Over a hundred ZPD officers in their blue dress uniform were standing still on the town cemetery, a black stripe over their badge and silently listening to two lions playing the bagpipe and a drum (YouTube: "lpZiPZwwXhM"); in between a lot of civilians, too, mostly friends and family of the deceased officer, and a lot with tears in their eyes. Evelin had her head leaned against Sven's shoulder and her husband hold her paw tight, trying to comfort her. Stu and Bonnie were equally holding paws, their ears snugged against the head. Nick's face was a deadpan, staring dead ahead. It was late afternoon and the sun began to set when the funeral finished. The fox guided all rabbits to the car. While he was holding the rear door open for Bonnie to climb in, Chief Bogo called on him.
"Wilde… just a word."
Nick made sure, his mother-in-law had entered the car completely and slowly closed the door, then turned around and walked a few steps to the large cape buffalo.
"Sir."
"How are you?", Chief Bogo asked in a rather uncommon calm voice.
"Fine."
The Chief slowly nodded to the car. "What about…?"
"It will take a while."
"I want you to meet our health counselor on Monday and after that come to my office."
Nick nodded slowly, "Understood."
The buffalo saluted and Nick replied the gesture, then walked back to his car slouchy with Bogo watching him carefully.
Two days earlier in Bunnyburrow
When Evelin finished the phone call with her mother-in-law, most of the kits were already finished with their lunch. She was still working at the community hall as a kindergartener despite her pregnancy; it was three weeks until she would have her first litter born and her colleague Desiree – another rabbit – was a great support. Of course Evelin couldn't be up and about the whole day, but she loved to play with all those young children. Their group consisted of 37 kits, most of them rabbits.
"Frankie, don't pull Beth on her ears. That's very rude!" Evelin walked up to two squabbling bunnies and squatted between them.
"But Bettsie punched me first!" the little boy replied defiantly.
Evelin turned to the little girl: "And punching is very rude, too." – she smiled softly. "I want you both to apologize to each other…"
Reluctantly both little kits murmured quietly a 'Sorry' and Evelin patted their both heads.
"Okay, what do you think. Should we draw a nice picture together?", Evelin's phone rang again with her family's ringtone. "You can already get some paper and crayons, I will just answer the phone and will be with you in a minute." – she winked and watched both little kits running cheerfully to a sideboard. Then she took her phone from her pocket – her mother's picture was visible and she answered the call.
"Hey, Mom!"
"Hey Eve… I'm sorry to disturb you at work. Just wanted to ask if you had heard something from Judy or Nick today?" the old rabbit sounded a bit worried.
"I had a quick muzzletime call with Judy yesterday evening. Is everything okay?"
"Probably it's nothing, my dear. Just got an odd video message from Judy and she seemed to be somewhat upset. But when I try to call her I'm always redirected to her mailbox at once, the same with Nick."
Evelin remembered, that she got a video message from Judy half an hour ago, too.
"What was so odd with her message? Anything amiss?"
"No… she didn't actually say anything like that but that she … loves us."
Evelin snickered, "And that's odd? I love you, too, Mom!"
But her mother's voice still was serious and a bit worried. "It's not what she said but… how she said it. It was kinda strange and alarming. Also, why didn't she just called me but send a video message?"
"Judy and Nick are currently working on a difficult case, when we talked yesterday she said something about having to lucubrate. Maybe she is just sleeping right now." Evelin smiled softly, but had a slight itchy feeling inside her stomach. Her parents could be overprotective really fast, but her mom's gut instinct was most of the time correct.
"You are probably right… it's totally harmless and I will just try to call her this evening again. Do you and Sven eat with us today or are you going to his parent's burrow?"
"I think we will stay in Bunnyburrow today. He has some appointments at the city hall, submitting our construction plans."
"Okay, looking forward to see you then! Bye, Eve!"
"Love you!"
When she ended the phone call, she searched for the received message from Judy. Normally they would just send text messages to each other's, her sister sending out video messages first to their Mom and now to her, was indeed rather unusual. Even more regarding to the time of day: Judy hated to be bothered during her shift. When Evelin opened the messenger and chat history with Judy, she stared at the last item in disbelief. Not only showed it the first frame of the video – a rather sad and ruffled looking Judy Hopps with tear-stained eyes – but the video was almost five minutes in length. The bad feeling in her stomach got worse and she looked around for Desiree.
"Hey, Des…" she called her colleague, who was cleaning some plates from the table. "I have to make a private phone call, I will be back in 10 minutes, okay?"
"Take your time, Eve. I have a lock on everything in the meantime."
Desiree waved at her with a smile and Evelin walked in the next room, a small restroom with a couch, a table and two chairs. After taking place on the couch, the young rabbit caressed over her pregnant belly with a smile after she felt some little kicks from the inside.
"Okay Juju, what's on your mind…" she said to herself and finally pressed the play button.
Sven sat in the waiting area of the planning department and building control office of Bunnyburrow. The office was responsible for the whole Tri-Burrow-Area and there were quite some mammals waiting to have their construction plans approved. As it was currently November and most people wanted to start with their building project in spring, he had to wait in line with about a dozen other animals. The fact, that there were only sloths working in the department wasn't accelerating things, neither. When he got a text message, he starred on his phone, reading the message from his wife twice:
"S.O.S. plz pick me up imdtly work"
While hurrying out of the city hall and back to his car, he tried to call Evelin but only got a busy tone. Swearing he searched for his keys, noticing that he had left his plans in the office. But at the moment he was just solicitous for Evelin and what might have happened. She was only in her fifth week of pregnancy, still three weeks to go. Maybe she had an accident? Without being able to think straight he stepped on the gas.
When he entered the community center a few minutes later, he had to ask at the reception in which room Evelin's group of kits was, then hurried up a few stairs and knocked impatiently at a door on the left side. A white rabbit in a blue dress opened the door with a worried face, but she seemed to be relieved when she recognized Sven.
"Oh, Mister Brook, good to see you!" – she leaded him through the big room full with toys, books, tables and colorful wooden chairs. "I have no idea what happened, Evelin wanted to make a phone call and suddenly we heard her crying and sobbing." Desiree carefully pushed a few of the little kits, that were all standing quietly around the door to the restroom and looking worried for Evelin, to the side. "Come on, let us through please…"
"Eve, darling!" Sven quickly squatted beside the couch and laid his arms around his wife, hugging her comforting. He exchanged looks with Desiree and the other rabbit left the room again, taking a few kits that entered, too, with her. After Evelin's colleague closed the door and left them alone, Sven put his paws around his wife's head and patted her softly. "Please, tell me what happened. Do you have pains? Should we go to Doctor Greenwood?"
Evelin was still weeping, even more since Sven was trying to comfort her. She barely managed to shook her head: "No…"
"What is it, then?" Sven sat beside her on the couch and was holding the trembling body of the rabbit in his arms. His face was worried and totally stranded. It took another few minutes until Evelin stopped crying and now was only sobbing quietly. "Eve, what happened?" he asked again, nearly frantic.
"Juju…" was the only word she could utter before starting to weep again, handing him her phone with shaking paws.
In a large villa in Tundratown, Raymond – a polar bear – was walking rather fast through the big hall. When he reached the door of his boss office, he knocked. A few seconds later, Koslov opened the door, looking questioning.
"I got some important message from our snitch at the ZPD!" Raymond said, and Mr. Big replied from his armchair on the other side of the room:
"It's okay, Koslov."
The even bigger polar bear, who blocked the door, stepped aside and let Raymond enter the office.
"What is it, Raymond?" the little arctic shrew asked with his chair turned slightly in his direction.
"Mister Big, Sir. Our tipster at the ZPD has contacted us with some information regarding the rabbit cop. As far as he knew she might be the victim of an act of vengeance."
"Judy? What kind of vengeance? Is she okay?" the little shrew sounded honestly concerned.
"He did not want to say too much while on the phone, but there had been a bomb threat regarding her. Also we heard of an explosion at the ZPD, there are quite a lot of ambulances and fire service on-site at the moment. Our informant has no further information, yet. But as far as he knew it was the rabbits police rover that exploded."
Mister Big folded his little paws and thought for a moment.
"I want you to figure out if the rabbit was hurt or even killed. And meet our informant as soon as possible. I want to know what happened."
"Yes, of course Mister Big!", Raymond bent down his head, then left the room again.
Koslov returned to his boss and sat down on a bigger version of the armchair beside him.
"Judy Hopps rendered us a big favor more than a single time." The arctic shrew said thoughtfully, looking at the ring on his right hand. "Fru Fru would be heartbroken if something bad would happen to the rabbit cop. And I will not allow someone hurting my daughter! Also Judy is the godmother of my grandchild, she belongs to our family; even as a cop! Nobody is messing with our family. I want you to make sure that whoever is responsible for this will get a wholesome lesson as a warning for others!"
Koslov just nodded.
