Shego's brothers flew in to see their new niece. The photo session produced shots which appeared on at least a dozen magazine covers in the US and even more around the world. Some of the shots featured the brothers around the hospital bed, with Shego holding little Catherine. In other shots Hego or Mego held the baby while the Wegos knelt on the floor in front. While Shego wasn't ready to get back into her old uniform, she had apparently requested a slightly larger version of her costume and she managed to appear in uniform for a few shots, her smiling face softly brushing against the cheek of her infant daughter.
Hego, whose limited imagination had condemned the siblings to their nicknames heard his sister refer to baby Catherine as Kitty, and immediately hung the nickname Kigo on her. Shego would have been happy to forget the word, but a couple of the journalists seemed to like it and it appeared in news releases, becoming common in the week until Shego left the hospital.
Hero Family Welcomes New Member was a common headline in the papers which ran the photos. A couple newspapers speculated that the powers possessed by the members of Shego's family could be a factor in the seemingly miraculous birth.
Testing of the nuclear DNA to establish paternity had not been completed when Kitty's uncles came down to see her, but the presence of a double set of mitochondrial DNA put smiles on the faces of those who had backed the long shot in the betting pools. There were still a few Kim supporters who figured it was some sort of mad science plan by Drakken and the local hero would be vindicated, but probably more who remained convinced it was a hoax of some sort that had taken in everyone working in the lab. Shego's stay in the hospital was longer than normal, but the doctors had never seen a case quite like this one before and wanted to proceed cautiously. After the photo session with her brothers People magazine offered a million dollars for the exclusive right for photos during the next two months.
By the end of the week the paternity tests were completed, indicating Kim was the ‘father’.
Jean Possible went down to the maternity ward several times each day. Extra security had been set up to keep the crowds from getting too large and interfering with the nurses. Because of her position in the hospital she was able to obtain a spot at the window and a nurse would hold the baby up for her to see. She brought her husband in for several of her visits. The hospital workers respected their privacy and didn't ask anything. The ‘tourists’ could get unpleasantly rude about demanding answers to what happened and the reporters only slightly less so.
Shego had rented a large apartment on her return to the US. Alice Badger, who moved in when Shego returned from the hospital, held the ostensible title of nanny -- but served in a larger capacity. The middle-aged Ms. Badger had been an evening anchor in a small market town whose call to a larger market never came. She dressed in the style of a woman half her age and had been botoxed until she could no longer smile at the inopportune moments so vital to the evening broadcasts.
Several news organizations which had semi-exclusive contracts with Shego were paying Ms Badger's salary, and she also functioned as media control for Shego. Some media coverage enhanced Shego's value, while others diminished it. Shego suspected the ‘nanny’ would also produce her own book, but couldn't begrudge anyone wanting to make money for herself -- especially if it meant there were fewer diapers for Shego to change.
Deputy Bucket enjoyed his job in law enforcement, although it seemed like he had little opportunity to perform his law enforcement duties these days. Serving court papers seemed to take an every increasing amount of his time. He rang the doorbell at the apartment and the nanny stared through the peephole in the door before opening it, chain still on.
“I have some papers for the woman called Shego, is she here?”
“Can I see some ID?”
“Isn't the uniform enough?”
“Not in the news business. I'm getting paid good money to make sure no one gets interviews without my employers’ permission.”
“How about I start with arresting you for interfering with an officer in the discharge of his duty--”
“Hold on,” the woman turned, and called softly because of the baby, “Shego? A sheriff is here for you.”
“Deputy,” the deputy tried to explain.
“Let him in, Alice,” the green woman said, coming towards the door, “I have nothing to hide from the police.”
“Deputy, Ma'am,” he repeated when the door was opened, “from the Marshall's office.”
“And what can I do for you?” she asked beckoning him inside. “Has Kim Possible been arrested for violating the restraining order?”
“No, Ma'am.” He reached back and pulled out one of the all too familiar envelopes with the court papers.
“Thank you, officer,” Shego smiled as he tipped his hat and went out the door. The smile vanished as soon as the door closed. “Damn it,” she snarled, “what is Kim trying?”
Alice looked shocked, “Your language!”
“Oh, get off it. You don't care what I say, and you aren't going to report a little profanity - not good for your story. And I am quite sure you're delighted to have another lawsuit in the mix, aren't you?”
The middle-aged woman nodded her head. “Well, let's see what we have,” Shego said, ripping the envelope open. The pale green woman read silently for a minute, then folded the court papers back up.
“What does it say?” the nanny asked. Shego handed her the papers and the woman glanced at them quickly, then started smiling.
“You don't need to look so happy,” Shego complained.
“But you're right, it will make a great story. Headlines tomorrow will be More Lawsuits Filed in Kigo Case.”
“I wish they'd stop calling her that.”
“Hey, it fits headlines better than Catherine or Kitty. People will want to hear this one.”
“Hold that thought, and check Kitty's butt. I'm going to call my lawyer and see if they can do this. You can call your bosses after I have an answer from him.”
While Alice put a fresh diaper on the little person Shego found her lawyer. “Sam? … Yeah, it's me, I just got served with a lawsuit. … No, not her. Her parents are suing. They claim I'm unfit as a mother and they want custody of Kitty. Can they do that?” There was a long silence in the apartment, with Shego grunting the occasional, “Okay,” or “Uh-huh.”
“Well,” Alice demanded as she handed the baby to her mother.
“Call your bosses,” Shego said, “you got your damn story. Apparently there are a lot of pro-grandparent's rights groups out there. They'll probably be pulling for the Possibles. There is a slight chance they could win and take her from me. Tell your bosses I admit I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I'm sorry for them. I admit mistakes. Tell them I don't think any parents who let their kid run wild, the way they let Kim run wild, have any business saying I'm unfit to be a mother. Ask if the Possibles admit making mistakes.”
“Oh, it's going to turn ugly!”
“You really don't have to sound so damn happy about it!”
“Sorry, it's what I live for.”
While Alice got on the phone to alert her employers to the need for new headlines Shego sat in a rocking chair and nursed the baby. Between kisses on the top of the little head Shego cooed, “They're not going to get you. I may not be the best mommy for someone as special as you, but I won't let them take you.”