Chapter 21: A Breed Of Child Dr. Grant Could Be Intriguing

April 24, 1992 – Friday

Alan stepped out of his trailer to take in the morning sun. It was 6:30am and he was already dressed and prepared for the day. It was the first official day back at the dig site, after the winter months, and the very unsuccessful trip to Mongolia. Not finding something substantial there, made him even more determined to try and find something substantial in Montana this summer. He loved mornings, and since it was morning . . . and a beautiful one at that, he was in a great mood. He was about to take a look around, when Ellie called to him.

"You're drinking coffee?" she asked, as she stepped out of the trailer.

Alan looked down at the coffee cup in his hand.

"I believe I am, yes. That's not a crime, is it?"

Ellie was dressed and ready for the day, too. She was wearing jeans and a blue shirt. She walked down the steps, taking a good look at him. He was wearing the usual khaki pants, along with a white button-down shirt. She made it to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, ruffling the collar on his shirt.

"It could be a crime. Want me to arrest you?"

"Sounds like it could be fun," he said, smiling.

Ellie had taken advantage of her day off from the University of Denver, to spend the weekend back in Montana with Alan. She had gotten in very late the night before, but she seemed wide awake anyway.

"It would be an interrogation that you wouldn't soon forget," she said, kissing him.

The romantic interlude was interrupted.

"Ahem," Rob cleared his throat, "Can't you guys get that stuff finished before you come outside?" he teased.

"You're just jealous," Alan said, smiling.

"Yeah, that's it," Rob said, rolling his eyes, "I'm feeling left out. Think you guys could include me in some of the goings on?"

Ellie laughed and took Alan's cup from his hand.

"That's my queue to leave," she said, as she headed back to the trailer.

"Hey, I wasn't finished with that!" Alan yelled to her back, but to no avail.

"Yes, you were," she said, not even turning around.

Rob observed how Alan just let her have her way without arguing.

"Yeah, my friend. I'm really jealous of that. You're not even in charge of your own brain anymore."

"Did you need something?" Alan asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah. There's a guy here that wants to talk to you about one of your favorite subjects," Rob said, snickering.

Alan took in a deep breath.

"What's that?"

"Computers," Rob answered. His snickering turned into laughter.

"Great. Where is he?" Alan asked.

"Come on, I'll show ya."

"Okay, let me get Ellie."

Rob nodded and watched Alan jog to the trailer door. It didn't even look like he had ever hurt his leg now. It had healed that well. After a quick disappearance, Alan returned outside with Ellie following him. The three of them began to walk away from the trailer.

"Why is there a computer guy here so early in the morning?" Alan wondered aloud.

"I guess he wanted to catch you in a good mood."

Alan stopped. Ellie stopped right behind him, watching the drama unfold.

"How would he know?" Alan asked in a dubious voice.

Rob looked at him.

"Okay, okay. He was here yesterday afternoon. I told him to come back first thing in the morning, because you're more cheerful and somewhat agreeable then."

Alan threw his good friend a brief and unpleasant stare, and then he finally managed to crack a smile.

"Lead the way," Alan said, gesturing toward Rob.

Rob began walking and then he laughed.

"Oh, and to top off the computer thing, this guy has two kids," Rob said, smiling.

Alan stopped again, shook his head, and then continued. Ellie was puzzled.

"What's wrong with that?" She asked either of them.

"Alan and kids. Two words that do NOT belong together," Rob explained, laughing, "They usually like him for one reason or another, but he isn't very fond of them. Are you, Alan?"

"Not really."

"Kids aren't that bad," Ellie said.

This was the first she had heard about this little pet peeve. How could someone who devoted his life to dinosaurs . . . not like children? Kids were almost always fascinated by dinosaurs, so why not try and relate to them on a general level.

"Kids are annoying. They're always in the way. They're always asking stupid questions. And they're just underfoot all of the time." Alan seemed to be rambling.

Ellie had to take a double glance at this man she thought she knew. He had a very negative attitude about children and she was stunned by it.

"Wow. Well, maybe you shouldn't look so much into it. Just go with the flow. Have some fun with the little people. You know, you could dazzle their impressionable young minds with your knowledge of dinosaurs," she said, trying to get him to warm up to the idea of tolerating little kids.

