Chapter 8

"Insult to injury"

Raphael stretched and then reached into the cupboard for a cup. Looking at the clock and noting that it would be evening soon he couldn't help but wonder what Arayah was up to. Then frowning and pushing down the heat and emotion she stirred in him, He cracked his neck as he slid the cup under the faucet and turned it on. Raph's eyes widened and he let out a startled yelp as Ice cold water hit his face.

"What the hell!" He yelled as he dropped the cup in the sink and scrambled past the spraying water quickly turning it off. He blinked away his shock as he leaned in to the hand sprayer and found a rubber band wrapped tightly around its handle. Catching ahold of the rubber band he ripped it off the sprayer, pulling the sprayer part way out with the action. Hearing talking behind him Raph slowly turned to glair as two of his brothers walked in to the kitchen, most likely to get water themselves now that training was over for the day.

Donatello and Michelangelo both stood and took in Raph's dripping wet and angry form.

"Don't look so upset Raph, you needed a shower anyways." Michelangelo grinned mischievously, giving himself away as the culprit. Of course the likely hood of it being any one else was unlikely.

Don dove out of the way as Raph lunged across the kitchen.

Mikey squeaked and took off running just slipping out of Raphael's reach.

"Son of a… I'm gunna peal you right out of your shell Mikey!" Raph bellowed as he took off after Mike.

Mikey leapt over the couch gracefully with a beautiful landing in between the couch and coffee table.

Splinter looked up at his son and was about to ask him what he was doing when Raphael's body came barreling over the couch slamming into Mikey. With the combined weight at between five to six hundred bounds, including shells, the coffee table didn't stand a chance.

Splinter narrowed his eyes at his sons as they beat on one another. Between Michelangelo's antics and Raphael's temper, especially over the last two weeks, Splinter could take no more. They had been confined in the layer for far too long. "Enough!"

Everything froze. Leo mid stride on his way from the Dojo, Don mid gulp of water, Mikey mid block, and Raph straddling his brother on a mess of broken wood, his fist in mid strike. Everyone looked at Splinter.

Splinter took a slow and calming breath. "We are going to go to April…"

"Woohoo! Top side." Mikey fist pumped and Raph smacked him upside the head, earing himself about as threatening a glare as Mikey could muster.

With it quiet again Splinter continued. "We are taking the van. We will do nothing to draw attention to ourselves. Is that understood?"

Never mind that his sons were all adults and Splinter had long since appointed Leonardo as the full clan leader leaving himself as just his son's adviser. If he didn't do something he was going to go senile. And though Leo was a good leader and protected his family fervently he was not always good at recognizing a little fun was in order.

So April was called for a game night and everyone piled into the van.

Leonardo looked out at the sky as he drove. Dry lightning streaked across the sky giving the promise that they would have the cover of rain and would not be plagued by the thrumming of helicopters buzzing overhead. Leo let out a grateful breath. At first he had thought Slinter had lost his mind, suggesting they go to the surface, But he had to agree that everyone was getting some form of cabin fever so he hadn't argued.

A few minutes later everyone sat around April and Casey's table, a competitive game of Spoons in full swing. Leo watched the six silvery spoons intently as he picked up cards looked at them and quickly passed them on to Mikey who bobbed about to the music on the radio, humming or singing to whatever song was on as he sorted through the card and passed them to Raph. Raph, not really wanting to play the game but having been pressured into it by everyone including a very stubborn five year old, simply frowned at each card and passed it on without really looking at it. Casey picked up each card Raph halfheartedly slid to him with the help of the five year old, Elizabeth, and the two year old Mathew that both insisted on sitting in his lap for the game. The two year old occasionally shouting out a number he recognized on the cards before they were sent to Donatello, who was deciding what the mathematical probability of getting the cards he wanted. The fact the he could do this with at least three decks was why they didn't play poker with him. If a card wasn't wanted it was quickly passed to April who was trying to pay attention to her hand, the spoons, and not laugh at her struggling husband. She would then pass her unwanted, and occasionally wanted, cards to Splinter. Splinter played competitively against his family, but he was mostly just reveling in the momentary half silence and lack of bickering.

Mikey started singing along to a Maroon 5 song as it sounded from the radio. "here I am waiting, I'll have to leave soon." His voice slipped into humming a part he didn't know, then started singing again. "We knew this day would come, we knew it all.."

"Quiet Mike." Raph grumbled. Not wanting to hear the love song in stereo… or at all.

