Ellie was startled from her sleep the next morning by a loud squawking sound that seemed to be coming from inside her cubicle. Her eyes snapped open and she raised her head from the pillow, looking around for the source of the noise she had heard. Everything was as she had left it the night before; nothing in the cubicle appeared to be out of the ordinary. She was just about to pass off the odd screech as a dream and lie back down when her eyes fell upon the peculiar moving shadow in the square of sunshine on the floor. Rising up on her elbow, she looked toward the window.
A wild conure sat on the window sill, preening its green and yellow plumage in the morning sunlight, apparently unaware of the human it had disturbed. Moving slowly to avoid scaring it, Ellie sat up on her bed and watched as the colorful bird fluffed its feathers, shaking loose the dander and old feathers, then returned to its grooming.
�Hello there,� Ellie said, softly.
The bird immediately halted its preening and cocked its head to gaze at her suspiciously through eyes that resembled shiny black beads.
�It�s okay,� she said, keeping her voice quiet. Slowly, she rose from the bed and walked toward it. She stopped a short distance away, wishing she could pet it, yet knowing that there was no way a wild bird would allow her to touch it.
It continued to watch her with curiosity. It likely had never seen a human before, for it did not seem particularly frightened of her, simply wary of the two legged creature that stood nearby. It opened its hooked beak and squawked again, as if informing her that she had come close enough.
�Sh,� she told the bird, glancing quickly at the gray wall that separated her cubicle from the one in which Alan was sleeping. �I don�t want you to wake Alan. He needs his rest.�
As if offended by her request for quiet, the conure turned its back to her, opened its wings and launched itself off the window sill. Ellie closed the distance to the window and watched as it soared over the treetops and disappeared into the vastness of the sky.
Bird dander and feathers littered the window sill, so she leaned over and blew them out, then leaned against the wall beside it to gaze out at the dawn. It was a beautiful morning with a brilliant sun and only a mild breeze. It would have been a perfect day to get out into the field to study the animals, but that would have to wait for another day, when she and Alan were completely well.
She was feeling much better that morning. Her fever had climaxed overnight, as Alan�s had done the night before, and she pressed a hand to her cheek, checking to be sure, and was relieved that the excessive heat in her skin was gone. The sore throat was also better. Reaching high over her head with her arms, she stretched the stiffness from her back.
Moving closer to the gray fabric wall, she listened carefully, but heard no sound from Alan�s cubicle, so she slipped quietly through her curtain and paused near his door.
�Alan, are you awake?� she asked, her voice barely above a whisper to avoid disturbing him if he was asleep.
She heard no reply, or the sound of rustling sheets or any other signs of movement to indicate that he was awake, so she parted his curtain with her hand to check on him, expecting to find him sound asleep. To her surprise, she saw only his empty bed and rumpled sheets.
For some reason, Alan had gotten out of bed and left the room. Wondering why he had not summoned her to bring whatever it was he wanted, she hurried into the hallway. She found him standing before the open closet near the bathroom, slowly pulling a bath towel from the stack of clean towels. Draping the towel over his left arm, he then reached for a wash cloth. With both items in hand, he paused briefly to press his right hand against the huge, painful bruise on his back, and then he turned toward the bathroom. It was obvious that he intended to clean himself up.
�Alan!� she exclaimed so abruptly that he flinched as he turned toward her. �You shouldn�t be up!�
He raised his hand to cut her off, a grimly determined expression on his face. He was not looking forward to the task, but he would not be dissuaded from it either. �Don�t �mother hen� me, Ellie. I haven�t had a shower or shaved in two days. My face feels like a Brillo pad, and I look like something the cat dragged in, plus I still have on the same pair of jeans I was wearing two days ago. I wasn�t able to take them off when I went to bed that first night.�
�You should have said something! I can shave you in bed and give you a rubdown and help you into clean clothes,� she objected as she hurried to his side. �Really, you shouldn�t be up yet!�
�Save your breath, honey,� he said, his voice kind but firm as he affectionately pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger. �The only way I�m going to feel clean is to drench myself in water and work up a good lather, and that is what I intend to do.�
�Then let me help you,� she suggested, grasping his arm as if he was an elderly person needing assistance. �You don�t have much freedom of movement right now, and this is a pretty big task so soon after the accident.�
�I�m a big boy,� he told her. �I�m quite capable of bathing myself.�
For the first time, an amused smile smoothed the concerned frown on her face. �Alan, it�s no big deal. I mean, it isn�t as if I�ve never seen you before, and it isn�t as though a complete stranger was offering, you know.�
He smiled, inwardly; in ways that he would not tell her at that moment, it would have been much easier if she had been a complete stranger. �I know, I know. This is just something I want to do by myself, and I don�t need any help. Now, if you�ll excuse me . . .� He started to push the bathroom door open.
