'And that's how I, Vivian Vanfang, died. I didn't die a United Kats Army hero, nor did I die a vigilante hero for Megakat City. I died because of my trigger happy ex, who is also my father's lieutenant, while trying to save the tom I love. Pretty selfless but unfair way to go, huh?' Vivian was in what she assumed was a blank room in heaven or somewhere.
She couldn't be alive now, right? She died in T-Bone's arms after a gunshot to the back and through her stomach. 'Not what I imagined heaven to look like. Maybe I went to hell instead?' Vivian thought to herself, walking around aimlessly. "You're not in hell. Far from it, my dear." Vivian turned towards the voice, a very familiar voice. She gasped, looking at an older version of herself. "M-mom?! Is-is that really you?!" The female figure smiled at Vivian. She was dressed in a white dress, as was Vivian, except her mother had a gold halo over her head. "Yes, my girl, it's me." Vivian went and hugged her mother, surprised she didn't go through her. She stepped back and stared at her, confused. "So, I must be dead, right? Especially if I'm seeing you? Being able to touch you?" She smiled once more and shook her head. "Oh Vivian, even after 9 years of me being gone, you're still so quick to jump to conclusions." She giggled a little. "Just like me still. No, you're not quite dead. You're just in the realm between life and death here."
Vivian shook her head. "There's so many things I wanna say to you. So many things I want to ask you. I miss you so much." She said, tears in her eyes. "Dad caused your death and now he's caused mine. My life got taken and I'll never see Chance again." Her mother put her hand on her shoulder. "There's so many things I want to tell you too, sweetheart, but there's simply not enough time. Your father wasn't the cause of either of our deaths. His life choices were, but for the time I got to be with him, the two wonderful daughters I got as a result of the love we had, it was worth it. Just wish I didn't have to watch it all from up here. Your story isn't over if you so choose for it not to be over." Vivian gave her a confused look as she pointed to a reflecting pool like opening. She saw T-Bone clutching her upper body to his, burying his muzzle in the crook of her neck as Razor was performing a field wound dressing, waiting for paramedics to get there.
"I got her patched up, buddy, but she's lost a lot of blood. It was a clean exit wound, so the bullet shouldn't be in there." Razor said as T-Bone refused to look up. He only nodded into her neck. "Viv, please wake up. I don't wanna go the rest of my nine lives without you. Please don't make me do that. I'll do anything if you just wake up." He whispered painfully to her. His mask was wet with tears.
Seeing this broke Vivian's heart. "Vivian, you can go back to earth and face your not so easy recovery, or you can move on to the afterlife with no worries or pain. The choice is yours." She looked away from the scene to her mother. "How come I didn't get the choice the first time I almost died? How come I didn't see you the last time?"
Vivian's mother sighed. "HE works in mysterious ways. You've made so many selfless choices, He decided to give you a little gift. Seeing me for a short while and giving you the choice to end your existence on earth, or go back and continue it. He thought you should get the choice this time. You've been through so much." Vivian looked back at the reflecting pool. "I...I'm not done on this earth yet. I need to go back-"
Her mother interjected. "For love? For Chance?" She asked as Vivian turned back to her and blushed. "Partially, yeah." Vivian's mother shook her head. "All the way, yeah. I know you too well." She came to stand next to Vivian, looking at the reflecting pool. The paramedics had just arrived, looking Vivian's body over while T-Bone held her.
"Oh, how history does repeat itself. I was into the bad boys too. Chance comes across as a bad boy, but he has such a heart of gold. You father was the same way." Vivian huffed. "Chance is a better tom than my father could ever hope to be. Chance may be a vigilante, but he is a hero and a pilot who protects Megakat City with everything has has. My Dad is a mafia boss drug pusher who has killed a lot of kats and tried to take over Megakat City." Vivian's mother shook her head.
"Don't be so hard on your father. He loves you." Vivian shot back at her. "He cost me you, my ex-fiancé, Chance, and almost my life. I'll never speak to him again." She said angrily. Vivian's mother sighed and shook her head. "Vivian, please reconsider your words. You already lost me, don't loose your father too. You also need to be a little more accepting of your sister. She loves you, so much." Vivian sighed. "She needs to learn to keep her mouth shut. She's the reason Dad found out I was Shadow Kat. I might not be in the predicament if it wasn't for her." Vivian's mother shook her head. "He would've eventually had you followed anyway and found out."
There was a silence between the two as they watched paramedics work on her. T-Bone refused to leave her side. "He is a very handsome tom, by the way. Good job, Viv. You'd definitely have my approval." Her mother said, making her blush. "I wasn't interested in him at first, but he grew on me. I even tried to keep things casual, but ended up falling so deep in love with him on accident." Vivian said as her mother spoke once more. "You two will make such cute kittens. Wish I could be there for that." She said as Vivian caught the first half. "Wait...what do you mean by 'will'? Do you know something I don't?" She asked as she drew Vivian into a hug and squeezed her tightly. "You'll just have to wait and see. Now..." Vivian felt her feet floating from the floor. She looked at her mother, confused, holding on to her hands as Vivian was floating away. "You gotta be on your way now, sweetheart."
