So I had intended to only write one more chapter and then the epilogue, but as I started this chapter it took on a life of its own and I realized that the last chapter would take far too long to get to where I needed it to go and it would have too many holes in it. I therefore decided to go ahead and keep the chapter the way I wrote it but there will be one more chapter and then the epilogue. I will work on the next chapter and will hopefully get it up by next Sunday if I am lucky. In the meantime thank you again to those who take the time to review I appreciate it. I will see you again soon.

Chapter 24

"I don't like dis," Raphael repeated for what had to be hundredth time as he paced back and forth across the lair, much to the annoyance of his brothers. He'd been pacing constantly now for hours, Leo was sure that Raph was determined to wear a trench in the floor.

"We didn't have any choice, Raph." Don said as he frowned from where he sat at the kitchen table with his other brothers. He couldn't blame Raph for being upset, but it didn't make it any easier knowing that April and Casey had no choice but to take Elizabeth to a local hospital when Don had indeed confirmed that Elizabeth's water had broken. All four turtles had been extremely tense and were waiting out the night, waiting for any news – or being ready for the signal that they were needed to come to Elizabeth's rescue.

April had called them after they'd gotten Elizabeth checked into the hospital and had told the guys that she would be unreachable as she was going to be staying with Elizabeth, but Casey would call them every hour with updates on the progress. So far Casey had been calling every other hour and it was making Raph anxious. So far there hadn't been too much to report other than Elizabeth's contractions getting closer and closer together.

The phone on the kitchen table buzzed against the smooth tabletop and Don grabbed it and picked it up on the first ring. "Casey? Oh April! How is she?"

Raph stopped pacing and turned to look at his brother as Don listened to what April was saying on the other end.

Don frowned and nodded. "That was fast. How's she holding up?" Again a long pause and his frown deepened. "I see. Ok. Thanks, April." He flipped his phone shut.

"What is it, Don?" Leo asked, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.

"They're taking Elizabeth to the delivery room. Shouldn't be too much longer now. Elizabeth has been having a really rough time, her blood pressure has climbed and she's in more pain than she should be. The doctors are worried something's wrong so they don't want to wait any longer. They want to get the baby out. They're doing a caesarean section because the baby seems to be in distress too. April will call us back when she knows more."

Raph let out a frustrated growl and slammed his hand into a wall, there was a distinct crack and Don shook his head, standing up and walking over to his red banded brother. "Raph… "

"DON'T!" Raph growled as he held his injured hand to his plastron. "I don't like dis, Don!"

"I don't like it anymore than you do, Raph. But we had no choice – and we have to trust that the doctors know what they're doing. She's better off where she is than here – if she was here I don't know if I'd be able to help her. At least at the hospital she has a better chance. Now let me see your hand!"

Don managed to pry Raph's injured hand away from his plastron, ignoring his brother's irritated growls. He frowned when he saw the swelling. "You probably broke something. It'll have to be set."

"Later!" Raph said jerking his hand out of his brother's grip again. He turned away from his brothers and headed for the dojo.

"Raphael!"

"Let him go, Don. You know how he is when he gets like this," Leo said quietly. He got up from his seat grabbed the tea kettle, he started to fill it with water, but then sighed and put it aside. Not even his favorite beverage could soothe his frayed nerves, just like Raph he was worried about Elizabeth – as were all his brothers. Not only because they were anxious about her and the baby having complications from delivering early – but also from the chance of Graham finding them there at the hospital. He leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his front and glared at the floor. Mikey was somber where he sat at the kitchen table, he hadn't spoken in hours, very out of character for him. Don frowned and walked over to the coffee machine – he put in a new filter and added the dark coffee beans and started it up. It was going to be a long night – and he'd need the caffeine.

Don jerked as the phone rang again almost two hours later. He reached for the phone automatically, but Raph's dark green hand shot out and grabbed it first.

"April?" It was a demand for information. His brothers stared at their red-banded brother. Raph's jaw was clenched, a few muscles twitched and a vein in his forehead throbbed a little under his dark green skin.

His brothers waited anxiously as Raph's amber eyes glared down at the table top, his now splinted finger rested on the scarred surface, running over a deep scratch in the aged wood.

