Violet seated on the bench against the wall, waiting patiently for her turn with the fox. Peering across to the glass in front of her, the bunny watched passively as two nurses plugged Nick back into bed after another early morning screening session with Dr Capra. Though she had always preferred a more balanced time schedule in her work, he had made it standard for her to be in close contact during Nick's check-ups, following the incident with the MRI. She swore the doctor had him tour almost every piece of medical equipment in the hospital for the past few days. Violet was certain that she could even find a CT scan that charted out the annoyance in Nick's head. However, she could not blame the goat for his due-diligence; he had every reason to ramp up precautions and medical check-ups ever since the spectre of a stroke and the unexpected seizure that followed.

Violet yawned, shortly upon realising how the nurses were taking longer than usual. The doe in the room seemed to be explaining something, seeing how the fox responded with gentle nods and a pair of perked up ears. Distracting herself from the boredom, the bunny flipped through the file on her lap, glancing over some notes and copies of the imaging done on his brain.

Guess he's more sleepy than annoyed.

Violet chuckled as she traced her eyes over the translucent printouts. After turning over and skipping over a few reports and records she found herself staring at her personal notes she took from the beginning of her assignment. Reading over the stuff she jotted down she was amazed and grateful for all the progress they've made so far. Nick was more comfortable with opening up to her, a far cry from the snarky and emotionally reserved character from when she had met him personally. She was happy that the once untrusting fox was now honest and cooperative, though he was still uncomfortable with sharing too much.

She recalled back to the catalysing moment that had gotten them to this point, which started with a harrowing phone call that one night. Nick was lucky that Violet had decided to stay for another sleepover with her sister; otherwise she would not have caught him in his most vulnerable. She remembered his bone chilling yelp, the sound of his raspy breaths echoing over the muffled filter on the speakerphone. Violet recalled how fast she had dashed to the ICU with the phone against her face as she assured him. Nick was a mess when she arrived; the fox was practically heaving in a silent sob as he bawled his eyes out to the eerie metronome of a rapid heartrate monitor. He was curled tightly against his covers, gripping tightly at the pillows and his phone as an attempt to subdue the blender of stirred emotions in his head. The unnerving sight of the fretful, broken fox was stamped vividly in her mind. No matter how professional she had always confined her views towards her patients, Violet's heart sank upon seeing the mentally low frenzy he was in.

Night terrors.

Although it wasn't uncommon for trauma patients to be experiencing nightmares and bad dreams, she could not fathom the perilous extent of Nick's condition which reduced an externally composed character like him into the pregnable fox she stumbled upon that night. She was oddly gracious for being able to experience Nick's breakdown first hand as it had undoubtedly helped her gained his trust.

Violet was brought back with the growing sound of an approaching medical cart. Lifting her head up for a better look the rabbit was surprised to see what the nurse had wheeled in for their patient. Placed on top of the cart was a dialysis machine, a stand-in blood cleanser for patients with dysfunctional or absent kidneys. The sheep wheeled the equipment through the glass sliding door, the other workers making way as he parked the machine next to Nick's cot. Violet braced for the worst as she flipped through the papers once more, her eyes stopping at the most recent lab report she had ignored earlier.

Oh god.

She gasped as she compared the numbers presented in the printouts. The bunny's eyes darted back to the scene in the ward; her pupils focused at the calm and collected face Nick wore as they briefed him on the procedure. Violet observed as the badger on the side of the cot worked on his wrist. Nick's whiskers twitched as the pair of needles were inserted deep into his veins. After a few brief checks on his blood pressure and a few turns on the dials on the panels, the machine hummed to life. The fox starred at the red fluid that began to climb up the plastic tube in his arm, making its way into the machine. Nick was surprised at how little the process actually hurt, trailing his eyes at the crimson wire that ran along his bed.

