Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

Rico started laughing.
    "Hey Mickie. How's it going?"
    "Good, good. I'm just taking Mrs. Bates her daily offering."
    "What?" Rico looked closer at what was in Mickie's hands. He was holding a fish in a towel. It was still wiggling.
    What the hell?
    "Mickie, why on earth do you have a live fish in a towel?"
    "Because Mrs. Bates doesn't like dead ones." Mickie's expression read DUH, why else?
    "Mickie, who is Mrs. Bates?" Rico had been getting a lot of practice in keeping his patience. He needed to remember to appreciate that.
    Mickie sighed and jerked his head for Rico to follow him.
    "She's this totally psychotic cat that lives in the breakwater. She used to terrorize people who fished off the rocks. They were getting ready to have her trapped and killed but Dan stopped them. He and the cat have a deal. He gives her a fat live fish each day and she ignores everybody."
    "Mickie, phone call, the supplier has a problem," someone yelled from inside the bar. Mickie turned to Rico and held up the fish.
    "This needs to get to Mrs. Bates before it dies. Can you run it over to the rocks for me? Just toss it anywhere near the rocks, you don't have to set it down. Thanks."
    Mickie shoved the fish at him and ran back into the bar.
    Rico looked from the fish to the rocks. It was only another twenty feet or so.
    He climbed past the first large rock and looked around. There was a big crevice before the next rock. Rico thought about throwing the fish over, but it looked kind of dirty and he really didn't like the idea of putting the fish on a dirty surface. He turned to the side to look for a better place and HOLY SHIT!
    Something came flying out from behind one of the smaller rocks and launched right at him. Rico took a step back and felt nothing under his foot. He didn't even have enough time to be disgusted with himself before everything went black.
    Rico's eyes popped open and he tried to take stock. He was laying on his right side facing a small crevice under the rock he had been standing on. He didn't feel any pain; that was a big check in the plus column.
    He tried to move and nothing happened. Not good. He tried wiggling his fingers and toes and still didn't feel anything.
    Well fuck.
    Deciding he needed help, Rico tried to take a deep breath so he could yell. Nothing happened. It was odd, Rico felt like he should be panicking but he wasn't. He actually felt kind of fuzzy and lightheaded. He tried to reason it out.
    I fell about ten feet. I must have hit my head because I don't remember the impact. I can't breathe but my body isn't reacting by choking or gasping. I can't move but I'm not in any pain at all. I must be dead. This is probably the last electrical impulses of my brain before it's done. What a fucked up way to go. Death by cat. At least I'm not in pain. Damn, I hope Uncle Russell doesn't take it too hard. I wonder if I'll see any lights? I wonder if I'll become a ghost? I wonder if Dan… Oh yeah, Dan. That was just getting interesting. He was such a flirt and his lips tasted really good. Guess I won't know how that could have turned out….
    Rico's mental rambling was interrupted as smallish white and grey cat walked over.
    She'd be prettier if she was cleaned up a bit. She's pretty scruffy looking. Aww, she's purring. What the hell? That freaking cat did not just sit with her butt in my face! The little bitch is cleaning her paws with her butt in my face?! I…
    Oh hey, I'm mad. I can't be dead if I'm mad. There's not supposed to be any kind of strong emotions if you're dead, right? Spirits are supposed to be free from all that. Fine, I'm stunned. Okay, I need to figure out how to take a breath so I can yell, because I need to get help.
    Rico was trying to focus on his lungs, willing them to fill with air, when the cat suddenly leaped away from him. Dan was next to him tapping his face gently.
    "Rico? Can you hear me?"
    He blinked. Dan sounded upset.
    "Come on Rico, you need to breathe babe. Blue is not your best color."
    Dan yelled over his shoulder to Mickie, whose head was poking over the top of the rock. "Call an ambulance Mick."
    The head disappeared and Dan was focused on him again.
    "You always have to do things the hard way, don't you?"
    Dan's lips touched his firmly and Rico tasted sweet breath as Dan lightly pinched his nose and exhaled deeply into his mouth.
    "There are easier ways to get kisses from me, you know."
    Rico felt his lungs expanding a second time and he suddenly started coughing. Dan was