First of all, I want to apologize to my followers for being gone for so long. I won't make excuses but just know that I haven't stopped writing. I just haven't finished anything worth publishing yet. So I hope you'll enjoy this story while I work on getting more done with the others that I know you want to see. But first, here's a note from the editor. Take it away TOG! This was a bit of an emotional roller coaster to edit, as I was working chapter by chapter, and it's got some poignant moments… but stick with it to the end, it's well worth the read. TOG Stamp of approval, here. (\_(\ (b^,^)b
A/N:
"You know you love me."
It was only a tease. A phrase he used when she was frustrated with him, or managed to get one over on him. Just a game the two played.
"Do I know that?"
It wasn't supposed to be the last thing he heard her say.
"Yes, yes I do."
For nearly a year.
As they started to pull into the street, Judy had to slam on the brakes as a red streak passed in front of them. They shared a knowing glance as Nick flicked his aviators on and hit the button for their lights. Judy punched the gas to give chase.
That's where it all went wrong.
As their vehicle pulled into the street, another speedster popped over the hill, slamming into the driver door. Nick had been looking out his window, keeping an eye on the red car when he suddenly felt the cruiser move beneath him. His seat belt grabbed him and held him mostly in place as the cruiser violently rolled. He wasn't sure how many times they rolled before finally coming to a stop. At some point he hit his head and blacked out, awakening to look out his window, only to see the black-top of the street. Out the front window, the world had rotated 90 degrees. Something warm and wet dripped onto his muzzle. Trying to move his right arm, a sharp pain causes him to stop. He looks down and his arm is malformed, "broken" his brain tells him. He uses his left paw to wipe away the wet substance, pulling his paw back to see something red smeared on it.
His vision begins to blur slightly, he looks around, trying to gain his bearings. Looking up, what should have been his left, he can see Judy's form, hanging limply by her seat belt. Her door smashed into her side, holding her in place.
'Help.' He thinks. 'I need to help her.'
His vision is blurring again, longer this time. Still using his left paw, he reaches towards the radio on their dash. It takes a moment for him to find the mic and bring it towards him. Hoping he's keyed it, he says the only thing he can before blacking out again.
"Help, Judy, hur-"
'Beep… Beep… Beep…'
Nick slowly cracked his eyes open to a room that had the lights turned down low.
'Where am I?'
The smell of sanitizers and the feel of scratchy sheets had him scanning his surroundings more urgently. It didn't take long for him to realize he was in the hospital. But why? Searching his fuzzy mind brought bits of a story back. Red and white flashing lights, a stretcher, a tiger telling paramedics not to worry about him and focus on the rabbit. He was fine with that, but what happened to Judy? He reached for the call button on the side of the bed, only to wince and whine when his arm refused to move. He looked down and found it in a cast. Using his good arm, he pressed the button on the other side and waited for a reply as he feared the worst. After a few moments the door to the room was opened and a hare doe walked in.
Nick used the moment it took the hare to approach his bed and pull a stool out for her to stand on to assess her. She had white fur from ear tip to toe, black wide rimmed glasses that slightly magnified her intelligent, sharp blue eyes.
"Hello, I'm Flo. I'm your nurse tonight."
"What happened to Judy? Is she alright?" Nick quickly asked, stopping the nurse from saying more.
"If you're referring to officer Hopps, I can tell you she's stable, nothing more. Anything else and you'll need to ask someone in the know from the ZPD."
Nick visibly settled after hearing that, though he wasn't clear on why he was being kept in the dark regarding his partner. He could call Clawhauser for the details. The receptionist would certainly be in the know.
"Now, I need to give you a quick examination and ask a few questions." After checking his vitals and pupil reactions, the nurse asked him the usual battery of questions to check his memory and mental state. After passing with flying colors, she told him he suffered a concussion, lacerations to the head and a broken arm in the wreck. Refusing to answer any questions regarding Judy, she also told him it had been nearly two days since they'd arrived.
"The doctor will be by in the morning. I'll also place a call to your precinct to let them know you're awake." She then pulled a plastic bag that appeared to have his uniform inside off a nearby table. "These are the personal belongings you came in with. I suggest you try and get some more rest though, it's just past one in the morning. If you need anything, just hit the call button again."
As soon as the nurse had stepped down from his bedside, Nick opened the bag of belongings. Searching for one thing in particular, he found it just as nurse Flo opened the door.
"Nurse?" He called, causing her to halt in the doorway and look back at him. "I don't suppose you'd have a spare charger would you?" He asked while holding up his cellphone for her to see. She kindly smiled back before answering.
