Fifi let out a frustrating yawn as she slid a coin into a coffee machine.

She and Dr. Mandet had spent almost an hour searching the hospital for Furrball but the feline was very good at avoiding being seen. She of all people knew that better than anyone. The steaming black liquid poured forth from the machine into a small styrofoam cup and she picked it up. Turning around, she bumped into Dr. Mandet, almost spilling her coffee in the process.

"Oh! Sorry doctor." She apologized.

"That's quite alright Miss." He said with a tired smile. "Just be careful not to burn yourself. Coffee burns are always a nasty injury."

Fifi nodded, taking a sip then asked, "Any luck?" The man just shook his head and put a coin in the machine for his own coffee. "Unfortunately no. Your boyfriend is very elusive and it is a big hospital. Some staff members saw him earlier but he took off before they could do anything. They said he was talking to himself."

"Of course he was." Fifi responded with a roll of her eyes. Dr. Mandet grabbed his drink from the machine and took a sip. He looked at his reflection in the drink then back to the purple skunk.

"May I ask why he is so afraid?"

"I wish I knew doctor but I'm afraid I can't give you a diagnosis on that one." She said with a smirk. Dr. Mandet let out a small laugh.

"Well, I will gather some more nurses and we'll take another look around. If there is anyway you can get a hold of him, please do. That cut needs to be treated sooner than later."

Fifi nodded and Dr. Mandet made his way down the hall. She took out her cell phone and dialed Furrball's number. It rang and rang until it went straight to his voice mail. There was a loud beep and Fifi started her message.

"Ryan, if you're there pick up. Please. This is insane. You need to get that cut treated and I'm starting to really worry about you. So…please call me back. Bye."

She sighed, hanging up her phone. This was not how she envisioned her romantic night with him.

In another section of the hospital, Furrball let out a sigh himself after listening to the message on his phone. A guilty feeling was starting to well up inside him and he felt an urge to call back his girlfriend. But as he was about to press the dial button, he saw two nurses down the hall walking towards him.

His fear overpowering his guilt, he ducked behind a soda machine. He peeked around the corner and saw that the two nurses were talking to other staff members and patients. His name came up and he decided it would be best to get moving. Slowly and quietly, he snuck down the opposite direction. He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it around the corner but stopped in his tracks.

Dr. Mandet himself and a few other nurses were approaching from that end of the hall. He looked back and saw the previous two nurses closing the distance from that side. He could feel sweat running down the side of his face and his breathing became more rapid. He was trapped like a rat.

Furrball backed up against the wall as if trying to blend into it like a chameleon. The groups were getting closer and he was starting to feel claustrophobic. His hand trailed across the wall and it came in contact with something cool and round. Looking down, he saw that it was a door knob. The cat looked to the door and saw that it had a sign on it that read 'Utilities'.

Without even thinking, Furrball ripped the door open and slammed it shut. He prayed that he was quick enough and that no one had noticed him. The sounds of footsteps came nearer until they stopped right outside the door. Dull voices could be heard conversing with one another.

"Did you find him?"

"Not yet Dr. Mandet. A few patients said they saw him somewhere near X-rays."

"Alright then. We'll head there and you ladies can check the cafeteria."

The footsteps started again but this time they became distant to a point where they disappeared completely.

Furrball let out a sigh of relief. That was too close for comfort. He stood in the closet, hands over his head trying to come up with a plan. People were spotting him more than he liked. If only there was some way to disguise himself. Upon looking around the utility room, he noticed a pair of scrubs, a box of surgical masks and some head caps.

"That's not going to work you idiot." His brain pointed out.

"Hey. Remember golf pencil?" He replied. The voice did not speak up again and he nodded in triumph. Shedding his clothes, he put on a pair of scrubs, although a size too small, head cap and a mask.

Taking a deep breath, Furrball opened the door and peeked his head out. The coast seemed to be clear and he stepped out. Slowly he made his way down the hall, his bandaged tail slowly twitching behind him.

As he came around a corner, a nurse bumped into him.

"Oh! Sorry doctor! Didn't see you there." She said with a cheery smile.

"Think nothing of it." Furrball said, making his voice deep and heavy. He walked by her but stopped in his tracks when the nurse's voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

He slowly turned around and faced the nurse who stood with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

"You didn't think you were actually going to get away with this did you?" She asked.

Furrball lowered his head and stared at his feet. "Actually…yeah I did."

The nurse laughed and walked up to him and slapped him in the arm. "Oh Dr. Bryson! You kill me! Come on, they're waiting for you in surgery."

