(AUTHOR'S NOTES)
*****So, I just wanted to explain why I have been gone for the past four or five days. I got a job finally, so I can pay off some debt to a few friends, as well as buy a plane ticket for someone very close to my heart. But other than that, I have just had a sh*t time with my sleep schedule, and now that I'm back on track, I'll be writing a little more.
Last chapter, Nick and Judy had been in a cruiser at night and spotted a van speeding down the highway. Attempting to follow the suspicious vehicle, they are hit with a barrage of bullets coming from the van. They chase the criminals into Zootopia, now attempting to call for backup, with Miles jumping onto the vehicle. Judy then attempts to jump from their cruiser to the van, in an attempt to stop the driver from his escape. She looks ahead, however, and sees Little Rodentia at the end of the road quickly speeding to its demise, so in an act of quick thinking and reflexes, she knocks the driver and passenger out, crashing the van just a few feet after the entrance. Miles reports the scene to Bogo and explains that this was not his case, so in an argument, he tells his Chief that he will be at the office the next day to apologise.*****
CHAPTER 11:
Judy was bandaged and given care, mostly by Nick as she had taken the ambulance to a hospital. She didn't break or sprain anything, but she needed to get a tetanus shot for her arm after being scratched by the white van. Nick did everything for the doctors however; he was greatly worried for her well being, so he took it upon himself to patch her up. It was around 3 in the morning when she had checked out, and Nick drove her home in a new cruiser, getting her water as she went to bed. She was feeling better, and she could take care of herself, but Nick continued to assist her with any needs. Eventually she started to giggle as Nick tried to give her a glass of water.
"N-Nick, i'm fine." She smiled and took the glass, taking a slow drink. Nick pulled up a seat across from her bed, and he sat down, slumping over in tiredness and rest. Judy put the glass down next to her clock on a table, looking back at Nick.
"I hope you know i was scared." He mumbled.
Judy looked down and smiled, thinking about how caring he was.
"I did. And i'm grateful you were there, Nick."
He gave a small smile, and looked up, admiring her weary eyes.
"Your eyes are beautiful."
She looked down, closing her eyes, then frowned, knowing what had to be explained.
"Nikki…"
His smile slowly faded.
"About us."
"Yeah?" He slowly sat up.
"I, know you care for me. A lot actually. Enough to the point to where you're willing to do, anything."
She emphasized that word, and it rang in Nick's ears. "Anything."
"Well yeah," he agreed. "Because you were able to connect with me on a level that, not even Finn could."
Judy started to feel her chest tighten as he continued to explain.
"You give me reason to stay away from any illegal work. You also helped me understand how to be thankful for the smaller things. Things like, making someone smile, or admiring the sunrise, or even waking up in the morning…"
Judy nodded, then winced from the things he had said.
"Hell, carrots… I want to go far enough to say-"
"Nick." She cut him off, and his ears folded back in fear.
"We can't…" She opened her eyes, not making eye contact.
"Can't what?" His voice slightly shook.
"We just can't… Be more than that."
Nick kept his eyes on her, his mouth hanging halfway open, in fear, and in sadness.
"Why."
"Why?"
"Yeah."
She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, ready to drop the bomb.
"Because it's not right, Nick."
He held his hands up in fear, trying to convince her.
"Judy, we can hide it. I can keep you safe, i can make you a queen!"
He fell to his knees, pleading with everything his heart could produce.
"Please, carrots, i'm willing to promise you a paradise! A place where you get the care and love and passion you deserve, every day!"
Judy started to tear up, and Nick crawled closer, now praying to her.
"Nick, we can't!"
"Yes we can!" He started to get upset. "Why won't you try?!"
"Because i'm scared, Nick!" She exploded.
"I'm scared of what everyone else would think of you, of me, of us!"
He began to get angry at her fear, but continued to cry.
"Fuck what everybody else thinks! Judy, we don't need to listen to them! Please, it can just be you and me!"
She began to sob uncontrollably, and Nick started wiping tears away in frustration.
"Nicholas it won't happen!"
