Author's Acknowledgment:
I want to take a quick moment and thank a few individuals for their tireless help in making this ongoing revision possible. Each of them has been an important part of my team, helping me with my revisions and offering suggestions. First, Velocity3127, for your time and the great suggestions you have offered, thank you. Second, thecrazystorywriter14, for your proofreading and support, you are a true master. Third, WanderlustandFreedom, you have been there for me the longest. You have helped me in so many ways since the beginning. I want to thank you most of all for your honesty and guidance. I feel I have taken a few steps closer to becoming a better writer, due to your help and wish you the best in your own future writings.
Chapter One
As a pair of elevator doors slowly slid open, the figure of a slim grey doe bunny suddenly became visible. Dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a white blouse, she slowly looked up, as a sense of uneasiness filled deep in her. As she stepped cautiously along the sunlit hallway, faltering while taking in the familiar surroundings she came to a stop. The doe, pressing a firm paw along one of the hallway's glass windows she steadied herself as she looked along the city skyline. Closing her eyes, breathing in deeply and exhaling, her emotions, plaguing her as of late, started to manifest again. "I should have asked him to come with me. What if we were wrong to do this? Is this truly the right thing for us?"
The doe, releasing her paw from the window, placing it on her flat stomach, she opened her eyes gently. Her eyes filling with tears, she felt as if she was on the verge of collapse. "Just breathe. You can do this; focus on something else," She told herself desperately as a few tears fell lightly on her face. The doe wiped her eyes as she now focused on a single solitary white door along the far end of the sun-filled hallway. "That's it, breathe."
Slowly, taking a few steps forward, Judy glanced along the room's seemingly calming grey-blue walls. She began to focus on a line of small, framed photographs that were spaced along its textured surface. A mixture of low sunlit forests clearings and ocean backdrops, each one hung nearly perfectly level to her. Feeling her feet came to a sudden stop, she rested her eyes on a small photograph of a forest clearing. Gazing into the photo's depths, feeling her heart rate hasten, she felt an uneasiness fall over her. There, peering from within the depths along the forest's trees, a dark, sinister figure appeared to gaze back at her. Judy, pressing her eyelids firmly closed and reopening them she focused on the trees in the photograph, examining the small clearing. "But…it was right…?" She said to herself, examining right where, only seconds before, she had seen the figure standing within the trees.
Feeling as if she was somehow becoming trapped, struggling to breathe properly, she hastened her pace along the remaining length of the hallway. As she passed by the last of photographs, Judy looked over her shoulder, catching sight of the forest photograph, one last time. Turning back as she approached the white door, she took a deep breath as she came to sudden stop. Grasping the door's handle firmly in one of her paws, she opened the door and stepped quickly inside. Shutting the door behind her, she pressed her back firmly against it.
Her nose twitching nervously to the sudden strong aroma of antiseptic lingering in the air, she felt a shiver run along her face and paws. Feeling the room's cold temperature on her fur, she began to slowly wrap her front paws around herself, rubbing them on her shoulders and arms. Judy, stepping away from the door, her ears flat along her back, a sense of anxiety rose within her. Taking a second to steady herself, she moved carefully toward a rather small glass window partition, along the rooms left side wall. Looking through the window partition, she slowly uttered in a soft voice, "Hi…ah, I have a nine o'clock appointment with Dr. Maneburg. Last name Wilde."
A short, black middle-aged ewe, wearing a pink nurse's smock, glanced up at her before turning toward an appointment sheet next to her. Turning back to her, the ewe, noticing Judy's nervousness immediately, returned a warm smile through the partition. "Good morning Mrs. Wilde, if you'll please have a seat, I'll go tell Dr. Maneburg that you are here." The ewe continued to smile back at Judy as she picked up and removing a small yellow medical folder from a file holder. The ewe, rising from her seat, she crossed along the small reception office and out through an open doorway.
Judy, turning away from the window, slowly exhaled as she now gazed along the empty waiting area. Lowering herself gingerly on one of the rooms padded chairs nearest to her, she nervously began rubbing her right arm. Closing her eyes, for what seemed only minutes, Judy felt a slight calming sensation slowly start to engross her. She felt, for the first time since waking that morning, at peace, sitting in the early morning sunlight and bathing her soft exposed fur. At peace, that is, before suddenly being awoken by the sound of, "Mrs. Wilde?" Judy, quickly opening her eyes, startled, noticed the nurse directly in front of her. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Wilde…" She spoke, jumping in shock. "Dr. Maneburg is ready for you now; would you follow me, please?"
