In the afternoon, Rad took Lyon to Bandit's house for the evening. He and Frisky were going out to spend their evening at an Italian restaurant in the city so Bandit has agreed he would look out for his nephew since the girls and Chilli were spending the weekend at Mort's home. At first, Rad had the notion that Lyon would refuse to allow him to spend some time with Frisky after the first time they went out to his parent's graves, but Lyon was understanding this time to allow it. It is normal for adults to spend some time with children for a time.
"You excited to spend some time with your Uncle Bandit," asked Rad while driving on the road.
"Absolutely. I look forward to our night of fun," added Lyon while looking through the window with content. "What about you? Will you have fun at the restaurant with Frisky?"
"Yes, we decided to go to the best restaurant in town. A nice Italian one," said Rad.
"Will you bring something back from the restaurant," asked Lyon.
"I'll try my best. Perhaps something from their dessert menu."
The two arrived at the Heeler house. With Lyon brining his backpack in his back, he hopped out of the car as Rad opened the door. The two made their way to the front door to see if Bandit his home. As Rad pressed on the doorbell, Bandit arrived to the door and greeted his nephew and big brother. "How's my nephew," asked Bandit excitedly.
"Good! I can't wait for tonight," said Lyon.
"Thanks for agreeing to lookout for him, Bandit. It means a lot," expressed Rad gratefully.
"No worries. Besides, I look forward to spending quality time with Lyon," agreed Bandit.
"He should have everything with him: Inhaler, his blanket and pillow, and stuffed moose. Should anything happen, don't hesitate to call me," said Rad.
"Yes, boss. Go have fun tonight." Bandit and Lyon waved goodbye at Rad as he drove away from the driveway. Rad looked forward for his evening with Frisky ever since they met a few times already. He wanted this evening's dinner to be special since he got the special reservation at the restaurant's private dining area.
As Lyon came inside, he set his bag next to the cubby at the entrance. "You need any help with your things, mate," asked Bandit. "No, I got this uncle," said Lyon while carrying his blanket and stuffed toy. "Since the girls are with your aunt for the weekend, you can in either bed in their bedroom," explained Bandit. "Now, what game shall we play?" Lyon thought for a moment to think of a game. "Do my cousins have any board games we can play?"
"Absolutely. We can check if you like." As uncle and nephew looked through the cupboard's board games, Lyon picked out snap cards. "Snap," asked Lyon. "Alright, let's play that," agreed Bandit. They went through each card of images from England such as Buckingham Palace, trolley cars, and royal guards. "Snap," exclaimed Bandit as he slapped his hand on two matching cards. "Oh, you're too quick," complained Lyon. "It's all in the wrist, mate. Gotta keep an eye out for the right opportunity," said Bandit. Lyon kept his focus on the cards to ensure he get the next one. Bandit reshuffled the cars and they went through each card again until two matching cards of the Queen of England shows. "Snap," shouted Lyon. "There you go. Just like that. All in the wrist," said Bandit praising his nephew.
After the game, they decided to play something else. "What other games you play with my cousins?"
"Well, there's Chickenrat, Come Here and Go Away, Follow the Leader, or Musical Statues. Any of those you want to do," asked Bandit.
"Hmmm. Not really," said the seven year old while in thought. As he eyed towards the cubby's board games, there was a board game that caught his eye; a brown box with black and white checkered patterns. He reached out for it and saw the word 'Chess'. "I believe I know this game," said Lyon. "Oh, you do? It is a bit tricky to play. You've played it before," asked Bandit.
"Nope. I did saw my dad play it once. The other one," said Lyon while clarifying about Marc. "Can we play it? I want to learn." At first Bandit was hesitant after recalling the time he attempted to show his daughters the game. Apparently, he believed they were still too young to understand the proper rules so it might be the same with Lyon. "I dunno, mate. It can be fairly complex for your age."
"Hey, I'm not a child. I'm practically grown up," boasted Lyon assertively. Bandit chuckled by his nephew's spunk; "Oh alright, I guess it couldn't hurt to show you." Bandit took the box with him to the kitchen table while Lyon followed him. The adult blue heeler laid down the board and placed each piece to their proper positions with black on Bandit's side and white on Lyon's side. Rocks were on the corner of the board, then the knights otherwise known as the horse pieces, pointy pieces known as bishops, and finally the king and queen in the center of the piece. Little pieces with round balls on top are in front of the unique looking pieces known as pawns. Lyon examined each piece carefully before Bandit attempted to explain the meaning. "Okay, let me explain this step by step. You see the pieces on the second rank of the board. They're called pawns. The pieces on the first rank are rather unique," explained Bandit.
