Thundercats Soaps
Parts 93-95
At a Thunderian hospital, WilyKat’s doctor completed checking on his patient and was now writing little notes in his chart. “WilyKat seems to be progressing at a normal rate. Once the wound heals a little more, he should be able to go home for the full recovery. That should be in a few days.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Kit said to the doctor.
The doctor nodded at the sister and aunt and left the room.
“I’m so glad you’re going to be all right,” Vasa said kissing her nephew’s forehead.
WilyKat wiped the kiss off. “There’s no need to hug or kiss me unless you’re one of the nurses.”
“He’s back to normal,” Kit and Vasa said together.
“Where’s Panthro?” WilyKat asked.
“I talked to him earlier. He’s on his way back with Snarf.” Kit answered.
WilyKat looked to his aunt. “So, how are things with you and Panthro?”
“We don’t have to talk about that now, WilyKat. What’s important is your health.”
“Why do I get the feeling something bad happened? I know what you did was a mistake, but Panthro doesn’t think so, does he?” WilyKat asked.
“No, he doesn’t. We broke up. Simple as that.”
*****
Lion-O looked at Cheetara stunned. “Your water broke? It’s time?” He asked.
Cheetara placed her hand on her stomach and leaned on the sink. “Yes. I didn’t think it would be this soon. I thought I could have hold on till I get home. Oooh,” Cheetara groaned a little and touched her stomach. “I think I’m having a contraction.”
Lion-O immediately put his arm around her. “Come on. Let me get you back to the bed.” He said. He put her back in bed and ran out to the cockpit where everyone else were. “Cheetara’s in labor!” Lion-O blurted out, slightly panicked himself.
“What?” Bengali said stunned and turned his head back. He then turns back to the dark space ahead of him. After all, he was flying the Feliner.
“I should’ve known. That fall must have pushed her labor quicker.” Sarah stated. “Come with me, Lion-O. I have to get my medical instruments out. She and Lion-O went to the storage room. Lion-O took most of the equipment in his hands.
The two entered the room and Lion-O helped the doctor set up her portable equipment.
“How are you?” Sarah asked Cheetara.
“I’m in a little pain and I feel weird,” Cheetara said
rubbing her swollen abdomen. “How far are we from Thundera?”
“I don’t know.”
“Since Bengali was flying home at full speed, I believe we were two hours away,” Sarah answered.
“Is that enough time for me to hold on and have the baby on Thundera?” Cheetara asked her doctor.
“It’ll be best if I exam you first exam you first before I answer that question.”
Cheetara suddenly became worried. Her doctor didn’t give her a direct answer. Something was wrong. Why though? Was it because of her fall that she was going into labor so soon? And if so, did the fall affect her unborn baby?
*****
“You broke up?” WilyKat repeated. “That can’t be true.”
“It’s what I deserve; keeping secrets about my part in Aline’s death.”
“No, you don’t.” WilyKit told her aunt. “I’m sorry for what I did.”
The door opened and Panthro and Snarf entered. “How are you feeling, WilyKat?” Panthro asked only looking at him and not his ex in the room.
“As good as anyone could be in this position,” Kat said.
“Snarf. Snarf. I was so worried when I heard you got stab,” Snarf said as he got on the bed to take a better look at the Thundercat. He then looked at the twin’s sister. “I’m just glad you came to your senses, WilyKit.”
“I’m glad, too,” Kit said and looked at Panthro. “I’m sorry for breaking up you and my aunt, Panthro, and I’ll do everything in my power to bring you two back together.”
The panther tensed and said. “No, WilyKit. That’s never going to happen.”
“Come on, Panthro. Can’t you forgive her?” WilyKat asked.
“No, your sister had every right to say those things. I had to know the truth just as you had to know the truth about my part in you and your sister’s parents’ death. Now I don’t want to here another word on the subject.” Panthro said and stormed out.
“Just let it go,” Vasa said. “We should be thankful that Kat is alive. That is all that matters right now.”
WilyKit wasn’t going to settle on that. She was determined to amend her mistakes. “I’ll be back.”
“WilyKit….” Vasa called after her niece. She sighed. “She’s just going to cause more trouble.”
*****
Cheetara sat up very uncomfortable in her maternity nightgown in her bed. She was hooked to an automatic blood pressure that would check her every five minutes, straps around her waist that would record contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. The cheetah groaned as her doctor gave her a pelvic exam. She hated that exam. It was always uncomfortable.
