Chapter 4 of the Dinosaur Train story.
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It had been three days since Mrs. P had the incredibly somber dream about her husband. Since then, she'd managed to sleep all the way through the night without waking in a panic, the dreams having ended. However, she took to facing Mr. C as she slept, often pressing her forehead into his chest.
The sun hadn't raised yet and Mrs. P hadn't woken him, yet Mr. C found himself awake, still holding her. His mind was running through the way she'd been acting the last few days; the night she woke up in tears, she sobbed herself to sleep in such a sad way that Mr. C could only hold onto her and gently stroke her back. It was change enough that the kids were seen peeking over the ridge, though Mr. C waved them off, letting them know she would be all right. The next few days, Mrs. P seemed a bit short with things, mainly acting as if she was running out of time or was in a hurry. Catching fish had become sloppy and rushed, sometimes half of what she caught was inedible either due to the fish being damaged beyond having any meat, or a species that wasn't edible. In her hurry, she even once slammed into a Plesiosaurus, nearly knocking them out. Thankfully they were understanding in the accident. She was also a bit snappy with the children at times, especially when it came to cleaning the nests or being ready for dinner, but not outright mean. Mr. C tried to calm her down, but wasn't completely sure as to the reasoning. He had a guess that her statement that her husband had died made her worried, her focus being that... IF Buddy and Mr. P survived, Buddy was now alone. Mr. C did shiver at that thought and if he felt that it was true, he most likely would feel the same way. Still, what could he do? They needed the train and a digging crew out here.
A gentle movement from Mrs. P shifted his focus to her as he stroked her back, an incredibly adorable sound slipping from her beak. All too easily, his mind slipped a few days back when his own stresses were too much for him and a simple joke from Don brought him to his proverbial knees. Mrs. P was violently protective of him and was supportive almost instantly. Mr. C couldn't recall when someone had leapt to his side to defend him like that. He'd had a few lesser moments when he was in Conductor training when his mother would help put emphasis some of his less known talents (often due to it embarrassing him), but when it came to rivalries or disagreements, such as with Thurston, he was often on his own, his mother being an impartial judge and requiring Mr. C to out-perform his arrogant rival. Due to that, Mr. C grew a thick skin when it came to sensitive matters. This was the first time they dug completely past them and struck such a sensitive nerve, yet Mrs. P was there to help him put himself back together.
A soft shudder flowed through him as he thought just how badly she must have been worried when she started... touching him. He wanted to hate himself, he wanted to be disgusted, but the raw fact that he had to accept was... he liked it. He liked it a LOT. He thought she was beautiful, but also that she was so incredibly kind. It helped that he knew what she was like as a person. He swallowed thickly as he sighed, trying to strengthen his resolve; that politely turning down her offer was the right thing to do. Still, his mind jumped back to the view of her rump as she grabbed his hat off the ground. Strangely, the thing that caught him the most was how she pressed her face into his hand. That gentle leaning into his palm, giving a wordless sense of trust that words fail at, was something he couldn't forget.
Enough time had passed that the sun started to slowly crest, slowly bathing everything in a warm light. Even though morning hit, the pteranodon family had taken to sleeping in through the warmth, being reptiles and needing to acquire external heat to get their systems running. That is, with the exception of Mrs. P and Shiny, since they were cuddled up with a self thermal regulating being. Still, they valued the sleep.
This gave Mr. C more time to think. He was trying to remember how Pteranodon Terrace was structured. He remembered when he had spent a couple of nights there when a hurricane hit, sharing quarters with the Pteranodon and Lambeosaurus families in the underground cave. That underground area was certainly safe from the harsh winds and even rising water levels, and since it was a cave, it even had overhead protection from falling debris. He logically deduced that, if Mr. P and Buddy survived the initial impact, they would have gone for the sea cave. The question would be how long they would need to be there and if they had enough supplies. His somber worried thoughts shifted to his fond memories as he chuckled slightly when he remembered reluctantly leaving the train during the hurricane and spending the first night there. He was so anxious and fidgeting, constantly checking his watch and basically spending the whole time "homesick" from the train. Now that he thought on it; despite the fact that he had a home, he spent most of his time living on the train. No set time period, no real set place, just schedules and people to meet for a day. Really, he was addicted to his work and rarely took the time to appreciate the smaller things. Sure he often taught it to those who wanted to know, but that wasn't him experiencing it for himself, or even having a few moments to share it one on one with someone. He tried to recall when he had even tried to and he instantly blushed as great guilt washed over him. A fond memory was of Erma Eoraptor during the meteor shower; a late night time where many would simply stargaze at the rare spectacle. Ever since Erma rode the train for the first time, there seemed to be an innate chemistry between she and Mr. C. They didn't even think about how she was half his size, they just enjoyed time with each other... Time they really didn't get. Even during the "romantic" night time sky show, Mr. C was treated as a teacher by everyone else and was hounded by so many questions that he hardly had any time with Erma. He recalled that they had basically only talked about superficial things; how each other looked and how the night would be enjoyable. Any declarations of affection were being done with tone and body movement, but even that was muted by interruptions all night long until finally everyone departed. He thought on how all of his work, which he loved, had been muting him to basic desires in life that he never really partook in, how Erma was supposed to be someone he'd be putting those interests into, yet it wasn't until the asteroid strike that he actually DID anything with anyone. Despite the sun's warm rays, he still shivered as he remembered, with vivid detail, the night with Mrs. P. He'd not usually "taken care" of himself that often, yet a couple weeks away from the train and he was molesting one of his most trusted friends? He knew she'd chastise him if he said that outloud, and he knew why, since he gave her ample opportunities to refuse and it was even her who encouraged him to continue. Moreso, she even attempted to return the gesture not too long ago, a thought that did little to ease his current emotions.
No, soon Mr. P and Buddy would be back and Mr. C would take a special trip to the Triassic just to see Erma. The closeness of his own life being in danger often being overshadowed by "how he saved everyone" blinded even himself to how fragile life could be, and after the long rehab with Gilbert, he knew he should see to his own life desires.
Then why did he feel so bad? Erma was seemingly claws over head for him and it should be more than simple for the two of them to get alone at some point and spend time together. Why should that make him feel bad?
There was a soft sound as Mrs. P shifted against him, her face rubbing his chest as she slightly pulled back, those big soft blue eyes fluttering open. He often looked into her eyes with simple curiosity or with a teaching know-how; he hadn't taken the time to REALLY look into them. In the silence of the morning, he just kept staring at them. He felt himself grow flush in the face as she didn't move, keeping her own eyes locked into his. He could see her own face gently flush and felt her hands slightly squeezing at his sides. He wasn't looking into the eyes of some friend, or even his closest friend. He stroked his hands against her back, a hand slipping up to the back of her head. Why was he doing this? Why was she obeying his movements as he pulled her face in closer? Why is her beak parting? Why is he opening his mouth? Why is this so easy, so natural? What is that look in her large, longing eyes? He tilted his head as their parted mouths started to interlock.