"An' 'Lizbeth?" Raph's voice was gruff with tension and stress. But then his face relaxed and all the brothers let out sighs of relief. "Ya me too. Tanks, April. Yeah… sure… " He handed the phone to Don who took it immediately.

"April?"

"What is it, Raph?" Leo asked as he and Mikey continued to stare at their brother – unwilling to wait any longer for answers.

"Dey got da baby out. April said dey're still runnin' tests dey wanna see if da baby's ok what with it bein' early an' all."

"And Elizabeth?"

"'Lizbeth's doin' ok – she's in recovery. April said she was bleedin' a lot but dey were able ta git it stopped. She should be fine."

His brothers were obviously relieved and let out breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

"Ok. Yeah, thanks, April." Don flipped the phone closed. "April said Elizabeth should make a full recovery. She'll let us know more about the baby when the doctors are done running tests on her."

"How long will Elizabeth have to stay in the hospital, Don?" Leo asked.

"A few days. April said she's still pretty out of it after the surgery and that she was feeling pretty sick to her stomach. Her doctor was giving her something to help with the nausea when April hung up."

"How long before we know the results on the baby?"

"They could be a few hours. April said she'd call us when they found out anything."

"You think that the baby will be ok, Don?" Mikey asked, speaking up for the first time in hours.

"I don't know, Mikey. Premature babies are prone to all kinds of problems. They haven't had all the time they need to develop properly, they can have breathing or heart problems. They can develop intestinal problems later on. They are often anemic because they don't have enough red blood cells, and jaundice because their livers aren't mature enough to remove the bilirubin from the blood. And they are more prone to getting infections because their immune systems are weaker. There's a lot of things the doctors have to check for."

"What happens if the baby does have some of these complications, Don?" Leo asked frowning.

"The baby will have to stay at the hospital for a few weeks, the doctors might let her go home earlier if she doesn't show any signs of serious complications. Elizabeth was lucky that she was thirty two weeks along because that is pretty close to full term, so the baby has less chance of having serious complications. But if she does have some serious complications like lung or heart problems she could have to stay at the hospital for a while."

Raph growled quietly from where he stood at the edge of the kitchen, glaring at the floor. "Gives dat scum a better chance of findin' 'er."

Don sighed. "I know, Raph."

"Would this be something you could help with, Don?" Leo asked, as he stared at Raphael in concern.

Don shook his head. "It's too risky to bring the baby down here until her immune system builds up, Leo. The risk of her getting sick is greater down here – and with an under developed immune system I just don't think we'd be equipped to take care of the baby if something were to happen. April said that she's going to talk to Elizabeth about staying with her and Casey while the baby is in the hospital. It doesn't take us long to get there – and that way Elizabeth can be close to the hospital."

Leonardo nodded. "She should be safe there too. What with all the surveillance cameras and alarms you've put in April's place."

"The hospital will also be able to contact her if they need to. April has a landline there which would be safer than having Elizabeth giving them her cell phone."

"Will they be able to track her to April's place though, Don?" Leo asked slightly alarmed by this.

"April's address isn't listed, Leo." Don said but he too frowned. "Of course they might ask her for her address… part of their billing system… " Don continued to mumble to himself, suddenly looking rather upset and disturbed by this.

Leo too was displeased, as were Raph and Mikey from the expressions on their faces. All the brothers knew that if Elizabeth had to give April's address to the hospital and if Graham somehow got a hold of it before Elizabeth returned to the lair – that he would be able to find her.

"I'll put extra security at April's place before Elizabeth goes to stay with her," Don said at last. "Just to be safe. There's no point in having any unnecessary risks."

"Do what you have to do, Don," Leo said nodding. "April won't mind. She wouldn't want anything to happen to Elizabeth anymore than we would."

"I'll have to see what I have in the lab – see what extra securities I can install. She already has the alarm and surveillance cameras, maybe I could come up with something to reinforce the doors and windows too… " Don got up and still mumbling to himself went to his lab.

Leo shot Raph a worried look but Raph wasn't looking at his brothers. He was glaring at the floor with so much fury that one would've thought it had insulted him.

