Chilli dropped the facade immediately and started towards the front door, which now emanated the sound of tiny fists against wood throughout the house.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Chilli called towards the unseen visitors, a hint of amusement in her voice. I took no time setting down my box and headed in the same direction. Chilli made it to the front door, opening it to reveal Muffin, who continued swinging her fists for a couple seconds in the empty space the door had occupied. Socks stood a ways back from the flailing pup with Stripe and Trixie behind her. The two kids without a moment's hesitation flew past Chilli, almost tripping her, straight towards the living room.
"Hey!" barked Stripe in a slightly annoyed tone, "Aren't you going to greet Aunt Chilli and your cousin?" The kids stopped in their tracks and turned quickly. Muffin was the first to speak up,
"Oh all wight, Hi Aunt Chiwi. Hi Oscar," she spat out with her signature rhotacism before running off once again. Socks was a little more cordial. She went up to Chilli and gave her a quick hug around the leg before turning towards me,
"Hi" she said quietly with a small wave before running off after her sister. Seemingly satisfied with the girls' performances, Stripe and Trixie exchanged standard greetings with Chilli and I.
"So, I hear you two are having a couple's night. Where ya going?" I asked out of part courtesy and part curiosity. Trixie, who must've been waiting for someone to ask, responded quickly,
"We're going dancing!" she said ecstatically, "First time since our wedding!"
"Sounds like fun!" Chilli commented with a grin.
"That's the plan anyway," Stripe said as he glanced at his phone, "assuming we get there on time. Should probably get going." Stripe ran back to their car and returned with two small sleeping bags and a larger duffel bag of stuff. "That's all the kids' things," he said, "Thanks again for watching them, and tell Bandit the same."
"Anytime!" Chilli responded, "Now go have fun!" Stripe and Trixie said their goodbyes and started back towards their car. Chilli shut the door and went off towards the kitchen. I took my leave and headed to the living room, where I found all four kids engaged in a fierce debate on the best game to play. To be honest, I had no ideas, nor did I really care. I knew I'd end up playing whatever they wanted anyway, so I backed out of the room and went to the kitchen instead. My school bag still sat slumped against the side of the counter, next to the sliding door and kitchen table. Chilli was on the other side of the counter hovering over a baking tray, working on that night's dinner. I went over to my bag to grab my book, rummaging through its few contents as I did so. I was working on a new story now, having finished my other book a day or so earlier. This book was about vampire hunters, a pretty cool read. Just as I had located my target and pulled it from the bag Chilli spoke up,
"Oscar, could you run upstairs and grab Bandit from his office?" she asked as she glanced at the time on her phone, which read a quarter after 5:00, "He's already 15 minutes over, and I need his help with dinner. His office is on the left at the end of the hall."
"Sure thing," I responded. I left the kitchen and headed up the stairs, finding myself in a long hallway, decorated with green striped wallpaper and the occasional picture. As instructed, I took a left and started down the hall. The hardwood floor was scuffed in a few places and occasionally squeaked as I made my way across it. At the end of the hall was a white door with a brass knob. When I made it to the door I made a few short knocks, barely rapping my knuckles. From the other side I heard what sounded like the squeak of moving rubber before there was an audible "Come in!" I gripped the brass knob, turning it and pushing open the door. On the left side of the room there was a wooden desk with a laptop, a green shaded lamp, and every office desk tool you could think of. Above the desk was a square window with the blinds drawn. Along the other wall was a short table with a printer, and a few bookshelves. The shelves were the same dark wood as the desk and contained some thick books, cementing the office as a work-at-home dream. On one of the walls was a plaque, awarded for "Outstanding Archeological Contribution" from the AAA to Bandit Heeler, which explained the thick books on the shelves. The only splash of color in the room was a bright green exercise ball with Bandit Heeler atop it.
"Hey Oscar!" he greeted, "What can I do for you?" I was still in silent admiration of the dark room, but was drawn back to reality by his question.
"Your wife says you're 15 minutes late and she needs help with dinner," I said with an apologetic smile. He sighed and rolled his eyes slightly, a smile creeping across his face.
"Tell her I'll be down right down," he said before turning back to his laptop. I nodded my head and exited his office, closing the door behind me. A short walk later and I found myself back in the kitchen. Chilli was now chopping vegetables on a cutting board, having abandoned the baking pan. She looked up at me expectantly as I entered.
