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back even more on staff, so I’ll probably lose some shifts that I already have.”
    Dad’s expression reached another notch of desperation. Daniel turned his attention to Cheryl, keeping her quietly occupied with the dancing antics of a stuffed toy so he could listen.
    “I could try going to the hospital at Shaunavon and see if they could use me there. Qualified nurses are hard to get in rural areas, especially out here,” she offered.
    “No, that’s too far for you to drive every day.”
    Mom protested, “It’s only forty-five minutes away!”
    “Closer to an hour and if you times that by two...” Dad shook his head emphatically. “That’s too much time out of the day spent driving, especially in the winter.”
    Her shoulders sagged.
    “Maybe I’d better get over to the bank.” Dad checked his watch. Mom leaned over to look, too.
    “Too early,” she said, patting his arm. “It’s not open yet and you haven’t even eaten.”
    Just then their food arrived. The chatter of conversations swirled about them, but the only sound at their table was the clanking of utensils on plates as they ate their $2.99 bacon and egg breakfast specials. Except for Cheryl, who played with a crust of toast and cooed at an elderly lady who used to own a dress shop in town. She made funny faces at Cheryl from across the aisle.
    ~

    L ater, while Dad went for his appointment with the bald-headed bank manager, Daniel and his mother checked the specials at the local Co-op store and picked up a few groceries, before heading home in her car. Just a typical Saturday excursion, he pretended, as he watched the snow-covered farmyards flicking by through the car window. But his stomach flipped and contracted in alternate bouts, telling him otherwise.
    ~

    D aniel sat hunched over a dinosaur book at the table when Dad returned from town later than expected. Mom had been holding lunch for over an hour when he finally came into the kitchen, and Cheryl was already down for her afternoon snooze. Dad seemed unusually subdued, not saying much as he sat down.
    “So I saw the Schelova’s have a new truck,” Daniel said, in an attempt to break the silence. “What happened to their last one?”
    Dad didn’t respond.
    “Mom? Did they have another accident?” He looked at her.
    “I don’t know, dear,” she shrugged and glanced over at Dad.
    “Do you know, Ed?”
    Dad shook his head. Then he stared out into space.
    “Looks like Misty is going to have kittens. Jed said this would be the last batch his folks will let her have.”
    Daniel was met with silence.
    “How about if we take a couple?” he asked with an innocent look towards his parents, knowing they had plenty of cats. “We could use a few more to keep the mouse population down.”
    Mom and Dad kept eating, not saying a word for several more minutes. Finally, Mom seemed unable to stand the silence and asked what had happened at the bank.
    “We’ll talk about it later, Libby,” was all Dad said.
    Daniel eyed them anxiously, but neither brought up the subject again. This worried him, but he knew he’d have to be patient. Mom planned on sleeping for the afternoon and evening, because she had to work the night shift again, and Dad had to help one of the neighbours for a couple of hours. They both disappeared from the table abruptly.
    This gave him just enough time to head back over to Pederson’s to see more of his dig. He ran up to his room, grabbed his most comprehensive dinosaur resource book, and headed out. Maybe he could also persuade Pederson to speak up, so he could convince his parents not to lease the land.
    As he put on his gloves and boarded the snowmobile, he called for Dactyl. His dog came on the run, yipping and tearing around in circles. Daniel started the Ski-Doo and headed slowly across the pasture. Dactyl loped at his side, only once in awhile venturing off around a bush or out of sight into a gully.
    When Daniel arrived at Pederson’s place, he decided to take