"I'll see what I can find." And then she left, leaving Nick alone once again.
He set his phone down on the moving table next to the bed and checked the rest of the items in the bag. It wasn't much, just his ruined uniform, which had thankfully been washed, and his badge. He carried no other personal items with him while on duty. Pulling the badge out, he placed the bag back on the table. Holding the thin piece of metal, he gazed upon the words imprinted upon it. Trust, Integrity, Bravery. Months ago, no one would have associated those words with him. Now, thanks to a certain grey wrecking ball, they were the core values of his existence. So he held it close, as he once again drifted back to sleep.
The next morning, he woke early to find his phone plugged in and charging. He'd have to remember to thank the nurse for that.
Speaking of.
The door clicking open pulled his attention from the phone to the two female nurses stepping into the room. One, the hare he recognized from last night, the other a caracal cat.
They exchanged quick pleasantries before informing him that Carol, the new nurse, would be taking over his care. Unfortunately, she also had to take her charger with her. By this time Nick's phone had over 83% battery life and thanked her for letting him use it. After the nurses left, he powered his phone on, quickly regretting it. The number of missed calls and notifications were through the roof. He quickly dialed Clawhauser to try and figure out what was going on.
"Nick! Is that you!?" Fortunately, Clawhauser had insisted on exchanging cell numbers on Nick's first day. It was still an hour before the chubby cheetah's shift started.
"Yeah spots it's me." He quipped back.
"Oh thank heavens! I was worried you wouldn't wake up... You kept mumbling about helping Judy every time I came to visit."
That last bit hit the spot.
"That's why I'm calling. The staff here won't tell me anything about her condition other than she's stable. Please, tell me she's alright?" Nick's ears were pinned back, anxious to hear his friend was fine and they'd be back on the beat in no time.
It wasn't meant to be.
"I'm sorry Nick. Last I heard, her vitals were stable but she had a skull fracture and still hasn't woken up yet. The doctors say all we can do now is wait." Nick let out a disappointed breath at the news. Visibly shrinking in on himself.
"Thanks Ben. Will you keep me up to date?"
"Of course bud, but how are you? You've been out of it for two days now."
"I'm ok, head hurts, arm's busted, but I'll live."
"That's good. They'll want to debrief you on what happened. H-have you seen the news?" The question was added almost hesitantly.
"No, I woke up last night and then fell back asleep. I only woke up this morning when the nurse came in. Why?" There was a nervous pause on the other end of the line before Clawhauser spoke again.
"Nick, they're blaming you for the wreck."
After ending the call with Ben, Nick pulled up the news on his phone. Indeed, they were trying to blame him for the wreck and nearly killing Judy. They weren't outright saying it was his fault, but suggesting that it happened because he was there, somehow. Deciding it wasn't helping, he turned the news app off and started digging through his notifications. Most were voicemails from news agencies wanting to interview him. Others came from… associates.
He checked his phone once he finished with everything and found he only had about 40% battery life left and decided to turn it off for now. He was considering paging the nurse to ask for more pain killers to help with his headache when the door opened.
A zebra carrying a food tray stepped in and sat the tray on the rolling table. Promptly turning around and leaving without saying a word. Nick just sighed, pulled the table over the bed and removed the cover on the plate. He'd never been a fan of hospital fair or cafeteria food in general. Everything was soggy and tasted funny. Having not eaten in the last two days definitely overrode any misgivings he may have had, and the food tasted especially good.
Nearly halfway through his meal the door opened again. In walked a horse with light brown fur and a blonde mane, a white mark traveling from between his nostrils up to his forehead. He wore a grey jacket and white shirt. The top button was undone and a purple tie was pulled down low. Around his neck hung a lanyard carrying a shield.
"Officer Wild?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Detective Oates from Internal Affairs. I'm here to debrief you on the accident you and Officer Hopps were in." At the mention of IA, red flags were going up in Nick's head. He discreetly turned his phone back on and stalled till it loaded up.
"Oates? Say... aren't you the horse that worked with Hopps on that real estate case a while back?" Oates visibly perked up at that.
"Yeah, that was me. Worked that case from start to finish. Hopps was a good help and an eager learner, but you just can't match experience in some cases." Nick knew most of what Oates was saying was horse dung. Judy had told him that she was excited to work with an experienced detective at first. Only to get frustrated when she was doing all the work and learned that Oates only rode the coattails of his partners to get where he was. But it was enough of a distraction to get his phone booted up and start the voice recorder.
