The moment he walked into the lair at home, Leo breathed a huge sigh of relief. For now, even Raph was not going to blow up at him. He wanted him to get settled in again before he had to make his point that carrying that baby was a bad idea.
"It is late now Donatello. Let Leonardo get some rest and you can run the test on him in the morning." Splinter said. "It is late. We should all get some rest."
"Ok." Don said. "But first thing in the morning."
Everyone went to their own rooms while April went home. She would be back in the morning to see how the scan went on the baby. And perhaps, she would let Casey come too.
Leo had missed his room. He was on it and asleep within moments of tucking himself in. His body needed the rest after all he had been through. He still didn't feel like eating.
In the morning, Don wanted the scan before anything else happened. He was so concerned about Leo's stomach cramping and maybe what the Foot had done to him.
Leo laid on the table on his back while he let Don do an exam. "How do feel today Leo?" Don asked.
"Tired, but fine." Leo replied.
"I meant how does your stomach and the baby feel?"
"Fine now. More rest got rid of the cramping. But Don, there is something that I want to talk to you about. I didn't want to mention it around the others." Leo said.
"Why?"
"Because it might have grossed them out or made them mad. It might upset you too when you find this out. But I have to discuss it with someone. I found it out from the Foot." Leo said.
Now Don knew he didn't like what he was going to say. Something upsetting no doubt. But he would listen.
Leo let out a breath before he began explaining what he found out. "Don, I was shocked when I found this out too, but I did find out the possibility of why my stomach has been cramping up all the time ever since I found out I was pregnant."
Don's eyes lit up. "That would be a good thing to know, what's causing it."
"Good on that part, but it's not so good. Don, I found out that the baby is attached to my large intestine." Leo looked into Don's eyes sadly.
"What?"
"The Foot had impregnated me after all and they had a plan to use the baby to kill me. They wanted me to suffer."
"Now I know they're monsters! No wonder you've been in such pain whenever you move. You're just barely showing now and the baby shouldn't be doing that to you. But, what do you want to do?" Don asked.
Leo knew Don was meaning about what he wanted to do about the baby. "I still want the baby Don. Please, don't make me abort it."
"I really don't want to hurt you Leo. Carrying that baby like that, attached to your intestine could cause internal bleeding or other problems. I want you to have that baby, but Leo, I don't want to lose you over something like this." Don said.
"But, if there is the slightest chance I could have it, would you help me?" Leo asked.
"You're only about 14 weeks along Leo. You are past the point of no return really. In human terms, you are." Don sighed. He was just letting go nervous tension. "But, I will do what I can to help you Leo."
"Thanks Don."
"I'm going to do a complete scan first to make sure everything's okay. Then, we'll go from there." Don said.
Instead of an ultrasound, Don wanted Leo scanned bodily. He and Leatherhead had designed a special machine that could act like an ultrasound, but the images could be looked at much more thoroughly and in color. It would not harm the baby. A red laser would pass over Leo's body.
Besides, Don wanted to check all over Leo's body to make sure nothing else was wrong.
Leo closed his eyes as the scanner started at his head and would go down his body. Aside from the baby in his stomach, he knew he had no other injuries.
Don was looking at his computer screen. He was looking at 3D images on his brother's body. It was when the scanner got to his bro's stomach that his concern grew.
The scan finished at Leo's feet. "You're free to get up now Leo." Don said. "Right now, I want to examine this scan further, and we'll discuss further action. We'll try to make this work if that's what you want."
"Thanks Don." Leo left the lab.
Don watched him go, but looking at the intestines was real concerning.
The baby was in a covering, a placenta. It was largely attached to Leo's large intestine alright. Why hadn't he figured it out sooner? Why Leo was having so many stomach cramps?
The picture showed it down near the bottom of his belly. It was for the most part, in front of his small intestine now, as it was getting bigger. No wonder he was starting to swell out. Don didn't see any internal bleeding, but if Leo was going to continue this pregnancy, he would have to monitor him constantly. And, in a few short weeks, Leo would also begin to feel the baby's movements too, and that might make more trouble for him too.
A few more hours of examining the picture to make sure everything was alright finally had Don come out and talk to Leo.
"Leo, right now everything seems alright, but you can't be running around with us anymore. And surely, while you were in Georgia, you didn't train right?" Don asked.
"No Don. All I did was walk and run to get away from the cops. Nothing else." Leo said.
"Ok. Now I do have an idea that might make carrying the baby easier on you, but you may not like it." Don said.
"Anything Don. I just want to have this baby safely."
"I hate to have this done, because I know you like to move around a lot, but if this is what it takes, Leo, you will have to be on bed-rest." Don said reluctantly.
'Great.' Leo said in his mind. He didn't want to be in bed all the time. But if that's what it took to have this baby, he was going to do it. Plus it might take so much strain off his intestine. To have limited action.
"But does it have to happen now Don? Or can it wait a little longer?" Leo asked.
"For the time being Leo, you can be free to do your activities, but once you start feeling movements, that's probably when you'll have to start." Don said.
"How much longer is that?"
"A few more weeks Leo. At least a month." Don said.
So he only had a month to be mobile? "I know I'm really going to go out of my mind on bed-rest. But I'm going to do it for the baby." Leo agreed.
"Good thinking Leo. I know you will hate it, but I'll make sure you don't get totally bored." Don said. "You have your meditation techniques, there are books in your room, you could watch TV from time to time, just make sure that you keep to the couch. Most of the time your food will be brought to you. I just don't want you on your feet very much."
"Thanks Don. At least for running all this by me ahead so I know when it's time for it, and you didn't just tell me I have to start staying in bed now." Leo said.
"I know you wouldn't want to wait until the last second. So you have a little bit of time left before you have to really limit your activities to the bed or couch."
"But Don, I have to ask: is there any way that the placenta could be removed from my intestine, make it less painful for me?" Leo asked.
Don looked at Leo sadly. "No. It can't Leo. If I were to cut the placenta away from your intestine, that itself would cause internal bleeding. Right now, as painful as it is for you, your intestine is the baby's lifeline. Since you don't have a uterus. And when I do deliver the baby, I can cut into the placenta, but I won't be able to remove it. Your body will just have to reabsorb it."
"The baby will be born Leo. But there will be no more patrols."
"I know. Since that one night was what got me into that mess in the first place." Leo said.
"We're okay now Leo. You're home again. That's what matters. But just think about what I said." Don said.
When Don turned to go back to his lab, Leo was left thinking about what he was going to do while he could before he would be confined to his room most of the time. He thought that would be more of what would happen more at the end of the pregnancy, and yet, he was only in the middle of it, and he would have to spend most of the rest of it in bed, all because of where the baby was located.