Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Let's see how the meeting between Dr. Feldman's and 's team goes.
Then, Felina has her surgery. I hate these hospital scenes. But they are necessary for the story to progress.
As promised, Dr. Fang assembled his staff of Claw-Tek's top doctors, engineers, and software developers for the meeting Henry requested. They consisted of himself, two Orthopedic Surgeons, two Mechanical Engineers, a Bio-Medical Engineer, a Neurosurgeon, and two young, but highly qualified Software Developers who worked exclusively with Claw-Tek on the project. They were all sitting at one end of the table in the Consultation Room, waiting for Henry and his team to arrive.
One of the Software Developers leaned over to the other and asked in Mandarine, "我们为什么来这里? (Why are we here?)
The other one responded, "我们来这里是为了支持父亲，小妹妹. (We are here to support father, little sister.)
Dr. Fang turned his attention to his daughters and said, "Daughters, no Mandarine. English only so everyone can understand."
Both daughters bowed to their father, and responded, "Yes, father."
Henry opened the door to the Conference room and stood aside to allow his team to enter. They sat around the other side of the table, with Henry sitting at the head. "Good to see you again, Dr. Fang," he said.
"Nice to see you as well, Dr. Feldman. Allow me to introduce my team. To my far right are Dr. Van Grouw and his son. They are two of the most experienced Orthopedic Surgeons I have ever met. To their left are Mr. Pinnenfarina, Mr. Ferrarri, and Mrs. Richter. They are the ones responsible for the Mechanical Designs of the limbs. To my immediate left is Dr. Kline. She is the staff Neurosurgeon. And finally, to my far left are my two daughters. Yi and Li. Their Software skills are off the charts. Put the two of them together and there is nothing they can't code."
Henry looked over Dr. Fang's team, then said, "Welcome to MegaKat General. You already know my Granddaughter, Cheryl, the patient's Primary Doctor. However, this is the rest of my team. On my far right is my Chief Neurologist, Dr. Meyer. To my right and left are this hospital's two best Orthopedics. Dr. Garcia and Dr. Osorio. Now that the pleasantries are over, let's get started. As I have told you, the science is sound. But my major concern is the Spinal Implant has a high probability of leaving paralysis. What Safeguards are there to prevent it?"
Dr. Kline rose from her seat, and answered, "The Implants are smaller than a 28-gauge needle. The procedure has less risk than a Spinal Tap. Our tests revealed, only very minor discomfort from where the device is inserted, with a 100% success rate, doctor." She then sat back down.
Dr. Meyer leaned forward over the table, resting his elbows on the table, and his chin on his thumbs. His eyes like lasers, aimed at Dr. Kline, and said, "Impressive, doctor. But how in cat's name did you prevent inflammation and regeneration of the Spinal Cord, post the implantation of the device? The Spinal Cord will regenerate the bone and cartilage removed during the procedure. This regeneration will impede the stimulus to and from the patient's brain, rendering your Advanced Prosthetics almost useless."
"Dr. Meyer," Dr. Kline addressed. "That will not become an issue. The implants are designed to be inserted into the bones of the Spinal Cord itself. We anticipated the regeneration process would grow around the implants, securing them better than any surgical adhesive could. This allows the electrodes to remain in place."
"Dr. Kline, and what method is used to make room for the implants?" Dr. Meyer asked.
"The same method used when boring out a bone for a screw, doctor. Why does it matter which method we use?" Dr. Kline asked in return.
Dr. Osorio was about to ask Dr. Meyer something, but was stopped by Dr. Meyer, saying, "Juan, let me finish my questioning, please. Dr. Kline, using a Surgical Drill on a Spinal Disk encompasses quite a large risk of Nerve Damage. Don't you believe there is a better way?"
