[b]The Long Game - Chapter 79: A Call to Action[/b] Disclaimer: Zootopia and all Canon characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights belong to their respective owners. ….. [i]“Hi Mr. Nick,” said Ruthie, smiling sweetly from Nick’s phone screen. “How are you?” “Hi Ruthie. I’m fine, I’m here with Judy and Sheriff Hoofson, and we were hoping you could help us with some things about your family’s farm.” Ruthie’s ears drooped, and her lip quivered before Nick waved a paw in front of his phone, saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Sniffing, Ruthie nodded, “It’s okay. I just miss being with my little brothers and my sister. I feel like my mistake and being banished have hurt them more than anyone else because I’m not around to keep them from getting underfoot and upsetting my dad.” “What your dad did wasn’t your fault,” said Nick, “and your siblings are all doing fine. They wanted me to tell you they miss you and they hope you’re doing okay.” “You talked to them?“ “Yes, except it was Becca who was doing most of the talking, at least until she gave me permission to be a fox and then showed me around the play area and the bridge.” “She didn’t take you on the bridge, did she? Dad gets mad if any of us kits ever try to go on the bridge.” “No, don’t worry, Becca was good. Me, not so much. Your dad yelled at me for almost standing on the bridge when I was trying to see if he had any crops planted on the other side of the ravine. Do you know if there are any crops planted over there?” Ruthie shrugged, “I don’t think so. But none of us younger kits are allowed on the bridge, so I don’t know for sure. I remember my mom saying that in ancient times, the family used to grow corn and sunflowers over there. And once, before she left, she said everything over there had been taken over by a bunch of horrible weeds she was going to poison. If you want, I can try and figure out a way to ask Wesley if he knows. I was always stuck in the house doing chores, so he used to hear more about what was going on around the farm than I did.” “No, no,” said Nick quickly, “I don’t want anyone to do anything that might get Wesley or any of your siblings in trouble with your dad.” “How about the tractor barn, does your dad let you go in there?” asked Judy, pushing her muzzle into view of the camera. “No, we weren’t ever allowed in there either. Only my dad and my older brothers know the combination to the door lock.” “Your dad doesn’t let you young’uns do much around the farm, does he?” said Hoofson. “No sir,” replied Ruthie, “I think that’s one of the reasons my mom ran away when Becca was little. She was mad that Dad didn’t include us kits in the things that he let my older brothers do. She always told me that I had to be a big girl and make sure that the four of us minded our dad and stayed out of his business. “She cried most of the times she told me that too.”[/i] ….. Judy continued staring at the ceiling after going over the phone call with Ruthie and the rest of her and Nick’s meeting with Sheriff Hoofson for the nth time since a dream had woken her up. She tried to count something on the ceiling she could see, but the dim light from Nick’s alarm clock wasn’t helping her enough in her quest to fall back asleep. “Mmmmmmhhhhhh,” rumbled Nick as his soft fur shifted around her, and he started to purr. The last couple of days had worn on Nick. He did okay watching a movie with the kits last night, although he might have been a little gruff when he saw Sunni reaching for a remake. Thankfully, his mood changed when her paw had passed over the most recent live action disaster and settled on his most favorite movie growing up, ‘Robin Hood.’ It figures that where she enjoyed her share of buddy-cop movies, Nick would go for a buddy-scoundrel movie with a kind-hearted fox who rescued a doe from herself by hustling her into falling in love with him. Imaging Nick, sword in paw, bursting on the scene to rescue her, Judy smiled, and then almost cooed, thinking about how Robin Hood asked Maid Marian to be his mate right in the middle of a fight with the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and his minions. The glow on the ceiling shifted as Nick’s clock changed to 5 a.m., and with the light fading a bit, so did Judy’s smile. She had her own Sheriff problems that could use a daring intervention. Kissing her fox on the side of his muzzle, Judy eased out from her fuzzy cocoon and made her way back into her bedroom. She made sure to close the secret panels in case Hoofson changed his mind about putting her and Nick back on Dalton’s case and tasked Sunni, again, with the early morning message. [i]‘Not likely,’[/i] huffed Judy. [i]‘Pred-prey politics are as thick as molasses in the winter around here, especially when it comes to foxes.’