Chapter 13: Necessary Medical Appointments
Two weeks later...
"Come on Uly you don't want to be late," T-Bone warned his mate as he waited impatiently for Feral to finish giving instructions to Steele.
Steele gave the SWAT Kat an annoyed look but wisely kept his mouth shut as he took the reports Feral handed to him then smartly turned and left the office.
Not anxious to go to his appointment, Feral gave his mate a disgruntled look which T-Bone just ignored. After locking his desk, Feral walked over to the coat tree to get his overcoat, but T-Bone had gotten it first and was holding it up for him to put on.
"You don't have to come you know," he grumbled as he buttoned the coat and led the way out.
T-Bone smothered his sigh. "Yes, I do. Tam Hartstone, your therapist, insisted I be there for the first session. Now stop scowling at me and come on. We're going by cyclotron and no arguments about it," he warned as he rode down in the elevator car with his sour mate.
When the doors opened Feral followed T-Bone as they strode across the lobby floor for the main doors. Many eyes followed them because it was still unusual to see them together. T-Bone's cyclotron was sitting on the sidewalk beside Feral's parked hummer.
T-Bone released the security on the bike and handed his mate a helmet. They mounted and were soon zooming toward a midtown address where the therapist had his office.
Arriving within ten minutes of their appointment, T-Bone secured the bike and walked with his mate into the modern building. He could sense Ulysses' discomfort and began a gentle stroking of the arm nearest him as they rode the elevator to the sixth floor. The elevator decanted them onto a quiet, carpeted floor with only a few doors along it. Walking down the hall they entered the third door on the left.
An efficient and warmly smiling secretary greeted them and asked the Commander to fill out some new patient forms. Still tense, Feral made low rumbling sounds in his chest as he sat down with the papers and filled them out. When he finished, T-Bone gently took them from him and returned them to the secretary.
Their wait was thankfully, short and soon they were being ushered into a pleasantly decorated office. Plants and images of ocean scenes were scattered around the room along with a very comfortable looking couch and a couple of thickly padded chairs of dark brown leather. The therapist's desk was made of a warm colored wood and was cluttered with the debris of his calling as well as some personal items; a sculpture and a framed picture showing the tom before them arm and arm with a handsome gray and silver tabby. On the far left corner of the desk was a laptop computer that was open and had a very nice scene of Megakat Bay at high noon on its desktop.
A powerful black and white, long furred, stripped male with green eyes and a warm smile was standing beside the desk waiting to greet them. He shook Feral's paw then paused eyeing the tom for a moment questioningly. Feral eyed him back then moved his face forward. Reassured the therapist did the same until their noses met and a soft blue light glowed at their touch then they leaned back once more.
T-Bone blinked in surprise. He was guessing this was some kind of greeting between Sabrens but the last Sabren Feral was with, Dr. Kenton, hadn't done it. He wondered why. Obviously another one of those things he needed to know. This time he would not forget to ask someone. Perhaps the therapist could suggest someone. He'd keep it in mind for after their session.
He smiled hesitantly, as the therapist shook his paw as well, a little worried he might feel something unusual when he did, but it was nothing more than an ordinary paw shake. The therapist gave him an amused look as if he'd 'read' what T-Bone had been thinking.
"Hello, Commander Feral, T-Bone. I'm Tam Hartstone. Please have a seat and we'll chat for a bit," he said warmly.
Hartstone took a wing chair while T-Bone pulled Feral down onto the couch beside him.
"Before we start let me tell you something about myself." Looking quietly at Feral, Heartstone addressed his next comment to him. "I'm happily bonded to an artist. Some of these pieces are his work. I did not have the benefit of the new device that was invented but was fortunate to find my mate very early in my life. We've been together now a decade. I was taught being bonded was the most wonderful thing I could ever have happen to me which was proven to me when I bonded.
However, when I was doing my internship, I began to encounter a few Sabrens who were not so fortunate to have that education. They were very unhappy souls and it was then I decided I would dedicate my life to helping these poor unfortunate few. The trouble seems to begin very early with their own mother's attitudes toward being bonded. Our goal here is to help you to accept your mated status and to be happy with being bonded," he explained gently. "For this first session I want to hear how both of you feel about the bonding and the coming birth of your first kitten then we'll get into how I can help you. Shall we get started."
