Good morning all! As promised, an update that didn't take forever!
I know the last chapter was rough, but I hope this one makes up for it.
Thank you to everyone who is reading this fic and a giant thank you to everyone who left a review!
As always, thank you to my lovely beta Marie Allen who beta read this chapter and has always been there for me to bounce ideas off of.
We are getting close to the end, one more chapter and an Epilogue, Woot!
Please enjoy!
Chapter 25
Nick turned his attention away from Mr. Big, sitting on the pad of Koslov's paw, staring at him with a concerned expression.
"Nicky," Mr. Big tried again.
"If it was up to me," Nick explained to his diminutive companion as he looked out the darkened window, "I would have you tie him up, hang him from a pulley over the ice flow, dunk him, pull him back up again, and repeat, watching him suffer as he slowly died from hypothermia. And just before he died, I would untie him, throw him in a cage and toss him in, leaving him to drown."
"Nicky…it is up to you," Mr. Big pointed out.
Nick flinched at the vole's words. "I know it is," he agreed, fury building up within him. "But then I become a murderer and a dirty cop," he ground out. "And with the way things are now, maybe I shouldn't care, but… I want to make sure the promise Judy made to that murderous bastard is fulfilled," he seethed darkly.
"And while you are doing that, he could escape," Mr. Big pointed out gently.
Nick fisted his paw. "No, he won't," he ground out. "Because your 'best guy' is going to make sure he doesn't," he bit out, his voice dripping with warning.
Normally, Nick would have never threatened Mr. Big, he didn't have a death wish, but he felt more than a little unstable and particularly murderous right now, and it was taking every last scrap of willpower he had not to tell Mr. Big to follow the tiger and wait in the car while Nick tore the big cat limb from limb.
Realistically, Nick knew that even if he was in a better condition than he was, he would have a hard time taking on the larger predator, but he didn't care, he was willing to try and damn the consequences.
Unfortunately, a sane voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Judy, reminded him that being killed by the tiger did him any good and was tantamount to allowing the criminal to escape, his crimes left unpunished.
Which was why he was sitting beside the mob boss, watching the tiger get into a luxury car driven away by his Timber wolf co-conspirator.
Mr. Big let out a frustrated breath.
"I need to get them all," Nick explained to his annoyed companion. "I need everyone who worked for, participated in, and bet money on this operation. He must have some kind of black book and accounting records hidden away somewhere. He would need to keep track of everyone on his payroll and his client lists."
"It'll take time," Mr. Big observed.
"Technically, I'm dead, I have all the time in the world," Nick reminded his companion.
Silence filled the interior of the vehicle and Mr. big waved his hand. Koslov reached forward and tapped on the glass that separated them from the driver.
The car slowly started rolling towards the cemetery gate.
Mr. Big looked like he was about to say something but was unsure of the reception of his words. Making a decision, Mr. Big opened his mouth.
"I have to do this right," Nick interrupted, his voice thick with misery, clenching his fist, claws digging into his pad. "Because of me…" his voice cracked, and he wasn't able to finish his thought, it hurt too much.
Stupidly, he had believed that no drug could ever cloud his mind enough that he would ever hurt Judy and that in order to save her, to go up against the drug-fuelled predators that were chasing her, he needed to level the playing field.
But the drug -Feral Red- was like nothing he had ever experienced before.
And he remembered all of it.
There had been nothing left of him, his mind awash in instinct; the desire to rend, kill, and devour the only thoughts left in his head.
Judy had been his prey and he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into her.
Every mammal he encountered was keeping him from his prey and this single-minded focus had kept him alive. His focus on Judy's tantalizing scent had also been the only thing that had stopped him from killing the wolverine and the hyena.
He would have laughed at the thought that he could go against the two merciless mammals and survive, but somehow, he had.
Stopping the two larger predators had been his intent and once the wolverine had stopped moving, he had turned his attention back to the hyena.
Attacking over and over again, he wanted nothing more than to get to the rabbit he could smell, the scent causing his mouth to water.
Latching onto the hyena's neck, he crushed the mammal's throat until it slumped to the ground.
Judy had already escaped, and he had hunted her, following the delectable scent of her blood, and that of another fox.
Grabbing his unsuspecting prey from right beside the rival fox, he had intended to crush her delicate body in his jaws. The fact that he hadn't was something of a miracle.
Registering in his instinct-wired, drug-fuelled brain was his scent covering the rabbit. Wafting up to taunt him were their co-mingled scents and the scent screamed MINE.
The conflicting instinctual signals caused his jaw to remain locked, holding the rabbit, but not crushing her, even as her blood trickled into his mouth.
Sensing the danger and the threat from the other fox and the hyena, he buried his prey, intending to deal with the rabbit and the contradictory scent markers after he took out the two approaching threats, his bloodlust not yet sated, the need for violence thrumming through his body.
