Finally! It kills me to wait so long, but good news! All I need to do is get the next chapter edited, and it's yours.
I also thought I'd try an experiment with y'all.
You read this in my voice, didn't you?
Chapter 29
Judy POV
"Ben I can't hear him anymore!" I hopped outside of the black van to yell at Clawhauser, who was speaking with the officers of the second van about pulling out the undercover officers in the bar.
"Me neither," He turned a dial on the side of his headset, and briskly walked over to an array of screens taking the place of seats in the other van, "He's moving now, fast, but he's still underground."
I ran to Ben's side to see for myself, and followed the red dot that was Nick traveling below the detailed satellite images of mountains. He was heading towards us.
Ben finished chewing a handful of chips he'd stuffed in his mouth, and turned the dial on his headset, "Hey guys, cancel that last order. Stay in the bar, it looks like he's headed back your way."
A ragged sigh escaped me, and I sat down on the ground to rest my back upon the van's wheel, still trembling from the rush of adrenaline after I'd heard Nick scream through what I now knew was a muzzle.
This night had turned into a nightmare; having to listen helplessly as Nick was tormented for his initiation had taken a heavy toll on me, as did losing track of him for nearly an hour. Now that I knew he was bleeding, possibly unconscious, and being taken somewhere by that damned hyena and whoever Carl was, I was on the verge of breaking.
"Nick…? Can you hear me…?" I mumbled, almost to myself. Silence was my reply from him; the only thing that could be heard from his end of the line was the other two animals with him conversing, but they were speaking too quietly for me to make out their exact words.
"Please… answer me…" I pressed my eyes into my paws, fighting against another wave of tears as I sat in the frosted dirt. I'd thought he'd been killed the first time we lost contact with him. The despair I'd felt had numbed me; I would never forget that feeling for as long as I lived.
After the tears were subdued, I pulled out my phone, and felt a neatly folded piece of paper in my pocket.
Curious, I quickly held it before me, and unfolded it, remembering what Nick had told me about the note he'd left me.
"Play me…?" I spoke quietly as I read his poor handwriting, confused about what it could mean. I looked over the paper again. Perhaps I'd missed something? I thought, and in the bottom right corner, I found a tiny carrot drawing.
My pen! I reached behind me to pull it off of my belt, and checking to see that no one was within earshot, I pressed play.
"Ears up, little bunny. I love you."
Nick's electronic voice resonated through my mind, and stirred the butterflies within my stomach. I clutched my pen close to my bosom, and smiled through fresh tears, "I love you too…"
I held my pen for a moment longer, playing it one more time before returned it to my belt.
After wiping away my broken tears on a sleeve, I picked up my phone again.
4:54 am. The moon illuminated the tips of the trees around me. Our vans had been parked off to the side of a desolate road; no traffic had passed us all night long. In place of streetlights were stars, able to be seen clearly above the icy forest due to our distance away from the blinding city lights.
"We lost him again, do you guys have a visual?" Clawhauser spoke up in the silence, talking into his headset. He frowned after a moment, and I sprang up from the ground.
"I can't hear him anymore, either," I walked over to Ben, and examined the computer screen. The red dot resembling Nick had disappeared from the map beneath a mountain; his last location was over four miles away from the bar.
"What can we do?" My inquiry was met with a the hurried crunching of chips, and I tapped my foot impatiently, "besides eat five bags of chips all night long while my… partner is unconscious or dead somewhere underground with a bunch of criminals…"
"Aw…" Clawhauser looked down at me with flat ears and a hurt frown, and I immediately regretted my frustrated mumbling.
It wasn't his fault I was stressed. All night long he had helped to keep me focused, and consoled me when Nick had disappeared for the first time, when I thought I'd heard my fox get murdered.
"I'm sorry, Ben…" I hugged his leg, "I don't mean it…"
"I know," He returned my hug with a single, massive paw, "I don't see how you're still going after listening to all that. I can hardly go a morning without my Lucky Chomps!"
For the first time that night, I laughed, "Haha! You're too funny, Ben," I squeezed his calf before releasing my embrace, and looking up at him with a weak smile, "Thanks…"
"No problem!" He flashed me a huge smile, and threw another pawful of chips into his mouth before turning back to the array of computers, "But… Mm… what we can do is try to predict his route by what we saw before. My guess is he's heading back to the bar."
"Where we can arrest him along with the other two," I crossed my arms, wanting nothing more than to put that hyena behind bars, "because Mr. Greyson has a warrant for his arrest, right?"
"Uh… maybe not…" Ben looked at the screen with a furrowed brow, "He's back on, but he's going another way."
"What!?" I jumped into the van to get closer to the screen. Nick's red dot had appeared west of EaSeal's bar, and was heading towards the city on the highway.
"Where did he come from?" I wondered aloud and followed Nick's dot for a moment longer, before jumping out of the van as Clawhauser motioned to the other officers talking at the front of the vehicle.
"We're packing up, guys!" Ben called out, and dialed in his headset, "Hey fellas, go on and get out of there. Nick is headed back to the city."
