Hello all! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but there will be two for the price of one! See the note at the end for more info.

Please enjoy! I own nothing.


Caretaker

Chapter 12- Reflect

For the next three days, things for the PAW Patrol were still hectic, still moving regardless of Ryder still being out of it, and still stressful for Chase in general.

Chase still couldn't really visit and stay with Ryder due to him still being acting leader, so Rocky had suggested that they bring Ryder's pup pad so that it could serve as some method of visual communication. At the moment, only Marshall was allowed to stay with Ryder, and even that was a bit of a challenge since the hospital didn't really want pets in the patient rooms. Chase had appreciated it greatly, even though it still bothered him he wasn't physically there with Ryder. The others all felt the same way, so Chase at least had some pup to share in his guilt- even if he felt the guiltiest.

As far as Adventure Bay went, people were still asking for help, sometimes on the most stupid things, which had finally begun to grate even young Rubble's nerves. Mayor Goodway was constantly asking the worn out pups for help setting up for events such as the third annual Summertime Jamboree Jam Fest, two Luke Starts concerts nearly back to back, and of course, locating Chickaletta whenever the curious bird wandered off, among other things. Most of it was just helping the people, and Chase knew that it was in the spirit of Adventure Bay to always help one another out. But that was when Ryder wasn't sick as a pup and needed them.

Now, it was an annoyance. People kept saying they would try and give the poor pups a break so they can see Ryder, so that they could rest, but each time someone called mission control, Chase wanted to throw Rocky's wrench at the screen and let it stay broken. 'But I promised Ryder I'd take care of Adventure Bay. He's be so disappointed in us, in me, if I snapped.' Chase had to remind himself. So he grinned and bore it, and told his worn out family to do the same. That didn't mean it was easy.

By now, and to the pups' surprise, except for Farmer Yumi and Farmer Al, there weren't a lot of people who knew about the details, just that Ryder was in the hospital and would be for awhile. Chase had preferred it that way for one obvious reason- Ryder wouldn't want all the attention on him in a place he wasn't comfortable with. While Goodway, Turbot and Katie asked about him from time to time, sending lots of get well cards and balloons and flowers from people in the town, Katie offering much needed baths and massages for them, and Mr. Porter helping out on his end by bringing homemade pups treats, all the pups felt that they reached their limits.

Skye was constantly giving air support when hikers wandered too far off and injured themselves, or when animals like Cornelius bolted from home and ended up dangling for dear life over cliff edges. Rubble was constantly needed for construction work- Mayor Goodway had requested for Rubble and a team to build her a new, travel sized birdhouse for Chickaletta to enjoy when she went on extended trips, then asked about repair work around Adventure Bay- some of which Rocky had to pitch in and help with as well. Then he was needed to help Uncle Otis, as his cabin was rickety and Goodway was worried about him. And of course, saving "Daring Danny X" from several fears of death. Not a good week for Rubble or Rocky.

Besides being the fix it pup alongside Rubble, Turbot relied on the eco-pup a lot to keep the beach clean, which wouldn't have been such a problem if- one, turtle egg laying season wasn't in full swing, the weather had been nice enough for the beach to be occupied almost all the time, which meant lots of trash that had to be collected and sorted DAILY, as well as protecting the new baby turtles and other water wildlife Turbot fretted over. Rocky felt his head was about to burst! 'Weren't YOU and Mayor Goodway supposed to take care of this?! How on earth did it get so out of hand!?'

Zuma wasn't as lucky- since people were somehow stranding themselves out on the sea, he was constantly racing out there to save them before something dreadful happened. Or occasionally helping Turbot when his diving bell gave him trouble. And it just so happened that yesterday was a particularly rainy day, meaning idiots like Daring Danny X and young Alex were bound to get themselves into some trouble. Zuma deadpanned as he had thought about his last mission- saving a drowning Danny after he tried windsailing knowing there was a nasty thunderstorm rolling in. 'Seriously? What the heck was he thinking, dude? Or was he even thinking at all? What's WONG with that dude?!'