Judy, rising slowly from her chair, she moved toward the ewe as the nurse moved to one side, holding the door open. The ewe carefully extended a caring cloven paw toward her, Judy passed, without a word, through the doorway. Her head lowered, Judy entered the first open examination room she came to, a few steps ahead of the nurse, Quickly seeing this action, the ewe reached out and placed her cloven paw on Judy's shoulder. She said, "Oh no, Mrs. Wilde…" The ewe moved around to face Judy. "Dr. Maneburg informed me that he wished to go over your results personally in his office. If you follow me this way, I will take you there." The ewe gave Judy another warm smile and motioned her out of the room, down a short hallway.
Both females, turning along a corner in the hallway suddenly came to a stop, approaching a large, closed wooden door. Judy, noticing at once two neatly polished brass label inscriptions on it she read the first inscription, "Dr. Gregory Maneburg" followed by the second, "Obstetrician". The ewe, bestowing a few gentle knocks on the door before turning the handle, she pushed the door open. Judy entered nervously, close behind the ewe as she said. "Greg, I have Mrs. Wilde here to see you."
Sitting comfortably behind a large oak desk, dressed in a simple grey suit, Dr. Gregory Maneburg, a Savannah lion, raised his eyes towards the short ewe as she entered. He smiled happily, setting a few sheets of paper down in front of himself as he watched Judy enter the office. Rising to greet her, he spoke in a welcoming tone, "Good morning Mrs. Wilde." Tilting his head slightly he turned his attention back to the black ewe. "Thank you, Sarah, you can leave us now." Sarah, still smiling as she backed away, reached out for Judy's trembling paws as she exited, gently patting them, before closing the door behind her.
"Please…" Dr. Maneburg spoke again, still smiling broadly back at Judy in a caring tone, as he motioned her to a set of cushion chairs in front of his desk. "…it's perfectly alright." Judy walked slowly toward one of the chairs and quietly took a seat, struggling to look fully up at Dr. Maneburg. He noticed her body language and wished not to cause her greater anxiety as he cleared his throat slightly, lowering himself back down into his chair. "How have you been feeling this past week, since we were last together? You look well."
Judy, looking Dr. Maneburg in his eyes, felt a warm sense of harmony come over her with those words as she thought back on the past few days. Letting out a snigger, she thought, "You wouldn't say that if you saw me only two days ago."
"Hup, buumg, bleegh!"
"Judy?" Nick's voice called out as the sound of heavy retching began to echo from the bedroom's bathroom. His heart racing as he entered their bathroom, he found Judy lying on the floor next to the toilet, her face now wet with sweat. He lowered himself gently next to her as he wrapped an arm around her, embracing her.
"I can't do…" Judy faltered with her words, feeling her stomach turn once again. "I feel horrible, Nick."
"It's okay Carrots, I'm right her," Nick replied, rubbing his cheek softly against hers. The two of them continued to sit there, on the cold bathroom floor, for a few minutes, not saying a word. "I'll call Bogo in a few minutes, and tell him you won't be coming in again."
Dr. Maneburg, removing a pair of reading glasses, continued to watch Judy as she sat quietly in the chair in front of him. "Judy?" he spoke softly to her. "Is everything alright?"
"What?" Judy spoke, her mind returning to the present.
"I said is everything alright?" Dr. Maneburg repeated, a look of concern showing through his thick mane.
"Oh…yes… well, I've still been having those stomach pains, which I described the last time. During the past few mornings, I've been throwing up, and my legs seem to b-be getting s-sorer more often and…" She began to cry out loud, raising both paws to her face as she was unable to hold back her tears. Maneburg, rising quickly from his chair and moving toward Judy, knelt next to her.
"Mrs. Wilde…Judy…please, it's quite all right. I didn't mean to upset you. I know how scared you must be right now, but I can assure you, you have nothing to be worried about." He wiped her cheek with his paw finger as he looked at her. "If there is one thing I know about you, it's how strong you are. You and your husband are two of the finest mammals I've ever been acquainted with."
Looking away nervously, Judy, her grey cheeks blushing from his words, drew a sudden short breath. "Thank you, for saying that, Dr. Maneburg. It means a lot coming from you." Judy turned back to him.
He smiled back at her and rose back up to his feet, taking a few steps back along his desk. "When the two of you asked me if there was the slightest chance of starting a family, I said anything was possible. There have been many cases of predator and prey hybrids before the two of you." He leaned against the desk and continued speaking. "I remember reading about one such case during my internship, thinking back on it when I was younger. The couple was a female savannah cat and male rabbit. Despite all the odds and persecution by their fellow mammals, the couple produced two fully healthy kittens." Dr. Maneburg turned around and reached behind him, grabbing ahold of the medical file that Sarah had brought him. He opened it and turned back at Judy as he placed his glasses back on. "We have the results of your blood work we sent out, from your last visit with us." Judy, nervously eyeing the medical file, took a short breath as both of her ears rose in anticipation. "The results definitively conclude what we suspected already based on your preliminary signs and symptoms. Your LH levels are shown to be slightly elevated…" Dr. Maneburg cleared his throat again, as he continued to read. "…and your progesterone productions are currently twice the normal levels." He finished reading and looked at Judy with a large smile on his face. "Based on all your levels I am reading here, I am happy to tell you, that you are indeed pregnant Mrs. Wilde."
