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She was so genuinely tender that it caught me off guard. After pulling out the syringe, she disinfected the area. It was the first time Steve twinged, but he kept his beak in her palm for a few more minutes. I couldn't look away from her. It was as if her biggest wish of the moment was to make sure the animal didn't suffer. I was even more transfixed with her than I'd been during the movie, and I didn't think that was possible.
"Want to pet him?" she asked me.
"You think he'll like it?"
"Oh yeah. He's being very sweet tonight. I think he's feeling a bit sick."
I put my coat on a nearby table, then crouched next to the pool and put my hand on him. He didn't flinch away. In fact, he reached out to me the second I made contact with his cold, but surprisingly soft, skin.
She smiled. "Hey, he likes you."
"I'm glad I'm impressing someone, at least."
"Steve is a very good judge of character."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah."
He stayed like that for a few more minutes and then pulled back, doing flips in the pool. Then he came back to us.
"Okay, let's pet him one last time, and then we should go. Otherwise, he's going to make us stay for hours. I know him."
We both reached out at the same time. I was too close to the edge and balanced precariously forward. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bonnie do the same. On instinct, I turned to her, intending to stop her from falling in the pool, but then I lost my own balance, and we both fell in.
Holy fuck! This water is fucking cold.
It pierced my skin, even through my clothes. Bonnie shrieked but then began to laugh. Steve was nowhere in sight. Looking around, I noticed he was at the other edge of the pool. We'd probably scared the hell out of him.
"Oh my God, my shoes! They slid off my feet," she said.
Looking down through the water, I noticed her feet were bare. Glancing around, I saw her shoes floating in the middle of the pool.
"I'll get them for you," I said. "You get out of this water. It's damn freezing."
"My, my, you truly are a gentleman," she said between fits of laughter, walking up the metal ladder.
I grabbed the shoes quickly. Steve was still keeping his distance. I swam back to the edge, putting the shoes on it before climbing up. My own shoes were still on my feet, soaked with water. We both laughed as we stood up.
"Well, this was unexpected," she said, her teeth chattering.
"You're sure the water here isn't working?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No warm water, at least."
"Okay, then let's get out of here."
She nodded. "Let's go to my bungalow. It's closer than your hotel. While you shower, I can wash and tumble-dry your clothes. I have a quick wash and dry program setting."
"Okay."
She put her coat on, and I put mine over hers.
"No, you keep it," she said.
"You're far colder than I am.”
She nodded and pulled it tighter around her.
