Chapter Text
Consciousness returned to Raph slowly, bringing with it fresh waves of pain and regret as he remembered. Donnie was leaning over him but was yet to realize he was awake and Raph needed him to know. Raph reached out feebly, air rushing from his lungs as fresh, sharp pain shot through his chest but it was unimportant.
He finally caught Donnie's arm on his third attempt, his brother's rich brown eyes jumping to meet his.
"Raph…" Donnie breathed out, sounding more than a little relieved.
"Ba.. Ba…by," Raph rasped out, desperately willing Donnie to understand. He needed him to know the truth.
"Hey, hey. You're going to be okay. We're right here, Raph," Donnie promised, taking Raph's hand from his arm and squeezing it before placing it carefully back down on the table. "We've got you but I need you to stay still."
But those words only made Raph want to scream. He shook his head violently, his breath coming in ragged gasps as his head pounded in protest.
"Fuck, Raph," Donnie cursed, hands on his head and shoulder, trying to stop him.
"Raph, stop," Leo commanded, suddenly looming over Raph from his other side. "Stop! Do as you're told for once and stay still!" The words were angry, but his tone desperate, imploring as he pressed a hand to the side of Raph's head.
"No," Raph whispered through gritted teeth, reaching out and grasping at air. He met Leo's gaze as best he could, even as his vision fogged with the pain. "Listen," he commanded, his voice frustratingly weak and trembling.
He scrabbled, despite his brothers' desperate attempts to hold him still, until he was able to finally grasp at a wrist, though he wasn't even certain whose, pulling their hand toward his lower plastron and pressing it against his own body.
"Baby," he rasped out again. "Ours."
There was a moment when the hands pulling at him stilled, but a renewed flurry of movement quickly followed.
"That's not possible," Leo said. "Right?"
"I don't know," Donnie said distractedly. If Raph didn't know him so well he might have mistaken the panic in his voice for calm.
"He's not saying…?"
"I don't know, Mikey!" Donnie snapped.
"Sorry," Raph told them, feeling himself slipping, finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.
"No, no, Raph. Stay with us," Leo commanded.
"Raphael! Look at me!" Mikey exclaimed, closer now than he had been. "Raph!"
Raph tried, pushing his eyes back open as best he could, peering up into the tear streaked faces of Leo and Mikey.
"That's it!" Mikey praised. "Good job. About time you listened to me."
Raph managed a weak laugh, trying and failing to focus.
"Raph," Donnie said, drawing his attention, his hand gentle in contrast to his tone as he took Raph's chin and turned his head. "Are you saying you think you're pregnant?" he asked.
Raph felt like crying, or screaming, or punching something. He couldn't even find it in himself to be embarrassed or weird about it any more; all he could think was that this wasn't how they were supposed to find out. But they needed to know.
He nodded once.
"Holy shell!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Okay, okay. We got you," Donnie promised again, jumping back into action.
Raph rolled his head to the otherside, seeking out his other brothers rather than watching whatever Donnie was doing to save his life; and hopefully their child's.
"Damn it, Raph," Leo said fondly, leaning down and pressing the softest of kisses to his lips. "You better fucking survive this. Because I'm going to kill you," he told him, forcing a watery smile.
"Get in line," Donnie said between gritted teeth, as he jabbed something into Raph's arm.
"Sure thing, fearless," Raph promised weakly as the world rapidly slipped from his grasp.