TB Tender Tuesday –Baker's Dozen
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—I know it's been a minute since I've posted writing, but the request to finish the one with kittens got me motivated!—
One of the new rules Beau liked best was getting the entire day off when he had appointments with Auditors. It meant not having to interrupt someone’s shift to pick him up or be asked a ton of questions about it, and he also had the rest of the day to do anything he wanted. It didn’t exactly mean he had plans, but it was nice.
He finished his check-up and walked down to one of the markets to pick up ingredients for a dinner idea he had. It wasn’t any surprise Garnet was having a tough time since coming back from medical leave. He’d told Beau it was always hard to get back into the rhythm of things, and this time was no different. So, Beau planned to have dinner made to help boost morale.
Heading for the nearest tram stop, he noticed something near the sidewalk beneath the vines that draped the building. It was barely the size of his hand, skittering about. It froze when it noticed his approach, darting into the cover of leaves. Beau tilted his head, getting a little closer, and stopped.
A kitten emerged, a few weeks old, painted in splotches of black and white. “Hello,” Beau whispered, setting down his tote bags of groceries. At the sound of rustling goods inside, the kitten hurried to march itself over on tiny legs. “Are you hungry? I’m sorry, I don’t think I have anything for kittens.” It meowed unhappily at him, crawling up the knee of his pants.
Shuffling from the vines brought about three more faces, white kittens with smaller grey markings. They hurried out in clumsy leaps and bounds. “Oh no, you have siblings,” Beau laughed, reaching out to pet them and guard them from the grocery bag. Even more meowing emerged from the plants and four more scurried out. “Lots of siblings. Hello,” Beau twisted one way and another to keep track of them all, surrounded by a chorus of meowing. “Do you have a mother?” he scanned all of the nearby brush unable to sense anything else around.
From the look of them, thin with discoloration around their mouths and noses, it looked as if they had been on their own for some time. “Did something happen to her? Did someone leave you here –who would do such a thing?” he tutted. Their answers were sorrowful meows.
He could not leave them. They were tiny and helpless, and it was against his duty as a Mediator to leave anyone helpless. He thought for a moment before hurrying to transfer all of the groceries into one of the bags, bunching up his jacket into the second before filling it with eight noisy kittens.
CALLING CAPT. RYKER
It rang a few times as Beau gathered up his groceries and kittens.
“Hey Beau, everything alright?” Ryker answered tentatively.
“Yes!” Beau blurted nervously. “Yes, I’m alright. I… I just recently came across a problem and I thought maybe you’d be the best to call.”
There was silence after his rambling before Ryker answered. “Okay. You’re sure you’re alright?”
“Yes,” he fumbled to adjust his coat to keep one of the adventurous kittens from tumbling out. “Do you know how to take care of kittens?”
Ryker met Beau at Garnet’s apartment after getting some supplies, shocked to see just how many kittens Beau had. He knew Garnet was going to have a problem with it. Regardless of what animal it had been. He didn’t have a problem with pets, he simply believed apartments weren’t the place to have animals. Ryker however had a suspicion that something about pets scared him.
Of course, Garnet could barely trust humans, nevertheless an animal.
Beau assured him he would talk to Garnet, not to worry. Ryker doubted it but set about helping him regardless. He looked the kittens over finding them slightly underweight and covered in fleas. Beau hovered anxiously, wringing his hands at the news. “Let me show you how to give them a bath.”
“Who could get rid of them?” Beau frowned, careful not to get water in their ears or faces, cooing to them whenever they panicked.
“I’m no expert, but if I had to guess they look like their mom was a stray.”
“I didn’t see any adult cat around,” Beau shook his head, taking a moment to scan for any more fleas before a thought struck him. Ryker grimaced, anticipating it. “What if something happened to her?” Beau looked up at him, expression twisted with worry.
“Well,” Ryker took the kitten from him to dry, head tipping one way and another, “I hope not. But, it could be a possibility.”
“Oh no,” Beau whispered, picking up the next kitten who mewed loudly. “Will they be okay without her?”
“I think they will now,” Ryker smiled, gently petting his on the head. “They’ve got you looking after them now. And I’ll call my vet and get them an appointment so we’ll make sure they’re healthy. Okay?” Beau nodded before starting on the last one’s bath. “While you finish up with that, I’ll get them some formula ready. They’ll probably be ready to sleep after that.”
Beau’s mood recovered watching them eat, giggling at the way their ears twitched. They piled up in the bed Ryker had bought, keeping them in the playpen so they didn’t wander off and get hurt. “You call me with anything, alright?” Ryker offered as he went to leave. “And if Garnet has a problem, I don’t mind taking them after their vet appointment. We can find them a foster.”
Beau stood in the living room, staring at the kittens as if they’d suddenly take off at the speed of light. “Okay. Will they sleep for very long?”
