He felt pain like a vise around his midsection. It would tighten then relax every few minutes and the pain was getting worse. He tried to keep his teeth clenched together and not make any noise but a particularly sharp pain squeezed a low sound from him.
Startled and worried since a few of the creepy mutants were very close to their hideaway, T-Bone didn't hesitate to turn and clasp a paw over Feral's mouth and wrap his other arm around the Commander's waist. He managed to cut off another involuntary cry from Feral by his maneuver but was shocked when his lower paw clasped a hard rounded surface which tightened in time with Feral's cries. He quickly dragged the Commander further back into the lava tube so he wouldn't be heard.
T-Bone's mind couldn't seem to wrap around the thought of what that hard roundness could be. Feral writhed now in active pain. Razor left his post to come along side Feral and looked at his pained expression in confusion. Moving very close he whispered.
"What the heck is wrong with him?" He hissed.
T-Bone whispered back, "Feel his belly, Razor. What do you think this is?"
Frowning, Razor reached out a paw and touched Feral's belly and nearly jerked it away when he felt the smooth, hard roundness. He held his paw there for a minute and felt a tightness occur in time with Feral's muffled cry then the tightness eased off again. He looked up into his partner's eyes in horror.
"My god, T-Bone. Feral's pregnant and he's in labor." Razor hissed. T-Bone eyes widened in shocked dismay. He couldn't think of a worst time and place for a kitten to be born let alone that it was Feral who was giving birth.
Feral began to choke and turn blue. "T-Bone! Ease up! He can't breathe." Razor hissed again sharply at his partner.
Startled T-Bone quickly let go of Feral's mouth but kept his arm around the big tom's waist to support him.
"What do we do now?" T-Bone whispered desperately.
"Only thing we can do...help him the best we can and hope no one hears him and that nothing goes wrong." Razor whispered grimly.
While T-Bone used a clean handkerchief from his pocket to make a wedge of material for Feral to bite down on and muffle his cries, Razor used a pocket knife to tear a hole in the crotch of Feral's pants and underwear. Shielding his small flashlight he looked to see how far along Feral was. They had been taught basic maternity care in enforcer academy though that had been a long time ago. From what Razor could determine, Feral was getting close. Both of them worked Feral's uniform coat off to place under his hips.
T-Bone had remained at Feral's back and held him in his arms. Feral's eyes were closed but just for a moment they opened and the tiger tom could see terror in the golden eyes.
"It's alright, we'll help you as much as we can. Just pant through the contractions it will help ease some of the pain. Here put this in your mouth." He said softly offering the handkerchief for Feral to use. Feral clutched it in his paw for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "Whose the father?" T-Bone asked curiously.
Feral looked blindly at him and hissed, "He's a rapist!" Then shoved the handkerchief into his mouth as a contraction caused him to writhe in pain once more.
Razor and T-Bone gaped at Feral in shock. Not only was he pregnant and delivering in the midst of incredible danger but he'd gotten that way by being raped.
Razor looked at his partner meaningfully, now some of Feral's past behavior was becoming clear. He'd obviously not dealt with the rape nor the pregnancy and it showed in his violent and aggressive temper of late. T-Bone read his partner's meaning and grit his teeth in angry sorrow for Feral.
Feral's pain became even more intense and it took all of T-Bone's strength to hold the big tom through each contraction. Razor went to the entrance to check on their enemies. He watched as Viper started some kind of machine. It made a loud roaring sound. The timing was good since Feral could no longer hold back his screams.
Razor went to kneel between the Commander's spread legs. Feral was pushing now. His grunts and cries intensified until, with a final push, the kitten slid free. Feral collapsed against T-Bone while Razor tended to the newborn.
The kitten wasn't breathing. It looked perfectly formed but far too small. Tipping it upside down a moment, Razor allowed fluids to drain out. This still didn't elicit a cry or any kind of response from the tiny body. Desperate, Razor raised the kitten and twirled it carefully to get circulation going then brought its mouth to his and breathed into its lungs gently. He repeated these actions two more times with no result. He finally stopped and stared down at the lifeless creature in his paws in anguish. It was stillborn. He looked into his partner's face, T-Bone stared back mirroring the sorrow they both felt.
Feral finally asked, "Why is there no cry?" His eyes were still closed. He was too exhausted to move.
"I'm sorry Commander, the kitten...it's stillborn!" Razor said his voice thick with emotion.
Feral's eyes flew open. He searched wildly then saw the limp thing in Razor's paws.