Then he heard it.
His head snapped back, as did Mrs. P. She must have heard it too. All at once, the kids woke up, 4 heads peeking over the ridge.
He thought he'd never hear it again; it was the whistle of the dinosaur train.
Any previous thoughts were washed away as everyone jumped up, Mr. C getting dressed in a hurry as Don and Shiny slowly brought Gilbert down from the ridge.
"Well, Pteranodon family, you ready to see the train again?" Mr. C said, part of himself as giddy as a hatchling.
"YES!" cheered all four kids. Mrs. P's eyes were wide as she nodded and looked like she was going to jump out of her skin if they didn't get moving NOW, so they did.
---
Mrs. P took to carrying Gilbert as she flew, with Shiny close by and Don and Tiny not far behind them. She was moving at a swift pace, enough that Mr. C, who was running along the ground, was doing so in long strides, but he never asked them to slow down as his own pumping heart had him wanting to run this fast to get to the station. Soon it came into view and all six came to a stop together, taking a brief moment to catch their breaths as they stepped onto the deck.
Mr. C smiled, seeing the familiar engine of the dinosaur train, along with a second backup engine on the opposite end. The cars between them were carry cars, used for bringing heavy equipment, and of course the observation car with Laura still keeping watch. There was a ruckus as the carry cars spilled out about two dozen troodon hopping over the sides, with pickaxes and shovels as they all headed towards the tunnel, chatting loudly. Mr. C could overhear parts of their talk, mainly of them not believing the tunnel was blocked or that something so terrible could have happened, yet they went to work all the same. Mr. C tried to look for familiar faces in the crowd, though many were much lesser known workers that he may have said "hi" to every now and then. That is, until the two engines opened up. From one walked a troodon with a rounder nose and a seemingly plastered expression of arrogance.
"Thurston?" Mr. C said, caught between disgust due to their rivalry, and the relief of a friendly face who wasn't dead.
"In the scales." he said, taking a bow before he stood up into a more professional posture. "We received your message and even cleaned up the mess you left," he said as he unceremoniously mentioned the blood from the casualty in the engine. While his body was properly taken care of, things such as mopping up were less important than getting the train running.
3...
"Mess?!" Mr. C growled, any relief at seeing his rival burning away as his coarse personality lit Mr. C's incredibly short fuse. "He was a student who JUST graduated! He was just a kid! Show some respect!"
"A kid who apparently never learned to duck." Thurston added.
2...
"But I'm still having a hard time believing that a large rock from the sky did so much damage. Honestly, I thought the train caught fire and you came up with some elaborate story so as to make it look worse than it was." he continued.
1...
Thurston looked past Mr. C and over at the kids. "My, even Gilbert was hurt? It's a good thing he and the engineer didn't grow in the wilds; they would have been plucked off in no ti-" there was a crunch as Mr. C's fist smashed into Thurston's upturned nose, the blow knocking both of their hats off as Thurston lost his balance and fell onto the deck of the platform, but Mr. C didn't stop there as he jumped on top of him and grabbed the collar of his vest, lifting Thurston's head up before pummeling it again.
"YOU!" his fist smashed his face, making it slam into the deck before he lifted him again. "WILL!" another punctuating fist slammed into his face. "NOT!" another punch, this one accompanied by the crunch of bone. "TALK LIKE THAT!" he screamed out, slamming his fist into Thurston's head again.
Mr. C was feeling white hot rage just surging through him at how callous his rival could be. His body tingled and all sounds and other sensations had faded, but now the rage was passing and his senses were coming back. His right hand was starting to hurt, his knuckle possibly cracked from hitting bone so hard. His vision cleared as he looked at Thurston, his eye started to swell as his nose freely leaked blood. He could see him weakly lifting his hands up, being "ready" to block Mr. C's next merciless punch. Then his hearing came back. He could hear Thurston wheezing, saying something faintly, but that was overshadowed by the sounds of whimpering coming from behind him.
His rage drained completely as he turned to see Mrs. P with her wings wrapped over the four kids, who were weeping and peeking around her wings in shock at the terribly violent snap Mr. C just had. Mrs. P didn't seem to be upset, though she wore a worried expression.
The worst part was when he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, making him freeze as a familiar voice spoke to him softly.
"That's enough, Sonny Boy." he knew that voice. He'd know that voice anywhere. Any chance of anymore anger passed, leaving him nervous and vulnerable. He stood up slowly and turned to see the face of the older female, her eyes laced with tears as she smiled.
"M-Mother?" Mr. C asked, but he didn't need to. She just nodded and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, just as tightly as his wide open eyes didn't focus on anything, other than spilling tears down his face.
---
Mrs. P watched as Mr. C hugged his mother, a warm feeling in her chest from the sight of it. She noticed another Troodon walk past them and over to Thurston, who was now sitting up, coughing a few times before he spit out the blood in his mouth along with a knocked free tooth. There was some talking as the troodon tried to offer Thurston help to his feet, which Thurston waved off, getting to his knees before almost falling all the way onto his face before the other troodon reached in and slung an arm of his over their shoulder.
Mr. C had rubbed his eyes as he broke the hug he had with his mother, smiling at her before he noticed the troodon who had helped Thurston to his wobbly feet.
"Trisha? Trisha Troodon?" Mr. C said, seeing the bright young student of his mother's Conductor school hauling up the rather defeated form of his rival.
"Yup, that's me all right." she said as Mr. C looked at the fact that his mother, rival, and even this bright student were all here.
"How did you all end up here? I thought you were in Troodon Town." he asked.
"We were." his mother stated. "But Thurston was convinced his rocket train could outperform the Solar Train if they had a longer course. Of course by now the Solar train has batteries so it could run in the dark. I went along with Thurston to ensure he didn't get up to any cheating again." she said, shooting a glare at him, to which he replied by shaking his head, then wincing as the motion ached. "We had reached the Triassic roundhouse and were... "discussing" the statistics of the race, when the dinosaur train, charred and beat up, came rolling in." Mrs. C pointed up at the giganotosaurus in the observation car. "Laura told us all about what happened and that we needed to group up fast and get the tunnel open again. It took a few days to get the workers from other times and stations, along with the tools, but we should have this tunnel open again in no time now!" she said, rather happy.
"So..." Mr. C looked over at Thurston and frowned. "This featherhead's competitive urges made sure all of you wound up safe?" he said. Thurston remained silent.
"Kinda." Trisha spoke up. "I had planned to head up to the beginning of the line anyway since I wanted to see if the time tunnels would mess with the batteries, something your Mom wanted to know as well. Thurston just turned it into a race."
