Chapter 10 – Foxy Tales
Finally, the pain killers Nick had taken in the hotel kicked in. So he needed to suppress a laugh when he saw Clawhauser's face muscles pull up the chubby cheeks to a grin as soon as he saw them – and change the face into a shocked grimace when he recognized the state of them. "Oh my god!", he exclaimed while jumping from his chair and ran towards them, kicking over two boxes of donuts that rolled all over the floor. "What happened? I'll call the doc down here…" – "No, you don't!", shouted Nick to him, "We need to see the chief, no more delays! Is Bogo in his office?" Clawhauser looked at the clock above his reception desk. "He just started the briefing for the afternoon shift in the bull pen…" – "Then we'll wait in his office…" – "No, no, he explicitly said you should come to the briefing as soon as you… you are here!", he starting sobbing and Judy was shocked to see large tears rolling out of the cheetah's eyes. "My god, Benji, get a grip on yourself, will you? You're a cop, for crying out loud, you sit at the front desk, the last thing people want to see when they come here for help…", she reprimanded him. Clawhauser nodded and continued the sentence, "… is a fat parody of a cop crying like a girly-girl, I know…", he wiped his eyes, got out a handkerchief the size of a table cloth and blew his nose noisily. "I always forget that you are so much tougher than you look, you are soooo cu…" – "Don't say it! I told you, don't you dare use the c-word on me!" They limped off to the bull pen and Judy shook her head, "Man, I like that guy, I really do, but sometimes I could kick his fat butt, but I doubt he would even notice…"
Then they stood in front of the briefing room door. "Okay, brace for impact!", Nick said and in they went. They walked silently through the middle aisle while Bogo spoke, "… we still had no clue this morning, but currently two officers are following a new trail and… speaking of the devil, here they are!" He smiled at them, but only for a second until he looked above his reading glasses to see how they looked like. "Goodness gracious, Judy, Nick, what the hell has happened to you?" For the first time he called them by first name and his loud strong voice was suddenly full of concern. Nick raised his hand to a salute, his voice was low and soft. "I am sorry, sir, but we only can report that we have utterly disappointed you." He looked to the floor, his entire body limp. Don't overdo it, Nick! Judy thought. Bogo looked from one to another, "But… what had happened? Who did that to you?" He inhaled deeply and looked around, "Okay, the rest of you guys are dismissed!" He waited til the room had cleared. The officers from the afternoon shift looked at them full of pity. When the door had closed, Bogo told them to sit down and took the chair opposite from them. Nick started his report. According to him, they had observed a wolf and a polar bear acting suspiciously around a fancy SUV. When they had left and entered the Oasis Hotel, the two cops had followed them and with the help of a receptionist had managed to find out which room they had. Judy than had used her excellent hearing to eavesdrop on the two suspects, but they had to open the door a bit as the rooms in the hotel are soundproof. Bogo nodded impatiently. Just when they had heard that these guys just tried to sell the car on the net with a fake name so the wife of the polar bear who happened to be the car's owner wouldn't notice – obviously they were in the middle of a dirty divorce process – one of them noticed the open door, discovered the two officers and attacked immediately. According to Nick, the two officers had tried their best but the two wannabe culprits could escape.
"We were able to get the identities from the receptionist later on", Nick said and nodded to Judy, who gave Bogo the two printouts from the names Nick had told her. "But I think, they are fake. Unfortunately, we didn't got the license plate of the SUV, but it belongs to the wife of the white guy.
Bogo nodded again and looked at the printouts. "A wolf and a polar bear?", he asked, "For that, you two still look quite good, I must say." Judy looked to the floor. She has never been so ashamed. Not only that the things that had really happened would wreck her reputation once and for all, but Nick had told Bogo this fake story in a way that she was the one doing everything right and he did all the mistakes. Judy had discovered the car, she had gotten the identities from the receptionist and so on. Bogo had seen her reaction and misunderstood it, "Officer Hopps, don't look so ashamed. I know perfectly well that you want to show your worth and prove to me that you deserve to wear the badge. Rest assured, you are. I think I made a big mistake when you arrived here 9 months ago and I underestimated you. I am sorry about that."
