Chapter 2:

Half an hour later...

"Do we really need to come here?"

"Yes. But you can blame Tigress, not me." Nuwa groaned, folding her arms as she glanced around the room; she and Tai Lung were sitting in Shang's office/examination room. Different posters were loitering the walls, jars upon jars of medical ingredients, freshly made medicines, and several instruments. "Don't be like that. He's just going to give us something to help with nausea, and probably scold you for not eating enough or staying hydrated."

Doctor Shang had been in the room with them only moments ago. He ran some tests and said he would be back in a few minutes.

"For the record, I have been drinking plenty of water, thank you very much." She stuck her tongue out playfully at him. But Tai Lung was prepared; he asked her when the last time she ate was, and he successfully caught her out. "Breakfast..."

"That was at sunrise!" It was now past noon.

"I just didn't want to eat..."

He sighed. "Did you even stomach your breakfast?" Her mouth opened to reply, but she only closed it again. "Nuwa!" She just shrugged as he stood in front of her, paws on his hips. "This is serious."

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry... I just..." she sighed as her head fell into her paws. "I didn't feel right. I'm okay now, honestly. But I just couldn't bring myself to eat when I feel sick. I've always been like that..."

Tai Lung watched her for a moment before his eyes softened, and he sat down beside her. As soon as she felt him close beside her, she peeled her face away from her palms and rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm just worried about you..." It was his fault that she was feeling this way.

Nuwa looked up at him, with her chin propped on his shoulder. "I can't blame you all the same... you're just being a good husband..."

Before he could say anything back, the doors opened, and Shang stepped inside. "Hey, how are we feeling now?" He smiled at Nuwa when she turned to look at him.

"Good! Just need to eat something..." Nuwa finally admitted, which Tai Lung rolled his eyes at her. "So, I'm ready for a scolding."

Shang laughed, but it was abrupt. "Well, yes! You shouldn't be going prolonged periods not eating..." Shang leaned in slightly. "But I want to ask you some questions before I send you off. Is that alright?" Nuwa nodded happily. "Perfect. I just want to confirm that there isn't any other reason that could be causing you to feel this way?"

"Huh?" Both snow leopards spoke in unison. Shang nodded.

"You heard me." He then repeated the question.

"Not that I can think of..." Nuwa shook her head, while Tai Lung pulled a weird face at him. "What are you insinuating?"

Shang chuckled. "Nothing life-threatening, don't worry." He paused to look at the chart.

"I sure hope it isn't!" Nuwa laughed. "I just ate something bad, and I've been feeling weird since."

"That part was my fault," Tai Lung admitted, to which Shang only shook his head while grinning.

"Well, all I can really tell you to avoid fainting is to eat more frequently, even when you don't feel like it, and get plenty of rest... but I insist on asking." He smiled at Nuwa as he leaned forward and patted her paw affectionately. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"

Tai Lung felt his heart drop, but before his mouth could make a sound, Nuwa laughed hard. "No way!" She waved a paw to emphasize her statement. "Shang, I can't have children. What could possibly make you think I am?"

"Well from the symptoms you've been feeling as of late; not only the fatigue and fainting, or nausea in the morning. Of course, other factors would play a part... you mentioned that you haven't had your period yet. Lateness due to stress may be the cause, but so far I can point it at either food poisoning or that you're currently with child." Nuwa was staring at him, shaking her head in disbelief. Shang sat the chart on his desk, before looking back at them. "I hope this isn't too invasive, but you were previously married, correct?" She nodded slowly. "And if you didn't have children from that relationship... is there a chance that your late husband was the one who couldn't have children?"

"No, I..." she paused, paws over her mouth. "There are a few women in my family who never had children." Her paws moved down from her mouth, hovering above her chest in a twisted praying gesture. "Their bodies functioned 'normally' I suppose... but children were never on the cards for them. One of my aunts always said that it was because of some... I don't know, curse? Some bad voodoo placed upon the family..."

Tai Lung heard this all before and hearing the pain woven between her words always tore his heart a little. It was clear that Nuwa was always very maternal. Sapphire had told him and Tigress of how she fostered and took care of three of her nieces and nephews when her brother grew ill, and her sister-in-law had to look after him. She also took in orphans temporarily when authorities were tracking down their extended families. And of course, she adopted Sapphire and Jun, when they had no hope of ever finding a forever home when they were teenagers.

Since moving to the Valley of Peace, she housed several of the young juveniles that arrived here, seeking help... with Guang being one of them, while they were waiting for sponsors. Nuwa had a roof over their heads, food in their bellies, and clothes on their backs. Tai Lung wanted nothing more than to help her... but it was a topic of conversation they had to discuss before they got married. You see, Tai Lung wasn't sure if he would ever be ready to have another child, but knowing Nuwa's backstory, he figured it wasn't something to worry about. Besides, Nuwa insisted she was happy with the family that brought them together...

What if that was all about to change?

"Was this ever confirmed by a professional?" Shang was listening intently but made sure to write down some notes. Nuwa shook her head, which he hummed into his next sentence. "Okay, okay... right, I'm not confirming anything just yet," Shang leaned against his desk. "I will need to do one more test to confirm my suspicions. But I just want to let you know what I plan to check out. If you're not... well, you're not. But I wouldn't rule it out."

