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Alfred knew he probably should have retired years ago. In his career in child psychiatry, he had achieved basically everything there was to achieve. He had been quoted in the most prestigious articles in the field more times he could count. His reputation preceded him whenever he went; he was the grand old man of helping kids who struggled with their minds. And oh how many he had been able to help during his forty years of being a doctor.
But Alfred was getting old. He had more than enough money saved to live comfortably for however long he had left. And even he, as humble as he was, had to admit he had more than deserved a decade or two of peace and quiet.
There was just one reason that kept him from quitting, and that was that boy .
Alfred couldn’t figure him out. The case puzzled him and infuriated him. For seven years, the boy had been his patient, and during those years Alfred had gotten nowhere . He had had tricky cases before. The little girl who refused to speak for years, no doctors had been able to help her. But Alfred had dug out her traumatic past, given her tools to deal with it, and now she was a thriving young woman. The little boy who had heard voices, his parents had given up long ago, but only Alfred had figured out he had a rare case of super sensitive hearing, and the voices were actually real. And yet, none of these victories took away the crushing feeling of failure, when Alfred thought of that boy.
And now, he was only a couple months away from being a legal adult. Alfred was a man of science, but in his most desperate moments even he had prayed to God for a breakthrough. He felt utterly devastated every time he had to tell the boy’s poor mother - an incredibly charming creature, as Alfred had to admit - that once again, he had no idea what to do with her son.
She was going to meet Alfread soon in his office, and he knew that was not going to be a pleasant conversation.
“Miss Goodway is here”, his secretary said, as if Alfred’s thoughts had summoned her.
“Send her in”, Alfred sighed. There was no dancing around the inevitable.
Miss Goodway stepped in. She was wearing blue, as always, her dark brown hair flowing free in a way that might have, on some, looked messy but on her it just looked stylish. In other circumstances Alfred might have developed less than professional feelings for her, but he knew very well that parents of patients were strictly forbidden territory.
Besides, Alfred had stayed a bachelor for a reason. He had always known his mission was to help the children in need, and that required not having any of his own. His profession was his calling, and if he wanted to give his all to that, there was no room for raising a family. And most women wanted a baby. The women Alfred was interested in certainly did, every time. So in the end, it was just him and his cats.
“Good afternoon, Doctor Humdinger”, Miss Goodway said politely.
“Oh please, just Alfred. We’ve known each other long enough, Miss Goodway”, Alfred said.
“Fine by me, Alfred. But then it’s Elaine to you as well.”
“Elaine. Of course”, Alfred said.
“So… about my son”, Elaine said. “The thing is, he’ll be eighteen in July. That means my insurance will no longer cover his sessions with you. I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it after that. See, I’m a single mom…”
“I’ll stop you right there”, Alfred said. “This is not about the money. As long as Ryder needs my help, he’ll have it.”
“But Doctor Humdinger… I mean Alfred, surely we can’t accept such a gift”, Elaine said astounded.
“It’s not a gift”, Alfred said. “He’s the most curious case I’ve ever seen in my career. I’m doing this for science. And of course, for him. He’s… a peculiar young man.”
“He sure is”, Elaine said.
“That being said, once he’s a legal adult… Well, it will be up to him. You can’t make him come here if he doesn’t want to. And we both know that he doesn’t see his… condition the way we see it.”
Elaine sighed.
“So there’s nothing new?” She asked.
“I’m terribly sorry, Elaine”, Alfred said. “I’ll try to explain this to you as simply as I can. Usually, with delusions like Ryder’s… there’s an underlying cause. And once we find the cause and treat it, the symptoms will disappear. For example, they could be a coping mechanism for a trauma. They could be something a child uses to deal with loneliness, or bullying… but with Ryder, no matter how hard I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to figure it out. And now, well, I’m thinking I’ve been looking at it the wrong way all along.”
Elaine furrowed her brows.
“What do you mean, the wrong way?”
“I mean, we’ve been trying to search for something that isn’t there. And that’s why we haven’t gotten anywhere. Ryder’s… imaginary world, it hasn’t faded as he's gotten older. It has only become stronger. It seems to adapt to everything he does. It doesn’t appear to be a coping mechanism. There is no trauma. It’s… something else entirely.”
“What is it then?” Elaine asked.
“I wish I had answers. But I’m thinking of trying something very different. I need to understand this world he lives in. I need to get to the bottom of it. You see, most children with delusions know on some level that it’s not real. They may pretend it is, to get attention, or for comfort. Ryder, on the other hand… for him, that world, his friends, they are real. They’re as real to him as you’re to me. So I’m going to try to play along. See if he lets me in. See if the answer lies in his world, and not outside of it.”
“But isn’t that… enabling him?” Elaine asked. “Validating his delusions…”
“See, that’s where we’ve been wrong”, Alfred said. “Ryder doesn’t need our validation. It’s all perfectly valid to him already. What I need is to step inside his world. To see it through his eyes. I’ve been trying to be his guide all this time, but I guess it’s time for me to let him be my guide instead. See where that takes us.”
