#clawen ff

[enchanted--realm]

But It’s An Animal Hospital

Prompt by @jurassicsickfics 1: Intense Isla Nublar/Sorna heat causing nausea. Thanks for keeping the fandom alive!

Tags: Clawen, Sickfic, One Shot, Jurassic world, Pre-Jurassic World (2015), Claire Dearing/Owen Grady, Owen Grady takes care of Claire Dearing, heat exhaustion, pov descriptions of feeling sick

Summary: Claire suffers from mild heat exhaustion and Owen takes care of her, cuteness ensues.  Clawen one shot sickfic.

Content warning, pov descriptions of feeling sick.

Notes: Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading about stomach upset and think it's really gross, so the descriptions of nausea are pretty mild.  No one actually ends up v*miting.  So, sorry if that's your thing??  To each their own though.

Happy Jurassic June everyone!  Clawenafterdark on twitter, shout out to you!

Also, this is the first Clawen fic I've ever written and I've been obsessing over another fandom lately so this may read a little out of character, I'm not really sure.  I tried my best.  Thank you so much for reading! < 3

Keep reading under cut

Link to work on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47698048

_________

The sun was beating down on Claire all day, and the humidity felt like it was trying to choke her. It was the hottest day of the year yet, and of course today was the day that Claire's schedule had her running all over the park.

Her usual morning meetings had been replaced by an investors tour which she had been giving around the outdoor paddock of one of their newest attractions. She had answered question after question in the ninety degree heat, trying to look composed while brushing sweat off her brow, and it wasn't even noon then.

She'd known she'd be outside for the majority of the day, and so she had dressed accordingly in her loosest and lightest business attire, but given it was only morning when she started to tire from the heat, she knew she had a brutal day ahead of her.

After the investors tour, which had unfortunately gone overtime, Claire had driven across the park to see about new developments for one of the resorts. Another outdoor meeting. Her car had felt like an oven on the way there with the air conditioning still not working since she kept forgetting to call the auto shop. She had to have all the windows down just so she could breathe. Of course by that time her water had gone warm and did nothing to cool her down.

When she had parked at the resort, she ripped open an instant cooling pack. Over the years of living on the island, she learned to keep them on hand for hot days like this. She hardly had the time to use it though if she wanted to get to her meeting on time, so she had tossed it in the glove compartment after a minute of use.

By the time Claire had gotten back to her car from meeting with the designers she was suffering from a small headache. The meeting had gone well enough, but it was a complete waste of time. All Claire did was nod her head in approval basically. She hated meetings like those. There were a million other things she could have been doing. She supposed the only reason she had been there was to instill fear into the staff and remind them of the standards they had to live up to. They never detoured inside the resort like she had hoped, so that was another sweltering, wasted 40 minutes of her life.

She had looked forward to driving back to her office to enjoy lunch indoors when she had gotten a phone call from one of the directors. There was a major brief happening later that day with Jurassic World's top veterinarian, and one of the directors working on the brief called her to come early, as they were dealing with an emergency that needed her input. She had stayed on the phone with the team as she drove over, and they queued her in on the scenario. She was basically approving the matter over the phone but she still needed to be there in person to see the situation through. By the time their little emergency had been taken care of, it was almost two hours past the matter, and it was now time for the regular scheduled briefing to occur.

This is how Claire found herself now at the main outdoor paddock, standing in the hot sun once again, not having had any break from the heat for the entire five hours she had been at work.

She was hungry, she had a headache, and God it was hot out.

She squinted as she looked around the paddock where herself, the vice president, top directors, the entire veterinarian department, head staff animal handlers, and a few select fellows, were meeting. Zara spotted her near the front of the group and came to stand by her side. Claire smiled at her in greeting and listened as Zara talked about her morning. Claire couldn't remember a word of what her assistant was saying, though. Claire kept zoning in and out of the conversation, tired from the morning she had. Though Claire lived on the island for about a decade now and was used to the Central American heat, she normally spent her work day indoors and wasn't used to spending long hours in the sun like this. It didn't help that she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Her stomach grumbled a little then, and she tried to ignore the empty concave of her stomach and instead focus on the head veterinarian as he called the briefing to a start.