That made it even worse. If he had yelled at her, suspended her or whatever, she would have felt better. But the last thing she'd expected was that he smiled at her in that way and praised her. Nick made it even worse, "You should have seen her fight, sir, she was attacking with legs, teeth and claws. I am really glad, she's on our side." – "Looks like you both did well out there. There are not many officers your size that had a fight with a wolf and a polar bear and lived to tell the tale. And now enough with that sulky faces. I know you think you screwed up, but I know what had happened…", he grinned, "you two wanted to solve the case, you were so eager that you forgot all the rules and even told dispatch you didn't need any back up. Man, the entire city counsel is on me for that damned stolen cars, if I was out there with you, it might as well had gotten me, too… Don't worry, I won't rip off your heads or what's left of them." He patted them on their shoulders with his mighty hooves and Nick winced under the weight. "What bad chief would I be if I don't know how you rookie cops are ticking… I certainly won't punish you for doing the right things at the wrong time. So, go up to the doc, she should patch you up, you two are on sick leave the rest of today…" he looked them up and down, "and tomorrow, too, I think." He turned his head to the large duty roster on the wall, "Wednesday you'll change to night shift anyway, so you have more than 48 hours to lick your wounds."
That was too much for Judy, "But sir, we could…" – "Officer Hopps, I just gave an order and I think, even with one ear damaged you have understood or haven't you? Doc – Home – Back on Wednesday night! Have your report of that… incident ready by then. Dismissed!" Silently they walked out of the briefing room. Judy felt bad about all this. Not only that Nick had took all the blame and had painted a colorful picture of her beating up a wolf and a polar bear, no, they now had gotten a 48 hour break they didn't deserve at all.
Even worse, as soon as they reached the reception desk, there stood officers Tony, his wolf partner Fangmeyer and another team, Bullhorn and MacMahon. A breathless Clawhauser had obviously just filled them in about what had happened as all four were staring at Nick and Judy in shock. The elegant tabby cat pounced on Judy. "Oh, what did they do to your beautiful face?", she cried out and took Judy in her slender arms lifting her high above the ground like a child. "Kitty, cut it out, please…", Judy sighed. But Kitty had taken a look at Nick and dropped Judy unceremoneously on the floor to attack the fox with a tight hug. "Nicky, not you, too… poor little foxy…" – "Ouch, ouch, ouch, Kitty, you're breaking even more of my ribs… let go, will you? Man!" He had freed himself and looked embarassed as the three male officers smirked at the scene. "What do you guys do here anyway? Shouldn't you be on patrol?", Nick asked. Bullhorn, the rhino, snorted. "We had to take care of a major accident on highway 45, took us four hours! Fifteen cars totalled…" – "Actually, only fourteen", intervened Kitty, "but Officer Stampede here…", she pointed at Bullhorn, "… stepped on a mouse's car, the poor little fellow was so mad at us, I can tell you… now were here to do a ton of paperwork…" Kitty's chatter was stopped by chief Bogo's voice coming out of the speaker on Clawhauser's desk. "Is this MacMahon's voice I hear?", he yelled. Clawhauser pressed the button, "Yes, sir, she, Bullhorn, Tony and Fangmeyer just reported back from that accident on fourtyfive…" – "Tell that mangy cat she is to make sure that Hopps and Wilde see the doctor, than she should give them a ride home in an unmarked car – I don't want the two ride the bus looking like that… would draw a bad picture of the department." The speaker clicked off.
Kitty grinned, throwing her notepad to Bullhorn, "Okay, Chubby Checker, you heard the boss… hope you can read my handwriting, have fun with all the paperwork!", She took the paws of Judy and Nick and pulled them forward. When passing by her partner, her tail swished over his face. Judy felt like a little kid being lead from the playground when recess was over, she heard the rhino grumble "I hate her when she does this…"
The walked up on the 2nd floor where the infirmary was. Alyssa Mwabene, V.M.D., an ancient lioness who was patching up cops since the lord had separated the light from the darkness, was already standing in the doorframe, "Man, old Buffalo Butt had not exaggerated when he called me two minutes ago… walk right in, you two, I have two nice cosy stretchers prepared…", she took a look at Kitty's model figure, "And you? Bulimia?" Kitty pressed her paws in her hips, "Hell, no!", she replied, adding a nearly inaudible "… not any more…" – "Then wait outside, puss!" She slammed the door in Kitty's furious face, then pulled a curtain between the two stretchers, remaining on Judy's side. "Okay, ladies first… strip!" At least she turned around while Judy pulled off her torn uniform. Judy hoped the doc wouldn't notice that she was not wearing any underwear. When Mwabene turned back and looked at Judy's maimed body she whistled. "Wow, looks like you had gone savage during some sexual innuendo wit that hottie of a fox over there, haven't you?" Judy stared at her with eyes wide open while she heard Nick gasping on the other side of the curtain. The lioness threw her head back and let out a roar that made Judy's sensible ears ring. "I was kidding, fluff butt, just kidding! Man, these new cops can't take a joke, no one told you that laughing is the best medicine? Okay, we'll start at your legs here and work our way up…" She was busy desinfecting, cleaning, taping and putting band-aids on.
