Chapter 4-First Day with Baby Mikey

The next morning…

"Waaaah! Waaaaaaah!"

The three turtle brothers woke up with a start when baby Mikey suddenly started crying really loudly.

"And it begins…" Leo groaned to himself tiredly, covering his eyes with his arm, before deciding to get up and get some breakfast, as well as make some herbal tea for himself and Master Splinter.

"Urgh, fer cryin' out loud…!" Raph groaned in annoyance as he turned over in his bed and covered his ears with his pillow.

Since Donnie was the one who looked after Mikey during the first night, he had his little brother stay in his room, meaning that the purple-banded turtle had the first job of tending to him. He wearily got out of bed and walked over to the handmade crib, where he looked in it and saw Mikey wriggling under his blanket and had tears falling down his red-tinted face.

"Shhh…It's ok, Mikey, I'm here…" Donnie soothed Mikey as he carefully lifted him out of the crib and started rocking gently, making him calm down a moment later.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast…" He said softly with a smile, making Mikey smile back, before making his way out of his room to go downstairs.

As Donnie walked further down the stairs, Raph appeared next to him during his own descent down the steps and he did not look happy.

"What's da matter with him now!?" Raph questioned grumpily due to being woken up too early.

"He's hungry, Raph; it is breakfast time, after all…!" Donnie explained with a sigh before heading over to the kitchen with Mikey still in his arms.

After giving Donnie a shrug, Raph followed him towards the kitchen where they saw Leo as he boiled a kettle full of water.

"Good morning…!" Leo greeted his brothers.

"Morning, Leo…" "Mornin'…" Donnie and Raph replied tiredly.

Leo then turned his attention towards Mikey, who was now looking at him curiously.

"Hello, Mikey, did you have a good sleep?" He asked sweetly.

Baby Mikey blinked before he nodded with a cute little smile and coo before he reached his hands out as if to tell Leo that he wanted a cuddle from him.

"Aww, come here, you…!" Leo cooed warmly as he walked over to Mikey and gently took him out of Donnie's hold and cuddled him in his own arms.

"Ha, ha, Mikey's definitely taken more of a shine to you now…!" Donnie pointed out with a smile and a chuckle.

"So, what's Mikey gonna eat? There's nothin' here fer him…!" Raph questioned as he looked around in the fridge for something for Mikey to eat.

"I've already called April and Casey last night and told them about what happened yesterday, and they've said that they would get us some baby stuff needed for Mikey…They should be coming over soon cos they said that they would come over first thing in the morning…" Donnie explained reassuringly.

Then…

"Hey, guys!" "Yo!"

Two familiar voices were heard coming from the lair's entrance.

"Speak of the duo…" Leo said with an amused smile.

"April! Casey! Good morning…!" Donnie greeted his human friends when he saw them coming in first.

"Morning, Donnie! I've brought the baby stuff that you requested…" April replied as she put the shopping bags full of baby essentials such as baby food and diapers onto the table before she looked at Mikey in Leo's arms and gasped.

"Oh, my gosh! You didn't tell me how small and cute he is, now…!" She said in awe as she walked over to Leo and gently took Mikey out of his arms and into her own, much to Leo's surprise.

"Well, I told you that it would be better to show you than describe it to you…" Donnie replied bashfully.

"Man, dis is definitely out of da blue…!" Casey said in awe whilst shaking his head when he saw Mikey's baby form.

"You said it; I'm still tryin' ta process all dis…!" Raph replied in agreement.

April smiled at the little turtle in her arms, and she watched as Mikey looked at her curiously before he developed a smile himself.

"Hi, Mikey…!" The human female cooed.

"Api! Api, Api!" Mikey said suddenly, surprising April and the others.

"Aww, he's trying to say your name, April…!" Leo told the human female in a gushy tone.

"Sounds more like he's sayin' 'happy' ta me…" Casey suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's still talkin' funny right now…" Raph pointed out gruffly.

