The turtles were all thrilled to reach the farm. Donatello was having a variety of stomach problems that made the ride decidedly unpleasant for everyone. Tension was running high by the time they arrived. No one had been to the farmhouse in months, so everyone kept busy cleaning and unpacking for several hours, which was great for burning off their pent up energy and frustration.
Don ate far less on the travel day than usual. He was on top of his brothers the whole time and felt really self-conscious about his food intake. He spent the night with them in the loft, wavering between feeling starving and overpoweringly nauseous. For the second night in a row, he hardly slept, and the lack of food and rest had given him a splitting headache.
At about three AM, he began to find himself being bothered by the soft moonlight streaming through the window and realized that a migraine would be coming on if he didn't do anything to address it. He knew his triggers well at this point and decided that the lesser of two evils would be to sneak downstairs for a snack.
Don took some apples since they'd be easily replaced, given that the farm had an orchard. He also opened an almond granola bar that he had taken from his private stash in the city.
As quiet as he had tried to be, he must have triggered Leonardo's bro-dar, because said turtle showed up in the kitchen. "You feeling okay, Don?" the leader whispered.
Don was startled but tried not to show it. "Nauseous and hungry, as usual. Seem to be fighting a migraine," he answered.
Michelangelo had told Leonardo about how the bumpy ride had affected Donatello. He'd been practically lying down by the time that Raphael had navigated the final dirt road that led to the farm. "How's your back?" Leo asked, gently.
Don smiled weakly, happy to be getting some sympathy. "A little better."
Leo crossed to the stove and began filling the kettle with water. "Let's brew some of that peppermint tea. It'll help with the nausea, right?"
Don nodded. "Thanks, Leo."
"I'm sure you need to rehydrate as well, given how many times you needed to make pit stops on the drive up," Leonardo continued.
Don winced. "Let's not talk about that."
Leo chuckled. "That might be for the best."
The brothers sat in silence while the water boiled. Don ate his food slowly, happy that he was beginning to feel better, and that Leo seemed to want to take care of him.
"Hey, you never showed me those pictures of the babies," Leonardo remarked, as he put a cup of tea in front of Don.
"They're in an envelope on top of the fridge, if you'd like to see them," Don quietly answered. He massaged his temples while Leo began looking through them.
Leonardo was much quieter about it than Mikey had been. He got through the whole set, then put them neatly away. "It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Leonardo said when he was done. He had a faraway look in his eyes.
"It is. They'll be worth all the trouble, I'm sure." Don took a sip of his tea and watched Leo carefully.
Leo met Don's gaze. "I'm sure too. It's just really hard to watch you go through this." The van ride had been tough for Leo. There was no escape or break from Don and his ailments. He wanted to help, but there was nothing that could be done.
"I'm okay, Leo."
"Maybe so, but you're only about halfway through this… gestation, and won't the end be even more dangerous?" Leonardo asked.
Don dropped his gaze to the teacup in his hands. "It might be, but we can only take it one day at a time."
"I can't stand feeling helpless," Leonardo mourned. "Never have been able to stand it."
Don shrugged. "I'm having a hard time too, you know?"
"I do. In fact, there's something I'd been wanting to talk to you about," Leo said tentatively.
"What's that?"
Leo sighed. "Raph, he… he had asked me to talk to you about your eating." Don opened his mouth, but Leo raised a hand. "Hear me out. This was weeks ago, and I didn't do it for a reason."
Don closed his mouth and Leo continued. "I get that you need comfort right now, and I suspect that a part of this is stress eating. Even if it is, I know that the babies need the food anyway."
Leo paused. Don nodded for him to go on. "I probably shouldn't be giving you medical advice. You know so much more than me. It's just that, you're still vomiting so often. Do you think that controlling your food intake might help with that?"
"Don't you think I've tried?" Don snapped irritably. "I know what you guys think of me-"
"We don't think-" Leo interrupted.
Don spoke over him. "No. I let you talk, now you listen to me. I don't want to be like this, Leo. I know food costs money, and that April and Casey have to go through the trouble of buying it, and that Raph needs to go get it from them and haul it back through the sewers. I feel awful that I eat so much, strain our finances, and put everyone through all that trouble, then just turn around and throw it back up. I feel terrible, Leo, but it's not like I ever asked for any of this," Don ranted. "I see how you guys look at me when I'm eating. But, I can't help it."
Don softened. "I really can't, and it's not just because of stress or needing comfort, although you're right that those things play a part. When I try my hardest not to eat, I get shaky. I get headaches. The nausea actually gets worse, not better. I just need the calories right now, badly. And the fact that I can't keep anything down means that I need more, not less."
"But have you tried elimination diets? Maybe something that you're eating is what's making you sick," Leo theorized.
"It's the hormones making me sick," Don insisted. "When I was in Area 51, I could hardly eat at all, and I was sick as a dog. Hormones do things like that. It's why morning sickness is so common. I think it's even worse for me because the hormones I'm taking are artificial and completely foreign to my body."
"But couldn't all the food be making things worse?" Leo wondered. "I thought morning sickness was usually in the mornings, and only during the first few months. You're halfway through, and you're still sick all day."
"The morning thing is a misnomer, and many people are sick right up until delivery, particularly with multiples. It stinks, but I just have to deal. And, it's not caused by diet," Don explained.
