In the waiting room of the surgery wing, a trio of small mammals sat together in silence. The room was encompassed in white noise; the hum of the fluorescent lights above, the occasional wheeling of beds and the shuffling from frequenting personnel. Violet shared the wooden bench with an annoyed Finnick while her heartbroken sister seated herself right next to the entrance of the hallway on her wheelchair. As they waited, Judy sunk her face into the grasps of her paw, supressing her sobs and sniffles into gentle whimpers that echoed through the air. She was exhausted and thirsty from her cries thanks to the cold, dry air. Though it had only been 3 hours since Nick was admitted to the operation room, she felt as if they had spent half a day in that damned waiting lounge.

Feeling awful about her sister, Violet turned to her. "I'm gonna head to the cafeteria," she spoke in a calm manner, trying her best not to startle her sister. You should be parched. I can get something for you, maybe some tea?"

Unable to shake off her sunken mood, the bunny gave a simple and muffled 'sure'. Violet frowned as she stood up, her eyes still fixated at the younger bunny. Judy's ears were drooped all the way down over her face, the bandage on her injured ear flapped as she shook and shivered. It was clear she wanted some space for herself. Thinking back, she recalled how scary it was when she was called about her sister's incident. For her, the horrifying part was the wait; the painful wait on the train after she had rushed home from work, and the wait for her wake from her coma.

Curious about Finnick, she panned over the fennec, who had his face locked on the empty screen of his phone. Though he looked visibly flustered and disgruntled, Violet could tell that it was all just a façade, a good one at that. Underneath that stone wall was an emotionally concerned friend. His subtle face movements from his stern eyes to how he tapped aimlessly on his phone screen only added to her profile of him. For all she knew, he was even more worried than Judy was.

Before she could leave the corner, a nurse stopped in front of her, directing his looks at the fennec fox. Taking notice, Finnick looked up attentively.

"Sir," the ram directed towards him. "This is regarding his family history-"

Hearing the query, the fox's face melted before being cut off by the concerned rabbit.

"Family history? How serious is it?" shot Judy promptly as her ears perked up from her face. Her mind was racing, anticipating the horrors that are about to bombard her.

"I'm sorry Miss Hopps but I'm not here with any news on Wilde," the ram replied. For a moment, Judy's heart sank. "This is about the renal transplant,"

"What renal transplant? He needs a kidney?" her eyes widened in shock as she looked over to the cringing fennec fox. Her previous concerns were now replaced with even more questions.

"Shit," he growled to himself under his breath, rubbing his eyebrows in a tired and annoyed fashion, "You weren't supposed to hear that."

The two bunnies grew confused looks as they gave their attention to him. The nurse hissed at his mistake as he clung his clipboard over his mouth. The room was dead silent again, the atmosphere thick with tension.

"Never mind, you're gonna hear about this eventually," he exhaled in his defeated tone, preparing himself as he explained, "Nick needs a new kidney. Apparently the one he had left is not working that well."

Judy listened attentively.

"The problem is, Nick aint got no donors," Finnick began to stir up, his voice slightly cracking as he continued. "He's got no family. No parents. No siblings. Nothing. Hell, he's got his ex-business partner recorded as his emergency contact. I doubt he has any relatives either." Finishing the sentence, Finnick started tearing up.

Both Judy, her sister and the ram were left sunken after his statement. Judy felt horrifyingly guilty at how alone her partner was all this time. For a mammal that had a pair of loving parents and more brothers and sisters she could ask for, it was unreal for her realise Nick's depressing situation. Violet was also stunned by the revelation. All this time Judy had someone to share her pain, her worries and her sorrows from recovery but Nick had only what he considered as an 'ex-business partner' to fall on. She took another glance at Finnick, the fennec after wiping off his sorrows was now back in character.

"This is stupid," he followed as he got off the bench. "Just call me when he gets out. I've got things to do."

Judy and Violet were now left to themselves. Judy was still in grief, fearing the worst for her partner, especially the awkward talks and the depressing recovery period that awaits him.

Nick opened his eyes, feeling dazed and battered. A sense of Deja-vu loomed over him as he chuckled bitterly to himself. At this point, the tired fox had already lost count on the hours and days he was zoned out since he was admitted. He started regaining his senses; he was able to make out the faint noises of his partner and her sister, as well as nurses that moved around him. It took a while but his initial confusion was lifted when he realised that he was being moved in his bed as he could make out the rolling of the wheels beneath him, as well as the fluorescent panels on the ceiling that brushed over him. With his vision half regained he could finally make out the mammals that escorted him.