When Sven finished watching the video message from Judy, he put the phone aside. Evelin had calmed down a bit, still having her arms around his chest and resting her head on his shoulders. She wasn't crying anymore, but still had tears rolling down her face and sobbed quietly. Sven caressed over her cheek.
"This sounds really serious. Did you try to call her?" he asked. Of course he was sure that she probably tried it several times already…
Evelin nodded slowly, "Mailbox only." She muttered.
"Nick?"
"Same.", her sobbing was getting worse again. "I even asked Ralph for her boss's phone number; he has it since he did the videos for Nick's marriage proposal. But I could not even reach the Chief on the phone. Something really terrible must have happened, I'm sure Sven! We have to drive there immediately, please!" she looked pleading at him with her tear-stained, swollen eyes.
Sven was hesitating for a moment. "Are you sure you want to drive to Zootopia? It's a rather long trip and you shouldn't travel that much in your last weeks of pregnancy. At least we should take the train instead, it's less stressful."
"There is nothing more stressful at the moment as the uncertainty. We are talking about Juju; I need to get there as soon as possible! Please, honey…" she started to cry quietly again.
Her husband sighed lightly and gave Evelin a kiss. "Okay, whiskers. We will drive to the city. Maybe you should refresh yourself a little in the bathroom while I will explain to Desiree that there is an emergency in the family and you have to go early."
Evelin nodded and got off the couch. "Thanks…"
"Don't mention it, as you said we are talking about Judy. I'm worried, too!"
While Evelin left for the bathroom, Sven entered the main room again and looked for Desiree. The white rabbit was sitting along with some other young rabbits and two black sheep at a table, painting in a coloring book. When she noticed Evelin's husband she got up from her own chair and walked over to him.
"How is she?", Desiree asked worried.
"She got an unforeseeable bad message from one of her older sisters and has an emotional shock, I think. But we don't know any further details at the moment. Is it okay, if she leaves early today?"
"Oh my god, yes of course! I hope it is nothing serious."
Sven nodded. "We, too"
"A few of her little siblings are also in our group..." Desiree looked over her shoulder. "Do you want me to tell them?"
"No, as long as we don't know any details it's better if we don't flush birds. If they ask what's the matter, just tell them she …" he shrugged with his shoulders. "I don't know, had bumped her foot and that's why she was crying?"
"Okay, don't worry about that now. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!"
"Thank you." Sven sighed and thought of the video message. Judy never was the dramatic type of mammal; when she was sending this farewell note to Evelin it must have been really serious, he was sure. But that she wasn't answering her phone now leaves only one conclusion, namely Judy being dangerously wounded – or even worse. The imagination of it frightened him more than he would admit, but Evelin was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was not only afraid for Judy, but also for Evelin and their unborn kits.
"Okay, let's go." Evelin entered the room and was nearly running towards the exit. "Bye Des!"
"Bye, darling. Give me a call if you know more.", Desiree said sympathetic and when the little Hopps siblings Bella, Bobby and Lucas sprung off their chairs and wanted to follow their big sister, the white rabbit quickly grabbed them by their arms. "Come here, sweeties. Evelin is going with Sven, you will see her again later, okay?"
Sven waved a short goodbye and followed his wife out of the door, trying to catch up with her. "Eve, slow down a bit, please. You really shouldn't run now!"
Nick's shock of the exploding car, right after the relief that they could defuse the bomb, was profound and he was unable to move or speak. Everything around him played like in slow motion, just as if he wasn't part of the scene himself. Someone was speaking to him and – when he didn't react – shaking him on his shoulders.
"Are you injured? Nick!", the shaking got worse and slowly he could recognize Marki standing right in front of him. The fox just nodded with his head, having totally misunderstood the question, then suddenly started to look frantically for Judy and leaped forward past the dire wolf. Just a few meters apart laid the body of his rabbit. He kneeled beside her, Judy laying on her side contorted and with bloody spots all over her fur. The flying debris – mostly small metal and glass shrapnel from the exploded car – injured her mostly on her back and head; being slammed on the floor left more injuries on her front. Her eyes were closed, but Nick could see her chest moving and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Carrots!" he put his paws on her body and cheek. "Hang in there! The ambulance is already on its way. I will not leave your side!"
Judy opened her eyes slightly, but couldn't say anything but a quiet whimper; her body was trembling under Nick's paws. After a few seconds she lost consciousness again and Nick turned around to take a closer look to the scenery. Their old police rover was still burning, the flames being several meters large. In a perimeter of maybe ten meters were three other officers laying or kneeling on the floor, but already pulling themselves up again with the help of some colleagues. Just two meters behind Judy the body of the bomb squad member laid on the floor, Fangmeyer kneeling beside him. The armored body suite was shredded on the backside and a pool of blood grew beneath the unconscious colleague. He was a tiger as Nick could now recognize by the visible fur; his condition was at least as severe as Judy's. In the distance the fox could hear wailing sirens that slowly became louder.
"The ambulance is nearly there, carrots. Just a few more minutes…" he talked to her but couldn't recognize his own voice. Judy's breathing was getting unsteady and quicker and she started to cough some blood; Nick could do nothing but gazing helplessly to his little bunny that was so fragile-looking right now. Someone put a hoof on his shoulder and when he turned around his head, Chief Bogo was standing right beside him. He must have asked something, based on his questioning look.
"She is alive, but her condition is getting unstable." Nick nearly shouted to drown out all other noises. Bogo nodded briefly and ran to Fangmeyer and the other colleague. The fox noticed, that the cape buffalo had a few small slash wounds on his arm and face himself, but still was calm and had everything under control. Nick was venerating his Chief's composure right now – he wouldn't be able to do so.
Finally, an ambulance arrived on the parking deck and a short moment later was followed by two more. Over half a dozen paramedics left the cars with their emergency bags and rushed toward the different locations where injured officers were standing or even laying on the floor. Two were also approaching and kneeling beside Judy right now, thrusting Nick aside and starting to examine the rabbit.
Mister Big was listening to Koslov, who was reading out loud the most important details of the crime file Raymond brought them from their ZPD informant just a few minutes ago. It was a copy of the current case most of the police was working on: The bombing of the transformer stations, the jailbreak attempt with the tanker truck, the specific blueprints of Bale's explosives, Wooly Ramses, … everything the cops had collated in the last three days. Raymond even made a few photos with his smartphone of the current crime scene and had passed the confirmation, that Judy Hopps was actually the next target by Wooly Ramses and currently dangerously wounded – but still alive.
"That is a good news.", Mister Big nodded slowly. "Call Mister Otterton to send her a bouquet and also give Doctor Harrington a call. I only want the best medics to treat her." – Harrington was the family doctor of the Big family, and one of the best surgeons and internists available in Zootopia.
During their whole two hours trip Evelin tried to reach Judy or Nick on their mobiles, but to no avail. In the distance the first high buildings of Zootopia became visible when her phone battery died and she throw it frustrated on the dashboard.
"You have to try to calm down a bit, honey…" Sven said worried.
"I cannot get her voice or her sad face out of my mind. Every time I close my eyes I see her crying, it's tearing my heart apart. I fear the worst, Sven. She seemed so hopeless and final." Evelin sobbed.
"I know, whiskers." Sven sighed. "This video scared me to death, believe me! But I'm also worried about you. Please, try to calm down just a little bit. We will arrive in about twenty minutes, until then you cannot do anything."
Evelin nodded and wiped away her tears again. After switching on the radio for some distracting music (YouTube: "rEbikGtruOc"), she looked out of the side window, watching the landscape rolling past. When the last song finished, the radio host started to talk again.
"That was 'Bonfire' by Alma and Felix, and now we are switching over to our live correspondent Mike Foster who is at Precinct One, the main police station of Zootopia where an hour ago a bomb attack was committed. Felix, could you see how the land lies?" – "Well, as far as I can ascertain, todays bombing was just the last one in a row of attacks. The blackouts of the last few days were also the direct consequences of bombings. Since the last attack was targeting not a transformer station like the previous ones but the officers at the ZPD, a terror attack cannot be ruled out at the moment. An insider told me, that the attack at the police station wasn't random, but targeted at a specific officer, who's name couldn't be confirmed at this time; but based on an overheard radio transmission it was directed for Officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD. She attained mainstream fame in Zootopia nearly two years ago as the first bunny cop when she busted the former mayor of Zootopia, Dawn Bellwether, as the mastermind behind the night howler attacks. From reliable sources we learned that several ZPD officers were injured during the latest bombing, some of them still in a serious condition. If officer Hopps is also amongst them is currently unknown. Chief Bogo, head of the ZPD, announced in a first press statement, some suspects were already identified or even arrested, and the offence will be punished with the full vigour of the law." – "Thank you, Felix. The bombing caused a lot of street barriers in midtown. Even public transport is detoured, some bus and tram lines were canceled for the next hours. You should bypass this region if possible! And now back to some more positive beats by Gazelle and her newest hit …"
Sven had to stop at the roadside because Evelin got so sick during the radio interview that she had to vomit. When she finally re-entered the car, her husband had switched off the radio again, looking even more worried than before.
