Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Iris' life is going to get better from now on. With Beatrice and Zeus becoming her adoptive Grandparents, she is going to want for nothing.
Even with Roy being engaged to marry Iris, he's still young. I guess his eyes can't help but wander over a curvy she-cat in tight clothing. You will understand after reading.
Enjoy!
Dr. Fang was sitting at his desk, going over the final designs for the prosthetic limbs for the two teenagers. He had several Red-Lines outlined on Roy's new prosthetic for mandatory changes to make it better. His Desk Phone started ringing. He ignored it at first, letting the caller leave a message which he would return later in the day. He shifted his focus to the drawing for Iris' new prosthetic leg, when Li busted into his office, saying, "Father! Dr. Osorio from MegaKat General needs to talk to you, now!"
Dr. Fang lifted his head from the design and asked, "What does he need, Li?"
"Roy Warrens was shot in the prosthesis. Its quite damaged, per Dr. Osorio. He needs to speak with you about possibly repairing his existing prosthesis and possibly expediting the fabrication of a new one," Li answered.
"What is the status on the software?" Dr. Fang asked.
"Not as far along as sister and I prefer. We ran several simulations and have all the Motor Functions working perfectly. However, the Touch Sensory functions are still lacking in sensitivity. The limitations will not affect Miss Murphy too much. However, they will impact Mr. Warrens' ability to feel gradient changes through the new pads," Li answered.
"What line is Dr. Osorio holding on?" Dr. Fang asked.
"Line six, father," Li answered.
"Get with your sister and start working on the next software revision," Dr. Fang said. "If his prosthesis is damaged where it can not be repaired, we will need to work quickly with the final fabrication and software to be ready for surgery. Also, let Doctors Van Grouw know and Doctor Meyers their services may be needed, soon."
"Yes, father," Li said and closed the door.
Dr. Fang picked up the receiver form the Desk Phone, pressed the button for the line Dr. Osorio was waiting, and answered, "Dr. Osorio. My daughter has briefed me on the patient's status. How bad is the damage to his existing prosthesis?"
"Quite bad, doctor" Dr. Osorio answered, followed by saying, "Several rods controlling the motor functions required to bend at the elbow and movement of the paw were severely damaged from the bullet. The patient is quite lucky he was not standing two inches to the left, or the wound would have been fatal."
"He is quite lucky in that regard, doctor. How may I be of assistance?" Dr. Fang asked.
"May I ask for a consultation to evaluate the patient's prosthesis and repair of the existing prosthesis as not in incur a much larger cost to the family?" Dr. Osorio asked.
Dr. Fang gazed at the small mountain of paperwork that had to be reviewed by him to finish the fabrication of the two limbs. However, the request from one of the patient's doctors was far more important. "I can be there within the hour, and I might bring Mr. Clawson along as a second," Dr. Fang answered.
"No offense, Dr. Fang. But I specifically asked to keep the costs low for the family. Their insurance is fighting back since the patient intentionally took the bullet to protect his fiancée. Involving Mr. Clawson would add costs I am quite positive the family can not absorb," Dr. Osorio said.
"No offense taken, doctor. Let Claw-Tek worry about the extra expenses. Mr. Clawson has already made provisions to bore all costs. We will be seeing you soon." Dr. Fang said and hung up the phone. He quickly dialed Jake's personal phone number and waited for him to answer. "Mr. Clawson, we might have to accelerate our timeline."
Felina entered the ER's waiting room, still wearing her newly styled Enforcer's uniform consisting of a moderate skirt, white blouse, black tie, and a suit jacket. Since Tina and Katerina have not seen her new uniform yet. Both of their eyes wandered over their friend. "Her legs look almost as good as Callie's does in a suit, don't you agree, Kat?" Tina asked.
Katerina gave Tina a light pinch on the arm, and said, "You are supposed to be only admiring my legs, my dear and I will remind you of that, once we get home tonight." She then rose from her seat and went over to Felina. She hugged her friend, and said, "Iris is with your parents, Roy, and his mother in one of the Communal Rooms by now. By the way, Tina was admiring your legs in that skirt. Between your attitude and now your new uniform, your subordinates are going to follow you to hell and back, without question."
