Hey guys!
A new chapter is here and it's going to be a bit about Nick's issues about himself, still there's some space left for action. ;)
To answer a question that appeared in the reviews: I know that for now this story is not strictly focused on NickxJudy, but trust me we'll get there, just need to build up some story behind it. It will have a better feel to it when both of them will bring some backstory into this relationship.
If you have any more thoughts or questions, feel free to PM me or leave a review. :)
And as teaser - fluff, hurt, hardships, humor and pain (physical and emotional) is ahead of us so stay tuned and I'll keep them coming.
Chapter 13
The medical office of the precinct wasn't built with the thought of smaller mammals, so Nick had to sit on a bear sized bed, while a lynx medic surveyed his wound. The fox knew that there was no fooling the feline with the rhino story, he had to come up with something else. *Maybe if I talk to him…* He opened his mouth with a grin forming on his mouth, but then an accelerating thumping noise made him stop. An irritated bunny was staring him down, with her hindpaw tapping furiously on the floor. *Or maybe not…* He corrected himself.
The lynx unrolled the last of the bandages and gently touched Nick's ribs with a gloved paw. "This is a serious wound…" He pulled some fur to the side. "There are even stitches here, so I assume you've already been treated by a doctor?"
"Pretty much." Nick replied, avoiding Judy's gaze.
"It'll be best if you would contact your surgeon immediately regarding proper treatment. I can temporarily stop the bleeding but that's all. Go to a hospital right after that."
"I'd really love to do that, howeve-"
"No excuses this time Nicholas!" A voice roared from the entrance. Nick groaned seeing its owner. Vivian stormed inside and stood by the bed. The fox shot a quick glance at the bunny. Judy folded her arms and was wearing a very smug grin. *Bloody hell, when did she call her?*
The lynx lowered his head with respect when he saw Nick's mother. "Doctor Wilde, it's an honour!"
"I already told you to stop that Gerold. Now shoo." She waved him off and the medic left the room with great haste. After that, Vivian turned to Nick again. "Mind explaining this to me?! Less then 24 hours pass since you get shot, then you almost bleed out to death on my lap and now you got your wound open again?!"
"Mom, I told you already, I can handle it…"
"Not with a reopened wound, you can't!"
Even with their loud argument a small voice slipped through. "Shot? Bleed out… to death?" Judy had wide opened eyes and her ears drooping miserably. She was clutching her vest with both paws. Then, like in a trance she slowly approached the bed and stood on a stool the medic was using. She clenched her paws around Nick's arm.
"What do you mean 'to death'? Nick talk to me!" The bunny pleaded. "What happened to you?!" He could see the fear in her eyes. She was that worried about him.
"I'd also like to know that." Vivian folded her arms.
*Hey, two on one isn't fair! Why, oh why did she call her here?* The fox never wanted this to happen and now he felt that if they keep pressuring him, he'll eventually give up. The mere thought terrified him as he usually relied on slightly altered descriptions of reality and the truth was always the last thing that left his mouth. But he wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Look, since it already came to this, can we continue after I get my wound treated?" He said without any smile or grin. The females exchanged glances and glared back at him. "You can bet we will!" They said simultaneously.
Nick rolled his eyes. *Great, now I have a stereo.*
.
.
The trip to the hospital was just a pretext for the fox to have some time to think of about a plan. He even considered looking for an opportunity to escape. He had hoped that it'll be just his mother but the vixen stormed into Bogo's office to 'have a word' with him and after a minute she came back, saying that Judy is allowed to tag along. The perspective of speaking honestly with these two was out of the question. This made him feel trapped, also literally as Judy and Vivian sat on both his sides in the cab, like they were half expecting him to run away. *This isn't looking good…* He thought grimly.
When they arrived and took him to the ER he visited not long ago, a familiar feline approached Nick's bed. "Well, look who's back." Doctor Smith smiled at the sight of the fox.
"Hey, doc." He muttered in return.
"My dumb son has torn a few stitches and needs proper treatment, doctor." Vivian kept her paw on Nick's shoulder, indicating that he's not going anywhere this time.
„Fine, let's have a look then." He put on a pair of sterile gloves. A quick examination ended up with removing the rest of the stitches, cleaning the wound thoroughly and sewing it back again. And this time, with two females breathing down his neck, he had no way of talking his way out of this. Therefore, he was placed in a separate room for observation for the next couple of days. And while he sat on the bed there, a vixen and a bunny were glaring at him with impatient eyes.
