"Out Sick"

Judy rushed to Nick's apartment as soon as she saw his message on her phone. He was sick, and with him being a fox, a simple cold could turn disastrous if not treated right away. She was carrying three plastic bags filled with remedies and food for Nick to try. It was a good thing that she didn't have to come in to work that day. She climbed the metal staircase of his apartment complex. He lived in the most shady part of town, and Judy hated it. There was trash tossed about, vagabonds living in unsanitary conditions and shifty mammals peering out of broken blinds in their homes. Judy quickly located his apartment, and upon entering the cramped studio apartment cringed at the mess that greeted her. Locking the door behind, she saw unwashed clothes carelessly thrown on the wooden floor. The smell from the dirty clothes was horrendous to the point that she had to cover her nose to prevent herself from her way to his kitchen, she saw dirty grimy pots on his stove covered in grease, and stacks of unwashed dishes left on the counter next to the sink. The garbage was filled to the brim with fast food containers and packaging from microwavable meals. Judy couldn't believe that he lived this way. She opened the door to his bedroom, and was immediately met with the sound of coughing.

She found Nick on his bed, buried under a pile of thick blankets. His eyes were closed, making her believe he was asleep. His face was flushed all the way up to his ears, and his breath came out as a wheeze. He let out a set of harsh coughs, causing Judy to quickly come up to him.

"Oh Nick, your cold is worse now..." She said gently. Setting the bags aside, she placed her paw on his head. She pulled away as if she had touched a hot stove. She dug into her bag and took out a washcloth, walked into the messy bathroom next to his room, and ran cold water over the cloth.

The moment the cool washcloth was placed on his head he let out a soft sigh.

He was sweating profusely, covering his pillow with sticky sweat as a result of the amount of blankets on top of him and his fever. With a toss, Judy removed the thick sheets. She grabbed a clean thin sheet from his closet and placed it down near his feet. She shook her head, finding him still dressed in his pants, Hawaiian shirt and tie. The smell of B.O stung her nostrils, making her retch. She opened his dresser beside his bed and found a clean blue pajama shirt.

"This will do." she smiled, and gave him a glance. All she had to do was unbutton his shirt and give him the new- she suddenly wrung the shirt in her paws. A small blush grew as she thought about it. Undressing Nick? That seems a little... shook her head. No, it's not that weird, I'm just taking off his shirt. It smells! I can't just let him continue wearing it.

With a deep breath and a clear head, she sat down at edge beside him, her fingers going to work. The buttons were easy to undo, though propping him up long enough to get his arms out of the shirt took some effort. Laying him back down on the bed and tossing his shirt to the floor, Judy realized that his torso was fully exposed, and her cheeks heated up at the fact. She placed her paws over her eyes instinctively.

Ugh come on Judy... She mentally told herself. You can do it, it's not like you haven't seen him shirtless before.

With a breath, she lowered her paws. She grabbed his pajama shirt and slowly put in his arms. It was like dressing a large doll, seeing as his arms laid limp for her to put in his sleeves. She tossed the thin sheet over him, covering all of him except his head and neck. She removed the wet washcloth and placed a paw on his forehead, feeling that his temperature had gone down a little bit.

Nick's eyes opened halfway, and he peered up at Judy. She sweetly smiled down at him.

"Hey Nick, how are you feeling?" She whispered, running her fingers down his cheek. He stared at her as if he had never met her before. She raised her brow. "Nick...you okay? Are you hungry? I can make you some soup if you want."

He blinked slowly at her and smacked his dry lips.

"Are you thirsty?" She asked, leaning down closer to him. "Does your throat hurt? I have some medicine."

He closed his eyes, letting out a soft wheeze as he shook his head at her.

"No?...what do you want? I'm here to help, you know."

He opened his mouth slightly. "S-soup..."

"Got it." She placed the washcloth back on his forehead and left his side,grabbing one of the plastic bags and setting it on the kitchen counter. She had to vigorously scour a few pots to boil the broth and cook the noodles. In between the prep time she began to clean his disgusting studio. Like her fellow rabbits, Judy had a knack for cleanliness, and seemed to have an instinctive compulsion to fix anything that was out of order.

Sometime later, she admired her masterpiece, wiping sweat from her brow. The floor was shined, free from garbage and clothes. His shirts were washed, folded, and neatly put away, and the dirty dishes had been washed and put away in the cabinets. She even had had time to wipe and dust his furniture, making sure everything had a "shine" once he woke up.

She poured the vegetable soup into a small bowl, followed by the thin noodles. She carried the hot bowl underneath a cool plate to Nick.

Dry coughs came out of his mouth, causing him to weakly lift his neck in the hope of catching his breath. His head fell back on the pillow with a plop.

"Nick, I made you some vegetable soup." She said gently, and he gave her the biggest scowl he could muster in his condition, which more resembled a small frown", as he dislikes vegetables. She knew he hated eating vegetables, but when it came to a cold, helping him get the proper nutrients to aid his recovery was of the utmost importance. "At least try it...I promise you'll like it."

She stirred the soup with a silver spoon, making it cool enough for him to drink. She inched the spoon over to his mouth, making him sip the liquid. He swallowed and immediately began coughing. He made a retching noise, making her fear that he might discard his stomach contents all over the floor. She let out a sigh of relief once his head fell back on the pillow. She had to make him eat and drink plenty of fluids. She had always known that he had a weak immune system, but this was the first that a cold had left him weak and vulnerable. She gave him another spoonful and he took it willingly. He drank about half of the soup until he couldn't lift his head anymore.

Judy set the soup aside and removed the washcloth.

"Get some rest, Nick...I'll check on you later." She pulled away from him, only to feel a weak hold around her wrist. She stopped and whirled back to Nick, wondering what else he might need. He glanced at her weakly and opened his mouth.

"...I love you."

Judy eyes widened and her jaw suddenly went loose, resulting in a slight gape. On very rare occasions, depending on the mood of the situation, Nick uttered those three words to her. This was the third time that he had ever said it. She closed her mouth and placed his paw back on the bed. He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep, failing to notice her small fingers stroking at his whiskers.

"I love you too..." she replied with a small smile.