50 Shades of Pain ✅

Chapter 56: Roscoe

Chase walks up to where Alex was sitting, carefully taking a seat beside him as he tried to keep his own tears at bay. It was sad in seeing that Roscoe was gone. It reminded him too much of what he had gone through already himself earlier this year. His heart only broke more in hearing Alex hold back some sniffles.

"It's going to be okay," Chase comments as he wraps both arms around Alex, letting them meet at his waist in the front as he lays his head on his shoulder. "You're going to be okay." Chase takes a deep breath of his own, feeling the tears threatening to fall in catching the glimpse of a hand holding the paw. "He was a character. He was an amazing dog, Alex. He was the perfect dog in everyway and form." 

"I fell in love with that face immediately," Alex recalls as he tries to keep the tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks at bay. He could handle the couple trickles down the cheek, but he was trying to stop the next wave that was ready to join the rafts of before. "I remember walking into the rescue thinking I wanted a puppy. I scanned over all those dogs, and yet when I reached him, I froze and those eyes. I was locked on his eyes and knew he had to come home with me that day. I just knew that we were right for each other. Then it was the crazy antics. Everybody thought he was the innocent one, but he knew how to get into trouble. There was the Frappuccino mess in the truck. There was the dolphin stuffed animal fluff disaster in the living room. There was the tangled Christmas lights." 

"I never thought an animal could get that tangled in lights - but yet somehow not able to get away or knock the tree down. He had a way of getting into trouble and getting your attention." Alex nods his head, as he thinks back through the memories. However, there was one thing for certain when it came to Roscoe.

"He was my buddy, Chase..." Alex's sniffs the tears that laid at the surface once again, as he rubs the paw a little with his fingertips. "He was okay with other people. He didn't mind saying hello to my friends. He didn't mind saying hello to other dogs. But at the end of the day, his favorite thing to do was to spend time with his daddy - just us together." 

"He wanted his cuddles with you, and he didn't want to be disturbed. I was surprised he came around and actually was okay with you and I sharing the bed together with Finn and Fletcher." Alex nods his head as he finally takes his eyes off of the dog before him, to glance over at where Finn sat with Ryan right now.

"What am I going to tell Finn? That was his brother. That was his buddy that he could get into everything with. What is going to do now?" Alex then sniffs the tears once again, the eyes falling back down on the hand holding the paw. "What am I going to do? Roscoe is my baby..." 

The tears then begin to trickle down his cheeks lightly, followed by a wave with the sobs whacking his body despite the arms that held him, along with the head on his shoulder. They continued for several minutes, no words or motions able to slow down every bit of emotion hitting Alex all at once. 

"I've got you," Chase whispers, followed by a kiss on Alex's cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Alex. Let it go..." Chase continues placing light kisses on Alex's cheek, rubbing his stomach with his hands lied from being wrapped around him. "That's it, buddy. It's going to be okay..." 

The pair remained like that for several minutes, before Alex slowly let go of Roscoe's hand and moved away from him. The sobs continued as the pair left the room - Chase still keeping him wrapped in his arms. As soon as they got outside, Alex turned to face to Chase. The distance closed immediately, with Alex's head nestled in Chase's neck, arms wrapped around him, tears soaking the shirt beneath the eyes.

"It's going to be okay," Chase repeats once again as he rubs Alex's back. "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for both you, and Finn." Chase takes his own deep breath, placing yet another kiss on Alex's cheek. "Think of the good memories. Think of all the great times you got to spend with him. Think of all the love you shared. He got to learn what love was, and experience it in the biggest way possible. Both of you have that to hold onto. You also know that he's not in pain and he did not have to suffer. He gets to go to doggy heaven and play with Fletcher, play with Tucker." 

"Tucker always did love him," Alex comments through tears, to which Chase nods his head in agreement having heard from the stories. "The shenanigans all three got into together..." 

"They kept you on your toes?" Alex nods his head yes as a chuckle comes to him in thinking of the craziness he endured with the three of them all at once in the house.

"They tell you once you have two dogs, a third won't make a difference. They obviously hadn't met the three musketeers as it seemed Roscoe and Tucker were always trying to teach Finn bad habits." Alex takes a deep breath, wiping the stray tears from his eyes as he looks at Dale. "Thank you for being here." 

"I know what it's like to go through this. I wouldn't want to go through it alone." Chase then leans in, offering a kiss, to which Alex easily accepts. "Are you going to be okay?" 

"Yeah, I think so..." Alex takes a deep breath as he looks over at Finn laying down with his head on Ryan's lap. "I just hope Finn is okay." 

"He'll be okay, Alex. He has us to help him through it - just like you have myself and Ryan. We'll get through this, together."