Time decelerated at that moment.
Or so Andrew would swear later on.
But that's just what it felt like. His wings latched on to the sides of her cheeks, and his beak parted for her lips. Memorizing every inch of her furred face, he closed the distance. He felt her stiffen, then slowly relax, drinking him in just as he was doing the opposite. All those anonymous songs about hidden fire suddenly made sense as the kiss went deeper. They dug in passionately, wings and paws wrapping around each other in bliss. Both were oblivious to the sparse crowd eyeing them in amused interest.
At least until Sherlene decided to shout out, "AH knew it! As much as we all 'preciate a PDA, kids, save it fer yer hotel room! We hav' a bisness t' run here."
The bird and the cat broke apart, but neither one kept down the smiles that had blossomed on their faces. "Wow," Rachel said after a long silence.
Andrew was still breathless.
"So, what happened to the entire 'romance is such bullshit' spiel?" Rachel asked in a playful tone of voice.
The grin stayed on his face. "I guess I lied," he said, before kissing her again.
Rachel pushed the waterfowl back gently. "Down, Birdy," she laughed. "We're attracting an audience."
The shy guy in Andrew wanted to crouch in embarrassment, but he felt too blithe to want to pay attention to that aspect. He shrugged instead. "All right. Go on and sit down. I'll grab the drinks." He quickly amended, "Properly this time."
"Hurry back."
He looked toward her, smiling again. "I promise."
Sherlene looked up where she was counting her latest tip as the crane approached the bar. "Boy, whatchoo doin' over here? Ain't ya gonna wait until I'm ready? You leavin' that girl of yers all 'lone!"
"She's in the marine corps, Sherlene. Trust me, she can handle herself just fine," Andrew countered. He turned back to the table. "What kind of beer would you like?"
"Pabst," the feline replied.
"One Pabst and one…Fat Tire."
"Comin' up, Birdy. Now go sit yo' butt down or I'll strap ya to a stool!"
Cowed, Andrew said, "Yes, ma'am."
As he got to the table, two rhinoceroses came inside. He was only able to tell they were rhinos because their horns shown through their head coverings. Once they took off their coats, he could see the differences. The stouter one was dressed in red plaid and jeans, and walked with a highly developed swagger. He also an unknown tattoo visible just above his neckline. The other rhino exuded a tranquil demeanor, looking over the bar before nodding in quiet approval. They claimed their seats at one of the open tables between the bar and the booths.
Sherlene approached Andrew and Rachel, drinks in hand. "One Pabst Blue Ribbon…"
"Me."
"…And one Fat Tire. 'Joy yer night!" She left with a wink, the meaning of which wasn't lost on either of them.
Andrew glanced at the beer stein, which proved to be as tall as his beak was in length. "I knew I should've gotten a straw."
"Hey."
The stout rhinoceros stood at the head of the table. Strange how they didn't even hear him coming. All his attention was completely focused on Rachel. Andrew, at that moment, might as well as have been (and felt like) a part of the wallpaper. "Hey, there, kitty cat. Whaddya say we go back to my place and play Dr. Love?"
The other rhinoceros groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.
Andrew began getting a little angry. "Excuse me, sir. She's already with me, and we're on a date, so if you don't mind, please leave."
Rachel looked at him gratefully.
The rhino…not so much. He glared at the waterfowl. "Was I asking you, shrimp?"
"Well, no, I don't swing that way. But I'm game if you are." The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he said.
Rachel stifled a giggle behind her paw. The rest of the bar went silent with wary tension.
"You fucking…" The next thing Andrew knew, he was being dragged bodily away from his seat. The beer stein spilled over the corner as his talon caught on the rim of the glass.
"Put him down!"
"Bobby, what the hell are you doing?!"
Too late. The rhino punched Andrew twice, making him squeeze his left eye shut. Then he dropped him to the floor and kicked him in the stomach. The bird tumbled over to the wall, fighting a surmounting desire for unconsciousness.
"You really shouldn't have done that, babe," a cold voice spoke in the stunned room. Two resounding thuds, a yell, and a crash quickly superseded it.
"Jesus. Bobby, you idiot…"
A concerned furry face appeared above Andrew's, cupping his cheek. "Shit. Andrew, are you all right?"
He gave her a smile before passing out.
—
There was a bug buzzing around his head. He wanted it to go away.
Beep…Beep…Beep…
"Ughhh…"
He swatted at the bug with a wing and grimaced, a tiny moan escaping his beak. Oh, god. The wing had exploded into flat-out agony. The pain, however, served to wake him up a little more. There were no bugs around. The monotonous signal coming from behind gave him some idea of where he was.
A hospital.
He hated hospitals.
Actually, the feeling amounted to a strong dislike. With good reason: Joanne Blair had spent her time in and out of them ever since being diagnosed. Hate or dislike wouldn't help in this scenario. He knew it was necessary this time. His eye felt like it was stitched shut and knew he had at least two, if not all, ribs that were broken.
"Where am I?" he croaked.
"Bergan Mercy Medical. This was the closest hospital from the bar."
The crane looked around the room. It took some time to gain focus because his right eye seemed to be in as much discomfort as the other. It definitely was not Rachel who spoke, because she was fast asleep in the chair. Her limbs were contorted into a fetal position and her paw was clasped onto his free wing. The only other person, he realized, was in the doorway, a large amount of guilt on his features. It was the other rhinoceros.
Andrew was less than pleased. "What do you want?"
"To apologize."
He scoffed. "With all due respect, I'd rather hear him say it."
"Understandable." The rhino entered the room and came to stand on the other side of the bed, and Andrew followed his movements warily. He stuck out his hand. "Ryan Lambert."
"I'd shake it but I think I just pulled a muscle. I'm Andrew Blair. That's Rachel Klein," he indicated with his beak.
