(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)

Extra Stroke

Marshall was laying on top of Engine 25, surveying the scene before him. There was Tiller Ladder truck 1, Water Tender 1, Turntable Ladder truck 2 with its accompanying pumper truck, Quint truck 23, Urban Search and Rescue Truck 3, Rescue Squad 31, HAZMAT Truck 4, Medic 25 and Engine 25, all with a good chunk of their gear arrayed around each of the trucks, filled the parking lot of the waterfront park. This Sunday was the Fire Department's annual mini-golf fundraiser tournament. Part of the event was to engage the community and scattered throughout the parked trucks were firefighters and fire pups showing children, teenagers, and adults all about the different things on each truck and explaining about their role in the fire department. The morning and afternoon shifts had each broken up into two teams to show kids around the engine and the ambulance. Marshall had been there since the morning and, as an extra pup, had been helping both teams all day. With Dalmatians being a part of fire departments since the mid-1700s, and being the first paramedic pup, and a member of the famous Paw Patrol, Marshall was the pup that everyone wanted to talk to on Engine 25 and Medic 25. Marshall had tried to pass as much of the questions along to Rain, a female yellow lab, and Splash, a female American Water Spaniel, who were the fire pups for the afternoon shift but people just wanted to talk to Marshall. Skipper had finally made Marshall take a break.

Ignoring the sassy comments from Rain and Splash, Marshall had taken refuge on top of Engine 25 with a bottle of water. Finishing that, Marshall contemplated how many reserve trucks and personnel were activated and covering all the areas that the assembled force normally covered. Trucks needed maintenance all the time and the fire department maintained enough spares to take trucks offline as required. There were similarly reserve crews, on call for special events like this and major emergencies when the reserve trucks were activated to assist. Marshall was thankful that Skipper had made him come; sitting at the fire station would have made for a boring day. Sure, if an incident happened he would miss it, but if it was major they would still end up responding. There were only so many cat's Marshall could rescue from a tree before he felt like he could miss one or two. Sure, Chickaletta got stuck up places all the time but she usually varied the location around the bay and it wasn't every day.

"Hey Marshall" a female voice called up from below.

Marshall looked down and saw Ashley, one of the afternoon shift paramedics, looking up at him.

"Want to walk around with me for a bit and check out the sights?" Ashley asked.

"Sure, sounds like fun!" Marshall replied, carefully hopping down from on top of the truck.

As Ashley and Marshall started to walk away from the truck, they ran into Pedro and Splash who were coming to relieve Kelly and Rain. "Oh good, maybe I'll be able to get a word in edgewise with you away from the truck" Rain teased Marshall.

"Yeah, you'll have to do more than look pretty for once" Marshall teased back.

"That is all she does even on a rescue unless someone is in the water" Splash replied as she trotted up.

"At least I don't try to swim in the firefighting water once the fire is out" Rain replied as she trotted up, "you've got kids in the cab, Kelly is helping them, not a whole lot of kids waiting for a walk around but they need someone to pet so enjoy! I'm going to go find a snack somewhere where I won't be touched!"

"I think she is done being pet" Marshall laughed as the yellow lab took off into the crowd.

"At least by strangers" Splash added with a laugh of her own, "My guess is she'll be back before as soon as she had food in her tummy."

"Probably" Marshall added, "Ashley and I are going to walk around for a bit, need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good" Splash replied with a wave of her paw, "Enjoy your walk!"

Marshall and Ashley followed the path towards the waterfront. All along the water was where the food venders were setup, lining the path. There were vendors for everything from fried chicken to sushi to funnel cake. Since it was a warm afternoon, they both elected to get a frozen Dole Whip and headed to the pier. They selected a spot at the end to sit and eat their frozen treat.

"So, how are you doing Marshall?" Ashley asked.

"A little tired, but good" Marshall replied.

"Is that your answer for the moment or the overall?" Ashley pressed.

Marshall smiled. Ashley was the senior paramedic trainer for station 25 and had a knack for knowing how her trainees and paramedics were doing and when they needed to talk. She was also extraordinarily caring and a great listener.

"The moment" Marshall replied, "overall, I'm hanging in there."

"Is this the longest you've been away from your team and family?" Ashley asked.

"Since joining the Paw Patrol, yes" Marshall replied with a sad smile, "you going to tell Skipper I'm home sick?"

"No, it's normal and you are coping with it fine so far, but you miss them" Ashley asserted.

Marshall nodded.

"Any ones more than others?" Ashley prodded.

"Ryder for one" Marshall replied, "Definitely Chase and Skye as well, they are my closest brother and sister."

"Anyone else?" Ashley continued to nudge.

"Probably Everest too" Marshall admitted.

"Probably?" Ashley teased.

"Ok, ok, definitely Everest as well" Marshall replied with a smile.

"Why are you trying so hard to hide how you feel Marshall?" Ashley got to the heart of her interrogation.

"What do you mean?" Marshall asked, trying to dodge the question.

