Chapter 3: Our Hearts Are One

In the Present

It had been 6 hours since Marshall was last awake, there had been no change in his condition. Katie would only allow Everest in to see him, even Ryder wasn't allowed in, Chase was somewhat annoyed by this and decided to go check his truck, he jumped up in it and looked next to him on the passenger seat and on the floor, there was terrifying huge amount of blood on his seat and some on the floor where the blood ran down his seat to the floor.

Chase again just unleashed a flood of tears and let his head fall on his steering wheel and just cried his heart out "MARSHALL...PL-PLEASE DON'T GO! WE NEED YOU BUDDY...I-I need you!" he yelled loud enough for Ryder to come running out

"Chase? What is it pup?" Ryder asked running over to him

"Ryder-Sir" Chase pointed to his passenger seat "He has to live!"

Ryder peeped his head into Chase's truck and was shocked at the amount of blood "Marshall's strong, he'll pull through this"

Chase leaped out of his truck into Ryder's arms crying

"Chase, it's going to be alright" Ryder said hugging the Sheppard "Do you want me to see if Katie will allow us in?"

Chase nodded, Ryder kissed his head and carried him back into Katie's clinic

"Wait here pups, I'm going to ask Katie to let us in" Ryder said holding Chase while walking into the back of Katie's clinic "Katie are you here?"

A door opened to a small room which had it's lights dimmed

"Shh not so loud" Katie smiled peering her head around the corner

Before Ryder could even ask to see Marshall, Katie motioned him inside

Chase watched closely as he was carried into Marshall's room, he couldn't stop his tears falling upon seeing the once hyperactive, caring, fun dalmatian pup laying motionless in the bed, Everest was asleep besides him it could easily be seen she had been crying.

For several minutes no one said anything, Ryder broke the silence "How is he Katie?" he asked placing Chase down on a chair next to Marshall's bed "Any change?"

Katie shook her head "Afraid not, according to Everest he woke up roughly 6 hours ago but only for a few seconds, he hasn't woken up since"

Chase carefully jumped on Marshall's bed, careful not to wake Everest up he sat on the other side of Marshall

"Buddy you got to live, everyone needs you" Chase whispered into Marshall's good ear "Oh Marshall, my best buddy, I miss you, p-please you have to pull through this, I miss your clumsiness, your kinda, caring, lovable natural, things just won't be the same without you" he laid his head gently across Marshall's chest "Who's gonna crash into us in the elevator? Who's going to keep the happiness in the Lookout? Marshall, you're that glue which keeps the team together without you the Paw Patrol won't be the Paw Patrol anymore" His words brought tears to Katie, and Ryder's eyes "Do you remember when you ran away, because you thought we said your clumsy? But we weren't talking about you... Marshall, we don't care if you're clumsy, its you who make us what we are, we need you buddy that's why you have to live"

Chase felt movement beneath him "M-M-Marshall?" he lifted his head and looked at Marshall to see his teary blue eyes looking up at him "Katie! Ryder! He's awake!"

"C-h-hase?" Marshall spoke ever so quietly "T-th-ank .. y-you"

Chase hugged the dalmatian ever so carefully "Buddy, your welcome!"

"Everest, wake up" Katie said gently shaking her

Everest opened her eyes "Yes Katie?" she looked at Ryder who was smiling "What is it?"

Chase let go of Marshall then turned Everest's face towards Marshall

"Marshall?" Everest looked deep into his blue eyes "You're awake! I can't believe it!" she hugged Marshall carefully, Chase joined in the hug

Katie let them hug for a few minutes "I need to examine him, you all can stay and watch but I warn you it'll be messy"

Chase and Everest separated from the hug, Chase jumped off the bed and stood next to Ryder, Everest removed the oxygen mask from Marshall's face and pressed her lips against his, then kissed his forehead placing the oxygen mask back then jumped off and sat besides Chase

"R-Ryd...derr..?" Marshall said weakly

Katie motioned Ryder over, who knelt down besides his bed

"Marshall I'm here, I'm here pup" Ryder said planting a kiss to his forehead

Marshall looked up at him, tears falling down his cheeks "I-I-I'm sor-ry, Ry..der.."