"He said he'll be right down," I said. Mirroring Bandit, she rolled her eyes before letting out a chuckle.
"He says that every time," she said, obviously doubting Bandit's answer. After a moment's pause she looked up at me, "Brandy told me you like to cook. Do you want to help out?" I was surprised by this notion. Up to that point I had been shot down at almost every attempt to help in any way, besides being allowed to set the table. The thought excited me. I rarely ever got the opportunity to cook, my only real experience being a class at school, and I took no time delivering my answer.
"Really?" I asked excitedly, "Yeah I'd love to!" I washed my hands and we set to work. She explained to me what we were making, a cheesy potato bake. With some pointers from Chilli, I sliced the potatoes into thin slices while she measured the cream. I layered about half of the potato slices on the bottom of the baking tray along with some onion slices. Chilli poured in about half of the cream and gave it a generous crack of salt and pepper. Then the whole process repeated, with the final step being a nice layer of shredded cheese on top. It didn't take long, about 15 minutes all in all, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Looks like we're ready to bake!" Chilli said before popping the tray into the oven at a toasty 180. From the hallway I could hear the pitter patter of running feet before Bluey appeared in the kitchen.
"Oscar! There you are!" she exclaimed, "I know what game we're going to play, come on!" I hesitated and threw a glance over to Chilli, not wanting to leave without helping with the cleanup. As if reading my mind, she waved me off as she started to wash the cutting board.
"Ah, go on!" she said, "I can handle it from here. Thanks for your help!" With Chilli's permission, I let Bluey lead me back to the living room. The three kids; Bingo, Muffin, and Socks; were all mucking about the room, looking quite impatient.
"I found him!" Bluey announced as we entered the room, causing the kids to perk up.
"Yes!" exclaimed Bingo excitedly.
"Finawy!" Muffin groaned. Socks said nothing, but she gave me a smile. All of them, including Bluey, looked at me expectantly.
"Alright!" I said as I clasped my hands together, "What are we doing?"
"Well I'm so glad you asked," Bluey said, "We're gonna play cops and robbers!"
"Okay, how do we play?" I asked.
"Well, we're going to be the cops," she explained as she gestured towards herself and the other kids, "and you're going to be the robber. You just robbed a bank, so you have to go and hide. If we find you, you have to run. Got it?"
"Got it," I said determinedly. She nodded, turned away from me, and started counting.One...Two...Three.I panicked for a moment, not realising we were starting right away. Then I took off out of the living room and down the hall, looking around desperately for a place that would effectively hide my large frame. There. Was. Nothing.Four...Five...Six.I ran up the stairs, trying desperately to step quietly.Seven...Eight...Nine.I needed to find a spot quickly before Bluey finished counting to an indefinite number. I hoped it was high.Ten...Eleven...Twelve.I glanced down the hall to the left, where Bandit's office was. Not wanting to disturb whatever he was doing, I ran down the hall to the right.Thirteen...Fourteen...Fifteen.I open the first door on the left, finding a laundry room.Sixteen...Seventeen...Eighteen.There were no good hiding places.Nineteen...
"Twenty!" I heard Bluey yell from downstairs, "Let's get him!" Then there was the thunder of small footsteps as they ran through the house. With nowhere better, I turned the light off and dove behind the open door, hoping the whirring machines would mask my panting breath. I stood in wait for a few minutes, listening to the kids as they tore the downstairs apart. Finally, after what felt like eons, they concluded their search.
"He's not down here!" muffled Bingo from downstairs.
"He must be upstairs!" Muffin exclaimed. Four sets of footsteps started clamoring up the stairs before reaching the hallway.
"Muffins and Socks, you go that way," Bluey said, "Bingo and I will go this way." I peeked through the crack created by the open door and saw Bluey pointing left, towards her dad's office, meaning Muffin and Socks would be heading my way. The other kids gave Bluey a nod of understanding and started down the hallway. I watched as Muffin and Socks made their way towards me. There was only one other door in the hallway between myself and them, which they checked fairly quickly.Must've been a small room,I thought to myself. The kids drew closer and closer, but stopped short of the laundry room.