[/i] Or so said the Sheriff after she, Nick, and Buckstein reported on the interviews with the Hayes and the Edwards families and the fact they’d come away with pretty much nothing they could use to get a warrant. Or roust the whole lot of them, maybe hang them from their toes off that bridge Nick had gotten chased away from. All the descriptions Nick had laid out of the Edwards farm and the feeling he had that the old bun was hiding more than some newer repairs fell on deaf ears. Not even the blurry picture of some covered equipment and what looked like a heavily modified harvester in their tractor barn made any headway with Hoofson. [i]‘Courtney said she was told the Edwards boys were working on a tractor until late the night Dalton was attacked, and you took a picture of something tractor-like in their barn. What exactly should I be telling Judge Beans is the basis for a search warrant? Half-assed looking repairs to their farm? A sturdy lock? Smelly trash? I’m sorry, but…’[/i] And then there was the last gasp phone call to Ruthie after Buckstein had headed back to his desk. She decided she didn’t want to think anymore about what Hoofson said after [i]that[/i] call had ended. Slipping on her running clothes, Judy knew the Sheriff was right. No sane judge would sign off on a search warrant with what they had, she just wished something would break their way for once. Mussing up her bed and tossing her sleeping shirt on her unused pillow, Judy slipped out of her room as she thought about what Janae would think of her getting pulled off her boyfriend’s case due to a [i]political[/i] technicality. Channeling her inner fox by trying to come up with some elaborate hustle to change the Sheriff’s mind, Judy, head down, padded her way through the hallways to the common room, until— “Oops,” said a surprised Lucas, bumping into Judy, and now trying to smooth his mussed-up denim shirt and brush off all the black and light brown colored fur bits from his clothes and fur. Jumping back a bit, Judy quickly said, “Sorry. I’m headed out for a run.” “Me too,” said Lucas, “I mean, I just finished. And… I’ve got to get ready for a shift at the clinic… Later.” Judy rolled her eyes and then, stepping closer to her brother, brushed off some of the fur bits he’d missed and taking his handkerchief, wiped the remnants of Andie’s makeup off his muzzle. “A shower before Mom sees you at breakfast would probably be a good idea.” “You won’t tell?” “Nope, I like Andie, and she’s good for you. I can’t remember ever seeing you this happy before. When are you going to ask her to be your mate?” “Wha—,” coughed Lucas, “We just met. I can’t just ask her like that. What if she says no? I mean, she’s so damn cute, and I’m…” “I’ve seen it in her eyes, she loves you. How long you’ve known each other doesn’t matter at this point. Just ask her.” “So… you really think she’d say yes?” “Yup, trust me, I’ve taken classes in how to read mammals, and she’s totally gushy around you.” “You took classes on how to tell when mammals love each other?” “Yes,” said Judy, looking her brother in the eye, “I also took classes on how to tell if a mammal is insane enough to be mates with my older brother, and she fits that profile to a T.” Judy smirked as the gears turned while a smile crept onto Lucas’s muzzle, until, finally, he said, “Thanks, Jude. I owe you.” “It’s okay,” said Judy, hugging Lucas. “Let me babysit your kits sometime, and we’ll call it even.” Breaking the hug, Judy started around Lucas toward the front door when— “Judy,” said Lucas. “Yeah?” “I’m sorry for how I treated you growing up. I was never there for you, never on your side. I was a major jerk, worse than a jerk.” Judy shrugged, “It’s okay. You had a lot to deal with back then, and I know it was hard for you after David passed and the rest of his litter left.” “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. That wasn’t fair. Especially with Dad going all weird like he did, chasing off all your friends that weren’t rabbits. I always felt bad that you didn’t go to your Senior Prom with Jared Bushtail because of Dad.” “You knew about that?” “Uh-huh, I was coming in from one of the fields when he was leaving, he