Marriage of Convenience

Part Five

After sobbing for half an hour, Cheetara cleaned the mess she and Lion-O created during their heated argument. When the last of her perfume was cleaned off the floor in the bathroom, Cheetara took a hot shower. It helped relax her, and it was the first time in a couple of days that she was welcomed with hot water. Ten minutes later, she emerged from the shower, dried off, and combed her hair in front of the mirror.

“It’s my fault this has happened. If I had given myself to Lion-O, the argument wouldn’t have happened. We can’t keep going on like this. I can’t keep pushing it off.” She set her comb down on the counter and placed her hands on her stomach. “How can I have a child if I don’t sleep with him? I…. I must give myself to him. I just hope in time that he will love me.”

Cheetara wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out of the bathroom and entered the bedroom. She opened the closet and looked at her clothes and then at Lion-O’s. Her clothes were twice the amount of Lion-O’s clothes.

“I guess I do have a lot of clothes.” Cheetara said. The Lady of Thundera looked around the room. It was huge and had a lot of available space. “I could get a wardrobe where Lion-O and I could put clothes that aren’t our regular Thundercat uniforms in. That way our closet will have more than enough room, since it would only have our Thundercat uniforms in it. I can also bring my vanity in here. I’ll just put exactly what I need in the bathroom. That way the countertop wouldn’t be too crowded.”

Cheetara smiled at herself, proud that she was able to solve some of the problems between her and her husband. Mind made up of what she was going to do, Cheetara dressed and looked around the lair for Lion-O. She would talk to him, and they could work things out. Nearly an hour has passed since the argument, and the cheetah was starting to get worried about her husband, especially when he left in a rush of anger like that. Who knew what he would do angry, or what could happen to him?

*****

Lion-O drove the Thundertank at full speed up a mountain. He had the protective cover down to cool his boiling temper but that didn’t help. He made a sharp turn around the mountain and pushed the gas pedal harder.

“Nothing seems to be going right for us. I tried to be patient, but even the most mild-mannered person can lose his patience over her. Why though? Why won’t she let me get close to her? How are we ever going to have a child if she won’t let me…” He paused not wanting to finish. “Maybe she doesn’t find me desirable… and I tried to force myself on her. What an idiot I am! And I was a complete jerk for taking her clothes out of the clothes and knocking down all her stuff in the bathroom. She has a right to put her things in the bathroom. It is hers too. Everything of mine is hers now. I got out of control. I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that. I never had before so why then? I should just turn around and head back home. I’ll apologize to her, and I’ll wait until she is ready. I hope she didn’t think I was serious about her moving back to her room. I didn’t mean any of it.”

Driving as fast as he was, the Lord of the Thundercats did not see a mountain lion on the road until it was too late. He hit the brakes and swerved as fast as he could to avoid it, but with the speed he was going, he swerved too hard. The mountain lion jumped clear of the dangerously large vehicle heading towards him. Lion-O lost control of the tank and the Thundertank flipped, throwing Lion-O’s body out. He reached for his claw shield only to realize in a split second that he had left it at the lair. He cried out as his body fell off the mountain, getting hit by the jagged rocks that tore through his skin, leaving deep cuts and severe bruises. The Lord of the Thundercats mighty body slammed onto the ground back first. Lion-O tried to get up, but his body would not allow him. His energy was draining, and he was losing consciousness. The lion looked up and saw the Thundertank slightly hanging on the edge. One bad move and it would be over for Lion-O.

The mountain lion jumped on the tank. The four-legged animal noticed how unbalanced it seemed and leaped off. That triggered the tank to fall. Lion-O’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the Thundertank topple over. He tried to move again, but his body would not let him. He was so weak and losing consciousness. As the tank came closer and closer, the Lord of the Thundercats closed his eyes feeling the end for him.

*****

Cheetara searched everywhere for Lion-O. Her intuition was telling her something bad was going to happen. She had to make sure he was all right. The Lady of Thundera spotted Panthro coming from the hangar.

“Panthro, have you seen Lion-O?”

Panthro shook his head. “No, but the Thundertank is missing, so I assume he took it. He didn’t tell you where he went?”

“No,” Cheetara answered. “We had a fight and he left.”

Panthro folded his arms and asked surprised. “You had a fight? So soon? What happened?”

“I rather not say,” the cheetah said quietly.

“I understand.” Then it hit Panthro that Lion-O took the Thundertank for a drive and he was upset. Something could happen to his precious Thundertank while the angry Lord of the Thundercats was driving it. “Wait a second. Lion-O was angry when he left? Why did you let him leave while he was angry?! Something could happen to my tank,” Panthro said angrily to the cheetah.

