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Hehhey, everyone, this is it, folks!

Here is the first 10,000-word installment of the third season of my ongoing furry soap opera "I'm With the Hockey Hunk". This story has been going on for incredible 74 chapters, making this the 75th overall chapter in the story! How cool is that?

This said, this Sunday on the 8th of April, we are also celebrating the one-year anniversary of the story. I shall mark the occasion with an extra special chapter on Sunday, so stay tuned for chapters on:

- Friday 6th of April - CHAPTER 2 OF SEASON 3

- Sunday 8th of April - HOCKEY HUNK 1 YEAR SPECIAL!

- Monday 9TH of April - SEASON 3 CONTINUES WITH CHAPTER 4!

I intend to keep the story going just like I was doing with season 2, with two weekly installments published on Monday and Friday. You can expect further surprises, drama, fun character development, and gruffhangers ranging from the dramatic to the whimsical, all in good fun. I have great plans for this season, and I hope that you all will enjoy the read as much as I get to enjoy writing it.

Once you're done reading the chapter, don't hesitate to comment. I am most eager to hear how this season premiere did with my readers. The comments, gossip and feedback are the best measure of the quality of my work. I have so many wonderful commentators, thank you, everyone, who take the time! *smiles* And that doesn't mean there isn't room for newbies, bring it on! *chuckle*

Have a good read, everyone! Let's make this special!

Cheers,

Gruffy

NOTE: If you haven't read The Hockey Hunk yet, here's links to earlier installments!

Season 2 finale:

http://www.sofurry.com/view/347122

Season 1 opener - the story that started it all:

http://www.sofurry.com/view/238356

*

PLEASE PICK UP!

*beep-beep*

The phone rang again.

It rang again.

"Pick up..." I whispered.

_ _

The raccoon driving the cab checked out from the rear view mirror, as if checking whether I was speaking to him and not on the phone. I didn't bother with that. I couldn't have that distraction.

_ _

"Pick up...Evelyn..."

*beep-beep*

Where was she? Why wasn't she answering?

*click*

"Evelyn!"

_ _

Good God.

"Hello, Evelyn?" I tried to sound normal.

"Hehhey, big brother!"

She sounded so happy to hear my voice.

"Hey," I breathed.

"How're you doing, Cobb? Got into the train alright, I hope!"

I blinked, hard.

"Yeah."

"Hey, that's great!" she just went on chirping. "You know, Olivia's already SO looking forward to seeing her favorite uncle Cobb tomorrow!"

My throat started to hurt.

"That's...good..."

"I got this really nice pasta for tomorrow, I think you're gonna love it! Olivia's already telling me how she wants to help me cook pasta Bolognese for uncle Cobb!"

I breathed out sharply.

The hurt spread from my throat to my jaw as well.

"Has...has mom called you, Evelyn?"

She was quiet for a little moment, but her voice didn't change.

"Oh...no, she hasn't, you know she usually calls you at five and me at six, but why? Something going on with them?"

How could I tell her?

I rubbed my muzzle with my paw and groaned deeply, letting it come out as it did.

"Yeah," my voice went rough.

I could hear it from her as well.

"What is it, Cobb? Is dad alright?"

My eyes started to burn as well. The hurt in my throat throbbed. I made a sound.

The raccoon's eyes went where they didn't belong again. At least they had the sense to not to stay there for long.

"It's...Evelyn, it's Victor," I breathed it all out.

The tears burst out. I let them come and put my paw over my muzzle and then let it all just come out. I still held the phone up to my ear, but I almost didn't understand what she was saying. I knew she was repeating it all over again and again. What is it, Cobb? What is it? Who is it? What's wrong? What's wrong? What's going? Where are you? Where's Victor? What's going on? Where's Victor? What's happening to Victor? Why are you crying? Please listen to me. What's happening? What's wrong with Victor? What's happening to Victor?

I cried like a cub for a minute.

I didn't care that the raccoon could see and hear me, this wasn't his pain, this was mine and he didn't belong to it at all. Never mind it. I just sat there on the back seat snuffling and weeping and grunting out the pain until my lips started to move again and my voice came back for the time being, just a little.

"COBB?"

I had to speak. I cleared my throat.

"Mom...called and said that they called her from the Taylor hospital and said that Victor's been in a...a car crash," I started to tell her everything I knew.

Evelyn almost screamed.

"OHMYGOD!"

I snorted and tried to keep the tears away for the moment.

"He's been in a car crash..." it hurt as much the second time around, to say that. "...with his friend Rory, and they've taken Victor to the hospital and they're treating him there for his injuries. That's all we know."

"Oh my God..."

Evelyn sounded like she was going to cry.

"But we don't know if he's badly hurt, I just...mom just said that he's been taken to the hospital, but we don't know anything else."

"Oh, Cobb...."

I swallowed and blinked hard.

"I'm already on my way back to Kirk City," I continued, hoping to offer whatever comfort I could to my sister. "I got off the train at Buffalo and took a cab. It ought to be...I don't know how long it's going to take yet."

The raccoon cleared his throat.

"We'll make it in about an hour if the 490 isn't going slow," the raccoon spoke up, sounding cheerful.

I gave a jerky nod to him through the rear view mirror.

"About an hour," I repeated the information into the phone.

"Oh, God..."

I didn't know what to say.

"I can't believe it..." she said.

I knew the feeling.

"Evelyn, let's...let's try to..." I still couldn't really trust my throat.

I grumbled.

"Did you say he was with someone?"

I nodded to myself.

"I...mom said that Victor had been in a car crash with someone, and it must've been Rory...it has to be."

"Who's Rory?"

Oh, shit.

"Sorry," I rumbled. "Victor's been...seeing this guy called Rory...he was with Victor when he took me to the station. It...Evelyn, they must've been at it together..."

"Oh, God!" she moaned.

"I don't know anything else about it, I don't know if he's okay," I spoke hollowly.

How could I ever help Victor if something awful happened to Rory? How could I help Rory if something awful happened to Victor? They seemed so good together, and now...now they were in this together, fighting for their lives, maybe. How could I do it?

"Cobb, should I come over as well? I could try to get a flight, or rent a car if nothing else is available."

