Chapter 4:Ultimatum
It was Jewel.
The very same Jewel who had, in life, treated him to the highest of highs, and just recently, the lowest of lows.
She was his everything, and he knew that he was her everything. She had come back to set things straight, which saved him the trouble of being the one to confront her.
Nonetheless, he was not prepared for a conversation - with such dire implications – to come so soon. He had planned on seeking her out in a few more days, but now that was not necessary. She was here, looking straight at him, ready to spill her guts out and admit she was so horribly wrong.
"Blu? Is that you?"
Blu was desperately holding back the urge to self-destruct and scream out a demonic rant about every little detail about Jewel's treachery, but he willed himself to stay relatively calm. He would no doubt release his emotions, but at least he would release them carefully.
With a steady voice he replied, "Yes, it is, Jewel. I know why you came back, so let's hear it."
"Do you want me to come in?"
"Does it really matter whether you're out there or in here?" he replied stoically.
She did not reply, but she brought herself carefully into the hollow, standing one foot away from Blu. He was facing her only with his left side, keeping his gauze-padded eye invisible.
"Look, all I can do is apologize. You never deserved what I did, but I... can't take it back. I wish I could. I would do anything to rewind the clock and change the past, but I can't. You can't, I can't, no one can..."
"Then why did you do it in the first place? You knew what the alcohol would do to your brain. You knew you would lose control. You have a quick temper, Jewel! You think alcohol helps? Why? Why didn't you listen to me?"
There was really no right answer for that question. It was a simple string of three letters, and yet it harbors enough power to confound even the greatest of minds.
"I... I don't know. I guess my... uh... I don't know what you call it. There was a tiny voice... in my head. It told me to drink..."
"So that's your big explanation? Your subconscious, huh? If it told you to dive into the sea, would you?"
"No... but..."
"But what?"
"But it was so hard... to ignore. I just... gave in..."
"Of course you did! I didn't want to bring out your bad side, so I let you drink. That's how I showed my respect for you, by letting you make your own choices, and look how you repaid me!"
Blu had a strong sense of what her next words would imply.
"Then part of it is your fault! You let me drink! Why weren't you firmer with me?"
"Because I know... wait, I knew you. There's no telling what could've happened if your temper flared! You pushed me out of my chair for no reason at all."
"You think I can help that? You think I can change the personality I was born with! How shallow is that!"
"That's why I let you do your own thing! I kept you under control... for the most part... while you were drunk. I thought everything was fine. I thought I could get you home safe. I was so damn wrong..."
"Once again, I'm sorry. What else do you want me to do? We need to let the past stay in the past, damn it! Can you let that go for one hot minute, so we can try to figure out how to move on?"
"Finally! I thought you'd never ask, Jewel. Yeah sure, I'll let the past go, for now. It's etched onto my soul, the horror, the agony, the loss, and it will never truly leave me."
"Well, it won't leave me either! You think it's any easier for me? I'm going to do my best to move on, but it's going to be... so hard..."
"Then we need to settle this right now. You and me, adult to adult, husband to wife."
"Fine. I'll do it. I don't see any other option..."
Blu decided it was time to change gears and actually make some progress regarding their reunion.
"What would you want to happen?"
Jewel's heightened voice faded, and the tears began dripping slowly from her eyes, creating a steady rhythm of *plip, plip* on the floor of the hollow.
"I... I want to come back to you, Blu. I love you... so much! I know I wronged you beyond measure, but I can't live without you..."
As her words curled out into the air, her head dropped lower to the floor. Blu couldn't find a trace of doubt in her words, and his serious expression softened slightly.
As much as he hated what she had done, to see her in such a broken down state caused him deep-seated pain. She was crying not for herself, but for him, and Blu found the resolve to forgive her.
"Despite what you did, I just can't live without you either, Jewel. We both love each other more than life itself, and nothing could keep us apart forever. I will forgive you for that reason, because it hurts me to see you hurt."
