Chapter 2: A Broken Past, A Mended Present
The aged vixen gently rocked the baby in the crease of her arm as she fed her the bottle. She smiled contently at her granddaughter as she sucked. Clementine was very happy for her son having found the love of his life, and even better getting to have a family with her. She was different then Judy's parents. While Bonnie and Stu were happy for Judy having a boyfriend, their nature made them skeptical of her having a fox for a mate. However, Clementine was very accepting of interracial and same-sex couples. She was happy for them having each other, but she admitted she was even happier having grandchildren. Especially a granddaughter.
The six of them made their way into the Woolmart, Judy and Clementine both having their lists. Clementine laid Johanna in her seat and Judy buckled her up with a kiss on her tiny forehead. Judy glanced down at their list while Nick pushed the buggy. Food, diapers, toiletries, and some props and candies for the upcoming Sunday. After all...
Sunday was Easter.
The biggest holiday in the Tri-Burrows, even bigger than Christmas. It would be the babies' first time to their grandparents' house, as well as the first time meeting their many uncles, aunts, and cousins.
Nick elevated the bottle to keep the milk flowing into Alex's mouth and pushed the buggy at the same time. He glanced at the shelves and took down one item after another that he needed. Judy tapped Nick's paw, gaining his attention. He looked down at his wife.
"I'm going to get a couple of things from the produce section." She said, smiling.
Nick smiled back. "Okay, hun."
Judy walked off the opposite way. She dragged her paw across his before finally letting go and heading to the produce section. That's when Nick noticed her mom looking at something she had pulled from her purse. It was photo.
Her face was stoic. He knew what she was looking at without having to see it. He walked up behind her, pulling the cart with him. The fox looked over his mother's shoulder. It was an old picture of her eldest son, James.
Nick sighed. He had no words he could say to comfort her. That's when she spoke up. "I know what you're thinking, Nick. I know he's gone. As a mother, I am sad, of course. I'm absolutely devastated. But the fox that did all of this. To you, to Judy, to all of Zootopia... that was not my son. That was an animal."
Nick sighed. He responded by putting his paw on her shoulder. "I know."
Clementine lifted her paw and placed it on his. "I'm just glad you did not end up the same way." She smiled.
The two shared a hug. It was only a couple of seconds, but the embrace lasted for what could very well be hours. There is no love stronger than a parent and their child. Nothing can come between it, and nothing can destroy it. But it can be disturbed. And it was at that moment when Nick's nose caught a whiff of one of his babies. He went up to the carrier, stuck his head under the cover, and sniffed from left to right. His nose caught the epicenter. It was Alex. Nick smiled.
He picked up his kit from the stroller with one paw, grabbed the buggy with the other, and looked at his mom with a grin and a shrug. "Duty calls."
Nick never really thought much about what his mom probably went through. But now that he was a parent too, it nagged him daily. He would ask himself, 'how did she do this?' every now and then.
She was a stone. She was caring and loving, she was protective and strong. At least on the outside. Clementine worked on constant overdrive to take care of her boys. Two jobs, 16 hour shifts, and enough discrimination to make someone want to end it all then and there. But she never gave in. She did it for her sons. Even though it was tough to pay the bills in time and have barely enough to eat, she still made ends meet to make sure her sons could do the things they wanted.
The first expense was James. He had always wanted to join a boxing class after seeing the famous Rocky Balboara on the silver screen. The second was Nick. He had always wanted to be a Junior Ranger Scout, and Clementine made that happen. Unfortunately, it was not the turnout the little fox expected. James and Nick were the only two animals that mattered in her life. She did the best she could, but she assumed it was never enough.
When James ran away, she was devastated, and then Nick began following in his footsteps. Luckily, he turned his life around. But James was a lost cause. But he never understood why. He would ask his mom why he was the way he was, but she never gave him a straight answer. It was a question that would forever be unanswered thanks to his demise in the Rainforest District.