The pups were done by the fourth day. Their patience, their energy, it was all gone and then some. Not even a soothing bubble bath helped to relax their nerves. Chase had to make a choice to let them all rest, or keep pushing on the way Ryder did. 'But maybe that's what made him so sick! He's exhausted! I don't want the others to end up the same way, but Skye and Rocky had been right- its so much to care for so many on our own! Even with Ryder here... I don't know how long we can keep doing this...'

As far as Ryder was concerned, he was getting slightly better and was still stable, but he had been out cold since he arrived four days ago. Marshall never had much news to tell the other pups when they checked in, as his condition hadn't changed, so they usually talked about how rescues and other things went instead.

On day five, Marshall was awoken by a strange mumbling noise. Yawning and rubbing his eyes, Marshall looked around, confused. The monitors were beeping normally, and his stomach wasn't grumbling, so he wondered what the sound was. As he sat there, he felt Ryder's legs moving and heard the mumbling more clearly.

"R-Ryder... is that-?" Marshall peered closely at him. Ryder looked like he was not having the most pleasant dream, but at least he was moving and making some kind of sound, which the poor dally pup gladly took over the eerie silence he'd had to get used to for the last four days. Regardless, Marshall was worried- one of the monitors was starting to beep a bit weird, and he didn't like it. He whined and inched closer to Ryder, nuzzling him carefully to gauge his awareness.

"R-Ryder? H-Hey, it's me, Marshall." the young pup's trembling voice spoke. He got a small whimper in reply, before Ryder's head turned a little as he continued to mumble in his sleep. Marshall sighed and wondered if what Cynthia had mentioned to him yesterday afternoon was happening now.

"Because of his fever, he's going to have fever dreams." Marshall repeated quietly as he sat and watched Ryder for a moment. "And I'll never know what kind of dreams he'll have. Its unpredictable..."

Ryder's brows furrowed together, his eyes scrunched tight and his breathing slightly picking up as his "dream" seemed to continue to bother him. Marshall didn't care- Ryder was in some kind of pain and he had to do something! He nuzzled his cheek again, hating how he couldn't do much more for him. He just hated seeing his dearest friend so weak and hurting like this.

"Oh, Ryder... I know it's uncomfortable. You're probably in some kind of pain, huh?" Marshall whispered. This time, Marshall heard a single, clear word amongst the mumbling: "Alek... zander..."

Marshall tilted his head. "Alexander? Does he mean our friend Alex?" He hummed in thought and made a note to tell Chase and the others about it when they called later. "Wonder why he's having such a bad dream- well, then again... that kid's clumsier than me! And that's saying quite a bit!"

Ryder's groans of discomfort brought Marshall back to earth. He rubbed his cheek against Ryder's, hoping that if nothing else, it would make him aware that at least one of his pups were there, waiting for him to open his eyes.

"It's okay, Ryder." Marshall started rambling again- he couldn't help it. This place was getting to him now, and Ryder's discomfort was getting to be too much to bear to watch.
"C-Chase, he knows how much you hate these places. Honestly, none of us really knew you didn't like hospitals, you know? We only thought that Chase said that because he hates going to the dentist... and the vet. But now that I know, Ryder... honestly, I can't blame you. I don't think I like seeing you here, especially like... like this..."

Ryder's mumbling started to slow down as he turned his head towards Marshall's voice, almost as if he were listening. Marshall felt relieved- his rambling actually helped! Smiling, he licked Ryder's cheek and wiped away tears he hadn't even noticed had begun to trace his cheeks.

"Please open your eyes, Ryder. O-Okay? Just... let us know you're alright somehow..." Marshall pleaded quietly. "You're really scaring all of us, Chase especially. He wants to be here so badly, he wants to be by your side, but he knows how much you love this town. How much you... you care about being that... pillar for this community. B-But it's not fair, Ryder! It's not fair..."

Marshall wiped his eyes, sniffling a little as he curled into a ball, resting his head carefully on Ryder's chest. He felt his chest rising and falling slowly, and placed a paw over top his hand. "D-Don't get me wrong, 'cause I know how much you care about Adventure Bay. I mean, we all do... it's our home, but..."

