A/N: Would you look at that? A new chapter, and it's significantly sooner than I promised it would be! Is this some sort of miracle? Because if it is it's a rather crappy one...
Hilarious jokes aside, I kind of cheated with this chapter, since I had it ready to go even before I posted chapter 1. So don't get used to this. Enjoy!
Three hours.
That's how long has passed since Nick was told to wait for Judy in the waiting lounge. They arrived to Savannah Central Hospital in less than 15 minutes thanks both the relatively empty streets and the driver of the bus, which drove at incredible speeds without sending the fox and the bunny in the back flying at every curve. Once they come up to the entrance of the hospital a zebra doctor and a gazelle nurse were already been waiting for them, having been called by Nathan on the way there and had promptly put Judy on a wheelchair and started pushing her towards the ER, not needing to prep an entire operating room for only a couple of sutures. Nick was on their tail but once the group reached the doors to the ER, the nurse stopped him and asked him to wait for a nurse to fetch him after Judy got her stitches.
So that's what he did. For three hours. At first he was happy for a little time alone with his thoughts because he needed to get his mind in order. Thinking back to everything that happened today, there were a number of things Nick Wilde would've normally never done, like fight two rams on a speeding train, only to ultimately crash said train and barely be able to jump from it before it exploded, or pretend to go savage in order to fool the mayor and subsequently get a recorded confession of her crimes and nail her as the leader of the operation behind the savage attacks.
What shocked him the most however, was how easy it was to forgive Judy. He had been at the receiving end of prejudice his whole life, but with Judy it was different. He thought she genuinely believed in him and that's why after the bigoted things she said during the press conference he was hurt significantly more than normal. After he lashed out at her Nick spent a couple of days mulling over his hurt feelings, but eventually got over it. He was used to it, all the hate and the prejudice usually bounced off the walls he constructed himself over the years, leaving him perfectly capable to just forget the mammal that insulted him and move on with is life, and that's exactly what he did. He moved on.
Or so he thought. Another thing that was different with Judy was that she came back. No other mammal ever did that, not for him at least. He fought not to fall into the same trap again the second he saw her, the temptation to just give in and follow her strong, and put up a show of indifference, walking away from her. Then she started apologising, pouring her heart for him, and begging for forgiveness. Not demanding it, begging for it. His own heart all but broke at the spectacle and he forgave her without another thought. That's when he realised the he didn't move on, nor did he forget about her. Nick still cared about Judy, now more than ever, and that was not at all normal for him. It scared him how attached to her he felt, and how many dangerous situation he faced head first with her at his side.
His self introspection lasted only an hour however, before boredom and exhaustion caught up with his mind, forcing him to put the train of thought in a box at the back of his brain for later examination. His attention now in the present, Nick did a quick sweep with his eyes around the waiting lounge taking in all the details of the room and the mammal in it that he could. The room was rather large, with accommodations for all sizes of mammal lined up at the walls and in the center of the space. Three doors adorned the walls of the waiting lounge, the entrance from which he came in, the doorway to the ER, and an emergency exit that lead directly outside. All pretty standard for a hospital, if not for the tiles they used. 'Whose idea was it to use purple?'
Nick was the only one in the room, which was both a blessing and a curse, because while he would not be bothered by anyone, he couldn't observe the mammals around him trying to gauge what they were doing or why they were in the same room as him, which was one of his favourite pastimes when there was nothing else to do. With a bleary sigh he slumped back on his chair resigned to wait in silence with nothing to do, cursing himself for having left his cellphone at home today. Every once and again a nurse would come out of the ER, and he would ask if they knew anything of Judy, but never getting lucky.
And now finally after three of the longest hours of his life, a gazelle nurse poked his head out of the door dividing the Emergency Room from the lounge.
"Mister Wilde?" the nursed called, looking around the room.
"That's me!" Nick promptly responded, jumping out the chair and approaching the gazelle, who seemed surprised of seeing him, as if he didn't just call him.
