Chapter 15 - Burnt Carrots
Half closed eyes stared unblinking up into the dark where the faint shadow of a tall ceiling could barely be seen. A green shirt covered the reddish orange mammal laying on the hard, wooden floor. His bare arms and dark paws lay unmoving along both sides of his body, while his tail stuck out precariously to one side, causing him to turn slightly to the right. The fur on one of his ears was matted and torn as if he had recently been in a scrap with a vicious predator.
Inside the room was completely dark, but gradually grew lighter with each passing minute, yet the fox laying on the cold, wooden floor did not move. He did not blink or breathe or even twitch his tail in slumber. He only lay on the floor looking up at the high ceiling with his droopy stare.
Something, however, did move in that early morning light. Above the fox, laying on a small bed, a much larger mammal wiggled and squirmed. A grey ball of fur, covered in a green piece of cloth, that matched the small fox's shirt, rolled over with a painful groan and kicked a plush, stuffed rabbit onto the floor next to the fox.
Both toys lay together silently, neither dared to move or breathe, they only stared into the distance.
Another swift kick from the small, grey ball and one of the sheets that had been crumpled into the corner of the bed, began to slowly slide off the edge.
A bright pair of round amethysts appeared in the middle of the twitching, groaning, ball of fur. They sparkled in the dim light, but appeared to be unfocused and disoriented. Two long, pink ears soon joined them, as did a distinctly rabbit sized muzzle. The jewels disappeared again and were replaced by a wide, gaping maw with a single, large tooth in the center.
Judy sat up in her bed and yawned, stretching her arms far behind her head for several seconds. Having stretched, she slowly became aware of her surroundings, and spotted the clock on her desk that read 5:45, "It's my day off, I think I can get a little more rest."
Feeling around the edge of the bed, she soon realized that something was missing. She looked over the side and could barely make out the small, stuffed fox laying on the floor in the dark, "How did you get down there?"
Picking up the small stuffed fox, she brushed him off from nose to tail, "I'm so sorry, I must have knocked you off in my sleep." She also reached over and picked up the fallen rabbit plushie and placed it with the others along the edge of her mattress where the bed met the wall.
With the stuffed fox in paw, she once again curled up into a little ball and returned to her rabbit nap. Her little, pink nose sniffed at the green shirt she had wrapped herself in, and felt a sense of safety and comfort wash over her as she drifted off towards slumber.
Suddenly, the purple jewels returned and the rabbit sat upright with her ears as straight as two fluffy pine trees. Flinging the shirt aside and placing the fox doll on her pillow, she jumped out of bed exclaiming, "Oh no, I still have to write that report for Bogo. I'm going to be so late!"
Racing into the bathroom, she quickly prepared for work. The rabbit was dressed and running out the door as the first small sliver of sunlight broke through her window to illuminate the tiny closet sized room she called an apartment.
On the second floor of the Zootopia Police Department's City Center office, was a large spacious room set up as a community office. Sound absorbing, portable walls divided the room into dozens of cubicles. Each cubicle contained one or sometimes two utilitarian desks with barely comfortable office chairs, that always seemed to grow less comfortable the longer you sat in them. A few of the desks even came fully equipped with the latest in modern office technology, while some of the older occupants preferred a more retro fashion and still clung onto their large, steel filing cabinets.
Few officers worked at their desks this early in the morning and many prefered to be on their feet chasing villains or the ever insidious barista. One small desk was, however, occupied by an overly dedicated officer who chose to survive their morning with only the aid of the thick swill that could be found in the nearby breakroom.
A small, grey rabbit lifted the ceramic mug on her desk and sipped the bitter, black juice it held. She grimaced painfully and shuddered, putting the coffee down with a sigh of disgust. Breakroom coffee was always terrible, but it would have to do until she finished the report for her boss.
Sitting on the desk in front of her, was a fancy, new computer screen. Several of the office's desktop machines had been recalled a few months back, and hers was one of the last to be replaced. On the screen, was one of the many forms required to be filled out by a detective during a mammalicide investigation. The rabbit was currently stuck on a line item where the witness testimony was meant to be entered.
"I never actually met the witness last night," she thought, taking another sip of her coffee. "Bogo only asked me to follow the medical examiners, so maybe I should stick to those sections of the report." Being the overachiever that she was, Judy continued to fill out every single form and every line item where she knew the answer. She even included all of the evidence she found and the photos she took, no matter how small or inconsequential they may have seemed to the case.
Not one detail was missed and her own testimony of the scene was quite lengthy. Several hours passed and the coffee mug was refilled multiple times.
