Chapter 45: Home

"It is good that you are here already, I am pleased to be able to hand you this discharge for your daughter. Remember she is to rest for a week, no exertion, just relax and rest" the doctor said as he handed the papers to Stu. With slight uncertainty the rabbit took the papers from the fox. He was frightened by the doctor's eyes, which were suffused with confidence and predation. The rabbit's gaze was always gentle and rather submissive.

"Yes, thank you for treating our daughter, very kind of you," Stuu replied.

"It's my duty, it's unusual to see a rabbit where we are. Good luck in your search for your friend Mrs Hopps, may you find him" replied the doctor. After saying goodbye to Judy he withdrew from the patient's bed to go to the already most likely next patient who was waiting for him.

"What friend?" Asked Bonnie curiously as the doctor left them. Judy sighed heavily as she tried to get up. Two days in bed had caused her to have some trouble keeping her balance, but with the help of her parents she managed to stay on her feet and headed for the exit.

"I'll tell you everything in detail at home...now let's get out of here at last" replied Judy.

"And you'll have to change that outfit...it could use a wash" replied Bonnie. The doe's navy blue uniform showed some signs of use and some dirt that had built up over the past few days. Judy as a patient didn't want to change into anything else, luckily for her she didn't stay too long.

"First of all I could use a real refreshing bath...yeez, just the thought of it makes me shiver!" Replied Judy flinching a little at the thought of a relaxing bath. She couldn't wait to touch the warm sparkling foam on her body.

Before they could leave the hospital, they had to go to the first floor where the prescription room was located, where patient discharge was possible. In general the whole hospital looked quite nice and pleasant, the cool walls of the block were decorated with wood panels that gave a friendly environment and the brown coloured ceiling also meant that the floor was not in such cool colours as the observation room. You might think that this would be a better place for an observation room than those, because of the sense of spirit that this floor gives.

"Good morning, we are discharging Judy Hopps. Doctor's discharge here" Stuu said as he made his way to the receptionist who stood behind the desk. Judy and Boonie were standing a few feet behind them talking about something. Bonnie handed a jacket for Judy to put on. It had been quite freezing outside the whole time, and the doe was not about to go out in temperatures that were dangerous to her health. She would only be outside for about a dozen seconds by the time she got to the car, but you know how rabbits are, they are very thoughtful... maybe even too much. In the meantime, the vixen took the document from the rabbit without saying anything, ran her eyes over the letters that were written in the card, then stamped the card with her stamp before handing the card back to Stuu with a quick flick of her wrist.

"Please pass on for Mrs Hopps good luck" the receptionist said quietly.

"Thank you..." Replied Stuu with uncertainty. He walked thoughtfully away from the reception desk heading towards the exit where Judy and Bonnie were already waiting for him. Good luck with what? Again he felt surprised not knowing what it was all about, but he didn't want to ask for details of the vixen who had nailed him with the document, she didn't seem the friendliest. Instead he walked over to Judy and Bonnie and showed the nailed down document showing that they could leave the hospital in peace now. They headed towards the stairs to descend to the ground floor of the hospital where the exit was located.

"The receptionist said to tell you good luck Judy...what is this all about? "

"Oh Dad, I told you I would explain everything when we got home. Now please, I want to at least be at peace for a little while...just fight my thoughts" replied Judy. Stuu at his daughter's request decided not to ask her anything more, but in his head he couldn't wait to find out what everyone was talking about so much and wouldn't tell him.

After leaving the hospital, they were greeted by a cold, wintry atmosphere. The snow was falling quite insistently, a biting wind was blowing and it was quite cold, even for a winter day. However, that didn't stop Judy from enjoying the fact that she was finally out of the hospital and would at least be able to rest in a homely environment. A hospital is certainly not a good location for resting and especially for thinking about things around her.

Their 7 passenger car was waiting on the edge of the crag just inside the entrance of the hospital, although it hadn't been standing still for long, the snow had already managed to lightly cover it with its flakes.

"It's snowing hard so that at our place the road is not covered" Stuu said quietly.

"I said before I left for Adam and Robert to clear the snow in case of an accident" communicated Bonnie hearing Stuu's frown.

"That's good, the slackers will finally be up to something" replied Stuu. He opened the door for Judy and then the doe climbed inside the vehicle.

