The arrival of the new year was a fairly joyous thing for Molly and I, and it would represent a lot of new beginnings. In theory, this was true for everyone. The calender turned over and everyone would get a shot to start things anew. But for Molly and I, new starts were a key thing as 2012 ended and 2013 started. R.A.M. was beaten and gone, and its last holdout, Hireman, was no longer in a position of power. I knew that not everyone would ever "love" Molly and I, but without R.A.M. and without its leader, anyone that truly hated us would not only be in the minority, but wouldn't have any organization to their hatred.
And with those that were hateful defeated and gone, and those that were simply afraid, shown that Molly and I were not going to carry them or their children off in the night, everyone in Columbia Falls could move on toward a more normal life. And for Molly and I the new start would be a happy one. And that revolved around the likely birth of our cubs. Molly had come into season again a week before Christmas. And unlike the year before, when I'd first transformed, we were well settled into Bandhavgarh cabin, and by my understanding of things were were in a good enough economic position that we wouldn't lose it after taxes. And with Hireman and R.A.M. gone, and the prospect of our cubs growing up with the shadow of a racist organization hanging over their heads gone, we felt comfortable in starting a family.
And that is precisely what we had done, with the coupling that we believe triggered Molly's ovulation occurring on the morning of December twenty-fifth. Christmas Day. Our instincts seemed to sense that our mating was successful, and thanks to Joseph Patten's cousin, Clemens, we had enough knowledge to trust those instincts. Molly was pregnant, and we would have a family. The thought of being a father left me fairly excited and very happy. Not just because I wanted kids, but because I knew Molly wanted kids. She wanted to be a mother, and I would do anything to make her happy.
Of course that did not mean that all things would be easy. Because she was pregnant, Molly would likely need to eat more. Clemens had told us that so far no Animal-Person who had mated and become pregnant had had more then four children, which would be good for those decided to become various amphibians, reptiles, and possibly even some birds and mammals, as their method of survival was to produce lots and lots of young. Many of them would be eaten in nature, but at least a few would survive to grow up and breed again. Animal-People, because of human origins, larger size, and a much securer lifestyle didn't have the need for such mass numbers of young... and fortunately, no Animal Person was yet to have more then four children at a time.
But four was well within the range of a tiger's pregnancy already. The typical litter for a Bengal Tiger was between two and four. That meant that Molly would be eating for as many as five or as little as three tigers, counting herself. But that wasn't too much of a concern. Our refrigerator and our freezer were both kept fully stocked with meat. The biggest issue we had was actually figuring out where to go for treatment. So far, we hadn't made much of a decision in that direction as the only thing we had to report that Molly was pregnant was instinct and most doctors would say, "we've seen tons of excited women, confident they are pregnant. Then they have their period and the joy is gone."
We had roughly a month to wait, which was okay. We could wait that long. The issue at hand for the moment was where could we go. My first thought would have been to see Doctor Stimson, the local vet. I would have to go in for my first set of booster shots for Rabies and the various diseases that felines caught in a few days. I figured I could talk with him then about that subject. The other options were a bit more worrying. The court ruling that allowed the Animatrix Serum to be purchased over the counter had also come with a ruling that Animal People could not be denied medical coverage at their local clinics because of the fact that they were now animals. It meant that doctors would have to study up on a lot of things they didn't study in Medical school, but it allowed Animal People to keep going to doctors they new and trusted.
My nervousness on that though came from our local clinic's ER reaction to seeing Megan Jenkins, transformed via a blood transfusion from Molly. That doctor had been rude and moved cling to a series of local laws Beauregard had forced through when Molly and I arrived and when I transformed... despite the fact that Megan's transformation was due to circumstances not expected when the laws were written and passed. The doctor's attempt failed and the city repealed the worst of the laws and amended those that they felt were necessary and proper. But I was still concerned that some of the other doctors there would share the political/personal views of the ER doctor. That was eased a bit when Officer Jenkins, Megan's mother, and my partner's girlfriend assured me that the pediatricians at the clinic were not like the ER doctor...
What followed though was potentially the other issue. Officer Barnes, my partner had told me that he didn't think the clinic in Columbia Falls had a obstetrician. That meant that we would need to go to Kalispell or potentially even farther so that Molly could receive proper treatment, if we chose to go with a human doctor. That would present its own problems. My Mom and Dad had told me all sorts of stories about their dealing with their pregnancy up until the point where I was born. Lamaze classes, check ups, ultrasounds, and things that commonly required both parents to be there. I was sure I could get the time off to go with Molly as needed, but with our size, once Molly's pregnancy would begin to become apparent, we could not both fit in the backseat of a car.
And those were the thoughts that filled my mind as I watched one of the New Years Day bowls.
"Did you see that, George?" Molly asked from her spot on the couch next to me.
"Hmm?" I asked back.
My mind was so focused on my thoughts, I had to admit that I hadn't been focusing too much on the game. The day had been quiet and so far, no one had called for the officers given New Years Day off to come in.
"The USC guy juked around the corner and dove, just barely making it into the end zone," Molly commented.