"Trisha." Mrs. C spoke up. "Why don't you take Thurston into the station and get him patched up." she said, Trisha nodded as she started towards the building. "And maybe next time, Thurston, you'll keep your floppy mouth shut!" she snapped at him, though his only gesture was him hanging his head again before they went into the building. Mrs. C grabbed her son's hand and lifted it up, seeing a knuckle swollen, along with dots of blood on it. "Ohh Sonny..." she said, her expression turning mournful as she gave the cracked knuckle a kiss. Mr. C winced and hung his head.
"I'm sorry, Mother..." he said, full of regret. "I just... he was so-" one of his mother's fingers pressed on his lips and silenced him.
"It's all right. Thurston had no right to be such a crass fool, and maybe that wallop you gave him will keep him from making such a rude mistake in the future." she said as she looked over at the remaining Pteranodon family and Gilbert. "Laura told me all about Gilbert's rehab, and the fact that you've personally been helping the Pteranodon family. I know it isn't easy dealing with such issues." she said as she kneeled down as the kids approached with Gilbert coming up first, Shiny glued to his side. She gently reached around his back and gripped his tail stub and whistled. "Wow, such a big injury, but look at you, still a brave little conductor." she said, to which Gilbert smiled and wished he was in uniform.
"All thanks to Uncle Conductor... and Shiny." he said, giving her a brief hug, which she returned, making everyone chuckle. She then turned to Mrs. P and grabbed her hands, looking her in the face.
"I promise you, the time tunnel will be open TODAY and we'll get your husband and Buddy." she said. Mrs. P forced a smile through her strained emotions and nodded.
"Thank you, Mrs. Conductor."
Suddenly Mr. C's mother jumped up. "BLOOOOOH, I'd almost forgot!" everyone had to recover from the slight heart attack she gave everyone. "We WERE in the Triassic, and after Laura told the story, someone who was walking by requested to tag along." Mrs. C gestured to the observation car, of which the door opened and out walked a smaller dinosaur. Despite Mrs. C smiling, Mr. C flushed brightly and felt a slight chill up his back as Erma Eoraptor stepped out, a smile on her toothy maw.
"Well it sure is good to see you, Mister Conductor." she said, her slight drawing out of R's making it seem that she purred out the words.
"Well, we're gonna be a while." Mrs. C said as she walked towards the workers on the tunnel. "I'm gonna go make sure the workers don't mess anything up. Why don't all of you relax for now? Probably not going to get a lot of relaxing when that time tunnel opens back up." she said as she walked off the platform, leaving Mr. C standing between Erma and Mrs. P and feeling the most awkward sense of dread.
---
Mr. C picked his hat back up, brushing it off before putting it on his head as Erma walked up to him and abruptly hugged him (though her size made the hug reach about his hip).
"I was so worried when I heard the news... Learned that this here handsome Conductor only barely got out of a big tragedy." Mr. C smiled and slung an arm around her, to which he could have sworn he heard her coo.
"Yeah, I've been worried myself. I haven't found out who all was in different time periods when it happened. I mean, we have dozens of tunnels JUST to different times in the cretaceous. Trying to find out who all were behind this one... it could take a while." he said as he walked across the deck to the edge closest to the tunnel, sitting on the edge and letting his legs dangle off the side, of which Erma joined him in doing.
Back farther on the deck, Mrs. P watched Mr. C and Erma begin talking, and while at first she was happy to see her and to see someone who was so enamored with Mr. C give him some comfort, she couldn't help but feel sickly in her chest. Her kids and Gilbert watched the situation as well and looked up at Mrs. P, but it was Tiny who spoke up.
"Hey Mom, can we go play over in the clearing over there?" she asked, pointing to a fairly nondescript place within eyesight of the station. The question made Mrs. P blink a few times before looking down at them.
"Oh! Umm, sure, just don't go too far away..." she said, but then Laura chimed in.
"Oh don't worry, Mrs. Pteranodon, I'll... keep an EYE on the kids." she said as she laughed at her little joke and hopped out of the car. "Come on kids, I'll pretend to be the train and you can ride me around." The kids cheered as Laura lowered herself down and the kids hopped on her, with the exception of Tiny.
"You guys go ahead. I'll be right with you." she said as Laura walked off with Don, Shiny, and Gilbert atop her back.
In the time it took her to walk off, Tiny saw that her mother was staring at Mr. C and Erma again, one of her hands gripping at her chest.
"Mom? MOM!" Tiny said, snapping her out of her trance again.
"Uhh, yes Tiny?" she asked, tearing her eyes off of the couple to look at her daughter, who had a worried expression on her face. Tiny clicked her finger claws together and looked down a bit before she spoke.
"You... You like the Conductor, don't you?" she asked, meek as ever.
"Well yes, I've always liked him." Mrs. P replied without hesitation. "We've been friends for a while now."
"No... Umm... I mean... you LIKE him." Tiny said. Mrs. P blinked. Then Tiny dropped the bombshell. "Like Shiny likes Gilbert?"
Mrs. P's eyes shrunk to pinpricks at what her daughter just said.
"What?! No, no! Not like that! We're friends, we spend time together, we share stories, but we don't... like each other like THAT." she denied quickly. Tiny wasn't buying it.
"You sleep with him every night and not us." she said simply. "You trust him to hug you all night. You keep getting alone with him to talk." she said as she lowered her head before she lifted it up. "Is... is he.... Going to be our new dad?"
Mrs. P thought she was going to faint from the words coming out of her child's beak. She had to put a hand on her head to steady herself and collect her breathing.
"No, Tiny." she said, collecting her thoughts. "Mister Conductor is a friend and that's all. Now you really should go play with the others." she said. Tiny nodded and started towards the others, but stopped and turned around.
"If you really do like him... You should tell him..." she said, sniffling a little. "I didn't get to tell Buddy... Shiny almost didn't get to tell Gilbert... I don't want you to miss a chance..." she said before she flapped her wings and flew off to join the others.
Mrs. P just stood there, having a hard time believing her daughter just said all of that. She looked back up at Erma and Mr. C still talking and felt that sickly feeling return in her chest. It felt familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. It spiked when she saw Erma lay her head onto Mr. C's side and she was certain she knew the feeling this time.
Jealousy.
She was jealous that someone else was cuddling with him. But why should she be? He's strong, smart, has so many friends, and after all, she's going to find her husband today... Right? That last thought brought the vivid memory of the dream she had about him and she suddenly doubted her certainty of getting him back. Unlike the dream of Buddy, which was a compounding of her fears, the one of her husband was more... "real". Something about it was distinct, but worst of all, she only had it once, so she couldn't blame it on stress or fears. It wasn't even terrifying, just... sad. She watched Mr. C and Erma continue talking and swallowed hard. Before she knew it, she was walking up to them and had unceremoniously sat on the opposite side of Mr. C. She expected to see Mr. C happy and simply chatting, but found his face was caught trying to be both pale and flushed at the same time as his hands fidgeted in his lap.
