It had been a few days since everyone had gotten back from Barkingburg. Ever since then, Marshall seemed to be even more depressed than he was before the trip. He didn't leave his puphouse much, he was only out to eat and occasionally he'd simply sit outside. But even when he was out, he kept refusing Everest's help and company, who of course did everything she could to offer it.
Everest on the other hand wasn't doing too good either. She was constantly stressed out and worried about the dally. She hated the idea of him being alone for so long without anyone to comfort him. And despite trying to get through to him, unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working.
Speaking of the husky, she had just opened her eyes inside her own puphouse. She herself hadn't been sleeping very well either, mainly from her stress about Marshall's condition. She also wasn't used to sleeping on her own, but tonight she had managed to get some rest.
However, she still couldn't stop thinking about him. How lonely and scared he must've felt. The dally would get stressed out if she were gone for even a few minutes to the point where he'd hug her just to feel safe and calm again. And now, the two haven't hugged, or even been with each other for days now. It must've been terrifying for him.
Seeing as nothing much could go wrong, Everest decided to get up and go check on Marshall. From what she could tell, he hadn't been getting much sleep without her company, so it was a safe bet that he'd be up.
"Marshy? Are you awake?" She asked as she arrived at his puphouse. This was yet another thing that she had been worried about. Ever since they broke up, the dally tried to avoid her, and that included not sleeping with her. She knew from experience how downright terrifying his nightmares were for him, and she remembered him telling her what he'd do over the months she wasn't there.
No response could be heard from the other side, so Everest quietly opened the door to see if he was sleeping or not. She wasn't sure what to expect, but what she saw was at least a hundred times worse than whatever she would've guessed.
The husky gasped in horror, seeing Marshall laying on the ground bleeding from the neck, with a knife sitting on the ground. "Marshy!" She cried out as she quickly ran to his side. Using what small amounts of medical knowledge she had, she immediately felt his neck and checked for a pulse.
She felt nothing.
As Everest sat there, trying to process everything, she noticed a small note beside Marshall's body. With an extremely shaky paw, she picked it up and silently read it to herself.
Well, if you're seeing this, you already know what happened. I hope all of you know that none of this was your fault. It's my own fault. I just wasn't strong enough to keep fighting this. I'm truly sorry for letting you all down, especially you, Eve.
Thank you, everyone, for all that you've done for me. Ryder, for being the best owner I could've asked for. Rubble, Rocky, Zuma, for being some of my best friends in life. Chase and Skye, you two are like siblings to me. I hope you'll take care of each other.
And lastly, Eve. I'm sorry for all the pain I've had to put you through, and I'm so sorry I've put you in this position. Please don't mourn me the way I mourned you, because the truth is, this is what I deserve. I love you Eve, and I love the rest of you guys too.
Everest dropped the note and started sobbing, just as anyone would in this situation. She slowly lifted the body into her arms and buried her head into his shoulder. "P-please...n-no..." She begged, even though she knew it was too late now.
She hugged the limp dally and cried into his fur. Guilt stung her heart. She had promised that she would always there for him, and now she felt that because she wasn't, he had done this to himself. She said that she would help him get better, and now that chance of getting better had been ripped away.
Without any warning, the husky was back in her puphouse. Naturally, she immediately shot up. She could feel herself shaking from what her eyes had just seen. This wasn't the first time she had feared Marshall doing this, in fact, she had been terrified of it ever since his birthday, but this was something new.
After processing everything, she jumped up from her bed and ran to Marshall's puphouse as fast as her legs could carry her, tears still streaming down her face. Once she arrived, she swung open the door, hoping for the best.
Thankfully, her prayers were answered. The dally was inside, laying on his dog bed, fast asleep. He was still alive. Everest let out a sigh of relief now that she had confirmation that it was just a nightmare.
"Uh, Everest? What are you doing?" The husky turned her head around to see Skye looking at her with a confused look on her face. Everest silently stepped out of the puphouse and shut the door without a sound so as to not disturb one dally's few moments of rest.
"Oh, I was just checking on him." She replied. It was by no means a lie, she was just checking on him. But, it wasn't for the reason anyone would've expected.
"I can see that, but there was something else too. You were more frantic and worried than you usually are." Skye interrogated. Everest let out a small sigh, clearly, there was no point in trying to lie. Chase seemed to be rubbing off on the cockapoo.
"I-I just had a nightmare about him. I had to make sure that was all it was, b-because if it wasn't and he had actually done s-something like that t-to h-himself..." The husky was cut off, but not by someone else interrupting her. Instead, Skye had wrapped her arms around her, giving her the hug she seemed to need.
"You don't need to finish, I think I can guess what happened. But Everest, don't let it get to you. That's not how Marshall is now. He's getting better and he has you now. He's not like that anymore." Skye reassured her.
