Raphael soon woke up in a soft bed, he was covered up and could actually breathe. The turtle heard a beeping sound and knew it was a monitor, when he moved he could feel the tubes in him. Raph felt terrified, he wanted someone to be at his side so he knew that everything was okay. The turtle closed his eyes and listened for any kind of noise, but it was quiet. Raph's heart raced, he was blind and it was quiet, this is what terrified him the most.
The door opened and someone rushed to his side, Raphael opened his eyes. "I'm here Raph, I'm here." Donnie told his brother as he gently touched Raph's hand. "Calm down, I'm right here."
Raphael relaxed and tried to sit up, but was stopped by Donatello. "D-Donnie..."
"Raph, stay down." Donatello instructed his brother with a sad sigh, "You need to get better."
Raphael laid back down and gently touched Donnie's hand with his other. "Donnie, where is everyone?"
"They're sleeping, would you like me to stay with you?" Donatello said as he knelt at the bedside next to his brother.
"Yeah...I don't want to be alone anymore." Raphael replied, Donatello could see that Raphael was truly broken. Raph sighed softly as Donnie carefully covered him up some more.
"How about I read to you." Donnie suggested with a soft smile, "Would you like that?"
Raphael smiled softly and relaxed, he nodded at his brother. "Can you read me a comic?"
"Of course." Donatello replied as he squeezed his brother's hand, "Want me to make you a stuffed animal too?" Raph blushed and he looked away, he felt embarrassed.
"Um...never mind..." Raphael whispered as tears filled his eyes, he wondered what his family would think of him if they knew just how broken he was.
"Raph, I'm serious." Donatello replied, "It would help you not feel alone, and nobody will say a word about it." Donatello gently squeezed Raphael's hand and sighed softly. "It's all going to be okay."
"I want a stuffed bear." Raphael told him with a small smile, "Thanks Don."
Donnie smiled at his big brother, "You're welcome, and don't worry about anything." Donatello hugged his big brother, "We'll take care of you and help you heal completely."
Raphael hugged back and relaxed, a huge smile forming on his face. "You guys are the best." After a while, Donnie pulled back and left the room to get started on the teddy bear.
The others soon woke up and headed downstairs to see Donatello in his lab. Donnie had a stack of comics at his side and was making a teddy bear. "Um, Donnie, why are you making a stuffed animal?"
"It's for Raph." Donatello replied as he looked to his loved ones with sad eyes, "I don't think he'll ever be the same again." Everyone looked at Donnie with disbelief.
"Don, what do you mean?" Casey asked with worry.
Donatello sighed softly as he finished making the teddy bear, then he motioned for everyone to follow him up the stairs silently. Once they reached the top, they headed for Raphael's room and waited outside as Donnie walked in. Donatello sat down at Raphael's side and gave him the teddy bear, then he read to Raphael until Raph fell asleep. The others walked in as Donnie checked his wounds.
"He didn't even attack when you gave him the teddy bear." Pete said with shock, "What did they do to him?"
"Tortured him until he broke." Donatello replied as he gently touched Raph's hand. "He told me that he didn't want to be alone anymore, someone will have to be in here until he's himself again."
"What if that never happens?" Mikey asked with worry as tears filled his eyes.
Donatello gently touched Michelangelo's shoulder, "Then we will protect him and keep him happy." Donnie answered, "His spirit may be broken, if we can repair it then he should be almost completely fine."
Slash watched his boyfriend, then he got an idea. "How long until he can eat without a tube and leave the bed?" he asked Donatello, "I think I have a plan."
"No more than four months and no less than one in a half." Donatello answered in a soft voice as Slash gently touched Raph's cheek.
"I can always take him to Murikami's and we could go roof jumping." Slash told his friends with a small smile. "Maybe we could retrain him when he gets better, he does love his punching bag..."
"Slash, those are great ideas." Leonardo said with a small smile, "And we can put away our rivalry so he doesn't stress."
Slash nodded in agreement, "He doesn't need anymore pain and stress." Slash replied as he covered Raphael up and hoped that Raphael would heal enough to be his old self. "I love everything about him." Slash told them as he gently stroked Raphael's head. Slash was right, Raphael had been tortured enough, Mikey felt that it wasn't fair. Seeing Raphael in so much pain killed everyone on the inside.
"I'm going to go make some medicine to try and help Raph heal faster." Donatello said sadly as he left his brother's room. Michelangelo followed him along with the others, Slash decided to take first watch.
"Raphael, you're going to be just fine." Slash promised his best friend, "I'm going to make sure you heal completely." Slash sat down, then he carefully lifted Raph out of the bed and held him close. "Everything will be fine."
