Love In The Open
Chapter 22: Recovery
The ride to the hospital seemed like the beginning of the end for Judy. Life seemed to be
treating her rather unfairly with the stress and tension the situation were bringing. The one thing
she was grateful for in this moment that there were good friends like Nick and KZ in the car
along with her en route to the hospital. She was crying for various reasons now. Not just for the
pain of a loved one, but for the potential future scenarios such as these. She was not afraid of
herself dying, but she was always deeply concerned for the lives of others. It was an awful
nightmare to her now. A nightmare which might become reality.
Transition… Zootopia Memorial Hospital… 15 minutes later
Tails and company were able to finish off the remnants of the Ring. No longer would their terror
strike Zootopia, but rather peace and freedom once again. Chief Bogo, KZ, Tails and recently
appointed mayor Richard Talon were all in the hospital answering questions from the press
about the following events. Heroes weren't needed to be proclaimed, for the "heroes" were
content to perform their duties. Although many officers were wounded, they weren't fatally
injured and at Richard's advice, reporters were not allowed to speak with any wounded officers.
Although he was about to speak to one that was mentally wounded. As the bird was about to
leave, he saw 3 cops huddled together around an area in the spacious waiting room. He
recognized the fox immediately (Hey, Nick knows everybody, remember?) the bunny he only
recently heard of before taking office, and the other bird looked somewhat familiar to him. He
boldly went up to the other bird and tapped him on the wing. In response, KZ hugged Richard
tightly for a bit before letting go of the embrace. "Well well well, looks like two brothers
finally reunited." Nick confidently stated. Nick, KZ and Richard all chest-bumped, causing Judy
to stop her crying to turn around out of curiosity. "Excuse me, but who are you?" Judy asked the
falcon in the suit and tie. "Judy Hopps is it?" the formally-dressed falcon asked. Judy was too
saddened to nod, but Nick was able to offer a small embrace in comfort. "Kev?" Richard asked
his twin, wondering why Judy seemed to shy away from him. "It's not you bro, one of her best
friends is extremely wounded from the fight with the Ring." "Oh." Richard whispered and
nodded in understanding. Before becoming mayor of Zootopia, Richard was determined to join
his adopted brother in making a difference in Zootopia. The two were as different as salt and
pepper. Richard was the more introverted, smart, formal, leader who always preferred to use
his words when handling a disagreement instead of making fighting the first solution (although
he wasn't afraid to fight when he had to.) KZ was more extroverted: which in turn, made him
very popular around his peers. He wasn't unintelligent by any means, but preferred to leave
what he called the "smarty stuff" to Richard and the physical things to himself. Both were very
excellent leaders, solid figures for peers to rely on, and even though their opposites sometimes
made them clash, they remained true friends deep down. Years later, Richard indeed became
the second deputy mayor along with Dawn Bellewether and was sworn in as mayor when Dawn
was arrested. KZ became the general of the Aerial division of S.W.E.A.T. and was now the 1st
Lieutenant of the entire unit. The Talon Twins (as their peers called them) were now indeed
making a difference. Richard walked over to Judy with a wing over her shoulder. "Hey, I'm
really sorry that your friend got wounded. I don't know if you're in the mood of telling me about
your friend, but I do know that telling your friends about your problems helps make it feel better,
ok?" Judy nodded, tears slowly dying down now. Richard then tried again. "Now, who is this
friend of yours? Is he a cop like you?" Judy shook her head. "A S.W.E.A.T. like my brother
here?" She shook her head again. Richard looked towards KZ, only to see him shaking his
head as well. "Uh, he was a Mobian sir." Nick finally spoke up. The Talon Twins turned to Nick.
KZ Eagleton knew only two animals who knew his former last name. His brother Richard and
his friend Nick Wilde. Before being adopted by Richard's family, his mother and father were
killed by evil birds who worked for the Ring when he was a young adult. It was also at that
same time where he flew as far as his wings could carry him, which was Zootopia. It was there
where he met Nick and Finnick. Even though he knew what they were doing was wrong, it was
basic urban survival that lead him to accepting proceeds from the two hustlers. Richard's family
later (meaning one year before the Night Howlers case) adopted him as their own and while
they weren't too happy about the type of "guardians" the two foxes were, they did show some
well-deserved respect towards them for keeping KZ alive all this time. That was how Nick came
to be good friends of the two brothers. Now, the two were returning the favor. "A Mobian?"
