Judy Hopps walked up to the entrance of the 10-7 and gave the Rhino at the door a tired gaze. Looking down at the rabbit he frowned. "Judy? You're still in uniform, and… is that blood?"

Judy nodded in reply. "Fox blood, to be exact. Nick's. I need a drink. It'll be hours before I can find out what happened with the surgery, if they even do the surgery and don't just let him die, alone, in some dark corner of the hospital, and only because Bogo will tell me. Didn't matter that we're each other's emergency point of contact or anything. I'm not a fox and not next of kin, so… hospital admin won't listen."

Judy looked down as she continued, unaware of the panic setting in for the rhino. "I can't go home… What am I gonna do, sit on the couch and watch TV, so the news can report what I already know? Do what? Sit there on the couch, surrounded by his scent but without him and wait for hours? Days? To hear anything at all. It smells like him, and I'm about to lose him. Just because he's a fox." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. She then reached up and ripped her vest off, actually tearing some of the seams, and just let it fall. She then opened her shirt, or more accurately ripped it open, the small buttons flying in several directions. "There. Out of uniform." Judy then pushed past the rhino, not that he tried to stop her.

Picking up his radio, he keyed the mic as the door closed. "Code 3. Hopps inbound. Wilde is 10-108. Blood is Wildes." Only a double chirp of acknowledgement responded.

xxxxXXXXxxxx

Inside the surprisingly well lit bar, Judy trudged towards the bar proper. A coyote EMT looked up with a smile that crashed into concern and fear as he took in Judy. "Hey, Judy what's…" Standing and moving as if to rush towards her, freezing when she put up a bloody paw.

"Hey, Gary. Not mine… Well, most of it isn't. It's…" She paused for a moment to take a shuddering breath. Silence washing over the bar in a wave. "It's Nick's." With that, she turned and finished her trudge to the bar, climbing into a stool her size. Everyone that had heard her voice feeling fear crawl up their spines.

The bartender, an old goat, looked at her carefully. "Judy?"

"Gimme one of Nick's. I need something stronger than my usual. I need… I need whiskey."

The bar watched in increasing horror as Judy knocked back the shot, then ordered a whiskey highball, which she just stared into.

The bar's proprietor walked up and sat next to her. "Hey, Judy. Uhm… Trouble and Terror aren't here. And isn't it uhm… isn't it a bit early for you to usually be here."

Judy nodded. "Yeah." Putting her phone on the bar. "Can't go home. He won't be there. Smells like him. Hospital won't let me stay or tell me anything because I'm not next of kin. Emergency contact, power of attorney, all of it mean nothing, cause I am not a fox."

"The blood?" Taking a wet rag from the bartender and wiping Judy's paw on her phone.

"Mostly Nick's." Sipping at her drink. "I had a knick or two, so… a bit might be mine. They shot him. I shot them. Not even sure why they attacked us."

Judy finished her highball and looked up, indicating a refill. "Had armor piercing rounds, so cut through his vest and plate like nothing. If anything, it would have been better if he had not been wearing the armor, as they would have just gone right through. The armor slowed the rounds down letting them do actual damage to him. They were looking to kill a cop for sure. But now he's in the hospital… There's only the blood he gives, and he's only allowed do give once a month. Nick's a universal vulpine donor. They didn't have much left. Used it to save a kit last week. Had enough to stabilize him, but not to do the surgery they need to do. I overheard that much. They don't know where to get the blood they need. Wouldn't listen to me. Could ask for it from Foxington near Bunnyburrow. Or even send the bloodmobile to Happytown. If they knew it was for Nick, they wouldn't have enough room to store it all."

Judy sighed deeply. "Foxes don't give blood much because they don't get care anyway, so why waste the time and effort. It's getting better, but still... If the leopard surgeon we know hasn't been on duty…" Judy faltered, her voice cracking for a second. "If he hadn't heard my yelling. They weren't even going to try treating him if I hadn't started threatening to arrest the ER docs.

Our friend, he's a surgeon, managed to stabilize Nick, even made a move to tell me more, but the hospital admin stopped him. They let him tell Bogo, and they both talked… loudly." Chuckling darkly.

The proprietor looked around, every eye in the bar locked on the rabbit. She thought for a second, a grim look on her face. "You said Foxington? Never heard of that."

Judy nodded, sipping her refreshed drink. "Yeah. Small, fox dominated town. Borders Bunnyborrow. My family, thanks to Nick, are working on getting the road between the towns fixed up. Have some really good orchards, just need the market and my family is going to sell it under the Hopps Family Farms banner. They'll be joining the town to participate in this year's Carrot Day. They have a small hospital, barely more than a clinic really, but they can do surgery, and their three surgeons are all trauma certified. Two are even foxes."

Judy never looked up as the proprietor looked out across the assembled. Two EMTs, one of which was Gary, were already almost running from the room, phones to their heads, a ZPD officer from Precinct 6 hot on their heels. "Why would you need a power of Attorney?"