With reluctance, she finally relented. �All right, but I�ll be right out here. Just let me know if you need me.�
He stopped and turned to face her again, but he couldn�t bring himself to be annoyed with her. The love and concern he saw in her eyes touched him deeply. �Ellie, I know you�re concerned, but everything is fine. I�m not going to keel over in the shower. There�s no need to worry.� He waved her away with his hand. �Just go ahead and do whatever you normally do when you get up.�
She hesitated. �Well, if you�re sure.�
�I�m sure.�
�Well, okay, then. I�ll go downstairs and put on a pot of coffee, then I�ll come back up to take my own shower.�
�Okay, just mind the sign,� he added as he flipped the sign on the bathroom door to the �occupied� position. �This is going to be a slow process, so give me some extra time to get it done.�
�Okay.� She moved away a few steps, then turned back to face him again with a worried expression.
He waved her away again, more forcefully than before, but his smile assured her that he was not upset with her. �Go!� He pushed open the bathroom door and went inside.
Ellie watched as the door swept shut, and sighed. She understood his need for privacy and also his reluctance to accept her help. In his place, she probably would have reacted the same way. He had accepted her attention and assistance when it was needed, but it appeared that he was ready to start doing things for himself again. He was stubborn, but he was also strong willed, and it was that strong will that had pulled him through so many accidents and injuries. It would see him through this one as well.
She returned to her own cubical, engaging herself in a bit of soul-searching, wondering if perhaps it was her need to mother that caused her to fuss so much over Alan. She had never fussed so much over Mark, but she had the children to occupy her time and energy. They had needed her, and she had relished in the fulfillment of caring for them. That sense of wanting to be needed had remained, even though her family was gone, and she realized that she was now directing that need toward Alan in an irrational manner.
�You should have paid more attention in your psyche class,� she said aloud to herself as she snatched her jeans up off the floor. �Maybe then you�d have some insight on what makes you so doting.�
She dressed in the clothing she had worn the day before, preferring to wait before putting on clean ones until after she had her shower. After raking a brush through her hair, she left her cubicle and emerged into the hallway just as a sudden shout echoed from inside the bathroom.
Startled, certain that Alan had slipped and fallen or somehow caused himself serious injury, she rushed down the corridor. Just as her hands touched the door, she heard him exclaim, �Damn, that�s cold!�
With a relieved sigh and a knowing smile in complete understanding of the effects unheated water had on the half-asleep human body, she backed away from the door and proceeded down the stairs at a brisk trot.
Because she liked the fresh air, Ellie tended to leave the window of her cubicle open during the night, which could be quickly closed if necessary, but as always, the solid doors and windows downstairs had been closed the night before in the event of an unexpected overnight rain shower. This practice left the interior very dark, so as she passed the front door, she pulled it open, and pushed it back against the wall before continuing on to the kitchen. She flipped on the kitchen light as she entered, and immediately put on a pot of coffee. While it brewed, she went to the back door and opened it to let the mild breeze drift through the building.
