Just something I'm trying. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Owen and Barry stood on the landing high above the Raptor paddock. The girls weren't oblivious to being watched, but they were happy to go about their own business. Until Owen called them, they knew they were free to be on their own. At the moment, chirps, clicks and rustling bushes were all that gave any indication to where they were.
"So," Owen sighed as he rested his arms against the warm metal railing, "They're sending yet another person to watch us."
Owen couldn't keep the irritation from his words. InGen refused to leave him and his team alone. They were always spouting rules, procedure and protocol. He could respect the thought, truly, but they were worse than the Navy.
"He's a vet." Barry replied, though he didn't sound any happier by the thought.
"What's this guy's name again?" Owen asked.
"Chris Pratt." Barry replied.
Owen scoffed and pushed himself upright.
"Sounds like another asshole."
"Who knows?" Barry mildly teased, "Maybe he'll be a loveable idiot?"
"That's the last thing I need, some jackass giving me a dopey grin, quoting movies all the time and telling me about his awesome band."
Barry chuckled and shook his head. He wasn't surprised Owen was so against InGen sending someone else into their world. They only ever sent people interested in protecting the company's bottom line, not people who cared about the animals and while a vet was a possible exception, their hope was thin.
As they stood above the arena, the sound of a Jeep engine met their ears. The pair shifted in their stance to watch the tan vehicle trudge its way closer before coming to a halt. Barry crossed his arms over his chest while Owen leaned against the railing again. A man jumped out of the driver's side, a woman the passenger's. She headed for the rear of the vehicle while the man hovered around the front. With a glance to his friend, the pair of them agreed to head down and greet their new guests.
When the Jeep came to a stop, the first one to receive their gaze was the driver. He didn't look like a veterinarian, he looked like an idiot. He wore slacks bearing a sloppy crease that had no business being there in the first place in an environment like this. His blue button-up shirt was ill-fitting, pulled too tightly around the chest and gut. The buttons had to struggle to keep it closed. Thank God the man at least wore a shirt beneath it.
From the clip on tie to the loafers and everything in between, this man looked nothing like someone who worked with animals of any kind. He looked like he belonged in a comfy, rolling chair, pushing himself from computer monitor to computer monitor because standing and walking was too difficult.
Owen hated him.
The slamming hatch drew attention. The young woman stepped out from behind the Jeep and headed for them with a tackle box in her hands. She looked like she'd belong a bit better than her counterpart. Owen was fairly certain she was the assistant.
The young woman was shorter than the gathered men, though that was unsurprising considering they all broke six feet. Her dark hair was tied in a loose, wobbly bun at the top of her head, designed to keep it out of her face, but not entirely succeeding. Horn-rimmed glasses hung low on her nose. She had on a pair of jeans smeared in mud –they hoped- and torn along the knees, a simple and equally dirty cotton tee-shirt and steal-toed boots. Along with the outfit, a buck knife was strapped to her thigh and completed the 'outdoorsy' look. She was pretty, too. But wasn't that required of assistants? They had to be hot?
Owen immediately assumed that the young woman was likely the one sent out to deal with the animals while Chris remained safely ensconced in the air-conditioning. Hopefully this would be like the last guy. Hopefully, this would be the first and only time the vet showed himself and he'd leave Owen and his team to deal with their animals without InGen constantly breathing down their necks.
"So," the young woman chimed, "Which of you's the handler?"
The fact that she spoke and the odd accent twisting her words caught them a bit by surprise. Australian, if Owen had to guess. He felt himself glance to Barry and then to the man who remained silent. The driver just stared back with annoyance.
"I am." He said as his eyes fell again to the young woman. "Who are you?"
"Doctor Chris Pratt." She smiled. Her intensely aqua eyes glittered behind the lenses of her glasses as she reached forward with her free hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
Unsure of what else to do and not wanting to be rude, Owen shook her offered appendage.
"Owen Grady."
She gave him a gentle nod before turning to Barry.
"Barry Slone." He said as he shook her hand as well.
"Pleasure, gentlemen." Her smile remained. "Now then, would it be alright for me to see the girls?"
