Chase wasn't able to sleep that night. He tossed and turned in his dog house, Skye's pink blanket covering his body. Her smell salved him with comfort, but tonight nothing seemed to soothe his nerves. His head kept spinning and he mentally repeated everything that Ryder said. Of course it wasn't right to attack Chico, but for a moment Chase lost his composure. He thought that at least Ryder would somehow understand, but instead he took Chase's badge and uniform. It hurt, and it left Chase sleepless. He felt hollow and betrayed.
He grunted in annoyance as he came to a sitting position. He sighed deeply as his eyes wandered up into the dark sky. His usually perked up ears were now flat and droopy. He felt his heart aching deep within his chest, and it made him struggle to keep his breathing steady. Was this the end of Paw Patrol? Had he really lost everything? What would happen to Skye if he insisted to not let Chico donate? Was he being selfish? Skye's health was more important than any dispute could ever be. The poor Shepherd squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to suppress further thoughts for a moment, but failed. His mind was scattered all over the place, and there was no way to gather them. There was only one pup he could think of... only one pup that could help clear his mind. He had wanted to talk to him anyway, but Ryder told the pups to go to sleep. Though, Ryder was staying at Katie's place, so...
Chase slowly got up and exited his dog house. He walked around the other houses, shortly stopping in front of Chico's empty one. He narrowed his brows as he examined it with his eyes for a moment, searching for something suspicious, but it was just empty. With a sigh he continued his stroll and stopped in front of the green dog house of a certain grey Terrier, who seemed to be dead asleep. After a short hesitation, Chase poked Rocky's nose with his paw softly, in hopes to wake him up.
The grumpy Terrier's eyes shot open and he immediately came to a sitting position, breathing heavily.
"What happened?" he snapped hastily, causing Chase to arch an eyebrow.
"Bad dreams, huh?" he asked through a chuckle, to which Rocky nodded, flashing Chase an awkward grin. "Heh, I guess."
"I didn't mean to startle you, I just really need someone to talk to." Chase confessed with a shrug, his eyes hitting the floor. Rocky tilted his head as he observed the troubled Shepherd for a second. "You do know that it's pretty early?"
"Yeah, I think it's about 5 a.m. or so, but I just can't get no rest."
"Fine, lead the way." Rocky sighed, feeling some kind of compassion for the poor dog in front of him. It wasn't like Chase at all to wake someone in the middle of the night for a talk, so this had to be serious.
Chase nodded and walked ahead, closely followed by the yawning Terrier. Chase stopped right on the edge of a nearby cliff and sat down. Rocky hesitated to approach him, Chase wasn't himself lately... why would he want to talk in front of a precipice? He swallowed thickly as he sat down across from Chase, his eyes continually darting down the chasm, making his heartbeat increase speed.
"Uhm, Chase... why do we have to talk here?" Rocky asked nervously.
Unlike Rocky, Chase seemed entirely calm and composed.
"Don't know, I like the darkness." Chase shrugged.
"Uh.. okay." Rocky mumbled.
"Tell me, do you think I'm a monster for attacking Chico?" Chase asked, changing the topic. Rocky stared into Chase's eyes. They showed no emotion, no life. They were serious and dull.
"What are you even talking about? Of course not." Rocky said, slightly puzzled.
"I'm straying from my path, Rocky. I don't know what to do anymore. Ryder took my most precious achievement from me. This badge meant everything to me, I love serving the police. Skye's still in a coma... so what's left for me to fight for?"
"But Chase, Skye will wake from her coma! And as soon as you're out of that misery, you're gonna get your badge back. You gotta keep holding on." Rocky said, a sad frown plastered to his forehead.
"Hold onto what?" Chase asked blankly, moving his head slowly to his left, staring down the precipice.
"Chase!" Rocky said frantically as he stood up. "Don't do anything dumb. It's not in your nature to give up. We're all here for you."
"It's also not in my nature to randomly attack others!" Chase snapped as his eyes landed back on Rocky's. His tense expression immediately softened afterwards and he stared down at his paws.
"You're a fighter! Stop pitying yourself and get out of your shell. You're the bravest dog I ever met, you serve the police for a reason, Chase. You can't give up because of that stupid incident. That's all Chico was trying to achieve! Don't give in, show him you're stronger than he thought. It's not over, Chase. Your journey has just begun." Rocky said, desperately trying to encourage Chase.
