Clawen ♡ Second Time's the Charm

Chapter 6: Two Beating Hearts

Claire gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. The faint roars of the Indominus could still be heard. She clenched her jaw and pressed on the gas pedal harder. Oh, my God. There's a genetically modified dinosaur roaming the park. There's a dinosaur roaming the park and it's a damn carnivore. There's a dinosaur roaming the park and-

Something on the road caught her eye and she slammed instinctively on the brakes just seconds before she would have hit it. It was an old tortoise lumbering across the road, trying to reach the other side.

Claire collided backwards into her seat, and beside her, Owen had grabbed onto the door handle. He put a hand on her thigh without really realizing what he was doing. Claire, catching her breath, whipped her head around in Owen's direction. She looked at him, then looked at her thigh. And after a moment of indecision, she let him keep his hand there. It was warm anyway.

The tortoise continued to take its time as it crossed the road, not minding the car once its initial shock had faded away. Claire let out an exasperated groan and honked the horn twice. The tortoise froze right in front of her car and cocked its head at her. This is all I need right now.

"No, no, keep moving! Keep moving!" she hissed. The tortoise, who was apparently unable to understand English, continued to stare at her. What the hell is its problem? Claire rolled down her window and waved her arms, yelling furiously, her last bits of composure gone.

What did I do to deserve this? All I'm doing is trying to get to the control room in order to contain that stupid dinosaur, and Karma sends me a tortoise. What good does a tortoise do? What the hell am I supposed to do with it? Use it as bait for the Indominus? Owen was quick to stop her before she lost all control over her raging emotions.

"Claire, Claire, stop shouting. He's not going to understand you. I'll just get down and move him to the side. Easy as that," he said calmly. Claire dug her nails into the palms of her hands but nodded stiffly for him to exit the car. She watched as he approached the tortoise slowly and knelt down beside it. Is he speaking to it? Why isn't it running away?

Owen ran a hand over its shell and couldn't help but smile. He had always had a special place in his heart for animals; big or small, dinosaur or not, it didn't matter. He gently lifted the tortoise with both hands and walked over to the grass to set it down carefully. It waddled away, eager to put some distance between it and the strange object on the road that had nearly killed it, that carried the screaming woman.

Owen settled back into his seat and grinned cheekily at Claire, who was still in slight awe. She shook her head, composure regained, and pressed on the gas again. There was a short silence, and she felt that she should at least say something before it got any more awkward.

"You're pretty good with animals," she remarked. Owen shrugged modestly.

"It's nothin'. I work with animals everyday, so I know a thing or two about handling them in general," he replied.

"Like what? I mean, aren't all animals different?" Claire couldn't resist asking. She had never genuinely cared about the dinosaurs in the park, much less about the natural wildlife of Isla Nublar. But he was making her curious, and she decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask. After all, it distracted both of them from the Indominus.

"They're all different, but at the same time, they have the same needs. They all need food, water, shelter, whatever, though I'm sure you'd know by now. And they all want to be treated with respect. I don't think any animal would appreciate it if their regular afternoon stroll was interrupted by a loud honking, or rather, a furious and impatient woman screaming unfamiliar words at them." Owen explained.

He grinned at Claire when he said the last part. She rolled her eyes, though her face wore the small smile that hinted that she wasn't really cross.

"Well, maybe that 'furious and impatient woman,' whoever she is, was in a hurry because of a dinosaur hybrid that's on the loose," she replied sarcastically. Owen shook his head and placed his hand on top of Claire's seat, right beside her head.

"Well, maybe the poor tortoise needed to cross the road to use the dang bathroom. You never know, Ms. Dearing."

"Why can't he just go on his side of the road? Why does he even need to spend one hour trying to cross the road?"

"Maybe the leaves are softer on the other side," Owen answered in mock-seriousness. Claire laughed, trying to keep her mind distracted.

"Uh-huh. 'Cause tortoise totally need soft leaves to pee."

"Duh. It totally makes sense. The soft leaves invite him to just close his eyes and release-"

"Shut up! I don't need to hear anymore of this!" Claire squealed. Owen chuckled and brought his hand from the top of the backrest to the back of her neck, letting it rest comfortably there. Claire fell silent at his touch and he could hear her breathing hitch for a second. He gazed intently at her, making her blush and look outside her window.

"Do you think we'll be able to contain the Indominus before she attacks anyone?" Claire asked quietly after a moment of silence. She couldn't stray away from the topic any longer. And she hated herself for sounding so weak, but at the same time, she knew Owen wouldn't mock her for it. It was a trust that had unknowingly formed this afternoon because of the chaos.

"Depends on where she is now and what she is able to do," Owen said somberly. He realized that his reply only worried her more, so he added, "If someone really smart is able to form a good plan to capture her, then we should be fine."

Claire didn't respond, only continued to stare out her window, so Owen shifted closer to her.

"I was talking about you," he said. Claire met his eyes doubtfully for a moment.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

Claire sighed and rested her head against the headrest (and Owen's hand). "I'll think of something."

She smiled when she felt his hand shift on her skin. It soothed her racing heart. The rest of the ride was blanketed in silence, but neither one of them complained. They sat there-- two people, two quickly beating hearts.
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