I shook my head to myself.

"I'm on it, Evelyn," I said.

Needed to be the strong one now. Needed to be the big brother, to my little sister. For Victor.

"Are you sure?"

"Olivia needs you," I rumbled. "And the company."

She grunted.

"It's Victor!"

"Evelyn," I tried, "we don't know how bad it is. It could be nothing."

"Or it could be that we need to get there RIGHT NOW to see him for the LAST time!" Evelyn groaned.

Her words struck me like fists, to the side of my head and my chest. I bit my teeth together and growled in pain. I knew she was right. I knew she could be wrong. I hoped neither.

"We don't know, Evelyn," I said.

"I should call the hospital," Evelyn sounded determined. Normal, like she ought to be. It was good. "Where did they take him, Cobb? Did mom tell you? Should I call her?"

"She said that the call came from Taylor University Hospital," I replied. "That's all I know."

"Taylor...Taylor...okay, I'll call them right now," Evelyn spoke quickly, almost breathless with sudden energy, I could hear, "Are you okay, Cobb?"

I swallowed again and stared on the road ahead.

"I just want to get there quickly," I croaked.

"I know," Evelyn spoke, filling my ear with determinedness that I needed. "Just...hold on, alright, Cobb? I'll call the hospital right away and call you as soon as I hear something from them. Alright?"

I wasn't alright, but it was a start.

"Yes," I said.

"Hang on, Cobb, for Victor," she repeated herself.

I let out a sound.

"Okay," I breathed.

"I'm hanging up now, Cobb, ok?"

"Ok."

"I'll call you back soon, try to keep the line open."

"Sure," I mumbled.

"Love you, Cobb."

"I love you too."

*click*

I breathed deeply, put the phone down, and breathed again.

I felt so tired.

Eyes again.

"You ok there, buddy?" the raccoon wheezed.

I pushed my paw into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small plastic wrapping with hankies in it, and took out one and sneezed into it and made a sticky mess on the white square of paper.

"Well you heard what's going on," I grunted.

The raccoon's nose wrinkled.

"I'm sorry, buddy, hope it all turns out alright for your brother."

I rubbed my aching jaw and tried to find hope.

"Thanks," I breathed hotly.

I held my phone in my paw and rested my forehead on the other, and sat hunched on the back seat, trying to breathe slowly. My paw still smelled of the mint I got from the train and had been chewing an hour ago, when everything was still great. If a little bit mellow for having to leave Victor and Rory and going back to my own life, but I was doing good. I had seen my brother happy and that had made me happy as well.

I wasn't sure if he'd ever be happy again.

My eyes burned again. I blinked really hard and rubbed them with the folded hankie.

"How much longer?"

"Still on the Dewey, we'll get to 490 in about 10," the raccoon waved a paw over the GPS screen by the meter.

"Okay."

My paw felt clammy around my phone. My heart beat too fast. I felt like I had been drinking coffee, which I shouldn't be doing, because I didn't like this feeling. It made my skin feel weird and I felt odd on the inside, and my tongue always ran faster than my thoughts. Right now my body felt like it was on coffee but my brain felt like it had ice water poured into it instead. Things started to feel slow. The road felt slow.

All I could think was the smiling faces. Victor and Rory, probably looking forward to all the fun things they could be doing today, together. Waving at me on the train, ready to head out back to my own life, I was, as would they. Victor looked so happy.

I blinked a couple of tears over to my cheeks and tried not to think about all the horrible things that I could be thinking. I would not be doing favors to anyone doing that, and I tried not to. It didn't help much telling myself not to think about it, because that alone was starting to make me think about it, and I didn't want to think about it. I felt sweaty.

I don't know how long it took before the phone started to ring.

I jerked my paw up to my ear and hit the button.

"Cobb!" I rumbled.

"It's me."

Evelyn.

"Yeah?" my ears perked, one rubbing against the ceiling of the cab.

"I managed to get through after ten minutes on hold," she sounded strained, but a bit more calm now, which made it easier for me to be a bit more calm as well.

"Yeah?"

Please.

"I got the ER. Had to argue with some nurse, oh, God, what a mess, but I managed to get through."

"Yeah?"

My heart slammed.

"The nurse said that Victor was brought in around one pm with some sort of a chest injury. They've taken him somewhere else for further tests and treatment."

Chest injury. Oh fuck. Fuck, no.

Heart. Heart was in the chest. Was Victor's heart hurt? There had to a thousand ways to get hurt in a car crash, and none of them sounded good to me.

My very own chest tightened. My belly started to ache.

"Is it serious?"

"The nurse only said that they're giving him the best treatment they can, and that he is stable."

Stable. That sounded hopeful, but I also knew that stable could also mean "stable but in a grave condition." I didn't like that.

"Sounds like something they always say to keep furs calmed down," I grunted to the phone.

Evelyn took a deep breath.

"I thought the...same," she sounded guilty.

I sighed.

"We'll I'll be there soon enough," I tried to sound brighter, for our sake.

"About 25 minutes left!" the raccoon voiced.

"25 minutes," I relayed on.

"Alright," she still sounded grave.

"Is Eric there with you?" I asked. I was the big brother, I had to make sure that my sister was alright.

I could imagine her biting her lip and scratching her ear, holding her phone up.

"He's out on the yard with Olivia. It's sunny and nice here, she wanted to play to at the swings."

I could see a glimpse of the sun, among the clouds that covered the otherwise grey sky.

"Wish I could be there."

I hoped we all could be there. Evelyn, Olivia, Eric, me, Victor...Rory. I could be giving Olivia a push and Victor could be giving Rory a push on the swings.

"I wish you could be there too, Cobb, but Victor needs you now."

I swallowed.

"I know."

"Will you remember to call me back as soon as you hear some more, Cobb?"

"Sure," I said mechanically.

"And if you need me, I'll be coming as soon as possible. I already checked the flights and can be there around 8 pm if I have to."

"We'll see," my throat felt dry and raspy.

"Are you alright, Cobb?"

I bit my lip and tried to distract myself by looking out of the window.

"I'm okay," I croaked.

"I hope to hear from you soon, Cobb."

"You too. Are you alright?"

