Leo lay quietly against the pillows, gazing down at his hands. He was exhausted… it seemed he was always tired despite all the time he spent sleeping… but he found he couldn't close his eyes. He was too afraid of what he might see if he did. Hazy memories had started drifting into his mind… of the attack, the fight, the close escape, and that horrible, masked face, staring at him with a familiar and insatiable malice burning in its eyes…

The slider tensed and his hands curled into fists, gripping the blanket as tight as his limited strength allowed.

It's okay… he hurt me, but I'm here. Everyone's fine, everyone's safe, I'm safe…

But you're not fine.

"Leo?"

The slider's eyes moved to the doorway, not at all surprised to see his red banded brother standing there. Good old mother hen Raph, always standing guard. The snapper approached, his face a picture of concern, but he hesitated within an arm's length.

"Uh… can I…"

Knowing what he meant, Leo took a deep breath and nodded. A small smile tugged at his big brother's face, and he reached out. His hands, so large but at the same time so gentle, took Leo's, and it was then that Leo realized he was still clutching the blanket in his fists. His face heated a little, and he forced his grip to relax.

"It's okay, bud," Raph said. Leo blinked and looked up at him, his confusion only growing when the older turtle let out a short, soft chuckle.

"We know ya better than you think, Leo. You were gonna say sorry, so I'm just telling ya now it's fine."

Leo blinked, then felt his mouth twitch into a smile. He couldn't make himself laugh, but the amusement still lightened his lingering gloom.

"Well, then, O wise Raphala, can ya tell me how the rest of the fam's doing? Everyone else I ask either just says they're fine, or not to worry about them… or usually both."

He saw Raph's jaw shift, and knew the snapper was conflicted about answering. Letting out a sigh, he narrowed his eyes in a playful glare.

"Oh, come on, hermano… not you too."

Raph shifted on his feet, then let out a gusty sigh of his own before sitting down beside the bed.

"Sorry, I'm just…"

"Worried," Leo finished with a smirk. "Relax, big guy. I'm no tank like you, but I'm not fragile."

The corner of Raph's mouth twitched up.

"Don't we know it." He leaned forward, placing his chin on enjoined hands with his elbows on the bed. "Well, everyone's kinda rough right now. Just… y' know, was hard seein' all this happen to ya again."

Leo's felt his face grow more sober. He had an idea of how Donnie was doing… the softshell's constant, somewhat short-tempered fussing ensured that Leo saw the most of him. And given how terrible Donnie was at hiding things, it was a given. Letting out a quiet sigh, Leo directed his gaze downward as he twisted the blanket in his hands.

"Mikey looks kind a' tired," he said softly. "Is he, um… having nightmares again?"

When Raph didn't answer, that was enough to answer Leo's question. A tight feeling squeezed his chest, and he had to force himself to gulp down the lump in his throat. He looked up, giving Raph his best cheesy grin. Though he was pretty sure it came out looking more like a grimace.

"I'm really on a roll, huh? Traumatizing everyone for life at least five times in one year. Gotta be some kind a' record, right?"

Raph immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, that familiar combination of firmness and gentleness in his eyes and voice.

"Hey, hey. I know what you're doin', Leo, and I'm tellin' ya right now, don't even start. This ain't your fault any more than that other stuff was. You got attacked, little brother. That's on those Foot creeps, not you."

But I tried to fight without backup. I was stupid and reckless, again.

The urge to say those words out loud was so strong Leo barely caught himself. He had his whole family worried enough; this was not the time to make it even worse. So he made himself smile at Raph.

"I know," he said. "Thanks, big brother."

That part, at least, was genuine. Leo was pretty sure he would never believe none of this was his fault, but he would never stop being grateful for Raph's support… and the rest of his family. It had saved him more than once, after all.

Before Raph could reply, the door slid open again and Mikey came sauntering in with a tray balanced in his hands.

"Knock-knock!" he said with his familiar sunny smile. "Mikey's room service!"

Despite Leo's twinge of guilt at the slight dark circles under his little brother's eyes, it was countered by happiness at seeing his smile and knowing it was genuine.

"Hey, bro," the slider said, grinning. "Methinks, I smell that awesome cheesy tomato soup of yours?"

Mikey's smile widened as he moved to Leo's bed.

"Ya still can't have pizza, so I went for the next best thing. Delicious, nutritious, an' easy on the stomach, baby."

Smiling himself, Raph moved to make room for Mikey to set the tray down.

"Ya need any help?" the snapper asked, his eyes soft with concern. Ordinarily Leo would feel at least a little annoyed at that reminder of his frailty but found he couldn't summon any. He'd been told more than once that there was no shame in admitting you needed help, from pretty much everyone… even Shelldon, though he wasn't sure if that counted as a separate person since Donnie programmed him.

"Maybe some," Leo said, picking up the spoon. "Still a little shaky."

Raph gave a small nod and reached out, his large hand holding Leo's steady as he scooped up some of the soup. Mikey settled on the foot of the bed, sitting cross-legged with an eager, inquiring expression.

"Ya feelin' okay, bro?"

After sipping the spoonful of soup, Leo directed a reassuring nod to his younger brother.

"No worries, Mikey. Pretty sure by now it'll take getting flattened by a meteor t' kill me."

He'd meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, but both his brothers' reactions quickly proved it was the wrong thing to say. He felt Raph tense, and Mikey shivered a little before pulling his head halfway into his shell. His quiet sniffles were like a stab to Leo's heart.

"Mikey, I…" he stammered. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

He looked at Raph, his guilt worsening at the sight of his older brother's face.

"Raph, I didn't mean it like that…"

The snapper took a deep breath, clearly trying hard to compose himself, then gave Leo a sad smile.

"I know, little brother. Just… no death jokes, okay?"

Leo nodded, anxious to reassure his brothers.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't. Promise."

He was relieved to see their tension ease, but neither spoke. Leo went back to eating, swallowing hard past the lump of guilt in his throat. After a few moments, Mikey shifted before looking up at Leo with wide, concerned eyes.

"Does, um… does your leg hurt?"

Lei felt an uneasy twinge at those words. His conspicuously long list of injuries, as it turned out, included a shattered left leg. Draxum had said that he felt a specialized doctor should look at it, which wouldn't have meant much, but Leo could tell that the yokai was being tactful in how he said it. That was enough to set off alarm bells in the slider's head; normally, Draxum spoke with rather blunt honesty. The fact that he felt he needed to word something carefully usually meant it was serious. But Leo pushed down his fear and gave his little brother a smile, hoping to ease Mikey's clear anxiety.

"Kinda, but the painkillers help. Besides, won't be long till we find out when I'll be up and back to reclaiming the pizza box stack record."

Raph let out a snort.

"Yeah, you wish, Leo."

Mikey laughed, and Leo's smile widened. His own fear still lingered, but he'd eased his brothers', and that was enough for him… at least for now.