uncertainty was eating at their souls. They knew he could be lying there lifeless. But they didn't want to believe it. He couldn't be dead. His jolly laugh, his smiling face, his playful antics…all of it flashed before their eyes. It was too painful to think that he could no longer exist. That Nicholas Wilde…was gone.

They didn't want to believe it.

But it could be true.

Finally, the door opened. Amber walked out, with an exhausted but triumphant look.

"You can come in and see him now," she said. "But just for a while. Don't crowd him, he's still weak. Kids first, and Judy. Come on, kids."

The smaller Hopps children walked into the room slowly, holding paws. Judy walked in with Bianca in her arms.

And there he was.

"Uncle Nick!" cried the little bunnies and rushed to his side.

Nick smiled weakly.

"Hey kids," he said. "Mighty Fox is here."

The kids climbed onto the bed and hugged their Uncle Nick, sobbing into his blanket. Judy carried Bianca to Nick's side and set her down beside him. Bianca hugged Nick's face and cried loudly. Nick reached with his paw and hugged her, stroking her head reassuringly.

"Don't worry, little ace," said Nick. "They fixed me up just fine, and I'll fly again in no time."

Judy stood beside Nick's bed, her lip trembling and her paws shaking. Nick looked up at her.

"Hey Carrots," he said, doing his best to give her his trademark smirk. "Did I miss my soap opera?"

"Oh, Nick!" Judy cried out, bursting into tears as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "If I'd lost…you…I don't know…what…"

She couldn't talk anymore. All she could do was cry and hug him tight.

"Hehe, it'll take more than that to snuff this fox," said Nick as he stroked her softly on the head and the back of her ears, knowing how she loved the soothing feeling of his warm paws on her.

"Oh, Nick...my sweet...sweet...wonderful Nick," cried Judy with a voice trembling from raw emotion.

She held his cheeks and showered his face with kisses.

"I love you…I love you so much…" she whispered as she kissed him over and over.

"Awww, I know you do, baby carrot cakes," said Nick, putting his arm around her and hugging her close. "And you know I do. And you know that you do. And you know that I know that you know that you do."

Judy couldn't help giggling weakly at his playful words. He was indeed okay, back to his whimsical wisecracking self again.

After a long embrace, Judy and the Hopps children stepped away from Nick's bed. Judy turned to Amber and Garth, and Gideon, who was sitting on a cot behind them, a bit drowsy from the blood transfusion.

"I can't…even begin…to tell you…how grateful we are," Judy stammered.

Amber answered by hugging her tight, then all the kids. Garth did the same.

The children left, and in walked Penny, Bonnie, Stu, Cletus and Sheriff Shepard, who had just arrived after making sure Jenkins was locked up and guarded by his deputies.

Penny, Stu and Bonnie all hugged Nick with tears streaming down their cheeks, all grateful to have him back and safe.

Then came Cletus.

"Officer Wilde…I wanna sincerely…deeply…apologise…for all the things I said," said Cletus shakily. "You saved my life…and I can't never…repay you for…being such a fine…gentlefox and officer…"

He couldn't talk anymore. He just hugged Nick tight and let the floodgates of his eyes run free.

"That dart…was meant for me," said Cletus, blubbering like a child. "If you hadn't pushed me outta the way…and taken it for me…."

"Now don't get all lacrimose on me, Cletus," said Nick. "I'm a cop, it's what we do."

Cletus continued to blubber. Nick gave up and patted his back gently.

"Ahh, you bunnies…so emotional."

Donovan Shepard stood beside Nick's bed and removed his hat. He saluted Nick with reverence, a single tear dripping from his eye.

"Officer Wilde," said Shepard. "On behalf of the entire town, I would like to thank you deeply for your brave act of self-sacrifice. You were willing to lay down your life to protect a citizen of our town, and such valour can never be rewarded enough. You are a true hero, Officer Nicholas Wilde."

Nick saluted back, smiling warmly.

"Serve and protect," said Nick. "That's what I live for, that's what I'll die for."

