Judy grimaced as Nick continued to steer her through the hallway; following the pleasant woodchuck nurse to the examination room. Having grown up on a farm, Judy had seen her fair share of cuts and scrapes; and of course, there was the incident with Gideon Grey. She was familiar with the throbbing ache of torn skin, as well as the sting of the doctor's needle as sundered flesh was again made whole. However, a dull soreness had crept across Judy's small body; an ache she knew couldn't be attributed to the laceration on her leg. No, this was a full-body ache most likely caused from that nasty tumble they'd taken into the museum exhibit.

Quietly sighing, Judy had to admit, it could have been a lot worse. A 15-foot fall was no laughing matter; especially for smaller animals such as Nick and herself. But it seemed that both of them had managed to escape without serious injury.

Preliminary examination by the paramedic had revealed nothing more than a nasty bruise along her hip, in addition to the leg wound. Judy had been assured that, barring complication, she'd be healed in a couple of weeks. As for Nick, he was walking away injury free; 'Lucky fox', Judy thought.

Blushing lightly, Judy remembered her outburst when Nick had tried to drop her off with the paramedic. Judy had panicked, thinking for sure that he was trying to slip away; she'd honestly been very conflicted when he explained that he just wanted to get checked out by a paramedic as well. Sure it made sense, but that didn't make letting go of him any easier. At first, Judy had insisted that Nick stay with her, and be examined by the same paramedic. However, Nick had quickly pointed out the folly of her plan. There were two different ambulances, as well as several paramedics in front of the museum; why waste time being examined by the same paramedic, when it was so much faster to split up? But Judy was still scared of losing him again; so she'd discreetly asked Wolford to keep an eye on Nick. Surprisingly, in the amount of time it had taken for Judy to be tested for range of motion and cognitive function, Nick had breezed through the entirety of his examination. Climbing into the ambulance, and resuming his position by her side, Nick had laughed, telling her he was pretty sure that the sheep who'd checked on him hated him now, and must have been in a rush to get rid of him. 'He seems to have that effect on mammals', Judy had thought with a chuckle. Of course her mirth had died the moment the paramedic began prodding at her leg wound…

Returning her thoughts to the present, Judy glanced back at her friend with a fond smile. He had been so patient and understanding through this whole ordeal. Sure he'd cracked his jokes and had his fun, but he hadn't complained about her literally clinging to him the whole night. He'd only left her side twice, and although she'd panicked both times, he hadn't teased her for being ridiculous; and more importantly, he had come back to her. Despite his irritating and smug exterior, Nick Wilde was a great friend; and Judy felt blessed to have him in her life. Despite the short amount of time they had known each other, Judy felt incredibly close to Nick.

"Umm, Carrots, you do know I can see you right? What're you doing?" Nick tiredly questioned. The little bunny had been looking at him with a strange smile on her muzzle for a solid half-minute.

"Oh nothing. Just checking up on my favorite fox," Judy cheerfully answered.

A small "Hmmph," was Nick's only reply. Fine, let the bunny be weird. Just a little bit longer, he kept reminding himself. A little bit longer and he could choke down some Oxcedrin Migraine and go to sleep.


"Alright, here we are! Examination Room S-16," their bubbly guide announced, abruptly ending the conversation she'd been having with Judy. Nick was honestly having a hard time deciding who was the more cheerful and exuberant mammal, Judy, or the little woodchuck nurse. He had a pretty good feeling that the two would make great friends. Lord knows they'd spent most of the walk pleasantly chatting away. Not that the walk had been very long but a throbbing migraine, combined with the upbeat chatter of two small females, and Nick was fairly certain he'd fallen into the seventh circle of hell.

The nurse opened the door revealing a surprisingly large, painfully bright room that had Nick squinting in agony as his synapses all fired at once. 'Make that the eighth circle of hell.' Barely resisting the urge to growl, Nick resigned himself to the pain. Maneuvering the wheelchair through the doorway, he parked Judy in front of a teal examination table, and plopped himself into a nearby chair; leaving the nurse to assist the bunny onto the table.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to do, since Judy fixed him with a confused and slightly worried expression.