A moment after the working mammals left, Violet entered the room, a smile forming on her face as she got a better look at him, though frowning upon the machine that churned away next to him. The fox looked tired and dozy; almost dazing off if he didn't catch the arrival of his therapist. It was uncanny to him how reduced senses were ever since the surgery. He didn't even realise that she had entered until she was already next to his bed. Turning his head towards her he returned the smile.

"Tough morning?" Violet greeted as she gestured to the machine that whistled beside them. "How long is that gonna be there?"

"Probably for another hour or two," he replied with a yawn, seemingly unfazed by the previous medical procedures. "By the way, what's the date again?"

"It's May 4th…" Violet shifted her eyebrows; the question seemingly caught her off guard. A brief snap of her thoughts on Nick's forming smirk, she was hit with a wave of awe. "I was wondering the other day if you knew," she replied, smiling her teeth out.

"C'mon doc, she's my partner. Of course I would remember," he snickered, savouring the astonishment from the bunny. "Wish her a happy birthday for me,"

"I could always fetch Judy back here," she poked back. Violet sat herself on top of the conveniently placed chair by his side. "Then you can wish her yourself," she added, Nick's mood shifting instantly.

The fox was sombre at her suggestion, his mind clogged with a flutter of disappointing emotions. He had never expected himself to be hustled by the same bunny twice in his life, even if it was just the thought of her. He disliked how conflicted he felt; by all accounts he was a sharp, witty and confident mammal, but he was stumped at how difficult it was to muster himself up to even text or call his best friend on her birthday.

Violet stared in worry as she realised how distressed the discussion had trailed him. "Anyways, guess I'll start with a few standard questions?" she asked in a dragged out tone, purposefully interrupting him from his bitter thoughts.

Nick snapped back; his gentle nod a sign for his therapist to continue on with the session.

"So how was sleep?" asked the doctor, adjusting her glasses with the purple pencil in her paw. "Had any occurrences?"

"No." Nick responded briefly. "Didn't dream last night."

Violet added a cross onto her calendar, next to the numerous other marks that spanned the previous few days. She looked back to him, examining the disappointed look he wore, and the slumped stature on his neck. "Something else then?" she prodded.

I'm getting sloppy at this.

Though he held back from showing his concern, the fox was dumbfounded by how easily she read him.

"Nick, you're never this tired. You're practically always on meds," she added. "If you had a hard time sleeping last night, maybe there's something you might wanna share?"

Violet waited patiently for his answer.

"It's Judy," he spoke with a hint of reluctance in his voice. He sighed as he connected back to his previous thoughts, and what the bunny had said earlier. "I just… I… I don't know," he stuttered.

The pair sat in silence.

"Been thinking about what to get her?" Violet prompted.

"Jeez… I don't know doctor, maybe I'll get her another day off from work," he replied sarcastically, though his amusement was short lived after a glance at his doctor. His ears dropped back onto the bandages on his head. "Sorry."

The fox looked down to his digits, collecting himself as he dug his claw into the covers between them. "You know, I've practically given her the same gift as last year."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage that?" She inquired.

"I had to run a few favours with the chief and even more extra hours on top of that," he smiled, reminiscing back to the tedious amount of hours he clocked in for possibly the greatest gift slash prank he had pulled off. "Almost broke her parking ticket record too. It was all worth it for the reaction on her face though."

"How happy was she?"

"Fuming actually. It didn't help that she still clocked into work that early morning, with a confused look from Bogo." Nick chuckled, snickering at the thought of his partner's amped up thumping and cute little twitching nose as she unleashed her anger at him. "She would've kicked me into oblivion too if I didn't present her with the train tickets"

Violet laughed as she pictured the steaming bunny. "I was wondering how she had it in her to visit Bunnyburrow on a work day, didn't realise she had a sly conniving partner pulling the strings."

He smiled at her remark, glad that everyone was ultimately happy at the end of the day. He even had the cruiser all by himself. He knew she would never had stayed mad at him and how far they have come as partners; but why was the thought of reaching back out to her bothering him so much.