said he liked you and was pretty bummed. I also heard you crying in your room. “I should have told Dad to lay off you about dating bucks. No way were you ever going to fall for a buck, and you were definitely way too cute to have to deal with all the crap they were dishing out. I was proud of you when you took out those two bullies.” Judy nodded, and quietly asked, “So you think I’m cute?” It was Lucas’ turn to roll his eyes, “Yes, in an annoying, little-sister way, you’re pretty cute. Ish.” Judy raised a brow. “Do you want me to call Jared and have him re-ask you to prom just to prove it?” Judy shook her head, “No, I don’t think so. He’s mated, and they already have a couple of litters.” Lucas smirked. “What?” said Judy. “We’re Muzzelbook friends.” Nodding now, Lucas said, “How about that cougar who played all those instruments at your Carrot Days’ play? I’m pretty sure he liked you, too.” “How about stop trying to fix up your little sister and giving Dad a heart attack.” “Dad’s getting better, look at Janae and Dalton, and he hasn’t forbidden Charlie from coming around the Warren yet. And you didn’t exactly say ‘no.’” “Musicians are a hard no, so you can stop now.” Tapping his chin, Lucas slowly walked around Judy, looking her over before saying, “How about at work, anybody you’ve got the hots for there?” With a huff, Judy gently grabbed her brother by his shirt, pulled his muzzle closer to hers, and said, “You’re as bad as Mom. Don’t make me have to hurt you because I will.” Lucas only smiled bigger, “I still haven’t heard a ‘no.’” Judy’s eyes narrowed as she stared at her annoying brother for a pawful of heartbeats before going old-school on him and… Sticking her tongue out at him. “I’m going for a run. And if you don’t hurry and ask Andie to be your mate, I’m going to tell her all about what happened with Megan Brookstream.” “What?!” said Lucas, smile draining off his muzzle. “You wouldn’t do that, would you? Please, Jude….” Judy waved over her shoulder as she headed out, saying, “Stop being a dweeb and ask her!” [center]-/-/-[/center] “Hey, Mom,” said Judy, dodging a sister carrying a tray piled high with French toast. “What are you doing over here in the corner?” “Oh, Judy. Good morning. You look wonderful in that outfit. Did you have a nice run?” Nodding as she sat down, Judy saw her mother had a small stack of puzzle pages in front of her and asked, “Sudoku? Why are you working puzzles and not cooking?” Bonnie smiled, “Nicholas gave me the morning off. He said he’d handle breakfast for the Warren, gave me a stack of these math puzzles, and told me to relax and enjoy my Sunday morning.” Seeing a large stack of completed sudokus next to the much smaller stack of unsolved ones, Judy chuckled, “You better slow down, you’re going to run out of puzzles before breakfast is over.” “I know, but you know us Hopps does, we’ve always been good at addition, and these are just too much fun. I’ll have to ask for harder ones for tomorrow night when you two are cooking dinner. Do you think there is a sudoku version for those of us who like to multiply?” “Cooking dinner? Me?” “Yes. And I can’t wait to see what you’re cooking. Nicholas isn’t saying, and I know you two are good at keeping secrets, so it will be a grand surprise for everyone.” “No kidding,” mumbled Judy before tapping the last four empty spots on her mom’s puzzle while saying, “8, 2, 5, and 1, solves that one.” “Thank you, dear. You’re even better at this than I am.” Scootching closer, Judy helped her mom finish another few puzzles in near record time, only [i]near[/i] record time because of the giggles and kit stories they exchanged while filling in the puzzle squares. “Moooom, that was totally not my fault.” “I’m just glad your ‘BatBun’ phase was short-lived.” “Hmmm, I sense a story I’d love to hear sometime,” came a voice from behind a tray with three plates on it. “Nope,” smirked Judy. Bonnie made a lip-zipping motion with her paw and smiled. “Well then, I guess we need something to loosen the lips of my two favorite does,” said Nick, setting a plate in front of Bonnie. “You said you couldn’t decide, so cinnamon apple stuffed French toast and one of my mom’s most secret recipes, sweet cream banana crepes. “And for my dear Carrots, a strawberry medley, strawberry-cream cheese stuffed French toast, lightly swirled with a strawberry reduction, and topped with whipped cream. And because no amount of sweetness is enough for my partner, a piece of something I had growing up and