In Darkness I Hide: A Zootopia Story

Wednesday - Trailing the Flames - The Third Morning

Downtown – Mercy Hospital – Southern Savannah off Oasis Plaza
Wednesday – 7:18 AM – Sporadic Clouds / Misty

"Grayz. Grayz! Wake up." A small voiced echoed through his brain.

"Please...call me Ralph." He muttered, shifting sluggishly in his sleep.

The wildebeest's eyes fluttered open, the harsh, glaring light causing them to sting from their brightness. A splitting headache slammed into his skull as he groaned from the sudden inhale of lingering stench. He lurched up out of bed, gagging as the memory of what had happened surged back into his mind. A soft, tiny paw was placed upon his chest, urging him to lie back onto the sterile hospital bed.

"Hey, big guy. Take it easy." A bunny was sitting beside his large form, her purple eyes regarding him warmly. "Yeah, the smell was pretty awful too when I awoke."

"Hnngh, Hopps?" He groaned. "What happened?"

"We both passed out. That's what happened." She stated matter-of-factly.

Ralph looked around his environs, blinking as he took stock of where he was. "How long have we been out?"

Judy glanced over at the atomic clock on the nightstand beside the bed, "Over 24 hours. We basically lost a day."

A grunt of disapproval emerged from his throat as he rose to get up again. "This is unacceptable. I need to get back to my family."

Judy placed her paw back onto his chest, gently, but firmly pressing him back. "Easy, Grayz. They aren't due to release us just yet. The doctor's given us a clean bill of health as soon as you were awake. There will be a perpetual aura of stink that we'll be experiencing for the remainder of the day, but he said that too will pass. Once the nurse gets back, we can take our final showers, get dressed and go home."

"Dressed?" He asked, confused. "What happened to our uniforms?"

Judy chuckled at his bafflement. "Officer Wilde came by and said he'd handle the cleaning of our uniforms."

"With a nose like his? That's brave of him." Grayz uttered with astonishment.

"That's my Nick." She said cheerfully. At a curious look from Grayz, she cleared her throat and continued, "Either way, he picked up some spare clothes from my home and your wife."

"My wife!" The memory of his need to get back home came back quite forcefully. "Did they ever come over yesterday to visit us while we were out?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Only Wilde, Bogo and a few other colleagues came by from what I've heard. We were declared biohazards and civilians were not permitted to come within a building's distance of us."

"My son's probably worried so much." Ralph aggrieved.

"I never knew you had a son." She tilted her head, genuinely interested.

He nodded, "Only the one. I was actually visiting an orphanage the day of my first shift here to look for a playmate for him."

"Playmate? You aren't looking to have another calf?" She brought her other leg up from the side of the bed and sat cross-legged, facing him directly.

His shoulders sagged, his dark, grey eyes piercing hers. "We tried. Our son was very much a miracle. The doctors claimed he was not to be born at all, yet we had him. My wife had to be placed into intensive care just after the birth and then steril...I'm sorry." He choked up. "I usually don't speak of personal matters to many others."

Judy's face softened. "It's okay, Grayz. I wasn't trying to pry.

Ralph shook his head to allay her fears, "No, you're fine. I just didn't expect to unload that much onto you. I just feel really homesick right now."