Hey all! NickHopps_JudyWilde here! I’ve got here the next chapter of Honeymoon Vacation, A New Case! I know I seemed to have been dead but I was writing the next chapter after this one as well! Oh and the beautiful drawing above is all thanks to the brilliant @skeletonguys-and-ragdolls again thank you so much for this awesome commission! Now without further delay, I give you the next chapter of Honeymoon Vacation. A New Case Tears threatened to well up in the Judy's eyes. Everything that Nick had just spoken out came from his caring and loving heart. She had heard Nick say something along those lines before. Even before he proposed to her, he would always remind her of how much he loved her, everyday. Whether they were at work, in public, or at home, he would constantly say that he loved her. He proved that more than once since they've been together. But it meant so much more now that every one in the entire church, to those in her family that didn't know Nick all that well, to Nicks friends who she didn't really know, since he knows everybody in Zootopia. The vows she had written out a few nights before were in her paw underneath her dress. But watching Nick toss his to the side and speak freely, she had decided to do the same. So before she began speaking, the cards in her paws fell to the ground. "I also had my vows written down, but since my future husband decided to toss his and speak from the heart, I want to do the same. I'm not about to let him one up me." The crowd laughed a little hysterically to Judy's playful tease. The sly fixed gaze that Nick was giving her made it clear that she saw right through him, like she always did with ease. She knew that somewhere down the line of their marriage, he would bring back that instance where he was more "prepared" than her. Plus, she liked a little competition with her fox every once in a while. It was healthy, she convinced herself with a chuckle to follow. "Anyways," she started, fixating her eyes up into the gleaming emeralds of Nicks loving gaze, holding her shaking paws out in front of her from the nerves coursing through them. "Nick, since the first day I met you, you have been an inspiration to me. Even though you were just a con fox when we first met, I saw something in you. Especially that morning on the SkyTram, when you told me one of your dark memories from your past that was very hard for you to do at the time, I could tell that there was a kind hearted fox underneath that mask of a con fox. And no matter how much I pushed you through the first case of my career and how I black mailed you into helping me, you were still willing to help me." She must had been saying the right things because Nick was chuckling and smiling. Along with that, his bushy tail was wagging from side to side, a clear indicator for Judy. "And even after I hurt you inside the precinct from something that I should have never said, and even a few months ago I hurt you again, you still chose to help me and be with me again. You chose to help me even when you had no reason to, and helped solve a very tough case and stopping a criminal from hurting any more mammals. I love you so much for that Nick and I promise that as long as I live and as long as we're married, I will never do anything to hurt you again. I want to make you the happiest fox in the entire world." And from the look in his eyes, the way he was looking at that her with the threatening tears under his eyes, just like she was when he made his vows to her, she had said exactly what she needed to. Even her family and the rest of the crowd in the church began tearing up, a few sniffles from a few of the Hopps' family, Fru Fru and the rest of the bridesmaids sniffled. And of course, Clawhauser was tearing up like the big softy that he was. But she wasn't done just yet. "I love you more than anything else in this world Nick, and nothing is ever going to change the way I feel about you. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me." She said in the most blissful way she could, while holding back the happy tears in her eyes. And like Nicks vows, everyone clapped for her speech. Oh how she wanted to just get married right now. She wanted Nick to place that golden ban on her ring finger, and her doing the same for Nick. She wanted to so bad place Nick's ring on his soft ring finger. If the preacher wasn't about to pronounce them husband and wife soon, she might just grab Nick and bring him down to her level, and finish the vows herself. Her dreams were coming true, finally, the love of her life just feet away. Nick was starting to feel the nerves getting to him, his fur starting to sweat underneath his dress suit. Even his forehead, and cheeks were starting to feel a little warm. Not including the small amount of tears he had just shed, the fur under his eyes even smelt like sweat. It was also the middle of the day, in the middle of summer at that, so it was no wonder he was sweating as bad as he was. He would've preferred a winter wedding, so that way he wouldn't be sweating up a storm as bad as he would if he had his fluffy, winter coat. But, regardless of the weather, it was all worth the wait, and constant sweating to see his bunny in her wedding day whites. Such a moment that he had been waiting for was finally here. All they were waiting for now was for the pastor. "Thank you, Ms. Hopps," the pastor looked down to smile at her. Then his soft face turned over to Nick. "And thank you both for such lovely, and meaningful vows." He turned to Nick, and then to Judy, a wide and vibrant smile from the snow leopards furry white grin. "In all my years as a pastor, I've heard many, upon many different vows. But through all of the vows I've heard, those were by far the most meaningful ones that could have ever been said. May you both fulfill those vows everyday you're with each other for the rest of your lives." The crowd applauded along in agreement with the pastor, standing in their seats. And even though they were asked time and time again to try and stay quite during the ceremony, none of them cared. Because their reactions were mirrored to that of the pastors own internal feelings. Even the officers stood up; Bogo, Clawhauser, Delgato, and many of the others from the ZPD, all clapped. Each one of them were beyond proud of both Judy and Nick. *********** Her heart raced from fear, an agonizing gut twisting feeling, and the fact that she was running as fast as she could down the streets of Metropolis. Judy's tears hadn't stopped running down her now soaked cheeks ever since she zoomed out of the hotel. She didn't use the elevator. Instead, she jumped each level on staircases without missing a single beat, landing on her strong feet and then jumping onto the next floor. Like an action movie actor would do in some of their films. Her mind was on Nick, and the baby, while making those risky jumps. Within milliseconds, she would predict where she would land on the staircase. And all of this happened within five minutes from when she left the room all the way to the streets. It felt like a blink of her eye to her, that’s how fast she left. She was now at least more than a few blocks away from the hotel. And only one thing was on her mind; Nick. The call she had received was from the Metropolis Hospital, explaining to her that Nick was there, with a few injuries sustained. She gave the bunny no details about her husband except to get their as quickly as she could. And that made her mind twist her thoughts into thinking something terrible had happened to him. Dying, unfortunately, was one of those thoughts. With the little sense left, she tried ridding the thought all together. She was refusing that something like that had happened to her husband, but the despair in her didn't seize any less from before. Running down the opposite direction of other mammals down the street, her shoulder had taken a couple hits from running into other mammals. It was sore, but cared she did not. "Please be okay Nick! Please be okay!" She pleaded to herself as she made another quick turn down another street. The GPS on her phone was working overtime. She took a few short cuts that her phone wasn't showing her, the voice constantly saying "recalculating" every time she took a different path. It was almost like she knew exactly where to go, even though she had never been to the hospital herself. It was as if some sort of connection was drawing her to Nick with every step she took. The hospital was in the opposite direction from their hotel room, so she had no clue what it looked like. But was soon about to find out. The last corner she turned was the last one she had to make before coming face to face with the Metropolis Hospital. As if it were a famous statue from the old ages, it stood majestically above the other smaller buildings