Chapter 4: In a Girl's Eyes

Among the places Nick could agree he seldom visited, hospitals were the first he could think of. The fox had lived a reasonably healthy life, and whenever he felt sick, it was never critical enough that he needed professional help. Sure, having a bad fever was unpleasant, living on his own and having to care for himself, but he was sure every time that he would come out of it well. He was strong that way, he liked to think; besides, the costs of hospital care were a sham, and everyone in Zootopia knew that. Speaking to his old friends, he would constantly say the only business better than him at conning fools out of a good buck were hospitals, and he would add that, with the money he made, he would eventually save up enough to build his own hospital, and become the king of thieves. A king of thieves that would take money from the rich, medium wealthy, and poor, to give to himself.

Remembering these words, as the nurse sent out by Linda to recover his medical records came back with nothing but a list of shots he had received as a child, and a small blue slip from the ZPD station nurse that recorded his blood type the day he joined the ranks, he could not help but to feel simultaneously bemused and ashamed of the mammal he was then.

"Before we get his x-rays, I would like to get blood tests done on him," Nick heard the vixen doctor say from afar to the nurses around her. "That way, we can know how he's doing from a general health perspective before we see anything else." The vixen then turned to Nick, who looked her straight in the eye with a patient stare. Approaching him, she clasped her paws and gave the fox a playful smile.

"You haven't been a good boy, have you Officer Wilde?" she said as she lifted her balled paw with an index finger up. Nick chuckled as he shook his head.

"What do you mean by that?" Nick replied in a tone of feigned exasperation and innocence as he played along with her.

"You," Linda explained, as she pointed to the files she had been holding. "Have not been to a doctor in a long time. Your records have not been updated in years." Nick snickered, as he lifted his paws and shoulders, admitting to guilt.

"What can I say?" Nick joked. "I guess that makes me one of many who just couldn't afford healthcare."

"Well, we need to get a confirmation from your insurance company," Linda started, still smiling at Nick. "However, ZDP officers have very good insurance, and rarely have to pay a dime." Chuckling suddenly, Linda moved a paw to her waist. "So, maybe, you should consider coming back more often, as to keep a tab on your well-being." Nick smiled tenderly at Linda.

"Perhaps I should," the fox officer agreed, before taking a deep breath and leaning his head back.

"Anyway," she said, as she put her thoughts back to her job. "I've decided we'll get your blood tests first, and then do your x-rays. That way, we can know exactly how you're doing health-wise." Officer Wilde nodded in acknowledgment, as Linda closed the file and looked back up. "This means, Nick, that it'll take a little longer to get you treated, and hopefully, out of here." Again, Nick nodded, and as he looked up at the clock in the lobby area of the x-ray department, he noticed it was 1:10 pm.

As Judy waited for a reply to the message she had sent Clawhauser, the emotional storm of excitement to tell someone how she felt had mellowed to a low rumbling of thunder afar. Suddenly, rather than being ecstatic about unveiling herself to the world, doubt made her ask herself a multitude of questions: Was Clawhauser really the right person to tell? Would he accept the fact that she was in love with a male of a different species? Was everyone else okay with hetero-species love? Still sitting on the bench she had chosen while holding her phone in her paws, she observed the small details of the room -like the paintings of flowers on the walls, and the medical equipment on the nurses' table- while trying to find answers for each of these questions.

Yes, she answered the first of these questions as she looked down at the badge on her vest. Clawhauser was the only mammal she could tell. She had managed to make a good friend out of him throughout her time in the precinct. They both understood the prejudice each faced, and managed to bond this way. In the mornings, she would always greet him, and whenever she had the chance to have a little chit-chat with him, she would. The two also agreed on the little things: like that lavender was a far superior smell to roses, and that Gazelle's latest album was her best. This second thought made her giggle. They both really did like the singer.

She turned to the second question she had in mind as her eyes panned up to the ceiling, and concluded that the answer was also yes. Clawhauser was the last mammal she could ever imagine judging her, and while he might tease her now and then -about little mistakes she would make, and for just being so adorably cute- he would never mean it in an ill manner. Most times, in fact, she was encouraged by the cheetah to raise her voice and be different, which was something he had a hard time doing himself. Time and time again, Clawhauser would mention that if one of them stood out against their prejudice, it would "be a win for the two of them."