"Raph… "

Raph's eyes snapped to Leo's. Leo knew that Raph could really use an outlet to burn off his frustrations, but while waiting for news from April Raph wasn't going to leave the lair. The worry and stress in his brother's eyes made Leo's chest tighten. He wished he could do something, anything to take some of the weight off his brother's shoulders. But nothing he could do or say would change that. Raph looked away from him after a minute and sat down on the couch, Leo heard him flipping through the channels but knew Raph wasn't looking for something to watch – he was merely trying to cope, and couldn't think of any other way to do it.

It was almost six in the morning before the phone rang again. The brothers were getting nervous, anxious for any news. What was taking so long anyway? This time it was Raph's phone that rang. He jerked it out of his belt and had it to his ear after the first ring. "April? What da shell took ya so long ta… " He suddenly jerked up right, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped a little. "'Lizbeth? What's wrong? What h'ppened?"

Leo's eyes peered over at his brother from the top of the book he'd been trying to read for the last hour, though he'd read the same page for the last ten minutes and hadn't taken in a single word. He closed the book, his eyes narrowing slightly at the distress on his brother's face.

"'Lizbeth, slow down! I can't understand what yer…. " He paused as the sound of hysterical crying could clearly be heard through the speaker. Leo's felt his stomach sink. What had happened? Raph's eyes narrowed and he ground his jaw. "'Lizbeth, I… April? April, what's goin' on? What h'ppened?"

Don emerged from his lab, clearly overhearing his brother's half of the conversation and Mikey too had stopped playing with Klunk and was staring at his brother anxiously.

"What's dat?" Raph asked frowning. "Wait, wait… what does dat… yeah – he's right here. Hang on."

Raph turned as Don approached the couch. "April wants ta talk ta ya, Don."

Don plucked the phone from his brother's fingers. "April? What is it?"

Don listened quietly for several minutes, his jaw bunching and his eyes narrowing. He began to pace back and forth behind the couch. "Are they sure that's what it is?... And the ductus hasn't closed yet?... How serious is this?... Well hopefully those will work... No... No we understand. Did they find anything else?... How long will she… " His frown deepened into a scowl. "I see. Thanks, April."

Don snapped the phone shut and turned back to his impatient brothers. "The doctors finished running their tests on Akemi. She has patent ductus arteriosis."

"Dat's what April said – but Don what da shell does dat mean?"

"It's a heart problem, Raph. It's quite serious. The ductus is an artery that lets the blood bypass the lungs while the baby is in the uterus because it gets its oxygen through the placenta. But when the baby is born the ductus is supposed to close so that the blood flow can get to the lungs and allow the baby to get oxygen. When the ductus doesn't close it can cause heart failure. The doctors did and ultrasound to make sure and they confirmed that the ductus hasn't closed yet."

"What are dey gonna do 'bout it?" Raph asked getting to his feet.

"They are going to give her a drug to try and help the ductus to close – if that doesn't work they'll have to go in and surgically fix it."

"What does this mean for the baby, Don?" Leo asked worriedly.

"It means the baby will have to visit a pediatrician regularly for a while. Not that she wouldn't have had to go in regularly right now anyway being premature and having it be so important for her to get the care she needs. But I don't know really what this means in terms of her staying at the hospital, Leo. I only know what April told me and that's that the doctors are going to give Akemi the pills and see if they help close the ductus so they don't have to operate on her."

"What are the chances of that working?"

"I don't know, Leo." Don said patiently. "April couldn't stay on the phone because Elizabeth isn't handling the news well. She wanted to try and calm her down. She said she'd call back when the doctors told her what they were planning to do. But it won't be for a while."

The stress of the situation settled on the brothers once again, the silence falling between them said more than words could.

Eventually the turtles began to doze off, their long night of stress and anxiety catching up with them. Raph was the only one who stayed away, too tense and nervous to even think about sleeping. Leo had fallen asleep where he was on the couch, legs spread out in front of him, arms crossed over his plastron, head tipped back against the back of the couch. Mikey was asleep on the floor, mumbling on occasion and twitching a little. The noises from Don's lab had also stopped and Raph was pretty sure that his purple banded brother had fallen asleep at his lab table again.