"I...no...I'm not done talking to you! I love you...so much." She said with tears in her eyes. Vivian's mother was barely holding on to her hands. "I'll see you again one day, dear, but it will be a very very very long time from now. I love you too. Say hi to Chance for me." She said, letting go of Vivian's hands. Vivian gasped as she floated away and everything went black.
She heard a voice in the distance, rattling off information. "23 year old she-kat. Gunshot wound through the back. Traveled through and exited through the abdomen. Unknown if any organs were hit. Extreme blood loss. Unresponsive, but breathing. Prep the surgical team and ICU." Said a paramedic that was prepping Vivian. "Starting IV now." She was now on a stretcher. T-Bone kept his eyes on her as her eyes fluttered open and she groaned. She felt the sudden pinch of the needle. She cried out and tried to sit up, but T-Bone gently grabbed her and forced her back down. "It's okay kitten, it's okay. They're gonna get you patched up. I'm still here." She saw T-Bone in front of her face. She smiled weakly.
"Mr...T-Bone. We need to get her into the ambulance. You're gonna have to step aside." The she-kat paramedic said to him, not sure how to address the vigilante. The blonde tom reluctantly stepped back as they rolled her away. Razor put his hand on T-Bone's shoulder. "You did everything you could, pal. Now it's up to the doctors and her. She'll be okay. Let's go home." T-Bone shook his head. "Negative. I'm going with her." Razor gripped him just a little harder.
"Buddy, there's not much more you can do. You heard them. They're taking her to surgery." He turned to Razor. "I want to be there when she wakes up. I'll ride in the ambulance with them. Just meet me at the hospital, okay?" Razor shrugged. "I guess there's no stopping you. Okay, I'll meet you there." He said as he let him go. T-Bone jogged a little to catch up with the EMT's. They were surprised to say the least when the bigger of the two Swat Kats asked to come along.
Vivian had already fallen back asleep. He sat next to her bed and gently took her hand and held it as the paramedics closed the doors. The female paramedic was in there with them. "Is she your girlfriend or something?" She asked as the ambulance started moving and the sirens blared. "She's...important to me." T-Bone felt bad about lying, but one too many kats already figured out they were the Swat Kats simply because they followed her as Shadow Kat. They didn't need more knowing their secret. The female EMT only nodded, not prodding further. A short while later, the ambulance arrived and that's where things got a little hectic. T-Bone watched as a team of medical personnel descended on Vivian, quickly prepping her for surgery and wheeling her off. One of the nurses led T-Bone to the waiting area.
Many of the other kats in the waiting room gave the vigilante funny looks as he sat down. He made sure to pick a seat away from everyone else. He didn't even care that he was getting stared at. All he cared about now was his love making it off the operating table. Razor eventually came about 30 minutes later and found him in the waiting room. "Hey pal, how's she doing?" He asked as T-Bone shook his head. "They took her back about 30 or 40 minutes ago. I don't know anything else." He saw Razor was carrying something. He produced T-Bone's helmet. "You kinda left this back there." Razor said, handing it to him. "Thanks." He said as he took it and put it on his leg, using it as an arm rest.
About an hour later, a surgeon dressed in scrubs came out to the waiting room. "Vanfang family?" He called out. T-Bone and Razor immediately got up. The surgeon looked at the burly tom and his more lithe friend in both surprise and confusion. "Uh...no offense Swat Kats, but doesn't she have real family?" T-Bone just stared at him. "Her Mother passed long ago and I don't have her sister's contact information and if her Dad steps in here, you'll be heavy one more body in the ICU or the morgue." He said as the Surgeon looked at him with wide eyes and proceeded to look over her chart. "Well-well then...uh...she's really very lucky. The bullet happened to miss vital organs, and most bones. There's a hairline fracture in her lower rib. Nothing was hit in her back that won't allow her to walk again, thank goodness. We didn't find the bullet, so it looks like a clean exit wound. We stitched up both the entry and exit wounds, cleaned her up on the inside, and gave her some blood. She'll have to recover here for at least a week, but whoever's in charge of her, can come pick her up then. Maybe even sooner depending on her recovery time. She's going to make it. We're going to bring her back into her room for recovery in about an hour. We'll come get you." T-Bone couldn't help the smile that spread across his muzzle. "Thank you doc, thank you so much!" He said, grabbing him and hugging him. The surgeon was shocked to say the least. He gently patted T-Bone's back and he let him go and walked away.
