Cemsay : I am on target. The target just doesn't want to stay steady.
GhostWolf88 : That's what I was going for. Whether I went for a love story or not, I want their relationship built on respect and understanding.
J Shute Norway : First, I want to say that I fangirled like a little bitch when I saw a review from you. Second, thanks for the compliment.
Foxlover91 : Judy still has some road to go. But we're almost there.
Chapter 9 - Homesickness
Each day, Nick had felt more nervous. He knew in his guts that inspection day was getting closer, but was it going to happen the next day ? The next week ? The next month ? There was still so much work to do.
He still remembered vividly his two last inspections. Both times, Tamowitz and the inspector, a black bull named Oxley, had spent half the day chatting away like old pals in his ex-boss office, after which he had been drilled with questions for two hours on every single aspect of his job, his life, the way he used his free time, if he had stolen anything from the department, and so on… The bull was as fox-hating as the sheep, if not more. Luckily, he had been able to brief Finnick for the second inspection, not that the fennec had needed it. He Had been on the receiving end of police interrogations often enough.
Still, he was sure the bull would do everything he could to find every single flaw. And so much flaws remained still. In the fox's opinion, his team had been able to fix the bulk of what had to be done, but would that be enough ? Oxley would jump at the opportunity to get him fired.
Now that the river was clear of the trees, he had been able to send Joan to start to mark the forest hike trails again. Duke and Herbert were working on the different shelters that could be found on the park's ground, while Finnick had started repairing the housing unit's roof.
Judy and him, were still neck deep in paperwork, but they were starting to see the end of the tunnel.
...
Nick was sipping on his coffee, trying to relax while waiting for his employees. The armchair was supposed to be comfy, but whichever way he sat, he felt like he had to move just a bit, a tiny teensy bit, to find the perfect position. And of course, it didn't work. Maybe because he was already at his third cup of coffee.
"Hey Nick." Finnick was the first to enter, closely followed by Joan. They sat on the sofa in front of him, one on the other's shoulder.
"Hey, lovebirds. How is it going."
"Pretty good, thanks for asking." Answered Finnick. Nick was a bit disappointed his teasing had stopped working on his best friend. At least, it still worked on Joan.
"We're good, Boss." She said in turn, with a thin smile and a dircret blush. "How is it going with Judy ?"
Nick almost spat his coffee, while Finnick turned toward her with a "Whaaaaaa-"
"Oh my gosh, I didn't mean it like that !" She reacted, blushing even harder. "She's been the first one to arrive lately, but she's isn't here yet, so…"
"We haven't fought lately, if it's what you're asking. She should be here soon."
But as it happened, she wasn't. In fact, Herbert and Duke, the ones that lived the farther, came in before she did.
In the end, the tod decided to proceed with the briefing without her. There wasn't much to say anyway. Congratulations for everyone's hard work, and encouragement to keep going strong at their current task.
"Want me to go an' check on her ?" Asked the fennec fox. "I'm headin' dat way anyways."
Nick shook his head. "I'll handle it. Maybe she hasn't heard her alarm go off… If someone's going to surprised her in the nudes, better be me. We wouldn't want Trunks to get jealous."
"That's so considerate of ya." Snarked the fennec before leaving to fetch his tools.
Nick, for his part, made his way toward the bunny's room and knocked on its door. Once. Twice. No answer.
"Come on Carrots, don't make me use my master key." He said between his teeth, knocking for a third time. "Well, one more breach of privacy isn't going to make much of a difference." His key easily turned in the lock and he pushed the door. The room was dark, but he could almost see as in plain day. Vulpine perks were good.
His eyes took in his surroundings, a perfect copy of his own room, one he hadn't used in months. Worn brown wallpaper, traces of water on the ceiling, a kitchen corner with the bare minimum, and a door leading to a small bathroom.
The bed had a form resting on it, bundled in the cover. "Carrots ?" The fox called, stepping closer. "Hey, don't joke around."
He pushed the cover to reveal an unconscious bunny. A feeling of dread settled in the fox's stomach. She wasn't that young, nor that thin. A cardiac arrest in her sleep wasn't that rare for mammals that age. "Judy ?" He called with worry. He approached a head to check her pulse and almost jumped when a paw grabbed his.
