Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Thank you again to my Co-Author MisaRae.
Here we go!
"I honestly don't know, what I do know is that you deserve to have some fun before I take you to my apartment. So after we go and see how T-Bone is doing, you and I are going out and having lunch, and then if Callie is awake and feeling up to it, we are all going to have a girl's day out. Just the three of us, no toms allowed. Sound good to you Katerina? Oh, Felina is fine. You start calling me Lieutenant outside of the office and I will have to clean your clock. The only person who does that is my uncle."
Katerina developed an evil smile on her face. She was going to like living with Felina. She is very independent and has this 'Take no Crap' attitude that she loved. She replied, "It does sound like fun, I have not had a day out with just females in such a long time," Katerina said as they arrived at the hospital.
As they walked through the front doors of the hospital, they were greeted by the receptionist who asked, "Can I help you two?"
"We are here to see T-Bone," Felina replied.
"Please wait one second while I look up where he is," the receptionist said, looking down at the screen and typing away on the keyboard. After a few seconds, she looked up and said, "He is in recovery right now, but I can't allow you to go down there. You both can wait over there until he is transferred out of recovery. Although, I don't know how long that is going to take. The drugs that they use in the OR have different effects on everyone."
"Ok, thank you," Felina replied, as she took Katerina's arm and led her towards the waiting room. She took a seat and motioned for Katerina to do the same. Felina was not known for her patience. She crossed and uncrossed her legs while skimming through a magazine. Five minutes later, Felina finally threw the magazine down on the table and said, "If there's anything I hate, it's waiting!" She looked out of the hospital's waiting room window, and saw a restaurant on the opposite side of the street. She then said, "There is a restaurant across the street. We can get lunch there, and hopefully, T-Bone will be out of the recovery room by then. Sound good?"
"Sure, I spent three long years waiting to be free of that prison. I don't want to wait any longer to experience life again," Katerina replied. But before they left the hospital, they asked the receptionist if someone could let them know when T-Bone was transferred from recovery to a room.
The receptionist replied, "Sure, I can do that for you. Just give me your cell phone number, and I will call you as soon as he is settled in a room."
Felina wrote her cell phone number on a small piece of paper and gave it to the receptionist, while saying, "Thank you. We are going to be across the street getting some lunch."
"Ask for Mike when you get there. He is my brother, and he will take care of you personally. Just tell him that Judy sent you over," Judy said.
"Da, we will take your offer. Thank you," Katerina replied. Felina and Katerina left the hospital, and walked across the street to the restaurant that Mike worked at.
Callie finished getting dressed and quickly left her room to join Callista in the living room. Callie found her sitting on the couch, petting Persival.
Callista and Persival heard Callie enter the living room. Persival got up and walked over to Callie. Once he was in front of her, he stood up on his hind legs, placed his front paws on her shoulders so he could look directly into her eyes, and said to her, "The next time that you tell me I can go home, not only am I not going to leave you, I am going to throw you over my back and remove you from whatever situation you are in." Then he started to tear up before placing his head on her left shoulder, closing his eyes, and saying, "You had me so worried, mistress. I thought that I had lost you forever. I don't think that I could live without seeing your smiling face again."
Callie started tearing up, herself, at Persival's display of emotion. He had always been the rock she could lean on when she was feeling sad or depressed, and he would whisk those feelings away with one simple phrase or just a nudge of his nose. Callie finally replied, "I am not planning on going anywhere for a long time, especially now that I am going to be a mother."
Persival pulled back as his mouth dropped open in surprise, and he ever so slowly asked, "You.. are.. with.. child?"
"Yes, Persival. Three of them, to be exact, according to Callista. She heard the heartbeats, and saw them growing inside of me," Callie replied, and smiled as she rubbed her stomach.
Persival was now smiling with happiness. His mistress was going to be a mother! His tail started swishing as he brought her to him, placed her in a tight embrace, and said, "I am so happy for you, mistress. You are going to be a great mother to your kittens!"
"I certainly hope so, Persival. Although, raising three kittens at once is going to be very hard work," Callie said.
"I will always be here for you, mistress, and now I will be here for your kittens, as well as Isis. At least, I hope that she will," Persival said.
"Persival, I am sure that she will want to be with you as much as you want to be with her. You just have to be yourself around her, and she will fall for you in a heartbeat, I promise," Callie said.
"You think so, mistress?" Persival asked.
"If I was her, I would fall for you instantly. Not only are you very smart and a charmer, but you are also one hunk of a cat! Any female would fall for you," Callie replied, then said, "As much as I love you, you are very heavy. Would you mind getting off of me?"
