Donatello felt like he had a permanent grin plastered across his face as he watched Reina cling to Luke's leg while the man tried to carry a couple of bags through the room. The blond-haired girl appeared determined that her father wasn't going to escape her grip.
"I'm about to hold you again, Reina," Luke said patiently. "I just need to get this stuff out of the way first."
Leonardo cut off the man's stride and reached to take the luggage from him. "Get your girl, Doc," the turtle said affectionately.
Luke released his things to Leo and boosted his daughter into his arms, then headed to the couch where Donatello was propped up.
"Seems like your kid is happy to see you," Don remarked.
Luke beamed as the little girl stretched to pat Donatello's arm. "I'm not the only one. I think she's happy to see her Uncle Donny too."
"Donee?" Reina asked questioningly, giving the turtle a toothy smile.
"She just loves me for my keys," the purple-masked turtle quipped.
Luke adjusted Reina on his lap as he settled further onto the couch. "I don't think I've ever been so happy to get here."
"You can say that again, Doc. It feels good to unwind. There's been tension in the air for such a long time…just having the chance to not think about any of it feels amazing."
Luke gave him a stern look. "You take too much on yourself."
"As if I could help it, Doc?" Donny scoffed. "The Akiudo wasn't going to wait until I was all better. The city would have been screwed, and a few others to boot."
"I understand that," the man said softly. "But now we're here, and there's no reason to push yourself for anything."
"I got the memo. You're not going to forbid me from working out with Marc, though, are you?"
"Not if you behave."
"Since when do I misbehave, Doc?"
"Since you got a new partner in crime," Luke said dryly. "Like I don't know Jazz is sneaking the laptop to you after I'd already taken it away?"
"So I could work. Don't you understand that I never would have been able to track down Takashi's phone without the time I put into the program in advance? It's not like I was chatting up my friends on Facebook."
"Do you spend much time social networking?"
"Have to keep up with the fans and everything." Donatello gave him a wry smile, and Luke's expression softened further.
"I have to be tough on you," Luke said. "If I give you an inch, I know you'll take a mile."
Don shrugged. "It's no fun being bored."
The man nudged his shoulder. "You know how this works, Donny."
"That's what I'm afraid of," he said impishly, and patted a hand over Reina's blond hair. "But I think this one is going to be demanding a large portion of your attention for a while."
"She has to sleep sometime."
Donatello chuckled. "There's no escaping you, is there?"
"You have to ask?"
Donny was considering a response when he was distracted by Olivia toddling into the room with a scrap of tattered red cloth between her fingers. Karina was following the baby turtle, and Don offered her a wave. "Did Liv steal that from Raph?"
"No – Raph gave it to her before we left. Liv's barely let the mask out her sight; she wouldn't even sleep without it."
The purple-masked turtle laughed as his niece tapped his knee. "She loves her daddy."
"Yep, and she's not the only one." Karina threw a look over Donatello's shoulder.
Donny followed her gaze to where it fell on Raphael, who was hauling another duffle bag through the Great Room.
"Aren't you almost done?" Karina called to his older brother.
"Last one, Chica. Lemme put this down and I'll be right back. I know how much you've been dying to see me." Raphael smirked.
Karina shook her head as she rested a hand on Olivia's shell. "Your daddy will never change."
"Donny-san!" Shunshi's voice greeted him from the door, nearly giving Donatello whiplash as he turned his direction.
"Hey, Shunshi," he greeted warmly. "It's good to see you!"
The boy rushed across the room and bounced onto the couch with a mass of excited energy that rivaled Michelangelo's. "I'm so happy you're here! And you talk!"
Donatello pressed an arm around Shunshi's shoulder. "That's right, Shun, I talk. You didn't think I'd be stuck using that machine forever, did you?"
He shook his head. "No. But I work hard with my sister on English, just in case."
"Thanks, Shun. It means a lot that you'd go to the trouble."
The boy flashed him a proud smile. "It's not bad here. I like it, but I missed you. It took you forever to come."
"Sorry, bud, we did out best," Donatello said apologetically.
Shunshi's smile became sheepish. "I know. But I never wanted to leave you."
"You've been the man of the house around here, haven't you?"
Shunshi nodded. "Becky-san and I looked for wolves."
Donny winced. "I hope you didn't find any. The last ones we met up here weren't very friendly."
"We didn't search far, just walked the edge of the property. She asked me to come with her," he said importantly. "I took the bokken Leonardo-san gave me. I couldn't have killed them with it, but it is good for practice, isn't it?"
"Well, yes…" Donatello said slowly. "But you wouldn't even want to hurt the wolves unless they were posing a threat to you."
"And you're not supposed to start the fight," Shunshi said knowingly. "I remember. You tell me."
"That's right, Shun. Becky probably just wanted to make certain that you wouldn't be surprised by them if they were hanging out in the area."
Donatello glanced over his shoulder as he heard the door again, and caught a flash of red hair. "April!"
"Hey, Don!" The woman dropped her grocery bags by the door and hugged his neck from behind the couch. "You guys are early."
"We didn't want to wait the extra day. Can you blame us?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm glad you didn't. We should have enough food to last us at least a couple of weeks now. Hopefully."
Shunshi leaped to his feet. "Sorry, April-san. I am coming back to help!"
April nodded at the boy as he ran over to the door to get outside. "I picked up a few of your favorites, Donny. I hope Doc isn't completely limiting your caffeine intake."
Don looked over at the blond-haired doctor.
"We'll see," Luke said maddeningly.
"You're seriously not cutting me any slack?" the turtle asked incredulously.
"That depends on you," the man replied.
Donatello rolled his eyes with a mighty sigh as he leaned his head against the back of the couch. "You're driving me crazy today, Doc."
