Really Judy? A Wilde joke? Yes … yes it was.

Again, a special shout out to my buddy Blkdragon7 for the editing. Go check out his ongoing story called A Friendly Hustle and show him some love. You can also check out his original work and link to his writing Blog, Scribblings, where a lot of it lives by hopping over to ( Direct: dcballard (remove the spaces) and my own writing blog, BearSpace, at: bearspace … because the forwarding is misbehaving.)

Without further ado, here is Chapter 8 of What Foxes May Come, Well, Hallelujah ...

**Also I don't own Zootopia, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, or other associated characters are the Sole property of Disney Inc. I do not own the rights, save a few of my own characters and those will be noted at the beginning of their respective chapter(s). ***

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Ch. 8

Nick stopped, looked at Judy with surprise evident on his muzzle. Dropping his tail as she smiled. Slowly his signature smirk gained the upper paw on his muzzle.

"Naughty Bunny, bad puns are my department." Nick finally said with a laugh, causing Judy to giggle, and finally erupt with laughter herself. It felt good to just be silly, even a little bit, given all that transpired in the last three and a half months. They chatted into the night, much like they did before the wreck. Talking about past cases, traffic stops they found most humorous, and discussing some of the open cases they knew of. Judy nodded off first as they had been deep in a conversation, and they both forgot she was still hooked up to the machine that dosed her with painkillers. Nick smiled as her eyes and ears drooped, and she quickly faded into sleep. Stepping over to her bed, he pulled up her blanket making sure she was kept warm, then kissed her softly between her ears.

"Goodnight Judy." Nick whispered. Then made his way to his own bed. Picking up his Houndroid, he continued his ever deepening research into Miss Honey Badger. Nick was impressed and even stunned at many of her innovations and inventions in the field of prosthetics and assistance technology. Some of her patients had regained use of arms and hands within mere days, others were walking within just a few weeks. There were of course mishaps. A device malfunctioned or a patient was too eager to regain use and ended up hurt. Those thankfully were few and far between, as well as expected, considering how far on the forefront her work was. Literally the very claw tip of the field.

Hundreds of testimonials, peer reviewed engineering and medical and journal articles,, and even a few interviews further convinced Nick that she was fully qualified and quite frankly the only mammal that could help his bunny walk again. His bunny… Nick smiled widely at that thought, he liked the sound of that. Grabbing his charger, Nick plugged in his phone, laid his head down, and was soon asleep with dreams of Judy walking again.

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"Nick, Where are you, I can't see you!"

Nick sat bolt upright in bed. Was he dreaming or had he heard Judy calling for him? He listened closely for a moment, when he heard Judy mumbling in her sleep. 'Eh, just a dream,' he thought to himself. Getting up, Nick padded silently over to her side and watched her for a moment. Her head to the side, nose twitching slightly, her mouth open just a touch. And a line of drool to her pillow.

He quietly chuckled to himself, made sure she was covered up with the blanket, gave her a gentle kiss that got him a murr and smile, then padded back to his cot. Laying back down, he looked at her for a moment, smiled and went back to sleep himself

"Nick, Where are you, I can't see you!"

Nick's eyes snapped open again. Looking at Judy it appeared she hadn't moved since the last time her voice woke him. It could have been him he thought, he never really did remember any of his dreams, but the voice that had woke him twice now had seemed so clear and close. Looking at the clock on his phone, he noted it was just before 6am. Almost time for shift change. Deciding it was time to get up, he dressed and slipped into his now favorite chair. Opening up Zoogle, he started a new search for apartments, or other suitable housing for both Judy and himself. Still running into the 'no small preds' issue, he soon became frustrated.

At this point he was considering filing a complaint against and the other listing sites. At the rate he was going, he'd end up having to buy an actual paper… That idea made him shiver, having to call and talk to Karma knew what mammals just to be rejected. A thought occurred to him, but was quickly rejected, to call Fru Fru. He knew Judy was still friendly with the shrew, but she was still the heiress of the Big crime family. Having the occasional lunch date was a far cry from having her hook them up with a place to live. That was a favor he wasn't willing to incur… Yet… But for Judy, if he could insulate her, he knew himself well enough that he might.

6:30am arrived. And Jen slipped through the door to take Judy's vitals. Seeing all was normal and charting the results, she gave Nick a smile and a wink, and impressing Nick slipped out just as quietly as she came in. Just before 7:15am there was a soft knock at the door that got Nick's attention. Chief Bogo poked his head in and upon seeing Nick motioned him outside. Closing the door behind him and following the Chief to the visitor area, where Bogo stopped and turned to face Nick, his stoic visage was as unreadable as always. Nick asked. "Is .. uh, everything ok Chief?"

"I wanted to let you know that a representative from Calhound and Sons will be by later today. They need to discuss the settlement with both you and Hopps. And no, I don't know what that entails." Bogo said.

Nick's ears had dropped slightly upon hearing the word settlement, then he remembered that Calhound and Sons were the attorney's that ZPD used to handle legal matters. Nick could only wonder what kind of settlement it would be. Though situations such as the one Judy, and to a lesser degree himself were in, officers rarely got anything positive from them. Nodding to the chief in understanding. "Will you be there as well sir?" Nick asked.

