Author's Note
This chapter contains violence, hope you like that stuff. Also, this chapter is very weird, and like I will say in the end, it has yet to be fully explained.
Judy's POV
Sitting alone in my living room, I was watching a documentary about someone who wants to be the first sloth to get first place in a hundred meter dash. I heard a knock at my door and bounced off the couch. I already knew who it was, it was Alex, who was picking me up to go see Nick.
"Good morning Judy, let's not keep Nick waiting. You know how much he hates being stuck in that hospital." He greeted me. Today is the fifth day since he woke up, so that means the doctor would be confronting us further on his condition, and when he could, and should leave. I'm not just hoping he gets out soon for me, but for his sanity. "Maybe one of these days I can make you french toast again." I smiled, that would be nice, not having to make my own food everyday.
"Yeah, that would be nice, but I don't think you'd want to wake up early just to make me food." I corrected. He just let out a small laugh before entering his car. I climbed into the passenger seat and sat quietly.
"Hey Judy, I wanted to tell you," He began. "I don't want you to feel awkward with me being so friendly, it's just that you and Nick are great to be around, and when Nick gets back to his normal routine, I would love to hang out with the two of you." It's been less than a week and I already know his serious tone versus his casual one.
"It's fine, I would too, besides, you already knew Nick before this even happened." I said with a flick of my paw. Alex then turned on the radio, making sure "Try Everything" was playing. He even knew what songs I liked. Alex remained quiet for the next few minutes, focusing on his driving. I pulled out my phone and texted Nick that we would be there in a couple more minutes. Nick sits up in his bed now, and I text him throughout the day.
"How many nicknames does Nick got for you?" Alex asked out of nowhere. I shook my head, counting them up.
"Not that many, at least three though. In case you couldn't tell, he prefers using Carrots." I laughed, reading Nick's response. Alex pulled up to the hospital, and we strolled through the front doors. We took the elevator to the third floor and found ourselves outside Nick's room.
"Nick, a very special bunny is here to see you." Alex said, pressing his snout against the door. We both entered the room, finding Nick sitting up in his bed, watching TV.
"Hey Carrots, hey Alex. Take a seat, enjoy your stay." Nick greeted, relieved that we had saved him from another hour of boredom.
"So when is your doctor supposed to come in?" I asked, the wait was killing me.
"Well from what I heard, anytime between now and thirty minutes. After all, you guys are a bit early." Nick cleared up, taking a drink from his water cup next to him. "Instead of just talking, I was thinking we could watch something." He paused, grabbing the TV remote from his side. "How about cops?" He said, changing the channel. It was a show about cops, pretty self-explanatory.
"Nick, be careful, watching cops bust criminals is quite interesting. You already want to get out of here enough." Alex intervened. Nick and I laughed, knowing the truth of his words. For the next ten minutes we just watched the show together, not much conversation, just us. Even with our silence, Nick still enjoyed every second of it, I could tell. A panda entered the room, Nick's doctor.
"Judy and Alex, thank you for joining Nick and I today. You can call me Dr. Harris." He declared. "I would like to start off by saying Nick is 'recovering' quite well, but I don't think he will be walking for at least another week or two." He said, keeping a polite smile upon his face. I wished for the best, which would be for Nick to get out today in a wheelchair.
"Hey doc, I'll just be a moment, I got to use the restroom." Alex said quickly before getting up. He backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. I frowned, knowing I'd have to wait just a moment longer to hear when Nick could leave.
"Alex better hurry, or else Carrot's head might explode from anticipation." Nick said, acting concerned. Even getting a laugh out of the doctor. I smiled, but didn't want to encourage Nick any further. Alex jogged back into the room, as always, making sure to close the door behind him. He slid back into seat.
"You have my permission to continue Dr. Harris." Alex joked, resting his paws in his lap. I would be biting my nails right now if it wouldn't be so embarrassing. Nick just sat there smiling, he appeared confident that he was good enough to leave.
"Nicholas Wilde, I'm sorry, but I don't think you will be leaving anytime soon." Dr. Harris said, sympathy projecting from his voice.
"That can't be! He has been fine the last couple days!" I shouted, before covering my mouth. Dr. Harris didn't look surprised at all.
"I'm sorry dear, but Nick has a rare case of quite the false recovery." Harris started. I had no clue what he meant. "Basically, his mind is tricked into thinking he has recovered, at least to an extent." He finished. I still didn't understand, wouldn't Nick be in pain right now if that were true?
"So you mean his body is still in critical condition, but his subconscious is telling him that he is okay?" Alex pondered, probably just as confused as I was. Nick had one eyebrow raised, looking down at his blanket covering his legs.
