(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)
Graduation Day
The morning crew was just sitting down for breakfast the Friday morning of graduation when the station alarm went off.
"WE HAVE A REPORT OF A FIFTH FLOOR BALCONY COLLAPSE AT FALCON APARTMENTS WITH A PERSON HANGING FROM THE DEBRIS. ALL UNITS RESPOND CODE 3"
Cinder, Marshall and the rest of the team ran to the trucks. With a roar of the engines and wail of the sirens they were speeding off to the scene of the collapse.
"Dispatch, Light Force 25, do we have any aerial support for this balcony collapse" Cinder inquired as they drove.
"Negative Light Force 25, no aerial trucks available and duty HELITAC is on a SAR mission."
"Light Force 25 copies" Cinder acknowledged. "Ok team, we have to do this the hard way. Marshall and Sadie, get up there as fast as you can with ropes to see if you can help get the person back up and into the building. Everyone else, get the rescue air cushion out of the truck and setup below the balcony as fast as you can. Once that is done, Axel, I'll send you up to help Marshall and Sadie."
As they turned the corner, Cinder saw that they were slightly in luck. The balcony that had collapsed overlooked the intersection so there were no obstructions underneath other than a bit of debris. On the downside, the person was hanging onto a broken railing with only one hand. "Let's move it, we don't have a lot of time!" Cinder yelled softly.
Allison maneuvered Engine 25 to one side of the intersection while Mike parked Medic 25 on the opposite side, leaving enough room between the trucks to setup the rescue cushion. As soon as the truck stopped, Marshall and Sadie, the female Australian Shepherd, each grabbed a rescue rope out of a compartment on Engine 25 and ran to the front door of the apartment building to make their way up. Juan opened the compartment that contained the rescue cushion and tossed the rope out behind him as he started to pull. Axel, the male Dalmatian, grabbed the rope in his jaws and started pulling too. He was soon joined by Mike, Kevin, LT Ken and Cinder in pulling the heavy piece of gear out of the truck.
Once it was out, Axel continued to drag it into position with Mike, Kevin and Cinder's help while LT Ken broke off to help Juan get the inflation fan into position as well. As soon as the rescue cushion was positioned roughly where Cinder wanted it, the team fanned out and unrolled the big air cushion. Cinder directed some minor adjustments to give them the best chance of catching the person if they were to fall. Finally satisfied, Cinder nodded to Juan who started inflating the rescue cushion with the inflation fan. Cinder watched and prayed that they would have the 90 seconds the cushion needed to inflate before the person fell.
Inside the apartment building, Marshall and Sadie had just reached the fifth floor. Seeing someone official looking waving to them, they sprinted down the hallway at breakneck speed.
"In here, quickly!" The apartment manager called to them. Marshall and Sadie made their way inside.
"Watch the edge" Sadie said cautiously, keeping one eye on Marshall and the other on the edge.
"Will do" Marshall replied.
"How much time Cinder?" Sadie asked over the radio.
"We just started inflation so probably 75 seconds" Cinder's soft voice came back.
Marshall nodded as he tied a loop in the end of his section of rope. Marshall crouched down as he carefully crawled his way to the opening in the building where the balcony used to be. As he set his forepaws on the balcony, he realized what remained would not hold his weight, much less his and the person still dangling. "Hey down there," he called to the person hanging on for dear life. "My name is Marshall, I'm a fire and rescue pup and I'm here to help you. I can't come out onto what remains of the balcony but I am going to toss you a rope with a loop in it. Let me know when you can reach the rope with your free hand."
"Ok" a male voice responded.
Marshall tossed the end of the rope with the loop over the edge and started slowly lowering it. "I can almost reach it, if you can move the rope to the left that would help."
"Got it" Marshall replied. Marshall tried to slide the rope over but it didn't want to move. Trying a different tactic, Marshall tried to flick the rope to his right with his paw. The rope moved a couple inches over.
"If you could do that again, that would be perfect" the man called up.
Marshall flicked the rope again and resumed lowering the rope.
"I can reach it" the man called up.
"Great," Marshall replied. "Now, put your free hand through the loop in the rope and then the loop over your head. This will keep you from falling out."
Several seconds later, the man replied "Ok, I have my arm and head through the loop."
"Great" Marshall replied, "We are going to take the slack out of the rope and some of your weight. I need you to keep hanging on with your other hand so you don't fall against the building and cause more debris to fall on top of you. We also haven't tied off this end of the rope yet."
"Ok, I'll hang on as long as I can" the man replied. Marshall could tell he was scared.
As Marshall scooted back from the edge, Sadie tapped him on the shoulder. "We have no place to tie the rope off" she whispered, "and none of the floors below us have a balcony we could quickly lower him down to."
Marshall looked back and saw Axel was holding the rope in his jaws from the doorway. The larger Dalmatian had braced his front paws against the door frame to give himself more stability. "We've got a problem" Marshall said softly.
"Do you want to try and lower him all the way down?" Sadie asked.