Cheetara could feel her anger rising again. “How was I to know he would take the tank?! He—” The cheetah clasped her head in pain. Her sixth sense was powerfully strong at that moment. It never weakened her so much, since she developed her telekinetic powers. Her head throbbed in unremitting pain, causing the cheetah to fall to her knees. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Through her special gift of second sight, she saw Lion-O’s accident.

“Lion-O…” she murmured weakly.

Panthro helped the Lady of the ThunderCats to her feet. “Lion-O? What’s wrong with him?”

Cheetara kept her eyes closed as she recalled the vision. “He…he’s been in an accident. He’s in deep pain. The Thundertank fell on him! We have to get to him!”

“I’ll get Tygra and Pumyra. Lion-O’s going to need medical help.” Panthro told her and ran to get the other two Thundercats.

In less than ten minutes, the Whisker holding Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, and Pumyra flew at full speed from Cat’s Lair to the mountains. Twenty minutes later, the ThunderCat aircraft arrived at its destination. Panthro flew over the area and saw the Thundertank on its back. The panther wondered if they got there in time. He was pinned under the Thundertank once before, but it had never fallen on him.

“There’s the tank!” Cheetara shouted.

“I see it,” Panthro said and slowly lowered the Whisker above the Thundertank by a few feet. Panthro activated the six pensors on the Whisker. Three pensors came out on each side of the ship. They clamped on their respective side of the Thundertank. Panthro began to pull up. The Thundertank seem to struggle with the Whisker. Panthro added more power to the ship. He lifted the tank up and turned it on its right side. The ThunderCats gasped as they saw Lion-O unconscious on the ground. Bruises and cuts covered his body, and he was bleeding severely.

“Lion-O!” Cheetara yelled out.

Pumyra grabbed Cheetara’s arm, as she was about to jump out of the ship to get to Lion-O. “Hold on, Cheetara. Let Panthro land the ship first. Tygra and I will get him. You stay here.”

“No, I don’t want to stay. I need to be with him.”

“Cheetara, I don’t think you should see Lion-O like this.”

“He’s my husband. No one is going to stop me from going to him.” Cheetara said icily.

Pumyra was surprise by the cheetah’s anger but soon understood. If it were Bengali down there, she would be in the same position and react the same way.

Panthro landed the Whisker, and the other Thundercats jumped out. Cheetara was at Lion-O’s side first. She gently caressed his head and called for him to wake up, but he would not. She cried, moving her hands over his face and hair. The swift ThunderCat felt behind his head and felt something wet. She pulled her hand back to see blood covering it.

Meanwhile, Tygra and Pumyra checked over Lion-O. They found a pulse, but it was weak. This concerned the two ThunderCats. The two of them shared glances and nodded their heads as they realized the severity of their leader’s injuries.

“Cheetara, we must move him,” Pumyra told her friend softly.

The cheetah nodded quietly. She helped Tygra and Pumyra carefully lift the unconscious Lord of the Thundercats and laid him on a stretcher that Tygra brought. They carried him to the Whisker. They laid Lion-O on the backseat. Cheetara was with him crying and holding his hand as the medical experts applied as much medical attention as they could at that moment. Panthro flew back to the lair at full speed.

Once the Whisker landed, Tygra and Pumyra took Lion-O to sickbay. Cheetara was going to go in after them when Panthro grabbed her and held her back.

“You can’t go in there.” Panthro told her.

“I have to. Lion-O needs me!”

“I know he does, but right now he needs Pumyra and Tygra and their medical expertise.” Panthro explained.

“I can’t stand here and do nothing.”

“Right now…all you can do is wait and pray.” Panthro advised her. “I’m going to get Bengali, and we’re going to bring the tank back. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Cheetara nodded quietly trying to keep in some of the tears that were spilling out. Panthro headed back down the hall, leaving her alone. Cheetara fell to her knees and said a silent prayer for her husband.

*****

Cheetara paced nervously as she waited for Tygra and Pumyra to exit out of the room. She had been waiting for four hours, but she had not heard anything. Snarf kept her company for a while, but she sent him on his way, saying she wanted to be alone.

Tygra and Pumyra emerged from the doors; they were tired, drained and sad. Cheetara noticed their expressions.

“What is it? Lion-O’s not……he’s not….”

“No,” Tygra shook his head. “Lion-O isn’t dead. He’s in a coma.”

Cheetara gasped. “No.” She shook her head in denial.

Pumyra continued, “We’re not sure how long he will be in it. When we did x-rays, Tygra and I discovered that he has some swelling, fluid build-up, around the spine. We won’t know the full effects of Lion-O’s injuries until he awakens. But the sooner he wakes up, the better his chances are. ”

“With the severity of his head injury, Lion-O will experience some memory loss,” Tygra added. “Hopefully it is nothing more than the accident itself.”

