Here's the next one. Enjoy!
The hour after that is a blur. She remembers the sound of sirens, of animals in uniform converging on her (but only because when they tried to take Nick she freaked out so severely she was like a savage), and the frantic rushing back and forth of the hospital workers as they tried to save Nick. The wait to know if he is alright is nothing like in the movies, instead of being painfully slow it just disappears. She blacks out. Even when the doctors tell her Nick is stable, the haze lingers. It clouds her mind and when she moves from the waiting room to his room it is as if someone flipped her autopilot switch more than of conscious effort.
She only rises above the haze when Nick stirs. Her ear twitches at the sound of a soft moan and she lifts her head from the bedside where she had passed out as she sat waiting for him to come to. It takes a minute, but when her mind finally registers the situation she jerks to attention. She leans far forward with her hands clasped as she holds her breath. Come on, come on, come on. Her heart hammers in her chest. She can feel her eyes burning as her emotions – once deadened by all the distress – spring to full power.
Nick shifts, his head tilting in Judy's direction. His eyes flutter open to a blurry land of white. So much white. Why…? It's not right. Last he remembered he was…he gasps and jolts to attention. He yelps and falls back against the pillow as electric pain courses through his body.
Judy jumps. "Easy, easy Nick." She rubs his shoulder. "You're safe now. It's okay." She nods. "It's ok now." She says it more for herself than him she realizes as her voice wavers and tears well in her eyes. Dang it all. Don't cry, don't, don't, don't.
Nick's gaze jerks to her face and in that instant a massive weight lifts from his shoulders. He sighs and a smile splits his lips. "Judy," He breathes with what little voice he has. He reaches up with a trembling hand and touches her face with a finger. "Sorry."
Judy chokes up. Tears trickle down her face. "I-It's not your fault." She reaches up and clasps his hand. "I'm just…just so glad you're ok." Her sobs intensify.
Nick frowns and his brow furrows. "Don't cry." He slides his hand to her shoulder and pulls with what strength he has, which is only enough to prompt her toward him.
Judy doesn't need convincing. She leans forward, resting her head next to his.
Nick wraps his arm around her tiny frame and squeezes her shoulder. "I'm ok."
Judy nods over and over, still her tears don't stop. They soak the pillow.
Nick hums softly, a tune he has heard Judy hum when she bounces around in a particularly happy mood. He isn't sure of its origins, but he doesn't need to be. He knows he has made the right decision as she relaxes beneath his hand. He wants to watch over her until she is completely calm, but he can't hold on. His consciousness slips away and he sleeps.
Judy's breaths slowly even out and the tension drains from her body. Eventually her sobs ebb and her eyes drift shut, but not before she grabs a handful of his shirt to reassure herself that he is still very much there. Then she sleeps.
In the morning it is Judy who wakes first. She sits up and with a jolt remembers what happened the night before. Luckily, Nick is right there. The sight of him alive and well makes her sigh in absolute relief. A tiny smile flits across her face. That's right. Everything's alright. Except it isn't. Nick didn't do this to himself. And that means Nick's attacker is still out there…somewhere. Before she can go too far down the rabbit hole with this line of thinking, the doctor enters.
"Excuse me," A woman's voice floats to Judy. "Miss Hopps?"
Judy twists to look at the doctor. "Yes?" Her eyes widen and she stiffens. She has been dreading this – the results. Yes, he's alright, he should stay alright, but who knows the lasting effects this crazy incident will have on Nick. She doesn't even know the cause of it.
The doctor glances at Nick – still out cold – then turns her attention back to Judy. "Your friend was injected with a combination of chemicals intended to induce pain and to stop his breathing. We have never seen such a thing, but we were able to cleanse his system of the drug. However, since we do not know anything about this drug we don't know what kind of lasting effects it might have on him."
Judy grimaces. Of course. Of freaking course. Her clenched fists tremble at her side.
"His leg will keep him here for a week anyway, but because of the nature of the drug we'll need to keep him here for another week or so after that. We can monitor him closely and if anything does happen help will be right on hand." She bows her head. "I really am sorry. We'll do our best to figure this thing out and help him to a full recovery."
Judy sighs. She puts on a smile and nods. "Thank you." She knows it looks terribly fake, but she really is thankful and happy he will live. Still, she can't deny her frustrations.
