By what could only be described as a miracle, all three of them managed to get a good night's sleep. In fact, Audrey had gotten more hours of rest than ever seen before, for a while they thought they would have to pry her out of bed themselves before she slept the entire day away. Eventually, she did wake up, giving them permission to try and start the day.

Their morning routine continued as it normally would, starting off with the pup whining when being told it was time to get out of bed. With the previous night taken into consideration, she was privileged with a bit of extra time, but she couldn't help but force herself up when being promised a treat or two alongside breakfast. Her caretakers saw no harm in spoiling her a bit after last night and the day ahead of her.

Even once they were up and moving, Audrey still remained closer with them than she usually would, not once running off to play as she tended to. It could've been her legs still being sore or just her body overall being tired, they figured it was a mixture of both. And that was perfectly fine with them, they would've pushed her to take it easy anyways.

And now, after taking the first portion of the day slowly, the moment that had been looming in the air was upon them. After having called multiple times, Katie finally picked up the phone, thankfully only slightly annoyed at the amount of missed calls during her work hours. However, the second the Dally told her it was a serious medical issue with Audrey, she gave them a time they could come in for a check-up. That time was in about fifteen minutes.

"C'mon, Audrey, are you ready to see Katie?" Marshall was able to gain her excitement in a flash from the mention of the girl's name. She nodded quickly, eager to get going, she had been dying for the visit all day. He was glad, but deep down he knew her joy would be short-lived once she pieced together what they were there for.

"I'm ready. Should we drive or walk?" the husky chimed in, not having much of an opinion herself on her own question. The male shrugged, looking down at the Border Collie before he came to the deciding choice.

"We should probably just drive, we don't wanna put too much stress on her legs." Once she had realized how obvious of an answer that should've been, she took his side in agreement. After deciding who's vehicle to take, Marshall pressed the button on his house, turning it from their house into his firetruck.

Almost immediately following the transformation, he felt a certain someone tightly squeezing his leg, using his body as a shield. His head turned around, watching in confusion as Audrey cowered behind his back. She whimpered, gently yanking him in her own direction, away from the vehicle in front of them, or perhaps she was only doing that out of nervousness.

"Oh, right. Yeah, she really doesn't like cars for whatever reason. I guess they're just big and loud, I can kinda get why they freak her out," Everest explained, petting the collie on the back to keep her from getting too scared. Although he was still a bit curious, he quickly turned it back into their house to release the stress from the pup.

The pup slowly crept out from behind his leg, timidly looking at the house where she slept, which looked perfectly peaceful and harmless now. She had no clue how her home could turn into something like that so seamlessly, and frankly, neither did her caretakers. How Ryder made these contraptions work the way they did would forever be a mystery.

"So...I take it we're walking then," he muttered, a bit concerned for Audrey to have to walk the whole way with her sore muscles. He knew it would get to her quickly, they hadn't left the house and she had taken multiple breaks to lay down. After brainstorming, he quietly sighed to himself before hesitantly giving in to one of her favorite pastimes. "Alright, princess, climb on."

The Dalmatian laid himself on the grass, smiling as the pup squealed in happiness. Even with her tired legs, she leaped onto his back without issue and made herself right at home, her forelegs wrapped around his neck as if he was her noble steed. He never disliked doing this for her, he usually found them fun—minus the time she gripped onto his healing scar. The only issue was that he couldn't get her off until she let him, and she could stay there all day if she wanted.

"You're fine with walking, right?" Marshall looked to his left at Everest, just checking in to make sure she was comfortable walking with her leg for that long. If anything, it was mainly a force of habit now. As he thought, she nodded as she began to walk down the lawn, calling out to the rest of the team that they were leaving.

The spotted pup ran to catch up with her, Audrey giggling and holding on tighter. Her head bobbed up and down as her black and white fur danced in the wind, parts of it streaming behind her while others flew into her face. The husky tried to push it out of her eyes a few times before eventually giving up, allowing Mother Nature to take out her wrath on the collie's eyesight.