"So detective, do I need a union rep for this interview?"
"Oh no, of course not. I just need to know your side of what happened."
Nick told him everything. From the briefing in the bullpen to waking up that morning. Even mentioning as much of the conversation as he could remember. He left nothing out.
"Well, I think that'll do it Officer Wilde. I'll just head on back to the precinct and get this statement added to the official report." After he left, Nick stopped the recording and checked the time. It was only 9 o'clock and he still had no idea how long he would be here for. His headache from earlier was only getting worse.
Pressing the button for the nurse, he waited for someone to come in. After a while the caracal nurse from earlier came in with a whitetail deer doe in a white coat.
"Officer Wilde, I'm Doctor Tine. I've been your primary doctor since you've arrived. How are you feeling?"
"I have a massive headache and I'm a bit sore." Nick replied, the doctor asked the caracal to fetch some acetaminophen. She then proceeded to conduct a routine examination.
"Well, you're still suffering from a concussion but otherwise you should be fine. We're going to go ahead and release you to go home. I've already informed to your chief and you'll be on medical leave for a couple of weeks, and then light duty. You'll need to refrain from any physically demanding work. It's all bed rest for you. After that you'll be on light duty for a week so you can regain your strength enough to go back to active duty."
"Thanks doc." Shortly after the doctor left the nurse came back with a cup of water and two fox sized pills.
A couple of hours later and he was being wheeled out of the hospital. After waiting for the aid to disappear inside the sliding doors, he pulled his phone from his pocket, called Clawhauser to find where Judy was currently being treated. Glad she was in the same hospital he was, but in the Intensive Care Unit. He turned the phone back off to save the battery and made his way back inside the hospital towards the wing she was currently in.
Upon arrival it was easy to confirm she was here. Dozens of bunnies took up the entire space of the ICU waiting area. He glanced around and found a pair of bunnies he recognized from pictures Judy had shown him. A chunky buck with brown fur and eyes, green 'carrot' hat and overalls. Beside him sat a gray doe with eyes almost the same shade as Judy's in a pink plaid shirt and a denim skirt. The moment he walked in, several ears turned towards him followed eventually by eyes. The low murmur of voices trying to keep quiet in a public area quickly went silent as he made his way towards Judy's parents.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hopps?"
"Yes?" The matronly doe answered.
Nick opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and swallowed before licking his suddenly dry lips. How would they greet him? Did they believe what the media told them about the wreck being his fault? Would they blame him for Judy's condition? Suddenly, Judy's mother stood and approached him.
"You're Nick, Judy's partner." It wasn't a question but a realization. Nick took a step back.
"I'm sorry." Nick took a step back. "I shouldn't have…" He stopped when he felt Bonnie pull him into a hug. Pulling him down so she could wrap her arms around his neck.
"It's not your fault." She whispered into his ear. It was all it took for the dam to break. He fell to his knees and silently wept in her arms. After a moment he pulled himself together, she released him and pulled him over to sit by them. They talked for a few minutes, updating Nick on Judy's condition and insisting her call her Bonnie instead of Mrs. Hopps. He was Judy's close friend after all. The whole left side of her body had been broken or bruised. The worse being the head trauma, the culprit of her current condition. When the next visitor was allowed back, Judy's parents insisted Nick go to see her.
Seeing his partner laying on the bed like this was nearly more than he could stand. The poor rabbit's broken body lay wrapped in bandages and casts. Tubes and wires all over her body. He took a steadying breath before stepping next to her bed. Hesitantly, he reached out and held her unbandaged paw.
"Hey, Carrots. I uh, I don't know what to say, really." Pausing to swallow his wrecked nerves, he gently brushed his thumb across her knuckles. "I know things seem really tough right now. But you gotta hang in there, y'know? I can't make the world a better place without my partner out there." He stood there for a couple of minutes. Hoping to hear her voice suddenly break through the beeping and whirring of the room. "Well, I'll be sure to hold down the fort till you get back. I'll see you soon carrots." After a few moments of standing in silence, he did one of the few rash things he'd ever done in his life. He leaned over her bedside and gently placed his lips to her swollen cheek. Pulling back with tears in his eyes, he croaked out his final words before leaving.
"You know I love you, right?"
The only reply was the beeping of the machines.
Things happened quickly after leaving the hospital. The next day Nick was contacted by Chief Bogo about his interview with IA.
