The Joy of Expecting

Lion-O laid asleep in bed peacefully. His wife, Cheetara, was in their bathroom looking at something very important. With a smile, she left the bathroom and got back in bed with her husband. She pulled the covers up to her chest and stared at Lion-O. When he's asleep, he's dead to the world. He looked so content and adorable as he slept. She reached out and stroked his face with her hand. She then ran her fingers through his hair.

"Lion-O?" Cheetara said softly.

Lion-O stirred but he didn't awaken. Cheetara leaned over and kissed him.

"Lion-O." She repeated.

Eyes, still close he murmured. "Hmm?"

"Guess what?"

"What?" Lion-O murmured again.

"I'm pregnant."

Lion-O smile slightly, still half asleep. "That's nice."

Lion-O's eyes suddenly popped opened. He nearly jumped out of bed. "You're what?!"

Cheetara laughed at his statement. "Pregnant, silly."

"But..what--how did that happen?" Lion-O asked.

Cheetara folded her arms and stared at him. "Do I really have to explain that?"

Then it dawned on him. "OH! No, no, I get it. It's just a shock that's all. When are you due?"

"I'm not sure. Pumyra will have to give me a look over today, but I say that I am about six weeks." Cheetara explained.

Lion-O sat up in the bed. "Wow. A baby. And we only got nine months to prepare. That's not enough time."

"Not enough time or not, we've got to prepare and boy do we have a lot to do."

Eight months later. Cheetara laid asleep on her side. Lion-O had his arms wrapped around her as he slept beside her. A sudden pain awaken the cheetah from her sleep. The cheetah felt her large stomach and realized something wet was trickling down her legs.

"It's time." Cheetara murmured. Cheetara shook Lion-O's arm. "Lion-O. Wake up."

Lion-O slowly awaken groggily. "Hmm." He noticed that it was still dark. He looked over at the clock and it said 4:19am. Sleepily, he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

"No, Lion-O, wake up." Cheetara shook him again.

Lion-O awakened and yawned. "What is it? I'm sleepy."

"Lion-O, it's time."

Another yawn hit the Lord of the Thundercats. "I know. 4:19. Time for me to go back to sleep." He rolled on his side and went to sleep.

Cheetara rolled on her side, as difficult as it was and shook Lion-O. "No, it's time for the baby."

"Tell it, I said hi," Lion-O murmured.

Cheetara sat up in bed, folding her arms, shaking her head. "Five...four....three.....two..."

Lion-O shot up, this time he fell off the bed, taking a few sheets with him. "It's time? Baby time?"


"Yes," Cheetara responded.

Lion-O jumped up and down, bouncing off the floor and shouting. "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!!"

"Hospital." Cheetara answered.

Lion-O slapped his forehead. "Right. Hospital. Uh, clothes. You need clothes." Lion-O ran to the closet and took out some suitcases. He started throwing Cheetara's clothes from the closet and the dresser draw in the suitcase.

"Um, Lion-O?"

Lion-O looked up at Cheetara. "What?"

Using her right hand, Cheetara pointed to door. There stood a blue suitcase.

"I packed it two weeks ago."

Lion-O went to get it, but tripped over his boots and fell on the floor. He got back up and picked up the suitcase. "Okay. Let's go."

"Lion-O!" Cheetara shouted.

"Oh, right," Lion-O dropped the suitcase and went to Cheetara. He helped her out of bed.

"Um, Lion-O?"

"What?"

"Don't you think you should put some clothes on?"

Lion-O looked at himself and saw that he only had his blue boxers on. He rush to his closet and put on the top of his tunic. The first time he did it he put his right shoulder strap through his head. The second time it was the left strap. The third time he got it right. He then put on his boots. He had it on wrong at first and then got it right the second time.

"I think we should tell the others." Cheetara suggested.

"Right, you stay here," Lion-O told his wife.

Lion-O banged on all the doors of the Thundercats bedroom. "Wake up! Cheetara's having a baby!"

The Thundercats rushed out of their rooms.

"Where's Cheetara?" Panthro asked.

"She's--oh, my gosh! I don't know where she is!" Lion-O panicked.

"You don't know where she is?" Tygra asked. "Where did you last see her?"

In his panic behavior, Lion-O couldn't think. "I don't know! Cheetara! Cheetara!" Lion-O yelled at the top of his lungs. Lion-O then ran to the sword chamber and picked up the Sword of Omens. "Sword of Omens show me where Cheetara is!"

