(A/N: WooHoo! another 10,000+ chapter! I hope you're ready for it! Am I preventing you from reading? Sorry, I'll just get out of your way, then. Please enjoy! ;)
Judy pushed open the door to Nick's hospital room, a slight squeak emanating from the hinges that had seen many uses. As soon as the door had opened slightly, the smell of sterility hit Judy's nose. The pungent odor that could only be associated with hospitals stung her nostrils and incited a slight grimace from her. She had always disliked hospitals, though she never said she hated them. She knew that they were good places, dedicated to helping those in need and saving lives, but she had always felt depressed when she entered one because there was usually a pretty bad reason that she was there.
This time was no exception.
The door swung open fully, revealing a bed, a lot of complicated medical equipment, which included an IV drip that was connected to the fox that lay in the bed. Several other cords and wires hung from the bed, making sure that the doctor always knew what was going on with Nick's vitals. There was also a screen that displayed Nick's heart rate. A subtle beep came from the equipment by the bed, seemingly echoing in the silence that engulfed the room. Judy looked at the bed, seeing the shell of the fox that she once knew. He lay in the bed, the slight rising and falling of his breathing evident in the sheets. Judy slowly approached the bed, dreading what she may see.
It was just as bad as she thought. His face was pale, and he definitely looked like he was on his last leg. His breathing was shallow and quick, and he did not move an inch, except for the rising and falling of his chest. She grabbed hold of Nick's paw, squeezing gently. Judy held his right paw in both of hers, and brought it up to her lips and kissed it, then gently set his paw back onto the bed, where it lay motionless.
"Nick… it's me, Judy. I know you probably can't hear me right now, but I just want to let you know that I'm here. I'm not going to leave your side." Judy said with tear-filled eyes. Her sobs broke some of the words, making her speech slightly difficult to understand. Dr. Venetti pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and allowed Judy to sit next to Nick as he lay completely unaware of the world around him.
"Nick, I want you to know that I love you. I always have, and I'm not going to stop now. We can get through this together. You said it yourself. You said that everything was going to be alright. I want you to know that everything will be alright. I've come to terms with that now. I didn't think it would in the beginning, but I do now. When this is all over and done, I know that things will turn out alright…" Judy said, but was interrupted by the door opening. Judy looked up after hearing the sound of the door, and she saw a figure standing in the doorway, shrouded by shadows. When the figure stepped forward, Judy was graced with the appearance of none other than Veronica Wilde. The vixen stood on the other end of the room, looking at Judy and her son who was laying in a hospital bed. Judy quickly got to her feet and ran over to Veronica. Judy embraced the vixen with open arms. Veronica's eyes were already filled with tears, and Judy was sobbing uncontrollably.
"I came as quickly as I could. They told me he was in critical condition." Veronica said in between sobs.
"He's doing fine, now. I'm glad that you're here." Judy said, hardly comprehensible. Dr. Venetti and Officer Fangmeyer both stood next to each other, watching the scene unfold in front of them. Judy gave a quick glance to the deer and the tiger, and she could have sworn that she saw Fangmeyer wipe away some tears from his eyes. Judy held Veronica's paw as they walked the short distance to Nick's bedside. Another chair was brought over and Veronica took a seat, sliding it as close to the bed as she could.
"Nick, look who's here. It's mom…" Judy said. Veronica's eyes moved to Judy for a split second before returning to Nick.
"Nicky, it's your dear mother… I miss you darling... I'm here for you. Judy is here for you. Everyone is here for you." she said, more tears flowing from her eyes. She stared at his face, taking in the morbid sight before her. She hated to see any mammal in a state like this. It was petrifying to think that something so simple could cause such devastation on a mammal. It made everything that much worse knowing that this was happening to her own flesh and blood, the last living piece of her husband that she had left. Veronica took Nick's paw, and held it with a firm grasp. She held his paw for a few moments before setting it back down. Veronica bowed her head and placed her folded paws on her forehead and closed her eyes. Then she knelt down on the ground, pushing the chair back a little ways, causing a high pitched screech that made the fur on Judy's neck stand on end. After a few moments, Veronica opened her eyes and looked up to the ceiling with new tears welling up in her eyes. Then she moved her paws to right below her chin, now placed flatly together. Slowly, her paws moved from her chin to sliding over her eyes as she broke down crying. A concerned look on Judy's face, she wrapped one of her arms around Veronica's shoulder. Judy's action slowly turned into a hug, which lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Soon enough, Veronica's sobs faded into the silence of the room which they were in.
"Judy, Ms. Wilde, there is something important that I would like to discuss with the two of you…" Dr. Venetti said. Whatever it was, Judy was sure that she would not like it. The vixen and the rabbit turned their attention to the deer. "This is something that is difficult for me to say. After Nick was brought here, we performed a CT scan on him. The results showed that the cancer has spread rapidly to his brain, bones, kidneys, and liver. Unfortunately, I'm not going to give him any more than two weeks to live, and that's at most. I know that it is hard to have this be his final resting place, so we do have the option of him being released in a couple of days where he can be made comfortable at home, spend his last moments in the comfort of his own bed. If that's something you'd be interested in, let me know. I'll give you some time to think about it if you need to." he said. Judy pondered the thought for a while, doing her best to hold back the river of tears that threatened to break through the dams she had built up. Veronica and Judy locked eyes and the vixen gave her a look that translated into, 'it's your choice.'
"I think I'll need some time to sleep on it. I'm not sure I want to make that decision right now." Judy said, a little bit choked up.. She received an understanding nod from Dr. Venetti.