"Well?" Judy asked.
"Something to tell us, maybe?" Vivian added.
Nick hung his head. "Um, I'm really tired and I think I'd like to get some sleep. Can't we leave it until tomorrow?" He tried.
"NO!" Came from both mouths.
"Geez, what are you, twins? He couldn't help but to put in joke.
"Stop deflecting the topic Nicholas!" The vixen snarled at the fox, making his shoulders sink lower.
Nick could tell that his mother was really angry this time and she wasn't going to let him slip away. Still, there was a tight knot on his tongue regarding the shooting. *Stop pressuring me!* He glanced at his mother with a pained gaze. *You know I hate it when you do this, yet you're tormenting me to this extent…* It hurt. Not the gunshot wound, not the bruises and not even the growing headache. Just the fact, that something very personal was being dragged out of him against his will. Like a needle that tries to penetrate the steel armor around his heart.
Vivian noticed the burning emotions behind his expression and seemed to soften a bit. She rubbed her head with a paw and turned to Judy. "Sweetie, could I burden you with bringing me a cup of tea? All these nerves made my throat dry. There's a vending machine at the end of the corridor." She handed her the money. The bunny sent her a puzzled look. "Please?" Judy nodded slowly and headed for the door with a lingering feeling that she's being sent away for a different reason.
When she left the room, Vivian turned to her son with no trace of anger left on her face. It was replaced by care and a hint of sadness. She sat down on the edge of the bed, leaving her bag on the chair and placed her paw on Nick's.
"Nicky…" She said softly. "I know this is difficult for you, but please understand… We're worried about you."
"I can take care of myself." He didn't look her in the eyes this time.
"I can see that." The vixen replied, but without any sarcasm in her voice.
Nick stayed silent and stared at the view behind the window. Vivian hated seeing him in this closed up state. She was also suffering from knowing that she was partially responsible for his emotional shell. The vixen squeezed gently his paw.
"Nick, I won't pressure you anymore. If you don't want to say it, I'll respect that. But please consider talking to Judy."
She slipped from the bed and picked up her bag. There was no reaction from Nick. He only stared without muttering even a single word. Watching his now empty expression, eyes still fixed on the window, she decided to try.
The vixen took a deep breath and spoke quietly. "Nick, let her in."
He flinched.
.
.
Judy was holding the requested tea and was almost at Nick's room when her sensitive ears picked up voices.
"Not going to happen." That was Nick.
"Nicky…" Vivian's voice.
Judy stopped by the wall, not going in. The bunny didn't want to interrupt their conversation. She couldn't see them but her ears were making up for that.
"We've had this conversation nine years ago." A warning in his voice. Judy's nose twitched. Somehow, inside she knew that this was a reference to whatever happened in the past and caused almost a decade long break in their relationship.
"This is different."
"Can't see how."
"Nick, she's not Irene..."
Judy's heart skipped a beat. The way Vivian said the name made the bunny feel a tad bit uncomfortable. And it appeared that not only her. The silence painfully dragged on. Why wasn't he responding? Was he angry? Shocked? Feeling hurt? What meaning did that name hold?
Finally, she heard Nick's voice again, now angry and full of spite. "If you think that, as a fox, I'll open up to a rabbit…"
Judy felt as if someone stabbed her heart. She thought of him as a friend and with his playful attitude around her, she assumed that he thought the same. Her ears fell down, along with her mood.
"Don't talk about Judy like that!" Vivian suddenly raised her voice, making the bunny's ears perk up again. "Stop pushing mammals away from you, Nick. Especially those who care about you and I know she does. I understand your reservations and that it must be very difficult for you… but please, put some trust in her."
A male, tired sigh. "I told you already, it's not a matter of trust."
There was a longer pause this time.
"Nicholas…" The vixen's voice was full of grief. "I can't undo what happened back then and believe me I'd give up everything for such a chance. But I can't just sit by and watch you ignore every helping paw, I love you too much to do that. So this is the one thing I won't let go – talk to her. And if you want to be angry at someone you can be angry at me. You can throw everything you want at me and I won't object." A slight pause. "But don't push Judy away. She's different than her, I know that."
The bunny now had tears in her eyes, both from the emotional impact of the conversation between mother and son and also the trust that Vivian was placing in her. She covered her mouth with a paw to not let out an audible sob.