The sword's hilt curled and showed Lion-O that Cheetara was in their bedroom, sitting at the foot of the bed. He ran out of the Sword Chamber and to their bedroom. Panthro and Tygra were in there with Cheetara. The two Thundercats thought that should be the first place to search.

"There you are. Don't scare me again."

Cheetara looked puzzled. "What are you talking about, Lion-O? You told me to stay here."

"Oh, right. I forgot."

"We better go," Panthro said. "I'll take us to the hospital, Lion-O. You don't look up to it," Panthro said picking up Cheetara's suitcase.

"Right. Tygra, you're in charge." Lion-O picked up Cheetara and carried her out the lair. He went towards the Thunder tank.

"Oh, no, we're not!" Panthro shouted. "I don't want Cheetara's water all over the Thunder tank! I just cleaned it!"

"It's the fastest way to the hospital! Besides, she already broke it!" Lion-O shouted.

"Some of it can still come out! We're not taking the tank!" Panthro hollered back.

"Lion-O, I can't get in there. We'll take the Thunderstrike." Cheetara said.

Lion-O nodded and took her to the Thunderstrike. Panthro got in the pilot seat and in minutes they were off to the hospital.

The panicked lion began to calm down. He looked at Cheetara who was sitting on his lap.

"What do we do now?" Lion-O asked.

"Nothing. We can't do anything until we get to the hospital," Cheetara said.

"I can think of something," Lion-O said and kissed her. Panthro turned back to see the Lord of the Thundercats and his wife making out in the back. Panthro turned back around and shook his head.

"He's going to be a mess in the delivery room."

*****

Thirty minutes later, Panthro was nearing the hospital and Lion-O was panicking as they got closer and closer to the hospital. He was hyperventilating and Cheetara was trying to soothe him.

"Calm down, Lion-O. We'll get there in time," Cheetara told him.

"I....can't....breathe. What....if...you....give.....birth....here?" Lion-O asked while hyperventilating.

"We'll get there in time. See, the hospital is in the distance." Cheetara said pointing at the building not far away.

Minutes later, Panthro landed the Thunderstrike in front of the hospital. Lion-O jumped out with Cheetara in his arms. He yelled entering the hospital.

"Help! My wife's having a baby!"

Nurses and doctors ran to the frantic Lord of the Thundercats holding his wife. Immediately, they put Cheetara in a wheelchair and rolled her to her room. Minutes later, Lion-O joined her. She was resting as comfortable as she could get in her hospital gown with straps around her waist to record contractions and the child's heartbeat. Having her blood pressure checked every five minutes, was starting to bug her, too. Lion-O was panicking filling out the applications.

"Cheetara, I don't understand this application."

"What does it say?"

"It asks for my first name, and I put that down, but it also asks for my last name and your maiden name. I don't know it. What's my last name? What's your maiden name? How come we never use it when we greet people?"

Cheetara told him his last name and her maiden name and he put it down. Then she said, "Lion-O, try to calm down."

"How can I calm down when you're going to go in a lot of pain in a few hours? How can I calm down when I have to fill out these stupid forms?"

"Because you're Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats." Cheetara said in a manly voice.

Lion-O couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, but the Lord of the Thundercats never had to face this.

Cheetara suddenly began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lion-O asked.

"You. Mighty Lion-O, panicking over the birth of his child. It's--AAH! OH!!"

Lion-O jumped up frantic in his seat. He ran outside and screamed. "Doctors! Help! Cheetara's having a baby!!"

A doctor and two nurses rush in. The doctor was a male cheetah. Both nurses were short. One had black hair. Another had medium blonde hair. The blonde-haired women read the monitors. "Don't worry, Lord Lion-O. It's only a contraction. Hmm, it looks like a big one."

"How far apart am I?" Cheetara asked.

The doctor sat in a rolling chair and rolled to Cheetara. He lifted up the sheet to give Cheetara a pelvic exam. Lion-O roared in anger, grabbed the doctor and slammed him into the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Lion-O shouted angrily. "Nobody touches my wife but me!"

The doctor was terrible frightened of the Lord of the Thundercats. "I...uh, please, my Lord. If you would give me a chance to explain."

The two nurses tried to pull the Lord of the Thundercats from the doctor.

"He's only giving her a pelvic exam." The darker haired nurse said.

"It's just to see how far she is dilated." The other nurse explain.

"Lion-O, please, let the doctor do his job," Cheetara told him. "Uh-oh, I feel another contraction coming. OH! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Oh, the pain! THE PAIN!!!!! AGONY!!!! OH, AGONY!!!"

Lion-O dropped the doctor and ran to Cheetara's side. "What is it? What can I do?"

