My daddy the bear

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Those words rumbled inside Frederick's head as sharp as the negligence he was feeling. They burned.

   "Who?" he asked without voice.

   "I'm really sorry, sir, I can't give you that information unless the person who adopted the child had authorized me."

   That burned even more. For a second there Frederick felt the urge of jumping over the counter that separated both of those men and strangle him until he got what he wanted. Fortunately he refrained, but his frustration prevailed. What was he going to do now?

   After more failed attempts, he really thought destiny had manipulated things against him, that the chance to stich this wound had died twice. How many times did his would have to die? That... depended on him somehow. Sure, he was destroyed and had more body than he had to from inside, but, as aunt Chyna used to say, this is part of life, and if he's not willing to get back on his feet by himself, is there any hope left? Who was willing to do this for him? Surely destiny decided to stick its tongue out at him in his time of need.

   As a wildcard, he gave the doorman an ultimatum: Frederick would spend the whole day sat in the reception—on some seat around—and wouldn't leave until he gave in and gave away the name and the address of the one who adopted Bonnie. What was the big deal in arriving home late? Either way, now, nobody was going to wait up for him. He just hoped Mallory would grant him all the force he needed to stick around as much hours as this test required.

   The doorman laughed about Frederick's plan, so he just shrugged it off and kept going with his work on regular basis. Frederick could stay by all he wanted for all he cared, after all they would still pay him his regular wage no matter what.

   Oh my! Such frozen noses from that night! Perhaps Frederick's fur was thick enough to keep him warm during any moment of the day, but it was definitely not the same when he was wearing barely any clothes. He needed more; his desperate urge to solve his screwed life on time forced him to leave his house with his usual outfit: sweat pants and his gray t-shirt.

   When all these children had gone to bed and the lobby's floor had been utterly swept, the doorman started putting his things away while staring with some pity at the lying bear on a three-seat bench. He had his arms crossed, but from a distance he could tell he was shivering as he frowned every now and then. Man, this was hard to watch. He looked like he was waiting for news on a hospitalized relative. Was it really worth it to break VixenToon House's inner rules for a child? How many issues he was going to deal with if he gave away that information? He acted before thinking.

   "Sir, sir," he stirred his cold shoulder. "Sir, wake up. I'm closing the house, you must go."

   Frederick fluttered his bloodshot eyes opened and growled like every morning. He looked around sort of bewildered, but then he remembered what he had come here for eventually. With a pretty hoarse voice, he said:

   "I told you I wasn't leaving until you told me who adopted Bonnie."

   It was just useless to keep bickering about something so trivial like an adopted child—from the doorman's point of view. He succumbed before such a pity and childish behavior with a big sigh.

   "Sir, it's not correct for you to stay here this whole time just so I can give you information. It's not ethic." There was a pause. "But... guess it's not use to keep you here if I have the chance to help you out. I ask you in the most respectful way to not disturb this person that adopted Bonnie, please."