"I'll give you some time to think about it. Just make sure that I get a definite yes or no by tomorrow." he replied. Judy returned a nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some other business to attend to." said Dr. Venetti. He quickly left the room and his footfalls slowly faded into quietness from outside the room. Judy and Veronica turned their attention to Nick, who had stirred slightly in his sleep. Judy looked hopeful that he was waking up, but she knew that the likelihood of that happening was very slim. She kept her eyes locked on Nick's pale and sickly face. It pained her to see the usually jovial and care-free fox in such a state of distress and weakness.
She kept her gaze fixed upon Nick for the greater part of a few hours, only occasionally looking away when she heard a noise coming from the hall. Each time footsteps were heard from the corridor, Judy's ears would go up and turn towards the door. She would be broken from her trance and quickly turn her attention to the door for just a few seconds, then return to Nick, ears once again falling flat behind her. There was so much going on in her head, and she was so focused on Nick that she didn't even notice when Veronica got up and left the room, then came back a few minutes later. After Dr. Venetti had been gone for about an hour, Fangmeyer was called on his radio and left the room, giving Judy a salute before exiting the room. She responded to his farewell without even looking away.
As time approached five o'clock, a nurse came into the room to check Nick's vitals, likely right before the end of his shift. The male raccoon quickly and quietly did his work, not exchanging any words with Judy or Veronica. After a few minutes, he was done and he left the room just as it was before he had entered. Veronica soon started giving Judy some worrying glances, noticing that the rabbit's eyes were slowly closing and then opening again as she struggled to stay awake, despite it only being the later afternoon.
"Judy, are you going to be alright?" Veronica asked, concerned for her daughter-in-law. Judy jumped when she heard her words, as if she was woken up from a light sleep, which very well may have been the case.
"What? No, I'm fine." Judy said, hoping to end the conversation there.
"Judy, you need to go home and get some rest. You can barely hold your head up." she said. Veronica did have a point there. She had been dozing off constantly for the last half hour, slowly closing her eyes and then falling forward, which would wake her up in a hypnagogic jerk.
"I suppose I should, but who's going to watch Nick?" she said. Judy was not about to let Nick lay in the bed without someone by his side. She would do whatever it took to make sure that he was alright. Veronica laughed a little on the inside when she heard Judy speak. 'She can hardly even think clearly. This poor bunny is going to hurt herself if this keeps up…'
"Judy, I'm his mother. I'm going to do whatever I can to be by his side. And when we can't be, he'll have the doctors and nurses to take care of him. Please just do me a favor and get some rest. I hate to see you in such a deplorable state." Judy thought about her statement. 'Do I really look that exhausted?' The day had been a very emotionally taxing one for sure. It was probably for the best if she went home.
"Ok. I probably should get some rest. But can you do one favor for me?" Judy asked. Veronica looked intently into Judy's violet orbs.
"What would that be?" she replied.
"Can you walk home with me?" Judy said, almost with a pleading tone. "I don't really have a ride. It's not too far from here either, about 20-ish minutes by walking." The vixen looked at Judy with an amused grin.
"You don't need to convince me, sweetheart. I wouldn't let you walk home on your own right now anyways." she said. A smile appeared on Judy's face, seeing that Nick's mother really cared for her a lot. Veronica stood up, holding out a paw for Judy. "C'mon. Let's get you home." she said. Judy gladly took the paw and walked out of the room, and for the first time in hours, she left Nick's side.
Filled mostly with silence and the occasional mindless small-talk, the walk to Judy's apartment was more or less uneventful. As the vixen and the doe approached the front door to the apartment, Veronica stopped Judy, giving her a serious look that contrasted her usually laid back look that she normally saw on Nick. The gaze threw Judy off a bit, but she figured that things were about to get serious.
"Judy…" the vixen began. She seemed to be getting choked up about something. "I really don't know how to say this, but I want to thank you. You have changed Nick's life. You made him worth something again. You turned his life around, you saved him, and there is no way that I can repay you for that." she said, scratching the back of her head as she looked at the concrete under her feet. Judy gave her a sympathetic look when she saw dark lines on the fur under her eyes.
"Listen, with all due respect, I didn't do anything. I just put a mirror to his heart and showed him what he already knew. I gave him a different perspective on life, and showed him that he already had a life worth living. The truth isn't that I saved him, it's that he saved himself. I learned from somewhere that mammals do not change. The mammal he is now was always inside of him, it was simply masked by the fear and hardship that he faced as a kit. I simply showed him how to take that mask off." Judy replied. By the time she had finished, there were tears welling up in her eyes as well, and Veronica had completely broken down into sobs. The two came together for a hug, and it was a hug that truly meant something special to the both of them.
"I'm really going to miss him…" Veronica said amongst her sobs. Judy was now holding her up because her knees had given out. Judy struggled to keep the vixen upright, because she was over three times her size. Judy slowly helped her to sit on the concrete steps of the apartment building and began comforting Veronica. The events of the day were really catching up with her. She had managed to keep her composure pretty well at the hospital, but now she was letting everything out all at once, and that was probably for the best.
"I know… I am too… we all are going to miss him." Judy sobbed. Her arm was around the fox's shoulder, and Judy had to stand one step above Veronica to do so. Judy's paw rested on Veronica's opposite arm, stroking side to side to ease the pain that welled in her heart. The two sat in silence, apart from the occasional car driving by and the sound of their suppressed cries. A few mammals entered and exited the building, giving the fox and the rabbit strange looks as they walked by. After a few more minutes, the two mammals had run out of tears for the day, and the sobbing ceased. Once again, they stood up and hugged for a short time, then exchanged caring glances.
"Make sure you get some rest. I want you to be well rested for tomorrow." Veronica said, smiling down at Judy.