The doctor walked over to give Cheetara a pelvic exam again, Lion-O saw him, pulled out his sword and aimed it in front of the doctor's face.

"Do you feel lucky, punk? Do you?" The Lord of the Thundercats asked in a threatening voice.

The doctor rolled his chair away from Cheetara.

"Lion-O," Cheetara called breathing hard and sweating profusely.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"LET THE DOCTOR DO HIS JOB OR YOU'RE NEVER TOUCHING ME AGAIN!!!!" Cheetara roared in pain of contraction and anger.

Scared of his wife's surprising anger towards him, Lion-O slump in his chair. The doctor smirked but it was immediately removed when he saw the glare from Lion-O. He pulled the sheets up once again and gave Cheetara her pelvic exam.

"She's seem to be dilated by ten centimeters. She's ready to deliver."

"Hold her hand, Lord Lion-O. She'll need something to squeeze." The light-haired nurse said.

"I'll try not to hurt you, Lion-O." Cheetara said tiredly.

Lion-O kissed her sweaty forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be all right."

"Okay, Cheetara, push," The doctor told her.

Cheetara screamed loudly again, "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! THIS HURTS!!!! WHY DOES SOMETHING SO SMALL CAUSE SO MUCH PAIN?!!!"

"AAAAAH!!!" Lion-O screamed when Cheetara squeezed his hand. "STOP SQUEEZING SO HARD!!!" Lion-O shouted at Cheetara.

"YOU TRY PUSHING SOMETHING THAT'S SEVEN INCHES LONG OUT OF YOUR BODY!!!" Cheetara yelled back and squeezed again as she gave another push.

Lion-O fell to one of his knees in pain. "It can't be that bad!!!"

"That's it! You're never touching me again!!"

"One more, Cheetara. Just one more push. You're doing great!" The doctor encourage her.

With one more final scream, Cheetara pushed the baby out. When she heard her child cry, Cheetara sighed and fell back on her bed.

Lion-O pried his hand from Cheetara and rubbed it soothingly.

"We're not done yet, Cheetara. We have the afterbirth to deal with."

Before Cheetara could say anything, Cheetara was overcome with pain again. "OH! AHHH!" Cheetara screamed again. She reached out to grab Lion-O's hand, but he refused to give it to her. So, Cheetara grabbed her husband's red mane.

"OWWW!! Stop pulling my hair!!"

"Give me your hand!"

"NO!" Lion-O shouted.

Cheetara squeezed and pulled Lion-O's hair again until all the afterbirth was out. Afterwards, Cheetara fell back on the bed. Lion-O recovered touching his hair, making sure she hasn't pulled it out and he wasn't bald. He let out a sigh a relief when he felt his hair. Lion-O left his seat and looked over to see the afterbirth.

"EWW! What is that?!! By, Jaga, that's the most disgusting, horrifying thing I have ever seen!"

"Hey, remember you helped created that," the dark hair nurse commented sharply.

"You tell him, sister," the other nurse commented and gave her sister a high-five.

"My baby. Where's my baby?" Cheetara asked.

The black haired nurse cleaned the baby off and put the child in a soft blanket. She hands it to the other nurse who hands the child to Cheetara. "It's a boy."

Cheetara kissed her son's forehead. "Such a beautiful baby." She pulled back the soft blanket that covers the baby head. Lion-O sat beside Cheetara on the bed.

"He has your smile." Lion-O commented.

"He also has your eyes and your hair," Cheetara said back.

"What shall we name him?"

"How about the name, we suggested: Leo."

"Leo, future Lord of the Thundercats. I like it." Lion-O said and looked at Cheetara. "I'm proud of you. You really did it."

"We did it, Lion-O," Cheetara said.

"You know," Lion-O said getting comfortable and putting an arm around Cheetara. "We should do this more often. Have more kids run around here."

Cheetara laughed. "Not anytime soon, Lion-O."

"So, you're saying there's a chance we'll get together again?" Lion-O asked snuggling closer.

"I think I can be convinced." Cheetara said kissing him.

The doctor left leaving Lion-O, Cheetara, Leo and the two nurses alone.

"She says he's never touching her again and not even ten minutes has passed and they're kissing." The lighter-haired woman said folding their arms.

"They're in love. What else do you expect," the other nurse said as they walk out. "Besides, we were the first ones to see Lion-O and Cheetara's baby. How cool is that?"

"Very cool, Sister." Tatiana said discarding her nurses hat. "Very cool."

Return to Lady Thundera's Fanfics

Return Home