Feral had to remain in the hospital for seven days while he healed. His son would stay in had hospital for at least another three weeks or until he could breathe without a respirator and could maintain his body heat.
When the Commander was released, he found himself too tired and oddly depressed. Though he was ordered to rest and regain his strength, he found he couldn't just lay around. He did take naps often throughout the day but when he wasn't sleeping, he was restless, wandering the embassy endlessly, causing the embassy personal to be concerned.
His mate was concerned as well. Ulysses should be happy even if he was tired from giving birth but he was sour and irritable, quick to anger, restless, and too often miserable. The only high point for him was visiting their son in the hospital at least twice a day.
Tanlir called Dr. Freeborn to ask his advice shortly after Uly's most recent postpartum visit. As usual, his mate failed to tell the doctor about the emotional problems that were plaguing him.
"I'm very concerned about Ulysses, doctor. This behavior isn't like him."
"Hmm, it sounds like he suffering a case of postpartum depression. It strikes some new mothers for reasons unknown. A temporary course of anti-depressants usually help alleviate it. Some of his difficulty, I'm sure, is because his kitten is still in the hospital and not in his arms where his instincts insist Jory should be. It just exasperates the depression. Let me write a prescription and it will be up to you to make him take them. I've been told he's a very difficult patient to treat but does listen to you." Dr. Freeborn said in mild amusement.
Tanlir couldn't help but chuckle lightly at that comment. "Well, it's true he does listen to me, most times. Thank you for your help. I'll send a runner to pick up the prescription and have it filled."
"You're entirely welcome and I'll make sure to ask him about how he' feeling emotionally on his next visit. Unfortunately, that question is as bad as his reaction to a pelvic exam...hostile or uncooperative." The doctor snorted before saying goodbye and cutting the connection.
Tanlir sighed and closed his cell. Yes, Ulysses could be very difficult as a patient but it distressed the cheetah to see his mate so unhappy. He reached for his intercom and requested a runner.
As the doctor predicted, Feral was annoyed and unwilling to admit he had a problem and nearly refused to take the medication.
"My love, I know you think there's no real problem, but believe me...I can feel your distress through our bond. Please, for the sake of our son and your happiness take the medication. It will help you." Tanlir quietly urged him.
Feral sighed and capitulated. He could never win against Tanlir's sincere need to see him happy.
Two weeks after he began to take the medication, he did begin to feel much lighter and less down in the dumps. This was a good thing because their son took a turn for the worse and the medication helped him weather the crisis.
They'd been summoned to the hospital by the NICU sometime after seven in the evening, a week before he was to be released. Hearts pounding in fear, Tanlir and Ulysses were rushed to the hospital in the royal limo.
They rushed into the entrance of the hospital with several guards. The two caught an arriving elevator and two of the guards were able to jump aboard with them. When it reached the floor of the NICU, the pair hurried to the appropriate room on the nursery floor.
They had to pause long enough to put on paper gowns before entering the room. Going to their sons bed, they could see he was back on the respirator he'd just been weaned from, days ago.
Feral swallowed in anguish at this loss of ground by his son. IVs were running into his tiny arm and he seemed to moving rather weakly from when his mother had seen him that morning.
Dr. Renson was there checking Jory over, a look of concern on his face.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Feral blurted anxiously.
"Jory has contracted a bacterial infection and has a fever with some chest congestion. I've begun a strong antibiotic to kill it and supportive care to help him get through it while the medicine works." He said seriously.
Tears threatened to fall as Feral stared down at his very sick son. Tanlir wrapped an arm around his mate, just as worried and upset.
"He's a strong one. He should fight this off but we won't know for a few hours. You may stay and sit with him. It helps." Dr. Freeborn said kindly. He moved off to see other patients.
A nurse brought some chairs for the parents so they could sit down near the incubator then left them to their vigil. Over the next few hours, the nurses came and went as did Dr. Freeborn, changing Jory's diaper, meds, or checking his vitals.
For a torturous long time, it didn't seem as if Jory was getting better, but sometime near midnight, he began to rally. By dawn he was over the worst of it.
Before Jory had gotten sick, Feral had begun to bottle feed him. Jory wasn't able to suckle yet and only took some three ounces of breast milk every three or four hours. Now he was back on a feeding tube and all the progress he'd made was gone.
As the sun rose further in the sky, an exhausted Tanlir coaxed his mate to go home with him to rest now that Jory was out of danger. Feral was reluctant but finally bent to his mate's will, much too tired to argue. He stayed silent and tense the whole way home. When they were finally back in their quarters and alone, he released his frustration, fear, and anguish in a torrent of tears.