loved almost as much as my blueberries, a Strawberry Brown Sugar Tart.” Setting aside the empty tray, Nick sat with a flourish, saying, “And for me—“ “Blueberry everything,” said Judy, laughing. “Yes, blueberry everything, except for…” Nick slid a last plate into the middle of the table and said, “Carrot Breakfast Muffins. “Help yourself. If you like them, I’ll have to write the recipe down. I kind of made it up as I went along.” Both Judy and Bonnie took a nibble of a muffin and then a full bite, “Nicholas, you’ve outdone yourself. I absolutely want the recipe. These are delicious.” “Mmmm,” hummed Judy, “I’m in heaven. How in the world did you make all this food? I was only gone for a couple of hours, and you were still sound asleep when I left.” *clap* *clap* *clap* Nodding toward three young does clapping oversized oven mitts together, Nick said, “I might have had a little help.” “Mom, Kristy said her raspberry sauce tastes funny,” said Sunni. “Yeah, and Charlie can’t find the glass bread loaf you said was bestest to use,” added Susan. “And, and,” started Sasha before tapping her chin with an oven mitt for a moment and saying, “Help!” Nick started to get up, but with a matronly paw now on his, Bonnie said, “I’ll take care of this. You and Judy enjoy your breakfast, it’s all very delicious.” “Are you sure?” “Of course. And if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d sit next to Judy and help her finish the last of the sudokus you gave me. I heard somewhere that foxes were almost as good at math as rabbits.” Standing as Bonnie grabbed her plate and an extra muffin, Nick took Bonnie’s old seat, moved the half-done puzzle page between him and Judy, and said, “That square should be a 4.” “Yeah, and that one should be a 9. Sorry if I woke you up getting out of bed.” “It’s okay. That’s a 2. You tossed and turned all night. Is everything okay?” “I don’t know. I think we should talk to Sheriff Hoofson again. It’s not right for him to take us off of Dalton’s case.” Taking Judy’s paw into his under the table, Nick said, “I don’t like it either, and I can’t believe I’m about to say what I’m about to say, but Sheriff Hoofson is right. A fox as a Deputy is too new, and I’m being watched like a hawk. If another fox is involved in Dalton’s attack, the whole Burrow may lose its collective mind, which means there can’t be a single, solitary hint of fox favoritism in the investigation, or I’ll be run out of town on a rail, probably with the Mayor and the Sheriff in the seats next to me.” Squeezing Nick’s paw, Judy nodded as she filled an empty square with a ‘1.’ Leaning a bit closer, Nick added an ‘8’ and then a ‘6’ to the last square. “All done.” Judy smiled, “Mom was right about you foxes. Total math experts.” ….. “Mom,” asked Kristy, “are you ready for us to clear the rest of the tables?” Bonnie nodded toward the corner of the dining room and said, “Not yet. Judy and Nicholas aren’t done yet.” “What are they doing? They don’t look like they’re eating much anymore.” “It’s okay,” cooed Bonnie, “Give them a few more minutes, they’re working on their math.” [center]-/-/-[/center] She did not want to be here. But now that she was, she wanted to rip someone’s head off and spit down their neck. “Where the hell are you Quillbert?” spat Ackerbunn, willing her frustration into the mug in her paws so she could destroy it. “Right here, Boss,” said Ken, bursting into Karen’s office, barely dressed and definitely sans any caffeine. “I got nothing. How’d they pull this off without anyone knowing?” “Damn it all to hell,” yelled Ackerbunn, adding to the pile of ceramic bits in the corner of her office with a throw. “How in the hell am I supposed to fix this?” “As Mayor, you can’t. Not without losing the Town Council,” said Ken, tucking in his shirt, “but if you’re ready to take on the Council, I think I know a way to do it without taking them on head to head.” “Damn straight, I’m ready. Let’s do it.” [center]-/-/-[/center] It was more than just a few minutes of quiet conversation, secret paw holding, and the occasional sharing of food, enough so that Judy and Nick ended up bussing the tables, loading the dishwashers, and helping put away the leftovers. Bonnie tried to shoo Nick and Judy away but stopped after seeing them wash pans together. Nick’s tail wrapped around Judy’s legs. Judy hip-bumping Nick, and both of them occasionally boxing each other with their soapy paws. “Anything else, Mom?” asked Judy. “Nope, why don’t you two kits take the rest of the morning off and enjoy yourselves.