“You’re dilated by only two centimeters,” Her doctor said.
“Only two centimeters?” Cheetara questioned surprised. “Well, at least it didn’t hurt that much.”
“It’s going to get worse. Also your contractions are coming every ten minutes.”
Lion-O was by his wife’s side as this was going on, trying
to make Cheetara as comfortable as she possibly could in her condition. He ran
his hand up and down her back soothingly. “Breathe deeply and let it out
slowly.”
“Someone knows what he’s doing,” Sarah said now checking Cheetara’s blood pressure.
“How is everything?” Lion-O asked.
“Cheetara looks fine,” the obstetrician said now reading the baby’s heartbeat. “But the child’s heartbeat is a little off. It’s a little too high. I want to keep an extra watch on this and I may need some help with the delivery.”
“That’s no problem. I’ll help,” Lion-O volunteered.
“You’re going to have your hands full with Cheetara. Actually, I was talking about someone with more scientific expertise.”
“No!” Lion-O said immediately.
“Are you crazy?!” Cheetara snapped at her doctor. “There’s no way that monster is touching my baby.”
“He won’t have to. He’ll keep an eye on your baby’s heartbeat, contractions and blood pressure.”
The expecting parents still had looks of ‘no’ on their faces.
“I know that Tygra’s not your favorite person, but he is the only person besides me who can read and understand these machines. It’s better to have two professionals in here than one…in case something goes wrong.”
“What are you saying?” Cheetara asked now worried.
“If the baby’s heart rate continue to rise, I may have to induce labor.”
“Induce labor?”
“Yes, Lion-O. I think it’s best to have two people with science expertise instead of one…just to be on the safe side and the chances of a safer delivery are increased that way.”
Lion-O and Cheetara looked uncertain. They were worried about what they should do and needed sometime to think about this. Sarah picked up on it.
“I see you two need some time to think about this. I’ll come back to check your blood pressure in five minutes.” Sarah said and exits the room.
*****
WilyKit chased Panthro to the entrance to the of the hospital. “Panthro! Panthro, wait!”
Panthro stopped and turned around. He knew what she wanted to talk about. “What is it, Kit?”
“I want you to give my aunt another chance.”
“I can’t, WilyKit.”
“You forgave me when I tried to kill you.”
“That was different.” Panthro told her.
“I forgave you for not telling me your part in my parents death. I see now what type of people they were and I understand why you did what you did. That’s the same thing,” Kit explained to the blue panther.
“But, Kit, the things she did was….she was a prostitute. The things she might have done for him, the fact that she was with him. That woman knew about Aline, my love.”
“I thought you love my aunt,” WilyKit said softly, but cautiously placing a hand on her hips.
“I do—I did.” Panthro sighed. “I don’t know. Not anymore I don’t. Just drop it, Kit. It’s over. If you need to contact me, and not about that woman,” he said harshly. “I’ll be at the lair.”
WilyKit watched helplessly as Panthro walked out of the hospital. Convincing him to take back his aunt was going to be tougher than she thought. She was going to need some help in breaking down the panther’s stubborn wall.
*****
Lion-O tightens his hold around the cheetah as he felt another mild contraction about to happen in his wife. “I don’t want that traitor anywhere near you or my child.”
“Maybe I can hold off until we land,” Cheetara said and groaned in pain of a contraction. It was a little stronger than before. Lion-O held her until the pain subsided. “I hope I can hold on. We only got a few more hours right?” Cheetara asked feeling a little tired.
Before Lion-O could answer, something rocked the Feliner. The whole ship begins to shake. Lion-O held onto Cheetara so she wouldn’t fall out of the bed. They held onto each other until the moment passed nearly fifteen minutes later.
“What was that?” Cheetara asked.
“I don’t know.” Lion-O left Cheetara’s side and exit the
room. He went into the cockpit where everyone else was. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going through a meteor shower,” Bengali explained. “I’m gonna have to fly out of it and fly around, but that means it’ll take us a few more hours before we get home.”
“Exactly how long?” Sarah asked.
“Possibly four more hours.”
“I’m not sure Cheetara can hold out that long, especially when I induce the labor,” Sarah told Lion-O.
Tied in his chair, Tygra asked. “How is Cheetara Lion-O?”
“None of your business,” Lion-O growled at his second in command. The Lord of the Thundercats and doctor left the room to go check on Cheetara.
