I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update. Long story short, I finally got the job I wanted over a month ago, and I've been in intensive training since then. But I haven't forgotten! This chapter has been incubating for that long, too, and now it's posted! More chapters are on their way, and this story will have an ending. In the meantime, enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: Not mine. But vote for the Sonic movie on Twitter for E! People's Choice Award for The Family Movie of 2020! #SonicTheHedgehog

"DAD!" Sonic screamed. Notagainnotagainnotagainnotagain. His mind raced as he reached forward and grabbed both shoulders. What was he to do? Yeah, shaking him wouldn't help his ribs, but he couldn't think of anything else to do! Hands clutching each shoulder tightly, he continued to rock the human back and forth. He couldn't lose his dad, he just couldn't!

cough

…

Wait, what was that noise?

...

cough

Yeah, that? That sounded familiar, and it was repeating itself over and over and was becoming more frequent, which meant –

"I guess," Tom coughed out, "I'm going to have to teach you how to find a pulse now."

"DAD!" Hands came off the human's shoulders to wrap around him in a death grip. Tom coughed some more.

"Not so hard, Sonic," he said, wheezing. "M'ribs, 'member?"

"Oh, right!" Hastily releasing him, Sonic nevertheless remained next to the human, closely watching him. "I'm sorry, Dad!"

"I should be apologizing," Tom huffed, briefly turning his head aside and spit something out of his mouth. "I guess I fell asleep after all. I was trying my best to remain awake so I could help you find your way back, but –"

"No, it's my fault for shaking you!" Sonic retorted, gesturing wildly. "I know you said to not shake you and to be careful of your ribs but you were still and you didn't look like you were breathing and –" He stopped when he saw one of his hands get grabbed. Tom took the gloved hand gently, pressing it between both of his.

"It's okay, Sonic. I'm still here. I'm not leaving you." He began to chuckle. "But there are better ways to see if someone is alive." He gently curled Sonic's fingers into the palm one at a time until one remained sticking out, the index finger, and then brought that finger to his neck. "Feel that, that beat?" Sonic nodded, tongue-tied. "It's called a pulse. That's how you know my heart is still working. If you can't tell there," he moved Sonic's hand down to his wrist where he encouraged Sonic's fingers to rest against the skin just below the palm, "move it here. Feel that?" Sonic nodded again. It felt lighter than the neck though, almost nonexistent. He didn't like that. "If that doesn't tell you anything, go here," the hand moved to linger on the damp shirt on Tom's chest. Like the neck, the beat here felt steady and strong. "And if you can't feel it there, take your hand and place it within an inch of my face." He moved Sonic's hand once more, so close to his face that Sonic's hand grew warmth from the breaths he felt hit his palm. "You feel me breathing on your hand? That's a good sign too. What do all four tell you?"

"You're alive," Sonic said, resisting the urge to cry. Crying was stupid, and it didn't matter now. Everything was going to be okay.

"Yes, I am." Tom began to cough again, which reminded Sonic of what Brad had told him.

"Okayokayokay," he began as he shrugged off the backpack. Unzipping it so fast that the metal shot sparks, he began to pull out the items from the backpack. "I got the phone to call BradbuthesaidthatIneededthisblanketandthatIshouldbringthemedicalkittoo –"

"First things first," Tom coughed. "Hand me the blanket. It's getting colder, and I'd prefer to not shiver the rest of the time we have to wait for Brad to get here."

"Okay." Sonic took and shook out the blanket, before handing one edge to his human, who then bent forward so that the rest of the blanket could be passed behind his back. As the sheriff leaned back up against the tree, Sonic was zipping behind the tree and over to the other side to catch the other corner of the blanket, which he again handed over. Now clutching both corners of the blanket, Tom shuddered and continued to cough as he hugged it close and tight around his body. Although not going away completely, the coughs gradually decreased in number and the shivering lessened. "Does that feel better, Dad?"

"Yeah. Thanks, son." A smile was shot in his direction, and it further eased his concerns. His heart rate was finally returning to normal. Everything really was going to be okay.

"Here." He handed his human the flashlight that had been lying on the ground. "Brad said we might need it too." Tom set the flashlight down on the ground next to his good leg and mumbled his assent before coughing again. Still sounding a little harsh, but it no longer sounded like he was hacking up a lung. He picked up the phone with his gloved hands, unlocked it, and found the number he needed. "I'm calling Brad now."