"Err, Raph, he's a baby; he can't talk properly, remember?" Donnie reminded with a glare.

"Alright…Come on, everyone, let's get breakfast going…!" Leo said to prevent an argument from occurring before he and the others walked over to the kitchen to get breakfast ready.

A moment later, Master Splinter joined the party, which was perfect timing as the hot breakfast was ready and April dished them out on plates before handing them out to everyone with Donnie's help. Mikey, on the other hand, was given a bottle of warm baby milk and a small pot of apple-flavoured baby food by Leo.

"Mm, mm, mm, mm…!" Mikey made cute little satisfied noises and clapped his little hands as he ate and finished the baby food.

"Ha, ha…You love your food, don't you, Mikey?" Leo said with a chuckle before giving Mikey his bottle of milk, which the baby turtle greatly accepted.

"He's still got a big appetite, even as a baby…" Donnie stated with a small smile on his face as he watched his baby brother eat.

After finishing his bottle, Leo sat Mikey up and started to pat his shell-covered back firmly but softly to encourage him to burp. A few seconds later, Mikey let out a small but loud burp, causing everyone to look at him with stunned expressions on their faces.

"Man! Dat was a good one, Mikey…!" Raph complimented with a smirk before he gently rubbed his baby brother's head.

"Hee, hee, hee!" Mikey giggled at the compliment.

"Something's never change…" Master Splinter sighed with a chuckle whilst shaking his head.

"Well, now that breakfast is finished, what shall we do next?" April asked after everyone had finished their breakfasts.

"Hmm…Well, I need to make a start with locating Stockman's hidden lab so that we can find the gauntlet and change Mikey back to normal…" Donnie answered first after taking a moment to think.

"That's fine, Donnie, but just remember to take a break every now and then; we don't want you overdoing it…" Leo advised.

"I know, I know…I'll see you guys in a bit…" Donnie reassured before he stood up from his chair and started taking a few steps away from the table.

"Nee, nee…?" Mikey called out for his immediate older brother when he noticed that he was leaving.

Donnie immediately stopped and turned around to see Mikey looking at him with wide tear-filled eyes and pouting lips. Seeing the little turtle's distress, the purple-banded turtle hurried over to him, gently cupped Mikey's face, and spoke.

"Don't worry, Mikey, I'll be back; I just need to get some work done first, and then I'll come play with you…ok?"

Mikey sniffled before he developed a small smile and nodded, making Donnie smile back in relief before he stroked his little head and parted ways from him and the others to go to his lab and start his work in finding Stockman.

"Come on, Mikey, let's go find you some toys to play with…!" Leo said excitedly to Mikey, who clapped and cooed happily, before he and the others stood up from their chairs and left the kitchen to go and do some fun activities with Mikey.

/

Sometime later…

The group were in the living room after deciding to play with baby Mikey. Raph and Master Splinter were able to find some old baby-friendly toys, which were kept stored in cardboard boxes and treasured for many years, in the storage room. Donnie was also able to join the group after spending a whole 2 hours of trying to find Stockman's lab, which had been unsuccessful so far.

Mikey played with some soft building blocks that had alphabet letters on them and April was helping him spell out some words with them by turning and arranging the blocks in a certain order.

"Look, Mikey! I've spelt your name!" April told Mikey sweetly.

Little Mikey looked at the letters curiously before he smiled and tried to say his name.

"M-Mi…Mi…" The little turtle kept trying, but he soon became frustrated when he struggled to say the last part of his name.

"It's alright, Mikey…take your time…"

"…M-Mi…K-Kee…" Mikey finally managed to say his own name, surprising himself in the process.

"Yay! Well done, Mikey…!" "Good job, little brother…!" April and Donnie praised whilst lightly clapping their hands, whilst the others just looked at Mikey with proud smiles.

Just then, a foul smell wafted around the room, causing everyone to cringe and wrinkle their noses in disgust.