"Vi," Nick's expressions shifted back to a sunken face as he called out to her. "Is Judy… does she hate me?"

"Hate?" she shot him a confused look.

"Maybe hate isn't the word... um… does she still blame herself for me?" he recalled the last few sentences he had heard from Judy. Each phrase with fresh emotions still attached echoing to him how unforgivable she felt for getting him in this whole ordeal.

"Judy Hopps is a hard headed, hero complex of a bunny that takes too much of a responsibility for everything she comes into contact with. Don't let her thoughts bother you too much," she ranted, trying her best to steer the fox out of any wallowing thoughts regarding himself. "Honestly, that's actually my problem to deal with."

"Obviously I think she's dumb for beating herself up like she always does, I kinda get it if she doesn't want to see me but; why is the thought of letting her into my life again scaring me so much?" Nick added a hint of desperation between his lines.

Violet glanced at the troubled fox. "If it makes you feel any better, just know that the feeling is mutual."

The fox paused at her sentence, lifting his head once again to meet her.

"She misses you," she continued, watching as the fox's eyes shined once more, "She hated that she was restraining herself from seeing you this soon; she kinda blames herself for the seizure."

Classic Carrots…

Nick was dumbfounded, all this time he thought she just needed some time but didn't realise that she was afraid to let herself back into his life.

"Well technically she kinda did…" Violet trailed off at the end; giving herself a moment to adjust her words as Nick began to raise his eyebrows. "Do you remember what set you off?"

Though the last few moments in his head before the seizure was a total blur; Nick's face fell into a sunken frown as he reconstructed Judy's final remarks. His eyes darted towards the blood red IV line that stuck out from his wrist, following it until it reached the dialysis machine that sat next to him. The components of the machine rotated and actuated, filtering his blood as it did what his kidney was supposed to do.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Violet held her breath, anxious about the clutter that was going through his mind. She could tell from his blank, expressionless face that she hit a nerve with her inquiry.

Another brief moment passed before Nick made up his mind.

"No."

Violet wore a frown as she exited the ward. She took one final look at Nick, who was already fast asleep after their session together ended. Though she knew it would take some time before he was comfortable with elaborating the more obscure parts of his history, she had hopes that he would share a few moments with her earlier. For a con-artist, city raised fox like Nick; she could only fathom the angst and history he had endured. It was clear from the blank and edged expression he wore that the memories he had decided not to share shook him to a level; most likely the same ones that had driven him into the seizure.

The bunny felt her phone buzz, pulling her out of her train of thought. She immediately fished the vibrating device out of her back pocket, wondering if it was her assistant calling about her schedule.

Violet's eyes lighted in joy as she read the contact on the screen. Briefly ducking herself into a more secluded pocket outside the ICU wing, she pressed the device up to her ear after the tap of a button.

"Mom?" she answered in an upbeat and wondrous tone.

"Good morning dear," Bonnie replied, her voice as endearing as ever. "How are you? How is everything? Is Judy doing fine?"

"Peachy as always mom," she assured, a smile creeping its way on her face, "Judy is a little extra with her exercises but I'll make sure she doesn't push herself too much."

"Nice to hear that our birthday girl is herself again," she replied, "Oh, I've got to make this quick, your father and I are boarding the morning train to Zootopia as we speak, we'll probably arrive just about the afternoon."

The bunny was hit with a wave of astonishment, realising why they never called Judy for her birthday that morning; possibly the only day where she could wish her siblings a happy birthday before their parents did.

"And here I was wondering if you forgot your wake up calls." Violet felt exceedingly happy, knowing how happy their visit would make her. "Just call me when you two arrive at the station, I'll come pick you guys up."

"One more question dear," she followed, "Judy is allowed to eat something from outside the hospital right? We brought her favourite carrot cake and some other confectionaries for you too."

"I'm sure she can mom."