around it. Judy, however, wasn't there to marvel at it. Nick was in there, somewhere, in that huge compound with the many rooms and windows. She ran across the street without even looking both ways. Her rule of ‘doing anything she could to not hurt the baby’ was screaming at her. It wasn't like it was intentional, her mentality too sending red flags through her body. But her thoughts were on Nick, which almost clouded all sense of judgement for herself. The sliding doors were almost too slow to open for Judy, close to not being able to squeeze in between the giant doors as they opened. Not soon after, her ears picked up on the sound of tires screeching to a halt. Looking back for a second, she saw a glimpse of Jack and Skye jumping out of the cruiser that had picked them up from the hotel, followed by a single MPD officer, another rabbit at that. She couldn't wait for them to catch up, not when the help desk was just thirty yards ahead of her. Skidding to a halt after reaching the desk, not waiting for the nurse to look up from her computer, she blurted out, "Nick Wilde! Where is his room?!" Her breathing was heavy, and her legs felt weak. She almost couldn't utter the words because of how much oxygen her lungs were begging for. Along with that, her patience was running thin with the honey badger nurse behind the desk. She hadn't even attempted to look up at here, even though it had been a short time when she had asked where her husband was. Then, from the corner of her eye, white fur and tall gray striped ears appeared next to her. Skye and Jack had finally joined her. She was grateful for them for being there. But her gratitude to them changed as once again, her staring gaze returned to the nurse just in front of her. "Ma'am?" She asked to try and get her attention. She was boiling with anger inside, while trying to maintain herself and stay collected. Calm was left out. Fear, anxiety, and gut wrenching thoughts replaced it, swirling around her mind. Her glare soon turned into a hostile stare. Like she's done to Nick countless times before, her teeth were bared. It wasn't as threatening as actual fangs, but it would get her point across if the honey badger would ever look up. After about another minute passed, the irritable bunny had enough. "Ma'am!" She yelled out. Her grip on the edge of the large round receptionists desk could have been ripped off along with the rest of the roof of it. It was wood, so there was no surprise that she was able to make a few cracks come out. Luckily for the honey badger, her ears perked up towards Judy. If they hadn't within that time frame, she would have jumped over the desk and start demanding to know where her husband was. She looked up and over from her computer, a look of surprise rising in her eyes. The bluetooth headphones that were embedded in the badgers ears were ripped out to meeting the bunnies dark gaze. Music blared out from the tiny speakers as they laid out on the desk. "I'm so sorry!" She apologized very quickly, seeing that she didn't have just one mammal waiting on her, but three. "How can I help..." "Where is my husband?" She demanded for the second time. She had calmed down now she had gotten a response. Her need to knowing where Nick was was burning hotter than before. And if this nurse wasn't quick enough, she was going to look through each and every room until she found him. "Okay," the badger affirmed, getting back into work mode. "What's your husbands..." The badger was once again cut off by Judy, replying back to the nurse, "Nick Wilde. He's a red fox with a white chest, green eyes. He's about four foot tall." The badger ended her typing, questioning whether what she had just heard was correct. "A... Fox?" "Yes! I'm an inter. My husband is a fox, and I'm carrying his baby." Not that the baby was necessary in this instance, but still a valid point. "Are we going to have an issue?" Judy asked irritably, and somewhat offended. Yup, her mood swings were back. "No ma'am! Not at all!" The nurse retorted. "I've just never met an inter before. It just caught me by surprise is all." As tired as she was, she tried sounding as truthfully convincing as she could. An eighteen hour shift, five cups of coffee and a triple shot of espresso didn't seem enough to help her deal with this type of situation. And possibly offending a pregnant bunny who was carrying the child of a fox... What a night it has been. Skye walked over next to Judy while the bunny was waiting for the nurse. The badgers' typing slowed, her eyes wandering to Judy and back to the screen. Heavy fingers tapped on the desk, Judy was patiently and eagerly waiting. "It's going to be alright Judy," Skye said, hugging the bunny close to her so she wouldn't feel alone. Looking up to Skye, what was once fear and a little bit of anger was turned into tears. Judy buried her face into the vixens white fur and began bawling her eyes out. She couldn't believe this was happening to her, and Nick. All she wanted to do was cry. Cry her eyes out until her tear ducts dried up and turned her eyes red. Skye started to caress her by giving her quiet shushes to try and calm her down. Jack sat idly by behind his love. He wasn't too good at helping others when they were down, other than Skye. But, he thought it best to let a female handle this type of situation. Skye seemed to have it under control. "Your husband is in room two-o-four on the second floor," the nurse finally said to Judy and the others. With that, Judy's ears shot up, her head turning on a swivel. She shot down the hall towards the stairs, a trail of tears falling in their wake. "Thank you!" She yelled back. The badger nurse didn’t have time to even stop her so she could tell the rabbit what floor he was on. She just sat there with a dumbfounded look, glancing to the white vixen and striped buck to her right, and then back to Judy who was now almost to the stairs. Doctors and nurses both looked at the bunny as she ran past them, some of their papers almost flying out of their clip boards from her dashing by them so fast. Her ears flew in the wind. Going up the stairs, she could feel herself starting to fatigue immensely. Her lungs hadn't had the chance to catch up with her heart rate, and her legs felt like complete jelly. Her body wanted to give out, telling her just to take a short break and regain some air. But her brain was more determined. The only thing keeping her going was the room that was just on the next floor, and her fox. Reaching to the top of the stairs and the second floor, she swung the door open so hard that it slammed into the rubber door stop on the wall, nearly crushing the wall behind it. The smell of blood, different types of medicines, disinfectants and floor cleaner filled her nose. It made her want to throw up, the smell was so excruciating. “215, 210..." She counted down, knowing that she was so close to finding Nick. "204." She finally made it. She slid to a halt before eagerly standing in front of the room Nick was in. She wanted to barge in, but she had to hold her self at bay. She may have already broken a few doors already. She stepped to the door and turned the knob, slowly. Whatever happened to her eagerness, she hadn't a clue. Now, she felt heavy. She wasn't sure if she was going to like what she was about to see on the other side or not. But, she had to go in. She had to be there for Nick. As many times as he has been there for her, she was not going to back down on him now. "For better or worse," she reminded herself. "Nick needs me." She opened the door without anymore delay and saw two doctors next to a bed, blocking the view of Nick. She could feel her heart and stomach drop from not being able to see any movement from Nick. Her ears dropped once more, and her tears began welling under her eyes. But, as if from some angelic presence that heard her silent prayer, his voice called out to her. "Judy?" A groggy voice called out. She had to blink twice to clear the tears so she could look towards the direction of where her name was being called from. And the voice was easily known. The doctors moved to different sides of the bed, and there he was. Her fox, his tail dangling down the side of the bed closest to one of the cheetah doctors. His head was bandaged, covering the whole of his head with his ears poking out from them. Underneath the white hospital gown he was wearing, more bandages were visible, covering as far up as his chest area, and maybe lower. Like opening the flood gates, her tears gushed out of her eyes uncontrollably. Her head lowered down to face the floor, drop after drop of her tears splashing down on the floor. In the blink of an eye, she jumped towards her unsuspecting husband. Landing on his lap, she gripped her arms around his chest and back, squeezing him as tight as she could