Furrball's eyes widened as she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him down the hall. "Bryson?" He wondered. It was then that he looked down and noticed a name tag was attached to the pair of scrubs he had on. It read, 'Dr. L. Bryson'. Mentally cursing himself, the nurse dragged him to a pair of swinging doors that had the words 'Surgery Room' written above it.

"Um…I really don't think I should be here." He mumbled. The nurse laughed again. "You really know how to crack me up Dr. Bryson. This will take you no time. After all, you're the best surgeon in the city." She said, pushing him through the doors.

Furrball stumbled through the doors and came face to a group of surgeon assistants all dressed like him. They stared at him for a moment and Furrball stood awkwardly in silence. He fiddled with his fingers nervously and gave a small wave.

"Hello fellow…surgery…people."

The assistants looked at each other and then back to him. One of them, small woman approached him.

"Hi Dr. Bryson. The patient has been prepped."

"Good. Good…can I go then?"

The others chuckled at him and the nurse brought him over to a nearby sink. "You always know how to kid around doctor." She said, pouring some disinfectant over his hands.

Furrball nervously scrubbed them, his brain trying to come up with a way to get out of this. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to him. He lifted up his hands and the nurse pulled a pair of rubber gloves over them. She noticed the tightness of his scrubs and the way they pressed against his chest and arms.

"Have…you been working out Dr. Bryson?" She asked, staring at his bicep.

"Uh…yeah. Helps…with my golf swing." He answered. Slowly, he approached the operating table which had 'his' patient on it.

It was an elderly man, around his fifties, who had an oxygen mask over his mouth. A drape was laid across his body with a hole in the middle, exposing his chest. To the side was a tray of surgical instruments. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he couldn't take his eyes off the scene in front of him

"Did you cut yourself D. Bryson?" One of the assistants asked, breaking him out of his nervous trance. He looked down and remembered the gauze around his arm.

"Oh. Yes I did…sky diving."

"Sky diving?"

"Yup."

"How…does that happen sky diving?"

"…I hit a bird on the way down."

There was another awkward moment of silence but soon laughter filled the room. Another assistant patted Furrball on the back.

"You should have been a comedian Dr. Bryson!"

Furrball managed a weak laugh and cautiously approached the table. He looked over the man and the instruments. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest and sweat beginning to form on his forehead. He looked up and down the man's chest and randomly poked him with his fingers. He knocked on the chest and put his ear to it, all the while muttering, "Hmm's" and "Uh huh's".

The assistants looked at each other in confusion. Finally Furrball clapped his hands together and nodded.

"Okay! Everything looks good. I'll see you all tomorrow. Drive safe!" He said and turned to leave but the small assistant grabbed him.

"Okay Dr. Bryson. Joke time is over. We need to get this heart transplant underway."

Furrball wanted to scream as he was brought back to the table and presented with a scalpel. Trembling, he grabbed the scalpel and looked to the patient.

"Okay…I'm going to…perform surgery now." He said.

"Gong to do it right now."

He didn't move.

"As of this moment."

Still nothing.

"Now, in this lifetime."

Furrball remained still, staring at the flesh he was supposed to cut into. Every muscle in his body was frozen. The assistants rolled their eyes and crossed their arms.

"Now you're just being unprofessional Dr. Bryson." One of them said.

It was then that the doors swung open and a man in identical attire as Furrball entered. "Sorry I'm late everyone. I seemed to have misplaced my name tag and scrubs. Not that the patient is worried about that though!" He joked.

The man stopped when he saw Furrball standing in front of his patient, scalpel in hand. The assistants did double takes, looking from doctor to 'doctor'. Furrball's eyes darted back and forth as he cleared his throat.

"Ah! You're here! I was just…getting things warmed up for you!" He exclaimed and handed the real Dr. Bryson the scalpel. "Have fun with…this…uh…peace out!"

With that, the blue feline took off through the swinging doors. He darted out into the hallway with a series of shouts and yells echoing behind him. Running as fast as he could, Furrball got as far away as he could from the Surgery Room. He ran until he was out of breath and he eventually stopped, resting his hands on his hips. Taking off his mask, he took in deep breaths trying to slow his heart beat down and gain some composure.

When he brought his head back up, his eyes widened when he saw Fifi walking towards him, searching in rooms and corridors. Furrball immediately put his mask back on and tried his best to look calm and busy. Unfortunately there was nothing really for him to look busy with. He noticed that just a few feet away was a washroom. If he could get to it, maybe he could hide out for a while and come up with a new plan.

