"We are one, you and I
We are like the earth and sky
One family under the sun
All the wisdom to lead,
All the courage you will need
You will find when you see
We are one"
(Cam Clarke and Charity Sanoy "The Lion King II")
Michaelangelo slammed a dollar bill down onto the coffee table. "It's a bet!"
Raphael looked down at the money and waved his brother off. "Is that all you got? You said ten bucks."
Mike looked up and yelled to Donatello who was off in his lab. "Hey, Donny! Loan me ten bucks!"
Donatello stuck his head out of the door. "You have got to be kidding. For what?"
"Raphael bet me that he could break those three bricks we found with his head. C'mon, I'll split the winnings with you fifty/fifty."
Don shook his head. "Those bricks are for reinforcing the south wall. You can't break them."
"Don't worry, he won't," Mike said grinning at Raph.
Raphael grabbed a pillow cushion and slammed it into Mike's face. "Yeah, keep talking and I'll use my head to break your shell."
"At least you would be using it for something," Leonardo commented dryly leaning against the doorway of the kitchen.
Raph looked at him and groaned. "Who invited you into this conversation?"
Leo shrugged and Mike jumped over the couch to run to him. "Lend me ten bucks. Please, Leo," he begged grabbing his arm.
Leonardo shook him off. "What do you need money for?"
Don came out of his lab and fell down in a vacant chair. "He wants to see Raph give himself a concussion."
"Shut up, Donny," Raphael growled.
Leonardo looked at Raphael with concern. "How?"
Michaelangelo knelt down next to the couch and lifted up a cement brick. "Raph says he can break three of these with his head. But he won't do it if I don't have ten bucks. So, please, Leo."
"Sorry, Mike," Leo said with an apologetic smile. "I don't have it."
"Donny?" Mike asked turning to his other brother with a pleading look.
Donatello shrugged. "Looks like you're out of luck, Mike."
Mike threw himself down onto the couch next to Raphael with an angry scowl. "Probably couldn't do it anyway," he mumbled.
Raph dove at him and pinned Michaelangelo to the couch. "What did you say?"
Mike didn't look the least bit fazed. "I said, you couldn't do it anyway," he repeated stubbornly.
Raphael glared silently at him for a moment. "Ok, pick up your dollar and those bricks." He let Michaelangelo up and headed for their training room.
Mike grinned at Leonardo and Donatello. "I'm good huh?" He jumped up and grabbed the money and the three bricks.
Leonardo glanced over at his brother. "Donny, what are the odds that he's gonna break those and not his head?"
"Well, you know as well as I do that breaking is about concentration and focusing more than strength...." Donatello trailed off thoughtfully.
Leo nodded. "Yeah that's what I thought." He ran into the training room followed quickly by Don.
Raph had already set up the bricks in between two high stools and was trying to find the right angle to break. Michaelangelo stood near him watching closely.
Leo decided it was best to be tactful. "Hey, Raph. We really do need those bricks for the wall. It's going to start leaking soon."
Raphael didn't even bother to look at him. "So, we'll find more."
So much for tact. "Well, do you have to break all of them at once?"
"Yeah Raph," Don agreed. "Because of the density of those bricks, the odds of you being able to get through all of them without hurting yourself..."
Raphael closed his eyes and a deep growling sound was heard from the back of his throat. "If you give me one fuckin' statistic, Donatello, I will permanently crash your computer with my sai."
Donatello gasped in surprise at Raphael's threat and stalked out of the room. He came back a few moments later and handed Michaelangelo a ten-dollar bill. "Fine. I've got ten dollars that says you knock yourself out."
"Donatello!" Leo said angrily. This was so wildly out of character for his peace-loving brother and besides he was supposed to be helping to talk Raphael out of this.
"Donny! You said you didn't have any money!" Mike looked annoyed.
"Can you guys shut the hell up!" Raphael snapped. "I'm trying to concentrate!" He lowered his head to the bricks slowly.
"Raphael, you know that breaking takes hours to prepare for," Leonardo argued. "God, think with your head and not your ego."
Raphael ignored him. Deep breath. Better do this before Leo tries to drag me away. Ok, 1…2…3
Raphael brought his head down quickly and as hard as he could.
And then everything went black.
*************************************************************
"I think he's waking up."
