The very next day, Judy wasn't quite sure if that night was a dream, or more aptly, a nightmare. It all happened so fast, and the amount of adrenaline that pumped through her left her feeling drained. She couldn't eat anything, and only had the energy to wash the blood off of her and lie down in bed. Her body had begged for rest but her brain was still racing; the discontinuity kept Judy up nearly all night. She arrived at the ZPD headquarters in her uniform the next day, praying for a day to rest and square away everything that happened last night.
One thing in particular had weighed on her conscience the most, so she knew where her first stop would be.
After asking for directions, she was directed to the room of Benjamin Clawhauser. The portly cheetah sat in his swivel chair, eyes scanning multiple monitors and a donut firmly in his paw. There were two couches and a coffee table in the middle of the room, but apparently the sole purpose of this room was Clawhauser's command center. He took a large bite of the donut before realizing that he had company, and swiveled around to face Judy.
"Mmf. Jusk a shekind..." he greeted Judy cheerily with a mouth full of pastry. Judy could only smile awkwardly, waiting for him to finish. "Okay, hi! I'm Benjamin Clawhauser. And it's very obvious who you are. Wow, you bunnies always surprise me with how cute you are!" He sang to Judy.
"Yeah, I'm Inspector Judy Hopps. It's nice to meet you. And please don't call me cute. It's kind of a...bunny thing." Judy trailed off in a morose tone.
"Oh, so sorry! I didn't know, honest, not many bunnies here, but you know more about that than I do. You're the one who shot Nick, aren't you? That's hilarious! Keeping a short leash on your Enforcers, eh?"
"It's not like that..." Judy replied, indignation clear in her voice.
"Oh. Hm." This brought pause to the cheetah. Clawhauser pondered this out loud, eyeing the bunny like she was something entirely foreign to him. "Well, I actually just checked on him not long ago. You nailed him right in the spine with that Paralyzer, but even then, it's nothing new. Those shots act as advertised; it'll put any mammal out of commission for a bit. He's resting right now, so I'd advise against any visits, if that's what you're after. But you can try if you want to, you're the Inspector."
"Oh, no. I'll let him rest. I'll leave you be." Judy turned away.
"Hey!" Clawhauser called after her. Judy turned slowly to face him once again. "You okay?"
Now it was Judy's turn to pause. "Yeah...It's weird being asked that, actually. Last night was so tense and...I think I forgot how to take care of myself. My mind is all over the place. I shouldn't expect Bogo or any of my Enforcers to do everything for me though."
A loud grumble came from Judy's stomach, and she flushed in embarrassment.
Clawhauser let out a merry laugh. "Well, I'm technically your Enforcer too. I'm a lot of Inspectors' Enforcer. The drone factory was a military sector, so there was too much red tape to ask for my help last night. Plus, it sounded like a pretty clear-cut mission, not much need for my support. But you'll use me eventually if you ever get in a jam that requires any remote accessing. And, as you can see, I'll also be the one to patch up anybody who gets hurt. I mean, I may have a physician's license, but with everything else I'm tasked with it can get really stressful here at times. I'm a latent criminal, but that doesn't mean they can slave drive me!"
Judy let the cheetah ramble on, sleepily nodding at what he had to say. Towards the end of his musings, he reached into his donut box and offered a pink donut with sprinkles to Judy. Judy stared blankly at the pastry.
"I'm never there in person, so forgive me if I'm stepping out of line but...even I realize it can be brutal on assignments. Last night sounded rough, not to mention a rude welcome for a new Inspector. But here at HQ, you can rest easy. And if you want, I'm always here if you need somebody to talk to." Clawhauser told her in a soothing voice.
Judy gingerly took the donut in her paw, and thanked the cheetah for the breakfast.
"And I'll always be here for donuts, too! Take care of yourself, Miss Hopps."
Judy decided to sit down on the couch and eat her donut, wanting to enjoy some pleasant conversation a little longer. "Are you a therapist too? Because I'm actually starting to feel better." Judy said with appreciation, a warm smile on her face.
"Not licensed for that, but I like to think I know a thing or to."
"Sounds like you're qualified for just about everything else!" Judy offered this genuine praise.
Clawhauser gave an exasperated laugh. "Yeah, a blessing and a curse. Don't get me wrong, this job is way better than any alternatives, but you can tell that high-functioning latent criminals with my level of education are in short supply. Hence why I'm two parts techie and one part doctor around here."
Judy and Clawhauser chatted for a little longer about whatever crossed their minds. Judy was happy to meet somebody else who appreciated the musical talents of Gazelle, although Clawhauser definitely outdid her in his levels of devotion. Eventually, it came time to clock in, and she had to report to Bogo.
"Thank you again for everything, Mister Clawhauser."
"Just Ben or Clawhauser is fine by me, Inspector. And if you want, I can give you a call when Nick is up and ready for visitors." the cheetah informed her with a mischievous wink.
"That'd be nice, but, what was that for?" Judy asked, a bit nervous.
"I can tell you care, Inspector. Enough to come visit Nick. That can either get you very far or in a lot of trouble in this job." Judy couldn't help but think of Maurice's gradual degradation into an Enforcer. "But, I can also tell you that your Enforcers will respect you for it." Clawhauser finished with a little salute. "Oh, and if you do go far here, I'm begging you for a hot tub in the lounge! Climb that ladder and help us little guys out, Hopps!" He joked.
This actually forced a laugh out of Judy. "Thank you, Ben. I'll keep in touch."