The third question, however, was a bit trickier, and filled Judy's heart with more anguish than the former two. Judy had read in a Zootopia magazine she used to pick up in the local store by her farm that inter-species romance was complicated; even for citizens of the central district. To start, the number of individuals with inter-species tendencies was little, and to add to this, this minority kept itself extremely secluded, many fearing backlash from their friends and family, as well as from outsiders who found the orientation unnatural.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Judy let these last thoughts simmer in her mind, when another question arose that struck deeper than any other: What if Nick did not feel the same way? Shooting her eyes open, Judy felt slight panic at the thought, and began to pant in distress. Suddenly, she felt the device in her paws vibrate, and immediately the officer jumped off the bench and looked at the lit screen of her phone. It had a notification showing, that read "1 New Message." With eyes steady on it, she read it over and over again, as if she could not understand what she was looking at. Feeling antsy, she lowered her phone and glanced up at the clock above the door again. It read 1:11 p.m.

1:11 p.m., she thought over and over again while looking at the clock, as if trying to remember the hour forever. When the time changed to 1:12 p.m., she lifted her phone to chest level and looked at it again. The screen, by then, had turned itself off, prompting Judy to have to press the button on the side of phone to turn it back on. Again she read the notification, but with a deep breath, she pressed it, and unlocked her phone. After a moment of waiting as the phone opened Judy's conversation with Clawhauser, the message she had received showed up.

[BENJAMIN: Hold up, little bunny. You're coming in a little too hot…

...YOU LIKE SOMEONE!?]

Judy felt electricity rush up from the bottom of her toes to the tip of her suddenly-perked ears as she read the message. It was exactly the reaction she had expected from her somewhat flamboyant friend, to the point that it was too perfect. She started to pace back and forth within the room, reading the message again and enjoying every word of it. With a toothy smile on her face, she began feeling jittery and light. Out of the blue, another message appeared on her screen.

[BENJAMIN: Judyy! When did this happen!? Tell mee!]

Officer Hopps giggled: Again, the message was perfect… too perfect. Still treading about the entire room aimlessly, she reached up to her cheek with her left paw, and rubbed it as she thought of what to say. There were so many options, yet unfortunately, Judy could only pick one. Thinking of it like a game, she slowly choosing the right words in her mind, imagining how each combination would lead to a different reply from Clawhauser. Lowering her paw from her cheek, she got herself to reply.

[JUDY: Well, it just happened today, a moment ago…]

Sending the message, Judy realized that the excitation was making her knees weak. To add to this, her heart was pumping so quickly and with such rigor that she could very clearly hear it beating in her ears. Turning about from where she stood, she found the bench she had sat on, made a quick dash to it, and jumped up on the seat again. Just as she settled down, another message arrived, which she opened as she scooted her rear back to a comfortable position.

[BENJAMIN: (Gleeeee!) Let me guess. This is your first Zootopian crush?]

Officer Hopps kicked her feet in the air as the jitters continued to filled her. It was indeed her first Zootopian crush, and a very uniquely Zootopian crush it was. For a moment, she looked away from the phone and allowed herself to savor the emotions within her. She felt happy, and uneasy, and crazy and feminine all at the same time. After taking a long breath, and filling her atingled lungs with air, Officer Hopps glanced back down to the phone, and got to answering the cheetah's question.

[JUDY: Yes.]

Having sent the message, she put the phone down on her lap, lifted her paws to her face, and rubbed her eyes. The sensation caused by this action felt pleasant, more pleasant than she thought it should have, actually; and so she continued to rub her eyes, until her phone vibrated between her legs, near her pelvis. Judy, who had managed to prime herself with excitement, sensuality, and desire for Nick, tensed up at the sudden satisfaction the vibration gave her. She clenched her jaw, but then quickly let out a harsh, hushed breath as she looked down at the phone. Judy had never felt anything of that nature before, and it scared her slightly to encounter such a sensation without anticipation. Cradling the phone up from her lap, she unlocked it and read the incoming message.

[BENJAMIN: You dawg!

Okay, okay, so here's the big question… WHO IS IT!?]