"You're actually going to hide in the toilet. What are you? A Ghoulie? Just man up and take your medicine!" His mind screamed.

But Furrball ignored it and took his chance. Furrball didn't know if God existed but if he did, he prayed that she wouldn't notice him. Fifi wasn't stupid. He casually made his way towards the washroom, trying not to look at the beautiful skunk as she passed him. When she walked by, he picked up his speed and hurried through the door of the washroom. He pushed it open and ran into the nearest stall, locking the door on it.

The toon let out a tired sigh of relief and sat down on the toilet, taking his cap and mask off. He scratched the back of his head and leaned it against the stall wall, closing his eyes. His ears twitched at the sound of the door being opened and footsteps ringing off the tile floor. They stopped and it was silent for a brief moment until a voice broke the silence.

"The disguise was a good idea Ryan but you should have tucked your tail in. You think I wouldn't recognize that bandage?"

Furrball mouthed about a dozen cursed words and grabbed his tail. "You Judas!" He hissed at it.

"Get out here. Let's get this over with and go home." Fifi ordered, hands on her slender hips.

"But…"

"No Ryan! No buts! I've had it with you!" She yelled, her French accent becoming more and more profound with each word. "We've been here for hours looking all over for you and I have no idea why! It's four in the morning and I'm tired and I don't need this! I don't need my boyfriend acting like a damn child so grow up and get the hell out here! Cet instant!"

There was no response from the stall and all was still for about a minute. Slowly the door opened and Furrball walked out, shame written all over his face. Fifi peered at him with stern eyes.

"I'm sorry Feef." He mumbled. "I didn't mean to cause all this."

"Out. Now." Is all she said, walking out of the washroom. Furrball muttered a few more curses to himself and followed suite. He walked out through the door, Fifi standing a few feet away, waiting for him. Sighing again, he made his way over to her. She still had that angry look on her face but it suddenly turned to one of surprise and shock.

Before Furrball could even guess what she was reacting to, he was tackled to the ground by three nurses and Dr. Mandet. The nurses held the struggling alley cat as the doctor pulled out a syringe.

"Easy my friend! We're going to take care of this right now!" He said. Furrball squirmed to try and see what was going on and suddenly felt a small prick in his backside. After that, he found himself blacking out…

Dr. Mandet finished the last suture on Furrball's arm and gently applied a bandage. Fifi watched him in interest and relief that this was finally over with. Well, for the most part.

"There! All done." Dr. Mandet stated, taking off his surgical gloves. Fifi gave the man a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much Dr. Mandet. I'm so sorry you had to put up with all this." She apologized. He waved it off and chuckled to himself.

"It's quite alright Miss. This isn't the first time this has happened. I'm just glad we were able to find him and get this done. Isn't that right Ryan?"

Furrball looked at Dr. Mandet, a silly grin plastered drunkenly on his face and gave an exaggerated nod.

"You were awesome doc." Furrball proclaimed, his voice taking a dreamy tone. "Like…I was all cut up and stuff but then you swooped in and just…BLAM! Stitched that bitch right up!"

Fifi gave the cat a worried look then turned back to Dr. Mandet asking, "How long before that stuff wears off?"

"Not much longer. It should be out of his system by the time you get home."

Fifi nodded and grabbed Furrball by the arm. "Okay babe, let's go home." She said to him. Furrball turned his gaze towards her, his smile growing even larger and he grabbed her by the waist, yanking her in close.

"Hey doc, you see this girl? You see her? She…is like…a total babe. You…you have no idea."

"Oh yes. She is very pretty. You're a very lucky man." Dr. Mandet chuckled

"She ain't just pretty! She's smoking! Look at the rack! Look at that ass!" Furrball shouted and planted a loud slap on his girlfriend's behind. Fifi felt her face turn beet red as she pushed away from him.

"Ryan!"

"How…how does a bum like me…end up with a guy like her? Huh? How? She's like perfect in everyway…I need to pee." Furrball finished, looking at the ground.

Fifi gave Dr. Mandet a tired look and he gave a hearty laugh. "Hang on to this one Miss. He'll bring you many adventures I'm sure."

"Oh I'm sure he will." Fifi replied and hoisted Ryan up by his arm. "I just hope they don't kill me in the end."

The skunk guided him towards the door who gave a loopy smile and wave to the doctor as they left.

"Can we go to Six Flags?" Furrball asked as the door closed behind them.

