Marshall quickly pulled a hose line as he ran towards the building as he did he checked the rest of his team the onetime his sister asked him to cover a shift for one of her team who was out sick sure cinder said it was a one week thing but now they had been working every day since then. He sighed as he began to push through the building suddenly a Saint Bernard fire pup ran in front of the Dalmatian blocking Marshalls path"hey " he shouted the St. Bernard turned around Marshall recognized him almost immediately "hank?"he asked
The Saint Bernard turned around and grinned behind his scba mask "Marshall that you he asked the Dalmatian "yes its me" Marshall replied "longtime no see man how you doing "
"pretty good I'm planning going for a promotion to lieutenant soon the chief is considering me" hank smiled
"that's great man you deserve it"
They then started going deeper into the building suddenly hank froze "Marshall get down he said as he tackled Marshall to the ground as a fireball came through the building catching them both in it but luckily a ladder from the next floor up fell right over top of them protecting them from the flames.
Marshall heard the crackle of the burning fire and the sound of people screaming when he opened his eyes he saw that hank had been thrown to the other of the room and was not moving Marshall quickly keyed his radio "mutual aid help is needed at 200 34th street apartment 3R multiple entrapment need back-up firefighters down" as he reached down he grabbed hanks collar bringing the dog close to him with his mask he saw it was burnt and full of ash but there was a spark of life in those golden eyes "get up Hank or you die" he growled, Hank didn't reply but Marshall saw something in his eye that told him he wasn't dead yet so he tried harder
"HANK GET UP!"Marshall screamed again at him
He continued trying to drag the dog up until a fireman gave him a hand finally getting Hank on the ground and pulling him away from the scene and quickly got him to an ambulance and to the hospital Everest ran up to Marshall after the ambulance had left
"Who was that guy"the husky asked her boyfriend as she ran up.
"Guy I knew in the fire academy his name's hank he's a great guy. But the doctors say he may not make it."
Everest started crying tears fell down her face "oh poor guy I hope he makes it "she whispered
Marshall went over to Everest hugged her tightly .
"'Me too Everest me too". Marshall said soon the fire was out as they were packing Marshalls sister cinder walked up she looked solemnly at Marshall and Everest Marshall caught her look" something wrong cinder "
"Marshall" cinder began "I just got a call from the hospital "hank didn't make it he never regained consciousness". She paused "We need to go tell everyone". Marshall nodded "ok let's go". The two dogs headed off to the station
as they approached they saw everyone there hanging over the desk waiting. Marshall broke through first the fire fighters saw him instantly.
"He didn't make it Chief"
Cinder nodded sadly as she followed the other firemen Marshall quickly pulled a hose line as he ran towards the building as he did he checked the rest of his team the onetime his sister asked him to cover a shift for one of her team who was out sick sure cinder said it was a one week thing but now they had been working every day since then. He sighed as he began to push through the building suddenly a Saint Bernard fire pup ran in front of the Dalmatian blocking Marshalls path"hey " he shouted the St. Bernard turned around Marshall recognized him almost immediately "hank?"he asked
The Saint Bernard turned around and grinned behind his scba mask "Marshall that you he asked the Dalmatian "yes its me" Marshall replied "longtime no see man how you doing "
"pretty good I'm planning going for a promotion to lieutenant soon the chief is considering me" hank smiled
"that's great man you deserve it"
They then started going deeper into the building suddenly hank froze "Marshall get down he said as he tackled Marshall to the ground as a fireball came through the building catching them both in it but luckily a ladder from the next floor up fell right over top of them protecting them from the flames.
Marshall heard the crackle of the burning fire and the sound of people screaming when he opened his eyes he saw that hank had been thrown to the other of the room and was not moving Marshall quickly keyed his radio "mutual aid help is needed at 200 34th street apartment 3R multiple entrapment need back-up" as he reached down he grabbed hanks collar bringing the dog close to him with his mask he saw it was burnt and full of ash but there was a spark of life in those golden eyes "get up Hank or you die" he growled, Hank didn't reply but Marshall saw something in his eye that told him he wasn't dead yet so he tried harder
"HANK GET UP!"Marshall screamed again at him
He continued trying to drag the dog up until a fireman gave him a hand finally getting Hank on the ground and pulling him away from the scene and quickly got him to an ambulance and to the hospital Everest ran up to Marshall after the ambulance had left
"Who was that guy"the husky asked her boyfriend as she ran up.