“ *bzzzzzzz* *ah ah ah aaahhh* “Hang on,” said Nick, pulling out his phone at the same time Judy’s was alerting. “You know your text alert tone is like claws on a chalkboard, right?” Opening her text app, Judy huffed as she said, “You still owe me for what I had to do to get your phone… open. “Uh-oh, I’m being called in for official duty. There’s trouble at the clinic, and Hoofson wants me to pick up the Burrow Meister and escort him there ASAP.” Nick said, “Mine’s from the Mayor’ and handing his phone to Judy, he motioned for her to read his orders out loud. [i]Official Bunnyburrow Communication: The Honorable Mayor Karen C Ackerbunn does direct and commands her duly authorized representative, Burrow Meister Nicholas P Wilde, to immediately and with haste present himself at the Predville Medical Clinic to assess and resolve, if possible, the ongoing situation. Escort and support will be provided by Deputy Sheriff Judith L Hopps as authorized by Sheriff Nathaniel S Hoofson. End Official Communication.[/i] Nick’s phone buzzed again with another message from the Mayor, which Judy also read. [i]Nick. The Town Council is trying to shut Doc Stoan’s clinic down, and I need you to fix it. I wish I could intervene, but I can’t be seen as directly involved, and neither can Hoofson. So, you and Hopps are on your own. Don’t let me down. End[/i] Taking his phone back, Nick grumbled, “And as always, should you or any of your team be caught or killed, the Mayor will disavow any knowledge of your actions.” “This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Nick,” finished Judy with a grimace. Both their phones alerted again. “It’s Lucas, he says they’ve got trouble and to get our tails over to the clinic now.” “Alright,” said Nick, now jogging with Judy toward their rooms, “Better get our uniforms on, Deputy Hopps. We’re on the clock.” [center]-/-/-[/center] Driving around to the picnic area she and Nick had just scoured for evidence a couple of days ago, Judy eased her truck up as close to the clinic as she could and parked. It was good they came this way, too, because she certainly didn’t expect to see a line of mammals standing, arms interlocked, in front of the clinic chanting as they prevented a pair of older rabbit bucks, one in a dark suit and the other in overalls, from getting close to the clinic. “Wow,” said Nick. “Look at that.” Judy nodded. The scene was something that took her back to that awful time in Zootopia after she’d incited riots and enraged both predators and prey with her foolish statements about predator biology. “Yeah,” said Judy. “I see Cody, Colton, Lewis, and is that Andie? Oh my gosh, there’s a half dozen of the Gardiners here too.” Pointing toward some mammals grouped in the street, Nick added, “Along with a few unhappy looking predators and some antsy prey probably worried something bad’s about to happen.” “Too late,” said Judy, pointing across the street. “I think bad is standing right over there.” “Hayes,” growled Nick. “I bet he’s the reason why the Mayor needs to stay away and have us handle any official entanglements.” “Alright, Mr. Burrow Meister, let’s do this.” Walking up, Judy pushed her way through the crowd of small and medium mammals made up of predators and prey of various species that were mulling around, watching the two official-looking rabbits try to bully their way through the defensive line in front of them. “Move aside,” yelled the rabbit in overalls, a mottled black, brown, and grey-furred old-timer carrying a pink legal notice in his paw. “No,” shouted Andie, arms linked to Cody on one side and Colton on the other. “Don’t make me have to hurt you,” yelled the old-timer. “I’ll do it If I have to.” “I wouldn’t,” rumbled Lucas, taking up a position between Andie and Colton. “I might get angry, and you don’t want to see me angry.” The two older bucks stepped back at seeing an overlarge muzzle glaring down at them, and with the crowd starting to close in on them a little more, the buck in the suit looked back at Hayes with a worried look on his muzzle. Hayes returned the look with a silent scoff, then motioned for the worried buck to turn around. Worry escalated to fight or flight, actually just flight, when the buck saw a fox approaching but settled back down when he caught sight of a doe in a uniform. “Thank goodness you’re here, Deputy. I’m Leland Duggett Esquire, a recently retained lawyer for the Town Council. I’m assisting Councilor Vorrell here