“Nor me!” Rio said frantically.

“Me neither,” said Fran in her best teacher’s voice. “But Birch is right—we cannot get into the water. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t help. I’ll get onto the radio again and insist that all boats in the vicinity assist us. I will scream if I need to.” She paused and then switched her gaze to Rio. “For too long, I’ve done nothing and beaten myself up about it. It’s about time I did something useful.”

Rio gazed up at his grandmother, and an undercurrent of unspoken words flowed between them. The other two knew to stay silent. That whatever was happening was between grandmother and grandson.

Fran knelt down and clasped his shoulders. There was a naked expression on her face that Rio had never seen before, and it was unnerving to see.

“Rio . . . I fear I have let you down your whole life. Not just you, but your mother. I’m not sure if you’ll ever find it in your heart to forgive me. But I am not going to let you down here.” She paused while she took a deep breath. “We’ll do everything we can to save your whale. I promise you. And that’s not just any promise. That’s an ocean’s promise.”

Then her face crumpled as she pulled Rio to her, and it was the biggest, deepest hug of all.

When they finally drew apart, there was a calmness and serenity about her. “What do you want me do?” Rio asked.

“You, young man, are going to keep White Beak alive.”

39

Rescue

Birch had made it clear that no one but him was allowed in the water. Rio was relieved. Under the dusky sky, the sea was almost black and deeper than anything he had known.

“Marina, stay by the side of the boat and pass me the cutters when I say. Rio, your job is to make sure the Spyhopper doesn’t drift too close to White Beak. If it does, then you put it in reverse. Like this, see? And forward is here.”

Rio nodded, hoping Birch wouldn’t notice how much his hands were shaking.

“Fran will handle the radio and let us know when other boats are approaching. This is not a job we can do alone.”

Birch opened a crate and pulled out cutters, a knife, and other equipment. He passed the cutters to Marina. “I’m going to cut the ropes that are caught around her body first. Then I’ll surface, and you can pass me the knife so I can remove some of the lobster pots. And hopefully by the time I’ve done that, the other boats will have arrived and we can free the netting around her tail. Ready?”

Birch looked across at everyone, and one by one, they each gave him a thumbs-up, and without wasting another second, he disappeared below the water.

From that point on, it was almost like an operating room. Birch surfaced and instructed Marina on what he needed, and she deftly handed the correct instrument to him.