"No, we don't, doctor. We as a team virtually modeled the procedure using every method for clearing the space required for the implants. The bone is too hard for lasers to complete the task, with the minimal amount of time. The Surgical Drill is the most effective and efficient in getting the job done. On top of that, Doctors Van Grouw will be the ones operating the Laser guided drill. I'll be performing the implant part of the procedure, doctor," she answered, matter of factly.
Dr. Meyer got up from his seat and went over to stand right in front of Dr. Kline, and asked, "Can I talk to you in the hall, privately?"
"Of course, doctor," she said.
The two of them left the room and closed the door behind them. They quickly kissed, then Dr. Meyer said, "Sorry for being hard on you, my dear."
"It's alright. I know you are only doing your job," Dr. Kline said. "I never expected to be debating my own husband."
"And I never expected to be debating my wife of fifteen years," he said, then kissed her again. "I really hope this procedure works as Dr. Fang stated. I'd hate to see those kids be in worse shape than they are now."
She rested her head on his left shoulder, let out a contented purr, then answered, "It will work, as promised. You told me you met the two teenagers before, how they are inseparable, and how they remind you of the twins."
Dr. Meyer smiled at that, and said, "They do remind me of the twins. With the exception of they are Romantically involved with one another. Speaking of the twins. They are staying at your parents for the next few nights. Once we get home, care to go out for a Romantic Dinner with your husband?"
She lifted her head to look into her husband's eyes and read them like a book. "You seem to have an ulterior motive, my dear."
"I never could slip anything past you, and I do. I want to see you in that Sky Blue dress again, letting me be the envy of every tom in the place. Then I get to take you home, where the night doesn't have to end," he said.
She rested her head on his shoulder again, let out a purr, then said, "I have one better. I happened to have picked up some new, unmentionables to go with the dress. I only hope my tail doesn't look too big in them?"
He looked around to make sure the area was more or less deserted, which it was. He then let his right paw drift down her back to her tail section, giving the left globe a squeeze, and said, "Your tail is as gorgeous to me now, as it was back when we first started dating. I love you."
She lightly punched him in the chest, righted herself, then said, "I hope you're tail can keep up with mine. Remember, I'm the one who hits the gym almost nightly. So, I'm still in prime shape." To emphasize her statement, she slinked her way back into the conference room, letting the door close behind her, and leaving her husband in the hall.
Felina was back in the Hospital again, this time for the Biopsy. Sitting next to her were Tina and Katerina, since Jake couldn't get out of a meeting. Although, he swore he would be there as soon as he could. To say she was nervous was an understatement. She wasn't too worried about the procedure itself. She was more worried about the results of the Biopsy and finding out if she had cancer.
Tina went to stand in front of Felina, crouched down, and said, "Hey. Daniella told you she doesn't believe the Fibroid is cancerous."
"I know what she said, Tina," Felina stated. "But she could be wrong. Then what? I resign myself that I'm going to die?"
"Who said anything about dying?" Katerina said as she stood. She went over and placed both of her paws on Felina's shoulders, and said, "You are not going to die, nor do you have cancer! Stop this defeatist attitude now! You, Jake, and Alex are going to have a long and healthy lives together!"
Felina stood, smacked Katerina's paws away, and barked back, "You don't know that! Daniela doesn't know that! The only one who does is Callista's mother, and I highly doubt she is going to tell me! I did my own research, Kat and eighty percent of Fibromyalgia cases results in Cancerous cells!"
Daniella entered the Waiting Room in time to hear Felina. She threw the chart she had onto the Check-In counter and strode over to her, with very purposeful strides and a very determined scowl on her face. She pushed Katerina out of the way, and said, "I told you not to worry about the Biopsy and let me do the worrying for you! But did you listen? No! Cause if you did, I wouldn't be wanting to slap some sense into you! I sent the images off to an Oncologist who read them! He concurs with my diagnosis, that even the largest Fibroid is completely benign! This procedure is exactly that, a procedure dictated by Hospital Protocols and while we are in there, we are going to remove those pesky things and get you back to being the World's Most Stubborn, Obstinate, Pain in the Tail patient I have ever had the pleasure of knowing!"
