Hello all! I'm sorry for the random update- I've had a LOT of drama and choas in my personal life and I needed some time to myself. I'm getting there, but I really missed working on my stories, so here I am!

Also, I've been watching s6 of PAW Patrol, and I'm not very impressed with the episodes they've aired so far- unneeded Ultimate Rescues and almost pointless episodes, even for kids. But what do you guys think of the new season?

Please enjoy the chapter, and I'd like to hear your thoughts!

Caretaker

Chapter 14-One Day at a Time

"Okay, well it seems like our patient is finally alert and with us." Cynthia said with a smile as she walked in, chart tucked under her arm. Ryder and the pups looked at her, and the pups greeted her with warm smiles and wagging tails.

Ryder, however, was very nervous. Very, very nervous. This was his third day being here, still sick as a dog with no voice, and he absolutely hated it. He was holding Chase tight to his chest, his eyes staring at her without so much as a blink. He wasn't sure why he felt like his heart would burst- this woman was scaring him half to death.

'Its okay, Ryder. Calm down. Chase is right... here...' Ryder reminded himself, breathing in and out slowly. 'Its not like before... it won't be like before...'

Cynthia sighed sadly as she watched Ryder sinking into his bed, still hugging Chase a bit too tight, it seemed. Ryder hadn't done much since he came around two days ago, and now on day three he was still just as silent and scared as ever, even when the pups were here to comfort him.

"Hey, Ryder, sir. Don't be afriad. It's going to be alright. She's been really good to you, Marshall said." he whispered to him. Ryder looked down at him, fear clear as day in his face, but nodded as he tries to process the words spoken.

'I know... I feel like she's really nice, and maybe if I could at least speak I could thank her... but she... she's still one of them, and they let Alek down... why should I even trust her with my own life?' he thought semi-bitterly as he focused on Chase's soft fur tickling his neck and chest. He really needed some kind of distraction.

As for Chase, he tilted his head- it felt very strange having to take over Ryder's role, being the comforter, the leader. Even though he'd been doing it for weeks now, it was still foreign and he couldn't wait to have Ryder home so things could go back to normal. Staring at Ryder, Chase knew that he felt the same way.

"Just try and relax. We're all right here for you, okay?" Chase whispered. Ryder simply nodded and sunk against his pillow, deciding to look out his room window instead- it was a fairly overcast day today, matching how he felt inside- confused and sad.

"Ryder? Ryder, can you hear me?" Cynthia sat down next to him and slowly reached out to place her hand on his shoulder. It startled him so much Chase felt his heart literally skip a beat, and he glanced up worriedly at him. The others all moved in, equally worried and a bit scared of Ryder's reaction to being touched, never seeing him do that before. Even Cynthia didn't expect that to happen, but she kept her calm demeanor.

"I'm sorry for startling you like that. But I need you to let go of Chase so I can take your vitals." Cynthia said softly. "Can you let him go? Just for a few minutes?"

Ryder gulped- did he really need to let Chase go? He felt like he hadn't hugged his pups in forever, and now he had to let them go again for what? That... that thing- the stethoscope Cynthia had in her hand- didn't really instill much confidence in him, either. He whimpered and shook his head no.

"Just for a few moments? Please?" she pleaded gently with him. "I promise it'll be just like yesterday- real quick."

Ryder felt tears coming to his eyes. He cursed himself for acting like this- it wasn't like he hadn't gone through this already! But this particular time, he was unusually terrified. He did not want to let his pups go. He didn't even understand what was scaring him so badly.

"Ryder, it's okay. We know what's up." Rocky stepped closer to him and placed a paw on his forearm, smiling slightly. "We're right here. It's not like before, you understand?"

"He's right, Ryder, sir." Chase spoke, managing to free a paw and touch his cheek. "We understand. We understand and we're not about to leave your side. Just let the nice lady check on you, okay?"

"Yeah, sooner she can take of you, the sooner you'll be home with us!" Marshall added in with a wide smile. "It'll be alright, Ryder! You got this!"

The others offered up words of encouragement, words that Ryder desperately needed to hear. Still a bit scared, he nodded in agreement and allowed Chase to weasel out of his arms. The pups all sat close by Ryder as Cynthia leaned over and placed the cold metal tool to Ryder's chest.

"You ready?" Cynthia asked. Ryder shut his eyes tight and was grateful when a paw rested in his hand. He gripped it for all it was worth.

She checked Ryder's blood pressure and heart rate first, then listened to his lungs. Frowning, she leaned back and took his temperature- all the while the pups were watching her with curiosity, and Marshall learning new things to best care for him when he was released.

"Well, guys, I'm afraid I've got some bad news." Cynthia placed her stethoscope around her neck and took down some notes. The pups and Ryder looked at her nervously, waiting for the news.

"It's just as I figured. You're definitely not leaving anytime soon, Ryder." Cynthia announced, shaking her head. "It took three days just to get your body strong enough to begin treatment, and with the strep throat and infection you have, I can't just discharge you. Not even to these seasoned pups you have."

