Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
To my Co-Author MisaRae, thank you.
Dr. Feldman was performing his morning rounds when he stopped to check in on T-Bone and hopefully discharge him. He opened the door to T-Bone's room, walked in, and said, "Good morning, T-Bone. It's time to get you out." His mouth stopped working when he saw T-Bone lying in his bed with the Deputy Mayor curled up next to him, blissfully asleep. He pulled up a chair and sat next to T-Bone, then tapped him on the shoulder.
T-Bone was sleeping rather deeply. The sounds that Callie made while she slept were better than any other sound he had ever heard. She hadn't been planning on staying the night, but it had been late, and she was tired. So she had simply crawled in bed with her fiancée and fell asleep.
T-Bone felt someone tapping his shoulder. He woke up, turned to look at the cat that dared to wake him up, and let out a low growl.
"Keep up that attitude, T-Bone, and I will schedule you for an exam that I promise you will not enjoy," Dr. Feldman said.
"Sorry, Doc. What time is it?" T-Bone asked.
"It's about seven in the morning. I was only joking when I told you that she could take care of you in any way she wanted. Her being in your bed is sort of against hospital policy," Dr. Feldman said.
T-Bone turned, looked at Callie's sleeping form, and remembered her crawling into his bed the previous night after they ate dinner and talked until the wee hours of the morning. He turned back to Dr. Feldman and said, "It was late, and I have not spent enough time with her since this whole mess with Dark Kat started. If it was you in my position, wouldn't you want Mary to stay by your side?"
Dr. Feldman didn't even have to think about the answer. He replied, "Of course I would want Mary to be by my side, T-Bone. I love her to death. Having been with her for all of these years, I know that I could not live without her."
"I feel the same way about the Deputy Mayor. I have been infatuated with her since high school, but I have always had a cheerleader or some other she-cat on my arm and was too stupid at the time to ask her out. I have only recently developed the courage to act on my feelings, and not be the dumb tom that relied on his muscles to get a she-cat. I never want to be apart from her again," T-Bone answered.
"I am glad that you finally wised up, T-Bone, and followed your heart. I tried to be the tom that I thought Mary wanted. You probably know the type well, acting all macho and showing off to try to impress the ladies. Well, it didn't work at all. It actually drove her away from me. I changed the way that I acted towards her immediately and begged for another chance. Luckily for me, she agreed to give me a second chance, and we have been together ever since," Dr. Feldman said.
Callie started to waken as Dr. Feldman and T-Bone were speaking. She opened her eyes and let out a yawn as she stretched. She said, "Morning, T-Bone. Why don't you give your fiancé a good morning kiss and maybe," she changed her voice to a very sultry tone before saying, "I might be willing to have a little fun with you, as Felina would say?"
Dr. Feldman cleared his throat in order to let her know that he was there.
Callie lifted her head so she could look over T-Bone's chest. She then saw Dr. Feldman sitting there on the other side of T-Bone. When she did, her face turned bright red in embarrassment and she quickly pulled the covers over herself. She quickly tuned the nurse's outfit back into her jeans and sweatshirt before punching T-Bone in the arm while asking, "Why didn't you wake me and tell me that Dr. Feldman was in the room?"
T-Bone turned his whole body in order to face her before replying, "I wanted to let you sleep, and I never expected you to behave like Felina would if Razor was in my situation."
"I never expected to be saying that stuff in front of anyone but my husband, T-Bone. If I had known that Dr. Feldman was here, I never would have said those things," Callie replied, slightly angrily.
Dr. Feldman knew he had better break up this little lover's spat before it grew into something that blew itself out of proportion. He said, "Ok you two, enough. You two love each other more than any other cats I've seen, so apologize to each other after T-Bone turns himself over so I am not looking at a side of him that I never wanted to see."
T-Bone's eyes opened wide as he remembered that the gown he had on was completely open in the back. He quickly flipped himself over onto his back and pulled the covers over himself, uncovering Callie in the process.
Dr. Feldman could not help but laugh at T-Bone and Callie's actions. They obviously loved each other to no end. He finally said after calming down, "Mary and I pretty much had the same argument after I had my gall bladder removed. She was curled up next to me one afternoon and making these cute little cooing sounds. I wrapped my arm around her, and she decided to amp things up. Mary reached under my gown and started to play with the fur on my chest. Well, me being the young, hot-blooded tom I was at the time, I let her have her way. A nurse walked in on us, and she was so embarrassed at being caught in the act, she got up and stormed out of the room. Granted, she never said a word, but her actions spoke thousands. The nurse and I had a good laugh after she left. Now, how about we get you sprung, T-Bone? I have your discharge orders already written, so as soon as the Deputy Mayor wants, she can take you home."