Judy had only started on the initial summary of her findings when her phone rang and she looked away from the screen and saw the time. It was nearly 10 am, she had been working on the report for over three hours.
Picking up her phone, she swiped the screen to answer the call. Her phone, unlike the new computer on her desk, was an older model iCarrot that was no longer on the market, making it at least two years old. She could not even find a replacement cover for it anymore, it was seriously time for a new one.
"Mom, Dad," she said, trying to sound cheerful in order to keep her parents from knowing how sore she still felt after everything that happened yesterday. "How are you two this morning?"
"Oh, hey Bun Bun," Bonnie answered with a warm smile. "We just arrived in town and got settled at the hotel. And thank you for those wonderful reservations by the way."
"Hotel? Reservations? In town," the younger rabbit's mind slowly tried to digest what her mother was saying. After draining another mug of coffee, it suddenly came back all at once. It was her parents' anniversary and they had traveled all the way to Zootopia to see her. Her eyes lit up and she tried to cover up the earlier slip. "Oh, I'm so glad you found it. How do you guys like the room?"
"The room is real nice, sweety."
"Maybe too nice," Judy heard her father mumble in the background.
"Oh, Stu," the older doe chided her husband. "Your father and I were calling to see if you weren't too busy to join us for lunch."
"Of course mom. Let me finish a few things here at the office real quick and I will send you the address." Seeing the confused look on her mother's muzzle, she quickly decided against that last idea, "Or, maybe I can meet you at the hotel instead."
"Ok, Hun. We will see you in a bit. Bye bye." Before her mom could click on the disconnect button, she heard her father exclaim in the distance, "Stay safe."
Hanging up the phone, Judy immediately tapped an orange button on her speed dialer. The phone rang several times before being routed to voicemail and she had to redial the number a second time. A gruff, drowsy voice finally picked up and mumbled something unintelligible into the speaker.
"Nick. Wake up," she exclaimed, practically yelling into the phone. On the other end of the line, the fox sat up straight in his bed, eyes suddenly very alert.
"Carrots, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"No, I am fine, Nick. Thank you for asking, Sleepy Head."
The rabbit heard a relieved sigh from the other end of the line followed by the fox's usual sarcasm, "Well, then, to what do I owe the pleasure of your lovely voice this morning, Officer Hopps?"
"I need your help with something."
"Oh, I see how it is now, " the fox chided. "You never call me anymore unless you need something."
"Nick, stop it," she almost giggled at his pleasant banter. "I need help finding a nice restaurant for lunch, and you know this town better than anyone."
"You know, Carrots, I should start charging for that kind of exclusive information."
"In your dreams, Slick!"
"Wait, did you say lunch? It's still way too early. And besides why would you want something fancy anyways? Won't the normal salad bar work well enough?"
"Not this time," the rabbit replied, lifting the now empty coffee cup and pondered how she was going to explain the situation to her partner. "My parents are in town for their anniversary, and I was hoping we could take them someplace nice for lunch." She heard a loud clatter on the other end, which was soon replaced by a couple of thumps and a scratching noise. "Nick? Nick, are you still there?"
When the fox finally returned to the phone, his voice sounded stunned and a little fearful, "So let me get this straight. Your parents are here, in Zootopia, right now? And you want ME to actually meet them for lunch?"
"Yep. Do you know a place where we can meet them or not?"
"This might not be such a great idea, Carrots."
"Of course it is, Nick. I have already told them all about you. And I think that it's really important that they get to meet my best friend in person."
"Ok, Fluff. If it really means that much to you," the fox said cautiously. "I do know a small, out-of-the-way place near your apartment. It has a very good prey menu that country rabbits might like."
"Do you mean Claire's?"
"Yep, that's the place."
"That sounds like a great choice. I've not been in there myself, but I hear they fire-roast all of their veggies, and they use a lot of interesting spices."
"It is a nice cozy place and the food is pretty good too."
"I have been meaning to try it out, but they are always closed when we get off work."
"Well, now is your chance, Carrots."
"This is great. Thanks, Nick," Judy praised the fox. "I am so glad I asked you. Can you meet us there at eleven?"
Startled, the fox took in a deep breath and held a paw to his forehead with an exaggerated sigh, "Eleven. That is cutting it awfully close. I won't have any time to put on my make-up or brush out my beautiful tail."
"You don't have to dress up, so stop being silly, Dumb Fox. Put on some normal clothes and I'm sure your tail will be just fine."
"Well you know how he gets when he hasn't been brushed out in while." Nick looked down at his tail like it had a mind of it's own and the large, bushy tail somehow managed to look guilty.
