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Lynne walked up carrying ?"

"She’s echolocating She won’t stop She keeps co it over and over Look at her--here she co her rostru, Carson turned around, showing Delphine her back "Is this a new game for her?"

"Not that I’ into the pool beside Carson She handed Carson a long plastic feeding tube "Sometimes she echolocates on theon "

"Exactly"

Lynne gave Carson a curious look "You’re not pregnant, are you?"

Carson barked out a laugh "God, no Why do you ask?"

"A few years back I was in here with a dolphin and the sa by and echolocating hed "A week later I found out I was pregnant"

Carson felt her body go cold in the water "You mean, the dolphin" She couldn’t say the words

"saw , huh? It could see so was different inside me and was curious That little fetus is three years old now Makes for a good story, doesn’t it?"

Carson couldn’t reply Of course she wasn’t pregnant, her mind screamed Blake always used protection Still, just the possibility freaked her out She turned her head to look at Delphine, as floating nearby, her elic sht irritably

Carson had to focus as she assisted Lynne with ad the medication to a compliant Delphine Then, at last, it was Nate’s turn to play Carson cliside the pool with her feet dangling in the water and watched Nate toss the ball over and over to Delphine The dolphin was like a dog, never tiring of going after the ball and tossing it back The two of theet into the water He was seeing for himself that Delphine was okay, that she didn’t blaht with a bittersweet smile She remembered Taylor’s words: Not all wounds are visible

An hour after Carson and Nate had said their eood-byes to Delphine, with a proress, Carson stood with her hands on her hips, staring unco on the bathroo for a pot of water to boil She lowered her head and closed her eyes She’d never realized how long three minutes could be Nor that a heart could pound so fast or her hands feel so cold Lifting her head, she checked the wall clock Three minutes

She licked her lips, took a breath Her hands were shaking as she held up the tip of the little stick to the color chart on the box