Loves Bond
Chapter 26 - Bundle of Lies
Twin towers of glass and steel loomed darkly over the quiet savannah neighborhood. The square and blocky structures were wider than they were tall, yet the city building commission still considered them as towers on their paperwork. A line of naked oak trees surrounded the building's parking lot, while a few majestic pine trees were perched along the front wall like giant guardians. On the fourth floor, a glass walkway joined the two towers like a pair of squat calves holding hooves.
A slow and steady drizzle fell from the grey and cloudy sky. The autumn storm had swept in from the ocean a few days ago and had refused to relinquish the city from its dark and wet clutches. Other than the rain, it was a calm and quiet storm, with hardly a breeze and not a single flash of lightning.
The dry, almost desert-like biome in this section of the city rarely saw any rain during the year, but since the city was perched on the edge of a vast ocean, storms were not uncommon. The clouds that covered the sky were only part of a much larger system that was quickly racing up the coast. It had not chosen to make landfall, but the outer wisps still carried enough moisture to drench the entire region.
Nicholas Wilde, Zootopia's first police fox, shifted the unmarked sedan into park and shut off the engine. It sat in the nearly empty parking lot that surrounded the pair of buildings. Few mammals had braved the slow drizzle that morning, while some had even canceled their appointments when the sky began to darken. A glassy sheen covered the black pavement, but the grey skies kept it from glittering and sparkling as they tried to drag down the fox's mood.
"Why did we park on this side?" Judy Hopps asked glumly. Since the beginning of her pregnancy, the excitable rabbit's mood shifted as quickly as the weather. The dampness and dark skies outside the car had left her feeling melancholy all morning. She had not even smiled once since she had woken, wrapped up inside her fox's embrace. Even the foxy morning kiss was not enough to cheer the doleful rabbit.
Trying to smile cheerfully down at his mate, the uniformed fox replied, "Your doctor said to meet her in this half of the building. I can only suspect that the examining rooms are here instead of on the other side where we usually have your appointments."
A soft sigh slowly escaped from her muzzle, and she seemed to shrink into the passenger seat. With both paws resting on her knees, she watched the raindrops slowly accumulate on the car's windshield until they were heavy enough to run down the side. Her thoughts drifted around the city as she tried to avoid thinking about the upcoming procedure. One paw scratched at her broad belly, where the fur had only recently started to grow back.
Watching his rabbit's discomfort, Nick put his paw on her shoulder. Slowed by the heavy mood in the air, his quick wits tried to think of something to cheer her up. "Are you still planning on going to Clawhauser's costume party this weekend?"
Another sigh left her lips, "I don't know, I still haven't decided what kind of costume to wear." She put her paw across the one that sat on her shoulder.
Pulling his paw away, Nick placed it across his chest and gasped. "I thought you were set on wearing that sexy, purple witch costume you wore last year?"
"Dumb Fox," Judy scoffed. She rubbed her expanding belly with both paws and announced, "If you hadn't noticed, I could never fit into such a tight dress now."
"No, I hadn't noticed."
A tiny grey fist slammed into the fox's shoulder, but he failed to reply. She rolled her eyes and explained, "This year I can't decide between the flashy pirate one, or the full body robot bunny suit."
"Bunny cops are all the rage this season, I hear," Nick chided. "Remember how the owner of that costume shop kept asking you where you got your uniform from? He said he couldn't keep them on the shelf longer than a day."
"I will never understand some mammal's tastes these days." Judy shook her head in disbelief. "The pirate costume would be easy to make, though. All I would need are some old clothes and a fancy hat."
"And don't forget the eye patch!" The fox exclaimed. "And a shiny sword," he added, swishing his paws through the air like he was fighting with a sword and stabbing at the steering wheel.
Giggling at her fox's antics, the pregnant rabbit smiled for the first time that day. "We could both dress up as superheroes. I would be The Flash, and you could go as Wonderfox."
With a slight tilt of his head, and a swish of his tail, Nick smirked down at the snickering rabbit. "I don't think the world could take that much pawsome fox. It might even be deadly. Maybe you could be Wonderbun while I go as the Scarlet Pimpernel."
Gasping, with both paws over her muzzle, Judy's cry echoed around the inside of the car, "There is no way I am going to wear a two piece in my condition!" Thinking about her exposed stomach brought a sudden tear to her eyes. Sniffling, she opened the car door and stepped outside. "I am never going to find anything that looks good on me now. Maybe we should just call the whole thing off."
Slamming the door shut, her dark mood had returned as she trudged across the wet and shiny parking lot. Before she could reach the front door of the clinic, her fox was by her side with his arm around her shoulder. Solemnly, she squeezed at his paw and sighed deeply
Walking through the big, front doors together, Nick said, "I still don't understand why you are so upset about this procedure. All they are going to do is take pictures of the baby."
A large lump caught in her throat, but she still forced out the words with a loud squeak, "They have to shave off all my fur first!"
"Oh." The fox's paw immediately went to the end of his snout. "That explains a lot." He looked down and gently rubbed her baby bump as they approached the counter.
A familiar gazelle greeted them when they walked up to the reception desk, and a young yak in long dreadlocks quickly stepped away on some important errand. "Good morning, how can we help you today?"
Standing up on his toes to see over the edge of the desk, Nick addressed the attendant, "We have an appointment to see Dr. Pembroke."
"Usually she meets all of her patients in the other building, but I can still let her know you are here. What is the name?"
"Hopps," the fox replied. "Judy Hopps."
After some quick typing at her computer, the middle-aged gazelle smiled down at the pair. "Oh I see. You are here for an ultrasound, is that correct?"
"Yes," Judy nodded and scratched at her stomach.
"Radiology and Imaging are up on the second floor." She waved her hooves towards the comfortable seats in the waiting area. "You're all checked in, so if you have a seat, someone will be down for you in a few minutes."
Twenty minutes later, Judy was dressed in a hospital gown covered in green spots. A friendly otter nurse had led them up to the second floor examination room and left instructions that Judy should put on the gown. Now the rabbit waddled out of the changing room and towards the small hospital bed.
The baby bump did not seriously hamper the rabbit's movements, but she still held out a paw to the kit's father. She could have easily hopped up into that short bed, but she desperately needed the comfort of his warm paw before the upcoming ordeal.
Lying down on the fluffy pillows, she let her emotions run wild for a second. Her breath came in short pants while her nose twitched violently. She even squeezed Nick's paw until he winced in pain.
"Oh, sorry, dear," Judy squeaked and let go.
"Everything is going to be ok, Carrots," Nick assured warmly. He leaned across the bed and put both arms around his rabbit. With a tight squeeze, the rabbit eeped and began to pat his shoulders gently. "This is just a perfectly normal procedure, and you have nothing to worry about."
"I know, hun. But I just can't seem to get the picture of losing all my fur out of my head." She squeezed the fox that was currently laying across her chest and began to pet his fuzzy ears. "I'm sure you would feel the same way if they shaved your tail."
A loud gasp from the fox echoed around the plain examination room. "The horror!" He tightened the hug and anxiously wrapped the offended appendage around his mate.
They remained clutched together in that tight hug until the doctor arrived. Both small mammals were aware of her approach by the clacking sound of metal hooves in the hall outside. The sound halted outside the open door and was quickly followed by a firm knock.
"Hello, you two," Dr Pembroke announced as she strutted into the room. "How are my two favorite police officers today?"
After the doctor's casual intrusion of their tender moment, Nick slid off the bed and began to brush at the front of his uniform. Judy, on the other paw, straightened her ears and adjusted the polka-dotted gown.
