(A/N: I do not own Paw Patrol, enjoy!)
Ultimate Rescue: Glacier Part 3
"What happened to Marshall?!" Cinder's soft voice cried out through the tag.
Everest paused before answering.
"Answer me, Everest!" Cinder softly demanded.
"Let me start with saying he is fine," Everest softly said.
"That remains to be seen," Cinder softly challenged, "where is Marsh?"
"Inside a crevasse" Everest admitted hesitantly.
"How far did he fall?" Cinder softly asked after a momentary pause.
"Quite a ways" Everest replied, "but he bounced off the sides of the crevasse most of the way down."
"How far was the final drop?" Cinder softly asked.
"Fifty, maybe 75 feet," Everest replied.
"Any idea how he landed?" Cinder softly asked.
"No," Everest admitted, "but he has been acting normal ever since. His tag was damaged so Rocky had to set up a makeshift relay to talk to him."
"That would be why his tag isn't responding" Cinder softly replied. "When you see him again, check his chest for injury"
"His chest?" Everest yipped with surprise, "why his chest?"
"Because when he fell, I felt the impact in my chest and it felt like more than just the wind being knocked out. Also, I can still feel his pain which means that something is likely still wrong" Cinder softly explained.
"Oh" Everest replied with concern in her voice. If Marshall is actually hurt, we will need to hurry in the morning to get him out safely. And, of course, he is either oblivious to it or just working through it. "I'll make sure he is ok."
"Thank you" Cinder said with a relieved sigh. At least I know Everest will give him a thurough examination she thought with a smile. "When do you think you'll be done with your Ultimate Rescue?"
"Probably tomorrow" Everest replied, "we have to get Marshall and the patient he is with out of the crevasse, which will probably take all day."
"Ok, I'll be there tomorrow night" Cinder softly informed her.
"Tomorrow night?" Everest yipped in surprise, "what is wrong?"
Cinder shot Skipper a glare before continuing, "Skipper is making me take a few days off" Cinder softly tried to sidestep the question.
"You can't fool me Cinder" Everest softly chastised the Dalmatian, prompting Skipper to grin triumphantly, "something is wrong, tell me what it is."
Cinder softly sighed, "we had a major incident with fatalities," eliciting a soft gasp from Everest, "and Skipper says I need to take some time off to process everything."
"You do need the time off" Skipper chimed in, "and not just for that."
"I agree" Everest added. "You work too hard and don't take enough time off to come see me. I need more Dalmatian love in my life."
Augie's twitch of confusion wasn't lost on Cinder who smirked as she softly answered, "isn't Marshall enough for you."
"Absolutely not" Everest responded, "I'm the husky filling in a Dalmatian sandwich, I need both of you."
"Greedy" Cinder softly laughed, "what if I want to cuddle with someone else?"
"Bring them along, we'll make it a cuddle party" Everest replied without missing a beat before laughing. Cinder joined her in laughter.
"I'll be there tomorrow night" Cinder softly said when she stopped laughing.
"Good, we'll pick you at at the train station" Everest replied, "we love you!"
"I know" Cinder softly giggled, "love you too!"
"See, you feel a little better already" Skipper teased after Cinder hung up.
Cinder responded by sticking her tounge out at her Chief. "How long do you expect me to stay there?"
"I figured through next weekend" Skipper replied, "if you feel good next Sunday, you can come back. But feel free to take a second week if you need to."
"Ok, thanks Skipper" Cinder softly surrendered. Then she yawned. "I think it is time for bed."
"I think so too" Claire said with a yawn of her own. "Come on let's get some rest, goodnight all" she said, motioning for Darrell and Augie to follow her.
"Goodnight" Darrell added as he got up to follow.
"Goodnight" Augie finished, giving Cinder one last concerned look before following Claire and Darrell out.
As they walked out, Augie made a slight detour to talk to Rain and Splash who also happened to be walking out, now that their shift was over. "Hey, so what's the deal with Cinder and Everest?" he asked without preamble.
"Everest, Everest...who is Everest?" Splash asked back.
"Marshall's girlfriend silly" Rain replied with a roll of her eyes. "Marshall and Cinder are really close" Rain continued, "so naturally Cinder and Everest are really close too."
"Oh yeah, now I remember" Splash said, "she was that hot husky who came over on new years eve to cover the night shift, right?"
Rain nodded, "and you didn't hear it from me, but I'm pretty sure that Everest agreed to carry Cinder's pups if she ever finds a mate, even if Everest and Marshall break up."
"Wow, that is close" Augie said.
"But don't worry, you don't have to compete with Everest" Splash added.
"Huh?" Augie asked in surprise.
"What she means" Rain said, silencing Splash by closing her muzzle with her own paw, "is that Cinder and Everest are like sisters, not quite as close and Marshall and Cinder are, but about as close as can be given that they can't read each other's minds."
"Ok, cool, thanks" Augie said before hurrying to catch up to Darrell and Claire.
"You have all the subtlety of a paw grenade" Rain whispered when Augie was out of ear shot. "I ought to muzzle you."
"Don't threaten me with a good time" Splash replied with a laugh as they continued home.
"Get the Intel you needed?" Darrell asked as Augie joined him in their SUV.