Bringing the hyena to his knees had been a dual effort, and he had concentrated his attacks on the hyena as he had been too focused on the larger mammal. But then the fox was still there, and he had to die.
"Nicky?" Mr. Big asked dragging him from his dark thoughts.
"Stop the car," Nick ordered suddenly.
The polar bear hesitated only a moment, looking to Mr. Big for permission before it was granted with a regal nod and Koslov tapped on the window again.
The car slowed to a stop and Nick took in his surroundings. They were nearly at the gate. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Keep me informed and let me know if he tries to run."
Nick waited, knowing that Mr. Big could keep him in the car and ask him more questions if he wanted to.
With another sigh, the shrew agreed to Nick's request.
With his good paw, Nick opened the door and slowly slid out, closing the door gently behind him.
Watching the white limousine drive away, he sunk into the shadows of a large mausoleum.
A few moments later, a dark blue minivan turned into the gate and drove along the dirt road until it was able to turn around and stopped near where Nick had hidden himself.
The side door slid open and Nick slunk from his hiding spot, carefully slipping into the back seat.
"Hey, Chief," Nick greeted softly to the Cape buffalo who closed the door and clambered back into the driver's seat. "You could have just let me ride up front," he observed.
"You shouldn't even be out of bed," he growled, looking at him over his shoulder, "and I don't want anyone to see you," he grumbled. "Besides, you couldn't open and close the door yourself."
Chief Bogo was right, he should not be up and walking around, but he had wanted to see if the architect of the Pit and the Black Event would show up at their funeral, unable to resist gloating over their graves.
"This was your plan," Nick pointed out.
"I wanted to arrest him if he came to the funeral or arrived afterwards. Putting him under surveillance was your idea. And I already know your reasons and I agreed with them," he soothed before Nick could protest. "What I didn't agree to was you bringing in Mr. Big," Chief Bogo shot back, putting the minivan into gear and slowly exiting the cemetery.
Nick made a noise of indifference. Putting a face to the voice that had tormented them in the barn had only been one step in his plan, but it was satisfying to be hunting the hunter. Soon, they would have a name to go with his face and then each and every mammal that worked for that murderer would be caught.
"You wanted surveillance by the best, you got surveillance by the best. Besides, we couldn't exactly do this with ZPD resources." The Cape buffalo's shoulder's slumped at Nick's words. "You know I'm right," Nick offered in a voice that contained no hint of smugness, only grim seriousness. "And he won't tell anyone he saw me."
"This whole plan is too risky," Chief Bogo murmured under his breath.
Nick had heard all the reasons why this plan was cruel, dangerous, risky, and borderline insane, not to mention the fact that it could fail spectacularly, but he didn't have a choice.
Finnick's grief-stricken face flashed through his mind but he supressed the guilt that welled up within him for letting his best friend believe he was dead for longer than the seven days Chief Bogo's plan had called for. It was the only way Nick could think of to make sure he got them all.
He needed to get them all.
Chief Bogo let out a huff of air through his nostrils as he pulled up to a light. Shifting to be able to look at him, he offered, "I can get you twenty minutes," he said, changing the subject.
Nick thought about asking for more, but knew if Chief Bogo said twenty minutes, he meant twenty minutes and would have found a way to get more time if he could have.
Giving a nod of acceptance, he noted the stiffness of the buffalo's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll be careful," he promised.
"If someone sees you and recognizes you, all of this will have been for nothing," Chief Bogo reminded him. "The plan, all the pain we caused everyone…" his voice drifted off.
The deep seeded guilt, sorrow, and grief he had pushed into the very corner of his mind so he wouldn't break surged forth and threatened to crash over him.
Swallowing roughly, he agreed. "I wouldn't go if it wasn't important," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
"I know."
They fell into a tense silence, the light turning green, the buffalo turning back to the road. Nick must have dozed off, coming to when the minivan rolled to a stop and parked.
Nick, in anticipation of his clandestine activity, was dressed in his ZPD uniform. Beside him lay a hat Chief Bogo had brought with him as well as a bag of flour.
Chief Bogo exited the vehicle and opened the sliding door, stepping into the backseat and closing the door behind him.
Taking the flour, the Cape Buffalo opened the bag and dusted Nick's face and tail. Brushing off the excess. Finally, he wrapped the police coat around Nick's shoulders to hide the evidence of his injuries.
The bullet had gone through the muscle of his still healing left shoulder and the hyena had broken Nick's clavicle, scapula, and humerus of the same shoulder. His arm was in a cast and sling which had been bound with a bandage around his body to keep him from jostling the bones that could not be put in a cast.
