By the start of the New Year, Donatello was off of the painkillers and fully able to care for himself. The mutants were hearty souls, and Don was healing up nicely. He was more or less out of the woods when it came to infection risks, and he had run some bloodwork that confirmed that all of the artificial hormones had completely left his system.
He was still quite sore, and much weaker than usual, but he could now hold two babies at a time without straining himself. His plastron was firming up again, and automatically snapping back to its natural shape.
Under his clothes, his belly looked to be almost back to normal. It was only when he took off his shirt and surgical dressings that the network of scars, stitches and loose skin became obvious.
Now that Don was up and about more, and requiring less care, the guys decided that it was finally time to make some long-term plans. They all sat down together after a small celebration for the babies' two-week birthday.
Don sipped his now ever-present coffee as he plopped down in the middle of the sofa. Leonardo and Raphael sat on either side of him, and Michelangelo took the chair. The babies were all freshly fed and sleeping quietly in the bedroom.
"I want to thank you for all of the support these past two weeks. I couldn't have made it through without you guys," Don started.
"Yeah, you could've," Raphael said.
"But you shouldn't have had to," Leonardo quickly added. "You shouldn't have been so alone through everything leading up to this. Now that the babies are here and everyone is healthy, all that stuff that came before seems so foolish. I can't even tell you how sorry we all are."
"It's okay," Donatello replied. "I know that I made my share of mistakes, and I'm sorry too. Now that I'm feeling more like myself again, I realize how out-of-character some of my behavior must have seemed. I'm not going to pretend that what went down between us wasn't devastating to me at the time, but having you guys here with me again has done me a world of good."
"So, is all forgiven?" Raphael asked.
Donatello smiled warmly. "As long as you guys forgive me too."
Leonardo spoke as leader. "Of course we do."
Michelangelo jumped out of his seat "Hug on it!" he insisted. Everyone was careful not to squeeze Don too tight. Once Mikey was satisfied with the level of affection, he returned to his chair.
Leonardo cleared his throat. "Now that that's out of the way, we've got to figure out what comes next. Do you still want to stay here with the babies, Donatello?"
"I do, but not alone," Don answered.
"Well, we can't all live here," Raphael considered. "Sleeping on a chair is fine for a few days, but not forever."
"I know," Don said. "I do think that a couple of you guys should go home soon. I'm getting strong enough that I really only need one extra set of hands."
"Me, right?" Michelangelo said hopefully. "It was me who came here first, after all."
"Maybe we could rotate?" Leonardo suggested.
"That's more what I was thinking," Donatello said, with an apologetic nod towards Mikey. "I'd like to keep the babies here most of the time, for safety reasons, but I don't want us to be trapped here, either. I want to visit the Lair often - use my lab, get back to training, maybe have a nightly dinner with you guys."
"Why not just move back home, then?" Michelangelo asked.
"Safety," Leonardo reiterated. "This place is smaller, more secure. Plus, there's not as many weapons and chemicals around."
"Plus, it'll give you guys some space. You won't have to worry about crying babies all the time," Donatello reasoned. "When it's your turn to come over and help, you'll be nice and fresh."
"But it'll be all that much more stress on you," Raphael pointed out.
Donatello shrugged. "I'm used to stress. It's no big deal, especially if you guys are around to help."
"So we're really doing this?" Raphael asked.
"The Lair is less than a mile away," Don answered. "It's not that big of a deal. Besides, you can come over as much as you want."
"Okay. Well, I guess I volunteer to go home for a bit," Raphael said. "I've been dying for a good workout. This place is just too cramped."
Even though it was what Donatello wanted, it still made him a little sad. Raphael smirked and bumped Don's shoulder. "I'm coming over for dinner tomorrow."
Don bumped him back. "Deal."
Leonardo looked at Michelangelo. "I'd like to stay tonight. I know that you think you have dibs because you got here first, but that's all the more reason for me to want to stick around. I need to make up for lost time."
"Don't make me go home with Raph!" Michelangelo complained. "He's still mad at me for kicking his shell in training before I left!"
"I knew you had an ulterior motive for coming here!" Don joked.
"He did not kick my shell!" Raphael insisted. "But now that you mention it, a rematch might be in order."
"Fineeee," Michelangelo huffed. "You know Raph will be a bigger baby than those guys if we don't get this out of the way."
"So, I get to stay tonight?" Leonardo checked.
Everyone agreed. And so it was that a new system was set up. Everyone had more space, and Donatello always had an extra set of hands at his disposal.
That night, Donatello held a fussy Faith while Leonardo juggled Bruno and Mei. "Mei reminds me of you," Don said when there was a calm moment.
Leonardo raised an eye ridge. "Really?"
"Really. I think that she got a lot of your DNA. Faith is definitely Raph-like, and Bruno reminds me a lot of Mikey. But Mei is the most like you. She's usually calm, and she seems almost thoughtful. There's a sense of peacefulness about her that really stands out."
"I hadn't really noticed," Leonardo admitted. "But now that you mention it, I do see the resemblance."
"I'm glad you stayed tonight, Leo," Don said tiredly.
Leo smiled. "Me too. Thanks for giving me the chance."
With that, Faith spat up all over Don and the sofa, which was oddly appropriate, given that Raphael might've had the same reaction to the sappy exchange.
Don resisted the urge to puke himself. He began wiping up his screaming daughter. "I was afraid of this. No matter what formula I try, she can't seem to keep it down."
Once Faith was mostly clean, Donatello took her to the tub for a rinsing. "I'm sorry, little dragonette. I know firsthand how rough reflux can be. Daddy will find a way to fix it," Don soothed.
