Beep.
"Hey, Carrots. It's uh, it's me. Call me back when you get the chance."
…
Beep.
"Hey, me again, just checking in. Call me back."
…
Beep.
"Hey, uh, it's been a couple of days now and I haven't seen you around at work. Kinda lonely without my partner, you know?"
…
Beep.
"Hey, me again. Delgato said you're working a case out in Bunnyburrow. That must be nice to be home for a little bit, yeah? Well… call me when you get the chance."
…
Beep.
So how are Mr. and Mrs. Carrots doing, huh? How about your – what was it again? 275 siblings? How are they? Just wondering."
…
Beep.
"Look, Rabbit, I'm sorry. Really, I am. Please call me back. I want to talk about this."
Nick disconnected the line and stared at his phone that had remained silent for five days now. No calls, no messages, no emails, no video calls, no voicemails, nothing. Judy had left and hadn't said a word since. Nick had learned that Judy was working a case back in her hometown of Bunnyburrow, but he had no idea what the case was or if she had even made it to Bunnyburrow safely. Despite these facts, he wasn't about to do more than try and contact her over the phone. Nick knew that she needed her space, that she wasn't contacting him for a reason; he chose to believe that she was safe and could handle herself, but that didn't mean it made him feel any better. He had left her about a dozen texts and calls a day since she left, all of which remained cold and lonely as they continued to be unanswered.
Beep.
"It's been a week. Can't we just talk about this? I need to at least know that you're safe. You know I'm sorry; please, please, call me back. Carrots, please."
…
Beep.
"Everyone wants to know how you are doing. I keep telling them you're fine, but we both know that I am not even sure of that. J-just call me back – no, actually, you need to call me back. You need to call me back like right now, Carrots. This is getting ridiculous, you have me worried sick."
…
Beep.
"I don't want to fight, you don't want to fight, so why are we acting like we are fighting…I love you, you know that… right?"
Three weeks had gone by and things were falling into a depressed chaos at the ZPD. Judy had left him to work a case, something she had never done before. Nick couldn't help but blame him for her absence. Without Judy, the ZPD just seemed so bland, so boring. Nick stuck to paperwork the majority of the time, refusing to go and take up a case without his partner… if she still was that. At this point, he couldn't even be sure they were still dating.
Beep.
"Okay, I get the message. You don't want to talk to me, and that's fine, but at least let me know that you're safe?"
…
Beep.
"I was just thinking about those blueberries your family grows. Did I ever tell you how good they are? Not that you have to bring me back any! I was just thinking about them."
…
Beep.
Nick sighed and disconnected the call before leaving a voicemail. He was tired of talking to nothing but a machine. Seated on his couch, Nick looked around at the mess their apartment had become. Filthy dishes covered almost every surface, while clothes and blankets were strewn across the floor. To say that he wasn't sleeping or eating well would be an understatement; Nick was an absolute wreck, and he knew it. He hadn't been to the diner, the coffee shop, or any other place that made him think of her too heavily, but it was still difficult. In the simplest of terms, he was depressed, and only Judy could help him.
Beep.
"So, what's Bunnyburrow like this time of year? I'm sure it's beautiful, but I wouldn't know. Work's crazy. I'm pretty sure everyone there is starting to think that I ate you or something awful… but hey, if you want to let them think that, alright."
…
Beep.
"I'm not mad, I just want to know you're okay and that you're doing well. You can take care of yourself, I get that, but I still would like you to call me back."
…
Beep.
"Carrots? At least tell me you're getting these messages…"
On the third day of the fourth week, Nick didn't go into work that day; he didn't even get out of bed. The concern over whether or not Judy was safe was too much to deal with, so staying at home became naturally appealing. Around mid-morning, Nick picked up his phone and dialed Judy's number, listening to each dial tone, knowing that he would hear them all. When it got to the end of the call, and Judy hadn't picked up, Nick sighed as he waited to hear the instructions to leave a voicemail, but they never came. Instead, there was a pause on the other end of the call. Nick sat up, his heart beating rapidly.
"Carrots?"
"We're sorry, but the voicemail inbox is currently full. Please try again another time," the answering machine replied in a robotic voice.
Nick let his phone slide from his ear and drop down onto the mattress next to him, anger steadily rising within. He had been patient for over four weeks; he had called, he had messaged, he had covered for her, but this time, he was done. As the fury began boiling his blood to a point of no return, Nick picked his phone back up off of the bed, his ears pressed flat against his head as he began tapping applications. He opened up the messages he had been sending to Judy for the last few weeks and began typing a new one. She would get this message, whether or not she wanted to.
After four months, five days, three hours, and twenty-two minutes of officially dating, and after ten months, eleven days, seven hours, and fifty-one minutes of being partners and friends, Nick typed out "we're done" and sent it.