Darkness

Not in his most terrifying nightmares did Ryder think he would have to deal with this kind of situation. He looked back for a second to see Marshall's ambulance. He knew that inside was one of his pups, still covered in warm blankets Katie had wrapped him in. For Marshall, the checkup was the exact reverse of Jura's not too long before. He had never seen him so frantic, shaking as he moved the x-ray screen over his comrade's body. The poor Dalmatian was petrified at the idea that one of his closest friends could've sustained serious injuries. The fact that he was, in the end, all right, brought some solace, but not enough to outweigh the raw terror that coursed through the EMT's veins. "Poor Zuma," thought Ryder. He was technically the hero of the day. He had seen him go over the edge, he had jumped after him into the bay, he had pulled him back to the surface, he had dragged his unconscious body to the shore, and he was the one to call for help, and inform the team of what was going on. He did all of this, with no equipment, just the collar around his neck. However, any joy this brought him did little to counter the horrible fear that motivated his actions. That horror that was still impacting him. That horror boiled down to a single fact: he had nearly just lost his closest friend. As soon as Marshall's initial checkup pointed to him being okay, they took him to Katie who affirmed Marshall's prognosis, and covered him in hypothermia blankets. The bay probably wasn't cold enough to warrant them, but Ryder wasn't taking any chances. He was going to see that his dog recovered from this. No matter how long he needed to be off active duty, Ryder demanded no less of himself than to see to it that his enthusiastic boy was back to his usual self. He was the one who would lower the rope so he could climb out of this pit. He swore that once they got back to the Lookout, he wouldn't leave his side until his eyes opened, and probably not till well after that. And that was just beginning. He could see Chase and Skye's horrified expressions when they learned what happened. His heart broke at the thought of having to teach a boy so sweet and innocent as Rubble about something so dark. Even after that, a shockwave would move through the town as people became aware of the incident. He didn't care if he had to make this public knowledge himself. The little pup needed all of the sympathy he could get at the moment. But most of all, Ryder blamed himself. Even though, deep down, he knew he could not have expected this, even in his most horrific nightmares, he never even imagined one of his pups would ever attempt this. He felt it was his fault. He was the one who failed to act. He had noticed that he'd seemed particularly down lately, and he blamed himself for not having intervened before it came to this.

After returning to the Lookout, Ryder sat down on a beanbag chair in the living/playroom, holding his bright boy in his arms. "Don't worry, everything will be all right," he whispered quietly to the unconscious canine, as he stroked the area between his asymmetrical ears. He began to cry. Suddenly the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" called a voice. Seeing Marshall answer the door was an unnerving site, the exact reverse of his usual bright and happy demeanor. The fire dog/EMT came into the room and laid the brown paper bag next to his owner. Mr. Porter was initially curious why Ryder had specifically asked him for a delivery of liver treats slathered in peanut butter, but when he heard what had happened, he promised to do it free of charge. The dog slowly began to blink. As soon as his eyes were open, he looked around, and upon realizing where he was, started crying.

"Sh,sh," said Ryder softly, in an attempt to soothe him.

"No, it's not all right, he cried. I'm here, not before some pearly gates, or garden, or fiery wasteland, or frozen wasteland, or at the other end of the river waiting for a boatman, or in front of the scale with the feather on one side, or in a different form, or complete oblivion."

Ryder hugged his shaken boy even tighter. "Don't ever say such things, if you had succeeded, I could have never lived with myself," he cried, as he reached into the bag to get one of the treats. He was thankful that Mr. Porter had put pieces of wax paper around each treat, so the whole thing wasn't a sticky mess. After giving him the treat, he asked, "why did you do it?"

"I couldn't take it anymore. The forgetting items in lists of instructions, the difficulty talking to other people and pups, the being asked to come and repair something at 12:00 the next day, and showing up at midnight instead of noon, the struggling with things the other pups aren't, and even worse when I try to figure out how I can do it, I'm reminded of the perfect standard no one else is struggling meet, and them insisting I be perfect anyway…"

Sh, sh it's all right, he whispered as he rubbed the white fur of his paw.

