PAW Patrol: Resurgence || Book One

(S1-C14) The Way Things Are

Ryder had no idea what the best way of going about this was. The other pups were heartbroken when he had told them about Marshall's PTSD, and he knew Everest would be far more upset than they were, especially since she had just learned how bad his mental state already was.

"Um, Everest, there's one more thing you should probably know." He stated nervously. The husky looked at him, worried that there would be more bad news. "You see, the thing is...." The boy let out a small sigh before continuing. "After Damian attacked you, Marshall was traumatized by watching you die. H-he's been diagnosed with PTSD."

Everest felt her heart shatter the second he said that. She had assumed it was only a minor thing she would be told, certainly not this. "N-no. T-that can't be true, r-right? Y-you better be kidding. And If you are, t-this isn't funny." She whimpered in denial.

The boy shook his head, knowing this had to be one of, if not the worst thing she had ever been told. He couldn't blame her either, she had just found out that the love of her life had a permanent mental disorder.

"I'm really sorry, but no. As much as I wish it wasn't true, it is." He insisted. The husky looked up at him, opening her mouth as if she was about to say something else, but that wasn't the case. Instead, she began to choke on whatever words were about to come out. And then, as the full truth of the matter sunk in, she burst into tears.

Jake hugged her and simply let her cry, knowing that after all the horrible things she had been told in the last few minutes, it was best to just let her get her emotions out.

"W-why? Why him?" Everest croaked in between tears, still not fully ready to accept this new reality. "Why m-my Marshy? I....I just don't get it. He d-doesn't deserve to go through this." She exclaimed.

"You're totally right, but there's nothing we can do now. And you're here, I think just that alone will help him a lot." Jake reassured. The husky nodded, wiping away what few tears were still left.

"Hey guys, listen up." Katie announced, gaining everyone's attention. "Obviously, Everest being there is going to be the most helpful thing for him right now. That being said, remember, PTSD doesn't go away. That doesn't mean he can't or won't get better, but this is still something that he's gonna have to deal with for the rest of his life." She explained to everyone.

"Katie, what do I do? I want to help him, but how?" Everest asked, doing everything she could to not cry again and keep her cool.

"Just make sure he knows that you're there for him. You're going to be playing a huge part in his recovery, and that means he's going to rely on you a lot mentally speaking. After being away from you for so long, especially after the attack, I highly doubt he'll like being separated from you. And if he has an episode or nightmare or something like that, just comfort him. Do what comes naturally. " The girl informed the husky.

Everest nodded in response. "O-ok. I'll do whatever I can to help him get better." She vowed, only slightly directed towards the others. She was mainly making it a promise to herself.  A few moments of silence passed. No one really knew what they were supposed to do now.

"Oh shoot, I need to get him a gift." The husky exclaimed, breaking the silence. Everyone looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What?" She asked, unsure of why they seemed confused by what she had said.

Ryder chuckled and patted her head. "Everest, I don't think you need to worry about that. You kinda are the gift. But, I understand if you still want to get him something. If you want, you can go look around with Jake for something." He suggested.

"Well of course I'm gonna get him something. He deserves something from me after everything he's been through. Oh and Ryder, can I have my collar and puptag back?" The husky asked, realizing she didn't have it. Now that she had started thinking about it, she felt a bit weird without it. A collar and tag were almost like a dog's identity.