Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
No, I did not want to kill of Mark! The story had other ideas that were beyond my control.
No warnings will be given. Read on at your own risk.
Sniper's feet slowly moved forward towards Adonis' body, still in complete disbelief. Tears ran freely down her cheeks, not only staining her fur, but wetting her uniform as well. She reached Adonis' left side, stroked his cheek, as she said, "Come on brother, stop playing, wake up and give me one of those smiles that makes she-cats swoon."
Adonis did not respond though. His body was completely still. Not even a bit of condensation formed from his breathing on his Oxygen mask.
Felicia reached out with her right paw and gently touched Sniper's right shoulder. "Sniper, he's gon.."
Sniper ripped her shoulder free from Felicia, then spat without removing her focus on Adonis' body. "HE'S NOT DEAD FELICIA!"
Havoc, T-Bone, Razor, Sure-Shot, and Jasmine heard Sniper from the waiting room. Havoc got up and ran through the doors to the ER to get to Sniper. She entered the Trauma bay and saw Sniper almost in a comatose state. She finally turned her head just enough to see Adonis' lifeless body laying on the stretcher. She went over to Sniper, pulled her into a tight embrace, and as she rocked her fiancée, she said, "Come on my dove, let the doctors and nurses finish up, we need to be strong for Pirouette."
Sniper grasped ahold of the chest of Havoc's uniform in her clenched fists as she cried her eyes out onto her shoulders. "Adonis isn't dead Havoc! Our brother can't be dead!"
Havoc's own tears started flowing freely down her face as well as she held onto one of the she-cats that meant the world to her. However, she couldn't think of anything to say to Sniper in order to help.
Felicia went over to the pair, and laid her paws on their shoulders, then said, "You both have to be strong for Pirouette and her son. We all lost a dear friend, if not a brother." She started saying, but her own tears started flowing as she spoke.
T-Bone went over to Havoc and Sniper and hugged them both tightly. "I'm so sorry. If there is anything I can do to ease what you both are going through, let me know."
"That's goes double for me," Razor said. "Our partner is going to get a Hero's send-off like no other."
Sure-Shot and Jasmine entered the Trauma bay and saw everyone mourning the loss of Adonis.
Jasmine went around to Adonis' right side, took his paw in both of hers, then said as her own tears started flowing, "You taught me so much, partner. You supported me when my parents were arraigned, and yet again when they were set free. I'm going to miss being your partner and seeing your smiling face as you talked about either Lisa or Raphael. I sensed how much you loved your family, and how you were going to shower your kitten with so much love and adoration. He or she would have been lucky to have you as a father."
"I didn't know you as well as the rest, Adonis. However, when you walked into a room, it lit up. I'm going to miss you, dear friend," Sure-Shot said as she touched Adonis' right pec, then quickly turned around and ran out of the Trauma Bay.
Jasmine removed her paws from Adonis after Sure-Shot left, and asked, "Should I go after her?"
"You can try Jasmine, but she is very proficient in riding a Cyclotron. Also, a Enforcer Patrol car would never be able to keep up with a Cyclotron anyway. She'll be alright, eventually," Razor said.
Jasmine looked at Adonis one more time, then said, "Someone has to call the Commander. He is going to want to know that one of his officers died protecting the innocent." She left the rest of SWAT to grieve in private and returned to the waiting room. She withdrew her phone, looked at the device as she figured out how to tell Ulysses that Mark was gone. She searched through her contacts until she found his number. Jasmine's right paw started trembling as she went to tap the Commander's phone number. The pad of her right index finger lightly brushed over his phone number displayed on the screen, and brought the phone up to her ear.
Ulysses was lying in bed with Callista's head using his chest as a pillow. He had his left arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders, lightly holding her to his body. They were both in a deep sleep, when his phone started to vibrate on the nightstand.