"Are you alright?" he put his paw on her shoulder.
"It has to work." Evelin said with blank voice and vacant expression.
Sven hesitated for a moment, but didn't know what else to say. The news from the radio confirmed their grave concerns, even if nobody would have ever guessed a bombing in Zootopia. When he continued their road trip, he quietly asked:
"Did she mentioned any personal assaults when you talked to her yesterday?"
Evelin just shook her head. "She said something about a difficult case. And that they were doing extra hours. Everything seemed so normal…"
They drove for a few kilometers in silence when he said:
"The inner city is cordoned off. I don't think that we can get to the police station right now."
"We should try to get to the hospital. When there is any hope for her to be alive, she will be there."
Sven nodded and when they entered the first suburb of Sahara Square he started to look out for corresponding street signs.
Nick was sitting in the waiting area of the Zootopia-Plainsboro-Hospital, together with Fangmeyer, Marki and Francine. Most colleagues had only light injuries and could be treated on-site. Bogo was still at the precinct, organizing forensics and clearing work, but promised to join them at the hospital as soon as possible. Only two officers had to be treated for serious injuries and were currently within the emergency department: Judy Hopps and Selah Reed, a Bengal tiger and the bomb squad member who was with Judy when the car exploded. The tiger had severe burns on his back and a small metal beam of the car body had penetrated his stomach, causing a massive blood loss. He kept away with his armored body most of the explosion shock wave and flying debris from the much smaller rabbit, that walked in front of him. But Judy had nonetheless quite a few injuries from flying shrapnel and from being crushed to the floor.
The ZPD officers were waiting for more information about their colleagues for nearly an hour, getting more and more nervous over time. Finally, a black cougar was entering the room in a green surgery coat and all police officers get up from their seats impatient and expectantly.
"Misses Hopps is out of surgery. She had some internal bleeding caused by two broken ribs that perforated her lungs. We also removed nearly two dozen shrapnel from her back and head, that caused a few gashes and several incised wounds. We also assume a cerebral concussion and her cardio-vascular levels are still somewhat unstable for currently unknown reasons."
Nick's face was a battlefield – he just wanted to know how Judy was doing and didn't understand all those medical terms right now. Fangmeyer noticed that Nick was unable to cope with the situation, put his paw calming on the fox' shoulder and then asked the cougar himself:
"How is Officer Hopps doing, will she be okay?"
The doctor nodded slowly. "Sorry, I should have started with that… we will keep her under close observation for the next few hours and I arranged some more tests to determine the cause for the low blood pressure. But we assume that she will recover completely and can be discharged in a few days."
"Thank goodness!" Nick breathed deeply with relief, as did all others, too. "Where is she?"
"She is still in anesthesia and need to rest. But you can visit your brave colleague tomorrow."
"I'm going nowhere! I promised her that I will not leave her side!" Nick replied stubborn but the medic shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but be assured that we will take care of your partner."
Nick's legs started to turn into jelly, he was feeling too exhausted to have a verbal fight with the cougar, but also wasn't willing to leave Judy alone.
"Excuse me doctor…?" Fangmeyer began.
"Harrington." The cougar replied to the tiger.
"Doctor Harrington… Officers Wilde and Hopps are not only partners but also a married couple; and he had nearly lost her today due to a bomb attack. They were talking on the phone while they had to watch the timer of the bomb running down and it was kind of a wonder that we could safe her literally at the last second. Maybe you could make an exception for him, only this time; I believe it will also be in Officer Hopps' interest if her husband will be at her side when she wakes up, don't you think so?"
The cougar considered his options for a few seconds, then finally nodded. "Well, under these special conditions." – he turned to Nick with a light smile. "I will escort you to her, but she really needs to rest for now. If you would like to follow me, Officer Wilde…"
Nick nodded and turned around to the Bengal tiger. "Thanks, Larry. I really owe you one."
"Let her known that we all are wishing her to get well soon." Francine said and Nick hurried away with the doctor.
Evelin could hardly walk alone; the psychological pressure of the past hours was finally too much for her already stressed pregnant body. She was feeling sick, her look was bleary because of her crying and she had a racking headache for a while now. Sven supported her while they entered the hospital and a nurse approached them immediately, offering the ill-looking rabbit a wheelchair.
"Are you in pain or are you even already in labor?" the young doe asked helpfully.
Evelin wanted to reject the offer, but Sven was already conducting her into the wheelchair.
"I'm no patient, I need to know if my sister was taken to this hospital!" Evelin said insistently after she sat down.
"Maybe you should let a doctor examine you…" Sven said calm, but noticeable worried about her.
The nurse was holding Evelin's wrist, counting her pulse rate. "What gestation week are you in, Miss…?"
"Hopps. Like my sister, Judy Hopps. She is an ZPD officer and was most probably taken into this hospital as a patient! I want to see her immediately!"
"She is in the fifth week…" Sven answered the doe's other question, staying as calm as possible. "We just arrived from Bunnyburrow by car because of her sister sending her a farewell note. On the way we heard about the bomb attacks on the radio. That's why my wife is in such a bad and nervous condition."
Evelin got off the wheelchair and nearly shouted: "I'm in no bad condition, I …" – she gasped suddenly and had to hold fast onto the doe to not faint, putting her other paw onto her belly.
"Eve!" Sven grabbed her arm immediately and pushed her softly back into the wheelchair. Slowly crawling over her head, he turned to the nurse. "I think we need a doctor for her…"
The doe nodded and wanted to turn around, but Evelin hold her on her white coat. "No! I first need to know if Judy is here! You can examine me as long as you want when I have seen my sister!"
"Eve… please be rational." Sven begged but his wife just shook her head vigorously. He sighed and turned to the doe again – "Well, could you please take a look if her sister, ZPD Officer Judy Hopps, was brought into here?"
"I'm really sorry, but we are not allowed to give out patient information, especially not about ZPD officers."
Evelin tried to get out of the wheelchair again, but this time Sven hold her down gently. The pregnant rabbit started to cry again helplessly, and her husband was looking to the nurse seeking for help.
"Mister and Misses Hopps-Brook?" an exhausted but still authoritative voice was heard from behind them and both, Evelin and Sven, turned their head. Chief Bogo had entered the foyer of the hospital and recognized the two rabbits at once. "What are you two doing here?" – he tried to sound noncommittal, but he was afraid that he already knew the answer, based on the crying bunny he last saw during her and Judy's double wedding ten days ago.
"Chief Bogo!" Evelin sobbed and tried again to get off the chair, and again Sven was holding her back.
"Chief! Thank heaven that we meet you. We heard what happened on the radio and Evelin received a disturbing message from Judy a few hours ago. Assuming the worst we drove here immediately because we couldn't reach neither Judy, Nick nor you on the phone."
Frisking his pockets, the buffalo was swearing quietly. "I had lent my phone to Wilde shortly before the car bomb…" he hesitated and both' rabbits' eyes grew big. With a sigh he rubbed his eyes with a hoof. Then he slowly continued in a hushed tone: "The rumors from the news are sadly correct: Your sister was the target of a suspect who planned a bomb attack on her. She was sitting in her car when the bomb was armed, but we could disarm the explosive timely. Or at least we thought that we had disarmed it. Officer Hopps had just left the car accompanied by a colleague of the bomb squad when it exploded nevertheless." Evelin whimpered, her paws put over her mouth. "She survived!" Bogo assured her immediately. "But both officers had serious injuries and were taken to the hospital. I was still on-site until now, but their colleagues are already here, including Officer W… - I mean, including Nick. I would suggest that we meet them to get the latest information, if you are feeling okay that is. Maybe you should see a doctor first…?" he suggested to Evelin slightly worried, but the rabbit shook her head vigorously again.
"I want to know how Juju is doing, first!"
(YouTube: "Vy7yuj-UrNI")
Sven sighed but nodded slowly, as well did Bogo. "Okay, then please follow me…" the Chief said and headed for the emergency department. They approached an officer in uniform who was securing a door to a locked-down wing. He saluted to Chief Bogo and looked over the two rabbits escorting him. "They belong to Hopps and Wilde, they are allowed to pass."
The officer nodded and let them all pass through the door. Behind it was another corridor with closed doors to both sides and a waiting room at the other end. They walked along the short hallway and noticed a doctor in a green surgery coat talking to Fangmeyer, Marki and Francine.
"I'm really sorry, we tried everything to safe your colleague but the injuries and the blood lost was just too big. Your friend didn't regain consciousness again, I'm afraid." The doctor was talking regretfully and Francine started to sob quietly while Marki tried to comfort Fangmeyer who collapsed into a chair. Bogo stopped dead in his tracks as did Sven.
