Fatherhood

                                    

                                          
Minutes went by of Judy telling Nick she was just joking. Which was very hard for her. Once he stopped asking. He went into their shared bedroom and laid down on the bed with an 'huff'. 
Judy had to blink back tears as she got off the couch and walked to their room. She stood in the doorway. 
"Nicholas....." She said softly, her ears flattening as she looked down at her feet.
Nick placed his paws over his mouth before taking a deep breath, the light on his collar still shinning yellow from his current nerves and emotions.
"What?" Nick asked in a muffled voice from his paws. 
"I'm sorry I made you upset.....b...but....but.....but-but—"
"But, but, SPIT IT OUT!" Nick demanded as he sat up. Nicks collar gave a quick beep, as a warning for him to calm down. 
"I REALLY AM PREGNANT!" Judy shouted quickly, trying to get her words out before tears filled her violet eyes quickly once again. She didn't want to hide it. Because she knew if she did, he'd just get more angry. 
Nicks stomach dropped and his ears flattened. He opened his mouth to speak, but he had gotten so overwhelmed. The light on his collar shined red, and a loud beep rang in his ears before he felt a sharp, pain inducing shock that traveled from his neck all the way through the rest of his body. But he didn't scream. Because he still had his paws over his mouth. 
Judy's tearful eyes widened as she watched her husband get shocked. But this wasn't the first time she had seen this. 
She hesitated but rushed over to him. Because he was sitting on the bed, she was obviously still shorter than him. In reality, the bunny was almost half his actual size. 
Judy quickly wrapped her arms around the fox's heated neck as she sobbed as she climbed onto his lap. She got on her knees on his lap as she cried. 
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated in a mumble as she put her head in the crook of his neck. 
Once the torture stopped, Nick opened his watery eyes. He was going to scream at the bunny again. But stopped once he heard her loud sobs. She was really upset. 
He made her so upset. 
He felt awful.
He didn't know if it was the collar, or his yelling that made her burst into tears. But either way. He knew it was his fault. 
"It.....it's okay, Judith....just...sh-shush......" Nick stammered as he gently pet the bunny's ears down. 
Judy cried for a while, but it slowly died down and finally into a stop. Nick exhaled deeply before forcing a smile.
"You okay now, my lov—" Nick cut himself off when he saw that the grey bunny had fallen asleep on his lap, and on his chest. 
Nick sighed and scooted over. Then he gently laid Judy down. Making sure to cover her before running his paw down the side of her face slowly and gently. 
"I'm sorry......." He said softly, his eyes swelling with tears again.
Nicholas inhaled deeply before standing up off the bed.
He slowly walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. He sat against the door and put his elbows on his knees as he held his head.
"She must be joking......" He said to himself. 
He then got quiet before crying. "She's not joking....." 
                          
Early the next morning, Nick had finally gotten into bed to sleep. But just got woken up only minutes later by Judy waking up. And after that, as the two got dressed, they were quiet. They didn't even say a word to each other. But it wasn't an awkward silence. They didn't even need words to communicate. But Nick didn't blame Judy that she was quiet after what had happened the night before. As the two got ready to exit the apartment, Nick gently grabbed onto the bunnys upper arm as she went to step foot out the door.
"Uh...Judy...." Nick murmured as he looked down at the bunny. 
"Yes?" Judy responded quickly, a bright smile on her face. 
It seemed as if she had pushed aside yesterday's events. And Nick didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.
"I uh.....I wanna say sorry.....for uh....freaking out yesterday.....I actually am really glad you're pregnant....I didn't think we'd be able to get pregnant....but...Judy......you can't go around saying I'm the father....o-or that it's an interspecies baby..." Nick said softly, his voice breaking. 
Judy's ears flattened once she heard the fox's last sentence. 
"Why can't I say you're the father?...." Judy asked, but unfortunately already knew the answer.
"Judy.......I......I don't wanna sound selfish but..." Nicholas took a deep breath as he crouched down to the bunnys eye level.
"I'm a predator, Jude. And uh.....getting married was hard enough for us already...a-and I guess you ACTUALLY being pregnant worries me.....you can't let anybody know I'm the father because they'd arrest me, Judy. Zootopia laws are so fucked up, they wouldn't care if it was consensual or not! I-I mean they'd get me for rape anyway and I don't wanna go to jail, and even if there was a court trial I'd still loose because I'm a predator and they'd force you to abort and-and—" Nicks breathing had picked up so much, that his collar shined yellow. 
Judy placed her paws on his neck softly. "Nicholas......." She blinked back tears. "If it'll keep us safe. And together.......ill say you're not the father......but you know it'll break my heart....right?" She gave a sigh as a frown graced her once very happy face.
Nick took a deep breath and he kissed the bunny softly on the cheek. 
"We can talk about this more when we get home........" He forced out his mouth as he stood up. 
Judy timidly nodded before taking a step back as she exited the apartment. 
                          
