by Frankie Love
I nod. "Yeah. It's kind of unexpected because I’ve never had an overwhelming maternal instinct," I tell him as he pulls back beautiful flowering vines revealing the lagoon to me. It's beautiful.
"Wow," I say, breathless. I feel like I have just landed on the set of Tarzan, or some movie like The Croods, a prehistoric paradise with large birds circling above and howling monkeys swinging from a nearby tree.
"I wonder if maybe you're not exactly maternal because you didn't have much of an example growing up," Flint says.
I squeeze his hand. "You're probably right. I have a lot of family issues in general."
Flint nods. "I get it," he says, setting down his backpack. "I've got plenty of my own, but I always wanted to be a dad someday. Didn't think it was even on the radar anymore, but…"
I smile. "Now I'm here."
He nods. "Exactly. Though, I've got to admit, when I thought of fatherhood I never expected to be the dad to an unhatched egg."
I grin. "Thank you for placating me."
He leans in and kisses me softly. "I think it's a little weird, but," he grins, "I like weird."
"Good, because I'm a nerd too, you know."
"Oh, I know," he says. "You fell into my arms carrying a book. I figured as much."
I laugh as he slips off his boots. I do the same, and then take off the sling, nestling the egg next to the backpack. Then I undress. Flint watches me as I tug off my shorts, my bra and panties, step by step until I'm in nothing at all.
"Damn," he says. "You know how gorgeous you are?"
I shake my head. "Until I met you, I never even considered such a thing."
He pulls me to him, kisses me softly. "Damn, I feel lucky."
"So do I," I say, then I look over to the egg on the ground.
"You going to be okay leaving him here?"
I smile. "How do you know it's a he?"
Flint shrugs. "I don't know. I guess we should come up with a name."
"You're right," I say. "Something that has to do with Flint and Fancy."
"Flancy?" he asks.
I shake my head. "Fant?"
He chuckles. "I don't know about either of those to be honest. Come on," he says. “Let's swim."
He helps me down the bank into the lagoon. I'm surprised that it's warm and clear. "So beautiful," I say.
"It's a freshwater spring, and the sun hits it most of the day so it's usually pretty warm."
"It's incredible," I say, ducking my head and rinsing my body off completely. I blink, seeing fish swirl around us at our ankles. When I come up for air, I brush my hands over my face, smoothing back my hair. Flint watches me, wading in the water a few feet away.
"It's pretty magical, huh?" he says.
"There's so many fish," I say. "It's surreal. And they're so big. Species I've never seen or imagined."
"So, did you come up with a name?" he asks, swimming closer to me. He tries to catch me, but I dodge away, splashing water in his face.
"Hmm. How about FlintFancy?"
"It's kind of a mouthful," he says.
"We'll think of something," I say. "I don't suppose we're in any rush."
Just then the sky darkens, and I frown, the contrast to the sun so shocking. "Wow," I say. "That storm is sure rolling in fast."
"It is," Flint says. "It's unexpected."
Just then the rain begins to pelt down on us. "Shit," he says, and we swim out of the lagoon toward the trees for cover. He wraps his arms around me and together we look out at the wild storm that dropped on us.
"It's insane," I say as the thunder and lightning begin to fill the sky. "Do storms always run in this quick?"
"Not since I've been here," he says.
"Oh, no," I say. "Maybe I'm bad luck."
"Not possible," I say. "Remember? Only good luck since I got that egg."
"Right," I say. "The egg."
Just as I'm about to dart from the tree line to go pick it up and hold it close for protection, a bolt of lightning strikes ten yards away from me, directly over the egg. I shriek, and Flint leaps forward, pulling me back.
"Be careful," he says. "Don't–"
"Oh my God," I scream. "Oh my God."
"What is it?" he says as lightning hits the amberized egg again.
"It's like it attracted the lightning," I say. "Where did you usually keep the egg?"
"I always kept in the cave," he tells me. "And I found it in a cave too."