"Huh?" Augie replied in confusion.
"I'll take that as a yes" Darrell said as he started the engine.
"I don't know what you are talking about " Augie said innocently before turning to look out the window.
"Sure you don't" Darrell said with a smile as they drove off.
Back at the foot of the glacier, Everest let out a long sigh. She brought up the feed from the comms relay that Rocky had setup. One upside to his hodge podge setup was that she didn't need an override code to check in on Marshall. Normally, only Ryder had the ability to force a call through on their tags but this rig didn't require any code because it was cobbled together on short notice, despite being made from a spare tag.
Everest gazed at Marshall's sound asleep form. He was curled up alongside Alex, using his body heat to keep the still unconscious boy warm. Everest sighed quietly as she couldn't see Marshall's chest at all, which is what she really needed to see. Well, it isn't stopping him from being amazing at his job Everest thought to herself. But then again, I doubt anything short of death would stop Marshall from doing his best. Everest watched Marshall sleep for a few minutes longer to ensure his breathing was steady before closing the connection and heading back inside the snowcat.
"Everything alright?" Ryder asked sleepily as Everest found her spot in the pile of pups again.
"I just had to answer to Cinder" Everest softly explained evasively, "and she is coming to see us tomorrow when this is all over."
"Sounds good" Ryder replied with a yawn before laying his head back down.
Everest smiled and did the same thing. Soon, sleep overtook the tired husky.
Everest awoke early the next morning before the others and slipped outside. Once again, she pulled up the video feed on the comms unit. She was surprised to find Marshall already awake and hauling the litter.
"Good morning Marshy" Everest said chipperly.
"Oh, good morning Eve" Marshall replied, turning his head to face the video pickup.
"You're up early" Everest commented.
"I just woke up and decided to get started" Marshall replied easily, "we have a ways to go today."
"True," Everest replied, "make sure you eat, drink and do not overexert yourself; I don't want you to get hurt too."
"Hey, it's me" Marshall said with a grin, "I'll be careful; see you soon."
"See you soon" Everest replied before disconnecting. Then the husky sighed. She still hadn't managed to get a good look at Marshall's chest but he seemed as bright eyed and bushy tailed as normal. Everest shook the thought from her mind for the moment as she got breakfast and their gear ready. When she was ready, she banged a metal spoon against one of the metal dishes.
"Breakfast!" Rubble yipped excitedly as he bulldozed his way out from the bottom of the pile of pups. He left a trail of half awake teammates splayed out in his wake as he beelined for his bowl.
"Well, that is one way to wake up" Rocky yawned as he picked himself off of the ground.
"Ay, my ears feel slightly squished" Tracker said as he joined them.
"Thanks Everest" Skye yipped happily as she bounced over to her bowl.
"Yeah, thank you" Chase added. Everest watched the police pup closely. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or sarcastic but she didn't have time for his drama this morning.
"Eat up pups, we have to get moving sooner rather than later" Everest said as the other pups and Ryder ate. "Marshall is already starting to move through the crevasse toward us."
"He is alweady up?" Zuma asked through a mouthful of kibble.
"Yup" Everest replied, "and fortunately, we do not need to bring much with us. Just extra water, food, and the ice rescue kit in case they get stuck."
"Are we all going in?" Skye asked.
"No," Everest replied with a shake of her head, "some of us will stay here just in case either group runs into trouble. That safety group will be me, Skye, Zuma, and Rocky. Tracker, Chase, Rubble and Ryder will go into the crevasse."
All the pups nodded in understanding. "If Marshall is bringing Alex out, why do we need to go in?" Tracker asked.
"Primarily to ensure Marshall has a clear path with the litter" Everest replied, "we don't know how wide the crevasse is throughout or if there are any blockages that need to be cleared. Second reason is to be available in case he needs help."
"Excelente" Tracker replied with a wag of his tail and ears.
With that, the team grabbed the gear the Everest had readied and headed into the crevasse. "They'll be fine" Skye whispered to Everest as they watched them disappear.
"It isn't them I'm worried about" Everest admitted. "Cinder called last night, she thinks something is wrong in Marshall's chest."
"Some sort of twin sense thing?" Skye softly asked.
Everest nodded, "and every time I talk to him he seams fine, which doesn't help at all."
Skye pondered for a moment as they walked into the command compartment on the snowcat train. "Well, all you can do it keep checking on him, and hopefully he asks for help when he needs it."
Everest barked a laugh, "we can hope. But more likely Marshall will just push through and get Alex out safe before collapsing in front of me."
"Fortunately, you know the best MEDEVAC pilot around" Skye said, trying to lighten the mood.
Everest nuzzled her best friend, "that I do. Hopefully you won't be needed." The two of them sat down in front of the mission display inside the snowcat to watch everything unfold.
Marshall was making good time. The litter was sliding easily on the ice and the trail through the crevasse was relatively smooth. It was quite surprising given that the glacier had split open in forming the crevasse but Marshall was not about to question his good fortune.
Suddenly, Alex groaned behind him. Marshall stopped the litter and ran back to check on the boy. "It's ok Alex, Marshall is here to take care of you" the paramedic pup said soothingly.
"Where am I?" Alex whimpered.
