Ruth strokes Harry's hair as he catches his breath. Scarlet noses the bedroom door open and comes into the room. Harry's eyes are closed, but Ruth notices her come in. "Your dog is here."
Harry groans and pushes himself up to look over the side of the bed. "Scarlet in your basket." Harry commands. He rolls off of Ruth and lies next to her with his arm around her waist.
"Harry, does Scarlet normally sleep on your bed?" Ruth asks as she watches the little dog walk around the room and flop into the basket on Harry's side of the bed. The little dog looks at Ruth with disdain.
"Yes, normally she does sleep on the bed. She's probably a little bit upset that someone has taken her place." Harry yawns.
"If she normally sleeps on the bed, let her sleep on the bed. I don't mind at all. She's a sweet little dog." Ruth says as she watches Scarlet. "Come on Scarlet. Come on girl." The little dog wags her tail and jumps up on the bench at the end of the bed before she jumps up on the bed. She walks over to Harry and Ruth and cuddles between them. She always sleeps next to Harry. Ruth smiles down on the little dog and scratches her behind the ears. Scarlet growls at Ruth.
"Hey now, what's up with you? It's Ruth. You like Ruth. She's not taking your place. She likes you. Be nice to her. If you're not nice you can just sleep on the floor." Harry says firmly. Scarlet licks Harry's face. "Yeah, yeah, you're sweet, now be nice. She let you up on the bed in the first place." Harry pulls Scarlet gently towards him.
Ruth watches Harry and Scarlet interact with each other. It's almost as if Scarlet can understand what Harry is saying. Scarlet walks over to Ruth who holds her hand out towards Scarlet. The little dog sniffs her hand and then ducks under her hand to be scratched. "So, you've decided you like me now, have you? Silly girl, your daddy will always care about you. Now settle down." Ruth snuggles into Harry's arms and she lets Scarlet settle next to her.
Harry smiles at Ruth's actions. "Are you okay with her there?" Harry asks quietly.
"She's fine. She's only little. I'm just afraid I'm going to roll on her in the night." Ruth says sleepily.
"She'll move if you shift during the night. She's very aware of whoever's in bed. She's been sleeping on the bed since she was a puppy." Harry murmurs tiredly.
"You're just a softie, Harry. Would your kids believe that you let your dog sleep on your bed?" Ruth asks as Scarlet finally settles.
"I don't think even Jane would believe it. I wouldn't even allow my kids to have a dog. I would never have allowed the dog to sleep on the bed, but Scarlet is special. She got me through my darkest days. My kids were so upset when they were told they couldn't have a dog. They had hamsters of guinea pigs so I didn't have to walk their dog. I didn't want to be responsible for their pet." Harry holds Ruth in his arms and can just feel Scarlet curled into Ruth's side.