Together As Mutants (Book Six)

CXXI. Labour & Birth - Taylor

Taylor sits and waits impatiently while Raphael rearranges the baby crib for the hundredth time. She knows that the baby is due any day now, and because of this Donatello has also had the lab prepared for a week or two already.

Dean, who is now two months old, has been keeping Leonardo and Destiny busy, so they haven't been much help with preparation. No one in the lair minds, however.

"Do you think this is good?" Raph asks, nudging the crib a little to the left.

"For the hundredth time, YES!" Taylor snaps.

He raises an eye-ridge. "Mood swings much?"

"Well excuse me for being pregnant!" she huffs.

He holds his hands up defensively, leaving the crib alone. Just as she lets out a long sigh, she feels a warm gush of liquid between her legs. Raph notices this at the same time she does, wasting no time in scooping her up and getting her to the lab.

"DONNIE! DONATELLO!" he hollers.

The purple-masked turtle looks up from his work, looking rather annoyed with his brother's volume.

"Calm down, Raph. You don't want to stress her out," Donnie warns, crossing his arms as he gets to his feet. "Let me guess, her water broke?"

"No, I thought it'd be fun to run in here screaming your name for no reason!"

"Guys? Going into labour here," Taylor grumbles.

"Right." Raph smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, babe."

He sets her down on the bed, seating himself next to her. Sarina comes in, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she moves to Donnie's side.

"Midwife's here," she says. "How far along is she?"

"She just started. It's going to be a while," her husband responds.

"What's with all the chatter? I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY!" Taylor yells.

"Both of you need to calm down," Sarina says, her tone holding an edge to it. "Honestly, childbirth is nothing to scream over...at least until the contractions start."

She flashes a smile at Taylor as Raph points.

"Define 'a while'," he says.

"Sit tight, brother of mine," Donnie says with an almost smug look. "It's going to be a long wait."

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"IT'S BEEN HOURS!"

"Yes, labour usually lasts an hour or two at least. Some unluckier women remain in labour for two days," Sarina comments.

Taylor groans as she presses her head against the pillows. "I feel like I'm about to lay an egg."

"It's possible, considering turtles are hatched from eggs. Not sure how a turtle-human hybrid will work though," Donnie comments.

"You two are impossible sometimes," Raph snorts.

Taylor just mutters an indistinguishable cuss word and sinks further into the cushy mass behind her head, trying to control her breathing.

Again, while they wait for her to become fully dilated, they talk her through the motions and keep her relaxed. Raph has to pause to take a few deep breaths every now and then, the idea of what her body is going through terrifying him. She whimpers, squeezing Raph's hand whenever there's a particularly painful contraction.

"Just say epidural if you want one, okay?" Sarina reminds her. "It will take away most of the pain, allowing you to feel just the pressure of childbirth."

"Okay, I think you need to push," Donnie adds, eyes widening.

"Think or know?" Taylor demands through gritted teeth.

"Know. Push!"

She pushes, nearly ripping Raph's hand off when the pain hits her.

"Ow! Shell..." he cusses.

Sarina keeps coaxing her gently, as does Donnie. She keeps pushing, guttural yells leaving her as tears stream down her face. She still doesn't call for an epidural. At one point, Raph notices what's going on down there and covers his mouth, a retching sound leaving him.

"I'm gonna pass out," he groans.

"Don't. You. Dare," Taylor pants.

"One more push! You've got this!" Sarina urges.

With a final scream, the baby is born, and the ex-gang member collapses against the bed with a proud—and tired—smile lighting up her face. Raph lets out a relieved breath, his eyes widening when he hears the cries of the newborn.

"It's a girl," Donnie announces, looking towards his brother. "Raph, you've got a little girl."

"A girl..." he whispers, his heart rate picking up.

Destiny picks up the baby, washing her off and wrapping her in a soft pink blanket. She hands her to Taylor, and they get a good look at their daughter. She's a turtle, that's the most obvious thing. Thin black hair covers the top of her head, although both parents can guess that it'll get thicker. She cries softly as she reaches her hands out to her parents.

Raph kneels down, and her tiny three-fingered hands touch his face. Her eyes open, showing them to be her mother's pretty hazel colour. He smiles, his eyes burning with love. Taylor reflects the same expression.

"Wow..." he whispers, running his hand along her tiny head gently.

"What's her name?" Sarina asks.

"Copeland Shen Hamato," Taylor answers proudly, and the little turtle coos in response.

"Hamato Copeland," Raph repeats, as if just saying the name is helping him understand that he really is a father now. He leans down and kisses Taylor's forehead. "I love you," he murmurs.

She smirks as she wiggles her nose. "I love you too, Raphie."