Seeing the connection, Ryder softly began, "do you remember when we were all comforting Rex, and you said, 'it's time the other pups knew?' I think it's time the town knew."

"But won't I get picked on?"

"Everyone in this town knows you, and none of the residents would do that. The lone exception might be Sylvia, but if the rumors I heard are true, she's going to be reluctant to try."

"Huh?" asked the orange-ish brown eyed dog.

"Word in the park is that her owner doesn't exactly agree with me on disciplinary standards."

"Yeesh," cringed the pup.

"Anyway, it will be easier on you, because then people will understand, and won't give you as hard a time."

"Does the whole town have to know about this," asked the pup.

His owner nodded. "Right now, you are in a very dark place, and I want you to get as much sympathy as possible, and you are definitely going to see Dr. Olde at least once," clarified his mentor.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked anxiously.

"Not that kind," responded his boss, "and what you went through today was punishment enough. Just please, please, please understand, the fact I'm taking you off duty for at least a week is not a punishment: it just isn't safe for you to be on a mission until your feeling of lot better."

"Won't I be alone while everyone else on a mission" he asked.

"Not likely, I rarely need all paws on deck, and if and when that does happen, I will arrange for somebody to be with you, I don't want you to be alone in your current state."

"But what if you need…"

"You need to get some rest," interrupted Ryder.

Pup nodded and dozed off after a few minutes. It was beyond an understatement to say he'd had a rough day. Ryder noticing it was dark out, carried the sleeping pup up to his room. He was going to spend the night with him, he psychologically needed the assurance that his pup was safe. He then heard an email come in on his tablet. Once he was in his room, he checked it. It was sympathy card for the grey pup. Then he was suddenly caught off guard. At the bottom of the card lay the name Sweetie.

Ryder bolted up in his bed. The hyperventilating boy looked around and realized where he was. He then fetched his tablet and typed "nightmare remedy" into the search bar.

Notes:

Dr. Olde: See Rex's prescription in chapter 5 of new Leaf

Reviews:

Xander 35: Thanks

Xander 35 (Doing the uncomfortable): punish her because putting his foot down on this issue is what's best for her wellbeing in the end.

Guest: See "I will forgive you if…". In his ultimatum to her, Chase gives some examples of what she's been reading (pardon the dog puns). Trust me, you'll see why Ryder was so pissed (beyond inappropriate for a seven-year-old).

Skye Rules: Sweetie is alluded to in "Doing the Uncomfortable", both times as slap at her owner, and she is directly referenced twice in "When You Play With Fire…". First, when Ryder says that corporal punishment is wrong, but that she might be the exception (though I'm not sure he'd do it if she were his), and second, when he tells Chase and Skye that he doesn't want them to end up like her (I'm doing this for your own good). I am aware Sweetie is supposed to be a good guy in the upcoming movie, but because this story is in the past, she was probably still bad. Also, her becoming a good guy does not change the fact that she has been a very, very bad girl in the past.

Xander 35 (New Leaf: Chapter 12): I think being kind and caring about others (her brother) is in character for her. She is protective of Jura, because she cares about him. Furthermore, with regard to her issue, her arc with it is meant to show her personal improvement in dealing with it.

Ever had a really good idea for your story, but realized it really didn't fit into the larger story? This story in a nutshell. Additionally, I chose to work around this problem in a way that would reveal something more about Ryder: if this is what his worst nightmares consist of, what does that says about how much he cares about the pups. Additionally, I wanted to play around Ernest Hemingway's iceberg theory, which I also used this prominently in "Doing the Uncomfortable" and "When you play with Fire…," hence the ambiguity over who the pup is, though most fans can probably figure it out. Anyway, it was a lot of fun to write this emotional roller coaster ride of the story, and I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review if you have any questions comments, or concerns.