Richard asked, rather confused about the details. "As in the one weird two-tailed fox thing I saw
on tv? No offense Nick." "None taken." Nick replied, knowing that they wouldn't insult him on
purpose. "Not exactly like that bro." KZ told his brother. "They're the friendly super-powered
aliens that have been helping us this whole time. The one she's talking about, is a white
hedgehog-looking character who could move things with his mind. I know, hard to believe me,
but it's true. He killed the leader of the Ring, disguised as him to find the tech panel and
destroyed it." "How is it that he's wounded then?" Richard asked, in more confusion than
before. Nick was about to speak when Judy finally gained enough strength to respond. "When
he was disguised, he challenged me to a duel. I didn't know that I would be actually fighting him
until later because he wasn't behaving like Silver at all." she paused a moment before
continuing. "Before I got past the maze, he sent in a giant robot with chainsaw arms that when I
got past it…" Judy started to briefly cry again before KZ, Nick and Richard all came close. A few
media animals came in following Tails, but KZ was able to successfully hold them off. "Guys,
what happened?" Tails asked, observing the huddling crowd. "Tails, this is Richard Talon, the
new mayor of Zootopia. Richard, this is Tails." Tails and Richard shook paws/wings as Nick
closed out the introduction. "Judy was telling us what happened to Silver, but we understand if
she doesn't want to…" Richard's statement was interrupted when Judy grabbed his left wing to
get his attention. "That's ok sir, I want to finish." she took a deep breath, then exhaled to
continue. "After the robot was too slow to slice me, it happened to be slicing Silver's shoulder
blades very deep into the muscles. After saving him, he tossed me out the window so he could
use his powers to destroy the tower." Having to remember that horrific moment caused her to
cry tears of grief, as she felt like she was not only telling it, but reliving that tragedy again.
"When I saw the explosion knock him back, all that blood he lost. It was as if he actually died
again. The only thing I wanted were to have those few moments back. But not just those ones,
but many more moments. I want to live it all again so that I could take the time to know such a
wonderful, noble…" Judy stopped there as she cried again. Nick was there comforting his rabbit
friend through the pain. "Tails, do you know how Silver's doing now?" Richard asked. "Last I
checked sir, he still hasn't woken up yet." It was then Richard had a brilliant idea. "Tails, get KZ
and tell him to tell the media that I have some developing news for them to hear."
Time-skip… 30 seconds later…
After KZ and Tails successfully were able to round up all the media that were there, Richard
looked in front of the camera and started a brief speech. "Good evening everybody, I don't
know how many of you are keeping track of the situation of our brave, valiant cops recovering
from wounds suffered against the Ring. Let me tell you all that not all of the wounds suffered
today are solely physical." Richard then pointed towards Judy, signaling the cameras to center
towards her. "Some of you may have recently heard about this noble cop. Judy Hopps. Pure
underdog who came all the way from Bunnyborrow to fulfill her dream of becoming a cop."
Camera flashes were capturing this emotional moment as the mayor continued his speech.
"She may have briefly divided us, but she also united us when she saved us all from a plot
performed by my predecessor, Dawn Bellewether, who threatened to divide us further apart.
Recently, when she was having some quality time with friends, she discovered that an ancient
enemy, the Ring, had returned from under our noses. She, along with a Mobian that recently
visited here, have saved us from the Ring's tyranny by exposing their plot." The mayor's
countenance and tone shifted from one of gratitude to one of somberness as the cameras
continued to record the speech. "In that however, that Mobian, who Judy came to know
personally, is fighting for his life even as we speak. Judy may not be hurting physically, but
she's dealing with a hurting heart inside. Let's take this time as a moment of silence to let her
know, and to let all of those who were impacted by this know, that we are by their sides."
Time-skip… Moment of Silence
"Thank you." the mayor concluded. Richard allowed the media to follow him out of the hospital
so that Nick, KZ and Tails could have their moment alone with Judy. "Hey Carrots, I just want
you to know that I'm always gonna be by your side, no matter what happens." Nick stated,
hugging Judy to make her feel better. "Me too." KZ said next, joining in. "Me too." Tails agreed,
joining in the group hug. "Me too." said Chief Bogo, who just came in the waiting room after
debriefing the situation with his cops that were wounded. "And I think we all know someone
who'd be doing it too if he were with us right now." Nick stared at the Chief rather confused.
"Does that mean Silver's dead?" he asked. "He's alive. But the surgery he
had to go through was rather intensive and he would have to stay a week if not more for his
shoulders to recover."
Time-skip… 30 minutes later…
After further discussion, they all agreed that Judy would at least be allowed to stay the night with
Silver and that she could keep visiting during lunch breaks as long as she was back on duty
when she was supposed to be. Judy agreed to those terms, and with nervousness and
anticipation, she was lead into Silver's room by a kindly young moose nurse. "And this is where
he is Officer Hopps. You might not want to rattle him too much, he just woke up." "Don't worry, I
won't." Judy said, understanding the pain her friend would be under. "Hey Judy," the moose
called out, before Judy entered the door. Judy briefly turned to the moose. "I'm on your team
too. If there's anything you need from me, just ask me. Brooke Moose." "Got it, thanks Brooke."
