It was almost impossible for Judy to keep her eyes open as she stared at the computer screen. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep the previous night, but it was later than she was used to and it didn't give her enough time to rest. Being exhausted as well as sick to her stomach while being forced to edit reports wasn't how she imagined spending her morning, but once again she had no choice.

She let out another yawn, keeping her arm propped up on her desk so she had something to support her head that could barely stay up on its own. She desperately craved more sleep, just another few minutes was all she needed. Having coffee or any kind of caffeine-filled beverage had crossed her mind, but she didn't drink any of that stuff and she didn't want to start now.

Without realizing it, the bunny slowly lowered her head onto the desk, right on top of the keyboard. Her eyes shut shortly after, her mind beginning to drift to unconsciousness. Sleeping on the job wasn't a good idea at the ZPD, but in the moment she honestly couldn't care less.

But her nap lasted no longer than half a minute before she was suddenly awoken by a co-worker. "Hopps! Wake up!"

She jolted her head up, letting out a small exclaim of surprise. As she calmed down, she realized it was just Clawhauser, standing in the doorway of her cubical office.

"Oh, hey Clawhauser." She greeted, fixing her posture. "Thank you for that."

"Don't mention it." He said, "You're lucky it was just me and not chief. Why are you so tired today?" He asked, showing a bit of concern for the poor bunny.

Judy groaned, rubbing the side of her face. "I slept like crap last night. The thunder kept waking me up, and I threw up like, three times earlier."

Clawhauser frowned, "Geez, Hopps. Why don't you just go home if you're not feeling well?"

"Because I can't. Bogo assigned this to me and I'm not leaving until I get it all done." She said with a mix of determination and exasperation. "This would be so much easier with Nick here." She muttered to herself, but was still heard by the cheetah.

"Hmm. How is he doing, by the way?" He asked. "Is he still in the hospital?"

"What?" Judy asked confused, but quickly remembered that that was the lie she told to cover for her partner. "Oh, right. Uh, yeah. It's gonna be a while, apparently.."

Clawhauser nodded with sympathy, leaning against the wall. "Do you think you caught what he has? And that's why you've been throwing up?"

She held in a scoff. "Trust me, I can't catch what he has."

"If you say so." He shrugged. "Oh, by the way, next time you go to see him, can you also pay a visit to Wolfard? He's in the hospital now, too."

Judy's ears shot up, her eyes widening. "Wait, really? What happened?"

"He and his family were in a wreck the other night." Clawhauser informed, "The family's fine but he injured his neck so he's gonna be out for a while. I just think a friendly face from work might help him feel better. In fact, I was thinking of getting a card for all of us to sign."

"Oh god." She frowned, having to pause to take in the fact that one of her co-workers was hurt. She wasn't that close to Wolfard, but she still didn't want anything like this happening to him. "Y-yeah, of course I'll go see him. And I'll even bring the card."

Clawhauser gave her a small smile, "Thanks, Hopps. You're the best." She chuckled at that. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to work. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you." She nodded as he walked away. She turned back to face her computer again, replaying the conversation in her head as she backspaced all the letters she accidentally typed while falling asleep.

As she thought more about visiting Wolfard, an idea struck her out of nowhere. If she could see him, then she would have a way in the hospital. And if she was there, she could maybe, just possibly get her paws on the Night Howler antidote.

However, it would be a very risky move, insane even. Not only would she be stealing (which was already morally wrong), she would be stealing medical equipment that only trained professionals were allowed to utilize. If anyone found out, she could get into a lot of trouble. It could compromise her entire career.

But for Nick, she had to do it.

The thought of going through with it added to the discomfort in her stomach, and yet again brought back the nausea she'd been feeling on-and-off for days. "Shit." She whispered, hurriedly jumping off her chair and making a run for it toward the restroom.

—

"Nick! Good news!" Judy called out as she entered the apartment, closing the door behind her.

The fox lifted his head up, watching her walk into the living room with what he assumed was a hopeful grin. He stood from his curled up position on the couch and hopped down on the floor to approach her. His tail wagged in anticipation for her news.

"Well, actually it's good news with a hint of terrible outcomes." She corrected herself, shaking her head after. "Anyway, I think I might've found a way to bring you back to normal!"

Nick's eyes widened as he tilted his head.

"But unfortunately, it's gonna require me breaking in to a hospital and stealing the Night Howler antidote." She added, her smile gradually fading as she spoke. "And if I get caught, I might go to prison."

Nick clearly didn't like that part, as the excitement in his face was no longer present. He didn't know what she meant, but he could tell that she was hesitant about it for a reason. He gently nudged his head against her arm, trying to encourage her not to go through with it if it was going to cause trouble.

Judy chuckled and crouched down, cupping his face in her paws. "Hey now, don't give me that look. If this works, you'll be back to how you used to be! I know it's a bad plan, and it's probably the stupidest decision I've ever made, but it's a risk we have to take. Besides,"

She tenderly caressed his face as their eyes met in a loving stare, "it'll all be worth it for you."

Nick let out a tiny whimper in response, sticking out his tongue to lick her face. She slightly cringed, wiping away the slobber he left behind. "And it'll be nice to not have you do that anymore."

She stood up, rubbing her now damp paw on her pants. "Anyway, I'm gonna go change and then wait for a while. I'm thinking it's best to go at night when it's less busy."

Nick continued to stare at her as she walked away, his curiosity growing more and more. He wasn't sure what the plan was exactly, but he knew it involved risk. And if she was willingly putting herself in danger for him, what was he supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for her?

No, he had to be there with her. He had to protect her at all costs. Even if she didn't want him to, he wasn't going to give her a choice.