Molly and stood quietly by as Michael York died. In some sense it was rather peaceful, but given that he had been in a coma after being hit in the head with a large pair of wire cutters, I wasn't entirely sure if peaceful really applied to the situation. Laura and Simon stood quietly close to him while their sons, Herman and Ulysses were closer to the foot of the bed.
"Excuse me, ma'am," the nurse who had born the responsibility of turning off and disconnecting the life-support machines, and was still in the room, spoke to Laura, "as you and your husband hear held the powers as to whether we kept him on the life support system or not, I'm going to have to guess that you'll also be handling his funeral?"
"Yes, ma'am," Laura nodded, "with the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne, who are here as friends of the family, we are his only living relatives."
"I see," the nurse slowly sighed, "to what funeral home do you wish us to send the body too? Or do you wish him to be cremated?"
"He never supported cremation," Simon commented, "He'd want to be buried in Columbia Falls... Laura... do you remember if there is a funeral home there?"
"I think there was one there when I was growing up," Laura answered back, "but I don't know if they're still open."
She paused for a moment, and turned back to the nurse.
"Do you know ma'am?"
"I'm afraid not," the nurse sighed, "I only live a couple of blocks away from here. My commute isn't long enough... though I think there are a couple of nurses that live in Columbia Falls that do work here... but I couldn't give you their names at the moment. You might want to discuss this with our funerary director. Her office is near the billing offices. She handles most of the directions that we follow in these cases. I only asked to see if I could ease the burden on you."
"Thank you for your help," Simon sighed, "We'll go see her."
Simon then quietly ushered Laura out. As she turned, Molly and I caught a glimpse of tears going down one cheek. And that tugged at our hearts heavily. Our greatest troubles had so far been related to being accepted as part of society. Molly and I had yet to truly confront "death" as Laura York-Rush was now. Michael York had been a benefactor to Molly and I, but he was Laura's father and a well loved one at that.
Herman and Ulysses slowly followed their parents while Molly and I brought up the rear, ducking under doors and low passageways that our height didn't work well with. The walk from the room where Michael York had been to the hospital's "funerary director's" office was a quiet one. It was in fact near the hospital's billing office, and there were several rows of chairs set outside these offices as a sort of waiting area.
"We'll stay out in the hall," Molly spoke when Simon turned toward us, "It's not our place to plan the funeral."
"What about your schedules?" Simon wondered as Laura opened the door.
"If necessary, we'll work around it," I answered calmly, "I may lose a day of hunting, but I can deal with that easily."
"Thank you both," Laura said to us and then went in with Simon following close behind.
Herman and Ulysses stayed out in the hall with us. They were seated in a chair, while we stood. Largely because the chairs that were there did not look they would support my weight. They might support Molly's three hundred ninety pounds of muscle and bone, but I was more then a hundred pounds heavier. I wasn't going to test it, and apparently, neither was Molly.
"I'm going to miss him," Ulysses said after a few moments, "Grandpa was always fun."
"I'm sure," Molly said softly, and rubbing the back of one of her paw-like hands to Ulysses's cheek, "it's hard now... but so long as you remember the good times, a part of your Grandfather will always be with you."
"Really?" Ulysses looked up, tears going slowly down both cheeks.
Molly nodded. Ulysses then gave a weak smile and leaned over. He grasped Molly's leg in a hug and rested his head on her hip. Herman then slowly patted him on the back. After a few moments, Ulysses had a different comment to make.
"Your fur is soft," he announced.
"Thank you," Molly said with a weak smile and softly rubbed his head.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Laura and Simon spent about fifteen minutes talking with the "funerary director" while Molly and I stood with Herman and Ulysses. After that, they then went across the hall to meet with those running the billing office. The hospital probably wouldn't actually bill them now. That would likely come later, but they would need to put together either the plan for the payment or for the funeral matters. Molly and I couldn't know those details for obvious reasons. The meeting with the billing office took another ten to fifteen minutes.
When they had finished everything there, Laura and Simon slowly came out and shut the door behind them. After a brief stretch, Simon looked up to Molly and I.
"Well, I think everything is ready," He said slowly, "the funeral home that was in Columbia Falls when Laura was growing up is still there. The body will be taken there this afternoon, and we have an appointment to meet with the funeral director there tomorrow morning at eleven fifteen."
Molly and I nodded.
"And so my father's land is now yours," Laura said weakly.
"That isn't a concern right now," I answered.