Michelangelo, apparently feeling the need to antagonize his brother, leaned in and sang louder. "This is our last night! But it's late and I'm trying not to sleep!"

"Knock it off!" Raphael growled out as he glared down his brother.

"Make me." Mike challenge, being sick of Raph's two week grump fest. Normally Mikey could tease and have at least a little bit of fun with Raph. But the turtle had been downright mean since they had found him bloodying his fists on the sewer wall.

Raph accepted the challenge. He sat down his cards, which should have alerted Mikey that something was coming, hooked his foot behind Mike's chair then placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and shoved. The chair tipped backwards and Mikey ended up sprawled out of the floor.

Feeling pleased with his solution Raph turned back to the game, which had stopped. Raph looked over his cards at the glowering faces.

"No push!" Mathew said shaking his tiny finger at Raph.

Raph was not about to be lectured by a two year old! He opened his mouth to tell the child so but was interrupted by Leo's stern voice.

"That was uncalled for, Raphael." Leo snapped as he gave mike a hand up.

Mikey righted his chair and sat in it. "What the heck is your problem, man?"

"You're my fucking problem!" Raph snapped as he pulled a couple of quarters out of his pocket and tossed them on the table, for the swear jar, before April got on him about his poor language.

April glared at the change Raph had thrown on the table. She had put out the swear jar in an attempt to get Raph to stop swearing in ear shot of the kids. When Elizabeth's first word had been shit, April had been furious with both her husband and Raph. The jar had worked on Casey but Raph would just through change out on the counter and table and keep going unfazed.

"You've had an attitude problem for a couple of months, Raph, and it's only gotten worse as of late." Leo pointed out. "I don't think Mike is the source of your problem."

"MY problem?" Raph questioned as if he hadn't just knocked his other brother on his back.

"Yes Raph, your attitude, sneaking out to god knows where, removing your tracker. This is a problem."

Raph sat back and crossed his arms then said hottly, "Not for me."

"For the family." Leo said slowly threw his clenched jaw. He had been trying to figure out how to deal with Raph's sneaking out without having to fight with him, which Leo knew wasn't going to happen but had tried to figure something out anyway, and then Raph just stopped. Then the challenge had become getting him to eat or leave his room.

Leo's statement filled Raph with guilt at how he had been ignoring his own safety and thus the safety of his family for a girl. God, he had been so stupid! The frustration that surrounded Arayah began to simmer and boil.

"You sayin' I don't give a shit?" Raph said slowly, throwing whatever change he had in his pocket onto the table.

"Take a walk, Raph." April's voice floated across the table before Leo could answer and escalate the situation further.

Raph gave her an irritated look. That April ignored.

"Now!" she clipped out the word in a way only a mother could, making the large turtle jump a little.

His eye's widened for a second, then not wanting to get into it with the firey red head right now, decided to do as she said.

"Fine." He growled as he stood, shoved past Leo and let himself out the window to stand on the fire escape. He held tight to the railing as he tried to calm himself. Mikey hadn't really been the problem. It had been the damn love song he had been singing. He had hoped with Arayah not able to call him he would to start to forget about her. He had been wrong. She had tormented him in his dreams and plagued his thoughts since the moment he had stormed off. He wanted to go see her, not necessarily to apologize, but just to be. Pretend the world wasn't tearing its self apart outside, that his mind wasn't torturing him, and his heart didn't hurt so much.

The window opened behind Raph, laughter and happy chatter spilled out while Casey crawled through. The sounds then became muffled as the window shut.

Casey came to lean on the railing next to his friend and handed him a beer.

Raph accepted the beer then after took a long draw before leaning back against the railing staring in at his family squabbling playfully for the spoons that sat in the middle of the table. Unable to stuff down his annoyance enough to join in their myth, he let out a long sigh.

"She's got ya that bad, huh?" Casey smiled knowingly at his friend.

Raph eyed his friend suspiciously, "What the fuck, are you talking about?"

"Raph, I have hardly seen your sorry shell since the night you took off with that girl with the kick ass Duu." Casey took a sip of his beer. "It ain't exactly hard to figure out where you've been."

"Casey, I ain't been up here cause of all the helicopters, and shit buzzing around." Raph lied.

"Bull shit. You ain't been home." Casey scoffed. "Every time you disappear Leo calls here to see if I know where you're at."

"You tell him?" Raph asked, wondering if Leo knew and was just letting Raph's stupidity run its course, which was unlike Leo. At least in Raph's opinion, he honestly didn't know how many times Leo had covered for him in his life or let Raph spin out his own demise while he worked through something up until Leo felt he had to step in before Raph got himself or someone else hurt.

