Chapter 15

It was six a.m. and all was quiet in the farmhouse. All the little ones were bathed, changed, and tucked in their cribs. Michelangelo had staid up to help Venus clean up a mess Tokio had made in the tub, but by now even he was in dreamland. Only the young shinobi remained awake. She was grateful that Mikey disinfected the entire bathroom so she wouldn't have to handle the chemicals. Don wasn't sure how harsh cleaning chemicals would effect the pregnant shinobi or his offspring developing inside of her. Venus had to be careful of what she ate, touched, or even breathed in while in her present state.

So far this pregnancy was going well, but the Turtle mother had to admit that something strange was going on in her body. With each pregnancy she had been keenly aware of the chi of each baby, although their chi was much weaker than her own. However, this time the chi was much stronger, almost as strong as her own. She didn't understand how an unborn being could have chi almost as strong as an adult. Another odd thing she noticed was that the chi would move...a lot. With the others their chi would stay centered within their eggs. This one's chi seemed to extend beyond the egg and move around Venus' body, causing her to have physical reactions such as chills, hot flashes, and sometimes nausea. These odd bouts never lasted very long but they were always noticeable.

The mystic in training had no idea who to speak to about her growing concern about these strange bouts of discomfort. Don may have been a genius, but he was no mystic. Although the brothers had experienced situations that involved magic and the mystical arts, he still lacked understanding about their mysterious workings. Leo's knowledge of chi, though more advanced than Donatello's, was still limited. Venus began to wonder if she would have to seek answers from...her. She didn't care to deal with this particular person, although the Turtle brothers had made a truce with her before Venus arrived. The reason she didn't like her much was the look in Leo's eyes or his tone whenever he would mention that woman's name. If only she could consult her mentor in the healing arts. Unfortunately she had also met her demise in the Battle Nexus along with Master Splinter and many others.

Venus finally started to drift off when she heard someone at the front entrance. She slowly got up and headed for the door. Leonardo was the first to enter with a box in his arms. He held the door open with his shoulder as he set the box down to hold it open for his brothers. Venus was all smiles as she walked up to greet him.

"Welcome back, Leo!"

"Hey, Mei-chan. Glad to be back. What are you doing up though? Can't sleep?"

"I got a little sleep, but I've been feeling uncomfortable as of late."

"Oh really, what's wrong?" Leonardo inquired as he pulled his mate into a gentle embrace.

"I'm not exactly sure. All I can say is that there are some strange goings on with this little one, or little ones. The chi is very strong even for twins."

"Triplets, maybe?"

"I don't know." Venus certainly hoped it wasn't triplets. At the rate Tokio and the twins were developing she knew she was about to have some very mobile youngsters on her hands.

"Hopefully we'll have some answers soon. Until then I think you should at least try to get some more rest. You look exhausted, koibito."

"Oh, don't worry about me. Since I'm up I can help you guys unload supplies..."

Leo silenced her with a soft kiss then gave her a stern glare.

"Mei Pieh Chi...go to bed, now."

With a sigh the female mutant reluctantly obeyed.

"By the way, wake Mikey so he can help with the supplies. He can haul his own Mobile Suit Gundam and Dragon Ball Z videos himself." Leo figured it served him right for falling asleep leaving Venus up and alone in her discomfort. Of course, Mikey was not happy to be awakened and pulled from his comfy bed, but he was glad to see his videos and comics, even though some of them were actually Donatello's, who wasn't admitting a thing.

Once fully awake Mikey sought a bit of payback by describing the disgusting mess Tokio made in the bath in great detail.

"Ugh! I really didn't need to heard that, ya moron!" Raphael complained as he disappeared down the basement stairs with some free weights.

"Mikey, that is just sick!" Donatello gagged as he scooted into his lab. Michelangelo was too busy laughing to avoid the inevitable whack on the back of the head from his eldest sibling.

"Quiet, little bro. You don't want to wake the children, do you?"

"Shell no! It took us two hours to get them all settled down for bed, and just as long to clean up..." Mikey gulped and clammed up at the sight of Leo's narrowed eyes and face creased with a frown. "Keep making faces like that and you'll be a wrinkled old man before you know it, bro," he whispered as he tiptoed to his room with his personal belongings. Leo thumped Mikey on the beak for good measure as he headed to his own bedroom.

Soon all was quiet once again in the Hamato household. However the quiet did not mean everyone was asleep. Venus laid awake on her bed watching over the two cribs next to her bed. The Turtle babies looked so peaceful in their slumber that their mother wished she could share in their state. Unfortunately the strange movement in the pregnant mother's womb had become more intense. Venus turned over on her side and tried to relax when she heard a soft tapping on her door.

"Who is it?" she whispered.

"It's Donatello. May I come in?"

"Sure."

As Don made a very quiet entrance Venus noticed him locking the door behind him. Without a word of request for permission he slipped under the clovers and snuggled up behind her. Venus showed no signs of pushing him away as he snaked an arm around her waist.