"No!" – Evelin stumbled down her wheelchair while trying to get up and let herself fall onto the ground. She started to cry uncontrollably and Sven quickly kneeled beside her, putting his arms around her shoulders, having tears in his eyes himself. It was only then that the other officers noticed the two rabbits beside their chief. The doctor, a leopard, leaped over to the ill-looking pregnant rabbit and tried to examine her for injuries.
Bogo walked up to Fangmeyer, who was the team lead for this case. "It's not your fault, Larry... you did a good job." – Fangmeyer didn't repeat anything but nodded lightly with his head. Bogo didn't want to ask, but he had to. "They didn't make it?"
As Fangmeyer couldn't talk right now, Marki stepped in to explain: "Officer Selah Reed deceased on his injuries during surgery. Judy Hopps will probably ride it out, the next hours are somewhat critical. But the doctor is feeling optimistic about her getting a full recovery eventually. Wilde is with her right now, but she needs to rest for today and isn't allowed to receive a further visit."
Bogo breathed deeply, this was the first positive news in the last hours. With a few steps he walked over to Sven, who was kneeling with tears in his eyes beside Evelin. His wife was curled up on the floor and still weeping, the leopard trying to sooth and examine her.
"Please, calm down Misses Hopps. You misunderstood the situation, Judy is alive and on the road to recovery." Bogo said slowly.
The doctor turned his head to the cape buffalo: "Hopps? Is she related with the other casualty, Officer Judy Hopps?"
Bogo nodded – "She is her sister and came to Zootopia when she heard about the assault."
"And when she overheard me talking with your colleagues she thought I was talking about her sister…" the leopard turned to Evelin again, putting his paw on her shoulder. "Misses Hopps, your sister is alive. I'm so sorry about this misapprehension! But you have to try to calm down, please, and shouldn't stay on the cold floor."
Evelin had nearly stopped crying and was calming down slowly, trying to process the new information she got. Sven turned his head to the Chief with a sad look.
"Your other officer didn't make it then?"
Bogo slowly shook his head. "Officer Reed. He was the bomb squad member and a close friend of Officer Fangmeyer over there since their common time at the academy."
"My deepest condolences, Chief." Sven shook the buffalos hoof, then turned back to Evelin who had stopped sobbing and sniveled silently. He handed her his paw, and when she grabbed it he helped her together with the leopard to get up from the floor and they sat her down in the wheelchair again.
"How is Juju? Can I see her?" Evelin spoke rather quiet with a hoarse voice.
Sven just hold her paw within his' and watched the doctor examining her carefully: feeling her pulse, palpating her stomach, checking on her eyes and he finally tried to assume her temperature by putting his wrist on her forehead. When he stood up again, Evelin was still looking questioning at him.
"Your sister is currently sleeping, Misses Hopps. If you promise to not wake her up, I will escort you to her room." – the leopard said softly and Evelin started to nod eagerly. "But first I want to make some further tests on you! Your eyes and throat are sore, your pulse is way too high and you are dehydrated. Do you feel sick or did you even had to vomit within the last hours?" – Evelin hesitated but nodded finally. "Well, it's nothing serious. The last hours must have been a torment for you, I'm sure. But you also have to think about yourself and your unborn children now…" he smiled softly, then turned to Sven. "I will call a nurse to admit her and consult a gravidic specialist if this is okay with you."
Sven nodded and kissed Evelin softly on her cheek. "Whatever you think is necessary, doctor. Thank you!"
Stu was trying to calm down his wife who was walking up and down the kitchen: "Bon, my dear. Please, stop fussing."
"First Judy's message and after that she gets unreachable. Now Bobby told us that Evelin started to cry out of a sudden in the kindergarten and left early. And she is also unreachable on the phone! Both our daughters are currently missing, and you really have the balls to tell me that I'm fussing?"
"Did you try to reach Nick or Sven? Maybe they…"
"Sven! He was in Bunnyburrow today, maybe Evelin is with him!", Bonnie took out her phone again, searching for Sven's number in her contacts. Stu smiled and nodded, sitting down at the table and waiting for Bonnie making the phone call.
"Mom! Dad!" Valentia rushed into the kitchen with a haunted facial expression. Both parents turned their head to her, Bonnie even forgot to dial Sven's number. "You have to watch the news! Hurry!" – their daughter blurted out, then ran back to the living room where nearly thirty rabbits were sitting dead silent in front of the TV. Stu and Bonnie followed her on the heels with a worried look; the pressure in Valentia's voice was disturbing.
When they reached the living room, the news report about the bomb attack on the ZPD was running, showing pictures of the burning car wreck made by a helicopter, several ambulances already on-side. "We got the confirmation now, that the bomb attempt was directed to Officer Judy Hopps and that it's her police rover that exploded on the area of precinct one. Several ZPD members were injured, including the very first rabbit cop and members of the ZPD bomb squad. They are currently under surgery in the Zootopia-Plainsboro-Hospital. This bomb attack was only the last one in a series of assaults that caused the blackouts in the past days. In a first statement Chief Bogo assured, that some suspects for the attack were already arrested, others are currently still on the run." – a short clip from the press conference with Bogo was shown.
"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Bonnie gasped, but Stu collapsed into an armchair and panted for air, unable to speak. "Stu!" his wife was even more scared-looking now. "Valentia, call Doctor Greenwood immediately and switch off the TV! Stu, my dear, take a deep breath…", she opened the top buttons of his shirt and patted his cheek.
(YouTube: "y8AWFf7EAc4")
Nick sat on a wooden chair beside Judy's hospital bed. His bunny was sleeping peacefully, an oxygen tubing over her mouth and muzzle, electrodes on her chest and an IV line in her paw. She had a few bald spots on her fur where gashes had to be stitched up and a bandage was around her upper body. Nick was holding Judy's paw in his', watching her with dull eyes. He had made a big mistake when he intervened in the disarming of the bomb, nearly killing Judy and Officer Reed in doing so. He hadn't talked with Bogo yet, but it couldn't get any worse than the reproaches he already made himself. His eyes were closing and he dozed off for just a few seconds – but startled again immediately. The moment he closed his eyes he saw Judy flying through the air from the explosion, hearing the cackle of the hyena. With a sigh he rubbed his eyes, putting a soft kiss on Judy's paw.
"Nick…"
The fox turned his head with surprise. "Evelin? How did you…" he got off his chair, but then stopped. Judy's sister and best friend was sitting in a wheelchair, pushed by a nurse, and had also an IV line in her paw. "For carrots sake, what happened to you, are you okay?" he spoke quietly, but his voice was in panic.
"You have 30 minutes, Misses Hopps. I will pick you up again then." The nurse said polite with a soft smile and nodded to Nick when leaving the room.
"This?" – the pregnant bunny made a short gesture to the IV line – "This is nothing. How is Judy?" Evelin tried to get up, but Nick leaped beside her, putting his paw on her arm.
"Wait, I don't think that you should get up…" he pushed the wheelchair with his sister-in-law slowly towards the hospital bed and repeated with a quiet voice what the doctor had said previously about Judy's condition.
"How could this happen, Nick? On the radio they said that it was a specific assault against Judy. Who would do this to her?" Evelin started to hold her sisters paw and crawled it slowly with a sad look.
"I'm not aware of the current state of investigations." Nick shrugged with his shoulders and sighed. "She was at the precinct while I had another assignment; the first time I heard about the assault against her was on the police radio. But it may have something to do with our old night howler case." He didn't have the heart to tell her that he was eventually responsible for the explosion.
"The night howler case? But this is already two years ago!"
Nick shrugged his shoulders again and sat on his chair beside Evelin.
"Are you really okay, Eve? Sorry to say it, but you look terrible…" the fox tried to smile but it felt like an embalmed leer.
"Let's say, it was a demanding day that left its mark on me." She raised her paw with the IV line and Nick took it within his paw. "But it was Judy's life that was at stake, I would do it again and yet again."
They hold each other's paw and that of Judy, watching her together in silence.
Doctor Greenwood was examining Stu Hopps in the living room. All Hopps kits were sent to left the room, only Bonnie was sitting on a nearby couch. It knocked on the door, and Valentia put her head through the door:
"Sorry to disturb you, but Sven is on the phone." – Bonnie had given her mobile to her daughter to answer the calls, because since Judy's name was on the news it was constantly ringing from friends and family members who asked for more information.
"Green carrot, I totally forgot to call him because of Evelin." Bonnie sighed, but shook her head – "I will call him back later, my dear…"
"He said it's important, he has new information about Judy, Mom."
"Judy? What is it?" Stu Hopps turned his head and sounded nervously.
"Please, discuss this outside of this room! I need it to be quiet in here.", Doctor Greenwood looked disapproving to Valentia; Bonnie got off the couch and put her paw on Stu's.
"Take some rest, Stu. I will talk with Sven in the meantime."