"I'll be sure to do that." Judy replied. They both exchanged waves as Veronica walked back towards the hospital and Judy opened the door to the apartment building. It had seemed like ages since she'd last ascended the steps up to her fourth floor apartment, even though it had only been a day. The walk up the stairs aggravated her core muscles, which were still sore from the wedding night. She winced in pain each step she took.
She knew very well what had caused the pain, and that it would go away on it's own, but she still thought about what could possibly be coming in the future. The thought seemed to comfort her, rather than make her uneasy. She knew that it would be hard to go on, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. Judy really didn't know when to quit. She climbed the last step and then she hopped down the hallway to the room. She looked at the door, which had a large gash in it from when the ZFD had busted it open. 'At least they fixed the damage…' Judy noted, seeing that the door was locked and still latched properly. She turned the key and unlocked the door, walking into her dark and empty apartment. Everything else looked the way that she had left it that morning, as if nothing had gone wrong earlier that day. She stood in the doorway for a second, taking in the scene. From her pocket, she felt a buzz from her phone. Pulling out her phone, she looked at who might be calling her. The rabbit's heart sank when she saw Bogo's name appear on the screen. Reluctantly, she swiped across the screen to answer the call.
"This is Hopps…" she said, hoping not to get too much of an earful from the buffalo.
"Hopps. I just wanted to check on you, seeing the current circumstances." Bogo said, his voice completely void of it's normal tone. Instead of his voice being cold and emotionless, it was almost soothing and compassionate, which took Judy by surprise.
"I'm doing alright. I've just arrived at home, sir. I'll be fine." Judy replied.
"That's good to hear, Hopps. I'll assume you'll want tomorrow off?" Bogo asked. Now that was a shocker. Never did Judy think that he would ever give her so much time off.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have duties to fulfill. There will be no need to do that." Judy said. She really did want tomorrow off, but she had taken too much time off in the last month. She figured that working might help clear her mind.
"Duly noted. I'll be seeing you tomorrow then, Hopps. Have a good rest of your night." Bogo said.
"You too, sir." Judy said. She lowered the phone from her ear and tapped the red button on the screen to end the call. She stared at the wall in front of her for a few seconds before walking into the bedroom, finding it surprisingly clean. The bed was made and there was no pile of Nick's clothes in the middle of the floor like usual. Judy inhaled through her nostrils, finding that the room smelled much like Nick. The scent of the room calmed her down a bit, as she had been constantly on edge for the majority of the day. She jumped into the bed and pulled the sheets over her. 'I should get some pretty good sleep tonight…' Judy thought.
She couldn't have been any more wrong.
The whole night she had spent worrying about Nick. His scent kept making Judy think about him, which had kept her up most of the night. Anytime she did manage to fall asleep, she woke up within the hour and never really got any decent rest. Soon enough, Judy's alarm rang which made her nearly jump out of bed. The rabbit looked around, holding her body up with her arms placed behind her. She saw the bright illumination of the phone on the nightstand next to her bed, and she reached for the phone to shut off the alarm.
Reluctantly, she got out of bed and as quickly as a tired bunny could and got ready for another day on the force. She quickly hopped in and out of the shower, spending a little more time thoroughly drying her fur. She put on her neatly kept uniform and re-brushed the fur on top of her head, making sure that it didn't look like she had went straight from her bed to work. Hurriedly moving to the door, she looked over the empty apartment, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything important. When she was satisfied, she opened the door and shut it quietly behind her, locking it when it was fully closed.
Walking down the many flights of steps to the ground floor, she was lost in thought. So much had happened in so little time. Things really couldn't get much worse.
'But they could go so wrong in the blink of an eye.' she thought.
She did something out of the ordinary by jogging to the station rather than taking the subway, but seeing as though she had gotten three hours at the most for sleep last night, a quick jog would probably wake her up. She figured she could save some money by jogging to work, and in the process getting in better shape in the long run, but by the time she had made it, she was out of breath and struggling to stay steady. It wasn't too far of a jog, but her uniform wasn't made from the most breathable and comfortable material in the world. She slowly walked up the stairs to the station and opened the door, revealing the bustling lobby.
Mammals went by, to and fro, holding stacks of paper, officers handling detained mammals, citizens trying desperately to pay off parking and speeding violations before they had to be to work. The usual cheetah was sitting at the front desk, of course not paying attention to anything that was going on around him. Judy wobbled over to the desk to do her morning greeting.
"H… how's it going… Clawhauser?" Judy said in a half whisper, still struggling for oxygen. He looked around until his eyes moved down, spotting the hunched over rabbit in front of his desk.
"I think a little better than you. What happened?"
"I decided to jog to work today instead of taking the subway. I regret this decision entirely!" Judy huffed. She began breathing more normally and she leaned against the desk.
"That makes me out of breath even thinking about it. You poor thing!" Clawhauser said, clutching his chest as if he'd just ran a marathon. "Oh, by the way, Chief wanted to talk to you. He's in his office."
"Ok, thanks. Have a good day!" Judy said. Before she could walk away, Clawhauser spoke again.
"Hey, Judy. I need to ask you something really quick." Judy turned back around and focused her attention on Ben. "You remember when I helped you out a few weeks ago." Judy did recall how he helped them find Nick's mother. She still wasn't quite sure what he was getting at.
"Yes. I do recall. What about it?" Judy asked.
"Where did the reward donuts go?" Judy's brow lowered and her eyes became narrow as she looked at the cheetah with a goofy grin on his face.
"So what you're saying is that I'm on leave for a while?" Judy asked. She did not like the way this conversation was going.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Until this whole thing with Wilde gets sorted out, you are to be working as little as possible. I still don't think you should be here today, but you should have some time to work before things get more complicated than they already are." Bogo said. He had a fantastic point there. Things were destined to get very complicated in a matter of time, and that was something that Judy needed to be prepared for at work by getting as much paperwork done as possible. That was not very appealing to Judy, but she knew that arguing was pointless, and so she accepted.