"See? I told you it would be fine," Stu responded in a fainter voice, "Oh Vi, don't tell Judy anything just yet, we both want to surprise her."

"My lips are locked."

Judy stood still, straightening herself whilst keeping a paw on the wall beside her. She started to inhale slowly, filling up her lungs with the cool, clean yet odoriferous hospital air she had learnt to live with. She could feel her chest expanding as well as the strain in her muscles halfway through, before it started to hurt.

The base of her rib shot a sharp and sudden pain into her system. A second instant of pain followed, one that came from inside her chest, radiating its way through the walls of her lung. The bunny cringed, her eyebrows scrunching as she squeezed her eyes shut. She had expected the pain – she had lived with a mild version of it for quite a while after she had requested the doctor to remove the meds.

After filling herself up to her limits she started to count, forcing herself to focus on the sharp pain.

One…

A secondary pain evolved beside the main culprits; a straining pain from the breath she held. Judy strengthened herself, facing what's to come.

Two…

They all grew more caustic and intense, battering her nerves to agonizing extents. The bunny kept straining, oddly savouring the burning sensation in her chest.

Three…

She finally released the breath, ejecting the air from her mouth with an audible sigh and puff. The pain began to subside, though it still pulsed in tempo with her short and rapid breaths that followed.

Judy did not know if her habitual 'breathing exercise' was actually helping her regain her breath capacity, or did she know if it helped her adapt better to her chest pains. She was willing to put herself through it, no matter how fruitless it proved itself to be. She pushed herself to learn to live with the pain.

Despite how she had already went through a short rehabilitation session just moments ago, Judy found herself pacing around the room, as if it wasn't enough for a tough bunny like her. Every larger step she took caused another injection of pain across her chest, though she did not let the pain inhibit her movements externally. Although she was eager to do some basic jump and leaps, she restrained herself, her mind bringing up the warning from the doctor and her sister the few days before.

Judy, as much as I want to see you recover from all this faster, I don't want to see you stumbling two steps back either.

Don't push it.

She knew the road to recovery was going to be tedious. Judy had just begun hers, and she was already yearning to get back in the field alongside her partner.

Nick.

The thought of her partner drove her back down. Even if she did recover by the end of the month, Nick's journey was going to be lot more arduous and difficult.

Could he even be a cop again?

Judy was saddened by how critical his condition was going to leave him.

Could he even run with that leg?

She revolted at his chomped up and shredded leg she saw from the picture, the one that was buried out of sight under all that dressing. She could only hope it looked brand new the next time she saw it without the bandages, even if it did took a long time to fully heal back.

Could it even fully heal back?

She shuddered in her thoughts, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Judy?" called Violet as she opened the door, "How's my little birthday bun doing?"

Her sister's presence caught her off guard, snapping her out of her worrying thoughts. Sucking up her sorrows, Judy tried her best to hide them, not wanting to disappoint her sister. Before she could even fake a smile, her parents waltzed in through the doorway behind Violet.

"Mom! Dad!" Judy exclaimed in awe, her eyes widening instantly their presence.

Immediately she sprinted towards them, fuelled with overjoy and a sense of overdue longing. She ignored the warnings from her body; shoving aside the agonizing pain that resulted from her motions.

"Woah easy there," Stu cried with a chuckle as her daughter stumbled towards him into a long, hearty hug, before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Don't wanna overdo the running now…" He returned the hug, holding her head close to his chest.

She did the same to her mother, prompting her to release her bags onto the floor before reaching her paws up to embrace her back.

"Happy birthday dear," Bonnie replied as she gave her teary eyed daughter a long, warmth filled stare.

"Love you too mom," Judy interrupted as she held her mother's paw in hers.

She turned to Violet who was smiling away, savouring the heartfelt moment between them. Judy pulled her into the largest, heartiest hug Violet ever received; one that rivalled the one she gave her during their reunion the few weeks ago.