Oh God, someone tell Mikey to turn down the bass on his radio. It took him a second to realize that the pounding was in his own head and was made worse every time someone spoke to him.
"Raphael? Raphael, My Son, can you hear me?"
Raphael tried to make some intelligible reply but it came out as sort of "Ngghh."
"Was that English?" Michaelangelo snickered. Leonardo and Donatello jabbed him on either side with their elbow. "Ow!"
Splinter glared at them all and they fell silent. "Raphael, open your eyes for me if you can."
Raph's eyes squeezed tighter for a second and then they opened slowly. He was on his bed in his room with his brothers and master standing over him looking a bit concerned.
"Raphael, do you remember what happened?" Leo asked.
Raphael closed his eyes again. "Yeah and it's all your guys' fault."
"Come again?" Donatello said.
Splinter held up his hand to forestall the argument. "Raphael, you need to keep your eyes open," he said sternly.
"Huh?" Raph blinked up at him. "Why?"
Splinter gently placed a bag of ice on his head. "I fear you may have a concussion. In order to be sure you do not lapse into a coma, you must remain awake."
Raph fought off the urge to close his eyes again. "For how long?"
"At least for the next twelve hours," Splinter replied.
Raphael moaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh, damn," he muttered. "Ohhhhh, just give me something for this headache."
"That's not such a good idea, Raph," Donatello said cautiously. "Any painkillers we have is liable to make you drowsy."
"Besides, the pain will help keep you awake," Mike added and Raphael's eyes snapped open to glare at him.
Sighing in resignation, Raph struggled to sit up. "Fine, fine. You guys go to bed and I'll just go watch some…whoa." The room started spinning and Splinter helped him lay back down.
"No, you must remain here." Splinter glanced at his sons. "We will take shifts staying here with you. To make sure that you do not fall asleep."
Mike chuckled. "Heh..sounds like Nightmare on Elm Street." He dropped his voice to a sinister whisper. "'Whatever you do, don't fall asleep.'"
"Why don't you take the first shift, Mike," Leo suggested with a smile.
Michaelangelo groaned. "Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?"
Next Chapter: Michaelangelo
We are like the earth and sky
One family under the sun
All the wisdom to lead,
All the courage you will need
You will find when you see
We are one"
(Cam Clarke and Charity Sanoy "The Lion King II")
Michaelangelo slammed a dollar bill down onto the coffee table. "It's a bet!"
Raphael looked down at the money and waved his brother off. "Is that all you got? You said ten bucks."
Mike looked up and yelled to Donatello who was off in his lab. "Hey, Donny! Loan me ten bucks!"
Donatello stuck his head out of the door. "You have got to be kidding. For what?"
"Raphael bet me that he could break those three bricks we found with his head. C'mon, I'll split the winnings with you fifty/fifty."
Don shook his head. "Those bricks are for reinforcing the south wall. You can't break them."
"Don't worry, he won't," Mike said grinning at Raph.
Raphael grabbed a pillow cushion and slammed it into Mike's face. "Yeah, keep talking and I'll use my head to break your shell."
"At least you would be using it for something," Leonardo commented dryly leaning against the doorway of the kitchen.
Raph looked at him and groaned. "Who invited you into this conversation?"
Leo shrugged and Mike jumped over the couch to run to him. "Lend me ten bucks. Please, Leo," he begged grabbing his arm.
Leonardo shook him off. "What do you need money for?"
Don came out of his lab and fell down in a vacant chair. "He wants to see Raph give himself a concussion."
"Shut up, Donny," Raphael growled.
Leonardo looked at Raphael with concern. "How?"
Michaelangelo knelt down next to the couch and lifted up a cement brick. "Raph says he can break three of these with his head. But he won't do it if I don't have ten bucks. So, please, Leo."
"Sorry, Mike," Leo said with an apologetic smile. "I don't have it."
"Donny?" Mike asked turning to his other brother with a pleading look.
Donatello shrugged. "Looks like you're out of luck, Mike."
Mike threw himself down onto the couch next to Raphael with an angry scowl. "Probably couldn't do it anyway," he mumbled.
Raph dove at him and pinned Michaelangelo to the couch. "What did you say?"
Mike didn't look the least bit fazed. "I said, you couldn't do it anyway," he repeated stubbornly.