"So it's always been in the dark," I say, gasping as the lightning strikes it again, so hard, penetrating it from the inside out. It becomes a giant glowing orb. I'm breathless, mesmerized, and I wish I had a video camera to document this whole thing, because honestly, this might be the first scientific discovery of all mankind.
"If this is the first time it's ever been in the light, and it was almost immediately struck by lightning, that can't be a coincidence," I say. "Can it?"
Flint shakes his head. "No. It can't. I'm telling you everything that happens here feels like fate."
The lightning pulls back, and within a minute, the storm rolls away. The thunder stops, the rain turning to sprinkles, then turning to nothing at all. The sun reappears. I try to steady my breath, lacing my fingers through Flint's, stepping toward the egg.
Not sure what we're going to find, if it's going to be obliterated, or disintegrated or… I gasp.
It's neither of those things.
The amber has melted away and the egg is beginning to hatch.
10
Flint
We kneel before the bone-colored dinosaur egg as it begins to crack before our very eyes.
"Oh my God," Fancy gasps. "I can't believe this is happening." I take her hand, squeezing it tight.
"It's all happening so fast,” I say softly. “First, I meet you. I fall in love. The next day, we're having a baby."
She looks over at me, tears in her eyes. "Fall in love?"
I cup her cheek. "Fancy, tell me I'm not crazy."
"You're not crazy," she says. "I love you too, Flint. I don't know what has happened to bring us here, why the Universe decided that you and I should meet like this, now, at this point in time. But I feel it, this unexplainable, ridiculous love. So no, it's not in your head."
She kisses me then, hard, and I feel the tears on her cheeks. And when we pull away, I brush them off with my thumb.
"What happens if this dinosaur comes out biting?"
She laughs. "I don't know, but I'm dying to see what kind it is."
Our eyes are fixated on the cracking shell. It feels like time has stopped, which is crazy considering I'm not exactly sure what time even means anymore. But this, right here, at the lagoon, with the egg nestled in the sling its mama made, feels like the exact right place for me.
"Oh my God," Fancy says as a tiny claw pushes through the shell, the littlest fingernails you ever did see. And both of us are fucking crying now.
"Is it insane to cry over the birth of a dinosaur?"
"I don't think so, this is incredible."
We watch as a hushed silence falls over the entire jungle. When it has fully emerged from its shell, the baby’s eyes are covered in a thick jelly-like substance. Its whole body is so small, so wrinkly and leathery.
"What species is it?" I ask, desperate to know if this baby is going to become our enemy.
"It's an Ankylosaurus," she says, her voice nothing but a whisper. "Flint, an Ankylosaurus!" She shakes her head, picking up the dinosaur in her hands. It fits there perfectly. Her two palms cradling this tiny creature.
"I feel like I'm missing something," I say, trying to understand why I should know this dinosaur by name.
"That's the dinosaur I was unearthing in the Yucatan jungle," she says. "Flint, this is the dinosaur that we found a million years from now." She shakes her head. "It means this dinosaur is going to grow up and live a full life."
"And where was it found, exactly?" I ask her, scared all of a sudden that it was buried in a pit of lava, or under a pile of roc
ks, that our fate has already been determined.
"That's what's so crazy," she says. "This dinosaur was buried very thoughtfully. It was fully intact. There were no injuries on it. No bones were broken."
"Wow," I say. "You really were destined to be here. So answer me," I say, "the one question I have."
"Is it a boy or a girl?" she asks.
I shake my head. "Not that one.”
She beams at me, her eyes twinkling with joy. “The good news is Ankylosauruses are herbivores."
"Truly?"
She nods. "Truly. Its wide muzzle," she says, her finger on the dino's nose, "is adapted for non-selective low-growth grazing. He’ll probably eat tough leaves and pulpy fruits, brush and shrubs, kind of like an elephant."
"And as gentle as an elephant too?" I ask.
"Well, unless he senses danger," she says, her hand running down the dinosaur's body to its tail. "This little bulb right here is going to grow into a club. And that club could take out a T. rex."
