enemy over for dinner
...
after a few more hours, it was already the next day, and dinner time was coming around again his mother finally came back. Marshall confronted her right away. "Mrs. Álfur! where in the world have you been? Ryder has been asking for you."
"out. like i said." she repeated just as she did before she left. "having fun without a KID and later i was on a date."
"a DATE!?" Marshall was shocked. "how can you think of a DATE when your own kid's SICK!?"
"oh calm down. where is he? i got some good news for him."
"in BED, resting, like he should be, and should STAY that way. don't go waking him up." Marshall ordered.
"oh hush. i want him to meet his future replacement father." she said coldly.
Ryder walked out of his room to see her. the other pups gathered around with him. "i don't need, a replacement dad. you cant replace him. EVER. no one can replace him!"
"you, will have a new father" she exclaimed." weather you like it or not. and your going to meet him, where is he anyway."
then they heard a familiar voice. "I'm coming." Chase sneezed, lightning flashed and thunder roared and there worse nightmare walked in the door. humdinger. "NOOOOOOO!" Ryder screamed and the pups howled. as the weather seem to reflect the current mood of the lookout storming outside. Humdinger gave a evil grin and cats snickering meows.
...
the pups eating from there bowls, the cats from there's, both safe distance away from each other. every so often glaring, growling, hissing, every so often Ryder trying to control a cough or sneeze or sniffle while it seemed endless that humdinger and his mom talked on and on.
every so often Ryder would give a groan or sigh, eyerolls and overall a very annoyed hateful glaring expression.
"its wonderful you brought me to see your, home, my its so, flashy." humdinger trying to get on his mothers side to farther ruin the paw patrol was getting on Ryders nerves. "and large. why i can not imagine the upkeep of this. sure make a nice base for my foggy bottom watch tower."
"ugh." Ryder finally had enough "i really couldn't care less what you and your pathetic foggy bottom has to say about the PAW, PATROL, HEAD-QUARTERS! which is exactly what its going to STAY AS."
"now, don't be rude to our, guest" she said with very big smile staring at humdinger. "and eat your dinner."
"i don't want it." not only did he not feel like eating with present company he was not hungry, still feeling sick and forced to sit at the table wanting nothing more then to lay in bed. he let out a cough which made humdinger pause and his mother roll her eyes as she got up from the table to grab them dissert.
"say, is he... still sick?" humdinger asked.
"what, oh yeah that annoyance. yeah whatever." she said and continued to ignore it. Ryder coughed more and a let out a sneeze and some sniffles. "EAT YOUR DINNER!" she shouted
"i don't feel good." Ryder said while holding his stomach. and a bit whiny. humdinger looked to where his mom walked off to get dissert. and back to Ryder. "hey, why don't you go lay down?" he suggested in a calm caring tone. for Ryder this was no time to start questioning humdingers advice. got up coughed a bit of a small trip as he sneezed to the floor. surprisingly humdinger got up from his seat and picked him up. guided by the pups took him to his room and tucked him in bed.
"guess that storm gave you a heck of a cold kid." Ryder just curled up in bed with his bear "it have a name?" referring to the bear.
"Mr. snuggles." letting a groan and let slip his guard with humdinger, at the moment he really didn't care. "where's mom?" humdinger walked out. Ryder could hear her complaining about him getting up and leaving the table. and them talking "he's asking for you. he just needs to lay down a bit."
"ah whatever, just leave him." humdinger thought it was bit cold even for his standards. she offered him a slice of cake. "no thanks, maybe in a bit." she didn't pay any mind he was just hanging out there while she turned on a tv and ate her own slice of cake. expecting him to join her to relax a bit. instead he walked back to Ryder.
"hey kid, um... " humdinger cautiously came back in the room, only to be met with very sad eyes.
"she's not coming is she?"
the sadness and teary eyes took humdinger off guard. he sat on his bedside and took hold of him instead, his plan was to make him miserable and finish off the paw patrol, even with second thoughts talking himself back into it, Ryders reaction and being sick and with how his mother was, talked him back out of it faster then he be able to figure out what pizza to order.
Ryder didn't fight humdinger holding him for now, with how he felt and how disappointed he was his mother would not be there for him, he welcomed someone was besides just the pups. "go to sleep now." humdinger said as he started to sort of rock him and hum something. "oh your sweet poor boy. rest you eyes now. everything will be ok." he found himself changing from hum to words.
