AN: Here we are folks. The battle for survival is detailed in this chapter as well as a few surprises and revelations. Enjoy the chapter folks, and thanks for reading my story! Thanks again to the Editor in Chief!

Chapter 14

Canals General Hospital

Judy found herself staring at the ceiling of the ambulance. The fur on her face felt tacky from tears, although they no longer flowed as before. She was being tended to by a thin Sailfin water lizard. Her delicate claws worked on stemming the flow of blood from Judy's thigh and hip. The doe knew she was in a terrible state and fought to stay conscious. She knew if she closed her eyes, all she would see is Nick lying in her arms, bleeding to death. The cold weight of his body haunted her. She tried to focus on something, anything that would keep her thoughts from that. The night that she slept on the floor with him, his warmth feeding her soul, the feel of his fur, his scent...his scent. Now she could only smell his blood. Despite her best efforts her eyes rolled into the back of her skull and she slipped into the black brought on by blood loss.

Judy stood in a field of knee-high wild flowers. The air was crisp and warm with a gentle breeze making the flowers wave at her in greeting. A familiar scent on the air encouraged her to start walking. She padded through the flowers, following that smell until she found a small stream that bubbled peacefully. The water was clean and she could see right to the bottom while the trees in the area deposited a few leaves on the surface to be carried away by the current. She looked upstream and found a familiar figure reclining against a tree. One leg upon his knee and foot tapping in the air to some silent tune. Red fur, buttoned up tropical shirt and purple striped tie. She started walking towards him feeling a smile creep to her face as she stood over him. His sunglasses were covering his eyes.

"Hey, Slick."

Nick lowered his shades with his smirk and charm radiating on his face. "Carrots," he said, almost a purr. He opened an arm and she settled down in his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder and paw on his chest. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sounds and sensations. The Bubbling creek, leaves blowing in the air and the scent of wild flowers...

After a few minutes of silence,Nick purred to her. "You were fantastic, by the way."

She opened her eyes as her smile fell away, but she didn't move, "What do you mean?"

"Freeing the district, the docks, the research facility. Freeing those hatchlings, and especially the warehouse! You were marvelous. Everyone should have someone like you. Yup, the whole package!"

She sat up and looked into his deep emerald eyes. The were like gems, so clear and bright. "You were too. You saved my life more than I care to admit, Nick!"

The fox laughed. "I was, wasn't I? Can you believe Wolford's first name is William? That was fantastic!"

Judy laughed and laid back down. "You really love me?"

Nick chuckled "More than anything...just like I said."

Judy's face fell as she thought for a minute. "What happens now?"

He looked up, frowning as the sky darkened with clouds and the wind picked up. "Now? Now you go back, Fluff."

Judy sat up and grabbed his shirt tightly in her paw as tears began to form in her eyes. "Come with me, Nick. Don't make me keep that promise!"

He put his paws pad up in a shrugging motion. "I'm trying, Judy. I want nothing more than to keep you out of that promise...to hold you again."

She didn't bother to stop the tears as lightning broke the sky. "Then stop talking about it and do it already!"

Nick's stood up, dropping his shades and walked to the edge of the stream where he gazed at the water for a moment. He turned his head to look at her. "I can't go back to nothing, Judy. The doctors are trying everything...I...I love you...never forget that."

Judy's eyes snapped open, looking at a paneled ceiling. There was a steady beeping noise coming from a heart monitor and the room smelled of alcohol. She turned her head and saw a pair of blood bags feeding into her arm. One was already empty. There was light filtering in through the closed blinds. She turned her head to see a pair of officers sleeping in the corner of her room. One was Fangmeyer and the other Chief Bogo. He had a book in his lap, and Fangmeyer had taken over the desk with her sketches. Judy tired to speak but her tongue was thick from medications and her voice was hoarse. Her chest hurt badly too. Sitting up wasn't an option. She tried speaking again but only a moan came out. Chief Bogo instantly woke up looking at her. Seeing her awake, he roused Fangmeyer and brought over a stool to sit next to her. She saw two things in the buffalo's eyes that she was unaccustomed to seeing, compassion and worry.