“Lion-O!” Cheetara yelled through the closed bedroom doors.
The two heard Cheetara screamed. With quick speed, they rushed into the room. Lion-O ran to Cheetara’s side, while Sarah read the contractions.
“That was a little stronger than before and the contractions are eight minutes apart.” She looked at the baby monitor. “And the baby heartbeat is higher as well.”
“What’s going on out there?” Cheetara asked.
“There’s a meteor shower. Bengali’s going to fly around it, but we’re not going to get to Thundera as quick as we planned.”
“Does that mean I’m going to have the baby here?” Cheetara asked slightly panicked.
“It’s a strong possibility,” Sarah said.
“What are we going to do?” Cheetara asked worried.
“I don’t want Tygra in here,” Lion-O said.
“I don’t want him in here either, but this is our child, Lion-O. I want our child to come out in the safest way and if that means having Tygra in here, then maybe that is what we have to do.” Tired, Cheetara laid back on her bed.
“You’re right, Cheetara,” Lion-O. “I don’t want to admit it but you’re right. Our child’s safety comes first, not our anger towards Lion-O. I guess I should go get him.” Lion-O said leaving Cheetara’s side.
Cheetara’s doctor pulled out a needle. “While you do that, I’ll induce Cheetara’s labor.”
Cheetara cringe when she saw the needle. Lion-O walked back to his wife and gave her an assuring kiss that everything will be all right. After that, Lion-O left the room.
Lion-O entered the cockpit. The Feliner was still shaky since Bengali was flying around the meteor shower. He looked down at Tygra, tied in his seat. Tygra looked up at Lion-O curiously. The Lord of the Thundercats really didn’t want to do this, but for his child’s safety, he would push his anger towards the orange striped tiger down…for now.
“I might as well get this over with,” Lion-O grumbled. He untied Tygra. “Cheetara’s in labor. For our child’s safety, it has to be induced. There’s a good chance Cheetara will give birth on the Feliner. Cheetara’s doctor suggests that you assist her with the delivery because she thinks that baby will have a safer delivery that way.” Lion-O picked up the tiger with one hand. “However, if you do anything that may harm Cheetara or our child in any way, I will kill you.” Lion-O warned him.
“I love Cheetara and her child, even though you are the father. I will never harm them.” Tygra said.
“They better not be harm,” Lion-O said and dropped the tiger. “Let’s go.”
Tygra got up and dust himself off. He followed Lion-O to Cheetara’s bedroom.
“Don’t tell me you went after Panthro.” Her brother said when his sister returned to the room.
WilyKit sat in a seat. “Fine. I won’t tell you.”
“WilyKit,” her brother said sternly.
“Okay, I went to talk to him and he wouldn’t listen.” WilyKit answered waving her hands in the air.
WilyKat looked at his sister and shook his head. He felt she needed to get out of there. “Whatever. Anyway, I meant it when I said it before, WilyKit. You look terrible. Why don’t you just go home, take a shower, and get out of those clothes. Change back to your normal look.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” asked WilyKit almost laughing.
“No, I’m just saying I’m fine now so you can go back to the lair and changed.” A wicked smile appeared on Kat’s face. “Besides, no guy is going to look at you dressed like that or having a face so smeared with makeup. Heh. Heh.”
WilyKit shot a smart look at her brother while their aunt laugh. WilyKat was certainly feeling better all right. He was crazy enough to innocent tease his sister like that.
“Fine. I can take a hint,” WilyKit said rising from her seat and going to the door. “I’ll go and change, but a little warning to you brother,” she stops and looks at him. “Once you get well, I’m going to put you back in the hospital for that comment.” She then steps out the door. WilyKat didn’t seem threatened by his sister’s comment.
Their aunt shook their head and fluff’s Kat’s pillow. “You’re certainly feeling better.”
“I am. I’ll be glad to get out, too, but until WilyKit come back, you can answer some questions for me.”
Vasa sat nervous in an empty seat. “Uh, okay. Shoot.”
“When Tygra arrived, WilyKit came with him and she was staying with you, wasn’t she?”
*****
Lion-O stepped in the room first. Cheetara smiled when she saw his entrance, but she frowned when she saw Tygra entered.
“How are you?”
“Fine, for now,” Cheetara said glaring at Tygra.
Tygra turned away from the pregnant cheetah and walked to the doctor cheetah. They were talking and Tygra nodded at the instructions he given her. Tygra walked to the baby heartbeat monitor and read the machine. “Okay, Cheetara. Prepare for another contraction.”
