He awoke to the similar smell of a sterile room, one that he hadn't been in for quite awhile. But at least his jaw wasn't sewn shut this time. He heard voices too, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. It didn't take him long to wake up, as the events of earlier passed through his brain. The concert, the storm, the kiss…
Judy…
'Oh my gosh, Judy' his voice flashed through his mind and his eyes instantly shot open. Not even fazed by the bright lights that surrounded him he jumped out of the bed, completely ignoring the pig nurse and badger doctor that had been talking next to his bed. They called out and even tried to stop him but he easily shrugged them off as he sprinted out of the room.
He burst out of the room and looked around, not even taking a moment to think before taking off in a random direction. There was shouting behind him as the doctor called for security. But he didn't care, he had to make sure she was okay. As he ran down the hall he peeked into each room through the window looking for the rabbit.
"HEY!" He heard someone yell, Nick ignored it as he continued to search, that is until he felt a forceful paw on his shoulder. He reacted purely on instinct as he grabbed the paw and twisted it at an awkward angle causing the mammal the flip to the ground. The mammal in question, who turned out to be a warthog security guard held their arm in pain while Nick continued to move on.
Nothing would stop him.
He nearly reached the end of a long hallway with no luck when he noticed a smaller room with security staffed around it. Big security too, a rhino and a polar bear. The pause he took while looking around was enough time for the rest of the security team to catch up to him. He was instantly tackled to the ground by an unknown mammal, one that was clearly bigger than him because the hit was enough to knock the wind out of him. But he quickly recovered and started to swing out, hoping to get the mammal holding him down off.
"Nick you need to calm down!" Came the scream of a familiar voice. The mammal on his back was Clawhauser. "We aren't allowed into the room to see her yet anyways Nick just relax".
Nick took in the words slowly, allowing himself to catch his breath and mind to come back down to earth. He hadn't said she was dead, but he was still fearful.
Tears came to his eyes as he tried to speak. "Is… is she alive?" He croaked out, his voice being out of it due to its lack of use.
Clawhauser sighed while getting off him. "Nick when I let you up I want you to take a deep breath and then we will talk"
Nick nodded his head slowly in response, taking in a deep breath when the weight was off his back. He stood up slowly and took a good look around. He was still surrounded by security but Clawhauser stood right next to him in the same clothes that he had been wearing at the concert.
'So not much time has passed' he deciphered.
He did as he was told and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as well. But he couldn't wait any longer, he had to make sure for himself that she was okay. Once he let out the breath he opened his eyes, bunching up his muscles as if he were about to pounce. Without warning he took off for the door, ready to take down any mammals that would get in his way.
That is until he felt a sharp pain in his neck and an instant feeling of drowsiness. The feeling was so immense that he almost immediately face planted into the ground and slid to the foot of the mammal who shot him unconscious.
The rhino posted at the door had pulled out a tranq gun and quickly taken care of the approaching fox. He had been watching the whole time and knew that the fox was going to make a run for it, he had been told to not let anyone in the room, and the fox certainly seemed like a threat the way he ran towards them in a fit of hysterics.
Clawhauser saw it coming too, but it didn't make him feel any better as he watched the fox get dragged away back to his hospital room. He simply shook his head and sighed,
'Oh Judy, you better pull through or I am going to have one unhappy fox on my hands' the cheetah thought to himself as he followed behind the squad of security.
This time when he woke up things were different. He was extremely groggy, like he had just been shot in the neck with a tranq dart kind of groggy. He knew what that was like already, when going through training you are required to get hit by one, and the darts are designed to take down much bigger mammals so they really take down smaller ones and leave a strong, lasting effect.
The fogginess slowly, (very slowly), went away. When he finally felt cognitively able he attempted to move off the bed. Except this time he could move his arms, or legs for that matter. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down, his vision once again (and this time more noticeably) took a long time to adjust to the extremely bright lights of the hospital room but when they finally adjusted he saw the reason he couldn't move. There were handcuffs on his wrists strapped on the sides of the bed, while his legs were being held down by a leather strap.
"Mr. Wilde?" He heard a familiar voice. Looking over to his right he saw the same badger doctor that he saw earlier and now that he got a closer look she was the same one who had treated him after the Zoozies. Nick didn't say anything as his eyes focused on the badger. "Just relax Mr. Wilde everything is going to be fine, you're back in your hospital room, it has only been about 14 hours since the concert. It's is now about…" she paused a moment to check her watch, "11 in the morning, you haven't missed much in the world"
He knew what the badger was doing and he greatly appreciated it, she was filling him in on everything he missed, just like she did all those months ago. But she left out one crucial detail.
"Judy…" his voice was barely recognizable and unknowingly tears once again started to fall from his eyes. The doctor heard this and looked at him in the eyes. She then let out a long sigh before looking down at the ground. That was all that Nick needed to hear.
The tears flowed with no restraint, his world was falling apart. The last thing he would remember of her was their kiss, sure it had been unexpected, but it didn't make it any less impactful on him. It told him all that he needed to know.
He had to tell her how much he loved her, his mind was made up in that moment. But that begged the question,
Why had she done it?