When she followed her daughter out of the room, she took the phone.
"Bonnie here. Hey Sven. I wanted to call you a while ago because of Evelin, but as you presumably have heard already, Judy was on the news and we don't know how she is doing…"
"That's why I'm calling, Bon." Sven interrupted her – "Judy is out of surgery and alive, but has to rest for today. Evelin is currently with her and Nick."
"Thank goodness!" Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief and started to smile. "We already feared the worst… wait, you and Evelin are in Zootopia?"
"Yes…"
"But it came on the news just half an hour ago, how did you…?"
"Evelin got a video message from Judy, too. She opened it right after you called her this noon."
"And you two drove to the city immediately? What did Judy say?" Bonnie sounded worried again.
"It was rather… disturbing. I would prefer not to talk about it now, not on the phone, Bon."
"I understand." – Bon sighed. "How is Evelin? It must have been a shock for her; Bobby told us she was crying in the kindergarten." Sven hesitated to answer and his mother-in-law went into it. "Sven? How is Eve? Is she okay, too?"
"Well, yes…"
"Sven!"
"Evelin had a meltdown and eventually collapsed when we arrived at the hospital and thought that Judy didn't…" he sighed and could hear Bonnie gasping. "She had a medical and is okay!" he assured her. "As I said, she is currently with Judy and Nick and will call you later, but I thought I would give you a short call as a warning. I wasn't sure if you already had heard of the attacks from a newscast."
"I'm afraid so, they reported about it in the news magazine at six." Bonnie hesitated for a moment, then continued somewhat uneasy: "Stu collapsed into a chair when he saw it, we had to call Doctor Greenwood."
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Sven gasped, "How is he?"
"Doctor Greenwood doesn't think that it is a heart attack but a jar. He is still examining him, though."
"Sorry, Bon. I should have called you earlier." Sven sounded guilty, but Bonnie quickly comfort him.
"It's not your fault, Sven! You had enough on your plate with Judy and Evelin, and I'm really glad that both are going to be okay. I will pass on the news immediately! Say them all greetings from us."
"Of course, Bon. Bye…"
"Thanks for calling, my dear! Bye!"
After nearly 40 minutes, the nurse came back to Judy's hospital room to pick up Evelin again. "It's time, Misses Hopps, I'm sorry."
Evelin sighed and gave her sleeping sister a kiss on her forehead. Then she hugged Nick:
"Thank you. We will come back tomorrow to see after her."
Nick nodded slowly and replied: "Greetings to Sven and your parents when you are going to call them later."
"Yes, of course."
"Officer Wilde, your Chief is waiting outside and want to talk to you for a moment." The nurse said quietly to the fox when she took the wheelchair. Nick nodded slowly, gave Judy a kiss on her forehead, too, and followed the doe and the rabbit out of the room. When they entered the waiting area, only Sven and Bogo were still there. Nick assumed, that the others were with Reed right now and hoped the tiger was doing as well as his own partner.
"Nick!" Sven jumped from his seat, walked up to the fox and hugged him. "I'm so sorry…"
"Thank you, Sven. I would have preferred to meet again under better circumstances but it's good to see you." Nick patted the rabbits back and smiled lightly. "I already gave Eve our key to the apartment, needless to say that you can stay as long as you like."
"That's really generous, thank you."
"Don't mention it, of course you are always welcomed!"
"Would you excuse us for just a minute, Mister Hopps-Brooks? I have to talk with Officer Wilde." Chief Bogo had walked up to them and the rabbit nodded slowly.
"Of course, Chief Bogo." Sven said, then to Nick: "We will come back for a visit tomorrow. Keep a stiff upper lip!" he smiled softly.
"I will make sure that my Officers will let you pass to visit Officer Hopps tomorrow again." Bogo assured the rabbits who thanked him and left the room. When he finally was alone with Nick, he gestured to the chairs at the wall and followed Nick to them.
"How is Officer Reed, Chief?" Nick asked after sitting down.
Bogo sat beside him and shook his head. "Selah Reed deceased during the surgery, his injuries and the blood lost were just too big."
Nicks brighter parts of his head went pale and he lost every facial expression, slouching his shoulders. "I-I am sorry, Chief… I… don't know what to say…"
"You better should think about something until tomorrow." The cape buffalo closed his eyes and rubbed with a hoof his nasal ridge. "You intervened during the disarming of an explosive charge and as a direct succession of this, one Officer was seriously injured and another one was killed. I already talked with Marki and Fangmeyer, they came to your defense and justified your decision; and I'm willing to follow their appraisal of the situation. But internal affairs are already on-site and started their own investigation. They are going to interview you tomorrow. I really have no alternative but to suspend you for the period of their investigation."
"Yes sir." Nick said with a defeated voice, but Bogo put his hoof on his shoulder.
"Just be honest, explain what happened in detail. I will do what I can to accelerate this investigation and bring you back on-duty. Mistakes do happen, don't be too hard on yourself. Take the time to keep an eye on your partner. I also assigned two Officers as guards for Hopps and you who will make sure that neither Ramses nor anybody else will finalize what they started; he is still on the run."
"Thanks, Chief…"
The cape buffalo got off his chair. "Best wishes for Judy when she wakes up. I will accompany the detectives of the internal affairs unit when they are interviewing you. And try to get some sleep, you look terrible, Wilde…"
After the Chief left him alone, Nick went to the public restroom and splashed some cold water into his face. Leaning with both arms on the vanity, he considered his own mirror image for a while. He caused the death of another mammal, even another police officer! With his paw he stroked over his police badge on his chest – he wasn't sure if he could live with this burden.
When he left the restroom, he got a cup of hot coffee from a vending machine, tried a sip and grimaced – this one was even worse than the one in their office. After disposing it into the next trashcan, he walked back to Judy's hospital room. The rabbit was still sleeping, the heart rate monitor beeping in a constant rhythm. Nick sat down on the wooden chair and hold her paw, keeping his dull eyes glued to her the whole night.
It was towards zero when Wooly Ramses walked through some back alley. They had prepared their plan for more than a year: Calculating what transformer stations had to be shut down to cause a blackout exactly in their desired area, wrangle someone into the company responsible for the fuel transports of the government buildings like the pretrial detention center, gaining the trust of the best bomb builder, … all shoot down by the ZPD at the last minute by arresting his crew, and now he was on the wanted list. The only thing that worked out was the assassination on the one cop he hated more than every other cop: Judy Hopps! She had arrested his cousin and Bellwether and ruined all their dreams. Vengeance was the only thing he had in mind for the last years, and the former mayor got the connections and money to finally realize it. Her only condition was to be freed out of jail. Well, the prison break went wrong, but at least he had his vengeance: The news was reporting for hours about the bomb attack at the ZPD, the pictures of the exploded car were quite satisfying and it was reported that at least one officer was killed.
"So much for the first and probably last rabbit officer.", he snarled and took another sip from his beer bottle. He would have to leave the city for a while, maybe he could go to the eastern coast and start all over again with a new identity. His contact at the bar liaised him someone who could get him fake IDs and a train ticket and he should meet him now in this back alley.
"Are you Wooly Ramses?" a gritty voice with a Russian accent asked out of a dark spot.
The ram turned around startled and took a closer look; a big mammal was standing right behind him in a corner.
"Yes. Well, I hope not for much longer that is… you've got the documents?"
A big polar bear was stepping out of the shadows, his face dimly lit by the moon and a far off light post.
"I have indeed a message for you from Mister Big."
Ramses was getting uneasy; he had no idea, that his contact was a member of the Mafia family. Somewhat nervous he turned into the other direction and wanted to leave the back alley – but both ends were now each blocked by two other polar bears.
"What do you want from me? I have nothing to do with Mister Big's businesses or family!" the ram said on edge and retreated a few steps, knocking down some trash bins.
"You tried to kill the godmother of Mister Big's granddaughter, and Mister Big isn't appreciating someone assaulting the family."
"What…?! No, this is all a big misunderstanding!" Ramses was nearly screaming in panic now.
(YouTube: "HFC8V4iHAUc")
"Nick, we only have three minutes left. They won't accomplish to defuse it." Judy's voice was sad and final. "I love you, Nick. You have absolutely no idea how much I love you." – she whined quietly – "I'm scared. I'm really scared, Nick. But I will be brave for you if you help me. Just, please… talk with me… I want to hear your voice."
Nick grabbed the microphone and repeated: "Cut the purple wire! It will defuse the bomb!" Then he spoke into the phone again: "I love you, Judy…"
"I love you, Nick… thank you for everything."
Then the police rover exploded with Judy sitting behind the wheel.
The fox woke up, drenched in sweat and with a frantic facial expression. "Judy!"
"I'm here, foxtrot." Judy stroke with her paw over his snout; her voice was a bit thin, but she was awake and smiled softly at him.
Nick's eyes grew wide, and his frantic expression gave way for a fortunate one. "Judy…" he smiled with tears of joy in his eyes, then dashed forward and hugged her carefully.
