Chapter Text
Judy quietly sat in the hospital chair, head down, foot thumping on the ground, carrot pen clicking in her hand. There were a few other officers around her, talking with each other, maybe her, even. She didn’t really care. There was only one officer she actually wanted to hear right now, and she wasn’t sure she would ever get the chance again.
Nick and Judy were currently looking for Woolter, one of Bellwether’s goons that had managed to escape during Nick’s prison breakout. They had already caught Bellwether herself, and she had been kind enough to give up a few of her henchworker’s hideout spots in exchange for better conditions in her cell.
Nick had made some stupid comment about there not being any honor among thieves, or former government conspirators, in this case.
Judy had just rolled her eyes, smiling as the two headed off for their first target location; an old rundown building out in the Zootopia Harbor area. She pointed out that crazed power-hungry sheep weren’t exactly the type to worry about her follower’s well-being, which Nick had agreed on.
The building used to be an office, but the business running out of it had long gone bankrupt. Since it wasn’t in a spot many businesses wanted to move in, it had sat empty for over a decade, making it a decent hiding spot for any prison escapees.
A tall shadow appeared above Judy. She looked up to see Chief Bogo standing over her, looking concerned for the small rabbit. “Hopps,” he said, his voice as she had ever heard it. “You need to get checked out by a nurse.”
“I’m fine,” she responded, her own voice far shakier than she wanted it to be.
“No, you’re not,” Bogo said firmly. “You're covered in blood and bruises and just went through something traumatic. Sitting here not getting help won’t do him any good.”
“Well, maybe I can’t do him any good,” she spat back bitterly. “That’s why he’s in here, right? Because of me? Because I couldn’t save him?”
Bogo sighed, getting down on his knee as close as eye level as he could reasonably get with the smaller mammal. “You know as well as I do that isn’t true. And I think he would agree with me. You can’t save everyone, especially in this line of work.”
Judy put her head in her hands, desperately fighting back tears. She couldn’t let them see her like this. Not here.
“Are we sure this is a good idea, Fluff?” Nick asked hesitantly as they pulled up to their destination, the setting sun casting deep shadows on the abandoned building. She was already getting out of her seat, ready to get in the action.
“It’s fine, Nick,” she assured him. “We’ve dealt with this guy before, and that was before you went through the Academy. Plus we were on a moving train fighting two other rams. We can handle this one guy by himself. We’re the Dream Team.”
“I suppose you’ve got a point there, Carrots,” Nick said as he walked with her to the door. After checking to make sure the door was unlocked, he pulled out his tranq gun and looked back to make sure Judy had done the same. She nodded her head, ready for action, and Nick quickly opened the door, both guns sweeping the room.
Nick quickly checked behind the door, giving Judy a thumbs up. She nodded, face serious. The two entered the building, ready to face whatever threat came their way.
Judy didn’t know how long it had been since Bogo had talked to her, much less since when she got here. It could have been a few minutes or a few hours, and she wouldn’t be able to tell you with any confidence. All she could do was hold onto the carrot pen as if it was the only thing holding her down, the only thing keeping her from spiraling.
“Judy?” a voice called gently, pulling Judy out of her trance. She looked up to see Vivian Wilde walking towards her, emerald green eyes filled with worry. She pulled Judy in for a hug. “How are you holding up, dear?” she asked, pulling back to look at her.
“I’m OK,” she lied, hoping she wouldn’t catch on. “Just waiting for news on Nick. Is he ok?” Judy hadn’t heard anything since they got here. Maybe talking about that would distract Vivian from how Judy felt like she was about to fall apart.
Vivian sat down next to the bunny. “Still don’t know for sure, but the doctor said his odds are looking better. They patched him up pretty well, but he lost a lot of blood. Now, I’m going to ask again,” she said firmly. “because I know you weren’t being truthful with me just now, how are you doing?”
Judy’s flashlight swept across the building, most of it in disarray. Dust floated through the air, the flashlight beam catching the little particles. The air filled with the smell of rotting wood, making Judy’s nose twitch. Desks were strewn about, debris from the roof and years of neglect littered the floor.
“Hello!” Judy called, her ears on a swivel. “Judy Hopps, ZPD! We’re looking for Woolter White! Come out with your hands in the air!”
The demand is met with silence. “Looks like he’s not going to come out easily,” Nick commented quietly. He had his flashlight out, but kept it off, his night vision giving him good visibility even without it. “Either that, or he’s not here. Let’s sweep the building quickly, I don’t like doing this without backup.”
“Got it,” she confirmed, already scanning for any hiding spots the ram might fit in. Suddenly, a cracking sound comes from behind a desk, and the two instantly swing towards it. Judy made a ‘follow me’ gesture with her hand, and Nick nodded, moving to cover her back.
The two moved down an aisle of cubicles, Judy looking towards the right side where the sound came from while Nick covered the left. When she gets to the last one lined up against the wall, she swings around quickly, tranq gun ready to fire, just to be met by yet another empty cubicle. “Nothing here,” she said, looking at Nick. “Let’s go check out-”
Nick burst towards her at the same moment someone charged her from the cubicle opposite the one she checked. They had found Woolter. Or rather, he had found them.
“It’s my fault,” she spilled out, a few of the tears she’d been holding back slipping through as Vivian brought her into another hug.
“Don’t say that, sweetheart,” the vixen comforted. “You’re not the one who put him in the hospital, are you?”
