One Hundred Heartbeats

So much can happen in a hundred heartbeats. For us rabbits, that's just a smidge under one minute, though if I'm hyped up on coffee, or excited, or nervous, my heart can easily beat a hundred times in just forty seconds.

Like right now, after I stepped out of the Snarlbucks to find a badger holding a gun to my partner's head.

1,228 heartbeats earlier

Judy eyed the small paper bag Nick had been carrying around all morning. They were walking to the Snarlbucks around the corner from where they'd parked the cruiser. He noticed her looking at the bag and shifted it to his other paw so she couldn't see it. Judy rolled her eyes. Her partner had arrived late that morning, so he didn't have time to put it in his locker, and he refused to let it out of his sight. Aside from saying it was something for his mom, Judy had no idea what it was.

Even weirder than the mystery bag, Nick had invited her to dinner at Antonio's the next time they had a day off. They'd eaten at the fancy restaurant only once before, when Nick had finally asked her out on their first date, after what practically felt like forever. Before that, there had been years of him teasing and flirting without making a move. The pace of their relationship didn't really pick up after that first date, and remained positively glacial compared to how fast things typically moved with rabbits. Luckily Judy did some research before she gave up on Nick, and she quickly discovered that taking things slow was typical for foxes.

Before the date at Antonio's, they'd spent plenty of time together, though usually it was with a group of other officers. They didn't want to cause issues at work or with their families, so they both agreed it would be prudent to keep their relationship a secret for now. Nick hadn't even told his mom yet, and Judy's parents didn't know either.

Judy was hoping to find out why Nick wanted to take her to Antonio's, but she hadn't been able to pry anything out of him yet. Instead of answering her questions directly, he'd abruptly declared they needed to take a break from their morning patrol and get some coffee. She pondered how she could get him to open up, when it dawned on her what it might be about.

For the past few days, he'd been subtly trying to find out when her lease was up, and she knew he'd soon be looking for a place too. Moving in together would be a big step, and she could see why he'd be nervous.

She was just about to ask him if that's what he wanted to talk about, when they walked through the front door of the Snarlbucks and Nick exclaimed, "Oh, look who it is!" Judy could practically hear the relief in his voice as she followed his gaze to see Fru Fru sitting on a small table atop a much larger one. Next to her stood her polar bear bodyguard, Raymond, his great bulk and tailored dark suit making it impossible for him to be anything but conspicuous in the herd of other mammals in the crowded coffee shop.

"Judy! Nicky! How are my two favorite cops?" The tiny shrew always pronounced the last word like, "caahwps", which never failed to make Judy smile.

After they returned her greeting, the polar bear spoke in a deep rumbly voice. "Raymond will wait in car for you to finish talking to fuzz." Though he rarely spoke, Judy thought it was odd how he always referred to himself in the third person, and aside from his accent indicating he was from Northlund, she really didn't know much about him.

Fru Fru smiled at the bear. "Thanks, Raymond, you're a sweetheart."

After Nick and Judy were seated and the polar bear ambled off, the shrew spoke again. "I have to apologize for Raymond, he still feels uncomfortable around you two. And I just know he's been hopin' all morning to sneak off and read his newspaper.

1,024 heartbeats later

Somehow my heart is beating even faster, though the world around me seems to have slowed down.