The Dipper, Part Two

For several days, she lay on d's pallet while he slept somewhere in the room outside. Every few hours she would check the kinnock, but it remained resolutely purple. D brought her food, water to wash and fresh clothes. He apologized for not having an entertainment noede and shared his hollow library. Instead, he spent a lot of time outside or moving around in the kitchen doing chores. She watched as he worked in the garden, lean muscles rippling under brown sweat. Whenever he broke for a drink of water, he'd pour the last of it over his head. On the third day, after he wiped a hand over his face, he caught her looking