* Good day everyone! Sorry for the delay in the new chapter. I know I never really had a release schedule, but I want to change that. It has seemed that the last couple of chapters have taken about 5-7 days to get up. So going forward I will be aiming to have a chapter out a week. I love all the support! You guys are the best. Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Rainy days
POV (Judy)
I woke up not feeling very rested, having dreamt about Nick all night. To make matters worse, when I had awoken, I was in the midst of a vivid dream where he and I were back on the streets, doing our thing. Everything was normal, we laughed and joked. We were happy. Things were as they should be. But then I just had to open my eyes and realized it was all in my head. I felt a pit in my stomach, and my heart turned to lead as the crushing weight of guilt and loss came down on my shoulders. I longed for those days back.
"What have I done?" I asked myself as the nurse walked in.
"Good Morning Miss Hopps!" She said energetically. I couldn't help but have bitter feelings towards her for it. "And how are you feeling today?"
"Oh, I'm great. Feel like a million bucks." I lied, laying it on a bit thick, trying to cover my real state of being.
"That is wonderful news!" She replied. "I'll get the doctor so he can clear you, then we can get you out of here."
"You do that. And stop being so cheerful! The world sucks!" I thought as she left.
As I lay there waiting, I began trying to process what happened. I didn't remember passing out, but I did remember everything leading up to it. I remembered the car and the foal. The drunken father and how Nick had attacked him. She remembered the look on his face, and the savagery in his voice. "Is that why I am afraid of him?" I chewed that thought over a bit. It would make sense, after all she was a prey animal and her instincts would still react to predatory savagery. "But why now? I've heard him use language like that before, watched him use force against violent criminals and it never bothered me." I was perplexed, it didn't make sense. "But he was a danger. I saw his paw, he was going for the trigger. Though I can't say I blame him. Hell, even Fangmeyer understood." I sat there baffled. "Then there were my actions last night... sure I had that dream, but after I woke up? I was so hostile to him. He has never done anything to hurt me. And now he probably hates me."
"Good morning Miss Hopps. How are we today?" The doctor asked politely as he walked in, breaking me free from my thoughts.
"I'm ok." I said a little flatly, not really paying attention.
"I see," She replied, giving me a look that said "you're lying" and moving over to the bed. "Ok, just need to check a few things then we can probably get you out of here."
She had me sit up, look around, follow the pen, all the usual doctor tricks. She checked my temperature, and drew a bit of blood for "further tests". I didn't care as long as I was able to leave.
"Ok, everything looks good, I will send the nurse back to take out your IV and start the check out procedure. To be on the safe side, I want you to take it easy for the next few days though. And make sure you get plenty of water and electrolytes. Other than that, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day." She said smiling as she left.
As silence again fell over the room, I returned to my head. "Maybe it was just all the stress and heat stroke." I thought. "No, that can't be it. What was it?" I shook my head in frustration. It seemed like the harder I thought about it, the further from an answer I was. Fortunately, the nurse walked back in to start my discharge process. While, I desperately wanted an answer, I welcomed the opportunity to step back from the problem.
"Ok, I just got to get you out of the IV, then you can get dressed. Your uniform is over in the closet. Once done, I will just need some information from you for your paperwork, then you are free to go." She said as she started unhooking tubes. She was fast in her work, only slowing briefly to withdraw the needle from my arm so she wouldn't cause any undue discomfort.
"Am I good to get dressed?" I asked, earning a nod in reply. I slowly climbed out of the bed, a bit stiff from laying there so long. As I stood there stretching a minute, I became aware of the revealing nature of the hospital gown I was in.
"Um, sweetheart," the nurse said, "remember there is no back to that and you don't have any clothes on underneath."
"Oh, sorry." I replied equally embarrassed and amused that I just mooned the nurse. With that I made my way to the closet, grabbed my gear and stepped into the bathroom. I slipped clothes, electing to leave my uniform shirt off, and went back into the other room.
"Ok, just a few questions for our report, then you are free to go." She said.
"Great! Whats the first one." I said eager to get it over with.
POV (Nick)
I awoke to the sun in my eyes. I had a terrible headache, and everything was fuzzy. My mind was in a haze. I moved to sit up, and instantly regretted it. A wave of nausea washed over me, as I stumbled my way to the bathroom. I had just made it to the toilet when I began vomiting. For the next five minutes my body purged the toxin from my system. When it finally subsided, I collapsed on the floor trying to catch my breath.