"I want to be... by your side again, but if you don't want me to, I'll... understand. It's your choice... Blu."
For what it's worth, Jewel was correct. She wouldn't stay with him against his will, and he had to decide whether to allow her back or not.
"I... I want you back too, Jewel. I'll welcome you back into my life with open wings, if that's what you want."
She peered at him in the dim glow and whispered, "I... want that, Blu. I need you. I need to hear your heartbeat, because I know that it's beating for me."
The sad undercurrents in her pleading words melted the frost around his heart, and he tentatively drew up to her.
"It's okay, Jewel. Look at me..."
He raised her head with his wing, feeling her tears leave warm stains on his feathers. His face was inches from hers, and a cyclone of sorrow and joy raged deep in her eyes.
He felt her tense up as she caught sight of the gauze plastered to the side of his face, but she did not move away.
"I'll always love you. True love is pulling through the most disastrous times in life, and just the same, enjoying the most wonderful times in life. True love is doing both of those things... together. I would never be able to leave you behind, Jewel. I know you can't bear to see me hurting, and I can't bear to see you hurting. We've won the battle, Jewel. And now, we'll win the war..."
He pulled her head closer with his wing and planted an angelic kiss on her cheek.
"Oh God, why do I deserve you? You're so selfless... so handsome... so sweet..."
"If you don't deserve me, then I don't deserve you... and we both know that's impossible..."
She slowly raised her wings and folded them upon his back, pulling him close enough to bring their chests together. She laid her head against his chest, quaking from the comfort that the soft pillow of feathers provided.
There it was, the sound she adored like no other in the world – even more so than the sound of his voice. The steady *thump, thump* of his heart repeated endlessly as she listened, a soothing beat that threatened to lull her to sleep.
Before the aura of drowsiness pulled her under, she drew her head back slightly and focused her attention of the rough white square bound to the right side of his dreamy-yet-bruised face.
She touched the grainy surface gently with her wing, and she saw his good eye blink rapidly. She felt his body stiffen, and she deduced that she had sent a jolt of pain through his body.
She could only imagine the trauma sequestered away beneath the gauze, and once again, her emotions cracked and sent forth the tears.
With all of the liquid that was spouting from her eyes, Blu was awed at how a hydroponic garden wasn't springing forth all around them.
"Your eye... I'm so sorry, Blu. I didn't mean to hurt you..."
"I'm fine, Jewel. At least I'm still able to feel..."
"Is it... ever going to heal?"
"I... don't know. Tulio... tried to open it. I couldn't handle the pain... I'd rather die than endure that again. Maybe it's better if it just stayed shut..."
"If I could trade you... one of my eyes... I would..."
"You would?" replied Blu with joyous exasperation.
"Of course, my love-hawk."
"Even if you can't be noble in deed, at least you can be noble in word."
"I do my best, Blu," said Jewel with a dreamy smile. She continued, "Well, being as I can't restore your vision, I'll give you the next best thing."
She stretched her neck and kissed the material ever so gently. Blu felt a warm jet of sensation flood his face, chasing away the discomfort from her previous touch.
He stroked her head feathers and replied, "Thank you, my angel. That felt lovely."
He dried her tears with his wing and laid his head on her shoulder.
"What do we do now, Blu? There's one last problem we need to solve."
Without lifting his head, he countered, "What problem is that, sweetheart?"
The words were hesitant to crawl from her beak, and this topic was the one she was most unsure about.
"What if... what if I become pregnant?"
This query did provoke a reaction in Blu, and he brought his gaze up to hers.
"If you do... then... we'll have to raise the chicks. They shouldn't be expected to pay for the wrongs you committed. We'll help them grow strong, we'll teach them all we know, we'll be there for them, always."
"But what happens if they... look different from you and I? What if they ask questions?"
"We'll have to tell them they are special. When the time comes, when we are sure that they're ready for the truth, we'll tell them."
"But they're going to be heartbroken, Blu! To learn that you're not their real father..."
