Owen couldn't afford to pay much attention to Dr. Grant or Dr. Malcolm when he had a hungry raptor on his hands. He was able to position himself between them and Blue after Blue went for the first steak. But he wasn't able to keep a smile off his face as he watched her reaction to the frozen meat.
Blue bit down on it and worried it, frustrated when her teeth didn't sink into it as easily as they did into fresh meat. But she refused to give up on it, and by being persistent, managed to get a bite taken out of it.
"Owen Grady, I presume?" Dr. Malcolm asked.
"Yeah. But it's probably better if you don't talk right now, Dr. Malcolm. Don't want Blue's attention on you."
Their silence was equivalent to raucous agreement.
Owen waited until Blue had finished the first steak before taking his clicker out of his vet pocket and using it to get Blue's attention.
"Alright Blue, ready to go home?"
Blue chirped at him, almost like she understood. Owen smiled, being careful not to show his teeth.
"I'll take that as a yes. Alright. And, we're moving." When Owen started moving, Blue followed. No, scratch that. Blue trotted right up to stand beside Owen as he began leading the way to the raptor enclosure and stayed by his side, keeping pace with him like a faithful dog.
Warmth coursed through Owen's veins, affection for the wild animal beside him. He knew better than to start thinking of her as a pet or anything of the sort, but he instinctively knew that he wasn't in any danger from Blue. She wasn't tame by any means, but he was all the pack she had left. She wasn't going to turn on him, at least not right now.
The same couldn't be said for any other human, however. Dr. Grant and Dr. Malcolm both seemed well aware of this fact, as was Barry, who had remained silent throughout Owen and Blue's reunion, never lowering his tranq gun, always keeping the sites lined up on Blue. Barry followed them now, keeping a careful distance back so that even if Blue turned and charged, he'd have time to respond. To Owen's moderate surprise, Malcolm and Grant followed too, staying just behind Barry.
Once they got to the raptor enclosure Owen cut the other steak out of its vacuum packaging and tossed it to Blue. She went to work on it while Owen retreated from the enclosure. He half expected her to try to stop him, but though she kept a sharp eye on him the whole time he was leaving, Blue didn't try to cut him off or escape.
"Well," Owen said, turning to his audience, "Are we having fun yet?"
Dr. Malcolm laughed a strained little laugh and shook his head. Dr. Grant just stared at Owen, an odd look on his face.
"A vast improvement over where we were with her last week," Barry said, giving his assessment of Blue's behavior. "But it came at too great a cost."
Owen agreed. Three members of his pack killed were three too many. But he couldn't afford to think about them right now. Not when he had one left to take care of, and an island to take back from flying monsters. Besides, there was another situation that required his attention immediately, and that was dealing with these two doctors.
"I'm Owen Grady. This is my friend and partner in crime, Barry. And we already know who you are, Dr. Malcolm. Dr. Grant."
"Nice to meet you," Malcolm said, and stepped forward to shake hands with Owen then Barry.
Owen looked awkwardly at Grant, who was still staring at him with that unreadable expression. It was filling Owen with an uncertainly that made him very glad they'd put this off until after Blue was back in her cage. She would have been able to pick up on his uncertainty, and it would have made her skittish, and a skittish raptor was never a good thing.
Looking at Grant now, Owen got the distinct impression that Grant now knew what he hadn't known the last time they met. But he couldn't be sure, and if he was wrong, he didn't want to drop that bombshell.
Deciding to try and test the waters, Owen offered, "Dr. Grant. I know you don't remember me, but we met once, a long time ago. I was in high school then."
"I remember," Grant said in a strained voice. "You were the boy in the Firefly quote shirt."
Owen was surprised, but hid it. "So I was. 'Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.'"
He knows, Owen thought. He was almost positive now.
"Can I have a word with you in private?"
Yep. He definitely knows, Owen thought. He cut a quick look at Malcolm, who was already backing up, and realized that Dr. Malcolm knew too.
For a hot second, Owen felt something akin to panic. He started looking for a way out of this. But his good manners stopped him. He glanced at Barry and tried to give him an easy smile, but Barry seemed to see through it and only looked suspicious.
"Certainly," Owen said. "Step into my office."
He led the way up onto the catwalks above the enclosure and was surprised to see Blue was waiting for him. She'd perched underneath the closest walkway and was peering up, expectantly. When he appeared, she visibly relaxed and settled down slightly.
