Marshall and Chase: On the Skase!

(21) Dawn of a Royal Redemption

"Nothing... There's nothing!" The Shepherd bellowed, his eyes facing the sky, "Why isn't she here!?"

Chase cried, louder than he ever had before. He had hit a dead end. He spent who knows how long digging out Skye's helicopter just to find nothing but an empty cockpit. His paws stung with the pain of what was presumably frostbite, and his eyes stung from the warm tears falling from them as he laid his head on the cockpit's steering wheel.

What kind of second in command was he? One of his teammates, his crush, for that matter was gone. There was no trace of her anywhere along this trail that seemed to run cold, and now he had to face the reality of not knowing where she was in the slightest. For all he knew, she could be halfway across the world by now. What was he going to do?

He failed, hadn't he?

The Shepherd wasn't thinking straight any longer, which proved evident when he slammed his own head into the steering wheel.

Then he did it again.

And again.

And again...

Chase shot up from a bed, panting heavily, he looked around frantically before looking to his right. An EKG monitor sat there, the beeping having increased along with the Shepherd's heartbeat.

"What? Where am I...?"

"The Foggy Bottom hospital." A familiar voice replied.

The police pup turned around to see who had spoken, only to nearly burst out in laughter.

It was Sweetie, who had been put in a full body cast. When she threw Skye out of the helicopter, she subjected herself to what seemed like a fatal crash. She had assumed she died, but that was quickly disproven when she woke up in Ryder's arms, screaming in pain.

She had survived, but why?

"What happened to you, Sweetie?" The Shepherd asked.

Sweetie huffed, sticking her nose upwards, "Survived a helicopter crash, you could never."

"Are you bragging?"

"So what if I am?" The Terrier looked back at him.

"Yeah... You can have that any day..." Chase grimaced, looking at her full-body cast.

Before Sweetie could retort, they heard the door open, revealing a familiar spotted ally.

It was Marshall. Chase was immediately able to notice that the large bandage that had been on the Dalmatian's cheek ever since their close encounter with that bear was gone, a smaller bandage taking its place. His fur also seemed a lot cleaner than it was the last time he saw him. Marshall looked very much like he did back before Skye got pupnapped. He must've gotten a bath while Chase was unconscious.

"Hey, Sweetie!" Marshall exclaimed, carrying a plate on his back, "It's mystery meat Monday!"

"Oh, my favorite!" The Terrier exclaimed before her ears and eyes fell, "...I've been with you pups for too long. My standards have lowered."

"It's not like you're leaving anytime soon, either." The Dally remarked, walking into the room, "Ryder talked to the Princess and she agreed that you would stay here until you heal. At least enough to eat on your own."

"Why's that?" Sweetie inquired, a bit impatient.

"Well firstly, you have various broken bones, fractures and cuts all around your body with the exception of your head and neck..." He listed, walking past Chase, "Not to mention... Oh, hi Chase."