A/N: Ohhh my goodness. Folks, my duckies. I'm sorry it's taking me THIS long to update chapters. I swear I'm not doing it on purpose. I've come to a creative plateau and was stuck, didn't know how to move the story forward. So, if this chapter seems weak it probably is ._. We're moving right along though! Keep those reviews coming, the fate of Shiho and Leo depend on your reviews!
NOTICE: THIS STORY HAS OC CHARACTERS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT ANY OF THEM LOOK LIKE, PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS ON MY PROFILE FOR YOUR VISUAL AID.
"Alright, if I'm right you're just about five centimeters along right now. Five more to go. Thanks, Saundra," He said, wiping his hands on the towel offered. "Leo is picking Linda up, right?"
"Yes, I told him to pick her up. Fiona is calling her right now. How do you feel, Shiho?" Donnie returned the sheets over Shiho's legs and kissed her knees. With flattened ears, the fox managed a weak smile as she rested against her pillows. This was new territory for all of them, she wasn't sure how she felt.
"I feel peachy. Let's just get this over with."
'Where are you, Leonardo…'
Shock would have been the prime definition of the expression on Leo's face as he came to a screeching halt on the rooftop that he and Raphael were running across. With the Shell Cell held up to his ear the leader froze with his mouth gaping like a fish out of water before he stumbled backwards a step or two and dropped the phone. The device hit the rooftop with a loud CLACK which brought Raph nearly hanging off the edge waiting. The look of stunned fear and the absolute silence from his brother had the red-masked turtle more than worried.
Raphael jumped back onto the flat top of the roof and picked up the Cell before closing it and nudging Leo in the plastron. He didn't blink or say a word, not a sound.
"Leo? What's the matter, bro? Who called?" Leo's jaw trembled just slightly before Raphael gave him a hard shake.
"LEO!"
"Shiho's just gone into labor…"
"Wha-?"
"I gotta go get Linda, come on! We gotta move, Raph, move!" Before Raphael could interject for anything else, Leo sprinted away in the direction of Linda's apartment. He barely felt his feet touching the ground as he ran; he swore his ankles sprouted wings as Raphael struggled to keep up.
If Leo's mind wasn't cluttered with thoughts and fears before it definitely was crowded now. All that was at the front of mind through the mess was getting to his mate in time, he had to. What sort of father wasn't there for the birth of his first and possibly only children? No. That sort of mindset was going to slow him down indefinitely. Raphael could practically see the trail of anxious energy that Leo was leaving in his wake and he only guessed it was going to get worse the longer he was away from Shiho.
But run they did and reluctantly ran right past a purse snatcher in the street. It took every muscle and nerve in Raphael's body to not stop and teach the punks a lesson. But he knew damn well that if he found himself detoured Leo would tear him apart for slowing them down. So it was with mental blinders that the ninja kept on his brother's tail to get to Linda's in record time.
Noisily, the boys jumped onto Linda's fire escape outside of her bedroom window, scaring her out of her wits until she fell onto her backside. Leo jumped in through the frame as she fumbled around to stand up. She was already dressed after receiving the frantic call from Fiona just 10 minutes before. Damn those brothers moved fast, they'd gotten there quicker than she had anticipated. But then again, once a father finds out his babies are coming there isn't a force on Earth that can stop him.
"Linda! Linda! We gotta go!" Leo cried in an outright panic. Linda guessed his heart must have been racing in his chest, the look in his eyes alone told her just how nervous he really was. The normally composed and logical Leonardo was on the verge of losing his mind.
"Leo, I know! Let me just get my bag and we can go—"
"No we need to go NOW! The babies!" Raphael took the initiative and climbed inside to slap his brother across the face, stunning him silent.
"Leo, calm down. We aren't gonna get anywhere's with you actin' like a damn nutcase. Go on, Linda, and get what you need. I'll watch Spazz over here."
Linda smiled sympathetically and rushed away into her living room to lock her front door and grab as many necessities as she could and threw them into a large, leather bag. Leo clenched his hands into nervous fists over and over to keep himself from losing what little control he had.