"Having trouble sleeping, Milady?" Venus nodded as she adjusted her pillow. "What seems to be the problem, and what can I do to help?"

"Well, I had never felt movement with the other pregnancies. It's a very odd feeling. Kind of helps me understand what April told me about June moving around inside of her. The difference is what I feel moving around is not a body, but chi. Very strong and potent chi. Something like this should not be coming from a baby. It's more like chi from an adult." She didn't say it aloud but the chi felt similar to that of her deceased father, who was a highly skilled shinobi master, or her mentor in the Battle Nexus who was a master healer. Venus drew in a sharp breath when she felt Donatello gently caressing her tender belly.

"Perhaps this is a unique form of 'morning sickness' due to mutation, or maybe this clutch is bigger than the previous two," the studious Turtle suggested quietly as he kissed her shoulder.

"Hnn...Leo had said it might be triplets, but I don't think that's...ahhh..." By now Don's hand had traveled a bit lower on her body. She could feel heat in her cheeks she felt him adjusting himself beneath the bed sheets. "Donnie, what are you doing?"

"I want to help you get some sleep," he muttered s his wandering hand did more to awaken something in her. Venus glanced over at the cribs to see the little ones still sound asleep. She considered the present situation for a moment to decided whether or not she should allow Donatello to continue. She then reached up to draw the canopy curtains closed. She closed her eyes as the amorous male slowly and gently slipped inside of her. To her pleasant surprise Donatello managed to help her relax and relieved much of her tension. She made a note in her mind to repay his loving kindness as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Leonardo sat on his bed in a meditative pose, eyes closed. Although he was tired and knew he needed rest, sleep eluded him. He couldn't shake the sense of activity in another part of the house. He fought the temptation to patrol the hallways to investigate. He had an urge to check up on Venus. Perhaps he could say he was checking on his son as a cover. He frowned at the pettiness of the thought of using his child as an excuse to act on his insecurities. After a few more minutes he opened his eyes as his shoulders slumped. There was no use pretending to be meditating. He couldn't deny what had him so restless. Leo's unspoken fear was coming to pass. He felt as if he and his beloved were slowly drifting apart. Their bond wasn't as strong as it had been in the past, and he blamed himself for it. Master Splinter had once told him when you cling too tightly to what you love most you risk losing it. It was so hard for him not to act like a jealous lover, but he realized that jealous behavior could be what was driving Venus away. He saw only one solution to his problem. He had to express the extent and depth of his feelings to her without being too forceful. He couldn't stand the thought of losing her after already experiencing great loss.

Donatello gazed down at the graceful, peaceful creature laying beside him. He pondered on how the powerful emotions she stirred in him defied all logic. He couldn't think of any other female he would take a blow to the face for from anyone let alone his own brother. The possessive feelings he had towards Venus were strong and frightened him. He couldn't deny his love for her, and yet at the same time he couldn't deny that she loved Leonardo. The logical part of him was grateful for the opportunity to pass on his DNA, but that irrational part of him wanted so badly for Venus to return his feelings towards her. He had long since apologized for balking at her studies of shinobi magic, and she had even come to enjoy sharing in his scientific knowledge, especially in biology. He couldn't deny their friendship, yet he wanted it to be more than that. He wanted so much for them to become lovers.

For the next few weeks, in spite of both Leonardo and Donatello's doting, Venus' condition worsened. She barely ate and often had night sweats and chills. Even after the spring weather broke the young mother was pretty much bedridden. All of the brothers were distraught over her illness, but none more so than Donatello, who thought that her condition was partly his fault. Because Venus was in a state that she couldn't be moved from her bed without causing her severe nausea, the Hamatos could not take her to Leatherhead's infirmary. It was decided that the mutant gator would be brought to the house. The Turtles had to be very discreet when transporting their very large friend. They removed the back seats of the van to make room for him, leaving just enough room for only one of the brothers to drive. Donatello made the three hour drive back to New York to pick up his fellow scientist.

On the way back Donatello described Venus' symptoms to Leatherhead to see if he had any idea what the problem was.

"There's really no sense in speculating until I examine her, my friend. Hopefully we'll be able to find a solution to keep her health from deteriorating any further and help her make a full recovery."

LH noticed Donatello's tight grip on the steering wheel and the expression on his face. The poor Turtle looked as if he was on the verge of tears.

"LH, do you think there might be something wrong...with the baby? And if so, will we have to...?' Donatello didn't dare finish his sentence, but the clear meaning hung in the air like a dark shroud.

"Donatello, I will do all I can to ensure mother and child can be saved."

The distraught Turtle drove on ahead in silence as tears streamed down his cheeks. He hoped and prayed that all would be well, for he doubted his family could bear another tragedy so soon after their great loss.

*Next Chapter: Is the pregnancy killing Venus? Will Leatherhead and Donatello be able to diagnose the problem and treat it? Will the Turtles have to resort to drastic measures to save mother and child?