It was clear Judy wasn't in her right mind, knocking back the rest of the highball and signaling for another. The proprietary signaling for it to be very watered down. "Can't get married. Different species and all." Wiping tears. "We paid thousands of Z's to create legal rights, and the hospital just ignored it because we're different species. Sure, I'll probably be able to sue, but what's the point if Nick is gone because they won't listen? Even then, it isn't like I can sue them for deprivation of my mate, no matter how true that would be. We can't legally be that. Other than power of attorney, we can't even get a domestic partnership because we're not close enough. Could if I were a different kinda fox, or a wolf, or if he were some small to medium prey.

Now I… I… I'm gonna lose him." Wrapping her arms around herself for several long moments. "Damn EMT wouldn't even put pressure on his wounds. Wouldn't sully themselves by treating a fox. Complained the whole time that he was staining their ambulance with his blood. I had to do that myself. It's why I'm so bloody. I had to do that job. At least the one driving drove us to the hospital. Even then, they didn't bother with lights and sirens. Gods, I know why it's so hard to get him care. We make monthly trips to the burrow so my sister can give him a check up and such. It's the only way he can even have a primary. Mammals really just don't care, not when it's a fox, but it really hit me in the face today, and I'm gonna lose him because of it. Sometimes it feels like they do care, in the opposite. They care to make sure that a fox dies."

The proprietor glared out at the assembled as Judy struggled to hold herself together. Another EMT stood with a nod, phone to their head as they walked out, this one with the ZFD. "Wow, so you guys really are together."

Judy gave a sad nod and a sob before she shook herself out. "Yeah." Chuckling weakly. "Been together almost from the start. I mean, I forced him to move in with me because he was literally living in the equipment room of his building, and paying four times what I was. Dharma was so good to us. Let us move to a larger unit. I guess she liked having two cops living in the building.

Living together in that shoebox as he called it. Well. We really thought we were just friends, until we weren't. Snuck up on us both, really. I don't know what I'm going to do without him. He needs surgery to save his life. All they could do is give him what they had left of his own blood to stabilize him and hope they can figure something out, and only because of the doc that is our friend. The ER wasn't going to do anything.

Just like the EMT, the docs didn't want to believe he was even a cop. I was about to arrest one of the doctors when Bogo showed up. They listened to him, but our friend was already helping too, against the arguments of the ER docs."

xxxxXXXXxxxx

As Judy was being carefully questioned, horror and anger in equal parts filling most of those present, the first pair of EMT's exited the 10-7 with the P6 officer. The coyote, Gary, tapped his foot as he waited, the line finally connecting. "Finally… Shut up and listen… Bill, I said shut up! What do you know about a town called Foxington? … … You have any contacts there? … Wilde has been shot and there's no blood. We either need to get some from Foxington, or we steal the bloodmobile and drive through Happytown. … You heard me. Hopps is at the 10-7 and almost soaked in his blood. Yes, call your sister and find out what is going on. … Right, I'm on the way."

The other EMT also had his phone to his ear. "Clair, it's Jessup. Listen carefully. You know anyone who knows how to take a blood donation from foxes? … Yes I'm serious. Wilde has been shot and they don't have blood for him. … … Yeah, well… Hard to question when Hopps shows up covered in fox blood and looking shell shocked. … She's at the 10-7. … Why would you call a tiger? … … Wait, that was real?! … Well, shit. Then yeah, she's gonna need whoever she can get. Especially if he doesn't make it."

The P6 officer, a cheetah, spoke up. "Hey, if you have a contact in Foxington that can get the blood ready. I know a way to get there and back fast."

Gary turned. "Oh, how?"

"I know, Flash. Flash will do anything for Wilde, just like I will. I'm where I am today and not as some dead gang banger kit, because of Wilde."

Gary blanched slightly. "Yeah, that would be fast enough. Bill is making some calls. Come with me. What's your name?"

"Freddy. Freddy Mercury." Rolling his eyes and waving a paw. "Yeah, I know. Blame the mammals in Kit Services. Thought they were being hilarious. Just call me Fred."

The other EMT, a horse named Edd, nodded. "You work on that. Gary, I'll text you if I get any line on Foxington. I'm going to work the donation angle."

