Bruno woke up and began making little noises. Don smiled and moved to pick him up, but his body quickly reminded him that was not such a good idea. Fortunately, he had left his bedroom door open, and Leonardo hurried in. "Do you want him?" Leo asked.
Donatello nodded. Leo gently handed him the baby. "Think he's getting hungry?" Leo wondered. "It's been a little while since he ate."
"Maybe," Don replied. "Could you get me a bottle just in case? I don't want him to start crying and wake the girls."
Raphael walked in with a bottle. "Getting low on green stuff. Do you have a recipe stashed around here somewhere?"
"On top of the fridge," Donatello replied. "Don't make too much, though. It's only good for three days."
Donatello had prepared five different types of food for the babies. Since there were no preservatives, they didn't keep long. During the last few months of his pregnancy, he had been making batches two to three times a week, only to dump them out after the babies didn't arrive. It had been quite frustrating, but he had little choice. Don didn't know if the babies had tried any of the other four options yet, but if the green stuff worked, he didn't see the point of switching.
"I'll make more," Michelangelo called from the next room. He'd helped out plenty towards the end, when Don wasn't doing so well.
As if realizing that Bruno was no longer beside her, Faith began making a mewling noise. "I got her," Raph said.
Don smiled to show his consent. He suspected that Faith had gotten a large dose of Raphael's DNA. They seemed to share some similarities.
The night wore on in much the same way. The babies were now recovering from the shock of their birth, and were much more alert and demanding than they had been the night before. Don was still needing a lot of TLC himself. He required regular doses of painkillers and his bandages needed to be changed every few hours.
Fortunately, Donatello had three brothers competing to prove how much they loved him, and therefore willing to appear at his bedside within seconds, no matter how late it was. Despite their attempts to assign sleeping areas, no one rested for more than a few hours that night.
Don was keeping a close eye on Faith. She seemed to be spitting up a lot. "I can't tell if she's fighting the bottle, or if it's reflux," he told Leo.
"Maybe we should try a different type of formula on her?" Michelangelo suggested. "We haven't used that soy-based one yet."
"That's sometimes good for babies with reflux issues," Leo replied.
"We can try it," Don considered. "But the container that I have in the fridge is expired. We need to dump it and make a new one."
"I'll do it," Michelangelo volunteered.
"No, I'll do it," Don insisted. "I need to get my blood flowing."
Leonardo checked the time. Several hours had passed since Don last moved. He still needed to worry about blood clots from the surgery. "I'll help you," Leo offered.
Mei began to cry, signifying that all three babies were awake again. "I've got her," Mikey said.
Don was helped to the kitchen, which was a disaster. He did his best to ignore it. Leo was bothered too, being the family neat freak. "We've got to make sure that this place is cleaned up a bit before April and Casey get here. I don't want them to feel obligated to keep cleaning it up for us," Leonardo fretted.
"I don't want that either, but it's the least of my concerns at the moment," Don told his brother. "Besides, I'm not able to bend over or lift anything."
"I can do it," Leo said. "Next time we get the babies sleeping again."
"We need to start cleaning the diapers too," Don added. He was cloth diapering. Human disposable diapers wouldn't properly fit his kids, and they would produce more garbage than he could handle, given the size of his home and how rarely he could leave. He'd made several dozen cloth diapers but had held off on making too many, in case he needed to modify the design. "That's going to need to be a daily thing for a while."
Leonardo nodded. "I'll get a load of laundry going as soon as the formula is taken care of." There was a small stackable washer/dryer set up in the bathroom for just this reason.
"Thanks, Leo. I'm glad you're here," Don said tiredly. "Who knew your leadership skills would translate so easily into caring for newborns?"
Leonardo grinned. "It's all crisis management at this point. Once we get some experience, and they're on a schedule, it'll be a lot easier."
"Hopefully, I'll feel the same way, once more of my strength comes back. As it is now, I feel kind of like a fourth baby," Donatello complained.
Leonardo clasped Don's shell a little tighter. "No, you're not. I'm amazed by everything that you've done here. You figured out how to handle your own surgery, how to feed and diaper three unique kids. You've rehabbed this whole apartment, managed to obtain, repair, and hook up appliances. And, you did all of it while pregnant, and dealing with the Triceraton and all of our… personal stuff." Leo looked Don in the eyes. "I think you've earned a little break."
Faith was crying again. "I, uh, think she just wants her daddy," a flustered Raphael guessed.
Don hadn't finished with the formula yet. "Hey, Faith," he purred soothingly. "Just give Daddy a minute."
