Poor Otis! Will he be okay? Keep reading and find out!
"What?!" Pip cried. "What do you mean you're going to war?"
Otis sighed. "Looks like the boys in Afghanistan are in need of reinforcements. I just got this letter saying that I ship out in two days."
A tear welled up in Abby's eye as she hugged Otis's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "But you can't go!"
Otis wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Look, if it were my choice, I wouldn't be going anywhere. But when you're in the military, and you're being ordered to go somewhere, they don't give you very many options, if any at all." He went back inside the barn to pack.
Otis had almost finished packing when Bessy showed up at his stall. "Hey, dum-dum, where do you think you're going?"
"Afghanistan."
Again, Bessy froze. She hadn't meant for her little prank to go this far. She cleared her throat. "Um, dum-du-, I mean, Otis, I have a bit of a confession to make."
Otis gazed over his shoulder at her.
Bessy took a deep breath. "It's my fault you're leaving. It was supposed to be a harmless prank, that's all. But-"
"What prank?"
"You getting sent off to boot camp was my idea. Abby had nothing to do with it. I only made Abby do it so you wouldn't suspect it was me."
Otis smirked. "It wasn't really that hard to figure out."
Bessy continued. "Anyway, I didn't mean for you to get sent off to war, or even to join the Marines, for that matter. I thought you would go to boot camp, get roughed up a bit, and quit and come home the next day."
Otis sighed. "Bessy, look. I understand you were only trying to pull a prank, but I was too proud to quit boot camp. Therefore, everything that happens after boot camp is my fault."
Bessy gave a relieved smile and left Otis alone so he could finish packing.
Two days later…
The gang, in human disguises (Abby in her trademark pink polka-dotted blouse and jeans) had gathered at the nearest military base to see Otis off. Dozens of other families had gathered here to say good-bye to their sons, husbands, fathers, etc. Row upon row of AC-130 transport planes were being loaded up with marines, Humvees, Abrams tanks, Strykers, and UAVs.
They spotted Otis exiting the barracks, clad in full military gear. Abby couldn't help smiling. He looked so heroic in that outfit.
"Look," Otis said to his friends after they had gathered around him. "If anything happens to me, blame me, not Bessy. I know she was the reason I got sent to boot camp, but the only reason I'm here, now, is because I was too proud to give in. I'm responsible for everything that happens to me from here on in."
"All aboard!" a marine officer called out.
This is it, Abby thought. This may be the last time I'll ever see him. Without thinking, she ran up to Otis just as he was boarding the AC-130.
"Abby," Otis said in a surprised tone. "Why are you here?"
She grinned ear to ear at him. "So I can do this." She then kissed him, long and hard, right on the lips, causing the other marines around them to cheer and whoop at them. Abby didn't hear them; she was too focused on the passionate kiss she was sharing with Otis right now.
Just as Abby pulled her lips away, she saw Otis smile warmly at her and heard him whisper in her ear, "Now I know I'm coming back."
The gang made sure she saw the last AC-130 take off before she left. She wanted to make sure she had see Otis off.
Meanwhile, on the plane…
Otis stared at the floor of the AC-130's troop bay with nervous anticipation. Would he make it through this war alive so he and Abby could be together again?
The marine next to him, whose nametag read Prekowski, clapped Otis on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, big guy," he said as if reading his thoughts. "You'll see her again."
Otis smiled at him. Yeah, I hope so.
There he goes, people! He's fought coyotes. He's fought mountain lions. His next challenge: *gasp* THE TALIBAN!!! *dun dun dun!*
By the way, in the episode, Man's Best Friend, it is revealed that Duke and the farmer watch Casablanca together all the time. Duke even considers it their own "special movie". In the next chapter, it is revealed that Otis and Pip also have a "special movie" that they often watch together. The answer will come in the next chapter, but I challenge you to guess in your review of this one. Take as many guesses as you like.
