Heres the last bit. Sorry. Still feeling awful. :( Moiety is next. Just not sure when I'll feel up to proofing it for posting. Hope you enjoyed this mini adventure meanwhile.

CHAPTER 08: NINETEENTH

Hugh lurched up from his cot then immediately regretted it. He brought his hand to his burning chest, although he knew the pressure would do nothing for his fractured rib and vertigo.

"So—sorry, Hugh-san, I didn't mean to startle you."

Letting out a staggered sigh, Hugh faced Nia and the paper bag she offered. "No worries. I'll live. That mine?"

"Oh, yeah, Nacho Taco Supreme, just like you asked."

"It's Supreme Nacho Dream, actually. But I'll forgive you."

The artist handed over the treat, and for a moment, the only noise in Saisei's lab was the rustling of a paper.

"How long have I been out?" the detective asked.

"Not long." Nia sat on a stool, mismatched eyes darting from Hugh to Damien and Jezebel then back again.

"They haven't left either, eh?"

"No. Damien-san is still too weak and Jezebel-san..."

"She finally let out all the tears she'd been holding back. It's only natural she tired herself out. Not that the stress did her any favors." Hugh paused to savor the first bite of his meal before continuing. "You're really dedicated to this whole Japanese honorific thing, huh?"

The artist flashed a sheepish look.

"We all have our quirks, I guess," added the man while chewing. "Is Kai—"

"She's still in there with Daddy, Donny-niichan, Mel-neechan, and April-neechan."

"Was she"—Hugh almost couldn't form the word—"stable?"

"Last we heard."

"Where's Blaine?" Mouth full, Hugh surveyed the dim area that the others must've vacated in respect to the group's rest, although the hysterical blonde no longer paced around.

"Smoking," Nia answered. "Outside. I don't want Nicotine in the house."

"The place is huge, Ni. Besides, this basement may as well be the sewers."

"When Mel-neechan gets out, she can give you details about how second-hand smoke affects infants and pregnancy."

"Alright, I get the point, Mama Bear."

"I'm not exposing my babies to that."

"I get it. Gee, you sound like Rina. Then again," Hugh flashed a smile that may've been literally cheesy, "you 'new mother' types tend to worry the most."

"I can't help it. Hybrid pregnancies carry enough risk as is. I'd ask what else could go wrong, but.." Nia rested her hands against her belly, brows creased and focus set on the operating room.

"They'll be fine," Hugh said. "All the babies. Including Kai. She has the best minds at her fingertips. That's saying something coming from me, ya know? Considering a certain red-haired—" The detective caught himself before could insult Gavin further; he had forgotten Nia was his daughter and actually liked him. "Anyways, did Raph finally calm down with the idea that he knocked you up again?"

Nia sighed as the African-American opened his next taco to maul. "A bit. It's still a shock. For both of us. Sel and Nyx are hardly six months old. Now we're gunna add a third within the next two months or so?"

"Yeah, I lose enough sleep with just one."

"Still...I told Splinter-san once that I'd like to have four kids like him."

"If that's your goal then your trajectory is spot on, Crazy Lady. But I think another back-to-back pregnancy would give Raph a heart attack. Can't be good for you, either." The detective crammed the last of his second taco in his mouth before opening the last and listening to Nia while she collected trash into the bag it came in.

"It's not good, to be honest," she said. "My body hadn't fully recovered from my last pregnancy, but I wouldn't change anything. Mama helps a lot, which I'm thankful for. Without her, I'd be a hot mess."

"You mean you aren't?" Hugh faked surprise but not for long; his own joke made him laugh. "Do you feel as sick this time around?"

"Worse," Nia grumbled. "We think it's because the baby may be another blood type."

"Thought you were an O."

"Negative."

"Wait, 'negative' as in 'wrong'? Or?"

"I'm an O Negative. I can give blood to everyone, but am only compatible with other O Negatives."

"Does that mean the twins have your blood type?"

"Thankfully. I don't think I would've made it if they weren't." Groaning, Nia rubbed her belly and cringed.

"You okay?" Hugh asked.

"This guy likes to kick more than his siblings."

"His?"

A sharp click cut off Nia's reply. Hugh turned to the lab entrance as Blaine returned with three Hamato brothers in tow, and the best friends made eye contact just before another click sounded. Melody, Gavin, April, and Donatello exited the operating room, two of whom were calm while the remaining ones shared a morose stare.

"Don't fuck with me," Blaine told Don and April. "Those looks better not mean—"

"The prognosis is good," Melody interjected. "I had Nia's blood in reserve. It did well in flushing the poison from Kaiya's system."

