A/N: Been a while since I wrote a chapter for this story. Sorry about that. Bee ridiculously busy lately. Hope you all enjoy!

This chapter is going to differ where the original story went, so for fans of the first draft I hope it's not too off-putting. I do not like writing (or reading) the type of content that was in the original.

Disclaimer: Hey Disney, if you're reading this then any praise/money/swag can be sent my way. Any negativity and/or lawsuits send to Anheilder.

Chapter 6 - A chat is had

"Hey look, it's my parents!"

The forced cheer in her voice was muffled by the oxygen mask still over her mouth and nose. She could tell by the wide eyes of her mother and the flapping, soundless jaw of her father, that it was not the best look for them to see. Especially with how they already felt about her job.

"Judy! Wha-what happened?" Her mother's voice was filled with the shrill sound of panic, a tone reserved only for a parent over the safety and worry of a child. Thinking it was better to risk the doctor's ire than her parent's, Judy lifted the mask off her face and over her ears.

"It's okay, mom. I'm fine. Hi dad!" she waved to her still frozen father. To his credit he managed to wave back meekly, though he still was mouthing nonsensical words in shock.

"Fine? Fine?! You are most certainly not fine, missy! You're in the hospital-yes that's right I can see the gurney and part of the curtain behind you. You're in the hospital with an oxygen mask and that only happens when someone is not fine!" Bonnie started to hyperventilate. Judy, sensing her mother would eventually drive herself into a full-on frenzy, tried to calm her down.

"It's just standard procedure, mom," Judy reassured her. "When dealing with smoke inhal-…" Her mouth had run unchecked once again, reciting off facts she had memorized in training and too late did she realize it was the worst possible thing she could say in that moment. Oh crap.

"Smoke inhalation? Smoke inhalation?!" Now Bonnie's voice was so high-pitched Judy was sure some of the canines in the waiting area were glancing around in confusion. "What on earth were you doing that you were breathing in smoke?!"

"Now Bon, I'm sure it wasn't anything dangerous," Stu began, placing his paw on his wife's shoulder to try and calm her down. "She may have just been keeping folks away from a fire. You know, herding the crowd."

"I was rescuing some mammals from a burning building."

"Or she could have been rescuing some mammals from a burning building," he continued, his voice now very faint and looking at the matronly doe with concern.

"You were inside a building that was on fire?!" It looked to Judy that her mother my just keel over in shock, but the way she was acting was starting to get a bit on her nerves. How she had completely ignored Judy's heroics in favor of focusing on the danger aspect wasn't how Judy had wanted the conversation to go.

"Yeah, mom. Saving three small children and their mothers. You know, keeping them from being burned alive?" That had the effect of slightly mollifying her own mother much to Judy's pleasure. The knowledge that her actions had resulted in several children getting rescued was enough for Bonnie to reevaluate being upset with her daughter.

"I'm sorry Bun-Bun. It's just…you were a meter maid just last night and now you're running into burning buildings. I just…it's a lot to take in all at once." The look of distress slowly faded from her mother's face before her eyes narrowed in determination. "Don't you worry though. I'll be there in just a few hours on the late-night train. I'll see you soon!"

"Wait, what? Mom, no!" Her shout went unheard however as her mother had disappeared from the screen before she could get the first two words out. All she was left with was her father's still stunned expression. "Dad, you need to stop her."

Shaking his head, Stu was happy to focus on a conversation he knew something about. "Oh c'mon, Jude. You know that nothing I say, or anyone else for that matter. When your mother has her mind set on something it's best to just get out of her way." As if to prove his point, her father stepped back as far as he could while Bonnie crossed in front of the phone with a suitcase.

"But what about the farm? And the family? Doesn't mom need to be there?" With so many siblings it was astounding to even think the doe of the house would willingly leave on a whim.

"Well, school's out this week. Some reason or another with a broken pipe. Third and fourth wings are flooded. So they are all home and I've got 'em out hauling up carrots and sowing corn in the back forty," he added with pride, tucking his thumbs behind his overalls. Nearly all of his children had decided to follow in his footsteps and become farmers, and quite a few of them had what it took to become owners of their own. Judy had always been different, though it never made him any less proud. Just a lot more scared.