Nick's playful antics always warmed her heart so she decided to play along with a wink, "Oh right, and if Mr. Drama Fox manages to behave himself in front of my parents I might be willing to give his tail a nice brushing later.
A middle aged, brown rabbit strolled casually down the streets of Savanna Central, his large brown eyes taking in the sights as he walked. The buck's muzzle was quite wide compared to most city rabbits, with fluffy cheeks that seemed to flop with each step, and a huge, pink nose in the center of his face that twitched anytime a larger mammal came near. He was wearing a light teal shirt under a pair of old, faded overalls and, mounted smartly on top of his head, was a green ball cap with a carrot embroidered on the front.
Walking perfectly in stride beside the buck, was a doe rabbit of roughly the same age. The doe had a pair of pretty, purple eyes that seemed to take in her surroundings with a sense of wonder. She wore a lovely, pink blouse that went well with her grey fur and matched the inside of her tall ears, and around her waist, was a tasteful medium-grey skirt.
Between the two older rabbits, walked a young doe who stood nearly as tall as the buck but had the same color of fur and eyes as the other doe. She wore a light-blue shirt that had a dark pink trim with a thick band of pink along the bottom, and a pair of tight fitting, black pants. On her left arm, was a small wrist watch with the symbol of a tiny, bitten carrot on the side.
Two of the three mammals happily walked along the sidewalk looking at all the cars and little shops as they passed, like a group of tourists on holiday. However, the younger bunny in the middle was not paying any attention to her surroundings and her expression was almost pained. Even though summer had only started and the morning breeze was still cool, the middle rabbit continued to wipe her paws across her forehead like it was sweltering hot outside.
Steward Hopps had not been to the big city in many years and he was impressed with how much it had changed. Many of the huge towers were new, and he could not remember if the tall hotel that resembled a giant palm tree had been built when he was here last. Of course, he remembered when it's construction was all over the news, but he had never been anywhere near it, let alone inside the massive structure. He was happy that he and Bonnie could spend some time with their daughter and see first hand how she was getting along in the big city. Taking his mind off the impressive skyline, the buck tuned his ears to what Judy was saying about where they were walking.
"And, if you turn right at that intersection we just passed, you will arrive at my apartment," Judy was telling her parents, "but if we turn left around this next corner, we should be able to see the restaurant Nick picked out for us."
Curiously, Bonnie asked the younger rabbit, "So we finally get to meet this mysterious Nick you have told us so much about?"
"Yep," Judy nodded. "I actually managed to convince him to get up early on a day off. He said he would go ahead and meet us there."
Tuning out the two females, Stu continued to look at everything around him. He never felt comfortable surrounded by all the large, closed-in buildings. Not being able to see the horizon for miles in every direction always made him nervous. Sure, the city was impressive to look at from a distance, but it always made him feel crowded whenever he came here. There were so many large mammals and predators walking the streets. A carrot farmer like him really had no business in the big city. He was just a simple, country bunny from the Burrows and he really preferred to stay that way.
His wife and daughter's voices changed and it seemed like they were approaching their lunch destination, plus his stomach had been grumbling since before they left the hotel. Still in his own thoughts, he wasn't sure if Judy had said, "There he is," but when he looked up expecting to see her friend and partner, all he saw was a fox.
The todd was a head taller than Stu and he was headed straight for them with his sharp teeth showing. Stu's first reaction was to step between the fox and his family. The next thing he did was to reach into his back pocket, pulled out a Fox Away hand taser and pointed it directly at the fox. He had heard about the savage attacks from last year and he was going to protect his family from this vicious predator, even if it was the last thing he did. He was prepared to sacrifice his own life to protect theirs, however, he was not prepared for what happened next.
Like a vision from a dream or a nightmare played out in slow motion, the brown buck watched his daughter jump in front of the fox as she grabbed the taser from his paws. What she did next stunned him more than a full charge from the weapon he no longer held.
In one deft move, Judy disarmed her father, flipped each of the batteries out of the clip one by one and hid the taser in the folds of her clothes, like it was a dangerous reptile. But, what shocked the old buck most was when she wrapped her paws around the dangerous predator and tried to console it like a close friend.
"Dad," she cried. "What in the summer cabbages do you think you are doing?"
"But, but... he was about to attack you!" Stu stuttered.
"No, dad. This is Nick. He would never hurt me, he is my be-" Judy lectured but never finished before her dad cut her off.
Seeing how she wrapped her paws comfortably around his waist and the fox's paws also held her close and they way their eyes lit up when they looked at each other, the older buck had only one response, "He is your boyfriend?"
