Peter's phone rang.
Elizabeth glanced at it and then shook her head at Peter. "Don't answer that!" she threatened.
Her husband gave her a helpless look. "Honey, you know I have to."
He picked up the phone and Elizabeth listened to the same one-sided conversation she had listened to hundreds of times by now. They varied in length and urgency, but they almost always ended with…
"I'll be there as fast as I can." Peter hung up the phone and turned around with that look that was half guilt-ridden and half 'Well, what can I do?'. "I'll make it quick," he promised her.
"You always say that." She was being moody, but Elizabeth thought she had a right to be.
They were currently standing in their new living room that absolutely wasn't ready to be lived in yet. There were boxes everywhere and the dinner table and the couch were wrapped in plastic because they were still painting a few of the walls. But they would never get that done today if Peter had to take off now to go to work.
"Well, honey, I can't just quit my job, too, if we want to be able to keep paying for this house."
Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly when that little jab caught her by surprise. Not as much, though, as it did Peter.
His face crumpled. "El, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."
Elizabeth raised a hand before either one of them could get worked up. "No, you're right. I decided to quit my job, so I can't make you feel bad about doing yours. Just go. I'll try to find something useful to do while you're gone."
Peter nodded and leaned in for a kiss. "Love you, honey."
"Love you, too. Now go!" Elizabeth shooed him out the door and tried not to think about how this was going to become their new ritual.
Watching Peter leave had never been the favorite part of her day. By quitting her job, she had inadvertently signed on to doing just that. At least, until her own business became more than a fixed idea in her head. The first step was to actually become a certified event planner. Right now, Elizabeth was reading up on the business licenses she would need and studying for the exam she was waiting to take.
Of course, those weren't the only things on her to-do list. She had a whole house that waited to be turned into a home. But Elizabeth didn't want to keep painting on her own. She decided to finish up in the kitchen. Most of the boxes here were already unpacked because she needed to be able to cook, and the rest didn't take her long.
Then she went upstairs into the master bedroom where they had already put together most of the closet. Elizabeth managed to put the finishing touches to it on her own, so she could then unpack all of their clothes before they would start to wrinkle. Once that was done, she sat down on the mattress that currently served as their bed. They had decided to get a new one and it hadn't been delivered yet, so they had to make do for now. It had sounded romantic until they had discovered that having sex on an air mattress was, well, interesting.
The house was perfectly quiet. Big and quiet. Elizabeth sighed when she realized that it was always going to be like this. If her business took off, she would eventually have a real office to go to. But event planning wasn't a nine-to-five office job. That was one of the things she liked about it. It also meant, however, that she was going to be alone in this house a lot.
At least, Peter kept his word and was home before dinner. Elizabeth made a simple pasta dish which they ate at the kitchen counter since the table was still under wraps.
"We can't finish painting now that it's getting dark, but we could put up a few shelves," Peter suggested.
Elizabeth reached for her wine glass. "I was thinking we could just sit out on the patio for a while, drink some more wine." Sometimes it felt to her as if that was the only reason why she had wanted the house. So she could sit out there with her wonderful husband and enjoy a peaceful evening under the stars.
Peter smiled as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. "I thought you wanted to get everything done. No slacking."
"I know, but to be honest, I'm still getting used to the house and not going to work. It was a little lonely today," she admitted.
Sipping his beer, Peter looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe it's time we get that dog."
Elizabeth lowered her fork in surprise. "You mean the one that's taller than Mr. Cuddles?" she asked, remembering her meeting with the woman who had walked her poodle outside their house.
"Well, probably not right away but eventually yes," Peter said.
"I always thought we would have a dog one day," Elizabeth realized when her initial surprise had faded. Of course, she had also thought that they would have a child. But at least, her body couldn't betray her when it came to getting a puppy.
Peter nodded. "We just never had the time to actually walk a dog."
"I have time now," Elizabeth said. Actually, she had way more time than she had anticipated.
"And if you have an event at night, I can make sure to be home to watch him," Peter said.
"Or her. Either way, we would have to train the dog to be alone for a few hours at a time. But that shouldn't be a problem. The house is big enough, right?"
"Big enough to warrant getting a dog to protect you when I'm not home."
Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't want a watchdog."
"What kind of dog do you want?" Peter asked.
She hesitated whether to say what she was thinking, but everything that was in her heart she shared with her husband. "I want a dog that's good with people and families and... kids. A dog that has as much love to give as we do."