"Guy I knew in the fire academy his name's hank he's a great guy. But the doctors say he may not make it."
Everest started crying tears fell down her face "oh poor guy I hope he makes it "she whispered
Marshall went over to Everest hugged her tightly .
"'Me too Everest me too". Marshall said soon the fire was out as they were packing Marshalls sister cinder walked up she looked solemnly at Marshall and Everest Marshall caught her look" something wrong cinder "
"Marshall" cinder began "I just got a call from the hospital "hank didn't make it he never regained consciousness". She paused "We need to go tell everyone". Marshall nodded "ok let's go". The two dogs headed off to the station
as they approached they saw everyone there hanging around the fire trucks in the vehicle bay
"He didn't make it Chief?"one of the firefighters asked
Cinder nodded sadly as she followed the other firemen up stairs to a conference room where everyone else was gathered already some were crying others holding each other as the others filled in them about what happened.
"Hank died saving me and our whole crew". Marshall spoke trying to keep it together "he would have wanted us to be strong and to get through this together we will we all are like brothers and sisters. We will never forget Hank we promise " he stopped and looked at everyone his voice shaking with emotion
Soon the other fire fighters broke apart hugging each other saying their goodbyes as they also tearfully bid farewell to a friend who had gone too soon.
As Marshall sat down beside Everest he began crying with her as the only comfort he had was in her soft lavender fur gently running against his own white one. they heard a car engine approaching a suv pulled in watched as a fire chaplain stepped out Marshall recognized him "Fr Lance thank you for coming" Marshall said as he ran to greet the priest
"its okay it was my honor to come. Are you okay Marshall you seem upset"
"Just tired" Marshall answered
"You know that death is an inevitable part of life right"
Marshall nodded "yeah I know but it's so hard to know that I'm not going to see him again "
"And I'm sure that Hank wouldn't want you guys dwelling on your grief because he would have hated seeing you unhappy when you have a girlfriend who loves you and misses you"
"I know"Marshall cried a little bit more.
The chaplain looked over to Everest and saw her sitting looking out the window, staring blankly as if time had slowed for her
"Hey beautiful are you okay?"Marshall said
"No"Everest sobbed "it's just that he died before even having a chance to meet him" she mumbled as more tears fell from her blue eyes.
"I think you should head home"the chaplain said
"Yeah ok"Marshall replied
"Are you ready to go"? Everest asked
"Yeah I am" he replied as they walked to train station Marshall told Everest stories about hank from the academy including the time he and hank had accidentally gotten the water pressure on the pumper gage wrong which had led to water squirting everywhere while hanks mask was filled with it "we used to have a lot of fun at that fire academy though I don't remember ever having to go to funerals for fellow classmates but we did have to take a course on coping with death"
Everest had laughed and giggled thinking how hard it must have been then looked at her boyfriend sadly
"This is probably gonna sound stupid but what do I do now I mean…I know I still love you I always will no matter what" she looked up into his eyes
Marshall nodded "you know in the academy they told me if you ever feel like you need to talk about an incident talk to a therapist"
Everest suddenly spoke up "I think Skye knows a therapist maybe you can ask her"
Marshall nodded "hey that's a great idea I'll ask her when we get back to adventure bay" soon the train came they got on back to adventure bay back when they arrived they walked to the lookout Marshall and Everest when inside the lookout Marshall spotted chase and Skye watching tv he went over to them "hey Skye what was the name of the therapist you said you knew" he asked
Skye looked up " her name's honey we used to play together when we were pups her mom and my mom were friends"
Chase looked at his girlfriend "wow Skye you never told me that"
Skye gave her boyfriend a look "there's a lot of things you don't know about me"
Marshall then asked "do you have her number"
Skye pulled out her phone "sure I'll text it to you" Skye texted him the number
"thanks" he said
Skye smiled happily then Chase asked "why so you have a therapist as a friend" he asked his girlfriend
Skye looked down at her paws "to tell you the truth chase you remember when I had depression last year" she said looking away as her heart ached remembering the pain she had felt during those months
"yeah I remember"chase said
"well" Skye started as she tried to figure out where to begin "when I was at my lowest point I was so ashamed of myself I wanted to die I couldn't see any reason to live I didn't want anyone else to know about this it was embarrassing and the only way I could cope was by locking it all inside my mind so that nobody could hurt me" she looked up " I was scrolling through Facebook when I found a friend request from someone"
Chase realized "that friend request was from honey right".
