UPDATE: Hi guys, I had a bit of writer's block there, so yeah, but I got the story back on track, now it gets dark so bear with it, my family had a similar incident, but it didn't end the same as this chapter. Anyways enough of dark history, to the story and also THANK YOU GUYS FOR 1500 VIEWS
Chapter 10 Booze and Bad Decisions
Nick woke up to his bunny nuzzling his chest in her sleep. "I'm never gonna get used to this am I?" Nick breathed a light chuckle at himself for being so mushy, and slid quietly out of her loving grasp, causing her to reach for him in her sleep. "And you thought I was hopeless." His thoughts trailed off to getting dressed, then to what happened last night. "It must have been a dream, right? Right? There's no way we could ha…" His train of thought was derailed by the blue paper lying on the floor. "Well, Nick, enjoy life while it lasts because when the chief gets the news, he's gonna mount your head on his wall." He looked back to Judy, who was still grasping the air hopelessly, and gave her a kiss on the head which seemed to calm her fit.
Putting on his coveralls and boots, Nick headed out the back door to start the work for the day, but got an unexpected surprise when he saw Stu sitting on the porch swing with a drink in his hand. "What's going on, you're always at the tool shed before me."
Stu smirked and grunted, "Day off."
Nick let out a halfhearted sigh of relief, "Well then, what exactly are we doing today?"
Stu swirled his glass of whiskey, "I wouldn't quite call it a baby shower, but we are throwing one for Judy, and the men are to stay out of the way." Nick motioned for Stu to complete his explanation. "We men, will be bonding over aged alcoholic beverages, but not too many. "Stu tossed back the last of his whiskey at the end of his sentence.
Nick accepted this answer. "So, who all will be at this manly gathering of men?" Nick's jovial tone having no effect on Stu.
"A few of Judy's older brothers, you, me, and…" Nick made another "go on" motion. Stu made a phony cough, "Gideon Grey."
Nick looked stunned, "Why the FUCK would you invite him? He hurt Judy, and I don't care if he's repentant or not, he is NOT going near my woman and unborn kit."
Stu held up a hand. "Son, I can assure you that we won't be leaving my study, and besides, Judy invited him."
The latter part of the sentence hit him like a ton of bricks. Nick opened him mouth several times to protest, but continued his frustrated pacing, and eventually surrendered, for he could not argue with Judy. "I WILL attend, but I WILL NOT acknowledge that piece of shit."
Stu looked at Nick, concern showing in his face, "Just don't let Judy hear you say that."
The rest of the day leading up to the party dragged by as Nick fumed, eventually leading up to the moment he dreaded. The knock on the door made Nick's hair stand on end.
"Son, you look like someone stuck an orange pompom into a flannel shirt, calm down and make yourself look dignified."
Nick smoothed his fur and made his way with Stu to the study. Inside the study sat three rabbits, all of whom looked similar to Judy in their colors, but were more brawn than brains.
"Hi there Nich-o-las."
Nick didn't feel afraid, but he didn't feel like he was going to have an easy time with this, and his senses agreed giving him a "this is gonna be a hazing" feeling. Another hour passed, filled with Nick's writhing from jabs at his past, before Gideon showed up. The fox was surprisingly stealthy, given his portly build.
"Hi, I was told that we was gonna be celebratin' Judy's havin' a baby."
Nick said nothing, and Stu knew that whatever happened between the two, it would happen on their own terms. The Night dragged on, Nick avoiding any more drinks, as to not do something he would regret. Nick noticed that Gideon wasn't holding back, draining bottle after bottle, until he finally gave in to his body's urge and stood up to drunkenly make his way to the restroom. A few minutes passed, Nick not caring, knowing it would take him a while seeing how drunk he was, but when Gideon hadn't showed his face in almost an hour, he decided to make sure that he wasn't causing trouble.
Gideon stumbled out the back door to heave the alcohol his body couldn't handle, his mind was gone, as was his vision when he heard Judy heaving as well.
