Hey guys! For those of you who missed a certain detail at the end of last chapter, prepare for a realization. Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Death
Judy's mind was void of thought. Her heart was clear of any emotion. All she could do was stand there staring at Nick's paw.
She had let go of Nick's paw and had turned to leave, only to find herself slightly restrained from doing so.
Judy stood confused and dumb-founded, shocked and surprised for some reason she did not know. His paw should have dropped lifelessly down, but it hadn't.
What…?
Why was she still standing there? He is dead. It was her imagination. It had to be. Was it?
Judy couldn't take her eyes off the paw in hers.
Uncertainty plagued her heart. She had to be sure.
She hesitated as she put an ear to the dead fox's chest, not sure if she wanted to go through this again. Building up her hope only to find it dashed away by the unpleasant truth. She had to know. Judy listened intently, expecting to hear only silence as she closed her eyes and waited for her flicker of hope to be snuffed out yet again.
What she didn't expect was to hear a sound. Her hope ignited into a larger flame, starting to warm her cold chest.
Her ears twitched as the thumping sound seemed to echo from the fox's chest and into her own.
Was that… a heartbeat?
Judy held her head there, frozen to the fox's chest, for what seemed like ages. Moments ago, she had been left feeling the most miserable she had ever been in her life. Now, all her emotions, thoughts, heart, actions, tears, everything came to a halt.
Her mind in that moment was alive with activity, trying to process what she was hearing.
Thump thump, thump thump…
It had to be her imagination. Maybe it was her own heartbeat. Nick was dead.
The sound was becoming stronger as Judy felt weaker as butterflies danced about her being.
Thum thump, thump thump…
No, she could hear her heartbeat. It was separate from this steady sound.
That had to be a heartbeat in the fox's chest…
But if that was a heartbeat, then that would mean…
Judy's eyes flashed open with a gasp and a jolt.
Judy quickly turned and grabbed Nick's face in her trembling paws.
There staring back at her from under heavy eyelids were two weary emerald eyes.
"…hey…"
Upon hearing Nick speak, Judy's heart melted into love and joy. She shuddered from the sudden rush of joy and excitement overloading her senses. She could only stand there, her eyes blinking, mouth rapidly opening and closing in silence, and breaths coming in quick bursts.
Nick's alive? Nick's alive?! NICK"S ALIVE! Oh sweet cheese...
Her knees buckled and she fell down upon his chest, feeling faint but still very much conscious. She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around Nick's neck.
"Nick!"
She clamped her eyes shut as she tightened her grip as she let loose her emotions.
He's alive! He's alive! He's alive!...
Nick eyes widened a bit at the sudden action of the now sobbing rabbit.
Confusion and exhaustion were evident on his face as he groggily raised a paw and patted her on her back.
"Mmmm...You bunnies, so emotional... Ugh, I feel like... crap... What happened?...," he moaned as he blinked his eyes as he wearily shook his head free of the tiredness he felt. Another moan. Why did he feel like he had the worst hangover ever? Where was he?
Judy let out a laugh as she sniffled a response into his bandaged chest from where she lay.
"I thought you died…"
Nick felt slightly more awake at the remark. 'Died?' What did she mean he 'died?'
The pale faced Nick, a bit confused by the statement, managed to grin at the rabbit still crying tears of joy on his shoulder.
"Well… I'm not."
He winced at the pain as he shifted where he lay to put his arms around the rabbit. Yep, he definitely felt like he got hit by a bus.
Nick blinked as he took a deep breath. Breathing made his chest feel even more sore than it was already. He winced at the pain in his stomach. Yeah, definitely got hit by a train.
He pulled the rabbit close, choking on tears that now uncontrollably dripped down his face. Now, he was crying. Why was he crying? What just happened? Why is he in the hospital? And more importantly why was Judy crying?
Normally, he would not allow himself to show such emotion. He didn't like to show it, but this moment was too special to care what others would think. Although why it was special and he was feeling so much relief and happiness, Nick didn't know. What's going on?! He just woke up with a headache, a very sore chest, and a very depressed rabbit standing next to his bed with no recollection of the events prior. His back was in pain as well, but everything was forgotten when he felt the warmth of the rabbit on his chest and around his neck.
She was trembling. It made his eyes water more. Why was she so shook up? Why was she so happy?
Nick managed to fight back his tears only to be renewed as Judy let loose another volley. Why? What made her so happy that made him happy? 'Died?' Why had she used that word? He wasn't dead. Was he? Was this a dream? What? No, that can't be. This was real.
