Puppy Love Continued

"You know, I almost feel sorry for him," Lance said flatly, watching Chris go to his car and get in. They continued watching a few minutes while Chris looked around the car, then got out and came back to the bus.

"I forgot my milk," Chris answered before they could ask. He grabbed the bottle and can then went back outside.

J.C. and Lance looked at each other for a few minutes, reading each other's thoughts, before J.C. reached for the phone book. "I'll look up the doctor's number."

Lance grabbed the phone and replied, "I'll make the appointment."

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

The puppies were curled up in the front passenger seat, sleeping peacefully. Chris smiled as he opened the door, accidentally waking up the puppies. He could have sworn Britney shot him an evil, grumpy look as he got in the car. Chris sat in the driver's seat and prepared the puppy's meal as they began to crawl onto his lap. "Hold on guys," he said, gently pushing Nick and A.J. down. Brain was still curled up while the others played around him. Chris took the top off the bottle and went to fill it with milk when he realized he didn't get the can opener.'Crap,' he thought, opening the door again. "You guys stay here," he told the puppies. Then he headed towards the bus, taking a deep breath as he went.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 9

pt 10

"Here he comes!"

Chris heard the others shuffling around as he opened the door to the bus. He looked around, watching the others look at him with guilty expressions.

"What?" he asked, heading for the drawer that held the can opener.

"Nothing," the others replied, a little too fast.

"I'm getting the can opener, then I'm leaving," Chris informed them, in case a sudden movement startled them.

"Okay," J.C. replied. "Take your time."

"No thanks," Chris said under his breath.

"So, Chris," Joey started, "What were the names of your kids?"

Chris choked on his own spit at the question that had caught him off guard. "What?" he asked, turning red.

"Your kids," Joey repeated.

"Uh," Chris stuttered. 'I can't lie to them,' he thought as he replied, "Kevin, and uh, Britney."

"I thought you said they were twins," J.C. interrupted.

"Uh…" Chris's mind raced as he thought up an explanation. "They are. Just not identical."

"Oh."

Chris hated lying to his friends, so he decided to leave before they could ask any more questions. He walked through their questioning gazes and walked off the bus. When he got back to the car, the puppies were still awake and climbing all over the seats. Brian was the only one that remained still as Chris resumed his place in the passenger seat. The puppies began climbing on Chris, eagerly waiting their meal.

Chris quickly got the puppies their food and began feeding the first one, who was Britney. She greedily took a fourth of the bottle for herself before she quit, and went to lie down next to the still sleeping Brian. The others ate their fill, then went to lie down for a relaxing nap in the sun. Chris started worrying when Brian still hadn't wakened up. He gently nudged the puppy awake, and stuck the bottle in its mouth, forcing it to eat.

Brian reluctantly began eating, and soon after he was done and curled up on the seat again. A phase of worry passed over Chris, but it soon faded as his heart melted at the sight of all the puppies curled up on top of each other, sleeping.

He decided to let them sleep ad enjoy the peacefulness. Dreading going back to face the others, he decided to stay in the car. Chris turned on the radio and immediately regretted it when he recognized the first notes of The Backstreet Boys's 'Larger Than Life.'

Instantly, all the puppy's heads shot up and they began howling with the music, following the vocals perfectly. Chris sat stunned at what he was seeing. He turned the music off, and the puppies stopped. He turned it back on, and they fell right in sync with the music.

He changed the channel, and 'I Want You Back' rang through then car. The puppies began whimpering and covered their heads with their tiny paws. Chris laughed at their actions, wishing he could share this with the others.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End Pt. 10

pt 11

"What's he doing now?" Justin asked as he emerged from the bathroom. He had a white towel wrapped low around his waist, and drops of water fell from his curly blonde hair and onto his broad shoulders.

Joey was crouched at the window, looking out through his binoculars at Chris. "He's laughing at his ravioli," Joey announced, stating what he saw.

"Promise me none of you will have a family behind my back," J.C. sighed.

"No problem," Justin replied.

Joey suddenly threw the binoculars on the floor and turned around. "He's coming!"

~>~>~>~>~>

Chris got on the bus and was greeted by the smiles of all the others. "If you don't knock it off, your faces will get stuck like that," he said.

"How can we not be happy for you, Dad?" Lance teased.

"Whatever," Chris mumbled.

"Hey, we're going shopping later, you wanna come?" Justin asked.

"No, I got things to take care of around here," Chris replied.

" Like what?" J.C. asked.

"Uh…FumanSkeeto stuff," he lied.

"Oh. OK, well if you change your mind…" J.C. stared.

"I know," Chris interrupted. "Thanks anyway."

