Cody sighed. He hated the rain so very much. Yet here he was, walking the mile to the hotel from the arena, cursing his partner. "Damnit Ted! Would it have killed you to wake me up?" He grumbled to himself, pulling the hood of his soaked jacket tighter around his face.
"Meow?"
Cody stopped, nearly dropping his gym bag in surprise. "Meow? Oh great, now I'm hearing things!" He mumbled, readjusting the bag and walking off again. He didn't get ten feet before he heard it again, louder and more demanding this time.
"Meow!"
He stopped again and turned around four times before he spotted the source of the noise. "What the-?" On the bus bench two feet behind him was a pair of kittens, one gray tabby with bright blue eyes, the other brown tabby with amber eyes. Both were looking at him, pitifully wet, with the best sad-eyes they could muster. He carelessly dropped his gym bag to the ground and made his way over, crouching down and reaching a hand out, watching as the gray tabby leaned forward cautiously to sniff his hand.
"What on earth are you two doing out in this weather?" He said softly as he began to pet each kitten in tandem, subtlety checking for collars, grunting when he found nothing on either kitten. "Well no collars, and both of you look pretty skinny. You don't have owners, do you?" The brown tabby looked at him with sorrowful amber eyes, a sad 'purrp' leaving his mouth.
Cody's heart melted instantly and he gently gathered both kittens close to him, standing up and moving them all out of the rain, under the bus shelter. He set them on the bench there and rushed to save his gym bag, which had thankfully fallen under the protection of the tree and wasn't too wet. He sat down on the bench and chuckled when both kittens crawled into his lap, purring at him before curling up in a big wet heap on his lap.
"What am I going to do with you two? I don't think I could live with myself if I just left you here. And I've read about those animal shelters. Some of the pets never find a good place to live." He sighed and leaned his head back, cursing himself silently. Damn him and his big heart! He grumbled to himself for a minute more before an idea popped into his head.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, opening the contacts list and pulling the 'Hotel' contact up. The number changed almost every other night, but he always kept it updated, just in case. He dialed the number and held it close to his ear.
"Marriott Inn and Suites, 404 S. Mint Street. This is Sasha, how can I be of service this evening?" A beaming voice said from the other end of the line and Cody smirked. It never ceased to amaze him that these hotel receptionists could be so happy all the time.
"Hi Sasha. I was wondering; what's the hotel's policy on pets?"
"We are a pet friendly hotel, though we tend to recommend no large animals, because of the hotel's location in relevance to the parks."
"Excellent. Do you have any singles left?" Ted would kill him if he brought kittens in, let alone two of them. And he would make him get rid of them! There was the sound of rustling papers and tapping on a keyboard before Sasha's voice came back to him.
"We do have one left, on the fourth floor." Cody smiled. Oh this was working out perfectly!
"I'd like to book that. I'll also be shifting from a already existing reservation in a double." Sasha nodded, informed him of the charge for the room and the fifty dollar fine for canceling his half of the double's reservation and took his name and basic contact information.
"Alright, Mr. Runnels. Your room will be ready for you on arrival. I assume you have a furry friend joining you tonight?" She said happily, apparently writing down.
"Two actually. Is there an extra charge?" He asked.
"No extra charge. We just like to have that information on hand." She said, writing it down in her little book. Cody bid her goodnight and hung up. Outside, the rain was slowing, and was now a gentle pitter-patter on the plastic of the bus shelter. He slipped the phone back in his pocket and reached into his gym bag for one of his clean shower towels.
"Hey you two. Wake up." He said, poking each kitten in the belly, giggling when they turned sleepy glares on him. He wrapped them up in the dry towel and tucked them in his large gym bag, leaving it open and the cover tilted so no rain would drip in. He stood up and watched as they snuggled under the towel-blanket, drifting to sleep.
He gently hefted the bag to his shoulder and made his way back outside, under the night sky and storm clouds. He had two problems. What supplies would he get for them, and how in the name of gravy was he going to get them from place to place? And what would he do if the hotel they were booked for wasn't pet friendly? Could he just book a new hotel? Would he have to smuggle them in? And if he kept booking new hotels, would that arouse suspicion?