The fox opened his eyes as he tried his best in his weakened state to rub circles on the still trembling rabbit's back. Why did this feel so right? So intimate?
Nick felt weird. He was exhausted. He was sore. He winced as his back sent a jolt of pain through his body. Yep, he definitely fell out of a plane, multiple times.
He closed his eyes as he forced the gears in his head to turn over as he rubbed his rabbit companion's back and enjoyed in the intimacy of it all.
Nick tried to think about what happened. Judy's warmth thawed his mind and body. He felt himself squeezed her tighter. Well... as tight as he could manage feeling as weak and frail as he did.
He absentmindedly rubbed the space between Judy's ears, eliciting purrs from the doe. Nick grinned when he realized what he was doing and how Judy had reacted. He had never done that before. He wouldn't have dared do it before, but now it seemed... right. A warm feeling began to spread through his chest that was not warmth from the lapin on his chest.
The red fox closed his eyes and forced his exhausted mind to think. Why was he here? His mind felt clouded, memories feeling foreign to him, but he slowly began piecing details together. The chase. The struggle. The gunshots. The pain. Judy standing by his bedside, depressed. Confusion.
He… died? Was Judy serious?
Nick opened his eyes with a frown. There was something else. It had seemed more like a dream, but what if it was true? It had to be. It couldn't be ignored. He had to be sure.
Nick groggily pushed Judy away so that he could gaze into her deep violet eyes.
"Judy?"
"Hmm?" Came the muffled reply as the rabbit lifted her head with a sniff.
When Nick had said her name, her heart melted yet again with joy, but she detected uncertainty in it that made her have a twinge of worry.
Judy wiped her eyes, feeling much relieved from the tension and burden that she had just released. She caught Nick's hypnotic gaze and briefly got lost in the brilliance of his eyes, dull though they currently were. She got brought back to reality when the seriousness of the fox's weary face caught her attention.
"Did you mean it?"
Judy blinked in surprise. She wasn't prepared for the question. Her eyes betrayed a hint of understanding, though.
"What…?"
Nick closed his eyes with a sigh.
"Do you love me?"
The question almost made the rabbit's eyes become as wide as saucers. It also released butterflies inside her chest. After the initial shock of the question, Judy's eyes lowered a bit. A blush spread into her face and ears. A slight nervous grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as she shyly avoided eye contact, rubbing the back of her neck. He heard her say that? For some reason, she hadn't thought she would be finally having this conversation with Nick on what had moments earlier been the fox's deathbed. She hadn't been prepared. Judy sat up from where she had been laying across his chest, sitting back in the space of the overly large bed that she occupied.
Judy wanted to think through her answer, to carefully word it, but her heart had other plans as she whispered out her answer
"Yes."
The doe gasped as she realized the significance of the word she just spoke.
Oh, Oh, Oh my... I said it!... Why didn't I think it through?!
'What do you mean? What is there to think through? You love him don't you?"
Well, yes, but maybe he doesn't feel the same.
Judy felt a rush of worried thoughts go through her mind. Would he feel the same way? What will he say? Why did she say 'yes?' This was stupid. She shouldn't have said anything. She was just being a dumb bunny. Did she just end their friendship? She just ended their friendship. Oh sweet cheese and crackers. Oh, no. She had to repair the damage. This was not how she wanted this to go down. Oh sweet cheese and crackers. She started to panic as she blurted out her a bunch of words aiming to mend the damage she did.
"O-O-Of course, I completely understand if you don't have, you know- feelings for me. I-I I'm just being a dramatic. I don't know why I said it. Don't know why I said it. I-I mean, I-I-I totally understand if…"
It all happened so fast. Judy didn't have time to prepare.
Her eyes widened in surprise. Her ears shot upward, but they soon fell back down as her whole body felt like it turned to melting butter.
Any words the rabbit had been about to speak were forgotten with the passionate kiss given by the fox.
Oh sweet cheese and crackers…
She closed her eyes as the sensation washed over her. She felt tears begin to return to her eyes.
Her shoulders slumped down as her body became like putty in that moment. Judy could not think. The kiss took away her ability. She could only feel, and she felt… good. It warmed her body.
Nick broke away, exhausted but proud and amused at the sight before him. The fox felt like he had just ran a marathon, and he was not an endurance runner. But, it was worth it.
He collapsed back into his pillow with strained but happy breaths. He still felt weak, but he managed a knowing smile as a dazed Judy started to open her eyes.
She sat there swaying back and forth, one of her ears caught on her shoulder. She had a dreamy look on her face as a grin started to tug at the corners of her mouth. A blush filled her face and ears as she started to giggle, clearly with her mind being elsewhere.
