444

A/N: Just to let you all know, the title of the story comes from the police code "444" which means "Officer needs help." I thought that was an appropriate title for the story. Hope you enjoy!

A squad car sped down the road chasing after another car. Behind the wheel was Officer Judy Hopps, and next to her was her partner Officer Nick Wilde. At the moment, the two were in pursuit of a suspect who recently robbed a jewelry store on 9th street. Judy picked up the radio transceiver, and spoke into it. "Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps. We got a 510 in progress. The suspect is heading north down on Baxter Street. Officer Wilde and I are currently in pursuit, but we're requesting backup, over.

"Roger that, Officer Hopps. We're on our way," said a fellow officer from the other end of the transceiver.

Judy put the radio back in place, and returned her focus to the high speed chase. "Hopefully the other officers responding can cut him off," she said.

"Hopefully. If not, you and I might have to stop him ourselves," Nick warned.

Judy smiled. "You know I'm always up for a challenge."

The suspect haphazardly cut across oncoming traffic, nearly causing a crash. As carefully as she could, Judy did the same thing, staying right on the suspect's tail.

"If my hunch is right, he probably doesn't know the layout of the city very well," Judy said.

"What makes you say that?" Nick asked.

"Look at the way he's driving. He's like a chicken running around with its head cut off," Judy teased. "As soon as we pass this intersection, and he takes a right, we'll have him. That way is a dead end street, remember?"

Nick smiled. "Sly bunny," he said.

"Alright, here we go," Judy said as they passed the intersection.

Just as she suspected, the suspect made a sharp turn right, straight onto the dead end street. The suspect seemed to realize this as he slammed on breaks.

"Get ready to take this chase on foot," Judy warned.

The suspect, a bobcat, jumped out of the car, and ran down an alleyway.

"Stop in the name of the law!" Judy yelled.

"It's a shame that never works," Nick commented, noticing that the bobcat refused to stop.

The bobcat was fast, but Nick and Judy were faster. As they approached the end of the alleyway, they saw that there was a fence blocking the entrance to the next street.

"It's all over! Get down on the ground, and put your paws in the air," Judy instructed.

The bobcat looked at the fence, and then back at Nick and Judy who were closing in on him. He was pondering his next decision.

"We're going to ask you one more time, sir. Get down on the ground, and put your hands in the air," Nick said.

The bobcat suddenly made up his mind. There was no way he was going to jail over stealing some necklaces. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a gun.

Judy, who was in front of Nick was the first to see the gun. Before she could react, and draw her own weapon, the bobcat fired two rounds, both hitting Judy in the stomach. The young rabbit collapsed onto the ground, clutching her bleeding stomach.

"Judy!" Nick cried, running to his partner's side. By now the bobcat had already climbed over the fence, and was making his escape.

Nick could have continued the chase alone, but helping Judy was far more important. Gently, he picked her up in his arms, pressing down on her stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Judy, Judy, can you hear me? It's going to be OK. I'm going to call for help!" Nick promised.

Judy's violet eyes gaped open wide as she gasped for breath. She had never been shot before; so this was what it felt like.

"Nick, the suspect…

"Don't worry about him, Judy. You're hurt. We need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible."

Nick grabbed his handheld radio, and pushed the button to speak. "Dispatch, this is Officer Wilde. We have a 444 in an alleyway between Baxter Street and Lillington. Requesting medical assistance ASAP!"

"Roger that, Officer Wilde, we'll be there as soon as we can," said a voice from the radio.

"Please hurry! She's hurt really bad!" Nick cried.

Nick turned his attention back to Judy. He cradled her head in his paws, trying to get her to stay conscious.

"Judy, did you hear that? The paramedics are on their way. Stay with me now!"

Judy's eyes slowly began to close as she tilted her head back. "Judy, Judy, don't do this to me! Stay with me! You hear me, stay with me!

When the paramedics arrived, Judy was rushed straight to the emergency room. The doctors told Nick that they needed to perform immediate surgery on her in order to remove the bullets. Nick pleaded with them to let him stay beside her, but the doctors refused. For the next two hours, Nick sat in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting results. "Please be OK, please be OK," he repeatedly chanted to himself.

Why didn't he lead the way? More importantly, why didn't he warn Judy that the suspect was probably armed? If they had their guns already drawn, the suspect wouldn't have even tried to reach for his own gun. Now here they were: in a hospital with the doctors trying to save Judy's life, and him scared beyond belief.

The moment the doors to the operating room opened, Nick ran to the lead doctor, begging to hear the news.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked, shaking violently.

The doctor, a grizzly bear, took off his surgical gloves, and sighed.

"Officer Wilde, we removed the bullets from her body. However, she lost a lot of blood in the process from the shooting. We did a blood transfusion to compensate for this, but it's still uncertain. She's on life support right now. You can see her now if you like."