"It's okay, Nick… everything is okay…" Judy returned his hug and whispered in his ears, quietly sniveling.
When Sven and Evelin came to visit Judy after the breakfast, the pregnant rabbit looked much better than the day before. Her fur was shiny again after a long shower in Nick's and Judy's apartment and she wore some white and purple sweater that belonged to her older sister. Judy was surprised but rather happy when she saw her sister and brother-in-law; and when Nick had to leave for his interview with the internal affairs department he was glad, that she had some company.
The three rabbits were sitting in the hospital room; Judy wasn't allowed to leave her bed yet but Sven had brought some cards and they were playing skat for a while now.
"I'm really happy that you are here." Judy smiled after they finished another round.
"Anytime, Judy." Sven replied also with a smile.
"Yeah, anytime Juju…" Evelin tried to smile, but eventually looked down. "You really scared the heck out of me."
"I'm sorry, Eve." Judy looked sad, she could only guess how much her sister must have suffered.
Evelin shook her head sighing and without raising her eyes she continued: "Your video message …" – Judy sighed and put her paw comforting on Evelin's. "You were so sad and final… I had never seen you like this before and I… I thought, that you… I mean, that …" – it was to no avail, Evelin wasn't able to speak out her thoughts aloud.
Judy's expression was sad and even guilty. "I had never thought of getting into a situation like this. And I suddenly realized, that there was still so much I wanted to tell you and Mom and Dad and Nick and all the others… I really didn't mean to upset you so much."
Evelin gave a laugh and sobbed shortly. "Just promise that you will try not to get in any mortal danger in the near future." – she patted her pregnant belly and winked – "Or at least just for the next few weeks."
Judy grinned somewhat and nodded: "I give you my word that I will try my best, sis!" – then she was getting serious again. "Did you show the message to our parents or … Nick?"
Evelin shook her head. "No, Sven is the only one, besides me that is."
"I think we should leave it like that. Mom and Dad would just get upset."
Sven looked somewhat uneasy with a side look to his wife. "Bonnie already asked me about more details of the video…"
"Me, too." Evelin replied with a sigh. "I said to her that you recorded the message in the belief that it would be your last option for a farewell note. She agreed with me that it would be wrong to watch it, now you survived." Evelin hold the paw of her sister tightly in hers.
Judy nodded slowly, "Thanks, Eve." – but her sister already started to grin slyly.
"Well… but I'm not sure if I could keep your little confession to myself." She winked, and when Judy didn't grasp what she was getting at, she suggested: "You know, baby bunnies love to have some playmates in their own age. It's not too late for you now…" – Evelin snickered when Judy flushed and the heart monitor was accelerating its beeps.
"You cannot drive to the city in your condition, Stu!" Bonnie insisted while cooking pasta for lunch.
"Bon, we have to! Remember when we drove all the way up to Tumbia to visit your sister Eames after she broke her wrist last year? This time it's our daughter and she was blown up! And Zootopia is only two-thirds the kilometers away as Tumbia!"
Bonnie sighed and turned around to her husband with tears in her eyes. "Do you think I don't want to be with Judy right now? I'm worried sick, honey!" – she hugged him tightly. "But you scared me to death when you collapsed yesterday, and Doctor Greenwood made it clear that you have to rest for a few days! Remember your granddad? He had his first heart attack when he was your age!"
"I'm not Gramps, Bon! I'm feeling okay again, it was just the shock. Also we can take the train instead of taking the truck."
"Stu…" Bonnie stumbled unsure.
"Honey…" Stu was nearly begging with his sad, big eyes.
Bonnie sighed – "When we call Nick and Judy later, we will ask if it is okay for us to visit them tomorrow." – Stu wanted to object, but Bonnie lift her hand in defense – "Tomorrow! Today you are still going to rest. Also I have to call Ralph, Clara and Jana if they can help out their siblings while we are gone."
"Okay, thanks honey!"
"Don't give me that 'thanks honey', if this over-excitement is giving you a heart attack or stroke, I'm going to slough you!" Bonnie winked with a soft smile.
"Fair enough." Stu gave her a tender kiss and hugged her again.
It was already afternoon when Nick finally entered Judy's hospital room again. He wore some black jeans with a dark blue shirt now and had a bouquet in his paws.
"Nick!" Judy smiled alleviated – "Sweet carrot where have you been? You were away for nearly five hours!"
"The interview took longer than expected." – he smiled weakly and put the flowers on the table. "How are you, carrots?"
"I'm fine."
"Your headache and the oppressive feeling in your chest?"
"Both became better, I'm really okay, foxtrot." She smiled and when he was finally in range of her arms, she hugged him tightly. "What did the commission of inquiry said?"
"Maybe we should leave you alone for a while…" Sven suggested, but Nick shook his head.
"It's okay, I think you deserve to learn the full truth, too."
Evelin raised an eyebrow but Judy sighed: "Stop blaming yourself for the explosion, Nick. You didn't plant the bomb."
"No, that was Ramses. He was recorded by the security cameras on the parking deck."
"I'm somewhat confused, maybe you could tell us everything from the beginning?" Evelin suggested.
It took Nick nearly an hour to tell the whole story, supplemented by a few details from Judy. They all sat quietly together for a few minutes after he finished.
"Why didn't the bomb explode immediately when the wrong wire was cut?" Sven asked eventually. Nick shrugged his shoulders, but Evelin said:
"Maybe it wasn't the wrong wire and you were right about the hyena lying to you? What made you so sure about that anyway?"
Nick got off his chair and walked to the only picture in the room, a colorful forest with a wooden hut on a glade. He put his paws into his pockets, then replied: "It was something I had read in Bale's old interrogation transcripts. When asked by the detective at that time why he detonated the bomb even after being arrested, Bale said he could never resist the emotional rush of being able to kill. And I remembered his bloodlust while Judy was interrogating him. When he eventually had the chance to kill her and even being able to let me watch it, I was sure that he couldn't resist."
"Sounds plausible to me. Really disgusting, but plausible; he was like a junkie – dried out and a jolt just hanging in front of his snout." Evelin declared her thoughts.
"Plausible or not, I was obviously wrong. I killed Reed and by a whisker even …" he stopped talking and leaned his forehead against the wall.
"Judy is right; you should stop blaming yourself. You acted the best, based on your knowledge and believe. And at least Judy will recover completely. It's Ramses that has to be brought to justice for this." Sven had get off his chair, walked over to Nick and put his paw on the fox's shoulders.
"Well, it may be a little too late for this." Nick turned slowly around.
"What do you mean?" Judy asked.
"His corpse was found today in the early hours; apparently he was beat to a pulp and thrown in the river to eliminate potential traces."
"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Evelin hold in a scream and put a paw in front of her mouth.
"I'm difficult to pity him." Sven muttered, but looked shocked nevertheless.
Nick smiled somewhat amused. "If the officers securing this wing had not testified that I was in your room the whole night, and forensics would not had reported that the attacker was at least twice as large as I am, internal affairs would have arrested me for it only too willingly."
"Oh, Nick! You would never do such a thing, I'm sure!" Judy assured him her allegiance at once.
"Thanks, carrots." The fox smiled lightly and sat down beside her again.
"Do you already know, when Selah Reed's funeral will take place?" Judy asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Tomorrow at 15 o'clock."
"I want to attend, too…"
"Juju, you were blown up and are still in hospital!" Evelin protested.
"I only survived the explosion because of him. I owe him this, Eve!"
Nick sighed, he had already feared that Judy insisted on going to the funeral. "Let's see what the doctor will say tomorrow, carrots. Okay?"
"Okay… but then I would suggest you are starting to shuffle the cards for some poker. I'm on a lucky streak, you know? Surviving a car bomb and so on…" Judy winked and shoved the card deck to the eye-rolling fox.
It knocked at the door and one of the two officers responsible for their security entered the room. "Excuse me, but there is a visitor for you Officer Hopps. She said she is your mother-in-law?"
"Martha!" Judy smiled happily.
"Mom!" Nick got off his chair and hugged his mother. "Thank you, it's okay…" he nodded to the officer who left the room again.
(YouTube: "qkP6Tf79UrM")
Nick couldn't sleep that night again; whenever he dozed off he had nightmares about the explosion and start up from his sleep, sometimes even screaming. He turned around but there was only a blank spot beside him where Judy would normally sleep. Laying alone in their bed, surrounded only by the darkness and silence of the night, he felt as lonely as he didn't for a very long time; not since his father died when he still was a little kit.
Sven and Evelin were sleeping in the guest room of Nick and Judy's apartment. It was half past two in the morning when Sven suddenly woke up from a silent yell. He blinked a few times and realized that Evelin was sitting beside him, looking to the door.
"Hey, whiskers…" he said softly and put his paw on her arm. "Is everything okay?"