He talked some more, for Tai Lung, his voice only faded away. His heart was racing, pulsating in his ears, and drumming against his chest. He wasn't thinking about the other meetings he was due to attend, nor the fact that he skipped lunch. His appetite was replaced by this anxious, ill feeling. In his thoughts, he failed to see Shang doing the last test he needed to do... and he only came around to reality when Shang left the room again, and his wife held his paw. "He's talking nonsense," she said, shaking her head. "There is no way..." she didn't even sound upset at the idea, but she was starting to ramble, which Tai Lung discovered to be something she did when she was in deep denial. "Whatever the outcome, we'll be okay... right?"

Tai Lung nodded, closing his eyes briefly. "Of course."

When his eyes reopened, Shang was back in the room. He could feel Nuwa tense up beside him, but his free paw settled over hers to comfort her; Shang hasn't said anything yet, and his expression was readable; it was too neutral to give anything away...

That was until he smiled. Nuwa's free paw back to her mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates. Tai Lung's mouth opened a couple of inches, but Shang clapped him on the shoulder.

"Congratulations brother. You're going to be a dad."

"I do hope everything's okay."

Sapphire's ears picked up someone speaking behind her; she turned her head to find Mr Ping conversing with Jun in the semi-busy restaurant. Her section wasn't particularly busy at this time of day, apart from people coming in to inquire about performance times, or where they could reach Tai Lung if he was unavailable at home.

Right now, she was trying to listen to one of the potential performers, who was reciting poetry on the empty stage. But through their wallowing, she could still make out Mr Ping's conversation, so she wrote down 'projection' on the artist's audition sheet. The set of table and chairs she sat at was a few feet away from the restaurant entrance. Where there should have been candles and pretty centrepieces, lat brushes and papers.

"I'm sure it's nothing." She heard her brother say, as he devoured a bowl of noodles. He started slurping the soup, which she physically cringed at. "I'd say it's just one of those twenty-four-hour bugs..."

"How was that my dear?" Her attention went back to the poet. "I don't want to toot my own horn," she tried not to laugh at the pun; he was a goat with one horn after a drunken bout. "But it was definitely one of my best pieces."

"Yes, it was definitely... something..." she honestly couldn't remember what it was about. "The only thing I do need to say about it, if I may be critical?"

"Go ahead."

"Your projection needs some work." Standing up, the chair was pushed back with both her legs and one paw. "I couldn't quite exactly pinpoint what your poem was about. I know it's all about an individual's interpretation... but I couldn't hear most of it. I think you should work on speaking louder, and then come back to me for the next round of auditions next week. How does that sound?"

She was honestly waiting for him to throw a hissy fit. But he seemed to take it in his stride. "Of course Madam! I will work on correcting my flaws! I appreciate the honesty!" And he got down from the stage and bounced off. "I think I deserved a bowl of noodles!"

Sapphire nodded with both a bow and a smile. "That you do! Enjoy it..."

Once he left, she returned to her thoughts as she gathered up her papers- he was her last audition for the day, so she had the rest of the afternoon to spend it how she pleased. She had yet to hear from her mother and father, which granted her the idea of going to their house for dinner; she'll mention it to Jun now, she just had to find the brush that magically disappeared from her paw...

"Ah, Sapphire! There you are!" She looked up, and mentally groaned; Mrs Huáng was strutting into the yard, nose stuck high up in the air. "I need your help." That same nose was rotating around the room, as if in search of something she really didn't want to go looking for.

"With what Mrs Huáng?" Sapphire tried to look sweet but felt like she was speaking through gritted teeth.

"I'm looking for your father. He's not at his house, and nor did he turn up at the other meeting today. Poor Master Tigress had to deal with those horrible folks all by herself, and..." blah blah blah, was all Sapphire heard after that. She was starting to mentally switch off, at least until the end of her gabbling. "I'd like to speak with him now. Have you seen him? Is he here?" She must have spoken to Jun or Ping because they were shrugging at her when she checked over her shoulder, and Mrs Huáng waved confidently. They went back to their conversation.

Sapphire shook her head. "No. The reason for his absence must have been mentioned to the meeting-" she paused and pulled a questioning face. "Wait, what importance is it to you? Why were you at the meeting?" It was making the first draft of some shipping agreement, at least that's what she grasped from the last proper conversation she had with him a couple of days back.

Mrs Huáng snorted. "Nothing goes past my nose without me knowing! I told Master Tigress that I would take the notes for her." Right. "And I just happened to notice that he didn't show up? What could possibly be more important?"

The audacity alone was enough to hook her eyebrows, and raised them so high her head leaned back a little. "If you must know," Sapphire spoke through a steady breath. "It was a family emergency."

"Oh really? Then why aren't you with him?"

"I didn't need to be there. He had to take my mother to the doctor."