Nick didn't know what to say. The news was neither good nor bad, but ominous. Judy was still alive, but her life was hanging by a thread. There was no telling how the situation could unfold. Nick feared for the worst, but he couldn't let that distract him. He had to pray for the best. Judy was a tough cop; she'd make it. At least he'd hope she would.

When Nick entered the room, Judy was unconscious with an IV in her arm, hooked up to a medical ventilator. He kneeled down beside Judy, and watched her closely; looking for any sign of movement.

"Judy, if you can hear me, I want you to know that I am so sorry this happened to you. I should have been the one to take the bullets. I should be the one hooked up to life support. You don't deserve this. I'm so, so sorry, Judy.

Looking at Judy's progress on the ventilator machine, Nick could see that she was still alive, despite her still remaining unconscious. Over the next hour, Nick remained by Judy's side. The doctors gave him permission to stay the night if he liked, which he kindly accepted. Nick sat at in one of the chairs in the room, watching Judy intently, praying as much as he could.

In the past year, Judy had had a profound impact on Nick's life. Not only did she change the man he was, she also opened to his eyes to the fact that life truly is what you make it. We don't get to choose how we start in this world. Real greatness is what you did with the hand you were dealt. Judy proved that him in more ways than one. Even off the force, the two had become inseparable. They frequently went to the movies together, took walks in the park, and even taught each other things. Judy showed Nick how to sew, and Nick showed Judy how to play pool. Before too long, the sly bunny was a pro at the game. As for Nick and sewing, that took some time, but he eventually got the hang of it. Through all those times that he spent with Judy on and off the force, the more he grew fond of the sly little bunny. In fact, if Judy didn't show up for work because she was sick or had some other matter to attend too, Nick felt lonely. Sure, he had everyone else on the force to keep him company, but it wasn't the same. No one else on the force could replace Judy. No one could fill that faithful sidekick role that she performed oh so well.

But it was more than the things he did with Judy that made him appreciate her. Even the simple things he valued about Judy. Every time he heard her yell "Stop in the name of the law" he felt goosebumps radiate throughout his body. Every time he listened to her read the Miranda rights to the animal she was arresting, he couldn't help but smile. She sounded so professional, so confident. Every time she smiled at him, he felt butterflies in his stomach. Those violet eyes coupled with that smile was enough to make a man crazy.

Seeing her lying still on the hospital bed, hooked up to life support with a gunshot wound, left Nick feeling helpless for the first time. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost Judy. She was the reason he joined the force to begin with. Without her, he'd be without a partner, and a friend. The thought of losing Judy caused Nick to cry. No! That couldn't happen! It just couldn't! Not to such a sweet bunny! Nick walked over to her bedside, and cupped one of her cheeks with his paw. By now his eyes were filled with tears. "Judy, please don't go. Please don't go. I need you. Without you, I'm lost. You've given me the best that life has to offer. I cannot begin to thank you enough for that. You mean so much to me. You mean the world to me," he said, confessing his true feelings. "I love you, Judy Hopps. I love you so much!"

Nick hung his head, and cried profusely. He gently held one of Judy's paws in his own; stroking it ever so smoothly.

"I've never seen that side of you before," said a weak voice beside him. "I got to say, I like it."

Nick looked up, and there weakly staring back at him were those violet eyes that he had become so fond of. Judy was awake! She was actually talking to him!

"Judy!" Nick cried, jumping up.

He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close, but quickly remembered not to be too rough with her.

Judy laughed as the two of them hugged each other tightly.

"I thought I'd lost you," Nick said, when the two broke apart.

"You could never get rid of me, Officer Wilde. I'm just too persistent," Judy said, smiling.

Nick chuckled. "You got that right. Judy, what I said is true. I love you so much."

"I know," Judy replied. "I love you too. You're my dumb fox."

"And you're my sly bunny," Nick said.

The two leaned closer, and slowly, but surely, their lips met each other. The kiss only lasted for a thirty seconds, but Nick could have sworn it felt like an eternity, which he certainly didn't mind. When they broke apart, Judy laid her head back on the pillow. She was obviously still drained of energy. It would be a while before she was back in action.

"Would you stay with me?" she asked, taking Nick's paw in her own.

Nick smiled warmly. "Of course."

"Good. I don't think I could tackle this one without my partner," Judy said, closing her eyes.

"Neither could I," Nick replied. The fox and the rabbit then fell asleep together on the bed. In the morning, the nurse didn't bother waking them right way. She let them sleep together for another hour or so. Medicine could heal alright, but the best kind of medicine was love from one to another. Judy had all that she needed at the moment.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading! Leave a review if you liked it! I'd love to hear your thoughts!