Chapter 23: Home
A few hours later, at noon, Judy's discharge was ready and she was able to leave the hospital. By the time the rabbit got ready to leave he had managed to change into the clothes Nick had given for her a few days ago while she was still on the bed recovering. He knew where she lived, he had received spare keys from her one day in case something unfortunate should happen. He was surprised at how much she trusted him, he had the impression that he trusted himself less than she trusted him and for that he valued her. By this time the rabbit had managed to sort out the thoughts in her head that were swirling around. She was still wondering if it would be a good idea to take a holiday to be with her family for a while and take a break from this city life, which as it turns out - is not so easy at all. Judy felt a little strange, not to mention the accident she had for her parents. She didn't want to worry them, she was defensive about it, but she also felt that she shouldn't cheat them on such a matter, she could almost die. She also wondered where Nick could have gone? He hadn't met or visited her in days, which worried her. He was her friend, the person she would always turn to with any problem, she could feel sorry for him or cry to him. She felt lonely without him...
For several days now, the fox had not answered her phone calls or made any attempt to contact her, which puzzled her. Could he be offended with her?
As Judy lay on the bed resting for a few minutes, the doctor who had been waiting at the threshold with a discharge for Judy entered the room.
"Judy. It's time. You can leave now" The doctor communicated. Judy slowly got out of bed and headed towards the lift with the doctor, who was watching her curiously.
"Where is your family? Only Nick has been visiting you since the beginning" the doctor asked at one point. As they entered the lift, the man selected the ground floor on the lift panel, the machine began to lower down.
"I didn't inform them of what happened to me. The doctor may not believe me, but we rabbits are terribly sensitive to stress...especially my parents. They'd worry more than me," Judy countered. The doctor nodded calmly with a shake of his head, then placed the papers in Judy's hands informing her that the girl had been discharged from hospital.
"Go to reception with this document, they will do the right thing with it there." The doctor communicated. Soon the lift stopped and the doors opened in front of them. At last Judy could see and stand on her own two feet in the live beauty of nature. In front of her was an exit from the hospital marked with a large "Exit" sign. To the left was the reception desk, which was waiting for Judy to approach it and give her documents. The corridor was practically empty, most of the people were hospital staff going to different rooms with their documents.
"Thank you, doctor, for everything."
"You don't have to thank me. Thank Nick...just, it's good that I remembered..." replied the doctor. He went with Judy to the receptionist, who took a hospital printout from the rabbit and signed it, then affixed a navy blue hospital stamp.
"Please. You may go now" The woman communicated as she handed back the document. Judy was free to go, although she didn't look happy about it. She knew she was very lucky to have escaped the whole incident alive, that was a real reason to be happy, but Nick's absence effectively prevented her from having a reason to be happy.
"You don't have to worry about transport. Nick ordered you a taxi."
"Nick?"
"Yes, Nick. He didn't want to talk, he just told me to tell you to take the taxi you ordered, when he said that he hung up. I couldn't say anything" the doctor replied. Judy, though a little surprised, nodded her head. She said goodbye to the man and left the hospital.
The weather outside was sunny; it was a really nice, cloudless day. Judy felt a kind of refreshment as she was able to breathe in the fresh air that she would not be able to feel for the next few weeks. Judy looked around the neighborhood with curiosity. True, the tall skyscrapers of the city blocked the view of the city, but the area was really nice. Standing on the top step of the stairs, Judy could see the small hospital park where the sick walked. She regretted that she had only learned of the existence of this place now, but right now it was all about getting her life together.
On the street she saw a taxi, yellow as the autumn leaves of the trees, waiting at the entrance to the hospital. She quickly guessed that the car was waiting for her.
'That's probably the taxi Nick ordered for me' thought Judy. She descended the stairs and headed down the pavement towards the taxi. She crossed the large iron entrance gate to the hospital which had a sign engraved on it: "Zootopia Central Hospital". Rabbit turned around behind her. She could see the huge hospital complex, which was built mostly of glass materials. She was impressed by the grandeur of the architecture. She was pulled out of her elation by a car horn that caused Judy to turn abruptly behind her. She turned her attention to the taxi driver, who showed her hand to get into the car.
She opened the door and then got into the car. The man cast an urgent glance at the mirror and looked at the girl who got into the car.
"Judy Hopps?" The man asked.
"Yes, that's me."
"Please fasten your seat belts. We're going" The man communicated.
"Where to?"
"I'll explain everything while we're driving" replied the man calmly. Judy though with a hint of uncertainty obediently fastened her seat belt and the car took off.
