Judy POV

It had been nearly a week since I was released from the hospital. I wasn't sure how long it would be until Nick woke up or how long they would keep him there afterwards but I had really hoped to get a phone call or a text by now. I jumped every time I felt my phone vibrate but it was usually just my parents or someone from work or a reminder for my twice weekly physical therapy appointments.

Currently, I am only working three days a week. I have two days of therapy and two days to rest. I couldn't argue that this schedule was helping with my recovery but the time I spent away from work allowed my brain to wander too much.

I brushed the mound of papers that littered my whole desk into a neat stack in the corner. The ZPD reinstated me as an officer but I would be on desk duty for the next few weeks until my leg healed. This arrangement would have been fine with me if I was able to sort through paperwork from any other case. However, there hadn't been a case with as much paperwork as the night howler case in a while so that was where I was stuck working.

A situation involving two major political figures as well as a very long list of victims produced far more paperwork than I could have imagined. I wasn't sure I was necessarily the best person to be handling this case, having a personal involvement in it outside of my role as an officer, but it was deemed that my involvement wasn't personal enough to keep me from filing papers.

The corner of the yellow employment form I had given Nick stuck out from my stack of papers. I hung onto it in the hope that after everything was over and he had recovered, he might be interested in the offer again. It was probably naive of me.

With a sigh, I pulled the paper out from the bottom of the stack and shoved it into one of the drawers of my desk. I couldn't bring myself to throw it away yet but there was no reason to keep it on my desk. On the off chance Nick was still interested he would probably fill out a new form anyway.

I started to sort the papers into various piles to make them easier to file. I had a pile for evidence, whiteness statements, victims, and miscellaneous stuff that didn't really fit with anything else. The stack of victims was the largest and every other paper I picked up went into that pile. I froze when I saw Nick's photo printed at the top of one of the pages, his name in bold underneath the photo. I didn't think about the fact that Nick would have been counted with the victims but it made sense.

I stared at the page for longer than I wanted to admit. It didn't give me any sort of closure or tell me anything I didn't already know. It was one sheet front and back listing some basic information like his name, date of birth, and employment status. I laughed a little seeing unemployed listed next to employment status.

The back of the paper had the information for the case. His involvement before Lionheart was arrested, finding the serum, and how/when he was shot. I read each line slowly, reliving every moment in my head. There was nothing listed after stating that he was arrested and taken to the same hospital as the others.

I sighed and dropped the paper on top of the stack. There was no use in sitting here staring at a piece of paper when it did me no good. I hadn't spoken much to Chief Bogo since I got back to work but he might have information that I needed. I walked down the long hallway, leaning heavily on my crutches, to the large wooden doer labeled with his name.

He called for me to come in after the first knock. I tried to stand straight and walk with as little of a limp as possible, despite the burn in my leg. I hated the looks of pity I got from everyone in the department. Like the fragile bunny cop got hurt on her first big case.

"Hopps, what can I do for you?" Chief Bogo asked, without looking up from the case file in his hands.

"Chief," I started, but my voice came out as little more than a whisper. I tried again, clearing my throat, "Chief, I was just finishing up filing papers for the night howler case and I just had a quick question for you." He glanced up and raised one eyebrow, encouraging me to go on. "Uh, it was just more of a personal curiosity really. I was just wondering if you knew how any of the patients were doing? Are they still in the hospital or have they been released yet?"

He held my gaze for what felt like forever before turning to his computer and typing something quickly across the keys. "Hmmm, it looks like everyone has been released over the last few days except for one." I sucked in a breath, desperately hoping he didn't notice my ridiculous reaction.

Was Nick the one who was still in the hospital? Why wouldn't he have been released? Is that why he hasn't reached out? "Who is still in the hospital? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it looks like everything is alright. It looks like a Tiger, Thomas James, is the one still in the hospital. His file says he had a pretty nasty concussion and he's been moved to a room upstairs for treatment." He turned back to the file on his desk and picked it back up, "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you." I turned to leave, a dozen things now running through my head. If Nick was released from the hospital a few days ago then why haven't I heard from him? Did Finnick not give him my number after all? Was he unable to get a new phone for some reason? I heard his was destroyed when the subway car crashed. Or maybe he really just hated me and now that the case was over, so was our friendship?

I trudged back to my desk and continued filing paperwork to keep my mind from racing. I know I told him he could hate me after everything I had done and said to hurt him, and that it would be fine if he did. I told him I would understand if he could never forgive me for being such a horrible friend. But I had just hoped that maybe… I don't really know what I had hoped for.

That things would just go back to the way they were before I said the things I did at the press conference? Maybe I had hoped that he would just forget that I was afraid of him when we stood off to the side together. Thinking back now, I don't even know why I was afraid of him. I have seen him at his worst, after he literally tried to kill me and I can say with complete confidence that I am not afraid of him.

Maybe I … There was a gentle knock at my office door.

"Um, Officer Hopps?" Clawhauser said from the other side of the door. "Judy, I don't want to bother you if you're busy but it's 6 pm already. You've been here for over twelve hours."