"Could we do a better job of treating it? Help you keep more food down for longer?" Leo wondered. "This cycle that you're stuck in - it has to be exhausting, Don."
Don shook his head. "I'm trying to avoid medications. We don't know what they'll do to the babies, and they're so hard to get a hold of."
"What about natural stuff?" Leo asked.
"You mean like peppermint and ginger?" Don replied a little impishly, glancing meaningfully at his cup.
"I guess you've got me there," Leonardo admitted. "But, and don't take this the wrong way, we could ask for outside help."
"Ask who?" Don contemplated.
"Well, if we went to Usagi's planet, we could speak to the healers," Leo suggested. "They're used to all sorts of different species, right?"
Don began rubbing his temples again. "Haven't we already discussed this?"
"Not really," Leo defended. "You sort of dismissed it immediately."
"They're not going to be able to help me, Leo."
"I wish you'd keep an open mind. It can't hurt to look into it," Leonardo encouraged.
"If this is your way of trying to convince me to reconsider giving the babies up for adoption..." Don warned through gritted teeth.
"It's not! I just want to help you. Why do you have to be so defensive about everything?" Leonardo griped.
"I'm not!" Don growled. Ironically enough, it sounded quite defensive.
"You are!" Leonardo countered. "I was only trying to help you feel less nauseous and you assumed that I was attacking you for overeating. I suggest you see a healer and you accuse me of attempting to manipulate you into adoption!"
"Okay. I'm… I'm sorry." Don puffed out a calming breath. "I don't mean to act like this. I think these hormones are affecting my behavior, and the splitting headache isn't helping matters."
"So why not see if there's something to help?" Leo asked gently.
Don stared quietly at his hands. "You don't need to overthink this, Don," Leo eventually said. "The guys will be up soon. I can open up a portal. We can just… go. Easy as that. And, maybe you'll feel better."
"You want to do this today?" Don balked.
"Why not? Why keep suffering if it's not necessary?" Leonardo questioned. "You could start feeling better today, and we could have a great vacation."
"Leo, I'm not sure if I should even go through a portal in my condition," Don worried. "How do I know that it's safe?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Leonardo wondered. "It's not like it affects other internal organs. You don't come out a portal with your liver where your lungs should be, right?"
"I'm just trying to be cautious, Leo."
"I can go talk to Usagi," Leonardo offered. "He can come back here with a healer if you don't want to go through a portal."
Don considered it. "I guess… it couldn't hurt, right?"
"I don't see how it possibly could," Leo agreed. "Come on, I just want to help you, Don. I'm worried about you, and the babies. I need to know that you'll be okay. Then, we can all just kick back and relax."
Donatello bit his lip and then nodded.
Leo smiled. Two hours later he disappeared through a portal. Don immediately regretted the decision.
Around mid-morning, another portal appeared, and Leonardo and Usagi came through side by side. Don had been too nervous to attempt to go back to sleep, and at this point, he'd been awake for almost two days straight. The turtle was completely exhausted, but nevertheless, he sprung to his feet when the two walked in.
"Donatello-San, you have certainly changed since last we met," Usagi greeted, merrily. "My most heartfelt congratulations to you!"
Don was a bit taken aback. He had expected Usagi to be uncomfortable with what was happening, but he seemed warm and genuine. Don smiled. "Thanks. So, I guess Leo explained everything to you?"
"He did," Usagi confirmed. "However unexpected this may be, families are built in many ways. You and your brothers are prime examples of this, yes?"
Don smiled even wider. "Yes."
Usagi bowed to the other two turtles. "Raphael, Michelangelo."
Michelangelo gave the rabbit a high five, and Raphael slapped him on the shoulder. The group caught up over a late breakfast. Usagi regaled them with tales of his adventures. It was so nice to have company that Don almost forgot what the visit was about.
"Shall I fetch the healer?" Usagi asked while Raphael washed the dishes.
Don coughed. "Oh. Um, I guess." Don looked to Leo, who appeared so hopeful. Don wanted to say no, but he chickened out. "If it's no trouble for anyone, then… yes, please," Don finished.
"Please allow me ten minutes," Usagi said with a bow. He drew a portal and vanished into it.
Don turned to his brothers. "Where should we do this?" he asked Leo.
"A bedroom, I guess?" Leonardo answered. "I'm sure April and Casey wouldn't care if you used the master."
"Okay. Well, I'm going to go brush my teeth and splash some water on my face." Don stood with a wince. "It's cool if Leo wants to come since this was kind of his thing, but I'd really like some degree of privacy here."
"I get it," Mikey said. He did look a little offended.
"Yeah," Raph agreed. If anything, he appeared to be relieved. "It's not like humans have ten people in the room during their doctor appointments."
"Eh, let's play some computer games on Don's laptop," Mikey replied. "He so rarely leaves it unguarded."
Donatello decided that he would give them his blessing. "Just don't mess with anything. Games only."
Don freshened up and sat on the bed, feeling like an intruder in this room. He pulled off his support garment. He just didn't want Leo to see it. He hid it beneath a pillow and pulled his tee-shirt back on. His stomach was doing flip flops. He'd never seen a doctor before, unless one was to count Leatherhead. He was scared about what this healer might have to say, but, he was willing to do it to make his brothers happy.