My apologies for the recent gap in updates. My relative has just died, so things have been chaotic for my family. I hope to get on a more frequent schedule.
The sun was setting as April pulled into the warehouse that served as the Turtles' garage. As she slid out of her van's driver's seat, she sighed and rubbed her stomach. Maybe it was the pregnancy, or maybe it was just in her head, but she felt hungrier more often than she had a few months ago. And queasier. It was a strange combination.
Then she spotted a familiar motorcycle parked in the shadows. Casey.
Her stomach began fluttering furiously, and she had the feeling it wasn't the baby. Casey had been so understanding and mature when she had admitted she was falling in love with Don, even encouraging her not to care about the Turtle's age, but she still dreaded telling him that she and Don were now together. It would hurt him, and even though she was no longer with Casey, she hated the idea of hurting him.
As she descended down into the lair, she desperately tried to think of how to talk to Casey if he brought up her relationship with Don. Raph was his best friend, so it was likely he would tell Casey — if asked — that April and Don's relationship had already gone further than her relationship with Casey ever had. Not cruelly, but he probably wouldn't hide the truth from Casey if the vigilante asked about it.
When she left the elevator, she immediately saw Casey sitting on the couch beside Raphael, the two hunched forward as they eagerly watched a wrestling match on the TVs. Their faces were locked in intense scowls, as if they could make their chosen wrestler win by willpower alone. Both were clutching a can in one fist — Casey's was beer, and Raph's was soda pop. Even if the Turtles had been old enough to drink alcohol, April knew that Splinter wouldn't have let them drink it — it impaired the senses and fighting ability, and, in his opinion, polluted the body.
"He's got 'im pinned!" Casey bellowed as she stepped into the lair.
"Typhoon'll get out of that, no problem," Raphael retorted.
"Hah! He ain't got the muscle!"
April breathed a sigh of relief as the two amiably bickered over the wrestlers and who would win. It sounded like the two friends were just hanging out, spending time with one another — and Casey's mind was definitely not on her, if he could focus so much on wrestling.
Leo was some distance away, kicking furiously at the air with an intent look on his face. April slowed and stopped as she saw his leg lash out at invisible enemies, before drawing back and regrouping, his arms raised defensively. Then he noticed her lurking nearby, and fell out of his stance into a more casual position.
"April!" he said, smiling. "We were wondering when you'd get home. I was going to call you if you didn't come home soon."
"Someone wanted to sell an antique bedroom set," April said, dropping her purse on a nearby table, "and I had to look it over before closing up the store."
She cast a glance over at Don's lab, which was empty except for the glow of his computer. Apprehension began to bloom inside her, and her gaze rose to the darkened bedrooms on the upper level. "How did Don do today?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"He was — better," Leo said, his voice dropping to match hers. "He did some sparring with us for the first time in weeks, and I could tell he was nervous, but he got through it. He beat Raph at sparring, and he really seemed pleased — and relieved."
Relief flooded through April, and she felt tension seeping out of her body. Don hadn't sparred with his brothers in weeks — ever since that fateful day when he had first kissed her — and had been haunted by feelings of weakness after being taken captive by the Purple Dragons. It must have boosted his confidence to succeed in a fight, even if it was only a practice bout.
"Where is he now?" she asked.
"I think he's in the kitchen." Leo smiled broadly, as if something about her question amused him. "He'll be happy to see you."
April smiled back, and started to move towards the kitchen. Maybe she could surprise Don there. But then she heard Casey's voice whoop up behind her. "Yo, April!" Her heart bounced up into her throat, almost choking her, and once again she wondered if Raph had told Casey that she and Don were a couple now, and had even sneaked out to be intimate with each other.
She turned slowly, and found herself looking up at Casey's clear blue eyes. Determinedly so, as if he were willing himself to be collected and good-tempered. He was smiling, looking a little embarrassed, as if he had interrupted her in the middle of something. Raph was still sitting on the couch, watching them with the unblinking, silent stare of an interested cat.
