Everyone familiar belongs to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.
It took longer to get Espada's body bagged and tagged than it took to make him require the city's service. Having to explain why what little brain he had ... is no longer tucked neatly out of sight inside his head, took longer than I wanted it to.
After I met Stephanie, it became crucial to see her before and after every mission or job where blood would likely be shed, whether or not it belonged to me. Olivia being born intensified that urge to make sure both were okay. That Julie is also waiting for me today, had my answers sounding impatient and my tone clipped when talking to the cops. In my mind, the threat has been eliminated which means my immediate reward of seeing my family again is owed to me.
As I pulled into Rangeman's garage, I was expecting Stephanie and my girls to be ... if not in the actual garage, then loitering in the lobby waiting for me. I hadn't planned to be rushed by two guard dogs around Olive's age of six months respectfully judging from their size.
One hand gesture had them both putting tails to concrete, their dark eyes intense as they awaited further instruction.
"How the heck did you do that?" I heard from my right, which brought an immediate grin to my face.
"The more pressing question is why are there two dogs in my building?" I asked my wife.
"Technically ... we're in the garage. They aren't inside the building."
"Really nice try, Steph," Julie told her, "but I told you Dad wasn't going to immediately fall for them like we did."
Steph placed Olive down on her baby sandals so our daughter could 'walk' assisted to me. "Give him a minute, Jules, and I bet he will be."
"Babe, kiss me and then explain."
The only time she took no offense to a suggested order is when it involves kissing me or Olivia. She did kiss my mouth as soon as the words left it, but an explanation was much slower in coming.
I'd picked Olive up when she and Steph reached me and I dropped an arm around Julie's shoulders and a kiss to the top of my eldest's head.
"So you three and Tank," I added, as he walked over behind my ladies, "clearly kept yourselves busy while I was gone. Someone should start talking now. Stephanie."
Since her hands were free because I have our girls, the two canines flanked her in a way I couldn't help but approve of.
"Okay," she began, simultaneously scratching both below their ears, "you know how there's the CIA, FBI, and EPA?"
"Yes," I answered, not knowing where the question was leading me.
"Turns out your wife, daughters, and best friend, are the P.P.P. ... Pet Protection People. After Tank got the call that this Shiv-thing is over and you're alright ... Tank was called before me might I point out," she said, pinning me with her eyes that are now shooting sparks.
"I wanted him to know that it was safe for you and the girls to leave the Rangeman building as long as you had someone with you," I told her.
"As Julie said, nice try. But what you mean is you really wanted Shiv gone before you got back. I could've told him the news that it's safe for him to be evicted."
"Steph, he basically tripped over his tongue meeting you. I wouldn't put you through another encounter with him."
"Which is disappointing. I was looking forward to showing him that body flip/throat punch Cal taught me."
"So Shiv was released into his own custody and then ...?" I pressed.
"Well ... after I got off the phone with you and heard from the source that you're okay and business is back to usual, Tank here followed through with his ice cream promise. But on the way to the place Julie likes, we spotted someone trying to abandon these two in the middle of the road on a side street we were passing in order to get me my banana split ..."
"You must have really been nervous to have gone with the larger sundae that includes fruit, over a smaller one with a brownie," I noted.
"I was. Julie and Olive were trying to distract me with toys, baby talk, and philosophical questions I wasn't in the right frame of mind to answer. Nothing worked, though. I tried to hide it, but waiting is almost as nerve-racking as being the one shot at."
"Steph was really worried, Dad," Julie said to me, tossing a chew toy across the garage to see who went for it. "But once she heard you were alright, she relaxed ... until we spotted these guys."
"It's funny, one looks like a German Shepherd yet different," Steph commented, watching our canine companions play tug of war to be the one to bring back the prize until another toy was tossed by Tank. "And that guy looks like a stocky and hairy Doberman Pinscher, yet Javelin said that's not what he is. He thinks the Shepherdy one is a Belgian Malinois, and the other ... he and Google claim is a Beauceron."
"We should get two 'chien' DNA kits," Launcher said to us. "Then we will know for sure what they are."
"We?" I asked him.
"Yes, Sir. If you'll allow us to be in on this."
"Don't say anything yet, Ranger," Steph told me. "Just think about giving the dogs a chance."
"A chance for what?" I asked after a moment.
"To be part of our family, Dad," Julie said, since Olive couldn't.
"Tank had a 'talk' with the heartless jerk who tried to ditch the doggies ..." Steph started to say.
Tank received a smile from her for what I knew had involved some action on his part, not just talk.
"I'm sure that conversation was a polite one," I said, with no small amount of sarcasm.
"Nope. Tank was as pissed as I was. He put the fear of God, and even worse ... the fear of Rangeman, into the little worm. So these two are ours if we want them. We want them, don't we?"
I was all set to say that two of the men here each just inherited a furry friend. But as the two creatures ran circles around us as a non-subtle hint to get another toy thrown, Olivia wanted down to join them. I was hesitant, but I refuse to curb her inquisitiveness just to make myself feel better.
Our family grew by two as Olive shouted 'Foof! Foof!' and actually crawled instead of butt-shuffled after them.