"He's awake,"

Nick heard the faded out voices of the deer above him.

"Mr Wilde?" she called again, observing the patient. "You've just gotten out of surgery. We're getting you back to your room okay?"

Though the fox was coherent, he was too lethargic to respond, only giving his nurse a simple nod. As he regained feeling in his face, Nick was grateful; realising the clear oxygen mask that hung over his muzzle, which was a fantastic break from the painful tube he had earlier in his throat. When they've finally reached the glass sliding door of his familiar ward, Judy was wheeled in shortly after, her sister trailing behind. Nick felt a sense of calm. The nurses rushed to hook him back up to the machinery around him. He could feel his fur again as their gloved hooves brushed against his chest, attaching the padded electrodes back onto his chest. He also felt the familiar pressure from a clamping peg on his digit as they moved to his paw.

"Nick," Judy spoke softly as she moved closer, her eyes fixed on her sleepy partner.

His ears stood up immediately; the fox panning across the working mammals to see the bunny. After the nurses left, she was able to get a good long look of him. Despite her smile and how happy she was to see him, she could not shrug off the sorrow she felt as she compared how he looked earlier. Perhaps it was the dose of anaesthetics he was given, but Nick was visibly more out of his character. His head was wrapped in a layer of bandage and gauze, only making room for his orange fluffy ears. Trailing down to his body she was slightly disturbed to see the red IV line that led from his paw and the dark maroon bag that was fixed to a stand next to his cot.

"Hey slick," she greeted after reaching his bedside. Her paws are now wrapped firmly around his shoulder but only firm enough so that she doesn't hurt him.

A smile grew wide across his face. "Carrots…" he replied in his raspy voice, though the pain from speaking earlier was masked off by the numbing agents in his veins. "What happened?"

As if on que, Dr Capra entered the ward, the ram bringing along with him a handful of files and papers. "You had a stroke Mr Wilde," he explained, attentively flipping through the blue medical file that the surgeon presented to him earlier. "Apparently it was caused by a cerebral haemorrhage. You were bleeding into your brain."

Nick's smile started to dissipate.

"How did he get that?" Judy looked over to the doctor, a hint of rage built up in her tone.

"The haemorrhage was from the head impact he had in the incident," the ram replied, adjusting his stationery, "I've looked through the imaging we took of his head after admittance. I can confirm that there was a micro bleed captured. We had missed it."

He presented the image to the mammals before handing it to Violet. Judy started to growl silently, angry at the doctor.

"No wonder you missed it," her sister assured as she brought the scans to her glasses and the light above. "Anyone could've missed it. That was unnoticeable." Pointing at the tiny grey speck she presented it to the two on the bed.

"The symptoms only presented it earlier," the doctor said, "You're lucky that the bleed was small, otherwise it could have killed you in your coma."

Though Judy was furious that this could have all been prevented, she was glad that there were no major repercussions to her partner.

"Good thing… I stroked out today…" Nick replied jokingly to cheer up his partner, "And good thing… you we're there too… Carrots…"

She blushed at his comment. Judy could not help herself but let out a small chuckle for her friend. He was always so upbeat, she thought. Despite all he presented to be she knew her partner well. She knew he was sly, emotionally reserved and his philosophy oriented around smiling through or even straight up mocking his pain.

Never let them see that they get to you…

The line shook her body as it echoed in her head, recalling the only time he was open to her. But it had been a year since, and she's guilty that he's never going to trust her like before ever again.

"Nick," Judy called, locking her paw with his. "Are you fine right now?"

The fox gave her a confused look.

"Please be honest Nick," Judy interrupted after noticing his partner's face; the dead giveaway smirk before his witty comments. "Cause I'm not." Tears began to fall on her face once more, the bunny heaving as she spoke. "I'm sorry about everything Nick."

Nick's mood shifted almost suddenly. "Judy…"

"I know you don't blame me, or so I hope. You are good like that. I know you are," the crying bunny stopped his attempt at calming her down. "But your forgiveness will never ever change the fact that I ruined your life. If I hadn't got so careless, so… stupid, you wouldn't be here right now. You almost died… all because of me."