in shutting down this vile clinic for illegal operations of the most nefarious kind.” “Everybody back up a little. Give the Burrow Meister some room. I don’t want any trouble from anyone. Don’t make me have to make an example of anyone.” Everyone, including Lucas, took a step back at that. “Burrow Meister? What’s that?” asked Lawyer Duggett looking around. “Not what,” replied Nick, stepping into the newly vacated space, “Who.” Nick hadn’t been sure what a Burrow Meister’s ‘uniform’ would look like, but he was sure wearing either his ZPD or his Burrow Deputy’s uniform would be a bad idea. Discarding any thought of spandex with a logo or a powered suit, if only he had a secret lair and a year to build one, he decided to go with a toned-down version of what he wore to meet with Mr. Big. Dark slacks, a solid blue collared dress shirt, and a dark blue and orange striped tie. Of course, Nick being Nick, the embroidered orange stripes were tiny carrots laid root to stem. “Nicholas P. Wilde, Bunnyburrow Burrow Meister. In accordance with the Old Law, I’m legally authorized to review disputes and facilitate solutions. So, how about you explain to me what’s going on, and we talk about what we can do to resolve this situation.” Lawyer Duggett tried to stand up straighter and look Nick in the eye, but from about mid-chest level, the smaller, bookish rabbit lawyer said, “Never heard of you. We don’t believe in fox Burrow Jesters where I’m from.” Nick nodded toward Vern, who was now looking past everyone at Hayes across the street. Hayes shrugged. Vern turned back to Lawyer Duggett and grumbled, “It be true. He’s the Burrow Meister, and he has the authority. Been reviewed and debated in Council, but there’s nothing can be done. The decision’s above us.” “Fine, if Councilor Vorrell says it’s the case, then I suppose I’ll take his word for it. Not that I’m in the habit of caring what a fox thinks, but we’re here to post an official permit violation notice for running an illegal business and forthwith, mens rea, therefore, habeas corpus, preliminary injunction, shut the noted illegal business down.” The crowd gasped. They’d heard some of those terms on TV, and they weren’t good. “Go away,” yelled Jo from the porch. “We’re here to help save lives. Predville needs us because Bunnyburrow General doesn’t serve all those that weren’t born rabbit.” “Be that as it may,” said Lawyer Duggett, flipping open his briefcase and handing a certified copy of the violation notice to Nick, said, “You are no longer authorized to help anyone with anything.” Jo tried to stay strong but couldn’t. She leaned into Derek and started to cry. Lawyer Duggett, satisfied that he’d won his case, motioned to Vern to follow him and moved toward the unmoving line in front of him, saying, “Do you mind.” “I do,” said Nick. “The Sheriff’s department is responsible for permit enforcement, and I don’t recognize the authority of the Town Council to act as a process server and cause this violation to be served. I must insist that the formal authorization for this change in procedure be presented immediately, or I will insist that a super-majority of the Town Council be called together to ratify this legally dubious process.” The crowd nodded and smiled, the Burrow Meister had struck a blow. Lawyer Duggett looked around, he wasn’t used to having his legalese questioned. So, with a huff, he pulled out another official-looking document, and handed it to the… the creature in front of him. While the Burrow Meister, [i]‘whatever the hell that was,’[/i] read his winning card, Lawyer Duggett said loudly, “As you can see, a majority of the Town Council—” Nick looked up. “A super-majority is only required for a full revamping of the process. For this single instance, jurist prudence, affidavit, and de jure allow for a simple majority of my client’s sub-committee as authorization.” Holding the paper out in front of him, Nick said, “Two Councilors out of the three voted for this in an unannounced special session.” “It’s all legal, so,” said Lawyer Duggett, looking at Judy, “please remove these ruffians so we may do our duty.” Judy whispered, “Nick?” “I know, I’m thinking,” whispered Nick as he mentally walked through what he could remember of the New and Old Law codices he’d loaded on his phone almost two months ago. “Think faster,” replied Judy. “I don’t want to have to let them shut the clinic down.” The crowd started to murmur and shuffle their feet. What would happen to them if the clinic was shut