About an hour later, a nurse was leading T-Bone and Razor to Vivian's room. "Since this is the ICU floor, only one of you can visit at a time." She said before she walked away. Razor took a seat outside her room. "Go ahead buddy. I'll be out here." T-Bone nodded, trying to mentally prepare himself for what he might see. He breathed a sigh of relief when she wasn't hooked up to too much, just one IV, the chest monitors which beeped strongly and in a steady rhythm with Vivian's heartbeats, and an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. T-Bone took a seat beside her and gently held her hand while he looked at her. She was still out cold. "You made it, love. I can't wait to hold you in my arms and kiss you again." He spoke softly to her.
"She's my daughter! Let me through!" T-Bone heard someone yell as he turned to see Dominic at the door. T-Bone bared his teeth when he saw him, leaving Vivian to meet him at the door. "Of course you'd be here. I've got it from here, vigilante. You can go." He tried to get to Vivian but T-Bone stepped in front of him. The older tom barely made it to T-Bone's mouth in terms of height. "How dare you show your face around here. You are the cause of this! You need to leave, now!" T-Bone said, trying to keep himself in check, but he saw it was becoming increasingly harder with every passing moment. He smirked at T-Bone. "I think you mean it the other way around. She's here because of you! Your tail wouldn't stay away from her! If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself! Now step aside..." He said as T-Bone finally lost it.
Razor heard someone yell and then a medical tray came flying out of Vivian's room. Supplies and other things scattered across the floor. Razor jumped slightly, the other staff all gasped, jumped, and slowly approached the scene.
"She's my daughter!"
"You don't deserve the title as her father! Get the hell out!"
"You have no right! Woah!"
Another piece of medical equipment was chucked out the door, crashing into the floor and sliding a few feet.
"You're crazy! I'm gonna have the Enforcers called!"
"Go ahead! I'll have plenty of time beat the living crud out of you before they get here!"
The next thing Razor saw was Dominic quickly exiting the room walking backwards, trying to hide his fear while T-Bone followed him out. He stuck one of his unleashed clawed fingers in his face. "You go anywhere near that room, and I swear I'll kill you!" T-Bone said, growling dangerously low. Razor stood up and began to try and diffuse the situation. "You're a Swat Kat, you don't kill." Dominic said, smirking. "Might have to make an exception for you. You're one of the worst kinds of monsters there is!" T-Bone said, cracking his knuckles. "T-Bone! Calm down. You don't wanna end up in jail!" Razor said desperately to his partner.
"Alright, both of you! Leave this hospital now!" One of the braver doctors stepped in between them. T-Bone growled at him slightly. "This is absolute bull! This...this...brute isn't even family! I am! I'm her father!" Dominic pled his case to the doctor. "He's criminal kat scum who shouldn't even be allowed to breathe right now!" T-Bone shot back. The Doctor tried to air his authority to both kats. "Be that as it may, you both need to leave. You're disturbing other kats who are trying to rest!" He said as he stepped even more in between them. "Leave before I have you both arrested!"
Razor pulled at T-Bone's arm. "Come on, buddy." He jerked his arm away. "I'm not leaving until he does!" T-bone said as Dominic fixed his tie. "Very well. I'm leaving." He said as he went the opposite way away from T-Bone and left out the doors. "Well? What's it gonna be, Mr. T-Bone?" The doctor asked as T-Bone relaxed a little. "I'll leave." He said, simply, starting to move for the door. Razor followed him.
Once they got out the door, Razor sighed and shook his head. "Buddy, ever since you fell in love, you're becoming a handful." They both walked to the exit of the hospital, half ignoring what Razor said. "I'm going home to change and come back. They won't recognize me." T-Bone said as Razor shook his head. "She needs her rest and so do you. We've all had a long day." T-Bone looked down at his partner, a yawn came over him, forgetting he wasn't a morning person and it was already sun-down. "Home?" Razor asked as T-Bone nodded. "Yeah. Order out tonight?" He said as Razor nodded. "That's a big affirmative, pal."
They both walked to the area behind the hospital where Razor stashed the Turbokat and took off for home. They ordered Chinese takeout and watched TV for a while before Jake decided to call it a night. He got up from the couch and stretched. "I'm beat. Gonna hit the hay. You coming?" He said as Chance sighed. "I guess." He said as Jake gave him a one eyebrow look. "You better not sneak back over to the hospital until you've had some sleep." He said, giving him a sideways smile. 'Crud, he knows me too well.' Chance thought as he raised his hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll get some sleep." Jake started his way up the stairs to the apartment and then turned to look at him. "Don't make me have to turn on the motion sensors, Chance. I mean it." Chance smirked and turned off the TV. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm heading up that way now." He said, standing up and stretching as well and making his way up to the apartment for some well deserved sleep. 'I just hope Vivian doesn't freak out if I'm not there when she wakes up.' He thought to himself as he did his nightly routine and poured himself into bed.