The Harcourt Family

[Incognita Ninja]

The doctor looked up from his observations. "Well, to put it lightly, I think that Luke and Cheria may have the illness that you are studying at the moment, and I think you can identify it. Also, since I was here when your step-mother was, Cheria looks like she has what she had, but not at that large of a scale. Can you understand what I am saying?" The doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Winny had the child-bed fever right after she delivered your half-sister. Cheria also came down with a fever, though not as high, when she was a baby, still a newborn. They both recovered, though after your father used some of the rare medicine that we had. Now, Cheria has something similar, but I don't think it's life threatening, but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to order plenty of stress-free relaxing. Taking care of kids cannot be avoided, but planning her own wedding? Have someone else plan it, but let her make the decisions." The doctor laughed, his eyes twinkling merrily.

Cheria felt something similar to a toddler on her belly and wasn't surprised to find Luke there. He was still sleeping, but his forehead felt cooler than it was before. She gathered him in her arms before laying back against the risen portion of the bed, similar to the way she held Caleb when she delivered him. Luke woke up, and looked at his mother, sleepy-eyed. "Meme?" Cheria kissed his forehead. "I'm here. Meme has you." She smiled as James and Caleb came closer. "He said his first word." She clasped his hand in hers and kissed his knuckles. "James, when I gave birth to these two, it was a wonderful moment. I wished you could've been there." She thought for a moment. "I have an idea. If you ask Saberlin, he'll try to find me giving birth on the security tapes from my room. They should be there, from when I first went into labor, and when I gave birth to Caleb and Luke." She rubbed her cheek on his knuckles. "Will you stay for the night? I don't want the children to fret because I am here." Caleb wriggled in his father's arms. "Meme!!" He held out his arms. Cheria laughed. "I love you too Caleb." She gathered him in her arms, and he snuggled next to Luke. She smiled at James and patted the empty spot next to her legs. "You know you want too."  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Saberlin listened to the doctor’s explanation, thoughtfulness crossing his face while he pieced together the information.

“I understand. However, we are researching cures for a number of different illnesses at present, so I’ll have to narrow things down. You say this is similar to what Winny had at one stage? So perhaps this has been dormant and something has triggered a relapse,” he mused, rubbing his chin.

That sounded about right, especially since Cheria had the illness as a baby. If the doctor thought they were the same, then Saberlin would look into it seriously.

“I shall have to look over her file as well as check the results from any recent tests you’ve run; both for her and Luke. If it is the same illness, I think I’ll be able to provide them with the cure in at least a day or so. Father left notes and instructions when he created it the first time around. If there are any samples left I may even be able to use those but I’ll have to test them out to make sure they’re viable”.

He sounded confident of being able to make the cure. They had been picking apart the solution of that one for several years and he’d even looked over some of his father’s notes on other occasions. It just hadn’t been a high priority with the rarity of it cropping up.

He approached the small family huddling around Cheria’s bed, a light smile tugging the corners of his mouth, showing the tips of leopard fangs as he interrupted their conversation, “You hear that little sister, no wedding
planning and lots of rest. We all want you and Luke to focus on getting better" he said firmly but kindly. His tone left no room for arguments on the matter.

"So who are we to request for help planning it instead? I can think of a few ideas” Saberlin's eyes gleamed and he glanced at James but the jaguar returned a look that said he would rather have someone else do it, or help him do it, before they ran ideas past Cheria. That was women’s territory.

Saberlin knew Fern would love to plan this wedding but he wanted to hear what Cheria would suggest first.

***

James smiled at hearing Luke’s first words, coming closer to the bed to take Cheria’s hand,

“Too bad we didn’t catch that on film. Caleb has been saying ‘Ada’ to refer to me as well, just thought you ought to know. You were unconscious when he said it but he’s been saying it since we got here” he told Cheria, sounding so proud and pleased in that moment than he had about anything in a while.

He then listened to her tell him about the twin’s arrival and pondered over her words. Did he want to see it? Did he want to know what he missed out on? Maybe it was just better that he was here now, interested in them now. But there was a feeling of guilt that he couldn’t push away.

“I’m sorry…that I wasn’t there for you at that time. I was a selfish jerk,” James murmured, after quickly glancing over at the doctor and Saberlin to make sure he wouldn’t be overheard. “Maybe I will ask him but not right now. I’ll think about it”. He smiled at her but she would still be able to notice the look of shame in his eyes.