Raphael glared silently at him for a moment. "Ok, pick up your dollar and those bricks." He let Michaelangelo up and headed for their training room.
Mike grinned at Leonardo and Donatello. "I'm good huh?" He jumped up and grabbed the money and the three bricks.
Leonardo glanced over at his brother. "Donny, what are the odds that he's gonna break those and not his head?"
"Well, you know as well as I do that breaking is about concentration and focusing more than strength...." Donatello trailed off thoughtfully.
Leo nodded. "Yeah that's what I thought." He ran into the training room followed quickly by Don.
Raph had already set up the bricks in between two high stools and was trying to find the right angle to break. Michaelangelo stood near him watching closely.
Leo decided it was best to be tactful. "Hey, Raph. We really do need those bricks for the wall. It's going to start leaking soon."
Raphael didn't even bother to look at him. "So, we'll find more."
So much for tact. "Well, do you have to break all of them at once?"
"Yeah Raph," Don agreed. "Because of the density of those bricks, the odds of you being able to get through all of them without hurting yourself..."
Raphael closed his eyes and a deep growling sound was heard from the back of his throat. "If you give me one fuckin' statistic, Donatello, I will permanently crash your computer with my sai."
Donatello gasped in surprise at Raphael's threat and stalked out of the room. He came back a few moments later and handed Michaelangelo a ten-dollar bill. "Fine. I've got ten dollars that says you knock yourself out."
"Donatello!" Leo said angrily. This was so wildly out of character for his peace-loving brother and besides he was supposed to be helping to talk Raphael out of this.
"Donny! You said you didn't have any money!" Mike looked annoyed.
"Can you guys shut the hell up!" Raphael snapped. "I'm trying to concentrate!" He lowered his head to the bricks slowly.
"Raphael, you know that breaking takes hours to prepare for," Leonardo argued. "God, think with your head and not your ego."
Raphael ignored him. Deep breath. Better do this before Leo tries to drag me away. Ok, 1…2…3
Raphael brought his head down quickly and as hard as he could.
And then everything went black.
*************************************************************
"I think he's waking up."
Oh God, someone tell Mikey to turn down the bass on his radio. It took him a second to realize that the pounding was in his own head and was made worse every time someone spoke to him.
"Raphael? Raphael, My Son, can you hear me?"
Raphael tried to make some intelligible reply but it came out as sort of "Ngghh."
"Was that English?" Michaelangelo snickered. Leonardo and Donatello jabbed him on either side with their elbow. "Ow!"
Splinter glared at them all and they fell silent. "Raphael, open your eyes for me if you can."
Raph's eyes squeezed tighter for a second and then they opened slowly. He was on his bed in his room with his brothers and master standing over him looking a bit concerned.
"Raphael, do you remember what happened?" Leo asked.
Raphael closed his eyes again. "Yeah and it's all your guys' fault."
"Come again?" Donatello said.
Splinter held up his hand to forestall the argument. "Raphael, you need to keep your eyes open," he said sternly.
"Huh?" Raph blinked up at him. "Why?"
Splinter gently placed a bag of ice on his head. "I fear you may have a concussion. In order to be sure you do not lapse into a coma, you must remain awake."
Raph fought off the urge to close his eyes again. "For how long?"
"At least for the next twelve hours," Splinter replied.
Raphael moaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh, damn," he muttered. "Ohhhhh, just give me something for this headache."
"That's not such a good idea, Raph," Donatello said cautiously. "Any painkillers we have is liable to make you drowsy."
"Besides, the pain will help keep you awake," Mike added and Raphael's eyes snapped open to glare at him.
Sighing in resignation, Raph struggled to sit up. "Fine, fine. You guys go to bed and I'll just go watch some…whoa." The room started spinning and Splinter helped him lay back down.
"No, you must remain here." Splinter glanced at his sons. "We will take shifts staying here with you. To make sure that you do not fall asleep."
Mike chuckled. "Heh..sounds like Nightmare on Elm Street." He dropped his voice to a sinister whisper. "'Whatever you do, don't fall asleep.'"
"Why don't you take the first shift, Mike," Leo suggested with a smile.
Michaelangelo groaned. "Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?"
Next Chapter: Michaelangelo