Chapter 4

Shortly after the Count fell, the Drac Pack quickly rushed him to the Hotel's doctor with Mavis staying right by his side the whole time. A somber air quickly filled the Hotel as everyone worried for about fate of Dracula who was not only the manager but also a friend to some, wondering if and when he would ever be the same again.

Dennis continued to be filled with grief over the situation, even with Winnie comforting him he still felt depressed.

He and his friends were all sitting outside the Doctor's office, anxiously waiting for someone to come out and give them some kind of news. Any kind. They quickly stood up as soon Frank came out of the door.

"Hey. Uncle Frank, how is he? What did the doctor say!?" Dennis questioned, desperate for answers.

"Well… the good news is he's alive." Frank began.

"What'sss the bad newsss?" Suresh inquired.

"Uh… yeah… well… while we know he'll get better, it's just gonna be a while before he's awake and back on his feet." Frank told them. J.B babbled something to him, a question. "Estimated time of recovery? Uh… let's see… a week maybe…"

"A week!?" Becky remarked, loudly hurting everyone's ears. "But the inspector is coming here in two days!"

"Hey, don't sonic scream the messenger kid! That's just how it is!" Franke said, defensively.

Alex's shoulder's fell slack. "We're… doomed…" he moaned. J.P babbled in agreement.

"Big time…" Sssuresssh added.

Winnie turned to Dennis who was facing away from the others with a sad look on his face. "Dennis? You ok?" she asked him, concerned.

"No… I'm not…" The half-vampire stated, depressed. "My Grandpa is bedridden because of me… how would you feel…"

"Dennis, this wasn't your fault." Winnie tried to comfort him.

"Yes, it is." Dennis said, firmly. "If I hadn't argued with him… none of this would have happen… Gah! I was such a jerk!"

The half-vampire punched a wall in frustration, creating a small impact crater in it.

Alex groaned after seeing this.

"Yesss, you may want to… buff that out." Sssuresssh told him.

"Now's not the time." Becky said, flatly.

"Sssorry…" Sssuresssh apologized.

"How did this happen anyway?" Winnie questioned. "I thought Vampire's couldn't get sick."

"Well, they can't be effected by usual human diseases…" Frank began.

"But they can get sick from monster diseases?" Dennis guessed.

"Exactly! Be glad he doesn't have monster hives…" Frank stated with a shiver.

"Uh… Uncle Frank? Are my Mom and Dad still in there?" Dennis inquired.

"Huh? Oh! Uh… yeah, yeah, go on in if you want." Frank offered.

"Thanks." Dennis said, gratefully as he walks to the door and enters while his friends watch him go, concerned.

When he entered the room he was quickly saddened by the sight of his mother kneeling beside her father's coffin where he rested and holding his hand tightly. His father was right next to her and doing his best to console her. Dennis also felt great guilt as he stared at his unconscious grandfather before finally walking closer.

Jonathan noticed him. "Oh. Hey there, Dennis."

"Hey Dad." Dennis responded as he knelt next to them. "So… how are you both?"

"Ok… I guess…" Johnny shrugged. "You know… considering…"

"Yeah. I do." Dennis nodded, understandingly. He saw his mother crying and put a hand on her shoulder to console her.

"Oh Dennis… what if he never wakes up again?" Mavis asked him tearfully. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him…"

"Mom…" Dennis said, sadly.

"Aw, don't worry Mavy, Drac will be back on his feet in no time!" Johnny tried to assure her.

"But what if he doesn't?" Mavis questioned, upset. She gripped her father's hand even tighter.

Dennis put a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder. "Come on Mom… maybe we should leave and let him rest for a bit…" he suggested.

"No. I am not leaving him." Mavis stated, firmly.

"But Mom I…" Dennis began before Mavis roared while giving him 'the monster face', after which she glared at him while he remained stunned. He held up his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok, you can stay here… never mind what I said… sorry."

Dennis turned around, gave his parents one last look before finally walking towards the door.

His friends were all seated outside when he opened the door and rushed over to him when he finally came out and closed it behind him.

