FFoZ S1E14

Skye's Fall (Chapter 1)

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Night had fallen over the Rainforest District and the lights were coming on. Streetlights reflected on the puddles and cascades, window lights bounced off of the raindrops, while the reds and oranges of cars diffracted through the evening mist.

The most amazing lights though were at a formerly exclusive rodent sized resource, newly opened up for the wider and larger public. Larger mammals were visiting it for the first time, including a rather diverse set of four. A swift fox, a tehuantepec jackrabbit, a red panda and a spotted hyena.

"This place is magical," Retsuko said, gasping as she looked around. They were walking alongside an illuminated water channel, the lights beneath it creating an azure glow below the wafting weeds. Every now and again they'd pass a small cascade, lights shining through it like a prism, a whole rainbow of colours the result. "Right under my nose the whole time and I never knew."

"Heh," Haida chuckled as he walked beside her. "It only opened last week or something. I only found out about it by chance."

"Well, it's been here for a while," Skye added in, as she walked over to the side of the channel. It had been made out of jet-black slabs of rock and, looking closer, the vixen saw areas where lichens were growing, or where the sealing mortar was thin. "Hmmm… Quite a while in fact. Mustn't have been open to the public."

"Maybe this was an art project by some rich guy," Retsuko mused, looking around. Fairy lights, twinkling and shining, hung above them like fireflies. "It's a nice hobby to have."

"Really put his back into it," Haida commented, before turning down to the fourth member of their group. "Work of artistic passion, huh?"

Jack looked up and nodded. "I guess," he said. He was taking it lazy today, just relaxing and looking around. "The surroundings are certainly nice, though I'm not sure if there's a deeper meaning to it or anything."

"Maybe he just wanted to make something pretty," Retsuko chirped, smiling. "Something for everyone to enjoy." Looking down, she noticed a rodent sized path, a small group of mice on bikes zipping along it. They went into a tunnel in the basalt channel and, peering into it, she could see them ride through a clear passageway beneath the stream, similar to the types seen in aquariums. They paused in there, just looking around, seeing the flow above them as it wafted the weeds back and forth.

"Well," Jack said, a little flair in his voice. "You can make something very beautiful, or heart-rending, or exciting. But a nugget of some fundamental truth can always be slipped in there, acting as a rallying call to the viewers. Flaring their passions, or convincing them of something they didn't even expect to be convinced of. A bit of work, and this whole thing could tell a story or stories, some deep narrative or philosophy. Enriching each piece of eye candy that we witness in our tour of it and ourselves at the end."

His words rang out before fading, replaced by the slight babble of the stream. Haida, nodding along, looked at him, noting that the normally relaxed jackrabbit was a lot more perky than usual. "Had a coffee finally kick in?" he asked, smiling.

Jack looked up at him, a slight flash of indignation crossing his face. He stood up tall and boasted out. "The coffee kick of an artist in his passion," he said in an exaggerated prideful tone, as if he were giving a retort to an insult. A little flicker of a smile though showed that he was just hamming it up.

Haida nodded, seeing it, and smiled along as he looked around. "I'm afraid I agree with Retsy. Things can just be pretty."

"Maybe this artist was just seeing how far he could push that," Skye offered. "I quite like it when mammals try and push things to the limits, see how far they can go." She paused, looking around thoughtfully. "I'd be interested in seeing what this was like before the installation. If these were all existing features and the designer tried to push the limits on what could be done with them."

"I don't mind if this is all artificial," Retsuko said, smiling as she saw a set of glowing lights float down past her. "I'm happy enjoying it here and now. It puts me in my happy place!" She went quiet as she watched the floating lights drift away, before a loud rumble rang out. Looking down, rubbing her stomach, she blushed slightly before looking at the others. "I'm also hungry."

"Well," Haida said, as he pulled up a picnic basket. "Good thing I prepared some stuff. There's a place great for eating food further up and there's no rainfall scheduled for later on, so we can take our time and enjoy it."

