Hello once more dear readers! As per usual, thanks for reading and I truly hope that you enjoy my newest chapter! And of course, feel free to leave a review.

 

 

 

 

 

The Door (Chapter 9)

By

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

"Well, Aunt Phyllis, that's just what I was thinking," Arnie said into his phone as he was walking through the front doors of the hospital. After the day that Chaz had decided to go snooping in Baily's backpack, and revealed a set of tarot cards, Arnie had been thinking of a way to give the human a hand. He had worked with several homeless animals before, helping them to get off the streets. It wasn't always easy, especially if they were suffering from a serious mental illness. But that didn't stop him from trying. From what he could tell, Baily was completely lucid. He did seem to have a habit of speaking to himself, but Arnie figured that that was due more to being ignored and alone for a long time.

"No, he actually hasn't said a word about any kind of 'cosmic powers', but he did have a tarot deck on him." He listened to her reply.

"Yes, I know, Auntie, but... okay, but... alright, I know, but can I just say... please, Auntie, all I'm asking is that you give him a chance."
Arnie just stood there and listened for a while before finally getting the chance to speak again.

"Thanks, Auntie, I really apprecia--... well, no, I haven't actually asked him yet, but I'm goi--... I know, but I knew that you were looking to hire someone else, and I wasn't sure if you were already interviewing someone and I... yes, Auntie, I will. Thanks again Auntie. I love you too." He sighed after he had hung up his phone. Once more he found himself rubbing his temples. He then continued on his way to Baily's room, to find him chatting with a lioness Nurse.

"Hey there, checking in to see how you're doing Baily," he said as he entered the room. He noticed that Chaz was sitting in a nearby chair, asleep and snoring. Arnie sighed again at the sight.

"Oh... uh... hello again... Officer Rams," Baily said, a little nervously. In the short time that he had come to know the human, he had come to note a certain skittish behavior, especially around him and Chaz. This had led the rhino to come to the conclusion that Baily was anxious around cops, although he wasn't entirely sure. He smiled encouragingly before continuing.

"Seriously, I'd prefer it if you just called me Arnie, and I know that Chaz feels the same way."

"Okay, Arnie. Wha... I mean I know that you and Ch-Chaz are supposed to be watching me in shifts so..." he said, trailing off as he gestured to the still sleeping wolf.

"Well, I'm here on my own time because I wanted to talk with you about some things, if you feel up to it that is."

"Oh, um... sure," he said, suddenly feeling a pit of dread form in his stomach.

"Well, I wanted to ask you about any plans you may have thought up for when you're discharged."

"Plans?"

"Well, yeah, like where you were planning on staying, and what you were planning on doing for money."

Baily looked down, a frown on his face. "I have thought about that, yes, but I don't have any idea about what I can do. That's part of what put me out on the streets in the first place, back where I came from." Sophia was frowning now as well, wringing her paws anxiously.

"I take it that there is more behind how you ended up homeless," Chaz said, interrupting Arnie before he could continue. He was stretching in his seat, a yawn escaping his lips. Arnie was looking at him with a grim face, making sure that the wolf took notice at the look he was receiving, before turning back to Baily.

"Well, Baily, as it just so happens, I have an aunt who would be willing to see you for an interview for a job that she has available in the shop she runs. I also work with other mammals, like yourself, who are... well... down on their luck, with a program that helps them find housing and work."

"So, a homeless shelter?" Baily asked. He had been to many different shelters, most times not finding a place to sleep due to the overcrowding.

"Oh no, it's a place called New Dawn, and it's actually more than just a place filled with cots. It's a well funded and clean facility where residents have their own rooms. Several professors from various universities even volunteer to teach there as well. To help people who need a hoof or paw get an education, and a better chance at a better life," Arnie said with conviction.

"I've been to places that said something similar before... most weren't... what was advertised," Baily said, remembering the times he went looking for help, and found door after door slammed in his face. He felt something heavy resting gently on his shoulder and looked up to see that it was Arnie's massive hand. The rhino officer smiled down at him.