A knot formed in Judy's throat as she read the question. The moment of truth was here, she thought to herself. She would have to reveal the truth about her feelings… the truth about Nick. Tensing up again, the bunny officer felt the hairs on her entire pelt rise up and get terribly sensitive. Becoming self aware, she realized her breathing had tightened, her chest rising and falling rapidly with each bit of oxygen she took from the air. Catching the collar of her uniform with her left paw, she pulled it to give herself some air as she read the question again. This was it, she thought again as she put both paws on the phone. This was the moment of truth.

[JUDY: Do you promise you won't judge me?]

Seconds after the message was sent, a reply came in.

[BENJAMIN: I won't, I promise.

But now you REALLY have my attention. PLZ TELL ME WHO IT IS!]

Reading the message sent by Clawhauser, Officer Hopps felt her cheeks get warm. She had delayed answering the question by one text, she noticed; and she had done this on purpose, knowing that the moment she'd say the truth, it would become a stated reality. After she'd unveil her secret, she'd plaster her love to Nick on her face, keeping the colors of her feelings there for everyone to see. Regardless, Judy had already gone too far to go back, and knew that even if she could continue to avoid answering the question, sooner or later, the truth would come out. Paws still on her phone, she spelled out the four letter name, and added a period.

[JUDY: Nick.]

And so Officer Hopps sent the message, closing her eyes as she gave her phone the command. Opening them again, Judy looked at what she had done, and felt as if all the strings in her mind had immediately snapped, and she was tumbling into a deep, yet enthralling unknown. Turning on her side and laying on the bench while keeping a foot suspended, she opened the gate to all her erratic emotions, letting them pile over her with all their weight; and for a while, they remained there, pressing down on her being. A long moment passed, and as the bunny was able to perceive time, she glanced over at the clock. It read 1:30 p.m.

Suddenly, a message arrived, and as the phone in Judy's paws vibrated, a chill as cold as the Arctic raced up the officer's spine. Again, she could not help but to stare at the screen notification long enough for the screen to go black again. She reaching over to the side of the phone, and lit the screen back up before clicking the notification, and put in her password to gain access to the message. As it appeared, she looked away with a sudden jolt of her head, as if not wanting to look at what was written right away; but slowly she turned her head back, and read the text sent by her friend.

[BENJAMIN: Nicholas Piberius Wilde?]

Judy sighed, as she felt her heart palpitate stronger than before. The question seemed pointless: it was more than obvious that Nick was the only "Nick" she knew. Perhaps, she thought, he was in disbelief. Opening the chat keyboard, she answered.

[JUDY: Yep.]

With the message, she found herself feeling the same anxiousness for an answer she had felt seconds before. Too exhausted to want to feel these emotions again, she dropped the palm of her paw on her forehead, covered her eyes, and distracted herself with the name "Nicolas Piberius Wilde." The full name was strange to look at, she thought to herself, as Nick seldom used it; but, somehow, there was something intimate about it. Knowing his full name was some sort of delicious secret that she knew she had to treasure and use sparingly. Lowering her phone to her abdomen, Judy closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Nicolas Piberus Wilde," she whispered, liking the way it flowed out of her mouth. Again she took a deep breath, and said "Nicolas Piberus Wilde..." and as the last syllable of his name slipped from her mouth, her phone reverberated once more. Opening her eyes, she brought her phone to view opened the notification.

[BENJAMIN: …

O…M…G! I can't believe it… JUDY HOPPS HAS A CRUSH ON NICK WILDE!

Gaaaaah!]

Clawhauser's message was, to say the least, a drop of pure, concentrated elation to Judy. Reading the message again, and again with a broad, toothy smile, she felt invincible, and like she could run out of the room she was in, find Nick, and give him the biggest, and most passionate kiss she could. Like a child, she lifted her feet and began to waddle them in the air. As she put them down, another message arrived, which Officer Hopps glanced at hastily.

[BENJAMIN: Judy, my sweet little bunny, you have just made my day.

Oh, and I DEFINITELY DO NOT judge you (If you hadn't noticed yet). People can be happy with anyone they want, same species or not. You go girl!]

Still grinning, Judy typed a reply.

[JUDY: Thanks. I need that kind of support, because, to be very honest, I'm kind of nervous to suddenly find out about my feelings towards him. I didn't know it was possible for me to feel this way... especially towards a guy like Nick.]

As Judy sent the message, she glanced up at the clock on the wall again, and noted that it was 2:00 p.m.