The surrounding entourage nodded and off they went. It wasn't long before they arrived at the spot in question. A circle of tiered stone steps surrounded a central pool, almost like an ancient coliseum. Groups of mammals had found places to sit here and there, enjoying a rest or food while enjoying the lights around them. Hundreds of colours flashed or morphed or even fluttered in the trees and air, while every now and then the running lights of a sky tram would trace this way or that across the open top of the glade. Even the water was bright, the shallow bed lit and ever shifting in its hue and tone. It was covered in mossy rocks, so only their edge lit up, but this added to the effect. When red or orange, the four mammals almost seemed to be looking over a bed of coals before the embers shifted again.

While entranced, the four still made their way to a nice spot and settled down, not that far from an empty pavilion designed for mice. Haida, opening his basket, brought out a mix of food. Some homemade, most store brought, but all treated with pride.

"The wraps are mine," he clarified, as Skye held up a slightly uneven tortilla wrap. Sniffing it, she smelt something similar to pad-thai in there before taking a bite.

Satay chicken chunks, with a mix of salad stuff thrown in. Swallowing down she smiled. "Oooh, I like this. It's nice."

Haida let a goofy smile slip onto his face. "Thanks!" The smile only increased as Retsuko moaned beside him, eating her own wrap. Breaded and fried turkey cutlets had been cut up and put in, with salad stuff and tonkatsu sauce added. Looking at Jack, he picked up another wrap and passed it over. "This is the same as hers, only it uses tempeh instead of turkey. Unlike the meat, I had to bread and fry it myself."

Jack sniffed the meal and took a bite, smiling as he enjoyed it while Haida gave a fist pump. Swallowing it down, he smiled. "Nice. I grew up on fried pepper and bean wraps, but this is a clever twist."

Haida nodded, confident and happy, and he helped himself as the four ate. The wraps were tackled, as were the nibbles and deserts, though it was clear there was a lot left over.

"Guess that's the next few days food," Skye commented.

"Yeah," Haida said, as he pulled out a cupcake, a few attempts at decoration sprinkled on the top. "I was actually worried that I hadn't made enough."

Retsuko giggled. "You forgot we're not hyena's, didn't you?"

The hyena in question laughed a little before shaking his head. "Retsuko, I'm not that ditzy. I just wanted enough in case Jack and Skye invited the nighthowler heroes too."

"Ah," his girlfriend said, nodding in agreement. "I guess they couldn't come."

"I asked Jack if it was okay. I guess they couldn't make it." He looked over at the striped bunny, who lazily shrugged.

"They said it was too short notice and they were already booked," he said, as he opened up a tuple ware case and began sampling the fruit salad within.

"I asked you a week ago," Haida pointed out, before looking at his friend a bit sceptically. "You did ask them, right?"

Jack closed his eyes, holding himself aloofly. "I most certainly did."

Looking at him and smirking, Skye spoke. "When?"

"Why," he defended. "I gave them plenty of time. Enough time to ship a chosen good across the continent to any mammal's home, to travel around our planet itself, to…"

"So yesterday," Skye teased.

…

"Early yesterday," Jack defended astutely.

"Hmmmm…" Haida grumbled a little. "Couldn't you have done it earlier?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I just kept slipping, I still got it to them in the end."

"Well next time I'll ask Skye or call them myself," he said, Retsuko nodding in agreement.

"I do want to meet them," the red panda said happily. "I've heard a lot of good stuff about Nick Wilde."

There was a slight coughing, and three of them turned to face Skye. She looked at Retsuko, a bit confused, before swallowing down her food. "This is the same Nick Wilde, right?"

"Uh-hu," Retsuko chirped. "One of my co-workers actually volunteers to help him on undercover missions and he says he's a great guy."

"Right," Skye said, nodding. "Just… -I knew him for a long time, though he may have changed a lot…" She trailed off, trying to find the words. "Just be prepared for him to not quite live up to the hype."

Retsuko looked at her, thinking slightly. "I'll keep an open mind," she said, "but I still want to meet him."

"Me to!" Haida agreed. "And Judy Hopps."

"She is something," Jack agreed, as Skye prowled over to him.

"Not that they'd get to find out with you dealing with that stuff," she said softly, sitting down next to him.

