After a couple of days, Ralph had finally awaken from his slumber. He was very groggy as he looked around the room, trying to gather his bearings. This was the strangest hospital room he had ever seen. It wasn't all white like in real life. He smacked his dry lips together and listened to his stomach growl. How long had he been out? Had mom decided to finally stop working to come and see him? He felt his heart flutter slightly as the thought of his mother coming to see him made him giddy. He glanced over and saw his older brother, "Jack...?" The older brother, who had been sleeping, jumped awake at the sound of his name "No, I wasn't sleeping-!" He stretched his aching back from sleeping in an uncomfortable chair. Ralph giggled softly, "Jack, it's okay. It's just me." Jack blinked a few times before his tired eyes widened as they landed on his brother. "You're awake!" "Yeah, I'm awake." Ralph chuckled at his brother's reaction. Jack jumped up and swiftly rushed out of the room, "RAIN! RAIN! HE'S AWAKE!" Jack's excited tone bounced throughout the little house, awaking everyone who had been sleeping the night away.
"Would you quit yelling! The others are sleeping!" Rain's grumpy voice called back as Jack had stumbled back through  Ralph's bedroom door before hurrying over and enveloping his younger brother into a tight hug. After Ralph broke away fron the hug to breathe, he smiled excitedly "Did she make it?" Jack's smile faded quickly. He knew that he was asking about their mother. Did she finally take off work to see her youngest son in the hospital? But the problem wasn't that they were in a completely different timeline and Ralph had no idea what was happening. The problem was how high Ralph's hopes got for a mother who would never show. Ralph had been in and out of the hospital as a child and not because he was sick or had some non curable disease. It was because Ralph had developed a taste for pain to get attention that he was starving for. He'd purposely get hurt or sick so he could get the attention from his mother. But she could care less. Jack had to take it upon himself to take Ralph to therapy so he would stop this attention seeking. And they had it under control but now? Who knows. He could relapse. "Jack?" Ralph asked gis brother. The hope was slowly draining from his eyes. "Ralph. She didn't show. But that's because we aren't home." Jack answered his brother. How was he going to explain everything? "If we aren't home then where are we?" Ralph asked. Rain stepped in the room, "You're in a different timeline." He kept it short and blunt. "A witch from our time had trapped you in a mansion and brought you to us." "Jack? What is he talking about?" Ralph gave Rain a weirded out look. "He's speaking the truth. We are back in time. 17 something." Jack nodded his head, "I know it sounds stupid but it's the truth."  Ralph fell silent.
His mind reeled as he thought about everything that was told to him. They were in a different time? No way. That's not physical possible. Ralph looked at his brother again as Rain began to take his vitals. "In another time?" "Yes." They both answered him. "Don't worry. They are going to help us get back home. We just have to wait until the Empress has returned from her important trip." Jack told Ralph. "Why do we have to wait on her?" Ralph frowned slightly in confusion. "She is the only one powerful enough to send you back to your time because the witch refuses." Rain answered Ralph as he finished. "You seem to be stable now. Food and water will do you some good." They paused at the sound of retreating footsteps and Ralph glanced at the door, "Who was that?" "Probably just Hachi." Rain hummed softly, "He had been taking the other watches while your brother rested." "Is Ralph awake?" Mimi called from the bedroom door. She had missed her best friend. "Yeah. You can come inside now." Jack said as Rain left the room. It was about to get far too crowded for him. Mimi squeezed through the door just as Rain was leaving and hurried over to Ralph, pulling him into a hug. "I have been so worried about you! How do you feel?" "I feel a lot better now." He answered her, "Are we really in a different time?" He wanted to hear her say it as well. Mimi pulled back and looked at Jack before her gaze went back to Ralph. She let out a sigh, "It's true." It felt hard to admit that. To be reminded that this wasn't some weird dream that she had been having. They were actually in a different time. A timid knock at the door drew everyone out of their clouded thoughts and turned to see Hachi standing at the door with a tray of food in one hand and a glass in the other. "Come in." Jack spoke up and Hachi walked in and over to Ralph, carefully setting the tray down on his lap and the glass into his awaiting hands. "Thank you." Ralph gave Hachi a warm smile. Hachi grinned back as his heart leaped with thrill. He signed "You're welcome." Ralph quickly noticed after setting his glass to the side and signed back "I really appreciate the food and water. I am Ralph." Hachi nearly jumped with joy and his grin got wider, "I'm Hachi and I didn't know you could sign." Ralph giggled at the excitement "I took sign language back in school because I found it interesting but also necessary to be able to speak to everyone. Not just those with the spoken language." Hachi seemed to glow at the news and he excused himself to tell Chimur. He was super excited. Not only did the little boy hold onto his heart but he could also talk to him without guessing or writing in the dirt.