"On a litter sled inside the crevasse" Marshall replied, "you fell in when the glacier broke open and were knocked unconscious in the fall. I am taking you out to safety now."
"Thanks good" Alex replied with a sigh, "but I should be able to walk now that I am awake."
"Maybe not" Marshall said gently as he pushed Alex back down as the boy tried to stand up. "You broke your leg as well in the fall. I have it splinted but you definitely should not try to walk on it."
"I'm sorry for being a burden Marshall" Alex said with a sad sigh.
"Nonsense" Marshall replied with a snort, "you aren't a burden at all. I'm quite enjoying this icy trek. So sit back and enjoy the ride. You've had a hard 20ish hours."
"20 hours?" Alex asked incredulously, "that can't be right."
"Well, you fell late yesterday morning" Marshall carefully explained, "and you are just now regaining consciousness so, yes, you were unconscious for approximately 20 hours. I'm actually happy you are awake now, I was beginning to worry about you. How do you feel?"
"Stiff and sore" Alex replied with a groan, "and I feel trapped in here under all these blankets."
"That's to be expected" Marshall replied with a smile, "it will keep you safe and warm as we travel."
"I am definitely warm" Alex affirmed, "do you have any food or water?"
"I do in fact" Marshall replied before pushing both along the sled to the boy. "We have a ways to go so I'm going to get pulling again. Let me know if you need anything."
"Ok Marshall" Alex replied between bites and drinks.
Marshall winced slightly as he picked up the lead again. Apparently Alex isn't the only sore one he thought to himself, I should have stretched last night and this morning. The black spot on Marshall's chest had grown to the size of a quarter but the Dalmatian still didn't even notice it was there.
Elsewhere in the glacier, Ryder and the three pups faced a conundrum. "Which way do we go?" Rubble asked as the looked at a split in the trail through the crevasse.
"Can you hear Marshall, Tracker?" Ryder asked.
"No, not at all" Tracker replied sadly.
"Do we want to split up and try both paths?" Chase asked, turning to Ryder.
"We could" Ryder replied, "but normally that is a bad idea in this situation. If we split up, we can't help each other."
"But if we don't split up, we might miss Marshall entirely" Chase countered, "or he could see our tracks and head the wrong way."
"Fair points" Ryder conceded. "We can mark which way to go, which will also help us not to get lost on the way back."
At that moment the glacier shuddered, causing a bevy of small ice fragments to fall from the sides and down onto them.
"I think we would be better off sticking together" Rubble said nervously. Tracker nodded in agreement.
"That's what we'll do then" Ryder said definitively, "let's take the trail to the right." Ryder maked which way was back towards base camp and they set off down the trail.
Marshall and Alex chatted as the former pulled the latter on the litter sled through the crevasse. Eventually, they came to what looked like a clearing.
"Wow" Alex breathed as Marshall paused so that they could take all of it in. Almost impossibly, there was grass growing underneath where the glacier had split. The bright green blades danced in the sunlight leaking down from above. "How is it like this Marshall?"
"I'm not sure" Marshall replied, "I would have to ask Ryder." The pair stared at the scene for a few more moments before Marshall resumed pulling. As they reached the edge to the clearing, where the grass gave way to ice again, Marshall spotted something brown off to the side of the trail. "Do you see that?" Marshall said to Alex, pointing with his paw
"I do" Alex replied, "but I can't tell what it is."
"I'm going to go check it out" Marshall said, dropping the lead to the litter. Something didn't quite feel right.
As Marshall approached, he suddenly stopped and gasped in surprise.
"What is it Marshall?" Alex asked concernedly.
Marshall didn't respond as he bounded the last few feet to the shape. As he slid to a stop, the form resolved itself onto a pup, unconscious and half buried in the ice. "It's another pup!" Marshall barked backed to Alex as he frantically began digging the ice out from around the pup.
As he dug, he catalogued facts about the pup. It appeared to be a female Rhodesian Ridgeback, red wheaten in color but with a white star on her chest, and wearing a black collar with no information, just a metal shape dangling from it. Marshall wasn't in the habit of guessing ages but she was definitely younger, probably close to Zuma and Rubble in age. She had bruises all over her body and several deep cuts. It appeared that she had been bleeding pretty badly but her blood froze instead of forming scabs like normal. And she was as cold as the ice around her. Marshall grabbed the Rhodesian Ridgeback by the scruff on her neck and dragged her out of the ice hole.
Scooping the pup on his back, Marshall carried her back towards the litter. Marshall barked to activate the comms device.
Everest and Skye were chatting when Everest's tag beeped. With a swipe of her paw, Everest connected the call. The sight made her pause.
"Everest" Marshall said through the tag, "we found a hypothermic Rhodesian Ridgeback on our little hike. She is unconscious and injured as well. I'm going to patch her up and bring her with us."
"Copy" Everest said as she watched Marshall lay the unconscious pup down on the litter on top of Alex. "How bad is she?"
"Hard to say" Marshall replied as he began bandaging the unconscious pup. "She is dangerously cold but that may have saved her life by keeping her from bleeding to death. But once she is bandaged up, she should be safe to transport."
"Copy, with any luck Ryder, Chase, Rubble and Tracker will be there soon to help" Everest replied.
"No rush, I've got this" Marshall replied confidently.