"Why don't we settle down somewhere," his father spoke in a timid accent, "Can't have you standing about for too long,"

"Oh, don't you worry too much Stu," followed Bonnie, giving him a rub on his shoulder, "Look at our Judy dear, she's all strong and healthy."

"As strong as I'll ever be," Judy responded in a joking yet joyful tone as she pulled her parents over to the seats next to her bed.

"Again, sorry if we couldn't be there for you all those days ago," Stu apologized as he seated himself on the chair, "It was all so sudden and…"

"As long as you're here dad," Judy cut him mid-sentence, unwilling to let him ramble on his worries, "Besides, Violet's been more than enough company," she gave her sister a smirk, who did the same, "Like mom said, I'm doing fine…"

Before she could even finish her assurance, the door swung open, revealing to her a very unexpected visitor.

"Gideon?" she shouted in amazement as her eyes locked with his cheery smile and expressions.

"Hope I'm not too late for the party," the fox greeted in his modest tone as he entered the room, both paws supporting a tin-foil package. "I brought a fresh baked one too,"

"Our friend here was in town this week. We invited him too, seeing how eager he was to learn that it was your birthday," Stu explained as he got up to help the fox with the pie. "That blueberry filling sure does do a lot to that darn hospital scent,"

"Happy birthday Judy," he continued as she gave him a welcome hug. "Looks like I'm not the only one who brought cake,"

As Judy looked over to her mother, the older bunny pulled out a plastic container from one of the bags she held. Inside of it contained a medium size carrot cake, decorated with fruity and zest toppings as well as sweet, powdery icing sugar; a Hopps family traditional classic.

"All that's missing are the candles. Shame that your father assumed that they didn't allow them in hospitals in the city," Bonnie commented, giving her husband a poking look.

"Should've checked with me before you entered my car," Violet giggled as they shared a laugh. "It's been so long since I've seen this cake," she replied as she helped her mother unpack the cake, "You are one lucky bunny sis."

Just like always, Violet was right. Since she had moved out to Zootopia almost two years ago, she would have never expected to celebrate her birthday physically with her family, let alone twice in a row.

"Lucky indeed," said Stu, his mood changing to a more serious tone, "Can't believe my daughter took a bullet,"

"Two actually," Violet spurted out instinctively before swallowing her words after a weird stare from her parents.

"From what I've heard what happened back there was quite a stir," Gideon added as he unwrapped the foil cover, revealing a glistening, perfectly baked crust underneath. "Hope that raccoon gets what's coming for him."

"Judy, if you don't mind us asking," her mother followed, "How are the other officers holding up? I remember reading about another mammal that carried you out of that building too…"

Nick.

Judy shuddered at the last sentence, the thoughts from before now flooding back into her mind. Before she let those thoughts consume her, she turned over to Violet who had given her a gentle elbow nudge. She wore a confident smile which gave her a well needed sense of assurance. It gave her the prompt she needed to muster up the courage she had lost to face the thoughts regarding his partner.

"Mom, dad," she uttered in a sharp and clear voice, grabbing the attention of ever mammal in the room, "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Nick's eyes lingered on his phone; thoughts revolving as he wondered about the best gift a bunny could receive. He sighed, looking over his phone to the semi-deflated balloons and gift baskets he never found himself going through. Not that he didn't cherish their presents; he just had a hard time mustering the energy to do so. His injuries and medication were partly the reason, but most of it came from the hospital itself.

Nick never liked hospitals. He hated the air, how it smelled and how cold it was. He despised the bandages and how he wasn't able to feel his fur, even if he didn't want to see what lay underneath. Weirdly enough, he also didn't enjoy the hospitality from the nurses either. Although they treated him kinder than any other strangers, he never failed to look through their smiles, knowing all that well that they were just doing their job; even if they were genuine, he resented their pity, it only made him feel more broken.

He stared blankly out through the glass wall, which was the only window in the whole damn room. The lack of any scenery, coupled with his inability to move around made him feel like he was confined; the second last reason he loathed hospitals. The view was as depressing as ever. A lone painting hung above the couch beside a potted plastic plant with frequenting mammals stepping in and out of view.

