Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Can't tell from this chapter if Iris is going to be better off with the Ferals as her family, or much worse. Although Beatrice is a force to be reckoned with on her own. If Iris' ex-mother ever meets Beatrice, I'd feel sorry for her.
Tina and Katerina arrived at MegaKat General's ER Entrance with Iris in the back seat of their Patrol Car.
Being the faster runner of the two, Tina sprinted into the ER to get aid with getting Iris into the hospital.
She returned almost as quick, with two male orderlies and a portable stretcher.
The two orderlies gently removed Iris from the back seat and placed her on the stretcher before wheeling her into the ER.
As Iris was being wheeled in, Tina turned to Katerina, and said, "I'm going to head inside to get the Paperwork started. I'll most likely still will be at the Reception Desk, filling out forms by the time you return from parking the car."
Katerina nodded her head, then went to park the car.
Tina headed inside to the Reception Desk. She smiled widely when she noticed Nancy staffing the desk. She went over to her, and asked, "How's Sergio doing, Nancy?"
Nancy looked up to see Tina, still dressed in her Enforcer's Uniform, and answered, "He's getting quite large, just like his father. Mario is taking time away from the office to nurture our son. Coming home at the end of a shift to see Mario and Sergio playing on the floor brings tears of happiness to my eyes. Mario loves being a father and Sergio really loves roughhousing with Mario." Her tone became more somber, and asked, "I'm guessing you're here to check back in Iris Murphy?"
"I am," Tina responded. "Felina would have brought her here herself, if she wasn't needed back at Enforcer Headquarters."
"Wait, why is she involved with Iris at all, and where is Iris' mother?"
"Iris and her mother had a falling out. Iris got engaged to marry, while at the prom. Apparently, her mother doesn't support her choices and threw her out on the streets. Iris called Felina after she made her way to a Bus Stop. They have developed a Sisterly bond of sorts," Tina answered.
"I always knew, her mother had a screw or two loose," Nancy said. She handed Tina a clipboard with the paperwork needed for Iris to be allowed to be seen, and asked, "Iris is such a lovely girl and has gone through way too much in her short life. But as a representative of the hospital, I need to ask, since her mother is out of the picture, who is going to cover the costs of the Hospital?"
Tina took the clipboard, and answered, "Felina said to send her the bills. With her husband owning Claw-Tek, I can only image the type of Health Insurance coverage they have."
"She may have great insurance, Tina. But unless Iris is listed on their policy, Felina and Jake are going to be stuck with one heck of a bill. Dr. Garcia has been paged already along with Dr. Feldman to see her. The initial assessment alone is going to be over ten thousand," Nancy said.
Tina almost dropped the pen she was holding in her right paw when Nancy told her the cost of being assessed. She could only imagine what the costs were going to be if Iris needed another surgery. "I'm sure Jake and Felina will have it covered, one way or another," Tina said.
Iris was wheeled into one of the Examination Rooms and transferred over to the gurney. As one of the orderlies left with the stretcher, the other raised the railing on the gurney, closed the curtain, and left her.
Iris was now completely alone to her own thoughts. She thought about the fight with her mother over her getting engaged to Roy and how she was sort of homeless. She brought both of her paws to her face and started crying over losing her family within the span of fifteen hours.
While on the way back to Enforcer Headquarters, Felina called her mother and explained Iris' situation to her. Upon hearing Iris was thrown out of her home by her mother. Beatrice threw the piece of stemware she was holding against the nearest wall, watching it shatter as she yelled, "That girl needs her family to be with her and I'll be damned if she's going to be sitting in some hospital alone! Your father and I are on our way!" She slammed the phone's receiver back onto the cradle, and yelled into the hall, "Zeus! We are going to MegaKat General to be with our new granddaughter!"
A few minutes later, Cheryl pulled the curtain aside, entered the Examination Room, and closed the curtain behind her. She looked Iris in the eyes, and said, "Let's get you changed into a Hospital Gown, then we are going to have a little, talk."