Leah waved a paw without any hint of embarrassment at the couple's recent affections. "Oh, please don't mind me." She then thought for a second before adding, "If you need a few more minutes, I can always come back when you're ready."
"No, it's fine, doctor," Judy said, sitting up and adjusting the puffy pillows at the head of the bed. "You weren't interrupting anything." The rabbit's expression was resolute, while the fox looked away, slightly embarrassed, and tried to hide his tail from the doctor.
"Oh," the doctor stated softly. "I see." Today she was not dressed in her usual white lab coat, but had on a pair of bright scrubs covered in the colorful toy blocks that every kit played with as a toddler. Her bronze colored legs clacked loudly with every movement as she stepped towards the bed.
"Are you ready to begin, Judy?" She asked with a sweet smile that showed a pair of long fangs.
Gulping, Judy nodded and scratched at her belly nervously. "Yes, I'm ready, but do we really have to do this?"
"Of course. We need these pictures to know how well the baby is doing." The doctor's grin widened, and she snapped the claws on her paw over her shoulder. "Claudine," she called out towards the hall. "You can bring the machine in now."
The otter, who had originally shown them to the room, struggled to push a large machine through the door. It looked like a white computer on wheels, with soothing blue buttons and a large, flat screen that could be swiveled around. Hanging on one side of the cart were several odd-looking attachments. On the bottom shelf was a white cylinder that reminded Judy of a vacuum cleaner that the grans used to use back in the Hopps Burrow.
Seeing the small otter strain as she pushed the machine into the examination room, Judy thought she could hear an ominous whir coming from the vacuum. Her emotions took over again, and she scooted further back against the pillows.
Without noticing Judy's discomfort, the coyote continued to explain, "Since there has never been a fox and rabbit pregnancy before, we need to keep a close eye on your progress. Short of endoscopy, this is the best way to get the pictures we need. So, yes, we have to go through with this procedure in order to ensure that the fetus is healthy and happy."
Claudine eventually pushed the cart up against the bed and pulled a stool alongside it. She sat down and put on a pair of white, latex gloves. "Hello Judy," the nurse greeted the patient. "My name is Claudine, and I am going to help prepare you for today's examination." Looking up at the mottled coyote, she nodded before turning back to Judy. "Dr. Pembroke has taken a special interest in your pregnancy. She will be performing the scans personally, but has asked me to assist with this step in the process."
"Hello, Claudine," Judy replied warmly, but a hint of nervousness still crossed her muzzle and caused her nose to twitch. She reached out and squeezed Nick's paw again. "This is Nick." Pausing for a second, she stared at the fox's eyes as if she wanted to say more. "My mate, and the father of our kit."
"That's great," the otter cheered. "We rarely get to meet any of the mixed couples here in the family planning department, so I am very glad to make your acquaintances." Her smile was broad and very genuine.
"Well, now that the introductions have been made," Dr. Pembroke declared as she clapped her mismatched paws together. "I do have some items that need my urgent attention, but I am certain that Claudine will take good care of you until I return." She then placed a gentle paw on the otter's shoulder and stated firmly, "Please page me once our patient has been cleaned and is ready to go."
With a loud clacking, the coyote strolled through the door. As she stepped into the hall, she turned and gave Judy a pleasant wave. "Don't worry, Judy. We will have that family portrait framed in no time." With the swish of her long, multicolored tail, she disappeared down the hall.
Once the tall coyote had left, the otter bent over and turned on the vacuum machine. It buzzed and groaned menacingly as she pulled the end of the hose from its hook and drew it towards the bed.
Seeing Judy gulp and shrink back from the noise, Claudine asked in soothing tones, "Is this your first time?"
"No. I have had an ultrasound before." Judy shook her head, but her unease did not vanish. She clenched at her fox's paw, and he stepped closer.
"Please go ahead and lift your robe now so I can clear away the fur."
Lifting the end of the long cloth over her belly, she calmly tucked the material under her breasts, but her nose continued to race. Across her exposed baby bump was a fine layer of white peach fuzz where the fur had started to grow back.
Claudine looked down at the end of the hose and asked, "Is this razor causing you a lot of discomfort? Trust me, it doesn't hurt at all."
"It's not that." Judy shook her head again. "I just don't like having so much fur removed. It's extremely embarrassing and I feel so naked. All the time, even when fully clothed."
"I think I understand," the otter replied warmly. She placed the razor against the rabbit's extended stomach and began to slowly cut away the soft fur while the hose sucked up all the loose bits. Looking at the large window that remained covered by pale curtains, she chuckled for a second. "It might be a good idea to avoid any sunbathing for a while."
"At least until the baby is born," Nick snickered snidely, and received another sore shoulder for his efforts.
"I see why you like him," the otter whispered over the sounds of her work.
"Yeah," Judy said with a quick wink to her fox. "I wouldn't have him any other way. He has been my best friend since I moved to the city. And now…" She sighed and pulled the fox close enough to lay her head on his shoulder.
"Aww," Claudine purred as she tried to calm the blush that crept up her short muzzle. "You two are so cute together. It's no wonder that the ancestors blessed you with a kit of your own."
Rubbing her belly where the fur had been removed and the smooth, pink skin remained, Judy replied, "Well, the baby hasn't exactly been the miracle some might think."
Continuing to shave the rabbit's broadening belly, Claudine shook her head. "So you took the treatment then?" Starting a new row, as she pushed the razor slowly from left to right, she looked up at Nick and asked almost painfully, "How could you afford it on a cop's salary? If you are the fox and rabbit cops I have heard about, then you are pretty new to the force." Her gaze darkened as she glared at the uniformed fox. "Is your family rich or something?"
Judy's ears suddenly flew forward in shock at the otter's question, and her nose switched from its nervous twitch to one full of curiosity. "We didn't pay for anything."
"This has all been a big misunderstanding," the fox declared kindly, as he stepped close to the bed.
Nodding, Judy explained what she knew to the curious otter, "Somehow I got a hold of the treatment, as you call it, by accident."
"Then it truly is a miracle!" Claudine declared brightly. "The research department keeps all of their treatments under such a tight lock and key." Her muzzle suddenly drooped sadly as she started the last pass across the rabbit's baby bump. "George and I could never hope to afford what they are asking. Not if we worked for a million years and sold our house on top of it."
Her eyes widened, and Judy gently patted the otter's paw. "So you are like us?"
Warmly returning the rabbit's gaze, Claudine nodded. "In love with someone special? Then yes."
Before the otter could say more, the mixed species coyote in the toy block scrubs returned with a forced smile. "How are we doing in here so far? Almost ready for those pictures I see."
Once the otter had finished clearing off the remains of Judy's belly fur, Dr. Pembroke sat down on the stool and flicked a switch on the smooth and stylish computer. Once it began to hum softly, she lifted a small tube and pawed it towards the fox. "Would the expecting father like to do the honors?"
Taking the plastic tube from the doctor, Nick looked it over suspiciously. He unscrewed the cap and held it up to his nose before quickly pulling it away. Shrugging in confusion, he looked down at Judy.
Pointing at the tube, Judy patted her naked and very furless belly. "She wants you to rub the gel on my skin."
"It helps the sound to travel through her skin, giving us a clearer picture."
"Ok," Nick said with a sly wink to the rabbit, before he squirted a few dollops of the clear gel onto the black pads of his palm. He rubbed it around between his paws for a few seconds before placing them on his mate's bare belly.
As the fox's paws came into contact with the rabbit's pink skin, she flinched slightly at his touch, but then smiled in surprise. "It's not cold?"