As Penny, Shepard and Cletus exited the room, relieved to see that Nick was safe, Judy remained, standing next to Nick's bed and holding his paw in both of hers. Stu and Bonnie stood at the foot of Nick's bed, holding paws, happy to see that their daughter's sweetheart was going to live to be his playful, mischievous self once again.

Nick turned to his two city friends, Garth and Amber. They were standing on the other side of the bed, looking tired but happy.

"Amber, Garth, you saved me," said Nick. "I can't thank you two enough. With your brains put together, no force on Earth will ever come close to matching your sheer awesomeness."

Garth beamed and Amber blushed.

"Aww, shucks," they said in unison, then laughed together.

"I'd gladly march into the battlefield of death a thousand times for you, old pal," said Garth.

"That's what friends are for, Nick, to help in every way," said Amber.

"So, no more 'Officer Wilde', Amber?" asked Nick teasingly. "You finally got around to calling me 'Nick'?"

"Well," said Amber. "There are certain things people do not come back from without becoming close friends. And I think this is one of them, Nick."

They all chuckled as Amber hugged him warmly.

"And you there, Gideon," said Nick. "Don't be bashful, I know you spilt blood for me, quite literally."

Gideon, still sitting on the cot behind Garth and Amber, just chuckled shyly.

"Shucks, you'd have done the same for me, Officer Wilde."

"Humble to the last, Mr Gray," said Nick, and everyone chuckled.

Bonnie had one burning question, and now that things had calmed down, she asked.

"How were you able to save him, Amber, dear?"

Amber reached for a plastic hermetic bag on the medicine counter behind her and showed them the dart that Nick had been shot with.

"Nick was shot with a dart containing Crotalus cerastes venom, more commonly known as rattlesnake poison," said Amber.

Everyone shuddered when they heard those two last words.

"The smell gave it away," said Amber. "We are trained in forensics school to recognise the scents of different poisons, and I must admit being a coyote gives me quite a bit of a natural advantage in that area," she added, tapping her cute little nose with her finger and giggling musically. "Nick needed anti-venom and quick. Fortunately, we have our living source of antidote right here…"

She placed her paws on Garth's shoulders and kissed the top of his head.

"My chubby-wubby future hubby," said Amber lovingly.

"Awww, shucks," Garth beamed and looked very pleased.

"Opossums' bodies produce peptides that neutralise rattlesnake venom," said Amber. "I isolated them and used them to neutralise the poison that had gone into Nick's bloodstream. Most of it I was able to drain out, fortunately, before it reached the rest of his body. But he bled a lot and needed a transfusion immediately. And that's where Gideon Gray came in, donating a generous amount of blood to save Nick. And all is well that ends well," she finished, adjusting her spectacles happily.

"Somehow, I feel closer to you already," said Nick. "I got Garth's anti-venom peptides and Gideon's blood from the transfusion. I guess we're really cousins now, eh, Gid?"

"Oh, Officer Wilde," said Gideon bashfully.

"Now you're gonna start calling me 'cuz', and as soon as you marry Bea, it'll be official."

Even though he had donated a large amount of blood, Gideon still managed to blush shyly.

"Now, I have even more good news for everyone," said Amber, holding up the bag with the deadly dart. "Terror Firma Incorporated has a lot of explaining to do. Possessing rattlesnake venom without authorisation is very, very, veeeeery illegal. And not to mention using it! This stuff is strictly controlled and you need a laundry list of permits and authorisations to obtain just an ounce of it. And these clowns not only possessed it, they used it for criminal purposes, along with the pan-dimonium acetate, which they synthesised in an illegal clandestine laboratory. So I think we can safely say that we've got everything we need to bring these evil scoundrels in and have them face justice!"

"That we do," said Nick. "And the final piece of the puzzle is George Jenkins."

"Who is sitting in a cell at the police station," said Judy, gently letting go of Nick's paw and walking to the door. "And with whom I am about to have a long conversation."

Deputy Barkins brought George Jenkins into the interrogation room. He made him sit on a chair on which he had piled several books. Jenkins sat on a dictionary as Barkins cuffed him securely to the table, making sure he could not escape.

As Barkins walked out of the room, Donovan

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