Bogo put his hoof on her arm and spoke softly. "Good to see you awake, Hopps. We lost you a few times there."

She only had one thing on her mind however, having a hard time forming words she mouthed 'Nick'

Chief Bogo looked at Fangmeyer who started to cry. He looked back at Judy. "They are still trying, Hopps. They have stopped the bleeding His body is still in shambles but he's not losing any more blood, however..." He sighed deeply and settled into a long blink. He opened his eyes as he continued, "they can't keep his heart going. They say it might be that his body had been under too much stress both emotional and physical."

Tears began to flow into her pillow as she mouthed 'How long'.

"They have been at it ten hours."

Tears streamed without control as the heart monitor began to beep faster and faster. Bogo felt dread standing over him as he rushed to the door of the room yelling for a nurse. A pair of Nile monitors came running into the room. They immediately plugged a syringe into Judy's IV line and pushed the plunger down. The beeping slowed and Judy's pained expression relaxed as she slipped to sleep.

One of the monitors turned to Bogo, concern on her face. "What happened?"

Bogo began to explain and was harshly admonished for telling her about Nick's predicament.

"She is in ICU, and visiting hours are over," the monitor stated flatly. "Time for you two to leave. You can't just put that kind of stress on someone who just woke. Have a nice night Chief Bogo, Officer Fangmeyer."

Judy cracked open an blurry eye and saw a flurry of activity next to her. Easily eight animals working on one patient. She couldn't see who they were working on but when one moved she saw him. His eyes were taped shut, tubes running down his throat and numerous lines and fluid bags hanging around the bed. His heart monitor let out a monotonous, continuous tone. She held out her paw in his direction as tears began to well and whispered to him, "Come back, Nick." Her eyelids were too heavy and slid closed as she heard the monitor start beeping again. "How long can we keep bringing him back, Doctor?" There was a pause before a different voice replied "As long as he keeps coming back."

Judy slipped to sleep.

The sounds of rain outside her window woke Judy. The drapes had been closed but the soft light coming in the gaps of fabric told her it was day time. She sighed deeply and smelled a familiar scent. She rolled her head to her right and saw Nick in a bed next to her. He looked as bad as the last time she saw him but at least he wasn't surrounded by doctors this time. Even though he looked awful, it brought some comfort seeing him, knowing he was still alive. She slowly sat up hearing her own heart monitor speed up slightly as she moved. Her body hurt all over, as if she got into a fight with bat wielding thugs...especially her chest. She tried to swing her legs out of the bed but found that her left leg snagged on the sheets. When she reached down, her paw rested on a cast. The door opened and a panther strolled in. She stopped dead in her tracks seeing Judy sitting up in her bed.

Surprise was written in her voice as she spoke in a soft tone, "Officer Hopps! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Judy swallowed hard, throat feeling very dry. "Like I was beaten to a pulp."

The nurse came over and checked all of the machines as she made easy conversation. "Well you flat lined a few times. When CPR is used, it usually ends up with broken ribs or bruised at least. You have four bruised ribs from that experience. The pain should clear up soon though."

Judy nodded and looked over at Nick. The nurse saw it. "He's not out of the woods yet, but his heart has been going for a week now. We put him in a medically induced coma to help his body minimize stress and focus on healing." Seeing how Judy stared at the fox, the nurse continued, "We hope to take him out of the coma in a few days. It's good you are awake though; there are visitors in the waiting room eager to see you! They will let them up in a few minutes. I just have to finish my checks."

Judy watched the nurse as she checked Nick's machines, scribbling notes as she went. She finished and left the room with a parting smile at Judy. Her eyes drifted around the room until they met the table on the left side of the room. She had never seen so many flowers. There was barely a table to be seen beneath them all. They actually had to bring two tables in to hold them all. On the floor Judy spotted a single leaf, one the nurses had missed as they cleaned. It was dried and shriveled up. A week should not have done that. She wondered how long she had been out.