The brief began outdoors of the paddock, the sun still high in the sky and the heat peaking at the hottest hours of the day. It must have been well over a hundred degrees by now and the humidity was still suffocating. They thankfully moved indoors as they walked through the animal hospital, though the air was stuffy and warm from all the bodies in the room. That's when she noticed Owen Grady in their small crowd. He was standing near a few people she recognized to be animal handlers. He walked with that confident swagger he usually wears, and Claire felt her stomach somersault at the sight of him. She inwardly groaned as the butterflies in her stomach and added flush in her cheeks did nothing to help her feel any better in handling the heat. Her bangs were starting to stick to her forehead. She hoped she didn't look too much of a mess. Immediately, she scolded herself in her thoughts for being worried about what she looked like in front of Owen Grady of all people. She was not going to give that meat-head, scoundrel of a man anymore attention, no matter how handsome he was, nor how his voice dipped when he talked to her. Her stomach flipped again and she cursed in her thoughts. She most certainly did not give any attention to his backside as he followed the group out of the room, most certainly not. She took a deep breath as she followed everyone outside to another paddock. Being one of the last few people to exit the hospital, she ended up standing in the unwanted spot directly in the sun, the rays beating atop her head, most likely making her skin burn as well. She couldn't remember the last time she reapplied her sunblock.

Squinting against the sun, she tried to focus on what the veterinarian was saying but just had to pretend by this point. Gosh, the heat was so strong she was starting to feel lightheaded, she thought. Good thing Zara was taking notes. Claire took another deep breath, resisting the urge to fan herself and willed her mind to stay awake and focused. The briefing was allotted two hours in her calendar. She already felt like they'd been there for five, so it couldn't last much longer. She told herself she just had to keep it together until the meeting was over, and then she could go back to her air conditioned office in peace.

Unconsciously, Claire smacked her lips together, tasting the dryness of her mouth. Her stomach was starting to feel uncomfortably empty, she noticed. If she had some privacy she could let herself falter, she thought, but she couldn't let the staff see her in this state. Sure, Claire was only human like the rest of them, but she didn't want the image of her stumbling away lightheaded living in anyone's mind, especially the staff she commanded. She needed people to respect her.

She swallowed again, her mouth feeling pasty, and then her stomach cramped. She stilled, her breath hitching, until her muscles released and then she took a relieving breath. This could not be happening now, she thought. Perhaps she should find someplace to sit down, but she hesitated at the idea. This briefing was important and she had to be here. Breaking her from her thoughts, she caught some movement in her peripheral vision. Her eyes widened at recognizing Owen Grady standing at her right. She quickly collected her facial expression, hoping he didn't notice her surprise. Was he standing next to her the entire time, she thought? She spared another glimpse his way and tried not to notice the way his hand rested on his hip, or the way his other hand smoothed over his scruff, or how his musky scent drifted over from where he stood. Her cheeks flushed then, and heat swelled through her entire body. A wave of lightheadedness went through her again, and she wasn't sure if she swayed in her footing or if it only felt like she did. She spared a glance at Owen again and he seemed closer to her than before. Did she do that or did he, she wondered. Gosh, her stomach felt awful.

She tested her tongue in her mouth again, detecting a funny taste building up. She had no idea what the head veterinarian was talking about anymore. All she could focus on was the feeling of the sun beating down on her skin, and the beads of sweat trickling down her hairline, making her bangs stick to her forehead. Hot. She felt so hot. She briefly registered Zara's voice and then suddenly a shadow blocked the glaring sun from her eyes. Staring straight ahead, it took her a second to realize Owen Grady stood in her vision. She looked around to see the small crowd dispersing. She hadn't even realized the brief ended.

She heard Owen say her name then, and she turned back to him, finding it difficult to look up into his eyes.

"You okay?" Owen asked. He sounded a little fuzzy in her ears, though she recognized the concern in his voice even if she couldn't see his face.

Another wave of lightheadedness made her delay in response. "Fine," was all she was able to breathe out. Without thinking, she lifted her hand to hold onto his arm to steady herself and started to step towards the animal hospital. Her head instantly felt like it was trying to float away as she walked too quickly. Owen's hand pressed hot to her back, keeping her balanced.

He said something she didn't register and she found it comforting, but at the same time his warm breath was on the skin of her cheek and it made her stomach coil even more than it already was.

She didn't realize he was guiding her inside the animal hospital until the door closed behind them.

"The heat," she managed to breath out as she followed him to where she knew there was a private break room. Owen walked them too fast for her liking, though she knew they were walking slowly anyhow, and she feared she would faint on the way there, tightening her grip on his hand that she was apparently holding. The moment Owen opened the door to the small break room the cold air hit her face and she felt instant relief. She stepped through the door and breathed in the cold like she was gulping down ice water. She stumbled immediately into a chair at the small round table in the center of the room and rested her head in her hands, closing her eyes. One of her hands quickly moved to her stomach when she felt it tighten with another wave of nausea. She couldn't help the small cry that escaped her lips at the feeling.

