Page 42 of The Tides Between Us

It would be Giana.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

GIANA

The hospital was calm when I got to work on Monday morning. Everyone was already busy with their work and Miranda gave me a quick rundown of some things that needed to be done with the animals in the facility. I stopped by my lab first to check my emails from over the weekend.

There was one from my boss, Richard. He oversaw the day-to-day operations in the facility and was the person we had to get things approved by. It wasn’t often he was around, but every now and then, he and his team stopped by to make sure things were running smoothly. I had forgotten I had asked him about Declan volunteering until I saw Richard’s response.

My eyes scanned the computer screen, reading over his approval. He thought it would be beneficial to have someone like Declan volunteer. Richard must have done his research and realized Declan was an exceptional surfer who had quite the loyal following. It could be good for the facility to gain some publicity with the help of Declan.

I couldn’t help but frown. We could use any help we could get here, but in a way it didn’t feel right. It was like Declan’s help was only wanted because of who he was, because of his status. I knew Richard wanted what the rest of us did here. For others to care about the ocean and its inhabitants the same way we did.

Maybe any publicity wouldn’t be a bad thing. It felt cheap and dirty, but the facility could benefit from it. I was conflicted, but we needed Declan. Not only were we experiencing a shortage in employees, but we were also taking a bit of a financial hit. I needed to stop thinking about it in a negative manner and take it as a way that we could possibly generate more money to keep the facility afloat. State and government grants only went so far.

I typed out a quick response to my boss, thanking him and telling him I’d be in touch after I spoke with Declan about it. After responding to a few other emails, I abandoned my desk and set out through the facility to check off the tasks on my list. My last stop was the turtle building. They needed to get their morning medicine, a quick evaluation, and they all needed to be fed.

Thankfully, we hadn’t had any new turtles come in within the past week, so there was only one that was left in quarantine still. We kept them there for ten days, just to make sure they didn’t have any illnesses that could be passed on to any of the other turtles. Pop-Tart had passed her quarantine date, but we were still keeping her in a separate pool until her flipper was completely healed.

I made my rounds, making sure each turtle got the appropriate medication and food for the day. Pop-Tart was last on my list. She was the one who had worked her way into my heart. I had an emotional attachment to her. I always made sure to stop by every morning when I arrived and I checked in on her before I left. Sometimes, I spent my lunch eating here, sitting in silence with an animal that couldn’t communicate with me.

But in her own way, she did. It was the nonverbal kind. It was something I had grown so accustomed to over the years. It made a connection deeper and having that with a wild animal was something I could never explain to someone who hadn’t experienced it themselves.

Pop-Tart looked up at me with her soft and kind marble eyes. There was a gentleness to her, a tenderness. Even though physical contact was minimal, she always watched me. Not with fright, but more so with curiosity. I injected her meds into the body of a dead crab. Dropping it into the water, she hesitated momentarily before grabbing it.

When I first learned about loggerheads and began to study them, it surprised me to find out that hatchlings were omnivores, but the adults were carnivores. We made sure we had a balanced diet tailored to each turtle. Pop-Tart seemed to favor the crabs and conchs we had been feeding her.

I dropped a few more things into her pool and leaned against the side of it, watching as she moved around the water. She glided with ease. Her leg had been getting stronger and stronger each day. Our time with her was growing shorter. It wouldn’t be long before she would be released back into her natural habitat in the wild. As much as I loved having her here, I knew that was where she belonged.

It was never easy releasing them back into the ocean. Not when you had an emotional attachment.

We were able to track the ones we tagged before rereleasing, but there were no plans of tagging Pop-Tart. I would have no idea about her life after she was returned to the Atlantic.

Pulling out my phone, I opened my messages and tapped on Declan’s name. He hadn’t seen Pop-Tart in a few days and when he last did, she wasn’t swimming like she was today. I took a quick video and sent it to him before tucking my phone back in my back pocket. A smile touched my lips as I watched Pop-Tart stop in front of me. Her eyes met mine before slowly moving to look past me.

I slowly turned around to see what she was looking at. My breathing hitched and my heart skipped a beat when my gaze collided with Declan’s. My eyes widened in surprise as I found him standing behind me. I wasn’t expecting him here. We talked last night, but he never mentioned anything about stopping by.

“She looks good.” Declan smiled as he nodded his head in Pop-Tart’s direction. “Even better than she did in the video you just sent me.”

Heat crept up my neck and I shifted my weight nervously on my feet.“She’s healing really well,”I signed to him while moving my lips to the words to help him better understand what I was saying.“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to come see you.” He smiled with his eyes. “And Pop-Tart too.”

My eyes slowly examined his.“I’m glad you stopped by,”I admitted to him. It wasn’t a lie in the slightest bit. I found myself wanting to be around him more and more.

“Me too,” he said as he reached up to brush a stray hair from my face that had broken free from my braid. “Tell me about her. What’s going on with her now?”

“We’re just waiting on her flipper to be fully healed now. The stitches will probably be removed later this week and then she’ll be with us for a little longer, just to make sure everything healed completely and properly.”I paused momentarily as a frown tugged my lips downward.“After she’s rehabilitated, we’ll release her back into the ocean.”

Declan stared at me for a few moments. “You don’t want to release her, do you?”

“I just worry,”I explained with a shrug as I tried to hide my emotions.“I don’t know what will happen to her once she’s back out there. I’ve grown relatively attached to her, but I know the ocean is where she belongs. It wouldn’t be fair to keep her in captivity just because I’m afraid of nature taking its course.”

Declan’s eyebrows pinched together as he tried to keep up with the movement of my hands and lips. Judging on the way his expression softened and he nodded, he was able to piece together pieces of what I said to him.

“It’s completely out of your control, but you already know that,” he told me as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Mother Nature is a force of her own. Life is completely unpredictable. All we can do is hope for the best, and just know you did everything in your power to keep Pop-Tart safe. You saved her life. That in itself is something to be proud of.”

“I was doing what I’m supposed to do.”

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