"Is that all it takes to beat this thing?" Hugh smiled, though the cyborg's listless blink made him fear the truth

"Kaiya was lucky," Melody said. "Her youth makes the IgR compounds profoundly potent, though the poison adheres to them, from what I can tell. Adding clean blood helped for two reasons only."

"Which are?"

"Kaiya's blood produced enough IgRs to overwhelm the infectious proteins, and the poison itself is in its early stages."

"There're issues with its engineering," added Gavin stoically. "It hit the lass hard initially then began to break down due to instability."

"So," Nia fidgeted on the stool as her husband came to stand behind her, "this Obderum can really undo all the healing by Recro-12? I mean, IgRs?"

"This thing is far from ready to be weaponized," April added. She gave Raphael a stern stare in counter to his growl then softened it to a compassionate smile when she met Nia. "It'll take time to perfect it, and with what data we collected, we can strategize a counter drug. Sort'a."

"A counter drug for the counter drug." Hugh snorted. "This is what my life has come to."

"How are her wounds?" Blaine asked.

"Healed," Melody answered. "Again."

"I want to see her."

"Doubt she will be awake, but fine." The cyborg sidestepped to allow the man to pass into the operating room. Her nose scrunched as the door shut behind her and she turned to Don with an unsaid question on her lips.

"Yes," the Genius answered, "he does smell like a chimney."

Mel made a face of disproval yet glanced aside like she couldn't take back her permission.

"How are you doing, Hugh?" asked Michelangelo.

Hugh shrugged, despite the pain, and stuffed the last of his trash into the bag Nia held. "This isn't my first fractured rib. If you recall."

"That was Head Case's fault," Raphael grumbled.

"He was being reckless," added Leonardo. "Like you." The Jonin's intense eyes found the detective, who admitted they were a bit unnerving. "What's the point of having a panic button if you lose it?"

"Hey, who has the badge here?"

Raph scoffed. "'Least we got all our hands."

"Low blow coming from the pirate."

"Knock it off," Leo told the two. "This...this is a serious matter."

He didn't say any more; the droning silence that followed did well to remind Hugh of the situation's severity. 'I had no choice except bring them here. Melody has been studying the IgRs for her research, and I didn't trust Miriam's Nightshade poison to be simple. The only doctors I trust are in this room. Besides, if Damien's set on joining the Nineteenth with me, he should be included in this fold. And Jez...'

The detective glanced across the room to two other cots set up for the unconscious Dominican and her boyfriend. She had persisted on sleeping at his side, so Mel conceded on the condition that she avoid his IV line.

'Thanks to Baker and Olson, the place is beefing up their medical artillery.'

"Are we cursed?" Mikey asked.

Don turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"The Summers. Come on, I can't be the only who feels haunted."

"That night didn't come down to just us," Leo said. "We didn't make Miriam into Nightshade. She did. She's the one who said she didn't want to be fixed; that was her choice."

Hugh sympathized with the blue-masked turtle's emphatic words; they were more to convince himself than the others, and the detective nodded. "You're right, Leo. We're responsible for our own actions. Whatever Miriam and Ryan try next is on their heads, and we'll do our best to prepare for it."

"Question" Everyone faced Mikey. "Has anyone called Angel yet?"

The group made various noises, all of which sounded negative.

"I'll do it," Nia said. "She's been wanting an update on the kids anyway."

"She know about Leo's brood yet?" Hugh asked with a smirk. Leo grimaced while the detective continued, "Donny mentioned them being all boys, too. That true?" The grimaced darkened. "Oh, man, I do not envy you."

"Or poor Coyo-neechan," added Nia, brown and teal eyes glossy. "She's bed-ridden at this point."

"Damn. When's she due?"

"As early as next month," Melody interjected. "The triplets have matured on schedule, although it is unclear if her pregnancy will last longer than Nia's. She could very well hold out until after October."

"Think the number of kids affects how long the pregnancy lasts?"

"It is a theory I am working on. I might also be mistaken about her conception date."

Hugh crossed his tender arms and inhaled, focus set on Nia. "You hybrids sure make for interesting research, huh?"

The artist giggled, but the redhead and turtle at her sides unappreciated the joke. They gave matching glowers Hugh knew they'd deny were similar and low groans across the lab brought attention to Damien and Jezebel. Melody was at his IV in a heartbeat, scanning the Cadet for any abnormalities as he waved her away.

"Enough hovering," he said in a hoarse voice.

"You almost died," Melody countered. Guess that was her reason to check his vitals all over again.

"Better."

