Fanfic: Double Babysitter (from Frisky and Rad's POV) (Bluey)
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A vibrating sound turned Chilli Heeler away from her book and to her night stand. She grabbed her phone and tapped the new notification. Her ears drooped upon reading the distraught text from her friend Frisky. “Oh no…”
Her husband Bandit exited the bathroom, wiping his snout and slinging the hand towel over his shoulder. “So where do you wanna go for date night, babe?”
Chill shook her head and motioned her big blue toward the bed. “Bandit, Frisky broke up with Bosco.”
“What?” Bandit laid down next to her and skimmed through the ongoing conversation Frisky was sending pictures of. “I thought he was the one. He seemed like a stand-up guy.”
“Frisky thought so too. Apparently he was chatting up another girl at a barbecue last week who then told Frisky about it.”
“Ooh, bummer,” Bandit winced before shrugging. “Well, good riddance, I say. She’ll do fine without him.” He kissed Chilli and settled into his pillow.
Chilli set her phone where it was and nestled closer to her husband. “Eventually,” she said, wrapping an arm around Bandit. “I wanna help her, though.”
“Maybe babysitting the kids will cheer her up?” Bandit suggested.
“Didn’t your brother say he wanted to babysit this time?” asked Chilli.
“Oh, right, forgot. The kids love their uncle Rad.”
“Yeah, they do,” Chilli concurred. “He’s kind, strong, if a bit scatterbrained.”
“A lot scatterbrained,” Bandit corrected, and the pair laughed. “Don’t forget his propensity for jumping into pools.”
“But you’re all like that,” said Chilli, nudging Bandit with her elbow.
“Ha! I suppose. Yup, he’s a catch. Small wonder he hasn’t been snapped up yet.”
The pair let the warm night air and fluttering fruit bats outside start to lull them to sleep. Bandit rolled over to face Chilli and met wide eyes with a hint of mischief.
“Uh, babe?” he said, sitting up. “You’re making the ‘I have a plan’ eyes again.”
Chilli hesitated, but couldn’t help herself. “Okay, it’s crazy,” she said in a low voice, “But I may have a plan, and it’s called-“
+++
CHILLI: “This episode of Bandit is called ‘Double Babysitter.’”
+++
“Five min away,” read the latest text from Radley. Bandit locked his phone and grabbed the expensive cologne from the bathroom cabinet. “Are you sure this’ll work, babe?” he asked, spraying it on his neck fur.
“You never really know,” said Chilli, brushing her hair, “but my intuition’s never steered me wrong before.”
“I feel like I’m playing puppets with dolls I shouldn’t be playing with.”
“It’ll be fine, big fella.” Chilli placed her hands on his shoulders. “She was telling me last night she’d never try again. I want her to bounce back strong, okay?”
Bandit sighed. “Fair enough.”
“Plus there’s Lamingtons in it for you at the restaurant,” Chilli cooed, booping Bandit’s nose.
Bandit sniffed. “Well, you could’ve started with that!”
“Started with what?” asked Bluey.
The pair of Heelers looked down and there were their kids, as if by magic. They had a knack for it.
“Why does Dad smell funny?” asked Bingo.
“I knew it still worked.” said Bandit, making lovey-dovey eyes as Chilli rolled hers. Bandit knelt down to their level. “Me and your mum are going on a date, remember?”
“And your uncle Rad is on his way to babysit,” said Chilli.
Bluey slumped. “Oh yeah.”
“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Bandit encouraged. “You’ll have lots of fun.”
“I love uncle Rad!” said Bingo, her tail wagging. “He’s kind and funny.”
A screeching sounded outside startling everyone. A hollow plastic thump followed. They ran to the balcony, searching for the disturbance.
“Don’t worry, Chilli!” called Wendy Chow-Chow, who was lounging in her front yard. “Bandit, your brother’s here! And I’d see to your wheelie bins before the bin chickens do.”
“If a little reckless…” Chilli sighed.
Bandit felt a buzz on his hip and took out his phone. “Yeah, he’s here.”
Chilli waved. “Thanks, Wendy!”
+++
Radley Heeler twirled his keys in his hand and strolled up to the porch. He opened the door and peered inside. Not a soul was there to greet him, which gave him a funny idea. He snuck inside, carefully shutting the door behind him and tiptoed to the red armchair, pulling it out just enough so he could hide behind it.
Just as he settled in, his niece bounded down the stairs, cheering, “Uncle Rad’s here!” She threw the door open and met with an empty porch. “Hi, uncle Ra…where is he?”
Radley pounced on the little orange Heeler and hoisted her up into his arms as she squealed and giggled. “How ya doin’, Bluey?” he greeted.
“I’m Bingo!” said the pup.
Did he misremember? He was certain the blue one was Bingo and the orange one was Bluey. Radley held out the pup by her leg. “Really?”
“Yeah, that’s Bluey!” she laughed, pointing toward the inside. Sure enough, there was Bandit, Chilli and Bluey walking into view.
“Ah, yeah, ‘cause he’s blue,” Radley nodded.
Bluey stomped her foot. “I’m a girl!”
