The light bulb overhead flickered on.

Don breathed a sigh of relief as the room was suddenly filled with warm light, illuminating the stacks of boxes piled high against the stone walls. They were full of various things the Turtles had collected over the years — his abandoned projects, some of Mikey's comic books, and items they had scavenged for their own use. There were even cans of food and bottles of water, which Leo had put there for emergencies.

But all of that was being cleared out. In its place was furniture the Turtles had gotten their hands on shortly after Leatherhead had moved out, just in case they had any future guests. Up against the right wall was a slightly shabby queen-sized bed, and a large, newly-repainted bureau was pushed against the opposite wall. Mikey had already put fresh sheets on the bed, as well as a worn woolen afghan and some pillows. It was starting to actually look like a bedroom.

"Awesome, Don," Mikey said, slapping Don's shell. "Once we get all these boxes out of here, April's gonna feel right at home."

"Yeah," Don said, smiling faintly.

But he didn't feel like smiling. He felt numb, dazed, his thoughts scattered and blurred by the confusion he felt. His hands had been shaking while he did the electrical work, and more than once he had had to pause until the tremors stopped. For the first time in a month and a half, his mind wasn't dominated by memories of his rape — instead, all he could think about was April.

He shut his eyes, and images swam behind his eyelids. Suddenly all he could see was April the way she had looked that morning, pressing her hands to her stomach, knowing of the tiny creature growing inside it. Then April months from now, her belly swollen with their child, a faint smile on her lips as she stroked it. And then April in pain — blood and sweat — her hand clutching wildly at his as she cried out —

Don flinched, and tried to push those thoughts out of his head. He didn't know much about pregnancy or giving birth, but he knew enough to be worried about what would happen to April. Especially since they knew so little about the child she was carrying. Shell, they didn't even know whether it would be more like a human or more like a Turtle. Or even if it would be all right. If it would be healthy —

Something tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Don, you done daydreamin'?" a gravelly voice said in his ear.

"Raph?" Don said, turning to face his brothers. For some reason, relief flooded through him at the sight of Leo and Raph. "Where's April?"

"Downstairs havin' some tea with Master Splinter," Raph said. "We brought all her stuff from her apartment, so she can stay here as long as she needs to. At least until she has that baby."

"You know," Mikey said, leaning against a stack of boxes, "the fact that Donnie knocked—"

"Impregnated," Leo said firmly.

"Okay, he impregnated April," Mikey said, shrugging. "It brings up some serious questions about the future."

"It certainly does," Leo said, a faraway look coming into his eyes. "Like—"

"Like, is April gonna lay an egg?" Mikey interjected.

Raph slapped his face and groaned loudly, while Leo simply blinked at their younger brother in astonishment. "Seriously, Mikey?" he asked.

"What?" Mikey said, crossing his arms. "Turtles hatch from eggs. Everyone knows that. So if April's having a baby mutant Turtle—"

"No, Mikey," Don said, holding up his hand. "April doesn't have the biological ability to produce eggs like that. As far as we can tell, the baby is gestating more like a mammalian embryo would."

"What does that mean?" Mikey said.

"It means the baby's gonna be born like on TV," Raph said sharply, gesturing widely. "You know, with the screaming and the pushing and—"

"Can we please change the subject?" Don said weakly, pressing a hand to his face.

Leo turned toward him, and his face softened. One of his hands came up and rested lightly on Don's arm. "How are you doing, Donnie?" he said quietly.

"I'm — fine," Don said.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked, his eyes roaming over his brother's face. "You've had a rough twenty-four hours. First, what happened last night, telling us about — about the rape." He paused. Don bowed his head slightly, as if the knowledge of what had happened was pressing on him, and Leo cautiously continued, "And then this morning, April told you she was pregnant. It's understandable if you're a little… stressed by what's going on."

"I'm okay," Don said, but the waver in his voice betrayed him. "I think I just need a little rest."

"Then take it," Leo said gently. "We can handle clearing out this room ourselves."

Don felt a burst of gratitude towards his brother. Leo had been unwaveringly supportive of him the night before, constantly assuring him that things would be all right. And he seemed to have taken over since the announcement of April's pregnancy, making sure that April was cared for while Don's brain was too scrambled to think properly. He reminded himself to thank Leo later for all he had done for them both.

A heavy hand landed on his shell. "It's okay, bro," Raph's gruff voice said in his ear. "We're all in this with you. Family. Whatever happens, you got us backin' you up."

Raph wasn't particularly eloquent, but Don felt a sense of relief at his words. He smiled back shakily, feeling some of the weight lift from his shoulders. He and his brothers had always done things as a team, as a unified force. A few things they did on their own, like Mikey's Turtle Titan outings, but for something serious — for something that truly affected them — they worked together. Maybe this would be no different.

"You got that right," Mikey chimed in, leaning on him. "We'll be such good uncles you won't have anything left to do. We'll feed it, take it for walks… and… other things you do with babies." He scratched his head. "I don't know what exactly."

"I think there's a little more to taking care of them than that," Don said. "But at least we have months to learn."

Leo opened his mouth to speak further, but was interrupted by the sound of feet on the metal ladder outside. Don felt a prickle of mingled anxiety and anticipation. Master Splinter almost never left the first floor of the lair, which meant that had to be…

"Guys?" April called out. "Are you here?"

Leo stiffened, before casting a look over his shoulder. Then he looked at Raph, a faint gleam in his eyes. "Let's go, guys," he said quietly. "Raph, Mikey, we'll get April's luggage and bring it up here. Don… why don't you show April her new room?"

"But it's not finished yet," Mikey protested.

Raph made an exasperated noise. "Allow me to explain to you on the way down," he growled as he half-dragged Mikey out the door.

As his brothers vanished out into the lair, Don found himself standing alone in the half-emptied room, his heart pounding violently in his chest. He watched as a shadow stretched across the doorway, growing with every passing second. For a moment, he wondered if he should just let things be, and follow his brothers down to the living room… no, he couldn't just chicken out when he needed to speak to April so desperately.

And then April was in the doorway, her green eyes wide and shining in the glaring light, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked so beautiful there, like an alabaster statue given life, that Don felt his heart throb almost painfully at the sight. His arms ached to reach out to her, to pull her close to him again, to kiss her the way he had back in his own room — the way they had before all this had happened. Those aching, beautiful moments when, for just a little while, everything seemed to make perfect sense.

"Don?" April said softly.

He raised his eyes to her, and said the first thing that came to mind.