"Claire." Owen pushed her hair out of her face. His strong voice helped her focus her mind.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," she panted, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt Owen brush her hair once more before leaving her side and heard him rumbling through the cabinets of the kitchenette. Claire continued to breathe in the cool air and felt her head steady to a slightly less floating sensation.  It calmed her down a little and her heartbeat started to regulate.

"Drink this." She heard Owen's rough voice and then something thumped onto the table. She blinked her eyes open to half-lidded and saw an opened bottle of water in front of her.

She just stared at it for a moment, not having the strength to move right away. Then she lifted the hand from her stomach and reached for the water, raising her head just enough so she could take a drink. Owen sat to her right, fumbling with whatever else he brought over to the table, she didn't know what. Her stomach churned as she brought the water closer, but she knew she should at least try to drink something. She brought the bottle to her lips and took the smallest sip. When she swallowed she felt another wave of nausea, and she scrunched her face, turning away and setting the bottle back on the table.

"Try to drink some more," he prompted her softly.

"Mm." She shook head, still scrunching her eyes closed. "Nauseous," she explained, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her head on her hand again. She panted lightly as she gazed mindlessly in front of her, her heartbeat picking up again.

She heard Owen move something plastic around. "Here. This will help," he said.

She gasped as an icy cold sensation landed between her shoulder blades and then quickly relaxed, almost groaning at how pleasurable it felt. A shiver ran through her body and she sighed as she relaxed more, leaning her elbows further and sinking into the table. Her head slid in her hand as she tilted to look sideways, meeting Owen's eyes for the first time since being in the room. She just blinked at him as he stared at her, and then she closed her eyes again, too tired to focus on anything.

She relaxed like that for a minute before she felt Owen moving the ice pack up to the back of her neck. She breathed deeply again in relief.

"How are you feeling?" Owen asked softly.

Claire's head was still floating and her stomach a little sick, but she could feel her mind starting to come back to her at least. She sat up the slightest bit, still propping her head up by her chin.

Claire licked her lip before speaking. "A little better," she admitted, her voice slightly hoarse so she cleared it. She blinked at him, finally able to hold her focus on Owen clearly. His gaze was soft and there was a pretty shine in his eyes, she thought. Her stomach somersaulted for non-sick-related reasons, and she had to break eye contact with him in order to steady herself. She couldn't find the strength to lift her head from her hand, so she held the weight of it as she stared at the first aid kit Owen found, seeing the open wrapper of an instant cooling pack, not unlike one of the ones she used earlier today.  "Mmm...I'm a little lightheaded. And nauseous still," she informed him. She lifted her free hand to grasp at the ice pack Owen held to her neck, and he argued with her not to bother. She grasped around his fingers anyway, noticing how cool his hand felt in comparison to hers, and told him she wanted the pack at her forehead, in which case he gave way and let her move it to where she wanted.

She held the pack against her head, closing her eyes as she absorbed the cold, glad to have the heat disappearing from the palm of her hand as well. It felt like her mind was waking up more with every passing minute, which she was grateful for. She heard Owen shuffle in his seat, then.

"Did you eat today?" His voice was tender still.

"Just breakfast," she responded honestly, and she heard the creak of the chair as he got up and rummaged around the kitchenet.

Her hands finally started feeling a normal temperature as she moved the ice pack to her left hand and leaned her temple into the pack, reveling in the cold soaking straight into her pulse point. She took in another deep breath and opened her eyes. She couldn't see Owen, just the empty chair he sat in before. She looked to her right using just her eyes, too tired to turn her head, and saw the blurry image of Owen in the corner of her vision, standing over the counter.  The refrigerator hummed annoyingly in the background.  She couldn't tell what Owen was doing, but she liked that she got to gaze at him, even in this blurry state. His shape came into focus as she followed him with her eyes as he returned to her. He placed a sports drink on the table, along with an opened box of crackers. She followed a drop of condensation with her eyes as it rolled down the length of the bottle when she heard his voice again.

"I know your stomach isn't feeling well, but you should try to get something in your system," he urged mildly, and she turned her gaze to his face.

