Chapter 11 Anesthesia and Assault Charges
Nick laid in his hospital bed motionless, surrounded by his fellow officers, flowers, get well cards, and balloons.
Chief Bogo pulled Judy into the hall to talk to her, "Alright, I want an explanation, why is my second best officer now just a limp pelt with tubes running through him?" Judy broke down and sobbed the whole ordeal to Bogo.
"Well then, I have an arrest to make, and both of you are going to be out of commission for a while, Wilde should be three months at most, and you should be about four." Judy went to protest, but was cut off by Bogo's hoof, "I will fill out the paperwork, but you owe me BIG, and when Nick wakes up, tell me, I want to chew him out."
Judy was finally done sobbing, "T-thank you chief, I will."
Bogo smiled sympathetically, "Now, if I'm not mistaken, there is someone who needs you more than I do, and you better make sure you're the first one he sees when he wakes up."
Judy nodded and headed back into the room with Nick.
Bogo made his way swiftly to his patrol car, requesting an arrest warrant for Gideon Grey, and within minutes he was flying down the highway to the portly fox's residence.
"Mr. Grey, this is the police! Open the door, or we will force it open!" Bogo heard the fox making his way to the door, noticing that he must be hung over by the way he flinched at the sunlight when the door opened.
"You are under arrest for the attempted murder of officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde." The fox didn't resist, for it was inevitable. The chief read him his rights and put him in the cruiser, heading on the long drive to headquarters.
The ICU was packed with officers and friends for the next two days, all leaving cards and gifts for Nick, and giving Judy their support. Judy was the only one allowed to stay after hours, seeing as she was in a relationship with Nick and pregnant, but the after-hours silence grew even more deafening with each beep and click of the machines that were attached to her fox.
Eventually, sleep took the small bunny, resting her head on Nick. Judy was suddenly jolted out of her sleep by a crude pawing at her head.
Nick was looking down at her groggily, his trademark smile obstructed by the breathing apparatus, but he was only able to hold consciousness for a few seconds before the anesthesia dragged him back into his unconscious state.
Judy was happy to know that she hadn't lost her fox, he was still the same Nick that she knew and loved, and with that, Judy let sleep take her once more.
The next morning was filled with hushed anticipation as Judy and her fellow officers waited for Nick to wake.
"He should be coming around in a few more minutes," Dr. Lars stated to the room as he dropped by to make his hourly update. Nick took another half hour to come around.
"You really do like to sleep in, don't you Nick?" Nick took a minute to register the joke, then gave his best smile he could to Judy. "Right, you're probably not firing on all pistons with that medicine running through you."
It took Nick another minute, but he gave a faint nod. Nick spent the next two hours slowly answering yes and no questions, but eventually fell asleep once more.
Dr. Lars took Judy aside to talk to her, "He is a strong one, most mammals last only about an hour on that medication, but as I said, no major organs were ruptured, just bruised, but I want to be safe, hence the machines."
Judy hugged the raccoon for what he thought was the hundredth time. "As long as Nick will be okay, it doesn't bother me."
Dr. Lars chuckled, "My dear, no one likes those machines, however the breathing apparatus will be removed tomorrow, but you might want to take it easy on the talking, his vocal cords will be sore."
Judy was ecstatic, one step towards being back to normal. "Thank you, doctor, you have no idea how much this means to us."
Dr. Lars retorted, "I kinda do, the ZPD threw in a hefty bonus along with paying Nick's hospital bills."
Judy went back to Nick's side, watching his chest rise and fall until she fell asleep.
That morning Nick was jolted out of his slumber, only half aware of the tube being pulled out of his throat.
"Hey, Nick, they took out that tube, but the doctor said to take it easy with the talking because your vocal cords would be sore."
Nick did his usual processing, and rasped, "My lips aren't." His face tried his best to do his trademark sly look, but he just looked ridiculous in his drugged state.
Judy could barely hold back her laughter. "Well it looks like your sense of humor didn't take any damage." Judy gave him a well-deserved kiss, for only he could make a joke out of a situation this disheartening.
Nick was just about to fade back into sleep when a fox with blonde fur walked in the room, "Nicholas Piberius Wilde, you bastard! What were you thinking?"
Judy jumped straight to the conclusion that all men dread, "Nicholas, care to explain?"
Nick's voice was raspy and incoherent, but he was trying desperately to tell her something.
The blonde fox began to speak again, "First you go out of town, then you stop texting me, and now you're in the hospital!"
Nick was motioning for Judy to come closer, and when she did he rasped one word in her ear, "Mom."
Judy looked back and forth between Nick and his mother, "WHAT?!" Both mammals were stunned.
"Well Nicky, looks like you weren't exaggerating, she's the cutest thing I've ever seen."
Nick was more than relieved that he dodged that bullet, and to him it would have been worse than the real one that he wasn't so lucky with.
