(AN: As you all may/may not know, my last story ran out of initiative. I will try to finish it eventually, but until then, here is another story! This one isn't based on someone else's work, unlike last time. *cough* The Thin Blue Line *cough* this story is something I came up with one night, and it nagged me until I sat down, said fuck it, and started typing this. Here we go!)
When You're Gone
While Nick was your average cop, he wasn't your average fox. For one, he is a cop, hence breaking the 'shifty fox' ideology. Two, he is one of the first predators to break the boundary between interspecies relationships. And lastly, he is being shot at by Mr. Big's polar bears.
Whoa… started off too soon? Ok, let's go back a few days.
Ever since Nick joined the ZPD, he faced challenges. Being small, he was not too keen on taking big animals down. His academics were never too good to begin with, as he dropped out of school early. Also, Judy always pushed him to improve, and it didn't always help him physically. However, he improved over time.
"You ready, Nick?" Judy would say, right before turning on the timer and he would run the track they made in the basement of their new home. It would take 4 or five minutes to complete, but it would never be good enough. Judy wouldn't mind all that much, but it showed she wanted him to do better. And boy, did Nick try to improve. Once Judy saw the improvements she wanted, she stopped trying to push Nick to his limits. They could finally focus on work.
On this day, they were stationed to the Rainforest District. They were tipped off that a local corner store may be robbed, so they were sitting outside said store, waiting for something to occur. Nick was munching on some blueberries, while Judy just looked at her phone. "Carrots, you're supposed to watch the store." Nick piped up. His remarks would go almost unnoticed, except for the occasional glare. "Do you see anything happening? No? That's what I thought." Would be her repeat reply.
On average, some suspicious mammal would walk into the store, but would prove innocent, Until...
"Hopps! Wilde! Come in!" Judy was the one to answer. "We read dispatch, what's going on?" Dispatch sent out a disturbing reply. The cashier of the store they were watching hit the silent alarm, right before being shot and killed by the robbers, a group of three wolves. Judy and Nick were not prepared to hear that, but they were ready to go in. They exited their car and went to the trunk. This is where they kept their tranquilizer guns.
Once both officers got their tranqs ready, they went into the store. The thing about tranquilizers is, once you shoot the dart, you reload. It's a single shot pistol. In the line of duty, this can be problematic. Like now. Once the duo entered the shop, they tranqed the first 2 robbers they could see. However, there was another in the back, rounding up all the employees for a quick 'no witnesses' killing. Neither cop could reload in time, and ended up under fire.
"This is Officer Hopps, under heavy fire by one of the suspects! Send backup no- AH!" Judy screamed as a random bullet hit her in the side, going through and through. " NO! JUDY!" was all Nick said before watching his partner fall to the floor. Although not life threatening, that bullet did disable her, and the gunman knew it, moving closer. Nick, in his panicked state, started throwing anything he could- boxes of ramen, containers of syrup, and those $1 toys that break if you so much as breathe on then- at their attacker. Judy was in too much pain to help, as she was sure one of her kidneys was part of the blood splat on the counter.
The gunman did have to reload eventually, and that's when Nick struck. He snuck around the aisles and got beside the gunman, and jumped. The robber caught on, but not before Nick's foot hit him square in the muzzle. He was out like a light. Once securing the suspect, Nick went to Judy's aid. "Judy, Judy listen to me. I'm going to wrap my shirt on your side to stop the bleeding, ok?" All she could do was nod in approval, since it pained her to do damn near anything. Nick then proceeded to go shirtless, and Judy could only sit back and watch as he pretty much just squeezed her side with his sweaty, dirty shirt.
One can assume she just got dragged from the pits of hell with the screaming reply she gave. "OH MY GOD NICK AH! STOP!" Sadly, she had to endure until a medic arrived, which he called for once shots started ringing out. He heard the sirens of ambulance and police alike coming down the road. Judy passed out before they arrived, but not from blood loss, just pain. When the medics arrived, they put her on a stretcher, and it took all of Nick's will power to not go with her. He would if he could, honestly, but he has a job to do, so he took the suspect to the medics to be examined.
Although the first two were tranqed, they were all on some sort of drug. The kind they make illegal for the way you react to them. The tranq was reacting badly with it, and they needed to be hospitalized almost more than Judy did. The other just had a broken snout, no biggie. Nick got eye witness accounts from anyone that saw inside the store. The only fatality currently was the cashier, who was pronounced dead on scene, shot in the chest and bled out.
Once done at the scene, Nick requested to go visit Judy. The officer in charge of the scene let Nick go, on one condition. "What's that, boss?" was all Nick could say before a bunch of flowers were shoved in his face. "We all know you have feels for her, Wilde. Show it for once, she might need it after… this." Was the response from his superior. Nick did as he was told. Once he got to the hospital, in his bloodied police pants and an undershirt, he requested to see Judy.
