Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
As you might be able to guess by the title. Iris is thrown out of the house by her mother. What happens next though, I'm going to keep a secret. But the answer is in here. Enjoy.
The next morning, Iris woke up in her lavish bedroom of her childhood. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned as she remembered the previous night and her dream of walking down the aisle, wearing her Wedding Gown while being escorted by her father to Roy. She also remembered her dream of what occurred on their Wedding Night and how Roy proved to her again and again how he was a very attentive lover. Those thoughts made her blush and felt a heat build up in her young body. Dashing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she got out of bed and got herself ready for the day.
Iris went into the kitchen, dressed in a light-yellow short sleeved dress that fell to her knees. She saw her mother, sitting at the Breakfast Island, drinking a cup of coffee. She cheerily said, "Good morning, mother."
Her mother lowered the mug from her lips, faced her daughter, and said, "Morning to you too. Did the prom go that well, that you are almost glowing?"
Iris limped her way over to her mother, and gave her a hug, before she said, "Prom went way better than I thought it would. You could say it was, life changing."
Her mother quickly hugged her back, then asked, "Life changing, how?"
Iris walked over to the Kitchen Counter, grabbed an empty mug from the cabinet, poured herself some coffee, and as she went to the refrigerator for some milk, she answered, "Roy and I were dancing, after he and a few of his friends from the Football team took care of a few students who were caught drinking. It felt so good being in his arms, mother."
"You felt that good, you had to bring him around the side of the house, grab his butt, and undid his belt, Iris?" Her mother bluntly asked.
Iris froze when she heard her mother's question. She lowered the mug to the counter, then asked, "How did you know?"
"Your father had cameras installed a few weeks ago, while you were in the hospital. There isn't an inch of the exterior of the house that isn't covered. That was some kiss, you two shared. Before you undid his belt, what were you planning to do?" Her mother asked.
"I wanted to make my fiancé feel loved, mother," Iris answered.
"Fiancé!? Roy asked you to marry him, during the prom? Is that what you meant by Life Changing?" Her mother asked, raising her voice.
"Yes, mother. Roy asked me to marry him. We both agreed to a long engagement so we can attend college together and get our degrees, before we get married," Iris answered.
Iris's mother slammed her mug down, and yelled, "You will break off this engagement, immediately! No daughter of mine is going to marry that piece of garbage!"
"No I won't!" Iris yelled back. "Roy loves me enough that he took a bullet for me last night! After we were ejected from the prom after he asked me to marry him, we had a nice dinner and went to the park. We were approached by a mugger who wanted our cash. Roy gave him everything he had. But when it wasn't enough, the mugger suggested he take me instead. Roy protected me and fought to make sure I was safe. That was when he was shot! His actions proves he truly loves me and I want to marry him!"
"Then you have two choices, Iris! Either you listen to me and break off this ridiculous engagement, or you can pack up your stuff and leave this house!" Her mother said.
"What!? You are really going to kick your own daughter out of her home, over me wanting to marry the tom I love?" Iris asked.
"That I am!" Iris' mother said. "You clearly don't want to listen to what I have to say anymore or desire to be my daughter! Its your choice, Iris as to what you do."
Iris left the kitchen to return to her room to pack. After an hour, she went to the foyer and saw her mother. "I guess by the bags, you have made your decision?"
"I have. I'm going to attend the same college as Roy. We are going to graduate, then get married. Mother, this past week, I have started to become myself, instead of the she-cat you wanted me to be. If leaving home, means I can be myself, then that is what I'm going to do," Iris said.
Her mother opened the door and said, "Then, good luck with your life and you can leave the car keys on the table on the way out."
As Iris walked towards the door to her new life, she pulled the car keys from her purse and left them on the small end table by the door. Then, she confidently walked out with her head held high.
She made it as far as the nearest Bus Stop before she had to rest. Her left thigh was throbbing, quite deeply. She sat down, massaging her thigh to get the throbbing to subside enough for her to continue. However, no matter how hard she rubbed, the throbbing didn't stop. She wanted to call Roy, knowing he would stop whatever he was doing to come to her rescue. But she knew once his parents heard what happened at the prom and after, Roy would be brought to the hospital to have his arm looked at. Not being able to call her friends, since their parents were on good terms with her mother, she had no choice but to call her Guardian Angel.