"Where are we going?" I inquired as I followed Clawhauser back to our van, and hopped into the back seat with him.
"We're gonna go get him!" Ben smiled cheerily, "Hey Judy, could you pass me that sandwich?"
I grinned at his voracious appetite, and reached next to me to hand him the massive sandwich he'd pointed to.
Soon, our vans pulled out onto the icy road, and retraced our path back to the highway, following Nick's signal.
My heart lightened at the knowledge I'd soon have his wiry fur close to mine, and fell again as I remembered I didn't know the extent of his injuries. The last time I'd seen him unconscious, I had to drag him out of a forest, bleeding out as I held him in my arms.
It was a painful memory, one that I couldn't handle to re-live, or even handle remembering as I felt hot tears flow down my cheeks. I both dreaded and longed to find him; to find him unconscious, covered in his own blood… or dead…
A thought crossed my mind; something I'd never expected to think.
What if it wasn't his blood...?
I was sickened at the thought; that I'd ever think he'd murder someone. He was so gentle with me, it was hard to believe he'd be so violent with another...
Yet, I had witnessed him so close to doing so. I had witnessed the change in him, the primal light in his eyes. From the moment that fox had swung at him at the gas station, for the short time he spent crippling those thugs, he was something that terrified me.
The fur on my neck stood up at the image of Nick crushing that coyote's throat as his foe laid on the ground, helpless. I became uneasy; I'd blocked it from my memory, refusing that Nick would hurt anyone on his own accord, but… I couldn't get Nick's twisted smile out of my mind as he hurt those animals.
I shook my head to clear my unwanted thoughts. I knew he didn't mean to; I don't even think he realized what he was doing. As soon as I pulled his blood-soaked paws away from that fox, the vicious gleam in his eyes returned to the gentle green I'd grown so accustomed to waking up to.
After all, he'd only done it to protect me.
"…-eck on how he's doin'," I sat upright at the voice in my headset, my ears perked as I focused on the audio.
"He's out man," A deeper voice responded, and I recognized it as Nick's idiot friend, "Hey bud," I heard a series of light pats, and then a soft grunt from my fox, "You, uhhh… no, you ain't doin' too good, huh?"
"Obviously not…" I muttered bitterly to myself at the idiot's question, rolling my eyes.
"Mmuh… huh? What? God my head…"
I practically jumped in my seat as I heard Nick's voice, a massive wave of relief stemming tears of joy at his voice, "Nick! Oh, Honey! I'm so glad to hear you!" Ben perked up in his seat beside me with a chubby smile, and began to speak quickly into his headset, "Can you tell me where you are!?"
"Judy! Where… where am I?"
"Uh, Carl, I think he's seein' shit," Nick's friend spoke up, sounding confused, "Hey bud, it's me, Nick. We're gonna drop you off at a hospital."
"Ugh… right… I know that," My fox mumbled, his voice pained and raspy, "What happened to…" My worry grew as his voice trailed off. Something wasn't right. I continued to listen for clues of which hospital Nick would be dropped off, remaining silent to keep Nick from blowing his cover.
"What happened to what?" The hyena asked, sounding farther away now.
"I don't know, I think he's just talkin' gibberish. Hope his brain's all good," The stranger I didn't know, presumably Carl, replied.
"Agh! Nick, careful!" My fox yelled out, forcing me to cover my mouth to stifle an outburst.
"Sorry! Just checkin' your head- oh shit… How far are we, Carl!?" The other Nick asked whoever Carl was, sounding deeply concerned.
"Like, five minutes." Carl replied, and the purr of an engine grew louder in the background.
"Good, cause he has a pretty good gash thing on the back of his head."
"How bad…" My Nick responded, almost lazily.
"I mean, there's a lot of blood an' shit, but I don't think you've lost too much. I think it's your head that's got you all fucked up," The other Nick informed my Nick, "but hell if I know, I'm not a doctor."
"What? Why would I need a doctor?"
"Oh Nick…" I muttered, pulling my ears in worry at his confused reply, "Ben, how far are they from us?"
"How far is he from us?" Ben repeated my inquiry into his mic, and frowned shortly after, "We're half an hour from him."
"Hold on…" I held up my paw, listening intently to Nick's side of the line. From what I'd caught of their conversation, they had arrived at a hospital, and were pulling Nick out of their vehicle.
"Can you walk?" Carl asked Nick, now sounding much closer.
"Yea, why?" Nick replied, "What's up? I thought we were supposed to be at the bar?"
"Uh, yeah! Yeah, just stop in there first okay?" The other Nick spoke up quickly, "We'll be waitin' for you back at the bar."
"Uh, the uh… the hospital?" The confused voice of my Nick had become slurred; we needed to hurry.
"Yeah dude, just go on in there, cause I can't. Got warrants out for me, sorry, don't wanna risk that shit. Get back to us later!" Carl's voice faded as he spoke, and I heard the squeal of tires.
How could they have just left him there!? I screamed internally, clutching my ears in fury. "Ugh! I'm gonna put them behind bars forever!"