"So, I don't have cancer?" Felina asked.
"Not from what me or the Oncologist could tell from the images. Unless there are some cells, deeply hidden in the Fibroids that are Precancerous, which we couldn't see in the images, you're perfectly fine. Let's get you set up, upstairs and get you out of my hospital, before you and I come to blows. I might not have the same training as you do, but Nurse Nancy Khan taught me, very well how to take out a cat, if I needed to," Daniella said.
"That's good to know," Felina said.
The two started leaving the Waiting Room, heading towards the Operating Theaters. But Felina stopped, and said, "Even with Nancy's training, I can still kick your tail, any day of the week, Daniella."
Daniella slapped her right paw on Felina's left shoulder, and said, "Maybe after you have healed, we can find out?"
After they left the Waiting Room, Tina embraced Katerina, and said, "I really thought Daniella and Felina were going to have a fight, right here in front of us and we were going to be the ones to break it up."
Katerina kissed her, then said, "I doubt they would have let a single punch fly. They both care too much for each other to let that occur."
Daniella led Felina into one of the Pre-Op Rooms, then said, "I know I said the Hospital Gowns do nothing for you. But they are the only things we have, as of now. Please put one on. A Surgical Nurse will be in shortly to get you prepped and an IV started."
Felina tensed up as her nervousness started to take over.
Daniela felt Felina's apprehension and gently laid her left paw in her right shoulder, then said, "I promise, you are going to be fine. You'll be in and out of the OR in about twenty minutes, or less, depending on how everything goes. Jake will be here when you wake up from the surgery, ready to be anything and everything you need." She quickly glanced at her watch, and said, "I need to get ready myself. See you in a few minutes. And try to relax. I've got you and will not anything happen." She removed her paw from Felina's shoulder and left the room.
Felina watched her go, then changed into one of the Hospital Gowns.
A few minutes later, a female Surgical Nurse entered, wheeling a gurney with an IV bag and a red tray with supplies resting on the gurney. She stopped and applied the brakes before she said, "Please lay down and Ill need your left arm."
Felina climbed onto the gurney and presented her left arm to the nurse.
She grabbed a disposable razor and shaved an area on Felina's forearm, put the razor back in the tray, and withdrew a catheter with a thick needle.
Felina took one look at the needle and started to panic.
"Easy, you'll only feel a pinch. Trust me," she said, then picked up a bottle of Betadyne and a foam brush. She applied the Betadyne to Felina's bare skin, spread it out with the brush, and up capped the needle. "Look away, if it will make you feel better," she said. Right before inserting the needle in Felina's arm.
Felina winced as the catheter was inserted and as it was taped to her arm, she said, "I thought you said it would only be a pinch?"
"I did, and that was only a pinch. You don't want to know what the procedure feels like without Anesthesia," she said as she started the IV.
Felina leaned further back on the Gurney every once in a while, gazing at her arm.
"Time to go," the nurse said as she un-locked the gurney's brakes with her right foot and wheeled Felina out of Pre-Op to one of the Operating Suites. She bumped the door open with her right hip, pulled the gurney into the room, and parked it to the right of the Operating Table. She dropped the left guard rail and helped Felina onto the table. She then left with the gurney.
An Anesthesiologist came up from her left and secured her left arm to the table, then connected a few electrodes to her chest and an Oxygen sensor to her right Index finger. He screwed a syringe full of a white liquid to the IV and waited for Daniella to give him the cue to inject the drug into her system.
Daniella entered the OR wearing a set of light blue surgical scrubs and a light blue mask covering her mouth and nose. She approached Felina from the left, looked down at her, and said, "See you on the other side." She then lifted her head to the Anesthesiologist and nodded.
He pushed the plunger of the syringe, sending the drug into Felina's system. She was out like a light within seconds.
