Babysitting Jasmine had been a wonderful learning experience, but it had really emphasized how small and fragile babies were.
The guys had a good point about the lack of appropriate medical care that was available for mutated turtles on earth. Don knew that even in the best of circumstances, he would be pretty out of it after giving birth. Given that he was the closest thing that the turtles had to a doctor, he felt the need to plan for as many complications as possible in advance - not just for him, but for the babies.
On one particular day, he didn't feel well enough to get out of bed. Instead, he spent the day researching pre- and post-natal complications, and what treatments worked best for them. It was awful, seeing all the terrible things that could go wrong. He couldn't bear to look at some of the pictures. But, he diligently took notes about everything. He began to create lists and decision trees for the others to follow. He also put together some plans for an incubator, in case the babies came early.
By the end of the day, he was heartbroken and exhausted. He closed his laptop and set it aside, then carefully eased himself down into a more relaxed position. He put both hands on his belly. "I hope that you guys are okay," he whispered, brokenly. "Please… be okay." He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
Nights were the worst for Donatello. During the days, he was extremely busy. It was easy to ignore the various pains that wracked his body and to push aside the stress that was threatening to tear apart his mind. But nights were another matter.
It was no secret that Donatello didn't need much sleep. He was famous for working on his projects late into the night. He couldn't do that now. His body simply couldn't take it. He was barely hanging on as it was, and couldn't risk collapsing from exhaustion, or something worse. So, as much as he strained himself during the day, he did attempt to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
But, it was when he was all alone and lying idle in the dark that everything caught up to him. His mind began racing - making lists of everything that needed to be done, panicking about everything that could go wrong. When he tried to calm down and clear his mind, it only made the pain that was constantly wracking his body stand out all the more.
He was getting used to his sore feet and agonized back, the cramping in his legs and aching in his hips and lower belly from carrying too much weight, the itchiness and plastron pain that came with all the stretching. But tonight, he noticed some symptoms that were different - a pounding in his heart, a tight feeling in his chest, difficulty swallowing. He tried to ride it out, to tell himself that it was just exhaustion and anxiety, but it only got worse as the night wore on.
When the clock blinked 2 AM, Don had finally had enough. He took his pulse, noting that his heart was racing. Grabbing his nightstand for support, he eased himself off of the bed and trudged to his lab. He put on a blood pressure cuff. Too high. He ran a quick ultrasound and saw that the babies were okay, at least. The same couldn't be said for Donatello. The tightness in his chest was worsening, but there was no way to accurately check his own breathing. He had to get someone, and he decided on Leo.
Don carefully pulled on some clothes. He always wore them around his brothers now, just for the sake of hiding himself. But, they were just as uncomfortable as ever, if not more so. Don still slept in the nude. When he was dressed, he tapped lightly on Leo's door.
"Come on in," Leonardo responded.
"You were awake?" Don whispered.
"What? You think you're the only one who suffers through sleepless nights?" Leo grumbled.
"No.. Sorry… I," Don stood in the doorway stammering.
Leonardo sighed. "Sorry. I'm just grouchy because I can't fall asleep. So, what's going on?"
Don approached the foot of Leo's bed, suppressing the surprisingly powerful desire to sneak in under the covers like when they were kids. "I can't sleep either, and I'm starting to notice some worrisome symptoms."
Leonardo sat up in bed. "Like what? What symptoms?"
"My heart is racing, and my blood pressure is elevated. There's too much pressure in my chest. Having a hard time catching my breath."
Leonardo rubbed his eyes. "Crud. Tell me what you need me to do."
Don handed Leo a stethoscope. "Listen to my breathing."
Leonardo looked at the tool in his hands, then back to his brother. "Listen for what?"
"A crackling sound," Don answered. "If there's fluid in my lungs, it could be a sign of pulmonary edema."
Leonardo's eyes widened. "What's that?"
"Fluid in the lungs, but it can be a sign of heart failure, and given my other symptoms…"
"Crap, Donatello. We told you that this was too much of a strain on your body." Leonardo practically hammered the stethoscope against Don's chest. Don pulled his shirt down so that Leo could listen through the neck hole and took deep breaths. Over the course of the next few minutes, Leo's face went from furiously frantic to calm and thoughtful. "I don't hear anything weird," he finally said. "What did you say your symptoms were again?"