Cheetara braced herself by holding Lion-O’s hand. Suddenly, she gasped wincing as pain burst through her abdomen. Cheetara could actually feel her uterine muscles contract. She groans in agony as the throbbing spasms shot in her. She squeezed Lion-O’s hand to release some of the pain. When it was over, Cheetara fell back on the bed to relax, sweating all over.
Lion-O pushed a piece of Cheetara’s hair back. “I wish I could do this for you.”
“Liar,” Cheetara said. Cheetara groaned again as a small spasm occurred. “I never thought it would hurt this bad.”
“It’ll be over soon,” Lion-O comforted Cheetara.
“How soon?” Cheetara asked.
“How far are the contractions?” Lion-O asked.
“From the readings, it was seven minutes, Lion-O,” Tygra said.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
Tygra didn’t respond to Lion-O’s anger. In a way, he felt he deserved it. He stepped out of the room for a moment. Cheetara noticed the tiger leave. She wondered where he was going.
Sarah checked under the covers for another pelvic exam. “We’re not far off. You’re dilating at five centimeters.
In the storage compartment where the food was stocked, Tygra opened a cooler and smiled. “This is exactly what Cheetara need.”
“Have you two thought of a name yet?” Sarah asked.
Lion-O and Cheetara looked back at each other and then the doctor. “No, not just yet. Before Lion-O was taken from me—” Cheetara stops when Tygra entered the room with a bowl in his hand. She didn’t know what he held in his hand but she continued. “We had some names in mind if it was a boy or girl, but nothing concrete.” She could tell Tygra was still looking at her. She looked back at him a little scared. “What?”
“Here,” he said handing her a bowl. “It’s chipped ice. It’ll keep your mouth from being dry and keep you cool.”
“You can take it, Cheetara,” Sarah told her.
“Oh, okay. Thank you, Tygra,” Cheetara said and put some ice in her mouth. Lion-O eyed Tygra cautiously. He meant his threat to Tygra. Tygra saw the look Lion-O was giving him. He knew the Lord of the Thundercats would kill him if he tried anything. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Tygra excused himself.
A slight turbulence occurred on the Feliner. Lion-O held onto Cheetara as it passed.
“It’s going to be a while before you have to deliver so I’m going to see how Bengali’s doing,” Sarah said and exit the room herself.
*****
“How did you know?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, now that everything is out in the open. Panthro probably figured that out too, but he doesn’t understand that WilyKit threaten to tell him about your pass if you told us she was here. Am I correct?” WilyKit asked.
“Yes,” Vasa agreed. “However, WilyKit told anyway.
“I understand why you did it, but Panthro is going to be hard to convince. He can be stubborn.”
“Don’t I know it,” Vasa laughed. “But it’s what I deserved.”
“Don’t put yourself down what happened. You thought you could save out parents by doing what you did. You were manipulated, tricked and abused by Rataro.”
The female wildcat couldn’t believe how intelligent and observant her nephew was. She felt she could confide in him. “I washed up every time after I’ve been with that monster. Just thinking about it, is enough to make me sick to my stomach.”
“You kept it a secret from Panthro, especially Panthro because you were afraid of how he would react and dump you?” WilyKat guessed.
The woman begins to cry. “Yes, you’re right, and now I’ve lost him forever.”
“I wouldn’t say that. He may be angry with you now, but he’ll cool down and if he doesn’t want to see you again, then there is one person who could help, who could get through Panthro.”
*****
Hours have passed since Cheetara went into labor and by each passing minute it was growing more uncomfortable. Cheetara continued to have contractions, each getting a little stronger than the last one. Her doctor kept a constant check on her and so far everything was proceeding as plan. The induce labor worked well as it pushed her quicker to delivery. The expectant mother slowly practices her breathing, and by each passing contraction, she got increasingly tired. The only good thing was that the contractions would be over soon once delivery began. During one of the few moments when she wasn’t experiencing pain, Cheetara begin reading to pass some time. Unable to concentrate on her reading, Cheetara put the magazine down and looked up at the father-to-be pacing back and forth nervously.
Though slightly annoyed about it, she couldn’t help but smile. “It’s true. Father-to-be’s do pace nervously.”
“I am nervous.”
“Do you want some water?” Cheetara asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Then how about helping me. My lower back is so sore. Could you massage it for me?” She asked as she tried to rub the sore spot.