"Well, that's not what I'm here for," he said, a coy look in his muzzle as he leant back onto the fox's chest. He knew what she was wanting and he had no qualms about giving it. Right on que, a paw pad began massaging his ear, then a full paw, as Skye began a little petting.

"No, it isn't," she said, smiling a little. Looking down at him, he was exceedingly petable right then, and she had no qualms about indulging that silly misfiring instinct anymore. He wiggled a bit closer to her, and she cosied up around him, and they indulged each other.

They were also indulging Haida and Retsuko, who were enjoying the spectacle. She was a bit self-conscious, being in a public area, but she pushed through that as she walked back and sat down in Haida's lap. The hyena was all too happy to pet her too, his face practically glowing as he did so. There was even a rhythmic beat coming from behind him as his tail wagged back and forth intently, so intently that it knocked into Retsuko's phone, the device put on the ground for safe keeping, and knocked it right across the ground and up against the rodent sized pavilion.

"I'll get it," Skye announced before anyone else could react. Letting Jack go, she walked over and grabbed it, pausing as she saw a little notice on the property. Squinting in, she began reading it, just as Haida turned up.

"What does it say?"

"It's just a foreclosure notice," she said. "Something about back taxes…"

Haida nodded, before his eyes widened. Peaking in, he read it closer. "Hey, guess what Retsy?"

"Yes Haida?"

"This place here was owned by the guy we busted!"

"You mean the crime lord?" she asked, walking over. Staring at the little notice, her eyes widened. "So it was."

"Maybe that's why this place was locked up so much," Haida mused. "It was his private place." That smile then grew into a grin as he looked around. "We're the ones who opened this to the world. Go heroes!"

"Yeah!" Retsuko chirped, smiling too.

Jack and Skye looked on, happy for their friends. "Guess it feels good," he said.

"Yeah," Haida chuckled, as he moved back to the picnic basket and began to pack things away, they were mostly done here anyhow. "The money we got is good too!"

"Yup," Retsuko chirped. "It came in and it's official. But being a hero does feel awesome."

Skye nodded as she tidied the last of their things away. Checking that they had everything, they slowly began making their way off. "I guess you'll be doing more of that if you move to this tax investigator firm you were talking about."

"Uh-hu," Haida agreed. "Though it'll be a wait for some slots to open up. The guy in charge said that a few of his workers are retiring in less than a year and the slots will be open for us."

"So, still some time to endure under your bad boss," Skye noted, knowing the stories.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Unless…" Retsuko began, a slight tease in her voice.

Haida perked up a little and looked down at her. "Are we…" he said, waving his paw a little.

She smiled. "Why not!?"

"Why not what?" Skye asked.

"Tell them," Retsuko added.

Even Jack was getting curious. "Tell us what?"

"Okay," the hyena agreed, coming to a stop. They were on the lowest tier of stones, the girls together at the edge and Jack just besides them. Climbing up a few steps, Haida looked down proudly. "Fenneko was looking around and stumbled upon a detective apprenticeship scheme, for training PI's. With the money that just came in padding our wages until we qualify, we're thinking of applying!"

The other pair gasped, looking at each other, before Skye turned to Retsuko.

"They actually have a lack of people who can process financial data, which is where most of the evidence can come from. They even said they'd push us through and qualify us quickly."

"We'd more be consulting between different PI's," Haida added, "at a very high rate."

"While Fenneko will be doing a lot of internet research and scanning," the red panda finished off. "She can do crazy things with social media."

"Crazy and scary," her boyfriend added, before shivering. "Very scary."

Skye looked between them, gasping, before a big smirk grew on her muzzle. She snuggled right up against Retsuko, giving her a big pat on the back. "Yeah! That sounds incredible," she said. "And I absolutely know what you mean about finances and spreadsheets. The armed forces have exactly the same problem. If you've checked everything, you could really go places."

"If it's your dream, do it!" Jack added.

Haida crossed his arms, a proud smile on his face. "We certainly plan to," he said, before jumping off and down to the others, his foot-paws hitting the ground; the ground immediately sinking with him, the loose stone he'd landed on seesawing under his weight and flinging the two girls at the end up in the air and over the reflecting pool.

