Chapter 4: Not While I'm Around
We hop into a Jeep and drive off into the park. I start mentally praying that we find everyone alive and in one piece.
'To whatever God is listening, please let everyone be ok.' I think.
We get to the rex paddock and jump out of the Jeep. The scene before me makes my heart sink into my stomach. It looks like a war zone.
"Alan!" Ellie shouts.
"Dr. Grant!" My dad shouts while looking in the reaming car for them.
"Alan!" Ellie shouts again.
"Grant!" I shout while checking near what's left of the bathroom.
By now my dad and Ellie have joined me near the rubble from the bathroom. We start checking under the rubble for survivors. My dad lifts up a piece of the roof and the look on his face says it all. Someone died here.
"I think this was Gennaro." My dad says.
He sounds a bit disgusted.
"I think this was too." Ellie says from behind me.
She also sounds disgusted.
I lift up a piece of the roof and find Donald's leg. Now I know why they're disgusted. My stomach churns and I have to keep myself from throwing up.
"And this too." I say disgusted.
Somewhere off in the distance the rex roars.
"I think it's ahead of us." Ellie says.
'I think not Ellie.' I think.
"It could be anywhere. With the fences down it can wander in ad out of any paddock it likes." My dad says as though reading my thoughts.
A moan comes from somewhere under the rubble. We run over and Ellie lifts up part of the roof. There we find an injured Ian.
"He's put a tourniquet on." Ellie says.
I give Ian the once over. He has a compound fracture to his left leg and there are either teeth or claw marks on his chest and stomach.
"Ian? Ian?" Ellie asks.
"Remind me to thank John for a lovely weekend." Ian moans.
The rex roars again, and it seems closer this time. Ellie turns her head to look at my dad. They both look scared out of their minds. My own feeling echo that. I'm scared and want to go home.
Maybe I should have listened to my dad and caught the boat back to the mainland. But, what if I'm right? What if something happens to my dad tomorrow? I'd never forgive myself for leaving and letting him die.
"Can we chance moving him?"
Ian sits up and says, "Please chance it."
My dad and I get Ian into the back of the Jeep. As we go to get in, Ellie wanders off looking for something.
"Ellie, come on." My dad says annoyed.
"It's the other car!" Ellie shouts.
My dad and I run over to where she's standing and look in the paddock. There 50 feet below us is the other car. It's at the bottom of a tree on it's roof.
'If they survived that, it will be a miracle.' I think.
We go into the paddock and take a look.
"Dr. Grant?" May dad asks.
I guess he's hoping for an answer. He doesn't get one.
"Alan!" Ellie shouts while crying.
"They're not here." My dad says.
I see footprints leading off into the jungle and start to follow them.
"Where are you going?" My dad asks.
"They went this way. I'm going to find them." I say.
"No, you're not. We're going back to Ian."
"I'm going to look for them, and you can't stop me."
"No, now let's go." My dad says grabbing my arm.
I let out a frustrated sigh and reluctantly give in. We leave the paddock and run back to the Jeep. We jump in and speed off. Just as we speed off the rex bursts from the trees.
"Must go faster." Ian says,
"Shit!" Ellie shouts.
'We're dead. We're so dead. I'm too young to die. God, please don't let me die like this.' I think.
Ian leans back in fear and knocks the Jeep out of gear.
"Get off the stick! Bloody move!" My dad shouts.
"Look out!" Ellie shouts.
"Down!"
We duck down just before the windshield is taken off by a fallen tree. The rex catches up to us and slams it's head into the side of the Jeep. Ellie screams and Ian shifts just enough for my dad to throw the Jeep back into gear and speed off.
"You think they'll have that on the tour?" Ian asks.
The rest of our drive to the visitor's center is quiet. Well, mostly quite. My thoughts seem to be getting the better of me. If Ray can't figure out what's wrong, this place is doomed. We're all going to die here.
My dad parks the Jeep and I help him get Ian out. We take him into the visitor's center and up to the control room. When we get inside, John's face falls when he sees his grandkids aren't with us. I walk over to him while my dad and Ellie tend to Ian.
"Where are they?" John asks.
"They went off into the park with Alan." I say.