Being trained to remain alert, no matter the situation allowed him to hear the phone before it woke up his wife. He pressed one of the buttons on the side of the device, silencing it before turning it so he could read the name of the cat who was going to get an earful come morning. However, when he saw it was Jasmine calling, he knew something was wrong since she rarely called for Back-Up, or any sort of assistance, no matter the situation. Concerned for the rookie who showed the other officers, time and time again what it meant to be an Enforcer, he quietly answered, "Harper, what's wrong?"
"Commander, you need to come to MegaKat General, now," she responded.
Ulysses sat up in the bed, then asked, "Why do I need to go to the hospital?"
Callista woke up and looked up at her husband. She mouthed, "What's wrong dear?"
Ulysses held up his right index finger to her, and listened to Jasmine say, "Lieutenant Samuelson was killed tonight Commander."
Ulysses almost dropped the phone as soon as he heard Jasmine's response. "How did he die Harper?"
"Apparently there was an explosion sir. His body was badly burned and there was something wrong with his breathing. Sure-Shot and I escorted Sensei and Razor to the hospital, where he passed from his injuries, sir," Jasmine stated as she held herself in check.
"Is Lisa there?" He nervously asked, hoping she wasn't so he could be there when she found out her husband was dead.
"Not yet sir. But I think she is with your niece," Jasmine said.
Now he had a problem. If Lisa was with Felina and Lisa found out Mark was on the way to the hospital. He could almost guarantee Felina would driver her. That meant his niece would break every speed restriction out there to get her friend to her husband as fast as possible. "I'll be there soon and if Felina and Lisa manage to get there before I do, don't let Lisa see him until I get there."
"Understood Commander," Jasmine said and disconnected the call.
Ulysses put the phone down on the nightstand, then lifted the covers from his body. As he got out of bed and started to get dressed, Callista asked, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
He turned to her, fell to his knees, then said, "I'm about to perform one of the functions of my job I hope Felina never has to do. Mark was killed tonight and Lisa doesn't know yet. I'm going to be the one to tell Lisa, her husband is dead, it's the least I can do."
Callista threw the covers off of her pink nightgown covered body. She slipped out of the bed and as soon as her feet touched the floor, she snapped her fingers, dressing herself in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then sternly said, "If you think I'm going to let you do this on your own, you are sadly mistaken! She saved my life! I owe her! I told her that if these were still the Dark Ages, she would be a knight just like Amelia was! I'm not about to let one of my knights, suffer the loss of a loved one with out me being there!"
Ulysses finished getting dressed and waked around the bed to where Callista stood. Even though he towered over her, the look of determination on her face once again made him realize why she was a queen for so long. "I expect nothing less from you, my love. However, its going to be Mark laying there, not one of your knights and its going to be Lisa we are going to have to console. I'm not sure I'm prepared to tell Lisa, her husband is dead and be able to comfort her the way she is going to need. Do you think we are going to be able to hold it together long enough to be what Lisa, and Raphael are going to need?"
"I hope so Ulysses. Lisa and I have gotten very close over the past few months and I love playing with Raphael. He reminds me of when Callie was little and she would come to the house. Both she and I would play all day, until her little body tuckered out. I for one am not looking forward to seeing Lisa's face when you tell her Mark has died. She is so full of life, I would hate to see all of that light, turn dark," Callista said.
"Neither do I Callista. She brightens up the office whenever she enters the building. I don't want to see that light extinguished," Ulysses said before he kissed her
She kissed him back before she raised her left paw over her head, teleporting them both to the hospital.
He pulled back from the kiss, looked around at his surroundings, then said, "You never cease to amaze me Callista. I love you, my queen."
"Good, I love keeping you on your toes, my king. Shall we head in? I want to be there when Lisa arrives, she is going to need her family to help her though this, and I am going to give her all the help she needs," Callista said.
Ulysses looped her right arm though his left and walked towards the ER's entrance. They stepped in front for a pair of automatic double doors, which opened as soon as they were close enough for their bodies to trip the sensor.
As they entered, Nancy managed to get a glimpse of Callista. She remembered what she could do and went over to her. "Callista, I'm glad to see you again. Although, I wish the situation was different," she said.
