By AngloFalcon

Chapter Ten

Let me know

Officer Jerome stood by the hospital bed.

The ambulance had arrived promptly, and while the medics prepared Nick for emergency inspection and treatment, the driver of the offending vehicle had been taken for detention and potential prosecution. That was three hours ago. No one had been allowed to see Nick other than his 'partner', and only then so the doctors could receive a full description of the injuries incurred and the factors involved in the impact. The hare didn't doubt that Officer Hopps would be waiting in reception for news. When he was given the all clear, he left the sickroom and made his way there to report on the situation.

"How is he?"

As expected, Judy was waiting for him.

"Officer Jerome, what happened?"

Unexpectedly, so was the chief.

"Sir," the hare saluted.

"Forget that. Let us in on the details," came the massive buffalo's response. Jordy detected genuine concern in his voice, something he had never heard coming from that quarter before.

The hare sighed. "Officer Wilde will make a full and prompt recovery. According to Doctor Mclard, the injuries were negligible and mainly surface level bruising, save for one fractured shin and the potential for mild concussion." He saw the spark in Judy's eyes at the relatively good news. Even the chief seemed to relax his posture. "He's a damn lucky fox," the hare summarized.

"How did it happen?" Judy pressed. "He might be lucky, but he's also careful. It's not like him to run into moving traffic."

"Oh," Jordy folded his paws behind his back, "the traffic wasn't moving. The lights were on red. That's why I arrested the driver. Idiot shouldn't have been moving at all. And he was doing twenty five. Shouldn't have been moving at all."

"Why was Officer Wilde running?" Chief Bogo's demanded, deep voice reverberating through the room.

The hare paused.

"Sir, I think you'd have to ask him yourself."

It was a tense midday spent in worry. The worry stretched on into the afternoon. Finally, at 17:00, a wolf in staff clothing brought the news that visitors were permitted. Apparently, Nick was awake.

The three uniformed mammals entered the sickroom. The fox sat propped up in a bed on the far side of the rectangular space. The room contained one too many half-dead plants on the shelves for Judy's liking. A lump formed in her throat when she saw her friend.

"Nick!" The rabbit rushed over to his bedside. At first, Nick thought she was about to shower him with hugs and kisses, but he was to be disappointed. She had brought a bouquet of sweet smelling orchids though.

"Can't keep me down for long," he said, flashing a disarming grin. "Chief!" he raised an arm in greeting, regretting the decision immediately and wincing at the pain it caused him. "You're here too? My! The concern! Leave the flowers on the windowsill, sir."

Doesn't seem to have affected his spirit Judy smiled to herself.

The chief grunted. "Compulsory assessment, Officer Wilde. It comes with the job. Just here to make sure you'll be returning to work soon, and you won't be taking advantage of your sick leave without due need."

"I hear ya," Nick gave him a thumbs up. "Nothing can crack through that shell of professional detachment."

Judy gasped, glancing at her boss. It had been bad enough hearing about Nick's accident. She didn't want to face seeing him in more pain. To her surprise, rather than indignation, she almost thought she detected the faintest hint of a smirk on the buffalo's face. It was quickly eradicated and replaced by a grave expression of disapproval. She looked to Jordy. The hare was blank.

"Enough nonsense, Officer Wilde" Chief Bogo announced. "What happened?"

Nick's face became stony. He glanced at his bed-sheets, then at Officer Jerome. The two made and held eye contact. Judy was about to re-ask the question when Nick just smiled and said "Jordy had been explaining something to me about the job. I didn't think he'd got it quite right. I was heading over to make sure we properly understood each other."

Chief Bogo looked unconvinced, as if he was expecting something less mundane. He rounded on the hare. "That about right?"

A twitch of whiskers. "Absolutely Chief."

There was a brief pause. "Well," Bogo finally said, "we have the driver in custody. All that remains is for Officer Wilde to make a full recovery and return to his post ASAP. And I mean ASAP, Wilde."

"Sir," Judy interrupted before Nick could make a smart comment, "if you don't mind, and if the mayor would understand you subtracting a block of my time from his initiative, I have an idea that may help Nick find his feet again. I'd like to take my two weeks holiday as of today."

Bogo watched her carefully, nostrils flaring evenly, as they always did when he was asked to make a decision on the spot. His long years of experience meant that he was particularly good at that. He noted Jordy from the corner of his eye, seeing the hare's dumbfounded expression. The chief sighed. If he didn't let her do this, she would only spend the whole time worrying about the fox.