Lion-O stopped pacing and walked back to Cheetara. He sat beside her and begins massaging her back. “How’s that?”
“Mmm, that feels better. Thank you. You know I missed times like this when you were away.”
“Soon, we won’t have much private time together. I wanted to bond with you so much but those last two months were taken from me. Blast that, Tygra,” Lion-O growled.
“Let’s not talk about him while we have this moment alone before another contraction hits. We could talk about the baby. Although I am in pain now, I’m very excited. I can’t wait to hold the little cub in my arms and count the ten fingers and toes.”
“Me neither. I can’t wait for the baby to start walking and talking.”
Cheetara laughed. “And then of course there are the late night feedings, the crying, the diaper changing, the temper tantrum.”
Lion-O stopped massaging Cheetara’s back and put his arm around her. “Whatever happens, we’ll be ready for it.”
*****
“How much longer?” Sarah asked sitting back in the seat again holding a cup of coffee.
“We should be home in a couple more hours. I'm flying as fast as I can. I was able to fly around the most dangerous part, so everything is clear from now. How's Cheetara?”
“She is progressing well. The induce labor shot I gave her is working and her contractions are coming in quicker each time, so she should be giving birth soon. I’m still worried about the child though. The baby heartbeat is getting higher than it should be.”
“If it gets too dangerous, would you have to do a cesarean?” Bengali asked a little worried.
“I hope not because I don't have the correct tools for that type of surgery. Let's just hope for the best shall we?”
“Of course.” Bengali said and a smiled appeared on his face. “So, what is it: a boy or girl?"
Sarah laughed. “Sorry. Can't tell you. The parents want to wait until the baby's birth. So you will have to, too.”
“Have they decided on any names?”
“They have, but didn’t mention it.”
“Tell them that Bengali is a cool name.”
Sarah laughed again. “I’ll be sure to tell them that. Speaking of them, I better go check on Cheetara.”
She got up from her seat and left the room. She found Tygra standing outside Cheetara’s door, thinking and waiting.
“You really do love her, don’t you?”
Tygra jumped a little surprised. He eyed the doctor and turned away. “I’ve always have and I always will.”
“Why can’t you be happy with her loving something else? She is very happy with the Lord of the Thundercats.”
“She’ll be more happy with me.”
“Why? Because you want her to love you? If you ask me, you’re being selfish,” she pointed out and Tygra looked at her upset, as if she shouldn’t have said that to him.
“You are,” Sarah said holding her ground. “If you can look at Lion-O and Cheetara, you’ll see how happy they are together; how happy Cheetara is to be carrying Lion-O’s child. Seeing someone you love marry someone else is a real heartbreak and it will take time to get over it but you will soon.”
Cheetara’s screams broke them from their conversation. The two rushed in the room. Tygra went to read the contractions. Sarah pulled the sheets up a little to give Cheetara another pelvic exam.
“It’s coming even faster now,” Lion-O said holding Cheetara.
“She’s dilated by ten centimeters. She’s ready to deliver.”
Cheetara cried out again, louder than before. She felt the pain all over her body as she clutch onto to Lion-O a little tighter than before. The agony of the labor was incredibly painful. She wondered how something so small could cause so much torture.
Sarah sat at chair at the edge of the bed. “Okay, Cheetara, I want you to push. Ready?”
Cheetara screamed and nodded her head.
“Push!” Her doctor ordered.
*****
“Who can get through, Panthro?” Vasa asked.
“Cheetara. She has always gotten through to him. She was the first person to know about Aline and his connection to out parents and she discovered about you and Panthro before anyone else. When she gets back, we can talk to her and she’ll talk to Panthro.” WilyKat explained.
“Speaking of them, I am getting worried. I hope they found Lion-O, and I also hope Cheetara is taking care of herself. She was nine months pregnant when she left. I pray that nothing bad happens.”
“You and everyone else. We still can’t get in contact with them. Tygra sabotage the communication. I’m worried about the baby though. Cheetara wasn’t in perfect condition to search for Lion-O.”
“No, she wasn’t. We’ll just have to hope everything is going for the best out there in space.”
*****
From the cockpit, Bengali could hear Cheetara’s painful screams of agony. It kind of made him shiver and made him especially glad that he was born a male. On the good side of all this, the Feliner was entering Thundera’s atmosphere. They were almost home.
