Hi again guys
Yeah, after spending ages on chapter 27 (admittedly it was quite long), this chapter practically fell out of my head onto the page.
I wouldn't go getting comfortable with this pace though, I doubt I'll keep it up xD
Anyhoo, drop me a line with what you think, I love hearing from you guys.
Chapter 28
On the surface Zootopia was calm. There was good weather, and mammals all over were feeling rather relaxed in the sun. Sure, there had been a rise in crime recently, but the citizens of Zootopia had great faith in their police department. Especially so with the recent police raid on a corrupt nightclub, that case was still receiving some ongoing media coverage on the court proceedings.
Below the surface Zootopia was calm like before a storm. Petty criminals seemed split in two, those who were gleefully taking part in this crime spree, and those who could feel the tension in the air and cautiously hid themselves. More important mammals in the underworld were getting headaches from the irrational behaviour of those below them, and those with older memories were grimly guarding their own.
So Zootopia was calm, more or less, and at the top of Chrysalis Tower, hidden away in a room below the penthouse, was one of the calmest places in the entire city. Gentle streams of water ran over smooth pebbles while the soft music of panpipes echoed in the air.
Two mammals, a panther and a rather small jackal, were sat on cushions on a large granite slab. Surrounding them was several meters of gravel raked into swirling patterns through which the fountains and streams winded their ways.
"Lesson number one" said Noct in a quiet voice while he kept his eyes closed "is to calm down. No peeking" Asra hurriedly closed his own eyes again "I know that's a very vague thing to say but being able to calm yourself is vitally important. Our instincts are powerful, too powerful sometimes, you can't just try and control them through brute force. If you try that you will end up being controlled by your instincts"
There was quiet as Noct fell silent for another five minutes or so. Just as Asra was about to start squirming in impatience, Noct continued.
"My family were shamans and medicine men a long time ago, and while I disagree with most of what they did with that heritage, there are a few things I can get behind. One of these is the spiritual beliefs passed down from when we were simple tribesmen. This revolves around the concept of threes, I believe that every mammal is made up of three parts, Mind, Body and Soul. Or spoken another way, every mammal has a Conscious, Physical and Subconscious aspect. If that is the case, what do you think would happen if something went wrong with a mammal's Mind?"
"They…" Asra frowned slightly as he pondered "they'd go crazy?"
"They could, yes, or they could end up depressed or many other things could affect them. How about if something was wrong with their Body?"
"They'd fall ill?" this question seemed easier to Asra as he looked over at Noct.
"Correct, among other things" nodded Noct "no peeking" Asra grinned and shut his eyes again "now for the last one, what if there was something wrong with what my ancestors called the Soul, and I think of as the Subconscious?"
Asra opened his mouth but paused as he started to think further. Five minutes later the pup still hadn't managed to come up with an answer.
"I… I don't know, Dad" said Asra disappointedly looking down at the floor.
Asra jumped slightly and looked back up when Noct placed a paw on his shoulder.
"That's fine" said Noct with a smile "I've had a long time to ponder these sorts of questions and I've come to the conclusion that the answer is… us"
"Us?" Asra looked up at his father quizzically.
"Yes, the Soul or the Subconscious… both of those refer, I believe, to our instincts. Whenever you've had a strange feeling, or just knew what to do or what was going to happen, those were your instincts" Noct finally opened his eyes and looked down to his left at Asra "and we have something wrong with our instincts. They are far more powerful than they should be, and our bodies are also physically enhanced"
Noct leant back and reached a paw out over the gravel while gesturing for Asra's attention. First, he drew two circles the same size next to each other.
"This is the Mind and Body of a normal mammal, nice and equal" Noct then drew several other circles next to the first two, they were different sizes but never bigger than the first two "different mammals have better or worse instincts but they never exceed their Mind and Body, so everything remains in…?"
"… Balance?" asked Asra after a few moments, to which he got a pat on the head and smiled.
"Yes, balance is key, now what about us?" Noct moved to the side and drew one circle slightly larger than the first lot "this is our mind" then a second circle larger than that "this is our body and this" Noct drew a final circle that was the biggest so far "this is our soul, our instincts"
"We aren't in balance…" said Asra slowly.