"Uhh, are you here for Ms. Hopps?" the gazelle was still looking him up and down, apparently not convinced that the fox was the mammal he was looking for.
"Sure am!" clarified Nick, smirk and half lidded eyes firmly in place, hiding the annoyance he was feeling. 'What, do you think I would just answer a random name? What would be the purpose?'
With one last look of suspicion, the nurse finally relented, and gestured him inside, "This way then, Miss Hopps is almost ready to go, and has asked of you," with a nod, Nick followed the bull through various corridors and wards, which luckily lacked the purple tiles of the waiting lounge, until they came to a stop in front of a door with the number "626" painted on it. "This is Ms. Hopps' room, the doctor will come shortly with her prescription and the release papers. Wait here until then," without a second glance, the nurse simply turned around and walked away. Nick simply shook his head and turned to the door, knocking to the theme of "The Furminator".
"Yes?"
"Pizza delivery for one Officer Toot Toot!"
"Oh shut up and get in here you dumb fox," with both of them now chuckling, Nick reached up to the handle, pushed the door open and entered the room. It was exactly what Nick expected it to be. White, sterile, and not welcoming. A big window on the right wall was providing natural light for the room, two chairs were on either side of the wolf sized bed that was in the middle of the room, and nothing else. Again not very welcoming, but the todd supposed it was not really the purpose of a hospital to be welcoming. Judy was seated on said bed, legs dangling off the side and a smile on her face. Gone were her clothes, replaced by a hospital gown, and a noticeable gauze dressing on her right shin.
"Glad to see you're still with us Fluff. With all the time they kept you in here, I thought you were a goner!"
"Har har. They just wanted to do a full check-up and make sure I was fine."
"And are you?" Nick tried. He really really tried not to make the question sound as concerned and borderline desperate as it did, but his exhaustion mixed with the genuine worry he felt for the rabbit meant that his ability to act as if nothing got to him was at an all time low.
Judy noticed the abrupt change in his tone. He did that a lot today, his usual crass and abrasive personality, laden with sarcasm and mockery had been scarcely present, at least towards her, replaced by care and concern, like now. It made her hope that their friendship was really mended as easily as that, with a simple heart to heart and a genuine apology. After the gigantic faux pas at the press conference, and the way she ran from the city afterwards she really wouldn't have blamed Nick if he just outright rejected her apology. Judy shook her head both to get rid of the thoughts forming in her mind and for the tone in the conmammal voice.
"I'm fine Nick. The only thing wrong with me right now is my leg, and even that is gonna heal soon, as long as I don't do something stupid like running a marathon while recovering," she explained with a smile.
"Then clearly they didn't run a psychological test while they were at it. Only a crazy mammal would hijack a train full of poison and explosive only to then face a psychotic murderer head on," after releasing a breath of relief, Nick went immediately back to what he did best; Covering his emotions with comedy.
"Says the one that followed said mammal all around town and helped her do everything she did," the rebuttal was immediate, as if Judy was expecting a sarcastic jab to come her way. Nick was positively impressed by her quick reaction, and conceded the point after quickly searching for a counter and coming up short.
"Touchè," the smug smile on the cop's face told Nick that she was taking this win very seriously. He made a mental note to take her down a peg as soon as he could. His ego wouldn't have it otherwise.
"I'm sorry," Nick was so engrossed in thinking of every possible way to show the little bunny he was still the slyest of the two that he almost missed the small apology. His eyes snapped up to look at Judy and found her no longer smiling, instead she was looking at the ground, a chastened look on her minute muzzle and her ears draping her shoulders and back.
"Excuse me?" Nick must have clearly missed a part of their conversation, since there was nothing she would have to apologise for otherwise. When she directed the same penitent look his way he was all the more confused.
"I said I'm sorry, for making you run around town, making you follow me into a criminal hideout, barely survive a train crash only to immediately almost get killed by an insane ewe. None of that would have happened if it wasn't for me," Judy looked to the ground again, too ashamed to look at Nick in the eyes. She almost got him killed two times while working on the Missing Mammals case, only to do the same as soon as she met him again. 'How can I consider myself his friend if every time we're together he risks his life?'
