Chapter 9
A/N: Sorry for the late update... I am very busy at the moment and I am doing studies. Sorry to disappoint you if I have! In this chapter, we get introduced to Frank's son briefly. I hope you like the chapter!
A few weeks later, a dense fog rolled across the streets of Zootopia as the rain accompanied the fog. It was raining like cats and dogs and it hit the ground like a thousand horses galloping. No matter how bad it was, this didn't stop the busy commute that ruled the city roads. Animals that weren't fond of the rain such as the big cats were seen with very thick raincoats trying to keep their fur away from the exposed atmosphere.
Judy was sleeping soundly in her small, creaky bed. The rain that pattered on her window harshly caused her face to scrunch, growing in discomfort. As she tried to drift back to sleep, her phone buzzed loudly on her bedside table. One of her eyes opened as she heard the noise. She slowly got out of bed as she didn't seem very enthusiastic to get out of bed at all. She has been seeing Nick every day since he got admitted to hospital, and it was having a bit of an effect on her sleeping schedule. She let out a long yawn, stretching her arms in the air. Her small legs dangled over her bed as she reached out for her phone. She pressed the button to turn on the screen. As she did, the bright screen started to burn her eyes from the exposure of light. Her eyes then got used to the light and she managed to see what it was. It was a message from Nick.
It screamed to her; 'The chief rang me up yesterday. He doesn't think I should go into work for a few weeks when I am outta this dump.' She tapped on her keyboard; 'Okay. Well, that really sucks. Does that bum you out or somethin'?' She smacked the 'Send' button when she finished typing. She mercifully got off her bed and walked towards the window that disturbed her sleep. She glanced at the gloomy street below and she saw the rain splat upon the concrete road. Judy then turned back to check her bedside clock. It was 5:30, thirty minutes before she was supposed to get out of bed. "Well, better early then late I guess." she said to herself as the rabbit went on to do her normal morning routine.
Twenty minutes later, Judy cleaned herself, got dressed and managed to feed herself some cereal. 'Ping!' Her phone shouted out to her, she went over to it and see what it was. It was Nick again. As she picked up her phone and switched on the screen, she started to read. 'Kinda... I really wanted to get on some real action as a cop but I also really not bummed out either, I mean y'know, I kinda don't want to show my face near anyone at the station anymore.' Judy could not believe what she saw. Nick wanted to hide himself from everyone now. She crooked an eyebrow as she typed out on her phone simply reading; 'Why?' She instantly got a reply. Judy quickly started to read it. 'I mean, I don't want any of the bigger guys to see me as Office Nick Wilde, the person who got shot on his first day on the job. And by someone that they could easily take out themselves.' Judy then began to looked half-lidded at her phone and wrote; 'Nick, I told you this once at the hospital, and I'm not going to say it again. So pay attention. If you think that this is your fault, it is not. Okay? NOT. YOUR. FAULT. I am also pretty sure you are not the only mammal that got shot on your first day on the force! So please don't put any more pressure on yourself that you have already. If you are not going to do it for yourself, at least do it for me!' Judy then grabbed her dark green raincoat, zipped it up and walked out of her apartment. As she started to climb down the stairs, her phone buzzed and read; 'Okay carrots. I will try. Oh, and don't forget about after work!' She smiled at the message that she was sent. "Thank you, Nick. And I will not forget!"
Judy started to take her normal route to work. It was a lot less interesting with all the rain invading the area. No one was out of their houses, cars or even coffee shops. She pattered along the pavement as raindrops hit her small pink nose when she goes past roaring engines of stopped cars. Out of instinct, she felt nosey and took a peer inside a warm colored car from the corner of her eye. She thought to herself; "Must be so... warm inside there" Judy saw a baby wolf in the back passenger seat, playing around with a soft toy of a lion. She then looked in the driver's seat and saw a familiar face. It was Frank, unusually not at his store. Frank saw her and rolled down his window.
"Hey Judes!" greeted Frank. "How's things been?" Frank then saw Judy's expression on her face. It was that sight that made him seem sad. Frank took a deep breath. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about your friend..." he quavered.
"Daddy, who is the strange rabbit weirdo?" commented the cub. Judy's eyes narrowed as her jaw dropped slightly, a little bit of an insult, but made her nearly say 'Aww!' in sympathy. Very suddenly, there was a loud shout that nearly made jump 2 feet into the air when she "PAUL! Don't call this nice lady weird. What did I explain to you about your manners?" He hissed and his fur stood on edge. The young cub flinched and his eyes widened. "Oh, sorry daddy... hello ma'am!" he waved his small paw at her.
"Aww! Hello little one!" sang Judy, waving her paws in response. "So, is your name Paul? That's a radical name!" Paul put his hands on his fluffy cheeks. "Oh, thank you..." Judy finished his sentence. "Judy, Judy Hopps!" Frank then started to talk to make sure that she was okay after the traumatic events of yesterday. "So... is your friend okay? Is he getting the care that he needs?" "Oh yes, yes." said Judy. "It- it kind of sucks that he has nothing else to do... hell, he was so enthusiastic of doing this job, but now..." her eyes began to well up with tears. "Instead of behind a desk near me, he is in a hospital bed far far away from me. I can't stop thinking if he is going to be okay and hope that he does not die during the night."
"Hey! You work as a police officer?" Paul chimed in. "Paul, not now. Miss. Hopps is just a bit upset right now." When Frank mentioned Judy's sadness, Paul's curiosity went through the roof. "Oh no! Why are you upset, Judy?" Judy tried her hardest and put on her game face. "Oh, it's nothing, sweetie. I'm just a bit sad, that's all. Nothing for you to worry about, okay?" Paul didn't seem convinced, but rolled along with it. "Hmm, okay... if ya say so..." Judy smiled weakly at him. "Thank you." Frank looked towards her body. "Geez, you are soaking! Do you want a ride to work? Maybe, if you want, you can talk about this situation. It's up to you!" Judy thought about it for a moment until she came to a conclusion. "Yeah, why not?" Frank smiled that made Judy smile back. "Well, welcome aboard! Get in quickly before you get absolutely soaked!" he said, patting the front passenger seat. Judy climbed in and Frank made his way to the ZPD.
Frank then decided to start a conversation. "Judy? What is it like to be a police officer? Do you take bad guys to jail?" Judy wanted to engage with the conversation. So she did. "Well, sometimes! But not all the time. I mostly have to go on stake-outs and nothing interesting comes to light." She felt a bit cocky for a moment and decided to say; "Did you know I was the one that got naughty Mayor Bellwether in jail?" Paul gasped loudly. He could not believe that he was sitting in the same car as the hero of the city! "No. WAY! You are the lady that has been on the news! You nearly got killed by a savage fox didn't you? You got so lucky!" Judy's emotions nearly fell apart when he mentioned the same fox. "Y-yeah. Can we talk about something else please? It's just because I'm not ready to talk about the case fully." Disappointed, Paul sighed with a; "Oh, okay... do you like knock-knock jokes?"
A/N: Thanks for reading and for four. THOUSAND. views! I am forever grateful for my fans that have made it this far into the novel! I aim to get the next chapter written by hopefully this weekend or maybe next week. Cheers! :-D -RetractedEmotions