Cheetara paled at that news. Was it possible for Lion-O not to remember their marriage? The cheetah was afraid of the answer, so she did not ask the question. “Can I see him?” she asked instead.

“Yes,” Tygra answered.

Cheetara walked passed them and entered the room. She almost began crying again when she saw him. Lion-O laid unconscious on the bed. He was hooked to an IV, three different bags of solution going into his body through a needle. His pulse line beeped on the heart monitor. A plastic tube came from his mouth helping him breathe. Bandages were placed on one side of Lion-O’s face and on several places on his arms to protect it the injuries from infection. The rest of his body was covered with a white sheet. The young Lord looked lifeless lying on the bed.

The cheetah sat in a chair next to his bed. She picked up his left hand. She rubbed it gently against her face. “Lion-O, it’s me, Cheetara. I’m so sorry this has happened. If we didn’t have that stupid argument, you wouldn’t be lying here. I’d do anything to have you wake up now. You don’t know it, but I love you so much, Lion-O. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” She kissed his hand and laid it back down. Cheetara then ran her fingers through his red mane. Silently, she wept.

The Lady of the ThunderCats stayed with her husband the rest of the day, just watching Lion-O and waiting. She hadn’t eaten all day, but she wasn’t thinking about that. It didn’t even occur to her that she should take care of herself. Her energy was focused on Lion-O. The other ThunderCats came in from time to time to check in on Lion-O, but his condition didn’t change.

Tygra entered sickbay the next morning and saw the weary cheetah looking over her husband, holding his hand. Already concern with his leader’s condition, he began to worry about his wife as well.

“Cheetara?”

Cheetara stopped staring at Lion-O and looked up at Tygra. “What is it?”

“Have you eaten or gotten any sleep in the past twenty-four hours?”

“No, I haven’t,” Cheetara answered and turned to look back at her husband.

Tygra stepped in the room, the mechanical doors closing after him. The levelheaded tiger walked to the tired cheetah. “Cheetara, you can’t just forget about yourself and focus on Lion-O.”

“Lion-O is the only person that matters now,” Cheetara said rubbing Lion-O’s left arm softly.

“I know you’re concern about Lion-O. We all are, but your body needs attention, too. You need to eat, you need to sleep and you need a shower. Your clothes are stained with Lion-O’s blood.” Tygra pointed to the top of her uniform.

Cheetara looked at her chest and saw that it was indeed stained with blood. She ignored it and returned her eyes to Lion-O. “I can’t leave him.” Cheetara said.

“Cheetara, you will only be a few doors down.”

“But he could wake up,” Cheetara protested. “I need to be with him.”

“If anything happens, I’ll come and get you.”

Cheetara looked back at the tiger. “But you should be watching, Lion-O. Who’s going to be watching him, if you’re getting me? No, I won’t leave.”

Tygra sighed. “Either Pumyra or I will be here. I’m going to stay here until you come back. If something happens, I’ll get Pumyra to watch him while I get you. Is that all right?”

Cheetara took her eyes off Tygra and back at Lion-O. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needs to get away for a few minutes, to take a shower at least.

“I’ll take a shower, but you are to stay here until I get back.”

“I promise,” Tygra answered.

“I want my food brought up here, and I’m staying in here. If I sleep, I’ll be in here.”

“If that’s what you want, then so be it.” Tygra answered.

Cheetara nodded her head. She leaned over on the bed and kissed Lion-O on the forehead. “I’ll be back,” she told her husband quietly. Cheetara left her seat and walked out the door. The cheetah headed towards her bedroom. When she entered, she felt so alone. She grabbed her uniform from the closet and entered the bathroom. In a rush to get back to Lion-O, Cheetara shed off her clothes and got in the shower. She emerged from the shower ten minutes later, dressed and went back to check on Lion-O.

Nothing happened during the time she was gone. Snarf brought her breakfast just as soon as she got back.

“Thank you, Snarf,” she said and looked at the tray. She really wasn’t hungry. Her appetite was spoiled because she was worried about her husband. She pushed the food away.

“Snarf, Cheetara, you have to eat.”

“I’ll eat later.”

Snarf frowned. Forcing her to eat would do no good, so he pulled out Lion-O’s schedule book.

“I cancelled all of Lion-O’s schedule yesterday. What should I do for today? He has some very important meetings scheduled.”

“Cancel it, Snarf. He can’t do anything now. Cancel everything until further notice. If anyone ask, just say that he is ill,” Cheetara said looking at Lion-O.

“All right. Snarf. Snarf.” The furry creature complied and put the book back up.