"Not at all, mistress," Persival said as he got off of Callie and back down on all fours. He then turned and stood next to Callie, bowed to Callista, and said, "Milady, your granddaughter is going to need my services more than you do. With a heavy heart, I am asking you to release me, and let me serve her as I have served you for all of these years."
"Of course, Persival. If you honestly think that Callie is going to need you more than I do. However, I am going to miss having you curled up on the floor by my bed, keeping me safe. What I am going to miss most, of course, is your companionship. It is going to be real lonely around here without you," Callista replied. She tried her best not to let her emotions get the better of her, but it was an impossible task. Callista turned away from Callie and Persival as tears filled her eyes.
"I am not going anywhere for a while, Milady. My mistress is not going to need my services for a few months, or as she deems necessary, and I will miss being with you also. It is going to be very hard to be separated from someone that my family has protected for over 300 years. Then again, you are going to have Ulysses to protect you," Persival said as he righted himself.
"Ulysses might be able to protect me from mortal harm, but you and your family have always protected me, and now my family, from 'The Society' for hundreds of years," Callista said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to face them again.
Callie placed her paw on Persival and asked Callista, "The Society? What is that, Callista?"
Callista did not want to reveal that they existed yet to Callie and burden her with the worry that there was a very large band of sorcerers out there that are not fond of her and how she used her magical abilities for the good of cat kind instead of using them for her own personal gain. She just answered, "That, Callie, is something you don't need to know about yet."
Persival looked at Callista and said, "Do you think that not letting her know about 'The Society' is a wise decision, Milady? If they ever realize who she is, there will be no stopping them.. She should be prepared for anything. They will not stop until you give yourself up to them."
Callie now was also looking at Callista and thinking to herself, "Again, she is not telling me the whole story. If Persival is that concerned for my safety, then I should know what I am getting into, and who these cats are." Callie asked," Why do you keep doing this, Callista? If this Society is as dangerous as you and Persival say they are, don't you think that I should know something about them?"
"Callie, I keep certain things from you in order to protect you. As far as I know, they do not know that you have the family gift, nor that I am still alive, and I plan on keeping it that way. If they ever find out that I faked my death, they will stop at nothing to get to you, Callie, and use you against me I can't let that happen." Callista paused as she walked over to Callie and placed both of her paws on Callie's shoulders before continuing, "You have been the last of my family, up until now, Callie. I cannot allow them to hurt anyone I love ever again. Please just let this be until we really need to deal with them."
Callie did not look at all convinced, and Callista sighed, realizing that now the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, Callie would never let it drop until her curiosity was satisfied. Callista looked to Persival, her fierce desire to protect her family lingering in the back of her mind.
Persival nodded, well aware of Callista's reservations. However, he also knew his mistress. The less Callie knew about a situation, the more likely she was to charge in, heedless of the danger.
"Very well," Callista said. "The Society is a group of sorcerers whose overtures I spurned over 275 years ago. They came to me, asking me to use my powers for financial gain. I refused, and politely asked them to leave my kingdom. When they refused to leave, and instead started terrorizing the citizens of Megalith, I was angrier than I've ever been in my life, and attacked them directly. They lost several high-ranking members, and I lost Amelia during the fight. The Society vowed to make my life miserable by going after my family and friends until I gave in to their demands. They have been doing this for centuries. Their last attempt to get me to see things their way resulted in your parents' deaths."
Callista noted the look of shock on Callie's face, but Callista soldiered onward.
"I received a letter in the mail a few days after the accident, saying that my continued rejection of their requests caused the deaths of my daughter and her husband. The final words of the missive stated, and I quote, 'This could have been prevented.' I was so blinded by rage, I was not thinking straight. After burying your mother and father, I left the city and paid The Society a surprise visit. Let's just say that what I did to Dark Kat was mild in comparison to what I did to them."
Callie backed away from Callista ever so slightly. She had never known that there was something sinister behind her parent's death. Callie slowly sat down on the couch as she contemplated what Callista had just told her. She placed her elbows on her thighs, and her face in her paws. Callie started to remember the horror that she went through when an Enforcer officer had pulled her out of class to give her the news that her parents had been killed, and how much it had devastated her.
Callista saw how shaken up Callie was, walked over to her, and sat down next to her before saying, "I had no idea they could be that ruthless. If I had, they would have been placed under my protection, and they would still be alive."