“I trust you”, Elaine said finally. “And I guess we’ve tried everything else.”
“We sure have”, Alfred sighed. “We sure have.”
-
Ryder walked in, smiling as always. One of the things that made him so different from Alfred’s other patients was his happiness. Alfred had seen depressed kids, anxious kids, sociopathic kids, apathetic kids… but happy kids, those rarely needed his services.
Ryder was a happy kid through and through. The wide smile that had lit up his face the first time Alfred had seen him as a ten-year-old hadn’t changed much. Of course, he was a teenager now, a quite handsome young man. But his smile was the same.
“Hello, Ryder”, Alfred said.
“Hello, Mayor Humdinger”, Ryder said cheerfully. “Is there something we can help you with?”
“You know I’m not a mayor, I’m… “
But Alfred stopped right there. It was a time to try something different, as he had told Elaine.
“Actually, yes”, Alfred said. “There’s this young man who needs my help. But I don’t know if I can help him. Perhaps you could?”
“Tell me more”, Ryder said cheerfully.
“He doesn’t seem to know what’s real”, Alfred said. “His mother is really worried. This boy, he thinks he has unlimited resources, magical powers and talking pets. He’s totally lost in this world he created. Perhaps you and your… friends could help him?”
“Of course!” Ryder said. “No boy too delusional, no pup too small!”
“Could you take me along?” Alfred said. “I’d like to help.”
“That’s… unconventional, Mayor Humdinger”, Ryder said. “The pups and I, we don’t usually bring outsiders to the Lookout.”
“But I’d really like to see how you work”, Alfred said. “Just this once. Please.”
“I guess it’s okay”, Ryder said. “Hop along, Mayor!”
“Where are we going?” Alfred said.
“To the Lookout!” Ryder exclaimed and jumped off of his chair.
Perplexed, Alfred followed the boy outside. They walked until they reached a small, wooden hut in a tree near Ryder and Elaine’s home.
“That’s where we’re going?” Alfred asked.
“Sure!” Ryder said, and started to climb the rope ladder leading to the hut.
Alfred, a little worried about his back, followed him.
“Tell me more about this young man that needs our help”, Ryder said, as they sat down on small chairs that had been assembled inside the hut.
The place was so small Alfred had to keep his head down so as to not hit it on the ceiling. On one wall, there were photographs of six, small dogs.
“So… this boy”, Alfred said. “We have to make him see these things are not real. But we also don’t want to disturb him. We want him to stay the happy, helpful boy that he is. Just without his delusions, because he’s almost eighteen years old and eventually, he needs to grow up. His mother needs to know he’ll be okay, eventually, by himself. How do we do this?”
“Thanks for hurrying, pups” Ryder said, and walked to a drawing board that covered one of the walls in its entirety. “As Mayor Humdinger told us, this boy needs our help. Marshall!”
Ryder looked at one of the photos, that of a cute Dalmatian puppy.
“... You’ll check the boy is physically fine, with your ER bag. And then, Chase!”
His gaze moved onto a picture of a German Retriever.
“... using your megaphone, tell the boy gently but firmly, that none of this is real. Let’s go! Paw Patrol is on a roll!”
It was only now that Alfed noticed there was another way out of the hut: a children’s slide. Ryder jumped on it, and slid down.
“Follow me, Mayor Humdinger!” Ryder shouted, and climbed on a bicycle that had a trailer behind it. “Jump into my ATV!”
My poor back , Alfred thought, but went down the slide. He noticed that Ryder was expecting him to sit on the trailer. This was not what I signed up for , Alfred added silently, but if he were to step into his patient’s world, he might just as well do it properly.
Ryder paddled furiously, with the trailer jumping up and down behind him. Alfred’s knuckles were white as he squeezed the sides furiously. Finally, they made it back to the city. Relieved, Alfred stepped out of the trailer.
“Where do we go now?” He asked.
“You tell me. Where is the boy?” Ryder asked.
“Follow me”, Alfred said.
They walked back to Alfred’s office. There, Alfred walked Ryder to a full-body mirror that was standing next to the door.
“What do you mean?” Ryder asked happily. “That’s just my reflection, Mayor Humdinger.”
“But maybe you could use it for practice”, Alfred said. “And the… pups could, too?”
“Well… I guess we could”, Ryder said, smiling confusedly. “Marshall… check the boy.”
Alfred and Ryder waited a moment in silence.
“How’s… Marshall doing?” Alfred asked.
“He’s confused”, Ryder said. “He can’t examine a reflection.”
“But if he examines you, the reflection will get examined as well”, Alfred said.
“Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” Ryder exclaimed. “Marshall, examine me. Pretend I’m the boy the Mayor is talking about.”
Another moment of silence.