"Good idea." Tom coughed again, but appeared to relax once finished. Sonic still kept his eyes on his human as he raised the phone to his ear. His dad seemed to be okay, but as he had learned you couldn't be sure. He had to be sure. Brad would be able to tell him, once he was on the line. He'd better answer soon – the ringing noise was driving him nuts.

"Come on," he muttered. "Pick up." He resisted the urge to pace back and forth; his anxiety was shooting through the roof to the point that he couldn't guarantee he'd stay in the same area even if he tried. If that happened, he'd have to find Tom all over again, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Then he heard a soft 'click' and a familiar voice began to speak.

"Hey, Tom?"

"Brad! It's Sonic!" the blue hedgehog replied, remembering at the last possible second to slow down his speech. "I got back over and I'm with Dad now."

"Sonic? Good job, kid! How's Tom doing?"

"He's got a blanket around him now, keeping him warm." The sheriff, deafness not being one of his injuries, raised his head towards the phone with a 'give-me-that-phone' look on his face. Sonic turned it over to speaker and held it up in front of the human, refusing to relinquish the device. He had to be the responsible one since Tom was out of commission.

"Hi, Brad. I'm okay," Tom said in a loud voice – only for his efforts to be undermined by another round of coughing.

"Tom," the speakerphone dripped with disbelief. "I can hear you coughing."

"So? Completely unrelated. I'll live."

"Obviously. Can I at least convince you to give me an injury list?"

"What injuries?" Tom asked, obviously ignoring two glaring green eyes in his direction. "I'm perfectly healthy." Again, completely undermined by more coughing. Sonic rolled his eyes again while he resisted the urge to smile. His dad really should know better by now. Yet another sign that everything was going to be okay.

"Uh-huh. If this were flu season, I'd believe you. However, I'm hearing a certain noise lingering behind that coughing that is giving me reasonable doubt."

"Figures," Tom muttered. "That's the only thing you took away from the academy, isn't it?"

"Not the only thing," Sonic heard a chuckle over the speaker. The sheer increase in volume that came next almost startled the phone out of his hand. "INJURIES, TOM, from WORST to BEST. And if you don't, I'm going to have Sonic list them for me. AGAIN."

"God, who are you and what did you do to my friend, Brad? Not cool, acting like our old drill sergeant." Tom said in an over-exaggerated whine while giving a wink towards his hedgehog. Sonic rolled his eyes and huffed even as his mouth turned upwards. Who knew his human could be this annoying when injured? And that wasn't nice of Brad, to be that loud. The phone would never be the same again. "Okay, okay. Ribs are fractured, possibly broken, I have a potentially punctured lung, a piece of wood in my left leg, and I'm cold and wet to boot." The shiver at the end of his sentence was so loud that the hairs stood up from the back of Sonic's neck. Maybe he should have grabbed a sleeping bag instead of a blanket.

"Huh." Brad's voice was back to normal. "That's interesting. Sonic's list wasn't nearly as thorough as yours was." Sonic felt his eyes go wide and his heart race again, only to calm back down when Tom caught his gaze and quick shook his head, complete with a short smile. Good, Tom wasn't mad at him.

"Give my kid a break, Brad," the human spoke protectively, easing any further worries the hedgehog may have had. "He's had a pretty rough go of it. Anyway, there's your list. Happy now?"

"Ask me that when I pick you up."

"I can't because you're not here yet. C'mon man. What's taking so long?" Tom whined again. Sonic would have been embarrassed if it wasn't just him and his dad out here in the middle of nowhere. Brad better not spill though, otherwise he'd have one very angry space hedgehog to deal with.

"Because I'm going to have Sonic use the 'maps' icon on your phone to give me your exact GPS coordinates. Sonic?"

"On it, Brad-my-man!" Sonic declared with a smirk. He saw Tom give him that look and shake his head, but he was helpless before the all-powerful hedgehog. "Opening 'maps' right now. Finding the arrow – oh wait, there it is – making sure it says that we are where we say we are, oh, okay, there's the river again, and…" he paused, sliding up and down inside the app to make sure he was about to read off the right information. "Latitude is 46.9450 with Longitude at negative 111.9636. Uh… does that sound right?" he scratched his head as he asked, glancing up at his human at the same time. "I mean, that's a lot of decimal points. And how can our position have a positive and a negative?"