A sigh was heard, and the bunny turned her head towards Nick again and saw him approach the bed she was sitting on. With a jump and a half rotation mid-air the todd was seated at her side, a smirk firmly planted on his muzzle.
"First off Carrots; You couldn't make me do anything even if you tried. I learned from my mistakes, and you won't be blackmailing me any time soon I assure you," a wink and a nudge from the fox was all it took for the first signs of happiness to show on Judy's face again. "Second; If it wasn't for you, all predators out there would still be a target for Bellwether and her degenerate plan," a smile accompanied Nick's words. A genuine smile, not his usual smug smirk. Something rare for the vulpine, but he didn't pay any mind to it. He thought the moment deserved a little honesty, and for once he could show some.
Putting an arm around Judy's shoulder and giving her a half hug, Nick decided to cheer the cop a little, "So chin up rabbit, you just saved the city! I would expect you to literally bounce off the walls right now, not mope about some non-issues!"
Judy felt immense relief in hearing those words. Knowing he wasn't mad at her for the whole ordeal had eased her worry a lot, and the physical contact that bunnies all over the world craved was a definitely welcome addition. Still there was a point in his speech she didn't like, and decided to voice her mind. "I didn't save the city Nick, we did. I couldn't have done it without your help."
Nick shrugged, "Debatable, but not the point. What I'm trying to say is that you have nothing to be sorry about, got it?"
Seeing that furthering her protests would lead her to absolutely nothing, Judy simply relaxed in the embrace and rested her head on Nick's chest sighing, "Got it."
They both stayed in the moment for a while, simply enjoying the peace after the day's adventure and full blown action fitting for a Jack Savage movie. Both at ease with each other and finally relaxing. Until the door opened and the doctor waltzed in without a care in the world.
"Miss Hopps I got yo- Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt," the middle-aged beaver stood few feets from the door and was still going through the papers in his paws when entering, not noticing the occupants on the bed. When he glanced up from the documents he finally saw both fox and rabbit snuggling into each other's arms, and a small smirk crawled on his lips.
Said fox and rabbit were both startled by the doctor's sudden appearance, and after he talked were both acutely aware of what their current position would seem like to a third party. Judy tensed up and panicked, going through a million refusal at once in her mind. Nick teleported away from the bed he was moving so fast. In less than a blink of the eye he went from embracing Judy to standing awkwardly at the end of the bed. When he recounted the story years after, the beaver would swear he saw the after image of the fox still on the bed for a split second.
Nick and Judy started rambling about how "It isn't how it looks like" at the same time, talking over the other and trying to their hardest to come up with excuses for their behaviour. Which was extremely amusing for the doctor, who felt like he was in some kind of cheesy romcom where the lead actors didn't know they were a couple yet.
After a full 30 seconds of half-assed excuses and tripping on their own paws, the beaver decided to put an end to it, and save them from digging their own grave any further, "Okay, okay, I get it. Whatever you guys were doing is none of my business, don't worry. I'm just here to give you your release papers and prescription Miss Hopps, after this you're free to go."
Judy was positive now that death from embarrassment was entirely possible. She was a hair breadth away from it, her ears practically glowing from their redness and her cheeks so hot you could cook an egg on them. Nick wasn't faring any better, but his fur was doing a much better job at hiding his blush. "Thank you Doctor, I'll take those and leave then!" the sentence was followed by a very awkward chuckle and a shaky grin.
Nick internally facepawed, 'Very smooth Carrots.'
'Not like you're doing any better Wilde' his mind offered immediately.
'Shut it!'
"Yes, but first let me run you through what you'll need to do in the next couple of days to look after that leg of yours," the doctor, bless his soul, was not letting the mortifying experience any longer, and Judy couldn't be more thankful for it. "You'll need to take one of these in the morning and one in the evening for three days," he said as he produced a little orange bottle from his coat, to which Judy immediately frowned. She wasn't a fan of pills of any kind. The beaver noticed and immediately explained, "Don't worry, it's nothing too heavy, just a mild painkiller to help with, well, the pain," Judy nodded, a little relieved that she wouldn't be drugged out of her mind while recovering.