“Oh yeah, they’ll be nappers for sure.” Ryker chuckled. “If I don’t hear from you, I’ll send you the appointment information over.”
“Thank you, Ryker.” Beau smiled. “I didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t want to abandon them.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” he chuckled, mussing Beau’s hair. “They’ll be alright now. I’m just a call away.”
Garnet wearily kicked off his boots, locking the door, grateful to be home. He thought he heard Beau in the other room. “Man, I don’t know where you went today, but you owe me one,” he called. “It was nonstop –I even had an old lady throw… bricks…” he stumbled to a stop when he turned the corner finding Beau sitting on the living room floor surrounded by towels, kittens, and little cat toys.
They were tiny little things, tottering around and mewing nosily. Beau held a striped gray one, eyes wide as he gaped up at Garnet, fumbling for words. “Th-they were lost.” Garnet’s gaze moved from one to the next, shocked by how many there were. “I don’t know what happened to their momma. She wasn’t anywhere around, and they were so hungry.”
And what was Garnet supposed to say to that? Throw them all out? He wasn’t that much of a dick.
“What… what are we gonna do with them?” he watched one of the orange ones hurry over, not hesitating to begin climbing up his pant leg. He carefully leaned over, holding it around the middle to remove its sharp claws from his skin and pants. “These… there’s a lot of them.” He turned the kitten over, getting a wide-mouthed mew in welcome.
“I’m getting an appointment for them at the vet. To make sure they’re healthy. I was going to see if they had a foster program…” he hesitated and Garnet knew what was coming. “Or if we could foster them.”
“All of them?” Garnet blurted, wincing when another one made it up to his hip, scaling his jacket. “Do we have room for them? And who’s going to walk them while we’re at work?”
“They don’t need walking. They go in a litter box.” Beau pointed to the one set up in their pen. “And they’re small enough that they don’t need much room. They sleep a lot and have each other to play with.” He coddled the striped one at his shoulder. “They were all alone, I couldn’t leave them alone without their mom.”
Garnet drew in a deep breath and released it.
“Okay, let’s… let’s just watch them until their appointment and see what the vet says. Okay?” He said carefully. The worry on Beau’s face gave way to a relieved smile –and Garnet knew he was fucked.
Beau worried over the kittens the entire night. He watched them over dinner, up and down several times before deciding to stay on the couch to keep an eye on them. Garnet got a rough total of forty-five minutes of sleep before having to be up for shift. Even better, Beau decided to stay home with them.
“I just really worry about their mom,” he worried yet again as Garnet was getting ready to leave. “What if she goes back to look for them? What if she’s hurt somewhere?”
“Cats can be kinda weird,” Garnet shrugged, not knowing what to say. “I mean, you said she was a stray, I’m sure she’s a tough one.”
“I’d feel really bad if she needed my help and I didn’t help her,” Beau frowned. “Or if I kidnapped her kids.”
“You’re helping them though. Eight is a bit much for a stray, single mom.” Garnet tried to joke only to find it didn’t land. “I’m sure she’s alright, bud.” He pulled Beau into a hug. “You’re doing plenty helping the kids out. I’m sure they’d be ten times worse off without you.” Beau leaned into him, humming sadly. It took several more minutes to get Beau out of his slump, wanting him happy before Garnet left for work.
A combination of leaving late and the absolute downpour he had to commute in caused him to get in half an hour late. Thatcher had a lecture ready for him, and only after it was over did Garnet realize he’d left his coffee at home.
It poured all day. Beau checked the kittens for fleas again, keeping a log of how much they ate, how much they weighed, and any symptoms he noticed. They all seemed relatively healthy, playing, eating, and napping with abandon.
The grey-striped one had become one of Beau’s favorites. He hadn’t meant to pick a favorite. For most of the day, he felt guilty about it. It didn’t mean he didn’t like the others, but something about the shy nature of the grey tabby drew him to them.
She wasn’t as thrilled about playing rough, dramatically yelling when things got to be too much. She much rather explore or seek him out for affection. Beau was happy to hold her when she came over, curling up beside him. She also purred loudly.
Beau did all sorts of research over the course of the day. Wanting to have as much information ready for whatever the vet may ask for. At least until the power went out. The storms had gotten worse and before he knew it, it was well past the time Garnet was supposed to be home. Beau dug out some candles, trying to get some light in the apartment while trying to call Garnet.
He didn’t answer.
Over and over, getting only voice mail.
Beau was just about to call Ryker when there was a knock on the door. He finished lighting the last candle, hurrying to the door hoping it was Garnet. Or at least good news. Shaking his head he pulled the door open surprised to find Garnet standing there, patrol jacket pulled up over his head, dripping wet as he carried a box.
“Sorry,” he breathed, winded. “Couldn’t answer, had my hands full.”
“Are you okay?” Beau asked, stepping aside to let him in.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” he shuffled inside, still trying to catch his breath.