"Very good Asra, we aren't in balance and you can't hope to begin to control your body and instincts without dealing with that. That is why we meditate and seek calmness" Noct wiped away the circles for Soul and Mind and redrew the first smaller and the second larger "doing this brings us more into balance, gives our mind greater sway over our instincts and only then can you learn to control your new senses and abilities"
Noct sat back up and Asra followed, returning to sitting on the cushions. Noct didn't even have to say anything before Asra had closed his eyes and was trying to meditate.
After a few minutes of watching the pup's ear's flick at the gurgling water every so often, and the growing annoyance on Asra's face, Noct decided to give him some hints.
"Picture yourself in your mind, there is nothing but darkness around you and the gentle sound of flowing water fills your ears. Now imagine that you are holding your paws out in front of your waist with the pads up. Every time you breathe in, the you in your mind raises your paws till they reach your shoulders, and every time you breathe out you turn your paws over and push down till you reach your waist. There is nothing else apart from the calming sound of water, the comforting darkness that surrounds you, and the cycle of motions you make as you breathe"
To start with there wasn't any change in the jackal, his ears still twitched, and he frowned unconsciously. However, gradually, Asra's face relaxed and the sound of his breathing became steadier. Noct raised an eyebrow in surprise, he'd already started Asra's more standard education and was fairly impressed. Perhaps because he never had the opportunity, but Asra eagerly soaked up whatever Noct would teach him like a sponge. And now it would seem the kid had a knack for the more unorthodox part of his education as well.
Noct settled down too and began to perform the same meditative technique he had just instructed Asra in. Soon the only thing that could be heard in the room was the gentle trickling of flowing water and two sets of soft breathing.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
About half an hour later a ring tone went off on Noct's phone. The panther scowled slightly at the disturbance, Asra had been startled out of his meditation, normally Noct wouldn't bring a phone into the mediation room but he usually did his meditation early in the morning or late at night when he was less likely to be contacted.
"What is it, Bakari?" asked Noct a little annoyed as he checked the number and answered the call "if it's about a client, they will have to wait until I have finished what I'm doing here"
There was silence over the phone.
"Bakari? What's going on?"
"Noct…" came a rather shaky voice on the other end "You need to see what's happening on the ZNN right now"
"What's wrong Bakari?" Noct could feel a tight knot forming in his stomach, something had clearly hit the Caracal pretty hard.
"… Just watch the news and call me back… you might need another phone…"
And then the call ended.
With a bad feeling and more than a little confusion Noct turned to Asra and said "Well, I guess we should check the news then"
The jackal scrambled off his own cushion and plonked himself down in Noct's lap to get a better view. Noct patted Asra on the head with his left paw while his right opened the internet on his phone and brought up a livestream of the ZNN.
Fabienne Growley, the snow leopard news anchor for ZNN, appeared on screen looking professional as per usual.
"…was the scene of a heist just an hour ago. Despite the rush of crimes occurring recently the ZPD admirably dealt with the situation, all of the hostages were safely rescued and three of the robbers were apprehended. However, as we mentioned initially, one criminal escaped capture and Officers Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde were injured in the line of duty. They have been transferred to the Zootopia General Hospital in Savanah Central, stay tuned as we get more information"
Asra's hackles rose as he found himself unconsciously starting to growl.
SCHNIKT
CRUNCH
Before Asra's anger could overcome him, black claws slipped out of Noct's right paw, easily slicing thorough the phone which he then crushed to mangled pieces. Asra stared at the remains of the phone startled, a few drops of blood dripped down onto the floor where the broken glass had cut Noct's paw.
Cautiously Asra looked up at his adoptive father and his ears fell flat against his head. Savage emerald eyes with slit-like pupils were staring at the broken technology and Asra had never seen a look so cold on Noct's face before. He wasn't even the one being looked at right now and it was terrifying Asra.
Noct started to bare his fangs at nobody in particular and a low rumbling began deep in his chest.
"Calm, Dad!" came a shaky but firm voice "you said we have to stay calm no matter what!"
The rumbling stopped instantly and seconds later the eyes returned to normal as well. Noct's body relaxed and he closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Asra.
"… Thank you Asra" he said nuzzling the top of the pup's head "now do you see what can happen if we lose control?"
"It was scary" said the jackal quietly while gripping Noct's arm harder.
"And I am sorry about that" said Noct as he stood up carrying Asra with him "Now I'm afraid we will have to cut our meditation time short today"
"Uncle Nick and Aunty Judy are hurt, aren't they?" Asra whispered as Noct carried him back up to the penthouse's lounge area.
