"I'm adopting the dog, her name is Lily, and I'm taking the week off," Lisbon announced to the team in the bullpen the next day. It was mid-morning, and she'd come in to talk to Cho about covering for her and to collect some files to take home.
"That's great, boss," Van Pelt said warmly.
"How is she doing?" Rigsby asked.
"She's doing much better," Lisbon said. "Her fever's down, and her appetite's much better. I have to keep her from moving around too much, though, because of the broken rib."
"She doesn't like that," Jane put in. "She's clearly very put out by not being allowed to go out for walks and play fetch and the like. But she's stoic, our Lily. Too good-mannered to make a fuss."
Cho raised an eyebrow. "Our Lily?"
"Come on, she's basically a team mascot," Jane said. "We all rescued her together, didn't we? Besides, we're all going to help Lisbon take care of her, aren't we? Sneak her into the office when Lisbon's working late and no one with pet allergies will be around to complain."
"That's not how allergies work," Cho said.
Jane ignored him. "Take her for walks and play with her when Lisbon's too busy."
"Uh-huh," Cho said, unimpressed. He turned to Lisbon. "You're going to take him with you, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?" Lisbon said, puzzled.
"If you're on vacation, Jane's on vacation, too," Cho said flatly. "I'm not dealing with him when he's like this."
Lisbon looked at Jane dubiously. "He's just…being Jane."
Cho shook his head. "No. His mind isn't on the job. That means he'll be extra hellish to work with. Just take him with you when you go, and we'll cover everything here."
"I'm not…taking him with me," Lisbon said, bemused. "I'm not even going anywhere. I'm just going to stay home and take care of Lily. Jane will be fine. Just leave him on his couch."
"That sounds utterly boring," Jane said. "Cho's right. It obviously makes much more sense for me to take the week off so I can help you take care of Lily."
Lisbon opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again, then closed it. "Fine," she said at last. "Do whatever you want."
Rigsby and Van Pelt watched the two of them like they were a particularly fascinating exhibit at the zoo, but Cho seemed satisfied. "It's settled, then. Call us if you need anything."
Summarily dismissed, Jane and Lisbon headed for the elevator together.
Lisbon punched the elevator button. "Are you really planning to take the whole week off just to help me take care of Lily?"
"Of course," Jane said. "What else would I do?"
She shrugged. "I figured it was just a ruse for you to play hooky and that you'd be off for God knows where the second we cleared the building."
"Spending time with you and Lily sounds much more appealing," Jane told her. "Come on, it'll be fun. I'll cook you both gourmet meals and we'll play games and have a fine old time."
Lisbon cast him a sidelong glance. The elevator doors opened. "All right," she said, stepping into the elevator. "Come on, then."
Xxx
"Jane, she's not supposed to move," Lisbon protested later that afternoon when she saw what he was about.
"I'm aware of that, Lisbon," Jane said without stopping what he was doing.
"I don't want you to get her worked up so she starts wanting to jump around or something and hurts her rib more."
"Oh ye of little faith." He addressed Lily. "It's a total bummer, isn't it? No walks, no frolicking around? But that doesn't mean you have to be bored witless for days on end."
"I'm serious, Jane."
"Relax, Lisbon. I promise, I'm not going to overexcite her. I'm just going to entertain her."
Lisbon shook her head. "You're the only person I've ever met who would think putting on a magic show for a dog is a perfectly rational thing to do."
Lily's tail wagged. At particularly exciting moments, she barked her approval. To Jane's smug satisfaction, she didn't overexert herself once.
Despite Lisbon's disapproval, the magic show was a grand success.
Xxx
"Turner & Hooch?"
"I like Tom Hanks. But the amount of slobber in that movie grosses me out."
"101 Dalmations?"
"I love that movie."
"The talk of skinning and dog-napping, though – what if it's too much for Lily?"
"It's a cartoon, Jane. She's not going to be listening to the dialogue."
"Dogs are very perceptive, Lisbon."
"Fine. What about Old Yeller?"
"Are you kidding?" Jane said, scandalized. "Way too traumatizing."
"I assume you veto Where the Red Fern Grows on the same grounds?"
"Definitely."
"All right, let's keep looking."
"This one has a dog in it." Jane said, scrolling through the list of movies available through Lisbon's cable service. "Marley & Me. Looks sweet."
"Why are there so many sad dog movies?" Lisbon wondered.
Jane looked over at her. "That one's sad, too?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, we'll keep looking. What about Call of the Wild? I loved that book as a kid."
"I never liked it much," Lisbon admitted. "And it's hardly moving us away from the cruelty to animals theme."
"What about Beethoven? That one's a comedy."
"I don't want Lily to get any ideas," Lisbon said. "But we can keep it on the shortlist if we don't find anything better."
"What about Milo & Otis?"
"I don't think I've ever seen that one."
"It's great. You'll like it. Or there's also Homeward Bound. Oooh, here's one you'll like – it's called Rescued by Ruby. Perfect for you. It's about a K-9 rescue dog – it's all about the triumph of hard work and heroism."
Lisbon sat back against the couch and stroked Lily's head. Lily lolled her head in Lisbon's lap and looked up at her adoringly. Lisbon smiled down at her and stroked her ears. "I think Lily would like any of those."
"Very well. Let the movie marathon begin!"
Lily approved.