Scully moaned softly as consciousness returned to her
bringing with it awareness and with awareness came pain.
She moaned again and weakly brought her hand up to her
face, rubbing her eyes in an effort to get them open.
Distantly she realized that her fever had returned also,
with a vengeance, but she pushed that aside for now.
(One thing at a time,) she thought as she forced her eyes
open. Squinting against the glare of the bathroom light,
she looked over, expecting to see Mulder stretched out
beside her.
The fact that he was nowhere in sight and that she was in
bed as opposed to the couch that she remembered, gave her
the strength that she needed to pull herself to a sitting
position. It felt as though she was moving through
quicksand and as soon as she was upright, she wished that
she had just kept flat. She managed to call out once for
Mulder, her voice thin and hoarse, when an avalanche of
dizziness and nausea cut off her second cry. She clamped a
hand to her mouth as she scrambled off the bed and
staggered drunkenly towards the bathroom. The floor seemed
to slide out from under her feet and she felt herself
falling. Grabbing nothing but air, she collapsed, a
burning, tearing pain flashed throughout her entire body,
even setting her lungs on fire. Weak, dizzy, and drenched
with sweat, she lay facedown, unable to move and barely
able to breathe. The light quickly dimmed and then there
was nothing.
Chapter 21
Dani slipped deeper into the shadows, escaping the Boss'
notice for now. She glanced down at her watch: almost
2:00. She knew that she didn't have much time as she
watched the Boss enter Mulder's room.
(The end is coming, ) she thought with satisfaction.
She waited a couple of minutes more, then raced to
Scully's room. She found the agent lying face down on the
floor, unmoving. Gently she turned Scully over and was
relieved to find that she was conscious but too weak to
get up on her own.
"Mulder," Scully murmured, her vision blurred. She blinked
several times and tried to focus on the face above her.
"Not Mulder. My name's Danielle. I'm here to help. Come
on, let's get you to the bed."
Scully struggled to comprehend. "Where's Mulder?"
Dani didn't answer. "Come on, Agent Scully," she urged as
she pulled Scully up. Scully groaned, the sudden movement
renewing the throbbing in her head. Dani guided Scully
back to the bed. Scully struggled to take the necessary
steps even as her lips trembled with the effort and her
head continued topound unmercilessly. Dani got her settled
in a reclining position then hurried to the bathroom and
filled a glass with water. She returned to find Scully
staring at her, more lucid, her chest rising and falling
rapidly.
"Who are you? Where's Mulder?"
Dani could see the efforrt it was costing her to keep her
voice steady in an attempt to appear in control.
"I'm here to help you," she repeated as she placed three
Motrin tablets in Scully's hand. "Quickly, Agent Scully so
that they can start to work."
Scully eyed them suspiciously before swallowing them, but
it took a monstrous effort to keep them down. A cold wind
seemed to have swept through her and she was shaking all
over and her teeth kept chattering together, making even
her jaws ache as she clenched them tight.
Dani watched her anxiously. "Agent Scully, I know that
this is hard, but you've got to trust me. We've got to
hurry. There isn't much time left. The Boss has rigged
this entire place to blow and I've got to get to Agent
Mulder."
Scully struggled to pull herself up. "Where is Mulder?"
"He's still in the room that you started in, but I've got
to get to him...he doesn't know what he's going up
against."
"I'm going with you," Scully announced with grim
determination, her voice strained.
Dani shook her head. "No - no you're not. I've got to get
you to the escape tunnel. I'm the only one that's going to
handle the Boss." She gave Scully the glass of water and
encouraged her to drink some more.
"You've got to get down to the beach," she continued.
"That's where the help is going to arrive. I couldn't risk
bringing them up here." She took a breath. "I know you
have loads of questions and doubts but there simply isn't
any time."
"I'm not leaving Mulder." Scully insisted stubbornly.
Dani sighed. "Don't worry about Mulder. I intend for him
to be right behind you. Look, I've taken care of you this
far and I won't let anything happen now if I can help it.
You're just going to have to trust me."
Scully fought to concentrate on what Dani was telling her
as she continued to sip the cool water. The pain in her
chest was making it difficult to breathe. "What -"
"Don't talk," Dani admonished her, "just rest a little bit
longer."
Dani sat with her until 2:20. "Has the Motrin started
working?"
Scully nodded once.
"Okay, let's go." Dani helped Scully to her feet, holding
her securely around the waist as Scully wobbled on
unreliable legs. She looked completely out of it.
"You can do this, Agent Scully, " Dani said with more
confidence than she actually felt. "I know you can."
Scully bit her lip as she focused on each step,
willing Dani's words to be true as she was led out into
the corridor.
Chapter 22
Dani held a finger to her lips and Scully nodded in
understanding. The two women walked quietly through the
nearly empty corridor with Scully hanging on to Dani for
dear life.
Scully kept her eyes on her feet, concentrating on each
step, blindly letting Dani lead her, trusting her with
hers and Mulder's lives. Despite the Motrin, the dreadful
ache in her chest had shot up into her jaw and down both
arms. The pain was making it hard to breathe and even
harder to think, but Scully resolutely pushed past it with
a strength born on her love for Mulder. She was not going
to die. Not here. Not when there was still so much
unfinished business.
At the end of the corridor, they came to a room with a
door that was different from the others.
"This leads to a tunnel that will take you out," Dani
whispered. "It actually opens up on the cliff about fifty
feet above the beach, but it's a fairly easy climb; lots
of rocks and handholds."
Scully shook her head, panting with the effort. "I can't
do it. Not without Mulder. I'm not leaving here without
Mulder."
Dani gnawed on her lower lip and gave up. "Okay. Fine.
Just wait right here. Don't move. I'll get Mulder and be
right back."
Scully watched her leave, sliding down the wall to a
sitting position and desperately fought back the darkness.
Chapter 23
Mulder opened his mouth to speak when the steel door
silently swung open. Although the movement caught Fowley
by surprise, she retained the presence of mind to keep her
gun trained on him. Fowley glanced over and saw to her
surprise that it was Dani. Then she did a double take.
Dani had a gun pointed right at her head.
Mulder, despite his fear and anger was intrigued. "Who
are you?"
"Don't bother, Fox," Fowley said coldly. "She's of no
concern to you. Besides, she's deaf and dumb."
The young woman, who looked to be about twenty, took one
step forward into the room. Her green eyes flashed. "Don't
be too sure about that, Boss."
Now it was Fowley's turn to be shocked. Mulder almost
laughed in spite of the circumstances at the look of
comical surprise that Fowley was unable to mask. And still
her gun never wavered.
"What's the matter, Boss - cat got your tongue?" Dani
taunted.
Fowley's face morphed and the rage contorted her features
into a gruesome sight. "You little lying bitch," she
seethed. "All these years you let me think you were so
traumatized by your father's death. How could you?"
"How's that for the pot calling the kettle black. You -
you're the only 'bitch' in this room. Did you actually
think that I wouldn't find out that you were part of it
all? You killed my father as surely as if you'd pulled
the trigger yourself and then tried to ease your
conscience by taking care of the 'poor, grieving
daughter'."
Dani's fury eclipsed Fowley's and Mulder could see that it
was taking every ounce of restraint not to pull the
trigger.
"Revenge - will - be mine." Dani announced triumphantly.
"Who was your father?" Mulder asked in an attempt to
diffuse the situation with the calm of desperation. He
thought that it was incredible that he could still think
and function knowing that it could already be too late.
This stand off, however, was not getting him any closer to
locating his partner.
Dani kept her gun trained on Fowley. "You knew him as Deep
Throat."
"What?" Mulder couldn't have been more shocked than if
she'd said that her father was one of the aliens.
"Look - enough of this." Fowley snapped.
Mulder, however, wanted so much more: he had never learned
Deep Throat's real name or anything about him. What was
Diana's part in all of this? There was so much information
that this young woman could give him but Fowley never gave
her the chance. In the blink of an eye, Fowley brought her
Glock around and squeezed the trigger.
Dani took the lightning bolt point blank in her chest. She
spun around so that she was lying face down across the
threshold. She never made a sound as her own gun flew from
her lifeless hand out into the hallway. She was dead
before she hit the floor.
Mulder cried out and moved to go to her but Fowley stopped
him. "Don't do it, Fox. It's over." She kept the Glock
pointed at his own broken heart.
He froze. So this is how far she was willing to go. He
hadn't been 100% sure before. He was now. He looked over
at the body of the young woman and as he watched her blood
seep out around her, he realized sadly that he didn't even
know her name either.
"How could you, Diana?" He asked mournfully. It struck
him that maybe she hadn't been lying about Scully. (Then
she might as well shoot me, too. ) He again moved towards
the door when two shots rang out almost simultaneously.
Mulder went down instantly as the bullet pierced his left
side and the searing pain ripped a cry from his lips.
Rolling painfully onto his back, he reached down to probe
his injury, keeping his eyes closed. He'd made the mistake
in the past of seeing himself shot and had nearly passed
out at the sight. (Through and through, ) he realized
sickly. The bullet had ripped through him right above his
waist.
"Mulder." A thin whisper caught his attention.
(No! It couldn't be! Could it? )
His hazel eyes flew open. "Scully!" he cried out, an
incredulous look on his face. (She's alive! ) He thought
joyfully, staring up at her as she knelt before him. His
own pain took a backseat to his overwhelming relief.
Scully managed a small smile before turning serious.
"Mulder, we have to get out of here. This place is rigged
to explode," she said as she checked his injury.