"So do I Nancy. Before we head in, how's the kitten doing?" Callista asked.
Nancy lowered her paws to her large stomach, then answered, "He or she is fine. However, the doctors can't seem to figure out why I'm so big this early in the pregnancy. I hope there is nothing wrong?"
Callista looked down at Nancy's very large belly, then asked, "Exactly how far along are you?"
"I'm ending the first TriMester," Nancy responded.
"Mind if I take a look?" Callista asked.
"Sure, come with me," Nancy responded before leading the two of them into a small Examining Room.
Nancy closed the door, turned to Callista, and lifted her shirt just enough to expose her belly.
Callista gently placed her paws on Nancy's belly and concentrated. An image of a large kitten came into focus in her mind. She watched as the kitten's heart beat, nice and strongly. From what she could tell, the kitten was healthy, but very large for its age. Callista removed her paws and as soon as Nancy lowered her shirt, Callista asked, "How big is your husband?"
"Mario is a tiger and quite a large one, why do you ask?"
"Your kitten must take after his side of the family Nancy, he or she is huge! You might not be able to have a normal birth," Callista answered.
"Mario is going to be so happy! He was hoping that the kitten would take after his side of the family!" She said, then looked at the door before saying, "Now for the unpleasant part, I gather you both are here to mourn with your friends? I'm so mad at the world right now! What does Bast have planned that she had to take Mark away from his family?"
"I don't know what she has planned Nancy, and I will never know," Callista said as she reached out to her mother with her mind, 'Mother! Why did you take Mark away from us?'
Bast felt her daughter reaching out to her. She was equally pissed that Mark had passed, way before his time. This was not part of her plan at all. He and Lisa were supposed to raise Raphael in a loving and nurturing home with his two sisters and brother. Raphael was supposed to learn how to be a compassionate tom as well as a great father from Mark. Now, he was going to grow up without a father because Mark had to go and put his life on the line, yet again. 'Callista! Do you really think I wanted this to happen! I had great plans for Mark and Lisa and those plans are now garbage! Mark was supposed to teach Raphael how to be a great husband as well as a Fearless Protector of the innocent. Raphael is going to need his whole family with him as he grows up. That tiny kitten is going to be tempted by some dark forces as he grows and is going to need the guidance of his parents and siblings to lead him!'
'Then bring him back mother!' Callista thought.
'Don't you think I want to daughter!? As soon as I felt him crossing over, I tried to send him back. But my father caught wind I was trying to use my influence and stopped me. You think I'm powerful? Wait until you meet your grandfather, he's one you do not wish to cross, ever,' Bast responded.
'What am I supposed to do? I can't sit here and do nothing! Lisa is going to be devastated when she sees him! I can't simply be a shoulder for her to cry on! Lisa knows far too well what I can do, as well as what you can do mother! She is going to want to know how we allowed her husband to die and do nothing to stop it!'
'You have been down this path before Callista. You had to watch several of your knights pass before your eyes. I know you hated yourself, but you also knew, you had to let them go. There was nothing you could have done to prevent them from dying. This is only slightly different since they are family to you. Be the friend Lisa is going to need, my daughter,' Bast said before she severed the connection. She threw the papers that peppered her desk to the floor, roared in frustration, then screamed, "Ptah!"
Her husband appeared instantly to her side. His wings touched the floor as he lowered himself onto a single knee in front of his wife, then asked, "What can I do for you, my eternal love?"
"Go find Mark Samuelson and bring him to me," Bast commanded.
"As you wish, my love. However, that is not going to be an easy task," Ptah responded.
"Why?" she asked.
"The last I heard, Mark is currently with my brother, waiting to be judged his worthiness to crossover," Ptah answered.
Her face scrunched up in anger, then spat, "Your brother has no right to judge anyone! That is my job, not his! Where does your brother get the idea he can do my job?!"
Ptah rose to his feet, embraced his wife, then answered, "I'm not sure, but I will find out." He then kissed her and asked, "Our family is going through so much turmoil, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, for now," she responded. "I don't know how much more I can take, without taking action!"