"God why does my ear… itch so much…?" I heard a scratching noise on Nick's end of the line, and released my ears in a hurry.
"Wait! Nicky, don't!"
Nick POV
I dug around in my right ear with a claw, hoping to get out whatever kept tickling my ear fur.
"Wait! Nicky, don't!" Judy yelled, and I yanked my claw out of my ear, remembering the place of the transmitter.
"Sorry, Carrots. I keep forgetting…" I furrowed my brow, trying to remember. What did I keep forgetting?
Also, where am I? I looked around me, and found myself in front of Zootopia Central Hospital. Why was I here?
Shrugging, I began to walk unsteadily down the street towards the station's general direction. I should probably head back and report to Bogo what I'd seen.
Wait.
I paused where I stood, scratching the back of my neck as blurred images of the past few hours sped through my mind. What had I seen? I could hardly remember anything that had happened, but the more I focused, the more I could feel anxiety eating away at my chest. I must've seen something horrible…
I stopped scratching my neck, and suddenly grew curious at the odd texture of my neck fur. I pulled my paw away to find my claws smeared with blood.
"What the hell..?" I muttered, visibly alarmed at the knowledge I was bleeding from somewhere. I felt around the back of my neck, trying to feel a sting of pain wherever my injury might be, but nothing seemed to hurt.
"What's wrong?" Judy piped up in my ear, and I remembered why my ear kept itching.
"I… don't know. I have blood all over my neck, but as far as I can tell it's not from me…"
"Did you go inside the hospital!?" She yelled, sounding extremely worried.
"What hospital? I'm on… uhhhhh… I'm on Middleton Boulevard, should I be going to the hospital? What am I doing?"
"UGH! THOSE IDIOTS!" Her furious scream startled me, and I winced as my head exploded in agony at her loud volume, "Nicky, you need to go back to the hospital, and tell me what exactly hospital it is! Okay!?" It was unsettling to me how much concern saturated her voice. Had something happened to me!? I looked around my heavily tattooed body, checking my limbs for injury, testing the motion of my arms and legs.
My panic subsided as nothing seemed to be wrong with me, "There's nothing wrong with me, Judes. I'm gonna head back…" Where was I going? I didn't remember, so I continued to walk forward. I should probably report back at the station to tell Bogo about what I'd seen.
Shivers crawled up my back as my muzzled venture popped into my head. I opened my mouth as wide as possible, still able to feel the muzzle's harsh imprint upon my snout, "Ugh, that was awful. Do you remember that, Cottontail?"
"Hold on, Ben. What? Remember what, Nick?"
"What? Did you say something, Honey?" I waited for a reply from Judy as I turned a corner on to another street and looked up at the sky.
The sun remained hidden just below the horizon, painting the clouds in a bright orange light.
She sighed in my ear, "Just… please stay put, Nicky... You're still on Middleton, right?"
"No? I'm on… uh…" Where was I? What was I doing here? I looked around for a clue, and found a street sign, "Oh, I'm on Riley Road."
"You need to stay there, Nick, we're coming to get you," Judy paused and told someone else where I was, "Just, please stay put! Sit on a bench or something, and don't move!"
"As you wish, my cute bunny," I smiled, and sat myself down onto the curb. I heard a snicker in my ear from someone else, and I raised an eyebrow, "Who's that?"
"It's me, Nick!" Came the giggling reply that I recognized as Clawhauser.
"Hey Spots!" I greeted Clawhauser, and received a strange look from a passing pair of gazelles, "What's up?"
"Me and Judy are just trying to find you," He replied, still giggling for some reason, "Are you still sitting on Riley Road?"
"Huh?" Confused, I looked around for a clue of where I was at, and found a street sign, "Yeah, why? What should I be doing?"
"Just stay there Nicky," Judy's stressed voice spoke up again, causing a goofy smile to appear on my lips. Her voice always brought happiness to me.
I watched more and more animals pass by, as well as the morning traffic start to appear. I stood up, and stretched, feeling exhausted.
My right ear twitched, and began to itch relentlessly. I dug around in it with a claw, and was surprised to catch something.
"What is this…?" I scratched at whatever was lodged deep within my ear, and felt something come loose.
"Wait! Nick! Don't- NO NICK! STOP SCRATCH-"
"Oh crap…" I held the tiny transmitter between the claws of my thumb and forefinger, eyes wide with shock, "Oops! Sorry!" I slapped my forehead, which caused an explosion of agony, forcing me to hold my head in both paws.
The miniscule device dropped to the street. I started walking, squeezing my paws over my eyes in an attempt to dull my aching head.
"God! Why does my head hurt so much!?" I began to stumble, and had to lean myself onto the pole of a streetlight until my pain subsided.
I looked up from the ground, my eyes blurry from pressing against them so hard, and stood myself up straight.
Where was I? I patted the pockets of my jeans, and was curious as to why I couldn't find my phone. I always had it on me, where could it have gone?
