Judy Jumps In Headfirst

Chapter 2

 Nick woke to the sound of his phone ringing. His stomach told him that he'd slept way later than usual, and he glanced at the clock. 4:30PM. Ugh, it feels like someone kicked me in the... oh right, it was a bony rabbit elbow.

With a groan, he reached over to pick up the phone and answer it. "Hello?"

Nick's heart lurched when he heard Judy's voice. "Don't freak out, ok?"

He bolted upright. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just got a few lion scratches during a traffic stop. I'm sorry, I might not be able to come by later."

"Carrots, are you serious? How bad--"

"I told you not to freak out. I'm fine, the doc is stitching--"

Her voice was interrupted by a beep from his phone. He looked at the front, to see the low battery indicator flashing.

Dammit.

Nick jammed the phone back to his ear so he could hear Judy again. "--so don't worry, ok?"

"Sorry, I missed most of what you said, Fluff. The battery on my phone is almost dead."

"Don't worry Nick. I'm fine, and I'll be headed home in about an hour. I'll call you when I get there, ok?"

Nick nodded, before he remembered he was talking on the phone. "Right. Talk to you soon." He hung up and leapt out of bed to begin frantically searching for his phone charger.

Thirty minutes later, he swore after he bashed his head while he rummaged around under the couch. This is what I get for cleaning this place up. Where the hell is that charger?

Nick's stomach growled. He crawled up onto the couch and spoke aloud to himself. "Ok... time for a shower, and then I'll head over to her place, to check on her. That's what she did for me, seems only fair that I return the favor. Just one friend checking on another friend. Yep. That's what friends do."

Nick got cleaned up and hurried to get dressed, pausing only to smile when he saw the black boxers covered with large orange carrots that Judy had given him as a gag gift for his last birthday. Eh, it's not like she'll see them.

But Nick put them on anyway, along with khaki pants and a dark blue Hawaiian shirt. He scooped up his aviators and the bottle of pain meds before he hurried out the door.

Nick gingerly walked up the steps to the second floor apartment he'd helped Judy move into a few months ago. He hadn't been back since then, but he didn't have any trouble finding it. He knocked, and chuckled as he looked down at the purple mat in front of her door, the word WELCOME spelled out with orange carrots. Nick waited, nervously clutching a bag and a carrier with two drinks.

Judy answered the door, wearing only a long black ZPD t-shirt that went down to her knees.

Nick squinted at her. "Are you... is that my shirt?"

"What, you said it was too big, and you never wear it."

"Probably because somebunny pilfered it out of my locker at work!"

"I did not... I took it off your desk." Judy folded her arms. "And aren't you supposed to be resting at home?"

"I would be, if you were more careful." I have to admit, that shirt looks way better on her than it does on me.

"Well don't just stand there, come in."

Nick put the food on the dining room table and took off his sunglasses while Judy closed the door. She smiled and picked up the drinks before she walked towards her bedroom. "I can't comfortably sit, so just bring the food back here." Nick suddenly wasn't very hungry for some reason, so he put one of the carryout containers in the fridge. He scrounged a fork out of the bag and brought the remaining container along with a dining room chair into Judy's bedroom.