"go to sleep, close your eyes, rest your weary head.
You're the best, little boy, your mommy don't know what she's missing yet.
Rest your head, close your eyes, and drift off to dreamland.
See the stars, in the sky, And the moon shining bright.
watching out over you, while you sleep tonight,
everything, will be alright."
pups just gathered around listening to it, semi making them sleepy to. he carefully laid Ryder now fast asleep in his bed and tucked him in with his bear.
...
humdinger walked back to the living space, she was watching there interaction. "why didn't you just leave him be? i don't want him bothering you."
"its not trouble at all. he just needed someone to comfort him a bit as he fell asleep." humdinger then sat down on a near by chair. "i don't mind, he's a sweet kid. and since he's feeling sick it don't hurt giving him bit extra attention."
she pored him some tea. she still had the tv going, a horror movie was on, going bit loud. "you know the movie might wake Ryder. maybe we can turn it down a bit to let him sleep. that way we don't wake him by mistake."
"eh. i don't care, he's 10, he can ignore it. gosh his birthday be coming up in few months. i am going to hate when he's 11." she continued to watch the tv.
"well 11 don't seem so bad" humdinger exclaimed. "i would worry when he's a teenager, all that teen vibes and being into girls yeesh."
the mother huffed and groaned. "if he's a typical boy teenager i might dump him in a orphanage."
"what. no, a child is a persons gift and a honor to raise. not a child when you get annoyed they don't grow to be someone you want to just dump them on someone else. he needs to be himself. even if that means someday not growing up to do what you hoped or planned for him."
she silently groaned to herself but was still stuck in a humdinger daze, and said nothing against his opinion. after few minutes of the movie they could hear Ryder woke from a dream. likely from the overly loud tv. "ya know what, why don't we just have it off and talk a bit." reluctantly she turned it off. as Ryder came out.
"mom... i had a bad dream"
"what now. some other adventure of yours."
humdinger thought that was bit harsh way to react to her own kid having a bad dream. "was the tv to loud.?" he asked
"um... monsters were attacking the lookout and town. then as we were trying to mighty pup our way to fixing it, Mayor goodway took off a costume just looking like them and turned out to be monsters to and..." she cut him off. "i really don't wanna hear about it."
"how about i put him back to bed." humdinger seem to jump at the chance. and lead him back to bed.
...
"i... um... what about the monsters thing?" nervously asked while he climbed back into bed.
"there isn't any. I'll even look under your bed and check for them."
"um, what if you find something."
Humdinger grabbed a flash light, cut a symbol on it and stuck it on the light. "no ghost, monster or occasional sock snatcher can resist the monster chaser 3000." holding up the flashlight and turning it on. "who ya gonna call...ghost busters...who ya gonna call."
"ghost busters!" shouted Ryder.
humdinger looked around and then got back up on bed with him. "all clear. plus if you ask me, there probably super scared of the mighty super cool, paw patrol!" he plugged something in near by and turned it on. "now that everything is clear of monsters this monster chaser maintenance device will keep everything away all night."
"a night light?" asked Chase. Skye gave him a nudge. "oh i mean that looks like a super duper advanced monster chaser mayor humdinger.
"no trouble at all pups, advances it may be but simple. it will be on when its dark automatically. and maybe tomorrow when you get some sleep, we can put some glowing stars up. monsters don't like seeing stars." he said as he left the flashlight by the bedside. "i know the movie your mom was watching was bit to scary and loud. but i promise, no monsters can get you here."
Ryder drifted back to sleep. he covered him back up, and was about to leave. all the pups settled to sleep. he felt the need to do something. so he came back over to him, brushed his hand over his hair. and kissed his forehead. "good night Ryder."
...
in the morning, he was feeling better, but Marshall still said, rescue's was a no go still. "did i dream that?"
"dream what" Zuma asked as he jogged past.
"mayor humdinger, was... nice to me. was it all a dream?"
"no way dude!" Marshall quickly stated while passing. "he totally sang you to sleep, checked for monsters and everything."
"i wonder if he's got a hidden motive." Chase wondered out loud.
"shush. lets enjoy him being nice while we got it." Rocky said through eating his breakfast.
Ryder took off to his mother. "mom, where is humdinger?"
"foggy bottom, where else. i hope he likes me." he just gave a eyeroll and walked away.
