"Nick...? Nick?"
Nick had been returned to the hospital room he and Judy were sharing around 5:00 in the morning. Unfortunately, Judy had been falling asleep, and she had only been able to keep her eyes open long enough for the doctor to inform her that Nick's surgery had gone very well. Judy then didn't wake until late morning, hours later. She had nearly forgotten Nick was there, first checking her phone to see when her parents would arrive and then readjusting herself to a more comfortable position before she even glanced in his direction. He was still sleeping heavily, but she was hoping that he would wake soon. She needed to hear his voice, to know that he wasn't as badly injured as she thought he had been. When the gang of bears had finally stopped hitting Nick, they had left, leaving Judy (the only one able to walk at that point) to go back to their SUV and call for backup. When she had come back for Nick, blood was everywhere, making her absolutely sick to her stomach, but now, as she rested in a stiff hospital bed, she began to convince herself that things always looked much worse than they actually were in the first few minutes of an incident.
"Nick… Nick… Nick!"
Keeping her voice to a whisper, as not to startle him, Judy continued to call Nick's name.
"Nicholas Wilde, I don't care how hurt you are, you better wake up and tell me you're okay!"
Judy ranted quietly as she hoisted herself to a slouched sitting position on her large pillows. It was apparent that a nurse had come in and refilled Judy's painkillers sometime while she had been sleeping, as she now felt better than ever. Yes, her wounds still offered a dull ache and no matter what medicine she took, the pain in her arm would remain the same, but she genuinely felt much better; now she just had to see if Nick was feeling better too.
"Nick! Get up, Wilde, or I'll call your mother. Yeah, don't think I forgot about what you said. I know she's alive, and I fully plan on calling her once I get a paw on your phone–"
"Carrots, Jesus, do you ever stop talking?"
His voice was so low and husky that it was doubtful whether anyone but a bunny with keen ears could have heard it. Judy heard it, though, and it brought an instantaneous smile to her lips. She couldn't even reply at first, because she was just so happy to hear his voice, to hear the smirk on his face that she knew was there.
"Carrots? You aren't over there calling my mom, are you?"
Judy giggled, tears now stinging her eyes once again.
"Afraid of your mother, Nick?" she mocked.
"Oh, most definitely. You should be too, considering all she has ever wanted is grandchildren, and since you're giving her just that, she's going to be all over you."
Just then, at the thought of Judy's pregnancy, Nick and Judy's eyes finally met. At first, Nick had been lost among a sea of blankets and pillows, his ears the only thing visible to Judy. Now, ever so slowly and painfully, Nick turned his head to the side and slightly up.
"Oh, Nick…"
Judy used her uninjured paw to cover her mouth at the sight of the fox. He was recognizable, but he looked like absolute hell. All covered in deep bruises and swollen cuts, Nick wouldn't be catching any ladies' attention for a while, but that didn't matter.
"Lemme guess, I look like crap?"
Judy nodded, a sad frown on her face. Nick mulled this confirmation over a little bit before replying.
"You gonna dump me now that I'm ugly, Carrots?" he grinned.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Judy replied with a smile of her own.
The playful conversation then took a turn down a slightly darker path as Nick's eyes skimmed over Judy's body, briefly pausing to assess her injuries and her abdomen.
"I'm fine," she stated when she saw his concern. "Actually, we're fine."
That brought a small smile to Nick's face again.
"My parents are coming down from Bunnyburrow soon. They had to find someone to babysit my siblings while they're away, but they should be here in a few hours."
"That's good."
"I'm going to tell them."
"That's not so good, but still good."
Judy chuckled slightly, and then glanced over Nick's injuries.
"How are you feeling?"
"Could be better, but not too bad. How about you?"
"I feel pretty good actually."
"I'm glad to hear it."
The two paused and smiled at one another, before Judy laughed.
"Why do all of the bad things always happen to us?"
"You said it yourself, our life is like one big movie."
"But don't you ever get tired of it?"
"Do you?" Nick's tone sounded slightly offended, as if he were hurt that Judy didn't like the chaos that came along with their life.
Judy glanced over at Nick and bit her lip in thought, trying to think of the best way to express her feelings. Nick beat her to the answer, however.
"I never get tired of it. I could watch our movie over and over again for hours. It's my favorite movie."
"Really?"
"Well, I mean, it's a close call between our movie and Kung Fu Panda 2, but yeah, I would say it's my favorite."
"You're ridiculous, but I agree," Judy giggled.
"Of course, you agree, Kung Fu Panda 2 was amazing."
"No, I mean I agree with the whole 'it's my favorite movie' thing!"
"Oh," Nick grinned as Judy continued to laugh. "So, what were you saying about my mother?"
"You should call her."