T-Bone smiled and replied, "Thank you, doc, for all that you have done for me. I am not sure how to repay you."
Dr. Feldman placed his right paw on T-Bone's left shoulder and said, "Just keep this city safe, and I will call it even." He removed his paw, got up, and started walking out of the room. He stopped and turned to them, then said, "Don't forget, you have a dinner date with myself and Mary one of these days, and I have a very good feeling that you two are going to live out the rest of your lives together, watching your families grow up." He left the room after he finished speaking.
After Dr. Feldman left, Callie asked, "Are you ready to get out of here and back home?"
T-Bone took her paws in his and replied, "The hangar is not my home anymore, Callie. My home is with you and my kittens. I want to move in with you, and once we are married, we are going to move into the house that Callista has given us and live long and happy lives together."
"What about SWAT? You were the one that said crosstown traffic would be a killer?" Callie asked.
T-Bone kissed her paws before replying, "That was before I learned that my fiancé is a sorceress who can zap me anywhere I need to be." He winked at her after he finished speaking.
Callie was just about to make a snappy remark when the phone in her bag started to ring. She walked over to it, opened it up, and removed her phone. She looked down at the screen and saw it was Felina calling. Callie pressed the answer button and said, "Hey Felina, have you killed Jake with kindness and need help burying the body?"
Felina held the phone away from ear and looked at it, just to make sure that she had called Callie and not one of her friends who would actually say something like that to her. Upon seeing that it really was Callie that she was talking to, she brought the phone back to her ear before replying, "Hardly. He has the stamina of a tom twice his size. Listen Callie, apparently your grandmother is in danger, and my uncle is having kittens over it. There is a meeting at my apartment this afternoon at 1 to go over plans to make sure that she stays safe. He wants SWAT to be there to back him, as well as a few choice Enforcers, just in case someone tries something. Are you in?"
Callie didn't even have to think before replying, "I hope whoever is threatening my family has a real good will. If they mess with her, then they mess with SWAT and me. T-Bone and I will be there."
"T-Bone is being released? He must be a real quick healer. With that type of constitution, he must be able to take you to new heights of pleasure in bed. See you later," Felina said, and hung up the phone before Callie could say anything in reply.
Callie put her phone away and looked over at T-Bone before saying, "Someone is going after my grandmother, and I have a feeling I know who. You feel up to attending a meeting with the Commander this afternoon and helping come up with a plan to keep her safe?"
"I have been laying in this bed for too long, and I am dying for some action," T-Bone said as he started getting out of the hospital bed. As his right leg hit the floor and he attempted to place some weight on it, he stumbled as his leg gave out.
Callie quickly ran over to him and tried his best to support him with her body, but he was just too heavy. She used her powers to help her levitate his body back to the bed. After T-Bone was sitting comfortably on the side of the bed, she said, "I am placing you on a diet. What made you think that you could just get up and start walking around on a leg after having a bullet removed from it?"
"It felt fine, Callie, while I was just lying there. I had no idea that the muscles were that far gone. I guess the Doc was right. I am going to need physical therapy to get back in shape," T-Bone replied.
A nurse entered the room with a wheelchair and said, "Dr. Feldman has processed your release forms, T-Bone. Time for you to leave us. As soon as you are changed, you can go home." She left in order to give him some privacy.
After the nurse left, Callie went over to the closet and removed a bag containing fresh clothing that T-Bone could easily place on his body. She handed him the bag and watched as he changed, just to make sure that he could do it without causing himself any extra pain.
T-Bone finished changing into a set of sweat clothes that Callie had brought him, and then slowly maneuvered into the wheelchair. While they waited for the nurse to come back, T-Bone asked, "Who do you think is going after Callista?"
"There is a group of evil sorcerers that have been trying to get her to join them for centuries called 'The Society'. I have a feeling they know that she is alive and has been deceiving them for years. I also think that they are not going to be happy about the deception," Callie said.
"How come I never heard of them? Razor and I have fought several groups over the years, and none of them claimed to be members of this Society," T-Bone asked.
Callie walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, right next to him, and replied, "I really don't know. The only thing Callista has told me about them is that they are very dangerous, and that was it."
T-Bone took her paws in his once again before saying, "We will be with her every step of the way, Callie. I will not let anything happen to her, I promise."
"Thank you, T-Bone. I know that you will do your best to keep her safe. Although, I think you are going to have to fight the Commander for that honor," Callie said before she leaned down to kiss him.