Felina hugged her back, and said, "I'd prefer they follow me because they want to do better for the city, rather than stare ay my legs and tail in this skirt. But its nice to know all my hard work in the gym is paying off. Get Tina so we all can be with Iris. I'm sure she has lots of questions on her mind, after meeting my parents."
The three she-cats were told where Iris and the rest were waiting for the results of the CT scans. The three walked through the hospital's halls as quickly as they could to get to Iris' side.
Katerina knocked on the door of one of the Communal Rooms, then pushed the door open. The three of them entered the room, to see Iris on the bed with an IV in her right arm, Roy on her left holding her paw in his, his mother to his left, and her parents on the opposite side of the bed.
Felina stood at the edge of the bed, and asked, "Are my parents bothering you, Iris?"
Iris' face lit up when she saw Felina. She answered, "Not at all. Grandma and Grandpa were telling us about your kittenhood."
Felina raised her left eyebrow, and asked, "Grandma and Grandpa?" She faced Beatrice and Zeus, and asked, "You two are letting her call you Grandma and Grandpa? You don't even allow your grandkids by blood to do that."
"Hush, daughter," Zeus said. "Iris is our new granddaughter, as far as we are concerned. If that is how she wishes to address us, then we are fine with it."
Felina lowered her eyebrow, faced Iris, and asked, "Iris, what have the doctors told you?"
"Cheryl and Dr. Garcia don't like the bruising on my thigh. They mentioned surgery might be needed to repair the damage I caused by limping my way to the Bus Stop." She started to tear up, and said, "I have no way of paying for any of this and I'm quite sure my ex-mother already cut off whatever insurance I had. I'm going to be living to pay off the Medical Bills for the rest of my life!"
Felina went to the left side of the bed, pushed Roy out of the way, taking his place, and said as she grasped Iris' paw, "As my parents said, you are now a Feral or maybe a Clawson. Jake and I have to go through all the legal crap to figure that out. Either way, you are now family, and this family takes care of its own. Don't concern yourself with the financial stuff, Iris. You concentrate on getting better and how you want your new room to look. Oh, if my parents are allowing you to call then Grandma and Grandpa, I guess that makes me your new mother."
Iris still had tears running down her face, but his time they were tears of happiness. She tentatively said, "Mom." And reached out with her paws to embrace her.
Felina hugged Iris tightly, resting her head on Iris' left shoulder, letting her own tears flow down her cheek. "I've got you, daughter."
Beatrice broke free from her husband and hugged both Felina and Iris. "We need to have a Welcome Party for my new granddaughter! Don't you agree, Zeus?"
"Our granddaughter will be brought into the Feral family, in style," Zeus said.
Dr. Osorio entered the room and said, "I need Roy and his mother to come with me."
Roy looked at Dr. Osorio over his left shoulder, and said, "I'll. Be right there, after I do this." He slipped past Felina to Iris' side, and said, "I'm happy you have a new family, Iris. I'll see you after I'm done with Dr. Osorio."
Iris faced Roy, and said, "I'm not going anywhere."
He leaned forward and kissed her, then said, "I'll be back as soon as I can." He then left with his mother and Dr. Osorio.
He left Iris with a smirk on her face, her tail swaying, and her saying, "What a great kisser he is and such a tight backside. Can hardly wait to get my paws in it again."
That last part made all the adults stare at her questioningly.
She smiled back, and said, "I blame the pain medication for my comments on my future husband's, nice firm ass."
Dr. Osorio led Roy and his mother to one of the Exam Rooms down the hall. He opened the door to reveal Dr. Fang and Jake.
"Nice to see you again, Doctor fang, Mr. Clawson," Roy said.
"Good to see you, as well, Mr. Warrens," Dr. Fang replied, then said, "I heard you were shot protecting your fiancée from a mugger?"
"I was, and I would do it again. Iris is my life, doctor," Roy answered.