The others looked at each other knowingly as Chris dug a through a suitcase.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

An hour later, the guys had left for the mall. Chris moved the puppies inside and they were now playing Busta. Brian was still sleeping, and Britney had found some of Chris's Pixie Stix, torn them open, then greedily began eating them. Chris could almost watch her getting fat, but she also liked to clean herself, and when she wasn't eating or being pretty, she was hanging on Nick. Nick proved to be the most annoying one of the bunch, and he was constantly whining and looking at Chris with a pitiful face. A.J. was the bully of the group, and was always pushing the other puppies around. Kevin and Trust were usually in a corner, being extremely good. Howie spent most of his time smelling the other males where he shouldn't.

Chris was interrupted from watching the puppies when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"This is Dr. Campbell, the vet you saw the other day about the puppies…" the voice on the other line announced.

"Yeah, I remember. What can I do for you?" Chris replied, motioning for the dogs to be quiet when they started barking shrilly.

"Well, I just wanted you to bring the puppies to my office so I can check them over. You can also pick up Hope's remains, if you wish," the vet replied.

Chris felt a wave of sorrow pass over him at the memory of the dog that had blessed him with these tiny miracles. "Sure," he replied, blinking away his tears. "We'll be right there."

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End Pt. 11

pt 12

"So far they all check out okay," the vet announced as he checked Britney. "This one's getting pretty heavy for her age, but if it becomes a problem, we can surgically take care of it."

Chris nodded as he happily watched the puppies crawl around the tiny examining room. He held Brian on his lap; he was the last to be checked. The vet set Britney down on the floor, and she immediately began to clean herself. Then he picked up Brian and put the stethoscope to the puppy's heart.

His face changed from happiness to concern as he moved the stethoscope around Brian's chest. "Hmm."

Chris became worried. "What?" he asked, hoping it was nothing.

But it was indeed something. "It seems this one has a heart murmur."

Chris's mouth dropped open before the asked; "He's got a whole in his heart?"

"I'm afraid so," the doctor concluded, pulling off his stethoscope.

Chris was too stunned to acknowledge his crushed spirit. "Will he die?" he asked numbly, like it was all a dream.

"Not if he gets surgery. I must tell you though; it will not be cheap. And the sooner the better, I'm afraid."

Chris took the puppy back in his arms and hugged it. "Will he live long if he does get the surgery?"

"The odds are very good that he will."

Chris blinked away his tears as he gave the puppy another comforting hug. "Okay, let's do it."

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~~>~>

Chris returned home with the six healthy puppies, and he felt something was missing. The puppies didn't seem to notice they were short a brother, but Chris felt empty inside. It was amazing how attached he had become in such a short time.

Chris was now feeding the puppies again when he heard the others return from the mall. Busta began barking as Chris ran to put the puppies in their bed. He threw he bottle under a cushion on the couch, then jumped on it and turned on the TV.

Justin was the first on the bus, carrying his JCPenny bags, followed by Joey, carrying a Spencer's' bag. Lance and J.C. trailed behind; shutting the door just as Busta ran out. "What are you doing?" Justin smiled, looking at Chris.

"Nothing," Chris replied. "What did you guys get?"

"I got some tight shirts," Justin said, throwing his bags on his bunk.

"I got some superman stuff," Joey beamed.

"Big surprise," Chris mumbled.

"We got you something too," J.C. added.

"You did? What?" Chris asked, getting up.

"It's outside," J.C. said.

Chris went over to the door and opened it.

There in the grass, stood a wooden baby crib, complete with a red bow.

Chris's mouth dropped open.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 12

pt.13

"It's for your kids, if you find them," J.C. explained, proud of himself.

"Guys, I uh…"

"It's okay, don't thank us yet. We just want to see you happy," Lance said, beaming with pride.

Chris snapped out of it and decided to humor them. "It's great guys. Thanks. They'll love it."

The guys smiled and happily headed inside. Busta began sniffing the leg of the crib, and Chris walked over to inspect it. "What am I gonna do?" he asked Busta.

~>~>~>~>~>

Inside, the guys were crowded around the window watching Chris. "I think he likes it," Lance said.

"I think we made him cry," Justin said, looking through the Joey's binoculars. Outside, Chris had bent down to pet Busta and the Pug shook, sending hair flying everywhere, including Chris's eyes. He was now rubbing them, trying to get out the dog hair.

"Poor guy. By the way, how are we gonna get him to his therapy session?" Lance asked.

"I don't know yet. But we'll get him there one way or another. He needs to share his feeling," J.C. replied.

"Incoming," Joey announced, seeing Chris head for them.

