It all just happened so fast. I-I, how! It was just a normal day. Well, until that.
I was doing my monthly inspection of my truck. At this point in time, I was making sure my ladder was in tip-top shape. I really hate that ladder. I feel like it taunts me every time I go up it, mocking me for my fear of heights. I just got done fixing a bar at the top that was coming loose when my pup-tag beeped. I got into the driver's seat and pulled my truck into its normal spot, hopped out and ran towards the elevator. Unfortunately Rocky was running as well until we intersected each other and tumbled into the elevator. As the elevator rose we rearranged ourselves into our correct positions. All who were not in uniform already were equipped and the elevator rose further.
At the top, the elevator stopped, as we jumped out one by one waiting for Ryder to give us our directions.
"PAW Patrol ready for action Ryder, sir.", Chase saluted. Ryder's frown briefly turned into a smile then back again.
"Okay, guys, this mission we have today is serious. A civilian reported that her husband is standing at the edge of Greenhill Bay Apartments. All of our eyes go wide, and my heart drops. "We need to get out there quickly and I'll need Marshall. Get your ladder up there and talk him down. We can't lose a valuable life."
"I-I'm ready for a ruff ruff rescue.", I say slightly terrified. That apartment building is the tallest complex in Adventure Bay and the third tallest building. This really is going to be a ruff ruff rescue.
"Chase, I'll need you on standby with your net, and keep pedestrians away from the scene.", Ryder said again.
"Chase is on the case!", he shouted. Good to see someone is excited. Ryder dismissed us and me and Chase head to the slide, while Ryder goes to his pole. We all end up in our vehicles and we head downtown.
The entire time I'm looking at my dashboard. The ladder button specifically. But hey, how wrong can it go. The clumsiest pup in the entire city going 100 some odd feet (30 meters) into the air to stop a suicidal man from falling to his imminent death. Simple. Sigh times like these I wonder why did I take the hands down the most dangerous job. Chase yelling at me snaps me out of my daze.
"Marshall quickly. Hurry!", he yelled from his cruiser. I stay silent. I only hit the button instead off barking the ladder out. I climb to the back of my truck as the ladder ascends to...the...very top of...the building. Yikes. I quickly look down and, o-oh boy, that's a long drop. I feel my legs shaking as the man still has his back turned towards me. The ladder firmly plants itself on the edge of the building as I walk back on the to...more stable ground. Across the roof, I see a woman with tears in her eyes. I look at the man. He has his arms out on either side of him standing at the very edge. I approach him.
I swallow the phlegm in my throat and speak. "Sir, I need to use to slowly step away from the edge-"
"NO! Stay back or I'll jump.", he says. I take a couple steps back. I peer over the edge which again, is super high. I see a crowd of people that stop at a certain point. I'm assuming Chase put his police tap down as a barrier. They have phones recording videos and taking pictures. I look at the man again.
"Sir, let's talk about it. What's going on. Please, tell me.", I say calmly.
"My backstabbing wife cheated on me with some college kid!", he yelled. The wife yelled back.
"I didn't cheat on you. There was traffic and I couldn't get back to you so I slept at his place. It meant nothing! she said braking through the tears.
"I don't want to hear it!", The man yelled. Yikes. Trouble in paradise.
"Okay sir, do you really think that the woman you married, the woman that you'd do anything for, and she'd do anything for you. Do you really think she'd cheat? Why don't you step away from the edge, and I'll have dinner bought for you and your wife, and you can talk it out.", I tried to reason with him.
"No, I've heard all I needed to hear.", he said. He fell backward as a series of gasp, and shrieks were heard all around. My firefighters instincts kicked in, paired with adrenaline, I step to the ladder slide low enough down past him. He falls past me and just in the nick of time I grab him by his shirt collar. My, God he's heavy. I somehow hold on with four teeth connected to his shirt. My neck is getting sore so I try and make this quick.
"Dude, chill out and listen!", I say still holding on for both of our lives at this point. My foot position on my ladder is starting to give way. "I know it hurts. But if you don't talk about it, it won't get any better. You can continue with your-", I struggle to speak. "-happy life with your wife. In the case of a simple misunderstanding, it's not worth to take your life over.", I'm out of breath. I can't see because I'm squinting my eyes trying to hold on but I hear something. A sigh.
"Your right. I was being stupid.", I hear him say. The weight put on me was lifted when the man tried to pull himself on the ladder. I helped him and he stood on the ladder. That was too close of a call. Owww, I think I chipped one of my teeth. I rub my bottom gum. We slowly walk down the ladder button not 10 seconds later I'm being pulled by my collar followed my an 'I'm sorry'. I hear screaming as I open my eyes and see that I'm in slow motion. I'm falling with the man below me with a smile on his face as my face is a pure shock. I'm falling from what has to be 90ft (27.4 meters) with a man who has now just ended my life. I'm still free falling in slow motion as the ground slowly comes towards my face. In reality, seconds have gone by. I look at Chase who is just starting up with Ryder next to him, both frozen in fear. On the descend I see the man's body being disfigured and distorted as he hit the ground. I black-out. Well, it's my turn next I guess. I failed Ryder, the man, his wife, and myself. I hit the ground.
Over and over, that scene plays in my head. The heights the falling, watching someone die right before. It doesn't end it seems like I've seen more time that Apollo re-runs. It's haunting. The last one though. It was more disturbing. This time that man's body broke in two. I saw his guts spill out as he gave a wicked smile. I jolt awake.