"Hey, I — uh — gotcha these," Casey said, pulling a small, densely-wrinkled paper back from behind his back.
As April pried the bag open, he added a little nervously, "They're for pregnant women, so I thought you could use 'em."
April extracted a large dark-plastic bottle, whose label identified it as supplements for pregnant women. She wasn't sure if mutant turtle babies needed the same supplements as human ones, but it certainly couldn't hurt. She smiled slightly at Casey, looking at the dozens of pills piled inside. "Thank you, Casey. This is really thoughtful."
"It ain't nothin'," Casey said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "I heard you got a look at the little guy yesterday, huh?"
"Or girl," April said.
"Or girl. So what'd it look like?"
"It takes after Don," April said, pressing a hand to her stomach. "It definitely has that mutant turtle look. Do you want to see some pictures?"
"Yeah, sure," Casey said, sounding genuinely interested.
She swiftly made her way to Don's lab, and the small pile of pictures he had gathered next to his computer. The pictures didn't quite capture all the details the ultrasound had generated, but the important parts were still visible — the shape of the head, the slender limbs, the hint of a carapace on the tiny back. April felt warmth swell in her chest at the sight of her baby, and it was with more than a hint of pride that she brandished the photos at Casey.
He squinted down at the photos with the air of someone attempting a difficult puzzle. "So it really is a turtle baby," he said quizzically.
"Looks just like one of us, don't it?" Raph said proudly.
"I still can't believe you guys can get girls pregnant," Casey said, shaking his head as he went from picture to picture.
April was so absorbed in watching Casey and Raph examine the pictures that she didn't notice quiet footsteps approaching from the direction of the kitchen. But the faint clink of a ceramic plate caught her attention, and she turned to find Don standing on the edge of the room, holding a large tray in both hands and watching the others intently. His eyes traveled from April to Casey and back again, but he said nothing.
There was something odd about his expression that she couldn't put her finger on — he looked as though he had a stomachache, and he was trying to hide it. April felt some alarm at the sight — Leo had made it sound like he had had a pretty good day.
Quickly she moved away from Leo and Casey, and over to Don's side, putting her hand on his arm. "Is something wrong?" she said quietly.
"No, everything is fine," Don said quickly, as if snapping out of a trance.
But there was a hint of worry in his voice that April couldn't help but notice, and she suspected she knew exactly what had caused it. Don had been nervous about her being with Casey in the past, no matter how platonic her actions towards her ex-boyfriend had been. In fact, he had believed that she had chosen Casey over him, just a few days before.
So she gently moved her hand to the back of his neck, and drew his face towards hers. She kissed him just long enough to reassure him and dispel his worries, but not so long that it would rub it in Casey's face — a gentle, firm embrace, their lips locked together before parting. When she drew back, Don looked a little dazed, but he smiled softly at her.
"I made this for you," he said, looking down at the tray.
April looked down at the tray, and felt a sudden burst of surprise. The tray held a grilled chicken breast, a spinach salad and a glass of milk — not exactly the usual fare for the Turtles, who sometimes seemed to subsist entirely on pizza and Chinese food.
Don hastily added, "I read that these are all foods that should be eaten by pregnant women. Lean meats, dark leafy greens and extra calcium."
"Thank you," April said, smiling at him.
He placed the tray down on s coffee table in front of the sofa, sat down, and looked expectantly at her. April glanced briefly at Raph and Leo, and found that they were both distracting Casey with more photos of her baby, and Casey seemed to be fascinated by the sight of the "turtle baby." In other words, his brothers were trying to give her some time with Don without hurting Casey.
"What about you?" she said as she sat down beside Don. "Aren't you going to eat something?"
"I had some leftover pizza," Don said, a little sheepishly.
April leaned towards him and gently touched her lips to his. "Next time, wait until I show up, so we can eat together," she said in a low voice.
Don's eyes brightened slightly, and one of his hands twined around hers. "I'll remember," he said.