Author’s Note: This is a missing scene from Season 1 Episode 11 of the cheesy late 80’s & early 90’s TV show, Rin Tin Tin K9 Cop titled ‘Kids Just Want to Have Fun’. I was pretty disappointed that Hank didn’t even lecture Stevie at the end of the episode. This is how I think it should have been handled.
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters and I’m not making any money from this story.
Warning: Spanking of a minor by a guardian. I do not advocate the spanking of minors in real life, only in fiction.

W.W.F.D. - S1xE11

Hank saw two heads bobbing in the river, and instinctively knew it was his nephew, Stevie, and the missing kid, Bobby. Stevie and his mom, Maggie, were supposed to be at a concert nearby. Hank had no idea how or why Stevie ended up in the river, but that didn’t matter at this point. Hank immediately took Rinty’s leash off. “Go get them, boy!”

The German Shepheard dashed off towards the water, and Hank ran after him. Rinty went straight into the water and swam after the boys.

Hank’s stomach churned at the thought of either boy drowning. He grabbed his radio and called for backup as he ran. There were several cops in the area searching for Bobby, so he knew help would be there soon, but maybe not soon enough.

At the edge of the water, Hank kicked off his shoes and dropped his gun belt in the sand before diving in. He swam straight to Stevie, and sent up a silent prayer when his nephew grasped onto him and held tight.

Rinty had made it to Bobby and was pulling him toward the shore by the sleeve of his jacket.

Hank knew he couldn’t hold on to both boys at once while staying afloat, and swam to shore with Stevie as quick as he could. Thankfully, Maggie had just made it to the river’s edge as Hank pulled Stevie out. Hank handed his nephew over and went back to help Rinty pull Bobby out of the water.

Maggie knelt in the sand and cradled Stevie’s head in her lap. “Are you okay?”

Stevie started to cry. “I should have told you where he was. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I swear!”

Hank got Bobby laid out on the sand. “Bobby?”

The kid was unresponsive. Hank knelt down beside him and listened for breathing and a heartbeat.

Hank’s co-worker Lou arrived on scene. Hank looked up and yelled, “Call for an ambulance.”

As Lou got out his radio and called for an ambulance, Hank put his fingers against Bobby’s neck to feel for a pulse and leaned down to listen to his chest again.

 It was difficult to hear over his nephew who was loudly confessing his misdeeds to his mother and apologizing with tears.

“I was just trying to be a good friend! I should have told you where he was! I’m sorry! I didn’t want anyone to get hurt!”

“Hey!” Hank said.

Hank’s raised voice startled Stevie into silence.

Lowering his tone, Hank added, “I need to check Bobby’s vitals.”

Seconds later Hank looked up at Lou and said, “Heartrate is a bit erratic, but it’s there, and he’s breathing.”

With a little less panic in his voice, Stevie said, “He took some drugs. I don’t know what they were. Some different colored pills.”

Maggie gasped. “You actually saw the drugs?”

Stevie sat up and nodded.

Lou knelt down next to Bobby and said, “I got this. Go check on your family.”

Hank nodded his thanks, and went to kneel beside Maggie and Stevie. He put both hands on Stevie’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Stevie couldn’t maintain eye contact, but he nodded. “I’m sorry, Uncle Hank. I should have told you where he was.” He looked back up and added, “He told me the drugs weren’t his. That he was just holding them for a friend.”

Hank shook his head. “And I told you that Bobby’s parents were worried sick about him.”

Stevie looked down at the sand again.

“Didn’t I?” Hank asked with some steel in his tone.

Stevie nodded and his shoulders sook as more tears ran down his face.

Hank sighed, let his hands drop, and wished for the millionth time that his older brother, Fred, was still alive. He knew for sure how Fred would have delt with his son, because Hank had been on the receiving end of more than one spanking from his big brother while growing up. Thanks to their eight-year age gap, Fred had been more like a second father to Hank than an older brother.

Hank glanced at Maggie. She was holding Stevie tight and rubbing his back while he cried. Hank knew for sure how Maggie would deal with this, too. They’d been living with him for half a year now, and her parenting technic was much more lenient than Fred’s had been. Hank wasn’t sure if that was how Maggie naturally was, or if Fred’s death had caused her to soften. But he knew for sure Fred wouldn’t approve of simply grounding Stevie for a week for this one, and neither did Hank.

Mind made up, Hank noticed Lou’s squad car at the top of the bank. He could hear the ambulance in the distance. He turned to Lou and said, “Can I borrow the back of your car for a few minutes?”

Lou’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.

Hank nodded his head towards Stevie.

Lou seemed to understand, and gave him a quick nod. “Sure. It’s unlocked.”

Hank turned to Maggie and said, “What would Fred do?”

“What?” Maggie seemed genuinely confused.

“If Fred was still with us, what would he do right now?”

Stevie’s crying died down and he pulled out of his mom’s embrace. He wiped his eyes and gave Hank a very similar confused expression. But then Stevie had only been five when his father died, so Hank didn’t blame the eleven-year-old for not knowing.