At that moment, Bonnie, having recovered from her initial shock, stepped in, "Is this true, Judy?"
Judy immediately denied the accusation like it was a natural instinct, "No! He is not my boyfriend." Contrary to her own words she squeezed him closer, "I was about to say that he is my best friend."
"Is that a Mark III model," Nick asked casually, unphased by the unprovoked attack from Judy's father.
Still stunned by Judy's quick reactions, the brown rabbit stammered, "Ye-yes. I think so."
"Those really don't pack much of a punch," the fox informed. "Plus they are only good for one or two shots. After that they are pretty much useless."
"You don't say?" Stu asked thoughtfully.
"I would recommend getting a TX-35, or the 35-B, with the extended charge capacity if you're worried about large predators."
"Um, thanks fo-, ah, Nick was it?" The brown buck said, holding out a paw while a smile slowly grew on his muzzle.
The fox shook the bucks paw warmly, "Yes, Officer Nick Wilde. Nice to meet you, Sir."
As if it had a mind of its own, Stu's stomach growled loudly, and Nick took the opportunity to change the subject, "Is anybody else hungry, because I've been told this place has an excellent lunch menu."
"I'm starving, actually," Stu admitted.
"Yes, I am quite curious to see what this place has to offer," Bonnie added.
"Well then, come on you guys. Let's grab a table before they're all gone." Judy pulled on the fox's paw and promptly led him towards the restaurant where a sign hung outside that read 'Claire's Cafe.'
Inside the red brick building, mashed together with it's neighbors, the lights were turned down and the air was much cooler. The dining room had a southern, coastal style to it's decor, that to the country rabbits felt fairly exotic. Only a few of the tables had started to fill up since it was still an hour before the main lunch rush, so the oddly mixed group had their choice of seating.
A short, prey mammal showed them to the last remaining booth, handed them four menus and took their drink orders. The fur on his long neck and back was a deep, shiny black, but his muzzle ranged from black around his nose, to a rich chocolate brown at the top of his head, with white patches around his eyes and under the jaw. On top of his head, were two stubby horns that formed a unique 'U' shape and he had a long, whip-like tail with a bushy tuft at the end. His arms and legs had strange, black and white zebra stripes, and there was a faint hint of similar stripes around the neck. He was dressed in a light, bright fabric that was reminiscent of beachcombers in warmer climates.
While the okapi was handing out the menus, he introduced himself in a strange accent, "Welcome to Claire's. My name is Erik and I will be your server today. Our lunch special is a Bharwan Mirchi stuffed chilli, and the soup of the day is the Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea soup."
"Oh, that sounds lovely," Bonnie exclaimed, sitting next to her husband. The two males sat in the booth next to the wall, where an oil painting of a mammal sailing a fishing boat hung above their table. Both doe's sat near the outer end of the table, with easy access to the powder room.
When the server returned, he placed an iced carrot juice in front of Judy, and the heated and spiced equivalent in front of her parents, while Nick settled for a latté. With the drinks served, the giraffidae asked if they were ready to order.
Judy let her parents go first, but her father was struggling to make a decision, "Everything is so strange, and I don't recognize even half of the names on here. The pictures seem to show that everything is made with chillies, so I am guessing it's all pretty spicy."
"Don't be so churlish," his wife chided, putting her paw on his arm. "I'm sure everything is just delicious, dear."
"You aren't far wrong there, Mr Hopps," Nick added with a slight charm. "Most of the menu is a bit spicy but if you want to avoid the really hot items, just look out for any word starting with 'kal' or 'zest'".
"Feel free to call me Stu. And thanks for the advice, I will be sure to do that."
"Well I am going to experiment and try the Zesto Spinach Chard Penne plate," the older doe ordered, as if it were a challenge to her husband.
"Oh, this Lemon Caper on Kale tossed salad looks good. It's got olives and banana peppers too, so it's probably not too hot." He looked up to the okapi and inquired, "Is this salad pretty hot?"
"No, sir," Erik replied, "The salad, no it's not hot at all, but the dressing is a little warm."
"Warm, what does that mean exactly?" Stu argued.
"It means, dad, that it's a little spicy but not very hot, so you should be able to handle it."
"Ok, I'll have that, but can you put the dressing on the side?"
"Of course, sir. That salad is a favorite here," the server encouraged before turning to Judy. "And what can I get for you, ma'am?"
Judy had never even opened her own menu but instead was reading from the one Nick held. She was so close to him that Stu and Bonnie couldn't tell if she was actually sitting in the fox's lap. "Everything just looks so good, I will certainly have to come back here and try everything, but for today, I think I will have the special along with the soup."