"Very well, Hopps. I will see what I can do."

Judy's face brightened. She looked to Nick, eyes filled with excitement. He met her gaze, a grateful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I think we had better let Wilde rest," Jordy muttered, nodding to the door.

The buffalo, the rabbit and the hare left the sickroom, one stomping steadily, one skipping lightly and the other trudging with a dispirited air. Once the hulking frame of the chief of Precinct 1 disappeared down the corridor, Jordy reached out and gripped the arm of his rabbit partner.

"Judy?" His eyes narrowed quizzically. "What are you doing?"

"Doing? I'm trying to help my friend recover faster. That's what I said."

His brown eyes fixed rigidly on her face. "I know what you said. I'm just a little surprised you're jacking in your job for two weeks so readily. You don't remember how booked up we are for next week? There's the talk at the Tundratown carnival, an appearance on Sky Rawkin's evening-"

She held up a paw. "Jordy, we can do all that later. Or, you can get another officer to help you. Johnson is good at public appearances, and probably better than I am. Right now, I need to get my friend back on his feet as quickly as I can. That's my job too."

The corridor echoed with the footsteps of a flustered sheep nurse passing through. Her presence was a distraction. Jordy's paw slipped away from the rabbit's arm, falling to his side. He straightened his back and looked beyond her to the doorway.

"And that's all? You're not going home with him to-"

"It's my holiday, Jordy. It really isn't up to you."

The drive to Bunnyburrow was long but pleasant. The ravages of the last few week's rains had finally subsided, giving way to a glorious summer send-off. The fields glowed with amber light and the rolling hills and tranquil lakes dazzled the eye with a sheen of radiant gold. Aside from the initial difficulty of transporting Nick into the jeep without aggravating his injuries, the fox was clearly loving the journey. All the way he chatted with his rabbit driver, asking her about moments from her childhood and memories of her time in the country before she moved to Zootopia. He did express concern over what her parents may think about the unannounced guest, but she brushed off such concerns with a laugh and the reassurance that she would do any explaining that was needed.

"At least now I know."

Judy raised an ear, still focusing on avoiding the endless potholes in the poorly maintained road. "Know? What do you know, Nick?"

"What it takes for you to bring me out here. Break a leg, they say." He laughed heartily, the sound causing a fluttering sensation to form in the rabbit's belly.

"I would have brought you here!"

"Eventually."

"Okay, eventually. Isn't it the intention that matters more than the speed?"

"Is that what you told flash when he claimed he was out for a pleasant drive?"

Judy shook her head, beaten. He usually won their verbal games. At first, it bothered her. Now, she was more than happy to let him take the lead.

Their jeep finally slowed to a stop outside the country house of her childhood. It was a wooden property, painted an inviting cherry-red and surrounded by vast fields of vegetables, carrots being the most abundant variety.

Judy took a deep breath. It would take a lot of careful coordination to keep everything flowing nicely. She glanced at Nick, who was just beginning to look uncertain again. "Well, here it goes..."

The two friends climbed out of the bulky vehicle, feet touching down on the gravelly surface of her drive. They strolled towards the blue painted oak of the front door. Once they stood outside the entrance, they stopped. Thirty seconds passed. The rabbit met the fox's eye, nodding reassuringly. Then she knocked twice.

They waited.

The door opened a crack.

"Who is it?" Judy's mother's voice asked through the gap.

"Um, your daughter, mom!" Judy laughed.

"Judy!" The door flew open. "Stu, come quick! It's our daughter!"

Her dad waddled over from the kitchen, a glass in one paw and the drying cloth in the other. "Judy Dudey!" he smiled in greeting.

"And fox friend!" Judy beamed, pulling Nick to her side from around the corner of the open door. His ears were down and green eyes wide. A nervous chuckle escaped him and he waved in greeting, face filled with the expression of apology he used to wear as a cub when caught out trespassing on a neighbor's property.

"Oh!" Mrs Bonnie Hopps looked shocked, while Stu looked like he just hadn't caught up with what she'd said.

"Erm, yeah. You see, I'm sick and-" Nick began.

"Infectiously sick? Dangerously sick?" Stu gasped.