Mulder looked over and saw Diana lying in a pool of her
own blood several feet away. Mulder frowned. (How can
that be? ) he thought fuzzily, then remembered that he'd
heard two shots.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't faster," Scully said softly,
keeping all emotions from her voice as she noticed the
look on his face and misinterpreting its meaning.
"Don't be," Mulder told her firmly. "I'm just thankful
that you were there. I'm the one who's sorry that you had
to do that." He looked up at her, struck by the deathly
pallor of her face, her eyes dull with pain. (Enough.)
They'd figure this all out later. Time to get moving. Now.
Chapter 24
Scully checked Mulder's pulse: steady and strong, a bit
faster than usual. She reassessed his wound and saw that
there was bruising all along his left flank following the
path of the bullet as it had traveled beneath the skin.
With a silent prayer that it had missed his kidney and
spleen, she continued to hold pressure to the exit wound,
which had seeped a thin trickle of blood.
"I'm okay, Scully," Mulder attempted to reassure her," it
just hurts like a bear." He grimaced as he pulled himself
to a sitting position.
Scully, of course, could tell that it hurt a lot more than
that. He was pale and a fine sheen of sweat covered his
face.
"Do you know the way out of here?" he asked as he
staggered to his feet. "Diana said that we're on an
island."
Scully sat back on her heels. "Down the hall, to the
left. There's a gray door. She said that there's a
tunnel that opens out on the cliff and the beach was
about fifty feet below."
Mulder huffed in frustration. Scully was in no condition
to go rockclimbing and he certainly wasn't in the best
shape right now either.
Scully read his thoughts easily. "We can do it, Mulder -
together. Besides, we don't have much choice. I don't
know how long we have left before this place self-
destructs." She paused to catch her breath. "Help is
coming, but it's going to the beach - away from the
explosion."
Mulder nodded. "Right. Let me make sure that the coast
is clear." He picked up the gun Scully had used to fell
Diana and stepped cautiously out into the hall.
Scully found herself alone with the two dead women and
shuddered. She would never have believed that Fowley was
capable of thiss. It didn't matter what shethought of her
before - this was unreal. And Danielle. She had
basically given her life to help them.
She caught sight of Fowley's gun and wondered if she
should take it for evidence. (Yes, ) she determined
quickly, stripping Fowley's holster, putting it on and
gingerly sliding the Glock in place, careful not to smudge
any prints.
She met Mulder at the door. His eyes narrowed when he
saw what she'd done but realized at once that it was
necessary. Scully neither apologized nor tried to comfort
him. She had to do this. She had to close the book on
Agent Diana Fowley and this was going to do it.
"Coast is clear." Mulder said simply, then took her hand
and led her down the hallway. When he reached the door,
he yanked it open, using his good right arm. His left
side was one burning pain that intensified with movement
and even breathing.
He looked inside. Beyond the gray door was an empty room
lay out like the others except that the back wall was
solid rock. Scully caught sight of the opening in the far
right corner and silently pointed it out to Mulder. Gun
drawn, he advanced cautiously as Scully stayed back to
keep the door propped open, as there didn't seem to be any
light fixtures. Mulder crouched before the opening. It
was about four feet wide and tall; they'd have to crawl.
He moved inside and strained his eyes and was able to make
out the opening some ten yards ahead, a pinpoint of light.
He motioned Scully over. She stepped over and dropped to
her knees, making it just as the door closed, plunging the
room into darkness.
Scully froze until she felt Mulder's hand reach out and
touch her shoulder.
"Just a second, Scully," he said quietly, "give your eyes
a chance to adjust. The opening of the tunnel is ahead."
Scully blinked several times until she, too, could see the
exit. "I'm ready," she panted softly.
Mulder didn't respond. He didn't think that she was
anywhere near ready, but there was nothing else that he
could do or say. Instead, he shifted around and began
crawling, relieved to hear Scully right behind him. But
then his imagination played a cruel trick and for one
terrifying minute he was back in the vent in the
Antarctic, the embryonic creature having just burst from
its pod. He could actually hear the inhuman shriek and
see the razor-sharp claws and deadly fangs as it chased
them through the vent. His heart beating wildly, he
grunted painfully and pushed the memory away. (It's just
Scully - nothing else - just Scully. )
"Mulder?" Scully's voice strained and worried floated up
to his ears.
He shook his head. "Nothing, Scully," he lied. "We're
almost there."
Indeed, the light was much brighter and he could hear the
waves crashing below.
In the enclosed tunnel, his own ragged breathing was
amplified in his ears as well as Scully's desperate
wheezing. The pain in his side was unrelenting and he
attempted to crawl using only his right arm and leg in
an effort to take some of the strain off the injured
muscles.
They exited the tunnel and Mulder helped Scully to a
standing position. He looked out over the beach to the
ocean beyond. Scully stood by his side, letting the salty
air sweep over her before looking down.
(Oh my God! ) Fifty feet. It looked like a bottomless
pit. (I can't do it. I can't. ) She thought frantically,
biting her lip to keep the negative words from escaping
and clutched convulsively at Mulder's arm. Her legs felt
like rubber and her palms slick with sweat.
Mulder recognized and understood Scully's terror. He was
just as worried as she was, but there was no turning back
now. They had to go down.
"Just do what I do, Scully," he told her as he took a step
down. "I'll be one step ahead of you - always within
reach."
Scully swallowed hard, her eyes wide, and nodded. After
the first two steps, she realized that Danielle had been
right. There were plenty of footholds and rocks to hold
on to. Mulder, too, was encouraged even though the going
was slow and nerve-wracking. He would step down first,
make sure that the rock was solid then reach up and
carefully guide Scully down.
After twenty feet, Scully held up her hand. "Wait-" she
gasped, hunched over, trusting Mulder to keep her from
tumbling down to the sandy beach below. "I - I - just -
need -"
Minute by minute, her breaths were becoming shorter, her
grips not as secure, the handholds became more slippery.
She could feel the sharp rocks through the lightweight
slippers that she still wore and her chiffon dress was
ripped in several places where it had snagged on the same
sharp rocks. Her body was stiffening up and the wind had
increased causing her hair to fly across her face,
blinding her. She felt as though someone had stabbed her
in the chest with a white-hot knife. The nausea and
physical exertion bathed her body in sweat.
Struggling for each breath, she held on by sheer reflex
and somehow managed to stay upright. With strength she
didn't know she possessed, she was able to keep the
darkness at bay just a little bit longer.
Mulder, too, was feeling the strain. His left side was on
fire. Waves of cramping pain had begun to shoot through
his entire body sapping of the strength he so desperately
needed. He kept expecting the explosion every second as
he let Scully try and catch her breath. He wasn't sure
how she was holding on and it scared him even more. Time
was running out at an alarming rate. They had to get on
solid ground.
Then another sound caught his attention. He looked back
over his right shoulder and saw three helicopters in the
distance, heading their way.
Mulder sagged with relief. "Scully, here comes the
Calvary." He said a silent prayer of thanks as Scully
bowed her head in acknowledgment, unable to speak.
Then, without warning, he slipped. His foot went first,
sliding off the edge of the niche that he had thought was
safe. Instantly, his grips gave way as he slid another
fifteen feet, slamming his left elbow against a small
protruding rock and skinning his knees and chin.
"Mulder!" Scully cried out in helpless horror.
Kicking and clawing frantically at a shallow crevice,
Mulder came to a stop. Gasping, he fought to bring
himself to a more secure spot. His elbow and knees while
not broken were throbbing unmercilously. He could hear
the helicopters getting closer. Looking up at Scully, his
stomach clenched. Could she get down to him without help?
He didn't think so.
He opened his mouth to call to her, when he saw her double
over on the narrow rock. Scully gasped as the agonizing
pain encircled her chest like a vise. There was to be no
reprieve this time. It consumed her completely. It took
her breath, her voice. She lost all control of her hands,
her feet, and consciousness vanished in the blink of an
eye. She didn't feel herself falling.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted - his arm shooting out to catch
her and drag her in.
He wasn't even close.
Scully's body tumbled past him like a rag doll thrown down
by a petulant child. Before he could take another step
down, the compound exploded with an ear-shattering boom.
The cliff shook, tearing his hands free and he lost his
balance, crashing to the beach below, barely missing his
fallen partner. He blacked out.
Chapter 25
Sitting in the co-pilot's seat in the lead helicopter,
A. D. Walter Skinner forced himself to stay calm and
focused. They were almost there. The tiny island was in
sight.
Two of the three helicopters were filled with members of
the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team. The HRT was an elite group
with punishing physical requirements that turned out
highly skilled agents, in a similar vein as the Navy
Seals. Skinner tried to take comfort in that fact as the
tension inside him rose with every passing second.
The third helicopter was loaded with flight doctors and
nurses and enough emergency equipment to turn the chopper
into an emergency room with wings.
Skinner ground his teeth, knowing that the caller had
warned him that Agent Scully was ill. He hoped to God
that there were survivors of this calamity. He -really-
hoped to talk to whoever had kidnapped Mulder and Scully
in the first place.
"There, sir! Up ahead on the cliff!"
The agent's voice in his headset startled him and Skinner
gratefully accepted the binoculars placed in his hands. He
quickly raised them to his eyes and adjusted the focus.
It took only a minute to spot his two missing agents
clinging desperately to the side of the cliff.
(Oh shit! ) He thought, as he watched Mulder guide Scully
down the rocks. Keeping the high-powered lens pressed
firmly against his face, he had a front-row seat to the
drama unfolding before him. The closer that they got, the
more details that he was able to discern: Scully's slow,
sluggish movements, the blood on Mulder's clothes.