"Hey, that's my line" Skye quipped with a laugh.
"But it fits" Marshall laughed, "and if I can't swipe a line from my sis, who can I swipe it from?"
"Doesn't mean I have to let it go unnoticed" Skye laughed in return.
"Anyway, I'm almost done here" Marshall said as he finished wrapping the pup in front of him. "We'll be moving along again shortly."
"Ok Marshall, I'll tell the other to get their tails in gear" Everest replied as they cut the connection.
"Just remember Everest, she is just a patient" Skye said.
"Huh?" Everest replied in surprise, "I'm not jealous of her being unconscious and hypothermic and almost bleeding out."
"No, just jealous of Marshall's paws all over her" Skye giggled.
Everest blushed slightly, "I wasn't even thinking about that until you said it."
"I was lonely down in the gutter" Skye giggled, "and now we get to tell Chase to get his tail in gear!"
"You can say that part" Everest replied with a smirk as she dialed Ryder.
"Hey Everest, what's up?" Ryder answered on his pup pad.
"Marshall found an injured pup on his way back" Everest replied, "he is almost done treating her and will be moving again soon. But I think he would appreciate the help."
"Copy that Everest, we'll see if we can pick up the pace" Ryder replied.
"Get that tail of yours in gear Chase!" Skye yipped. Both pups burst out laughing as they caught Chase's surprised and indignant look right before Everest ended the call.
"How are we going to get her warm Marshall?" Alex asked.
"I'm going to slide her under the blankets with you" Marshall replied, "that way she will be secure and warm. But I will need you to monitor her breathing as we keep going."
"Ok Marshall" Alex replied uncertainly.
"You do fine" Marshall said, patting Alex on the shoulder. "And hopefully it will be a smooth trip."
Meanwhile, Ryder, Chase, Rubble and Tracker were staring at a icy wall. "Es tan alto, how do we get up?" Tracker asked.
"More importantly, how would Marshall get down it?" Chase wondered.
"Honestly, he would probably slide down" Ryder replied,"see how it is angled? It would be a bit steep but I can totally see Marshall sliding down."
"Maybe, but how will he get the litter down safely? It is to steep to just slide that down" Rubble pointed out.
"If I am at the top, I could use my winch to lower it down slowly" Chase said.
"Great idea Chase" Ryder said with a smile, "now to just get us up to the top."
"Ruff, grapple!" Chase barked and his grapple shot all the way up to the top. It latched onto a fairly sturdy chunk of ice. Chase pulled on it to make sure it was solid before starting up the ice wall.
"Easy as treats" Chase said as he reached the top.
"Easy for you Amigo" Tracker replied , "but what about the rest of us?"
Chase reply was to shoot his grapple back down to the bottom. It landed right in front of Tracker, who jumped back in surprise. "I'll anchor this end" Chase explained, "while all of you climb up."
"Let's go pups" Ryder said. And with that, all of them began climbing up the ice wall.
Chase felt his paws starting to slip under the weight. But he dug his claws into the ice and held firm until all of them were safely up.
"Phew, that was a workout" Rubble said, taking a few deep breaths.
"Light workout" Chase replied with a smirk, "now let's keep going and find Marshall."
"Marshall, she is waking up" Alex informed the Dalmatian.
"Uncover her head" Marshall directed as he stopped the litter sled and came over.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback's eyes fluttered as she tried to open them. "Where am I?" she barked nervously, finding herself under a blanket on top of a person she didn't know, staring at a Dalmatian she didn't know either.
"Shhh, calm down" Marshall said soothingly, running a paw comfortingly down her side. "My name is Marshall and I'm a paramedic with the Paw Patrol. We are going to get you out of here."
"Where is here?" the Rhodesian Ridgeback asked nervously, craning her head to look around.
"We found you inside a crevasse on Sabertooth Glacier" Marshall carefully explained, "you were unconscious, hypothermic, and had some deep cuts. We found you and bandaged up your wounds and have kept you warm as we brought you out."
The Rhodesian Ridgeback started to pant and Marshall felt her pulse quicken.
"Shhh, calm down, it's ok, we weill take care of you" Marshall said gently, "you are going to put yourself into shock if you keep this up."
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the Rhodesian Ridgeback barked, springing off of the litter. One of her paws smacked Marshall's jaw and knocked him into his back with a graceless flop.
She landed and leaped like she was going to sprint away but instead fell flat on her tummy with a painful cry. "My hip hurts so bad!" she whined pitifully.
"Let me take a look" Marshall said softly as he picked himself up.
"No, you stay away from me!" the Rhodesian Ridgeback barked aggressively at him.
Marshall pointedly ignored her. "Ruff, X-ray!" he barked instead.
The growling immediately stopped and was replaced with startled confusion.
Marshall took advantage of her shock and quickly scanned her hip joints. "You dislocated your back right leg" Marshall said, looking at the X-ray display. "I'm going to have to fix that. It will hurt a lot, do you want something for the pain?"
"I'm tough, I don't need anything from you" the Rhodesian Ridgeback replied testily.
"By the way, what is your name?" Marshall asked innocently.
"TexAHHHH!" the pup shrieked as Marshall used the momentary distraction to forcibly slip the joint back into place.