Chief Bogo nodded, pleased with Nick's disguise. Nick lowered his head and stared down at his fisted paw resting in his lap, his emotions fluctuating between nervous anticipation and guilt-laden dread. "Stay close, let me do all the talking and try not to do anything that will get yourself caught," he warned. "And I know you can hear me so don't try pretending you didn't," he growled.
Nick's surprised gaze shot back to the buffalo.
"You've gotten into the habit of watching facial expressions and you still focus on reading lips, but I noticed you would answer questions when there was no way you could have seen my face," he explained.
"I wasn't purposefully hiding the fact that I could hear," Nick responded, "It just seemed unimportant after everything that had happened. And its only the left one, still can't hear anything out of the right."
Chief Bogo gave a nod of acknowledgement of Nick's words. "You'll pass for an arctic fox as long as no one looks too closely and hopefully no one will remember that the ZPD only has one fox."
"Had one fox," he reminded the buffalo, "and one bunny," he added quietly, his words deafening in the confined interior.
Thick despondency settled between them before Chief Bogo opened the door. "Let's go," he said, exiting the vehicle, his voice rough with emotion.
Nick grabbed the hat and placed it on his head, pulling it down low over his eyes, hiding as much of his face as he could.
Following closely, they walked through the emergency room doors.
A flash of a badge, a few quick words, and he and Chief Bogo were standing in an elevator after visiting hours, heading towards the ICU.
Exiting on the correct floor, the hallways empty and brightly lit, they strode past the nurses' station, which only earned them a quick glance from the attending nurses on duty, coming to a stop outside a set of double doors.
Chief Bogo led the way, opening the doors with the press of a button, showing him the room.
Moving to the door, the buffalo gently rapped on the wooden surface, waiting a moment before opening the door and entering the room. Nick hung back, listening to the murmur of voices that drifted through the partially open door, an offer of coffee suggested and accepted.
A moment later, an exhausted rabbit and hare emerged, following the buffalo. Nick was spared barely a glance as the three mammals walked towards the entrance of the ICU leaving Nick to slip into the now visitor free room.
Hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV, the grey bunny lay unconscious beneath two blankets pulled up to his chin, his ear splinted and wrapped, any other injuries hidden.
Watching the steady beep of the heart monitor, Nick moved the chair sitting close to the bed a little closer and slowly sat down on the green vinyl surface.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he shook his head and opened his eyes again, his heart twisting with regret and guilt. "You weren't supposed to get hurt," he whispered accusingly. He was furious, not with the buck, but with himself for not listening to his gut which had told him it was a mistake letting Freddy get involved in their covert investigation. "But thank you, for everything you did," Nick offered sincerely. "You found Finnick and rescued all those mammals. And because of your quick thinking, Chief Bogo was able to find us."
Dislodging some of the flour from his face when he brushed his paw across his muzzle, Nick breathed out a heavy breath as he glanced at the buck's motionless features.
Nick had been unconscious for three days and when he had woken up, he had learned that he had been severely injured by the hyena and shot by an unknown ZPD officer.
None of the information had permeated his drug-addled brain, drifting in and out of consciousness, but Chief Bogo was sitting by his bed when he had regained some lucidity a few hours later.
Remembering what had happened and what he had done, his first words were "Where's Judy?"
Fearing the worst -that he had killed her- he had waited, his heart in his throat, terror burning through his veins, watching the buffalo's expression shift, becoming disturbingly grim.
Believing that Nick and Judy's lives were still in danger, Chief Bogo, not knowing who he could trust, had acted quickly. He had a doctor by the name of Maureen, a diminutive porcupine whose tongue was as sharp as her quills, transfer Nick and Judy from the hospital in the Meadowlands to separate hospitals. Nick had been moved to one in the Marshlands while Judy had been taken to a hospital in the Canal District.
Taking them to separate, out of the way hospitals was thought to be safer for them while Maureen wrote up their death certificates, believing that the only way to keep them alive, was to make everyone think they were dead.
Relief had momentarily flowed through him at the knowledge that he had not killed Judy, but Chief Bogo had informed him that Judy had been struck by the same bullet that had hit him. His relief had turned to dread, and he had felt the blood drain from his face, his vision blackening around the edges.
Chief Bogo had assured him that Judy's surgery had gone well, however, Nick could hear the 'but' in the buffalo's words and the expression on Chief Bogo's face only confirmed Nick's apprehension.
There had been complications.
The bullet had hit her kidney and lodged itself in her liver. The kidney had been destroyed and had to be removed and a portion of her liver had to be removed as well.
Swallowing roughly, his paws shaking, he had asked if Judy would make it. The buffalo, looking like he was living on too much coffee and too little sleep, had told him that all they could do was wait, the next few days being crucial.
Listening with only half an ear as Chief Bogo tried to reassure him of how strong and stubborn Judy was, Nick felt grief and rage well up within him.