Weeks went by and Judy had already started to show. And it was getting harder for the two to hide it. They had avoided going in for ultrasounds, or doctor visits in general. But they feared they had to very soon. Judy's parents, along with her whole family already knew by this point. And they couldn't be happier. Well. Except her father. He's defiantly been happier. Finnick, Clawhauser, and Honey had made a promise to not mention anything about the soon-to-be baby at any time at the park. Just to try and make the situation a little easier.
                          
"What do you mean you don't fit in it?" The fox asked with a hitch in his voice as he sat on the end of their bed, watching the bunny as she struggled to get her ballistic vest over her growing stomach.  
"It-it won't fit!" Judy exclaimed, pulling the two sides of her vest over her stomach. 
Nick groaned in annoyance. 
"Just....can you not wear it today?" He asked with a crooked smile. 
"Not where it? Nicholas, this is apart of my uniform. I have to wear it!" She huffed from irritation.
"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry." He frowned, pulling at his suit jacket sleeves. 
"Tell chief Bogo you'll have to go on maternity leave soon because if you're this big and it's only been four weeks, I'll be shocked at what you look like at nine months!" Nick exclaimed as he threw his paws up. 
"I can't tell Bogo I'm pregnant! He'll need to know who the father is!" 
"He'll need to know? Im sorry. Is he your mother?" Nick scoffed, crossing his arms. 
The two argued for about an hour before coming to an agreement. Judy had agreed to tell Chief she was pregnant, and that she'd only get bigger from there. And Nick, well Nick never got mentioned. Judy just simply didn't say who the father was. But Bogo had a feeling he knew who it was. Being that he knew Judy was in a relationship with a predator, but didn't know they were married. He had dropped no authority down on the two because interspecies marriage and relationships weren't illegal, just uncommon, and unaccepted throughout Zootopia.
As more weeks went by, the bunnys stomach only got larger, and they needed to go in for an ultrasound. But Nick was more worried then Judy at this point. But not about the protesters or other mammals knowing he's the father, but for Judy's physical health. He was worried the bunny would get TOO big. But Judy seemed to just love her growing stomach more and more with each passing day. 
                          
The two approached a small doctors office, not to far from their apartment. They had walked for a few minutes, but Nick froze when he saw the actual building. And there, on the door, was a very visible, "No Predators Allowed" sign on it. 
Nicks stomach dropped and he slowly pulled Judy back. 
"Uh....Judy.....did you have to make your appointment here?" He asked, his voice pained. 
"It was the closet one I could find....." Her ears flattened. "Listen....Nicky...I'm sorry....but we really need an ultrasound....it'll be okay if you don't see it. I'll bring back pictures. It's just a little blob anyway right now....wait out her for me. It'll only be an hour." Judy said as she held onto the predators paw with a firm grip before releasing her paw. 
Before Nick could even get a word in, Judy had already blown him and kiss and entered the building.
It was true, they did very desperately need an ultrasound, but not being able to be there for the first one, broke Nicks fragile heart in half. 
He took a deep breath before walking over to a bench outside of the building and sitting down. 
He played around on his phone for about half an hour, then, the bunny stepped back out. 
Nick quickly sat up, then stood, then crouched down to the bunny. 
"So how did it go? Is everything okay?" He asked frantically in a worried tone. 
Judy laughed softly. She rolled her eyes playfully before slowly handing the fox the photographs of her ultrasound. 
"What is this?....it kinda looks like a potato...." Nick snickered as he squinted his eyes to try and make out what the actual photograph was of. But for all he could see, it was just a grey blob. Like Judy had said. 
"More like 'potatoes'" Judy said with smile before giggling softly, waiting for her husbands reaction. 
"Potatoes....?" Nick tilted his head a bit before glancing forward at his wife and the back at the ultrasound. His emerald eyes then widened. He looked down at the ultrasound, then back forward at Judy, about nine times before he spoke. 
"You mean......" Nicks breaths began to get short in panic as he basically crunched the ultrasound picture. 
Judy quickly nodded as he took the photo from Nick, to make sure it wouldn't get damaged. 
"They detected more then one heartbeat....." She said with a soft smile, her violet eyes wide. 
Nicks stomach dropped, he was so flabbergasted at how the bunny was so excited. He was so scared for her, and it didn't faze her at.
"H-how many........?" Nick hesitated to ask.
 "Three." Judy replied with a bright smiled, placing her paws together happily, and her ears stood straight up.
Nicks breaths hitched and his ears flattened. His eyes widening once again. 
"THREE." He shouted before placing his hand over his chest as he felt his heart rate pick up speed. He then noticed the color on his collar shine yellow. 
Judy's ears flattened at his reaction. She knew he wouldn't take it well. But this...upset her. 
"Nicholas. Please cal–" 
"THREE." Nick shouted again, then, a loud beep could be heard, followed by the yellow light on his collar, switching to red, and sending a very large, painful shock through his entire body. Starting at his neck.