Leo lay back down. Buddy let out a happy little burble. The pouch crinkled as it began to fill.

After twenty minutes in the bath, he stood up. He didn't put a new bag on yet. He took a warm, damp washcloth and held it over Buddy himself. The heat made the stoma relax and swell slightly—that was good. It meant blood flow was active.

He knew this feeling. It wasn’t the normal gurgle of his ileostomy. This was the enemy: a blockage.