Peter reached out to put his hand on hers. "I'm sure we can find a dog like that – and one that is tall enough to at least scare the likes of Mr. Cuddles."
Elizabeth smiled. "So... we're getting a dog?"
"We're getting a dog," Peter replied with a grin.
Feeling a new kind of energy and enthusiasm, Elizabeth got up and was about to carry their empty plates over to the sink. Peter stopped her by holding on to her hand.
"About what I said earlier before I left for work... El, you know I support your decision one hundred percent, right?"
Elizabeth almost laughed because he was making puppy dog eyes at her. Clearly, they had talked too much about dogs. But she didn't need assurances or apologies. She knew Peter was all in on this with her. There was no other way, really, because not only was Elizabeth not making any money right now, they would have to invest money first so she could hopefully, eventually, make some again. That was a lot to ask. Especially of a trained accountant who liked to keep their books in order. But Peter had never even batted an eye.
His confidence in her meant everything to Elizabeth. It meant that she didn't question herself when she felt like a failed college student while studying for her certificate. It stopped her from feeling guilty about making Peter carry the lone burden of providing for them financially. And it made her discover ever new ways of falling in love with this man.
She used her free hand to caress his cheek before leaning in to kiss him with as much feeling as she could express without words. When she let go of his lips again, Peter was smiling, as if he understood perfectly. "Yes, hon, and I never thought you wouldn't," she said for good measure.
They spent the rest of the night looking up dog breeds and different breeders in the area of New York. There were lots to choose from, obviously. For Elizabeth, it was strangely satisfying that all of this was up to her and Peter. They could choose to just go out and get a puppy tomorrow. Sure, they had to get a couple of things and make a few preparations, but there was no need for making a schedule or taking drugs or tests. They weren't at the mercy of a biological process that supposedly was the simplest thing in the world and yet proved frustratingly complicated. They were willing to fall in love with a dog and somewhere out there was a puppy willing to love them back.
That kind of thinking delivered them right to the doorstep of a New Yorker breeder of Labrador Retrievers. It hadn't taken them very long to decide on that breed. According to all the experts, they were loyal, fun- and people-loving, energetic dogs that liked to cuddle, were easy to groom and perfectly lovable. And they were big enough to qualify as 'real dogs' in Peter's eyes.
And it so happened that this breeder had a litter of puppies that were eight weeks old and ready to be adopted into new homes.
"Are you nervous? I'm nervous," Peter said when they walked up to the front door.
Elizabeth smiled. She loved him for saying that because yes, she was nervous, too. "We better not mention that our house is a mess right now."
Really, they should have waited until the house was ready. But lately, they had done nothing but wait. They simply didn't want to wait anymore.
Peter rang the doorbell and right away dogs started barking inside the house. "How do we choose?" he asked.
"I don't know. I have never done this before either."
"Yes, but don't tell me you haven't read at least three different articles about this," Peter said, giving her a knowing look.
Okay, yes, of course she had. She had also ordered five books on how to actually raise and train a dog. "I still don't think this is something you can decide on paper," Elizabeth replied.
The door opened and the woman they had spoken with on the phone smiled at them. "You must be Peter and Elizabeth. I'm Joanne, oh, and this is Maya," she introduced herself and the black Lab that appeared at her side.
"Is she the mother?" Elizabeth asked after they had said hello and stepped inside the house.
"Yes. The little rascals are out in the back yard. They are a handful, so Maya likes to get away from them and be by herself every now and then. She knows it's time for them to stand on their own paws. Anyway, prepare yourselves," Joanne said before opening the door to the yard.
But there was no preparing for ten very excited, super nosy, and extremely playful puppies. Immediately, they decided that Peter and Elizabeth were now the most interesting thing in the entire back yard. It was overwhelming, to say the least. Some of the puppies had yellow coats and some were black like their mother. They all looked adorable. That was the only thing Elizabeth could tell at first.
"There are so many of them!" she said, taking a step back while Peter was being overrun by four of them.
"Oh yes, Maya always has big litters," Joanne nodded.
Amazed, Elizabeth looked at the female Labrador and crouched down next to her to scratch her ears. She couldn't imagine giving birth to ten kids.
Then again, she had failed to conceive even one.
Elizabeth yelped when one of the puppies practically jumped into her lap. She had been too focused on the mother to see it coming. This one was a yellow one with big, beady eyes and a soft, cold nose that he pressed into her stomach – while he happily began to chew on her dress.