"You can't see her," Chief Bogo had warned. "Like you, she was moved to a safehouse, a nurse Maureen trusts is looking after her."
About to demand to see Judy anyway, he had choked back the words.
He didn't deserve to see her.
Nick had attacked her, nearly killed her, possibly would have killed her, and he believed she wouldn't want to see him ever again; and he wouldn't blame her for the sentiment.
Nick had betrayed her in the worst possible way, and she wasn't the only one.
"How is Finnick?" he had asked in a soft voice.
His friend was alive, had somehow been there, and he could only be thankful that the fennec fox had stood in front of Judy, determined to protect her even if it cost him his life.
"A few lacerations that needed stitches, some bumps and bruises, but physically he'll be fine."
Nick had nodded, relieved that the smaller fox hadn't suffered any serious injury.
"And Freddy?" he wondered, suspecting that somehow the buck had found and rescued Finnick. "He's a bike messenger bunny. He went in to try and find Finnick."
After a moment of hesitation, Chief Bogo had explained how Freddy had saved twenty-eight mammals from something called the Pit and had figured out where Nick and Judy had been taken and got the buffalo the information. Finnick had given them the exact location of the barn.
Nick had allowed himself to smile, oddly proud of the buck for what he had accomplished, but then something about the buffalo's voice caused the smirk to fall from his face and his heart to sink. "Chief? He's okay…right?"
"During their escape," he had begun, "…he was involved in a serious altercation, during which he was injured. He lost part of his ear and suffered deep lacerations that led to severe blood loss. He had refused to be treated properly, wanting to find you and Judy. As I said, he figured out where you were and was able to get a message to me. By then the buck was suffering from hypovolemic shock. He's currently in the ICU and not expected to survive."
Nick had stared at Chief Bogo, unable to process his words.
Shaking his head in disbelief, the strangled word, 'no,' exited his numb lips.
He had felt physically ill, his vision blurring with the tears that had sprung to his eyes.
"Is there any chance he'll make it?"
"There's always a chance," Chief Bogo had offered in a soft, consoling voice. "Finnick has gone every day to visit."
"F-Finnick has?" he asked in stuttering disbelief.
"He asked to see him to thank him and he kept going back. The staff didn't have the heart to turn him away."
Wondering what had caused his usually reticent friend to go out of his way to continuously visit a virtual stranger, he was hopeful that whatever support Finnick was giving to the buck, that Freddy held on and fought to live, knowing that neither he nor Judy was in any condition to do so.
"So, what's your plan?" Nick had asked in a voice that trembled and cracked with shame, guilt, and fury. "You have to have one, after all, having us declared dead is a little extreme, even if you don't know who you can trust in the ZPD."
Chief Bogo had outlined his plan, hoping that the perpetrator of the Events and the Pit would show up either during their funeral or after, because from the profile he had been able to compile, the leader of the crime ring was a narcissist and a psychopath.
Nick agreed with this assessment but pointed out that even though the buffalo was a good cop and a large mammal, depending on who the crime boss was, he might not be able to apprehend him alone.
Chief Bogo had levelled a glare at him that would have caused a lesser animal to tuck tail and retreat. Nick had stared right back, the buffalo looking away first.
The need for revenge burned through him. If he found the mammal, he was so very tempted to rip him limb from limb. But…
Judy would want to bring him to justice, had promised she would walk him in through the doors of Precinct One and Nick was determined that she would keep her oath.
"There's one major flaw in your plan, Chief," he had pointed out in a soft voice.
Chief Bogo looked down at him, his arms crossed over his chest as he gave Nick a look to indicate he was listening.
"Even if you bring him in, he won't give us anything."
"He may make a deal," Chief Bogo offered.
"You don't even believe that," Nick had said softly. "He may not even have to make a deal. We don't have anything but the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence linking him to the Event or the fighting ring. We have nothing but mine and Judy's word that he was there, and we only heard his voice. And the mammals you've arrested aren't talking, and no matter what deal you try to make, they won't snitch. You catching him at our funeral won't do anything but put him in custody and a guy like that will have an army of lawyers that will get him out."
"Nick-
"Chief," he interrupted, "We won't know if there are dirty cops in the ZPD, how deep the corruption goes, and who he has under his thumb or in his pocket. And if we don't get them all -every corrupt cop, politician, and lackey- it won't be just me and Judy with targets on our backs, it'll be everyone we care about; Finnick, Judy's parents, her siblings, maybe even you and the officers from Precinct One. Everyone who was responsible for taking him down may be in danger," he stressed.
"It sounds like you have an idea," Chief Bogo observed.
Nick nodded. "Everyone thinks we're dead and maybe it'd be best if we keep it that way, at least until we can bring this this guy down for good."
