*And here we have it. We've come to the end of the mini fic, finishing with a chapter I didn't plan on including. But with the regard to timing of events, it made sense to allow.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll come along for Dominion. It's starting...tomorrow.
Raphael wasn't expecting to find the lab silent. It was a little disarming at first, but he had to reason that the lack of activity was a good thing. He stole silently across the room so he wouldn't disturb the occupants, and claimed a chair which had been conveniently left near where Karina was sleeping.
The red-masked tu rtle watched her with admiration for a few contemplative seconds. Her pallor still left him concerned, but Raph tried to brush it off. She's gonna be okay. The docs brought her so far. No reason to think anyone would lose her now.
He resisted the urge to stroke the dark hair framing her face. No. Something like that will get me kicked out of here. She needs to sleep. Raphael took in the rest of the room curiously. Can't help wondering where our medical guys are though. I figured one of 'em would be waiting at her beck and call for a few days at least.
As the woman seemed to be sleeping comfortably, he wasn't tempted to push the issue. Raphael settled back in the chair to wait for someone else to reappear, absentmindedly clutching the pommel of one of his sai. It had been days since he needed the weapons, but that never stopped him from carrying them.
The sai were so ingrained in his lifestyle, he felt naked without them. But they're not technically part of me, not like the girls...His mind drifted back to ten days ago, to the moment of releasing Olivia at the altar.
It was harder than I pictured. Stupid thing is, she ain't going anywhere. Neither of them are. But they could, if they wanted to. Would that be horrible? Go live somewhere else secluded and homey like Lotus Salvus, stay away from the bad guys and normal crap we hunt down?
Shell, we trained the kids up to be just like us, but sometimes, I wonder if it was the right thing. With the chance to do it all over, does it mean we ought to try something different? It's hard to picture the rest of our kids being anything else. What would they be like if we'd never taught them, or didn't put such an emphasis on ninjutsu?
We made it their lives, so of course they adopted it. But now that we're gonna have another go, it makes me wonder if we should coast a little. See what the kid gravitates toward. Self defense is still a necessity, but being a crime-obsessed vigilante? It probably doesn't have to be-
A mild squawk made him sit up, and lunge to his feet to get to the bassinet. With all the care he could manage, he lifted the newborn out and cradled her against his plastron.
"C'mon, Belle, we don't need to wake your mama. Let's work this out."
Raphael paced toward the opposite end of the room to allow less opportunity for the woman to be disturbed. While the cry ended up being short-lived, he wasn't tempted to put Isabella back down yet.
"You're a good girl, aren't ya? All you want is a little attention, and dad is here to serve. I got you, Ren."
The baby turtle fit so snugly in his arm, it was like she was made to be there. The irony of starting over the moment he'd given his firstborn away wasn't lost on him. It would almost be funny, if it didn't feel like such a miracle. The geniuses never thought we could have one kid, and now we've added number six to the bunch.
"Where are you taking my baby?"
Raphael turned at Karina's challenge and sent the woman a grin. "She was my baby too, last time I checked."
"Who did all the work, Tortuga?" she teased.
He ambled back over to her side. "You. But I woulda done more if I could. Wish I could've taken all the hard stuff down for you."
She smirked. "You weren't made to carry a baby, Raph. It would have taken you down like it almost did me."
"I'm not arguing with you, Chica; at least, not in front of the kid yet. Do you wanna see her?" He leaned against the wall her bed was backed upon.
"You go ahead and bond with Isabella, Raph. I've been coexisting with those kicks for the last several months."
The red-masked turtle traced the baby's tiny legs with pride. "Well, coming from the two of us, she's gotta be strong."
The woman looked wistful, but didn't negate him like he thought she would. "I'm just glad that part is over, and she's here safely."
"Glad you're safe too," he offered. His gaze returned to the baby when Belle stirred in his arms with a soft whimper. "No, we're not doing this, remember? You and me are hanging out nicely, and I don't wanna hear you complain."
Raphael shifted positions to bring Isabella to his shoulder and beamed when the baby's eyes opened. Her perfect green irises were a beautiful match to Karina's.
"Did you kick our resident out?" the woman asked.
"You were alone when I got here, Kari. I don't have a clue where they went, but who needs 'em now?" he joked. "We got Belle, each other...what else is there?"
"Oh, I don't know. Given your penchant for injuries, you'll probably need our docs again."
"Didn't say they had to leave forever. God knows the kid will need them too. Hopefully not like we do."