His hazel eyes stared back at her, waiting. She inhaled as she looked back to the sports drink. She felt like she was coming back to her senses enough. She could try again at holding down a drink, she thought. Lifting her head from her hand for the first time since she came into the room, she let the ice pack slide from her temple down to her neck and held it there until she had to use both her hands to open the drink. She tried to unscrew the cap but it was sealed tight, and she didn't have the grip strength to try harder. Owen took the bottle immediately from her hands and opened it without effort, before placing it back in front of her and mumbling an apology.

"Thanks." Claire suppressed a smile. Gingerly, she lifted the drink to her lips and paused before taking a sip of the artificially bright yellow liquid. The moment the ice-cold drink filled her mouth her mind instantly woke up, her eyes widening as she pursed her lips at the strong sugary, citrus flavor before gulping it down. She blinked a few times and felt herself straighten up a little in her chair.

"There she is!" Owen's voice boomed throughout the small room and almost made her jump in her seat.

She turned towards him and saw the grin on his face that she knew would be there, the smile reaching his eyes and making them twinkle a certain way that she tried desperately not to find adorable.

She sat still for a moment, gauging the cool feeling in her throat and the way the cold liquid settled in her stomach. Her nausea didn't feel any worse, so she chanced another drink. It felt good.

She slouched in her chair again, resting her head on her hand as she held the ice pack behind her ear and looked at Owen. Her head was no longer floating, instead feeling a little heavy now, like a pressure headache had built up from her brain having melted in the sun. She took another drink, feeling the cold liquid settle in her stomach. She finally processed the whole of what happened here, and suddenly, she felt very intimate with Owen Grady. He was still looking at her with a smile in his eyes, and her heartbeat picked back up.

"You're looking better," he stated. "Your color’s gone back to normal."

She felt herself wanting to hide her face at his notice of her color, instead just faltering her gaze before looking back at him.

"Thank you,” she started, “but you didn't have to do this." Claire felt the urge to deflect his attention, hardly getting out the sentence before Owen started protesting.

"I had to make sure you were okay, Claire," he interrupted her, but she spoke on top of him, saying she would have been fine on her own to which his facial expression immediately objected.

"You were p-practically fainting, Claire. I couldn't ignore that. I had to make sure you were alright." He cut himself off then, and she wondered how strong his worry for her was. She thought his face said it enough, with his intense stare and the way he shook his head like he couldn't think of words to say. She noticed how his chest puffed as he breathed deeply and recalled how sharp his voice was just now. She thought she'd go easy on him and just accept his concern.

"Thank you," she gave honestly. She had to admit, it was sweet of him to stay with her and care for her in the first place. It was nice knowing someone cared. Or at least she let herself be hopeful enough or delusional enough, she wasn't sure which, to think he really cared, not just about the safety of a person, because she knew Owen would help anyone who needed it, but that he cared about her.

"I'm okay, now, Owen. Thank you, honest, but you don't have to stay," she regretted saying the words as soon they came out of her mouth, not wanting him to leave and more than that, seeing the way his eyes shifted away from hers. She didn't want him to think she wanted him to leave so she quickly added, "I mean, you're welcome to stay, but...you don't need to. I don’t want to hold you up." She fisted her hand in her lap. She couldn't understand how she could be commanding a boardroom one minute, and then when it came to this man she could hardly look him in the eye. Her stomach flipped and it made her nausea act up a little, a sour taste coming into her mouth. She cleared her throat and took another sip of the sports drink to bring a pleasant taste back.

"You're not holding me up." A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth, and she was glad to have said something right. His gaze quickly changed as he looked her over. "I'll leave, though, if you want to be alone," he hesitated and started to rise from his seat, and before she knew it she'd blurted out for him to stay.

Owen immediately froze, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Stay," she said again more clearly, processing her words this time. "I want you to...if you want to," she finished, finding it hard to keep eye contact with him. Her heart beat harder, and she felt the repercussions of it in her pounding headache.

Owen relaxed back into his seat, keeping his gaze locked on Claire.

"I want to," he replied softly. She noticed his eyes doing that twinkling thing again, and she had to look away. She scolded herself internally for her weakness.

"Then it’s settled," she ended, composing her thoughts and shifting the pack against her other temple.

Claire's stomach dropped when she saw a cheeky grin spread across his face.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day Claire Dearing admits she wants me around," he said, leaning into her space with his elbows on the table, and she instantly regretted making him feel comfortable in this situation. She ignored the musky scent that filled her space and rolled her eyes halfheartedly, her head feeling funny when her eyes went too far back.