Chief Bogo's expression turned grim. "I convinced Maureen to write those death certificates because I believed that neither of you would survive the night if I didn't. I thought this would be over in a week and any suffering I caused to yours and Judy's loved ones would be of short duration and worth it if I could bring this mammal in."
"I know," Nick agreed, "and I don't want to hurt any of them any more than they are already hurting, it's cruel, but I can't… Finnick has already been through so much because of me. He nearly died and if I have to keep pretending I'm dead to keep him safe, I'll do it, even if it hurts him. As for Judy's family… I'm sure Judy would agree with me. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to her parents or any of her siblings. We have to protect them," he stated emphatically.
"Are you suggesting that if this mammal shows up at or after the funeral that we let him go; possibly to vanish forever?" Chief Bogo asked with an incredulous edge to his voice.
"Yes," he replied.
Without giving any details on how he intended to accomplish catching the crime boss plus his minions, clients, and any corrupt ZPD officers, Nick had contacted Mr. Big and set up the sting at the cemetery.
Chief Bogo had approved the plan and accepted the reasons for it, but with each passing day Nick's anxiety and guilt grew.
He braced himself for the news that Judy's condition had worsened, or that Freddy had succumbed to his injuries until he couldn't take it anymore.
Unable to bring himself to visit Judy, who was still heavily medicated and drifting in and out of consciousness, he had -against both the doctor and Chief Bogo's advice- loaded up on pain killers and forced himself out of bed, intent on witnessing the sting and visiting the hospital where Freddy lay fighting for his life.
Nick shifted awkwardly in his seat, dragged reluctantly back to the present by the slight erratic beeping of the heart monitor. Staring hard at the moving green line and the flickering numbers, they settled, returning to an apparent normal rhythm.
Swallowing roughly, his heart lodged in his throat, he managed to softly speak to the unconscious buck. "Freddy," he began, "Thank you for Finnick and all the mammals you helped save, including me and Judy." He took a shuddering breath, his voice breaking with emotion as he continued, a tear silently slipping down his cheek. "I am so, so sorry you got hurt and that you're here when you shouldn't be. I should have fought harder to stop you, but you were the one who found the hidden basement area, rescued the mammals and got them out, so I know I can't regret letting you help. I just wish things had turned out differently." He slid as close as he could on the green vinyl seat. "You've been doing a…a really great job at staying alive, but I really, really need you to fight a lot harder. You need to wake up and walk your fluffy tail out of this hospital because you have to be there for Judy." He swallowed roughly. "She…she's going to make it, I…I know she will, but…she was hurt pretty bad and I… It's my fault she…" He cleared his throat trying to reorder his chaotic thoughts. "I attacked her and I know she'll never be able to forgive me for what I did. And I don't want her to… The thought that she… I want her to be happy and not have to deal with being terrified of a predator like me." Straightening in his seat he glared at the buck. "So, open your damn eyes and quit playing possum. Judy needs you."
The murmur of voices alerted him to the fact that his time was up.
Slowly standing, he brushed away the dampness from his cheek, and turning, made his way to the door.
Glancing over his shoulder he begged, "Please," before stepping out into the ICU unit, where he was collected by Chief Bogo after letting Freddy's parents know that there was no change in their son's condition and thanking them for raising such an amazing rabbit and for what their son had done for Zootopia.
Meeting Freddy's parents and acknowledging that he was responsible for their son's current condition, was devastating.
Knowing what he had put Finnick, Judy's family, and Precinct One through today was crushing.
Accepting that he would probably never see Judy again and only had himself to blame was heart rending.
Exhausted, both emotionally and physically, his body throbbing with a merciless ache that was only getting worse with each moment that passed, he shuffled back to the minivan, barely able to get to the vehicle before he collapsed.
Brushing away the flour from his face and tail, not caring about the mess he was making, he felt his eyes slip closed, unable to remain conscious any longer.
Time ceased to exist until he was ruthlessly dragged back to consciousness by the movement of his shoulder, which caused black bolts of synapse destroying agony to shoot through him.
Eyes snapping open as he let out a gasp of pain, Chief Bogo apologized for attempting to move him without waking him.
Waving off the buffalo's apology, Nick forced himself to learn to breathe again. Waiting until the pain had at least ebbed to an excruciating throb, he slid himself the rest of the way out of the minivan.
Moving at a sloth's pace, Nick made his way up the path the led to the secluded property he had been stashed.
Walking up the steps of the porch, he barely even registered that he was not entering the same house he had exited from hours earlier.
Nick, frowning in confusion, watched as Chief Bogo gave a patterned knock on the door.
"Wait," Nick carefully moved his head around, taking in the scent of water and the light tap of a boat rocking against a dock. "Where-?"
The door opened reveling the porcupine who had treated him.