"But I'm the reason he was there in the first place," Judy argued. "He wasn't there because he wanted to be there. He was there to protect me." She slumps back down in her chair, putting her head in her hands. "He saved me, and now he might die for it."
The moment Judy felt Nick wrapping himself around her, the two were instantly knocked off their feet, sent flying into the corner of the desk. The table crunched at the impact, and Judy was already trying to get unwrapped from Nick's grasp and onto her shaking legs. As she stumbled, she quickly scanned the area, looking for their target.
Woolter was stuck headfirst into wall of the cubicle, trying to yank himself out. Judy reached for her tranq gun, only to realize it was on the floor across from her. She lunged for it, Woolter finally wrenching himself free at the same moment, stumbling backwards between Judy and Nick.
The two stared at each other for a brief moment, before Judy quickly aimed her gun and fired. Woolter tried to dodge, but the shot was aimed true, hitting the ram solidly in the arm. He briefly fought against the effect of the dart for a moment, but inevitably fell down, horns thudding against the ground.
"Yes!" Judy celebrated. She got back on her feet, pulled out her handcuffs, and stumbled over to slap them onto the sleeping perp. "Another arrest to add to the list! Nick, help me get him to the cruiser."
He didn't respond.
"Nick?" she asked, looking over at her partner still lying on the ground by the desk. He was at least still breathing, but what other injuries did he sustain taking that hit for her? Probably at least a few broken ribs and a concussion. She looked back down at Woolter. As she made sure he wouldn't be able to get up and start running or fighting while she checked on her partner, she saw something that made her blood freeze.
One of the ram's horn was covered in blood. And it wasn't Woolter's.
Vivian put a calming hand on Judy's shoulder. "You know that isn't fair to yourself, Judy." she said gently. "You didn't ask him to do that, and you're not the one who hurt him."
"That doesn't matter," she protested. "I wasn't careful enough to realize Woolter was behind me, and I wasn't fast enough to avoid him. So Nick had to save me again."
"And that was his choice, Judy," Vivian countered. "You didn't make him join the ZPD, and you didn't make him become you partner. He made that decision. And I know that no matter what, he won't regret it."
She stood up, taking Judy's hands as she did so. "Now, let's get you checked out. You're covered in blood, that's not usually a good sign."
"I'm fine," Judy protested, even as she let herself be guided by Vivian's hands. "Most of it's not mine, anyways."
"Nick!" Judy frantically ran over to the fallen fox, checking on her partner in a panic. As she tried to roll him over to check for injuries, she felt blood soaking through the back of his shirt. She tried to get a good look at where she thought it was coming from, and she realized that in her rush to check on Nick, she had forgotten to grab a flashlight. She looked around and the light seeping out from under the desk. She dove for it, knowing she needed to see the state of her partner in order to actually help him. Turning around, she almost wanted to puke.
Nick was still breathing, but he had been knocked unconscious by the collision with the ram and the desk. His back had a deep gash running across the right shoulder blade where Woolter had hit him. It almost reminded Judy of her injury at the Natural History Museum, but this was significantly deeper.
Judy reached for her radio on her belt, quickly bringing it to her mouth. "Clawhauser, this is Judy Hopps, I have 10-00 at my location, I'm going to need an ambulance. Officer Wilde is down." It felt like someone else was possessing her body as she called in the ambulance, confirming the location for the cheetah. She crawled over to the fox and rolled him onto his front. Tearing off a chunk of his uniform, she did her best to cover the wound and stop the bleeding as she pleaded to whatever higher power might be out there to keep him here. She wasn't worried about the blood that soaked her uniform, as long as Nick stayed alive.
Judy was grateful that she always brought a change of clothes to leave in the cruiser when she went out. As much as she didn't want to leave for a moment, on the off chance some news comes out and she isn't there to hear it, she is glad to no longer be covered in Nick's blood. Wearing the simple t-shirt and pair of jeans made her feel less like she was going to break down at any moment, if only by a little.
"Feeling better, sweety?" Vivian asked as she walked out of the bathroom.
Judy nodded her head. "A little bit. Still not great, though."
Vivian nodded sympathetically. "I know. You look like you've been running on fumes for a while now. You know there's nothing wrong with going home, right?"
"I'm not leaving," Judy said firmly, standing up straight as she tried to make herself seem less tired. "Not until I know he's OK."
"The doctor said they might not know for a while, dear. There's no shame in going home and coming back when he's awake."
Yes, there is, Judy thought, but she kept it to herself. He was there for me, I'll be there for him. "I'm not leaving," she said stubbornly.
Vivian just shook her head. "If half the things Nicholas has told me about you are true, I'm not going to be able to convince you otherwise, am I?" Vivian sighed as Judy firmly shook her head. "Well, let's at least see if we can get you somewhere to rest for the night. I'll wake you if there are any updates, how's that sound to you?"
"OK," Judy confirmed quietly. "Sounds good."
"Great, I'll go ask if they have a blanket for you." Vivian headed out to find a nurse, Judy following close behind. They managed to get a decently secluded are for Judy to sleep, even if she did have to sleep on the ground with just a blanket and pillow. But Judy didn't really care. As she curled up, waiting for sleep to take her away from what had started to feel like a nightmare, she cradled the carrot pen close to her face.
Not worried anymore that someone might hear, she played the recording.
*Love ya, partner*
As she finally broke down in tears, she prayed that it wouldn't be the only time he would ever say that.