Tanlir pulled him to their living room couch and sat them down. He hugged and comforted his distraught mate, joining his tears of relief with his son's mother.
When the tears had all been spent, he gently tugged his mate to follow him to their bedroom. He helped strip Ulysses' clothes off as well as his own and pulled the tom to the warm pool that was their bathtub. They lay in the soothing water for more than an hour before climbing out and making for bed.
Tanlir spooned his mate from behind and nuzzled him tenderly. Slow, gentle caresses down his mate's chest and belly soothed his Ulysses into much needed sleep.
Jory was required to say in the hospital another seven days but finally he was ready to go home. He was still extremely tiny, so Feral decided to take his son out discretely by chopper rather than face the press that had a rumor the royal's newborn was being released today.
Felina volunteered to be their pilot. On a regular patrol, she casually went by the hospital early in the morning and picked up a happy mother and father and ferried them to the embassy where she quickly deposited them on their own chopper pad behind the mansion.
Wishing them a good day and giving her new cousin a gentle caress, Felina said farewell and soared back into the sky and continued her patrol.
The embassy was abuzz with the arrival of the new prince. A corridor of people met the royal couple as they entered through the back way into the mansion. Smiling faces and soft voices gave welcome to the newest member of the royal family.
Feral was grinning from ear to ear as he hugged his tiny son to his chest. Tanlir's face held the glow of a proud father. Everyone oohed and aahed at how tiny and how beautiful the kitten was as the couple passed by them on their way to their quarters.
Formal pictures were needed and a photographer was set up in the living area of the royals apartment waiting for their arrival.
As soon as they entered, the photographer had them dress in their more formal wear for the session. Feral sighed mentally at all the hoopla but knew this was necessary.
Loathe to let go of his son after being separated from him so long, his personal body servant, Marls, stood next to him and held Jory in his mother's view at all times while Feral got dressed.
Marls gently handed the tiny kitten to its mother then went to retrieve the clothing the tiny prince was to wear. He didn't dare offer to dress the princeling, just stood by while its mother undressed and dressed him. Soon ready for his first pictures, Jory was alert and staring at his mother as Feral took his place on a super plush love seat of gold velvet that would allow them to sit close to each other.
Holding Jory in a rich velvet blanket of deep royal blue, Feral had the blanket open so that the kitten's clothes and colors would be seen easily. Jory's bright golden eyes, the spiting image of his mother's, blinked in the bright light, looking a little owl eyed at all the commotion around him.
"Best hurry! He won't be awake much longer." Feral warned the photographer.
"Yes consort. I'm pleased that he is so alert and what a beautiful kitten he is." The photographer gushed as he positioned his camera and quickly took many pictures as fast as he could before the kitten started drooping and falling asleep.
Luckily, Jory stayed awake just long enough for a sufficient number of shots were made much to the photographer's relief. He quickly gathered his equipment with the help of his assistant and the Prince's servants and cleared out of their living quarters and left the new parents alone.
"Ahh, alone at last, my two loves." Tanlir cooed softly, looking adoringly at his son in his mate's arms.
"Yes, he did so well for his first time under so much scrutiny." Feral murmured proudly, holding Jory closer to his face so he could nuzzle him. It felt soo good to have his little one home finally.
Of course, several hours later, he was going to regret that just a little, as Jory wailed at several hours intervals to be fed or changed.
A very sleep deprived but happy father, gamely plowed through his work the next morning. His personal assistant secretly rearranged his highness' schedule a bit to allow the exhausted new father to sneak a nap after lunch.
The embassy was smiling and gossiping about the tiny prince. Everyone was amazed at just how small Prince Jory was and how beautiful. Everyone made a point of telling the parents so whenever they crossed paths with the royal couple.
Feral wasn't seen much, though, because he was still recovering and spending time bonding with his son. He finally felt at peace with Jory in his arms. For the first time in his adult life, he didn't look forward to going back to work.
He'd already decided, Jory was going to work with him. A nanny would be there if Feral had to leave to take care of business. He and Tanlir had gone round and round about it but he finally prevailed, saying that neither place was any safer than the other from Feral's enemies.
Feral did understand that part of Tanlir's objections was being separated from his son. He promised to come home at lunch time everyday so Jory could spend a little time with his father. That had appeased the Prince somewhat, though he wasn't completely sanguine to the idea of his son being at Enforcer Headquarters.