CHAPTER 21
“Oh, my! She’s beautiful!” Piper said as they pulled alongside the huge loggerhead turtle swimming in the sparkling blue water of Cape Cod Bay.
“She sure is,” Nat said, smiling as they slowed down to get a closer look. “I bet she weighs three hundred pounds.”
“How do you know it’s a she?” Elias asked.
“Her tail,” Piper said, pointing to the turtle’s tail trailing along in the water. “The male’s is longer and more prominent.”
Elias frowned. “It looks like she’s only using two of her flippers.” He leaned over the side, trying to see what was impeding her ability to swim. “I think she’s caught on something.”
Nat leaned over the side, too, and saw a buoy bobbing under her belly, the line of which was wrapped around two of her flippers. “It looks like she may’ve been hit by a boat, too,” he said, pointing to a gash on her shell. He frowned. “I think we better bring her in.”
Piper frowned. “Do you think you can lift her?”
“If Elias takes one side,” he said, pulling a pair of gloves out from under the seat.
He found a second pair, handed them to him, and they both leaned over the side and grabbed onto her shell. It was slippery and covered with barnacles, and the old turtle, unhappy about being pulled into a boat, began working her flippers extra hard, trying to get free. Then, out of the blue, she stopped struggling, and they were able to pull her up into the boat—dragging the entangled buoy and line with her.
Nat surveyed the mess and shook his head. “Poor girl,” he murmured.
“How old do you think she is?” Elias asked.
“I bet she’s at least thirty, maybe older,” Nat said, “and she’s been hit more than once,” he added, lightly tracing the scars on her shell. He finished examining her and cut off as much of the line as he could, and then Piper soaked a beach towel in the water and laid the dripping towel over her shell and head. Elias poured a bucket of cool seawater over her, too, and Nat turned the launch around and headed back to the sanctuary while Piper radioed ahead to let them know they were bringing her in.
Twenty minutes later, the sanctuary was in full emergency mode as they loaded the big loggerhead onto a special cart and wheeled her into their small hospital. They immediately set to work freeing her from the rest of the line that was cutting into her skin and began administering fluids and nourishment. At the same time, Piper smoothed a gentle, healing balm onto her wounds. The old turtle didn’t struggle but her solemn eyes watched their every move—it was as if she knew they were trying to help her.
Later that afternoon, Piper suddenly remembered it was Friday, which meant they were supposed to be at Remy’s that evening to celebrate Birdie’s birthday. She looked around for Nat and saw him on the phone, and when she walked over, heard him making arrangements to bring the turtle to the Boston Aquarium for rehab—their facility was better equipped for big sea turtles in this much distress.
He hung up the phone and looked up. “What’s up?” he asked quizzically.
“You’re taking her tonight, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “I don’t think we should wait. Why? Do we have something going on?”
“It’s fine,” Piper said, looking down at the turtle. “I think you should take her . . . but I can’t go.”
“That’s okay. I’ll take Elias. Why can’t you go?”
“We’re supposed to go to Remy’s for Birdie’s birthday.”
“Oh, that’s right! I forgot!” he said apologetically.
Piper sighed. “It’s okay. I’m sure she’ll understand,” though she knew her sister would be disappointed.
“Do you want me to get someone else to take her?”
Piper shook her head. “No, you take her.”
“Dad,” Elias said, coming into the room. “I filled up the truck. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, just a sec.” He looked back at Piper. “I’m sorry to mess things up.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Piper said with a half smile. “This old lady needs you more than Birdie does. Take good care of her.” She knelt down next to the holding tank, looked into the turtle’s solemn eyes, and stroked her smooth head. “We’ll see you back here in a couple of weeks!”