Karina cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
"Just that...Maybe Belle doesn't have to get into trouble like the rest of us."
"Have you ever thought about not getting into trouble to start with?" Her tone was light, but Karina's expression remained perplexed.
"We don't gotta talk about it right now. The peace and quiet is a lot nicer."
She snorted. "We have a newborn, Raph. Peace and quiet is out the window."
"Kid sleeps sometimes too."
The Latina smiled wryly. "Not as much as I need to."
His brow furrowed. "Now see, this is why we should separate you. All the docs want you to get more rest, Kari, and you're admitting you need it too. Belle isn't gonna forget you just because you're not there every five minutes when she wakes up."
"Raph, she's only a newborn once. I really want to imprint on Isabella."
"She knows you're her mama, Kari." He extended the baby to her at once, and marveled at the way Belle relaxed in her arms. "See, she loves ya, and why wouldn't she? Isabella would love it even more if you felt better."
"Tortuga, you have to stop worrying about me. We got through it all, but you're still acting like I'm some glass china doll."
"Gonna take you a while to heal, Kari," he insisted gruffly. "That's why the docs haven't released you."
"No, but they have abandoned us," she offered glibly. "Come on, Raph. The worst is over."
"The pregnancy is over," he corrected. "Everything else is just beginning."
"Did you expect me to give birth to a teenager?"
"Kari, you know what I'm saying. This is awesome and crazy at the same time. Did you ever think a year ago that we'd be doing this now?"
"Of course not, but I never know what to expect. Every time I start to relax, it seems like something comes around to rile us up again. If it was only me, I would be satisfied to stay out here indefinitely, but I know the rest of you are bound to get bored."
Raphael's fingers went to clutch the sai buried in his belt again. "Boring ain't always a bad thing, but change is hard too. We've been doing this for so long, Kari, and as far as I can tell, there's still no end in sight. It's turned into a family business, whether it's the right thing or not."
Her gaze felt like it was trying to pierce his soul. "Is this about Belle, or something else?"
"I don't know. I mean, she kicked it off, but I was already questioning it, wondering if we did right by them. Ain't there a part of you that wishes the kids were...kids?"
Her laugh didn't make any sense. "They are kids, Raph. Some of them are the biggest boys I've ever met, next to you and your brothers."
"Kari, normal kids can't kick the crap out of a dozen gang-bangers."
"They were never going to be 'normal', Tortuga, and Isabella won't be either. They have to settle for being extraordinary, because that's the DNA they were dealt."
"Ain't about DNA, Chica. It's the life we choose to lead, and how everyone is in the same boat with us. You talk about staying here indefinitely. If that doesn't mean you wish it could all end, then what are you saying?"
She motioned for him to come closer, and he hesitantly crouched at her level. "If I had a problem with your lifestyle, I wouldn't have stayed. Definitely wouldn't have had kids with you. I don't regret anything I've done where you're concerned."
"And Olivia? You don't mind your daughter following in our footsteps? Putting herself at risk on a regular basis?"
"Raph, you aren't the only ones with a dangerous profession. Think about the military, policemen, firemen...All of those jobs carry a strong degree of risk, but a lot of people step up to the plate. Do you want them to quit too?"
"It's not the same."
"Because they make a living or pay for school with it, while you and our family don't receive any compensation."
"Our kids don't have to do this," he repeated stubbornly. "Still not convinced they ought to make it their lives."
"Are you going to ask them to quit, Raph? I'd like to be there with my camera."
"I'm serious, Kari. I don't know if you're really okay with it, or you're only pretending to make me happy."
"You guys raised the kids to be strong, but you never told them to do any of this. You can't start to now either. You shouldn't choose their path for them, anymore than someone chose yours. You and your brothers had you own moment of reckoning, stood at the crossroad of options, and made a decision.
"I don't know what Belle will grow up to be, but I'm not terrified for her or the rest of the kids. I've got faith for her future as well as the others. I'm positive they won't do everything right, but I still have to believe in them. And you do too. You're only worried about everything that can go wrong."
"Does go wrong." He glowered.
"Their decision, Raph. You don't get to live life for your kids. Even if you tried it wouldn't work, just like you couldn't keep Olivia away from Jake. Let's not go into this fresh experience with a negative outlook. I don't know what's up ahead. If the last couple months are any indication, there are more changes to come. But I refuse to be afraid. I'm going to revel in it." She dipped her forehead over the baby turtle. "For this moment, at least...Everything is still good."