"The hell was that for, Raphael?"
"You know exactly why. Listen, freaking out ain't goin' to get us home any faster. Either you calm down or I'll hafta knock yer lights out and carry you home. Ya got it?"
"Don't push me, Raph. Now is not the time. My mate needs me, there's no way I could expect you to understand what this is doing to me."
The brothers glared angrily at each other until Linda pushed between them with her medical bag in hand. Raphael growled and helped the redhead onto the landing outside and lifted her into his arms. Leo was next and closed her window before jumping down to the alley below. Time was of the essence now and Leo was determined to not waste a single moment.
'Hang on, Baby…I'm coming…'
"Mikey, keep Aanika out!" Donnie hissed. He'd been focused and holed up with Shiho since her water broke and coaching the miserable fox through every contraction. But now, the youngest of the hybrids had caught on to the change in energy within in the lair and was fighting with her uncles to get into Shiho's room. She got inside once but immediately became afraid when she witnessed Shiho experience a powerful contraction.
"I'm trying, Dude! But she keeps running from me. Ungh, hold still Mini Dudette. Let's go play some games!" Mikey struggled with the wiggling child as she tried her hardest to break from the turtle's grip. She had more strength in her than anyone gave her credit for, she may not have been related by blood but she was without a doubt Leo's daughter with the perseverance she possessed.
"Mama!" She cried.
"Let her down, Mike, it's fine," Shiho muttered.
Shiho rested on her side for a breather and waved her hand for her brother to let Aanika down. The moment her feet touched the ground, the little fox whimpered. Shiho extended her hand and sat up so Aanika could sit beside her on the bed. Once against Shiho's side, the youngling gripped at her mother's arm and sniffled.
"Hey, it's okay, Pumpkin. There's nothing to be afraid of, Uncle Donnie is taking good care of me. But, Aanika look at me," Shiho tilted her child's chin up to meet gazes. Blue pools met violet, the fear overflowing. "I need you to stay with Uncle Mikey until this is over. Your new siblings are on their way and Uncle Donnie is very busy trying to get them out, okay?"
Aanika wiped her running nose with her arm and sniffled with a nod. Shiho smiled that warm grin that brought nothing but comfort to the child and kissed her forehead tenderly.
"That's my girl. Now, run along. Daddy should be home any time now."
The youngster slowly walked to her uncle and held her arms up so he could lift her and take her away downstairs. The moment she was gone and the door was closed, Shiho gasped and fell back against her pillows as her abdomen tightened.
"God dammit, where is that turtle?" She groaned. Donnie dabbed at her forehead with a moist towel and offered his hand for her to squeeze. She was more than gracious to hold on tightly as she breathed through her pain. Slowly through her nose and out through her mouth.
With every passing minute, Shiho's terror multiplied. Leo wasn't there. Though she had Donnie for support and guidance, it still wasn't enough. But she was at least thankful her brother was sticking by her side and keeping her as calm as he could. This wasn't just a new experience for her. This was completely unexplored territory for the genius and he was going in without much of a map for guidance, at least he had no guidance until Linda showed up.
"He's on his way, sis. He had to pick up Linda on the way so it'll take a little longer than usual, but he's coming," Donnie soothed and kissed her knuckles. "If you want, I can go dig up that Epidural that Linda left here last night. You're dilated enough."
"No, I don't know what that medicine will do to me or the babies. The less drugs the better. But God this sucks…" She said with a sigh. Donnie had to admire her strength and her turn down of the Epidural. Most women beg and plead to be put out of their misery. But then again, Shiho wasn't the average woman. Who knew what sort of adverse effect the medicine would have on her unique body, she wasn't just being brave she was trying to be smart.
"Alright. But let's get you hooked up to the heart monitor at least until Linda gets here. Need to keep an eye on their heart rate."
"That's fine. Did she really leave that much stuff here?" Shiho blinked in mild bewilderment. Linda didn't miss a thing.
