A/N: Sorry this took so long! There's been a lot of stuff going on with my hockey team that needed to be sorted out...
3 quick things: 1) there has to be like 3 of you that I swear get together and write the same exact thing in reviews. It's so weird...maybe a little variety? 2) In this chapter I mention Colleen's dissertation. I have never, nor do I plan on writing a dissertation, so I'm not sure if the topic would be 'approved' or not...I really couldn't come up with something better that would fit with the story. 3) I've been told so many different way on how to tell the sex of a turtle, but I'm going to go with the way my best friend (who just graduated with a degree in zoo science, so I trust her) told me.
Okay, I think that's all my notes/warnings, so ENJOY!
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Colleen followed Nim and saw the girl put Fred on her shoulder. She called Selkie over and the four started into the rain forest; Nim led with Fred, then Selkie, and Colleen took up the rear. Colleen felt every single twig, leaf, root, and chunk of mud under her feet as they walked, but she didn't want to pause or complain. What kind of scientist would I be if I complained about nature? She would repeat to herself as a mantra as they continued on.
Within minutes, they reached the edge of the forest, where the trees met sand. Nim took a right and followed the tree line down the beach for a while. When the beach became wider near some cliffs, she walked over to some rocks.
Colleen tilted her head to the side as she watched Nim bend down next to a jumble of rocks. When Nim smiled and reached in between the rocks, Colleen took a few cautious steps towards her.
"They're looking good." Nim said to Colleen as she pulled her hand out of the rocks.
"Babies?" Colleen asked, her heart rate rising at the anticipation.
"Yeah." Nim laughed, then held up one of the turtles.
Colleen gasped as she looked at the animal. "When you said 'babies', I was expecting tiny, little ones, not almost year olds."
"You can tell how old they are just by looking at them?" Nim asked, handing the turtle to Colleen.
"Oh, yes. Like I said, I have a soft spot for them." Colleen smiled widely as she took the turtle from Nim. "I also did part of my dissertation on different species and their behaviors and migratory patterns."
"Dissertation?" Nim asked, sticking her hand back in between the rocks.
"Big, long paper I had to write which got me my doctor title." Colleen explained.
Nim nodded, then pulled her hand out holding another young turtle.
Colleen plopped herself down in the sand right where she stood. She brought the turtle close to her face and examined it. Lifting it higher than her head, she glanced underneath and saw that it was female. After lowering her, Colleen placed her on the sand in between the circle of her legs that she created by putting her feet together. She watched and continued to smile as the turtle wondered around.
Nim watched Colleen as the scientist smiled at the little turtle that wondered around in the circle of her legs. She noticed that this was Colleen's element. This was where she was comfortable. This is what made her happy in a time where other things were uncertain. Catching something move out of the corner of her eye, Nim smiled, then rose from where she sat on the rock.
Colleen was so engrossed in the small turtle that she didn't realize that Nim had moved until she heard the girl's voice.
"Chica!" She said, making Colleen jump.
Colleen's head snapped up and she looked for Nim, who was running towards the edge of the water. Picking up the little turtle, Colleen walked down the beach after Nim. She paused and gasped when she saw a sea turtle making its way towards Nim.
"Nim..." She started breathlessly, staring at the turtle.
"Colleen, this is Chica. She's the mother of the baby you're holding." Nim explained, then walked closer to Colleen with Chica following behind her.
Colleen kneeled down in the sand and placed the young turtle down on the ground in front of her. She didn't want the mother to reject the little one only because she was holding it. The baby crawled over to Chica and nuzzled her nose. Colleen grinned as she watched mom and baby interact. It reminded her of the time she spent with turtles while she was working on her dissertation. Her stream of consciousness went from there: receiving her title as 'Doctor', her research, getting her own lab, buying her boat, leaving in said boat to find protozoa with colleagues and friends, then to the disaster of the storm.
Nim saw Colleen's smile slowly fade as she stared at Chica and her baby, unblinking. She frowned.
"Are you alright?" She asked Colleen, who shook her head and focused on Nim.
"Yeah, I'm okay." She replied with a forced grin.
"You can pet Chica if you want. She likes the attention...just hates it when Fred climbs on her head." Nim explained.
"I know how she feels." Colleen muttered.
Colleen then took slow shuffles closer to Chica and Nim. When she was a good foot and a half away from the turtle, she sat in the sand and waited for the turtle to come to her. She knew not to rush things even if the turtle did like attention. Once Chica noticed that Colleen was sitting in front of her, she crawled over to the woman and stretched her neck out to sniff the hand Colleen held out. Chica then opened her mouth and made a noise that sounded like a hiss.
Colleen knew that hissing from a turtle was a sign that meant leave me alone, but Chica didn't retreat to her shell like most turtles she encountered did. It looked as if Chica smiled at her, then she rubbed her head against Colleen's hand.
Colleen laughed loudly. Something she hadn't done for a very long time. There was no time for laughter of that magnitude in her field.
"I told you she likes attention." She heard Nim say from her right.
"I didn't doubt you." Colleen said softly, looking over to the girl with a true smile. Something else she hadn't let people see for a very long time.
Nim picked up one of the younger turtles and held it, petting it, then also sat down in the sand. She looked up every once in a while to look at Colleen. She smiled to herself as she watched Colleen and Chica. She saw the ignored baby crawled up onto Colleen's foot, where Colleen picked the baby up and set her on her knee. She then pet both mother and baby.
After an hour or so of sitting in the sun, playing with turtles, Nim rose and placed the baby she had back in the rocks.
"I should get to my chores." She said, looking at Colleen. "You can stay here or come with me; it doesn't matter."
Colleen looked up at Nim, then back to the turtles. As much as she didn't want to leave the turtles, she had to get out of the sun or she was going to have some major sunburn issues.
"I'll come with you. I gotta get out of the sun, anyway." She answered.
Nodding, Nim took the other baby from Colleen, then said her good-byes to Chica.
Colleen watched from behind the girl as she interacted with the animals. When she stood and turned to face her, Colleen forced a small smile as Nim walked up to her.
"I just have to go water the garden, then we'll head back to the house." Nim explained.
"Alright." Colleen replied. As long as I'm out of the sun. She thought.
Nodding once, Nim walked around Colleen and started to head back into the rain forest and towards the garden near the waterfall. Colleen followed after Nim.
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A/N: Dang...sorry that was so short. I'll have the next one out sooner to make up for the shortness of this one. (I'm watching the movie right now, so hopefully that'll inspire me.)
And I guess I should add that I actually own a turtle, so I myself have been hissed at, then snapped at. LOL!
Huh...no Jack in here either...he'll be in the next one. I swear!