Another Surgical Nurse removed Felina's gown and prepped her lower abdomen for the surgery. Once done, Daniella took her position, looked at the clock on the far wall, and said, "Start Time, 11:10. Scalpel."
Jake slammed through the doors of the Waiting Room and ran to the Check-In Desk, where between pants, he asked, "Felina Clawson?"
The nurse looked up to him, and said, "Take a seat and I'll have someone bring you some water. Then, after I make sure you aren't going to pass out, I can answer your questions."
Jake barging into the room attracted Tina and Katerina. They both rose from their seats and went over to stand on either side of Jake. Then Tina said, "He's a friend of ours, miss. We'll make sure he doesn't end up as a patient here.
After Katerina took Jake back to where they were sitting, Tina went over to one of the Water Coolers on the left wall and filled a cup with water. She returned to Jake, passing him the cup.
He took it from her, finished it in one gulp, then said, "Thank You." He finally got a look at what his two friends were wearing and choked. Then asked, "Are you two trying to boost the patient count with those outfits?"
Katerina and Tina looked over each other's choice of attire and thought nothing wrong with the tank tops which left their mid-sections exposed and the compression pants they were wearing. Katerina looked back to Jake, and answered, "Tina and I were heading to the gym, right before your wife called us to be with her. Since you were indisposed, Jake."
"I appreciate both of you being here for Felina. I couldn't leave the office. After I told my board, we were covering the surgeries for two teenagers, they all lost their minds. The meeting turned into a round table discussion as to why and why we shouldn't pay for the surgeries. I had to ask each one of them, if it was their child who needed a limb would they agree to the funding. After a few minutes of dead silence, they all agreed to my proposal," Jake said.
The nurse from the Check-In desk came over to check Jake. Once she was satisfied, he wasn't going to pass out, she said, "I checked on your wife's status. She's still in the OR. But things are going very well. They should be done in the next fifteen to twenty minutes. She'll be in recovery after. You can see her, once she is situated."
Jake looked up to her, and said, "Thank You. Can me and my friends head up to the Orthopedic ward to see two patients while we wait?"
"Who are the two patients and I'll see if they are available?" The nurse asked.
"Iris Murphy and Roy Warrens," Jake answered.
"Wait here, Ill be right back," the nurse said and returned to her station.
"Why do you want to bring us to meet these two patients, Jake?" Tina asked.
"Roy and Iris are two teenagers who unfortunately run into a stroke of bad luck. Roy lost his left arm from being crushed and Iris lost the lower part of her left leg. The way they vey closely interact with each other, made me think they would be great assets to the team, once they are done with school and are old enough to make their own decisions," Jake answered.
"They are teens, and you want them to join us?" Tina shockingly asked. "They are still kids, Jake. They have no business being part of the team, at least not yet. Plus, they have missing parts of their bodies which is a large negative."
"That's where the surgeries come in, Tina. Claw-Tek has developed a set of Advanced Prosthetics which behave like a regular limb. They will be able to feel, touch, and move, just as if they never lost a limb in the first place" Jake answered.
"I guess we should meet them, if they are going to be part of the team," Katerina said.
The nurse returned with three Guest Badges in her left paw, and said, "Iris and Roy are in the Common Room in the Orthopedic Wing." As she pointed to a set of double doors behind them, she said, "Head through those doors, take the elevator to the fifth floor, and head to your left. The Common Room is at the end of the hall."
"Thank you," Jake said as he took the passes from her.
The nurse returned to her station while Jake, Tina, and Katerina left to find Roy and Iris.
"Blood Pressure is 120 over 85, doctor," The Anesthesiologist said.
Daniella was manipulating the Robotic Instruments to remove the Fibroids in Felina's uterus. "Good. Another one dislodged," Daniella said. She moved her left paw, holding one of the controls for the machine to drop the fibrous mass into a specimen cup. She moved the machine to remove another fibroid, when the Anesthesiologist said, "Blood Pressure is dropping, Doctor."
