Chapter 12: Nightmares

July 7, 1991 - Sunday

He fell on the jagged rocks with a thud, landing on his good side, if that was possible. Every part of his body was in agony as he tried with all his might, to sit up again. Somewhere very close by, he could hear water trickling down. He hadn't had a drop of water in a day and he was very interested in knowing where the sound originated from. He stretched his neck around to see what was ahead of him, in the darkness. The crutch he had made had disappeared as he collapsed. He would have used that to stand up, but he had no idea where it had went.

He crawled blindly toward the sound of water. The path to the pleasing sound was a rocky one, though. He navigated as careful as he could manage, but some of the rocks were pretty sharp and steep. After several minutes, and to his pleasant surprise, his right hand came into contact with the cold water. Quickly finding the source, he placed his mouth under the flowing water, as it was playfully falling down through the rocks in the cliff side. He guessed that he was pretty far up the side of the cliff by now, but he didn't care at the moment.

The tiny trickles of water were clean and brisk. They were cold and refreshing. As he drank, he could actually feel the water traveling through his beaten and tired body, recharging him. Just then, the rock that his left hand was leaning on gave away, causing him to slide forward and down head first. He tumbled and tumbled, screaming in pain. Very abruptly, his forward movement came to an end, as he was slammed into another rock.

Trying to regain his senses, he looked all around. Nothing but blackness. The sound of water falling on the rocks was gone now. In fact, he could hear nothing but the sound of his own heart beating heavily in his chest. He attempted to move his right leg. That wasn't a good idea. The pain was too intense. He tried to sit up instead. He was fairly successful. As he was getting up, sudden claps of thunder echoed in his head, while a drizzle of rain fell from the dark sky. Another damned storm. He was growing tired of the constant annoyance from mother nature.

Still trying to sit up, he moved his body sideways, stretching as far as he could. Lightning lit up the surrounding area and that's when he caught a glimpse of his immediate area. It was quite frightening, as the lightning quickly lit it up again, and then quickly disappeared, leaving him in blackness once again. The images pressed into his mind involved a very steep cliff just beyond where he was. He was leaning on a medium sized rock, protruding from the ledge to his left. That one lonely rock was the only thing between himself and that very, very long descent, downward into oblivion.

As if it were happening in slow motion, that medium sized rock began to move from under his back. He tried to move his body away from the rock, but it was already too late. The rock was ready for its plummet to the earth far below. And Alan was going with it. He felt himself gently fall backwards, as the rock went searching for a new place to call home.

His stomach felt like it was about to betray him, as he fell into the abyss. This was it. This was how he would die. This would be his last memory on earth . . . the sickening drop, increasing in speed, as the ground below grew closer to his frail body. A swosh of fear swept across his body, as he continued to free-fall, waiting for the inevitable clash with the hard ground. He couldn't see anything. Total blackness surrounded him. It was taking forever to make contact. He began to think that this feeling of falling would last for eternity. He couldn't take the waiting any longer. He wanted to get it over with already. Suddenly, with another flash of lightning, the ground was seen. It was very close. Too close. He braced his body for impact and then . . .

Ellie was startled awake, as Alan rose out of bed quickly. It was still dark, but she could see his silhouette sitting up in the bed. She jumped up, turned on the light on the night stand, and put a hand on his bare shoulder.

"You okay?" She whispered.

There was sweat beading on his forehead and he was almost gasping for air, as he held himself up with his arms. The increasing pain in his ribs and leg from the quick movement, was almost enough to make him cry. Just seconds ago, he was in the pitch blackness, free falling to his certain death. The nightmare was all too real and he was having a hard time getting the feeling to go away. Staring at Ellie was helping, though. He finally managed a faint smile.

"Yeah. Just a nightmare. I'm okay," he whispered.

"You should really lay back down," she advised.

He nodded and allowed Ellie to take over. She gently helped him find his way back to the pillow, trying to be careful not to hurt him. It was no use, though, as he continued to groan and wince at the quick and steady shots of pain flowing throughout his body. Ellie got out of the bed, grabbed the water glass from the night stand, and left the room. A few moments later, she returned with fresh water and two more pain pills.