"Nick? Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should get checked out again, just in case," came Judy's timid voice after she'd been situated on the tabletop.

A moment passed before a tired smile crossed the fox's muzzle.

"I'm fine, Carrots. Already told you, I'm just exhausted," Nick reassured.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Judy's muzzle; and her eyes appeared to be sparkling with joy… and something else. 'What was that?' Nick wondered.

"Thanks for staying with me," Judy began in a quiet voice, "I know you didn't have to. You've had a crazy day, and, well, you could already be asleep in bed. So, thank you. It means a lot to me."

Averting his eyes from her decidedly happy, and grateful, gaze, Nick whispered, "Anytime Carrots."

The moment was abruptly ruined by a small sigh reaching their ears. Looking towards the door, Nick noticed that the nurse was looking at them with that weird smile again. 'Pfft. Today's just filled with strange little mammals,' Nick wryly thought.

"The doctor should be here in just a few minutes. I'm going to go fetch the suturing kit. If you need anything in the meantime, just press the little red button to your left. Be right back," the nurse cheerfully informed, before quietly shutting the door.


Three minutes later, and the nurse had returned, carrying a small medical kit.

Seven minutes after that, and the little woodchuck was profusely apologizing that the doctor still hadn't arrived.

Fifteen minutes after they had first entered the room, they were FINALLY greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a red racoon in a white coat. Judy didn't quite know what to make of the odd creature; she'd never heard of a racoon being red before.

Hastily shutting the door behind her, the doctor made a beeline for the sink; all the while, shot-gunning information at the tired couple.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Chitwa," she hurriedly began while washing her paws. As she donned white gloves, she continued without missing a beat, "My apologies for the wait. It seems that there was a miscommunication regarding your admittance. Regardless, let's take a look at you, and get that leg sutured."

Judy dutifully answered the doctor's questions, as the strange female performed a quick head-to-toe assessment on her. Daring a quick glance at Nick, Judy was dismayed to see that he looked even more exhausted than before. In fact, he looked like he might fall asleep in the chair. 'At least this should be over with soon.' Judy reassured herself.

"By the way, I've been instructed to inform you that Chief Bogo will be by to take both of your statements. He should be here in about ten minutes," the doctor informed them.

"Are you ready for your sutures, Miss Hopps?" the doctor questioned while holding up a syringe.

Sighing a little, Judy nodded her consent.

Quickly, the doctor disinfected the area for the procedure. "Okay, so first I'll numb the area with a little lidocaine," the doctor said while injecting the contents of the syringe into the area around the laceration. Approximately 90 seconds later, and the area was sufficiently numb enough for the doctor to shave the fur surrounding the wound. She then grabbed a curved needle with suture thread attached, "Alright, I'm going to begin suturing. Just let me know if you feel any pain."

Again, Judy nodded; she really couldn't wait for this to be over. She was glad that Bogo was coming to the hospital to take their statements; it had been a long day, and Judy couldn't wait to crawl into bed. She was suddenly very glad that her parents had insisted on paying the first six months of her rent at the Grand Pangolin Arms, in advance, as a graduation present. At the time, Judy had thought it was overly generous of her parents and had felt terribly guilty when she'd left Zootopia after only a month… Not that that was the only reason she felt guilty. Shaking her head to clear her depressing thoughts, Judy smiled. At least she'd have a place to sleep tonight.

"And we're finished," the doctor stated, glancing at her handiwork with apparent pride.

Judy looked at her leg… 'Ewww', bunny legs looked so weird without the fur. Sighing, Judy thought of how long it would be before her fur returned to normal.

The doctor then rapidly explained how to care for her wound, "You're going to want to keep the wound clean and dry for at least 2 days; afterwards, you can wash the area gently with soap and warm water. No overexerting yourself. I can prescribe a mild sedative to help prevent you from being too active, if needed. The stitches should dissolve in approximately two weeks. I'm going to prescribe you some antibiotics to help prevent infection; but keep an eye out for any swelling or redness in the area, these could be signs of an infection. If you have any redness or swelling, call your primary care physician right away. I'm going to prescribed you some zebuprofen, to help with the pain."

"Any questions?" she finished while handing Judy a pamphlet, that undoubtedly contained all the same information.