When Mulder slid down the rock face, he had to resist the
urge to reach out to the younger man and clamped his mouth
shut against the shout that almost escaped his lips. The
pilot, too, saw the trouble Mulder was in and tried to get
more speed out of the jet helicopter. He was calculating
the best angle to come in at when Scully fell.
The binoculars still in place, Skinner could see every
horrifying detail. He saw that Scully had lost
consciousness before she fell, since her eyes were already
closed. He knew that he'd never forget the look on
Mulder's face as he watched his partner drop to the beach
below.
Everyone was so engrossed in the plight of Mulder and
Scully that when the bomb detonated, they were taken
completely by surprise. It seemed as though the entire
top of the island was consumed in a blaze of white light
followed by a thick curtain of smoke. Skinner and the HRT
watched the scene unfold before them as if in slow motion,
stunned by the sudden thunder of the explosion. The
resultant shock wave hit the helicopters with enough force
that the pilots had to use every skill ever learned to
keep control and land safely on the beach.
Chapter 26
By unspoken agreement, it had been decided that Dr. Jason
Barton would take care of the female agent, Scully while
Dr. Peter Hayes would tend to her partner, Mulder. Jason
was the senior officer and had cross-trained in
Cardiology, becoming Board Certified in both Emergency
Medicine as well as Cardiology.
On the flight over, they had thoroughly studied Agent
Scully's medical file, having been briefed by A. D.
Skinner on the caller's description of her current
condition. Jason had to agree that it certainly sounded
like pericarditis and when he saw her tumble down the face
of the cliff, he suspected the worst. Cardiac tamponade.
The infected fluid had collected between the cardiac
muscle and the pericardial membrane surrounding it,
reaching the point where the mounting pressure had
compromised the pumping and filling power of the heart.
He quickly prepared his team members - he was more than
likely going to have to perform an emergency
percardiocentesis out here in the field. The team members
tensed. Inserting an EKG-guided needle through the upper
abdomen, the diaphragm and finally piercing thepericardium
was a risky, potentially fatal maneuver under ideal
circumstances.
"We have no choice, people. We don't do it now and she
will die. Period." He refused to consider that she
hadn't survived the fall. That was -not- an option. He
reviewed what everyone's role would be and what equipment
he wanted ready.
Peter Hayes had seen the blood on Mulder's clothes and
his crash landing after the bomb detonated and had also
prepped his own team. They were as ready as they were
ever going to be.
After the hair-raising jolt they'd experienced when the
shockwave hit, the choppers landed safely on the beach and
everyone spilled out, knowing what their job was and
hurrying to do it.
The medical team swarmed Mulder and Scully, while the
HRT searched for survivors as well as any evidence that
might have survived the blast.
Skinner remained with his two agents, careful to stay out
of the way as the doctors and nurses went to work with a
controlled urgency. There was nothing that he could do
and yet he wasn't about to leave them now.
Jason reached Scully first and performed his first
assessment in less than a minute after carefully turning
her over. Airway: patent. Breathing: shallow, she was
becoming cyanotic and her jugular veins were distended.
Circulation: no distal pulses. Obvious deformity right
leg.
"Move in, people, let's go! Somebody splint that right
leg!"
For Skinner it was a blur. Faster than he'd have thought
possible, Scully was intubated, hooked up to an EKG
monitor, had two IV lines inserted and her right leg
immobilized.
Jason had prepped the spot on her abdomen where he would
insert the 18gauge, 3 1/2-inch cardiac needle, when he
heard someone call out that there was no blood pressure
and that the EKG showed sinus tachycardia. He was set.
Jason took a deep breath, refusing to look at his
patient's face, then plunged the needle into the white
skin under his fingers. Slowly but deliberately he moved
the needle forward, his eyes darting back and forth
between his patient and the EKG looking for any sign that
his aim was off. Suddenly, he was in.
He could see the blood at the hub of the needle and
gently aspirated the fluid, filling the syringe with
twenty cc's before hearing those incredible words:
"I've got a pulse!" One of the nurses called out
joyfully.
Jason coolly acknowledged her and carefully removed the
fluid-filled syringe. He handed it off with instructions
to save the fluid for further tests and culture. (Walk in
the park, ) he muttered to himself, in an effort to calm
his own racing pulse. The woman lying before him could
have died in an instant and there wouldn't have been a
damn thing that he could have done about it. (But she
didn't. ) he had to remind himself. And as far as he was
concerned, that was all that mattered.
Skinner had caught snatches of the life-saving procedure
being performed on Scully and breathed his own sigh of
relief when he glimpsed the flicker of relief as well as
fear on the doctor's face. That look told him more than
anything else just how close Scully had come to dying
right there before his eyes.
He glanced over and saw that an equally efficient team was
tending to Mulder. While Scully was being loaded into one
gurney, Mulder was already immobilized and strapped down
to another. He, too, had an IV inserted and while he was
breathing on his own, he had yet to regain consciousness.
Protocol dictated that he remain with HRT and as he
watched them reload the helicopter with his two agents, he
was extremely tempted to say the hell with protocol.
(Wouldn't Mulder love that? ) he thought briefly, before
turning back towards the cliff. He'd do his duty. He
always did. (Well, almost always, ) he allowed. Slip-ups
almost always occurred when Mulder was involved. Scully,
too. He walked resolutely away from the chopper knowing
that he'd be useless at the hospital and he didn't want to
call Mrs. Scully until he had something more to report.
(Coward. ) he berated himself then pushed the thought
away.
The medical-evac chopper took off behind him and Skinner
never looked back.
Chapter 27
Dr. Peter Hayes kept a close eye on his patient as the
helicopter took off. If asked, he would list the agent in
"fair" condition. Personally, he considered the agent
lucky, relatively speaking of course. He checked the
dressings that he'd applied over the gunshot wounds, which
had continued to ooze blood, and judging by the amount on
his clothes, he had lost at least a liter if not more.
"Run the normal saline wide open and when it's in, give
him another liter at 150cc/hr."
The nurse nodded and rolled the clamp up on the IV tubing,
letting the fluid infuse at an unrestricted rate, then
reached over for another bag to have ready.
Peter rechecked his patient's pupils: equal and reactive
to light. Good sign.
Through a barrage of pain, the muffled voices and the roar
of the helicopter worked their way into Mulder's
consciousness. Despite the pain, he tried to move and
found that he could not. A guttural sound escaped his
lips, catching the nurse's attention. She nudged Dr.
Hayes.
Peter noticed the ineffectual movements and placed a hand
on the man's shoulder. "It's all right, Agent Mulder.
You're safe now," he said loudly over the noise of the
helicopter. "Squeeze my hand if you understand."
Mulder complied.
"Good. You're on a medical-evac helicopter. We've got
you and your partner."
"I - I - understand." Mulder heard himself mumble.
Psychedelic colors twirled in front of his face as he
opened his eyes and struggled to focus on the concerned
faces staring down at him.
"We've got you immobilized on the stretcher. Don't try to
move," Peter instructed him firmly.
Mulder had no intention of moving. Not when every part of
his body was hurting and his mouth was so dry that it took
every ounce of strength to get out one more word.
"Scully."
Peter wasn't quite sure what the man had just said, but he
took an educated guess based on the depth of fear in his
eyes.
"Your partner?"
Mulder blinked his eyes - unable to even nod because of
the rigid C-collar around his neck like a noose. There
was even a padded strap across his forehead.
"She's right here next to us. Dr. Barton is taking good
care of her and she's in excellent hands." Peter
reassured him.
Mulder stared hard at the face above him looking for any
signs of deception. There didn't seem to be any that he
could see. Some measure of relief creeped into his heart.
That would have to do for now. Reluctantly he closed his
eyes and tried unsuccessfully to remain awake. There was
so much that he needed to know but the darkness would not
be denied.
Peter looked over at Jason, and saw the worry in the man's
eyes as he worked on the woman. He knew that there was a
chance that the tamponade could recur before they reached
the hospital and he didn't know if Jason felt like he
could beat the odds twice. Jason saw Peter out of the
corner of his eye and looked over. Keeping a neutral
expression on his face, Peter gave a subtle "thumbs up".
Jason nodded. A ghost of a smile touched his lips.
(Thanks, man. ) He thought. (I needed that. )
Peter looked as though he had heard him and returned his
attention to his patient.
Jason stared down at the woman before him, really seeing
her this time. The color of her hair reminded him of his
wife and his heart clenched at the thought. Marie. She
had nearly died six years ago at the age of 34 of a heart
attack. He had been on duty when they brought her in to
the emergency room in full cardiac arrest. She looked
just like this young agent, bright copper hair in stark
contrast to the white sheets on the stretcher. All over
again, he relived those terrifying hours not knowing if
she would live or die. He shook his head. Marie had
pulled through then and so would Agent Scully now.
Chapter 28
The helicopter landed at the hospital where medical
personnel were waiting to take over. Jason and Peter each
stayed with their respective patients to continue the care
that they'd started in the field.
Mulder was prepped for exploratory abdominal surgery and
x-rayed from head to toe. No broken bones were found but
some serious bruises, sprains and strains promised that
he'd be miserable for at least a week. The
anesthesiologist was asked to put Mulder under as soon as
possible since the nurses weren't sure that they could
keep him in the bed without using four-point leather
restraints, so intent was he on going to find Scully.
"I want to see her," he demanded hotly more times than
they could count. As pleased as Peter was that Mulder was
conscious and devoid of any serious head injury, he was
certainly no where near ready to go traipsing off after
his partner. He stayed with Mulder in the OR holding room
until he was mercifully paged to go out on another flight.
