",
"writing": " [i]Beep… beep… beep…[/i]\n The steady high-pitched pulse of a heartrate monitor rang in Bandit’s ears as he gradually opened his eyes, the bright white fluorescent lights of a hospital room painfully straining his vision as he groaned under his breath.\n [i]Beep… beep… beep…[/i]\n As his vision focused, he squinted at the wall in front him and saw what appeared to be an episode of ‘Cat Squad’ playing at a low volume on the television. It was then that he finally remembered what had happened the night before.\n [i]Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. [/i]\n The monitor’s rhythm slightly quickened, a flashing red light appearing on the screen as Bandit looked around the room frantically. Where was his family? Were police going to barge in at any second and lock him away? Had Chilli taken the kids and left forever? In his sorrow, he didn’t blame her in the least if she did. Bandit placed his head in his hands as the vivid memories of last night came rushing back. Accident or not, he had actually done the unspeakable with Bluey, [i]for real life.[/i] \n Suddenly, a Schnauzer nurse opened the door and entered the room, startling the big blue heeler. \n “Please relax sir, you had a heart attack. Can you tell me what you remember?” The nurse spoke calmly as they held a clipboard, jotting things down before Bandit even had the chance to speak. \n What [i]could[/i] he say? That his attack was caused by the stress of being caught fucking his own child by his wife? Not wanting to bury himself an even deeper grave, Bandit simply shook his head silently. \n “No worries sir, I’ll give you some time to relax then. Your wife is here to see you.” The nurse replied, scribbling a few more things on the paper before turning away and returning to the door, not noticing that Bandit’s heartrate was suddenly even faster now. \n [i]‘Oh fuck, this is really the end, isn’t it?’[/i] Bandit thought as he felt a chill run down his spine and looked down at himself as he was laid up in bed, not finding the courage to look his wife in the eye as she entered the room without a word. Chilli took a seat and sat in front of him, simply looking at him for a few moments. The suspense was killing Bandit as the silence in the room was deafening; the heart attack didn’t kill him, but in his mind, he thought it would have been for the best if he [i]had[/i] died. \n\n “Bandit.” \n\n Chilli finally spoke, causing the blue heeler to shed a tear and exhale deeply with shuddered breath as he prepared for her wrath. \n “Bandit Heeler, look at me.” The calmness in her voice terrified him far more than any furious shouting or yelling would accomplish. With his entire body quivering in fear, Bandit eventually found the strength to look his wife in the eyes as she sat at the side of his hospital bed. To his surprise, there were tears welling up in her eyes as well; nothing like the apathetic Chilli he saw in his nightmare. \n “You really scared me, you know.” She sniffled, drying her eyes with a tissue. “You scared [i]all[/i] of us.”\n Bandit had nothing to say as Chilli regained her composure, hiding the tissue away and straightening her posture. \n “I have some questions.” She declared as she crossed her legs, folding one hand over the other on her knee. Bandit gulped in response to her statement as every second that passed by felt like an eternity, the monitor’s repetitive beeps increasing again.\n “Please try to relax, Bandit. I asked the staff to give us some privacy, so I want you to be completely honest with me. Okay?” Chilli looked sternly into her husband’s eyes as she spoke, hardly even blinking; he quietly nodded. \n “Bluey told me everything. How you two able to ‘share dreams’, and that you’ve been… [i]intimate[/i]… with each other in these dreams. Is this true?”\n Bandit clenched his eyes shut and nodded again, doubting she would even [i]believe[/i] such an improbable story. \n “And about last night. She said that this was a one-time accident because you both thought you were just dreaming at the time. Is this true?”\n Bandit nodded once more as he looked back at her, the whole story sounding more and more unbelievable even to him as she continued.\n “And you didn’t… ‘de-flower’ our daughter?” Chilli leaned in with a concentrated scowl, her skill as an airport security officer making her an expert at detecting any hint of lies. \n Bandit shook his head without hesitation, though he remembered he got [i]dangerously[/i] close. Had Bluey not coincidentally denied him, he knew in his mind that he undoubtedly [i]would[/i] have; he felt his stomach churn at the thought. \n\n “…Do you love her?”\n\n Bandit was surprised to hear this question of all things, but even more surprised to see a gentle smile on Chilli’s face; she clearly already knew the answer.\n “I won’t lie to you, Chilli… I [i]do[/i] love Bluey. And not… [i]just[/i] as our daughter. But I love you [i]too[/i]. I never should have let things get this far. This is all so fucked-up…” Bandit held his face in his hands again, shaking his head in regret of all the things he now wished he could undo. “I know you won’t believe us, but Bluey’s telling the truth… I don’t know [i]how[/i], but we really [i]can[/i] share dreams. It all started when- “\n “I know, Bandit. Relax. I believe you.” Chilli cut him off, placing her gently hand on his.\n “Wha- [i]How[/i]? [i]How[/i] can you believe in something like [i]this[/i] so easily?” Bandit was baffled, as he knew there was no way he’d ever believe [i]himself[/i] in her position.\n Chilli took a deep breath, breathing out calmly.\n “I’ve… got a confession to make.”\n [i]‘[b]She[/b] has a confession?’