"We have enough rope to try" Marshall replied tentatively. That was arguably just as dangerous as trying to pull the man up without any tie off point as a wrong move in either case could easily end with all four of them falling. The rescue bag was rated to catch one person at a time but having all four of them land on it within milliseconds of each other ran the risk of the bag rupturing instead of catching them, seriously injuring or possibly even killing them. "We'll let Cinder decide" Marshall said quietly to which Sadie and Axel nodded.
"Cinder, we've got a problem" Marshall reported over the radio, "there is nothing up here for us to anchor the rope to in order to safely pull the man up or to lower him down. The balcony is also unstable so we can't go out on it."
"That is a problem" Cinder's soft voice came back, "ok team, put your thinking caps on, what can we do to get this guy down safely?"
It was silent for a moment as the firefighters, fire pups and paramedics brainstormed.
"What if they ran a second line through the loop to help guide the man down?" Mike suggested.
"To what end?" Cinder asked.
"Then, when the pups let go, we could be sure he falls directly into the cushion; we wouldn't have to worry about him hitting the building or being hit be debris if what is left collapses" Mike replied.
"That is still a long ways to fall" Cinder noted.
"What if the pups lowered him along that line Mike was talking about?" Kevin suggested, "That would reduce the fall distance.
"It would get pinched in the loop as soon as the man let go of the railing" LT Ken pointed out.
"We could take the slack out on this end as they lowered the man" Mike said, "and they wouldn't have to keep tension on their end of that rope because the main rope with the loop would handle that aspect of keeping the man positioned. Then the pups could let go if anything went wrong."
"If one of the pups acts as a safety, it is slightly safer than trying to lower the man than doing the same thing without the additional line" Cinder admitted before keying her radio. "Any ideas from your end pups?"
"Nothing realistic" Marshall replied.
"Ok, I'm going to send you an idea, let me know what you think" Cinder replied before framing the idea in her head as a picture. What do you think of this? Cinder thought to Marshall as she sent the mental picture.
You're nuts Marshall thought back, but it could work, let us talk through it real quick.
Don't take too long, I don't think he can hold on much longer Cinder mentally replied.
"Ok, they have an idea to use another look like almost like a zipline" Marshall explained to Sadie and Axel. "Basically, we would feed it through the loop and they would use the line to help guide the man on his way down. We would lower him down as far as we can and let go if anything goes wrong. One of us would act as a safety to help keep us from falling."
"It is still risky" Sadie replied, "but I can see how we can make it work up here to be safer. We'll use you two as the lifters, only one of you will be off the rope at a time to reset since we can't anchor anywhere. I'll position myself between you and the edge so that I can catch you if you slip. I'll also tell you to let go if something happens and I don't think we can safely hold it."
Axel nodded his ascent and Marshall keyed his radio. "We can make it work Cinder, setting it up now."
"Great" Cinder replied softly.
"I'll explain it to him, that way we are putting less weight on the ledge" Sadie said, taking the end of the second rope. Marshall nodded and got ready to feed her the rope.
Sadie crouched down like Marshall had, creeping to the edge of the opening but not out onto the balcony. "Ok sir," Sadie called down to the man, "my name is Sadie and I'm a fire and rescue pup. We can't safely lift you up so we are going to lower you down. To do this safely, I'm going to pass you another rope. I need you to feed this through the loop in the rope we already passed you as this will help us guide you down."
"Ok, I can't hold on much longer" the man replied.
"We'll go as fast as we can" Sadie replied. She kept feeding the rope down until her radio crackled.
"We have the end" Cinder softly said, "go ahead and start lowering when you are ready.
"Got it, I'm going to have him let got first and make sure we have full control before we start lowering him" Sadie replied through her own radio.
"Lock in, get ready to take his full weight, don't let go when I tell him to let go" Sadie said to Marshall and Axel. Both Dalmatians hunkered down for their tug of war game with gravity and nodded.
"Ok sir," Sadie said to the man, we are going to start lowering you down, I'm going to count down from three, when I tell you to, let go of the railing, do you understand?"
"I do, I'm ready" the man replied.
"Ok, three, two," Sadie made one last visual check as she counted, "one, let go of the railing!"
The man let go right on cue. Marshall and Axel slid forward slightly as their paws fought for grip on the carpeted floor of the apartment but both their paws and the carpet held.
"You ok down there sir?" Sadie called down.
"The rope is digging into my torso but it isn't too bad" the man replied.
"Ok, stay calm and we'll get you down" Sadie replied, turning her attention to Axel and Marshall. "Ok guys, take it slow, and stop when I tell you to stop for the first switch."
Marshall and Axel, haltingly at first, slowly took steps forward. Sadie watched them carefully. When they were about a third of the way from the door to the opening she stopped them. "Ok, Axel dig in, Marshall go ahead and circle back to the end."
Axel braced himself, when he was steady, Marshall let go and went back to the front door and took the rope in his jaws again. Sadie noticed that Axel was very slowly sliding towards the edge while Marshall was resetting.
