Chapter 18

House knew that it would be dangerous to have a dog next door. Not danger from the dog himself. Rocco was actually a pretty cool dog. Friendly and didn't bark overmuch. No, the danger was his family's reaction to the dog.

Karen was always saving bones and scraps for him. The kids would feed or walk him when Kathy had to work late. All three of them were getting way too attached to the animal.

Then, of course, came the talking about him. The "did-you-see-what-Rocco-did-today" and the "oh-my-god-this-was-so-adorable" and the like. This was followed by the reminiscing about Lucy.

Lucy had been their family dog for sixteen years. Apparently, Karen and Frank had gotten her when they were first married. She'd died almost two years previously. And, of course, they all missed her very much. Rocco just brought back more memories of Lucy.

Finally, there were whispered conversations between the kids and then with Karen. Conversations that stopped when he came in.

He knew where this was all leading. But he was determined to stay strong on this point.

No dogs.

He was in bed, reading glasses perched on his nose as he studied his latest medical journal when Karen came in and sat beside him on the bed.

"Greg, I need to ask you something."

"The answer's no." He never took his eyes from his magazine.

"You don't even know what I'm asking! How can you say no?"

"It doesn't matter. It's obviously something you were reluctant to ask, so you know it's something I'm not going to be happy about. So I might as well save time and tell you no right now."

"It's really something that the kids want."

"No."

"Greg! Come on. It could be something good. Something you'd like."

"If it were something I'd like, the kids would ask me. The fact that they've gotten you to ask me means that they're afraid I'm going to say no. And they're right. The answer is no."

She sighed. "Greg, they want a dog."

"No. See? We could have saved all this time. I knew the answer would be no as soon as you came in."

"Greg, listen. When Lucy died, the kids were devastated. But we were in the middle of the divorce. I had no idea where we'd be living or how or anything. I couldn't get a dog then."

"And you can't get a dog now."

"Why not?"

"Cause it's a dog. I don't want a dog."

"Fine, we'll keep it away from you. The kids took care of Lucy. They fed her and walked her. And look how good they are with Rocco. It won't impact you at all."

"It will be here."

She tilted her head. "Didn't you ever have a pet when you were a kid?"

"Nope. Moved around too much. Plus, my dad thought they made too much of a mess." He still kept staring at his magazine.

How sad, she thought. Lonely little boy, a new place all the time and not even a pet to keep him company. But she knew that he wouldn't appreciate her pity, so she quickly made sure her face didn't reflect any of that.

She knew he was not a man to accept changes easily and she didn't want to pressure him on this. But she had to at least try for her kids' sakes.

"I'd really like to get them a dog. They've had a lot of changes in their lives in the last year. The divorce, leaving their home and friends. A dog would help them adjust. Maybe Daniel wouldn't have taken the motorcycle if…"

He glanced at her then. "Don't try making me feel guilty by bringing that up."

She stopped and chewed her lip. "All I'm asking is think about it. And, maybe find out if our lease allows us to have a dog. If it doesn't, the kids will have to accept that."

She was staring right at him. He couldn't believe it. She was giving him an out. He could just say the landlord wouldn't allow it and he'd be off the hook. The kids wouldn't hate him for not letting them have a dog, because it wouldn't be his fault.

Except that he already knew that they were allowed to get a dog. And eventually, everyone would find that out.

And then he'd be a jerk.

Not that he wasn't used to being the jerk. But somehow, he'd been getting used to not being the jerk here. The kids seemed to really like him. Karen seemed happy. Everything was good.

Did he want to be the jerk again?

"I'll check with the realtor and let you know."

"Okay." She said, still staring at him. He picked up his magazine again to avoid her stare.

He thought about it the next day. And wondered why he didn't want a dog. Dogs were cool – well, except for Hector. Wilson's former dog had been a pain in the ass when he'd had to take care of him. But in the end, they'd come to a truce of sorts.

And Rocco next door was cool. Way less annoying than Hector had been.

He thought back to his childhood. He'd really wanted a dog then. He'd even brought home a stray when he was seven. He'd begged his parents to let him keep it. But his father had refused and had taken the dog to the pound. House was sure they'd probably put him to sleep almost immediately. The animal was old and seemed a bit sickly. They most likely hadn't wasted any time trying to get him adopted.

He remembered crying silent tears that night when he went to bed. They had to be silent or his father would have heard. He'd never asked them again and never brought another animal home.

So why was he denying these kids what he'd always wanted? Was it just because he couldn't have it? Wasn't that a childish way to behave?

The thing was, it wasn't unusual for him to be childish in his behavior. But now that there were actual children in his home, maybe it was time for him to act like an adult.

When he got home, he told Karen, "The realtor says a dog is fine. Tell the kids they can get one."

"Oh, Greg, that's wonderful!" She put her arms around him and hugged him tight, then kissed him. "They'll be so excited!"

It turned out they already had one picked out. There was a local organization that found homes for pets that needed them and one of Emma's friends was involved in it. She knew of a dog whose owner was ill and couldn't care for her any longer.

So within a few days, Daisy came to live with them. She was a German Shepherd with sad eyes, but lots of affection. House tried to be blasé about her, but couldn't resist occasionally patting her head as he walked by her. He tried to make sure no one saw him.

But Karen noticed. Not that she said anything. She knew he'd be embarrassed if she did. But she smiled to herself. That dog was good for all of her kids.