[/i] Bandit thought with bated breath, clueless as to where she could possibly be going with this. \n “I’ve never told anyone this, but…”\n Bandit leaned in with his ears perked up, never having felt so left in the dark in his life as Chilli nervously tapped her thumbs together.\n\n “I share dreams with [i]my[/i] dad, too.”\n\n At the same time on a bench just outside the room, Bluey and Bingo were holding hands in silence. Not fully comprehending what happened or why they were even there, Bingo simply swung her legs and hummed sleepily with hardly a care in the world as she struggled to stay awake; all mum told her was that dad needed to ‘get some stuff looked at’. Why it was so early in the morning though, Bingo didn’t even think to question – with how tired she was, Bingo could hardly think about much of [i]any[/i]thing. \n Bluey, however, couldn’t [i]stop[/i] thinking; her eyes were red, with dry tears stained on her cheeks as she endlessly worried about her father – her true love. She had no idea what was going to happen once that door opened again, but she certainly wasn’t expecting anything good. Chilli didn’t say much while Bluey had just a few hours ago tried to explain everything that had happened over the last week through her painful sobs of fear after they watched the ambulance drive away before eventually waking Bingo. As she was lost in her own thoughts, Bluey held onto her little sister’s hand even tighter. \n\n [b][i]“WHAT?”[/i] [/b]\n Bandit unintentionally raised his voice in shock at the startling revelation as he jolted up in his seat. \n “Please, keep it down, Bandit. Yes, I can dream-share too. I don’t know much about it myself, but it’s apparently something that’s passed down through girls on my mother’s side of the family, and we can only dream-share with blood-relatives. And I only know [i]that[/i] much because I found it in my… mum’s journal.” Chilli looked down sadly as she thought about her late mother – at least, the few distant memories of her that she had. The two shared a brief moment of silence before Bandit spoke again in a hushed voice, having pieced some things together in his mind. \n “So, wait… do you mean to say that [i]you[/i]… and your [i]dad[/i]… [i]Mort[/i]… you…?” \n “Have we… [i]done[/i] things?” Chilli finished his question for him, to which Bandit nodded, too shy to say it himself. “Well… yes, in our dreams. Ever since I was about Bluey’s age, actually. Like mother, like daughter, I guess.” Chilli blushed a little as she remembered back on some of the intimate moments she shared with her dad in her dreams over the years. “I understand how you feel... I love him as more than just my dad, too.”\n “Do you still… you know…?” Bandit raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly odd that Chilli had kept such a huge secret from him for so long, but knowing he was hardly any better himself.\n “Not as much as we used to, ever since you and I got married, but… every now and then.” Chilli shyly shrugged as she glanced out the window.\n “How did [i]this[/i] all start?” Bandit asked, genuinely intrigued about this hidden side of his wife he’d never been aware of before.\n “Soon after Mum passed… He was there for me, I was there for him, and one thing led to another… it’s a long story, I’ll tell you more about it later. When the time is right.” The red heeler finally reached forward and gently placed a hand on her husband’s.\n “Wait, does this mean that Bingo can do this too?” Bandit suddenly changed the subject, the thought having just come across his mind. \n “I’m not sure, I don’t think it’s always guaranteed to pass down. It’s kind of like a… ‘recessive trait’, I guess you could call it? Though it [i]is[/i] possible… I wish I could tell you more, but there’s a lot about this whole thing that even [i]I[/i] don’t really know.” Chilli shrugged, wishing her mum were still around for the answers she also wanted. \n “So… you’re not… [i]mad[/i]?” Bandit asked nervously, feeling like he still wasn’t completely safe yet.\n “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was [i]furious[/i] at first when I saw what I saw last night. I was more [i]shocked[/i] than anything else. My dad and I [i]never[/i] did anything like that for real life. But after what Bluey told me, I can sort of understand how that mistake could happen.” Chilli remembered the image still clear in her mind, feeling her heart suddenly skip a beat - though not in the way she was expecting. “I started to get the impression that something was up when you mentioned your dream about her to me the other night, but I couldn’t be certain she had gotten those abilities too, so that’s why I didn’t say anything at the time.”\n “I’m sorry again, Chilli… I don’t know why I started feeling this way about Bluey, I just…” The blue heeler stumbled his words as he attempted to apologize again before he was cut off.\n “Well… it does actually make perfect sense to [i]me[/i], to be completely honest. You and Bluey [i]have[/i] always been really close. She’s certainly her daddy’s girl.” Chilli chuckled softly as she looked towards the door. “Speaking of which, I think she and Bingo would like to see you now, don’t you? Bluey’s probably worried sick.” She stood up from her chair, leaning over to give him a tender kiss before she started walking to the door. \n Bandit’s heart monitor spiked slightly again for just a moment as he was overjoyed that everything had somehow miraculously worked out; He was not only still alive, but Chilli still loved him after everything that had happened and their family would still be able to stay happily together. The nightmares were all wrong, and with this immense weight of guilt lifted off his chest, he had a good feeling that he would never have such nightmares again.