Author's note: I really thought this chapter was going to be super easy to write, because I had most of it planned out for a while now. It turned out to be a monster to write, however, and only came out in small bursts. But here it is finally! It was originally going to be twice as long, but I decided to keep the next part as its own separate chapter. It's another one that is mostly planned out, so hopefully it won't take nearly as long as this one did. (Famous last words.)

The Space Between Us
Chapter 17 – Canine Companion

When Eddie awoke the next morning, he found himself completely wrapped up with Richie. For the very briefest of moments, Eddie braced himself for when Richie would inevitably wake up and quickly divest himself of any contact with Eddie. But then, the events of the previous day and a half came back to him in full force.

Holy shit, had all that happened in the last thirty-six hours?

Richie was sleeping on his chest again, tucked safely underneath Eddie's arm. Perhaps the most scandalous of all, however, was the fact that one of Richie's legs was tucked in between both of Eddie's. It was perhaps the most intimate position they had been in since this entire ordeal had started. And this time, it was okay; before they had even fallen asleep the night before, they had made sure that they were both completely comfortable with the way they were clinging to each other.

Richie's left hand was resting comfortably atop his heart, and Eddie kept rubbing his thumb over the ring on Richie's finger. Eddie kept remembering when he had visited Richie in the hospital just after his attack when he had put Richie's ring on his own index finger. He had wondered a time or two if Richie would ever even wear his ring again, and now, there it was – shimmering in the early morning sunlight.

Eddie snuck his fingers underneath Richie's, lifting his hand up and bringing it to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to the ring on Richie's finger before laying it back down on his chest. Eddie settled his hand comfortably over Richie's, turning his head to press another kiss to the top of Richie's head.

"Spagheds?"

At first, it caught Eddie a bit off guard because he hadn't been aware that Richie had woken up. On the other hand, it had been more than a few days since Eddie had heard that name in particular, and it caused warm tingles to spread up and down his spine. Perhaps Richie had refrained from using it in light of the awkwardness between them as of late, but it seemed to be back in play now, along with a handful of other things.

Eddie tightened his arm around Richie's shoulders, pulling him closer before he asked, "What?"

Richie hesitated for a moment before he answered, "This is nice."

Wondering if that was really what Richie had wanted to say, Eddie tried to remind himself that Richie would come to him with the truth if and when he was ready. It was why they were lying like this in the first place with the biggest truth out in the open between them – because Richie had finally chosen honesty. "Yeah, it is," Eddie replied quietly.

"Do we wake up like this a lot?"

Letting out a warm breath, it caused Richie's hair to ruffle slightly, tickling Eddie's nose. "All the fucking time."

Richie shifted even closer to Eddie, wrapping his arm around Eddie's waist instead. They still had such a long road laid out in front of them, but just having Richie in his arms like this was such a huge hurdle cleared. Richie wasn't pulling away from him any longer, he wasn't making excuses for why they shouldn't be doing this. It was completely okay for the first time in a long time, and Eddie was thankful for that much at least.

"I've missed this," Eddie told him. "Like you wouldn't believe."

"Me too," Richie replied, almost like he hadn't even completely realized what he had said. He sighed softly before he added, "I mean…not that I remembered it, but…I could sort of tell that something like this was missing, you know? And here I was trying to convince myself that I was being a stupid clingy baby."

"Not at all." Eddie kissed Richie on the top of the head again, burying his nose in Richie's curls; now that he knew that Richie didn't mind it, he found himself reveling in the smell of Richie's strawberry-scented shampoo. "We cuddle all the time."

"I just wanted my husband," Richie whispered, squeezing Eddie firmly around the middle.

"So did I." Eddie allowed himself to close his eyes, to simply get lost in the fact that Richie still wanted him like this. Despite the fact that this was such a small part of the intimacy they normally shared – because Jesus, they hadn't even kissed on the lips yet – it was still nice and comforting that they could cuddle and just enjoy touching each other.