Iris didn't say a word, as she complied with Cheryl, removing her dress to put on the gown.
Cheryl's eyes trained on Iris' left thigh as the dress was lifted above her waist. She noticed a large amount of bruising, which concerned her since the bruising wasn't present when Iris was given a Temporary Discharge.
Iris managed to get one of the Hospital Gowns on and waited for Cheryl to berate her.
"Roy had already told me what happened at the prom, Iris and frankly," Cheryl said, then went over to her and hugged her tightly, and gleefully said, "I'm happy you are getting married to Roy! I can plainly see; he loves you and you alone. I have yet to tell my mother the good news but I have a very good feeling, she is going to be as happy as I am."
Iris hugged her back, and said, "Thank you, Cheryl! You are a very good friend."
"Welcome!" Cheryl said. She pulled back, then pulled up a chair from the wall and sat down on her left. "Now, for the bad news. The bruising on your left thigh is a clear indication of muscular and cartilage damage. I won't know how bad the damage is, until X-Rays are taken, and possibly a CT scan. Dr. Garcia is on his way to examine you and order the scans. Both he and I will assess where things go from there. While we wait, please tell me you have at least one picture of you in your gown?" She asked, letting her tail sway.
Iris smiled back at her, and said, "Of course. Hand me my phone."
Cheryl handed Iris her phone and Iris found the picture of her and Roy standing at the Venue's Entrance. She showed it to Cheryl, who took one look at the photo, and said, "You looked gorgeous, Iris. No wonder Roy asked you for your paw. He wanted to make sure you were good and taken, before some other tom got any ideas."
Dr. Garcia entered the Examination room, while Cheryl was gushing over how good Iris looked in her gown. "Morning doctor, Miss Murphy," he said.
Cheryl faced him, and said, "Good morning, doctor. Please meet your patient, Iris Murphy,"
Dr. Garcia came over to Iris, looked her over, and said, "You're just as beautiful as my two daughters are, Miss Murphy. Let's get a good look at that leg."
Cheryl stepped out of the way, bringing the chair she was sitting in with her so Dr. Garcia could properly examine her leg.
Dr. Garcia took Cheryl's spot next to the gurney and quickly gazed at the bruising. He looked up to Iris, and asked, "On a scale of one to ten, how bad in the pain?"
"About a seven and a half. Doctor," Iris answered.
"Are you sure about that answer? Based on the bruising alone, I'm guessing your pain is around a nine to a nine and a half."
"It might be doctor. But I've become numb to most of the discomfort since this thing doesn't fit quite right," Iris answered.
Dr. Garcia frowned at her answer. "Here's what we are going to do. I'm ordering a few X-Rays of your leg. Then a CT Scan to see how much tissue and cartilage damage there is. After that, I need one of your parents here to discuss the results and possible surgery to repair your leg."
Iris' eyes fell to her lap and said, "I don't have a set of parents anymore, doctor. I've been removed from my home, because I want to marry the tom I love and not break off the engagement as my mother wishes."
"Then, we have a problem. I can go forward with the X-Rays and the CT. However, since you are still a minor, the hospital will need a Legal Guardian to sign off on your treatment. That is Hospital Policy, "Dr. Garcia said.
Cheryl didn't know Iris was removed from her home, and it made her madder than she had ever been. But she had to be professional, no matter how enraged she felt. Between clenched teeth, she asked, "Doctor, surely there is something that can be done to at least lessen the pain she's in, until the Legal stuff can be worked out?"
"I'm sorry doctor, but no. Your grandfather might be able to bend the rules, but I can't and will not. I would like nothing better than to admit Miss Murphy for further observation to gauge her recovery. But without a Legal Guardian to sign off on her admittance, the hospital and myself could be held liable if anything went wrong. That is something I can not risk," Dr. Garcia answered.
Cheryl started walking towards the curtain, and said, "I'm going to talk to my grandfather and see what can be done. She's under the Hospital's care as of now, even without a Legal Guardian. Surely, the Hospital wants to do what's best for the patients in its care. I'll be right back." She pulled back the curtain, left, and closed the curtain.