"I promise you, as someone who works there myself, that New Dawn delivers on its promises. And they, as well as Packer and myself, will help you, if you're willing to give us a chance," he said, giving a gentle squeeze. Baily said nothing for a few moments after this. Then he turned to look up at Arnie and wordlessly nodded.

"Okay. So what's the job?" Baily asked a little awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.

"Well, the shop that my Aunt Phyllis runs is a new age shop, which sells crystals and various incense and the like. The job itself is pretty much stocking, running the register, and some fortune telling." Chaz immediately burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," he said while clutching his sides, not sounding the least bit sorry, "but the way you just phrased that fortune telling part in there like it was something normal like stocking." He couldn't finish as he was overcome with another fit of laughter. Sophia couldn't resist, and was soon joining in, quickly followed by Baily, and then Arnie. After a few minutes, everyone calmed down.

"So, what do you think about the job, Baily?" Arnie asked while wiping away a tear.

"I guess it sounds alright. Back when I was sixteen, I got a summer job working in a general store, so I have some experience there. Well, except for the fortune telling... I... uh... kinda have experience with that as a... " he blushed as he looked to Sophia, "hobby," he said, feeling embarrassed.

The lioness saw his blush and smiled. "Before you get released, you can read me my fortune, maybe? You know, to help you get in some practice."

"Thanks Sophia," Baily said, blushing a little more now, as well as smiling himself.

 

Elsewhere...

 

Judy awoke at sunrise, fresh and ready to start the day. She padded over to her bathroom, passing the guest bedroom where Nick was snoring. He had stayed over the night before, playing some of the games with Eli. Judy had joined in as well from time to time, right up until Eli had started to yawn a little too often. That was when Judy had lightly suggested that he get ready for bed, which he hadn't protested in the least. Nick and her had stayed up quite a bit longer, and she had periodically looked in Eli's room to check on him before turning in herself.

After exiting the bathroom, she decided to check up on Eli once more, before heading downstairs to start her day. She smiled at what she saw. Eli was completely sprawled across his bed, his blankets and sheets strewn across him. Then she spotted a certain purple plush gorilla lying on the floor. Silently she crept in and picked him up. She stifled a giggle as she placed the plush toy in the boy's arms, which seemed to instinctively wrap themselves around it in a hug. Eli's face broke out into a sleepy smile, and Judy couldn't help but feel that now familiar warmth spread in her chest. She then proceeded to silently rearrange the sheet and blanket back onto Eli, tucking them in around his sleeping frame. As she did so, she couldn't help but think that despite the clear height difference between the two of them, Eli looked so small to her at this moment. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork, she stood up and kissed him on the forehead before silently exiting his room, to continue her morning routine.

Her morning routine consisted of some light cardio while listening to Gazelle, scanning the news for anything important, and unpacking a few more boxes. She heard a thump come from upstairs, and felt a brief jolt of fear that maybe Eli had fallen out of bed, and might have bumped his head. In a flash, she was at the top of the stairs, looking at a bleary-eyed Nick stumble around, bumping muzzle first into the wall, on his way to the bathroom. She giggled a little before heading downstairs and getting a pot of coffee going. After the pot had filled halfway up, Nick finally made his way down. The fur on the left side of his face was sticking up at an odd angle, making it clear as to which side he had slept on. Judy couldn't help but giggle at the fox, who clearly wasn't much of a morning mammal.

"Morning partner," Nick mumbled.

"Morning Nick, I'm making some coffee, I assume you would like to enjoy a mug."

"Mmhmmm." He nodded. "So, what's the itinerary for today?" Nick asked as she got two mugs. He let out a loud yawn shortly after doing so.

"Well, today I was thinking about going grocery shopping with Eli. I am going to have to start preparing for an omnivore's diet now. Not to mention that the doctor said that he appeared to be on the malnourished side."