Maybe it was because she had feelings for him, or maybe it was just a publicity stunt. Maybe it was because she was already in a drug induced stupor.
That was it, he remembered her energy being high, the way she had gone from a drunken mess to a sober and bouncing rabbit, and then the look that she had given him after the kiss. She must have been on the drugs before she even took the stage and then when she kissed him it sparked a part in her mind that needed more. She didn't even mean the kiss,
or maybe she did.
The worst part was there was no way for him to find out now…
The doctor left him when he began to cry, she had done all she needed to do for now. There was no physical harm to him, just an anxiety attack that led to him passing out. She left the fox alone in the dark to handle the news. She couldn't even get Judy's condition across before he began to ball. He could have been emotional due to the tranq agent still running through his body, that and the fact that he had just gone through a very tragic event. She knew that any news at that moment wouldn't have ended well, so against her better judgment she decided to leave him in the dark because honestly, they didn't even know how she was doing, it was too soon to make a proper judgment. She feared what would become of the fox if the rabbit didn't pull through though.
"Oh bunny, I hope you're okay. For his sake" she whispered out loud, looking back one more time at the sulking fox lying in his bed.
Nick once again fell asleep after about an hour of crying, the emotional toll as well as the physical toll of the tranquilizer knocked him out again.
But this time waking up was different. He wasn't groggy for one, but there was something else, there were other mammals in his room, and more than one as well. And different ones form before. They were talking too, it definitely didn't take long to figure out who they were either.
"Chief Bogo, you've got to understand that Nick is going through a lot right now. You saw the concert, you know what happened on stage. And then Judy just runs off and he finds her like he did. If I was him I would wake up and go looking for her too" the voice of Clawhauser said.
"Yes but you wouldn't break a security guards wrist in the process as well as attack several others" the gruff voice of the chief police responded.
"I don't know, I think you and I both know that someone with Nicks background would have reacted exactly the way he did" Clawhauser snapped back.
At this point Nick opened his eyes and took in the room. Chief Bogo was leaned up against a wall on the left side of the room while Clawhauser was sat in a chair next to Nicks bed. He was no longer restrained to the bed and he took advantage of his freedom to rub his eyes with the back of his paw, thereby making his consciousness known.
Nick noticed that the room had gone silent, he looked up to see both mammals looking at him. He went back to rubbing his eyes with a sigh before finally speaking.
"No its okay, just keep talking about me while I'm passed out, please, I'll just go back to sleep or something" his voice wasn't as groggy this time, a sign that he was recovering from the tranq dart. The room once again returned to silence as the fox looked up once again, looking between the two mammals. Clawhauser now found the floor much more interesting, but Chief Bogo was looking at the fox with his intense stare.
"Wilde, do you have any idea how much damage I have to cover up for you right now?" The Cape buffalo asked sternly.
For the first time in awhile Nick smirked, but it wasn't a happy one, it was full of hate and spitefulness.
"No chief, in case you forgot I've been passed out for a little while now" He said with malice.
Bogo simply snorted before continuing, "well because of you, I had to take care of several injured security guards, keep down several riots, and address the public several times about not only your condition but Hopp's as well"
Now it was Nicks turn to snort, "well sorry chief, I really do hate to be such an issue to- wait a minute did you just say riots?" He asked as the buffalos words resonated in his head.
The chief didn't even answer, he simply reached over to the remote sitting next to him and flicked on the TV. It instantly flipped to ZNN where a familiar moose was giving the evening news.
"The anti-interspecies riots have been going on throughout the day in city center after rabbit pop-star Judy Hopps and her fox bodyguard Nick Wilde shared a kiss on stage at last nights charity event"
The channel then flipped to OX news where a similar story was being read. And to prove his point the chief flipped through several more news channels each having a different take on the protests.
"These have been going on ever since the little stunt you and that rabbit pulled on stage. And sadly most of these have been anything but peaceful. My officers are stretched thin right now, not only keeping the civilians at bay out there but also keeping you two safe in here!" The chief shouted.
"Keeping us safe, why? What's going on here?" Nick asked completely befuddled. This time Clawhauser stood up and stepped towards the window located to Nicks right side. The cheetah then pulled back the curtain revealing a mob just outside the hospital. If he wasn't in the second floor right now they would have been right outside his window. There were dozens of mammals out there, some had signs, others were chanting. But it seemed that everyone there disagreed with what they had done on stage just the other night.
"Oh shit" Nick said with his jaw hanging open.
"But luckily!" The chief said gaining his attention one more time, "I know that you are a good mammal, and as the chief of police I am obligated to protect and serve any and all mammals. And while I don't exactly agree with what happened, I will make sure you and Hopps stay safe"
As much as Nick appreciated what the chief had said, the mention of Judy's name had his ears lowering. Clawhauser noticed this as well as Nicks lack of a response and took his chance to clear the air.
"Thank you Chief Bogo, I'm sure Nick appreciates that very much but now that he is awake can we finish our conversation out in the hallway to give him some privacy?" The cheetah didn't really ask but rather suggested forcefully.