Chris got on the bus, still digging at his puffy, red eyes and sniffling.

"Hey man, we're sorry. We didn't mean to upset you…" J.C. started.

"It's okay," Chris replied, heading for the bathroom. He looked at the others after he passed them, realizing what J.C. had said. Busta followed him into the bathroom and got a drink form the toilet as Chris washed out his eyes.

"Don't let him do that!" J.C. yelled.

"Do what?" Chris asked, teasing J.C. the way a little kid teased their stressed mother.

J.C. didn't reply, and Chris headed back out when he was done. He sat on his bunk while Busta lay at his feet, guarding the puppies. He thought he heard one of the puppy's whine, but the sound was covered up when Lance sat on the couch.

"What's this?" Lance asked, pulling up the side of the cushion and holding up the bottle.

Chris looked at the floor as all the eyes turned to him.

Taking a deep breath, J.C. stepped forward in front of Chris. "Okay Chris, don't take this the wrong way, but we scheduled an appointment for you at a physiologist. He can help you deal with this whole baby thing, okay?"

Chris looked up, shocked. "What?"

"Now don't get mad, we're just-"

Scratch. Scratch.

"What's that?" J.C. asked, looking around.

Scratch.

"What?" Chris asked innocently.

Yip! Scatch.

"Don't you hear that?"

"No, what does it sound like?" Chris asked.

"Something's digging," J.C. replied.

Scratch.

"Nope. Don't hear it. Maybe you're just losing it," Chris said.

J.C. was about to argue, when Justin screamed. "What happened to my clothes?!" he yelled, holding up the torn shirts Chris had stuffed in the trash can.

Everyone looked at Chris as he asked, "What?"

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 13

pt.14

"What happened?" Justin repeated, shaking the torn shirt.

Chris watched as a piece of it fell to the floor. "It's a long story," he said, thinking. "I'll pay you back. Don't worry about it."

"Enlighten me," Justin said. "I want to hear this."

"I was trying to make a surprise dinner for you," Chris started.

"Keep going. I'm not seeing how this fits in with my clothes."

"And I accidentally spilled some spaghetti sauce on my shirt."

"Yeah…" Justin pressured.

"And I wanted to look nice, but all of my clothes were ghetto, so I took one of your shirts." Chris received an angry look from Justin and continued. "Then I was draining the spaghetti when I dropped an earring down the garbage disposal." Lance started laughing as Chris continued. "Well, I had to get it, right? So I put my hand down the disposal. I almost had it back up, when I accidentally turned on the garbage disposal" Everyone except Justin and Chris began laughing as Chris finished. "And your shirts are to big on me, so the sleeve got stuck in there and it ripped the shirt off me. I'm lucky I didn't die!"

Justin glared at Chris as he asked, "What about the other shirts?"

"Well, it was still down there."

"You did that twelve times?!"

"Fifteen really," Chris mumbled, making his eyes big and soft.

Justin's mouth dropped open to yell, but he just sighed as Chris gave him the puppy face. "Whatever." Justin threw the shirt back in the trash and said, "It's a good thing I just got more clothes."

J.C. was still trying to listen for the noise, and Busta was raising his lip as J.C. approached the puppy's bed. "What's wrong, boy?" J.C. asked, backing off.

Chris picked Busta up, who was now growling at J.C.

"What's wrong with your dog?" J.C. asked, taking a step back.

"He's just really protective," Chris said, petting Busta. "Maybe you guys should leave."

"This is not his bus, why should I leave?" J.C. asked.

Busta growled more as the hair on his back stood up. "Please, just go," Chris said.

"Okay, we'll go," Joey said softly. The others glared at him, but followed him out into the sun.

Just as the door shut, the puppies began barking. Chris locked the door, then went back and unlocked the puppy hide-away. They all ran out, ears flapping as they nearly knocked Chris down. They were bubbling over with energy from their short nap. Their tails wagged so furiously, their tiny bodies wriggled all over. They licked him and teased Busta, then continued playing. A.J. grabbed Busta's tail and began pulling. Britney started chasing Nick, but lost him when he turned a corner and she flew into a wall, head first. She shook herself, then got up and stumbled off.

Chris felt something tug on his pant leg and looked down to see A.J. pulling with all his might, tail high in the air. He playfully growled a harmless puppy growl and looked at Chris with fire in his light brown eyes. Chris bent down and picked him up with one hand. "Why do you hate me?" Chris asked. The pup howled, then licked Chris as he wiggled to get down. Chris laughed as he set the feisty pup down, which scampered off to beat up Howie. Trust trotted over and placed her front feet on Chris's leg, looking at him and wanting to be picked up. Instead, Chris sat down and let her curl up on his lap. She was a replica of her mother, so trusting and kind. He heard something crash, and turned around to see Britney in the middle of a pile of potato chips. An overturned table lay beside her, one leg broken. She greedily began eating the chips, and growled when Brian came too close. When she had inhaled all the chips, she began licking herself clean as Nick helped.

