Martin has smoked for almost his entire life, who would have known it wouldn't be the cigarettes that would kill him.
He rocked back in his patio chair, watching Martha dig up the fresh veggies that had grown in their garden. He bit down on his cigar and puffed smoke while she placed the cabbages into her woven basket. She wore a bright yellow sun hat, to shield her from the blazing sun. He was sitting comfortably in the shade while she yanked more vegetables out of the ground, digging into the earth with her green garden gloves. She brushed away the slight dirt and debri from her long sleeve shirt and pants before placing the carrots into the basket with the cabbages.
She hummed a happy tune of a song she wrote herself. He recognized it from the amount of playing she did on the piano, dancing her fingers along the keys, playing the same tune. She stood up slowly, in her old age, he noticed she was more slower. When she was young, she always had a skip in her step and now, he could practically hear her knees creak.

"I have enough to make a stew now, Martin." Martha stated softly, when she went up the patio steps. Martin groaned softly when he stood up from the chair.

"That's great." He sniffed out the cigar against the ash tray he kept beside him. "I'm stavin'."

"With all the vegetables I gathered I'm certain you'll be quite full, Marty." She giggled softly.

He laughed slightly when he took a step forward, he felt a slight pain in his chest which made him clutch against the fabric of his shirt. His sudden motion made Martha tilt her head at him.

"Oh my, are you alright?" She asked, putting out her paw. He cleared his throat slightly and lifted his paw up at her.

"Yeah, yeah, just some darn heartburn." He chuckled softly until suddenly, he felt a stabbing pain making him bend over, his breathing began to shake when he felt his chest tighten even more.

"Marty? Marty!....oh Marty! What's wrong?" Martha yelled out when he collapsed onto his knees. Martin groaned again when he felt it became harder to breathe. His body contracted making it impossible for him to relax. He could hear Martha yelling his name right next to his ear but he couldn't respond. He clawed at his chest when he moaned out.

"Call an ambulance, I'm having a heart attack!" And he fell against the patio with Martha rushing inside their home.
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Martha couldn't stop crying. She cried when they took Martin away on a stretcher. She cried when they wheeled them into the emergency room. She cried when they began putting tubes inside his body and she cried when the doctors told her to wait outside in the waiting room. They didn't believe that she was his wife because she didn't have an actual wedding certificate to give them. Martin thought it would be safer not to get it at the time when they did moved in together, many years ago. They did went to a ceremony but no wedding certificate. From the hate of inter-species relationships, they never had the chance to get one even when the hate lessened.
She kept wiping her eyes with a pawkerchief as she sat on the cold plastic chairs. Her eyes were already swollen after waiting for a few hours. Her ears rang up when she heard the entrance slide open. She immediately saw Judy and Nick rush inside, their eyes meeting Martha's. She gave out a small sob of relief when Judy came over, wrapping her arms around Martha's neck.

"We came right over when you called us!" Judy began when she pulled away, taking the old bunny's paws into her own. "What is going on?"

Martha whimpered. "I-I don't know, they won't let me see him! B-because I can't prove I'm his wife. I've been waiting since morning!"

Nick came over and sat right next to Judy, placing his paws on her shoulders. "It's alright, hey it's fine, I'm sure Martin is fine..." He said softly, wanting to calm her down. She shook her head.

"N-no! Martin said he was having a heart attack!" Her body shook. "It was those cigarettes! I'm sure of it! He always smoked, ever since he was thirteen! I always knew it would make him sick!"

Judy frowned slightly when she patted Martha's paw. "W-we don't know, we don't know."

"You're part of the police! Please do something!" Martha begged.

"O-okay, we'll try to get some answers." She glanced over to Nick, who nodded. He stood up and went up to the counter. Behind it was Porcupine Nurse, who was busy typing away on her computer. A wall of glass separated her and Nick, making him knock on the glass. She glanced up and immediately noticed his ZPD Uniform.

"We want to know how Martin DeClawe is doing." He asked sternly, making her glance back to her computer.

"And what is your name, Sir?" She asked with a dull tone.

"Nick Wilde, but I don't think I'm in his cont-"

"Okay there you are, you are permitted to see him now."

"Excuse me?" He blinked. The porcupine continued to type away when she spoke.

"You are on his emergency contact."

Nick sniffed. How could he be his emergency contact? Why didn't he put in Martha's name? He shook his head and lean against the counter.

"What about them?" He said pointing behind him to where Judy and Martha sat. "They wanted to see him too."

"Well, until the doctor gives me the go-ahead I can't let them pass, you are the only one of the contact list, so you may go to his room now. Second floor, room 213."