Ralph began eating as Mimi explained what had happened that day they went to the mansion. "I found you unconscious and burning up with fever on the floor when your brother rushed over, asking me what happened. Clearly I didn't know. But we tried to escape to take you to a hospital when the door wouldn't open. Jack tried the windows and tried to find a hallow spot in the walls but to no avail. After somehow falling asleep we woke up to find the door opened for us now. We hiked as far as we could go before running into an old man with a horse drawn wagon. He explained everything to us. Kinda. But he had taken us to the doctor. We met Rain and Chimur, who vowed to care for us until the Empress sees us and hopefully send us back home." It was a lot of information to take in at once. Ralph sat back against the bed and yawned. Even though he had just woke up after a good three days, he was still very tired. He felt weak.
"Alright you two, time to go back to bed and let Ralph rest." Chimur said from the doorway. "We don't want to overload his body while he is still recovering from his sickness." Jack and Mimi looked at Chimur before nodding in agreement as he ushered them from the room. "Don't worry. Hachi will be here if Ralph needs something." Hachi waved to the two, bidding them goodnight, before he sat down in the chair Jack had been using. Ralph yawned again before stretching slightly. He grabbed the blanket and shifted to face the wall. Sleep came easy to everyone that night.

Once morning came, Rain had Ralph stripped and in the shower. He was being scrubbed from head to toe in hot water. The sheets, blanket, and pillowcase had been taken to the laundry room to be washed. After a good 15 minutes Ralph was pulled from the shower and Rain began to dry the boy.
"This world has magic?" Rain gave a sound to acknowledge that he was listening. "If that's true, couldn't you just heal me with magic?" "I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker." Rain stated and tossed Ralph his new clothes. "Does that mean you don't know magic?" Ralph asked as he stumbled around the room, putting on his clothes. "It means I didn't study healing magic. I would rather trust my medical knowledge and my own hands than simple magic to heal my patients." Rain explained gruffly before he turned to leave the room. "After breakfast we will all ride in to town so we can buy you all proper clothing." And he left Ralph in the bathroom by himself. He checked to see how everyone else was doing. Jack was sitting on a chair that was close to the window, staring sleepily outside. He wasn't used to waking up at dawn after only a few hours of sleep. Mimi was curled up to Chimur on the couch as he had opened his favorite book and began to read her the stories inside. Ako and Oidoas were busy in the kitchen making breakfast for the eight of them. Hachi walked over to Rain and tapped his shoulder, asking to speak to him in private. They walked into a nearby hallway and Rain waited for Hachi to explain himself. Hachi shifted nervously before signing a bit too fast for Rain's old eyes to keep up with. "If you are going to tell me anything, you have to slow your hands down so I can read them." Hachi stopped and chewed on his lower lip. "Rain, my body kind of aches and my heart flutters and sometimes I get so lightheaded. What's wrong with me?" Rain gritted his teeth. He was afraid of that. Mating season was going to be a bit early this year. "Hachi, you seem to have imprinted on the younger boy." Hachi's eyes widen. He had hear all kinds of stories about dragons imprinting. All young dragons who had never mated before go through the mating season and it usually makes them horny and can be maintained by simply locking themselves up. But dragons that imprinted were much more dangerous. They would lose complete control of their minds and would only run on complete impulse of their desire to mate. The color had drained from Hachi's face. The boy was going to be in great danger. He could injure him beyond what magic could fix.
"Rain. I love him. I love him with every fiber of my being but I don't want to force anything between us. I want an actual relationship if he accepts." "Do not fear Hachi, we will find a way to keep you away from him when the time comes." Rain gently patted his shoulder, trying to give the young dragon some positive feedback to a very bleak problem. "But what if you can't?" Hachi looked up at Rain. "What if I break out of whatever restraints you all tie me down with?" "Don't focus on the what ifs. I have a plan." Rain told Hachi before everyone was called into the dining room for breakfast. "It's going to be hard. A strain on your whole body but until that day comes, try to enjoy his company." Rain spoke softly and nudged the mute dragon over to the small boy, who was trying to clean his glasses so he could properly see. Hachi felt a bit more relief after his talk with the old dragon and walked over to Ralph, helping the boy to the table.

Once in town, Rain had disappeared to his doctor's office to take care of his business. Ako smiled at Jack and Ralph as the two boys stayed very close to each other while they shopped. Chimur had taken Mimi off to a nearby pond, wanting to show her the beautiful wildlife as he learned that she didn't like to shop and found it very boring.
"I usually come to this little pond to fish or just relax when I'm having a hard day." Chimur explained as he sat down under a tree and watch Mimi walk over to the water. "It's so clear. I can see straight to the bottom." "Oh yes, we try to keep everything clean." Chimur hummed as he closed his eyes. He knew that Mimi wouldn't wander too far away and he could easily find her if she disappeared. Mimi walked all the way to the other side of the pond, where there was a rock formation that made a cave. "I wonder what's inside." She mumbled to herself, glancing back at Chimur, who was fast asleep. "A little exploring never hurt anyone." She shrugged her shoulders and began into the dark cave.