Chris turned back to Trust, and then felt something warm running down his back.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 14

pt 15

Chris quickly turned around, seeing A.J. sitting behind him, looking guilty. Chris felt his back, then cautiously sniffed his hand. "I'm gonna kill you!" he yelled, recognizing the smell of urine. He jumped up, sending Trust scrambling to her feet, and began chasing A.J. The puppy tucked his tail and ran into the puppy bed, trying to bury himself in the towels. Chris grabbed A.J.'s tail and pulled the puppy out, swearing to himself. "Why do you make my life hell?" Chris asked, holding the puppy close to his face. In response, the tiny brown ball of fur lunged for Chris's nose, catching the tip of it. "OW! You little…" Chris yelled, dropping the puppy, who flew back into the bed and hid.

Another crash interrupted his thoughts as he looked up to see Britney gobbling down a 3 lb. Bag of skittles Chris had opened an hour ago. Britney had pulled the bag off his bunk, sending them scattering in all directions. The puppies gathered around, grabbing what they could get.

Near tears, Chris sighed in hopelessness. His nose was starting to bleed, and he reeked of urine. He shoved the Skittles under his bunk, and the puppies followed. Once they were all in, he slammed the door shut and locked it. Busta followed him to the bathroom and drank out of the toilet as Chris cleaned up his nose.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

"I can't see him!" Justin whispered, balancing on top of Joey's shoulders.

"He's making enough noise!" J.C. argued. "I'd think you could see him!"

"He WAS making noise," Justin corrected. "He's not there now."

Joey trembled under Justin's weight. "You think you could hurry it up?"

"Hold on one min-"

Justin was cut off as Joey collapsed him and Justin getting tangled up. Lance and J.C. cracked up as they helped the two get up.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Chris froze when he heard a crash. Busta's head went up, and neither made a noise as they listened, except for the water dripping off Busta's chin.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

"Good one," Justin whispered loudly to Joey. "I think all of China heard that!"

"Well, if you weren't so big, maybe-"

"Guys, be quiet! I got an idea. Let's roll the car over here, then we all can see in," J.C. said.

They considered it for a moment before running to get the car.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End Pt. 15

pt 16

Chris walked out of the bathroom to watch TV and unlock the bus door. He had borrowed another of Justin's shirts, and his nose was no longer bleeding. As he walked by the windows, his mind barley recognized the fact that almost no sun was coming through one of them.

He unlocked the door, then sat down in front of the TV. The puppies were sleeping again, giving him some peace. He flipped through the channels, landing on a rerun of the Mickey Mouse Club. He decided to watch it for a while to see if Justin or J.C. was on it. Then he realized his stomach was rumbling again, so he wandered over to the refrigerator.

Chris pulled out a Dr. Pepper and a yogurt. He walked back to the couch and sat down and began eating. His hand in mid-air, he spotted the others looking in the window, staring at him. Then they blushed and all jumped out of view. Chris sighed as he chose to ignore them.

~>~>~>~>~>~>

"Did he see us?"

"I don't know!"

"How can he eat that? It's been in there for a month!"

"Well I ate one yesterday." Everyone looked at Joey and he added, "Never mind."

"Why is he wearing my shirt?" Justin asked.

"I think he feels insecure," Lance replied.

"Oh, man," J.C. groaned, looking at his watch. "His appointment is in ten minutes!"

"We gotta go," Lance said.

"Now, he's not going to go by himself, so we gotta help him. But gently," He added, seeing Justin's evil grin.

"I got an idea!" Joey exclaimed. He then proceeded to whisper his plan to the others.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Chris was so preoccupied; he didn't even realize how sour the yogurt was. He laughed as he saw a young Justin and Britney Spears singing on TV. Then he watched as the real Justin entered the bus, smiled, and then grabbed a roll of duct tape. Justin smiled at Chris again, then bounced off the bus steps, shutting the door behind him.

Chris stared at the door and thought for a moment, trying to figure out what Justin was up to. Then he realized the yogurt he was holding in his mouth was horrible tasting. He made a face as he carefully swallowed what was in his mouth. Chris looked at the half- empty container for the expiation date and found it was a month ago. He shrugged to himself and tossed the container in the trash on his way out the door.