Dr. Osorio went over to Mrs. Warrens, and asked, "Can we talk in the hall while Dr. Fang and Mr. Clawson examine Roy?"
"You don't have to be here, doctor?" She asked.
"No, Mrs. Warrens. Repairing your son's limb is not something I can do. I trust Dr. Fang and Mr. Clawson to evaluate and come up with a plan."
The two of them left and Dr. Osorio closed the door behind him.
"Roy, please lie on the table," Dr. Fang asked.
Roy did as he was asked. He was now lying on the Exam Table on his back.
Dr. Fang and Jake walked over to the left side of the table, where Dr. Fang switched on the Examination Light and focused on the damaged part of the prothesis.
Jake brought his face close to the damage, started examining the dented rods, and while his mind worked, he said, "My wife is still not happy with you, Roy. You could have easily gotten yourself killed, leaving Iris completely alone to mourn."
"I know I could have died, Mr. Clawson," Roy said. "However, I don't regret what I did for a moment. If she kept on living, I would have been content in the Afterlife."
Jake lifted his head from Roy's arm and faced the teenager, and said, "Iris is now part of my family and my extended family. We all would gladly pay the ultimate price for another, without question. What you did last night should be commended. However, the act was quite reckless." He faced Dr. Fang, and said, "Doctor, can you give us the room?"
"Certainly, Mr. Clawson," he answered, and left.
Jake focused back on Roy, and said, "With Iris becoming family, there is no way we can keep the family secret hidden for too long. Roy, what I'm going to tell you is for your ears only. Iris will find out, in time but not now. Have you heard of the SWAT Kats?"
"Of course I have. Who doesn't know them? Empress, Havoc, Sniper, Sure-Shot, Acrobat, Whirlwind, Sensei, and Kunoichi are good looking she-cats. But there is something about Caliber that makes me want to purr," Roy answered.
"You want to purr for my wife?" Jake asked.
Roy sat up, and asked, "What do you mean your wife? You are married to Felina, not Caliber. Sure, they have the same build, the same attitude, the same…" His eyes shot open, then he said, "Oh shit! They are the same she-cat! That makes you Razor!"
"The one in the same," Jake said.
"Sorry for admitting, I want to purr for your wife. However, she does look very spicy in that uniform," Roy said.
"I'll keep that a secret between you and I, Roy," Jake said, then continued, "Do you swear, to give your life for the sake of another in our family? Will you protect those who can't or will not protect themselves? Will you take our secrets to the grave, not reveal them to anyone, no matter the circumstances?"
Roy peered him in the eyes, and answered, "I will give my life for the sake of another, I will protect those who need me to, and I will take this family's secrets to the grave, if that is what is required."
"Welcome to SWAT. Now, here's the sucky part. The bullet has damaged the Control Rods in your prosthesis. I can only straighten them to a certain point. But considering the thing is outdated, I'd recommend replacing it with the one Dr. Fang and I are designing. I'm going to bring Dr. Fang back in and see what he says. Remember, you are now bound to the same oath we all took."
"I understand. Wait, is Iris going to become a member of SWAT as well?" Roy asked.
"Yes, she will. You both will have to be trained and work your tails off to get your bodies ready for anything," Jake answered and went to get Dr. Fang.
Roy laid back on the table and smiled as he imagined what Iris would look like in a form-fitting uniform.
A few minutes later, Jake returned with Dr. Fang, Dr. Osorio, and Mrs. Warrens. "Dr. Fang, I believe the Control Rods are damaged, beyond repair. The only recourse we have is to replace the prosthesis. Do you concur with my evaluation?" Jake asked.
Dr. Fang re-took his place next to Roy's prosthetic arm and gave it a good look over. He ran the claw of his right Index finger over the dented metal in Roy's prosthesis, felt the metal pitting, and answered, "Not only are the rods misshapen, Mr. Clawson, the metal is starting to degrade. I wouldn't use this metal to repair my car. This thing should be scrapped and melted down so it can never be used again."