She paused.

"I'll have to call mom again."

"Yeah."

"Good luck. Give Victor my love, will you?"

"Of course," I tried to smile, to make my voice smile too.

"Alright...bye now."

"Bye."

Good grief.

*

The city started to grow soon, with the first traffic lights, where the roads turned into new directions, heading out to the suburbs of Kirk City. We went onwards, the cab driver led by the expert calm voice of the GPS box, telling him which turns to take.

"Won't be long now," the raccoon's fingers thrummed the steering wheel. "Where do you want to be dropped off at the hospital?"

"The ER," I replied, my eyes taking in the building that were passing us at an increasing pace.

"Will do," the raccoon said.

I picked up my quiet phone from my knee and stuffed it into a pocket. I already pulled out my wallet, in preparation of what would happen next. We already drove past one red cross sign.

Please.

"Turn...RIGHT!"

_ _

Hurry!

The raccoon hummed something under his breath. Through the windshield, I could see a big brown-stone building at the distance, coming closer as the car moved slowly along the street. Ambulances parked at the front. That had to be it.

"There we are...drive-in ramp for incoming furs...better not to get to the ambulance ramp, heheh," the raccoon spoke.

I bit down my teeth and growled.

"Just hurry."

We drove past parked cars, until a pair of glass doors came into sight and the cab came into a stop.

"Here we are," the raccoon spoke. "That'll be..."

"Whatever it'll be," my paw was already on the door handle.

I couldn't have imagined being back to Kirk City so soon, but there I was, standing at the heart of the city, digging my wallet for bills. The raccoon gave me some change and even helped me to get my back out from the trunk, and put it down to the tarmac-covered ground by my footpaws. He wasn't a tall guy at all, little bit of a belly, too, and those big, watery eyes you often saw on them, and stripes, of course.

He put his dough into his pocket and then patted my arm.

"Good luck, buddy," the raccoon smiled, giving me a sad raccoon look. "Hope it all sorts out."

I hauled my bag over my shoulder and gave him a sharp ear flick and a nod.

"Thanks."

I couldn't wait any longer than that. I rushed past a pair of bears slowly walking towards the glass doors and pushed myself through them into what appeared to be a waiting area for the ER. There were rows of chairs packed with furs, and a long desk ahead of me, staffed by some nurses wearing blue scrubs. Seemed to me that you were supposed to go there for any business you had.

I rushed over to some moose sitting behind her computer. She had a stethoscope slung over her shoulders. I wondered whether she ever had the stethoscope hanging from her antlers. Might be convenient.

I put my bag down onto the floor and took a deep breath.

The moose looked up to me over the computer screen in front of her.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to see my brother," I sighed. "He has been in an accident with his friend Rory."

The moose put her hands onto the keyboard.

"Name?"

"Victor Holden."

"How do you spell the last name?"

"H-O-L-D-E-N."

The keyboard clinked and clonked as the moose called up unseen information on her computer. My hear began to beat hard again.

"Hmmm..."

I wanted to ask what that hmmm meant but I seemed to be at a loss of words. My paws felt heavy on the edge of the service counter. Ringing phones made my ears flick.

"Hmmm...Holden...hmm...yes...MVA..."

"What does that mean?"

I didn't like the sound of it.

MVA...that was like...KIA.

Killed in action.

The nurse looked up to me again.

"And you are?"

"I'm Cobb...uh...Jacob Holden, I'm his brother. Twin brother."

The nurse didn't type anything else.

"Right...yes...could you take a seat at the triage, please? The doctor will be with you shortly."

I gave a glimpse at the rows of occupied chairs and the nodded at the nurse.

"Is there any news about my brother's friend Rory?"

"Was he at the accident?" the nurse said.

"Yeah, they were in it together, I think."

"Are you family?"

I shook my head.

"He's my brother's boyfriend, I saw them just this morning, together."

"I'm afraid we cannot give any information on any patients if you're not family or partner."

My ears flopped with frustration.

"Okay. I hope he's alright."

"Please take a seat now, others have to be served here as well."

I noticed a wolf standing behind me, looking impatient. I gave the nurse another quick nod and took my bag and went out to sit on one of the bright orange plastic chairs, near a soda machine. Seeing that made me feel thirsty, but I soon realized that it was only dispensing Coke, and I don't like drinking that because it works like coffee on me. I decided to just sit down and wait, and send Evelyn a text message.

I took out my phone and started on it, and made it carefully with my big paws.

AT HOSPITAL

WAITING FOR DOCTOR

STILL NO NEW INFO

COBB

_ _

The phone made a merry beep once the message was sent, and it made the ears of the German Shepherd sitting next to me flick up and down quickly. The young dude had some sort of a bandage on his paw. Poor boy. He was still lucky, though. He wasn't lying somewhere in this hospital, horribly wounded, like I knew that my brother was even at this moment, maybe struggling for his life.

I wished that I could be there, even then, to hold his paw and tell him that I loved him so much. He was my brother.

Dunno how they kept any sense in this place. There were nurses everywhere, and some doctors in white coats, giving orders and handing out these writing pads to each other, as if they were trading them along from one to another. There were lots of phones and furs being pushed around on beds on wheels and wheelchairs, and furs walking around with crutches. A lot of coughing too, and complaints, and a crying cub. I didn't much like these places, even if I was in there for simple things like a really sore throat. Didn't like being in place with so many furs having a bad time.

This was even worse. Much worse. I still felt like I wanted to have another cry, to try to get the pain out my chest. I had to be brave and strong, so that I could help Victor in any way I could. Maybe I could donate some of my blood and they could give it to him, if he needed it. Maybe I should ask the nurse about that. We sure had the same blood type! Maybe he could use that kind of help, or maybe some other sick Doberman could get my blood. That kind of stuff had to be important. Maybe I should have asked the nurse right away.

They didn't seem to have much time for questions, though, rushing in and out of rooms lining the long corridors leaving from the waiting area. I could hear bits of shouts and calls in cryptic language full off odd letters and numbers and probably secret codes for saying aloud things you didn't want others to understand. Maybe some of them were talking about Victor, even. It was like when you wanted to say something in front of cubs and then spelled it out. D-E-A-D.