As I lay there, I could already feel my body starting to tense for another vomit session. Knowing I didn't have much time, I quickly pulled on my phone to send Judy a text.
"I think I'm dying." I wrote.
I was about to hit send, when I remembered why I was drunk. I stared at my phone for a minute as my anger began to rise. However, any reaction I was going to have was vetoed by my urge to get reacquainted with my toilet bowl. I simply dropped my phone and proceeded to continue vomiting.
POV (Judy)
I walked out of the hospital with a literal cloud over my head. The sky was dark with huge black rain clouds. I began walking home, hoping that the rain would hold off long enough for me to get there. My luck wasn't that good. A single solitary rain drop fell on my nose. I looked up silently begging the clouds to hold back. I was met with a deluge. The rain came down so thick, that I could barely see where I was going.
Soaked, I continued trudging home. I should have called for a cab, but I was actually grateful for the solitude. I wanted time to think and figure out my feelings. I wanted to know why I acted the way I had. Several times, I thought about calling Nick, but I couldn't not till I could explain myself.
I had pulled my phone out for the hundredth time to try talking to Nick, when it began to ring. "Hello? Nick?" I answered not looking at the caller I.D.
"Uh, no Hopps. I heard you had been discharged from the hospital. That is good to hear. However, I do need to speak to you, if you wouldn't mind coming in." Chief Bogo replied.
"Uh, sure Chief. I'm walking home now. I'll get cleaned up then come right in." I said.
"You're walking? In this weather?" The chief asked incredulously. "Hopps, you just got out of the Hospital, this seems like a good way to end up back there. I'll send a unit to get you. Where are you?"
I thought about protesting, but this was the chief, and he was right. "I am at the corner of Lemur and Chameleon. Small diner on the corner. I'll be inside." I said instead.
"Got it. Go home, clean up, I'll see you back here in two hours." Chief Bogo told me.
"You got it sir." I said as I hung up.
I walked over to the diner to wait for my ride, ordering a coffee. I had just sat down when I noticed a uniformed officer walk in. To my relief, it was Fangmeyer. I waved to him to get his attention before standing up to leave.
POV (Nick)
After what felt like days, I finally was able to leave my bathroom. My stomach muscles aching from heaving so much the past few hours. Despite my discomfort though, I was feeling marginally better. At least the nausea was gone. However, as my hangover subsided, I became increasingly aware of the pain radiating from paw, with no recollection of why it hurt or how I had injured it.
I walked to the sink and began cleaning and inspecting my wounds. Sadly, the wounds were pretty impressive. Deep gashes crossed my knuckles, several of them clearly needed stitches. In addition, a nice long cut covered the back of paw, extending to the base of my wrist. My paw looked like ground meet. "What the Fuck did I do?" I asked myself as I wrapped my injured paw in a towel and exited the bathroom.
"Oh," I said as I turned the corner and saw the broken mirror. I looked at it for a few moments before I shuffled off to my bedroom. I knew I had to get dressed, because I needed to go to the hospital. The problem was, I really didn't care. Just trying to get dressed was sapping what little energy I had. Every time I sat down, it made it that much harder to get back up. I lacked motivation. The only thing that I wanted to do was sleep. I laid back on my bed, and stared at the ceiling.
"Come on get up! You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. You need to pick yourself up and continue on. Just like you always have. Remember, don't let them get to you!" I thought to myself, groaning as I pushed myself up with my good paw. I hated it when I made sense to myself.
I slowly walked back out of my bedroom to collect my keys, phone and wallet. Again, I was confronted with the broken mirror. The same dilemma about cleaning it up confronted me a second time. Initially, I started to head to the kitchen to grab the broom, but with a shrug I just left. My lack of caring winning out. With all of my remaining determination, I walked out the door and locked it behind me.
I sat outside my door a minute before sighing and turning to walk down the hall. When I was about half way to the elevator, my phone began to ring. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and looked at the caller, it was Judy. I stared at the phone in shock and rage. I thought about answering it, wanting to tell her to go to hell, but in the end I just declined the call. I had no desire to talk to her.
