"Babies, Judy? Babies? You are not old enough for this! You aren't ready!"
"Mom, I'm perfectly ready, this wasn't unexpected–well, it was, but that's not the point–"
"This is a big decision, Judy!"
"I know, Mom–"
"Who is the father?" Stu spoke up.
It was the first thing that Judy's father had said after the doctor's unexpected and badly timed arrival. This single question struck fear in both Nick and Judy's hearts, as they had no idea how to answer the question, and both let the room fall silent without a reply.
A few more awkward moments of silence had followed Nick's snarky comment after the doctor had arrived, before Nick eventually motioned to the doctor to continue as if nothing had happened, which she happily obliged. With that, the doctor began the ultrasound, and as soon as it had begun, Judy's mother had gone all in with every question and concern she could think of. In the end, it was Stu's first question that silenced the room once more, until the doctor interfered.
"Everything looks good, Mom. Would you like to see?"
Judy had nodded, a small smile on her face. From across the room, Nick had watched as the doctor readjusted the screen of the machine to allow Judy a better sight. He couldn't help but also smile as the doctor pointed out each of the four babies and the various little physical features among them. This was the first ultrasound of Judy's abdomen, and it was the first time both of them had seen their babies.
"And that's Baby Number 3's left foot," the doctor concluded cheerfully.
It only took a minute or two for the doctor to then readjust Judy back into a more comfortable position, pack up the equipment with the aid of the otter nurse, and exit the room, all while Judy thanked her and apologized for the weird situation. At the doctor's exit, Judy's parents wheeled back around and immediately began bombarding Judy with questions as soon as the door to the room has closed with a quiet click.
"How far along are you, Judy?"
"Ten weeks, but Mom–"
"Ten weeks? And you never even told us you were involved with someone!"
"I was going to tell you, but things got busy, Mom–"
"Oh, things are always busy, Judy! That's why you have to make time for your family! Do we not matter anymore?"
"Of course, you matter, Mom–!"
"When did you get married?"
The second question out of Stu's mouth silenced the room just like the first had. Judy's face flushed a deep shade of red.
"Well, the t-thing is, I'm not exactly m-married–"
"Not married! Judith Hopps, how could you be so reckless and irresponsible–?"
"Bonnie, calm down for just a moment now. Judy, who is the father?"
There was the horrifying question again, but Judy knew it had to be answered sooner than later.
"Okay, l-look, you can't get mad at me for this," Judy stumbled. "He's v-very kind and–and, well–Nick!"
While stuttering out a reply to her parents, Judy had glanced over at Nick for support, only to find him out of his hospital bed. He was limping horribly with his broken leg, using his bed and then the wall as support to balance his weight, and he was slightly bent over in pain from the surgery that had just taken place a little over four hours ago. Judy sat up in bed, immediately concerned and furious at the same time.
"Nick, what on Earth are you doing?"
Nick stopped her with a paw that he quietly placed to his lips in a hushing motion before turning to Bonnie and Stu Hopps. Despite the obvious pain he was in, Nick had a very friendly grin on his face. Limping the last few feet over to the couple, Nick used the end of Judy's bed to steady himself before holding out a paw for Judy's parents to shake.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hopps, it's very good to see you again," Nick stated pleasantly as he shook both parents' hands. "We met once a very long time ago. My name is Nicholas Wilde – please call me Nick – and I am your daughter's partner at work. As you can see, Judy has a habit of getting us into some trouble."
Judy's parents looked absolutely dumbfounded and concerned as Nick chuckled at his own joke, but the fox continued on despite the daggers Judy's eyes were shooting at him.
"I have known Judy for almost three years now. I have been friends with her for about two and half of those three years and I have dated her for about a year and a half of those three years, with some things overlapping, if you catch my drift. I understand that things are a little out of order here, but Judy and I fully intend on getting married, and I will be sure to ask you for permission to marry Judy before I propose, of course, because I still respect your decision in all of this. No, we did not plan for four little fur balls to come rolling into our life, but we wouldn't have it any other way. That's kind of a funny story how that happened, actually–" Nick paused, but then decided to take the conversation in a different direction after a quick glance in Judy's direction. "But, anyway! Life is messy, but we are dealing with it, and right now, I would like to ask you to leave, because I need to call my mother and inform her of all of this, and I think Judy needs a little bit of a rest. She is very tired, and we do not want to stress her out any more than necessary right now."
