Chapter 24: Growing Attached (Eight hours later: Midnight in a dorm room at the station) (MILD LANGUAGE WARNING)

The room was silent as Marshall remained passed out on a bed, and for the first time in a while, he could feel himself slowly giving in to despair. Deep down, he knew he was a screw-up. He was constantly reminded about it every day.

Mini Conversation Memory...

"Hey, did you hear about what happened yesterday?"

"Yeah! That new pup is so hilarious! I can't believe he actually managed to put a dent on the hose!"

"Heh heh, I feel sorry for whoever has to pair up with him."

"Yeah, he's literally a walking health risk. I'll be surprised if he doesn't get held back for at least a year," The others laughed as Marshall whimpered in the background.

A Different Memory…

"Ms. Tullis! You'll never believe what just happened!" Marshall beamed as she had her arms crossed.

"I'm going to stop you right there, young Mr. Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

"Umm… no…?"

"It's 2:40! You've just missed the entire class!"

"O-Oh… I'm really sorry, it's just that I-!"

"I don't want to hear any excuses! Now get inside!"

"B-But I didn't-!"

"Marshall…!"

"I…" He sighed. "Y-Yes ma'am…"

"Good, now get going!" She ordered as Marshall walked into the classroom with his ears lowered. Meanwhile in the hallways.

"Looks like he got in trouble again," Another pup chuckled.

"Yeah, he'll never learn at this rate. I wonder how Ms. Tullis always puts up with him.

10 minutes later… (With Marshall and Brian in the classroom)

"Ah… I see. So, you saved a baby deer's life by breaking it out of the fence that it was stuck inside. Is that about right?" Brian asked as Marshall kept his head down.

"Does it even matter? I'm still going to get in trouble when I get home anyways…" He sighed.

"Well, do you believe you've done the right thing?"

"... I don't know anymore."

"Oh come on! Then, why don't you think of it this way? Would you have rather come to class instead of helping it?"

"I… O-Of course not! There's no way I was going to leave him there on his own…"

"Alright then, I'm glad we're on the same page," Brian smiled as Marshall looked up. "I don't think you did anything wrong, Marshall. Ms. Tullis has her own way of seeing things, but don't let that get to you! You became a part of this class to save lives, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, if you ask me, you're already above the rest of us!"

"...Really!?"

"Definitely! There's gonna be times when everyone is against you, but as long as you're doing the right thing, nobody can stop you."

(Present)

"I'll be fine…" Marshall thought to himself before slowly waking up. "Ugh… What happened…?" He wondered before noticing a bandage wrapping around his head.

"Geez, took you long enough to come around," A voice came from across the room.

"Zen? W-What's going on? Where are we?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Everything's going to be alright, okay? Just stay calm…"

"Bruce… Where did he-" Marshall asked before remembering everything. "Oh, that's right! The car! What have I-!"

"What did I just say!?"

"B-But-!"

"Marshall!" Zen raised her voice as Marshall went silent. "I told you, try and stay calm, alright? Don't make me have to repeat myself."

"O-Okay…" He whimpered while lowering his head.

"Good. I'm going to get you something to drink. Do you want anything in particular?"

"Water is fine..."

"Alright, I'll be right back," Zen said before leaving the room.

"Oh, so this must be the inside of her dorm room. It's weird though… Why is she taking care of me…? Well, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Pretty soon, I'm not gonna be a part of this station anymore. Guess I really am a screw-up," Marshall whimpered to himself as Zen returned with a bowl of water in her hands.

"Is this good enough for you?" She asked.

"Umm… Yeah, thanks…" Marshall replied before going quiet for a moment. "Uhhh, I'm… sorry for shouting earlier. It's just that... I'm confused! What's going on?"

"Well for starters, Bruce and I cleaned up the mess you made outside, so you're welcome. What exactly were you planning on doing anyway?"

"W-Well… I wanted to do my own little exercises while you guys were gone, so I made an obstacle course… But I guess I kind of overdid it…"

"Yeah, no kidding," Zen sighed. "Well, at least wear a helmet or something next time you wanna try doing something like that. And for Pete's sake, don't try to lift more than you can carry, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am…"

"Good. With that being said, it's good to know you're okay, I guess. I'm gonna start heading home so you should probably stay in here for the night. I'll leave the fan on in case it gets too warm in here. Take care!"

"Thanks…" Marshall replied as tears started flowing down his cheek before Zen walked through the door.

"Oh, and for your own sake, don't mention anything about what happened with anyone else besides me and Bruce, got it?"

"I… W-Wait, what?"

"You heard me. If you have any more questions, you can ask him, not me," Zen's voice faded out.

"Wha- I-Is he still here!?" Marshall paused before looking at the time. "Well, it hasn't passed midnight yet, so he should still be here..." He thought to himself before attempting to stand. "Argh… C-Come on legs, move!"

Moments later: In the station lobby…

The building was silent with a few lights on as Marshall walked across the place. Eventually, he noticed Nico sitting down asleep with his head on a deck along with an empty wine glass in his right hand. As much as he wanted to apologize, Marshall chose to listen to Zen's warning and continue looking for Bruce. A few seconds later, he could overhear Bret and Lorenzo having a conversation outside.