"That would be a no. A definite no. I meant injured, not sick. Anyway, I'm injured and Carrooo-Juuuu-your daughter," he bit his tongue, "thought it would help if I crashed here for a few…weeks."

They both stared at him.

"She said she'd explain," he smiled, pushing his friend forward gently.

"I hope that's okay," Judy smiled. "I mean, you've seen Nick before, right? He's just a tremendous guy and so very polite, considerate and honest." She nudged the fox in the side. "I've checked him out, so don't you guys worry. He'll make a great addition to the family."

Nick, Stu and Bonnie all stood opened mouthed at that last comment. After a moment of confusion, Judy's cheeks burned when she realised what she had just said.

"Household! Haha, I meant household. So silly!" she laughed and used her paw as a fan to cool herself down. Her parents looked unconvinced, but remembered their code of hospitality and stepped to let them inside.

"Do come in," Bonnie smiled.

"And this will be your room," Judy explained, concluding the tour.

Nick looked round the paneled door to see a cosy bedroom with white and blue striped wallpaper, a single bed with a multi-coloured duvet and a desk in the corner with plenty of plug sockets in the wall for charging devices.

He squeezed her paw. "It's perfect. So snug and-" he searched for the word, "and rural."

"You'll have a lovely view over the carrot fields." Judy ran to the far window. "When the sun comes streaming in through here, you'll think the daylight's come just for you." Her face took on a dreamy look as she stared out, remembering precious moments from the past.

Nick remained in the doorway, paws in pockets and lips parted as he watched her, not wanting to break her moment. Something inside him was stirred by her presence, an instinct of some kind. It had taken him weeks to try to decide what he thought it might be, but he finally believed he might be able to name it. Protection. The more he watched her, the longer he spent around her, the more anxious he was to see that no harm ever came to that bunny. He swore it would never be his fault if she was ever hurt.

After a few seconds, she turned round again. "Sorry!" she laughed. "I got lost in thought. This place brings back so many memories. Good and bad. Mainly good."

"Carrots?"

"Yes Nick?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Nope."

"…okay." His ears went down again.

"I'm just kidding! What is it?"

He cleared his throat and met her gaze, shoving his paws even deeper into his pockets, steadying himself to say some of the hardest words of his life. "I-I've told you how I feel. I think I have, at least. You know I think of you as more than a friend. Please don't leave me hanging." He moved a couple of steps closer. "Can't you tell me how you feel? Whether you feel the same? Let go of whatever's holding you back. Please." A few more steps. "If you tell me, I'll never let anything get between us. Ever. I promise."

His green eyes burned with longing. Pleading. She couldn't meet that gaze for long, and glanced at the worn grey carpet instead. Her stomach was knotting. Recognizing how she felt was one thing. Admitting it to him like this was something different.

"Carrots?" he said softly.

She looked up again. He was closer now, just a few inches away. His expression shifted slightly from openness to show just a hint of concern.

"Let me know."

She forced herself to smile broadly. "Hey, we had a great time on our first date, didn't we?"

"You're not answering my question."

"Nick, I loved our meal together at my apartment. I invited you to it, remember?"

"Carrots, you're dodging."

She leaned up and kissed him quickly on the cheek, sliding past him and out into the corridor. She turned to face him. "You are the most amazing friend I've ever had, Nick. Really. I enjoy being around you and…we just get along so well. I'm glad to have you staying here! I've always wanted you to see my home and meet my family in person."

He smiled a bit hollowly at this.

"Speaking of which," she continued, "you still need to meet my brothers and sisters! I think you best wait until tomorrow for that one. Dinner is-"

"Judy..."

"Dinner is at six. Now you best get unpacked. Let me know if you need anything." She flashed another smile and took off down the corridor.

He stood alone in the bedroom, left with his emotions. The house was lovely. It was a real compliment to be invited into such a personal aspect of her life. So why wasn't she clear with him? Why was she sending out one message and then backtracking?

The fox sat on the bed, looking across through the window over the fields and gentle pathways beyond. He knew one thing. He had meant what he said – if they became serious, if she admitted she had feelings like his, nothing would ever threaten that. Nothing would force them apart. Ever.

Author's Note:

Hello!

Thanks for reading. I hope you are still enjoying the story. Please review and give feedback. I'd love to know what you're thinking. I'll be updating again soon. Thanks for the fantastic support and encouragement. Love you guys!

Till next time!

-AF

Chapter 11: The choices we make

By AngloFalcon