Violet looked in shock as she moved towards her sobbing sister. Nick was dumbfounded at her statement. He had never thought twice about his actions back then. No matter how much he was hurt from the blaring pain in his gut, or the tube down his mouth, or the stroke he had earlier or the nightmares he had and his kidney; he never regretted saving his partner's life. Seeing how tormented Judy was had splashed in him with sorrow, the fox wanting to just spring up and hug her. He held her paw as hard as he could, squeezing it with all the might he could muster.

"Nick," Judy said again, her watery eyes locked with his gazes of concern, "Finnick told me about your kidney."

The fox's mood melted even further than he could have expected.

"I know you are alone. I know you are scared. I know you are concerned, and know you probably hate me for asking but why did you never tell me,"

Nick was now in an amalgamate of stirred up emotions. He was indeed scared and concerned – the thought of living on a dialysis machine for his entire life; fearful that he would never be on the field again with Judy. Above all that he was in anguish and anxious; his condemned memories of his parents had haunted him, as well as the rejection from everybody else. He had always been a tiny fox in a large, lonely world. Throughout the years he had adapted to it, only for it to be proven wrong by Judy, the one single soul that had shown him better. Now here he was, a pathetic fox being unwounded into his true feelings by the bunny in front of him.

Nick started to feel dizzy, like the world around him was spinning. He was hyperventilating and the beeping of his heart rate monitor had reflected the beating of the eardrum he was feeling at the moment. His limbs felt alien and detached, realising he was now shivering intensely. His head hurt like a thousand migraines ready to burst as he lost control of his body.

"Nick?!" Judy exclaimed in horror.

Violet had pulled her away from Nick, Dr Capra rushing to his side. Nick was now convulsing, the fox's entire body shaking and tremoring.

"He's seizing," the ram explained, rushing to the medical cart.

The bunnies looked on in terror as he yanked open the top drawer, scrambling to look for an injection pen. Nick was flaying about in agony as he shook the bed. Alerts from the machines around him started going off, prompting two nurses to barge in to check on them.

"Keep him still," he instructed.

The nurses had gripped Nick in place the best as they could, restraining him in his place. The ram moved quickly to his patient. In a swift motion, he jabbed the needle into Nick's neck, pressing against the syringe plunger as he did so. In a few seconds, the fox's muscle retracted, freeing him from the seizure. He was now half conscious, the fox's eyes darting around to see the parade of relieved mammals that were fighting to keep him stable.

"Oh my god," Judy gasped at his bandages, which were now slowly staining with blood. She was now consumed in guilt and tremendous fear. She was afraid that she had just jeopardized any chance of him ever opening up to her. She was mad at herself for being so pushy, especially after he had just gotten out of surgery.

Another medical cart was now pushed in, one that held a roll of gauze and bandages with it, as well as a set of suturing equipment.

"I think you better leave," Dr Capra suggested as he snapped a pair of gloves on.

Following the instruction, Violet wheeled her sister away from the ward. Judy gave her partner one final look before they left; his pained and defeated face now burned into her brain. As they went the glass windows of the room were now shielded off with curtains and blinds from the inside.

"He'll be fine," Violet spoke, trying to cheer up her sister.

"He hates me now doesn't he?" Judy's ears flopped over her soggy face once again, muffling her voice.

"Just give him a while," she replied. Violet was now intrigued. Her inner thoughts churned as she thought about the situation.

It was now late evening and Violet was sitting next to her sleeping sister as she chewed on the back of her pen. She knew Nick was going through something more psychological back then, seeing how fast the seizure dissipated and how coincidental it was with her sister's bombardment of guilt. She could not blame her sister however; she was in the right for approaching him.

Her train of thought was stopped when she noticed Dr Capra walked by the glass window. Immediately, Violet sprung up and left the room.

"Dr Capra," she called as she caught up with the ram. He stopped in his tracks, turning around to see the huffing bunny adjusting her glasses. "How's Nick doing?"

"He's stable again," he replied, his eyes fixated at the bunny in front of him.

"And the seizure?" she inquired as she walked up to him. "What caused his seizure earlier?"

"I don't know yet." Dr Capra let out a sigh, before returning to her, "MRI and CT scans showed nothing abnormal, though I have a few hunches-"

"Have you considered the cause to be psychological?" Violet spoke, sharing her theory with the intrigued doctor. "From what I observed that was a textbook pseudoseizure; a condition that looks like a seizure, but is caused by mental stress like say an emotional friend?"