Allison, one of the OR circulating nurses stepped over to
Mulder's side to try and quiet him down. She had just
been told that Dr. Bruce, the anesthesiologist would be
ready in fifteen minutes but that she could go ahead and
administer 5mg of Versed IV to get the ball rolling.
"Agent Mulder, my name is Allison. I'm going to give you
some medication to calm you down now. They're almost
ready to take you in."
"Wait!" Mulder said, unable to hide the desperation and
fear. "Please. Tell me how my partner is doing. Please.
I have to know. She's been so sick and then she - she
fell..." he stumbled over the words, remembering.
Allison took his hand, her large hazel eyes full of pity
and understanding. "It's okay, Agent Mulder. Hold on.
Let me try and find out for you."
She stepped into a small office and picked up the phone.
Mulder watched her through the window and could see her
nodding, her lips moving but was unable to hear any part
of the conversation.
At last she returned. Before saying a word, she injected
the medication into his IV. "She's in surgery, Agent
Mulder. They say that everything is looking good. I
promise. And now it's time for you to get patched up so
that you can see her when you're done."
Mulder felt a small stinging sensation where the IV
entered his wrist. He tried to thank Allison, to let her
know how relieved he was, how much that phone call
meant, but the Versed was much too fast.
Allison smiled as she watched the drug take almost instant
effect, removing the worry from his face. She didn't need
to hear his thanks; she saw it in his face.
Chapter 29
Mulder slowly opened his eyes, preparing himself for the
harsh glare of the fluorescent lighting to assault his
eyes, which had been closed for too long. He was not
disappointed. His hands gingerly probed the bandage over
his left side as he blinked several times to clear his
vision. Realizing that someone was standing at the
window, he struggled painfully to pull himself to a
sitting position.
(Too tall to be Scully, ) was the only thing he could
determine due to backlighting.
"Agent Mulder."
Skinner. Mulder tried to mask his disappointment. "Sir."
Skinner stepped closer, realizing the difficulty that
Mulder was having and pulled a chair up to the bedside.
"You know, you and Agent Scully should consider another
way to spend your weekends off, don't you think?" he asked
casually as he steepled his fingers and leaned forward.
Mulder froze. He could almost picture his jaw dropping
down to his chest. "What?" He managed to get out. (He
did - not - just say that, ) Mulder thought, crazily.
If Skinner noticed anything amiss, he didn't show it. "I
mean, most people have picnics, go boating, do yard work,
but not you two. Always the non-conformists, aren't you?"
Mulder mentally shook himself. Maybe he was still out.
Maybe he was hallucinating due to some weird reaction to
the anesthesia. Maybe he was in the Twilight Zone. "Uh -
Sir - uh - you do realize that this - uh - wasn't our
fault? Right?"
"Relax, Mulder," Skinner said easily.
Mulder blinked in surprise, taken aback by Skinner's words
and tone. "How's Scully?" He asked abruptly, wanting to
change the subject.
Skinner's face twitched almost imperceptibly. "She's in
the ICU. She just got out of surgery an hour ago."
Mulder started. Then he remembered the nurse's words in
the holding room before his own surgery. Ignoring the stab
of pain that went through him for moving, he tried to pull
himself further up in bed.
Skinner held his hand up in a placating manner. "Will you
settle down. The way the doctor described it, they made a
hole in the lining of her heart to prevent fluid from
building up around it again. That build up reached the
point where her heart couldn't pump anymore. He thinks
that's what made her fall from the side of that cliff."
Mulder closed his eyes as the painful memory of Scully's
body plunging past his outstretched hand flashed before
him. (Oh God - heart surgery - ) He'd visited a fellow
agent several years ago that had had heart surgery. The
tubes - the machines - the scar from throat to
abdomen...He cringed at the thought of an eight-inch scar
marring her body. It was an obscenity.
"They think that she could be released in the next six
or seven days."
Skinner's voice brought him out of his misery. "What?"
He asked in disbelief. (Six or seven days! )
"Apparently they've made a lot of progress with lasers and
such. Minimally invasive..." Skinner reassured him
having realized where Mulder's thoughts had taken him by
the stricken look on his face.
Mulder sank back, almost overwhelmed with relief.
"She's going to be fine, Mulder." Skinner reassured him,
with more than just a touch of compassion.
Mulder reached for the covers, when Skinner hand shot out
and clamped down on Mulder's arm like a vise.
"Don't even think about it," Skinner said in a steely
voice that brooked no argument. Mulder stared up at him
with a look that bordered on incredulity.
"You'll get up when and only when your doctor says that
you can," he continued almost conversationally. "Until
that time, you - will - follow every order he sets forth.
And if that means that I have to post an armed agent in
here, I will do so. Is that understood, Agent?"
Mulder's eyes locked onto Skinner's and flared with
indignation. Skinner lanced him with a grim stare of
his own. Mulder met the stare and then said slowly,
"Yes...sir."
Skinner released his hand and sat back, trying not to
look smug.
Mulder blew out an exasperated breath, resisting the
urge to pout.
"Sulk all you want, but seeing how yours and Agent
Scully's medical files are giving War and Peace a run for
its money, I don't want to hear about you giving any of
the doctors or nurses any trouble whatsoever."
Mulder didn't say anything at first, clenching his jaw in
frustration. (This is ridiculous, ) he huffed silently.
Skinner watched him closely. "Now that we've got that
settled. I'd like to hear the details of what went on
out there, if you're feeling up to it."
Mulder glared at his superior briefly, before finally
admitting defeat. "Sure. Fine." He paused to collect
his thoughts and successfully clamped down on the
"whatever" that almost escaped his traitorous lips.
"If it helps, I talked with Mrs. Scully and she told me
about Scully's house-sitting assignment," Skinner supplied
helpfully.
Mulder nodded. "That was Thursday. On Friday, I received
a tip about Dr. Theodore Dickerson and a discovery that
he'd made on the God Module."
"So did I."
"From who? When?" Mulder asked in confusion.
"Saturday morning, an unidentified friend of yours gave me
the same information in the hopes of finding you."
Skinner informed him.
Mulder shifted uncomfortably, his brow furrowed. (How
desperate had Byers been to do that? And did the guys
know? Later, ) he told himself with a slow shake of his
head before returning to the matter at hand. "I drove
over to fill Scully in. I thought that we could go and
investigate his lab."
"It's been torched," Skinner told him soberly. "We don't
now by whom or if they got what they were looking for, but
we're still checking it out."
Mulder sighed. "She was thorough," he muttered under his
breath.
"Mulder?" Skinner prodded.
"Nothing. I'm getting to that part," Mulder said. "Okay,
Friday night, two men burst into the house and thought
that Scully and I were the doctor and his wife."
Skinner wasn't going to touch that line. No way.
Besides, he remembered about the lasagna in the oven.
"We fought them," Mulder continued, "but obviously we
lost. We were knocked out then injected with some drug to
keep us out while they transported us to the island that
you found us on. By the time we woke up, it was Saturday
afternoon and Scully was really sick with fever and severe
chest pain. She said that it was a result of that
incident two weeks ago with Padgett."
Skinner pressed his lips together, but remained silent.
He had thought that Scully was okay - that she'd been
released to full duty. He decided to save that
conversation for another time.
"Trays of food were sent in but we never saw or spoke to
anyone until Sunday afternoon. That's when we met their
leader." Mulder said.
"Agent Fowley," Skinner said flatly.
Mulder made no attempt to hide his surprise. He didn't
say anything at first. Something very unpleasant seemed
to be hanging in the room. "How did you know? Was her
body found?"
"Nothing and no one survived that bomb." Skinner informed
him grimly. "We had the gun that Agent Scully was
carrying analyzed." He stared at Mulder hard. "Was Agent
Fowley the one who shot you?"
"Yeah," Mulder whispered. He still couldn't believe it,
would never really believe that she'd shot him in cold
blood.
"Why?" Skinner was compelled to ask.
"She'd separated Scully and I. Tried to make me believe
that Scully was dead and wanted me to join her." He
shuddered slightly. "A young woman, I don't know her
name, came into the room blaming Diana for her father's
death, pointing a gun at her. Diana killed her. When I
tried to leave, she tried to kill me, too, but Scully
arrived and used the other gun. I remember two shots
firing at almost the same time and I'm pretty sure that
Scully hit Diana first, which, I think, is the only reason
I'm still alive. She had me dead to rights at point blank
range."
Skinner had to agree.
Mulder sank back against the pillows, suddenly spent.
Reliving the horrors of the past several days, taking
its toll. And he hadn't even gone into all the details,
omitting especially the fact that the young woman's father
had been Deep Throat.
Skinner sat there for a moment in an uneasy silence then
he cleared his throat. "Agent Mulder."
Mulder slowly opened his eyes.
"I do understand that you want to check on your partner,
but you need to take care of yourself first. The doctor
hinted that Agent Scully would need some assistance in her
recovery. I'm sure that you'll want to be there for her."
He said in a neutral voice, his face absolutely
unreadable.
To that, Mulder said nothing, then slowly nodded.
"Yes, sir, I would."
Skinner abruptly rose to his feet. "Then, I'll check on
you later," he said stiffly and without waiting for a
response, walked to the door. He hesitated and turned
back. "I had your car brought in," he added softly.
"Your suitcase is in the closet." And then he was gone.
Mulder looked momentarily puzzled. (His suitcase? ) He
rolled over in an attempt to get comfortable, still trying
to figure it out. Skinner had acted rather bizarre and
what was the deal with his suitcase? There wasn't
anything in his suitcase that would have warranted
bringing it in right now. Just his clothes and ...
