The whole ordeal was a bit harder on Mikey and Caitlin. They had quietly watched as the family grew, and they so much wanted a child of their own. With Marina's pregnancy there really wasn't a doubt on if Caitlin could get pregnant, obviously she could. As a matter of fact, she actually did get pregnant shortly after Marina made her announcement. And they both were devastated when she miscarried.
They decided to try for one again, refused to give up on that hope. Considering how quick the rest of them were able to conceive, it really wasn't a fertility problem, or so Mikey believed and maybe they just had rotten luck to start off with. But when the weeks went by and turned into months without another pregnancy happening, Mikey began to grow worried. Still, he kept it quiet, always being the cheery one and refused to let the others see what he was truly feeling.
That fact resulted in Mikey taking Marina's pregnancy with a mixture of joy, and sadness. Joy because his geeky brother was going to be a dad, and sadness because Mikey had lost his chance. When Marina was finally able to hold her baby, Mikey could feel the pain in Caitlin, even though she hid it well from the others. She couldn't hide it from him however and spent a few nights crying in his arms. Even Mikey didn't pester to see the new baby as much, he just couldn't.
It was late one night and Caitlin and Mikey had already settled down for bed when there was a quiet knock at the door. "It's open!" Mikey called, feeling too lazy to get up to answer it. He was a little shocked to see Leo and Donnie walk into the room and he sat up. "Everything ok bros?"
Leo just looked at him, those blue eyes gently digging in before he turned that same gaze to Caitlin. "No, it's not." He said quietly, turning the main light on in the room, causing Mikey to blink a little. Then he walked over to Caitlin's side of the bed and reached out, took her hand, and gently pulled her up out of it. "We know you miscarried, and we also know you have been trying again." Leo told her gently. "It's time for some outside intervention." She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears before she broke down crying against him.
"What?" Mikey looked at him, then to Donnie, in confusion.
"I want you, and Caitlin, in my lab." Donnie told him. "Now."
Leo guided Caitlin as Mikey was herded by Donnie and soon Mikey and Caitlin found themselves in the lab, undergoing a whole bunch of tests, with Leo standing quietly in the corner, watching and waiting during the less invasive ones. After what seemed like hours, and probably was but none of them left the room as Donnie looked everything over. Caitlin had already fallen asleep on the bed. Mikey sat nervously on it next to her as Leo hovered nearby, his calm presence comforting the youngest turtle to no end. Mikey didn't hardly talk the entire time besides answering the questions Donnie asked him.
"Leo...what if we...can't..." Mikey finally asked, his hope at its lowest point.
"I have a feeling you can." Leo replied. "There was one pregnancy already, I just think there might be something more going on than we can see. Which is why I brought it up to Donnie."
"And it's a good thing you did." Donnie smiled as he finally took his eyes away from the microscope he had been working on. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to tell you that I found the problem."
Mikey's eyes grew wide. "You...what..."
"I figured it out." Donnie told him again as he began to work on something else, pulling out a whole bunch of different vials.
"What's wrong?" Leo asked from where he was still leaning against the wall.
"We all just assumed that because Caitlin went through the same thing Marina did that she would naturally be able to conceive, but we all overlooked something very important." Donnie began mixing a few things together. "Yes the basic experiment was the same, but you have to remember, Stockman messed with hers while Bishop dealt with Marina's. As close as the serums were, they still had a few differences. Enough to where Caitlin can't conceive or the child wouldn't form properly if she did, hence the miscarriage." He finished mixing his cocktail as Mikey watched, hope filling him again. "Now that I know there is a problem, this should take care of it." Donnie walked over to the bed with a now ready needle and he gently woke Caitlin up.
She looked up at him with sleep confused eyes and Donnie sat on the bed next to her, holding the needle, but made no move to inject it yet. "Caitlin, I have something here that can help." He told her, then looked at Mikey. "But before I do this, I want to know if this is something you both really want. This isn't a flu shot, it will change a few things, nothing dramatic, but enough to where I don't want to do this if you two aren't sure that this is what you want."
Mikey reached out a hand and took Caitlin's, both of them looking at each other. "We want a baby." Caitlin then turned her tear filled eyes to Donnie.
