Lost Into The Past Chapter 3
#3 of Lost Into The Past || A Dinosaur Train Fanfiction
Chapter 3: A little paranoid
Ever since Nathans panic attack, he ended up sleeping for almost twenty-four whole hours. Because of this, Mr. Conductor made sure to have at least one worker keep watch of Nathan while he was still asleep, just in case he happened to wake up. He would've watched Nathan himself, but he had a train to run. However, he couldn't help but think about what happened. He's rarely EVER seen anyone have a panic attack THAT severe before, and while he kept telling himself not to worry too much, seeing as Nathan was being watched. No matter how many times he told that to himself, he couldn't help but feel worried.
It got to the point where he had trouble focusing on conducting. Granted, it wasn't to the point where it would hinder the trains' schedule, but it was still there, and it was noticeable, even to him. Much to his relief, the passengers either didn't notice, or didn't comment on it. He was silently hoping it would continue like this, however as he was going around punching tickets, he heard a young voice call out.
"Mr. Conductor? Are you alright?" Mr. Conductor jumped a little and turned around, looking towards where the voice came from. It came from a young t-rex; who Mr. Conductor knew as Buddy, he was looking down the aisle at him from one of the seats.
"Oh, hey Buddy," He greeted as he walked towards Buddy, his parents; Mr and Mrs. Pteranodon, looked at Mr. Conductor as well, along with his siblings; Shiny, Tiny, and Don. "I'm alright, just a little... Unfocused today..." He said the last part a bit quieter, seemingly a little embarrassed having said that.
Buddy gave a look of confusion this time "Why's that?" He couldn't help but ask. Mr. Conductor chuckled a little and rubbed his neck.
"Well, it's nothing too major." He responded, though he mentally slapped himself for saying that. What was he thinking?! Of COURSE this was major! Well, to him anyways, he cleared his throat a little "Anyways, where are ya headin' today?" He asked in his usual enthusiastic tone.
"We're going to go fishing at the big pond!" Tiny exclaimed, smiling brightly.
Mrs. Pteranodon showed Mr. Conductor their tickets, he took them and punched him with his toe claw before handing them back. "The big pond, eh? Well I hope you and your family have a great time!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, tipping his hat towards the family. However unbeknownst to him, his expression didn't seem happy, in fact, if one weren't paying attention, they wouldn't be able to tell that Mr. Conductor was faking a smile.
The kids didn't notice this, however Mr and Mrs. Pteranodon did. Concerned, Mrs. Pteranodon spoke up. "Mr. Conductor, are you sure you're alright?" She asked. Mr. Conductor looked at her and saw how concerned she seemed. It didn't take long before he let out a sigh, knowing he would feel guilty for lying to them, especially for how long he's know the family.
"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but yesterday we found a young troodon passed out on the tracks." He admitted. The entire family gasped a little in response.
"A-Are they alright?" Mr. Pteranodon asked in a very concerned tone.
"Yes, he's alright, he's currently resting up in one of the cars." Mr. Conductor replied, receiving a sigh of relief from the family. Don looked at Mr. Conductor and said.
"Mister The Conductor, can we meet him?!" He asked in a pretty excited tone, his siblings nodded a little in response and next thing he knew, they all asked in unison. "Can we? Pleeeeeeeease?"
"Well, that isn't a good idea at the moment, he's kind of... How should I put it... Really really tired right now, and needs lots of rest..." He tried to give the kids an explanation as to why they couldn't see Nathan. Deciding to leave out the part about his panic attack, knowing it'd probably be for the best if they didn't know.
"Awww..." They all said in slight disappointment.
"Where are his parents anyways?" Mr. Pteranodon couldn't help but ask. Mr. Conductor froze for a moment, he didn't know WHAT to say to this question. While he did have a good idea as to what happened to Nathan's parents, when taking into account how the young boy's been acting, he still didn't have enough facts to confirm his suspicions, nor did he have any ideas on what exactly happened to Nathan's parents, for that matter. He was about to respond, however he heard his pocket watch ringing, never had he felt so relieved to hear that sound, he quickly grabbed it and looked at the watch, before announcing.
"Big Pond Station! Big Pond Station next stop!" The train eventually came to a stop, The Pteranodon family got out of their seats and began to walk out. "Have fun, Pteranadon Family!" He exclaimed.
"We will! Bye!" They all said back as they waved.
And with that the train departed. Mr. Conductor wiped some sweat off his forehead and sighed, slightly relieved to have avoided such a question.
"Now... Back to work." He muttered to himself as he went back to conducting.
Things were starting to slow down, less passengers riding the train, and Mr. Conductor also had a little bit more free time, which was pretty rare for him. Before, even if he did have some free time, he'd spend it doing smaller tasks around the train, mainly sweeping.