"I can't remember how many times I wanted it dead but now..." He choked and turned away. Grief stricken sobs broke from him. T-Bone found himself cradling the bereft tomkat against his chest and trying to offer what comfort he could.
Swallowing hard in the face of Feral's grief and pain, Razor turned away and gently wrapped the kitten in Feral's coat laying it against the wall before going back to the entrance to see what Viper was doing.
The evil creature seemed to be preparing to leave. They needed to attack now if they were to win the day. He moved back to T-Bone and Feral's side.
Feral had collapsed in exhausted slumber. T-Bone had pulled the tom's pants back up and was now carefully laying him down on the hard floor of the tube. He looked up as Razor approached.
"It's just as well he's out, we gotta get a move on if we're to prevent Viper from leaving," Razor hissed to him, his partner nodded his understanding.
Minutes later they were in the thick of things, battling Viper and his creatures. Razor set the device, blowing up the machine just before the enforcers finally found a way through to them and with their help Viper was finally defeated.
Felina Feral came up to them as her troops were cleaning up the area. "Where's my uncle?" Angry concern on her face.
Razor and T-Bone looked at each other a moment then Razor said, "Follow us Lieutenant. No one else should know about this but you."
Her brows knitted in a puzzled frown but she followed them without asking anymore questions. They used their grappling hooks to get back up to the hole in the wall. T-Bone entered first followed by Felina then Razor.
Feral was still out cold where he'd been left. T-Bone dropped to a squat near the dark tom's head and gently caressed his forehead to gently wake him but the exhaused tom only moaned, eyes staying closed. Grimacing and hating to do this, T-Bone shook Feral gently by the shoulder as he relayed to Felina what had happened to her uncle.
Felina's eyes grew larger and more anguished as the story unfolded, tears filling her eyes when the tabby finished and she was shown the dead kitten by Razor.
"Oh, Uncle!" She moaned sorrowfully. "Why didn't you tell me." She turned anguished eyes on the SWAT Kats. "I knew something was very wrong but he wouldn't talk about it. I suspect his Sergeant knew what had happened but had been sworn to secrecy by my uncle."
"Yeah, well...he's not the type to bear his soul, Lieutenant and you and I both know he needs counseling. This kind of trauma isn't something you can just get over or sweep under the rug as he obviously tried to do. Makes his judgement very iffy," T-Bone said gravely.
"I agree and its going to be tough getting him to go too," she sighed. "We need to get him out of here." Felina accepted the dead kitten from Razor, wrapping it more tightly in her uncle's coat.
"I know someone in pathology who owes me a favor. I'll have him do an autopsy to determine cause of death," she murmured then looked up at both toms and gave them a steely look. "No word of this must get out to anyone, understood?"
"Understood. No one will hear it from us ever. It wouldn't help Feral if anyone was to find out about this and no matter what people think, we don't really hate him that much to harm his career. He's stubborn but a good enforcer," T-Bone said solemnly.
Felina blinked in astonishment at that incredible statement and from T-Bone no less. It was even more surprising to see the big tabby being so solicious of her gruff uncle as witnessed by his gentle caressing of her uncle's face, offering what comfort he could to the distressed tom.
Shaking her head of the strange image before her, she got back into business mode. Walking with the coat tightly clasped to her chest, she went to the end of the tube and called down for a stretcher and medical assistance.
Razor had followed her. He held the line as Felina made the rappel easily despite being burdoned by the dead kitten.
While his partner was busy, T-Bone continued his efforts to wake Feral and finally succeeded. The big tom moaned, opening red rimmed eyes and looking around, confused.
"I'm sorry. I know you're exhausted but we need to get you out of here and seen to. Can you stand?" T-Bone asked gently.
Feral blinked at him blearily for a moment then memory flooded his eyes. He looked around frantically.
"Felina has it, Commander. She knows. We had to tell her because she has to transport you and demanded to know what had happened."
Feral's face fell and a haunted look filled his eyes but he said not a word. His shoulders slumped and he looked so lost to T-Bone making him wince in sympathy.
Gently he coaxed the big kat to his feet and helped him to the entrance. He could see the enforcers had brought a stretcher and were waiting below. His partner stood by the entrance of the lava tube waiting for him.
"Double rappel, buddy," T-Bone said quietly, preparing Feral for the trip down. Razor nodded and added his ropes to his partners.
As gently as they could, they lowered him to the floor and into the waiting arms of the medical team. The exhausted and silent tom was lowered onto the stretcher. He was covered with a blanket and quickly carried off to a waiting chopper.