When she reached Judy's hips, she murmured, "I'll be darned, these scratches here… if I wouldn't know better…" She took a closer look, than her face became serious. "Fox: Out!", she just said looking at Judy. The huge golden eyes of the lioness made her feel even smaller. Nick said, "What? Why, you haven't even…" – "I said out! Wait on pussy cats lap if you want, but leave us alone!" Nick groaned while he forced himself from the stretcher. After he closed the door, Dr Mwabene sat on the stretcher next to Judy. "I have seen these kind of marks before… girl, these two guys who attacked you… have they raped you?" – "Wh… what? No, no, they didn't!" – "Spread your legs, gal!", she had taken a speculum from one of the drawers. "Listen, doc, I don't think this is…" – "Yeah, but I do and you know the deal, I am your superior in everything regarding your health and I could make this an order if you do not comply!" Judy had no choice. Every part of her face not covered by fur went crimson. The lioness inserted the instrument in Judy's vagina and shook her head, "I don't need to ask if you'd been sexually active in the last 24 hours… you're so full of cum… but here we also have some healed miniature tissue ruptures, these can't be from today…", she continued. "Listen, doc, I… I have a boyfriend… and he, I mean we… we may have gotten a bit taken away, while… and it was my first time…" Judy had closed her eyes, man, this was so embarrassing and that old bitch hurt her with that stupid telescope she had inserted. The doctor sighed, "Man, your little bunny friend must be rather well equipped… and you tell the truth, don't you? It is no shame, I could arrange a meeting with the counselor…" – "No, no, I swear on my badge that this was not done by those guys we tried to arrest!" The doc nodded slowly, "And these claw marks here are not from your boyfriend?" – "That happened in the hotel room today!" Judy hoped the doc wouldn't notice that she had not answered her question directly. Without any word, she treated the other wounds. When she put a balm on Judy's swollen face, Judy asked her to check the tooth that had become loose. "It will grow in when you can resist wiggling it – at least, I think that, I am not a fucking dentist. But your ear… this is really bad. I wonder if the nerve is still working…", she pressed a cotton pad with desinfectant on the rupture in Judy's ear that made Judy nearly hit the ceiling. "That's a good sign. I'll use a spatula to create a splint for that ear to hold it up… I hope in two or three days you can lift it yourself again. Okay, you can dress and send that fox in…"
Half an hour later, Nick came out of the infirmary. He wore no shirt, his chest was covered in a white adhesive tape bandage. "Two broken ribs, another one cracked", he tried to smile but didn't fully succeed. "Does it hurt badly?", Kitty asked silently, "It will when I have to remove this, will rip off my fur for good…" Kitty drove them to Nick's place and reacted surprised when Judy got out of the car with Nick. "I thought you are living at Pangolin's… wait…", her eyes doubled in size, "… have you moved in his…" – "No, of course not!", Judy said quickly, "but Bogo wants that report done and we'll better do it now as long as the memories are fresh. Hey Kitty, our car's still parked in front of ZPD main entrance, would you take care, please?" Kitty MacMahon nodded, "Of course, Judy. You two, get well soon!"
They watched her drove off, then they went into Nick's pitch black apartment. Judy slumped down on the sofa, "That has been the worst day in my life! And it's all my fault for forgetting that stupid pill! I could have lost everything, my job, my entire life, everything I dreamed for…" – "Who cares, we got out of this mess together, didn't we? Don't feel bad my sweet little cotton tail…" Very slowly, Nick sat down next to her. "You don't really want to write that fucking report now, do you?", he asked. "No, you will write it", she replied. "It's your fucking story, so you better make it good. We're not out yet, Bogo might still stumble over the holes in your fairy tale of the brave bunny beating the shit out of two giant predators ten times her size." – "Okay, carrots, but not today. I'll lie down and don't get up before tomorrow. But not without my favourite pillow…", he grabbed Judy and pressed his face against hers, covering it with kisses. Judy giggled, "Stop that, be careful about my ear, you big stupid fox. And don't dream of us doing anything else but sleeping in your bed, okay?", she smiled at him, then added: "Maybe tomorrow…", Nick pressed his paw against his hurt ribs, "Maybe next week…", he sighed, his eyes already closed. So they lied together on the sofa, dozing off, when Judy said, "As you wish, Mr Fox, sir!"
Next chapter: Lots of action and drama as our heroes finally found a REAL clue in the stolen car case and the trace is much hotter than they expected! Stay tuned!