"Nick ?" Came a weak voice. "I don't feel so good."
Don't panic. Don't panic. Nick drew a deep breath. "Are you hurt ?"
"I feel like... my body... weighs a ton…"
The fox put a paw under her head to raise it, and already he could feel that her body temperature was abnormally high. He put his nose against hers. Hot, dry.
The fox quickly took out his phone and started zoogling for bunny's common diseases and their symptoms.
Snuffles. Redness and eyes discharges. Nope. Hairballs ? Probably not. Uterine tumors ? He looked at the symptoms and winced. He wasn't going to check for that. Myxomatosis, invariably fatal. Don't panic. Don't ! Panic ! Her eyes were still fine.
Suddenly, she sneezed, sending a bit of snot in his face.
"Carrots, this looks like a flu." He stated, wiping his snout with a disgusted but amused expression.
So, she needed warmth, and fluids. The fox put down his cane against her bed, and grabbed the bundled bunny in his arms to make his way back toward the other building. Halfway there, he realised three things. First, his bad leg was killing him. Second, there was a set of stairs between him and his goal. Third, he'd have to go back for his cane.
"Rut me."
He had needed a couple of pauses in the staircase, but the bunny was finally on his camp bed, wrapped in a second layer of blanket for good measure. Next, he went to fetch a water bottle and call for a doctor. Given the state she was in, he didn't think it was a good idea to move her too much. Beside, somemammal still owed him a few favors, and hell if he wasn't going to cash them in. When he came back, she hadn't moved an inch, but he could see her eyes were slightly open. "Nick ?" She called. Her voice was hoarse and weak.
"Hey, you're awake."
"Barely. Where am I ?" The tod had kept the light out so that she could rest. The shutters were lightly open, which gave him enough light to work.
"My office. The doctor's coming." He took the bottle and handed it to her. "You thirsty ?"
"Yeah."
At first, he thought he would have to hold it for her but despite her weak state and the bottle's size, she managed. Next, he laid her back on his bed, tucked her in again. "You should rest. Call if you need anything."
She didn't answer, and soon she was sleeping again. The fox started working and resolved to use the computer as little as possible, not wanting to disturb her with the keyboard's noise.
...
An hour passed before his phone beeped. The doctor was on the parking lot. The tod stood up and went to fetch her.
A plump badger was waiting for him the near the building's entrance. She was wearing a slightly annoyed expression.
"I can't believe you bothered me for a sick bunny." Was her greetings.
"Hi to you too Madge. I hope I didn't interrupt any of the numerous and fascinating things you do in your retirement." He greeted back.
"I'll have you know I'm not retired yet, squirt."
"Then, this is right up your alley then, fossile." He smiled waving her inside.
The badger snort. "May I remind you I'm not that kind of doctor."
The fox shrugged, the same smile still plastered on his face. "Given the number of times mom called on you when I was sick, or the number of times you patched me and Finnick up, I don't think it matters."
"You haven't changed, still a goddam brat. Aside from the grey in your fur." She added snarkily, while following the limping fox with wobbly steps due to her wide frame.
"Pot and kettle…" Nick snarked back, pushing the door of his office.
"I'm blaming you for my white hair."
"Thought you'd blame your daughter. She's a handful too."
"Still more respectful of her elders than you."
Nick let her have the last word. The badger had been a makeshift aunt for him, and that had always been their default mean of communication.
"Carrots, I'm turning on the light." He saw a shift in the cover and flicked the switch.
As she took in the tod's office the old badger snickered. "You're as organized as ever."
"I learnt it from you."
She shot him an annoyed glance and wobbled toward the bunny. "So you're the sick bunny. My name is doctor Madge Badger. You should be at death's gate if Nick bothered to call a doctor."
Judy's giggle turned into a fit of cough, which had the fox kneeling at her side and helping her straighten up.
"I'm Judy Hopps. Nice to meet you."
The badger's gaze went from the bunny to the fox then back at the bunny. A knowing smile appeared at the edge of her lips but she didn't say anything.