Lion-O held Cheetara’s hand in
attempt of taking the pain. He was amazed how strong she was or maybe it was
the pain she was experiencing that made it feel so strong. Cheetara screamed
and snarled as she pushes hard again, her body covered in her sweat, her breath
strained and tired. The pregnant cheetah wondered how much longer.
After another push, Cheetara fell
back on the bed. She felt she couldn’t do it anymore. She was exhausted, in
anguish, in what seems perpetual torment. The labor growing more intense by the
second. She felt she wasn’t going to make it.
“No, Cheetara! You can’t rest now!
You have to push!” Her doctor told her.
A little hoarse, Cheetara asked.
“Why did I say I want to have a baby without drugs?”
Lion-O smiled lift Cheetara back up.
He put an arm around her and held her left hand with his free hand. “Come on, Cheetara.
You can do it,” Lion-O coached her.
A new wave of pain overcame the
cheetah and she pushed causing her to scream at her husband. “I am doing it!”
Cheetara cried out louder and pushed
harder again.
“Come on, Cheetara. A little
harder.” Lion-O said.
Drained, Cheetara said. “I’m not
sure I want you touching me again, Lion-O.”
Lion-O frowned a little whereas
Tygra tried to hold back a smile.
“That’s good, Cheetara. Keep
pushing. The head’s crowning. I need one more deep push.” Her obstetrician told
her.
“Okay, Cheetara. One more push. One
more big push and it’ll be over. One more.” Lion-O told her.
Gathering whatever strength she had
left, Cheetara gave it her all and let on one last strong push followed by a
harsh scream.
“The baby’s out!” Sarah shouted but
then frowned when she saw the baby.
Cheetara relaxed against Lion-O. The
pain was over. No more contractions. No more labor. Their child was born. She
felt Lion-O kissed the top of her head, congratulating her for going through an
excruciating ordeal. Suddenly the pair looked at each other. There was silence
in the room. Something was wrong.
“What’s wrong with our child? Why
isn’t our baby crying?” Cheetara asked.
Part 95
When WilyKit returned to Cat’s Lair,
she met Snarf who she sat and talked with. Actually Snarf did all the talking,
lecturing WilyKit on what she did to her brother and her threats to Panthro.
WilyKit knew this was coming, but she was okay with it. After that, she took a
shower. The shower was more than a cleansing experience for her body, it was
more of a cleansing of her soul, helping her heal and forget the past and focus
on the future. After the shower, she put on her regular Thundercat uniform.
“It feels good to be back,” she told
her image reflecting back at her in the mirror.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Panthro stepped in the room. He
smiled seeing WilyKit in her old Thundercat uniform. “It’s good to see you in
your uniform.”
“Thanks. I feel great…proud to be
who I am now. I’m ready to get my life back on track.” WilyKit said renewed.
She then rubbed her left arm shyly and looked at the panther. “I haven’t been
here in months so could you give me a brief summary on what’s been going on? I
have so many questions and you can answer them. I tried talking to Snarf and he
was busy grilling me for what I did.”
Panthro laughed. “That’s Snarf all
right. Pull up a chair WilyKit, I have a lot to tell you.”
*****
The endless silence was killing
them. What was wrong with their child? Why wasn’t their baby crying?
“What’s wrong with our child?”
Lion-O asked worried.
“Get the small scissors, Tygra,
quick!” Sarah ordered.
“Scissors? What’s wrong with my
baby?” Cheetara cried.
Tygra rushed to Sarah’s side as she
explains to the parents what was wrong. “The umbilical cord is choking the
baby.”
Cheetara started to cry. “My baby.”
Lion-O wanted to check on his child
but with Cheetara starting to cry he knew he had to stay by her side and hope
Tygra and Sarah save his baby.
Tygra carefully cut the umbilical
cord around the infant’s neck. The baby still wasn’t crying.
“The baby’s not breathing. We better
do CPR, Tygra.”
“My baby. Please save my baby,”
Cheetara cried.
Tygra quickly wiped the traces of
blood off the cub’s face as Sarah gently held the small child. Tygra tilt the
baby’s head back a little. He slowly blew air in the tiny cub every three
seconds. He then places two of his fingers on the baby’s sternum and pressed on
it gently. He repeated this two more times. The baby coughed at first and then
cried.
Cheetara and Lion-O let out a sigh
of relief. She hugged Lion-O and cried happily. “Our child’s alive.”