"I mean, I have a couple ideas," Tom coughed with a smile. Sonic made a face in response. Now was not the time for a dad joke. All dad jokes should be officially labeled off-limits in an emergency.

"Perfect, kid. You did great. And… congratulations, I found you. We'll drive our UTV to your location, but we'll probably have to walk the rest of the way. Even with leaving now, it's going to be approximately two hours."

"Two hours?" Sonic whined, his previous cheer gone. So much for things going better.

"I feel so special," Tom quipped, though his voice sounded much less cheerful than it had before.

"We had a lot of calls tonight, Tom. A lot of calls."

"I figured. How many is a lot, though?" Silence greeted his response, the only sound a crackle across the speakerphone. Sonic felt his worry increase as he saw his human's face, already creased with pain, fall further. Bringing his arm down, he shuffled closer to his human, keeping the phone screen facing upwards. His dad was injured and in pain. It didn't make sense that he should be worrying about other people.

"That many, huh?" The sheriff blew out a breath, coughing lightly a couple times. "Geez! I'm so sorry, Brad."

"This is already considered worse than that incident a couple years ago, Tom, and we're not even past the 72-hour mark. Thank God that the holiday season wasn't in full swing, or the casualty list would be longer."

"God, Brad." Again, Tom turned his head to one side and spit something out. Sonic caught a glimpse of red before it disappeared. "I was hoping everyone would get evacuated."

"The ones we knew about? Most did. It's the hikers and campers we didn't know about, plus a couple stubborn regulars." Brad's voice had taken on a different quality. Sonic would have called it sad, but it wasn't the same – at least, not compared to what he was seeing right now with his human.

"How many?"

"There were seven that had been reported to us. Three have been found so far, and one was found that wasn't reported."

"Well, considering the odds…" Tom began, only to be interrupted by more coughing.

"I know, but none of us want to go on a body search later on. We're still looking."

"Can't imagine why. Gets to be quite smelly. I'd help you out, you know, but –"

"Save it. Your butt is going to do what it does best – sit. In this case, it's in a hospital bed."

"Don't threaten me with a good time," Tom snarked, but his face remained serious. "Remember, you're in the wrong field. Plus, my kid already has that job." Pride took hold of Sonic's heart at those words. Not that he was hoping that that would be said, but he was glad that Tom obviously appreciated his efforts. And it didn't hurt to remind Brad that he was now being outranked by an alien hedgehog. "Just take your time and get here safely."

"Yes sir. Bye, Sonic."

"Wait, aren't you going to stay on the line?" Sonic asked, his worry coming back. What was he – what were they – going to do for two hours?

"Can't. I'm not dispatch, and given where I got to go to get to you guys, we'll soon have a line filled with static. Near impossible to talk through that. I'll see you soon enough anyways. Two hours isn't that long, and it could end up being shorter. Don't worry, kid. At least now I can hear how bad your dad is, and I'm getting him help. Can't stop causing trouble, huh, Tom?"

"You just wish you were as cool as me," Tom shot back. "I'm still the only one with a kid."

"Adopted alien hedgehog-things don't count. Sorry, Sonic."

"Hey!" he interjected. "Don't be sore because you weren't cool enough to get me. You just wish there were more of me wandering around so you could join in on the fun." A chuckle erupted through the speaker.

"If there are more of you, kid, Earth is screwed."

"Please! If I wasn't here, you guys wouldn't even know how to function."

"And on that note, I'm off to rescue you ungrateful jackasses."

"See you in a bit, Brad," Tom said before starting another round of coughing. "And… thanks, man."

"Anytime, although between you and me, I'll wait to receive it after I get the full diagnosis from the medic I'm bringing. Then I know exactly what you owe me for saving your life!"

"Uh-huh." The injured human rolled his eyes as his coughing lessened yet again. "Remember, I'm a poor cop, so you can't just pile medical bills on me."

"Whatever bills you get won't reach you until weeks later, so no complaining until then!" Another chuckle was heard over the brief pause. "We'll be there in about two hours. See you soon. Sonic, you're in charge." The line went dead before the hedgehog could ask what that meant. It probably didn't require yelling at his dad, although he would be more than happy to do that if the opportunity presented itself.

"So… what now?" Sonic asked.

"Well, until Brad gets here, there's not much we can do."

"There's got to be something!" Sonic's feet began to itch. "I can't just sit still!"

"We could tell stories."