She made Nick and herself each a mug of steaming coffee. Nick took his with Prench vanilla creamer, as did she. When she turned to bring the mugs over to the table where Nick was sitting, she noticed that he was looking at her with a smile.

"What?" she asked, blushing a little as she set down his mug in front of him and took a sip from her own.

"Oh nothing. I just never thought that motherhood would come to you so naturally," he said, making her accidentally choke on her sip. She coughed for a few seconds while Nick enjoyed the show, all while sipping from his mug. Once she had gotten her coughing under control, she looked up at him, now blushing even more. He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she said nothing as she took a seat herself and drank some more of her coffee. A few silent minute passed, with Nick's eyebrow still quirked at her, and she couldn't take it any longer.

"For your information Nick, I grew up with two hundred and seventy five brothers and sisters, some older and some younger. So I actually have quite a bit of experience with taking care of kits, thank you very much," she said with a stern voice.

"Yeah, but he's not a rabbit kit you know. I'm just saying that kinda amazing how quickly you're taking to caring for a mammal you only recently met, and still don't know very much about." Judy's blush deepened, and she couldn't help the small smile that formed.

"So have you thought about how you're going to tell your parents about their new grandson?" Nick asked, smugly enjoying seeing the color drain from Judy's face, followed shortly by another blush at the term grandson.

"Riiiiiight... um... I haven't actually... given that any thought," she said, suddenly envisioning how that conversation is going to go.

"Well, your family is oddly close, and prone to just dropping by unannounced. I think that they would be even more shocked to learn about Eli that way than you calling them up."

"Yes, you're right..." Judy said, pulling out her phone and tapping on the screen.

"As usual carrots," Nick said, leaning back as he finished off his mug.

Judy rolled her eyes as she heard the phone ringing on the other end. It was quickly picked up.

"Hey! If it isn't Jude-the-Dude! How's everything going?" Stu's voice asked, chipper as usual.

"Hi sweetie! Is everything okay?" Bonnie asked.

"Hey guys, everything's fine. Well, actually better than fine."

"Oh, so Nick finally proposed? I knew it! Your Uncle Terry now owes me fifty bucks!" It was currently Nick's turn to choke on his mouthful of coffee and blush, while Judy turned a little red herself.

"Oh nonono!" she said quickly, cutting off her parents congratulations. "What I mean to say is... have you heard about any news reports of....some newly discovered species here in the city?"

"Oh yeah, the alien story," Stu said, a little disappointment creeping into his voice that both Judy and Nick picked up on, but said nothing.

"Yeah, well, you see... the thing is I, and Nick, we were both there when the first one was discovered. And--"

"Did it attack you?! Are you hurt?" Bonnie asked in a panicked voice.

"Wait, first one? Is there an invasion?!" Now it was time for Stu to start panicking.

"Mom, Dad, please calm down. Why would I say I have great news if anything like any of that was happening?" Judy asked, a little exasperatedly.

"... Well... you do have a point there. Sorry about that, but you know how we worry about you," Stu said. Despite how overboard they sometimes tend to get with their worrying, this still brought a smile to Judy's lips.

"So, what I meant to say was, that I got to meet the first of this new species. They're called humans, and the one I've gotten to know is a very kind boy named Eli. He's a little on the shy side, and can get a little nervous from time to time, but trust me when I say that he's actually a real sweetheart."

"Oh... well... he does sound like... you think very highly of him."

"I do, especially after learning about what he's been through."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, a note of worry once more creeping into her voice. Judy then proceeded to explain to her parents about Eli's past. Even though she couldn't see her mother right now, she could just tell that she had tears in her eyes.

"That poor boy, and he's only twelve years old?"

"Well, thirteen actually."

"That's terrible!"

"I know, that's why I've..."

"What is it Jude?" Stu asked, prompting Judy to take a breath and continue on.

"That, and a few more personal reasons, is why I've become his legal guardian," she finished, waiting for her parents' response. It took a few minutes before they finally did.