"It won't be easy, Jewel, but we'll figure it out. Besides, that's years in the future. For now, let's just cherish what we have. That way, both you and I can heal the damage to our souls and our minds. The war is over, and as crazy as it may seem, we won, honey."
"I believe you, Blu. I'll never forget your advice. I'll love you from now until the end of time. I swear I'll never do anything to hurt you... ever again."
"As will I my, love."
Blu dragged her deeper into the hollow and granted her a more adventurous kiss.
After their beaks parted, leaving their bodies glowing with ethereal love, Jewel declared, "I'm so... happy, Blu. I thought my world was over, that I had pushed it over the edge, but you helped me bring it back."
"You did the same for me, my angel. That's how we know our love for each other isn't just skin deep. It ties our souls together, unifies our minds. If even death can't sever the bond, what makes you think that the pitfalls of life can do any better?"
"They can't, Blu. We'll be together on Earth, and we'll be together in Heaven. I just hope that we won't end up there for decades to come."
"That we can not be sure of, so we must live each day to the fullest. As long as you're in my wings, that's all I could ask for."
"Do you want me to leave, or would you rather I stay here and keep you company?"
"It is kind of lonely in this artificial jungle. Is that a valid answer to your query?"
"Yes it is, my love-hawk..."
A third kiss supercharged their bodies, and after they toppled over, Blu found himself pinned underneath Jewel. They scooted back as far as they could go and rested comfortably against the rear wall. She nuzzled into his neck as he worked his right wing under her body.
"How are Ricardo, Esperanza, and Vicente?"
"They're doing just fine, but this ordeal has left them shaken up. They were waiting in my... no, our home, after the tragedy last night, and they slept beside me. I told them what had happened this morning. It chilled them to the core, Jewel. I think we need to go see them sometime in the very near future."
"Were they... angry for what I did?"
"They showed no indication that I picked up on, but I'm sure they are. They hold you and I in high esteem, and for their beloved Mama to act so evil, it must have angered them."
"As much as I want to, I'll never forgive myself, Blu. This catastrophe was entirely my fault! Neither you nor they were meant to be a part of it. We've done our best to patch things up, but our three precious children are still out there, all torn up inside."
"And that's why we have to give them closure. Whenever you're ready, both you and I will go to them. The last imperfection in this family, our family, will be dealt with. After that, slowly but surely, things will return to normal."
"Without a doubt, my love. Are you ready to sleep?"
"I'm only as ready as you are, Jewel."
"Well then, I'll see you when we wake up."
"I'll be looking forward to it..."
Blu and Jewel brought their chests together and lulled each other to sleep with the slow undulating whispers of their breathing.
The dim lights and the fuzzy blanket of silence that shrouded them, along with the entire room, had become their own little slice of heaven.
Their two hearts beat in unison, and although they had been truly shattered before, they had slowly begun to mend, one tiny shard at a time. The pieces twisted about and fused together, as if guided by an unseen hand.
Their lives had been teetering on a precipice above the abyss of doom, but they had been pulled away and returned to the meadow of everlasting joy. They were destined to be together from the start, and no worldly force could subjugate that fact.
They were eager to revel in the relaxation of sleep, but they were just as eager to fly into the following sunrise and begin their lives anew. The coming day would mark the termination of one journey for the two Spix's Macaws, and the initiation of another.
After switching his gaze from the live camera feed to his watch, he noticed it was 8:00 at night. Tulio had relieved Linda of her watch an hour ago, but throughout that entire hour, Blu did not emerge from the hollow once.
He must have fallen asleep, mused the ornithologist as he stared once again at the monotony of the tree that contained Blu's hollow. The crackers and juice she gave him must have been good! There's nothing like sleeping in a comfy nest all by yourself after a nice meal. Still, I wonder if his eye will ever heal. Jewel gave him a terrible corneal abrasion. Blu and Jewel's lives are in such a mess right now...