"RETSUKO!" he cried in horror as the two fell, feet and arms waving as they hit the shallow pool, its surface riven with stones. Retsuko landed on all fours, her paws trying to grip but slipping as they landed on the wet moss-covered rock. A flash of pain came from her front left one, though they slowed her down. Chest hitting the water, she felt the rocky surface punch her in the gut, winding her and shaking her… But she was okay.

And then she heard the scream behind her.

Looking over, she saw Skye, her foot paws on the ground and in the middle of a splash, tumble to the side. Her arms went out and scattered the rocks where she fell as she too ended up face first in the water. Getting up, the red panda winced from the pain in her left arm, the throbbing getting worse. Still, she made a few steps over to her friend, the swift fox now on her side, clutching her right leg hard. Her eyes were welded shut, her teeth gritted, pained sobs leaking out as she inhaled. Sniffing, almost cursing under her breath, her face was riven in pain.

"Skye," Retsuko began, before a splash rang out. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a terrified Haida striding up across the water, kicking up spray as he went. No time for talk, he swooped in, picking her up in one fell swoop. Before she even knew what had happened, she was being carried along as he brought down his other arm and scooped Skye up. He held her against his chest, Skye wincing as her tight leg was bent against it.

"GAHHH!"

The pain filled cry sent a shiver down her spine and left Haida reeling. For a moment she almost felt that she was going to be dropped, only for her boyfriend to steady himself and Skye as he began making his way out.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped, panting as he picked up the pace. "I'm sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean to! I…" he broke off a bit as he began to sniff. "I didn't want to hurt you," he whimpered. Reaching the edge of the pool, he climbed out, Retsuko noticing a shocked looking Jack staring out at them. There wasn't much he could do…

"Call an ambulance!" Haida shouted, his voice cracking. "And now! -Not next week, NOW!"

The hare pulled out his phone and began dialling as they set off. "I'm… I'm taking you two to the entrance," he said, as he began speeding up. Retsuko grabbed him tight with her good arm, her bad paw pulsing with pain. Whipping through the forests, past the lights and trees and pretty sculptures faster than she could take them in, she realised she was crying. Looking up, she saw that Haida was too.

And then she looked at Skye.

She could already see her leg swelling up badly, and her eyes and lips were welded shut, her muzzle and face riven with folds. She was trying so hard to hold it in, but still it escaped. Tears trickling from her eyes, the whimpers from her muzzle, the pained way she breathed.

Haida was breathing too, fast and rough, out of breath but pushing on. She saw the entrance to the gardens coming up and an ambulance there and waiting and, before she could register what was happening, she and Skye were passed over.

"We'll…" Haida began, his voice cutting out as he took a deep wheezing breath in.

"-Can you sit," one of the crew asked, the red panda not really noticing who.

"Yes," she answered, almost automatically. She didn't really think about it, it just came out. Everything was such a daze.

"-Follow!" Haida finished, shouting out and catching her attention.

"Haida!"

"I'm… I'm…" he began, still catching his breath.

Retsuko didn't know what to say, her tongue caught. But she looked at him, how he looked at her with guilt and fear, and she felt a shiver go down her spine. She opened her mouth to speak out, but it was too late. Skye was in, and the doors slammed shut as she shouted.

"It's not your fault!"

…

Everything seemed to go oddly quiet for a second or two, the calm before the storm. With a fit, the engine rumbled to life and the ambulance jolted and shook as they set off. Skye was moaning, "Ow's" and "Ouches" being her main response to the first round of questions. The medics began getting her some pain relief, asking Retsuko if she needed anything herself.

She said yes, but didn't really think about it.

It was just an automatic response.

She was thinking about her boyfriend, the guilt riven self-hating imagine of him that she'd last seen stuck hauntingly in her mind.

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"Stupid. Stupid. STUPID!"

Jack's ears were drooped with worry. First it had been for his girlfriend and Retsuko, but right here and now it was for the red panda's boyfriend.

"STUPID!" he shouted, as he slammed his head hard against the side of their zuber. Retsuko lived locally, Haida a few transit stops away, while Skye had driven Jack here. While Haida did have a license he wasn't insured for Skye's car and even if he was she'd left with the keys. So, zuber it was. Leaning down, he clutched his brow tightly, his stupor only broke, slightly at that, when he felt a paw on his side. Jack. The Hyena looked over at him and shrugged. "You can do it."