"Excellent choice." Trying to hide his distaste for the mixed couple, the okapi praised the rabbit's order and turned to the fox she was cuddled with. "And what can I get for you?"
In a very formal voice Nick addressed the patient server, "I will have the Kale Quinoa Vidalia Bowla with the Cucumber Spinach Rigate." The rabbit next to him jumped as he closed the menu with a smart snap and handed it back to their waiter.
The brightly dressed okapi neither blinked or replied to Nick's perfect pronunciation of his menu choices as he collected the rest of the menus, "I will take this order back to the kitchen and your meals should be ready in about twenty to thirty minutes. If you need anything else please don't hesitate to ask." He then dashed off to the back of the restaurant with his notepad in hand and left the two couples staring at each other awkwardly across the table.
After several moments of silence, Nick tried to break the ice with a small cough, "So, what is life like in the burrows? I have never been outside of the city and Judy here isn't much of a story teller." He looked down warmly at the small doe who had managed to wiggle her way under his arm and was subconsciously playing with his tie.
Bonnie quickly sat up with a slight hop and answered the question, while Stu leaned back in the comfortable booth eyeing the fox dubiously. "Well, it is a lot more open than here in the city. And the air smells more like grass and trees and growing things."
"This time of year," Stu added, joining the conversation, "with the planting all done, the fields are just starting to sprout. So the brown, tilled soil is slowly turning green, and the blueberries still have a few blossoms left, but most have fallen and blown away in the wind."
When the buck mentioned blueberries, the fox's eyes lit up and he had to wipe a drop of drool from his lips.
"As a child, I always loved summer's on the farm," Judy nodded to her parents. "Everyone in the burrow would get up early and go out to water the fields. Dad and my brothers would drive the tractor and set the pipes, while the rest of the kits would check on the sprinklers. And we would all get so muddy picking weeds that we had to jump in the stream that ran by the fields."
"Yes," the older doe chuckled at her daughter's memory. "And I swear, some of you thought you could become fish and just swim in that creek all day long."
"There is always so much work to be done in the summer," Stu said. "But this year, we are glad that the older boy's have everything handled so Bonnie and I can get away for a few days." He looked across the table at Judy and added, "With all of your nieces and nephews getting older, we opened up the south western plot and planted another twelve acres of carrots."
"Wow, Dad," Judy exclaimed. "I didn't think that field would ever get used. What did you ever do with that old, rusty car out there?"
Tweaking her husband's ear, Bonnie said cheerfully, "I finally made him haul that ugly thing to the junkyard. It wasn't doing anybody any good laying out there and it really was blocking the way to the lower fields."
Steward Hopps continued to describe life on the farm in Bunny Burrow, getting up at the crack of dawn with a herd of rabbits to tend the crops. He talked about his favorite farm equipment, while Bonnie brought her own perspective of how to maintain a household with hundreds of small mammals. To the fox's ears, they sounded like a pair of CEO's for a huge corporation with dozens of employees that all needed to be fed and housed and they seemed to keep everything working like a well oiled machine. Aside from all the hard work involved, Nick thought it actually sounded fascinating.
From the other side of the table, the rabbits watched their daughter closely as they told their tales of country life. They curiously watched every interaction she had with the fox, and would glance at each other, as if passing secret messages every time the younger rabbit punched her friend in the shoulder.
The conversations about farming life abruptly ended when the food arrived. Erik carried a large, flat tray to their table laden with steaming plates and decorated bowls. Starting with the matronly doe, he placed each dish in front of the proper guest and clearly named them as he went. For the two out-of-towners, it almost felt like he was putting on a show.
In front of Bonnie, was a large, colorful bowl filled to the brim with pasta that had lots of green leaves and a mixture of various roasted and sliced veggies. Her husband had a large salad, consisting of brightly colored vegetables, placed before him, and a small bowl of creamy yellow dressing. Across from the doe, Judy's dish was four long, yellow chillies with grill marks along the sides and were stuffed till they burst with a curious mixture of colorful ingredients. The four stuffed chillies were laid tastefully on a bed of rice, with a sweet looking sauce drizzled artfully across the whole plate. A small bowl of soup was also carefully placed in front of her.
When the okapi finally came to the fox in the corner, no one noticed the scowl on his muzzle or how callously he placed down the plate without saying a word. Once the meals were presented, he asked the group if they needed anything else, more drinks or any extra sauces, before he quietly left them to enjoy their meals.
Remaining silent while they ate, the older couple continued to watch the young rabbit and fox's table banter. Nick would try to steal a pepper from Judy's plate while she would fight him off with her fork, or he would offer her to taste a bite of his pasta. Bonnie's ears even turned bright pink when her daughter shared her soup with the fox from her own spoon.
