“Just about.”
Looking up to the road, Carson saw the bright yellow Penske truck reaching the boat ramp. She felt her heart rate zoom and was overwhelmed with the desire to see Delphine. “Here they are!”
Everyone moved to the side as the truck turned, then began backing down the ramp, high beeps periodically piercing the silence. Finally the brake lights flickered and the engine went dead. The truck doors opened and she recognized Eric and Justin as they climbed out, wearing brown NOAA T-shirts over shorts. Blake was among them.
Blake strode toward her and the family waiting in silence. Carson thought how she’d always recognize his walk—slope shouldered, lanky, arms swinging. She straightened and brushed her hair from her face as he drew near. She knew that expression. He wasn’t here to celebrate. This was serious business for him, and his focus was on Delphine.
“Okay, gang,” Blake said. “Big day, right? How you doin’, pal?” he asked Nate with a smile.
“Good.” Nate’s eyes were bright.
“You all have your assignments. Any questions? Taylor, Dev, I need you up in the truck. All we’re going to do is to take hold of her in the wet transport, lift her, and put her in the sling. But she’s heavy. We need all hands on deck. The rest of you, why don’t you stand over there.” Blake pointed to a dock that stretched out in the water. “We’ll be carrying her past that dock, so you’ll have a good view from there.”
The group of women turned to walk off to the dock, as instructed. Dora hurried to hustle Nate away as the men retreated toward the back of the truck. Suddenly Blake turned around and walked back to Carson’s side. His face softened and he reached out to touch her shoulder in reassurance. “I know you’ll do great. Delphine looks real good.” His eyes brightened. “She’s going to be fine.”
Carson met his reassuring gaze and felt her frustration melt away. “Thanks.” Such a simple word to convey so much feeling.
“Okay, then.” He dropped his hand. She heard the business back in his voice. “You’re the water girl. The bucket is in the truck. Fill it with seawater and keep pouring it over her. We want to get her acclimated. And”—he smiled crookedly—“I know she’ll want to see you.”
Carson’s heart filled with gratitude at his understanding of how worried she was about Delphine. He always surprised her in this way, always had her feelings in the forefront of his mind. She followed him back to the truck, focused now on the task on hand.
Blake climbed up the truck to join the other men. Carson grabbed the bucket and ran to the water to fill it and lug it back to the truck. She climbed up on the truck and moved closer to the box. A blue tarp lined the box, and over that was the sling that would carry the dolphin into the water. Leaning forward, she stopped short, overwhelmed at seeing Delphine again. She let her gaze travel over the sleek dolphin’s body. The wounds from the fishing line had healed, but she could still see the multiple scars crisscrossing her beautiful gray body. Carson’s eyes roved over the tip of the dorsal fin that had been lopped off by the line, the partially missing tail fluke where the shark had bitten it off. And smiling, Carson saw the dime-size hole in her right tail fluke, the one that helped identify Delphine as part of the Cove’s community. Delphine lay calm, motionless, her nearly closed eyes mere slits in her head.
Blake moved aside so Carson could get closer. Pushing between him and Taylor, Carson gently poured the Cove’s water over Delphine. Carson knew the moment Delphine recognized her. Her eye opened from a slit to wide and eager.
Blake tapped Carson’s shoulder and she stepped aside to allow Blake back into his position at the side of the box. Time was of the essence. As she hurried off to get more water, inside the truck the men followed Blake’s orders to grab the poles of the sling. Two women she’d met in the planning stages, Dr. Pat Fair of NOAA and Dr. Karen Spencer, the veterinarian, stepped forward to help. With a chorus of grunts, they all hoisted the dolphin from her wet transport berth.
“Careful now,” Blake shouted as they prepared to lower her from the truck. Taylor and Eric, both big men, jumped down from the truck to grab the front handles of the sling.
Once they had Delphine out of the truck, they slowly carried her to the end of the ramp, where the water lapped up, and gently set her down. Carson ran to the plastic bucket and poured more water over Delphine, while Dr. Spencer monitored her temperature and heart rate. Blake and Dr. Fair attached a small transmitter to her dorsal fin. Dr. Fair explained how the transmitter could pick up her location from up to two miles away to help them determine how she was doing. The transmitter would fall off in less than two months.
Throughout, Carson continued to pour water from the Cove over Delphine. All the while the dolphin kept her gaze on Carson.
“She’s stayed amazingly calm through all this,” Dr. Fair noted. “Some of them get jumpy and anxious. Their heart rates accelerate.”
Eric agreed. “She’s one remarkable dolphin.”
Blake caught Carson’s eye and winked. They both knew Delphine was calm because of her presence.
“Let someone else get the water,” Blake called out to Carson. “Stay close to Delphine so she can see you. We want to keep her calm as we move her out.”
Carson promptly handed Taylor the bucket and hurried back to sit beside Delphine’s head. “I’m here,” she crooned, bending closer.
Delphine went still and her beautiful almond eyes gazed at her trustingly. Carson’s immediate reaction was to pet her, but she stopped her hand midair. She glanced at Blake. His dark eyes were watching her. When their gazes met, he nodded, signaling her to go ahead.
For the first time in weeks, Carson felt Delphine’s wet, rubbery skin under her palm. She gently stroked Delphine’s head as Taylor poured water over her gleaming gray body.
“Feel the water of the Cove,” Carson said softly to Delphine. “Smell the pluff mud. Hear the sounds of the birds. You’re home again.”
“Ready?” Blake called out.
Carson joined Blake, Devlin, and Taylor in wrapping their arms around the sleek body and slowly lifting Delphine from the sling. The ramp dropped off slowly and soon they were walking in the sandy, squishy mud of the Cove. The water was warm this late in the season, refreshing as it swirled around them. They had a ways to walk to clear the grass and the dock. Once buoyant, the dolphin felt light in Carson’s arms, and she felt they were more guiding Delphine to a safe release spot than lifting her. As she walked, Carson felt Delphine’s eyes on her and turned her head to meet that deep, dark gaze.