"While that would be great, I honestly don't think I will have much time to work. As soon as Nick wakes up, I'm going to be responsible for taking care of him. Getting help is going to be difficult, so I'll be dedicating most of my time to him. It's just how it's going to be." Judy said. Bogo nodded.
"I understand that, Hopps. We will just have to take things as they come. It's a tough situation, and I've dealt with things like this before. When you don't know what the future holds, it can be difficult to make a quick decision, so for now, you'll be on temporary leave. Is that clear?" Bogo said.
"Yes, sir." Judy said, still less than happy about the situation.
"Splendid, you're dismissed. No assignment today. You and Jackson will be in the office."
Judy got up from her chair and left Bogo's office, slowly closing the door behind her making sure to not make too much of a noise when it shut. She walked down the hallway and down the stairs. Judy thought about her conversation with Bogo. She had never worked so little since she first began at the ZPD, and now, there was an unknown amount of time that she would be forced to be away. She thought a little more, remembering that there was someone much more important than her career that she need to take care of. Yeah, Nick was definitely more important than her job. She wouldn't neglect Nick's condition and force his poor mother to do it all alone. That just wasn't who Judy was. She would tough it out, even if things do get to be a lot to handle.
In her cubicle, Judy typed away on her computer, sorted through piles of paperwork, constantly walked over to the other side of the cubicle to sharpen her pencil, and hummed along to various songs which were stuck in her busy mind. She had done a pretty good job staying awake throughout the morning. Soon enough, the small analog clock on her desk showed that it was time for lunch. Judy logged out of her computer, then she hopped down from her swivel chair and out of the cubicle. She walked down a few rows from her own space and found the gray-furred wolf still sitting in her desk, frantically looking through a large stack of papers. Judy knocked on the wall of the cubicle, and Jessie's ears shot up and she looked around, trying to find where the sound came from.
"Ready for lunch?" Judy said. The wolf set the stack on her desk and turned around in her chair and looked at Judy, a grin appearing on her face.
"Is it that time already?"
"Yep. Let's go… unless you don't want any food."
"I'm not going to protest. I didn't have any breakfast this morning." Jessie said, raising both her paws up. The wolf and the rabbit walked away from the cubicle farm and down to the lobby of the station. They stood in amongst the few other mammals in the lobby.
"What do you feel like?" Judy asked.
"Have you tried Mariano's Pizzeria?" Judy was instantly reminded of her last shift with Nick, and how they had been recognized by the hare, then they had to wait forever to get their pizza. Luckily they had gotten it for free. Judy thought it would probably be a good idea to give it another shot.
"Yeah. I think that'd be fine." Judy said. They both walked out of the station and into the open air, which had now been filled with rain. Just this morning it was clear and nice outside, but now it was pouring outside! They both quickly ran back into the station and both got the same idea.
"Let's get the patrol car." they both said at the same time. Jessie and Judy let out a little giggle when they said the exact same thing. They walked over to the door to the garage and opened it up, seeing the lines of patrol cars in the concrete structure. They walked down the rows, finding their car and Jessie hopped into the driver seat. She turned on the car, reversed out of the space and drove out of the garage. When they exited the shelter, Jessie turned on the wipers to their full speed. The rain came down in large drops, making very loud smacking sounds on the whole of the large vehicle. There was quite a bit of water on the streets and in the gutters, making the roads quite slippery. The fact that it was only a little above freezing was not a comforting thought either. They drove down the road, coming to a stop each time they hit a red light. Soon enough, they arrived at the pizzeria. They got out of the car quickly and ran inside, desperately trying to get out of the heavy rain. They looked around the empty restaurant, and found a booth with a good view of the whole restuarant. They sat for only about a minute before someone came to take their order.
Judy cringed when the very same hare from last time walked over to their table. The hare nearly stopped in his tracks when he saw Judy again. His brown eyes grew incredibly large and he slowly approached the table.
"Well… um… I didn't expect to see you here again." he said. Jessie gave Judy a strange look.
"You know this hare?" Jessie said.
"Well… sort of. He took Nick and I's order the last time we went here." Judy said. The hare looked at Judy again.
"Speaking of Officer Wilde, where would he be?" the hare asked. Jessie and Judy got a funny idea.
"What do you mean? Officer Wilde is right here!" Jessie said. She gestured to Judy, and Judy held up her paw with the ring on it, wiggling her fingers. The hare looked at Judy's paw, examining the ring. He recalled the last time Nick and Judy were there and he gasped.
"Oh, that's right! I completely forgot! Congratulations! But that still doesn't answer my question. Where is Officer Nick Wilde?" The hare said. Judy also recalled how the hare liked to get very personal. Things were about to get interesting. Jessie looked at Judy with a look of shock on her face.
"I'm afraid that's confidential information." Judy said with a wink. The hare didn't know what to think of her response, so he changed the subject.
"Alright… what can I get you two to drink?" he said nervously.
"I'll just have a water." Judy said.
"And I'll take a glass of cola with no ice." Jessie said.
"Ok, and are we ready to order?"
"Not yet." Judy said.
"Ok, I'll get those drinks for you." the hare said as he walked away from the table. Judy turned her gaze over to Jessie, looking like they were about to get serious. Jessie anticipated something bad. She was actually a little scared of the rabbit, despite her small size.
"Ok… We are going to talk about your choice of drink. Who gets no ice with a glass of soda!?" Judy said. Jessie let out a sigh of relief.
"What do you mean? It's perfectly logical! If you get ice, then you get less liquid in you glass, plus when you get to the last few gulps, it's all watered down and tastes terrible. Also, the drink is already cold from the machine. You don't need to keep it cold." Jessie said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
"Ok, good point, but it's still weird," Judy said. "you are the only mammal I know that does that."
