While Feral's one night stand was having an epiphany, he was getting hardily bored and angry at being confined to his bed.
Over the first week of his confinement, one of the SWAT Kats was at his side 24/7 and it was getting on his nerves. Yes, they were very efficient and did care for Elora, himself and his apartment with impeccable skills but having them around that much gave him no privacy.
By the end of that first week, he was so tense his stomach was giving him constant heartburn. Today, Razor was on duty and had brought him lunch. He stared at it angrily, as if it were responsible for his situation.
Razor eyed him narrowly. He was tired and cranky, himself and having a prickly tom for a patient didn't make it easier to try and be civil to him.
"What's the matter, don't like your food?" He growled.
Feral sucked in a breath to blast Razor with a blistering response but managed to swallow it at the last second.
"No. It's fine," he said tightly but still didn't reach for the sandwich sitting before him.
Razor's face tightened in barely controlled anger. "Look, Feral! I know us being around so much is giving you hives but you don't have a choice. If you were honest with yourself, you could see how rested you are now compared to a week ago and Elora has definitely benefitted from it," he snapped irritably.
"The doctor said you could get up next week. If you can get around okay, take care of Elora without dropping from exhaustion then T-Bone and I will be glad to stop coming here. Believe me, this has been no picnic for us either. We are exhausted and you are a prickly pain in the tail to care for."
"Then stop coming! It was your choice to do this," Feral snarled.
Razor shook his head. "I'm not complaining. I'm just stating the facts. We don't regret helping you. Your daughter is a sweet kitten and she shouldn't suffer because you were unprepared to be a mother. We told you before that we think you are real gutsy to keep your kitten and try to be a good mother. We're only trying to help you get a good start at being just that. So for all our sakes, try and mellow out. It's only a few days more then we're out of your fur," he said in a more conciliatory tone.
Feral grit his teeth then forcibly relaxed his body, let out a deep sigh and stared up at the ceiling.
"I hate this!" He finally said, almost whining.
Razor swallowed a smile and said soothingly, "Yeah, I can relate. I'd be climbing the walls and biting my partner's head off as would he in the same position. It's the pits but you can manage."
Saying nothing more, he continued on to the kitchen to clean up. Feral watched him leave then returned his attention to his lunch. He hated to admit the smaller SWAT Kat was right. He felt a little ashamed at his churlish behavior when Razor was doing everything he could to make him comfortable. He wasn't really hungry but knew he needed the calories for Elora. Finished, he placed the tray on the floor.
He grimaced as he tried to shift his position for the nth time. His mind wasn't the only thing tired of sitting in one place, his tail bone was strongly objecting to it as well. He gave up trying to watch TV and shifted himself down into his bed more so he could take a nap.
After a trying weekend, on early Tuesday the SWAT Kats were caught just as they were changing sitting duties by Dr. Viper's appearance. Exhausted, the pair made a few mistakes that could have been deadly if it hadn't been for the enforcers actually coming through for once and distracting the mutant enough for the vigilantes to take him out quickly before too much damage could be done.
Returning to their hangar, T-Bone nearly fell on his face as he jumped down from the jet. It was his turn to go take care of Feral and he was barely able to stand up.
"Crud! I am so wiped," he groaned as he tried to decide if he should take the time to shower before leaving.
Razor looked over at his partner through heavy lidded eyes. "Yeah, I know. I can barely see much less try to work in the garage," he said thickly, stifling a yawn as he changed clothes. He had been up more than twelve hours and was dying to drop into his bed for some shuteye.
Mumbling incoherently in response, T-Bone finally decided a quick shower might help him wake up but when he noted what time it was, he cursed.
"Ah damn, Elora is probably driving Feral to distraction with her hungry cries. It's past breakfast time for her," he said anxiously, realizing he had no time to take care of his needs as he stomped off to his cyclotron.
Jake watched his friend hop aboard the bike. He shook his head tirededly as he watched T-Bone start the engine then roar out of the hangar as if his tail was on fire. He hoped his friend didn't wipe out as tired as the poor tabby was. Despite, T-Bone having slept last night, it hadn't been long enough to make up for the long periods of awake time, consequently, neither of them had any reserves when an emergency called them out. They had just been lucky the omegas had been silent up til now.
He yawned and stretched. Deciding not to open the garage despite them needing the money, he made his way upstairs and to his room to catch up on his sleep.