"I'm sorry, it didn't quite catch that" Marshall said as he massaged the joint with his paws.
"Texas, my name is Texas" the Rhodesian Ridgeback panted.
"Well Texas, you need to stay off you leg for a bit" Marshall explained, "and you are still quite cold so I'm going to put you back on the stretcher and cover you up, is that ok?"
"Sure, just please don't do that again" Texas whined.
Marshall smirked in victory as he scooped Texas onto his back and carried her back to the litter. Texas yelped in pain when Marshall tried to lay her down however.
"What's wrong?" Marshall asked concernedly.
"I don't know" Texas replied, "it just really hurt when you started to lay me down, like a sharp pain shooting through my left thigh."
"Hmm"Marshall said thoughtfully, "Alex, can you hold up Texas's hind quarters while I check this out?"
"I'll try Marshall" Alex replied. He nervously help up Texas's back end while she supported her own front end.
Quick as a flash, Marshall began examining Texas. Texas yelped in pain as Marshall ran his paw aver her flank. "Well that is inconvenient" Marshall stated, "Texas, you have an ice sliver in your left thigh muscle. It will heal fine on its own once the ice melts. I'm going to bandage it up so it does not get infected, but this will make our trek a bit more challenging."
"How so?" Texas asked, watching Marshall closely as he bandaged her.
"Because I can't really lay you down on either side, I'm going to have to carry you" Marshall replied. "Not an ideal situation but still workable."
"Great, now I'm being fully carried by a stranger" Texas replied.
"It's not so bad" Marshall added cheerily, "it could be way worse. I'll put a blanket over you to keep you insulated."
"Ok" Texas replied uncertainly.
Marshall scooped Texas onto his back again and tossed a blanket on top of her. He carefully tucked the edges up so that he wouldn't trip over then. "All comfy cozy?" he asked.
"Surprisingly, yes" Texas replied. The Rhodesian Ridgeback finally let herself relax and felt the pain decrease to a dull throb.
"Let's go then" Marshall said as he grabbed rope for the litter and began pulling again.
Meanwhile, Ryder and Chase and crew were scrambling over ice boulders. It was just like normal bouldering but on a much more slippery surface.
"You can do it Tracker" Chase encouraged, "just a bit farther."
"You said the several ice boulders ago Amigo" Tracker protested.
"But I think he means it this time" Ryder laughed, "I can see the end of this stretch."
"Wonderful" Rubble panted from the back in of the pack, "I am definitely built for brute strength, this scrambling climbing thing is not for me."
"Sounds like I know what to tell Skye to focus our team workouts on" Chase teased.
Suddenly, Ryder's pup pad beeped. "What's up Everest?' Ryder asked when he answered.
"Ryder" Everest began, "have you seen Marshall yet?"
"Not yet" Ryder replied, "is there something wrong?"
"Yes and no" Everest replied. "Marshall found another pup in the crevasse. He treated her and is bringing her out too. But on the map it looks like you have passed his location. I'm sending Skye up to see if there is a split somewhere or if the crevasse is just a windy path."
"Ok Everest" Ryder replied, "we'll keep moving and hopefully find him soon. He has got to be getting tired carrying all that weight."
"He isn't" Everest replied mater of factly.
"He could be running on adrenaline at this point" Chase offered, "which means he'll just collapse when this is over or when his body has nothing left."
"We'll hurry Everest" Ryder promised, "and hopefully it is just a little switchback or something."
"So Texas, tell us about yourself" Marshall said conversationally.
"Umm, do you mind going first?" Texas replied hesitantly.
"Sure" Marshall replied, "my name is Marshall and I'm the fire and rescue pup on the Paw Patrol. I'm also a certified paramedic. The Paw Patrol functions as the emergency services for Adventure Bay and the Surrounding area. We are a team up pups, led by Ryder who happens to be a boy genius. We are basically a family."
"I'll go next" Alex chimed in, "my name is Alex and I live in Adventure Bay with my grandpa, he runs the grocery store and cafe. I've lived there as long as I can remember."
Texas felt Marshall stiffen slightly beneath her. She had been about to asked Alex why he lived his grandpa and not his parents but something about that change told her to save that question for another time.
"The Paw Patrol is the best" Alex continued, not noticing, "they take care of everything and everyone when they are in trouble or need help."
"Whenever you are in trouble, just yelp for help" Marshall said with a smile.
"Well, I'm not really that interesting" Texas said softly.
"You may not think so" Marshall said, turning to look at Texas over his shoulder, "but we would still like to hear your story."
Something about the sincerity in Marshall's face and words helped Texas to relax. "Well," she began, "I was born in the state of Texas and learned a lot about ranching from my parents. Then I decided to see the world elsewhere."
"I thought I recognized that shape on your collar" Marshall said, "is it the shape of the state of Texas?"
"It is" Texas replied, "we lived near Marble Falls and raised horses and cattle. I'm a really good cow-pup."
"Cool, so what brings you all the way out here?" Marshall asked.
Texas paused for a moment before answering, "just exploring" she finally answered.
Marshall sensed that there was more to it than that but decided to respect her privacy and let it go for the moment. "Well, you are in luck because there is a lot to explore in Adventure Bay and the surrounding areas."