"Well, then that means I'm the only smart mammal you know." Jessie replied.
"I don't think so! I know plenty of smart mammals." Judy scoffed.
"Well, I bet each and every one of them don't get ice in their sodas," Jessie said. "it's just a fact that ice in soda is pointless." Judy gave a look of shock. This was like blasphemy to her ears.
"I just don't get it," Judy said. "Ok, now what to do you want. We could get a large pizza, and do a quarter of it with my topping and the rest of it with whatever you want."
"I'm trying not to eat too much, how about a medium?"
"I guess that's fine. Then we'll do half black olives and then half whatever you want."
"I'll just do green peppers on my half." Jessie said. Judy's ears went down when she said that. Nick and her had gotten the exact same thing last time. Jessie noticed Judy's ears and cocked her head to the side. "What? Is there something wrong with my topping of choice?" Judy shook her head side to side.
"No, it's just that when Nick and I went here last, that was exactly what we got." Judy said. Jessie's face softened and she exchanged a caring glance with Judy.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise." Jessie said. She knew Judy's pain all too well. "I know that it's been hard for you lately. I want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here to help. We are partners, you know." Judy smiled, feeling grateful knowing that Jessie was willing to help her with anything now.
"Well, I suppose you should know something, since we are partners. Bogo is having me go on temporary leave starting tomorrow. I don't know for how long, but I figure it'll be for awhile." Judy said. A frown appeared on Jessie's face.
"That's rough. Well, I guess it's for the best." Jessie said. She was about to continue, but the hare returned with their drinks.
"Here's the water and the cola, no ice." he said, setting the drinks in front of their rightful recipients, as well as placing two straws on the table. "Do we know what we're going to order?" the hare asked.
"We'll do a medium pizza with black olives on half and green peppers on the other." Jessie said. The hare wrote it down on the small piece of paper.
"Ok, I'll get that in for you." he said. Just as he was about to walk away, Judy got his attention.
"Say, I've seen you here twice now, but I don't know you name." she said. The hare gestured to himself.
"Oh, right. Where are my manners? My name's Maral. May I know who this is?" he said, now gesturing to Jessie.
"I'm Officer Jessie Jackson, Judy's new partner." Maral's eyes grew wide. He thought about asking something that he had no business asking, but he did anyways.
"Is it too much if I ask why Officer Wilde is no longer your partner?" he said to Judy. She considered not telling him, but it would probably be fine if she told him a little bit.
"Nick is no longer on the force, due to health complications." Judy said. This wasn't the response Maral was hoping for, and his ears fell back.
"Oh, I didn't realise. That's too bad. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Officer Jackson. I'll go put in your order." Maral said as he walked away from the table. Judy followed the hare with her eyes until he walked through a door marked "Employees Only". Outside, Judy could hear the rain had slowed down a lot. Judy and Jessie talked for about 20 minutes before the pizza was brought out by a hippo, who was probably the chef. He set it down on the table and gave the two officers plates. Each of them took their first slices, which were still steaming hot. Jessie took a small nibble from the tip of the slice, grinning in satisfaction. When your order came out on time, the place really did make the best pizza in the city.
Judy blew on her slice until it was cool enough to eat. Her first bite of the fresh slice was wonderful, the bottom of the crust being a little bit crunchy and the cheese was incredibly flavorful. Judy chewed the pizza, loving every moment of the experience.
"This… is… fantastic!" Judy said and she swallowed.
"I thought you had been here before." Jessie said.
"Yeah, but the last time I was here, they took too long to get our food out, so we had to take it back to the station. I didn't get to eat it until it had already cooled down too much. This is my first time trying it fresh out of the wood-fire oven!" Judy replied, making her paws go in an arc shape. The wood-fire oven was supposed to be the restaurant's selling point.
Jessie giggled and continued eating. They ate in silence, and both of them finished all of their food quite quickly. They received their bill, and Judy noticed that they had gotten a small discount. They left the money on the table and also left a decent tip. They both stood up and walked out of the store, seeing that it had stopped raining all together. The ground was damp and the air smelled like fresh rain. It had also gotten a little bit warmer outside, now in the lower forties.
They both got into the patrol car, Jessie once again taking the driver's seat. She turned the key, and the engine roared to life. Jessie put the car in gear and drove down the street to get back to the precinct. They moved along slowly, passing by other mammals on the sidewalk. Judy looked out her window, watching the various buildings and parked cars pass by as they drove. The station came into view ahead of them, the massive building towering over most of the other buildings in the area. Jessie pulled the patrol car into the garage and into it's designated space. She shut off the car and both Judy and Jessie got out.
Walking back to their desks, the rabbit and the wolf parted ways when they made it back to the cubicle farm. Judy walked into her small space and hopped onto her swivel chair. The analog clock read 1:44. 'Just in time…' Judy thought. She logged back onto her computer and got back to work.
Time flew by after her lunch break. Soon enough, the clock told her that it was five o'clock. She finished up the task at hand and then prepared to leave. Finally she was able to see Nick again. Judy thought about how he had barely crossed her mind that day. She was proud of herself. She cared about Nick, but being preoccupied with him for the entire day wouldn't be healthy, and last night confirmed that fact. Gathering her things, she left the small, thin-walled cubicle behind and walked out into the lobby of the ZPD headquarters. Walking from behind his desk, Judy got Clawhauser's attention.
"Hey, I'm probably not going to see you for a while. Have a good rest of the day!" Judy said. Clawhauser gave Judy a surprised look.
"What do you mean? You're not working tomorrow?" he replied.