Derailing that particular train of thought – and sending up another prayer for Blu's recovery – he brought his watch up to his face once more. It was 8:03.
Well, I better go bring Linda in here. It's her turn to come and keep watch over that precious Spix's Macaw. On top of that, my bladder is killing me!
Tulio pushed off of the leather arms of the chair he was reclined in and made for the door – with a certain haste due to his need for the restroom – leaving the chair to spin around languidly as he slid the door shut.
It was deathly quiet in the control room - save for the treble drone of the television screen and the occasional chirp of a trapped cricket.
The solid door creaked open and Linda walked in, but not before giving her husband a parting kiss.
She dropped heavily into the leather seat and rested her head on her left arm, which was in turn resting on the cold steel control panel.
A steaming mug of tea sat a foot away on her right. It would take a good ten minutes for the tea to relinquish its heat to the air and cool off, so Linda occupied herself by maintaining an unflinching vigil on the screen.
I hope you're okay, Blu. I love you. Just sleep as long as you want. Give yourself the rest you so desperately need...
During Tulio's previous watch, she had awoken him by entering the surveillance room and retrieving the empty towel and drained cup that had provided Blu with sustenance.
It was the highlight of that hour, for he was able to watch his lovely wife mill about in real time. She knew that he was watching, and she had peered up at the tiny spherical camera mounted on the wall and blown him a tender kiss. He smirked as she left the room, towel, cup, and ladder in hand.
As Linda stared at the feed, devoid of sound or motion, she realized that steadfast observation such as this was incredibly boring – and as crazy as it sounded to her, tiresome.
She took to blowing on the ceramic mug to cool it off faster, knowing that the warm liquid she would soon be able to drink would stimulate her senses and keep her from drifting off.
She threw a glance at the gold watch inset with tiny diamonds – Tulio's gift to her on their fifth anniversary - on her right arm and noted the time. It was 8:17.
She and her husband had agreed to cycle their observation periods until 11:00, at which point they would go to bed for a well-deserved nap.
She was waiting for Blu to wake up so that she could check to see if he was in any way uncomfortable or if he needed anything.
At long last, Linda brought the mug to her lips and tipped it back slowly, allowing the dreamy sweetness of the warm tea to flood her throat. A rush of sensation perked her up in both body and mind, and she sat noticeably straighter in the chair, her eyes glued intently on the sizable screen before her.
However, Blu did not once materialize from the hollow, and the minutes ticked by ceaselessly. He was too deep in the hollow to be seen from the camera's viewpoint, and even brightening the dimmed-down lights wouldn't bolster the situation any more.
By 8:30, Linda had consumed her container of tea, and she vanished from the room to retrieve another – but not before stopping for a bathroom break.
She re-entered the room at 8:40 and resumed her playing of the waiting game. The cup of tea was gone ten minutes later, and by nine o'clock, Linda, in her boredom, had slumped over onto the panel.
She was not able to dream for long, because a light tap on her shoulder caused her to jerk awake. Her right arm – which had been utilized as a makeshift pillow for her head – pushed the cup from the panel. Tulio bent down just in time and deftly caught it, preventing it from shattering on the grainy concrete floor.
"Well, that was a nice catch, honey..." said Linda groggily as she straightened her silver-rimmed glasses.
"Thank you! Being an ornithologist, I must be able to deal with any situation promptly, be it animal-related or otherwise..." replied Tulio as he smiled at his wife.
As much as she hated having to end her watch prematurely, she had been rendered sufficiently tired, and she needed to rest.
"Tulio, I'm sorry, but I need to head off to bed now. Can you handle being in here for two hours straight?"
He pulled Linda gently from the chair and countered, "I have stayed up far later... and far longer... than this dear. One time, two years before I met you, I had ten injured and sick birds to take care of!"
"Where were the rest of your staff?"
"They had wanted to stay and help, but I made them go home at midnight. I was up until the next morning monitoring them and treating them nonstop, Linda. I can handle two measly hours, I assure you."
