Without a second to spare or a breath being wasted, the vet clinic doors were thrown against the walls (in a way that normally would've gotten someone kicked out of here for risking property damage) as Katie and Ryder ever so carefully brought Everest inside. Not a single one of them was really thinking straight, but the girl did look back just to double-check that the doorknob hadn't stabbed a hole through the wall—thankfully, it would live another day.

The others trailed behind them, all huddled together as they tried to keep up without getting in the way. Marshall especially, he usually didn't like the idea of using his doctor's pass to get himself special treatment or into situations he normally wouldn't be, but when it came to staying by Katie's side to be closer to his mate, morals weren't really what he had on his radar.

Blissfully clueless to just about everything going on right now, Emma—who had only just now composed herself enough to get what little confidence she needed to deem herself ready to march back into the outside world—was almost trampled on her way out. She could have sworn, she would've lost her tail under the weight of the mob if she hadn't jumped out of the way.

With a light exhale of confusion and relief that she still had all of her limbs, she turned around to the Border Collie who, from the looks of it, had just left her dad's side to meet her, with shaky breaths and a tail in between her legs to match. So much for a nice, calming day at the beach.

"Audrey, what the heck is going on?" She asked, finally bringing attention to what she saw as the mysterious elephant in the room, At first, she was more on the annoyed side over nearly being trampled until she actually collected herself and got a good look at her friend's face—one that no matter how much she may have tried, she didn't think she could ever bring herself to be angry with,

"I-I don't know, b-but...M-Mom..." The collie's words were mostly an incoherent mess, or at least, that's what they quickly began to snowball into. Even if the shepherd had the average set of ears that weren't well trained in the language of Audrey, she had enough context clues to understand that today's victim was Everest—already a horrible opening to this conversation, assuming it counted as one.

Of course, since she was still completely out of the loop and could be totally reading this whole thing wrong, she figured that it was best to play it safe and try to warmly smile with her paw raising up and resting on the Border Collie's shoulder.

She had plans to come up with something comforting to say, but her words were given the cold shoulder as she was silently interrupted by Audrey nearly falling forward into her arms, tightly wrapping herself around her while burying her neck into her own shoulder (not what she had planned, but who was she to complain?).

"W-woah...uhm...hey, it's okay. I'm sure she'll be fine. Do you wanna go see her?" she softly cooed, just saying whatever she could think of to help lighten the load. And as much as she wanted to give her words of wisdom—attempted words of wisdom, at least—it was very clear to her that life had chosen a different mission for her, one that was her destiny to follow through on. After a slight emotional recovery, she smiled and hugged the black pup, nuzzling against the side of her head.

The shepherd looked around her, and gone was the crowd that they were with moments prior. The only sign that anyone else was in this building was the door open to the side, muffled voices coming from the inside—and not one of them sounded calm. With more and more signs that something was actually horribly, dreadfully wrong, she could feel herself getting nervous as well.

And even if she was still just as lost as she had been from the moment they all stepped into the building, she softly nudged the Border Collie's side with her muzzle—assuming that them being all alone in here wasn't the intention of all of this, even for Katie's standards that was way too harsh for a prank. Slowly but surely, the collie seemed to come back to her senses as she leaned away, still keeping one of her legs wrapped around her friend. With both of their brains combined, it hardly took any effort to follow the sound of voices until they found the right room.

Everest was laying on a blue bed set up in the room (either for comfort or for operation, that purely depended on the situation), with one paw clutching her stomach while the other was holding onto Marshall's paw. Most of the others stood around the bed, rightfully concerned as Katie stood above them with her hand on her chin—taking one more deep breath before jumping into action, likely getting the observations out of the way with some sort of plan in her head.

"Okay, I need everyone who isn't Marshall to get out. Ryder, I'll fill you in later, but I need to be with them two right now," she finally explained, making her final verdict clear as the others shuffled out the door and left their echos of "feel better soon" and "stay strong" and everything within that category.

Audrey was on the more hesitant side when it came to kicking herself out, she kind of thought she had a pass until Katie smiled sympathetically and motioned for her to leave. It was nowhere close to what she wanted, it hurt at first—only helped by Emma nudging her side and once again offering her own company as a replacement.

Thankfully, simply so her mind could have a little bit of closure. the Dalmatian noticed her in the doorway, just about to leave as jumped off the bed and accepted her into a much-needed embrace while she looked up at him with a pair of teary eyes and shaking lips, a look that almost made him want to cry.