She then proceeded to make the bunny go through a whole battery of tests and check ups, asking her about her vaccinations (which were all up to date). When she was finally done she put down her stethoscope and said. "You have a common cold. It's hitting you hard though, which is strange given your constitution."
"My constitution ?"
"Aside from the couple of pounds too many, you're in remarkably good shape for someone your age. I'm wondering why this hitting you so hard. Maybe you have a weak immune system. Are mammals often sick in your family ?"
The doe frowned. She had been sick a few times, but a cold had never put her in that state. And her and her siblings had always been strong against most illnesses. "No, quite the opposite." She said in a low voice.
"Any recent change in your personal life ?"
"I..." Judy hesitated, rubbing the finger that was still wearing a ring.
Madge pursued her lips, and took Nick by the arm, leading him out of the room. At that, the tod felt alarmed. What bad news was Madge about to give him ?
"Has she been depressed or sad lately ?" She asked. "Did something happen to her, or her husband."
Nick knew that a patient's mental state could play a large part in their physical health. Himself, in the few years after the ranger scout incident had been sick more often than usual. "Yeah. There was a whole situation with her family-"
"Did her husband die ?" She cut.
"No, gosh no. She dumped him but it's not my place to talk about it. She's been taking it pretty hard, and maybe I wasn't the most supportive mammal when she arrived here… I doubt she's over everything yet…" He trailed off.
"Does she have friends ? Mammals that support her ? Some family or parents she can talk to ?"
"She has us..." Nick said with some hesitation, knowing for a fact that aside from her ex-husband, children, and best-friend, she had cut contact with her whole family. She feared their reactions to her actions and hadn't had the courage to confront them yet.
"Alright. Well, there isn't much to do aside from letting her rest. Give her aspirin for the fever and potential headache, keep her hydrated and warm."
"That all ?"
The badger sighed. "Emotional strain can be a bitch for mammals' health. I don't know how much her family counts for her… But she should try to find closure for whatever that situation is. Or at least work on it."
It was Nick's turn to sigh. "I'm not sure it's my place to tell her that. I already meddled enough."
Madge shrugged. "Talk to her. That's all I ask."
They went back in and the badger took her bag. Nick kneeled next to the bunny. "Good news. You'll pull through." He said.
She gave him a tired smile. "Yay."
"I'll see Madge to her car, then I'll come right back up to take care of you." He added in a reassuring tone, before leaving with the mustelid. When they reached her car, Madge turned toward him.
"Hey kid, she'll be okay."
"Yeah, I know, you told me so."
The badger groaned. "Then being stop being so worried. She's not made of sugar." She entered her car and Nick put a hand on the door frame.
"I'm not worried. You know me, I never worry." He smiled smugly.
"Except for mammals you care about. Be careful, you're starting to show emotions in your later years. Well, maybe it was time you let someone in… It's never too late."
"I have no idea where you're going with you nonsense. Be careful, senility is looming on you."
The badger shot him an annoyed but amused look. "Have a nice day, squirt."
"You too, fossile."
...
The day had passed without a hitch, aside from the fact that Nick had been a complete worrywart. Luckily, Judy had been way too out of it to be annoyed by his attitude. It was especially hard to here her sob in her sleep. As the evening came, Nick decided that maybe it was time to eat something. She hadn't been able to eat anything for lunch, but she was confident she would be capable to eat something for dinner, and the tod obliged by going to the kitchen and trying to whip something up.
His cooking skills weren't abysmal, but they mostly consisted in tossing something in a pan and calling it a day. At least, the kitchen was stocked in soups, and there was bread in the freezer. Adding some spice, milk, toasting some bread was child's play. Going upstair while holding the tray however wasn't, and he almost spilled everything a couple of time, cursing his bad leg as he reached his office.
"Dinner is served." He smiled setting the tray down next to the bunny. He took her bowl and gave it to her. "Are you going to be okay with that ?"
"I can hold a spoon, slick." She answered. The tod gave him some of the toasted bread he had cut in small squares to use as croutons and she tossed them in. "That's nice." She said after a few spoon of warm soup.
"Thanks. I'm more of a chicken broth mammal myself, but I thought it wouldn't be your thing."