"You are already not in your father's good graces for trying to intervene in Mark's passing, do you want to feel his wrath when Ra finds out you are going against his wishes?" Ptah asked.
Bast clenched her paws into tight fists. She did love her father. However, his strict ways was grating on her patience. She wanted what's best for her family and her father was impeding what she needed to do. "Ptah, I'll worry about my father's wrath, you find Mark and bring him to me, by any means necessary. I will not have my plans for Raphael ruined because his father decided to be a hero!"
Mark started to stir. He opened his right eye and noticed he was in his bedroom from his childhood home. He sat up in his bed and looked around at the poster lined walls, his desk where he did his homework, the window that looked out into his back yard, as well as his kitten-hood crush's house. "Where am I?" He asked as he lifted the red and black plaid blanket from his body. His feet hit the dark wood slats of his floor and as he stood, he grabbed his robe from the end of the bed.
Mark left the bedroom he spent his kitten-hood in, turned to the left, and went down the short hall to the stairs, leading to the main floor of the house.
As he descended down, he smelled the coffee and freshly baked muffins, which his mother was known for. Mark's feet hit the main floor of the house and he turned right, heading towards the kitchen.
Mark entered the kitchen and discovered, it was exactly as he remembered. The old white stove with the broken oven handle, the metal framed table, they all ate at, the white porcelain sink with the ancient dual faucets, and the old Formica counters, where his mother made their meals, tirelessly everyday. He saw his mother cooking breakfast for his father, who was sitting at the table reading the morning paper. "Do things ever change here?" He asked.
His mother turned around and said, "Go and take a seat, that is if you want to be fed," she went back to work.
Mark left the doorway and entered the kitchen. He took a seat next to his father, and looked around. He turned back to his father, and asked, "Where exactly am I, cause I distinctly remembering mom dying in a car fire and you after you had a stroke?"
His father lowered his newspaper, turned to Mark, then said, "We are so proud of you son. Graduating college, going to the academy, marrying Lisa, and adopting Raphael. The second Lisa entered this house, we knew you were going to marry her. As for where you are, you're in between the land of the living and the afterlife."
"You mean.. I died?" Mark asked.
"Son, you died helping out your friends," he answered and gently laid his right paw on Mark's shoulder, then said, "Mark, the way you helped protect that little girl of your friends was very honorable."
Mark slumped forward in his chair, then said, "I'll never get to see Lisa's gorgeous face or be able to hold Raphael again." He started sobbing, knowing he was never going to see his family again. "You know what really hurts the most dad, I'm never going to see my kitten being born or know how it feels to hold him or her in my arms for the first time."
His mother left the stove and wrapped her arms around Mark and said, "Your father and I raised you right. You love your family to no end, all of them. Lisa, Raphael, all of SWAT. I love you Mark."
"I love you too mom," he answered through his sobs.
Felina brought her car to a skidding stop, right in front of the hospital. She turned in her seat to face Lisa, then said, "Lisa, I can guarantee my uncle is here. Take it easy on him, please. I know he hates doing this."
Lisa had no more tears left. She cried most of the way to the hospital. Getting out of the car in almost a zombie like state, she opened the rear passenger's door and removed Raphael from his car seat. Lisa hugged her son tightly as she started walking towards the hospital's entrance.
"Did you see the way she was embracing Raphael?" Callie asked after she came up to Felina.
"I did," Felina responded. "I'm worried about her Callie."
"So am I. No matter what happens in there, she should not be alone. We are going be with her constantly, supporting her. Plus, I wonder how Tina is doing?" Callie asked.
"I have been so focused on Lisa, I didn't even think about Tina. Both she and Mark became very close in a short amount of time. Seeing him in a hospital bed must be tearing her apart," Felina stated.
Lisa entered the hospital and was met by Ulysses and Callista.
They both noticed Lisa's red eyes and the stained fur on her cheeks.