while bawling in his chest. Nick let out a muffled yelp from his wife's unprecedented hug attack. He missed her a lot, and obviously she missed him too. Even more so, she was scared right out of her mind. Her loud whimpers were gasps of air between each drop of tear was proof enough. Although, the initial impact of her hug caused some serious discomfort in his rib cage, not to mention the migraine he was currently trying to nurse. The nurses actually helped out with that. "Oh my god, Nick! I thought you were dead!" Judy cried loudly into Nick. "I didn't know what to think what happened to you! You didn't return my texts or calls, and when I heard you were in the hospital, I... I..." She couldn't even finish her sentence from all of the emotions flowing through her. Sadness, fear, happiness, and a slight touch of anger filled her. Angry at him for not coming with her, Skye and Jack back to the hotel. And seeing the bandages on his head and fluffy chest made her cry even harder. Nick, though in pain, hugged his bunny back, as tight as his body would allow him to. He set her up in his lap so that her head was sitting on his shoulder, instead of crying on his chest and putting pressure on his ribs. Her arms instantly wrapped around his neck. "It's alright, Carrots. I'm here now. I'm here now," he rubbed her cheeks with his, drawing her close into him. "I'm not going anywhere." Judy cried for a good three minutes in the neck of her husband before she calmed down. A smile finally came back across her soaked cheeks, the warm loving scent of Nick filling her senses. Her fears of loosing him had faded away. She was beyond thrilled to see his sly green emeralds again, even though he was in a hospital bed with bandages on his body. Meanwhile, Skye and Jack had been standing in the doorway, watching the two Zootopians embrace the other with love. They had to give the two some space, especially after something as traumatic as finding out your husband was bed ridden at a hospital from God knows what. Which caught Jacks interest and question, what happened to Nick to cause him to be in the hospital? Something bad obviously, just the bandages alone proved that point. "Hey Nicky. Good to see you're doing well, for the most part" Jack said as he walked in to the room to greet his friend. Nick turned his attention to the doorway to see that slight smug smile on Jacks face. "Hey stripes, glad you and Skye could make it," he replied with a laugh, or what sounded like one to him. It sounded more of like a wheezing sound more than anything, or like someone trying to gasp for air after laughing for so long. Nick tried his hardest to sound like nothing was wrong with himself, just Nick being Nick. The one who always had a straight face on, no matter what was going on. But the condition that he was in was hard trying to maintain that constant face without any of the pain slipping out. "Head and body hurts to be honest," Nick chuckled again, feeling more pain with each breath. "What exactly happened?" Skye asked next, also curios. Judy had also asked herself that same question. Who, or what, caused such injuries? Nick rubbed the back of his head from the large bulging bump that protruded slightly through the bandages. Even the slightest touch made his head throb in pain. "To be honest with you all, I don't remember," he murmured, maintaining his straight face as much as possible. "What I do remember is walking back to the hotel and hearing some hushed voices in an ally. The next thing I knew, I’m waking up with a bloody head and laying on the ground hardly breathing. The rest is all a blank." "With the condition you are in, there is no way you could." A new voice entered the room, none of which any of them recognized. They looked for the cheetah doctors but they seemed to had left without them noticing. Then from the doorway, another figure appeared. But they were all expecting a full grown mammal, or even larger. Instead, however, a tiny mouse appeared. Brown in color with big floppy ears that hung down the side of his head. He looked to be around his thirties, or so they thought. It was hard telling the age of these little guys unless you asked them. He walked in with with what looked like a mouse sized X-Ray, his face entranced with the image that was in front of him. He stepped up into a built in wall escalator, mouse sized, that would lead him all the way the the patients side. "In case you're all wondering, I am Doctor Mousekewitz." The mouse had a Russian accent, mixed with a hint of a European tone. "I'll be looking after Mr. Wilde here until we know for sure that he is healthy enough to leave.” The escalator stopped close to Nick's bed and just shy of a doctors desk. He hopped off the small mechanical lift and onto the bed, close to Nick's left paw. "And looking at these X-Rays, it's going to be a while before you will remember anything from last night." Judy, Nick and the two MPD officers looked down on the mouse, all with different expressions on their faces. For Nick, it felt weird having a doctor who was almost the size of his finger, if not just a little bit bigger. He wasn't sure that the tiny mouse could even possibly help him with his condition, knowing that it was more than likely a severe concussion. He had enough childhood memories where he didn't wear his helmet while riding his bike or skateboard to know what a head injury felt like. "It's a concussion, isn't it?" Nick asked rhetorically. The little ears on the top of the Russian mouse's head perched. "Very good Mr. Wilde," the mouse said with a pleased smile. "At least you're memory isn't completely gone." Mousekewitz proceeded with a pen and paper and jotted down some notes. Regarding the red foxes condition, how he was managing the huge knot coming out from the back of his head, and how he was acting when responding to questions. "Do we know who or what caused this?" Skye asked the mouse, looking at the now enlarged picture of the X-Ray on a screen on the wall. Before deciding to become an officer, she had taken classes for being a pre-med. So the picture of Nicks brain wasn't confusing to her in the least. The others, yes, were probably confused to what they were looking at. In a normal healthy brain, the brain is more active without any real change to the brain itself. But with a sever concussion that Nick had, it was a large bruise on the back of his head, and on his brain. "What could have caused the concussion?" Nick asked, looking over the black and white colored scan of his brain. "Well, any number of things: hitting your head on a wall, slipping and falling on the cement and other scenarios. However..." He trailed off with his explanation, his tone changing drearily. The others looked to the doctor with uncertainty in their eyes. "This injury that Mr. Wilde has sustained came from someone hitting him intentionally from behind, with what appears to be a hoofed type mammal. But why the assailant stopped his attack, I have no clue." "Was there any other evidence from the crime scene?!" Judy asked quickly, the cop in her coming out. She had many upon many questions, as did Skye and Jack. The mouse smiled to the officers, and nodded. "Actually yes. Once the emergency was called, forensics looked for both hair and other types of fibers on Mr. Wilde here and may have found some evidence." Blissful smiles and ears short up with glee. That was amazing news to hear for Nick, and Judy. Now, hopefully there was more to the story now that some evidence was found. Jack was just about to ask the mouse doctor his own set of questions until his phone starting buzzing in his pocket. And the buzzer was one too familiar to him. For each division in the MPD, he had different ringtones for each call or text. And the one that was going off in his pocket was one he dreaded the most; homicide. "Hello?" He answered, closing his other ear so he could hear the caller clearly. And he already wasn't going to like the news he was about to receive. Upon hearing the news, his ears and former happy frown turned dreary. His worst fears had come to pass, but he was hoping with everything that he had that he was going to be wrong this time. Skye saw her lovers face and knew something was wrong. "Jack?" But was met with a pair of droopy ears and despondent eyes. "There was another body found at the crime scene as well. And it's the missing mammal that Nick had told us about." ******** Across town, a white van rushed through the darkened back ally’s before screeching to a halt in an abandoned warehouse outside the peeping eyes of the MPD. The drivers door, passenger and then the side sliding door whipped open, revealing five different mammals wearing black masks and dark clothing. "What the hell was that?!" The shortest one of the five yelled out, not to anyone in