She was wearing a wrap dress that tied at her waist with a little bow. In hindsight, not the smartest choice for meeting a litter of curious puppies. But it was too late now. One end of the bow was already in the puppy's mouth. If she wasn't careful, this little guy would undress her right there.
"Oh, no, no, no, you won't!" Elizabeth said while picking up the little puppy and lifting him in the air away from her dress.
"That one's a boy," Joanne supplied helpfully, but Elizabeth had already guessed as much.
Peter guffawed. "I like him. He thinks like me."
Elizabeth was about to shoot her husband a look when the puppy's little tongue lashed out and he started licking her face vigorously.
Peter laughed even harder while Elizabeth instinctively closed her eyes at first. But then she opened them again and looked at the puppy she was still holding in her hands. He seemed to cock his head a little and looked right back at her, wagging his tail once, twice, as if asking a question.
And Elizabeth's heart answered by melting completely.
Peter had stopped laughing. "I think we just fell in love," he said to Joanne.
"I think the feeling is mutual," Joanne agreed.
Elizabeth didn't really know what to say, but when Peter sat down next to her, she smiled and handed the puppy to him.
At first, he handled the little dog like he was made of glass and could break right there in his hands. But the puppy kept wagging his tail, let out a little bark, and started chewing on Peter's tie. Peter tried to get him to stop, which the puppy saw absolutely no reason to, and they ended up in a bit of a wrestling match.
It was hard to tell who enjoyed it more.
Elizabeth felt like she might tear up and quickly stood to turn to Joanne. "We'll take him."
The drive home was both wonderful and a little sad. Peter was driving and Elizabeth was holding the little puppy in her lap. Now that he had realized that he was to leave his mother and siblings behind and venture out into the unknown, he had lost some of his courage and started whining. Joanne had given them his blanket so he could at least keep the smell of home with him for a while, and Elizabeth had wrapped him in it. She tried to soothe him by talking to him and petting him, but he didn't seem to like the car ride at all.
"He needs a name," Peter said, helping to distract Elizabeth from the miserable puppy in her lap. "Maybe we should call him Chewie because he likes to chew on things."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "All dogs like to chew on stuff."
"Well, he also sounds a little bit like Chewbacca right now."
"Not funny," Elizabeth said and pressed a kiss to the top of the puppy's head. He licked her nose once in thanks but didn't stop whimpering.
"Okay, how about Mick or Mickey?"
Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "As in Mouse?"
"Sure, that too."
"There was a Yankees guy with that name, wasn't there?" Elizabeth asked.
Peter kept his eyes on the road, but he grinned. "Mickey Mantle, famous centerfielder and first basemen."
"Yeah, then no," Elizabeth said.
"Comet?" Peter suggested.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "That's still about baseball, isn't it?"
"What does it matter if you don't even know?" Peter teased.
"What does it matter if we named him Red Sox?" Elizabeth countered.
Peter raised his hands in defeat when they stopped at a red light. "Okay, honey, I hear you. What would you like to name him?"
She thought about it for a few minutes. "How about Satchmo?"
Her husband chuckled. "I could argue that it's not fair that I don't get to name him after a baseball guy but you get to name him after a jazz guy. But I guess I always knew this was coming."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"Our third date. ,The' date. You told me you liked jazz and dogs. So there you go," Peter replied.
Elizabeth smirked. "Did you just use air quotes to refer to us having sex for the first time?"
"I didn't know if we were allowed to talk about it in front of him."
"I don't think he knows what that is."
Peter gave her a lop-sided grin. "I'm not so sure. He seemed to know exactly how to open your dress earlier. If I had gotten away with that on the very first day we met..."
Elizabeth swatted at him and then bent down to the puppy in her lap. "Don't listen to any of that, Satchmo."
He lifted his ears a little and cocked his head, as if listening was exactly what he was trying to do.
"Guess he likes the name," Peter said, smiling at her. "Or your voice."
Elizabeth smiled back at him. "Hopefully, he'll like his new home too. Once it's done, anyway."
"I know. I'll get back to it as soon as we're home. If he's okay with the noise, that is," Peter said, glancing questioningly at Satchmo.
"I guess we'll find out," Elizabeth shrugged. "I guess we'll find out a lot of things about dogs."
"Yeah, if he wasn't right there, I'd have a hard time believing this happened so fast."
Elizabeth grimaced when she suddenly felt her legs get warm – and wet. "Oh, believe it, honey, because he just peed on me."
