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He woke up in the middle of the night and looked over at Claire, who was still peacefully sleeping in their bed. Confused, he wondered what had woken him and looked at the time to see that it was almost three in the morning. He frowned, feeling a little disgruntled to be awake so early, especially when it wasn’t because of nightmares. This was the first time in months he didn’t wake up because of a nightmare, and the night seemed peaceful, a strange contrast to the usual panic and fear.
He looked out the window and saw the moon as though it was the first time. Tonight it seemed strangely beautiful in a way he’d forgotten. Usually, he spent the nights restlessly trying to go back to sleep after a nightmare. Now he gave himself the time to enjoy the moon without panic gripping the edge of his mind.
He carefully got up, not wanting to wake Claire, and went to check on Maisie. Even though it was rare, she still had nightmares on occasion, and he just wanted to make sure she was safe. He crept towards her door and slowly opened it, looking inside. He found her asleep, curled up in bed. He looked back at his bedroom and wondered if he should go back to bed, but he wasn’t tired anymore and probably wouldn’t get any more sleep.
He went to the kitchen and, as quietly as possible, he made himself some coffee and reminded himself to get more milk when he went to the store. Not wanting to turn on any lights, he decided to drink his coffee outside with the moon's glow as his only light source.
He stepped outside with his coffee mug in hand and looked at the moon. It was so beautiful tonight. Out here in the middle of nowhere, he could see the sky so much better. With all the lights at Jurassic World, even at his bungalow, he couldn’t see the stars like this.
It made him sad to realize his girls would never see the stars, at least not like this. Maybe at the end of Jurassic World, when most of the lights were off, they were finally able to see the stars. He wondered if they even got the chance. He didn’t think Charlie got the chance, but he wondered if the other three did. He wondered what they thought, and he wondered if they were angry at him for keeping them locked up and away from the stars. He wondered when Delta was lying there dying if she looked at the stars and felt peace.
His mind wandered to Blue. She was alone on that island for four years. He felt the familiar feelings of guilt creep up inside of him. She’d been all alone without her pack, just trying to survive. When she lay alone at night, did she look at the stars? Some humans think stars are angels. That once they die, they’ll become a star. Did she think something similar? Did she look up at the stars and see her sisters as angels? Did she wish she could share the stars with them? Did she wonder if he was looking at the stars as well?
He heard the trees rustle nearby even though there wasn’t a breeze. His hair rose on the back of his neck, and he stepped forward away from the safety of his house. He stared at the trees in front of him, trying to see what was hiding.
“Blue?”
He whispered, not sure why. After everything that happened at Lockwood Manor, Blue had left. He asked her to come with him even though part of him already knew the answer. After being free, she wasn’t going back to a cage. It still hurt watching her walk away. He never thought he’d see her again. She had no reason to stay by his side, and yet there she was.
“Blue?”
She carefully stepped forward, and he almost collapsed with relief, not realizing how much he missed her.
“You're here?”
He tried not to get choked up as he stared at the raptor he thought of as a daughter. Blue carefully stepped forward, looking unsure as though she’d ever be unwelcome. He stepped forward as well and met her halfway. His hand reached out like so many times before, and she nuzzled his hand. He couldn’t stop a tear from falling as he looked at his little girl.
“Hey, Blue.”
She chirped and nuzzled his chest causing him to laugh.
“I missed you, too.”
She looked at him just like she did when she was younger, and he now realized just like when he’d sent her away all those years ago. When the Indominous Rex had been defeated and he had been exhausted and worried about Claire and her nephews.
“I’m sorry, Blue. I shouldn’t have left you on your own.”
She gave him a sad look, and he knew she understood him. She’d always been smart.
“I won’t leave you again. I’m not going to send you away. I want you to stay, and I don’t want to keep you trapped. I want you to be free, and I want you to know that I’m always here for you.”
He felt more tears fall, and Blue nuzzled him, and he remembered those videos where he pretended to be weak, and instead of attacking, she let him be weak. She comforted him. Even though the world is cruel and she's an apex predator who should have seen him as prey, she felt empathy and compassion. She did something not even his parents did, and it really spoke about human nature. So many of them feared raptors, and yet they never acknowledged how dangerous and cruel they could be.
Blue nuzzled him, realizing he was getting lost in his thoughts.
“Sorry.”
Blue made a small noise of concern, and he pet her head, smiling slightly.
“I’m okay.”
The two stood there for a long time. Blue let him keep petting her, and he noticed she was looking at the stars. He could see them reflected in her eyes, and he didn’t know what she was thinking about, but he knew she looked at the stars. He looked over as well, and for the first time ever, they could finally stargaze together.