Hank said, “Stevie knew where Bobby was. He must have snuck out last night and taken stuff to Bobby, because I found my blanket at Bobby’s campsite.”

Maggie appeared to be more shocked than angry, and turned to her son. “You snuck out?”

Stevie blushed looked at the sand and nodded.

Hank stood up, brushed the sand off his wet pants, and reached down to grasp Stevie’s upper arm. He pulled the kid up to stand next to him. Maggie stood as well.

“Stevie and I are going to go have a discussion in the back of Lou’s squad car.” Hank turned and started towing his nephew up the bank.

“Discussion?” Maggie asked, still confused.

Hank turned back to her and said pointedly, “The same kind of discussion Fred had with me when he found out I skipped school and lied about it in the second grade.”

That seemed to pull Maggie out of her confusion. “Hank, you can’t!”

Hank glared at his sister-in-law. “What would Fred have done in this situation?”

Stevie tried to pull away from his uncle. “What would Dad have done?”

Maggie bit her lip, and glanced between her son and Hank a couple of times, clearly undecided.

“Stevie could have died today, Maggie.” Hank said softly.

Those words seemed to make the decision for her. Maggie gave him a slight nod, and a tear ran down her face before she turned to look out toward the water.

Hank noticed Rinty next to him and said, “Stay with Maggie, boy.” Hank kept his grip on Stevie’s arm and pulled him to Lou’s squad car as he spoke. “Your Dad would have spanked you.”

“What!” Stevie started to pull harder to get out of Hank’s grip.

“He probably would have spanked you last night when you refused to answer my questions.” Hank opened the back of the squad car, sat down, and pulled Stevie down across his lap.

“Hank!” Stevie squirmed, and tried to get himself up.

“Hey!” Hank swatted the kid’s backside once.

“Ow!”

“Unless you’d like an audience, you’ll calm down while I scoot over and close the door behind us, because this is happening either way.”

Stevie froze. Hank wasn’t sure if that was compliance, fear, or indecision, but he quickly scooted them over far enough for Stevie’s legs to get inside the car, and pulled the door shut. Once they were ‘alone’, Hank started to lecture.

“I understand that your heart was in the right place, Stevie, but you made some truly bad decisions over the past couple of days. Sometimes, if you truly want to help a friend, you have to do things that they don’t want you to do. Especially when drugs are involved. I asked you more than once if you knew where Bobby was, and you told me you didn’t know. Was that a lie?”

“No! I didn’t know where he was!”

“Then how did my blanket get to his campsite?” Hank asked.

Stevie squirmed across his lap. “Well… I uh…”

Hank shook his head put a hand in the middle of Stevie’s back to hold him in place, and started swatting Stevie’s backside without too much force. His hand made a dull thwapping sound with each impact against the pockets of Stevie’s wet jeans.

“Ow! Ow! Uncle Hank! Wait!”

Hank paused. “You’re in enough trouble already pal, you’d better start telling me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or you’re not going to be sitting comfortably for quite a while.”

Stevie started talking in a rush, with several sniffles mixed in. “Bobby told me the drugs weren’t his before he ran off. I tried to get him to turn himself in, but he said he couldn’t. When you asked me about him the first time, I didn’t know for sure where he was, but I thought he’d probably be at a little campsite where we’ve hung out before. Later that day, I went out there and found him.”

“So last night when I asked you about him, you knew where he was.”

“Y-yes.”

“So why didn’t you tell me where he was?”

Stevie shifted his hips, as if trying to get his bottom out of the potential line of fire. “He said the guy who’d given him the drugs was demanding money. Bobby said if he didn’t pay the guy three hundred dollars, the guy was going to rough him up.”

“All the more reason to tell me where he was.” Hank couldn’t keep the exasperation out of his tone.

“I tried to convince him to come home with me and turn himself in, but he refused. He begged me to get him the three hundred dollars so he could pay the guy off, and I agreed. I went back later that night, and gave him some food, the blanket, and two hundred. He promised he’d pay me back once I gave it to him.”

Hank tensed. “You don’t have two hundred dollars to give him, Stevie. If I find out you stole money to—”

Stevie looked over his shoulder so he could make eye contact for the first time since going over Hank’s knee. “I would never steal, Uncle Hank! Never! I swear!”

“I want to believe you pal, really I do, but when you keep things like Bobby’s whereabouts from me, I start to wonder what else you might be keeping from me.”

Fresh tears when down Stevie’s face, and he turned back to stare at the vinyl on the back seat of the squad car. “I sold a bunch of my stuff. My baseball card, my remote-control car, and… earlier today I sold my bike for a hundred more.”

For the first time since putting Stevie over his lap, Hank felt bad for the kid. He patted Stevie’s back and said, “Okay, I believe you, buddy. What happened next?”

“Last night we planned to meet outside the concert. I snuck out of the concert and gave him the extra hundred. The guy who gave him the drugs was there. Bobby paid the guy but then…”

“But then?” Hank prompted.

Stevie’s voice lowered to a shame filled whisper. “Bobby had told me that he didn’t do drugs, but then the guy called Bobby his best client, and gave him some pills for free.”