A little over two hours later, T-Bone and Feral left the therapist's office. T-Bone had paused while Ulysses waited in the outer area, to ask Hartstone how he could obtain information on Sabrens. Hartstone smiled and gave him the name of a professor he could speak with to get educated on the subject. Thanking him and tucking the piece of paper in his g-suit, he rejoined his mate and they walked silently to the elevator and maintained it all the way to the cyclotron, both wrapped in their own thoughts.
'For a first session it hadn't gone too badly,' T-Bone mused to himself. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his mate.
Ulysses seemed a bit stiff lipped at the moment, he hadn't been very forthcoming during the session but he did seem to tolerate Hartstone so, hopefully, he would loosen up and get what was bothering him off his chest soon. He found out he wouldn't be coming to anymore sessions unless Hartstone deemed it necessary, which kinda relieved him. He didn't like head doctors anymore than his mate did.
Feral echoed his thoughts. 'Kat's alive! I hate being psychoanalyzed,' he grumbled to himself. 'I know I need it but it's hard to tell some stranger about your personal life especially when you don't want to talk about it at all but for T-Bone's sake and our...kitten...' just the word sent shudders down his spine, 'stop that, it's your kitten not some THING...' he strongly admonished himself sternly then shuffled his shoulders uncomfortably. 'Well, that certainly makes it clear how far I've got to go to be mentally healthy,' he thought glumly.
A week later...
As they walked into yet another medical building, this one located northwest of the city center and on the outskirts, T-Bone could tell this appointment was going to be far worse than the therapist one had been. His mate had been mute and quiet the whole trip to the Sabren OB specialist.
When they stepped through the door of the office, there were three other Sabren couples in various stages of pregnancy sitting in the waiting room. This medical facility catered only to Sabrens and their unique problems, pregnancy being only one of them. The couples eyed the celebrated pair with curiosity but no one intruded on their privacy.
T-Bone sighed and helped Ulysses go through another round of filling out forms. They had to wait about ten minutes but soon they were being ushered through the main door and led down a short hallway to an exam room.
"Please strip completely and put this gown on. When you're ready, please inform me so I can get your vitals. I'll be just down the hall at the nurses station," she told them briskly then left them alone.
"Here let me help you, Uly," T-Bone offered, reaching out to help remove the tom's coat.
Very quickly, Feral was soon dressed in the drafty gown and they were walking back down the hall. The nurse quickly and efficiently took his height, weight, blood pressure and pulse.
"Thank you, Commander. For your future information, you will be doing these things on each of your visits but you won't have to be in a gown. However, it would be appreciated if you don't wear too much of your...uh...police gear so we can get an accurate weight. Now, please return to your room...the doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes."
Sighing, Feral walked back to the room with T-Bone staying at his back to spare his dignity from the gaping gown. The exam table was cold to his bare bottom despite being soft and comfortable and the gown was too short. He felt sick about this whole business, though his mate did try to comfort him. He knew it wasn't fair to T-Bone but he just couldn't be happy about his condition.
The doctor came in with a warm smile on his face. Shaking the pair's paws, Dr. Ainsly quickly noted the unhappy demeanor of the Sabren. Sighing inwardly, he switched to a more professional, less personal, manner to help the reluctant Sabren through the experience more easily.
He hated it when he got these poor twisted Sabren's whose past had skewed their view of being mated and now bearing a Sabren kitten. The whole experience was nothing but misery for them rather than happy anticipation. It didn't help that this patient was also an important official of the city too.
'Well nothing for it but to help him get through this quickly,' he thought then introduced himself.
"I'm Dr. Ainsly, and though I'm not a Sabren myself, I have been thoroughly trained by them and have been practicing for twenty-five years," he stated, letting the Sabren know he was very experienced so he would be more at ease.
"I will be following your pregnancy closely so let's begin by having you answer some medical questions for me." Without waiting for an answer, he asked a battery of questions, including some directed toward T-Bone before finally ending with, "are you presently seeing a therapist, Commander."
"Yes. His name is Tam Hartstone and I saw him with my mate last week," Feral answered flatly.
Dr. Ainsly nodded and made the notation in Feral's chart. "I'm going to do a quick exam. Please try to relax," he murmured as he brought his stethoscope close to listen to Feral's chest.