He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand in soothing circles. “I’ll stay here for the night, though I’ll have to ask someone to mind Caleb. We don’t want him being exposed to or getting the illness”

Right then, Caleb must have understood the conversation because he started to strain to go to Cheria, holding out his arms to her and calling the name his brother had used “Meme! Meme!”

James took a few steps away from the bed, struggling to hold onto the squirmy toddler.

“Sorry kid, I can’t let you see Meme right now. You have to stay with me. I mean…with Ada” he used the nickname, trying to calm Caleb down, bouncing him gently and patting his back.

“Sorry Cheria, he is probably going to play up but it’s for the best. Who do you normally get to babysi -” Just then they were interrupted by Saberlin and he frowned at the doctor’s orders.

Planning a wedding? “Uh…I think Cheria was really looking forward to that. It’s not really my area of expertise” James gave a knowing look into his beloved’s eyes, his tail swishing nervously. He had seen what happened when some women let their partners plan the weddings without their input. He wasn’t sure he was up for the task without some assistance. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of the wrath of Cheria if she was upset.

***

“’Plash, ‘plash!” Panthe cheered, slapping her tiny arms in the water and cheering as it sprayed everywhere. She was absolutely soaking wet, giggling loudly as she scooped up more water and threw handfuls in the air.

Oka filled an empty measuring cup with the liquid, immersing his arms up to the elbows before lifting it out as high as he could, arms dripping, trying to look at the clear, shimmery contents. “Glub!” It poured out all over him, streaming over the edges of his hat. Oka spluttered and looked surprised, speechless for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter.

Quarrow sat beside them, watching everything as he was splashed repeatedly, his tail swishing occasionally as though he found it all amusing. He shook his body like a cat or dog and hung a paw over the side of the bucket, swirling it around.

“That’s right, splash, splash! Quarrow, you silly, joining in! Are you all having fun in the water?” Fern laughed, holding a certain pen-like device up as she recorded all the cuteness on film. “Oka, what did you do?” she gasped, laughingly, delighting in the screech of laughter she got back.

She was glad that she was outside right about now with the amount of water being splashed around.

It was after lunch and she had taken the twins outside to play. They were on a manicured lawn with a shady tree to protect from summer sun, surrounded by little beds of perennials, such as pansies and nasturtiums. The sky was a perfect blue, butterflies fluttered about…and the lawn was getting soggier and muddier by the minute as little hands splashed and slapped in tubs full of water!

Fern couldn’t wait to show this to Saberlin. She had dressed them in waterproof diapers and frilly little swimmers (made especially to fit tails in the back), plopped adorable, matching floppy hats on their heads, slathered them in sunscreen and then blown up a small paddling pool and placed it in the gardens with some toys and some buckets of water. She was getting some great footage and the kids and family pet were happily entertained. Not to mention, herself. The first days of summer were going wonderfully.  

[Incognita Ninja]

Doctor Wincreed nodded, disappeared for a bit, then reappeared with the two files. "Here you go Saberlin. These are the files you requested." After handing them to Saberlin, he backed off, and disappeared for the remainder of the visit.

***

Caleb whimpered as he was pulled away from his mother. "Meme!!!" He started to squall, his normally golden skin turned a blush pink from the effort he was exerting. His light brown hair got mussed up as he tried to get away from James. But when James started to pat his back and bounce him up and down, he calmed down long enough to get the hiccups. His stomach growled and he looked quizically at James, his hiccuping subsiding for a little bit. After a bit, his hiccups returned and he laid his head on his father's chest. He sniffed, trying to catch the runny nose that he ended up wiping on his father's shirt. Tears still glimmered in his eyes.

***

"James, I just thought you would like to be prepared for when I do give birth again. You know, like in the future." She watched with some amusement at the fuss that Caleb was making. "Caleb, honey, Meme and Ada don't want you sick too." She smiled at James, the smile reaching to her eyes. Luke stirred, his darker hair slightly mussed at her breast. His mouth puckered like he was sucking on something and Cheria kissed his forehead. "Oh, my little one. You're dreaming of nursing, aren't you?" She had just them weaned from breast-feeding. She looked up at Saberlin and James when Saberlin told her no planning her wedding. "Suggestions? Well, I do have a few. Can we have Fern plan it? She would do such a lovely job. Saberlin and James, you can help her. I already picked out the dress, and the headpiece. What is missing is the veil, and flowers. For the flowers in my bouquet, I would like Lavender Orchids, Purple carnations, blue forget-me-nots, and pink freesias. Fern should have a picture of what I want for my wedding dress. I gave her one just the other day." Cheria squeezed her beloved's hand, reassuring him.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Saberlin took the files from the doctor and thanked him, letting him get back to work. He was also planning to access information from the computer database but these files were still useful. The most recent info would be in them from when Cheria and Luke were admitted that morning.