"No. Chief is putting me on leave. Right now I'm going to the hospital to visit Nick." Clawhauser's face lit up. He had an idea. He bounced in his seat in excitement.
"Oh! Can I come with? I haven't seen his grumpy face in sooooo long!" he squealed. Judy couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm.
"Don't you have to work the night shift tonight?" Judy said. She really didn't want him to go. He was a really nice mammal, but at times he could get a little carried away with his conversations about Gazelle, which can bring just about anyone to tears.
"No, I was lucky enough to have tonight off. I was actually about to leave as soon as my replacement got here." Clawhauser looked over to his left. "Oh, speak of the devil. Here he is."
Judy turned around to see one of the night-shift workers walk into the large front desk, a very large rhinoceros whom Judy did not know.
"Thanks a lot, Jerry. I'll be seeing you later!" Clawhauser said. He walked out from behind the desk as Jerry gave him a snort, which Judy assumed meant something along the lines of "No problem."
"Well? Are you ready to go?" Clawhauser said enthusiastically. Inside, Judy's heart sank. 'This is going to be a long visit…' she thought.
"I guess…" Judy replied. She knew that it would destroy him internally if she said no, so there really was no choice. The two officers left the building and Clawhauser followed behind Judy. He started to fall back after a little ways and then he stopped entirely. They had barely made it out of the building.
"Instead of walking, how about we take my car? That would be a little better." he said. Judy could detect hints of breathlessness in his voice.
"I guess that would be fine. Will you be able to take me home afterwards?" Judy asked. She figured he would, but she should at least ask.
"Of course! I'd love to." he replied. There was no task that he wasn't happy to perform, no matter how boring or insignificant, and that was one thing that she loved about Ben. He lead the way to his car, which was actually a fairly new car, and one that Judy thought looked really cool. It was a nice black coupe that looked like it was pretty fast. It also looked like Clawhauser had spent some extra cash on getting even faster than it used to be. He unlocked the car, and a satisfying click emanated from the passenger door. Judy opened it up, and sat down in the seat, which was clearly not the stock seat. On the headrest was the word "Recaro". Judy figured that it was the company that made the seat. It was quite comfortable and had massive bolsters on the sides, so it was also very supportive. She reached for the seatbelt, but her paw found nothing.
"Um, Clawhauser, does this thing have seatbelts?" Judy asked. She was a little concerned for her safety.
"No, but there should be a harness behind the seat. I'll get it for you." Judy's eyes widened as Ben pulled a four point harness from behind the seat. She clicked everything in and pulled all the straps tight. Judy looked around the interior of the car. It was covered with carbon fibre and had very few comfort items that a new car like this should have. There was also a heavy duty roll cage that was visible. Probably not a good sign. Clawhauser wiggled the gear stick, making sure it was in neutral. He put one foot on the clutch and one on the brake, then he twisted the key to the run position, and finally he flipped up a cover that looked like it belonged over a nuclear detonation switch, then pushed the start button. The car roared to life and nearly blew Judy's eardrums out. This thing was loud! She covered her ears, but slowly removed them as she got used to the noise.
"I just put on a new exhaust! They won't let me on the track anymore because it's too loud!" Clawhauser shouted over the noise. "It'll get quieter when it warms up. The engine is super cold!" Judy could barely hear him over the noise. She figured that if it sounded like this, it was probably going to go like stink! After a few minutes of sitting, Clawhauser spoke again.
"I just wanted to get oil flowing through the turbo before we take off! I can't be having that go bad! It was really expensive!" he shouted. Judy started to panic. Clawhauser put the car in reverse, and backed out of his spot slowly. After he had backed out enough, he put the car in first, and a popping noise came from the rear axle.
"It's got a triple plate clutch, so that's why it's making those noises, in case you were wondering!" Clawhauser shouted. Judy had no idea what that meant, and it probably wasn't good… for her.
Judy held onto the armrest on the door when Clawhauser got on the street and he gave the car a little bit of gas. Judy was shot back into her seat and her stomach felt like it flipped upside down. Clawhauser let out a giggle seeing Judy look like she was about to blow chunks.
Now the most terrifying part was about to happen. They came to a stoplight, and when it turned green, they would be entering the interstate.
"Just so you know, this car has a 5.0L V10 that makes over 600hp to the wheels and over 500lb-ft of torque. It goes 0-60 in about 2.5 seconds, so hold on!" he giggled, but it was more of a mischievous evil laugh than a giggle. He pushed a few buttons on the dash, one of them labeled "Launch Control". Judy's eyes showed signs of terror at what "Launch Control" might do. Clawhauser saw the opposite light turn amber, and he put his foot all the way on the clutch. He floored the accelerator, which brought the revs up to 4000 rpm. When the light turned green, he dumped the clutch and Judy was put as far back into the seat as she could be. She sweared she could feel her cheeks being removed from her skull. The rear wheels spun a bit and the car flew ahead of every other car behind them. Clawhauser shifted expertly through the gears, each new shift bringing on terror and screams from Judy. They entered the interstate and he let off the gas, quickly slowing down to a legal speed.
"Clawhauser!" Judy screamed, not unlike the night they were chased by Mr. Manchas. Clawhauser nearly jumped out of his seat when she screamed. "What… the HELL is wrong with you!?" Her eyes were ripe with rage and she was about to tear Ben to shreds. He looked sheepishly over at Judy for just a second, but she motioned for him to keep his eyes on the road. He obeyed her command and looked at the road ahead. Clawhauser grinned once more and he down-shifted, rev-matching perfectly. Then he floored it again for just a few seconds, bringing them to a very illegal speed. Judy screamed in terror as they accelerated and she held onto the armrest. He let off the accelerator and up-shifted, coming to a nice cruising speed of 65 mph once again. It looks could kill, Ben would have disintegrated from how angry Judy was. He had probably taken that too far.
