New Hope for the Future

Part 20

In the days following the birth, Donatello was glad to have his body back to himself, and he was getting used to not feeling the twins moving around inside him anymore. He was still on bed rest because of how sore he was. It was going to take some time before Don would be able to function like he had.

His family was more than happy to take care of the twins when he needed rest. After all, he had put in nine months of nonstop care for them all on his own. Now it was their turns to help the new father turtle out.

Donatello took turns feeding Gaia and Sebastian throughout the day. He could only feed one at a time. The family couldn't get enough of how cute these little turtles were, and liked to compete over whose turn it was to hold them.
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It had been three weeks. Now that the good weather was back, Don wanted to be able to move freely without disturbance. Jane said he could start moving about slowly, so he wouldn't develop blood clots in his legs.

Now that things were more under control, Jane figured it was time for her to depart. She had to get back to work. The others should be able to handle things by now. If they had questions, they were welcome to call her.

After Don had a month of recovery under his belt, they all traveled back to New York. April went back to her apartment, and the turtles returned to the lair. Everyone was happy to be home again.
Leo, Mike, and Raph all hauled in the heavy stuff. Don was still recovering from surgery, and only lifted lighter, smaller items. He still couldn't bend his healing midsection.

Splinter's old room was now the nursery. Splinter went to his new room to settle down after the long trip. It still seemed like it was a dream, but his grandchildren were finally here. He was completely happy for his son. Donatello had done a remarkable job during his pregnancy to bring the two little miracles into the world.

Donatello was happy to finally see Gaia and Sebastian settled into their own room in the lair, once the cradles had been brought in.

The others were glad to see them in there too. They were so peaceful as they slept. They all went on to finish unpacking, very quietly. They wanted the twins to feel comfortable in their new home.
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In the days that followed, Don's brothers returned to patrolling the city while Don was still at home recovering. Jane recommended at least 16 weeks of rest following the surgery before he could return to training and patrols. For now, Don was glad to be home taking care of his babies.

In June, Irma and Howie returned to New York for their wedding. They both finally got to meet Sebastian and Gaia.

"Aw! They are so cute, Donatello," Irma said.

Don smiled. "Thanks, Irma," he replied happily.

"How old are they now?" Howie asked as he was holding Gaia.

"Five weeks," Don answered.

Irma looked for any signs that Don had been pregnant. He had lost a lot of weight since having the twins. His stomach had been so big when she had first moved away. Now, he looked nearly back to normal. There were stretch marks on his sides, as well as the surgery scar on his front, but other than that, he was fine.

After meeting the twins, Howie and Irma introduced the turtles and April to the priest that was going to oversee the ceremony. He had been told about the turtles and would keep their secret. He even saw the twins and was in awe of them, thinking they were adorable as well.

The wedding was going to be in a church. It was just a small, private wedding with their closest friends.

April had a nice dress that she was going to wear, as she was going to be Irma's Maid of Honor. Jane was coming too. And, with the proper measurements, Gaia would be wearing a dress as well.