A/N: Yes, I know, I suck at naming things. Forgive the chapter names. Please. And my writing will get better, I promise. I just always get stuck getting up to the really interesting parts that I can't wait to write.
Oh well… It's all fun anyway, right?
Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. I do own Liv and the baby, though, and that'll mean more as the story progresses.
Chapter Two: Coming Home
Donatello grabbed the carrier, and the baby mewed in protest after being jostled from her comfortable position. He headed back to the lair. What am I going to do? That thought ran through his head all the way back to the lair.
When he arrived, he peeked his head in, sighing in relief when he saw no one. Like no one's going to notice a baby. He thought wryly. Not even Mikey's that distracted.
"Hey, Donnie." Raphael called from the other room.
Donatello stopped, frozen mid- step.
"Donnie." The indistinguishable sound of the chair squeaking signaled to Donatello that Raphael was coming into the room that he was in. But he was frozen, unable to move.
"Don, where've you been…." Raphael entered the room. He looked at Donatello, and then at the carrier in his hand.
"What the…"
"Raph." Donatello got out. "Raph, please, listen. This isn't what you think." He gasped.
"What is this?" Raphael looked at the carrier, and then back at Donatello. "Did you find this at the…"
Donatello opened his mouth to say no, but right then, Michaelangelo walked in.
"Did Donnie find something cool this time to spruce up the house?"
"Oh, it's somethin'." Raphael muttered under his breath. Donatello looked at him with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Dude." Michaelangelo said, finally looking at the carrier. "What've you got in there?"
The baby chose that moment to squawk out in protest at all the movement and noise.
"Is that…" Mike looked up at Donatello. "Is that a cat?"
"No, Mikey," Don started out. "It's…" He stopped. "Well, it's a… a…" He couldn't seem to say the words. He took a deep breath to clear his mind. "It's a baby."
"A baby?" Mike moved forward. "Oh, lemmee see." He peeked into the covers of the carrier, then stepped back. "Oh, wow." He breathed. "I've never seen one that small before. Or that close up." He leaned down again, sniffed and made a face. "Or that stinky. Dude, you need to… do something here."
"I…. I don't have any diapers or anything. I didn't expect…"
"Well, we'll have to get some." Mike said, and then leaned back down to look at the baby. He looked up again at Don. "I think you can set it down, bro."
"Oh, yes, o- of course." Donatello said, still dazed from the turn of events. He set the carrier down, the baby mewing once from the small jostle, and Mike leaned over the carrier, making baby noises and faces at the child inside. Donatello put a hand to his head, trying to think. This was not going as planned.
Don looked at Raphael, who had been watching Mike. "What am I going to do?" He asked, and then stopped short, turning to look at the doorway, where Leonardo had just started walking into the room.
"What is going on here?" Leonardo said, looking, for his part, at least momentarily surprised at the scene before him.
"Leo…"
"What is this?" Leonardo stepped all the way into the room and looked around. He spotted Mikey.
"Michaelangelo." He walked up to him. "You're supposed to be…" His voice trailed off as he saw the contents of the carrier. He looked back up at the three of them. "Who…" He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "Mikey…" He looked to Michaelangelo for an explanation.
"It's not Mikey." Donatello walked forward, looking at first down and then at Leonardo.
"It's… it's Liv's."
"Liv." Leonardo thought for a minute, and then looked back up at Donatello. "That girl that you talk to online? That Liv?"
"Do I know any other Liv?" Don joked feebly.
"Don… What are you doing with a baby? With Liv's baby?"
"I'm, uh, watching her for awhile." Donatello looked away from his brother. He could always tell when he was lying.
"How long?" Leo asked, crossing his arms.
"A… few days… maybe?" Donatello said.
"Maybe?"
"Well, yeah. A few days, I think. It all happened so fast. And the baby was there, and she wasn't, and I couldn't say no…" Donatello finally stuttered out. He was a horrible liar. "She just kind of… dropped her off. I think something's wrong…" Well, technically, it's the truth…
Leonardo sighed, looking from Don to the baby and back, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "A few days…" He repeated.
"Leo, if I don't hear from her in a few days, I'll take her to the police."
"OK, well… that's a good idea. Although, this is going to seriously interfere with our…" He stopped, cocking his head, listening for something. "I thought that I heard… is someone out there?" He tensed, getting ready for an intruder.
"Oh, yeah, probably April." Mike stood up, walking over to them. Raphael joined them, as if he didn't want to be left alone with the baby. "I called her." Michaelangelo continued. "I figured we could use her help with getting some stuff." They all turned as the door to the lair opened.