"What?" Peter's eyes darted towards her legs. "No, Satchmo, not in my car!"
"Oh, so you're fine with him peeing on your wife but not on your upholstery?" Elizabeth asked with her eyebrows raised.
"Why do I feel like there's no right answer to that?"
"Just drive faster."
The house was finally coming along and beginning to look like a home – which was good because Satchmo would chew on everything he could find. That was still a little bit funny when it was one of Peter's case files, but it became slightly annoying when it was a pillow, borderline upsetting when it was one of Elizabeth's shoes, and downright dangerous when it was a nail or a bucket filled with paint. Perhaps he was a Chewie after all.
He also was an attention hog. That day when Elizabeth had felt lonely in the house while Peter was at work? She could barely even remember it anymore. Now, Satchmo was constantly begging for her attention. She had to stop him from doing anything stupid (or dangerous), she had to take him out for a walk, she had to teach him how to walk on a leash, she had to mop up his pee when she didn't let him out in time, she had to take him to obedience school, and even when he was sleeping, she felt like she needed to check on him to make sure he was still sleeping.
And Satchmo's sleeping arrangements presented them with a whole bunch of other problems. He was used to sleeping with his brothers and sisters and dogs were pack animals, so neither Peter nor Elizabeth found it in them to force the little guy to sleep alone downstairs at night. So they carried him upstairs (he wasn't allowed to climb stairs yet), where he was supposed to sleep on his own blanket. But of course, he always ended up on the air mattress with them at some point during the night.
Finally, their new bed arrived. It was quite a bit higher above the ground than the air mattress had been and so they managed to convince Satchmo to stay down on his blanket. Having a puppy in bed with them might be cute now, but he wouldn't always stay a puppy. So that's where Elizabeth drew the line. And Satchmo seemed okay with it as long as he was still sleeping right next to their bed.
Only he wasn't necessarily sleeping. Elizabeth had been looking forward to making proper use of the fact that they now had a bed that couldn't deflate anymore. But that night, after a couple of promising kisses to get them in the mood, Peter rolled off of her again.
"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, resting a hand on his chest.
He huffed. "I can't do this right now."
"Why not?"
"Because I can feel him staring at me."
Elizabeth frowned and raised her head. Satchmo was sitting bolt upright on his blanket, and when he saw her looking at him, he wagged his tail happily. Elizabeth couldn't help herself and burst out laughing.
"Oh, honey, he is still just a dog," she said.
Peter arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? You try it then."
Elizabeth swung one leg over her husband to get on top of him and started kissing her way down his collarbone. But now she could hear Satchmo panting loudly, getting faster at the same time her kisses did.
She sat up and looked at the puppy again. "Satch, go to sleep!"
Satchmo cocked his head and wagged his tail even harder.
With a deep sigh, Elizabeth collapsed on her husband's chest. It was ridiculous, but she couldn't do it either.
Peter chuckled, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, hon."
Satchmo barked once.
"You too, Satchmo."
The next day Elizabeth was cleaning up and doing laundry, always with Satchmo on her heels. All the books that said that puppies needed lots of sleep must not have been talking about Labrador Retrievers. Elizabeth was glad that Satchmo had so much happy energy, but right now, she was waiting for him to finally take a nap so she could put away the fresh laundry. Since Satchmo wasn't allowed to climb the stairs yet, they only carried him up to the bedroom when it was time to go to bed. Otherwise, he was supposed to stay downstairs. But with him following her around all day, that was a bit of a problem.
Since taking a nap didn't seem to be on the agenda today, Elizabeth switched tactics. She gave Satchmo a big treat, grabbed her laundry basket, and quietly started sneaking up the stairs. As soon as she got too far away from him, though, Satchmo grabbed his treat and, carrying it in his mouth, he followed her and attempted to climb the stairs after her.
"No, Satchmo, stay!"
He wagged his tail and looked up at her happily.
"No, Satch, you have to stay down there. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Satchmo sat back down, but as soon as she lifted a foot, he did the same.
Elizabeth huffed. "You have no idea what I want from you, do you?"
He just kept looking at her intently. Puppy dog eyes, indeed.
"Fine, just don't tell anyone about this," Elizabeth said, grabbed the basket and the dog and brought both of them upstairs with her.
Satchmo ran right over to his blanket and after he had finished his treat, Elizabeth gave him a new toy to keep him occupied. Miraculously, that worked, and for a while, Elizabeth sat on the bed, folding her laundry in peace, while Satchmo made happy squeaky sounds with his toy.