"Sure," Owen found himself agreeing. "This way, doc."
He motioned for her to follow back him up the steps he and Barry had come down upon her arrival.
"Chris," Owen said as they headed up the metal stairs, "That short for Christian, Christine or Christina?"
She smiled lightly to herself at the forced conversation.
"None of them, actually. Name's Christiana." She told him as they reached the top. "Though Chris is just fine."
"Fair enough." He nodded.
When they reached the center of the catwalk, Chris set her tackle box down on the metal grate beneath her feet and trained her eyes to the arena below.
"How much room have they got down there?" she asked with her gaze still on the simulated forest.
"Just shy of an acre." Owen replied. He wasn't rude, but his answers were clipped. He didn't have enough of a handle on Chris yet to be completely comfortable. "Enough to give them exercise and room to move around, but not so much we've got to worry about them hitting full speed or getting out."
Chris was nodding and still looking below. In the distance she noticed a few stalks of leaves within the brush shift, but heard nothing and truly saw even less. The Raptors were nowhere within sight.
"So what is it you're doin' here, exactly?" Owen asked outright. Chris turned to face him and noticed him cross his arms over his chest and lean against the railing without turning his back to the paddock below. "I mean, we take care of them just fine. What's InGen's plan here?"
She cocked a single brow at his rather 'accusatory' statement, but didn't let it dissuade her. Most people didn't like that she worked for the 'Big Bads'. Even though Owen and Barry did too, their leashes were much, much longer than hers.
"I've no idea what their plan is." She admitted, "Truthfully, couldn't care less mate, but I do care 'bout what happens to them." She pointed towards the arena below. "I'm only here to make sure they're happy and healthy."
Owen's eyes darted over her briefly. She seemed to believe what she said, but again, he was simply weary of newcomers. Still, that didn't mean he could stop her from doing her job. One way or another, Chris had to interact with the Raptors and maybe –if she wasn't really who she said she was- they'd scare her off.
"Fair enough." He said. Owen turned to Barry. "Let's get the girls into their pins."
Barry nodded, turned and began to bark orders to the others. Owen stood upright again and gave Chris his attention.
"This way," he said, motioning to the area behind her.
Chris nodded her thanks and followed after him as she was led back to the ground and towards the pins used to hold the Raptors still.
~!~
Within the cage that held the middle ground between the outside and the internal bit of the paddock rested two containment cages for the Raptors. Chris was knelt down with her tackle box opened and in the process of snapping on a pair of latex gloves when the first one was wrangled into containment. She turned just in time to see the head of the Raptor appear within the harness. Her heart fluttered immediately at the sight.
"And who's this, then?" she asked with an air of astonishment as she grabbed her flashlight.
"This is Charlie." Owen replied. He was standing within the cage too and once Charlie was brought in, moved towards her to keep her calm.
Chris approached slowly. She wasn't hesitant, really, just cautious. Owen watched her closely. Chris made sure to stay in the animal's line of sight, but kept her stance unthreatening which he appreciated.
"Shhh, shhh," Chris cooed softly as she approached the animal with her hand outstretched. Charlie still shifted, clicked and growled at being contained and approached by what she considered food, but her struggles began to dwindle. "There we are."
Chris tenderly placed her hand on Charlie's neck just behind the muzzle while Owen continued to stroke the Raptor's head. He saw Chris' face light up with a smile the moment she touched the animal.
"Beautiful," Chris muttered, primarily to herself.
Taking her light, Chris clicked it on. She continued to gently shush the animal as she ran the beam of light over its eye.
"Good," she cooed again. She looked at Owen. "Trade me."
He nodded and together they switched sides. As she had with the left eye, Chris ran the light across Charlie's right.
"Very good." She nodded and moved to the front. Owen cocked a brow when he noticed her shine the light up the Raptor's nostrils. "Pupil dilation is normal and there's nothing blocking the nasal passages. Wonderful."
Chris returned to her tackle box and pulled out a sheet of paper to write down her findings.
"It common for them to get stuff caught up their noses?" Owen asked with a teasing hint.