"What!? Daniella asked. "What is is now?"
"98 over 60 and dropping," the Anesthesiologist answered.
"Hang a liter of blood and keep me updated!" Daniella ordered. She moved the machine out of the way and peered into Felina's body. She didn't see anything out of order. Then she saw a small stream of blood from behind the largest fibroid. "Crap! Get the Cauterizer ready and call the Blood Bank for three units of Typed Blood!" She ordered.
"Scalpel and I need suction!" She ordered.
She was handed a fresh scalpel while the doctor assisting her, placed a small clear tube attached to a Vacuum pump in the open cavity, removing the blood.
Daniella sliced the fibroid from the Uterine wall and watched the blood flow more freely. "Gauze, more suction, and the Cauterizer, now!"
She was handed the Cauterizer, while the assisting doctor packed the cavity with the gauze.
"Blood Pressure 85 over 50 and dropping, doctor," the Anesthesiologist said.
"Damn it! Prepare for a Hysterectomy and someone call my father and give him and update!" Daniella ordered. She opened the cavity wider using a scalpel, then started slicing all the connective tissue, securing the Uterus. After completing her task, she lifted Felina's uterus from her body and placing it on a tray to her right. She then started Cauterizing all the open wounds.
The blood was delivered by a Surgical Nurse and passed over to the Anesthesiologist who hung a unit on the IV pole and started a second IV.
Daniella finished repairing all the internal blood vessels which once were connected to the uterus, then ordered, "Blood Pressure."
"100 over 75 and rising, doctor," the Anesthesiologist answered.
Daniella breathed a sigh of relief, then started cleaning out the cavity of all the remaining blood-soaked gauze. Once she was one, she said, "Prepare to close."
She was handed a Suture Kit, more gauze, and Surgical Tape. She folded the skin back to where it's supposed to be and started to sew up the wound.
She finished suturing Felina, looked over to her sleeping face, and said, "I'm so sorry. I'll see you in Recovery." She left the OR, letting the door close behind her, where she ran into her father.
"What happened in there, Daniella?" Henry asked.
She removed the mask from her face and gloves from her paws, threw them into the nearest Biohazard bin, and answered. "There was an unexpected large blood vessel behind one of the Fibroids. I must have nicked it. I had no choice than to perform a Hysterectomy." She ran her paws though the fur on her cheeks, then said, "I failed her, dad! I told her, the surgery was a simple procedure, not something which would have consequences for the rest of her life! She's going to need Hormone Therapy for years because I messed up in there!"
Henry pulled his daughter into an embrace, and said, "You didn't screw up, Daniella! You're a great OB! Your patients love you! They trust you explicitly to do what is best for them. That vessel was not on any of the scans that I've seen! There is no way you would have known it was there! So, you nicked it, and she survived! A lesser doctor couldn't have stopped the hemorrhaging, and she would have died on the table!"
"Dad! If another surgeon performed her surgery, she might still have her uterus! What am I going to tell her, when she wakes up? Oh, I messed up and had to Neuter you to save your life!? She's going to want to kill me, if I tell her that!" Daniella yelled.
"You really think she will want to harm you? You're her friend and doctor. I've seen the way you two interact, Daniella. You two could have been sisters. Simply tell her the truth and don't leave anything out," Henry said.
"Sisters? Me and her? If she was my sister, you and mom would have disowned us years ago from all the trouble we would have gotten into together," Daniella said, then laughed at the thought of her and Felina being related. She stopped laughing, then said, "I needed that. Can you come with me, when I tell her?"
Henry smiled at her, and answered, "Of course I'll go with you. The Clawsons are like family."
Daniella hugged her father, and said, "Thanks, dad."
He hugged her back and said, "Welcome. I love you, Daniella." He then kissed her between the ears and held her for as long as she needed.
End of Chapter