When the room went suddenly quiet, Elizabeth reacted too late.
"Satch?"
She heard the clicking of his paws on the floor and then he was gone.
"Please don't find a new spot to pee on," Elizabeth muttered while she got up to follow the little rascal.
She couldn't find him at first, and her heart started racing when she thought he might have taken a tumble down the stairs. Then she saw that the door to the small bedroom was ajar. She had no idea how that had happened. There was nothing in that room except for a few unpacked boxes, just some stuff that they had wanted to get out of the way. Perhaps Peter had put something in there this morning and had forgotten to close the door.
Elizabeth didn't like to go into that room, but now she had no other choice. Sure enough, Satchmo was in there – and he was busy peeing into a corner.
"Satchmo!" Elizabeth sighed and got towels and a cloth from the bathroom to clean it up.
When she was on her knees, scrubbing, Satchmo watched her from a safe distance.
"You're lucky there's nothing in here, mister, or you'd be in serious trouble," Elizabeth told him. "Of course, there probably won't ever be anything in here. Just a big old empty room, filled with nothing at all, except all the love we will never get to give a child of our own..." She dropped the cloth and sat back when she could feel her throat close up and the tears coming. Dammit, she hadn't meant to let her thoughts go there, and now she had dog pee and cleaning solution on her hands and couldn't even wipe her eyes. All she could do was sit here and feel defeated by a room in her own house.
Suddenly, she felt Satchmo's paws on her thighs. He had dared to come back over to her. First, he put his front paws on her legs and then on her chest when he hoisted himself up on his hind legs. Now tall enough to reach her face, he started licking up her tears.
That only brought on more tears at first, but then her tears turned into laughter. "Are you trying to tell me I shouldn't be crying?"
Satchmo wagged his tail.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "You're right. I shouldn't. I might not have this room, but I have you and Peter, and I couldn't love you more. My beautiful boys." She hugged him then for as long as Satchmo let her before he started to squirm and wiggle his way out of her arms.
She laughed, finished cleaning up the mess, and then closed the door behind her.
Later that day, Elizabeth was sitting on the floor in the living room, playing with Satchmo, when his ears suddenly perked up. She tried to listen for whatever had caught his attention and she could make out the faint rattling of keys outside the door.
"What's that, Satchmo?" she asked him with a big smile on her face.
The puppy looked at her, quivering with excitement, but not quite sure what to do.
"Is that your daddy coming home? Yes, go say hi to daddy!"
The door opened and Satchmo shot off like a bolt of lightning, jumping up at Peter's legs like the furry bouncy ball that he was.
"Woah, hey there, Satchmo. Slow down, boy. Yes, I've missed you too." Peter dropped a case file he had been carrying so he could have his hands free to cuddle his dog. Something small and green fell out of that file and slid across the floor, catching Satchmo's immediate attention.
"Satchmo, no! That's evidence!" Peter yelled when the puppy started chasing after the mysterious object.
Since it was coming right at her, Elizabeth was faster and managed to pick it up before it could end up in Satchmo's mouth or, even worse, his stomach.
"Thanks, honey," Peter said, kissing her thanks and hello at the same time.
Elizabeth frowned when she saw what she was holding in her hand. "Since when do lollipops qualify as evidence?"
"Since it's proof of me being the worst FBI agent in the history of the Bureau," Peter replied glumly.
"What? Why? What happened?" Elizabeth asked, putting the lollipop down on the dinner table, so she could rest her hand on Peter's arm instead.
Her husband heaved a sigh. "Do you remember those fake Atlantic Incorporated bonds I showed you the other day?"
"Yes, the ones you were so impressed with because the guy who forged them was a real expert."
"Right, well, he cashed them in at a bank in Midtown," Peter told her.
"But isn't that good? Doesn't that help you catch him?" Elizabeth asked.
"Theoretically, yes, if I hadn't just let him walk."
Elizabeth's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I had no idea who the hell he was. I was at the bank to tell them to watch out for him trying to do exactly that, but it turns out I was too late. He had already been inside and then he came to talk to me, pretending to be worried about the money he had in the bank. I told him it was fine, he thanked me for my work, gave me the lollipop, and left."
"He gave you a lollipop?"
"Yup."
Elizabeth bit down on her lower lip as hard as she could to keep from laughing, but the look on Peter's face told her she wasn't doing a very good job.