***

James’ fur stopped standing on end at last when the crying subsided. He was slowly getting more used to his kids, although the crying or tantrums still freaked him out a bit and hurt his ears. How could something so small be so loud?

Letting Cheria deal with the tears was his usual method of handling them. From watching what she did, he had learned a few things. James was glad that this time those things seemed to have worked.

The jaguar found himself grinning at the tiny squeaks that Caleb made from the hiccups. That was another thing that confused him: how could hiccups be so cute?

Then Caleb’s stomach growled loudly and he looked up at his dad with confusion written all over his face. James chuckled at the expression and patted his son’s head, ruffling his silky hair, “Sounds like your stomach is getting hungry. That was a loud growl. Ada will get you some lunch, okay?” he smiled at the return of the hiccups soon after and resolved to get him a drink of water.

James’ smile quickly disappeared at the next thing Caleb did, however. “Oh, gross, we do not wipe our nose on people’s clothes!”

He pulled Caleb away from his shirt, holding him out and going to the diaper bag to grab some wipes, just knowing Cheria was probably laughing at him right now. But he couldn’t help his reaction. As a person relatively new to parenting, he was definitely not used to the ‘get icky stuff wiped/smeared/spilled on you at any time’ thing yet.

He hastily pulled a couple of wipes and cleaned up Caleb’s nose and hands then cleaned the sticky traces of tears away too.

“Here you go kiddo. That must be better. Now have a big drink of water to clear up those hiccups”.

Calmer now that he wasn’t at risk of being snotted all over, James held out a colourful pop-top bottle to Caleb that was decorated with safari animals and lions, discreetly wiping the snot off his shirt with another wet tissue. He had just picked up a packet of fruit crisps (snacks) for Caleb and promptly dropped it out of shock when Cheria said about giving birth again.

Again?! She wanted more of them? She had been considering this for the future by the sounds of it. Howcome two wasn’t enough?

The look on his face must have said it all. James quickly composed himself, bending with Caleb in his arms to pick up the packet before anyone could notice. “Ah…yes. I’ll have a look at those tapes then for sure” he agreed distractedly, slicing open the snack packet with a claw and handing them to Caleb.

***

Saberlin smiled at Cheria’s choices. He knew she was going to pick Fern. He however, hadn’t expected her to ask him to help but that was fine, and he was pleased about it. He would do everything he could to ensure his sister and fiancé would have their dream wedding, especially since it was being held at the Harcourt residence.

Anything that needed organising, food provided, seating and guest lists, as well as ordering, Saberlin would help take care of it. He wasn’t going to choose for them, though. Fern and Cheria could do that as they'd probably enjoy it more than he would.

He caught what was happening with James and Caleb when he glanced towards the sound of a snack packet dropped to the floor and bit hard on his tongue to prevent grinning in wicked amusement. Ah yes, the wonderful measures of having small children. He had already been used to getting spit up on, drooled on, chewed on, used as a pincushion and many other things since Panthe and Oka appeared in the world. It came to a point where the laundry didn’t matter.

Saberlin turned back to finish speaking to Cheria before he had to hurry off and work on the cure. “Certainly, I think Fern would be delighted to plan it. This will make her very happy. I too have full confidence in her wedding planning abilities” he chuckled, “I shall pass on your preference of flowers to her and fill her in on the other details regarding the veil and such. And for now, you my lady sister and my dear nephew should rest”. With things sorted out, he shuffled the files in his arms and patted her foot lightly before exiting the room and striding back to the labs.

***

“There, I think we got some good footage to show everyone” Fern touched the pink circle on the holographic screen and watched the pop-out viewing lens slide back into the barrel of the thin pen-like device that Saberlin had given her. He had used it on several occasions and finally the product had been perfected so he had given her one of the first as a gift. She mostly used it to take photos and videos of their family for scrapbooking or blogging.

Fern waved a hand at her face and neck, trying to fan some cool air on her skin. She blew at her hair that clung to her forehead. Even though she had sat under the shade of the tree, the air was warm and balmy and left sheen of perspiration clinging to her body.

She was feeling prickly and uncomfortable by now, as the real heat of the day set in. It was about 1:00 or 1:30pm.

Watching Panthe and Oka play in the water, it looked so inviting and cool.



That was it!