"Yeah, mostly so I could familiarize myself with the equipment. She left all kinds of goodies, she managed to even snag ultrasound equipment for future use. Aahh…leave it to an O'Neal to be thorough," Donnie said with a smile.
"Anyway, I'll go get the machine. It's downstairs, I'll be right back," The exhausted fox nodded as he disappeared out into the lair.
Now that she was alone, she let out a long and drawn out breath that she hadn't realized she was holding as she let the terror she was fighting consume her. This was happening. This was really happening. After all those years of living in fear and abuse, Shiho was finding herself more afraid now than she'd ever been when she was growing up. In Marcus' possession, she always knew what to expect; needles, acids, beatings, fights. But now that she was about to give birth she didn't know what was going to happen. The unknown is what surrounded her, squeezing her in its grip.
Running her delicate hands back through her bangs and her hair, Shiho chewed the corner of her lip anxiously. Her right had dropped to caress her now dropped belly. Ears twitched back and forth as she tried to imagine what her little ones were going to look like. While Linda had confirmed that they were split down the middle, she still couldn't help but wonder. Whose eyes would they share? Which parent would they take after the most? Would they love her as much as she loves them? So many questions that had limitless possibilities opened doorways to even more questions.
It was only with the sound of Donnie's feet on the floor that Shiho's concentration was broken as he returned with the necessary equipment to give him the readings he needed. Like Linda showed him, Donnie wrapped an elastic band around her waist with the device pressing into her tummy. After a few clicks and switches, Donnie had the machine turned on and both heartbeats came through the speakers.
"Jeez. They have the beatings of a horse. They certainly get that from you, sis," Donnie winked as she smiled.
"Hand, Donnie. Hand…"
"Oh! Sorry!" Donnie fumbled around between the cords and offered Shiho his hand. Quickly (and tightly) the fox held on as another contraction started to hit its peak. With her eyes squeezed shut and her ears flush with the sides of her head, Shiho clenched her teeth to keep her screams at bay. She couldn't very well disrupt the entire home.
"Easy, sis. There we go, almost over…almost…" Donnie's voice was calm and even despite the raging panic that was wreaking havoc inside him. Shiho's whimpers and small grunts kept him focused on the right energy so she wouldn't pick up on his own uncertainty. "Good, Shiho. Slow breaths, a few more…there we go, and it's over."
Like a snare, Shiho released her brother as the pain died down to a dull ache. Donnie chuckled nervously and shook his hand to bring the blood back to his fingers after her crushing grip stopped the flow. Damn, Shiho was strong…
"Oh Donnie, I'm so glad you're here."
"I know. I'm not gonna leave you. Just relax, your contractions are getting stronger and a little closer together. I'll check your cervix in about an hour. For now, do you want anything?"
"Alcohol would be nice…" She mumbled miserably. Donnie's eyes rolled and his shoulders shook with a bit of laughter.
"I'll get you some ice water."
"Yeah…thanks…"
Linda clutched her arms around Raphael's neck as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, his grip tightening every now and then to make sure he didn't drop her. She'd never been carried quite like this before or at all for that matter. The redhead couldn't figure out how Shiho and her sisters were able to do this on a daily basis with the turtles without the fear of being dropped between buildings. Nevertheless, she clung to Raphael for dear life as he did his best to keep up with Leonardo.
"Leo, hold up! Don't go-…down there…jeez…" Raph muttered as Leo took a leap between an apartment building and a bank to get to the sewer cover on the ground. Raph took an irritated glance to Linda before going down after his leader and set her on her feet.
"We'll be home faster if we take this route. Come on, Raph."
"Well, well, well. If it isn't our little green friends come to crash the party."
Both brothers froze in their efforts to find the lid to look up towards the front of the alley. There, shrouded in the dim light was a familiar large figure that Linda imagined didn't weigh less than 300 lbs. His footsteps were heavy as he thunked forward with a grin on his scarred face.
"Well looky what we have here, Leo. It's Hun come to see us off."