“Oh, yeah, I knew that.” Well, he did it again. Best to just go with it.
“Are you putting us to bed tonight, uncle Rad?” Bingo asked.
Radley gave a thumbs-up. “You bet.”
“Hooray!”
Bluey looked away. “Not hooray.”
Chilli smiled tenderly as Radley put Bingo upright on the floor. “Bluey isn’t sure about babysitter putdowns, uncle Rad.”
“Don’t worry, Bluey,” said Radley, kneeling down. “Who better to do a babysitter putdown than your uncle Rad?”
“Hello!” came a different voice.
“Frisky!” cheered the kids, as they ran and tackled an English Cocker Spaniel with a bag slung over her shoulder.
“Frisky, this is uncle Rad,” Bingo introduced.
Radley was flabbergasted. She was beautiful, and her coat gleamed in the rising moonlight outside. “Hi,” he said.
Frisky smiled. “Hi.”
“Frisky, have you met Bandit’s brother Radley before?” Chilli asked, snapping Radley out of his trance.
“Uh, yeah,” she said hesitantly. “Didn’t you fall in the pool at the wedding?”
Radley shrugged. “Probably.”
“Frisky is Bluey’s fairy godmother,” said Bingo.
“Sorry, Frisky,” said Chilli, “Uncle Rad got in touch last minute and said he’d babysit. You must’ve got my message.”
“Oh.” Frisky dug her phone from her bag and scrolled through her messages. “No, I didn’t get it.” She put it back and stepped toward the door. “That’s fine. Um…I’ll just go.”
Bluey and Bingo took hold of both her arms, stopping her in her tracks. “No! Don’t go!” Bingo howled. “Both babysit!”
“Oh, well a-as long as it’s okay with uncle Rad,” said Frisky.
Radley heard himself say, “Fine by me.”
“Hooray!”
+++
The Heelers saw everyone wave at them from the front yard, and they waved back as they peeled out of their driveway and toward downtown Brisbane.
As they reached the bottom of the hill they called home, Chilli said, “You gotta talk to Rad about his parking.”
“Yeah, I do,” he agreed. “Can we talk about your performance back there for starters?”
“I told you it would go well.”
“Sure did. I couldn’t believe how well that went.” The buildings grew taller and taller, and the lights brighter and more colorful as they passed behind them. Bandit swallowed a knot in his stomach. “This still all feels funny to me. You didn’t tell Frisky Rad was coming over, did you?”
“Yeah, I didn’t,” said Chilli. “Luckily, the hard part’s over. My work is done.”
“Yeah, maybe I’m worrying for nothin’. All you did was bring them together. Whether or not Rad or Frisky takes a chance is up to them.”
“I hope Frisky takes that chance. She can’t another breakup get in her way.”
Driving into a parking garage a block from their restaurant, Bandit looked around for a spot. “Honestly, I’m more worried for Rad,” he said, pulling into a spot nearby. “Sometimes the only hint he can take is the answer itself, if you get me.”
+++
“Why don’t you have a wife?” Bluey asked.
“Whoa!” This was the last first question Radley expected for their game of 20 Questions. “W-well, how do you know I don’t?”
“Do you have a wife?”
Radley looked down. “Well…no.”
“So why don’t you have a wife?”
It took everything in Radley to not tell Bluey the same thing he always told her Nana when she asked about his love life- 'I’m married to my job.’ “Uhhhhh, her turn!” he said, pointing to Frisky.
“How many friends have you got?” asked Bingo.
“Um…three?” Frisky answered. There was Chilli, her flatmate Cookie, Rollo Dachshund…
“That’s not many,” said Bingo.
“Why have you only got three friends?” asked Bluey.
When they put it like that, Frisky lost all her words. “Well, um…back to him!”
The kids turned back to Radley. “Why do we only see you at Christmas?” Bluey asked.
“‘Cause I work on an oil rig.”
“Is that why you don’t have a wife?”
“Oh! …maybe.” Gone every two weeks with meathead technicians and engineers who worked hard to ensure all systems were go, who went into crisis mode at the drop of a meter, and whose last thoughts were looking for romance amid the oil, heat, and back-breaking work? More like “definitely.”
+++
Bandit pat his belly as the Heelers exited the restaurant. “I ate so much, I feel like I’ve got a food baby in there.”
“You’re hilarious,” Chilli scoffed. “It was good, though, wasn’t it?”
“Sure was.” The nightlife in Brisbane drew the throngs of people in many directions, and one in particular caught Bandit’s eye. “How about some jazz?”
“One second,” said Chilli, stopping and retrieving her phone. “I’ll just call Frisky about the kids.”
The speeddial rang in her ear, and Frisky answered after a few seconds. “Hi, Chilli-dog,” she said in a quiet voice.
“How ya going, Frisk?”
“All good, kids are in bed. I’m just looking out on their balcony. It’s a beautiful night.”
Time for the big question. “How’s Rad?”
“Well, he’s…something. The kids love him.” Frisky fell silent after that.
“That’s it?” Chilli asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” Frisky reassured. “I know I can’t let this get me down on love, and I really appreciate you having me to watch your kids. But…I dunno. I’ll see you later.”