The Shepherd slowly lifted his head to look at Rocky. Severity was written all over his face, causing Rocky to grin.
"You're right, no one forces a German Shepherd down on his knees. He thought it would be over by now, but I won't stop. He challenged the wrong dog." Chase said sternly, a determined expression on his face. Rocky howled in excitement. "Yes, sir!"
"Though, Rocky... what made you change your opinion? It seemed like you liked Chico... for whatever reason." Chase remarked, his expression softening.
"Well..." the Terrier said faintly as he sat back down. "I just don't like the way he tried to take the piss out of you and thought he's smarter than everyone. I do not think he's had bad intentions as he signed up for the donation, but he did it in a perfidious way and I'm not fond of these kind of games. It was wrong that you attacked him, you could've talked it through, but I sorta understand why you lost your cool."
"Do you think it's selfish to not let him donate?" Chase asked hesitantly while drooping his ears.
"Probably..." Rocky breathed. "You need to think about Skye in this situation. It doesn't matter who donates, the most important thing is that she gets a new kidney and finally wakes up. Don't you agree?"
"I do, it's why I kinda regret what I did. Not that Chico didn't deserve it, but not for wanting to save her life..." Chase said through a troubled sigh.
"You should talk to him and sort this out. If he's going to be her donor, you guys gotta stick together, whether you like it or not."
"I guess." Chase said faintly. "Thank you for listening to me, I really needed this support."
"Anytime, Boss." Rocky said with a playful wink, making both dogs chuckle heartily.
In the morning Chase woke up feeling way more at ease. He left his dog house and inhaled the cool morning air, before he looked around, noticing that all the other pups seemed to be sleeping. He mentally prepared himself for his talk with Chico, before he strolled down the parking lot, determined to sort everything out.
As he arrived in front of Katie's apartment, his composure left him for a short moment and was replaced with nervousness. Though, he took a deep breath and ringed the bell, gulping loudly as he waited for Katie to answer the door.
Finally, the door swung open and revealed Katie in a bathrobe. She was expecting a package and had an excited look on her face, which, however, turned into an angry one as she spotted Chase. The submissive Shepherd drooped his ears and concentrated on her eyes, giving her the most adorable puppy look. Though, all Katie did was cross her arms as she continued to stare Chase down.
"What do you want?" she hissed, an ugly frown plastered to her forehead.
"I came here to apologize and talk to Chico, if I'm allowed to." Chase said politely, flashing her a warm smile.
"No, you're not allowed to." Katie replied dryly.
God, that woman was hard to please. Chase grunted as he rolled his eyes. He didn't care much about Katie's opinion, all he wanted was to see Chico. "Please." he mouthed while forcefully shutting his eyes to control his anger. He had no idea why every little thing seemed to tick him off lately, but he sure as hell had to find a way to grip his own emotions and lock them away. He promised himself to not let his emotions get in the way anymore.
"No, Chase. I told you that I don't want to see you around Chico. You're much larger and stronger than him. My poor boy is vulnerable and such a kind-hearted soul for not fighting back when you attacked him. I do understand that Skye's accident took a toll on you, but you have no right to live your explosive and demonic emotions out on Chico!" Katie protested, wrinkling her small nose in anger.
Chase tilted his head and tried everything to suppress laughter. Kind-hearted soul for not fighting back, when in reality he simply stood no chance and didn't want to aggravate the situation? It was wise of him to accept his defeat, otherwise much worse things could've happened. And explosive and demonic emotions? Demonic? C'mon...
"I see where you're coming from and I regret that outburst. It shall never happen again, I'm all composed now and ready to have a mature and harmless talk with Chico, if he lets me." Chase said forcefully, offering her a half-hearted grin.
"No, I don't trust you. I want you to leave now."
"Katie, please..." Chase begged as he drooped his ears again, trying to convince her by looking cute, but somehow his German Shepherd charm didn't work on her, which caused frustration within the sensitive dog, but he kept it on the low. It wasn't in his nature to beg for something, but Skye's life was more important than his pride.
Katie rubbed her chin in a thoughtful manner for a moment, while Chase watched her attentively. Though, she crossed her arms again and gave him a stern look. "No, leave."
"What's going on here?" a tired voice from behind Katie asked, making Chase's ears perk up. Katie turned her head and whispered that he should go back to sleep, but Chico simply ignored her and sat down beside her legs, greeting Chase with a forced tail wag.