During the drive, Judy looked at the buildings that passed by all the time. Still the thought of where she was going to take the man who drove up to pick her up did not give her peace of mind. She felt a little uncertain about the situation, but she trusted Nick not to do anything stupid.
"So can you tell me now where you want to take me?" Judy asked quietly. The driver cast an astute glance at the mirror, staring into Judy's eyes. The girl lowered her gaze as she saw the man looking at her, though she tried to secretly watch him to see his reaction.
"Nick asked me not to say anything to you. He said you'd find out everything in your own time."
"That I've heard before," chuckled Judy reluctantly. The driver shrugged his shoulders then stopped staring at the mirror watching the roadway.
"Relax, you're not in any danger. We'll be there in a minute," the man replied. Judy sighed heavily, then leaned against the car door watching through the glass as more buildings fell behind them.
After several minutes of sitting idly in the seat and looking at the buildings, Judy began to associate with the surroundings. She raised herself up a little to get a better view of the area, and then she could recognize the streets. The layout of the houses, the pavement, the trees scattered every few metres. She was sure that this was the place where her friend lived. She had been to his place several times, she had an excellent memory, which made her associate this place too well not to remember it.
"Wait a minute, this is where Nick lives!"
"Mhm" the driver made a quiet nodding sound. A moment later he stopped in the driveway of a green house. It was the fox's house. She was surprised by the move and looked at the driver who opened the door for her.
"That's the end of the tour. Nick paid for you."
"Why would I come to him?"
"You're asking me? And there you have it" the man replied. He took a key out of his pocket, which patterned to look like the key to his house. This caused her even more surprise; she took the key in her hands without saying anything.
"He said to give it to you. I don't know what he's hiding, but I think it must be something big," the man replied. He stared at the house for a moment, as if waiting for Judy to take a step toward him. Judy, however, stood still, unmoved. She looked at the key and was sure that it was the key to the fox's house. She did not know why she had received it and what she was to find out. Soon the taxi driver got into his car. He drove off leaving Judy alone in the driveway.
Judy wondered for a moment why she should come to Nick's house if she couldn't see him for the next few days? She was puzzled by the fox's behaviour, including the taxi driver's words reinforced her belief that there was something wrong. She felt a little strange, not knowing what might be going on in this situation. With no other option Judy approached the door of the fox's house. She put the key in the lock, everything fit.
"These are his keys...why did he give them to me?" Judy thought. She opened the door slowly, then swung it open letting the light in.
The house looked normal, at least at first glance. Her attention was drawn to the fact that all the windows were closed and curtains were drawn. The house was dark, the only source of light was the open door, letting in a little natural light. The girl went to the living room, she started by pulling back the curtains to make the room brighter. The room was too clean, everything was neatly arranged and dust free, which intrigued Judy. Usually when she met Fox there was a bit of a lack of perfection in his house, always the bedding on the couch was crumpled, now it was perfectly bedded, not a single crease on it.
"Nick? Nick, are you here?" She called out to Judy, hoping someone would answer for her. After several attempts to call out, she realised she was alone. The house stood empty, not a living soul in it except Judy.
"What is Nick up to?" Judy thought. She decided to look around the flat a bit. She found nothing of interest in the living room, except the unprecedented neatness and orderliness of it. She then went to the kitchen, where there was also no sign of dust. Everything looked practically new. Everything was wiped down, neatly arranged, and there were no signs of use.
"Looks like it's a flat for sale or something..." Judy said quietly. It was then that she remembered the words of Adams, the doctor, who had mentioned something about a letter. She decided to check the drawers located in the kitchen. Opening part after part of the furniture, she found nothing interesting except knives or other kinds of cutlery. Everything was neatly arranged which surprised Judy.
"It all looks like he wants to sell it..." Judy thought. She remembered Nick's words about leaving. He didn't have time to say anything more about it because the doctor came into the room and interrupted their conversation. She began to put everything together in her head, the only thing missing to complete the puzzle was the letter, which should be somewhere in the house.
There was still one place left to check: his room. Judy went there, the first thing she saw was the order, which looked extremely impressive. The bed was elegantly bedded, the floor was clean, the books on the shelf were elegantly arranged. This surprised Judy even more. She searched the gaps between the books, finding no envelope or anything of the sort. She focused her attention on the desk, specifically the pictures that lay on the tabletop depicting three male figures.
"And that's who..." Judy thought. She took the pictures in her paws and looked at them, but couldn't recognize any of them. She didn't associate any of them, none of them resembled anyone to her. Curious, she opened her desk drawer, where she found a stamped envelope.
"This must be the letter," thought Judy. She unwrapped the envelope and then began to read.