Chapter 21

After retrieving Kane from his hiding place, Raph and the others walked upstairs quietly to avoid startling Mikey and his new daughter.

As soon as they got to the top, they witnessed a heart-warming scene; Mikey was sat up in bed with his newborn baby girl laying on his chest and she was sound asleep, though the sounds of soft coos could be heard from her, with her mother watching her with a smile.

At the corner of his eye, Mikey noticed his mate and his brothers standing at the top of the stairs with Master Splinter, Serling, April, and Casey, all of whom were looking at him and his daughter proudly from a distance before they began to walk towards the bed.

"Hey, guys…" Mikey said quietly because he didn't want to wake his daughter up. "I'm so glad you're all ok..."

Donnie was the first one to appear at his side and gave his mate a kiss and then affectionately nuzzled his beak.

"I told you I'd be back, my love…" He said before he looked at his daughter. "How has she been since we left?"

"She's been fine for a short while before she started crying in Master Splinter's arms. The reason was that she was hungry, so Master Splinter went to get a bottle ready for her but he didn't come back after that..." Mikey explained and looked at Master Splinter, who apologised and began explaining to him about what had happened a few minutes ago before heading off to fix up his granddaughter's bottle, leaving Mikey with a surprised look afterward.

"So…does this mean...the Cyber Shredder is…?" Questioned Mikey in a nervous tone due to concerns that Cyber Shredder might come back.

"He's gone, Mikey; Donnie used the de-compiler to turn the Cyber Shredder back into his original state, which was a mass of digital particles..." Leo reassured his little brother whilst placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Mikey looked at him and then at the others, who all had smiles on their faces that told him that what Leo said was the truth, making him smile in relief.

"Thank shell…you did it, Donnie, you saved us all…" Mikey said with tears of joy in his eyes as he looked at his mate.

"Thank you, Mikey, but it was a team effort with Leo and Raph keeping the Cyber Shredder busy for me to prepare the de-compiler with Serling..." Donnie said as he looked towards Leo and Raph, who smiled and nodded at him in thanks, before turning to April and Casey.

"April, Casey, let me introduce you to our new little addition to the family…" He said as he moved slightly to give them a better view of his daughter.

"Aww, she's beautiful…Congratulations, you two!" April said joyfully before placing her hand on the little baby's head and gently stroked it, earning a coo of satisfaction and a smile from the little one.

"She likes you, April…" Mikey said softly with a smile, which April returned to him in gratitude before saying, "Thanks, Mikey... I think this is the best wedding gift we've ever received from you and Donnie!"

Mikey and Donnie both blushed after hearing what April just said before Casey spoke up next.

"I agree with ya, April, but we haven't heard her name yet. What have you guys named her, anyway?"

Mikey and Donnie looked at each other, both realising that they had yet to give their new daughter a name. Before they could do that, however, their little girl began to cry due to waiting too long for her milk. Luckily, Master Splinter came back just in time with the bottle in hand and came over to Mikey to pass it to him.

"Thank you, Master Splinter…" Mikey said after he laid his daughter back into his arms and gratefully took the bottle from Master Splinter.

"It's ok, baby girl, food is here now…." He then said as he placed the teat of the bottle close to his daughter's mouth and watched as she latched onto it and began to feed on it greedily.

"Wow, she definitely has Mike's appetite...!" Raph said with a smirk.

"Yeah, though she has some of Donnie's patience. I can't believe she was able to wait this long for her first feed..." said Leo as he watched her feed on the bottle, before looking at Mikey when he heard him speak.

"When she started crying again, I soothed her by laying her plastron against mine and placing her head on my chest to let her hear my heartbeat since studies have shown that babies are calmed in an instant by listening to their mother's heartbeat..."

Everyone looked at him in amazement after Mikey explained what he had learned whilst he prepared for the baby's arrival months before.

Soon, the baby finished her bottle, and Mikey put the now empty bottle aside before he lifted his daughter to begin the task of burping her until Donnie spoke up.

"Here, Mikey, I'll take care of burping her."

Mikey looked at his mate and gave him a thankful smile before passing their daughter to Donnie to start the burping process. After a few gentle pats on her shell-covered back, the baby girl released a slightly loud burp, causing everyone to look at her in surprise and smile in amusement.

