Angel knocked on April's door at the appointed hour. She was expecting the night to be strange, to put it mildly. She hadn't seen Donatello in almost six months, only to suddenly hear from April that he was pregnant. Angel was a very street-smart girl, and had encountered a lot of weird things since she had met the turtles. Not a lot could take her by surprise, but this sure did.
April opened the door, and Don stood up from where he was sitting on the sofa. He was wearing clothes, which was unusual for the turtles, but not entirely unheard of. Angel could see his belly noticeably protruding beneath his tee-shirt. She had assumed that he wasn't all that far along, and wasn't quite prepared for that sight. Don blushed and hunched over when he noticed her slack-jawed stare, but he approached her for a hug anyway.
"Hey, it's great to see you, Don! How are you feeling?" she asked, loudly.
"Fine," Don fibbed, the white lie made obvious by his downtrodden demeanor, and the stiff manner with which he was embracing her, yet still holding her at a distance.
"So, congratulations!" Angel was painfully aware that she sounded way too forced and enthusiastic - not at all like herself.
"Thanks, I guess," Don muttered. "So, uh, thanks for coming."
"Hey, you're welcome, buddy!" Angel put her head in her hands. "Ack! I'm so sorry. I know I'm being weird."
Don actually laughed at that, much to Angel's relief. "Yeah. That's usually my job," the turtle chuckled.
Feeling that the ice was broken, Don sat back down on the sofa, crossed his arms over his knees, and leaned forward.
"Come on, Don, there's no need for that here. Bad posture isn't good for your back, and we all know that you're expecting. After all, it's what we came to talk about," April lectured.
Don sat up straighter, feeling admonished. "Force of habit," he explained.
"I know." April sat down next to her friend and gave his shell a sympathetic rub. "It can be difficult with your brothers. Teenage boys aren't exactly known for properly handling emotions, and you're super-sensitive right now. We want you to feel free to talk to us about anything and everything that you're going through. Angel and I are far more used to dealing with this stuff then your family is, and believe me, you're going to feel a lot better if you're able to talk to someone."
"Yeah," Angel agreed. "I know it's usually me coming to you guys for help, so when I heard about this, I was just glad to be able to offer support for once. You see, I've had some friends who have been in similar situations, and I've tried to help them through. Of course, they were also able to see doctors, and the school counselors, and they all had at least one parent. Although the parents weren't always all that helpful in these cases. But still, they had people to help them out, and you need that too. So, here I am." Angel winked. "One of your people."
Don smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Angel. That really means a lot to me. I know I'm not always the best about talking about emotions and asking for help, but you're right that I definitely need it. I've been kind of a basket case lately."
"Well, you're dealing with a lot of different stuff lately," Angel said. "Stuff that you weren't expecting, stuff that's going to change your life forever. You're bound to react emotionally."
"That's the funny thing. I've always been good at cooping things up inside. That's how I deal with them… or maybe not deal with them. But either way, I've never been prone to outbursts; I've never been one to cry. This whole thing has just thrown me for a loop. I've had more breakdowns in the past few months than I've ever had in my life," Don mourned. "Feels like I'm falling apart."
April threw her arm over Don's shoulder and pulled him close. "Oh, Donnie. You're okay. That's just a natural reaction to stress, and I'm sure those synthetic hormones you have to take aren't helping matters."
"Hormones do mess with your moods sometimes," Angel agreed. "Being women, we're kind of used to that sort of thing."
"I'm not a woman," Donatello whined. "And, I don't want to be thought of that way just because of this."
"I meant April and I. We know you're not a woman. Those big muscles of yours sort of give you away." Angel had hoped that complimenting his masculinity would calm the turtle down a little, but Donatello didn't have much of a reaction.
"You and April never seem to lose control of your emotions," Don noted.
"We just know how to deal with them," Angel replied.
"We can teach you some coping mechanisms if you like," April offered. "But from where I stand, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you learned to be less afraid of your feelings."
"I know that everyone thinks that I don't know how to cope, but now isn't the time for a sweeping psychological overhaul. I've got enough else on my plate," Don huffed.
"Then what do you want to get out of this?" April asked.
"I want to not break down into tears or freak out on my brothers at the drop of a hat. I want to learn more about babies and how to take care of them. My brothers and I have never really even been around a baby. And I want…" Don trailed off.
"What do you want, Donatello?" April urged.
"To… to feel like I have friends, and support. I can't really talk to my brothers right now. They don't understand what I'm going through. I know that you guys haven't really been through this either, but I need people to talk to… advice." Don got a little choked up and stopped talking.
April smiled. "You came to the right place, my friend."
"If you want to talk, then talk," Angel invited. "We're all ears."
