Artie sat in his room, phone in hand. He quickly punched out a text, and waited for a response.
Artie: What's the status of the package?
AJ: Dude, I'm holding my package right now.
Artie: …WTF?
AJ: It's licking my face.
Artie: THE package. Not YOUR package.
AJ: Oh…I just got bad how that sounds. No. Definitely not holding my package. But yours is in the back seat in a little padded box. Martin says LOL.
Artie: OMG. LOL
AJ: Oh…totally naming my package Quinn. Is that ok?
Artie: Um…NO. OMG, AJ!
AJ: What? She'd be delighted.
Artie: NO! We'll talk about this later.
AJ: We're almost there. Ten mins.
Artie: Ok. I'll meet you on the porch.
AJ: We can just come to the door.
Artie: No, porch.
AJ: Roger that.
Artie: Over and out.
AJ: I love it when you use radio language.
Artie: I know.
Artie laid his phone on his desk, wondering why Quinn hadn't arrived yet. She had said she'd be there around five, and it was a little past that. He headed out towards the door, to wait outside for Martin and AJ just in time to see her car pull in through the window to the right.
He grinned, opening the door, and wheeling over the threshold.
"I thought you decided not to come," he said, once she had exited her car, the grin on his face telling her he was anything but serious.
"I'm sorry!" she said, running up the path. "They stopped all the traffic coming off of Main, so they could move a house!"
He rolled his eyes in jest. "Right. So they could move a house."
"Seriously!" she said. "One of those double wide trailers. I've seen that before…but they've never closed the road!"
"It's pretty narrow there," he said. "That's probably why. Anyway, glad you're here. The package hasn't arrived yet."
"I can't wait to see your package," she said, grinning, before her face flushed a deep red. "I mean…wow. That sounded different in my head."
Artie burst out laughing. "It's funny you should say that," he said, a sparkle in his eye. "Because AJ JUST texted me to say that he was holding his package in the car. And then realized how that sounded. I probably should have called the package something else. But…now that you've revealed your true intentions with me…"
She grinned, leaning in and kissing him. "Fine then. Feel free to interpret that however you wish," she said. "When will they be here?"
"Any minute," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Mom and Linds have been cleaning out Linds's closet for the last hour. I just need them to stay in her room long enough for us to get the package inside. Once we've got that done…it's all downhill from there."
"Right…" Quinn said, as Martin's car pulled into the driveway, an excited-looking AJ in the passenger seat.
Before the car was even stopped, AJ was already bounding across the lawn, a small box held securely in his arms. He placed it down on Artie's lap, and gently removed the lid they'd put over it.
Artie looked into the box.
"AJ," he said. "Why is your puppy in here too…" he trailed off, noticing that Martin was holding AJ's puppy. "Why are there two puppies in this box?" he hissed, looking around.
AJ grinned sheepishly. "Well," he began. "Grandma already gave the other one away to her friend, and I took mine, and yours, and then he looked so lonely. So I thought I'd just bring him to your house. You have a big house, and the puppies are tiny."
"I can't have two puppies!" Artie said, trying to keep his voice down.
"But your mom was fine with one," AJ reasoned. "And like I said…dude, they're tiny!"
Artie glanced at Quinn and Martin. Martin was busy playing with AJ's brown-tailed puppy, and Quinn had a look on her face that was a mixture of shock, and pure delight.
"Don't you want to show them to your mom?" AJ said, heading for the door. "And Linds? And your dad? And your brother?"
"I…wait," Artie said, turning his chair, making sure the box was properly situated on his lap. "Go directly into the living room," he said to them, as they entered the house. "Quinn, can you go get my mom and tell her I need her in the kitchen please?" he asked. "She's in Linds's room. They're cleaning the closet. Keep Linds occupied, if you can."
Quinn nodded, heading off down the hall.
Artie wheeled into the kitchen, placing the lid over the box. He wasn't sure what would happen next, but he hoped that he knew his mother as well as he thought he did.
"What is it, sweetie?" Beth said, hurrying into the kitchen. "Quinn said you needed me?"
"I…um…I have to talk to you about something," he said, quietly. "Can you sit down?"
Beth nodded, a look of concern on her face. "What's wrong?"
"I should have talked to you about this sooner…" he trailed off. "I just wasn't sure how you'd react."
Several thoughts crossed Beth's mind, as she stared at her son. "Are you ok, honey?" What was he about to tell her? He'd been at Physio earlier in the day…maybe something had gone wrong or needed attention.