"Shit," I say. "Really?"
She nods. "Yeah. He’ll be capable of fierceness even though he’s gentle, which will serve us well."
"Until this ankle biter decides to swing at us."
"He won't," Fancy says.
"How can you be so sure?" I ask, scared for what this might mean for us.
"Because he’s our baby," she says.
"You don't think that's a little naive?"
She shakes her head, pressing her lips to the top of the lizard-like creature's head. "No," she says. "I'm not scared. I'm here for a reason, and the reason is in my very hands."
I may not be a religious man, but turns out I certainly believe in miracles, because this right here is one. I run my hand over Fancy's back. "Well, Mama, let's get you home so you can take care of your babe."
She leans close, kissing me deeply. "I love you," she says, "for being on this crazy adventure with me. I know you didn't have much of a choice, but–"
"No, I do have a choice. And right now, Fancy, I choose you."
11
Fancy
I should have expected it, considering how fast I fell in love with Flint. That my feelings for A.B., our nickname for our little ankle biter, our Ankylosaurus, would go the same. He is a spirited little guy, and I say little a bit ironically. He’s the size of a bicycle, and it's only been six months.
Six months of middle-of-the-night feedings and early morning potty breaks, of learning how to train a dinosaur to not stray too far from home even though he's excited to explore the world.
"I'm just nervous," I tell Flint as we stand at the lagoon, the same place where A.B. was born. He's jumped into the water and is swimming around, rolling onto his back, and it's ridiculously cute. "You should get in there with him," I say, "the little guy just needs a buddy."
"Little guy?" Flint says, laughing. "That guy is not so little, Fancy. Are you nervous that he's going to leave home soon?"
I bite my bottom lip and distract myself by picking up the bowl of papaya I carried from the camp. I take a bite and then squeeze some more lime on it. "I hate it when you say things like that," I tell him. "I don't want A.B. to leave ever. He's like..."
Flint finishes for me, "Our baby."
I nod, "Exactly."
"Well, he's not going to stay this small forever. How big did you say he'll get?" Flint asks.
"Eventually the size of a car." I sigh, not wanting things to change. "But he's so sweet and gentle with us."
"I know, but..." Flint's eyes run down my body and I feel exposed. My tiny baby bump is what he's thinking about. "A.B. won't hurt this baby," I say, rubbing my tummy. “He'd never."
Flint says, "I want to think that too, but..."
"Don't," I say. "Believe in the best." I stand on my tiptoes and give my husband a kiss.
Yes, my husband, because that's what we decided we were, husband and wife. After six months out here with our dino baby, we’re as much a family as anyone. "I'm sleepy," I say. "Do you want to stay out here while he swims and I'll go back to the camp?"
Flint shakes his head. "You know how I feel about that," he says.
"I know," I say, "but there are never any predators near."
"That mastodon gets near sometimes."
"He's as gentle as A.B."
"Don't," he says. "You know I don't like having you out of my sight, Fancy."
"I know, but..." I bite my bottom lip, my body hot.
"What?” Then he chuckles, shaking his head. “You weren't going to take a nap, were you?"
I groan. "I didn't want to mention it because I know you have a lot of things to do today, not just dealing with A.B. You’re going to check your traps and climb up that mango tree down the beach. I can't anymore now that I'm pregnant and..."
"I see, so you were going to take some time alone.” He smiles. “And what were you planning on doing, Fancy?"
My cheeks heat up and my face is red. "Stop," I say. "You know what."
Flint squeezes my ass. "Damn, I should feel a little offended. You'd rather slip off to the cave alone than invite me."
"You know how I am with this pregnancy; I am constantly so horny. But I didn't want to say anything because you have work to do. I don't think that's exactly fair."
Flint chuckles, "No, baby. What's not fair is the idea of you going into that cave and touching yourself without me."
I lick my lips, wrapping my arm around his neck, hooking my leg around his hip. "Then come back with me. Screw the busy work, we can do our chores tomorrow."