(No. Tell me he didn't see them, please, tell me he
didn't. ) But he probably had. It would explain his
uncharacteristic behavior if he had seen the little black
jewelers boxes nestled in the suitcase. It would explain
a lot...
Chapter 30
Insane asylum
Loony Bin
Nut house
Funny Farm
Psyche Ward
Mulder stared out the window from the bed and he thought
that if he squinted his eyes - just so - there - he could
actually see the bars and wire mesh covering it. They had
locked up at last and thrown away the key. His forced
separation from Scully had finally pushed him over the
edge, sending his battered psyche plummeting down into the
depths of psychological hell. The FBI had been saddened
by the loss of one of their brightest profilers. Spooky
Mulder was now officially crazier than a shithouse rat.
Certifiable.
"Dammit!" Mulder cried out furiously, slamming his hands
down on the bed in a helpless rage. (Could he be anymore
pathetic than this? ) He wondered angrily. Writing his
own professional obituary had to be bottom of the barrel.
He hit the mattress again. He wanted to tear it apart -
he wanted to hurt it - destroy it. Lying in a hospital
bed - wallowing in self-pity and loathing himself for
being so utterly pathetic. He squeezed his hands into
fists and ground his teeth in frustration. He didn't know
what to do. He thought of Scully, lying in the ICU and of
Maggie Scully, who surely was keeping vigil.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Almost always before, only one or the other had been
hospitalized. He had keept vigil at her bedside uponher
miraculous return from her abduction, when she had stared
down death again from cancer, and after she had been shot
in New York.
She had sat with him after he'd been shot in the leg in
North Carolina, when he'd been exposed to the retrovirus
and had even saved him from the monster when he was
strapped down on the bed. He shuddered at the memory of
that creature. Scully believed him, though.
"My one in five billion," he whispered brokenly.
And when they both had been hurt, nearly drained dry by
those bugs in the forest or aged nearly to death on that
ship, they had been kept side by side.
"That's the way it's supposed to be," he muttered
fiercely. He tried to swallow the anger - push it
away - but he just couldn't. In this room, alone, he
had nothing to stop the descent into despair.
He smashed his fists onto the mattress - first one then
the other, over and over. The rage that started somewhere
in the pit of his stomach traveled up to his shoulders
than down his arms and flowed into his fists as they
pounded the soft mattress. In the dark recesses of his
mind, he imagined that he was pounding a brick wall - a
much more painful if satisfying target.
The rage poured from him and he let himself revel in it.
The pain pierced the wound in his side like a white-hot
knife making him wonder briefly if he'd done any internal
damage. In a heartbeat he decided that he didn't care.
"I think that the poor mattress has had enough, Fox."
Mulder jerked his gaze over - one arm frozen on the
upswing.
Maggie Scully was standing just inside the door, arms
crossed, head tilted to one side with a small frown on
her face.
He never heard her come in, so lost was he in his own
private hell. The small sad smile that replaced the frown
and the fatigue in her eyes drained the last of the fury,
as well as his strength from him. He slumped weakly back
against the pillows.
"Mrs. Scully..." He didn't quite know what to say.
"Are you finished or should I come back later?" She asked
quite seriously.
Mulder felt his cheeks flame. Feeling like a complete
idiot, he shook his head. "Don't go. Stay. Please," he
couldn't meet her eyes, but he couldn't let her go. He
didn't want to be alone in this room anymore. "I'm sorry
about that - I - I'm - I just..." his voice trailed away
as he fought back the tears.
Maggie stepped over to the bed and stared down at him with
concern. "Fox, what is it?"
Mulder chewed on his bottom lip. How could he explain it
to her?
Maggie reached out and brushed an errant lock of hair from
his forehead. Her cool hand felt wonderful against his
heated skin and his eyes closed as he savored her caring
touch.
"Fox, Dana's going to be all right. She will," she said
soothingly, but Mulder heard a slight catch in her voice.
His eyes flew open and he searched her face desperately
for the truth. "What? What aren't you telling me?"
Maggie huffed softly, irritated by her transparency. She
had - never - been able to get anything past this man.
Not when it concerned her daughter.
"Please - I have to know," Mulder pleased with her.
Maggie had a flash of understanding. She was looking at a
man suffering withdrawal. Withdrawal from her daughter.
An addiction like no other. He was wholly under Dana's
spell and lying in this bed was slowly but surely pushing
him to the point where he would so something rash;
probably hurting himself in the process.
Quickly she sat down on the bed and took his startled
face in her hands. "Fox - listen to me." She ordered.
He tried to twist away but she held on gently and firmly.
"No Fox. Stop it. I want you to listen to me. Right
now." She was in full "mother" mode and Fox instinctively
responded to the tone in her voice and lay still, looking
up at her wide-eyed.
"That's better," she said soothingly. She picked up a
washcloth on the table and poured a little water from the
pitcher. "Dana is going to be all right," she told him
calmly, running the cloth across his face and neck. "She
spiked a fever but the doctor is with her, he's ordering
some tests but he assured me that she's going to be all
right."
Mulder stared up at her, mesmerized. Maggie continued her
gentle ministrations, watching him visibly calm. "She's
going to need you," she went on, talking to him as if he
were a child. "You're going to need to take care of
yourself so that you can be there for her. That's what
you want isn't it?"
(That's what Skinner had said, ) Mulder simply nodded.
The cool damp rag felt wonderful. He was beginning to
think that they had conspired behind his back and found
that the best way for him to behave was to use Scully's
needs before his own. He had to admit that it was damned
effective.
Maggie went on, "Now, I'm going to ask your nurse for a
wheelchair and I'm going to take you over to the ICU for
just a minute to show you that she's okay. And then it
will be back to bed for you, do you understand?"
Unable to find his voice just yet, Mulder again nodded.
Maggie felt tears sting her own eyes at the look on Fox's
face. Hope replaced despair. Joy supplanted misery.
Pure relief dispelled the pain. She was thoroughly in awe
of the power of her daughter over this man. She leaned in
and brushed a quick kiss on his forehead before hurrying
out to locate a wheelchair.
Maggie didn't have to work too hard to get permission to
take Fox to the ICU for a brief visit. Fox's nurse,
Melody, had been all too aware of her patient's despondent
mood. He hadn't eaten, he slept fitfully if at all and
had obviously been having pain but had refused any
medication. When Maggie had approached with the request,
she had breathed a sigh of relief, having been - this -
close to taking him herself. And to hell with doctors
orders. Yes Fox Mulder needed bedrest, but it was
painfully obvious that that wasn't all that he needed to
recover. She made a quick stop at the medication cart
before accompanying Maggie back into his room.
She insisted that Mulder take at least a half-dose of
Morphine to make the trip bearable. "Agent Mulder, I
promise. It won't knock you out. I have no desire to
watch you sleep in that chair since you're too heavy for
the two of us to lift." She said with a grin. "It will
just take the edge off. Please."
Mulder resisted at first, then acquiesced since he didn't
want to risk Melody pulling the plug on his visit to
Scully. He had to finally admit that the pain wasn't
going to just go away on its own. Melody quickly injected
the narcotic before her recalcitrant patient changed his
mind, then she and Maggie proceeded to help him into the
wheelchair.
Mulder felt ridiculously helpless as the two women, both
under 5'5" carefully maneuvered his 6'1" frame up and out
of the bed. Grateful that he had accepted the medication,
he sank into the chair, unable to mask his discomfort.
Pale and sweating profusely, he allowed Maggie to bathe
his face, while Melody placed a blanket on his lap.
Melody stood in front of the wheelchair and leaned
forward, placing both hands on the armrests. She stared
hard at Mulder, who met her gaze without flinching. He
was getting his second wind and he was ready to do battle.
"I think that you should get back in bed, Agent Mulder,"
she said softly.
Mulder clenched his jaw and his eyes turned steely. Now
that he was up he was not going back until his goal was
met. "No. Not until I see my partner."
Maggie watched the battle of wills with a knowing smile.
Poor Melody had no idea what she was going up against and
the depth of his devotion for her daughter. Words would
never be adequate to describe it and what they had was
beyond special, beyond love that most people could only
dream of and none could ever duplicate.
Melody sighed and straightened. "Okay. You win. Let's
go. But don't you even think about getting out of that
chair. You go see her, you come right back, and you get
in bed. Got it?"
Mulder flashed her a smile and nodded. There was never a
doubt in his mind that he'd win this one. Never a doubt.
Chapter 31
As Maggie pushed the wheelchair at a rate Mulder
considered way too slow, it was all he could do to stay
seated. Actually, he felt like he was floating along on
Cloud 9, between the effects of the morphine and his
elation at finally getting to see Scully.
He came crashing back down to Earth with a bone-jarring
thud when he realized that the bustle of activity was
coming from the room that Maggie was steering him towards.
She was forced to pull back as the portable x-ray machine
lumbered noisily past them. Mulder painfully craned his
neck and was able to see that Scully was being hooked up
to a 12-lead EKG machine while a nurse was drawing several
tubes of blood.
"What's going on?" Mulder whispered nervously. "I
thought that she was okay."
"The fever, Fox. Remember? They're just running some
tests." Maggie whispered back.
"Oh - yeah." Mulder shook his head and tried to clear
away the drug-induced cobwebs.
"The doctor said that he was doing a work-up to determine
the source, but he assured me that she'd be all right."
Maggie went on, confidently.
Mulder nodded, biting his lower lip in consternation.
