Chapter 29: Recovery
Feral had to receive several infusions of blood while the surgeons removed the remains of his pregnancy and cleaned him out. Energy from other Sabrens at the hospital was given him to keep his from waning. It helped that he possessed a vast store of energy in the first place. If not for that, he would have died long before coming to the hospital despite the best efforts of his own officers.
T-Bone was forever grateful that his mate was so powerful when he'd been told that grim truth. Still he was worried about his mate's state of mind and his own when they had time to grieve the loss of their kitten.
He walked beside the gurney as it was rolled from the operating suite to Feral's assigned room. The big tom was put on antibiotics and kept in the hospital for several days until he healed. While there, he received frequent doses of energy to help him recoup his that was lost in the miscarriage. During that time, T-Bone never left his side.
On the day of the incident, Razor had sighed in relief to know Feral would recover but was also concerned about how they would deal with the loss when they could focus on it. Meanwhile, he went ahead and made the decision to care for Jeremy while his parents were unavailable.
When he went to pick up Jeremy that evening, he was concerned about what to tell the little kitten about his mother. He was surprised when he was met by an older enforcer Sabren, who was waiting for him at the day care.
"Hello, Razor. I'm Sgt Jiessen. I'm here to check on the Commander's son. Through his bond with his mother, he will have been aware that something has happened to him but not what so he may be suffering anxiety. I can ease that with a form of energy we use to soothe each other outside of our mate bonds," he explained quietly.
"Oh, I remember hearing about that form of energy use when T-Bone researched about you guys. I'm glad you're here then. I was worried about what I was going to tell such a young kitten about what's happened to his mother," Razor said in relief.
"Don't tell him anything about that. What do you usually say to him when you must take care of him?"
"Only that his parents are doing something he can't be around for. He's used to that...but what about what just happened and the fact his mother and father will be gone for a while?"
"Use the same reason you normally would but add that they had to be gone longer than they wished to. Jeremy is far too young to grasp the concept of pregnancy and the loss of such. Our kittens maybe further advanced than Kat kittens but they are still kittens in many other ways and this is one of them," Sgt Jiessen told him. He smiled and said, "don't worry soo much, Razor. Kittens are resilient and bounce back from distress much faster than adults. Just do your best for him and don't dwell on what his parents are suffering right now because he will pick up on that. So...let's get him and see how he's doing, shall we?"
"Okay," Razor said with a relieved sigh, signaling the monitor. He explained quietly what had happened, what she needed to do to help Jeremy, and gave her a communicator to use to reach him if Jeremy was distressed in any way during the time his parents were gone.
Sgt Jiessen also gave his number if the problem couldn't be solved by Razor and Jeremy needed a Sabren's touch. The monitor nodded her understanding, a sad look on her face at the terrible news.
"That explains Jeremy's sudden bout of tears and fear earlier. We did our best but he wouldn't be comforted and finally he'd cried himself out and took a nap. We had tried to reach his parents but now we know why we couldn't get a hold of any of you. When he woke up he refused to play with anyone and went to sit alone and read. We've let him be but kept a close watch on him," she told them.
"You've done the right thing. There really isn't much more you could have done but to prevent a future problem, I can tell you now that you can call for a Sabren from any that are in house at the time and any one of us will come immediately to deal with the problem. I'll inform Lt. Commander Steele of this requirement to make things easier for you," Sgt Jiessen promised.
"Thank you! That will definitely make us feel better here. Sabrens are still an unknown for us and we try and do our best to take care of them but it doesn't help that we're pretty much in the dark and can only fall back on what we know about kittens in general," she said plaintively.
"I understand and we'll see what we can do about that problem."
She gave him a grateful smile. "Let me just go get Jeremy for you," she said quietly turning to enter the playroom, ensuring her face was clear of all distress so as not to upset the kitten further.
Moments later, a very much subdued kitten was carried out by the monitor. This was a big difference from the laughing and happy kitten Razor normally picked up and it worried him.
He gently took the kitten into his arms and cuddled him closely, murmuring soft words of comfort, Jeremy clung to him but didn't relax. The Sabren carefully tapped Razor on the shoulder to get his attention. He looked up in mild surprise, a question on his face.
Nodding reassurance, Sgt Jiessen brought his face to Jeremy's level and made a strange sound in his throat. The kitten instantly brought his head up and stared at the other adult, his face wary but hopeful.
"Hello, Jeremy. My name is Ben and I'm here to make you feel a little better until your mommy and daddy can be with you again. I know something bad happened and you feel sad but I can take that sad feeling away. Will you let me hold you?" He asked gently.