Rubbing his paws all over Judy's baby bump, Nick spread the gel as far as the few dollops would go. "It's a trade secret, dear," he replied with a wink. After her belly was half covered in the shiny substance, he squeezed another dollop into his palm and once again rubbed it around in his paws. "The trick is to warm it up first."
"I see you have done this before, Mr. Wilde," Leah noted.
With Judy's extended belly properly lubed, Nick continued to massage the pink surface until she jabbed him in the ribs. He shook his head in the doctor's direction. "No, nothing like this, but I have been told that I give pretty good massages."
"Well," Dr. Pembroke declared as she clapped her gloved paws together. "Let's get started, shall we?" She pulled the widest wand from its clip on the side of the cart and brought it close to Judy. It looked like a large painter's spatula, except that it was thick and rounded on the end instead of being thin and sharp.
As she placed the wand against Judy's glistening skin, she looked at the rabbit and cautioned, "Now, Judy. I need you to lay back and remain as still as possible. Don't hold your breath, just breathe normally, but try not to wiggle or squirm. Too much movement could blur the images."
"Oh, now that is cold," the rabbit squealed as the blunt metal edge of the wand touched her skin.
"Ok, this is your last chance," the coyote chided. "No more squirming after this, so I can find the little one."
"Alright," Judy said, slightly abashed. Her head lowered, and her ears fell.
Many minutes passed quietly while the doctor slid the wand back and forth across the rabbit's enlarged abdomen. She pressed several keys and turned a few knobs on the machine's control panel while she stared intently at the screen. Each time the wand moved, the rabbit would take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
As the doctor worked, the fox looked on curiously. From where he stood next to his mate, he was unable to see the screen. Judy's fierce grip on his paw prevented him from moving around the bed to get a closer look at what the doctor was doing.
Dr. Pembroke's expression changed many times as she moved the wand around and adjusted the controls. At one point, she glared firmly at the screen and scratched her chin. Both the rabbit and the fox glanced at each other in worry, but neither spoke a word, and they quickly returned to silently watching the doctor work.
After what felt like hours for the curious couple, the doctor finally broke the silence with a warm smile. "Well you two." Her broad grin was spread equally between both expecting parents. "It appears like your kit is very healthy and happily sucking … um, its thumb."
The doctor gave Judy an odd look before she asked. "I need to ask this now, but it's going to get very awkward if we try to talk about the baby without mentioning the gender. Some parents are very adamant about not knowing, so I feel obligated to ask. Do you want to know the kit's gender now?"
"Well, I don't know," Nick began as he looked down at his rabbit.
"Yes, absolutely!" Judy proclaimed without a second thought. She squeezed her mate's paw and gave him a quick look. "What kind of kit are we having?"
Without taking a second look at the screen, Dr. Leah Pembroke declared, "He is male."
"Congratulations," Claudia cheered. She had been quietly looking over the doctor's shoulder until the very moment when she announced, "It's a boy!"
Fiercely squeezing Nick's paw, she pulled him close and planted a sweet peck on his cheek. "Did you hear that, honey? You're going to have a son."
"A son?" The fox breathed. "I'm going to have a son?" His grip on Judy's paw weakened, and he nearly fell to the cold, tile floor, but a plush chair waited beside the bed to arrest his descent.
The otter nurse was quickly by his side with a cool glass of water, while Judy reached for the fainting fox. Claudine helped him sit up and take a few slow sips while his breathing came in short gasps.
Waving a paw in front of his muzzle, Nick tried to slow down and breathe deeply. "I know it's been a whole week [gasp], but it suddenly feels so real now. [gasp] I still can't believe that [gasp], I am going to have a son." With another gulp of refreshing water, he looked over at Judy and squeezed her paw gently. "We are having a son!"
"Yes." Dr. Pembroke beamed at the excited parents. "And a very healthy son, by the look of these images." She turned the screen around, so the couple could see the tiny form growing inside the rabbit's womb. "Here, take a look for yourselves."
On the screen were numerous white lines and blobs, laid out in a fan shape that roughly resembled a small mammal. He was curled up with his knees pulled against his chest and a small first was clearly visible near his long muzzle. He also had two, sharply pointed long ears that rested behind his head and a long tail that disappeared off the edge of the screen.
It was clear to everyone in the room that this unborn baby was the kit of both a rabbit and a fox. His body had an odd shape that had never been seen before in the city. The shape was not distinctly prey or predator, but somehow a balanced mix of both. With the kit sucking his thumb, the teeth were not visible, yet the huge hind paws were clearly made for running, while the tiny claws looked quite sharp.
"Aww," Judy exhaled. "He is so cute. Getting all my fur shaved off was worth this sight alone. I wish I could reach out and hug him." She lifted a paw and tried to reach for the screen.
Nick sat back in the plush armchair and let out a single, long sigh. "I'm going to have a son."
"Yes," the coyote doctor replied again with a warm giggle. As often as she had been present with parents who were seeing their babies for the first time, their reactions always surprised her. Some laughed, some cried, but the room was always filled with joy and wonder. Leah wondered if she could bottle that feeling and sell it, then she realized that she already did. As the director of this clinic, she already had the means to bring this kind of joy to mammals all over the city. Letting go of her own sigh, she returned to watching the young couple interact with each other as they got the chance to meet their unborn child for the very first time.
After the initial shock wore off, Nick and Judy became quite a bit more animated. They began talking adamantly to the unborn kit, telling him about themselves and all the things they planned for his future. As they talked about birthday parties and camping trips and girls next door, they were overjoyed to see the kit respond to their voices and move around on the screen.
At some point in the conversation, Nick walked around to the left side of the bed, so he could get a closer look and hug his mate at the same time. Gazing up at the screen in awe, he commented, "He looks so big."
"Well, it is zoomed a bit," Dr. Pembroke said with a slight nod. "But you are correct, Mr. Wilde. This kit is currently more than twice the size of a normal rabbit fetus for this phase of the gestation."
"What exactly does that mean?" Judy asked with a deep concern on her muzzle as she scratched at her bare belly.
The coyote hybrid slowly glanced over at the nurse who had taken over holding the sonic wand before she spoke, "I am sure that you have noticed how your pregnancy is very different from other rabbit's in your family?"
"Yes," Judy nodded. "Mom says that I am progressing much faster than she ever did."
"That's right, Judy. Since we don't know how your two species will interact, the entire gestation is going to be guess work. Both fox and rabbit pregnancies have a very similar length of time, but in your case it could be longer or shorter." She looked at the rabbit with a dubious expression. "With the rate at which he has been growing, I am worried that it will be the latter."
"That is a good thing, right?" Judy's excitement quickly faded as the doctor's expression darkened. "I mean, that would make the pregnancy shorter, wouldn't it?" Her head tilted quizzically, and her ears flopped to one side.
Shaking her head, the doctor explained, "Your body may not realize the baby inside is too large until it's too late. If that is the case, we will have to operate."
Both small, grey paws flew up to cover the rabbit's muzzle as she gasped. The two long ears that had been standing jauntily to one side, suddenly fell behind her head in shock. A long red arm that had been wrapped around her shoulder, pulled tighter in an attempt to give her a side hug.
"Don't worry, Judy." The doctor's comforting smile returned. "It is a standard procedure we perform here all the time. I honestly don't think it will come to that, but as your doctor, it is my job to inform you of the possibilities and how to prepare for the worst."
"Oh, right," Judy sighed and felt herself slowly begin to relax. "You had me worried there for a second."
"There is nothing to worry about yet," the coyote said with a calm and soothing voice. "We will continue to monitor everything closely and let you know as soon as anything unusual happens. And yes, that means there will be several more ultrasounds."