"Check in there, Socks!" Muffin commanded, "I'll check Bluey and Bingo's woom!" Socks gave another short nod and stepped into the room, where I was holding my breath behind the door. She jumped up and tried to flip the light switch, failing to connect the first couple times but landing it on the third. The laundry room was bathed in a warm white hue, a few items of clothing strewn about in piles. Socks gave the room a quick look around before moving to open the door on the left, which revealed itself to be a toilet. I knew there was no chance of going undiscovered with lights on. As soon as Socks turned around I'd be cooked, so I took the chance to run while she was distracted. I flew out of the laundry room, slipping on a shirt and almost biffing it immediately. Socks quickly turned, having obviously heard my movement. She squealed and started towards me, but I was too quick. At the other end of the hallway Bluey turned around and noticed me.
"There he is!" she yelled as she started running in my direction., "Get the robber!" Now Bingo had turned as well, and Muffin was coming out of the girls' room at the end of the hall. With no other option, I started sprinting towards Bluey, hoping to beat her to the staircase. My legs pumped hard and my heart thumped harder as I approached the landing. I turned quickly, skidding on the hardwood floor as I did, and started down the stairs. Bluey by this point was right behind me. She reached out and grabbed for me, but barely missed. I ran down the stairs and jumped the last few steps as I tried to escape my pursuers. Now the other three kids were coming down the stairs as well. I sprinted through the kitchen, blowing past Chilli, who gave a yelp of surprise and just about jumped out of her fur.
"Sorry!" I called back as I ran through the dining room, Bluey still hot on my tail.Dang this kid is fast,I thought as I hurdled the couch (I used to be pretty good at jumping). Bluey was forced to go around, which gave me a substantial lead. I ran through the playroom, almost tripping over a few toys as I did so. I thought I was in the clear when I entered the downstairs hallway, but I turned the corner to find the other three kids waiting for me. Bingo and Muffin had this smug look on their face like they'd caught me out, and Socks had a wide smile. I yelled in surprise and turned 180, running back into the playroom. Bluey had caught up and was standing in the middle of the playroom.Basketball, don't fail me now,I thought as I ran towards Bluey. She tried to block my path, but I faked her out to the left and ran past her.
"Oh come on!" She exclaimed as she stamped her foot. I turned my head and gave a laugh of triumph, but they do say history repeats itself. With my head turned I failed to notice the jump rope lying on the kiwi carpet. My foot caught the rope and I went down hard. I crashed to the floor, knocking all the air out of my lungs. The kids took no time at all to take advantage of my stunned state. As I was laying on the floor, attempting to take a breath they ran up and started to climb over me.
"You're going away for a long time!" said Bingo as she placed her foot on my back, "Come on. We've got to get him to jail!" She and Socks took my left leg while Bluey took my right. Muffin went and grabbed my tail.
"Uh Muffin..." Bluey protested, "I'm not sure grabbing his tail is such a good idea."
"It'll be fine!" Muffin responded, "Weady? Heave!" As the tension was applied to my tail, I felt a shock of pain run up my spine, releasing me from my paralysis. It was nothing like I'd ever felt before.
"Ah!" I exclaimed with a grimace, "Let go of my tail! Right now!" I tried to get up, but that's hard to do when three kids are hanging onto your legs. Not that it would have mattered anyway. Muffin, stubborn as she is, paid no mind to my protests.
"Weady?" She asked the other kids, obviously not intending to wait for an answer, "Heave!" She yanked on my tail once more, pushing her entire body weight away from me.
SNAP!
A horrible sound, one that you would hope never to hear from any part of your body emanated from my tail. Red, hot, searing pain spawned immediately from about midway up my tail. It shot up my spine, wreaking havoc on my nervous system as it did, and entered my brain. My vision went red, a mixture of agony and rage clouding my head. It was the worst physical pain I'd ever felt. Alongside these excruciating elements was a rush of adrenaline. I yelped and scrambled away from the kids, yanking my legs from their grasp.
"AHHH! SON OF A-!" I screamed, anger filling my voice. I bit my tongue hard to stop myself from finishing that sentence, but I couldn't stop the involuntary growl that escaped my throat. Muffin immediately let go and ran from the room, probably spooked by my sudden and violent reaction. Two distinct sets of running footsteps could be heard through the house. Chilli was in the room in a split second, and as soon as she laid eyes on me she turned and retched. I gritted my teeth and turned on my side to look at my tail, already knowing what to expect after seeing Chilli's response. I almost chundered when I saw the poor thing. It was kinked in the middle with the end laying off to the side, forming an impossible angle.