By 2:00 p.m., Nick had the results to his blood tests -that came out pretty normal-, and had gone through the tedious process of getting a multitude of x-ray scans of his chest with the help of Linda, and a large, very plump elephant radiologist named Helga. As the officer and Linda waited for the x-ray films to be exposed, the two sat in silence. Nick was exhausted. Having to sit on a cold metal table for nearly half an hour took a toll on the Fox's back and shoulder blades as Helga, the large and slow elephant, moved her x-ray machine around him to get a multitude of scans. To add to this, the nurses would constantly have to lift him up and turn him on his side to get more scans, compressing his chest and teasing his hurt abdomen every time they did. By the time they had finished, Nick just wanted to close his eyes and rest.

And so Officer Wilde tried, remaining on his hospital bed as motionless as possible as he kept one open, with a steady eye on the clock that hung on the wall. As he watched it tick, his mind started to drift away, and his body relaxed from head to toe; but just as he was about to fall asleep, Nick thought of Judy. The bunny, he thought to himself as he scooted up to a better sitting position and opened both eyes, had been actingdifferent from the moment they had looked into each others eyes back in the ambulance. The air around her was not quite the same after that point, but Nick could not explain why. As he delved deeper into this thought, he wondered if it had just been a figment of his imagination. It could have been, the fox thought to himself as he puckered his lips and looked down ponderously.

"Nick," Linda's voice suddenly rung in Officer Wilde's ears. Surprised to be dragged out of his thoughts so suddenly, the fox jumped before shooting his glance up at the Vixen, who sat on a hospital bench to his right.

"Yes?" he asked politely, keeping a tab on the thought he had brought to mind. Linda, who stared back at Nick, lifted her right paw to her left shoulder, as she gave a nervous, but delightfully joyful smile.

"If it's okay with you telling me…" she started, looking as if she was speaking out of place. "I was wondering if you could tell me how you and Judy got to know each other. I know, this might be a bit random to ask, but given that the two of you are very… important… I want to know how it all happened." Nick cocked his head to the side, perplexed by Linda's look of guilt, before he chuckled and shook his head.

"It's no problem if I tell you," he said, receiving a sudden look of excitement from the vixen as she leaned forward. Again Nick chuckled, before he straightened his back and cleared his throat. "Well, when I first met Judy, we weren't on the best of terms..."

And so, Nick told the story, working his way around his memories as best he could. While he told most of it accurately and with honesty, he did manage to leave a few things out, like that they had met Mr. Big, or that he was there when they uncovered the truth about Vice-mayor Bellweather, or that Judy had crushed his feelings when she did her press conference. Those details he kept to himself, treasured as memories he knew he could only share with Judy. As he brought his story to an end, he had the sudden realization that Judy lingered in more of his most treasured memories than anyone else.

"Wow," Linda said as she processed the story and it's many intricacies. "You and Judy have a history together that's bigger than I would have imagined." Nick gave a crooked smile, as his mind contemplated Linda's statement. Indeed they were close.

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "We've gone through a lot together." He then chuckled lightly, his chest jumping up and down from the motion, which caused it to ache ever-slightly. "I guess I didn't tell you, but after I joined the academy, she's the one that helped me study for all my tests. I'd meet her every day at the precinct, and steal her away while Bogo wasn't looking." Linda joined in Nick's laughter by chuckling softly herself.

"I imagine he wasn't happy about that?" she asked, shaking her head as she thought of the bison whom she had met in previous occasions, and who she knew was not too happy when things didn't go his way.

"Not by the least," Nick confirmed, leaning his head back and looking up as he continued to chuckle. After a moment or two, the laughter died down, and the two remained in silence. As they did, Nick kept the image of Judy in his mind. It was pleasant to him… It made him feel right.

"Without her," the fox officer broke the silence, as he glanced back down at Linda. "I wouldn't be the mammal I am now, and that just makes me think, why? Why would she pick me, out of the blue?" Nick lifted his paws, and put them on the crown of his head. Running his paw through his fur, he took a deep breath, prompting the vixen next to him to wonder if she should tell him what she knew. As Officer Wilde dropped his arms to his side, she convinced herself that she had to.