particular. But, regardless, he was pissed, his feet stomping hard on the concrete floor and echoing in the empty, abandoned building. His voice was muffled from the mask that covered his mouth, as were the others who were mumbling to themselves. "What are you talking about? We got rid of the body, what more do you want?" The tallest of the five answered. "I'm not talking about the body you long nosed idiot! I'm talking about the guy Kieran decked!" The smaller thug pointed harshly to the one right next to him. His right hand man who sat in the passengers seat on the way back. "What the hell was I supposed to do?!" He yelled back, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation. He then swiped the mask covering his face off and tossed it down to the floor. Kieran's nostrils flared with anger towards the beaver who had almost royally pissed him off. "He was watching what we were doing! We can't have witnesses! You told us that!" He yelled back. "Yeah, I said that. But did you make sure that you killed him?" The beavers' mask, as well as the other threes were taken off, their dark gazes facing towards the zebra. "Well... I... I think he's dead." His words stuttered as they came out. "What do you mean 'you think'?" Tim Underwood asked, his teeth gritting. Their gazes grew even darker with the crescent moon shining through the cracked and broken glass windows of the warehouse. "I mean, I hit him in the back of the head with a pipe, so I assumed that the fox was dead, or at least close to it." "How do you know it was a he? How do you know it wasn't a she?" Simon, the large hippo, answered back with his own questions. His large nostrils and snout scrunched towards the zebra with distaste in his eyes. The only thing that the zebra could think of to himself was cursing his idiocy. He had a feeling that they knew he was hiding something when he urged them to leave the ally before completely covering the body of the inter they had just killed. "God dammit," he muttered, but was loud enough for Sam, the beaver, to hear. "What?" He growled irritably, teeth bared. "I didn't think about it at the time, but when I took a look at the fox, something seemed so familiar about him." Kieran's gaze lowered even more. "What was?" The tension between the group was growing with each cricket chirp, and car horn blaring through the streets. "I... I think it was Nick Wilde." ******* Word of the attack on Nick, and the body found in the ally, had spread through news broadcasts and even back to the ZPD. Jack had asked Judy for her chiefs work number, being Bogo, so he could contact him. The bull told the striped buck, Judy and Nick that he, along with a task force that he was going to make were going to head to city of Metropolis to help out the MPD. "We will be there by tomorrow morning. So, in the meantime, Hopps and Wilde, you take care of yourselves and don't get into anymore trouble! We will find out who did this once we arrive, I give you my word." Bogo spoke through the speaker of the phone with passion, and the way a police chief was supposed to speak. It was tough and stern, like chief Bogo normally was. But deep within that hard voice of the bull, there was compassion and caring in it. During the phone call, Judy had found her way next to Nick, covering her feet under the blankets and keeping herself as close to Nick as she possibly could. She had leaned her head on his shoulder through the call. She, nor Nick, weren’t expecting a full blown assault from Zootopia's finest to come to Metropolis. Hell, neither of them had expected their honeymoon to turn out like it did; getting crossed within a crime that none of them were expecting, and Nick finding himself injured from an unknown attacker. Jack let out an exasperated sigh, plummeting down into the visitors chair by the wall. "One thing after another," the hare sighed heavily. "This is getting out of hand, but hopefully, with the ZPD's help, we'll be able to catch whoever did this to Nick." He looked over to Judy, her head resting on the shoulder of the now sleeping Nick. Her eyes were flirting with sleep, her breathing steady, with her ears tucked behind her back. She was just able to hear Jack, her mind only half awake. She would normally be asleep by now, around ten to eleven o'clock. It was now two a.m., and she was exhausted. Not only did the run cause her to be so tired, but also the stress from Nick's attack. "I hope so," the pregnant, tired bunny mumbled, speaking with her eyes closed. Jack huffed in agreement. "But once we do, I'm going to make them pay for what they did to Nick." Judy's change in tone was dark, and stern. This wasn't just your normal everyday threat. It was a promise that she was going to keep. "We will find whoever did this Judy. Don't worry. Justice will be served cold to these crooks." But his words fell onto sleeping ears. Judy was out like a light, just like her husband, sleeping somewhat peacefully in his arms. Jack watched over the two as they slept; or at least until another officer came to relieve him. They reminded him so much about Skye and himself: How they slept in each other's arms on nights where they could actually see each other after work, or go home with the other. It was blissful each time they did it. As late as it was, his eyes seemed to have been closing on their own. Not much of a surprise for him, but a bothersome none the less. But no matter how hard he tried to stay awake, his drowsiness was winning the fight. His day dreaming lead him to doze off, his mind bringing back the memory of the first time he and Skye shared the same bed with each other. They had been dating for a few months now, keeping it hidden from others that they were inters. But, being a new couple made them quite adventurous. Sneaking around the city at night and sometimes even during the day and going on dates and spending quality time together. Everyone was none the wiser, including the ones at the MPD. They acted just like normal partners would, hanging out, laughing, and doing their jobs like they were supposed to. Every once in a while, they would kiss, or have a make out session in a closet room during their break. And this went on for a long time. But as they excelled up the chain of command, it became less and less frequent for them to spend time with each other. Before long, however, the night came when both him and Skye decided that they were ready. Ready to take that one last step into their long relationship; making love. Both had flirted with the idea of it, but never went through with it because of their upcoming positions in the MPD. How they started it was simple: all they had to do was caress and touch the others most sensitive spots on their bodies. For Jack, it was a kiss on the neck, Skye's claws grazing the tips of his ears or nibbling them, or her warm breath on the crest of his ears and head. Each one made his feet thump with passion. And every time she did it, it aroused his senses to the maximum it could go, and possibly beyond. Although is tail was his favorite spot to be touched. Skye's sensitive spots were basically the same as his, but with a more sexier side to it. When he would graze his paws through the soft white fur of her tail, he could feel the goosebumps growing on her body. She would make little moans as his paws traced the edges of her jaw, arms, and the inner part of her thighs. The arctic fox bit her lips to the sensation, arousing her womanhood to the bucks soft touch. He asked if she was ready, and she responded only with a nod, containing her pleasurable moans. She laid down on the bed of Jack's, in his own apartment no less. But she wouldn't of had it any other way. She was naked, as was he, the bucks manhood hard and erect. This wasn't the first time that she's seen it. It wasn't intimidation that had her staring at it; it was the fact that she was going to be making love with the first rabbit she has ever been with in her life. And she was excited for being his first fox. The feeling of Jack inside her was more exhilarating than she had ever dreamed of. The mimicking moans they both made as Jacks member slid in and out of Skye's womanhood filled the room, their eyes not looking away from each other. The aroma around them was filled from the heat that both of them were releasing as the night led on, the sweat from Jack dripping down onto Skye. It felt like a workout during their academy days, except this was sweat made from love. And the kissing, oh god the sensual kissing just made the night even more, more. Jacks tongue tracing Skye's fangs, while Skye effortlessly fought with Jacks slippery muscle for dominance. And when the climax of their love was met, they wrapped their bodies around each other, their breaths heavy and shaky as Jacks seed filled the inside of Skye. The warm feeling of Jack's semen was fulfilling for Skye. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before in her life. The intoxicating scent of rabbit filled her nose, exciting her even more, her flaps squeezing Jacks member so he couldn't go anywhere. She didn't want him to either, and she saw in his eyes that he wanted to stay in that position just as much as she did. "Jack?" His eyes shot open, as wide as they could go. He hadn't realized that during his day dreaming, he had also fallen asleep. His eyes were heavy from staying up as late as he was, something he being the police chief rarely ever did, even on the weekends. They begged him to return to the dream world where they could finally rest, but with everything that is happening now, there was no way he was going to drop his guard, not when his friend was in a hospital bed. He looked over to the door that was at one point shut, now creaked open to expose the muzzle of his lover. She peeked in with one single eye showing. "Is everything okay? I heard you calling my name," she said with concern in her tone. His ears turned her way, making sure that he heard her right. "I was taking a nap, so I don't think I did." "Oh, sorry if I woke you," she whispered softly, opening to door more to make sure that she hadn't woken up Judy or Nick. "I just heard my name and thought something was wrong," she exclaimed softly once more. So he had heard her correctly. Was he talking in his sleep? While dreaming about that night? Not that it was a problem for him, but he just didn't want others to know about him and Skye unless it came out of his, or her, own mouth. Luckily, it was just him, Skye, Nick and Judy. "Sorry about that. Everything is fine, for the most part." He hesitated from saying that everything was fine because in actuality, everything wasn't. Not only did they have a murder case to solve, but also a deadly assault case as well. Skye's half smile to Jack turned into a frown once looking upon the fox and rabbit. "It's terrible to watch these two hurting. Especially when they're on their honeymoon." "It is," he agreed. "It's a damn shame. But we will find out who did this. I swear on my life I will." Skye tiptoed her way into the room, as quietly as she could to not wake the two on the hospital bed. "I know you will love," she smiled to him as she shut the door before letting in any unwanted noise from the outside. She sat on his lap, his strong muscular legs more than capable of supporting her tall, lengthy figure. "Just don't push yourself overboard with this one. You're still the police chief after all," she teased, flicking the tip of his nose with a finger. Her claw barely grazed the pink muscle as it twitched from the tickling sensation she caused it. "I know." He leaned his head on the crest of her elbow, his stripped ears falling down to her fur. God he was tired. The white fox couldn't help but chuckle at her bunny, who was trying to cheat his body from sleep; eyes darting open, before slowly closing once more. She couldn't help but run her claws through the rough fur on his head. She had no clue why, but he always seemed to calm down from her scratching his head. This went on for a few minutes before Skye took initiative of Jack. By this time, he had already fallen asleep in her arms, little snores leaving his open mouth. She quietly opened the door and peeked her muzzle out just enough so she could get a clear view of the hallway. She looked, and waited, until the next doctor she saw came her way. It was a large bull moose, dressed in his white over coat like most do. She called him over, softly as to not wake anyone, and asked if he could take Jack somewhere he could rest for a few hours while she stood guard. To which he obliged, he grabbed a wheel chair for Jack to sit in. Skye held him like a baby, one arm limp by her side and his head nestled in the crotch of her armpit. He mumbled something while she sat him into the wheel chair for the doctor, mostly just sleep talk. "Thank you" she smiled, a nod from the doctor as he wheeled Jack into a room for him to rest in. So for the rest of the night, she kept guard of her friends, listening to every one who walked by, how fast or slow they were walking, the tones in their voices, and any other noises that could indicate a potential threat. She had to wait until morning, although technically it was the next morning, until someone could relieve her of guard duty. Or until the ZPD arrives. And hopefully, they come quickly. ********* When the sun finally peeked over the mountains, everything from then on was more hectic than anyone had thought. News reporters, from both Metropolis and Zootopia waited outside of the hospital for any sign of someone who could give them the scoop on the mammal who had been attacked. Not long after, the ZPD had arrived at the train station as expected, and rushed the hospital as fast as they could. To being new to the city, they were escorted with Metropolis Police vehicles. The awaiting reporters tried stopping the officers from entering the hospital just to get a few questions in. But Bogo wasn't having anything to do with them. He politely, or as politely as he could, asked them to move to the side so he could go in to see his officer. A few he had to shove to the side because they wouldn't move out from in front of him. He got irritated really quick. But once inside, a nurse waited for the buffalo to escort him and the other ZPD officers to Nicks room. Officers McHorn, Wolford, Rhinowitz, Fangmeyer, Grizzoli, Delgato, and Trunkaby all came with their chief in support of Nick. Aside from the museum team that apprehended Dawn Belleweather and the last Night Howler bust just about nine months ago, this was almost the biggest team that Bogo had created since then. And once reaching Nicks room, Bogo was greeted by Skye and the well rested chief of Metropolis, Jack. "It's nice to finally get to meet you Chief Bogo. I'm Jack Savage," he smiled up to the buffalo, reaching out a paw to shake Bogo's hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Savage." He grabbed the bucks paw with a greeting shake. But there was no smile on the bulls face. Nothing expressing that he was happy in the slightest. Worry, and anger was what showed. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances," Jack atoned. He above all else wished that he didn't had to meet Bogo now, due to everything that is happening. Jack looked into Nicks room, seeing the doctors changing the head bandages on the red foxes head, Judy right by his side as she watched the doctors every move. He saw the blood stain on the old bandage, indicating that the wound had not healed. It was a small spot, but it didn't remove the fact that he was still injured. "So from what I've been told, Wilde was attacked last night?" Jack nodded to the bull, arms crossed with nothing but a stern expression on his face. With eyes closed, he explained to the bull, "That is correct. And what's more, is that this attack on Nick may be linked to a case that we are trying to solve right now." Bogo grunted, a hard but gratified look on how brow. "Is that so?" He asked Jack, to which he nodded with acknowledgement. Jack explained the rest of what Bogo wasn't told. Such as the mammal they had found in the ally along with Nick, having been tortured to death. Drill holes, burn marks, and deep lacerations across the entire body; all indicating the m-o of the mammal or mammals responsible for the murders. And since they knew that the latest victim was an inter from the info Nick had given them before his own attack, Jack knew that the perpetrators were after inters. That made his gut twist. Not just that he knew any inters that do come out won't know of the possible threat against them, but also the fact that if any word of Skye and himself got out to the wrong ears, their lives could also become targets for whomever wants inters dead. "Do you have any leads on the attack?" Bogo asked through the notepad in his muzzle, jotting down all the information Jack was giving to him. "None at the moment, other than that we know that all the murders thus far have be with inters. Fitting Nicks profile, but something is still getting to me," Jack trailed off, his concern about the attack left him confused. "What's that?" Bogo's brow rose in question to the rabbit. "Nothing indicates that Nick, nor Judy, were being followed by anyone. No suspicious activity from anyone. And if my assumption is correct, I believe Nick may have seen the body dump, and maybe even the slightest description of who we're dealing with." "Has Wilde not given you any other info?" The bull grunted, his fist tightening to Nick if he was withholding information. "No, nothing at all. He's given us all he can remember, but with the head injury he sustained, it's unlikely that he'll be