"No." Casey answered. "You should though."

"Hell, no."

"Why not? No one's gunna give you any shit. It's not like they all haven't attempted to date here and there through the years." Casey shrugged.

Raph frowned and shook his head. "Ya with me right there tellin' them how fucking stupid they were for thinking anything could work."

"So you were wrong. Big deal, own it and get over it, m man."

"I wasn't wrong." Raph chugged back the rest of his beer and dropped the bottle into a dumpster below. They both stilled as they listened for the crash of the bottle.

"That sucks." Casey watched the forlorn look of heart ache settle on his friend's face then decided not to push for what had happened, "Want to go putts in the shop?"

Not wanting to go back inside with the others Raph shrugged "Sure."

Casey tapped on the glass to let April know where he was going then started down the fire escape.

Raph pulled his hood up and followed his friend across the street. It wasn't until he had come all the way into the garage, and had followed Casey past an SUV, that he saw it. A gray and black Dodge Charger Hellcat complete with cosmetic damage from a chase through the city. Immediately he could feel his anger bubbling. Why hadn't Casey told him that Arayah had been here? "What the hell?"

Casey turned and followed Raph's gaze to the flashy car. "Oh ya, forgot about that. Might be the other reason why I know where you've been."

Raph's eyes narrowed as he decided whether or not he was going to kick his friend's ass for not telling him Arayah had been there, or at least warned him that her car was there.

Casey broke under Raph's glare. "She wanted me to do the work on the car, man. In my defense I didn't know there was bad blood between you two. She asked about you."

Raph's features softened and were replaced by surprise. "She asked about me?"

"Ya." Casey nodded. "Asked how you were doing. Said you guys had been hanging out but you stopped answering her calls." As an afterthought Casey added. "She get into an accident or something?"

Raph furrowed his forehead as he listened to Casey explain the car. He wanted to reach out and touch it. Run his hands along its smooth curves. Suddenly a deep frown settled on his face as he thought about how she had acted after he had kissed her. She hadn't been disgusted nor had she been angry just… uncomfortable. Raph sighed. Maybe he was being too hard on her. She had always been accepting and kind to him and though she often unknowingly drove him mad with both her beauty and by being so damn enjoyable to be around, she had never led him on… not up until he had kissed her. She had kissed him back though… "Did you say an accident?"

"Ya. She was kinda bruised up had stitches in her hand."

"She tried to call a couple of weeks ago." Twice as a matter of fact, which she didn't usually do… matter of fact she didn't usually call at all. He had almost always called her to see if she was busy. Suddenly a ball of guilt settled into his stomach. He hadn't been awake for their escape from the men armed with tranquilizers, and the car had been tarped, so he couldn't be sure if the damage to the vehicle would have been from an accident. It didn't seem to be enough damage to warrant the driver needing stitches though. He should have answered the damn calls. He mentally kicked himself.

He needed to check on her. Know what Casey was talking about. He reached for his phone but it wasn't there since he had smashed it.

"I gotta go." Raph stated and he turned and left the garage walking out and into the street as rain began to fall slowly working its way into down poor as Raph made his way to the roofs of the city and head to Arayah's.

"Where's Raph?" Leo asked as Casey walked through his front door instead of through the window he had left out of.

Casey gave a shrug, not wanting to rat out his friend. "Gone."

"Damn!"

Two little shocked faces looked up at Leo. Leonardo sighed and put some change in the curse jar and turned to Splinter. "What am I supposed to do about him?"

Splinter had been contemplating that question for years and had come no closer to an answer. Raph often seemed to be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn; fighting tooth and nail for every inch of the proverbial rope he would eventually hang himself with. It wasn't until he was strangling in the noose his own choices that he would let anyone help him. splinter sighed.

"I snuck another tracker on him a couple days ago." Don said as he shuffled the cards. "We can go after him if you don't want to give him time to cool off and come home on his own."

Leo shook his head. "No, this stops now. I'm done worrying about him with helicopters and soldiers running through the city." Leo turned to April and Casey and gave a quick bow. "Thank you for the evening April and Casey."

Without another word Leo lead the way out the window followed by his other two brothers.

"Hold up!" Casey called as he grabbed his golf bag full of different sports equipment that doubled as weaponry. Then, not about to miss the impending argument between the brothers, jumped out the window leaving April, Splinter, and the children to keep each other company.