A loud honking sound interrupted their conversation and had Stu looking in the direction his wife had just hurried to. Hanging his head, he murmured indistinctly under his breath before lifting his gaze to meet his daughter's. "Your mom needs me to drive her to the station. Have her message me when she arrives, okay Jude?"

Sighing heavily, Judy nodded in defeat. "Yeah dad. I got it. Love you."

"Love you too, Jude. Bye!" With a bright smile and a cheery wave Stu disappeared off the phone. Judy stifled a laugh at how the picture didn't end for several seconds while her father tried to find the 'off switch' he was swearing about.

Putting the phone away, Judy let her head fall into her paws. "Mom coming here. Just great. As if I didn't have enough to deal with I gotta put up with her helicopter parenting. It's been less than a day that I've done more than just meter duty and already I'm paying for it."

"Not to mention ignoring the advice of your doctor." Judy nearly leapt from her seat at the voice coming from the doorway which had opened without her noticing. Way to go, Judy. Don't pay attention to your ears. That's the type of thing that gets you killed. She finished her mental kicking of herself and turned to greet the new mammal. She was only lightly surprised to see another doe like herself entering the room. The white coat covering her brown and cream torso along with the stethoscope hanging from her neck told her that not only had her doctor arrived, but that she had done so in time to see her dismissing the recommended oxygen mask the nurse had instructed her to use.

"Oh! Umm…sorry. I just…my parents are, well-"

"Too overprotective?" the doctor finished for her while striding up next to the chair. Directing the gray doe up onto the examination table, the second bunny walked around and used a nearby button to lower it to both of their level.

Judy laid back on the bed-like table. "You too, huh?" Knowing that city bunnies are more progressive in what their offspring wanted to do, and that a doctor would have made most families overly proud, the protectiveness would for one other reason. "Bunnyburrow?"

"Podunk, actually," the doctor said, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around her patient's arm. "My name is Doctor Blossoms. I see on your chart that you had no less than three others calling in about your symptoms including the Chief of police and a firefighter. And it took you so long to come in…why?"

"Ummm…I plead the fifth?" Judy tried to offer a joke, hoping it would distract the doctor long enough to forget the question. However that idea was quickly demolished when the doe gave her a piercing look.

"Officer Hopps, I won't demand that you tell me what you were doing, but if it was exasperating your condition I really need to know so that I can treat you appropriately." The professional concern was evident in her voice, but unlike most doctors who had been in the game for a long time, hers still held compassion and understanding.

Judy sighed but after a quick internal battle with herself decided she did need to open up, if to only be cleared and headed home faster. "I went to visit the firefighter who saved me. Brought the department pizza as a thank you. I guess time just got away from me." It wasn't the whole truth but it was enough to hopefully avoid any awkward questions. Ones she wasn't all that sure she had answers for herself.

"I see." Several scribbles happened on the notepad the doctor held while she took the readings from the blood pressure machine. "Well, as your doctor for today I am going to tell you that was very foolish as you could have gotten much worse a lot quicker. As another rabbit I wish I could cuff you upside the head and call your mother myself." Judy chuckled lightly, very thankful that she was in fact her doctor, though that chuckle died when a thermometer was stuck in her mouth.

"Alright. So temperature is a little elevated. Breathe deep," Dr. Blossoms said while having Judy lift her uniform so she could place her stethoscope against her chest and back. On the third breath Judy coughed a bit heavily but it came under control soon after. "Still have residual effects from the smoke inhalation but they seem to be dissipating. That's definitely a positive." Pressing a paw to the gray doe's midsection, she pressed moderately and took in the wince from the rabbit. Trailing her paw higher, the doctor pressed against her ribs eliciting a gasp and a heavier flinch.

"I've got good news and bad. Good news, nothing is broken, so I won't be sidelining you from work for weeks. Bad news, you have several that are bruised pretty heavily. So I will be giving you a prescription for some pain meds and informing your Chief that you are to have three days of recuperation minimum."

