Hello Readers,
Another quick bonus chapter for "A Weasel's Watch." For reference this takes place the morning of Chpt. 19 "Officer Down Part Three." In "A Moment to Breathe" I mention how Nick remembers Judy saying I love you easily, but in my head I saw it more of a take two sitation. I've had some of those pain killers and I can tell you, I've had plenty of conversations where I was speaking and don't remember squat. That's what helped inspire this. Hope you enjoy and criticism always welcome!
-CG
"Ok, how am I going to do this?" Judy asked as she paced back and forth. The morning light spilled through the windows, illuminating the room at Sahara Square Regional Hospital. The Rabbit was pacing at the end of the bed while the injured mammal on the bed continued to sleep. The doe had awoken with the sun and found herself cuddling into the black paw of the vulpine in the bed. When the shock of being in an unfamiliar place wore off the lapine, Judy started to remember the events of the past two days. Investigating "Gecko," staking out a jewelry store, Nick pushing her out of the way of the shooter's aim, and her eventual arrival and refusal to leave her partner's side.
After Nick was shot, the doe was a mess. She had done her best to hide how bad she actually was, but eventually the dam had burst. When it finally did, the proud officer had turned into a puddle of tears. Any other officer who may have seen her in such a state may have not have intervened or possibly even chalked it up to the emotional fragility of Rabbits, but thankfully Reggie had not been one of those officers. Instead the Weasel had done his best to comfort Judy in her time of need and she would always be grateful to the rookie. When he had opened up to her about his own experiences, about Crystal and the guilt he carried, it had shown the mustela in a different light to the lapine. His own emotional outburst at the conclusion of the story spoke to how rarely, if at all Reggie had told the story. She had been given the responsibility of keeping his secret and she would not let him down.
"Do I just blurt it out? Or do I play coy about it?...Maybe a little flirty? Oh crackers this is ridiculous!" Judy pulled her ears down over her eyes. She had spent most of her life training to become a Police officer, went through the brutal six months of the Academy, solved and stopped two government conspiracies, and even convinced a well seasoned con-mammal to give up his ways and become her partner. Still telling said partner how much he meant to her seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. She was even willing to go to Mystic Oasis Spring instead of having this conversation. At the thought of the naturalist club, the image of Nangi naked swirled through her mind.
"Gah!", exclaimed Judy, "why did I think of that!?" Her ears stood straight up and she rubbed her eyes furiously to try and remove the image. She needed to think of something else and fast. What was she having for lunch? Naked Nangi. Would Chief Bogo want her report right away or would she be able to hand it in later? Naked Nangi. Did she need to take time off to take care of Nick? Naked Nangi. Uh...Oh! Nick at the beach!. Memories of her and Nick taking a day trip to the Canal District to enjoy the surf and sand came flooding back. Everything about that day had been perfect, and the tod had only worn a pair of white swim trunks for most of the day. The image of him sleeping underneath their umbrella shirtless had taken over the doe's dreams for weeks afterwards.
"Right," Judy started, paws going to hips as she stood with authority, though a warm feeling in her cheeks told her she was blushing, "I'm going to do it! I'm going to tell...Nick..." The Rabbit trailed off as her gaze fell on the bed of the injured Fox. The only other sound in the room was the constant beeping of the heart monitor. The noise a reminder that Nick was still alive, but also of how serious the situation was. The officer's ears lowered slightly with each successive beep until they were pressed flat against her head. What was she doing? Was she really willing to risk the most important relationship she had simply to selfishly tell Nick her feelings? The idea that he didn't love her as much as she loved him was a certainty to the doe. To her the most realistically positive outcome was her telling Nick and him still wanting to be her best friend. She would take that in a heartbeat just so she could still be around her partner. A very small part expressed the hope that he would return her feelings. Judy tried her best to squash this hope, in order to lessen the blow that would come with rejection. The worst outcome she could imagine would be Nick becoming so disgusted that he threw her out of the room and never spoke to her again. Judy pinched her brow as she pushed down her rising emotions. The doe would do anything and everything to avoid losing Nick again. She lost him after the press conference, but she wouldn't lose him again!
"That almost happened though..."
Reggie's words rung in Judy's ears as if he had just spoken them.
"It could have ended without you saying it...Without you knowing his answer..."