This time however, he was in the Caboose, pacing back n forth and muttering, he felt kind of stressed about Nathan, the young Troodon still hadn't woken up yet, and it made him feel extra nervous. And whenever he's nervous, he paces. His mind was currently all over the place right now.
"BLOOOOOH!" Mr. Conductor yelped and jumped a little at the sudden noise, his thoughts being interrupted by a very familiar voice, he knew exactly who this was. He quickly whipped around and was now face to face with another troodon. His mother to be exact; whom everyone just calls Mrs. Conductor.
"M-Mother! D-Don't startle me like that...!" He exclaimed as he took a few moments to recover from what had happened. Mrs. Conductor laughed a little and gave a toothy smile.
"Sorry about that, Sonny boy! Didn't mean to startle ya THAT badly!" She exclaimed in a rather enthusiastic tone. However, her expression suddenly became serious. "I saw ya pacing, is there something on your mind?" She asked, giving a slight look of concern.
"Well, not really..." Mr. Conductor said, his eyes moving away from his mother. Mrs. Conductors frowned, her eyes narrowimg a little
"Sonny boy, you know better than to lie to your own mother." She said. he sighed a little and looked up.
"Sorry mother..." He apologized. Remembering that this was his mother, and that he couldn't lie to her, no matter how many times he'd lie, or how convincing it seemed, his mother always knew that it was lie. It's like she had a built-in lie detector or something. "You're right, something IS bothering me..." He slumped over a little, letting out a sigh. Mrs. Conductor stayed silent and waited for him to explain. "Well, have you been told about Nathan yet?" He asked. Receiving a nod from his mother, he continued. "Well, to tell ya the truth, I'm... Really worried about him, I mean, he's been unconscious for a day now..." His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "W-What if he never wakes up?! What if he remains unconscious for the rest of his life?! Then what?!" He began to panic, sounding just a little like a worried father, which made Mrs. Conductor smile a little.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Sonny boy, calm down. It's unlikely that he'll sleep forever, he'll wake up when he wakes up, just have patience." She said.
"B-But, I-I..." He looked down and sighed a little. Maybe his mother was right, maybe he's making a big deal over nothing. "I-I just... Can't help but worry that the worst case scenario might happen..." He added, looking back up at his mother.
"Y'know, you almost sound like you could BE his father, you're worrying about as much as a father would for their own child." Mrs. Conductor commented, laughing a little after saying that. But whether she was actually serious or not, Mr. Conductor couldn't tell. In fact, he kept repeating those words in his head, more specifically, the word father.
Father... As nice as that sounded, he was always so busy with conducting. His main concern... Or rather, fear, was that he wouldn't be able to spend time with his own child. Taking care of a child is a big task, no doubt. Something that if he ends up wanting to do, he'd wanna put all his time into it. Sadly, that's time that he doesn't have.
"Look, if you're so worried, why don't ya go check up on him?" Mrs. Conductor suggested. Which caught Mr. Conductor off guard. However, the more he thought about it... It didn't actually seem like a bad idea.
"That's... Actually not a bad idea. Maybe I should..." He said. Why he didn't think of that before?! Maybe it's because he wasn't thinking straight? No matter, he straightened his hat a little and smiled, having loosened up a bit. He waved goodbye to his mother, then began to walk to the train-car that Nathan was in. With any luck, he should be awake by now.
Nathan woke up with a start and shot up, breathing heavily. He put his hand to his chest and closed his eyes. His breathing began to slow down and he could finally think clearly, he soon realized that he was in a bed, which he didn't remember getting in. In fact, the last thing he remembered was that he was walking with Mr. Conductor, but everything after that was a blur.
As he began to ponder this, his thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, followed by a gasp, he turned his head to see Mr. Conductor. He looked relieved to see Nathan awake, which struck him as odd. Wait, just how long was he out?
"You're finally awake!" Mr. Conductor exclaimed, heading over and kneeling down a little. "So, how are ya feeling? Do ya need something?" He asked a bit frantically.
"I-I'm fine..." Nathan said in slight bewilderment. This seemed out-of-character for Mr. Conductor. From what he's seen, he was very enthusiastic and positive, but also serious when he needed to be. However now, he's like a worried parent.
"Are ya sure? You were unconscious for nearly twenty-four hours! Surely you'd at least need something!"
_Wait, H-How long?! _Nathan thought to himself, his eyes widening in pure shock. _I-I've been unconscious for almost twenty-four HOURS?! _As this fact began to sink in, he noticed just how dry his lips were, and his stomach rumbled for a good two seconds
"U-Uhh... Mr. Conductor? What exactly... Happened?" Nathan asked. Mr. Conductor shook his head a little.
"That can wait, right now we need to get you food and water, post-haste!" He exclaimed. Nathan just nodded and got out of his bed, deciding not to question him... At least, not yet.