The couch.

He yearned for anyone to talk to that wasn't a nurse or a doctor, even Violet. He sometimes wished that Finnick would stay a bit longer, even if it meant uninspired chats with an often unmoved, grumpy fennec.

As if on que, a parade of bunnies shifted into view outside his peripheral, prompting an astounded Nick to dart his eyes towards them.

Judy?

Nick locked gazes with his partner, who looked just as familiar; if not more than he had remembered. She gave him an awkward smile beside her glossy, mood fuelled eyes, a refreshing face that lifted the phantom weight in his chest. Around her stood Violet and two older, bunnies who he assumed are her parents as well as…

A fox?

Judy entered first, her pace picking up as she got closer to his side.

"Nick," Judy called as she placed a paw on his shoulder.

His entire body melted under her touch. He missed her caring touch, her emotional face and her overall reassuring and caring presence.

"You forgot your wheelchair," he scoffed in the most playful yet genuine tone as he held back his tears behind his signature smirk, "Happy birthday Carrots."

Darting his eyes over to the gathering bunnies behind her, Nick gave Violet a psychic thank you note, to which she received and responded with a wink. Both Stu, Bonnie ad Gideon returned his smile whilst keeping their distraught look; the same look all his visitors gave him the first time they saw him in his rugged, half-patched state. He could only wonder how hideous he actually looked in third person, and what their initial thoughts were when they caught view of him.

"Mom, dad, this is my partner Nick Wilde," Judy spoke in an unfiltered, sharp voice; commanding everyone in the room to her attention, "He's that officer you've read about. He's the fox that saved my life."

Wow…

Nick almost cried at the introduction she gave him. He kept her face in his view, tears skimming down her once steady complexion.

Before he could shoot her with a witty response; or if he could even formulate one, Stu scooped up Nick's paw in his, striking him with the most genuine look of gratitude he ever saw in a mammal.

"I'll be damned…" he uttered, his voice trailing off as he sucked in a breath, "You're the reason our Judy's stills kicking on her birthday." He sniffled.

"We can't thank you enough," Bonnie followed, giving their united paws a firm rub.

Nick was astonished. Just like before, he was speechless again; this time by two different bunnies. He kept his awe stricken smile as he whole heartedly accepted their love and wishes.

"Oh and this is Gideon Grey," she continued as she tugged the other fox closer to his side, prompting him to shake his paw.

"Good to see I'm not the only fox around the Hopps family," Nick chuckled as gripped his paw, accepting this firm introduction, "What's your story?"

"I'm, uh…" Gideon rubbed the back of his head, smiling his teeth out in an awkward grin.

"He's a childhood friend," Judy interrupted, giving the larger fox a mischievous smile.

"Let's just leave it at that," he replied with a cheeky look.

Judging by his heavier accent, it was clear that he grew up with Judy back in Bunnyburrow. Although Nick did not quite buy the description, he was surprised nonetheless to get to meet someone from her life that wasn't a bunny.

"Have you had lunch yet?" her mother asked as she reached under to one of the bags they carried around.

"Only quarter of a meal I guess," Nick responded politely, "Hospital food isn't really my…"

The fox paused upon tasting the inviting smell of fresh confectionaries in his mouth. He watched in amazement as the two older bunnies pulled out a cake and a pie from the bags, presenting it to everyone in the room.

"Guess we're holding our little party here then," Stu commented as he wheeled a table cart towards them. "Hope you two don't mind," he turned to Judy and Nick.

Judy blushed for a second upon realising how close she had leaned towards her bedbound partner; retreating for a bit before he acknowledged it with a smirk.

"I'm always up for cake," Nick responded briefly, watching as they seated themselves around him.

