Adam reached the shore safely, and was exhausted. With Mary Lou's help, the swim was not nearly as difficult as he had expected. It took a little practice to learn how to move his pelvis and tail in synchrony from side to side, but once he got the hang of it he swam like a fish. But it still required a lot of effort, and he was very tired. If Mary Lou was tired, she showed no sign of it. As soon as she reached the shore, she wandered down the shore in search of shelter. She returned shortly and lead Adam to their new home - a small den covered by some fallen trees. It looked liked there had been some previous animal occupants, but Adam didn't have the courage to ask Mary Lou what had happened to them. There was nothing special about their new home - it was small, but it was warm and hidden from view so Adam was satisfied.
As Adam laid on his back on the floor to rest, Mary Lou placed her satchel on one of the branches above their home, setting it up to dry. "I don't know why you bothered to drag that thing with you all this way, " said Adam.
"Well, my dear, it has some things we need. Like this, " she said, as she brought out the bottle of indigo shampoo.
Adam sat up quickly, shocked. "My god, in all the excitement I almost forgot. We have to find Evelyn!"
Mary Lou lay down beside Adam, and placed a hand on his chest, gently pushing him back down beside her. "Relax, " she said, softly. "I promised to take care of you, and I will. But its late, and the sun will be up soon. We can look for Evelyn later, when the sun is down and after you have a had a good rest. It will do Evelyn no good if we are caught or you are weak. Here, have some food, I know you are hungry. " On the ground Mary Lou spread out her wares: a few large slabs of meat from an animal he couldn't identify, and several fish of varying size. Looking at the meat, he felt his mouth water. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to eat raw meat just yet.
Mary Lou sensed his apprehension. "I have some fruit if you would prefer it, " she said, and added a few apples and berries to the mix.
"I thought alligators only ate meat, " said Adam.
Mary Lou chuckled. "You don't seem to know much for someone who works at a zoo. I prefer meat, but I'll eat anything that provides nourishment. A girl's gotta do what she can to survive. Here, try the apple." Mary Lou lifted the apple in her hand and offered it to him.
Adam graciously took it, and then wondered how to eat it. He tried to chew it, but his snout seemed too big to get a good grip, and he ended up making a mess of it.
Mary Lou watched and laughed. "You have a lot to learn. You can't eat it like that. You have to swallow it whole, like this, " she said, as she swallowed a small fish. She threw another apple to him, and he copied her method. The apple filled his stomach, but it didn't taste very good and he wasn't satisfied. He watched Mary Lou swallow another fish with envy.
"Not very good, huh. Well, want try something a little better?" she asked, as she held up a large fish. His mouth watered, and he eargerly accepted the fish, swallowing it whole easily. The fish tasted much better, but had a bitter aftertaste, almost like strong medicine. Must be how fish tastes to alligators, he thought. "Want another? "asked Mary Lou, as she dangled a fish above his head, just out of reach. He jerked his head forward and swallowed the fish out of her hands, like a trained seal at an aquarium.
"Good boy, " said Mary Lou, as she gently placed her hand on his chest, and pushed him back down to a supine postion. "Now rest. Everything will be better in the morning. I promise. I'll take care of everything. Just sleep."
Adam was a little confused, and absently wondered what she meant by that, but suddenly he was very tired. He could barely keep his eyes open. The last thing he saw was Mary Lou's eager smiling face, as she gently rubbed his belly as he drifted off to sleep.