+++
Frisky hung up and slid her phone off to the side, returning her gaze to the shining stars above. As they twinkled, she imagined each one having a match for itself while she felt like the one with bits taken off from being separated so violently time and time again. Sooner or later she’d have no good bits left to latch onto, would she?
She heard creaking in the floor and blinked. She hadn’t even noticed how moist her eyes were. Radley was suddenly there, easing himself down next to her, his luscious orange mop top only slightly disturbed by the warm, gentle breeze. They stared at the night sky for what seemed like ages, content at first by only each other’s presence.
“So almond milk shampoo, eh?” said Frisky.
“‘Scuse me?” said Radley.
“Come on! Even without the ’20 Questions,’ a bloke like you couldn’t get his hair that plump without it.”
Radley chuckled as Frisky ruffled his fur. “I reckon not. My stylist Penny turned me onto a brand called Orchard Tree, and it’s been a game-changer. It’s the only shampoo I like.”
“The shampoo is great, but the conditioner? I don’t rate the conditioner.”
“Yeah, me neither. But you know, you can’t go around with open follicles.”
“Not a chance.” Frisky thought she heard covers ruffling behind her but when the rustling stopped, peace set in once more and she put it out of mind. “We have more alike than I first thought.”
“Yeah, the world’s kinda funny for putting two hopeless romantics down on their luck who use the same shampoo in the same place at the same time.”
The two laughed as quietly as they could and laid down on the deck. A kookaburra’s distinct call could be heard off in the distance. Whether it was a strange coincidence, or in some way the world was looking after Radley, he knew he couldn’t end this night without getting closer to Frisky. And that meant addressing something else nagging on his mind since the games they played earlier.
“I’m sorry, by the way.” he said gently.
“About what?” Frisky asked.
“You and this Bosco bloke.”
Frisky sat up and pulled her knees in close. “H-how do you know about that?”
Radley returned upright and faced Frisky. “I’ll admit I’m aloof but I’m not dense. That story we told the girls earlier wasn’t entirely made up, was it?”
Frisky sighed. “No. It wasn’t,” she said almost in a whisper, body slumping. “I don’t understand. Every time I think I’ve found the one, he winds up pulling a stunt like that, or I’m just left hanging like old washing.” She tried to keep her composure but felt her voice breaking with every word as the pain of Bosco’s cheating manifested itself again. “I…don’t know how many more times I can ‘give it another go’ before I run out of ‘gos’ to ‘give,’ you know?”
Radley scooted closer and put an arm around her shoulder. “I hear ya. I wish I could say I’ve been down as much as you, but…I haven’t.”
Frisky raised an eyebrow as him. “What? A model dog like you?”
“Yeah, can you believe it?” Radley joked, flexing his free bicep, before returning his gaze to the stars. “I dunno. I suppose it feels like I’m a puzzle, and I’ve got a piece missing in me, and I’ve been trying different things to fill the hole, but nothing’s felt like the right fit. But goodness knows I can’t think about that keepin’ an oil rig running.”
Frisky could sense the loneliness in his voice. “I guess not,” she said. A shooting star whizzed across the expanse before fluttering into darkness. It traveled along no matter where it was in the sky or how far it had left to go. Frisky willed that star to go as far as it needed to reach its destiny, and prayed for some of the same courage to be passed onto her.
“But,” said Radley, drawing her attention back to him, “if you’ve got one more ‘go’ to ‘give,’ in ya, I’m sure someday I can find my missing piece.” He locked eyes with her, forever reflected in his irises. “May even be closer than I think.”
She smiled back and patted him on his shoulder, feeling hard muscles under his pillowy fur. “We’ll see, Heeler. We’ll see.”
+++
“We’ll see” turned into a phone number exchange before Bandit and Chilli returned home, which turned into a few dates, which turned into a Christmas trip to Bali, which turned into a wedding in the Heelers’ backyard. For Frisky, this was the ‘go’ that went the distance and Radley finally found his missing piece. Even if she almost let him go due to him wanting her to move west with him, he affirmed that nothing would be more important than his family, the ones he already had and the one he was gaining.
After dinner, Chilli and Frisky were on the front porch laughing about memories when Frisky said, “You know what’s funny? I made a bet with Trix years ago about me getting hitched with a guy you introduced to me.”
“Oh, really?” Chilli asked hesitantly. “Well, you know Trix. She’s got bets with everyone.”
“Yeah,” she said, crossing her arms, “and she’s collecting tonight.”
Chilli startled, nearly spilling her drink. “Wha- You think I-?
“I’ve know you how long, Chilli?” said Frisky, “‘Double Babysitter,’ indeed.”
“I did not!” Chilli denied as Frisky rolled her eyes.
Bluey bounded in and plopped herself between them. “Frisky, you’re having a happy ending!”
“Well, we’ll see, won’t we, Bluey?” Frisky responded. But in her heart, she was sure. This princess had finally found her prince. Her true love.
My Radsky family (edit from Double Babysitter)
Duke is the oldest of the three, a german shepard that Rad and Frisky adopted
Michael and Molly are mixed breeds, Michael is the middle, and Molly is the only girl and the youngest