Are you okay Oscar?" Bluey asked as she walked over to me. I got no chance to respond to her before Bandit came bursting into the room as well.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" He yelled, panting heavily. Chilli was averting her eyes from my ruined tail, and the three other kids were just standing there in a state of shock. Bandit caught a look at my tail and sprang into action, "Kids! Get out of it!" He commanded as he ran over to me, shooing the kids away.
"I-I think it's broken," I said with a grimace.
"Okay," Bandit responded as he got down on his knees, "I'm going to feel it. Is that alright?" He hovered his hands above my tail, waiting for my go-ahead, which I gave in the form of a nod. Bandit ran his hands down my tail, starting at the base. As he reached the kink in the middle I couldn't stop myself from yelping once more, prompting from Bandit the most apologetic look I've ever seen.
"Yeah, that feels like a break," he said with a sigh. He stood and stuck his hand out, which I took, to help me up. As I reached a standing position I held my tail in my hands to keep it stable. Chilli by this point had recovered from her close call with the contents of her stomach and walked over to meet us. She and Bandit had this shared look of worry on their faces as they each took glances at my tail. Chilli spoke up first,
"What's the plan?" she asked Bandit with her head cocked slightly to the side. Bandit thought for a moment before giving his answer.
"Okay, you ring Brandy and tell her what's happened, feed the kids dinner and run damage control with them," he finally responded, "I'll take Oscar to the Ipswich ED." Chilli nodded, took another look at my tail resting in my hands, and left towards the kitchen. Then Bandit turned towards me,
"Alright mate, let's go get you some help," he said as he started leading me towards the front door.
"Ipswich, that's where Brandy works isn't it?" I asked him, having recognized the name. Brandy must've told me at some point and I forgot.
"Yeah, it's the closest ED, pretty convenient," he responded as we walked through the living room and into the dining room. The kids were nowhere to be seen. They probably ran upstairs, and I didn't blame them. I couldn't help but think about what they must be feeling, especially poor Muffin. Don't get me wrong, I was still pretty mad at her. Hopefully this would be a good lesson in the importance of "Stop." When we reached the front door, Bandit stepped ahead and opened it for me. I was careful going down the porch steps, trying my best not to jostle my tail, but it was still a painful process. We walked over to the Heeler's car, which I had ridden in only a few hours earlier on the way home from school (What a great way to start a weekend). Bandit once more stepped ahead and crossed to the opposite side of the car to open the door for me. I got in slowly, a grimace forming on my face as I sat down. I was just thankful the break wasn't at the base of my tail, or I'd have had a significantly worse time. Bandit hopped in the driver seat and wasted no time cranking the ignition and pulling out of the driveway.
"I'm sorry to put you through this Bandit," I said, feeling guilty at forcing him into this situation.
"Don't even worry about it," he interjected in a reassuring tone, "These things happen. Honestly, I'm starting to think it's bad luck. You've been to our house twice now and both times something has happened."
"Huh, I guess that is weird," I responded. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few seconds before Bandit spoke up again,
"So, do you wanna tell me how it happened?" he asked with a quizzical expression. I told him the entire story, from the cops and robbers to Muffin's attack,
"Geez, that does sound like Muffin," he said, "She doesn't know when to stop for her own good or the good of others for that matter. I've got to tell you the facey talk story some time."
"Yeah, she's interesting," I agreed. Another comfortable silence ensued, followed by Bandit interjecting once more,
"I just can't believe she could've broken your tail like that," he said, "I know kids can have grips like vices, but I don't think Muffin is strong enough to do something like that."
"I honestly have no idea," I responded, "Maybe the doctor will have something to say."
Chilli watched as the German shepherd and blue heeler duo left through the front door. She stood, processing for a few seconds before she set off towards the kitchen. The timer on the oven showed 4:43 remaining before the cheesy potato bake within would be finished. She couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought of Oscar being unable to try the meal he'd helped make. The recipe was her mom's, though she hadn't told Oscar that.
"Kids!" she called out into the seemingly empty house. Things had gotten really quiet really fast, "It's almost dinner time! Come downstairs please!" It took a few seconds, but eventually the shuffling of tiny feet could be heard through the old floorboards. Judging from the sound, Chile estimated they'd been in Bluey and Bingo's room. The older red heeler was already preparing herself mentally for the barrage of questions that were inevitably headed her way. She wouldn't have to wait long. Bluey was the first into the kitchen, a slightly solemn look pasted across her face,
"Is Oscar okay?" she asked as she twiddled her fingers and stared down at the floor.