They caught up to Raphael about a block from his destination, little did they know. Leo used the cover of the pouring rain to cover him as he broke off from the others and closed in on his brother, passing him and sliding to a stop in front of him.

Raph considered just barreling through Leo just for standing in his way, but skidded to a stop in front of him instead. "Why you following me, Leo?"

The other three came to a stop behind Raphael giving him the feeling of being ambushed or hunted. Which didn't sit well.

"Maybe because you are just taking off… again. Raph it's dangerous to go out alone right now. Why are you refusing to see that?"

Raph spread his arms up to the sky the rain falling and sinking into his soaked sweater. "There ain't nothing in the skies right now Leo. No choppers with spotlights." He dropped his arms to his side. "I think I'm good."

Raph tried to walk past Leo.

Leo shot out a hand across Raph's chest. "Where are you going?"

Raph looked down at Leo's out stretched arm then up at his face. Raph's eye's narrowing dangerously. "None of your fucking business, Leo."

"You see Raph, that's where you're wrong. I am leader of this clan, I am charged with keeping our family safe, and…"

"You're power trippin'! I don't gotta give you a play by play, Leo! I ain't some fucking kid! So go fuck yourself!" Raph shouted as he shoved Leo back.

The three spectators, grateful the rain was warm, made their way to the building ledge to stay out of the way and watch the scene unfold.

Raph attempted to walk past Leo again, who promptly blocked his path.

"You're reckless behavior is going to get you or someone else hurt." Leo explained for the four hundred millionth time in his life.

"How many times have we heard that?" Mike commented from his seat on the ledge.

"Want an exact number?" Don asked, gaining a chuckle from Mikey and Casey, but a glare from Leo.

"Only if you don't get, the hell, out of my way, Leo!" Raph threatened as he tried to side step around his brother, regaining his attention.

Leo moved in front of his brother again, determined to get control of the situation and get his brother to just understand that the rules applied to him, and that he couldn't just blow them off 'cause he wanted to… do whatever the hell it was he wanted to do. He didn't get a chance to get the words out though.

He saw Raph pull his fist back so Leonardo easily blocked the first strike, and then the next few. His arms stinging as Raph's punches increased in force.

It was stupid really, to get so upset over his brother's concern and just wanting to know what was going on. But, Raph didn't want to tell him. Partly because he was embarrassed that Arayah had not returned his affections, or that he had even sought them out in the first place. That he had ignored his own advice to his brothers to 'just forget about girls, because the four of them were mutants' and 'it was never going to happen.' He didn't want to explain it. he didn't think he should have to. Even if Leo was right about Raph being reckless and not taking the dangers into consideration before taking off on his own. But he didn't want them to know. So, he swung away. Pushing Leo back, hoping that they would just let him be. But the stubborn leader wasn't backing down.

Growling Raph threw his arms up in frustration, giving up on the tactic. "Just leave me, the fuck alone!"

Raph didn't wait for Leo to give any sign of compliance, He just walked past him. He just needed a little bit of time, just long enough to make sure Arayah was ok. To see it for himself and know what accident Casey had been talking about.

But Leo wasn't going to let it be. Clenching his jaw and determined to squelch Raphael's insubordination Leo stormed after him.

So, Raph landed a backwards thrust kick striking Leonardo square in the chest sending the surprised turtle stumbling backwards across the slick roof.

Leo reached down to catch himself twice. Both times he able to correct himself just enough to not land sprawled out in a puddle. The loose gravel and slick water made it so he couldn't quite get his feet under him, however. His back was to Donatello when his carapace struck Don's plastron with a loud "Crack!" knocking Don off balance.

Don gasped as he pitched backwards and reached out to find something solid to grab onto catching hold of Michelangelo's rain slicked hand.

"Don!" Mike cried out as he tried to tighten his grip to no avail.

Raphael, and time, stopped in mid stride at Mikey's panic stricken cry. He turned to see two of his brothers and Casey staring over the edge of building as if frozen. Donatello was nowhere to be seen.

A lump formed in Raph's throat as they all turned to look at him, expressions turning from shock to panic as the realization of what had just happened sunk in.

Fear driving them all as they quickly made their way down the three story building to the ally below.

"Don?!" Michelangelo called as he slid to a stop next to his brother, who's fall was partly broken thanks to pile of trash bags.

Not getting an answer quick enough Mike started to shake Don. "Don? You ok?"

"Mike, don't shake me." Don groaned as he attempted to push Mikey's hands back.

Mikey sighed as Relief filled him. "Dude, I thought you were a goner."