"She likes you, you know." Linda blurted out, causing Nick to freeze in place, eyes wide and struck like a deer under headlights. For a moment, he was not able to move as he processed the words he had heard. Was that right? He thought to himself. What that truly right?

Then, as if by a bad habit of his, he started to snicker to release the tension. Shaking his head, he looked over to Linda.

"I know she likes me as a friend," Nick agreed in a light and playful voice, before lifting an eyebrow "But you cannot possibly be telling me she likes me likes me." Linda nodded, returning a tender smile.

"She does," the vixen said. "I can tell." Panic suddenly struck Nick as Linda reaffirmed herself. Staring straight ahead at an undetermined point, the fox blinked repeatedly, unsure of how to feel.

"How?" Nick asked, still looking away. "How can you tell?"

"It's all in a girl's eyes," she replied plainly. "Judy's are always on you, and they always seem to be beckoning for you." Shocked by what he heard, Nick put his paw on the back of his head. As he looked up at the clock, he noticed it was 2:32 p.m.

It was 2:32 p.m., and Judy had not yet received a message from Clawhauser. By this point, Officer Hopps had already read her own message hundreds of times, and made sure once and again that it had been properly sent. For a while, she felt the urge to re-send the message, as to make sure its intended recipient got it, but quickly realized that if the message she already sent previously got to Clawhauser, sending a second might make her appear too desperate. Despite the fact that her cheetah friend was extremely non-judgmental, Judy definitely did not want that. So she decided to wait, first laying on the bench, then sitting, and finally up on her feet walking around the room. It was shameful, she thought to herself, that she waited for a message with such anticipation. She was a fully grown rabbit, and worked as a law enforcer; behaving the way she did made her feel like one of the many over-dramatic girls she went to school with. It was not like her.

But at 2:34 p.m. -Judy realized due to fact that she was contemplating the clock on the wall, a message was received by her phone. Feeling the vibration of her device in her paws, Officer Hopps felt sudden relief, and anxiety at the same time. Putting her phone in view, she clicked in the notification, and message appeared.

[BENJAMIN: Sorry for the delay! Had to go and get files from the archives for Chief Bogo (Such a dreadful place).

Anyway… haha! Little bunny, have I ever mentioned how cute you are? (Sorrynotsorry for calling you cute) I mean, this is your very first real crush, if I'm not mistaken, and you're afraid because its het? This is Zootopia, TRY EVERYTHING!

P.S: I totally knew you'd be crushing on Nick sooner or later.]

Judy opened her eyes wide as she read the final line of the message. It was not possible, she thought, that anyone could know how she felt before she did. Bringing her the phone closer to her eyes, she read the message with scrutiny, trying to uncover additional information between the lines in vein. Her eyes suddenly hurt, making her lower her phone as she sighed in defeat. She decided the only thing left to do was reply, which she quickly did.

[JUDY: What? How?]

The message was sent, and a few moments later, a reply came. With the conversation still open, Judy merely scrolled down to the new message.

[BENJAMIN: Well, aside from the fact that Nick's looks and personality make him a total VIXEN (And in your case, bunny) EATER, and that he can convince a car to be a plane with his charms alone… It's always been in your eyes, girl. You're always dreamy around him.]

Lowering her phone, the bunny officer felt a chill run down her back. Perhaps it was obvious that she liked him after all, and she was merely blind to it. Thinking back, she had indeed found Nick to be better company than many others she had known before. Whenever she was around him, she would feel alive and full of more energy. He also gave her a drive, and, perhaps, she had become more attached to it than she knew.

Leaning her head back and eyeing the ceiling, Judy thought of what to say to Clawhauser, when her phone vibrated again, but this time to indicate that there was a call. Officer Hopps felt her heart skip a beat as she was snapped out of her inner thoughts and looked to the phone to see who it was. It was Chief Bogo, as indicated by the name that appeared, and the photo of her boss Nick had discreetly taken with her phone on a day he was furious and had made a tremendously monstrous face while he spoke to everyone in the bull pen. Time and time again, Judy would replace the image with a more respectable image of the chief, in fear that if he ever saw the image, he would go berserk; but, somehow, Nick would always manage to get his paws on her phone and put the image back. Sly Fox…

"Hello?" Judy spoke as she answered the phone and brought it up to her ear.