T-Bone used the adrenaline racing through him to help him stay alert enough to get to Feral's place in one piece. It was because he hated causing Elora any distress that he was upset and tense at this moment. Viper's appearance couldn't have come at a more difficult time but he really shouldn't complain since the omegas had stayed away for quite awhile.
He managed to get to the apartment building alley without incident. He was going to repel up to the roof as was his usual method of entry but he realized he was so tired his muscles were shaking. Frowning, he decided a different route was necessary. Taking due care, he went in the back entrance of the building. No one was around at this time of day as he quickly went up the stairs. The elevator would have saved his tired legs but he couldn't risk it so when he finally reached Feral's apartment, he was nearly falling down in exhaustion.
Despite being tired, he picked up his pace when he could hear the muffled cries of Elora through the apartment door. Upon entering, T-Bone was slapped by the piercing wails coming from the bedroom.
Stepping into the room he found Feral on his feet, using a pair of crutches to reach his daughter. He had managed to get a diaper and make his way to Elora's crib to change her but couldn't find a way to lift her. He had been purring and cooing to her as well as caressing and petting her small body, trying to calm her but the longer she was forced to wait for food the angrier she became and the louder her cries.
T-Bone quickly sprinted around the bed and came to Feral's side. He leaned over and picked Elora's red faced little form from the crib.
"Go lay down!" He breathlessly ordered the mother.
Feral growled but hurriedly got himself around the bed as best he could. He dropped to a sitting position and leaned the crutches against the wall before turning and placing his foot on the pile of pillows then settling his back against the headboard.
He opened his clothing and unsnapped his bra before reaching for Elora. T-Bone leaned down and lowered the angrily crying kitten into her mother's waiting arms.
Cradling his daughter in one arm, Feral used his other paw to raise his breast while he maneuvered the kitten's wailing mouth closer to him. Taking careful aim, he gently squeezed his achingly full breast until a thin stream of milk shot out and spilled into Elora's gaping mouth.
At first, the kitten choked and blinked in surprise when the milk touched her tongue but it didn't take her more than a second to make urgent mewling noises which was Feral's signal to press her close enough that she could latch on to his breast. He hissed in discomfort as Elora clamped down and sucked...hard.
While his daughter sucked anxiously, Feral looked up at the SWAT Kat to ask him about what happened with Viper earlier but halted at the sight of said tom literally swaying on his feet, head to chest and breathing slowly.
Blinking in surprised concern, Feral nudged the tom with his elbow but only received a snore in response. His eyebrows raised in consternation...T-Bone was asleep on his feet.
'Well, Kat's Alive! Now that's something I've never seen before. How the hell is he managing to stand there without falling?' Feral wondered, continuing to stare at the exhausted tom.
Concerned the heavy tom might fall on him, Feral nudged T-Bone harder with his elbow as well calling to him just loud enough to rouse the SWAT Kat, but, hopefully without startling Elora.
His efforts got him mixed results and not in a good way. At his nudge and barked call, the tabby startled awake with a snort while Elora jerked in surprise at the sudden loud noise. She pulled away from the nipple and began wailing in fear.
Growling in annoyance, Feral went about soothing his daughter yet again, taking more than five minutes of purring and cajoling before she settled, returning to nursing. When he could turn his attention back to T-Bone, he found the tom now laying prone on the floor beside the bed, completely inert. He sighed in disgust.
'Now what do I do?' He thought. He was hungry, having had no breakfast yet, he needed to go to the bathroom and, on top of that, Elora needed to back to bed. Though he could use the crutches to take care of his personal needs, he still couldn't get his daughter back to bed.
He groaned in frustration. 'Could this day get any more chaotic?'
Just an hour earlier, he had been watching TV and had seen the incident with Viper. He stayed tense during the whole episode and was very relieved when the whole thing ended without too much damage. As the news went on to other matters, it was then Feral realized the SWAT Kat nanny was going to be late.
He snapped a look over at Elora's crib nervously then at the clock beside him and swallowed...it was almost time for his daughter to awaken for lunch. As if he had signaled it with his own thoughts, right on cue, Elora began to fuss in her crib.
Groaning, Feral flipped the blankets off himself and laboriously got up on his crutches and carefully made his way to the dresser for a diaper then over to Elora, who was now getting a bit` louder in her complaints. He was pleased that he'd managed to get her changed but now he was faced with a dilemna...how was he supposed to pick her up and feed her?
Her cries had gotten progressively louder as he was changing her and now were getting positively strident. He was at his wits end trying to come up with a solution when T-Bone came tearing in.