"Uh, no?" Judy answered.

"Good."

Turning to Nick the doctor asked, "Mr. Wilde, would you like to be examined privately, or may Miss Hopps remain in the room?"

Suddenly very much awake, Nick looked at the doctor with confusion.

"Uh, I'm not here to be examined. Just staying to keep 'Miss Hopps' company," he replied with a lazy smile.

"Hmm.", the doctor looked skeptical, "When Chief Bogo called, he specifically instructed that BOTH of you were to be examined. Especially you, Mr. Wilde. Something about you left the scene without being examined for injuries."

"WHAT?!" Judy screeched.

Fur bristling, Nick's ears flattened against his skull. 'That traitor.'

"Carr...Judy, I can explain," panicked, he began his feeble attempt at calming the raging rabbit. Who would have thought that a bunny could look so damned terrifying?

"All we've been through, and you LIED to me! You LIAR!" Judy yelled.

"It wasn't a lie per-se," Nick tried again.

"HOW NICK?! How was it not a lie?!" Judy shouted.

Briefly raising a finger to make his point, Nick quickly lowered it again; and decided to keep his mouth shut.

Just as Judy was preparing to rip into Nick again, it was as though the heavens opened and God himself finally decided to smile down upon the weary fox in the form of an angry buffalo stomping into the room with a scowl on his face.

"HOPPS! What's all this yelling about?" Chief Bogo demanded.

"Nothing, sir," Judy shamefully answered, as a scarlet blush shot up the inside of her ears.

"Good," Bogo said with a snort.

Turning towards the doctor, Bogo questioned, "Now then, doctor, have you examined the both of them?"

Startled, the red-furred female nervously answered, "Only Miss Hopps so far. Mr. Wilde has yet to say whether he'd like privacy."

"Just get on with it," Bogo huffed, "The city is covering both of their medical bills for this whole fiasco. So there shouldn't be an objection from either of them."

As the doctor approached, Nick suddenly seemed to put two and two together.

"Wait! I don't consent to be examined," he hastily half-shouted.

His eyes narrowing, Bogo turned on him, "What did you say, Wilde?"

Normally, Nick would have taken the opportunity to goad the buffalo into further rage; but he was currently far too tired. "I said, 'I don't consent to be examined."

Smiling dangerously, Bogo seethed, "Is that so? Well, fox, it would appear that you don't have a choice."

Eyebrows furrowing, Nick countered, "I know my rights. You can't make me."

"Actually, I can.", Bogo continued, "You see, we've already examined the footage from the museum. It would appear that you were not only assaulted by an animal significantly larger than you; but, more importantly, you took a fifteen-foot fall onto your head."

Judy gasped, glancing worriedly at Nick.

Blanching, Nick looked like he was going to be sick.

"So you see, there's reason to doubt your cognitive abilities right now; which means, I can, and will, force you to be examined," Bogo finished.

Deciding to interject, Judy whispered, "Nick, you need to make sure you're okay."

Just as Nick was going to insist that Judy leave the room, it was as though God himself decided to personally smite the living hell out the poor fox; as the queasy feeling abruptly overcame Nick's survival instinct… and he hurled right onto Bogo's hooves.


Surprisingly, Bogo hadn't decided to kill Nick just yet. Instead, he angrily stomped out of the room shouting, "GET THAT DAMNED FOX EXAMINED, RIGHT NOW!"

A heartbeat later, the doctor was on the phone with the custodian. Meanwhile, the nurse quickly realized that she needed to help Judy get to Nick, and fast, otherwise, the little bunny was going to tear her stitches trying to reach her fox. As hastily as she could, Melissa lifted the bunny, placed her in her wheelchair, and moved her to Nick's side all while avoiding the puddle of vomit. Afterwards, she scampered over to whisper something in the doctor's ear, "...suspected concussion...grimacing... strange...wanted to wait for privacy."

Thoroughly distracted, Judy only caught every couple of words; but it was enough. The nurse had noticed something was off with Nick… and Judy hadn't.

Distraught, Judy began to soothingly rub Nick's back as he continued to shake and dry heave. It seemed there was nothing left for him to throw up. Carefully, Judy wrapped her small arms around Nick in a gentle hug.