"You should eat too before your soup gets cold." She didn't look as sick as in the morning, but Nick could still hear her weariness. Still, he let her handle her own bowl and took his. They drank their without talking, the slurping sound regularly breaking the silence.
"You eat like a kit." She smiled once they were finished.
"I haven't spilled any soup, I'll have you know." He shot back Before taking her bowl and piling it up on his. He then slid it aside and let himself flop on the floor, next to her. "I'm beat."
"Was you day any harder than usual ?"
The fox smirked. "I had to take care of a needy bunny."
"Poor abused fox."
"Yeah. Poor me. How are you feeling by the way ?"
"I think I could stand up and walk, And I think I'm going to have to." She said, giving a glance to the bathroom door.
"I could carry you again, if you need."
The bunny blushed, remembering that episode of their day. At least the fox had let her take down her pants and underwear herself to do her business. "No thanks. I think I'm also going to try and take a shower if I can. I'm feeling sticky from all the sweating."
With some worry, the fox saw her stand up and direct herself to the door. He waited until he could hear her start the shower and then left his office.
The water on her fur felt heavenly. As she had been raised with hundreds of other siblings, the bunny was used to take quick showers, but this time she took the time to enjoy it. As she did so, her thoughts wandered to Nick. In the span of the last few weeks, he had shown he was way more than your usual fox. He was an efficient planner, hard worker, and a manager that knew how to balance his employees' strengths and weaknesses. He also had a kind side to him. Joan's story, the way he had gone out of his way to create a space where everyone felt at home, even the very removed Herbert was a testament to that. She got out of the shower refreshed, but the two steps she took toward the towel she was usually using reminded her that she was still ill. Then she realised she didn't have clean clothes to put on.
A knock was heard on the door. "Hey Carrots ? I brought you some clean stuff to put on."
Half of her was glad that he took it upon himself to fetch her clean clothes. The other half was a bit upset that he would go through her drawers.
"Judy ?" He called again.
She opened the door slightly and he passed the clothes through the gap. When she grabbed them, she realised they weren't his clothes, but rather, a large green shirt with a Park Ranger logo on it, and small short that fitted her almost perfectly. She was starting to shiver, and put them on at once. A familiar but faint smell came from the t-shirt. It wasn't disturbing, but rather, it made her feel safe. Once she was decent, she opened the door and went straight bag to the tod's bed.
"Thanks for the clothes."
"You're welcome." He answered absent-mindedly, as he was back at his desk, his eyes on one of the numerous files.
"When you said you had clothes for me, I thought you would bring me some of my own stuff."
The tod lifted his nose from the file. "Should I have ? I always thought it was inconsiderate to got through a lady's drawers."
The bunny nodded. "It is. I'm glad you didn't. Where does the short comes from ? Did a girlfriend forget it ?"
"No." Nick shook his head. "It's one of Finnick's. We have some of each other's stuff and we never bothered to sort everything out. We crashed at eachother's place a lot, once upon a time. Sometimes he give me some of my stuff back, sometime I give him some of his."
"Won't he mind ?"
"Not as long as I clean it before giving it back." He turned back to his work, trying to concentrate, but the words started jumping before his eyes. He huffed and slumped against the back of his chair, pinching his eyes.
"Hey Nick ?"
The tod turned toward her again. "Yeah, Carrots ?"
She was settled in the blanket, her face barely sticking out. "I feel cold."
"Do you want me to turn on the heater ? Or do you need another blanket ?"
"A blanket would be nice."
The tod made his way toward one of the lockers in the corner of the room and opened the first. Nope. He opened the second one and took out what he was looking for. Given the time he had spent in that office, he had been keeping some stuff here, the blanket was part of it. He went back to the bunny and added it to the two that were already around her.
She shivered again, and as a reflex, he took the wrapped bunny in his arms. He was about to let go when the bunny set her head against his chest. "Better."
He answered nothing, simply settling himself more comfortably. She shifted a bit to make it easier for him, and ended up giving him half of one of the blankets. He realised then that she expected him to stay like that for a bit.
"Thanks." She said.
"For what ?"
"That, and the rest. You didn't have to do all that for me."