"Urgh…What da heck is dat!?" Casey questioned first whilst pinching his nose and fanning the air around him.

No-one knew what it was, at first, but Donnie eventually figured out where the smell was coming from after sniffing near baby Mikey, who was blushing slightly and looking unhappy, in his arms.

"Pee-yew! Mikey, how the shell did you turn baby formula and mashed apple into that!?" Donnie questioned in disgust.

"Phew! Yep, smells like someone needs a diaper change…!" Leo chimed with a playful look, even though Mikey's displeased and embarrassed look on his face told him that it wasn't funny.

"Don't worry, Mikey; we'll get you changed and cleaned up…" Donnie reassured his baby brother before he and Leo looked at Raph with teasing smirks.

"Oh, no…I am NOT changin' him!" Raph protested immediately.

"Come on, Raph; it's not as bad as you think…! Besides, it's like what Master Splinter told us last night; we all have a responsibility in taking care of our little brother until he's back to normal…!" Leo reminded.

"And I'm tellin' ya dat I ain't doin' it…! End of story!" Raph bit back harshly.

"Waaaaaaaah!" The turtle brothers flinched when they heard Mikey's loud cry.

"Hey! That's enough!" April shouted as he took a distressed Mikey out of Donnie's arms and held him close.

"Oh, April!" Donnie gasped in surprise when he just noticed her.

"I'll change him…" She told them in a firm but calm tone.

"Sorry, April…" Leo said guiltily.

"It's fine, but seriously…all this fuss over a dirty diaper…" April scolded softly before she bounced Mikey up and down gently to calm him down.

"There, there, Mikey…Come on, let's go get you changed…" She soothed sweetly before she grabbed a diaper, a bottle of baby powder, and some baby wipes from the shopping bag and started walking towards the bathroom. Little Mikey eventually stopped crying and starting cuddling against her chest.

"I'll come and give you a hand, April…" Donnie offered guiltily, much to April's relief, as he caught up to his human friend.

Leo, Raph, and Casey watched them go. After a moment went by, Leo glared at Raph and spoke.

"Did you really have to be so dramatic over something like this, Raph? Poor Mikey can't go to the bathroom on his own like he normally does right now…!"

"What? I don't like changin' diapers…! Besides, you weren't too keen on doin' it either…!" Raph replied defensively.

"At least I don't make a huge fuss about it like you do…!" Leo countered quite loudly.

"My sons, enough!" Master Splinter said scoldingly, stopping the argument and preventing it from getting worse.

"I have already told you all that you each have an equal role and responsibility in terms of taking care of Michelangelo until he has been changed back to normal…" He then told them firmly, leaving no room for any more arguments.

"I know, Master Splinter…Forgive us for our outburst…" Leo replied apologetically with a head bow.

A few minutes later, April and a dazed-looking Donnie appeared after leaving the bathroom and walked towards the others at the dining table.

"There we go; one clean and happy baby…!" April chimed happily as she held up baby Mikey who was now giggling in her arms.

"Yep, he looks a lot happier now…!" Leo agreed as he went over to take Mikey from April.

"Who'd have thought dat somethin' dis cute can cause such a big stink…" Casey said in wonder.

"That's babies for you, Casey…Think of this as a practice run for when you and April start a family of your own in the future…" Leo replied teasingly.

"Wait, What!?" Casey said with a stunned look on his face.

Everyone laughed before noticing that Donnie was looking a bit pale and quiet.

"Are you ok, Donnie?" Leo asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah, I just nearly lost consciousness back there for a minute after helping April change Mikey's diaper…" Donnie explained sheepishly with a small smile.

"Oh, come on, Donnie, it wasn't so bad…! You're just not used to looking after a baby before, that's all…!" April countered with a playful smirk.

Donnie chuckled bashfully before he looked at Mikey in Leo's arms when he noticed that he was looking a bit sleepy.

"I think it's time for Mikey to take a nap…" He said.

"Are you sleepy, Mikey?" Leo asked his baby brother softly.