An angry click of a tongue came from the room. "You can't know that."
"Need I remind you that I'm a mother of a hustler? I've had plenty of time to learn how to read other mammals."
"Oh did you?" Still a rough voice, but now it had an amused undertone to it.
There was a muffled clapping sound. Did she pat him on the shoulder? "I've seen a master at work." A short pause followed, but then they shared a chuckle.
"Nicky…" Vivian said when the laughter stopped.
Another sigh from the fox. "No promises, alright?"
Judy hear a quiet thud and a barely audible groan. Most likely the vixen jumped to hug her son.
"Stitches, remember? Or do you want me to be subjected to sewing every day?" This was old Nick again, smug and full of jokes.
The bunny wiped her eyes and decided to use this moment to walk in. "Sorry for the wait, there actually was a waiting line and…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the doubtful looks she got from the foxes. It was clear that she couldn't fool them.
But Vivian smiled and passed by Judy, snatching the cup from her paw on her way to the door. "Why thank you dear, have a seat, because it's rather suffocating in here so I'll go and grab some fresh air." A blatant lie as the room was equipped with air conditioning. When she left, Judy sat down on the chair by the bed.
"Can't keep your ears to yourself, eh?" He asked with a hint of accusation.
Her eyes studied the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"I know, Fluff. I know." He actually reached out and lifted her chin with his finger. "Hey, you're going to talk with the floor or with me?"
She showed him an uncertain smile. "I don't know if I should."
Nick raised his brows in surprise. She was so eager to drag everything from him and now was pulling back. *Ah, that's right. She heard that…* He felt a pang of guilt.
"I am sorry, Carrots. I'm… not the easiest person to talk to, but you probably know that already." He said with a smile but her expression didn't improve in the slightest. "Look, about what I said… I trust you Carrots." Her took her paw. "I mean it. But trust… isn't the same for me as opening up. I know that you wouldn't yap around about the things I would tell you, it's just…" He paused, struggling to get the right words out.
*Get it together, you can say it!* He gritted his teeth. "I know how this sounds, Fluff, but I am almost allergic to sharing my thoughts and feelings. If you'd ask me how I feel, then I'd interpret it that you're asking me to give you one of my limbs and as you can see, I'm rather attached to them." He raised his arms to accentuate his words.
Judy couldn't stop the smile from creeping on her face, but still felt some bitterness over his earlier words. Why he didn't want to open up to a bunny?
"Nick, I don't want to force you into something you really don't want to do. But I was so scared when I saw that wound and after your mother said that you almost bled out to death I nearly freaked out." She fidgeted with her paws. " You're my best friend, Nick. I can't just stand back and pretend that I don't see you getting hurt."
For the first time Nick felt how stupid he was in his thinking. He believed that by isolating them, he could keep his friends and family safe. But in reality he only kept shoving them away, not wanting to be near them to avoid getting hurt himself.
He bit his lip hard, almost drawing blood. His headache was starting up, the first warning about the strain connected to holding back the serum effects. Therefore, Nick had to slowly end this conversation. However, even to his own surprise, he wanted to share something with his little friend. Since he already went this far, told her more than to anyone else, he might as well get the best of it and try to push himself a little further. Especially if this could mean a better relationship between the two of them. Nick didn't want to see her suffering expression ever again. For that he was prepared for some bloody migraine.
"Carrots... about the shooting..." He began and Judy's ears twitched. *Now that looks absolutely adorable.* Nick thought before continuing. He wanted to tell her as much as possible without disclosing few more sensitive information. That meant telling the truth without telling the truth. The bunny was staring intensively into his eyes.
„I got up yesterday and went to get something for breakfast when these two guys showed up and started shooting. I managed to get away, called my mother and went back to my place. In my naivety, I thought that she'll be able to do something with the wound on her own, but she wouldn't have any of that and drugged me to get me to an ambulance…"
Judy's eyes widened a little. "She drugged you?"
Nick shrugged with a smirk. "Hey, she's my mom after all."
The bunny rubbed her forehead. "I guess the tree doesn't grow far from the apple…"
"You could say that. Anyway, I didn't know who attacked me then so I had to get out and get the information. And I managed to do that and dealt with it accordingly, so I have that problem solved. But when I got to the precinct this morning I was almost mauled to death by a cheerful bunny. And now I'm here." He spread his arms to indicate the room they were sitting in.