Jeremy stared for a long moment then tentatively reached out to the other Sabren. Razor carefully let him go until the kitten was firmly being cuddled by the other male. Sgt Jiessen brought his fingers up and caressed the kitten's face while sending a tendril of energy that was colored blue through his fingers into Jeremy.
The blue energy spread out until the kitten was enveloped in it and Razor could see the kitten's face relax then the familiar smile spread across his face then the glow was gone but Jeremy was once again a cheerful kitten.
"There now, my sweet! Are we feeling better?"
"Yeth!" Jeremy chirped, smiling radiantly at the Sabren holding him..
"That's wonderful news, then I'll say goodbye and give you back to Razor," Jiessen said with a pleased smile.
Jeremy continued to grin happily as he turned to Razor and held out his arms. The smaller SWAT Kat was floored as he took the now contented kitten back into his arms.
"That's amazing!" He managed to say as he cuddled Jeremy close and took the backpack from the equally stunned monitor who had been watching.
Jiessen only smiled. "Yes, I guess it would seem that way to you. I'm just glad we possess this ability or we'd be nervous wrecks. Poor little fellow had no idea why he was so sad and couldn't rid himself of the unwanted emotions that were really his parents. He should be fine now Razor. I can tell he cares for you very much and that will help him manage the next few days of being away from his parents."
"Thanks again! We both appreciate it," Razor said with heartfelt appreciation.
"You're welcome. Have a good evening! Bye Jeremy," he said, giving the kitten a wave.
Jeremy waved madly back until the tom vanished through the door.
"Well sport, let's go to my home and get something to eat, okay?" Razor said, bouncing the now happy kitten on his hip.
"Yeth! Go Zoom!" Jeremy giggled. Jake smiled happily back as he walked out of the day care center.
When most of the pain and feeling sick finally ebbed a few days after his operation, Feral became aware of his surroundings again. He was puzzled at how he'd gotten here since the last thing he could remember was being at the scene for a robbery/hostage situation, being horribly sick to his stomach, then nothing.
A soft sound drew his attention down to his side. There T-Bone was sleeping sounding, his head resting on his arms. Reaching out a paw, he gently caressed T-Bone's cheek.
'What had happened to me?' He frowned, wanting answers but not desiring it enough to wake his obviously tired mate.
The door to the room opened and in walked Dr. Ainsly. He noted the tired SWAT Kat and shook his head then saw his patient was awake. He walked over to the bed.
In a quiet voice he asked, "how are you feeling Commander?"
"Sore and confused...what happened to me?"
An unhappy and sad look crossed the doctor's face. "I'm truly sorry, Commander but you miscarried and nearly died. It's a testament to your strong power levels that you didn't because most Sabrens could not have survived losing that much blood," he said gently.
Feral stared at him frozen. He hadn't heard the rest of what the doctor had said as his brain had stopped at the word 'miscarried'. Something within him clamped down...something that didn't want to accept what he'd heard. Even if he hadn't liked being pregnant, he loved being a mother and the loss of just one was an agony he didn't want to face yet.
He swallowed hard and kept his face calm. "Do you know why I ...lost it...?" He managed to ask, only stumbling slightly.
"No, I'm sorry. It's just one of those things that happens without a reason. Nothing you did caused it either so don't go there. You need to deal with the loss and not tuck it away...it's not healthy. Speak with Dr. Hartstone as soon as possible...both of you," Ainsly said firmly, glancing down at the SWAT Kat. "He's going to be hurting just as much as you are, don't shut him out. Now I want you to get some rest. You'll be here for at least another 24 hours because you need energy boosts for a bit longer...your's took a beating trying to keep you alive."
"Thank you! I'll get with Hartstone as soon as I can," Feral promised quietly.
Ainsly gave him a hard look, not believing him for a minute but let it slide. He knew just how stubborn his patient could be. Nodding, he turned and left the two alone once more.
When T-Bone woke up, he was relieved Ulysses was awake and doing alright. He was also grateful that Dr. Ainsly had already spoken of the loss. He hadn't known how he was going to tell his mate such devastating news in the first place. However, he too, had no desire to talk about it either.
Twenty-four hours later, T-Bone was relieved and happy to be taking his mate home at last as he helped Feral into the hummer, the cyclotron being too difficult for him at this moment. The tabby took the drive home easy so as not to jostle his mate too much. Ulysses wouldn't admit it, but he was still sore and every bounce made him grimace though he made no sound.