“I’m sorry you had to find out that way.” Hank took a deep breath. “But people lie. Especially when it comes to drugs. That’s why you need to be honest with me when I’m questioning you about a case. I’m disappointed in the decisions you’ve made over the past few days, young man.”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Hank.”

“I’m sure you are, but sometimes being sorry isn’t enough.”

Hank raised his hand and used a lot more force than before to land a hard smack on the center of Stevie’s backside.

“Ow!” Stevie’s body jolted forward at the force of the impact.

Ignoring the protest, Hank placed two more harsh smacks, one on each side of Stevie’s bottom.

“Ow! Uncle Hank! Ow! That really hurts!” Stevie tried to push himself up again.

Hank wrapped his free arm around Stevie’s waist, and continued with hard swats to each of Stevie’s sit spots.

“Ow! I’m sorry! Ow!”

Hank paused long enough to say, “You don’t hide information from me.” He doled out five more very firm spanks.

“Okay! Ow! I won’t! Ow! I promise! Oow! Uncle Hank! Oow! Please stop! Ooow!”

Pausing again Hank said sternly, “You never sneak out of the house in the middle of the night for any reason.”

“Ooow! I won’t! Ooow! Pleeease!” Stevie broke down into noisy tears and put a hand back to try and shield his bottom.

Hank grasped the kid’s wrist with his free hand and pulled it away from the target area before finishing up with three more hard smacks, bringing the total to fifteen.

There was no doubt in Hank’s mind that he’d done the right thing, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear his nephew’s tears. He loosened his grip, let go of Stevie’s wrist, and patted his back a couple of times.

“Okay, pal, all done.” Hank pulled at Stevie’s arm to get him upright. Once he was sitting up, Hank pulled him into a solid hug, and let Stevie cry on his shoulder for a few minutes.

“I’m sorry,” Stevie said between tears.

Hank rubbed Stevie’s back. “I know you are, buddy. You’re forgiven, and I know you’re going to make better choices next time.”

Stevie nodded against his shoulder. “I will. I promise.”

“I believe you.” Hank pulled back and looked his nephew in the eyes. “Now I know it’s hard, but we can’t stay in the back of Lou’s car. I have to go complete some reports, and check on Bobby. And you need to wipe your face and go give your mother a sincere apology for keeping secrets and sneaking out.”

Stevie wiped at his face with his sleeves, and gave Hank a sad nod.

“Good boy,” Hank ruffled Stevie’s hair once before opening the car door.

Lou was standing a few feet away waiting for them. Once Hank saw him, Lou said, “Bobby’s on his way to the hospital. I’ll go meet him there for questioning once the docs done with him if you want to go back to the station and write this all up.”

“No problem. Thanks for letting me use the car.”

“No problem,” Lou answered back.

Hank put an arm around Stevie’s shoulders, and they walked back down to Maggie together. As soon as Maggie saw them, she opened her arms for Stevie. Stevie took a step forward opening his arms as well, but Hank grasped the back of his nephew’s jacket and held him in place.

“Not so fast. What do you have to say your mom?” Hank prompted.

Stevie dropped his arms, and blushed. “I’m sorry I kept secrets from you guys, and I’m sorry I snuck out of the house. It will never happen again.”

“Apology accepted,” Maggie said.

Hank patted Stevie’s shoulder. “Well done.” He gave Stevie a small nudge towards Maggie, and the two embraced.

“I’ve got to go to the station. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Hank turned to go, but Maggie’s voice stopped him. “Hank?”

Worried that she was going to be angry, Hank took a deep breath before turning back toward her. “Yeah?”

“I may not like it, or totally agree, but… you’re right. This is what Fred would have done, and he’d be proud of you.”

Those words sunk into his heart, making it difficult for Hank to do anything other than nod. He called to Rinty, put on his leash, gathered up his stuff, and headed to his car.

Hank spent the rest of the day thinking about his older brother, and what Fred would think of the little family unit that he, Maggie, and Stevie had formed. By the time he went home for the night, Hank thought his older brother would have been proud of all three of them for sticking together as a family once he was gone.

The End.

Author’s Note: This is a missing scene from Season 1 Episode 14 of the cheesy late 80’s & early 90’s TV show, Rin Tin Tin K9 Cop titled ‘Comedy of Errors’. I was disappointed again that Hank didn’t even lecture Stevie at the end of the episode.
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters and I’m not making any money from this story.
Warning: Spanking of a minor by a guardian. I do not advocate spanking minors in real life, only in fiction.

Repeat Offence - S1xE14

Hank smiled up at the balcony of the theater where his nephew, Stevie, stood smiling back. In the moment Hank was too relieved that his nephew was okay to do anything else. But as he put handcuffs on the guy who’d been on the balcony seconds before with a gun to Stevie’s head, Hank lost that smile. Before the night was up, Stevie would be over his knee for the second time. Just three months prior he’d spanked Stevie for sneaking out, but apparently, he hadn’t made enough of an impression, because Stevie had snuck out again tonight.

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, he called up and said, “Come on down and bring Rinty with you. We’ll wait for the cops together. You and Justin can get to know each other while we wait.”

