Nina:
"Come here, boy," Zay says gently, lifting Blue onto his lap. "No, don't struggle. We need to let Nick take a look at your little paw, okay?"
Blue, his dog, stops struggling and looks at the paw that Zay is holding out with one hand. His other arm is securely wrapped around Blue, keeping him in place.
Nick turns to me and asks, "Sweetie, would you mind fetching a bowl of warm water for me?"
"Of course not," I reply, walking into the open-concept kitchen area. "Um, where are the bowls?"
"Grab one of the plastic ones. They are in the third cupboard from the right," Zay calls out. He had appeared rather flustered and slightly out of breath when he arrived, and I can't help but wonder what he had been doing.
I locate the cupboard, take out a plastic bowl, and fill it with water at
