His Parent's Brag, Part 2
Title: His Parent's Brag, Part 2
Author: TalliW
Characters: Jenny Lewis, Nick Cutter, Abby, Connor, Sarah, Becker, Lester and a Hypsilophodon
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading. I couldn't have done it without you.
AN: This story is dedicated to a1cmustangpilot who inspired me with her wonderful tales about the pyroraptors.
Part 1 is here
"Welcome back, Professor, Jenny. How was it on the other side? Did you see some cool dinosaurs?" Connor asked in excitement.
The look Jenny threw him was a little frosty and she refrained from answering his question. All she wanted was to get home and spend the rest of the day soaking in the tub. She knew she had to look terrible. Her trousers were still covered with mud, her blouse was wrinkled and her hair was in disarray.
Cutter smirked at her and shook some of the dried mud off his clothes.
"Iguanodons, Acrocanthosaurus, Craterosaurus herd and a Hypsilophodon," he listed.
"Wow! I wish I'd been there. But Becker was adamant that I stay here. You have to tell me all about it so I can update my database," Connor babbled, excitedly. "How big was the Acrocanthosaurus? The one Becker shot was only eight metres long. And what did the Craterosaurus look like? Did it have the same osteoderms as the stegosaurus? You know they've never found a whole specimen. It's a pity you didn't get some pictures. How was the Hyps..."
Connor's oral fluency was interrupted by a little green flash dashing through the anomaly and colliding with his legs.
"Yikes!" Connor cried, startled.
"Eukes," the Hypsilophodon quacked as it tumbled backwards and landed on its side. Within seconds it had scampered up to its feet, shook its head and stared, bewildered, at the obstacle that had stopped it.
"Eeekeeekeeek," it railed, displeased with Connor, and darted its eyes around frantically.
"Becker, what's the point of that? That tiny little thing is not going to eat you. Put the rifle down!" Cutter snarled. "Now help me. We have to get it back into the Anomaly."
The baby dinosaur recognised the familiar voice and collected its strength for the last part of the way. It was nearly at the end of his tether but it knew his parents were nearby and it had to reach them.
"I think the Anomaly might close again soon," Connor announced and tried to shoo the creature towards the pulsing light. "Come on, little runner, go home."
The Hypsilophodon looked curiously at the strange animal with the bright red legs before it started to run in Cutter's direction. After the stegosaurus herd, this small group of animals who were surrounding its parents weren't a real hindrance at all. It dodged Connor's waving arms easily and moved round him gracefully.
Becker had discarded his rifle and tried to snatch the creature, but the dinosaur was too fast for him and his hands grasped at nothing.
The Hypsilophodon passed an amused Sarah, evaded a delighted Abby and dashed through the legs of the soldier standing next to Cutter.
"Aueek," the Hypsilophodon uttered happily and huddled against Cutter's right leg.
A moment later the Anomaly pulsed for a last time before it vanished completely.
Nick Cutter stared down at the creature clinging to his leg and the little dinosaur looked up to him.
"Have you gone crazy?You're totally out of place here," he told it. "What were you thinking of?"
"Aueeek?"
Abby rolled her eyes at Cutter and bent down to the baby Hypsilophodon. "Hallo, cutie," she said softly, and put her hand out to touch the dinosaur who hurried behind Cutters legs and peeked warily at the strange animal.
"Please, Cutter, can I have it? I'll take care of it properly."
Cutter shrugged his shoulders. "If you like! But if the Anomaly reopens it has to go back. Agreed?"
Abby nodded vigorously and tried to pick the small lizard up. Connor snickered as the dinosaur hopped through Cutter's legs before Abby could get hold of it and then raced in wide circles around them to avoid Abby.
The little Hypsilophodon was exhausted and confused. Why wasn't its sire protecting it against that scary creature who wanted to catch it? And where were its brothers and sisters? Had its siblings all been eaten by this predatory animal already?
"I could do with some help," Abby muttered in frustration.
"Perhaps we should just hold on until its tired enough and stops of its own accord?." Sarah crossed her arms in front of her chest and watched the little dinosaur doing its laps.