Frustrated that I'd lost my phone, I searched around me for a clock, or something to let me know what time it was. My ears perked as I found a clock through the window of a clothing store, and laid flat as I noticed the time.
6:37 am.
"Oh crap! I'm late for work!" I picked up my pace, walking as fast as my throbbing head would let me. Judy's going to kill me for this!
"Hey! Sir!" A voice called behind me, and I found myself facing a Ram, who was running towards me at an alarming speed.
"Oh shit!" I turned and sprinted as fast as I could to get away from whoever it was that was chasing me.
What did he want!? What did I do!?
"Are you alright!?" The ram shouted, catching up to me as my hind paws slapped against the pavement. I dodged through the bustling crowd of animals, running for dear life.
"Come back! I'm trying to help!" The ram called out as I turned a corner into a narrow alley, hoping to lose my attacker in the massive grid of streets that made up the city.
I bolted around another corner before the ram had even made it to the alley, and kept running, desperate to escape.
Suddenly, I stopped, and looked around. Where was I? Why am I running? I scratched the back of my neck, searching the concrete of the sidewalk for an answer.
"Huh?" The matted fur on the back of my neck caught my attention, and I pulled my paw away to find moist blood on my claws.
Startled at the sight of blood, I patted around the back of my neck in an attempt to locate my injury. Oddly, I found no pain at my prods, and began to walk in the direction of the station. I needed to give my report to Bogo about what I'd seen at the bar last night.
Wait…
Judy POV
"How far are we!?" I yelled to the officers at the front of the van, panicking at the thought of Nick wandering aimlessly around the busy streets of Savannah Central. Thankfully, Nick hadn't torn off his mic. I could still hear his odd ramblings, but without him being able to hear me, he very well could be lost in the city for days. It crushed me to know that in his current state, he wouldn't last that long. I needed to find him, and fast.
The lion driving spoke quickly into a radio, and an electronic voice quickly responded. He turned his head slightly towards the back of the van where Clawhauser and I sat, "Five minutes. Nick's coordinates are still showing him on Riley Road. We'll track him from there."
"Great…" I sighed in frustration and worry, pulling my ears. What was wrong with him!? Why couldn't he remember anything I told him!?
"Uhhhh… what am I doing?" Nick mumbled, repeating what he'd said not five minutes earlier, "I should probably get to work before my bunny kills me…"
"He's heading towards the station!" I called to the driver, growing more impatient by the second at how slow traffic was moving as we turned onto Middleton Boulevard
"Ugh, screw it… I'm going on foot!" I called out to the driver, and Ben nodded to me as he spoke into his headset to dispatch officers on patrol in the area to keep an eye out for Nick.
Our van came to a halt at the stoplight of Middleton Boulevard and Riley Road. I sprang out of the vehicle, and began to sprint down the busy sidewalk, searching for my fox.
"Hold on, Nicky! I'll find you!"
Nick POV
I stared up at a massive cement pillar that supported a highway several stories above me. I knew where I was, but couldn't recall where I was going. I remembered passing this highway on my way to work…
Sudden realization struck me like a brick thrown from a skyscraper.
"Oh crap! I'm late!"
I ran as fast as my throbbing head would let me towards the station. Judy was going to kill me!
I didn't run for long; my breathing had become painful, a fire burning in my chest. I held my ribs, and sat down on the curb, trying to ease my injuries, "Ssss… when will these get better…"
I remained still for a while, holding myself. Several animals stared wide-eyed as they passed, but looked away as I gave them each a curious look. What were they staring at? Was something wrong with my face?
I explored my muzzle for a moment, wiggling my nose to make sure something wasn't wrong with it.
Satisfied after feeling nothing out of place, I stood up again, "Alright… where am I?"
The highway to my right upon massive pillars caught my attention, and I realized I was close to home. My stomach growled at the thought of my fridge, and I began to make my way to my apartment.
Maybe Judy's home, I thought with a smile. I felt like I hadn't seen her in forever, and the closer I walked to our home, the more I missed her. I smiled as I imagined how her eyes brightened each time she saw me. I'd never thought I'd find anyone like her, yet there she was every morning as I awoke.
Except this morning, for some reason…
Wait. Where am I? What am I doing?
My paws were blackened as I held them before me, and I remembered quickly I was still dressed from my assignment. Judy must still be with Clawhauser! Why couldn't I hear her!?
"Oh…" I rubbed my temples as I remembered pulling out the transmitter from my ear in confusion, and then dropping after I slapped my aching head. Why couldn't I focus!?
What couldn't I focus on? I cocked my head to the side, stretching my face as I pulled my paws down over my cheeks. Where am I?
A horn blared high above me to my right, and I noticed the highway I'd been walking beside. I was close to the station. I needed to give Bogo my report about what I'd seen last night.
Happy I'd remembered my purpose, I started forward again. Hopefully, Judy was back at the station by now. I miss her.
Judy POV
Nick's dropped transmitter bounced in the pouch it resided in as I ran down the road in search for him. I'd found it laying next to the curb, and followed his direction towards the police station.