They were able to get there just in time, with only a few minutes left to spare. And after only agreeing to jump down at the promise of treats when they returned home, Audrey got off his back, her tail wagging as they sat in front of the clinic. Before the door was remotely close to fully opened, she wiggled through the frame, eagerly bringing her eyes to the girl sitting in the lobby.

"Katie!" she yelled happily, running towards the girl and jumping onto her knees. Her front legs were pinned against her shoulders, pushing her up against the wall while her tongue attacked her foster owner's cheek. The vet wrapped her arms around the pup in excitement, squeezing her while her own eyes widened in surprise at what she heard.

"Since when could you talk?" she exclaimed in shock, gently placing her hands against the pup's face and pulling it out of her own. After nuzzling against her neck, Audrey jumped back down, almost falling over before Marshall caught her and stood her back up properly.

"Since yesterday, it was a pretty eventful day for her, to say the least," he explained while the Border Collie leaned against his side, stretching her legs as she did so. Katie smiled and stood up, scratching both caretakers on the head as the youngest barked from envy, getting her the extra pets she desired.

"I can imagine, it's great that she's started talking with you guys. But how have you all been? How has it been with Audrey? Seems like she's been loving it so far." Marshall and Everest both looked at each other with equally wide grins, it had only been about a bit under a week and yet they could both agree it had been the best one in ages—excluding certain aspects from last night.

"It's been amazing, we love taking care of her, I think she brightens both of our spirits. Pretty sure she's gotten attached to us too," he told her, ruffling his paw against the collie's head with the loving words she had told him last night still floating in his mind.

"Oh please, you're not just pretty sure, you know she loves us. Audrey, who's this?" the husky asked, pointing her paw at the Dalmatian. With a wide grin, the pup looked up and brightly answered her question, rubbing Everest's already well-known claim in his face.

"Daddy!" Marshall eyed his mate, silently questioning if that was really necessary. In the end, she only smiled and winked, leaving him no choice but to just shake it off and lick Audrey's forehead so she wouldn't mistake his expression for a look of disapproval.

"Aww, she calls you two mommy and daddy? That's adorable, she sees you guys as her parents. I'm gonna have to try and talk to whoever her new owner is about letting you two visit from time to time." The male chucked to himself from the title, and Everest smiled at him knowingly. But unfortunately, the vet had also brought his overly negative mind to a question he knew he needed to know but wished it was never necessary to begin with.

"Looks like it. Also...when do you think she'll be adopted?" he questioned, a small yet noticeable hint of sadness entering his voice. The husky placed a paw on his back sympathetically, as Audrey looked up at them both confused, likely clueless to the fact that she wasn't in her forever home now. Too young to know that in time, she might never see the ones she called her mom and dad again.

"Hmm, probably in a few weeks. She's a puppy, and a cute one too, they tend to get adopted really quickly. Why do you ask?" Marshall had to bite his tongue, almost carelessly blaring out the actual answer. He did consider it for a moment, but it wasn't her job to find a family, it was only hers to be a foster owner. She couldn't control what home the pup went to.

"N-no reason, I was just curious how much more time we'd have with her." Katie nodded, not commenting on anything but silently taking positive notes in her head. And with the greetings out of the way, she stood up and walked to one of the tables around the lobby, picking up a tinfoil-wrapped item before unwrapping it. Inside, lay a glorious, juicy, cheeseburger, which was quickly bitten into.

"Is...that a burger from Mr. Porter's?" Everest asked interrogatively, jealousy entering her mind at the sight her eyes were feasting on. The girl brought her food down, raising her eyebrow once she saw the look on the dog's face.

"Yeah, this is my lunch break, you know. I wouldn't have time to cook anything with you guys here, and if I don't eat now, I'll be starving until I close." Not thinking much of it, she turned her back on the three and grabbed the room keys off the counter as she took another bite. By the time she brought herself back around, Audrey was below her with her tongue flopped out of her mouth.

For the Border Collie, what was apparently called a burger, was brand new. And with the smell of the meat—along with one of every dog's favorite food, cheese—drifting through the room and into her nose, it felt like paradise itself was calling her name. Not only did she have to try it, but she knew how to use her power to her advantage to get it. A simple flattening of the ears and a tilt of her head; the famous puppy dog eyes.