He nodded. "Don't worry…I'm fine…for now," he said, lifting the lid off the box. "But I might not be when you see what's in here."
Beth leaned forward, peering into the box.
"Sweetie," she said. "Why do you have a box of puppies on your lap?"
"Um…" Artie trailed off. "Surprise! Happy early birthday!"
Beth just stared at him. She could tell from the look on his face that he was both terrified of how she would react, and absolutely delighted at the fact that he was holding a box with two tiny puppies nestled inside.
"Artie," she began. "Where did you get those?"
"AJ's grandma's dog had puppies…and I thought we should get one…and then he brought them, and he brought two because there was only one left and he thought he looked lonely and sad. And I'm sorry, I should have asked, but I didn't, and then it was too late, and I hoped you would be ok with it, and I'm sorry, I didn't actually get them for your birthday, and I thought we were only getting one, and it would be ok, and now there are two, and I can't send one away, because AJ was right, and I'm sorry," he blurted out, so quickly that Beth only caught about half of what he said.
"Arthur Jacob Abrams," she said, standing up. "Did you honestly think that bringing a puppy into this house without checking with ANYONE was a good idea?"
He swallowed, glancing up at her, and nodded, slightly. "Surprise!" he said again, quietly. She generally only used his full name when she was REALLY angry, or REALLY worried. He hoped she was neither.
"I'm sorry," he went on. "I just thought it would be nice. And I didn't think you'd send away a tiny puppy…and I didn't know there would be two."
She picked the box up off his lap, and set it on the table, examining the sleepy puppies curled around each other.
"They are cute…" she said. "But honey, do you really think this is a good idea?"
He nodded. "You know we've wanted another dog for a long time," he reasoned. "And with two-" he stopped abruptly, when Linds entered the kitchen, followed by Quinn, who threw up her hands behind the little girl's back in an apologetic gesture.
"Why do you have a box?" she said, running over to the table. "Can I see?"
Artie exchanged a glance with his mother, who nodded reluctantly, before reaching for the box and bringing it back into his lap so Linds could get a better look at the contents.
"PUPPIES!" Linds yelled, so loud that the entire house could hear. "ARTIE, YOU GOT ME PUPPIES?"
Artie grinned, surveying the room, noting Quinn's big smile, and Beth's biting her lip, attempting not to smile herself.
"Well," he said. "I got us puppies. I thought maybe you could use a little friend," he said, reaching into the box and picking up the boy puppy. "What do you think? Be careful," he said, handing him to her.
The little girl gently wrapped her arms around the puppy, who promptly started licking her wrist.
"Oh, Artie," she said. "This is the best day ever!"
Artie glanced back at Beth again, noticing that she'd abandoned all attempts to hide the look of joy on her face at the excited facial expressions of her oldest and youngest. He knew he was good to go. As always, her resistance had been futile.
"Is my puppy a girl?" Linds asked, as he rotated his head and started nuzzling into her neck.
"It's a boy," Artie said. "The other one is a girl. I kind of like her…but would you rather have her for yours?"
Linds shook her head. "I like this one," she said. "And we can share them both, right? With everyone? Can he sleep in my bed?"
Artie grinned. "Of course we can share them," he said. "And I think he can probably sleep in your bed after we do a little puppy training. You're going to have to come up with a name for him."
"His name is Arthur Jacob," Linds said, without hesitation. "I'm naming him after you, Artie. Because you're the best brother ever. Don't tell Michael."
"Oh," Artie said, clearing his throat. "I don't know Linds…that's not really a good name for a puppy, is it?"
Beth glanced over at Quinn, noticing that she was silently getting ready to take a picture of the two. She chuckled softly at Linds's name for her puppy.
"Are you saying Arthur Jacob isn't a good name?" Beth asked, raising her eyebrow, and sitting back down at the table.
"Not for a puppy," Artie muttered. He was flattered…but also a little creeped out. He wasn't sure if he wanted his sister running around the back yard yelling, "Arthur Jacob! Come! Sit! Stay!" for the entire neighbourhood to hear. "How about something more suitable for a puppy? Maybe you should check with Michael and Dad…" he trailed off. "Maybe they have some better ideas."
Linds shook her head. "His name is Arthur Jacob. I can call him AJ for short. What are you naming the little girl?" she asked, looking into the box.
"I was thinking maybe we should have a little family talk about that," he said. "I mean…she's a family puppy," he added, glancing around at them.
"But Artie," Linds said. "You should give her a name right now!"