"Yes, I'm afraid they are" Noct didn't sugar coat it "but we don't know how badly, and I'll make sure they are well looked after"
Placing Asra down on one of the sofas Noct disappeared into the wardrobe room and returned almost immediately with a new phone. Noct hurriedly entered a phone number and set it ringing while darkening some of the windows and turning on the TV to keep track of the news.
After about five rings a deep, rather surly voice answered the call.
"Who is this? How'd you get my number?!"
"It's me Finnick, I need you to come and watch my kid till Lunette gets home"
"Watch your fucking what now, Noct?! Do I not get told any-bloody-thing anymore!?"
"Fin… please"
"… Alright, I'm on my way, where's your digs?"
"Top of Chrysalis Tower, I'll let reception know to expect you, just ask for Mr Clement"
Noct held the phone away from his ear as a cacophony of curse words poured out of it before Finnick cut the line. Noct had picked up the revving of an engine just before the call ended and smiled to himself slightly.
After another brief call down to reception to warn them of the fennec fox's imminent arrival, Noct settled down on the sofa next to Asra to keep an eye on the news.
His grinding teeth began to almost be audible and Noct didn't notice he was doing it till Asra poked him in the side. Taking a deep breath Noct closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down with some meditation, certainly it wasn't the best environment for it but Noct had spent a long time training himself to calm down when he needed it.
By the time there was a knock on the door, Noct had just about gotten his emotions back under control. He made no effort to go and open it, nor shout to the mammal outside, but then he didn't need to as the door was slammed open and the rather small visitor entered.
Finnick glanced around the penthouse as he walked in, his attention held by the enormous window television for a moment longer than most. He picked his way around the various sofas and bean bags that littered the floor of the lounge before he ended up standing before Noct and Asra.
"You remember our reunion at Midnight" started Noct to which Finnick nodded "and Nick mentioned that a kid had gotten involved in an incident involving Night howlers?" a little light of understanding appeared in Finnick's eyes "Well that was Asra" Noct ruffled the top of the jackal's head "I've adopted him… Fin, Nick, he…"
"I heard the news on the drive over" said Finnick darkly "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to the kid while you're gone, so get out of here"
Noct stared at his tiny friend for a moment before nodding curtly.
"Asra, this is Finnick, he's a good friend of me and your Uncle Nick, and he's going to look after you till your mother gets home from work" explained Noct as he stood up from the sofa.
"Does… does that mean you won't be coming home again soon?" asked Asra quietly.
"Yes" said Noct as he crouched down and looked Asra in the eye "Someone hurt Nick and Judy, and I won't forgive that, I will find who did this to them"
And then with a brief "There are beers in the bar upstairs" to Finnick, Noct was gone.
Finnick stood around a little unsure as to what to do now, part of him was considering going looking for that beer Noct mentioned, he felt a little uncomfortable with Asra's inquisitive gaze on him alone now.
"You know Uncle Nick and my Dad?" Asra asked curiously "Can you tell me about them?"
Finnick blinked before an evil smile slowly spread over his face.
"Oh I can tell you quite a few stories about those two" chuckled Finnick in his deep voice as he headed for the stairs "Let me just grab that beer and I'll tell you aaaaall about them"
"…Hopps…"
…
"Miss Hopps?"
Judy shook her head and looked across at the lioness sitting beside her. She looked rather familiar, though the room they were in wasn't ringing any bells.
"Have we met?" asked Judy slowly, her head still felt like cotton wool.
"Yes, we have" smiled the lioness "I'm Dr Hinckley, we met when you brought in the boy who'd been given that terrible concoction of drugs?"
"Right" said Judy as a few things came back to her, the fact she was sat up on a hospital bed was a glaring giveaway "I'm at the hospital… why…"
"You were injured on duty" explained the doctor slowly "You will have some lovely bruises on your arms, back and ribs but thankfully nothing seems to be broken. You also suffered from a minor concussion; I was told you passed out in the ambulance on the way here, but I believe that was more due to shock."
The events of the day slowly began to replay themselves in Judy's mind as she listened to Dr Hinckley talking. Gradually Judy's breathing became shallower and faster as she remembered what happened after she had chased that criminal into the alleys behind the Bank.
Nick lay still on the floor in front of her.
The tiger also stopped and stared at what he'd done for a moment, before moving towards Judy, not that she noticed anything other than her partner. Before he could do anything though, the tiger picked up the sound of more hurried footsteps coming towards them. With one last growl the tiger span round, grabbed his bag full of money, and disappeared off down the alley like the wind.
