Chapter 15: A Kitten in a Nest of Spies
Now that the threat to his life was past, Feral had only the waiting for his kitten to be born. If it weren't for his computer connection with his home base, he would have gone quite crazy and tried to kill his mate for putting him in this position in the first place.
As it was, there were enough reports, meetings, and such from headquarters that he never noticed the passing days except for a near constant backache from being bed ridden. Aras would give him back rubs every evening and a bed bath (which he loathed). He'd give anything to be able to take a real shower or use the bathroom but it was far too risky.
He did suffer two episodes of spiking blood pressure but they were quickly brought under control. Regular ultrasounds, done at two week intervals, showed the kitten growing fast and putting on weight, much to everyone's relief.
Fall was fast approaching as the nights got colder in Megakat City but here in the hidden mountain retreat for A.G.P.A. Headquarters it was always bitterly cold. The sunny days that were present upon his arrival were gone, replaced by either cold gray skies or raging snow storms.
Today was one of those stormy days, though Feral was completely unaware of it since his room had no window, but his body knew it as it plagued him with lower back pain and a strange uneasiness that distracted him from his work.
He'd managed to eat breakfast but by lunch time he couldn't stomach the sight of food. The nursing staff went on alert and kept a much closer watch on him. As the day passed into evening, Feral grew more restless, finally giving up trying to work. He closed his computer with a snort of disgust and a grunt of discomfort as he shifted his body trying to find a more comfortable position without much success.
Aras appeared some twenty minutes later and noted his mate's irritable manner. He frowned in concern as he approached the bed and saw the untouched dinner sitting nearby.
"Is something wrong my love?"
"Just not hungry and I've been soo uncomfortable for the past few hours that I was forced to give up trying to work any longer," Feral said in disgust.
Aras felt a cold shiver slide down his spine. It sounded like Uly was in the first stages of labor. He swallowed his nervousness and made understanding noises. His own dinner was sitting nearby but he'd just lost his appetite.
"Umm, I need to check on something...I'll be right back, love," he said, giving Uly a reassuring smile and receiving a grouchy scowl in return as the dark tom began surfing the TV stations for something to watch that would distract him.
Aras quickly slipped from the room and went to the nurse's station. It was shift change, so he had to wait a few minutes before anyone noticed him.
"Ah yes, Aras...can I help you?" A nurse asked.
"I noticed Ulysses is restless, uncomfortable and refusing to eat...is he in labor?" He demanded, tensely.
The nurse gave him a small soothing smile as she replied, "We've been keeping a very close eye on him Aras especially when he refused lunch earlier so I'm not surprised he has refused to eat dinner now. In answer to your question...yes...he is showing all the signs of early labor. There's no need for concern yet and Dr. Snow has been notified. He said he would be coming by soon to check on him."
Aras let out the breath he had been holding. He was relieved the waiting was finally going to be over. "Thank you. I'll try and keep him calm. He's pretty irritable right now," he said, chuckling a little.
"I'm sure he is and its only going to get worse as the night wears on," she said, giving a small laugh. "Don't be surprised if he begins to snap at you rather nastily when the pains become more noticeable," she warned mildly.
"Oh, I don't doubt that and I'm prepared. I'll just go back to his side and do what I can," Aras said easily then turned away and returned to Uly's room.
Slipping back into the room, Aras went to sit in his usual place and grabbed his dinner. He realized he would need the energy for the long night ahead. Feral was engrossed in something on the TV and only glanced at him when his mate entered before returning his attention to the set.
About an hour later, Dr. Snow came bustling in with two assistants, one of whom was rolling an ultrasound machine in with him.
"Good evening, Commander. It appears you might be in labor so we need to check you out. If you would please assume the proper position for the ultrasound, please," he instructed Feral.
Feral's eyebrows raised in surprise. He hadn't connected the things he'd been feeling all day with the signs of labor. A little nervous now, he flicked off the set then cranked the bed down so that he was laying flat.
Dr. Snow came to his side and gently pulled Feral's pj top up and the bottoms down enough for him to run the ultrasound wand over the swollen belly. The lights in the room were turned off. Aras stood at the head of the bed and held his mate's paw as they watched the tiny screen.