"Here, take these."

She helped him sit up, long enough to take the pills, and then he began mumbling.

"Lay down, sit up, lay down. Make up your mind, woman," he teased.

Ellie laughed at him and set the glass down on the night stand again. Then, she became serious again as she saw that he was shivering now. She covered up his bare arms, and got an instant positive reaction, as he began to relax more. She reached over and turned the light off and carefully got back into bed.

"You sure you're okay?" She whispered again.

He answered by grasping her hand and holding it close to him, kissing it softly.

"I'll be fine as long as you're here," he said.

She moved really close to him, trying to keep him warm. She wasn't sure when he actually fell asleep because she drifted off first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ellie slowly opened her eyes, as the sun was shining into the room. She glanced over to the clock. It was 6:45am. Her first thought was that she would be late for work, but then she remembered it was Sunday.

"You're going to be late for work," Alan said.

His voice was unexpected, to say the least.

"What are you doing awake?" She asked, as she rose up out of bed to look at him.

He was laying there, with his arms up and behind his head, slightly smiling. The pain pills must have been helping.

"Couldn't sleep," he answered.

She nodded and continued to look at him.

"It's Sunday. I don't have to work today," she finally said, returning his smile.

Alan laughed.

"I have my days a little mixed up, I guess," he said, as he slowly and painfully brought his arms back to his side.

"That's okay. I still love you."

He looked at her in a very caring way. All of the things that they had said to one another last night, still held true today. He was in agony, but he was also very happy at the same time.

"I love you, too," he said.

Ellie smiled, but she was worried about him. She wanted to help him any way that she could.

"Want to tell me what you were dreaming about last night?"

"Not really."

He had been having the same nightmare, each night, since he had been rescued. He would jump awake in the hospital, trying to grasp the concept of it being a dream and nothing more.

"It might help," she added.

"I don't think so."

"What happened to you out there, Alan?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to relive that four-day event just yet, but he could see that Ellie needed to know.

"I got lost while it was raining. The truck slipped and careened down a cliff . . ."

She sat on the side of the bed, listening intently. There was a very serious look on her face, as he described what had happened. Starting to feel as if the mood was way too serious, he decided to lighten it up.

"I think that's what happened, anyway. I wasn't fully conscience, you know. I was a bit out of it."

A smile was beginning to form upon her face, replacing her frown. She reached over and touched the side of his face.

"I am so happy that you came back to me."

"Me, too," he whispered, as he grasped her hand, and then he added, "And I wouldn't miss all of this attention for the world."

Her frown had totally disappeared now.

"It's my very special pleasure to baby you," she said, smiling.

"Awww. Thanks."

Ellie looked at him for a few moments, and then clapped her hands together.

"Okay, the babying part is over. Time to get up and have breakfast. You hungry?"

"Yeah, I guess I might be."

"Good. Come on. I'll help you."

She got up and picked up the crutches. He did his best to sit up, as she was coming back to the bed. She rested the crutches on the side of the bed.

"Don't go hurting yourself. I'm here to help, you know," she said, as she helped him swing his broken leg over the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After getting breakfast on the table, Ellie called out to Alan. She had helped him get to the bathroom and then had left him on his own. She heard the bathroom door open. After he swore several times, he appeared in the kitchen doorway. She watched his mood go from mad and annoyed about something in the hallway, to happy, as he looked in her direction.

"Good morning, sunshine," he said, smiling.

She laughed. That phrase had become a regular occurrence in the mornings. She still thought it sounded corny, but sweet at the same time.

"You okay? Want some help?" She asked, as she watched him maneuver into the kitchen.

"No. I got it."

He hobbled to the nearest chair, trying his best to manage with the crutches. He was in a very independent sort of mood, so Ellie stood by watching him get awfully close to falling to the floor. When he was situated, she relaxed some. She moved a chair close to him and picked up his broken leg, to support it on the chair. He winced some, but otherwise he didn't complain. She decided to get right into the questions that had been lurking in the back of her mind since yesterday.