"Sometimes." She smiled. "Not intentional, of course, but sparring, lunging for food, what-have-you, sometimes a stick or debris of some kind can find it's way in there."
"So… you've picked a dino's nose, hm?"
She looked up from the clipboard she had resting on her knee to see him smirking at her. She couldn't fight her own grin.
"Sometimes." She nodded.
Owen chuckled. The image of someone picking a dinosaur's nose was just funny to him. Perhaps it was his inner ten year old? Either way, a person with their finger up a tric's nose was hilarious.
"So now what?" he asked.
"Height, length, weight and," Chris set her clipboard down and retrieved something that made Owen clench slightly. "Blood sample."
"Hm," he mumbled. "They don't really like needles."
Chris pushed herself up and headed towards Charlie.
"Who does?" she asked rhetorically.
Like before, Chris took the left while he returned to the right and did his best to comfort the animal. Chris spoke gently as she uncovered the thick needle and positioned herself. She glanced to Owen. He seemed to sense what she needed and readied himself for Charlie's inevitable thrashing.
"One, two,"
On three, Chris jabbed the needle into Charlie quickly, but as tenderly as she could halfway down the Raptor's neck where the skin was the thinnest. As they thought, Charlie began to thrash, growl and click again as she fought against them. Both Owen and Chris did their best to calm the animal, but it did little to really help when she was being stabbed.
Chris watched as the syringe filled with blood and quickly withdrew it when she had what she needed.
"There now," she sang softly as she rubbed the spot. It didn't bleed anymore and she didn't expect it to.
Chris headed back to her things while Owen continued to comfort Charlie. She knelt down again and retrieved a glass vile. She stuck the needle through the rubber top, filled it and discarded the syringe. She wrote Charlie's name on the side before setting it delicately within a foam block. Taking her clipboard, she returned to the cage.
There was a small electronic keypad on the side of the harness. Typing in a few buttons, Chris was given the weight and height of the animal. She quickly wrote the numbers down.
"There's a good girl." She finally finished writing and glanced briefly to Owen before returning to her things. "She's good to go."
Owen nodded and gave the order to let Charlie go. Chris gave her attention to the other Raptor who'd been brought in just after the previous.
"And this one is?" she asked as she flipped the page and went to a new sheet.
"This is Echo."
Chris wrote down the needed information like the creature's name and identifying marks so she could learn to tell them apart. Echo was browner than her sister who had faded army green striped along her shoulders. When she had, Chris went through the same motions as she had with Charlie.
Finally came the last two. When Chris saw Blue, she didn't hide her surprise.
"Well, well, well," she smiled as she approached the animal. "Aren't you a looker?"
"This is Blue." Owen said.
"Seems fitting." Chris laughed lightly. "And she is?" she pointed to the fourth Raptor.
"Delta."
"I'm noticing a theme." She teased. Owen chuckled to himself. "All right then ladies, let's get this over so you can be on your way."
Again, Chris repeated the same tests she'd given the previous Raptors and drew blood before telling Owen she was done.
"Don't you need their lengths too?" he asked as the girls were released into their paddock.
"That's what this is for." She showed him something that looked like a scanning gun people used to check barcodes. "Shoots out a beam that I run down the length of the target." she demonstrated it on Owen. "It then calculates the distance to said target, does a bit of fancy mathematics, and," she turned it around to show Owen the measurement. 193.04 shined back at him in red numbers. He shrugged. "Says six foot four, basically." She cleared the numbers. "Though a a lot of that's your boots, I'm sure."
"Not that much." He told her proudly.
She smiled to herself and shook her head.
"Can you get 'em to stand still for a minute or two?"
"Sure." He nodded.
Owen led the way back to the top of the catwalk and called the Raptors to him. He intended to give them mice after their vet visit anyway, and this was a good moment to do it. With her pad in hand, Chris took her measurements from the safety of the walkway while Owen commanded them. It took a few minutes, but she managed to get her information easily enough and once fed, the girl's were dismissed again.
"I appreciate it." Chris said as she finished scribbling on her paperwork.
"How often do you have to come do this?" he asked.