"You'll need to change the dressing two times a day as well, and put as little weight on the leg as possible. Any kind of physical activity that would require heavy use of your legs is prohibited for two weeks or more, depending on how fast your injury heals. Don't worry, I already notified Chief Bogo, and he said to take all the time you need to heal back to 100%. Also you'll need to check back to me after you've gone through the medication so that I can see how the cicatrization is coming along. So if you live more than half a mile away from the hospital, I suggest taking a cab rather than public transit."
Judy's ears immediately stood to attention, her face morphing to something akin to discomfort. "Ahh, aaactuallyyy I kind of don't have a house in the city anymore. I moved back with my parents in BunnyBurrow a couple of months ago…," she was still very ashamed of the fact that she ran away from her problems. It was not how Judy Hopps dealt with what life threw her way, she met those hardship head-on and overcame any difficulties! This time instead she simply gave up after seeing how her actions nearly threw the city into a frenzy, the guilt eating her up too powerful to ignore.
"Oh. Well I could send your file to BunnyBurrow's hospital, but the procedure would take a week at least, and we really can't afford to let your injury unchecked for that long. Isn't there a way for you to remain within the city limits?" the beaver frowned when he learned this new development. It could hinder her recovery, and if possible he would like to avoid leaving her leg uncared for.
Nick was actively listening to the entire conversation and was a little shocked to learn that Judy had outright left the city for the months they were apart. He had of course heard about her resignation, it was all over the news, but didn't think she would go as far as going back to her parents. 'She must have took it way harder than I thought…'
"I… I guess I could ask my parents to send me some money and book a room in an hotel nearby…," Judy was trying to remember how much money she had with her when she all but rushed to the city that morning. She knew it wasn't much, but it should cover at least one night until her parents could send her some more. Yeah that sounded reasonable to her.
Too bad Nick had other plans.
"That's nonsense Carrots, you can crash at my place for a while until you find another place here," it sounded like the most logical thing to Nick. Judy needed a place to stay, and he had more than enough room in his apartment to house a bunny for a while. Judging by the bewildered expression on Judy's face, she didn't agree.
"I can't just impose on you like that Nick! First I drag you across the city to help me, then I make you lodge me at your home!"
"Again Fluff, we already established that you can not make me do anything. We're friends, and that's what friends do; Help each other out when there's need to," countered Nick with a serious expression. He was done with all the 'make you' talk. "Besides, I meant it when I said that I wasn't leaving you behind. You're stuck with me Carrots, whether you like it or not," this was said with another smile from the conmammal. He was behaving way out of character today, and he noticed, but was too exhausted right then to really think about it. So he just chalked it off as the result of the emotional roller coaster that he went through.
To say Judy was touched by the comment would be an understatement. She didn't expect Nick to forgive her in the first place, and now here he was, being the best friend she could ask for right when she needed him. She felt the stinging of rising tears in her eyes, and tried her best not to burst crying again, else another comment about rabbits being over emotional would be sent her way. "Oh Nick."
"It's settled then! Good. Now since Miss Hopps is gonna stay in your care, let me show you how to change the dressing on her leg, so that you can assist her would she need it," the doctor didn't waste any time, and immediately went back to business. His shift was almost over, and he very much didn't intend to arrive late at home another time. His wife would kill him for sure this time, and he liked living. Making quick work of the bandages already on Judy's leg, he showed Nick how to properly reapply them, and how not to upset the stitches while doing so.
Right after the beaver finished with his explanation, the door to the room opened again, and in walked a nurse with a blue bag in her hands.
"Miss Hopps, I got your belongings and clothes for you," the soft-spoken cougar said. Her shy tone of voice, paired with her small stature for her species made her look far less threatening than normal, which was probably why they hired in the first place, thought Nick cynically.
