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Nick walked through the front doors of ZPD with a another coffee in hand and, for the first time this week, he saw his partner sitting on the bench, waiting for him. Judy was looking through her phone, checking some messages. She looked up as Nick walked up.
"Good morning, partner!" she said. Nick sat down next to her.
"Sleep well?" he asked.
"Yep. How 'bout you?" Judy asked back.
"As good as ever!" Nick replied, but it was a bold-faced lie. The details about the previous night's encounter kept bouncing around in his skull, namely Judy's strange behavior. Nick was now running on fumes after two nights of nearly nonexistent sleep.
Luckily, both he and Judy were assigned to desk work that morning at roll call. Normally Nick hated desk work, but today he was so tired that sitting at a desk all day sounded inviting. He just needed to stay awake.
He was busy filing some after action reports when he saw Judy stand from her desk and briskly walked away with her phone in her hand. Nick paid it little mind until his eyes caught a glimpse of what was on Judy's computer. Curiosity got the better of him and he stood to investigate.
He walked over to the computer, keeping his eyes peeled for Judy. The thing that caught his attention was the large black lettering on the file Judy was looking at.
Night Howler Poisonings.
Why was she looking at the Night Howler case file? That case had been solved a over year ago. Did Judy think they missed something? Did something happen to her while she was gone to remind her of this case?
Nick didn't have time to investigate further when he heard Judy's footsteps returning. He scampered back to his desk and sat down before Judy walked back into the room. Being cautious to avoid her suspicion, Nick watched Judy as she sat back down at her computer. He noted her look of surprise on her face when she noticed she had left the page open on her computer and she glanced around the office. Nick quickly looked back at his computer before she looked in his direction.
What are you hiding, Carrots?
For the rest of day, Nick kept his eye on Judy. A weird sensation started to creep into his mind. The sensation of distrust. Nick had spent decades of his life as a con man and in that time he formed a natural distrust for other animals, except maybe Finnick. In the year since he met Judy, Nick had felt that layer of distrust melt away and he began to open up to other animals.
Now, that distrust was returning and it was returning because of Judy. Something happened to her while she was kidnapped, something she wasn't willing to talk about. Asking her would get Nick nowhere. He knew Judy was far too stubborn for that to be a viable tactic.
At the end of their shift, Judy and Nick clocked out and headed toward the door. They were just out the door when Nick stopped and placed his hand over his pocket.
"Hey, Carrots, I just realized I left my phone at my desk," Judy turned to look at him. "I'll see ya tomorrow, OK?"
"Yeah," Judy answered before she left. Nick could almost detect a hint of sadness in her voice, but couldn't be sure. Nick turned back toward the office. His phone was in his pocket, but he needed a reason not to leave with Judy as he normally did. He silently chastised himself for lying to Judy as he made his way to Chief Bogo's office. He walked up to the door and knocked several times.
"Come in," he heard Bogo's say from the other side. Nick slowly opened the door and walked into the room. Bogo looked up from his desk and removed his glasses. "What is it, Wilde?" Nick took a second to respond.
"In all honesty, sir, I am concerned about Officer Hopps," he said. Bogo set his pen down on the desk.
"This again, I..." he began before Nick cut him off.
"I know what you're gonna say, but she's been acting weird ever since. She's been looking back over files for the night howler case and her ears are always twitching and..."
"And she's been through more than most officers experience in a lifetime." Now it was Bogo's turn to cut Nick off. "Nick, victims of traumatic experiences can develop tics like that. Trust me, I've seen it enough." Nick opened his mouth to protest, but Bogo cut him off once again. "The best thing you can do for Judy is to give her some space. When she's ready, she will open up. Don't push the issue." Nick tried to think of something else to say, but he knew nothing he could say would change the Chief's mind.
Nick left the office and walked toward the lobby. His brain raced. Was he just paranoid? There was a little voice in his head screaming at him that something was wrong. That little voice had saved Nick's tail on many a scam before, so he was wary to disregard it.
As he walked into the lobby, he made up his mind. Something was up with Judy and he was going to find out what it was regardless of what Bogo said. It only hurt Judy to keep this stuff bottled inside. Nick of all animals knew the consequences of hiding one's emotions.
Tomorrow, I'll find out what you're up too, Carrots.
Tonight, he needed sleep.