"I've known the Feldman family since I started here. With their tenacity, I'm sure they will find a way to get things going. I'm going to get the orders written for the scans. I will return when they are complete. Don't worry too much. Things will work out," Dr. Garcia said and left to get the orders written.
Beatrice burst through the doors of the ER and made her way over to the Reception Desk. She slammed her paws down on the desk and demanded, "Where is Iris Murphy?"
Nancy calmly looked up from her computer to Beatrice's face, and said, "I don't know who you are. But demanding to know where a patient is, without me knowing who you are and your relationship to the patient is going to get you physically removed! Care to try asking nicely this time?"
Beatrice took a few breaths, and asked, much more calmly this time, "May I know the whereabouts of Iris Murphy, please?"
"See much better," Nancy said and asked, "And you are?"
"Beatrice Feral. I might be her grandmother if my daughter has her way," Beatrice answered.
"Are you related to Felina Feral?" Nancy asked.
"She's my daughter," Beatrice answered.
"Oh. She mentioned to me while I was helping her recover from her Hysterectomy how if this girl was thrown out of the house by her mother. She wold do everything in her power to make sure she was taken care of," Nancy said. "She's in Curtain 7, towards the back."
"Thank you," Beatrice said, then asked, "Mind if I wait for my husband?"
"Go right ahead," Nancy said.
Beatrice retreated to one of the seats and noticed Tina and Katerina in their uniforms. She rose and went over to them, and asked, "Is it normal for two sergeants to be in a Hospital Waiting Room?"
"No more normal than the current Commander's Sister-In-law and the future Commander's mother being here, Mrs. Feral," Katerina said.
Both Tina and Katerina rose from their seats and individually hugged Beatrice.
Beatrice then asked, "How is Iris?"
Katerina looked towards the ER, then back to Beatrice, and answered, "From what I could see from the way she was walking, not good. I think she's going to need surgery to repair the damage from walking on an improperly fitted prosthetic."
"That poor girl!" Beatrice said. "She doesn't need to be faced with a surgery, on top of being kicked out of her house by her so-called-mother! If I ever get the pleasure of meeting her, she will find out we Ferals will do everything they can to protect our own!"
As Beatrice was ranting, her husband entered the ER's Waiting room to hear his wife. He went over to her, and asked, "Beatrice, we will take care of Iris as one of our own. What has my wife, ranting and raving in a Waiting Room?"
Beatrice faced her husband, and answered, "Katerina mentioned that poor girl may need surgery, Zeus! She is going to have to endure all that trauma without her family!"
Zeus grabbed her by the shoulders, and said, "Do you really think, we are going to allow Iris to endure that without us being there? Our daughter believes Iris could be her sister. That is good enough for me to consider her a Feral. As such, Iris will have the full support her new family. Once Felina and my brother gets here, we will all figure out a way to give Iris what she needs." He faced Tina and Katerina, and said, "She is not only going to need her new family. She is going to need friends who will be there, whenever and wherever she needs them."
Tina and Katerina grasped each others' paws, and Tina said, "Katerina already told her, we would be her friends, and that is exactly what we are going to be!"
Beatrice faced Tina and Katerina, and said, "Would you two mind waiting for Felina out here? Zeus and I are going to heading back to see her. I don't want to overwhelm her."
"Not at all," Katerina said.
Beatrice smiled at the two, then led her husband into the ER.
Beatrice and Zeus opened the curtain separating Iris from the rest of the ER. Beatrice let go of her husband's paw and bolted to Iris' side. She then embraced the girl, and said, "Your grandmother and grandfather are here, Iris. Everything will be all right."
Iris hugged her back but looked up to the looming tom standing by the curtain. "Is he my new grandfather?" She asked.
Beatrice looked over her left shoulder to her husband, motioned for him to approach with her left paw, and answered, "Iris. This is my husband, Zeus, your new grandfather."