In terms of college teams, Molly and I usually followed the University of Illinois in addition to the college we went to... though it was so small that we'd never see our alma mater in a big bowl game. But when it came to the New Years Day and January bowl games, I normally did follow those games in the hopes of seeing something good or exciting. Thoughts of what Molly and I would have to do to make sure our cubs were born healthy, however, was distracting me.
"I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere..." I commented, "I'm sure I saw it... but things aren't registering at the moment."
"What are you thinking about then?" Molly wondered, "You're normally the one hollering "did you see that"."
"Mostly just concerned on what we're to do," I commented, "I mean which doctor to see."
"Oh," Molly responded, "I hadn't given it that much thought. We won't be able to confirm it until the twenty fifth, instincts and some morning sickness aside."
"It'd still be a good idea to have some idea on who to see," I replied, "Doc Stimson might have the most experience and would know what hormones to test for... but this isn't like the vaccinations we'll need and I'm sure there will be certain things that don't match up with mundane tiger's pregnancy... I mean, we're tigers, yes, but our forms are still human-like. So maybe the clinic would be more appropriate. Knowing where to go will save time when it comes to making appointments."
"I suppose," Molly nodded, "to be honest, I'd probably prefer the clinic. Not to say that Doctor Stimson is a bad physician... but as you said there are still a fair number of things about us that are closer to humans then they are to mundane tigers and there are certain things that we do that are closer to humans then to mundane tigers."
"And Officer Jenkins has said that not all of the doctors at the clinic are not like the ER doctor that saw Megan after the Mountain Lion wounded her and you saved her life," I nodded, "but even there, there is a potential problem."
"How would seeing a friendly doctor be a problem?" Molly asked.
"The problem isn't so much whether or not he's friendly, the problem is whether or not the Columbia Falls clinic carries an obstetrician," I explained, "which would mean that Kalispell would be our next best option, but Kalispell is too far to walk, and I would like to be there... see our cubs developing."
I then remembered my Mom and Dad's stories.
"And they might require us to take some Lamaze classes," I finished.
"Kalispell isn't far," Molly shrugged, "Uncle Frank or Dave would be more then happy to drive us. Shoot, I'd think even Mr. Patten wouldn't mind... provided it isn't a surprise."
"I'm sure but how would we fit?" I asked, "My Ranger wouldn't fit both of us in the back seat... especially when you're ready to give birth this summer. Your Uncle's truck doesn't have a backseat..."
"And we'd probably get pulled over if you were to lay in the bed of the truck," Molly sighed, "maybe should trade your Ranger in. Get a SUV or a minivan or something. Something we could both ride as passengers in without having to do something that would be dangerous and illegal... and given that since we walk most places in Columbia Falls... gas prices aren't THAT big of an issue for us."
"That might be a good idea," I commented, "though... I'd need to look over our books to see if we could afford it. We wouldn't get a price equal to the cost of a new vehicle from my Ranger... if anything we'd get a lot less then what my parents originally paid for it."
Molly nodded, "wouldn't hurt to put a call into your folks. I'm sure they'd help... if not in money, then in advice, which would probably be even more helpful."
"I'm sure," I managed a slight shrug.
"And you and Officer Barnes are still schedules to do the DARE work, right now, right?" Molly asked.
"For the moment," I answered, "Officer Barnes and I will have one patrol day tomorrow and then we're back to the DARE work when school resumes on the third. Though, how long we'd stay there is up in the air, as Officer Howard will be starting the interviews for the position soon..."
"Oh..."
"Though I'd figure when it comes to buying a new vehicle or trading in for a new one, I'd think you'd do fine with it if we do it before your pregnancy becomes physically apparent," I commented.
"So if need be, you'd trust me on my own?" Molly wondered.
"Of course I would," I answered, "the research needed to buying a new vehicle and getting advice from my parents can all be done by phone or Email. And we can do that from here..."
"And we could do it on our free time," Molly spoke, to which I nodded.
"I don't think it'd be a good idea to begin going to dealerships until we know exactly what we're looking for and what the best price is," I commented, "especially since doing this would only be to solve the issue of the fact that we may have leave Columbia Falls to see an obstetrician for your pregnancy..."
"And the clinic could have one, we don't know yet," Molly commented, "The friends we know that would have had need of one apparently didn't have their kids here. The Choirs came up from California, and you said that Officer Jenkins and her mother came from Washington state... the state not the college."
"I know what you mean," I nodded, understanding what Molly meant, "I was thinking of asking Doc Stimson if he knew anything... I'll need to go in for my booster shots in a couple of days."
"And you'd think he'd know if the clinic carries an obstetrician?" Molly wondered.
"He might," I sighed, "and it certainly couldn't hurt to ask."
"I doubt the clinic talks to a veterinary clinic," Molly commented.
"It still couldn't hurt to ask," I said again, "maybe he's got a family of his own. He was friendly the time I saw him to get my first set of shots, but I didn't exactly try to get his lifetime story."
"I suppose," Molly then shrugged, "maybe I'll ask some of the other teachers when school starts up again. Maybe one of them will know."
I nodded in agreement to that and returned my attention to the football game on the screen. We had the beginnings of a plan. And that would help us be ready for all the events that would be coming for Molly and I. Events that would hopefully bring us great joy.