At the word, 'ultrasound' Judy groaned loudly.
Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Dr. Pembroke continued, "I would like to have you back here in three weeks, and then every week after that until your due."
"Can you give us a due date, doctor?" Nick asked after pulling away from a closer examination of the screen.
"Not a very accurate one, I'm afraid," the doctor replied. "If this was a normal rabbit pregnancy I would have said exactly six more weeks, and for a fox, seven. But like I said, this is new to all of us, so it could be as soon as a month or as long as two more." She shrugged her shoulders. "We will just have to wait and be surprised."
Clapping her gloved paws together, Leah stood up and asked cheerfully, "Are we ready for that family photo now?"
Judy folded the green polka-dotted hospital gown and placed it carefully on the end of the bed. She had finished putting on her normal clothes and said her goodbyes to the friendly otter nurse who had helped her through the entire ultrasound procedure. At her side was a red fox wearing a police uniform who thumbed through several photos of their unborn kit.
As the couple was preparing to head for the door, Dr. Leah Pembroke stepped into the room with a warm smile across her long muzzle. "How are you two doing? I hope those pictures make up for all the trouble it took to get them?"
"Yes, they are pretty good images," the pregnant rabbit said while rubbing her extended belly. "But, I'm never going to be able to show my stomach in public ever again."
"Pretty good," the fox scoffed. "These photos are amazing!" He held the photos in his paws up to the light and examined each one very closely. "The details in them are like nothing I have seen before. Even Judy's newest iCarrot cannot compare."
"We do have state-of-the-art equipment here in our clinic." The coyote's smile broadened even further. "Besides, that little 'S' seventy-four-thirty is my favorite model. It always has the clearest pictures."
"I can certainly believe that," Nick said. He whistled sharply as he flipped to the next image of his son laying on his side and slowly extending a leg.
Leaning against the door frame, the doctor watched the small couple flip through their new baby photos. "As a courtesy, we normally offer a new couple a full tour of our facility."
Nick looked down at his mate as she snatched the stack of photos from his paw. "We never got a tour."
Dr. Pembroke nodded. "I realized that with everything that has happened here, we completely forgot to offer one to you guys."
"That sounds great!" Nick exclaimed. "What do you think, honey? Do you want to take a tour of the clinic?"
"Sure, it could be fun," Judy answered as she gave her mate a sharp wink. "I would love to see how they make babies here."
The fox coughed and nearly dropped the photos on the floor. "Um, I don't think they actually make them here, dear."
"No, but we do make it easier," the doctor chuckled at the rabbit's faux pas. "And sometimes we even make it possible, or offer alternatives where our medical knowledge fails."
"But this place is so amazing, how could you fail?"
"Unfortunately, we can't wave a magic wand and make all your dreams come true." The doctor's smile vanished in an instant. "Some conditions are simply untreatable at this time, but I mentioned that there are alternatives like adoption, for example."
"You also offer adoption services? That's great! I can't wait to see what else is here." Judy waved her paw around the room as she turned in a full circle.
Smiling again, the coyote stepped back from the door and swung her paws invitingly. "Well, let's get started?"
As he stepped through the examining room door and into the hallway, Nick's phone beeped. When he looked at the messages, he groaned, "Uh, oh. It's Lieutenant Zanne."
Seeing the distress in her fox's voice, Judy placed a gentle paw on his arm. "What's wrong dear?"
Frowning, the fox scrolled through several more messages. "The lieutenant didn't say, but it's probably pretty important, or more insane training exercises." His second groan echoed around the room as he returned his phone to his pocket.
"Does that mean you have to return to work, dear?" Judy's concern seemed forced as she watched her mate's expression slowly darken. As much as she would miss his company, she was glad that this new job was working his tail off. He certainly needed the training they were giving him, but it was his own choice to take the assignment when she had strictly urged him not to. She didn't want to see him suffer, but maybe it would convince him to return to her side as her partner.
His only reply was a quick nod and a sigh.
Gently patting his arm with both paws, she sympathized, "Well, don't stay out too late this time. And if the lieutenant makes you trudge through another sewer, please take a shower before you come home."
"Oh, that reminds me," Nick announced as he pulled his phone from its pocket once again. "I've scheduled a Zuber to pick you up once you're done. Here is the code, all you have to do is set a time and a destination."
Judy reviewed the cab appointment on her own phone before grinning up at her fox. "And I was hoping you would leave me the car, dear."
"Very funny," the fox chortled. "You know it doesn't belong to me. Porkins barely tolerates me borrowing it for these doctor visits. He would kill me if he thought I was letting you drive."
"Ok, Slick," the rabbit kissed her fox across the lips and reached around to pinch at his long tail. "Go have fun. Us ladies will just have to find some way to entertain ourselves while you're gone."
Returning the kiss with one of his own, Nick wrapped his arms around his rabbit and ignored how her small paws fondled his bushy tail. Before the tail could fully wrap around her, he pushed away and began to run down the hall towards the nearest exit sign.
Placing her paw across her lips, she blew the retreating fox a wet kiss and waved as his tail disappeared around a corner.
"Well, are we ready to begin?" Leah asked while trying to hide her sigh at the smaller couple's charming affections.
"Yep," Judy chirped. She carefully stuffed the remainder of the ultrasound images into her new purse and quickly stepped towards the door. "Baby and I are all ready to go."
"Great," the mottled coyote cried as she led the way. "I guess we should begin here instead of down on the first floor."
"Sounds good to me," the rabbit nodded in agreement. "This is your tour, but here is a very good place to start."
Chuckling, the doctor in the toy block scrubs waved her paw towards the sign hanging over the nurses station. "So, as you noticed, this is the Radiology and Imaging department."
Judy snickered and waved warmly at Claudine, sitting behind the desk. "I would never have guessed."
"We rarely need to take many x-rays these days, but occasionally we do want to take a second look at things."
"Oh?" The rabbit asked curiously. "What kinds of things do you need an x-ray machine for?"
Continuing down the hall, Dr. Pembroke explained, "Despite what you may have heard in the media, x-rays can see more than just bones inside our bodies. Various organs can also appear in the radiograms and can provide useful information when they are malfunctioning."
Rubbing her chin, Judy attempted to peek into one of the dark rooms as they passed. All she could make out, in the gloom, was an empty bed and a tall rack used for holding saline and other medical bags. "So do you provide other medical services than taking care of pregnant mammals?"
"Do you mean fixing broken bones or curing sick mammals?" When Judy nodded, the coyote continued, "No. We are not a regular hospital, but we do provide a lot of services that you probably would not expect from this clinic."
Walking past a second desk, the rabbit paused and looked up at the doctor curiously. "What kinds of services? Can you give me an example, please?"
"Since you asked so kindly, Judy," Dr. Pembroke chided. "One of our main functions is to help mammals who want, or don't want kits, but we also provide regular check-ups for both male and female parts. In fact, Claudine can set you up with a schedule for yearly mammograms if you wish."
"I guess that makes sense. Mom always encouraged me and my sisters to get regular checkups, even at a young age." Her voice slowly trailed off as they passed a large room where a young antelope was taking readings from a huge machine. The machine seemed like it was one single piece covered in white paneling, but it had a large hole in the center where a long bed rested. On one side, where the antelope was standing, were several screens and buttons.
Seeing the rabbit stop and stare, the doctor said, "That is our CT scanner. It is a very powerful machine and can take even better pictures than the 'S' seventy-four-thirty."