The doe could stop a small whimper from escaping her as her paw covered her mouth and her eyes began to water. That's why she was pushing to talk to Nick. To tell the cynical vulpine that even though he teased her, and drove her crazy at times, that Judith Laverne Hopps him and that he would be the only one for her. She sniffed and wiped the tears away with the back of her paw. "Us bunnies...so emotional," the officer muttered to herself with a small smile. Judy breathed deeply and gained control of her emotions once more. When the Rabbit set her mind to a problem, she would solve it, it was never an if but a when. This dilemma was no different, but with the same confidence and resolve that drove her to make the world a better place, she would beat this challenge as well.
Judy strode back to the seat that had been her makeshift bed the night before and gracefully hopped into place. She once again continued her watch over her Fox, rubbing his paw as she hummed to herself. The nurse had told her that Nick would be waking up sometime today, and she just needed to be patient. Her patience was rewarded for not too long after she made herself comfortable did she feel a slight twitch in Nick's paw. It was small and could have been a muscle spasm, if said paw didn't then slowly ball the sheets up underneath it. Judy's breath caught in her chest, "Nick?"
The Fox in question shifted in the bed, tossing left and right gently. His mouth opened in a large yawn as a low whine. Ears only slightly up, the vulpine smacked his lips together loudly before slowly opening his eyes. Dulled emerald green eyes stared blankly ahead of the Fox before closing to another smaller yawn.
Just like that, all the worry the doe had for Nick's condition evaporated. All that mattered at the moment was that he was awake and alive. "I'm so glad your awake," Judy began, beaming at the sleepy Fox, "there's something I need to tell you." The dull gaze of Nick moved slowly to look at the Rabbit. "Nick, I...I...I love you!" The Rabbit finally exclaimed, her smile growing as she spoke. "I love you and only you. I love how charming and handsome you are. I love how you seem to know everything about the city, and how I always learn something new from you." The emotions that she had kept hidden were starting to spill out. "I love how you always have a response ready to whatever anybody says. I love how you can build someone up or tear them down at the same time. I love how careful you are with kits and how you're so patient with them. I love that you love old movies and can quote them line for line." Tears were freely flowing down Judy's cheek, but the Rabbit didn't care, the dam was broken and she needed to let it all out. "I love all those little nicknames you have for me. I love that when it's cold, you wrap your tail around me. I love it when our paws accidently touch or when you rub against me when your passing by. An-and I know th-that you don't fe-feel the same," Judy started to stutter, getting to the hardest part of her impromptu speech, "but I...I just want you to know, that no matter what happens. No matter how you feel. I'll always love you."
The Rabbit once more wiped tears away from her eyes, trying to clear her vision, and her smile had lessened since she started. Still Judy felt free. She no longer had to hide her emotions now that everything was out in the open. If Nick asked her too, she would pull back, but she would never deny. After taking several calming breaths, the doe focused her attention back on her Fox. Whatever she had expected, echoing silence from the quick witted tod was not it.
Nick's eyes were still glazed but his mouth hung slightly open now. The Fox blinked several times, and brought his left paw up to rub his muzzle. A audible groan left the vulpine as he removed his paw and blinked once more. His ears perked up, slowly rising with each blink. He tilted his head in confusion as some sparks of life flickered in his gaze, "Carrots...what happened?"
Judy sighed heavily and then chuckled dryly. Of course he would still be drowsy, the nurses had filled him full of pain relievers. One of them had even told her as much, but of being the over eager bunny that the doe was, it hasn't crossed her mind to wait. She smiled softly and grabbed the tod's paw, "It's going to be ok Nick. That's all you need to know right now." The vulpine frowned slightly and the Rabbit could see the cogs in her partner's mind starting to turn. She in return bent down and kissed the back of his paw. "Get some rest slick, you need it." If there was any protest from the Fox, it was silenced by another large yawn from the vulpine. Instead Nick unsteadily grabbed one of Judy's paws. "You'll stay...right?" He asked as his eyes started to droop and his fight to stay awake became a losing battle. Judy smiled, and laid her head on his paw. Feeling his fur against her cheek had the doe instinctively nuzzling into the paw. She looked towards the once again sleeping Fox, a low snore emanating from his muzzle. Judy smiled once more as she closed to her own, "Always."