Ryan nodded. "Pretty girl. I wish my last girlfriend had been that devoted."
"Sorry."
"Not your fault. Quite a shiner you've got there."
"I like to think it was worth it."
"Let's hope you're right." Ryan's gaze shifted. "She's waking up."
"Mmmm…" Rachel opened her eyes. "Hey, you're awake." She smiled blandly. "I was worried. Are you feeling all right?"
"You've asked me that a lot recently," he said. "But right now? Not really. I don't think I can accept a hug anytime soon."
"What you did back in the bar was pretty stupid," she conceded, rubbing the tip of his wing with her paw.
"I know." He managed a weak smile, squeezing her paw back. "But for however long I'm with you, Rachel, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again."
"My hero," she said sardonically.
"When did the doctors say I could get out of here?"
Her smile dimmed. "Today, Andy, but…they told me a good portion of your ribs were broken and your wing was sprained when you got slammed against the wall. You'll be able to walk, but the road trip is going to have to be put on hold for a few more days."
"Great." His head fell back against the pillow. "Thank you, Andy, you literal big mouth."
"Don't think like that, Andrew," Ryan replied. Andrew had almost forgotten he was still there. "Bobby's always been too easy to provoke."
"That's…comforting."
"Sorry. Listen, I'll talk to him, try to calm him down. See ya guys…later, I guess."
"Later."
"Yeah, see ya."
As the rhinoceros exited the room, Andrew turned to his (friend? girlfriend?) companion and said, "I'm ready to leave, Rachel. Please go get a wheelchair."
A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "Come on, Andy. I think you can do better than that. Say it again."
He narrowed his eyes, and let him be damned if a smirk wasn't about to burst forth on his face, too. "Okay…go get a fucking wheelchair, woman!"
Her smirk emerged fully. "With pleasure." As a parting gift, she enveloped him with a lengthly and searing smack on his beak. Andrew began panting by the time she released him.
"You…are such…a bad influence on me," he said.
"Keep thinking that way, Birdy," she countered, the smirk still evident in her voice.
They were out of the hospital doors within five minutes. Two cops passed them by on their way. "La policia. Hijo de puta! Let's get out of here!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Wow, geeky, strong, and multilingual. That's really sexy," Andrew said as she sprinted him forward.
"Oh, hush," she laughed.
"I'm not kidding, it is! Do you think we should get a cab?"
"Forget the cab. There's Ryan. Hey, Ryan! Can you give us a lift?" she shouted.
The rhino stopped just outside his truck, glancing at them. "Sure. Where you heading?"
"The Element in Midtown."
The police chose that moment to run back out the door. "Hey!"
"Shit! Get us the fuck out of here!" Andrew and Rachel yelled in tandem.
Ryan hurriedly started the ignition.
Rachel shoved Andrew into the cabin, kicking the wheelchair over as Ryan sped out of the parking lot. The cops halted their pursuit when the truck disappeared from sight.
"Oh, man," Andrew snickered. "Did you see their faces when…" He winced, cradling his stomach. "Okay, ow, that hurts. Ow."
"Damn it, Andy. Stop laughing or you'll hurt your ribs more."
"Sorry."
All three are silent for a few seconds when they reach a stoplight.
"Hehehe…Ow."
"Don't make me hit you."
"Yes, dear."
—
It turned out that they hadn't escaped the police. They awaited the couple at the hotel, thankfully outside the building. After a perfunctory questioning, the police left Andrew and Rachel to their devices.
"Quite a memorable first date. That happen often?"
Andrew blinked. "What?"
"Insinuate that a rhino's gay, provoke a brawl, then wind up in a hospital bed?"
"Uh…no," he deadpanned.
"Good." She stood up on the balls of her feet and placed her paws on his shoulders, kissing him on the side of his face. "Because I don't want you to make a habit of it."
He smiled. "Neither do I."
"Come on," she said. "Let's get inside before we freeze."
He didn't bother arguing the point, since he, too, was pretty cold. The pair couldn't run for the obvious fact it would hurt Andrew to do so. This time, Rachel was the one to support him, taking hold of his good wing and draping it over her neck while he walked stiltedly. She accompanied him in this fashion right to the elevator, drawing a few glances from the other hotel guests. The elevator ride was predominately quiet save for the jingle, and when they finally got to their room, he told her he needed to rest; it's apparent that the short walk from Ryan's truck had the waterfowl pretty much exhausted. He dipped his head in his back feathers and closed his eyes.
Only to be disturbed a second later. He was almost expecting a terrified scream to start up again. But it was Rachel, prodding him awake. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Trying to sleep."
"Well, sleeping that way isn't going to do your ribs any good. You'll have to use an alternative for tonight."
"Like what?" Rachel motioned to the bed. "Oh, no. The last time I slept in one of those, my whole body was on fire. Besides, how do you know that that won't just upset my ribs even more?"
"Because I'll be with you."
He gulped. "Um…a-are y-you sure that's a good idea? I m-mean kissing is o-one thing, but t-t-this is…" He didn't continue, because she closed his beak with a paw.
The feline smiled softly. Andrew just about melted at that point. "I'm not asking for sex, you dummy. You need your rest more than that anyway. I'll just be there to stop you from stirring too much in your sleep."
"Oh," he exclaimed. The smile he produced came out more shakily than intended. "That's g-good. I'm s-sorry i-if I drew the wrong c-conclusions…"
"Shh," she replied. "You're talking too much, Andy. Let's get some sleep…Properly this time."
The shakiness eased a bit. "Fair enough."
They quickly lay down. "Good night, Andy." He wondered when he had become 'Andy' to her. It felt really nice.
"Good night, Rachel."
She reached for his wing before closing her eyes.
Neither one let go.