down? What about their kits? What about those without insurance? The nervous shuffling grew more intense. Nick cleared his throat and said, “You do realize that Doctor Stoan is a Commonwealth Certified surgeon with multiple medical certifications and degrees.” “Derek’s also a Commonwealth certified General Practitioner,” yelled Jo. “And I’m a degreed and certified emergency room Nurse. And we’re fully compliant with all Commonwealth medical rules and regulations.” “None of that matters to the Bunnyburrow licensing board,” replied Lawyer Duggett with a smirk on his muzzle. “Time to end this Deputy Doe,” yelled Hayes from across the street. “Do your job now or turn in your badge.” Everyone shifted to look at Judy, who slowly licked her lips and said, “Uhhh—“ “Wait!” said Nick, holding up a paw to the crowd, while at the same time giving Judy a wink. Judy visibly relaxed and, stepping closer to Andie, whispered, “I’ve seen that look before, watch this.” Speaking to both Lawyer Duggett and the crowd, Nick said, “Doctor Stoan is a Commonwealth trained and certified surgeon and General Practitioner providing medical care to the [i]underserved[/i] community of Predville… “And let me tell you,” said Nick as an aside, “underserved areas aren’t just a problem in rural areas, we have them in Zootopia too. I know because my mom and I lived in one of those areas not too far from a place called Happy Town. And yes, the town name was the opposite of how the mostly predator residents were treated, especially by the City’s medical community. Scam artists and all sorts of lowlifes set up shop and continually tried to take advantage of the families living around there. If it hadn’t been for doctors like Doc Stoan and a good lawyer I know helping me to stand up to those bastards after what they did to my mom, well, let me tell you I learned a lot the hard way as a kit. “…So, providing medical services to rural and underserved communities is authorized under Commonwealth Health and Mammal Services access regulation 2B, section 7d, subsection 8 as a Commonwealth supported function that no member state can disallow unless there is an equivalent service of equal or better quality made available to all the residents of the underserved community. “Which means the operation of this clinic is protected by Commonwealth law. You can’t shut it down because the main hospital is outside of the distance regulations, and shadow policies are in place that dissuade residents from being able to utilize their services. “I can get enough witness testimony from patients and staff on the shadow policies to win any case I file.” Lawyer Duggett looked at Vorrell, who reluctantly nodded. “Well,” started Lawyer Duggett to Nick and the hushed crowd. Until Lawyer Duggett’s phone vibrated. Pulling out his phone and looking at the newly received text message, Lawyer Duggett smiled and said, “Does the clinic have an X-ray machine or other equivalent diagnostic tool? To qualify as licensed under Commonwealth rules, the clinic must have that level of diagnostic capability.” Jo gasped and, pulling out her phone, turned away from the crowd. The crowd, on the other paw, moaned, gasped, and started to mummer again about what they’d like to do to a certain slick-talking lawyer. Judy folded her arms and waited. “No,” replied Nick evenly, “The clinic is in the process of acquiring an X-ray machine, and under the provisions of regulation 2B, section 7d, subsection 14, of the Commonwealth code, the local executive authority, which would be the Mayor of Bunnyburrow, and my boss, can ask for a thirty-day operations waiver that will allow the clinic to function during the Commonwealth certification process.” Lawyer Duggett took a stumbling step back, [i]‘Not possible,’[/i] he thought. To be bested by a fox, completely outclassed and humiliated, except… maybe… one last sliver of a chance… Lawyer Duggett gasped out… “Has the clinic applied for Commonwealth certification yet? You can’t get a waiver if you haven’t applied.” Nick paused and looked over at Derek, who started to slowly shake his head when— “Yes, we have!” yelled Jo, holding up her phone. “And Mayor Ackerbunn is signing the waiver as we speak. You can’t shut us down!” Gently nudging Andie, Judy smiled and nodding toward Nick, said, “That’s my fox for you.” [center]-/-/-[/center] The stunned Lawyer Duggett and his client skulked out of the cheering, paw slapping, and, in Nick and Judy’s case, hugging mammals and eased across the street