"OK guys," April walked into the lair, brushing a hand through her hair. "This had better be good. I'm missing my favorite…show." She trailed off as she saw the bundle on the floor. She looked up at the four turtles. Leonardo stood, arms crossed, face indifferent as he looked at her. Raphael had his arms crossed, also, but he stood, looking agitated. Michaelangelo looked mischievous as always, and Donatello looked… guilty?
"OK, what's going on?" She asked. The blankets on the floor moved. "Is that really a baby?"
They nodded.
"A real baby?"
Another nod.
"Who… what…" She stopped, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "OK," She began slowly.
"Who's baby is this?"
Raphael grunted. "Ask Donatello."
April turned towards Don. "Don? What's going on?"
Donatello sighed. "It's a long story."
"Try." April crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. At that moment, Don was struck by how much she could look like Leonardo.
As Donatello told her what had happened, (at least, the story that he had given the others) April's face had softened.
"That's a good idea," she nodded. "taking her to the police."
"I just want to wait for a few days. I think that something's wrong." Don explained.
"Yeah." She nodded. "You're right. Something definitely doesn't sound right." She shook her head. "My God, I just can't believe… who would just leave their baby with a complete stranger."
Donatello looked down at the ground miserably.
"Not that you're untrustworthy, Don, it's just…" She said, looking at the turtle's downcast expression. "It's just weird, that's all. Anyway," April continued. "Look, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take her to a friend of mine, a doctor. He owes me one."
Don opened his mouth to protest.
"Completely off the record." April interrupted, looking at Don. "I'll just tell him that she's on her way to a foster home. Just to get her checked up." She stopped, swallowing. "Don, this baby can't be more than a week old, if that. She needs a checkup." She ran a hand through her hair. "But first, I'm going to go up to my place and see if any of my neighbors have anything that we can use. I think the lady down the hall just had a baby not all that long ago, so she might have some stuff." She stopped again, looking around and sighed. "OK, you guys, do you have any blankets? You need some blankets. And some pots and pans."
"OK, we can do that." Mike said, nodding. "We have those."
"Good." April nodded then, too. "OK, let me head up to my place and I'll be back in a jiffy." She turned to leave, but before she made it out of the lair, Michaelangelo called out to her.
"Yeah?" She poked her head back into the lair.
"Um, is it OK if we, uh, if we hold her?" He asked.
Her irritation melted at his question. "Well of course you can. She can't just stay on the ground the whole time." She smiled. "OK, just pick her up, gently… gently," She guided Mike through the process. "And remember, always remember to support her neck. Babies' neck muscles are weak, so they can't support their heads yet. If it would snap back, it could kill her." All four of them looked at her. Michaelangelo had tensed, holding the baby stiffly now. "Babies are pretty tough." She said, noticing the apprehension in them now. "She's not going to break. Just remember," she reminded them gently, leaving the room, "support her neck. Hang tight, guys. I'll be back soon." And with that, April left the lair, leaving the four turtles alone with the baby, who was becoming comfortable in her new place in Mike's arms.
"She likes me." Michaelangelo said happily, looking down at the baby.
"Well there's a new one." Raphael grumbled from his place, leaning against the wall. "Mikey picked up a girl. And she likes him."
"Ha ha, Raph." Mike replied, but his eyes remained on the baby in his arms. It was fascinating, more fascinating than anything that he had ever seen before in his life.
"Hey." Michaelangelo was broken out of his thoughts by his brother, who walked up to him, looking apprehensive.
"Can I hold her?" Donatello was looking at him. "Since I found her and all."
'Found her?' Leo mouthed to Raphael, who shrugged. Michaelangelo, oblivious to all of this, smiled at Don.
"Of course, dude. You just had to ask." He handed the baby to Donatello gently.
Donatello breathed out as the baby settled into his arms. This wasn't as hard as he thought that it would be. He looked down at the baby's face, feeling something go through him that he'd never felt before.
I must protect this child. The thought passed through his head so quickly, so naturally, that it surprised him. He looked down at her and she opened her eyes, looking at him with crystal blue eyes that pierced right through his. He could hold her forever, he realized. She was a miracle, not much unlike he and his brothers. Where they ever this small? He wondered. He realized then that every living thing was special… a gift, whether they were born like her or mutants like them. He looked up at the rest of them.
"Do you want to…?" He asked, motioning his head towards the baby. He'd been holding her for awhile, longer than he'd meant to. But time seemed to… stand still when he was staring into her eyes.
"Not me." Raphael said, still staying in the far corner, away from the rest of them.
"OK, I'll try it." Leonardo walked forward, taking the child as carefully as you would glass or eggshells.
Leo smiled, then, also. "She is awful cute."
"Better be careful, Leo. Someone might think you approve of this if you keep acting like this." Michaelangelo smirked.