Oh, God.

One of the nurses called out a number and the German Shepherd sitting next to me got up and walked towards a smiling fox nurse standing in front of a door into another room.

My phone beeped.

WE ARE ALL

THINKING ABOUT YOU.

EV

_ _

Couldn't help but smile. She knew what I was doing, too. I was thinking about Victor.

"Mister Holden?"

I realized that there was a bear woman standing next to me, wearing a white coat and green clothes underneath that, and she had a stethoscope around her neck. She had to be a doctor.

My ears flicked sharply and I clutched my phone.

"Yes!"

I stood up to my full height. She had to look up to me, even though she was quite tall. Guess that was just me being big. I held out my paw.

"Excuse me that I don't shake your paw, we have a protocol," she spoke, keeping her paws folded over her big chest. "I am Doctor Browning, I am one of the attending physicians of the Taylor emergency department. Could you please follow me?"

"Sure!" I grabbed my bags and followed the broad-shouldered bear past the check-in desk and then into another corridor behind it, lined with doors into what I presumed to be other patient rooms. We stopped next to a big cart containing plenty of medical supplies.

I couldn't say what she was thinking, based on her face. Guess she had trained to keep it steady, no matter the news she was about to give. It made my belly churn with worry.

"How is he?" I couldn't wait any longer. "What happened?"

"Your brother is doing quite fine and he has no life-threatening injuries."

I breathed out so deeply that I thought I would faint.

Your brother was brought in after a motor vehicle accident," the doctor spoke. "He had suffered injuries to his head and to his chest. There was some bleeding into his chest cavity because of a broken rib."

I clasped my paw over my jaw.

"Oh my God..."I breathed, my ears flattening.

The doctor seemed all too calm.

"We had to insert a small tube into his chest to allow his lung to re-inflate. There was no serious damage done to his vital organs."

That sounded so fucking serious.

"Okay." I grunted, still not convinced that it wasn't quite so serious.

"We gave your brother fluids and helped him to breathe, and stopped a bleed he had on his head. Your brother had a severe cut on his head, and all wounds to the scalp bleed a great deal, but we managed to stop the bleeding, and it is alright now."

"Where is he?" I said intently. "Can go to see him?"

"Your brother has been taken up to the surgical floor for wound closure at the operating theater," the bear continued.

My eyes widened.

"The operating theater?" that sounded way too serious, not like when I fell on my bike and needed a few stitches!

The bear nodded.

"The plastic surgeon will perform the procedure, I assure you, it is simply to give him the best possible treatment for his injury," the woman spoke. "I could show you the way to the surgical floor family area, if you would like to wait for further information there."

I nodded rapidly.

"Please," I said, already looking for stairs or an elevator, "what about Rory, though?"

"Excuse me?" the bear frowned.

"Rory," I smacked my lips, "my brother was in the car with Rory, my brother's boyfriend. I know that he was injured too, they told my mother that my brother had been in an accident with someone else, and it must be Rory, I know they were in the car together!"

"I'm afraid I only supervised your brother's treatment, and I have no immediate knowledge of the other patients brought in from the motor vehicle accident," the bear replied. "I could check out with the admitting, but I'm afraid only immediate family is entitled to information about the status of the patients."

Coldness filled my chest. What if there wasn't anything to report? What if...

I couldn't deal with what-ifs. They made my head hurt.

"He is my brother's boyfriend and my friend too."

"I understand, but we cannot give out sensitive information to those who are not immediate family."

"Okay," I nodded, resigned.

"Would you please come with me, I'll show you the way to the surgical floor," the bear smiled now.

I nodded quietly and followed her along the green-tiled corridor that smelled of something sharp and artificial that left my nose wrinkled and almost made my eyes water. I could see the elevator doors opening some steps away to expel furs and take on others as well.

"Hold the elevator!" the bear's voice echoed from the ugly walls.

"Third floor," the bear spoke close to my ear as I joined the throng of medical furs entering the elevator.

"Thank you," I managed before the doors closed.

*

I pushed past the other furs when the doors opened and hauled myself and my bags into yet another corridor. There were glass doors closing into many directions, with many signs suggesting what might be hiding behind them. 'OBSTETRICS' and 'PICU' did not seem to suggest any place where Victor was, but the 'GENERAL SURGERY' and 'TRAUMATOLOGY' sounded much better to me, especially with the word "surgery" on the arrow-equipped sign.

The doors opened automatically as I stepped close to them, admitting me into another waiting area, it seemed, with purple chairs and some plastic potted plants, and a table covered with old copies of General Interest and some ladies' magazines. It was very quiet there, unlike downstairs, and none of the about four furs sitting on the chairs had bandages upon their bodies. That was a relief.

There was a door leading into a room, and next to that was a big window, and behind that sat a wolf nurse, staring into a computer screen. The desk above said "ADMINISTRATION". That sounded promising.

I walked over quickly and knocked on the glass. The wolf's ears flicked.

"Good day," the nurse's voice rattled through a hole in the glass. "How may I help you?"

"I'm Jacob Holden, I was just told at the ER that my brother has been taken up here for surgery," I explained myself in quick words.

"Name?"

"Victor Holden, that's H-O-L-D-E-N," I said, "and if you also had any information about his boyfriend, Rory Gliese, that's...G-...oh damn, I don't think I know how to spell that, but..."

"Are you family?"

Damn.

"Rory is my brother's boyfriend."

"I'm afraid we can only give information about the patients to immediately family," the nurse replied.

I nodded tiredly.

"They told me that downstairs too," I rumbled.

The nurse tapped her keyboard quickly.

"Holden...yes...hmmm..."

Why did these nurses hmmm so much???

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Just a moment..." the nurse moved on to clicking with a computer mouse.

My ears flicked impatiently as I waited while the nurse worked inside her little aquarium.

"Yes...Victor Holden...admitted today...yes, he is at the OR 4 at the moment. Doctor Wells is performing the operation."

"Doctor Wells?"

"He is a very capable plastic surgeon. Your brother is in excellent paws."

I wasn't sure whether that made me feel any better about the fact that Victor needed surgery in the first place.

