Chapter 10: Happiness and Heartache
…
Tuesday morning 3:14 am 6 weeks later:
"Nick…. NICK…. NICK, WAKE UP!"
"What…. Wait, what is it Carrots? It's three am for crying out loud…..."
"Nick, my water just broke, we have to go the hospital…. NOW NICK!"
"Shit, why didn't you wake me up sooner? Your go bag is already loaded in the car, just give me two seconds to put something on and we're out the door. Where the hell are my pants, what did I do with the car keys…?" (Yes, people actually say that, been there, done that)
Nick helps Judy into the passenger seat of their car, throws it in gear and barrels down the street towards the hospital.
"Nick will you PLEASE slow down a little…no...no...no, not that slow. Holy hell Nick, do you want me to drive?"
"N-no, I'm fine. Just call the hospital, call your folks, call mom…..call Bogo….wait, never mind about Bogo…."
Judy rolled her eyes "Nick, I already called the hospital, you can call everybody else once we get there and get checked in. Just try to get us there before the kits arrive, and do it without killing us all…please."
A very tense 15 minutes later Nick slides the car to a stop at the emergency entrance to Zootopia Central Hospital. "Damn Nick, you actually drive worse that you think I do" growled Judy.
With a halfhearted smirk Nick replied "Fine, you can just drive next time and I'll be the one screaming instead."
"Fox, I will kill you dead if you even think about getting me pregnant again!" (And yes, women actually do say things like that, trust me)
With a full grin Nick commented "That's 'knot' funny, even a little bit. You know you love it...I mean me…OWWW."
"I'll deal with your smart ass later, . ….NOW." Judy's voice rising with every word.
As the ER attending physician greeted them at the entrance with the customary wheelchair "Mr. and Mrs. Wilde, we have been expecting you, everything is ready to go. Will Mr. Wilde be joining us in the delivery room?"
JUDY "Yes, absolutely."
NICK "OH, HELL NO."
Grabbing Nick by his shirt front Judy says "Slick, if you ever want to see your kits, you will get your ass in that delivery room. After all, there's nothing there that you haven't seen before, more or less. We got through everything else together, right? 'We' got me this way, so 'we' will get through this together. Do you understand?"
A slightly hesitant Nick swallowed and responded "Ummm, yes Fluff, no problem…"
"That's what I thought, now let's go…"
As they prep Judy for the delivery, Nick gets Stu, Bonnie and his mother on a conference call to let them know that they are at the hospital and Judy is headed to the delivery room.
As everyone entered the delivery room and the 'process' begins, Nick starts to change from his usual red to a pale green.
"Nick, you had better not…..….aaaand there he goes, out like a light. Sweet cheese and crackers, I swear he can handle anything and everything on the street, but to help bring his kits into the world he passes out? Wilde, you are so NEVER going tolive this down. I guess the up side is at least I don't have to worry about him recording this….."
"Ok Judy, start to push…."
Waiting area: thirty minutes later ~ Victoria enters the waiting area "Nick, what in the world happened to your head that you're wearing bandage? Why are you out here and not in there with Judy? Good Lord, don't tell me you passed out!"
Waiting area: four hours later ~ Stu, Bonnie and Darlene, minus her kits, enter the waiting area "What in the world happened to Nick? Where is Judy? How is she? Where are the kits? How are they? Will someone please tell us something."
With a playful frown on her muzzle and a twinkle in her eyes, Victoria says "It seems like Nick had a bit of…. information overload when it comes to delivering kits, especially his own. Judy is still in the delivery room so we really don't know anything yet. You might as well get comfortable."
Bonnie laughed quietly, "I guess that's ok, Stu never had the courage to go in with me, even after 275 kits. He can face just about anything but THAT."
Of course, the ladies laughed, but Stu just joined Nick looking uncomfortable and embarrassed.
After about twenty more minutes, the attending physician emerged from the delivery room, "Mister Wilde, your wife would like you to meet your kits now. Congratulations you have a beautiful set of twins, a boy and a girl. If everyone else will please wait and give the parents a few minutes of privacy, Mrs. Wilde will be moved to her room in as soon as the anesthetic wear off a bit. In the mean time Nick, there are a few details I really need to discuss with you and Judy."