Jaw hanging open, and nose twitching curiously, Judy asked, "What do you need such a powerful machine for?"
"It actually belongs to the research department, but we have to keep it on the radiology floor." Leah calmly waved to the antelope before gently closing the door. "We use it to take detailed pictures of internal organs. More specifically, the internal organs of a growing fetus to make sure everything is as it should be."
"I am guessing you use it for hybrids?" The rabbit asked with a sigh as the doctor led her towards the elevator.
Frowning, the coyote pushed the down button on the wall. "Hybrid physiology is a new study, but now we can get more detailed images than before so when something develops out of place, we can track it before it can start to cause problems."
With a shaky paw, Judy looked up at the doctor and asked, "Will I have to go in there?"
"No, of course not," Dr. Pembroke chuckled. "Not unless we encounter any problems with your pregnancy. You never signed any research agreements, so we won't need anything beyond the basic ultrasounds to ensure the health of your baby."
Judy sighed loudly when the elevator dinged. The doctor motioned for her to go first and then selected the first floor.
Stepping out of the door, Judy saw that this floor looked very different from the hospital above. The hallway was decorated similarly to a cozy office building, with carpeted floors, plush chairs and tall ferns. Paintings of happy families playing in the park or on the beach also hung from the walls. Sitting above one large couch was a small family of hippos riding down a water slide together with their hooves in the air.
Reminiscing, Judy pictured herself with Nick and their son riding the slide instead. Bunny Burrow didn't have its own water park like the one in Zootopia, but it did have a few tire swings that were strategically hung near large bodies of water. Her siblings would occasionally drench a long tarp in the yard for sliding through sprinklers in the summer. Looking around the comfortable hall, she wondered what other fun she could enjoy with her new family.
"This is where our counselors live." The coyote hybrid waved her paw down the hall towards the numerous office doors.
Walking along the hall, they encountered an older honey badger wearing casual business attire. She nodded to the coyote before she stepped into one of the open doors.
When they approached the door where the badger had gone, Leah called to the mammal inside, "Doctor Bernese, I would like to introduce Judy. She is a new patient. Do you have time to explain what you do here?"
"Welcome, Judy," Dr. Bernese greeted warmly as she rose from her desk and crossed the room. Shaking the pregnant rabbit's paw, she looked down at her growing belly. "A new patient, eh? And the director is even giving you a personal tour?"
Gruffly, the taller doctor replied, "Judy is with us due to some unusual circumstances."
"Oh! Right, well then." The badger brushed off the front of her blouse as she turned away from the director. "My job then. It is my responsibility to match a patient's needs with any services that we can provide. Most of our patients are not involved in life-threatening issues that require immediate attention, so I help them to weigh their options and choose the best course. Some are looking to start a new family, while others are looking to prevent one. We also help mammals that have contracted diseases that attack the reproductive organs. It can take a delicate and tender paw, so I also provide counseling along every step of the way."
Dr. Bernese was about to say more, but she suddenly noticed something in the rabbit's eyes. "Wait, I remember you."
"You do?" Judy asked, slightly taken aback.
"Yes, weren't you that nice officer who was looking into the break-in this spring?"
Sighing, Judy answered the sudden question, "Oh, yes, that was me."
"Where is that nice fox friend of yours?"
Subconsciously, the grey rabbit rubbed at her belly before replying, "He is doing well. Nick had to return to work while Dr. Pembroke offered to give me the full tour."
"That's great," the badger beamed warmly. "Did you ever find out who caused so much damage to William's office?"
"He," Judy was about to say, but the coyote cut her off.
"We can discuss that at a later date, Liddia," Dr. Pembroke cautioned firmly. "Judy and I still have a lot more to see on this tour."
"Of course, right." The badger back peddled towards her desk. "Please forgive my babbling." She bowed her head and stepped backwards, shyly. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour, Judy, and if you ever need anyone to talk to about family issues, don't hesitate to call."
Scowling down at the small badger, the coyote noted, "Don't you already have a full workload, doctor?"
"Yes, you're right, what was I thinking?" Dr. Bernese rolled her eyes as she sat back in her office chair. She pulled a folder from her inbox and opened it to the first page. "So much work to do."
With the smile quickly returning to her muzzle, Leah motioned for the rabbit to continue. "Shall we?" She then stepped back into the hall without looking back.
Once the mottled coyote was out of the room, the well-dressed badger waved at the pregnant rabbit and mouthed the words, "Call me." She also pointed at the phone on her desk before waving farewell to Judy.
Down another hall and through a secure door, the office quickly turned back into a hospital with plain walls and a tile floor. As the coyote led the way, a male raccoon dressed in a plaid shirt and overalls stepped out of a side door with a slightly embarrassed expression on his muzzle. In his paws was a small plastic cup with about a centimeter of creamy liquid inside, and Judy could clearly hear the sound of flushing before the door closed behind him.
When Dr. Pembroke turned the corner, she stepped behind the desk and through an airtight doorway. Beyond the door was a large walk-in fridge where thousands of labeled vials sat on numbered racks. A young lemur in a lab coat was running up and down a ladder, cataloging each vile as she went.
A glimmer shone in the coyote's eye as she waved her paw around the room. "Judy, welcome to the famous Pembroch Family Sperm Bank."
"The what!?" Judy cried as her paws suddenly flew to cover her muzzle and her eyes scanned the room.
"Be careful in here, we wouldn't want you to accidentally get pregnant."
In shock, the rabbit suddenly stepped as far from any of the cold shelves as she could get. "Are you kidding?"
Giggling, the hybrid doctor replied, "Of course. All of these samples are inert, but we still wouldn't want you touching any of them."
Putting her paws to her sides, Judy sighed in relief. "Is this all of them?"
"These are only here for preprocessing before we take them to the big freezer for long term storage. At the moment, Deserey is cataloging the samples to be entered into the computer and matched with their donor's profile." She motioned to the lemur scurrying up and down the ladder.
"This is all very fascinating, but I'm not sure what it has to do with my condition?" The rabbit asked as she rubbed her belly.
"I did mention this was a full tour. You are getting the unique opportunity to see everything we offer."
"Oh," Judy replied thoughtfully. "I forgot you had said that. Please, do continue."
"Ok," Dr. Pembroke cheered as she rubbed her mismatched paws together excitedly. "The next stop will be in the research building. It will be faster if we head outside instead of taking the skywalk."
"Lead the way, doctor." Judy motioned towards the exit as she stepped aside and made sure not to accidentally bump into any of the shelves.
Instead of heading back through the lobby, the coyote led Judy through a side door that opened into a small garden. On one of the benches was a middle-aged cougar nurse enjoying a smoke break while she pondered a bush whose fruit had fallen to the ground more than a month before.
In the hours that Judy had been in the examination room, the slow drizzle had finally slowed, and the side garden was relatively dry. A few of the taller plants dripped, but none of the water fell on either mammal as they strolled towards the second tower.
Dr. Pembroke quickly passed the nurse without saying a word and opened a door in the far building. Inside, the ground floor hallway was not as comfortable or as inviting as the one they had passed earlier, but it did have a soft carpet and a few potted plants. It was clearly the typical office setting. At the end of the hall, Judy thought she spotted a casually dressed muskrat being verbally abusive to a copy machine as it thunked and chunked but refused to deliver any paper.
Quickly heading to the nearest elevator, the coyote with the toy scrubs, quickly said. "These offices are where most of the paperwork gets done. Patents filed, bills paid, research cataloged, that kind of stuff."