"How long do you think it will take?" I asked, fearing the answer.

The nurse blinked.

"It is very hard to say with these trauma operations," the wolf replied. "You should take a seat over there, and someone will come to tell you when he is out of surgery, and when you may go to see him at the post-operative care unit."

I guess that was as good as it was going to get.

"Thank you."

"There is also a cafeteria on the fourth floor, if you would like to have something to drink."

I took that with a wave of my paw, and decided that sitting down and sending a text message to Evelyn would have to do for now.

I sat as far from the others as possible, into a corner by a potted plant that looked suspiciously plastic, and put my bags down before my phone came out.

VICTOR NEEDS SURGERY

THE DOCTOR SAYS

NOT SERIOUS. HAS

SOME WOUND ON HIS

HEAD THAT NEEDS

PLASTIC SURGEON.

THEY TAKE GOOD

CARE OF HIM.

WILL TELL MORE SOON

LOVE COBB

_ _

I hoped that I wasn't accidentally lying to my very own sister, but that was as good as I could do at the moment, and I hoped that I was telling her the right thing. It still didn't make me feel any much better about it. The doctors and the nurses didn't tell me what exactly was going on, and whether Victor would need a long time recovering, or anything like that. And I didn't know a single thing about Rory either. That felt awful. The lion was such a nice man, and I could see how happy he was making Victor to feel, and that was what mattered. If he'd lose Rory...

I shouldn't think about that, I felt, and shook my head, and tried to get a more comfortable posture on the seat. It was a bit small for me and I probably took over two whole chairs, but couldn't help that. It was a bit like on the train, but I'd so much rather be on that train than here, a nervous wreck trying to wait for news about my brother. I had no idea how long it was going to take, and the clock on the wall said 02:13 PM. How long had he been there yet anyway? I had no idea how much it would take to perform a surgery like the one Victor apparently needed. I wished I had someone to ask about it, but the nurses seemed so busy, and I didn't really see any other there, except the one in the glass box. I really didn't want to bother her again, though.

Seemed like my hope came started to come true when I saw someone come round the corner of the corridor leading into the waiting area. That someone was wearing full doctor clothing, with some sort of a green robe and a head cover and a surgical mask and some yellowish gloves, though no stethoscope around his neck. I realized that the someone was walking a bit funnily, too, and had a cane that made a sound when it clicked onto the floor. His other paw held what looked like a white plastic bag.

I tried not to look at him in case I'd seem bothersome, and I didn't want to bother anyone now that I could only wait. But, to my surprise, the green someone walked over towards me with the cane, and for a while I thought he was going to speak to me, but then het down on a purple chair opposite to me, and put the bag down onto the chair by him, and the cane there as well, and then just sat there. I noticed a long tail flicking between his footpaws as he began to dig into that bag. To my surprise, the green guy took out a bottle of orange juice out of the bag, as well as a bag of M&M's, and tore it open with those glowed paws. Only then did he pull the white mask down, to reveal a round, tan-cheeked face and a muzzle. I bet that mask had to be really uncomfortable with those whiskers.

_ _

I gave the guy a puzzled look as he lifted the bag of M&M's up to his muzzle and dropped some of the candy into his maw. This seemed like a really weird place for a staff member to be having lunch, though maybe there was a logical reason to it. Maybe the staff room was packed, or maybe he didn't have the time to go to that cafeteria mentioned before by the wolf nurse. Or maybe he had to be on call, ready to rush to answer any emergency calls. Might've been difficult considering that he needed that cane to walk around.

The juice bottle made a loud sound as the green guy opened the metallic top and took a long sip. He let a deep sigh once he was done and put the bottle away. I felt oddly hungry even though I had just had a big breakfast only hours before.

With Victor and Rory.

The thought of the happy smiling over the table started to burn in my chest and throat quickly. I had to bite down on my teeth to try not to let the loudest rumble to escape, though I did rumble, anyway, and tried to keep myself in check. The ideas flooded my mind easily, too easily, it felt, as I again contemplated the glass doors behind which my brother lay somewhere, tubes going in and out of him, while the doctors tried to save his life. Let alone Rory...that nice young man Rory, whom Victor liked.

I dug out one of my hankies from the packet in my pocket and blew my nose into it, for it felt stuffy after the earlier embarrassing crying in the cab. As I was clearing my nose, I realized that the green guy had suddenly pulled his mask back over his face, and was looking on the other direction from me, as if he was avoiding me. I frowned a little and felt my ears flop down, as I pushed the soggy hankie back into my pocket and folded my paws over my lap, feeling a little bit better for it.

"Sorry," I rumbled, clearing my throat quickly.

I could only see his eyes, just above the edge of that white mask covering his muzzle. He was looking right at me.

"I don't like sneezing," the mask moved a bit as he spoke.

My ears flicked in surprise.

"Neither do I," I replied, and didn't tell that I disliked it especially after crying my eyes out.

The green guy's ears flicked up and down.

I rolled my thumbs and flexed my arms a little and tried to get more comfortable. The green guy pulled down his mask again and was eating more M&M's now, much to my envy.

"Got those from the cafeteria?" I asked, wondering whether it would be okay to leave my stuff here and make a quick run for it.

"Yep," the green guy replied, lips moving as he chewed and sucked on his chocolate candy. "It's up on the fourth. But if you want to go there, don't buy the sandwiches. They taste like plastic."

I gave him a curious look. That sounded very much in the know of the green guy, telling me what food to avoid at the hospital cafeteria.

I put my paws on my knees and leaner over a bit for more comfortable speaking distance.

"Uhh...are you a doctor, mister?"

The chocolates slurped in his muzzle, and he snorted.

"Nah."

I frowned a little.

"So why are you wearing doctor's protective clothing?" I waved a paw in his direction, to indicate his green garb.

The green man snuffled, and didn't smile.

"I'm what they call a frequent flyer in this joint," he spoke in a low voice. "They've learned to put up with my whims."

I couldn't really understand much of it.

"Are you a patient, then?" I wondered.

The green man shook his head.

"Nope. Not this time."

I nodded and breathed out deeply. He didn't sound like much for talking, but I thought that I could at least explain why I was there, maybe, just to be polite, if nothing else.

