Hey, look at that! I updated! Also, if you have not already, check out chapters un, deux, and trois if you haven't read this story since late July 2021! Now, onwards!

"Hello?"

"Jake? It's Mr Porter. How are you?"

"I'm awesome, dude," the person on the other end of the phone answered, "how about you?"

"Well, I have a bit of a dilemma," Mr Porter said. "My son needs me to watch Alex this weekend, and I'm worried about the restaurant."

"So, you need me to take care of it while you're gone?"

"That's part of it."

There was a pause from the other end of the phone.

"What's wrong?"

"I—" Mr Porter cut himself off. "I'm not sure where to start."

"The beginning is always nice," Jake teased.

"Very funny. So, you know how someone has been stealing my stuff this past year or so?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I met him. He's staying with me at the moment."

"Okay, but what does that have anything to do with Alex?"

"Here's the hard part."

Mr Porter took a deep breath.

"The person who's been stealing from me is a kid, and he's living on his own with a puppy. I'm not sure what the full situation is, but the kid's sick."

"O-oh," Jake stammered in surprise.

"Yeah," Mr Porter sighed. "These past few days haven't been kind to him, and I don't want to give up on him, ya know?"

"I do. When would be a good time to stop by?"

"You sure?"

"Of course! I'm happy to help!"

"In that case, as soon as you can."

"Alright. I should be there in roughly half an hour."

"Thank you so much."

"Anytime. See you soon!"

After Mr Porter put his phone away, he looked at Chase. The two stayed silent for a few moments. Finally, Mr Porter sighed once more and left Chase alone with Ryder. He returned to place a new flannel over Ryder's forehead. Slipping the thermometer into the boy's mouth, the other two occupants of the room waited with bated breath. When it beeped, the older man sighed.

"Forty point one," he spoke. "I hate having to do this, but the only thing that will cool him down quickly is a lukewarm bath."

"But what about Jake?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now, you try and get Ryder moving. I'll get the bathtub filled."

Nodding, Chase watched Mr Porter leave the room before attempting to wake the young boy.

"Ryder?" he whispered in English. "Ryder, wake up!"

Slowly, glassy brown orbs blinked open.

"What's wrong?" Ryder mumbled in his native tongue.

That wasn't good. When Ryder spoke in French, it meant he wasn't all there. But when he spoke in English, it meant he was more coherent.

"Ryder, you're very sick, and we need to cool you down," Chase explained in French.

"We?"

"Me and Mr Porter. Do you remember where we are?"

"Mr Porter's place."

"Yes, that's right. Mr Porter is running a bath to help cool you down, but we needed you awake. Can you stand up for me?"

Reluctantly, Chase moved away from Ryder to allow the boy to get to his feet, albeit slowly. Carefully, the duo made their way to the bathroom, the eight-year-old leaning against the wall for support.

"Ah, there you two are," Mr Porter spoke in English. "When you're ready, Ryder, you can go in."

From where they were, they could hear the doorbell ring.

"That must be Jake. Chase, I'll leave you here with Ryder," Mr Porter announced. "Keep an eye on him, okay?"

"You go it, Mr Porter!"

With a nod, the older man left the bathroom. Slowly, Ryder took his pyjamas off and slid into the water, hissing as the liquid touched his heated skin.

"I know, I know," Chase soothed in Ryder's native tongue, "but this will make you feel better."

"But it's cold," Ryder whined.

"It just feels that way. But it's good for you, I promise."

Ryder huffed, but he didn't argue. Sinking into the water, he leaned back to submerge his hair to rid it of sweat while keeping his face above the surface. Sitting up again, the eight-year-old splashed his face to clean it as well. Finally, he relaxed and reclined back, his head and chin above the liquid.

"I hate being sick," the boy muttered in French.

"Why is that?" Chase questioned.

The boy sighed deeply through his nose.

"The last time I was this sick, I was still living with Père," he explained. "My Frère was with me the whole time. It started with a fever and light coughing. As the fever got higher, the chest pain and the coughing became worse. I begged Frère not to take me to the doctor, but he dragged me there anyways. I don't remember much after that, but I remember Frère telling me that pneumonia could kill me if not treated properly. His words, not mine.

"I remember the loneliness of being in that hospital bed all by myself. Frère visited when he could, but it was only for an hour or two before he'd have to go back home. When I was released from the hospital, Frère stayed with me. He told me that I had gotten lucky. We had caught it in the beginning before it could have gotten worse. Sure, my fever spiked up to around forty point six, but I was in the hospital when that happened."