The loud yelp that followed caught her by surprise; then, her panic reached a near-hysterical level. Nick was breathing heavy… and a single tear rolled down his furred cheek.


It took Nick another two minutes to settle down. Releasing a shaky breath, he avoided looking at Judy; and instead, addressed the doctor, "Can I have some privacy?" he whispered in a hoarse, weak voice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wilde, but you heard the chief; I have to examine you right away," she gently reminded.

"Not you," he said, shaking his head, "I don't want Judy here."

Unable to hide her hurt, with tears in her eyes, Judy offered, "I'd like to be here for you, Nick. You've been here for me all night. I'm so sorry I didn't realize you were hurt. And I'm sorry I yelled at you. I really am just a dumb bunny." Openly sobbing at this point, Judy continued, "Please, let me be here for you."

"No."

The look on her face was enough to break Nick's heart. Releasing a shaky sigh, Nick decided on a half-truth, "It's nothing personal, Judy… it's just, I'm pretty sure I'm going to need x-rays… Which means I'll be, well… naked. That's not something I feel like subjecting innocent bunny eyes to," he said with a weak smile.

"Oh. Well, I think they make you wear a gown; I could always come back after you've changed," Judy offered.

"Yes, because those gowns TOTALLY cover your backside. If you really want to see my butt, might I recommend waiting until it isn't bruised? It looks much better when it isn't red, black, and blue," Nick quietly snickered.

Blushing, Judy admitted, "I see your point… I guess I'll go find Bogo and give him my statement. I'll be right outside when you're done."

"Don't worry, Carrots, I'll let you hold my paw when the doctor is finished with me.", Nick offered with a small smile.

Ears down her back, Judy quietly left the room; taking one last sad look at Nick, before gently shutting the door.

'Never let 'em see that they get to you.'


Sighing, Dr. Lin Chitwa, sat down to examine the X-ray and MRI results from the fox. Judging from her examination, he'd sustained injuries to his ribs and left shoulder, and he almost certainly had a concussion; however, these images would show the full extent of any damage. More alarmingly however, upon examining his back she'd found a substantial amount of bloodied gauze; covering a small, but deep laceration on his right lower back. He hadn't admitted to it, but she was convinced he'd been stabbed recently. The wound appeared to have partially healed; only to be reopened within the last day.

Opening the thick manila envelope, the small red panda let out a startled gasp. 'Dear Lord'.

Carefully looking at the black and white images again, she raised a paw to her mouth in horror; but it wasn't the fresh fractures and contusions that shocked her. 'That poor fox.' Shakily, she lowered the images back to the table, as tears welled in her eyes.


Greetings!

I didn't want to spoil any surprises, since this chapter answers many of the riddles I've peppered this story with; which is why we're doing this at the bottom today. So, I finally get to answer some of your reviews :-)

- Cimar: Nick stole gauze from the paramedic's kit. Which is why the doctor found "... a substantial amount of bloodied gauze...".

- Half-elf: I LITERALLY panicked when you guessed "concussion" so quickly. Everyone should thank Half-elf; because this motivated me to release two chapters in one day, in a shameless attempt at distraction.

- Mllshadow: don't worry about your "dirty mind". I deliberately wrote that section with the hopes of misleading you, in pretty much the direction your mind took. I wanted you to think that Nick was worried about Judy smelling arousal. But nope, it was blood. When he "went to the little foxes' room", he was actually wrapping himself in the "borrowed" gauze.

- Cimar again: Nope, the woodchuck nurse didn't recognize Nick; she was recognizing symptoms of an injured fox, and suspected Nick wouldn't be willing to cooperate. Out of curiosity, what did you think the "unpleasant turn" was going to be?


Thank you to everyone who's been reading this story; and an EXTRA BIG THANKS to everyone who reviews.

Also, a round of applause for Selaxes for editing this chapter!

This chapter is almost three times the length of what I usually write. Didn't help that I had a mild case of writer's block at the beginning; which is why this chapter took a little longer than normal...


Well, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 8! If you did, please leave a review letting me know what you think.