"I'm here for my brother," I said. "He's having surgery right now."

It hurts me to even say that aloud. It makes it sound even worse, and feel really bad, too. But then also, it also feels...different, like it's not just in my head, even if the green guy probably doesn't care to listen to other fur's worries, when he might have worries of his own.

"That sucks," the green guy snorted. "Hope he gets the help he needs from it."

I nodded heavily.

"I hope so too," I breathed. "He's been in a car accident."

The green almost dropped his M&M's and stared at me with big eyes. His ears went down.

"Today?" the man hissed roughly.

I nodded again.

"A couple hours ago, I guess," I rumbled, rubbing my chin. "I don't really know how badly he was hurt. The doctors don't tell much."

The green guy's paws squeezed on his bag of candy so hard that his claws burst through the fingertips of his left glove. He looked like he was shaking, though it was hard to tell with that robe covering all of him. I frowned.

"You alright?" I asked.

He let out a sharp breath.

"You...are you Victor's brother?" he spoke in a strange voice.

I almost jumped off my seat.

"You know Victor?" I almost yelled.

His eyes still seemed sharp.

"Do you know Rory?" he said.

I nodded quickly.

"Met him this morning," I growled roughly.

I could see him tense.

"Shit..." the green man mumbled.

I got up from the seat and stepped closer to him, to stand in front of the seated man, looking down to him.

"I'm Cobb Holden, I'm Victor's brother," I explained myself.

The green man blinked and made a rumbling, deep sound, surprisingly loud for someone of his size and shape. Then he spoke.

"I'm Peter and I'm here for Rory."

I let out a really deep breath and felt my heart jump. This guy was someone who knew Rory, and Victor, too, it seemed! I felt such relief. I wasn't all alone in this anymore, I had someone to share this thing with, and try to make it a little bit easier to handle.

I offered my paw.

"Hello, Peter," I said.

His paws wouldn't budge from his lap.

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

I let my paw fall to my side and nodded.

"I know, they have a policy," I replied, before I sat down on a free seat, next to the bag of snacks the green guy, now revealed to be someone important and named Peter, had brought in before.

He gave me a bit of an odd look, I guess, as I sat down, and kept looking at me while I settled. My heart was being so fast. There were so many things I wanted to ask him, whether he knew anything more about the accident, whether he knew about Victor, too. Maybe he knew a lot.

"Are you Rory's family?" I asked.

Peter shook his head.

"I'm a very old friend," he replied.

I nodded.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked. "Nobody told me much about it yet and I just don't know what happened to them."

His whiskers shook. He scratched his arm.

"Apparently they were hit by a car on their side, coming without a warning," he replied. "That's what the doctor downstairs told me the paramedics told him."

My belly and chest began to hurt again at the thought of Victor's car, the very same car I rode on this morning, getting smashed into pieces. With Victor and Rory sitting inside it, too. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Oh. God..." I rumbled.

He just kept on scratching, and didn't really look at me as he spoke.

"I was only told that the Doberman in the car with Rory was taken to surgery," he said, "I'm sorry I can't help more. They don't give out information to non-family members."

"What about Rory?" surely he had to know more about Rory, he had to.

He gave me a quick a look, and then returned to staring at the ugly wall.

"He has injured his hip in the crash and they took him to the OR to fix it," his voice sounded weird. "They have to do it quickly or there will be permanent damage because the circulation is cut to the leg. He might lose the leg if they don't hurry."

My ears dropped.

"That's horrible," I grunted, sad for the lion, and for this man who obviously cared for Rory a great deal.

I put my paw and on his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. I could feel him tense at it, but he didn't move away from me, or speak a thing.

"I'm sure he'll be okay, "I said and tried to smile, "I'm sure both of them will be fine."

He wheezed, and wouldn't look at me still. I put my paw down again.

"I really can't believe this is happening, "I sighed, staring up to the grey ceiling. The lights seemed oddly bright. "Everything was just fine when I left on the train..."

He was looking at me now.

"You...were with them?"

I looked right at him, and nodded.

"Victor and Rory took me to the train station so that I could go back home to Chicago," I spoke. "They...God, they must've...had the accident coming back from the station..."

Cold horror started to break my voice. The tears began to burn in my eyes. It was so simple and so crude. I was obviously to blame for the accident. It was because of me that they were in the car in the first place.

"Shit..."

The tears just wouldn't stop. I pushed my face in my paw and bit on my lip to try not to wail, but the tears flowed, and I started to shake with the awful thoughts that filled my mind. Guilty thoughts.

Guilty.

I could have taken a cab. I could've travelled another day and the accident wouldn't have happened. I could have kept them at the station for five more minutes and then they would not have been there when the accident happened. Or we could have left Victor's place five minutes earlier, or later, and then missed the accident. They'd only been going out on the car anyway to take me to the station. They didn't need to be there.

It felt terrible and I knew it was my fault.

Suddenly I felt some sort of a touch on my back. My head snapped up and I realized that it was Peter, with his paw on my back, looking at me with concerned eyes. My own eyes were full of tears, and he seemed a bit blurry to me through them. I grunted and growled and made a face, as another wave of pain pushed through my chest. More tears threatened to come.

Peter patted my back gently with that glowed paw of his, and looked at me.

"They're alive," he said in a low voice, "believe me, there is hope as long as they're alive."

That didn't sound so hopeful to me. What if they'd be left scarred for life? Victor's head wound...what if he'd never look the same he used to do? What if he'd become ugly and disfigured because of me? And Rory...Peter mentioned that he could lose his leg...could I ever forgive myself, the fact that he would have to be in a wheelchair the rest of his life, or use an artificial leg? Oh, shit...

I squeezed my eyes closed really hard and let the tears fall out of them, and tried not to let more emerge.

"It's my fault," I whispered darkly.

His ears flicked.

"It's nobody's fault," he said quickly. "It was an accident."

I tensed.

"They were there because of me," I whispered quietly. Speaking hurt. "They took me to the train station, and must have crashed coming back from the station. If it wasn't for me..."

He pressed his paw on my back again, with some more firmness this time.