Slipping her arms through the bars on the protective outer door, she leaned against it and gazed out across the meadow toward the jungle beyond the garden, thinking about Alan and wondering what the future held for the two of them. Sometimes, it was difficult to determine what thoughts were hiding behind those opaque blue eyes of his. He was a complex man, but she was certain he still cared for her. She had felt it in his touch that morning, and she now understood the unspoken reason why he had been reluctant to accept her help in the shower. It was a conscious decision that had less to do with his independence or modesty than it had with the closeness they would have shared in such a vulnerable moment. He was holding back, refusing to place themselves in a situation that could lead to intimacy. He had gone out of his way to maintain individual privacy, even creating the sign for the bathroom door. What she was uncertain of was whether he was allowing her the time to heal from her loss before they moved forward, or if he was resisting the notion of rekindling their relationship altogether.
She remained at the door, lost in thought for a long time, but when the tantalizing aroma of brewing coffee drifted through the rooms, she knew it was time to decide what to prepare for breakfast.
Pushing away from the door, Ellie turned around and nearly bumped into Alan, who had come up from behind to see what she was looking at. Barefoot, he had made no sound, and she had been totally unaware of his presence.
He stepped back to avoid being bumped, and she did the same with an apologetic smile. �Sorry, I didn�t see you standing there!� she said.
Freshly washed and shaved, he looked much better. His damp hair was clean, and the bristly stubble was gone from his face, leaving it smooth and handsome. He was dressed in khakis and a tee shirt, which he had not bothered to tuck into his waistband. Too much effort was involved in the procedure.
Reaching up to caress the smooth skin of his cheek, she added, �Hey, you look more like the Alan I know!�
�I feel more like the Alan you know . . . . well, almost. At the moment, I�m afraid I�m damaged merchandise.�
�Only temporarily,� she said. �You�ll be as good as new before long. You know, I�m not trying to nag, but you really should go back to bed for a few more days to protect those ribs.�
�Nope, I�ve had enough of lying in bed looking at four gray walls. I�m going to have my meals down here today, and I�m going to work in my office. I need to go over the videos we shot of the Parasaurolophus the other day.�
She drew a breath to speak, but he abruptly raised his hand to cut her off.
Pointing his forefinger in front of her face, he lifted his eyebrows. �No buts! I promise, I�ll be careful,� he told her.
�I wasn�t going to say anything about that!� she protested. �I was just going to ask what you want for breakfast.�
His smile was sheepish. �Oh. Sorry. I don�t know; a bowl of cereal, I guess.�
�Yeah, we need to start using those up,� she said as she moved away from the door and back into the kitchen. �We�ll be getting another supply drop in three weeks, so we�ll want fresh stuff.�
�You looked a million miles away when I came down here. What were you looking at just now?� he asked, curiously as he followed her to the pantry.
�Oh, nothing, really. Just looking at the jungle out there past the garden. I can�t believe how quickly I�ve adapted to living out here in the wilderness!�
He scratched his head, rumpling up his damp hair. �You know, it�s been a couple of days since I�ve been in the garden. We really need to get in there today and start picking some of the vegetables.�
�What is this �we�?� she asked. �I�ll be doing any picking that needs doing for a few more days.�
�It isn�t hurting so bad today,� he insisted. �In fact, I feel quite good today.�
�Even so, you could turn wrong or you could trip or do something else that makes it worse.�
�I�ll be careful, but I will be going out with you. After being shut in these past few days, a little fresh air and sunshine is very appealing.�
�All right, but remember, you�re just there to observe,� she warned.
A smile played around the corner of his lips, indicating that he was amused with her protectiveness of him. �Yes, ma�am.� He peered over her shoulder at the titles on the variety of cereal boxes, and finally selected the one that held the most appeal to him at that moment. �Too bad we have to use canned milk to pour over it. It just isn�t as good as fresh milk.�
�Yeah, I know,� she agreed as she removed two bowls from the cupboard. �Fresh milk only stays good for so long. Still, we should be grateful we even have that. Otherwise, we�d have to eat it completely dry.�
�Sometimes, I think that might be preferable!� he quipped. �When I was a kid, I used to eat it right out of the box.�
�I think every kid used to do that.�
They shook some of the cereal out of the boxes into the bowls, poured the canned milk over it, and then carried them and their cups of coffee into the dining room, and sat down. Alan moved more slowly than usual, and was very careful not to lean back against the hard back rest as he eased himself into one of the chairs. When he was finished, he folded his arms on the table top and sighed, heavily, deep in thought.
