Title: Patchies

Author: Dani_Oconnell

 

Everyone had gone up to bed for the night. Evy had been grouchy all day, so they were smart and stayed out of her way. Rick climbed into bed and closed his eyes when he heard something outside. He sat up in bed and looked around. Nothing. He looked over at Evelyn, who was sound asleep, and he got up. He went near the window. Still, he saw nothing. In his boxers, he crept down the stairs.

 

Alex had gotten into his bed when he heard a noise. Now after what had happened not too long ago, he couldn't be too careful. He grabbed his sling-shot from his bedside and went near the window. Nothing, but he still heard the noise. He decided to go check it out, and headed down the stairs.

After having himself a drink, Jonathan was about to get ready for bed. Then he decided he would go downstairs to get a little bite to eat.....but then on the other hand, Evy had been a bit tad on the grouchy side today and he knew how much she hated him to get late snacks. He sighed. Then he turned towards the window when he heard a noise. It was one of the most awful noises he had ever heard. But then he saw nothing. He turned to go down the stairs to see what it

was........

 

"AHH!!!" All 3 men screamed as they bumped into each other on the way down the stairs. Jonathan leaned against the wall, rubbing his chest.

"I say.....O'connell...Alex...what are you 2 doing up so late?"

 

"I heard a noise..." Rick told him as he started down the stairs.

"Me too."

"Me three."

 

They were now in the living room. Rick grabbed a shotgun and glanced at Alex and Jon. Alex still had his sling-shot in his hand. Rick smiled and continued out the door, into the backyard, with the other 2 following quietly and cautiously behind.

 

The noise started to get louder now. Rick crept through the grass in his bare feet, careful not to step on anything. They suddenly saw something move a couple of feet away. Rick aimed his gun and got closer, as Alex pulled back his sling-shot, ready to shoot.

 

Jonathan was now thinking about turning around and run back inside, but he didn't want O'connell to think he was more of a coward that he really was.

 

When they had gotten close enough, the animal had brushed against Rick's leg and made him holler. Alex then let go of his sling-shot and let the pebble fly through the air towards whatever it was, that made his Dad jump. Rick put out his hand, just in time to catch the rock Alex had aimed before it hit the

animal. Rick let out a sigh of relief. "It's just a puppy....it's hurt."

Jonathan felt as if 300 pounds had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Thank God....Well let's take it inside."

 

Rick picked it up and carried it back inside.

 

Once they were in, they got a better look at it. It was brown, with a black right-ear, and a black, short, stubby tail. It also had a black patch around it's left eye. They saw where the dog was bleeding on its right paw and carried him to the downstairs bathroom.

 

Rick placed him in the bathtub, and ran the water.

"Jonathan, go get some towels, Alex go get some soap from the upstairs bathroom." He ordered and watched them run off, clomping up the stairs.

"And don't wake up Evy!!" He yelled after them. 'God, please don't let them wake up Evy..' He thought to himself. 'After today, I would rather face 10 Imhotep's......and then she wakes up and finds a stray puppy in the house? Who knows what she would do.....'

 

Jonathan and Alex came back and Rick took the soap from him.

 

Soon, all 3 of them were gathered around the tub, covered in soapy water, and fighting the puppy to stay. There was more water on the floor, than there was in the bathtub when they had finished. Rick got one of the towels and took the dog out. Before he could dry it off, the puppy shook its fur and slung water all over the walls and more water on them. Rick sighed and picked it up.

 

"You guyz try to clean this up.....I'm going to get this guy cleaned up myself." He said and left his brother-in-law and son by themselves.

 

"Well, Big Al, let's get to work." Jonathan told his nephew, who was drenched. He handed him some extra towels.

"Watch a professional at work." He then got two towels, and put one foot on each of them. He then motioned Alex out of the way and then slide across the floor wiping up the water.

"Hey, that looks like fun!" Alex laughed and did the same.

Soon, they were both sliding across the floor and knocking against each other and laughing.

Meanwhile, Rick was upstairs with the puppy. He had it on one of the guestroom beds with an old brush. He was brushing through the puppys fur and scratching behind it's ear at the same time. He saw the cute little thing's tail wagging in happiness and he laughed.

 

After they had cleaned up the floor, and taken away the towels Alex looked around the room. "What about the walls, Uncle Jon? They're all wet."

"Well, Alex, there is only one thing to do."

"Like what?"

"Wait until they dry, of course.....better hope they're dry before your mother sees them of course."

 

"Oh." Alex and Jon looked at themselves in the mirror and laughed.

"Well, let's go upstairs and get into some dry clothes, Al." And then they went up the stairs.

By now, the puppy was all dry and Rick was scratching it's tummy when Jon and Alex walked by.

 

"Having fun, O'connell?" Jon teased as he went into his own room.

 

5 minutes later Alex and Jon came into the room.

"So, is it a boy or a girl?" Alex asked and then heard something down the hall.

"Ahh, its Evy!" Rick hissed. "We gotta hide it!" he began running around the room, with the puppy in his arms trying to find a place to hide it.

 

Jonathan laughed at him. After all they had been through, he had never seen Rick act this hysterical.

"Just stick it under the bed." Jonathan told him and took the puppy when Evy walked into the room. He then shoved the thing into a dresser drawer and quickly shut it.

 

"Now, what are you all doing up and waking me??" Evy asked a little ticked.

"Um...well...see...er...ya know..." Jonathan and Rick stuttered.

"Well, Mum, we thought we heard something outside so we all came to see what it was." Alex told her casually.

"Oh, well go back to bed!" and with that Evelyn headed towards the bedroom and shut the door.

 

When Rick heard the bedroom door shut, he quickly opened the dresser drawer and took it back out into his arms. He turned to Jonathan.

"You idiot! You could have hurt it!"

"Well, it was only a couple of seconds! It was either the puppy get a little hurt or us die!" He snapped back.

"That's true." Rick laughed and ruffled Alex's hair. "Thanks, buddy, you saved us."

 

They were all downstairs in the kitchen. The puppy was on the table and Rick was wrapping it's paw in a bandage. It whimpered a little and all 3, "Shhh!!!"

 

"There, your good as new." Rick grinned as he finished.

 

"Who is?" Evy came down the stairs.

Alex, Jon, and Rick jumped in front of the table, blocking the view of the animal away from her.

"Nothing." Jonathan told her. "See, well, I was showing Rick my new

hair-cut...and umm..."

 

"What are you hiding from me?!" Evelyn asked as she tried to look behind them.

"Fine, be that way." Evy then began to tickle Alex to get him to move out of the way. Rick and Jon tried to hold him back, but it was too late. She had saw.

 

"Honey, we were going to tell you in the morning...and well....." Rick began.

Evelyn started to laugh hysterically at them.

 

"And what is so funny??" Jonathan demanded, confused.

 

"This is what your hiding from me??" She laughed more.

 

"You mean you don't mind?" Rick asked, shocked.

 

"Of course not!" She told him, startled that he had even figured that. "I have been wanting a puppy anyways, I just have never mentioned it!"

 

She picked the animal up. "So what is it's name?"

They looked at each other. "We donno...."

 

Evy looked at it. "Well.....it's a girl..."

"Let's name it Patchies. Since she has a patch on her eye." Alex smiled and they thought it was a cute name.

Rick and Evy tucked Alex and Patchies into bed and kissed them goodnight. Rick walked out of the room, and smiled at the sleeping boy, then turned out the light.

 

THE END