I glanced at the clock on the wall. 6:03. I swear I was in Bogo's office less than an hour ago, but that was around noon. I jumped quickly off my chair, letting out a sharp hiss when a shock ran up my leg. I kept forgetting it was injured and tried to hide the pain as I opened the door.

"Clawhauser, thank you for letting me know. I guess I just lost track of time." I said, leaning against the doorframe.

He gave me a worried look, the same look everyone gave me these days. "No problem, just wanted to make sure you got out of here so you could go home and rest." His hands fidgeted nervously and he stayed standing in place after I expected him to return to the front desk.

"Clawhauser, I'm fine. Really. It's just been a long week and I'm a little worried about someone. It's made me a bit distracted today, that's all." I gave a reassuring smile and he seemed to relax a little.

"How is he doing?" The Cheetah asked. I didn't mention Nick much as work, mainly because I wasn't sure where he and I stood. But Clawhauser had a way of getting me to open up. I often spent my work mornings at the front desk while I drank my coffee chatting with him. I told Clawhauser how Nick and I met and how much he helped me, careful to skate around some of the less than legal details.

I thought about lying and saying Nick was doing fine but I was just too tired to force the lie. "Honestly, I don't know. I haven't heard from him since. He was still unconscious when I went to visit him in the hospital."

"Oh." His ears drooped a little. "You said you don't have his phone number but have you thought about stopping by to see him? It might be worth a shot." Clawhauser raised an eyebrow but had to run back to his desk to answer the phone before I could think of an answer for him.

I hadn't thought about stopping by. I didn't know where he lived but I knew what he did for work and I'm sure he wouldn't be too hard to find. I checked the clock on the wall. 6:12. If Nick and Finnick were still selling popsicles, they would probably be just about done by now. If they followed the same schedule as last time I saw them they would probably be selling the used popsicle sticks somewhere.

I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair and walked as quickly as I could out of the precinct, giving a small wave to Clawhauser as I left. My car was parked near the front in a special spot the department gave me temporarily so I wouldn't have to walk as far. Zootopia was a very pedestrian friendly city but after my injury I had decided to invest in a small car to make getting around easier. It also helped when I went home to visit my family.

I was only driving around for a short while when I spotted Finnick's van sitting in the back of a construction site. I threw my car in park and went quickly to the chain link fence. Finnick was standing with the foreman who was counting out a small stack of bills for the pile of wood Finnick was leaning against.

Nick was nowhere in sight and I considered grabbing Finnicks attention after he got paid and trying to talk to him but thought better of it. As I turned to go back to my car, Finnick turned around and locked eyes with me. I saw him say something to the foreman before sprinting around the fence toward me.

I was trying to think of a quick excuse for my being there but he didn't give me a chance to explain myself. "You're here looking for Nick, right?" He stood defensively with his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face.

I nodded, "I haven't heard from him yet and I just wanted to make sure he was okay. Is he really mad at me?" I glanced over at the van, it rocked slightly to one side like someone was moving around. If I had slipped by without Finnick noticing me I could have probably knocked on the back of the van and spoken to Nick myself.

"Mad at you, no. Although I do sort of feel like he should be. Is he okay, also a no. He's.." Finnick followed my gaze to the van, confirming Nick was the one inside. "He just… not really been himself. But it's not really my place to say. I've seen him through a lot of ups and downs but this is something different."

He stood a little straighter and squared his shoulders. "Look, Judy, right?" He didn't wait for me to respond, "if I am being completely honest here, I don't really like you. You hurt him pretty badly with that whole press conference thing and then you put him directly in danger to get that serum. He would have never been shot if you had just left him alone."

I felt tears sting my eyes, threatening to spill over if I let them. Finnick kept talking, "however, Nick does like you. I've tried talking to him but he doesn't care what I have to say but he might actually listen to you. I gave him your number and tried to convince him to text you. He won't."

Finnick pointed to my phone and I quickly unlocked it and handed it to him. He pulled up my gps app and typed an address into it. "Apartment number 432. Good luck." He handed back my phone. "Like I said, I don't like you, but Nick is like my brother so if this helps him pull his head out of his ass I'll tolerate you."

He turned and marched back to collect his money from the foreman who was looking at us with an annoyed expression. My feet felt frozen to the ground and I stood holding my phone out, staring at the van. Finnick trudged back and climbed into the driver's seat. He shot me one last glance before slamming the door shut. Seconds later music started to blare from the speakers and he pulled away.

"Hey lady, you looking for something? This is a restricted construction site!" The mouse foreman yelled. I muttered a quick apology before turning back to my own car. I checked how far away the address was and added it to my saved locations.

I left the construction site and swung through a drive in to pick up something quick to eat. My growling stomach made me realize all I had was coffee today. I wanted to make sure Nick was home before I came by and I needed some time to sort out what I was going to say to him.

After eating I pulled the address back up and followed the directions until I came to the parking lot of a rickety looking apartment building. There was an elevator in the corner of the lobby but a faded 'Out of Order' sign told me it hasn't worked in a while. I scanned the lobby for the stairs, wishing Nick lived on the first floor.