Mr. Conductor offered his hand to Nathan. Which once again, confused him a little, but he decided to take his hand so he didn't seem rude. Soon they began to walk back to the dining-car for some food and water.
Nathan had returned to sitting in the dining-car with Mr. Conductor. He sat beside him, feeling safer around the older troodon. Although Nathan remained quiet as he ate, not entirely sure whether he should start a conversation or not.
"Um... Nathan? I...I'm gonna ask you something, and I need ya to be honest with me..." Mr. Conductor suddenly spoke. Nathan was a little taken aback by the sudden speaking, but nodded nonetheless. Mr. Conductor nodded back and began to speak. "Where are your parents...?" There was that question once more. A question that Nathan didn't wanna reply to. However, staying silent wasn't an option anymore.
_I have to tell the truth, but... I can't...! Think Nathan! Think! _He thought to himself. Maybe he could tell a half-truth? He technically wouldn't be lying then! Just... Leaving stuff out!
"Um... My parents... Aren't around here." He said. _That wasn't technically a lie... Right? _He thought to himself.
"Aren't around here...? Could you maybe be more specific?" Mr. Conductor asked. Of course he would ask that...
"Um... T-They're just... Not around here." Nathan insisted. Shaking his head a little. Mr. Conductors eyes widened with shock. "W-What is it...?" Nathan asked, seeing the look on Mr. Conductors face.
He cleared his throat and sputtered a little, trying to find the right words. "N-Nathan... I... Um... Nathan, are you implying that... You don't have any parents...?" Nathans jaw dropped a little when he heard this.
_N-No! I have parents! I do! _Nathan told himself that, however he started feeling a little paranoid, what if his actual parents need him?! What if they're sick and he's not there to help them?! These thoughts nearly made Nathan panic again, he looked at the ground and could practically feel his breathing speed up.
However, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, Nathan looked back up to see the face of Mr. Conductor, he looked incredibly concerned. This simple gesture was enough to calm Nathan down. "I-I..." Mr. Conductor quietly shushed Nathan
"You don't have to say anything..." He said softly, as he pulled Nathan into a hug. "It must be hard to go through stuff like that, but I'm here to help you, alright?" He said.
"H...Help me...?" Nathan asked, more in confusion than relief. Why did Mr. Conductor wanna help him? He didn't need any help... Did he...?
"If you're fine with it, I can take care of ya for the time being, and once you're ready, we can help find a family willing to adopt you..." He said. And this is when Nathan really started to freak out... On the inside at least.
_A-Adopt?! W-Wait... D-Did he misunderstand my explanation as not having any parents?! _This was another drawback for Nathan, he sucked at conveying what he meant, and 9 times out of 10, someone would misunderstand him on something.
He kept telling himself this was a bad idea, maybe even a horrible idea! He didn't belong here and needed to go back! He didn't have time for this stuff!
However... There was a small part of him that was okay with this... He loved prehistoric things. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while... After bit of arguing in his head, he decided to stay, what's the worst that could happen?
"O...Okay..." Nathan said quietly, looking down at his feet. Mr. Conductor gave a small smile and rubbed Nathans head a bit.
"Now then, is there anything you'd like to do?" He asked. Nathan thought a little on this. That was a good question actually... What could he do in prehistoric times? It was surprisingly hard to figure that one out...
"I mean... I like to learn about new dinosaurs..." Nathan said, rubbing his chin a little. He figured that this could be a good opportunity to meet some.
Mr. Conductor chuckled and nodded a little. "Well if you want to learn about dinosaurs, then you're definitely in the right place!" He exclaimed. "Tell ya what, why don't I teach you about dinosaurs then? That is, if you want me to." Nathan gasped and hugged Mr. Conductor as tight as he could, unable to contain his excitement.
"That'd be AWESOME!" He exclaimed, feeling more joyful than he's ever been in so long. Finding out about new dinosaur species seemed really amusing to him! Though learning it all FROM a dinosaur however, was a little jarring
Mr. Conductor chuckled at Nathans enthusiasm, but soon sighed a little and frowned. "Sadly, I can't right now, I have a train to run after all." He said, feeling somewhat guilty for getting Nathans hopes up so high and so quickly, only to say that he couldn't do it.
However, Nathan shook his head "It's okay! I can still be with you while you work, yeah?" He asked. Mr. Conductor soon smiled again.
"Right you are, Nathan! Now come on! This train isn't gonna run itself!" He exclaimed. In response to this, Nathan hopped out of the booth and cheered, rather excited to learn about different dinosaurs. Mr. Conductor got out of the booth with him. He took Nathans hand and they started walking to a different part of the train.
This was gonna be a good day, he could tell.
*slams my keyboard down* IT IS FINALLY DONE!
I'll be honest, I think this turned out well! I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you guys get just as much enjoyment through reading it!
Anywho, that's all for now.
This is Robert! Signing off!~