When the elevator arrived, I climbed in and hit the button for the ground floor. Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes as a small wave of nausea swept over me. It only lasted a moment, but I kept my eyes closed savoring the solitude. My eyes weren't closed long, however, before my phone again began to ring.
When I looked at the screen, it again showed the caller to be Judy. Angrily, I declined the call again. This was really starting to fray my nerves. "What in her dumb bunny mind would make her think I would answer?" I thought as I stormed out of the elevator. I made my way across the lobby and looked outside. "Fuck." I was met by what looked like a monsoon.
There was no way I was going to walk through that to the hospital. I was tempted to go back up to my bed, but I forced myself resist the temptation. Reluctantly, I pulled out my phone and called a cab. Another call incoming as I was hanging up. It was Judy calling for a third time. By now I was livid. I had been trying as hard as I could to bury everything, and move on. I wasn't ready to face reality yet. However, the constant calls kept forcing the issue making me fume while I waited for the cab.
By the time the cab had arrived, I had managed to calm down a bit, but I was still fairly angry. I climbed in the back and told the driver to take me to the hospital. I sat back to think while we drove. After a few minutes, I decided that the only way I was going to be left alone was to turn my phone off.
Turning my phone off, wasn't as simple as it sounded. I sat there for most of the ride with my finger hovering over the power button. Despite everything, this simple action seemed like it was a final binding contract. In the end, I just took a deep breath and hit the button. I watched as the phone turned off, the screen going dark. I felt a surreal connection to it. That phone seemed to symbolize how I felt. It made me feel empty, and alone.
POV (Judy)
I waited in the car as Fangmeyer grabbed a cup of coffee from the diner. As I sat there, the chill from being soaked began to set in. I reached over shivering and turned the heat on full blast. With all the vents pointed at me, I pulled my knees up to my chest and put my head on them. I felt so alone. I wished I could call Nick and talk to him. He always made me feel better. I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through the pictures of him on my phone.
Even in my current state, his goofy antics in the photos still made me smile. "Oh god." I thought, "What I wouldn't do to have him back." I began to silently cry unaware that Fangmeyer had left the diner. He climbed in the car while I was still preoccupied with my phone.
"Jeez... Hopps, its a furnace in here." He remarked, acknowledging the heat. "You just got out of the hospital for heat stroke, let try not to go back."
I knew he was just trying to joke, but I was in no mood. I couldn't back anymore, and began sobbing in the car. Giant, ugly, uncontrollable tears ran freely down my face. I dropped the phone and buried my head in my paws. For his part, Fangmeyer was taken completely off guard, unsure what to do.
"I'm sorry, Judy. I didn't mean anything by it." He said not knowing why I was crying.
"Its... It's not... your fault." I told him through sobs.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked concerned.
"Not unless you know to fix things with Nick," I replied dryly, not catching my mistake.
"Oh he will be fine, don't worry about it. Internal Affairs won't be able to get him on anything. He is a hero for saving that kid." Fangmeyer said.
"I know that." I answered.
"Then what are you upset about?" He was getting really confused now.
"It's nothing." I mumbled.
"Wait, did something happen with you and Nick?" Fangmeyer asked connecting some dots. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. In the end, that was an answer in of itself.
Fangmeyer sat there silent for a moment, before softly continuing. "Whatever it was, I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
"Not that bad?!" My brain shouted, almost making my head explode. "I called him a predator." I said meekly.
"Ah, I see. That's not the end of the world." He said consolingly.
"No there is more," I said shaking my head. "I didn't just call him that, I was... am truly frightened of him. But I don't know why. He is my best friend and I can only see him as a monster."
I proceeded to tell him everything. How I felt at the scene, my dream, the conversation in the hospital. He just drove in silence and listened. Never once judging or interrupting, just taking it all in. When I was done talking, he sat there in contemplation for a few seconds before he started speaking.
"Judy, first off, Nick is a good friend of mine and I know him, he adores you. He just needs some space." He started, "However, this is a bit serious. You labeled him the one thing that he has always fought to not be seen as. Especially by you. That is something you are going to need to fix, is his mind you acted no better than everyone he has ever dealt with. It will probably not be easy, but I think you can do it. Now I am not a psychologist, but from what it sounds like, you had the dreams you did because you were feeling guilty for stopping Nick at the scene."