Judy hadn't noticed that, there was only one thing in her eyes as she tried to crawl over to Nick. It was painful, she couldn't breath properly, but she made it. Judy reached out to shake Nick, but the warm, wet feeling made her paws recoil. Judy stared down at the blood on her paws not knowing how to process it.
Her colleagues had arrived moments later, Delgato had immediately started to check Nick over while Jackson had called an ambulance. Lunette had examined Judy, tears pouring down her face as she apologised for not being there over and over again.
Then the paramedics had arrived, they'd left the alleyways and gone back into the sun, there were lots of mammals around the front of the bank. Lights flashed and mammals crowded around, but everything felt so very muted to Judy, the only thing that seemed real was Nick lying so still.
Then they were in the ambulance and Judy remembered looking down at her paws and at Nick, and there was so much blood…
And then she couldn't remember anything else before waking up next to Dr Hinckley. Judy stared at her paws, there wasn't a trace of blood on them, but it was like she could still see it covering them.
"Miss Hopps!" The stern tone of voice shocked Judy out of her trance and Dr Hinckley's expression softened again "You're alright, you have some nasty bruises but that's all"
Judy shook her head; it wasn't herself that was terrifying her at the moment.
"Could you answer a few questions for me?" continued Dr Hinckley "to check you've recovered from the concussion?"
Going along with the doctor, Judy answered a series of questions about herself, her line of work and recent events which, along with a quick flash of a light in Judy's eyes to check her pupils, satisfied Dr Hinckley that Judy was fine.
"…Nick" Judy's tongue finally managed to say the name that was echoing around in her head "… Where's Nick?"
"The last I heard, your colleague was undergoing an emergency operation" Dr Hinckley said slowly, watching Judy's paws clench "He had suffered some nasty lacerations and had lost a lot of blood, but I believe he was fairly stable when he entered surgery"
"Can… can I… I need to see him" said Judy with short juddering breaths.
Dr Hinckley looked Judy over intently, personally she would prefer it if Judy would stay here and get some rest for a little bit, however the lioness could clearly see that her patient was not the sort to listen to that kind of request.
"If you can convince me that that you are well enough to be up and about then I will take you to reception where we can enquire about your fellow officer" said the lioness with a sigh.
Brightening up, Judy carefully scooted to the edge of the bed and lowered herself down to the ground. After a brief pause in case there was any head rush, which there thankfully wasn't, Judy started moving around the room. Other than a few sharp intakes of breath as she tested how her bruises would stretch, Judy was well enough to be walking around.
Seeing the light in Judy's eyes, Dr Hinckley couldn't really go back on her word and stood to lead the way out of the room. Judy's nose twitched as she followed Dr Hinckley out into the corridor and then off to their right.
"I must admit" said Dr Hinckley as she led Judy down twisting corridors "after the child from that previous case was released, I wasn't expecting to see you again. Certainly not as a patient"
Judy shivered as her mind drifted back to the bank robbery, Nick flying through the air flashed through her head, before it settled on the tiger and their savage slit-like pupils.
They said Asra had seemed like an experiment thought Judy what if that tiger was what success looked like?
"I don't think either myself or Nick were expecting the day to end like this" mumbled Judy "Everything had seemed so… normal"
There was silence between them as they walked the hospital corridors passing patients and medical staff going the other way. A few minutes later Dr Hinckley had to use her pass-card to open a door and then they stepped out into the familiar reception area.
A sudden muffled exclamation reached Judy's ears and, when she turned to see what it was, bright flashes appeared through the main hospital doors. Blinking a few times and covering her eyes a bit, Judy's sight eventually adapted enough to make out the crowd of reporters waiting outside in the sun.
Feeling rather panicked by this Judy backed away slightly, she knew full well she was not in a fit state to have to deal with reporters right now.
"Don't worry" said Dr Hinckley kindly "Reporters are banned from the hospital unless they have made a pre-vetted appointment, which none of those have given the circumstances"
Judy smiled weakly and then followed the lioness up to one of the counters at the reception. The reporters were jostling around outside and Judy couldn't take her eyes off them, she vaguely heard Dr Hinckley talking to the receptionist behind her, but she didn't really take any of it in.
A sharp beeping from the lioness's pocket roused Judy. Dr Hinckley pulled a pager out of her breast pocket and quickly checked it before groaning.
