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"The dog knows, but does not know that he knows." – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
"Hey buddy, how you doing?" Emily says as she gives me a quick scratch behind the ears. I shove my head further into her hand, hoping to prolong the attention she's giving me. She laughs heartily. "I'll take that as an indication you're doing just fine."
She gives me one last scratch and then begins walking toward the kitchen. I trot alongside her dutifully, peeking up at her every few steps, making sure she's okay. Nothing was going to harm my human.
"Campbell, you've got another thing coming if you think I'm feeding you again. You already had dinner," she says, meeting my gaze when she reaches the kitchen.
I perk up at my name…and did she mention dinner? I nudge her leg and then sit before looking up at her with my best puppy dog eyes. They've been working more and more often lately, so there's an actual chance of some food heading my way this time.
"No way, buddy. You've already extorted me for treats a few times today."
I bark loudly in excitement. Treats now?! This day is turning out to be better than I could've imagined!
She laughs, but shakes her head. "Not going to happen. No."
My excitement deflates at that sadly familiar word and I head back toward the couch, knowing she'll relax there after she's finished in the kitchen. I jump up on the couch and curl up with my head on the armrest, looking back toward the kitchen so I can see her, and sulking at the lack of treats being proffered.
When she finally finishes in the kitchen, she's carrying a plate and a glass of water, and I can't help from salivating…her sandwich smells so good! Maybe she didn't really mean no.
"Campbell! Get off of there! You know you're not supposed to be on the couch!" she says in surprise when she spots me curled up on the couch.
I shoot her a pleading look, hoping she'll bend the rules this one time… I like my chances, given how often she's been giving into the puppy dog eyes lately. She'd turned from being stricter than Derek to letting me get away with murder, all in a matter of a half a year or so.
"Come on, buddy. I mean it," she says weakly. Oh, she doesn't mean it. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I can tell. I let out a quiet whine in reply, pretty sure by this point her resolve has already broken down. And while I admit my motivation is largely about that sandwich she's carrying, I also want to be near her. How else am I supposed to keep her safe?
"Oh, fine. But only because I'm too tired to deal with your pitiful looks," she says, shooting me an unimpressed look. The look doesn't bother me, I'm just happy my human is letting me stick around.
I watch as she carefully sets down the plate and glass before gently lowering onto the couch. She shimmies around for a moment, no doubt trying to get comfortable, before groaning in frustration.
"Damnit. Stupid pillow," she curses, looking across the room at the pillow she always uses now when she's on the couch.
Putting together the pieces, I jump up, dash across the room quickly, and grab the pillow. I make my way back toward her, and jump up with my front paws onto the couch, leaning toward her and offering the pillow.
"You're way too smart sometimes, you know that?" she says, taking the pillow and placing it behind her to support her back before giving me a cuddle as a reward. "Much better," she says happily as she leans back and grabs her plate to enjoy her meal.
I jump up and curl up beside her, resting my head on her stomach as I always do nowadays. I give her a little nuzzle and relax a bit, knowing she's safe and comfortable for the time being.
"I hope you're as good with them after they're born," Emily says as she rubs behind my ears again before digging into her sandwich.
"Well, I'll try my best, but I don't make any promises, Princess," Derek says with a wink as he arrives in the room. I look up at him and give my tail a few wags before settling back into my protective position. No matter how much I love Derek, Emily takes priority now. "You'd never know I'm the one who walks him," he remarks drily as he drops onto the couch on the other side of Emily and gives her a quick kiss.
Emily laughs. "He's protective, what can I say?"
"Just so long as he doesn't get over-protective. Baby Girl was telling me about this video she saw of this dog that wouldn't let anyone near its owner who was pregnant. Growled and snapped at anyone who tried to get close…even the father!"
"Well I'm quite glad, this guy doesn't do that. I rather like having you around."
"Oh yeah?"
"Mmhmm. Who else do I have to rub my feet?"
"Fair point," Derek says with a laugh.
Suddenly I feel my face get nudged from beneath and I shift in surprise.
"Ugh," Emily grunts as she shifts around a little herself.
"What is it?"
"Kickboxing routine."
"Aw, really?" Derek says happily as he reaches over to feel her stomach. "Wow, that's crazy."