to talk with their benefactor. Nick relaxed his hug and turned Judy around so she could see what he saw while he was able to keep his arms around her. “What do you think,” said Nick into the nearest super-cute ear. Sensing being called cute, the ear bopped Nick in the nose. “I don’t think Hayes is happy.” “Good,” huffed Nick, “Here’s hoping he stays that way.” “Yeah,” said Judy, “For thirty days at least.” Watching Hayes and his minions get in his Catillac and drive off, Nick sighed. He’d done good, but more needed to happen in the next thirty days, or they’d be back in the same boat. Waving an arm, Nick said, “Hey everybody. Quiet down. I need your attention.” Everyone was so excited, calling their friends and trying to figure out what ‘men sea’ was, that no one heard Nick. “SHUT IT, EVERYONE. Nick has something to say!” yelled Judy and then waved a paw for Nick to address the now silenced crowd. “Thank you, everyone, for supporting the clinic and helping to keep it open. But we still have a problem. We’ve only got thirty days to pull together a half million dollars and buy the clinic an X-ray machine. Otherwise, the Town Council will close it down for certain, and I don’t have any more tricks up my sleeve.” Andie groaned with everyone else and then said, “How will we find that kind of money in less than thirty days? Mayor Burns has been trying for months and hasn’t been able to raise anywhere near that amount.” Ears, long tails, and muzzles of every type drooped or went slack. That’s a lot of money. Lucas, as droopy as everyone else, especially the girl he had his arm around, said, “If old Mayor Burns hasn’t been able to figure it out by now, I’m not sure what we’ll be able to do.” Nick looked over at Lucas, arm around Andie, who still had a small bandage on her almost fully healed ear, and… smiled. “I’ve got it,” said Nick. “Bunnyburrow’s Got Talent!” “Huh?” said Judy. “You haven’t heard Lucas and Andie sing. They’re great. And I bet there’s a whole bunch of other talented mammals in town, enough that we can put on a talent competition like they do on TV. We’ll have acts, sell tickets, invite the media, talent scouts, the whole bit. If we time it right, we’ll have a huge crowd and be able to raise a bunch of money.” Colton perked up, “We can sell concessions. Get donated food, bar-b-que a whole bunch of everything, food for predators and prey, and if we do it this Friday just before Carrot Days, we’ll have all the folks coming in from all around the Tri-Burrows as the audience. Andie chimed in, “Post everything on social media, let everyone know why we’re working so hard to raise the money, and set up a go-fund-ewe account for donations. We’re sure to get extra help, it’ll almost be like that 3-day long Jerry Moose Founder’s Day telethon they used to do on TV.” “But where?” asked Cody. “If we do it the day before Carrot Days, there won’t be any room in town. Everywhere, including Conclave Park, is already booked up for Carrot Days prep.” Lucas waved a paw, “I volunteer the Hopps Farm. We have plenty of space for parking and a stage, and lots of people are already signed up to camp out around our lake, which is an easy walk to the farm.” Everyone stared at Lucas until Colton finally asked, “What about Dad?” Lucas smiled big and said, “With the power invested in me as the oldest kit, I say we do it.“ Everyone cheered. [center]-/-/-[/center] “Hi Mom.” “Janae, you missed dinner. How’s Dalton? Is everything okay?” “Yeah, he’s doing a lot better. That’s why I’m calling. He’s about to be released, and I’m getting ready to take him home.” “Thank goodness. Do you need any help getting Dalton settled? I can have a couple of your brothers meet you at the hospital and help you with him.” “No, Dalton can walk. We’ll be fine, except…” “Yes Dear?” “Dalton said his parents won’t be back for a couple more days, and I was thinking…” Bonnie could hear the nervousness in her daughter’s voice and smiled at how sweet Janae was being. “Yes, I know. Joylyn texted me, and her mother has taken a turn for the worse. She hoped you could stay at their house with Dalton and help for a few days. Would that be okay with you? I can have someone drop off a few changes of clothes if you’d like.” “I can? I mean, yes, please, that’d be great. Thanks.” “Of course, dear, we all like Dalton. Call me straight away if you need anything else.” Putting away her phone, Bonnie smiled as she said to herself, “One couple down, one to go.” ….. End of Chapter 79: A Call to Action