"I-I know he's better. I just can't help but be worried about him though. I don't want him to suffer anymore. I want to help him. B-but I can't even do that now. Not with him pushing me away." Everest responded shakily.
"I understand that you're worried, trust me, I am too. I may not be as close as he and Chasey are, but he's still always been like a brother to me. But he's going to get better. We just need to have hope." The cockapoo said, breaking the hug.
"I'm trying, I really am. B-but it's hard, especially when you've seen him hold a knife up to his throat as I did. I-It's just different for me. You guys don't love Marshy the way I do. And I know you probably think it's the same way you love Chase, but it's different." The husky whimpered, knowing it was impossible for Skye to feel the same fear she constantly felt for Marshall.
The cockapoo let out a small sigh, seeing that Everest was right. "I know. None of us really know how this feels, for either of you. And I know you don't see him the same way I see Chasey. Just, don't give up on him."
The husky nodded and smiled slightly. "Of course I won't, that's not what I'm saying. It's just...scary, honestly to watch him go through this." She shuddered, thinking of all the times she had to watch him break after experiencing a nightmare or flashback, something she knew brought indescribable amounts of fear and sadness for him.
Despite her words, Skye could still see that the husky was unsure. Her eyes said it all. "Everest, I can tell there's something else on your mind. What is it?" She asked, still a bit concerned for her friend.
"I-It's just, what if he doesn't get better? His PTSD is permanent, Skye, it's not going away. He can't control it. W-what if the help I can give him isn't enough? Or what if the therapy doesn't end up fixing anything. We aren't even mates anymore. I-I just don't know what to do anymore." Everest admitted, fear beginning to show on her face.
The cockapoo was a bit shocked at this sudden change of attitude. The husky always seemed to be confident in Marshall's recovery and she took a calm approach with him, but now it was nothing like that at all.
"Listen to me. He will get better. You're helping him more than any of us could've ever dreamed of doing. Honestly, I bet Haley's therapy wouldn't be anywhere as helpful without you. And yes, his PTSD is a lifelong problem, but that doesn't mean it'll always be as bad as it is now." She replied.
"Y-yeah, I guess you're right. He's gonna get better. H-he has to. I promised him that he would, and I intend to keep that promise." Everest said, seemingly gaining a bit of determination, even though on the inside she was still unsure.
"That's the spirit. Just keep doing what you're doing. You'll get through to him eventually. Marshall can't stay away from you forever, he'll come back to you soon. Now, let's go get breakfast, I'm hungry." Skye responded. The husky gave her a small nod and followed her to the elevator.
By this point, all the others were up as well. Everyone sat down as the platform rose up. Everest kept glancing over at Marshall, which only increased the tension between them. "So, how'd you sleep, Marshy?" She asked awkwardly.
"Fine, I guess." Marshall responded in a dead tone. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood to talk to her. The husky looked down in disappointment, seeing as he was still trying to push her company away. But, she figured she'd try her luck and keep talking.
"W-well, that's good. Anyways, do you wanna do something today? Like go to the park, or maybe take a hike again? We can do anything you want to." She offered.
"Everest, I know what you're trying to do. Just...stop. It won't work. I'm doing this for you, so why can't you just let me do something right for once? " The dally asked, obviously wanting to be done with the conversation.
"And why won't you just let me help you? That's all I want, Marshy. I know you may think otherwise, but I still love you, and I never stopped loving you. I swear you're not hurting me in any way by being my mate. I-If anything, you're hurting me by pushing me away." The husky replied.
Marshall opened his mouth to respond, but to everyone's surprise, he closed it. He seemed almost confused by that last thing she had said. Maybe, just maybe, she had gotten to him, even if it was something small. Of course, she knew that it would take more than just a few words, but hey, progress is still progress.
Interrupting the moment, the elevator door opened, revealing Ryder with their breakfast, as per usual. The rest said their good mornings to their owner and then went to their bowls of food. Everest ate besides Marshall, who although didn't go against it, didn't show any interest in her company and simply ignored her.
"Hey Ryder, can I go take a walk?" The dally asked after finishing his meal. Obviously, seeing as there wasn't any harm in it, he agreed and let him go. It was probably a good idea to let him have some fresh air anyways.
"Marshy, can I go with you?" Everest questioned. Of course, she didn't care so much for the walk, she just wanted to be with him. Although deep down, she already knew what answer she'd get in response, but it was worth a shot.
"Not now, Everest. I-I think I just need to go and clear my head for a bit." He responded, confirming the husky's assumption. Marshall left it at that and walked out of the lookout. Now that he had some time to himself, he could think about the one question still lingering in his mind.
"I'm doing a good thing for her, right?"