"So, why is that master bedroom under construction?"

"We're going for the direct approach, this morning, aren't we?" He answered, as he ate some breakfast.

She handed him two pain pills and smiled.

"I figured while you're drugged up, I could get some easy answers," she joked.

He was staring at her in that strange way that he would look sometimes. She had grown accustomed to his different mannerisms, and this particular look drove her crazy.

"Stop looking at me like that. It's a good, honest and fair question."

He smiled.

"Okay, okay. Here's the scoop," he said, leaning closer to her, "There's a ghost in there . . . Boo!."

Ellie looked at him in a funny way, and then playfully hit him in the arm.

"If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me."

She stood up, to get another cup of coffee, and that's when Alan told her the truth.

"When Kathryn got sick, we were in the middle of remodeling that room. Rob was helping. When she passed away, I just never got back to working on it. That's all."

Now that he was in the mood to talk, Ellie continued her questions.

"Why didn't you tell me you had such a beautiful house?"

"I don't know."

"Why not rent it out or something, if you weren't going to live in it?"

"I don't know."

"Is it paid for?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yeah."

Ellie leaned back in her chair.

"Okay. I won't ask any more questions. I'm just happy that you're okay."

"Thank you. And I'm glad that I'm okay, too."

They sat quietly, eating breakfast on that beautiful Sunday morning.

Chapter 13: Escaping Into The Bottle

4 weeks later .....

August 3, 1991 - Saturday

Alan had gotten himself to the front porch without much of a problem. Ellie was still inside and didn't even know that he made a dash out of the house. It was only a few minutes until she had figured it out, as he could hear her calling his name from inside.

"Out here!" He called, still adjusting his right leg, trying to get comfortable.

He heard the screen door open suddenly, and then saw Ellie stop in front of him.

"What are you doing?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"I'm sitting down. I'm resting."

Ellie gave him a doubtful look.

"You shouldn't be walking outside on your own."

"I had help," he said, pointing to the crutches.

"You know what I mean," she said, lowering her head and frowning at him.

"I've been out here before," he offered.

Immediately after the words came out, he regretted it.

"You what?" She asked, in a motherly tone.

He was caught now, mostly because of his own pride and stupidity.

"Well, a few days ago . . . I was out here . . . talking with one of the neighbors and getting the mail."

"Why?"

"Because the mail came."

"Alan," she said.

"Okay. I was bored. I practiced walking in the house first."

"Don't tell me you were practicing going down the stairs. Because if that's where this is leading, then just shut up right now."

"Uh, no. I didn't practice going down the stairs."

Ellie just stared at him. It was simple to see how mad she was, but he really didn't think it was that big of a deal.

"Look. I thought I could make it out here and so I did. I'm a grown man, Ellie. I think I can make a few decisions on my own, based on how I feel."

She continued to stare.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

She still didn't say anything, standing there with her hands on her hips, in a defensive posture.

"I love you," he said, hoping this would get something out of her.

"I love you, too. But you're stupid."

"Fair enough. Want to come sit down and be stupid with me?"

She finally cracked a slight smile, as she sat down on a chair next to him. They sat there quietly for a little bit, observing the neighborhood. There was a man across the street, mowing his lawn, and then there was an elderly woman trimming her trees in the house next to that. It was a beautiful summer day, complete with singing birds and bright skies.

"Isn't this peaceful and beautiful?" Alan asked.

"Shut up."

He laughed at her. He was going to try and get her into a better mood, when a car horn disturbed the routine sounds of the neighborhood. Alan looked to his left and smiled.

"Hey, look, it's Rob."

Ellie looked, and then got up to meet Rob, as he parked his truck in front of the house and approached them.

"How's the sicky?" He asked, as he got closer to the porch.

"The sicky is stupid, but you probably already knew that," Ellie answered.

"Don't listen to her, Rob. She's not in a good mood today."

"Shut up, Alan," Ellie ordered.

Rob laughed and Alan pointed at her.

"See what I mean. She's mean and scary today," he said, still stabbing his finger in the air, toward her.

Ellie ignored that last comment.