able to remember what happened for a while." Bogo, as he stood there, understood the complexity of all that was happening. He couldn't be mad at Nick because he couldn't remember what had happened, nor at Judy because it was something neither of them could control. But something caught the water buffalos eye; Judy. But not just her. It was the way she was acting, leaning up against the bed of Nicks after a while of standing, constantly taking in deep breaths, and her physique seemed off. "Would you mind if I spoke to my officers for a minute?" This was neither a request, or a demand. It was more along the lines that what he said was what he was going to do. Jack wasn't going to withhold the chief from seeing Judy and Nick, being that they were his officers after all. Plus, he didn't want to get pummeled to the floor if he said no, when he was almost ten times smaller than Bogo. Jack made way for the large police chief and watched as he entered Nicks room, closing the door behind him. Bogo stood in the doorway, shoulders broad and chest out, just like he normally would in the public eye. He looked to Nick, then to Judy who was sitting in the chair next to Nicks bed while the doctor did a few more tests on the fox. "Can we have a few minutes doctor?" He saw the questioning in her eyes, silently asking who he was. He answered, "These are my officers from Zootopia, I'm their chief." The doctor nodded to the ZPD chief and made a few quick looks at Nick before leaving the room, telling him that he could take as long as he needed. Which he planned on. "How's the head Wilde?" Bogo asked, carrying the extra chair closer to the foxes bed side. Nick looked up to his chief with tired eyes. His head was throbbing from the pain about an hour before Bogo and the rest of his crew had arrived. And the only thing that was keeping it at ease was the chewable aspirins the doctors had given him. "Oh you know, just a little hole in my head. No biggy," he tried joking around with his boss, at least a little bit. He missed the old buffalo butt, even though he would never say it to his face. But he was still thankful that he came to see him. "Better than I was last night," he tried chuckling, the vibrations sending shots of pain to the back of his head. But the bull remained stone cold. No smile, no change or reaction to Nick trying to cheer him up. He wasn't one to show sadness towards others, and only seldomly did he smile in front of his officers. Instead, he stood up from his seat to stand by Nick; reaching out his hoof towards the fox. Nick was both exasperated and surprised. Not once during his time in the ZPD had Bogo given him a handshake, or even a pat on the back. It was just a verbal 'Good job!' and a thumbs up. And that was at best. Judy was surprised as well. She had been in the force longer than Nick and not once had she ever seen Bogo extend a hoof to others. Even to his closest officers. News conferences maybe, but it was always verbal. "Well? My hoof isn't going to shake itself," Bogo boomed deeply. He glanced to Nick, then to his hoof and nodded. It was a direct indication for Nick to shake his hoof. Nick couldn't tell what the end game that Bogo was playing. He wasn't sure if he was being hustled, or Bogo wanted to break his paw for getting hurt. Either way, his eyes showed that he was tense. After some quick consideration, Nick slowly reached out his own paw to grasp Bogo's hoof. The feeling of the bulls hoof was actually surprisingly smooth. Not hard and gritty like he thought it was going to be. It was much larger than his, enclosing around his with a strong grip. It was strong, but not overly squeezing his paw like he thought he would. It might have been the smoothest handshake he had received. "I'm glad you're okay Wilde. You had everyone worried back at home." Nick was contemplating through his mind all the things he wanted to say at that moment. Just because he was an officer, doesn't mean he wasn't going to act like the sly joking fox he used to be. "Aww chief," Nick smiled slyly with a devious smirk. "You care about me? I love you too." He winked to the bull just to fluster the bull more than he was. If he wasn't able to joke around with his boss from time to time, (everyday), he would have ended up going crazy already. Having Judy would have been his only saving grace. "Don't get used to it Wilde." Bogo finally saw that smirk, the one he dreaded almost every morning at pre-shift. "Aww come one chief, he's just having fun with you," Judy chirped with her own sly smile. She, along with Nick, loved poking fun at the bull. Judy gave him a light punch on his shin, jokingly. But when his gaze shot down to her, her ears quivered away behind her head. She may have pushed a little too much on the joking around. "You're not off the hook either Hopps." "What did I do?" she asked, feeling threatened almost from the question. After everything that has happened, she didn't recall anytime where she had made a mistake and not told anyone about it. "I feel like you haven't been telling me something," he boldly stated. Judy looked up to the bull, questioning what exactly he meant. "If you're wondering why I'm asking these questions, I've noticed something has been off with you Hopps. You're breathing hard, I saw you holding onto the bed..." He paused for a quick second before continuing. "And you're sweating." He pointed to the few droplets that had fallen to the floor next to the bunny's feet. "Oh..." She knew then what he was referring to; the pregnancy. Not that he knew that exactly, but knowing enough that something was different with her was enough. She looked to Nick, who also knew that Bogo was suspicious of her, and asked the question with a look of whether to tell him or not. He nodded without hesitation or questions. "Actually, there is something, Nick and I, would like to tell you" she confessed, hopping onto the bed next to her husband. Nick entwined his wife's paw with his fingers, locking it into place. With officers outside their door, and much of the commotion outside would block out the voices from the room. They made no small talk and explained everything from the beginning to before the wedding and all the symptoms Judy was experiencing. Eventually, Judy was telling Bogo her visit to the doctors and how he announced that she was pregnant. As Judy and Nick had figured, his eyes grew wide while his floppy ears rose up completely. He was taken aback and had to question what they said again, and to his gasped reaction, they repeated what he thought he heard. Many questions popped into his mind, and many other feelings filled him more than from just a few moments ago. "Well, the most I can say is congrats to the both of you on your successful pregnancy." He smiled to them, something else that he rarely ever did. But it was meaningful nonetheless. "But, why not text me about this? And how is this type of pregnancy possible? I mean you two are of the complete opposite..." "Species. We know," Nick finished. "I was just as surprised as you when Judy first told me about it." He took his paw and Judy's and placed it over the bulging belly where their baby was growing. "And we wanted to tell you in person about the pregnancy instead of over text. We thought it would be more respectful that way," Judy added with a half cocked grin. The chief agreed to himself with Hopps. It was a respectful thing to do, and if he were in the position they were in, he would have done the same thing. He had to shake both of their paws this time. He respected their courage to tell him in person, regardless of what he might have said. Not that they would have cared about his opinion if it was against them, because that was in their nature. That's what made their relationship strong. "Do you know how many kits you'll be having?" Bogo looked to the bunny, now able to portray the outline of the bunnies growing belly. "No," replied the bunny with a single shake to the side. She desperately wanted to know, but due to everything that has happened, it had slipped her mind. "Don't look so down Carrots," Nick caressed her shoulder, seeing her ears drooping. "I mean, we are in a hospital now. So all we'd have to do is ask." Her eyes lit up from the realization that Nick was right. What a dumb bunny she was! The most obvious answer to Bogo's question was right there in front of her. And she missed it. "Hey chief? Would you be able to find a doctor for us?" Judy's heart raced with excitement. "Sure," he acknowledged. He headed out to the hallway of the hospital to the desk where he began talking with some nurses so they could assist him in finding a doctor for his officers. "You know, I've been thinking," Nick announced, wrapping himself around Judy's torso so his head rested on her head. "That's dangerous slick," she jested, grinning