With a bit of work, she got her body to listen to her stupid head and open her mouth, trying to speak in a tongue that only came out as a huge jumble that even she probably couldn't have deciphered—though with the context clues all around him, Marshall could still make what he felt was a pretty educated guess as to what it was meant to be.

"It's okay, it's okay, nothing bad is gonna happen. Mom is just in a lot of pain right now, Katie said it doesn't look like anything life-threatening or something like that. I know that's...probably not super comforting, but it's the best I have for you, she'll make it," he reassured her, wanting to tell her more, and he would have if he knew it.

Even though it was still promising her mother's life, not to mention that it was simply the cold, hard truth that she needed to hear, her heart had yet to be put at peace. With her forelegs still around him, she leaned her head out of the fur on his shoulder, this time actually managing to speak understandable words.

"I-I don't wanna leave," she quietly whimpered for anyone that was listening, digging her paws into his fur—softly messing with it as she usually would whenever she was stressed (or bored, or, just really whenever she felt like it, it kind of depended on the situation). The Dalmatian sighed, reaching up and resting his paw on top of hers as he tried to look at her with nothing but compassion while also keeping himself together—a task that demanded just as much willpower as it sounded like it did.

"I know, I'm sorry, but we'll both be right here. I promise me or both of us will come to talk to you the moment we can, but for now, just stay with Emma and go with Chase and Skye, I'm sure they won't mind staying with you until we're back." Of course, he knew that what he was promising her was no lifesaver, but in his defense, picking the best option didn't always guarantee that it was a good one. She wouldn't not be stressed, that was just as likely as it was for him to lose his clumsiness, and there was only so much he could do without Everest to fix it.

"Come on, I'll stay with you the whole time, let's just let them do what they need to do, okay?" Emma also joined in, gently grabbing the Border Collie's paw and softly pulling her in the direction of the door—not enough to actually drag her, but enough for her to get the hint. With a pained expression, Audrey let out a breath of defeat and muttered a goodbye before nuzzling against her friend, who smiled and led her back out the door.

Marshall could only smile for a second after seeing them leave against one another, such small joys drifting away as he took his attention back to his mate and jumped next to her on her bed. The husky gripped his paw as she gave him a tired smile—beautiful as always, yes, but still obviously in pain.

"Do you know what's happening, Katie?" he asked, lying down next to Everest as she cuddled up next to him (if she was going to be in an endless state of coming and going pains, the least she could do was be comfortable with her mate). The girl looked between them, hesitating before letting out a stressed groan—Marshall knew from experience that it was a bad sign when the medical professional was starting to get anxious.

"I have a suspicion. Hang on, let me take your temperature, Everest. Just keep this under your tongue," she instructed, being careful as she handed over the thermometer just so she wouldn't be growled at this time—better safe than sorry. She was spared for now, but the results that came back gave her no such relief. "A-and...you said you're having sharp, on-and-off pains in your stomach, right? Do you feel any different emotionally?"

"Y-yes, I feel anxious" the husky muttered, having a small break for the time being—not that she trusted it, especially not now that her mind was going into a weirdly protective mode. Katie nodded slowly, pursing her lips as she ignored the headache she was starting to get from all of this.

"This...looks like the early signs of labor." Despite all the tension and fear that had been surrounding them and clouding their day, the couple's faces lit up as they looked at each other in excitement—smiles on their faces and tails swishing in the air, as if every little thing was being fixed. Gone was all the dread and fear, it was for their son, and that was always worth it, especially if this was meaning they got to meet him soon. "N-no, sorry, that's not what I meant. This isn't a good thing."

"Wait, why? What's wrong" A now back-to-concerned Dalmatian asked, looking down at Everest whose excitement was draining out of her eyes—if the human even dared to taint that joy of their precious child, well, that was something even he couldn't forgive without a good reason. Katie looked at them with sympathy, rubbing her eyes and forehead before giving herself a mental pep talk and continuing.

"It's too early for him to be born, this isn't supposed to happen for weeks. For humans that might be fine, but for a dog, that's a long time. He might not be as developed as he should be. There's no real way to be positive, I could be wrong, but it's entirely possible that he could be born with defects, a disease, h-he could... " she trailed off, watching the pride and joy in Marshall's eyes start to fade away—joining his mate as his heart sunk into the cold, dark depths of his chest. "He could...not make it."

"N-no...Katie that...that won't happen. He'll be healthy...r-right? I mean, no, not right, he will be. He has to be," the Dalmatian immediately argued, looking down at his mate who had yet to say a word, not even showing a hint of emotion until he called out to her. "Right, Eve?"