Raphael groaned slightly and woke up, he felt Slash's plastron and nuzzled into it. "Slash, I'm-" he stopped talking when he heard soft whimpers. "Slash?" Raphael reached up in spite of his pain and gently touched Slash's cheek. "Slash, are you okay?"
"I'm just worried about you my Raphael." Slash replied with a sniffle as he gently stroked Raphael's cheek. "You should be resting."
Raphael nuzzled into Slash, "Where's my teddy bear?" he asked in a soft voice, Slash grabbed the stuffed animal and gave it to Raph. "Thanks Slash." Raphael said as Slash wrapped him in blankets.
"Anything for you." Slash replied as he nuzzled Raphael and relaxed. "Keep it close, I heard it will keep away the nightmares."
"Y-You don't think of me d-differently?" Raph asked in a shocked voice as he looked up at his boyfriend.
"I think you need to be fixed mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally." Slash replied, "Your wounds need to heal and you need someone there to help you heal." Raphael smiled and nuzzled into Slash a little more.
"Thanks Slash, I feel a lot better with you guys." Raphael told him as Slash leaned against the wall and held Raphael close.
"We'd do anything for our Raphie." Slash replied as he kissed Raphael's forehead, "Do us a favor though, we need you to tell us how you feel and if you're in pain."
"You know that probably won't-" Raph started, until a tear fell onto his cheek from above, "Alright, but keep everyone calm for me." Raphael told Slash, "Please don't cry, I don't like it when any of you cry."
"I'm sorry Raph, I should have been at your side to protect you." Slash replied as he kissed Raphael's hand and gently stroked his head.
Raphael smiled as he gently stroked Slash's head and hushed him. "It's fine, I'm fine." Raphael told him as he curled up in Slash's arms. Suddenly Raphael felt pain in his chest and he gasped. "S-Slash...get D-Don..."
Slash gently picked Raphael up and laid him back in bed, then he ran off. When he reached Donnie's lab, Slash touched his shoulder. "Raphael told me to come get you, I think he's in-" Slash stopped talking when he heard someone scream, then he ran back toward Raph's room and knelt by his side. "Raph, it's okay, I'm here." Slash held Raphael's hand as Donatello ran in with a needle.
"Raph, I'm going to put some morphine into your system." Donatello told him as he got the needle ready, then he gently cleansed Raphael's arm.
"N-Not needles..." Raph breathed as a flash of fear formed on his face. Slash quickly grabbed Raphael's teddy bear and gave it to him.
"Raphie, it's just to get rid of the pain, nothing else." Slash said soothingly as he touched Raphael's cheek. "We're here to help you."
Raphael hugged the teddy bear close and closed his eyes tightly. "H-How long will it take?" he whimpered as Donnie injected the morphine into him.
"I'm pulling it out now." Donatello replied as he pulled it out and gently touched Raphael's head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back nightmares."
"It's okay Don...you didn't know." Raphael replied as he slowly began to relax, Donatello smiled at his big brother.
"Stay strong Raph, we're going to fix this." Donatello told him as he tugged Raphael into bed.
Raphael closed his eyes and was soon sleeping again. "Donatello, when will his pain end?" Slash asked with a worried voice as he squeezed Raphael's hand.
"Anywhere between now and never." Donatello replied as he gently touched Slash's hand. "It's a possibility he'll be completely healed, but it's also a possibility he'll never heal."
"You always were a great brother to him, we just never saw it." Slash told him, "You, Michelangelo, and Leonardo made him mad so many times, but he always felt safer when he was with you."
Donnie smiled softly, "He also had you, I guess Raphael and you never shared the happy times."
"Guys...?" the two turtles heard someone at the door, when they looked at the person they saw Michelangelo.
"Mikey, he's okay now." Donatello replied as Mikey walked in and climbed up into bed with Raphael.
"Remember when we all came to Raph when we had nightmares?" Michelangelo said, "Or when we were scared?"
"I remember well, even Leonardo would run in in tears." Slash replied, "Raphael was always terrified, but he acted tougher so you would be protected."
Leonardo walked in and sat down next to Raphael, he looked miserable. "Donnie, how is he doing?"
"He was given morphine for the pain and fell asleep." Donatello replied, "Leo, he's okay for now."
"I hate seeing him like this." Leo snarled, "I hate that I couldn't protect him from Fishface."
Mikey hugged Leo tightly, "It wasn't your fault Leo, Raph just couldn't win a fight."
"If he had won, then he wouldn't be in pain" Leonardo whimpered softly.
"He'll be okay, I promise." Donnie said as he watched his brothers.