Fern stood from the camp chair she had been sitting on, stretching her arms and back. “Alright, look out - Mama is coming in to play with you” she called, laughing softly at the responding cheers of Panthe and Oka and the excited grating noises made by Quarrow. “It’s too hot to sit under that tree any longer”

Peeling off her light dress she revealed a two piece pink-striped bathing suit with tasteful soft ribbons accenting the corners.



She slathered on more sunscreen and placed her straw hat with the ribbon on, then waded into the inflatable pool, relishing the cool water with a sigh. Rubber duckies and plastic cups floated around her but she didn’t care, “Oh, this is lovely!”



Fern crouched til the water was over her shoulders. It was only deep enough to come up to Panthe and Oka’s shoulders, and they hadn’t hopped in yet. But as soon as she did, sure enough…

“Mama, in…in!” Oka whined, hanging over the edge of the pool and wrapping his little arms around her neck. “In”

Quarrow poked his head over the other side and rested it on her free shoulder, looking at her with shiny eyes.

“Me, me, me!” Panthe followed, almost falling over as she crawled across the lawn and got grassy knees.

She lifted one chubby leg over the top of the pool then got stuck hanging there awkwardly because she wasn’t tall enough to get over.

“Oh goodness, you’re all coming to join me?” Fern asked with mock surprise, giggling at their enthusiasm. This was summer fun at its best. “Come on then” …  

[Incognita Ninja]

The files contained everything medical about Cheria and Luke. In Luke's file, an ultrasound of him before he was born, a picture of him suckling for the first time as a tiny lion cub, and a picture of him laying next to his brother, a tag on his hind foot to let the medical personnel which one was "baby #2". Cheria's file contained everything they learned about her when she delivered the twins and nursed them for the first time, and what they learned about her even still, when she was admitted.

***

Caleb munched on the fruit snacks, his tail flicking. Neither his or his brother's tail lost their baby spot yet. He stopped munching long enough to take a long drink from the sippy cup. Even though it wasn't mother's milk, it was good. At least, according to him. After he finished the fruit snacks and the drained the entire sippy cup of water, he yawned and nuzzled his father's chest. He whimpered quietly, wanting to feel the skin of his father next to his.

***

Cheria smiled as she watched her son eat. Shifting Luke so he was in a different position, she gently tucked his tail into the blanket. "I will try, dear brother." She shivered and snuggled down with Luke. "If you need to James, ask one of the nurses to get a baby sitter. We have plenty, though I would recommend either Fern or Kuloko." Luke squirmed, and she let him move to a position that was comfortable. Finally, he laid his head on her chest. Cheria gently lifted him off, and placed him on her belly, over her lungs. "There. How's that?" She smiled at James. "I just weaned them." She felt for his hand and held on to it. "Why are you nervous about me having more children? I thought......." She couldn't think of a reason. She looked at Caleb nuzzling his father's chest. "He wants to sleep? Already? He likes being next to skin. Especially if you put him in your shirt, and use your shirt as a blanket." She gave a tight lipped smile before succumbing to tears. "I know this is random, but I miss my father. He wouldn't be able to walk me down the aisle when I get married...!" She silently cried, her tears coursing down her face. After about 10 minutes, she stopped crying and closed her eyes in exhaustion. "James...May I have a hug?" Her garnet and gold engagement ring glimmered in the lighting. Because she under stress, she couldn't form complete thoughts. "You might want to go get those tapes now, while your family is asleep, so you can have peace and quiet." She smiled tenderly at him.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Saberlin was back in the labs, looking over the files he'd been given. He smiled at the pictures of his nephews. It had seemed like only yesterday they were so tiny. Their rate of growth had been steady.

He looked up from the paperwork to a computer screen. Reading the data from blood tests and other samples, he compared each set for Winny, Cheria and Luke. He could see that it was a virus that had been lying dormant in Cheria's system, identical to the one Winny had. It had been passed down to the children through blood and while dormant, had been relatively harmless.

Saberlin stood and walked over to check on the samples in several petri dishes encased in seperate capsules in a strange looking machine. The machine sped the growth rate of living organisms placed inside it. He'd used it to create a batch of samples to test the remnants of the original cure on. He had found the cure preserved in one of the specially conditioned store rooms, right where his father had left it.

Studying the figures being spit out by the machine, Saberlin jotted numbers on his form, calculating the data for three different samples of the same cure.

Two of his colleagues assisted in the process, carrying out experiments with the virus and the same cure. They had to work fast.

***

"That was a nice swim, wasn't it? There you go Oka, Mama is finished fussing with you" Fern sighed, somewhat exasperated, scooping her wriggling son up off the changing table.