Alan stared at her for a second before he carefully thought of something to say. It occurred to him that no matter what he said, he'd be in trouble. If he agreed, he would be lying, and would eventually get caught. If he disagreed, then she would look at him in an unfavorable light for the first time. Either way, he would lose, so he decided to be neutral.

"Can we talk about this later?"

"Yeah," she said, disappointed.

Quite happy with how she let the question get put off until another day, Alan didn't say another word about it. He smiled, and then frowned, as he dreaded when that day would come back to haunt him.

They continued to follow Rob, who was quite a way up from them. They walked around some tents that some volunteers were setting up. It was traditional for the volunteers to get there a few weeks before the students. There were two reasons for this. It was easier to get acquainted with two smaller groups of people, instead of one large one mixed with different types of people. And the students wouldn't get out of school until the first or second week in May.

Finally, Rob pointed to someone who was standing under a tent. There were two young children playing very close to the man. Everyone met underneath the tent. Rob made the introductions.

"Mr. Brian Gates, this is Doctors Grant and Sattler."

Alan shook the man's hand.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Gates?" he asked.

"Oh, please call me Brian."

Alan nodded and the man continued.

"I was interested in showing you a demonstration of some new technology in the world of Paleontology, sir."

"Oh?" Alan commented.

"Yes. You see, there is a new computer program that is able to take pictures of fossils while they safely remain in their burial places."

Alan didn't want to waste this man's time. Computer programs sounded like it would be expensive and he couldn't even afford to pay the expenses now. Plus, the two little kids were now digging rather large holes in the dirt right next to where they were standing. He was already annoyed by them after less than a minute.

"Brian," Alan began, "I'm sure this new computer stuff is fascinating, but we don't have the means to pay for something like that."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Dr. Grant. This is very new technology and it hasn't been tested in the field yet. In fact, it won't be ready for use until next summer. I assure you that you wouldn't have to pay for it. In fact, if all goes well, my company would be willing to compensate you for the right to test it here."

Ellie interrupted.

"It hasn't even been tested yet?"

"No, not yet, Dr. Sattler. I was hoping to get permission to field-test it here. Possibly at the beginning of the next summer season."

Alan noticed how the man was able to remember Ellie's name and it impressed him somewhat. He decided to inquire a little bit further.

"What would you require from me?" Alan asked.

"Just a shady spot to set up the computer and the coordinates of some of the fossils."

Alan wasn't crazy about the idea. He was about to tell the guy no, when he noticed how intrigued Rob and Ellie were, with what the man was saying. He decided to let Ellie handle it.

"Well, Brian. Why don't you give more information about this to Dr. Sattler. She can make the decision."

Ellie looked at Alan with both surprise and joy. It looked as if she was getting more responsibility already. After a quick change in facial expressions, she moved past Alan and assumed her more serious role in the situation. Alan was content with his minor role, as he was able to sneak away, leaving Rob and Ellie with the computer guy . . . and his kids.

Or so he thought.

"Excuse me, mister?" A tiny voice said.

Alan looked down to see a little girl staring up at him. He didn't answer her. He just stared back at her. Brian noticed that his five-year-old daughter was bothering him, so he called out to her.

"What is it, Megan?"

Little Megan turned away from Alan and looked at her father.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she said in a cute little voice.

Ellie smiled, excused herself from Brian and Rob, and then walked over to where Megan and Alan were standing. She reached a hand out to the little girl and Megan took it.

"Come on, honey. I'll show you where a bathroom is."

Megan began walking with Ellie, but the little girl kept turning to look at Alan. For a few seconds, Alan looked at her, too, but then he focused on Ellie.

"Aren't you supposed to be talking to him?" he asked, pointing toward Brian.

"Rob can handle it for a minute."

Alan nodded and then turned around. Megan was eyeing him the entire time. When he turned away, the little girl looked up at Ellie.

"Who is that man? The man with the hat?"

"His name is Dr. Grant," Ellie answered, smiling.

Megan had a different idea about who that man was. He had a brown hat, work boots, tan-colored pants, a white buttoned shirt, and the slight start of a beard.

"He looks like Indiana Jones."

Ellie laughed.

"No, honey. That's not Indiana Jones."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, sweetie."