"Not too often." She replied. When she finished writing, she gave him her full attention. "Blood tests about every three weeks, weight too. Those are really the only things that'll change. So, unless somethin' happens in between, you'll only see me 'bout once a month."
"Last guy wasn't this hands on." He told her as he followed Chris back down the steps.
"Last guy was fat 'n lazy." She told him effortlessly. "These animals are s'posed to be looked after more than that, especially since everyday there here is the longest they've ever been in captivity." Chris locked up her tools, grabbed the tackle box and stood with a kind smile. "It's not like there's a precedent for any of this."
"Fair enough." He said with a long nod. "See you next time, then."
"Til next time, Mr. Grady." She agreed.
Chris hopped into the Jeep where her guide was already sitting and waiting. The vehicle was running when she and Owen made it back which let him know the driver was either eagerly waiting to leave, or couldn't handle the heat. Judging by the huge sweat stains now dotting his blue shirt, Owen leaned towards the latter.
A moment later, they were gone.
~!~
Like clockwork, everything three weeks Chris would show up. After the first few times, she'd begun to drive herself. Evidently, the portly man was just another park employee meant to show her the way to the Raptors and once she knew it, she could drive herself.
For months, Owen and Barry got to better know Chris and they began to like her. Owen was particular about who he allowed near his Raptors and he was glad to see that she was simply worried about their health. Most who worked in the park either considered the dinosaurs assets, or attractions. Few realized they were not only animals, but dangerous ones at that, and he was relieved to see Chris was one who shared his point of view. It made it easier to have her come around as often as she did.
It was barely a week ago when Chris had her last visit, but Owen had to call her. Until then, nothing had happened, nothing he couldn't handle and nothing that required a doctor, but this time was different.
For the past three days, Echo had been acting strangely. Owen noticed it when she first tried to eat something. When feeding time had come, Owen always watched to make sure they each got their fair share and it was then he noticed it. Echo was still biting and ripping away chunks of meat before swallowing it whole, but she favored a side. Unlike her sisters, Echo 'chewed' –or the Raptor version of it- only on her left side. He thought nothing of it at first, but the strange behavior persisted and by the third day, she wasn't eating quickly enough to finish her meal before the others swooped in. Something was wrong.
Chris pulled up in the Jeep with a sour expression. Her face was twisted with worry as she jumped out of the vehicle. Owen was making his way down the stairs after supervising Echo being taken into a containment harness.
"What's happened?" she asked with genuine concern. He appreciated that.
"I don't know." He said honestly. Owen opened the cage's gate and let Chris pass through first. She went to Echo's side as she snapped on a pair of latex gloves. "She's not eating like she should."
Chris was nodding as she finished pulling on the thin rubber gloves.
"How so? Is she vomiting?"
"Nah," he shook his head, "She's favoring the left." Chris moved to the right. "I noticed it day before yesterday and kept an eye on her. It almost looks like it hurts and the others are taking notice."
"Have they started taking her food, or turning on her?" Chris asked as she reached for her flashlight and flipped it on.
"Taking the food." He replied. He was surprised by her question, not because it was unfounded, but because she thought to ask. Most people didn't realize that predators will turn on the weakest of the herd. A culling, if you will. "I don't want it to get to that point."
Chris nodded absently. She was listening intently to what he was saying, but focused more on the patient.
Echo and the others were more used to Chris now after months of seeing her on a regular basis, but they also knew she was the one that generally jammed them with a needle. Needless to say, their perception of her wasn't the best.
Echo hissed and curled back her lips as Chris reached for her. Knowing it was meant to intimidate, Chris didn't relent and finally touched Echo's neck.
"Shhh," she whispered softly. Owen took the other side and tried to keep her calm too while Chris examined as much of the creature's mouth as she could. "No needles this time, swee'tart."
As she ran the light along the thin gap between her lips, Chris noticed something strange. It was the way the animal's lip moved near the back. Her brows came together and she leaned closer. The intense look on her face bothered Owen.
"What is it?" he asked as he continued to stroke Echo's neck.
"I don't know." Chris mumbled. With her eyes on the animal, she reached to her side and for her knife.