"I don't know, that sounds kinda boring." He couldn't just relax until Brad got here and got Tom taken care of. The coughing wasn't as bad as it had been moments earlier, but it was still ongoing, as was the shivering. A wave of cold air hit the back of his neck, and he realized that it had gotten colder since he had started the phone call, and a glance around told him it was getting darker too He quickly tapped the phone so the screen instantly relit, and was startled when a beam of light sliced the darkness through in front of him. He relaxed when he saw Tom's face behind the beam, and was quick to stand just off to one side of the flashlight beam, now standing adjacent to his dad's shoulder. The closeness was enough to keep his mind at ease while he reminded himself that he probably shouldn't hug Dad again.

"Okay then, check my temperature." The sheriff placed the flashlight in between his legs, the beam shining over the tops of his shoes and past them into the trees and the darkness beyond. He drew the blanket closer around his shoulders and shivered again.

"On it!" A zip to the backpack, a zip back, in it went and Sonic was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the device to beep. Once it did, it came out of his dad's mouth and into his own hand. He squinted at the screen. "It's… 99.5."

"Degrees," Tom supplied.

"Okay, degrees." Sonic rubbed his forehead in confusion. "Come on, Dad. Now I'm restless and confused. What was the point of that?"

"The point of that was to give you something to do. That and now I know what to tell Brad when he gets here."

"Why?" Sonic asked. "It'll probably change between then and now."

"Because it'll tell him if it's risen or if it's fallen. Right now, it tells me what to expect. My body temperature tends to run around 97.5 degrees. This is warmer than that which means I probably have an infection starting. It could continue to rise. But so far I'm feeling fine – barring being wet and cold –," his human coughed into the back of his hand, "– and I'm not hallucinating or seeing things."

"Okay then." Sonic walked over and put the thermometer back in the backpack. Picking up the backpack, he walked back over to his human and brought the phone up to his face. The screen lit up, showing the time. Approximately ten minutes had passed since he ended the call with Brad, and the ETA was two hours. One hour and fifty minutes to go. He rolled his eyes and huffed, moving to sit down between Tom and the backpack.

"Ask a question."

"I don't have a question."

"You always have a question, son. Ask."

"Ugh," Sonic groaned, his ears lying back against his head as he looked up towards his dad. "Do I have to?"

"Two hours will pass by a lot faster if you do." Sonic hated wasting time. And yeah, he had questions. Trying to behave himself during the call with Brad had meant he ended up with a giant backlog of questions he had been meaning to ask. He thought carefully, figuring out which one he wanted to start with.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you offer to help when Brad was talking about those missing people?"

"I always want to help."

"But you're injured."

"I know. But it doesn't mean I stop wanting to help others, especially when they're missing or hurt or in trouble."

"But you can't do anything. You're injured."

"So? It's part of being a cop, Sonic. I always want to help where I can."

"Yeah, but you're not just any cop. You're the sheriff of Green Hills. But you're supposed to be on vacation right now, but then you got injured, and yet you're still trying to help others? That's like, hero rank, right there. Why?"

"Son, being a hero means you try to do everything you can for other people, even when you're injured and have an overprotective son looking out for you."

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Sonic puffed out his chest in appreciation. "Thank you!" His human let out a short laugh, cutting it off as soon as the coughing threatened to start up again. Once it subsided, Tom continued.

""You're never not sad about the destruction that happens. You're never not sad about the people – lives – that are lost. You just know how to keep that contained until after you've done everything you can to fulfill your oath. Your promise."

"Is Brad the same though? He sounded weird."

"Yeah, yeah he's the same."

"But the way he sounded was so…" Sonic was at a loss for words.

"Restrained?" Unable to think of anything else that would be adequate enough to be used instead, Sonic just nodded. "He is, but that's because he's on the job. When you're on the job, large and in charge, you have to lead everybody else through the mess. It doesn't mean he doesn't feel any less deeply about the ones he and his team have found, the ones who've died."

"He shouldn't have to. You can't do anything when they're dead." He knew that from experience.

"But I don't know that unless I try. And neither does he. People can experience the worst things possible and still make it out alive. After all, we did. We faced down a flash flood and survived to tell the tale." Sonic pondered that thought for a moment.

"True," he finally admitted. "I don't know that I could keep that same attitude though."

