PAW Patrol: Road to Recovery || Book Two

(C11) Call of the Void

Unfortunately for him, despite knowing how much longer he could have slept if given the opportunity, a sudden knock on the door sent the Dalmatian jumping out of bed, startled. Struggling to even keep his eyes open, he groaned, almost regretting the decision to get this little sleep.

"Y-yeah?" he asked, nearly forcing his body to not fall back over on the bed and pass out. Wondering why he was the only one up, he turned back, instantly becoming jealous of the Husky who was still snoring away without a care in the world.

The door opened, revealing his owner, who seemed confused at how tired both pups clearly were. The Dally smiled nervously, but his anxiety really skyrocketed as he realized the horrible truth of what was behind him. They had completely forgotten to clean up last night, crumbs were scattered around the floor, and the pillows they had been using as cushions were still against the walls.

"Marshall....You two didn't stay up last night, did you?" Even he knew how awful he was at lying, but there really wasn't much he could do. Either tell the truth and drag his mate down with him to face the consequences, or attempt to make something up. And if that were to fail, which admittedly it probably would, the punishment would only be increased.

"Uh, w-well, Ryder, we actually just—"

"A-actually, it's my fault. The storm kept me up last night, and I think me being up kept him awake." The Dalmatian felt the weight in his chest immediately disappear. His saving grace had come to the rescue, and just in the nick of time, giving him the chance to let out a silent sigh of relief as the Husky suddenly appeared next to him, conveniently blocking the view of the inside.

"Oh, alright then." Both pups smiled in success, nuzzling each other to say good morning as their owner had bought her white lie. Despite the two having nearly everything in common, unlike Marshall, it was a skill that she had become nearly an expert on.

She had lied about many things, mainly her emotions, for as long as she could remember, it only made sense that she had gotten pretty good at it as time went on. "Well, you two get up, we have to go to Katie's in a few hours."

"Wait, we do? Why?" The boy turned back around and raised an eyebrow at the two, knowing for certain he had already informed them about this. The pups were completely clueless, but giving them the benefit of the doubt, after the chaos they had experienced yesterday, he couldn't blame them for forgetting. He only remembered because he was lucky enough to check his calendar for once.

"Yeah, she wants to do a checkup on you, Everest, she hasn't done one since your surgery. Plus, while we're there, we'll grab your medicine too." The Husky yawned and nodded as their owner walked away, giving them the space to wake up and do what they needed to do.

Although she knew it was best to get used to it, Everest couldn't help but feel the awkward tension in the air. She figured it was only her, but just the fact that Marshall knew about her depression sent her into some new emotion she had never felt before. Of course, he never said anything, but her worries told her he was silently judging her.

Even if he wasn't, she was positive their relationship wouldn't be the same, whether that be for better or for worse. And that wasn't the anxiety talking either, she knew it would change them, just as it had done for Marshall when he was diagnosed with PTSD. The only thing she wasn't certain of was how it would change how he viewed her.

"That was a good coverup," the Dally commented as he stepped outside onto the wet, soggy grass, taking her mind off the thought. She smiled lightly as she came out next to him, taking in the smell of the cool, freshly watered lawn.

"Thanks, good thing it worked too. I doubt Ryder would've been very happy if he knew we were up last night." Marshall shook his head and looked up across the yard, gazing out into the rising sun above the water.