Dr Capra paused, his hooves now stroking his chin as he gave her idea a long an honest thought. Panning over to the bunny again his eyed widened as he connected the thought. "You're Dr Violet Hopps right?" he asked, a smile forming on his face. "And here I thought you were just an overly attached relative,"

Flattered, she answered, "Yep, worked here 5 years ago. I can't blame you, we've never really crossed paths that much."

"I have heard you were one of the best in the business," he replied, "I remembered how furious the administrators were when you resigned. How's freelancing?"

"Nothing's changed all that much. I get to make my own time though," she chuckled.

"Explains how you're able to be next to your sister all this time," the doctor responded before he pivoted the conversation back to where they started. "I can say your theory fits." He replied in an applauding tone, "Protocol says I need to get Mr Wilde an attending psychiatrist. I can get either Dr White or Dr Roou on his case, but you're making me think you have a say in this matter."

Violet gave a warm smile, eager to give him her proposal. "I'm not a slander type, but I think Dr White secretly hates foxes and since I've never met a Dr Roou, I take it she's new here?" she replied in a joking manner.

"He is an amateur," he replied, holding back his laughter. "I'll trust your word on this then. Since it seems you are the most invested in the case," the ram spoke in a trusting demeanour. "I need to get approval from the higher-ups, if not I can just write you off as just a very professional visitor."

"Thank you doctor," she replied heartedly, happy for his consideration. She was determined to help out in his recovery, both for his and Judy's wellbeing. She could not stand watching her sister degrade herself over Nick's condition, and from her observations the fox was having mental issues himself. She needed to help them.

Nick lay peacefully on his bed, sulking away at his unfinished dinner. Although he was hungry before as he hadn't had his stomach filled in over 4 days, he could not take another bite out of the fish as every attempt felt like swallowing sand. Even with just the clam chowder his throat still felt agonizingly painful. Another reason he gave up was that he was too weak to even move his arms, not even for entertainment like the books and his phone Finnick brought for him. He was left with his thoughts as he closed his eyes, wishing for another day to end.

"Nick?" a soft and familiar voice called, "Are you awake?"

The fox shifted his head towards the bunny. His excitement was short-lived after realising that Violet was alone. The bunny pulled up a chair next to him, giving him a smile as she sat down.

"Where's Judy?" he asked, returning to his original unfazed look.

"She's fine. She's kinda worried about you. You know, soft little Judy," she replied. Nick's eyes looked down, feeling slight guilt about what had happened earlier. Realising his sorrow, Violet spoke up, "I don't think we've properly met yet."

Nick's face perked up in attention, facing towards the bunny.

"My name is Doctor Violet Lavender Hopps. I'm Judy's sister, and as of an hour ago, I am your attending physician for your psychological needs," she held out her paw, reaching for a handshake, "Nice to meet you,"

"You're a psychiatric doctor?" Nick chuckled. "And here I was wondering if Judy sent you to spy on-" he gave a nasty cough before he could finish his sentence. Cringing at the pain that came afterwards, he gave a polite apology. "Sorry…"

Violet gave his paw a gentle pat as she grabbed for the cup that was left on his tray. Holding the straw up to his muzzle, Violet observed as he quietly sucked up the refreshing water from the cup.

"Now I don't blame you if you think this is weird," said the bunny, "And I don't expect you to warm up to me that quickly, judging from your psychological profile."

Nick shot her a confused look as she paused. "My profile?" he questioned calmly, trying to extract what she meant, "Is this from Judy?"

"Indirectly maybe," Violet responded confidently as she reached for her phone, "Actually most of it is done by the ZPD. It seems that your medical records were blank prior to your employment there."

The fox was now slightly annoyed by the conversation. Violet could tell that he was not that happy about the arrangement or the intrusion.

"So you're gonna sit on the chair and look at your watch as you charge me like 200 dollars and hour?" he joked. "So when is the session ending?"

The professional bunny did not flinch. She was trained to listen, to accept and to be one sided to her patients, no matter how cold it may sound. "I'm not the one wasting my time right now."

Nick's smile dissipated. "Am I supposed to talk?" the fox replied nonchalantly. He was not fond of shrinks, or sharing his private thoughts for that matter.

"Nick, I know this is new to you. I'm just here to listen." she prompted, noticing the lack of enthusiasm from her patient.