Nick bit the inside of his cheek. He'll go to see Martin and come back to tell Martha, what exactly happened and how serious Martin was. He walked away, making sure Judy and Martha doesn't see him. He found the room with no problem and stepped inside. It smelled like medicine and sanitizer. It made his nose itch by how clean-smelling the room was. He heard the heart monitor beep on rhythm and the oxygen tank winding. On the bed, Martin laid underneath a thin wool blanket with a plastic mask over his muzzle and an IV sticking into his paw. Nick swallowed by how sickly Martin looked, different from his usual hard self. Martin's eyes slowly fell on Nick, who stared at him, unable to say anything. He sat down on a chair right beside him. Martin blinked slowly and lifted his paw, taking off his mask.

"Hey Flatfoot." He whispered weakly. "'Bout time you got here."

Nick pressed his lips together. "Martin, are you okay?" He asked.

Martin turned his head away, staring up at the ceiling. He let out a long sigh. "I had a stroke."
Nick's eyes widen and curled his paws inward to stop them from shaking. Martin cleared his sore throat before he slowly sat up, leaning heavily against the metal end of the bed.

"I need a smoke."

"Martin." Nick strummed his fingers. "Was it....was it cause by you-!"

"No." He replied sternly. "It wasn't the damn cigarettes." 

"How do you-"

Martin scratched the back of his neck. "They did uh...some tests, some ct scans." He paused for a moment to place the mask over his face, breathing it in before putting it down. "Nick." Nick's ears went up. It was the first time Martin ever said his name. He saw Martin's paws begin to shake and his voice began to strain when he spoke. "They told me I have brain cancer."

Nick felt his breath stop when he stood up in a shock. Martin swallowed when he tapped his fingers against his lap.

"I'm going to die soon, Nick. The doctors say I have about....a year."

"Martin, I'm....sorry." Nick said quietly. "I'm so sorry."

Martin shrugged. "I'm old anyway. I knew that I was going to die, I just didn't realize that it was going to be soon."

"What about surgery? Can't they do something?" Nick asked almost in desperation, but Martin shook his head. Nick fell back on the chair.

"You have to tell Martha."

"No. That's out of the question." Martin said seriously, almost with a quick growl. He faced Nick. "You look me in the eye if you think Martha would handle it. I bet I already know how she is, waiting for me, wondering what the hell is happening to me! Because I can tell you right now if she know what will happen to me, she would never be happy again!" He shouted, Nick saw he was in the verge to tear until Martin took a breath, holding them back. His voice strained and cracked when he looked away from him. "D-damn...damn it."

Nick's ears lowered, he could already feel his eyes begin to water just by seeing Martin struggle and imagining how Martha would go on. Martin wiped his eyes before turning back to Nick.

"Now listen here Flatfoot, I made you my emergency contact for a reason." He said lowly. "Just in case....just in case I was going to die, I needed you to be the first to know and the last. You are going to promise me, right here, right now, with your life! That you would never tell Martha or your mate Judy, not to anyone!"

"Martin, I can't-!"

"Yes you can! Yes you can!" He yelled at him. "Do it for Martha's sake! Or so help me, when I do die! I'll haunt your little sorry self for as long as you live! Get me?"

Nick pressed his lips together and nodded. Not from the threat of Martin's ghost coming to haunt him but for Martha. Martin was right when it came to his wife. They were side by side like glue. For years, they've been together and if she ever finds out, she would never look at him the same. She'll dread every day that goes by.

"Good." Martin huffed. "Now can you please tell those doctors to let my wife in to see me?"

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Nick stood at the corner of the room as Martha held and cried onto Martin. Resting her head on his chest and flowering him with butterfly kisses. Martin stroked her ears down, slowly calming her down as she asked a series of questions.

"What happened?"

"Was it a heart attack?"

"Are you sick?"

Martin didn't say anything. His paw continued to stroke her ears down while he looked down on her. Judy was standing beside Nick, biting her nails. Nick could tell she was a little shaken from what happened to Martin. She pressed her own paw against her own chest when she saw Martha lay her head on his chest, telling him how much he loved him. Nick swallowed and it felt as if he swallowed a stone. Martin scooped Martha's head up, brushing away her tears.

"Martha, Cottontail, you're being hysterical it was just a little stroke, nothing to worry about. Huh? Can you please stop with the crying?" He said gently. She sniffed, rubbing her paw against her left eye.

"Oh Marty, it might have been the cigarettes, you have to quit! It's not good for your health, please!"

"Okay, okay...I'll quit, honey." Martin glanced over to Nick, who held a frown at him. He would never tell her. "I'll quit."