"Very funny, slick Nick. But I want to know who attacked you. You said that you've got that information." She folded her arms, nose twitching.
"I've already dealt with that."
"Are they behind bars? No? Then the matter is NOT dealt with, Nick."
"Fluff, not all out there is black and white…"
"Don't you try to change the subject! I want those names so we can interrogate them!"
"Carrots…" He tried to cut in.
"Nick, you were shot! That's not some minor offence, but attempted murder!"
"CARROTS!"
Judy flinched and paused her rant for a moment.
"Listen, this is not an issue that can be solved just by waving a badge. If you had done that, then I'd have a dozen more thugs on my tail for being a snitch, thank you very much." He fell back on the bed, rubbing his head, the headache growing in tenacity. *No. No damned migraine is going to get the better of me.* He thought. "Bear with me here, it's… hard to say this…"
"Nick…" She reached out and squeezed his arm.
He hushed her with a finger. "Don't get soft on me here, Carrots. I want to say this, so I will say it." Nick propped himself on elbows. "I decided to join the ZPD fully knowing the consequences. In the eyes of some mammals in this city I decided to 'switch sides', a sin they will not forgive. Some will just ignore me, some will act hostile if they meet me and there will be a small group that will want to actively get rid of me. And don't interrupt me, because if I stop talking now I don't know if I ever bring myself to say it again. One, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault, I made this decision. Two, that's the price I have to pay for detaching from my past, no one said it'll be easy. Three, this is my issue, so I have to deal with it myself, without dragging anyone in it. And that's all before I get nauseated…" He fell back on the pillows.
Judy listened to his speech in silence and when he finished she blinked once or twice. Then, she composed herself and cleared her throat.
"One, I'm your friend and I help out my friends. Two, we will be partners on the job and partners always watch each other's backs. Three, you'll find out that I'm more difficult to get rid of than a flock of fleas." She informed him with a smile.
Nick listened to her statement with a surprised expression. Then he let out a sigh and a smile ventured also onto his face. "Seriously, Fluff. What am I going to do with you?"
She grinned back. "Nothing, because you're stuck with me from now on."
"Is this a marriage proposal?" He quipped.
She went red up to the tips of her ears. "No, it's not!"
.
.
After a long walk Vivian returned to the hospital and headed for Nick's room. A pair of cheerful voices could be heard from inside. She took a discreet peek and saw a bunny sitting on the edge of the bed, chatting and exchanging jokes with a red fox in hospital scrubs. The vixen smiled to herself and silently left.
.
.
Few days have passed since Nick's admission to the hospital. Of course Judy was visiting him every day after work and after some chatter he had to almost force her out so she could get some sleep before her next day of work. Finally, the doctor gave him a green light and the fox was free to leave with a 'medical blessing'. The bunny insisted on celebrating his release and after her shift invited Nick to a new restaurant, she was sure the fox couldn't know about, since he was hospitalized at the time of opening. And he had to admit that this is his first time at that place and gave her the satisfaction of knowing something he was yet to learn. *Cute little bunny.* He thought, smiling at the competitiveness of his furry friend.
They chose a spot outside. She was sitting at the opposite side of the table, sipping her strawberry milkshake with content. Nick went with a frozen coffee with whipped cream.
"I must say, after the hospital diet, this is heaven." Stated the fox with a smack of his lips.
"Glad you like it, Clawhauser was here before and strongly recommended this place."
Nick chuckled. "Well this is his field after all. We can count on his reviews on this topic."
She joined with her giggle. "That's for sure! We could-"
"THIEVES! HELP! THIEVES ROBBED MY SHOP!"
Both mammal's ears shot up and they turned to the street. On the opposite side a pair of jaguars were running with a large backpack, chased, at least for several meters by a ram in a suit. Judy jumped over the table, her paw already on the tranquilizer gun. She took aim and shot at the jaguar carrying the backpack. The bunny's trained hand proved to be very accurate and the dart stung the running predator, the paralyzing drug quickly doing its work and the thief collapsed on the pavement. The black jaguar noticed his partner's fall and stopped to grab the bag but he spotted a bunny in a police officer's uniform running towards him. With a disappointed snarl he darted off into the nearest alley.