"Oh! Now, sweetie, when you say that you're his legal guardian, what do you mean exactly?" Bonnie asked.

"I mean that I've decided to give him the stable home he needs."

More silence.

"So... does this mean that I'm a grampa?" Stu asked, shocking her a little.

"Uh... well... I'm not actually sure. I mean, I haven't filed for adoption yet so I'm not sure--"

"Wait a minute sweetie," Bonnie said. "Did you say that you haven't filed for adoption yet?"

"Y-Yes mom... I did. You see, when I'm sure that he's all settled in here with me, then I'm going to ask him if he would want... what I mean is... I'm planning on asking him if he would want to officially become a member of the Hopps family." She waited. Once more, all she and Nick heard was silence.

"So that's a yes to me being a grampa! At least a little ways off or so!" Judy was once more shocked by her father's reaction.

"Uh... well... provided that he says yes, then... uh... yes, dad."

"That's wonderful sweetie! Oh, I can't wait to tell all your aunts and uncles!" Bonnie shocking Judy as much as Stu had.

"W-Wait a minute now mom. Remember that I haven't even asked him yet. And I'm planning on asking him when he's more comfortable, so as not to make him feel pressured."

Nick was holding a paw to his muzzle, trying not to openly laugh out loud while Judy was trying to calm down her overexcited parents. Unbeknownst to all involved in this conversation, Eli was actually sitting on the stairs, listening to their conversation. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but he was coming down the steps when he heard Judy discussing him with someone. Currently, he was sitting on the top step, absentmindedly holding his purple gorilla plush, lost in a series of emotions.

She really wants to adopt me?... Why? Eli thought to himself.

 

Meanwhile...

 

Emmitt Otterton was currently taking the trash out. He was humming to himself when he heard a noise by the green plastic trash cans. It startled him, causing him to drop the bag. He was still a little jumpy after the whole Night Howler Incident.

"H-Hello? Is someone there?" he asked, taking a few slow steps forward. He could here the noise a little better as he got closer, and it sounded like crying. He moved a little closer and peeked over the tops of the trash cans themselves. There was a strange sight. He had seen on the news reports of a strange newly discovered species.

Could this be one of them? he wondered as he saw what he now figured was a little girl, based on the pink ribbons and the pink overalls. She didn't look like the other two humans' pictures. Her skin was a shade of brown similar to the coloration of his own fur. She looked up with a pair of large blue, fearful eyes. Her cheeks were stained. His parental instincts kicking in, his fear quickly turned to concern.

"Hi there... um... it's all going to be okay," he wished that his wife wasn't out taking the kids to a doctor's appointment, she would know how to handle the situation at paw.

"Hewwo," she said, in a very small and scared voice. But she now seemed a little less scared, which made Emmit smile a little more.

"I'm Emmitt Otterton, what's your name?"

The little girl sniffled, and held her left arm gingerly. Emmitt frowned a little when he saw what was clearly a broken arm, and felt a pit form in his stomach.

"I'm Sawah," she said softly.

"Wow, Sarah, that's a pretty name. Tell you what Sarah, how about we go inside, and I take a look at that arm, huh?" he said, hoping that he wasn't coming across as being threatening. Sarah wiped her eyes, and winced when the motion jostled her injured arm in the process. Then she slowly started to nod, before standing up. As Emmitt started to lead her towards the front door, he noticed that she was slowly following him, looking around with wide and scared eyes. He smiled reassuringly at her, asking her some simple questions to keep her calm.

"So Sarah, how old are you?"

"Um, I'm thwee and a haff," she said.

Part of Emmitt was relieved at how calm she seemed considering her broken arm, until he started to wonder if maybe she was used to something like that. The pit in his stomach returned, and he forced himself to smile gently at her as he led her to the kitchen table. He looked her arm over, and confirmed that it was indeed broken. He continued to remain calm and composed as he called up the ZPD.