Savanna Medical
Nick stiffly sat up in his hospital bed and groaned. He grumbled at the foul odor of burnt fur and bad food. The three plastic chairs of varied sizes stole the attention of his eyes. Their dull gray color stood out amongst the brighter walls and sterilized furniture in his room. And they were full of visitors. A small corner bathroom, a hygienic wash sink and a table with drawers underneath containing medical supplies provided the nurses and patients with all the basic needs.
"Oh the jokester is up," said Judy.
"I'm trying," said Nick.
He pushed away the titanium arm that held a lamp over his bed. A window overlooking the parking lot of the hospital was set opposite the bathroom door. Nick would have been home before the morning rush had it not been for the two-hour wait in the emergency ward, followed by a sudden allergic reaction to a special soap he was given for his burn wounds. The door opened and Finnick wearily padded into the room. He had been with Nick for a few hours.
He was pleasantly surprised to see his patient room filled to capacity and blinked away the moisture in his eyes. The concern of the officers and his friends was more than anything he had expected to receive from anyone. Judy sat nearest the door, wearing blue denim pants and a blue denim jacket over a pink shirt. It was quite cold in the hospital room. Out of the three officers present, Judy was the only one who came to visit off duty. Although Fangmeyer and McHorn were probably present for official business, He noticed that Fangmeyer's tail wagged when she locked eyes with him.
"It shouldn't be much longer now. You're due for release I think," said Finnick. Nick moved up in his bed to be closer to Judy when she turned to Fangmeyer and McHorn. She began speaking about their history. Judy brought the officers up to speed on everything she has been up to this past month. She talked about her conversation with Jack and passed on all of the information she gathered from him and from the events leading up to Delgato's mysterious appearance. It was quite a tale that left Nick shaking his head. Judy was a wrecking ball. And with a work ethic to match. And what has Nick done during that time? Play complacent in Big's schemes and end up becoming a victim like all the rest. The stark contrast between he and Judy was almost embarrassing by itself. But he was impressed. They're really going to try to take down Big... During a moment of quiet, Nick curiously asked,
"So who is this Jack? What does he do exactly?" Judy turned to him and said,
"He's the Lead Investigative Official for Zootopian National Affairs." Nick detected a hint of pride in her words.
"That's quite a mouthful," he said.
"LIOZNA for short." Unable to resist the opening Judy left for him, Nick impulsively said,
"He's a lasagna?"
"Ba ha ha!" All heads turned in surprise to McHorn who honked with laughter in his seat. "The fox is a riot."
Judy resumed her story and talked about how she met Finnick and Nick, which led to the more serious case at paw involving, yet again, Finnick and Nick. She talked about Big and his connection to all the little street happenings, the possibility of a major plot hovering over Zootopia like a black cloud. All of it. Nick kept quiet, unsure of whether or not to reveal how much he really knew. But the inspiration he felt when listening to Judy's story forced him into an internal conflict.
Finnick scowled and turned his head to hide his face. Knowing Finnick, Nick expected him to use anger as a crutch for his shame.
Knowing everything that Judy has gone through up to this point made Nick give pause to how he has been living this past year. He grimaced and skipped out on any openings to respond to Judy when she spoke to the officers. He did not want to embarrass himself by defending what obviously was illegal activity. Even more awkward was how he felt when looking at Finnick. He knew Finnick had a more favorable opinion of Big. Nick couldn't understand it. But he hoped that after hearing what Judy has told them, Finnick would rethink where he stands.
"Wow, this is getting heavy," mumbled McHorn.
"This is all a mess..." Fangmeyer shook her head. "On one side of this, Nick is a victim. But on the other" — Fangmeyer stood up from her seat and pointed a stern finger at him — "no matter how bad things have been for you, you still can't be excused for your role in the cargo theft." Nick averted his gaze, unable to face Fangmeyer. Finnick crossed his arms and hugged himself, waiting for the officers to finally cut the chat and just arrest them. Everyone's heads turned to the door when it opened. Chief Bogo stepped inside, with Delgato waiting just by the entrance. Judy tightly gripped her seat and looked at Delgato with thinly veiled disgust.
"Morning, officers." The officers present, including the suspended Judy, greeted their chief with a respectful, "Sir." Chief Bogo looked around the room. He let his gaze linger on Nick and Finnick.
"Alright, If you do not have any business here, I would kindly ask that you exit the room momentarily." The Chief eyed Finnick First. He flattened his ears in outrage,
"Whatever you say to Nick, you say in front of me!"
"Finnick, don't be stupid," said Nick.
"Obstruction? I'll be sure to note that in my report if you're thinking of being a problem for me." The Chief puffed out his chest confidently. Finnick lowered his gaze, eyes scanning the tile floor. He grumbled in defeat and stomped out of the room. Before Chief Bogo could address Judy with the same request, she was already heading toward the door behind Finnick, but Chief Bogo stopped her,
"Hang on." He held up an outstretched arm as if to reach for her. Judy turned worried eyes to her Chief. "Hopps, I want to thank you for everything you told me yesterday. And for being a quick thinker and getting McHorn and Fangmeyer on board." Judy's ears raised. The sting of failure which returned in the presence of Bogo suddenly softened at his words. "I need to do better at trusting your judgment. And I hope you return well rested and ready to work."