"Ok, good job, go ahead and start moving forward slowly again" Sadie directed. Marshall and Axel slowly started moving forward again, a little smoother. Sadie stopped them again when Marshall was a third of the way from the door to the opening and Axel was two thirds of the way.
"Ok, this time, Marshall you lock in, Axel circle back around" Sadie directed.
Marshall dug his paws into the carpet and gave a little tug on the rope to let Axel know he was ready. Axel dropped the rope and circled back to the end, giving a tug of his own on the rope when they were ready. Again, Sadie noticed that one pup alone was not enough to hold the man up. However, the slippage was manageable for the moment.
"Ok, go ahead" Sadie said, recognizing their system. Step by step they continued to lower the man down.
"You are at the fourth floor" Cinder softly said over the radio when Sadie stopped them again.
"Axel hold, Marshall reset," Sadie said. The two Dalmatians went through the process, getting smoother each time. When they were ready, they started walking forward again.
The process kept repeating, with Cinder calling out landmark distances as the slowly got the man lower. Sadie noticed the balcony starting to crack more as they continued. By the time the man had reached the third floor, the cracks were starting to merge.
When they were half way to the second floor, the balcony finally gave way. With the sudden loss of the balcony, the man dropped several feet. As the slack from the pivot point change caught up to the rope, the force yanked Marshall, who was in front and almost two thirds of the way between the opening and the door, clear off his feet, catapulting him towards the opening.
"LET GO!" Sadie yelled as loud as she could as she leapt up to intercept the airborne pup, trying to keep Marshall from flying out of the building.
Cinder saw the balcony start to crumble from below. "Get back!" she barked. Everyone automatically obeyed, getting back from the building and the rescue cushion.
The man screamed as he fell the remaining two and half stories into the rescue cushion, landing with a soft thud. Allison and Juan helped the shaken man out of the cushion and into Mike's and Kevin's waiting arms. The two paramedics began their assessment as they walked the man away from the cushion and to the back of Medic 25.
"Pups, report status" Cinder said into her radio. Silence answered her. She looked up and saw the rear end of a black and white pup dangling over the edge, hind paws madly scrambling for a footing.
Sadie had Marshall's scruff in a vice grip in her jaws. She had barely managed to snag him before he was thrown out the opening in the building but the force had been enough to still carry him part way out. Marshall's back paws were clawing at the side of the building trying to get a footing but every attempt seemed to only dislodge more debris.
Axel quickly picked himself up, having been yanked off of his feet by the same force, and moved up next to Sadie, grabbing the other side of Marshall's scruff in his jaws. The two pups pulled together, getting Marshall back inside the building.
"We're good" Sadie said into the radio as she laid down panting.
"Thanks guys" Marshall panted.
"That was too close" Axel said softly. Marshall and Sadie nodded.
"Ok, let's get our gear and head down" Sadie said as she regained her breath.
"What gear?" Marshall asked, "It all went out with the man."
The pups looked around and sure enough, nothing was left for them to bring down. They had only brought the ropes up with them so it actually made sense that they had nothing left.
"That makes it easy then," Sadie laughed, "let's go."
"Thank God you are all ok" Cinder softly said as they emerged from the building. "What happened?"
"The balcony collapse and the yo-yo of the slack in the rope because of that almost threw Marshall out of the building. I was able to grab him to keep him from falling." Sadie reported.
"He seemed at least part way out" Cinder softly noted. "But I'm glad he didn't fall which is good. Let's get our mess cleaned up and get back to the station. We have an appointment you know" Cinder added with a smile.
While it had only taken a couple minutes to setup the rescue cushion and 90 seconds to inflate, deflation and storage took much longer. Mike and Kevin had medically cleared the man so they, along with everyone else, spent considerable time forcing air out of the rescue cushion. Once that was done, there was a very specific way the cushion needed to be folded and rolled so that it fit back into the compartment on Engine 25. Thankfully, they managed to get it right on the first time and were on their way.
"We are late" Cinder softly noted as they drove back to the station.
"It's not like they can start without us, sis" Marshall said from the back seat with a smirk on his face.
"It's still rude to be late" Cinder softly whined.
"We'll be fine, and it is only muckrakers" Marshall said in a carefree tone. "It isn't like we need more than 30 seconds to get ready sis."
"30 seconds?" Cinder softly gasped, "we have to get cleaned up, including a shower, brush our fur, and get dressed!"
"Skip the shower, climb back here so Sadie can quickly brush out your fur and then you are down to just getting dressed when we get there" Marshall outlined the plan.
"Fine" Cinder softly huffed. At the next stop, she quickly unbuckled and hoped in the back seat. "Boys" she softly whispered to Sadie with a roll of her eyes as she sat down, buckled in, and let Sadie start running the brush through her fur.
"No concept of how long it takes to actually get ready" Sadie softly laughed. The two girls had Cinder adequately presentable in their minds by the time they approached the station.
"Mike, you get parked for the ceremony first" Allison said into the radio, "you won't be able to get in once I park."
"Sure thing" Mike said. Allison pulled over to the side of the road as much as she could and Mike guided the ambulance around the fire truck. As he reached the station, Mike toggled the siren to warn other vehicles clear as he turned around and backed the ambulance into the designated position for the graduation ceremony.