\nChilli opened the door and turned her head around the corner for a few moments before Bandit soon saw a familiar little blue heeler running up to his bedside with tears in her eyes, practically jumping up on the bed and giving him the tightest hug she’d ever given in her life as her tail wagged intensely back and forth. \n “Dad… Dad…” Bluey sobbed tears of joy as Bandit weakly hugged his daughter back, tears welling up in his eyes as well as she lay on top of him; his heartrate steadied, finally knowing that his life wasn’t over after all. As he glanced toward the window, he finally noticed that last night’s rain was over and the storm had long-passed, with a clear blue sky on the Australian horizon. Bluey looked up at her dad, surprising him with a scowl.\n “You almost broke your promise…” She sniffled as she angrily but affectionately pressed her forehead into his chest as Chilli carried an already-sleeping Bingo to his bedside as well.\n “What? What do you mean?” Bandit asked, confused as to what promise she was referring to.\n “You promised you’d always [i]be[/i] here for me… you promised you’d always be my dad and take care of me, even when I’m all grown up...” She recited his wedding vows from the other night back to him with a tremble in her voice as tears ran down her cheeks and soaked into the fur on his chest. \n “She was by your side the whole time while you were out… even though she dozed off for a bit.” Her mum added with a lighthearted hum, softly petting Bluey’s back to comfort her. \n “I’m sorry, kiddo… I didn’t mean to scare you… but everything’s okay now.” He looked at Chilli, who gave him a warm smile in return as Bluey finally looked back up at him, starting to smile slightly as she remembered something he often said to her.\n “Well, Dad… It’s a good thing you’re [i]tough[/i].” She said softly, wiping the tears from her eyes as the doctor finally entered the room, a male Groodle with curly yellow hair.\n “Good morning Mr. Heeler, you’re looking well. How are you feeling?” Just like the nurse, he looked down and began writing on his clipboard immediately.\n “Much better now, Doc.” Bandit smiled and gave his Bluey a kiss on the forehead as she continued hugging him, her tail starting to get sore from how fast it was wagging – not that she cared.\n “That’s good to hear. You’re a very lucky man that your wife performed such effective CPR on you, or you might not have made it in time for the ambulance to arrive.” Bandit looked at Chilli with a surprised but grateful expression, who simply gave him a loving wordless smile in return. After a few more seconds of silently scribbling notes, the doctor continued. “We have your lab results back, and you’ll be glad to hear that you won’t be needing any surgery, though we’re prescribing you some heart medication that you’ll need to take once a day for three months, just to be safe. From what we examined, it seems that your heart attack was caused by high stress combined with lack of rest – what I mean is, normally when we sleep, our heartrate slows down to below normal resting speed. But [i]yours[/i] seems to have been constantly well above the average for at least several days in a row. Have you been having any trouble sleeping lately? Intense dreams, Nightmares?” The doctor seemed to never cease in scribbling on the papers in his hands, barely even looking up to Bandit as he spoke. Bandit nervously looked at the doctor upon hearing this, but it was clear that he didn’t suspect anything unusual. \n “Yeah… you could say that. Been taking a lot of melatonin lately, so [i]that’s[/i] probably what did it. I [i]have[/i] been having nightmares the last few nights.” While it was technically true, it gave him a perfect alibi as he gently rubbed Bluey’s back while looking at Chilli, who gave him a wink and a subtle smirk.\n “I’d say that’s likely the case then, so I’d also strongly recommend you keep the melatonin intake to a minimum and instead try to rely on other more [i]natural[/i] sleeping methods – chamomile tea, adequate exercise, healthy diet, that kind of thing.” The doctor didn’t say explicitly out of politeness, but he gave Bandit’s large frame a quick once-over while continuing to write on his clipboard as if to suggest the big blue heeler was [i]more[/i] than a bit overweight. Bandit picked up on this glance, but he agreed in his mind; it would probably do his heart health some good if he laid off the sauerkraut sausages for a while. The doctor finally finished writing on his clipboard. “Now that your heart-rate seems to have settled consistently, you’re free to go home with your family. We’ll just need you to sign some forms and pick up your medication at the front desk, and please let us know if you ever have any more health concerns in the coming months.” He turned and walked towards the door, turning his head back as he was about to leave. \n “Oh, and enjoy the rest of your day with your lovely family. Your wife has told me nothing but good things about you.” \n As the doctor left, Bandit sat back up with Bluey still tightly hugging him and Chilli joined in with a now barely-awake Bingo in her arms, the four of them sharing a family hug as they solidified their unconditional love for each other. \n\n The Heelers arrived home within the hour, and Chilli brought Bingo back upstairs to her bed to make up for the sleep that she’d lost. Bluey, however, wasn’t tired in the least, even though she had barely slept herself - besides the brief moment she dozed off at her dad’s bedside. As she and her