up to the fox, seeing the tip of his nose from her peripherals. "Har har. But I'm serious with this hun bun. Even with this concussion, I can still remember all of the names we thought of yesterday for the baby. Or babies. And I know that we haven't thought of a lot of names, but I have a few in mind." "Oh yeah? Well let me hear them." The bunny scrunched her neck so so was looking into the green eyes of her fox. She gave him a kiss on the nose after a chuckle; he looked goofy from her point of view and couldn't help but laugh a bit. "If we have a boy, I would like his name to be Lucas, or Luke for short. If we have a girl, I would like her name to be Olivia. Those two names really struck me." Olivia Wilde or Lucas Wilde... Olivia or Lucas Wilde... The names ran through Judy's mind like a catchy song. And the more times she said those names, the more she felt like they fit. So well in fact that she could feel butterflies in her stomach, something telling her that these were somehow destined. "Can't deny it slick. Those are amazing names," she agreed, nestling into his chest in comfort. "You really think so?" "I do. I truly do." Before Judy had the chance to change positions so she could embrace her fox, a few knocks on the door caught their attention. They looked and saw a moose doctor with large glasses in the door way of Nicks room. He had a clip board with a stack of papers that was almost too much for the metal hinge to hold them all. The weight of it seemed to be bringing down the doctors arm, but his smile seemed to have brightened the room, along with himself. "Mrs. Wilde I presume?" "Yes?" She sat up with her legs crossed on the bed, her full attention to the moose. He closed the door to give them privacy. "My name is Doctor Woods. Your chief asked me to see you about something?" Judy nodded. "It's nice to meet you Doctor. And yes, I..." She paused to look at Nick. "We, would like to ask you if you could give me an ultrasound. I would like to know how many kits I'm going to be having." "Of course I can do that Mrs. Wilde," he beamed them a bright smile. He told the bunny before leaving the room that he would be right back to get a wheel chair to bring her. Upon returning, Judy insisted that she would be fine without the use of the wheelchair. However, the moose explained to her that it was procedure for patients to be in a wheelchair if they were going to be examined. But even though she wasn't exactly a patient there, he found that she was a great deal. He had heard the whispers from other nurses and doctors that she, and Nick, were the bunny and fox duo who had foiled the plans of the former Mayor of Zootopia, Dawn Belleweather, and her Nighthowler drug serum. They were heroes of their city, but not only did he commend them for that, but also because they were the first inters he had ever met. And he appreciated their courage. He brought another nurse in who had a wheel chair as well for Nick. He wasn't going to leave the father behind, just as long as the nurse was extra careful with wheeling the fox around. Before they left the room, she told Woods to keep the information about the ultrasound on the down low and lie to anyone she might know if they ask. And as luck would have it, McHorn had stopped the doctors and asked where he was taking Judy and Nick, to which he replied to the rhino that he was taking them to get Judy an X-Ray from feeling a "pain" in her stomach. It was good enough fib for the officer to agree. It wasn't exactly a lie per say. She was getting her stomach examined, just not the way he exactly explained. As a precautionary measure, McHorn radioed Delgato to assist in guarding the Wilde couple. They stood diligently while they waited for Judy, Nick, and the doctors to come out of the examination room. It only took a few minutes for Doctor Woods to apply the cold gel onto Judy's soft, furry belly. It was definitely more visible now, making Nick smile from seeing their baby growing day by day. The crystalline gel soaked deep into Judy's fur, sending chills up and down her arms and legs. After her gun shot wound to her stomach, she had to get ultrasounds just to make sure everything was healing up properly. It felt the same as before, but her belly was more sensitive than before. Nick sat in his wheelchair and watched the moose doctor ever so gently move the gel and the handheld scanner over his wife's belly, where soon, they might end up seeing their baby or babies for the first time. His heart was beating so fast that he was sure it would burst out of his chest at any time. He held her paw gently and stroked it. She smiled down to him before turning back to the black and white screen as Woods found the placenta. "Well, there's one," he finally said, stopping at the top point of her belly. Their heads whipped over to the screen and saw a small, black dot, and what looked like a leg or an arm and a head. Judy's paw began lightly, but rapidly tapping Nicks paw, nothing but a few overjoyed yelps escaping her. She was at a loss for words. Her ears had lifted from the pinch between her back and the bed, the bunny feeling as if they would have flew off. But then, the doctor said something neither were expecting, the over joyed selves not watching his movements. "And it looks like there's two other little ones in there as well." He looked away from the screen and gave the married couple the biggest smile they had received since coming to Metropolis. "We're having triplets?!" Nick announced, ecstatic enough that he almost stood all the way up before sitting back down from the painful blood rush to his head. "Triplets? Are you sure?" Judy's voice shook, joyful. She had a feeling that the doctor was going to say yes, and sure enough, he nodded his head. "You and your husband are blessed with three little... Uh..." He paused to think for a minute before he continued. "Actually, I don't know what to call them. This is my first time dealing with hybrid babies." "Isn't it pretty simple?" Judy and Woods looked over to Nick, who without a doubt had that slick smile on his muzzle. "You take both names and combine them together. So, I can think of two names." Judy turned her head to look at Nick, an eyebrow raising in suspicion. "Nick... Please don't tell me the name you're thinking of is going to be an obnoxious one." But from the look on her husbands face, he was thinking of something cunning. "A box, or a funny!" He bursted out laughing, hunching over in his wheelchair while slapping his knee. Even the doctor couldn't help but chuckle at the foxes clever names. He wasn't wrong. The name is combined with both the fox and bunny names into one. Both equally funny in their own way. After a minute or two of ecstatic laughing, Nick wiped away some of the tears that had come out from laughing so hard. He chuckled with whatever air was left in his lungs before looking to his wife, who was not as enthused. Her arms were crossed and she had that look, that dark deathly stare she gave him whenever she felt displeased or he said something she didn't like. Which in this case, it seemed that he had. "Nicholas Wilde," she began darkly, her gaze instantly upon him. The moose shut his lips closed, not wanting to feel the wrath of Judy's gaze upon him. "I swear to you, if you call our babies that from now on, I'll slap your muzzle so hard that your canines will break off, and then I'll either rip off your ears or break a finger or two." Judy's threat made Nicks cheerful laugh seize quickly. "Isn't that a bit much Carrots? I mean that is technically what they would be called right?" "I don't care! Our babies will be called anything but 'funny's' or 'boxes'! And be lucky that you're hurt, otherwise, I would hit you right now." And oh were her threats real and true. And she was right, he thought. He knew that if he were perfectly fine, she would have jumped off of the bed and beat him to a pulp. Dr. Woods couldn’t help but quietly chuckle to himself watching his patients playful argument. It was adorable in a sense. Outside of the room, little did they know, that the two officers that were standing outside heard a little bit of what was said from Judy. And it was exactly the moment they heard her say ‘our babies'. As soon as the the door opened, Nick and Judy were met with handshakes and smiles. They were more than unsuspecting when the bombardment of congrats confronted them. "Atta boy Nick! Congrats on becoming a father!" Delgato shook his friends paw hard enough that Nick was shaking in the wheelchair. Pain coursed to his head from the force that the large tiger was shaking his paw. It felt like all the pain he had suffered from the day prior returned to the back of his eye. "Easy on me Delgato," Nick cautioned his tiger companion, rubbing his eye to relieve the pressure that the forceful shake