That alone was such a huge part of their relationship, and Eddie thought he knew why. They had never shied away from touching each other in the past, even when they were little, but back then, they always had to cover it up. They had to struggle to make excuses, hiding it behind the assumption that they were only doing it to annoy each other. But now…they didn't have to pretend any longer.

"Remember when we fought each other for the hammock when we were little?" Eddie asked.

Richie hummed in response before lifting his head from Eddie's chest. His eyes were dancing and there was a smile playing about his lips. "How could I forget? You totally used it so you could touch me."

"I wasn't the only one."

His cheeks growing slightly red, Richie gently rested his chin on Eddie's chest, his blue eyes staring up at him. It was only a second later when his expression morphed into a frown and Richie spat out, "'We were just kids when we fell in love, not knowing what it was.' Wasn't…that another song we considered for our wedding?"

Every single time Richie remembered tiny little details about their relationship, it gave Eddie so much fucking hope. It was only a matter of time before bigger details started emerging, and Eddie wanted to believe that the day would come when Richie remembered everything in full force. Their wedding, their honeymoon, all the trips they had taken, their first kiss in its entirety, when they had made love for the very first time.

Everything.

"That's right," Eddie said, sighing happily. "I'm kind of sorry that song didn't work out, because that line alone describes our relationship in a nutshell. But we decided against it, because Ed Sheeran is singing to a woman in the song."

"Oh," Richie murmured, blinking slowly. "I guess you were averse to being the woman then."

"Shut up," Eddie snapped playfully. "But we found a better song anyway, so it worked out."

"I can't believe it. We could have gotten together so long ago and we ended up wasting so much time." Richie stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, and fuck, Eddie wanted to kiss him.

"I know," Eddie said instead. "I think about that a lot too, but…we were still so young. We had so much growing up to do, and…I don't know if things would have worked out between us back then. I mean, how many people do you know that ended up with their childhood sweethearts and actually stayed with them?"

"My parents did," Richie offered as an example, "but you're right – they're the exception, not the rule. If we had actually ended up together back then, we probably would have suffered a horrific break up and never spoken to each other again."

Eddie hummed in thought before he said, "I couldn't imagine not wanting to talk to you ever again though. I think we still would have reconnected after Mike called us."

"Yeah?" Richie asked, his eyebrows going up.

"Yeah," Eddie replied around a smile. He started playing with Richie's curls again, enjoying the way they wrapped around his fingers. "We talked about this a lot – about how we were destined to be together. It was fate, so we would have found our way back to each other eventually."

"I like that thought."

"Bill told me that too," Eddie said around a sigh. "When you were still in the hospital, and I wasn't sure if you even still loved me – Bill said there was absolutely nothing that could keep us apart. If we could find ourselves back to each other after twenty years apart, we were way too strong to let anything come between us." Eddie bit at his bottom lip, feeling the urge to apologize again even though Richie told him not to. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in us that much."

"Hey," Richie said quietly, pulling away slightly. He found Eddie's left hand, taking it in his own. He took a moment to carefully press their palms together, letting their fingers gently thread in and out of each other, their rings tingling against one another. "I told you, the fact that you didn't take our rings off meant that you weren't giving up on us."

Eddie found himself smiling again, continuing to let his fingers mingle with Richie's. He took a moment to eye the ring on Richie's finger, enjoying the way it picked up and reflected the early morning rays of sunlight. "It's…trippy," he said. "Seeing you wear your ring again. There…was time when I wondered if I would ever see it there again. When I wasn't even sure you were going to make it." Eddie's voice cracked on the last words, so he pressed his lips together and closed his eyes tightly in effort to keep his emotions from spilling out again.

"I'm here," Richie replied. "Believe me, my head is way too damn hard for a couple of assholes to beat in."

