Judy witnessed in horror as she heard the painful hurls and panting from their bathroom door. She dropped the bag of groceries at her feet, rushing over to her partner.
"Nick, are you okay?" she asked in concern, grabbing a clean towel as she approached the door.
Pushing the door ajar, Judy was heartbroken at the sight in front of her. The fox was hunched over the toilet bowl, his arm stretched out against the lid in front of him. He was coughing and hacking, spitting the sour taste out of his muzzle. He had just barfed out his entire stomach, leaving him suffering from the painful churning and punches he felt in his gut. Strings of mucus and drool leaked from the holes on his face as he panted and sniffled away.
Judy shuffled towards him, dropping to her knees beside the queasy fox. She set one of her paws on the ruffled orange fur on his back, combing and pressing on it with gentle strokes in an attempt to ease the pain that radiated throughout his body. She fixed her droopy amethyst eyes on his exhausted and aggravated expression, pitying how he must have felt.
"There goes breakfast," he whined sarcastically before coughing up another storm.
After collecting himself he reached for the flush, only to be superseded by Judy. As Nick turned to face her she held his face with a paw, steadying his muzzle in her grasps before wiping off the damp fur on his lips and snout. Nick closed his eyes as he savoured her comforting touches.
"Thanks." Nick replied, the fox's voice raspy and slurred from the burning pain in his throat.
"Take it easy. Let's get you back to bed." Judy spoke softly. With both her arms wrapped around him she stood him up slowly, carrying half the weight of the weakened fox.
The two hobbled towards the bedroom, Judy making a considerable effort to support his larger frame. Nick's head spun and hurt like hell, dizzy from throwing up for nearly five minutes. Judy could tell that her partner had a giddy episode, trying her best to keep both of them on their feet. He wobbled and staggered, leaning on to her for the stability he had lost.
Moments later Nick found himself plopped onto the mattress. He sighed in relief as his heavy eyelids took over, glad that he could rest again. However, Judy did not stop there, the bunny determined to get him back in a more comfortable state. She lifted his head off the pillow, before quickly inserting hers to support his neck. The fox sank back into the cotton with a forming smile on his face. Judy continued on, pulling the blanket from the end of his toes up to his chest, essentially swaddling him in a warm lining of sheets.
Her eyes trailed back to his fickle expressions, sensing the discomfort from the fever he was having. She pressed her paw on his forehead, frowning in disappointment as she felt the heat surfacing onto her palms.
"Cheese and crackers, you're still burning," Judy commented as she retracted her paws.
Nick groaned as another wave of pain surged through his head. His distressing whines only saddened her even more. Judy ran back to the front door, dragging the bags she had dropped to the kitchen table.
No point in making soup after all that.
She thought to herself, as she rummaged her paws in the tote bag, ignoring the cans and vegetables she had bought earlier. She pulled out a small pack of aspirin, recalling the instructions she received from the pharmacist.
One for a bunny, two for a fox. Got it.
She retrieved a small towel from the laundry basket, before proceeding to drench it in cool, refreshing tap water. After giving it a forceful squeeze she folded it in half twice, the dank cloth now fitted firmly in her paw.
Judy rushed back in, seating herself by the bedside. Nick's eyes were half open, the look of dread wiped over his face. He breathed heavily through his mouth as his bottom jaw swung up and down to the rhythm of his panting. Judy leaned close, laying the damp cloth over his forehead. The cloth was cool to the touch, a feeling that melted the fox from the inside. Though he still felt terrible all over, he was profusely grateful at how much the stinging pain in his head had been alleviated.
"Thanks fluff," Nick spoke, shifting his weakened neck against the stack of pillows.
"Not done yet," Judy replied as she pressed on the round white tablets, popping them out from their packaging. She reached for the half empty bottle from the nightstand with her other paw, flipping the lid off with her thumb. "Open wide,"
She inserted both tablets through his lips, brushing her grey fur against his warm muzzle in the process. Slowly, the bunny poured a delicate stream of refreshing water into his cheeks. She stopped as Nick started to close his mouth, gulping it all down before cringing at the pain as it went down.
"I thought I asked for something stronger than aspirin?" Nick asked, a smile forming from the edges of his muzzle. "How about that Vicodin from yesterday's case?"
"Dumb fox," Judy spoke gently, placing a paw on his muzzle. She stroked his fur with her digits, swearing to god that she had actually heard a purr coming from him. Judy fixated her eyes on his bliss-ridden partner, a sight that had always made her day. She leaned her face closer to his, before planting a loving kiss on the side of his muzzle. "How's that?"
Nick hummed in response, turning his head slightly at her. They exchanged their bedroom eyes as Judy moved her entire body towards the fox, embracing him in a well-required cuddle. She nuzzled her head against his neck, absorbing the intoxicating musk that stuck to his rugged fur. She trailed a paw under the sheets, massaging his chest with her little paw pads.
"This is much better," Nick replied, lowering his chin to meet the top of her head.
Judy could feel the gentle beating of his heart, rapidly pounding away at each of her strokes. His breathing was calmer too, her ears soaking in his heated exhales that he expelled with each tender breath. She was all he needed, the soothing touches and rubs she gave him only made his day a tad better than what it used to be. He closed his eyes, a sense of joy consuming over the aches and sores across his body.