Allison followed Mike, turning the bigger fire truck around in the street before also slowly backing into position for the ceremony. When the trucks were parked, both trucks could still respond to an emergency if needed but they also made a nice backdrop for the stage setup in the driveway. They were still late, but not terribly.
"Time to look pretty" Cinder said softly as she hopped down from the truck. Marshall was right behind her as the duo dashed to the door.
"Hurry and get dressed you two" Skipper said as they ran past him. "I can't stall these piranhas much longer."
"Just start telling them your dad jokes" Marshall called back as they disappeared inside the station.
Skipper walked back to the podium. "Tell dad jokes he says" Skipper grumbled.
"Ok folks, now that they have returned from the emergency call that they were responding to, it will only be a few more minutes" Skipper said into the mic. A chorus of grumbles answered him. Why didn't I get someone else to do this? Oh that's right, the Fire Chief told me that I had to do it and wouldn't let anyone else do it.
Inside, Cinder and Marshall tossed on their dress uniforms. Fortunately, they had prepared them the night before and they were very simple for pups. A simple dark blue vest with gold trim and their names in gold on both sides. Both of the rank tabs on their shoulders were also empty.
"Ready?" Marshall asked his sister.
"Ready" Cinder replied. Cinder paused for a moment, leaning up to give Marshall a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations dear brother"
Marshall kissed her back on the cheek. "Congratulations dearest sister." The twin Dalmatians shared a momentary hug before they walked back outside together.
The two of them snuck around the back of the trucks over to their spots on the stage. Skipper didn't even notice their return until the entire audience started standing and clapping.
"Now you show up" Skipper said quietly, "ready?"
"Always ready!" Marshall and Cinder replied in unison.
Skipper turned and nodded to Captain Matt who was acting as the Master of Ceremonies for the graduation.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Captain Matt said into the microphone, "welcome to Heartland Fire and Rescue Station 25 for our graduation of our first canine Fire Captain and our first canine Paramedic."
Captain Matt did a short introduction before introducing Skipper for his speech. Skipper kept it short and sweet, focusing on the work that Marshall and Cinder had done and the selfless example that they set for others. Then it was time for the pinning.
Captain Matt called Marshall forward first and he sat center stage. Captain Ashley came forward to pin him. "I'm so proud of you Marshall" Ashley whispered as she slid the Paramedic insignia tabs onto the rank tabs on Marshall's vest.
"Thank you Ashley" Marshall whispered back, "for everything."
"Do your best and forget the rest" Ashley whispered making them both smile. Ashley knelt down next to Marshall and pictures were taken. Then, they went back to their spots and Cinder was called to center stage. Skipper stepped up to pin her.
"You know I hate this" Cinder softly whispered to Skipper.
"Get used to it Captain" Skipper said with a smile, "there will be more of this in your future."
"No there won't, I'll be known as the media dodging Captain" Cinder softly giggled.
"Good luck with that" Skipper quietly laughed, "your first speech is now."
"I hate you" Cinder softly replied.
"I love you too Cinder" Skipper whispered with a smile as they turned around for their pictures. Marshall and Ashley also came back up for more pictures with all four of them.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Captain Cinder of Heartland Fire and Rescue" Captain Matt introduced her as Cinder jumped up to the podium.
"Thank you" Cinder began. "Marshall and I are both very grateful for the opportunities that have been given to us, for the opportunity to serve this wonderful community. As many of you know, Marshall's parent team is the Paw Patrol up in Adventure Bay so while he will no longer be here with us, his skills will continue to serve those in need. We would like to thank Captain Skipper, Captain Ashley, Captain Dan, and the entire crew of station 25 for their terrific support in helping us reach this milestone. My…"
Cinder's speech was cut off as the station alarm sounded and every head turned to look.
"WE HAVE A REPORT OF A STRUCTURE FIRE AT THE CORNER OF JACKSON AND FICUS, QUINT 23 ASSIGNED AS SUPPORT, ALL UNITS RESPOND CODE 3."
Everyone watched as the crew scrambled into their gear and onto Engine 25 and Medic 25. Horns were honked and sirens activated as the two trucks drove out of the driveway and took off down the street.
Everyone turned their attention back to the stage and noticed neither pup was there anymore, just two vests. "Oh biscuits" Skipper swore under his breath. As he turned to the crowd, every eye was on him.
"Duty calls folks; that concludes our ceremony, no idea when they will be back so enjoy the refreshments and have a great day!"
Skipper turned to make a break for the safety of the fire station but he saw he was too late. Ashley and Matt had already abandoned him and were slipping inside the station. Oh dear Skipper thought as he turned around and all the microphones and cameras were thrust into his face and a barrage of questions inundated him.
The Paw Patrol, including Katie, Jake, Everest, Carlos and Tracker, had been watching the televised graduation from the lookout. "Well, that's that" Ryder said as he stood up and turned off the TV. "Get ready, pups, Marshall will be home tomorrow!"
