Chapter Text
After such a warm August, the early days of September were surprisingly cold. That, along with the twinge in his left ankle made him question why he was walking to the park. He tugged his hoodie slightly, trying to keep some amount of warmth from being stolen by the stiff breeze. For once, he found himself wishing for his coat of winter fur, despite the trouble it caused. Turning a corner, he stepped directly into the late morning sun, blinding him until he raised a paw. In his head, he found a few of the more artful Lapine curses appropriate at forgetting his sunglasses.
In the light, at least he didn’t have to worry about being cold; everything else however was another matter. Judy was patrolling without him today, and would have to be for the next few days while he was stuck on medical leave. It was something that made him slightly nervous. What if something happened to his partner, his wife, his Soulmate? He should be out there with her. Of course, his body took that opportunity to remind the fox exactly why he wasn’t, with another small twinge.
The doc had said he should consider himself lucky, especially for a mammal his size after apprehending a far larger perp. Judy said the swelling looked painful, which it was. The Chief said what he did was unorthodox and outside precinct practices, but effective despite requiring a short term leave. All three of them reacted poorly when he tried to attend the next morning’s briefing. He was on time, awake, attentive, and didn’t even make a sarcastic comment for once. Little more than a half-hour later, the fox found himself escorted back to the apartment by both Officers Higgins and Trunkaby. Neither of them could fit through the front door so they had Wolfard walk him to his room. They even had Fangmeyer and Jackson on call. Nick was certain most high profile raids had less planning than just getting him out of the precinct. At least Judy had cooled down by the time she returned home, somewhat.
Nick tried to use the memory of events a few days ago to distract him from his, honestly minor, injury. It wasn’t really working, truth be told. Every time he put weight on his joint, it only seemed to hurt a little more. The park was only a few blocks away, but finally sitting down on the hard benches was a much needed relief. That ankle would definitely need ice on it later, if he wanted to be able to walk without a limp when Judy got home.
He had to get out of the apartment; he would have lost his mind if he hadn’t. There was only so much sleeping in late, and nutflix he could take before he started to get bored. He would never admit it out loud, but for once he wouldn’t mind being back at work. Nick sighed and looked around the small neighborhood green-space once more. It was quiet, practically deserted on a weekday and he had only the passing cars for company. This may have been the same park where he proposed to Judy the previous year, but alone during the day it just didn’t hold the same emotions. Nick stood up and gingerly began walking towards the street, it was time to leave.
Returning home was much faster than the seemingly long walk out. Of course, the Zuber may have had something to do with that. Nick sprawled across the couch, with a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped around his ankle. It managed to keep the swelling down. In contrast, there was a steaming bowl of soup on the end table near his head. Some of Bonnie Hopps’ butternut squash soup, Judy nearly swore by the stuff and had been proclaiming its healing effects. It was thick, savory, and had the slightest hint of cinnamon. With a taste like that, all of those miraculous attributes just may have been true.
A certain tension built in the fox’s chest as he waited alone. His mate’s shift ended at five, a time that came and went without much fanfare. He knew it was unrealistic to expect Judy to walk through the door the minute her shift ended, but that didn’t make him want it any less. Half an hour later and he finally heard the door rattle slightly before opening. Judy had returned.
Slung across one shoulder was their usually shared gym bag, while the other held a plastic grocery bag.
“Hey Slick, doin’ alright?” The words were out of her mouth while the door was still closing behind her.
“Bored, but other than that just fine.” He didn’t dare check his ankle, instead hoping the vegetables had done their job before he put them back in the freezer. “Anything interesting happen around the Precinct?”
“Not really, just more of the same. I do have some news for you however.”
“Does it have anything to do with what’s in that bag?”
“Not really, that’s something I picked up on the way home. I managed to pull a few strings and can get you back in the precinct starting Thursday.” That made Nick’s ears perk up instantly.
“There’s a catch, right?” Judy nodded in response.
“You’re going to be stuck on paperwork duty until the doc gives you the ok for active duty.”
“Great, can’t wait.” He was being honest, even paperwork was better than just sitting around. “What did you pick up then?”
“Oh, you know, not much… Just some of those flavored crickets you were talking about last week. I got three different kinds, since I didn’t know which one you liked the best.”
“Judy, you have no idea how happy you make me, and it isn’t just because of the crickets.”