Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Happy New Year!
This was a bear to write. However, with all the good, comes the bad. What you will read actually occured to my wife. Not going to go into it any further. It will spoil the chapter.
That afternoon, both Callie and Felina were at the hospital for Felina's appointment with Daniella to see if Felina was really pregnant again.
They were both waiting in Daniella's office for her to finish her rounds. While they waited, Callie reached over with her right paw, taking Felina's left in hers, and asked, "Are you ok? You've been tense since we left home?"
"I'm alright, Callie" she responded. "There's a lot going through my mind."
Callie got up out of the chair she was sitting in and crouched in front of her best friend. "Hey, there is nothing you can't tell me, Lina. I want to help. What's really got your tail in a twist?"
Felina huffed then looked at one of the awards Daniella achieved on the wall to her left, and answered, "I wanted to return to Active duty with the Enforcers and SWAT. I've got much to learn from my uncle before he retires, and I have to take over for him." She turned back to Callie, and said, "It's not like I don't want another kitten. I love being with Alex and being a mother. Plus, Jake would be thrilled to be a father again. But the timing stinks. You've known me for years. I'v'e always been a she-cat of action. All this sitting around is starting to get to me."
"I know what you mean. I have my job as the Deputy Mayor, or at least I think I still have my job, since announcing I'm running for the position. Manx and I never talked that part through. I also love being a mother to my little girls. I'm sort of dreading returning to the office and being separated from them. However, I know I can make a difference by being the mayor. Just as you will make a difference being the Commander."
Just as Callie finished speaking, Daniella entered the office. "Sorry for being late. Had a crisis on the Maternity floor," she said as she slid into the seat behind her desk and put the chart she was holding in her right paw down on her desk. "Are you ready to see if Alex is going to be a big brother?" She asked.
As Callie rose to her feet, Felina stood up and answered, "Ready as I'm going to be."
A few minutes later, Daniella withdrew a syringe's needle from Felina's left arm. "This simple blood test will reveal, whether you are pregnant or not." Daniella stated, before discarding the needle into the Sharps bin mounted on the wall and returning the vial of blood to a plastic bag to be sent to the lab.
"Simple my tail!" Felina exclaimed. "Who taught you how to draw blood? That 'little pin prick' felt like I was being stabbed!"
"Well, sorry, Miss I'm not going to sit still for a test! If you held your arm steady, like I asked. I could have tapped a smaller vein. But no! Every time I rested the needle on your arm, you jumped like a child! I thought you were this Tough as nails she-cat, not some whimpering kitten," Daniella said.
"I am tough as nails!" Felina yelled. Then more softly said, "I hate needles."
"Well, while you lick your wound and I send the sample down to the lab to be analyzed. Why don't you two head down to the café or to the Kitten's Ward. Cheryl is performing her rounds or should be. I never know with her. Almost every time I head over to see her, I find her on the floor or at a table playing with her patients instead of doing her job," Daniella stated.
"Cheryl loves her job, Daniella," Callie said. "She gets that trait from her grandfather. Henry would do anything for most anyone in this hospital, just to make them feel at ease. If your family wasn't here, this hospital wouldn't be what it is today."
"I guess. I wish she would take her position a little more seriously. She's up for evaluation at the end of the term and I'd hate for her to receive a negative mark on her record for not being efficient with her time," Daniella said.
After they parted, Callie and Felina did head down to the café for a pair of Lattes, then went to the Kitten's Ward to find Cheryl. When they entered the ward, they didn't find Cheryl, as they expected but an empty hallway with what appeared to be some sort of Finish Line laid on the floor at the end closest to them. "What in Kat's name is going on in here?" Felina asked.
"Go!" Cheryl's voice beaconed from the other end of the hall. They turned their heads towards the other end of the hall and saw a pair of Wheelchairs with a teenaged kitten in each, racing down the hall towards them. They pressed their backs against wall, to let the race continue without them getting in the way of the fun.