"I know," Laura nodded, "to lawyers it probably will."
"And handling his Will will be important," Simon added, "and will relate to when I can take my family home."
"You're leaving?" Molly gasped.
"This was never intended to be a permanent stay," Laura gave a weak chuckle, "we were here to be with my father until he died or got better. As things turned out, what happened was the former. We'll probably stay long enough for the funeral, but we will need to get to our own home."
"We understand," I answered, tapping Molly's paw with my own.
"And from what he told us, he intended to leave his cattle to you," Molly answered.
Simon and Laura both nodded.
"In regards to the cattle, that will take care of itself," Simon nodded, "the bigger thing will be handling some of the other working affairs of the ranch. Mainly relating to many of the men working for Michael York. We've been able to look over his books... and we've found that most of them are actually working on building a garage for you two."
Molly and I nodded.
"You should be able to see their progress," Molly told them.
"And it does look like they're making good progress," Simon nodded, "but it was being paid for by Michael York's profits from the ranch. With Michael York now gone and his cattle due for shipment to my land, that money will dry up quickly. Now, you two might be able to pay them privately to finish the work, but you'd probably kill your finances in doing so... and you wouldn't be able to pay your taxes for next year."
Molly and I sighed heavily. We knew we would be hit hard come tax time, as the land, the ranch facilities, Michael York's home, and our cabin would all be taxable. And since the herd that Molly and I owned wasn't large enough to offset the cost of the land through cattle sales, much of my salary and Molly's would go into paying the taxes on the ownership of the land. Though, we were privately sure that we made just enough to hold on to everything. Especially since the Cabin had been given to us, and Michael York's home could be rented out.
"We'd also sell some of my father's herd to you two," Laura offered, "probably for cheaper then they're worth..."
"Huh?" Molly wondered.
"Our ranch is borderline overstocked as it is," Simon explaining, "adding in Michael's cattle would bring our herd to the bursting point and we'd have to sell off a large amount of the herd to keep the population on our ranch small enough that the land we have can support the cattle we have."
Molly and I slowly nodded.
"My Uncle would probably welcome that," Molly commented.
"Your Uncle?" Laura asked.
"Frank Rhoer," Molly explained, "George and I aren't ranchers by nature... or instinct. Instinctively... we'd be more inclined to hunt the cattle. My Uncle and his family, however, are ranchers, and when George and I first received the herd that we have, we let my Uncle have the job of managing the herd and told him he could keep the money from the sale of the cattle as his cut."
Laura and Simon traded glances and then simply shrugged.
"Anyway, we can figure out these details at home, and over the next week or so," I told them.
And to that, Simon and Laura nodded.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We returned to Bandhavgarh in the early afternoon. Molly set getting a lunch ready while Simon and Laura went upstairs to go over the details they had figured out some more. Herman and Ulysses went to watch some television. I, for the moment, moved to help Molly.
"George, check the freezer," Molly instructed, "I think we still have some venison left from last year's hunting season. I feel like having some of that today."
I nodded and slowly made my way into our laundry room and opened our deep freeze. I quickly found several pieces of venison wrapped and labeled carefully. I pulled out enough for Molly and I, as lunch was commonly a meal we set aside for the others to figure out what they wanted before making it. Herman and Ulysses seemed to live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. As I pulled the wrapped pieces of venison for Molly and I, I saw that our supply was running fairly low. The Rush family didn't eat nearly as much as Molly and I ate, but with a family of two adults and essentially two teenagers, they still ate plenty.
"I'll make a run down to the market after lunch," I said to Molly as I brought the steaks in, "we're starting to run a little low."
"I could have sworn we were completely full..." Molly answered me.
"Maybe when our guests arrived," I shrugged, "but we eat a lot and they may eat more then we'd think by comparison... I mean... I never gave much thought as to how much meat I ate daily when I was human. I doubt you did either."
Molly only nodded, "do you want me to go with you?"
"No, I'll be fine," I answered, "and besides, I think you might end up being needed here."
Molly then nodded and we continued to go about cooking our lunch. And afterward, I did head out on foot into town. And as I approached the "supermarket" that Molly and I used in Columbia Falls, I found myself running into some unexpected drama. It was a female Maine Coon cat-person, and by my best guess, appeared to be in her teens. She wore the store's assigned uniform shirt with a name tag that read: Marcella. As I saw the name tag, I realized that this was the same cashier that had been so supportive of Molly and I as Animal-People. He, now she, had found some way to take the Serum. Shocked and curious I made my way toward her.