"Officer Hopps," Chief Bogo's deep voice spoke back from the other side of the line. "It's good that I was able to reach you." Judy opened her mouth with the intent of returning courtesy by telling him that she was also pleased to hear from him, but before she could speak, Bogo hastily continued, saying "tell me, how's Officer Wilde?" This prompted Judy to put a paw on the back of her head as she began to pace around the room.

"Uhh, well," Officer Hopps said nervously as she realized that for the last hour or so, she had not heard a single thing about Nick's well being, and had almost forgotten -so deeply delved into her chat with Clawhauser- why they were in the hospital in the first place. "While he's doing pretty good, he still hasn't come back from getting x-rays done of him. So I'm not exactly sure how he is." Having spoken, Judy had to suffer through a Chief Bogo keeping a long silence, before he audibly sighed.

"Well," the chief spoke with a hint of dissapointment. "In any case, I'm calling to tell you to come back to the PD as soon as you possibly can. This otter you and Officer Wilde caught is a very interesting fellow, to say the least." Stopping in the middle of the room, Officer Hopps put her a paw to her cheek.

"Interesting?" Judy asked in wonderment. "What do you mean by that?" Again, there was silence.

"What I mean..." Chief Bogo said. "Is that this otter, whose name is Franklin Longtail, supposedly knows your partner, and is willing to confess his intentions if Officer Wilde's the one to interrogate him."

"Oh… Oh?" Judy remarked as she lifted an eye ridge.

"Precisely my thoughts…" Chief Bogo said in response to her remark. "So, with circumstances as they stand right now, Officer Hopps, I've decided to bring you back to get you to interrogate him. With your professional and personal closeness to Officer Wilde, perhaps you might get this otter to speak." Judy's shoulders dropped at the idea of leaving Nick in the hospital. While she wanted to help with the case, her newfound fondness for her colleague made it harder to just go.

"Okay," Judy was obliged to say to her boss. "But what about Nick?"

"We can manage Officer Wilde's situation later; you don't need to worry about him," Chief Bogo answered with quick and preempted words. "Let me remind you," he added. "That your duty right now is to the law. I'm sure Officer Wilde would understand that." Officer Hopps sighed, as she moved her paw to rest on her forehead.

"Yes sir."

"Well, alright then." Chief Bogo said. "I expect to see you no later than 3:45. Goodbye."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Judy uncomfortable about how conflicted she felt. Before Nick, the bunny officer mused, she imagined that if she had a partner, he or she would come second in her mind before anything regarding a case and catching criminals. In fact, she never imagined investing her time and energy in anyone else in general. Becoming a police officer and then being the best officer she could possibly be was what concerned her in the past; but Nick came along and had apparently changed all of that.

Then again, she thought to herself as she poked her chin with a finger, Chief Bogo may have been too harsh, and demanding of her. Most officers cared for their partners, and would worry for their well being even if they did not have feelings for them the way Judy had for Nick. Maybe Chief Bogo had stepped out of line by warning her about excessive fraternization, and had only done so because he still had second opinions about her -despite the fact that she and her Boss had very much improved their relations since the first case. This was still a possibility, Judy knew.

But Chief Bogo was, indeed, still chief, and Judy knew that directly challenging his command to return to the department would have no benefits whatsoever. And so Officer Hopps turned around and observed each area of the bench she had sat on to make sure she did not leave anything behind. Looking beneath the bench itself, she noticed that some Junior Officer Badge stickers were scattered on the ground. Judy quickly put her paw on the belt pouch she always stored these stickers in, and realized the button that sealed it was unclipped. Surely this button must have come loose while she was lying on her back, she thought as she sighed and shook her head. Dumb bunny…

Quickly, Judy made her way back to the bench, got on all fours, and crawled under the seat to pick up the scattered stickers. Being focused on this task, she was not able to notice Nick, Linda and the nurses return to the room. Nick, who had been brought into the room still sitting on his bed, noticed Judy, and could not help but to smirk when he noticed she had her upper body beneath a bench while her tail and rear were lifted up in the air for anyone to see. Still smiling coyly, Nick whistled.

"Hey, cotton ball butt," Nick called out in a taunting voice, making the suddenly-alerted bunny rabbit lift her head without calculating what was above her, making her crash into a bar beneath the bench's seat. A loud clank noise was produced by the action. "Ouch!" he could not help but to say as Judy scrambled out from beneath the bench, and stumbled up to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Linda asked, also feeling concern for the Officer Hopps. Judy, rubbing her head where it hurt tremendously, chuckled nervously as she tried to feign that she was completely fine.