"Has he gone to sleep yet?" Bret asked him.

"I'm not sure. His head was resting on the desk the last time I checked, so probably," Lorenzo sighed.

"Well, I guess it's probably best if we leave him there for the night. The guys had a rough day…"

"Yeah, I know, but still… Did he have to lash out at Bruce like that? I mean, he was already scared enough to approach him, so I can only imagine what he's going through right now,"

"Yeah… He definitely didn't deserve a black eye over it, but I guess I can kind of see where Nico is coming from. I mean, what are the chances?"

"Well, I tried to warn him about his parking! He should have listened!"

"Yeah… That's unfortunate."

"So... Bruce really said he wasn't going to tell the chief?"

" Yeah, it surprised me too! I guess he has his reasons, but he usually doesn't kid around when it comes to business with him. Well anyway, I'm gonna go check up on him real quick. I'll see you around," Bret said before heading off.

"See you," Lorenzo waved as Marshall lifted his ear.

"Wait… What did he do?" He whispered before quietly following Bret to Bruce's dorm room.

"Hey… You still awake in there?" Bret asked while knocking on his door.

"Yeah, come in." Bruce sighed as Bret entered and left the door slightly open.

"How's your eye?"

"It's fine… You don't have to worry about it. I swear."

"Really? Because it looked like he got you pretty hard." Bret doubted as Marshall took a peek through the door and noticed a bruise around Bruce's eye.

"Nico did that?!" He gasped before looking away. "But why..?"

"I told you, I'll be fine. Besides, I pretty much deserved it anyways…"

"Oh come on, it wasn't your fault that the lamppost had a worn-out base! It could have happened to anyone!"

"Yeah, but it was my fault for knocking it over in the first place," Bruce sighed as Marshall's eyes opened wider. "Besides, if it were me, I'd probably do the same thing."

"Well, you should probably get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day."

"I'll start packing up as soon as I finish filling out the paperwork for the DMV."

"Okay then. Just take it easy, alright?" Bret said before opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye…" Bruce sighed as Bret left the room without noticing Marshall in the distance, and before the door could close all the way, he quietly pushed it open with his head, and walked inside.

Earlier: Moments after Marshall collapsed...

The car siren was blaring as it started drawing the attention of the neighbors. One by one, they each began recording.

"Duuuude! That car is done for!" A man chuckled.

"Yeah, and that's a Solstice! Someone's gonna be pissed!" A person next to him agreed as Bruce carefully picked Marshall off the ground.

"Oh geez...Don't worry, buddy, I've got you," he assured as Zen walked outside.

"No way! Did he just...?!" She gasped while holding back her laughter as Bruce stood up.

"Zen, now is not the time!"

"What? That was his last straw! He's done for!"

"J-Just go call a vet or something, please!"

"Hey, I'm just saying!" She laughed before walking inside.

Later inside the station…

"Is he going to be alright, ma'am?" Bruce worried as the veterinarian finished checking up on Marshall.

"Yeah, he's going to be just fine. It's only speculation, but I'm guessing he was already low on energy before he started exercising. You've just got to work on his diet and give him some time to rest." The vet explained as Bruce sighed in relief.

"And… what about his head?"

"There doesn't seem to be any internal damage, but if something pops up, you should probably bring him in so we can get a closer look."

"Tch… that's someone else's problem now," Zen scoffed to herself.

"In the meantime, that bandage should take care of the scratch."

"Alright. Thanks for your help!" Bruce said as the veterinarian packed up her things.

"No worries! Have a nice day!"

"You too..." He sighed before sitting down and putting his hands over his head.

"So, are you gonna tell him? Or should I do it," Zen asked as Bruce remained quiet. He thought about the conversation Marshall was having with the raccoons.

"Either way, I'm just happy to be here, because now, it feels like I'm finally one step closer to becoming the best fire pup in the world!"

Those words stood in Bruce's memory. Deep down, he wanted to believe Marshall could do it with a little more practice, and after seeing him try to make an effort, he made a decision.

"Bruce…?" Zen called for him again before he shook his head.

"Hey... Could… you do me a favor?" He hesitantly asked as Zen lifted her eyebrow.

Later that evening... (After everyone returned to the station)

"HE DID WHAT!?" Nico fumed from outside as Bruce closed his eyes.

"Here it goes…" He thought to himself as the door busted open. "Look, I know it's pretty bad, but I promise, I can fix this-"

SMACK!

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Hey, calm down!" Bret shouted as he and Lorenzo restrained him while Bruce stood up and wiped his eye.

"Calm down!? How am I supposed to calm down when there's a lamppost on top of my car?!"

"Well, killing him isn't going to solve anything, so just cool it!" Lorenzo worried.

"I guess that's what I get for not stopping the dog earlier…" Bruce thought to himself. "I-I already left my insurance information in front of your desk, so whatever happens next is up to you. If you really wanna fight me that bad, go ahead. I won't stop you either."

"Don't tempt him, Bruce!" Bret shouted as Bruce shook his head.