“Okay,” Stevie turned to their German Shepard and said, “Come on Rinty.”

Hank turned to the other twelve-year-old in the room and said, “Hey, Justin, come sit over here, so we can all be together when the police show up.”

The nervous boy said, “What are the cops gonna do to me?”

Hank checked the perpetrator’s vitals once the handcuffs were in place. Once he was sure the guy was going to survive from the fall, he stood up and faced Justin.

“I’m not sure, but I can promise you that I’ll tell them what you and your dog, Brutis, did for me. How you helped me catch this guy.” Hank gestured to the man on the floor.

“Villard,” Justin said. “That’s his name. He made me and Brutis steal for him. If we didn’t bring him money, he wouldn’t let us eat.”

At that point Rinty bounded into the room followed by Stevie. “He wouldn’t let you eat?” Stevie asked, clearly horrified.

Hank frowned. “Was he your father?”

Justin shook his head. “Just a guy who picked me up off the street.”

“Where are your parents?” Hank asked.

“They died when I was five. I was in foster care for a while until I ran away. I was on the streets until Villard picked me up and taught me and Brutis how to act.”

Hank heard sirens in the distance. “You boys let me do the talking, and only talk when someone asks you a question. Got it?”

Both boys nodded.

“And both of you keep an eye on the dogs so they don’t get in the way.”

“Sure, thing,” Justin said while Stevie nodded.

Three hours later, Hank had given multiple statements, and Villard had been taken away in an ambulance. Child protective services had shown up to talk to Justin. The theater owner, Luis, had shown up, and spoken with child protective services. And Hank’s girlfriend had shown up with Stevie’s current live in babysitter, Rose.

Soon enough, the cops had cleared out. Luis had taken over temporary custody of Justin and Brutis. Justin had confessed to stealing wallets for Villard, which meant Stevie and Rinty were off the hook for that crime. Even though it was after hours, Hank called his Sargent to give him the update. His Sargent had officially given Hank the okay to take Rinty home instead of back to the precinct, but wanted answers in the morning as to how Rinty had ‘escaped’. And Rose was all doe eyed over Luis, as they talked old movies and nostalgia.

Hank didn’t exactly want to ruin the fun, but it was past ten, and he needed to have a long talk with Stevie before bed. “Alright, I hate to break this up, but it’s late, and Stevie has school tomorrow.”

Luis opened his eyes in surprise before adding, “Yes, quite right. I hadn’t thought of that.” He turned to Justin. “You must have school as well.”

Justin shrugged. “Villard never had me enroll.”

“Well, that won’t do at all.” Luis put an arm around the kid’s shoulders. “First thing tomorrow, we’ll find the nearest school and get you enrolled.”

Hank turned to his girlfriend, “I’m sorry tonight was a bust.”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I understand. Raincheck?”

“Absolutely.”

After she left, Hank turned to Rose and Stevie. “Ready to head home?”

They both nodded and followed Hank to his car along with Rinty.

Hank was quiet on the ride home. Rose and Stevie kept up a steam of conversation about the theater, and the plays they were putting on. Once they got home, and everyone was in the house, Hank turned to Rose.

“Stevie and I need to go talk in his room for a while, and… well, it might be a bit noisy.”

“Noisy?” she asked.

Stevie immediately shook his head and took a step back. Hank pinned him with a stern glare. “Don’t you dare move, young man.”

Stevie froze, and Rinty whimpered.

Hank turned back to Rose. “Stevie snuck out in the middle of the night, went to the precinct, broke Rinty out of his kennel, and took him to the theater where they could have been killed. I’m not okay with that. Are you?”

Rose shook her head. “Certainly not.”

“Then I’d appreciate it if you would stay down here and keep Rinty company while my hand has a serious discussion with my nephew’s backside.”

“No,” Stevie said softly, shaking his head.

Rose gave Stevie a sympathetic glance, but then called to Rinty and walked to the kitchen.

Hank focused on Stevie.

“Uncle Hank I—"

“No,” Hank grasped Stevie’s upper arm and started hauling him up the stairs. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk while you’re over my lap.”

“Nooo!” Stevie whined.

Hank ignored the protest. Once they were in Stevie’s room, Hank sat on Stevie’s bed, and tugged his nephew across his lap.

“Uncle Hank,” Stevie whined in dismay.

“Alright, pal, let’s hear it. The whole story from start to finish. And you’ll tell me the truth if you know what’s good for you, because I can always tell when you’re lying.”

“I never stole anyone’s wallet!”

“I know. That was never in question, Stevie. Never.” Hank gave him a little swat to motivate conversation.

“Ow,” Stevie whined, but Hank knew it hadn’t actually hurt. Not yet anyway.

“The question is, why you weren’t in your room tonight? I told you that you weren’t allowed to leave the house under any circumstances.”

Stevie squirmed. “It wasn’t fair that Rinty got stuck in the kennel. He didn’t steal anything either!”

Hank sighed and started swatting Stevie’s backside at a quick pace to get rid of some of the attitude.

“Ow! Uncle Hank, stop! I… I’ll talk! I will!”

