Epilogue- Part 2
The R&R lounge at Waypoint was a cozy space with a bar along one side, mismatched armchairs, and a long sectional couch. Wide windows overlooked the dock, where the two ships sat beneath the lingering twilight glow of the Antarctic night sun.
The lounge was warm from the number of bodies packed into it. Raised voices and laughter bounced off the low ceiling.
Our group had gathered in one section of the lounge. Keith sat with us, along with Garrett’s friends. I’d met all of them back in January, but I already knew Daniel and Reed from the penguin rescue incident back in December.
The other two queer couples were Viktor and Sam, and Adrien and Grant.
Watching the activity unfold around me now, I felt a sense of peace come over me. Garrett occupied the middle of the long couch, with me pressed close on one side and Dexter seated on the other.
“So what are the plans for you two lovebirds?” Grant asked me.
I blushed. “Tomorrow once the skeleton container has been transferred onto the barge, Garrett is boarding our ship.”
Grant leaned forward. “Does that mean you’re finally visiting Texas?”
I nodded. “That is the plan.”
“Have you ever been that far south?” The question was from Adrien, his shy boyfriend and a seal researcher.
“No. Never. When my family moved from London, we settled in New York. Since then, much of my life has been divided between the northern United States and traveling to and from Antarctica.”
“That’s going to be quite a shock for you,” Reed said. “Weather-wise.”
I turned toward Garrett and smiled. “Apparently, he has installed a new air conditioner unit specifically for me and my sensitive British arse.”
Garrett’s mouth twitched.
“We shall see how well I survive. But I have always been a tremendous admirer of cowboys, and I cannot wait to ride a horse.”
Viktor, the most energetic of the lot and a penguin researcher, narrowed his eyes at me. “Why do I feel there will be someone dressing as a cowboy?”
Heat climbed into my face.
Adrien’s eyes widened. “Oh. He’s not denying it.”
“Adrien, you should learn.” Viktor adopted the tone of a professor.
The poor guy blanched. “Ah… why? I don’t like cowboys.”
Daniel turned toward the other end of the couch. “And what about you, Dexter?”
Dexter shifted slightly. “I’m staying.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah.” Garrett’s gaze remained on his brother. “He made the decision yesterday. I understand why, but I’d be lying if I said I was okay with it.”
“I’m glad I’ll have your company.” Daniel smiled kindly at the younger Landry.
“I’m not.” Garrett grumped.
I nudged my shoulder against his. “Too bad you’re his brother and not his father.”
Dexter beamed at me with twinkling eyes while the rest teased my boyfriend.
“Anybody else staying back?” Daniel asked.
“Not this time, Doc. Adrien and I are going to trek across the United States,” Grant said. “We’re planning to make our way through as many national parks as we can.”
A chorus of approval rose around the group.
“That sounds incredible.”
“What an amazing idea.”
“You’ll have the best time.”
“And you guys, Viktor?” Daniel asked.
Viktor pointed a finger at the physician. “I’m leaving too. Since you betrayed me as my former roommate, this is my revenge. You will be left here all alone.”
Daniel merely shook his head and smiled in his mild-mannered way.
“So where are you planning to go?” Reed asked.
Viktor spread his hands. “We are not as organized as Adrien and Grant. We are simply going to pack up, and then we will see where we land next.”
Everyone laughed.
“What about you, Dr. Park?” I asked Daniel. “Are you and Reed not leaving? I heard you’ve overwintered here for the past four years. Surely you need a break.”
“I can’t leave that easily, Nate. My position here isn’t easily replaceable.”
“Ah.”
Daniel smoothed down the sleeve of his starched white shirt. “Once I decided I couldn’t leave, Reed decided he was obviously staying as well.”
“Obviously,” Reed added.
“It turns out pilots are even more difficult to find during the winter months,” Daniel continued. “There may not be any active field research, but there have been rescue calls in the past. Once his supervisor learned he was willing to overwinter, they offered him incentives to stay.”
“Oh, wow.” Dexter looked at Reed. “What kind of incentives did they offer you?”
“They offered me money, but I declined.”
Sam, Viktor’s boyfriend and clearly a quiet guy, spoke for the first time. “Did you bargain for something else?”
“I asked to be allowed to stay at this research station, even though my airbase isn’t here.”
“And?”
“They agreed.”
Reed leaned back in delight while whistles broke out across the room.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out.
Keith leaned forward. “Is it the result?”