"Linda…get behind me. Raphael we don't have time for this," Leo pressed as three more Purple Dragons emerged from behind their thick leader. Leonardo could now see a plain, black van with the backdoors open and full of duffel bags. Just their luck, they interrupted another Purple Dragon bank heist. But the closer Leo looked, the angrier he became. What was under that van?
The manhole cover.
And they were cornered.
"Leo, what's going on?" Linda nearly stammered as she clutched her medical bag against her chest. Leo clenched his teeth together and sneered.
"Just stay back, Linda. These guys don't fool around. Raphael."
Raphael reached for his sais and closed his fists around the handles. "Yeah, bro?"
"Keep Linda safe. She's our only hope of Shiho safely delivering," Leo barely finished when he heard Hun chuckling darkly as he now stood just in front of him, a leap away.
"You're still with that fox freak? Hahaha, oh man. You must be desperate then. Come on lizard boy, I ain't got all night to dance. So if we're gonna do this, let's do it."
Leo unsheathed his katana and gripped the hilts tightly in his hands as he glared. Two of the three thugs rushed past him to fight Raphael only to be swiftly kicked in the face and knocked out when their skulls hit the pavement. Neither of them were in the mood to mess around, especially Leo.
"Come on, Leonardo. Show me what you got. That is, if you still got it. Hangin' out with that woman has probably done nothing but dull your skills."
Leo grinned and tilted his head just slightly and gave a little shake with a laugh. And suddenly, faster than Hun could blink, Leo launched himself forward.
"Oh crud…AH!" Leo's knees connected with the Dragon's broad chest and forced him onto his back, knocking the wind right out of him. The turtle crossed his swords across Hun's neck and brought the cold, sharp steel down to his skin.
"Move the van…and put the money back. Or so help me, Hun…I will slice open your throat just like I did Karai's…" Leo's voice was slow, dark, and steady so the muscle head could clearly understand every word he said. A bead of sweat rolled down his wide face as his eyes steadily grew wider, Leo was sending those swords down into his throat, he was serious.
"What's got you in such a hurry, huh Turtle?"
"That's none of your concern. Now, move the van, Hun. I'm not going to tell you again."
Hun's empty eyes stared into Leo's intense amber orbs. They almost appeared to be ablaze with determination and rage. Now that Leo had blood on his sword, he didn't feel the hesitation anymore and would do it again if it meant getting to Shiho on time. Raphael chuckled and spun a sai around his finger, Leo was downright terrifying.
"A-alright! Hey Mohawk, move the van and get those two morons up. Put the money back."
Leo didn't move from his hostage until his demands were met. Every bag of money was thrown back into the bank's back door and the van had moved forward off the manhole cover. Hun was sweating bullets now. He didn't know if Leo was going to finish him off or disappear into the sewer.
"Yeah! Let's go, Leo!" Raph called as he opened the lid and Linda began to climb down. He followed after her and stood on the ladder to wait for his brother. "Come on! We don't have much time, man!"
Leo nodded towards his brother but glared back down at Hun.
"If I miss the birth of my children because of you, I will find you. There won't be anywhere you can hide and I will take you down. I'm done with you Purple Dragon clowns."
With a grunt, Leo stood and returned his swords to his back but not before kicking Hun unconscious in the face. Once he was sure that the gangster was out, Leo climbed onto the ladder and closed the lid. Raphael waited below with Linda once again in his arms and grinned when Leo jumped down and started running home.
"Leo, that was badass, man!"
"Shut-up, let's just get home. Lord knows how far along she is now…that delay really set us back. Linda, are you alright?" Leo turned his attention to the doctor in Raph's grip as they ran. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she nodded with a smile.
"Peachy! Now let's just get to Shiho. Donnie is holding down the fort but I'm sure he's already overwhelmed."
"You're doing great, sis. What can I get for you?" Donnie asked as they came to the end of another powerful contraction. Shiho sunk into her pillows and exhaled a breath heavy enough to puff out her cheeks. The vixen was already exhausted and she wasn't even seven centimeters dilated yet.