Mrs. Warrens ran over to Roy and took his right paw in hers. "My poor boy!" She faced Jake and Dr. Fang and said, "There is no way we can afford to replace the prosthesis! We are going to have to sell our home and get second jobs to pay for the Medical Bills!"
"Mrs. Warrens. From what I have observed from Roy's X-Rays and body scans. He is eligible to receive one of Claw-Tek's new limbs we have been developing. As such, the costs of the prosthesis, the surgery, and the rehabilitation will all be absorbed by Claw-Tek Industries," Dr. Fang said.
"What!?" Mrs. Murphy surprisingly asked. "Why in MegaKat would they do that!?"
"It was my decision, Mrs. Warrens," Jake said. "I own Claw-Tek. Both me and my wife don't want either Roy or Iris to be held back by inferior prosthetics. I tasked my team, led by Dr. Fang to create some of the most advanced prosthetics out there. When they are finished, the new limbs will behave like their own organic limbs."
"I don't understand, Mr Clawson," she said. "You and your wife barely know my son and Iris and you are offering to not only pay for the new prosthetics, but the surgeries and recoveries. Why would you and your company take on such a financial burden?"
"The short answer is my wife sees a lot of herself in Iris, Mrs. Warrens. By now, Felina has told Iris of our decision to bring her into our home."
"The Ferals seem to be an interesting bunch. But they do care for the other," Mrs. Warrens stated.
"They most certainly are," Jake said. "Dr. Fang has already notified the team to be ready for surgery as soon as possible."
"We are working diligently to have the limb ready within a week. However, the software is slightly lagging in development. My daughters are writing the next revision of the software as we speak. Even if the software isn't finished, the software can be updated wirelessly," Dr. Fang said.
"When you say the software is lagging, Dr. Fang. How far behind is it?" Roy asked.
"All the motor functions are performing normally. It is the Sensory functions which are not up to parr. Iris will not be impacted too much, but you will not be able to feel fine changes through the pads. An example would be you being able to discern the texture of a peach versus a plum," Dr. Fang answered.
"If that is the only bug, I'm in!" Roy said.
"Hang on there. Did you read and understand all the material I left behind for you after our last meeting?" Dr. Fang asked.
"I looked it over and I understood most of it. All the Neuroscience stuff I didn't comprehend at all," Roy answered.
Dr. Fang pulled up a chair, sat down, and said, "Mrs. Warrens, I suggest you take a seat as well. Mr. Clawson, please stand behind her and be ready to catch her if she passes out."
Mrs. Warrens sat down next to the examination table with Jake standing behind her.
"The attaching of the new prosthesis to the shoulder is a cut and dry procedure, any decent Orthopedic Surgeon can perform. Someone with Dr. Osorio's skills can perform the procedure, blindfolded. However, that is not the risky part of the surgery. In order for the new prosthesis to send and receive stimulus from the brain. We need to implant two transducers in the spinal cord by drilling two small holes in the Cervical Disc, right above the shoulders and inserting the transducers. Then we run two small wires from the transducers to the processor in the prothesis."
"That doesn't sound too bad, "Mrs. Warrens said.
"No, it doesn't sound as bad as it could be. This is the risk. The Paralytics used during the Anesthesia Process might not function properly. His body might move during the procedure. If such should occur during the drilling process, the risk of paralysis is quite high," Dr. Fang stated.
Mrs. Warrens brought her paws up to her mouth and started to tremble.
Jake placed both of his paws on her shoulders, and said, "Dr. Fang and his team will not allow that to occur."
"Mr. Clawson. With all due respect! You can't make that claim! Every patient reacts differently to the drugs in the Anesthesia Cocktail! Roy will not be under as deep as we would prefer if we didn't have to monitor the brain and spinal cord activity during the implanting process! If Roy's body moves or even twitches during the process, he could be paralyzed for life!" Dr. Fang said.
Mrs. Warrens' eyes rolled back in her head and fainted.
Roy jumped off the table and ran to his mother, yelling, "Mom!"
End of Chapter