Clawhauser had informed me that there'd been a report called in by another animal saying that there was a bloody fox in the animal had tried to chase him down to give help, but lost the fox after he'd sprinted down an alley connecting Riley Road and Bradbury Lane.
I followed the helpful hint, praying that Nick hadn't gone too far. I'd lost contact with him minutes before I started my search on foot. Surely he couldn't be that far ahead of me!?
"Come on, where are you…?" I muttered to myself, scanning around me as I stood upon the roof of a parked car. If he were heading to the station, he would have followed this road to the highway.
"Ben, any sightings of him!?" I called into my headset mic, flashing my badge at a pair of angry looking badgers.
"Yes! An officer tried to pull him over and he ran east down Bradbury!" Ben replied, "Do you see hi-"
"There he is! I'm in pursuit!" I sprinted off of the car after I'd spotted Nick running alongside the highway across the street. I'd have to arrest him to keep his cover, but I didn't care. My heart had been flying as soon as I laid eyes on him.
"Freeze!" I squared up on the sidewalk as Nick sprinted towards me, and drew my pistol. I had to make it look real. I knew that he knew I'd never be able to shoot him, even if my own life depended on it.
He halted a few steps away, panting. My flying heart smashed into the pavement as I noticed the state of his head. Dried blood created rivers of maroon from several cuts on his muzzle. I could only imagine what the back of his head looked like as blood had soaked the entire collar of his jet black shirt.
"What…? Carrots, hey! Why…?" His jade eyes lit up at the sight of me, and turned into a pained expression as he noticed my drawn weapon, "Why are you…? Judy…?"
I almost cracked at the sorrow his gaze portrayed, "Get on the ground! You're under arrest!" I motioned down with my eyes, silently pleading with him, hoping he understood my actions were only meant to protect him.
A crowd of animals had gathered on the other side of the street, watching intently as I was arresting my suspect. Another officer, a leopard, had run up behind Nick a few paces, and drew his weapon as well.
"Get on the ground, fox!" He ordered, but Nick paid him no attention. His eyes had locked to mine, glistening with tears.
"I… I th-thought you loved me…"
His devastated tone both confused and destroyed me, "What…? Just… get on the ground! Now!"
The officer behind Nick threw a paw up in the air, and threw me a bewildered look. I shrugged my shoulders in reply. Why would Nick jump to thinking that!? Didn't he remember he was undercover!?
"I… I guess I'll just…" He looked at the ground, then back to me with a hurt in his eyes that shattered my focus. Before I could react, he sprinted across the street.
"What!?" The leopard officer remained where he was, scratching his head with a wide eyed expression.
"Greyson!" I screamed after Nick as he ran away, and I followed, gaining on him quickly. He must be weakened; usually it was tough for me to keep up with his long strides, "What are you doing!? Stop!"
He turned down the alley I'd followed earlier, his pace slowing considerably at each slap of his hind paws on the pavement turned into a hollow thud. Then, he stopped, and I did too, unsure of what my fox was doing.
He scratched the back of his neck, his head tilted downward as he looked at the ground before him. He remained still with his back turned to me, and I noticed the broad gash on the back of his head. Thankfully, it bled no more as a clotted mass had covered his wound.
"Nicky!" I called to him urgently in hushed tones to keep the gathering crowd at the end of the alley unaware of Nick's identity, "We're trying to help you! Now put your hands up, and let me arrest you!"
"Huh? What? Oh, Carrots!" He turned to me with a tender smile, and I approached him with cuffs. His eyes turned confused again as I cuffed him, "What… what are you doing?"
"Just trust me!" I whispered, taking a little longer to adjust his cuffs so I could feel his wiry fur.
"Okay, I can do that." He smiled down at me, and I stifled a relieved laugh to keep my authoritative composure.
"Ben, I got him! We're heading down the alley to Riley, come pick us up!" I called into my mic, and began to tug on Nick's cuffs, "Let's go, fox! Keep moving! You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law!"
The crowd of animals parted as I pulled Nick along to the street, sneering and cursing at my fox. I ignored them, clenching my fists as the crowd taunted him.
"This city would be a better place without your kind, fox!"
"They're all criminals!"
I blew a heated puff of air out of my nose, narrowing my eyes at each thrown insult.
"Vermin!"
I stopped in my tracks at the word, instantly burning with fury. I spun around, and waved the crowd off, "Hey! I need everyone to get out of here! This is official police business!"
The crowd grew silent, and backed away. I glared at the remaining animals until they dispersed, and tapped my hind paw furiously until Ben finally arrived in the black van.
"Get in," I ordered Nick, who sniffled as he past me, his gaze fixated upon the cuffs around his wrists. He scooted into the back seat of the van, and I crawled in next to him. Ben flashed me a knowing smile as I passed him. I smiled back as I realized why he'd moved to the middle row of seats. We would be hidden behind his massive body from the rear view mirror.
I mouthed a silent thanks to my chubby friend, and he closed the van doors, blocking the vehicles passengers from the view of the world.