The two kittens propelled themselves faster and faster down the hall. Each one was determined to win, but the wide smiles on their faces couldn't hide the amount of fun they were having. Eventually, the wheelchair on the right, crossed the makeshift finish line a whisker before the one on the left. The winner, a female with very short light brown hair, and very light fur shouted in delight, "I won! Told you I would beat you, Roy!"
Roy had dark fur, short black hair, and was panting quite heavily from the physical exertion. "You only won cause my paw slipped on the grip. There is no way you would have won otherwise!"
"Oh really?!" The girl said and stood up. Her left foot making a loud clank on the floor as it hit. She limped her way over to Roy, and said, "You think you can beat me? Let's go again, and this time, I'll give you a three second head start!"
Cheryl and Felicia skidded to a stop in front of them. Then Cheryl scolded, "Iris! Your leg is still healing from the surgery! You're not supposed to be walking on the prosthetic yet!"
Iris faced Cheryl, and said, "Doc, I'm perfectly fine as you can see. Even Dr. Earnheardt wants to release me. I feel like I can dance on this new hardware. I hate being confined to this chair, even if it's the fastest thing in the hospital. I want to be able to walk again on my own two feet!"
Callie leaned into Felina, and said, "Iris is just like you."
Felina just stood there and smirked at Callie's comment. Although, she knew Callie was right. Iris was just like her.
"You want to start walking again? Fine," Cheryl said, then walked back down the hall about fifty feet. She turned around to face Iris, crossed her arms under her chest, and said, "Walk to me, without holding on to anything."
Felicia looked at Cheryl, and asked, "Are you positive about this?"
"She says she can walk. As her doctor, it's my job to evaluate her progress," Cheryl answered. "Come on, I'm waiting and so is the next set of kittens for their turn."
Iris started walking towards Cheryl leading with her right leg, then her prosthetic leg. Her gait had a slight limp as she favorited her left leg.
Cheryl watched Iris like a hawk. Her eyes examining and analyzing every little step Iris took down to a fraction. She wanted Iris to pass her test, but not at the expense of Iris hurting herself or risking the reversal of the progress she had been making.
Felicia was right beside Iris, waiting to grab her, if she faltered.
Roy watched Iris slowly but steadily walk down the hall on her new leg. He said, "You've got this, Iris!"
Both she and Roy were placed in the ward about an hour from each other. They became fast friends, who egged each other on during their Physical Therapy sessions, and were constantly together. Hearing Roy cheering her on, compelled her to want to complete Cheryl's test more than anything.
However, Iris did falter as her left leg slipped on the linoleum flooring, which triggered Felicia into action. She caught Iris before she fell and supported her on her left.
Once Iris regained her footing, she said, "Thank you, Nurse Harrison, but I have this!"
Felicia let her go, but maintained her position on her left, in case she faltered again.
However, Felicia's presence wasn't required. Iris completed her test with only that minor fault. "Did I pass your test, doctor?" She asked.
"You did well, but no. You need more time to let your body heal, before I let you leave my care, Iris," Cheryl stated. She pulled Iris into a hug, then said, "Besides, if I let you leave, who is going to be my cohort with ganging up on my mother and grandfather?"
Iris returned her gesture, and answered, "I do admit, when we team up against your family, is quite fun. Although, seeing you and your mother teaming up against your grandfather and your father is way funner."
Cheryl had to laugh as she remembered doing the exact thing not that long ago when Henry and Max both told her and her mother going out on a weeknight was a bad idea. But the tom's argument was lost, the very second, Mary chimed in that she also wanted to have a family dinner, outside of the house. "You're right, Iris. When us Feldman she-cats want to have our way, we get it! No matter what our father, husbands or grandfather says." She held Iris away at shoulder's length, and said, "Let's get you back in the chair, and you can be the finish line judge."
