Ch. 21: Goodbyes and Beginnings.
The bullet lodged into Judy's side but she felt the burning only for a few moments before she blacked out.
Blinking open her eyes she found herself standing in a field of grass, the sky a faded blue and wind moving the grass around her legs.
Judy had no idea where she was but she only had one question: "Nick?"
Where was he? Was he okay? Did Swinton shoot him? "Nick? Where are you?"
She walked a few steps, her head moving this way and that as she tried to find something, anything, to help get her back to Nick.
"Judy."
She let out a gasp and slowly turned around, and standing before her, as handsome as the day she met him, was Jack.
Judy's breath came out at as a delighted sob and she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shoulder as he pulled her into a warm embrace.
"I missed you," she sobbed, tears falling down her cheeks.
"I'm missed you too," he breathed, cupping her head between his paws and nuzzling her cheek. When he looked her in the eye his expression was heartbreakingly apologetic. "Judy, I'm sorry." He pressed his forehead against hers, "I didn't want to leave you and the kits so soon. I should've told you about the case."
"It's okay," she breathed, smiling up at him. "Besides we solved the case!" Me and-" her ears fell as her eyes widened, "-Nick." Holding Jack's paw she took a step back and looked around, "I was…looking for him."
Jack's soft sigh brought her attention back to him, he gave her a small smile, "I knew Nick would love you if he ever got to meet you."
Her guilt made her swallow, "Jack, I…I didn't mean for…"
But he shook his head, "No, no, don't apologize Judy. Did you honestly think I wanted you to be left alone raising our kits all by yourself? I don't want that, and I don't want Nick to be alone. He deserved a better friend just like you deserved a better husband."
Judy grabbed his other paw, interlocking their fingers. "I was mad at you," she admitted. "I still am, a little. I wish you had told me about this case."
Jack shrugged, "You married an idiot."
She giggled softly, smiling at him, "You really are an idiot. But you are still one of the greatest things to happen to me, and I'll always love you."
"Same here," he replied. "But, you can love other mammals; you can have other great things happen to you. And I know Nick is one of those things."
Judy's grip tightened, "You have to leave now, don't you?"
"Yes," he said softly. "But I'm going to leave relieved and content because I know the love of my life and my best friend are going to take care of each other while I'm gone."
Judy took in a shuddering breath, "I love you, Jack."
He stepped forward and pulled her into another hug, "I love you too. Now wipe those tears away, Honey Bun, you know this isn't the last you've seen of me." He winked, "No one can get rid of me that easily." He kissed her temple right before Judy's vision returned to black.
.
Judy jolted awake so suddenly the bolt of pain in her side made her cry out loud. She was lying in an open ambulance and her shout made the gazelle checking her vitals and Nick jump.
"YOU'RE AWAKE!" Nick nearly busted her eardrum. He was staring down at her with blood shot eyes and his shot arm was in a cast.
"Yeah," her voice was raspy with pain. She looked down to see a thick bandage above her hip where the bullet had hit. "What happened?"
"You got shot and blacked out," the gazelle informed her. "Detective Wilde had dug the bullet out before we got there, he's lucky you didn't bleed out."
"What about Swinton?" Judy directed the question to Nick.
"Don't you worry," he assured her, "Bogo showed up just in time, heard the recorder and arrested her immediately. We did it, Carrots. We saved the city."
She let out a relieved sigh and leaned back against the stretched they had placed her on. "Yay."
"I'll go tell Chief Bogo you're awake," the gazelle said, leaving the two alone.
Judy looked at Nick's arm, "Are you okay?"
"You actually jumped in front of a bullet for me," he pointed out, his voice ended in a chuckle.
"Hey! You jumped in front of a jaguar for me," Judy pointed out.
"But you jumped in front of a bullet for me!" he broke into a hysterical laughter, burying his face on the stretcher. "You crazy little freak!"
"I don't get how I'm the freak and you're not," she pouted.
"Oh, never mind," he hissed in laughter before taking a few calming breaths. "Judy."
She blinked at the sudden seriousness of his tone, "Yes?"
"Did you know the recorder I gave you was Jack's apology?"
"I didn't," her ears fell, "I'm sorry we lost it."
"You thought it was the confession," Nick lifted his head. "You risked losing the confession to save me."
"Nick, I wasn't going to let you die," she said, her heart hurting at the thought.
"But…this was your chance to avenge Jack's death. It was Swinton's fault he died. You risked that for me."
Judy met his eyes and she realized they were bloodshot because he had been crying. "Nick…Jack's gone, I already lost him. And I refuse to lose another mammal that I love."
It took the fox detective far too long to figure out what she had just said. When his brain clicked he nearly fell down, "P-pardon?"
She smiled softly, feeling her eyes well up. "I told you there was something between us, I told you we needed to talk about it. But we don't have to. I love you, Nick."
He stared at her with a blank expression for a few moments but then cleared his throat, making a show of straightening his ruined tie. "Oh, so is this black mail? You want me to stick around and do all the household chores for you?"
Judy broke into laughter, ignoring the throb her wound caused, "Of course, I want you to cook and clean for me and my kits. And that comes with being there for every birthday and holiday and school play, every movie night and bed time story. It comes with you and me sharing that bed that will be way too small for you and going on date nights and becoming an unstoppable duo in the ZPD. It comes with watching our kits grow up while we grow out together. And it also comes with me getting to kiss you whenever I want."
Nick tried to let out an exasperated groan but his smile ruined it along with the new tears that filled his eyes, "That sounds absolutely awful. But I guess if I have to."
"Glad we're in agreement," she replied then held her arms out, "Now come over here and let me kiss you."
When Bogo finally came to check on Judy he found the rabbit and fox sharing the stretcher, snuggling each other with their arms wrapped around each other. Their breathing soft and relaxed and looking completely at peace, knowing they had not only saved Zootopia but knowing that they had saved each other. Judy was no longer cold and Nick was no longer alone. And they planned on never letting that change.