"Can I get you something to drink, Rob?"

"Sure, I'll have a beer."

Ellie looked at Alan.

"I guess you can have a beer, too, since it's been awhile since you had a pain pill."

"That would be nice, thanks."

Ellie went inside, leaving the men to their own conversation.

"She's really good for you. You know that, right?" Rob asked.

"Yes, I know that. She's the best thing to happen to me in years."

"I remember a very wise man telling you that, only a couple weeks ago."

"Well, that very wise man was indeed, very knowledgeable. I should have listened to him then."

"Yes, you should of," Rob agreed.

"So, what brings you here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Awww. Wasn't that sweet," Alan teased.

Ellie came back outside with three opened beers. She handed one to Rob, and then handed one to Alan, keeping the third for herself. The three of them sat on the porch and talked for a few hours about each other's childhoods and things. Mostly they talked about absolutely nothing.

Rob suddenly laughed and pointed at Alan. Rob had a few beers by now and was starting to feel good.

"Hey! Remember that time when you and me and Kat went over to the next state over?" Rob shouted, thinking for a second. "What the hell is the name of that state again?"

"Wyoming."

Rob nodded.

"Wyoming! That's it! Well, remember when Kat got into that huge fight with that lady at the airport?"

"Yes, Rob," Alan said.

"And then they got into that fist fight?"

"Yes, Rob."

Ellie was finding this interesting. She sat up a little straighter, listening more closely, as Rob continued to ramble.

"And then you tried to stop them and that lady hit you . . . BAM! . . . square in the jaw!"

Alan nodded and slightly smiled, as he began to remember that humorous day in his head.

"Oh, my God," Ellie said, as she looked at Alan. "What did you do?"

"He fell down," Rob answered, laughing hysterically.

"That's about right," Alan concurred, as he began to laugh, too, "But I fell because you tried to move out of her way . . . and tripped me."

"Oh, yeah," Rob said, stretching a bit, "Sorry about that buddy. That lady scared the hell out of me!" He looked at Ellie. "I still have nightmares about that crazed woman, let me tell you."

Ellie laughed at the semi-intoxicated man in front of her.

"All is forgiven," Alan said, snickering.

Rob nodded, looked around and then glanced at his watch.

"Oh, shit. I've got to get going. I've got a big day tomorrow and it's getting close to nine already"

Ellie stood up quickly. She only had two beers in all the hours they had been talking, so she was still very much sober, as was Alan.

"Well, maybe you should just stay here? Or let me drive you somewhere?"

"I'll be fine."

"I think you are over the legal limit, Rob. I'll drive you home. No arguments," she said.

Rob looked at Alan.

"Is she always this bossy?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay. Okay. I'll let you drive. Here," he said, handing her the keys.

He wasn't too drunk to walk and make sense, but Ellie didn't want to take a chance on him getting into an accident. She looked at Alan.

"Let me help you inside first. The mosquitoes are going to get bad."

"Okay," Alan said, nodding and already reaching for his crutches.

Ellie pointed at Rob.

"You. Stay there. I'll be right back."

"Yes, ma'am."

Alan shook his head and smiled, as he knew she would get him back later for that "ma'am" crack, even though he had no clue what he might have done.

Ellie settled on just smiling for now, and helped Alan to his feet and into the house. After making sure he was safely situated on the couch, she headed back outside.

"Hey, how are you getting home?" Alan asked.

"Good question. I'll just walk back. It's not that far really."

"But it's already dark."

"I'll be okay."

"Why don't you just drive his truck back here. He has another vehicle there. He can just drive his car tomorrow."

"Okay. Think I should inform him of the new plan?"

"No, he'll figure it out in the morning I'm sure," Alan said, laughing.

She nodded and left the house. Rob was still standing in the exact same place she had ordered him to stay. She rolled her eyes, as she thought about just how child-like men could be.

"Okay, ready to go?"

"Yep," Rob answered.

Ellie and Rob got into his truck, and then drove away.