Nick frowned in response as he moved his face away from the bunny.

"I know you have a lot in your mind right now. I also know that you are not the kind to trust that easily," Violet explained; trying to get her patient's attention. "If it makes you feel better just know that I'm legally bound to keep your secrets. You can theoretically sue me if you feel threatened too."

Nick gave a gentle laugh at her response before he melted back to his original, unpleased mood.

A long, silent moment passed between the composed doctor and her unwilling patient. Violet observed his distant, unchanging expressions, begging for him in his mind to make the first move. From what she heard from Judy, there was no point in prying him open. It had to be that way, she thought. Nick did not seem to care, the fox dazing off to his own inner thoughts. He felt pitiful. He hated how idiotic his life had come to; stuck in a hospital bed with no one but two bunnies to talk to, and both of them were challenging his emotions. He knew they meant well, especially for Judy. Thinking back about her he felt disgusted about how awful she must be feeling right now.

"Guess you're not in the mood to talk." Violet interrupted, the bunny tapping away at her phone. "I've sent you my contacts. Just, call if you're in the mood."

Nick gave her a forced nod as she left. He could not help but feel a weird sense of sorrow seeing the bunny exit through the sliding door. No matter how much he resented her, he begrudgingly admitted to himself how good the company felt, ever since Finnick left.

Nick felt drowned and suffocated, like he was stuck in a whirlpool of murky, musty darkness. He was unsure where he was, or how he got there, and the only indication that the things around him felt real was the light in the distance. He ran towards the light, realising that he was now chasing it through a long, dark hallway. Reaching the beacon, he noticed a it came out of a pair of glass windows, like the ones he felt that he knew all so well.

Nick…

A voice called out from behind the glass; a voice that rang of nostalgia and intimacy, one that he yearned to have by his side.

I'm sorry Nick…

She called again, her wailing delivery was sickening to his ears. The fox felt a sense of despair and agony as he cried out. He was shocked by how young he sounded; the flow of his voice pitched and crackled as he ran up to the door. He could hardly make out the view from the bright and refractive glass as he pressed his face up to it.

I'm sorry…

As the light disappeared from the window he was now staring at a dark, gloomy hospital ward, his droopy and dejected look taunting him through the reflection of the glass. He felt empty again as his violent, hefty breathing fogged up the glass. He was consumed in darkness, finding himself collapsing onto his knees shortly after. He was choking again, his lungs void and absent with air. He began to cry, his vision filing up with a dark red curtain. With every huff and sob the pain in his gut increased. The fox was writhing in grief and torment. He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop.

Please stop…

The fox woke found himself gasping through his oxygen mask. The ends of his digits were cold and frostbitten as he felt around his surroundings, eyes darting through and fro before they fixed themselves at the glass sliding door. His heart was pounding, the beeping of the monitor mimicking his stirred up mind. Nick was hit with a sense of unease and trauma. Though he knew he was back in reality, he could not stop his mind from bringing up the dreams.

Am I normal? Is this normal?

He needed to act. He needed help. Reaching over painful to the nightstand he was able to grip his phone. His digits swiped and tapped on the cracked screen, his eyes fixed anxiously as he found what he was looking for. His fingers stopped tentatively above the phone icon, a small hint of hesitance looming over him.

What would Violet say? Can I trust her? What would Judy think?

He was idle in his thoughts, fearful of trying. He thought about how pathetic he felt; how small he was. He was alone and traumatized. His head was starting to cloud, and he could not think.

Judy.

He wanted to see her again. He needed to feel her beside him. He needed someone. He needed help. Nick confidently tapped on the call button, his teeth clattered and his jaw smacked as he waited for her to pick up. He was now alert and buzzed, shoving his negative thoughts aside. He needed to try at least, he thought to himself.

"Nick?" Violet's voice presented itself through the muffled static of the phone speakers.

The fox froze for a while, his mind racing to respond to her. He slapped himself internally of how poignant he was, unable to even reach back for help. Her paw was right there. All he needed to do was reach back.

"Nick? Do you need help?" she called out again, this time with a hint of concern in her voice.

Her voice grounded him in place. He has to reach back. "Help," he whispered softly, his eyes squeezing out tears of relief as he exhaled.

She was coming to him. She was coming to help. He felt a sense of calm as his misery slowly faded, focusing on his breaths as he counted them.