Theme: Match
Summary: He fit right into their lives.
Several weeks after the disheartening miscarriage, Jack's truck rumbled through the country, Z in the passenger's seat. The house was too quiet…where it had once been peaceful, it was now oppressive, so they had come to a conclusion.
As they turned onto the dirt path, Z sighed, and he looked at her. "You okay?" he asked, worried.
"Yeah, just thinking," she replied, tracing the frost on the window with her finger. He nodded, letting the radio fill the silence for awhile.
A barn loomed into the view of the truck, and Jack slowed, watching for a driveway. Finally a winding gravel path forked from the road, and he turned onto it. They exited the truck, Z following behind him as he made his way to the barn.
Knocking on the wood, he took a step back, waiting. The door opened, and a grizzled old man peered at him.
"Can I help you?" he asked. Jack nodded.
"We're here about the ad in the paper," he responded. The old man bobbed his head, opening the door further.
"Come in, come in. They're back here," he said as he led them down the aisle between stalls. In the last one was a rustling noise, and he unlatched the top of the door, pulling it back so they could see inside.
A riot of colors and noise rose from the straw-covered floor as the puppies tumbled about. They watched for several moments, before Z laughed.
"Did you see that Jack? That golden one flipped the white one!" she crowed, pointing. He grinned, happy to hear her laugh again. The more they watched, the more smitten they grew, so with a nod, they watched as the old man unlatched the lower portion of the stall door, picking up the golden puppy and handing it over.
The pup looked at Z and Jack with a questioning gaze, before deciding they must be new playmates. As Z tried to snuggle it, it reared back, nibbling along her jaw. They thanked the old man, making their way back to the truck and climbing inside, Z gently restraining the pup as it struggled for a moment.
"What are we going to name it?" she asked as they turned back onto the dirt road. Jack shrugged, trying to remember how to get out.
"I dunno? Never named a dog before," he said. "Is it a boy or a girl?" A quick glance revealed their new family member as a girl, and they started running through the list.
Pulling into their own driveway, both Z and Jack were exasperated. No name had sounded good, and Jack was voting for just calling it 'Dog'. Z argued that it couldn't just be called dog.
"Sure it can. Just spell it out….D.O.G. Deogee." With that, the puppy looked up at him, cocking her head. Z laughed, and consented. He was going to fit into their lives just fine, she thought.