"I'm sure he'll be fine honey," Chilli reassured her daughter as she patted the young blue heeler's head.
"But will he be back?"
"Oh sweetheart, I don't think so. The sleepover will have to wait for another time I'm afraid."
Chilli noticed the disappointment cross Bluey's face as she gave her answer. The realization of the situation sparked another thought in Chilli's mind. Oscar's backpack and all his stuff was still in the Heeler home. Something would need to be done about that. Finally, Bingo and Socks made it into the kitchen. Three out of four kids accounted for. Now where was Muffin?
"Girls," Chilli said, "Where's Muffin?" The older red heeler craned her neck around the corner, checking to see if the missing greyscale heeler was simply behind. Alas, she was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't think Muffin's coming," Bingo lamented, "She's in the toilet, but I don't think she said anything about having to go."
"No, she didn't," Bluey piped in, "I heard her crying as I passed by. I asked if she needed help, but she said no and wouldn't open the door."
"Oh no...," Chilli said, "Okay, leave it with me. You girls go wash up and get ready to eat." The red heeler started towards the stairs, ascending the steps quickly. When she reached the top landing she took a right and stepped up to the toilet door. Just as Bingo had described, soft sniffling could be heard from the other side. Chilli's heart broke at the sound. It wasn't rare to see Muffin cry, with her constant tantrums and whatnot, but this was something different. "Muffin honey, are you okay?" Chilli asked as she knocked on the door. When no one answered, she opened the door and was met with a sad sight. Sitting on the floor, knees against her chest, tail wrapped around her, ears flattened back, and head on her knees, was Muffin. Chilli rushed to the poor girl, wrapping her arms around the clearly shaken child. "What's wrong sweetheart?" she asked. Muffin took a few seconds to respond, as if struggling to form the sentence.
"It's all my fault," the little white heeler finally responded.
"What's all your fault?" Chilli pushed, "Tell me what happened."
Brandy Cattle's phone buzzed uselessly in her purse, as it always did while she was working. She was sitting in the nurse lounge at Ipswich Hospital, finishing a report sheet for her boss, unaware that her phone was sending her little sister straight to voicemail. A few seconds later, down the hall and out of earshot of the red heeler, the phone at the main desk started ringing. The charge nurse, a heavyset beagle, picked up,
"Ipswich Hospital, how can I help you?" she asked in a calm and practiced voice.
"Hello?" the voice on the other end said, "I'm looking for Brandy Cattle. She's not answering her phone. This is her sister."
"Ms. Cattle is on break," the nurse responded, "I can take a message if you'd like."
"I'm sorry, this is sort of an emergency," the voice pleaded, "Her son's been injured and is on his way there now with my husband. I need to speak with her."
"Okay, I'm putting you on hold, and I'll page her. Stay on the line please," The nurse said as she clicked a button on the phone. A green light flashes, indicating one caller on hold. The beagle glanced at a spreadsheet on the divider next to her, noting the page number for Brandy Cattle. She entered the number into the phone, followed by a short number code. Down the hall, Brandy groaned as she heard the pager go off in the breast pocket of her scrub, slightly annoyed at being interrupted while trying to catch up on paperwork. She pulled out the pager and read the number code flashing on the small screen. The code, one she'd been forced to memorise alongside many others, was split into two parts. The first instructed her to dial an extension number, and the second indicated the extension to dial. The red heeler cocked her head in confusion, it wasn't a common code by any means, and she couldn't help but wonder who wanted to speak with her. She got up out of her seat and walked over to the shiny red phone mounted on the wall of the nurse's lounge, right next to the door. Identical phones were strewn across the hospital, ensuring one was never too far away. She picked up the phone and entered the extension code she was given, which automatically connected Brandy to her anxious little sister.
"Hello? This is Brandy Cattle," the red heeler spoke into the phone.
"Brandy?" the voice said, "It's Chilli."
"Chilli! What's up?" Brandy asked, concern starting to show itself in her voice.
"Something's happened with Oscar," Chilli responded, but she didn't get a chance to explain before she was cut off.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Brandy yelled, probably a little louder than she should've, but she couldn't help it. This was the call that every mother dreaded, and Brandy knew better than anyone that Chilli would not be calling her unless it was important. Though she'd only been a mum for a week, her instincts were flaring hot and violent inside of her, worst case scenarios flooding through her mind.