Nick could only give a weak chuckle at the silly rabbit above him, a happy tear descending his cheek.
"You talk too much. And yes, Judy, I do love you, in case you haven't figured it out."
Judy gave the biggest smile Nick had ever seen in the two years he has known her, snapping out of her trance and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I love you too, ya sly fox."
Nick felt his heart skip a beat at the word, 'love.' He gazed longingly into her eyes, a smile on both of their faces. They loved each other. Their secret feelings were now in the open for both to see. They took in each other's faces like it was the first time they had seen each other, but the sound of someone clearing their throat made the lovers jump in surprise.
Bogo stood near the doorway with a curious trace of a grin on his face. He had an eyebrow raised.
"Nice to see you back from the dead, Wilde."
Nick grinned sheepishly, blushing a bit. He had not realized that there could have been others in the room, but he again he was struck by that 'dead' word that left an uneasiness on his mind.
"Uh, thanks, Chief. Um, was I really... dead?"
Bogo nodded in confirmation.
Judy tightened her hold on his paw as she gave him a look that told him the whole story of the pain and torment she had gone through before.
"They tried to resuscitated you for 20 minutes. I-it was awful." She choked out that last part remembering the moment.
Nick heart dropped at the look in his bunny's eyes. It must have really hurt her. He gave a compassionate stroke of her cheek. Judy closed her eyes at the touch, the pain from earlier forgotten.
Nick grinned at Judy's pleasure before turning back to the police chief with a weak smirk, feeling stronger with each passing moment but yet still weak.
"Guess you still have to put up with me then, eh Chief?"
Bogo snorted, amused by Nick's remark but not going to show it.
Nick chuckled but then fell silent as he noticed Judy's parents in the corner for the first time. He suddenly felt self-conscious that he had just kissed Judy in their presence, not to mention the other affectionate touches he had made as well.
Oh crap… Well... this is embarrassing.
His pale face regained some of its color as an embarrassed blush fell on his face. He tried to mask it with a nervous laugh, but that didn't work very well.
"Oh, uh haha, err, hello?"
Bonnie smiled as she walked up to the bed and laid a paw on one of Nick's legs.
"Hello. Nice to meet you again. Although, we wished it would be under better circumstances."
Stu strode up behind his wife, and placed a paw on Judy's shoulder as he addressed Nick.
"Yeah, you had everyone worried for a bit there. Haha… eh…"
The older rabbit gave a sigh, closing his eyes for a brief moment.
Nick's heart dropped. He had an idea of what this rabbit was going to say next, knowing his former views on foxes.
Uh, oh…
A quick glance at Judy revealed her nose twitching with excitement, a sign that she was a bit anxious and dreading what her father could say next. She was thinking the same thing as he was. She took a quick glance back at him but then back at her father. Nick felt her grip tighten on his paw.
After trying to gather his thoughts while rubbing his forehead, Stu continued
"So, um, that was sure a sight when you woke up just then. Uh, got to say—"
Stu stole a quick glance at his wife.
"—we weren't expecting that, err… any of it. When you came back to life, haha. Err, but the moment between you and Jude, err… the kiss—"
Bonnie rolled her eyes as she smacked her husband's shoulder.
"Stu! Do you have to bring that up now? He almost died, and you want to have this conversation now?"
Stu glanced between his wife and the couple, who were giving each other nervous looks.
"Well, we can't just ignore it, Bon! I mean… we'll have to address it soon or later. Might as well just put everything on the table now."
The rabbit farmer's eyes searched for permission to continue from his wife's eyes. Bonnie gave him an eyeroll that gave him the go ahead.
Stu turned back to his daughter and her partner with a quick sigh, trying to find the words to best explain what he wanted to say.
"Look, Judy? Nick? What you two have going on here is… uh, special… I mean, have you ever heard of a fox and rabbit couple? I sure haven't, err, but anyway, Nick, I think you are a great guy, great fox, don't get me wrong, and… Err… I can't believe I'm going to say this... But, me and Bonnie here have been talking, and I would—"
"—We—" Bonnie corrected.
"—we would like to say that we're… we're fine with you…two…being… you know… together."
Judy and Nick's jaws dropped. They both had expected Judy's parents to definitely not be okay with it.
Judy blinked in surprise, squeezing Nick's paw hard, almost making him yelp with pain, but he gritted his teeth to prevent it. Judy let go of his paw after feeling Nick tense up, giving him an apologetic smile before turning towards her parents again.
"Are you serious? You aren't going to be… mad?"