Evelin slowly shook her head. "I think this was the third time that Nick screamed in his sleep… I can even hear him sobbing now."
Sven erected his ears and listened carefully, then nodded slowly. "I can't imagine what it must be like to nearly lose your loved one, especially by something like a car bomb." – he leaned over to his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
After another minute listening to the quiet sobbing, Evelin turned around to Sven. "Maybe I should go and try to comfort him… I cannot sleep anyway while I hear him suffer like that."
Sven smiled sleepy and nodded his head. "Okay, whiskers. But try to sleep a few more hours after that."
Evelin smiled and gave him a kiss, then got off the bed and dressed one of Judy's sweatpants and a pullover. She walked along the hallway and softly knocked on Nick's bedroom door. The sobbing stopped immediately.
"Yes…?"
The rabbit slowly opened the door and saw Nick laying curled up on the large bed, his head and ears raised and looking in her direction.
"Hey, Nick…" Evelin said softly. "Is everything okay? We heard you screaming and sobbing for a while now…" – she walked up to the bed and squatted beside it to look him into his eyes. It was dark in the room, but some lights from the city outside the window illumed his face enough for her to recognize his desperate and sad expression.
"I-I'm sorry… I didn't know you could…" he pointed to his own ears and dropped his gaze. "I will be quiet so you can sleep, Eve."
"Nick, I'm not here to raise a complain. We are worried about you." She put her paw on his arm and stroked it gently.
"You don't have to…" he muttered quietly.
"Dumb fox." Evelin smiled softly, but Nick didn't reply and just gazed into space. With a short sigh she stood up again. She walked around to the other side of the bed, climbed onto it and sat upright beside the fox, putting a pillow behind her head and leaned against the wall.
"What are you doing?" Nick turned around – "You don't have to watch me; just go to sleep again…"
"Come here, Nick…" she patted with her paw on her crossed legs and smiled softly; Nick rolled over on his other side and slowly put his head onto her lap. The moment Evelin stroked over his head and shoulder he calmed down immediately.
"I'm so sorry, Eve. I…" Nick started, but the rabbit hushed him.
"Don't, Nick. Everything is okay."
After laying there for a while, Nick spoke quietly. "This is the first night without Judy since we are together."
"You are missing her, that's only natural." Evelin whispered soothing.
"I have nightmares every time I close my eyes." He whimpered quietly – "I try to rescue her, but I fail over and over again, killing her in the end with my efforts."
"I guessed something like that." Evelin stroked over his cheek. "But Nick, it's only a dream. You did not kill her, Judy is alright."
"Not for my sake. I killed her with my intervention but fate had some other plans for her."
"If anything it was fortunes way to give you two a second chance. Judy would bet her life on you anytime again."
"Perhaps this would be a mistake."
"I don't think so, and neither does Judy." Evelin smiled and gave him a comforting kiss on his forehead.
It still took a while but eventually Nick fell asleep and breathed calmly. She was glad that she could comfort him enough to rest for a few hours. Eve continued to stroke his head and arm for a while until she finally fell asleep, too.
It was quarter past six in the morning when Nick woke up, only sleeping for about three hours; but that was more sleep than he had for the last days. Also he couldn't remember if he dreamed anything. He got up slowly, carefully took Evelin by her legs and shoulders, and lay her down flat on the bed. She moved a little in her sleep and Nick tucked her in the blanket. It was a familiar and yet odd view; Evelin looked nearly the same as Judy except for a few dark spots around her eyes. Also she was wearing Judy's clothes: Some sweatpants and a wide knit sweater made by their mother. Nick turned around to close the curtain, keeping the room dark at the rising of the sun, and left for a hot shower.
When Sven left the guestroom at half past seven, he found Nick sitting in the kitchen. He had made some waffles and set the table with self-made marmalade from Bunnyburrow, different types of tea in a small basket and fresh minced vegetables. The fox sat on a chair he had pulled in front of the window, a mug with coffee in his paws, looking out of the window into nothing.
"Good morning, Nick."
Nick turned around like he was awaking from a daydream and smiled lightly. "Good morning, I made some breakfast for you." – he got off the chair and walked to the counter, switching on an electric water jug. "You two are drinking tea, if I remember correctly?"
"Yes, thank you. But you shouldn't have bothered to make us some breakfast." Sven smiled and sat down at the table.
"It's the least I could do after disturbing your well-deserved night's rest." He smiled a bit awry but Sven stopped him by a wave of his paw.
"Don't mention it, Nick." – the rabbit took a waffle and put some carrot marmalade on it. "You want to go to the hospital again, don't you?" – Nick nodded slowly. "Stu and Bonnie are arriving at the station only in a few hours. Eve and I can collect them, we wanted to go to the city anyhow to buy something to wear during the funeral. We will come to the hospital afterwards."
"You don't have to accompany us to the funeral, you didn't even know Reed…" Nick said and brought Sven the pitcher with the boiling water for his tea.
"He was a colleague of you, and as Judy said it's the least we can do for him."
"Thank you." – Nick nodded slowly, then smiled somewhat – "For everything, you two are really a great support."
"That's what family is supposed to be."
Nick smiled and walked to the bathroom. He came back with two suit bags on his arm. "We will meet at the hospital later. And tell Eve my thanks for last night."
Sven nodded, replying his smile, and Nick left the house.
"Your waffles are slowly getting even better than Mom's." Judy winked at her fox who brought her some of the waffles for a second breakfast.
"Well, based on the fact it's nearly the only thing I can cook, they better be good." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"How did you sleep last night?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Most of the time with closed eyes."
"Dumb fox."
"Sly Bunny."
They both smiled and Judy ate another waffle. "I'm not taking the mickey, Nick. Could you sleep at least a few hours?"
"Maybe two… or three."
"Better than nothing." Judy sighed.
"Yeah… thanks to Eve."
"Mh?"
"She spent the night in your bed and consoled me…"
Judy stopped chewing for a moment, cocked her head and grinned slyly. "Well well! You spent the night with my sister in my bed, mh? I bet she was a great consolation for you."
The dumb look on Nick's face was a sight for the gods and after a few seconds Judy broke out in laughter. She only stopped when her chest hurt, the two broken ribs would take a while to heal.
"Dumb bunny." Nick muttered, but was smiling softly.
"Sorry, Nick. But you furnished me a fit occasion for this!" she wiped away some tears of joy and gave him an affectionate kiss.
"What about you, could you find some rest?" he stroked her paw.
"Not at first, but they gave me some drops to ease." she smiled softly and stroked his cheek. "It was the first time since we had started dating that I didn't spent the night with you. I found it difficult to sleep alone again."
"Me too, carrots." He gave her a kiss on the paw. "But…" he hesitated for a moment, looking into her eyes. "…it was odd to see a rabbit laying in your bed, looking nearly the same as you but being pregnant."
Judy felt her ears getting hot and the heart monitor accelerated it's beeping noticeable. "We are not…" she stumbled sheepishly, "…she has these dark spots…" Judy was gesturing nervously with her other paw in front of her face.
"I know, carrots. She has those little dark spots around her eyes, and your eye color is somewhat brighter." Nick took her other paw with his' and his smile was disarming. "But that's not what I was talking about."
"N-No?" Judy's chest started to hurt again, but this time it wasn't her ribs.
"We never really talked about it, and that's mainly my fault, I know. I'm easily getting insecure and wasn't sure if I would be a good father or not. I always persuaded myself, that we weren't in a hurry. That there is still so much time left. And who knows if you even want own kits. But if I learned just a single thing from the last few days, it's that we have to savor every moment because we don't know what happens next."
Judy sniveled with a smile. "I think, you would be a really great father, Nick."
"Does that mean, you also want to have kits?" he winked and gave her a kiss on her paw.
"Oh holy carrots, yes! I didn't even know that I want kits until Evelin got pregnant, but I never had the guts to talk with you about it! I first thought it is just my biological instinct, but when I thought I would never get another chance it became clear to me that it's only because I love you! Oh, yes! I really want to have our own kits! With you!" it was like a large burden finally left her chest and shoulders and she hugged Nick tightly.
It knocked on the door and Doctor Harrington entered the room.
"Well, it seems as if you are already feeling better, Misses Hopps."
"Misses Hopps-Wilde…" she smiled brightly, holding Nick's paw.
"Of course." The cougar smiled lightly. "I got the final results of your tests. Your x-ray is looking good so far, but it will take a while until the fracture has healed. I will prescribe you a light painkiller, but it is very important to rest. No heavy lifting or sports!"
Judy nodded slowly, then asked: "When can I go on-duty again?"
Doctor Harrington raised an eyebrow and turned to Nick, winking. "Is your little bunny always so impatient?"
"You have no idea…" the fox snickered and Judy punched him against his shoulder.
"Well, you will have to stay on sick leave for at least four weeks. Also after that I would only recommend limited duty, Misses Hopps-Wilde! We should make another x-ray then; do you have a family doctor?"