The chief understood this and nodded his head in response following him out the door. Before leaving he took one more look at the distraught fox.
'It'll be alright Wilde, things will figure themselves out' he thought to himself before shutting the door.
Time didn't move very fast, or at all really. Nick felt like he was in this constant cycle for days but in reality he was only in there for one day. After his meeting with Bogo he lied back and thought about Judy, tears were shed as he thought about the rabbit and her last moments.
In his mind she was dead, and there was nothing that could change that. He had failed his only job.
'Job… oh shit, what am I going to do now' he thought to himself.
'Quiet fox, don't be thinking about your job at a time like this' a voice echoed in his head that startled him. It had been awhile since the female rabbits voice had graced his presence. And even though it was just in his head it was enough to make his heart throb.
'I have to see her' he thought to himself.
He sat there waiting, forming a plan in his head for the next few hours until the window next to his bed was dark and evening had fallen. It was eleven at night when he made his move. He changed out of the hospital gown and into some of the clothes that had been delivered to him by Clawhauser. It was just a simple pair of dark grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, a usual nightly outfit for him. Stepping out of the hospital room he was met by somewhat empty hallways. There were still a few mammals milling about, such as a few nurses, doctors, and security guards, most of which he didn't recognize because they were a part of the night shift.
He began walking towards the direction of the cafeteria, but he kept his guard up. In reality he was doing nothing wrong in that moment but considering what happened earlier he felt on edge being outside of the safety of his hospital room. And now with his knowledge of the angry mob outside it didn't make him feel much safer.
But chief Bogo's words rang in his head, "I will make sure that you and Hopps are safe"
He had been dwelling on those words for a majority of the day. How could he be protecting Hopps if she was already dead?
Sure he could be keeping her body safe but where's the point in keeping all the police here for that? Something was off and it wasn't registering with Nick.
He made his way to the cafeteria to eat, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, there was too much going on inside his head. Thoughts of the concert and all that had happened played on repeat, and even beyond that, he wondered how long she had been doing the drugs behind his back. The thought of it made him upset, but all he cared about was seeing her again.
To the best of his memory he mapped the pathway from his room to where he assumed Judy's was. From the cafeteria he made his way back to his own room before journeying off towards Judy's. He found himself distracted in his thinking that he didn't even realize he had arrived until the door came into sight.
But a big aspect of his plan had been removed. And by big he meant like rhino and polar bear big.
The two bulky security guards from earlier were gone entirely and were replaced by actual police officers. A grey male Timberwolf and a female cheetah dressed in the traditional blue uniform now stood guard in front of the door.
Nick didn't know how to feel, after his whole conversation with Bogo he didn't know if he was on good terms or bad terms with the police chief. And his opinion could easily sway that of his subordinates.
'I better play it safe' he thought to himself as he slowly approached the door, trying to seem as unsuspecting as possible.
The first of the pair to notice his presence was the cheetah, who peered at him curiously. She then nudged the wolf who turned and made eye contact with the fox. They knew exactly who he was, Nick could easily tell by their more relaxed but prepared stances. He didn't blame them considering how he had gone off earlier,
'they probably see me as an unpredictable threat' thought shamefully.
When he was just in front of both of them he stopped, half expecting them to send him off, the other half wondering what the chief had told them. Nick cleared his throat, took a deep breath and-
"Wilde if you want to go in to see her you can just say so" the wolf said with a slight smirk. He had found the fox's whole display to be rather amusing, he was told that the tod was rather charismatic, but if his awkwardness in front of them was anything to go by he was told wrong.
Nicks jaw snapped shut immediately after the wolf spoke, and it took him another moment to collect his thoughts.
"Sorry last time I tried I wasn't so polite and was knocked out for a remainder of the day" he said sarcastically.
"Oh yes we know, but we got rid of those big bullies of yours" the cheetah said before opening the door revealing the dark room inside, "and we were told that only two mammals are allowed to enter this room, Mr. Clawhauser, and of course, you" she finished gently seeing how the fox's smirk slid from his face as it was replaced by sorrow as he peered into the room.
Nick looked up at both the officers before giving them his most sincere look, "thank you" he said as he stepped forward quietly, disappearing into the dark room with the door closing behind him.
It was silent, the room seemed lifeless. It took a second but Nicks eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and the purpose for his mission appeared to him.
She looked so small and frail, with a few tubes still hooked up to her, 'they're still trying aren't they?' Nick thought with a shake of his head.
Nick had come to terms but seeing her for the first time made the tears start to flow once again. He walked over to one of the chairs next to her bed and pulled it over so that it was just to the side. He took a seat and looked at her again. It was strange, she looked so peaceful, like she was just in a deep slumber.
He continued to cry and progressively got louder as his mind ran through the same thing it had all day.
'It's all my fault… it's all my fault…'
Eventually he had the hopeful idea that maybe there was some life in her still. At this point he was just hoping for anything.
'Maybe if I speak to her she will hear me'
He reached up and took her small paw in his own. His large red one easily dwarfing her grey one. It was so soft, just as he remembered.