"Shit tends to happen especially when it nobody's fault," Peter said to me. "Like this time. Nobody could have prevented it. It just happened."

"But it happened because of ME!" I cried.

"No it didn't," he snuffled. "It could have happened when they were going out for a dinner, it could have happened coming back from that dinner, if it was to happen, it would have happened. Hell, it could have happened when you were going to the train station. You could have been on that car."

"But I wasn't," I groaned. "Victor and Rory were."

He snorted again.

"Then feel lucky for that," he said.

I didn't feel lucky, not now that my only brother was in such despair.

"Feel lucky," he said, "and know that at least now you are here, and you can help your brother the best you can, to pull through this all. It's all you can do."

My furs bristled. I wasn't sure whether I liked to hear that, or whether it was making me feel any better, but at least the tears stopped for now. Peter was still looking at me.

"You hear me?" he said again.

I nodded slowly, and snorted.

Peter's paw fell from my shoulder and went into the white plastic bag, and pulled out another packet of M&Ms and then dropped that onto my lap.

"Here you go," he said. "I got enough comfort food to share."

I looked down at the bag and then at Peter sitting next to me, surprised, with my tired and tear-weary eyes.

"I can't..."

"Sure you can," he said. "We're in this together, it seems."

Together.

Like Victor and Rory.

I tensed at the thought.

"Shit," I slapped my paw over my face and gave it a rub.

"It's okay," I heard him speak.

I searched my jacket pocket for my hankies and managed to find one fresh one, which I then promptly used to dry my eyes and blow my nose into.

"Sorry," I croaked. "Blabbering like a cub, I feel so silly."

I felt drained, too.

"It's alright," Peter replied, sitting there looking all too calmly, compared to my own agitated state. "It happens."

I swallowed and dapped my nose and put the soiled hankie into my pocket next to the other ones I had ruined today.

"Sorry," I said again.

"It's fine," he said dutifully.

I didn't feel fine at all, but decided to let it be. I could make myself more useful otherwise.

"Uh...so...how do you know Rory?" I asked, hoping that we could find something in common, besides knowing Rory.

"We met at college," Peter replied. "Been together ever since."

That sounded a bit odd to me. Together? Could it mean that...I wasn't sure. This Peter seemed like an OK guy, and it wasn't first thing that'd come to mind, that he was gay. He didn't look like one, or do or speak stuff that'd point him out as one, at least I didn't think so. I wasn't so sure. But he did say that he'd known Rory for a long time...and supposedly gay furs knew a lot of other gay furs...and he was close enough to be called to see Rory at the hospital...well that made me think a lot of things. I wasn't sure.

"Oh...," I spoke. "I've only known him for two weeks. I met him the first night I came to Kirk City and...and only met him yesterday again. He was so nice, he even brought me a present!"

My heart burned as I thought about the carefully packed fur care products in my big bag. It had been so nice of Rory, to think of me too, and not just Victor who he obviously was really much into, but he still remembered me, Victor's brother, and brought me a gift as well. That kind of a man was exactly what my brother needed. I wished it could be Rory.

Peter gave me a bit of a look.

"I think I've heard about that, yes..." he murmured.

My ears perked.

"You've heard about me?" I asked curiously.

Had Rory really talked about me to his friend, too? Must've made an impression!

"I think Rory mentioned you in passing," he said dryly.

"Ohh..." my ears relaxed a little. "I'm afraid I haven't heard about you before, Peter."

"Never mind," he said. "I haven't even met Victor yet."

My ears jumped again with surprise.

"You didn't?" I said curiously.

"I haven't had the pleasure yet," Peter said. "Rory has been quite hush hush about this whole relationship."

"Ohh..." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

Then I got an idea, and got up from the chair.

"Just a second," I said, moving over to my bags.

I crouched down a bit and unzipped my bag to pull out the small leather case that contained my iPad, and then brought that over when I sat back down to the seat next to Peter. I quickly clicked power on to the little computer and started to tap the icons that appeared.

"Just a sec," I said as I browsed, "I've got a couple of pictures here somewhere..."

I got into the gallery and tapped open the one I wanted, which then filled out the screen. It was a photo of Victor sitting on the couch, wearing his glasses so that he could watch TV properly. He was only wearing a T-shirt and some boxers on the photo, but I was sure that Peter probably didn't mind it.

"Here," I said, holding the iPad so that Peter could get a good look, "it's like a candid camera picture, heh, got a snap of him when he was watching TV."

Peter leaned a little closer to the small screen and nodded.

"I can see the resemblance," he spoke.

"We're twins," I smiled a little as I tapped the picture to swap it to another one, which showed me and Victor side by side, and had been taken by me, holding the iPad at an arm's length from us. "He's my big brother by 10 minutes."

He was smiling so broadly it made me want to weep again.

"Here...see?" I rumbled.

Peter nodded slowly.

"Not identical, are you?"

"No," I nodded. "No mixing us up."

"Rory speaks highly of him," Peter spoke quietly. "He sounded happy when he spoke about Victor."

It made me want to cry, those simple, kind words Peter was speaking in comfort of me, in his own way. I really wished I had something to say in return, to ease his pain over his own loved one, Rory, just a little.

"He was really nice to me too," I rumbled. "Even if he didn't really know me."

Peter picked up his bottle of juice from the chair between us and opened the stopper to take a quick sip. He smacked his lips quietly as he put the bottle down.

"There's another bottle in the bag if you want a drink," he said. "And some water too. Gotta keep properly hydrated."

"You're right on that," I smiled a little. "We'll be no good to them if we don't have the energy to do anything to help them."

He nodded slowly.

"Yeah," he said. "No good."

I watched him sitting there for a while. He was a cougar, a feline not as big as a Doberman, even a small one. He had round cheeks and a white blotch on his muzzle. It was hard to make out the rest of him because of the green robe. That puzzled me. Why would he be wearing something like that if he wasn't actually a member of the staff here? I had no idea why he would do such a thing. Maybe something happened to his own clothes on his way here? It wasn't raining, though. Maybe that was it. I wasn't sure whether to ask about it, though. I knew that he had to be on the edge as much as I was.

Took me a little moment to find something else to say, and even then, I wasn't so sure.

"Peter?"