After a good ten swats that were light enough to be more stingy than painful, Hank stopped. “Great. I’m listening.”
“I… I knew I was supposed to stay in the house, but I… I was angry.”

“And?” Hank prompted.

“And I snuck out. I road my bike to the precinct, snuck in the back door, let Rinty out of his kennel, and took him to the theater with me.”

Hank frowned. “Why? Did you know Justin was there with Brutis? If so, why didn’t you tell me?”

Stevie kicked a foot on the floor. “No, I didn’t know about Justin until I got there. I was… I was going to ask them…”

“Ask them what?” Hank asked, completely baffled.

“If Rinty and I could go on the road with them. Become part of the act.”

Hank frowned. His nephew was trying to run away with a theater company? What the in the world had he been thinking? “Are you seriously telling me that you thought it would be a good idea to run away, take Rinty with you, and join a theater group to get out of town?”

Stevie nodded. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Hank had to take a deep breath, and count to ten in his head. Then he had to take another.

“Uncle Hank?”

Feeling calm enough, Hank said, “I don’t understand, Stevie. You had to know that your mom and I would miss you something awful. I’ve been one hundred percent on your side since the moment you were accused of stealing those wallets. I believed you the second you told me that you didn’t do it. All you had to do was stay home for one full day. One day, Stevie, and your name would have been cleared.”

He could feel Stevie’s body shaking and realized the boy was crying.

“I’m sorry!” Stevie called out between sniffles. “I know it was wrong. Especially after hearing Justin’s story. He’s my age, and that guy was making him steal wallets for the money. I… I should have trusted you and stayed home. I’m sorry. Really.”

“Didn’t I just spank you for this same thing less than three months ago?” Hank asked somewhat rhetorically. “Didn’t you promise me that you were never going to sneak out in the middle of the night again?”

Stevie continued to cry but nodded.

“I’m sorry, buddy. I don’t want to do this, but you haven’t left me much of a choice. I am not okay with you sneaking out in the middle of the night. Not at all.”

Having said his peace, Hank raised his hand higher, and started spanking in earnest with harsh swats meant to impart a serious lesson.

“Ow! Hank! Ow! Not so hard! Oow! Please! Oow! Uncle Hank! Oow!”

After those five, Hank paused. “I already spanked you once for this exact same offence, so you’re getting double for that one.”

“Double? Oow! I’m sorry! Oow! Uncle Hank! Oow! Please! Oow! I’m sorry! Oow!”

Hank put an arm around his squirming nephew and paused long enough to say, “You are absolutely never allowed to sneak into the precinct and release a prisoner. Not even if it’s Rinty.”

“Oow! I’m sooorry! Oow! I won’t! Oow! Do it again! Oooow!” Stevie broke into tears. 

Hank paused again after five swats and said sternly, “I cannot believe you thought running away was even an option, young man. You need to start thinking about how your actions effect your loved ones. Your mom and I would be devastated if something happened to you, Stevie. Utterly devastated.”

Hank delivered the last five smacks while Stevie yelped and cried. He’d only delivered a total of twenty of the harder swats, but Hank knew he’d gotten through to his nephew.

“Okay, pal, all done.” Hank pulled at the boy’s arm to get him upright. Once Stevie was sitting next to him on the bed, Hank pulled him into a tight hug.

It took several minutes for Stevie to stop crying. Once he was calm enough, he whispered, “I’m sorry I tried to run away, Uncle Hank.”

“I know, buddy. Apology accepted. It’s not going to happen again, right?”

“No. Not ever.” Stevie leaned back to look his uncle in the eyes. “Uncle Hank?”

“Yeah?” Hank let him go and rested a hand on Stevie’s knee to let him know he had his full attention.

“I know I get mad sometimes, but I… I want you to know that I’m glad you and mom are around, even when I don’t like your rules.”

“Thinking about Justin?” Hank asked.

Stevie nodded. “I know what it’s like to lose one parent. I can’t imagine losing both.”

Hank pulled him into another hug. “I may not be your dad, but I love you like you were my own.”

Stevie hugged back tight and whispered, “Me too.”

Hank squeezed tight once and then let him go. “Okay, I want you to go get ready for bed, and then it’s straight into the kitchen to apologize to both Rose and Rinty for worrying them.”

“Aw, Hank, do I have to?”

“Absolutely. And tomorrow morning before school we’re calling your mom to tell her what happened.”

“Mom, too?”

“Afraid so, pal. Go on and get ready for bed before I decide you need to be grounded for a few days, too.”

Stevie jumped up and rushed to the bathroom while Hank got up and stretched. He went to the kitchen, worried about what Rose might have to say. To his shock, she simply patted his arm and said, “A lot more younger people these days could use a father like you. I know it’s not easy, but I applaud you for your efforts.”

“Thanks Rose.”

Hank poured himself a glass of milk and waited for Stevie.

Stevie came into the kitchen and nervously glanced at Rose. “Sorry for all the trouble I caused tonight.”

Rose gave him a smile. “Thank you for the apology. Just see that it doesn’t happen again.”

Stevie nodded and focused on Rinty. “Sorry I tried to make you run away with me, Rinty.”

