Secrets of the Enslaved

Several hours later, Ash’d been admitted to the hospital and stabilized, but he was still unconscious. Dr. Adams, upon examining him, had ordered fluids and anti-nausea medication, which helped bring his blood pressure up to a healthy level, and he had an IV in his left forearm. Thankfully, while he was still unconscious, he and their unborn kitten were doing just fine as of right now, so that eased everyone’s minds a bit.

As it stood, Nikki was stretched out on the couch under the window of the room they’d put him in upon getting him admitted. His mate, on the other hand, had chosen to curl up in the chair by his bedside, which is where he still was. Andy’s head rested on the mattress next to the older fertile’s hip, but while he slept, he didn’t sleep as deeply as normal.

With a groan and a soft sniffle, the older Neko tossed his head restlessly for a moment before cracking open his eyes. It took them a moment to focus, but when they did, he was immediately scared when he realized that he wasn’t in the room he shared with his mate. In fact, he wasn’t even in his home at all, and that scared him even more. He felt his heart rate pick up speed a bit, not even noticing that his breathing was becoming a bit quicker, too, nor that there was anyone else there with him.

“Ashie? Ashie, baby,” he heard a deep voice said. “Look at me, Ash.”

Turning his head, he saw the face and icy-blue eyes of his mate, and with a soft cry of relief, he reached out to hug him. Careful of his IV and the sensors for the heart monitor, Andy wrapped his arms around him and began to rock him back and forth. Their tails intertwined as he rubbed soothing circles into his back, hoping to calm him down soon.

“Everything all right in here?”

Looking up, they saw Dr. Adams standing at the foot of his bed, looking worried.

“Yeah, everything’s fine, Dr. Adams,” Andy answered. “I think he woke up and got scared because he didn’t recognize his surroundings.”

The older Neko nodded his head where it was tucked against his mate’s chest.

“All right, so you know where you are now, Ashley?” she asked him.

“The hospital,” he answered, sounding a bit weak.

“That’s right, UCLA Medical Center, to be exact,” the doctor told him. “Your electrolytes got outta whack earlier from all the vomiting and you passed out.”

“I was feeling fine this morning when I woke up,” Ash told her, sounding confused. “I even managed to go downstairs before Andy woke up and make him breakfast-in-bed for his birthday.”

“Well, happy birthday, Andy,” Dr. Adams said. “So you don’t remember passing out at the foot of your bed?”

“I remember getting nauseous again and starting toward the bathroom, then nothing till I woke up just now,” the older fertile answered, shaking his head.

“Not too surprising,” she agreed, making notations on the clipboard she’d taken from the foot of his bed. “Thankfully, your kitten is still alive and doing just fine.”

Both Nekos let out sighs of relief, their hands resting on the older one’s belly protectively as they listened to her.

“I’m gonna keep you admitted for a couple days to get your electrolytes balanced again, as well as make sure you’re hydrated and well-fed. You’ll get to go back home in a couple days, and I’m gonna prescribe you a stronger anti-nausea medication so that, hopefully, this won’t happen again,” she concluded.

“Sounds great, Dr. Adams,” Andy said, sounding relieved. “Thanks for everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Andy. It’s my job, passion, and calling,” the doctor chuckled, grinning at them.

Since he hadn’t quite been awake before, Dr. Adams stepped out into the hall with Nikki to tell him how his “child” was doing, as well as what the game plan for the next few days was. Ash whined softly, wanting to be cuddled as he usually was these days while sleeping or relaxing, and the youngest Dom couldn’t find it in himself to refuse. His big, chocolate-brown eyes took on the look of a little puppy when he was sad or begging, and they were too magnetic to resist the pull.

As carefully as he could, he climbed onto the bed next to Ash, who’d rolled onto his side so they could spoon. He apparently felt safer where he could see anyone who came into the room, but still had his back covered, literally, as his mate snuggled up to him. He sighed softly and started purring as they got settled down, smiling as his hair was nuzzled gently.

Their Master soon returned, looking relieved to know that he was going to be all right, as well as that their kitten was fine, too. He chuckled softly when he saw them in bed spooning, their tails still intertwined as Andy’s arms locked around his waist protectively. Even if it hadn’t been before now, it was clear as day to him that they were deeply in love and nothing would ever tear them apart, aside from Death. In fact, it reminded him of Ash’s dearly deceased parents and how much they’d loved each other, how excited they were to finally be having a kitten when Amara conceived the teen he looked at now.

Nikki hid his thoughts from them, not wanting to upset his oldest “child” and pet, or have him thinking he’d meet the same fate as his mother. He took the chair Andy’d vacated and moved it onto the side of the bed that would allow him to face the older fertile, smiling as he gently took his hand. His purring got even louder as he gently squeezed his hand, his tail curling around his mate’s even tighter.

“Feeling better, my little kitten?” he asked, smiling almost serenely.

“Daaaad,” Ash whined, pouting. “I’m not a kitten anymore.”

“Maybe not physically, but you’ll always be my little kitten,” their Master chuckled.

“True, I guess,” he agreed, still pouting. “And yeah, I’m feeling better…just tired now.”

“Dr. Adams said that was normal though, Ashie,” Andy piped up, making sure to keep his volume low. “She said that feeling tired sooner and more often during pregnancy is fine; it means your body’s taking care of our kitten properly.”

“Really?” the oldest Neko asked curiously.

“Mmm hmm,” Nikki agreed, nodding. “Brandi and Donna always felt more tired during pregnancy, too.”

“I guess early on, it’s because your body’s working to help it grow; later, it’s from having the extra weight,” his mate said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, you’re pretty much right.” Their Master nodded. “His body’s gonna be nourishing the kitten till it’s born, but the weight gain doesn’t help as the pregnancy progresses.”

“No wonder poor Jinxx is so worn out all the time,” Ash mused.

“Exactly,” he agreed. “It’s not necessarily from he and Jake being intimate all the time.”

Both Nekos blushed at the thought of their friends being intimate, but knew they had to’ve been at least once, or the younger fertile wouldn’t be pregnant.

“I’m still not happy about having to stay here for a couple more days,” the older fertile pouted.

“I know you’re not, Ashie,” the youngest Dom cooed lovingly. “But it’s best for our kitten, and you want what’s best for him or her, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” he sighed, gently rubbing his belly.

The trio continued making small talk for a while, but it wasn’t long before Ash began to doze off in his lover’s arms. He was obviously fighting sleep, and when his mate noticed, he started rubbing hypnotizing circles on his upper arm to help lull him to sleep. It didn’t take long after that for him to finally lose the fight he was putting up against his body.

Nikki leaned over and gently kissed his forehead, wishing him restful sleep and sweet dreams, before nodding to his youngest pet. Andy carefully got up from the bed, moving slowly to ensure that his rest wasn’t disturbed, so they could head back home for a bit. Neither of them were planning on being gone very long, only long enough to pack an overnight bag, then they were coming back. Not only did he fear hospitals and doctors’ offices for some reason, but he could use the comfort of their presences.

With a sigh of sadness, the youngest Dom settled himself into the front seat of his Master’s Tahoe. He didn’t like the thought of leaving his mate, alone and scared, should he wake before they got back, but he couldn’t help it. He only hoped that Ash wouldn’t wake during that time, and if he did, that he didn’t freak out too badly and endanger their kitten. Andy held his breath, figuratively speaking, the whole ride home, hoping for the best.

Notes