Judy nodded and thanked the nurse, before retrieving the bag and looking through its contents. Her clothes were there, like the cougar said, and her phone and wallet were present too. She took her phone out first, and blanched at the notifications displayed on it. 47 missed calls and 113 messages. All from her parents. They must've got wind of what happened in the city, and were probably freaking out right now. Before she could call them or respond to the messages however, the phone sang his last song and died right in her paw.
Judy inwardly cursed, she was not looking forward to the conversation she'll have with her mother and father when she was finally able to contact them. Not at all. She could do nothing about it right now however so she simply let the device fall from her paw to the mattress and took her clothes out of the bag.
"If there isn't anything else you need to tell me doc, I'd like to change and leave," she said with a little resignation in her voice.
"No I've covered everything I needed to, you're free to go Miss Hopps. I'll see you again in three days," with that the doctor nodded and left the room together with the nurse, leaving Nick and Judy alone once again.
"I'll wait for you outside Carrots," Nick made to the door, but stopped when Judy called after him.
"Actually Nick, I kind of need a paw with this. I can't really stand, and I need a paw with my pants," she sheeply admitted, her ears tinting red for the umpteenth time that day.
"Uh, I-I can fetch you a nurse if you want," proposed Nick, not really sure of what he was supposed to do.
"I just want to get out of here as soon as possible, I really don't like hospitals. Could you please help me? I promise it will be quick! Please?"
"Oh, uh, s-sure, no problem. Just tell me what to do?" again, Nick wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do. Was he expected to put her pants on? Surely that wasn't the case.
"Just help me stand and keep me from falling while I put them on."
With a nod, Nick made for the bed and stood in front of Judy with his paws outstretched towards her. Judy blushed again and looked away for a second.
"Can you turn around for a second while I put my shirt on? I don't have anything under this thing," Judy said with much embarrassment in her voice, gesturing towards her torso.
Nick eyes widened exponentially and quickly turned his back on her. He heard the sound of acrylic against fur when she removed the hospital gown and couldn't help the slight blush that creeped up his ears at the thought of her naked form just behind him. 'What the hell is WRONG with me? She's your friend Wilde, stop thinking what you're thinking right now'.
After a couple of seconds, Judy called out to him again. "You can turn again now."
He did so, and was welcomed with the sight of Judy sitting on the bed with her pink checkered shirt and her panties, clearly uncomfortable in her state of undress. His eyes fell immediately to her naked legs and ran all the way to her crotch, where carrot patterned panties were. His mind was back to thinking thing that would make all the respectable mammals of Zootopia blush. 'STOP IT!'
"Nick?" Judy called, after he just stood there, his ears splayed on his head and eyes transfixed.
The fox shook his head and outstretched his paws again, ready to actually help her, and not just stand there being a creep.
Judy gingerly slid down from the bed putting her good leg down first, but as soon as she tried to put some weight on her other leg a bolt of pain shot through it and she tripped forward. If Nick wasn't there to catch her, she would've certainly met the floor face first.
"Sorry…"
"Don't worry Carrots, I got you," Nick had to gather all of his acting skills not to sound as bothered as he really was. The last thing they needed was him making a big deal out of this admittedly awkward situation. He was just helping a friend in need, and that was all there was to it.
With unsteady paws Judy reached down to the floor where she dropped her pants before getting out of bed, bending forward while keeping a firm grasp of Nick's forearm. That's when Nick figured out that the universe was out to get him.
Once again Nick tried. He really really tried not to look. But her tail and butt were on display for him like a lobster on a silver plate. Tantalizing and so fluffy looking, it was taking all of his willpower not to just reach and comb his fingers through that tuft of cotton-like gift from the heavens.
Luckily whatever merciless God was torturing him decided to take pity on him, and Judy swiftly pulled her pants up, and fastened them around her waist.
They both looked at each other at the same time, and each saw the clear discomfort this situation left them in. Judy's ears and eyes fell to the ground, while Nick rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled lightly.