"Do what?" Jack asked.

"Hit me," he snorted, sounding miserable. "I deserve it."

Jack looked at him. His fur and clothes were messy from his run, his face riven with emotional pain, and he looked like the most pathetic specimen in the world. Jack couldn't have punched him even if he wanted to. "No, you don't and I'm not going to."

"Right," he grunted. "Because you're lazy and can't be bothered. Don't worry though, I'll take care of it."

Before Jack could stop him, Haida pulled out his paw and slapped himself hard on his head. There was a slight pause, before he gave himself three more hits, each harder than the last. Jack looked on worried, not sure if he should intervene or not. After all, could he even hold the hyena's paw back?

Better not.

He winced though as another strike hit Haida. It rang out so hard that there was a slight shudder, the driver slowing down to a stop and looking back at them. Looking at the horse in front, Jack spoke. "He jumped on a loose paving stone and it launched our girlfriends into the air. Now they're injured, and he wants to join them."

"Pah," Haida snorted. "I don't deserve that. I should just walk into the rain, catch pneumonia again and die. There, I deserve that!"

The horse turned to face Haida, before double taking him. "Déjà vu," he muttered, before shaking his head. "Now listen, the way I hear it, it was a pure accident."

"Caused by me," Haida cursed. "I went in like a big damn clutz and ruined everything! Heh… Retsuko's mother was right. She'd be better with anyone except me."

"I wouldn't say that," the driver said. "Listen, I've been in that guilty place, it's not nice."

"Tchhhh…" Haida dismissed. "Well I deserve it!"

The driver snorted, his nostrils flaring. He turned forward again and the car pulled out, driving onwards once more. "Well I thought that too. But sometimes you can't call the shots or stop the ones in charge, the ones higher up, the ones behind the real pain from causing it. You couldn't have seen it; you couldn't have done anything. Be angry at them. Not yourself."

…

"Passing the buck," he muttered, before knocking his head against the side again.

Jack looked on concerned. Maybe there wasn't anything he could do physically to stop the hyena from beating himself up, but mentally? Using his own skill sets? What the horse said had given him a little streak of inspiration.

"Haida?"

"Punching request still open," he said, bearing the side of his arm.

"Do you know how many paving stones and slabs and all sorts I walk on every day?" the Jackrabbit asked, raising his voice. No longer timid, or playing about, it was loud and fierce.

"Huh?" Haida asked, perking up. He looked at Jack, confused. "I guess a lot…"

"Damn right a lot! There's a lot of them in this damn city! We rely on them! For holding our weight and letting us walk about!"

"I suppose…"

"'Suppose'" Jack mocked, before snorting and giving Haida a light hit on the arm. Not a real one, just enough to drive the point across. As he rubbed where he'd been hit, the hare got louder, angrier and shoutier. "It's our right! Our birthright as Zootopians! That we can walk where we want, our feet dry and free from stones and pebbles and all sorts! It's our right that the ground beneath our feet is safe and secure! THAT is the very minimum we should expect!"

"I guess," Haida mused, Jack silently congratulating himself. The hyena was taking the bait.

"The very minimum, and we should be able to jump about and go do-lally without so much as a tremor! This city has codes and rules and regulations, and mammals are paid… WITH OUR MONEY to test these. If anything goes wrong, it's on their watch!"

"Yeah…" Haida agreed, nodding along.

"But those bastards think they can fleece us! Think they can take our money, and still let our dear ones come to harm! They think they can get away with that!"

"Yeah, screw those guys!"

"Screw them? That's just the start!"

"Just that start?"

"Just the start," Jack said, feeling the passion of the act flow through him. "Do you know what we're going to do?"

"No. Tell me."

"Well," Jack said, growling and roaring, fury in him. "We're going to stand up, open the window and shout out: I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

"DAMN RIGHT I AM!" Haida shouted back, as he turned around and pressed the window button. There was a roar from the air flowing outside and a repetitive thudding filled the car, carrying on as the window fully opened and Haida stuck his head out, right as a truck came the other way. "I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M…"

SPLASH….