He fell over to her, hugging her waist and sobbing into her lap. Judy held him back, feeling completely awful for being the reason to blame. He began to cry and sob, continuing to beg for her love, as she continued to cry just as much, tears stinging the cuts on her cheeks from the chase earlier. She attempted to speak through sobs of regret, hugging his head into her waist.
"Nick you mean s-so much to m-me, but i can't bare t-to see you g-go through that… e-every day!"
She began to have an anxiety attack as she cried, trying to control her breathing and her heart rate. Nick noticed, and immediately climbed up next to her on the bed, as she wiped her tears away. He wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her close, crying into her shoulder. Judy did the same, bawling her eyes out while still having difficulty with her breathing rhythm. He began to try to calm her down and rock her slowly, trying to shush her as he sobbed as well, and she eased up, taking deep breaths and slowly beginning to stop sobbing. Eventually, Nick could whisper to her as he sniffled, "it's okay, shh, you're alright carrots…". She nodded to him as they rocked, sniffling and wiping her tears. Nick glided his thumb under her eyes, wiping the clear sparkles of sadness away, as he rubbed his own eyes into his shoulders. They both lied down onto Judy's bed, and he cuddled closed into him, her eyes closed and still sniffling from the episode they just had. Nick also had his eyes shut, trying to hold back more tears with the thought of his one and only to say "no". Eventually, she had fallen asleep, and held onto Nick's shirt, silently sleeping with her mouth halfway open. Nick looked down at her as she slept in peace, and he began to stroke and caress the base of her ears. He took a deep breath before he spoke.
"I love you, Judy."
Miles woke up after sleeping for fifteen hours straight, waking up at 5 in the afternoon. He did sleep on the couch at Judy's, but he was asleep while Judy and Nick had their talk. When he woke up, Judy was in the living room, flicking through several news channels while dressed in pajamas. She looked back and noticed Miles rubbing his head.
"Hey. You're alive." She spoke in a hoarse voice.
Miles noticed her voice immediately.
"Yeah, more importantly, you are. Are you feeling sick?"
She sighed.
"A little. Why."
He sat straight up, stretching.
"Because you sound really strained. Did something happen while i was out?"
She turned around and glanced at him, shrugging.
"Guess i was just in a lot of pain from the night before. I wasn't screaming in my sleep, was i?"
Miles noticed her eyes were strained, and a little dull.
"No, but you might have been crying in your sleep. Your eyes have marks."
She nodded, looking away.
"I guess."
Miles looked at the T.V. and noticed the news station describing the events of the night before. Chief Bogo described the events of the chase that took place, with a chopper and several eye-witnesses capturing footage of the pursuit, and the crash into Little Rodentia.
"...Officer Hopps risked her life to stop these criminal scum from transporting this substance, right here."
He held out a vial of purple-yellow liquid to the camera, allowing the flashlight to let it glow. The news reporter then asked Chief what the substance was.
"We aren't sure, but we are to believe that it is a stimulant of sorts, so we will have to take it back to the station and run a few tests."
Judy changed the channel, rubbing her forehead.
"Apparently only one box was being transported, so chances are, it's a pricey drug." Miles commented.
Judy nodded, bringing up a point Nick explained the night before.
"Apparently Nikki says Finn was transporting some of it to gain a bit of money."
"Why the hell didn't he arrest him?"
Judy looked at Miles, shrugging.
"I guess he said he couldn't because he was his only 'family'."
Miles tilted his head in retrospect, then stood up, stretching.
"Hey, i think i'm gonna go and get a new phone. I haven't had one for a few years, so i'm gonna go and get something i can use to contact you guys."
Judy nodded, walking back up the stairs.
"Be careful. Let me know when you need my number."
Miles nodded, but before he exited the door, he asked her something.
"Hey, Judy?"
"Hm." She stopped walking up the stairs, but kept her eyes on the steps.
"You can tell me anything, you know that, right?"
She hesitated, then answered.
"Yeah, i know."
He stayed at the door for a second in a moment of silence, then spoke again.
"Okay, because you're not just my partner, you're also my friend."
Judy looked over to Miles, and gave a half smile, nodding.
"Thanks Miles. That means a lot."