"Marshall, I've been a trainer for a long time and I've trained a lot of kids and pups" Ashly reminded him, "I even have kids of my own, I think I've gotten decent at identifying when someone feels something for someone else."

Marshall blushed, "But how did you figure out I feel something about Everest?"

"We'll get to that something in a moment; as to how, ask yourself who you call the most out of everyone on the Paw Patrol" Ashley started leading him down her logic path.

"Chase or Everest" Marshall replied.

"And which one do you spend more time talking to" Ashley continued.

"Everest" Marshall conceded.

"And if you needed to talk to one, when would you call one over the other?" Ashley persisted.

"Well, I can call both for anything" Marshall considered the question, "I guess I would be more likely to call Chase if I needed help working through a problem or something professional but not medical and Everest if I just needed to talk or help working through something medical."

"See the pattern?" Ashley asked the Dalmatian.

"Yes…" Marshall admitted.

"So, how do you feel about Everest?" Ashley asked point blank.

"I don't know" Marshall confessed, "She is such an amazing pup, inside and out. She is funny and smart and a joy to be around. She always has a positive outlook. She is adventurous and confident without being arrogant. Her smile is just so bright and her laugh is infectious. She is brave and caring and would never leave anyone behind she could save. She is also pretty and cool; basically perfect."

"Pretty?" Ashley prodded.

"What?" Marshall asked, "Is pretty bad?"

"Depends," Ashley replied, "Is that the word your heart would choose or the one your mind toned it down to? Seems a little underwhelming when saying she is perfect."

"Fine," Marshall surrendered with a little laugh, "She is the most beautiful pup I've ever seen, from her nose to the tip of her tail."

"See, was that so hard to admit?" Ashley inquired.

"Yes!" Marshall retorted.

"Why is that?" Ashley asked.

"Because," Marshall rejoined, "She basically a perfect 10 and I'm a middling 7 on a good day. I'm silly and clumsy and not perfect; she could do so much better than me."

"Oh Marshall," Ashley leaned over and gave the Dalmatian a hug, "You are definitely more than that. You've been with us for only a few weeks and I see that. The problem is your valuation of your self-worth. I could sit here and prove to you how great you are until I'm blue in the face and it won't change a thing until you believe it. Also, newsflash, none of us are perfect; if you make that your standard you will always be disappointed with yourself and her. She may seem perfect but everyone has flaws so when you get around to finding hers, just be accepting and you'll be just fine. Finally, let me ask you this, has she ever flirted with you?"

"Yes, occasionally quite heavily" Marshall admitted.

"Then you don't need to worry about whether she likes you or not" Ashley told him, "You already have your answer. Nothing you've said suggests that she is a play girl and would flirt with you if she didn't actually like you. If you were my kid, I'd be telling you to tell her how you feel right now. Since she isn't here, I understand why you may want to wait until you are home. But you should tell her as soon as you feel comfortable, maybe even before given your self-confidence issue, but definitely not long after you get back at the latest."

Marshall considered everything that Ashley had said, "Thanks Ashley. You know, we don't have a mom figure at the lookout. Times like this make me think we need one."

"You absolutely need one" Ashley confirmed, "And not just Katie, nothing against her but she doesn't have mom experience. We'll put my number in your pup tag, that way you can call me whenever you or any of the other pups need a mom."

"Thanks Ashley" Marshall said while giving her a hug. "You should come visit sometime."

"Absolutely, once you are back we'll find a week or weekend for it" Ashley confirmed.

Their revere was broken by a woman screaming. Turning their heads, they saw a collapsed figure on the ground. Instantly back on duty, Marshall and Ashley sprinted towards the downed person.

Getting closer, both realized it was one of the older celebrity golfers who was competing in the fundraiser tournament. Marshall cleared the fence separating the golfers from the spectators in a single leap but Ashley had to climb over. "What happened?" Marshall asked as he slid to a stop and started his initial check of the golfer.

"I don't know" his caddy responded, "We were walking, talking, waving to the fans when he stopped talking mid-sentence. Then he starting looking around like he didn't know where we were. He asked me what was going on and I told him but he seemed confused, like he didn't understand what I was saying. Then he started to wobble, complained that he felt dizzy and then collapsed."

"Thanks!" Marshall replied. He had confirmed that the man was breathing and had a carotid pulse but it was considerably weaker in his extremities. "Probably an Ischemic Stroke" Marshall said to Ashley who nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately, I don't have the TPA injection in my pack, the only ones we have are in the emergency medicine back on the trucks." Then Marshall spotted a yellow lab running up to them. "RAIN!" Marshall barked, "Tell Dave that we need the emergency medicine bag STAT!"

Rain barked in response and sprinted off towards the parking lot.

"Ashley, can you monitor blood pressure while I monitor his pulse and breathing?" Marshall asked.

Ashley nodded, pulling out her blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. "Ruff, Stethoscope!" Marshall barked. He placed the stethoscope right over then man's heart, listening to his heart beat for any signs of imminent cardiac arrest. He kept his other paw on the man's carotid pulse and his ear to his face, listening for any changes in pulse or ability to breathe.