…
As Nick tentatively reenters the delivery room, Judy is sitting semi-upright in the bed. In each arm she is holding a tiny bundle, one in a blue receiving blanket and the other in pink.
"Nick, come and meet you kits" said Judy with a tired but loving smile.
As Nick peered at the kits "Fluff. Judy, you beautiful bunny, look what you've done, they are …perfect."
"You handsome fox, WE did this. Always and forever, we do everything together. Would you like to hold them?"
"A-are you sure? I mean I might break them or something, they're so tiny…."
"Dumb fox, you're going to be holding them…a lot. Feeding them, rocking them, CHANGING them…." Seeing the dubious look on Nick's muzzle Judy giggles "Get used to it Wilde, it's all part of the parenting thing."
"Uhhh, yea, ok I guess."
About that time Dr. Clawson entered the room "Well, I guess it's a good thing the staff doctor called me so we can get a few…ummm…entries correct on the kits birth certificates.'
'First off, what species do we need to enter? Then I will need to enter a blood type. There is absolutely no way to finalize the certificates without this information."
Nick and Judy looked at each other and Judy spoke up "Please enter Vulpine/Langomorph for the girl, and Langomorph /Vulpine for the boy respectively as the species. As far as the blood type, we decided that 'Universal' should pass a cursory inspection and should pass any immediate legal challenge, especially if the research advances to a point where we hope it does."
"There is one more thing I would like to add if it's at all possible at this point" said Nick. "Is there any way to tie a certain percentage of whatever profits some large company makes from the sale of the new artificial blood, if developed, to another type of research?"
Dr. Clawson and Judy looked at Nick with questioning glances "What kind of research would that be Nick?" asked Dr. Clawson.
"I'm sure there's some type of research being conducted towards interspecies reproduction. I would like to see more interspecies couples, especially pred/prey, experience the same joy that we're experiencing today without some of the drama."
Smiling, Dr. Clawson remarked "I'm sure I can find a way to make that happen if I look hard enough. Would you like to have a say so as to which research firms would be able to participate?"
"No, I'll trust you good judgment as to that one, at least for the time being" said Nick.
"Ok then, I do have one other bit of information to discuss with you before I go, unhappy as it may be. Due to the size and nature of your kits, there is a very real possibility that you will not be able to have any more kits in the future. If you do become pregnant again Judy, it could severely damage you or possibly even kill you. I would seriously consider a hysterectomy in the not too distant future.'
'Well, I think I have taken enough of your time, have fun with you new kits, it has been a pleasure to work with you, please stop by soon, I would love the see these beautiful kits as they grow. I'll leave you the names of several good pediatric doctors that I would personally recommend."
"Ok Nick, now you get to hold the kits" said Judy.
As Nick takes a kit in each arm, he remarks at how tiny the kits are.
"Trust me" says Judy tiredly, they are NOT as small or fragile as they seem. Give me one of the kits and you can see how truly unique they really are."
As Nick and Judy unbundled each kit, Nick couldn't help but be amazed.
…
Detailed description of each kit:
Angela Lucille Wilde
Born: 0818
Sex: Female
Birth weight: Two pounds eleven ounces
Species: Vulpine/Lagomorpha
Blood type: Universal
Distinctive markings/characteristics: Foxlike in appearance. Fur color ~ dark red with dark grey streaks. Ears ~ slightly longer than normal with dark grey tips. Tail ~ slightly shorter than normal. Eyes ~ lavender in color. Although most vulpine are born with a full coat of fur, this kit has a light coat similar to an undercoat.
Physicians notes: Birth weight is slightly low for normal fox kit. Kit is slightly smaller than a normal fox kit.
Birth type: Natural
…
Ronald Johnathan Wilde
Born: 0821
Sex: Male
Birth weight: Two pounds seven ounces.
Species: Lagomorpha/Vulpine
Blood type: Universal
Distinctive markings/characteristics: Rabbit like in appearance. Fur color ~ predominantly light grey with dark grey accents and light red streaks. Ears ~ slightly shorter than normal with light red tips. Tail ~ slightly larger than normal. Eyes ~ emerald green in color. Although most langomorph are born furless, this kit has light coat similar to an undercoat more in common with a vulpine.