Roy was already pushing Iris' chair back to her. He held out his prosthetic left paw to her, hoping she would take it. Which she did. He helped her back into her chair, and said, "I think you did quite well, Iris. I know this is going to sound selfish. But if you weren't here to push me during my Physical Therapy sessions, I don't think I'd be making the same strides as I am." He blushed and gulped in nervousness, before he asked, "When we get out of here, will you go out on a date with me?"
Iris' eyes went wide on shock at her friend's proposal. She did sort of like Roy, but never thought of herself as dating material of anyone since her surgery. "Roy, before I answer you, what do you find appealing about me?"
"Iris, even before we ended up here, I wanted to date you. You have an attitude like no other she-cat I've seen. I love your competitiveness and how you refuse to back down, and I've always found you, quite cute. Since we've arrived here, you and I have developed a connection on a deeper level than I have ever had with anyone else."
Callie leaned over to Felina again and said, "See, Iris is a smaller version of you, my dear sister."
"She is a mini version of me," Felina admitted.
Roy continued, "Iris, you aren't like any other girl I've met and all the stuff we went through here, only made you more attractive in my eyes. I'm glad my arm was crushed beyond repair, cause if it wasn't, I never would have gotten to know you the way I have and I can honestly say, I really like you, Iris." He then kissed her paw.
Felicia lowered herself to Iris' level, and said, "He seems sincere. If you don't go out with him, I'm going to take you to the Psych Ward. Besides, I know you like him too."
Iris turned her head to a smirking Felicia, and said, "If it wasn't for this piece of shiny hardware attached to my left knee, I might be tempted to kick your tail."
"You couldn't, if you tried, Iris," Felicia stated. "I'm a Tenth Degree Black Belt and Mistress of Dojo Saito."
"You're a sensei!?" Iris shockingly asked. "I've always wanted to take Martial Arts classes. Can I still take them, with this leg?"
"Of course, you can. You might have to be more careful with damaging the gear, or your prosthetic. But there is no reason why you can't take my classes," Felicia answered. She leaned in nice and close to Iris' left ear, and quietly said, "You still have to answer Roy."
Iris looked down at Roy, and said, "I'll go out with you."
Roy rose to his feet and hugged Iris. "I promise you; I'll treat you like a princess."
"Roy, you don't have to treat me as a princess. I've never especially liked princesses anyway. Treat me like everyone else and I will be happy," Iris said.
"That I will be more than happy to do," Roy said.
Cheryl was squealing on the inside when Roy asked Iris out on a date and even more so when she accepted. "You two shouldn't have to wait for your date. Let me handle all the details, you two just worry about becoming a couple who can rely on for anything, and how good Iris is going to look in the dress I'm going to pick out for her."
Roy's eyes flew wide open as he imagined what Iris would look like in a dress, and he really liked what he was seeing. What Roy saw in his mind was Iris wearing a short, dark red dress. Her thighs were perfect as her right calf. Then her lower left prosthetic calf shining in the light. He looked into Iris' eyes and on impulse, brought his lips to hers, giving her, her first kiss from a boy.
Felina and Callie went over to Cheryl, and Felina asked, "What do you have planned?"
"Arlene is a better cook than we realize. Between her in the kitchen, and me and my mother, decorating the cafeteria. Those two are going to have a First Date like no other," Cheryl said.
"Exactly what does my daughter have planned for me?" Daniella asked. Her paws were on her cocked hips and her left leg was turned out.
"Nothing you won't like, mom. I promise," Cheryl answered.
Daniella noticed Roy and Iris kissing. She went over to her daughter, and said, "You know you shouldn't be letting them kiss in the hall."
"Let them be, mom. Those two were meant for each other. It kind of reminds me of when Orion kissed me for the first time," Cheryl said.
"I'm not going to get into what I caught you and Orion doing on my front porch, daughter," Daniella said. "I hope if he's serious enough to put his tongue down your throat, he's going to put a ring on your paw, sooner than later."
"And how many times have I accidentally walked in on you and dad, in deep silent conversation with your paws who knows where?" Cheryl asked, knowing she had one upped her mother.