dad sat on the same familiar orange couch at the bottom of the staircase, there was suddenly an awkward tension between them as their memories of what they did together last night were at the foreground of their minds; Bluey reached for her dad’s hand as they looked straight-ahead and sat side by side in silence, and Bandit returned the gesture by reaching out for hers. The two held hands as they thought about what occurred, still unsure of where to take any conversation. But before either of them could start to speak, they heard Chilli’s footsteps as she already returned downstairs. \n As she looked down at her husband and daughter sitting on the couch, the red heeler’s heart skipped a beat again. As the image of last night popped into her mind, she felt a strange and unfamiliar feeling – first in her chest, but then somewhere… [i]else[/i]. Chilli shook her head, trying to shake away whatever this odd thought was that she was having. She finally reached the bottom, taking a seat into the sofa chair across from the two blue heelers. \n “Okay, here’s the deal.” Chilli crossed her leg as she pressed her fingertips together. “You two have apparently been ‘sharing dreams’ every single night this week, and clearly, it’s not good for Dad’s health.” She gestured to Bandit, who looked down in sullen embarrassment from this lecture. “And as fun as I’m sure it is for you two, too much of a good thing is [i]never[/i] a good thing. Your heart can’t handle doing this every night. So, here’s what’s going to happen. As long as you [i]both promise[/i] to make sure what I saw never happens again…” Bandit and Bluey both stared at Chilli intently, wondering if she was really going where they thought she was. “…I am [i]allowing[/i] you to ‘share dreams’ on Friday and Saturday nights. Fair?” \n The two nodded with a blush and their hands held the other’s tighter, speaking in unison as they tried to hide their ecstatic joy that they actually managed to get Chilli’s conditional approval of their forbidden love. \n\n “I promise.”\n\n “Come ‘ere.” Chilli stood again and opened her arms with a smile, and Bandit and Bluey both got up and embraced her in another tight hug as the father and daughter were extremely grateful that she had the forgiveness and understanding of a true saint. \n “I love you so much, Mum!” Bluey was the first to speak with tears of joy welling in her eyes.\n “And I love you too, sweetheart. I love you [i]so[/i] much.” Chilli replied, squeezing her tightly in her arms and giving her a kiss on the forehead.\n “I love you, Chilli. You’re really too good for me.” Bandit added, not sure what he did to deserve a wife like her as he squeezed her tighter in his arms. \n “I love you too, Bandit. We’re a family, no matter what.” She gave him a smoochy-kiss on the lips, and the three hugged for a few moments longer in silence. As Bandit looked at his loving wife and daughter, he knew in his heart that everything was going to be okay. \n\n\n\n\n Later that evening, while Bluey and Bingo were playing with Judo in the yard and Bandit was in his office working on an archaeological research paper, Chilli was reading a magazine on the couch at the bottom of the stairs and found herself once again distracted with thoughts about what she saw last night. She exhaled heavily as a chill ran down her spine, suddenly feeling a strong tingling sensation in her ‘down-under’; she felt extremely anxious, but she couldn’t explain why. She thought about her husband with Bluey on his lap and her stomach glazed with his seed – she felt sick with anger when she first saw it, so why was she suddenly finding the mental image… hot? She shook her head again, trying not to think about it. \n As Chilli tried to distract herself with other things, she looked out of the window across the room and saw Judo playfully run across the yard with Bluey chasing after her. Seeing the little Chow Chow brought her good friend and neighbor Wendy to mind, and soon Chilli was finding her thoughts somehow drifting into degenerate fantasies of Bandit with [i]Wendy[/i], rather than Bluey. She set the magazine down and began to absentmindedly rub her tingling womanhood with her finger, her imagination now running wild with exhilarating thoughts of her husband making her long-time friend scream his name in pleasure. [i]‘Why can’t I stop thinking about him with another woman?’[/i] she thought, shocked at herself for how wet she already was. \n “Mum, what are we having for dinner?”\n Chilli jolted up from her slouched position on the couch and quickly brought the magazine back up to her face, pretending nothing was just happening as Bingo suddenly ran into the room. \n “I’m hungry!”\n “O-oh, sure, I can make you some… spaghetti in a moment honey, mum just needs a few more m-minutes. This is a, um… good article.” Chilli smiled nervously as she crossed her legs with the magazine hiding her blushing expression, trying to cover the moist spot on the couch.\n “Oh, okay Mama!” Bingo happily replied, completely unaware as she ran out of the room again. Chilli sighed in relief, not wanting to explain [i]that[/i] to Bingo just yet. She set the magazine down on the coffee table and glanced at her phone for a moment before picking it up and looking at a name in her contacts list for a few minutes with an anxious shake in her wrist. She nervously tapped the screen and held the phone to the side of her head with slow but heavy breaths, clearing her throat as she tried to contain her anticipation.\n\n “[i]Hey[/i], Wendy, how [i]are[/i] you, love? Listen, can I… ask you something? I’ve got a, uh… [i]proposition[/i], for you.”