"No matter what you decide, sir, you'll have to notify the Mayor's office about being pulled from duty." Sgt Fallon said unhappily.
Feral sighed. "Yes I know. I would suggest you contact Ms. Briggs and let her handle the Mayor."
Fallon sighed as well. The Commander was right, Ms. Briggs was a far better choice since the Mayor would just blow a gasket. He turned and left the room and moved away from it to make the call.
"Deputy Mayor's Office." A bright, cheerful voice said.
"This is Sgt Fallon for Commander Feral. It's urgent that I speak to Ms. Briggs immediately." He said.
"Oh, uh...certainly, Sgt Fallon, one moment please." The secretary said, her voice a bit surprised.
He only had to wait a few minutes before a familiar voice came on the line.
"Ms. Briggs, Sgt Fallon, Commander Feral's assistant. Ma'am I need you to come to Megakat Hospital, fourth floor, room 422. It's urgent and concerns the Commander." He said without revealing too much on the phone.
"Why are we being so circumspect, Sergeant?" Briggs asked, confused.
"Please, ma'am. Everything will be explained when you arrive. I'm sorry I can't be anymore specific but it is very urgent." Fallon repeated, really hoping she wouldn't press him for details.
He heard Ms. Briggs sigh. "Very well, Sergeant. I'll be right there." She finally said then hung up.
He sighed in relief, put his phone away and returned to the Commander's room. Feral had fallen asleep while he'd been gone and he decided to leave him be. The tom was exhausted and needed his rest.
Some twenty minutes later there came a soft knock on the door then Ms. Briggs poked her head in, saw the Sergeant and stepped quietly into the room. Her high heels made a soft tap tap on the linoleum floor as she approached him.
Her face frowned in concern when she saw the Commander in the bed looking pale and hooked up to an IV. She turned to look at Fallon questioningly.
"Thank you for getting here so quickly, Ms. Briggs." Fallon said quietly then gently shook Feral's shoulder. The tom moaned and sighed but didn't waken at first. Fallon carefully shook his superior just a little harder. Feral's eyes opened with difficulty and it was obvious he was having trouble focusing at first.
"Wha..." He grumbled thickly.
"I'm sorry sir, but Ms. Briggs is here to see you." Fallon murmured, wishing he hadn't had to wake the weary tom.
Feral frowned in confusion for a moment longer before his tired mind caught up to what his Sergeant was trying to tell him.
Concerned, Callie moved closer to the bed so Feral could actually see her.
"Commander? What happened to you?"
He let out a long exhalation before saying, "Something really stupid. Remember the business trip I made to the Kaimere Province some months ago?"
Callie blinked in surprise at the question. "Uh, yes I do. The Mayor was a bit put out about it."
"Now I wish I hadn't made the trip at all. As most of us do when we're away from home, I spent a pleasant night with a nameless tom. A mistake was made during that encounter that I nearly paid for with my life." He muttered then licked his lips.
Fallon quickly turned to get the glass of water and offered it to Feral. His superior sucked down the cool water and gave his assistant a grateful nod when he was done.
Callie had waited until Feral had been taken care of before asking, "What mistake did you make that landed you here?"
"I got pregnant...stupidly tried to ignore it...gave birth this morning and nearly bled to death. My kitten is in the neonatal ward as we speak." He said heavily, closing his eyes. The conversation was wearing him out.
Callie stood there in utter shock, her mouth gaped open. Shaking herself and shutting her mouth, she turned to the Sergeant in disbelief.
"He called me early this morning, urging me to get to his apartment asap. I raced there and found him bleeding profusely. I did what I could and called for help. He spent over an hour or more in surgery to repair a rip he suffered during the birthing process." Fallon confirmed for her.
"Oh my God!" Callie gasped turning back to Feral in anguished sympathy. She said nothing more as she assimilated this stunning news. It was a shock to learn the Chief Enforcer was an hermaphrodite much less that he was a rare breeding one. Now the poor tom had given birth with no one at hand to help him. Even more daunting was the fact he was faced with taking care of a newborn kitten when he held one of the most dangerous jobs in the city. She shook her head, this was going to cause an uproar.
"I don't want this to get to the press, Ms. Briggs." Feral rallied enough to say.
"Oh, Commander. I don't know how you're going to keep it out of the public eye for very long. A kitten isn't something you can hide easily." Callie said plainly.
Feral moaned as he shifted uncomfortably, involuntarily causing pain from his midsection. Catching his breath, he willingly pressed the button for some pain meds. He waited for some of it to kick in before speaking again.
"I know Ms. Briggs, but as you can see I'm not fit enough to handle all that stress right now. I haven't even figured out what to do about my daughter. I haven't prepared for her arrival at all and now that she's here..." He led his sentence drift off unable to say more.
Callie sighed, raised a paw and rested it comfortingly on the exhausted tom's shoulder. "Rest, Ulysses. We'll come up with something, I promise. Are you keeping your daughter?" She asked softly, using his first name to show how much she cared.
Feral could only nod.
"Alright. Then rest and heal up. Giving birth I'm told is extremely draining. Even after being released from the hospital, you're going to find it very hard to do much more than sleep and take care of your daughter. You just won't have the strength for more than that. I'll tell the Mayor the truth and keep the press at bay."