"Yes I'm afraid so, which means we can't let Nick leave until we are sure his physical and mental reflection on his injuries are the same, or else he could get seriously hurt, again." Dr. Harris answered, standing up and putting a paw on my back. A tear escaped my eye as the doctor told us we should leave Nick to rest.
"Please let Judy stay, I want her here with me." Nick jumped in, catching Dr. Harris of guard. He sighed, scratching his head.
"I'm sorry Nick, and to you too Judy, but you need to rest, and after lunch we will be further investigating the problem." Doc sighed, opening the door to the cold corridor. He motioned for Alex and I to follow him, so we did.
"Nick will be fine, I promise." Alex said, patting me on the back. Usually his words would comfort me with ease, but Nick wouldn't be out for who knows how long. Alex took me to his car, and we drove off, not exchanging another word for the time being.
"Look Judy, I'm sorry about what happened in there, let's get lunch, on me." He exclaimed, pulling into Zubway (I know, terrible cliche pun). There was almost no line, so Alex and I got to order rather quickly.
"I'll just have a six-inch sub with carrots and cucumbers." I said, Nick's condition still effecting my voice. Alex kept his hand on my shoulder as he ordered.
"I'll have the same thing." He followed up. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked up at him. Alex walked past me, not noticing my confusion. We both took a seat at a high, rounded table, far away from the other four customers here.
Nick's POV
I watched Judy and Alex leave with Dr. Harris, and not soon after, he returned. He held his paws together tightly. "Nick, your treatment will arrive shortly." He said before leaving. My treatment? I thought that was for after lunch. The door closed, a shadow overtook the light coming from outside. The door swung open, hitting the wall next to it. Two mammals entered, a jaguar and a polar bear.
"Nicholas, you can either let us do our job, or we can restrain you." Is all the jaguar said before the two quickly moved towards my bed. My first instinct was to jump out of the bed, but I could barely move my left leg, my right one not much better, so I just ended up jerking around a little bit. I yelled for them to get away, but the polar bear put a paw on my chest, pushing me back down against the bed.
"You stay quiet, or I hold your trap shut for yeh." The white bear quietly explained, his large size preventing me from seeing what the jaguar was working on behind him. He readjusted himself so that the jaguar could get to my arm, revealing a large syringe needle.
"What kind of medicine is that, if there is no harm in asking?" I asked, stuttering in concern. Before I could get an answer, a pain shot through my arm, I jerked, causing the pain to intensify. He yanked the needle out, my arm slowly distributing blood to my fur. The two of them left within five seconds, closing the door behind them. I lied there, still trying to recover from shock.
"Yes it's done, go ask em yourself if is-such ah big deal." Just barely I made out what the polar bear said outside. I started thinking, am I dreaming? I knew i wasn't, but I couldn't process the meaning behind my 'Medicine'. Dr. Harris slowly entered the room, eyes wide.
"What," I gasped, "The hell was that about." I finished, still painting as I inspected my arm. Dr. Harris dropped his surprised and nervous look, now looking rather angry.
"That, would be your 'Medicine', I hope you enjoy it while it lasts." He started, taking my phone from my side table. By the time I noticed, I couldn't stop him from backing away. "Nick, you seem to just be realizing just how cruel reality is." He laughed. I growled at him, but he didn't show the slightest reaction. "I'm sorry, how rude of me, what I mean is that that medicine will make sure you don't recover. It does the opposite, your condition will either stay the same, or worsen." He corrected.
"Why?" Was all I could said at this point, nothing made sense to me.
"Judy Hopps, your partner, is indeed a special character, you are as well, but Judy won't be difficult to sway. Alex is taking good care of her. With you stuck here for the rest of your time, which hopefully won't be long, Judy will be ours for the taking." He continued to explain that I was the only thing stopping Judy from whatever he said, which I still didn't know what. "Judy scored top of her class, and without her to solve a certain case, let's face it, predators such as yourself could be locked up at this point." He concluded. Then he left without another word. I sat alone in my bed, head back, focusing on one thing only. How to contact Judy. Sure she visits everyday, but they obviously won't let her visit me tomorrow. I could scream, I could try to get up, I could even try to attack Dr. Harris next time he comes in, but let's face it, all of those would probably result in me getting hurt or punished in some way. I sat up, taking in the environment of the room. Noting where everything was, hoping I could find something to help me escape. I fell back, feeling my blanket get stuck on my toe. I tried yanking the blanket, but my claw held on tight, not letting go. I sat up and carefully picked the blanket off. I wiggled my toe afterwards. I fell back down, sighing. My eyes slowly widened. I jumped up, moving my toes again, before throwing the blanket off of me, half of it falling to the floor. I moved my left leg up, bending it back and forth. I poked the large bandage on my leg. Painless.