Though relieved the SWAT Kat had managed to get there as fast as he could, it was obvious to him that the SWAT Kats were at the end of their stamina. He had been concerned from the beginning how they would be able to juggle all their responsibilities while taking care of him and his daughter.
It worried him that the pair could get themselves injured or dead by pushing themselves this much. Though he thought them a real nuisance, he didn't want to be the one responsible for getting them killed. Unfortunately, at this moment there was nothing he could do about it.
His present caretaker was dead to the world on the floor and he suspected the other one was in the same shape at their secret hangar. He resigned himself to getting his own breakfast and getting to the bathroom. 'It's going to be a long day,' he sighed to himself.
It took over fifteen minutes before Elora was sated and asleep. He gently burped her then laid her on her back between two pillows. Now that she was taken care of, he reached for his crutches and levered himself to his feet while trying to avoid stepping on the insenate SWAT Kat.
After washing his face and using the toilet, he felt a little more refreshed as he worked his way to the kitchen. Leaning against the counters, he was able to make himself some cereal, toast, and coffee. He sat down at the table and hungrily chowed down. Finished, he left his dishes where they were and headed back to his bedroom. Careful to not wake Elora, he got back into bed and settled down to take a nap. Getting around on crutches was exhausting.
T-Bone had never been soo tired before. As he watched Feral soothe Elora enough to coax her to eat and stop screaming, he felt his heavy eyelids fall shut without his say so then everything went away. The next thing he knew he was waking up on a soft floor and staring at the edge of a bed spread before his face.
He blinked in confusion before his groggy brain was able to realize he was staring at Feral's bed and that he was on the floor. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he dragged himself to his feet. On the bed Feral was dozing with Elora cradled between pillows nearby.
T-Bone groaned mentally as he checked the time. 'Shit! It's dinner time and poor Feral never got lunch. He's going to be extremely hungry,' he thought as he turned and padded quietly out of the room for the kitchen. It was then he saw the dishes on the table.
'Well, it looks like he got breakfast at least but no sign he woke for lunch,' he mused.
Yawning widely, he shook himself out and began puttering around the kitchen. Half an hour later, he had put together a substantial meal for both Feral and himself. He had just gotten it done and was carrying it to the bedroom when he heard Elora wake.
Feral looked up when T-Bone swept in with a loaded tray, the scent of something mouth watering drifting to his hungry nose. The burly tom set the tray down on the bed then took Elora into his arms and took her to the changing table.
Feral didn't object. He needed to go pee badly so carefully got up without disturbing the tray to get on his crutches and hobble quickly to the bathroom.
While he was gone, T-Bone got Elora cleaned up then retrieved a breast pad for Feral. He rocked and cooed to her while they waited for Feral to return. It took the dark tom a bit to get done then to hobble back to bed and settle himself again.
Once Elora was nursing, T-Bone settled the tray before the tom, took his own dish and drink then went to sit in the arm chair Feral had in his room and sank gratefully down on it while beginning to eat his own meal.
They ate in silence while easing their hunger pains. Feral's stomach had been growling angrily when Elora had awakened him with her own hungry cries.
When his stomach was quieter, Feral turned his attention to the SWAT Kat. "Thank you. Though late, it was a great dinner. You should never have let yourself get to that point of exhaustion...it's dangerous," he observed.
T-Bone grunted. "Yeah, we know. We were managing to keep up until Viper dropped in. That pushed us past the reserves we had worked hard to maintain. Sorry about crashing like I did," he apologized.
Feral just shook his head. "I don't want to be the cause of you two getting killed because you are just too tired to protect yourselves from an exhaustion induced mistake." He said in concern.
"Sounds weird to hear you actually say you're worried about us." T-Bone said cheekily then sighed and took a more serious tone before Feral could retort. "Appreciate the concern but we'll manage somehow. I know that Razor is trying to make up for lost sleep right this minute and I plan on crashing again after you and Elora are finished eating. I'll take care of the dishes tomorrow or Razor will," T-Bone assured him.
"I'm just surprised you two hadn't collapsed before now," Feral snorted, giving up trying to convince the tom he needed more rest.
"Yeah, me too, actually." T-Bone said, shrugging his shoulders as he continued to eat his dinner.
Feral blinked in surprise by that honest reply and couldn't think of a suitable rebuttal so decided not to say anything more on the subject. They would do what they thought best no matter what his objections or concerns were. 'Both of them were stubborn but then so am I,' he mused.