As she stepped into the tub, he sighed in relief a bit that she wasn’t protesting about him helping her.  He pulled his own knees up to his chest, making sure she had plenty of room.  Before she could even dip the sponge into the water, he took it from her, “I mean, where else would I be?”

He squeezed the sponge above her head, wetting her hair down for shampooing.  After wetting her hair, he slowly picked leaves and twigs from it, flicking them onto the floor outside the tub.  He brought the sponge up and wiped the dried dirt from her forehead, and nose

“Turn around here…”, he whispered, gently turning her by her shoulders, making sure to clutch her to his chest as he helped her move, “It’s hard to wash this mane of hair with you all the way over there. And your back looks pretty sore…”

He reached around for the nearest shampoo bottle he could find, while trying to find the courage to ask questions.  But she seemed more relaxed, and he didn’t want to ruin that.

“Feeling any better?”, he asked gently.