"Hey," he snapped.
The sudden change in tone caused her to look at him in confusion.
"What?" she asked as her fingers unsnapped her buck knife from her belt. He noticed her remove the entire thing –sheath and all- instead of just the blade. "I need to see her teeth."
Owen shifted on his feet. He'd thought, briefly, that she was going to use the blade. He didn't know why, or what purpose it would even serve, but for some reason it was his first inkling. He felt a little guilty for it afterwards.
Using the leather tip of her sheath, Chris gently slid it into the gap between Echo's lips. She continued to speak softly, coo and do anything else she could to put the animal at ease while she moved the leather bit along.
When she reached the strange area that had caught her eye, Chris used the bit of leather to pull Echo's lip up entirely. As she shined her light into the dino's mouth, Chris saw something that surely caused Echo pain.
"Damn," she sighed.
"What?"
Chris jerked her head to the side, silently telling Owen to join her. He walked around and came to her side.
"Shit," he mumbled disappointedly. "What's that mean?"
"It means she needs to be tranked." Chris replied in the same tone.
Echo's gum was swollen and red. Just above one of her teeth was the tip of something white pushing painfully through said gums.
"And that I," Chris began to reattach her knife to her belt, "Am going to need some pliers."
"You gonna pull the tooth?" he asked despite already knowing the answer.
"Yup," Chris nodded as she headed for her Jeep. Owen followed. "Raptors regenerate teeth if lost or broken. Clearly, the replacement's tryin' to come in early. It's crowding everythin' and causing her pain when she eats."
Owen figured as much. He yelled out the order that they needed to tranquilize Echo and when she was down, pull her out and strap her down again with her right side up. Chris needed to inspect her teeth.
No one was excited about the prospect. Tranking a Raptor was already an uncomfortable experience. They were vicious and angry and strong, not to mention the thing of nightmares, and now they had to handle it. Precautions had always been taken to handle the Velociraptors as little as possible.
"Can you give me a hand?" Chris called from the back of the Jeep.
Owen nodded and headed for her. When he reached her, he was surprised she had so much equipment. It made sense, sure, but seeing the sheer amount she clearly needed was impressive.
"I need ya to take this for me." She said as she handed him a heavy, awkward piece of electronic machinery.
"The hell is it?" he asked when he noticed a screen.
"Portable sonogram." She replied. Chris was busy going through her tools and picking the pieces she'd need. "I need to make sure that lil' bastard isn't muckin' everything else up."
Owen smirked to himself. Apparently, when she was annoyed, Chris' accent was a bit stronger.
His smile faded, however, when he spotted her grabbing something that looked suspiciously like a car jack. His brows came together. Chris didn't notice as she made sure she had everything and slammed the Jeep's hatch shut again.
Together, the pair returned to the paddock. Echo had been tranquilized and was starting to drift. The drugs were fast-acting and the moment her legs gave out, the others moved in. Everyone moved quickly when it came to the Raptors.
Like a choreographed ballet, the staff went to work pulling her out and gently setting her on the thick steal 'bed' they had. It was equipped with all manner of massive, dense clamps that secured the animal. There were three thick pieces of metal that pinned the tail in place, one for each ankle and one across Echo's stomach. Each arm was held down too and another metal chunk secured her neck. They ensured not a single muscle could flinch without being met with resistance.
Chris and Owen were setting everything down behind her when Chris noticed someone trying to strap down Echo's muzzle.
"No," she said quickly. "I need her mouth free."
He gave his boss a horrified look. Owen didn't like it anymore than he did, but the metal strap would cover the portion of Echo's mouth Chris needed. Reluctantly, Owen nodded and his men backed away.
Owen remained nearby and knelt down in case he had to act quickly. Chris didn't notice. She'd worked with predators before and like everyone else, knew she had to move fast, so she did. She turned on the sonogram and immediately began to run it gently along Echo's jaw. The sun was bright and made seeing anything a little difficult. Chris cupped her hand over the screen and the image came into focus.