Rinty barked and got up to nuzzle into Stevie’s hand.

“I’d say you’re forgiven,” Hank said. “Alright. Bed. Both of you.”

“Night Uncle Hank.” Stevie and Rinty headed up the stairs together.

The End

Author’s Note: This is a missing scene from Season 2 Episode 3 of the cheesy late 80’s & early 90’s TV show, Rin Tin Tin K9 Cop titled ‘A Family Affair’. I was pleased that Hank at least lectured Stevie a little bit in this one.
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters and I’m not making any money from this story.
Warning: Spanking of a minor by a guardian. I do not advocate spanking minors in real life, only in fiction.

Third Strike - S2xE3

Hank wandered down the city street with Rinty following half a block behind him, hoping to lure out the criminals who had beat up his coworker Lou. They’d beat up six other cops over the past few months, and the police had no idea who they were or why they were doing it. But Hank strongly suspected they were in this area of town, and even though it was an unsanctioned operation, he was making himself bait.

He kept telling himself that he was doing the right thing, but a tiny voice in the back of his head kept reminding him of the fight he’d had with his visiting father. He loved his parents, and he was overjoyed to see them a couple of days ago when they’d arrived, but earlier that day he’d had words with his dad. Instead of focusing on his surroundings, the scene kept playing in his head.

“I came to talk about Stevie.”

“Oh boy. What did he do?” Hank had really hoped Stevie would be on his best behavior while his grandparents were there.

“Nothing. It’s just difficult for me to say this. I don’t want to hurt you.” His dad took a deep breath. “I know you’ve been working very hard at this, but your mother and I feel that this is no kind of life for Stevie, especially after everything he’s been through.”

Hank frowned. “Dad, I know there’s a lot happening right now. I know—”

“We want Stevie to come live with us to have a normal life.”

“What are you talking about?” Hank could hear his voice raising, as he put the puzzle pieces together.

“I did not come here to argue. Just take some time and think about what’s best for Stevie.”

“Dad. Don’t you see that Stevie’s happy here? He finally trusts me. How can you say that uprooting him would be what’s best for him?” He honestly couldn’t understand where his father was coming from.

“You have to face reality. You can be a cop, but you can’t be a mother and a father, too.”

“You know what?” Hank turned and took a few steps back before he said things he’d regret. His mind swirled with thoughts of his older brother, Fred. The favorite son. The one who’d given them a grandchild. The one who’d become a cop and then died in the line of fire before Hank had even graduated from the police academy. Their father never would have told Fred that he couldn’t be a cop and a parent to Stevie, and Hank knew that wasn’t just because Fred was Stevie’s biological parent. “Nothing ever changes between you and I, does it, Dad? You can’t believe that maybe just for once I might do something right.”

His father ignored that statement and continued with his own agenda. “Stevie’s had to deal with the loss of both of his parents. It was terrible for him, and I don’t think he could handle it if, heaven forbid, he loses you too.”

Glaring at his father, Hank said, “Get to the point.”

“It’s Stevie’s life. If I have to, I’ll take you to court.”

“No way.” He stormed off before he said anything worse, and repeated himself loudly, “No way!”

His father shouted at his retreating back. “And the courts will be on my side!”

Hank shook his head, and tried to focus on the task at hand. The sun had gone down, and he was still wandering the streets, trying to lure the criminals out with Rinty following a block behind him. He saw a bar that looked like a promising hang out for lowlifes, and went to walk past the front window slowly.

When he was half a block past it, and expecting an ambush any second, he heard a noise that made his heart sink.

“Hank! Uncle Hank, wait up!”

He turned and saw his nephew a block away.

Stevie ran up to him. “I’m not going! I’m not going to live with them.”

“Stevie, what are you doing here?” Hank’s voice started to raise as he went from baffled to angry in the space of a few seconds. “I’m on a case!”

“Don’t I get a say in where I want to live?” Stevie demanded.

This wasn’t a conversation for the street, but Hank couldn’t help but point out the obvious. “Stevie, look what’s happening here. I’m not home where you really need me, so you’re out running the streets. And this isn’t the first time.” He hoped his reminder of the past two times Stevie had snuck out would help change his attitude.

“You have to tell them I’m not going!”

Apparently, Stevie was too distraught to think about consequences in this moment. Hank shook his head, wondering if his father had been right all along. “Maybe he’s right. Maybe you’d be better off with your grandpa.”

Stevie shook his head vehemently. “No, Hank, I like things the way they are. And for now, I’ll do whatever you say, even if I think it’s stupid.”

“For now?” Hank repeated with disbelief. If Stevie thought he only had to obey when his grandparents were there, he had another thing coming.

“I don’t care. As long as I can stay with you.”

Hank shook his head. “It’s not about what you want, Stevie. It’s about what’s best for you. At least with him you’d have a chance at a normal life.”

Stevie scowled. “I won’t go with them.”

Hank sympathized. He didn’t want Stevie to go with them either, but Stevie’s attitude was unacceptable and frankly appalling in the moment. In Hanks mind, it was never acceptable for Stevie to flat out say no when he’d been told to do something.