"You had no idea that they would go so far as to have your daughter assassinated by a supposed drunk driver, Callista. Even under your protection, they still would have perished from the accident. They were hit dead on by that car. Nothing could have saved them," Callie replied after she looked up at Callista.
"I have my doubts about that, Callie. I could have been there and deflected the car, or teleported them out of the way. Then they would still be here with us today," Callista said.
Callie got up and placed both of her paws on Callista's shoulders, then said, "You can't beat yourself up over that. You can't be everywhere your loved ones are at all times. Fate has taken from us, but fate has also brought you back to me. I need you to be the loving grandmother that I know you are, and be the loving great grandmother to my kittens that I know you are going to be."
Callista contemplated Callie's words very carefully, and realized that Callie was right. She could not be everywhere, all the time, and she needed to focus on her now growing family rather than concentrating on what had happened in the past. She replied, "Callie, you are wiser than most of the noble cats that I had back in the court. I have to stop dwelling on the past, and focus on the future. I am going to be a great grandmother to three beautiful kittens in a few short months, not to mention a grandmother and mentor to you." Callista got up off of the couch and then said, "Shall we head out to the hospital and see your fiancé? I am almost positive that once you are in the room with him, he is going to wake up, and I am sure that the first thing he is going to want to see is you."
Callie got up, walked over to Callista, and placed her in a comforting hug before saying, "I love you, Callista, and I can't wait to tell Chance that he is going to be a father. Actually, he is lucky he is in a hospital already, because when I break the news to him, he just might pass out."
Callista returned Callie's hug and smiled before saying, "You have been spending too much time with Felina, and she is rubbing off on you in a very positive way."
With that, the two separated, and each gave Persival a scratch on the head before leaving for the hospital. Callista hailed a cab instead of using her powers to teleport them there. Every once in a while, she liked to do things the non-magical way. As they were riding in the back of the cab, a flatbed truck passed them, heading the opposite direction, carrying the charred remains of the TurboKat. Callie shuddered, wondering how anyone could survive such a terrible wreck.
Callista looked over at Callie as the truck passed, and noted the change in Callie's expression. She reached out with her paw, took Callie's in hers, gave it a comforting squeeze, and said, "He will be fine."
Callie was still not entirely convinced that Chance was going to be as "fine" as everyone claimed, especially now that she had seen the extent of the damage to the TurboKat up close and personal. All she could do was stare out of the window of the cab for the rest of the trip.
When they arrived at the hospital's main entrance, they got out of the cab, and took a minute to stare at the gleaming doors as Callie struggled to find the courage to actually walk through them. She then said to Callista, "I don't think I can do this. I don't want to be one of those she-cats who falls apart at the sight of their future husband lying in a hospital bed."
Callista turned to Callie and said, "You will not be alone. Razor is with him, and I will be with you. Chance is one strong cat, and if Amelia had anything to do with it, he is going to pull through this with flying colors."
They walked through the doors of the hospital, holding each other's paws like a lifeline. As they arrived at reception desk, Callie said, "Hello, I am here to see T-Bone."
Judy looked up and saw that it was the Deputy Mayor asking to see T-Bone. She replied, "Just a minute, let me see where he is." Judy quickly typed a few keystrokes into her computer, and saw that he was still in recovery. Judy said, "He is still in recovery, but since you are the Deputy Mayor, I think I can let you go down and see him, but only you. Your friend is going to have to stay up here and wait, or she can meet up with the other two she-cats that were also waiting for T-Bone to be transferred to a room. I sent them across the street to the restaurant that my brother works at. I think one of the she-cats' last name is was Feral?"
Callie developed a questioning look on her face as she thought, "Who is Felina with?" Then she shook her head, because it really didn't matter at the moment. Callie turned to Callista and asked, "Would you mind waiting with Felina and her friend while I see T-Bone?"
"Not at all. It will give me a good opportunity to finally meet this Felina, since she is going to be a very large part of our extended family," Callista said, then gave Callie's paw a firm squeeze before letting her go and walking out of the hospital.
Callie watched as Callista left the hospital, then turned back to Judy and asked, "Can you give me directions to recovery?"
"I can do better than that; I'll walk you down there myself. Besides, I hear from the nurses that T-Bone is one heck of a hunk of a tom," Judy replied as she got up and walked around the reception counter.
Callie smirked before saying, "I hate to tell you this, but he is engaged to marry Empress."
Judy stopped mid-step at Callie's words. She replied, "Ah crud, we finally get those hunky SWAT Kats in here, and one of them is already taken! I guess I will have to settle for Razor, then."
"Callie chuckled. "You do, and Caliber will have your tail. She is engaged to him," Callie replied."