Donnie smiled at her. "Then let's see if this will help you have one." And without another word, he cleaned a spot on her arm and expertly inserted the needle and injected it. "You may feel a bit sore for a few days as things readjust. Give it about a week, then you two are free to try again."
"Thank you." Caitlin gave him a hug, once again crying. Then she stood up and gave Leo one.
"It's alright Cait." Leo soothed her. "If this is what you two want, we will support you every step of the way." He murmured into her hair.
Mikey was feeling a little mushy over it all too, and Donnie pulled him close in a headlock. "We got your back little brother." Then gave him a noogie.
Despite the intervention of Leo and Donnie, and the promising outlook from it, Mikey was still a bit nervous over the whole thing actually working. He still had that doubt in his mind if he would ever become a father. He always did love kids, had taken Vicky's two under his care without even a second thought. Was ecstatic with his little niece and nephews. But even with all of these children around, he still so very much wanted one of his own. But now he at least had some hope, and he began to reach out to little Dante, beginning a bonding procedure that he never really started, because it had hurt so much to do so. Donnie caught on to that and gave him a knowing smile, but didn't say anything as Mikey began to involve himself more with the now six month old.
Just a few short weeks later, Caitlin walked up to him, with a small, tentative smile on her face. "Mikey...I think I'm pregnant again..." Mikey was stunned speechless for one of the few times in his life, and quickly ushered her to Donnie to make sure, and she indeed was. Mikey was out in the main living area blaring the news at the top of his lungs before Donnie was even finished confirming it.
"Oh lord... He's going to be unbearable now." Raph grumbled, but his moist eyes gave his true feelings away. They all knew the dilemma by now, and for them to hear this caused quite a lot of eyes to water, but Mikey was too happy to notice.
"Thank heavens for Donnie." Vicky smiled as she watched the bouncing around Mikey.
Leo didn't say anything, just quietly wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they watched Mikey's antics. "I'm going to be a dad-dy...I'm gonna be a dad-dy!" Leo just smiled.
"Hey Raph!" Mikey jumped onto his brother's shoulders, landing in a handstand, one hand on each shoulder. "Ima gonna have a baby!"
"Get off me you oaf!" Raph grumbled as he tossed Mikey into a recliner, that flipped over with him in it. All you could see was the excited kicking of Mikey's legs as he laughed, and cried, at the same time. Raph then walked over and set his brother back up right again, then pulled him into a hug. "I'm happy for ya lil brother."
Despite lingering fears, Caitlin had a normal pregnancy. She was happy, content and her face had that glow to it. Mikey was just plain annoying, even more so than usual. But this form of happy Mikey they could deal with. They all just felt so relieved for the couple who had tried so hard, but failed on their own. The sad glances from both of them as they watched the others with their children now turned into happy, excited and expecting smiles. Mikey went into a full blown decorating tizzy, he had to drag everything out that wasn't currently being used and he had his room so full of baby stuff that the rest of the family was starting to take bets on if he was going to end up sleeping on the couch because there wouldn't be room for him. It was because of that the first discussions of expanding were seriously starting to take place.
And through it all, Caitlin just endured. Happy, but still concerned. Something she probably wouldn't shake until the child she was carrying was finally in her arms. She still cried at night, but this time they were happy crys. Still not quite believing this was happening. In the silence of herself, Caitlin had somehow viewed her failure to conceive as her fault, and Mikey's continued disappointment over it had somehow reflected into disappointment in her. It was in those quiet cuddle filled comforting sessions with him as he held her while she cried that she found out he was just as scared that it was him as she was that it was her. But Donnie had fixed it, and now neither one of them was at fault. Stupid Stockman...
Then, after a long, dragging five month period, it was finally time. Caitlin was with Cris in the living area, quietly talking and folding clothes as Leo and Vicky sat nearby, putting them in the corresponding baskets. Mikey was up to his beak in baby magazines, proclamations of "I want that!" coming from behind those glossy pages every once in awhile, when the unmistakable sound of fluid hitting the floor occurred and Caitlin leaned suddenly against the couch to steady herself. The only sound you heard after that was the magazine dropping as Mikey stared in open mouthed shock, then he was up and out of the recliner, hopped over the coffee table and literally swept Caitlin off of her feet before dashing towards the lab, and promptly slipped on the puddle that had formed under Caitlin, sending her flying into the air. He hit the floor, Caitlin hit Leo's arms as he bolted off of the couch to catch her. Then both male turtles rushed into the lab, Mikey screaming for Donnie at the top of his lungs.