Her face lit up with genuine awe at his tale of unswerving dedication.
"Okay then. Good night honey! I'll see you at eleven... if I'm not asleep by then."
"As will I, dear. Good night."
He gave her a parting kiss and led her to the door.
However, a soft, downtrodden noise vibrated in their ears, and they whirled around to the TV screen. Their hearts were sent thudding with apprehension as they noticed none other than Jewel perched just outside Blu's hollow.
"Oh my God! Look who it is! How did she get into the enclosure?"
"I must have left the door open slightly after I got the stuff from Blu's hollow. What do we do now? Do we intervene, or do we leave them alone?"
Tulio contemplated the possible answers to her query. On the one hand, their meeting would've had to occur sometime, and they wouldn't dare postpone it, now that Jewel had shown up – albeit unexpectedly. On the other hand, Blu was compromised and in pain, and if her disturbance caused them to go at each other with their talons and beaks, the results could be disastrous.
"I... think we should just let them be, Linda. I don't think Blu could bring himself to retaliate against Jewel, but if it comes to that, we can rush in there and separate them at once. "
"I trust your judgment, honey. You know more about birds than I ever will..."
Tulio smiled momentarily before placing his hands on Linda's shoulders and focused his attention on the camera feed.
Jewel had slipped inside the hollow while the humans had conversed, and there seemed to be no violence of any kind going on at the moment. There was, however, plenty of raucous squawking, and the two humans where thankful they were on this side of the spectacle.
The shrieking continued for roughly ten minutes, and then died down to a much more gentle level.
Jewel was still visible just inside the hollow, and Tulio zoomed the camera in for a closer look.
"I think the worst part is over, Tulio. They must be working things out right now. Can you raise the volume on the audio?"
He nodded and located one of the sliding switches. The slider functioned in the same manner as a rheostat, but it had been redesigned to provide control over the audio level. He crawled the slider towards the top of the groove it rested in, and the audio came through the speakers with more clarity.
The sounds coming from one of the pair were quaking with emotion, and the sounds that followed in reply were more husky in nature.
"I bet Jewel is having a hard time with all of this. She sounds so... troubled. Blu doesn't sound too happy either..."
"Would you act any different if you were in her situation, Linda?"
"Honestly, no. But for me, it's kind of hard to truly imagine what that feels like, being as I haven't cheated on you. There's just no comparison between the two."
"That is a very valid point. But just for the record, I would probably act no different than Blu. I would demand answers, of course, but above all, I would do my best to forgive her."
"And I would do my best to try and set things right with Blu. There's no doubt that those two Spix's Macaws mean the world to each other, and they would never be able to stay away from each other for too long. I admire Jewel's bravery in being the one to confront Blu, instead of the other way around. She truly wants to be back in his life..."
"Those are wise words, Linda. I couldn't have put it any better myself."
After their conversation terminated, they watched Jewel move deeper into the hollow, vanishing from the prying eye of the camera. A brief silence followed, and although the humans thought the two macaws were getting intimate, the squawking resumed, still in hushed tones.
Both their voices carried no trace of negativity, and they actually sounded tender.
After twenty straight minutes of the gentle audio, Tulio flashed a glance at his watch.
"It's nine thirty-five, Linda. How about we stay and watch until ten o'clock? After that, we'll head off to bed. I'm pretty sure the storm has passed between those two."
"Fine by me, Tulio..."
The thick silence that suffused the enclosure prior to Jewel's presence had returned, and the tense excitement that had been built up was being siphoned away by the minute.
They presumed the two Spix's Macaws had fallen asleep, and Tulio and Linda felt compelled to imitate them.
"Come on, beautiful. It's nine fifty-five. Let's go get some shut-eye."
"Right behind you, handsome."
Tulio switched off the television with a simple press of a button on the control panel, and then Linda followed her husband out of the room, the empty ceramic mug gripped firmly in her left hand.
He paused just outside of the room while waiting for her to drop off her cargo in the sink and turn off the lights.