Eddie couldn't help the frown that threatened to overtake his features. While it was somewhat reassuring to hear Richie joke about what had happened to him, Eddie had a feeling that it was obviously still bothering him way more than he was letting on. They had been so focused on their relationship for the last couple days, Richie's attack had apparently taken a backseat, and Richie seemed to be thriving with something else to occupy his thoughts. But Eddie knew deep down that Richie's trauma couldn't be resolved that easily.

He only wondered when it would rear its ugly head again.

When they were on their way to the animal shelter later that afternoon, Eddie thought Richie would have been jumping around in excitement, but…he wasn't. Richie kept staring out the car window, wringing his hands together in his lap. It was very reminiscent of the day Richie had come home from the hospital, and it left Eddie feeling unsettled.

"Rich…" Eddie said as he brought his Cadillac to a stop at a traffic signal. Richie didn't look at him, but kept his eyes focused on the strip mall outside his window. "Hey," Eddie said quietly, gently placing a hand on Richie's thigh. "I thought this was something you were really excited about. I know we already bought a bunch of supplies, but…if you're changing your mind, now's the time to say so. You know, before we actually get the dog."

Richie finally turned to face Eddie. A moment later, however, he diverted his eyes down to the ring on his hand, which he kept nervously running the fingers of his right hand over. It warmed Eddie's heart to know that Richie kept looking at it, kept touching it, like he fully expected it to disappear if he stopped.

"I do want this," Richie said after nearly a minute, raising his eyes to Eddie. "You know I've wanted a dog forever and that hasn't changed. I just…"

"Just what?" Eddie spurred when Richie didn't go on. "You know you can tell me, whatever it is." Eddie paused for a few seconds before he added, "If you can come clean about your feelings for me, then you can talk to me about whatever else you're feeling. You were terrified of doing that, weren't you? And look how that turned out." Eddie squeezed his fingers tightly around Richie's leg.

This caused Richie to smile for a brief moment before his face fell again. He reached underneath his glasses with his thumb and forefinger, rubbing at his eyes. When he straightened his glasses on his nose, he finally admitted, "I'm…scared."

This caught Eddie off guard, because it was definitely not what he had been expecting Richie to say. The stoplight had changed to green, but Eddie immediately flipped on his turn signal, pulling into the parking lot of the strip mall that Richie was staring at again.

When Eddie found a parking spot, he turned to face Richie more fully. "Scared of what?" Eddie asked. He tilted his head in an effort to get Richie to look at him again.

Richie took a deep breath, letting it out in a loud rush. "I don't know if…I feel capable of…bonding with a dog." When he met Eddie's gaze again, his eyes were wide, hopeful. "Is…is that stupid?"

"No," Eddie said, shaking his head firmly. "You've been waiting for this for so long, I think it's normal to be having some reservations." Pausing for a few seconds, Eddie considered his next words carefully. "Is it…because of what happened to you, or because you've waited so long and…it doesn't feel quite real maybe?"

"Because of what happened," Richie replied immediately. He hung his head, wringing his hands together in his lap vigorously. "Because I haven't felt capable of really even talking to anyone except for you and Bill a little bit. Because we had everyone over on Friday and I felt like such an outsider." When Richie finally raised his eyes to Eddie again, they were still round, but this time, it was out of fear. "With my own friends. The best friends I've ever had. That's so fucked up," he muttered before diverting his gaze out the window again. "I'm fucked up."

"Rich," Eddie said, tightening his grip on Richie's thigh a little bit. "You're not. No one expects you to go through something like this and then pick up and carry on like nothing ever happened. Hell, this has affected me too and it didn't even happen to me." Eddie opened his mouth to continue on, but then he closed it, not sure if talking about himself was the best way to help Richie or not. In the end, Eddie decided to simply come clean, because lying to Richie certainly hadn't helped matters any. "Fuck," Eddie muttered, rubbing at his own eyes. "I'm trying really hard here," he admitted, "but…I don't know if I'm helping you or not."

