Ten
As it turned out, Jack still ended up sleeping on the couch because Milo got ahold of the cupcakes and ate all of them.
Milo’s dessert didn’t sit well with his stomach, giving him constant diarrhea. He had to be brought outside over and over again so he wouldn’t have an accident in the house.
God forbid anything gets on the rug, Jack thought to himself with a sting of annoyance, thinking of his wife’s adoration for the oriental rug she purchased at Carpet Emporium downtown.
Jack was tired and had been hoping for a good night’s sleep, but between Lindsey’s aggravation at him for not keeping an eye on the cupcakes and the fact that he could get Milo outside quicker from the living room to take care of his business, he decided to shack up with the Labrador on the couch.
After all, a little alone time with the pooch wasn’t so bad. He hardly got to see Milo because he worked so much, and he reminded Jack of the black Labrador he had when he was growing up. That was, in part, some of the reason why he selfishly insisted on getting him for Sam in the first place.
No brothers or sisters? That’s nothing good ol’ Milo couldn’t fix. And he had. He and Sam had become close since Jack first picked the rescue puppy up for adoption two years prior, and it warmed his heart to see it.
“How’s he doing?”
Jack jerked awake. He had nodded off in between trips outside. Sam, on the other hand, hadn’t. He was wide awake and standing halfway down the staircase in his comic book Flash PJs. He looked worried.
“He’ll be fine, son. We’ll take him to the vet tomorrow if it keeps up. Right now, let’s just let him be.”
“Okay.”
Sam walked the rest of the way down the stairs and over to where Milo was sleeping on the couch next to Jack. He leaned over and gave his dog a hug.
“Sorry your tummy is hurting you, Milo,” he said to him. “We’ll make it better. I promise.”
Milo stirred as if to wake up, but simply yawned without opening his eyes. Sam gave him another hug, kissed him between the eyes, and headed back up the stairs.