\n\n\n[center][i][u]Epilogue[/u][/i][/center]\n\n Stripe’s eyes shot open. As he lay in bed next to his wife Trixie and looked up at the ceiling of his bedroom, he noticed a strange green light emanating from the hallway through his cracked-open bedroom door. The lavender heeler got up from his bed and approached it, curious what could be causing such an odd light. When he turned the knob and opened the door, he was surprised to see a blue meadow filled with a colorful rainbow of flowers and a strange lime-green sky as tiny sparkles of glitter gently floated in the air in every direction.\n “Dada!”\n Stripe turned at the sweet sound of his little girl Socks as she excitedly toddled up to him, giving his leg a big hug and looking up at him with her tail wagging cutely behind her. He looked back down at her and gave a warm smile as he knelt down and picked her up, immediately receiving a face-full of happy licks from his daughter.\n “Hey, Rox-Sox!”\n Stripe hugged his daughter and laughed as she tickled his cheeks with her unending puppy-kisses, relishing in what a beautiful dream this was. \n\n\n\n[u][i][center]‘Dreams of a Beautiful Blue’ will continue[/center][/i][/u]\n",
"writing_bbcode_parsed": "Beep… beep… beep… The steady high-pitched pulse of a heartrate monitor rang in Bandit’s ears as he gradually opened his eyes, the bright white fluorescent lights of a hospital room painfully straining his vision as he groaned under his breath. Beep… beep… beep… As his vision focused, he squinted at the wall in front him and saw what appeared to be an episode of ‘Cat Squad’ playing at a low volume on the television. It was then that he finally remembered what had happened the night before. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. The monitor’s rhythm slightly quickened, a flashing red light appearing on the screen as Bandit looked around the room frantically. Where was his family? Were police going to barge in at any second and lock him away? Had Chilli taken the kids and left forever? In his sorrow, he didn’t blame her in the least if she did. Bandit placed his head in his hands as the vivid memories of last night came rushing back. Accident or not, he had actually done the unspeakable with Bluey, for real life. Suddenly, a Schnauzer nurse opened the door and entered the room, startling the big blue heeler. “Please relax sir, you had a heart attack. Can you tell me what you remember?” The nurse spoke calmly as they held a clipboard, jotting things down before Bandit even had the chance to speak. What could he say? That his attack was caused by the stress of being caught fucking his own child by his wife? Not wanting to bury himself an even deeper grave, Bandit simply shook his head silently. “No worries sir, I’ll give you some time to relax then. Your wife is here to see you.” The nurse replied, scribbling a few more things on the paper before turning away and returning to the door, not noticing that Bandit’s heartrate was suddenly even faster now. ‘Oh fuck, this is really the end, isn’t it?’ Bandit thought as he felt a chill run down his spine and looked down at himself as he was laid up in bed, not finding the courage to look his wife in the eye as she entered the room without a word. Chilli took a seat and sat in front of him, simply looking at him for a few moments. The suspense was killing Bandit as the silence in the room was deafening; the heart attack didn’t kill him, but in his mind, he thought it would have been for the best if he had died.
“Bandit.”
Chilli finally spoke, causing the blue heeler to shed a tear and exhale deeply with shuddered breath as he prepared for her wrath. “Bandit Heeler, look at me.” The calmness in her voice terrified him far more than any furious shouting or yelling would accomplish. With his entire body quivering in fear, Bandit eventually found the strength to look his wife in the eyes as she sat at the side of his hospital bed. To his surprise, there were tears welling up in her eyes as well; nothing like the apathetic Chilli he saw in his nightmare. “You really scared me, you know.” She sniffled, drying her eyes with a tissue. “You scared all of us.” Bandit had nothing to say as Chilli regained her composure, hiding the tissue away and straightening her posture. “I have some questions.” She declared as she crossed her legs, folding one hand over the other on her knee. Bandit gulped in response to her statement as every second that passed by felt like an eternity, the monitor’s repetitive beeps increasing again. “Please try to relax, Bandit. I asked the staff to give us some privacy, so I want you to be completely honest with me. Okay?” Chilli looked sternly into her husband’s eyes as she spoke, hardly even blinking; he quietly nodded. “Bluey told me everything. How you two able to ‘share dreams’, and that you’ve been… intimate… with each other in these dreams. Is this true?” Bandit clenched his eyes shut and nodded again, doubting she would even believe such an improbable story. “And about last night. She said that this was a one-time accident because you both thought you were just dreaming at the time. Is this true?” Bandit nodded once more as he looked back at her, the whole story sounding more and more unbelievable even to him as she continued. “And you didn’t… ‘de-flower’ our daughter?” Chilli leaned in with a concentrated scowl, her skill as an airport security officer making her an expert at detecting any hint of lies. Bandit shook his head without hesitation, though he remembered he got dangerously close. Had Bluey not coincidentally denied him, he knew in his mind that he undoubtedly would have; he felt his stomach churn at the thought.
“…Do you love her?”