On the second floor, the decor returned to the standard hospital again. Everything was pure white, from the floor to the ceiling, except for a single blue streak down the middle, roughly head high on the rabbit. There were very few chairs here, but those that sat near a couple of doors were formed of stiff plastic and looked very uncomfortable. A single gurney sat waiting against one wall.
"Welcome to the birthing center!" The mottled coyote announced. "I know it's not as bright and cheerful as the other areas we have visited, but as you put it, this is where the babies are made."
"Har, har," Judy replied as she rolled her eyes. "You're almost as bad as my mate."
"All joking aside," Leah stated. "This is where we make the deliveries for hybrid mammals."
A few paw steps past the gurney, Judy was able to glance into one of the delivery rooms. What she saw inside made her heart skip a beat and nearly caused the small mammal to stop breathing. She could clearly make out a large bed in the center of the cheery white room, but the rest was like watching a horror movie.
At the end of the bed were a pair of large stirrups that could have been used to restrain a large mammal's legs. Hanging from the ceiling were three giant saucer-shaped lamps and a long robotic arm that gave the rabbit chills. Behind the bed were several high-tech machines and monitors that were more complicated than the ZPD's cybercrime department. On a table next to the bed, Judy shuddered at what looked like many pawfuls of stainless steel instruments.
If she had not been strolling through a brightly lit hospital, Judy might have though what she saw was some kind of hideous torture chamber, instead of where deliveries were made. Some of her older aunts had told her horror stories about their experiences, but that was before the Bunny Burrow General Hospital existed. Now, her sisters all said the process was uncomfortable, but certainly not horrifying.
Seeing the concern on the rabbit's muzzle, Leah leaned down to look her in the eye. The coyote didn't so much as bend over as she seemed to shrink. In fact, her robotic legs compressed a significant amount to bring the tall predator closer to the small rabbit.
She put a tender paw on Judy's shoulder as she spoke calmly, "Please don't worry, Judy." She waved a paw towards the large bed. "That room is for much larger mammals who have had complications and require a c section for the foal and the mother's safety."
Recovering from her shock at the large operating table, Judy looked around the hall with renewed recognition. "Wait, you said that this hall is only for hybrid births?"
"Yes, of course," the doctor replied as she stepped further down the hall. "Most mammals are not aware of what kind of research we do here, and we prefer to keep it that way. All the hybrids are born on this side of the building and kept away from the general population."
"Why is that?"
Dr. Pembroke sighed as she stood up again. "Well, sometimes a hybrid takes on the best parts of both parents, sometimes they take on the worst parts. It's never somewhere in between."
"I am not sure I understand."
"Ok, Judy." The coyote motioned down the hall towards a large glass window. "Let me show you."
Standing still for a second, Judy watched the coyote doctor strut down the hall. Her metal legs clacking loudly on the tile floor as she walked with a slight, mechanical lurch to her steps.
Curiously, Judy noticed that at the end of each metal leg was a bronze hoof instead of a canid's paw. At this distance, she wasn't entirely sure, but the ungulate style hoof almost looked familiar. She couldn't quite place the print, so she hopped closer for a better look.
"Can I ask you something personal, doctor?" Judy asked politely.
Before she reached the large window at the end of the hall, Leah turned and looked down at the small grey rabbit. Her warm, motherly smile had returned as she spoke, "Of course, dear. What is on your mind?"
"I was wondering about your prosthetics."
Again, the mottled coyote seemed to shrink as she crouched near the bunny. "Oh, what do you want to know about them?"
"I don't know a lot about prosthetics, but I understand that they come in many different styles."
"Yes, that is correct," the doctor replied, beaming. "I chose this fully autonomous pair because my legs were almost entirely crushed in the accident." She waved cheerfully at the mechanical parts that encompassed her entire lower half. "They allow me a great deal of freedom and mobility."
Smiling back, Judy asked, "But why did you choose a hoofed end instead of a more analogous paw shape?"
"Oh, that?" Leah waved her paw at the rabbit like it had been the simplest question in the world. "It's because the hoof is much more elegant and stable for standing on. It also provides much more traction than pesky paws would."
"Really?" The grey rabbit asked. "I would never have known that." Her nose twitched, and her finger tapped at her muzzle thoughtfully. "It is quite fascinating, all the new things I have learned since moving to this city." The coyote doctor's answer didn't quite make sense to the young farm girl rabbit, but she didn't press the issue further.
"Besides, if I get bored with these hooves, I can always switch them out." She lifted her leg off the floor and twisted the ankle until it clicked loudly. "They are detachable."
Leaning against the wall for support, the doctor pawed her now removed hoof to the small rabbit.
With hoof in paw, the memories quickly flashed through her head, but she could still not quite place what they meant. First was a patch of dirt on the side of the road where dozens of hoof prints sunk into the dried soil. The other was a dark stain on a thick carpet in the same shape as the hoof she held.
"Wow," Judy gasped as she hefted the appendage in both paws. "These are much lighter than I would have thought."
Giggling, the coyote retrieved her hoof. "Or maybe you are just much stronger than your average rabbit?"
"That's probably true too," Judy snickered gleefully, passing back the metal hoof.
Turning her long, bushy tail towards the plain white wall, Dr. Pembroke latched her hoof back into place. Once the bronze appendage had clicked securely in place, she looked at her watch as gasped, "It's almost time. We had better hurry."
"Hurry for what?"
"You will see," the coyote said with an excited whisper as she pointed towards the large window.
When the rabbit hopped alongside the doctor, her eyes lit up like a pair of stars on a clear night. Her jaw dropped, and her nose froze in place as wonder replaced her curiosity. On the other side of the glass were several cribs of different sizes. Half a dozen of them were occupied.
A deep breath escaped the rabbit's muzzle in a long gasp of surprise, and she found herself at a loss for words. Each baby that was bundled up in those hospital cribs was a unique hybrid. She could only name a few of the species traits that she spotted there, while others were a confusing blend that left her guessing.
Closest to the glass, she immediately spotted one baby that looked like a rabbit, but the ears were far too short and round. Next to that was what looked like a gazelle, but the stripes around her muzzle were out of place. In the back row, she saw a pair of beaver cubs with large, pointed ears. Everywhere she looked, something seemed odd about each one of those babies.
"Now do you see what I mean," the doctor asked as her smile dropped. "This is our latest batch."
Nose twitching once again, Judy's ears leapt to attention. "I'm not sure I understand." Her head tilted to the side as she looked at the coyote hybrid.
"It's that odd feeling you get when you look at them. An itch, in the back of your neck, like something is not quite right or out of place." The coyote scratched at her neck as she spoke.
"They all look amazing to me," Judy cooed. "They're each special in their own way." She reached up and touched the glass tenderly, as if she could pet the tiny mammals on the other side. "I think they are beautiful."
"Ok, I'll admit that these first ones do look cute, but see the large one in the back corner." She pointed at the large crib by the wall, where lay the strangest creature Judy had ever seen. "We suspect that it is the offspring of two different hybrids."
What lay in that crib was quite unusual indeed. It had a white, round body and a black ball for a head, but that is where the fuzzy cuteness ended. On the sides of the head were white furred ears that flopped like some canines she had met. Protruding from the front was a large, squat muzzle like a swine, but the teeth seemed to be a strange mix between carnivore and predator. The arms and legs were long and spindly like a newborn foal, but it had both paws and hooves. At the end of its arms were canine-like paws, but where the hind paws should have been, were very flat, three-toed hooves like you would find on an elephant.
As Judy watched the baby begin to suck on its thumb, the doctor continued to speak, "This is the first we have ever heard of a hybrid being able to conceive, let alone give birth."
"What about the parents?"
