Chapter Fifty-Two – Mysterious Interwebs


Judy was pleased. Her father was being… daresay… pleasant? He and Nick's mom were talking about plants, arranging the two bouquets on her small bedside table, and exchanging tips on yields, bulbs, and the best time of year to prune.

She wondered what had chastised him and glanced at her own mom, thinking she had probably coerced his improved disposition. For her part, Bonnie Hopps was attempting to make small talk with a very uncomfortable-looking Nick, who had no crutch of a cup to focus on like he'd had at dinner.

"So… do you like to garden?" Mrs. Hopps ventured, eying the pair discussing the merits of mulch.

Nick cleared his throat. "Uh, not really. I once had a cactus, but I killed it in a week."

"Oh," her ears fell. "What about canning? I can everything – cucumbers, beans, you name it."

Nick shook his head. "No, never tried it."

"Really? Judy's as good at it as me – she could teach you."

"Sure," he fumbled through a nod. "Sounds fun."

Judy couldn't help but smile. She should try to save him, he was starting to lean from foot to foot and staring hard at the floor – but her mother's unfailing tenacity in the face of his distress was too amusing to pass up.

"Well…," the older rabbit continued. "What do you like to do Mr. Wilde?"

Nick shoved his hands in his pockets, wincing as he bumped the edge of his cast. "I'm good at fixing cars," he offered, peeking up. "I mean, working on getting good."

"You're the best at it," Judy chimed in. "And he's great in the kitchen too Mom."

Bonnie's face lit up. "Really? Have you tried that new recipe I saw on the Moogle? The one for sautéed turnip?"

Nick felt himself smile at her dated search engine mention. "Moogle is great for recipes," he offered. "Though you should type in one for stuffed potato and corn casserole – it's really easy and comes out delicious."

Mrs. Hopps patted her pants, searching for paper and a pen. "Now, how will I find that?"

Judy turned away to cover her giggle as Nick got sucked into a tutorial on how to use the internet. Some things were universal – whether parents were predators or prey.


The morning passed in relative peace, benign small talk broken only by a doctor coming in to check Judy's vitals and pronounce her ready to leave.

"Is city air good for her recuperation?" Stu Hopps asked the badger as he took a pen from the breast of his white coat and flipped through a chart in his clawed paws.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. What she'll need to be careful of is that rib," he pointed to her side. "No heavy lifting or undue exertion for six weeks."

Nick gave Judy a pointed look. "That means you'll have to stay at the register at the café."

"Oh, he doesn't mean plates," she waved him away. "They aren't anything."

"I've seen you balance those trays," he glanced to the badger for confirmation. "They can be very demanding."

The doctor closed the chart with a slight frown. "I can write a note to your employer Miss Hopps. Taking it easy will be crucial to your recovery. If you attempt to resume your normal activities before you're ready, you'll do far more damage."

Judy frowned over at Nick, but the fox only smiled. "Only cause I like your lungs whole and unpunctured," he offered gently.

Her grimace didn't lighten. "Is there another parent in this room suddenly?"

He shrugged. "If you're going to act like you need one."

"Come over here and say that Wilde."

"You heard the doctor. Hitting me will count as exertion."

"Pinching won't."

Nick's smile widened. Had they not had an audience – one with a pair of rabbits pretending not to avidly listen – he would have birthed a flirty reply. Instead, he only crossed his arms. "You'd have to catch me first."