"I had too! You saw what he did, and I know you saw the look in his eyes. That look is what terrified me." I interrupted, defending myself, though I did feel guilty.
"I did. Its a look I have seen many times. He was triggered, and he was heading for the edge. Not sure by what, or the cause, but he has some deep issues. You shouldn't feel guilt over it. He needed you to be there. YOU brought him back. You may see it as betrayal, and maybe he will see it that way for a while too, but you had his back the whole time. But the look in his eyes aren't what you are afraid of Judy, well not directly at least. I've seen you stare down a drug crazed bull elephant without breaking a sweat and his eyes were way wilder than Nick's. What terrified you, is that you were able to get a small glimpse into his personal hell. And for whatever reason you lashed out." He continued.
I sat there motionless mulling over what he just said. He made some good points, but he wasn't quite right in his assessment. However, the more I thought about what Fangmeyer said, the more things seemed to make sense. I saw it all the pain, and the rage, all the years of hurt and distrust, his inner torment, I knew something was bothering him, but I never thought it was that bad. But the thing that scared me the most was that the Fox I watched wasn't the fox I knew. His ability to completely change was so alien to everything about him. I lashed out at him because I didn't want him to change on me. I didn't want to be responsible for more pain and suffering. "Cruel irony that that is exactly what I did." I thought.
My mind was on fire. Thoughts running through it at light speed. With Fangmeyer's help, I felt like I made a breakthrough. I tried my best to organize my thoughts and figure out where to go from here. After all like Fangmeyer said, I can fix this. I just need to find how. "A good first step would be to apologize"
I hurriedly picked up my phone and dialed Nick's number. It rang a few times before going to voicemail. I took the phone from my ear and starred at it in disbelief. "He rejected my call!" At first I was furious, but that faded quickly as I would likely do the same in his shoes. So after a minute I tried again. Again no luck. I was going to try a third time, but by now we had pulled up to my apartment.
"Ok, Hopps. Go up and get cleaned up. No need for a uniform you will be on paid medical leave for a few days. The chief just needs to get some statements from you." Fangmeyer informed me. "I am going to sit down here and start some of my paperwork."
I nodded my understanding, and climbed out of the cruiser. As I walked into my building, I decided to give his phone one more try. Not surprisingly, it didn't go through.
POV (Nick)
I sat in the waiting room of the ER. My paw still wrapped in a towel, feeling slowly starting to drain from it. "That is never a good sign." I thought. I was just about to get up and inform the nurse at the desk, when another nurse came into the room.
"Wilde? Nicholas Wilde?" he said.
"Yeah, right here." I said standing up and moving towards the door.
"Follow me please." he said, turning. "Would you mind telling me how this happened?"
Sigh "I went out drinking last night and did a pretty good job I guess, because I don't remember this happening. I found a shattered mirror in my living room this morning so I guess I either fell into it, or punched it for some reason." I told him. He was the third person I told the story to. I know he was just doing his job, and that the hospital is checking my story to make sure I am not trying to deceive them, but it was still annoying.
"I see, and do you drink like that often?" He asked.
"No not really, this was just a special occasion." I replied, again not for the first time.
"I see. Well, we will take a look and get you all fixed up." He finished as he got me into a small exam room. "Doctor will be right in."
"Thanks, I'll be here." I said, hopping onto the exam table
With that, I was left alone. With nothing to do but wait, I started reading all the charts, graphs and posters on the walls to stay busy. I knew that if I left my mind idle, it would drift back to her. However, that was a difficult task. It didn't help that the posters were rather boring. After only a minute or two, I gave up trying to not think about a certain fluffy gray bunny.
As the minutes passed, I became more and more bitter and angry. I kept playing over everything that had happened. What she called me, how she looked at me and recoiled. It didn't make any sense! It was driving me insane!
To make matters worse, I would have memories flash in my mind of the thousands of fun times we had together. Sadly, each one only made me feel worse. Like being stabbed in the heart repeatedly. "How is it that I can be so angry with her, and yet still miss her?" I asked myself.
Just then, the doctor came in. "Finally, I haven't got all day." I said testily.
"Well then, lets look at that paw of yours then." He replied brushing off my comment. Dutifully I lifted my paw and took off the wrappings.