Judy followed swiftly, Nick running after her. This chase reached to the feral part of him, triggering the primal instincts. He was now a predator hunting down a fleeing animal. Adrenaline rushed through his body, forcing his limbs to an even faster run.
"Damn it! We lost him!" Judy shouted, couldn't track the feline with her hearing in the maze of alleys filed with echoing sounds of the streets.
But Nick's nose wouldn't be fooled by noise.
"This way!" He rushed into one of the passageways. The fox could smell traces of fear and irritation, coming from the running jaguar. But now it was joined by a new smell. *Gasoline?* He ran around the nearest corner only to see the front of a SUV, engine already running and the thief behind the wheel. The jaguar turned on the lights, blinding Nick for a second. There was a screech of tires and the car shot forward, clearly aiming at the fox.
"Nick, watch out!" He heard a shout behind him and suddenly a pair of paws was on his back pushing him forward with great force. The fox toppled forward and rolled over the asphalt several times before stopping. But even during that uncomfortable motion he heard a thud of metal hitting flesh, followed by a second noise, that sounded like a furred mammal hitting a brick wall. Nick got to his feet in a blink of an eye, hoping that he won't see the sight he was dreading. But his prayers remained unanswered, as right by the alley's wall lied a hunched up body of Judy Hopps.
*No... NO!* He rushed towards her. *Nonono, you DUMB BUNNY! Don't do this to me!*
And that's when he heard a triumphant yell. "Hah! Got ya' cop!"
In that instant all reason left his mind and for Nicholas Wilde the world went red.
.
.
Zungo was cursing under his muzzle as this was supposed to be an easy job, but that rabbit had to make things difficult. At least he evened the score when he hit her with his car. With a satisfied grin he reached for the shift stick to switch to reverse. But then he heard a thump and the entire car shook. A red fox landed on the hood.
"Tha hell?! Geroff!" Yelled the black jaguar, with no effect. The fox jumped at the windshield and hit it with his fist. A small crack appeared. He hit again. Zungo covered his eyes, fearing that the glass would break, but it held out. It was high time to get out of this place. He reached for the shift stick again but the fox let out a spine chilling growl. It sounded like nothing the jaguar ever heard in his life. It had the sort of vibe that pierced the body and gnawed the bones. And it didn't end with that, the fox released a furious barrage of strikes against the windshield, the growl growing in tenacity, more cracks appearing with every hit. The thief started considering running on hindpaws and even started inching toward the back seat, but that's when the glass finally broke, a red furred arm pierced right through and grabbed Zungo by the jacket. To his horror he was yanked forward with great force, getting squashed on the front window. His attacker pulled him several more times, each earning the jaguar a bump on the head. It seemed that the red fox lost his patience with this method and pulled once again with a furious snarl. This time the whole window got ripped out of its frame, much to jaguar's terror. The fox twisted his waist and threw the thief on the pavement. Zungo landed heavily, groaning in pain, the broken windshield on top of him. He managed to shove it off, just to be caught by the throat by a couple of paws. The red fox yanked him up in the air in an iron grip. The jaguar coughed and struggled for air, trying to free himself by pulling those arms apart, but they didn't even budge. It felt like being caught in a vice. He could even swear that the grip was tightening. Panic started to take over his mind and he tried to claw at the fox, but as soon Zungo's arm was close to his muzzle, the fox's jaw clasped around the black jaguar's paw. The thief screamed in pain as sharp fangs sunk into his body.
"You crazy?! What the f-" He faltered seeing the fox's eyes. Bloodshot, mad emeralds stared at him with slightly narrowed pupils. Gaze from the opposite side of sanity that froze his blood.
The fox spat out Zungo's hand and focused again on crushing his throat.
"Hh kld hrr..." Even through the layer of fear, the jaguar heard an unintelligible snarl, uttered by the fox through gritted teeth. Fighting for a tiniest intake of air, Zungo didn't even try deciphering it.
"Hhou killd hrrr!" It came again, slightly more clear.
Realization dawned on the thief, as he finally understood the message. Apparently, it meant that no amount of begging would save his life now.
You killed her.
He resigned himself to death and his eyes began rolling back.
"Hopps!" Cracked an electronic voice. The fox snapped his head towards it.
"Judy, are you there? The backup is on its way; they'll be there in five." That was Clawhauser's voice, coming from Judy's police radio.