That finally got Richie's attention; he turned his head towards his husband, frowning deeply. "You are. I told you you are." He let out a soft breath, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't even want to think about where I'd be right now if not for you. If you weren't here by my side, helping me get through everything, I'm sure I would have lost it by now. You have to know that."

Richie's words did nothing to console Eddie, however, because he was supposed to be the one reassuring Richie; not the other way around. Eddie shook his head, feeling almost at a loss for words.

"Hey," Richie said. Eddie's hand was still on his leg, so Richie dropped his on top of Eddie's, squeezing it lightly. "Just because I'm the one that had my head bashed in, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to have a hard time too." Richie paused, letting his fingers entwine themselves with Eddie's. "Can…can we just be honest with each other? Because I hate knowing there's still things that you feel like you can't share with me."

This quite possibly made Eddie feel worse, because the last thing he wanted was for Richie to think that Eddie didn't want to be open and honest with him. "It's not that I feel like I can't, but…you're the one that went through this. Not me. I feel like it's unfair for me to talk about how hard this is for me."

"It isn't," Richie said, tightening his fingers around Eddie's. "All this time, you've been telling me that we're going to get through this together. That's what I want. That's what…people in a marriage should be doing, isn't it?"

Eddie's bottom lip was quivering as he nodded his head.

"Then talk to me," Richie pleaded. "Just because I was technically the victim in all of this doesn't mean that it didn't affect you too. You're allowed to be having a hard time with this shit, and I want to try to help you through it. Just like you've been doing for me. I don't want you to think you have to walk on eggshells around me. That's…never been what our relationship has been about."

"No, it hasn't," Eddie agreed. He took a moment to steel himself, to get himself in a mindset so that he could do what Richie was asking. So he could come clean about everything he was feeling, because he'd done nothing but hide his feelings from Richie since this entire ordeal had begun. "All right," Eddie finally said, clenching his free hand tightly. "You're right. You're absolutely correct, because this is hard as shit for me. I hate seeing you like this, I hate knowing that anyone in this world would feel the need to do this to you. I-" Eddie cut himself off, pressing his clenched hand against his mouth before he said too much.

And here he was again, trying to hide what he was feeling from his husband. Exactly what Richie had asked him not to do.

Richie brought Eddie's hand up, almost like he was going to kiss it, but then he seemed to think better of it. He settled on gripping it in both of his, holding it firmly to his chest. "You can tell me, Eds. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I mean, I know I'm a mess right now, but I'm still capable of offering you some kind of support. I'm not going to break if you lean on me, you know."

"I know you're not," Eddie immediately replied, but then he had to ask himself if there wasn't some truth to what Richie was saying. "I don't…treat you like that, do I?"

Richie immediately shook his head before he said, "I don't get the feeling you do that, no." Richie paused before he added, "At least, not intentionally." He hung his head, seemingly unable to meet Eddie's eyes. He paid far too much attention to his lap and then said, "But I do feel like you're…babying me sometimes by not telling me certain things."

"I'm sorry," Eddie replied almost immediately, because he wasn't aware that he had been doing any such thing. On the contrary, he simply thought he had been doing the right things to help Richie through this, but it seemed he kept making the very same mistake.

"Not that I'm complaining!" Richie cried, perhaps picking up on Eddie's expression. "I'm not. You're – you're helping me. You are, and I know that. Things like sleeping in the same room with me and making sure the lights are on before I go to sleep – those are things I need right now. And I appreciate it, so I'm definitely not asking you to stop those things. I just wish that…you'd talk to me more about what you're feeling." He suddenly raised his eyes to Eddie and leaned forward, trying to get into Eddie's field of vision.

This made Eddie smile slightly before he nodded, albeit reluctantly. "All right," he said after nearly a minute. He closed his eyes before he said, "Can I ask you something then?" Before Richie could answer, he went on, "And it may be a difficult question to answer."

"Ask me," Richie replied without missing a beat. "I'll try to answer it the best I can."

"It's…it's about that night."