Bandit was surprised to hear this question of all things, but even more surprised to see a gentle smile on Chilli’s face; she clearly already knew the answer. “I won’t lie to you, Chilli… I do love Bluey. And not… just as our daughter. But I love you too. I never should have let things get this far. This is all so fucked-up…” Bandit held his face in his hands again, shaking his head in regret of all the things he now wished he could undo. “I know you won’t believe us, but Bluey’s telling the truth… I don’t know how, but we really can share dreams. It all started when- “ “I know, Bandit. Relax. I believe you.” Chilli cut him off, placing her gently hand on his. “Wha- How? How can you believe in something like this so easily?” Bandit was baffled, as he knew there was no way he’d ever believe himself in her position. Chilli took a deep breath, breathing out calmly. “I’ve… got a confession to make.” ‘She has a confession?’ Bandit thought with bated breath, clueless as to where she could possibly be going with this. “I’ve never told anyone this, but…” Bandit leaned in with his ears perked up, never having felt so left in the dark in his life as Chilli nervously tapped her thumbs together.
“I share dreams with my dad, too.”
At the same time on a bench just outside the room, Bluey and Bingo were holding hands in silence. Not fully comprehending what happened or why they were even there, Bingo simply swung her legs and hummed sleepily with hardly a care in the world as she struggled to stay awake; all mum told her was that dad needed to ‘get some stuff looked at’. Why it was so early in the morning though, Bingo didn’t even think to question – with how tired she was, Bingo could hardly think about much of anything. Bluey, however, couldn’t stop thinking; her eyes were red, with dry tears stained on her cheeks as she endlessly worried about her father – her true love. She had no idea what was going to happen once that door opened again, but she certainly wasn’t expecting anything good. Chilli didn’t say much while Bluey had just a few hours ago tried to explain everything that had happened over the last week through her painful sobs of fear after they watched the ambulance drive away before eventually waking Bingo. As she was lost in her own thoughts, Bluey held onto her little sister’s hand even tighter.
“WHAT?” Bandit unintentionally raised his voice in shock at the startling revelation as he jolted up in his seat. “Please, keep it down, Bandit. Yes, I can dream-share too. I don’t know much about it myself, but it’s apparently something that’s passed down through girls on my mother’s side of the family, and we can only dream-share with blood-relatives. And I only know that much because I found it in my… mum’s journal.” Chilli looked down sadly as she thought about her late mother – at least, the few distant memories of her that she had. The two shared a brief moment of silence before Bandit spoke again in a hushed voice, having pieced some things together in his mind. “So, wait… do you mean to say that you… and your dad… Mort… you…?” “Have we… done things?” Chilli finished his question for him, to which Bandit nodded, too shy to say it himself. “Well… yes, in our dreams. Ever since I was about Bluey’s age, actually. Like mother, like daughter, I guess.” Chilli blushed a little as she remembered back on some of the intimate moments she shared with her dad in her dreams over the years. “I understand how you feel... I love him as more than just my dad, too.” “Do you still… you know…?” Bandit raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly odd that Chilli had kept such a huge secret from him for so long, but knowing he was hardly any better himself. “Not as much as we used to, ever since you and I got married, but… every now and then.” Chilli shyly shrugged as she glanced out the window. “How did this all start?” Bandit asked, genuinely intrigued about this hidden side of his wife he’d never been aware of before. “Soon after Mum passed… He was there for me, I was there for him, and one thing led to another… it’s a long story, I’ll tell you more about it later. When the time is right.” The red heeler finally reached forward and gently placed a hand on her husband’s. “Wait, does this mean that Bingo can do this too?” Bandit suddenly changed the subject, the thought having just come across his mind. “I’m not sure, I don’t think it’s always guaranteed to pass down. It’s kind of like a… ‘recessive trait’, I guess you could call it? Though it is possible… I wish I could tell you more, but there’s a lot about this whole thing that even I don’t really know.” Chilli shrugged, wishing her mum were still around for the answers she also wanted. “So… you’re not… mad?” Bandit asked nervously, feeling like he still wasn’t completely safe yet. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was furious at first when I saw what I saw last night. I was more shocked than anything else. My dad and I never did anything like that for real life. But after what Bluey told me, I can sort of understand how that mistake could happen.” Chilli remembered the image still clear in her mind, feeling her heart suddenly skip a beat - though not in the way she was expecting. “I started to get the impression that something was up when you mentioned your dream about her to me the other night, but I couldn’t be certain she had gotten those abilities too, so that’s why I didn’t say anything at the time.” “I’m sorry again, Chilli… I don’t know why I started feeling this way about Bluey, I just…” The blue heeler stumbled his words as he attempted to apologize again before he was cut off. “Well… it does actually make perfect sense to me, to be completely honest. You and Bluey have always been really close. She’s certainly her daddy’s girl.” Chilli chuckled softly as she looked towards