Stepping out of the way, Chief Bogo ushered him into the house.
"How is she?" Chief Bogo asked the doctor, his voice full of hope.
The porcupine hesitated, and then replied, "She woke up a little bit ago. She's still a little groggy, but she's asking for the fox."
Nick's blood turned to ice at the realization that he had been brought to where they had taken Judy.
"I…I can't," he whispered in anguish, not wanting to see the terror, disgust, and anger in Judy's eyes when she extolled the sins he had perpetrated against her.
"Nick?" Judy's soft voice drifted from what he had to assume was a bedroom.
"He's here," Chief Bogo answered.
The porcupine placed her hands on her hips and glared. "Get your fluffy tail in there," she ordered. "She's done nothing but pester me about you from the moment she opened her eyes. So, either you walk in there under your own power or I get big and burly to carry you in," she threatened.
Nick's eyebrows shot up at Maureen calling the Chief 'big and burly'. Noting that the buffalo didn't object to the epithet given to him by the older female, he found himself wondering if there was an interesting story there.
The porcupine gave him a glare and Nick hung his head, in acceptance.
He knew he had to face Judy.
Dragging his feet across the hardwood floor, he entered Judy's room, where he found her lying on a bed much like his own, looking listless, pained, and worn.
The moment she saw him, her eyes widened, and a tearful smile crossed her face. "Nick," she whispered, relief, love, and joy shining in her eyes.
"Judy," he choked out, not able to believe that she was looking at him the way she was. "I-"
She struggled to sit up and ignoring his own injuries, quickly rushed to her side. "Don't," he said gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "You can't be moving around like that," he chastised. "You…you were really badly-"
"I know," she interrupted waving away his words. "I just…" her eyes filled with tears. "I was so scared I had lost you," she uttered brokenly.
Hovering over her, brushing his cheek against hers, he replied, "I thought I had lost you too," he admitted. "I thought… that you would hate me and that you'd be terrified of me after what I had done to you."
"Nick, I know that wasn't you," she castigated. "You didn't hurt me. I was already injured when you had grabbed me and-"
"I could have hurt you," he interrupted fiercely. "I wanted to eat you."
"But you didn't," she shot back in annoyance. "Nick, I could never hate you and I'm not scared of you." She sighed and dragged her fingers across his cheek. "Dumb fox," she murmured, shifting his face so that she could give him the softest of kisses. "I love you too much."
Nick closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. "Smart bunny," he whispered back.
"Is Finnick okay?" she suddenly asked.
"Finnick is fine, but…Freddy…"
He explained everything that had happened after they had been shot, and at the end of his recitation Judy's expression of horrified devastation nearly broke him.
"I'm sorry," he murmured wretchedly, burying his face in her throat in a semblance of a hug.
"This is all such a mess," she whispered miserably. "Freddy is clinging to life and my family thinks I'm dead."
"I know," he agreed, "but-"
"I know," she ground out, her voice shaking with fury. "We'll get him," she promised.
"We'll get all of them," he agreed.
Finnick strode down the hallway, passing the attending nurses in the ICU who didn't even look his way as he opened the door to Freddy's room without knocking.
Expecting to see the unconscious buck, his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach when he found the bed sitting empty and stripped of bedding.
Stumbling back, he raced to the nurses' station. "The…the rabbit in room 442… W-where is he?" he asked desperately, tripping over his words.
A ram and a female impala glanced down at him. The ram frowned and began typing on the computer while the impala flipped through a series of charts and papers.
"He was moved," the ram informed him, his eyes scanning the computer while the impala looked over at the ram. Finnick nearly collapsed with relief until he worried that Freddy had suffered a serious complication of some sort and had been moved to Critical Care. "Here we go," the ram said pointing at the screen. "He was moved out of the ICU to the fifth floor. Room 536."
"Why was he moved?" he asked, his voice gruff and defensive.
"He was moved to the General Ward because his condition was deemed less critical."
Finnick's breath left him in a whoosh, his heart regaining its proper place in his chest.
"Room 536?" he asked.
"Yes," the impala replied. Finnick gave a curt nod and made his way to the elevator.
Pressing the button, he waited, his body shaking with the rise and fall of adrenalin that had burst through him.
The doors opened and he moved out of the way of a possum pushing a cleaning cart and a male addax.
"There was white powder everywhere," the possum complained as she passed Finnick. "In the hallway, the elevator, and the ICU room where they just moved that patient. Even the chair had this white powder on it. We thought it was a toxic substance until we figured out it was just flour," the possum complained shaking her head. "I mean, how did that much flour get dragged in here?"
"Maybe a baker visited," the addax joked.
If the possum replied, Finnick didn't catch the words.
Dismissing the conversation, Finnick slipped into the elevator and selected the fifth floor, the doors closing and taking him up one level.