Beth nodded. "You've already got a name picked out, don't you, sweetie?" she asked.
He nodded, sheepishly. "I thought we could call her Daisy," he said, reaching in and stroking her soft fur. "Is that ok? Should I check with Michael and Dad?"
"Should you check what with Dad?" Steve asked, walking through the door. He stopped short, as soon as he saw that there were puppies. "Whose puppies are these?"
"Oh, Daddy," Linds said, running over. "Artie brought puppies, and look! He brought me one! And we're going to share him! And his name is Arthur Jacob, but I'm going to call him AJ for short sometimes, and isn't he cute?" she asked, thrusting the puppy into her father's arms.
Steve raised an eyebrow, taking the puppy from his daughter, and examining him.
"Was I the only one that didn't know about this?" he asked incredulously, looking around the room.
"Um…surprise!" Artie said, his face growing redder by the minute.
Beth rolled her eyes, grinning at her son. "No," she said. "Apparently these are my birthday puppies," she added.
"Oh," Steve said, noticing his son's sheepish expression, and Quinn's somewhat guilty one. "Well," he said, handing the puppy to Beth. "Here you go," he added. "Happy birthday."
"They weren't actually birthday puppies," Artie muttered. "That just came out by accident. I panicked."
"Is the party in here now?" AJ asked, walking into the kitchen, his puppy nestled snuggly into his arms.
Beth's eyes grew wide. "AJ, honey," she said. "Is that…your puppy?" She hoped it was…three might have been a bit much.
He nodded, excitedly. "Do you want to see her?" he asked, walking over to Beth. "I haven't got a name for her yet. She was going to be Killer, when I thought she was a boy, but now she's a girl, and Artie won't let me name her what I want, so I have to find something else," he said.
"What did you want to name her?" Quinn asked.
AJ was about to respond, when he glanced over and noticed Martin making a throat-cutting motion from where he was standing behind Quinn.
"Sunflower," AJ muttered. "But I guess that's not a very good puppy name."
"I named my puppy AJ," Linds said, to no one in particular.
AJ (the person), stared at her. "You named your puppy after me? That is the sweetest, most kind thing anyone has ever done for me."
Linds was about to correct him and say that she actually named the puppy after her brother, when she glanced over at Artie, who shook his head very subtly, and decided not to tell him. She thought he probably didn't want AJ to know that Jacob was his middle name. She just grinned at him.
"Not to drop off puppies, and run, but we should probably go," Martin said. "AJ's mom told us to make sure we were there for dinner."
AJ nodded. "Don't get up," he said to Artie. "We can show ourselves out. Nice to see you again Mrs. A, Mr. A, Linds, Quinn," he said. "Maybe we can set up a puppy play date?"
Before Artie could say anything, Beth responded. "Of course, AJ," she said. "I'm sure there can be lots if puppy play dates."
AJ grinned, before he and Martin said goodbye to everyone, and headed for the door.
"So…you're not mad?" Artie asked Beth, as the family sat in the living room after dinner. "I figured Dad would be ok, but I was a little worried about you," he said. "I'm sorry again, Mom. But we went there, and she was so little, and so cute, and I just couldn't leave her there. And then AJ brought the other one, and as soon as I saw them cuddling together, that was it," he said. "At least they're tiny?"
Beth grinned, watching as the two puppies played with one of the toys Steve had picked up while she made dinner. Artie had realized very quickly that he should have bought SOMETHING before they arrived, so Steve took Michael, and they went to the pet store to purchase some food, toys, puppy training pads, collars, and a cozy kennel for them to sleep in…until they were house trained.
Michael had arrived home shortly after AJ and Martin left, and was pleasantly surprised to find his family sitting in the living room, playing with two puppies. He was kind of excited that Artie had brought them home, because he really liked dogs…but they didn't need to know that, so he'd muttered something about them being cute, before heading to his room. He would play with them later, when no one was around.
"Mom, Arthur Jacob just peed on the floor," Linds said, running over to her mother. "He didn't go in the little white thing like he was supposed to."
"Linds, he really needs a different name," Artie said, chagrined. He hadn't even thought about how things like that would sound.
"Would you rather have her saying AJ peed on the floor?" Quinn whispered into his ear, leaning closer to him.
He chuckled. "Neither," he said.
"Artie, when Arthur Jacob gets bigger, I want him to go to school to learn to be a helping dog, so he can help you," Linds said, sitting down at her brother's feet, playing with the puppy. "We learned about them at school. They're called service dogs, and he could help you do all kinds of things."
