Donatello chuckled as the female border collie pressed her nose against his shoulder from the back of the van. The dog's sniffing had been incessant, even though it seemed the border collies had accepted his and Leonardo's scents fairly quickly. He'd been surprised that Molly and Noah got used to them in a short period of time, but no less pleased.
I have to wonder if it's because animals seem to have some inane ability to sense the difference between a bad person and a good one.
Donny was secretly excited about the border collies making the trip up the mountain with them, even though Michelangelo hadn't been very keen on dogs ever since being chased down by an NYPD canine unit. But these aren't German Shepherds, and they're certainly not vicious.
He cast an admiring look down at Molly's snow white face and black ears, instantly understanding why people loved keeping the animals as pets. Don stretched a hand toward her, letting the dog sniff his fingers again before he reached to scratch her head. "You're a good girl, Molly, yes you are."
"You like dogs?" Caleb asked. "She certainly seems to like you."
"I've never spent that much time around them." Donny shrugged. "She's a nice dog - they both are."
The older man nodded. "They're great companions for the most part. They behave like giant puppies sometimes, but I have to love their spirit. They used to irritate the living daylights out of me, but that was before Susan..." Caleb trailed off, resting one hand on each of the dogs' backs. "I've appreciated small things a lot more since I lost my wife. That's a hard lesson to learn."
Donny nodded politely, and then pointed at the notebook computer in Caleb's lap. "Are you getting anywhere with my journal? I know there's a ton of information to digest. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"Yeah, I have a question," Caleb said seriously. "How is that any of you are still alive?"
Leonardo's laugh surprised Don. "We have good doctors, great friends...and a whole lot of luck," the blue-masked turtle replied.
Donny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that pretty much covers it. We've cheated death many times, Dr. Wells. We owe Luke and Marcus our lives many times over."
Caleb looked down at the screen. "You've certainly had your share of adventures. I can't believe the places you guys have been. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Okinawa...you're better traveled than I am."
Leonardo threw a meaningful glance up front. "It helps to have a pilot on staff."
Greg chuckled as he looked at them in the rearview mirror. "It helps to have the Gulfstream too. Wouldn't you agree, co-pilot?" he directed at Donatello.
Caleb shot the purple-masked turtle a questioning look, and Donatello laughed.
"Greg is teaching me how to fly the thing," he told the man.
"Teaching him isn't that accurate of a term anymore," Greg corrected. "In a few more months, he'll be flying the plane better than I can."
"So you're truly men of many talents," Caleb remarked. "This journal of yours is making for fascinating reading, Donatello. If you guys decided to put out a book, it would probably end up on the best-seller's list."
Leonardo chuckled. "Mikey just might do that...Of course he'd rather tell the story of his fictional femme fatale."
"He's a writer?" Caleb asked.
"He'd like to be...he has a lot of talent," Don answered.
The older man shook his head. "Is there anything you don't do? Getting to know all the ins and outs of your lot could take me the better part of a year."
Donatello watched the man surreptitiously as he resumed pouring over the copy of his journal on the laptop. He felt a little uneasy about Caleb's eagerness, nervous that the man didn't see them as anything more than a glorified science experiment.
Honestly, I don't really care if he wants to study us for the sake of curiosity. Whatever it takes to get his help with Mikey, I'm feeling game.
Donny knew that nothing had been decided for certain, that Caleb had only agreed to return to Lotus Salvus to meet the rest of the "family", and get some kind of grasp on the situation at hand. As he considered the man's true motivation again, nerves pitched around in his stomach like great waves. Even if his interest is purely scientific and not in exposing us, I'd rather not have him "studying" Olivia...or any of my brothers for that matter. He shouldn't need to work with more than one of us to help in research with Mike, and I have to find a way to make sure he sticks with me.
The purple-masked turtle exhaled softly. Still, Luke is the one who invited him along, and he's got more protective instincts than almost anyone we know. He's got good reason to trust Caleb, or he wouldn't have done that...and we were the ones who decided to introduce ourselves. I pray this was the right thing to do. I don't want to imagine him treating Mike like some side-show circus freak, or going public with our DNA. This kind of finding could be life changing for the genetic community...
