Tim grabs my hand and holds it almost as tightly as his sister is, he looks up at me with a tear and mud-streaked face…he opens his mouth and starts moving his lips his voice is barely audible.
"I'm sorry I threw up on you." Tim apologizes and yawns explosivly, "Th-thanks for saving me." He continues to say and I smile at him, "Let go of my hand for a bit little man." I say gently and Tim is too tired to actually be embarrassed but he blushes anyways not giving him time to say anything I pick him up with my left arm the kids arms quickly wrap around my neck as his legs their best to lock around my middle her presses his face against the crook of my neck and starts to cry.
"It's okay buddy, we'll all be okay, I promise, even if I have to kill all the dinosaurs on this island I'll keep us safe, we're family now." I comfort the kid and rub his back, I feel Lex making love sick eyes at me but I concentrate on Tim and following Dad, even as Lex leans against me as we walk hand in hand.
As we walk through the jungle Dad, and Lex's steps grow more uncertain and unsteady, 'They're exhausted.' I note as I watch Dad nearly fall again and it's not just the wet muddy ground.
I start looking up in the tress for a safe place to hide and get some sleep, I find one of the towering trees looks like there is a nice basket where branches have split off from the trunk.
"Dad, you and Lex can't keep this up any longer, you both need to rest." I say to the two and we all hear a certain someone's roaring in the distance.
"I am tired Lex, admits…" Her voice trembling as her head starts jerking around looking for danger.
"You're right son, let's go up this tree, come on, hurry up." There's a calm urgency to Dad's voice, and I realize he's just as terrified as Lex and Tim but he's putting on a strong front for us.
This of course makes Lex start to panic, "Why do we have to hurry, if there's nothing wrong?" Lex asks and looks at me.
"Because…I get grumpy when I don't get a nap." I joke and Lex despite herself and her fear smiles at am, and damn if it isn't a pretty smile.
Lex puts her hands on the tree, "What if we fall? I hate trees." She asks and mutters, "Don't worry, if you fall, I'll catch you." I try to reassure her, but hear music suddenly play, it's the suspenseful type like just before a Raptor pops out if the bushes, but it stops as Lex nods and starts to climb, I motion to my old man and he starts to climb too.
With Lex and Dad climbing ahead of me and Tim clinging to me in his sleep, I find myself watching the other two, giving them a push up when they need it.
"Damit Alec, I'm a grown man I don't need my son's help to climb a tree." Dad grumbles even as his breathing grows a bit laboured, "And you're carrying Tim." He adds on and I can tell he's feeling incompetent measuring himself against me.
"I hate trees!" Lex growls as her foot slips and luckily Dad has his footing so I'm able to help her.
"I'm sure Tim would be saying something along the lines of they don't bother me, computer geek." I joke and make Lex laugh, shut up Dweeb." Lex jokes back, making both dad and chuckle while Lex continues laughing.
Now, near the top of the tree, the three of us sit on thick branches just outside of the basket like nook in the center of the tree that looks big enough for five people.
Our legs dangling as we look out over the park, that is illuminated by moonlight, it's truly an incredible view.
We can see in all directions, and thanks to the full moon, there is a lot of detail, for us to see, the most striking of all are dozens of "sauropod" heads, at the end of
long necks, that tower over the park.
Tim stirs away, "Hey! Those are brontosauruses…I mean, those are
brachiosauruses!" Tim shouts in a way that shows just how wonderful he finds the sight of the Long Necks, even with everything we've gone through tonight.
"It's okay to call them brontosaurs, Tim. It's a great name…it's a romantic name, it means "thunder lizard."" I stare at Dad, my mouth hanging open at that.
"Thunder lizard!" Tim murmurs, totally digging the name.
"What's with that look Alec?" Dad asks me and I start to wonder who this guy is for a second before he cracks a smile at me, and I realize he's trying to keep Tim's mind off of everything going on.
Dad moves into the basket, and leans his back against a solid web of branches and settles himself in, "Here hand him to me then help get Lex settled in." Dad says to me and I pass him Tim, Tim curls against Dad like a cat and yawns even though he's probably gotten two to four hours of sleep.