She was back in the twin's nursery, changing them back into their clothes after their swim. She tugged Oka's hand away from his clean t-shirt, (white with an orange gold fish in the middle ), stopping him from pulling it off again for the third time. It was time for their afternoon naps and they were getting crabby. Swimming was tiring work, apparently.

Oka wailed loudly when she picked him up off the change mat, kicking and waving his arms. His ears were flattened in an angry fit and he was crying almost at a volume to match Panthe. Little claws scratched Fern's arm as she rocked him gently, trying to soothe Oka's tantrum.

The little pantheress was already in her crib and none too happy about being there. She knew it was nap time but she wasn't going down without a fight. Standing and holding the wooden bars of the crib, Panthe sobbed between gasps for breath, her eyes fixed on Fern with a look of betrayal. Why couldn't she hold Panthe too? "Mamaaaaaa!" Panthe called, her voice cracking as she pulled in a hiccuping breath.

Quarrow remained perched on the side of the crib, watching everything as calmly as a statue. Nothing seemed to phase the stone guardian creature. He yawned and curled his tail more comfortably around the crib bars.

***

James' ears were back when he knocked on the door again, unheard for the second time. He knew that if Fern were a feline-type like the rest of them, she would probably be able to hear him knocking on the door to the nursery, even over the ruckus.

"Looks like we chose a bad time, Caleb. Alright. into the war zone" he said to the boy in his arms, shifting the diaper bag on his shoulder to reach for the door handle.

Taking a breath to steady his nerves, he twisted it open and stepped into the nap time scene, making his presence noticible so that Fern would see him come in.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt - augh" James clapped a hand over one ear, squashing the ear to his head to block out the crying. He tried raising his voice above the noise, since Fern was giving him confused looks.

"We need someone to mind Caleb while I stay with Cheria" James, half-shouted, "I didn't know what nannies there were because I didn't get to ask, so would he be able to stay with you for tonight? II brought his bag with all of his things in it. Cheria and Luke are still sick".

He hoped she'd say yes. He had to get back to Cheria and his other son. He had promised to stay with them.

***

"What?! They're sick? When, what...why are they sick?" Fern called back over the crying, rubbing Oka's back without thinking as she swayed gently from side to side, "is it contagious?" She was shocked and frightened, worried about this news. All afternoon she had been having a lovely time with her family and the rest of them had been ill? She felt terrible. "No one told me"  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria slept comfortably in her lion form, with her son Luke next to her, also in his lion form. She was unaware of the medical team around her.

***
Caleb clung to James, his eyes wide and ears back.
James shook his head. "I don't think so. Though, since Luke has it, Caleb might get it later." He shouldered the diaper bag. "It was sudden. I don't think there was time to tell anyone else. It started with Luke and then Cheria... well... everything went down hill from there." Caleb glanced around and saw his aunt. He started to strain towards her, starting to whimper. " ''unty!" He wriggled, and James struggled to hang on to the toddler.


((Sorry for the short post on Cheria.... :/ )  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

((That’s okay. That happens sometimes. So long as it makes sense it’s fine by me. I find it hard to RP like that all the time but sometimes you only need a one liner. Less can be more. I’m guilty of going overboard and writing too much, so that helps even things out. I suppose there’s not much you can write when your characters are asleep. Unless they’re dreaming)).

Saberlin held up a vial of greenish black ooze, dispensing one drop from an eye dropper of what appeared to be water into the glass. He waited expectantly, watching for a reaction. Nothing happened at first. And then, slowly, a colour change began to occur from where the drop had fallen. The green began to grow lighter and thinner, until a crystal blue liquid had filled and replaced the entire vial.

“Almost there” he murmured, turning to place it with the powdered moss that filled another container. He was on the right track. Now he had two parts of the cure and just needed the third.

Saberlin pushed up his protective goggles and pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging it slightly to relieve a tension headache. Too bad the final part was the most difficult. Why wasn’t working? He could have sworn he was following Jabe’s instructions to the letter. The resources they had were too precious to waste and there had only been a few viable bits of the original cure base left.

“Sir, I have the results from the second test batches here if you’d like to take a look at them” An assistant researcher drew him back to the task at hand.

“Huh? Right…I’m coming” He went to take a look at what the others had come up with, listening as the younger man shared what information they had.

“See, with the addition of the Quarrow Moss we managed to create a stronger cure than the previous one created by your father, Sir. The only problem is, it’s not mixing well with the elements in the third part either”.