"I'm telling you, Mister Conductor, you are really lucky and should think about... you know... settling down with someone you like." Erma continued a statement from when Mrs. P wasn't there yet. Mr. C just fidgeted a little harder, even moreso when Mrs. P showed up.
"Erma... I HAVE been thinking, but after all this..." he trailed off for a moment. "I have to think more. Things aren't so simple anymore.”
"What do you mean? Don't you like me anymore?" she said abruptly, not hiding behind flirtatious statements anymore. Mrs. P felt her face burn and Mr. C twitched nervously.
"Yes! I mean… NO! I mean..." he buried his face in his hands. "I just don't KNOW right now." Mrs. P placed a hand on Mr. C's back, though she twitched when she found her hand touched Erma's, who was doing the same thing. They shared a quick glance behind Mr. C's back before they looked forward, both dropping into deep thought. Erma knew Mr. C was helping the Pteranodon family, but... how deep did that go? Mr. P wasn't around. Was he... Being the husband Mrs. P needed?
Mrs. P likewise thought about what her own gesture of comfort was and how easy it was for her to resort to physically embracing him to comfort him. Was Tiny right all along? The more she thought about it, the more it scared her that her own daughter might know more about what she desired than herself.
"Hey, Erma?" Mrs. P spoke up, getting her attention. "Let's give the Conductor a little space. I'm sure the return of his mother and the workers is probably overtaxing him right now." Erma frowned slightly before Mrs. P looked at Mr. C. "Would a bit of quiet time be good for you?" Mr. C peeked out from behind his hands and nodded, to which Mrs. P stood up and stepped away with Erma following slightly afterwards.
The two females stepped away from Mr. C, who seemed to relax slightly and keep looking at the tunnel workers chipping away and digging through the rocks while making the reinforced walls special to time tunnels.
Erma and Mrs. P looked at each other, though Erma wore both a bit of an unbelieving expression along with a jealous expression.
"I didn't think you took a fancy to Mr. C." She said outright. Mrs. P's pupils shrunk at the blatant statement.
"Wha- I do not!" she denied. "He's been extremely supportive of my family ever since the cataclysm happened, even found us a new home and worked to get Gilbert back into health. He's a fantastic friend of the family." Erma looked at Mrs. P and nodded without her expression changing.
"Yeah, and your husband isn't around, so why wouldn't you want the male who has proved himself to be a perfect family provider as your new mate?" she stated, at which point both females were growing progressively angrier.
"What?! You think I'd throw my husband away for someone new just that easily?!" Mrs. P screeched as she balled her hands into fists. Erma snarled as her hands flexed.
"You didn't seem to have any issue jumping in on our conversation and doing your best at snuggling up to him right in front of me!" she snapped.
Both females could feel themselves seething with so much white hot anger, they didn't hear the rapid footsteps coming closer.
---
Mr. C sat by himself as Mrs. P and Erma left him alone. A great deal of relief coming across him as he didn't feel the pressure of being brought into a conversation he wasn't willing to have at the moment. He looked over at the workers, but his mind was racing. It was nice to see Erma, but something about her bothered him. It didn't "feel right" being with her. When she sat with him and even more so, when she leaned against him, he knew what he could do. He could have her, right there, on the deck. She wanted him, wanted him anywhere any time. While the idea appealed to some part of his brain, it no longer felt right. The flirty talking, the getting-to-know-you conversations, it just felt like going through the motions and superficial. But why would he turn it down? Wasn't that one of the things everyone wanted? Was he worried she didn't love him, just his body? No, that wasn't it. It had to be because of his time with Mrs. P changing his views, giving him a firsthand experience of the true pains and trials a couple goes through, and the rewarding sensations of helping each other through them. He was about to go down another track of thought when he could hear raised voices and turned his head.
His heart sank when he saw Erma and Mrs. P furious and inches from each other, and from their body posture, they were ready to fight. Mr. C jumped to his feet and ran towards them. He couldn't stand the thought of Mrs. P or Erma laying on the deck like Thurston was just a little while earlier. He needed to stop the fight, but he wasn't sure how as he got closer and closer. Thinking on the fly, he spread his arms apart and jumped at them.
"STOP!" he yelled at them. Both females barely looked up, seeing Mr. C for a split second before he hit both of them with a clothesline, bringing all three crashing to the deck of the station.
---
Erma and Mrs. P lay on their backs, Mr. C's arms pressing against their chests as they were looking up at the Jurassic sky. Mr. C was face down on his chest between them. Erma twitched slightly at the sight she just remembered; of Mr. C throwing himself at her and being knocked to the ground. Mrs. P did the same and both flushed and thought the same basic thought;
"Is this what it would feel like to be taken to the ground by him?"
Mr. C stirred and lifted his head up, his hat still on his head somehow as he rose to his knees, a hand on either females chests. He looked at Erma, then back at Mrs. P.
"Look, it's bad enough I went and clobbered another conductor, we don't need you two getting into a fight over... whatever it was you were getting into a fight about." he said, realizing he had no idea what they were arguing about. Both females looked down their chests at his arms, then his face; the anger they were building having basically been knocked from them.
There was a set of steps before the familiar voice of Mrs. C spoke up.
"Goodness me, I knew the stress of this tunnel business was harsh, but to think it'd make my Sonny Boy pin down TWO females at once? And right on the deck of the station?" she said, though it seemed to partly be in a jesting manner. Regardless, all three looked at their situation of Mr. C having both females on their backs in vulnerable positions and couldn't deny how awkward it was. Mr. C moved first, jumping up to his feet as Erma and Mrs. P slowly sat up.
"Bless my scales and feathers! I'm so sorry! I just didn't want anymore fighting." he said, offering a hand to each of the blushing ladies, helping them to their feet as the trio awkwardly brushed themselves off. Mrs. C laughed and boisterously hugged her son.
"I'm just teasing you. You know you're adorable when you blush!" she said, coaxing forth said blush.
"Oh Mother..." he trailed off, making her laugh before she stepped away.
"I came over here to let you know we're having a lunch break. Come inside the station for some refreshments." she said as she clasped her fingers into her mouth and whistled as the workers from the tunnel put their tools down and came to the station, while a second set of workers came out of the train and went to the tunnel. Mr. C blinked and shook his head.
"Wait, where did all of THEM come from?" he asked.