Nick snapped back to reality, just before tossing the thief aside. Zungo flew through the air and hit the car with a grunt before collapsing unconscious onto the ground. Unaware that, while weighing not even half of a male jaguar, he threw Zungo like a paper doll, Nick scrambled towards his friend. As he got closer, his enhanced hearing picked up the sweetest sound he ever heard in his life - faint breathing.
*Fluff! You're... You didn't...* Though he'd never admit it, Nick was on the verge of tears. Judy was indeed breathing, the hit just rendering her unconscious. His first instinct was to hug her and wake her up, but he restrained himself when he remembered that it was better to not move a victim of a car accident.
*Car accident...* He thought and looked back at the jaguar. The predator was lying completely out cold on the ground, next to his own car. But more concerning was the damage to the windshield. When a team of police officers will arrive, they'll surely ask a few questions that will be very difficult to answer for the fox.
*They can't see this.* It was the simplest way to solve the problem, but difficult to implement due to the lack of time. It was one of those moments when you had to get creative.
.
.
Officers McHorn and Snarlov were the first to arrive at the scene. There, they met the red fox, sitting next to an unconscious bunny and holding her paw.
"She got hit by that crooks' car! Before I could do anything the bastard drove away!" He pointed a side alley where a trail of tire tracks seemed to confirm his statement.
"I called an ambulance, they said that they'll be here in two minutes." He said with a concerned voice.
The rhino ushered him aside with the standard 'please-let-us-do-our-job' formula and Snarlov checked the bunny's pulse.
"She's knocked out, but alive." He informed his partner with relief. They may not have known Hopps for a long time, but she was a fellow officer and that was all that mattered.
When the ambulance arrived, paramedics took care of Judy and reluctantly agreed to take the pleading fox with them to the hospital. McHorn and Snarlov stayed behind to secure the crime scene and search the perimeter.
.
.
Nick was asked to stay behind in the hospital's corridor while doctors wheeled the bunny to the ICU. The fox had to listen and leave his friend in the hands of professionals. He decided to sit down with a cup of dreadfully awful coffee and dedicate himself to waiting. His mind searched through the pages of anatomical encyclopedia, trying to figure out what kind of injuries she could have sustained. *It's great that she's alive, but what if this incident leaves her crippled? She worked so hard to be a cop, she'd never accept not being able to return to service...*
His nose informed him of approaching beacon of grumpiness.
Chief Bogo stood by Nick and glared down at him. "I'm dying to hear what happened out there, fox."
Nick swallowed down the nasty remark that came up after hearing buffalo's tone of voice, he was used to doing it. The fox explained how Judy got hit and made up the part, in which the thief drove away.
Bogo stared at Nick, arms folded and eyes narrowed.
"You screwed up." He stated coldly.
Nick's ears perked up. "Excuse me?"
"Exactly what you just heard. Hopps wouldn't be in such state if not for you."
*What the hell he is talking about?! I even freaked out because she ended like this, how could I ever cause this?!*
The buffalo leaned down. "You rushed forward and your overconfidence put Hopps in a spot where she had to get hurt herself or watch you getting hurt. And no ZPD officer would ever allow any harm to be done to any kind of citizen of this city. Had you been a policemammal, you would understand this and never acted rashly."
Nick's ears drooped, guilt hitting him like a freight train. He recalled his run, the excitement of the chase, all that led to the moment Judy got hit. *He's right... If I wouldn't rush forward like an idiot we could have avoided this...*
He wanted to bite himself, claws tightening on his knee, pressing against the skin.
"On the positive note, I got the word from the doctor's that she'll be fine. Just a mild concussion." The chief grunted. "She's awake and you can go in. But!" He pointed a hoof at Nick. "That's enough of your little 'cooperation', you hear me? I'm not letting one of my officers run around with a civilian and play cops and robbers. If you really want to do it, graduate from the academy and ONLY THEN I will consider pairing you up. Yeah, I know that you applied. So better don't screw up." With that chief Bogo turned his back to him and walked away. But he paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder. "Oh and tell Hopps that if I see her working again with a civilian then she'll be on parking duty for a month." And he left.
Nick sat in the same spot for some time. Letting the buffalo's words sink in. In a way, he was grateful for this. The chief set him a straight line that he could follow, without sidestepping and looking for other routes. *That means… academy, here I come…* He thought without humor. He threw the paper cup into the trash can and headed to see the bunny.