"Looks like you did, quite a number on it." He said nodding while carefully turning my paw in his examining it.
"Yeah... I'm good like that." I said sarcastically. "But I need to tell you my paw started going numb right before you brought me back. I really can't feel anything that you are doing."
The doctor looked up at me with a concerned expression. "I was afraid of that, guess we don't need to do that test." He said standing up. "It appears some of the deeper cuts have severed some nerves. I am sorry to say that means you are going to need surgery on the paw. I will order it now and we will get you up there pronto."
"What! Surgery, doc I can't be stuck in here for surgery." I exclaimed.
"Don't worry, it will be minor. Once you are sedated you will be fixed up and sent back to a recovery room. Once you come to, you will be free to go and will have a follow up appointment made to check on your recovery." He said cheerfully. I just nodded, knowing that any protest would be useless.
It didn't take long before I was being collected and prepared for surgery. As they wheeled me down the hall on a gurney, a sickening feeling settling in my stomach, I couldn't help but wonder how Judy would feel if I somehow died on the table.
POV (Judy)
As I reached my apartment, I was furious. Three times I tried to call and three times he rejected me. "HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT, IF HE WON'T TAKE MY CALL?" I raged in my head. In a huff, I threw my phone on the table and made my way to the bathroom.
Having a deadline to meet, I stripped out of my clothes and turned on the shower. Within seconds the water was the perfect temperature, steam filling the room. I climbed in and let out a tense sigh. The hot water felt good on my chilled frame. The warmth soothed and relaxed me a bit as I stood there, wanting nothing more than to stay there for the rest of the day.
Regretfully, I knew that I had to meet with the chief. With all of my effort, I turned off the water and began drying myself. I couldn't help but remember the events of the day prior. How I teased Nick and had him eating out of my paw. "If I had only told him," I thought, "maybe none of this would be happening." I sighed in despair as I walked out of the bathroom to get dressed. When I was just about done, I grabbed my phone to text Fangmeyer in the car. Naturally, I hoped Nick had tried to contact me. I wasn't that lucky.
On my way down to the car, I figured I would send Nick a text too. "Maybe he just doesn't want to talk, talk" I thought. I pulled out my phone and began to type. I was still typing away as I climbed into the car.
"What you typing away for?" Fangmeyer asked.
"Oh, umm, I'm sending a text to Nick." I said absentmindedly.
"You two are talking then I assume." He stated.
"Not exactly. I figured that texted would be a bit easier for us at first. I am explaining everything." I replied back.
"Everything? Whoa, there Hopps. Maybe you should just start simple. Just say you are sorry and that you are here to talk and let him come to you when he is ready." He told me.
"But what if he doesn't?" I asked, the fear evident in my voice.
"If he doesn't, then you will have to be prepared for that. But my gut tells me that he will." He said in support.
"Ok, I'll give it a try." I conceded.
I deleted all of the original message except for the first sentence. After some thought, I decided to add a little bit more to my simple apology. In the end I was content with the message I had to send. I took a deep breath and hit send, hoping to get a reply back in a few seconds. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into a lifetime.
I slumped back into the seat as more time ticked by without any reply from Nick. I knew in my head that it would probably take a while, that I was not likely to be high on the list of mammals he wanted to talk to, but my heart was screaming at me to start spamming his phone with follow up messages. As we arrived at the station, I was in almost sheer panic mode.
I got out of the car and began the long walk to the chief's office. I was in a bit of a fog as I moved, aware of where I was going, but not really paying attention to it. All of my attention was focused on my phone. My thumbs were a blur as I fired off several texts in quick succession. I only paused my texting barrage, when I made it to the door of Chief Bogo's office. I knocked and then entered, ready to get this over with.
POV (Chief Bogo)
I heard a knock on my door, and looked up to see a small gray rabbit entering my office.
"Ah, Hopps, you're here. Good." I said standing up. "Please take a seat."
I observed Hopps for a moment before I started speaking. She seemed to be on edge. "Is everything ok Hopps?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Everything is fine chief." She replied, her body language telling me she was lying.
"Look, Hopps, I just wanted to go over some things about yesterday." I continued. " I know it wasn't the most pleasant thing and I will try to be quick but it has to be done." As I finished talking, the bunny just nodded, staring at her feet.