He nodded then closed the door behind him, walking out to his ACR.
He drove to a nearby electronics store, seeing if there were reasonable prices for a small smartphone. Coming up to the front of a store with the name, "The shock collar: Cellphones and electronics.", he entered with his wallet in hand. A dog stood at the counter in a silver shirt, with a shock-collar logo on his chest.
"Hey, welcome to the shock-collar! Best prices in town, or we'll zap the competition!"
Miles smiled, nodding in gratitude.
"Hi, i'm looking for a small, affordable smartphone. Something that can handle work and social branches in my life."
The dog smiled and walked around the counter, guiding Miles to the side of the store.
"Well we have several different brands to choose from, including iPup, Catdroid, and Wolfkia."
Miles blinked in astonishment at the wall of cellphones available to him.
"Uhh, that's the thing. This is my first time buying my own Cell…"
The dog chuckled and patted Miles on the shoulder.
"That's understandable, sir. Hey, i never got your name. I'm James."
"Miles." He shook his hand.
"Well, Mr. Miles, for the best decision on what kind of phone you're looking for, do you have a specific field you work in? Because chances are you'll need something reliable, durable, trustworthy."
He smiled, looking at the large screens on most of the displays.
"Law enforcement. I'm a Captain at the ZPD."
James chuckled.
"Well, Officer Miles, We have a selection of durable cellphones with customizable screen protectors, cases, and backup warranties. Here, this is a classic."
He pulled a small phone off the wall, with no buttons on the front whatsoever. Handing it to Miles, he examined the cell phone, admiring the camera on the back. James explained as he continued to fondle the item.
"This is the iPup T-ball. Featuring a Quad Core 2.5 Gigahertz CPU, this baby can run several applications at once with ease, and still have enough hands to download, play, or transfer data, music, or videos. It also features a 32 gigabyte internal memory unit, with a 3 gigabyte ram unit. This way, you can easily make a call, while doing your favorite activity on this mobile device."
Miles nodded in appreciation for such a small device, and spoke.
"Sounds extremely capable of every need i have! I just have one question."
"Uh huh?"
"How do you turn it on?"
He showed James the blank screen, and James laughed in realization.
"That's another feature with the T-ball! It carries the ability to be Multi-touch! You can just double tap the screen," He visualized his description, bringing the phone to life. "And your cellphone is up and running!"
Miles smiled and gave an understanding nod.
"That's perfect! I'll take it!"
"Great! Another great thing about this phone is the affordability. You see, competitors like Wolfkia focus on quality, while iPup tries to focus on what the people want. You'd be surprised on the price comparison."
Miles handed him the phone.
"How big is the gap?"
"Well, your average Wolfkia today will run you about $350 into the gutter…"
Miles winced with an "Ouch."
"But," James continued "Buying a iPup, you save an average of about $275!"
"You're telling me that thing is $75?" He said in amazement.
"Absolutely, Sir!" He smiled, handing him the phone back.
"And i understand its unbelievable, with how people are paying more than what the base price is, but that's because they focus on the digital aspect, you know?"
"Memory, RAM, things like that?" Miles guessed.
James snapped his fingers.
"Exactly!" He walked him back to the counter, then went to the register, ringing his item up.
"So, your total is 74.99, and it comes with a custom, 6 foot charger, and secondary battery incase the first one shorts out. You are also guaranteed a 90-day warranty incase anything happens to the cell phone."
Miles smiled, pulling out a $100 bill.
"Alright, i think it's well worth grabbing a screen protector as well, so how much would that add?"
"$20, do you want a case with that as well?"
"Nope, i'm confident enough to use this phone daily, if something happens however, i'll know who to call." He smiled, and James laughed again.
"Alright, your total comes out to 94.99, thanks for coming to the shock collar, come back again soon!"
Miles received everything he needed with the new phone he had, and drove over to the station, now thinking of how to apologize for the way he spoke to Chief Bogo. He walked into the station, and noticed Clawhauser at the front desk, drinking a soda with a straw.
"Hey Ben!" He spoke with a smile. Benjamin noticed and immediately choked while drinking, trying to recover from his entrance.