"No Wilde, the matter is private and for now, between you, Hopps, and the attorney. Once they have explained the situation to you, you will be allowed to agree to the terms or disagree. Then and only then will I be made aware of the contents of the suit, and before you ask, there is a suit against the other driver's insurance company. That is all I can tell you." Bogo said. "Get some rest Wilde, the representative will be here sometime before noon."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Nick said as the chief turned and walked back to the elevator. Nick however was more surprised than anything, given that foxes in general rarely got decent legal representation even at the best of times. 'Guess it kind of helps being a cop,' he thought to himself as he made his way back to Judy's room. Slipping through the door and getting settled, he picked up his Houndroid and resumed his search. Several minutes later Judy grumbled about the light and cracked her eyes just enough to see. Catching sight of Nick smiling at her, she smiled back, "Morning Nick."

"Mornin' sleepyhead, sleep well?" Nick asked as he slid from his chair and made his way to her side. He cupped her cheek, and kissed her a soft good morning between her ears. Judy smiled and churred her appreciation.

"Oh Carrots, before I forget, the Chief was just here. We apparently have a rep from Calhound and Sons stopping by today to discuss a settlement that we had no knowledge of. Chief didn't know the details only that it had to do with a suit against the other…" Nick paused for a moment as that fateful day came rushing back. The pain and the horror of seeing Judy trapped and knowing he was unable to help, darkened his visage for a brief moment. Mentally shaking himself he continued. "... driver. I wasn't aware we took out a claim."

"We didn't and didn't have to." Judy explained. "Due to the circumstances, after IA cleared us of any wrongdoing, the department becomes a proxy for us as they have power of attorney in times of hardship or other extenuating circumstances where the officer is unable to file for themselves. Our, and especially my situation definitely qualifies I'm assuming that it is someone from Calhound and Sons?"

Nick nodded in the affirmative. "Yeah."

Judy nodded and continued. "The department has them on retainer for situations like ours. The rep will most likely want to discuss an out of court settlement for both of us. But first I'm hungry. Could you be a peach and call up some room service?"

Smiling, Nick picked up the receiver to the room phone, and dialed out. Ordering some fruit for Judy, not much as her diet was still light due to the coma, and some blueberry pancakes, with blueberry syrup, and a side of blueberry pudding. Judy giggled as she listened to him make his order, and laughed as he hung up.

"I can see you don't really like blueberries there slick." Judy giggled again.

"Almost as much as you dislike carrots, Carrots." Nick returned with a laugh of his own.

They talked for a bit about what the settlement might entail, both knowing full well that until the rep arrived and explained things, any notions they currently had was all conjecture. Though both were in agreement that they were looking at some sort of monetary settlement, hopefully at the very least in Judy's favor, given she was the one that suffered the brunt of the injury from the rollover.

Several minutes later their breakfast arrived. Judy moved slowly, as her right arm was still stiff and sore, though she had regained some of its use. The tight bandages that encircled her wrist and elbow made it hard to move, but move she could. At least she didn't need to rely on Nick to feed her. Nick smiled as she relished her fresh fruit and juice, while purring in pleasure. As she finished up her stomach gurgled its thanks, Causing them both to laugh. They remained in high spirits for the remainder of the morning as they discussed the articles and videos of Madge Honey Badger.

Judy was first impressed then excited to try to contact her. Judy felt much as Nick did that Madge was her ticket to walking again. Judy also stated that she wanted to try to get ahold of her soon, even before the surgery so she could get some more insight on how the devices worked and if Madge thought that they would be right for her. As Judy finished her thought there was a knock on the door. Nick bounded off the chair and over to the door. Opening it revealed an older looking Ibex. Making himself known as John Hornton, representative of Calhound and Sons. Stepping aside, Nick motioned for him to enter.

Closing the door, Nick motioned for John to have a seat near Judy, and he took the other for himself. John introduced himself to Judy and gave his paw a brief shake. "Pardon me if I don't get up Mr. Hornton, but as you can see I am tied up at the moment." she gave a short rueful laugh.

"Please call me John, and as I'm sure you've guessed by now I am your legal representation in this case, that being ZPD vs. Colpepper and Lang Insurance group. The ZPD has filed on your behalf due to extenuating circumstances, that being you both have been hospitalized since the incident. I know you have questions, so I shall cut to the chase. The other party wishes to settle out of court, due to the reputation they have they wish to not only make sure that you are duly compensated for your loss of work, but also any mental and emotional trauma that you may or may not have suffered since the wreck." He looked at Nick as he drew a folder from his briefcase, and pawed it over. "Officer Wilde, what I have just handed you is an out of court settlement agreement for 3 point 5 million, after taxes of course. As your legal representative, I urge you to take it. You of course could refuse and try for more in court, but that could take months to years."

Nick's ears snapped forward so hard they almost jumped off of his head. Thumbing through the rest of the paperwork, he noticed a few other items that looked to be costs and fees associated. "Wait… What are these costs and fees for?"