"Don't make me regret asking you to stay," she warned, turning her head away from him and leaning against her other hand. "Can't imagine what would make me ask you to stay in the first place," she continued despite herself. "Oh, yeah, maybe the delusion from having my brain fried in the sun," she finished her statement by giving him a pointed look before turning back around. She closed her eyes, resisting the urge to roll them when she heard him chuckling behind her.

"Yep. You must be feeling better if you're already picking a fight with me," he laughed.

Shifting in her seat, she attempted to kick him under the table.

Owen scoffed.  "Ms. Dearing, that is the most unprofessional behavior I've ever witnessed." Owen faked offense.

"Then good thing no one's here to witness," she replied easily without any strength behind the statement.  She turned back to face front, eyes blinking before falling inevitably closed, her headache still evident.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take this up with the boss," he continued.

She turned to Owen this time and opened her eyes, half-lidded, and smiled slightly.

"Lucky for me, then, I'm the boss." She held his stare and her smile grew when he cracked a toothy grin. Only then did she twist back front to rest.

There was a moment’s pause between them and then Owen spoke up again.

"Is that still cool enough for you?" he asked.

"Mm, 's fine," she hummed and continued resting. She took another drink from the bottle and they sat in silence for a few minutes, Claire dozing off with her eyes closed and Owen just watching her. She felt the table move under her arms and could tell Owen leaned more into the table top. She heard his soft sigh.

"Do you need anything?" Owen asked gently, his voice so deep and so low and so close to her that it did things to her insides.

"Mm, no," Claire hummed in response, blinking her eyes a few times before giving back into her fatigue. "Thank you."

Owen's "OK" in response was so quiet she almost didn't hear it.

She let herself fall back into their comfortable silence, content to relax in his presence.

A couple of minutes had passed when Claire suddenly felt a tickle near her bangs. Her eyelids flinched at the sensation but she never opened them. She figured that was Owen touching her hair. She didn't mind exactly and allowed him to move the invisible strand of hair from her face, sighing lightly at his delicate touch. She wasn't sure what to make of the action or the fact that she let it happen, but it felt nice all the same.

He didn't touch her again after that and sat there with her silently for the next few minutes. After some time, Claire finally started to feel more like herself, her stomach mostly settled, fatigue wearing off, and headache greatly lessened.

She blinked her eyes open, taking a moment to adjust to the light of the room. Lifting her head from her hands, she turned to see Owen sitting up straight.

She supposed she should feel a little embarrassed right now about the whole situation but she didn't.

"You feeling better?" He looked her up and down once.

"Much better, yes." She nodded lightly and slowly made to stand up out of her seat. Owen followed suit and stood tall in front of her.

She tilted her head slightly to meet his eyes. She liked being able to actually look up at his face when she spoke this time.

"I should be getting back to my office," she noted regrettably, and Owen nodded in response.

"Do you need me to drive you back?" he offered, but she assured him she would be fine driving herself.

She didn't want to leave just yet, so she kept talking. "I had been outside all day," she explained, and he looked into her eyes and waited for her to continue. "My meetings had all taken place outside, and then something unexpected came up which distracted me from lunch. Of course all this happened on the day it decided to be over 100 degrees," she finished, looking up at him and he nodded still. She couldn't look away from his stare. His hazel eyes looked brighter than she remembered, maybe from all the sun they've been getting this week.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Owen finally spoke, his voice coming out tight, and suddenly she felt their close proximity, unsure of who even closed the gap between them.

Claire cleared her throat and broke eye contact first, taking a step back. "Well, thank you, Owen." She couldn't possibly call him Mr. Grady like she usually did, not after the way he looked after her just now. She hoped the look in her eye conveyed how much she appreciated his care.

"You're welcome, Claire," he replied softly, and she met his eyes once more before turning to move towards the door. Placing her hand on the knob, she spared him one last glance, keeping the image of him smiling softly at her in her mind as she left the room.  She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she closed the door behind her and let it out.

She managed to get back to her office safely and spent the rest of the day inside, only half paying attention to her work, one, because she was still recovering from heat exhaustion, and two, if she were honest, mainly because she kept remembering Owen Grady. After the way he cared for her and stayed with her it was difficult not to let herself indulge in those thoughts just a little bit. She couldn't get the image of his stare out of her mind and pondered if she should finally give in to the urge to go on a date with him. She let her mind wander in out of those thoughts as she worked and by the end of the day, realized she didn't get nearly as much work done as she should have. If anyone asked she'd blame it on the heat, but she knew to blame it on Owen Grady.