"She's been crying Ulysses, she already is expecting the worst," Callista stated as she turned to her right to face her husband, then said, "She thinks of you as an uncle, be that for her. She is going to need those strong shoulders to support her, now more than ever."
"I personally can't wait for Felina to take my job, I don't know if I can do this anymore Callista," he said, fighting back his urge to take his wife in his arms so he could mourn the loss of not only one of the best officers he had, but someone he considered a nephew as well. "I'm going to hate myself after telling her, her husband is dead."
They both went over to Lisa and Raphael and when Lisa saw the Commander's face, she stopped dead in her tracks. She knew the only reason he was there was to tell her Mark was not coming home to her, ever again. She fell to her knees, still holding Raphael, and screamed though her tears, "NO! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!"
Both Callista and Ulysses dropped to their knees right beside her, holding her and doing their best to comfort the now grieving widow.
"I've got you Lisa, go on and cry all you want," Ulysses said.
"I NEED TO SEE MY HUSBAND! PLEASE! I NEED TO SEE MARK!" Lisa continued, which attracted the attention of several of the hospital's staff as well as Mary.
She went over to Lisa, somehow pulled Ulysses away from her, and took his place. As she wrapped her arms around Lisa, she said in a very calm and comforting tone, "I have only known your husband for a very short time Lisa, but I know him well enough to know, he loves you to death. He wouldn't want to see you like this. Come on, stop crying. You are stronger than this."
The nurses had Dr. Feldman paged and when he arrived, he saw a sight that broke his heart. He did his best to hide what happens inside the hospital's walls from his wife. Now, she was seeing all of the hardships he had to face on a semi-daily basis, front and center. He went over to Mary, gently laid his left paw on her shoulder, then asked, "Shall I get a sedative for her?"
Mary didn't want to sedate Lisa, but let her grieve the loss of her husband. However, Lisa was completely overcome with grief that Mary feared Lisa might attempt something. She simply nodded at Henry as an answer.
Henry returned to the Nurse's station and ordered a mild sedative for Lisa.
A nurse went and got a small syringe with the drug Henry ordered. He gave it to Henry, who thanked him before returning to Lisa. Henry sank to his knees and asked, "Could someone take the child from her?"
Callista reached out and took Raphael from Lisa and held him against her left shoulder.
Henry rolled up Lisa's sleeve and injected the drug into her arm. "That should help her in a few minutes. Are you alright Mary?" He asked his wife.
"No, I'm not alright Henry," Mary calmly answered as not to make Lisa anymore upset than she already was. "I'm holding a grieving widow in my arms, who loves her family more than anything! How in Bast's name did you do this for so long Henry?"
"I've been doing this for so long Mary I guess, I've become slightly de-sensitized. However, I hate being the one to have to tell someone they lost a loved one. I'm supposed to save lives, not be the bearer of lousy news," Henry said.
Lisa stopped being hysterical when the sedative took ahold. She simply held onto Mary, and said, "Mark can't be gone. He has so much to live for. I don't know if I want to live without him by my side."
"Stop talking nonsense child," Mary scolded. "Your husband may be gone, but you have a beautiful baby boy and one on the way that needs their mother. Besides, even though Mark has passed, he's still with us. He lives on in you and your kittens."
Lisa lifted her head from Mary, looked into her eyes, sniffled a few times, then asked, "Can I see him, please?"
"Of course, and we will all be right there with you," Mary answered.
As soon as they entered the ER, the staff stood like statues. They all were focused on Lisa, since they somehow knew, it was her husband that died.
Henry stopped at the curtain that separated the rest of the ER to the trauma bay, grabbed ahold of the curtain with his left paw, then said, "Lisa, I'm the one who tried to save Mark. I keep wracking my brain trying to think if I did something different, he would still be here. But I can't, he lost too much blood. If you want to hate me for not saving him, go right ahead. But, know I did everything I possibly could and, I'm truly sorry."
He opened the curtain, revealing T-Bone, Razor, Havoc holding Sniper, and Felicia removing the last IV from Mark's left arm.