Beth's eyes teared up slightly, as she glanced over at her son and his sister. Then she looked at Quinn, and noticed that she was also looking a little misty. She thought about saying something, before Artie intervened.
"Linds," Artie said softly, as she stood up, placing her puppy on his lap. "I don't think he'll ever be big enough for that," he went on. "They usually use dogs that are a lot bigger to help people like me. And I don't really need help."
"But I know he can do it," Linds said, petting the puppy's head. "He's little, but he's going to be strong, and he can help you, Artie! And if he can't do it by himself…I can help him so he can help you. And Daisy could help too, so they could work together! They could make things easier for you sometimes. Because I know sometimes you need help, even when you say no," she added, softly.
Beth choked down the lump in her throat, glancing over at Steve, who was watching what was going on discreetly over his newspaper. Their eyes met, and they exchanged a soft smile.
"Thanks, Linds," Artie said, wrapping his arm around her.
As she watched the interaction between Artie and Lindsay, Quinn couldn't help but smile. She reached down, gently petting Daisy's soft head.
"What if the puppies have to pee at night?" Linds asked. "Who's going to help them?"
"I will," Artie said. "I brought them, and I have to wake up a few times in the night anyway, so that makes the most sense."
Beth shook her head. "Dad and I will take care of it," Beth said. "It shouldn't be too long before they can stay in all night."
"I can do it," Artie said. "I'll be awake anyway."
"But you don't usually leave your bed that many times," Beth said. "And you have to get your sleep, sweetie. We'll do it. Don't worry about it."
"But…" Artie trailed off. "Ok," he said. "If you insist."
"Dad, Arthur Jacob just pooped," Linds said, pointing to the floor.
"He needs a different name," Artie muttered, while Quinn and his parents tried very hard not to burst out laughing.
"It's just nature," Linds said. "He had to go RIGHT NOW."
Later that evening, Artie and Quinn were sitting alone on the couch. Linds had gone to bed, and Beth and Steve were in the kitchen, finishing up the dishes.
"That went better than I thought," Artie said, watching as the puppies wrestled with each other on the floor in front of them.
Quinn grinned. "As if there were any doubts," she said. "You knew as soon as your mom saw how excited you were, and how excited Linds was, she'd be ok with anything."
He grinned back, sheepishly. "She just wants us to be happy," he said. "And she secretly loves puppies," he added.
Quinn leaned over resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm kind of glad you got two," she said. "Linds's reaction was one of the best things I've ever seen."
"It was pretty good," he said. "I knew she'd be excited, but I didn't think she'd be THAT excited."
Quinn giggled. "And before you know it," she said, "she'll be running around the yard announcing that Arthur Jacob just pooped, for the whole world to hear."
"That's evil," Artie said. "Evil."
Quinn giggled again. "I think it's cute that she named him after you," she said.
"Do you also think it's cute that AJ wanted to name his after you?" Artie blurted out, before realizing what he'd just let slip.
"What?" Quinn said, sitting up. "He wanted to name his puppy after me? I'm flattered! …and a little creeped out."
Artie burst out laughing. "Now you know how I felt earlier today," he said. "I told him no."
"Thanks," Quinn said. "I think one puppy named after one of us is enough for now."
He grinned. "Now," he said. "What was that about you and my package?"
Quinn grinned back. "I've been waiting all week to see your package," she said, leaning forward and picking up Daisy. "And now I'm holding it, and it's ADORABLE."
"That's what she said," Artie said quietly, a sly grin on his face.
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Did you actually just say that?"
"Did you actually just call my package adorable?" Artie retorted quietly, so his parents wouldn't hear.
"I think you and everything associated with you is adorable," Quinn said, snuggling herself into his side and placing the puppy on his lap. "So…yes, I did."
He brought his hand around, gently playing with her hair. "You know what?" he asked.
"Hmmm?" Quinn said, watching as Daisy tried to climb up Artie's chest.
"I think you and everything associated with you is adorable, too."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I'm so glad this is finally written! I ALMOST let slip that there would be multiple puppies SO MANY TIMES, so it's nice to finally have this out there.
Corresponds with All My Dreams chapter 118 and The Smile on Your Face chapter 100.
NOW! Any specific puppy-related things you want to see?
Or…non puppy-related things?
Anything? :D
Parts of this story were inspired by conversations with Julie, while others were inspired by Megan. SO…thank you, both. Consider this a dedication of sorts! ;)