Serendipity's Shadow

Rated T

Chapter 24

"…Hey, Nick?" Judy asked from her seat in the trunk of the pickup truck.

"Yeah." Nick answered leaning over the side into the pickup truck to look at Judy.

"…"

"Carrots?"

"Thank you." Judy smiled at the fox.

Nick looked at her confused for a second with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't say that he hated that small smile she gave him. Just that he didn't know what he did to earn it. Eventually, he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"For what?" Nick asked resting his chin on his hand.

"For coming along with me. Enjoying the fair with my family. Talking to Timmy. Making sure I got home when I got drunk." Judy shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. "I guess…I'm thanking you for being you."

"So, I'm your knight in shining armor." Nick joked making Judy laugh.

"Knight in shining armor? No." Judy laughed. "A cunning fox with a secret soft spot? Maybe so."

The night ended with Nick escorting Judy back home. A beautiful friendship was blooming between the rabbit and the fox.

Heavy, everything felt heavy. Judy felt like her own body was nothing but dead weight. Instinctively she took a deep only to immediate regret as a sharp burning pain filled her lungs. The result was her coughing harshly making her throat feel itchy and sore. After her coughing episode, Judy opened her eyes just enough to see the relentlessly bright lights shining above her. The sight didn't last long as her eyes became heavy again.

It felt only like a minute passed when Judy had opened her eyes again. The difference this time though was that the light wasn't so harsh. That was the only difference as her lungs still burned and her throat was still sore. A soft beeping sound made its way into her ears. Judy glanced over to the sound to see an array of expensive equipment one would see in a hospital. Judy moved her arm to try and grab at the array of wires and tubes. But a pressure kept her hand in place. Judy then glanced towards the end of her arm. She didn't know what to expect. But Nick sleeping in a chair hunched over on the bed holding her hand, wasn't one of them. The sight made her body feel lighter in a way. Judy could only stare at the sight.

"…My hero." Judy whispered to herself.

It was quiet as a breeze when she spoke those words. But it was all Nick needed to be jolted awake. With his opposite hand, he slowly sat up and rubbed at his tired eyes. He froze in place when he felt the hand he was desperately holding onto move in his grasp. Quickly regaining his composure Nick glanced over to what he previously believed was an unconscious Judy.

"Carrots?"

"…Hey…Nick." Judy spoke with a rough tickle in her throat.

Nick could only smile at her placing the hand he was holding into both of his hands. He held her delicately as one would an expensive one-of-a-kind jewel.

"…Where?"

"The closet hotel to ZPD Headquarters that I pay yearly for. I originally thought of taking you to the nearest hospital. But we didn't find that damned weasel." Nick slouched forward, looking defeated. "I couldn't let him get to you again."

Judy couldn't speak and not because of her throat. She was too scared to utter a word. Scared of that caring look in Nick's eyes, protective grip on her hand, Judy was scared of how he was making her feel. Judy slowly released her hand from his grasp ignoring Nick's gaze. She tried to excuse it as needing both her hands to make herself more comfortable. That plan immediately failed though as a sharp pain pulsed through her side making her gasp for breath.

"Judy!"

Nick stood up abruptly from his chair to get closer to Judy. He was desperate to help her as she laid there gasping in pain. But he couldn't do anything but stand there. Once again Nick felt useless. Coming to this conclusion Nick pulled out his phone and called up the only doctor he trusted.

"Hello?" The doctor answered.

"She's awake."

"…I'll be there ASAP."

Nick didn't even bother to say goodbye as he hung up the phone. During the whole conversation, his gaze never left Judy's face. He watched with a heavy heart as her features finally relaxed.

"Not…doing that…again." Judy tried to joke.

"I got someone coming to check up on you-"

"Tia?!" Judy asked alarmed jerking forward throwing her into another coughing fit.

She was able to ignore the gut-wrenching pain from shooting her body upwards and the aggressive coughing because of the anxiety from Tia's safety took greater precedence in Judy's mind.

"Calm down!" Nick ordered pushing Judy back down. "Calm down."

Judy's breathing was becoming erratic as she began to imagine all the possible ways that Tia could be dead by now.

"Tia is fine." Nick soothed Judy.

Judy's brain stopped thinking long enough to process Nick's words.

"I sent some of my guys to find her. They did. She's here. She's safe." Nick stated greatly annoyed with the ferret once again.

Judy took slow calm breathes pushing through the pain until it subsided.

"…Thank you…Nick."

It was at moments like this where Nick couldn't handle Judy's gaze. It was always when she looked at him earnestly. Those beautiful eyes of hers always made him feel disgusted with himself. When she looked at him like that all he could think about was how much he didn't deserve that gaze. Judy had just thanked him for saving the ferret. And Nick couldn't tell Judy how ready he was to kill her. Judy knew she was never told, but she wasn't stupid. Nick knew that Judy knew about his 'habits' with those that crossed him. she either ignored it or simply didn't care to be aware of it. The point is, is that Nick has never told her about the things he has done. Because, like the weasel, he was a coward too scared to pull the trigger. Nick was scared that Judy's gaze would become one of horror. And Nick didn't know if he could survive if Judy began to see him as a monster.

"Let me get you a glass of water." Nick offered no longer able to take her appreciative gaze.

Judy nodded her thanks taking the chance to rest her eyes as Nick walked away.

Nick's thoughts were erratic in thought as he left the room heading towards the kitchen. At one point he laughed to himself remembering being in this exact position before. The only difference this time is that Judy was too weak to sit proudly and scold him for babying her. Nick decided to think of something else as it wasn't a pleasant memory. Then again, any memory of a loved one in the hospital from a gunshot wound is never a pleasant memory.

Nick was about halfway back into the room when the sound of a creaking door caught his attention. He looked over towards the sound and his mood immediately soured. It was the ferret standing in her doorway hesitant to approach the Shadow.

"Is she awake?"

Nick sighed heavily displeased that he was going to have to answer the ferret honestly. He really, really, really wanted to lie or say fuck off. But Judy would get upset if he did that, so…

"Yes. She's awake."

AN: I didn't die! OK, in all seriousness, sorry for the late-ish update. Life was being…well, life, and I didn't really have the time to write. Hope this small filler chapter can appease you until the next chapter.