Donatello stared hard at the unassuming figure of the rusty-haired man, as he pushed up glasses that were sliding down his nose. Caleb looked at him as if he felt the turtle sizing him up, but Don didn't break his gaze. The blue eyes that held his were uncertain at first, but they also appeared open and guileless.
Shell, I'm probably making him nervous, but at the same time, he makes me nervous.
"You were Marc's special case," Caleb blurted out suddenly.
"I was his what?" Donatello had no idea where he was going with that statement.
"The new technique for re-threading ligaments, instead of using a graft?"
"Ah, well...I'd already had a graft before," Donatello replied. "My knee was in a precarious position for quite a while. Marc is incredible at what he does, fortunately for me."
"It was fortunate for me too," Leonardo said mildly.
Donatello gave his brother a stern look, as if he was going to tell the whole story of the original injury right then and there, but then softened into a smile after a couple of seconds. "We've come a long way...and the docs have always been there for us. We wouldn't be here otherwise."
"That sounds like it's been a two way street," Caleb remarked without looking up. "At least from what Luke had already told me, and from the passages I've read on your exploits in the Congo. You're the only reason Marcus got out of the rainforest."
"It's really no good to try and measure who owes who more," Greg offered from the front seat. "It's impossible to determine the worth of life anyway, let alone one of theirs. You'll have to forgive us if everyone isn't completely receptive of you at first, Caleb. This is a tricky process."
That got Caleb's attention. "If I was going to tell someone about this, I would have made the call last night, when you were in my home. Doesn't the fact that I'm doing this on your terms mean anything?"
Luke nodded swiftly. "Yes, Caleb, and so does the fact that you stood up for us last night, before you even knew what we were up to. I'll never be able to thank you enough for trusting me."
"You could start by trying to trust me," Caleb shot back.
Michelangelo felt a strange awkwardness descend over him the moment Rebecca told him that the van had pulled up. He took a sharp intake of air and let it out slowly. He'd been angry to hear about the sacrificial move that Greg and Luke had made, and he didn't know what to think about them bringing Caleb back here.
I should be happy to meet him. He saved Luke and Heff's tails, and he might be able to save mine. It's still hard to relax knowing a stranger is coming here, and going to see Olivia...The brothers' collective protectiveness of the baby turtle had the potential to overshadow even their concern for one another.
Mike stayed where he was on the couch until there was a knock at the door, then he rose slowly to his feet. He glanced over at his red-masked brother propped up on the other couch, and was certain he saw a shudder of apprehension ripple across Raphael like a stone that disturbed the surface of a pond. Raphael's arm gripped the back of the couch stronger, and Mike caught him looking at Olivia.
Mike scooped up the crawling baby turtle and handed her to his brother, as Leonardo led the way into the house. Raphael nodded his thanks, and clutched Olivia tightly to his chest. The orange-masked turtle held his breath as the others came inside, with Luke guiding the newcomer.
"Sorry to keep all of you waiting," Luke announced. "We meant to come back last night, but we got a little...sidetracked. Everyone, this is Dr. Caleb Wells. He's responsible for getting us out of the mess we created for ourselves last night."
"Thank you, Caleb." Katherine was the first to speak up. "We appreciate your help more than we can express."
"Ma'am, it's good to see you again." Caleb smiled at the woman as if they were old friends, and then scanned the room curiously. "I see there are several more introductions to be made."
"The young women you have yet to meet are all connected to our guys here," Luke offered.
Mike noticed that the stranger's eyes had fixed on Olivia.
"You have a baby..." Caleb sounded amazed. "I didn't realize you could...I mean..."
"She's ours," Karina said pointedly. "Raph's and mine."