“What happened? You’re soaking wet. You’re going to get sick!” Beau followed him into the living room, noticing he hadn’t taken off his boots.
“I got the cats something,” he looked up from under his coat, rain dripping off his nose. It was then Beau looked down noticing the white and grey cat sitting there. He stared as a smile crept up his face. “It’s mom.”
“What?” Beau laughed, carefully offering his hand towards her. She bunted her forehead into him.
“Yeah. I know you were tore up about her, so I went by where you mentioned finding them today. There’s a donation box right around the corner and there she was. They must have wandered off.” Beau pet her again, laughing in disbelief as he carefully tried picking her up. “She doesn’t mind people at all.”
She was long, short hair with green eyes. Beau held her to his shoulder, one arm supporting her backend. There were a few scars on her and fleas, but otherwise, she seemed in good health. His eyes widened as he caught sight of something else in the box.
“Jaime!” He gasped, tilting closer finding two more kittens in the box.
“They were still with her.” Garnet chuckled, setting the box on the coffee table to drop his jacket. He was drenched. Beau was trying not to cry.
“How long were you out there looking for them?”
“Oh,” Garnet shrugged, although Beau detected an increase in his heartbeat. A lie was coming. “You know. I just walked over there and she was hiding out over there.”
“Well, thank you for checking. I’m so happy you found them.” Beau giggled. “I’m going to give her a look over and see if I can give her and the babies a bath.”
“Need any help?”
“No, you get dried off before you get sick.” Beau hopped up on his toes, pressing a kiss to Garnet’s cheek. He quickly placed the mother cat back in the box and carried them to the bathroom. He was able to bathe the two kittens, checking their ears and removing all fleas. The mother wasn’t so willing for a bath, complaining, but he managed well enough. He toweled them off the best he could, letting her groom them as he cleaned up the bathroom.
He was careful in introducing her back to the others, worried a bath may have confused her. But she didn’t seem to mind. She cleaned all of them, nestling in the bed and beginning to feed them. Garnet took a shower before grabbing leftovers for dinner. He finally plopped down on the couch, minding the candles on the coffee table as he stretched out.
Weight landed in his middle causing him to grunt, opening his eyes to find the mother cat. She pawed at his stomach, kneading his shirt. “Easy,” Garnet grunted, tentatively reaching out to pet her head. She smeared her face into his palm, moving further up his chest. He started to pull her back when she rubbed her face on his. He smiled against her, rubbing behind an ear. “Hey Mamasita,” he chuckled softly, kissing her face. “Feel better?” She flopped down on his chest, front paws kneading in slow motion as she purred loudly.
“I think she’s saying thank you,” Beau whispered as he sat down beside them.
“Yeah, well, don’t mention it. Like, ever. I have a reputation,” he joked, petting her again.
“She’s trying to make biscuits with your shirt,” Beau pointed out. “That means she’s really happy.”
“Maybe she’s trying to make them to pay rent.”
“You’re not going to make a single mother of ten pay rent, are you?”
“If she can learn to make coffee, we’ve got ourselves a deal.” He snickered before looking over at Beau, “You really think we can foster all of them?”
“Do you want to try?” Beau was trying his hardest not to seem one way or another, but there was no mistaking how hopeful he was. Garnet considered it for a moment, looking around the apartment, down to the pile of kittens tuckered out from dinner. His apartment had always been so unlived in. More time spent at work, bars, and the mechanic shop.
It had never been this comfortable.
“Yeah,” he admitted with a sigh. “Yeah, I think I do wanna try.” Beau made a happy humming sound as he leaned over, slouching against him to rest his head on Garnet’s shoulder.
“I do too.”
“No, you don’t say.” Garnet laughed. “Well, if we’re going to foster them, we’re going to have to name them.”
“Let’s start with mom,” Beau reached over to pet her.
“You want to name her mom?”
“No, she needs a name!”
Garnet thought about it as sleep began to creep in. “Momma Baker.”
“Because she’s making biscuits?” Beau guessed.
“Yeah, and with you, me, and ten kittens, she makes it a baker’s dozen.” There was a moment as Beau counted, laughing to himself.
“Momma Baker makin’ biscuits.”
“You need ‘em, she kneads ‘em.” Garnet snickered.
“Then we could name the kittens Cupcake, Danish, Shortcake, Tart, Cheesecake, Cookie, Brownie, Meringue, Pudding, and Coffee.” Beau smiled when Garnet laughed, nodding.
“Yeah! Momma Baker and the dessert counter. I like it.”
Beau nestled in against him, humming again. “Me too. I’m so happy they’re all here. Thank you for going to find her. I know you didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” Garnet admitted. The exhaustion was finally starting to fully hit him like a truck, dragging him toward the edge of sleep. “I hate seeing you tore up, and all kits should have their moms.” He teased fondly, leaning to rest his head against Beau’s.
He fell asleep to the sound of Beau’s warm laughter and Momma Baker’s purring.