The thought faded from his mind as he pushed the family bathroom door open, shutting it behind him. Clementine waited outside with the other two babies in the buggy. He put Alex on the changing table, fastened him down and grabbed a diaper from the bag. He undid the straps and cleaned up the mess before swiftly closing the diaper and disposing of it. Nick turned away to get a fresh breath of air before sliding the clean diaper under the kit.
With Alex nice and clean and secured safely to the table, Nick took the opportunity to use the bathroom himself. He kept his head on a swivel between the toilet bowl and his son. Multi tasking while using the bathroom. That could be added to Nick's list of things he never thought he would do in his life. But at the same time, becoming a parent will change any mammal from being carefree to constantly on the lookout. After all, not to gloat, but his kids were more special than any other on the planet.
Not just because they were his, but because of what they were. Hybrids. Half fox, half bunny. The first and so far only ones of their kind. Though he did not like saying it in that way. 'Their kind.' They were not anything like that. They were just his kids. And they did not look like they were spliced experiments of a mad scientist. They were just two normal looking bunnies and a normal looking fox. Only time would tell what hybrid traits they would possess in the future.
Nick went to the sink and quickly washed his paws. As he shook off the soap and water from his fur, he looked down at his left paw, and at his wedding ring. The fox smiled. He slid it off and looked at the engraved text on the inside. 'You Know You Love Me' was carved in a beautiful cursive writing. Mimicking their first case together as partners in crime-fighting. His and her rings cost $25,000. It was the first large expense of his life, yet it was the most worth it. After all his years of hustling and saving money with nothing in mind to save for, he found his purpose.
His wife. The only girl he truly loved other than his mother, and now his daughter. Judy was the only mammal to see what everyone else could see. As something more than just a shifty, and untrustworthy fox. They had been together for years, and nothing could separate the bond that they shared. Nick slid the ring back on his finger and picked up Alex from the changing table. He laid his lips on his son's tiny head with a small peck as he walked out of the bathroom.
When he stepped outside, Nick saw Judy sitting on the bench next to Clementine. The two of them stood up, and she came over and took Alex from his paws.
"Okay, so I got three of those big bags of assorted candies and three packages of balls." Judy said as she put the pacifier in Alex's mouth.
"That sounds like it'll work." Nick replied, crossing his arms.
"Well, it looks like that's everything on the list for here. All that's left is to get the Easter clothes at Targoat."
Nick cocked an eyebrow. "What? You don't like the cheap look of the stuff here?"
"No. I just don't want to look like we're entirely poor." She winked.
They were both joking. They surely were not poor by any means, not even with all the expenses for the babies. However, all that was left for Easter attire were the cheaply made and clearance clothing that nobody liked. And even if there were some acceptable ones, most likely they would have them in the correct sizes.
Luckily, they had a lot of the expenses covered by the money left for them in Billy Stride's will. Being the CEO of a massive company such as Carrot Top Industries, and with millions of customers in his market, he was filthier than filthy rich. A great deal of the money went to all the hospital bills they had to deal with. It also went to paying for their house. And that was not even half of it. Their rainy day fund could support a flood, or two, or three.
However, they did not treat themselves any higher class than any other mammal. Though the Wildes could technically be considered rich now, they did not want to be seen as pompous Scrooges. They were perfectly financially set with their jobs. The money they had would be saved for other important things, like their kids' college funds.
The family made their way to the check out lanes. Everything was bagged up. Nick slid his credit card through the machine, and after a quick signature, they were on their way. Nick made his way out of the grocery store holding a couple of bags in one hand, and his little pup, Peter in the other. He looked down at his son who slept so soundly with his blue and green pacifier snug in his mouth. Nick's mother Clementine walked close by with a bag of her own groceries. She occasionally peeked over her son's shoulder to get a look at her sweet, sleeping little grandson. Clementine went to put her things in her car, as did Nick and Judy. She opened the passenger door and worried about putting the babies in the carseats, while Nick popped the trunk and focused on the groceries. The two of them got in their seats. Nick started up the car and Judy put on a pair of sunglasses. The family drove out of the parking lot and onto their next destination. Off to Targoat they went.