"Sorry, Judy. I didn't know you weren't a fan of fast speeds." He said sheepishly. Judy began yelling over the sound of the car, blowing his eardrums out about all the laws he had just broken. They exited the interstate and in just a couple more minutes they were at the hospital. Clawhauser pulled into a spot and they both exited the car. Judy got out of the car and shut the door hard.
"Woah, woah. Don't be slammin' the doors. That's no way to treat my baby, no matter how angry you are with me!" Clawhauser said. Judy mouthed the word 'sorry' but refused to talk. They walked into the hospital, and once again the smell made Judy grimace. She and Clawhauser walked up to the front desk and the same jackal from before was typing something. As they approached the desk, he looked up and smiled.
"Are you two here to see Mr. Wilde?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yep. Is he open for visitors right now?" Judy replied. The jackal looked at his computer and typed in a few things. He looked back up at Ben and Judy.
"He certainly is. I'm sure you know where his room is." the jackal said. Judy had Ben follow her to the elevator. She pushed the button marked with an up arrow, and the doors opened up right away. They both got inside, and Judy pushed the button with a '3' on it. The doors closed and it began moving up. There was a small screen above the many buttons that displayed what floor they were on. It went from a 1, to a 2, and finally to a 3, which is when the elevator slowed down to a stop and then the doors opened up. Both of them walked out of the elevator and in front of them was a long corridor. They walked to about the middle, then they turned right and were faced with another long corridor. At the end of it was Nick's room, the place where her husband lay unconscious in a bed.
A lump began forming in Judy's throat with each step closer to the room. She had no idea why she was feeling this way, but it probably had something to do with Clawhauser. He really didn't know what kind of state Nick was in, and she was worried that he would be a bit freaked out by his condition. The room was now only a few feet away, and Judy felt like it was 100 degrees in the hospital. They approached the room, the door of said room being open, and inside was Nick's mother who sat next to the bed, and alongside her were two more chairs.
Judy tapped the door with the back of her paw a few times. Veronica's ears went up and turned as far back as they would go. She turned around and her eyes lit up when she saw Judy. The rabbit and the cheetah walked into the room. Clawhauser's eyes were big and he was looking at all of the equipment in the room, specifically at the tubes and wires connected to Nick. Ben walked up to the bed, seeing Nick's pale and sickly face for the first time. His small, round ears splayed back and he looked like he was about to start crying. Nick had been one of Ben's best friends at the ZPD, so Judy figured that this would be a tough experience for him. The vixen and the doe gazed upon the large cheetah, who was now holding one of Nick's paws in his own. Ben was completely transfixed on Nick's face, and a tear shed from one of his eyes. The drop fell onto the sheets that covered the rest of Nick's frail figure, leaving a small wet spot in the white fabric. Ben lightly tapped his paw on top of Nick's a couple times and set it back where it was and he sat down in the chair behind him.
Judy walked over to Ben and put a paw on his shoulder, hoping to quell the pain that was burning in Ben's heart. His light sobs quickly subsided, leaving the room completely void of sound, except for the subtle beeping of monitors and machinery. Judy was not one to keep her emotions hidden, especially when someone else shared them with her. Tonight, however, would be a different story. She would stay strong, for Nick. She knew that if she started crying with Clawhauser, Nick would reply with some snarky comment about bunnies being emotional. The thought of Nick and his constant pestering made Judy's heart leap with joy. Oh, how she yearned for that fox back. Even though his antics seemed to annoy her, she actually quite enjoyed them. The constant friendly bickering, the nudging with elbows, her giving him a good sock right to the arm. She truly did miss all of that. It was what made their relationship something special.
"The doctor said he expects Nick to be awake by tomorrow…" Veronica said. Her voice was quiet and it seemed like it was strained and weak. Both Judy and Clawhauser turned their attention to the vixen.
"That's good. It'll be nice to have his eyes open for a change," Judy said. She realised that she needed to do something. "Oh, I almost forgot, Veronica, this is…" Judy was interrupted by the cheetah.
"Officer Benjamin H. Clawhauser. I work with Judy. I'm what you would call dispatch." he said as he stood up and extended a paw. Veronica looked at the large cheetah and took his paw with a firm grip.
"Pleasure to meet you, Officer Clawhauser." Veronica said hesitantly.
"Oh, please, call me Clawhauser, or Ben. Whichever one you like. It doesn't matter to me." he replied. Veronica had a half confused, half amused look on her face.
"Ben here is kinda the life of the party at the station. He's the one that makes your day that much brighter when you walk in the front doors of the station. He'a also the best in the precinct at his job." Judy said, inciting a squeal of happiness from Ben.
"Oh, Hopps, you flatter me too much!" he said, almost yelling it. His paws shot up to his face.
"And trust me when I say it's not hard to get along with him, as long as you like Gazelle." Judy added.
"Oh, you don't even have to do that. You just have to have heard of Gazelle for us to get along!" Ben squealed.
"Well it's nice to finally meet you." Veronica said with a giggle. "I know I heard a few things about you from Nick and that wolf officer at the wedding. All fun stories and memories." she said. The vixen motioned for Ben and Judy to sit down in the chairs that were next to the bed. They both sat down and then she joined them in the rightmost chair, down by Nick's feet.
They sat and talked for what was a couple of hours. They talked about all the memories that they had of doing things with Nick. Veronica told some stories about Nick when he was little. She talked about the house in the country that she used to live in and Nick's incident with the wood burning stove in the basement. He was only about four years old, and he had managed to get the door to the stove open when it wasn't in use. Veronica had gone downstairs to grab something and she saw a little gray fox sitting on the floor. It took her a moment to realise that it was Nick covered from head to toe in ashes. She said that she wasn't even mad, because it was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. She talked about everything she had been through over the years, and how after Nick turned five, they moved into the city, hoping that they would have a better life there. Judy was glad that she didn't get into the subject of her husband's disappearance. Even though it was intriguing to Judy, she didn't ask about it.
