True to his word, Steve went shopping with Danny the next day to prepare for Bullet's homecoming. Not that Steve was much help; his tastes ran to the functional, and Danny had actually picked out most of the stuff for his cat, Ninja. Once again, Danny took the lead. He picked out a large crate, a large exercise pen with lid, two huge, fluffy dog beds (one for the living room and one for the bedroom, though Steve gave it about a week before Bullet was sleeping on Danny's bed, especially when the next item Danny loaded into the cart was a set of steps to help Bullet get up on the bed), dog dishes decorated with paw prints, and enough toys for a platoon of dogs. Left to his own devices, Danny probably would have gotten one of everything, but Steve managed to keep him to the "essentials": two kinds of bones, a tennis ball, a tug toy, a Kong, and an army of squeaky toys (Steve lost the battle on that one—he tried to get Danny to settle on one or two, but Danny kept throwing one squeaky after another into the cart). Danny did stick to a plain collar and leash (he flatly refused Hawaiian print), but did get a harness in a bone print (he vetoed camouflage). Steve did come in handy picking out the food; Danny may tend towards junk food himself, but he was determined Bullet would have the best. Danny's favorite purchase was the bone-shaped tag with "Bullet" and Danny's phone number, proof that Bullet was really his.

Now all Danny had to do was wait. The vet was keeping Bullet for a few days to make sure he was strong enough, and Danny was on pins and needles waiting to be told he could bring Bullet home. Finally, the call came. Danny dropped what he was doing and rushed out the door, not caring that he was at work. They didn't have any active cases, so Steve just smiled indulgently at Danny's back and let him go.

Danny burst into the vet's office. "I'm here to pick up Bullet," he told the receptionist breathlessly.

She smiled at him, picked up the phone, and spoke into it. "He'll be right up," she said to Danny. "In the meantime, let's get you checked out."

Danny paid the bill, not even flinching at the cost, and even dropped a fifty into the donation jar for the local shelter to show his gratitude. He collected Bullet's meds (enough to fill a pharmacy between the pain pills and the antibiotics and the vitamins), and read over the discharge instructions. Then he took a seat and fidgeted while he waited for them to bring Bullet out.

At last the tech came through the door, Bullet following gingerly behind him. Danny got down on his knees and gave the dog a big hug. "Hey, boy, how you doing? I was worried about you. What do you say—are you ready to go home?" Bullet licked Danny's face and wagged his tail in agreement.

Danny carefully lifted Bullet in his arms, even though the tech said he was perfectly able to walk. Danny didn't care—he fully intended to wait on Bullet hand and foot until he was fully healed, although Danny suspected Steve would have some choice words to say about that. Not that Steve had room to talk—he spoiled his cat rotten. He settled Bullet on the blanket he'd gotten to keep in his car especially for the dog, and slowly drove home, mindful of his precious cargo.

Once home, Danny once again picked Bullet up and carried him into his house, settling him on his dog bed in the living room and carefully tucking another blanket around him. "There you go, boy, that'll make you nice and comfortable."

Danny settled onto his couch with a beer to watch a game. Bullet was content on his bed for a while, then got up and stood in front of Danny, wagging his tail and looking up at Danny hopefully. "You want up, boy? Here you go." Danny lifted Bullet onto the couch, and Bullet lay down next to him, head on Danny's lap. Danny continued to watch the game, petting Bullet occasionally, until it was time for bed. "Okay, boy, bedtime. What do you say—think you can make it on your own?" Bullet wagged his tail in response, so Danny led the way into the bedroom.

Once there, Bullet went immediately to his bed while Danny settled under the covers in his own bed. He was almost asleep when he heard Bullet laboriously climbing the steps up to the bed. He lay down next to Danny, resting his head on Danny's chest. Danny put an arm around him. "Hey, there. You going to sleep with me tonight?" Another tail wag in response. "Sounds good to me. Let's get some sleep. How does that sound?"

As Danny and the dog both drifted off to sleep, Danny thought Steve was wrong. It hadn't taken Bullet a week to sleep with him at all.