Little Mikey looked up at his oldest brother with droopy eyes and then let out a little yawn, indicating to him and the others that he was tired.

"Heh, I'll take dat as a yes…" Raph said gruffly with a chuckle.

"I'll take him back to his crib in my room; it's more quiet up there and I'll be able to keep an eye on him too whilst I work…" Donnie offered.

"Good idea, Don, I'll go with you…cos I think Mikey has already dozed off…" Leo replied with a bashful look on his face as he looked down at his baby brother.

Leo was right; everyone saw that baby Mikey was now fast asleep and curled up against Leo's chest whilst sucking his thumb.

"Aww…He's just so adorable…!" April sighed quietly, her heart now feeling like mush at the sight of a sleeping Mikey.

"When Michelangelo was a baby many years ago, he would sleep in my arms whenever he struggled to sleep at night. The reason was because he wanted to be near someone's presence to help him feel safe…" Master Splinter told everyone with a warm smile as he thought back to the days when his sons were just infants nearly two decades ago.

April and Casey smiled warmly when they heard that memory before they, Master Splinter, and Raph watched as Leo and Donnie left the dining area to take Mikey up to Donnie's room for a nap.

/

Donnie's bedroom…

Leo and Donnie entered the room and approached the crib before Leo carefully lowered Mikey into it.

Shortly after letting go, Mikey immediately started crying in distress.

"Shh, shh, shh…it's ok, Mikey, it's just nap time…" Donnie soothed, but Mikey was still crying.

"What do we do? He's not settling down…!" Leo questioned in a slight panic.

"I have an idea…wait here and try to keep him calm…" Donnie instructed Leo before he hurried out of the room to retrieve something that might help Mikey calm down.

Leo refocused on Mikey and decided to pick him up again and hold him close since the baby turtle was still not keen on being on his own whilst he slept.

A whole minute later, Donnie came back into his room and was holding an old teddy bear in his arms.

"Hey, isn't that-?"

"Put him back in the crib, Leo, you can trust me on this…" Donnie cut Leo's sentence off with a smirk.

Despite feeling worried, Leo gently laid Mikey back into the crib, making him cry again, and stood back to allow Donnie to place the teddy bear next to him. Shortly after doing so, both Leo and Donnie watched in amazement as Mikey stopped crying, cuddled up to the teddy bear with a coo, and settled into a peaceful sleep.

"No way…" Leo breathed out in disbelief.

"Told you; anything that's warm and physically soft to the touch would help him sleep in an instant…" Donnie pointed out with a pleased look on his face.

"He's never stopped loving that bear, huh…" Leo said as he looked at the now content Mikey whilst shaking his head and wearing a warm smile on his face.

"Nope, and I'm glad that he still has it to this day…" Donnie replied in agreement as he watched his baby brother sleep.

"Wasn't it Master Splinter who had found it and gave it to Mikey years ago?" Leo questioned curiously.

"Yeah, that's right; father found it during one of his scavenging trips, and he gave it to Mikey when he found it hard to sleep on his own…" Donnie answered in realisation.

The duo looked at the sleeping Mikey for another minute before Donnie covered him up with his blanket to keep him warm. They watched as Mikey immediately snuggled into the blanket and cuddled up more against his teddy bear whilst letting out a satisfied coo.

"I'll continue with my search in here whilst Mikey's quiet and asleep…" Donnie told Leo.

"Alright, let any of us know if something comes up…" Leo replied before he walked away from Donnie and left the room altogether to give him and Mikey some peace and quiet.

After watching Leo go, Donnie sat down on his chair and rolled it close to his desk before turning on his computer. Whilst he waited for it to warm up, he turned his head to look back at his sleeping baby brother and smiled warmly again.

"Sleep well, little brother…" He whispered before he gave Mikey a soft kiss on his forehead and sat back down on his chair. He then resumed his focus on his computer, which was now ready to go, and he begun typing away.