Ryder was crestfallen- he'd hoped she would at least allow him to heal at home, with his family, away from this... place. Marshall and the other pups weren't too pleased either. He was still going to have to stay there, and who knew how much longer that would be?

Cynthia opened Ryder's file. "It seems like the infection started from some kind of bacterial origin- I'm still looking into what actually caused your illness. But your strep throat is very treatable, so that will be the first thing we tackle."

"Excuse me?" Marshall asked. "What kind of infection does he have?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it may very well be in his lungs or chest. The strep throat alone wouldn't explain all his symptoms. But..." She paused.

"Overworking would have aggravated his illness for sure. And seeing as how you all are the only pups and person caring for this ENTIRE town..." Chase lowered his head in guilt- he understood what she was saying.

"Ryder worked so hard he made himself sick... or at least, made it easy for him to get sick..." he whimpered. Cynthia smiled and patted Chase's head.

"Now don't be so hard on yourselves. With the antibiotic he'll be starting today, and lots of rest, Ryder should be able to go home within a few more days to finish his recovery." She giggled when the pups lit up at the news, tails wagging and lots of happy howls. Motioning with her hands to lower the volume, the head nurse stood up and looked one more time at Ryder. He seemed very out of it despite not having any medication in him yet.

"Ryder, what's important is that you get as much rest as possible. Even with the antibiotics, if you don't rest, your body can't recover the way you want it to. Do you understand?"

Ryder nodded; he did look fairly worn out for a ten year old. 'It's not like I don't want to sleep! I'm exhausted! B-but if I stay asleep too long... that nightmare...'

"I'm going to try and start Ryder on some softer foods to help with his sore throat and lost voice as well. He hasn't really been able to eat lately, but now that he's starting to stay awake for longer intervals, he should begin to eat at least small, soft meals to keep his strength up." All the pups nodded and listened carefully to what she was saying- except for one.

Chase noticed Ryder's despondent expression, and had a feeling he knew something was bothering him. Cynthia mentioned something else but he barely heard her. Instead, he rested on Ryder's lap and placed a paw on his hand.

"Ryder? Sir?" Ryder slowly turned his head and looked at his pups.

"Are... you alright? We got some good news, we can take you home soon!" Chase tried to sound excited, but he was nervous and a bit scared of the blank look in Ryder's eyes. Marshall, Skye and Rocky soon saw the same look and looked at each other, whining in concern.

"Ryder? Are you alright?"

The young boy didn't reply or make any notion he'd heard them. Slowly his eyes closed and his fingers went lax from Chase's paws. The six pups didn't know what to make of that strange behavior.

"Guys, we better let Ryder rest. He's going to need all the sleep he can get." Chase whispered, putting a paw to his mouth to emphasize them keeping their voice down.

"But what about... well, you know." Marshall tried to avoid saying 'his nightmares'. "We promised we'd be here for him but we can't stay here all night!"

"That's just the issue... "Chase sadly admitted, once again feeling like a failure. His head hung as he looked over at Ryder, watching as he started to enter a- hopefully- deep sleep. A nurse came in and gave him a needle. "I-I'm not sure... what to do..."

The next day, bright and early in the morning, Chase got a call from Cynthia about Ryder's progress. What she told him, however, made his heart sink to his stomach and his guilt increase even more.

Although it was about 5 in the morning, Chase had to tell the others. He beeped the five tags and waited in the control room, pacing back and forth, now completely awake.

"Ch-Chase...? What's-" Marshall was cut off by a long yawn. "-W-what's up... so ea'ly…"

"Sorry, pups. But... I just got a call from the hospital." Chase answered sadly. At the sound of that, the pups seemed a bit more awake, wondering what was the newest update.

"Looks like Ryder had a nightmare last night. Apparently this was the second one he's had, and this one was bad. Really bad."

"H-How bad are we talking?" Rubble wondered.

"Enough that they had to sedate him. He's knocked out right now to allow his body to rest."

All the pups gasped and shared looks of worry with one another. "So that might explain why he looked so dead yesterday- he must've been having a hard time sleeping!" Marshall brought up.

"But that's not good! If he's not sleeping he can't get better!" Rubble whimpered. "It's going to be even longer before he can come home!"

"Then it's decided." Rocky suddenly stood up. "We need to be by Ryder's side!"

Chase cocked his head. "What do you mean, Rocky? With Adventure Bay and Adventure Beach, it's-"

"No, I know, I know, but hear me out." Rocky sat down to explain his idea. "So remember how we discussed how we were going to break up the work amongst the six of us when Ryder first went to the hospital?'

"Yeah...?"

"Well why not do the same thing, but this time, we each rotate someone being with Ryder at the hospital? We know he's going to be discharged in a few days, so he just needs someone there before he goes to sleep to help him stay that way."

Chase listened carefully. "I get what you're saying, Rocky. But if we keep having to lose a pup each day... looks like we're back to taking control of other pups vehicles again."