"Ok, lets just get this over with." I continued. "What were you doing before the tigress alerted you to the youngster?"
I sat and listened carefully while Hopps replayed the events leading up the the incident. She told me about lunch, the conversation about sports, music and the like, finally ending with the frantic tigress. When she was finished, I pressed on. "Was any booze involved with lunch?"
"No sir!" Judy said offended. "We follow protocol! It was just soft drinks and water."
"Easy Hopps, I had to ask. Though I might add you follow most protocol." I countered. "But still, sometimes you have to bend the rules. Now once you got to the car what actions did you take?"
"Well, once we arrived on scene I immediately started checking the doors. Nick, however, jumped onto the hood with his baton out. He was able to get eyes on the foal, and made the decision to break the glass. I should have done that, I was so stupid checking the doors. Such a waste of time, the Tigress said he was locked in." She said second guessing herself.
"Did you know for certain the doors were locked? Do you know for a fact the tigress checked them? No? Then I don't want you to second guess yourself. You took a logical and reasonable path to resolve the situation. Now continue." I told her sternly.
"Well I was still on the ground, and Nick swung hard at the glass with his baton. It was just too strung, and we were too small. I told him help was 5 minutes out, but I guess he didn't hear me. He pulled his pistol and shot out the glass. Then he crawled in car and pulled the baby out. That's it. The fire department arrived a few minutes later." She finished staring at the floor.
"Uh huh, and what about the father? What about Nick attacking him?" I asked, my eyes narrowing as I examined her reaction.
"Oh." She started quietly before stopping briefly.
"Yes?" I ask raising my voice.
"That was... that was nothing sir. I over reacted. The zebra had entered our perimeter and was agitated and advancing toward me. Nick sensed the threat and took care of him." She said.
"That's a load of crap and you know it Hopps. Look, you can try to protect him all you want, but you are just going to go down with him." I said looking right into her eyes. "The only way to help him, is to tell me the truth. So do you think the zebra was a threat?"
"N...no sir. He was pretty wasted, and stumbling. He could have easily been subdued without incident." She replied weakly.
"Was there need for Officer Wilde to use bodily force and escalate to a firearm?" I pressed.
"No." She answered, sinking further into her chair.
"Did you perceive Officer Wilde as a potential danger and disarm him?" I inquired, my nerve wavering as I saw the frailty of the proud bunny.
"Yes." She agreed barely above a whisper.
"Is there any reason to believe that he was under undue duress?" I asked.
"Oh! Yes sir. He is! I don't know what but it has been bothering him for the last few days!" She blurted out eager to cast her partner in a different light.
"I see." I said going back to my desk. "Thank you, that is all I needed. You are free to go Officer Hopps. In light of the situation yesterday and your hospital visit, I am ordering you to take the next three days off. Get some rest. Dismissed."
"What? That's it sir... No! I can't just go. What is going to happen to Nick?" She demanded. "I was told that he wasn't in that much trouble."
"He's not." I said plainly. "He will get a small slap on the wrist from, but that's it. I wanted to go over everything because I needed to get your side of things, to confirms some suspicions I have had myself. You did the right thing Hopps, your gut was right and now because of it, he can get the help he needs."
Hopps just stood there a minute as if she wanted to add something else. In the end she just took a breath, pointed to the door and left.
POV (Judy)
I left Bogo's office and sighed in relief. Though I wasn't sure what I was relieved about. The chief had blind sided me into betraying my partner again, ratting him out to be put in a report. Hard evidence of his misconduct. But still, the last thing that he said rang in my ear, "He will get the help he needs." I wasn't sure what that would entail, but I was happy that it would happen.
As I walked back down to the lobby, I pulled my phone back out of my pocket. The screen was blank. Still no response from Nick. My ears drooped again as any happiness I felt was crushed. I hadn't heard from him in almost a day now. I wanted to cry, but the tears just wouldn't form. I just walked on, my head down. When I reached the lobby, I noticed it was still raining. I was about to start walking home when a voice stopped me.
"Where are you going? It's pouring out there." Fangmeyer said running to catch up.
"Oh, I didn't know you were still here." I said absently.