I nodded, my eyes glued to my phone screen. The others heard him. Conversations around our section of the lounge stopped as everyone turned toward me.
“What result?” someone asked.
“It’s from my colleague in New York,” I explained. “He’s a marine paleontologist who specializes in ancient cetacean remains. He has sent back the full report on the carbon dating of the whale skeleton.”
“Read it aloud,” Dexter said immediately.
I began to read.ter said immediately.
I began to read.
Dear Nate,
I have attached the complete radiocarbon analysis report for the sample associated with the recovered humpback whale skeleton. I have copied the relevant conclusion below for your quick refernce:
"Following radiocarbon analysis and calibration against the appropriate marine reference data, the submitted sample produced an estimated age range of approximately seven thousand three hundred to seven thousand five hundred years before present."
Whistles and applause broke out around us.
“There’s more,” I smiled at everyone.
I returned my attention to the email.
Nate, this aligns almost perfectly with the period you identified. I think your hunch was correct. This is an extraordinary finding, and everyone here is eagerly waiting for the skeleton to arrive.
I skimmed the rest, but there wasn’t anything important, so I put my phone back in my pocket.
“What hunch?” Reed asked.
I settled into Garrett’s side. “As soon as I discovered the whale skeleton, I started wondering how a whale skeleton could have become buried in the seafloor there. As you all know, we have an icebreaker, and we need that specialized ship simply to break through the ice and reach the area. So I thought it could not have been a recent whale. Whales are enormous. There is no way for them to swim beneath thick sheets of ice, and they do not usually do so.”
“Right.”
“So I started thinking that it had to be a whale from much earlier. I dug through records of the area around the Weddell Sea, and something caught my attention. There was a period when the Weddell Sea ice retreated and the ocean opened in that exact area. Around seven thousand years ago. During that period, this particular whale would have been going about its life in the part of the ocean that had opened up.”
“Oh, that makes complete sense,” Reed agreed.
I nodded. “For some reason, it died there and became buried in the sediment. My theory was that the ice cover expanded again during the following season, eventually creating the conditions we see there today. The skeleton was miraculously preserved in its entirety until we found it.”
“And now the carbon dating results validate your theory further.” Dr. Park supplied quietly.
“Yes. Of course, it’s still a theory and we will need to study the skeleton back in the States.”
“Of course, but Nate, this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of discovery.” He smiled.
I ducked my head. “Thank you.”
“He’s gonna be famous. Along with Landry,” Keith announced. “The gays and their whale.”
There were guffaws and snickers.
Suddenly Viktor clapped his hands together.
“Oh, this is the perfect time for us to move to the second lounge for our meeting.” He looked around at all of us with a grand expression. “We are about to hold the first meeting of the Gays of Waypoint Research Station club.”
Viktor turned toward me. “Nate, you are hereby accepted as an honorary member through Garrett.”
“Ah, thanks. What exactly is this club?” I asked, amused, because his friends seemed to be rolling their eyes around him.
“I have started this club because it has come to my attention that some of us need encouragement in broadening their horizons,” Viktor finished with a flourish of his hands.
Adrien turned pale.
“That is very interesting,” I said. “I didn’t know. How long has it existed?”
Viktor cleared his throat. “Well, today is our first meeting, but I see a long and illustrious future. Everybody gathered here, the gays and our allies, is hereby declared a member.”
Grant groaned again. “Ask him who is the president.”
I grinned. “I’ll take the bait. Who is the president?”
Viktor thumped a hand against his chest. “Yours truly. Now, if you all will please follow me, due to the delicate nature of the topics that will be discussed during this first meeting, we are moving to the smaller lounge. Everyone follow me.”
He turned and walked away as though there were no possibility that anyone might refuse. More groans rose around us, but the small group rose to their feet. Dexter started after the others too.
Garrett stopped Viktor. “Hold up.” His gaze went directly to his brother. “What kind of nonsense are you going to discuss?”
Viktor appeared uncertain for the first time. His gaze darted between the two brothers.
“I’m gay, and I know all about sex,” Dexter declared.
“Jesus.” Garrett rubbed his forehead.
“I mean I haven’t experienced it… firsthand—”
“Dex.”
“But I’ve done complete research. You can quiz me if you want.” He puffed out his chest and faced his older brother, though the fear in his eyes was too obvious.
Several people tried and failed to hide their amusement.
Garrett stared at him. “Absolutely not.”
“You can’t control me.”