He runs a hand over my body then he whistles loud, two fingers in his mouth. "Come on A.B., time to go home."
A.B. completely understands his papa and he rolls out of the water, shaking off his tail, his leathery skin, and then he trots alongside us. I crouch down beside him, tickling his neck. "Was that a good swim?" He grunts at me and I know it's his sign of approval. I smile at him, kissing the top of his nose. "You're a good boy, aren't you?" I swear he smiles at me. Flint says it’s impossible for a lizard to smile, but he does, I know it. "I love you, boy," I say, then we walk back to camp.
Once A.B. is settled in his little nest for an afternoon nap, I drag Flint through the sliver of an opening into our private cave that's become our oasis.
"What will we do with a baby?" I ask him, drawing him close, kissing him more deeply. My hand running up and down the length of him. He's hard and big. He's mine.
"What will we do?" he asks. "We'll do our very best."
"No, I mean, how are we going to handle having to share our devotion with another person? I love you so much Flint, I can't imagine.”
“Think about how your love grew for A.B. after he was born."
"That's true," I say, touching his cock, firm and thick. My mouth waters.
I kiss him again, long and deep as his hands runs over my skin. We shed our fur clothing and, naked, we move as one together. I climb on top of him, which is my favorite way of making love. He massages my breasts, kissing me deeply, and I kiss him back.
"I love you," I moan as he takes me deeper and faster. As he takes me everywhere.
"I love you more, Fancy."
And I believe it because the last six months have taught me that life is even more beautiful than I ever imagined. More full of possibilities.
Yes, my heart aches all the time for Summer, thinking how worried she must still be for me – her best friend gone in the blink of an eye. And of course I wonder what happened with the dinosaur dig. A missing American girl in Mexico doesn't go unnoticed.
But I know that even though those people are in my past, they are also the future.
My present is right here. Flint kisses me again, and I gasp, pressing my hands to my belly.
“She kicked,” I say in a whisper, tears in my eyes.
We lost the lives we once had, but the one we are living right now is pretty miraculous.
12
Flint
The entire pregnancy, I haven’t been able to get over how
beautiful Fancy is. With each passing day, she's glowing even more. And now, we are days away from meeting our child.
"What are you looking at?" she asks, smiling at me as I set some tuna steaks on my stone grill.
I shrug, "Just thinking about how beautiful you are."
She grins. "You sure know how to make me feel special."
I pause. "Good. Because you are. I know I'm not exactly Prince Charming, but..."
She shakes her head, "Don't say that. You are my dream come true. Although I didn’t see it happening quite like this."
She's at our work table slicing fruit and vegetables for a salad. We've gotten good at scouring the jungle most mornings for food. She rests in the afternoon with A.B., and I do some hunting or work on a project. Recently, I’ve been making a bassinet for the baby.
When dinner's ready, we sit down at our table. Yes, we have a proper table and chairs now. I promised her I'd make this place a little more homey, and I have. We have a pergola with jungle vines wrapped around it to give us an al fresco dining experience. The fire pit has been surrounded by rocks to give it a more permanent location. And Fancy made a pathway from the cave to our lean-to.
A.B. sleeps in a nest we’ve made for him. Every month he seems to double in size. Now he's fully grown. At least that's what Fancy says, and I trust her, considering she's a paleontologist.
At dinner I take Fancy's hand and squeeze it. "I know we're not much for serious conversations at dinner, but I want you to know, Fancy, this baby's coming soon and it's going to be a whole new experience. A.B. gave us a bit of an idea of what it would be like to be parents, but... we have a lot to learn."
She smiles wistfully, looking over at A.B., who is snoring blissfully. The club on his tail could take someone out, and I’m glad we are not his target.
"I know,” Fancy says. “He feels like our child, but he is a dinosaur. He doesn't need us the same way this baby's going to need us." She sighs, cutting into her food. "I'm nervous," she admits. "I don't know what a good relationship between a mother and a child looks like."