The vaginal exam was extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed the hell out of T-Bone who remained standing at his mate's head, keeping his eyes glued to Uly's chest until it was over. Thankfully, the whole exam took only fifteen minutes. "Alright you may get dressed now. My office is two doors down. Please come there when you are ready," he directed and left them in privacy.
Sighing, glad that was over, T-Bone helped Uly redress. They walked to the doctor's office and went in. Ainsly was writing up his notes as they entered so they sat down and waited for him to finish.
Moments later he set his pen down and looked up at the most publicly known Sabren pair. He wished the Commander could enjoy his pregnancy but all he could hope for was an uncomplicated and quick one.
"So, Commander. Your exam shows no problems with your pregnancy. The kitten is developing normally and I foresee no difficulties with delivery," he said briskly. Since I have a suspicion you have not received any instruction on how your body work nor anything about pregnancy, let me give you some quick and dirty facts. I'll also be giving you some information that will cover what I'm about to tell you in more depth," Ainsly briefed them.
Eyeing them a moment, he noted Feral's stiff, unhappy posture and T-Bone's more receptive one. Nodding mentally to himself, he was reassured that at least the Sabren's mate was prepared to do what was necessary to support is mate.
"Unlike a Kat pregnancy, Sabren kittens mature in the womb much faster. Kat pregnancies are normally thirty-two weeks long but Sabrens are only twenty-four weeks. You are already thirteen weeks along so you only have another eleven weeks to go. Delivery for a Sabren kit can be either extremely fast or take up to six hours," he began his instruction but was cut off by a shocked question.
T-Bone and Feral had blinked at that but it was the tabby who asked anxiously, "six hours is rather fast so how quick would an 'extremely fast' one be?"
Dr. Ainsly looked at him dryly as he responded, "from the moment the contractions start, which are extremely painful by the way, to only an hour later when the kitten is born."
Both sucked in their breaths in shock.
"Yes, it's truly that fast, so I'm very glad you have a medical unit in your facility, Commander. Your medical officer will be required to receive training on how to manage your pregnancy and be prepared for a fast delivery, if that happens because you truly won't have time to even leave your office when labor begins. Also, because of that, you will be restricted to Enforcer Headquarters when you are in your final week. If the worst happens and you're not in a facility that can aid you then, you, T-Bone, will have to do what must be done so plan on getting trained as well," Ainsly said firmly.
T-Bone gulped and blanched at the prospect of delivering his own kitten without medical help. Feral didn't look all that happy about it either.
"What is the name of your Chief Medical Officer, Commander?" Ainsly asked, interrupting their frightened introspection.
"Uh...Dr. Mewser," Feral answered distractedly, still overwhelmed by what the doctor had told them so far.
"Now, if it's a slower delivery, you'll have some warning contractions, painful but not unendurable, that will tell you its time to get here for your delivery. Don't rush! You will have time to get here, I promise. In both deliveries, T-Bone plays an important part so don't think you can skip the training," the doctor eyed the SWAT Kat pointedly. T-Bone nodded nervously.
"I'll tell you now, your part is far more than just coaching your mate through his contractions. No, you play a very vital part in making sure the delivery is smooth and as less painful as your bonding can make it," Ainsley assured him.
T-Bone sank back in his seat. 'Crud! This just gets better and better,' he thought shakily. He stared blankly when he saw the doctor pull some papers out and hand them over to Ulysses.
"Here's a prescription for prenatal vitamins and a diet sheet. Sex is not problem for Sabrens and is actually necessary to keep energy levels low. I warn you...no major energy drawing while you are pregnant. It can cause significant problems even death so don't do it!" He said firmly, eyeing Feral carefully to be sure he understood that stricture. "There are no other special requirements other than to remain at headquarters during your final week. You do not want to be caught away from medical assistance. Are there any other questions?" Dr. Ainsly asked.
The two sat there in stunned silence before T-Bone finally managed to speak, "Uhh, sounds like you covered everything."
Ainsly flashed them an understanding smile. "Yes, I know it's a lot of information and the whole thing sounds scary but, trust me, if you follow instructions everything will go fine. Make sure you read the information I gave you. Now, stop and see my nurse before you leave and she will set you up with a checkup schedule and a training appointment for you, T-Bone. I will need to see you, Commander, once a week for the duration of your pregnancy. Please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions that come up during this time. I want you to eat right and get plenty of rest...those two things are very important," he said firmly then escorted them out of his office.