Richie swallowed. "Okay."

"Do…do you blame me for what happened?"

"What?" Richie's eyes were wide as he leaned in even closer to his husband. "No. No, I don't blame you." He shook his head in confusion. "Why would I? Unless you're the one that tried to bash my head in, and I know you're not."

"Because," Eddie said simply. He stared straight ahead at the steering wheel, gripping it tightly with his free hand. "I wanted to come home earlier. I planned on coming home earlier. But I-"

"Lost track of time in the exciting world of risk analysis," Richie said around a smile. "I remember."

Eddie waited, hoping that more of Richie's memories might be on the verge of returning. But no, it seemed to be just one of those very brief, isolated flashes. Nothing more. Eddie wondered if there would ever be that huge life-changing epiphany that they were both desperately waiting for. Hoping for. The one that just might change everything between them for the better.

Sighing softly, Eddie starting wringing the steering wheel in his hand. "I've…been feeling guilty." His eyes were burning, the cars passing by them on the highway beyond suddenly blurring together in streaks of light. "Ever since this happened, I've been kicking myself for not being home sooner. For…not being there to stop it." Eddie's bottom lip began quivering, so he fastened his teeth over it, still trying to hide it from Richie.

"You saved my life!" Richie squeezed his hand for emphasis before he said, "You got there just in time to call 911, and…you're the reason I'm here now. I think about that every day."

One of Eddie's eyebrows went up. "Do you?"

"Yes. Even though I sometimes wonder if you would have been better off if…" Richie cut himself off, sucking in a sharp breath.

"No, I wouldn't," Eddie told him firmly, not needing Richie to say the words. Not wanting Richie to say the words. He turned towards Richie more fully, reaching to take his free hand in his. Holding both of them close to his chest, Eddie said, "You remember what I told you? I am thankful that I didn't lose you. You're still my husband and I still love you. This doesn't change that. Nothing could." He let go of one of Richie's hands, cupping his cheek instead. Eddie could feel his chest tightening with emotion, but he was still able to ask, "Okay?"

Richie gave a very brief nod, but he didn't look entirely convinced, and Eddie thought he knew why.

"Not that my word means much to you anymore though, does it?" Eddie mumbled. And he hated that; he hated the feeling that one stupid little decision had shattered the foundation of his trust with Richie. And he had no one to blame for that but himself.

Richie was quiet for a very long time before he finally said, "But that doesn't mean I don't trust you at all. I still know you would never intentionally hurt me and…you made a poor decision. We all do at one time or another. Like marrying Myra. And marrying me." Richie snorted, clearly trying to make a joke, but it hadn't come out that way.

"Marrying you was the best thing I've ever done," Eddie replied, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. He held Richie's gaze as he added, "Ever. Marrying you was my dream come true and it still is. Whether this is where we thought we'd end up or not…I would never lie to you about that. I would never purposely lead you on, and I would never tell you I'm grateful for you if that wasn't true. Because we're still friends first and foremost, and friends don't treat each other like that. I wouldn't…I just wouldn't." Eddie didn't know if his words held much weight at all with Richie anymore, so he hoped that his pleas would suffice.

It seemed that Richie had run out of words, because he only leaned forward, burying his head in Eddie's shoulder. In response, Eddie hugged him like he was clinging on for dear life. As broken as things still were between the two of them, Eddie was still thankful that Richie wasn't opposed to touching him any longer; that had to mean that Richie trusted him at least a little bit, didn't it?

"And hey," Eddie said, his mind coming back to Richie's original point, "we're connecting, you know? We're bonding. Isn't that what we're doing here? And if you can do that with me right now, I'm sure you can do it with a dog, no problem."

Richie hummed quietly, his breath warm against Eddie's t-shirt. "That's what Bill said."

"See?" Richie didn't reply, so Eddie asked, "So do you want to try again?" He pulled away, giving Richie a mischievous smirk. "Let's go try and find a dog that wants to put up with both our asses."