(Something else was wrong. ) He thought fuzzily. He
squirmed impatiently, trying to see past the equipment,
the nurse, the tech but the bed was too high and he was
too low. And then it registered in his brain. The metal,
tubular framework over Scully's bed.
"Oh God," he hissed.
"What is it, Fox? Are you okay?" Maggie leaned over
his shoulder and stared anxiously at his face.
"What - what happened to her leg?" He asked, his voice
hoarse, as the EKG tech hurried past them, affording him
his first good look. Scully's right leg was encased in
plaster from her hip to her foot and suspended above the
mattress.
"Oh, Fox, I'm sorry. I thought you knew - I thought that
Director Skinner had told you." Maggie said sorrowfully.
"Told me what?" He asked, unable to tear his eyes away.
"That her leg was broken in the fall, Fox." Maggie
admitted.
Mulder closed his eyes as yet again he saw Scully's body
plunging past his outstretched hand. He should have
known. He should have known that she had fallen too far
to escape injury. Why couldn't he have caught her - he
was there - he should have been able to save her.
Maggie knelt beside him. "Fox, stop it. I know what
you're thinking, Fox and it won't do you any good."
Mulder slowly opened his eyes and dragged his gaze up
to meet hers. "I tried. I tried to catch her."
Maggie sighed and without a word reached over and simple
hugged him. "Don't do it Fox. Don't blame yourself.
Please. I know you tried. Dana knows you tried. Now let
it go. Blame isn't going to help you or Dana now. You
can't look back and you and I both know it."
She drew back to gauge the effectiveness of her words.
"You're right," Mulder admitted softly. "I know you're
right, it's just that I keep seeing her going past me and
I'm reaching and it's never enough."
"Fox, I can't make the bad memories just disappear,"
Maggie told him sadly, "but I think if you talk to Dana
she just might be able to help. Don't you think?"
Before he could say another word, Maggie pushed him
forward as the nurse lowered the bed to its lowest
position then quickly slipped back out to give them
some privacy.
Mulder at long last was able to see Scully's face. She
was looking right at him, her cheeks flushed with fever.
And in that instant, everyone and everything faded away
leaving just the two of them.
Mulder stared at her, entranced. The bright crystal blue
of her eyes captured him and drew him to her.
"Hi," she murmured in a breathy voice that sent an
electrical current of joy straight to his heart causing it
to skip several beats.
"Hi, yourself," he finally managed to get out in a voice
heavy with emotion. He reached over to take her hand in
his.
At his touch, Scully sighed happily, a smile lighting up
her face and effectively driving away all the demons
plaguing her partner's memory. "I've been waiting for
you," she said, her tone informing him that she meant the
sentiment on several levels.
"Well, you know how it is around here...so much to do..."
His voice broke, overcome with relief and joy and he
couldn't keep up the casual faade. The strength of the
emotions simmered at the surface, threatening to spill
over.
As their gazes locked, their hands clenched and suddenly
words became superfluous. Mulder felt helpless under the
spell of the woman lying before him. They had almost lost
each other. Again. It had been close. Much too damn
close. And yet - they had won. Together, they had
battled death and emerged victorious, but it was different
this time. They were different. They had openly
expressed their love for each other, pushing away barriers
and mutually deciding that their relationship would go on
to a higher level. Maybe, somehow, that declaration had
given them an added advantage in the game of life and
death. They had already learned that together they were a
force to be reckoned with. So now, what? Were they
invincible?
(Probably not, ) he thought hazily. But when she looked
at him like she was now, he felt like he could take on the
powers of heaven and hell...and win.
He bowed his head and pressed his lips to her palm as
sudden tears coursed down his cheeks. Scully felt the
wetness on her hand, even as her eyes became heavy with
tears of her own. She lifted his chin.
Reading his face, Scully was moved to speak. "I love you,
Mulder." She said, her voice a throaty whisper.
"I'll always love you, Scully," he responded with a raw
passion that touched her heart and her soul and sent them
soaring to new heights.
"Are you okay?" She asked softly.
"I am now," he answered with a tiny smile touching his
lips. "How about you?"
She nodded. "As long as I know you're here."
"I'll always be right here," he whispered, reaching up
awkwardly to place his hand over her heart.
"I know," Scully smiled.
She licked her lips, suddenly finding it difficult to
catch her breath. She looked over and caught sight of her
mother moving in. "Time to go," she told Mulder sadly.
He kissed her palm again before reluctantly letting
her go. "I'll be back," he promised.
"I'll be waiting," she reassured him.
"I'm sorry, Fox. I have to get you back." Maggie said
sorrowfully.
Mulder kept his eyes on his partner, drinking her in.
"I know."
"Behave," Scully mouthed the command as she watched him
leave.
He quirked his lips and his eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Never," he mouthed back.
And then he was gone.
Lying alone in the room, Scully fought down the wave of
miserable raw panic that threatened to consume her. She
felt as though all of her strength was taken away when her
mother wheeled Mulder back to his own room. It was all
she could do not to cry out, beg them to bring Mulder back
to her. Here. He belonged here. Or let her go to him.
That's the way it was supposed to be. Everyone knew that.
She heaved a great tortured sigh and sank back against
the pillows as exhaustion set in claiming her thoughts.
She held on to one, though, like a precious talisman to
keep her safe. Mulder..
Chapter 32
2 days later
Maggie watched her daughter closely as she stared out the
hospital window, absorbing all that the doctors had told
her. For Maggie, of course, it had been unexpected to say
the least, but Dana was either prepared for it or in
shock. She lay quietly on the bed, one hand absently
fingering the ever-present gold cross around her neck.
Maggie wondered if she was gathering strength from it, or
was it an unconscious habit. She glanced over at the
cardiac monitor that Dana was still attached to. The
pattern was steady at eighty-six beats per minute. She
found herself watching it...staring at it...it was almost
hypnotic. She blinked and shook her head ruefully. A
glance down at her watch let her know that Fox would be in
shortly as he was in the process of being officially
discharged from the hospital today.
"Dana," she called softly. She hated to intrude on her
daughter's thoughts but she wanted to talk to her before
Fox arrived.
Dana jumped slightly and turned to face her mother
expectantly.
"Dana, what about work?" Maggie asked , thinking that she
knew the answer already, but wanting to hear Dana
verbalize it.
Scully's reply, however, took her completely by surprise.
"To tell you the truth, Mom...I really don't know. A lot
will depend on Mulder."
Maggie's brow furrowed, clearly displaying her confusion.
"How exactly?"
Scully smiled wistfully. "Mom, I have to face facts.
It's going to be at least a month, probably more before I
can get around on my own. Work, even deskwork, is not
possible unless I can do it at home. And since the
infection of my heart prevents the necessary physical
rehabilitation for my leg, it's going to take who knows
how long to get back to fieldwork. If it was one or the
other, I could manage, but together I'm completely
helpless."
Maggie's heart broke as she listened to her daughter try
to maintain her composure, even though she could easily
see the pain and fear those last two words brought her as
well as hear it in her voice. The slightest tremble
betrayed her. Dana was indeed completely vulnerable and
she was trying to appear strong as usual. And she
probably did seem quite strong to others, but as her
mother, Maggie saw through her easily and she was quite
certain that Fox could as well. "You haven't told me
exactly how Fox figures into this."
"Mom, I'm his partner, but I don't think that Skinner will
let him work on his own. He never has in the past, at
least not for long. He will probably be assigned a new
partner and since I don't know how long I'll be out, there
might not be a position in the X-files unit for me to go
back to. That is provided that I can make a full
recovery."
There it was. Spoken calmly, matter-of-factly with her
usual quiet reserve, Maggie felt like if she had blinked,
she would have mmissed it. Dana had just satthere,
wearing a cloak of clinical detachment and had just
confessed one of her deepest, darkest fears without any
fanfare. Anyone else would have missed it entirely.
(But a cloak can't hide your eyes, ) Maggie thought
sorrowfully. Looking into her daughter's blue eyes, she
was confronted by the full force of what her daughter
truly feared. It wasn't the fear of not having her job
back, it was her fear of not being at Fox's side,
protecting him as he protected her while they carried out
their quest. A quest that had exacted a high price by her
family and his, but one which it appeared that they were
destined to continue.
Scully finally crumpled under the weight of her mother's
caring and concerned gaze and let the tears she'd felt
pooling in her eyes fall.
Maggie hugged her tightly. "Let it out, Dana," she
whispered. "Let it all out." She stroked her daughter's
hair, with tears of her own sliding down her cheeks.
"Sweetheart, you know that Fox wouldn't let that happen.
He's not going to go one without you. Not after
everything that you've both been through. Surely you're
aware of that."
"What if he doesn't have a choice, Mom?" Scully cried.
"I can't hold him back. I won't."
Maggie shook her head and continued to console her
distraught daughter. The depth of Dana's fear literally
took her breath away. When she heard the door open she
looked up quickly, expecting to see Fox. It wasn't him
but Dana's nurse, Abby. The young woman raised her
eyebrows, silently asking Maggie if everything was all
right. Maggie nodded yes, and the nurse slipped back out.
She glanced over at the heart monitor. One hundred and
ten beats per minute she saw and winced. Too high.
"Sshh," Maggie soothed. "Sshh. Fox isn't going anywhere
without you. Even I know that."
Several minutes passed before Scully's cries turned to
sniffles and to Maggie's relief, the heart monitor showed
that her heat rate was down in the nineties. She
continued to hold her daughter, whispering assurances that
she hoped would ease her discomfort.