Furrball felt a little dizzy on the car ride back to Fifi's. He was having a hard time remembering what happened. He obviously was caught as he looked at his now treated arm. But how it happened was all a haze. He looked over to Fifi who hadn't said a word to him the whole time he had drifted back into consciousness. She sported a rather upset and irritated look.

Oh he definitely remembered that.

He searched for the words to say but found that it was difficult. Fifi didn't look like she was in the mood for talking anyway. So they drove in silence. The rain continued to come down in buckets and Furrball grimaced. The weather outside pretty much summed up his situation inside the car.

Ugly.

The two eventually arrived back at Fifi's, the Cadillac coming to an abrupt halt in the driveway. Fifi turned off the engine and quickly exited the car, slamming the door shut. Furrball winced and took his time getting out of the car. He shook his head, trying to shake off the slight dizziness that still lingered and walked up the front door. He found Fifi standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed.

"So are you going to tell me why the hospital makes you so crazy? Because I highly doubt it's as simple as you not liking doctors." She said.

Furrball's tail twitched back and forth as he looked at his feet, the rain pounding down on his head.

"Look Fifi, I already feel like an ass for putting you through all this. Can't we just drop this and go to bed?" He asked, a tired look on his face.

"No Ryan. I need answers."

Furrball remained silent, gaze adverted.

"So you're a mute again huh? How convenient. Well if you're not going to talk, you're going to listen to what I have to say." Fifi scolded.

"It hurts Ryan." She started, causing him to look up at her. "It hurts that you won't tell me. It's like you don't trust me. After all we've been through and you keep something like this from me."

"Feef…"

"I just don't get it Ryan. I've told you things about me that I've never told anyone. Things that I'm ashamed of. Things that I'm scared of. And you were there to comfort me. To make me feel safe. And all I want to do is return that but you obviously don't feel the same."

Fifi finished, her voice trailing off at the end. Furrball stared at her with a mixture of shame and guilt. He went to speak but held back, fiddling with his fingers. Fifi shook her head in disbelief and moved to close the door.

"I guess that's my answer. And by the way, you think I wasn't disappointed with tonight? I haven't seen you in over a week. I was going to ride you until the bed broke." She stated.

Furrball's eyebrows rose up and he suddenly found his voice again. "I take it that's no longer an option?"

His answer was that of the door being slammed. The feline face palmed for making such a stupid remark. Letting out another large sigh, he swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat and called out,

"It was when I was shot!"

At first there was nothing. He stood in the rain, fur getting wet, which he hated but didn't move. After what seemed like forever, the door opened up and Fifi stepped out, seemingly ready to listen.

"When I was shot," He began, "I had lost a lot of blood and remember drifting in and out of consciousness. I would wake up to see nurses and doctors replacing bloody gauze with new ones then pass out again. It went on like that for what seemed like hours. I was terrified."

Fifi's look softened but she still remained silent.

"I…thought I was going to die." He said, voice trembling a bit at the end. "I was lucky to have survived them getting the bullet out and even luckier to survive the recovery period. They weren't sure if my blood pressure was going to stabilize and…"

Furrball stopped and took a deep breath. This was harder than it looked. Fifi walked out the door and joined him in the rain, taking his hand in hers. Furrball squeezed it hard and continued.

"That was a long time ago. Before you and I. But being in that hospital tonight just…brought back old fears and it reminded me of the fact that I could have died. And being there with you…made me think that if I had, I never would have been there to protect you from…"

Furrball didn't have to finish as they both knew. He pulled her close to him and she let him, arms around his waist.

"I never told you this because I didn't want to worry you. But I do trust you. I want to confine in you and I will from now on. I'm sorry I was so crazy. I'm not sure why that happens."

"I know." Fifi said, a smile now gracing her lips.

"Oh?"

"It's because you are crazy." She said. Furrball laughed, hugging her close in the rain. Fifi slipped her hands up his face and pressed her muzzle against his. Furrball kissed her back gently, completely ignoring the cold and wetness that enveloped them. Fifi broke away and tugged on his hand for them to go inside. They stepped into the warmness of the house and made their way back up to the bedroom. Fifi pushed him down onto the bed and cuddled up close to him and closing her eyes.

"So…that bed breaking thing…" Furrball muttered, rubbing her back.

"Try again tomorrow baby. I'm exhausted." She mumbled with a sly grin. Furrball let out a chuckle and leaned his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes. They suddenly opened again and he frowned.

"I never got my damn lollipop."

The End

A/N: Well that's it! Thanks for reading everyone! Hope it tickled your funny bone. Cya next time!