Stopping at the correct floor, he exited the car. Wandering down the hall, he searched the plates on the doors for the right room. His heart beating anxiously in his chest, he found the correct room and opened the door without bothering to knock.
"Finnick," Freddy's mother Lilly exclaimed, her smile of greeting wide and beaming.
Finnick gave a nod, his eyes flicking around the room, not noting anything different from the ICU room. The unconscious rabbit was still hooked up to just as many machines and he wondered what Lilly was so excited about.
"He woke up," Steve, Freddy's father, explained. "Briefly. The doctors said this was a good sign and his bloodwork looks good, so they are more optimistic about his recovery. If he continues to improve, he'll be able to go home in a week."
"That's great," he offered in a low, gruff voice.
"We'll, leave you to visit," Lilly said as Steve left the room and she took her large handbag from the chair, putting it over her shoulder. Walking towards him, she dug around in her bag and pulled out a plastic container. "I made you some cacciatore," she told him, offering him the container. "I even added some crickets for you."
Too stunned to do anything but accept the meal, he didn't know what to say.
"You need to eat more and get some sleep," she fussed, patting his cheek gently. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, and I am so sorry about your friends, but they wouldn't want you to run yourself down and get sick," she chastised, stepping away from him.
She glanced back at the bed. "I'm furious with him for being so reckless and getting himself hurt, for nearly dying on us, but at the same time… I'm so very proud of him."
Turning teary eyes towards him, Finnick took an uncomfortable step back. These were the most words he had ever exchanged with either of Freddy's parents and he really didn't know what to do.
Crying mammals made him want to grit out something nasty or turn tail and run, but he was frozen with inaction.
"Well then," she said, breathing in deeply, "I'll leave you to it. And don't worry about the container."
With that, she turned and walked from the room, closing the door and leaving him alone with the unconscious rabbit.
"She likes you," a raspy voice offered from the bed. "She doesn't give out her cacciatore to just anyone."
Finnick swung his head around in shock, his eyes searching as the rabbit slowly opened his grey eyes and shifted his head slightly to look at him.
"You hear all that?" Finnick asked gruffly.
"Pretty much," Freddy acknowledged.
Eyes narrowing in speculation he asked, "So why didn't you let your parents know you were awake?" he questioned.
"Delaying the inevitable tears and lecture. Not sure which will be worse," he admitted with a wry grin.
"You promised you weren't gonna die on me, Rabbit," he accused.
"And look at me, not being dead."
Finnick stared the rabbit down, but the buck just gave a smug smile. Rolling his eyes, he gave a quick shake of his head and huffed out a breath.
Taking a seat, he shifted as a heavy silence filled the room. It had been easier when the buck had been unconscious; Finnick didn't know what to say to him now that he was awake. There was only so long he could avoid addressing the metaphorical elephant in the room.
"We were too late…weren't we?" Freddy asked in a soft voice, breaking the silence and addressing the exact subject he wished to avoid.
Finnick swallowed roughly, his throat closing on him as grief crashed into him, stealing the breath from his lungs.
His silence was answer enough and Freddy's lip trembled, a tear slipping down his cheek followed by another.
"I'm sorry… I-" Freddy choked out, trying to roll away from him, curling into a ball only to bite back a gasp of pain.
"Hey," Finnick snapped, focusing on the rabbit and pushing away his own anguish, "you are lucky to be alive, don't make yourself dead now," he chastised, leaping up on the bed and carefully helping the buck into a sitting position.
"M-maybe if…if I-I h-had-"
"Don't," Finnick bit out. "Don't go down the hole, Rabbit, you'll never pull yourself out. Believe me, been there, done that."
"But-"
"You did good. You did everything you could, including almost giving your life. You saved twenty-eight mammals. Nick and Judy would be proud and thankful for what you did," he insisted.
The silence that settled around them was, if not quite comfortable, at least less awkward and less fraught.
"It's funny," Freddy began with a watery smile. "I dreamt that Nick was sitting by my bed last night. I thought it was weird because he was wearing a ZPD uniform and his fur was completely white, like a ghost. I didn't really think about that at the time…but I guess now…" Freddy drifted off, the strained smile falling from his face, replaced by a miserable expression. "I can't remember exactly what he said, but he said something about Judy being hurt but that he believed she was going to make it, and something about Nick attacking her and blaming himself for something... But I do remember that he told me I had to wake up because Judy needed me."
Finnick snorted. "Sounds like something Nick would say."
Freddy gave a quick smile of acknowledgement but turned serious again. "I…I had hoped… When my mom said she was sorry about your friends I still thought maybe they were just hurt, like me…but…but I guess not."
Finnick looked away from the buck's sincere, heartbroken expression.
Worrying the edge of his blanket, Freddy asked, "What happened?