[dreamergal859]

At Your Touch

Summary: As Claire looks back on the day at Jurassic World, she finds that more often than not, she had been inadvertently touching Owen Grady

The plush cushions on the sofa feel like heaven against Claire’s aching body. A relaxed sigh leaves her lips as she slumps down, listening to her nephews chat with Owen. Karen and her husband had offered for Claire and Owen to stay in their room with them once they got back to the mainland. Normally she would refuse, knowing that they all needed some family time but Claire couldn’t make herself part from the boys just yet. It appeared that Owen couldn’t either, as he hadn’t wanted them to leave his side. So the six of them had crowded into the room.

There were only two beds and one couch but they would make it work. Zach and Gray were quick to dive onto one of the beds as Claire sat down on the couch. She kicked off her heals and allowed herself to relish in the comfort. Karen was on the phone ordering room service and Owen was in the bathroom.

‘I think I’m going to sleep for a week,’ Zach comments, his voice muffled by the pillow.

‘I don’t feel that tired,’ Gray says.

‘Wait until your adrenaline wears off,’ Owen says as he steps out of the bathroom. Claire looks up at him and swallows at the sight. He’s discarded his shirt and vest and is left in a white singlet. His arms are on full view now sans mud and blood. Claire glances over at her sister and almost laughs at seeing the look on her face. A part of her feels proud, knowing that in some way, Owen is hers.

‘They’re going to be okay though?’ Karen eventually asks, coming back to herself. Owen glances at Claire and she can see the argument he is having with himself. The boys sit up straighter, sensing the seriousness of the moment. Owen sighs, rubbing a hand down his face.

‘They will be,’ Owen starts. ‘But for a while it might not be.’ He directs the last part to the boys. ‘This was a traumatic experience and with it comes some hard times.’

‘Don’t adults usually just go with yes, everything is going to be fine?’ Zach asks.

‘No good will come from lying about what’s going to happen next. It’s better that you are prepared for it rather than it all be an unwelcomed surprise.’

‘So what should we expect?’ Gray asks.

‘Nightmares,’ Owen answers. The room settles into an almost awkward silence. Claire looks at the boys and sees the traces of fear. Wanting to break the tension, Claire stands up and places herself on the bed next to Gray, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

‘If you have any trouble sleeping at all, you tell your parents or you can call me okay?’

‘And me,’ Owen said.

‘You’re sticking around?’ Zach asks with hopeful eyes. Owen casts his eyes over to Claire and almost smiles at the shocked look on her face.

‘If you want me to,’ Owen says, making sure Claire knows that the sentence is directed at her.

‘Why don’t you boys wash up before the food gets here,’ Karen suggested. The boys nodded before walking into the bathroom. Rubbing a hand down his face, Scott picks up the remote and turns the TV on, unable to deal with the silence in the room. The screen is set to the news and Karen gasps as she watches the images and video footage play.

‘Claire,’ she says. Claire can’t meet her eye as she stares at the screen. When a pixelated shot of her running with a flare comes up on screen, Claire relives the terror of that moment.

‘Woah!’ Gray exclaims as he comes out of the bathroom. Zach follows behind him and his mouth drops open at the site. The group watch the scene unfold before it cuts back to the news anchor.

‘You actually managed to lure a T-Rex  out to save us…’ Zach trails off.

‘And avoid getting eaten,’ Gray chimes in. Claire huffs out an awkward laugh and finds her eyes flitting over to Owen. Owen is already looking at her the same way he had when she had shot the Pteradon off of his back. A faint blush covers her cheeks as she remembers what occurred after.

‘Are you insane?’ Karen asks, her voice coming out higher than usual.

‘We needed more teeth,’ Claire responds with a shrug. She knows that she is making everything out to be less traumatic than it was but she can’t afford to do anything else right now.

‘More teeth? You…you needed more teeth? You could have been killed Claire. All of you could have been killed.’

‘But we weren’t,’ Zach says. ‘Aunt Claire saved all of us.’

‘It’s true,’ Owen says.

‘I just…’ Karen trails off and Claire suddenly feels uncomfortable with the attention.

‘I’m just gonna go and wash up,’ she announces before stepping quickly into the bathroom. Apparently her wince and hiss of pain from standing on her feet weren’t as subtle as she thought as Owen stretches a hand out to steady her.

‘You okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ Claire responds, giving him a small smile before closing the door.

