"The surgery will take some time before you will be able to see him again, please remain out here. Donatello, I fear that you may have to remain here as well" Leatherhead told them all as he and April got ready to save Leo's life, the hours that remained that is but the news of Donnie being outside and not being able to help his big brother floored him badly. Sure they were scared of seeing their own brother getting cut open right in front of you but they were to scared to just stay behind. In the end Splinter managed to convince Leatherhead and donnie got ready too before any of them could change their minds.

But Leatherhead was more worried about Leo then he was about Donnie and had a small talk with Raph, since he thought the red turtle could handle the painful news then his other brothers "I fear the tumour has spread during the night but we will try to remove it without harming him" "Just make sure he's alive...I don't think any of us can handle the thought of him 6 feet underground while we live in pain" Raph crossed his arms over his plastorn and leaned against the wall to calm down. Leatherhead nodded and closed the door to the lab...

Now all they had to do was to wait for hours until that door opened again.

Mikey could concentrate on his games and it made him lose so many time that he gave up and turned it off before moving to his room where he felt like he was going to shatter in pieces "I hate to be strong...I can't be a baby any more, and defiantly not if Leo dies...I have to grow up.."

"If you do that then I'll slap sense in ya"

"GAH! Wha...Raph?! Heck are you trying to kill me?!" Mikey sun around and found Raph standing at the door frame looking at with a look he didn't like so much "Raph I can't be a helpless baby all the time...I have to grow up if Leo dies and...And..."

"He wouldn't want to watch you become something you're not, and honestly...Neither do I" Raph sighed and watched Mikey trying to hold what ever emotion that was about to brake him so before it could go down hill Raph pulled him in a tight embrace and instantly felt his shoulder getting wet which told him that he did the right move just in time. Mikey hugged Raph like he was going to disappear just like Leo but when the thought of their eldest brother came back to him he completely fell apart.

"Leo will be fine...We found it in time and soon this whole thing will be forgotten"

"Hope so"

Several hours went by and still nothing about Leo's condition. they were all half asleep when the door flew open with such force that they all had a heart attack as Donnie came out looking like he was going to murder something.

"We are trying to removed the tumour but it has spread to wide and it DANGEROUSLY close to Leo's heart! One slip and we might kill him...That fucking tumour might be laughing at us right now!" Donnie shouted and sent his fist n the wall and literally broke big chucks of the wall before slamming the door again with new energy to save Leo. The rest of them were standing in shock before Mikey started to cry again and Raph pulled him in a tighter hug then before, they were losing hope...They were all scared to death now and there was nothing they could do to help, all they could do was to sit down and have their nerves burn to ashes.

Splinter was the one who was most burned out and not matter how many times they told him to get some rest or some tea he refused both offers and kept starring at the lab door again while going through all the memories that had to do with Leo or all of them when they didn't have to worry about things like this but fate always had it's way to ruin their happiness and right now that happiness was a past memory and it seemed like it would never be a happy future.

...

Raph got up when Casey, Mikey and thankfully Splinter had finally fallen asleep just as Donnie came out again "Please tell me he's fine! Please tell me the tumour hadn't spread across his lungs, heart ect!" Raph begged and clapped his hands together and fell on his knees which made Donnie almost brust out laughing at the sight, it was the best thing he had seen all day and chosed to tell Raph before he started to lose control over him self "We have removed the tumour but it still remains some of it spreading, we'll try to be done in about 3 hours...Sorry, you won't see him yet and honestly he won't be awake when you see him anyway"

"As long as he's alive I don't' care" Raph said and sat down again and placed his face in his hands and tried to stay strong but his nerves had finally burned out. Donnie's smile disappeared and went inside again to help Leatherhead, Raph didn't move as his letted his tears fall in silence and remembered all the times he and Leo hadn't tried to kill each other. Brothers always argued so what was the difference about it? Raph was so deep in his thought that he jumped when Klunk rubbed against his leg and let out a small meow, like he was telling the red turtle to keep hope in his heart and not to give up that easily.

The tiny orange tabby jumped up to Raph and laid to sleep like a fluffy ball in his lap but Raph didn't mind it for once. Klunk might have been right about not giving up so fast.

"Raphael, we have stitched up your brother and you may go see him if you want. Thou he is not awake at the moment" Leatherhead came out and moved out of the way just in time as a blur of red and green flew past him and suddenly he had Klunk on his shoulder, inside the lab Donnie sat on Leo left side and held his hand "He is in a healing coma, the tumour had spread so much that it seemed impossible to remove it all so we're hope the meds will do the rest of the job, he won't be awake for a while...We just have to go through another painful wait"

"He's alive...That's all I care" Raph whispered and sat down one Leo's right side of the bed and now preyed for real:

That his big brother would wake up and finally be free from this nightmare.