“Can I touch her?”

Lynne smiled wide and nodded. “Go ahead. It’s clear she wants you to.”

Carson relished the feel of Delphine’s rubbery skin under her palms as her hands caressed her large head and more gently slid along her side, careful of the wounds. Skin to skin, it was a glorious moment of reconnection. Carson felt a rush of love for the dolphin and gloried in knowing it was reciprocated. When Delphine came to a rest in front of her, her mouth open wide in a seeming grin, Carson shuddered at seeing how badly the hooks had ravaged her mouth.

“What have we done to you?” she murmured.

In a surprise move, Delphine rolled over to present her belly to be stroked. Carson heard Lynne suck in her breath at this show of obvious affection and trust. Carson reached out to stroke the sleek, smooth belly, the water rustling between her fingers. The dolphin’s whitish skin became rosy colored with pleasure.

Delphine turned upright and rested in the water, facing Carson.

Lynne came closer and rubbed Delphine’s big head.

“Well, I’d call that a positive response,” she said with a light laugh. The vet tech smiled in agreement. “That’s more movement than we’ve seen from her so far. Let’s see if she’ll take some fish.”

Lynne handed Carson a container of live fish. “Toss one to her. Head first. It’s easier for her to swallow.”

Carson did as she was instructed. She’d tossed many a fish to Delphine from the dock back home, so she knew Delphine could catch it if she wanted to.

“Delphine,” she called out. The dolphin’s dark eyes were watching her, curious, even expectant. Reaching into the bucket, Carson grabbed a single, slim fish in her hand.

“Delphine, hungry? Want a nice herring?” she called out.

Delphine watched.

“Here you go,” Carson called, and tossed a fish. In a flash, Delphine caught it and sent it down the hatch.

The three women cheered with mutual relief while Delphine looked back, eager for more.

Carson fed Delphine the rest of the fish, praising her for each bit she ate until the bucket was empty.

“This is excellent,” Lynne told Carson. “Better than I’d hoped. She needs to eat about eight pounds of herring and capelin a day. So,” she said, smiling broadly, “how long can you stay as a volunteer?”

“A week, maybe. I don’t have a job or a place to live. I can’t afford to stay much longer. Is a week long enough for Delphine to turn a corner?”

“I think she’s already doing better. Just starting to eat again is huge.” She gazed out at Delphine swimming in slow, tight circles around the tank. “Sometimes, all we need is a little love.”

Carson thought of her grandmother, of her sisters, of Blake. Of how the love shared this summer had already changed her.

“I’ll put you in charge of Delphine’s feeding,” Lynne said. “Angela will show you what to do in food prep. You can continue hand feeding her for a little longer, just until she’s stronger. Then we’ll get her eating on her own. I’d like to get Delphine in the large pool soon. There’ll be more room for her to swim and we’ll just toss the fish in for her to catch rather than hand feeding. This is an important step, should we return Delphine to the wild. The more hands-off we remain, the better it will be for her.”

“Return to the wild?” Carson asked, surprised by this possibility. “I thought Delphine was going to a care facility.”

“That’s not for certain yet. Before today, I wasn’t sure she’d survive. Our first goal is always to return the dolphins to the wild once they’re healthy. But she’s got a ways to go. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“If you release her, where would she go?” Carson asked worriedly.

“Back to her community. Dolphins are very connected to their family pods. Communication within community structure is critical for their survival.”

“And if she can’t be released back to the Cove?”

Lynne paused. “Well, that’s our first goal, of course.”

“I’m confused. Didn’t Blake tell you that there have been questions about whether she’s part of the Cove community? He hasn’t found Delphine in his database yet. He’s still looking.”

Lynne shook her head. “He didn’t mention it. That’s a serious issue. We don’t make the final decision. If she can’t be released to the wild, we’ll find a suitable care facility for her.”

“Blake mentioned the Dolphin Research Center.”

“An excellent location. Have you ever been there?”

Carson shook her head.

“You should go. Check it out. I’d be curious to hear your feedback.”

“I hold hope Delphine will be able to go back to the Cove.”

“You know what that means for you, though, don’t you?” Lynne asked. “You could observe her, but you could never interact. Delphine might well want to return to your dock, mooch a free meal. It’s easier than hunting.”

“Blake’s raked me over the coals on that, you can be sure of it.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. He’s seen too much to be laid-back about it. We all have.” Lynne signaled to the other Mote staffer. “You can stay in here awhile. I’ll lower her toys and you can try to engage her. If she seems tired, just stand nearby and observe. Let us know if you see anything strange. And hey, I’m glad you’re here. You did good.”

Carson was left alone in the tank with Delphine. She couldn’t just yet extinguish the hope that flared in her heart that Delphine might return to the Cove. But before today, she hadn’t really seen how severe her injuries were, how compromised she was.

Delphine came to rest again in front of Carson. They gazed eye to eye for several minutes in companionable silence. The sun was hot on Carson’s back. The water rocked gently with Delphine’s movements. From somewhere in the distance, gulls cried.

Carson closed her eyes and felt the first peace she’d known in what felt like a long while. It would take time to work through the harsh truths revealed in the past month: how her mother had died in the house fire, her parents’ alcoholism, and the likelihood that she, too, suffered from the disease.

But looking into Delphine’s eyes, and seeing the unconditional forgiveness and love there, Carson felt the hardness of her heart soften and the process of absolving herself of her past mistakes begin.