"Do tell" Texas replied, happy for the change in subject.
"Come in Ryder" Skye said over her tag
"We read you Skye, go ahead" Ryder replied back.
"The path in the crevasse did split, and it looks like Marshall is not on the same path that you are" Skye reported glumly.
"Understood Skye" Ryder replied with a sigh. He had chosen the wrong path.
"The good news" Skye continued happily, "is that where you are right now is close to the other path. All you need to do is have Rubble jackhammer through the wall to your left about ten feet deep."
"Uh, is that safe?" Chase asked uncertainly.
"Not really" Everest chimed in, "do the paths cross at any other point Skye?"
"They do not appear to" Skye replied back, "and I don't see any thinner spots nearby either."
"It's your call Ryder" Everest said.
Ryder thought for a moment. "We'll give it a shot" he finally stated.
"Copy Ryder, we'll let Marshall know" Everest replied.
"Come in Marshall" Everest said over the comms relay.
"Ah!" Texas yelped in surprise, "Who is that? Where is it coming from?"
"We have a special way of communicating" Marshall explained, reaching up to pat Texas gently to calm her back down. "Usually it is through our pup tags, but I broke mine so it is coming though a special communications device. It is voice as well as video." Marshall turned back to face the camera and projection, revealing a slightly amused looking Everest watching them. "That is Everest, our mountain rescue pup and the leader for this mission. We are here Everest."
"That's good to hear" Everest replied, "just so you are aware Marshall, Ryder and his team took a split in the path that doesn't join up with you so Rubble is going to jackhammer a way through for them to get to the path you are on."
"Understood, hopefully the whole crevasse doesn't collapse when they do that" Marshall remarked.
"They will go slow and be careful" Everest promised, "how are you and your patients doing?"
"Alex is good, still in the litter because of his broken leg" Marshall explained for Texas's benefit, "and this is Texas. I relocated right hind leg joint into the hip socket and she has an ice splinter in her left thigh so she can't put weight on either leg which is why I am carrying her. Her temperature is coming up nicely though and she is stable."
"Understood" Everest replied, "make the best time you can so we can get all of you out of there."
"Will do" Marshall replied before cutting the connection.
"You didn't tell her how you were doing" Texas pointed out.
"Whoopsy" Marshall said but the smirk on his face told Texas that his omission may have been on purpose.
Why wouldn't he tell his team leader how he is doing? Texas wondered to herself and they got moving again. No one noticed the spot on Marshall's chest had grown to be the size of a tennis ball.
"Marshall didn't say how he was doing" Skye pointed out to Everest. She had just gotten back from her reconnaissance flight.
"No, he didn't" Everest replied with a sigh, "he isn't thinking about himself, just his patients."
"Do you think he is going to overwork himself?" Skye asked concernedly.
"I am certain his is going to" Everest replied, "and I can't stop him from doing it either. I just hope that he makes it back before he writes a check his body can't cash."
Skye nodded in agreement.
"Here is the best spot" Rubble explained to Ryder, Chase and Tracker. "Tracker, can you listen to see if you start hearing ice cracking other than where I am working?"
"Soy todo oídos, I'm all ears!" Tracker replied happily.
"Chase and Ryder, please clear the broken ice pieces away as we go so it doesn't create a slip or trip hazard" Rubble further directed.
"Chase is on the case!" Chase replied.
"Ok buddy" Ryder replied.
"Ruff, drill!" Rubble barked and his drill popped out of his pup pack. He began by carefully drilling out the corners of where he would make the passage so that the cracks would not spread. Then, Rubble drilled several additional holes for the cracks to gravitate towards to further contain the spread. Once that part was completed, Rubble switched to his jackhammer and started using it to break chunks of ice off.
It was slightly slow going because Rubble had to frequently stop to allow Chase and Ryder to clear out the broken pieces of ice. "How close are we to being through?" Chase asked after a while.
"About half way" Rubble replied, "I couldn't drill deep enough to make this happen in one set without risking the whole thing coming crashing down."
"And we don't want that" Ryder added.
"So far, no other cracking" Tracker reported.
"Good" Rubble replied, "hopefully the rest of this will go just as smoothly."
"How far do you think we have to go?" Texas asked Marshall, looking up at the sky. The light was just beginning to fade.
"I don't know" Marshall replied, "we've been making good time all day I think, but I don't know how far we had to go to begin with."
"Would Everest be able to tell us?" Texas asked.
"She would, that's a great idea Texas" Marshall yipped happily. "Alex, can you hit the call button please?"
"Sure thing Marshall" Alex replied, leaning forward to hit the button.
"Go ahead Marshall" Everest responded almost immediately.
"Out of curiosity, how far do we have left to go?" Marshall asked, looking over his shoulder at the camera pick-up.
"Not too much farther," Everest informed him, "you are making great time and should be out within the hour."
"Great news" Marshall replied happily, "now where are Ryder and Chase and the other slow pokes?"
"Hurry up guys" Chase panted as they walked briskly along the trail. It had not taken long for Rubble to break through to the other side of the ice wall. As soon as they cleared away the debris, they found the tracks from Marshall and the litter.