Jenny felt sorry for the hatchling. Determined to help the confused animal she bent down and reached out with her cupped hands. "Come here to me, little one. I'm not going to hurt you. Come here!"
Abby and the professor shared an amused glance. Before Cutter could make a wisecrack, the Hypsilophodon stopped in front of Jenny, tilted its head and plodded swiftly onto Jenny's hand.
"It's that simple!" Jenny declared smugly, as she handed the creature to Abby.
Cutter raised his eyebrows in surprise and then grimaced as an idea was slowly forming in his mind.
The moment Abby took the dinosaur baby in her arms it started to struggle, and squealed heart-wrenchingly. It scraped with its hind legs and pawed with its front legs and almost toppled from Abby's arms.
Nick Cutter pushed Jenny aside and grabbed the creature from Abby. The dinosaur calmed down instantly and snuggled into Cutter's hands, its eyes darting, disturbed, to its mother who had tried to give it to the greedy predator.
"What exactly happened on the other side, Cutter?" Abby asked, accusingly. "It looks like it's accustomed to you. And to Jenny."
The professor cradled the Hypsilophodon in his arms and looked sheepishly at Abby. "It was an accident. We were there when it hatched. I hadn't expected it to imprint on us. Usually lizards are extremely precocial after all."
"I have read in an article recently that new insights indicate that several dinosaurs were similar to birds, practicing an intensive parental care after the hatching. It seems congratulations are in order for the newly minted parents," Connor declared grinning.
Sarah began to chuckle. "Are you saying that ... ?"
"Yeah, it thinks Jenny and Cutter are its mummy and daddy."
"Cutter!" Jenny said, fuming. "Next time you plan a sightseeing tour in the Cretaceous kindly refrain from dragging me along." She took a deep breath to compose herself and cast a compassionate glance at the Hypsilophodon. "Have a nice time with your dino," she called over her shoulder as she stalked away.
"Welcome in the world of single parent fathers, Cutter," Abby smirked in satisfaction at Cutter's dumbfounded expression.
"Where's Cutter?"
"He needed some rest after that trip in the Cretaceous," Jenny declared, without a tremor. After a shower and a change of clothes she felt considerably better. She just hoped the little dinosaur was all right as well.
Lester pulled a face. "Why am I not surprised? He has always an excuse to skip the paper work. And then I'm running after the necessary reports for weeks."
"I'll make sure that he hands it in punctually this time."
"That would be most helpful. Thank you, Jenny. And the Anomaly has closed permanently now ?"
"It looks that way," Sarah answered.
"Were there any difficulties?
"No, sir. The cadaver of the predator we have shot has been disposed off discreetly and there weren't any witnesses of the event," Becker reported.
"Good. The last thing we need is another incident in public. I've got enough trouble already with what happened outside the museum and in the hospital. Is there anything else I should know?"
"The dead creature was identified as an Acanthosaurus, sir."
"Acrocanthosaurus," Connor corrected. "That was the biggest predator in the Early Cretaceous."
"Fine. Whatever." Lester stared at the five people in his office and then gave a dimissive gesture. "That's all for now. I'm sure you have some reports to write."
Nick Cutter peered down at the pathetic looking dinosaur sitting on the carpet in his living room. Half an hour earlier it had sounded like a good idea to take it home. The prospect of having the chance to observe a living dinosaur growing up had been tempting.
After the little creature had proven it really had socially bonded with him, and several attempts to get it accustomed to Abby had failed miserably he hadn't had much of a choice in the end.
But now he realised he was not exactly qualified to care for such an animal. His only pet when he was a child had been his dog B. A.
"Are you hungry?" he asked the Hypsilophodon and walked into the kitchen. The Hypsilophodon tilted its head and waddled after him. It was tired and hungry but its sire would know what was best for his offspring, wouldn't he?
Cutter opened the fridge and eyed the sparse contents. Ham, cheese, eggs, some leftover pizza and a withered lemon weren't something he could offer a baby dinosaur.
He knew the Hypsilophodons were herbivores and normally grazed the ground of the Early Cretaceous.
"Wait a moment," he said, and hurried out of the house.
"Aueeek?" The little animal quacked after him, clearly distraught.