"Not to worry about those, Officer Wilde, those are being handled by the ZPD. You needn't bother with that."

Shrugging Nick took a moment longer and agreed to sign. That was a heck of a lot of money even for him. He was used to seeing tens of thousands change from his hands to another's during his time working for Mr. Big, but never this much that he could call his.

"Also as a courtesy, we are going to take care of the deposit into your personal account or we can open separate accounts that will allow you to move needed amounts back and forth."

"Can I get back to you on that?" Nick asked.

"Of course Officer Wilde, here is my card, I would be most happy to handle all of that for you and you as well Officer Hopps should you choose to. And speaking of which, this one is yours, also out of court for 12 point 5 million after taxes. Your condition was most vexing to them to say the least and they immediately drew the absolute highest amount they could for this type of injury. The idea being that it can be a monetary burden for someone in your situation. And with this, you will never need to worry about finances again."

Through his explanation, Judy's muzzle hung open in utter shock. It took her a full minute to respond after John had finished speaking before she gathered her wits about her enough to shakily take the proffered pen and sign her name. Sliding both folders back into his briefcase, he made ready to leave.

"Just one thing before you leave, John." Nick said, "When are you expecting this to be finalized."

John paused and turned back as he rubbed a hoof to either side of his chin in thought. "Given that they want to settle as soon as possible ... I would imagine by the end of this week, and the following Monday I can follow up with the deposits to your accounts; and because of the paperwork you signed there will be no delay in the funds being made available to you. I will be dealing with your bank's head mammal personally." With that, John tilted his head in a nod to both of them, and with a smile exited their room. Nick and Judy sat in stunned silence for many minutes thereafter, not knowing if they were dreaming or not. It seemed to Nick that almost all of his prayers have been answered in one fell swoop. He still had to get in touch with Madge, as well as find a place for Judy and himself to live, but that was academic now that he had the means to do so. Judy on the other had no such thoughts. For her it almost seemed like admitting defeat, and she suddenly broke down in tears. Nick rushed to her side, soothing her as best he could, holding her cheek close, and just being there for her. He would find out later what brought on this sudden bout of tears, but for now it was enough to just hold her close and smooth back her ears.

Nick held Judy close long after her tears stopped falling. Looking down at his bunny, he noticed that she had cried herself to sleep. 'And why shouldn't she?' Nick thought to himself. Afterall, it was Judy that bore the brunt of that terrible day, and spent three months in a coma. She had every right to feel any way she felt; sad, angry, or even depressed. It only made Nick that much more aware of her moods and any drastic swings they took. Laying her head gently on her pillow, he caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead.

Returning to his chair, he got comfy. Plugging in his earbuds and settling the other ends firmly in his ears, he brought up his playlist on Houndora, and settled in for some serious research. Bringing up Zoogle, he began a search on contact info for Marjorie Honey Badger. After close to an hour he found a website that claimed to have her address, and clicking the link it did indeed take him to his Zoogle email,

Mrs. Honey Badger,

My name is Officer Nick Wilde, and I am contacting you in regards to my partner on the ZPD police force, Officer Judy Hopps. I'm sure by now that you are aware of the incident we were involved in a few months ago. What you may not know is …

Nick went on to describe in some detail the events from the accident, Judy's coma, and current condition and prognosis. About how he had found several of her videos on EweTube, as well as numerous testimonials depicting how she had helped some mammals regain their freedom of movement or mobility.

… I hope that you receive this message and are inclined to help. It would mean so much to me, and the world to Officer Hopps.

Best regards,

Officer Nicholas P. Wilde

Sitting back in his chair, Nick looked at the time. 'Holy Cats! where did the time go!" he thought to himself. It was just shy of 6pm. somehow they had missed lunch in the midst of their legal rep stopping by, and the subsequent discovery that they each were now independently wealthy and Judy's outburst from whatever emotional strain she had been under. Now Nick found himself beginning to tear up almost uncontrollably as full realization began to hit home. With all the rotten luck they had suffered under, Judy especially, they suddenly in the space of a single afternoon had the means and now hopefully the ways to make for a better future. As Nick got his own emotions under control, he started another search for lawyers that were willing to work with foxes, as he was bound and determined to find a place for him and Judy. And it would need to be modified to some extent. A medium to large mammal home refixtured to accommodate small mammals would serve Judys needs as she most likely would be in a wheelchair for some time before Madge could help. With a lawyer in his corner, few realtors would be willing to refuse him. Especially when it came to price.

Finding several options, Nick jotted down their numbers, and addresses in case they asked him to personally come in for an interview. After which he picked up the room phone and ordered some dinner for himself and Judy. Steamed vegetables, for her with some chilled carrot juice, and shrimp Alfredo for himself, and ice water to drink. Relaxing, he turned his thoughts to his bunny, thinking how happy he was that she had the strength to come back from her coma. Realizing that because of the accident, that he truly did love her, and would move mountains for her, and if he couldn't, he of course knew a mammal.