A soft clink resounded, and she turned the corner into the murky hallway.
Her husband took her hand and led her down the hall and finally into the bedroom, the bed squeaking as they climbed into it. They pulled the burgundy comforter - printed with peach-colored roses – over themselves and snuggled close together.
Tulio kissed the back of Linda's head and whispered, "Good night, and I love you. Rest easy, Linda. They'll be alright."
"Right back at you, handsome. They're safe in each other's wings, and that's where they belong..."
The mercury crescent of the moon was hanging low in the eastern sky, its paradisiacal light filtering through the viridian curtains that shrouded the window. The pure light fell upon her face, and the moon was oriented just so that it appeared as a smile in the night.
It took mere minutes for the trance-like lucidity to cast her into the realm of sleep. She slept soundly and dreamed ambrosial dreams, knowing that the two revered macaws had finally chased away the cloud of tenebrosity that had hung between them.
As far as she could tell, their lives had started down the path of normalcy once again, and for that, she was truly and utterly pleased.
Blu and Jewel awoke the next morning rested and recharged. The expressions on their faces as they locked eyes with each other was a mix of infatuation and tenderness. A soft kiss they shared, and then they took the time to clean each other's feathers in a dreamy preening session.
There was not a trace of apprehension between them, and the scene was bordering on intimate. Even though their love for each other had been restored to near perfection, they weren't yet ready to engage in anything close to copulation.
Once their feathers were sleek, stout, and clean of debris, they trudged over to the rim of the fake hollow and perched themselves side-by-side, on the branch just beneath it.
"Today is zero hour once again, Jewel. Are you ready to confront our children and try your best to appease the disgust and bewilderment they feel towards you?"
"Better late than never, Blu. Oh, it's like last night's meeting all over again. I just hope they'll accept my sincere apologies."
"It may not happen as soon as you wish for it to, but it will happen, my love. Just set the ball in motion, and it will eventually pick up speed. They shouldn't expect for you to give them more than what's required."
She snuggled her head against his neck and replied, "I know, handsome. All I have to do is set things in motion, and time will take care of the rest, right?"
"Correct, my temptress. Do you want to see Linda and Tulio, or would you rather head straight to our children?"
Jewel didn't even feel the need to contemplate her answer. She had just woken up, and she hadn't fully prepared herself for the enormity of the coming meeting yet.
"I... think we should see Linda and Tulio first. I'm still a bit apprehensive, and well... scared."
Blu peered down at her with gleaming confidence in his eyes.
"Everything will be alright, my love. I'll be right there with you," he tipped his head down and kissed her forehead. "And I'll never leave you behind."
"I wouldn't change that for the world."
"Of course you won't. You and I are still chained to each other birds. Now come on, let's see if those two humans are awake..."
Blu rose into a delicate glide and made a beeline for the steel door. He touched down and surveyed the situation, and his mate alighted moments later.
There was a slim gap between the edge and the frame, and he worked his left foot in between them carefully and pulled. Jewel then assisted by pulling on the doorknob with her feet, using reverse wing-beats to give her leverage. The gap widened to a few inches due to their combined effort, and they slipped through stealthily.
The house was bathed in a mellow glow from the young sun, and the hallway they emerged into was decently lit.
Blu scooted closer to Jewel and whispered, "They're still asleep. The sun is up though, so that should change very soon. Shall we wait in the living room for the two Homo sapiens to awaken and pinpoint our whereabouts?"
Jewel smirked and replied, "We shall..."
The macaws walked down the hall wing-in-wing, and upon turning the corner into the living room, they perched upon the rear edge of the tan leather three-seater. The wait took longer than expected, and the macaws both found themselves claw-tapping incessantly.
Eventually, the sound of the bedroom door opening reverberated throughout out the house, and the two macaws turned towards the source to see two disheveled humans lope down the hall.
They gave squawks of salutations to Linda and Tulio, and the humans perked up at the noise and the sight of the two macaws.