A chorus of happy howls answered him as the pups and people started to disperse. Skye stopped when she noticed Everest hadn't moved. "You coming Everest?" Skye asked.
"Her what?" Everest asked softly.
"You are wondering what Cinder was about to say in her speech?" Skye asked rhetorically.
"Her boyfriend, her husband, her mate, her…" Everest started listing off possibilities.
"... family, her team, her friends, her hope" Skye cut off the husky, "you have no idea what she was about to say so why are you working yourself up over it?"
"Because her entire speech that we heard was her and Marshall thanking people" Everest snipped, "why would they do that if they were not together in some way?"
"Because they spent a ton of time together, becoming the first Paramedic Pup and Fire Captain Pup, working with the same people" Skye answered. "They have been a close team, it makes sense. Just calm down, Marshall will be home tomorrow, you should focus on being excited for that."
"How can I be excited when he is bringing Cinder with him?!" Everest whined. "I want Marshall to be mine!"
"And he will be unless you drive yourself to a heart attack fussing and worrying about it!" Skye pushed back. "Take a chill pill, have some fun today since you are spending the day and night here at the lookout. I'll even double our bet if it will get you to calm down sis!"
Everest took a deep breath. Skye was right, she needed to relax. "Ok, ok, I'll relax and have fun today" Everest surrendered.
"Good" Skye yipped triumphantly, "now let's go play!" The two pups walked outside and joined the other pups in play, but while part of Everest's mind was having a good time, another part of her was still worried about Marshall and Cinder and Saturday morning.
Back in Heartland, Cinder was busy reporting in. "Dispatch, Light Force 25, ETA 4 minutes."
"Dispatch copies, you have command Captain Cinder."
"Sounds great, doesn't it?" LT Ken teased from beside her.
"It does" Cinder softly replied with a smile as she shifted radio channels. "Quint 23, status report."
"ETA 6 minutes, we await your orders Captain Cinder" came the response.
"Copy" Cinder softly smiled, "it is a three story building on the corner of a park with no neighboring buildings. Setup on the street before you reach the building; I want your ladder positioned to cover the back corner. Run a secondary hose to the corner closest to your truck. We'll cover the other two corners."
"You got it Captain" came the response.
Cinder turned to her team, "standard two hoses on the far and near corner; Marshall get the turret on any second or third story flames. Medic, setup on the opposite corner from the building. Time to walk on the fire side!"
As they pulled up, it looked like fire and smoke was only billowing out of the ground floor which had signs indicating it was a convenience store. "Hold off on the turret Marshall" Cinder softly directed, "let's see what we are dealing with."
As they jumped out, a man waved Cinder over. "The fire is in my store" the man said. "It started as an electrical fire in the hot dog cooker but quickly spread to the displays. I turned off the power and turned on the sprinklers for the store but nothing happened so I turned on the second story sprinklers before we evacuated."
"Good thinking" Cinder softly replied, "is everyone out?"
"Everyone that I know of, yes" the man replied.
"Good, have everyone who evacuated come over to the ambulance to get checked out just in case" Cinder softly directed. The man nodded and started directing the evacuees.
"Quint 23, change in plans. The fire is ground level only and sprinklers are activated on the floor above the fire. Set your outriggers just in case but run out two hoses. I'll show you where I want the second hose when you arrive, make sure they have SCBA packs on."
"Copy that" came the prompt response.
Looking back at her team, Allison and Axel had already knocked out the far window and were spraying water inside. Marshall and Sadie were on the corner by the door, spraying water in through the doorway as well. Cinder nodded in satisfaction as Juan finished hooking up the supply hose and seamlessly shifted the water supply from the tank to the fire hydrant.
"Dispatch, Light Force 25, fire engaged and contained, no injuries reported at this time, will report when out."
Cinder heard another siren wail and saw Quint 23 skid to a stop on the opposite street. The firefighters and fire pups hopped out and were almost as efficient at getting their hoses hooked up. Moments later, they had their corner window knocked out and a hose spraying water inside. Cinder waved over their second hose, manned by a firefighter and a fire pup with SCBA packs, over to the door. "Takeover here" Cinder softly directed before turning to Sadie and Marshall. "Time to take the fight inside, pack up!"
Marshall and Sadie shut the water off from their hose before running around to the side of Engine 25 opposite the fire to get their SCBA packs. Masks and packs on, they returned, picked their hose back up, turned the water back on and advanced through the door. Cinder waved the Quint 23 hose team in behind them.
"Juan, aim the turret at the door and set for wide fog just in case" Cinder said to her engineer.
"You got it Capt." Juan replied, jumping up to adjust the water cannon turret on top of the truck the way she asked before jumping back down.
Quickly, the black smoke that had been present when they arrived gave way to while smoke and then almost no smoke. Cinder signaled to the two outside teams to shut off their hoses, which they did. Then she sent LT Ken and Quint 23's LT in to oversee overhaul while she waited for their report.
While she was waiting, Kevin came over to give her an update. "We checked everyone and there are no signs of smoke inhalation requiring treatment outside of breathing fresh air or any other injuries."