"I'm surprised they can move at all in there," Emily moans. "Doctor already told me they're bigger than average. Significantly bigger. I blame you entirely for that."
Derek grins. "Big and strong just like their Daddy," he says with a wink.
"Giving birth to them is gonna suck."
"I'm sure it won't be-"
"If you finish that sentence with "that bad" I might actually kill you, foot rubs or not," Emily says, and I can sense her frustration jump up.
"I'm going to go ahead and just stop talking."
"Probably for the better," Emily agrees. She pauses for a moment and looks thoughtful as she pets me. "Do you think he'll be okay after they're born?" she asks, looking briefly at me before taking another bite of her sandwich that I watch very carefully as it makes its journey from the plate to her mouth and back to the plate.
"I think so. He's never had any trouble with Henry or Jack."
"But they're older," she says after she finishes chewing.
Derek shrugs. "I guess. I think he'll be fine though."
"I hope so."
"You worry too much, Em."
"I can't help it."
"I know," Derek says with a chuckle, giving her another kiss. "Just part of your charm."
"I'm glad you see it that way."
Derek smiles. "You need anything?"
Emily bites her bottom lip and looks at him with apologetic eyes. "Well…I'm sort of craving-"
"Cake batter flavoured frozen yogurt? With cheesecake bits on top?"
"How did you know?" Emily says in shock.
"I've learned what that look in your eyes means," Derek explains with a laugh.
"You're such a good husband."
"Can I get that in writing?"
"Shut up and get me my frozen yogurt please."
"I'm going, I'm going. I'll be back in a bit. I've got my cell if you need anything. Take it easy, okay?"
"I couldn't do anything if I wanted to," Emily says with a pout. "I'm absolutely exhausted."
"Then go upstairs and take a nap."
"But I'm not tired."
"But you just said you're exhausted."
"They're not the same thing."
"But…exhausted, by its very definition, means very tired." Emily shoots him a glare. "Right. Frozen yogurt. Be back soon, princess."
"Thank you!" she calls out.
"Campbell." I perk up and look straight at Derek when he says my name. "Keep an eye on this one, okay?" I tilt my head to one side and shoot him a look that tells him all he needs to know. "Right, sorry. You've got that covered already, I see."
I bark in reply and then settle my head back onto Emily's stomach, now completely used to the strange sensations thumping up underneath me occasionally. I hear the door open and shut and the car start up before beginning to fade into the distance.
"I hate to admit it, but a short nap does sound rather appealing right now. Come on, Campbell," she says as she begins to get up, abandoning the rest of her sandwich. I eye it for a moment before shifting my gaze over to Emily once more. I watch carefully as she makes her way toward the stairs, trotting alongside her until we reach the stairs, and then I climb them slowly behind her. We head toward the bedroom and I watch as she gets situated in the blankets and pillows. "Come on up, buddy," she says, patting the space beside her.
I jump up immediately and lay down next to her, groaning in appreciation when she gives me a slow belly rub. Yeah, I could get used to this.
"Things are going to get pretty crazy around here pretty soon, Campbell," Emily says softly, while continuing her gentle ministrations. I've no idea what she's saying, but her voice is comforting, and the cuddling certainly isn't hurting either. "So I'm sorry if you get pushed to the side a bit, but I promise we won't forget about you. And I'm pretty sure you're going to eventually love these two. I imagine the three of you will be thick as thieves, causing trouble every chance you get."
I turn my head and look back at Emily when I realize she's stopped petting me and has gotten lost in her thoughts. I roll onto my stomach and give her face a little nudge and tentative lick to bring her attention back to me.
"Sorry, Campbell," she says, this time scratching under my chin. "I'm worrying over nothing, aren't I? I bet you'll be fine with them. Probably better than me and Derek."
I look at her again and quietly whimper when I sense her nervousness has jumped up again. I nuzzle her neck and try to get her to calm down, wanting nothing more than to just relax and nap a little. I don't understand what she's anxious about, but all the same, I will her to understand that she doesn't need to worry. I'm protecting her.
"You know, if your protective instincts now are anything to go by, I think we may have gone into this already having a highly qualified babysitter. And trust me, buddy, that gives me some peace of mind already, so thank you."