"Hey Judy" he whispered, "I know me talking to you right now is kind of pointless but I figured I would get my thoughts out one last time before you… you…" he didn't want to think about it, he couldn't, "I just want you to know that, I love you. I've loved you for a while now but I was just too afraid to say it because I didn't know if you shared my feelings. I guess it's a little too late now, but I thought I would say it anyways"
He could feel the tears dripping off of his face and dropping onto the bed, the room silent other than his crying.
"I'm so sorry… If I had just said something earlier this all could've been avoided. We could be together right now, living our lives how we want it, not caring about what others think about us if it wasn't for my stupid insistence to not tell you. And now… now I'll never be able to tell you how much I really care about you, I'll never be able to see those beautiful purple eyes again… I'll… I'll never be able to tell you just how much I love you…" his speech gave way to more sobs as he was overcome with the emptiness that only she could fill…
He continued to cry into the night until sleep captured him once again. But his sleep was filled with dreams. Dreams of his time with her, things that could have been, and darkness.
"Nick…" he could hear her whisper through his mind. The darkness that surrounded him was suddenly filled with echoes of her voice.
"Judy?" He called out, hoping for another sound.
"Nick…" once again it was simply a whisper, but it seemed more directional. The echoes began to get louder. He quickly chased after it in the darkness hoping he could save her before she was gone. Eventually the echoes became deafening, causing the fox to cover his ears. Just when it seemed it couldn't get any louder it all disappeared.
"Nick… wake up" the whisper was so clear as if it was directly in front of him.
He instantly opened his eyes with a gasp and looked around. His eyes then quickly switched to the rabbit in front of him. Other than the paw that he had held onto she hadn't moved.
'It was just a dream' he thought as he sat back into his chair, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He then peeked his eyes open when he noticed something different. It was just as silent as it was before he had fallen asleep but there was something else, a small sound that he barely even noticed. The sound of air moving slowly but periodically. It wasn't hard to recognize it as breathing. He immediately sat up and looked at Judy again. Even with his night vision it was too dark to see if she was moving so he reached out a finger and placed it just underneath her nose.
His heart nearly stopped when he felt the fur on his finger rustle.
She was breathing!
"Oh my god she's alive" He whispered, tears yet again forming in his eyes, but this time for a different reason. He didn't know how to react, the entire past day he had spent trying to figure out how he would cope with her death. But she was breathing, which meant that she was alive!
"I have to get a doctor" he blurted out loud to no one in particular.
He hopped off the chair and burst through the door, startling both of the officers present.
"Good grief Wilde you scared the crap out of us" the tired timber wolf said. They must have been at that post all night, and by the sights of more mammals in the hospital morning must have just arrived.
"She's breathing, she's alive, we need a doctor right now!" He shouted before attempting to run off. The cheetah caught him before he could run to far, calling his names in hopes of settling him down.
"Nick relax, the doctors already know" she said before the fox could react. He merely paused in response.
"What do you mean?"
"Well she has been breathing and alive this whole time, it has just been stunted due to what happened to her. Yes the fact that she is breathing better is a good sign but she's been in a stable state for awhile now" she reassured him calmingly.
Nick simply stared off into space as the words of the cheetah processed in his head.
"How long?" Was all he asked.
The cheetah looked up at the wolf who was standing in earshot of the fox's question, he simply shrugged in response to her curious gaze.
"How long what?" She asked turning back to Nick.
He slowly turned his head until he was making eye contact with the kneeling cheetah.
"How long have they known?"
"Uhm… erm… it must have been" she was afraid to admit it, but the fox's reaction, or lack there of was making her slightly fearful of the smaller predator, "it must have around midday yesterday I think" she said.
'Before Bogo had talked to me, why wouldn't he tell me?' he thought to himself furiously.
"Thank you, if anyone comes looking for me I'll be in here waiting" he said before walking back into the dark room and gently shutting the door.
The cheetah watched him go the whole way and didn't dare move until the door was shut behind him. She then let out a breath and stood up.
"Well that was tense" the Timberwolf said.
"Yeah, I thought he was about to freak out. But that begs the question, why wouldn't they tell him?" She asked.
Once again the wolf shrugged in response, "I'm not sure, but I AM sure that the chief probably had his reasons"
"Well I sure don't want to be the chief when he comes back" she said peaking into the dark room through the window before turning back to her post just outside the door.
"WHY WOULDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Nick screamed at the cheetah who had just entered the room.
Clawhauser was so startled by the fox that he threw the box of donuts that he had been holding into the air causing the sugary treats to fall all over the ground. The fox ignored this and stepped up to the cheetah, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him close.
"I swear, Clawhauser you better have a damn good reason for this, or I'm gonna… gonna…" he suddenly realized what he was doing, as well as the look of fear in the cheetahs eyes.
'Don't let them see that they get to you' the voice in his head whispered.
He let go of the cheetah and let out a sigh, taking a step back, he kept moving away until his back was against the wall, then he slid down till he was sitting on the ground, staring at the floor tiles.
Clawhauser continued to stare in shock, breathing when he realized he had been holding his breath the entire time. When he finally gathered his bearings he looked at the fox who was now sitting in front of him with his head in his arms.
