Chapter 7: Being Pregnant is Truly a Pain
Arriving at his apartment, Feral parks and climbs out. Aras does the same and waits for his mate to join him near the elevator. They travel up to his floor and step out into the quiet hallway. Most of his neighbors are at work. Unlocking the door, Feral steps through, hearing the door closing and being locked behind him.
A pair of paws help pull his coat off and hang it up while Feral pulls his gun and harness off. He sighs as he locks up his weapon. Aras is already out of sight and he can hear him puttering around in the kitchen.
Instead of following him, Feral heads to the bedroom and changes into something more comfortable then goes to the kitchen. There he finds Aras setting the table with food. The golden tom gestures for his mate to sit down while he gets the tea kettle from the stove where it is whistling merrily.
Feral sits down and notes a chicken sandwich awaits him with a side of crackers and the smell of pungent ginger tea fills the air as the hot water hits it.
"Drink your tea and eat these crackers first before eating your sandwich, love. It will ease the nausea." Aras told him as he pours a glass of milk for himself then sits down across from the dark tom.
Feral sighs and drinks the hot tea carefully, followed by a cracker. They don't speak as Aras takes a big bite of his sandwich and observes his mate closely.
The afternoon had been too full of shocks for Feral and he needed time to absorb the enormity of it all. He was grateful Aras kept silent. He let his mind mull over everything that been said and was still stunned by it all but in the end, he realized he was just grateful that Aras would now be around all the time.
Suddenly that very thought caused him to pause before taking a bite of his sandwich. He looked up and stared at the golden tom. Sensing a sudden stillness in his mate, Aras looked up and met his eyes questioningly.
"What do you plan to do now that you're not actively a spy?" Feral asked.
"Oh, I have ideas, none I want to pursue just yet. I have plenty of money so that's not a problem. Perhaps I'll just take time to get to know the city, go shopping for kitten things and check out the needs of a hermaphrodite during pregnancy. That SWAT Kat was right, it is a difficult thing for a male herm and I want any problems to be solved quickly and efficiently. I think it is important to find a specialist." Aras mused.
Feral blinked. He was just getting used to the idea of being pregnant. He'd not got far enough to think about needing a specialist. He grimaced. He really could have done without this major complication in his life right now. Another thought struck him and he groaned.
"Are you alright my love?" Aras asked in concern.
"I just realized I will be removed from combat duty due to my condition." Feral said bitterly.
"Oh, yes that's in the regs isn't it? I'd nearly forgotten about that." Aras said sheepishly.
Feral just growled at him and took a vicious bite of his sandwich. Aras just shrugged and had the sense not to comment further on it.
When they finished with their meal, they went to the living room and watched some TV. Aras made a move to cuddle something they never really had time for.
Feral found he like that and soon they were necking like a pair of teens. Soon it became a little too heated and the action sped to a fast conclusion on the couch with Feral on his back with Aras grinning down at him.
"I love you, Ulysses." He murmured nuzzling his mate's sweating face.
"I love you too Aras. " Feral said for the first time, sighing happily, hugging his mate to him.
Smiling warmly, Aras help Uly up from the couch, they gathered their scattered clothing and took a slow hot shower together before falling into bed to cuddle closely. Feral had to admit, he loved the feel of Aras against him and knowing he would be there when he awoke made his heart feel wanted and no longer lonely.
Aras was feeling the same way as Ulysses. He felt a tremendous sense of peace knowing he wouldn't have to leave in the morning or any morning after this. He hugged the dark tom even tighter against his chest and nuzzled Uly's neck.
A deep purr of contentment issued from his mate and Aras sighed with joy, joining his purr to the chorus. They fell asleep clinging to each other.
Their first morning as an actual couple was interesting. Feral awoke before his alarm as was his wont. Aras smiled sleepily at the dark furred backside as it left the bed for the bathroom.
His contentment was shattered moments later when he heard the distinct sound of retching. He scrambled out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. Ulysses was flushing the toilet and going to the sink to rinse his mouth out. He looked pale and miserable.
"Oh, my love. I'm so sorry you're feeling so poorly this morning. I'll make you some ginger tea and get some crackers. Just take it slow getting ready for work." Aras said quietly, nuzzling Uly for a moment then leaving him in peace.
Feral sighed. How he hated being sick to his stomach but it was nice to have someone there to take are of him. He stepped into the hot shower which helped some.
Aras appeared in the bedroom carrying a mug and a package of crackers as Ulysses left the bathroom for his dresser. He smiled his thanks and drank some of the tea before getting his underthings on. Then he took his drink and crackers to the bed and sat down to eat for a moment.