"Great" Cinder replied, "Hang tight for a bit, we'll sweep the whole building once overhaul is complete."
"Roger, standing by" Kevin said before walking back over to Medic 25.
Cinder turned around and saw the LTs walking out to her. "Overhaul complete, we did a cross check as well" LT Ken reported.
"Good, let's get the sprinklers turned off and make sure that the second story floor is good before we pack up. Do a sweep of the second and third stories as well just in case someone was in there that we don't know about" Cinder softly directed.
"Drain the second story water too?" Quint 23's LT asked.
"I'll ask if they want a swimming pool" Cinder softly replied with a smile, "but yes, unless you hear otherwise, drain it."
"Copy that" the LTs replied before turning around and directing their teams.
Cinder heard another siren so she turned around just in time to see Skipper pull up in his command SUV.
"What brings you over here?" Cinder asked as they walked towards each other.
"I took the only excuse I had left to escape the media feeding frenzy you left me with after everyone else magically disappeared" Skipper replied, "I hate you by the way."
"You'll get over it in a moment" Cinder softly laughed as she stopped in front of him.
"How do you figure that?" Skipper asked suspiciously.
"Because I know your weakness" Cinder said softly before she gave him a hug.
"You got me, I don't hate you anymore" Skipper laughed. Both of them turned as they saw a miniature tidal wave come washing out of the store.
"Looks like they breached the second story" Cinder said with a laugh.
"Sprinklers not work on the first floor?" Skipper asked.
"Correct, but they worked on the second floor" Cinder softly replied. "Once they check that the second floor is structurally safe, we will get cleaned up and get out of your way."
"My way?" Skipper asked quizzically.
"You way," Cinder nodded with a knowing smile, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You may not have told anyone but I happen to know that when I come back from my week off, I will be taking over as the training Captain of Station 25 and you will be moving up to Chief of Command Training."
"How could you possibly know that" Skipper whispered back in shock, "only three people including me know that!"
"A girl has to keep her secrets, and ways to acquire more secrets" Cinder replied with a wink. "Don't worry, I won't say it to anyone."
"Does that mean Marshall already knows?" Skipper asked glumly.
"No, and I won't even think about it to decrease the chances of him finding out" Cinder softly promised.
"I guess that is the best I'm going to get" Skipper said.
"Don't feel bad Skipper" Cinder smiled, "I also happen to know the exact date you were promoted to Chief, which happened to long before Marshall even showed up at Station 25, and that you agreed to this plan less than a week after I showed up."
"I guess trying to keep secrets from you is pointless" Skipper said in quiet awe. Cinder just smiled as the LTs came back out.
"Second floor is structurally sound except in one area. We have it marked off for technical to come reinforce." LT Ken reported to Cinder before turning to Skipper. "Hey Skipper, did you use this an excuse to escape some newshounds?"
"I did, after you swiped the Captain that they actually wanted to talk to" Skipper replied.
"Don't look at me" LT Ken held up his hands, "Blame Dispatch, they called out Light Force 25 which includes the good Captain Cinder. I'm just a lowly L-T in command of a mere Engine."
"Oh shush," Skipper replied with a laugh, "You know that on Monday your L-T under instruction arrives and in addition to that…"
"Ok, point taken" LT Ken tried to shush Skipper who just laughed, along with Cinder and Quint 23's LT.
"Dispatch, Light Force 25, fire out, overhaul complete, pass to Technical that the second story requires reinforcement in one area, will report when available." Cinder softly reported once she stopped laughing.
"Dispatch copies."
"L-T" Cinder softly said turning to the Quint 23 LT, "you are clear to pack up and head out, thanks for the assistance as always!"
"Roger, any time Captain" the LT tipped his helmet to Cinder before turning to pass orders to his team.
"LT Ken, let's get our stuff cleaned up too, I want to be ready to move as soon as Technical gets here" Cinder softly directed.
"You got it" LT Ken replied before turning to issue his own orders.
"Mike and Kevin, you guys are good to head back to the station, your decision on if you take Marshall or leave him with us" Cinder said to her paramedics.
"He can stay here, if there is a call he will respond with you anyway" Kevin said.
"Fair enough, see you back at the station" Cinder softly replied before she turned back to Engine 25. She watched as they meticulously restowed their gear, refilled the SCBA cylinders and made sure everything was ready for the next rescue.
Not too long after they finished, a box van in the Technical division black with red stripe paint scheme rolled up. LT Ken showed them where the water and fire had affected the structural stability of the building. Once Technical took over responsibility for the building, they were finally able to head back to Station 25.
When they got back to the station, the afternoon shift had already taken down the stage and items from the ceremony so they were able to park the trucks as normal. After the afternoon shift inspected the trucks and gear, Marshall and Cinder set about packing for the trip to Adventure Bay. It wasn't hard for Marshall as he was going home, he just threw the things he had brought back into his bag. Cinder, on the other paw, had never really traveled before so she was struggling.