April looked at Don expectantly.
He coughed. "Right now?"
"Why not? Just say what's on your mind," Angel encouraged. "Tell us how you're feeling, and answer honestly this time!"
Don looked down at his hands. "Well, I'm feeling… hungry. Like all the time, and it's weird because I still get sick so much. A few weeks ago I had to force myself to eat, but now I just can't seem to stop."
April grinned. "Is that your way of asking me for a snack?"
"Nooooo… it's just that it's making an awkward situation even worse. Leo is watching me like a hawk, and he doesn't approve of unhealthy eating. Raph hasn't complained, but I know he's keenly aware of how much we're spending on food, and how fast we're going through it. They've been teasing me about it. I don't think they're doing it to be mean, but it's hurting my feelings. I've gotten so self-conscious about my eating that I'm hiding food in my room, and in the lab, and garage," Don admitted.
"We're definitely getting you a snack then," April vowed. "People in your condition need a lot of food. You shouldn't feel bad about it."
"We should order pizza!" Angel declared.
Don's stomach growled in response. He blushed and put a hand over it. April chuckled. "What toppings sound good, Don?"
Don never got to choose the toppings. Raphael and Michelangelo always did. Being the soft-spoken and peaceful types, Leonardo and Donatello just went along with whatever the others wanted. "Would extra cheese with mushrooms and olives be okay?" Don asked tentatively. He had really been craving olives, but he knew that some people found them gross.
"Whatever you want," April promised.
"Could we maybe get some mozzarella sticks too?" Don quietly requested. "I'll pay you back," he quickly added.
"Nonsense. It's my treat. Payment for all the stuff that you've fixed around here through the years," April replied.
Don thanked her, and April ordered the food. Meanwhile, Angel was tapping on her phone. "It says here that you need to eat 340 extra calories per day in the second trimester. It goes up to 680 for twins. So, it must be 340 per baby. That means triplets would be 1,020 extra calories per day that you need right now."
"Feels like I'm eating a lot more than that," Don said, glumly. "I mean, I know that I'm bound to get big, but I don't want to get too big."
"Well, if you can't keep it down for very long, it probably doesn't count. Plus, they're mutants, so maybe they need more calories than an average baby," Angel theorized.
April frowned. "Don, please tell me that you're not thinking about restricting your food intake right now. I know that you don't enjoy seeing yourself like this, but not getting enough food would be dangerous for both you and the babies."
"I know," Don said unhappily. "I'm not about to start dieting or anything. I just wish that it was healthy food that I was craving instead of junk. It just feels like food is one of my only comforts right now. But, I can't very well just sit down and eat an entire bag of potato chips with a gallon of chocolate ice cream, because not only is it unhealthy, but Leo will give me that disapproving look of his, and Raph will notice that it's gone, then complain about needing to buy more. And, I'll look down at how big I'm getting and…" Don stopped talking and shook his head in defeat. He paused for a moment before continuing. "But no, I'm not restricting my overall food intake. I couldn't if I tried. I'm just trying to eat healthy and not give in to my cravings."
April thought about the many meals that she had shared with the turtles. "Teenage boys are famous for their appetites. You're young, very muscular, and extremely active. Not only that, but you're still growing yourself. Of course you need a lot of food, and indulging in cravings once in a while is hardly going to kill you. Don't beat yourself up over this."
"Yeah, if anyone should be embarrassed about their diet, it's Michelangelo," Angel agreed. "If the guys are bugging you, just tell them to buzz off."
"I know that I shouldn't feel bad, but I do anyway. We don't have a lot of money, and I feel guilty that so much is being spent on food for me, when half the time I can't even keep it down. And the teasing hurts, even though I know it shouldn't. I'm just so sensitive right now. I hate it," Don mourned.
"Have you told your brothers that the teasing bothers you?" Angel asked.
"No," Don said quickly. "I don't want them to know that it does. We've always been able to kid around. Things are weird enough as it is without them feeling like they have to walk on eggshells around me, any more than they already are."
"I can talk to them," April offered. "They don't even need to know that you asked me to. I can just be general, explain the effects of the hormones, and make sure that they know you need support."
"I'd rather just learn how to deal with my feelings," Don mumbled.
"And by 'deal with,' you mean continue to avoid?" Angel pointed out.
"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound all that great," Don realized.
"Remember that this is short term. Five or so months from now, it'll all be over," April reminded him. "It's understandable if you'd rather just get through this, and hide away as much as possible."
"Five months sounds like a long time to me," Don said as he looked downwards with a bit of fear in his eyes. "And, who's to say that I'll go back to normal afterwards? Parenthood does funny things to people. Doesn't it?"
