She smiled to herself; the nerves fading slightly as she thought about the topic that had brought her here today: Phoenix, her best friend.Of course, Phoenix wasn't a person—he was a young bottlenose dolphin.Since Riley had stood on the docks with Cam two years ago, she and Phoenix had been inseparable.
Her smile deepened as a memory from that first day Cam took her to her new job resurfaced.
"You can see, the Lagoon stretches a long way back into the canal," Cam said, his arms spread wide as if he could encompass the sheer size of it."We've got over ten acres here, with all the pens with floating docks in the front section.That leaves over six acres of open water in the back."
Riley tried to take it all in.She had seen pictures in training magazines and conference presentations, but standing on the docks and staring out over the vast expanse was overwhelming.It felt as though she'd need eyes on the back of her head to keep track of it all.
Cam pointed toward the jetty."Each pen along this canal gives the dolphins access to the open ocean through an underwater gate.You're going to love taking the dolphins out every day.Let's go to the back quadrant and meet the grey ones."
Cam described the design features as they walked; a grid of docks with a canal that was definitely man-made.It looked like a massive machine had come and dug out 10 acres of watery paradise.She hadn't gone out on a boat yet to the ocean, so she assumed that what he was calling the jetty was the waterway running just outside their watery cul-de-sac.And where the last dock disappeared around the corner, that must lead out to the ocean.
A seawall secured the canal's docks.The vast area beyond the grid resembled a massive lake because it lacked docks to divide the space, unlike the front half where she stood with Cam.In the distance, a few dorsal fins broke the surface of the water and dove back underwater.
Riley imagined the seaplane's aerial shot of the Lagoon taken right after they drove all the docks into the lagoon.She knew it had taken almost a year to create the entire grid with one long dock running north to south, divided in between by smaller pens with floating docks.It wrinkled her brain to think about how the architects had mapped it out.She was glad they'd left the giant open area in the back for the dolphins to enjoy.
Cam beamed at Riley, knowing exactly what she was feeling right now.A mix of awe, overwhelm, and giddy excitement at learning the ropes of this new facility.He hadn't slept for weeks before arriving on the island in anticipation of starting his new job, and he'd been so nervous for the Navy dolphins that were coming with him.Abaco, Anejo, Shiloh, and Amara were used to travelling by boat, plane, cargo van, and even giant battleships as their work had involved travel to different places around the world.
This time, their trip was the dolphins' retirement from service to a beautiful new Caribbean facility, and Cam had only met them the year before.And though his nerves had been a mess, praying nothing went wrong during their trip to the island, all 4 of the dolphins had chattered endlessly to each other the whole time.Totally unfazed by another trip to parts unknown and looking slightly comical, all had their backs covered in diaper cream so they wouldn't dry out during the trip.
After half a day of flying, he was pretty sure he recognized each dolphin's signature whistle, basically their names for each other in their own dolphin language.That trip confirmed what he suspected; dolphins were a bunch of gossips!When they landed on the island, the temporary facility housed both humans and dolphins until the Lagoon's construction was complete, and when he finally saw the Lagoon for the first time just like Riley was now, it was better than he imagined.
As they walked along the docks, something caught Riley's eye.A tiny dolphin calf swam close to its mother.Riley let out an excited coo.
"Cam!"She grabbed his arm, her voice a squeal of delight."When was this calf born?I read through all the dolphins' profiles and no one was pregnant!"She crouched down, but something about the scene made her pause.
Cam frowned as he joined her at the edge."Yeah...that's not a newborn calf.That's Phoenix."
Riley jumped up so quickly that she nearly fell into the enclosure."Wait—Phoenix?He's two years old!That dolphin doesn't look two; he looks new.Is he okay?"
Looking at the small dolphin, her heart clenched.She hadn't even met him yet, and already she felt a connection.It was common for new dolphin moms to lose their first calf, but Luna wasn't a new mom; Phoenix was her third calf.From reading the bios, Riley knew Willow was his older sister and that her first pregnancy back when she'd been a movie dolphin had resulted in a stillbirth.
Cam's expression softened."Honestly, Riley, we're hoping your experience with calves can help.Luna is still nursing him, which isn't unusual, especially for a potential last calf, which, given Luna's age, we figure this might be her last one.But Phoenix has shown no interest in eating fish.He only nurses and sticks close to her.Doc—our vet, and yes, we all call him Doc—will meet with the entire team tomorrow.Lately, Phoenix has lost weight, so we need a plan."
Riley's eyes followed Phoenix as he swam alongside Luna.The little dolphin seemed content but way too small.As the pair made another lap past them, she could see him gently nudge Luna's mammary slits near her tail and he latched onto the teat that she presented.Riley marvelled at how the dolphin calf's tongues had tiny feathery fringes that curled to create a waterproof straw that helped keep saltwater out while they nursed underwater.Her mind was already racing with questions and theories.Why wasn't he eating?Could they help him?
The memory faded as Riley refocused on the moment at hand.The timer on her screen showed five minutes to go before her presentation began.Months of hard work had led to this moment.Phoenix had been an enormous challenge, but they had done it—they had trained him to eat on his own.It had taken 6 months, but that hard work and dedication had saved his young life.
Her goal today was simple: to share their experience so that other trainers could recognize the signs early and help dolphins like Phoenix thrive.
Scanning the back of the room, Riley spotted Cam standing by the tech booth.He met her gaze, grinned, and gave her a thumbs-up.She couldn't have done this without him—his unwavering faith in her, especially during the toughest moments, had made all the difference.Phoenix's success had brought the team closer, and it had reignited Riley's passion to make the Lagoon a hub for research, but that had been 2 years ago and now...
She took a deep breath, then another.Slowly unclenching her fists, she stepped onto the stage, her nerves falling away as she faced the audience.
This was her moment.
Chapter 5
Conference
Graywasgoingtoget whiplash.He had arrived at the annual marine animal trainers conference that morning, and already, trying to soak it all in, he felt overwhelmed.Achieving his goal of becoming the youngest researcher on staff had been a dream come true, but the reality of his meagre salary often brought him back down to earth.
"It'll get better.Put in your time, the raises will come," he muttered to himself for the third time that day.His yearly review was coming up soon, and he crossed his fingers for even a modest financial boost.
The conference had been on his radar all year, and he'd saved every spare penny to make the trip.He could only afford to stay for two days, but when he realized it was being held one state over, within driving distance, he knew he couldn't pass up the opportunity.The chance to network with actual marine mammal trainers and pitch his ideas was too good to ignore.
Gray knew how hard it was to break into the research scene working with cetaceans, because of course everyone wanted to work with dolphins, whales, and porpoises.He didn't know a single person, trainer or researcher alike, that when he said he wanted to work as a dolphin researcher, all they heard was dolphin.Then, a protective barrier went up, and Gray felt there was some force pushing him away from the path he had chosen.Though he was new to this specialized field, he hoped face-time with the people working with cetaceans was a perfect reason to stretch his budget.And making more professional acquaintances would be a good thing for his career.
As he hurried into the main lecture theatre, he glanced at the program in his hand.The next presentation was about to start.Spotting an empty chair in the back row, he made a beeline for it.But then his attention snapped to the stage.