Judy wanted to argue but the flare from her ribs where the doctor had pressed made her reconsider. Her job would still be there in three days and she would be fit enough to prove herself to Bogo and the rest of her co-workers. Not to mention getting a chance to see Nick again when she was at her prime and not quite so easily distracted or brushed off. The thought of seeing the fox again made her feel very warm, especially in areas she normally tried to ignore.

Dr. Blossoms was making several notes on her chart when a subtle scent caught her attention. It wasn't normally something she would detect from a rabbit, especially in this day and age, and while it was none of her business, she felt it was something she should comment on.

"Miss Hopps, how long have you been off suppressants?" The question caught Judy off guard, but answered it nonetheless.

"I haven't taken them since Junior year. They aren't allowed at the academy or in the ZPD because it causes a drop in reaction time and for bunnies that means year-round, not just a few weeks so I began training to resist any urges without taking them. I've never had any problems."

"Well, it appears you may have an issue now." The other doe pointed to her wiggling nose, letting Judy know she was getting a scent. "Were you thinking of anyone just now? A certain buck perhaps?"

"Umm…not exactly?" Deciding not to get into specifics, Judy looked down at her paws, not able to think of anything else to say beyond the obvious. "Without suppressants, what will happen to me? To my job?"

"Well, as you said the suppressants can cause a delay in our reflexes. One of the few curses of being a bunny doe I'm afraid. However not taking them could be more than you feel you can handle. I'm sure your mother would have told you and your school's sex-ed program?" Judy nodded, but she would be lying if she said she had paid very close attention. The doctor noticed the slight hesitation and rolled her eyes. Though only a year or two older than Judy herself, the brown colored doe had encountered so many rabbits in Judy's situation that she felt much older.

"If you don't use suppressants your body will go into a constant state of hormonal flux. You could, for instance, be in the middle of cuffing a thief, think about the mammal you are attracted to momentarily, and have a wave of emotional and physical desire sweep across you. You can imagine how distracting that would be. Not to mention if you were actually with that mammal and that wave hit you. You might become so overwhelmed that you throw yourself at them regardless of the circumstances."

Judy's eyes widened. "Oh that can not happen! I am a cop! I can't just strip out of my uniform and jump him! What can I do?"

"Well, there's a couple options. The first is suppressants which you've already decided is not one. The other is to become pregnant," Judy winced heavily which made the doctor stifle a chuckle. "There's one other that is said to work but I don't believe it's real nor do I think would ever be used. Just try to hate them."

"I can't do that. I mean he's arrogant and smug and sometimes a bit rude but in the end he's handsome, caring, compassionate, and brave. I just don't see how I could bring myself to hate him. Especially after what he's done for me. But why now? How is it different now? There are plenty of good looking mammals out there."

"It's different because before I'm guessing you were never really attracted to anyone. And it's more than just looks that cause this. I don't start panting like a idiot whenever I see Orlando Bloom dressed as a pirate buck. Okay, bad example. We all do that. But it's about seeing someone as a mate." Tilting her head, she had to admit she was impressed by whoever must have captured the bunny's attention and said as much. "Must be one heck of a buck."

Judy flushed heavily, the insides of her ears turning red. "What if I said he wasn't a buck?" Dr. Blossoms arched a brow.

"Well you've said 'he' plenty of times so I'm guessing it's not a doe. It's none of my business but if you feel like divulging?"

"He's…a fox."

The two does stared at one another. One in defiance, the other in shock. Judy practically dared the doctor to say something negative.

"Well…I'm not gonna lie, that's a first for me. Interspecies isn't all that taboo these days like it was back in our parents. Predator and prey…that's a bit more complicated but I do know a few couples. A fox and a bunny though…that's an interesting pair," the brown doe said thoughtfully.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Judy's suspicious tone was quite obvious but so was the curiosity.

"Well…ummm…" Judy found it amusing to see the doctor's own ears flush in embarrassment. "You see…canines have…something…down there. I have a hard time imagining- not that I do! Cause I don't! I just…don't see how it would fit," she finished quite lamely.