"Well?" Winnie asked, expectedly.

"She ain't leaving." Dennis announced. Alex gave him a sympathetic groan and a pat on the back.

"Yeah, we're sssorry man." Sssuresssh added.

"It's ok…" Dennis sighed. "Once Poppa Drac is back on his feet she'll be fine."

"Yeah… and while we wait that to happen, Eva Raven is still coming!?" Becky reminded them, stressed.

"Oh yeah… crud." Dennis gulped.

"Ssso what are we gonna do? The Count'sss still out, your Mom's a total messsssss and your Dad'sss as dumb as a clam! Whossse gonna run the hotel?" Sssuresssh questioned.

"Gggrrr…" Alex added while J.P babbled.

"Right, and keep things under control till that lousy Hotel Inspector lady packs up and leaves." Becky finished.

"But who could that be?" Winnie asked aloud.

They all began to think long and hard about who it could while Dennis seemed to know exactly who it should be, but he seemed determined to keep it to himself until finally his conscience finally convinced him that he had to. He sighed a deep sigh.

"Looks like I'll have to run hotel after all." Dennis concluded, making them all gasp, shocked.

"Really?" Winnie asked, surprised.

"I thought you didn't want to." Sssuresssh pointed out.

"Yeah, you just had a big fight wit Drac about not wanting to." Becky reminded him, which made everyone glare at her. "Oh… sorry…"

"Well, it looks like I have no choice, at least until Papa Drac gets better." Dennis said.

"You sure about this?" Winnie inquired, concerned.

Dennis gulped. "Absolutely not,"

"It won't be easssay." Sssuresssh stated, grimly.

"Yeah, I think I got that." Dennis told him.

"Well don't worry, we'll help you out!" Becky assured him.

"Really?" he asked surprised. Alex groaned and patted him on the back.

"That'sss right. Count Dracula had friendsss to help him out and ssso do you." Sssuresssh added.

"Yeah! We'll be with you all the way!" Winnie said, smiling.

Dennis smiled also. "Thanks guys," he said, gratefully. Just then, they heard someone call out to them.

"Excuse me!"

They turned and noticed several guests, both human and monsters, one of them being Blobby, coming their way.

"Boy, that was fast." Becky remarked.

"Yesss, in charge one day… and they're already bugging usss." Sssuresssh added.

Dennis sighed. "Let's get this over with," he said as he began to step forward.

The guests quickly reached them and began voicing all of their complaints, although they were yelling them so loudly, quickly and altogether that no one could understand a word any of them were saying. It also began to annoy Dennis' friends greatly, making them cover their ears also.

Alex groaned in pain while J.P babbled.

"Yeah… sure it's not to late leave?" Becky inquired before Winnie gave her a growl. "Ok, never mind then…"

"Easy! Easy! Calm down! One at a time guys!" The young half-vampire urged them. They soon all quieted down. "Now tell me what's wrong."

"This slime thing keeps leaving slime trails in front of our room and I do not appreciate it!" A woman said.

"Well they keep playing their music too loud!" A gremlin added.

"It's not our fault you sleep during the day!" A lanky teen countered.

"Well excuse us for being monsters!" The gremlin shot back. They all began to argue all at once, quickly overlapping until finally.

"Enough!" Dennis exclaimed, briefly making the 'scary face' which shut them up. "Now, humans I'd like you to play your music as loud as want but only during the night, in exchange I'll be sure to make sure one of the zombies cleans up Blobby's slime trail before you go out, you just let me know, ok?"

The monsters and humans all sighed. "Ok…"

"Good. That'll be all." Dennis nodded, trying to look professional and once they turned and walked far enough away he let out a deep breath. "I haven't held my breath that long since birth."

"Way to take command." Becky told Dennis, impressed.

"Thank you." Dennis said, gratefully. "Just had to channel my 'inner Drac', that's all."

Gill babbled to him, as if he was asking a question.

"You bet I can channel while making the announcement!" Dennis beamed.

"Announcement?" Winnie repeated.

"Yeah, gotta let everyone know what's going on, and if we're gonna do this we're going to need everyone's support." Dennis told them. "Come on!"