"No...don't you dare give me that look, this is my lunch. I won't let you guilt trip me into giving you my food." Katie desperately tried to ignore her, but each time, she only found herself falling back to the pleading expression on the pup's face, begging for even the smallest piece. With an annoyed puff of air, she broke off a tiny section before tossing it into her mouth. "For the record, you didn't make me do anything, I only let it slide because you're sick."

Although she didn't understand much of what Katie said, nor did she care, Audrey smiled and swallowed the gift in a matter of seconds. Her caretakers laughed, watching as her eyes sparkled when the sweet ecstasy placed itself on her taste buds. She looked up at Katie, barking her gratitude at her while the girl shook her head and began leading them to a room through the hall.

"Say thank you, Audrey," Everest instructed, speaking slowly in hopes of her request being comprehensible. The pup looked up at the girl, who didn't expect too much from her, seeing as she had only spoken in one-word intervals so far.

"T-thank you." The collie spoke slowly and carefully, exactly the same speed as the husky did from the more difficult task of speaking in sentences. She had only ever said three words at once, but all things considered, that was pretty impressive.

"Oh, well you're welcome." Katie held the door open, allowing the pup to walk inside for her check-up. The older two came in behind her, both subtly eyeing what little bit of the girl's food she had left up until they were caught. "Come on, do you two really think I'm not immune to you guys begging for my food after all these years? Don't even bother trying."

The couple only shrugged it off, it wasn't like they were expecting much anyway, they probably would've given it to the Border Collie if they somehow succeeded. Chances were they'd all get treats by the end of the visit. They allowed the final piece of the delicacy to disappear, sitting down as they motioned Audrey to walk next to Katie to get the process started.

"I'll go ahead and check her out to see if anything seems out of the ordinary. Audrey, can you step on the scale right here?" She pointed to the device below her feet, scooting over to give a bit more room. The pup seemed a bit out of her element but did as she was asked and got on. The girl leaned down and wrote the healthy numbers on her clipboard before looking back up at her caretakers. "What's wrong with her anyway? Has she been feeling sick recently?"

"Oh, she's not sick like that. Something else happened last night, more of a...physical matter, if that makes sense," he explained as Katie picked Audrey up and sat her on the cushioned table for more of the routine check-up procedures. The pup pressed her paw against the soft surface, more interested in how it felt than standing still and cooperating.

"I see, what was it then? Did something happen to her legs? I noticed she seemed to have a bit of a limp." The older two dogs only wished it was that simple, neither of them wanting to relive the horrors the pup had experienced. Marshall was unfortunately aware that he was the one who had to do the talking—since he was the most medically qualified of the two—and forced himself to begin the painful explanation.

"Well, last night Ryder tried to take a picture but accidentally left the flash on. And after the sudden flash, s-she had a seizure." Katie's eyes widened in surprise, causing her to set down her stethoscope and face them. Audrey only looked up at them for a moment before sinking her front paws back into the cushion, laughing quietly as they went deeper into the surface.

"A seizure? Are you sure? That's a pretty big claim to make." The Dally nodded solemnly, watching as Katie took more notes on her paper and carefully eyed the pup, who was still lost in a world of her own. "How serious was it?"

"It was a pretty bad one, I think she lost consciousness when the spams started. And she tried to tell me before it happened, so I don't think this was the first time either." The vet looked concerned, to say the least, writing the final bits of the necessary check-up procedures before thinking to herself about where to take this.

"Wow, uhm, okay, this is a lot more serious than I thought. I guess I should run an MRI scan to test for any brain trauma, then we'll go from there. Poor thing, I don't know how I never noticed. I suppose work just got in the way," she said, partially angry with herself for never being there. The worry was evident in her tone as she gently pet Audrey's head and finally took her attention away from the cushions.

After helping her down from the examination table, the girl held the door open and waited as the three walked out in front of her. She led them down the hallway, opening another door to a wide room with a few chairs, a desk with a computer, and a cylinder-shaped machine that was large enough to fit one of them inside it. Granted, that was the point.

