still form. Don started visibly shaking with each strained word. He couldn't bring himself to see what happened.
Startled by Donnie's loud voice, Leo and Mikey woke up. "What's wrong?" Leo asked. He noticed his genius brother shaking. Jumping up, he tightly held Don's quivering form. Mikey went to the side and wrapped his arm around his immediate older brother. "I had a nightmare about the night. I saw Raphael being hit several times and heard the sickening sound of a weapon hitting him. He pleaded for them to stop. There was blood everywhere. The last thing I heard him was "I'm sorry" to someone before he blacked out. Leo and Mikey looked at Don. "I heard him say the same thing in my dream." Mikey was the first to speak up. "And in mine." Leo added. "Almost like he knows his attackers; his injuries appear more defensive than offensive. That's not like Raph at all to avoid a fight. We need to get to the bottom of this. I have a feeling our nightmares won't end until everything is figured out." The three brothers nodded in agreement. Donatello pulled down the blanket for another check of his wounds. Most of the bruises had faded and lump had gone down. The stitches still held tightly. What worried him the most is the stab wound? He was fairly sure nothing vital was hit but there is always the possibility of internal bleeding. Carefully removing the layers of gauze, he gently pressed around the wound for any tenderness; a sign of internal bleeding. He watched for any reaction at all from Raphael but none came. His brother's expression remained still. Donatello frowned; that's not a good sign. If anything; Raphael should start coming around again. This could only mean that his older brother is slipping away from them and into the throws of Death. Raphael's skin grew paler. "His condition is worsening. I'm not sure how much longer he has." Leo and Mikey only stared at Raph's still form. How could they be losing their brother?