"I think you can, Sonic. After all, you did protect Green Hills and defeat Robotnik, despite yourself and us being in danger. You bounced back from that robot bomb like it was nothing, and you tossed the other bombs around like toys. You ran down the side of the building after Maddie and me. You were able to pick yourself off the pavement and throw Robotnik into Mushroom Land. Hell, even this trip showed that you have a cool head on your shoulders and you did anything and everything you could to make sure we both got out okay. You have the same heart as Brad and I do, Sonic, and you'll realize it someday."

I guess I do, the hedgehog thought. I have you and Maddie and Green Hills and I would do anything for any of you. Resisting the urge to cling to his human (again – injuries), he instead stepped closer to lean back against the tree before lightly resting against Tom's side. As he thought about what Tom had just told him, an idea struck him.

"You think…" he hesitated, "you think I could be a cop?"

"If you really wanted to be, Sonic, you could. I would support you if you came to that decision. But I really think you could be more than that. There's a reason you came to this planet, beyond the instructions that Longclaw gave you. Maybe she didn't know the extent of your powers when she sent you off, but she knew enough to keep you safe and hidden until you were old enough to start to piece things together. When that will happen, I don't know, and I could be wrong. I wouldn't worry about potential career choices right now, though. You have time to figure all that out later."

"I know. I know." He silently hoped that he wouldn't have to just yet, especially not now. He had to make sure his dad was taken care of.

"Just focus on enjoying yourself and making the most out of life right now." Sonic snorted.

"Says the guy who had to go ruin our first camping trip," he said, looking sideways up at his human. He saw the smile on his human's face grow, and heard a chuckle escape. He didn't resist the smirk that was spreading on his own face.

"You know," Tom smirked down at him, "when we get out of this, I'm going to remember all the times you were being snarky, and for every time you mouthed off you're getting a job you have to complete for me." Ooh. Sonic's ears perked upwards. Challenge accepted.

"Does that mean I get to fill in for you as the sheriff?" he asked with a smirk of his own. He saw his human's face freeze, and eyes widen just a fraction. Point him.

"That's not the kind of job I meant, Sonic."

"I just hear a yes," Sonic said, grin growing. Tom sighed and shook his head.

"No, it's not. I can still do my job; it'll just mean more sitting."

"Which means you'll be stuck at the office." Sonic stepped out a bit – the better to gesture! (And to not accidentally hit his dad.) "You can't go out, you can't drive, you can't traffic stop people… All you can do is sit and watch. What you need is someone who can fill in for you – who doesn't actually think you're in Barbados with Rihanna. Besides, who better to keep an eye on Wade than moi?" he finished, gesturing towards himself. Tom laughed and pointed a thumb towards himself, briefly releasing the corner of the blanket.

"I can keep an eye on Wade well enough, kid." He quickly rewrapped himself in the blanket, suppressing another shiver. Sonic likewise ignored it. "Besides, this will be a good experience for him, filling in for me. He'll be able to prove himself."

"True," Sonic snickered. "He could prove he's even ditsier than you thought." Tom coughed.

"And we'll pretend I never said that. But, you do have a point." Sonic's smirk grew. "I could appoint you to help him."

"ME?!" Sonic was shocked.

"Why not?" Tom chuckled. "You wanted to take my job."

"Well, yeah, but you're numero uno! Why would I fill in for anything lower?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "Especially when it means working under Wade?" His human continued laughing.

"Well, first of all, because you offered, Sonic." The hedgehog scoffed. "Second, because Wade needs the experience of working with someone else besides me. And last, because you're right." Despite himself, Sonic perked up at those words. "We will need someone else to help us out while I recover, and I can't think of a good reason why that person can't be you. With school being done for the year, and even with you being in Little League, I think it'll be a good experience for you."

"So, I'd be a cop, then?" he asked, grin returning. "Badge and arrest powers and everything else?"

"Badge? Yes. Arrest powers? No. But you'd be able to write tickets and unlock vehicles and assist Donald, Daisy, and Daffy across the crosswalk, among other things." Eh. Who needed arrest powers? The fact that he got a badge was cool enough. And working under Wade wouldn't be so bad. He liked memes and internet jokes and was relaxed like Tom. It just so happened that the officer could use more coffee in the morning, or maybe a brain pill or two, like the ones they prescribed on TV. Beyond all that, he just liked helping people and animals, and this would give him a chance to do all of that, for his hometown. He couldn't let his dad see his excitement though.