"But what about Mawshall and Chase?" Zuma wondered. "It's still not going to be easy without one of them, and we need them the most. Not to mention dwiving their twucks will be hawd as heck!"

"Well, I've been in the hospital the longest, so I'll sit this one out." Marshall volunteered. "Besides, I've seen you guys driving my firetruck and... weeellll… yeah, I think I'll handle that from now on, thanks." The others shared a laugh, and Rocky smiled in thanks.

"Alright, Chase. You're still in charge. What do you think?"

The pups spent the next few hours working out a revised plan to now include going in to check on Ryder at the end of the night. As the pups headed back to their pup houses to catch a few more minutes of rest, Chase stayed behind to boot up the monitor and do his usual patrol. Marshall paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Hey, uh, Chase?"

"Hmm?" Chase was trying his best to keep his mind preoccupied with work. Marshall walked over and sat next to him.

"You sure you're alright? I know things weren't easy lately, especially with Ryder and all that... but I'm really worried about you." He placed a paw on his shoulder. "You're not taking time for yourself."

Chase didn't take his eyes off the screen for a moment. But he sighed- Marshall was asking about what happened back there and he did promise him.

"No, Marshall. I'm not alright. To be honest... I'm just scared. I caused such a scene the other night, and don't get me wrong, I talked to Rocky and everything- but I still feel... wrong." He sat down and lowered his head in shame.

"Ryder made me promise him that I would take care of Adventure Bay, that I'd be a leader, until he came home. And I knew I was never cut out for this- and then finding out Ryder's REAL reason for hating hospitals? Leaving him back there? I-I mean, I know why he has to be there, but it- I just-"

Chase growled in frustration and ran his paws roughly down his face. "Sometimes I wonder if Ryder was in his right mind when he picked me for this... I didn't even know he had so much on him and I'm supposed to be his best friend!" he snapped. Marshall sat there quietly, thinking about what Chase said.

"Ryder was in his right mind." he began. He glanced sideways at Chase. "He knows the type of pup you are. How dedicated, hardworking, proud, determined and kind-hearted you are."

Marshall stood up and stretched. "He knows how much you love what you do, how much you've always loved what you do, and how much you care about keeping people safe and sound. He knows YOU, Chase. Just like I know you."

"But... but what if he had made a bad choice?" Chase asked in a small voice, refusing to look at his best friend. "What if-"

"Ah-ah-ah! See, there it is again!" Marshall playfully rolled his eyes, giving Chase a mock stern look, complete with the light jabbing of his friend's chest. "You seriously worry waaaaaayyy too much! We trust you, and even though you made mistakes, no one sees you as anything less than our awesome leader! Our awesome and stubborn leader, at that!" he finished with a laugh.

"Just take it one day at a time, alright? Right now, we're going to have breakfast and then do our rounds. If we're lucky, maybe we can go see Ryder even earlier and spend some time with him."

"But that's just it! Ryder should have told us something was bothering him! We could have prevented this, forced him to take some time off from working so much!" Chase angrily slammed his paw on the control "So why? Why didn't he tell us?!"

Marshall had wondered the same thing himself, but he also had a literal example next to him that gave him all the explanation he needed. "It might not be as easy as you think, Chase. You of all pups should know what it's like to have to open up like that."

Chase seemed desperate for answers, and managed to ignore about half of what Marshall said. "So what do we do?! I feel like just going there won't solve anything! Ryder needs us! He needs us to make things better for him!"

"Take it easy, Chase. Take it easy." Marshall pulled Chase away from the monitor and sat down in front of him. He took deep breaths in and slowly let them out, silently instructing Chase to follow his example. After a moment, Chase seemed calmer, but not all the way.

"One day at a time. Ryder's going to be fighting his strep throat and infection for a few days." Marshall gently explained to him. "And you're right- Ryder does need us. And we're going to be there for him. But we can't force him to talk, y'know?"

"... yeah. Yeah, you're right." Chase quietly admitted. He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "Seriously, I don't know how you all put up with me..."

Marshall giggled and put his arm around Chase, leading him to the elevator. "Because we're family and it's part of our awesome leader- and my brother."

Chase opened his mouth, about to ask about that last part, when Rubble called them over their pup tags. 'Guys? Is everything okay? I don't see Chase or you downstairs, Marshall! Are we having breakfast?' Rubble sounded a bit nervous at the last question, which made Chase and Marshall break out into a small laughing fit.

'No, no, we're on our way. Are the others up yet?'

As Marshall and Rubble discussed breakfast, Chase sat down, his mind racing a mile a minute as he planned out today's patrol routes, and more importantly, how he was going to speak to Ryder about all that was weighting his mind down. "One day at a time... just have to remember that..." he muttered to himself. He looked straight ahead and pushed down his worry, plastering a smile on his face as he walked into the lounge.

'I promise, Ryder. I'll be there to help you... just like you've always been there for us.'

And finally done! Again, I apologize, but I needed some time away from my fanfiction for a while. I'm just now getting back into the swing of things.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think.

Until next chapter!