Chapter Ten
I lookat my tablet and the list of things to do before tomorrow morning. It’s fine. Everything”s fine. I got this. Clicking my way to the check sheet of inventory for my trip, I start checking off the items in front of me.
Marking flags and stakes ??
Measuring tape ??
Backup data sheets and clipboards ??
Thermal imaging cameras ??
Time-lapse cameras ??
Handheld GPS units ??
Excavation tools ??
Weather monitoring devices ??
Laptops for data analysis ??
Extra batteries for all devices ??
Monel metal tags, apps, engraver ??
PIT Tags??
Satellite transponders ??
Calipers ??
Stethoscope ??
Blood collection kit ??
Thermometer ??
Protective gloves ??
Wader boots ??
Portable workstation ??
Anesthesia ??
Wetsuits ??
Probing tool ??
Phew.I think that is everything. I asked about a satellite phone, but was reassured that my cell phone will work just fine from Emerald Isle. Stacking the last metal box in the crate, I step away, chewing my nails and thinking through my list, ensuring I will have everything I need for the trip. Nodding to the crate of the most expensive stack of materials I have ever purchased, I motion to Dusty to seal it up and load it onto the truck. It will be loaded onto the airplane tomorrow morning along with Gertrude and the rest of my luggage.
Luggage, ah crud. I still haven’t packed my own things for the trip. I spin on my heels and head for the new temporary lab. “Clara, where you at, girl?” I turn the corner just as Clara does, and we run smack dab into one another. My face bounces off hers, and we both hold our noses with our hands.
“Ouch, Molls. My nose.” She shouts, grabbing her nose with her hand, a red mark forming on her forehead. Dusty comes around the corner and locks eyes with Clara, immediately changing his trajectory toward her instead. When he reaches Clara, he gently removes her hand from her face, tilting her head back with his thumb on her chin. “It doesn’t look broken,” he whispers, his thumb grazing across her chin, “and it’s not bleeding. I think you’ll be fine.” They stare at one another for a few moments longer, Clara’s cheeks turning pink, her eyes glazing over like she’s caught in a trance, and I clear my throat to break up the lovey-dovey moment.
“Um, hello. I hurt my face too. Sheesh.” Just when you think you know someone, a man comes swooping in.
He clears his throat and steps away from her, “I… uh… need to pee.” He makes motions with his fingers, pointing toward the door, and turns around, shaking his head as he books it out of the lab, in the opposite direction of the bathroom.
“Molly! That was so rude. He was just being nice. That’s just Dusty. He’s… uh… nice.” Clara spins around and starts fiddling with the things on her desk before moving on to her computer. Where she drums her fingers on the desk while pretending to look through her spreadsheets.
I sit down in Jimmy’s chair and roll it over to where Clara’s sitting. “Come on, Clara. You can’t blame me for teasing him. If that had been me, you would have totally made fun of us. I mean… Did you see his face?” Clara spins around, her eyes glazing over again as she responds.
“Yeah. I did.” She sighs as she rests her elbow on the armrest of her chair, placing her cheek on her fist.
“Oh, come on, Clara. You cannot be serious. I thought you said Dusty wouldn’t be a problem.” Clara snaps out of her trance and straightens her back, huffing out a breath as she crosses her arms.
“He won’t, Molls. We work really well together, and we are both professionals.” She whispers as she says the next part, “Plus, it’s not as if he would kiss me or anything with Jimmy around. The three of us will be basically living together here at the lab for the next three weeks. You have nothing to worry about.” She continues perusing her spreadsheets, and I give her a hug from behind, dropping the subject.
“Alright, I’ve gotta get back to the house so I can pack up my stuff before tomorrow morning. Are you guys good here? Can someone give you a ride home? If not, I can come back and get you once I’m done packing.”
She flicks her hand over her shoulder, shooing me off as she nods her head. “Yeah, we’re fine. Go get yourself packed.” I slip my tablet into my bag and sling it over my shoulder before heading for the truck.
Today’s the day.The quote from Nemo trails through my head as we load Gertrude into the tank truck. ‘The sun is shining, the tank is clean, THE TANK IS CLEAN.’ I chuckle to myself. I love that movie. Whoever says those kinds of movies are for kids is… well… much too serious, in my opinion.