"You are still wheezing, and the hive swelling has hardly gone down."

"So slap me in some"—Damien struggled to swallow—"cortisone cream."

"Don't be a dumbass. It's more complicated than that!"

Mikey laughed. "Oh snap! She's using contractions, Damien. That's serious business."

"He'll be okay, though, right?" asked Jezebel.

The cyborg graced her with a cursorily glance while prodding parts of the Cadet's body he vainly fought to keep private. "If he listens."

"He will." Jez eyed her boyfriend with a gaze that left no room for debate.

"What about you?"

"Got a stomachache, but whatever cocktail you gave us helped with the dizziness."

"I'm not a licensed practitioner yet," Melody said. "I don't have easy access to antitoxins. It's good you reacted to my Physostigmine substitute because the alternative would've been—" The cyborg stopped when she noticed the Dominican's stare then dropped all emotion from her voice. "Well, it did not come to that."

"I think this goes to show just how much we need one another," Leonardo spoke in a tone worthy of a captain, and it earned him the attention he demanded. He scanned the group, arms crossed and gaze even. "Hugh, you were a detective before we met you. We recognize you're capable and don't mean to overstep bounds. But there are things you shouldn't have to handle on your own. Miriam's vendetta is against us all and if she's joining who I think she is then our network needs to be refined."

"What do you mean?"

Leo faced Mikey. "First, we must account for all the people we know we can trust. We need secured lines, an alert, and tracking system probably not as obvious as a phone. We need better contingencies for issues like this: altered poisonings, blood loss, severe trauma." The Jonin's eyes fell on Melody, who nodded as sure as any soldier at war. "The stakes are rising," he continued. "Our children...our children deserve the best chance. Now, I know you aren't fighting for them, Jezebel and Damien. You owe us nothing. But on our behalf, we ask that you consider joining our team."

"Join you?" Damien rasped. "Man, would Hun have a—a heart attack."

"Do you want to help Mir?" Jez questioned softly.

"If you join us and that's what you want, that's what we'll help with."

The couple drew in a deep breath as Jez ran a hand down his bloated face. "Okay," she said. "We'll do it."

'Good.' Hugh laid back down on his cot, eyes heavy. 'That's two less people to mediate for. There's still the matter of what's gunna happen with my precinct, though, and...how the hell I'm going to explain all this Marina..and Wendell."

"You know this report reads like a science fiction novel, Reese."

Hugh scratched at his chaffed neck, watching Inspector Erb study the incident report on Miriam Summers. "I have witnesses."

"All hearsay."

"Doesn't the fact that I'm a detective account for anything?"

"You know it doesn't."

"What about the fact that it's me?"

Erb removed his reading glasses to rub the bridge of his nose and placed them on his cluttered office desk. "You're a magnet for weird crap, but that isn't proof."

"Least I can say I tried."

"We can't sanction a search for Miss Summers on this account."

"But you can for her ducking out on house arrest and ignoring Court-ordained therapy sessions."

"She's in the wind all the same. But when we find her, she will be held accountable for what we can prove."

"Unless she gets to Nom de Guerre first."

"Who?"

"Another ghost."

The elder cop closed the file as the detective snorted and when he looked back up, the weariness was evident in his wrinkled expression. "Go home, Reese. Rest that rib."

"One last thing." Hugh leaned forward. "Did Donna call?"

"She's entitled to her privacy."

"Come on, Inspector."

"You want to know what she decided? Visit her. I got bigger things to deal with."

"Like doing another sweep for bugs in the offices?"

Erb's face reddened, except his scowl only made his subbordinate smile. "I don't trust those EPF bastards."

"Which is why we should stick together."

"Maybe once that was possible. Now..." The fat Inspector sighed. "We're splintering. Soon, there will be a great divide between who supports Bishop and who doesn't."

"And my goal is to keep those who don't as close as possible."

"Sometimes I envy you, Reese. You oversimplify everything." Was that a compliment or insult? No matter. Hugh shook his head, straightening while Erb continued, "Don't make me utilize that EPF brute stationed outside. I'm sure your wife and son want you home, too."

Hugh's fingers found his new phone in his coat pocket, a reminder of the concerned messages Rina had texted him after he left a note telling her he was visiting work. "Fine. You win. But I'll be back."

"After your rib heals."

"Hardass." There was a light chuckle then a sudden inhale before Hugh turned the office's doorknob.

"Reese?"

The detective faced his boss.

"Just so you know: my loyalty will always be to the NYPD. And before them, the Nineteenth Precinct."

"Yeah." Hugh's smile returned. "Same here."