"I need to walk around a bit, my back is getting tight. Can you hand me my robe, Don?"
Donatello hesitated slightly, unsure of whether to let her up. But he remembered Linda explaining that the force of gravity often brought relief and sped up the dilation process. Shiho looked restless, too, so he nodded and fetched the long, powder blue bathrobe from its hook on the bedroom door. As she rose with his help, Donnie gulped uneasily. He hoped he was doing everything right; checking her temperature, coaching her through every contraction, making sure she was dilating normally. It didn't help that her sisters kept knocking on the door to check on them both every ten minutes. He couldn't blame them for their growing concern but the constant vigil of their worry was doing nothing for his confidence.
"Can you call Linda? Just to see where they are, I mean," Donnie wrapped an arm around Shiho's waist as he held her hand and walked slowly by her side. He could see the immediate relief than being on her feet brought her and decided he'd help her more by making the call.
"Sure. Hey Mikey, can you come up and walk with her, please? I need to make a call," called the genius down to the couch where his brother anxiously sat. Michelangelo wasn't even paying attention to his martial arts film that he was watching with Aanika. He was too busy fidgeting with his fingers and biting fingernails that he didn't have.
"Yeah, Dude! Be right up!"
Quickly, the orange clad turtle dumped his little dudette in Fiona's lap and made a few jumps up to the landing in front of Donnie and Shiho to take the reigns. Donnie walked away cautiously with his eye on the two as he grabbed his Cell to make the call to Linda's phone that she hopefully had with her. Raph and Leo had left their phones in the lair by a stroke of bad luck.
"Hey Linda! It's Donnie, Shiho's doing okay and is walking around a little. But, where are you guys?" Nervously his eyes shifted to his laboring sister with a weak smile on her face as Mikey made jokes to make her laugh through her discomfort.
"Raphael says we have at least another twenty or thirty minutes before we get there. Just keep an eye on her, if she says she has to go to the bathroom get her in bed immediately, just in case we aren't there by then."
"What does that mean? What if she actually has to go?" On the other line, Donnie could hear his two brothers bickering about which tunnel was the fastest and could almost see Linda rolling her eyes. Down below, the lair was entered by April and Casey. Looks like someone had made a phone call in their desperation for help.
"Well, that's a baby moving into the birth canal. She uses the same muscles to push out the baby as she does to use the bathroom. Understand what I'm saying?"
Now it made sense. He was about to answer when he heard Leo's voice pestering Linda for the phone so he could talk to Shiho. Donnie didn't want to fight with his brother and caught up with Shiho and handed her the Cell.
"It's Leo, he wants to talk to you—YAH!" Donnie yelped as Shiho snatched the device out of his hand and retrieve the ear piece that was connected to the back and stuck it into her ear.
"Leo? Leo where are you?" Her voice was weak but mildly frantic in its nature, a sound that tugged at Leonardo's heartstrings. That sound of desperation in her voice was enough to make him keel over. On the other line, Shiho smiled when Leo sighed.
"I'm coming, Honey. Just hang on. Are you alright? How bad is it? Are you in pain?"
"Well, it's not fun. Leo, hurry…please. I can't do this without you."
Both Donnie and Mikey exchanged worried and apathetic glances as Shiho's ears dropped in her conversation. They knew she was terrified, who wouldn't be? Leo's absence only made her that much more afraid even though they were there to support her. As she conversed, both brothers maneuvered her back into her bedroom to lay down once again.
"Shiho don't worry. I wouldn't miss this for anything. I'll be there, I promise. Okay?" Shiho dropped into silence and closed her violet eyes, trying her best to stifle her disappointment. Leo had a bad habit of making and breaking his promises in the past.
"Shiho…"
"Okay, Leo. Just hurry. Ow, ow…Donnie."
"Shiho what's going on? Are you there? Hello?"
"Leo? It's Donnie, she's contracting again. Just hurry up, man. I think she's getting close." On the other side, the leader grunted.
