Alan had the distinct feeling that this was where things were going to go sideways between him and his son.

He'd thought that everything was going a bit too smoothly. Owen was being far too rational, understanding, and polite. Their meeting had been going far better than he'd hoped or even thought it could. And if Owen couldn't quite believe that Alan was there because he wanted to be, not because he felt some kind of self righteous obligation, and if Alan couldn't work up the courage to suggest in so many words that Owen call him "Dad" or "Father" well those were things that could be worked on. Owen wanting to stay with a velociraptor while a tropical thunderstorm was approaching was something that Alan thought they'd have a much harder time working around. A part of him thought that he should just leave it and walk away, for the sake of peace between the two of them, but he found that he couldn't. Not if his son was putting himself in danger.

"You can't stay up on a metal catwalk when there's a thunderstorm on the way," Alan pointed out.

"I wasn't planning to. There's an empty storage shed adjacent to the pack's den. Not that there's a pack anymore, but that's beside the point. Part of one of the shed's walls is missing, so it's right up against the bars. I used to sleep there when we first moved the girls out of the nursery, to help them get settled in the new place."

"And you're planning on sleeping there now?" Alan asked incredulously. "When this island is in a state of emergency?"

"The biggest threat on the island just willingly followed me back into her enclosure," Owen said. "The second biggest threat is miles from here carving out a territory for herself. There's so much prey and carrion between her and this place right now that it's not even funny. And the flyers aren't going to be flying into any sheds. I'm in no more danger here than I'd be at the operations building."

"But the other people at the control room –"

"Were briefed on what I'd be doing if I got Blue home," Owen said. "We're finished for the day. All the animals have been fed. Tonight, Lowery can arrange for the helicopters we'll need to transport the rex after we tranq her. Tomorrow we can get that taken care of and put down the rest of the flyers. Then we can get the rest of the reclamation team here and start getting this island back in shape. But tonight, I'm staying with Blue."

"You and I both know how bad tropical thunderstorms can be," Alan said. "Is a shed really going to be protection enough?"

Owen motioned toward a nondescript building near the back of the raptor enclosure. "It's built to last, like the rest of this enclosure. When it comes to the predator paddocks, strength matters."

Alan refrained from pointing out that the shed wasn't actually part of the paddock. When he thought about it objectively, it had lasted for months, possibly years. He wasn't sure how old Blue was, but she was definitely full grown. It didn't look beaten and decrepit at all, meaning it would most likely last months, if not years more. Instead, he switched his focus to another thing that worried him.

"It's insulated against electricity?"

"Yep. The floor's rubber, and there's a layer of it in the walls and beneath the slope of the roof too. You don't have to worry about me," Owen said. "I can take care of myself."

There was nothing bitter or unfriendly about the way Owen said that, but it stung Alan all the same. Owen wasn't trying to throw Alan's absence his whole life in his face, but Alan couldn't help but feel like he should have been there for his kid when things like that were brought up. Yes, Owen could take care of himself, and had done so his whole life, but he shouldn't have had to.

There was a lot that Alan wanted to say. And even more that he wanted to do. Mainly, at the moment, dragging his son back to the operations building before the storm could get any closer. But he knew that now, being overbearing could be just as bad, and maybe worse, than being apathetic. As much as Alan wanted to take care of his son now, he knew that he had to accept that Owen was a full grown man who would likely resent it if Alan tried to restrict his independence.

Still . . .

"I'm worried about you. I know you can take care of yourself, but I know how dangerous dinosaurs can be," Alan said.

"I know how dangerous they can be too," Owen said. "Believe me, I know."

Alan believed him.

He still didn't like this, but the only arguments he had to make were ones based on his personal sentiment. Those wouldn't get him far here. If Owen weren't his son, he doubted that he'd be arguing. He didn't think he'd press the issue beyond giving a few cautionary words. But the fact was that Owen was his son. And Alan didn't know what to do.

"Be careful," he said. "Don't leave the shed unless it's an emergency, until the storm's over. There's no guarantee that we'll be able to hear you on the radio or your phone if you call for help."

Owen nodded seriously. "I'll take every precaution."

Alan didn't like this. What it finally came down to was that he knew he couldn't stop this and that arguing with Owen would do more harm than good for their relationship now. So he took a deep breath, then let it go.

"We'll talk more after the storm's over," Owen said, almost like he could tell what it was costing Alan to back down on this. "We'll, you know, catch up and everything."

Alan gave a strained smile. "Yeah. We can talk about raptors."

"You won't believe some of the things I've found out about them," Owen said, flashing a grin.

"I look forward to it," Alan said. And it was true, he did. But he had a bad feeling about the near future all the same.