had caused. "Shit, sorry about that Nick" Delgato gasped, rubbing the foxes back to try and comfort him, apologetically. "How many kits are you two having?" McHorn asked Judy. He was about six times her height from sitting in a wheelchair standpoint, so looking up to him was almost quite intimidating. Although the rhinos smile made it less so. She rose her paw up and counted out three of her fingers. "Three little kits." If it was possible at all, Judy's smile could have literally popped off her face from smiling so much. Soon enough, word had quickly spread through the hospital, and the other ZPD officers about the new breed of babies. It was all the talk was about for the rest of that day. And not only were the doctors and nurses whispering about the hybrid babies, but even some of the patients had asked to see the fox and bunny who had created this new life. Some of the patients gave them welcoming and respects for achieving such an amazing chapter in their lives. They were even given some candies and a few flowers as gifts from a few as well. Bigger mammals like elephants to the smallest mouse came. But, there were also those who wanted to express their opinions in a quite negative manner. There were and always will be those who won't ever agree with interspecies couples, even when the miracle of a new life is created between separate species. But out of the bad compliments, the good was much higher. Eventually, Stu and Bonnie showed up at the hospital with beat red eyes with heavy bags under their eyes. You could tell that they had been crying the entire train and taxi ride to Metropolis, their eyes heavy with grief and sadness while the fur underneath their eyes was soaked from the salty tears. Not only were they fearful for their daughters safety, but also, for their son in law. As soon as they entered the hospital room, both Nick and Judy were met with probably the most intense hugs they had ever received. Bogo told the bunny parents the only thing that he could. The only information the Hopps' received was that Nick had been attacked by a mysterious character who was still on the run. It wasn't a surprise that some things had to be left unsaid, and they understood that. But the one thing that neither Judy nor Nick could hold in was their surprise about finding out how many kits they were going to be having. And you can guess how the Hopps’ reactions were. Stu ran around the room of Nicks chanting "My little girl is having three kits! My little girl is having three kits!" Bonnie was crying tears of joy, hugging both her daughter and son in law, filling her already soaked fur with even more of the salt water substance. "We are so proud of you two. Truly," Bonnie said in the kindest way possible. The older rabbit was thrilled that she was going to be a grandmother to the very first hybrid fox and bunny hybrid babies. Not like she didn't have many more other grandchildren to remember, or cared for as much, because she loved them all equally. She just felt honored to be a part of this new experience. "So when's the due date?" Stu squeaked with excitement, his large front teeth exposed from his wide smile. "Not sure yet. Because that the babies are hybrid, the cycle of my pregnancy will be a little different from a normal bunny pregnancy. Or so the doctors say," Judy explained. Dr. Woods asked if Nick and her would have liked to know the expected time their babies would arrive. Without even a second thought, they said yes. "Well, we're both super proud of ya two. And I'm glad you kept Jude safe so far Nick, my boy." Stu offered his paw to Nick. Nick looked to the fuzzy fingers of his father in law, then back to him and grinned. "You're welcome. But I think it's Judy who's been keeping me safe this whole trip." In a way she was. When she stood up to Kieran at the taxi ride, confronting the rest of Kieran's friends when Nick was too scared to even speak or move at the bar, and being here with him now. The older buck rabbit shook Nick's paw and laughed, it spreading to Judy, Bonnie, and Nick. Meanwhile, Jack and Skye sat and watched the Hopps and Wilde families laughing away, their smiles wide with cheer. And even though Nick had been injured, there was much to enjoy because of the news about the children of Nick and Judy. They sat across from the room full of bunnies and one fox, both drained from exhaustion and lack of sleep. From the countless calls they had made and received throughout the day, to the thousands of questions asked about the case from everyone from the ZPD, to even Jacks own superiors. "It's so great to hear that Nick and Judy are expecting three little ones," Skye cooed, hardly able to contain her smile. She was happy for them, and it was obvious why. But when she looked over to her lover, she didn't sense the same feeling at all from him. He had that plastered face of someone who was constantly thinking. "I know that face," the white fox detected that something was on his mind. Jack was in deep thought when he heard Skye. As close as she was to him, her voice sounded faint to him. And after the third time of her calling his name, he shook his head around until he looked to Skye. "Huh? Did you say something?" "Yes, I said 'it's so great to hear that Nick and Judy are expecting three little ones'," she repeated herself once more. His ears dropped down, feeling bad that he had ignored Skye's compliment to Nick and Judy. "I'm sorry Skye," he sadly apologized. "What's wrong, love?" Skye placed a comforting paw on top of his. Jack held her paw tightly. "Just been thinking about everything that's been going on. I mean I am very happy for both Judy and Nick." "But?" Skye pressed for more. "But with this case getting even more and more critical, and dangerous for some mammals, it's just frustrating me. Especially when we have absolutely no leads on who attacked Nick." Skye slid over close to him, leaning her head onto his shoulder. His shoulders felt stiff from anguish and stress from the days that had recently passed. His fists were clenched, shaking from the anger that coursed through his veins. But it seemed as soon as her touch landed on the top of his paws, his paws quit shaking. She started caressing his paw with her own, and with her free paw, she began running her finger tips across his shoulders and arms, repeating the same motion with her fingers as she traced his body. "This isn't your fault Jack. None of this is. And I promise you that we will stop whoever's doing this. I can promise you that with all of my heart." She then laid a gentle kiss on her lovers cheek. Even when a few of the doctors and nurses looked towards them, she kept her lips on him. Filled with complete bliss, his head hung with the warm lips of his lover on his furry cheeks. His paw rose to the back of Skye's head, pulling her in closer. Then, the zebra bunny's ringtone, Walk by Pawtera, started ringing out. Both his and Skye's ears shot down to the sound of the tune. The famous 'Respect, Walk," lyrics were the first thing to come out of his speakers, and it was quite loud, since the hospital was almost dead quiet besides from the commotion coming from Nicks room. He quickly snatched the phone from his dress shirt pocket to answer his phone, and to stop the music from blaring any further. He had a few bystanders look towards him. He didn't like it when he was being stared at. Yes, he was professional, but he did like to throw up some fists every once in a while to unload some steam, and stress. Only Skye had ever seen that part of him whenever they were alone. "Yes?" He answered the call. Skye attempted to ask who was calling but was answered with a single finger to wait, just for a moment. Even with little noise to distract him, he still wanted to hear everything that the caller was telling him, folding his other ear down from any noise contamination. This call was important, so he needed to hear everything. "Yes, we're looking for anyone, and anything, that can give us a lead on... Wait, what?!" Jack glanced over to his phone, his eyes widening and the grip on his phone tightened. The information he was receiving made a smile come across his face. "Thank you for bringing me this information, Brakunda. It's much appreciated," he smiled to the screen before pushing the 'call end' icon. He let his paw hang down to his side, his face frozen in time with the smile on his face. "Jack?" Skye called, taking some cautious steps towards her lover. "Is everything okay?" Just then, he smirked. And then laughed to her question. "It's better than alright," he said, before turning his radiant gaze towards the arctic fox. "Things may be turning our way," he chuckled more. "What is it?" She quizzically asked the hare. "Someone has come out with some information about last nights attack on Nick," Jack presented aloud.