Nothing had prepared Judy or her parents for what Nick had said, but Judy still found herself smiling at his words. A fox who had just had surgery dragged himself from his bed, despite all of his pain, and had just kicked her parents out, all for her. Nick had honestly expected Judy's parents to yell at him for speaking to them in such a way, but much to his surprise, they simply smiled sweetly at him and began making their way from the room. It was Stu who turned and spoke before they left.
"We're staying at a hotel a few blocks from here. We'll check in later tonight, if that's okay."
"That would be absolutely wonderful, Mr. Hopps."
"Please, Nick, call me Stu; you've earned it," Stu said, then turned to leave, but looked back at Nick once more. "Oh, and son, I'm glad you are the father. I know you'll take good care of my daughter."
Behind him, Bonnie nodded her agreement. Giving Nick a gentle but firm pat on the shoulders, Judy's parents left, shutting the door behind them. Nick then turned to Judy.
"Wow, I'm going to be completely honest with you Carrots, I can't believe that worked."
"Nick, are you crazy?"
"I know, I know, I shouldn't have been so rude, but–"
"No, you shouldn't be out of bed!"
"I just kicked your parents out, and you are more concerned about how I'm feeling?" Nick chuckled.
"Get in bed!"
"I know, I know."
Nick carefully made his way over to Judy's bed, where he carefully nudged his way in next to her.
"Hi, Carrots," he whispered as he planted a kiss on her small nose, making her smile.
"You should be in your own bed," the rabbit chastised.
"Nah, this one is comfier. Can I borrow your phone real quick?"
Judy reached over to the small table next to her bed and handed him her cell phone, unlocking it before handing it over. Nick muttered a "thanks" before opening her dial pad and typing in a cell phone number. Putting the phone to his ear, he waited patiently for the other end of the line to be connected and answered. Judy watched and listened carefully. Finally, the receiver of the call answered the phone.
"Hi, Mom. How are you? … Good, that's good. I'm glad to hear it … Well, actually that's a funny story, Mom. Do you have a moment to talk? … Ha, I think the pie can wait, this is kind of important … No, no, I'm fine, but I do have to talk to you … You remember Judy, right? … I know you want to meet her, and you will soon, but we have to talk first … She's fine, Mom … No, I promise, just let me finish … I don't have an attitude! Mom, this is important!"
Nick glanced over at Judy and rolled his eyes. Judy mouthed "be nice," which he stuck his tongue out at before continuing.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but please let me tell you this … Judy and I were in an accident–Mom, we are fine! … I didn't lie to you, let me finish! … We were attacked by some polar bears while working last night and we are at the hospital right now … Honestly, it was pretty bad … A ruptured spleen, some broken ribs, a broken leg, and some scratches … Yeah, I'm going to be black and blue for a little while … She's okay, a broken arm and some scratches, though … Yes, I had surgery this morning for my spleen … Yes, I promise we're fine … Yes, you can come visit if you want, but I have to tell you something first … Judy is pregnant … She's about two months along … Of course, I'm the father, Mom!"
Judy let out a little audible gasp that she quickly stifled with a paw. Nick glanced over at her.
"Why is it that everyone related to you thinks I'm cheating?" Judy whispered, clearly offended.
Nick leaned in and kissed her forehead before mouthing something along the lines of "I love you" and "don't worry about it."
"Yeah, Mom … Uh-huh … It's four babies, not one… Ha, I know, Mom!"
That's when a big smile came across Nick's face, and much to Judy's surprise, he was on the verge of tears.
"I'm going to be a dad."
Judy smiled and carefully wrapped her uninjured arm around Nick, holding him close as he finished the conversation.
"I love you too, Mom … Okay, thank you … I'll tell her you said 'hello' … No, I won't tell her that … We'll see you soon… Goodbye."
Nick ended the call and set Judy's phone down next to him on the bed. He then turned to look at Judy.
"I'm going to be a dad."
"I'm going to be a mom."
"We are going to be parents."
Nick had never been one to cry often, but he cried now.