"I would only sustain considerable damage to my shell and suffer broken bones falling from that height, Mikey. unless I were to land on my head." Donatello explained as he attempted to sit up but was stopped by a pain that shot through his back causing him to momentarily forget the throbbing in his leg and let out a pained whimper.

"You ok, man?" Casey asked leaning into Don's view.

"I wouldn't say that." Leo frowned as he looked down at what appeared to be curtain rod of some sort skewering Donatello's leg.

Mikey looked down at the injury and immediately heaved. Seeing blood and a puncture wound was one thing. Seeing your brother's blood and puncture wound was another, especially with anything sticking out of it.

"eww." Casey frowned at the injury.

"He goin' to be alright?" Raph asked from a few feet back. It wasn't that he couldn't handle seeing the injury it was more that he had caused it. He didn't need the dark, I told you so, look Leo shot him to help the guilt to come flooding to the surface like a tsunami. And his face must have shown it 'cause Leo didn't say a thing.

He could have given Raph an hour long lecture on how the bad tempered turtle's thick sculled, recless, pigheadedness had been the cause of all this but it wasn't going to do Don any good for them to waste time. Frowning Leo looked back down at Don's leg and considered what to do. "Ok, you guys hold him." He directed Casey and Mikey, who's color had paled considerably. Leo then wrapped his hands around the long cylinder piece of metal and braced himself. "I'm going to pull it out."

"No no no no!" Don shouted putting his hands out to stop Leo. "I don't know what all it went through and being that it is the inside of my thigh the femoral artery could very well be compromised. That rod could be the only thing keeping me from bleeding out."

"You want us to just take it with us?" Leo asked.

Don gave a slow painful nod. "Yes. We're going to have to go back to the layer. I think I can walk you through how to remove it properly," taking a couple deep breaths he tried to push down the pain so he could continue to think clearly, then said with a groan, "I think I might have cracked my shell."

Leo began to nod his agreement when Raph suddenly pushed through.

Carefully Raph slipped his arms under Donatello's shoulders and knees. Then, with a great deal of pained protest from Don, lifted his brother and began to carry him in the opposite direction on home.

"Where are you going? The layer is that way." Leo said as he pointed back the way they had come in the first place.

"To someone that can help." Raph answered over his shoulder. It hadn't been his plan to bombard Arayah with his family or have them meet her. But he couldn't think of a more capable person to help.

"Who?" Leo asked as he followed Raph, everyone else following Leo.

"She's a vet." Raph explained checking the street than hurrying across, Don quickly growing heavy.

"Like been to war?" Mike asked a little confused on how she could help and who exactly 'She' was.

"No, you idiot." Raph grumbled stopping under a fire escape. "A veterinarian. Someone pull the latter down. "

Leo jumped up and pulled on the latter. "Who is?" He asked feeling his own temper quickly finding its boiling point at his brother's circular way of answering them.

"Owe owe owe!" Don complained as Raphael shifted him onto his shoulder bumping the rod as he did so. Donatello led out a gurgled groan as he tried to push down the pain that jarred his leg and squeezed his stomach.

"You doing alright Don?" Mikey asked looking up at Donnie.

"No." Don whined.

Accepting Don's whining as a good sign Raph turned to Leo. "Arayah." He answered Leo's last question then started to climb the fire escape.

"Who is Arayah?" Leo asked.

"As far as Raph's concerned she's 'Something else'." Casey grinned. As he passed Leo to follow Raphael up the fire escape.

"Shut up, Case." Raph chided.

"What?" Leo asked thoroughly confused.

"She the one you had me look up?" Don asked trying to keep his mind off the world that was spinning below him. He was pretty sure if you threw up no one on the ladder beneath him would thank him and they sure the hell wouldn't let him live it down.

"Ya." Raph answered making his way to the window. The lights were on but he didn't see Arayah in the one room apartment, which meant she was probably in the bathroom. So he knocked on the window, but saw no movement. So he pushed up on the window and slid it open with his available hand, then cursed about the fact she had left it unlocked.

"Who?"

Mikey sighed then looked down the fire escape at Leo. "Don't you pay attention, Dude? Raph is taking Don to see a veterinarian named Arayah, who he had Don cyber stock…" Mike thought about that for a second then looked up the fire escape at Raph. "Oh, she was that babe that stitched up your shoulder."

"Ooohh, The Doctor he thought was hot." Leo nodded as it all finally came together.

"Bingo." Casey confirmed

Raph glared down at them. "Will you guys shut up and help me get Don in here."