"If I remember correctly, the king and queen are in the middle of the row, yes," asked Lyon.
"Correct, mate. The bishops are after the king and queen, the knights are after the bishops, and the castle looking pieces in the corners are called rooks. The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent, meaning you have to make sure the king is in check by cornering them. Keep in mind while the king is vital, he only moves one square in any direction. He also can't move himself into check. That's a disaster for the opponent waiting to happen."
"Why just one space? If he's king, shouldn't he move more than one," asked Lyon.
"Well, it's to make the game more challenging. The queen, however, is the opposite. She is by far the most powerful piece as she can move in any one straight direction: forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally. Pay close attention to where she moves as it's easy for her to be captured by any piece. The rook is a bit unique; he can only move forward, backward, and to the sides as far as it wants. Bishops move farther too, but only diagonally. Based on the color, they can only move diagonally on the matching colors, hence black and white. They cover up each other's weaknesses. Lastly, the knight can move in different way from other pieces in an 'L' shape movement. They're the only pieces that can move over other pieces."
"What about the pawns," pointed out Lyon. "They move on square at a time except on the first turn, they may turn two squares forward. They can't move backwards, and only capture diagonally in front of them. The best thing about pawns is they can promote to a piece. You can swap out any pieces you've lost by promoting the pawn once they reached the other side of the board. Just the king excluded though." Lyon scrutinized the board to comprehend the full rules. "Think you understand it, kiddo," asked Bandit, somewhat concerned if his nephew is confused. "Yeah, I think so uncle," added Lyon. "Alright. Remember, you can always avoid check by moving your king out of the way, block the check with a piece, or capture the piece threatening the king. Those are the three simple ways to escape a check." Both Lyon and Bandit moved their pieces each turn. Lyon attempted to study his uncle's movements by placing each space that won't make his king vulnerable to a check such as using a pawn to one space, and moving his bishop to guard the open space. Bandit moves his pieces closer to Lyon's by moving his queen towards the front of the white pawns.
However, Lyon attempts to counterattack by moving his knight to attack the queen. "Oh, biscuits, my queen," grunted Bandit. "This is getting interesting," said Lyon. Lyon moves his bishop towards the middle of the board to guard any openings that may put him at a check and at the same time moving the king away from any danger. "Hmm, interesting move," said Bandit while studying his nephew's movements. "Let's see if you can dodge this." He moves a pawn closer to the end of the board, hoping to resurrect the queen he lost. "Oh no you don't, "added Lyon. His rook blocks the way to the end of the board and takes down the pawn with a bishop "Aw, come on," complained Bandit. He's at a loss that he is being beaten by a seven-year-old. For a first timer, he's amazed Lyon is capable of grasping the basic rules.
At the final showdown, only Bandit's king and final two bishops remain. "Oh man, this is getting good," he said. "You have no where to hide. We may as well call it checkmate," boasted Lyon, as he moved his pieces closer to the king. The white queen soon takes the final space, therefore checkmate is agreed on. "Good game, Lyon. Not too shabby for a first timer," said Bandit all impressed. "When I play the game with my daughters, it was all new to them. It took me forever to explain the rules while they keep making up their own rules. I guess some people learn differently," chuckled Bandit. "I'm sure they'll understand better a second time," said Lyon. "Maybe. For now, I can wait until they're a bit older."
Bandit stretched his arms and leaned against the chair. "There's still time for one more activity before dinner. What do you reckon we play?" Lyon looked out through the window and saw a touch football in the yard. "You play that game," asked Lyon while pointing out the football outside. "Yeah, in the olden games. Your dad isn't the only football expert," said Bandit referring to himself. "Me and Mackenzie played it for a while. We can do that," agreed Lyon.
The two were outside as they kicked the ball to each other. "Wide open, uncle," shouted Lyon from the distance. "Okay, mate. Kick it real good," hollered Bandit. Lyon kicked the ball through the fence on the other side of the house. "Oops. Too much power," said Lyon. Bandit's neighbor Pat soon grabbed the ball from the other side of his neighbor's yard. "This yours, Bandit," asked the yellow Labrador. "Yeah, sorry about that mate. You remember my nephew, Lyon? He and Lucky met each other at his birthday party."