Nick's mother introduced herself to Judy, "Vivian Wilde, but you must call me Vivian. Now, what was it you were so excited to tell me about when you were supposed to get home."
Nick processed the question and thought about how to show his answer. Nick motioned for Judy to stand in front of him, turning her to face his mom, and putting his hand on her belly. Vivian didn't get the charade, so Nick started moving his paw in a circle.
Vivian started guessing aloud, "You're hungry? No? Judy is hungry? No? Nick, is she pregnant?!"
Nick gave a smile and a nod, glad that the game of charades was finally done.
Vivian scooped Judy up in a nuzzling hug, "Oh your kit will be sooooo cute."
Nick was happy about how accepting his mother was, and fell asleep once more with one less problem on his mind.
Nick recovered for another week, regaining his voice, gaining the ability to sit again, and slowly weaning off the heavy sedatives.
"Look who's feeding his self like a big kit." Judy liked to poke fun at Nick.
"Oh yeah? How's about THIS." Nick flicked a few hospital peas at Judy causing her to squeal.
"Nick, you better behave or you won't get any dessert."
Nick laughed, "It looks like the kit has claimed it."
He pointed to Judy eating a slice of blueberry pie, causing her to blush. Nick finished his food and laid back on his pillow, "I just can't believe that I have to spend another two weeks here, and another three on bed rest, I'm gonna be fat by the time I've recovered."
Judy laughed at his remark, "Oh no, not with the meal plan I have laid out for you."
Nick groaned, that meant lots and lots of bland vegetables, but at least when he got back on his feet he would have less to work off.
"So, carrots, where's my dessert?" Nick eyed Judy playfully.
Judy had just finished the pie, so she stood up, walked over to Nick, and gave him a deep kiss, letting him taste the blueberry still on her tongue.
Nick sat stunned for a few seconds, then said, "Best dessert I ever had."
Judy giggled, Nick always had a line or a joke prepared in the back of his head.
"You should rest, I know it's boring, but when you are home we can watch movies together, I can cook meals, and we can snuggle once your stitches heal."
Nick surrendered to his bunny, and fell asleep hoping that the days would fly by, but Nick was painfully aware of each minute he spent in the hospital for the next two weeks, and at one point he even thought about plucking his own hairs for fun, but resorted to reading all the cards and letters from all the officers in the precinct.
When Nick was done with the last of the letters, he requested that he be given a few pens and some paper to write a letter to the chief, thanking the whole precinct for their concern, and stating that he would be back in action in no time. Nick even had a few conversations with his hero, Dr. Lars, as to thank him and tell him a few stories of him in action.
The final day of his designated hospital stay dragged on longer than he had ever thought possible, with many nurses and doctors poking and prodding him.
Dr. Lars gave the fox a sympathetic smile and shooed the doctors away once they reported their results, which were the same as his.
"My boy, I wish that there was a simpler way, but due to protocol we have to do this, hell, I could have told you that you were fine, and your recovery rate is impressive, much faster than the other patients I've had, but I must insist on keeping your bedrest at three weeks, as to ensure that you heal completely."
Nick was excited, so much so, that he could barely sleep that night, but as his body was recovering, sleep did take him.
"Wake up, my boy, it is almost time to leave for home." Nick's ears shot up at the mention of leaving.
"About time, I was just about to go insane."
Both mammals looked at the door as Judy opened it, "Anxious to leave much?"
Nick gave Judy a very serious look, "You have no idea."
The paperwork took about ten more minutes, but to Nick it felt like an hour, "Come on, I'm starting to believe that this hospital can distort time itself."
Just to mess with Nick, Judy pushed his wheelchair at an agonizingly slow rate, making the fox squirm.
"That's not funny. Please, I'm serious, I want to go home." Judy finally gave in to the overly pitiful look that he put on his face, and pushing him to the front of the hospital, where they were met by a mini-van.
"Where's my car parked?"
Judy pointed at the mini-van, "This is now the family car."
Nick groaned, "Couldn't we have gotten a truck with a back seat instead?"
Judy giggled at his grievance, "How would you climb into a truck in your pitiful state?"
The fox was stumped, "Touché, but you are driving this thing, I have street cred to uphold."
Judy laughed at him mentioning his "street cred," as if he had any. "I seem to remember a certain fox waking up with a stuffed rabbit toy in his arms."
Nick grew extremely red, "Let's just go home." The rabbit got into the driver seat after helping Nick into the back seat of the van.
"I've been packing my things to move into your apartment, and the chief said that he would have the officers move my stuff while I picked you up."
Nick looked pleased to hear this. "We will need to live with each other, as you are bearing my kit after all."
Judy looked a little disheartened to hear this, but Nick made a quick save, "We were practically living together before all this anyways, now I'll have a second roommate, and I love both more than anything in the world."
Judy looked in the mirror, blushing, "Even more than blueberries?"
Nick laughed, "Yes, even more than blueberries."