Ellie had always been in tune with his moods, and knew when to cheer him up and when to leave him alone, but this time she was uncertain what was bothering him. �You seem down. What�s wrong?� she inquired.
�Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking about you standing at the door looking out at the jungle. It makes me want to get out in the field again. It�s just hard, knowing that I�m going to have to take it easy for a couple more weeks. I�m not used to being inactive. This is going to throw my research behind schedule.�
She placed her hand on his arm and squeezed it with great affection. �I know it�s rough, but it�ll pass before you know it, and we�ll get back on schedule. Remember, there�s two of us, now.�
He smiled. �Yeah, I know. Guess we�ll both get back into shape together.�
She laughed. �I hadn�t thought of it like that, but yeah, I guess we will. Are you finished? I�ll take your plate.�
�Yeah.�
�I�ll take care of the dishes.�
�I can help,� he told her. �You wash, I�ll rinse.�
Ellie fetched the bucket of water with which to wash the dishes, but she agreed to allow Alan to help her with the dishes. As soon as they were washed, they went out to the garden, and while Ellie picked the squash and cucumbers, Alan picked the tomatoes that were high enough on the stakes that he was not forced to bend over to get to them. Ellie then went behind him, picking the ones that were hanging near the ground.
�I really miss my hat,� Alan lamented as he moved to the corner of the fence and watched Ellie reach under one of the tomato plants to collect the large red fruit he had been unable to reach. �I feel rather naked without it.�
Ellie giggled. �I�m really going to have to show you the video I took of that Brachiosaurus stealing your hat. It was one of the funniest things I�ve ever seen!�
He smiled, recalling her hysterical laughter, and even though he remembered it had been immediately followed by her emotional breakdown, he did not mention it. It was hard to believe that it had occurred less than a week ago. Since then, she had made tremendous progress toward her emotional recovery. �Yeah, I felt pretty foolish,� he admitted. �I�ve never known one of them to do something like that before.�
Kneeling on the ground beside the staked tomato vines, Ellie paused in her work to watch while Alan leaned his left arm on the fence rail and lifted his eyes to the nearby forest, still longing to get back in the field.
Spying a movement behind him, she shifted her gaze to identify it, and was startled to see a small herd of Protoceratops lumbering slowly toward them, grazing their way across the compound. Shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand, she stood up. �Hey, Alan, look!�
Tearing his eyes from the forest, Alan turned around, following Ellie�s pointing finger. Five of the stocky, armored dinosaurs were moving slowly toward them, cropping at clumps of tall grass as they progressed.
�You can�t go to them, so it looks like they�re coming to you!� she told him.
�Yeah, looks like it,� he agreed.
Moving closer to the fence, Ellie observed the dinosaurs with great interest. She had known that this particular species existed on the island, for Alan had encountered one during the hike from the airstrip on Ellie�s first day, but it was one she had not actually seen with her own eyes. They were small compared to their cousins, the Triceratops, standing only about three feet high at the shoulder. Like the Trikes, they walked on four stout legs, had a high rounded back, and possessed an ornamental frill at the base of their skulls, but they did not display the magnificent trio of horns on their beaked faces.
It was also the first time since her arrival that she had seen animals in the compound. Protected by the sturdy fence, neither Alan nor Ellie felt threatened by the presence of the herbivores as they moved closer to the garden.
One of the animals came right up to them, cropping the taller grasses that grew against the fence, and Ellie knelt down before it and pressed her face against the welded rebar to watch with fascination. Only mildly alarmed, it uttered a low, guttural sound, clearly a warning for her to keep her distance. Then, with a slight toss of its massive head as if to dismiss her, it returned to its foraging, but kept a wary eye trained on her.
�It�s about the same size as the farm hogs my uncle used to raise,� Ellie marveled. �I�ve seen their skeletons, but somehow I thought they�d be bigger.�
�You�ve been away from it for a while,� he reminded her. �Tell me; what�s the time frame for the species?�
Ellie thought for a moment, seeking the dinosaur studies that had been committed to memory years ago and stored in the back of her mind throughout her marriage. �Um, Cretaceous period. Late. Found primarily in . . . China and Mongolia.�
�Very good,� he praised.