"Yeah, I remember. Spending the night with your uncle," asked Pat while eyeing the wolf dog. "Yes, sir," said Lyon respectfully. "Sorry about the ball. Maybe I added too much power," said Lyon. "No worries, kid. You'd make a fine player someday if you kick the ball that far," praised Pat. He handed the ball back to Lyon; Lyon appreciated the compliment from the neighbor.
After retrieving the ball, both nephew and uncle passed the ball to each other by hand only. Lyon caught each catch without fumbling the ball over. "Okay, here it comes Uncle Bandit," said Lyon as he threw the ball in a straight, but powerful shot. "Oof. Nice throw. But can you handle this," said Bandit as he does slant route. Lyon hurried to reach the ball before it touched the ground by tackling it down to the ground. Both Lyon and Bandit were laughing and having fun before the sun went down.
"Yeah, nice one son," shouted Bandit. However, the word soon caught to Lyon's ears, all surprised and confused. Bandit soon noticed how he shouted the word 'son' to him. He stared at his with a blank stare. "Uncle," he questioned. Bandit had an embarrassed face, feeling this weird sensation for blurting out something ridiculous. He didn't say anything. "Are you okay, uncle? And why did you call me son," asked Lyon worryingly.
Bandit cleared his throat, and scratched his head. "Oh, um, I mean good catch, mate. Really, great effort," he said while ignoring what has transpired. "How about we catch some grub before bedtime? We can order some pizza."
"Um, okay. That sounds great," said Lyon. He cannot deny the fact that his uncle called him son out of the blue. Both of them came inside without saying a word to each other; Bandit called the local pizza shop to deliver a cheese and pepperoni pizza for dinner. "How about we get you cleaned up in the bathtub before the pizza guy gets here? I'll get the tap running," said Bandit. Lyon nodded, and decided to do as he was told. While in the bathtub, he felt the nice warm water running through his body. He then pondered about tonight's touch football yard game. Why did Uncle Bandit referred to me as his son? It's so…strange. I can't help but notice his face was both embarrassed, and yet sad at the same time. He was definitely concerned about Bandit's behavior from tonight.
After the bath, the pizza guy came to the house. Bandit went to pay him by handing out some money, and a tip. He brought the two boxes to the dinner table and set two plates next to each other. He also grabbed some fruit juice as Lyon's beverage for tonight while he opened a can of root beer. Dinner was silent; none said a word. Bandit simply looked down at his plate, chewing on his pepperoni. Lyon did the same as he chowed down on his cheese slice. He thought it was time to break the silence. "Uncle," said Lyon while wipping his mouth with the napkin.
"Yeah, mate," asked Bandit.
"Can I ask you something?"
Bandit gulped his pizza, and cleared his throat as if he was pretending to cough. He took his can of root beer and took a sip. "Can I not ask my question," asked Lyon again. "Yeah, go for it," said Bandit hastily. "Tonight was awesome, and I am enjoying our time. But during our game of touch football, you called me son. May I ask why?" Again, the blue heeler cleared his throat, not answering the question. He had a somewhat saddened expression, trying to not say a word. "Uncle, I asked you a question. What happened?"
Bandit then had a shameful face as his ears dropped. "Oh, look at the time. It's almost time for bed. How about you help me clean up," he said while changing he subject. "But what about-," said Lyon before finishing his sentence. "I said let's clean up," said Bandit in a passive aggressive voice. Lyon felt silenced from that quote. It seems Bandit is definitely hiding something from his nephew. Lyon felt bad for what is troubling his poor uncle, but decided not to press him any further. He went upstairs to brush his teeth, and floss while still thinking about Bandit. Bandit was sitting outside of the bathroom texting on his phone. He was checking up on the girls and his wife on their weekend at Grandpa Mort's house. He sighed, then turned off his screen while staring at the ceiling with a deadpan frown. I could not help it. Each time we spend quality time together, you often remind me of the moments I could have if you were with us today, thought Bandit as he let out a heavy, dejected sigh. He curled up, and close his eyes with both hands on his knees. Once Lyon was done, he went out to check on the depressed Bandit. "Uncle," said Lyon quietly. Bandit snapped out of his fragile moment, and looked at his nephew. "Oh, Lyon," said Bandit. "Ready for bed?" Lyon simply nodded, and followed his uncle to his daughters' bedroom. Lyon choose to sleep on Bluey's bed for the night. "Want me to read you a story for tonight," asked Bandit. "No, I think I'm sleepy for one right now," refused Lyon. Lyon stared at the ceiling, not making eye contact at his uncle.