They separated from there. Gary and Freddy jumping in Gary's car, Edd to his own.

xxxxXXXXxxxx

The third EMT, a black panther, stepped outside, his phone picking up as he did so. "Chief! It's Beghera. … Listen, Wilde was shot and whoever responded wouldn't even provide basic first aid to a fox. Hopps had to do it herself. She's at the 10-7 covered in his blood. Something about not being able to go home because it smells like him. Anyway. I think Gary and Edd from ZEMS are working on finding blood for him, but we need to figure out who the hell… Exactly. … Some time in the last few hours. This can't be let stand. … Right. I'm heading to the hospital now. She said that the driver at least drove them there, but I get the impression that they didn't bother to hurry either. … If I find out, I'll let you know."

xxxxXXXXxxxx

Back at the bar in the 10-7. Judy slammed down the very watery drink. "It's weak. Thanks, I guess… I'm a farm girl, I can handle a bit more, but whatever. Doesn't matter. Nothing does anymore…"

"You guys don't broadcast that you're together. If anything, you go out of your way to dissuade mammals. Why say anything now?"

Judy laid her head on her arms on the bar. Looking off into the distance through the refreshed drink. "Because it doesn't matter anymore, I guess. We've got two kits. Same litter. My parents look after them. No one knows they're mine and Nick's. Not even them. Did you know that the laws against interspecies couples are really, really, old. So old that if you get found out it's actually life in prison or the death penalty, if some prosecutor chooses to pursue charges. If you have kits, it's just death. Well, life, since they ended the DP, but they might resurrect it for a fox/rabbit pairing. That means they put down any kits you have too. They have to make it to legal age to be safe.

Nick got the snip so we didn't have any more when we found that out. I've got an implant too, just to be safe. We unknowingly brought two kits into the world that they law says have to be killed, along with their parents. We couldn't do that to any others. Both kits look like me, so you can't tell, really, that they're hybrids. Which is good, I suppose. They blend in. At least until they are teens."

Judy closed her eyes and seemed to not move for a bit. The proprietor getting concerned. "Judy?"

Giving a deep sigh. "I'm still here. Just… Wondering what I'm going to do. I can't even tell my kits that I'm their mom, let alone that their dad died just because he was a fox and couldn't get medical care, even as a cop. A decorated, on the damn news all the time, cop."

"You really shouldn't be saying anything then."

Judy chuckled darkly. "What'll it matter? He'll be dead. I'll follow him soon enough. I can feel that. I mean, I'll have to see his mom and tell her. That'll probably kill her. I know my parents will keep the kits safe. They've got contingencies, and the family won't talk. Besides... Neither of us could allow ourselves to mark the kits. Mom and Dad did that, like all the orphans…" Tears starting to fall and pool on the bar. "I didn't even get to hold them, and Nick couldn't be there for the same reason. We couldn't allow ourselves the chance to bond with them. We just play with the whole fluffle, knowing that in there somewhere, are our kits. I guess I'll need to play with them one more time before the pain takes me."

Judy stood up and shook herself out. "Well… I need to go tell Nick's mom and take her to the hospital. Then… Well, I don't know what I'll do then." Grabbing her phone and slipping it in her pocket."

Judy then turned, hopped off her stool, and walked towards the door, far straighter than any of those there expected a rabbit to be able to after drinking what she had, watered down or not. Lizz burst in the door to see Judy. "Oh hell. They weren't joking."

Judy looked up. "Lizz? Why are you here?"

"To keep you from doing something stupid." Snatching Judy up by her shirt and tossing her over her shoulder. "Come on, fuzz butt. You need to shower and change."

"Lizz, put me down. I need to get to Vivian."

"Mike is already taking care of that. You are my responsibility. I assume you have already put in the reports for the shooting and such before you came here?"

"Yeah. that only took an hour though, then I was just sitting there. Staring at his desk. Could smell him from his chair. I was getting really cold, so I figured some whiskey would warm me up."

"Drink to remember, not forget. You told me that."

"Wasn't trying to forget."

"Good. Then come on. Bogo and Mike are going to call me if there is any change. And don't worry, Vic already has the pack lawyers trying to figure out what is going on too."

"You guys don't need to do that."

Walking out of the 10-7, unaware they were being followed. "Judy, have you forgotten? As my first, Nick as Mike's. You are both members of the pack just as I am. The city may have laws, but they assure me that they are not enforceable, and those same lawyers have a case in front of the supreme court right now. They're also preparing an order to harvest him if needed. I know he got snipped, but that doesn't stop him producing."

Judy curled into Lizz's neck. "Thanks, Lizz. That'll be great for you."

"You too, Fluff. I'm not letting you out of my sight until you are okay."

"He'll be gone soon. They only had enough blood to keep him alive till morning without the surgery, and there wasn't enough blood to do that. So… He'll be gone soon enough. I just need to get a few things taken care of before I can join him."

Lizz glanced at her shoulder with a very worried look as she got into the limo that had driven her there. She knew that she'd have her paws full with the rabbit once she found her. "Don't give up hope just yet." The door closed as the 10-7 patrons watched in shock and terror as a massive tigress they all knew drove away in a clearly Wolford pack limo; a rabbit they all knew as one of the strongest mammals any of them had ever known, curled up and crying on and into the tigress shoulder. Clear from her words that neither that rabbit, or the fox they all knew and respected, may be with them much longer.