"I-I'm sorry, Mom," Dana whispered, unable to meet her
mother's worried gaze as she tried to regain control.
"Sweetheart, don't. Don't apologize. I can only imagine
how hard this is going to be for you. But I'm here for
you. And Fox will be too." She told her confidently.
"I know he will," Dana replied, but Maggie could see the
doubt that clouded her face.
Abby returned and handed Dana her medication including a
mild sedative that she insisted be taken. Scully resisted
at first, but Maggie urged her to take it, and stayed with
her until she was asleep.
Chapter 33
Mulder had to restrain himself from whistling cheerfully
as he showered. He was finally free of IV's and his
surgical wound as well as the abrasions on his knees and
elbows were healing nicely. There were some things in
life that simply had no substitute and one of them was a
long hot shower. Another would be making love to Dana
Scully.
(Whoa! Hold it! Time out, folks. ) Mulder gripped the
safety rail as he was unexpectedly sucker-punched by a
sudden, powerful mental image of he and Scully...on her
bed...making love...
(No-no-no...) he thought, frantically trying to reign
himself in and wondering if he should change the water
temperature to cold as his body responded to the vivid
details.
(Where did THAT come from? ) he wondered breathlessly.
(Sheesh...tell someone that you love them and then see
what happens...)
He shook his head. (So close. ) he thought. (We were so
close. ) And then everything went to Hell. The
kidnapping, Scully's illness, their injuries. Why did it
always seem like all the forces in this world and probably
the next were conspiring against them being together?
Well, as far as he was concerned, that was all going to
change. They had admitted their love for one another, out
loud, and from here on out he was home free. Oh, he knew
that Scully would need some time, adjustments would have
to be made by both of them. But for once, he felt
confident. A confidence born on his love for her. A love
that had steadily grown and had finally given him the
strength to tell her.
As the hot water pounded his still aching body, he had to
remind himself that he couldn't stay in too long; per
doctor's orders. But as he shampooed his hair and
lathered his body with hospital issue soap, he let himself
enjoy every single minute.
Finally, reluctantly, he turned the water off and reached
for the always too small towel. Gingerly he patted
himself dry, grimacing when he came in contact with the
large bruises under the abrasions. He caught sight of
himself in the mirror and did a small double take when he
got his first look at himself.
"Well that's just great," he muttered in disgust, eyeing
the large bruise that covered his chin, another reminder
of that terrifying slide down the cliff.
The look of pure horror on Scully's face would live on in
his cursed memory but with a shake of his head, he willed
the image back into it's furthest recesses. Weakly he
lowered himself onto the toilet. He felt a little dizzy
from the emotional high then low he'djust experienced.
(I definitely prefer the highs, ) he told himself, briefly
flashing back to Scully.
An unexpected knock on the door brought him out of his
reverie with a jolt.
"Hey, Mulder! You in there?"
Mulder groaned good-naturedly: Frohike.
"Yeah, Mulder - what's taking you so long?"
Mulder shook his head, smiling: Langly. Two down,
one to go.
"Mulder - are you okay?"
Bingo. Byers. "Be right out guys." Mulder shouted.
Several minutes later, Mulder exited the bathroom feeling
human for the first time in days, comfortably attired in
his own familiar clothes instead of an indecent hospital
gown. He found Langly stretched out on the bed, while
Byers and Frohike restlessly paced the room.
"Who died, Frohike?" Mulder teased, seeing that
Frohike was dressed up in what Mulder called his "funeral
suit" complete with bow tie and that he nervously clutched
a small bouquet of wild flowers.
"Very funny, Mulder." Frohike retorted, self-consciously
straightening the maroon bow tie.
"How are you feeling?" Byers asked quietly.
"Better all the time, man. Thanks." Mulder replied,
catching and holding Byers' eyes. He sent a silent
message to his friend, letting him know that he knew Byers
had called Skinner and that he appreciated it.
"Well - we were worried." Byers stated, struggling to
meet Mulder's eyes.
"I know. But it's all over now." Mulder said with a
slight nod.
Byers breathed a silent sigh of relief, realizing that
Mulder would keep his secret.
Langly watched them silently. Something had just passed
between them, he was sure of it, but damned if he knew
what. "So Mulder, how much longer 'til you're out?" he
asked.
"As soon as I pack up and find a place for the lovely
flowers Frohike brought me." Mulder replied breezily
as he got his suitcase out.
"These aren't for you," Frohike protested. "I'm trying
to get them in to the lovely Agent Scully."
Mulder paused with a frown. "What do you mean 'trying'?"
"The nurse said she wasn't to be disturbed because of the
conference." Langly supplied helpfully, "And Frohike
wanted to deliver 'em in person."
"Conference?" Mulder floundered. "What conference?"
Byers stepped in. "According to the nurse, Agent Scully
and her mother were in conference with the doctors. I
take it that you didn't know."
Mulder shook his head, stunned and more than just a little
afraid. Having a 'conference' with your doctor didn't
sound promising. In fact, he was pretty sure that it
meant just the opposite.
Without another word, he turned and yanked open the door,
bolting from the room with the Lone Gunmen hot on his
heels. Mulder took two steps before running right into
Maggie Scully.
"Oh!" Maggie cried out and Mulder instinctively reached
out to catch her. Byers was hit from behind when he
suddenly stopped to avoid Mulder and almost tumbled into
him anyway. Langly, the last in line, almost laughed at
the absurdity - it looked like a scene from the Keystone
cops.
"Mrs. Scully - I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Mulder hastened
to apologize.
Maggie stepped back, straightening her shirt. "Of course,
Fox. I'm fine." She replied a little breathless.
"What's wrong?" She caught sight of the Lone Gunmen.
"Who are your friends?"
Mulder ran a hand distractedly through his hair. "Frohike
- Langly - Byers." He indicated each and thhey nodded
politely. "This is Scully's mom. Maggie Scully."
"Pleased to meet you all. Dana's mentioned you, I
believe." Maggie said and they returned the sentiment.
"I was going to see you and Scully," Mulder broke in
impatiently on the pleasantries. "they said that you
were in a conference. What's going on?"
"Why don't we go back in and talk. Dana's asleep right
now." Maggie suggested, stepping into Mulder's room.
Mulder hesitated. He really needed to talk to Scully.
See for himself that she was okay. But Maggie, seeing
that Mulder hadn't followed her m reached back and took
him by the arm. "Come on, Fox. You too, boys." Maggie
called back to the Lone Gunmen.
Frohike snickered and elbowed Byers. "Boys." He
whispered and even Byers had to grin. They all, including
Mulder, sat on the bed while Maggie took the only chair.
"I'm going to get right to the point. Dana is looking at
a long recovery period, Fox. That's what the doctors told
her." Maggie admitted.
Mulder swallowed hard and braced himself. "How - how
long?"
The Lone Gunmen exchanged worried glances.
"We don't know for sure, but the cardiologist has laid
down strict guidelines about any strenuous activity, how
fast her heart rate can be and the orthopedist said that
she'll be in that cast for a month, maybe more." Maggie
told them.
Mulder was unable to hide the pain he was feeling.
(Things just kept getting better and better. ) He knew
that Scully would be on crutches for a while but he also
knew that crutches were hard work and anyone who told you
differently was fooling themselves. And not only
crutches, but wearing that heavy plaster cast. (Hell, the
damn thing probably weighed as much as his petite
partner.) Then it hit him. If Scully had restrictions on
strenuous activity, and going around on crutches with a
cast definitely constituted strenuous, then she wouldn't
be allowed on crutches. Not until the cardiologist
cleared her.
"She won't be able to get about on her own." He said in
dismay.
"She's going to need our help, Fox, but I'm not exactly
sure what to do. Dana is so independent and to be put in
this position I know will be one of the hardest things
she's ever had to do."
Mulder agreed. He tried to picture Scully in her
apartment, trying to get around with that cast, exerting
herself against doctor's orders, needing help and refusing
to ask. Stubborn Scully. He truly loved all of Scully,
but that stubborn streak was truly a force to reckon with.
And yet, her stubbornness had a positive aspect and he
didn't want her to lose even a tiny part of herself while
getting through this. They would have to find a place in
the middle: allow Scully as much independence as possible,
keep her spiirits up without compromisingher health and
refraining from hovering over her every minute.
For several minutes, they were all quiet, thinking and
puzzling over the dilemma.
"I think I have an idea - but I'm going to need everyone's
help. And we'll have to hurry." Mulder spoke up.
"Anything you need, Mulder - we'll get it." Frohike
vowed.
"That's right, man," Langly added. "What can we do?"
Mulder laid out his plan and Maggie was skeptical at first
but with some fine tuning and input from all of them, she
quickly warmed to the idea. With suggestions from her,
they came up with what they hoped would be an ideal
proposal. Mulder made a call while the others waited with
baited breath to hear if they could move ahead with their
plans.
"It's a go." Mulder announced.
Everyone sighed in relief.
"When do we tell her?" Maggie asked as she stood to
leave.
"We don't." Mulder stated flatly. "Not until she's in
the car, leaving this place."
Maggie couldn't help but laugh. Mulder obviously was not
going to underestimate Dana's strength. He was more than
a match for her daughter and she prayed that they would
finally live the love that she saw in both their eyes.
"All right, Fox. I better get started. Tell Dana that
I'll see her in the morning." Then she hurried off, still
not quite sure if they could do it and just exactly how
Dana would respond. Quickly she shook off her doubts.
Fox loved her daughter and she had to have faith in that
love. He would make it work and heaven help anyone who
stood in his way. Actually she had to admit that his
optimism was infectious.