"Nick you have every right to be mad at me and everyone else who's kept this whole thing a secret from you" he slowly approached the fox, taking a seat next to him on the floor, "but up until recently we didn't know if she was going to make it. Earlier in the morning yesterday she was in and out of being brain dead, the doctors were certain that she wouldn't make it, but once again our little bunny defied the odds" he said looking up at the bed that was holding the small rabbit.
Nick followed his gaze and looked up at the bed as well, surprise written all over his face.
'She really came back from the dead more than once?' He thought to himself. The thought of the little rabbit being so defiant made total sense to Nick. He thought back on how she had stood up against Jack Savage knocking the rabbit to his tail with a single punch, or the fact that she was defying the odds by doing what she wanted even if that meant kissing him on stage in front of the entire city, or how when they had first met she had been a total pain in the tail.
"She is something else hmm?" He asked, his voice full of emotion but he fought to keep the tears at bay.
"She sure is Nick… She sure is" Clawhauser said letting his tears flow freely.
She was going to be okay…
That's all that mattered…
Nick and Clawhauser eventually got up and cleaned the mess that the two of them had caused. Not all of the donuts had been ruined, some managed to stay in the box, and considering Nick hadn't had a real decent meal in the past day he decided to take advantage of the snack and ate a few.
And soon after they were all cleaned up a knock was heard at the door before it swung open. And low and behold the same badger doctor that Nick had been around for what seemed like years now walked into the room.
"Gosh I just can't to rid of you can I Mr. Wilde" She teased to the fox.
"What can I say Doc, I'm a fan of your work" Nick said with his usual smirk on.
The badger pulled out her usual clipboard and checked over all of the machines that were hooked up to Judy.
"Well now that you both are here I figured I could properly go over Mrs. Hopp's prognosis" she didn't even bother waiting for a response instead looking back down at her clipboard before reading aloud, "she is in a state of catatonic slumber brought on by the over consumption of cocaine. Originally her heart rate was down to about 30, with very little to no brain activity but after several hours with treatment from the drug Naloxone her heart rate has climbed back up to a rabbit stable level of 85 BPM, her brain activity is up as well to where she is simply asleep now, she will wake up whenever she wants at this point" she finished.
"How?" Was all that Clawhauser could ask. The doctor smiled and gave an honest shrug.
"I honestly have no idea, with the amount of cocaine in her system it was enough to kill a larger sized mammal let alone a small one such as herself. And how she went in and out of living was something that I have never seen before. It sounds morbid but I am genuinely shocked that she has made it this far this fast" She said walking over to the rabbit and feeling her pulse as well as listening to her heart through her stethoscope.
Nick simply stood in silence, his drug overdose wasn't him nearly dying, more like his brain just forgetting what reality was. Judy's was a lot more severe, something else he had experienced but through a different mammal.
Once again the memories of that fateful night filled his head. The ambulance sirens, the fear, the death. Somehow Judy had averted the death part, but everything else felt exactly the same. He felt like he was a kit again.
While Nick was stuck in his thoughts the doctor and Clawhauser had left the room to discuss things, the sound of the door closing behind them bringing him back to reality. Instead of following them he returned to the same chair he had been sitting in for the last day.
He sat there for what felt like hours but when he looked up at the clock only thirty minutes had passed. Right on cue there was another knock followed by the door opening, revealing Clawhauser and the tall Cape buffalo that was Chief Bogo.
"Good morning Wilde, I'm glad to see my officers didn't give you any trouble getting in here last night" the chief said stepping into the corner that he normally stood in.
"Thank you for that Chief, I… I don't know what would have happened if I didn't see her last night, I really was at the lowest point of my life. I thought she was dead, and no, I don't hold the fact that you didn't tell me the truth against you" he said cutting off the chief before he could apologize, "I understand, and I probably would have done the same thing too"
The chief visibly relaxed at the fox's words, it was hard to tell but Nick could tell by the way his stance visibly loosened slightly. It didn't last long though because he looked at him with a new face of determination, clearly something else was afoot.
"As much as I appreciate that Wilde there is something else going on right now" he said reaching for the tv remote as he did 24 hours ago.
The tv flipped on revealing the news, which was showing live video of the front of the hospital. The crowds that had been out there the day prior had doubled if not tripled in size, the only difference was that there was a mixture of hate and support now. Signs that showed a rabbit and fox holding hands with a big slash through it. And other signs that showed statements like "let them love".
"As you can see our little riot problem has gotten substantially bigger. I have called upon several other precincts to help keep the mammals at bay while also keeping the normal patrols going throughout the whole city. But with that being said I feel that your safety will not remain if you stay here for much longer" The chief said.
Nick couldn't take his eyes off the tv while different views from the mob were showed, "so do you have a plan?" He asked.
The chief nodded in response, "yes, me and Clawhauser here have discussed possible safe houses for you to stay in until things calm down here and we have decided that the best idea for you three is to head to BunnyBurrow and stay with Hopp's family"
The very mention of BunnyBurrow caught Nicks attention, "you want me to stay in a house with a bunch of rabbits?" Nick asked jokingly, looking at the chief dead in the eyes.