"Man, dat was a good one, lil' lady...!" Casey complemented with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she's nearly as good as her momma!" Raph said in agreement and gave his little brother a noogie on his head, causing him to giggle, before he looked at Donnie as he passed his daughter back to Mikey after giving her a kiss on her head.

"Anyways, back to the last question; have you and Donnie decided on an official name for your new daughter, Mikey?" Leo asked after a moment of silence.

Mikey looked at him when asked this before he looked at his mate. They both locked eyes with each other and then smiled as if they mentally agreed on the perfect name for their daughter before Mikey spoke.

"Her name is…Reina Rose Hamato!"

After hearing the new baby's name, everyone went wide-eyed before smiling as they looked back and forth from Mikey to his daughter.

"Aww man, I was really hopin' dat you'd call her Shannon…!" Casey said in mocking disappointment.

"I told you that it's not happening, Casey!" Mikey said with a playful glare before he heard his oldest brother speak.

"Wow…that's a beautiful name, Mikey..." Leo said proudly with Master Splinter humming and nodding in agreement next to him.

"That's why we chose it. It's perfect for our little girl…" Donnie said before kissing his daughter softly on her forehead again.

"Yeah, it suits her, bros. M'glad ya chose it..." Raph said in agreement before turning to his son who had been staring at his new cousin from his place in his dad's arms for a while now.

"What's up, lil' man?" He asked him softly.

"Who dat, daddy?" Kane answered shyly to his dad in confusion since he had yet to figure out who the newborn really was. Before Raph could answer him, Leo had beaten him to it.

"Kane, my son, this is your new baby cousin, Reina."

Kane gasped and looked at his other father with a surprised look on his face.

"Would you like to come over and say 'Hi' to her, Kane?" Donnie asked his nephew before reaching his arms out towards him.

Though still a little shy, Kane nodded and Raph passed him onto Donnie to get a closer look at his new cousin, with Mikey smiling warmly towards him before he spoke.

"You can touch her hand if you want to, Kane. It's ok…"

Kane looked at his fun-loving uncle and then to Reina.

"Hi, Weina…" He said quietly before slowly reaching out his hand to touch Reina's. Seconds after doing that, Reina cooed softly as she curled her tiny fingers around one of Kane's fingers, surprising him but he didn't pull his hand back.

"Aww, she likes you, Kane...!" Leo said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, I bet she would love to play with you when she's bigger...!" Donnie said whilst smiling in agreement.

Kane looked at everyone around him, who all gave him a warm and proud smile, before looking back at Reina with a small smile of his own and watched as she released him by uncurling her fingers and then snuggled further into her mother's arms.

"I think the guests may have finished with the new settings for the wedding by now..." Master Splinter said after a moment of silence.

"You're right, father. The sun will start to set soon, so it's time to get ready for the service to begin once more..." Donnie confirmed after looking at the window and noticing the colour change in the sky.

Everyone nodded in agreement and were about to leave, but then they noticed Mikey looking down with a frown on his face.

"Mikey, what's the matter?" Asked Leo in a concerned tone.

"I'm sorry, it's just…I can't come to the service, can I? Since I just had Reina…" Mikey said sadly as he looked at his sleeping daughter.

"Hey, ya not missin' dis, Mike, you're comin' with us!" Raph said with a determined look on his face.

"Besides, aren't you April's Maid of Honour? It's an important role to play in a wedding service, you know...!" Leo answered him with a playful smile, which Mikey returned greatly.

"That's right, Mikey. You and Reina are important to us; we can't start the wedding without you both!" April said with an encouraging smile.

"Mikey, it may be difficult for you to move around a lot since you just gave birth not long ago, but that doesn't mean you have to remain in here on your own with Reina. It wouldn't be a wedding without you, my love..." Donnie said to his mate with a loving smile.

Mikey looked in surprise at his friends and family with tears developing in his eyes before smiling.

"Thanks, guys…now, let's get April and Casey married!"

Everyone cheered to Mikey's words, but they did this quietly since Reina was still asleep, and they all began to set off and prepare for the wedding service once more.