Richie's eyes were still sad even as he smiled. "Yeah," he said quietly.

Richie still couldn't get over the amount of dogs staring out at him from behind bars. Despite the fact that Richie wondered if he could bond with any of them, a part of him wished that he could take them all home. That he could give them all a warm and comfortable home that they could enjoy instead of being…locked up. Because that wasn't any sort of life for any living creature.

Except for people like those that had done this to Richie in the first place.

Eddie held his hand firmly as Richie walked along the rows of cages. He had seen most of the dogs before from their previous visit, but there were a few that were new. They just kept piling up, like someone's unwanted garbage. So many dogs. Too many.

Richie wondered how long some of them had been there – days, weeks, months, or maybe even years? And fuck, that perhaps made Richie feel even worse than he already did about not being able to take all of them. About not feeling capable of connecting with any of them. Richie even wondered that if he was able to choose just one, would he feel guilty for not taking the other ones too?

"Wanna give me some input here?" Richie asked almost desperately. Even though he had asked that previously and Eddie had already refused to give him any feedback.

Eddie hummed out a negative response. "I want this to be your dog. I want you to decide which one feels right to you. Then I'll give you my thoughts."

Richie snorted. "I'm sure you will. And maybe…" Richie began, but then he trailed off, almost realizing for the first time just why it might have been so hard for him to make a decision.

"Maybe what?" Eddie spurred him on.

"I don't know," Richie replied, even though he did know. He knew very well. Eddie seemed to sense this, because he was watching him closely. In the end, Richie finally admitted, "Maybe I'm scared of making any kind of decisions, you know? Because I'm scared of…consequences. Like I was terrified of even going to the police with what I know, because god knows what those assholes might do to retaliate."

Trailing off, Richie turned the corner at the end of the room, following it along to the right. It was a narrow hallway, lined with rows and rows of cages. Rows and rows of dogs. Everyone single one of them looking and hoping for a forever home.

"The way it earned me getting bashed in the head, because I thought that being a dick to those guys was the best decision at the time," Richie mumbled.

Eddie didn't reply right away, but then he asked, "What about the decision to marry me? Was that one so bad?"

Richie could feel himself smiling. He paused in his tracks, turning to face Eddie fully. Their hands were still intertwined, and Richie found himself running his thumb along Eddie's fingers.

"No," Richie told him. He could feel his cheeks growing warm and he wasn't sure why. Eddie was his best friend and his fucking husband, so he knew he didn't have to be afraid of talking about his feelings. Just like Richie had tried to convince Eddie to be more open about what he was thinking, so why was it so hard for Richie to reciprocate? Richie lifted his foot up off the floor, scuffing the toe of his shoe along the concrete like a besotted little boy. Which he had been about thirty years ago, he had to remind himself. "No, that one was pretty good."

Richie wiggled around in his spot, feeling Eddie's eyes glued to him. Eddie's big, gorgeous brown eyes that he knew he'd never get tired of staring into. Richie had never felt more compelled to kiss Eddie than he did right now, and he could almost feel himself leaning forward. Leaning into Eddie and pressing their lips together like he now knew they had done so very many times before.

Eddie was smiling now, taking one step closer to Richie, his fingers squeezing around Richie's as he moved. But then something out of the corner of Richie's eye caught his attention. Richie turned his head, and if he hadn't been so enthralled with something else entirely, perhaps he would have noticed the disappointed expression that flitted across Eddie's features.

In the very last kennel on Richie's left, two very large yellow eyes were staring at him. Maybe the only thing in the world that could have possibly torn his attention away from Eddie's own. The dog they belonged to was sitting so very still, sitting up perfectly straight like an arrow, his eyes never moving from Richie.

It was a German Shepherd with the traditional black and tan coat. The dog looked to be relatively full grown, his head reaching up to about Richie's mid-thigh. Slowly, Richie started moving towards him, keeping his fingers locked around Eddie's. Still, that dog didn't move, didn't flinch, and didn't take his eyes from Richie's own.