The baby calmed at her father's gentle presence. Don gave Leonardo a helpless look. "Maybe I'll squeeze in a break sometime within the next decade or two."
December 23rd was spent in crisis mode. Faith was obviously suffering from reflux. Bruno was going through formula faster than Mikey could make it. Faith cried like a banshee whenever she sensed that her siblings were in distress, or not by her side. Don was overdoing it and had torn a few stitches along his sides. April had scolded him as she repaired the damage. Utterly exhausted, and still suffering from the aftereffects of the hormones, Don had almost burst into tears. The day was over before anyone had caught their breaths.
December 24th, Raph and Mikey briefly snuck out. They managed to obtain a Christmas tree and brought over the decorations that had been stored in the main Lair. Mikey baked cookies and Leo put on Christmas carols. Don watched it all from his new command station, reclining on the sofa. He still couldn't move around much but his arms, and his heart, were always full.
Christmas Day rolled around. April and Casey spent the entire day with the turtles. Angel even managed to sneak away from her family for a quick afternoon visit. There were presents and cinnamon rolls in the morning, holiday movies in the afternoon, and a ham dinner in the evening.
Don was happy to see that each of his family members had been kind enough to gather thoughtful gifts for him and, more importantly, each of his kids. It meant a lot after all of the doubt and heartache.
Michelangelo made Donatello a coupon book full of baby-related items - a night off of 'Dad duty,' a day free of diaper changes, even 'steal a nap,' and 'no-questions-asked-hug.' Mikey got the babies each a small stuffed animal.
Raphael got the kids a play toolset, along with some accessories. He knew that they wouldn't be able to use it for a while, but he figured that they would be fast learners, like their Dad. Raphael purchased an expensive, top-of-the-line wrench set for Donatello. He even had it engraved. Surprisingly, a long, emotional note was included, which Don felt to be better than Raphael's main gift. It described how many of Raph's best memories took place in the garage, and how Raph always believed that Donatello could fix anything. It concluded by saying that it was time for Donnie to take a rest, and count on others to handle repairs for a while, but that Raph looked forward to spending time in the garage again whenever Don was ready. Donatello knew that it was really about fixing their relationship, and that was very special coming from Raph since he didn't like to be seen as overly sentimental.
Leonardo purchased easily-gripped rattles and a tummy time water play mat for the babies. The gifts proved that he had spent a great deal of time researching childhood development. Tummy time is important for all babies, but it was even more important for Don's, as their rounded shells would make it easier for them to roll off of their backs. It would be important that they developed their arm and neck muscles early, or they would be spending a lot of time smacking their heads on the floor.
Leonardo got Donatello a journal to document the triplet's first year. Sealed inside the first pages was a long letter written on fine stationery. It was all about what Donatello had been like as a child, and how proud Leo was of the person he had grown into. It outlined his accomplishments as a ninja, scientist, engineer, and inventor. It spoke of how gentle and brave and loving he was, and ended by telling the triplets how lucky they were to have him as a father, and how much Donatello had sacrificed to bring them into the world.
It was a beautiful letter, and Donatello would always treasure it. Still, Don couldn't help but wonder if Leo had begun writing it so that his children would know something about him if he had died. But, that was too sad of a thought for a Christmas morning that was otherwise so full of blessings, so Don shook it off.
Despite how busy he had been, Donatello had found time to purchase books that he found meaningful for everyone in his family. He got each of his little ones a baby book and a classic childhood story. He got Leo a beautifully illustrated leather-bound tome about the art of Japanese weaponry. He gifted Raph a mechanic's encyclopedia with the promise of teaching him more in the garage. That brought a grin to Raph's face, considering what his own gift to Donatello had been. Don got Mikey a comic book anthology, to ensure that he kept on smiling. He gave April and Casey a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast upstate. They deserved an indulgence after everything he had put them through. He scored some concert tickets for Angel.
Don's friends got him stuff for his new home and the babies. April also gave him some very potent coffee and brewed it for him right away. Don was so happy to drink real coffee again. It immediately made him feel more alert, even though he was still on heavy doses of painkillers and running on very little sleep.
The babies seemed to sense that something special was going on. They had been pretty fussy the past couple of days, but none of them cried much on Christmas. They weren't very interested in their gifts, but they did enjoy staring into the multicolored lights on the tree. Mei also enjoyed brushing her hand against the bells on Mikey's ugly Christmas sweater. Mikey swore that Bruno had tried to smile at one point, but Raph insisted that it was only gas.