His first problem was solved in the form of a PetsMart not two blocks from his hotel. Happy that he wouldn't have to explain the presence of two fury stowaways in his gym bag he entered the store and immediately sought out an employee. "Excuse me? Is your clinic still open?" He asked. The employee, a young man, turned around and smiled when he saw two furry heads sticking out oh Cody's gym bag.
"Yeah, but only for another twenty minutes. We can get you in though, if it's just a quick look over." He said and Cody nodded, following the young man over to a door, motioning inside. "Dr. McKnight! I got a guy who needs a pair of kittens looked over." There was a deep, brogue-tinged, laugh from inside. "Bring him in! I got all the time for pets in need!"
Cody walked in. Beside an exam table was a stocky man with a bushy red beard and head of hair, wearing a pair of green scrubs and a lab coat. Cody smiled and shook hands with the man. "What can I do for you my boy." He boomed, smiling brilliantly. "I rescued a pair of kittens today and need them looked over." He said, motioning over to his gym bag. The vet patted the table. "Set 'em up here lad."
Cody set his bag down and opened it the rest of the way. He pulled the towel-wrapped bundle of kittens and set them on the table. They bundled out and blinked at the bright light. The vet was quick in checking them over, smiling at the playful duo.
"Well, from what I can see, we have a set of brothers, a little under two months old. No signs of worms or anything. They're still relatively muscular, so they were abandoned maybe two weeks ago, because I see minimal signs of starvation. I see a little abrasive damage on the paws, but I'll give you some ointment that can be applied for that. No damage to the claws of teeth and I see no skin wounds, so they haven't had any fights." Cody smiled. They were in good health.
The vet walked over to a cupboard and pulled out a tube, handing it to Cody with a gentle smile. "Apply that to their pads once a day for two weeks. This is a sample. It'll last maybe three days. I'll have Josh show you where you can get a full tube and then he can help you get the right supplies to suit you and little ones." Cody said his thanks and went to go pick up the kittens, but they jumped to the ground and stood at his feet.
"You wanna walk around the store for a little bit?" He asked and they almost seemed to nod at him. Dr. McKnight smiled. "A smart pair. You got names for 'em yet?" Cody shook his head. "I literally just rescued them, like, ten minutes ago." He nodded. "Can an old Irishman make a suggestion?" Cody smiled and nodded. "Go right ahead. I need all the help I can get."
"Call the brown one 'Déanann' and the gray one 'Troideanna'" The vet pronounced each name slowly, so Cody could wrap his head around them. Despite not knowing what each name meant, they seemed to fit the furry pair and Cody nodded. "They sound good. But what do they mean?" The Vet smiled broadly. "Déanann means 'to strive' and Troideanna means 'to fight'." He said and Cody smiled. "I like them. Can I get them inscribed on tags here?" The Vet nodded.
"That's actually a free service provided by the clinic. Why don't you head off with Josh and Get your supplies and I'll have those done up by the time you're ready to check out?" Cody nodded and exited the clinic, the two kittens padding at his heels.
Cody looked at his purchases with a proud smile. Before him was a small litter box and a small bag of litter, two boxes of sifting litter liners, a tube of the paw ointment, two twelve packs of Friskies Indoor wet kitten food, treats and toys, a "Starry Night" foldaway cat hut and two fleece blankets, as picked by each individual kitten, a red and a blue collar, two small plastic bowls, a huge folding wicker basket for car rides and a carrying case the looked exactly like a suitcase where he could put all the supplies. The cashier rung up the items and accepted the money from Cody, handing him the change.
He took everything to a bench facing the window and began putting everything in the case in it's proper spot. Once that was packed he zipped the case up and took the folded wicker basket, laying it on top and, using the included straps, buckled it down. The kittens jumped up on the bench and allowed Cody to fasten the collars around their necks, the red one on Déanann and the blue one on Troideanna.
He had jsut stepped back when Dr. McKnight came walking in, two tags resting in his hands, one gold and the other green. He handed them to Cody, who smiled his thanks and slipped the tags into his own palm. The gold one went on Déanann and the green one on Troideanna. Both kittens purred thunderously, bumping against Cody's hand in a bid to gain his attention. Cody smiled widely and giggled, happily petting each kitten around the ears.
"Well there you go, Lad. Two lovely kittens, and all the supplies to smooth the road into ownership. Best of luck to you." The older man chuckled and gently ran his hand down each kitten's back, smiling as they began to playfight over who was going to get whose attention.