“We’re not talking about this anymore tonight.” Hank grabbed Stevie’s upper arm and started pulling him down the street. “You’re going home. Taxi!”

Stevie pulled back, but couldn’t get out of Hank’s grasp. “I’m not going home!”

“Oh, yes you are.”

“Please, Uncle Hank. We need to talk about this.”

“Taxi!” A taxi pulled up to the curb beside them.

“Please, Uncle Hank!”

Hank opened the back door, and pulled Stevie toward it. “Get in there.”

Stevie glared at him. “If you send me home, I’ll just come right back. I won’t stay with them!”

All of Hank’s thoughts about the case and catching the criminals fell by the wayside along with his anger. Disappointment in his nephew’s behavior and determination to put him back on the right path took over. It was extremely unfortunate that his parents were currently visiting, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from doing what Stevie needed him to do.

Hank leaned down so that he was eye to eye with Stevie. “That’s strike three, pal.”

Stevie shook his head and tried to step back, but Hank held his arm tight.

“You were already in trouble for being out here in the middle of the night, but blatantly saying no and refusing to obey me, or your grandparents, is always going to get the same response from me.” He stood, turned Stevie to the side, and swatted his backside hard.

“Ow! Uncle Hank!” Stevie protested. His eyes darted around the street, looking for witnesses other than the taxi driver.

“Get in.” Hank ordered, letting go of Stevie’s arm.

This time Stevie scrambled to do as he was told.

Hank looked behind him and called out, “Rinty, come.”

His partner came running, and was soon in the taxi next to Stevie. Hank glanced down the street in the direction where his car was parked more than twenty blocks away, and knew it would have to wait. With a sigh, he got in the taxi as well, and gave him the address to his house.

Stevie was hugging Rinty and softly crying into the dog’s fur.

Hank spent the drive thinking about how to convince his parents not to interfere once they got home. It wasn’t like they were against corporal punishment. His father had spanked both him and Fred plenty of times growing up. But something told him they’d balk at the idea of anyone spanking Stevie, especially after he’d lost both parents. They weren’t around Stevie enough to realize that the reason Stevie had settled down after his mother died, was the fact that Hank didn’t treat him with kid gloves when he made the wrong choices.

The taxi pulled up to their house, and Hank noticed his parents’ car was gone. He paid the driver, got out, and glanced up and down the block for the car. Thinking they must have gone to look for Stevie, Hank thanked his lucky stars and focused on the task at hand.

“Come on, let’s go.” He said to Rinty and Stevie, prompting Rinty to jump out, and Stevie to slowly scoot over toward him with trepidation.

Hank tilted his head, indicating that Stevie should get a move on. Stevie stepped out of the car and quickly ran into the house with Rinty on his heels.

“Thanks,” Hank said to the taxi driver, before shutting the door. Once the taxi was gone, Hank took another deep breath, steeled his nerves, and walked into the house.

He quickly found Stevie upstairs in his bedroom. He was face down on his bed crying softly with Rinty on the floor next to him.

“Downstairs, Rinty.” Hank ordered.

The dog whined as he got up and trotted down the stairs.

Stevie rolled over onto his back and gave Hank a pleading look. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure you are, but being sorry after the fact doesn’t change what you did.” He sat on the bed, picked Stevie up, and put him across his lap.

“Nooo!” Stevie pushed and kicked to get up.

A little surprised that his nephew was still fighting him at this point, Hank wrapped his arm around Stevie’s waist to hold him there, and started swatting fast without much force.

“Ooww!” Stevie complained and kicked his feet for a few more seconds before giving up and sagging across Hank’s lap.

Once Stevie was done struggling, Hank paused. “We’ve talked about you sneaking out in the middle of the night twice before, haven’t we?”

Sniffling, Stevie said, “Yes.”

“Tell me what happened this time.”

“Grandma and Grandpa were talking to me about living with them, and I… I ran out of the house to find you.”

“I understand you were upset, and that these were unusual circumstances, but I’m never okay with you running away like that, Stevie. Never. You should have stayed home, and told them that you didn’t want to talk about it until I came home. It’s incredibly dangerous for you to be out on the streets at night alone.”

Hank raised his hand higher than before and gave Stevie five hard spanks.

“Ow! Uncle Hank! Ow! I’m sorry! Ow! I won’t… Oow! …do it again! Oow!”

“I hope that’s true, pal. But this is the third time I’ve spanked you for leaving the house when you weren’t supposed to. I already gave you double last time, and here we are again.”

“I’m sorry,” Stevie got through his tears.

“Me too, buddy, because this time the jeans are coming down.”

“What?”

Hank used both hands to reach under Stevie’s stomach and snapped open the button on his jeans.

“Noo!” Stevie flailed, kicking and trying to push himself away again.

Hank immediately wrapped his arm around Stevie again and gave him a flurry of lighter swats. “You’re only making this last longer.”

Stevie slumped down again, but this time it was accompanied with heaving sobs instead of sniffles.

Hank pushed the jeans down off Stevie’s hips, being careful to leave his underwear in place. Once that was done, he said, “You don’t sneak out or run away from home, Stevie. It’s going to land you across my lap every single time.”