The doctor checks over Nick and then she leaves. Judy is left with a sleeping Nick and a mind speeding at a million miles an hour over all the details of Nick's attack. Clearly intentional. Not just some drive by shooting deal. It wasn't even a shooting. This drug, it was tailored, seemingly just for Nick. Her blood boils at the notion. Who in the world would do such a thing? Sure, Nick probably had his paws in some shady business in his younger years, but that was so long ago. Would someone seriously hold a grudge for that long? Was it that stupid friend who called him out? Her temper flares further with each possibility she adds to the scenario. No, no, she has to wait for Nick. He's the only one who really knows. He'll tell her the truth. And then she'll track down the dirty culprit and tear them limb from limb. Her moral compass cracks in the face of anyone hurting her best friend. He's like family and she'd kill for him.
Hours pass and finally Nick awakens. He smirks upon seeing Judy. "Hey, Carrots."
Judy jerks to attention. A beaming smile lights her face. "Nick…" She breathes out. "I'm so glad to see you back to your usual self. Last night you…" She grimaces and drops her eyes. He could barely speak. It was easily the most pitiful she had ever seen him.
Nick frowns. "Yeah, I was scared too." He admits it. He was terrified. "I didn't know if I'd see you again." He snorts. "Crazy, right? Like you wouldn't come find me." He smiles.
Judy chuckles, but it is a weak sentiment. "You were lucky Nick. When I found you…" Her throat tightens. She swears, she is never going to be able finish a sentence is she?
"Come on, enough of that." He swats her shoulder.
Judy nods. Right, right. More importantly, "Who did this to you?" Her voice is gravelly and her eyes darken as a fierceness grips her face.
Nick is struck by just how frightening she looks in that moment. In all their cases, no matter how serious the situation or how much she had to threaten to get information, she has never looked even half as terrifying. And her voice, it sends a shiver down his spine. He is sure it will only get worse too as he reveals the culprit. But he can't hide it from her – doesn't want to. "It was Bellwether."
Judy's bulge from her head and her ears stand on end. "What…?" She grinds her teeth. "Her? How? She's supposed to be in jail!" She curls her hands over the edge of the bed and clenches. "I swear to God I'm gonna-"
Nick places a finger to her lips. "Easy, Judy. You don't need to get so worked up."
Judy jerks away from him. "Don't need to get worked up?" She sneers. "Nick, she tried to kill you. I'm gonna get as worked up as I want to be."
Nick shakes his head. "What I mean is that's exactly what she wants. She wants you to be blinded by rage, abandon your sense of duty, and charge in after her. And it's a very stupid thing to do. You'll walk right into her trap and then you'll…" He lets the truth fade into silence.
Judy takes a deep breath in. "Right, right, of course you're right." She runs her hands over her head and ears. "I just got a little emotional. So, ah, anything else you can tell me? Do you know what she did to you?"
Nick stiffens. He grimaces and averts his eyes. "No…I, it's just a blur of pain." He hopes he sounds more sincere than he feels.
Judy frowns and her ears droop. She sees right through him, but for once in her life she has no desire to call him out on it. He remembers, all too clearly, and now all he wants is too forget. If that will help him, then she'll let him. "Okay." She smiles softly. When he's ready he'll tell her and that's when she'll be there to listen.
Nick relaxes as she so easily gives up. She really does know him too well. "So, I'll be stuck here for a week right?"
Judy's lips pull tight and she nods. "Yeah, probably two."
Nick sighs. "Figures. Oh well." He slides further down into his pillow. "Wanna play a game?" He smirks.
Judy's face lights up. God yes. She won't give him the satisfaction of an overzealous response though. If they act as normal as can be perhaps things will actually return to normal faster. And her normal self would never jump on one of his silly games. "Sure, why not?" She shrugs. "As long as it isn't I Spy." She grins.
Nick chuckles. "Yeah, yeah. Hangman then." They'll have plenty of time to play all the games in the world now. It's going to be a long two weeks. And that isn't even the end of it. It's going to be a long recovery – for both of them.
So how was it? Are you happy Nick is (mostly) better? Next one I am particularly looking forward to. It is a type of a story I have done for just about every fandom I have ever been in. So I had to. lol Plus it fit so perfectly with everything going on. Anyway, please review!