"You don't think I would have just left you, do you?" He asked incredulously. "And I see the talk with the Chief didn't cheer you up any."
"Yeah, not exactly a happy talk." I agreed. "Thanks for the ride."
Noticing my mood, Fangmeyer just nodded and escorted me to the car. After I climbed in, I took my phone and sent one last message.
I miss you. :(
POV (Nick)
I woke up in a small white hospital room. I didn't know what time it was, but my body was telling me that I had been here a while. Slowly, I sat up and looked around. My right paw was heavily bandaged, with the bandages going halfway to my elbow. I was aware of a dull ache, but it seemed far away and not important. To the left of my bed, I found a nurse's call button on a small bedside table. Reaching over, I grabbed it and gave it a push. A few minutes later a young, rather attractive female wolf came in.
"Welcome back to the land of the living Mr. Wilde?" She said with a small giggle. "You were out for quite a while, I was beginning to worry."
"Well I wouldn't want that." I said flirting a bit. "What time is it?"
"Its almost 8:30pm." The nurse said brightly.
"What! 8:30?!" I said alarmed. I had spent the whole day here.
"Well you had quite the accident with your paw. It took almost three hours to fix you up. Plus almost 200 stitches." She replied. "But, fix you up we did, and now that you are awake, you are free to go. So lets get you up."
With the nurses help, I stood up from the bed. At first I was a little wobbly from the anesthetic, but I was able to regain my balance rather quickly. On our way out of the recovery room, we stopped at the nurses station to fill out my discharge papers and to get my prescription for some antibiotics. After I was done signing all the paper work, the nurse escorted me to the front lobby.
"So what do you do?" She asked.
"I'm a cop, Mrs. Timberline." I said with a small smile.
"Please call me Dana, and its Ms." She told me with a wink.
"Oh, well in that case, Hi I'm Nick." I said extending my injured paw, earning another giggle.
"You might not want to do that." Dana chided.
"Yeah, probably right. What? Still raining?" I asked exasperated as I caught sight of the outside world.
"Yeah hasn't stopped all day. Problem?" Dana inquired.
"Yeah big one, a cab brought me in." I replied, not really wanting to walk or wait for another cab.
"No problem, I actually got off about twenty minutes ago. You were my last patient. Give me a second and I'll give you a lift." She said eagerly with a twinkle in her eye.
"Thanks, but I can't ask you to do that." I said politely refusing the offer.
"Nonsense. I would be my pleasure." She insisted.
"Well, in that case, I am in your debt." I responded.
"Great! Wait here." Dana said running off.
After Dana ran off, I leaned against a wall to wait. I pulled out my phone to surf the web, and realized that it was still turned off. I powered it up and waited for it to open. As it came up, all the programs updated with the network, including my inbox. Suddenly, my phone lit up and a deluge of texts came flooding in. I opened my inbox and started sifting through the messages. Most were ads, and messages from co-workers and friends. However, there were ten from Judy. I sighed. I had completely forgotten about Judy. Hesitantly I opened the conversation and read what she sent.
"Nick, I am so sorry. Let's talk.
Please, Nick. Let me explain.
We can get through this, just talk to me. Please.
What can I do? I don't want to lose you.
Don't shut me out. If you want to scream at me, you have every right too. Just say something.
I know I messed up. I just want to make things right.
If you don't want to talk to me again, I understand. I just wanted to explain.
I'll understand if you don't want to be partners.
Are you ok? :(
I miss you. :(
I sat there against the wall thinking about if and what to say in reply. I stared out the windows and saw a car pull up to the front of the building. Dana got out and ran in to fetch me. With a shrug, I put my phone back into my pocket and went out with her to the car. The ride home was good, making small talk as I directed her to my place. Everything from work, to interests, to pets, were covered. By the time we had reached my apartment, my mind was clear of any thoughts from earlier, the text messages completely forgotten, solely focused on the here and now.
"Thank you so much for the ride, Dana." I said beaming.
"You are quite welcome Nick." She responded, looking into my eyes.
"So do you do this with all your patients?" I teased.
"Nope. You're just... special." She said seductively.
"Well, would you like to come up? I can whip something together real fast." I offered.
"How about you just order a pizza. Then we can do other things while we wait." She purred.
"Pizza it is." I said as I got out of the car.