…

"Wet," Haida remarked, as he slipped back in the car, his face soaked with water and leaves. Staring forwards, one of his paws absently pressed the button to raise the window back up.

…

"Got any towels?" he asked out loud. "I am not going to catch pneumonia again." There was a ruffling from the front and one was thrown his way. Catching it with one paw, he began drying his face, only to pause half way. "Uh-oh…"

"What?" Jack asked.

Haida gulped. "The girls got wet. What if they get pneumonia!? It's all my fault."

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It wasn't long before they arrived in the waiting room, picking a chair and asking a receptionist to keep them informed. The pair sat down, Haida swallowing some painkillers he'd picked up. He'd got a headache.

"I deserve it," he mumbled.

Jack ignored him. It was futile, an exercise as pointless as trying to clean up his office. Cheer Haida up, he'd then just drag himself down, so why bother in the first place?

.

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He was crying.

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Jack ignored him.

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He worried about the girls, though. Skye seemed more injured than Retsuko. How bad was it?

.

.

…

Haida was still crying.

…

"It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is," the hyena cursed, looking down. He kicked the floor, before sniffing. "I've ruined it. Everything."

"No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have!"

Jack groaned. "You're making yourself sound like a monster."

"Tchhh…" Haida chided, trembling as he did so. "Maybe I am."

"It was an accident!"

"I hurt them," he shouted. His voice echoed across the room, and Jack couldn't help but hear whispers and rumours start to spread about.

Jack cleared his throat, before speaking twice as loud. "Your weight hurt them by levering up a badly installed bit of pavement. It was an accident. You're not some monster or criminal." Pausing and listening in, he heard new comments sprout up, almost all of them out of sympathy.

"They wouldn't have been hurt if I wasn't in the picture," he muttered. "I… I know I didn't know about the stone, but I feel I should have. I know that I'm not a criminal, but I feel like one. I feel like this, and I can't shake it off."

"Then suck it up."

"I…" Haida began, only to pause. There was an odd quiet as he thought, before seeming to relax. "You're right," he said. Jack's ears rose, that sounded almost wistful. A slight chuckle came out of him, and he shook his head. "I really need to get myself together."

"See," Jack said, smiling. "It wasn't your fault."

"It still was," Haida clarified. "I still bare responsibility for it. More than anyone." He trailed off, looking away. He shuddered as he breathed in, before clenching his hands together resolutely. "But that means I've got to put it right, and I've got to hold myself together if I'm going to do that."

Jack looked at him, confused. "It isn't your responsibility; you don't have to put it right."

"Well who else will?" Haida countered. "Retsuko might not be able to work, or look after herself. I'm her boyfriend, it's my job to care for her. -Skye might be the same for that matter, she might need you to care of her."

"Yeah, and… -Hang on!" Jack remarked, his eyes going wide. "I thought you were the one responsible, though you're not, so why do I have to look after Skye?"

Haida was silent for a second or two, his mouth part open. "Our girlfriends get hurt, and you think we both don't have any responsibilities to them?" he asked, scolding Jack a little. "You think that's cool? Because I don't."

The hare shook his head and scowled. "You're saying that, even though you blame yourself for this, I should help out."

"It's not about who's to blame," he said, looking away a little. "Think about it. Both Retsuko and Skye need someone who knows and cares for them looking after them. Me, Retsuko. You, Skye. And, yes, I have a further responsibility. If you need help or anything, or bills to be paid, I'd be happy to sub you. Maybe you can have that basket I made, all the leftovers… You do have it, right?"

"No."

Haida rolled his eyes. "I'll phone the club. They have Skye's car, after all." Standing up, he began to walk out, grabbing his phone. Before he did so, he turned around to look at Jack. "It's my duty to help you help her," he said. "But it's your duty to help her. That's what being a boyfriend means."

And, with that, Haida left, leaving Jack alone.

Thinking…

…

"Maybe your kind of boyfriend," Jack commented. "But Skye and I are casual…"

…

One of his eyes twitched, and he shook his head. "Okay, I'll check she's alright. But it's not like she'll need help anyway."

