The water at ten feet deep was a minty green but the man shape appeared as a dark shadow to her as she rose through the water. Silhouetted against the surface, he was easy to spot. She recognized his scent.

Gently bridging him across her broad snout she headed to the eastern shore.

With the human safely on solid ground, Abigail licked his face with a rough tongue and then slid back into the water. She could sense that Beatrice was near. She swam to find her daughter.

~~

Tommy looked up as Rob entered the hospital room. "Oh, hi Rob. I've had the most amazing dream. I dreamt I was kissed by a dragon." There was a dopey grin on his face but his eyes seemed a little vague.

"How's the head?" Rob asked by way of a greeting.

"Oh, it's ok, I guess," Tommy touched his bandages. "I have this wonderful button I push when it gets bad."

That explained the eyes but Rob wanted to test his memory a bit more. He closed the door to the room and sat next to his boss." Tell me a little more about this dragon."

Later, Rob gave Sheila an update, "he thinks it was all a dream; finding Abigail, raising two baby dragons, the Association. Everything."

He listened to Sheila's question and responded, "well, I told him the doctors might think him crazy if he told them about raising dragons, so maybe he'll keep it to himself. But, in his state, they probably wouldn't believe him anyways."

Sheila told Rob that she had been on the phone with the board of directors all morning and asked if he would stay on at Lake Seminole to monitor Abigail and Beatrice. "We're thinking six months ought to be enough. Is that alright?"

"Sure, and I can keep an eye on Tommy while I am here."

"Well, actually, they want me to come down there and care for him. The Trust has access to a lake cottage. We'll move him there until we see if his memory comes back." She paused, "I sorta volunteered. There is room for you at the cottage, too, so you won't have to find a place to stay."

"Great," Rob enthused. "We'll make a great team."

Rob couldn't see it but Sheila's cheeks colored slightly.

Beatrice was at peace. The sanctuary meant 'home'. It didn't hurt that Abigail was making a big fuss over her. The mother/daughter relationship had been a bit strained in the past.

If those years of wandering taught Beatrice anything, it was that family does matter. She snuggled into a nook in the grotto. She could see herself staying on. It wasn't such a bad place to raise a family.