After Emerging from The Valley of Death
Ryder began to blink as he woke up. The morning light shone through the windows. As his eyes adjusted to the light he sat up and gave a stretching yawn. After the previous night's terrible nightmare, it was a relief to wake up to a bright and sunny morning. Then, as he looked around, a horrible realization dawned on him as his eyes fell upon the familiar gray mutt lying beside the bed. He realized that waking up from a nightmare had been the actual dream. It had all really happened, Rocky had actually attempted to kill himself, thank Dog unsuccessfully. The moment of sheer terror was interrupted as the little dog started to stir.
"Good morning Rocky, do you remember anything from yesterday?"
"I remember throwing myself over the bluff, and Zuma pleading for me not to do it. The next thing I remember is waking up in your arms, our brief conversation, and then going back to sleep, answered Rocky. "Can we forget about what happened yesterday?" he asked.
Ryder shook his head gravely.
The asymmetrically eared dog cowered a bit, and asked, "What's my punishment?" he asked cautiously.
Ryder gave him a teary smile. "I'm not punishing you, Rocky, it's not that you did anything bad, I'm worried about your safety," explained the boy.
"Didn't you say you're taking me off duty for a week?" asked the neuro-divergent dog.
"Like I said yesterday, it isn't safe for you to be on active duty if you are this depressed. We rarely need all paws on deck, so when a mission happens, there will probably be another pup here to keep you company. If I do need all paws on deck, I'll arrange for someone else to be here with you. Bottom line, I want somebody to be with you at all times until you're feeling a lot better."
The orange-brown eyed dog nodded in understanding. "Anything else?" he asked.
"I will have to take you to see Dr. Olde at least once, and he will probably put you on an additional med to help with the feeling down," elaborated his owner.
"Didn't you say the whole town needs to know about my diagnosis?" he asked.
"No Rocky, I said that the town would be more sympathetic if they knew, and that it might be a good idea for me to let them know this. What the whole town does need to know is what you tried to do yesterday?" he clarified.
"But won't that make me a laughing-stock?"
Ryder shook his head. "Given what you tried to do yesterday, I want you to get as much sympathy as possible, and that is how I'm sure there'll react. Speaking of which," began the boy as he went over to fetch his tablet. He then brought it back to show a card with a very pleasant background on the screen. It read:
"I heard about what happened, and hope you're feeling better. Believe me, I understand the feelings you're dealing with right now, and understand that they are very painful. Just please remember always Rocky, life is precious,
Get well soon,
Sweetie"
Rocky looked as surprised as Ryder had been when he received it. "Now do you see what I'm saying, Rocky? This is how the town are likely to react, but because we are heroes instead of nemeses to them, they are probably going to be even more sympathetic.
"Wait," began the mongrel, "how does she know about that? If not all people in town know about this yet, how would word have reached that daughter of a bitch in Barkingburg?"
"First off, we could do without the language, second, Dog knows how she became aware of this.
Rocky nodded.
"Let's head to breakfast. Afterword the other pups have a few things that they would like to tell you."
When the two of them arrived in the kitchen, everybody ran to greet the little dog, with Zuma and Marshall beating the others to him by a longshot.
"You had us worried sick!" said everybody.
Then, a teary-eyed Rubble walked up to him and stated, "I'm not hungry, you can have my breakfast."
Rocky was taken aback by this. Not only was it surprising that the total glutton like rubble would give up his entire breakfast, or the remainder of it, but the little bulldog looked more shaken and upset than he had ever seen him. It clearly didn't take much to figure out that the events of the previous day and clearly had quite an impact on him.
After breakfast, Ryder gathered everybody into the living/playroom of the Lookout. Rocky stood by Ryder; the other pups facing him. Rocky hated being the center of attention like this. Finally, Marshall stepped forward.
"Why did you do it Rocky? I was so frozen with fear that you were hurt that I was nearly unable to give you that checkup to see whether or not you actually were."
Rocky was overcome with guilt and began to tear up. Marshall noticed this and came over to snuggle him.
"Their, their, Rocky, I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to tell you how scared I was that I almost lost you," apologized the Dalmatian.
Zuma then stepped forward. "Wocky, when you went ovew the edge, I immediately dived in aftew you, no equipment, nothing. I didn't cawe how dangewous it was, I didn't cawe about neawly anything. All that mattewed was that I couldn't beaw to lose my best fwiend."
Zuma's revelation finally broke Rocky's emotional dam and he burst into tears.
"I sniff, just couldn't snuff, take it anymore sniff, the forgetting items in lists of instructions sniff, the difficulty talking to other people and pups sniff, the being asked to come and repair something at 12:00 the next day, and showing up at midnight instead of noon ! sniff, the struggling with things the other pups aren't, and even worse when I try to figure out how I can do it, I'm reminded of the perfect standard no one else is struggling to meet, and them insisting I be perfect anyway… sniff, all of these struggles sniff, you don't sniff, have to deal with. This inability Sniff, this curse sniff, never sniff, goes away sniff.
Marshall stepped forward and placed his paw a top of his weeping comrade's. "Rocky, do you remember the story I told Rex after the incident at the parlor? I'm not normal either, and my clumsiness, and self-confidence issues have caused more upsets than articles in an issue of Spots Illustrated," stated the Dalmatian calmly.
Rubble than burst out of the group, and ran towards the gray cur, himself in tears. "I-I Know sniff, that you were already sniff, safe when sniff, when I heard sniff, about yesterday, b-but that horrible feeling of knowing what could've happened, that was the most awful thing I've ever felt," confessed the bulldog.
Chase then stepped forward. "Rocky," he began, "if you had died yesterday, I would've held myself responsible, and I still feel responsible that things went as far as they did."
"But Chace, how is any of this your fault, that doesn't make any sense," admitted Rocky.
"It doesn't matter Rocky," stated Chase. "You are my all friends, and all of your safety is my concern," declared Chase in paternalistic tone.
Right behind Chase, as to be expected, was Skye, who began, "I don't know if this helps Rocky, but I still have nightmares about being bullied by my brothers." The teary-eyed mutt nodded, and everyone came in closer to snuggle him. They had all pledged to be there to help anyone in need, and now one of their own was the one in need, so they would uphold their pledge by being there for him.
"Rocky," began Ryder, "remember how last night I said you are in a very dark place right now? I promise you right now I will provide the rope so you can climb out of that place."
The little mutt looked back at him and nodded.
"Wocky," interjected Zuma, "I pwomise to be therwe by youw side, both fow this, and fowever. You awe the best frwend I've evew had and could nevew ask for bettew."
Rocky looked back at him and whispered, "thanks Zoom."
That evening Ryder returned from a brief excursion to the clinic in order to pick up a bottle of Zooloft.
"He may have a while to go before he's fully recovered, but at least today provided a good start," thought Ryder to himself.
Ryder then bolted up in his bed, looked around, and on seeing his surroundings, realized where he was. He then turned his head in the opposite direction and stated, "A double fake out? Seriously? Is this PAW Patrol, or inception?"
I want to give special thanks to Whyatt cartoon postcards for the Spots Illustrated joke, and to the Nostalgia Critic review of The Wicker Man for the double fake out joke. This Story was really enjoyable to Write. I was also wanted to actually do something with Rubble. (can you tell I'm not to fond of him)
Reviews:
Xander 35: I have to think that one out more anyway; shame cause I've been working on dog puns for alcohol brands.
Del Pup: We'll see
Skye Rules coming up next.
Foxyissocute: I still need to think that one out a bit more