"Yeah...yeah, no, he'll be fine. I know it," she quietly yet stated firmly, nodding towards Marshall before leaning back down against her pillow without any signs of taking no for an answer. Katie lowered her head, stepping over to the end of the bed before sitting down on the side—reaching over and scratching the dogs' heads, which under any other circumstances would've been nothing but comforting. Now it felt like nothing but a threat.

"I hope so, I'm going to do everything I can, but there's still that possibility. I'll make sure to keep you two updated whenever I learn something, for the time being, we just have to wait and see what happens," she tried to reassure them while filling up a water bowl and grabbing a container of medicine out of one of the cabinets—all the essentials that she was within the power to give them. "Everest, take these for the pain. Normally I would give you something stronger but these will be extra safe for the pup, and, you know, we need as much of that as we can get."

"Is this my fault?" the lavender dog eventually asked, speaking up for the first time after she had taken the medicine—and very easily grabbing the other two's attention who were horrified of that being the mindset one would go into for such an honorable occasion. Katie quickly shook her head, and Marshall softly kissed the top of the husky's head, shaking his own in the process.

"No, no this isn't your fault at all. Listen, you're gonna stay here overnight and we'll see what happens, alright? The best-case scenario is that you're just sick and that's what's making the pregnancy pains worse, but we should also be ready for the worst-case scenario too. Marshall, you and everyone else are more than welcome to stay here for the night," she explained, to which the Dally could only really nod in agreement—he certainly wasn't one to argue with the words of the vet, nor did he have any plans on leaving.

"What do you want us to do now, Katie?" he questioned, gently squeezing the husky's paw. The girl looked between the two sets of dogs, in her eyes, nothing that was true seemed like the right answer. From the looks of it, one bad decision, one small mistake, could cost them a life.

"W-well, for now, all we can really do is wait, if she is in labor then it could take up to a full day before the pup is born. I'm still not positive but we're gonna play it safe, if this isn't the case then I can run more tests and figure out what's actually happening, and hopefully, we can treat that. Until then, Everest, please tell me if you need anything, or if you feel anything different." The husky nodded slowly, already having thoughts swarming her mind—some new, some old, all of which were worrying and confusing.

"Can I have a blanket and some pillows?" The girl gave her a quick thumbs-up as she stood up and left the room to wherever it was that the items were stored, leaving the two dogs to sit in agonizing silence—now leaving only each other to keep themselves from thinking about the future.

"H-how are you feeling now?" he nervously asked his mate, starting to lay back down beside her as they snuggled up with one another for the sweet bonus of warmth that always came with it. He couldn't lie, he was just about on the verge of losing it, with a panic attack and tears both ready to go into effect whenever he let his shields down. But for the time being, he knew that she was more important at the moment—and that wasn't poor self-esteem talking, it was simply the laws of the universe.

He felt restless, and as surprising as it felt for such a change of heart from his past self, he didn't blame himself in the slightest for feeling that way. It wasn't like Everest appeared any differently, her eyes were dazed off as she held onto him, her mind in a whole other world that he doubted he even wanted to understand—even Audrey, who was an expert when it came to such a subject, would likely be just as lost.

He couldn't imagine what this felt like for her, the amount of pressure being set onto her shoulders as the life and well-being of their son were waiting and watching her every move. Of course, as far as he was aware there was nothing more she could have done, no matter what happened it was not her fault. But that was his mindset, not hers.

"I-I mean...how could I possibly be okay? I-I mean, sure, Katie might be wrong or just overreacting, but what if she isn't? W-what if...what if he...?" she weakly answered, never wanting that horrid word to leave her mouth. She looked down as she rested her paw on her stomach and nervously rubbed her wrist, the latter of which being nothing more than a partial instinct left to rot in her mind.

"I...don't know, honey. I don't even know what to think right now. I guess we just have to...wait and see? I-I sorry, I don't know what to say, o-or what to even feel. This...this doesn't seem real." Although her motion was still slow and very much limited, the husky leaned up and gently placed one of her front legs on his side as she nuzzled deeper into her side for both of their comforts'. She probably would've done more if it was within her capabilities, but this was about the best she could offer for the time being—and it was much better than nothing.

"That's okay, I don't either. I think that everything will turn out fine, things usually do in the end. I-I'm sure everything will work out just the way it's supposed to." Marshall slowly nodded and rested his head on her shoulder now just waiting for Katie to return (hopefully to be their saving grace).