Megan didn't really believe her, but she let it go for now. She had watched the Indiana Jones movies on videotape and had worn them out, by viewing them so many times. She wasn't about to be fooled. She just knew that it was him. They reached a nearby trailer and Ellie carried her up the stairs and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom.

Alan was outside listening to Brian and Rob discuss the computer program. Things rapidly went over his head, as they continued to talk in computer lingo. While glancing around, he noticed that Brian's other child was now burying something in the hole he had made. He nervously looked around to see if Brain was going to do something about it, but the little boy's father didn't notice. He walked over to the boy.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a somewhat stern voice.

"Digging."

A very direct answer, Alan thought. But yet, annoying to him.

"What did you bury?" he asked, trying to get to the bottom of the situation, and to get a useful answer out of the miniature adult.

"Nothing."

The boy was a little older than the girl, but Alan wasn't sure of his exact age. One thing he knew, for certain, was that the little brat was lying. The direct and mean approach didn't seem to phase the kid, so he tried another approach. He smiled, trying very hard to make it seem genuine.

"I saw you bury something."

Even at his young age, the boy could see that man before him wasn't sincere.

"No, you didn't," the boy said, challenging him.

"Yes. Yes, I did."

Alan was getting mad. The boy could see that, but it didn't look like he cared much, as he continued to throw dirt over the hole. Alan stood over the boy, staring at the blonde hair on the back of the boy's head, as he pushed the dirt around. He was getting even more angry, as he bent down and began to remove the dirt from the hole. In just a few seconds, Alan had uncovered what the kid had put into the hole.

"If you didn't bury anything, what is this?" he asked, holding up a pair of sunglasses riddled with dirt.

"I don't know," the boy answered, as he got up and ran to his father.

Alan shook his head in disbelief. Ellie had wanted him to give these little terrors a chance, but how could he possibly get along with such annoying human beings. They were always lying and yelling and running around like little monsters. He stood up, placed the extracted sunglasses on a table under the tent, and walked away from Rob and Brian.

Alan walked toward his trailer and passed Ellie and Megan. He smiled at Ellie, but he noticed that the little girl was staring at him, yet again. He smiled and nodded to her in an awkward manner, placing his hands in his back pockets, as he walked away from them. They watched him shuffle off and hurry inside the trailer. Ellie was amused by the little exchange. She wanted to go inside and let him know about the little girl's suspected crush, so she stopped and bent down.

"Okay, Megan. Do you see your Daddy over there?" she asked, gesturing toward Brian and Rob.

Megan nodded. Ellie thought that she was an adorable little girl. She had long blonde hair and the cutest little innocent face. Brian had darker hair, so Ellie just assumed that the mother must have had blonde hair, since the little boy's hair was blonde, too.

"Could you do me a big favor?"

Megan nodded again.

"Oh, good. Could you go over to where your Daddy is and stay close to him? I don't want you to get lost, okay?"

"Okay," the little girl answered.

Ellie watched Megan walk toward the tent where her father was. When she was satisfied that she would get there with no trouble, she turned and hurried to Alan's trailer. She went inside and found him looking up something in a textbook.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"You're doing something, since you're looking in a book."

Alan closed it shut.

"No, I'm not," he said.

Ellie looked at him strangely.

"Ha!" he stated, snapping his fingers and pointing at her.

"What is the matter with you?" she asked.

"I don't know."

Ellie looked like she may become irritable at any second.

"See? That's what that little boy was saying to me outside. The lying little brat."

Ellie could hear words coming from his mouth, but they just weren't intelligible to her.

"Can you start at the beginning? You're talking, but I don't understand you."

"That little kid out there," he said, gesturing outside furiously, "he was burying something in the dirt. I asked him what he was doing and he said nothing. And then, when I found what he said he didn't bury . . . he ran off."

"Alan, I think you're a lost cause."

He thought about that for a second, realizing just how upset this stupid thing had made him.

"Yeah, you could be right," he said, sighing.

Ellie shook her head.

"Okay, well I wanted to tell you something. That's why I came in here."

"What is it?"

"That little girl. Megan. I think she has a small little crush on you."

"What? How do you know?" he asked, suddenly very jittery again.

Ellie laughed.

"Don't look so astonished. I've had a little crush on you for a while now."

She was about to walk over to him and kiss him, when she heard a knock on the door. She went to the door and opened it. It was Megan.