He found himself enjoying the heartiness of the crowd. The afternoon kicked off with him singing along to the birthday song before he accidentally botched it with a fit of coughing; he switched to humming for the remainder of the song. He laughed along with them afterward, shaking off any worrying comments he received from them.

Nick savoured every bit of the confectionary, from the carrot cake itself to the mini vanilla cupcakes and especially the blueberry pie Gideon made. It took a fox to know a fox, which made him grateful towards his new found friend's specialty. It was sweet, tangy and perfectly baked, which had reminded him of how his mother used to make it.

He watched and snickered as Judy forced herself to read through half of all the birthday cards she received from her other families back at home. Violet and Nick shared a laugh at the awful penmanship of some of the cards, most of which came from who Stu described as the younger ones. They judged a few crayon drawings they made, most of which depicted either how brave Judy was as a police officer or how bloody she was when she had jumped out of the building. Accurate was how Nick described them, which made Bonnie a little bit curious about what her kids were watching when they weren't home.

After Judy, it was Nick's turn to be coerced to rummage through the gift baskets she gathered from the untouched pile from his co-workers. They shared the candies and other snacks Clawhauser had left for him since the day he woke up, though a few of them were already too stale to eat. To his surprise Grizzoli even snuck in a tiny bottle of gin for him. It took a little convincing from Violet, but Judy managed to take half a shot alongside her partner, who was eager to try the alcohol without much backlash from her parents.

They shared giggles and tasteful stories regarding an embarrassed bunny, who eventually gave in and shared perspectives of her own. He learnt how stubborn she was even if she was still a kit, as well as how she actually met Gideon. He also shared a bit about himself, from how the two officers met to his struggles in the academy. That was also when Stu and Bonnie found out about the real reason behind their daughter's visit last year, which he was met with a lot of thanks and astonished faces as he explained the extent of his extra work hours.

Nick felt accepted, something he did not know he yearned for since his heart to heart with Judy back on their first case together. He felt complete, like a piece of a mismatched yet perfect fit with the mammals around him. It had been so long that he had the sense of being whole. His emotions were amplified further by how they treated him as a friend and a family member and not as a helpless patient; although they insisted taking turns feeding him, seeing how difficult it was for him to even manoeuvre the spoon towards his muzzle.

For once in a long time he did not felt lonely. He was happy.

It was late evening, and the once crowded and eventful setting of the ICU ward was now reduced to a calm, tranquil state. Only Judy remained in the room with Nick, the bunny dangling her legs off the cot as she seated herself on the bed beside him. Nick's eyes visited his relaxed partner a few times but briefly darted away upon realising it. His partner kept her mind focused on the cake; at least what's left of it on the cart in front of them.

They both basked in the silent aftermath of the party, smiling to themselves as they kept their mutual thoughts to themselves.

Mustering the energy to break the cold air between them, Nick faked a cough, clearing his throat in the process. Judy turned to face him, though she quickly placed her eyes elsewhere as they locked gazes.

"That was nice," he uttered in a flat tone, shifting his pupils towards the bunny once more.

"Yeah," she returned, exchanging a smile with the fox.

She was irritated at herself for not being able to remember any of the different apologies and greeting sentences she had ran through her mind countless time before. She was boggled at how difficult it was to reconnect with him verbally. Eventually she collected herself. Judy placed a paw on his chest, catching the fox's attention.

"I… I missed you," she admitted, her paws now stroking against the hospital gown he wore. She felt the clump of fur hidden beneath it, as well as the coarse gauze and bandages she had wished were never there. She was careful not to hurt him, focusing on the gentle twitches on his face.

Nick wore a blank face, emanating the stir of emotions he was feeling. He was blissful and excited from her gentle touches, though melancholy and slightly bitter at the weight that he heard in her voice.

"I miss you too fluff," he responded.

