Chapter Text
Darius frantically walked down the stairs, Dahlia cradled in one arm and a bag in the other. "Ben! Ben!" he called out, stumbling slightly as he descended. "You okay?" he whispered, glancing down at Dahlia, who was caught up in the chaos of his hectic morning.
She just looked at him with her wide, innocent eyes, saying nothing.
"Ben! Ben!" Darius called again, his voice tinged with urgency. He spotted Ben outside holding a bucket in hand, getting ready to walk through the baby-proof gate that separated their cabin from the woods. "There you are." Without hesitation, Darius handed Dahlia off to Ben, plopping her into his one available arm. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of Ben's cheek. Rushing off to the car.
"Woah—what’s the rush?" Ben asked, a little startled by the sudden handoff. Ben, setting the bucket down, gently patted Dahlia's head, smiling at her with a silent good morning.
"Uhh, I got called in for a meeting this morning. It looks like the national park might actually hear me out on my offer," Darius said quickly as he rushed to the car.
"That's great!" Ben chuckled, a smile tugging at his lips.
"It should only take a moment. I'll be back soon," Darius said, ducking his head into the car before pulling out of the dirt driveway, and disappearing from Ben and Dahlia’s view.
"Guess it’s just you and me now," Ben chuckled, smiling after the brief interaction.
Ben could hear the distant groan of a certain turquoise ankylosaurus and her baby (who wasn’t so small anymore). He glanced out toward the sound, then back at Dahlia, debating what to do. He had plans for the day, but with an unexpected little girl to look after and Darius gone, it was going to be a bit more difficult to get things done.
Ben gently set Dahlia down and knelt in front of her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. "I need to fill the ankylosaurus' trough, okay?" he said, his voice soft. "You’re a big girl now, so think you can stay here while Dad fills the trough with water for a reaaalll quick sec?"
He looked into her big amber eyes—eyes that could melt his heart in an instant and make him give her the world if she asked.
"...Okay?" he asked again. Dahlia didn't fully understand, but she nodded anyway.
"Okay," Ben smiled, reassuring himself. "She’s only two—she can’t get too far."
Ben stood up, and grabbed the bucket, with one last concerned look he tried to make his trip as quick as he could. And walked out the gate, leaving Dahlia alone...
If there was one thing Ben was right about in that moment, it was that Dahlia was two. If there was one thing he was wrong about, it was that Dahlia was two, and she could get far.
it only took one small thing to trigger Dahlia's never-ending curiosity. SQUEAK—a sound came from the back of the house, followed by an even more intriguing noise. For a two-year-old, Dahlia sure could waddle fast.
And just with Ben's luck, guess who pulled up, walked back with an empty bucket—and who was now missing?
Ben’s heart sank, just like his bucket did. His eyes darted around, but he couldn’t see Dahlia anywhere. Ben swore he’d left her just a second ago—there was no way she could have—
"Hey, Ben." Darius stepped out of the car, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Hey, D..." Ben smiled awkwardly, his eyes still scanning for Dahlia. "You’re back so soon?"
"Yep," Darius sighed, walking toward him. "My meeting got postponed due to some 'technical difficulties.' A predator got loose and started a stampede around the facility, so they're a little busy right now."
"Bummer," Ben muttered. "I know how much that meeting meant to you."
"Yeah... where’s Dahlia?"
"Look, D, I swear I—"
A scream pierced the air from the back of the house. Ben and Darius had never heard Dahlia scream like this—rarely at all. But at that moment, it wouldn’t have taken them a second to recognize the sound. That was their child, their new sun in their solar system. And no dinosaur on Isla Nublar could ever make them run as fast as they did then.
The two turned their heads in sync toward the sound, and Ben swore their hearts actually dropped into their stomachs.
"Dahlia!" Darius screamed, beating Ben to the scene.
Dahlia tripped back on the ground, surrounded by two compys. One lunged toward her, but Darius quickly kicked it away with his leg, then scooped Dahlia up, pulling her defensively into his arms. Ben rushed over, scaring the remaining compy off with a shout.
"It’s always the compys!" he yelled, frustration flooding his voice.
Ben turned to check on his two D's, his hand instinctively wrapping around Darius's shoulder. He looked into Dahlia’s bright amber eyes, now red, watery, and puffy. Her little face was streaked with tear stains, her freckled cheeks wet from crying. She huffed and puffed, still trying to catch her breath.
Darius gaze lingering on Dahlia for just a moment before he realized—she hadn’t been nearly bitten..
"Shit!" Ben's voice dropped with panic as he gently lifted her hand, revealing a small but distinct bite mark. Despite its size, the mark still broke skin.
Even as he examined it, he could tell—it wasn’t just infected. The very small amount of slive venom was already seeping in. Dahlia's arm started to react badly to the bite. Her wrist began to swell, the skin flushing a small red as the venom spread.
No words were needed between the two frantic parents as they immediately rushed back to the car Darius had just gotten out of. Darius climbed into the passenger seat, cradling Dahlia in his arms, while Ben quickly got behind the wheel.
.
.
.
Darius handed Dahlia off to the doctors, his hands lingering in the air for a moment, as if still holding her. He stood there in the hallway, his heart heavy, his face distant, even though Dahlia was already gone.
"...Why wasn’t she with you?" Darius muttered under his breath, his voice wobbly, thick with emotion.
"What?"
"Why wasn’t she with you, Ben?" Darius’s eyes locked with Ben’s—brown meeting blue. Ben hated the look in Darius’s eyes, the disappointment and pain that seemed to pierce straight through him. It was a look worse than any physical injury, and it gnawed at him, deep in his chest.