Nick saw Judy give the buffalo a strange look of relief. Like she was given an answer to some question that had been haunting her. "Thank you, Chief. I'll...go and wait with Finnick." He caught Judy stuck with a widening smile as she walked out of the room. Delgato kept his distance, taking a step back to allow Judy to pass.
McHorn and Fangmeyer stood up. The Chief motioned for them to sit. Chief Bogo cleared his throat as he stood over Nick. Nick shrank under the strong buffalo looming over his bed. He tried to blink away any expression of fear he may have been displaying. Delgato entered the patient room and closed the door. He listened from a distance.
"I am the Chief of police, Bogo. I am here because of an investigation that involves several mammals Including a red fox and a fennec fox. This investigation also includes a shrew." Nick only blinked at the chief. He focused on remaining calm. Bogo continued, "Do you understand so far?"
"Yes, Sir." Nick nodded and dared to offer the Chief a smile. He hoped to rely on his charm to carry him through. He wouldn't be able to think straight if he started to worry. And if he worried, he risked saying something insulting, only increasing the awkwardness of his situation. However, just like Delgato, there was no winning option. If he confessed, he would serve a lengthy jail sentence. And in that time, Big would always know where he would be. It would be easy for someone on the inside of a jail from Big's mob to cause Nick grief. Maybe even end his ill-fortuned life. But if he did walk away from this, he would still be hounded by the overbearing shrew and would continue to find himself on the wrong side of the law more and more because of Big's requests and expectations of him. No matter the choice, the end result was him being a slave to someone or something.
The Chief unexpectedly pointed a finger at Delgato and said,
"Do you recognize this officer?" Delgato's face fell slack with worry. Nick glanced at Delgato then back at Chief Bogo and said,
"No. I can't say that I do. But you do have a fine selection of officers. Top of their class." He looked directly at Fangmeyer before adding, "All of them." Fangmeyer tilted her head curiously. Thanks to what Judy told her, she and McHorn could tell when Nick was lying. But she visibly appreciated the last comment.
"Do you know why I am questioning you about the cargo?"
"No, Sir. I must say I do not know." Nick put in extra effort to keep a friendly, neutral face. The Chief lifted his head up and inhaled deeply,
"Well," he slowly paced around Nick's bed. "When a shipment reaches its destination, a dock worker must sign off stating that the load was received. Given that these products are coming in from other lands, the mayor or assistant mayor must sign off and review the receipt and transfer of such products, along with the Trade Commissioner of Zootopia. Every quarter of the year, a review is done on all the paperwork for cargo moved during that specific time. Signatures are checked, and so on. If everything is in order, the contents could be transferred to a distributor that works with multiple businesses across Zootopia."
He paused and looked at Delgato then at Nick, making sure they were being attentive. Delgato huffed impatiently. He couldn't have Nick arrested. Big would never forgive Delgato for this blunder. And what of himself? Was the Chief onto him or was Bogo just fishing? Testing the waters? The Chief continued, "The investigation involves cargo container 68-CRD. The original paperwork clears the shipment as valid. This container would have gone to a distributor. But the recipient label was changed to show the contents as void, meaning the contents were no longer valid. Void contents get sent back to their country of origin or are discarded on site. This discrepancy is why we are here. Someone tampered with a national product. Product, Mr. Wilde, that we could all benefit from. Not just candy and jewelry. Medical supplies are at risk of theft as well. Supplies necessary for the survival of some of our older and sicker residents." Chief Bogo glared at Nick, whose confidence began to mingle with guilt. For all his wit and charm, Nick never once thought of how his behavior could lead to any serious harm. He blocked that out, only worried about his own survival and his own grudge against the city and its prejudices.
"And in the middle of this tampering, a group of mammals took it upon themselves to raid the cargo as if they were opening a box of gifts!" He nearly growled at Nick. The Chief walked around Nick's bed, moving closer to the door. Nick remained silent, letting the information sink in. He sat in his bed with flattened ears and shoulders heavy with regret. Chief Bogo did not let up. "A shrew, two polar bears, three weasels and two foxes, one red and one fennec. That was the description of the party seen in the Rainforest District that day by a witness on site. And you, Mr. Wilde, fit the description of a red fox. And to see you here with a fennec fox no less..."
"S-Sir," Nick looked up at Bogo fearfully, unable to bear any more of the astute buffalo's scrutiny.
"Speak!" said Bogo.
"I want a lawyer." Delgato slumped his shoulders. Those were the words of a defeated mammal. Nick would be tried and most likely convicted as a co-conspirator. But will Nick dare try to give up Big or will he remain silent? The lion struggled for breath as dread washed over him. No matter the outcome, judgment day for Delgato was fast approaching and he knew it.
Fangmeyer and McHorn stood up awaiting their instruction. The Chief turned to them,
"Go and get Finnick Brone. He will be brought in for questioning as well. Delgato and I will take Nick once we have word that he can be released from the hospital." Chief Bogo looked at Nick with a dour mien.