"I'm trying, just tell her I love her. I'll be there soon. We're almost home."
The line cut when Leo hung up first. Donnie set his Cell back down on the bedside table and rubbed Shiho's back as she breathed slowly through her nose. At least she wasn't screaming like the women he'd seen on baby shows and in the movies. But of course, those women were human and Shiho wasn't anything like those regular women in the throes of labor. The intensity was there, he could see it in her face but could tell she was sucking it up as best she could.
"He's almost here, said he loves you. You doing alright?" Shiho nodded, unable to speak just yet as the tight pain hit its peak at the top of her contraction. When the tension released, so did her breath and the grip she had on the sheets. These contractions were getting old fast and working her nerves. They were getting stronger and longer in their duration and she hadn't even been in labor that long. All the while this was going on, Donnie was still managing to write what he was observing, especially the speed at which her labor was progressing. He hypothesized that her genetic deformation with fox DNA was speeding up the process. Mammals in the wild always had fast labors, they had to in order to keep moving and hunting to provide for their young.
"I'll be better when this is over. Again, Donnie, thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you"
"Hey, don't mention it, sis. It's what family does for each other, you know I've got your back," He said, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple getting a smile out of her. "Where would you put that contraction on a one to ten scale?"
"Oh we're getting to about a nine now. Am I dilated yet?" Shiho whined. This was taking so long it seemed. The process of labor was slow and agonizing in its duration and entirety but speedy at the same time, she was over it already. But even so, Leo wasn't home yet and she had to hang on for a little while longer. Plus who was to say that when he finally showed up that she was going to start pushing right away anyway?
"Labor is so not awesome, Don."
The turtle chuckled as he folded a stack of towels for later. He glanced at Shiho with a sideways gaze, a warm and comforting glisten in his kind eyes. The fox's ears stood tall in curiosity and gave a slight tilt of her head as she felt the intensity of his gaze. He didn't have to say anything to tell her what he was thinking and how he was feeling. The softest of smiles tugged at the corners of her dark, glossy lips as she flashed him a bright eyed wink. In the silence they both assured each other that regardless of what was about to happen that everything was going to be alright when it was over. They were family and that was all they needed to overcome every hurtle, they were each others guiding lights in the darkness when all hope seemed lost.
"I love you, Donnie. You're the best brother a girl could ever want."
A wide smile pulled Donnie's mouth across his teeth as he grinned and returned the wink she'd sent him before.
"Love you too, Fuzzball. I'm glad you're part of this family."
"Me too."
An abrupt knocking on the bedroom door and April walked in before Donnie had the chance to let her inside. Shiho's face lit up like the Fourth of July when she laid eyes on her best friend and outstretched her arms to hug the redhead. Donnie went about his business of getting whatever materials Linda would need ready and let the girls talk. April was a sight for sore eyes when Shiho was feeling desperate; she'd always been a figure of relief when she walked into a room.
"What are you doing here?" Shiho said as she let go of the embrace they'd shared. April removed her shoulder bag and set it by the wall and moved to greet Donnie with a hug of his own.
"Fiona called me. She said your water broke and that Leo wasn't home so we hauled ass to get down here. I think Casey is downstairs still trying to put his heart back into his chest," The girls giggled and Donnie rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"Let me guess, you were the one driving?"
"Duh. How are you feeling, Hot Stuff?" April smoothed back Shiho's violet bangs away from her forehead and gave it a kiss.
"I'm feeling pretty lousy, I'm scared as all hell. But, Donnie's here. So I'm okay."
"Yep! I got your back, Shiho. Now, let's just get you relaxed before you next contraction."
Shiho's labor was progressing faster than Donnie was able to keep up with. But he was at least prepared. Even so, he was still hoping that Leo would show up before she sped up and went off the deep end and became completely dilated. Every minute was crucial at this point.
Leo just couldn't miss this.
A/N: ALMOST THERE! I think by next chapter I'll pop those suckers out BT Let's do it! Haha, like always my duckies, please read and review! I need REVIEWS!