He gave him five more of the harder swats. Stevie yelped and squirmed through them, crying too hard to apologize.

Pausing again, Hank said softly, “Okay, Stevie, last one. Your attitude tonight was completely unacceptable. You don’t blatantly disobey me. You don’t tell me no when I give you an order. And when I’m not here, I expect you to be respectful to whoever’s watching you. Is that clear?”

It took a moment, but Stevie eventually got out a tearful, “Yes, Uncle Hank.”

“Good boy. Okay, last five and then we’re done.”

Hank doled out the last five while Stevie yelped and cried. Once he was done, he gently pulled Stevie’s jeans back into place, and then turned the teen over to sit in his lap.

Stevie immediately wrapped his arms around Hank’s shoulders, and held tight while he cried.

Hugging back with one arm, Hank rubbed Stevie’s back with the other.

“I’m sorry,” Stevie mumbled against Hank’s chest.

“I know you are, pal. And your forgiven.”

They sat like that for several minutes until Stevie’s tears had dried up. Just as Hank was about to let go, Stevie’s arms tightened around him. “I don’t want to live with grandma and grandpa, Uncle Hank. I want to live with you.”

Hank squeezed him tightly. “I know, and I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen, because I want you to stay here to. But you need to listen, and listen good, if this goes to court, and the decision comes down that living with them is what’s best for you, I expect you to stay where you’re told, and to behave yourself once you get there.”

Stevie’s back heaved again and he got out the words, “I don’t want to stay with them.”

Hardening his tone, Hank said, “Stevie, you’re thirteen. You don’t get to decide where you live. You have a vote, but you don’t get to make the final decision. If you’re ordered to stay with them, you’d better stay. Because if you don’t, I’ll track you down, spank you until you can’t sit down, and take you right back to them.”

Stevie shook his head and cried.

“Afraid so, buddy. So, let’s avoid that, okay?”

Stevie nodded, and after a few moments stopped crying again.

Hank patted his back. “Okay, pal. Go wash your face and then we need to go find your grandparents.”

Stevie stood and headed to the bathroom.

Standing as well, Hank walked toward the doorway but then froze when his father stepped into the doorway.

“Oh.” Hank rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He really didn’t want another confrontation with the man. “Uh, how long have you been there.”

“Long enough.”

Hank wasn’t sure what that cryptic message meant. “Long enough for what?”

“Long enough to know I was wrong.”

Still confused, Hank said, “Wrong about what?”

“You can be both a mother and a father.” His dad broke eye contact. “When you and Fred were little, I…” He brought his eyes back up, “I always let your mother comfort you after a punishment.”

Hanks eyes opened wide. Of all the things he never thought he’d hear his father say, that was at the top of the list.

His dad gestured toward the bed. “You not only punished, but you comforted after, and explained why you’d done it. I won’t take you to court. Stevie should stay here. With you.”

Stevie rushed into the room from the bathroom. “Really? You mean it Grandpa? I can stay here?”

“Yes, really,” his grandfather answered.

With a grin, Stevie ran over and gave his grandpa a tight hug. “That’s great!”

“Not so fast.” Hank put a hand on Stevie’s shoulder and pulled him back a couple of feet. “Apologize to your grandpa for running away.”

Stevie glanced down and muttered, “Sorry Grandpa.”

Hank squeezed Stevie’s shoulder. “You can do better than that. I want a real apology.”

Pouting, Stevie looked up at his grandfather and said, “I’m sorry I ran away. I was upset, but that’s not a good excuse to be disrespectful, or to put myself in danger.”

“Good boy,” Hank praised, and let him go.

“Apology accepted,” his grandfather said, and gave Stevie another hug.

With a smile, Hank said, “Alright, pal, go find your grandma and apologize to her as well.”

“She’s in the kitchen making us a late supper,” his grandfather said.

“Okay,” Stevie agreed, and went down the stairs.

Hank looked at his dad and said, “Are you sure about this? I don’t want you to change your mind a year down the road. If you’re sure, then this is permanent, and Stevie stays with me until he’s an adult.”

“I’m sure.”

“And Mom? Is she sure, too?”

His father nodded. “She tried to talk me out of this in the first place.”

Hank wasn’t surprised. His mother had always had more faith in him than his father. “Okay then. As long as we’re in agreement.”

His dad held out a hand to shake.

Hank took the offered hand and shook, sealing the deal.

“Come.” His dad put a hand on Hank’s shoulder and steered them toward the stairs. “Let’s see what your mother is cooking.”

“Uh, do you think you could give me a ride before we eat?”

“A ride?”

“I left my car on the other side of town. Stevie… well he needed me, and I didn’t have time to stop and get it since the taxi was already there.”

His father smiled. “Of course. Let’s go get your car.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

They went to the kitchen together. Stevie was chatting with his grandmother about the stew she was making, and Hank felt like everything was right with his life at home, which helped him refocus on the current case. Tomorrow he’d talk to the captain about his theory and have them set up an actual sting operation to catch the bad guys.

The End