"Oh relax Nick, I've already talked to her parents and they are completely fine with having you at the house" Clawhauser pitched in.
The cheetahs statement didn't really make him feel much better. It wasn't that he was afraid of her parents (although he might've been), it was that he had never really left the city in his life. And changing from the hustle and bustle of the city to the much more quieter rural area outside the city made him a little nervous.
But then he thought about the pros and cons, 'get ripped apart by random mammals, or get ripped apart by a bunch of rabbits? Hmm that's kind of a hard decision'.
"When would we leave?" Nick asked coming to his senses.
"As soon as she is awake and ready to go. So hopefully by tonight when everything has calmed down outside, but then again that's really up to her" he said in a gruff voice.
There was a pause in the room when everyone heard it, a soft moan, practically a whisper. But they all knew where it came from, and looking at its source one would have been stunned at what they saw. The rabbit in the bed was moving, as if waking up from a deep slumber, her eyes staying shut but already reacting to the bright lights of the room.
"Judy?" Nick asked leaning over the bed from his chair.
The sound of his voice seemed to cause the rabbit to move more, as if fighting to wake up. The more time passed the more frantic her motions became and her moans morphed into cries.
"What's happening?" Nick asked, he knew that neither mammal in the room would have any idea so he turned to them, "go get the doctor, quick!"
Both of them quickly left the room while Nick did what he could to try to get the rabbit to relax. He crawled onto the bed and gently grabbed the rabbit, being careful of the wires that were still attached to her as well as making sure he wasn't holding to tight to where he could hurt her.
"Judy, I know you can hear me. I need you to relax right now, everything is okay" He reassured her. He noticed that him speaking seemed to settle her down, so he kept talking, "Judy its me Nick, you know that one fox you kissed a few nights ago. I'm your bodyguard which means I'm in charge of your safety so I really need you to stop right now"
He sounded ridiculous but he had no idea if what he was saying was going to help, and all he wanted to do was help. She was so close to making it, she had to make it.
"Judy please" he pleaded. Slowly her motions began to settle down until eventually they practically stopped. Nick waited there for a few more moments to be sure she was done before he let go slightly and looked down at her. When he did he was shocked with what he saw. There in his arms was Judy, but the surprising part was that she was looking directly up at him.
They simply stared at each other for a moment, not really perceiving what they were looking at. Nick of course was the first one to break the silence.
"Judy?" He asked quietly.
The rabbit continued to stare at her as he watched her focus her eyes on him, like watching a camera zoom in and focus on something.
"Nick?" Her voice was rough and scratchy. The sound of her voice made his heart swell, he wanted nothing more than to jump for joy and scream out in happiness. But considering what he just saw he didn't want to risk anything.
"How do you feel?" He wanted to make sure she was completely okay before he did anything else.
She sat there in silence while she did a check up on the rest of her body, she was cold that was the first thing she noticed as her entire body shivered again, her limbs were heavy as if they were full of lead, and her body was full of aches and pains.
"Like crap, and I'm cold"
Nicks response was to pull her even closer so that she could feel his warmth.
"Judy, what do you remember?" He asked, she had been out for nearly two days straight.
"I remember the concert, I remember the storm, and then I remember…" she then gasped as a memory graced her mind, "I remember the kiss"
"Mmmhmm I'm sure you do, but do you remember anything after that?" He continued to question, knowing that he would get back to that part later.
"I don't know everything after that was kind of a blur, I ran back to the trailer and…" she gasped again as she remembered pounding back the coke bottle, not knowing what she was doing, "What happened?"
"Judy, you overdosed on cocaine. Like… a lot of it too, enough to take down a rhino. You've been in and out of being dead for the last two days. Judy you shouldn't be alive right now, but some how… you did it" Nick said.
Judy sat there shocked for a few moments taking in all that Nick had said. "I was dead?"
"Yes, the doctors have no idea how you did it, but you made it" He said squeezing her a little tighter, knowing that the thought of her being dead was rough for both of them.
The door bursting open interrupted their moment, as the doctor ran in followed by Bogo and Clawhauser. The sight that the three mammals saw was not one that they were expecting, they had left to the rabbit seizing up and a fox looking concerned, and now they saw the rabbit no longer seizing and being held by the fox.
There was a brief moment of awkward silence as the room settled which was ended when the doctor cleared her throat, "so, Judy you've decided to wake up" she said trying her best to ignore what she was looking at. She wasn't against interspecies couples, it just wasn't what she was expecting see.
"Uhm, yes I think I have" Judy said confused by the doctors statement.
The awkwardness in the room leveled as Nick got out of the bed, (much to Judy's dismay). The doctor then went on to fill Judy in on all that had happened to her. Through the duration of the doctor talking Judy's face changed emotions several times, from happiness, to fear, to sadness, and confusion.
"Wow" was all she could say when it was over.
"Wow is right, you are one lucky rabbit" the badger said, "but now that you are awake and filled in I suppose we should get you some food and water, as well as a shower. Plus I believe Chief Bogo has some things to tell you regarding your next steps" she said taking a step back and nodding to the chief who was standing in the corner.