"Okay. Then figure out a healthy way to deal with things. If you don't want to talk to your brothers, that's fine, but don't let things eat you up inside," April advised. "Talk to us, laugh it off, take your rage out on a punching bag, have a good cry - whatever it takes."
"Have a good cry? That sounds so feminine," Don complained.
"Perhaps you should try it. It would be better for you than keeping things bottled up. It's only going to be that much worse when you finally do break down," April said.
"Okay. I'll… keep that in mind."
"No!" Angel giggled. "Do it right now! Cry, Donnie, cry!"
Don appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood, and pretended to break down in tears. When they were done laughing, they went in to discuss some other things that Don couldn't talk to his brothers about, like pregnancy aches and pains, and his many fears for the future. They had a nice snack, 85% of which was consumed by Don. Then, they got down to talking about child care.
Don took a bite of the last slice of extra large pizza. "I think that I know what sort of materials and supplies I need. What I don't know is how to behave around babies."
"Why would you behave any differently than you do now?" Angel asked.
Don shrugged. "I don't know. Don't they scare easily? What if I'm too loud, or move too fast?"
"I don't think that you have to worry about that," April said.
Don nodded. "What about baby talk? I heard it's bad for language development, but I also heard that they're more responsive to it."
April and Angel looked at each other. "I can't imagine that it matters much either way," Angel finally said. "I'm not much of a baby-talker, personally, but that's just because I find it annoying."
Don finished off his slice. "I heard that newborns need to be fed every two hours, but I don't know how long each feeding takes. Will I just be feeding kids nonstop all day long?"
"Probably," Angel answered.
"And, babies like to be held, right? How do I hold all three? I know that baby-wearing is a thing, but you can't wear three at once, right?"
"I doubt it," Angel supplied.
"Do you think a backpack type holder would work? My shell is broad in the back. Maybe I could fit two there, and one in front?"
Angel shrugged. "Maybe."
"This would be hard enough with just one baby. Three will probably kill me," Don moaned. "But again, I feel like I can't say anything in front of the guys, because they'll just point out that adoption might be a better choice."
"But, you want to keep them, and Mikey agrees. Can't that discussion just be over?" April asked.
"It sort of is, but I still feel badly about complaining," Don replied. "The obvious answer is that they should help me out, but so far, that part hasn't been discussed."
"Why not?" Angel asked. "These are kind of their kids too. At the very least, they're a part of your clan. Wouldn't the others want to help?"
"It's my choice to keep them, though. That means that most of their care is on my shoulders. It wouldn't be fair of me to force the others to help if they don't want to." Donatello sighed. "Mikey wants to play with them, at least. I guess that's something. Can't imagine him changing diapers or getting up in the middle of the night, though."
April snickered. "I share your skepticism."
"I miss my Dad," Don lamented. "He'd know what to do, if he was still here. And, everyone would just fall into line."
Angel silently put a hand on his shoulder. Donatello was close to her own age, and she couldn't imagine being orphaned, on top of everything else that he was going through.
"He'd be proud of you, you know," April said, solemnly. "And he'd want you to be kinder to yourself, maybe even relax a little."
Don nodded, but his eyes were defiant. "It's hard to relax with everything going on. On top of adjusting to my new circumstances, there's the risk of the Triceraton invading, there's my work."
"Isn't the government handling that?" Angel wondered. Sometimes she wished that she wasn't privy to all of this frightening information.
"I'm helping… a lot," Don answered.
"Well, the Triceraton may or may not invade, but these babies are coming either way," April considered. "Preparing for them has to be a priority."
Don rubbed between his eyes. "I just wish that I knew what I was doing. So much of this is guesswork - how my body will handle this, how the babies will be born, if they'll be okay, how I'll react to fatherhood, what the babies will be like, how big they'll be, what they'll eat, how my brothers will behave. I just feel like… I don't know nearly as much as I should." Don gave a bitter chuckle. "I'm not used to that. I'm usually the answer-turtle, but the answers to most of my questions will only come with time."
"I think most parents-to-be feel that way," April said.
"Most parents have doctors," Don pointed out. "Most have been around other pregnant people, and been around babies. I've never even been anywhere near a human baby. How am I supposed to know what to do with mine?"
"I've got access to a baby," Angel spoke up. "We can get you some hands on experience."
"Oh, that would be amazing," Don praised. "Granted, I'll have three, and they'll be non-human, but I'd be so grateful for any sort of experience with a baby."
"I'll set something up," Angel promised.
By the time Donatello left April's apartment, he felt much better. It had been so nice to talk openly about how much he was struggling, without fear of being judged. Don knew the expression 'it takes a village to raise a child.' He was beginning to realize that it would also take a village to get him through this.