Bandit walked away from Lyon. Before he went to his bedroom, he decided to let Lyon know about his behavior. "Hey, listen. Sorry for getting upset with you at the dinner table. About tonight, let's just forget what happened, alright? I'm fine," said Bandit letting out a reassured smile. Lyon can tell from that smile lies a hidden sadness. "Sure, good night," added Lyon. "Night mate," said Bandit quietly. He turned off the light in the room and went to his bedroom. The blue heeler laid down in bed all by himself. Without Chilli to comfort him, it was hard for him to sleep. He let out another heavy sigh and covered himself beneath the blanket.
During the middle of the night, Lyon couldn't sleep either. He was worried about both Bandit and his father who was out for dinner with Frisky. In Rad's case, he's afraid that something could happen to him after the traumatizing experience with his parents and was worried for his uncle's unusual moment. He rubbed his eyes and acknowledged there's more to it than being called son by his uncle. "That's it. I can't stand here in ignorance," said Lyon. He decided it was time to investigate the reason behind Bandit's behavior today. He marched straight to Bandit and Chilli's bedroom and noticed the sleeping blue heeler. He didn't think it was fair to wake up his uncle especially after him snapping at Lyon. "No point in waking him," muttered Lyon quietly. He tip toed away from the bedroom; before returning to Bluey and Bingo's bedroom, he noticed another bedroom that is in front of the girls' room. I don't think I entered that room before, thought Lyon with a suspicious face. He diverted away from the bedroom and into the other room. What he saw was a bunch of baby furniture, old infant toys, and some boxes. There appears to be a crib in the center of the right side of the room with some old baby toys next to the crib on the left. On the right appears to have cardboard boxes. "Since when are they planning on another baby," asked Lyon to himself.
What caught his attention the most were the carboard boxes. He went over to the corner, and grabbed one box at a time to examine what was contained. When he opened one box, he saw a box that had baby boy stuff. Lyon's eyes widened by the boy items such as blue onesies, toys, blankets, and other baby boy related stuff. As he took out each item, he saw an ultrasound photo with a heeler infant. "Oh my gosh," muttered Lyon. What appears to be in the photo is an actual baby. He saw the name on top of the frame.
Bruce Heeler
Coming August 2010
Lyon's jaw dropped as he read those exact words. Who was Bruce? And why all the baby boy items in the box. He had so many questions to ask his uncle. Before he hurried back to his bedroom, the light turned on. He gasped and turned his attention at the entrance of the room. Bandit was there standing with drowsy eyes. "Mate, what are you doing," he asked. "It's not what it looks like. Please forgive me," stammered Lyon. "You know it's not polite to go through people's private things," said Bandit disappointingly. Lyon hid the picture frame behind him. He stepped back, feeling regret for snooping into things he shouldn't have gotten into. "What's that you've got there," asked Bandit, noticing Lyon hiding the frame. "What? I'm not hiding anything," lied Lyon.
"Oh, come now. You have to be a good liar to get away with this," said Bandit as he reached out for the picture. Bandit then saw the ultrasound photo of the mysterious baby. He had a disappointed look on his face, not knowing what to say to his nephew. Lyon shamefully moved his leg on the side with his ears down. Lyon was ashamed of his behavior. "Uncle, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snoop into things that don't belong to me. And I'm sorry for upsetting you when we were eating pizza."
Bandit still struggled to say a thing, but he knew delaying the inevitable was futile. He sighed with his eyes covering his eyes. "Come here," he said silently. They both sat down on the rug in the room. "I knew you were too smart to not figure out about tonight's touch football game. I think a proper explanation is in order." He set the photo in front of them. "On one condition; this must stay between us without the girls knowing this. Clear," asked Bandit in a serious tone. "Yes, sir," said Lyon obediently.
"Alright. So I figured you are itching to know why I called you son. Well, spending time with you, having fun, playing football with you, and chess. All these moments I wished I would have spent time with… what could have been my son today. Long ago, before we had Bluey, we had a first baby. We were going to call him Bruce. Bruce Heeler. Supposedly, he would have been the girls' eldest brother, and your cousin. However, things turned for the worst."
Flashback:
During the first seven weeks of Chilli's pregnancy, she was feeling joyful for the first child of the family. Bandit was excited to be a first time father. She decided to make preparations for their first baby shower as she looked over some decorations in a book catalogue. The younger couple were discussing plans while in bed.
"Hmm, I wonder what party ideas we should do. There's a raffle game where guests bring diapers to us and we give out prizes, or there's guess the baby food name. I can't seem to decide," said Chilli flipping through the book.
