The following morning, the couple was joined by Chief Bogo on their journey to their flight departing from the Canal District at 5:45. The three arrived at the airport about an hour prior to their flight's departure time. They unloaded their baggage from the back of the cab they had employed that morning and entered the airport's main entrance. Thankfully, Nick and Judy's baggage had remained almost completely unscathed in the explosion, as the bomb had been placed so that its detonation only caused damage to the front of the beach house rather than the rear. After Nick and Judy had been transported to the hospital, and the house had been cleared for any other explosives, officers had retrieved the couple's possessions. Nick and Judy's cellphones had also been recovered in an empty beach house just a few houses down from their own. It was clear that this empty beach house had been the place Valerie had squatted at during her time in the Canal District, as several photographs of Nick and Judy on their trip were found in the home along with the cellphones. Officers had also found all of the components that had gone into making the bomb that had nearly leveled Nick and Judy's beach house.
Valerie, however, was nowhere to be found.
Her ragged mugshot was plastered over every media outlet within hours of the bombing, and reports were officially released confirming the identity of the recovered body as Culpeo thanks to Judy's information. The media was having an absolute field day with the information pertaining to Valerie, as there was much to report on – from her original kidnapping of an officer to her escape from prison to her murdering her partner to her bombing a home that two officers had been staying in. There were also several reports pertaining to Judy, as rumors circled that she would be leaving the police force as a result of the danger Valerie posed to her and her family.
After being released from the hospital, the couple had spent the last night of their trip in the same motel that the Chief had taken temporary residence in. They had talked late into the night, and then had awoken early, so they were quite exhausted by the time they reached the airport.
Despite his injured arm, Nick still insisted on carrying Judy's suitcase along with his own. The stitches on his head were not as heavily bandaged as they had been the previous day, as Nick had opted for switching out the full head wrap for small bandages. Judy followed closely behind the fox as he checked them in at an electronic kiosk and delivered their suitcases to the airport's baggage claim. She was wearing a dark green t-shirt that was just a little too big for her and black leggings, actually looking less tired than she felt.
"Ready, Darling?" he asked as he took her paw, leading her over to begin the security check procedures.
On the two-hour flight, Judy said nothing, instead choosing to rest her head on Nick's right shoulder, her paws grasping onto his arm as it laid on the arm rest that separated their seats. Nick watched her carefully, gently stroking her paws with his free one. A few times during the flight, Judy heard Nick and the Chief exchange a few words, but she was too lost in her thoughts to register what they discussed.
At about 7:45 that morning, their flight landed at the Zootopia International Airport. As the plane taxied to its gate, Nick pulled a baseball cap of his that he rarely wore from his carry-on bag that had been resting at his feet during the flight.
"Put this on," Nick whispered as he handed the hat to Judy, who looked at him confused. "Pull it down so that it covers your face."
"Why?"
"Delgato and Fangmeyer are picking up our bags," Nick continued, ignoring her question. "We're going straight to the ZPD vehicle that's parked out front."
"Nick, I don't understand."
"There are going to be a lot of reporters out there."
"There weren't any reporters at the airport in the Canal District."
"The media didn't know when we were leaving, but there have apparently been some leaks," Nick said quietly, glancing around. "I imagine some animals on the plane recognized you."
"We've dealt with reporters before," Judy scoffed, slightly amused as she pulled the baseball cap over her ears.
"Not like this, Carrots," Nick muttered as he pulled the bill of the cap lower so that it shielded Judy's face as best as possible. "Just stay close to me."
Judy assumed that Nick was just being protective of her while she was in such a fragile position after the miscarriage, overexaggerating the media presence so that she would expect more than what was actually awaiting them. Only when they exited their gate and stepped into the central part of the airport did she realize how right Nick had been. A crowd made up of dozens of reporters, all with cameras at the ready, immediately swarmed them. To add to the whole affair, almost every pair of eyes in the immediate area was focused on the spectacle that was taking place. The Chief walked a few feet in front of Nick and Judy, acting as the initial barrier between the mass of reporters that met the three.
"No comments will be made!" he called loudly. "Please step back!"
Judy felt Nick put his arms around her, bringing the bunny close to his body as he kept her just a half-step behind him so that he could push through the crowd while they followed the large cape buffalo. Judy kept her eyes on the ground as the reporters yelled her name, hurtling questions at her.
"Officer Hopps! Can you comment on the current situation with Valerie?"
"Are you worried about your safety?"
"What's the ZPD's next move in apprehending the suspect?"
"Hopps, what do you think Valerie will do next?"
The procession continued out onto the sidewalk that wrapped around the airport. An unmarked, ZPD-owned, black SUV was parked on the curb. Two officers stood on the side of the car facing the crowd, the back-right door of the vehicle open. A few more steps, and they would be in the quiet comfort of the SUV.
"Officer, should the city be worried?"
"Why does Valerie hold such a vendetta against you, Hopps?"
"Officer Hopps! You and your partner are the ZPD's best officers – are you planning on leaving the force?"
"Thoughts on where the suspect could be now?"
They were to the car now, almost inside. Chief Bogo stepped behind the couple, shielding them from the crowd with the help of two other officers as Nick moved to direct Judy into the dark interior of the parked car. Judy had one foot up on the side of the car, her paws placed on the sides of the door in preparation to pull herself upward once she shifted her weight forward.
"Officer Hopps, is it true you had a miscarriage following the bombing in the Canal District?"
Judy stopped.
One foot perched on the car's side, the other still on the sidewalk, and her arms stretched out as they grasped the door, the bunny turned back toward the reporters who had gone almost completely silent at the question that had rang out louder than the rest. In that moment, Nick couldn't help but also turn, both meeting the eyes of a young badger reporter who anxiously stared back, confirming he had been the one to ask the revealing question.
Judy felt her heart drop. No one needed to say anything; the look in both her and Nick's eyes had been enough. That split second of quiet was gone, and the reporters' questions immediately shifted to the new subject, cameras flashing quickly to catch the hurt expression on Judy's face.
"Officer Hopps, is the miscarriage rumor true?"
"How far along were you?"
"Is Valerie truly to blame for this tragedy?"
Nick quickly shoved Judy into the SUV, scrambling in behind her as he did so. The Chief quickly joined them, slamming the door shut behind them as the two accompanying officers slid into the two front seats.
As the car sped away from the curb, the group took a moment to digest the situation in the quiet confines of the SUV. After a few moments, Nick opened his mouth to angrily ask how such a critical piece of personal information had reached the media, but he was cut short as Judy's cellphone rang out from her bag. Judy slid the phone from her bag and looked dishearteningly at the caller identification on the screen: "Mom & Dad"