"Ahhhh!", I scream. Was it a dream, was it real? Am I dead? What's going on I'm scared, I'm confused. I start thrashing about freaking out. My legs and back are hurt extremely bit I don't care. I just want to escape the nightmare. I see three people come into the white room I'm in and they try and hold me down. Out of sheer desperation, I bite one of their hands, drawing blood. I feel a needle go on my side as I relax a bit. I start to calm down, bit still. I'm scared. I'm confused. From what I'm assuming a heart monitor beside me starts beeping faster and faster until I see Ryder and Chase coming in. I look at them still scared.
"Marshall you're awake", Chase said with tears in his eyes. Awake? Why does he mean by that?
"W-What hh-happened. W-where a-am i", I shuddered. "Why a-aren't I d-dead", Ryder hugs me.
"You fell on the body of the man after he brought you down with him. You survived but not by much", Ryder explained as his voice trailed. Chase was crying. "Ever since then you've been in a coma for almost two weeks."
"M-Marshall I'm sorry I didn't do my job. It's my fault you're in here.", Chase said wiping the tears from my eyes. I really wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. I somehow by the light of God survived that traumatizing fall, and the last thing I see is the body of a man being shattered and dead. I'm still here. The image still plays fresh in my mind.
"R-Ryder I'm s-scared. ", I said. Ryder held me closer to him.
"It will be okay. The doctors will have to run test on you then you should be able to come home okay.", I nod my head slowly. "Alright. Get some rest." I lay my head down and drift off
I feel horrible for Marshall. He's been there for over a week and he hasn't moved an inch. On top of that his immense fear of heights and seeing a dead body fall is probably torturing him on the inside. As his best friend, it's my job to see he gets through his. I look at him next to me as we drive back to the lookout. He seems to be absent-minded. I can only imagine why he could be seeing.
I pull up into my spot on the lookout followed by Ryder. The pups are all there and are happy to see Marshall. Marshall, on the other hand, had other plans. The walked out the vehicle and slowly walked to his pup-house. The doctor said he can walk but not too much so I guess he's fine. Upon reaching the door to his pup house he stops and looks at it in fear. He sighs then turns around and walk into the lookout. I jump out as well.
"Chase, what's wrong with Marshall, is he okay?", Rocky asked worriedly.
"He's alive, but his soul has gone.", I tell them.
"That's poetic and all Chase, but what does that mean exactly? ", Zuma asked.
"Put yourself in his paws. Your afraid of heights, you go up a 100 ft building, and you fall from it being pulled down by a suicidal man. You see his him die right before you hit the ground full force. I have to admit I had shivers thinking about it the first few days. Marshall more than likely wants to be alone right now", I say. They understand and I join them in their game of...whatever they were doing.
Night time rolls around and it's time to go to bed. Marshall still hasn't talked to anyone all day. I'm starting to worry about his mental state at this point. I see him coming out the lookout and he walked over to his pup-house. As he reached it he stopped again as his paws began shaking. He sped walked over to me and to my surprise he spoke.
"C-Chase. Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight?", he asked sheepishly. I'm assuming he doesn't want to go anywhere near his Firetruck/pup-house for a while. Understandable.
"Sure buddy.", I tell him. He approaches the door and stops.
"Chase, can you get Mr. Scuffy from my pup-house?"
"Sure", I walk across the driveway to the left side of the lookout and to the dalmatian's house. I scramble inside looking amongst the clutter and finally find his teddy bear. I pick it up with my mouth and trot back to him. I drop it at his feet.
"Thanks, Chase.", he said picking it up. He walked inside and I followed him in. He lays down snuggled up with his teddy bear and I lay next to him. I find a comfortable position and I fall asleep with him next to me.
I wake up in the middle of the night in shock. I look around me in a panic since I'm not used to waking up here, then I see Chase sleeping next to me. I remembered that I asked Chase if I could sleep with him. I try to calm down from the horrific dream I had but it was no use. It was the same dream I had a few hours ago. It was the same sequence of images flashing in front of my eyes all day. Me falling and that man dying. I know it happened ages okay, but still. It's driving me insane. I'm questioning my very existence, as well as my sanity. How am I alive right now. I should be singing with the angels. I start to break out in silent sobs. That one event is tearing apart the bit of my soul I have left. Wait! I know one way to make it stop. But, instead, I'll be screaming with the demons.
I wake up feeling Marshall move away from me. My eyes readjust from my previous sleep and in clear vision I see Marshall running. I start to go after him but I notice something. A note. All it said was 'I'm sorry'. My eyes widened in fear as I realize what that meant. I get up and running after him.
After five minutes I finally catch up with him and we are at the very edge of a cliff. Marshall is staring out at the bay crying.
"Marshall you don't have to do this. It will be okay.", I say as I walk towards him and he begins to talk.
"Yes I do", his voice yelled trailing. "That's the same thing I told that man, but instead he jumped. I failed him.
"Marshall why are you doing this-", I say but I'm immediately cut off. All he said was...
I finally reached my destination. The one place that can end this downward spiral of depression. A cliff. I look below and see the waves crashing on rocks at the bottom that protrudes from the water. Huh, funny. I never thought I'd die to one of my greatest fears. Heights true are a scary thing. I hear Chase behind me.
"Marshall you don't have to do this. It will be okay.", he says as I hear him walk towards him and I begin to talk.
"Yes I do", I yelled. "That's the same thing I told that man, but instead he jumped. I failed him.", sadness was overcoming my entire being.
"Marshall why are you doing this-", he says but I cut him off.
"I couldn't hold on.", I fell forward, closed my eyes, and smiled.