Leonardo set Mei and Bruno down in their cribs and set about cleaning up the sofa. Donatello ran his head and shoulders beneath the shower, then changed his shirt. He placed Faith into a baby sling and took her with him to the kitchen, where he set about creating yet another formula recipe.
"If she's got Raph's DNA, maybe she wants a nice steak," Leonardo joked. "She's certainly big enough."
"She may be the biggest, but the others are starting to catch up. She's not putting on as much weight because of the reflux. I'm a little worried," Don fretted. He blended together some turtle pellets and human baby formula. This time, he added a little rice cereal to thicken the formula. Once he was done, he carefully sat back down next to Leo and began feeding Faith.
"Your back still bothering you?" Leonardo asked. He could tell by watching Don move that it was more than just the pull of the stitches and concern about his daughter that was troubling him.
"Yeah," Donatello admitted. "It's a lot better than it was, but I'm starting to wonder if it will ever heal all the way. Carrying them really messed it up."
"Why don't you leave these three to me and go take a hot bath or lay beneath the heat lamp?" Leonardo suggested.
"Can't bathe until the stitches are out," Donatello reminded him. "But, I'll try the heat lamp tonight."
Just then Don received a text. It was from Valeria. "Turn on the news."
Donatello clicked on the TV. The president was giving a press conference. Bishop was right behind his shoulder.
"Look at that arrogant jerk," Leonardo complained. "Probably doesn't know or care if you're alive or dead right now, but there he is, looking like the king of the world."
Donatello just watched quietly as the president spoke.
"My fellow Americans, if the past few years have taught us anything, it's just how vulnerable the Earth truly is. For decades now, we have known about devastating extinction events that have occurred throughout history as a result of catastrophic meteor and asteroid strikes. Until recently, those threats seemed much more real than the threat of a hostile alien invasion. Sadly, that fear also turned out to be well-founded, and it became all too obvious that we needed to find a way to safeguard our precious, one-of-a-kind planet."
"Today, I'm proud to announce that the Earth Protection Force has successfully completed its first test of the Earth Defense System. This exciting new technology has been designed to protect our planet from all manner of otherworldly dangers. Earth Defense System, or EDS, as we like to call it, is capable of scanning our solar system for natural or alien objects that have the potential to cause us harm, and, when necessary, acting as a powerful gravity-based weapon, the likes of which the world has never known. For security reasons, I can't disclose any further details about this system, but it is my hope that all Americans, and all residents of Earth, can sleep better at night knowing that we are now protected."
"Now, I'd like to turn the floor over to Director John Bishop, who headed up this project."
Leonardo muted the television. "I can't stand to listen to that guy," he explained.
Donatello read the subtitles, as Bishop explained that EDS had identified a meteor headed in Earth's direction and vaporized it. The meteor had been too small to pose any threat, but it had been an impressive display of EDS's capabilities.
Donatello was glowing with pride. He had known that it would work, but it was still nice to hear it.
"He could've at least given you credit," Leonardo complained. "Especially after everything that he put you through."
"It's okay," Don replied. "I just wanted Earth to be safe. Besides, how could he give me credit when no one can know that we exist?"
"He could still say something," Leonardo glowered. "He's up there acting like he built the thing in his backyard. He could at least mention his staff."
Donatello shrugged and played with Faith's tiny fingers. She looked up at him with steel-grey eyes and all the trust in the world. "I got my reward. It's a happy ending that I never saw coming."
Don's phone beeped and he saw that it was another text from an obviously excited Valeria. "Are you seeing this? I'm there! I got to shake the President's hand!"
Don grinned and texted back. "I'm watching. Now stop wasting your time on me, and enjoy your moment. You deserve it."
Don's phone beeped again. "You should get to be here too. It's not fair that you don't get any recognition. When the President asked how we did it, I told him it was all thanks to a pretty remarkable turtle."
"You really said that?" Don texted back. "To the President?"
"I figured it was vague enough," Valeria explained.
"Yes, but now he probably thinks that you're a weirdo," Don reasoned.
"He did move on pretty quickly after that." Valeria finished with a wink emoji.
Valeria made it a point to keep Don posted about all things Triceraton. In turn, he made it a point to keep Leonardo informed, in case the turtles' assistance was ever needed.
Bishop continued testing the EDS, eventually using it to destroy a good-sized comet. It hadn't been headed towards Earth, but that didn't matter. Bishop had used the antenna that Don had stolen to construct an intergalactic communication device of his own. When the time was right, he sent the footage of the comet's destruction to the Triceraton as a warning. Simultaneously, he and other authorities throughout the globe brought down the hammer on all known Triceraton allies.
Hun and his cronies were shipped off to prison to await trial. Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo made it a point to watch from a nearby rooftop.
Donatello stayed home that day. Faith had recently taken her first steps, and he suspected that Mei and Bruno would be close behind. Hun was just about the furthest thing from his mind. Still, it was a fun conversation over family dinner at the Lair that night.
The Triceraton never did pull off their second invasion. The Earth Defense System may have been a deterrent, but ultimately Zanramon was overthrown once more, and a less oppressive regime took back over.
Donatello found that his path did diverge from that of his brothers, but he also found that he didn't really mind. He'd always been more peaceful and interested in academics. Raising his kids was more fulfilling than fighting ever was, and his brothers still brought back plenty of problems for him to solve.
After the first year, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo stopped spending the night at Don's place. He could handle the triplets on his own by then. In exchange, Donatello brought the kids to the Lair for dinner almost every night. After a shared meal, his brothers would watch them while he worked in the lab or garage.
His apartment was a cozy little home. It was more private than the Lair, but he entertained plenty of guests and filled the concrete rooms with warmth, laughter, and memories. It was a happier life than he had ever expected to have.
Only the epilogue is left now. Thanks to everyone who has left a review, and to those who have favorited and followed this story.