Helping Lex into the nook, I lean back against the trunk of the tree, with a little bit of room between me and Dad, Tim is on his left side, there is enough room on either side of me for Lex but Lex chooses to nestle herself against my right side.
Lex's right hand makes a fist in my shirt as her ear rests over my heart.
The forest…jungle seems silent now that we've been quiet for a few moments, before hooting birds and some other animal calls fill the air with sounds that are almost musical.
"Listen to that…it sounds like they're singing!" Tim says and I almost agree it does almost sound like music especially when the Long Necks start making deep bassy noises.
Dad hummus, "Of course no one's ever heard one from a dinosaur before, but…I…swear that these sounds sound…suspiciously like a mating call…in an all-female environment…" Dad trails off, as he casts a look at me, there is a bit of suspicion in his blue eyed gaze but he looks away quickly enough.
"On an all-girl island?" Lex asks disbelievingly.
"It is possible…" I tell her and notice how Dad is smiling, enchanted at the sight of the "Thunder Lizards" Dad brings his hands up to either side of his mouth making a circle and tries to mimic the calls, of the brantasouras, immediately, five…six Long Necks lift their heads and turn in our
direction and call back.
"Do-doctor Grant, don-don't make the monsters come over here!"
Lex stutters in a whisper like shout.
"They're not monsters, Lex. They're just animals, these are herbivores…" I gently say to Lex while squeezing her waist to offer her comfort, support, and stability.
"That means they only eat vegetables….but for you, I think they'd make an exception." Tim snarks and lets out a little laugh at the indignant noise his big sister makes.
"Tim…" Dad mutters warningly.
"Shut it, Dorkatops!" Lex shoots back at Tim and I find it hard not to laugh.
"You shut up, Straight-A brainiac!" Tim shoots back at his sister, and Dad sighs, "Could you guys possibly cool that for a…" Lex lets out a huff, which satisfies Tim, and settles in for the night snuggling against Dad, making the man shift uncomfortably.
Dad shifts while trying to get comfortable, but makes an uncomfortable facial expression, as he reaches for something in his pocket that is poking him, he winces and digs out the velociraptor claw he unearthed so long ago in Montana on his…our first dig together me with my little plastic shovel as a four year old making more of a mess than actually helping, and then him taking it away and using his hands to show me how to move the dirt or sand away from the fossils.
He looks at what used to be his most prized possession in life, an expression on his face that tells me he's lost in deep thought staring at this thing that used to be so priceless.
"Hey, Doctor Grant, are you worrying about what you're going to do now that don't have to dig up
dinosaur bones any more?" Lex asks my Dad, her voice gentle and caring.
Dad lets out a sigh sounding lost, "
I guess I'll just have to evolve…" Dad murmurs and I can tell that he hasn't given up yet.
"What do you call a blind dinosaur?" Tim asks, and I nearly laugh as I mentally thank the kid for helping keep Dad out of his own head.
"I don't know. What do you call a blind dinosaur?" Dad asks him.
"A Do-you-thunk-he-saw-us-sarus?" Tim answers before asking another joke, "What do you call a blind dinosaur's dog?" Dad plays along, "You got me."
"A Do-you-think-he-saurus Rex." Tim says while giggling, and Dad laughs placatingly, Dad and Tim both finally close their eyes, but after a
moment or two. Lex asks, " What if the T-rex dinosaur comes while we're all asleep?"
"Don't worry I'll stay awake." Dad and I say at the same time and look at each other and smile, Dad can barely keep his eyes open.
"All night?" Lex asks me with skepticism clearly carried in her voice.
"Yup, I'm a night owl." I joke and get a chuckle from dad, "Yeah, Alec is naturally nocturnal…and yes we'll keep watch all night." Dad jokes in a mix of honesty and seriousness.
"Goodnight." Lex murmurs and each of us repeat the platitude, maybe five minutes pass and both Tim and Lex are passed out cold, "I'm proud of you Alec, and I love you son." My new father says to me and my eyes water, "I love you too dad." I mutter back but he's already asleep and snoring softly, bringing my left hand up. I self-consciously wipe away the moisture at the corners of my eyes from all the dust and pollen in the air.
'I'll have to remember to grab that in the morning.' I think as the raptor claw slips from Dad's sleeping hand and falls to the ground.