Chapter 26: More to Love

By the time New York was blanketed in snow and December was coming to a close, the lair had settled into a new routine. Donatello mostly stayed home and worked on his inventions in his spare time, Michelangelo kept an eye on Rebecca between sewer-surfing, Raphael was almost always gone before breakfast and rarely came back before dark, and Dr. Morris, who worked odd hours since she was still new, usually dropped by every morning to see how Rebecca was doing.

When she wasn't around, the rest of them did their best to help tutor the young mutant, but in the end the one who handled her education the most was Splinter.

The two of them would spend hours in his room every day, poring over the young mutant's growing collection of books and toys together. "What's this?" Rebecca would ask, and point to a picture in one of her books.

"A horse," Splinter would reply.

"This?"

"A violin. A musical instrument."

"This tuna fish," Rebecca once giggled, after finding an ad in a magazine. "Sushi is better."

Her vocabulary was still limited, her manner of speech childish, but the most important words she knew for sure were each of their names, sushi, and 'what's this?'

One morning Donatello woke up and almost tripped as he got out of bed; Rebecca was lying on her belly on the floor, happily coloring in a coloring book. "Don-nie," she greeted with a smile, tail swishing.

No matter how early any of them got up, she was always awake first. Dr. Morris was confident she would adapt to a more regular sleep schedule, but for now she still slept like a cat, napping and rising whenever she felt like it.

"Morning, Becky," he told her with a smile, petting behind her ears. She beamed and went back to coloring.

In the kitchen, Raphael was grabbing a soda from the fridge and looked ready and eager to leave—like always. "I'm out of here," he called as he ran off.

"He and Monalisa should just glue themselves together already," muttered Michelangelo as he slouched at the table, chin in his hands.

"Jealous?" Donatello teased.

"No," the young ninja mumbled, darkening.

Rebecca came scampering in—she mostly moved around on two feet now—and hopped to perch on the chair next to him. "Big brother Mikey," she greeted happily, resting her head on his arm. Michelangelo couldn't help smiling at her.

"You hungry, Becky?" asked Donatello as he opened the fridge.

Rebecca nodded vigorously. They had all tried repeatedly to introduce her to their food of choice—and failed every time. The mutant kitten had her own ideas of what good food was and refused to eat or drink anything except sushi and milk. Michelangelo, ever persistent, grabbed a slice from the pizza Donatello warmed in the microwave and tossed a few chunks of raw fish on it.

"Want a bite?" he asked casually, wagging the slice enticingly.

Rebecca took a sniff, wrinkled her nose and firmly shook her head. The glass of milk Donatello handed her was happily accepted; he smiled and sat down with a sushi-free slice of pizza. The three of them were still eating when a familiar clacking announced the arrival of Dr. Morris. Rebecca jumped up from the table and threw her furry arms around her the second she walked through the door, making her stumble and drop her bag.

"Good morning to you, too," Dr. Morris said wryly as the white feline purred and rubbed her head against her coat collar.

"Mama smell nice," cooed Rebecca.

Dr. Morris stroked her dark hair before gently prying her off. "I got this for you," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a stuffed bear.

Rebecca snatched it up with a squeal of delight and ran off. After smoothing her clothes, the female scientist picked up her bag and came over to the kitchen table. "Mind if I help myself to a slice?"

"Feel free," Michelangelo offered.

"We'd hate to send a guest home hungry," Donatello added.

Smiling, the slender blond sat down to join them and even accepted the soda can he handed her. "How is she doing?" she asked, once her pizza slice was half-eaten. "Has she made any more progress?"

"She's doing great," Donatello replied with a smile. "She's well-behaved and learns fast. And she always wants to learn more."

"She never stops asking questions," added Michelangelo.

"Naturally," said Dr. Morris. "The day you stop asking questions is the day you stop learning."

Donatello grew quiet as a question that had been on his own mind lately popped back into his thoughts. Michelangelo shoved the last slice of pizza into his mouth and hopped up. "I'm going boarding," he announced as he left his dishes in the dishwasher.

"It's Saturday morning," Dr. Morris noted, her smile wry. "I would imagine you'd stay in and watch cartoons."

The hyper turtle darkened for the second time this morning. "Not since you told us that too much TV might slow down Becky's learning," he mumbled, before scurrying away.

"It's amazing how quiet it is down here without that thing blaring all day," Donatello commented after he was gone. "Now he only puts it on when she's taking a nap."

He never thought his boisterous young brother would ever willingly give up TV, even for part of the time, but he noticed that when it came to Rebecca, there wasn't a whole lot Michelangelo wouldn't do. Even things he didn't want to do.