"What your father and I do in Our home, is our business, daughter," Daniella stated matter of factly. She turned to Felina and said, "I have your test results."
"Well, am I pregnant or not?" Felina asked.
"This is something, we should be discussing, in private, Felina. Please come to my office so we can discuss the results," Daniella said and started walking towards the Ward's exit. However, she didn't have the same snap of her hips and tail like she normally did. Instead, her tail was almost still, and her body tone was emotionless.
Felina caught onto Daniella's body language immediately. She reached out with her right paw, grasped Callie's, and pleaded, "Come with me."
"Of course," she answered. "Cheryl, Felicia, we will see you later." The two of them followed behind Daniella out of the ward.
Felicia went over to Cheryl, and asked, "I'm gathering, your mother's news is not going to be good?"
"No, it's probably not. I've only seen my mother look like that, only once before and she came home crying her eyes out," Cheryl said.
The three she-cats entered Daniella's office and Daniella said, "Take a seat." She then closed the door.
Callie and Felina sat in the two chairs in front of Daniella's desk and waited for her to give them the results.
Daniella sat down in her chair behind her desk and opened up the folder on her desk. She re-read the results to make sure she read them correctly before she said, "You're not pregnant, Felina."
"I'm not? So why am I so late and feel drained?" Felina asked.
"You have something called Fibromyalgia, which means you have fibrous lesions attached to the walls of your uterus. Normally we can remove them with a simple surgery and the she-cat could become pregnant again. However, in your case, your blood test revealed your enzymes are all over the place. I'm going to schedule you for an Ultrasound to gage the size of the lesions."
Felina grasped Callie's paw tightly, and asked, "What's the prognosis and don't beat around the bush?"
"If the lesions are small enough and lightly attached to the uterus' lining, we can remove them with a minor procedure, similar to a cesarean. However, if they are large or firmly attached, the only option is a full hysterectomy. Either way, having another kitten is not a viable option for you."
Felina started to tremble as Daniella's words sunk in. Tears fell liberally down her cheeks, and said, "I'll never get to be a mother again!"
Callie rose from her chair and embraced Felina tightly, and said, "I have you. Go on and cry all you want."
That is exactly what happened. Felina cried into Callie's right shoulder, completely soaking her shirt. "Jake was looking forward to giving Alex a sibling. It was all he has been talking about, since I told him I might be pregnant again. He's going to be disappointed and going to leave me when he finds out!"
"Whoa! Jake will never leave you!" Callie said. "He loves you way too much to even think about leaving you!"
Daniella heard Felina state Jake was going to leave her. She almost jumped over her desk to hug them both, and said, "I have no idea where that idea came from, but stop that train, right now! Jake does not strike me as the type of tom who would up and leave his family, no matter how bad things get! Let me tell you ladies something, Max and I did try for another kitten, once Cheryl was old enough. We tried every chance we had. After months of trying, I went to see my Gynecologist. She told me my cervix was crooked and partially detached from my uterus. I knew I would never have another child and I was a complete wreck. That afternoon, I came home and told Max. He listened to me and just sat there with a blank stare. Eventually, he hugged me tight, and said, I'm so sorry, Daniella. I love you and will till the end of time. Max's and my relationship grew stronger. That's what's going to happen with Jake."
"Max is not Jake! How can you be sure, he won't leave me?" Felina asked.
"Are you serious!? Jake is madly in love with you! Your bond is one of the strongest I've ever witnessed! Get those thoughts out of your head! Jake will never leave you!" Daniella yelled, trying to get her out of her crying fit.
Callie hugged her best friend tighter, and asked, "Do you want me and Chance to be there when you tell him?"
Felina's hysteria ebbed to a bunch of sniffles after listening to both of her friends. She hugged them back, and asked, "I love Chance, like a brother, but no. I want both of you to be there when I tell Jake. Will you both be there when I tell him?"
"Of course, we will be there. Us she-cats stick together until the bitter end," Daniella said.
An hour later, the three she-cats pulled into Felina's driveway.
