PAW Patrol: Road to Recovery || Book Two

(C21) First Time for Everything

Under pretty much any other circumstances, Everest would've done just about anything within her power to keep this from happening unless she was certain the choice was a hundred percent willingly. It's not that she minded watching Audrey by herself, in fact, she enjoyed a bit of one on one time after the past couple of days, it wasn't her she was concerned about. It was Marshall, though then again, that was nothing surprising.

Now that the holiday season was over, everything was starting to open up again, which wouldn't mean much any other year. They were dogs, the only place they ever needed to be open was the store so their owners could get food. However, considering the spiral of events that had forced them into this new way of life, now that process of reopening included their therapy sessions.

Neither of them wanted to leave the Border Collie alone, and although their friends had volunteered to watch her while they were gone, they didn't exactly like the idea of her being supervised by anyone other than themselves. So as much as it pained him, the Dalmatian made the suggestion of just going alone.

And as against it as she was, for his own sake, there wasn't really a better option. She managed to get her own visit rescheduled until tomorrow—planning to tell the others she was only going out to help Jake—but that didn't solve his problem.

Of course, he tried to reassure her that he'd be fine, that if anything, this would be a chance to try and fight his anxiety. He was probably right, realistically he'd never be comfortable being alone if he didn't start somewhere. The entire reason he was going to therapy was to cope with his trauma, loneliness included.

But that didn't mean it wasn't a major stressor, it was an issue with her own anxiety as well, her mind just loved to toy with the idea that he would get too overwhelmed by everything. Thankfully, she had a bit of an excuse to not worry, chances were if he felt really bad he would call her as she suggested.

Besides, she had her little ball of energy with her, along with a breath of fresh air at the park. A bit of exercise would help her feel better, that's what she was told, at least. Although, at the moment, said ball of energy was in a dilemma of her own.

"C'mon, sweetheart, I'm right here," she gently encouraged, spreading her forelegs open to try and get her to come down. Audrey stood above her, tapping her paws on the floor—something they noticed she tended to do a lot—as she anxiously looked down the slide. It was a good thing Everest knew how to be patient, this process had taken minutes. She even walked up there herself and went down the slide to show that it was safe.

Part of her wished she had brought the box of liver treats that she originally decided against, maybe that could've given the pup some motivation. She seemed almost petrified, with her legs shaking and low whimpers escaping her mouth. And yet, she was still up there trying to work up the courage to go down, the husky had to give her credit for that.

"Uhm...here, how about this? I'll catch you." Everest bent down, cupping her two front legs against the base of the slide. She could tell Audrey was scooting a bit closer, which was a good sign, it was just a matter of getting her to make that final leap of faith. "Alright, would a countdown help? 3...2...1...go!"

As much as she wasn't expecting anything to come out of it, she quickly found her expectations being outdone. Audrey's eyes may have been shut, odds were she had just slipped once she made contact with the slick, plastic-like surface, but either way, the pup finally came rushing towards her.

Just as promised, she came to a careful stop with a hug into the husky's chest before she was set back onto the ground, where her eyes finally opened. Instead of the nervous frown she had been wearing earlier, a small yet bright smile replaced it and her tail began wagging. As Everest expected, she quickly pushed away from her and ran back up the playground.