"What the heck is that thing?" Everest questioned, tilting her head as she leaped onto the chair next to the desk. Katie laughed as she sat down in the chair in front of the computer controlling the machine, pressing the buttons that presumably turned it on.

"It's the machine that lets me get the MRI scan, which is basically a brain X-ray. Audrey will lay on the bed thingy and it'll slide inside, get the pictures, and send them to my computer." Although the husky felt out of her comfort zone—being surrounded by doctors—she figured she could put together enough to get a general idea. Audrey, meanwhile, sat there as she looked at the machine in wonder, unaware that she was its next victim.

"Are you gonna need any help?" The Dalmatian offered, sitting beside the girl's chair, eagerly waiting for instructions to put his skills to good use. After pressing a few more keys on her keyboard, she circled around and gently patted his head.

"The scan is pretty much automatic so there isn't much you could do with that, I appreciate the offer though. It would be helpful if you could keep Audrey calm while she's inside. Puppies tend to freak out their first time and they have to be still for a clear picture," she requested while standing up and walking next to the machine, the bed portion slowly sliding out.

"Audrey, jump up here," he instructed. With a bit of assistance, the pup climbed onto the bed-like surface that had been set out for her. She yawned and stretched her legs, laying down before she was even told to do so. Curiosity got the best of her, causing her to turn away from them and peer her head inside of the machine before the bed shifted, catching her off guard.

"Alright, she's going inside in 3...2...1." The bed slowly began to slide backward, becoming covered by the large cylinder around it. Audrey immediately began to panic, trying to crawl forward to Marshall in an attempt to escape as the machine whirled to life. He had no other option but to throw his paws up to stop her, even with the knowledge that she would be terrified out of her mind.

"Princess, you have to stay still, it'll be over sooner if you do. Do you remember what I taught you last night about deep breaths?" he asked, visibly repeating the same process to her that he had shown the previous day. The pup nodded slowly, doing what she could to follow along with his steps as the machine buzzed.

"That's great, Marshall, keep her just like that," Katie called out from her seat, giving him a quick thumbs-up of approval. The Dalmatian turned back to the collie, knowing all he could do was watch as she dug her claws into the bed from fear. Hopefully, this bed material wasn't too expensive, at the very least it would require some sewing by the end of this.

"D-daddy?" she mumbled in a scared tone, her legs visibly wanting to move and get herself out. Her eyes begged him to get her out, to save her from this nightmare and smother her in a hug. Part of him had to fight off the urge to tell Katie to turn the machine off due to how fear-inducing it was for her, and him as a result, but he knew he couldn't. This was the only way they'd know how to help her.

"I know it's scary, just keep it up. You're doing perfect, keep breathing and you'll be done before you know it." The Dally continued encouraging her, occasionally looking back at Katie for an update on how much longer she had. Unfortunately for her, this tended to be more than just a minute-long process.

It felt like an eternity, likely for all three of the dogs. One was terrified out of her mind, and the others hated seeing her in such a condition, it was painful for everyone. That one certain part of their instincts felt obliged to keep her from being scared, and definitely not pushing her to continue. The vet would consistently give updates on how much longer it would take, and yet each time seemed to be so much longer than it should've been.

Thankfully, as the minutes ticked, Audrey got a bit more comfortable being trapped in this situation. She still clearly despised this and wanted out as soon as possible, but not to the point where she was fully panicking. Although tears drifted down her cheeks, and her breaths were jittery as she occasionally tried to reach out to the male before she would stop herself.

Suddenly, after what had to have been close to half an hour, the buzzing sounds from the machine slowly began to stop. A small beeping sound erupted out of it before the bed slid out, forcing Marshall to move out of the way. Now assuming that she was free, the Border Collie shot out and landed on the floor, hugging him tightly with Everest placing her paw on her back.

"See? You're all done, princess, you did great. You're not gonna have to do that again, I promise," he cooed, gently stroking her head during the short time she was buried in his fur. Soon enough, she brought herself up and wiped her eyes, gently smiling at him as he licked her cheek.