"I've never really gone anywhere before, what do I need to bring?" Cinder softly wondered.
"Don't worry about it sis" Marshall said with amusement as he watched Cinder fuss about. "You really don't need to bring anything. I guarantee we have anything you would need."
"Easy for you to say," Cinder softly fussed, "I'm meeting everyone who is basically your family and I want to make a good impression."
"You will sis, just be yourself" Marshall said. "If you really feel the need to bring some things, just throw a couple small things in my bag."
"Ok, fine" Cinder softly acquiesced, "I'll bring my kit bag, a spare blanket, a couple small jewelry pieces and my favorite lavender scent."
"I've never seen you wear jewelry" Marshall said, slightly surprised.
"We've been continually on duty this entire time" Cinder softly pointed out, "I only wear it for special occasions."
"Fair" Marshall allowed before closing his bag with Cinder's stuff on top of his. "What time do we officially come off duty?"
"2200 when the night shift comes on" Cinder softly replied, "and Captain Dan will be picking us up at 0200 to get us to Adventure Bay by 0630."
"Well, at least we can sleep during the drive" Marshall noted.
"Yup, which is also why we are packing now" Cinder softly added. "After we come off duty, we'll shower and get cleaned up before bed."
"Sounds like a plan" Marshall agreed, "Just don't take forever to get ready."
"I will take as much time as I need to be properly presentable, thank you" Cinder softly put her paw down. "You may have won with the ceremony today but I will be perfect the way I want to be when I meet everyone for the first time!"
"As you wish my dear sister" Marshall said with a laugh.
The rest of the evening passed quickly with only two calls. The first was a car crash with no major injuries or rescuing needed while the second was reported as a seizure but turned out to be just food poisoning. Both were handled with their customary efficiency.
At 2200 sharp, Cinder and Marshall started to get ready. "I'm going to shower first because pretty girls like me take longer to get ready than icky boys like you" Cinder softly informed Marshall.
"Sure thing sis" Marshall replied with a laugh. Cinder hopped in the shower to get cleaned up while Marshall double checked to make sure that they had everything. Cinder didn't take long to get clean and soon hoped out and Marshall hopped in. Cinder dried herself off and started brushing her fur, she wanted to look immaculate for the morning. She was still brushing when Marshall got out of the shower and dried off.
"You are still brushing?" Marshall asked incredulously as he grabbed his own brush.
"Again, silly, it takes me longer to get perfectly ready" Cinder laughed as she kept brushing, her fur was taking on quite the shine.
"How are you making your fur shine like that?" Marshall asked, curious.
"Coconut oil" Cinder replied as she kept brushing, "it adds a lovely shine."
"That it does, you are going to blow them away" Marshall said with a smile.
"That's the idea brother dear" Cinder softly giggled. "You should use some too so you can wow Everest."
"Not a bad idea" Marshall said, rubbing a little bit through his fur. It didn't take Marshall long to be fully brushed and shiny. Cinder took a bit longer but she was positively radiant when she was done. "You look amazing, Cin," Marshall said.
"I'm not done yet" Cinder softly replied. She dabbed a bit of lavender behind each ear before she opened Marshall's bag and pulled out her travel jewelry box. Opening the box, she gently moved the few pieces around until she found what she was looking for. Cinder's delicate paws slowly lifted out a stunningly beautiful white gold phoenix necklace with a rose overtone south sea pearl.
"Is that what I think it is?" Marshall breathed softly.
"Great, great grandma's necklace? The one that has been passed down to the eldest female fire pup in each generation of our family? The one that every girl pup in our family has worn at their wedding? The one from so many family stories?" Cinder softly said to which Marshall nodded. "Yes"
"Wow, it is beautiful" Marshall softly breathed.
Cinder unclasped the necklace and lifted the ends around her neck with her paws, re-clasping the necklace closed. Cinder made some minor adjustments to center the pendant and made sure it hung in just the right spot below her Fire Captain collar insignia. "How do I look?" Cinder softly asked.
"Majestically graceful" Marshall softly murmured. "I can't remember ever seeing you wear it or the last time mom wore it."
"You weren't there the last time mom wore it" Cinder softly said. "It was at their retirement party. At the very end, Mom pulled me aside and gave it to me to carry on the tradition. I only wear it to special events."
"And tomorrow is special enough for you to wear it?" Marshall quietly asked.
"Mmhmm, I told you I want to make a good impression" Cinder softly whispered.
"Good impression? Dearest sister, you look so amazing that it will be burned in everyone's memory forever" Marshall whispered back, tilting his head to give his twin a kiss behind her ear and then pressing his head against hers. Marshall even sent her a mental snapshot of how dazzling she looked.
"Thanks Marsh" Cinder softly whispered back, letting the anxiety she felt about meeting Everest and the rest of the Paw Patrol go. They stayed pressed together until Cinder felt fully at peace and she pulled back. "Let get some sleep" Cinder softly said. They softly curled up together and immediately fell asleep.
At 2 am sharp, Cinder and Marshall walked out of Station 25 and met Capt. Dan in the driveway. The full moon reflected off their fur with a slight shimmer. "You two look radiant this early morning" Dan remarked with a smile.