Raph could feel the long night weighing down on him as well, but unlike his brothers he refused to let himself relax. When he felt his eyelids start to get heavy he got up and paced around, his phone clenched in his hand, squeezing it so tightly the casing threatened to crack in his grip. He would pace until he was wide awake, allowing his frustrations at Graham making this so much more complicated fueling him, sparking his anger and giving him the boost he needed to keep his eyes open.

Splinter emerged from his room at long last and spotted his obviously agitated son, and his clearly exhausted other sons.

"Raphael."

Raphael stopped mid step and spun around to face him, his narrowed eyes and tight jaw loosened when he saw Splinter's black eyes on him.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"I would like to speak with you, my son."

Raphael sighed but followed Splinter back into his room. He knelt automatically on the mat opposite his Sensei and kept his eyes locked on the ground, his muscles were trembling with the tension and couldn't help but feel anxious as he clenched his shell cell in his hand even tighter.

Splinter sighed. "Raphael, my son."

Raphael reluctantly lifted his head and stared at Splinter.

"Raphael, I have been watching you and Elizabeth over the last several months. I have watched as your feelings have grown for each other. I feared that this would not be a good bond for either of you. Especially after discovering Elizabeth's pregnancy. I feared that one or both of you would become most aggrieved if this were not to work out, but I have seen a change in you, my son – as your affections for this woman have grown, so have you. You care for her."

It wasn't a question.

"I love 'er, Sensei."

Splinter stared at Raphael for a long moment. "And I have no doubt she has the same affections for you, my son. But I have also heard of the baby's current predicament, having felt your brothers' fears and unease with the news that the child struggles as it clings to this life. And I have also felt an unease in Elizabeth's spirit. The baby will not be strong enough to return to the sewers with Elizabeth. Not until it is much stronger."

"Hai, Sensei," Raphael said softly.

"Raphael, Elizabeth is in danger from the man she has married as long as she is topside. Even if she accepts the invitation to stay with our friends. There will always be the danger that she could be found by her enemies."

Raphael's eyes dropped to his knees, glaring at them.

"I also feel like this is something in which we have no options but to accept that which fate has dealt us. I know if she stays with our friends that you will be visiting her often, Raphael. But, my son, do not forget your responsibilities you have with your family as well."

Raphael bowed slightly. "Hai, Sensei."

"Raph… Raph… "

Raphael growled and swung at his brother with one hand. He was tired and was getting irritated as Leo shook his arm.

His brother avoided the blow and shook his arm again. "Raph, wake up. Come on, bro. Elizabeth's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

Raphael's eyes snapped open. Elizabeth had called again? Leonardo smirked and handed his brother his shell cell. Raph sat up stiffly, his back hurting from the position he'd fallen asleep in. "'Lizbeth?"

"Raph."

Elizabeth sounded so much calmer, so much more like herself. In fact she sounded much happier than she had since the last time she'd called.

"Raph, Akemi is going to be ok. The doctors said she… the pills are working."

Raph felt his mouth curling up in a smile. "Dat's great, 'Lizbeth."

"April said that I could stay with her and Casey until Akemi would be healthy enough to come home. I… Raph, she's so beautiful. I can't give her up."

Raph chuckled. "I can't wait ta see 'er."

"Dr. Beckstrom said if things look ok she can leave next week."

"What 'bout you? Do ya know when ya can leave?"

"In a couple days if everything still looks ok. Can you grab some of my clothes and take it to April's for me?"

"Yeah, sure. How long do ya tink it'll take fer ya an' Akemi ta come back?"

"It'll probably be a few weeks, Raph. They said she's more prone to getting sick since her immune system is immature. But hopefully it won't be too long."

"We'll take da crib an' stuff ta April's too. Dat way it's der an' ya got it til yer both ready ta come 'ome."

"Ok, thank you, Raph. Will you be at April's? Will I see you when I can leave?"

Raph smirked again. "Yeah I'll be der. I'll be waitin' fer ya."