She looked up at him appreciatively. He had always been a good instructor, pushing his students hard, but rewarding good work and accomplishments with individual recognition. Reminded that she had been informed weeks ago that he was no longer teaching, she found herself wondering what had caused him to leave a profession that he had loved. This did not seem the appropriate time to bring up the subject, but she was determined that she would ask later.
�Give it one of the tomatoes,� Alan suggested.
This surprised her. �Are you sure you want to interact with it?�
�Sure, go ahead. We have more than we�ll ever eat. Use the ones that are cracked or blemished. �
�I know, but Malcolm told me that Hammond didn�t want his expedition to deliberately interact with them. He said they were there to observe and document only.�
�That was his expedition. This is my expedition. I�ve been interacting with them in one way or another since I got here. Remember when we captured the Compie? I�ve captured several of them. Besides, you think a Brachiosaur eats a Fedora every day?� he asked with a smile. �No, in my opinion, the best way to study their behavior is to get up close and personal, as long as it�s in a safe environment.�
�Okay.� Reaching into the bucket, Ellie withdrew one of the tomatoes and extended her arm through the fence, offering it to the nearest Protoceratops. At first it warily shied away from her hand, but then it detected the smell of the tomato. Curiously, it moved its head closer and sniffed at the fruit.
�Watch your fingers,� Alan cautioned, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. �There�s a lot of pressure in those jaws.�
The creature�s tongue came out of its parrot-like beak, wrapped around the fruit, and pulled it into its mouth. It must have liked the flavor, because after it was chewed up and swallowed, the young dinosaur nuzzled at her hand, searching for another. She quickly obliged.
While the animal was occupied with the tomatoes that Ellie was offering, Alan very carefully sank to his knees and reached through the fence to place his hand on its flank. Slowly, he dragged his hand along its body, feeling the hard, pebbly texture of the skin.
�It�s very hard and rough, like that of the Trike,� he told her. �It feels like it would be really thick and tough. Since it doesn�t have any defensive tools, other than that frill, it would make sense that it would develop skin that was difficult to puncture.�
Offering it another tomato with her right hand, Ellie used her left hand to stroke the animal�s face, taking particular note of the hard beak. Her heart accelerated with the thrill of discovery, reminding her of the examination of the Triceratops in Jurassic Park so many years ago.
The entire scene was surreal, like a spectacular dream. To view a herd of dinosaurs in their normal jungle or meadow setting was one thing, but to be standing near a modern building, looking at and actually touching a prehistoric beast seemed to be a contradiction of the natural order of time and history. That both could exist at the same time was a testament to how far mankind had come in the way of scientific discovery.
The other animals did not come close enough to touch, and were making their way slowly around the edge of the garden, passing between the garden and the dormitory. Drawn by the herding instinct, the one that the two scientists had been examining finally moved away from them, following its companions.
Alan and Ellie stood up and moved to the other side of the garden to watch them. It took nearly a half hour for the animals to graze their way across the compound, then they proceeded up the hill and out of the immediate area.
Ellie turned to look at Alan, who was still intently watching the dinosaurs as they disappeared into the jungle. �So, are you feeling better now?�
He smiled. �Much better. Well, I guess if we�re finished here, I�ll go inside and get started on that film footage.�
�While you do that, I�ll get cleaned up.�
Returning to the dorm, Ellie went upstairs to shower and Alan went into the office and sat down at his desk. First, he removed the telephone from the drawer and hooked it up to the charger. Then, he spent part of the morning studying the film footage he and Ellie had taken of the Parasaurolophus while she laid her eggs, comparing the footage to the notes he had written down the day before and making adjustments where necessary for an accurate accounting of the event.
After lunch, he lay down on the sofa and took a nap, and after supper, he and Ellie went into the living room to relax for a while before retiring. Ellie sat down on the sofa, but Alan sat down carefully in the large easy chair, obviously to avoid being jostled if she shifted position beside him on the sofa.