The two lapsed into silence.

"Is that why you don't like being sick? Because it reminds you of that?" Chase murmured in French.

"It's part of it," Ryder admitted softly. "Père is the other."

"Your father?"

Before Ryder could answer, there was a knock at the door.

"Kiddo, pup," Mr Porter's voice sounded, "it's been about fifteen minutes. Can you come out of the tub? I'll hand a new set of pyjamas through the crack of the door."

"Sure thing!" Chase answered in English.

While Ryder dried off with a towel, Chase grabbed the clean pyjamas with his teeth. After the boy was clothed and situated on the toilet lid, the puppy told Mr Porter it was okay to come in. When the door opened, they noticed a new person behind the older man.

"Chase, Ryder, I want you to meet Jake," he introduced. "Jake, the German Shepard is Chase, and the eight-year-old is Ryder."

The young man smiled at the two in the bathroom.

"It's nice to meet you, dudes," Jake said.

Ryder felt at ease with the young man's easy-going attitude.

"Alright, Ryder, let's check that temperature," Mr Porter interrupted.

Rolling his eyes, the boy allowed Mr Porter to put the metal tip of the thermometer under his tongue. When it beeped, it was Jake who took the medical device from Ryder's mouth.

"Thirty-nine point five," he read. "From what Mr Porter has told me, that's much better than it was earlier."

Ryder shrugged. While he was more coherent, he still felt loopy. Although, he could understand English now.

"I managed to buy some children's fever reducer on my way here. How about you take a dose of that, and we'll see how it goes?" Jake suggested.

It surprised Ryder just how easy it was for him to give in to the young man. After taking it, he felt his eyes droop. Getting tucked in by the young man reminded Ryder of his best friend way more than it should have.

"Frère!"

"Ryder! Hey, how are you?"

The seven-year-old smiled at the nine-year-old.

"I'm good! Can we learn some more English?"

"Of course, we can, little brother," the elder boy smiled.

Ryder had come a long way in learning the language. The elder had been teaching the younger English since Ryder was just turning six. And now, Ryder had just turned seven, marking a little over a year since he'd learned English.

"So, Ryder, what did you learn in school today?"

"Well, I learned about how to build an all-terrain vehicle, and it's not too bad!" Ryder said in French, his excitement through the roof. "I also learned a lot about coding for computers and stuff."

"But you already know how to do that," the nine-year-old stated fondly.

"I know, but it was required to learn."

He laughed a little at Ryder's pout and kissed it away.

"Come on, little brother, let me teach you some more English," he said in English. "And, maybe if you're good, I'll teach you some more Spanish, too."

"Really?! You will?!" Ryder yelled.

"Ryder, volume."

"Sorry. I mean, you will?"

"Of course! You can never be too sure of when you'll need to know some!"

He poked Ryder in the belly, eliciting a squeal of joy from the younger. Giggling, Ryder chased after his best friend to his bedroom.

"I think Ryder likes you," Chase said.

Once Ryder went back into dreamland, Chase had settled himself next to his charge. Mr Porter sat in the rocking chair while Jake leaned against the wall.

"What makes you say that, little dude?" Jake asked.

"Well, he didn't freak out when he saw you," Chase pointed out, "and I've known him long enough to know that he doesn't trust anyone. Not really, anyways."

"I see."

He turned to look at Mr Porter.

"So, are you going to see your grandson, or am I going to see him?" Jake teased.

"It's up to you," Mr Porter told him seriously. "Would you rather spend your weekend with Alex or with Ryder and the restaurant?"

"To be honest, I'd rather spend my weekend here with Ryder and Chase. Not that Alex is bad or anything, but I just feel as though my services will do me better here than with Alex."

"I understand."

The two older males beamed at one another.

"Well, I'm off to go pack," Mr Porter spoke. "I won't be long."

"Don't worry, dude," Jake grinned. "Chase and I got this handled."

Chase nodded in agreement.

Just as he said, Mr Porter took no more than five minutes tops.

"I'll be back before you know it," the older man said.

"As I said, we'll be just fine," Jake reassured him.

"I know that. It just breaks my heart that I'm leaving Ryder. I know that I barely know him, but there's just something about him that makes me want to protect him."

"I know what you mean, dude."

The German Shepard smiled. Something told him that Jake would be just the kind of person Ryder needed, whether the young man knew it or not.

So, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Meh? Lemme know! I love hearing your feedback. Quick side note: I have started my second year of college! Because of that, I may not be able to write all that much, but I'll still write when I can!

~*MegaMon2580*~