Just before their lips met, the nurse came back in and said, "Ok, who is ready..?" She placed her paws over her mouth as she saw the Deputy Mayor almost kissing T-Bone. She then said as Callie and T-Bone turned their heads to face her with their heads almost touching, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything." She let out a little giggle, and then said, "I always thought that you two would make a good couple."
T-Bone placed his left paw on Callie's lower back and said, "Yes, we do, miss. Can I get out of here? I would like to go home and spend some time with my fiancé."
"Certainly. Though on the way out, you will need to stop by the Physical Therapist's office and setup your appointments for rehabilitation. You are going to want to have that leg of your nice and strong so you can carry your wife across the threshold," the nurse said. She then wheeled T-Bone out of the room, but as soon as they cleared the door and entered the hallway, Callie came up beside T-Bone and took his hand. The nurse saw T-Bone raise the Deputy Mayor's hand to his lips, and couldn't help but smile
Bast had kept her promise of watching over Callista and her family. She had witnessed everything that happened at "Make Out Point" and was fuming with anger. She said, "This Society must be annihilated. They crossed the line when they threatened my great-granddaughter's life. I could not do anything to prevent them from taking my granddaughter and her husband away from her family, but I will be dammed if I am going to let my daughter suffer another loss." She then yelled, "Amelia, to my side!"
Amelia appeared before Bast and crouched down on one knee before asking, "Yes, my Lord, how can I be of service?"
Bast looked at her loyal servant and confidant, and said, "Rise, Amelia."
Amelia rose to her feet as she had been instructed.
"You are returning to the land of the living. The head of the Society has had the gall to threaten my great-granddaughter. That is the last thing they are going to do, ever. You, my faithful servant, shall be there to protect my daughter and her family from them. Fail in your task, Amelia, and the rest of your afterlife will not be pleasant."
Amelia did not falter or delay her response. She replied, "It will be done as you wish, my Lord."
Bast rose from her seat behind the dais and walked over to Amelia's side. She placed her right paw on Amelia's shoulder and said, "The task that I have given you is not going to be an easy one. This Society is comprised of some of the most powerful sorcerers in the world. Callista is going to need you, as well as Callie and her friends, to put their reign to an end, permanently. You are to aid in getting Callie's future husband back in fighting shape by becoming his Physical Therapist, then by aiding them in protecting my daughter when she meets this overly-inflated, egotistical tom. Are you up to this task, Amelia?"
Amelia loved working alongside Bast, and would do anything for her. She replied, "Yes, my Lord. Everything will be done as you say."
Bast knew that Amelia had been Callista's dearest friend back in the dark ages, and she would not turn down the chance to help Callista in any way that she could. Bast placed both of her arms around Amelia and pulled her into a hug. She placed her head on Amelia's left shoulder and closed her eyes before saying, "I expected nothing less from you, my faithful companion. Please keep my family safe." Bast then whispered a few words, and Amelia disappeared from her sight. A small tear ran down Bast's face before she said, "Be safe, Amelia."
Amelia appeared in one of the offices in the Occupational Therapy ward at MegaKat General. Her white, feathery wings were now gone and her long, white robe had been replaced by loose-fitting surgical scrubs. Her long, black hair was now done up in a low ponytail. She turned and saw the name plate on the open door. It read "Dr. Anthony Cuopiolli." She shrugged and said, "That will not do." Suddenly, the name plate changed to "Dr. Amelia Earnheardt." Amelia said, "Thank you, my Lord," and turned toward the desk and chair located near the center of the room.
Chance was holding Callie's left paw in his as the nurse wheeled him down the hall. The nurse made a quick left turn, and they found themselves in the Rehabilitation Wing of the hospital. She then continued down the hall to a set of doors that led to the Physical Therapists' offices. The Nurse looked at the orders on the chart one more time, to verify which PT T-Bone was supposed to see. She read that he was set up with Dr. Cuopiolli. She stopped at the door that once was Dr. Cuopiolli's office and saw that the name has been changed to Dr. Earnheardt. She figured that Dr. Feldman had made an error when he entered the order into the computer system. The nurse said as she wheeled T-Bone into the office, "Here you are, T-Bone." She then lifted her head in order to look at the doctor and said, "Doctor, your patient is here."
Amelia turned her attention away from the chart that she had been reading. She saw T-Bone holding Callie's paw, and she smiled. Amelia said, "Thank you, nurse. You may go." She then turned to T-Bone and said, "Hello, T-Bone, I'm Dr. Earnheardt. I have been reading your chart, and it sounds like you have been through quite an ordeal." She looked at the chart one more time before asking, "Do you think that you can try to walk?"