The older doe could not remember the last time that her husband shared a bite with her at the dinner table. She thought the act was so romantic that she stabbed an onion off his plate and promptly chomped on it with a sexy wink. However, his glare and gruff reply were not what she had expected, "Hey, what did you do that for? Is your own plate not good enough?"
"Yes dear it's quite good actually," she said with a slight flirt. "You should try some."
"Oh, really," the buck stabbed at her plate and came up with what he first thought was a safe green vegetable and quickly popped it into his mouth. It only took two seconds to realize that what he chewed on was a large chunk of chilli and he gasped, nearly choking. He grabbed his glass of spiced carrot juice and downed the last of what remained before holding his mouth open fanning it with his paw. "Muddy, bramble shoots, that's hot!"
Bonnie leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, while their daughter snickered. "I should have warned you first dear."
"Cabbages! How can you eat that stuff?"
"Remember, I grew up eating this kind of food all the time."
"I think I will stick with carrots and greens, thank you very much."
She leaned over and rubbed his tall, brown ears and whispered something into them as his eyes grew very wide and he quickly cleaned off his own plate.
Once the four mammals placed their forks on the table and only a few tidbits remained on the plates, Bonnie decided that it was her daughter's turn to talk about her life in the big city. "So, Judy, how has your first year at the ZPD been?"
"Yes hun, what's it like being a big city cop?" the brown buck added.
Judy's ears dropped as she looked at her parents. "It's been real great," she sighed, "most of the time."
"Most of the time?" Bonnie queried.
"Don't get me wrong, mom. I really love my job. I love getting up in the morning and helping out all the mammals in need. Every job has its good and bad, but as cops, we see a great deal of the bad. And sometimes it can be pretty bad."
"Oh no, hun, what happened?" the older doe asked, putting a paw over her muzzle.
"Sorry, mom, but we can't talk about any ongoing cases." Judy really didn't want to tell her mother about the current issues that were going on in the city, so she tried to perk herself up and try a different approach.
"I actually enjoy my job a lot. Working for the ZPD has felt like one great adventure, I get to explore this huge city and meet all kinds of mammals. You really would not believe some of them… like this whole group that believes animals should not wear clothes. And another group, that dresses up in costumes and pretends to be lords and ladies from the middle ages."
"Yes, I think I have heard of those," her father said with a polite nod.
"The last year has been a lot of fun and now, I get to have Nick by my side everyday." The younger rabbit's eyes practically glowed as she talked about her partner and she laid her head on his shoulder with a pleasant sigh.
"And from what your father and I can tell it looks like you made a good choice in a boyfriend," Bonnie accidentally stated.
Judy's cheerful expression darkened and she felt the temperature in the room begin to rise, "How many times have I told you that we are not dating?!" She scooted away from the fox and lifted his arm off her shoulder.
"It's ok, dear," her mother said as if she was calming an angry child. "We can clearly tell how much you mean to each other and we are glad you have found someone that makes you happy."
"Just stop it, Mom! I am sick of everyone seeing something that is not there. We are not dating and we are certainly not having an affair. We are just very close friends, and nothing more. So will everyone just stop?" Tears started running down her cheeks in rivers.
Both older rabbits looked at their daughter in shock, and the fox squeezed her paw gently. Her father glanced at his wife before adding, "We just want you to be happy, Hun."
She looked into her parents eyes and was suddenly filled with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I just need, ah um, excuse me." Dropping Nick's paw, she suddenly excused herself from the table and ran for the bathroom.
Watching the tearful rabbit leave the table, the fox tried to apologize, "This really isn't like her. She has had a pretty rough week. And last night was, um, rather difficult, but I didn't realize she was feeling this out of sorts."
After a few moments, Bonnie stood up and followed after her crying daughter, "I should see what I can do." She walked to the restroom leaving the two males alone, staring at their plates.
Minutes passed before Stu finally spoke up, "It's obvious that you care a lot about Judy and that you mean a great deal to her."
"I do admit that she means a lot to me too."
"Well, then why does it seem like she is hiding all of this from us?"
"Don't mind me for being blunt, Sir, but maybe she, we, just need to figure things out on our own."
"We are her parents, and we only want to help. It's kind of our job, you know."
Thoughts of his own mother's nudging and prodding thought out his life, filled the todd's mind. "All too well," he said with a sigh.