"You think it's funny. My failure is amusing you," he complained.
"I'm sorry, honey," she said, running her hand up and down his arm. "But you have to admit it's a little bit funny."
"He's a criminal and I let him walk, El. There's nothing funny about that," Peter protested.
"Okay, but you couldn't have known what he looked like or that he would be brazen enough to talk to you like that. I'm sure... oh, Satchmo, no!"
They had ignored the little puppy for too long and so he had gone straight for the one thing he wasn't supposed to, namely the file Peter had dropped onto the floor earlier. Quickly, they scooped up the file and the pages that had fallen out of it and handed Satchmo his squeaky toy instead.
"Wait, is that what this guy looks like?" Elizabeth asked when she realized that she was holding a sketch in her hand.
"Yes, why?" Peter asked after taking it from her to put it back in the file.
"Nothing," Elizabeth said, quickly turning away from him and heading for the kitchen. "I should get started on dinner."
Peter followed her. "That's not what you were going to say."
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Yes, you were. What was it?" Peter turned her around and effectively pinned her against the kitchen counter.
Elizabeth chuckled. "I feel like I should plead the Fifth on this one."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "You think he's hot."
"Well... either that or he has very symmetrical cheekbones."
Peter groaned. "Great, now my wife thinks he's funny and attractive."
Elizabeth laughed and gave him a light kiss. "Look at it this way, hon. You can just add that to the list of offenses when you arrest him."
"Oh, believe me, I will." Peter removed his hands from her sides so she could move freely about the kitchen again. "Did you two have a good day at least?"
"We had a little mishap earlier, but I think we both learned from it," Elizabeth replied while heating up the oven.
"So, he looked at you with those big brown eyes and you forgave him?" Peter guessed.
Elizabeth smiled. "Something like that."
"I'm sorry you have to deal with all that stuff by yourself while I'm at work, honey."
"Actually, since you brought it up… there's this lecture on starting your own business that I would like to go to. It's next Tuesday, but we have an appointment at the vet that morning. So I was hoping you could take Satchmo."
"To the vet?" Peter asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yes, you could still be at work by eleven at the latest," Elizabeth assured him.
Peter still looked hesitant. "Couldn't we simply reschedule the vet?"
"Honey, you know there's a schedule for these kinds of vaccinations. It's important to stick to it. And you just said you wanted to help out with Satchmo."
"I was thinking of cleaning up after him, not scaring him into hating me."
Elizabeth crossed her arms. "Oh, so you'd prefer that he only hates me for taking him to the vet?"
"Well, you are a lot scarier, hon," Peter said with a wry grin.
"I'm scary? You're the FBI agent!"
"Not in here," Peter replied with a chuckle, pointing at the kitchen they were all standing in – Satchmo being extremely interested in what Elizabeth was making for dinner, but he was still way too small to do anything other than sniff the air with his little nose. Peter bent down to scratch his ears. "If we were to take him together, he could spread the hate equally," he suggested.
Elizabeth shook her head. "You won't even be the real bad guy, the vet is. And Satchmo needs these shots. So I suggest you figure out a way to man up and do this."
"See, I told you, you're scarier," Peter said.
She wanted to shoot him a look, but he had picked up Satchmo, who immediately tried to loosen the knot of Peter's tie with his sharp little teeth, so all Elizabeth could do was laugh.
"Almost there, Satchmo. Just hold tight and remember that this is not my fault." Peter glanced at the backseat, where he had secured Satchmo in a harness and on a special blanket – just in case there were any more mishaps. The puppy still didn't like driving, and Peter was pretty sure today wouldn't change that.
Thankfully, Satchmo had finally stopped straining against the harness. He had now lowered his head onto his front paws, looking dejected, which was almost worse.
"I'm just following orders, buddy. Something you will need to learn as well. Why? Well, because you're a dog, but you don't want to be in the doghouse with Elizabeth. And neither do I."
Satchmo whined loudly.
"Okay, fine, that wasn't a very good joke. And El is only doing this because she loves you. Well, both of us, but I already had all my shots."
Satchmo didn't seem to find that very reassuring.
Honestly, Peter wouldn't either. Things only got worse when they arrived at the vet. Peter had only just opened the front door when he could hear and smell all the different animals that were already in the waiting room.
"Wow, it smells… intense in here. I don't even want to know what it smells like for you," Peter said and looked down at his dog. But there was no dog at the end of his leash, at least none that he could see because Satchmo was hiding underneath a nearby table.