Plainly visible was a tiny form that was head down and quite low in the pelvis.
"Excellent, the kitten is already in position for delivery. So let's take some readings now..." Snow muttered to himself as he took measurements. "Wonderful! Our little one is a decent weight and the blood test done on you earlier showed its lungs were fully matured," Snow said, pulling the wand away and turning off the machine.
He wiped the gel off the dark tom's belly then tugged the pj bottoms to signal he wanted them removed. Feral lifted his hips a little so that the pants could be slipped off. One of the assistants draped a sheet over Feral's lower half as the bedding was pulled down.
"Alright, Commander...please set your knees up and spread your legs so I can take a quick look at your vagina," Snow ordered.
Feral blushed a bit but did as instructed. He kept his gaze toward the ceiling as Snow examined his most intimate area. He hissed a little at the doctor's light probing then moaned as a sudden cramping occurred across his abdomen.
"Easy...breathe in and out...don't hold it...that just makes the contractions more painful," Snow warned him gently. "I hadn't expected that to happen when I was just checking but it certainly confirmed what my check of your vagina showed. You are definitely in labor. You may put your legs down again and get as comfortable as you can. A nurse is going to place a fetal monitor on you as well as one to monitor your contractions. Right now there is no way to know how long you're going to take so we'll just get set up and watch. You just rest as much as you can because you won't be able to do so soon enough," Snow said warmly, patting Feral's leg comfortingly before stepping out of the room.
Aras helped Ulysses get more comfortable then the room swirled with activity as nurses came in and put things on the dark tom and set up lots of equipment around the bed. It all looked rather intimidating, increasing Feral's nervousness.
On the one paw, he was thrilled to be finally delivering this kitten but on the other paw, he was scared to death. Giving birth hurt! He'd only had that one sharp contraction so far but wasn't looking forward to more or the fact it was going to get much worse soon.
Aras could see how scared his mate was becoming and he did his best to give comfort but it didn't help that he was just as afraid as Ulysses. Such a pair they made but he knew they would get through this, after all, they had managed to make it this far.
Over the long agonizing hours, Feral struggled to not yell or curse as the contractions increased in intensity and pain. Aras did his part by rubbing his mate's back, offering ice chips, and holding Uly's paw at the risk of getting broken bones as the poor tom panted through each contraction. Dr. Snow came in every hour to check his progress.
After some four hours of labor, Snow's most recent check determined Feral had moved to five centimeters.
"You're making good progress, Commander. You have to reach ten centimeters before you'll feel the need to push and that might be several hours more yet. Get as much rest as you can. I'm pleased your blood pressure has remained normal. Let's hope it continues that way," Snow said as he pulled off his gloves and left the room.
Feral sighed in exhaustion. "Kat's Alive! I feel all wrung out and he says I have many more hours to go!" He complained.
"I know my love but just keep your mind focused on the end result. It won't be much longer," Aras said trying to be encouraging.
"Says the one who isn't trying to deliver something the size of a melon!" Feral snorted then winced as a small contraction grabbed his attention.
"I know love...I wish I could take your place...I really hate seeing you in such pain," Aras said, feeling bad for his mate.
"Argh!" Was Feral's only reply as he frantically panted through the agony his belly had become.
Two hours later, Feral lay trying to catch some sleep, his face lined with strain. Aras caressed the dark cheek fur offering what comfort he could. The sound of the kitten's heart beat filled the room assuring them of its continued well being.
As another hour crawled by and Feral reached nine centimeters, alarms went off. The dark tom was struck with a nearly continuous string of contractions that sent his blood pressure soaring.
Dr. Snow returned with other doctors and nurses that filled the room to capacity. An oxygen cannula was placed in Feral's nose and drugs were pushed into his IV to control his blood pressure. The head of the bed was raised to allow Feral to breath better and to be in position for delivery. As the pressure increased, Feral felt a gush of fluids rush from him.
"Water's broke! Shouldn't be long now!" Dr. Snow warned as the end of the bed was quickly prepared.