"Hey, Campbell," Derek says with a smile as he opens the back door and steps outside onto the back desk where I'm waiting. It's been forever since I saw him or Emily, so I jump around a bit in excitement, greeting Derek enthusiastically.
"Whoa, settle down. Hey! Off," Derek commands and I drop my front paws off of him and grudgingly sit immediately, my tail still going a mile a minute. "Good."
He takes a moment to give me a good scratch before he asks me to sit once more and begins talking to me.
"Sorry we disappeared on you for a few days, but things got a little crazy. And I'm sorry but they're going to stay that way for a long time. Let's go inside, but you gotta stay calm, okay?"
I tilt my head and wag my tail, happy to have my humans home again, but confused as to why I was immediately escorted outside and left there while Derek disappeared back into the house. He usually greets me happily, or joins me outside for a moment when he gets home.
"Let's go," Derek says, gesturing for me to follow him back into the house. I walk alongside him, but find my excitement getting the better of me when I see Emily. I run ahead but stop in my tracks when I hear "Heel!" called out from behind me. I fight my instincts to run to her and obediently drop back in line with Derek, and allow him to lead us over toward Emily.
As we approach her, I realize she's sitting in between two strange things on the couch that definitely weren't there before I was so rudely escorted outside. What are they?! I approach slowly with Derek and look at Emily hopefully.
"Hey, Campbell. Did you miss me?" she croons, holding out a hand that I immediately push my head into, reveling into the loving rub behind my ears. "I thought so."
Suddenly I hear a whimper and I freeze before turning my head quickly toward the source of the noise. It was coming from one of those strange things. I'd almost forgotten about them in my haste to greet Emily. I sniff the air, hoping to figure out just what these things are before I get any closer to them.
I can sense the slight worry in the room, so I look up at Emily and then Derek for direction, my tail still wagging happily.
"Okay Campbell, be gentle," Derek says as he squats down and holds me to contain my excitement. He nods toward the strange objects and begins to speak again. "These are your…uh…" he trails off.
Emily smiles at his failure to explain them. "They're your new humans."
I give the first thing a quick sniff and then move to the second, a little confused by them. They smell mostly like my humans, but they're much smaller and significantly different than Derek and Emily. I step forward quickly to get a little closer and realize there are small things inside of the strange things.
"Sit, Campbell, sit," Derek instructs, but I ignore him as I continue to strain against his hold to sniff the new things.
After another minute of thorough sniffing, I sit back down, satisfied that these new things aren't in any way dangerous to my humans. I look up at Derek and Emily, my tail still wagging. They both smile, and I try to jump up and put my paws onto Emily's lap to get a little closer to her. Derek pulls me back down, scolding me gently in the process and I grudgingly obey. My tail continues going though, since I'm pleased to have them home. I can tell both Emily and Derek are incredibly protective of these things, so immediately they're important to me. I mentally add protecting them to my list of duties.
"You good here?" Derek asks, looking at Emily who's seated in a chair in the room upstairs that I wasn't allowed to have any toys in, the two new additions to the family in her arms.
"Yeah," she answers softly.
"I'm gonna jump in the shower real quick then."
"Okay," she says with a nod, her eyes never leaving the bundles in her arms.
Derek leaves the room, but I stay rooted to my place at the base of the chair, partially covering Emily's feet. Over the hours they've been home, a sense of responsibility for these new members of the family has grown in me. I somehow just know that I have to watch over them, and make sure they're safe and sound, so when Emily leaves the room grudgingly (and I can tell she'd definitely rather stay with them), I set up at my post in front of the crib, ready to alert Emily or Derek of any trouble.
Derek walks in a little while later, smelling like he always does in the mornings after breakfast, quickly peeks in on the two tiny bundles, and then heads back to the bedroom, but I stay put.
"See? I told you he'd be fine. Those kids have their own personal guard dog now," I hear Derek say from the other room.
"More like a babysitter," Emily replies.
There is a tiny whimper and I sit up to assess whether I need to take action or not. It quiets seemingly as soon as it made the noise, so I settle back down. I let out a heavy sigh. My job just got a whole lot harder, but if it makes my humans happy, then I'm more than willing to do it.
So...collective "awwww" for Campbell? Enjoy the appearance by the twins as newborns? Like the conversation here with man's best friend? If you have the chance, do let me know - I love reading your feedback.