"Wwwwweeeeeeeeeelllllll," the hedgehog drew out every single letter of the word that was possible, facing away from his human, "it seems I have no choice but to accept your generous offer."

"I figured." He felt a warm hand descend on his shoulder, and he turned around to face the owner. "Welcome to the Green Hills sheriff's department, Sonic."

"Thanks." He wrinkled his nose again as he stepped back towards his father's side. "Tell me again, Dad, why did I take this job?"

"Oh come on, son," Tom coughed with a smile, "thirty more years of this, you get a tiny pension and a cheap gold watch."

"Cool." Speaking of time… He brought out the phone again and lit it up.

"How much time has passed since you called?" Tom coughed again.

"It's been…" Sonic quick checked the call log, "… an hour. Even."

"Cool. Just one more to go." Sonic let out a long, drawn-out groan and covered his face.

"Now come on, Sonic," Tom chuckled again, covering his mouth as it renewed the coughing, "we can't be hearing overdramatic groaning from our newest recruit so soon. I was waiting to let Wade do the honors."

"Come on, Dad," Sonic whined. "That's too mean, even for you! Cruel and unusual punishment is kinder than that. Overworking your newest recruit!" He uncovered his face in time to see his human wink at him. He retained his pouty face, laying his ears back against his head.

"I think you'd be able to handle it," his dad continued to laugh.

"Of course he will!" Sonic perked up immediately and started looking around for the source of the voice. "Don't you know? All kids are alike – all energy and enthusiasm, and no patience."

"BRAD?!" Sonic shouted and waved his arms, narrowly avoiding hitting his dad in the head. "OVER HERE!"

"Easy, kid." A beam of light pierced through the tree cover to join the flashlight's beam, and out stepped one very tired and grumpy park ranger. At least, he sounded like it. "Don't run over me and my team, okay?" His dark shadow appeared next to Tom, and Sonic restrained himself from jumping in joy. Rescue was here! "In fact, how about you go pick up that flashlight from Tom's legs and go stand across from him? Point that light up into the sky so you don't blind anyone, okay?"

"Okay!" One gigantic, speedy leap later, he was directly across from the tree. As he held the flashlight beam upwards, he saw the other beam of light flicker off, and Brad clip his flashlight onto his belt. He saw Brad kneel down and reach for the backpack as another person joined him, kneeling down on Tom's other side. "Oh, here you go!" Zipping back towards the backpack, he found and pulled out the thermometer and handed it to Brad.

"Thanks, Sonic," he heard as he zipped back to his previous position. He saw the other person open his mouth before Brad looked at him, similar to how Tom would prior to a scolding. The guy's mouth shut tight. "Did you take his temperature before?"

"Yeah, after you hung up," Sonic said, watching as Brad stuck it back into Tom's mouth. "It was 99.5 degrees."

"Okay, let's see what it reads this time around." The thermometer beeped, and Brad took it out, looking at it briefly before tossing it back towards the backpack. "Huh. Interesting." Sonic again zoomed over to catch it, shove it deep into the backpack, and hoist the bag onto his back before yet again returning to his spot.

"What did it say, Brad?" he asked, anxiety creeping into his voice.

"100.4 degrees. Your dad here is developing a fever, and probably an infection to boot."

"Well, you should have made it here sooner," Sonic snarked, before a thought occurred to him. "Wait, why are you here now? I thought you said it was going to be two hours."

"I did say that." Brad conceded, leaning Tom forward and began to remove the blanket, the human on the other side copying his actions. "I also may or may not have lied about the time."

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed. "That's mean! Why would you do that?" he half-asked, half-whined.

"Kid, I had to round up a medical team as well as enough rangers to drive-slash-assist with this pickup. I didn't know who I'd be able to grab or what vehicles were available. You're lucky I got here this fast."

"Easy, Brad," Tom spoke, coughing as he did so. Brad leaned him back up against the tree and took the rest of the blanket – now sopping wet – from the other human. "We're both glad you're here early." He continued coughing after he finished speaking, prompting the other human to take out something long and stringy and press it against his chest, taking the other two connected wires and putting them into his ears.

"I know, Tom." Still, the ranger's voice eased from grouchy worry to a more protective tone, and he finally spared a glance towards Sonic. "I didn't mean to mislead you, Sonic." I'm sorry. He held the blanket out towards the hedgehog.