"That's not my intention… Honestly, I don't know anymore…"

"Look, you can get this sorted out with the DMV tomorrow, just please go take it easy!"

"Grrrr…! He better!" Nico shouted as Bret carried him out of the room. "Hey, what are you doing!?"

"Geez. Talk about bad timing," Lorenzo sighed.

"Did something happen?" Bruce asked.

"I'm not sure. Before we started giving our presentation, he was mentioning something about using his car for some kind of music video with his high school friends next week. Guess it'll have to wait."

"Well… My bad…" He muttered as Zen watched everything from the surveillance in the office.

"Honestly, Bruce, you're such an idiot…" She sighed before deleting everything within the past 24 hours.

(Present)

The room was silent as Marshall stood next to the door. As the clock struck 12:50 AM, Bruce groaned to himself and stared back at the paperwork.

"Ugh... What am I doing?" He mumbled out loud before Marshall gulped.

"Bruce…?" He spoke as Bruce quickly lifted his head.

"Wha-! Oh, it's just you. So, you're finally up, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It… It's just that... Why did you…?"

"Don't worry about it. Just forget any of this happened, okay?"

"But I…!"

"What? Is that too much to ask?"

"I… N-No…! Well… Maybe a little…"

"Look, it's not like I'm asking you to fire a gun at my head. Everything's going to be fine, so just please..." Bruce said as Marshall stood still. To him, the tension in his mind felt as if the weight was dragging him down a second time. With nothing else left in mind, he kept his tail and head down, and went up to hug Bruce's leg. "Seriously...?"

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I didn't expect you guys to actually care for me… I thought… I-I thought..."

"Ah geez…Up you go," Bruce sighed before putting Marshall on his lap.

"I… I didn't have a lot of friends at the academy. Everyone always assumed I was a screw-up, so I just stayed by myself. The only ones I ever talked to were and this other student named Brian. To me, Brian was like a role model. He always knew what to say, he was on top of the class, and everyone appreciated him. I always wanted to be like that too."

"Hmm... And what about your teacher? Wasn't she like your caretaker or something?"

"W-Well, yeah. She said she took me in while I was very little, and ever since then, she was like a mother to me, but she was always busy. Every day, she would always call her parents to come and watch over me so that she could teach over at the academies, so I didn't really know much about her. Deep down, I knew I wanted to become a fire pup, but at the same time, I wanted a reason to get to know her better, so I asked her to let me be a part of her class."

"Wow… All this time, I thought she just forced you into the program."

"Heh heh… Nope. In fact, she was completely against it at first, but I guess she changed her mind after she had a conversation with her parents. I wasn't there for the whole thing, but I could remember her smiling at me on that day," Marshall chuckled before slightly frowning.

"Marshall…"

"I... I-It was around that time when she told me that I was gonna have to move over to a station if I managed to pass her class."

"Oh..."

"She didn't… She didn't like having me around at all."

"Hey, wha-? No! What makes you say that?"

"Well for starters, I was always so clumsy. I mean, any time she'd come home, I'd always be a huge mess, and whenever I tried to fix it, I just made things even worse. If anything, I was just weighing her down, so she got rid of me,"

"Hey, cut that out I may not know her whole situation, but I know damn well that woman did not hate you! I mean, think about it! Did she ever say that she hated you?"

"…She didn't have to-"

"Did she? Or did she not!?"

"N-No! S-She didn't…"

"Okay, so what makes you think it's alright to make assumptions?"

"I… I don't know! She would always yell at me whenever I did something wrong, and… And…"

"Would you be happy if one of your raccoons trashed the station under your watch?"

"I…"

"Yeah… I'm sorry to bring them up, but you can't expect everyone to be calm whenever you mess up, and just because they aren't happy doesn't mean that they don't care! I mean, why do you think she was against you joining the program?"

"... She was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the other students and that I might hurt myself if I tried."

"And after she told you that, why do you think she changed her mind?"

"... She saw this as an opportunity for me to get better. She knew I could do it, but she was worried that my clumsiness would probably get in the way. She told me that… it would probably be best if I continued to learn at a station instead of with her…"

"So you already knew the answer, didn't you?"

"... It's just that… H-How could she not be angry at me…? How could you not be angry?" Marshall cried as Bruce petted his head.

"Marshall, it's alright. I know it's gonna take some time to get over it, but I know you're stronger than that! I mean, you wouldn't have graduated if you weren't!"

"... I want to believe that I can become the world's greatest fire pup, but whenever I think about it, I just…"

"I know... You're going to make a lot of mistakes, but you mustn't let them get the best of you." Bruce said before picking him off his lap. "Here, let's go do something to cheer you up. You know what I usually do when I'm upset?"

"Hmm...?"

"I get a whole tub of vanilla ice cream and eat it all by myself. It's not very healthy, but the flavor kind of helps me relax. You know what I mean?"

"Well… I've never had ice cream before, so I can't really tell."

"Oh trust me, you'll love it! Come on! Let's go to the kitchen!"

"Heh heh… Okay!" Marshall smiled before following Bruce. Ever since that day, a new friendship had formed.