"Thanks, Dr. McKnight. But I think I'd better go. I have to check in at my hotel soon and it's getting late." The vet nodded, bid them farewell, and made his way back to the clinic. Cody retrieved the towel and bundled the two kittens in it, slipping them back into the gym bag. He set the carrying case on the ground and, using the extendable handle and wheels, carried the supplies and himself into the night air.
Cody walked thankfully into the hotel's dry lobby ten minutes after leaving the petstore and made his way to the desk. "Hi. I have a room reserved. Cody Runnels." He said and the lady at the desk tapped something on the keyboard, made him sign a guest book and then handed him the room key.
"There you go Mr. Runnels. Fourth floor, room 407. Have a wonderful stay." She chirped and Cody nodded, making his way to the lift. He mashed the up button and slipped inside when the lift dinged and the brass doors opened. He hit the button for the fourth floor and settled against the side of the, thankfully empty, lift. Two furry heads poked up and looked up at him with big eyes.
"Mew?" Troideanna said, echoed by his brother and Cody smiled as he heard two little tummies rumble in unison.
"I know guys. I'm hungry and tired too. We just gotta get to the room." He said, smiling when the lift dinged and the doors slid open. The hall was devoid of anyone and he made his way down, looking at each individual door number on his way.
"411, 409 and...407! Thank you!" He crowed as he slid the key in and opened the door. The room was nice, simply decorated in a modern fashion. The bed was large, and looked extremely inviting at the second. He set the carrying case down and then his gym bag, opening it so the brothers could crawl out and explore the room.
"Alright, let's get you two set up, yeah?" He mumbled. He opened the case and pulled out the litter box, put a liner in it and filled it, setting it in the bathroom. He unfolded the hut and put the two blankets in it, setting it near the bed. Last but not least he took the two plastic bowls and set them in the bathroom near the door and away from the litter pan. He filled one with cold water and the other with a can of the wet kitten food.
Two exited meows echoed in the room and he giggled as both brothers rushed the bowls and jockeyed for position, attempting to get a bigger share of the food. Now that the kittens were set up, Cody picked up the room service menu and the phone, dialing in for a cheeseburger and a coke. "Twenty minutes." He grumbled. "At least I can change into...damnit!"
His clothes were back in Teddy's room.
He'd have to go get them.
Damn.
He scrubbed his hand over his face and sighed. How was he going to explain to the room move to Ted? He sighed, glancing over at the two kitten's still engrossed in eating their food from the bowl. He'd just have to storm in there, grab the suit case and leave without saying a word to Ted, or Randy, who was probably in there as well.
He made his way to the door, grabbing his key. "Behave! I'll be right back." He shouted over his shoulder and left. He took the elevator to the sixth floor, the floor wrestlers' reserved floor, and marched down the hall to the door labeled 614.
Taking a deep breath, trying to control his giddy-nervous giggling. 'If either of them grabs me, I'm screwed.' He raised his hand and knock three times, smiling when he heard grumbling within, undoubtedly Randy complaining about the late hour. Too bad. He wanted dry clothes.
"Hold on!" He heard the deadbolt on the door being moved to the side and the door opened, revealing Ted standing there in only a pair of jeans "Oh shit! Codes I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to forget you!" He cried but Cody ignored him completely and pushed his way inside, making a beeline for his suitcase. He picked it up and headed straight back for the door, only to have his path blocked by Randy. "What's the rush, Cody? I thought you were rooming with Ted." He asked, looking perplexed.
Cody shook his head. "I switched to a single. I better get back. I got room service coming in fifteen minutes with food." He made up the lame, half-lie off the top of his head. He made to go around the slightly taller form of his mentor, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "At least let me help you take the stuff to your room. It's the least I could do, considering I left you at the arena." Ted said, wincing at the dampness that still hung to Cody's clothes.
Cody shook his head vehemently, worried that Ted would find out about the kittens. "No!" He shrieked in a release of nervous tension, darting out the door, suitcase in hand until he reached the elevator, mashing the down button and ignoring the shouts behind him. He slipped into the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief. He got the stuff.
The elevator dinged on his floor and and he stepped out and made his way calmly to his room. Inside the kittens were asleep in the hut, in one furry lump. Cody smiled and set his stuff down, a warm feeling spreading throughout his body.
He was going to have a grand ole' time with these two.