"High blood pressure, racing heart, tightness in the chest, trouble breathing," Don listed.
Leonardo smiled sadly. "You're having an anxiety attack, Don."
Don opened his mouth to argue, then realized that he couldn't. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"No, but unfortunately, I'm familiar enough with them to be fairly confident in my diagnosis."
"How do I stop it?" Don asked with pleading eyes.
"I'd tell you to try and relax, but that almost never works. Come on, we'll have a cup of tea and see if we can ride this out."
Don followed Leo to the kitchen and groaned as he took his seat. Leonardo couldn't tell if it was a groan of relief, or of distress. He just gave his pregnant brother a weak smile and began filling the kettle with water.
Don wiggled around in his chair. "I can't believe that I'm five months along," he moaned. While there was always going to be uncertainty about his due date, by any measure, he had to be more than halfway through by now.
Leonardo looked over his shoulder. "Feels like less, or feels like more?"
"On the one hand, it feels like they'll be here way too soon." Don grimaced and arched his back, then rested a hand on his very large belly. "On the other hand, it feels like I'm about a million months pregnant."
Leonardo chuckled. "You look about a million months pregnant."
"Hey," Don griped. "Teasing me is not a good way to get me to calm down."
"You said it first," Leonardo pointed out. "Kind of," he added when he saw the hurt look on Don's face.
Don continued to pout. He knew he wasn't really all that big, considering that it was triplets. His brothers just weren't used to being around pregnant people.
"Fine, I'm sorry. Would a snack help you to feel better?" Leonardo relented.
"Yes," Don grumbled. He was still irritated, but it was exceedingly rare for anyone to make him a snack. The offer was too good to turn down.
Leonardo rooted through the cabinets, which seemed to be permanently bare. By now, all of the brothers had hidden food stashes of their own, but Leo couldn't break into his in front of Don. He didn't think Don would steal from him, he was just afraid of hurting Don's feelings. Leonardo opened the fridge and was pleased to see that there was still some leftover pizza.
"Late night cold pizza?" Leonardo tempted.
Don smiled. "How could I say no?"
Don just let the pizza sit and quietly sipped the tea that Leonardo had made for him. "Aren't you going to eat it?" Leo finally asked.
"My stomach is in knots," Don explained.
"Just take some deep breaths," Leonardo urged.
"I don't know why you're so sure that this is just a panic attack," Don muttered. "It's not like I've had them before."
"I told you that I'm not sure. It just seems like what I've experienced in the past," Leonardo reiterated. "Unless you really think that this is something dire, we might as well just just work under the assumption that I'm right. If the symptoms persist, we can go to plan B."
"Which is what?" Don asked.
"Consulting April," Leonardo answered. "Unless you have other ideas." Don had been so insistent that he could handle his own medical care, and that he was planning for every contingency. Leonardo was a little irked that the family genius seemed so clueless now that he was actually being tested, but he tried not to let it show. It appeared to be another symptom of panic that Don wasn't thinking clearly.
Don continued taking deep breaths. "You're okay," Leo encouraged. "You are."
"I'm not," Don moaned. "I'm under so much stress, and my body…" Don arched his back again and rubbed his sides as if to emphasize his point. "I'm under so much strain, Leo. I feel like I can't take much more, nevermind several more months."
Watching Don, Leo now knew for sure that this was anxiety. He also knew better than to say 'I told you so.' "You're okay," Leo repeated soothingly. "Maybe we haven't said it enough, but you've been doing a great job for those babies. I know it's hard on you."
"Haven't said it enough?!" Don balked. "You haven't said it at all!"
Leonardo frowned. He did think that Donnie was doing a wonderful job. He could have sworn that he had been saying it all along, but now he couldn't think of a single instance where he had given voice to his pride in his brother. "Well, I'm saying it now. You're doing great, and it will be okay."
Leo never did give Don that hug that he had been yearning for, but he did rub his arm, which was almost as good. Don took a few more shaky breaths, then found that some of his symptoms were dissipating. The ordeal left him exhausted. Leonardo saw him off to bed and made an empty promise that things would look better in the morning.