They had tried to run to catch up but despite the smoother trail, Rubble had almost immediately gone sliding into an icy embankment. Fortunately, he had not seriously injured himself, barely sprained his paw which Tracker had expertly wrapped, but they all agreed that it was best to proceed at a safe speed.
Not that being safe was making Chase any happier about it. "At this rate Marshall will make it all the way back before we catch up to him" Chase tried to galvanize them into moving slightly faster.
"Cool your paws" Ryder said gently, "we can't afford for any of us to get hurt."
"What's bothering you Chase?" Rubble asked.
"I just feel like if Marshall makes it back before us, we'll have wasted the whole day for nothing" Chase whined.
"Entiendo a mi amigo, I know how you feel" Tracker gently explained, "but Ryder is right, if any of us get hurt it will be way worse. It is better for us to get there late but safe than to not make it because we got hurt. Then Marshall would come back for us."
"I know" Chase acknowledged, "that doesn't mean I'm happy about it."
"Marshall will understand Chase" Ryder said, pausing to rub his police pup comfortingly behind the ears, "and so far he hasn't needed our help."
"He hasn't said he needs our help" Chase corrected ominously before taking off down the trail again.
"Are you ok Marshall?" Texas asked. The Dalmatian was starting to pant harder and harder.
"I'll be fine" Marshall replied between pants, "I have never dropped a patient before and I certainly won't start now."
"I'm sure you can take a break if needed" Alex added.
"We are almost there" Marshall retorted, "it is just psychological. My body thinks it is tired because we are near the end. If we had longer to go, it would think everything was fine."
"I'm not sure that is how that works Marshall" Texas said uncertainly.
"Totally how it works" Marshall laughed.
Texas turned to look back at Alex. Neither said it, but they were thinking the same thing.
Everest was sitting outside the snowcat, semi-patiently waiting for Marshall to show up. Skye, Rocky and Zuma were sitting next to her. They had watched Marshall's approach on the monitor, along with the rapid closure of Ryder's team, and they should be coming out of the crevasse any minute.
"This is going to be a photo finish" Skye yipped excitedly.
"I wonder who is going to win" Rocky said, cocking his head to the side, "it seemed like Marshall was getting a second wind right as we walked out but Ryder, Chase, Tracker and Rubble were closing fast."
"I bet you a tweat it will be Mawshall" Zuma said with a smile.
"You're on" Rocky agreed and the two shook paws on it.
"Look!" Skye yipped. The bushes that marked the entrance to the crevasse were rustling. The pups waited with baited breath to see who would emerge.
Marshall strode out of the crevasse, with a red Wheaton Rhodesian Ridgeback on his back under a blanket, Alex in the litter similarly bundled. His helmet was dented but there was no mistaking the implacable determination in his eyes.
And it was the most beautiful thing to Everest who let out a sigh as she, Skye, Rocky and Zuma got up and started walking towards him.
There was more rattling of the bush as Chase came scrambling out before sliding to a stop next to Marshall. Behind him came Ryder, Tracker and Rubble.
"There you are" Marshall teased Chase with a smile, "I was wondering where you went."
"We took the long way" Chase replied, "what can we do to help?"
"This is Texas" Marshall replied, nodding to the Rhodesian Ridgeback on his back, "she dislocated her right hip joint and has an ice splinter in her left thigh. Can you take over holding her so I can check the splinter?"
"Sure thing" Chase said, sliding up next to Marshall.
Texas was a little uncertain about this process but was surprised at how easy Chase and Marshall completed the swap without jarring her or causing any pain.
"Ryder," Marshall said as he knelt down next to Texas's thigh, "can you carry Alex to the snowcat for transport back please?"
"Sure thing Marshall" Ryder replied.
Zuma and Tracker came up on either side of Marshall as he examined Texas. "Ok, it looks like it melted enough to remove" Marshall said. "Ruff, tweezers!" he barked and the tool extended from his pup pack. "This might hurt a little, Texas," Marshall said gently, "but you'll feel better once it is out."
"Ok Marshall" Texas said nervously.
"Don't worry dudette, Mawshall is the best" Zuma added, moving around in front to help Texas focus on something other than Marshall.
Skillfully, Marshall grabbed the ice splinter with his tweezers and pulled. Texas yelped at the immediate pain but it started subsiding almost immediately.
"Good, cleanly out" Marshall said happily. "Now I just need to…" Marshall stopped mid-sentence when he saw the look Everest was giving him. "Zuma, Tracker," Marshall continued, "go ahead and do a quick saline flush and dress the puncture. Give Texas something for pain if she needs it."
"You got it dude" Zuma replied, leading Texas, still on Chase's back, toward the snowcat.
"Vamos" Tracker added as he and Skye followed behind, leaving Marshall and Everest alone.
"What's wrong?" Marshall asked softly.
Everest was silent for a moment. "Something happened in Heartland, Cinder will be here tonight" she finally said.
"Oh" Marshall replied, he strained to feel his sister, to reach out and touch her mind. But she had always been the better listener while he was better at projecting his thoughts. I love you Cin, we are here for you! he thought as hard as he could.
Far away, Cinder was getting on the train when she heard him in her mind and smiled to herself. See you soon Marsh.
"But more importantly, I need to examine you" Everest continued.
"What? Why?" Marshall asked in surprise.