"Hiya, cap'n! What'cha need?" He smiled as he rested his cheeks on his hands.
"Well, i want to register this thing to my info," He flashed his cell. "And i need to talk to Bogo about the night before."
Benjamin sat up, quickly typing and clicking into his desktop.
"Alright, can i get your number?" He smiled, and Miles chuckled before giving him the info. Benjamin quickly typed it in, quietly chuckling as he clicked enter, and asked him about Chief.
"Why do you need to talk to the big guy though?" He asked.
Miles put his phone back into his pocket and explained.
"Well, i kinda blew up on him when i got involved with Nick and Judy's chase. I ended up telling him he was too serious about his job, and he needed to lighten up."
Benjamin gasped.
"Cap, you know you could get in big trouble for that, right?! Goodness gracious i'm amazed he didn't fire you on the spot!"
Miles shrugged.
"He kinda stayed quiet the whole time i explained. Guess i might get demoted if i talk to him."
Benjamin frowned.
"Well if you do, i'll give him every reason to let you keep your position, Cap, i promise!"
He saluted him with a smile and a nod, and Miles smiled back from his hospitality.
"Thanks Ben, is he in today though?"
He went back to the desktop and scrolled through several dates.
"Nope, he's off duty right now, but i can call him back if you'd like!"
"I'd appreciate that Ben, thanks!"
He smiled and his tail twirlled behind him, while he brought up his phone number to give him a call.
"Hi chief! Um, Captain is here to speak with you. Oh no, he's right at the front desk, why? Oh, okay, i'll send him off!"
He set the phone down and pointed toward his office.
"Big guy is asking you to head to his office and wait there for him."
Miles nodded as he walked toward the direction, waving.
He entered the room quietly with no fear, closing the door behind him like it was his own office. Admiring the two chairs in front of his desk, he sat in one and pulled out his phone. Since he gave Benjamin his number, he ended up taking it for himself, sending the message, "Gotchu ;)". Miles rolled his eyes in from how persistent Benjamin was being, and leaned back in the chair, waiting for Chief Bogo to show up. A minute passed, then five, then ten, and until about a half an hour had passed, the door handle jiggled for a second, and Miles's ears perked up as he looked back.
Chief Bogo was standing in the doorway, a bottle of alcohol in one hand, and his cellphone in another. He was still in uniform, and he didn't seem intoxicated. Miles stared at Bogo dumbfounded, confused as to why he was carrying scotch in the first place. He closed the door behind him, and walked to his desk, setting down the bottle and leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He didn't look angry, but he had a frown on his face. Miles kept his eyes on him the entire time. Eventually, he spoke up.
"Thought you said six A.M."
"Figured i should come by at a better time." Miles replied.
Bogo opened his eyes, and looked at Miles with his eyebrows up in question.
"Well, either way, here we are."
"Yeah."
Bogo then leaned forward, and reached into the drawer of his desk, pulling out two small glasses. He poured one for himself and hovered the end of the bottle over the second glass.
"Care for a drink?"
Miles waved his hand.
"Don't want a biased conversation. Sorry."
Bogo shrugged, and poured the glass anyway, then slid the glass to the end of the desk, putting the bottle between the two of them. He then took a sip of his own.
"I understand you were a little, irritated with my motifs, Miles."
He nodded.
"Yes sir. If that was how you were born and raised, then i apologize."
He stared into his glass.
"Nothing more than a memory."
He then took another drink from his glass, and set it down, looking at Miles.
"Listen, mister Feral, i want you to know that i do not have any personal relationships with my fellow officers."
Miles nodded.
"Be it for a friendship, or just to get something out of it, i do not take that risk. So if this is your way of trying to be my friend, i suggest you leave my office."
He stayed seated, still in his leaned back position.
"I just want answers. I'm not here to cause a disturbance, or to harass, i just need to know why."
"Why what?"
"Why you seem so volatile. So reclusive. So, independant."
He attempted to dumb the words down.
"Why does that matter to you?" Bogo asked.
"So i can know what and what not to say in the line of duty when i'm standing next to you. You know, do an action without being asked, or make a decision without having to contemplate."