"Whatever it takes."
Don rolled his neck toward the door when he heard it open again, and waved as Hisui and Calley entered the Great Room with more groceries.
Calley's face lit up as she smiled at Donny. "Welcome back, guys!" She nodded to include Luke.
Luke started to get to his feet. "Leo will want to know that you're here."
The action turned out to be unnecessary. The blue-masked turtle was already flying out of another door, clearly alerted to their arrival when April had entered the kitchen. Leonardo slowed down when he saw everyone else in the Great Room, but none of the eagerness left his dark eyes as he went to greet his wife.
The blond woman settled into his brother's embrace and Leonardo cupped her cheek in his hand as he kissed her.
"Saigo ni, koko de watashi no aidesu," she told Leo. (At last you are here, my love.)
"Koishii, wo koishikatta," he replied. (Beloved, I missed you.)
Donatello released a satisfied breath as he broke away from the pair. This feels even better than I pictured it would. I kind of thought I might be a little disappointed to come here in this condition, but Lotus Salvus already seems to be working its magic.
Nearly half an hour passed before a delicious scent teased Donatello's senses, and he peered toward the kitchen hopefully. Hisui was the one who ended up coming out with mug in hand. She tossed black hair with a secretive smile as she brought coffee over to him.
He savored the aroma for a couple of seconds before taking a grateful sip. "I need to have them ship these beans to me in New York. I've never tasted better in the city." Donatello chuckled as the young woman stood at attention, like she was a servant waiting on him. "Sit down, Hisui. Talk to me for a while."
She sank onto the other side of the couch and folded her hands in her lap. "How are you feeling, Donatello-san?"
"I'm feeling happy," he emphasized. "Tired too, but it's great to see everyone."
The girl nodded. "These last few weeks left everyone bound as though with ropes that were strung too tightly. It is very freeing to know that you are all right, and your people will be safe."
Donatello laughed at her reference to the city of New York.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked seriously.
"No, I'm sorry," he answered. "It's just a funny thought to me, New Yorkers being 'our people.' We've probably sacrificed our bodies for them more times than I can count, and they don't even know we exist." Donatello gave her a bittersweet smile. "But they're our people, just the same."
Hisui nodded. "You obviously care for them, or you wouldn't stay. I understand you may feel…responsible in some ways. But that would not hold you forever; not when you have somewhere you can retreat to like this."
"Either we love them or we really are crazy." Donatello grinned.
Hisui looked down at the floor. "You take a difficult road, Donatello-san. But I think you will see things for it. Somehow you will be paid for your good, even if it cannot be recognized by all people."
The purple-masked turtle paused for a contemplative moment. "We have everything we need…and more. None of us ever imagined that our circle would grow this large. I don't know if there will ever be a personal advantage to staying in New York, other than the fact that we were born there. Still, we have a connection with them from trying to protect those streets for so many years. It's hard to picture ever leaving for good."
"They're lucky to have you," Hisui said quietly.
Donatello gave her a meaningful look. "I think I'm pretty lucky too." He looked out of one of the floor-to-ceiling windows and cast her another smile. "Have you seen much of the surrounding country?"
"I have done a lot of walking and hiking with the other girls. We had to keep ourselves busy to prevent anyone from going crazy. It was not easy to wait without knowing what was happening."
"Such is the life our women often have to lead," Donny said morosely.
"What about your women?" Jenna spoke up from the hall.
"You have the difficult task of waiting," Donatello filled in. "Though I did an awful lot of it this time around too."
"Not much fun, is it?" Jenna came around the couch to join them, and Hisui immediately got to her feet. "You don't have to leave just because I came into the room," she assured the teenager.
"I have my own task I ought to be finishing," Hisui replied with a shy smile. "Excuse me."
Jenna curled up on the couch beside Donatello as Hisui left, and her comforting body heat washed over him.
"I see that someone managed to twist Doc's arm," Jenna offered, tapping his mug.
"I think April must have trumped him." Donatello smirked. As he went to lift the cup for another drink, however, it felt heavier in his hand than before. "Jen…could you take this from me please?"
The young woman lifted it from his hand instantly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just…"
"You're exhausted," she finished. "I'll get your brothers."
Jenna trailed behind Leo and Raph as they took Donatello to one of the first floor bedrooms.
"You need anything else right now, Bro?" Raphael asked.
Donatello shook his head. "No, thanks, guys. Go be with your girls." He waved them out of the room.
Jenna balanced against the edge of the bed. "Do you mind if I stay here until you fall asleep?"
"Do I mind?" The question amused Donatello. "I love being close to you."
Jenna chuckled as she crawled up beside him. "Good; because that's where I want to be too."
He gazed as her silently as she found a comfortable position. Jenna appeared relaxed on the surface, but there was something in her eyes that didn't sit well with him. "Is something bothering you?"
She shook her head. "No. I've just been doing some thinking."
"What about?"
The young woman hesitated. "It's not the right time."
Donatello cocked his head. "Jen, it's me. You can be honest. You don't have to worry about what I'll think. I'm always going to love you, no matter what."
She broke eye contact with him to stare up at the ceiling. "You want a baby too, don't you, Donny?"
Donatello took an inward breath before responding. Her inability to conceive was a sensitive issue. "Yeah, I'd like to be a father, Jen. I don't want you torturing yourself over this, though."
"I'm not suggesting torture. I want to talk to Caleb."
"Well…he is the genetics expert."
"We've considered this before, Don; I just think that I actually want to do it this time. It makes sense to take advantage of all the resources at our disposal."
The turtle swallowed but forced a smile. The last thing that I want is for her to be disappointed…but that's not a good enough reason not to try.
"Okay, Jen. We'll talk to him."