"I know," Sonic acknowledged. Me too. "I'm really glad you made it here before two actual hours passed. This is much better." He zoomed forward to grab the blanket and back again to his previous spot. He stuffed it into the backpack, hoping that it wouldn't soak into the bag too much as he had to carry it. The pack sat on the ground in between his feet as he stood, his hands keeping the beam of the flashlight skyward.

"Me too, kid." He leaned towards the other human and started talking, too low for Sonic to catch. He thought about darting around the two of them before deciding against it. Given how Brad was at the moment, running around him and peppering him with questions didn't sound like the smartest option. Biting his lip, he tried to remain still even as Brad and the other human continued talking. He studied his human's face, but despite having ceased coughing Tom didn't look any different than he had earlier. Whether that was good or bad he'd soon find out.

"Hey, Tom," Brad began, hands on his knees as he remained crouched on the ground, "how's it going?"

"Fine until you asked that question," Tom responded, before another coughing fit took hold.

"Can you stand?"

"I think so. But you guys are going to have to help me with that." Brad gave a sharp laugh.

"That's kind of obvious. What about walking?"

"See my answer to the first question," Tom continued to cough.

"Okay then. Mike here is going to support your left side, and I'm going to grab your right." As he spoke, the other human lifted Tom's arm over his shoulder, and leaned in until his shoulder was under Tom's armpit, arm snaking behind his back and knees hovering over Tom's thigh. "On the count of three, we're going to lift you up until it's only your feet touching the ground. If you can, bend your knees and plant your feet on the ground." Tom ceased coughing and began to move each leg gingerly, but only hissed in pain when he lifted his right leg. Sonic could see his jaw set as his right foot settled into the dirt. "Okay, good. As we lift you up, push against the ground with your feet to help us lift you. We'll go from here, okay?"

"Okay." Brad now moved in to copy the other guy's position.

"Okay, on the count of three. Ready, Mike?" The other human nodded. "Okay, one… two… THREE!" Brad and other-guy-Mike grunted and Tom coughed, and with painstaking slowness they rose – feet were planted from the toe to the heel (Tom's feet being the exception), knees gradually unbent and legs and backs straightened until all three were standing, one arm from each man wrapping around Tom's back for support. Well, two for sure were standing. With how Tom's arms were draped over the shoulders of the two men and only his toes were making contact with the ground, Sonic wouldn't call that standing. His coughs were decreasing once again as he began to shiver from the increasingly frigid air. Sonic stepped closer to his human, careful that the beam from the flashlight he held didn't fully illuminate his face.

"Oh man!" Brad gasped out, shifting forward slightly. "What have you been eating? Just donuts?" Tom barked out a laugh, which turned into a wheeze. This time, however, no coughing fit emerged.

"You should be grateful, man. I'm helping you fit your workout in." The other-guy-Mike laughed in response.

"Cops. No respect at all."

"Because every time there's an accident, we get sent out first," was Tom's response.

"As much as I love this friendly exchange," Brad said (rolling his eyes, Sonic guessed), "we need to get moving. Mike, how is your end?"

"Heavy," the other human grunted, "but I'll live."

"Okay. Tom, can you put any weight on your feet?"

"My left one. The right one not so much."

"Okay. Do what you can with your left one. Sonic, I'm going to have you in front of me. Shine your flashlight through the trees so we can see. I left enough of a trail to follow, but light helps. Keep your flashlight focused and move when I tell you to. The vehicle is parked approximately 300 yards from here, so it will be a bit of a hike to get there, but nothing too crazy. Once we get there, it'll be smooth sailing. Any questions?"

"Nope!" Spinning his heels, Sonic zoomed out in front of Brad and pointed his flashlight out towards the dense trees. "Whenever you're ready, Park Ranger Man!"

"Who is this kid?" he heard the other human mutter. He turned around to face him, careful to point the light beam at the ground instead of at his face.

"My name is Sonic. What is your name, oh other human?"

"Mike."

"Nice to meet you, other-human-Mike!" He thought he saw Mike look towards Brad.

"Do I even try to correct him?"

"Don't," Brad said with a sigh. "He's Tom's kid." Tom just wheezed out another laugh. "Just get moving. Go, Sonic." Sonic performed a little bow, careful to keep the light extended out while not blinding their rescuers.

"Of course!" Turning back around, he pointed the beam of light back towards the trees and began to walk forward, ears open for any directions Brad was about to give him and careful to keep his speed under control. It had been one crazy day, but now they were finally on their way.