I moved close to Nick behind Clawhauser's giant back, and began to remove his cuffs. He gazed down at me with confused, green eyes as I freed his paws, and examined his wrists.
The fur had been scraped away in various places, and the skin remaining had been worn down to rawness. My paws became unsteady as I looked, hurting inside as the memory of his muffled screams ate away at my thoughts.
I stood up in the seat next to him, and stepped over his lap. My trembling paws explored his cut muzzle and cheeks, checking every inch of his face for the extent of his injuries. Shallow cuts wound around his muzzle, but they weren't anything to be concerned about.
He winced as I tilted his head down to examine the gash on the back of his head. It was clotted over, but still was in desperate need of medical attention. Something, or someone, must have hit him extremely hard. Maybe it was why he'd been acting so strangely…
"Ben, shouldn't we be at the hospital by now?" I called over my shoulder, still holding Nick's head in my arms.
"We're going to the station," Ben replied, "We'll take him to our clinic."
"What!? Why!?" I turned away from Nick, outraged.
"Chief's orders, Hun. I don't know why." Clawhauser frowned at me, and I pulled my ears in frustration. It infuriated me that Bogo could care so little about Nick's health that he'd keep my fox from very much needed medical attention in an actual hospital.
Suddenly, gentle paws traveled up the back of my legs to my waist, and pulled me into an embrace that immediately shattered my will to remain professional.
I spun around in Nick's arms, trembling as I struggled to contain the battle of joy and sorrow within me. I buried my face into his neck, ignoring the heavy scent of his blood as I wept silently into him, running my paws beneath his shirt through the dye-roughened fur of his stomach.
"What's wrong!?" Nick asked me with an alarmed look, "Are you okay!?"
I shook my head into his fur, growing weaker as the weight of my memories crushed me to the point my legs faltered beneath me.
I fell onto his lap, choking in a desperate attempt to remain quiet as Nick kissed and nuzzled around my ears. I enjoyed every light press of his lips against my head, but could no longer control my sobs as I remembered having to face his death, as I remembered being forced to numb myself at his agony. Each kiss was a reminder that I'd almost lost him.
"Hey, it's okay, my little bunny…" He paused his nuzzling to bring his muzzle next to mine, and held my head close to his with a blackened paw, "I kept my promise."
"Ahaha! You d-did…" Joy won the battle against my sorrow as our lips met in a brief, but powerful kiss, "I'm so glad you did…"
My ears perked as I realized what he'd said, "Nick! You remembered that?"
"Remembered what?" He looked at my relieved smile in confusion, raising an eyebrow.
"You just said that you kept your promise to come back to me," I responded in a whisper, motioning for him to keep his voice down.
He stared at me, silent. I could see the cogs of his mind working through his gaze, and after a moment, his eyes opened wide, "I did! Ugh, I can't remember anything…" He placed a paw on his muzzle, clenching his eyes shut, "It just comes and goes so fast… God my head hurts…"
"Don't worry, my love…" I kissed him once more as I felt the van come to a stop, "We'll get you better..."
I lead Nick out of the van after I'd re-cuffed him to maintain his cover, and with an escort consisting of Clawhauser and a lion, I pulled him inside the station.
A team of nurses met us, and rushed Nick to the clinic. I followed him as an otter wheeled Nick along in a wheelchair, and as he entered through the clinic doors, I was shown to a chair by a doe. I wasn't allowed back with him as the doctor cleaned Nick up, much to my dismay.
I sighed heavily as I watched the nurse disappear beyond the clinic doors, leaving me alone in the waiting room. I took the time to relax in a chair from
I pulled out my phone to kill the time, as well as distract me from my worry.
8:12 am. I groaned as I realized I'd been awake for nearly twenty-seven hours, five of which had broken me beyond anything I could have imagined. His tortured screams replayed in my head again and again, no matter how much I fought to silence them.
I pressed my eyes into my palms, and brought my legs to my body in an attempt to calm myself. I couldn't afford to break down again. I needed to be strong for Nick, just like he'd been strong for me.
Sudden exhaustion overcame me. Now that I knew Nick was safe, I didn't see reason to stress myself any longer, and the comfortable cushions of the waiting room chairs had been calling my name ever since I'd sat down.
I let myself fall over to lay on the large, comfortable chair, curled up in a ball. The faint buzzing of fluorescent lights filled the room, and was the only sound to be heard as I closed my eyes.
"Hopps."
I started awake to the chief's booming voice, and grunted as I pushed myself upright in the seat.
Bogo towered above me, his hooves clasped behind his back. I was surprised to see he didn't have a clipboard, and grew curious at the unusually soft light in his eyes, "I finished my report with Nick. I'll need your side of it tomorrow."
"Yes sir…" I replied, wondering what else he had come to tell me. I was still furious about him denying Nick an actual hospital visit.
"I know you're angry, but I had good reason. We can't allow anyone to know or have access to Nick while he's in cover. That would jeopardize your assignment, and more importantly, his life."
I detected sympathy through his stern composure, and I admitted to myself he was right. Still, part of me held on to my anger that Nick was refused the treatment of an actual hospital.