Judy, her eyes suddenly alive with this sudden news, could do nothing but stare back at the doctor. "I'm pregnant…I really am pregnant," Judy kept telling herself repeatedly in her head, unable to believe it. Nearly two years after Judy and Nick's marriage, their dreams were soon to come true. Suddenly jumping out of her chair, she wrapped her arms around Dr. Maneburg's thick mane, crying.
Dr. Maneburg, laughing happily, returned Judy's hug as he began accepting her thanks. "Now, Judy, we need to discuss a few things." Dr. Maneburg spoke slowly, letting go and lowering her gently back to the floor. "This is not going to be a normal bunny pregnancy for you. Due to the fact that your husband's species differs from your own, there will be alterations. The length of your pregnancy for one will be increased by a few weeks. The biggest part for you will be maintaining your nutritional intake." He walked around to the other side of his desk and lowered himself into his chair. "One thing I would suggest from you is to add alfalfa more to your diet and increasing your water intake. Doe's like yourself, whose bodies develop nutritional deficiencies, can cause a miscarriage or, worse, reabsorb the fetuses. Now, changing your diet is the easy part." Dr. Maneburg looked at her. "During your pregnancy, due to your husband's species, you may at times have some predatory food cravings."
Twenty minutes later, listening carefully to Dr. Maneburg's words, Judy rushed toward him one last time. Hugging Dr. Maneburg who was still seated in his chair, her heart raced as she turned and hurried out the room. Judy, coming to a stop just before the waiting area door, she waited patiently as she made her next follow-up appointment with Sarah. The black ewe printed Judy a confirmation sheet for her next appointment, then went to retrieve something in the next room. "Now, Mrs. Wilde, Dr. Maneburg wanted me to make sure you get one of his cards," Sarah spoke, returning and handing Judy a business card before retrieving the sheet from the printer. "If for any reason you feel something is going wrong or you have any questions about anything, you are to give the doctor a call directly. Both his office and personal numbers are on that card I gave you, right here." She pointed down to the card as she handed Judy her appointment printout.
Judy, waving goodbye to Sarah minutes later, stepped out into the waiting room and out into the hallway. Happy emotions started to flood through her as she made her way along the hallway towards the elevator. She reached into her purse and removed her phone as the elevator doors opened. Quickly tapping on its screen, she raised it to her ear. "Hey, mom… nothing is wrong, I just wanted …" Judy began to speak as the doors closed behind her.
A short time later, Judy, returning back at her and Nick's apartment, Nick's voice called, "Carrots…is that you?" The sound of the front door closing echoed. "Did everything go alright with your appointment?" Inside their tiny kitchen, dressed only in a police t-shirt and checkered boxers, Nick leaned against the countertop, next to the sink. A small bowl filled with his favorite fruity flavored bug cereal in one of his paws, he took a bite from his spoon. Savoring the sweet flavor of the cereal, Nick turned his head now toward the living room. "Carwots?" His mouth full of cereal, he called out once again to an eerie silence. Nick, swallowing as he lowered the bowl down on the counter, his ears rose over his head. A feeling of uneasiness building within him, he moved toward the kitchen's opening, peering into the living room. There, standing alone, feet from the front door, he saw Judy. Judy, standing there, not saying a word, grasped the back of one of the room's armchairs. "Carrots? What's wrong…is everything alright?" Nick, still feeling a sense of uneasiness, walked quickly up to her, grabbing her paws in his. "Judy?"
"Yeah…Nick." Taking a deep breath, Judy tried desperately to steady herself. "I'm fine. I…I was thinking how to…" Rising on the tips of her feet, she brought her head to rest on Nick's chest. She felt his heart beat against her, listening to his lungs fill with air. Lowering herself back down, only to raise herself back on the tips of her feet to kiss Nick along his left cheek, she gazed into his eyes. "I…that is, we, love you so much." Nick, his ears lowering fast along his head, felt a strange feeling manifest deep at the base of his stomach.
Hearing the sudden change to the word "We", Judy had just spoken, Nick repeated it in a low shaking voice. He gauged the now happy look Judy was giving him. "Judy, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Yes, dad…I hope you are because we love you so much right now." Judy's face became teary-eyed almost immediately. She gazed at Nick, continuing to smile back at him as she flashed a look toward her stomach then back. "We're pregnant Nick."
"Pregnant…dad…" Nick started to shout. "I'm going to be a dad!" Looking at Judy, prouder than any mammal alive, he lifted her in his arms. The two of them, locked in a loving embrace, collapsed right there on the floor, neither one wished to let go of the other.
A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please take a moment and leave a quick comment and let me know your thoughts.