When they reached home, he helped Ulysses get inside and lay down on the couch with his feet up. To be released from the hospital so early (Ainsly had wanted to keep him because his energy levels still weren't normal), he had to agree to stay off his feet for a few more days but could go back to work on Monday. He was forced to agree to the stricture or not be released from the hospital for the rest of the week. Dr. Ainsly was not above using blackmail with patients like Feral.
As soon as he was settled, Chance called Jake to bring Jeremy home. Jake was relieved to receive the call. Jeremy hadn't pined, exactly, but it was obvious he missed his parents terribly as time went on.
"Jeremy!" He called out as soon as he hung up the phone.
"Yeth, Uncle Razor?" The kitten asked, walking into the living room.
"Hey, sport! Guess what? Your mommy and daddy are home and want me to bring you to them!"
"Yeah!" Jeremy yelled, jumping and down.
"Go get your jacket and we'll get going!"
Without a word, Jeremy tore off for his temporary bedroom and grabbed his jacket and ran back to let Jake help him with it...he was far too excited to do it himself.
Smiling warmly at the kitten's excitement, Jake helped him put his jacket on, slipped his own tennis shoes on, grabbed the kitten's backpack from the coffee table then picked up Jeremy. They walked out into the garage and Jeremy was placed on the bike.
Only five minutes later, they were zooming down the road to Jeremy's home just halfway around the bay from Jake's home.
He roared up their hidden driveway, the garage door rolling open upon his approach. He parked his bike next to Chance's. Through the door came the tabby walking up to them. Jake climbed off and allowed Chance to remove Jeremy from the car seat himself. Jake set his helmet on the seat and took Jeremy's from the tabby's paw to put it away then grabbed the backpack.
Chance already had his son gathered tightly in his arms and laying butterfly kisses all over his son's giggling face. When the greeting was over, he hurried to the house, Jake following...quite forgotten...in his wake.
Chance strode straight through to the living room where Feral was laying, his arms extended to take his son. The tabby lowered the excited kitten into his mother's arms.
"Mommy!" Jeremy cried, clinging to his mother's neck and nuzzling him.
"Jeremy, love. Mommy missed you!" Ulysses moaned as he hugged his son tightly and kissed him everywhere.
Tears were hovering in Chance's eyes as he watched the two. He reached out a paw and caressed his son's head.
Jake remained near the entryway, allowing the family privacy as they greeted each other. After a long while, the three relaxed finally. Chance took a seat in his recliner and listened as Jeremy told them about his time with Jake then mentioned the other Sabren that had helped him feel better.
Frowning at that piece of information, Chance looked over at his friend, who only then walked toward them and took a wing chair and sat down.
"His name was Sgt Jiessen and he was waiting at the day care for me. He just held Jeremy and poured blue energy into him. Jeremy went from very sad to looking like his happy self again. Believe I was really worried when I saw the little guy looking so unhappy so was glad he did what he did," Jeremy explained.
Chance's face relaxed with relief. Feral eyed Jake a moment longer and sighed, settling Jeremy into the crook of his arm.
"How did he know?" Chance asked curiously.
"Any Sabren within about a twenty-five foot radius would have sensed our distress and the cause. The ones at the scene would have contacted the one's at Enforcer Headquarters to warn them I was in trouble. They automatically thought of Jeremy and provided him the help he needed to get over the sadness he acquired from us by way of our parental bond with him," Feral explained before Jake could respond.
His mate gaped at him in surprise. "Well, that is certainly a handy ability," the tabby finally managed to say, relaxing back in his seat.
Feral smiled and nodded. "Indeed it is. I only learned about the ability when I joined the Enforcers. Older Sabrens filled me in some of the gaps in my education. You filled in the rest with what you learned, Chance."
"Well, I'm certainly glad of that."
"It certainly made things much easier for me caring for the little guy," Jake said.
"And I want to thank you for taking on the task. Sorry we hadn't even asked you and I feel awful for forgetting our son," Chance said, chastened.
"Don't beat yourself up, buddy! You and Ulysses have suffered a major loss and just weren't thinking at that moment. That's why the rest of us took care of it for you. Think nothing more about it," Jake said, smiling reassuringly.
"Still, thanks Jake for coming through for us and taking care of our most precious thing," Ulysses said sincerely.
Jake just blushed and nodded at Feral. It felt strange to be thanked by the gruff Commander and it felt good as well. "Okay, I better be getting home and let you guys get settled. When are you allowed to go back to work, Ulysses?"
"On Monday, provided I stay off my feet the rest of the week," the huge tom said, grimacing about that stricture.
"Then make sure you do it!" Jake warned, then smiled and left them.
His bike could be heard roaring away some minutes later. Feral sighed and nuzzled Jeremy...it was good to be home and safe again.