"Donnie!" Mikey hooped as they crashed into the lab, startling the genius as he worked. "Her waterballoon thingie just popped!"
"Well then," Donnie grinned as he got out of his chair "Let's get ready to meet the new addition, shall we?"
Mikey just nodded dumbly as Leo placed Caitlin on the lab bed, full of joy and fear all at once. He was again speechless at the impending birth and just like all of his brothers, his hands shook. He was speechless because he didn't know which emotion to address first.
This time it was Cris who was the assistant, not that Donnie really needed one. He did manage to deliver Vicky's twins on his own after all. But the truth was, she was there for more moral support than actually helping. They all knew how hard this had been for this couple, and a few kind words from Cris actually eased a worried Caitlin's mind.
And despite the problems they did have, the delivery itself was actually surprisingly easy. The child seemed just as eager to come out as Mikey was to hold it, to look at it, to see that he finally got what he had been longing for for so long. He stood next to Caitlin, holding her hand, as she labored to bring their child into this world. She didn't scream or curse like Vicky and Cris did. Nor did she take it with calm acceptance as Marina did. Her eyes were full of emotion as she pushed, and pushed again. Joy mixing with pain on her face as she struggled, her breath coming in labored pants the closer she got to the end of this ordeal. And Mikey stood by her through it all, gently encouraging her. Caitlin was so overwhelmed by it all that she was crying by the time she gave that final push, and the tiny body slipped out of her. Then she cried harder as the child let out a hefty, healthy wail. Mikey knew how she felt, after fearing not to be able to have one, he now had final confirmation that he was indeed a father. Caitlin wasn't the only one crying.
Always the curious one, Mikey moved towards the foot of the bed as far as he could while still holding his mate's hand, and for the first time caught sight of his offspring. It was wet, smeared in some kind of gunk, small, smaller even than Lavi was, and a bit wrinkly looking, but it was the most beautiful baby he had so far laid eyes on, because it was his.
"A girl." Donnie smiled at him. "A healthy baby girl."
"A little girl... My little girl..." Mikey said in wonder, then let out the biggest cheesiest grin on his face you could imagine. "She's soooo much cuter than the ones you guys had." Donnie just chuckled as Cris rolled her eyes.
They couldn't move fast enough for poor Mikey, he was itching to hold that cute little thing. To the point that Cris didn't even try to hand her to Caitlin, she just handed the baby right to her father, who held her with awe as he walked her back to Cait. "Lookit!" He gushed. "She's got your eyes! That same pretty green..." He saw the unspoken request in his mate's eyes and gently handed the baby to her, and she started crying again as she met her daughter for the first time.
"Got a name picked out for her yet?" Donnie asked as he finished cleaning up, Cris had went to go get the others by that point.
"Arianne." Both parents chimed together. "We decided that a long time ago already." Mikey added.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful baby little brother." Leo said as he led the others in. "Congratulations to you both."
Mikey just couldn't stop grinning. He was surrounded by his family and finally had the one thing to make it complete. Even Raph let his walls come down for the occasion and wrapped an arm around his smaller brother's shoulders. "Good job you two, that's one helluva cute kid you got there." Then the mood was gone as he glared at Mikey. "But if you teach her to prank, I swear to god I will strangle you."
"No promises." Mikey grinned back.
Chuckling, Raph shook his head.
Once the appropriate amount of baby curiosity had been satisfied, Leo ushered the rest out to give this small family time to themselves. Mikey found himself sitting on the bed with Caitlin in his arms, and Arianne in hers. Both parents looking down happily at the girl who was now fed and sleeping. Everything had been worth this. All the trials they had been trough, this was their payment. A child of their own to hold, to care for and to love.
He was unusually quiet as he held his family. For once joke and puns seemed out of place to him. He was just happy holding his mate close to him and staring at his daughter he still couldn't really believe he had. He knew he would have to grow up, just a tiny bit anyway, to care for this child, but he would do that without hesitation. It was a small price to pay for the joy he felt now. He may not be the smartest out of all of them, but he was damned determined to be the best dad. Who knows...maybe she'll take after him and together they could annoy the hell out of Raph together... That thought made him smile... Raph didn't stand a chance.