***

“I see, that’s a relief. Thank you for telling me” Fern replied, frowning. “I’m so sorry about Luke and Cheria. I’ll pay them a visit as soon as I get the twins settled. I think they’re overtired. We were swimming” she explained with a small shrug.

“I was going to call for a nanny when you walked in”

“’Unty!” She was interrupted by a very squirmy toddler trying to get out of James’ arms.

“Oh, Caleb, sweetie, nice to see you cutie-pie. Don’t worry I’ll keep both my eyes on you!” Fern stopped frowning and smiled at the eager cub, stepping forwards to take him off the jaguar, kissing his cheek as she held him. In the background, Panthe’s jealousy meter went up noticeably to everyone in the room. “Sorry about all the noise. Panthe, sweetheart I haven’t forgotten about you either” Being pulled in multiple directions at once wasn't Fern's favourite feeling in the world.

Fern walked over to the crib and patted the girl’s hair, wishing her arms could hold all three and knowing there was only room for two. This was getting out of hand. “Oh, would you mind pressing the button on their baby monitor? The red one, to summon Silaeca? I know you need to get back to Luke and Cheria” she looked at James helplessly, with pleading eyes.

Oka’s crying started to lower in volume, sounding wearier as the tears slowed and the angry colour started fading from his cheeks. He had his eyes closed and was leaning into her shoulder now, only a long wailing sound accompanying the occasional tears, as though it was an effort to keep up all this crying. His cries sounded strange as Fern patted his back, interrupting them with ‘pat-pat-pat’ motions. His tail had finally stopped it’s tetchy swaying and curled cutely around his left leg, his right being around Fern’s back. She had grown used to the claws digging into her clothing.

Panthe, on the other hand, wasn’t being rocked and soothed and was quickly escalating into a full blown fit, her cries growing angrier and more screechy by the second. She even bit the bar at one point, hissed, stomped her tiny feet and scratched to be let out, leaving claw marks in the wood that destroyed the polished finish. There were many such marks around the crib’s inside. How Panthe hated being ignored.  

[Incognita Ninja]

James nodded and pressed the red button. He waved goodbye to Caleb nad jogged back to the medical bay. But, instead of going straight to Cheria's side, he took a small detour and sought out Saberlin instead. He finally found, and he was a bit nervous. "Saberlin? I have something to ask you. Do you have the security tapes from when Cheria gave birth to Caleb and Luke? I would like to watch them so I can be prepared for when she gives birth again in the future." He shuffled his feet and looked around him.
Caleb nuzzled his aunt's shoulder and gripped some of her shirt in his hand, poking little holes in them. His checks were flushed and he was starting to get warm. He weakly coughed and sniffed. He closed his eyes since the light was bothering him.
Cheria was still laying still, in her lioness form, with Luke snuggled to her belly. Suddenly, Cheria began to convulse, though she tried not to hurt her son. Luke wailed while the machines beeped. Some how, too much of the medicine had gotten into her system, and her body was reacting to it.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

Fern mouthed a ‘thank you’ to the jaguar before he left the room, starting to sing softly to all the children once there was no one around to hear. She knew Silaeca would be there within minutes. It was nice to have help on call whenever she needed it. Mostly she could get them to sleep herself but in this case, she wanted to hurry to see Cheria and Luke, plus someone would need to stay and watch over them while she did so.

After a while, she could hear the sound of scaly skin slithering along the floors towards the nursery. She had to hand it to the woman, she was fast.

***

The red naga slipped elegantly into the room, her scales glittering in the dimmed light and her apron immaculate. “Hello Mistress-sss, I am here. Which would you require help with, sss?” she hissed placidly, sliding sleekly across the ground towards the crib as Fern pointed straight towards Panthe with a smile. Silaeca bent down and scooped up the little neko, starting to slowly sway with her around the floor and stop the tantrum.

***

“Thanks Silaeca, I’ll just turn the lights down and put the nightlights on, I think the light is bothering Caleb” she said, stroking his hair back from his eyes as she went over to turn the knob that controlled the room’s lights. They were plunged into a soft darkness with tiny star lights floating around the walls and ceiling.

Oka had fallen asleep against her shoulder, but only a light sleep that he would wake from if she stopped rocking him. Occasionally he startled and his eyes would nearly flutter open.

Fern frowned, feeling Caleb’s forehead again. “Silaeca, could you come here for a moment please? I think Caleb feels hot!” When he coughed and sniffed, she became even more worried. "I'm going to take him down to the medical bay"

***

Saberlin looked up from the final edition of the cure himself and the lab team been working on. It was now ready but it had to be left in the right conditions of light and temperature for one day until the colour changed to a watery violet and became fully translucent. Otherwise it would not be effective. It should be ready by noontime tomorrow.