"I'm very sorry Miss Hopps, but I've been called away, there's been an accident in one of the Large Mammal Wards. I have already talked to the receptionist about your situation and they are currently getting the latest information about your partner."
"No, no, thank you very much" said Judy quickly "you've been very helpful and understanding"
With a smile and a nod Dr Hinckley pulled out her pass-card and returned back the way she and Judy had entered. Seeing her go Judy turned her attention to the receptionist, she sighed in relief when she saw that they weren't a sloth, they were a male beaver typing away at a keyboard.
"Hmm, yes" the beaver cleared their throat after a while "Let's see here, yes Nicholas Wilde, here we go" Judy's heart leapt into her throat "Entered Surgery, hmm, yes, I see… ok, let's see, hmm… yes"
"Yes!?" blurted out Judy as she added this beaver just after Flash on her list of Mammals she didn't want to have to work with "What's happened to Nick?"
"You have good timing miss" said the Beaver looking down at Judy "apparently the surgery ended about ten minutes ago, now the system won't be updated till they've moved him to whichever ward or room he'll end up in, I reckon that'll take about fifteen minutes, half an hour tops, so if you'd like to take a seat and come back then, we'll find out where your colleague has been moved to"
Judy slowly nodded and looked around the room, it was fairly empty at the moment and Judy wandered over to a chair in one of the corners where she had a view of a clock on the wall. Clambering up onto the seat and pulling her knees up to her chest, Judy sat and stared at the clock as the seconds ticked by.
She felt horrible right now.
Not sad or distraught or anything like that.
No, Judy felt hollow. She felt muted and dull.
She felt like all her emotions were stuck inside her, bottled up with the pressure slowly building, and she had a feeling that unless she saw Nick, saw the reality of the situation, then she'd stay that way till she burst.
She had her phone on her but no desire to talk to anyone, she couldn't think of anything to take her mind off the days events, even though it was painful to watch the time pass so slowly, staring at the clock was all Judy could bring herself to do.
Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…
The seconds dragged by like a snail but the reception room around her seemed to be running at double time, it was like Judy was trapped in her own little bubble, held hostage by the hands of the clock.
Judy wasn't sure how she would take it if she went up after 15 minutes only to be told the information wasn't ready yet, so she grabbed her knees harder and waited for almost 25.
Judy dragged herself off the chair and back over to the reception desk, as much as she didn't want to talk to the beaver who seemed to like to take his time, he was the one Dr Hinckley had talked to and Judy wasn't up to having to explain everything to someone else.
"Ah, yes" said the beaver as he saw Judy approach "the police officer, hmm, yes… right then, let me see" he started to type away on his computer again "Nicholas Wilde, yes… Hmm… Surgery complete, yes… Hmm… I see, yes…" Judy's foot started to tap rapidly on the ground without her noticing "Ah, here we go, he has been transferred to private room 113"
"Ok, thank you" said Judy quickly "can you tell me how to get there? Nick's my partner, I need to see him"
"Certainly" smiled the beaver "Ah, right, what was your name?"
"Judy Hopps" Judy answered while looking around to see if there were any directions or signs that could help her.
"Judy Hopps… Hmm, Ah… I'm afraid you don't have visitation rights at the moment"
…
Judy froze as she tried to process what she thought she had just heard. She turned jerkily back to face the beaver, her ears which had just started to perk up now drooping flat against her back again.
"W-what did you just say?" Judy asked as her nose twitched.
"Because of how extensive some mammal's social circles are, it is hospital policy that for the first two days after any Major Hospital Procedure, i.e. surgery, visitation is limited to family members and registered contacts only. I'm afraid you aren't on Mr Wilde's registered contacts list and you obviously aren't family."
Judy's breathing became more ragged and it felt like the room was starting to spin.
"N-no, I'm… I'm his partner… I… I can't… please you have to let me see him" tears were starting to form at the edges of her eyes as Judy stared up at the beaver pleadingly.
"I understand that you're worried Miss Hopps but there really isn't anything that I can do, you'll just have to come back in two days time"
Judy could feel her heart pumping in her head, thumping along with the ticking of the clock she could still hear.
I can't see Nick?
No… no, no, no, no that can't be right, there has to be a way!
The thumping and the spinning and the terrible knot forming in her stomach were starting to overwhelm the poor grey doe.