She found the injury and looked at it closely. Sure enough, the replacement tooth was pushing its way into the pair of teeth already protruding. It was growing at a strange angle because its path wasn't clear and as a result seemed to have pinned the teeth in place. If Chris didn't pull one of them, the replacement tooth would likely emerge from the gum where it was already appearing and create its own problems. Aside from the risk of infection, it was clear Echo couldn't eat comfortably and it was only a matter of time before her sisters took it upon themselves to kill off the weak link.
"They're impacted." She said. Chris knew Owen wanted to hear what was happening. "One of them needs to go."
He watched as she turned off the machine and set it aside before grabbing the thing that looked like a car jack.
"And that's for?" he asked with a tense tone. He didn't want her to hurt his animals.
"To keep her jaw open." Chris replied. "Help me open her mouth, yeah?"
Not enthusiastic about the task, Owen did as she needed. Together, they pulled open Echo's impressive maw. Chris quickly wedged the instrument into the crook of Echo's jaw and began to gently ratchet it into place. She only needed it to hold her mouth open, nothing more.
"Is dat a car jack?" Barry asked. He was the only one willing to voice his immediate concern.
"Modified, but yeah." Chris nodded. "Sometimes, the animals have a tendency to bite down and considering she's got a formidable smile, I'd rather have the bit of security."
After making sure it was in place, Chris grabbed her tools and stood. She stepped around to the other side of Echo, the dangerous side with the talons and claws. To the onlookers' surprise, she got close and nestled herself within the nook of Echo's neck and head.
Among her tools was a pair of thick leather gloves, the kind a falcon trainer or someone who dealt with birds of prey would wear when the bird landed on their arm. She slipped one on her left hand and gave Owen the other. He didn't need to be told to put it on his dominate hand. Owen knew he was going to have to help her hold Echo's head in place and the only way to do it properly would be to put their hands in the animal's mouth. Those teeth were big, serrated, and sharp.
When he had the glove on –a bit too small, but it'd work- Owen hooked his fingers around Echo's jaw from the top where he still sat. Chris then placed her leather-clad palm against the teeth just beside her target. They held securely as Chris placed the tooth within her dental pliers. The forceps were huge and clung to the tooth securely.
Chris yanked, pulled and wiggled the tooth in place. Owen did his best to hold Echo's head still, but it was clear the tooth was being stubborn.
After working on it for longer than she would have liked, Chris finally got some movement. Eventually, and with a sickening pop, the tooth came free. She immediately dropped it, grabbed the wash cloth and shoved it against the bleeding gap.
"There we go." She said with a breathy laugh. Owen relaxed, but only just. He wouldn't be calm again until Echo was on her feet, no longer groggy and walking around the paddock. Chris reached again for the forceps still clinging to the tooth and looked it over. "Impressive." She smiled to Owen. "Gator teeth are for chumps."
He laughed and felt himself nod. He sat back and pulled off his glove while Chris continued to examine the bleeding gap.
After a few minutes the bleeding began to calm and finally stopped. When it had, she threw the soiled towel into her stack of tools and began to clean up. Now, all they had to do was wait for the patient to wake.
As Chris loaded her things into the Jeep, the team took Echo to the holding cell where the Raptors were allowed to recoup and wake from anesthesia in safety. Owen was again standing overhead watching as Echo began to slowly and awkwardly get to her feet. Chris joined him when her tools were secured in the car. They stood together for awhile until Echo was let go back into the paddock. Her sisters immediately began to inspect her.
"Just watch her." Chris said as they watched Echo tenderly walk around and try to figure out why she tasted blood. "They're gums heal fast, but it'll be tender for awhile yet. Just watch her and when you feed her, make sure her food's cut a bit smaller. Less chewing."
"Sure," he nodded. Owen turned to face her. "Thanks, doc."
"Just doin' my job." She smiled. "Call me if anythin' changes. If not, I'll see you in two weeks. Have a good one, Mr. Grady."
He nodded.
Chris suddenly tossed something into the air. He caught it just as she stepped around him and headed for the car. Owen held the white chunk between his index finger and thumb and smiled. It was Echo's tooth. He turned enough to watch the Jeep head back down the dirt road.