46- Jade´s vision

The deep, black sea is illuminated by the light of the moon. The waves of the sea reach the shore of the beach. Paula, with a flashlight, searches for sea turtle nests to protect them from predators. She watches the turtles as they emerge from their nests and walk toward the sea. She shines the flashlight on the turtles' path. Bob Marley's "Running Away" can be heard, and Paula answers a call. "Consultorio" is displayed on the screen.

Paula (Talking on the phone)

Hello?

in the internal emergency room of the small animals clinic.

Navil waits for Paula with a worried expression, dressed in a suit. His tie is untied, and his white shirt, somewhat dirty, hangs out of his pants. Luis is seated next to him in the chairs located in the waiting room.

Nvil talks to her looking into Paula´s eyes - Good evening, doctor. I apologize for making you come...

Don't worry, just tell me exactly what happened to the patient." says Paula

"I’m a detective; he always accompanies me on routine operations. He’s a trained dog; something like this has never happened before." reply Navil

Paula, (nodding) "I understand. Where is he?"

"They have him on IV..."

Navil gestures toward the interior of the office with his hand, and Paula follows him. Tirano, lying on the examination table, has watery eyes and is breathing slowly. Navil takes a breath through his mouth, filling his cheeks, and presses his lips together. He places one hand on his forehead, looking at Tirano, and his red, dark eyes fill with tears.

*** later in night

The antiseptic smell of the clinic hung heavily in the air, mingling with the faint scent of the disinfectant whose residue seemed to cling to the stark, white walls. The bulb overhead flickered sporadically, casting brief shadows that danced along the floor. Navil sat rigidly in a plastic chair, his formality at odds with the chaos in his heart. Dressed in a suit that felt more like a costume than a second skin, he couldn't shake off the cloying sense of dread that knotted his stomach. His tie lay a mess around his neck, like a noose that had become too tight during the anxiety-filled hours of the evening.

Luis, a fellow detective, sat nearby, his brow furrowed in concern, but it wasn’t just the patient they were worried about. It was the bond that Navil had with Tirano, his loyal canine partner. The memory of their last operation flashed before him, the adrenaline rushing through their veins as they worked in unison, a well-oiled machine chasing down the dark underbelly of the city together. But now, the only sound was the ticking of the wall clock and the occasional rustle of paper in the clinic.

Navil's gaze drifted to the door as he recalled moments spent in the field with Tirano, the thrill of the chase and the silent communication between them. He knew he should focus on the present, on Tirano's recovery, but he couldn't help the surge of thoughts and memories about the people in his life, particularly Jade. She consumed his mind with the same intensity as his worries about his dog.

Flashback in Navil´s mind

In the dim light misting through the overcast sky, Jade stood at the edge of the plaza, where the cobblestones glistened darkly from a fresh downpour, a vibrant contrast to her wild, untamed curls cascading around her shoulders like a tempest in full bloom. Her green eyes sparkled with the dampness of the air, illuminating everything around her with an ephemeral glow. They were not merely eyes; they were twin emeralds, inviting and mischievous, holding secrets of the universe that only the brave dared to unravel.

Navil approached, his heart a fluttering thing lodged slightly to the left of his chest, a sensation far removed from the routines that typically marked his days. It was not the looming deadlines nor the weight of tiredness that quickened his pulse—but the intoxicating proximity of this girl who turned moments into poetry.

“Look at them!” Jade exclaimed, tossing a handful of crumbs into the air, the particles swirling like flakes of stars through the haze. The birds coalesced from their scattered regions on the pavement, their wings flapping in chaotic synchrony as they dove toward the feast she had granted them. “They’re like little fanatics fighting over the last slice of pizza!” That sweet, lilting laughter rose above the peppering sound of raindrops, each note echoing in Navil’s soul.

“Shouldn’t we be concerned about their culinary ethics? I mean, how many breadcrumbs does one deserving pigeon really need?” Navil countered, feigning seriousness, his lips curving into an involuntary smile, the kind of smile that felt like sun breaking through clouds after a storm, or an unexpected encounter with a long-forgotten friend.

“Tell me, Navil,” Jade leaned closer then, her breath a whisper swirling around him, fragrant with the aroma of damp earth and adventure. “When was the last time you indulged yourself in an ethical dilemma that didn’t involve spreadsheets and coffee consumption rates?”

“Yesterday,” he quipped, a sparkle in his eye. “I stared at the last piece of chocolate cake in the fridge and wondered if it would be a profound crime to eat it all by myself.”

“And did you?” she pressed, her tone tilted with laughter that sparkled across the air like champagne bubbles.

“Of course. It was a premeditated guilty pleasure,” he confessed, each word igniting a shared conspiracy between them. “But not as intense as—”

“—as our struggle against the tyranny of pigeons?” she interrupted, her green eyes teasing him.

“Yes!” he proclaimed, lifting his hands dramatically. “A battle for the crumbs and an outright clash of ideals. Imagine the headlines; ‘The Great Pigeon Dilemma of the Rainy Afternoon’ will be immortalized in every café’s gossip section!”

“Oh, Navil,” she giggled, her curls bouncing around her in the damp air like mischievous sprites escaping her shoulders, “you are such a tragic mess of a hero. Tell me, do you think pigeons have a collective conscience?”

Navil stepped closer, their laughter intertwining like vines around them. “If they do, they probably write their manifesto in breadcrumbs and cast it in the wind,” he mused thoughtfully, his eyes catching hers, momentarily drifting into deeper waters—the electrifying kind that shimmered with unspoken words. “But if I were a pigeon,” he continued, “I would choose to follow you anywhere.”

“Ooh,” she said, her voice suddenly low and secrets danced in the undertone, “I must be some sort of timeless goddess among birds then.”

With that, the world around them faded; the rain became a mere murmur as they stood suspended in the delightful absurdity of their banter, a microcosm of warmth sculpted against the relentless chill of the storm.

“Jade?” he ventured, his voice lowered as if he could draw her deeper into an uncharted realm. “Have you ever felt this… connection? This undeniable urge beyond mere friendship?”

Her laughter flickered for a heartbeat before a quiet seriousness blossomed in her expression. “I have felt it, Navil, almost like a tide pulling me closer to the shore. Like the rain is both an end and a beginning, and we are right here, in this moment… suspended between then and tomorrow.”

“And here I thought I was just an unremarkable tempest myself,” he replied softly, his heart valiantly thumping as he dared to look deeper into her captivating eyes. “But perhaps we are both the storm and the calm after.”

“Then let us dance in this rain, take the leap,” she whispered, her gaze unwavering. “Let it wash away the mundane, the ordinary, and we shall emerge transformed.”

And as Jade whispered those words, the rain intensified, the drops becoming a rhythm against the cobblestones, molding them into a stage of their own. They twirled amidst the falling droplets, spontaneous laughter mingling with the patter of rain, crafting a moment so real it felt like a gust of wind willing to sweep away the very shadows of their reservations—leaving only warmth and possibilities in its wake.

Back to the small animal clinic...

Navil fought back the wave of emotion that washed over him. Thoughts of Jade mingled with the low whine of Tirano, lying on the clinic table, panting softly. The room felt too small, too confining, as if the walls were closing in, each piece of sterile equipment mocking his growing anxiety.

Why couldn’t he just reach up and touch Jade’s face again? Why did everything feel fragile when they had been so strong?