Mrs Huáng snorted again. "If it really were an emergency darling, then you and Jun should've gone with them. If it wasn't a big enough deal that you two didn't join in on the appointment, then why couldn't she go alone?" Sapphire shook her head, while she bit her tongue. "This lack of compassion for his people, as a Superintendent, is despicable!"

Sapphire rolled her eyes, tilting her head side to side and her arms folded snugly against her chest. "'Kay. I'm sick of this." Mrs Huáng didn't hear her, she was still going. "I've had it with your lack of compassion." Mrs Huáng stopped talking almost immediately if it weren't for her nearly choking on her words. "You heard me. My mother is unwell. Sure it might be nothing, or maybe it's something more life-threatening. Either way, my Dad is doing his duty as a husband, and being there for her. Through sickness and in health, that's what they say in wedding vows, right?" The pig's mouth was opening and closing in disbelief. "As a married woman yourself, shouldn't you understand?" She faked a gasp, before pulling her arms away, and sitting her paws against her chest. "Then again, I haven't seen Mr Huáng around for a while... should I call you Mrs Huáng still? Or Ms... what's your maiden name again?"

Mrs Huáng oinked furiously. "Your father will hear about this!" Sapphire shrugged carelessly.

"Okay, see if I care." She pointed towards the exit, before freezing. Mrs Huáng, who didn't even turn around yet, was now grinning, knowing that Sapphire was in for it. Turning around, she was more than surprised to see Master Tigress behind her, paws on her hips.

"Master Tigress! You won't believe-"

"Don't worry Mrs Huáng, I heard everything that was said. Including your choice of words towards Superintendent Lung." The pig gulped nervously. "Now, I'm going to ask you to leave, nicely. If I see you anywhere near the doctor's office, you won't just have me to deal with. Superintendent Lung will deal with you when he's ready." Shocked by her response, Mrs Huáng's head swivelled from Tigress to Sapphire, then back to Tigress, and then back to Sapphire, before storming out. Both cats shook their heads, before looking at each other. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. She just crossed one line too many."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "When does she not?" Sapphire laughed while shrugging. "I came to see if your father returned myself, only I wanted to know if everything was okay..." Sapphire gave her the same response she gave Mrs Huáng, only for Tigress, she had the family password.

"Honestly, I haven't heard anything from them and was going to drag Jun to the house later for dinner. At least then, we could figure out if everything's alright."

"There's no need." Both women turned around, to find Tai Lung and Nuwa behind them. "We came to find you."

"Mom!" Sapphire brushed by Tigress, running into Nuwa's open arms, while Jun appeared at Tai Lung's side. Tigress saw Mr Ping standing in the archway, but motioned him along to give them some privacy, to which he obeyed. "How did the appointment go? Is everything okay?"

Nuwa glanced up at Tai Lung, who was just averting his side-gaze away from her and looking at Tigress. "Everything's fine." She replied brightly. "Just a bug..."

"Called it!" Jun cheered, before smacking his forehead. "I wish I had put money on it..."

"So it wasn't Dad's terrible cooking?" Sapphire smirked up at her father, wriggling his arm out of her Mom's embrace, but barely managed to punch him in the arm.

"Not at all." He joked, "so we can't say I'm a terrible chef..."

Tigress narrowed her eyes, and her ears flickered. That got Tai Lung's attention. "Now, if you don't mind. I'm going to bring your mother home to get some rest, and we'll see you at the house for dinner this evening..." his gaze hardened on Tigress. "And then I can catch up on the draft meeting."

When Tai Lung opened the front door, he was met by a brief stillness. Nothing in the room had stirred in Nuwa's absence; he knew she was going to be practising her music that morning while he was in the meeting, so a couple of instruments loitered the couch, in closed cases. The dishes from breakfast this morning were left to dry by the sink, and the table was bare of plates and cutlery.

The silence was short-lived once Tigress entered the room behind him. "Shall I make some tea?"

"Yes please," Nuwa added on, as she closed the door. But she didn't go further than the door, watching Tigress disappear into the kitchen. Once she was certain that she was out of earshot, she looked at Tai Lung, who had sunk into the armchair. "Are you okay?"

Tai Lung inhaled quietly through his nostrils before his shoulders slumped. "I don't know." Nuwa lowered her head a little but didn't move away. Not even when Tigress reentered, with a tray of one boiling pot of tea and three cups. Settling the tray on the coffee table, she straightened up and observed the scene. She narrowed her eyes again, darting from one snow leopard to the next. "What's going on?" She asked immediately.

"Nothing." Both Nuwa and Tai Lung spoke in unison.

Tigress raised a brow suspiciously. "I very much doubt that." She sat down on the sofa opposite the fireplace. Crossing one leg over the other, she started pouring the tea into the cups. "So I will sit here until someone tells me what's going on." She picked up her cup, and sat back, sipping away. "Assuming it's got something to do with the Doctor's Appointment..."

Tai Lung glanced at her. "What did Shang tell you?"

"Nothing. That would breach patient confidentiality," she replied, once she pulled the cup from her lips. "But now I know something happened at the Doctor's today." Dammit. "So, is someone going to-"

"Nuwa's pregnant."

Chapter 2 done and done!

Next chapter is already being started, so what will happen next?