Skye nodded
"Honey helped me a lot I was so scared when I first met her but she talked to me for hours I cried so much she had take this group therapy that she was running that helped other pets not only dogs like us she and the group helped me get through my depression and I started to realize how many people care about me and that there is hope even after everything happened I would say that honey helped save my life" Skye paused for a moment trying to find the right words to say "I know that she will help Marshall"
The next day Marshall decided to call honey and see to schedule an appointment
He dialed the number and waited as the phone rang he could hear talking in the background before the line clicked open
"hello"a sweet voice answered
"Hi I was wondering if you can fit me in for a session tomorrow?" Marshall asked
"of course "she replied happily
"great thank you very much"he replied then hung up and headed home that night Marshall and everest snuggled in bed after a long day as they lay there resting their heads against each other.
The next day Marshall walked upstairs To the top of the lookout "Ryder?"
The teen stepped out from where he was standing by the computer
"What is it Marshall" he asked walking over to his pup.
"Marshall sighed "requesting for some time off to visit a therapist"
Ryder frowned "is this about the fire in heartland you were on yesterday"
Marshall nodded "yes"
Ryder nodded "ok Marshall I'll let misty know that's she going to be the only firepup on call for a little bit today"
Marshall grinned "thanks Ryder"
Ryder grinned "can't have one of my pups sidelined by a mental health issue "
Marshall nodded as he ran to the elevator he took it to the bottom of the lookout and quickly ran to his firetruck where Everest was already waiting he jumped in beside her and started the engine he then drove to the address skye had given him for the therapist's office
and he parked outside a nice looking building
He turned to look at Everest "so this is it?"
Everest shrugged "I think so yeah "
Marshall got out of the truck with Everest as they walked to the front door fort it opened and a St. Bernard stepped out wearing an paramedic uniform Marshall recognized him as hanks brother "hey chief I'm sorry what happened to hank yesterday"
Chief nodded "thanks Marshall"
"Were you here to see the therapist" Marshall asked
Chief laughed "I see her enough at home she's my wife"
"Wait" Marshall said "you're married to dr honey"
Chief grinned "yep come on I'll introduce you to her" as they walked chief stopped by the desk in front "wait here" he said
Soon chief returned with a white poodle following him poodle stepped forward and extended her paw "hi there" she said "I'm dr honey, pleased to meet you" she said smiling warmly "I hope I can help you"
Marshall smiled politely "I sure hope so"
They shook hands and Chief led Marshall into a room.
Inside was couch and a chair honey sat in the chair and gestured for Marshall and Everest to sit on the couch
"So" honey began "who put you in contact with me" she asked
Marshall answered a friend of ours whose also on the paw patrol a cockapoo named Skye"
Honey nodded "I know skye she and I we're friends when we were just puppies"
"So" honey said "what's the problem?"
Marshall sighed and then spoke "well you must have already heard about Hank's death from chief"
Honey nodded "chief told me about it already I can't believe he's gone he was a more than a brother in law he was like an actual brother to me he treated like family"
Marshall nodded "that sounds like hank always looking out for friends and family"
"Yeah it does" honey said sadly "that's why this really hit me hard I've known Hank for such a long time and I'm gonna miss him more than anyone else"
Marshall nodded "and that's the thing I wanted to talk to you about after hanks death even though it was just yesterday I feel like I mean his last act was protecting me from a fireball that ripped through the building I should see. The signs that hallway was going to flashover but I didn't call it in I froze up that's never happened to me on a rescue call before"
honey stopped writing and looked up "you had an occupational stress injury?"she asked
Marshall shook his head no "no not exactly I guess you could say I am suffering from survivor guilt"
Honey frowned "what do you mean?"