If Richie didn't know any better, he almost would have thought that the dog was a statue. But no. Now that Richie drew closer and closer, he could see the dog's sides expanding and contracting slightly with each breath of air. Could see the dog blinking every now and again.

Once he was in front of the cage, Richie knelt down, the fingers of his free hand going towards the thin bars. Richie didn't touch it though, not sure if the dog was friendly or not. Then the dog's mouth opened, his tongue lolling out. He got up on all fours, approaching the bars of the cage. He pressed his wet black nose through a square in the bars, letting out a small inquisitive sound as he raised his yellow eyes up towards Richie. Almost like he was asking Richie to touch him. To reach out to him. Still, Richie held back, wanting to make sure that it was safe for him to come into contact with the dog.

Just then, Richie heard the voice of Kim behind him, the woman they had spoken to when they put in their application to adopt. "Would you like to pet him?" the black-haired woman asked, approaching them.

Richie nodded absently as he turned to glance at Kim over his shoulder. "Is…is he friendly?"

"Very friendly," Kim answered around a smile, coming around to Richie's other side. "He was the companion for an elderly woman before we got him, so yes, he's very gentle. She passed away a few months ago, and none of her family could take him, so he ended up here."

Returning his gaze to the dog, Richie finally let his fingers graze the dog's nose. It was cold and wet against his fingers, which almost made Richie giggle in delight; Eddie was going to love those wet doggy kisses. A moment later, however, he wondered about how awful it must have been for this poor dog to end up here. To lose his owner and then to find himself in a small cage for reasons that he probably couldn't even begin to grasp. Not that there was any "good" way for a dog to end up at a shelter, he supposed. It all sucked, but for some reason Richie couldn't explain, he wanted to at least make things better for this dog.

"Does he have a name?" Richie asked.

"Wayne," Kim replied, gesturing to a small note card taped to the bars of the cage.

This card also informed Richie that the dog was approximately one year old. But Richie couldn't quite find himself able to grasp the animal's name. "Wayne?" Richie asked, quirking an eyebrow up. This dog was much too special for such an ordinary name.

Kim pressed her fingers against her lips to contain a giggle. "You can change it if you end up adopting him. Most people do." She opened the cage a moment later, finally allowing Richie access to the dog beyond.

Richie didn't move at first, but then he held out his hand palm up. He stretched his fingers out towards the dog and waited, letting the animal come to him if he so chose.

The dog's nose twitched before he slowly moved forward, approaching Richie. The animal sniffed again, his nose hovering just around the tips of Richie's fingers. Then all at once, he thrust his muzzle forward, letting his lower jaw settle into Richie's palm. The dog closed his eyes then, shuffling his head back and forth as he continued to rub his mouth against Richie.

Richie's heart thudded in his chest, because all at once, it had happened. He had been there before and walked that same concrete floor with a heavy heart, because none of the dogs in particular had jumped out at him. Even on this trip, Richie wondered if it would happen at all, because he had literally made it to the very last kennel in the room before he had seen this dog. The one that had stared at him until Richie came over to touch him, to pet him. The one that had perhaps made the choice for Richie, because maybe the animal sensed Richie's hesitation throughout this whole ordeal.

Almost forgetting that his husband was there with him, Richie raised his eyes towards Eddie, waiting for some sort of response. Eddie was only smiling down at him, his hand softly resting atop Richie's shoulder. Eddie's eyes, while happy, almost seemed relieved in a way that Richie was able to connect with one of these animals after all, even in some small way.

Truth be told, Richie was relieved too. He had wanted this, wanted a dog for his entire life, and he was finally on the verge of getting it. Finally on the verge of making one of his dreams come true, along with marrying Eddie and paving some sort of career for himself in the world of comedy.