"Time Tunnel work is on a very tight schedule, so we found the best way to still allow breaks is to have one team work, and while they are working, a second team is sleeping. Once lunchtime hits, the second team gets up and starts working. Who knows, maybe they will have the tunnel open while we're eating!" she said. Mr. C put a hand on his stomach as his and Mrs. P's gurgled, both realizing they had foregone any breakfast and were quite hungry. Mrs. P turned and let out a loud squawk, which got the attention of Laura, Gilbert, and her kids, who soon came over to the station as well for their portions of food.
---
Laura had trays of food brought outside the station for her since she couldn't fit, though she'd been used to that for a while now. Inside the station, the workers chattered into a cloud of white noise. The kids, Mrs. P, Mr. C, Erma, and Mrs. C were all sitting at the same circular table as fish and meat and greens were brought to them. Thurston and Trisha sat elsewhere, Thurston having twirled up leaves pressed into his nostrils to soak up the blood as he pressed a cold pack to the swollen and bruised side of his face. Everyone was talking amidst their mouthfuls of food, retelling fun stories and situations they were in. Mrs. P, however, wasn't much for the conversations and just remained quiet.
She ate a lot slower than the rest, the white noise helping her to drift into her thoughts, particularly at the situation bubbling just a while back. She realized she almost got into a fist fight with Erma, but over what? Erma being jealous of her closeness to Mr. C? Was Tiny really so accurate in mentioning that all the time without Mr. P was actually triggering her internal desires to seek a new mate? A hand went to her chest, still feeling her heart throb hard as she recalled being on her back with Mr. C's hand firmly pressing her down. She was familiar with his gentle touch, but that was not a gentle touch. That was rough, aggressive, and it plucked the strings of her primal side. She was broken out of her thoughts as Mr. C placed a quiet hand on Mrs. P's back and looked at her. His face was saying that he knew she was worried and that he was helping to ease her tension. She smiled back at him and ate a little faster while Erma watched, her expression drooping slightly as she looked at her own meal, her appetite starting to leave her.
Many things were discussed between them as they recalled more stories, however it all stopped when Mrs. C stood up. Everyone looked at her before there was a loud cheering outside. Showing grace that betrayed her age, Mrs. C leapt over the table and out the doors. Quickly, everyone followed her as the workers on the tunnel were shaking their tools overhead and cheering. One troodon broke from the group and ran up to Mrs. C, though what he said was done in a more hushed tone. Mrs. C turned to face all those who just had lunch.
"Folks, the time tunnel has been repaired! This means the Earth on the other side was NOT destroyed!" this was met with a roaring explosion of cheers from everyone, aside from Mrs. P. She clasped a hand against her chest as she now felt an urgent pulling and suddenly broke off from the group to run up to Mrs. C.
"Misses Conductor, I must ask that you let me through so I can go find my son and husband! I NEED them back." Mrs. C looked at her, then up as Mr. C stepped forward, placing a hand on her back, supporting her. Mrs. C looked at the two, her eyes dancing back and forth silently before she closed her eyes.
"Well I'll be... Well, I think that can be arranged, but it'd be a bit dangerous to send only you through. One of the workers peeked through the other side and said it looked rather terrible. You're gonna need help." she said. Mr. C stepped forward and raised his hand.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'll go with. I made a promise that I'd help her find her husband and son." he said, smiling at Mrs. P. Mrs. C looked at them both again and smiled as she shook her head.
"All right, I approve, but we don't want to send the whole train in when we don't know the condition of the tracks on the other side. So..." Mrs. C looked over at Laura, who smiled before she walked over and jumped into one of the transport carts before jumping back out, carrying a Handcar, which she carried over and placed carefully on the tracks in front of the train. Mrs. P looked at Mrs. C and hugged her.
"Thank you so much..." she said, smiling through bleary eyes. "Can you keep an eye on my kids while I go through?" she asked, though Mrs. C nodded.
"Of course, they will be fine. You just make it back in one piece." she said, to which Mrs. P nodded and made for the handcar. Mr. C stepped up and hugged his mother. She simply hugged him back before she cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead. "You be real safe too." she said, to which Mr. C replied by putting a hand on his chest and tipping his hat.
"Of course, Mother. Conductor's honor!" he said as he made his way to the handcar. He released the break and gripped his handlebar along with Mrs. P and started slowly pumping it up and down, moving them forward as all the workers and family waved and cheered them off as the two wound up in the ethereal lights and void of the Time Tunnel.
---
The hush of the time tunnels was always unnerving. A silence and peace that was uncommon anywhere else as they moved through time and space. Mrs. P's mind raced as she pumped the handcar; she was going to go to the other side, they were going to get to the station, then from there they would go to her home and get their family and come right back to the Jurassic and everything would be all right. Yet despite all of her thoughts, worry set in. She took a paced breath and focused on the task at hand, strengthening her resolve.
That is, until the lights faded and they emerged out the other side.
---
Upon exiting the time tunnel, the handcar vibrated slightly as the steel wheels rolled over the ash and small debris on the tracks. Both Mrs. P and Mr. C stopped pumping and looked around; the world was ashen, gray. Everything smelled of burnt wood and the sky was a swirling mass of dark clouds of yet more ash, casting a looming darkness on the land despite it being mid day. The trees around here were mostly smashed and bowled over, some snapped in half, others fully uprooted, all suffering burn damage. Mrs. P's heart sunk as visions of her dream about Buddy resurfaced, the world looking too familiar for her own comfort.
"Mrs. P?" Mr. C said, snapping her out of her daze as she looked at him. "The track looks rather clear. Let's take the handcar up to the station, then from there we can go to Pteranodon Terrace, okay?" he said, stating the obvious for her, but it served to help her focus as they began pumping the handcar again.
Mr. C knew that this resembled her dream, and recalled all too well how the destruction looked first hand. He hoped that he could keep her focus, but he hoped more that Mr. P and Buddy were all right.
The handcar continued to vibrate, the track mostly unharmed itself, but coated with debris that seemed to threaten to throw them right off the track at times. Still, they kept working and pumping the cart as the station came into view and they pulled the handcar up to the deck of it. Mrs. P hopped onto the deck and looked out towards the pathway to the ocean. She started to flap her wings when she heard a faint groan. Spinning around, she saw Mr. C looking at the building and removing his hat. She shook her head a moment as she realized that the building had a fair amount of damage to it; lots of fire damage and a good portion of the roof had collapsed. Mr. C was slowly walking into the door by the ticket seller booth before he dropped to his knees, and finally Mrs. P could see what he was looking at. A dead Troodon, what was left of it anyway, was partially buried under the collapsed roof, the body withered and looking little more to be dried skin on bones. Mrs. P walked closer and swallowed as she knew the teller. She spoke to them nearly every day, always getting her tickets from them. She pulled her eyes away from his body and hugged Mr. C, who hugged her in return, both holding in their tears as Mr. C stood up and put his hat back on.