"Well, good morning, you two..." greeted Linda with a yawn.
"I see that you managed to sort things out. How are you feeling?" added Tulio.
Two mellow squawks heralded the answer.
"It's about nine fifteen. How about we all have a nice family breakfast?" asked Linda.
"If the macaws are up for it, then I'm up for it." stated her husband.
Blu and Jewel left the couch and perched side by side on Linda's arm.
"That settles it, then! Let's go to the kitchen and get busy. You two can watch us prepare breakfast, okay?"
The two macaws nodded resolutely in response.
Before Linda and Tulio began milling about the kitchen, Blu and Jewel landed next to the sink, which was embedded in the central island.
The humans worked diligently as they made sunny side up eggs for themselves, and small pancakes for the pair of avian creatures.
Once all was completed, Tulio and Linda settled at the table and dug in, and the macaws ate where they stood with equal fervor.
"Oh... mmm... this is really good!"
Blu could hardly talk, for his beak was clogged with gooey, syrupy, half-chewed pancakes. Blu had transformed himself into a clown factory, and a revolting one at that. Jewel was not impressed.
"Tyler Blu Gunderson, swallow your food! I'm about to lose my appetite!"
He froze at Jewel's commanding words, and the lump of pancakes slid down his throat. Naturally, his neck was of too small a width, and the lump lodged itself halfway down.
Blu made gagging noises, and at first Jewel thought it was all a show.
That notion was obliterated when he fell onto the counter, legs flailing desperately. She donned a panicked expression and rushed to his side. Tulio and Linda flung themselves against the island moments later.
"Blu is choking! Do something, Tulio!"
"I don't want to hurt him! Let Jewel handle it."
Jewel climbed onto his belly and began jumping up and down steadily. The ball of food seemed to inch up his throat, and Jewel rammed her head into Blu's chest as a last measure.
The sticky ball shot out and plopped abhorrently onto the marble surface.
After he drew a deep breath, Blu's body was racked with convulsive coughs and splutters.
"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
"I... don't think... so."
"Here, let me help you up."
Jewel propped him up on his feet and rubbed his back with her wing.
"You scared me, Blu. You scared Linda and Tulio too. I thought I was going to lose you again!"
"No shit! You think I... wasn't scared? I couldn't... breathe!"
Jewel was too worried about his safety to care about his snide remark.
"If you would've used better manners, this wouldn't have happened."
Her tone was caring, but also matter-of-fact.
"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind..."
Tulio and Linda gave him a few gentle pats, and Linda scooped up the saliva-drenched glob with a paper towel and dropped it into the trash. They ambled back to the table and resumed their meal – albeit uneasily, throwing furtive glances at Blu as they did so.
"Are you still hungry?" queried Jewel as she stared at the last remaining pancake on Blu's mini-plate.
"Of course I am! I almost choked, but whatever, I'll have another! God, I love sarcasm..."
He stared down harshly at the plate, as if he was blaming the pancake for his folly, then fixed Jewel with the exact same glare.
Jewel swallowed the manageable chunk in her beak and marched over to Blu.
"Hey, that was your fault! Don't give me that look. You better straighten up, mister."
Blu's raging gaze melted, and he shrank back visibly.
"Fine, I'm sorry. I'll conduct myself in a more appropriate manner, for I do not want to dishevel the bird that I have pledged my life to."
"That's more like it. Now, once again, are you hungry?"
"Not anymore. Why?"
"Because I am. Give me your pancake."
Blu scooted back and allowed her to slowly and carefully consume what would have been his meal.
Jewel had eaten all three of hers and the last of his. Her hunger had increased, and this observation gave Blu pause.
I don't think I like where this is going. I think Jewel may be... pregnant. Perhaps yesterday's trauma gave her an appetite. Maybe she was too torn up to eat anything prior to her visiting me. Only time will tell...
"What are you looking at? Are you in one of those thinking spells again?"
Blu shook his head and broke the trance.