Marshall sighed "ever since that fire when that fireball happened I've felt like maybe I should have died instead of Hank"
Everest then spoke up "don't say that" she said as she put a paw on his shoulder you did all you could"
Honey nodded "your girlfriend is right Marshall you did all you could to help hank"
Marshall nodded "but it doesn't make me feel any better about what happened"
Honey raised her eyebrows "what do you want to do?"
Marshall looked at Everest then back at honey "i want to maybe think of what led up to the fireball flashingover to the end and figure out if there is anything I missed or if I could have done something differently"
Honey shook her head "this is something I can help you with Marshall I'm not afraid to get down and dirty I was an EMT before I became a psychiatrist and there isn't much I haven't seen in my life so let's start talking"
Marshall glanced over at Everest "do you mind if Everest sits in on this session"
"I don't mind at all" Honey replied as she looked at Everest then continued "okay now let's begin shall we"
Everest sat beside Marshall and put her paw on top of his as Marshall leaned back onto the couch as he began to tell Honey everything leading up to the moment the fireball appeared until the very moment Hank died
Everest saw some tears form in Marshall's eyes as he explained what he saw as he had went through the building during the fire Everest had been on medical on the ground floor with the ambulances helping people with smoke inhalation and burns
. As she listened to Marshall she couldn't help but feel bad for him and honey seemed to be taking it all in.
When Marshall had finished telling his story Honey sat back in her chair and took a deep breath "Okay, let's see if we can make some sense of this." She said, taking a notepad and pen out of her pocket. "First of all, it's important to remember that you did everything you could in that situation. You didn't freeze, you didn't panic, and you tried to save Hank's life. Those are all things to be proud of."
Marshall didn't say anything, but he did wipe away a tear that had fallen down his cheek. Everest put her paw on his knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Now," Honey continued, "let's go through it step by step and see if there's anything you might have missed or could have done differently."
Over the next hour, they went over every detail of the rescue mission, with Honey asking questions and occasionally making notes. Marshall found it helpful to talk it through, and Everest felt like she was able to offer some perspective as well. As they talked, they began to identify some potential areas for improvement in Marshall's future rescues, but they also made sure to focus on the positive things he had done that day.
Finally, Honey looked at Marshall and said, "I think we've covered everything. I want you to remember that you did everything you could in that situation, and you should be proud of yourself. But at the same time, we can learn from this experience and grow. If you ever feel like you need to talk about this again, or if anything comes up in the future, don't hesitate to reach out to me."
Marshall nodded suddenly chief poked his head in
"Marshall Everest you two got a call coming in for a garbage truck is hanging over an overpass from what I heard sounds like there's a young pup inside"
Marshall and Everest nodded standing up "well Marshall" Everest said let's go save a life"
Marshall nodded "I'm fired up let's go"
They followed chief out of the room and towards Marshall's fire truck as the two of them got in Marshall saw chief walking towards an la county fire squad where he got in beside his partner they started driving towards the location of the garbage truck. As they drove they could see a few other fire trucks and squads already on the scene. As they approached Marshall looked in the cab of the truck where was the pup? Chase was already on scene blocking traffic "chase where's the pup" Marshall asked
"In the back" chase said
Marshall swore under his breath if the pup was in the back of the trash truck who knew what could happen Marshall ran over to his firetruck and grabbed his scba "Everest get oxygen and an intubation kit ready we might need it" Everest nodded running to grab the gear
Chase ran up to Marshall with another dog a boxer beside him "Marshall" chase said "I have the mother of the pup right here she wants to let you know something about her daughter"
Marshall nodded and turned to the boxer who looked at him with pleading eyes. "What is it, girl?" he asked gently. The boxer coughed a little, trying to catch her breath, then managed to say, "My name's Lola. My baby's name is Penny. She's only four months old. Please, please save her."
Everest returned with the oxygen tank and intubation kit, and the two of them quickly got to work. They managed to get the garbage truck's doors open and found Penny curled up in a ball, shivering from the cold. Her fur was matted with blood and dirt, and she was having trouble breathing. Marshall gently picked her up, making sure not to cause her any further injury, and placed her on a stretcher. Everest attached the oxygen mask to Penny's face, helping her breathe easier.
As they were about to lift the stretcher into the ambulance, Marshall turned to Lola, who was watching them intently. He walked over to her and said, "We're going to take her to the vet. They'll do everything they can for her, okay?" Lola nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank you" she said