Now that the two of them were alone, his attention focused on Dr. Morris, who was wiping the last of her snack from her fingers with a napkin. Feeling shy, he asked the question that had been on his mind. "I've been meaning to ask you; what's your first name?"

A smile touched her lips as she looked at him over the top of her wire frames. "It's Brynn."

She smiled again, then took a long drink from her soda, eyes closed and head tipped back. All of a sudden, Donatello found himself wondering how she looked when she wore her hair loose instead of in a bun. He imagined it was long and soft, tumbling down around her shoulders. He fidgeted and looked down at his empty plate.

After draining the last of her soda, Brynn got up from the table. "It seems like Rebecca is adjusting to her new life just fine," she noted. "I'll continue to come by, but I don't think she needs me much anymore—except emotionally, of course."

Donatello looked up in surprise as she shouldered her bag. "Are you leaving already?"

"Unless there is something else that needs my attention, yes."

He couldn't think of any reason why she should stay, but he hated for her to go so soon. They'd barely talked—and there was no one else around he could talk to like the two of them did. He could talk to her for hours and never get bored. But he doubted she would stick around if the only reason he said he wanted her to stay was because he enjoyed her company.

He thought fast—and then it hit him. "Are you interested in hybrid pregnancies?"

Elizabeth stood in front of her bedroom mirror and looked herself over critically—which was a pain when your mirror was as small as hers. She didn't buy a bigger one because she only used it to style her hair, which was easier these days now that it was much shorter.

Being as deeply in love with her blood-red curls as he was, the news that she wanted to cut them made Usagi frown, but she'd been firm about it. She worried about the coming days when her belly grew so big the weight of it forced her to lean back to keep her balance. Her knee-length hair was heavy and she didn't need to have something stupid happen, like fall over backwards or something. After explaining this, Usagi had softened and helped shorten her hair until it hung to a spot just above the small of her back.

Right now her curls were in a loose braid; it swung back and forth as she twisted to look at herself from side to side. She had just paused, hands on the small of her back and lips pursed, when her husband came into the room. He paused in the doorway, brow arched. "I thought I would find you dressed at this hour. Not that I mind learning you are otherwise," he added, as he nudged the door shut with his foot.

Lips still pursed, Elizabeth ran a hand over her bare belly. "I still say I'm showing already."

"My love, you are less than three months along. Our child is smaller than a grape."

Usagi had been doing a lot of reading lately about fetal development; he was quite proud of his new knowledge.

"Does this look like a grape to you?" his wife questioned, patting her stomach.

She wasn't getting round or anything, but her waistline was definitely thickening. Usagi merely chuckled as he came to stand at her side, hand resting over hers on her middle. "This is simply the result of how well you have been eating lately," he noted lovingly.

He propped his chin on her shoulder, his eyes on their reflections in the mirror. White fur against pale skin.

"Just trying to eat for two," she murmured.

Honestly, she was a little worried about her diet. One of the only things she was really sure of was that pregnant women needed folic acid, so she made sure to take vitamins and drink plenty of orange juice. She really wanted some professional advice, but she didn't think it was a good idea for her to just casually walking into the average doctor's office. Not with a pregnancy like hers.

Unaware of her thoughts, Usagi kissed her freckled shoulder. "No matter how plump you get, I will still love you," he told her warmly.

From somewhere down the hall, Hyena suddenly started barking savagely. "Ah—company."

Her husband went to answer the door as someone started knocking. Elizabeth quickly got dressed and went to see who it was. "Oh, hi Donatello," she greeted.

The young reptile wasn't alone; a pretty blond wearing a gray coat over her skirt and blouse was with him. "Hi, you two," Donatello returned with a smile. His expression turned serious as he looked downward, where Hyena was growling in his most unfriendly way. "And Hyena," he added. "This is—"

"Dr. Morris," the woman supplied with a smile, not bothered by the massive dog at all. She took Elizabeth's hand and shook it firmly.

"Doctor?" the petite redhead echoed. It was like they had read her mind.

"I hope it wasn't rude of me," said Donatello, "but I told her about your, uh, current state of being."

Elizabeth brightened. "Oh—no. I've been wondering a lot lately if I'm doing the right things, but I didn't know who to ask."

"This isn't my area of expertise," said Dr. Morris, as she removed the large bag she was carrying from her shoulder. "But I've done plenty of study on human biology and procreation. I'd be happy to examine you."

The young girl glanced sideways at her husband, who had his nose in another prenatal care book. "Should I get undressed?" she asked casually.

Donatello turned pink. Usagi playfully stuck out his tongue. Dr. Morris chuckled. "That won't be necessary. Make yourself comfortable and I'll have a look."

Elizabeth was soon settled back on a sofa in one of the back rooms. Usagi was busy placing refreshments on a nearby table. "Tea?" he offered.