"Nothing we can do for him..." he said as he rubbed his nose, sniffling. "Let’s get going to your home. Go ahead and fly, I'll follow on the ground, I know the way there." he offered. Mrs. P nodded and turned, flapping her wings as she took to the air.
---
Mrs. P had taken this pathway many times, but this time, she was alone. No children tagging along, no husband by her side. She looked on in dismay as the trees and plants that weren't charred black were smashed and knocked over. She swallowed as she continued forward, finally seeing the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. As she got closer, she could see the nest, but it had been smashed and burned. It didn't seem that anyone had even tried to repair it. Her heart started sinking as she flapped her wings and landed by the nest. She approached it, noting that it was devoid of any life or anything that wasn't some rock fragment or burned foliage. She closed her eyes and turned around, envisioning in her mind what her home normally looked like, before she opened them, feeling tears in her eyes as the lush greens and tall trees that were once there were instead burned or smashed. She hung her head and closed her eyes, when a rustle of foliage caught her attention. She looked up and saw a semi burnt bush shaking and her heart uplifted before Mr. C popped out from them, dusting off his vest as he looked over at her, a sense of disappointment passing across her face. He knew she wasn't upset at him, just that he wasn't Mr. P or Buddy. He took a look around as he walked up to her and gave her a soft hug, stroking her back as she returned the embrace.
"The sea cave... did you check there yet?" he asked, to which Mrs. P's eyes widened.
"No, not yet." she said, a bit of excitement filling her voice as she and Mr. C dashed through the grounds before finding the hole that Don dug. Both took a breath and jumped down, sliding down the rock wall before coming to a stop in the underground area that was still a bit dim. The two of them walked around a bit blindly, waiting for their eyes to adjust. The first thing they noticed was a very strong smell. The second thing they noticed was a sound. It was faint but sounded like... crying? The two continued forward, starting to see a bit better and soon found a small form sitting next to a pile of rocks. Mrs. P's voice caught in her throat before she forced words out. "Buddy?" she said, her voice barely a whisper. Suddenly the crying faded and the little figure seemed to move. Her eyes adjusted farther and her heart throbbed as she could make out the outline of the figure and knew instantly who it was.
"... Mommy?" came a weak response. Mrs. P ran as fast as her legs could take her, scooping up the form of the small tyrannosaurus in her wings, able to see his big green eyes, wide with utter shock, before she hugged him to her chest. He shivered before he hugged her in return, his voice straining before he finally spoke again. "MOMMY!" he screamed as he clenched her as tight as his little arms could, burying his head into her chest as he started crying.
"Mommy's here!" Mrs. P yelled out, squeezing him tightly, afraid he'd blow away in the faintest wind, or that she'd wake up. "Mommy's here now and I'll NEVER let you go..." she said between her own sobs. The two of them were nearly bowled over by a third body as Mr. C hugged the mother and son, his own body shivering as he wept joyous tears.
---
Mr. C was the first to step back, smiling widely as his eyes adjusted quicker, allowing him to see Buddy properly, his form a bit thinner than normal, his belly no longer round like it should have been and instead, sunken in slightly. Mrs. P slowly released her hug, looking down at her son and stroking his cheek.
"Buddy... oh my sweet Buddy... I've missed you so badly... Your brother and sisters too. I've been so worried." she said, trying to hold back her gushing tears.
"Don't forget me! I've been worried sick about you too." Mr. C chimed in, making Mrs. P smile before looking at Buddy, who smiled softly.
"I was so scared, especially when Dad-" Buddy started but was interrupted.
"Your Dad! Where is he? Did he make it down here?" Mrs. P asked, her heart thudding in her chest again as her worries grew. Buddy looked up at her, his eyes growing tearful as he sniffled.
"Y-yeah, he made it down here..." he said. As he was relaying his story, Mr. C had walked around Buddy. He had been down I this cave before, but didn't recognize the pile of rocks that Buddy was next to. He quietly moved a few of the rocks and looked under them before his eyes went wide and he let out a gasp. Mrs. P looked up from Buddy and looked at Mr. C.
"What is it?" she asked. Mr. C looked at her, then back at what he had uncovered several times, swallowing thickly.
"I don't... I don't know if you're ready for this..." he said, but the tone in his voice only agitated Mrs. P. She gently set Buddy down and marched over to Mr. C, but he placed one of the rocks down and outstretched his hand. "Mrs. P, please, wait!" he said, but she slapped his hand out of her face as she started to grow angry. Mr. C normally never kept secrets from her, why would he start now? She found out when she saw what he'd uncovered. She gasped and pulled a few more rocks free.
"Oh no... nononononoNONONONOOOOO!" she started as a whisper that grew into a shrill scream before she dropped to her knees, her face pressing into her hands as she started crying and screaming all at the same time. Mr. C and Buddy had never heard her make such terrible sounds before. She sobbed hard between shrill screams of dismay, a display that scared Buddy and forced Mr. C to look away.
Only when her screaming dropped into sobbing and crying did Buddy hug her side, sniffling as Mr. C hugged her other side. She looked down at her son, dirty and withered, but alive, then over to Mr. C, who was mournful, but like he'd been for the past month, there to support her. She unfurled her arms and hugged them both before she regained enough composure to sit down before she scooped buddy into her lap.
"Please... tell me what happened that day." she asked. Buddy blinked a few times but nodded.
---
"It was the day you, Tiny, Shiny, and Don went to go look at Jurassic plants. I wanted to stay at home with Dad." Buddy started as he recalled the events. "Dad and I played a couple games before we went for some food. When we came back to the nest, Dad got in an argument with Mr. Lambeosaurus over eating another one of Dad's favorite trees. They got really loud and Dad was REALLY mad... but then the sky got really bright. It was weird, but then there was a loud sound, a big "BOOM". It made Dad and Mr. Lambeosaurus stop arguing and look at the sky, which was very red. Then hot rocks started falling as the wind got really bad." he said, sniffling a little. "Dad was smart; he ignored Mister Lambeosaurus and picked me up and started to fly to the hole Don dug that lead to the sea cave here, but..." Buddy sniffled. "Dad screamed and then we both fell down. We were almost at the hole, but dad was hurt..." he swallowed. "A hot rock made a big hole in his wing and he couldn't fly... he couldn't even get back up... and a lot more hot rocks were falling and the wind was getting worse. I grabbed him as hard as I could to tug him into the hole... it was hard with my little arms but I did it... and we both fell down... Then it got so loud outside... bad wind worse than the hurricane..." he said. "Dad took a nap, but his wing was bleeding bad... I moved him over to his favorite rock and helped him onto it and he woke up. He told me to stay in the cave with him and if I got hungry, to eat the food we saved down here. I did, I ate the carrion and gave him the fish, but that only lasted a couple days... The sky got dark and we ran out of food. Dad stopped bleeding and said he'd get more food, but he couldn't fly and he crashed on the ground every time he tried..." Buddy said, sniffling. Mrs. P stroked his cheek, gently wiping away his tears.