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After dropping Rob off, Ellie pulled Rob's truck into Alan's driveway. The clock on the dashboard said 9:30pm. Most of the half an hour was spent getting Rob to shut up long enough, for her to leave. When she had finally talked him into going inside to sleep, she had left and had come directly home.

She quietly went inside and found that most of the lights were already off. Alan wasn't on the couch anymore, either. She made her way to the bedroom and found him already fast asleep in the bed. He had propped up two pillows under his leg, and from where the pill bottle and a water glass were, it looked like he took a pain pill. She stood there, just looking at him, watching him sleep. He looked very peaceful. And handsome. For some reason, the way he was positioned made him look very handsome indeed. She gently touched his face and then bent down and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead. He stirred just a little. She quickly changed her clothes and turned in for the night, sleeping by his side.

A few hours later, Ellie was awakened by a noise coming from near the kitchen. She sat up and noticed that Alan wasn't in the bed. She quietly and quickly slid out of bed, grabbed her robe and went looking for him. She hoped he hadn't hurt himself, as he was beginning to walk around on his own before he was really ready. When she got to the kitchen doorway, she found him sitting at the table. There was an opened bottle of Jack Daniels, just to the right of him, well over half gone already. He was sort of slumped in the chair, with a hand resting on his forehead. As she walked closer, she could hear him sobbing.

"Alan?" She whispered.

He moved his hand from his face and straightened up a little bit. She wanted to know what was wrong, but she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. He glanced her way and motioned with his arm.

"Care to join me?" He slurred.

He was pretty drunk and it looked as though he was one of those unhappy and depressed kinds of drunks. She pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.

"What's wrong, Alan?" She asked, not really figuring that she would get a straight answer.

"I should have let her have a dog," he said.

"What?"

"The dog," he repeated, and then he looked right at her. "I should have said yes."

"Uh, okay," she said, nodding her head.

"Now she's gone and she never had that God damned DOG!" He screamed and pounded a fist on the table, knocking over the liquor bottle.

He began to sob again. Ellie put an arm around him and he leaned on her, crying into her shoulder. She sat there, letting him settle down.

"It's okay, Alan," she whispered over and over.

"I loved her so much," he said, his face still buried in her shoulder.

"I know you did. And I'm sure she loved you, too."

"I didn't know what to do when she stopped breathing. One minute she was looking at me and the next minute, she was gone."

"She went to a better place."

"You think so?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Alan slightly smiled, as she continued to hold him.

"I should have never married her. It was a curse," he said as seriously as an intoxicated person could.

"What do you mean?"

"I married her. She died. I'm cursed."

"No, you're not."

He didn't answer her. He only held her tighter. Ellie wasn't prepared for this outburst, but she had handled it well. It seemed he had been carrying some locked up feelings inside for quite some time. She wanted to comfort him in any way that she could. She was about to suggest that he go back to bed, when he moved away from her and leaned back on his chair.

"I need to get out of here," he said, trying to prop himself up using the table.

Ellie grabbed him, as he was just about to fall.

"Where are you going, Alan?"

"Outside."

"That's not such a good idea."

He was standing now, with her help. He looked at her.

"Why not?"

"Because you should be sleeping."

"I don't want to sleep," he said, complaining like a child.

"You have a broken leg, do you remember that?" She asked, as she pointed to his leg.

He looked down, staggered a little from looking down, stared at his leg for a few seconds, and then looked back at her.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sleepy," he agreed.

"Good, good. Come on, I'll help you get back in bed."

As Ellie began the long and tedious task of getting him in the direction of the bedroom, he stopped and placed his hand around her chin.

"You're so very good to me," he managed to say.

"I know I am. Now let's get a move on."

"Where are we going?" He asked, totally forgetting.

"Bed. Remember?"

He slapped his forehead and sighed.

"Ooohhhh, yeah."

Ellie smiled and helped him back into the bedroom. It was around this time when she began to wonder how he got into the kitchen in the first place. His crutches were still propped up next to the bed. She shook her head, as she wrangled him into the bed and covered him up. She caught him looking at her as she went around to the other side of the bed. She got into her side of the bed and glanced over at him. She smiled, as she noticed he was already sound asleep, that quick.