"Whoops! Yeah, I was in a thinking spell. It was... nothing. Do you want to head out, now that your belly is full?"
Jewel wasn't entirely convinced, but she opted to not push the issue. Besides, Blu was right. There were more pressing matters at hand.
"Why not? I just want to get this over with and put this whole damn mess in the past..."
"Well then, let's say goodbye to them..."
Blu and Jewel strode over to the edge of the marble and chirped gently. The humans – who were busy setting their plates in the sink and washing their hands - paused their motions and looked up.
Blu raised his right foot, and Linda got the hint. She approached him and fist bumped with him. Jewel received a few strokes on her head feathers.
She leaned down closer to them and said, "Goodbye you two. Be careful, and always think twice before you do something... yeah you get the point. I love you both, and I never want to see either of you hurting, ever again."
The macaws nodded in compliance.
"And you," declared Linda as she pointed at Blu, "take care of that eye. I prayed that it would heal, and maybe you'll get yourself a miracle."
The two macaws turned away and spread their wings for takeoff, but Tulio's exclamation stopped them short.
"Wait! You just reminded me, Linda. I need to change Blu's gauze patch. I'll be right back..."
Tulio walked rapidly down the hall and disappeared into the lab where Blu's first patch had been installed.
Blu shuddered, knowing that a miasma of pain would result from the tape being peeled away from his eye. He hung his head, downtrodden, and wrapped his wings around himself as if a private blizzard raged within his body.
"Hey, it'll be okay. Your angel will be right next to you."
She drew herself up beside him and planted a soft kiss on his beak.
"Thanks... honey. Even it'll feel like my face is being burned, your touch will cool the fire somewhat..."
Not long after his voice trailed off, Tulio returned and stopped in front of the island. His hands were gloved, an all-too-familiar white square was pinched in his left, and a pair of tweezers were grasped in his right.
"It's going to hurt, but I'll work as fast as possible."
Blu nodded dejectedly, but he did not to be restrained. That was Jewel's task now.
He buried his beak in Jewel's neck as the hand reached out to him.
The tweezers would do a much better job of securing and steadily removing the translucent tape than his fingers would. Tulio removed the left strip of tape first, and then the right, taking care not to strip Blu's feathers as he did so.
Blu shrieked into Jewel's neck and squeezed her tightly as the tape peeled off, for it pulled on his wounded eyelid. Had he not done so, the screams would have plagued them all with a bout of tinnitus.
Jewel's neck grew damp with his tears, but after just one minute, the ordeal was over. Once the agony had subsided, Blu drew his head away from Jewel and blinked mournfully.
Tulio then did a quick check of his marred face. The eyelid was bruised, but the cuts seemed to have healed and scabbed over. The three parallel, jagged slices began just above the eye, crossed the eyelid, and terminated just below it.
It appeared to Tulio that they would eventually be repaired with scar tissue, and the result would be a permanent tattoo-like mark.
He wistfully padded Blu's eye with the gauze once more and taped it back securely. He told the quaking macaw to return in three days for a check up.
The birds then turned and made their way over to the flap in the toasty front door, slipping through it with ease.
They altered their flight path by 180 degrees and glided above the aviary, towards the heart of the Blu Bird Sanctuary.
Their flight was silent, save for the scattered, pain-laced sniffles of Blu. He was in too much discomfort to talk, and Jewel was doing her best to throw together a consolation speech for her children.
The flight seemed to drag on forever, but the trio of trees eventually showed their faces through the undergrowth. The left and right trees were unoccupied, and so the macaws checked the middle tree last.
Three forms were hunched over in the far corner, enjoying what looked to be a morning meal composed of starfruit and berries.
A wave of shame and apprehension threatened to choke Jewel, but she kept the emotions at bay.
The children were disturbed by the noise of the two macaws' entry, and as they turned to face them, three half-eaten fruits fell to the floor of the hollow.
Jewel inhaled meekly and declared, "Hello, my children. There's something we need to discuss..."