The door opened and a wolf peaked inside. Seeing her awake his eyes widened and a smile worked its way across his muzzle. Judy smiled at her friend, "John! Please come in!"

The wolf nodded. "I have a few more guests with me,"

The door opened as John stepped in with a cane supporting his weight. Calvin followed with his own cane and the guests just kept coming. Robin and Doris, from the diner, Sierra, Sampson, and Wolford. While many stood around Judy and spoke to her, she noticed Wolford stood next to Nick, staring at the fox with one paw on his shoulder. They chatted for about a half hour before they left to continue their day expressing how glad they were that she was awake, leaving only Wolford sitting on a stool speaking with Judy.

"How long have we been here Wolford?"

He thought to himself for a moment. "A little more than a month."

She lost herself in thought over that. Wolford saw her mind's wheels turning and thought she needed a distraction. "I have something special to show you. I think you will like it." He grabbed his pawset and spoke into it. "Come meet your Heroes, Rookie"

Judy cocked an eyebrow, "Rookie?"

He smiled at her. "You'll see."

The door opened and there stood a young fox, his fur more crimson than anything in a newly cleaned and pressed ZPD uniform. His eyes were the deepest of blue and shined with eagerness, while his position of attention was flawless. Wolford looked at Judy, "May I present to you, Officer Tommy Reynarks. My new partner."

The young officer looked at her, wonder in his eyes. "Officer Hopps, I request permission to enter."

She waved the young fox inside, a smile on her face. "Please come in."

The newly minted officer stood at the foot of her bed, the rigidness of his training still fresh in his mind, not letting him relax.

Wolford looked over at him. "At ease officer, you are among friends, not drill instructors."

He turned his attention back to Judy with a grin. "You ready for his story?"

She nodded never losing her smile. Wolford hadn't had a real partner in years, from her understanding.

"Well, do you remember the story I told you in the warehouse? The animalnapper and his hostage?"

"Yes, I remember quite clearly."

He nodded to the fox standing behind him. "This is the hostage."

Reynarks spoke for himself as he finally began to relax...but only a little. "My father was not a bad animal, but desperate. I was there as he killed a police officer. When he realized what he had done, he broke down into tears. He begged me to not be like him. He told me to strive to be better, to be trustworthy, to be brave and face down the doubters and prove them wrong, and lastly he begged for my forgiveness. I joined the ZPD to do that and more. I want to make amends for his wrongs."

Judy smiled at Wolford. "Did you request to have this new officer assigned to you?"

He shook his head. "No, I insisted upon it. Chief Bogo will say I demanded it."

Judy looked back at the fox, who was beaming with pride at being spoken of so highly. "Do you know the name Wolford? Tommy Wolford?"

The fox's ears fell back as he looked to his partner. "I don't know a Tommy Wolford, only my partner, but his first name starts with a W."

Wolford stood up and put his paw on the new officer's shoulder. "Tommy Wolford was my brother...he was also my first partner and he died on the day we went in to rescue a small fox...that fox's name? It was Tommy Reynarks."

The young officer looked like he wanted to cry at hearing this. Wolford simply pulled the fox into his chest and let him cry, clearly holding back emotions of his own. "It's alright partner, let it go. I requested you because I knew what kind of officer a fox can make and I already knew you. Let it all go."

The fox sniffled heavily as he spoke. "All of those years I wanted to meet the officer who lost his partner. Here I am, for a month never knowing it...you're a hero to me, always have been. Why have you been so fair with me? My father killed your brother!"

Wolford pushed the fox back to stand on his own and shook his shoulders gently as he looked the new officer in the eye. "I chose you because we both had healing to do and only we can heal each other. You're a good kid and shouldn't be punished for your father's crimes. It took years and a fox cop to show me that. In time I think you will make a great cop. Now let's get out and let Officer Hopps get some rest."

The pair departed, and Wolford gave a quick nod to Judy as he left. The door closed and she found herself looking at Nick. "When you wake up, there is quite the story waiting for you."