"Hello," I said carefully, not wanting to startle her.
She looked up from the soda she was sipping, which I had no idea why she was doing that. The artificial preservatives and sugars in those things could not be good for a cat's digestive tract, even a domesticated one's.
"Oh, hello," she gave a soft smile, "How are you?"
"Fairly well," I answered, "What is this?"
"This, this is new," Marcella answered, "the Serum arrived yesterday, and I took it."
"Please tell me you didn't do this because you thought being a cat would make you happy?" I gave a groan.
Marcella looked at me with a puzzled look. Her bright golden eyes blinking. It also gave some direct contrast between the specific animal species we represented. From my transformation into a male Bengal Tiger, I exhibited the traits of that species, Panthera Tigris Tigris. My greenish-yellow eyes had a round pupil. Marcella, having transformed into a female Maine Coon carried the characteristics of the domestic house cat, Felis Catus, and the Maine Coon breed. Her golden eyes had what people consider to be the typical pupil of all cats, a vertical slit that went through the iris of her eyes.
"Well... no... that wasn't my only reason," Marcella answered, "but why should I have to explain myself to you?"
That was fairly confrontational... almost.
"In nature, I could say it is because I am bigger then you," I answered, "In this situation, it is because I am only trying to help to make sure you haven't made a terrible mistake."
"I'm not a kitten!" she protested.
Judging by the width of her hips, that much was obvious. I couldn't really tell if she had breasts or not, as the Maine Coon is a long haired breed, and I wasn't sure what "lumps" under her shirt were fur and what was flesh. I also didn't intend to figure that out. She was also wearing a black bikini bottom that seemed to blend in with the brown/black tabby pattern that covered her fur.
"Of course not," I answered.
"I have my reasons," Marcella told me, "and they are mine."
"And people are okay with this?" I asked, "what about your parents? Or the law, for that matter. The age limit for the Animatrix Serum is set at eighteen. You had even said that to me, yourself."
"My parents are fine with it," Marcella answered, "they even helped with the decision and which breed to choose from. They know WHY I did this."
"I see," I commented, "to be honest, even if I were a person who'd want to take the serum... I'm so sure about the coat length. Right now in the summer, I feel the heat heavily, and my coat is fairly short for the moment."
"Yeah, but I'll do better come winter time," Marcella smirked, "Long coat means more insulation."
To that I could only shrug.
"But what about your age?" I questioned.
"Saw on-line that the states have requested their right to manage the age limit for who gets the Serum," Marcella shrugged back, "Montana set at sixteen, provided there is parental consent. I had parental consent, so I could take the serum."
I only shook my head. I prayed she wasn't making some mistake and knew what would likely be coming her way.
"And your manager is okay with that set up?" I asked, "for all intents and purposes, you're in your underwear. A pair of shorts would be better, and probably less binding."
"As you said earlier, it's hot right now," Marcella shrugged, "and no one can complain. I'm not naked, am I?"
"No," I admitted, with some relief, "but wouldn't your boss have some regulation against that?"
"We don't have a "no shirt, no shoes, no service" policy, so, no," Marcella replied, "besides, you and your wife don't wear shoes either."
"We also wear something a bit more conservative then bikini bottoms," I replied.
"It's hot," Marcella shot back, "when it gets cooler or when I go to school or some place with a more formal clothes setting, I'll put on shorts or a skirt. For now, while it's hot, I'll wear what doesn't keep extra heat on me, thank you."
I only sighed, "I hope you know what you're getting into... and as a piece of advice, I'd toss that soda in the trash if I were you. Your digestive system won't handle it all that well now that you're a feline."
I then continued on my way. I could only guess that Marcel's reason for becoming Marcella was to be with the girl that he felt an attraction to... but by some odd twist of luck I had met that individual, who turned out to be a lesbian. The reasoning, had to be that by becoming female, herself, Marcella would have a chance. And I feared the addition of Maine Coon DNA to the Animatrix Serum might frustrate those plans, as the animal kingdom, driven by biology to sire its next generation did not have heterosexual and homosexual concepts found in human sexuality. Jacki sensed it in her transformation into a Lioness. Instinct drew her to Leon, formerly Leona.
And as I went in and glanced back to where Marcella was, I had the strange urge that the drama being played between her and the girl she had transformed herself for was nowhere NEAR over.