"Because" Everest replied, stepping closer and her voice dropping to almost a whisper, "Cinder felt your 'landing' all they way in Heartland and could still feel the pain when we last talked." Marshall paled at that revelation. "So I'm going to make sure you are ok while the others handle the cooperative patients."
Everest paused as she looked down at Marshall's chest, noticing the large black spot for the first time. It had grown to almost the size of a watermelon. "You have a new spot on your chest" she said worriedly.
"Huh?" Marshall said in surprise, looking down and seeing it for the first time as well. "Dalmatians don't get new spots…"
Everest gently put a paw on it and Marshall involuntarily sucked in a breath through his teeth. "You definitely hurt something in the fall" Everest said, gently continuing to feel around, "but I don't feel any broken bones. How do you feel?"
"Alright, just a little tired" Marshall replied. Everest noticed that it appeared as though his gums were slightly blue in color.
"Something is wrong Marshy" Everest said softly.
"Oh" Marshall replied, his eyes slowly losing focus, "then it is a good thing you are here..." With that, Marshall lost consciousness and collapsed.
"TRACKER!" Everest barked, immediately diving down to feel Marshall's pulse.
"What happened?" Tracker yipped as he dashed back.
"Marshall just collapsed," Everest informed him while she measured his pulse, "and he has a new spot on his chest, take a listen to see what you hear." Marshall pulse was faster than normal, and weak.
"Ruff, stethoscope!" Tracker barked. His pup pack placed them over his ears. Bending down, he listened carefully. "His heartbeat is very rapid and not quite even, and I think I hear blood leaking out with each beat" Tracker reported.
"Internal bleeding" Everest diagnosed, we need to get him to a hospital now; SKYE!"
"What's wrong?" Skye yipped as she ran up.
"Get your copter ready for immediately MEDEVAC, Marshall is bleeding into his chest" Everest directed.
"On my way!" Skye barked in reply as she dashed off.
"Rocky! Rubble!" Everest barked, "get the litter from Skye's copter, now!"
Rocky and Rubble barked an acknowledgement and took off.
"What's going on?" Texas asked, noticing the immediate increase in activity.
"I don't know" Chase replied, he had heard Everest start barking orders but not what it was about.
"Don't fweak out Chase" Zuma said gently, putting a paw on his shoulder, "but Mawshall just collapsed, Evewest and Twacker think he is bleeding intewnally."
"What?!" Chase practically shrieked.
"Calm down Chase" Zima said again, squeezing the Shepard's shoulder with his paw, "they will take cawe of him."
Chase said nothing, just stood there whimpering as he watched Rocky and Rubble run past with the litter.
"Right here" Everest pointed next to Marshall with her paw. Rocky and Rubble set the litter down next to the unconscious Dalmatian. "Ok, you two get him on; Tracker, keep listening, I'm going to get the portable oxygen kit" Everest directed.
Carefully, Rocky and Rubble moved Marshall onto the litter. All the while, Tracker kept listening. Everest almost immediately returned with the oxygen kit and laid the cylinder next to Marshall on the litter. Sparing a moment to kiss Marshall's forehead, Everest slipped the mask over his muzzle, snugged it down and verified that he had good oxygen flow.
"His breathing seems normal" Tracker reported after a moment, "but his pulse is still rapid and weak.
Skye landed her copter next to them. "Ready Everest" she called out.
"Load him up" Everest directed Rocky and Rubble, "Tracker go with him, keep him as stable as you can."
"Prometo, I will" Tracker replied as he jumped up alongside Marshall. Everest tossed him the emergency bag and help him strap in.
Once Tracker as all secure, Everest backed up and Tracker signalled Skye that he was ready. Skye lifted her helicopter up, rotor blades beating the air into submission as she raced towards Adventure Bay hospital.
"Hang in there Marshall" Everest whispered to herself as she watched the white and pink helicopter disappear.
A/N: Special thanks to PawPatrolAllStars for bringing his character Texas into the story. Her story is just beginning so stay tuned for more!
A/N: Hello there my loyal readers, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I'm sorry I have not been posting as often as I want but life has been quite busy, including my car getting stolen. A less than ideal situation to be sure but I want to share somethings that helped me go through the process. First was realizing that nothing of significant value, either monetary or emotional, was taken fortunately. The second was a super useful YouTube channel that helped me through the car buying process, it is called TheHomeworkGuy and they have a lot of great videos to help you, and they absolutely work. They also have a website with lots of free resources to help you as well.
So, with that out of the way, here are the project updates in order of priority. First, A Cause For Every Fire is continuing, hopefully still with updates every two weeks or so. I have 6(!) Ask Everest Out plans that you, my imaginative readers, have suggested so I will sprinkle those in as I finish them. Thirdly, I am going to be combining my stories EMS Training, Paramedic Pup, Ultimate Rescue Plane Crash, and Everest's Recovery into one cohesive narrative that can be read from cover to cover without any accidental spoilers, just as if you read each chapter in those stories as they wrote them. I may make some minor changes and hopefully catch any remaining spelling errors in that process. I won't be taking the originals down and I have not worked out how I'm going to post it yet, but it will be a project in the near to mid term future. If you have other things you want to see, let me know! I'm always open to feedback. Take care my readers!