"Just happy to go home to Adventure Bay" Marshall said with a smile.
"And to meet Marshall's other family" Cinder softly added.
"Well, hop in then. We have a ways to go and a timeline to meet" Dan said as he opened the door of his truck for them. The two Dalmatians hopped into the truck and shut the door. With no more fanfare, they departed for Adventure Bay.
As Dan approached the sleeping town, he nudged Cinder and Marshall awake. The two pups had taken the opportunity on the drive to sleep a few extra hours. They were a little ahead of schedule so Marshall guided Dan and Cinder through a quick tour of downtown Adventure Bay, pointing out the sights. Then it was time to head up to the lookout. They timed it perfectly so Dan pulled into the driveway just as Chase was exiting his pup house.
Chase yawned and stretched as he got up. Marshall had arranged with Chase to delay waking everyone up for an extra 30 minutes so that they could wake up to him arriving. Chase's keen ears heard a vehicle turn up the lookout driveway at the appointed time. That must be them he thought to himself as he headed outside.
Chase saw a red utility truck with a black stripe along the side, the Heartland Fire and Rescue Department crest on the vehicle door, blue paramedic shields on the sides and on the hood, and the words "EMS Training Supervisor" in white lettering along the black stripe on the sides. The door opened and Marshall jumped out. The sunrise was just cresting over the truck and the back lighting made his fur shine.
Before Chase could say anything, an identical Dalmatian hopped out of the truck and stood next to Marshall. Or nearly identical, the second Dalmatian was a smidge shorter, slightly more curved and instead of a pup pack she wore the insignia of a Fire Captain on her collar and an exquisite phoenix necklace.
"Marshall, is it really you?" Chase asked, uncharacterically softly.
"It's me" Marshall said quietly with a smile, "I'm home Chase…" The both stood still for a moment gazing at each other.
Chase leaped towards Marshall who in turn sprinted towards him. The two collided in a titanic hug. "I missed you so much Chase" Marshall whispered as he hugged the stuffing out of his brother.
"I've missed you too Marshall" Chase whined, letting a single tear of joy slip from his eyes. The two hugged for what was both an eternity and not nearly long enough. When they finally separated, Marshall turned to the side to make space for Cinder.
"Chase, this is my dear twin sister, Cinder, who I've been telling you about" Marshall introduced his twin.
"Hi Cinder" Chase said, offering Cinder his paw.
Hug him anyway, don't let him be a silly stick in the mud Marshall thought to Cinder.
Cinder took Chase's paw in her own, then used it as leverage to yank the surprised German Shepherd into a hug. "Any brother of Marshall's is a brother of mine" Cinder said softly, "which means hugs, so deal with it!"
"I should have known that was going to happen" Chase said with a laugh as he relented and hugged Cinder back.
"Speaking of things happening, is everything ready for tonight?" Marshall inquired.
"Ready" Chase replied as Cinder released him. "Are you sure you want to wait until tonight?"
"It will be the perfect time" Marshall said confidently, "I have a plan."
"In that case, we should wake everyone up then" Chase said with a smile. "Ruff, megaphone!"
Marshall covered Cinder's ears with his paws.
"WAKE UP PAW PATROL! MARSHALL IS HOME! EVERYONE GET OUT HERE ON THE QUADRUPLE BECAUSE MARSHALL IS HOME AGAIN!" Chase barked as loud as he could into his megaphone.
Marshall and Cinder stood next to each other, with the sun shining over Dan's truck, while all the pups rapidly made their way out of their pup houses and over to where Chase stood. Marshall noticed all of them coming but he was watching one pup in particular.
When Everest emerged from her pup house, she was the most beautiful pup Marshall had ever seen. Her eyes were magically bright and her fur looked amazingly fluffy. Just seeing her made him smile bigger and his tail wag faster as their eyes met. He saw Everest's tail start wagging in time with his own. Oh how I've missed you Everest! Marshall's mind screamed, making Cinder shudder ever so slightly. Everest crouched down, like she was ready to leap into his paws.
But just as quickly as she had filled with happiness, Marshall watched that same joy drain away with a barely perceptible shift of her eyes. Everest's tail froze and started to droop, her eyes turned dull and glazed over. Marshall barely heard Chase bark "DOGPILE!" into his megaphone despite how loud it actually was. The last thing Marshall saw before Rocky tackled him to the ground was Everest jumping backwards; towards her pup house and away from him.
Something is off Marshall thought in confusion as his other brothers and sister smother him and Cinder with hugs and licks. Something is very off…
(A/N: This is the end of Paramedic Pup! I hope you enjoyed this journey with me. Looking to the future, there are several projects/stories that I will be starting in this universe so stay tuned. I will say that before I start posting things on any sort of regularity, I am going to take a bit of a break to recharge, think, plan, and work on balance in my life. When I do resume posting, it will likely not be every week but who knows? Thank you for all your kind support and words! As always, you can reach me via PM. Be safe!)