Never Time to Say Goodbye

Chapter 2

My mom used to say that troubles come in threes. I'm terrified that she might be right.

I couldn't believe how many officers came to the funeral. I'm glad they did, otherwise the service attendance would have been pretty sparse. It was weird seeing everyone out of uniform, especially Chief Bogo. He told me to take as much time off as I needed, considering how rough the past few weeks had been.

I really feel for Bogo. It was bad enough that he had to watch me freak out while he listed all of your injuries: punctured lung, shattered tibias, ulnas, vertebrae, and several other things I can't even remember, but he said you were stable. I could have cried when he said that last part, but instead I started to make a lame joke about how he could have saved time by telling me which parts of yours weren't broken. Then I realized he was impatiently waiting to tell me something else, and it obviously wasn't good news.

My mom's friend Rita had called headquarters. She didn't have my number, so it was the only way she could reach me. She'd found Ma when she came over to check on her. My mom was unresponsive, and Rita called an ambulance, but it was too late. I wish you could have met her, Carrots. I know she would have liked you. Maybe not right away, but she would have eventually.

"Thanks for coming." Nick shook Clawhauser's paw as the cheetah sniffled before pulling Nick into a crushing hug. "Hey careful now, or you'll pop my stitches," Nick said, and the cheetah let him go. After an incoherent blubbery farewell, Clawhauser followed the last of the ZPD officers to their cars.

Nick smiled as he heard her walk up behind him. Elephants weren't known for their stealth, and in spite of her much smaller than average size, Rita was no exception.

"Hi Rita. I'm glad you could make it." Nick looked down at his feet as she sat on the ground next to him.

"I wouldn't have missed it, Nick. You and your mom are like family to me," she said as she wrapped her trunk around his shoulders.

"It's ok to cry, you know..." she trailed off as Nick turned to look at her through tear filled eyes.

Rita was such an amazing part of my life growing up. She'd watch me when Ma worked, and she always treated me like her own son. Just like Ma, Rita didn't approve of my creative employment history, and disappointing her had been almost as bad as disappointing Ma.

It's getting harder for me to avoid falling back into the same old patterns, especially on days like today. Before I used to always look for the easy way out of any tough situation, but there's no shortcut this time.

Nick, dressed in a rumpled green hawaiian shirt and brown pants, casually wheeled a pink stroller down the sidewalk. He turned down an alley and made his way to a loading dock, where he waved lazily at a bear pushing a laundry cart before he wrestled the stroller up a short flight of stairs.

Wandering through darkened corridors and rooms stacked with boxes and supplies, Nick rolled the stroller into an open freight elevator. He pushed the fourth floor button and waited expectantly as the doors crashed shut and the elevator whisked him upwards.

Things are rough these days, I miss talking with you so much Judy. Sometimes I just want to walk away from it all and give up, like I've done so many times before. But I can't, Carrots. You won't let me.

Nick pushed the stroller down the hospital corridor and paused at the nurses station where a rhino eyed him suspiciously. Nick pulled a box of donuts from the carrying compartment of the stroller and placed it on the counter.

Nick winked at the rhino before speaking. "Here you go, Nurse Ratched, a dozen of Zootopia's finest. That's the nice thing about being a cop, we know where to get the best donuts."