She felt a strong urge, one that she couldn't easily brush away. She swung her legs out of bed and slowly let herself down to the floor. Putting weight on her cast hurt, so she hobbled around to the window side of her bed and clicked off the wheel lock with her cast and slowly pushed her bed over towards Nick until they met, clicking the lock back into place. The power cables for her machines were stretched out but still plugged into the wall safely. She climbed back up into her bed and draped her covers over Nick's, pulling his up so she could touch his fur. Then the doe scooted over as far as she could without lying on the gap and found his paw. She held it in hers and felt something she had been longing to feel since that night in the warehouse. She felt warmth. Her eyes slipped shut and she fell into a very deep sleep.

Judy awoke to silence. There was no heart monitor beeping, no breathing machines...just silence. She was quite comfortable in her bed, it being so very warm. She stretched out her paws and felt fur next to her. Glancing over, she found Nick lying in the same bed with her. The bed was massive, likely built for an elephant but both her and Nick had been placed in it together. His eyes were no longer taped shut, there were no tubes down his throat and only two lines disappeared into his right arm. The luster to his fur was starting to come back and his breathing was in normal intervals. She felt herself being hypnotized by the steady rise and fall of his chest. She edged closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, gingerly placing her paw on his bandaged chest as her eyes began to droop with a single tear.

The door opened as the panther returned with a smile. "Good morning Officer Hopps. How are you feeling?"

Her eyes opened back up. "I'm doing much better now...How's Nick? He looks much better!"

The panther smiled weakly. "Well...we pulled him out of his medical coma a few days ago, but he hasn't woken up yet. His body has been healing well and all we can do is wait." The panther started to leave but stopped and turned to look at Judy with seriousness in her eyes. "His spine has healed nicely after the gunshot wound in his back, but we won't know if the damage has been healed until he wakes up. There is a chance he may not be able to regain full use of his legs again."

Judy's heart dropped. She felt the tears trying to break through, but held them back this time. "I understand. No matter what happens, I'll be here to help him through it." A moment passed before she continued. "And thanks for the joined bed...I know that this is...unusual to see. Has anyone from the ZPD seen us like this?"

The panther smiled. "Only one. His name was Wolford I believe. As for the bed, it was clearly needed since we saw how you had moved yours. We didn't want you hurting yourself moving it again so once Officer Wilde was stable, we made sure to move you two into a bed made for an elephant. Neither of you stirred even once when we moved you...I've heard the stories and seen the news. What you two did was incredible! Our eternal thanks go with you. I'll get you the newspapers from the past few weeks so you can read them at your leisure."

The nurse left Judy smiling as she settled back down on Nick's shoulder. She no longer smelled his blood. His body was warm, and the heart beating in his chest was like a metronome which started to lull her to sleep again. Her mind drifted to his legs and the possibility he wouldn't walk again...no, the doctor said 'full use', not that he wouldn't walk. There was hope, and right now, that was all she needed. She took his right paw in hers and laid them both on his chest,giving it a light squeeze. As she drifted to sleep she could swear she felt him gently squeeze back.

AN: This is the second to last chapter of Integrity Trust and Bravery. Thank you all so much for reading my story and to those who have been with me since the beginning, a very special thanks to you! Worry not dear readers, there are two more stories planned in this series! There will be a break so AngloFalcon can get to work on his own fiction (Hopefully). I have a few other stories that will start and come out in the meantime! Keep an eye out for them and thanks again!

*DISCLAIMER*

Zootopia and the intellectual content are the property of Disney. I make no money or gains other than my enjoyment from writing it and experience. Any character names that I have created are free to be used by any other aspiring or experienced writers. Let me know so I can read your work with some of my character names and perhaps even personalities!

The plot and story are works of my own imagination and any likeness to other stories is purely coincidence, please inform me if I have transgressed on anyone else's work so that I may make amends. Likewise please do not infringe upon my story and make it your own without permission of a reproduction first. Thanks for reading!