"Sorry, if I made you feel distant," she said in a tone that contrasted his playful remark, "It just felt kinda wrong to… Since I provoked you last time…"

"And I thought I drove you away," the fox replied in a playful yet warm and genuine manner, "Guess were both emotional idiots,"

Judy chuckled as they shared another moment together. They were both relieved to be next to each other again. To Nick, her presence was comforting and assuring, akin to a something he could lean on. The bunny felt similarly, with the added thought of forgiveness, no matter how difficult she handled the emotion before all this.

"Do you remember what you said last time?" Nick began, his tone now shifted into a more unfiltered and serious inquiry. His question caught her attention, her unwanted memories flooding back into her mind.

Before Nick could continue they both turned to the sound of the sliding door, only to see Violet at the glass entrance.

"Seems that Gideon took the hassle of sending mom and dad back so... Am I interrupting something?" Violet's voice trailed off at the end, her cheeks a slight shade of blush as she noticed the surprised looks on their faces.

"Actually, it's good that you're here too," the fox replied.

Violet stood closer, observing how he braced himself to reveal something to them. Nick turned to his partner once again, which she responded by gripping his paw in hers with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm sure you gathered that both my parents kinda passed away. Not gonna blame Finn for that," he chuckled, before swallowing it back upon seeing the worried look on his partner's face, "My father... he died in a car crash when I was five."

Nick held back his tears, his mood now shifting into a depressing frown.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Judy replied.

It had been a while since she had saw him this vulnerable and visibly downed. Her partner had always held a tight act even if he was stressed, which made it clear to her that what he was about to share wasn't exactly pleasant for him.

"You don't have to…"

"You have the right to know," he continued, stretching out his sentence in a heftier voice.

Judy placed her paw on his chest again, giving him an assuring nod.

"I was in the passenger seat that night. I don't remember too much but I think a drunk driver hit us on the highway back to Happytown. The entire car was totalled, I remember being upside down. I don't know how I survived but… he wasn't as lucky as me."

Nick took a breath.

"He was pressed under the car… There was so much blood I couldn't even..."

He paused for a while, wiping the tears off the corner of his eyes.

"Then there were the sirens. He told me everything was okay... and that I just need to tell mom that too. That was the last time I saw him, being loaded up onto the ambulance…"

He looked at Judy, her face painted with a look of despair as she kept her senses on his voice.

"Mom was another story," the fox continued, sucking up his emotions, "Pancreatic cancer. She was already on the third stage when she found out. Treatment was difficult already; but little ol' teenage Nick was too naïve to accept that."

Tears trailed down his face as he creaked up a tiny smile.

"I remembered skipping school to move a few boxes around, trying my best to keep up with the hospital costs. Mom didn't even know I was doing it too. She was just surprised that city still cared for low lives like us."

Judy tightened the grip on his paw.

"I lied to her about how fine I was doing back at home and at school… She lied about how she was feeling better too. She died two months after she stayed in that hospital and she didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye."

He began to sob.

"Every single day I stayed by her side after I've done my hours… lying to her how great my day was in school was. She was bedbound at the end of the first month... and she still lied about the walks she had that morning… and how she's too tired to get up and about when I'm there… I believed it too… That everything was gonna be fine… Guess she didn't want to ruin the last few days I had with her."

Nick broke down as he finished, the fox crying silently into the side of his pillow. Judy was stunned, recovering from the stories she had never expected from his partner. She hated how bad it made him feel, although he was the one who insisted on letting her know. Violet was strangely glad for him to be able to get it off his chest. It made so much sense to her – why he despised the whole recovery process and the fragments from his night terrors.

"Nick," Judy shifted herself closer to his side, leaning herself into the saddened fox, "You're never gonna be alone now… or ever. I'm always going to be here with you…"

Nick cried into her chest, the bunny feeling as stunned as before as she felt the heat from his breath and the damp fur on his face. She began cradling the fox in her embrace, stroking the fur behind his ear as she focused on the bandages on top of his head.

"You're gonna get through this…" she whispered into his head, planting small kisses on it as she started to cry along with him.

"I love you, dumb fox."