Feral's fingers were gripping the bars that had been raised on each side of the bed in a near death grip. He writhed and cried out in pain as the contractions increased in intensity. For several long, torturous minutes that continued until he felt the unmistakable and overwhelming need to push.
The first hard push stole his breath away.
"Wait, Commander...don't push yet!" Dr. Snow warned. "Pant...pant!"
Feral stared at the doctor as if he'd lost his mind. Sweat was dripping into his eyes and desperation and pain climbed up his back as he tried to do as ordered but it definitely wasn't easy not pushing when everything in his body screamd he do so. He cried out in agony and his fingers were white as they gripped the bars.
Aras got a wet washcloth and wiped his mate's face off while speaking soothing words of encouragement to his laboring mate.
"Alright, Commander...you can push now...on the next contraction push for all you're worth," Snow directed the exhausted tom.
Relieved, Feral was only too happy to as another contraction roared through him. His face under the dark fur turned red as he pushed hard for a count of ten before he collapsed and panted hard for air then did it again and again for some thirty minutes.
"You're doing fine, should be over really soon. That last push allowed the head to crown!" Dr. Snow told Feral encouragingly. "Maybe one or more pushes and we'll have a kitten."
Privately, Snow was becoming concerned. Feral's blood pressure was soaring despite the medication but the kitten was within minutes of being delivered. He hoped the dark tom would stay stable long enough for it to be born.
Another contraction hit and Feral reared up again from the bed and pushed hard. Pain struck him and he nearly screamed as he felt like he was being split open then the pain was suddenly gone as the pressure stopped. He groaned in relief and collapsed back onto the bed.
There was frantic activity at the end of the bed then a strong, wailing cry filled the room as well as sighs of relief from many voices.
Aras smiled from ear to ear at the beautiful sound. He gripped Ulysses' paw while straining to get his first view of his new kitten.
"It's a tom!" Snow sang out, smiling down at the exhausted mother. "Great job, Commander. Now just relax...I'm going to be doing a few things to help you expel the after birth and get your blood pressure under control," he explained as he worked. He gently pressed on Feral's belly for several minutes. With the birth, the doctor was relieved to see Feral's blood pressure dropping, things should go well now as he focused on the after care.
Feral was far too tired to care what the doctor was doing. His eyes had closed and all he could do was pant but his ears pricked up at the sound of his kitten. It was some minutes before something warm was being placed in his arms.
He opened his eyes and gazed down at the tiny bundle cradled carefully in his arms. The small kitten was a combination of dark brown fur with gold tips and a head crowned with a thatch of black hair. Feral thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful.
"He's gorgeous, love...thank you!" Aras said with heartfelt sincerity, his eyes shining with joy as he studied his new son.
"Yeah, he sure is," Feral sighed as he touched tenderly the very tiny paw that was no bigger than his small finger. "He's so small," he murmured in awe.
"Isn't he? I swear, I've never seen anything so tiny before," Aras breathed as he too touched the other tiny paw which twitched at his touch.
After fawning over their kitten for several minutes, the doctor gently ordered the little one put in the isolette so that Feral could be cleaned up and allowed to get some much needed sleep before their son began demanding to be fed. Though reluctant, Feral was exhausted and handed the kitten over to his mate so that Aras could put the kitten in its special bed.
It took another hour and half before Feral was finally sleeping in a clean bed, his fur washed in a real shower with Aras holding him so he wouldn't fall. He had managed a small amount food before succumbing to deep sleep.
Aras was exhausted too and fully intended to remain by his mate's side so had a bed brought in. He was glad he did as less than two hours later, his new son wailed for his supper.
Crawling out of bed, Aras quickly went to his son's bed and changed his first diaper before carrying the tiny kitten to its mother who was still dead to the world. Pulling the bedding down then opening his mate's shirt, he gently figured out how to get his son to latch on to the dripping nipple.
The tiny kitten latched on hungrily. Feral groaned a bit but didn't waken or move. Aras stayed close as his son nursed for ten minutes. When he let the nipple slip from his mouth as he fell asleep, Aras gently picked him up, burped him then took him back to his bed.
As he climbed back into bed again, his tired mind reminded him that they would have to give their son a name tomorrow when its mother was awake then slid into slumber himself.