"I prefer coffee, if you have any," said Dr. Morris.

They didn't, but that wasn't why Elizabeth suddenly breathed a long sigh. "I want warm sake."

The pretty blond frowned in response. "Isn't that wine?"

"I know I can't have any," the small redhead quickly added. "I just got a taste for it at my wedding."

Having cravings for things she knew were bad for her baby was one of the many questions she had. With a smile full of affection, Usagi handed her a glass of orange juice. She sipped for the next few minutes while Dr. Morris preformed a fairly routine exam; she checked her pulse, listened to her heart, then shined a light into her eyes, ears, nose, and throat. "Do you have allergies?" the doctor questioned.

"Not that I know of."

"I thought as much. You have some of the clearest sinuses I've ever seen."

A good thing, too, considering how many animals she was surrounded with daily. Her orange juice forgotten, she watched curiously as Dr. Morris started checking her abdomen, prodding it gently for a few minutes before pressing the stethoscope on a spot near her naval.

While the doctor listened, her husband kept busy by chatting with Donatello. "Is everyone well?" he asked.

"Yes—just really busy," was the response, and the young scientist started describing his trip to Europe—along with the reason he had come back home. As Elizabeth listened to him explain how their family had a new addition, she was practically bursting with curiosity and wanted to ask about her, but she wasn't supposed to talk right now. As she was moving the stethoscope around, Dr. Morris asked her more than once to breathe slower—or to hold her breath completely.

Finally, she straightened up. Elizabeth thought she had a funny smile on her face as she pulled the tips of the stethoscope out of her ears. "Would you like to have a listen?" she asked.

"Yes, please," the mother-to-be said eagerly.

After gently placing the tips in her ears, Dr. Morris returned the chest piece to her belly. Elizabeth made a face as her ears filled with a rushing sound. "What's that?"

"Internal fluid, mostly. Perfectly normal."

Behind her, Usagi and Donatello were watching with interest. "What sort of tool is that?" her husband wondered.

"It amplifies hearing," the reptile explained.

"My hearing is amplified enough," said the furry samurai in response, his tone slightly smug.

Elizabeth glanced at him with a smirk. "Did you ever hear anything all the times you've put your head on my stomach?"

"Well, no," he admitted, smirking in return. "Maybe just a little indigestion."

Dr. Morris drifted the chest piece lower. And then Elizabeth's ears flooded with a sound that made her catch her breath. "Is it supposed to be that fast?" she asked, her voice a tiny whisper.

The low pulsing in her ears was steady, but so rapid she could barely distinguish one beat from the next. Dr. Morris smiled reassuringly. "It's quite normal," she told her. "Especially for a lagomorph."

She moved her hand a little; the pulsing vanished. Elizabeth ached to hear it again. She must have had a look of amazement on her face, because Usagi suddenly came over and knelt beside the sofa. "May I listen?" he asked eagerly.

"Just a moment," said Dr. Morris. "We're not quite done."

She moved her hand just a little more, and the sound of her baby's brisk heartbeat returned. It made her own heart thump excitedly...but at the same time Elizabeth felt confused. "I didn't know you could hear a baby's heart on both sides like that."

"You can't," said the doctor. Her funny smile had returned.

The expectant mother frowned as her puzzlement grew, but nothing else was said as the stethoscope was taken from her ears and passed to her husband. "Then how...?"

She quickly went quiet as Usagi started listening to what she had just heard—though she couldn't help laughing a little at the look of joyful wonder that touched his face. He looked as amazed as she felt; she quickly reached for his hand and squeezed it tight. "I love you," she whispered, eyes moist.

"I love you," he echoed. "Both of you."

Dr. Morris nudged the chest piece to the other part of her belly again. It wasn't far, but she could tell by the look that crossed Usagi's face that he heard that brief silence too. "Strange," he mused. "With a silence like that, you'd think there was nothing in between. But then, there would have to be two hearts."

Elizabeth's own heart stopped for a second. She pressed a hand to her mouth as her eyes did more than turn moist. "Usagi..."

His blue eyes were worried as he looked up at her. "What is the matter?"

Her pregnancy hormones were really starting to embarrass her. She never used to cry when she was happy but now she did it all the time. With a quiet laugh, she dried her eyes before resting her hands on her middle. She couldn't hear the heartbeats anymore, but she would almost swear she could feel them. "Told you it wasn't just my eating habits."

Dr. Morris let out a chuckle and started putting her tools away. "If there's one thing you never do in this world," she told the puzzled samurai, "it's argue with a woman about her weight."

Usagi gave her a funny look, then turned to his wife, eyebrows raised. "And what does that mean?"

The laugh Elizabeth gave was overflowing with joy. "It means we're having twins."