Still a little bewildered, they stopped and made the appointments then left. They didn't speak, both wrapped in their own thoughts. T-Bone quickly returned Feral to Enforcer Headquarters and rode back to the hangar. He stripped his costume off and put on his work coveralls then joined Jake in the garage. They had at least six cars to do and the work kept his mind from thinking about all he'd heard earlier.
"Hi buddy, how did it go?" Jake asked coming around a truck wiping his paws on a rag.
"Please...could we talk about it later? My head is about to explode from all the information I had to take in, some of it down right scary," Chance pleaded.
"Oh, sure..." Jake said, a puzzled look on his face as he went back to his work.
A couple of hours later, with the cars completed and gone, they took a deserved break and relaxed in their waiting area, sitting on the old couch drinking cans of milk.
"Okay, so what happened to freak you out so?" Jake asked, sipping his milk.
Crud, where do I start...the fast pregnancy or the fast delivery or the fact I have to be part of the delivery..." Chance moaned, shaking his head at all he'd learned.
Jake stared at him in disbelief. "Well, the beginning would be good."
"Ha ha...funnie! I tell you Jake the whole business is scary. First Sabren kittens are born sooner than kat kittens by about eight weeks. Uly has only eleven weeks left before he delivers then there's the choice of fast versus super fast deliver...no in between, mind you," Chance told his friend as he paused to take a drink of his milk.
"Uh...what's the difference?"
"The fast is about six hours long while the super fast is an hour...tops!"
Jake's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Woah! That doesn't leave any time..."
"Yeah, no time to go anywhere. If it's that type of delivery, he'll be dropping that kitten in his very own office," Chance said, only a little amused by that thought. "Oh, and what's worse...it's extremely painful too!"
"Ewww! And your part is...?"
"I have no clue but I'll be getting lessons on whatever it is...joy!" I can tell you, I'm not looking forward to it either."
"I bet! Well, let's hope it's the slower one then. And how is Feral handling all this?" Jake asked carefully.
Chance rolled his eyes. "He looks like he's heading for his own execution. I could tell the doc wasn't happy to get 'that kind' of Sabren. He's obviously had to deal with mentally messed up Sabrens before and its not his favorite thing but despite his feelings, he's thorough and very professional. Uly's in good paws."
"That's good to know," Jake sighed.
"There is a silver lining though, we have to have sex frequently...like everyday...multiple times because its bad for him to have too much energy during the pregnancy so it must be kept low. I will have to deal with his moodiness, though, which will get worse the further along he goes especially when he's in his last week where he's restricted to Enforcer Headquarters for his final week, which means so am I."
"Oh no! That's bad! How will you be able to get free if we're called?" Jake asked, concerned. "Not to mention handling the garage all alone."
Chance grimaced. "Well, I'm supposing I'll still work here during the day and sleep there. He does have his communicator and he's made sure Sgt Fallon and Steele know about it if he's unable to use it. The Turbokat can get me there fast even if it is the quick delivery. About the omegas, though, I just hope those creeps stay in the woodwork during that time."
"I'll just hope for the same thing to then. But if it does happen, I'll just handle it alone. Now that the enforcers have better weapons and jets, their support will ensure I can take whoever it is out...except possibly Dark Kat," Jake said reassuringly.
His friend sighed unhappily. "Crud! I'll be glad when this all over. Be prepared Jake. Uly is going to be very depressed and that will make me a grouchy tom to be around. It's a good thing he's required to see his therapist three times a week. I had wondered why so many visits but now I understand only too well. I've also gotten the name of some professor that knows everything about Sabrens so I need to make time to go see him."
"Man, that's rough buddy. I wish I could help in some way. Since I can't, I'll just try and keep your spirits up. Also, when you find out about Sabrens brief me. It's in my best interest to know about them too. Meanwhile, why don't we watch some mindless TV to relax you. It won't help to dwell on what you can't change...okay?"
"You're right, Jake and, yeah, I'll make sure you know as much as I do about these guys. So, let's see what's on," Chance said, trying to be upbeat as he turned on the TV and began to surf the channels.