Finnick took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and wondering where to even begin. Opening his mouth to reply, he snapped his jaw shut as his overly tired brain made an absolutely ludicrous, impossible connection.
"You said you dreamt Nick was here?"
"Yes?" Freddy questioned hesitantly. "Well, in the other room, yeah."
"Was he sitting in the chair by your bed?" Finnick asked, his body vibrating with sudden adrenalin.
"Yeah…"
"You said he was white, like a ghost."
"Finnick, you are seriously starting to freak me out."
Finnick crossed his legs, his brain turning over his suspicion, examining it this way and that. The last thing he wanted to do was give either Freddy of himself any false hope, and the idea of not sharing his inner thought was tempting, but the buck was smart, maybe…
"How's that brain of yours working?" he asked, wondering at the amount of drugs they were pumping into the injured rabbit's body.
"Swimming in a lake of fog," he quickly replied.
"Good enough," Finnick accepted with a shrug.
He explained what had happened the night of the Event, and how everything had gone so very wrong.
By the end of his recitation, a flurry of emotions had passed over the buck's face but finally settled on anger. Teeth bared in fury, Freddy observed in a surprisingly calm voice, "You think Nick was murdered by a corrupt cop."
"Either a corrupt cop or someone impersonating a cop, yeah, but that's not the point," he insisted, waving away the buck's words. "I think there is a very, very slim chance, and I don't want us getting our hopes up, but maybe… It's possible Nick and Judy are still alive."
Freddy stared at him blankly for a moment as if unable to process his words.
"You're the smart one, so pay attention and tell me if I'm just...trying to hope for something impossible or if I'm completely wrong."
Freddy nodded his head in understanding, his eyes clearer than they had been a few moments ago.
"The guy running the operation got away. Nick was shot, Judy was definitely injured, and they were both declared dead. Their funeral was closed casket, which is a little suspicious but not unheard of for a public funeral, and as far as I've heard, the investigation into their deaths has gone nowhere."
"Finnick," Freddy soothed, his expression becoming crestfallen.
"But," Finnick continued his voice raising slightly as his thoughts swirled chaotically, "You have what you think is a dream where Nick came to visit you. But what if he was really here?"
"Finnick-" Freddy tried again, trying to stop what no doubt sounded like the wild ramblings of a grief-stricken mammal in denial.
"You said Nick told you that Judy needed you because he had attacked her and was blaming himself for something. How could you have known that?" he asked.
Freddy thought about the question. "When you told me about the Black Event, Nick being hit with Feral Red was a possibility. I probably dreamt that the worst-case scenario had happened."
"I was there and I barely know what happened, but it sure sounds like you know too much of what went down for a guy whose been unconscious for over a week."
"It's just a coincidence," Freddy refuted with a slow shake of his head.
"If Nick was really hopped up on Feral Red, who do you think would end up dead, Nick or Judy?"
Freddy remained silent, knowing the question had been more rhetorical than anything.
"Exactly. And yet in your dream you have Nick being dead and Judy hurt but alive and I know it wasn't wishful thinking on your part."
"I don't know what you're trying to get at," Freddy grumbled in annoyance.
"You said Nick was white, like a ghost. He told you she needed you because he had attacked her, not because he was dead."
Freddy closed his eyes in irritation. "It was a dream. It doesn't have to make sense."
"The cleaning crew that cleaned your room found flour tracked in all over the place, including in your room and on the chair by your bed."
"What does flour have to do with this?" Freddy asked, his voice rising with incredulity. "I… Oh."
Finnick watched as the metaphorical lightbulb went off in the rabbit's head.
"I recognized Nick because I know him. If I didn't know him, I would have thought he was an arctic fox. He was dressed as a Precinct One officer and there is only one fox in the entire ZPD. And thinking about it now, he seemed injured, his one arm wasn't in the sleeve of his jacket."
"Like he had been munched by a hyena and shot?" Finnick asked.
Freddy frowned his eyes filling with hope. "If I was Chief Bogo and two of my best officers had been kitnapped and just as they were about to be rescued, one is nearly murdered by an unknown police officer, while the other is gravely injured and knowing that the Big Bad was still out there probably wanting a huge dose of revenge and to clean up the last two loose ends of the only mammals who may be able to identify him, I'd concoct a crazy plan to declare them dead to protect them," Freddy affirmed.
Finnick waited to see if Freddy was going to add anything else.
"It's possible…right?" the buck finally asked.
"I wouldn't get my hopes up…but yeah, it's possible," Finnick agreed, stupidly clinging to that small spark of hope that had been lit within him.
Sooooooo...apparently my hints in the last chapter that Nick was the mammal in the car with Mr. Big were not as obvious as I thought they were...
But yes, Nick and Judy are very much alive :)