Once the door is closed, Claire leans against it and breathes out a slow breath. The mirror against the far wall catches her eye and Claire finally looks at her appearance. An amused smile crosses her face, because its better than crying, and she takes in the multiple cuts and bruises and the way her clothing is torn. A knocking on the door brings her out of her reverie.

‘Claire?’ Karen’s voice comes through, slightly hesitant. Claire straightens up from the door and opens it up. Karen is standing on the other side with a pile of clothes in her hand. ‘I figured you might want a change of clothes.’

‘Thank you,’ Claire says, reaching out to take the clothing. Despite their embrace earlier, there is now an awkward tension settling between the two.

‘Okay then,’ Karen says and reaches out to place a hand on Claire’s arm. Claire nods and closes the door as Karen pulls her hand away. Once the door is closed again, Claire looks down at her arm. She can almost imagine Owen’s hand resting on hers. Shaking her head of those thoughts, Claire turns on the shower. Stepping into the hot water, the blisters on her feet and the multiple scratches burn but Claire doesn’t think about it. She doesn’t even register the mud washing off her body. Instead, she finds herself mulling over the idea that she had spent the better part of the day in very close proximity to Owen. Looking back over the day, it registers with her that more often than not her hand had been touching some part of his body.

The first instance she recalls is when they had arrived upon the dying Apatosaurus. Owen had been trying the calm the dinosaur down and when Claire had finally been able to reach out a hand and touch it, their pinkies had touched. Looking back at it now, it feels like a very small moment but to her, she feels like it means a lot. Even though they had a rocky start to the day, Claire feels like it was the start of their progress. Shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts, Claire quickly goes through the motions of cleaning herself, knowing that everyone else would want a shower at some point.

Claire exits the bathroom just as Scott puts the pizzas on the bed. Owen looks up at her and raises and eyebrow at the wardrobe choice.

‘I didn’t’ think you were the kind of woman to ever wear sweatpants,’ he teases. Claire looks down at her sweatpants and tank top ensemble and merely shrugs.

‘I wear them when I want to be comfortable,’ she defends herself.

‘And I wore board shorts to a dinner date because they were comfortable to wear in the heat,’ Owen shoots back. Claire narrows her eyes at him as Zach speaks.

‘You wore board shorts to dinner date?’ he laughs. Owen nods.

‘Your aunt wasn’t very happy with me. That was our first and last date.’

‘But aren’t you dating now?’ Gray asks, looking between the two. Claire’s eyes widen as she struggles to find words to say. Owen see’s her struggle and steps in to help.

‘Ah no, we’re not dating.’

‘You kissed her though.’ At this Karen looks up at her sister and realises that there is a lot that happened today that hasn’t been thoroughly processed yet.

‘Who’s hungry?’

Claire shoots her sister a grateful look and glances over at Owen before quickly averting her eyes. She slowly makes her way over to the bed and tries not to smile at the fact that the only space left is between Owen and Gray. As they eat, Zach and Gray recount their morning before getting attacked by the Indominus and Claire is happy to know that Gray had been having a good time.

After they finish eating, Owen stands up, wanting to call Barry. He brushes his hand across Claire’s shoulders as he walks past and Claire instantly comes back to her thoughts about the day. After their small, almost non existent moment with the dying Apatosaurus, and other small moments where Owen had helped her over some fallen trees, the next moment Claire can immediately recall is when they had found the garage in the old visitors centre. The footsteps of the Indominus had echoed in the silence around them and Claire had been quick to step behind Owen and place her hands on his hips. In the moment it had been purely out of fear but now looking at it, Claire can see the intimacy to the position. She remembered Owen stretching an arm backwards out to her and the way they had huddled close together in front of the engine. They had been pressed up against each other and Claire can recall holding on tightly to his hand as the Indominus had bumped the jeep. And soon after that, Claire can remember vividly the heat from Owen’s hand on her back as he had pushed her down to the ground to avoid a swooping Pteradon.

‘Claire?’ Gray asked, pulling Claire out of her musing. She hoped her face didn’t look as hot as it felt as she turned her attention to her nephew.

‘Yeah sweetie?’

‘What are you going to do now?’

Claire pauses at the question, not having thought about what her next step was going to be. There was going to be plenty of PR clean up to do and letters to be sent out.

‘Ah, I don’t really know,’

‘We don’t need to think about that right now,’ Karen said. Claire looked over at her and noticed the look on her sister’s face. It was a mixture of worry, concern and apprehension.