The Buffalo nodded back appreciatively before starting his speech.
"Hopps, you've caused quite the mess out there" the chief went on to do the normal shtik where he turned on the tv which for some reason was still showing the same angry mob out in front of the hospital, which hadn't shrunken at all. When Judy found out that she was reason for the mobs she couldn't help but feel shocked, she didn't think that what she had done was bad at all, she simply did what she felt, even if it was while she was in a drug induced state.
"So now we have to get all three of you out of here, luckily me and Clawhauser have worked out that you will be nice and safe at your home in BunnyBurrow" The chief finished.
Judy sat for a moment in silence while she let the news settle.
"Do my parents know that we are all coming?" She asked with emphasis on the 'all' part.
Nick knew what she meant, she was nervous about him meeting his family after their little moment on stage.
"Yes, they are aware that all three of us will be staying for at least a week" Clawhauser said confidently.
Judy nodded, still not that confident herself about the whole situation, "so when do we leave?"
"Well now that you are awake, as soon as the doctor here says so" the chief said looking back at the doctor who didn't seem too thrilled about her leaving so soon.
"Normally I would want her to stay at least one more night so we could continue to monitor her, but considering the front doors are about to burst open I would say she can leave tonight after she has been nourished and cleaned up. Plus leaving in the cover of darkness out the back door might be your best bet to remain unnoticed" the badger didn't seem to bought into the idea, but after seeing the chaos outside first hand she wanted things to go back to normal as soon as possible. Meanwhile the chief already had a plan formulating in his head for how he would get the three mammals out of the hospital.
"Perfect, we will get you three out of here tonight at 11, just know that it will be a long ride and a long stay in BunnyBurrow. Me and Clawhauser will return to your residence to pack you things. Wilde you stay here with Hopps, make sure she gets all the things she needs to be back to normal. We all have our objectives and only…" the chief checked his watch, "seven hours to do it so we have to get moving"
And with that the room broke into action, Bogo and Clawhauser leaving the room again followed by the doctor, and once the door shut the two mammals were once again alone.
"So whats the plan Slick?" Judy asked, her voice becoming stronger again.
"We need to get you food and water, but after that WE" he pointed between the two of them, "need to talk"
Judy knew what the talk was about and didn't know if she wanted to talk about it or not.
It took the about 20 minutes to get the rabbit out of the bed, Nick brought her water in a normal size paper cup which she drained several times. After she was hydrated the process of actually getting her to stand up by herself began.
At first she tried by herself but when she nearly fell straight on her face Nick decide It was best for him to step in. Eventually they managed to get her to stand while she supported herself. Nick, being in charge of her safety, decided that it was the best idea to have her just stay in a wheelchair until she got more strength in her legs, although Judy did not like this and she let him know.
The walk to the cafeteria was uneventful, most mammals ignoring the rabbit being pushed by the fox. But Judy did notice that a few mammals would make eye contact with her before turning away quickly. Not the most unusual reaction she had ever gotten but not really the one that she was expecting.
She had a simple meal of vegetable soup with small chunks of bread, while Nick ate some salmon with a side veggies. He hadn't realized how little he had eaten until he ate his first bite of the juicy fish. He had been so worried about Judy that he hadn't taken the time to go and take care of himself.
Once again Judy was surprised by the reactions that the two seemed to get, most kept to themselves. While others gave looks of disgust. And it was all fine until one ram got the confidence to walk up to them.
Nick didn't notice at first, he was too interested in the meal he was eating.
"Nick" Judy's voice broke him away from the fish and he looked up to see what the problem was. When he noticed that she was looking behind him he realized what the problem was and quickly stood up, turned around, and allowed for his training to kick in.
Nick noticed the little details about the ram, the way he was standing, the state of his appearance, and even going as far as identifying his name based off the tag he had written on his hospital gown, Douglas Wooly.
"Do we have a problem here Doug?" Nick said with authority. The ram didn't seem taken aback by his question at all.
"Yeah I just thought I would come up and congratulate the new couple" He said sarcastically, "you two are disgusting you know that? And better yet, this little thing over here," he pointed at Judy, "is a horrible influence on the world now with her little drug problem" he practically spat in Nicks face.
Nick didn't even flinch as the ram took a step forward so that the two were way too close for his comfort.
"Sir I'm going to need you to back up" Nick warned.
"Oh yeah sure, you mean like this?" Instead of taking a step back the ram stepped forward again using his larger body to push Nick back into the table.
Luckily Nick was no longer on edge now that Judy was awake, but had she been out still Nick would not have hesitated to take the ram down. He was about to step back up and say something when another voice rang out.
"What seems to be going on here?" It was a familiar voice.
Nick turned to see the same Timberwolf and cheetah that was guarding Judy's room from the night before.
"Oh well I was just-" the ram was cut off by the wolf, who took the ram and cuffed him.
"Jeez you two don't get a break do you?" Nick asked sarcastically, glad that he didn't have to step in and cause more damage. The wolf lead the ram away form the two while he read him his rights.