There were only a couple things wrong with Richie's life now as he saw it. Since his attack, his career had more or less fallen by the wayside. Not that that was a bad thing. Richie knew it would be a very long time before he ever felt even close to comfortable with performing in front of a crowd again. Hell, if Richie felt out-of-place and awkward with just his friends, then how in god's name would Richie ever handle being in some sort of hall or arena with thousands of strangers?

Moreover, Richie didn't think he'd ever even want to be up on stage again. The very last thing he wanted at the moment was to be the center of attention, purposely drawing anymore of that towards him. Except when it came to Eddie; now that Richie knew the extent of their relationship, he didn't think he'd ever tire of being the center of Eddie's universe.

Richie had also since tried to get back into his writing; it was a start, he decided, but he wasn't entirely happy with anything that was coming out. Along with everything else, Eddie reassured him that that was something that would come in time, but it terrified Richie to think that he might never truly write anything he was entirely proud of ever again. Being a comedian, a face for someone else's jokes was one thing, but Richie hadn't felt fulfilled in his career until he started writing his own material. Was that aspect of his career lost to him too?

There was also the matter of Richie's attackers still being on the loose. Richie providing what he remembered to authorities hadn't generated any leads at all, leaving him wondering if he should have said anything in the first place. What if they were never caught? What if Richie had to forever live with the knowledge that the people who had attacked him could still come back at any time? Would Richie ever feel entirely safe again? Would he ever feel normal again?

Then again, Richie knew that if they were caught, then he'd have a whole new set of problems to worry about. He may have to go in for police line-ups or perhaps he'd even have to testify in court if it ever got to that point. It made Richie feel almost sick to his stomach to think about having to confront his attackers in that way. To look them in the eye and tell and roomful of strangers exactly what they had done to him.

The most important thing, however, was Richie's relationship with Eddie. Even though they were slowly rebuilding things and getting to know each other again in this new reality, Richie wondered if things between them would ever be completely back to normal. If he would ever be able to kiss his husband and make love to him the way he had not so very long ago. Eddie insisted that he didn't mind waiting for the more involved aspects of their relationship, but could he really give up so many things that a married couple should be able to share with each other? Richie joked about it, but what if he never felt comfortable with things like sex again? Would Eddie be able to maintain any sort of healthy relationship with Richie if it came right down to it?

Okay, so maybe there were way more than a couple things wrong with his life. There were actually a fucked up amount of things wrong with him right now, and Richie wondered if even half of them would ever be resolved, let alone all of them.

As if purposely pulling him from his thoughts and warning him that he was getting too far into them, Kim said, "We have some private rooms back here." She gestured towards the large door at the end of the hallway just a few feet away. "Would you two like to spend some time alone with 'Wayne' to see if the two of you connect with him?"

Richie nodded eagerly as Kim hooked the end of a leash around 'Wayne's' collar. She led Richie, Eddie, and their new dog through the door and into a private room to bond. But he knew. Deep down, Richie knew – this was his dog. The one that had been waiting for Richie to find him and to give him a new forever home, just like Bill had said. Just like Eddie had said.

To be continued…

Author's note: This is partially based on how I found my sweet little kitty, Luna. And another one of my cats was indeed named Wayne when I adopted him, but like Richie, I wasn't calling my kitty Wayne. We ended naming that cat Mr. Chips, and he was the king of my heart. Richie's dog, meanwhile, is based on two very real dogs I've known in my life. My aunt and uncle had a Black Lab who had failed out of police dog school; his name was Cesar and he was a sweetheart. That aunt's brother-in-law belonged to the K-9 unit of the police force and his partner was a German Shepherd named Nitro; he was a good boy. Both breeds of dog as well as a Golden Retriever were all in the running to portray the part of Richie's dog, but the German Shepherd won out in the end, because I feel like they're not shown as often as the others in popular culture.

I was going back and forth between a few names for Richie's dog at first, but now I'm fairly certain of what it will be. But let me know if you have any guesses or suggestions!