"How extraordinary; your genetic makeup was compatible enough to create a child? I would never have guessed that something like that would be possible. Is her DNA a match to your original archetype, or is she closer to a mixture between the two of you? It's evident that she appears to favor your more unique chemistry. A find this remarkable changes so much of what we think we know…"
Mike was alarmed by the rate of Caleb's speech, and the way the man instantly moved toward the couch. It was clear he wasn't the only one. Leonardo and Donatello rapidly inserted themselves between the doctor and Raphael was holding Olivia.
"We need to back up a little," Leonardo said smoothly.
"Oh, um...of course. I apologize." Caleb froze. "I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries."
Mike glanced at Raphael, and saw the daggers his older brother was shooting at Caleb from his helpless position. The red-masked turtle's muscled arms engulfed the little one so that Olivia was nearly invisible on his lap. Michelangelo swallowed as the tension in the room seemed to increase tenfold.
"Maybe I should...Luke, maybe you could help me get the dogs settled in." Caleb glanced nervously at the blond doctor. "I could finish meeting everyone in a few minutes."
"Sure," Luke replied, his own restraint apparent. "It's not going to be much of an adjustment for them, huh? The dogs grew up here."
Mike's eye ridges rose as the men disappeared out the door. "Dogs? He's not talking about the ferocious beasts that tried to attack us the other night, is he?"
"They were barking," Don corrected. "They're not ferocious, Mike. They're just border collies, and they're very friendly. They only needed a chance to get used to us."
"Don, I'm surprised at you. You've made friends with the enemy?" Mike pretended to accuse him.
"Anybody seen Tiger?" Raphael asked. "I've never seen her around a dog."
Mike noticed that Raphael's gaze remained fixed on the door from which Luke and Caleb had exited.
"She's pretty even keeled," Leonardo said thoughtfully. "They'd probably just need to get used to each other too."
"Are they going to have time for that? I mean, is this guy sticking around?" Mike asked.
"We don't know yet," Leo replied softly. "This is a 'getting to know you' tour, before he makes any decisions."
Karina shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet. "I don't know about him," she said uncertainly. "Maybe he's just curious, but I don't like how interested he was in Olivia."
"I believe he means well," Calley said calmly. The blond woman squared her shoulders as the rest of the room turned their attention on her. "I don't get any malice from him...just nerves and excitement. Can anyone blame him for being curious? Genes are what he studies for a living. All of you must be the most incredible people he's ever met."
"Specimen, you mean," Raphael muttered darkly. "How do we know he didn't want to come here just for a chance to study the freaks? I don't want him touching Liv. I know he's friends with Luke and all, but I ain't ready to go that far."
"It doesn't appear that any of us are," Don said morosely. "We may have reacted too strongly, Leo. We have to try and make this work, for Mikey if nothing else."
The orange-masked turtle cleared his throat. "Um...I'm still here, Don."
"I'm sorry, Mike, I'm not trying to talk over you."
"I know you're not, Bro. Just a reminder. I'll do my part, whatever it takes to make friends with Caleb."
"We all need to do our part." Leonardo suddenly sounded tired. "This is awkward enough, and he has to be overwhelmed...so maybe we could try to be a little more welcoming to him."
Raphael snorted. "Whatever, Fearless. Just help me keep him off Liv's shell."
Mike stiffened as he heard the dogs barking outside, but fought to remind himself that they weren't killer monsters. He shuffled toward the window to get a look at them, and saw the border collies sprinting around excitedly in the grass. They look like they've been in prison for years, and now they've been set free. I guess we've got some things in common, he mused.
Mike felt a hand on his shoulder, and glanced over to see his purple-masked brother.
"You wanna come outside with me?" Don invited. "I'll show you that they're not so bad."
Mike nodded. "We all have to give a little, right? Just don't let them eat me."
"Turtles don't taste good, Mike." Donatello laughed.
"How would you know?" he asked impishly.
"It's the shell. I can't see it being all that appetizing."
"But their mighty incisors could probably crush them to bits."
"Mikey."
"Oh, all right. Let's get this over with, Donny."