Felina was wearing her new Enforcers uniform consisting of a dark blue skirt that stopped four inches above her knees, a white blouse, and black tie. The uniform's dark blue jacket was hung by the door. She was sitting with her uncle in his office, trying her best to learn the more bureaucratic side of the job. She read one of the documents again, not 100% understanding it, throwing the document to the table, and asking, "Uncle, why do I need to learn this stuff? We should be leading the troops by example, being out on the streets of the city with them, and not buried under a Paperwork Landslide."
"Don't you think I want to be out on the streets, feeling useful again, instead of signing forms all day, Felina?" Ulysses asked in return. "I hate this as much as you do. But this is the side of the job which is not glamorous. It has to be done, by the Commander and no one else. Now, pickup that document and read it again."
Felina did as she was told. She picked up the document, and started reading over the new Requisition Procedure, dictated by the City Administrator. She got to the point where the Requester needed to fill out the same information on three different forms, then send the forms to the Purchasing Department, where they would be reviewed by the same cat. "This new procedure is a giant waste of time!" She said and got up from the chair she was sitting in. As she ranted about the giant waste of time the new procedure is, her phone started ringing on the table. She returned to the table and picked up the device to see Iris' name on the screen. She answered the call and brought the device up to her left ear, "Iris, I'm in a meeting with my uncle, what's up?"
"Felina, my mother followed though on her threat. She threw me out of the house. I'm out on the streets, with no where to go," Iris said.
Felina let out a loud growl, which her uncle heard, quite clearly. She then asked, "Where are you, right now?"
Iris looked up at the Street Sign at the intersection the Bus Stop was, and read, "I'm at the Bus Stop, located on Elm Street and Palisades Ave."
"Don't move! Either I will come and get you or have two of my closest friends come for you. Someone will be there within a few minutes. Sit tight," Felina said and disconnected the call.
"Is everything alright, Felina?" Ulysses asked.
She faced her uncle, and answered, "No! Everything is not alright, uncle! That girl I was on the phone with was thrown out by her mother, for whatever reason. I see so much of myself in her, she could have been my little sister, hopefully minus my personality!"
"What are you going to do? That pile of forms needs to be reviewed by us and returned today. You can't go and pick her up," Ulysses asked, pointing to the pile of paper on the table.
"What do you expect me to do? Let her sit there for hours while we review this pile of crap?" Felina asked, obviously getting irater at the situation.
"No, I don't! I fully expect you to take charge of the situation and delegate your duties accordingly! That is what a Commander does! If I was in your shoes, I'd be running out that door right now to get her! However, you need to learn this crap if you expect to take my job! So, what are you going to do, Commander Clawson?" He asked, forcing her to make a decision.
Felina heard her uncle address her as Commander for the first time and felt proud of herself. However, Iris needed her, more than the pile of Bureaucratic Paperwork sitting on the table. She said, "You're right, I do need to learn to delegate my duties." She walked over to her uncle's desk, picked up the Desk Phone's Receiver and pressed the Intercom button, summoning Lisa. She waited for Lisa to answer, and said, "Lisa, I need you to handle the pile of paperwork on the table with my uncle, while I deal with a Lost Kitten." She placed the receiver back, and said to her uncle, "I delegated the paperwork to our assistant. I'm going to get my sister, then maybe knock some sense into her mother, with my fists!" She ran out of the door, before her uncle could say anything.
Ulysses lifted his left eyebrow and had a bulging vein in his forehead. "If I was her, I would have done the same thing," he said and waited for Lisa to help with the paperwork.
Roy was sitting in the Orthopedic Waiting Room with his mother, waiting for someone to see him. He looked over towards his mother, and asked, "I'll be fine, mom. Why do you look so worried?"
She faced him, and answered, "You were shot, Roy! Your prothesis was damaged by the bullet and now you can barely move it! I have no idea if our insurance will cover the repair or replacement, if it comes to that. Plus, out of the blue, you tell me and your father you got engaged to marry Iris!"
"Is me getting engaged to Iris the real reason you are so worried, mom?" Roy asked.
"You're barely eighteen, Roy! Of course, I'm worried you are jumping into a Life Changing decision while you are so young! Iris seems like a lovely, young girl and I'm glad you two have very strong feelings for each other. But getting engaged is a very large commitment, considering both of your ages. Are you really ready to settle down and be with her?" His mother asked.
Roy took her paws in his right paw, then said, "I believe I am. To me, no other she-cat will compare to Iris. She is the one I dream about, she is the one I want to marry, and she is the one I want to start a family with."