Detective Oates had butchered his interview with Nick to throw the vulpine under the bus, painting him as a sexual predator and accusing him of distracting Hopps while she was driving. The report was released to the press before it ever made it to Bogo's desk. When Nick finally did show, it was with his Union rep. Nick shared his recording with Bogo and was ordered to stay home until everything was resolved. He spent his time visiting Judy and her family at the hospital.
The day after his ordeal started, the security guard tried to stop him from entering- having recognized him from the news cover which painted him in a monstrous light, only to be chastised by Bonnie.
It still surprised Nick how kind the Hopps' were being to him. After nearly a week, Nick was called back into Bogo's office. Standing in front of the large door had Nick nervous. His union rep hadn't said much over the past week other than 'things are going in your favor'. With a deep breath he raised his paw and knocked on the door.
"Enter" came the deep, gruff voice. Nick looked up to the door knob and then back down to the arm still in the cast.
"Uh, Chief? Little help?" After hearing a groan and then a chair rolling across the floor, the sound of heavy hooves walking across the floor approached before the door was opened.
"Come in Wilde." Nick complied, with this being his second visit to the Chief's office since swearing in, he couldn't help the nervous feeling. Especially considering the allegations against him.
He felt better when the Chief politely offered to assist him up into the oversized chair.
"I'm guessing you already know why I called you in." Bogo said after taking his own chair.
"My interview with Detective Oates." He supplied.
"Former Detective." Bogo pointed out, which got Nick to raise his ears. "Thanks to your recording, we were able to prove Oates was out with an agenda, he was paid by someone in the media to paint you as the reason the accident occured and then 'leak' it to the press."
Nick took a moment to digest this new information. It certainly caused him to release a sigh of relief. Relief that only lasted a second.
"However," Bogo started, "city hall is in an uproar over the whole situation. Like most bureaucrats, they want the situation swept under the rug. Tomorrow I'm holding a press conference to release the details of the investigation, clearing your name. Unfortunately, it means we have to put you in the shadows for a while."
"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked, hiding his worry, forcing himself to sound more curious than anything else.
"You're being reassigned to the rainforest district. There's another fox coming through the academy and has requested that district. You'll be on medical leave for another month and then meet your new partner at the district precinct. Do you have any questions?"
"How long?" This was not what Nick had planned. He'd wanted to wait for Judy at Precinct one, where she no doubt would be reassigned once she woke up. This put that plan in jeopardy, in his mind.
"Until all this blows over, or if Hopps wakes-"
"You mean when." Nick interrupted.
Bogo looked at him for a moment as he studied the fox's features. Nick felt as though his soul had been clawed out and placed on display under the chief's gaze. For so long he'd lived by the mantra of 'never let them see they get to you' and all that had been torn away by the thought of losing the one mammal he truly considered a friend, an undeniable, honest, friend. Bogo must have seen the desperation on his face as he released a sigh and answered in a voice Nick didn't find entirely honest.
"Of course, when Hopps returns. Now, the transfer has been submitted so I suggest you prepare yourself for the change of scenery."
Change of scenery was an understatement. It wasn't like he'd never been to the Rainforest district before. After all, he and Judy encountered Manchas here. It was more the atmosphere than anything. In Precinct One, the officers all carried themselves with a sense of pride and purpose. It gave those entering the building a sense of professionalism and duty. Precinct Four, however, was more laid back. If it weren't for the stares he received when he first reported in, he might have thought he was at a type of social club for cops. After the initial shock of finding out a fox really was on the police force, his coworkers were more welcoming. Especially after the press conference Chief Bogo held clearing his name.
Nick spent the month on medical leave visiting Judy as often as possible. Taking turns with her mother and father, sitting and talking with her.
"So apparently, another fox joined the force. Haven't met 'em yet. I hope they're as fun to talk to as you are. Even now, you're just patiently listening to me ramble on."
'Beep... Beep... Beep...'
"Yeah, you're right. I should probably keep the jokes to a minimum. At the start at least."
'Beep... Beep... Beep…'
"I hope we don't get put on parking duty. I know the rainforest district is mostly domestic. I'll probably get stuck trying to settle disputes and stuff. Good thing there aren't a lot of megafauna in that area."
'Beep... Beep... Beep…'
"I'm sure your mom already told you, but, they're having you transferred back home so they can keep an eye on you." the fox chuckles. "I told them you were probably screaming inside your head."
'Beep... Beep... Beep…'
He reaches out and takes her paw in his.
"I don't know if I'll get to visit you while you're at home... I'll be sure to stay in touch with your parents. Tell them to keep you updated on all the trouble I manage to get into."