John lets out a long sigh in response to this.
"If you want, I can go back and look for them."
"It's too dangerous. You'd better not." John says.
"Fine." I say with a sigh.
John then walks out of the control room. My dad and Ellie finish up with Ian. Well, they finish for now. I know we need to get Ian off the island so he can see a doctor. Ellie leaves the room and my dad walks over to me.
"I'm going to take care of a few things, keep an eye on Ian for me." My dad says.
"Yeah, ok." I say.
My dad walks out of the room and I walk over to Ian. I take a seat next to him and start tending to him. I notice that we need some more supplies, and I leave the room to go get them from the infirmary. As I'm heading there I pass the bathrooms. I hear moaning coming from inside.
'Take care of a few things my foot. You just wanted to shag Ellie.' I think.
"Oh Robert." Ellie moans.
My dad moans in response and I roll my eyes. How anyone could think of doing that at a time like this is a mystery to me. What the hell is my dad thinking? Is he even thinking at all? Is Ellie even thinking?
'There are people dying and you two have to do that?' I think.
I snap out of it and walk off. I get to the infirmary and gather as many supplies as I can. Once I'm done, I head back to the control room. When I get near the bathrooms, I see my dad and Ellie talking. I hade myself behind a pillar and listen in.
"I don't know what came over me." Ellie says.
"I'm at fault just as much as you are." My dad says.
"Robert, I want you to know that I love you."
"I love you too, but there's a few things I need to tell you."
"Like what?" Ellie asks.
"I lied to you before. My wife's not really dead, she left me." My dad quietly says.
"Why did she leave you?"
"I loved my job more than I loved her." My dad says.
"Oh." Ellie says.
"To be honest, I never really loved her. I never felt that connection that one should when the supposedly meet 'the one'."
"But you married her anyway, and on top of that you had a child with her."
I can hear in Ellie's voice that she's implying that my dad didn't want kids either. Although, I know better. He wanted more kids, but my mum wasn't willing to give him any more. Yet another reason she left him.
"I know what you're thinking, but I wanted Melissa. I'd always wanted a child, and to be honest, I want more." My dad says.
"Why not adopt then?" Ellie asks.
"I could never adopt."
Is he going to tell her why he can't or won't adopt?
"Why not?"
"Most places would never let someone like me adopt."
"What do you mean?" Ellie asks puzzled
'Here comes the bombshell.' I think.
"Aside from what I do for a living, I have a mental problem that prevents me from ever adopting."
"Like what? You couldn't love a child that's not yours?" Ellie asks.
My dad's face falls at that comment. He could love any child, even those that aren't his. He became like a second father to Lex and Tim.
"No, I'm schizophrenic. That prevents me from adopting." My dad says as he looks at the floor.
"Oh." Ellie says and takes a couple steps back.
"I'm not dangerous. I have it under control." My dad says.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Ellie asks.
Actually, it doesn't sound like she's asking anything. It's like she's demanding to know.
"Because he didn't want to tell John." I say walking out from behind the pillar.
"How long have you been there?" My dad asks.
"Long enough to hear everything." I say.
My dad sighs and swears under his breath in Swahili. I blush a bit at what he says.
"I'm sorry."
"Sure." My dad says.
"It's not like I don't know the truth."
"True."
"You knew he didn't love your mom?" Ellie asks.
Mom? Oh, right, she means mum. I forgot she's not British.
"Yes. She was never right for him anyway." I say.
"What do you mean?"
"They weren't soul mates. Much like you and Alan." I point out.
"I love Alan." Ellie says.
"Really? Cause you have a funny way of showing it." I say.
My dad's eyes go wide as he realizes I heard the two of them going at it.
"You heard that too?" Ellie asks embarrassed.
"Only as I was walking by."
Ellie blushes and then walks off. My dad looks at me and shakes his head. We head back to the control room to tend to Ian. My dad and I take turns tending to Ian. After a while, my dad leaves the room saying he needs to clear his head.
I think he's going to find Ellie so he can apologize to her. It's either for what he did or what I did. I know what I did was wrong, but then again so was what my dad did. You don't make out with someone you just met. That's just not how a grown person should act.