"Same problem, different causes, huh?" She cringed as the stench of alcohol reached her. "Let's get you back to the guys."
Gideon looked at Judy with a cocked head, "So…who is the…lucky rabbit?" Judy blushed, not knowing how to tell him about her carrying Nick's kit.
"Ohhh," Gideon replied, "So's it's a bastard? I can help with that if you want me to." Judy tried to speak, but was cut off by the portly fox's drunken rambling. "A few good… hits… and…you should be back to normal." Judy was mortified by what he said. Gideon started slowly approaching Judy, but was stopped when he heard the growl of another fox.
Nick stood four feet behind the drunken fox, a .45 revolver leveled at his head. "I will only tell you this once, back away."
Gideon turned and laughed at Nick's gun, "You think that silly peashooter will scare me? HA!"
Judy started to back away, but Gideon lunged.
Judy's parents and older siblings came charging out of the house at the sound of a gunshot, Judy was holding Nick's head, stroking his muzzle, "It's going to be okay Nick, don't you dare close your eyes." Nick's paw was over his stomach, trying to staunch the bleeding from a bullet wound, and Gideon was puking in the grass, mumbling about how he didn't mean it, clearly jolted from his drunken stupor by the grim reality of what he had done.
"Judy, help him put pressure on that, Stu get the truck, we need to get to a hospital NOW!" Bonnies voice commanded her family like a well-trained army, and about ten minutes later, they were at the Bunnyburrow Municipal Hospital.
To Judy, it happened too fast, they were in the hospital, and within seconds, she was being torn away from Nick.
"You can't be in the operating room." The doctor looked at Judy quizzically, "Why are you fussing over this fox so much, it's not like they are exactly trustworthy and all, he probably got shot when a drug deal went bad."
Judy couldn't contain her rage, "You listen to me you glorified nurse, that is no ordinary fox, he is the ZPD's FIRST fox officer, he has saved MY LIFE multiple times, he is the most amazing mammal I know, and he is the father of the child that is inside me, now if your surgeons botch this and he dies, I will make sure that you are put away for a very long time for discrimination and the death of an officer!"
The doctor gulped and couldn't even muster a response, simply turning and sprinting back to his office.
Judy didn't let her façade collapse until the doctor was well out of sight, falling into her parent's arms and sobbing for her fox.
The head surgeon was raccoon, so he understood Nick's plight, even though he was unconscious, and he worked tirelessly for hours to keep the fox in the land of the living.
"Come on dammit, you'll make me look bad if you die." The raccoon kept muttering this to himself, it was calming for him, and it made his work flow a bit more smoothly, and after several hours he finally put the last stitches in his patient, "Get this fox to an ICU stat!"
Judy was alerted to Nick's relocation and went, reluctantly at a pace her mother set for her pregnant daughter, to his room.
"We will have to keep him sedated for the time being, as to keep him from undoing any of the work that Dr. Lars has done to keep him alive."
Judy couldn't bear to see Nick so helpless. "H-how long until he can be taken off the sedatives?"
The doctor glanced at his clipboard, "Three days, our surgeon is quite remarkable, I thought it was a waste of his talent when he was put here, but seeing your friend here makes me think otherwise."
Judy looked at the ominous machines that beeped and clicked rhythmically, "Can I speak to the doctor?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses, "I don't see why not."
Judy whirled around to see a raccoon in scrubs, she assumed he had changed and showered, since his fur was still damp. "That fox is a fighter he will be just fine."
Judy nearly tackled him, hugging him tightly. "I can't thank you enough, I don't know what I would have done without him."
Dr. Lars smiled, moments like these are what made him happy to be a doctor. "Just send me an invitation to your wedding."
Judy's mouth fell open with astonishment.
"My dear, gossip travels fast in a hospital, especially when you scream it at the top of your lungs."
Judy simply hugged the raccoon tighter, "Thank you."