He stood up and stretched, arching his back then stretching the muscles in his neck, releasing the tension that had built from being hunched over his work. Pulling his face mask down around his neck and removing the safety goggles, he placed them on a bench and turned to speak to James with a tone of mild astonishment. “Why yes, I do believe we have them on hand. I shall ask one of the staff to fetch them for you from the archive room as it is kept under lock and key.”

He paused for a moment, thinking on something, “What do you mean by ‘when she gives birth again’? Are you planning for more children already?” He had a suspicion that this was Cheria’s wish more than James’, yet maybe he was wrong about him. Just thinking back to when he had first met and the circumstances before Luke and Caleb arrived; he could hardly believe the other would want to add more to his family so quickly. James had seemed to hate the idea of having children then and practically disowned Cheria.

But now he was trying to be a good father to them and he could tell that James really cared about Cheria, so who knew. “Well, never mind, I was merely curious, you shouldn’t answer that” Saberlin rumbled, waving a hand in dismissal and shaking his head.

He walked over to a small intercom set on the wall near the exit of the labs, pressing a button to call staff. “I am sending someone up to the archive room. Please give him the records he asks for. It should be number 126, Luke and Caleb’s birth”

He turned back to James, tail swaying calmly, “You can go up to the archive room now. One of the maids will be waiting there with the key”

***
((I am not a doctor in any way, so just use your imagination here, okay? Lol))

Medical staff ran to Cheria’s side, moving Luke away to a bed right next to hers so that he wouldn’t get injured by her thrashing.They knew the proper cure was almost ready but it seemed they had given too much of another medicine to try and keep her stable. Doctor Wincreed looked at the data coming from the machines that monitored her and soon figured out what was wrong, while some other staff held Cheria down, stopping her from rolling off the bed, keeping clear of her teeth and claws, while others timed how long it was lasting.

“I need some Crystarium. We have to dissipate the medicine in her body” Doctor Wincreed snapped his fingers in the air as he issued the order.

One of the nurses administered the Crystarium drug that would break down the one already in her system, directly placing it into the IV that fed into Cheria. The only problem was that now she would have to battle the virus without the meds she had been using, until the cure was ready. Unless they could find something else they could give her in the meantime.  

[Incognita Ninja]

Cheria was given the crystarium. It took some time, but the medicine took affect, and she calmed down.
Caleb kept his head on his aunt's shoulder, his eyes a bit glassy, and his silky hair damp. He kept his brown-gold eyes closed all the time while Fern carried him down to the medical bay.
James nodded and went to find the archive room. He found it and the maid silently gave him the tapes. "Thank you." He clutched them and went back to Cheria's side. He noticed that there was the medical team around her. "What's going on? What's wrong?" His voice held a note of worry.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

((Let's play; 'let's pretend Mey knows what she's doing' cat_blaugh Feel the drama.))

Cheria’s vital signs were monitored; her pulse, heart rate and temperature, among other things. She was checked over for any bruises or other injuries and found to be unharmed. They made sure to keep her cool and tried to keep her temperature down.

Doctor Wincreed looked through the records they had of her on the computer and found another medicine that could be administered; a simple painkiller which would also help reduce fever but it was not as effective and could not be given more than once every four hours. They also checked Luke but he seemed to be in a fairly stable condition as he’d been given less of the medicine due to his smaller size and weight.

Fern arrived on the first floor of the medical bay above the labs, walking briskly through the pneumatic doors into the reception area, holding Caleb to her. She was greeted immediately and he was taken from her and whisked away to be treated. He was then placed in another bed in the same room as Cheria and Luke.

Fern took a seat in the waiting room and tried to stay calm. She then got up again and paced around. She waited to be shown to the room so she could see them. 'I hope they're all going to be alright. I wish there was something I could do. Please, I have to see them' She cast a hopeful glance towards the reception desk but the receptionist was currently taking an emergency call from someone.

Doctor Wincreed turned away from the conversation he was having with one of the nurses who’d been looking after Caleb and went to speak to James, as the nurse got back to work. “Oh, I’m sorry, Cheria had a reaction to the medication we were giving her and went into convulsions. She also transformed into her lioness form,” he explained patiently, “She’s been given a drug that cleared it from her system and her body has now calmed down but we are monitoring her condition. The lab has informed us that the proper treatment for the virus will be ready around noontime tomorrow so we’re doing all we can to make them comfortable until it arrives. I also must tell you that your second son has come down with the fever but it doesn’t appear to be contagious. Luke is in a stable condition so far”.  

