But Just Say Thanks day was the best, because it was all about giving back to those who had given so much themselves.
She was with Rick and the trainers when they had their 6:30 a.m. meeting, and she was with Grady twenty minutes later when he spoke with the rest of the staff, including the interns.
She caught Dr. Amory watching her as they all listened to Grady talk about the importance of the day. When Dr. Amory smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up sign, she returned it. She saw in his face that what he’d told her the other day had been true.
He loved Sea Life. He didn’t mind being a happy poor man.
When it was almost time for the Just Say Thanks people to arrive, she was thrilled to see that her efforts had paid off. Ely Taggerly, Grant Blackwood, Mason Martinez and Sonia Larson had all, as promised, shown up to make the day special for the vets.
Grant flirted with her—the man just couldn’t help himself, she thought—but she easily kept a safe distance.
The locals and tourists had also come out in droves to say thank-you to the veterans, and that made her even happier. Their show of support was bound to bring smiles to a lot of faces.
When the buses drove up with the soldiers and their counselors, she felt an incredible rush of pleasure at being part of something so special. She stood at the entrance, the head of their welcoming committee.
There were several hundred people lining the paths behind her, waving American flags and applauding as the soldiers entered the facility. She glanced down the line; Sea Life sponsors, from the high flyers to those who donated what few dollars they could, were mingling with all the other guests. Sonia Larson was applauding enthusiastically, a look of tremendous appreciation on her face. Lara was also glad to see Meg just a short distance away, keeping an eye open for anything out of place and potentially dangerous.
The soldiers started getting off the buses and making their way through the gate. Some walked easily while some needed canes or crutches. Still others were in wheelchairs.
Some had prosthetic arms or legs—or both. Some looked down, faces reddening, as if embarrassed by the show of appreciation. And some smiled and laughed, fist-bumping the children standing by the path and thanking those who’d come to thank them.
Once all the vets were inside the gate, they headed in groups down to the docks and the different lagoons, where the trainers would work with them. Lara helped with directions and made sure everyone knew where they were going.
She also talked to reporters and made certain that they only talked to veterans who had agreed ahead of time to be interviewed. She left one reporter with Grady, then took a minute to hang out by Cocoa’s lagoon, where Rick was taking a group in to swim with her as another group made their way out of the water.
Lara was pleased to see that her favorite dolphin was ready to show off. Even as the soldiers readied themselves to go into the water, Cocoa greeted them with a spectacular leap and a chattering sound that sounded almost like “Welcome.”
Lara paused then, and felt a wave of gratitude and emotion nearly overwhelm her as she noticed a wheelchair by the dock. It was piled high with the artificial limbs the men and women couldn’t wear into the water.
She turned to see if she could help the group whose swim had just finished, but she didn’t need to. One of the soldiers using a crutch was already standing by the wheelchair, handing out limbs.
“Hey!” one of the others called to him. “Wrong leg. Give a marine one task and he blows it!” he teased.
“That one might make you taller, GI Joe,” the marine called back.
They were young, she thought. All so young. And it occurred to her that too often there was no choice in life but to fight, and so many times the fight took the young and beautiful of the world.
“Lara,” Adrianna called to her from the platform. “Want to help piggy-back a soldier?”
She was startled; she’d had no idea she might be asked to help out in the water.
“Me?” She felt a moment’s genuine fear. What if she did something wrong?
“Cocoa knows what to do, but she likes to have someone she trusts with her.”
“I’m not wearing a suit yet.”
“There are extra suits like mine in my locker,” Adrianna said.
Lara thought Adrianna’s outfit, which was more like a T-shirt and shorts than a bathing suit, looked both comfortable and flattering.
“Come on in!” one of the soldiers called, and suddenly it was a chant.
“Okay, I’m coming! Just let me grab a suit and I’ll be right back,” she said.
She realized she was still scared, but this was also something she really wanted to do.
Meg nodded to her. “I’ll be watching the lockers,” she said quietly.