"Have you slept with her, yet?" She asked.
"No, mother. I think she wanted to sleep with me the night of the prom. But I put the brakes on her plans, by telling her, waiting until the time was right would be more memorable," Roy answered.
"Good. I'm not ready to be a grandmother quite yet," she said.
Dr. Osorio entered the waiting room and sought out Roy from the other patients. He found him, sitting with his mother near the center of the room. He walked over to them, and said, "Good Morning, I'm Dr. Osorio. Please come with me."
Dr. Osorio brought them back into one of the Examination Rooms.
Roy sat on the Examination table, while Mrs. Warrens sat in one of the chairs off to the side.
Juan adjusted an Overhead lamp to aim the light at Roy's left arm, then said, "Please raise your left sleeve, Roy."
Roy did as he was asked and raised the sleeve of his shirt almost to his shoulder.
Juan started examining the damage to Roy's prosthesis. He reached into the left pocket of his white coat and removed what appeared to be a pair of Long Nosed Pliers with his left paw. He then went to attempt to dislodge the bullet from the prothesis. He did manage to remove the bullet from the arm but scowled as he saw the damage the bullet left in its wake. "You are lucky the bullet was lodged in your arm. If it hit your torso, the damage might have been fatal."
"If I died protecting my fiancée it would have been worth it, to me, doctor," Roy said.
Juan looked Roy in the face and asked, "Aren't you a little young to be asking for anyone's paw?"
"Yes, I am. But I can't deny what I feel for my fiancée either," Roy said.
"Be that as it may, the damage to your prothesis is quite significant. I'm going to have to call in a specialist to diagnose it further," Juan said. "Meanwhile, your Primary Doctor is waiting to see you."
As if on cue, Cheryl entered the Examination Room and made a Beeline to Roy, and asked, "You and Iris were to attend a simple prom and come back here for further rehabilitation! What the heck happened to get you shot!?"
Roy explained everything that occurred, including him asking Iris to marry him. Cheryl, then said, "Oh, I can't wait to tell my mother you asked Iris for her paw and she accepted. She is going to flip her lid!" She coughed into her clenched right paw, then faced Juan, and asked, "How bad in the damage to his prosthesis, doctor?"
"Can I see you in the hall, where we can talk privately, doctor?" Juan asked.
"Sure, doctor," Cheryl said, then faced Roy, and said, "I'll be right back and I want all the juicy details, especially how hot Iris looked in her gown."
She closed the door behind her, faced Juan, and asked, "How bad is it?"
"Very bad," Juan answered. "The bullet dented several rods inside the prosthesis. I don't have the expertise to repair the prosthesis. I'm going to call Dr. Fang to get a consult from some of his team. But that is not what I'm concerned about. The Warrens' Insurance is barely going to cover the costs of this visit, since Roy intentionally caused the damage by taking the bullet. I doubt they are going to accept coverage, if the prosthesis needs to be replaced. I'd hate to saddle that family with the bills the hospital is going to be sending them."
"I can talk to my grandfather to see what he can do about the bills. However, he did mention to me, if Roy is eligible for one of Claw-Tek's new prosthesis, Claw-Tek would cover 100% of the costs," Cheryl said.
"I certainly hope he is eligible, Dr. Feldman," Juan said. "He's a good kid and should be recognized as a hero by the Mayor's Office. Since you have a relationship with the patient, can you explain the situation to him and his mother, while I call Dr. Fang?"
"Gladly, Dr. Osorio," she answered. "I still want to hear exactly what happened during the prom."
Cheryl returned to the Examination Room, closed the door, and pulled up a chair next to Mrs. Warrens. She took her paw in hers, then said, "I'm not going to beat around the bush. Your prosthesis is very badly damaged. Dr. Osorio is calling Dr. Fang to request a consultation as to see where we go from here. There is also the matter of your insurance. According to Dr. Osorio, they are pushing back on covering the costs of this visit, since Roy consciously made the decision to take the bullet."
Mrs. Warrens started to tremble after she heard not only the status of her son, but her family might have to brunt the costs of the Hospital. "Doctor, we are a Middle-Class family, where me and my husband work to provide for the home. With the economy the way it is, we are barely scraping by. Roy's original prosthesis was paid for by the school's insurance. If we had to come up with the funds, we would have had to declare Bankruptcy. There is no way we can afford a new prosthesis, if it needs to be replaced."