Chapter 14: The Third Degree

August 5, 1991 - Monday

The sun beamed into the bedroom, as Alan and Ellie continued to sleep. It was 6:29am. When it became 6:30am, the alarm clock came to life, disturbing Ellie from her sound sleep. She jumped up and hurriedly pushed the snooze button. She looked over at Alan to see if it had woken him. It hadn't. He was still fast asleep. She wanted to wake him and ask him about last night, but she knew that would be cruel. The best thing for him at this point was rest, so she left him alone and went into the bathroom to get ready for work.

About a half an hour later, she was ready to go. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and then grabbed her things and headed into the living room. She was about to open the front door, when she decided to check her portable phone for messages. She turned it on, waited for what seemed like an eternity for it to find service, and then dialed the proper number. There were four messages on her phone ... all of them from her mother. She shook her head, as she dialed her mother's number. It rang five times before someone answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom."

"Hi, honey," Patricia Sattler said on the other end of the phone.

"Did you need something, because you left quite a few messages for me."

"Why, yes of course I wanted something. Why else would I call?"

"Mom. What do you want?" Ellie said in an annoyed voice.

"Am I keeping you from something?" She asked, sensing that her daughter sounded a little rushed and preoccupied over the phone.

"No, no," she said, calming down some. "I just really didn't want to play this little phone ritual with you right now."

"What do you mean?" Now her mother was the one annoyed.

"Never mind," Ellie sighed.

"Ellie. I'm calling you to ask you a question," Patricia said, moving the conversation on.

"Okay."

"And I want a direct answer, dear."

Ellie slightly laughed into the phone.

"Okay, Mom. What is it?"

"Well, I was talking with Mr. LaVoight, a few days ago."

"And?"

"And he says that there's another young lady living there now. An Allison someone."

"I arranged it, Mom, so don't worry. No one stole the apartment from under me."

"And he said you haven't been at your apartment in quite a while."

"And?" Ellie asked, trying to figure out something to say to the obvious upcoming questions.

"So, I want to know where you've been staying."

Ellie's mother was always a right-to-the-point kind of person. Usually, Ellie admired that quality in her mother, and had basically inherited that same quality. But when the direct questions were aimed toward her, she suddenly didn't admire the quality.

"I've been staying with . . . a friend."

"Male or female friend?"

Ellie really thought about lying, but that thought quickly faded. If she lied now, when her mother eventually found out, which she inevitably would, then that would bring a whole other layer of problems. She took a very deep breathe and prepared herself for the interrogation.

"Male."

"You're living with a man?"

Ellie laughed. She was 24 years old, but she suddenly felt as though her mother had totally forgotten she was grown up.

"Yes, Mom. Male tends to be taken as meaning a man."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

Patricia was getting mad and Ellie could understand why, but she didn't think her mother should be intruding on her personal life like this. She decided that it would be easier on herself, and also on Alan later, if she just got to the point.

"Sorry about that. I just wasn't ready for the direct questions."

"So, are you living with a man, or aren't you?"

"Yes, I guess I am living with a man, although I haven't much thought about all of that."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Alan."

"Who is he?" Patricia repeated, somewhat annoyed by the first answer.

"He's a scientist."

"Jesus, a scientist. How old is this Alan?"

"A little older than me."

"Define little."

"Look, Mom. I really don't have time for this right now. I was on my way out the door."

"Whose door? Where are you staying?"

"I'll give you the number, so you won't worry, okay?"

"That will be a good start."

Ellie put the phone to her side and glanced at Alan's phone. She picked up the receiver to reveal the phone number, printed on the phone. She put the phone back to her mouth.

"It's . . . "

"Go on," her mother insisted.

Ellie thought about it for a minute. Why would she give Alan's personal home phone number to her mother at this point? She knew, for a fact, that her mother would use it the first chance she had. Ellie didn't want her mother harassing Alan, especially in the state he was in. He needed to stay relaxed and most importantly, free from stress. Her mother was definitely a one-way ticket to stress. She quickly thought of the phone number for the trailer at the dig site. That would be a more public number to give her, and it would be weeks before Alan would even step foot in the trailer.