"I knew that Carrots was the right nickname for you," the joke was meant to relieve some of the stress from the bunny's features, but all it managed to accomplish was an even fiercer blush and a swift punch to the arm of the fox.
"Nick!"
Another punch.
"Don't!"
Punch.
"Joke!"
Punch. Punch. Punch.
"About! My! Underwear!"
Nick was now fiercely rubbing his left arm, positive that he would have the mother of all bruises in the morning. "Alright, alright! Gee, Carrots, I didn't know it was such a big deal! I can show you mine if it'll make you feel better?" the smirk on his face was mischievous, he was testing how much he could tease her before she would knock him out.
"HOW WOULD THAT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?!" Judy squeaked, half way between furious and mortified. She should've known that he would joke about it, but hindsight is 20/20, and right now she was to bothered to think of it as just banter.
"Fine, but for your information, there's a lot of mammals out there that would pay to get the same offer I gave to you," and back to the default smugness. Old Nick was back in town it would seem, and Judy wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. At least he finally dropped the subject right after that last remark, "C'mon let's get out of here," said the fox, offering his arm like in the Natural History Museum, and turning them towards the door.
They navigated the corridors of the hospital toward the reception, where Judy turned in her papers and signed her release. The pair turned towards the entrance and saw a sea of journalists and paparazzi waiting for them. Judy sighed and mentally prepared for the onslaught of questions and cameras directly to her face. She had hoped no one would figure out where she was recovered, but was a fool for doing so.
Just as she started to go towards the exit, Nick turned them around and directed them to the E.R. Judy was obviously confused by this, and asked, "Nick, what are you doing?"
"I am way too tired to go through the myriad of questions and flashes waiting for you out that door, and I'm sure that you are too. Sooooo, we're taking a detour," said the todd, crossing the doors to the waiting lounge he spent most of his afternoon in, and turning towards the emergency exit. He carefully opened it, wary of the possibility of the door being connected to an alarm. Once it was open enough for both of them to slip through, they did so and emerged on a side alley on the east side of the building.
Nick and Judy sneaked towards the road, careful as to not alert the press of their presence, and swiftly crossed the roads and started towards Downtown Savannah. Judy was positively impressed by Nick's craftiness, and smiled to him, "Sly Fox."
The "compliment" was met with a shrug and a grin, "Dumb Journalists. If they really wanted to catch you, they should've covered all the exists," Judy snorted and looked back towards the road. It was late in the afternoon, and the streets were bustling with mammals returning to their homes after work, or just enjoying the now cooler temperatures since the sun was setting. The fading orange light of the sun was reflecting upon the many skyscrapers that adorned Savannah Central, and it made the surrounding glow, making the district look like it came out of a fairy tale. She was so engrossed in her reverie that she almost didn't notice Nick coming to a halt, and raising his free paw in the air.
"What are you doing?"
"Hailing a cab, Carrots. More than half a mile, remember?"
"I'm fine Nick, there's no need for that, we can just walk, or take the subway," protested the rabbit. She didn't want to spend money for a cab when there was no need to. She learned pretty soon that cabs in the city were almost a luxury with how much the fare usually cost.
"No can do, Carrots, doctor's orders," as soon as he said that, a medium sized taxi stopped near the curb they were standing on, and he opened the door for her. "After you, Officer Hopps."
Judy sighed and awkwardly hopped onto the seat, her injured legs impairing her dexterity. Nick followed immediately after, and the wolf driving the cab asked, "Where to?"
Nick smirked to Judy and answered, "1955 Cypress Grove Lane, good Sir!"
A/N: I'm not gonna lie, I had some difficulties with this chapter. I tried to keep both Nick and Judy true to the movie, but it feels like both of them are somewhat out of character in this. At the end of it all, I think I managed, but I'm not 100% sure, so sorry in advance. Tell me what you think! As always, criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated! I should also mention that the third chapter is already in the works, but is far from finished, so I can't guarantee it will be out in a week's time.