Felina looked at the front door of her home, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's get this over with."
The three exited the car, closed the doors, and walked up the steps to the front door. Where Felina waved her phone enclosed in her right paw over the reader, opening the door.
"I need to get one of those locks," Daniella stated.
"Jake can have one installed in your house, quite easily. Come on in, he's probably in the kitchen feeding Alex a snack before dinner," Felina said.
However, that's not what they witnessed Jake and Alex doing. Right there in the middle of the cleared out Living room, they saw Jake with a Glovetrix on his right paw, aiming at Alex. "Here it comes!" They heard him say. Then he fired a small ball at a very low velocity in Alex's direction.
Alex really loved being with his father and seeing what new games he came up with. This ball game being one of them. He heard the ball being fired and the small red sphere heading in his direction. When the ball got close enough, he pounced on it, pulling the ball tightly into his abdomen, and rolling to the left on the soft carpet.
Jake was beaming in delight. Even though Alex was still very young, he was showing that he was very flexible and nimble, just like his father. "Very good, Alex! In a few years, you can take my place as a SWAT Kat!"
"Dear, Alex is only a young kitten. He's going to be waiting a very long time before even thinking of replacing you. And what gave you the idea of using a Glovetrix to shoot balls at our son?" Felina asked.
Jake put the Glovetrix down and went to his wife. He hugged and kissed her, then answered, "Alex wanted to play with me, and I needed to test out the Glovetrix I finished repairing. So, the idea came to me on a whim. Of course, I heavily modified the firing mechanism to only shoot at very low velocity. I'd never put Alex in danger. His safety and wellbeing are first and foremost." He then only noticed Callie and Daniella in the front hall. "You didn't mention we had company, Felina."
"I never expected to find my husband, training our son to be a Viginate, in my Living Room! You and I are going to have a chat about what Alex is allowed to be playing with, after we have a talk about my non-pregnancy," Felina said.
Jake took her paws in his, and asked, "You're not pregnant?"
"No, I'm not and will never be again. I have something called Fibromyalgia, which means I have Fibroids in my uterus. Daniella can explain the medical stuff better than I can," Felina said and stated to cry.
"Those fibroids are draining most of the Iron in her blood. That's the reason she is so fatigued. I scheduled her for an Ultrasound to determine the size of the Fibroids so we can figure out what the next steps should be. However, her blood tests showed her enzymes are all over the place, which is a Tell-Tale sign of larger than normal Fibroids. A full Hysterectomy might be the only option we have. Even if we were able to remove the Fibroids, her Uterine lining would be severely damaged during the surgery. Pregnancy after such a radical procedure is strongly discouraged," Daniella stated.
Jake let go of Felina's paws and looked into her tearing eyes. "This means, we can never have another kitten?" He asked.
"No, we can't have another kitten, Jake. I know you wanted a large family with me, and now we can't have the family you want," Felina said.
Jake started crying and embraced her. "I know I wanted a large family, Felina. I love being a father. However, I love being with you more. You and Alex are my family, that's all I need. I love you, and will love you, till the end of time."
Callie and Daniella watched the two adults embracing and crying over not being able to have another child. That's when they noticed Alex making his way over to the Glovetrix on the floor. Both she-cats sprang into action with Callie grabbing Alex while Daniella secured the Glovetrix. "I should be giving you both a lesson in "Kitten Proofing" the house!" Seeing she was completely ignored, she asked, "Shall we give these two some privacy and take Alex over to your house?"
"That's probably for the best. They need sometime alone," Callie said and left with Daniella.
As soon as the door closed, Jake said, "Let's call your parents, and tell then the news. Beatrice will be here in a flash, when she hears."
Felina had to chuckle, then said," My mother has changed. She's now supportive of me instead of being distant. I love the new her. But before we are bombarded with the Ferals, can you hold me just a little longer?"
"I'll hold you for as long as you need, Felina, my ever-loving wife," Jake said.
End of Chapter