Peter bent down to look under the table and was met by two big round eyes and a small furry body that was shaking like a leaf. Heaving a sigh, Peter reached for his phone.
"Honey, he's terrified, and frankly, so am I," he said once El had picked up.
"Well, of course, he is. You just have to talk to him," she replied well-meaningly but also rather unhelpfully.
"Tried that and now he's hiding under a table. Unless it's an interrogation, I'm not good at it."
"That's not true, hon." Elizabeth sighed. "What do you want me to do about it now?"
Peter shrugged, even though she couldn't see. "I don't know. Are you really at a lecture? I don't hear anything."
"Because I stepped outside when you called."
"I thought you really wanted to hear it. Why answer the phone at all?" Peter asked.
He could practically see Elizabeth roll her eyes. "Because you always try to pick up the phone, too, when I call you at work. But you know that. So stop interrogating me and quit stalling."
Now it was Peter's turn to sigh. "I'm just worried that I might screw him up. These are all formative experiences for Satchmo, right? And all he has right now is me."
"Oh, honey, that's plenty. All he needs to know is that you're going to protect him and love him and make the pain go away. So show him that. Like I know you can," El said gently.
Peter smiled. "I love you, too, hon."
"I know that. Go tell Satch."
He hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He hadn't realized that being a dog parent would be this hard. But El was right. He needed to stop being afraid. And it wasn't all scary. It was sort of amazing that he had the power to make this little helpless pup feel better. Or at least not completely alone in his misery. Better start small.
Peter crouched down next to the table to look at Satchmo again. "Okay, let's do this, bud. First rule of having to go see a doctor, there's always something in it for you." He reached into his pocket and held out a treat.
Satchmo's nose began to quiver, and eventually his appetite won out over his suspicion. He robbed out from underneath the table, and when he had inhaled his treat, Peter quickly picked him up and carried him inside the waiting room. He chose a chair that was as far away from the other pets and their owners as possible and sat Satchmo down in his lap. He prayed Satchmo wouldn't take that as an invitation to pee on him. But Peter thought the risk was worth it. He didn't want to set Satchmo down on the floor next to that gigantic Rottweiler or that cat carrier with one very angry cat inside.
The nurse came by to check off their names on her clipboard. "Oh my… Isn't he adorable!"
Satchmo seemed confused as to whether he should like the attention or whether he was still too scared and only wagged his tail half-heartedly.
"We're a little nervous," Peter told the nurse.
"Don't worry. It'll be quick and painless," she promised while scratching Satchmo's ears.
He definitely liked that, but it only lasted until it was time for them to go inside the exam room and meet the vet.
Peter lifted Satchmo onto the exam table and it took all of five seconds for Satchmo to decide that he felt too exposed up there. He flattened his ears and tucked his tail between his legs.
"First time for the both of you?" the vet asked kindly.
"What gave it away?" Peter asked with a dark chuckle.
When the vet came closer, Satchmo pressed his trembling little body against Peter and pushed his nose against Peter's palm, as if hoping there might be a way to disappear in there.
"How about you just tell my wife that you gave him the shot and we can all get away scot-free?" Peter joked.
"I could, but then little Satchmo here would be at risk for getting canine distemper, hepatitis, or parainfluenza."
Peter made a face and tried to level with Satchmo. "You hear that? That sounds bad, and it would break your momma's heart. Plus, getting sick is never as fun as it sounds, even if you think that you could really use the time off work. And you don't even work, so it would be a lose-lose situation for you, buddy. So here's the deal: I need you to be a brave, little guy now, and then you get to…"
"Try this," the vet helped him out when Peter faltered, not sure what to promise Satchmo exactly. The vet handed him a ginormous pig ear. The thing was almost as big as Satchmo's head.
"Wow! Okay. And then you get to eat this thing," Peter finished his little speech.
Satchmo looked as if knowing that treats of that size even exited opened up a whole new world for him. He began to wag his tail again, even though it was still tucked between his hind legs, and he licked Peter's face.
"I'll take that as a yes," Peter said and nodded to the vet.
So while he kept distracting Satchmo, the vet examined him to make sure that he was healthy and then gave him the vaccination. Satchmo looked a little affronted at the sudden prick of the needle, but Peter quickly scooped him up so he couldn't dwell on it for too long. And just like that, they were done.