‘We’ll just take it one day at a time,’ Claire said, even though the words felt heavy on her tongue. She didn’t know how to take it day by day. She knew what was coming up in her life and what to expect.

The boys accepted this answer and went about getting ready for bed. Scott excused himself to get a drink and Karen started prepping the couch.

‘Owen won’t mind sleeping on the floor, will he?’

‘I’m sure it will be fine,’ Claire said with a small smile. As everyone readied for bed, Owen stepped back into the room.

‘Owen!,’ Gray said, jumping up to hug him. Owen wasn’t able to hide his surprise fast enough from Claire or Karen. ‘You’re not going to leave are you?’

‘Owen is camping on the floor,’ Karen was quick answer before Owen could. Owen raised an eyebrow at her and Karen shot him a pleading look.

‘No, I’m not leaving.’

Eventually, the tiredness set in and everyone turned to their beds. Claire stretched out on the couch and immediately curled herself into a ball. The moonlight was streaming in through the open window and Claire could just make out the silhouette of Owen standing there. Careful so as not to wake the others, Claire stood up from the couch and walked over to him. Her hand reached out and touched his arm.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, however she didn’t hear whatever answer he gave as her eyes landed on her hand. Her fingers were curled gently around his bicep and Claire remembered a few times when she had held onto him like that. The first was when she had been sitting behind him on the ATV as they raced towards Main Street. The rational part of her brain told her that she had been holding on to him for safety reasons and because there was nowhere else to hold on to as he drove. Her heart however, told her that she had been holding onto him like that because she wanted to feel close to him.

‘Claire?’ Owen urged, sensing

‘Sorry,’ Claire said as she jumped a little. ‘I’m good.’

It was obvious that Owen didn’t really believe her but he didn’t comment on it. He only raised his arm and gently draped it over her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. Claire put up no hesitation to the gesture, instead falling willingly into his embrace. She breathed in his scent, smiling at the slightest tightening of his arms around her. The moment though, despite the safety it was providing, served to remind Claire that there had been a very high possibility that she could have lost Owen. When the raptor had crashed through the door into the lab, there had been a fifty fifty chance that it could have gone for them instead of Hoskins. Owen had been quick to push them all backwards out of the way and Claire can’t remember when her hand had moved to up to take hold of him. All she can remember was the stark fear that had settled into her bones. Fear that she may never live to see her nephews or Owen again. Realistically, Owen was the only one who could have attempted to stop an attack, which he did once they gotten outside. But in that moment, Claire wasn’t able to fathom the idea of surviving and all she had wanted was to stand with Owen.

‘You look very deep in thought there,’ Owen murmured. Claire tilted her head back to look at him.

‘A lot has happened,’ she said, not overly keen to delve into what had made her think so much.

‘You should get some rest.’

‘I will.’

Owen didn’t settle for that answer. Instead he bent down slightly to slide his arm under Claire’s legs and lifted her up with ease. Claire gasped out in surprise.

‘You need to rest now,’ Owen said as he placed her down on the couch. Feeling her body sink into the cushions, Claire decided she was too tired to argue otherwise. Owen sat himself down in front of her and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. He was staring at her intently and Claire was grateful that the darkness hid her blush. The last time he had looked at her like that was right before he had kissed her…

‘Stop looking at me like that,’ Claire heard herself saying.

‘Why?’

‘Because last time you did, you kissed me,’ she replied, feeling some satisfaction at the surprised look on Owen’s face.

‘Is that so?’

Claire nodded her head as the scene replayed. She could vividly remember Owen tugging her to him as he had kissed her. She could remember being pressed against him as she had rested a hand just above his heart. She could remember the feel of his lips and the way he had taken over every sense in her body.

So deep in her thoughts, she barely noticed Owen inching forward until his lips were a breath away. It became clear very quickly that he was waiting for her to make the final move. There was no second-guessing, no regrets as Claire tilted her head up so that their lips could finally touch. It was the barest of pressure but it was more than enough. Her eyes fluttered closed and a sigh escaped her lips as Owen pulled away. She didn’t open her eyes as Owen pressed a kiss to her forehead, but she couldn’t hide the smile.

‘Sweet dreams,’ Owen said and Claire knew that he meant it. He wished for her to have pleasant dreams instead of the nightmares that would surely plague her. She heard shuffling and knew that Owen was making himself comfortable on the floor in front of her. His hand reached up to take a hold of her own and Claire was quick to lace their fingers together. Both instantly fell asleep, Claire burrowing into her pillow and smiling at the now familiar touch of Owen Grady.