After Christmas dinner, their friends went home, and the turtles were left in the chaos of discarded wrapping paper, gifts strewn everywhere, and cookie crumbs and half-finished glasses of egg nog deposited in unexpected places. Leo began cleaning up while Don enjoyed another cup of coffee and Raph and Mikey tended to the babies. Don always did love sitting around basking in the aftermath of Christmas Day. He was now able to move around enough to hold Faith with one hand and reach for his coffee cup with the other.
"Where do you want this picture frame to go?" Leo asked.
"You can set it on my desk for now," Don answered. "I want to put that picture that Angel took of all of us around the tree into it later."
Leo smiled. "That'll be nice. So, Don, do you still plan to stay here with the babies?"
Don was a bit startled. He inadvertently tensed up, then forced himself to relax when it caused a jolt of pain along his back. He took a long sip of coffee. "I guess I do," he replied. "Is that… Would that be upsetting to you?"
"No," Leo said quickly. "I get it. You made a home here."
"It's not just that," Don considered. "It probably is safer for the babies here. You were right about how many times our homes have been invaded, and the nature of the lives that you guys lead."
"So once you're healed up, do you plan to stay alone here with them?" Leonardo wondered.
"That sounds pretty overwhelming at the moment," Don admitted.
"I don't want you to be separated," Michelangelo piped up.
"Well, we can't all stay here," Raphael added. "This place is way too small."
The questions were daunting.
"It's Christmas," Leonardo relented. "This conversation can easily wait until tomorrow or the day after."
"Or the day after that," Michelangelo finished for them.
"Hey, where's my eggnog?" Raphael wondered.
"Pretty sure I saw it in the bathroom," Leonardo replied. "I remember thinking, 'who on earth brought eggnog into the bathroom?'"
"Oh yeah. Just needed a clutter-free surface to set it down on," Raphael defended.
"Suuuuuure," Mikey quipped.
"Hey! You've got every other square inch of surface area covered in chotzkies and cookie platters," Raphael shot back. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
When Raphael went to retrieve his drink, Faith opened one eye and began to fuss. Don couldn't help but wonder if it was because her favorite uncle had disappeared.
Before going to bed, Don made a phone call. "Merry Christmas, Valeria!"
"Donatello! Oh my goodness! How are you!"
"I'm good. Feeling much better than I was last time we talked, that's for sure!"
"Tell me all about the babies! They looked so cute in the picture that you sent!" Valeria bubbled.
Don told her all about their little personalities and gave her a very quick and G-rated summary of the birth. He was so happy to describe Leo and Raph's long-term visit. Then, he asked her a very important question. "How are you spending Christmas? You're not alone, are you?"
"Not by a long shot. I'm with my grandmother and all of my cousins," Valeria replied. "Took a little break from work, now that the Earth Defense System is fully deployed."
"It is?" Don chimed in. He'd been so unwell, and then so busy, that he had hardly thought about EDS these past few weeks.
Valeria giggled. "Yes, it is. Don't you watch the news at all? Bishop held a huge press conference and everything. Actually, it was launched on the 21st."
"How about that?" Don replied. "All my babies share the same birthday."
"I guess so. So, what's next for you Don?" Valeria wondered.
"I'm just going to heal up and focus on being a Dad for a while. I've got plenty of fences to mend with my family. I'll be here if you guys need anything, though."
"I'm sure we will," Valeria considered. "Bishop thinks that he has a good plan for dismantling Hun's team, and all of the similar groups. He hasn't really told us what it is yet, though."
"I think I'd rather not know," Donatello admitted. "My brothers and I can't afford to get into any shenanigans right now."
"You must have your hands full," Valeria empathized. "That's why I'm biting my tongue to keep myself from begging to come visit."
"Once things settle down, I'd love for you to come. But, it's going to be at least a few months."
"I get it. I'm glad you found time to call, at least. Hearing your voice has been my favorite Christmas gift," Valeria said fondly. "I've been worried about you, but you sound good."
Don's heart warmed. There was so much he'd been wanting to say, but even though she might have given him an opening, now wasn't the time. All of his brothers were within earshot, and Bruno was crying. "I've got to go," he told her. "But, you should know that your friendship has meant the world to me. When I look back at this past year, you're one of the few bright spots."
"Aww," Valeria cooed. "Merry Christmas, Donnie."
"Merry Christmas."
Don hung up the phone and opened his arms to accept Bruno. The baby immediately quieted, even before Don offered him a bottle. Everyone had noticed that the triplets preferred Don's care over anyone else's. Don had told them that it was common. Babies know the sound of their mother's voice and the rhythm of her heartbeat, and tend to prefer it. It was no different for Don and his children. They were bonded together.
Merry Christmas!