Gertrude is all loaded up, and I double check everything again before we all climb into the vehicles. The team will be coming with me to the airport, but after that, it is just me and Gertrude. I have another team of volunteer rescuers in Willow Cove that will be assisting with the release of Gertrude, along with Mr. Heyes. We haven’t spoken on the phone since his dad took control. The only communication has been through text message or email. Thank goodness.
We travel in silence as we head for the airport, and I can feel the excitement in the air. I try to keep my cool as I hand our credentials over at the security gates for entrance to our cargo plane that we will be taking to Willow Cove. It’s not like you can wheel a sea turtle through the airport or simply pop them on an airplane; what a spectacle that would be. That would definitely be something I would never forget.
We park by the large plane and situate Gertrude’s small tank inside, making sure it is strapped down well, before loading the crate with my equipment inside, along with my luggage. Once everything is loaded, I say my goodbyes to the team and settle down in the seat on the side of the cargo plane, next to Gertrude’s tank.
“Guess it’s just you and me, Gertrude.” She looks at me from inside her small tank and blinks her eyes.
“It’s alright, big girl; go ahead and get some sleep.”
The co-pilot leaves the cockpit and heads in my direction. “We don’t have a stewardess on this flight, but I wanted to make sure you were good before we take off.” I show him my buckle and he nods, handing me a water bottle and some kind of trail mix before heading back to the cockpit.
Well… I guess it is kind of like a real flight? I wouldn’t know. This is literally my first time flying, so I have no clue what it would be like to be on a regular airplane. But I have seen it in movies, where the stewardess gives you a cup of water and a bag of something. I shrug and settle back in my chair as the cargo area fills with sound. I check Gertrude to make sure she isn’t rattled by the noise, and she doesn’t even stir, so I settle back again, trying to relax as the plane starts to move.
I get a queasy feeling in my stomach as the plane changes direction, and I can feel it moving faster as the sound gets louder around me. I clutch my chair and close my eyes as the plane tilts upwards, an odd sensation coming over my body as it climbs into the sky. My ears feel like they do when I go scuba diving, and I plug my nose and hold my breath, hoping they will pop. My stomach lurches as the plane begins to level out, and I put my hand in front of my mouth, hoping that whatever I ate for breakfast doesn’t decide to come back up. It doesn’t, and I fall asleep, waking up every couple of hours to check on Gertrude, who just continues to sleep like the lazy turtle she is.
I feela nudge on my shoulder, and I rub the sleep from my eyes as I focus in on the face of the co-pilot from before. “We are about to land. I just wanted to make sure you were buckled before we do.” I point to my buckle again, and he walks away, and it is only then that I realize that I have to pee. Not just a little bit either. This is about to be a full-blown, three-year-old potty dance emergency. I see the bathroom sign across from me and wonder if I have time to go really quick. I mean, what is the likelihood that the co-pilot meant we were descending immediately? I unbuckle my belt and hurry across the width of the plane and toward the bathroom stall, my bladder screaming with every step.
I pull the stall door open and do a double take at the size of the bathroom. It’s even smaller than a port-a-potty. I open the lid and sit down, wondering where all the ‘stuff’ goes once I flush. I mean, does it just go into the air, or is there a tank? I shake my head as I stand from the toilet and hit the button to flush it into oblivion, jumping at the loud whooshing sound that I wasn’t expecting it to make. “What the heck?” I shout at the toilet. Well, that was terrifying. I go to step out of the bathroom, and the entire plane begins to tilt, so I shut the door, closing the lid on the can so that I can sit down somewhere.
Well, isn’t this a predicament? Should I try to run across the plane and make it to my seat? Or should I just stay put and hope that we don’t crash and burn while I am in the airplane toilet? I vote for staying where I am as the plane descends more. I hold onto the toilet as we touch down to the ground, and I hurry out of the bathroom and toward my seat. I sure hope there aren’t any cameras back here. If there are, the two pilots are probably having a good old time laughing at my stupidity. Lucky for me, turtles can’t talk, so my secret is safe with Gertrude. As long as there aren’t any cameras.