the door. “Speaking of which, I think she and Bingo would like to see you now, don’t you? Bluey’s probably worried sick.” She stood up from her chair, leaning over to give him a tender kiss before she started walking to the door. Bandit’s heart monitor spiked slightly again for just a moment as he was overjoyed that everything had somehow miraculously worked out; He was not only still alive, but Chilli still loved him after everything that had happened and their family would still be able to stay happily together. The nightmares were all wrong, and with this immense weight of guilt lifted off his chest, he had a good feeling that he would never have such nightmares again. Chilli opened the door and turned her head around the corner for a few moments before Bandit soon saw a familiar little blue heeler running up to his bedside with tears in her eyes, practically jumping up on the bed and giving him the tightest hug she’d ever given in her life as her tail wagged intensely back and forth. “Dad… Dad…” Bluey sobbed tears of joy as Bandit weakly hugged his daughter back, tears welling up in his eyes as well as she lay on top of him; his heartrate steadied, finally knowing that his life wasn’t over after all. As he glanced toward the window, he finally noticed that last night’s rain was over and the storm had long-passed, with a clear blue sky on the Australian horizon. Bluey looked up at her dad, surprising him with a scowl. “You almost broke your promise…” She sniffled as she angrily but affectionately pressed her forehead into his chest as Chilli carried an already-sleeping Bingo to his bedside as well. “What? What do you mean?” Bandit asked, confused as to what promise she was referring to. “You promised you’d always be here for me… you promised you’d always be my dad and take care of me, even when I’m all grown up...” She recited his wedding vows from the other night back to him with a tremble in her voice as tears ran down her cheeks and soaked into the fur on his chest. “She was by your side the whole time while you were out… even though she dozed off for a bit.” Her mum added with a lighthearted hum, softly petting Bluey’s back to comfort her. “I’m sorry, kiddo… I didn’t mean to scare you… but everything’s okay now.” He looked at Chilli, who gave him a warm smile in return as Bluey finally looked back up at him, starting to smile slightly as she remembered something he often said to her. “Well, Dad… It’s a good thing you’re tough.” She said softly, wiping the tears from her eyes as the doctor finally entered the room, a male Groodle with curly yellow hair. “Good morning Mr. Heeler, you’re looking well. How are you feeling?” Just like the nurse, he looked down and began writing on his clipboard immediately. “Much better now, Doc.” Bandit smiled and gave his Bluey a kiss on the forehead as she continued hugging him, her tail starting to get sore from how fast it was wagging – not that she cared. “That’s good to hear. You’re a very lucky man that your wife performed such effective CPR on you, or you might not have made it in time for the ambulance to arrive.” Bandit looked at Chilli with a surprised but grateful expression, who simply gave him a loving wordless smile in return. After a few more seconds of silently scribbling notes, the doctor continued. “We have your lab results back, and you’ll be glad to hear that you won’t be needing any surgery, though we’re prescribing you some heart medication that you’ll need to take once a day for three months, just to be safe. From what we examined, it seems that your heart attack was caused by high stress combined with lack of rest – what I mean is, normally when we sleep, our heartrate slows down to below normal resting speed. But yours seems to have been constantly well above the average for at least several days in a row. Have you been having any trouble sleeping lately? Intense dreams, Nightmares?” The doctor seemed to never cease in scribbling on the papers in his hands, barely even looking up to Bandit as he spoke. Bandit nervously looked at the doctor upon hearing this, but it was clear that he didn’t suspect anything unusual. “Yeah… you could say that. Been taking a lot of melatonin lately, so that’s probably what did it. I have been having nightmares the last few nights.” While it was technically true, it gave him a perfect alibi as he gently rubbed Bluey’s back while looking at Chilli, who gave him a wink and a subtle smirk. “I’d say that’s likely the case then, so I’d also strongly recommend you keep the melatonin intake to a minimum and instead try to rely on other more natural sleeping methods – chamomile tea, adequate exercise, healthy diet, that kind of thing.” The doctor didn’t say explicitly out of politeness, but he gave Bandit’s large frame a quick once-over while continuing to write on his clipboard as if to suggest the big blue heeler was more than a bit overweight. Bandit picked up on this glance, but he agreed in his mind; it would probably do his heart health some good if he laid off the sauerkraut sausages for a while. The doctor finally finished writing on his clipboard. “Now that your heart-rate seems to have settled consistently, you’re free to go home with your family. We’ll just need you to sign some forms and pick up your medication at the front desk, and please let us know if you ever have any more health concerns in the coming months.” He turned and walked towards the door, turning his head back as he was about to leave. “Oh, and enjoy the rest of your day with your lovely family. Your wife has told me nothing but good things about you.” As the doctor left, Bandit sat back up with Bluey still tightly hugging him and Chilli joined in with a now barely-awake Bingo in her arms, the four of them sharing a family hug as they solidified their unconditional love for each other.