"Yeah!" She answered as her head got warm from the fine combination of pain and embarrassment that brewed within her. "That was nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Are you sure?" Nick inquired, lifting an eyebrow as he painted disbelief on his face. "We are in a hospital, you know… cracking your head is a little more acceptable here." Judy laughed, almost sarcastically, as Nick's coy little statement, prompting the fox to give her a slick smile in return. Ignoring this, Officer Hopps took a good look at her colleague, and noticed they had finally given him a blue hospital gown to wear. Releasing her head, she placed her paw on her hip.

"So… how did everything go?" she asked, first looking at Nick, and then Linda. The vixen put a paw on Nick's shoulder as the male fox looked at her with a grin. Judy took this unfavorably, feeling slight uneasiness at sight of the motion. For a moment, her nose started to wiggle, but as Nick looked back at her, she buried her feelings.

"Well, fortunately, my ribs aren't broken," Nick explained as he placed a paw on his chest. "A few are just slightly bruised, but ice and a few pain killers can help with that." Hearing his words, Judy felt her heart jump with relief.

"That's good! That's very good," the bunny officer remarked as she put her right paw over her left and began to rub her knuckles. "I'm glad to know that you're okay, Nick." The fox officer smiled tenderly at his partner, mesmerizing her with the toying sexiness of his grin. Looking away, she blushed. He was indeed charming enough to 'convince a car to be a plane,' she unwillingly admitted. Damn vixen eater.

"And here I was thinking that you wanted it to be worse so I'd stay longer and you could ask for a cuter, less annoying partner," Nick replied teasingly as he winked, getting Judy to shoot a sharp glare at him.

"Ha, ha," Judy said with evident sarcasm. "Very funny." As Judy crossed her arms, she rested the weight of her body on one leg, and made her hip stick out. "How much longer is it before you're released anyway?" she asked, adding "perhaps, if it is too long from now, I might actually find a more serious partner," with a malicious smirk on her face. Nick chuckled in return, pleased she could fend for herself a lot better than she did when he first met her, long ago.

"Not too long from now," Nick answered Judy's question as he changed his smile from mischievous to tender. "All that's left to do is fill out some paperwork, and I'm off the hook." As Nick spoke, Judy dropped her smile as she realized she had forgotten Bogo's command. Shooting her eyes up to the clock on the wall behind her partner, she realized it was 2:47 p.m. and was behind on time. She bit her lower lip in slight frustration, and started to tap her foot. Nick, noticing this, cocked his head to the side. "Is everything okay?" Judy sighed.

"Chief Bogo wants me to head back to the station, and I'm already running late," Judy explained as Nick kept a steady eye on her face. "You see, this suspect we stopped seems to have some kind of connection with you, and he told Bogo that he'd confess the truth if you'd be the one to interrogate him." Hearing her words, Nick lifted an eye ridge, appearing further bewildered.

"Connection with me?" he asked in disbelief. Looking up to the ceiling for a second, he tried to remember the face of the otter that shot him.

"Yeah," Judy confirmed. "His name is Franklin Longtail." At the mentioning of the name, Nick shot a surprised glance back at Judy. Officer Hopps noticed, and looked askance at him. "Recognize the name?" Without answering Judy, Nick directed his sight to Linda, who had been silently busy with Nick's file while the two spoke.

"I want my release," Nick said as he sat up straight. "Now."

A/N: Want to know how Nick feels about Judy? Well, too bad! Mua ha ha ha!

All kidding aside, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please tell me what you thought.

A special thanks those amazing individuals involved in the beta reading of this chapter:

- Tumblr's Vetinarini, for pointing out plenty of typos, providing some very dandy suggestions, and giving me feedback on what she thought about the chapter.

- Reddit user eisbaerBorealis, for not only being a master detective when looking for mistakes in my writing, but for also providing AMAZING suggestions about how I could improve certain parts of the story.

- John Olsen, for providing a thorough analysis of the chapter.

- DeviantArt's AIMYY for her amazing feedback, which I was accidentally a derp enough to partially miss. :(

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