Plain, white tiles covered the floor and walls of the bathroom. A large, silver mirror covered one wall above a long stainless steel row of sinks. Opposite those, metal dividers hovered slightly above the floor, creating private stalls around the toilets. At each end of the sinks, was a shiny dispenser for paper towels.
Standing in front of one of the sinks, was a tall, grey rabbit washing the tears from her muzzle and cheeks. She dried her fur on a towel and looked up to see her mother standing near the door with a sad expression on her face. "Mom, please, not now."
"I am sorry Judy. Will you talk to me? What is really going on? I haven't seen you this upset since your sister's wedding three years ago."
"Mom," the tears started flowing again. "It's nothing, I-I just can't talk about it right now."
"Is this about a case, Hun?"
"Yes," she nodded with a sniffle, "but we are really not allowed to talk about any active cases so I can't tell you."
"Alright, what about your," Bonnie paused, trying very hard not to use the word boyfriend again. "What about Nick? He seems like a great mammal and it's pretty obvious that he cares a great deal about you."
With a big sniffle, Judy replied abruptly, "You're just seeing things mom. He is just a friend."
"Then I am glad you have such a close friend." the older doe said, sarcastically. "He seems like a very bright and charming young mammal, and your father seems to like him."
"Are you trying to set me up with yet another male now?"
"Not at all dear. I just see how the two of you are around each other."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well your ears have been droopy all day, but as soon as you saw him on the street they perked right up and I could see the bright, genuine smile on your muzzle."
"He is my friend mom," Judy argued. "Can't a rabbit be happy to see her friend?"
"Listen to me, Hun," Bonnie declared with her 'mother knows best' tone. "You never once let go of his paw the entire time we have been here, you've been fiddling with his clothes, and every time you look at him your eyes sparkle with a light I have never seen on your muzzle before. Not even with Alex."
With a gasp of disgust the young doe continued to explain while shaking her head, "He can be such a sloppy dresser most of the time. Even his uniform barely meets acceptable standards."
"And I know that I clearly saw you punch him, because your father saw it too," Bonnie folded her arms across her chest. "I should not have to tell you what it means when a doe starts swinging her fists at a buck."
"It's not like I was flailing madly in his direction. Besides he's a fox," Judy stated sharply, "and I am a rabbit, there could never, ever, be anything serious between us. Besides he thinks I am just some overly emotional, dumb bunny, so he could never see me that way."
Disappointment in her eyes, Bonnie looked at her daughter, "So now you're worried about his species? Weren't you the one to show us how to look beyond the fur?"
"I'm worried about what everyone else will think about us too."
Shock filled her muzzle, "When has that ever stopped you? I know the whole family was upset when your cousin Ned started dating that ferret, at least until they got to know her. So why is this any different?"
"What are you saying, mom?" the younger rabbit asked, wiping her small pink nose.
"Well, only seeing you together for a few minutes today has shown me how much you care about him, so maybe you could give him a chance and see where it goes. And, if you find that you like him more than just as friends, then, well, your father and I will support your decision."
"Moooom, please don't force me into something I'm not sure that I'm ready for."
"You might be surprised, sweety, love has a way of sneaking up on you," the motherly rabbit said with a knowing smile.
"I am NOT in love, Mom!"
"Trust your mother, Hun. Mom's have a way of knowing these kinds of things."
"Can't I make up my own mind on who I want to date?"
"Alright bun bun, we just want you to be happy. And I think he might like you more than you give him credit for."
Bonnie stretched out her arms and pulled Judy in for a warm, motherly hug, "There, there, Hun. I know you haven't had a lot of luck with these kinds of things in the past, but I am certain that with a little time you will figure it out."
"Thanks, mom, I will try to think about it."
"Ok, dear. But be sure and talk to him about it too," Bonnie gave her daughter a tight squeeze and gently brushed the fur on top of her head. Her eyes suddenly opened wide in shock and she placed the back of her palm to the younger rabbit's forehead. "Oh my sour muffins, Judy, you're burning up!"
Grabbing her paw, Bonnie led the other rabbit out of the bathroom and back to their table. "We have a sick rabbit here," she exclaimed to both males who were chatting amiably about city life. "Stu, pay the check, we need to get Judy back to bed right away!"
"Why, what's wrong dear?" the buck asked.
"Judy has a fever. I knew something was off when she met us at the hotel."
Nick stood up with a pained look in his eyes and stepped next to Judy, "Do you want me to carry her back to the apartment?"
"No," Judy gave him a swift punch. "I can still walk just fine, Dumb Fox."
Taking charge, Bonnie started giving orders like a drill sergeant, "You should lead us to her place, and then when we get there we will need you to buy her some vegetable broth and some aspirin and we need to make sure she has a nice warm blanket."