"If not me, who ? Someone needed to watch over you today."
"I don't like to be a bother."
"You really weren't." He said with a smile. "Besides, it's not the first time I had to do that."
"Really ?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah. Once or twice for Fin', though he didn't want me to. For my… For my mom one time. And for Joan also. That was something else."
"How so ?"
"I almost changed her nickname from Trunks to Trumpet. Good times…"
There was some silence between them, before the fox's voice was heard again. "Madge think your sickness is linked to your mental state."
"Nick-"
"Don't tell me you're fine."
Judy sighed. "Alright I'm not. I miss my parents. I miss brothers and sisters. I don't know what to do about it."
"Go talk to them." Nick stated evenly.
"It's not that simple."
The fox snorted. "It is that simple. It's just difficult. Probably as difficult as taking the decision to leave your old life. You were able to do that for yourself, maybe you should confront your family for the same reason."
The bunny's gaze wandered from Nick to the rest of the room. He was right. It was simple. But what if they decided to completely reject her ? What if they couldn't understand.
"Hey, worst case scenario, you'll still have a place here." Said the fox, as to answer to her thought. "That's not such a bad place be."
"How did you end up working here ?" She asked, as a blatant excuse to divert the topic away from her own problems.
That question made the fox scratch his neck. He didn't like talking about his past that much, but to her, he didn't really mind. He felt like he could trust her with it.
"Well, it all started when I realised my way of life would drive me into a wall..."
Nick hated the call he had to make.
But he was out of money, and almost out of a roof over his head. The last ten years had been a nightmare. The one thing in his life he was truly proud of had kickstarted his downfall.
Sure, being the hero of Zootopia and having his face in every single newspaper was a nice thing, but there were several downsides.
First, he couldn't run a decent con when everyone knew his face and story. Second, just when he thought he'd start to be treated better, shit started to rain.
The IRS had come knocking to his door with what they called a 'full pardon'. Basically, he had been exonerated from paying all the taxes he owed the government. But that also meant he was now on their radars. His business ventures would have to go from 'barely legal' to 'completely clean'. Then he realised that though every mammal he met was acting friendly didn't mean they really trusted him. And some prey acted as if he had been responsible for Bellwether's action. As if the only thing that was making her a bad mammal was having her plot being discovered.
Luckily for him, he was still a smooth talker, and had been able to scrape several jobs over the years. Not enough to live, but enough to scrounge while using his savings.
Well, his mom's savings really. The money he had been sending her over the years to help her get by, that she had never even touched.
"Your mom is…" Asked the bunny meekly. She hadn't meant to dig up such a painful part of his past.
"Dead ? Yes, she is. Been so for almost twelve years." It still hurt, but not as much. And the fact they had been able to patch things up had almost made up for the lost time. "She would have been around eighty this year. I like to think that from wherever she is, she can see what I'm doing with my life. That I really stopped being the shifty fox she knew…"
Phone still in hand, Nick closed his eyes and blocked out the memories that were flowing back. He didn't need to think about her right now. Two years, and the feeling were still raw and painful. Her last words had been the ones she had always repeated to him, but it was the only time he had ever believed them. "I'm proud of you, Nicky."
He slapped himself and dialed the phone number on the piece of paper he was holding, waiting only for a couple of rings before it was answered.
"Hello, city counsellor Lionheart speaking." Came a deep bariton voice.
"Hey Leo, it's your old pal Nicky. I need you to make me a solid."
The lion emitted a soft chuckle. He had discovered early on that the lion had been taking away the first few savage predators. Keeping it under wraps had earned him a few favours he had never cashed him, mainly out of pride. But pride didn't pay the bills.
"What do you need ?"
"A job."
That, the leonid hadn't expected. "I suppose I could find some use of your diplomatic skills."
The fox almost snarked back. The politician hadn't changed. Nick was asking for a favor, and the lion was already trying to spin it to suit his own needs. But the fox knew exactly what he wanted. A thing that had been living in the back of his mind for years. Now, his back against the wall, maybe it was time to make the leap. "Sorry, Leo. I'm not interested in being your lapdog. I want to be a park ranger."