Dennis quickly shifted into a bat and flew off ahead of them while they all followed behind.

In the lobby the elevator doors 'dinged' upon the arrival of said elevator and when they opened a orange haired bat flew out, followed by his friends. At the moment, a slow zombie was standing at the front desk not doing much of anything until Becky bumped him out of the way.

"Sorry Mr. Rots-a-lot, Drac Jr hear has an announcement," she told him while Dennis morphed back to his regular form.

"Thank you, Beck," he nodded. "Now… intercom please?"

Winnie quickly held it out to him and he immediately pressed the button before he started talking into it.

"Ahem! Attention Hotel Transylvania!" Dennis announced. People hearing his voice folks started to listen, monsters and humans alike. "Count Dracula is still bedridden and will be until after the next two weeks, so in order to keep things rolling the Hotel will be under temporary new management, that new manager; me. Dennis Dracula-Loughran."

Mavis quickly became surprised hearing this. "Dennis…?"

"Now I know it's the last thing some of us want, but we have no choice and I promise you guys, I'm gonna do the best I can to make sure this place doesn't get closed down and I hope all of you feel the same. So I want all employees to be doing their best for the next couple of days, especially when Eva gets here, alright?" Dennis continued.

All throughout the hotel, the employees and the guests all exchanged glances and conversed amongst themselves for a bit before finally they all voiced their agreements, which Dennis heard via his super hearing.

"Ok, thank you! Good night!" Dennis said before turning off the intercom.

His parents, who were also listening to the announcement, turned to each other.

"Uh… you sure he can handle this?" Johnny asked, concerned.

"I hope so… for Dad's sake…" Mavis confessed, distressed as she gripped her father's hand tighter.

Soon after, Dennis turned off the intercom and turned to his friends. "Well, they're all in," he said.

"Good. Now we jussst have to get everything ready before Eva arrives." Sssuresssh reminded him.

"Right!" Dennis said before he turned to one of the suits of armor. "Uh… excuse me?"

The suit of armor quickly walked over to him and saluted. "Yes, sir? How may I be of assistance?"

"Well… could you let us know if anything else happens so we can handle it?" Dennis inquired.

The armor nodded. "Of course sir, now that you are in charge we shall obey your every command."

"Really? Sweet." The red-head smirked. He snapped his fingers as he gained another thought in his head. "Now… what do we need to do in order to make sure Eva doesn't think this place needs a giant 'closed' sign on it?

"Glad you asked sir, here are a list of things to do before her arrival." The suit of armor said as he handed Dennis a scroll which quickly unraveled. Dennis and his friends all watched as it stretched out and rolled all the way to the end of the lobby. They were all speechless upon seeing it.

"Wow… look at all that paper…" Becky remarked, amazed.

Dennis skimmed through the list, making it come up the hallway as he slowly rolled it towards him and read the other things he has to do before he finally groaned in exasperation. "I can do this. I will do this," he said, determined. "I won't let this place be closed down! No way!"

Winnie gripped his arm. "We can do this," she corrected with a smile while the others gathered around making him smile.

Unknown to them, right outside the window, there appeared to be a small ladybug flying in front of it and gazing at them all But if one were to get a closer look, one could see that this bug was actually mechanical in nature.

And looking through the eyes of the mechanical bug, which was showing a live broadcast through his computer screen, was none other then Winston Hamilton himself.

"Curses! I got rid of that rotten vampire but now his grandson is in charge!?" Hamilton hissed, furious as turned off the screen. "So, that little punk thinks he can save that rotten hotel? We'll see about that!"

Winston then began speaking for one of his dolls. "But Hamilton, didn't you already use the garlic poison to sicken the Count?"

"Yes. I know I already used it before," he said, annoyed. "Nut I don't think I'll need it to deal with this one."

The crazy man then walked over to a phone turned to his little puppets with a nasty look in his eye.

"Machines and poisons may be able to hurt them, but with what I have planned… I'll be able to tear them apart… from the inside." Winston stated, sinisterly before he started to dial a number.