“So… is he finding anything?” Alfred asked.
Ryder looked perplexed.
“He’s… he’s not sure. He says the boy is physically fine, but…”
“What is it?” Alfred pressed.
“Nothing”, Ryder said. “The boy is fine. There’s nothing wrong with him.”
“Are you saying you… I mean, the pups can’t figure this out?”
“Of course they can”, Ryder said. “But we need Chase.”
“Ryder, listen…” Alfred said.
He was starting to have doubts about his approach. Sure his previous attempts to cure Ryder had failed, but they also hadn’t worsened his condition. But this… what if Elaine was right? What if he was enabling the boy, pushing him over the edge? Should he stop before it was too late?
“Chase!” Ryder shouted. “Use the megaphone and explain to the boy that what he’s seeing is not real. It’s just his imagination!”
For the first time that day, or perhaps ever, he didn’t sound as confident and cheerful as he usually did.
“What is… what is… what’s Chase saying?” Alfred asked.
“He’s saying… that he understands why the boy is behaving this way”, Ryder said.
“Why is that?” Alfred asked.
“Chase thinks…”, Ryder said. “It’s because he wants… The boy wants… to live in a world, where no wrong is too great to be made right. He wants to be a leader… but not a fearsome one, a leader that’s loved and respected… someone who can fix anything and everything. Someone without limits, someone righteous and kind.”
“That’s… understandable”, Alfred said. “What does Chase say to that?”
“He’s saying that… maybe the boy doesn’t have to let go of that world. But maybe he could… he could keep it… inside him. And that way… he would never lose it.”
“But he could keep them separate?” Alfred suggested.
“Chase is saying he doesn’t want to do that”, Ryder said. “He’s happy there. He doesn’t want to come out.”
“But there’s so much to explore in this world, too”, Alfred said. “Perhaps Chase could tell him that?”
“He’s trying”, Ryder said. “But he won’t listen.”
“But surely Paw Patrol can fix this?” Alfred said.
“Of course!” Ryder said. “We need more help.”
Ryder took an iPad from his backpack and tapped it. A picture of a small, grey mixed breed dog appeared.
“Rocky!” Ryder said. “We need you. You need to find something concrete, something to encourage the boy to live in reality. He can still keep his imaginary world in his heart, but he needs something to anchor him into this one.”
“What’s… what’s Rocky saying?” Alfred asked.
“He’s on it”, Ryder said.
Ryder kept scrolling through the pad. Suddenly, he stopped. Alfred looked at the screen and saw an Instagram profile picture of a girl about Ryder’s age.
“Who’s that?” Alfred asked.
“Of course! Why didn’t I think of it! Rocky, you’re a genius”, Ryder said. “That’s Katie! She’s the key!”
“Do you… I mean, does the boy have a girlfriend?” Alfred asked.
“He likes her”, Ryder said. “But he’s been hesitant to tell her. Chase! Remind the boy that if he keeps living in his imaginary world, he can never be with Katie!”
Alfred stared at Ryder. Could it be that the boy was fixing by himself something Alfred had never been able to fix?
“What is… Chase saying now?” Alfred asked.
Ryder looked puzzled.
“I think… It’s… it’s working”, he said.
“Ryder”, Alfred said, knowing his time had come. “You do know that there’s so much in this world that’s good and beautiful. There’s nothing wrong with vivid imagination. There’s nothing wrong with escaping to your imaginary world now and then. But don’t get lost in there. You can have it all. Just take the leap. Just think of Katie.”
Ryder’s eyes narrowed. And then, he began tearing up. It was the first time Alfred ever saw him cry.
“I’m… I just don’t know… how to be… if I’m not… him”, Ryder said finally. “It’s all I’ve been… for so long.”
In all his years of treating kids, Alfred had never cried in their presence. Later, after the door had closed - many times. But never in their presence, it felt unprofessional. But this time, he couldn’t help it. He burst into tears as well.
“What is it, doctor Humdinger?” Ryder asked.
“I’m just so proud of you”, Alfred said. “And you called me a doctor, not a mayor. Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome. Whenever you can’t cure your patient… yelp for help!” Ryder said.
“Ryder…”
“Don’t thank me. Thank the pups.”
“Ryder…”
“You should thank them.”
Alfred sighed.
“Thanks, Marshall. Thanks, Chase. Thanks, Rocky.”
“They’re good pups.”
“They sure are”, Alfred said.
-
After Ryder left, Alfred still wasn’t sure what had happened. A breakthrough? Certainly. But was it persistent? Or just a singular awakening, that would never happen again? He didn’t want to get overly optimistic. But he knew that for a moment, Ryder had been there. Acknowledging the reality. And that had never happened before.
Alfred was a man of science, and he never jumped into conclusions without strong evidence. And yet, this was something extraordinary. Now he knew how to summon the young man behind the delusion.
All he had to do was call Paw Patrol. And they’d be there on the double.