"Well clearly not enough breaks if we keep running into you" the cheetah said as she walked by following the wolf.
"Hey, listen to me creeps! If you think I'm the only one who believes in what I'm saying then you're dead wrong! You'll see!" The ram yelled one more time before he was taken out of the room.
The cafeteria wasn't necessarily loud before, but now all the noise had ceased and all attention was on the two mammals.
Nick shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Let's get out of here" he said quietly. Judy grabbed on to her tray as Nick pushed her back towards her hospital room.
Now Judy realized why she was getting the reactions that she was, her actions caused a riff in the city, one that she had not expected. Sure she had seen the riots on the tv, but that's one thing. Having mammals step up in person is different.
When they got back to her room there was a female nurse waiting to give Judy a bath, once again to her frustration.
Nick used this time to figure out how to word what he wanted to talk about. He sat in his chair and thought for the whole thirty minutes while she was in the bathroom. He needed to know why… why she had done the drugs behind his back, why she kissed him on the stage, why she had run off the way she did, he just needed answers.
By the time she got out it was just about eight at night.
When she came out her fur was slightly damp but visibly cleaner than it was before. She was wearing a hospital gown still, as Clawhauser hadn't gotten back with her stuff yet. She noticed Nicks silence and took a deep breath knowing what was to come.
She climbed up onto the bed and sat down facing the fox awaiting him to start the conversation.
"Judy, that cocaine you took. Were you taking it the whole time we were trying to fix your problem?" He asked. He had hoped that through this talk he could keep his emotions in check, but now that he had started talking he didn't know how well he would be able to control himself.
Judy flinched knowing that he would ask that eventually but she couldn't tell him the truth, there was no way he would stay if he knew. "No… I hadn't taken any coke until that night. I just needed something to keep my mind in line for that concert" she said.
Nick could tell she was lying, little things in the way she was talking and moving gave away the fact that she was not telling the truth. The fact that she was lying to him hurt even more.
"What about your overdose Judy? What was the idea behind that?" He asked sadly.
Judy sat quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "In that moment on stage I knew that I needed more, so ran to go get some and didn't let anything get in my way. And then when I got to the trailer I guess I had had too muc-"
"TOO MUCH? Judy I don't know if you misheard me earlier or something but you took enough cocaine to kill an adult rhino, and you're saying that's just too much?"
"OKAY I know Nick, I messed up!" She yelled back, barely holding back her tears, "I know what I did and I know that it was wrong, but that doesn't mean you can just scream at me. Screaming won't change the past!" She yelled back at him.
Nick could tell that she was still lying, but the fact that she was correct quieted him back down.
"You know what Judy you're right… me screaming won't change the past. But you've been lying to me this whole time, and don't say that you aren't because I can tell," he added before she could speak up, "I have been so lost these last two days. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life, my whole world was broken. But now I get the chance to talk to you and you lie straight to my face" he could feel the tears dripping from his eyes, a normal feeling at this point. His emotions were peaking but he wouldn't, no, couldn't let it show.
The room was silent for a moment, she knew he had more to say so she let the silence sing.
"I want you to answer me truthfully… why did you do all of this?"
The question hung in the air…
Judy sat there knowing that in this moment knowing there was only one right answer,
"I… did all of this because I didn't know if you shared the same feelings that I did… this whole time I was too afraid to just tell you how I feel because I didn't want to risk the relationship that we already had. But I'm not afraid now, I'm so sorry that I put you through all this, but the reason I did it is because Nick… I'm in love with you…"
Nick simply stared. He didn't know what he was expecting but it wasn't that. She had shared the feelings of love the whole time he had, but she hadn't told him for the same reason he didn't tell her. All the puzzle pieces were fitting into place in his mind and he figured out the story.
She loved him.
And the best part was, he could tell that she was telling the truth.
By his lack of reaction she could tell that there was turmoil going on inside his mind, "After all I've done Nick, I would understand if you would just want to leave but, I just needed you to-"
She was cut off by lips pressing against hers. Nick had stood up and pulled the rabbit up to him, completely surprising her. But the surprise didn't last long as she melted into the kissing, relishing in the feeling that was boiling inside of her.
Nick had heard all he needed to, he understood now. He was mad still, but that didn't matter in that moment. She loved him… He broke the kiss for just a moment. When she opened her eyes she was met with the sight of beautiful emerald ones.
"I love you too…"
What a chapter aye? I'm writing this at 1 in the morning knowing I have to wake up in 5 hours for class. But I know I've made you all wait long enough for this chapter, especially after that nasty cliff hanger. But here it is, it took me just under a month to write but I must say that I am pretty proud with the outcome. It even made me tear up a little in the middle there, I hope you felt the emotions as much as I do when I'm writing this.
Anyway, I hope all is going well, I hope that you all are working through your struggles as much as I am. But hey things will get better, embrace the friends you have and never let them go.
This got super philosophical for some reason and I really need to go to sleep.
Thanks everyone, please leave a review to let me know how you feel, favorite the story and all that stuff and take it easy!
DAG