Much to Don's surprise, Leonardo called the next day. "Leatherhead's old place, huh?" Leo said by way of greeting.
"Uh, yeah," Don stammered.
"That's… smart," Leo replied. "Safer than here anyway. You need any help getting the place set up?"
"Oh, um. Casey offered to do the cleaning. I probably shouldn't be around all of the mold and chemicals for too long, but I'm sure he could use a hand," Don considered.
"Sure. Raph's been itching to get out of here," Leonardo said.
"And, it would be ideal if we could use the sewer slider for moving my stuff - what's not already at April and Casey's that is," Donatello added.
"Sure. I'll start packing it up," Leonardo volunteered. "You know how I love to organize things."
Don chuckled, overcome with brotherly affection, despite everything that had happened between them. "Yeah. I do."
There was an awkward silence. "So, just all of it in boxes then?" Leo asked. There was an obvious air of...something in Leonardo's voice, but Don had no idea what to make of it.
Don hesitated, wondering if he could ask to come home. He realized that a negative response to that question might destroy him, so he shook the notion off and forged ahead. "I wouldn't touch the stuff in my lab. Some of it is really delicate, and some of the chemicals have very specific storage requirements."
"No. I'll leave all that alone," Leo said.
"And, Raph and I share tools in the garage. We'll figure out how to split them up later," Don continued.
"Okay. I won't touch them either. But your room?" Leonardo wondered.
Don took a moment. He had thought that Leonardo wanted him to leave, but it was hard to read the emotions on his leader's, or former leader's voice. Leo didn't sound so firm now. But, it was too little too late. When push comes to shove, Don had been hurt pretty badly by his brothers, and he couldn't let anything like that happen again. He swallowed hard.
"Yeah, all of it in boxes. That would be great. Thanks, Leo."
Don had finished his scale model of the Earth Defense System a few days before the big blow out with his brothers. Now, his work was on the computer only. It's a good thing too because he could hardly even do that. His belly got in the way of everything, and the babies kicks had begun to really hurt.
He had to spend a lot of time lying on his side to keep them from pressing down too hard on his back and internal organs. Even that was often painful. None of the turtles enjoyed being on their sides, due to the curves of their shells. Don was getting to the point where he could barely recall what it felt like to be well-rested and pain-free.
"Ouch," he hissed, as he, April and Casey were watching a movie on the sofa. Don was sitting upright, with his feet up on the coffee table. They were swollen after a day of working on the security system at the apartment. At least that was done, and the place was almost move-in ready. He hadn't encountered his brothers, but Casey said that Raphael had been a pro with the power washer.
April looked at Don with concern. "Did you overdo it today?"
"No. I just took simultaneous kicks to the ribs and spine." Don winced and wriggled around. "I'm glad they're so strong, but I wish that they'd go easier on me. They've started leaving bruises."
Don grimaced miserably. April saw the thump of another kick and rested her hand on the spot. Don loved that. His brothers had been afraid to touch him at all. It was as though they were afraid that the babies would jump out of him and into them. It felt nice to be accepted, rather than treated as something repulsive. He drifted off to sleep while his big sister gave him a belly rub.
Leatherhead's old apartment was now nearly unrecognizable when compared to the abandoned moldy wreck that it had been mere weeks ago.
The bedroom had been transformed to include a sleeping area for Donatello and a nursery area for the babies. The half-built cribs were neatly lined up against the wall, having been transported there by Raphael and Casey after the power washing was complete. The bedroom was still sterile and sparsely decorated, but the atmosphere was brightened by the voices of the makeshift family drifting in from the adjacent living area.
"You sure you don't want to spend another night at our place?" Casey asked. He was packing food into the fridge while April and Don arranged the furniture in the living room.
"I'm sure," Don assured him. "I want to break this place in before I get too big to make repairs and stuff."
Casey chuckled. "You might be there already, buddy."
"I've still got plenty of fight left in me," Don promised. Truthfully, he wanted to collapse into that newly refurbished king-sized bed, but he was in no rush for his friends to leave.
"You know we're just a phone call and a five-minute drive away," Casey reminded him. "Anything you need, day or night, we'll be here."
"And be warned, I'm going to look in on you using the security camera from time to time," April added. "Assume that you have no privacy."
Don nodded, feeling nearly overcome with love and affection. "Got it."
"The guys will come running if you need them. Raph promised me he would," Casey told Don.
The smile faded from Don's face. "I know." Still, he would have preferred if they told him in person. They'd helped with the move, but it was all behind the scenes. He hadn't seen them at all since their fight. They almost never called and hardly texted.
Angel came over, and they had a miniature housewarming party. She even brought him some picture frames with ultrasound photos Don had previously emailed her. It meant a lot to him. His new place was feeling a lot more like a home, but it was in dire need of decorating and personal touches. He was out of his league, as far as stuff like that was concerned.
April had her hands on her hips. "I'm buying you some throw rugs and pillows. This place needs to be more colorful."
"Some of those light-up signs might be nice, or maybe some cool lamps and funky light fixtures," Angel added. "Something to make up for the lack of windows."
"String lights?" April brain-stormed.
Don and Casey looked at one another and shrugged.
The party ended in the early evening. It was a Sunday night, so the humans had school and work the next morning. April insisted on helping clean up. Don had to practically force her out the door before she broke down weeping. He couldn't have handled that without breaking down himself.
Don closed the door and looked around his now quiet home. He'd never been alone for any length of time before. Area 51 didn't really count in his mind, given that he was always under guard, and he spent all day working with Valeria.
Of course, it was a matter of debate whether he was truly alone right now. He put a hand on his belly and looked down at the big bump in his plastron that was currently doing an admirable job of obscuring his feet. "So, what do we do now?" he asked it. The babies reacted to their father's voice, as though they knew that he was talking to them, and were eager to answer.
Then Don remembered. "The tub!"
April had known how excited Don was about the bath. She'd purchased him some fancy oils and scented salts, even some bubble bath. Mindful that he didn't want to be perceived as too feminine, she had stuck to mostly non-floral scents. She'd added some big fluffy towels too. It was a pretty awesome housewarming gift.
Leatherhead's water heater had been dead on arrival, so Donatello had installed a tankless heater that Casey had found broken in the junkyard. Fixing it had been easy work, and Don now had infinite hot water to fill his huge tub.
Don selected the most promising oil and salt combination, then filled the tub neck-deep before climbing in. It was a real treat for a pregnant turtle in dire need of a nice soak for his aching joints and overstressed body. There were concrete steps on both the interior and exterior. Don could picture himself sitting on them while the babies splashed around in here. For now, they made a convenient shelf for the leftover party snacks that he'd brought with him.
He sighed in contentment, and let himself sink down until only his eyes and nostrils were popping out above the steaming eucalyptus and spearmint-scented water. This place was feeling like home already.