Judy replied politely as she went into the door. Obviously, the hospital looked like any other
standard hospital. Just consider the fact that it had room for every single animal imaginable and
enough food, water and medical resources for them; but other than that, it's basically your
standard everyday hospital. She found the bed that Silver was in, which was rather easy to find
since it was closest to the window. She ran down the hall with tears in her eyes once she found
him. Silver's arms were in slings, but he still felt the bunny clutching at his chest. "Hey, it's
great to see you too, but could you just, you know, get off please?" Silver asked, motioning his
head towards a chair next to his bed for her to sit on. "Oh sorry about that." Judy apologized,
reeling her excitement back in. She had never been through this much emotional turmoil as she
had the past day. She seated herself on the chair, and breathed a sigh of relief that her friend
was actually alive. "Silver, we need to talk." Judy started the conversation, in a more
serious-like manner. "Ok, about what?" Silver asked. Judy took a deep breath, preparing for
the plunge of where this conversation would go. "Silver, I think, that, if there's going to be
anything between us, I would rather it be as friends first." Silver was about to interject, when
Judy held her paw up to stop him. "This doesn't change how I see you at all. You're still an
amazing friend, you've been my best friend throughout all of this experience. But when I
thought I heard the Kyman Klaw say that you were actually dead, the one thing I wanted more
than anything else was to have that time with you back. To tell you how I felt the first time,
rather than wait for forever; just get to know you first rather and make our friendship stronger
rather than just rush it and never appreciate who I know and who you've become." Judy paused
for a brief moment to let those words soak in her friend's mind. "I guess that old saying is
true. 'You never know what you got 'til it's gone' or in my case, until I thought it was gone."
Silver was impressed that Judy actually caught on to what he was wanting to tell her, but could
never find the nerve to tell her in person. "Can I say something now?" Silver asked. Judy
nodded in response. "I was a real jerk during this whole thing. I kind of knew you were
interested in me when we hung out at Cash Cow. I just never knew what to say or what to do.
I didn't want to put myself through all of the pain of my past. When I broke up with Blaze, I did it
on good terms, but it was still one of the most heartbreaking days of my life. When I was talking
to your dad about it, I knew he was right about love being more than just romance, which I knew
all along, but I still didn't feel comfortable going down that path. But I didn't want to disappoint
you either. I enjoy being your friend and I love being your hero. I just couldn't help but feel if I
did anything otherwise, I'd just be the selfish wreck you first thought I was." Judy thought back
to when they first met at the bowling alley. She wasn't exactly on her best behavior that day,
whether she deserved the taunting from Silver or not. She didn't deal with him in a calm
manner, but rather let out anger and frustration. Although she apologized and made things
right, there was something about Silver that seemed to be nagging at him from Judy's
perspective. Now she understood what it was. It wasn't the breakup with Blaze or starting
something new with her. It was fear. Fear of disappointment. Fear of being a disappointment.
Failure of living up to expectations, especially those closest to his heart, is what gripped Silver
the Hedgehog. And it wasn't until now that Judy had realized it. "Sweet cheese and
crackers, how could I have been so stupid?!" Judy slandered, faceslapping herself. "Stupid
about what?" Silver asked. "Why didn't I consider it before?" Judy asked, still visibly ticked.
"Consider what?" Silver asked, still confused as to why his friend was ticked off. Judy was
finally able to take a deep breath to calm down. "Silver, listen to me, ok?" she calmly reasoned
with him. "I have never been that good of a friend to you. There are a million things I should
have done better for you. If only I just let us start off on good terms from the beginning, then we
wouldn't be where we're at now. I guess I've been a jerk to you this whole time. A jerk for not
seeing you as you really are. A jerk for not asking what was wrong with you at the diner. A jerk
for thinking you were ready for romance just to satisfy a selfish whim I have dreamed up. I
could go on and on about what I did wrong, but you never deserved me. You never deserve
me, because I was the disappointment. I never lived up to your expectations. I never even
considered your needs to be most important, but let my wants get in the way." Judy then
opened a window that was next to Silver that had an adjacent view of the midnight traffic. "So if
this is how it's going to end…" Judy started, as she stared out the window. "Judy, what are
you…" Silver asked, now scared for his friend. "...let it end on good terms." Judy finished.
"Judy, wait, don't jump! Please! What's going on?!" Silver asked rather frantically. Judy looked
out the window again. "I'm ridding you of your greatest disappointments Silver. Me." she spoke
again. "Judy, I'll do anything to make it up to you, but please don't jump tonight! PLEASE don't
jump tonight!" Silver cried out, practically begging her for forgiveness for all his pity. "And why
is that?" She asked, wanting to see where his heart was. "Because I love you ok?!" Silver
finally confessed. "I love you despite the screw-ups, I love you despite the failures, I don't even
care whether we'll be married or just friends or if this will be the last time, just as long as you are
in it with me. Just please don't leave." Silver finished, crying out in pain from physical injury and
pain from mental injury. She hopped off the window sill and cuddled next to Silver. "I'll always
be by your side Silver. Because I love you the same way. Screw-ups and all. Just promise me
you will never consider yourself a disappointment. Because I am never disappointed in you."
The two friends laid there for a bit until Judy finally went to sleep on the chair as she and her
friend go through recovery. Together. Forever. No matter what.
Well, that was a fun write. And speaking of recoveries, next time, we're gonna wind this up by
seeing if Sonic finds his purpose and also if he'll forgive Gazelle when she apologizes. Also, we
will see the reemergence of an old foe in this tale. Who's it gonna be? Find out all that and
more next time. See you then.