T-Bone and Razor stepped aside, allowing Lisa to see Mark, covered by a thin white sheet up to his neck.
As she stared at her late husband, she asked, "Can I have Raphael back?"
Callista cautiously stepped forward, passing the young kitten back to his mother, then returning to Ulysses' side.
Raphael took one look at his father and started cooing and trying to get out of his mother's arms so he could play with his father.
"No Raphael, daddy can't play with you anymore," Lisa said through a bunch of broken sobs, while she slowly walked to the left side of the bed.
Raphael didn't understand what Lisa was telling him. All he saw was his loving father, laying in a bed, asleep, just like at home. He squirmed harder to get free from Lisa and eventually, managed to get free of her grasp and landed on the bed, right next to Mark. He crawled up onto Mark's chest and gently pulled on the fur of Mark's cheeks, which always made Mark wake up with a smile. But this time, his father didn't move. Raphael simply thought his father was in a deeper sleep than normal. So he pulled on the fur a little firmer. When Mark didn't move again, Raphael became confused. He turned his head to the left to face his mother, who had tears running down her face again. He let go of the fur on Mark's cheeks, wrapped his little arms around Mark's neck and lowered his head to Mark's chest. That was when he made a grim discovery. Instead of hearing his father's large heart beating, he heard silence. Tears of worry glistened in the young kittens eyes as he looked at his father's face one last time before lowering his head to Mark's chest and started crying himself.
Seeing Raphael mourning the loss of his father broke everyone's resolve. Callie grasped T-Bone's uniform and started crying into his chest, while Felina repeated the same motion with Razor. Ulysses held onto Callista while she sobbed into his right side. Sniper and Havoc held onto the other. Each one letting their tears fall freely.
After about a minute, the adults heard a faint, "Daddy!" Leave Raphael's mouth, then felt very warm.
Callista was the first one to open her eyes out of curiosity and noticed that Raphael was glowing. She tapped Ulysses' right shoulder, trying to get his attention.
Ulysses lifted his gaze from Callista to the bed and noticed Raphael glowing as well. He leaned down to Callista, and asked, "I know I'm new to all of this magical mumbo jumbo, do you know what he is doing?"
"I've been alive for centuries Ulysses, and I have never seen an infant do anything like this," Callista replied, unable to take her eyes away from Raphael.
Everyone else in the room stopped crying long enough to look over at Raphael and noticed how he was glowing as he held onto Mark.
Callie pulled away from T-Bone and slowly made her way over to her grandmother, without removing her gaze from what was happening. "What is he doing?"
"I really don't know Callie," Callista responded.
After a few minutes, the young kitten's glowing dimmed until it was un-existent. Raphael looked up to his father, said, "Daddy," before curling up in a little ball and falling asleep on Mark's chest.
Lisa sat down on the edge of the bed, stroked Raphael's hair with her left paw, then she heard Mark take in a shallow breath. Lisa almost fell off of the bed in complete shock. But she managed to catch herself and nervously placed the palm of her left paw on her husband's chest. "It can't be? How is he alive?" She very quietly asked. That was when, Mark's right arm slowly lifted up from the mattress and rested his paw, right on top of hers.
Lisa's face instantly changed and now tears of happiness and glee ran down her face as she bent forward and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beating.
Mark's eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. He saw Lisa and their son and said, "I must have died and gone to heaven."
Lisa lifted her head from his chest, looked at his face for a minute, then gave into impulse. She ripped the oxygen mask off of him and kissed him.
Mark lifted his left arm and placed it around Lisa's back, holding her.
Henry opened the trauma bay's curtain, carrying a metal clipboard that held Mark's chart. "Lisa, its time for us to bring Mark.." he started to say before he lifted his eyes up to see Lisa kissing Mark and Mark obviously kissing her back. He went over to the nearest trash can, opened it, and threw the entire chart into the can. After the lid closed, he asked, "Can someone, anyone tell me how a tom I pronounced to be dead is now kissing his wife?"
End of Chapter