There was a door on the opposite wall as the elevator with a staircase sign about the worn out door frame. I signed and leaned harder on my crutches as I made my way over and began my assent.

Between each floor I had to stop and take a few breaths. My leg was aching badly and the crutches were starting to feel heavy. Briefly, I considered abandoning them in the stairwell and using the wall the rest of the way up but I wasn't sure how long I would be talking to NIck and I didn't want someone to take them while I was gone.

Once I made it to the fourth floor I slipped the crutches out from under my arm and dragged them behind me, leaning on the wall instead for support. Apartment 432 was at the end of the long hallway but luckily the walk gave me time to catch my breath.

When I found the right apartment number I rested my crutches against the wall, careful not to make any sound. I didn't want to be leaning on them when he opened the door. I had physical therapy tomorrow and I was already dreading how it was going to feel after so much walking today.

I raised a closed fist to the door ready to knock, and froze. Now that I was here I was second guessing my decision to show up unannounced.

Finnick said he wasn't mad at me. But that didn't necessarily mean he wanted to see me. If the smaller fox said I would be able to help Nick I wanted to do that, but I barely knew Finnick and wasn't sure if I could necessarily trust him. After climbing that staircase, I wasn't about to turn back now. I took a deep breath and knocked as loudly as I could on the door, the sound echoed down the hall.

There was silence on the other side and I was worried he may not be home yet and I had come too early. I knocked once more, a little quieter and more hesitant this time, and waited once again.

Eventually it felt like I had in fact climbed all of those stairs for nothing. I picked the crutches up from the wall and wedged them back under my arms to prepare for the long journey down when there was a click from the other side of the door. I held my breath and quickly shoved them back against the wall as the dented metal door cracked open just a few inches.

I could only see about a third of his face and his left shoulder. "Nick?" I whispered.

He opened the door a little bit more but then seemed to think better of it and moved it back to its original position. "Carrots? What are you doing here?"

Relief filled my chest and I was sure he could hear my heart beating. I hadn't been able to look into his soft green eyes since that night in the museum, now I couldn't bring myself to look away. I was told he had recovered and I knew he would be home but it felt like my mind wouldn't quite believe it until I saw him for myself.

"Nick, I… I wanted to… Are you okay? Finnick said that you... I mean, I was worried about you." I wasn't sure if Finnick wanted me to reveal that he sent me here. "It's been a little while and I haven't heard from you so I was worried. Did Finnick give you my number?"

"Yeah, he did." Nick closed the door a tiny bit more so I could just barely see his eye. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Judy, you shouldn't be here."

Finnick said he wasn't mad at me but he seemed pretty mad. It was hard to keep the hurt from my voice. "Nick, can we talk for a bit? So much has happened and I haven't seen you since the museum."

"No." His voice had a bit of a growl to it again but this time it was an intentional sound, like he was trying to scare me off. "I got your number but I didn't reach out for a reason. I am so sorry for what happened, but you need to leave and don't come back."

He was sorry? I had come here expecting to apologize to him, not the other way around. I wasn't even sure what he thought he had to be sorry for.

"You're sorry? For what? Nick you didn't do anything wrong, if anything I am the one who should be apologizing to you. If you are still mad at me, I get it but please let me make it up to you. I don't want to lose you as a friend."

He made a noise that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a sob. "I'm not mad at you, and I'm sorry for hurting you, I promise it will never happen again. Thank you for coming to see me but we can't be friends. Goodbye, Judy."

He closed the door without another word and I heard the lock click back into place. For a second I considered knocking again but instead turned back to the long hallway. We can't be friends? So this was it.

By the time I made it back down to my car it was nearly dark outside. I drove home in silence, my thoughts bouncing around so much I couldn't quite figure out how I felt. When I parked at my apartment I turned the car off and checked my phone.

A new message from an unknown number lit up the screen.

How did it go?

I assumed the text was probably from Finnick. He must have added my number to his own phone before he gave it to Nick. I texted back,

Not too good. He wouldn't talk to me, he said he wasn't mad but we were no longer friends. He told me to leave.

He responded right away,

I figured he would. You just gave up and left? Maybe Nick was exaggerating when he said you were really persistent.

I rolled my eyes.

No. But I didn't want to try forcing him to talk to me when he really doesn't want to.

He does, trust me. He just doesn't feel like he can. Like I said, it's complicated. Push harder next time.

I clicked my phone off and went to put it in my pocket when I felt it vibrate once more,

Please.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and made my way towards the lobby of my own apartment. The building I lived in wasn't much nicer than Nick's but at least mine had a working elevator. Which was essential since I live on the fifth floor.

I pushed the button on the wall and waited for the doors to slide open. As I stepped inside and hit the nearly worn-through "five" button, I felt my phone vibrate again. I hadn't replied to Finnick in the car because I wasn't sure what to say.

Push harder next time. There wasn't going to be a next time. He had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I would be betraying my promise to him if I kept showing up and demanding he talk to me.

Before the slow moving elevator made it to my floor I pulled my phone out once again. But the new message on the screen wasn't from Finnick. The number at the top was a new number I didn't recognize. The message read,

It was good to see you again.