The Wounds We Heal

Chapter Twenty-two: Touch And Go

Chase shifted, his paw ending up under his shoulder where it could claw at it once again.

"Like a scratch? A slight touch that feels relaxing?" Snowflake responded curiously.

Scratch,.. itch.. Nooo!! the German Shepherd began to stir.. shifting from side to side a little.

"Like a hug?" she added, after thinking for a moment.

No.. please, no! Chase's mind cried. His grunts and mumbling starting to become softly vocal.

"Or a massage? Rubbing, soothing, and refreshing as your body feels relieved of all stress and pain," Ned suggested.

Yes PLEASE!!

"Nah, I always enjoy a good scratch." Chester commented.

"Ihn!" Chase grunted, his cheek tightening to his shoulder to rub in deeply.

No, not again!

"What why?" Marshall wondered.

"Yeah, you kinda sound like Chase there, dude." Zuma added. "He loves a good brush off."

"Noo!!" Chase cried, finally jumping up.

"Ahn! Get this thing off me! No more!!" The pup cried, reaching up to scratch at the tape on his shoulder.

"No wait, Chase, that's normal, leave it be!" Marshall cried, hopping toward the distressed pup. "You don't need to-.."

But just as he tried to stop him, the German Shepherd's paw finally caught a grip on the tape and he instinctively pulled, ripping the tape off in the process.

"Ah!" Chase yelped. But as soon as his paw touched the ground, with the tape still stuck to it, he then tried to reach a back paw up to scratch at his shoulder; when Marshall came up behind him.

"Stop it, Chase, you'll make it worse!" The Dalmatian told him, covering the point of interest on his friend's shoulder so he couldn't scratch it again.

"No! Get off, Marshall!" Chase cried, as he eased onto his back where Marshall had decided to kinda weigh on top of him a little. "I need to stop the itch!"

"Not without reopening old wounds." Marshall told him sternly. "Let me help, we can handle this safely. Without causing more collateral damage."

"You should listen to Marshall," Snowflake suggested before seeing her brother run up to the pair with a big blue sheet.

"Ned! What are you-" the husky pup cried out before Ned threw the blue sheet on top of Chase's head, shoulders, chest and front paws.

"Got him! Marshall, you help heal him while I wrestle this frustrating ghost! Yeeeeee-Haaaaaa!" Ned said as he practically got on Chase so he couldn't escape the blue sheet, while trying to flip the German Shepherd upright. Hopefully Marshall could repair the torn bandages while Ned distracted and tried to get in control of the struggling pup.

"Wait! That's not gonna work?!" Marshall cried, then looked over his shoulder. "Ryder!"

"Why not? He's distracted. Just tape the bandages," Ned retorted.

"Because there's a better way to handle this." Marshall answered lightly, as Ryder wandered over. The boy came and sat cross-legged on the floor next to the two pups. And once they'd uncovered Chase, Ryder's free hand took Chase by the upper foreleg and pulled him toward him. So that he could take the pup onto his lap and set him on his left side a little; all while protecting his left arm, which was still in the sling.