The golden tom eyed him in concern as he got dressed as well. "I think my first priority of the day is to get you a doctor's appointment. I know nausea is part of the picture but you do need your first prenatal visit done anyway." He said firmly
Feral halted with a cracker raised to his mouth and stared at Aras in consternation.
"Don't look at me like that. I know very well you'll get too busy to take care of it and I'm free and will get it done. Expect it to be soon." Aras said with a snort.
Feral sighed and said nothing, continuing to eat his crackers and drink his tea. Life with Aras had begun, he realized, and wasn't certain if that was a good or bad thing. Only time would tell.
Four days later, he was laying on his back on a rather cold exam table while a friendly but efficient specialist by the name of Dr. Phillip Langer did some really embarrassing things to him.
When he'd first stepped into his new doctor's office he nearly backed out again as he stared horrified at he room full of pregnant patients. Most of them were female but there were at least two that were males.
Aras cooed softly to him and pushed his reluctant mate forward. Swallowing hard, Feral straightened his shoulders and walked firmly up to the receptionist desk. In short order, he was handed a clipboard with new patient info forms and a cup for a urine sample.
Sighing, he made an effort not to look around and headed for the only seats left in the waiting room. He could feel the curious looks he was getting as he laboriously filled out the forms. When he was done, Aras took it back to the receptionist while he went to the bathroom.
When he returned they continued to wait some twenty minutes. Feral shifted nervously, wishing an emergency would take him away from here. Suddenly his cell went off and he quickly pulled it out. Perhaps his wish would be granted, unfortunately, it was only Steele asking about a certain report the Mayor's office was asking for. He growled a response and hung up in irritation.
Only moments later he was being called in. The nurse took him through the hall and stopped at a scale. She eyed him a moment and shook her head.
"No way can we weigh you with all that you're wearing and I don't doubt you are probably wearing a weapon as well. Come on, Commander. We'll just have to get you undressed then take care of these check in items." She said briskly then led them to an exam room. She pulled out a hopelessly short gown and instructed him to get changed.
Growling under his breath, he began to pull his clothes off. Aras helped by hanging his clothes and coat up then he personally took charge of his mates rather formidable laser pistol in its harness. Soon Feral was completely changed and trying desperately to cover his body a little more. It was a hopeless cause. Aras commiserated with him and helped by keeping close as the nurse returned and marched Feral back out to the scale.
"Much better." She said, writing down the information. They returned to his room where she took his blood pressure and pulse, asked a few more questions then left them to wait for the doctor.
Dr. Langer came in some five minutes later and shook their paws. He gave Feral a thorough outer exam before having the tom lay down and put his feet in the stirrups. There was a moment of difficulty when the doctor had to stretch the devices to their limit to handle Feral's great height.
Which brought them back to this moment where he had his legs spread wide and was staring hard at the ceiling. Throughout his enforcer career, this was the single most humiliating exam he had to undergo only this time it was more intrusive. He winced as the doctor probed a bit with his gloved fingers and hemmed to himself unhappily.
That wasn't something he was eager to hear. The next instant he heard the snap of gloves being pulled off and tossed in the trash then the doctor washing his paws.
"You may sit up Commander. I need to do an ultrasound so unfortunately you can't get dressed. The nurse will escort you to the ultrasound room. I need you to drink this all down first then we'll have to wait about fifteen minutes before doing the procedure." Dr. Langer said handing Feral a large container of something then he left the room.
Feral sniffed the contents and grimaced. "I hate cranberry juice." He complained.
"Sorry love. Drink it all down." Aras said without sympathy.
Giving his mate a dirty look, he drank it as fast as he could. He made a horrid face and felt like spitting it out. Aras took pity on him and gave him a drink of water to clear the taste from his mouth.
Aras sighed as his mate sat silently glowering at the far wall not willing to talk as they waited. He was really grateful when a nurse finally came for them and led them down to another room. This one was larger, had a big bed and beside it was some elaborate equipment. Looked a bit like a computer with monitor.
Feral was told to lay down. A sheet was pulled up to cover his lower extremities while his gown was pulled up to uncover his belly. The doctor returned and the lights were dimmed. He spread a cold jelly across Feral's belly then took a wand like device in his paw as he flicked on some switches on a machine beside him. The dark screen lit up though there was nothing to see on it.
