Chapter 5: A Busy Day
A/N: Again, the chapters are getting longer, but I really don't want to put out a bunch of really short chapters like I did to start with. Plus, there is just no real place to break without screwing up the chapter so... please bear with me.
Bright and early Monday morning on their way to work, Nick noticed the look of dread on his favorite bunny's muzzle "Don't worry Fluff, we'll go in and talk to Buffalo Butt first thing and get maternity leave paperwork started for you. Even though the kit won't be arriving for a while, we have got to get things sorted out so we won't be rushed at the last minute."
"I know" said a slightly worried Judy "I'll call Dr. Clawson and get an appointment set up for us to consult with her. Nick, there are so many things that we need to know, how will we be able to cope?"
"We'll do it together, just like everything else. It'll be fine, trust me."
"What about everyone else, how are we going to tell the rest of your friends? And what about your mom, we need to tell her in person that she is going to be a grandmother."
"I plan to call her right after we get done with the Chief, don't worry Carrots, I wouldn't dream of leaving her out. She hasn't been over for a while, I'll invite her for supper as soon as she can come over."
With his usual smirk, Nick remarked, "Carrots, as far as the crew and other friends go, all we have to do is tell Clawhauser, you know he can't keep quiet about something like that. Actually, I would bet that word will probably get out by none other than 'ol Buffalo Butt himself. When we go in, just act like everything is going as usual".
As they entered precinct 1, Nick greeted Clawhauser "Hey Spots, what's good today?"
"Oh, hey guys, how was the anniversary?"
"It was…...interesting to say the least, we'll tell you about it sometime right now we need to get to roll call" Said Judy.
After roll call and assignments, Nick and Judy called to Bogo "Chief, we need to talk to you for a couple of minutes, please."
"Do you two have a problem with your patrol assignments?" asked Bogo.
"No chief, it's more of a…..personal matter" said Judy.
"Oh, really? Well, come in and close the door. I can give you two a couple of minutes" replied the chief. "What can I do for you two today? Didn't you just come off of a week's vacation? It was your wedding anniversary if I remember correctly. Congratulations. Personally Hopps, I don't know how ANYONE can put up with this clown, but to each their own."
"Thanks chief, it's a chore sometimes" replied Judy smiling nervously "but….anyway this is well…..related to it. It seems like I'm …kind of…a little…..pregnant. I need to apply for maternity leave."
"WHAT! How in the hell did something like that happen? And why did you wait until now to say something?"
"Well….." began Nick…...
"NICK," fired Judy "don't you dare..say..a..thing…... Chief, in all fairness, I didn't find out until just before we left. If I had known earlier, I would have told you."
"OK…...who all knows about this so far?" sighed the chief
"Well, just we three, my parents and siblings, one of my sisters fiancé and my doctor. Which reminds me, I need to schedule a follow-up appointment as soon as possible. Oh, and we still need to tell Nick's mother as well, he'll call her when we get through here."
"And how do you intend to handle things when it leaks out to the public, which it eventually will?"
Nick spoke up "We'll handle it like we always do together and with tact…...well, a certain degree of tact at least." Which earned an eye roll from the chief while Judy just facepawed.
Bogo let out a deep sigh "Ok, I'll approve your leave as you need it, just keep me in the loop, OK? Now please leave…. and Wilde…."
"Yes chief?" they both answered at once.
"Congratulations, if anyone deserves this it's definitely you two."
"Thanks chief" they replied.
As they headed to the garage to pick up their squad car Judy said "Ok Nick, you call your mom and set up something like a dinner date so we can tell her the good news, the sooner the better. While you talk to her, I'll call Dr. Clawson and schedule an appointment, and YES you will be going with me, so don't even think about trying to squirm out of it!"
"Wouldn't dream of it Fluff, I want to be as much in the know as you do. Believe it or not, I'll take all of the info I can get. I want to be the best father to our kits that I can be. One important thing my dad actually impressed on me was how to be a father. I'm forever grateful for that bit of information."
"Sly fox."
"Lovely bunny."
Judy's conversation with Dr. Clawson
"Dr. Clawson, this is Judy Wilde. Yes, I need to schedule some time for Nick and I to meet with you the sooner the better. I know I left your office without a lot of information so we need to sit down together and go over the particulars. Yes, I know, you have a lot of questions that need to be answered and so do we. 10 am on Thursday? Yes, that'll be fine, I'll make sure that Nick and I get the needed time off to be there for as long as it takes. Thank you, bye."
Nicks conversation with his mother
"Hey mom, it's your favorite son. Yes mom, I know I'm your only son. Listen, we haven't gotten together in quite a while, so I thought it would be nice if you came over for dinner sometime this week. Thursday? Around 7? That'll be fine, I'll let Judy know. See you then. Love you, bye."
Later that day during a very uneventful patrol "Nick, I talked to Dr. Clawson and we have an appointment for 10 am on Thursday.
"Really? How convenient, mom will be over for supper Thursday night, sevenish I think! That certainly seemed to work out well. Hopefully we'll have some information at hand when mom asks a bunch of embarrassing questions."
"Well, when I got off the phone with Dr. Clawson, I called the chief to let him know when we needed to be there. Bogo told me we might as well take the entire day off. I'm sure we'll have to make it up at some point in time, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I guess Thursday will be ...interesting. "
10 am Thursday at Dr. Clawson's office
"Mr. and Mrs. Wilde, the doctor will see you now" called the receptionist.
"Judy, Nick" began Dr. Clawson "hopefully we will be able to answer a lot of questions we each have and can put some concerns to rest as well. To begin with, Judy we still can't be sure exactly when the kit will be expected. Considering the difference in species, we still believe that 6-8 months is not an unreasonable estimation since the pregnancy terms are so different. As to how many or how large the kits might be, we have no idea at this time either, we'll need to wait at least another month or so to be able to find out. Which brings up concerns about delivery. Hopefully it will be a natural delivery, but we MUST consider the possibility of a C-section, just in case. Also, we would like your permission to take fetal tissue and blood samples during the pregnancy."