[Incognita Ninja]

James nodded."That's a relief." "Caleb only has a cold, right? Not what Cheria and Luke have?" He looked over his family, and Caleb choose that moment to sneeze rather violently. He sighed. "Well, I trust they are in good hands, Doctor." James kissed each one in turn, and then went in search of a TV, so he could watch the videos.
Cheria slumbered on, dreaming of times when she was happy, and not sick. Luke and Caleb were calm, each one dreaming something of fishes, frogs, and mud.  

[Kasumi Roseglimmer]

“We can’t be sure at the moment so we’re just checking him over,” the doctor smiled reassuringly. “The temperature and other symptoms are very similar to Luke and Cheria’s but we should be able to let you know soon. If it is the virus, he’ll need to stay here with the others”.

James would be able to find a spare TV in a viewing parlour next to the archive room, or in several private viewing rooms with televisions that were located in the libraries. Alternatively, some of the bedrooms had televisions installed for those who had either bought their own, or asked for them. The viewing parlour next to the archive room would probably have been the best choice though, as it was much like a small home theatre with surround sound and squishy armchairs. It would seem Saberlin did not like TVs very much so the mansion didn’t own too many.

The medical staff continued to check on the twin’s health levels and monitored the readings from the machines. They took a small blood test from Caleb, the same way they had done with Luke. It was very quick and relatively painless; a diminutive syringe gun that need only be held to the skin for three seconds for the vial loaded in its holder to be filled. There was a sharp sting and a little tenderness though it could be said to be preferable to the slower method of drawing blood. A gentle fever and pain relief medication was given to the boy and they tried to persuade him to drink a sippy cup of water.

Doctor Wincreed went into his office for a moment, looking to see Caleb’s results on the screen. They would soon find out whether it was the virus or just a cold.

***

Meanwhile, Fern had been able to speak to the woman at the desk. She followed her down the hallways to the room where Cheria and the twins were, walking in timidly. The nurse announced her presence, rapping lightly on the door frame to get the doctor’s attention. “Excuse me, doctor? Just letting you know that your patients have a visitor. Mistress Harcourt is here to see them” she waited for him to make a sign of acknowledgement before leaving to get back to the desk.

Fern walked over to the bed and took Cheria’s large paw in her hand, stroking it lightly. “Oh, Cheria” She looked at her nephews as well, going to each one and holding their little hands in hers. She wished there was something she could do.

Going to sit by the lioness' bed, she took Cheria's paw again and started stroking her ears.  

[Incognita Ninja]

When Fern started to stroke her ears, her body loosened up and then completely relaxed. Cheria opened one golden-brown eyes, and then playfully trapped Fern's open hand in her paws, and then... she started to lick Fern's hand. She couldn't purr, so why not show her appreciation by giving her a full blown cat bath? Pretty soon, Cheria had pulled Fern into the bed and was given her a cat bath that any big cat would be proud of. When she was done, she nudged Fern and snuggled. Luke slept peacefully, in a sleep full of sweet cubbie dreams. He hooked his favorite stuffie and cuddled with it, his thumb in his mouth, sucking away. Caleb sneezed again and again, each time more violently then the last. Cheria pricked her ears and looked over where her firstborn was. She chuffed in sympathy and then laid her head down.

James opened the viewing room and put in the videos. He selected a chair, turned down the lights, and then started.

Cheria had experienced the first contractions, and just sent the maid for help. Saberlin came, and helped her into the bed (by carrying her), after alerting the medical staff. Saberlin and Fern stayed by her side while the contractions continued. The staff appeared and helped Cheria get comfortable.Soon, full labor was underway. She groaned, puffed, and sometimes chuffed. She ate some ice chips, but mostly didn't eat anything else. The first cub arrived, and the staff cleaned him off. Cheria fell asleep, believing that she was done, but was woken up with more contraction and the birth of the second cub. (While she was sleeping, her body worked to naturally push the second cub out, feet first). The staff took him too, and repeated the proceedures they used with the first cub. Cheria was handed her fist cub, and then she transformed into a lioness, with her cubs and then let them suckle.
END OF VIDEO

James sat, watching the video intently. He had no idea what he put Cheria through. That is, he had no idea that she would give birth to twins. He should've been there for her. After the video ended, he rewound it and then put his head in his hands and started to cry. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him.