"Also," He coughed into his hoof, "I'm uh… I'm impressed with you. I had debated pulling you off of this case, but after hearing about how well you'd handled yourself given the circumstances of your partnership… I'm glad I didn't. So…" He held a massive hoof to me that dwarfed my paw as I took it, "Congratulations... Detective."
I stared up at my boss in shock. I'd totally forgotten that Nick and I were up for promotion!
He released my tiny paw with a chuckle, and a brief smile, "Wilde is awake if you want to go see him. You have the next few days off, but as of now, your partner is on medical leave for the next month."
"What!? What happened to him!?" My exhilaration at my promotion plummeted into dread as I imagined how severe Nick must have been hurt to get him pulled him off of the force.
"Calm down. He'll live, and he's awake. He's been asking for you," Bogo informed me before he stepped away. He paused at the clinic entrance, and looked back at me, "I... forgot tell him he was promoted. If you'll inform him for me, I'd appreciate it."
He flashed me a knowing smile, and I gratefully accepted his way of trying to cheer me up. Nick would surely he thrilled at the news of our promotion.
As soon as Bogo stepped over the threshold, I sprinted from my chair to behind the clinic doors to find Nick.
"Hey, Carrots!"
Nick's cheery greeting lightened my spirits. His tail wagged vigorously, thumping against his bed as a goofy smile rose on his lips. His fur had been ruffled in all directions, making me giggle at his comical appearance.
I quickened my pace to spring on top of the bed with him, and threw myself into his open arms. I buried my face into the freshly washed fur of his neck, and loved each deep breath I took that filled my head with his scent.
"I missed you, Cottontail." His warm muzzle swirled around my ears, followed by a flurry of light kisses. I wove my paws tightly through the fur upon the back of his neck, and planted kisses of my own along his jaw line.
Our embrace was cut short, as I heard the sound of pawsteps approach us.
I released my fox quickly in an embarrassed hustle, and turned around to find a gazelle with a clipboard, dressed in a white doctors robe.
"I see you've found your partner," She teased with a wink as she sat down on a rolling stool, "He's doing much better than he was. Right Mr. Wilde?"
"Right," Nick smiled in reply, toying with the fur of my tail out of sight from the doctor. It was a struggle to remain still, but I managed.
"What was wrong with him?" I asked, fighting a grin at Nick's playfulness.
"I need Mr. Wilde's consent to tell y-"
"You can tell her." Nick responded over the doctor, halting his playful tickling to rest his paw on my back.
"Alright," The gazelle flashed Nick and I an odd, but friendly look, and began to tell me Nick's diagnosis.
"Mr. Wilde suffered a pretty severe concussion, hence the loss of consciousness, as well as his memory and behavioral problems. We stitched up the gash on the back of his head," The doctor patted the back of her own head as she spoke, "luckily you guys found him before he suffered any major blood loss."
"So… will his memories ever come back?" I almost feared to ask, dreading the answer.
"He hasn't lost any memory, Mrs. Hopps," The gazelle chuckled, "he just had a lengthy period of confusion due to his trauma. Judging by the severity of his concussion, he should be well within a month, depending on how well his brain heals."
"Oh thank God…" I muttered, relaxing my extremely tense shoulders, "What do I need to do?"
"Are you the one going to be taking care of him at home?" The doctor raised an eyebrow at me.
"I'll, uh, have him stay over at my place." I hastily replied, scolding myself internally for my lack of focus on concealing our relationship.
"I see…" She looked at me for a moment, searching my face. Nick's paw tensed on my back, but relaxed as the gazelle flashed a bright smile, "Well! For him, he needs to be woken up every two hours for the first nights sleep to check on his mental deterioration. If he begins to seize or convulse, turn him to his side and immediately call an ambulance." Her lighthearted composure became serious at her words, but quickly reverted to a happy smile, "He's going to have to take it slow for a while, meaning no long TV marathons, extremely limited physical activity; anything that takes focus. A healing brain's friend is rest, so make sure he gets plenty of it."
I nodded at every word, making sure I'd do everything right to aid my fox.
"His confusion will fade within a short time. It already has significantly since he's been here, and so has most of his problems remembering. Mr. Wilde, do you still not remember what happened to your head?"
"It's too… fuzzy… I remember being pulled out of an elevator thing, but before that…" Nick replied, scratching the back of his neck, and then wincing at something I didn't know.
"Are you okay? What hurts, Nick?" I asked, turning around to examine him.
"My head… and my chest…"
"Ah, I was just getting to that," The gazelle piped up, looking at her chart, "We x-rayed his chest among complaints of pain and found hairline fractures on the fifth and sixth ribs of his left side. There wasn't any extensive tissue damage or bleeding around them, and they should heal within a few weeks, given the proper care. I have an educational sheet I can give you along with his prescription, but I must leave to attend to another patient."
The doctor stood up, and gathered a few paper forms from Nick's chart at the end of the bed, and handed me one, "Within the hour, you should be ready to get out of here! Have a great day." She smiled at us, looked at her beeping pager, and frantically sped from the room.