Bonnie shook her head with a smile.
"No no no no, we aren't mad. We were a bit shocked at first when we realized it, but we talked about it, and yeah, we're fine with it. Now that doesn't mean that it isn't going to take some getting used to, haha. But, whatever makes our little Jude happy. Even if that means having a fox as a boyfriend." She smiled as she squeezed Nick's leg.
Judy felt a twinge of embarrassment. They had 'realized it.' They must have figured it out before they got here, but she felt relief at her parent's words. She had thought that it would have been harder to convince them. But now, she didn't have to. That was one less thing they had to worry about. Now that Judy's parents were giving their support, all that was left was to deal with the backlash from the city, which Judy knew was going to happen. Were they ready for it? That doesn't matter right now. All that mattered now was that Nick was alive and her parents just gave their permission for her to be in a relationship with him. It was exciting.
She looked back at Nick with an excited smile, expecting to see one too, but instead found the fox staring at where her mother had squeezed his leg, his face having a mix of confusion and fear creeping into it.
Judy's smile faded a bit with confusion but slowly began to realize why he looked the way he did. What was it that doctor had said? That Nick would not be able to move from the waist down…
Oh no. Please don't panic, Nick. Please…
"Nick?"
Concern was in her voice as she squeezed his paw, trying to get him to look at her, but Nick's eyes remained locked on his legs.
Nick blinked in confusion.
"I- I can't feel my legs. J-Judy, why… why can't I feel my legs? I- I- I can't feel my legs. I can't move th…"
He whimpered as he tried to move his legs, but found he couldn't. Why couldn't he move his legs? He began to panic. He couldn't move his legs…
Bogo tried to call out for Nick to calm down.
"Wilde!"
The fox didn't listen. He had worked himself into a frenzy, breathing heavily. It wasn't good for his condition, and Judy knew it. The fox started to whine and whimper, even growl. Why couldn't he move his legs? He couldn't walk! What was happening? His legs should move. They weren't. He should have been able to feel Judy's mom's squeeze, but he didn't. What was happening?! This isn't happening. This was all a dream. He would wake up to find himself slipping out of bed and walking to his dresser, where he would push his legs through his pants. Then he would walk to go meet Judy and walk to the precinct, but NO, this wasn't a dream. This was real.
I can't feel my legs! No no no no no! This isn't happening. I need to walk if I am going to keep my job! I love my job!
"Nick."
The fox froze at sound of the stern voice of Judy. He felt a paw on his arm. A shiver ran through his body at the touch. His paws were clammy and trembled with fear and shock. Why couldn't he move his legs?
He let out a whine, his eyes begging for an answer.
Judy felt her heart cry out with sympathy for Nick. Her parents had taken a few steps back from the crazed fox. Judy did no such thing. She took his face in her paws so there will be no misunderstanding. She understood that Nick was shocked, confused, and not in his right mind. She would be too, but he had to calm down or else he may hurt himself more. And she would not allow that to happen.
She gave him a stern but yet compassionate gaze as she talked to him in a clear but slightly commanding voice.
"Nick, you fell out a window. Remember? Your spine got damaged—no no shh- Don't worry. The doctors say that there may be an operation they can do to get it back to normal, but even then, it may be a while until you walk again. Until then, you need to stay calm, so relax. Okay? For me?"
Nick blinked, unable to move at first, but he slowly nodded. He lay back down onto his pillow, wincing at the pain in his stomach. He let out another whimper.
Judy stroked his fur.
"Just relax, Nick. It's going to be fine."
Nick exhaled slowly. This was a lot to take in. So, he had fallen out a window. That explains it, but was the injury serious? He hoped not, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. He felt a need to comply with Judy. Her voice soothed him. She was calm, why shouldn't he?
Nick tried to regulate his breathing.
"Right. Okay… I need to calm down… calm down… chill….. relax. I got this…"
Judy patted his shoulder with an affectionate smile as Nick talked away his worry and panic.
"That's it. You foxes, so emotional."
Nick huffed at the remark, a grin breaking from the worried complexion on his face.
"Sly bunny."
Judy placed a kiss on his forehead with a smirk.
"Dumb fox."
Nick closed his eyes at her kiss as he felt the warm feeling spread through his mind, soothing away his troubles. He let out a tired sigh. He was still exhausted and weak, but he felt active and, most importantly, alive.
"Thanks, Carrots. I needed that."
"Anything for my fox… Don't worry. I'll be with you every step of the way. Promise."
Judy smiled down at Nick as she stroked his head fur. She felt the tension leave him.