"What a lovely surprise to see you." Chico said. Chase wanted to throw up right into his face, but covered it under a warm smile.
"I wanted to talk to you, but Katie wouldn't let me." Chase explained through a half-hearted chuckle.
"What? That's very impudent of you to stick your nose into my business, Katie." Chico said playfully as he looked at Katie with a smirk. She grunted as she rolled her eyes. "Too kind for your own good, that's what you are." she muttered before she went back into her bedroom.
"Owners." Chico shrugged with a delightful snicker. "They care too much."
"Possibly." Chase retorted dryly. "Uh, how's your neck?"
"Just fine. As an emergency doctor I can luckily take care of such things myself. Everything has its perks, right?" Chico replied with a haughty grin. Chase had a hard time not to puke all over the place, but he hid it under a sweet disguise. How do they call it? A wolf in sheep's clothing? Very fitting saying.
"Yeah, that's nice. I really wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday. I totally lost my patience, which I normally never do. I guess this whole scenario with Skye has made me a little edgy, for which I deeply apologize." Chase said through forcefully gritted teeth. Never had he thought that apologizing to someone could be this hard. Chico arched an eyebrow as he grinned at Chase.
"Oh, so you've come to apologize? It's my lucky day, huh? Thought you're going for a round two."
"Are you mocking me?" Chase asked, his eyebrows narrowing as he glared at Chico.
"Oh no, of course not. I'd never." Chico replied haughtily, his conceited grin never fading. His condescending behavior annoyed Chase to the core, but he had to be careful, this was probably was Chico was trying to achieve - another attack.
"However, would you be so kind to accept my apology?" Chase asked, forcing the best smile he could, but deep inside he was fuming. Obviously this didn't go unnoticed by Chico, whose grin grew even bigger.
"Oh, you mean that I should accept your apology even though I can feel clearly that you're just oppressing your vindictive desires? I guess not. Maybe tomorrow." Chico chuckled.
"I don't have any desires, Chico. I am just trying to make up for a mistake I did when I wasn't myself. I know that you want to do good, but you choose the wrong paths. Lying to me over and over again wasn't a smart choice, and I warned you. I am the leader of Paw Patrol for a reason, because I promised to protect them, which means that I'm also in charge to keep intruders away. You're a nasty dog hiding under a sweet disguise, but I revealed your secret yesterday, that's why you're so in love with yourself that you can't even accept a sincere apology, 'cause you know that your game's over anyway." Chase spat bitterly, his posture hardening as he glared at the Retriever. Slowly, but surely, Chico's grin finally faded as he threw on a serious face as he glared back at the Shepherd.
"First of all, I wasn't playing any games when I joined your team. Your hostility drew me away right from the start, but I really felt bad after the accident happened. I, better than anyone else, can emphatize with the pain of losing a loved one, that's why I tried to be there for you, but your arrogant ass kept rejecting me. So I decided that a self-satisfied dog like you doesn't deserve Skye. I really wanted to take a step back, but the more I watched you, the more I hated you." Chico retorted darkly, his expression hardening with every sentence, causing Chase to growl at the Retriever. "Though, you're obviously not the reason I want to donate. I am not getting a kidney removed for fun, or to annoy Chase the mighty German Shepherd. Don't give yourself so much credit. I am doing this because Skye's life depends on a donation. Since your kidney doesn't fit, someone else has to sacrifice theirs. And that's gonna be me, I'm just waiting for my results. And now lean back, close your eyes and listen to the voice within you, which will surely tell you that you should be praying that my kidney fits. It's for Skye's sake after all. Get your head out of the clouds and grow up, you need to realize that this world isn't spinning because of you, it's spinning for all of us."
As much as Chase wanted to rip Chico's head off, his angry words somehow got to him. Had he really been behaving selfish and ignorant? How deep had he sunken to let anyone talk to him like that? He emptily stared at his paws as he tried to keep his breathing steady. Chico's angry expression slowly softened as he watched the unsure Shepherd. Chase was more or less a reflection of his brother Sid.
Sid had become cold, unattainable and self-destructive after his girlfriend died. Chico tried everything to be there for him, but only got pushed away. The whole story ended in Sid's tragic death. He refused to accept Chico's help till the very end, causing the pretty Retriever to become distrustful. He fought with his brother shortly before he died, not leaving Chico the opportunity to apologize, which crushed him. His parents abandoned him, accusing him of neglect. Chase showed signs of depression, which Chico understood, but he also showed signs of uncontrolled aggression, which Chico despised. He wasn't going to get treated in such a disrespectful way ever again, that's why he decided to turn his back on Chase, much to the dismay of the Shepherd, since they both liked the same girl.