Physicians notes: Birth weight is slightly high for normal rabbit kit. Kit is slightly larger than a normal rabbit kit.
Birth type: Natural
…
"Fluff, I believe I found someone who might steal my heart from you….."
"Watch it yourself Slick, you might be in the same boat" Judy replied with a tired smile.
…
30 minutes later in Judy's private room:
As the proud grandparents admire the sleeping kits "Nick" began Victoria "your father would be so proud of you. I wish he could be here to see this, and be a part of all of this."
All eyes shifted to Nick, who stood with tears in his eyes. As he looked down at his daughter sleeping peacefully in his arms, he was a loss for words. "Mom, do we have to go into that now, of all times?"
"Yes Nick, I think this would be the best time to tell everyone, especially Judy, about what happened to your father. She, and your kits at the very least, deserve to know the story. Please."
Still gazing at his sleeping daughter Nick began, sighed deeply "It was about a year or so before the 'Junior Ranger Scouts' mess. Dad had been working a lot of overtime at a tailor shop, trying to put together enough money to finish paying off the mortgage on the house so mom and I would have the best Christmas ever. He was 3 blocks from home when he was mugged. Not satisfied with just beating him up and stealing the money, whoever it was literally beat him to death, and to make the final insult, they even took his wedding ring." As Nick continued sobbing heavily, Victoria gently rubbed his back "When the police came, they just kind of shrugged it off as 'just another worthless, shifty fox' that they didn't have to deal with. To this day there has never been a follow-up investigation, I know because I've looked. And before you ask Judy, no, I didn't join the force with the intention of finding dad's killers, I joined so I could be close to you. I actually happened to come across the file by accident when we were investigating another case. It was a total dead end, no pun intended, so I just dropped it.'
'Things were tough after that, but mom was able to work and we kept the house. After the Ranger Scouts muzzled me, I just lost all hope. I misbehaved at school, acted out at home and finally just left and ended up hooking up with Finnick. I guess you pretty much know the rest.'
'But then I met the most wonderful bunny, with an innocent smile and the most …. beautiful, captivating eyes. You see Stu, when I told you and Bonnie that Judy had literally saved my life by turning me around, I was being very serious. Without this wonderful mammal, I would most likely have been dead by now. Naming our daughter after my sister and your wife, the two most precious mammals in the world to me, after Judy and my mom, brings a sort of closure I might have never had otherwise.'
'Judy, I know you never asked about my dad because you knew that it was something that I never really wanted to talk about, and I'm sorry I never told you before. It just cuts soooo deep…."
With that, Nick broke down completely and was utterly exhausted, cradling Angela gently. A stunned silence briefly engulfed the room, the only sound was Nick's quiet sobbing.
"N-Nick…..pl-please….come here" stammered a tearful Judy, not exactly sure of what to say or do. As Nick joined his wife on the bed there was not a dry eye in the room. The longer that Judy and Nick held each other and the kits, Judy could feel the pent-up frustration and sorrow slowly leave Nick.
Before long the kits started to wake up "I think the kits and I need a bit of private time" said Judy quietly. They'll be hungry and feeding time is not exactly a group activity, sorry. We aren't going anywhere soon. Nick if you don't mind…. this might be the one of the few reasonably quiet 'alone' times I get with the kits for some time, so please join our folks for a bit…. I love you, you know that right? We…all four of us, will get through this…together. Just like always."
Nick gave Judy a quick hug and a peck on her cheek as he went out into the waiting area with their parents and Darlene.
…
Back in the waiting area, Stu and Bonnie walked over to where Nick was sitting with his mother "Nick" started Stu "Bonnie and I have been talking. Especially with the …. less than ideal start that we got off to, we would like you to know that we consider you as much a son as any of our own blood kits. If you and Judy and the kits ever need anything, you don't even need to ask, we will be there for you."
With that, all five mammals join in a tearful group hug….
…
A/N: A special thanks to TheCatweazle for pointing out how I could make better use of some situations by going into more detail. I'll try to do better in future chapters as well as future stories.
A/N 2: A quick note to the Guest (FF) – an occasional small glass or two of wine is actually NOT harmful to a fetus.
A/N 3: Yes, I know the blood type should be a tip off for exploiting scientists and greedy businessmammals, but for the stories sake I'm ignoring it.