Chapter 25 – Aftermath

                The endless parade of press and interviews seemed to take forever. She filled out miles of paperwork about the entire case. There was a small panic about a predator murder group in Zootopia, but they made the proceedings very public. With the amount of information available, the initial shock of the information wore of. She had to give an official statement that she had ordered the Alphas to disband once the public found out she had ‘technically’ become leader after beating Coppermane. The whole thing took nearly two weeks to complete. The entire time Nick recovered in the hospital.

                They moved him from ICU the day after he woke. So Judy was able to spend most of her free time with him. They wouldn’t let her stay the nights. They called each other on muzzle time once or twice a night with a joke or question just to see each other.  It was the longest two weeks of Judy’s life.

                Bogo had insisted that Judy be on a provisional leave while injured. She was only allowed to fill out paperwork that couldn’t be done by any other officer. She wasn’t allowed to do any of the interrogations.  She didn’t press personal charges against Coppermane, though he did try to sue her for assault and couldn’t find a judge or lawyer that would pursue it.

                The Pariah were all moved to a rehabilitation facility. Judy was happy to hear that the city was fast at work tracking down all of the families. They were trying to reconnect them all. She wasn’t sure how successful it would be, but it was a start to healing the wound the Alphas left in the city. She asked Bogo if she could see the girl that had attack her and Nick, but he gave a resounding ‘no’ until the proceedings were done. She decided not to press charges against her either.

                Mr. Big was so impressed with Judy, he offered her a job. Which she was very happy to decline. She did mention that Finnick might be looking for work. After all, Finnick had come through in the end, so why not? If she could help him, she would. Judy played ‘slay the lion’ with little Judy for a while before saying goodbye and going back to her apartment, alone, again.

                Alone at her apartment, Judy picked up her phone and called Nick. He answered, groggy. He looked at the phone with one eye open.

                “Hey, carrots. You know it’s like, the middle of the night. Not a respectable hour for a hero bunny”

                “Since when do you care?”

                “Okay you got me, what’s up?”

                “I don’t know. Long day.”

                “You sound weird, are you okay?”

                It was like just hearing him ask made her realize how lonely she was. She sighed and stared at his face in the phone. “I miss you, Nick.”

                “aww, want me to write some jokes down for you?”

                “Har har. I want you to get better so I can see you more.”

                “Well, I am supposed to get my teeth fixed tomorrow. After that they said if my bloodwork is okay I can go home. So it won’t be too long.”

                “Okay. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if Bogo wasn’t afraid the press would think I was not fit for duty if I didn’t take time off. My shoulder is fine, really!”

                Nick chuckled, “Well of course it is. You just fought a lion. You don’t need time off. You need to jump right back in, without your partner. We all know that works out so well for the both of us.”

                Judy smushed her face up. He was right, she knew it. She wasn’t going to say it.

                Nick smiled, “Hey, if you really hate your place so much, call Finn and get his spare to my place. I haven’t been there since the Alpha’s trashed it, but what’s mine is yours darlin’. By the looks of that place, mine is definitely bigger.” He grinned at her. She caught the double entendre.

                Judy laughed and shook her head.  They said their good nights and hung up the phone. Judy sat in the dark with her knees bent to her chest. Her phone was still in her paw hanging. Her ears drooped behind her. She was unsure if she wanted to make the trek out to get the key and go to Nick’s place. I could be just as lonely there without him as it was here.

                Suddenly a loud voice came from her right, it was her loud Kudu neighbor, “Just go stay at your boyfriend’s house!”

                Then his Oryx roommate chimed in, “All you do is sulk and sigh miserably and its driving us nuts!”

                Judy looked at the wall in disgust and scrolled through her phone for Finnick’s number. Yeah, Nick’s place was definitely better than listening to those two another night. She listened to the ringing on the other end.

                “What do you want?”

                “Nick said you had a spare key to his apartment and I could get it from you.”

                “Meet you there in fifteen.” Click.

                Judy looked at the phone. She really didn’t think she was every going to really like Finnick. He was just odd. She could not understand why Nick still hung around him. He was there for Nick when he needed him, so he couldn’t be all bad. She packed a few things into a bag and left for Nick’s place.

                Finnick was waiting when she got there. She put her hand out for the key, but he eyed her for a moment before asking, “So that McHorn guy said you can get paid for bringing in criminals that skip bail. They pay a lot for that?”

                She answered, puzzled, “Yes. Bounty Hunting can be really lucrative. I met one or two around the station that are deputized by the ZPD to bring in bail jumpers.”

                He said, “Huh, thanks. Good job on that lion. Nick’s a lucky guy.” He put the key in her paw and left. Judy smiled. I guess he could grow on you, figuratively speaking.

                She turned the key and went in. Someone had cleaned it up, probably Finnick. Judy was quickly learning exactly how the friendship between Nick and Finnick worked. They were there when each other needed something. Otherwise, they did their own thing and stayed out of each other’s business. She could never have a friendship like that, but she was starting to understand. She would have to do something nice for Finnick to say thank you.

                The bed looked welcoming. Crawling in between the covers, she could smell Nick’s scent all over them. She snuggled up against the blankets and breathed deep. If she couldn’t have him with her, this would do nicely. Sometimes, that sly fox really knew exactly how to cheer her up. Not that she would ever tell him.

                Judy slept so soundly she drooled all over the pillow. She wiped the drool from her fur and grabbed her phone. She called the station first to see if they needed her before getting ready to go to the hospital to see Nick. She called him to see how he was doing, he didn’t answer. Then she recalled that he was supposed to have his teeth repaired.

                Judy yawned…maybe a little more sleep. Couldn’t hurt. She put her phone on the counter and laid back in the bed. She moaned happily and went back to sleep. She had dreams about Bunnyborough, blueberries and a white dress.