Growing Up Fast

Part 13

It wasn't until a week after the close call did Tanya and Jane let Donatello go back to the sewer. They had Donatello stay at the clinic for the week, watching him and making sure that everything was fine. The entire time someone was with him. Either his brothers or Tanya. Jane had to continue running the other part of the clinic so during the day, Tanya would stay with him the most. She would help keep an eye out and make sure that no one other then Jane would walk in on Donatello.

Though the city knew about the turtles, they deemed it better safe than sorry to keep it a secret that Donatello was at the clinic. At night, one of his brothers would stay with him. Of course, the turtles didn't want the city to find out about Donatello's secret either. He would be in real danger.

Though the teasing had almost stopped, the awkwardness didn't. Donatello's bros would avoid looking at his belly. Donatello didn't bother telling his brothers that Sir had showed up. It was possibly reckless, but he had a feeling that Sir was telling the truth, that he wouldn't bother him anymore. Donatello could now see Sir's reasoning, as sick as it was. It still didn't mean that Donatello would let him near him or his children. It still sent a chill down his spine about Sir's words, "I'll be watching you, for awhile anyway' though."

Donatello sighed as he put the finishing touches on one of his neglected inventions. It had no particular use, only an item to help keep his mind and hands busy. He had been home for three weeks now. February was already here and he was now having sleepless nights.

He was now fully in the second trimester of his pregnancy. Tanya gave him tons of books to read about the subject. He now knew about how to nurse and change diapers, he had known what colic was and all, but he read more into it so that he would be prepared.

He pulled up the magnifying lens that he had strapped to his head and looked down at the useless piece of metal. It had no description. He frowned and pushed it away and looked at the clock. It was 3 in the morning and everyone else was asleep. He had tried sleeping earlier, but all he had done was tossed and turned. He usually liked sleeping on his stomach, but that was not an option anymore. He had to resort to his sides and back. Plus the food craving he had been having was becoming bad. He had already downed three glasses of milk, and they were already out of fish. He had to wait until later to get the fish sticks that April had promised.

He stretched, groaning when he felt the familiar ache in his back. The backaches had just recently started. Right now they were only annoying aches, but he knew with all of his reading that they were going to get worse as the twins got bigger. When he was done stretching, he looked again at the clock. Five minutes after 3. Sighing miserably he sat back down in his chair and leaned back, looking at his ever-growing belly. He knew that it looked odd, but he was at the point now that he didn't even care.

He couldn't believe how far he had come. At first, he was ashamed and even angry that this had happened, angry at the unborn babies he carried. In the few weeks that he had to wait for Jane to return to the New York office, the anger faded some, but he was still ashamed. When he went to Jane with the intent of fully aborting the babies, he did have the guilt, but believed that it was truly the right thing to do. But once he heard the heartbeats, everything stopped for him.

The world slowed to a halt and all he could hear and think of was the twins' fast heartbeats. At that moment he knew that he couldn't kill them. Everything that happened didn't matter anymore. True, he was still more or less a teenager, but in less than two years, he would be an adult anyway by human standards. He and his brothers had done things that few humans could do, much less adult humans.

He was fully prepared for the responsibility that came with raising babies. Plus he was not alone. He had his brothers and sensei. Also April, and even Jane and Tanya. As he had been musing, Donatello had been slowly rubbing his baby bump. He was four and a half months pregnant, and getting rounder every day it seemed. He began to feel as if dozens of tiny butterflies were flying around in his stomach. It had started a few days ago, lightly. It wasn't hurting, it just felt odd.

He paused in rubbing his belly. The 'butterfly' feeling came back again, full force this time. He touched his stomach only with his fingertips. The strange feeling happened again and it suddenly hit him. The butterflies floating in his belly was just the babies' first moves. A big smile grew on his face as he touched his stomach again, now looking for its next move and it did.

He sat up fast, his own heart beating wildly. He had felt his babies move and he wanted to share this with his bros and sensei. He ran out of his lab, shouting for his bros. They all came stumbling out, rubbing their eyes and each holding their weapons.

"What? What is it?! We under attack?" Leonardo asked, now wide wake. He stood in the middle of the room with both swords drawn and at the ready.

As they all, even Splinter looked around, Donatello laughed and shook his head. "No! We aren't under attack!" He was all but bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I just felt the twins move!" He said in a rush, pointing to his slightly rounded belly. His dark brown eyes were bright with love and childish joy. He looked around at each of his brothers and sensei.

All of them, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael were staring at their brother like he was crazy. Only Splinter looked on with a small smile.

"Dude, you got us up because they moved?" Michelangelo said as he stared wide eyed at Donatello.

"Yes! Why are you so surprised?" Donatello said. "The babies are moving. It's a good sign. It means they are already strong." He was proud of his children and he had wanted to share his happiness.

"Not cool bro. You got us up for this?" Raphael mumbled. He huffed, then waved a hand at this brother, already falling back to sleep as he stumbled his way back to his bed.

Donatello's heart sank. He was excited... why weren't they? True, it was about three in the morning, but still...

Leonardo lowered his swords and yawned. He walked up and gave Donatello a pat on the shell. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Donatello shook his head, "Don't bother. It's all right. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep." He then sighed and walked back to his lab.

He sat down at his table and buried his face into his hands. But before he could begin to cry, he heard Splinter walk in.

"Your brothers just don't know how to handle this. They are trying to be sensitive but... it takes time."

"I understand. It's something that should have never happened. But it did. I don't regret the decision of not aborting, but I'm dealing with it. I'm the one who's pregnant. They had time. Will they never look at me fully again? Or even think of me as a brother again?" Donatello asked softly as he stared at the old table in front of him.

"I can not say, Donatello. But wise men say 'One will never know how another feels unless he tells them.'" Splinter said as he patted Donatello's shell. "Now you try to sleep. You will need all the rest you can get."

"I'll try to go to bed soon, Sensei, but it's not that easy for me to get to sleep now. My back hurts and I wish I could sleep on my stomach. That was the easiest way for me to sleep, but I know I can't do that anymore. At least not for another couple of months. All I do is toss and turn. I came in here earlier because I couldn't sleep. I had to do something else besides stare at my ceiling."

"I understand, my son. It's not easy because of the twins inside of you. They make it a bit uncomfortable for you." Splinter said. Donatello nodded. "Don't stay up too much longer then. Good night." He said and left the lab.

"Good night, Master Splinter."

Donatello stayed up for another hour, then did start to feel tired so he went back to his room to go to bed. When he sat down on his bed, he took a glance at the newly finished cradles for his babies nearer to his bed. He could barely wait to see the babies in them. He smiled, rubbed his belly again, with a slight movement beneath his hand, but then, laid down and sleep soon found him again.