“If you could come over here for a
moment, Lion-O,” Sarah called him.
Lion-O left Cheetara’s side and
walked to the doctor. Tygra handed Lion-O a pair of scissors.
“Cut right here, Lion-O,” Sarah
ordered.
Lion-O did as he was told and handed
the scissors back to Tygra. He went back to his wife’s side, happy that he cut
his child’s umbilical cord.
Sarah cleaned the baby off and
wrapped the cub in a soft cloth. “Congratulations, you have a baby boy,” she
smiled handing Cheetara her newborn cub.
Cheetara held the baby close to her.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to see you,” Cheetara said softly and kissed her
son’s forehead.
Bengali entered the room. “Good
news. I just landed the Feliner. We’re at the hospital.”
“Good news. We just had a baby. Cheetara just gave birth to a baby boy,” Lion-O said proudly.
“Since we landed, we better get you and your son inside the hospital, Cheetara,” Sarah said.
“Could I hold him for a few more minutes until you have to check him?” Cheetara asked.
“Sure. Tygra and I will just clean up and put up my equipment.”
Cheetara thanked her and looked down at her baby. “Oh, look at him, Lion-O. Isn’t he beautiful?”
The happy parents looked at their child. He was so tiny. A small imprint of Cheetara’s golden tear lines were on his tiny face. His eyes were closed, like all newborns when they are born. Lion-O pushed the cloth away to reveal his small head. His thick blonde hair covered the top of his head.
“He is. I see he has your blonde hair, brown eyes…and it looks like he’s going to have your brown tear lines.” Lion-O observed.
“Yes, but my hair wasn’t this thick when I was born. He’s going to have your wild hair and he looks just like you when you were a baby. Imagine the look on our son’s face when I tell him I held him and his father when they were babies.” Cheetara laughed softly and kissed her son again. She looked up a Lion-O with loving eyes. “You want to hold our son?” She asked already handing her son to his father.
Lion-O gently took his son from Cheetara. He was a little nervous. He was scared he would drop his child or not hold him right. He never held a baby before. The baby was a little fussy at first but Lion-O was able to calm him down.
“Hey, little guy. I’m your dad and this tired woman is your mother. We’re going to take very good care of you. I know we just met you, but we love you so much.” He told his son. Lion-O then looked at Cheetara. She was absolutely glowing. “You never look more beautiful than you do right now,” Lion-O told Cheetara softly. He leaned over to kiss Cheetara. “You did it, Cheetara.”
Cheetara placed a hand on Lion-O’s face. “No, we did it,” she said softly and kissed her husband again.
Tygra saw the two act as if they were in their own world, and they were in a way. They were in the world of parenthood with their new child.
“I thought you said he wasn’t touching you again,” Sarah asked as she Tygra finish the clean up.
Cheetara broke from Lion-O and smiled. “I changed my mind. Besides, he’s too irresistible.”
“Well, everything is clean up. We should get going now. I’ll bring your son to your room as soon as I check him out,” her doctor assured her.
Lion-O handed their baby back to Cheetara. Once the child was secure in Cheetara’s arms, Lion-O picked them both up. “We’re ready. Let’s go.”
*****
“And that’s what has been going on while you were gone,” Panthro finished.
The two were entering the control room. “Wow. I missed a lot. I feel so bad about Tygra. I should have told you guys what I suspected.”
“Forget about it. There’s nothing that could be done now. It’s up to Cheetara and Bengali and hopefully Lion-O to stop Tygra.” The COM link beeped. Panthro press the receiving button. “Panthro here. Come in.”
Panthro and WilyKit mouths fell open in surprise to see Lion-O’s face appear on the monitor.
“It’s been a long time, friend.” Lion-O saw WilyKit on the screen too. “WilyKit, you’re back. When did that happen?”
“When did I get back? When did you get back? Where is everyone?” WilyKit asked excited and relieve to see Lion-O alive.
Lion-O got his words together to answer her questions in order. “I and everyone else just got back. We’re at the hospital. Cheetara gave birth on the Feliner. It’s a boy.”
“Where were you this whole time and where is Tygra?” Panthro asked.
“I’ll explain everything when you guys get to the hospital and don’t forget Snarf. I know he doesn’t want to miss this.”
“We’re on our way.”
*****
Lion-O entered Cheetara’s hospital room where she rested and waited for her cub’s return. He was being given the ordinary treatment for a baby: the measuring, weighing, and the footprint markings.