She let out a giggle after his ear began to twitch when she scratched a certain spot on his neck.
"I'm just glad you're okay. You don't know how hard it was when I thought you were dead."
Nick opened one of his eyes with a grin, enjoying the attention.
"Try being the one who was dead."
Bogo sighed as he rolled his eyes. This had gone on long enough. As much as he enjoyed watching the two lovers interact, something he would not breathe a word about to anyone, he admitted that it was time for the doctors to come back in.
Judy's parents had already moved away from the couple and sat down in a far corner of the room with a mixture of embarrassment, unease, and amusement at the couple's antics.
The cape buffalo stepped forward towards the bed.
"Okay, you two, that's enough. We still need to tell the doctors the you're still alive, Wilde. Which means that this is going to have to wait."
Nick looked at the cape buffalo, a smirk on his face.
"Ahh! But I was enjoying being dead. You think I got this much attention when I was alive? 'To be or not to be? That's the question.' I would choose 'not to be'… if it meant having Carrots see… her feelings for me… you see?"
Judy rolled her eyes with a blush at the remark, but she knew from the tone in Nick's voice that he was about start sounding off jokes. She held back a giggle.
Here we go…
Nick grinned, still feeling weak but feeling a need to distract himself and those around him from his condition with humor.
He gave a sigh, as he shook away the thoughts that troubled his mind.
"Wow, all this talk of death is depressing. How about some jokes? How about this?... Why do cemeteries have fences around them?... Because people are dying to get in! Haha! Get it? Dying…"
Judy face palmed, amused that Nick was feeling better, but she hid it as she tried to talk him out of a session of 'Jokes with Nick.' The doctors needed to some back into the picture and she knew it. This was no time for Nick to distract himself. Judy knew Nick better than anyone. She knew that whenever he felt uncomfortable and troubled when he was around others he would try to distract himself and the others with a tirade of bad jokes and other humorous remarks. It was a defense mechanism, if you will. Judy enjoyed it though, but now was no time for it.
"Okay, Slick Nick, don't start with the death jokes. You need some rest. The doctors need to come check up on you."
Nick frowned as he lay back in his bed.
"Okay, okay, fine. Go tell the doctor… Just tell him that I am only dead from the waist down and to arrange for me to be half-buried! Haha!"
Judy forced herself to look annoyed. No, she couldn't give in. She had to play the part of a stronger and more responsible partner, but she was by no means not thoroughly amused by the Nick's joke.
"For a dead fox, you sure talk a lot."
Another stupid smirk.
"Well, I have been dying to do so, Carrots."
She rolled her eyes.
"Ugh! You're such a pain."
"You know you love me."
Judy had to do something to stop him before he made her lose it, so she laid a kiss on Nick's muzzle. His eyes closed as he became absorbed by it.
After a long kiss, Judy broke away from a dazed fox. Victory was in her eyes as Nick seemed to melt where he lay, as dreamy-eyed as could be and, most importantly, seeming to be incapable of speech.
"There! That shut you up. And do I know that? Yes, yes I do."
Nick slowly opened his eyes with a whine, wanting more… but he couldn't let Judy win that easily. He made an overly dramatic face as the mischievous light returned to his eyes.
"Oh Carrots, you'll be the death of me."
That's it.
A snort of laughter escaped from the paw covering Judy's mouth, as she broke down into a fit of giggles. After a moment, she tried to regain an annoyed expression on her face, wiping tears from her eyes, but was failing badly.
"Ugh, why do I love you so much?"
Nick smiled weakly at Judy's failure to hide her amusement but beamed with pride. He won, but why end there…
"I don't know. Why did you wait so long to tell me? I've been dying to hear it."
So, what do you think? ;) I didn't kill him after all. And now the story takes its first transition. The question has changed from 'Is Nick dead?' to 'Will he ever walk again?'
That's the question that I expect to be on all you minds, cause although this chapter ended off with lots of light humor the chapters ahead are going to get emotional again. It wont be as intense as before, but it will be emotional for Nick and Judy.
SO! I hoped you enjoyed the drama so far. Now, I am going to continue you it but now of course with more 'fluff' since Nick and Judy are now going to be a couple. I wonder what society will think about that? What about their friends? Bogo seemed fine with it, but how will the rest of the precinct react? The rest of Judy's family?
Nick and Judy will need each other more than ever in the times to come if they will be strong enough to make it through.
Tell me what you guys think. Remember to post a review, follow, and put this story down as a favorite.
Thanks for reading! It means a lot.
Until next time, [because I do not plan to leave the story off here. ;)]
StoryCrusader
