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“I know what we’ve had,” she corrected.

His brow wrinkled in confusion. “Had?”

“Two girls and three boys. Axe is one very proud daddy.”

“Aww shit,” said Mike. “That’s awesome. Are you with them now?”

“Yeah, they’re all super healthy, and mom’s doing well.”

“Stay there. I’ll be there in twenty.” He terminated the call and passed the phone to Rick.

“What’s going on?” the Corpsman asked.

“Puppies!” Mike yelled. “We’ve got puppies.”

Mike pulled his truck in at the curb in front of George’s house, dashed past Ali’s van parked in the drive, and knocked on the door.

“It’s open,” bellowed the retired cop from inside.

Mike entered and saw George in the opening to the dining room. “They’re in here.”

He rushed inside and found Ali and their son standing alongside a pen that resembled the enclosure they had used when Junior was a toddler. The boy turned to him with a face that glowed with joy. “Daddy, there are five of them. Two girls and three boys.”

Mike shot his wife a grin as he knelt alongside Junior, wrapped an arm around him, and looked inside.

Axe was there, lying near Saber’s head, watching patiently as five little black fur-covered sausages suckled from her flank. She lifted her head and calmly observed that Mike posed no threat to her little family. Axe rose for a pat and then returned to his position at Saber’s head.

“They’re gorgeous,” Mike whispered.

“Five healthy little hounds,” his wife added. “Mom and Dad are both doing well, and as you can see, they’re feeding like champions.”

“They’re absolute rippers,” added George.

“Daddy, are we going to keep them all?” asked Junior.

Mike shot his wife a pitiful look. “No bud. They’re working dogs, like Axe. They’ve got jobs to do.”

“But, Dad, they’re only babies.”

“It’s OK, Junior. They’re not going anywhere until they’re a lot bigger,” reassured his mom. “And, you know how much Axe loved his job with daddy.”

“I guess. Will one of them be going to work with you?” he asked Mike.

“Yeah, but let’s worry about that when they’re a bit older. In the meantime, we should let Saber get some rest.”

“Babe, the team is going to want to see them. How long should we give Saber to recover?” asked Mike, when they were outside.

“Two weeks. They’ll be able to hold the pups then.” She turned to George. “Are you OK with that?”

“I’m not about to say no to Axe’s SEAL team,” said the retired cop. “You guys are welcome to visit them anytime you want. Then, when they’re old enough, I’m guessing you want to start socializing them over at your training yard.”

“Does that mean they’ll all come to visit?” asked Junior.

“Yeah, bud, and you can help train them too.”

“Woo hoo,” yelled Junior. “I’m going to be a SEAL dog trainer.”

Ali shook her head. “I thought he had to wait till he was eighteen?”