His eyes snapped from the wall towards me.

"Yes, Cobb?"

"Well...I don't know so much about it myself, but I was thinking of putting my two paws together and praying a little," I said, watching him.

He took a small pause before he said anything.

"Be free to."

I nodded.

"Do you...have God, Peter?"

The green man shrugged.

"He never worked out too well for me. Sorry. But I'm sure He loves everyone nonetheless."

I smiled a little.

"Me and Victor used to go to Sunday school," I said. "Played soccer with all the other cubs there."

"Sounds like it was fun."

"It was," I replied. "Didn't really get into the rest of it in the end, though. Especially after Victor came out."

Peter gave me a surprised look.

"Oh?"

I nodded, determinedly.

"Couldn't be bothered to listening about 'em telling that it's wrong and even though God loves everyone, He doesn't want 'em to act on their...impulses. Decided I don't have to listen to that sort of crap about my own brother."

"I see."

"But that's just the furs, I think," I replied. "Doesn't mean that He won't listen if we speak a word or two for Victor and Rory."

Took a while, but then he snuffled, and nodded quickly.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot if you are," Peter said. "You sure God won't mind if I'm not sure about it."

I shook my head.

"I've a feeling most are unsure about it, but that doesn't stop them."

Peter folded his paws together and placed them comfortably on his lap.

"Alright," he rumbled.

I nodded, and folded my own paws.

"Okay...okay, "I cleared my throat. "God, I know this is a place that gives you a lot of calls, because this is a place of hurt. I was once taught to speak to you when I am in need, and now I am in need. My brother Victor and his friend Rory are hurt, and they need help. They are having surgery to make them better again. They need Your guidance, to get through it safely. I am here with my friend Peter, and he is praying for his friends Victor and Rory. Please, watch over our friends and our kin Victor and Rory, and watch over me, and Peter, and give us strength to be strong for them, and help them in any way we can. And I think that's what we want to say to You with our prayer, this time. Amen."

"Amen," Peter whispered.

I breathed out deeply. I felt like chocolate could be helpful, too.

I was fidgeting with the bag when some sort of an alarm started to beep nearby. My ears jumped, but calmed down when I noticed that it was Peter's phone making the noise, as proven by him taking out the phone and tapping it.

"Sorry about that," he said, and while I watched, he pulled out a small plastic box from the same pocket, hidden under the green robe.

I watched how he uncorked the bottle of juice once more and then opened the small box and dropped several pills onto his palm. He didn't seem to even flinch when he threw them into his maw and took a big gulp of juice to wash them down. I frowned a little. Was he sick, too? I wondered whether it would be polite to ask.

Peter licked his lips.

"That was just my drug alarm," he said. "I have to take a few pills at regular hours."

"Makes sense," I nodded.

He began to scratch his arm.

I checked the time from the wall. It was a couple of minutes past 3 PM. How long had it been yet? How long had the doctors worked on Victor and Rory? Did this mean that they were really taking their time to make sure they were fine, or that they were really in need of extra amount of care from the surgeons?

"I wonder if it's going to take long," I mused.

"I've no idea," Peter replied. "These things can take time."

"Yeah," I breathed.

I thrummed my pawpads over the cover of my iPad, and realized, for the first time in minutes, that I was still in possession of the computer. It was still showing that picture of me and Victor smiling, the one I had taken so that I would have a nice memory of him. Maybe put it on as a computer wallpaper or something. That gave me a thought.

"I wonder if they have WiFi here..."I mused, tapping in to check the setting of the network.

"I'm not sure if you're supposed to be using electronics here," Peter replied. "Might mess around with the equipment."

My ears flicked down as I realized that he was probably right, and I quickly disabled the network search again.

"Yeah," I breathed out, and put my useless tablet away.

Maybe I should send Evelyn another text, telling that I was still waiting to hear about the surgery. Might mention that Rory's friend was here too, so that I wasn't all alone waiting and worrying myself sick. I wasn't going to tell her that anyway. It would do no good worrying Evelyn even more than she must've been worrying already. I had to be strong, and be the big brother, for everyone, now that Victor was sick.

I took some M&M's and tried to get into chewing them instead of worrying. It only helped for a small while, because soon some glass doors along the corridor opened, and a tiger wearing blue surgical clothes walked out, with the hems of his robe flapping behind him as he walked along the corridor. He had a writing pad on his paw.

I tensed. Could this be it?

The doctor stopped, and took a look at his writing pad.

"Is Peter Sinclair here?" he scanned the room with his eyes.

Peter grabbed his cane and started to get up from the chair, as if the words had given him an electric shock.

"I'm Peter Sinclair," he said loudly, "I'm here for Rory Gliese:"

The tiger gave Peter a curious look.

"Mister Sinclair, am I right if I remember that I treated you last week?"

Peter's tail lashed sharply behind him.

"Yes, you did, doctor," he noted.

That had to be the pills, I thought. To make his leg better. That's why he needed the cane.

"I'm Marcus Logan," the tiger continued. "I am a trauma surgeon, and I have just finished operating on Mister Gliese."

"How is he?" Peter asked.

I waited, and my heart slammed.

"He is stable for the moment and being taken to the surgical intensive care unit," the doctor replied, watching Peter quietly. "If you would follow me, we might discuss it in private."

Peter gave me a quick look, before turning back to the doctor.

"This is Cobb, his brother was in the car accident with Rory," Peter explained, waving a paw at me. "Do you know anything about him?"

I stood up as well, tensely, waiting for any words.

The doctor gave us a look.

"You have to ask the duty nurse for any information about other patients, I can only give information about Mister Gliese to you, Mister Sinclair, since you are his emergency contact," the doctor replied. "If you come with me, I could see if we might even see him in the recovery."

"Of course," Peter replied sharply, before he turned to look at me. "I'll try to come and give you a word as soon as I can, yes?"

I nodded.

"I'll do the same about Victor, if you need to," I replied in a low voice.

"Good luck," Peter said, obviously impatient. "You can keep the candy."

I barely had the time to open my muzzle before he was already going, following the confidently walking doctor out of sight.

I sat down and wondered whether I'd ever felt so lonely before.

*

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