He stepped off the bus, blinking in the bright sun. He stepped forward to find the others when he tripped over something and fell face first on the pavement.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 16

pt 17

When Chris woke up, the first thing he realized was that he couldn't move. He looked down and saw that his feet and hands were each duct taped together. Then he realized he was in a car, and they it was moving. He looked out the window and saw they were on a highway. "He's awake!" Joey announced.

Chris looked next to him. Joey sat beside him, and Lance sat on the other side of Joey. J.C. was driving, and Justin was in the passenger seat.

"Hey, man, are you okay? We didn't mean to knock you out or anything," J.C. apologized.

"What happened?" Chris asked, confused. He couldn't move and had a headache. His stomach was also starting to churn.

"Well, you know that appointment with the psychologist?" J.C. began.

"Kinda."

"Well, you're going. But it's only because we care about you."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Chris started.

"Come on now, its not that bad. Just try it. For us," J.C. started.

"No, I think I'm really gonna be sick," Chris replied, his mouth watering.

"Oh, crap!'' Joey yelled, moving closer to Lance as J.C. slammed on the brakes and swerved off the road.

Justin jumped out and opened Chris's door, letting him out. Chris hopped out; his feet still taped together. He just made it out before he threw up on the side of the road.

Justin leaned in the car and announced, "Well, there's that yogurt again."

"God, Just, I didn't need that visual right now," J.C. groaned.

"No problem," he smiled, ducking back out of the car and helping Chris.

Once Chris was done the started driving again. "So why am I tied up?" Chris asked.

"Because we knew you wouldn't come under your own power," Lance replied.

"And we just want to see you get through this," Joey said, placing his hand on Chris's shoulder.

"Thanks," Chris mumbled sarcastically.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay now, stay with us," J.C. warned while Joey cut the tape that held Chris's feet.

"I think I can handle it," Chris mumbled, feeling J.C.'s hand wrap around his arm.

"Don't touch me," Chris shot back, starting to struggle. He instantly felt Joey's strong arm holding him in place and gently pushing him forward, into the psychologist's office.

The receptionist looked with a question gaze.

"We're here for Chris Kirkpatrick's appointment," J.C. announced.

"And that would be Mr. Kirkpatrick?" she questioned, pointing to Chris, his still bound together in front of him.

"Yeah," Joey said, smiling. "This is just a precautionary."

"Okay," the secretary sighed, rolling her eyes. "You can go on in."

"Thanks," Lance smiled, shoving Chris.

Chris glared at the secretary, hating her for not saving him. She cast him an apologetic look before the door shut behind him.

~>~>~>~>~>>~>~>

End pt. 17

The ride home was silent. The psychologist prescribed Chris some Prozac to help him get over his 'ordeal', and the others were told include Chris in everything and make him feel wanted.

Chris pouted and rolled his eyes for the twentieth time as he looked out the window. At least he was untapped. He was anxious to get home and check on the puppies and he started bouncing his leg in anticipation.

"You okay?" Joey asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, leave me alone," Chris shot back, harsher than he meant.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry," Joey quickly apologized.

Chris heard the hurt in his friend's voice and apologized also. "I'm sorry too. I'm just a little tense right now."

"We understand," Lance said. "And we're here for you all the way."

Chris rolled his eyes and continued to look out the window, too preoccupied to notice the things outside.

Soon, they back to the bus. Chris headed towards his car when J.C. called. "Not so fast! Get back here and take your medicine!"

Chris stopped for a moment before arguing, "No."

"Don't argue, get in the bus and take it. The sooner, the better," J.C. replied.

"I really don't think I should," Chris replied, his feet planted to his spot.

"Chris, get in here now," J.C. ordered.

Chris stood where he was, stubbornly glaring J.C.

"Fine," J.C. said, going inside the bus.

Chris smiled at himself until J.C. returned, accompanied by Joey and Justin. In his left hand, he held the bottle of pills. Chris's smile faded and his eyes grew big as the three approached. "You're going to take these," J.C. announced firmly.

Chris began to back up, but was caught by Joey and Justin, who held him in place. "We only want you to get better," Joey said as J.C. got a pill ready.

"But-" No sooner had Chris opened his mouth, then J.C. forced a dose of Prozac in his mouth, and then his nose and mouth shut. Chris struggled against Justin and Joey, but soon realized he was no match for both of them.

Eventually, he swallowed the pill, and J.C. allowed him to breathe again. "See?" J.C. asked.

"Yes," Chris mumbled, stepping aside when Joey and Justin released him.

"Okay, we'll be inside. Come in in a few minutes," Joey said, then the three walked off.

Chris watched them go with annoyance, then turned his attention back to the puppies.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

End pt. 18

Continued...

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