Cheryl gave Mrs. Warren's paw a gentle reassuring squeeze, and said, "Dr. Osorio believes Roy should be called a Hero by the Mayor's Office, and so do I. There is a chance, Claw-Tek Industries will cover the costs of the new prothesis, the surgery, and the rehabilitation. If and I mean if Roy is eligible. Dr. Osorio is calling Dr. Fang and his team for a consult to see if your prothesis can be repaired." She faced Roy, and asked, "Meanwhile Roy, you have to tell me how gorgeous Iris looked to compel you to ask her for her paw?"
Iris was still waiting at the Bus Stop. A few of the Bus Drivers got out of their busses to make sure she was alright. She answered, she was waiting for a friend to pick her up. They returned to their duties but called the Depot to report the Young Lady waiting for her friend as suspicious.
Felina was driving one of the Patrol Cars assigned to the Higher Ranked Officers. She made the turn onto Elm, when she heard from the Radio, "All units in the vicinity of Elm Street and Palisades Ave. Suspicious Female, approximately 16 or 17 years of age at the Bus Stop." She grabbed the microphone from the dashboard, brought it up to her mouth, and said, "This is Lieutenant Clawson. Responding units, stand down. I will handle this."
Tina and Katerina were also in the area, performing their normal patrol. They both heard the call from Dispatch and Felina's response. Tina picked up the microphone, and said, "Unit 64, to Lieutenant Clawson. We are three blocks South of the location. Do you need assistance?"
"Unit 64, respond with Caution," Felina responded.
"Copy, lieutenant," Tina said. "Five minutes out."
Felina replaced the microphone to the dashboard. She looked ahead of her and saw Iris sitting on a steel bench. "Her mother is out of her gourd," she said. Felina pulled up to the Bus Stop, parking her car against the flow traffic with the car's lights flashing. She bolted out of the car and ran to Iris. She hugged Iris tightly, and said, "I'm so sorry, Iris. I truly believed your mother wouldn't follow through on her threat. However, I stand by my promise to make sure you are safe and taken care of. Jake and I talked, we want you to come and live with us."
Iris' eyes started tearing up. She embraced Felina back and cried into Felina's shoulder.
Felina patted Iris' back and said, "I've got you. Cry all you want."
Katerina and Tina parked their car behind Felina's. They both saw Felina embracing a crying Iris in her arms. Tina turned her head to the left and said, "This girl needs friends more than anything right now."
"I completely agree, my love," Katerina responded.
They both got out of their car and walked over to the pair of she-cats. Then Katerina said, "You probably don't remember us, Iris. We are Katerina and Tina, two of Felina's best friends. We want to be your friends as well."
Iris lifted her head from Felina's shoulder and slowly limped her way over to Katerina. She embraced Katerina and said, "Thank You, Katerina."
Katerina embraced her back, and said, "You're welcome, friend."
Tina went over to Felina, who was loading Iris' bags into her car. Tina asked, "We are off shift in less than an hour. You want us to take her to your home?"
"She needs to be checked by a doctor before I or anyone brings her home. I dumped a bunch of paperwork on Lisa, which I'm sure my uncle is having kittens over. I need to head back and apologize to both of them for my actions. Can you take her back to MegaKat General? I'll call Cheryl and let her know Iris is on her way," Felina said.
"We'll gladly take her to Cheryl and have her checked over. But are you going to be ok, bringing her into your home?" Tina asked.
Felina looked over to Iris and Katerina and saw Katerina wiping Iris' tears away with her left paw. Katerina said something to Iris, which she didn't hear. But whatever Katerina said, made Iris smile. "I'll be perfectly happy, bringing Iris into our home, Tina. She could have been my little sister. I'll gladly be her sister, mother, or whatever she needs," Felina said.
Tina hugged her friend, and said, "Iris will excel in your home and your friends and family will welcome her with open arms. That I promise."
"Thank you, Tina. I really need to get back. Please get Iris to the hospital. I'll be there, as soon as I can. And tell Cheryl to send me the bills. Iris doesn't need to be worried about anything financial right now. She needs to be focused on getting better, school, and her new fiancée."
"New fiancé?" Tina asked. "She's too young to get engaged to anyone."
"I know, Tina," Felina said. "However, both she and Roy remind me of myself and Jake. They were going to get engaged sometime in the future anyway. Might as well send them off to college with both of them off the market."
End of Chapter