All that carrying him around had clearly given Satchmo the wrong impression, though. Either that or he had a hard time digesting that giant pig ear. When they had driven back home and Peter had parked the car outside the house, Satchmo refused to walk and flopped down on the sidewalk instead. Peter had the good sense to recognize this as one of those teaching moments they kept talking about in obedience school and refrained from simply picking Satchmo up again.
It took them a really long time to get from the car to the house.
When they were finally back inside, it was Peter who plopped down on the couch to lie down. Just for a little bit, he told himself. So he could pretend that taking his dog to the vet for the first time hadn't wiped him out completely.
Satchmo watched him curiously for a moment and then boldly jumped onto the couch as well. Before Peter could tell him no, the puppy had already squeezed himself into the small space between Peter's chest and right arm, burying his nose in his armpit. Peter rested a hand on Satchmo's back and forgot what he had been meaning to say.
When El got home, she found them both passed out on the couch like that. "Did I miss the conversation where we agreed that it was okay for Satchmo to sleep on the couch?" she asked.
Peter blinked up at her, making sure there was a smile on her face. "It wasn't so much a conversation as it was a question of exhaustion."
"Aw, my poor babies," El crooned, her tone a mixture of sympathy and mockery. But she walked over to the couch and bent down to first press a kiss to Peter's lips and then to the top of Satchmo's head. When Satchmo looked up and happily licked El's nose in return, Peter was glad she had chosen to distribute her affection in that order.
"He doesn't seem scarred for life, so I'm guessing it went okay?" she asked, crouching next to the couch so she could keep petting Satchmo.
"Well, I got him out from under the table. We went in. We learned that very small cats can make very angry sounds. We met the vet and decided he was an okay guy when he gave us a giant pig ear. And we almost didn't notice the injection. Then we had a small disagreement over how to get home, but we made it," Peter briefly recounted their morning.
El laughed. "I hope Satchmo was the only one who ate that pig ear."
"Oh yes, he wouldn't share," Peter nodded. "But I figured that's a lesson for another day. Speaking of which, did you learn something at the lecture?"
"Some. They talked about how important it is to choose a good name since it's the first thing that sets a business apart from the competition."
"Got any ideas?"
Elizabeth stopped petting Satchmo, who had happily rolled over, going belly up, and now seemed confused as to why her hand had disappeared. "I was thinking about… Burke Premiere Events. If that's all right with you."
"Why wouldn't it be? It sounds amazing, El. Very professional. I would hire you on the spot," Peter said, meaning every word of it.
El rested a hand on his chest. "Thanks, honey. I'm not sure a glowing recommendation from my husband is very helpful, but I'm glad you think so. Because if I go with Burke Premiere Events, I would put our name on it, and that means if I fail, you would fail with me."
Peter lifted a hand to hold on to El's while Satchmo watched and didn't seem to understand why neither one of those hands was petting him. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean, you're not going to fail. But if you were, I wouldn't let you do it alone."
El leaned in to give him another kiss, which got interrupted, however, by Satchmo pushing his nose into their faces.
"Okay, I feel like we really need to set some boundaries here," Peter said, wrinkling his nose.
"You were the one who let him onto the couch, hon," El reminded him.
"Momentary lapse in judgement."
"Otherwise known as falling in love."
Peter furrowed his brow. "I thought I already did that when we first got him."
El just smiled at both of them. "Who says you can't still be falling?"
When he looked into the clear blue of her eyes, Peter's frown eased and was replaced by a dazed little grin. "Right."
Laughing softly, El got back to her feet and headed for the kitchen. "Do you think Satch needs something to eat after that pig ear he had?" she called.
"Not unless you want him to grow to twice his size in one day," Peter replied. "But I wouldn't mind to have lunch with you."
El poked her head around the corner to look at him. "Don't you need to get to work?"
"I think I'll take a sick day."
El's eyebrows shot up. "You do realize that was only his first shot of many, right?" she asked.
Peter quickly put his hands over Satchmo's ears. "Don't tell him that, honey!"
While El just laughed, Satchmo shook his head and jumped off the couch. Wagging his tail so hard that his whole body wiggled with it, he started barking at Peter.
Clearly, naptime was over.
A/N: I took some of this from 'Forging Bonds' with more yet to come, but obviously this was all about adding baby Satchmo to the Burke family. By the way, I love the name. If I were to get a dog, I would totally name him Satchmo. Feel free to leave me a review and tell me your favorite dog name or how you liked this chapter or anything else. Until next week.