Paws

Scramble

(Short chapter, sorry. Got 40 minutes at my parents' to steal their internet, so this is what I could get in that time. Gotta go back home now. Unedited) 

Sam-

Running around for nearly two hours already, we somehow managed to get the living room decently clean. Jordan's twins had definitely not been happy about helping, but once they got into it, they actually did a pretty good job. Of course, I we kept Coda and Jess locked up in the bedroom, having cleaned in just enough for Coda to be put into his crib and Jess to wait on her bed. 

After the living room we headed to the kitchen. It had been left for last, besides the bathroom.  I hurried around, snatching anything on the floor that I could with my mouth and setting it in a pile off to the side. One of the twins, of whose name I could care less about right now, sorted and put away or washed the items I was piling. 

Richard looked the most exhausted out of everyone, having not even changed from his work clothes as he literally slid his arm over the countertops and sloshed smeared food and miscellaneous other things into the garbage can he was dragging around. Twin number two was also helping him, grabbing things that could be salvaged and washing them off, then returning them to their rightful places. 

Once I had nothing else to pile, I roamed around the small area we used as a dining room and checked for anything else on the floor that we'd missed. When I found nothing, I hopped up onto a chair and put a paw on the wash towel Richard had previously soaked with a cleaning solution. We'd left it when we realized how much stuff needed picked up, first, but now that I couldn't help anywhere else, I hurried to begin pushing the cloth along the wood. 

Thankfully we'd gotten home in time so that none of the food could really stain, but I had to put both paws to work as I scrubbed certain spots of ketchup or barbecue sauce. 

"Hey Sammy, we've got the kitchen clean!" Richard called, making me stop near the end of the table. 

I'd spaced out a bit, it would appear, since the table was now pretty clean. With a content woof I hopped off the chair and sauntered around the corner and right into Richard's arms. He scooped me up easily, hugging me to his dirty, food-smeared chest. 

"We did it, boy!" He nearly sang, clearly beginning to feel his lack of sleep. 

I wagged my stubby tail either way, licking his face as I heard the front door open, then close a moment later. After a brief glance around, I realized that the twins had just left and heaved a tired sigh.

Let's get the kid's room finished, then cuddle? 

I normally wouldn't ask something so girly, but my hormones and sleepiness say screw it. Richard grinned and carried me over to the room, setting me down outside the door before opening it. We swarmed the room on one final boost of adrenaline, the thought of bed making both of us move faster than our bodies wanted us to. When it was all done I downed a full bowl of water and went outside to relieve myself as Richard changed Coda and got them both in bed. 

As I climbed into our bed, I heard a few beeps by the front door and realized that Richard was setting the alarm system. He'd never used it before, having lived in the house for years and not seeing any kind of problem, but I could understand why he set it now. I'd much rather be woken up an alarm then to another mess or Coda possibly missing. 

I wouldn't put that past my parents. 

Huffing, I settled into the bed and closed my eyes, waiting until I felt it depress beside me before hurriedly scooting back against Richard. His deep chuckle vibrated through my back and made my belly warm as his arm wrapped around me and tugged me closer. 

"I'm so tired, Sammy." He mumbled against my fur as his hand began to rub my belly. 

We did it, though. And once I finally have our pup, I'm going to deep clean the house. I told him, honestly looking forward to getting it back to its former beauty for him. The poor guy worked hard enough to support us and his daughter to have had to come home to his home looking so terrible. 

Another arm wrapped around me, tugging me even closer. 

"I can't wait. I know it'll put more strain on everything, but can you imagine it? I bet it's going to look like a little black cotton ball. It'll probably have a stubby tail, and tiny floppy ears hidden beneath thick fur." 

His voice got quieter and quieter as he continued speaking. 

"I'll teach it all about... socks. And, and... we need to put a scarf on it..." 

Go to bed, Richard. You're mumbling cute things, but you need to sleep for tomorrow. I told him, settling in a bit more when I felt him relax further. 

"Mmkay... but I wanna name it Kessa. Like Coda... an' Jess." 

I grunted my approval, yawning. When he didn't say anything else and I felt his breathing begin to steady as it brushed the back of my neck on each exhale. When I was sure that he was completely asleep, I let myself drift off. We had a very busy day tomorrow, if it wasn't already tomorrow, but I knew we could face it, and overcome it. All we needed were our two kids, Richard's sock-fetich bear, and my determined fluffy butt.