Together As Mutants (Book Six)

CXX. Labour & Birth - Destiny

"Take it easy, Des. I don't want you to strain yourself," Leonardo says as Destiny moves around as quickly as she can.

"Everything needs to be ready! Is the baby crib set up? Do we have diapers?" she asks, wincing a little as she ignores her husband's pleas for her to slow down.

Donatello nudges his confused brother, jerking his head subtly towards Destiny. "She's nesting."

"Is that a freaking raven pun?" Destiny snaps, spinning to face the turtles, having heard them despite being a solid seven feet away from them.

"No no no," Donnie says hurriedly, watching as she turns back to her work. He leans over to whisper to Leo, "Her water broke this morning, remember? She's distracting herself from the start of labour. The baby should be coming soon."

"Then why are you not preparing?" the blue-masked turtle demands.

"Oh..." His taller brother chuckles. "Right."

He rushes off, calling out to Sarina to get the epidural needles needed. Leo moves to Destiny's side, wrapping his arms around her and securely stopping her from moving anymore.

"Please slow down. I know it's soon, but I don't want you to go hurt yourself," he says, his tone soothing to her ears.

Destiny takes a few deep breaths, her hand resting on her protruding stomach. Taylor and Annalise, who had been resting on the couch watching TV, look to their friend and older sister. She does look like she's about to pop.

"Okay...I'll sit down." Destiny winces.

Before she can settle, a particularly strong contraction makes her bark in pain, instantly grabbing hold of her husband's bicep.

"Leo...Leo, they're getting closer," she gasps, her ears flattening.

"Oh no. DONNIE! DONNIE!" Leo shouts. He swivels to his beloved wife with a tiny smile. "Just hold on."

Raphael and Michelangelo rush in from the dojo upon hearing their brother's shouts, followed closely behind by Splinter. Sarina and Donatello leave their lab, noticing Destiny's obvious discomfort.

"She said they're getting closer," Leo says, his usually calm persona wracked with anxiety.

"Because she's going to give birth soon," Donnie explains calmly as Sarina moves to Destiny's side.

"Mikey, Raph, you don't want to see this," the cyborg warns, leading the wolf-raven into the laboratory.

"Come. We must let them have their privacy," Splinter says, ushering his remaining two sons back to their wives.

Leo follows Sarina and Donnie, sticking by Destiny's side as she settles onto the bed they set up in their lab for just this occasion. Destiny whimpers again as she gets another contraction. Leo moves to her side and she grabs his hand without another thought, her breaths quick.

"It's okay, baby. You've got this. I'm right here," he murmurs, running his hand over her wolf ears and hair.

"Don't leave. Please?" she pleads, her green eyes wide.

"I'm gonna stay right here." He kisses her forehead.

"Sarina, I'll need your help," Donnie says.

"That's what I'm here for," she replies. "I downloaded everything there is to know about giving an epidural should the need arise."

"What's an epidural?" Leo questions, still grasping his wife's hand as she tries to calm her breathing.

"It's epidural anesthetic, used especially in childbirth to produce loss of sensation below the waist," she explains. "Should the pain be too great for her to deal with, I'll insert a needle into her spinal chord in order to numb some of the pain."

Both their eyes widen. Destiny shakes her head rapidly.

"No, don't put any needles in my spine," she says.

"Angel, won't that be really-" Leo starts.

"Women had kids like this for thousands of years before modern medicine," she interrupts. She squeaks as her eyes slam shut. "I'll be fine."

"There are other ways to cope with the pain," Donnie pipes up. "Leo, try leading her in some meditation and breathing exercises to take her mind off the pain."

Leo nods, murmuring to Destiny under his breath as they do breathing techniques together as the contractions get stronger. The wait continues, with Donnie and Sarina checking every now and then for how much she's dilated. Almost two hours later, Donnie declares that it's time to push.

Destiny pushes, and a strangled noise comes out of her. Leo yelps as she squeezes his hand tightly, screwing one eye shut as he keeps walking her through the breathing.

"Push! Come on," Sarina urges.

She pushes again, tears starting to stream down her face. Leo doesn't try to get his hand away from her, despite starting to lose feeling in his fingers. From outside, the commotion only make everyone more nervous.

"Keep going, Des. You've got this," Donnie coaxes.

She keeps going, focusing on her breathing and trying to keep her noises down. A white hot pain lurches between her legs and she nearly howls out in agony.

"One more big push! We can see the head," Sarina announces.

With one final cry, it's over, and Destiny lets her head fall back against the pillows. She pants heavily, her chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath. A sheen of sweat covers her forehead and she releases Leo's hand, allowing him to regain feeling in his fingers. The soft cries of the newborn fill the lab.

"It's a boy," Donnie says, touching Destiny's shoulder gently. "Congratulations."

"A boy?" Leo repeats, trying to see past where Sarina is cleaning the newborn up.

The cyborg turns, holding the little bundle carefully as she wraps him in a fluffy blue blanket. Leo can see little wolf ears peek out from the folds as the baby cries softly. The cyborg looks down at him with a rather obvious look of longing, yet she hides it swiftly as her eyes flash.

"I want to see him," Destiny says, her voice exhausted but her eyes seeming to shimmer with a deep sense of accomplishment.

Leo sits down beside her as Sarina hands her the bundle, and the two parents gaze down at their son lovingly. He has wolf ears peeking out from the few strands of brown, almost black hair, and behind the blanket is a tail and a tiny pair of raven wings. He makes little noises, waving his little hands around until he grabs Leo's finger. He opens his eyes, revealing them to be his dad's sapphire blue, although they're slitted in the pupil and wolffish like his mom's.

"Perfect," Destiny whispers, her heart overflowing with adoration for the little boy.

"What's his name?" Donnie asks, unable to stop smiling.

Leo looks up at his brother. "Hamato Dean. Dean Ryan Hamato."

He looks back down at his beautiful wife and son. She smiles back at him, and despite the exhaustion in her face, her smile still glints with its usual verve. He laughs softly.

"I love you," he murmurs, giving her a gentle kiss before leaning down and giving an equally gentle one to his son's velvety forehead.