"It's 406-555-8765."

"Well, thanks for that at least."

"Mom, don't act like that."

"Like what? I just want to know why you're hiding things from me."

"I am not hiding things from you."

"Who is this guy? Does this . . . Alan . . . have a last name? Or did he just give you his first name?"

"Alan Grant," Ellie answered, getting more and more irritated with her mother's reaction.

"So what kind of scientist is he?"

"He's a paleontologist, Mom."

"He works at the dig site?"

"Yes, Mom."

"What does he do there?"

Ellie was finished with the third degree. She needed to end the conversation before her mother drove her crazy.

"He's a teacher at the dig site. He's also the leader of the dig site. He's a very nice man."

"You're living with the man who runs everything? Isn't that a little immoral?"

"No."

"Are you at least getting all A's?"

She couldn't believe her mother would stoop so low as to apply that Ellie would sleep around for a good grade. She decided to let that little comment go without getting riled up.

"Mother. First of all, there is no grading system out here. And secondly, this is none of your business, quite frankly. I'll talk to you about this later, after you've had time to let the idea absorb. I really have to go now. I'm going to be late for a meeting."

"Okay, but I'll be calling you."

"Yes, I figured that."

"I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I am only looking out for your well being."

"No, you're not. You're judging me over the phone, thousands of miles away. You have no idea what is going on here."

"Well, maybe I should come there one day soon and see for myself what exactly is going on there?"

Ellie silently swore to herself, as she realized she had been more or less tricked into inviting her mother to come there.

"Maybe some time in the future. Right now, I'm really busy with getting my thesis together. Maybe when I have a break, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good-bye, Mom. I've really got to go."

"Good-bye, honey. Take care."

"I will."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom."

Ellie waited to hear the phone click on the other end, and then she hung up the receiver and quickly headed for the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ellie's car approached the Grant home, after a day's work at the dig site. She slowly pulled the car into the driveway. When stopped, she grabbed some things from the passenger seat, got out, and went toward the front door. She used her key and went inside.

"Alan?" She called.

There was no answer, so she walked toward the bedroom, throwing her things on the kitchen table. She opened the bedroom door and peered inside. He was still in bed. Right where she had left him. She smiled and quietly approached the bed. As she got closer, she could hear him snoring a little bit. She couldn't recall a time when she had heard him snore, and it made her giggle for some reason. She reached her hand across the bed and gently shook him awake.

"Alan?" She whispered, "Alan? Hey, wake up, hon. You're sleeping the day away."

He stirred, but didn't awake. What she really wanted to do was to just leave him be, but she knew he probably hadn't eaten or taken his medication all day long. She shook him again.

"Wake up, time for a pain pill."

He groggily opened his eyes, yawning and stretching in the process. His vision was blurry at first, but then he was finally able to put her beautiful face in focus.

"Hey, how are you?" He whispered.

She laughed at the silly question, leaning in and helping him sit up. He winced some, causing her to stop moving him.

"Does your leg hurt?"

"A little. I have a headache."

"Well, you should. You drank half a bottle of Jack Daniels last night."

"That would explain it," he said.

"Explain what?"

"The everlasting ache in the back on my head, trying to escape through every imaginable orifice."

Ellie laughed at his word choice. He was always making her laugh.

"Well, why don't you lay back down. I'll get you something to eat. How's chicken noodle soup sound?"

"That sounds excellent," he said, as his head hit the pillow again.

She nodded and left the room for a minute, and then she returned with a glass of water and some medication. He took the two pills from her and placed them into his mouth, while she held up the glass of water to his mouth. He took a few drinks, swallowed the pills, and laid back down.

"Okay, I'll be right back," she said, as she hurried out of the room and toward the kitchen.

She was in the kitchen, pouring the hot soup into a bowl, when Alan hobbled in. His appearance surprised her.

"Wow. Look at that. You're getting very good with those things," she said, pointing to the crutches.

He smiled and hobbled to the table.