.

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"I hope she's okay though…"

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…

Looking up, he saw Haida come back inside, only to freeze where he stood. "Retsuko!"

"Haida!" shouted a familiar voice, and Jack saw the red panda race out from a doorway and right into his paws.

"I missed you," she cried, as he lifted him up. Holding her like a baby, she wrapped her arms around his neck, Jack noticing that one was in a torsion bandage.

He smiled as he held her, but one sniff, then a second, escaped him. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault," she said.

"It…" he began, before breaking off. He held her away from him, smiling. "Whether it was or wasn't, I'll be here to look after you," he said, before giving her a light peck on her nose. She giggled back.

"It's only a light sprain," she said.

"I'll be here to look after you," he promised, looking at her and smiling. She looked back at him, their gaze lingering, and with her good arm she reached back to fuss his ears and head fur.

"Thanks, Haida," she said, before pulling herself closer. His eyes widened and hers closed as their lips collided, meeting and kissing as the two embraced. He held her closer, paws gripping her back and rump, even as her tail beat into them. She clutched the back of his head tight, keeping up the pressure. Haida segued into it, his eyes closing, and their mouths and tongues danced, sparking like electricity as they flowed against one another, nipping and perking the odd tooth once in a while.

They parted, Haida holding his girlfriend over his shoulder, trembling slightly as he did so. "Wha… What was that for?"

"For you, silly," she whispered.

"Hu… -Hu-Ha," he giggled, beaming about. "I love you so much."

Retsuko nodded, snuggling into him, before slipping away. Landing on her two feet, she noticed Jack in the distance and then looked around, getting more and more frantic. "Where's Skye?"

Haida's grin faltered. "She… We still don't know."

He looked down, only to flinch as Retsuko held his paw. "It's not your fault."

He nodded and, together, they sat down next to Jack and waited.

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"I got a text from the place," Haida noted. It had close to an hour since Retsuko had been discharge, the red panda currently sleeping on his lap. "They're keeping her car, and the hamper. You can keep both though."

…

Tweaking his muzzle a little, Haida looked down, spotting a sleeping Jack next to him. He sighed. "And I had a good joke lined up too…"

"What joke would that be then?" Looking up, Haida spotted a bespectacled blue-eyed red fox in medical scrubs and a red scrub cap waiting for them. "I believe you're here for a Miss Skye Autumn?"

Blinking a few times, Haida nodded, before vigorously shaking the two smaller mammals next to him awake. "Yes, how is she?"

"She's awake and lucid, though tired, and has asked to see you three. We can discuss her state there."

Slipping off Haida's lap, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she did so, Retsuko smiled. "Lead the way."

That he did, quickly taking them into the warren of corridors, rooms and passageways, giving little information as he went. All he really said was that his name was Daz. Entering a lift, he pressed the up button before watching the doors close. "Now we're in a private area, I can state that she underwent local surgery," he said, collecting gasps from the others.

"I… I…" Haida began, pausing to find the right words. "Is she okay?"

"Now, yes," Daz said. "Before we applied the local anaesthetic she was still in some pain, but afterwards fine." He paused, chuckling a little. "I've had patients under local make jokes in the past, but never one offer to help before."

"That's Skye," Jack said, piquing the fox's attention. "Did she also ask to be left alone with a set of instructions and how to do it?"

Daz sniggered a bit. "Once we said no she laid back silently, letting us do our job… -Though not before clarifying that her offer wasn't due to any lack of faith in us, 'Spider-Pig surgical cap related or otherwise.'"

Haida's interest piqued as he paid attention to the cap in question, but any questions were cut off as the door opened, Daz leading them on once more. "She's just down here, and…" he began, turning into an open ward before pausing. "She… was… there…" he muttered, looking at an empty bed. The others were occupied, the mammals in them sleeping or minding their own business, but none of them were the missing swift fox. Daz looked over to a lynx patientr, currently watching a video on her phone, a pair of headphones covering her ears. "Esso, have you seen the new patient anywhere?"

…

"Esso?" he asked again, louder this time.

The lynx looked up and frowned. "One, I don't snitch. Two, you owe me a pudding cup."