He looked up at Ryder through tear-filled eyes. "B-but it's not about them. It's about you, Ryder... you give too much a-and sometimes... I wish you wouldn't. I wish you would care about yourself, be a little selfish, talk to us about YOU. You're always worrying about us, making sure we have everything, but what about you? Why can't we just worry over you and treat you like a baby for once?"

Ryder's hand jerked a little, and Marshall felt his heart beating fast as he sat up and peered into his face, seeing if his eyes opened yet. "M… Ma-Mar... shall..." Ryder breathed. He didn't seem so pained now that he was talking to him, and for that the dally was relieved. He happily licked his cheeks again before he bumped foreheads with him.

"You keep giving me scares like this and I'll be the one going to the vet, Ryder..." Marshall whispered. He moved away, getting ready to contact the others and let them know about Ryder's progress, when a sudden, very hot hand managed to grab his hind leg, startling the heck out of the pup. He quickly whipped his head and what he saw almost made his heart stop completely.

"R-Ry... Ryder...? Y-You're awake..."


Chase growled irritably as he barked out his megaphone. He should be with Ryder right now, not hoarding a lost bunch of ducks- again! Mayor Goodway clapped gratefully as Chase made duckling sounds to lead the ducks out of City Hall, and back to Chompy's dam, where they had originally come from. As they walked, Rocky was using his recycle truck to toss treats to them, so that they would stay in line. After all was safely done, the pups returned to Mayor Goodway to let her know of the success.

"Oh, thank you, Chase, Rocky!" Goodway scratched behind Rocky's ear, but when she made her way to reward Chase, the German Shephard just shook his head no and started walking out of the room. The mayor looked on, worried about him. Rocky just sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mayor. But... Ryder's still in the hospital, and you know Chase..." He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. She hummed in thought, tapping her chin.

"I had a feeling that was bothering him. Ryder is pretty much our whole town's pilliar." She walked off, motioning Rocky to follow her. Rocky was curious as to where she was going, but felt that he needed to talk to Chase. He kept looking between the two, hating having to make a choice.

"Uhhh, Mayor? I-I'm sorry, but me and Chase, we, uhhh-" Rocky jerked his head in the direction Chase went, and suddenly the normally airheaded mayor realized what she was doing. She gasped in her absentmindedness, and gave Rocky one last, quick scratch.

"Oh goodness! I'm so sorry! Go on, you guys were awesome today! Thank you again!" She quickly waved him off before she rushed back into the back room, looking for her purse chicken, and leaving the mixed breed to wonder what Goodway was trying to show him. He shrugged it off and ran out the door, where he was greeted by a far-off looking Chase.

"H-Hey? Chase?" Rocky hopped into his recycle truck. He got no reply.

"Chase? Helloooo? Hey, Chase!"

That time, Chase snapped out it. "H-Huh? Oh, Rocky...hey..." he muttered. Shaking his head, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Rocky. Did I zone out again?"

Rocky chuckled and started up his truck. "Yeah, you did. Come on, Chase. I know I'm not Marshall, and... I kinda…you know, messed up last week." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "B-but... I'm really starting to worry about you. We all are."

Chase started up his truck, but didn't make any motion to drive off-yet. He sat there, quiet in thought for a moment, before he looked at Rocky and said, "Can we drive to the beach? For the fresh air? My head feels like it's going to burst."

Nervously laughing as the pair drove down the street, Rocky thought, 'PLEASE do not feel like swimming! I'm worried but there is NO way I'm stepping one paw in that nasty water!'

Rocky's fear and nervousness was soon quelled when they pulled into the beach and parked a good ways away from the beachline. Chase hopped out and sat down a few feet from his truck, and Rocky decided to do the same, glad for the much needed break.

"I wonder how the others are doing. I know they're glad there isn't any more rescues for a bit... I hope..." Rocky mused aloud. He didn't hear anything from Chase, so he just laid down and enjoyed the breeze.

"I know you're not Marshall." Chase suddenly said. Rocky tilted his head in questioning.

"Honestly, it's not easy talking to that silly dally sometimes. He's... well, he's Marshall." Chase finished with a fond smile. "I know sometimes he isn't able to understand everything I tell him. Still... he has a good heart. A big one."