Bogo raised an eyebrow.
"So you just want to know the right answers when you're near me?"
Miles shrugged.
"In a way. I guess you just have a look on your face all the time. You seem pissed or irritated about something, and i want to try to be the officer who, i guess, kind of restores your faith on how others can make your life just a little bit easier. If that happens to be the case, i mean."
Bogo closed his eyes as he understood, and picked his half empty glass of scotch, looking through the brown-yellow liquid.
"I see." He downed the rest of the glass, then opened the bottle back up, pouring more.
"I took your advice on, cutting back, i guess you could say."
"That explains the scotch." Miles concluded.
"Uh-huh." He drank another small amount and put the bottle down, resting his elbow over the back of his seat.
"You ever wonder how some people can just get careless so quickly?"
"I usually try to keep it in the back of my mind." Miles said.
"Well, i'm kind of like the opposite. I become very, tense, in a manner of speaking. As if i need to make sure everyone is doing their job."
Miles hung his leg over the chair's armrest, trying to get more comfortable.
"You're the Chief executive for a reason."
"Hmm." He looked at Miles posture, then raised a palm toward him.
"But as you can see, i'm not even twitching at the sight of you sitting in such a deliberate manner."
Miles slowly sat up, fixing his posture.
"Sorry, sir-"
"No, no, it's fine." Bogo cut off. "Relax, you need it."
He actually gave a half grin. Miles understood.
"Miles, listen to me. I only sit here with a 40 ounce bottle of alcohol, in the workplace with you, because i wanted to attempt to understand your way of communicating."
Miles was confused.
"You assume i always take it easy?"
He picked the glass up.
"I guess you just have that look on your face all the time." He drank the rest of the glass, placing it upside down.
Miles smirked and looked at Bogo with a feeling.
"Chief, i can be one of the most serious people you've ever met, i assure you. But i am willing to take a break when the time is needed. I was just curious as to why you don't do the same."
"It's because i have no reason to take a break. Being a chief, i believe i need to take action every chance there is, so i never choose to let my guard down."
Miles nodded, then sat straight up, and grabbed ahold of his drink, and swallowing it whole with ease. He winced from the taste before he spoke.
"Well chief, i was wondering if i could make a proposal to you then. In return for you to take a break, i could make sure things stay in order within that time."
Chief Bogo gave a chuckle, then started to laugh, then built into uncontrollable laughing. Miles however, kept a straight face.
"You really think you could take control? Goodness, Captain! You have colleagues three times your size! How do you expect to take control over an entire classroom with animals of different sizes?!"
Miles sat in silence, still with his straight face, but then stood up and grabbed ahold of the bottle of scotch. He opened it, and drank the last 20 ounces of the bottle with ease. Bogo was confused when Miles did this, but he set the bottle back down, wiping his mouth and making a hacking noise.
"Watch me. I won't look intoxicated at all today. I'll work for the rest of the day."
He held his hand out for a handshake. Bogo looked at him disapprovingly, but asked.
"You really are willing to try?"
Miles nodded. "As long as you get the relaxation you need, sir." He lowered his hand.
Bogo nodded, then stood up, holding his hand to his side.
"Tell you what, Captain. If you can physically prove yourself to your crewmates first thing tomorrow, i'll rest easier for the next day."
Miles's posture stiffened straight up in surprise.
"You're willing to give me an extra day if i succeed in the first?"
"Only if you mean that i really will be much more relaxed." Bogo then held his hand out for a handshake. Miles looked in surprise and immediately grabbed his hand with a firm grip, shaking with a strong paw.
"I'll make sure you won't regret it, Chief!" Miles gave a look of determination as he spoke, and turned around to leave the room, but before exiting through the door, Bogo spoke up.
"Oh, one more thing Miles,"
He looked back. "Yes, sir?"
"You owe me for the rest." Bogo held up the now empty bottle.
(AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS)
*****I understand if you felt it was a little boring, believe me, i did too. But think about this with realism; our new character now has a cellphone...
Anyway, thank you all for reading, ill post another chapter in the future.*****