"Please" she whispered to no one in particular as she held onto the reception desk for balance "I need to see him"
Something firm and reassuring gently pressed on the top of Judy's head and helped with the spinning a bit. Judy heard a voice, but the words didn't really seem to register with her anymore.
"I'm Mr Clement, I should be on the registered contacts list for Nicholas Wilde"
"Ah, hmm… yes, here we are, Noctis Clement… yes, that seems to all be in order, please take that corridor till you see stairs on your left, go up one flight and turn right, room 113 should be somewhere on your right"
"Thank you, let's go JJ"
Judy felt something pressing gently on the back of her head, directing her towards a door.
"Ah, wait, she doesn't have visitation rights" Judy heard from behind her.
"Hospital policy, all registered contacts are allowed to bring one non-registered visitor with them"
"Hmm… yes, I see, you're correct"
And then the doors shut behind them and Judy found herself in an empty corridor. She blinked a few times as her brain tried to calm itself down and process what had just happened. Looking up at the mammal walking next to her Judy saw a panther in a black shirt with a red tie.
"Noct?" she said quietly "how did…?"
"I came as soon as I saw the news Judy" Noct's voice wasn't as smooth as she remembered, now it had a jagged edge to it "Nick and I are registered contacts for each other, I'm glad I got here when I did, you looked like you were about to have a breakdown"
"I… I think I was…" mumbled Judy as she gripped her right arm with her left paw.
There was silence, except for the occasional mammal walking past, as Judy and Noct climbed the stairs and walked down the corridor till they were stood outside a door with clouded glass and the number 113 on it.
Judy reached out for the handle, but her paw hesitated. She suddenly wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Judy just knew that when she saw Nick everything was going to come crashing down on her and she wasn't sure if that was better than the horrible hollowness she felt now. Mustering the tiny spark of courage that always managed to keep Judy Hopps going, she grabbed the door handle and pushed.
The room was dark, it was on the inside of the building so no windows, and the lights had been left off. Judy blinked a few times, she didn't have the best night vision, before a very soft glow illuminated the room. She looked round to see Noct adjusting the room's lighting and nodded gratefully.
Now they could really take in the sight. Nick Wilde was lying in bed with his eyes closed, breathing gently. He was wearing a loose hospital gown, but it did nothing to hide the copious number of bandages wrapped around his chest. There was an IV drip and some sensors attached to the fox but nothing else which Judy took to be a good sign.
She moved closer to the bed to get a better look at her partner even though she knew doing so might be the last straw. Noct walked to the foot of the bed, picked up a clipboard hanging there and began to leaf through Nick's medical dossier while keeping an eye on Judy.
Nick looked peaceful, like he was only asleep, in fact Judy thought he looked rather adorable like that. But then her gaze dropped further down his body to the injuries, and she couldn't pretend that Nick was just asleep.
Flashes of the events that led to this kept appearing in her mind, Nick being mauled over and over again, blood everywhere, blood on her paws.
Judy wrapped her arms around herself as her breathing became shorter and sharper.
"Take this JJ" an open paw and a glass of water appeared in front of Judy's face and distracted her for a moment.
There was a light green pill sitting on the paw and Judy blinked a few times as she looked at it.
"Noct, I'm not taking that, I don't even know what it is"
"Judy, your mental state is all over the place, trust me I can tell, and your heart rate skyrocketing" said Noct seriously "you may be strong but you're still a rabbit, if you don't calm down you could end up having a heart attack" Judy raised an eyebrow "I'm serious, it's a simple matter of biology. This pill will just help you calm down, stay a bit more in control, and not get yourself killed after I've left"
Judy looked up at Noct for a few moments as she remembered the hangover cure Nick had given her before she reached out for the glass and the pill.
"You aren't staying?" Judy asked, using the conversation to try and calm herself "but you only just got here, you've barely seen Nick"
"This hospital has a good reputation, I know Nick will be well looked after here, especially so now that I know that you're here with him JJ" Noct picked up the medical documents again "I visited to see what sort of state you two were in… He'll be ok, he's had stitches for the lacerations on his chest, the main problem was how much blood he lost but they've given him a transfusion already. With plenty of fluids Nick should be alright in a few days"
"How… how long till he wakes up?" Judy asked shakily as she looked at her partner.
"Today or tomorrow I reckon" Said Noct as he put the clipboard back down.
CRUNCH
The clipboard snapped and Noct and Judy stared at the broken pieces.