"I can't believe it's already 6:00pm."

"I was sort of surprised to see you still sleeping, myself. Did you get out of bed at all?"

"No. No, I don't think so," he said, trying to remember.

Ellie placed the small pot in the sink and then brought the bowl of soup over to Alan. She had a bowl of her own, too.

"Here you go," she whispered.

"Thanks."

He ate quickly, and when his soup was almost gone, Alan spoke.

"That was perfect. You always seem to know exactly what I need."

She smiled.

"Want some tomato juice? That's good for people with hangovers."

"Sure."

She poured him a glass of juice. When she handed it to him, the phone rang. She hurried over, answered it, said a few words, and then brought the phone over to Alan.

"It's for you. A Dr. Hilton St. Claire."

Alan perked up as he took the phone from her.

"Dr. St. Claire, how are you, sir?"

Ellie sat in a chair and listened to Alan's side of the conversation. She knew she was eavesdropping, but he didn't seem to mind, so she didn't leave the kitchen. A few minutes went by, and then he finally said his good-byes. Just by instinct, he began to stand so that he could hang up the phone. He winced slightly, as Ellie made her way to him.

"Take it easy. I'll get that for you," she said, as she pushed him back into the chair and took the phone from him.

"Thanks," he said, still wincing.

Ellie hung up the phone and sat down across from him.

"Who is Dr. St. Claire?"

"He's a colleague of mine. He was supposed to go to Mongolia in January for a dig. It was cancelled, though."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"No, it's back on now. He was calling me to tell me he was able to get the proper funding. So, I'm going to the Gobi Desert in January."

Ellie was speechless for a second or two, and then she finally said something.

"Wow," was all she could manage on such short notice.

Alan laughed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It was cancelled back in March, so I didn't think it was important to bring up."

"I understand," she said, still trying to get used to the idea, "How long will you be gone?"

"About four weeks."

"Is it cold there in January?"

"No. It's in the mid sixties, to the low seventies."

"Wow," she said again.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

Ellie laughed.

"Yeah, I've gotten used to the idea now," she said, smiling.

After reaching over the table and grabbing her hand, he smiled.

"You gonna miss me?"

She answered that question by standing up and sitting in a chair closer to him. She leaned in and quickly kissed him.

"Will you miss me?" She countered.

"Of course," he answered.

She acted like she was thinking about it.

"Yeah, I guess I'll miss you, too," she joked.

"Did I tell you that I loved you today, yet?" He asked.

"No."

"Well, I do," he said, kissing her again.

After the kiss, Ellie moved backwards a little bit.

"You're such a sap," she teased.

Alan laughed, and then nodded.

"Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm just trying to be really nice to you so that you'll give me another pain pill."

Ellie shook her head.

"I don't think so, mister. Nice try, though," she said, and then she pointed toward him, "Besides, you haven't given the other pills enough time to work yet."

"You're a mean woman," he said.

"Awww, poor baby."

Alan looked as though he might pout, but then he gave up trying to get more drugs. He went back to drinking his tomato juice that was still on the table.

Ellie watched him for a second, thinking about bringing up what was said the night before, in his drunken outburst. He hadn't brought it up, though, so she figured he either didn't remember it, or he purposely didn't mention it.

"When is my next doctor's appointment? Do you know?" He asked.

She glanced toward the refrigerator, where there was a piece of paper held up with a Triceratops magnet.

"August 24th."

"That's a long way away, isn't it? I want this thing off," he said, pointing to the air cast.

He had been to see the doctor twice since the surgery already. The first time, he ended up with a larger ski-boot type cast that had made him really angry. The second visit, he was able to get a smaller air cast, but it still went from just below his knee to his ankle. It was just smaller in diameter. Every cast that he received was removable, though, so he had gone along with the program.

"Alan, do you want to be able to walk again with no problems?"

He rolled his eyes, getting ready for the same lecture that the doctor had given him.

"Yes, of course I do."

"Well, shut up and just do what the doctor says to do, will you?"

"Yeah, okay," he said, finally giving up.

"You drive me crazy, you know that don't you?" She asked.