I sat with my back turned to Nick for a moment, listening for the sound of approaching animals. Satisfied at the silence in the hallway, I spun around, and pounced on my fox with a long, much needed kiss.
"I can't wait to get you home, my love…" I whispered into his ear, longing to press my body to his, to cleave together with him as naturals and forget the living nightmare that had torn my mind apart.
"I can't wait to be home, my little bunny," He whispered back, running his paws slowly down to the small of my back, just above my tail.
"You know… Bogo told me something in the waiting room… we can't be officers together anymore Nick…"
"What!?" He pushed me out of our embrace, anger and hurt mixing in his gaze as he held my waist, "Why!?"
I grinned at him, and his furious expression turned into one of confusion, "Why…?"
"But we can be detectives together!" I practically jumped in excitement Nick's jaw hung open, shock plastered on his face.
"What!? That's great! You nearly gave me a heart attack, but that's great!" His tail thumped wildly against the bed, and he sat up quickly to snatch me up within his strong arms, "I love you, sly bunny."
"I love you too," My paw traveled up to hold his head to mine, "more than anything."
We held each other closely, silent as I healed my broken spirit in the warmth of his loving embrace. For the hour we waited for Nick to be released to my care, I never pulled my muzzle away from his, refusing to move even an inch away from him.
Nick received a fresh prescription of painkillers as we left the clinic, and I received a repeat of the instructions I needed to follow to take care of his broken ribs.
The sun shone bright in the sky above Nick and I as we exited the station, and headed to our little, blue car. It was noon, and traffic was heavy for the few blocks separating our home from the station.
He'd had to wear a department hoodie to conceal the markings of his disguise, as well as a pair of work out sweats. By the time we reached the top of the stairs to our apartment, he was panting heavily, and I gladly lent a helping paw to him as we walked inside our home together.
He threw me a startled look as I slammed the door behind us in excitement, celebrating that I'd finally gotten him home.
"Sorry," I smiled up at him as I pulled him to the bedroom, "I'm just so happy you're home, Nicky."
He kissed the top of my head as we entered the bedroom, "Me too, Cottontail. I was afraid I… wouldn't be…"
I stopped his thoughts by pulling his lips to mine by the strings of his hoodie, and then pulled it off of him, careful to avoid the bandage on the back of his head. I didn't want to talk about last night just yet. The only thing I wanted to do was crawl in bed, and fall asleep on top of him, knowing he was safe in my arms.
I knew he understood my desire by his continued silence, and a contented smile as he pulled my uniform off with slow, tender movements.
I pressed myself into him as he stood natural before me, savoring the feeling of my other half as he kissed around my ears, and traveled his paws down my back, to my bottom.
"Oh!" I giggled as he lifted me from my rear, and sat me down on the bed with a gentle nibble upon my neck, before standing himself up and closing the blinds. The bedroom fell to darkness at the closing of a curtain, save for a bright splotch of light on the ceiling that illuminated the room in a dim glow.
The giant, black paw on his back caught my attention for a moment while I was admiring his slender body. Something about that particular marking upon him unsettled me, but I hastily shoved my thoughts aside as he returned to me with a soft kiss.
I grasped onto the fur of his neck, increasing my pressure against his kiss to slip my tongue between his lips, and caress mine upon his.
"Come to bed, Nicky," I murmured to my fox, weaving my paws along the winding lines of dye on his chest, "I need you closer."
"I'd love to." He smiled, and crawled onto the mattress with a grunt. He winced slightly as his head rested upon a pillow I fluffed for him, and held his arms out to beckon me closer.
I halted for a moment, unsure if I should crawl upon him. It was something I'd missed greatly over the past few weeks, but I knew I couldn't if it were to hinder the recovery of his injuries.
"Climb on, little bunny," Nick chuckled, and I found him staring at me with the same longing in his eyes that I held within mine.
"Are you sure? It won't hurt you?"
"Of course not, I'm your… uh…" He scratched his head, shifting his eyes to the ceiling, "Oh! Your tough fox, remember?"
I snickered at him, and crawled upon my fox, careful to position myself to be mostly over the right side of his body. It was bliss to wind my legs with his and to push my nose into the ruffled fur of his neck after so long of not being able to rest upon him.
It was my favorite place to be.
As Nick pulled the covers over us, I set an alarm for every two hours on my phone, and after setting my phone upon the nightstand, I returned my muzzle to its place in the fur of his neck.
"My sweet, sweet fox…" I whispered to him, nuzzling against his jaw as his tail wrapped around my hind paws, "I love you so much…"
His reply was a snore, and I giggled, beyond relieved that after all we'd been through I still was lucky enough to have him beneath me, peaceful in slumber. I kissed around his neck repeatedly, lightly, enjoying every second of our intimacy, every second that my fur was meshed with his.
I kissed him until the warmth of his body, the rhythmic breaths of his slumber, and the pleasure of his scent forced my eyes to succumb to a deep, relaxing sleep.