"Thank you, Callie." Feral whispered, grateful for her understanding and willingness to aid him.
She gave his shoulder another pat before turning to leave, she signaled with her eyes that she wished to speak with Sgt Fallon then went out the door.
"I'll leave orders that no one is to say why you're here, sir. Don't worry. I'll also have a guard placed on the door because we don't want an enemy of yours to take it into their head to take you out while you're helpless, I'll also brief Lt. Commander Steele." Sgt Fallon said seriously. "I'll go to your apartment and clean up like I promised and be back later tonight to see if you need anything. Right now get some sleep. You really need it."
"Don't tell Steele the truth, just say I'm ill and thanks for all your help." Feral said thickly then closed his eyes.
Fallon nodded at the order then left him in peace and went out to see what Ms. Briggs wanted. She was standing near the waiting room for him. They stepped into the room, which was empty at the moment.
"What do you plan to do Sergeant?" She asked bluntly.
"I'm going to have a guard put on his door to protect him from possible enemies, notify Lt. Commander Steele that he's in charge. Commander Feral wanted me to tell Steele that he's ill not that he's given birth. He really doesn't trust his second all that well, then I'll tell the medical staff not to release the reason he's here, and, finally, go to his apartment and clean it up. I promised him I'd return here later tonight to see if he needs anything." He briefed her.
She nodded. "Good, thank you for taking care of that and I don't blame Feral about Steele. I don't like his second much either. I'll back up your stricture to the staff with the authority of the Mayor's office. That should hold off a leak for a little while but you and I both know it will slip out eventually." She said solemnly.
"Yes ma'am, I do. All we can do is keep a lid on it for as long as we can for his sake." He agreed.
Callie stared down the hall at Feral's door. "I can't believe this situation. It feels like a damn soap opera except its real life. Shows just how fallible we in positions of power really are when something like this happens. Poor Feral." She sighed. "Well, I'd better get back and inform the Mayor...that should be fun." She grimaced unhappily.
"I certainly don't envy you that chore, Ms. Briggs. Thank you for your understanding. Shall we speak to the staff together?" He asked.
"Might as well." She said with a sigh and led the way to the nurse's station.
An hour later, Callie returned to her office, put her purse away and prepared to speak to the Mayor. She stepped into his office through their mutual pass through door. The Mayor was putting on his carpet that resembled a golf green. He'd just made a hole in one in a water glass as she walked in, pausing long enough to close her door behind her.
"Mayor Manx, I need to speak with you about something serious that just came up." She began.
Manx looked up at her as he picked up his golf ball. "Aaah...it too fine a day for serious things, Callaaae." He said, really not wanting to know what was wrong.
"Well I'm sorry Mayor but it has to do with our Chief Enforcer." Callie said flatly.
"Feral? What's going on with him?" Manx asked in annoyance.
"He just gave birth and nearly died doing it." Callie said being deliberately blunt to shock the insensitive tom.
Manx's mouth gaped open then snapped shut, his face going red with anger. "If you think you're being funny Callaae, you're sadly mistaaken!" He snapped.
Giving the Mayor a flat, cold stare, Callie said, "I'm not being funny. I was called an hour ago to go to the hospital by Commander Feral's assistant, Sgt Fallon. The Commander looked like death warmed over. He'd made a mistake while on that business trip he took a few months ago and managed to become pregnant. He tried to ignore it which was really stupid and gave birth with no assistance nor prenatal care and nearly bled to death after giving birth early this morning. If he hadn't called Sgt Fallon, he would have died as well as his kitten. He had to have surgery to save his life and is now hospitalized for about a week and a couple of more at home to recover from this."
Manx's mouth hung open in disbelief. He finally shook his head and eyed her warily. "That would mean our Chief Enforcer is an hermaphrodite...right?"
"Yes!"
Manx just shook his head some more and went to sit down behind his desk. "Alright, what does this mean to this office?" He asked, not happy about the situation at all.
Callie sighed. "Well, it means we are without a Chief Enforcer for about a month. Feral has requested what's happened to him not be released for as long as possible. He wants to get back on his feet before being hounded by the press. I ordered the staff caring for Feral to keep a media blackout on him. Feral's second will have to be in charge for now and when the Commander is on his feet then we can discuss how to deal with him being a mother and Chief Enforcer."
Manx grimaced. "That sounds so strange when you say it aloud. Well, you've done what's needed for now. I have no objection to keeping this quiet. It would cause a significant uproar if it was known so hiding it is a good idea." He said in resignation.
"Thank you, Mayor. This is a rather unusual problem." She sighed.
"I can't believe Feral did something that stupid!" Manx said huffily, sitting back in his seat.
"People do all kinds of stupid things when they are lonely and away from home, Mayor. Feral is no different. I think everyone has forgotten that he's just a Kat like everyone else...just as prone to making a bad decision as any other. It's just more visible when its someone in a position of importance." Callie said sadly.
Manx sighed in agreement then asked curiously, "By the way, Callaae, what sex was the kitten?"
Callie grinned, "It's a she-kat."
Manx's eyes widened then began laughing. "Can you imagine that gruff, hot-tempered tom trying to raise a daughter?"
She saw his point and laughed as well, glad for the lighter moment in an otherwise sad incident.