"I trusted you to watch her!" Darius's voice cracked with pain.
"Darius, you know I had my hands full today!" Ben shot back, his voice thick with hurt.
"Hands full? Hands full? You were filling the ankylosaurus trough, Ben!" Darius snapped slightly "That still doesn't excuse you from leaving her"
"I thought I could leave her for less than a minute!" Ben's voice was defensive but desperate. "You told me never to take her outside the fence, I had no choice. I had to leave her there!"
"She's two!" Darius’s words were sharp, his face twisted with frustration. "You can't take your eyes off her for even a millisecond, Benjamin!"
"I know! I know!" Ben’s voice cracked, his frustration boiling over. "You think I don’t know that now?" He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, his hands shaking slightly.
"I saw what I did wrong, and I’m sorry. I should’ve done better. I—" His voice faltered for a moment, a crack of vulnerability breaking through. "I didn’t know something so small would lead to... all this...I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."
Darius turned away from Ben, and somehow, that hurt more than anything. The silence between them felt like a chasm, his back now to Ben's desperate gaze. The insecure thoughts of doubt and insincerity began to seep into Darius’s mind, clouding his judgment and eroding the confidence he had once relied on.
"...Maybe this was a mistake," Darius started, his voice trembling.
"What—?" Ben’s voice was tight with confusion and hurt.
"Maybe adopting Dahlia was a mistake," Darius continued, his words spilling out like he couldn’t stop them. "Maybe we’re not ready for this. What if she would’ve had a better life if we’d just... given her up that day?" His voice wavered, raw and broken.
Ben’s heart squeezed in his chest. "You don’t actually mean that, do you?"
"Ben, this isn’t just some parental bump in the road," Darius said, his voice tight with emotion. "This was a life-threatening situation."
"Which we handled," Ben countered, his voice trying to be steady. He reached out, trying to turn Darius to face him, but Darius pulled back, his eyes filled not just with pain but with something deeper—fear.
"And I thought you could handle Dahlia, I thought I could trust you with her," Darius said, his voice thick with disappointment
Ben’s chest tightened at the words, a raw stab of hurt ripping through him. "Wh—D, you can," he said, his voice cracking slightly. He took a shaky breath, trying to keep the sting of betrayal from his words. "I love her, Darius. I love her like she's my own—and I love you. I promised I’d keep her safe. And now you're questioning that?"
"You promised to keep her safe," Darius shot back, his voice tight, a mix of anger and hurt. "But you let her out of your sight. You let her wander off for a second—and now look at what happened" His eyes glossed with unshed tears, his words cutting through the air between them.
Ben recoiled, feeling his words like a punch to the gut "I was right there. I thought she’d be okay for a minute—a minute, Darius! How could I know—" His words faltered the
moment he met Darius’s gaze again, and everything that had built up crumbled in an instant. Ben paused, letting the weight of his guilt set in. "but…I should’ve known. I should’ve never left her alone."
He took a step closer, but the distance between them still felt like an ocean. His hand lingered in the air, uncertain if reaching out would help or only push Darius further away.
Ben just looked at Darius, feeling the words settle in his chest. Darius didn’t mean any of that, did he?
The two of them were about to speak again before someone beat them to it.
"Mr. Bowman, Mr. Pincus," the nurse called, her voice gentle but firm. "You can see Dahlia through the window now if you'd like—"
The nurse didn’t even get the chance to finish before both dads dashed down the hall. They weaved through the corridor, urgency in every step until they stopped at the window.
Through the glass, they could see Dahlia, hooked up to various monitors. Little machines beeped softly around her, and she lay in a bed that made her seem even smaller, more fragile than she already was.
Darius felt his chest tighten, a wave of helplessness washing over him. His eyes locked onto Dahlia through the window, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Seeing her so small, so vulnerable, hooked up to machines that seemed too big for her, made his heart ache in a way he couldn’t describe.
Ben wanted to say something. He wanted to put his hand on Darius’s shoulder and apologize a million times over, but before he could, they were interrupted once again.
"Mr. Pincus," the doctor greeted, extending a hand. Ben shook it, his grip tight, but his mind was still on Dahlia.
"Miss Dahlia had a severe allergic reaction to the bite—more intense than what most people would experience. It could be due to her young age, or she could have a specific allergy. The good news is, with an allergy like this at such a young age, there's a chance she could grow out of it as she gets older."
Ben nodded along, trying to process the information, but Darius didn’t hear a word the doctor said. In fact, he didn’t even acknowledge the doctor’s presence. His eyes were locked on Dahlia through the window, his focus entirely on her as she slept peacefully.
The doctor continued speaking, his words blurring together, "We’ve administered antibiotics to treat potential infection, anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling... blah, blah, blah, so we..."
But Darius couldn’t process any of it. His chest tightened, his breath starting to quicken as the noise around him grew louder—carts rolling by, the constant beeping of machines, voices shouting, crying, the clicking of equipment.
It all felt suffocating, and all too familiar each sounds a weight pressing down on him, drowning out everything else.
Augh. Darius couldn’t take it anymore. His chest felt tight, the weight of everything pressing down on him. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, desperate to escape the overwhelming chaos of beeping machines, distant voices, and the sterile, suffocating air.
"Darius?" Ben called after him, his voice laced with concern. He watched as Darius moved, his back tense, his footsteps quick. "Can you give me a second?"
Ben glanced at the doctor, who gave a small, understanding nod. "Of course."
Ben slid into the corner, pulling his phone out glancing at Darius walking off then back to his phone. Ben’s fingers tapped anxiously as he searched through his contacts. He hesitated for a moment before selecting the name Fadoula from the list.