"I'll do whatever I have to in order to get back in the skies where I belong, Doc," T-Bone said before attempting to stand up. As he did, his right leg gave out as soon as he placed his weight on it. He fell to the floor and yelled, "Crud!" He then wrapped both paws around his right thigh in attempt to massage the pain away.
Amelia and Callie were instantly at his side in order to help him up back into the wheelchair. As he sat back down, he said, "I guess what happened earlier was not a fluke. My leg definitely needs help. How fast can we start?"
"We can start right now, if you feel up to it, T-Bone?" Amelia asked.
"Sure, Doc. I want to get back in shape as soon as possible," T-Bone said.
"Alright, T-Bone," Amelia said as she walked around behind T-Bone's wheelchair, wheeled him over to the leg-press machine, and helped him onto it. She then said, "Let's see what this leg can really do." Amelia set the machine to 50 pounds and then said, "I want you to do three repetitions of ten with a minute break in between."
T-Bone watched as Amelia set the machine and thought, 'This should be a piece of cake.' He started his first repetition using both legs and Amelia stopped him immediately.
Amelia said, "Use your right leg only, T-Bone. No cheating by using both legs."
T-Bone started doing his exercises again, only to find that using only his right leg was far more difficult than he had anticipated. He started grunting and sweating as he moved the weight with just his right leg. After he completed the repetition, he slowly lowered the weight back to its resting position and panted heavily.
Callie started to walk over to T-Bone with a towel and a bottle of water, but she was stopped by Amelia, who told her, "Let him finish before giving him something to cool down." She then turned to T-Bone and said, "Not as easy as you thought, huh? Continue with your second rep."
T-Bone placed his right foot back onto the machine and continued with his second repetition. He was really starting to feel the muscles in his leg burn from the strain that the weight was putting on them. He finished the second repetition, and was panting very heavily while he rested.
Amelia saw how exhausted T-Bone was after completing just two repetitions on the machine. She said, "That's enough for today, T-Bone. What you need to do at home is get up and walk around for at least fifteen minutes daily. That leg has suffered so much muscle damage from the surgery that it is going to take some time to build its strength back up. Don't rush it, or you will cause even more damage than there is now."
Callie brought over the wheelchair and helped T-Bone into it. She then gave him the towel and the bottle of water that she had been holding.
He took both from her, and after he took a sip from the bottle, he said, "Thank you, babe." He then turned to Amelia and said, "I don't have time to sit on my butt while the city is being overrun by cats that want to cause my family and friends harm, Doc. I don't care how much it hurts, or what I have to do. I need to get back out there."
"Sorry, T-Bone. Until that leg heals, you are going to have to sit on the sidelines and let your comrades handle things. Unless you want to end up back here again, and next time, the good doctor might have to remove the leg entirely instead of just patching it up. Is that what you want?" Amelia said forcefully.
T-Bone lowered his head and looked at his bum leg before he looked back at Amelia and said, "No, that is not what I want. But if you think that I am going to sit on the sidelines and let everyone else fight for me, you have another thing coming. I will be out there one way or another!" T-Bone replied.
Callie heard every word that T-Bone and Amelia said to each other. She was slightly angry at T-Bone for being so pig-headed. She said, "T-Bone! I love you, and because I do, I want you to sit this one out and let that leg heal. I am not explaining to our kittens why their father only has one leg. So, if I have to tie you to a chair in order to keep you in one place, then that is what I will do! You are benched!"
T-Bone quickly turned, looked directly into Callie's eyes, and saw tiny flames dancing in them. He instantly knew that she meant business, and if he crossed her, not only would she not marry him, she would unleash her anger on him very magically, and that was something he did not want to experience. He said, "I'll stay out of this one, just for you, Callie, and let the others handle it."
Amelia walked over and placed her paw on his shoulder before saying, "Don't worry too much, T-Bone. Your comrades will have more backup than they know." She turned to Callie and said, "Take him home and make sure that he walks as I instructed. Don't let him bully you into doing something that he is not ready for. From what I can see, he is looking at a month's recovery, and from what I have read, he is very lucky to even be alive."
"You have nothing to worry about, doctor. I will make sure that he does as he is told, and yes, he is very lucky to be alive. Take care," Callie said, and then started to wheel T-Bone out of the office.
Amelia said, "I will see you in two days, T-Bone. At 1pm, and don't be late."
T-Bone raised his left hand in farewell as he was wheeled out
After he had vanished from sight, Amelia said, "You will see me a lot sooner than that, Princess Callie. As will you, my Queen." She returned to her desk and made a few notes in T-Bone's chart before she placed her pen down and disappeared.
End of Chapter