"It'll give me something to look forward to."

Raph could hear the smile in her voice. "I'll see ya in a couple days, den."

"Ok, Raph. I love you."

"I love ya too."

Elizabeth disconnected the line. Raph pulled the phone away from his ear reluctantly and rubbed a hand over his face. He got slowly to his feet and went to find his brothers. They had work to do.

Kaydee Walker could feel the sweat on her palms as she headed to the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator's office. In her thirty plus years of practicing medicine she had never been so nervous to go and talk to the Dean of Medicine before, but this was different. This was a delicate situation.

She knocked and was told to enter. She had to try a couple times to twist the knob, her sweaty palms made it almost impossible to grip the handle properly. Finally she wiped her hand on her pants and was able to grip the handle. She pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

Dean Phillips was sitting at his desk, reading over some papers, frowning, his black hair had small shocks of gray mixed in with it. His gray eyes were narrowed, cold, calculating, his strong jaw clenched, a few wrinkles had formed across his proud brow. He glanced up as she approached his desk.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Phillips, but I felt like this couldn't wait any longer."

Dean Phillips put down the paper he was reading and tented his fingers, peering at Kaydee over the top of them. "And what would that be?"

"Mr. Phillips, the donation that Mr. Cooper gave us a couple weeks ago in exchange for informing him if his wife showed up… "

Dean's eyebrows rose and his lips pursed. "Has she been admitted?"

"Yes, sir, last night. She fits Mr. Cooper's description of her exactly. But she's given us a false name, apparently she doesn't want us to know who she really is."

Dean frowned. "What name is she using?"

"Elizabeth Hamato. She claims to be here with her cousin and her cousin's husband. They brought her in after her water broke."

"She's had a baby?"

"Yes, sir."

"I will contact Mr. Cooper – no doubt he will want to make sure it really is his wife. Thank you for informing me, Miss… ?"

"Walker, sir."

"Miss Walker." Dean Phillips returned to his paper, the conversation clearly over.

Kaydee ran a hand through her own gray hair and then down her round belly. She could tell that Dean Phillips had nothing more to discuss with her as far as he was concerned on this subject. She had done her job and he would take it from here. She turned and walked out of the office.

Dean Phillips looked up as the door closed then set down the papers he'd been reading again and picked up his phone, dialing a number and cradling the phone to his ear while he waited for the other end to be picked up.

"Cooper Enterprises."

"Graham Cooper, please. This is Dean Phillips, Dean of Medicine at Mercy General. It's important."

"Please hold."

Dean Phillips waited impatiently for almost five minutes before the line picked up and the same bored voice answered again.

"Mr. Cooper is unavailable right now. May I have a number for him to call you back?"

"No. This is regarding his wife. I'd prefer to speak to him as soon as I can."

The girl's voice suddenly sounded panicked. "Hold again for a minute please."

Dean Phillips frowned but waited, less than thirty seconds later the line picked up.

"This had better be important!" A gruff voice barked, with more anger than necessary into Dean's ear. He flinched and pulled the phone away for a minute before returning it and swallowing hard, his throat suddenly very dry.

"Graham Cooper?"

"Obviously."

"Dean Phillips, Dean of Medicine at Mercy General. I have information about your wife Elizabeth."

He could tell at once that he had the man's full attention.

"What about her?"

"She has been admitted."

"Is she injured?"

"No. She was pregnant." Dean Phillips turned to his computer and began searching through the hospital records, quickly finding Elizabeth's record and staring at the information there. "Looks like she had a baby girl around 2:00 this morning."

"Are you sure it's her?"

"She has given us a false name but she fits the description you've given us."

"I will send one of my men to check. If it is indeed Elizabeth I will send you a check in the morning."

The line clicked as the other man hung up.

Dean Phillips frowned as he hung up his phone. For some reason he suddenly felt dirty. Something felt wrong here, though he wasn't sure what it was. Why would Elizabeth give the hospital a fake name? Unless the baby wasn't Cooper's baby. But even still something felt wrong. Dean Phillips promised to check up on Mrs. Cooper after she was returned home to her husband. Satisfied with this he returned to his stack of paper work.