"Why are you sorry pup?" Ryder questioned wiping the tears from Marshall's cheek

"For ... dis-dis-dis..obeying your or-or..der's" Marshall said closing his eyes "I-I couldn't... lea-lea-leave her"

Ryder closed his eyes then opened them with a smile "Marshall look, I know you love her very much, but if you just listened to me none of this would have happened" Marshall went to speak but Ryder hushed him "Let me finish, even though you disobeyed a directed order I'm not mad at you, I could never be mad at you, any of you" he said turning to Everest and Chase "You're all my pups, whom I love, it kills me to see any of you hurt physically or emotionally"

Marshall swallowed hard then burst into tears, Ryder gently hugged him "Sh it's going to be alright" he separated from the hug "Katie wants to take a look at you, but don't worry, Chase, Everest and I will be right here"

Marshall nodded as Katie walked over with a small tray filled with fresh bandages and 3 needles

"I need you to stay still for me" Katie said pulling the sheets back, she wiped a tear from her eye seeing how many injures he had "I'm going to give you some more pain relief, just to be on the safe side for when I change your bandages, we don't want you being in anymore pain then you already are" she grabbed hold of a needle a gently pressed it into his side then placed the empty needle back on the tray

"How is he Katie?" Everest asked concerned

"Sh" Ryder said "Let Katie dress his injures then ask" he giggled patting Everest's head

Katie took a deep breath then began to gently unwrap the bandage on his side, as she did this she noticed something, something which made her stomach turn inside out, just by looking it made her feel sick 'How can a pup with such a great heart end up like this? It's not right! He doesn't deserve any of this!' she thought to herself

Everest saw Katie take the bandage off of Marshall's belly and his side, she gasped, tears Immediately falling down her face and shoved her face into Chase's chest and cried loudly.

4 Days Earlier

Marshall had been feeling a bit depressed lately, no one knew why. Whenever someone asked him what was wrong, he would face them put on one of his cute smile and look at them with his blue eyes then simply say 'Nothing's wrong' of course, everyone then believed him.

Skye caught Marshall shedding a few tears, before he went for a walk along the beach, she decided to follow him

Marshall sat down on the soft sand, then looked out at the bay and saw Mayor Goodway with Chickaletta on a rowboat, he sighed to himself

"Hey Marshall, are you alright?" Skye asked approaching him

"Huh? Oh hi Skye, Yep! Never been better!" Marshall said with a grin "Did you follow me?"

Skye nodded as she sat down besides him "Yes, I followed you because I'm worried about you"

"Worried? What why? I'm fine" Marshall smiled at her trying to insure her he was ok

Skye on the other hand was not convinced

Both pups sat on the sand quietly, Marshall was the first one to speak

"Fine, I'm not ok" Marshall said as he sighed "I think I'm falling in-love"

"With Everest right?" Skye said looking at him

Marshall nodded "Yeah, but how did you know?"

Skye giggled "Come on Marshall, I'm a girl it's not hard to work it out"

"Skye, how do you ask someone to be your mate?" Marshall questioned looking at the clouds racing above them in the sky

Skye paused at the question "I'm not sure, I know the answer to that"

Marshall sighed "Thought as much"

"Marshall? Is there something else?" Skye asked worried

"I did something, something I'm sure Ryder would punish me for" Marshall said as a tear fell from the corner of his eye

Skye wiped the tear away "You know Ryder by now, he wouldn't be mad at you"

"Yes he would" Marshall laid down on the beach "I don't regret what I did but, if I tell Ryder he'll.. he'll.. get mad.."

"Marshall, you might feel like he'll get mad, but I can assure you, he won't...you just need to relax, explain what needs to be explained, but don't stop in the middle of it, you'll need to tell him all of it." Marshall stayed quiet, so Skye spoke again, "Let me ask you, when was the last time Ryder actually got mad at you? Even the accidental mistakes, when was the last time he got mad at you?"

Marshall sighed "I...I can't remember the last time, he just asked why."

Skye replied, "Exactly, he never got mad at you, he just asked for an explanation. You never got in trouble...what makes you think this'll be any different?"

'If only you knew Skye, you would think differently' Marshall thought to himself, but smiled at her "I guess you're right, well thanks Skye, I'm going to go have some breakfast" he said walking away from her, as a tear dropped down his cheek

Back in the Present

Skye looked at the door leading to the back of Katie's Clinic and thought to herself 'Now I know what Marshall meant, he mated with Everest but didn't want to tell Ryder. Oh Marshall why couldn't you just tell him? Instead of disobeying his orders' Tears fell from her eyes, she sighed and laid down on a pup cushion 'I'll help Chase kill those dogs! I might be small but Marshall, I'll risk my life for you' She thought then closed her eyes drifting off to sleep

To be continued