"Babe, relax. We've got plenty of time for the baby shower. After all, our baby boy is still progressing through the first trimester," reassured Bandit. "How are you feeling right now?"
"A bit ill, but that's to be expected. Morning sickness happens time to time," said Chilli. "I just can't wait. After our wedding back in early 2010, I knew this day would come."
"I'm excited too, but let's not rush the process," said Bandit. "I'm the luckiest dog to have a gorgeous wife, and a wonderful baby."
Chilli let out a soft smile, holding her husband's hand. "You're a good dog, Bandit Heeler. Let's hope we have a healthy boy in our lives." Chilli set her catalogue next to her nightstand, and both dogs fell asleep. All seemed peaceful on that very night, or so they thought. However, unexpectedly during that night, Chilli felt an uncomfortable sensation. She felt heavy cramps within her body and groaned in her sleep. Heavy groans soon woke up her spouse. Bandit heard the crying moans of his wife; "Babe, are you alright," he asked concerned. "Bandit, I don't…think I feel well," she said with a weakened voice. "Chilli, whoa. You look so pale," said Bandit as he felt his wife's forehead. Suddenly, Chilli felt the blanket somewhat wet. She noticed the sheets felt very wet and saw some blood through them. "Oh my gosh, this can't be real," she said in a panicked voice. "Chilli, what's going on," shouted Bandit. "I don't know, but I hope this isn't what I think it is," moaned Chilli in horrible discomfort. "Hold on, I'll get us to the hospital, post haste," said Bandit, while lifting his wife out of bed. The couple rushed downstairs to the door, and raced from the house. Bandit drove as quickly as he could to the hospital, expecting the worst.
As they made it through the ER, Chilli leaned on her husband for support as they reached the desk. Everything happened in bullet time. Bandit ordered immediate help from the ER workers to take his wife to a room, and hoped this wouldn't be what it is. After waiting for several hours in the waiting room, Bandit was feeling fatigued. He drank five cups of black coffee to keep himself awake, hoping to hear from the doctor. Suddnely, a Saluki in a white coat came to call out for Bandit. "Bandit Heeler," he announced. Bandit ran up to the doctor, wanting to hear him out. "So what is it doctor? Please, don't tell me. The last thing I suspect it to be," stuttered Bandit. The doctor let out a heavy sigh. "It is just what I have suspected. Your wife had a miscarriage"
Bandit's heart sank to hear those words coming from the doctor. He stared into space, at a loose end. The worst night of the couple's night which was supposed to be the best time of their lives to bring a healthy newborn into the world. "Where's my wife," he said while holding back his tears. "She's under anesthesia at the moment, but I can take you straight to her room right now."
"Yes, please do," demanded Bandit. The doctor led the dejected Bandit to see his wife, who is currently zonked out from the anesthesia. He saw Chilli through the glass window of her room, reaching out his hand through the glass. "This can't be real. Please let it be a bad dream," he muttered as a few tears streamed though his eyes. He then sank down to the floor with both hands covering his eyes. He let out a moment to shed more tears to grieve over the loss of their son.
Several hours later, and it was daylight. Bandit stared at his wife, who was still asleep. He was dead silent for the rest of the morning; it was not until Chilli woke up around noontime. Her eyes slowly lid up and saw a half-asleep Bandit with a cup of coffee. Bandit heard the silent moans of his wife. "Chilli," he said in relief. Chilli saw that she was in her bed in a hospital gown. "Please tell me it was all a bad dream," she pleaded for an answer. Bandit simply shook no with both eyes closed with complete sadness. Chilli's eyes felt watery at that time and sobbed uncontrollably. Bandit held his wife's hands tight as he tried to hold his tears but could not help it. At the same time, he provided comfort to show his support for Chilli after the unfortunate turn of events. The couple spent their precious time as they mourned for their loss.
"Bandit, things were going fine. I knew things were going well. But this? Why," sobbed Chilli. Bandit shushed his wife calmly. "There, there babe. The doctor said you need time to relax. You had one rough night."
"How can I relax?! We just lost our baby boy!" Bandit was spooked by the raging red heeler. He tried to calm her down before her shouting caught the attention of the hospital workers. "Chilli, please! What's done is done. I'm not happy about it either, but we have to accept the fact that it happened. Do not get me wrong. I'd do anything for our Bruce to be with us, but crying over him will not bring him back." Bandit let out a sigh, and then cleared his mind from the negative feelings. "What you are going through is normal, and I too am in pain. But we have each other now."