For a long time, neither spoke, but instead sat listening to the sounds of nature outside. Only, the sounds of nature weren�t the normal sounds of owls hooting or crickets chirping. It was the occasional eerie cries and calls of the dinosaurs in the distance, and Alan laid his head back and closed his eyes, as if trying to envision them in his mind.
The windows and doors were wide open to permit the cooling breeze to enter the building, and as she gazed at Alan in the silvery glow of moonlight, Ellie�s thoughts returned to the questions she had regarding Alan�s employment. She had not approached him about it since her arrival, but now, in the still of a quiet evening, she revisited those thoughts.
When she finally spoke, there was hesitancy in her voice, as if she feared she was treading uninvited into forbidden territory. "Alan?�
He lifted his head and opened his eyes. �Hm?�
�I�ve been wondering about something. Why did you leave your jobs at the museum and the university? You worked so hard for your achievements. I couldn�t believe that you had left like that."
His eyes expressed surprise in response to her query. Since her arrival, they had discussed many things, but never the events that had directly influenced his decision to come to the island. "How did you find out about that?"
"Well, when I decided I wanted to go back to work with you, I called the University first, expecting you would be in class. They said you were taking an extended sabbatical, so I called the museum. Peg told me you had just left one day and never came back. No one seemed to know what had happened or why you had left. Why? Your work was your life. All the degrees you earned ---"
"I had no say in it, Ellie,� he interrupted. �The degrees I worked so hard to achieve are just worthless pieces of paper encased in frames and stored in a box in the back of my closet."
She remembered the diplomas, degrees, awards, and special achievements that he had earned throughout his life and had been prominently displayed in his office at the museum. They had, in fact, covered one entire wall, an impressive record of his life as a world renowned paleontologist. He had earned every one of them through dedication and hard work. She, more than anyone else, knew how dedicated he was to his work.
Reaching for the lamp on the table, she found the switch and turned it on. Light illuminated the room, and she instantly knew that something dramatic had occurred in his life since she had seen him the previous summer. "In your closet?" she asked. "Why? What happened?"
He knew she was remembering the wall on which he had displayed his life�s achievements. His gaze slid dejectedly to the floor, as if ashamed. "I had a bit of a falling out with the museum administrators, Ellie. In the end, it was suggested that I should leave, at least for awhile."
For a moment, she could not speak. Because his work had always been his life, it seemed totally inconceivable that he had no job to go to. �I don�t understand. You�re the Curator of Paleontology! You�ve always been the best. You�ve brought in more quality museum exhibits than anyone else! Did they hire someone to replace you?" The very idea of replacing Alan Grant seemed ludicrous, but she could think of no other reason why he would be let go.
�No, I wasn�t replaced.� He refused to meet her shocked gaze, concentrating instead on a small tear in the fabric of the chair in which he sat, probing at it with his fingers as if it held the utmost interest. Always a man of great dignity and self-respect, she knew his pride was severely wounded by the loss of employment in a profession he loved. "It�s been gradually building toward this for a long time. I couldn�t get funding for my digs, Ellie. Everywhere I went, it was always the same: No one wants to donate money to dig up old bones when living, breathing specimens are here on this island, waiting to be studied. I had to abandon the dig site in Montana last summer because we ran out of money.�
�That was why you were in Arlington last summer,� she recalled. �To try to find investors in the project. They weren�t interested?�
�In a word, no. After my appeal, they all looked at me like I was some kind of idiot. I felt like I was standing on stage in my underwear.�
She smiled, softly. �It couldn�t have been that bad.�
�It was worse. I don�t think I�ve ever felt that vulnerable in front of a crowd of potential investors. Always before, they were willing, eager in fact, to participate in new discoveries and new finds. Dinosaur discovery was once the primary topic that investors were interested in, because there were always new facts, new ideas and theories to turn the paleontology world upside down. When word first came out about the existence of these islands, people flocked to the museum in droves to view the dinosaur exhibits and everyone wanted to hear my lectures. For awhile, I couldn�t keep up with all the invitations. It wasn�t long, though, before their interest in looking at fossilized bones faded. Dinosaurs of the past have become unimportant. They want to see real, living, breathing dinosaurs."