"We are not entirely sure." The doctor shrugged sadly before sighing. "No idea where the father is, but the mother was working aboard a cargo ship when she went into labor. We were called once she started to have a serious fever."
"Oh, no."
"Luckily, she was brought here in time, and we were able to successfully deliver the infant."
"What happened to the mother?"
"Unfortunately, no one was able to translate her language." The doctor shook her head shamefully. "When she woke after the delivery, she attacked the doctors that were trying to treat her fever and fled into the night."
"That's terrible."
"We called the police and filed a missing mammal report, but no one has seen her since."
Judy was about to ask more, but she noticed a name tag on the front of the strange hybrid's crib. Only one word could be read from this distance, but it was clear, even to the rabbit's small eyes. "Radish."
While they were talking, an old cougar nurse stood up from a chair she had been lounging in and left the room. At this moment she returned pushing a cart loaded with small bottles. Each bottle was filled with a white liquid that sloshed merrily around as the cart moved.
"Just in time," the coyote noted. She turned and smiled warmly down at the pregnant rabbit. "Would you like the opportunity to feed one?"
"What?" Judy gasped. "Really? Are you sure that it's ok?"
"Of course." Dr. Pembroke beamed with confidence. "Excuse me while I make the arrangements." Scratching her hip, she strolled through the next door and into the nursery.
As the mottled coyote hybrid was walking away, Judy saw a small clump of fur fall to the floor. A tiny voice in the back of her mind urged her to bend over and pick it up. The doctor had been acting strangely since the tour had started, but once she heard the story about the panda-hybrid's baby, she knew there was something very wrong here.
The clump of fur and skin was fairly large and fit neatly into the palm of her paw. It was late fall and a very odd time for a canid to be shedding, so the fallen fur set the rabbit's curious mind into motion. Something also looked very wrong with the skin. It had a few odd bumps that could have been warts or moles, like you might find on furless mammals.
At first, she thought about confronting the doctor about the fur loss, but something felt very wrong about the whole situation. It was clear that the doctor had not been entirely honest with her today, since all of her answers only brought more questions and nothing seemed to add up.
Shaking her head, Judy thought to herself, "Why am I acting this way? I shouldn't be so suspicious of this nice doctor. It's not like she is some kind of master criminal or anything." She blew out a puff of air to help relax her nerves. "Am I missing work so much that I suddenly suspect everyone?" Despite her inner monologue, she pulled an evidence bag out of her purse that she kept on paw for emergencies and stuffed the clump of skin and fur inside.
Once the fur was secure, the rabbit turned back towards the nursery to witness the drama unfolding within. The doctor stood with her arms folded under her breasts while the old nurse argued and rocked the hybrid named Radish. After a few heated words were exchanged, Leah pointed towards the ground and gave a final word.
When the nurse lowered her head and stuck the soft end of a bottle in the baby's muzzle, the doctor turned and marched back out the door. Turning the corner, her frown vanished as she glanced at the small rabbit waiting in the hall.
Dr. Pembroke smiled warmly at Judy, like the earlier conversation had not taken place. "Great news! Marla has agreed to let you feed one of the babies."
"Wonderful!" Judy cheered and clapped her paws. Despite her misgivings, she was going to let this play out and hope that it was all a misunderstanding. Once again, her suspicions rose, but she forced them to the back of her mind and returned the doctor's warm smile.
Walking into the nursery with Judy following closely behind, the coyote asked, "Which one would you like to hold?" Without even a single glance at the old cougar, she waved her paw towards the mixed rabbit-like baby close to the window.
At first, Judy took a short step in the direction the doctor had offered. As she passed the coyote, she noticed the name tag in front of both beaver hybrid cribs, and she immediately changed her direction. "I would like to hold one of those," she declared firmly. Without waiting for a reply, she marched right up to the first beaver baby and cooed down at its big, golden eyes.
From the window, she had only noticed that the ears were not like any beaver she had seen before, but up close she spotted several more differences. Their fur was much lighter than most beaver's rich brown. The two young cubs had a light, golden brown like their father, and sharp canine teeth that were only found in the jaws of a predator.
Their father! Somehow, Judy knew their father, but his name and muzzle seemed to elude her. She struggled to remember what he looked like as she strolled up to the cart and lifted out a warm bottle of milk that was sized perfectly for a young beaver.
Again, she cooed at the beaver hybrid laying in his high-tech crib. She held out the bottle and shook it slightly near his muzzle. When he grasped the bottle in his sharply clawed paws, she giggled in delight. He quickly took the bottle from her and began to suck noisily on the soft end as she booped his black nose.
Turning back to the coyote, she made a scooping motion with her arms and asked, "May I?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
Judy made many more soft noises before she reached both paws into the crib. First, she lifted his large head with her small paws, and then picked him fully out of the crib with the other paw under his broad, flat tail. With one smooth motion, she cradled him against her chest.
Cradling the hybrid infant in her arms, she began to rock him back and forth while he sucked on his bottled lunch. While the baby ate, she began to sway and hum softly.
After several minutes, Judy turned to the coyote and asked, "What is this little guy's story? He is too old to be a newborn, so why is he still in the nursery?"
"Well, he and his brother were born prematurely." Dr. Pembroke pointed towards the other beaver hybrid in the row. "So we have had to keep them here for observations."
"And the parents?"
The coyote's muzzle fell sadly, but her tone did not change. "Unfortunately, the mother did not survive."
"Oh, no. What happened?"
"Like I mentioned, they were preemies," the coyote explained. "They were growing too large for the mother's small womb to carry without causing serious damage. Regrettably, we weren't able to save her. Her spleen was ruptured during the delivery, and we never caught it in time. The next morning she was gone."
The rabbit's long and very sensitive ears could tell that the doctor's heartbeat and breathing skipped all over the place with every word of her explanation. She also noticed that the coyote seemed to keep glancing up at the ceiling.
Not a single tear fell from the coyote's eyes as she described the tragic tale of how the two cubs lost their mother. As she spoke, she pulled a bottle from the cart and pawed it towards the other beaver hybrid, who grabbed for it hungrily.
Judy continued to rock and hum until the bottle was empty, and the beaver hybrid began to make funny whining noises. She quickly placed the bottle back in the cart and rolled the cub over her shoulder. Patting the baby on the back, she also hopped on her hind paws until a rude noise escaped from the cub.
"You're very good at this," the coyote congratulated. "You are going to make an excellent mother." Her smile seemed quite genuine, despite the chill in her voice earlier.
"I've actually had a lot of practice," Judy replied with an honest warmth. "Many, many younger siblings as well as nieces and nephews to kitsit while I was growing up."
"That is good. All that practice will surely be useful in the coming months when you have your own kit to look after."
A sad look crossed Judy's muzzle. "I honestly never expected to have any kits of my own. Certainly not this early in my life."
"Trust me, Judy. Surprises happen all the time."
Rubbing her growing belly, Judy chuckled. "Tell me about it."
"Well, it looks like lunch is over here, so we should get going. There is still lots more to see." Dr. Pembroke gave the cougar a dirty look as she ushered the pregnant rabbit out of the nursery.
Back in the hall, Judy held up her paws. "I am sorry, doctor, but I am going to have to cut this tour short."
"Oh? I still haven't shown you how we make the virus that allowed you to get pregnant."
Shaking her head, the rabbit apologized. "I am sorry, but I have urgent business to attend to right now."
"That's too bad." Leah frowned sadly. "Maybe we can continue this another time?"
"Of course. That would be wonderful." Judy nodded cheerfully as she pulled out her phone and opened the Zuber app. "I will look forward to it, but now I really must go."