Cutter came back a moment later with a handful of grass and put it down in front of the dinosaur.
The Hypsilophodon sniffed at the unknown green stuff and tentatively took a single stalk into his mouth.
"You see. That tastes fine." Cutter smiled in satisfaction as the little dinosaur began to devour the grass with gusto.
The dinosaur picked the last blades of grass off the floor and listened to the gurgling noises in its belly.
A quarter of an hour later, Cutter had just made himself a sandwich and had sat down on the couch in front of the telly, when the dinosaur's belly started to twinge and the pressure in its guts got stronger...
"Bloody hell," Cutter cursed and discarded his sandwich on the coffee table before he ran into the kitchen to get some paper towels.
The Hypsilophodon was looking like a picture of misery as Cutter cleaned up the mess on the floor. It didn't understand what had just happened but its sire was displeased and was making angry noises as he scrubbed at the carpet. And on top of that, it felt hungry all over again.
"Abby, I need your help" Cutter mumbled into his mobile and explained what had happened earlier.
"Cutter, fresh new grass is too protein-rich, especially for a baby lizard. It's hardly surprising it has got diarrhoea. Why didn't you try it first with some lettuce leaves or a carrot? Courgettes or spinach leaves should be fine to start with as well. Or give it some apple slices. For the future, you should consider laying out a small herb garden or drying some ferns, lichens and moss for it. A lizard needs special care. It's not a cow you can just put out to pasture."
"Yes, Abby. Now relax. I take your point. Thanks for your advice."
Cutter cut the call and bent down to the Hypsilophodon. "Seems it was my fault, little one. Tomorrow I'll go shopping and get you some proper food."
The Hypsilophodon looked hopefully up at Cutter. But as it realised no other food was coming right now it resigned itself to the fact it had to stay hungry.
"Was that Cutter just now?" Jenny Lewis asked curiously. "How is he?"
"Totally overchallenged by a baby lizard." Abby snorted and made herself ready to leave the ARC. "But don't worry, he'll quickly learn what he needs to know. With my first lizard I made all kinds of mistakes too. Have a nice evening, Jenny."
Cutter sighed. "What's the matter now? Try to sleep."
The Hypsilophodon sat morosely on the floor next to the bed and whimpered quitly.
"OK. You can sleep on the bed but woe betide you if you make a mess up here." He fetched the little animal and put it onto the soft pillow beside his own.
The dinosaur snuggled into the fleecy nest and tried to rest. But nothing was as it should be. Its belly demanded to be filled. Its throat was dry and someone was still missing. Shouldn't his mother be here by now? Perhaps she would have some more food.
The Hypsilophodon started to whine again and Cutter groaned, annoyed.
"Cutter, do you know how late it is?" Abby yawned into the mobile.
"It's yammering. Can you hear it?" Nick Cutter held the mobile closer to the dinosaur so Abby could listen to the whining.
"All right, Cutter. I've got it," Abby growled. Her first impulse was to drive over and fetch the poor creature. But earlier the animal had been scared to death every time she had tried to get close to it. She really didn't know why the lizard was so afraid of her but more stress was the last thing the utterly perplexed dinosaur needed.
The hatchling stretched its neck as the voice rang out of the strange thing in his father's hand. It had heard that voice before and remembered it belonged to the dangerous animal who had tried to eat it. Perhaps the predator had eaten its mother instead. Now the small dinosaur was getting even more agitated.
"Eeeeeeeeeek. Eeeeeeeeeek. Eeeeeeeeeek. Eeeeeeeeeek," it wailed.
"Abby, what can I do?" Cutter asked, at a loss.
"I haven't got the faintest idea. We know next to nothing about the breeding of prehistoric animals. Rex and even Sid and Nancy have adapted well to our life. But they were grown ups already. Perhaps it needs both its parents or maybe it just wants more fo..."
"Thanks, Abby." Cutter cut the call before Abby could finish the sentence. She stared irritated at the mobile and shook her head. What did Cutter have in mind now?
Nick Cutter slipped into his clothes with lightning speed. Then he snatched the distressed Hypsilophodon and put it in the pocket of his jacket.
"Calm down, tiny tot. We're going to visit your mummy."
Go to part 3