"But you�re a dinosaur expert! The best in the world!�
His smile was bitter. "Well, I don�t know about that. It wasn�t enough to keep my job. Because of falling attendance in the dinosaur exhibits, the administrators at the museum decided to rethink their position on the search and discovery of fossils. I was released from my �contractual obligations� until such a time as my services are considered remunerative."
"You�ve been such an asset to the museum over the years, I can�t believe they would just let you go like that! There must surely be something for you to do!"
He sighed, despondently. "I�ve tried explaining that the specimens on this island are not even genetically pure; that frog DNA was used to complete the gene sequence codes, but no one wants to hear about that. They�ve scaled back the exhibits and even removed some of my finer discoveries. My Velociraptor display, the most complete set of skeletons in the world, is collecting dust in a back room due to lack of interest."
Ellie�s heart sank. "What about the classes at the university?"
"They are extinct," he said with a wry smile. "There weren�t enough students enrolled in paleontology to justify placing the class on the fall semester, so they went the way of the true dinosaurs. They said they would notify me if interest picks up this fall, but I�m not holding my breath."
"What made you decide to come back here?"
"What else is an out of work dinosaur hunter going to do? Other paleontologists are having the same troubles I am with funding, and they have been petitioning the U.S. and Costa Rican governments for permission to come to the islands to conduct extensive studies of the animals. So . . . . "
"So, if you can�t beat �em, join �em," Ellie guessed.
Again, his smile was bitter and ironic. "No, I had no intention of joining them � I had to get here first, before the governments got together on this matter and allowed them in. I knew I had a better shot at it than they did because I had actually seen them, and had been a survivor of the Park. That gave me an edge. After everything I had been through during my first two visits to these islands, I felt I had a fundamental right to study them first. I had to get down here before someone else beat me to it."
"So, you asked Mark to help cut through the red tape?"
Abandoning his interest in the marred chair, his eyes darted to her face, surprised. "Did he tell you anything about that?"
"Actually, no.� She shrugged, remembering that strange conversation in the car the night of the accident, and even a few incidents before that. �Well, I knew something was going on just before he was killed. He was so secretive, and I kept feeling him staring at me like he wanted to say something, but he never did. I would ask him what was going on, but he would reply that it wasn�t anything I needed to concern myself with. I never would have guessed that it involved you. I didn�t find out anything about it until I started trying to find you. When I discovered that you were no longer in Montana, I just had a bad feeling you might be down here, so I went to the State Department and quizzed one of Mark�s associates until he finally told me.�
This brought a smile to his lips. �Somehow, that isn�t hard to imagine.�
Ignoring his obvious reference to her relentless persistence, she continued, �He had taken over the case files after Mark�s death because he was familiar with it. When I was talking to him, I had the feeling that Mark must have told him about us, about our past.� She shook her head, as if bewildered, but experienced a newly found respect for Mark�s persuasive abilities. "Both governments have been so indecisive about these islands. I can�t believe he was able to pull it off."
"I was surprised he did it so quickly," Alan agreed. ��Do you think it bothered Mark, knowing about us?�
�If you had asked me that before, I would have said no. He never let on that it bothered him. I mean, he had a past too, with other women, so I never really thought about it. But while I was at the State Department, Kevin kept looking at me with this peculiar expression on his face, like he was wondering just what our relationship may have been.�
�How much do you think Mark told him?�
�I don�t know. I seriously doubt he told him that we were lovers, or anything like that, but he must have made it apparent that we did have a past.�
�That would have been obvious, since we worked very closely together.� He paused, then added with respect. "He seemed a decent man."
Ellie nodded, slowly. "Yes, he was."
Awkward silence settled over them for a short time as each of them thought back to the old days, when summers had been spent on dig site and winters had been spent in the classroom. Even while married, Ellie had missed those times, and she knew that Alan did, too. Shrugging aside those thoughts, she turned the conversation back to the paleontologist.