"I never said…" But his protest was cut short as April reappeared in the lair, her arms laden with bags and parcels. Some rattling noises came from a bag as she attempted to set everything down without making too much of a mess. Mike and Don leaned down to help her get everything settled.
"OK, guys, I've got some really helpful stuff here." She began rifling through the bags. "Diapers, clothes, food, you name it." She stood, blowing her hair out of her eyes, and wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "My one neighbor has grandkids. So she gave a lot of this stuff for us to use. Unless her daughter has anymore kids. Then we have to give it back. And the rest of it came from Annie, down the hall and a few others. Really good stuff, too. Books, toys, you name it. I had to buy the diapers, though. Not many people have a lot of extras of those on hand." She smiled, obviously pleased with herself.
"Thank you so much, April." Donatello said, smiling at her gratefully. Mike and Leo nodded. "Yeah, we really appreciate it." Mike said, grinning also.
April looked at them, and then stopped on Leo, grinning. "Aww, Leo. You look so cute." She cocked her head. "You know, I knew that this would come in handy." With that, she brought out a camera, snapping his picture.
"April." Leo said, blushing beneath his green skin.
"Oh, come on." April smiled. "You know that I'm taking some photography classes down at the college. Think of this as some practice."
Leo opened his mouth to protest, but April cut him off with a wave of her hand. "No one else will see them. It's only practice like I said."
She turned back to Don and Mike, who was now looking through some of the bags with interest. "OK, Don, I'm going to take her up to my friend's now, all right? I'll be back soon." With that, April got the baby from Leo's arms, placing her into the carrier. "See you guys soon." She left again, this time the silence in the room deafening, as everything that had just happened sunk in for the first time that evening.
"Well," Mike said, leaning over to look in the bags that April had brought from his place where he sat on the floor, cross- legged. "Let's see what April brought us."
They looked through everything, and it seemed like only a short while before April returned with the baby. She walked into the lair slowly, cradling the baby in her arms.
"Hey guys." She whispered, smiling wearily.
"April." Don stood up, walking over to her, but stopped when he saw that the baby was sleeping. "What did the doctor say?" He whispered.
"Well…" She began, but the baby started squirming, and then began to cry. April laid her down onto a blanket on the floor and then began to unbutton the baby's small outfit. "She needs a diaper change. Come here, you guys." They all gathered around her, even Raphael. "Look." She said, then sighed. "That's her umbilical cord. It'll fall out and become her belly button."
"Whoa." Michaelangelo breathed, then looked down at his own plastron.
"Don," April turned to look at him, a sad look in her eyes. "Doctor Wagner said that this child…" She
shook her head. "This baby's only two days old. If that."
Don took a step back, moving a hand to his plastron. "T- two days old?" He repeated, the voice leaving his mouth weak.
"Oh my God." Leonardo said quietly from where he stood. Raphael rubbed a hand over his head. Michaelangelo looked down at the baby, cocking his head. "Well, no wonder she's so tiny." He said.
"Well, what does that mean?" Donatello asked, trying to keep his voice merely interested, and not as panicked as he really felt.
"Well, that means that she needs a lot of attention, food, diaper changes… all that. She's healthy, though.
That's good, because her being out in the city like this, with her being so young… Well, she's healthy." She shook her head. "You guys have a lot on your hands right now. Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Of course we can." Mike said. "Right guys?" He looked to his brothers for confirmation. Leo was staring thoughtfully at the baby. "I think we can do this. It's only a few days, after all."
Raphael looked at them, turning his gaze away from the baby. "I ain't changing no diapers." He said simply, then looked back down.
Mike looked to Don, who was looking off to the side with a faraway look to his eye. "Don?" Mike said.
"Whaddaya say? Can we do this, or what?"
"What?" Don seemed to snap back into it and looked at the rest of them, who were now looking at him. "Oh, oh, of course. Yes." He said, looking distant again.
"April," Mike started, trying to get Don before he went back into 'scientific dream world', as he liked to call it, and they had to snap him out of it again. "Show us how to change her diaper."
"Yeah." Donatello said, his eyes becoming brighter again. He leaned down in interest.
"OK, guys." April then leaned down also. "By the end of these few days, you guys'll be experts at diaper changing. And probably will never want to do it again." She looked up at all of them. "Ready? OK, then, here we go. Diaper demonstration number one…"
*****************
When they got through that with only a few minor incidents, April walked up to Leonardo, who stood, watching the others look through more of the things that April had brought, and setting a few things up around the lair.
"Leo." She started, then stopped. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah, April, what's up?" He asked her, his face concerned.
"I. Uh…" she whispered, looking back at the others, who were oblivious to their conversation. "Doctor… Doctor Wagner said that the baby… the umbilical cord was…" She took in a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "The umbilical cord was cut with something crude. That baby wasn't born in a hospital."