“I just talked to Panthro and WilyKit at the lair. They and Snarf are on their way.”
“WilyKit’s back? That must have happened while Bengali and I were searching for you.” A knock was heard on her door. “Come in.”
Bengali entered. “Look who I found.” He stepped aside and Vasa entered pushing WilyKat in a wheelchair.
Lion-O and Cheetara gasped when they say the young ThunderCat. “WilyKat. What happened to you?” Lion-O asked.
WilyKat kept up his positive attitude. “Don’t worry. I’m fine. I’ll be out in a few days. Oh, and I’m not paralyzed. They just make us patient sit in one of these things. Glad to see you back, especially you Lion-O. Where were you all this time? Oh, and congratulations on the baby.”
“I’ll explain where I was and what happened, but you have to explain what happened to you first.”
*****
Sarah laid Lion-O and Cheetara’s cub in a rolling cart that all newborns are in. He started to cry. “There you go, sweetie. Oh, don’t cry. You’re going to see Mommy and Daddy again.” She looked back at Tygra who leaned against a wall in the room. “They have a beautiful child.”
“Yes, they do,” Tygra agreed.
“You seem affected by the birth of their child. Are you?”
“I am. Seeing Cheetara give birth and the way she was with Lion-O, sadly prove to me that she would never love me, only Lion-O and even if she did love me, it would never be the way she loves Lion-O. It could never match or best her feelings for him. She looked so scared when I gave her the chipped ice. I was only trying to help her.”
“You did cause them a lot of trouble over the past two years. I’m getting the feeling you wish you could take everything you did to them back, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“The only way to make amends is to apologize. They may not believe it at first, but give them time. You have to make the first step. Come on, let’s bring their baby back to them.”
*****
WilyKat explain to Lion-O, Cheetara and Bengali how he got in the hospital and he took in everything Cheetara, Lion-O and Bengali explained on their little adventure from their arrival on Minerva to Cheetara’s delivery on the Feliner.
“Whoa! You guys had a wild adventure.”
“It’s not something we want to do again, WilyKat,” Lion-O pointed out.
“We’re just glad to be back and you’re safe, WilyKat, as well as your sister coming to her senses,” Cheetara said.
“Of course that was after WilyKit stabbed me,” WilyKat stated smartly. Vasa smacked him on his shoulder.
“I’m glad you all are back safely, what about Tygra? What are you going to do?” Vasa asked.
“Uh…well, Lion-O and I haven’t discussed that yet. We’re just excited about the baby.”
The door opens and Sarah walks in pushing the baby cart to Cheetara. “Someone misses his parents.”
“Well, I missed him too,” Cheetara said as Sarah handed the cub back in her arms.
“What’s his name?” WilyKat asked.
“We’ve decided on Liam.”
Panthro entered the room with WilyKit and Snarf. “Did we miss all the fun?”
“Hi, guys. Meet Liam” Cheetara said happily.
The three walked to get a closer look at the newest Thundercat. “He looks just like Lion-O with Cheetara’s features.” Panthro said.
“I’m glad you’re back with us, WilyKit,” Cheetara said and gave a mischievous grin. “Although I wish I had a picture of your look your brother was telling us about.”
“That part of me is gone fore good. I just want to be welcomed back again. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.”
“We know you are, Kit, and you are more than welcomed back..that is as long as everyone agree to it,” Lion-O said looking at WilyKat.
“I have no problem with her coming back to us…as long as Kit doesn’t stab me again,” Kat joked.
WilyKit shot her brother a smart look.
“Ahem.”
Everyone looked at Tygra standing in the doorway. The room was quiet when they saw the hated Thundercat Tygra. Tygra could feel the negative energy the Thundercats were sending him.
Finally, Lion-O spoke. “It’s all right everyone.”
One by one, everyone except the Lord and Lady of Thundera and their baby, left. Tygra got angry looks mainly from Panthro and Bengali. WilyKit and WilyKat gave him pity faces. Vasa had no expression. Sarah was the only one to give the tiger an encouraging look.
Tygra closed the door once everyone left. He saw how protectively Cheetara held her son and Lion-O was just as cautions with an arm on her shoulders.
“So, Tygra what is it that you have to say?” Lion-O asked.
Tygra took in a deep breath and let it out. “I request that you reinstate me as a Thundercat.”
To Be Continued
Parts 96-100: The final conclusion to this very, very long story. FINALLY!
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