"I would if I hadn't become a polar bear's chew toy."
"I could call her for you."
"Thanks, Carrots, but I should probably be the one to call. My mother loves you, but she'd kill me if I wasn't the one to tell her what happened."
"I understand… Do you want me to call a nurse to get your phone for you?"
"Uh… We don't have to call her right now. And besides, I'm pretty sure my phone is broken."
"What do you mean?"
"I think I dropped it when I ran into the building. I'm not exactly sure, since my paw was in my pocket, but I think I accidentally dropped it then."
"I'm sorry, this was all–"
"Don't say it," Nick cut her off, his voice firm. "It wasn't. I've had a lot of time to think, and it wasn't your fault and it wasn't mine. I understand why you went into the building, and you understand why I tried to stop you, so let's just leave it at that."
With those words, Nick looked over and winked at Judy, making Judy blush slightly. Then, silence fell over the hospital room for the first time in almost half an hour, but it didn't last long.
"I really need to ask a question, but I'm honestly afraid to ask it," Nick sighed.
Judy's head perked up slightly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she nudged him forward.
"What do you need to ask?"
For a moment, Nick closed his eyes, as if he already knew the answer and was absolutely dreading the moment when he would hear it.
"Is the baby okay?"
"You mean 'are the babies okay?'"
"No offense, Carrots, but now is really not the time to be freaking me out."
"No, Nick, it really is 'babies,' not 'baby.'"
Nick's eyes flew open and immediately found Judy's. His expression consisted of a mix between joy and pure fear.
"How many?"
Judy didn't reply, she just grinned at him evilly.
"Oh, Carrots, don't do this."
"Guess."
Nick's head shot up, but at the pain, he immediately rested it back down against his pile of pillows.
"Rabbit, did you just tell me to guess?"
"I did."
"You gotta be kidding me."
"You think it's adorable and you know it."
"Is it more or less than ten?"
"Good God, Nick, ten? You're joking, right?" Judy erupted into a fit of giggles.
"Okay, so less than ten. More or less than five?"
"Less."
"Okay, I'm liking these odds. More or less than three?"
"More."
That's when Nick went silent. Judy waited anxiously for his reply, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, only to be limited by her busted arm. It was almost a full minute later when she saw his ears perk up, making her anxiety disappear. Those perked ears could only mean one thing…
"We're having four babies," Nick laughed. "Wow, I can't believe it."
"I can't believe it either," Judy chuckled.
"Okay, Carrots, I've got a name for one of the kids. You wanna hear it?"
"Of course."
"Laverne."
"My middle name?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"
"If a kid's name is Laverne, then I get to name another Piberius."
"Okay, then we're agreed. At this point, none of the kids have names, because we are not naming a kid Piberius. God, do you want him to get bullied, Fluff?"
In that moment, the room filled with laughter. Both knew that it had been a very long time since either one had laughed as hard as they did now. Even at what seemed to be their lowest point, they found a time to laugh.
"I love you, Carrots."
"I love you too, Nick."
Just then, a small knock came at the door.
"Come in!" Judy called nonchalantly.
Much to both her and Nick's surprise, it was Judy's parents, Bonnie and Stu Hopps, who entered the room.
"Mom! Dad! You weren't supposed to be here for another hour or so," Judy exclaimed as her parents descended upon her with hugs, kisses, and worried expressions.
"We didn't want to have to wait any longer than necessary. We practically threw the sitter at your brothers and sisters!" Bonnie joked lightly.
"Now, Jude the Dude, what happened?" Stu inquired.
"We were attacked by polar bears," Nick chimed in cheerfully. "But we're fine now. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps!"
Judy's parents looked mortified. Judy shot a nasty look at a smirking Nick before turning back to her parents with a gentle voice.
"Mom. Dad. We're fine, okay? There is no need to worry."
"You're hardly 'fine!' I mean, look at you, Judy!"
"Dad, honestly, everything is okay–"
"How did this even happen, Judy? I thought you were being safe!"
"These things happen, Mom. There's no telling what can happen from day to day–"
"Well, you're right about that! You should come home immediately!"
"What–? No! You're being unrealistic, Dad–"
Just then, Nick and Judy's doctor, the stoutly female badger, entered the room with a small otter nurse by her side.
"Knock, knock. Mom, are we ready for our ultrasound?"
The room immediately went silent as those words filled the ears of all those present. Judy's mouth was agape as she looked at the doctor, who had become uncomfortably silent at the awkward reaction. Judy's parents were absolutely stunned, and frankly, speechless. The poor otter nurse who had been asked to assist the doctor that day stood shuffling her feet, embarrassed. It was Nick, of course, who broke the silence with his usual smirk-dosed voice.
"Well, Mom, are we ready for our ultrasound?"