"Damn, all the good toms are already taken. What does a good, hardworking she-cat have to do to get a date in this city? Oh well. Let's get you down to recovery. Right this way," Judy said, as she led Callie down to the recovery room.
As Judy led Callie down a very sterile looking hallway, Callie started to get nervous about seeing T-Bone lying in a hospital bed with all sorts of wires attached and tubes sticking out of him. She slowed her pace as she got closer to the recovery room.
Judy sensed Callie's reluctance, and turned her head to see Callie's forlorn expression. She said, "You have nothing to worry about, Deputy Mayor. Dr. Feldman is the best surgeon in the city. According to the chart, he has taken a personal interest in T-Bone's case." They walked down the hall toward the recovery room, until Judy suddenly stopped and said and said to Callie, "I just want to prepare you for what you are about to see. There are going to be several patients in here that have just come out of surgery. Nothing in there is going to be pretty or nice. Everyone is going to be hooked up to at least one IV drip, and some are going to be on a ventilator to help them breathe. T-Bone came in here in very bad shape. He did pull through surgery without a problem, but he is going to be unconscious, and they are probably going to keep him that way until his lungs heal. He also had several cuts and bruises all over his body that needed attention."
Callie listened to what Judy was telling her as she prepared herself for the worst. She said after staring at the door for a minute, "Please take me in to see him."
"Alright, I will be right here beside you every step of the way," Judy replied as she opened the door and led Callie in.
The recovery room was even worse than the hall. Every wall was painted cinderblock with all sorts on monitors, IV poles, and oxygen ports mounted on them. The room had about six patients in it; all were unconscious, just as Judy said they would be.
Callie followed Judy to the far end of the recovery room where she saw Razor sitting in a chair with his head down on the side of the bed. Callie briskly walked past Judy and placed her left paw on Razor's right shoulder. She gave him a gentle shake.
Razor felt something or someone shaking him. He looked up and saw Callie standing next to him. He asked, "Are you alright to be here? You took a heck of a beating out there."
"I am fine, Razor. Actually, I am better than fine. I'm pregnant with Chance's kittens. Please, let me break that bit of news to him. I want it to be a real surprise," Callie replied.
Razor got up out of his chair and gave Callie a hug. He smiled and said, "Congratulations. You have no idea how happy Chance is going to be when he finds out that he is going to be a father. He had wanted to have kittens years ago, but he never found the right she-cat to have them with." Razor pulled back and asked Judy, "Would you mind giving us some privacy, please? There are a few things that I need to discuss with the Deputy Mayor."
"Of course, take all the time that you need. I will make sure that you two are not disturbed." Judy turned and left after she closed the privacy curtain.
Razor turned back to Callie once Judy was gone and asked, "How did you find out? After you brought the TurboKat safely to the ground, you passed out. We had feared that you were in a coma or worse. Felina was a complete nervous wreck when she saw you in Katerina's arms, completely out cold."
"The short story is, while I was out, I met Chance in Purgatory. He was to be judged by Bast to see if he was worthy of crossing over to the afterlife and serve Bast alongside Callista's Sergeant at Arms, Amelia. Amelia took him away to be judged after Callista came to bring me back. That was when Callista told me when she examined me for injuries, she found out that I was pregnant. I should give birth to three kittens in about seven months," Callie replied.
"Wow, that is some story, Callie, and triplets! Chance must have some recessive gene or something. Would you mind staying with him for a while? I need to get some food and rest. This has been one hell of a day," Razor said.
"I have been away from him for far too long, Razor. I would love nothing more than to spend some time alone with my fiancé. Yours is across the street with my grandmother and some other she-cat. Why don't you go and join them?" Callie replied.
"I think that I will. I need to properly thank your grandmother for our Hawaiian vacation, anyhow," Razor said. He left after that.
Callie took the seat that Razor had once occupied, took T-Bone's left paw in her paws, then brought her lips down to kiss it.
T-Bone started to wake up. He heard the sounds of the heart monitor beeping, and the soft touch of a female's paws against his left paw. He opened his eyes and saw Callie's face. He squeezed her paws with his, just to let her know that he was awake and glad to see her as he started to cry out of happiness.
Callie felt a gentle pressure against her paws and looked up at T-Bone's face. She saw that his eyes had opened, and he was staring at her through a mist of tears. Callie did the only thing that she had been yearning to do for the past few days: released his paw and brought her arms around his neck. Then once her face was close enough to his ear, she said ever so softly, "I love you, and I'm pregnant."
End of Chapter