"Shhh... take a deep breath..." Mrs. P coaxed, though her eyes were welled with tears too. Buddy breathed deep, calming down before he continued.
"Dad told me I'd have to try fishing when the wind wasn't so bad, since we had no more food. I remembered how the Old Spinosaurus hunted and that I could hunt like that too. It wasn't easy, but I caught fish every day for Dad and I... It got harder since the water got darker and I could see less fish... Since Dad couldn't fly, he would sit in the cave and play his guitar. I remember I asked him what had happened after we ate dinner one day and he said an Asteroid hit the planet... It... It scared me and made me mad that you weren't here, Mom..." he said, looking up at her. She flinched as he brought up those cold memories, but his eyes were not full of hate, like in her dream, but rather, sorrow, like he made a mistake and was asking to be forgiven. "But Dad said that it wasn't your fault and that you would come back and help us. He said it every day... and then he'd play a special song on his guitar." Buddy sniffled. "It sounded sad and he whistled in a weird way. I asked him what it was about. He said it was a song to tell others who were far away, that you may never see again, that you love them. That it was about the sadness of being too far away, but having happy memories." Buddy sniffled as a few more tears escaped his eyes, along with Mrs. P shedding a few more. "He played it for me every time we went to nest and let me think about you coming to help us." Mrs. C wanted to bawl as she stroked Buddy's face, the song he was describing seemed to resemble the tune she recalled in her dream a few days back.
"But... then what happened?" she asked as she gently rubbed his head.
"Well..." he swallowed. "It was getting harder and harder to find fish... Sometimes I would only catch one fish a day... but Dad wouldn't split it with me, he would have me eat the whole fish. He got more and more tired... Then one day he talked to me." Buddy started to talk and relay what his Dad had said, but to Mrs. P's ears, she easily envisioned her husband saying these words. "Son, soon there will be a day where I stop moving and stop breathing. When that day happens, remember that you are a carnivore. I want you to eat me and stay alive. For your Mother. You're young and have so much life ahead of you. She NEEDS to find you alive and well." he said, sucking in a shaky breath as Mrs. P and Mr. C took their own breaths, waiting for what Buddy would say next. "I told him I would but... Then... then it happened... he stopped moving... stopped breathing... his guitar fell out of his hand and broke on a rock... I cried so hard when Dad left me..." he said, sniffling. "But... but I couldn't eat him! He's my Dad!" he said as he nuzzled his face into his mother's chest as she squeezed him tightly in her wings until he stopped sobbing enough to speak. "S-so... I left him on his favorite rock... and put rocks over him and his guitar... But I was too sad... I couldn't eat him... but I was too sad to go fishing... I just wanted my Dad back... I just wanted my Mom back... I wanted my family back..." he said as he began crying softly.
Mrs. P stood up with Buddy in her wings, the story making sense and fitting the personality that her husband had. She also learned just how loving Buddy was, sooner facing starvation than eating anyone he loved. She walked with him over to the stone platform, the few stones around her husband's face still removed, a couple of small stones on his eyelids to keep them closed. She leaned in and placed a brief kiss on his cold forehead.
"Thank you, my love... I'll take care of everything from now on... you sleep... you've earned it..." she said, her throat filling with mournful squawks. Mr. C stepped up to her, hugging her close with Buddy between them before he spoke.
"I'll tuck Mr. P into bed here... You head for the handcar. We have one precious cargo who needs to go home." he said, smiling as he stroked Buddy's head. Mrs. P swallowed and nodded, gently setting Buddy down before she flapped her wings, grasping Buddy's hips with her feet. However Buddy spoke up.
"Wait, I need to get something!" he said. Mrs. P let him go as he ran over by the rock pile and pulled out a few items, his little arms barely able to hold them. "I found them and wanted to keep them so that no one would miss them." He said as he produced the Amber piece with a bug in it from Don's collection, Shiny's favorite shell, and both of Tiny's tiny dolls. Mrs. P's heart melted as she hugged him again, though he dropped the items. Mr. C just smiled and removed his hat, placing them all in his upturned hat.
"I'll carry them for you." he said, looking up at Mrs. P. "Meet you at the handcar." he said. Mrs. P nodded and re-grasped Buddy's hips before she properly took off out the cave opening. Mr. C looked back at the face of Mr. P, his features all dried and thin. It was unreal, seeing his friend laying before him like this. He couldn’t properly feel the impact of his death just yet. He gently lay a hand on Mr. P’s cheek. "Don't you worry, Mister P, I'll make sure your family is safe and sound." he said as he gently placed the rocks back over the Pteranodon's face before he walked to the back of the cave and climbed out of the hole, seeing the small form of Mrs. P heading towards the handcar. He straightened his vest and ensured he still had the hat full of trinkets Buddy salvaged before he began sprinting for the handcar as only a dinosaur could.
---
Mrs. P could feel how different Buddy felt in her grasp as she flew, feeling his bones more clearly. It didn't take long for them to reach the station and the handcar, Mrs. P setting Buddy down on the deck of the station and getting a good look at him in the still dim but brighter than the cave light; he was dirty and a little pale, any chubby features were now thin and notably his tummy was not nice and round, instead sunken in. She couldn't help herself as she pulled him for another hug, hearing his empty stomach gurgling.
"When we get to our new home, the first thing I'm going to do is get you some big fish." she said, pulling back from the hug and smiling at him, to which she saw him smiling and wagging his tail happily, though his tail shared the emaciated look with the bones rather clearly showing under his skin. There was a rustle in the foliage as Mr. C popped out from them, his hat hanging by the chin strap on his arm, still carrying the trinkets of Buddy's siblings. Mrs. P gently placed Buddy on the handcar and Mr. C handed his hat to him.
"Think you can hang onto these just a bit longer? I know the rest of your family is waiting just on the other side of the tunnel." Mr. C said. Buddy smiled and nodded as he sat with the hat in his lap. Mr. C grasped the break on the handcar and disabled it while also setting it to head in the opposite direction as Mrs. P climbed on and grasped her handlebar. Working together, Mr. C and Mrs. P began working the hand pump as the cart started up and began moving through the ruined land. Mrs. P's back was to the approaching tunnel and her eyes welled up as she watched as the wasteland that was once her home, the home she made with her husband, moved farther and farther away, until there was a brilliance of light and the trio vanished into the time tunnel.
---
The troodon, Laura, and the kids all stood at the Jurassic station, talking among each other, wondering what had become of Mr. C and Mrs. P. Some wondered if they would return, others merely wondered how the world was on the other side since only one worker got a clear look before the announcement of it being finished was made. There was a louder commotion as the time tunnel lit up, the light and energy waves coming off of it before the modest handcar came back with Mr. C, Mrs. P, and a small figure all aboard.