"Not that I actually agreed to that bet," the red fox grumbled. The trio behind him looking at each other nervously for a second or two before the sound of a flushing toilet rang out, Daz striding over and standing by a wooden door, rapping it intently. "Miss Autumn, is that you?"

"Hang on a sec," Skye called out from inside.

His eyes narrowed. "I asked you to rest."

"I just needed the toilet," she said, the sound of a tap running briefly coming out.

"You could have called a nurse with a bed pan."

"I didn't want to cause a fuss for anyone," Skye said, as the handle was pulled down. "Besides, I can do this myself."

"Yes, and if you put your recovery back, that's on you," he retorted, stepping back as the door opened and Skye exited. Her good foot stepped out, and then two crutches hit the ground, Haida gasping as she saw her other one in a cast.

"Oh god," he said, his voice wavering. "I'm so sorry, I…"

"-It wasn't your fault," she said, smiling as she scooted back over to her bed. Daz followed her, insisting that she let him help her back up, while Haida replied.

"I know it wasn't, but I feel like it was," he said.

"Well don't. After all, I'm the one who didn't land right," she said softly, before cutting herself off as Daz denied any attempts for her to refuse help, lifting her onto the bed before she could protest. She glanced around nervously, her ears folding down onto the back of her head and tail wrapping around her legs, before her gaze moved over to Retsuko.

"How's the paw?"

"Lightly sprained, but it'll get better," she said, sadly. "It's a better state than your leg."

Skye nodded as Daz cleared his throat. "Mind if I give them the overview?" She nodded, and he turned to face the others. "I'm afraid she hit the ground at an angle and has, regrettably, broken her ankle," he explained, earning a gasp from the crowd. "The good news is that it was only a small break in the fibula, which is the secondary leg bone. Under local anaesthetic we put in a small pin to hold it in position, while a cast will hold and secure her foot until it heals."

"How long will that be?" Skye asked.

"Six to eight weeks, in which you need to rest and take it easy." He turned to the others and looked up to Haida. "Though I'm pretty sure she's in good paws."

The hyena coughed a little. "I'm not…"

"Ah, sorry," Daz said, before stepping to the side. "Even the best of us misjudge every now and again, I've experienced it myself in past relationship. But hey, having played both teams before let me say that your paws will be just as good as his are."

…

Retsuko blushed, an awkward look on her face. "Third time lucky," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Right!" Daz agreed, moving over to Jack and shaking his paws. "Well, I'm happy to say that she's in equally, equally good paws," he said, before pausing. "Now, I guess you lot can discuss arrangements for her discharge tomorrow. I, uhh… -Anyone want some tea?"

Retsuko nodded. "Some green tea would be lovely, thanks."

"We have black."

"Any other colours?"

"…Well, I guess that depends on how much milk you put in it."

Retsuko looked unconvinced, an awkward silence filling the room until Haida spoke up. "Oh, Skye, they're keeping your car there, and you can keep the remains of the hamper."

Skye smiled. "Thanks. That's very kind of you."

"Well," Haida said, "after what you went through, I thought you deserved to keep the car." There were a short set of laughs all around as he leant over to Daz. "And that was the joke."

"Ta," the fox said, looking past them to his other patients. "Want anything? Regina? Harper? Esso?" A few requests were given by them, before he turned back to the visitors. "I'll leave you guys to catch up. Best wishes and, remember," he began, looking over at Jack. "She'll need lots of care and rest. You'll need to help her with a lot of things around the house where you can. Good luck."

With that, he left, leaving the group standing there. It was late, they were tired, and Retsuko asked if she and Haida could leave. He offered to go to her place, to help out while her paw was at its worst, and she accepted. So, Jack and Skye were left alone, the only sounds being from the other patients, and an odd member of staff.

Jack looked up at her. "I'm pretty sure you're fine by yourself, right?"

"Oh totally," she agreed. "This is nothing, I can handle it."

.

.

.

AN: A shout out to Crewefox for letting me cameo his OC. After featuring plenty of Cimar's server back in 'So we're inters now' I thought I'd give a bit of the TAS crew a spotlight too.