The road home was fairly quiet, with no major adventures. From time to time, Bonnie would ask her daughter about some things, to which she would answer briefly and succinctly. Most of the time Judy stared out the car window, through which not much could be seen because of the constant snowfall. Occasionally she could see all sorts of buildings that were punctuated by areas of forest where the precipitation was not so visible anymore. During this time she reflected on the conversation she had with Caroline today, it was a strange moment. On the one hand the vixen seemed sincere in her words, but when she moved on to the subject of her relationship with Nick it seemed to her that her main purpose for the visit was to expose their relationship, which thankfully she had failed to do. She was largely saved by her parents, who for once turned up at the right time, but she was also able to keep a cool head in the situation herself. Now at least she understood why Nick was so succumbed to her game. She herself almost allowed herself to be drawn in, her eyes were indeed powerfully mesmerising. You could tell they were her secret weapon.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right? You keep staring out the window and not saying anything..." Asked Bonnie worried by her daughter's behaviour. She looked like she was still severely weakened rather than ready to be discharged.

"Yes mum, I feel fine... it's just that things aren't going too well at the police station" replied Judy with a little embarrassment. She straightened up in her chair and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Although she said she was fine her appearance said otherwise. It wasn't a matter of fatigue but rather a battle in her mind that kept her up at night. She was constantly worried about Nick and the thought that the police still hadn't found anything was killing her.

"I'll tell you all about it at home... I have a feeling I'm going to tell you a pretty long story this evening."

"Get ready to have a big audience, hope the stress doesn't catch you" Stu joked, Judy returned the smile, she couldn't wait to see her family.

After more than an hour of driving, they arrived at the house leaving it intact. The only change Judy noticed was the absence of the Christmas lights, which before were shining with their festive glow adding to the festive atmosphere. As instructed by Boonie, Robert and Adam cleared the road, which must have been quite snow covered as the fields that were next to the road were all covered in a thick layer of snow.

"It's a good thing the guys finally got going, if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have been able to drive through...I wonder when this winter will let up" said Stu as they drove into their yard. Although there was a visible sign of shovels in some places, the constant snowfall had left the ground covered in white fluff again.

"We have winter Dad, what did you expect?" Judy asked.

"Oh, you know how Stu is us, he always has...original problems"

"Well well well, you'd better go home now, I'll put the car in the garage" sighed Stu. Boonie and Judy obediently got out of the car. The doe managed to make it to the door of the house with a little trouble, along with the help of her mother, who was constantly belaying her in case of an accident. Judy wanted to walk on her own, but an ever recurring migraine meant that she had to be supported while walking.

"We know you're strong, but you need our help," she says.

"I'm just trying to be independent" replied Judy.

"We both know how you are. Say what you want, that's how we will help you" replied Boonie. Judy smiled slightly and looked at her mother's eyes. It had been a long time since she had seen the sincere look in her eyes that she used to see all the time when she was a child. It was a look of pity, full of pity and help, it was a look that forced a warm smile on everyone.

"Maybe you're right, I'm going a little overboard with this... independence" Judy sighed embarrassed. She herself didn't know whether it was better in this situation to pretend to be independent and struggle to get around, or to show her weakness (which for Judy hardly crossed her mind) and let herself be helped by others.

"There will be time to show your independence. Now let's go," Bonnie replied. She opened the door to the house, and together they went into the house.

In the house, everyone was occupied with their own activity - most were reading books or doing something on their phones without paying attention to anything in the world. The sound of the door closing caught their attention, causing them to immediately put down their phones and head to the kitchen to meet Judy. Their joy was very great when they saw their sister who had just returned home, they were a little worried at the sight of Judy limping, but when she assured them that she was fine everyone greeted her with a hug or a kiss on the cheek. The sight of her family made the heart grow for Judy. When she saw her younger brothers and sisters approaching her to greet her with a little embarrassment, it amused her and gripped her heart. She reminded herself that she had once been like this herself...small, insecure, vulnerable.

"I'll go get the bathroom ready for you, you'll feel better" Bonnie communicated. She headed for the bathroom leaving Judy with her siblings who were asking what had happened that she had suddenly, unannounced come home.

"I'll tell you all about it, tonight, after my bath, okay? Now I'd like to take a little breather...driving for over an hour in this weather is not a good thing" Judy answered the questions. Moments later Bonnie returned from the bathroom declaring that the bath was ready and Judy could go for a breather.