'Beep... Beep... Beep...'
"I'm going to miss you Judy." His thumb brushing along the back of her unbroken paw.
Rainforest District, Zootopia: 10 months later
A ZPD patrol car sits just within the treeline overlooking a freeway that cut through the district. The one-way tinted windows hiding the officers inside from any who may want to eavesdrop on their conversation. While inside…
"BAH HAHAHAHAHA!" Joe watched as the red fox next to him broke down into near hysterical laughter, he himself laughing at a much calmer level. By the time Nick finally calmed down the two were breathing heavily to catch their breath.
"Please tell me she didn't actually do that." Nick said after finally catching his breath. His partner, a gray fox name Joseph Sapeur, or Joe as he prefered, nodded in response with the kind of smile one used for fond memories.
"Yeah, had to carry her out of the bar, put her back in the limo, rode home and then carried her back into her house." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, that cat's going to be the death of me."
Nick let out a snort at the comment. Joe was only a year younger than he was. When the two had first met it seemed they wouldn't be able to get along very well. After two weeks of arguing, the precinct captain, a stag named Cornell Buckson, suggested the two settle their differences inside a ring. They went fifteen rounds, with Joe winning nine and Nick winning six. It was then that Nick learned Joe had spent twelve years in the military and was an expert in paw-to-paw combat. Nick's street smarts were the only thing that helped him to win the few matches he had.
"Yeah, maybe Judy and I can go with you sometime. I know she likes karaoke." With that the red fox took on a distant gaze and a sad smile he always adopted when speaking of his old rabbit partner. A pattern the gray fox picked up on. He also picked up on the not so platonic affection he seemed to have for her.
"Any updates?" Joe asked, generating a long silence.
"Not for a couple of months." It had been at least three since anyone from the Hopps' farm had responded to his messages asking how Judy was fairing. Despite wanting to ask everyday, he did his best to stick to asking only once a week. Those messages had always been answered with the same thing. 'No noticeable change.'
"You finally get leave in a couple of weeks right?" A nod in response.
"Why don't you take a couple of days and go visit? I'm sure she'd like that."
Nick didn't need Joe's suggestion to know that. He would have already gone out to Bunny Burrow to visit but an officer's first year in the rainforest district was a hard one. Six day weeks with no leave until a mandatory first year on the job had been completed. Buckson said it was to toughen up the fresh meat. Nick explained it all to Bonnie when moving Judy had been approved. Her words were to come as soon as he could. It didn't help he had to wait until his leave showed as available before he was allowed to submit a request of absence form. Then it had to be approved. The likelihood of getting the requested dates were slim, but better than never.
"Time to head in." Was Nick's only reply. "Dispatch Rome 10-42."
"Rome dispatch copy."
The drive back to the precinct was quiet as the two foxes kept to themselves. After changing the two went their separate ways. Joe would go home to his tree house where the bobcat he'd married was waiting with their adopted chinchilla daughter and month old litter of three... pups…? Kittens…? Kups…? Whatever the hybrids could be called. It was Tuesday, the last day of Nick's six day rotation. After getting off work he'd travel to the Pangolin Heights where he'd maintained Judy's lease. He didn't live there, he had no idea how Judy had maintained her sanity in the place. But the rent was cheap and it wasn't a burden on his established legal finances to keep it open for when she returned. The armadillo that ran the place simply told him not to lose the key. Bonnie told him it was a sweet gesture but would have prefered if he'd let it go. They had gone together one day to retrieve Judy's items that they would need for her back home. Mostly clothes and personal items such as the many stuffed bunnies on her bed. The first time Nick came to clean the room and keep the dust and cobwebs away, he stumbled on something in the pile of bunnies that had been left. A stuffed fox with green buttons for eyes. It was the thought of seeing that little stuffed fox again that had him smiling as he walked up the steps to the building.
He came to her apartment door and used the spare key that she'd given him after graduating the academy for emergencies. The pink welcome mat with welcome spelled out in carrots making his grin grow while at the same time shake his head. The lock clicked open and he stepped into the small room. What he found made his heart feel like it had stopped.
"Hey, Slick."
A/N:
I want to thank you the reader for taking the time to read this little side story. And my followers for hanging around. Big thanks to TOGdoesStuff for taking the time to edit and make suggestions. Lastly I'd like to thank Mister_Smail, AngelaMay234 and captainKelrin for letting me borrow their OC's Flo the hare nurse, Orchid the Chinchilla and Kristy the bobcat respectively. They all have stories of their own and I highly recommend checking them out.