Chilli could not bear to look at her husband right now. She had both sadness and anger on her face. She looked away, not saying a word. Bandit's heart sank to see Chilli in a sorry state and backed away. The doctor soon came in to check on the couple. "Is everything alright here," asked the doctor.
"Yes, doctor. Just upset," said Bandit bluntly. "We'll have to keep you in for the next several days to ensure your blood pressure is normal, Mrs. Heeler. I do apologize for what has transpired. We'll do whatever we can to make your stay worthwhile," said the doctor. Chilli did not say a word. An expression filled with tears kept streaming her face. "Yes, doctor. Thank you for checking up on us," said Bandit.
During the rest of the day, neither couple said a word to each other. Chilli was still resting while Bandit was waiting for his family to check up on them. He excepted his parents, Stripe, Trixie, and Radley to arrive at some point during the evening. He then received a call from the intercom that Bandit's family arrived at the waiting room. "I'll be right back. My family is here to check up on us," said Bandit to Chilli. "Take your time," added Chilli silently. Bandit looked away sadly and went to the lobby to see his family. Both Chris and Bob hugged their son to provide comfort. Stripe, Trixie, and Radley were silent as they could not find the right words for this awful experience.
Present:
"So that's that. We were looking forward to having our firstborn that it just happened to go downhill," said Bandit calmly. Lyon was quiet. He did not know what to say under the circumstances. "You see, your aunt had complex issues with her body, and well it affected how the baby was going to be born. Therefore, the baby did not make it."
"I see," said Lyon quietly. "You two both lost someone you loved just I have lost two someones that are important to me," said Lyon, relating to his bad experience with Bandit's. "Yes," said Bandit. "After what happened, both me and your Aunt Chilli had our struggles and differences for a while, but it took time for us to accept what's done is done. It was not easy, but we made it through strong." Neither dog said a word after the heavy conversation. Bandit didn't want Lyon to find out in this way, but he blames himself for getting caught up in bad memories of his early adulthood years. Lyon also feels guilty for finding out the truth. It felt reasonable why his uncle sees him as a son more and less than a nephew ever since he bonded well with him over the past months. "Uncle," said Lyon. Bandit turned towards Lyon. "Do you hate me?"
Bandit eyes widened. "What? No! No, of course not," reassured Bandit. "You do, don't you? It's because I looked through your old baby stuff and found that photo of Bruce. It's all my fault you had to remember that awful memory," said Lyon sadly.
"Mate, listen to me. You are not at fault for this. It's my own fault for being caught up in my own bad memories," reassured Bandit firmly while patting his nephew's shoulders. "If anything, I should be thanking you."
"Huh? Why? For what," asked Lyon all confused. "For helping me talk it out. It has been a while since I had a proper chat like this. You see, I still think about our boy every day. How I wished he would be with us today had it not happened. It felt good for me to let it all out and treat you like Bruce were with me now. I thank you for giving me the chance to have that bond like a father and son experience, even though you are my brother's adoptive son." Bandit wiped Lyon's tear from his eyes. "So please don't blame yourself. I am proud that you are my nephew." Lyon gazed at his uncle's face. He felt that warm kindness from him. "Uncle Bandit," said Lyon. "Lyon, I'm glad you are a part of this family. Don't every think everything is your fault." Lyon's tail slowly wags when he felt those words. He then hugged Bandit, appreciating his honesty from tonight's sleepover.
"So the reason why you don't want me to tell my cousins is because you don't want them to worry about it now," asked Lyon.
"Correct. They're still young, and I want them to at least grow a little older before we tell them this story so for their sake, I hope you keep this between us. Considering that you know what it is like to lose someone important, I can understand why you relate to us losing Bruce," explained Bandit. "Don't worry. I solemnly swear these stays between us," said Lyon. "Also, let's not tell your aunt I told you about this. I can't imagine how she would react to me telling this to a seven-year-old," added Bandit. "Yes, I promise," said Lyon. "Good. Thank you for your understanding," said Bandit with a smile. "It's late. We should really go back to bed. I'm beat," yawned the blue heeler. He took Lyon back to the girls' bedroom and tucked him in Bluey's bed. He waited out until the wolf dog slept peacefully, and so too he slept on the floor. It was a rough night for both uncle and nephew, but they manage to provide support to each other.
This chapter turned out a bit darker, but in the end both Bandit and Lyon had an excellent time spending quality time. Next chapter will focus on Rad and Frisky's time at the restaurant.