"It's actually too soon to see the foetus but this ultrasound is for me to see your uterus and vagina and see if everything looks alright." Dr. Langer explained as he began to rub the wand over Feral's belly. On the screen some odd things showed up. Neither Aras nor Feral could make anything of the images but the doctor apparently knew what he was looking at.
Ten minutes later, they were done. The doctor had him go back to his room and get redressed then the nurse would bring him to his office where they would discuss his case.
By the time they went into the doctor's office, Feral felt like he'd been here all day. They sat down before his desk in surprisingly comfortable chairs and waited for him to speak.
"Well, Commander everything looks good. The only concern I have is your vaginal canal. It looks too small. It may not be a problem if the kitten isn't very large but it is of concern. If the kitten exceeds more than five pounds you will have to have a C- section and that is a serious concern for you. Your internal female organs are laid out like most herms, totally opposite of a females hence the challenge in managing your pregnancy. You'll suffer problems females normally have no difficulty with such as on-going nausea, dizziness, fainting, difficulty urinating which can be a serious problem and, of course, the pressure the growing kitten will have on your internal organs which don't move as much out of the way as they do for a female. Your uterus is set further back and upward which can and does tend to cause breathlessness which in turn is the reason for the more frequent fainting spells. Some of the problems occur simply because you're male and don't take the precautions a female takes for granted." Dr. Langer told him seriously.
"You especially are going to cause me a lot of premature gray hairs. Your job alone is so stressful, I'd be hard pressed to aid you in keeping the pregnancy viable let alone trying to keep it till delivery. Frankly, Commander, I haven't a very good feeling about this pregnancy simply because of who you are. I must ask you, are you committed to keeping this pregnancy or will your job be more important?" Dr. Langer asked, his face grave.
Feral blinked in shock. He hadn't really thought this would be that difficult, just a nuisance but not so difficult that the odds were so bad he could lose this kitten without doing anything but do his job. He turned to Aras with a troubled expression. His mate was pale and worried which surprised him even more. Aras had seen and done many things in his life yet he looked absolutely horrified now.
The golden tom reached out and took his mate's paw. "My love, I'm truly sorry. My research had not prepared me for this eventuality. I don't want to risk you but I would like a legacy of my body. However, this is your body and if you feel you cannot do this, I won't think ill of you. I know how much your career means to you and how important you are to the city's defense." He said solemnly.
Okay, that didn't make him feel good at all. It made it seem his career was more important than this life he was carrying. He lived to protect katkind. What kind of leader was he if he could willing take the life of something so small and helpless for the sake of duty. The fact he hadn't consciously decided to be pregnant in the first place didn't matter now. The deed was done and he was carrying new life. He swallowed, 'Oh God! I don't know if I can do this but I can't just kill it either.' He felt like throwing up as it was he needed to pee badly and used that as an excuse to give himself a few minutes alone.
He was shaken but firm when he returned to the doctor's office. "Okay, I'll do this but you're right it is going to be very hard since my job is dangerous and difficult. If its any consolation, my condition automatically removes me from combat duty by regulation. I'll be confined to my office and other duties not combat related." He told the doctor.
"Well, that's good to know. I know though, that will only be half the battle but we'll see how it goes. My nurse will get you set up on a regular checkup schedule. Here's a diet sheet to follow, a guideline on what symptoms to expect, my phone number in case of problems, and a prescription for prenatal vitamins which you must take religiously. Also, you will require a blood transfusion once a week for the first two months. Unlike a female, you don't produce enough blood platelets yet to handle the growing foetus. Your body and the vitamins will gradually help you catch up but at first the transfusions will prevent any stress on your vital organs. The nurse will set you up with your first transfusion now. It will be part of your visits for the next two months. Any questions?" He asked.
Feral felt bewildered by all the information but mutely shook his head. The doctor gave him a sympathetic look before the nurse took them away for the transfusion.
Finally, they were leaving the doctor's office after being there for some three hours. Feral felt rung out emotionally and queasy. Aras suggested he check in and see if there was anything he was truly needed for at work and if not, he should go home and rest. Feral started to object. He never stayed when he was perfectly healthy and there was work to be done but then the doctor's words came back to haunt him. This was exactly what he warned Feral about.
"Listen to your body! I can't stress this enough. If you feel tired and drained, take a nap or go home. Ignoring the signals your body gives you that you're too stressed and 'toughening' it out is not an option in this case." Dr. Langer had stressed.
Sighing in resignation, he called his office, finding out there was nothing major going on at all. Telling Steele he would be home if he was needed, he allowed Aras to take him home.
This was going to feel strange and he didn't know how he was going to keep it up but he knew Aras would be right there to insure that he did.