"Yeah, you're right." Rocky thought back to their argument and how Marshall pleaded for the two of them not to get at each other's throats. "He definitely has his ways to keep the peace sometimes, I'll say that."

They shared a chuckle, then a peaceful silence resumed. Chase lowered his head. "Rocky... I'm sorry."

"For...?"

"Worrying you guys. And letting you all down. It's just... I don't like seeming so... I dunno, weak around you guys... pathetic, I suppose. I don't know, right now, I feel like an idiot than a leader." Chase's ears sagged as he kept beating himself up.

Hearing Chase doubt himself like he was made Rocky a bit angry. But he swallowed it down and instead placed a paw on his shoulder- Chase and him really didn't need another argument right now. He just needed a level head to talk to.

"Chase, you keep saying that you're an idiot... but we don't see you like that at all." he said softly. He then paused. "Its... well, we were all worrying about some of the choice you've made. It just doesn't seem like you, Chase. And I guess we just want to know why."

Chase continued to stare out at the ocean, watchinf the beach goers enjoying their time, free of any worries or stress... seeing children Ryder's age doing what he should be doing. "Remember when I told you about Ryder's fear of hosiptals?" he asked.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"It-It's not...well, it's not exactly the whole story. " Chase shrugged. "Thing is, I don't really know why Ryder hates hospitals like he does. I thought it was kinda like how you felt around water, not liking being in it, feeling like your lungs will close up if you ever had to swim in it, but Ryder just kept saying it wasn't the same as that."

"Huh..." Rocky thought about the information he was told, tapping his chin. "I wonder why Ryder wouldn't say what was troubling him. We're all family, and we usually share these things... most of the time."

"Yeah..."

Another pause. Then Rocky spoke up. "Listen, Chase. It's... been a hectic couple of weeks. You've been doing a lot for Ryder, and I know he'd apricate how well you've been handling rescues and our team. I think he'd be pretty proud."

"Really? I've been handling missions well?" Chase questioned a bit sarcastically. "Because I feel like I'm letting him down! I feel like I'm letting you all down..."

Rocky rolled his eyes. "Now I see why you can't talk to Marshall about things like this!" he laughed. Chase cocked his head at him, completely confused.

"You two would literally just keep saying, 'No you're not!' 'Yes you are!' all day and night!" he laughed. "I don't think you would get very far with that silly dally!"

As Rocky laughed, Chase felt a smile creeping on. He couldn't help it; Rocky was right. Marshall would probably make things way worse! Soon, the two pups were laughing, Chase feeling the most relieved in a while.

"Uhh, Chase?" Rocky hesitated as Chase stretched his body and shook out some sand.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh... I hope I... kinda helped or... something..." Rocky mumbled shyly. Chase nodded and patted Rocky on the back before he jerked his head towards their parked trucks.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving! Let's meet the others back at the Loo-"

The pup tags flashed, and Chase barely managed a hello before a excited Marshall screamed, "Guys, get down here! Ryder's finally awake! Hurry up!"

Chase froze. He heard the sounds of the other pups, excited and worried about the good news they felt they waited forever to hear, and Rocky howled in happiness as he told the others he and Chase were on the way. As the call ended, Rocky noticed Chase looked pretty nervous and scared instead of happy, and sighed.

"That pup is more hardheaded than Marshall... I wish he'd stop beating himself up about this..."

Chase was happy, he truly was. He could finally see Ryder face to face and hug him and lick him silly, and probably cry a little too. But a larger part of him was scared of what he would think once the others talked about his leadership and how things had been while he was in charge.

'I just know he's going to tell me how horrible a leader I've been acting lately...' Chase thought grimly to himself. Regardless, he was just as relieved to know Ryder was finally awake to the world, and he and Rocky raced off the beach and back to the hospital to see him in person.

'But if Ryder's awake, then maybe that means he's starting to get better. Maybe I should talk to him about... well, him. Figure him out a little more. He's not going back to work right after something like this, and we'll make sure of it!'


And complete! This was a delayed chapter, and I apologize for that. I have the next chapter ready, but I really would like to know what you all think of this one first. If it's good enough then I'll post the next one fairly quickly.

With that, please let me know what you think!

Until next time!