When the sun started shining directly through the window, Veronica decided that she would go home.
"I've been here since noon, so I'm going to go home and get some rest." she said. Judy got up and gave her a hug, and Clawhauser shook her paw once more. Judy waved goodbye as she walked out the door. Just as Veronica left, Dr. Venetti walked into the room with a smile on his face like usual.
"Judy, it's great to see you here. I assume you've made a decision?" he said. Judy nodded in affirmation.
"I have…" Judy said. She knew that it was for the best, but what she chose would be a great responsibility. "I'm ready to take care of him myself. We can release him when he wakes up. I want him to live out the rest of his days at home." Judy said, happy that she had made it through without any interruptions. Clawhauser looked a little bit shocked and a little bit concerned for Judy.
"Excellent. I'm glad you came to a conclusion."
"It only took three hours of sleep to get there." Judy replied with a small chuckle.
"I imagine you had a rough night last night? You look fine to me right now. If you hadn't said anything, I would have assumed you got plenty of sleep last night." Dr. Venetti said. Judy nodded. She looked back at Clawhauser for a second, who was one reason that she was so awake.
"It was terrible. It wasn't a straight three hours, though. It came in short intervals all throughout the night."
"I definitely know your pain. Just make sure you get plenty of rest tonight." Dr. Venetti replied. "Now, I want to tell you something that will hopefully make you happy. I'm expecting Nick to be awake by tomorrow afternoon. He's been moving a lot more and it's looking like he's recovering a lot of lost strength."
"I was already informed by Veronica, but it's great to hear it from you as well." Judy said.
"I also want to say that he probably will not be able to walk on his own when it's time to get him out of here, so we might have to transport him and help him up to your apartment," Dr. Venetti continued. " We will also need to have a doctor check up on him for the first five days he's there, just to make sure his health isn't rapidly declining" Judy nodded, showing that she understood. "Excellent. I've got to be going now. I'll be seeing you hopefully sometime tomorrow." he finished with a smile. Judy smiled and waved back at the deer before he disappeared behind the door. Clawhauser was looking at Judy with a strange look.
"You're going to take care of Nick? Are you sure you can handle it?" he asked.
"Oh, trust me, Ben. This isn't going to be too hard. Veronica is going to be helping me a lot throughout the way, so I'm not doing it alone." she replied. Clawhauser nodded.
"Ok. That makes me a little bit more content. I'm just looking out for you Judy, It's what friends do." Clawhauser said. He gave Judy a big grin and Judy couldn't help but smile back at the cheetah. He really was probably the nicest mammal in the entire city.
"Well, I suppose we should probably get going. I want to get some things done at home." Judy said. She got up from her chair and Clawhauser followed. Judy looked back at Nick once more before turning around and walking out of the room. The two officers walked down the corridors and to the elevator. Descending the few floors to the ground floor, they were completely silent. The only other sounds came from footsteps and the beeps from the elevator. When the doors opened, they both walked out and headed straight for the front doors.
"Now, Ben. If you drive like a lunatic again, I swear to God I will bring upon your family a plague that will last for generations, do you understand me?" she said, her amethyst orbs being reduced to tiny slits. The cheetah replied with a quick salute.
"If you drive normal, I'll get you two boxes of donuts." Judy said. His face lit up and his paws shot up to his cheeks. He unlocked the car and Judy once again hopped in, dreading what might happen.
The ride to Judy's apartment was anything but crazy. Ben had actually driven like a normal mammal and Judy didn't feel like she was about to die. He pulled up to the aging building and pulled up on the handbrake. He allowed the car to rest, which rolled back ever so slightly when he took his foot off the brake. Judy opened her door and got out of the car, being careful not to slam the door. She walked around to the other side and thanked Clawhauser for giving her the ride, then he drove off. He gave it a lot of gas, which made Judy cover her ears when the car backfired, sending a shot of flames from the exhaust.
Judy was about to enter her apartment when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She quickly grabbed it and answered the call. The voice on the other end spoke some things to Judy. Her ears fell back and her eyes grew wide at the voice speaking to her. She started to get very nervous and her heart rate increased dramatically.
"Ok, thank you so much. I'll be there as soon as I can." she said quickly and shakily. Judy put the phone back in her pocket and ran out into the street, hoping that Clawhauser was still in sight. Nope. Judy panicked, and she looked around for anybody. Just then, she saw a familiar tiger figure walking out of her apartment.
"Tai! Tai! Can you take me to the hospital!? Nick's awake!" she yelled. Tai looked up at her and smiled. He quickly ran to his car and motioned for her to get in. Judy hopped into the car and Judy flashed her badge.
"Drive however you feel fit. Get me there as fast as possible" she said. The tiger nodded and floored the gas.
(A/N: Wow, Judy sure has some pretty cool neighbors, huh? I hope you enjoyed this much longer chapter. I do work very hard on each and every chapter, believe it or not, so if you like the story, please favorite and follow it. I update as often as possible.
If you want to tell me what you thought of this chapter, please leave a review. They are what keep me writing, so I need as many as I can get! If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to PM me. I will respond to all of them. Unfortunately, this story is getting to it's last chapters, though I'm expecting maybe five more. I've got big plans for a sequel though! I'm really excited for the future!
Anyways, thank you everybody for reading. I look forward to reading your reviews and suggestions. Like I said, I will respond to everything I get. Cheers! -Ande883)