He got his wish soon enough, but the nurses on station wanted to know where he was bleeding. "What do you…" He tried to say, but one quick turn around showed a rather decent size trail of blood drops, following him wherever he went. Suddenly, since the adrenaline wore off, he fell to his knees. The nurses helped him into a bed and assessed him. A stray bullet grazed his leg, but since he was worried about Judy, he never felt it. The blood loss and shock eventually took in, and he felt woozy. "Please… fix that… will ya Meg?" he slurred in his dazed state. Before the nurses could ask who Meg was, he passed out.
After probably the most comfortable sleep of his life, Nick woke up. Or at least, he though he did. He passed out in a hospital, but this is no hospital. He was now in some field, probably outside of town. A hooded figure walked on all fours to him, and in his mouth was a book, of all things. "Who are you?" Nick tried to say, but all he did was exhale. 'So, talking is out of the questing' he thought. 'Well, I guess I'll see what this mammal has to offer me.' Once the cloaked figure stalked up to him, it dropped the book in his lap, and nudged Nick. 'OK… it wants me to read. Can do.' Nick picked up the book and read. What he read shocked him.
He was reading his life story, each page being one year of his life. Since he was still rather young, we wondered why he was reading his life. Then it hit him. 'If I was unconscious when they fixed my leg (or did they mess up and kill me?) I guess I can't see my life, so I have to read it?' The animal in front of him nodded in approval to Nick's thoughts.
'Wait, I'm dead? No way can I be dead! What the hell happened?!' as if on cue, the animal thing took the book, and telepathically responded to Nick, 'you are not dead, my young one. But, being unconscious like this, you can't SEE your life flash, so you get to read.' Nick was utterly confused, and as if to add more to the pile, it said 'Now go. Go back to her, and give here the Piece.' And with that, Nick awoke.
He didn't awake with a gentle 'rise and shine' kinda wake up, no; he jumped up out of his bed and gasped. The nurse in the room immediately rushed to his side to make sure he didn't rip any IV lines. "What happened?!" Nick yelled to the nurse. "Mr. Wilde, calm down. You just went through a procedure to put stitches in your leg. This kind of activity can rip them, lay down." He did as he was told. Nick had a bunch of questions: who was that animal? Where was I? What it the Piece? In time, he would know, but for now, he just had one thing in mind, WHERE IS JUDY?! "Judy! Officer Hopps! Where is she?" Nick frantically screamed.
"Sir, she is fine and in recovery right now. You may see her once you are feeling better. For now, please rest before I have to sedate you." She told him, while reaching behind her to grab a needle. "No no, I'll be fine, no need for more drugs. I'll rest." Nick, feeling rather drained, just let sleep take over and he once again went back to sleep.
Once he was feeling better, they let him see Judy. She wasn't in the best state, but she wasn't in critical condition anymore. After a successful kidney transplant from a donor, she is in ship shape, just still groggy from all the drugs in her to promote the new kidney to work. She could hold a conversation, but it was like talking to someone on drugs. Nick took advantage of her funny state.
"So Carrots, can you please repeat after me?" Nick said once his phone camera was on. "shurrr" Was all Judy said before laughing at how stupid she sounded. "ok, say it with me: Blueberries are the best." Judy couldn't have slurred her reply any more than she did, "Bluhbrrees arrhh dah behst" Her genuine laughter showed she was having fun, knowing full well drugs were doing this to her. Eventually, she fell asleep, and Nick knew her drugged state would be over when she woke up.
All Nick needed to know now was who that animal in the field was, and what piece does he need to give Judy. As if on autopilot, his hand shot to his uniform. Being in a hospital gown, nick doesn't have pockets. However, his uniform does, and after a good cleaning, all traces of blood were removed from it. After a quick check of the pockets, he found something: a plastic sleeve tucked into one of his shirt pockets. After opening it, nick suddenly realized what the Piece was.
The Piece that the animal, which Nick now considers to be God (don't ask, he wont tell anyways), was talking about was the engagement ring Nick bought for Judy a while back, but he never got to giving it to her. He meant to propose the day of the robbery, and now he has to wait until she heals for a proper ceremony. Once Nick gets the opportunity, he will tell Judy the words he has been hiding from her for the past year or so: "Will you marry me?"
(AN: Well, how's this for a new story? Over time, it will be clear what Mr. Big wants with Nick, when Nick will propose, and where this is going for now. This would've been longer, but it's currently 3 AM as I write these author's notes. Please leave feedback, and any criticism is welcome; it's what helps me improve. Stay floppy!)