Minutes passed.

Finally, Marshall heard a bark. He turned his head and saw Rain and Splash sprinting across the course with the emergency medicine bag in their teeth. They were running and jumping in perfect synchronization that Marshall could only momentarily marvel at. The two fire pups dropped the bag next to Marshall who immediately opened it and began searching for the TPA injector. Meanwhile, Ashley grabbed a cleaning swab from the side of the bag and cleaned where Marshall was going to inject the patient. "Ah Ha!" Marshall exclaimed, finally finding the correct injector.

Marshall carefully gave the injection and then stuck the used syringe needle first deep into the dirt so no would could accidentally get stuck by it. Then he carefully bandaged the injection side and applied a sticker to the band aid indicating the injection type and time. "Rain, Splash, we need the stretcher, and have the L-T clear a path out for Medic 25 so we can leave as soon as we are loaded up, stroke victim" Marshall directed the two girl pups.

"On it!" they replied in unison before taking off in different directions. Marshall and Ashley returned to monitoring their patient.

Rain was headed towards Dave, who was trying to fight his way through the crowd. Rain hopped up on the stretcher and barked to get everyone's attention. "We have a medical emergency, please clear a path!" She barked to everyone and almost magically a path opened up. Dave was finally able to push the stretcher quickly as Rain kept barking open a path, all the way to where Marshall and Ashley were.

Meanwhile, Splash reached LT Joe, Kelly and Pedro who were with the parked trucks. "L-T, Marshall says they have a stroke victim that needs to get to the hospital and they need a clear path out" Splash reported.

"Got it, Kelly, Pedro, tell the other units to clear out a path on the double" LT Joe directed his team as he reached for the radio. "Dispatch, Engine 25, Stroke victim at waterfront park, Medic 25 on scene, no assistance required."

"Dispatch copies Engine 25, advise when transporting."

"Engine 25 copies" LT Joe replied over the radio. Then he hopped up to see the path, it was about half way clear. "Splash, go help Rain get them a clear return path" LT Joe told the pup.

"Sure thing" Splash barked before running back towards the paramedics.

Dave and Rain had finally reached Marshall and Ashley. Dropping the stretcher down to ground level, Dave and Ashley carefully lifted the man onto the stretcher and belted him in. Marshall stuck the used injection needle into the sharps container on the stretcher and then jumped on so he could keep monitoring the golfer until they could get him hooked up in the ambulance. Raising the stretcher back up, Ashley guided them back out onto the path while Dave pushed. Rain was out front, trying to keep the path clear but it was much harder now, everyone wanted to take pictures or otherwise be a lookie-loo.

"Need a paw?" Splash asked as she ran up.

"What took you so long?" Rain asked as the two pups each took a side, enabling them to keep the path clear.

"Well I had to tell L-T what we needed, splash some water on my fur and run a quick comb through it. I can't be seen dry at a rescue, it just wouldn't be proper for a pup with water in her name" Splash replied. Both pup giggled at their inside joke and continued to bark a clear patch back to where Medic 25 was parked.

LT Joe was pleased, the path was finally clear and, even better, lined with firefighters and fire pups so that no people inadvertently got in the way. And just in time too he thought as he saw his fire pups and paramedics make their way through the last of the crowd. "Kelly, Pedro, help them get loaded up" he directed his two firefighters.

When they reached the ambulance. Pedro and Kelly immediately jumped in to help Ashley load the patient and Dave broke off to get Medic 25 ready to roll. Dave did a quick but thorough walk around to make sure everything was closed and they hadn't left anything behind. He pulled the parking chalks from the wheels and stored them away. Then he hopped in the driver's seat, ran his eyes over the instruments for any unusual indications and activated the lights before starting the engine; Medic 25 roared to life. Everything looked good so Dave looked back into the body of the ambulance. The patient was inside and Marshall was hooking him up to the ambulance's monitoring system. The doors shut and Dave heard the double hand tap on the back doors, indicating everyone was clear. Dave hit the siren and carefully negotiated their way out of the parking lot. "Dispatch, Medic 25, transporting stroke victim to general, code 3.

"Roger Medic 25" dispatch acknowledged.

As they drove off, Skipper, who had been watching the whole thing, joined the Engine 25 crew. "Good work team" he said, patting them all on the back and giving behind the ear scratches to Rain and Splash.

"I'm actually surprised that we kept incident command" LT Joe answered, "I expected TF 1, TF 2 or TF 3 to try and assume command."

"They know better" Skipper replied, "The only reason that they would try that is if we needed their trucks. Remember, every single one of them came through LF 25 at some point and they wouldn't interfere with the best unit in the city. Plus, by not getting involved it guarantees that I have to field the press which they consider payback for all the times I made them do it in training."

The team laughed as they went back to showing off Engine 25 and fielding questions from all the wound up kids and muckrakers.