"Well, hi there, sweetie. Couldn't you find your Daddy?"

"Yeah, I found him."

She walked the little girl back down the stairs. Alan walked to the door to observe how Ellie got along with her. Ellie glanced at him standing in the doorway, while Megan looked up at him, too.

"Are you an archeologist?" Megan asked.

Ellie was impressed with the big word she managed to say so easily. But kids were always surprising like that, pronouncing dinosaur names before they could even say normal everyday words. She looked at Alan, waiting for him to answer the little girl.

"Uh . . . no. I'm not." Finally stumbled out of him.

Megan looked disappointed, but then she smiled again.

"Oh, I get it," she said, making her way back up the steps and getting closer to Alan. "You're on a secret mission," she whispered.

Alan just stared at her while Ellie smiled. Megan continued.

"That's okay. I won't tell anyone," the little girl whispered.

Trying not to burst out laughing, Ellie quickly walked up the stairs and grabbed Megan's hand.

"Okay, honey. Let's go find your Daddy."

Ellie helped her down the stairs and then let her hand go, watching Megan walk away. Looking back at Alan, Ellie couldn't help but smile. The confused look on his face was one of the most comical things she had ever witnessed, looking as though that sweet little girl was from another planet. She whispered so that Megan didn't hear.

"She thinks you're Indiana Jones, honey."

Alan nodded, but he didn't seem very convinced about the explanation. To him, kids were a bundle of confusion and that little girl just proved his theory yet again. Ellie noticed his expression.

"Don't worry, though. You're better looking than Indiana Jones."

He gave her another strange look and went back inside. He walked past a mirror, stopped and took a good look at himself. He ran a hand over his face and chin.

"Indiana Jones," he mumbled to himself angrily, "I really need to shave."

Later in the afternoon, Alan came back from setting up some equipment, and found that Brian's truck was still parked in the same place. It made him angry. Not because Brian was probably still taking up Rob and Ellie's time, which was bad enough, but if Brian was still here that meant his kids were still running around somewhere. As he was having this thought, little Megan found him.

"Where's Miss Ellie?" she asked him.

Alan just stared at her for a second, just like before. She wasn't going away. Ellie wasn't coming to get her this time, either. He had to talk to her.

"I'm not sure. When's the last time you saw her?"

"I don't know."

Alan settled for just staring at her again. Megan just stared right back, making him uneasy.

"Can I go on an adventure with you?" she asked out of the blue.

"What?"

"I won't get in the way," she explained.

"What are you talking about?"

"I could help."

Alan stared at her again, and then began to look around.

"Let's find your Dad, okay?" he said, in his nicest voice.

Megan looked disappointed.

"But, I don't want to," she said, looking way up at him, "I want to stay with you."

Again, he stared at her, and then he noticed Ellie walking toward them. He sighed with relief as he made a gesture with his arm for Ellie to come over there.

Ellie was still quite a distance away, but she could easily see little Megan standing next to Alan. She smiled as she made her way to them.

"What's up guys?" she asked.

Megan was about to say something, but then Alan interrupted her.

"Do you know where Brian and Rob are?" he asked.

"Yeah. They're about to call it a day. They're over by Trailer B," she answered, as she leaned down and playfully messed up Megan's long blonde hair. "I was just coming to get you."

Alan nervously nodded and began to walk in the direction of Trailer B. Ellie waited until he was a few yards in front of her, and then she and Megan began to walk the same way. Megan quickly caught up to Alan though. Ellie smiled as she watched Megan walk right by his side, mimicking his every step. It really was a shame how he despised children. It was obvious that he was interesting enough to grab their attention. He was just so nervous and grumpy around them.

Alan did his best to ignore the little girl, as he glanced at Ellie.

"So, did you make a decision?"

"Yes, I did. I told him that it sounded good to me. He'll come back Monday, to survey the land and get a report together. Then, he'll come back next summer and attempt to set it all up and get it running."

Alan nodded uneasily, causing Ellie to smile.

"It'll be a good thing, Alan."

"Uh-huh."

"You're not going to worry about this for the entire year, are you?" Ellie said, joking at first, but then thinking that it may have been a real question, after all.

"No, no. I'm going to trust your judgment."

"Good."