"The...dog?" That's right, he'd been so busy crying that he hadn't noticed Nick change. That was a relief. His secret was still a secret. "Uh, don't worry, kid. The dog's gone." Nick was so used to other people calling him 'kid' that it was finally nice to meet someone a good few younger than him to call 'kid'. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be home with your parents or something? It's dangerous for a kid like you to be out at night by himself."