That, Owen realized, might have been why she'd let him leave so easily. She associated his position as being on the catwalks. Well, in one way that was useful. For now. But Owen was planning on making some changes. After letting Blue see the outside world, there was no way she would be content to only stay in the enclosure from now on. Owen would have to figure something out for her, to keep her from becoming an unbearable and violent escape artist. He'd also have to figure out a way to make up for the loss of her siblings. Velociraptors were social creatures and no research had been done on what happened when they were isolated for long periods of time. Right now he was the only pack she had left, and while he might be enough for the short term, he knew he wouldn't be for the long term. She needed a family.
"Owen," Alan said, startling Owen out of his thoughts. "I have something important to tell you. Something that you might already know but that I only just found out yesterday."
He definitely knew, Owen realized. He felt like maybe he should say something, let Grant know that he knew too, to spare him what was probably a very difficult and awkward thing for Alan I-Never-Want-To-Have-Children Grant to say, but suddenly it was like his heart had leapt up into his throat, and he couldn't speak.
Grant was watching him closely, clearly trying to gage his reaction before continuing. "I'm your father, Owen."
Owen swallowed hard and gave a jerky nod of his head. "I know," he said hoarsely. Then he admitted, "I've always known."
Alan looked a little surprised. But mostly like he didn't know how he was supposed to be feeling. "And you still came to my lecture?"
"That was why I came to your lecture," Owen said. He shuffled uncomfortably. "You mad?"
"Not at you. Why would I be mad at you?" Alan asked gruffly.
"Because maybe I should have told you then. Or because you never wanted a kid." Owen straightened slightly. "Not that I'm going to apologize for existing or anything, but maybe I should have told you who I was way back when."
"It wasn't you who should have told me that, son. Owen," Alan said his name quickly, almost like a correction. "I won't speak ill of your mother in front of you, but I can't forgive her for never telling me about you. Because I swear, I had no idea."
"I know," Owen said, to let Alan know he was off the hook. He'd figured that out back when Alan didn't even twitch at his name when he'd introduced himself.
"But if I had," Grant said, his eyes suddenly over bright, "I would have been there. It's true that I didn't want children, but I would have done my best for you. I wouldn't have been a perfect father. In fact, I probably would have messed up more times than either of us could count. But I would have been there for you."
Owen nodded in acceptance of this and tried to think of something to say. "I . . . I mean, it's ok. I guessed as much. My mom taught me to form opinions of people based on their actions instead of what people say about them."
Alan looked surprised. "That doesn't sound like Samantha."
"Well, she kind of taught me by example," Owen said. He deliberately didn't say that it had been her bad example that he had been trying not to follow in. For all her faults, and all their arguments, she was still his mother. He was glad that Alan was trying very hard not to do any mudslinging, because no matter how true what he said might be, then the two of them would have a problem. "But what I meant to say is, I don't hold it against you or anything. And, you don't need to feel like you have to be here now or anything. I do alright by myself, and I don't really need . . ."
Owen trailed off when Alan flinched. The expression on the older man's face was like he'd been sucker punched. Owen stared, feeling mildly horrified at this and quickly reviewed what he'd just said. What had he said to get this kind of reaction? What had he said wrong?
"Dr. Grant? Sorry. I don't know what I said wrong."
Alan flinched again, this time much less obviously, but Owen had spent the past few years studying reactions and movement. Alright, those reactions and movements had been in velociraptors, but the training to be perceptive transferred over into many other useful areas, and this was one of them.
"You can call me Alan, kid. Or . . . or whatever else you want. And I'm not here because I feel obligated. I'm here because . . . because I do want you. I want to get to know you."
Owen felt a pang in his chest. He couldn't think of what to say. Claire would be shocked. Owen speechless and without a witty retort? Something was definitely wrong with this picture.
"Alright," he managed finally. "I'd like that too. To get to know you."
Alan gave him an almost tentative smile, but it quickly vanished as they heard the sound of thunder in the distance. "Oh. That's right. We came to bring you back to the operations building. There's a storm on the way, and its magnetism is already messing up communications."
Owen frowned at that as well then said something he knew Alan wasn't going to like. "I just got Blue back in. I can't leave her yet."