"But mom, I just ate."
"Shush dear," the motherly rabbit scolded, "You need to do as your mother tells you and get some rest."
Back at Judy's apartment, the young rabbit lay bundled up in a couple of blankets while her mother watched over her. She had sent the boys out to buy a few things for the sick rabbit and sat on a chair looking at her phone and was asking her daughter about her symptoms, "So how long have you been feeling sick hun?"
"Sick, well just yesterday. I had a headache all day and kept feeling dizzy. I honestly thought it was just from the hangover."
"Hangover huh?"
"Please don't judge mom. I just went out to a karaoke club with a couple of the girls from work and may have drank too much when Fangmeyer insisted I get up on stage and sing." She cautiously left out the part where she woke up on top of Nick the next morning.
"Well, you are an adult now and are allowed to have fun now and then, just don't over do it, sweety."
"My muscles have also been feeling a little sore lately, but I thought it was from over exercising. I never would have thought it was the flu."
"Yes, dear, you always did tend to overwork yourself. Do you remember that time when you kept trying to do everyone else's chores, until we found you passed out in the barn, with a basket of carrots still in your paws."
Judy chuckled at the memory, "Yeah, it was almost time for Carrot Days and I just wanted to help everyone get ready so I was helping them with their chores so they could help set everything up."
"So helpful all the time, even when you were little, you always tried to do as much as three grown mammals twice your size."
"Yeah, I still do, mom."
There was a soft knock at the door and Bonnie stood up to answer it, "Looks like the boys are back with the supplies." She answered the door and took the small bag of groceries from the fox's paws, then put the cans of soup into a cabinet and gave Judy a small dose of aspirin. "Now, dear, take one of these if you have any more headaches or are feeling dizzy, ok? But for the rest of the day, you are under strict orders to stay in that bed and get some rest."
"Yes, mom."
"And, if you need anything, remember to call. We are staying right down the street for the rest of the weekend," Bonnie kissed her daughter's forehead and quietly left the apartment, shooing the males out as she went.
Laying alone in her bed in the middle of the day felt very strange to the active police bunny, so she stared up at the high ceiling and thought about what her mother had said earlier. "Does Nick actually think about me that way? Naw, we're just good friends and co-workers."
Rolling over, she looked at the plush fox doll snuggled tightly among the pile of rabbits she kept on her bed, "But, what if he did? Do I even feel that way about him?"
She picked up the stuffed fox and held it close to her chest, closing her eyes while her thoughts raced around in circles, but never coming to a conclusion. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep for a few hours and, in the middle of the night, her fever finally broke.
[A/N] You guys have no idea how long I have waited to actually write this chapter! I started this story three years ago, and I knew that at some point I would have to explain the reason behind all the apparent blindness. So here it is, and I really hope you all enjoyed the mother daughter talk.
So apparently there is a Spaceballs reference that I didn't even notice till my family pointed it out to me :P If your wondering where I'm getting some of the more exotic mammals for the story, like the waiter and the clerk in the last chapter, I was playing a lot of Planet Zoo when it first came out so I have tons of mammal ideas to use for characters. Unfortunately that game doesn't have any Ibex that I saw ... yet.
For anyone who is curious, I have been listening to / watching a lot of Zootopia music videos while I write, however on the last two chapters I have exclusively listening to one specific video - Zootopia AMV / ZMV | Heros (We Could Be) by Mashin Jams. It has really helped me get back into the mood to write about a super bunny cop and her foxy friend.
I have also been completely engrossed in a story on this site named At the Beginning by WingedKatt. Readying this story has given me so many ideas and things for Nick and Judy to do when [SPOILER] and they actually [SPOILER]. Sorry, I try not to give out to many obvious hints about what I plan to write next, but if you have read the story I'm talking about I really don't need to spoil anything ;)
And thank you very much to everyone who read and commented on the last couple of chapters. I don't normally do this but I thought I would go ahead and reply to a few of them.
Mikey2084: Thanks, it took me a long time to get all the details right so I am glad you liked it.
imjustlikehumphery: It's always great to read your awesome comments, and yes I have been binge watching a little NCIS now and then ;) I am really glad you caught the reference. I was actually worried if anyone would catch the it.
seanarthurmachado: Wow! That means a lot to me. I really try very hard to put my best writing into this story.
GhostWolf88: All your comments are greatly appreciated. This chapter and the two before it are all part of the couple's wake up call and is ment to open their eyes.
Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps: It is always great to hear from you again, and to see that you enjoy reading this little fanfic. I am sure that doctor will get what is coming to him, eventually ;)