The Heelers arrived home within the hour, and Chilli brought Bingo back upstairs to her bed to make up for the sleep that she’d lost. Bluey, however, wasn’t tired in the least, even though she had barely slept herself - besides the brief moment she dozed off at her dad’s bedside. As she and her dad sat on the same familiar orange couch at the bottom of the staircase, there was suddenly an awkward tension between them as their memories of what they did together last night were at the foreground of their minds; Bluey reached for her dad’s hand as they looked straight-ahead and sat side by side in silence, and Bandit returned the gesture by reaching out for hers. The two held hands as they thought about what occurred, still unsure of where to take any conversation. But before either of them could start to speak, they heard Chilli’s footsteps as she already returned downstairs. As she looked down at her husband and daughter sitting on the couch, the red heeler’s heart skipped a beat again. As the image of last night popped into her mind, she felt a strange and unfamiliar feeling – first in her chest, but then somewhere… else. Chilli shook her head, trying to shake away whatever this odd thought was that she was having. She finally reached the bottom, taking a seat into the sofa chair across from the two blue heelers. “Okay, here’s the deal.” Chilli crossed her leg as she pressed her fingertips together. “You two have apparently been ‘sharing dreams’ every single night this week, and clearly, it’s not good for Dad’s health.” She gestured to Bandit, who looked down in sullen embarrassment from this lecture. “And as fun as I’m sure it is for you two, too much of a good thing is never a good thing. Your heart can’t handle doing this every night. So, here’s what’s going to happen. As long as you both promise to make sure what I saw never happens again…” Bandit and Bluey both stared at Chilli intently, wondering if she was really going where they thought she was. “…I am allowing you to ‘share dreams’ on Friday and Saturday nights. Fair?” The two nodded with a blush and their hands held the other’s tighter, speaking in unison as they tried to hide their ecstatic joy that they actually managed to get Chilli’s conditional approval of their forbidden love.
“I promise.”
“Come ‘ere.” Chilli stood again and opened her arms with a smile, and Bandit and Bluey both got up and embraced her in another tight hug as the father and daughter were extremely grateful that she had the forgiveness and understanding of a true saint. “I love you so much, Mum!” Bluey was the first to speak with tears of joy welling in her eyes. “And I love you too, sweetheart. I love you so much.” Chilli replied, squeezing her tightly in her arms and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “I love you, Chilli. You’re really too good for me.” Bandit added, not sure what he did to deserve a wife like her as he squeezed her tighter in his arms. “I love you too, Bandit. We’re a family, no matter what.” She gave him a smoochy-kiss on the lips, and the three hugged for a few moments longer in silence. As Bandit looked at his loving wife and daughter, he knew in his heart that everything was going to be okay.
Later that evening, while Bluey and Bingo were playing with Judo in the yard and Bandit was in his office working on an archaeological research paper, Chilli was reading a magazine on the couch at the bottom of the stairs and found herself once again distracted with thoughts about what she saw last night. She exhaled heavily as a chill ran down her spine, suddenly feeling a strong tingling sensation in her ‘down-under’; she felt extremely anxious, but she couldn’t explain why. She thought about her husband with Bluey on his lap and her stomach glazed with his seed – she felt sick with anger when she first saw it, so why was she suddenly finding the mental image… hot? She shook her head again, trying not to think about it. As Chilli tried to distract herself with other things, she looked out of the window across the room and saw Judo playfully run across the yard with Bluey chasing after her. Seeing the little Chow Chow brought her good friend and neighbor Wendy to mind, and soon Chilli was finding her thoughts somehow drifting into degenerate fantasies of Bandit with Wendy, rather than Bluey. She set the magazine down and began to absentmindedly rub her tingling womanhood with her finger, her imagination now running wild with exhilarating thoughts of her husband making her long-time friend scream his name in pleasure. ‘Why can’t I stop thinking about him with another woman?’ she thought, shocked at herself for how wet she already was. “Mum, what are we having for dinner?” Chilli jolted up from her slouched position on the couch and quickly brought the magazine back up to her face, pretending nothing was just happening as Bingo suddenly ran into the room. “I’m hungry!” “O-oh, sure, I can make you some… spaghetti in a moment honey, mum just needs a few more m-minutes. This is a, um… good article.” Chilli smiled nervously as she crossed her legs with the magazine hiding her blushing expression, trying to cover the moist spot on the couch. “Oh, okay Mama!” Bingo happily replied, completely unaware as she ran out of the room again. Chilli sighed in relief, not wanting to explain that to Bingo just yet. She set the magazine down on the coffee table and glanced at her phone for a moment before picking it up and looking at a name in her contacts list for a few minutes with an anxious shake in her wrist. She nervously tapped the screen and held the phone to the side of her head with slow but heavy breaths, clearing her throat as she tried to contain her anticipation.
“Hey, Wendy, how are you, love? Listen, can I… ask you something? I’ve got a, uh… proposition, for you.”
Epilogue
Stripe’s eyes shot open. As he lay in bed next to his wife Trixie and looked up at the ceiling of his bedroom, he noticed a strange green light emanating from the hallway through his cracked-open bedroom door. The lavender heeler got up from his bed and approached it, curious what could be causing such an odd light. When he turned the knob and opened the door, he was surprised to see a blue meadow filled with a colorful rainbow of flowers and a strange lime-green sky as tiny sparkles of glitter gently floated in the air in every direction. “Dada!” Stripe turned at the sweet sound of his little girl Socks as she excitedly toddled up to him, giving his leg a big hug and looking up at him with her tail wagging cutely behind her. He looked back down at her and gave a warm smile as he knelt down and picked her up, immediately receiving a face-full of happy licks from his daughter. “Hey, Rox-Sox!” Stripe hugged his daughter and laughed as she tickled his cheeks with her unending puppy-kisses, relishing in what a beautiful dream this was.
‘Dreams of a Beautiful Blue’ will continue
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