"Alright, the scan is done. Just need to wait a few minutes and then I should have the results back, and I'll let you two know what her situation is," Katie explained, beckoning the three in her direction. Marshall didn't dare let go of Audrey, holding her as they slowly walked to the girl.

"What can we do to help stop her seizures?" the Dally questioned, knowing there was probably something he had forgotten from his classes. Katie pressed a few more buttons on her computer before turning back to them, now giving them her devoted attention as they waited.

"Keeping her away from flashing lights is a start, as you've probably guessed. Making sure she has a good sleep schedule is also really important. Keeping her from hitting her head, make sure she's not too stressed, but other than that, it's a learning process. Everyone's triggers are different." The girl leaned back in her chair, expecting the list of questions that were surely coming her way.

Unfortunately, most of what she said he already knew, but from experience, he couldn't be mad. No one had an identical case with the exact same triggers as someone else may have had, although some were consistently common. Not only had he learned that through EMT classes, but through his own self-experience.

"So...let's say the results don't come back great, what would that mean?" Everest asked, still not taking her eyes off of Audrey, who only looked up at her aimlessly while she leaned on Marshall. Fully unaware of how high the stakes were for herself, along with partially calming down by now, she stuck her tongue out teasingly, giggling to herself as she did so.

"If she did have some sort of brain trauma, it would probably mean the seizures are a lifelong thing. I can prescribe her medicine to help limit them, but nothing's a permanent solution. Plus, there's always the chance of mental disorders down the line." The Dalmatian quickly brought his head away from the pup's faces, looking at the girl in a mix of surprise and worry, with the husky imitating his actions once she processed the words.

"Wait, what? M-mental disorders?" The two looked at each other, silently cringing at the thought. This was news to them, both showing the nervousness spreading as they thought about it more. Audrey going through something similar to what they were, they couldn't bear to see such a pure face suffer like that. The vet looked down at them both, biting her lip as if contemplating whether to go more in-depth or not.

"Well, yeah, brain trauma can greatly increase the odds of multiple disorders. Depression, bipolar, ADHD, to name a few. Of course, that doesn't mean it'll happen, there's just a chance, I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, there's no way of knowing until she's older," she hesitantly told them, hoping they wouldn't take it too harshly.

Marshall and Everest looked at the pup, both clearly thinking the same thing. Audrey looked perfectly happy now, mentally she appeared to be doing great, but her future—one that they wouldn't even be in, outside of maybe an occasional visit if they were lucky—was uncertain. And of course, not to mention a possible diagnosis of something right this very moment.

This was slowly becoming nostalgic for both of them, and they hated it. Their diagnoses, the struggles forced onto both of them, it was a lot, but they were learning and getting the help they needed. But Audrey, still so young and innocent, she wouldn't know how to cope, or how to reach out for help, she could barely even talk.

Whether it was mental or physical, a health issue was a health issue. She would still live a hard life filled with pain, the same way they had to. They could see their own broken cracks slowly forming in her, or at least they feared that would be the case. All that stress and worry, all bottled up as a small beep echoed out of the computer.

"Oh, the results are in. Let me just take a look at these." The girl quietly began examining the virtual pictures in front of her, leaning closer as the rest waited in anticipation. She had no issue taking her sweet time, and they couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

"So, h-how are the results?" Marshall asked worriedly, earning him nothing but radio silence from the other side. Everest gulped, swallowing the lump in her throat as the tension grew. Finally, the girl leaned back in her chair, her eyes widened as she faced the caretakers with a look of worry.

The two felt the pads in their paws sweating, her face was nothing but bad news. Neither of them could make much out of the screen, but the sympathetic expression she laid upon them as she gently pet all three of their heads only stretched the looming pressure in the room. The older two of the dogs and her had their eyes interlocked, and at long last, Katie said the one word of confirmation that had been lingering in the darkest fears of their minds. The one that defined the challenges and risks Audrey would have to face for as long as she lived.

"...Epilepsy."