The door opened. Only Snarf looked to see who was coming in: Lynx-O, the Thunderkittens, and Snarfer. They flew back to New Thundera as soon as they were able to when they heard the news of their leaders accident.

“We heard,” Lynx-O said. “How is he?”

“Still the same from when I last contacted you, Lynx-O,” Snarf answered.

“Cheetara?” WilyKat called softly.

Cheetara looked at the four new guests surprised at their presence. “I didn’t hear you enter.”

“We understand,” Kit said walking closer to the bed to look at her leader. “How did this happen?”

“Lion-O lost control of the Thundertank on a mountain. He was thrown off and then the tank fell on him,” Cheetara answered emotionally holding back tears. She wasn’t going to cry again.

“How did that happen?” Kat asked.

“Panthro checked the tank’s instrument and from what he could tell, Lion-O was speeding,” Snarf explained.

“Why was he speeding around a mountain? Lion-O knows better than that,” Lynx-O said.

Cheetara knew why he was speeding, but she wasn’t going to tell them.

“Panthro also said that you and Lion-O had an argument that morning,” Snarf continued and asked Cheetara. “Do you think that contributed to the accident? What were you two arguing about?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cheetara said.

“If you talk about it, Cheetara, things may become clear,” Snarfer spoke for once.

“I said I don’t want to talk about it!” Cheetara shouted, losing her temper. She lowered her voice. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s all right, Cheetara. We understand. We’ll leave you alone now.” Lynx-O said and signaled everyone else to follow his lead.

When they got outside, WilyKit smacked Snarfer on the back of his head. “What did you do that for? She’s already a wreck with her husband like that!”

Snarfer rubbed his head. He could feel a big bump forming. “I just wanted to know. It may put some light on Lion-O’s accident.”

“Snarfer, now is not the time. Right now we should all focus and pray for Lion-O’s recovery. We also must be on full alert and to not let anyone know what is going on. Just by looking at Lion-O, he maybe in this condition for a while and I fear the worst.”

*****

A week went by and Lion-O was still in his coma. Cheetara only left his side to shower and take care of personal needs. She rarely ate; only taking a few bites of what Snarfer brought her. That was all her stomach would allow her. She cried every night when she was alone and hope that by each passing day, Lion-O would soon awaken. Pumyra words, “The sooner he wakes up, the better his chances are,” continually rang in her ears. She took comfort from small things, such as when her husband began breathing on his own. His external injuries were healing nicely thanks to the great care by Tygra and Pumyra to clean the wounds and change the bandages.

That afternoon, Cheetara sat beside Lion-O holding his left hand with both of her hands.

She begin crying again. “Lion-O, please, wake up. You’re needed. I need you. More than you know. Please, come back. Come back to me.”

Cheetara squeezed his hand. Suddenly, her body tense. For a second, she could have sworn he squeezed her hand back. Cheetara squeezed his hand again. He squeezed back. Joy flooded Cheetara. Lion-O was awakening. Cheetara pressed the call button on Lion-O’s bed, signaling Tygra and Pumyra to come.

Within seconds, Tygra and Pumyra burst into the room getting the cheetah’s attention.

“What is it?” Tygra asked.

“Lion-O’s awakening,” Cheetara said and turned her attention to Lion-O.

Lion-O fingers slowly moved in Cheetara’s hands and on the bed. His squeezed a little tighter. He grumbled a little. Cheetara leaned a little closer. Tears formed in her eyes as Lion-O opened his eyes. He blinked a few seconds, trying to get rid of the blurry vision. He looked to his left and saw a teary-eyed but smiling Cheetara looking down at him.

“Cheetara?”

“You’re awake,” Cheetara said emotionally and kissed Lion-O on the forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Sore,” he replied.

Pumyra grimly handed a small tool to Tygra as Cheetara held Lion-O’s hand and spoke softly to him. The tool had a wooden handle. The top of it had a circular attachment with small teeth all around it. It looked like a miniature pizza cutter.

The puma went around the bed to stand by Cheetara as Tygra explained to Lion-O, “I’m going to roll this along your body. When you feel it, let me know.” He lifted up the covers and began the test.

Cheetara’s heart pounded as Tygra’s arm slowly crept up without a word from Lion-O. When the medical implement reached the lion’s waist, Lion-O told the tiger he felt it then.

“What’s going on? What are you doing, Tygra?” Cheetara asked, fear rising in her for her husband.

“Just a simple test,” he replied walking to the foot of the bed. He uncovered Lion-O’s feet and told him to move his toes. Nothing happened.

“Lion-O, move your toes,” Cheetara repeated.

“I am,” he answered her. However, they remained motionless.