"Alan, why did you come down here alone? Any number of people would have given their eye teeth for the opportunity to come down here with you to study these animals."
"Right,� he said with a twinge of sarcasm. �A bunch of eager, excited tourists tramping carelessly and noisily around the island, calling attention to themselves, displaying no regard to safety, and getting themselves eaten by the carnivores. I�ve already experienced that, thank you." He grimaced, remembering the savage attack on the airplane by the Spinosaurus during his previous visit to the island. It had been the most frightening experience he had ever encountered. "I�m tired of seeing people eaten alive, Ellie. Their screams will haunt me for the rest of my life. I decided that one person alone stood the best chance of observing these animals. Alone, I can blend in and move about the forest virtually unnoticed."
"I wasn�t thinking about inexperienced amateurs. I was suggesting maybe one or two of the more renowned paleontologists."
�Hammond�s nephew hired a renowned paleontologist when he was having his delusions about opening a park in San Diego. He was killed by a T-Rex during Malcolm�s exhibition,� he reminded her. �I was familiar with his work. He was a good scientist, but like everyone else, he got careless, taken in by the overwhelming achievements InGen created. There is something about this place that causes people to lose sight of the danger they are in. No, when John Hammond took us to Jurassic Park, he initially thrust me into the middle of this situation without revealing to me what I was up against. I will be damned if I�m going to share this experience with any of them."
Ellie was surprised. By sheer necessity, paleontology involved many people, all sharing in the hard work and the glory of discovery. To hear him guard his research so jealously was uncharacteristic.
Alan saw her expression and understood exactly what she was thinking. "I know that sounds selfish of me, but sharing a dig site with students and volunteers is very different than sharing this island with other paleontologists of equal rank. This is my last great discovery, Ellie. I intend to get the credit for it."
"I�m not judging you," she said. "It just doesn�t sound like you, hearing you talk like this. Still, after everything you�ve been through, it isn�t really surprising that you would feel that way."
"You don�t have to be polite. I�ve been an absolute jerk at times, blaming Hammond and his geneticists for nullifying my career, becoming defensive every time someone mentions this place. But all that changes nothing. This place is here, it�s real, and I have to deal with it."
�You don�t have to deal with it alone, you know,� she said with a gentle smile. �I�m here, and we�ve always been a pretty good team, if I do say so myself.�
He couldn�t suppress his smile in response to hers. She had always had a positive affect on him. �You�re the only one I would welcome to help me in this,� he admitted. �In fact, nothing pleases me more than having you here. However, it�s going to be pretty boring around here until I�m able to get back out in the field.�
�I have an idea. In a week or two, when you�re able to move about more freely, why don�t we go over to the research center? You won�t be ready to be out in the field by then, but you should be able to move around without too much discomfort.�
His surprised expression indicated that he had forgotten all about the research center and his promise to show it to her. �That would give us something constructive to do, wouldn�t it?�
�Yes, and you promised me when I first arrived that you�d take me over there to look around. We haven�t done that yet, and I�m dying of curiosity to see what the researchers were up to.�
He nodded in agreement. �All right, that�s a good idea. There�s a lot to see over there.� He yawned, sleepily. �Well, it�s been a pretty busy day and I�m getting tired, so I think I�ll go on up to bed.�
She bit back the offer to help that immediately sprang to her tongue, knowing that it would be rejected. �Okay. I�ll see you in the morning.�
�Good night.�
Slowly, using the arms of the chair for leverage, he struggled to his feet, and made his way up the stairs.
Ellie remained behind. She couldn�t count on a herd of dinosaurs coming through the compound each day, so she knew she was going to have to try to think of things to help keep him occupied for the next week or so to help alleviate his boredom. There was still some hamburger meat, chicken parts, and steaks in the freezer. Perhaps she could coax him into mastering the grill near the back door, provided the old bags of charcoal were still viable. And there was always film footage to be catalogued and viewed. And as a last resort, there were a few board games upstairs that they could play. With a little creativity, she could help the time pass for him.
Go to Chapter Twenty Two