The handcar slowed to a stop, Mr. C pulled the break, and Mrs. P sprang up, flapping her wings and grasping Buddy, who carried Mr. C's hat as she brought him to the deck of the station, setting him down.
"Buddy?!" came a shrill squawk as Tiny and the other kids pushed through the crowd.
"Tiny? Shiny? Don? Gilbert?" Buddy exclaimed in higher and higher stages of excitement before Tiny bolted over to him, bowling him over as she hugged him, a little laugh coming from Buddy and Tiny, though her laughing was muddled with sobbing. At that, the station erupted into cheering at a survivor being brought back. Since one was found, the wordless thought everyone had was that others could be found as well.
Mrs. P smiled and wiped her eyes as her kids reunited, Mr. C stepping up to be next to her. Buddy had started to pull objects out of the conductor's hat and each sibling practically screamed in surprise at the objects their incredibly thoughtful sibling salvaged. Even Gilbert was amazed at the amber, since it was a gift he gave to Don a long while back. It didn't take Buddy long to notice Gilbert was missing half his tail and he spoke up about it.
"Wow, Gilbert... What happened to your tail?" he asked. Gilbert looked over his shoulder at his stump, then at Shiny who was next to him before back at Buddy.
"Well, it's kinda a long story." he said, rubbing his head. Sadly, even as Tiny hugged her Tiny Dolls and nuzzled Buddy, Shiny held her shiny shell as she stood with Gilbert, and Don and Gilbert handled the amber, Tiny looked up at her mother, a smile on her face as she excitedly asked.
"So where is Dad?!" she said in a giddy tone, looking around for him. Mrs. P could no longer smile as she closed her eyes. The other kids, even Mrs. C, Laura, and several troodon workers were looking at her now. Her breathing got ragged as she tried to hold sobs back.
'Y-your Dad is..." she sucked in a rushed breath. "Your Dad is..." she let out a strained squawk. She felt Mr. C place his hand on her back, giving her the strength to pry her eyes open, looking down at the faces of her children; only Buddy sharing the same somber expression as he sat and sniffled, a pitiful little thing. "N-not... coming back..." she said. The kids were puzzled a moment before their eyes went wide at the implications.
"No..." Buddy said softly, sniffling and wiping his nose as he continued where his mother left off. "Dad laid down and..." the kids looked at their sibling as he swallowed. "He's not moving anymore..." he said as he clenched his eyes shut. The other kids blinked and looked around before looking up at their mother, sadness adorning their faces and practically asking her to tell them it wasn't true. Mrs. P couldn't stand those looks in their eyes and soon started crying outright, covering her face in her hands. Mr. C quickly pulled her against his chest, closing his eyes as he felt her lean into him. The workers and others were no longer cheerful, now knowing that they had lost someone who was rather well known among them. Most of the workers knew it meant that their home was most likely gone, along with anyone they knew.
A period of silence only punctuated by the crying of the children and Mrs. P hung in the air before Mrs. P pulled her face from Mr. C's vest, the conductor loosening his grip and wiping a tear from her face with one of his thumbs as she sniffled and looked at her crying children; Buddy and Tiny hugging each other close, Tiny gripping Buddy as if he was going to slip away, while Gilbert was clutched to Shiny, trying to console the pterosaur who was sobbing hard, and Don sitting by his lonesome as he sniffled. Mrs. P knelt down and picked up the lonely little pteranodon, hugging him close before his little frame shuddered and he started crying in full. The sound of him finally releasing his emotions and crying, not just sniffling, being both relieving, but heartbreaking to not only her, but his siblings as Shiny and Tiny had to look up at Don finally breaking down instead of just seemingly rolling with the blows. Mrs. Conductor finally stepped up to the family.
"As terribly sad as this is, I'm sorry to say that we need to plan a larger trip into that time zone to try and find other survivors." she said as she looked at her son. "Sonny Boy, I'm going to need you to tell me the condition of the tracks and what equipment we'll need." she said, grasping Mr. C's hand before she looked down at Buddy again. "And someone get some carrion and water ready, Buddy is starving." she said, to which his stomach gurgled loudly, making Tiny chuckle a bit as she sniffled and Mrs. C grasped Buddy's hand, guiding everyone back into the station. Everyone except Mrs. P, who's hand was grabbed and tugged to linger behind the group. She spun around to find out who it was, only to come face to face with Erma.
Mrs. P couldn't believe Erma was going to start something up again, but as she wiped her eyes, she could see Erma was not sporting a malicious expression, just a mournful one.
"I'm terribly sorry about your loss, but at least you got your son back." she said as she reached down and picked up the now empty hat of the Conductor. She rolled it in her hands before she looked up and met eyes with Mrs. P. "It's clear Mister Conductor is very fond of you, and the two of you are extremely important to each other, especially now more than ever." Mrs. P started to flush at what she was saying.
"Erma, how many times must I say it? I'm not with the Conductor." Mrs. P pleaded. Erma looked her in the face and then shook her head before she held out Mr. C's hat for Mrs. P to take.
"I saw it, Laura saw it, your kids saw it, and ESPECIALLY Misses Conductor saw it." she said firmly. "Deny it all you want, but I'll tell you this, missy," she narrowed her eyes as she looked into Mrs. P's eyes. "Don't pass up such an opportunity." Mrs. P grasped the hat slowly and attempted to pull on it, but Erma kept a grip on it, making Mrs. P look at her face again, meeting Erma sporting an even more somber expression. "You have his heart right in your hands." she said, letting go of the hat. Mrs. P grasped it in both of her hands before Erma reached over and placed her hands over Mrs. P's. "And you have a family who needs him. DON'T pass up something so fortunate... Miss P." she added before she turned and walked into the station.
Ms. P stood there aghast, clutching Mr. C's hat in her hands as she was left alone on the deck of the station with her thoughts. Mr. Pteranodon, her husband, was gone and would never be coming back, but, to be with Mr. C? Now? How would life with him work? She realized how stupid her question was when she clearly recalled how he had been with her day in and day out for a month straight, the countless times she cried to him, he was there to support her. The times he needed support, she was right there for him as well. The two of them already lived together and clearly supported each other. Her mind danced back several weeks to that particularly intimate night, then again to that day when Mr. C folded under stress. If she didn't care so much for him, would she have really done that? Would she have accepted his touch, much less offered her own?
Miss Pteranodon stood in thought as new thoughts danced in her head at Erma's words and how things had continued to change. Clutching the hat in her hands and taking a deep breath, she was determined to take things one step at a time. Firstly, she had a Son in desperate need of his mother, and she'd be damned if she was going to let anything else happen to him. With resolve, and hat, in hand, she walked into the station.
---
End Chapter 4
