The cruiser was parked swiftly between the lines at the precinct. The officers disembarked and started towards the hospital that is on the other side of the watering hole. Upon entering the hospital, they were greeted by a nurse on duty.
"Nice to meet you, Chief Bogo. Your officers and all of the hostages are located on the fifth floor. Would you like me to take you there?"
"Oh, it's alright. We'll head there ourselves. Thank you."
They made their way to the end of the hall and called the elevator.
Ringtone…
Ringtone…
Bogo felt every pocket with his hooves and at last found his phone.
"Yes darling?"
"Look darling, I am sorry. I had work to do."
"No, I won't be coming home for lunch. I need to start my report."
"Yes, it was me at the scene conducting the operation, but I did not go in myself." Bogo sighed as he looked apologetically at his officers.
"Say hello to Alvis for me please. I am sorry that I cannot come home to you guys. Bye." Bogo hung up.
It took a while for the elevator to arrive. Wolfard hit the button to the 5th floor and the elevator stopped at all 3 other floors. They were then led to where the injured officers were by a Honey Badger doctor.
Judy had just been patched up by the doctor. It is only a flesh wound on the waist, slightly grazing the intestines but with no major issues. Nick had been hit in the thigh, luckily it missed the arteries, but he needs an operation to remove the bullets, which is proceeding right now. Snarlov and Rhinowitz suffered mild concussions from the explosives, with some bruises here and there. McHorn is in a slightly more serious situation since the explosion was much closer and more powerful. Fangmeyer had been shot in the chest and arm, but all the bullets went through and the wounds are being taken care off. Delgato, after his short conversation with Nick and Judy, was hit in the back when he sprinted to re-join his squad, injuring his spine, and might be paralyzed.
Judy never thought life would become like this. She is glad that she has all these officers that she could depend on, but she never thought that, the situation would be so bad. Maybe Nick was right when he called her a naïve little hick. She knows that she might get hurt being a cop, but this is the first time that she realized she might lose her life on duty. She is worried about her parents. What would they feel if their daughter lost her life fighting bad guys? They did fear this when she first became a cop.
The door opened and the doctor walked in, followed by Chief Bogo and the others.
"Two of them are operating right now, the rest are here. Find me if you need anything." The doctor said and exited the room.
"Hopps! How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, sir."
The uninjured officers took turns chatting with their injured colleagues. It is probably the most depressed you would ever see these big mammals to be. Delgato is still asleep from the anaesthesia.
"Where is Clawhauser, sir?" Judy asked.
"Clawhauser? I left him to clean some things up. He is quite the assistant after all, as long as you give him enough doughnuts."
All the officers laughed.
They waited patiently for the two remaining officers to be operated on. Having never been so close to death, all of them are still engulfed by the memories of what just happened.
"Chief, if I remember correctly, you were part of a similar breach 16 years ago, when I was just assigned to you." McHorn said, groaning a little since his head still hurts.
"Yeah, that is right. I have done this before, but only once. I was still an officer, a senior one of course. The enemies were not as well equipped, but so weren't we. All we had were darts, as such things have never happened before." He crossed his arms. "But we learned our lesson, incorporated special operations into the training, and created all the gear that were used today. I am glad that nobody died." He then stared down at the ground.
It was at 1600 when Nick was pushed into the room. Judy quickly sat up on the bed, but her injuries were still hurting badly so she laid back down.
"Don't worry carrots, I'm perfectly fine. It's best that you take care of yourself first." Nick smiled at Judy as he was pushed past her.
It wasn't another twenty minutes until Fangmeyer's operation was finished. He is asleep too.
"We stopped his bleeding for the time being and stitched him up. He would need to rest for a month or two before he would fully recover," the doctor said.
"Thank you doctor." Bogo stood up and followed the doctor to the door. "I should probably go check on the hostages. We will hold a full press conference here tomorrow, once you lads feel a little bit better." He looked around the room one last time and shut the door behind him.
It was almost dinner time when both Fangmeyer and Delgato woke up. Delgato, even with his spinal injury, still managed to control all his limbs, and passed all the tests the doctor gave him. Clawhauser had also came back from the scene, bringing a box of donuts with him. The officers were chatting away when the door opened. It was Chief Bogo, followed by a special guest.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Gazelle asked. She had some scratches on her. Unlike how she usually dressed in public, she is now wearing a sweater and a pair of trousers.
"No, not at all!" Judy answered. Gazelle then took a seat with Bogo and the rest of the officers sitting on the couch. Clawhauser's jaw dropped.
"I have to thank you for what you did for me, and what you did for the rest that were also held in the hotel." Gazelle said as she looked at every officer in the eye. "How long would it take for your wounds to recover?"
"In some of the less severe cases, like Hopps, a few weeks. But in officer Fangmeyer's case, it would take a few months before he could return to the force." Not wanting to upset Gazelle, Bogo continued, "But all of the treatment fees would be covered by the department, as well as compensations for the injuries."
"Don't worry, we will be fine." Fangmeyer said, lying on the bed and waved at Gazelle, holding back the pain.
"Miss Gazelle," Clawhauser finally gathered enough courage, "can I have your signature please?" He took out his snow globe and a marker and handed it over.
"Of course, it would be my pleasure. Just call me Gazelle." She smiled and took the snow globe and marker from Clawhauser, returning it after putting a signature on the stand.
The door opened again as a nurse pushed in a trolley full of food.
"Miss Gazelle, I think it would be best if you return and have your dinner." Bogo stood up and held the door open for Gazelle. He then turned to his uninjured officers, "It is best that you go home to your family, report to the station at the usual time tomorrow. I guess I'll have to postpone the debrief. Good night." Bogo shuts the door behind him as he walked out.
"Well, since the Chief gave his orders," Francine said as she too stood up from the couch and opened the door with her trunk, "we should leave now. We will all come back tomorrow when we're off duty, right?" The other officers all nodded and left the room.