"Certainly. I completely understand." Waving her paw down the hall, the coyote replied, "Let me show you out, then."
As the doctor led the way down the hall, Judy punched in the Zuber code Nick had given her. When the scheduled pickup appeared on the screen, she quickly changed the destination and time before hitting the accept button.
Putting her phone back into her pawbag, she took one last look at the nursery. Waving at the infant beaver cubs, she glanced at the name plates that covered the front of their cribs. "Fisher." Something very strange was going on at this clinic, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, but there was another mammal she needed to speak to first.
Once in the lobby, she stopped at the desk to ask for directions to the lue where she waited for her Zuber to arrive. Climbing into the small car, she yelled at the driver, "I need to get to the ZPD in a hurry."
Precinct 1's forensic lab was very clean and quiet. The counters and the floor shone like they had been scrubbed and polished only moments before. A hint of sulfur and other chemicals drifted through the air, giving the lab an acrid feel to add to the cold stainless steel.
At one desk in the lab was a young deer with a full set of antlers mounted proudly atop his skull. Draped over his shoulders was a long white lab coat that had not been properly buttoned in the front, revealing the plain blue scrubs beneath. The fingers on his hooves flew across the keyboard as he typed in the day's reports.
The air circulating through the overhead vents and the clacking of keys were the only sounds that could be heard in the quiet lab. Unlike some of his fellow forensic scientists, he preferred the silence while he worked, instead of blasting loud, rock music across the halls. Sure, he liked a good rock band at a party or when dancing, but not at work. The jumble of notes and random screaming made it very difficult for him to concentrate on analyzing the clues the officers upstairs brought him.
His counterpart across the hall would disagree, of course. She claimed that the loud noises helped her to focus on the clues as a whole. He had to admit that she was brilliant, but he always insisted that she turn down the music whenever they worked together.
Hoofmer was about to finish up his last report before heading out to lunch with his new wife, when an overly excited, and very pregnant rabbit rushed through the door. She was waving a sealed evidence bag over her head and yelling at the top of her lungs, "Dr. Phil, Dr. Phil. I have a present for you."
Groaning, the young deer looked up from his reports and tried not to glare at the noisy rabbit. Whatever evidence she held in her paws looked important. For most of the officers in this precinct, it usually was, sometimes a proper analysis of evidence could prove life or death to some mammal in trouble.
"Where is Dr. Phil?" Judy asked as she raced across the lab and directly up to the white robed deer.
"Behind you, Officer Hopps," a small voice replied with a thick, old world accent.
Judy quickly turned and spotted the mouse doctor, standing on the counter next to the door she had run through moments before. Like his assistant, he was dressed in a long, white robe, but the buttons were fully fastened in the front, giving him a more professional appearance. Perched on the end of his long nose were a pair of fashionable spectacles. In the pocket of his lab coat were several tiny pens.
"Oh, hello, Dr. Phil," the excited rabbit replied shyly. Lowering the evidence bag, she slowly shuffled back across the room.
"What is all this hubbub about?" The tiny doctor asked while wiping at his glasses.
The smile returned quickly and Judy skipped up to the mouse's stainless steel counter. "I have some new fur for you to analyze." She pawed the large bag towards the much smaller mammal. "If you could take a look at it, please."
Waving her off, the small doctor suggested, "You can give this one to young Hoofmer. He likes a good challenge."
"A challenge?" Judy asked, as her head tilted to the side.
"Yes," the mouse declared. "The last batch of fur you brought in still has me stumped."
"Why? What was wrong with it?"
"At first I thought the sample was contaminated. The results kept coming back with different mammals."
"How is that possible?" Judy's ears fell, but her curious nose leapt into high gear.
"I have no idea," Dr. Phil replied as he examined the new tuft of fur through the clear plastic bag. "But the first time I ran the DNA sample, it came back as an elephant. After recalibrating the scanner, the results were for a rabbit. That's when I thought you might have contaminated the sample, but the next result was a lemur, then a panda. It was very confusing."
"Were there different kinds of fur mixed together?"
"No, those different results were from the same strand." He held up one finger of his left paw and made a chopping motion with his right. "I cut the sample into several pieces and tested them independently. They all came back as different mammals."
"How does that even happen?" Curiosity caused the rabbit to hop in place at the same speed as her quivering nose.
Shrugging, the mouse put both paws in the air. "The other strands in the sample gave similar results as the first. My only other guess is that the fur is somehow artificial or possibly grafted together."
"Fur grafting?"
"Yes, it's a common practice for chemo patients or other mammal's suffering from fur loss." Walking across the evidence bag that Judy still held, Dr. Phil examined the sample curiously. His forepaws brushed against the dried skin. "This is a very strange sample. Is that Keratosis Follicularis?"
Yelling across the room, he called to his assistant. "Hoofmer, can you come take a look at this?"
"Of course, doctor, but I was about to meet my wife for a late lunch." The tall cervidae strolled up beside the much smaller lagomorph. "Can it wait till the afternoon?"
The mouse looked up at the rabbit officer. "Is anyone going to die if we take a few days to analyze this sample?"
"No," Judy replied solemnly. "I just thought it looked an awful lot like the fur I found in my apartment. If it's the same mammal, I want to be absolutely sure before I confront Dr. Pembroke."
"Dr. Pembroke?" Hoofmer asked. "Who is that?"
"She is my OBGYN," the rabbit announced proudly.
"A scruffy coyote with mottled fur patterns and two missing legs?" Dr. Phil added curiously.
"Yes, that is her," Judy said with a nod. "How do you know her?"
"She was at a reproductive symposium that I attended many years ago." He shook his head at some old memory. "Gruff young predator that rolled around in her wheelchair like the world owed her a favor. That reminds me." The mouse snapped his fingers in the air. "She had spoken at a lecture about some breakthrough where transplanting stem cells from very young mammals could reverse the effects of aging or some other twaddle like that."
"That is very nice, doctor," Hoofmer declared with a cough. "But I am late for my lunch date, and I am sure that Officer Hopps has much more important things to do today."
"Why of course," the tiny doctor replied. He stepped over to his own small computer where he had been working recently. "I do have to get these sample reports up to Bogo before he loses his horns again."
"Well, we don't want to agitate the chief now, do we?" Judy replied with a very fox-like smirk as she headed towards the door.
"It has been lovely chatting with you, dear," Dr. Phil said while he waved to the departing rabbit. "We should have the results of those samples for you in a few days."
"Thanks guys." Judy waved as she stepped into the hall and looked around for the elevator.
Once the rabbit had left, Hoofmer took the evidence bag from the counter and carried it to his desk, where a pile of similar bags rested. He saved his work before logging out of the computer and quickly strolling towards the back exit, whistling softly as he went.
[A/N] There are only a few more chapters left in part two and the mystery is wrapping up quickly. I hope everyone has figured out what it going since I won't be giving out any more clues after this. The next chapter will be one last date for our dynamic duo before the final chapter. I hope everyone has enjoyed this story. It has been six years for me with a lot of ups and downs and life changing events that include three jobs and two houses. I still have plans for a part three, but so far do not have even a rough outline laid out. I may take a break from this story and try working on other projects for a while. I have a couple of other story ideas that I would like to explore so we will have to see if I start any of them. If you have had a chance to check out RandomChibiGirls deviant art page, I have recently commissioned her to draw the cover for one of those ideas. Go check out her works for a hint or two. She also did the cover of part two where there are a few more clues to where this one is going.
Thanks for everyone who reads and leaves comments. I really appreciate every one,
OneWolfe-