"If this whole drama consists of your fear of me snatching Skye from your paws, let me soothe you. I don't follow such nasty plans, I am gonna let Skye decide what she wants. There's a possibility that she doesn't want anything to do with both of us, there's a possibility that she wants you, but there's also a possibility that she wants me. I won't be pressuring her into anything, and neither should you. Just let her wake up and take her time to regain her strength." Chico said in a disgruntled tone as he noticed that Chase wasn't answering. Finally, the Shepherd looked up at Chico. He felt a void inside that couldn't be filled. All he ever wanted was to spend his life by Skye's side, even though all his attempts to impress her got ignored. Yet it never stopped him from trying. He always thought of her as his secret reverie, but when she fell into a coma he finally realized how deep his feelings truly were. Though, Chico was probably right. Chase wanted Skye more than anything, but never asked if she was ready for commitment. He acted as if their fate was somehow settled, and there was nothing stopping them from being in love with each other. But who in the world decides who you fall in love with? It was Skye's choice, and hers alone. He gulped loudly as he struggled to keep eye contact with the serious Retriever.
"So, what if she chooses you?" Chase asked hesitantly, hoping for a honest answer. Chico looked into the sky and inhaled a fresh breeze of wind before his golden eyes landed back on Chase's.
"I'm not going to let that opportunity slip." he hissed edgily. "Are you gonna try to stop me from donating now?" he added in a challenging tone, but Chase simply shook his head.
"No. All I care about is Skye, and she needs this kidney more than I need my pride. I hope your kidney fits." Chase said sincerely, causing Chico to frown in surprise.
"Uh, well..."
"Take care of yourself and be safe. Just know that you can always come back to the lookout, I won't attack you another time. I appreciate your honesty, it's all I ever asked for." Chase remarked with a faint smile before he stood up and left.
"B-b-but..." Chico stuttered as he watched Chase leave. His eyes attentively followed Chase's retreating figure until he was out of sight. Chico sighed deeply as he stared down at his paws. Seemed like he hit a nerve. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. If would've been way easier to convince Skye that Chase's an awful dog if he would've attacked a second time, but it almost seemed like all Chase wanted were answers. Honest answers. And now that he got them, he accepted them and even invited Chico to the lookout. The Retriever was puzzled and so many questions flooded his mind.
Of course he didn't wanna donate to annoy Chase, he wanted to do it to save a life, but annoying the grumpy Shepherd was a nice side effect.
Though, now he questioned his own pernicious thoughts.
Maybe life wasn't all about revenge.
Maybe it was about forgiving and forgetting...
...getting and receiving second chances.
He would spend a long time pondering about this.
MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS MY BELOVED READERS!
Sorry for the long wait, my mind was all occupied with Christmas and I couldn't find any inspiration to write.
Though, I am back now and will hopefully update more frequently.
This chapter isn't quite the longest I've ever written, but it's something. *shrugs*
I didn't wanna point it out too intensely, but Chase was obviously confronted with some suicidal thoughts, but luckily Rocky was able to help him out on that. (: Good little fella.
Seems like Chase finally came to realize that Chico's apparent donation is for Skye's sake. Our favorite former police dog swallowed his pride in order to save Skye's life, which is quite a sacrifice if you see yourself confronted with shady characters such as Chico.
Though, Chico isn't the only one to blame! They both added gasoline to the fire until it exploded. And now the Retriever gets a little pensive, 'cause he's never experienced this composed side of Chase before. Where will this whole drama lead, and where will it end?
Does his kidney fit? Is Skye going to wake? What more is there to come? This chapter is just a preparation for what's going to happen, so stay tuned!
And I can just repeat myself - thanks for your kind reviews and your ongoing support. Makes me smile every time. It's so heartwarming to see how eagerly you guys follow the plot and how you all seem to have different perceptions and opinions. Fills me with joy! (:
See you next time. xoxo
Oh, and if I don't upload before New Year - then I wish you all the best for 2020! Leave this decade behind and start from new, do the things you love and believe in yourself. You can achieve anything, I am sure of it. (: Bless your hearts! xoxo