"You asked to be a park ranger ?" Judy yawned, feeling a bit tired, the fox's fox, slowly lulling into sleep.
The fox was staring in blank space. "I did. It's not what I always wanted to do, but I wanted to be part of something, you know ? A pack, a group, a f- I wanted to have something."
The bunny bit her lips. "Is it related to..." She hesitated.
"The Junior Scout Rangers ?" He asked, to which she answered with a meek nod. "Maybe… It's hard to give up on a dream, no matter how painful it is."
"I can relate to that." She smiled. "What happened then ?"
Arthur Ramowitz was top tier dick. Nick could understand that not having a choice in who his new recruits would be wouldn't please him, but he didn't have to be such an asshole about it. He had spent the first two weeks scraping all the bathrooms with a toothbrush, before being sent on the worst assignment possible. Rain, wind, cold, the sheep didn't care. Nick would have to spend the day patrolling the woods for… Nothing really. The sheep wanted him out of his wool.
He could understand not being trusted. It wasn't really fair, but as a fox, he was used to other mammal's disdain. But it wasn't disdain, it was hate. He had quickly been able to piece together that Ramowitz had been one of Bellwether's hooves in the government. He had been moved out of the way after her fall, but not sacked, since there had never been any proofs of any real misdoing he had committed.
The funny thing was that Nick wasn't the only new recruit, but he was the one most of the ire was directed toward. The other was a large and silent brown bear who mostly kept to himself, doing his job without asking question. Over the years, the fox would learn that Herbert wasn't from Zootopia proper, and that him being here was the result of a witness protection program. Still, Nick was the one with the target on his back.
And his boss wasn't the only one making his life miserable. Aside from Nick, two other sheep were working under Ramowitz, and soon, an elephant too. That's when things started to get better for the fox. His savviness in all law related things had made the department able to recruit and keep her, and she had been an invaluable asset ever since. After that, Ramowitz had given him more leeway. The fox still couldn't put a paw in the administrative stuff without supervision, but at least he was in.
It didn't mean everything was peachy though, his two other sheep colleagues were still out to make his life miserable. He got the first fired with the proofs he had gathered of his harassment. It took almost six months to get rid of him, but it had been worth it. As a result of a phonecall, Finnick was recruited to take the sheep's place. At first, it had been supposed to be a temporary thing, as the small vulpine didn't care much about his job at the MPRD, but being able to work again with his best friend (and the presence of Joan) convinced him to stay for good.
The second sheep left after one snarky comment too many had earned Nick a beating and the definitive necessity to use a cane. The doctor that had repaired his leg ten years prior had been quite clear that he would require one in his later years, but he hadn't expected it to be that soon. Soon after, someone (Nick suspected Finnick, the fennec knew how to get into places and get information he wasn't supposed to) divulged the presence of a large number of prey supremacist items in his possession, as well as a few compromising pictures of himself attending their meetings. Ramowitz, already salty about Finnick's forced recruitment, almost went ballistic when a weasel was recruited to replace his last sheep. Nick knew that Weaselton had been struggling financially to support his family, and hell if he wasn't going to have the city repay him for his effort in saving it.
From then on, Nick lost his administrative privileges, and Ramowitz utterly stopped doing his job. The fox started to run a parallel management, turning all but officially into the superintendant he meant, and was meant, to become.
"And that's everything." Stated the fox.
"You really worked hard for all this." Said Judy in a tired voice, his tale and voice having lulled her. "Harder than I did when I tried to get into the ZPD."
The fox shrugged. "It's easy to work hard when you have the right motivation."
"I guess that's why you're so stressed out about having everything going smoothly. That's why you couldn't trust me at first."
The fox's face fell a bit. "And that was a mistake. I would hate to see all my had work turn out to be for nothing, but that doesn't excuse my attitude."
"That explains it, though. I don't think I would be much more diplomatic if something was threatening my own family." She said, shifting and trying to find a better sleeping position.
The fox was staring down at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. "My…"
"You can count on me Nick. I promise." She added in a tired voice. "I won't..." A small yawn escaped her mouth, which was the cutest Nick had ever seen. "… Let you down."
LOREDUMP !