"Just a second" interrupted a slightly irate Judy "what purpose will this have, I will NOT have my kit poked and...and... prodded and be subjected to all kinds of-of... tests like some kind of circus freak!"
"Judy, that is not our intent at all" remarked Dr. Clawson. "We will need the information to try to determine any allergies the kit may have in the future. We will need to be able to find matching blood donors in case of a serious accident or surgery if needed. After the kit is born, we would like to do noninvasive studies such as X-rays and CT scans to determine bone structure, density and growth. We would like to be able to measure growth patterns for the first three months or so after birth as well. What the kit can and can't tolerate, and will actually need for food, since nursing can only go on for so long. Since there is absolutely NO available data on fox-bunny hybrids, please understand everything possible needs to be documented. Also, there is a bit if a question as to what species will be noted on the birth certificate. Vulpine, langomorph, a mix of the two species, whatever. This may seem trivial now, but it is something to seriously consider before the event. Something else you might want to consider is the impact being a hybrid will do socially to a growing kit. Closer related hybrids such as rabbits and hares, or say a fox and coyote wouldn't call much attention to the kit. A rabbit/fox hybrid will probably be more noticeable. No matter how beautiful the kit may be, there will most likely be issues. Now that I have given you the information that I have, and voiced my concerns, what questions do you have for me?"
Nick and Judy looked at each other in a mild state of shock. Finally Judy said "Ummmm, I guess that pretty well covers any questions we may have had, plus quite a bit more information than we had expected and even began to think about, thank you. Nick, do you have anything?"
Nick just blinked and said "...N-no, I had no idea what all would be entailed in something like this...ummmm, but I guess the obvious question is...how is this even possible!"
Dr, Clawson pondered the question for a moment "at this point Nick, no one is quite sure. Suffice it to say that nature always finds a way."
As Nick and Judy left her office Dr. Clawson added "Ok, I guess we're through for now, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call."
As Nick and Judy enter their car, Nick looked at Judy "did you have any idea that things would be so...complicated?"
"Well, yes, I had some idea, but...wow".
"We are still going through with this right? No second thoughts...?" Nick asked.
With a determined look Judy responded "Nothing has ever phased us or slowed us down before, we will NOT let this be the first" replied Judy.
6:30 pm Thursday evening at the Wilde residence
Judy "Nick, I've asked you at least a dozen times, why are you making your 'carrot soup' for your mother of all people?"
"Well, my dear bunny" said Nick "long before I conned you into thinking it was actually carrotsoup, mom told me that it actually her mother's chicken soup recipe, and it was something that she craved when she was pregnant with Angela and me. So I thought I would throw her a bit of a curve and see if she picks up on it."
Judy giggled "Nick that's just not right, even for you...but I like the idea".
"Plus, I picked up a nice bottle of raspberry wine, something else she tends to like on occasion."
'DING-DONG'
"Judy, will you get the door please, that must be mom, fashionably early as usual. I still need to put the finishing touches on the soup."
"Victoria, how nice of you to come, it's been too long since we got together."
"Oh, that's alright dear, I'm sorry we couldn't get together for your anniversary, but I had a conference that was mandatory to attend. Nick, what is that delightful smell coming from out in the kitchen, it smells familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it."
"It's one of your old recipes that I put a special twist on especially for Judy, I hope you like it. Everything is ready, so let's eat."
Small talk dominated the conversation, including the telling of the past week's adventure. Victoria seemed a bit saddened when she heard the recounting of Nick remembering his twin sister. Then the main course was served by Nick could barely disguise his patented smirk.
"Why Nick, this tastes very familiar, yet I still can't for the life of me figure out why."
"Mom" said Nick "if you take the carrots out of the soup, what does it remind you of?"
Victoria stared at the soup and suddenly remarked "Why, this is almost the same as the soup I used to crave when I was pregnant with you and Angela." When Victoria looked up and saw the smiles on Nick and Judy's muzzles it suddenly dawned on her..."Judy, does this mean what I think it means?"
Judy beamed "Yes Victoria, it does. You are going to be a grandmother, I'M PREGNANT!"
As the two women exchanged hugs Nick said "Mom, on a serious note, I have something important to ask you. If the kit is a girl, we would very much like to name her Angela, if it's ok with you."
A very tearful Victoria said "Of course it's ok, I would love very much for my granddaughter to bear that name. Thank you so much for thinking of it and for asking... If I may ask, how far along are you, when is the due date, how many kits, how on earth is this even remotely possible, not that I'm complaining mind you...please tell me everything..."
Judy took a deep breath and started "Ok, we don't know a lot at this point but here's what we do know...I'm about 4 weeks along, we have NO idea how many kits, and because of the ...vast difference in species what they may even look like. According to my doctor, the due date is probably somewhere along the lines of 6-8 months, no way to know for sure. Everything seems to be 'wait and see' from this point on. As for how it's possible...who really cares?"
"Well, I guess we'll just have to take everything in stride then won't we? Please keep me informed so we can get together and go shopping for the kit, or kits, it really doesn't matter in this point. I'm just so thrilled to have grandchildren I could just burst. I was afraid that Nick was NEVER going to find someone to settle down with, let along give me grandkit."
"MOM!" said Nick in a mock pained voice.
Everyone laughed, it was a perfect end to a wonderful, if not stressful day.
A/N: I know a lot of different names have been tossed around for Nick's mother's name. There is NOTHING canon about her as far as I know, this is simply MY version.