Judy's POV
After finishing our Zubway sandwiches, Alex and I got back into his car, about to head towards my apartment. "So Judy, how were the sandwiches?" He asked casually.
"They were good." I said, no emotion in my voice. Alex kept silent the rest of the ride, occasionally looking at me. His eyebrows were pushed down almost the whole time, not in an angry way, but more of a worried one.
"Carrots, I mean Judy, I understand what you're feeling right now." Alex said, his serious side taking over. I started feeling angry, I didn't quite know why.
"Nick calls me Carrots." I said, folding my arms. Alex sighed, fighting the urge to respond. He pulled up to my apartment, and left the car to open my door for me. I opened it before he got a chance and stalked pass him. I unlocked my front door and went to close the door.
"Judy, I don't know what I said to upset you, but could I at least get a goodbye?" Alex asked, bending to meet my level. I just stared at him. He just smiled warmly.
"I'm sorry Alex, I'm just upset about Nick." I sighed, then flinched when Alex grabbed me, pulling me into a hug.
"Nick won't give up on you." He whispered into my ear before letting go. He quickly went back to his car and drove off in what seems only several seconds. I stood in my front doorway for another minute, just thinking: Nick would be okay.
Nick's POV
I threw my upper body off the bed, landing on both paws, my legs collapsing onto the cold floor behind me. I felt both my legs returning from their deep sleep, moving them around to warm up. Once I was up on my feet, I paced around the room, adjusting to my sudden ability to move my legs. I snuck over to the door between me and the long, wide open hallway, which would surely get me caught if I wasn't careful. Whoever was behind this surely wanted to make sure I didn't escape. I slowly opened the door, wincing as the door creaked. I stalked into the hall, making sure no nearby doors were open, I started walking.
I entered the main lobby, it was almost empty, except for a pig, the desk attendant. She noticed me before I got a chance to say anything, and was quick to note my injuries. She went to pick the up phone, but I stopped her by putting my hand up. "Wait, don't call anyone, I don't need anymore trouble." I told her, before regretting it as it sounded like more of a threat than a beg for mercy. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong," I heard heavy pawsteps behind me. I turned around to see the polar bear who restrained me earlier, wielding a gun. He was too far for me to try anything, and with my condition, I probably couldn't do anything anyways.
"Sorry Nicholas, we gave ye a chance." He said, his words actually carrying a bit of guilt. I opened my mouth to respond. Then my ears were filled with the same ringing from the mall, and I fell backwards, my flesh being ripped apart. The desk attendant surely called 911 by now, or so I hoped. I couldn't abandon Judy, I couldn't leave this world knowing I left behind one thing, pain. I sat right back up, feeling the pain from my shoulder, I winced. Then again, I was forced back down, another shot fired. My heart was still beating, and it was beating too fast for comfort, blood poured into my fur. The polar bear leaned over, staring at me, his breath lacing with mine. I swung my arm up and punched him. It seemed to have little effect, but he willingly backed up. I held my arm in pain, as I was just shot in the shoulder previously. I watched as the bear backed up even more. He shot me once again, and again. My breathing became even more painful, coughing up blood every now and then. I closed my eye, feeling my pain slowly fading, I accepted my fate. I felt my breathing die down. I slowly opened my eyes, the bear watched me as I sat up. His jaw slowly opened before he sprinted down the hall, leaving me alone. I noticed the desk attendant left as well, go figure.
"You're lucky I gave you a chance too..." I sputtered, the polar bear long gone. I fell backwards, with nothing but the thought of resting. Not long after, I sat up again, very slowly. I looked at my legs, a large bandage on both. I grabbed the edge of the bandage on my left leg and tore it off slowly. Every inch I peeled, my eyes rose even higher. Once I finished, a fully healed leg was revealed. I laughed out loud just a bit before catching myself, not wanting to sound insane, even when alone. I then felt pain emerging in my shoulder again. I tilted my head, looking directly into the wound on my right shoulder. The bullet was still inside. The pain got worse rather quickly, I tried to find a way to dig it out, but I couldn't use my claws, as that was terrible dangerous, and they wouldn't fit anyways. After another minute, the pain was worse than when I first got shot, I started panting, and groaned to hold back screaming. I took one last look at my shoulder, flesh was slowly overtaking the wound, trapping the bullet inside. Whatever Mr. Jaguar gave me, it definitely was not medicine.
Author's Note
Yes that was weird. Let's say Nick's luck finally turned up, or at least for a little bit. Hope you enjoyed this strange chapter, more will be explained in the next one, don't worry. As for Judy, I'm not sure if she will be relieved that Nick has recovered, more or less, with the fact that he was almost murdered in the process. Please leave a review, share your powerful thoughts, advice, and ideas with me.