"Yes, Doctor Kathrin Alisson, she has her medical office in Sahara Square."
"Ah, Doctor Alisson! I guess you are in good hands then.", Harrington made a short note on her clinical record. "We also detected a hormonal imbalance and there are a few increased blood values. Nothing serious, but I will send Doctor Alisson those test results, too. She is specialized for the physiology of rabbits and can better assess if they are requiring treatment."
Judy's muzzle twitched a bit nervous and Nick crawled with his thumb over the back of her paw. She finally asked: "I already talked with the nurse that I want to go to the funeral of my colleague today. She promised to talk with you about it…"
Doctor Harrington nodded slowly. "My sincerest condolences."
"Thank you." Judy and Nick said.
"Well, as you can also rest at home and your other injuries are healing quite well, I don't see any necessary to keep you in hospital any longer. I will arrange that a wheelchair is provided to you, at least for a few days. Especially standing outside for several hours today would be too straining." He shook her paw, then Nick's, and left the room.
"It seems, as if you don't have to spend another night with my younger sister, foxtrot." Judy grinned but Nick kissed her deeply.
"Don't get me wrong, Evelin is great, but I would prefer you anytime.", he winked.
"Hope so, sly fox." Judy snickered.
Shortly after lunch it knocked on the door again. Nick was sitting with Judy on her bed and they were watching a slideshow of their wedding photos on his mobile. After a quick 'Come in!' four rabbits stormed the room, that suddenly didn't seem as big as before.
"Mom! Dad!" Judy shouted and her parents quickly came to her bed to hug her.
"Jude the dude!" Stu was beaming. "I'm so glad you are okay!"
"I hope you are feeling better, too! Did Doctor Greenwood really allowed you to travel?" Judy winked and hugged her mother.
"Well, kind of…" Stu smiled.
"What your father means is, that he interpreted the doctors order to rest a few days as traveling to Zootopia, because it would be more stressful for him not to visit you." Bonnie winked and nudged her husband with her elbow.
Nick and Sven snickered quietly while Judy and Evelin put on an indignant face.
Stu walked over to Nick and hugged him, too. "Good to see you, too. Are you okay? You look somewhat worn."
"Yeah…" Nick rubbed his neck, "Didn't slept very much."
"Of course, my dear." Bonnie hugged him, too, and then turned around to Judy again. "We brought you a basket with fresh vegetables and fruits, Sven brought them to your apartment already while we were shopping with Evelin."
"You were already shopping?" Judy raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we didn't know about the funeral and bought something more appropriate." She smiled and gestured to her and Stu's rather colorful clothes.
"You didn't need to…" Judy began, but her mother interrupted her.
"We don't have to do a lot of things, my dear, but we are doing them nevertheless. That's what a family is supposed for."
Nick glanced to Sven who winked at him. Stu sat down on a chair that Nick offered him and Bonnie sat on the edge of Judy's bed.
"How are you, my dear? Do you have pains? Your fur definitely had seen better days…" she looked a bit worried over the spots where her daughter had been stitched.
"That will grow again, Mom." Judy smiled softly. "And the doctor said I can be released from the hospital today. It's only somewhat painful to breath because of my broken ribs, but they will also heal completely in a few weeks."
"Green carrot, you really had a guardian angel watching over you."
"More or less, without Officer Selah Reed I wouldn't be so lucky." Judy said with a sad expression.
"What even happened? In the news they said it was an assault against you?" Stu asked and Nick quietly left the room. Evelin and Judy exchanged a quick look, and when Judy started to tell her parents what happened, her sister quietly followed Nick.
"Hey, foxy, not so fast, please."
Nick turned his head around and saw Evelin trying to catch up with him. "What is it Eve?"
When she reached him she smiled and linked her arm with him. "I'm coming with you."
"I'm just going for a short walk, Eve…"
"Thought so." – she started to walk slowly and Nick followed her with a sigh. "I can image that it is disturbing for you to tell the story what happened over and over again."
"Yeah. I mean, I understand that they all want to know what happened, but it's like someone is twisting the knife in the wound."
They walked along the hallway and sat down in the waiting area.
"Maybe you should accompany Judy to the funeral without me." Nick said out of a sudden, gazing to the floor.
"What are you talking about, Nick?" Evelin seemed annoyed.
"They will all put the blame on me for his dead. Without my intervention he could still be alive. But I was thinking that I was cleverer than all others and now he is dead and my wife survived. I don't belong there today…"
"No one will blame you, Nick." She put her paw on his arm.
"I do."
"Maybe, but you're a dumb fox." – when he didn't react, she added: "Oh, come on… that's always working when Judy says it!" she nudged him with her elbow.
He turned his head with a vague smile and put his own paw on hers. "You mean it well, I know. Thank you…"
Nearly two hours later Nick had changed into his dress uniform and was helping Judy with hers. Sven drove with Evelin and her parents back to the apartment to change, too. They had agreed, that Nick would collect them there at half past two with a police rover – he already had cleared that with Bogo. While Nick was fastening up Judy's jacket, he smiled softly.
"The last time I saw you in this dress uniform was at my graduation."
"Seems like ages ago, doesn't it?" she put her police cap under her arm and moved a black ribbon across her badge, polishing it a bit with her paw.
When Nick got the wheelchair, Judy pouted. "I don't think that I will need that. I'm feeling okay."
"But me no buts." Nick shook his head. "It was one of Doctor Harrington's conditions that you are allowed to go."
Judy sighed and took place in the wheelchair. Nick put a kiss between her ears and smiled softly. "Thanks." – he then shoved her out of the room, along the hallway and through the lobby. When they left the hospital, two Officers in dress uniform were already waiting for them with two police cars.
"I guess, I'm not allowed to drive, mh?" Judy winked.
"No, you have to trust my driving skills this time, sorry."
"Is this why we have our own escort?"
"Ouch, you are hurting my feelings, carrots."
They both smiled and while Judy was climbing onto the passenger seat, Nick put the wheelchair into the trunk.
"We are driving to our apartment first, to collect her family." He said to one of the both Officers who nodded and entered their own car. Nick sat down on the driver seat of the first car; he hesitated just a short moment before turning the key, but even Judy noticed it, she didn't say anything; she also had hold her breath for a second. It would just take some time to lose these apprehensions again.
Over a hundred ZPD officers in their blue dress uniform were standing still on the town cemetery, listening to Bogo who made a speech about Selah Reed, his merits and how he would be missed by them all. The next one was Fangmeyer who told about their common time at the academy and how they were partners for two years on patrol. Evelin had her head leaned against Sven's shoulder and her husband hold her paw tight, trying to comfort her. Stu and Bonnie were equally holding paws, their ears snugged against the head. Judy sat in her wheelchair beside Nick whose face was a deadpan, staring dead ahead.
It was late afternoon and the sun began to set when the funeral finished. The fox guided all rabbits to the car, shoving Judy's wheelchair. He first held the passenger door open for Judy, then the rear door for Evelin and Bonnie to climb in. When he was closing the door, Chief Bogo called on him.
"Wilde… just a word."
He turned around and walked a few steps to the large cape buffalo.
"Sir."
"How are you?", Chief Bogo asked in a rather uncommon calm voice.
"Fine."
The Chief slowly nodded to the car. "What about…?"
"It will take a while for both the physical and mental injuries."
Bogo nodded, then he continued in a more official tone: "I got the final results of forensics regarding the bomb attack now." – Nick just nodded – "It wasn't your fault, Wilde, you made no mistake. The ignition mechanism was actually disarmed after cutting the purple wire. Cutting the grey one like suggested by Bale would have caused it to explode immediately. It's actually your credit that not more Officers died on that day."
Nick sighed with relief and lost most of his tension within seconds. "But… what caused the explosion then?" – his voice sounded still somewhat doubtfully.
"The binary explosive started to mix when the timer reached the last minute. After that it was an unstable composite like nitroglycerin, we could be lucky that it didn't explode even earlier. It was another security mechanism we weren't aware off, because we never could disarm the main-ignition before. You had a good nose for Bale and his motives and absolutely nothing to reproach yourself for. Internal affairs are already informed and I revoked your suspension. But I still want you to meet our health counselor on Monday and we will meet after that in my office."
When Nick sat on the driver seat a few minutes later, he leaned backwards and breathed deeply.
"Everything okay, Nick?" Judy asked worried – "What did Chief Bogo said to you?"
With a bright smile Judy had not seen on Nick for days, the fox turned his head to her and also glanced to the back seat where four curious looking rabbits were sitting. "You were right the whole time, carrots: It really wasn't my fault."
Adrian Bale looked up from reading his book when he heard someone turning the key of his cell door. A large polar bear in a dark suite slowly entered the small cell of the pretrial detention center.
"And who are you, Mister Handsome? Since when can a police officer afford such an expensive yarn?" the hyena snickered.