"Are you sure you're alright Noct?" asked Judy slowly.
There was a long pause before Noct took a deep breath in and out.
"Someone has attacked my brother and the mammal closest to him" Noct almost growled "No, I am not alright Judy, in fact if not for Asra I may well have snapped the moment I got the news"
With one last look at his brother Noct turned to leave. Now that she took a good look at Noct, Judy could see how tense the panther was, like a wire pulled taut.
"You're going to look for the tiger, aren't you?" said Judy.
"No Judy" said Noct as he paused by the door "I'm going to find that tiger"
"Wait, Noct!" Judy's eyes widened as something important forced its way to the forefront of her mind "That tiger! They were savage! Nick knocked off their sunglasses and we saw their eyes! They were like you, savage but sane!"
Noct didn't move or speak for several long moments, but the air around him dropped in temperature considerably, Judy found herself swallowing nervously.
"I see" was all Noct said before he disappeared out of the door and Judy had never heard a voice be so… cold.
Noct's eyes twitched as he made his way back through the corridors and out of the hospital, mammals backing up against the walls whenever he approached, it took everything in the panther to keep his instincts under control as he stepped outside into the sun.
The crowd of reporters were still clamouring around the entranceway, they'd tried to question Noct on his way into the hospital, but now none of them wanted to go forwards. The crowd parted to let Noct through as he strode towards his car.
Noct pulled his phone out and called a number from memory, Noct had no need for a contacts list.
"Bakari" Noct almost snarled down the phone when it was picked up.
"There you are Noct" Bakari seemed to have calmed herself since their last call "I was starting to wonder where you were"
Noct pulled out a pill from inside his shirt pocket and looked at it. This was not the black coloured Suppressor. This capsule also had two sections, but they were instead filled with a bright ocean-blue fluid and a dull yellow powder. Gently breaking the capsule let the powder mix with the fluid resulting in a sickly green looking pill.
Noct closed his eyes and tossed the Catalyst into his mouth without a second thought, practically crunching it apart before swallowing it down to speed up the absorption. Noct's rapid metabolism quickly assimilated the drug, a wave of sickly green spreading through his body devouring all of the Suppressors left in his system.
A few moments later Noct opened his eyes and savage emerald orbs reflected back at him off the car's tinted window
"Find Him, Bakari!" growled Noct as he climbed into his Jaguar Z type and roared off.
Now she was alone.
The sounds of the hospital going about its daily routine sounded muffled in room 113.
And Judy was alone.
The only real sound in the room was Nick's gentle breathing.
Judy had been rather scared when Noct had left, scared that everything would come crashing down on her like it almost had earlier.
But whatever it was that Noct had given her, it certainly seemed to be working. Her heartbeat was calm, and her emotions no longer felt like a building volcano inside her.
Instead there was a slow and steady seeping of feelings gradually filling her up. Judy spent several minutes just looking at Nick's face as she waited for her emotions to stabilise.
"Oh Nick" whispered Judy as she gently reached a paw out to touch his cheek "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault"
Seeing her partner lying there was like having someone grab hold of her heart and slowly start to squeeze it harder and harder.
It's my fault…
If only I hadn't run off…
If only I had waited…
Nick wouldn't be lying there in a hospital bed…
Her emotions were manageable now but she could still feel the dull terror, the weeping sorrow, the infectious doubts.
"It… it's going to be ok Nick" said Judy rather shakily, like she was trying to convince herself of it too "Noct said that you weren't hurt too badly"
But what if he was…?
Judy flinched at the tiny voice that rose unbidden in her mind.
What if he did get hurt badly…?
Shut up…
What if Nick didn't get better…?
Shut up
What if he couldn't be your partner anymore…?
Shut up!
What if Nick died…?
SHUT UP!
Judy started to pant heavily. Just the thought of Nick dying was like a virus in her mind, images of blood filling her mind once more. Just imagining not having Nick anymore was like the hand squeezing her heart had been replaced with several needles piercing her.
I… I can't… Not Nick, I…
I couldn't…
I don't know what I'd do without him…
I don't know how I would cope…
I need him…
I… I…
Judy's ears slowly rose a little bit as her brain tried to catch up with the little emotion hidden beneath all the powerful negative ones she was feeling right now.
…
…
Go on… Say it…
Judy slowly raised her eyes and looked at the fox lying peacefully before her.
"I love him…" she said as tears started to run down her cheeks.