Iris lightly smiled, then said, "Grandfather."
Zeus slowly walked over to the left side of the gurney, hugged both his wife and Iris, and said, "I'm Zeus, your grandfather, Iris. My wife and I will take care of everything."
Two Radiologists entered the Examination Room, wheeling a Portable X-Ray. One of them said, "We need you two to clear the room, while we take the films of her leg.
Both Zeus and Beatrice separated themselves from Iris and left the room.
The two Radiologists got to work. They set the X-Ray up with it aimed at Iris' left knee, slipped a silver sheet under her knee, and fired the machine, taking the first picture. They re-positioned the X-Ray, aiming it at the outside of her left knee, slipped another sheet between her knees, and fired the machine again.
"Miss Murphy, I need you to bend your left knee, pointing it towards the ceiling, please," One of them said.
Iris complied with the request, but with difficulty, as the pain returned to her thigh.
While one of them repositioned the X-Ray, aiming it at the front of her left calf, the other said, "I know this is not comfortable for you, but try to hold this position and hold this sheet in front of your left thigh." He handed her another sheet and alighted it in the proper place.
Iris grasped the sheet and held it tightly.
The other Radiologist fired the machine, taking the last picture, then said, "You can relax."
Iris relaxed letting her leg fall back into its previous position.
The Radiologist took the sheet from her, then said, "Your family can come back. But only for a short visit. Someone will be by to bring you up to Radiology for the CT. Hang in there. Dr. Garcia is one of the best Orthos we have."
The two Radiologists left with the X-Ray, but was soon replaced with the Ferals, and to Iris' surprise, Roy and his mother.
Roy sprinted over to Iris, hugged her, and said, "Mrs. Feral told me and my mother what happened. You could have called me, and I would have come running."
Iris hugged him back, and said, "You needed to be checked out by a doctor, Roy. Plus, I believe your mother would have tied you down to make sure her boy was ok."
Roy pulled back and looked into Iris' eyes. He desperately wanted to kiss her, and from the looks she was giving him. She wanted to kiss him back.
Beatrice and Mrs. Warrens saw the way the two of them were gazing at the other. Then Beatrice said, "For the love of Bast! Just kiss already!"
Iris took the initiative and grabbed Roy's cheek fur to bring him to her, and kissed him, right in front of his mother and her new grandparents. Which he graciously returned.
Zeus leaned over to his wife, and said, "I can't believe you encouraged them to kiss in front of us."
"The two of them were going to go into convulsions, if they didn't kiss, Zeus," Beatrice said. "They do look good together, just like you and I."
Iris let her right paw slip down Roy's body to his tail, then to his backside, which caused Roy to moan into her mouth.
Mrs. Warrens, then said, "Iris, I don't mind you two kissing, or even going slightly further. However, keep your paws above his waist when others are present."
Roy pulled back from the kiss, faced his mother, and shockingly said, "Mother!"
"Don't mother me, young tom!" She said, "I was engaged to your father, and I know, very well how a Newly Engaged couple act! Her paws shouldn't travel below your waistline and yours, dear boy had better not leave her hips!"
This caused Roy to blush and Iris to giggle into her paws.
Their reunion was short lived. Dr. Garcia returned with an orderly and Dr. Garcia said, "Iris, time to bring you to Radiology for the CT scan. After that, we are going to set you up in a Communal Room while we wait for the results. Your family can wait for you in the Main Waiting area until you are situated."
"Ok, doctor," Iris said, before she kissed Roy again, and said to him, "If you are good, I'll give you a reward, I know you will love. No flirting with the nurses or doctors, my hunky fiancé." She faced Dr. Garcia again, and said, "I'm ready."
Dr. Garcia and the orderly wheeled Iris out of the Examination Room and let the curtain close behind them, leaving Roy alone with his mother and the Ferals.
Roy watched Iris leave, then faced the cats in the Examination Room. He saw their questioning faces and asked, "What?"
End of Chapter