How the husky managed to be so calm about this confused him to no end, he expected her to be the most anxious out of them, and she would have had every right to be as well. He was certainly jealous of her optimism, but he still couldn't tell if it was reasonable or just what she wanted him to think. Not to mention he would never really know if she believed that herself, even after all these years she could still a hard book to read.

"And here are the pillows and blankets," Katie suddenly announced, appearing out of thin air and placing a single blanket along with four pillows on the side of the bed. After Everest had said her thanks, the dog reached over and began to craft a small circle around her. The four pillows went around her, she had a blanket in between her and the sheets of the bed, and only once she had this strange, protective circle was she comfortable enough to go back to resting.

"Uhm...Eve, what exactly is this for?" Marshall asked, only getting a brush of the hand from the human, who looked more curious than anything with only a small bit of a nervous undertone. The husky wasn't much help either, staying silent and simply making sure that the area was fully enclosed before lying down in the middle and looking up at him with waiting eyes. Usually, that wasn't her ideal set for safety, but if it worked, it worked.

"It's probably just her instincts, Marshall, don't worry, this is very common. It's a nesting area so she can feel safe for the puppy, b-but...t-that's only a sign of labor..." she trailed off, brushing her hair out of her face before sitting on the side of the bed and eyeing Everest carefully—not daring to enter her safe space. "Everest, only you actually know how you feel, do you feel any different than usual? I know you're not too experienced in the medical field, but do you think you're going into labor?"

The husky nervously looked in between the two of them, basking in her curse of a spotlight as she rested her head against one of the pillows—and to say that she wasn't exactly comforted by her answer was an understatement, even if this was normally something worth celebrating.

"I-I think so," she responded softly. The girl didn't seem thrilled but still nodded, setting everything from water bowls to warm towels within close proximity of the dogs—or more accurately Marshall since that would probably be his job. And although his focus was still very much on his family (already here and soon to be), he couldn't help but see how stressed out Katie seemed to be. It was reasonable, she had every right to be, but it only added to the tension everyone was already feeling. One person being calm right now would do them millions.

"W-well, alright then, I don't think there's anything more I can do besides waiting. Just let me know if you need anything, I'm happy to help." Everest nodded and fully laid down, nervously fumbling with her paws until she noticed someone stepping into her makeshift fort. Even though she was desperate for his company, she could hear a part of her wanting to growl out of protectiveness—and she probably would have if it had been anyone else, excluding Audrey.

"C-can I stay with you?" Marshall questioned, holding his paw right above the blanket until she gave him the sacred oath of permission and took his paw. The Dalmatian forced a smile and laid down next to her, setting his head on top of her back while nervously breathing against her fur.

"A-are you okay?" she asked, even if she knew the answer without having even seen him yet—nor was she expecting anything other than the obvious. She turned her head back, seeing tears streaming down his face that was only kind of trying to be hidden. It was more or less what she thought she'd see, but worrying nonetheless. A mother or not, that didn't mean she could just leave her mate to fend for himself.

"N-no," he muttered. Everest sighed and reached her legs out to wrap around him, embracing him as he was tugged closer, something both of them needed. Just like she had planned for, the dally softly began crying into her fur, something he couldn't even help at this point—in all honesty, she wished she could have such relief. She also wished that she had more energy within herself, all she could do for now was let him pour his emotions out while gently running her paw down his back.

"I guess I can't blame you, I-I'm not either. Just...try to hang in there, Marshy. E-everything will work out in the end." At this point, she had no clue if this was actually reassuring or if she was just feeding both of them false hope. From what she could see, there was no logical way this would go without at least a small complication, and the absolute best-case scenario would still go down as the scariest moment in their life.

There was nothing that would make this any better until the time came, and when it did, there would be nothing they could do to go back to the way it was before. Either a life with their son to spend forever and ever with, or, to put it quite simply, a life out of their worst nightmares.

"B-but what if it doesn't? What if he doesn't make it?" he whimpered, resting his paw against her stomach—not even feeling a smile on his face when he felt light kicks. The husky sighed and lowered her eyes in defeat, never waging a war she would never win. She had no argument to this, the two of them were on the same, miserable side.

Each of them was just as terrified as the other, only one was trying to be more optimistic than the other—and even then, it was hardly anything, just a dimming match in a room full of darkness. But both of them clung to one another, both hoping with all their hearts, wishing on the shooting star they were waiting to see in the sky, doing just about anything they could think of for their son.

"He will, honey. Our baby will make it."