The Lone Gunmen received their assignments and then they
too rushed out. Mulder waived them out even as he began
making more calls. If this was going to work, they had no
time to waste. And it was going to work, he vowed. In a
heartbeat it had all become so clear to him and everything
else just faded away. He knew what he had to do.
Chapter 34
Scully awoke with a muffled cry of alarm. One hand flew
to her mouth as she realized that her eyes were indeed
open, but the room was almost completely dark, causing
instant disorientation. In that brief startled moment she
was back on that island, in that windowless cell.
All rational thought fled and she moaned softly, cold all
over and shivering. "No." She whispered. "No." She
forced herself to close her eyes, to breathe slowly,
allowing the brief panicky thoughts to dissipate. Her
hands clutched instinctively at her chest feeling her
heart pound, her muscles tight and painful.
Suddenly and without warning, the door opened. Startled,
Scully jerked her head over with a sharp intake of breath.
"Mulder?" She managed to call out, her voice hoarse, her
fear quite evident.
"No, Dana, it's Abby. Your nurse." Abby stepped over.
She turned on the overbed light and quickly assessed her
patient. She didn't like what she saw or what she'd heard
in Dana's voice. She flicked her gaze over to the cardiac
monitor and frowned at the reading. "Dana, what is it?
What's wrong?"
Blinking against the too bright light, Scully fought to
gain control over her troubled expression, wishing that
the monitor faced her so that she could see it for
herself. "I - I'm fine," she answered, not knowing for
sure just now if she was or not.
"Are you sure?" Abby asked carefully, apparently reading
her patient's mind and not wanting to provoke her. Dana's
heart rate was slowing, but her breathing was a bit
ragged, her cheeks flushed. "Maybe I should get you - "
"No!" Scully broke in anxiously.
Abby stared at her.
Scully lowered her voice. "I'm fine," she told Abby
steadily now. "I just woke up from the medication they
gave me earlier. I don't want anymore - please. I'm
fine, really."
Abby nodded in understanding. She leaned down and
rearranged the pillows and straightened the rumpled
sheets. "Okay. For now." She told Scully, noting
the lines of stress that hadn't quite gone away.
Scully smiled gratefully. She got the implied
message.
"Is everything okay in here?"
Both women jumped at the sound of Mulder's voice in
the doorway.
Abby whirled around. "Agent Mulder," she scolded. "Do
you mind? I just got my patient settled back down. I
don't appreciate being snuck up on either."
Contrite, Mulder mumbled an apology and Abby sighed in
exasperation.
"It's all right." She grinned good-naturedly. "A simple
knock will do, for future reference." She glanced back at
the monitor and Dana then went back to her rounds as
Mulder stepped aside to let her pass.
"Gee - was it something I said?" He quipped as he hurried
over to Scully's side. Without hesitation, he leaned over
and brushed his lips tenderly over hers.
Hungrily, Scully immediately wrapped her arms around his
neck to pull herself deeper into the wondrous kiss, her
lips parting instinctively.
Mulder groaned as a flood of emotions coursed through him
like wildfire - love - passion - desire - want. Want. He
wanted to take her in his arms. He wanted to pick her up.
He wanted take her out of here and ...
Reluctantly, he put a stop to that line of thinking for
now. At least he was able to kiss his Scully and finally
express his love to her. The rest, by necessity, would
come later.
When they finally broke apart, Scully stared up at him,
raptly, her blue eyes shining with happy tears. "I love
you," she murmured breathlessly.
Mulder softly stroked her cheek. "I'll always love you."
Scully managed to make room on the bed so that he could
sit, which he did, taking great care not to jar her leg.
"Got a question for you," he said earnestly.
Scully cocked an inquiring eyebrow at him and the sudden
topic change. "Shoot."
"What, exactly, did Abby mean when she said 'I just got my
patient settled back down'?" he inquired.
Scully bit her lip and looked away guiltily. Mulder
immediately reached over to take her chin and gently
brought her face back around. "What?" he asked as he
looked down at her, his fears returning. "What's wrong?"
She swallowed hard and saw the concern clouding his eyes.
She sighed. "I was afraid," she said simply, venting her
frustration at her earlier behavior.
"Afraid?" Mulder asked in amazement. "Of what?"
Scully slumped. "I woke up - it was dark - no one - no
one was here and for a moment - for just a moment," she
faltered then went on. "For a moment, I thought that I was
back on the island."
"Oh, Scully," He bent down and carefully took her in his
arms. "I'm here. I'll always be right here for you.
Always. I promise."
Scully felt two tears slip out unbidden. "I know. I do
know. It's just - it's just that I haven't' seen you
since the doctors talked with Mom and me. I'm so tired of
being stuck in this bed all day. And Mom's gone and they
gave me a sedative and it was dark in here when I - " She
broke off. "Oh God, when did I become such a baby?"
Mulder took her face in his hands. "You, Dana Katherine
Scully, are most certainly NOT a baby. Well, at least not
in the sense that you mean," he grinned.
Scully smiled shyly. ('Mulder's baby' - now there's a
thought. )
Mulder went on, relieved by her smile. "I spoke to your
mom earlier - she told me to tell you that she'll see you
later. She's got some things she's got to take care of.
I've been in and out of here myself, but that pill they
gave you really knocked you out, so I was doing some
errands, too and getting a report for Skinner."
Scully huffed. "There's just no end to the paperwork, is
there?"
"Nope. And just to make sure that you don't die of
boredom in that bed, I brought you your laptop, so that
you can make your report." He said playfully.
"Gee, thanks, Mulder," Scully groaned. "Just what I
wanted." Then she laughed.
"What? What's so funny?" Mulder asked quizzically.
"Most guys bring flowers," she teased. "You bring me a
laptop."
"Very funny." Mulder retorted. "You make it sound like I
didn't bring you anything else."
That got her attention and she craned her neck to look
around him and the traction set-up. "Well, I don't see
any new flowers, or nicely wrapped presents lying around,
and baseball is out for a while, so what is it?"
Mulder leaned back and took Scully's hands in his. The
look in his eye caused hers to widen and she grew silent,
waiting. Something was about to happen. She could feel
it. The air in the room suddenly became thicker and her
breath seemed to catch in her throat. Silently and
without taking his eyes off of hers, he released her right
hand to reach into his pocket. Scully kept her own eyes
on his face, trying to read the emotions that flickered
across it but not quitesucceeding. When she felt him
fumble with her left hand, she jerked her gaze down to see
what he was doing.
She found herself staring at the most incredibly gorgeous
ring now on her left fourth finger. The brilliant
diamonds caught the light and reflected back at her like
the stars in the heavens above.
She was utterly speechless.
"Dana Scully - will you do me the ultimate honor of
marrying me and making my life complete?"
Transfixed by the beautiful ring and the magical words
that she never thought she'd ever hear cross his lips,
Scully was completely overwhelmed.
"Is that a yes?" Mulder asked, apprehensive at her
silence.
"Oh my God, Mulder," Scully breathed. "Yes. Most
definitely, absolutely, without a doubt - yes." And she
realized how true it was: without a doubt. She had doubts
before, but not anymore. They would work it out. They
would work everything out - together.
She carefully wrapped her arms around him and he buried
his face at her neck. The sensation of his
tears trailing down her back brought tears to her own eyes
and she pulled him even closer. The only thing in life
that mattered was holding her and she knew how foolish
they'd been to ever think otherwise.
"I love you, Scully," his voice muffled.
She smiled. "I'll always love you, Mulder."
Chapter 35
Abby checked her watch and quickly reviewed her patients'
charts, noting any new orders, keying in lab and x-ray
requests and verified that no medications would be due for
the next hour. She then rounded on her patients, making
sure that they were settled before tackling the charting
that she found so tedious and seemed to get worse every
year.
She ran into Director Skinner as he was leaving Dana
Scully's room. He had been in every other evening or so
and always had a kind word for her and the other nurses on
duty. They exchanged pleasantries and before heading out,
escorted her back to the nurses' station.
Abby tried not to groan as she gathered up her nurses
notes and settled in, hoping that the call buttons would
be silent long enough for her to finish.
Fifteen minutes had passed, when she heard the elevator
ding, signaling that someone was coming. She looked up
from her paperwork and couldn't help but smile when she
saw who exited. Agent Fox Mulder, grinning madly who did
not walk these days: he floated.
Abby discreetly elbowed the nurse siting next to her.
"Melody," she whispered. "Look who's coming."
Without raising her head, Melody glanced down the hall.
"What's he so happy about?" She whispered back as Mulder
got ever closer to their position.
"Hang on a sec and I'll tell you," Abby promised, then
quickly raised her head to greet the visitor. "Good
evening, Agent Mulder," she called cheerfully.
Mulder, eager as usual to get to Scully's room, hated to
delay, but politely acknowledged the two nurses who had
taken such good care of them.
"You just missed Director Skinner," Abby informed him.
"Thanks, Abby, I'll catch up with him in a bit," Mulder
responded. "See you later," and he was gone.
Melody looked over to see Abby grinning like a Cheshire
Cat. "All right - what's the scoop? Let me have it," she
demanded with a gleam in her eye.
"He proposed!" She crowed happily.
"What?!" Melody felt her mouth drop open. "You're
kidding!"
"Nope," Abby sighed, staring wistfully down the hall.
"Isn't it romantic?" she asked in a dreamy voice. "You
should see her ring - it's simply gorgeous. I had gone in
to give Dana her meds and her mom was there, saying she
just couldn't believe it, and they were all laughing and
crying. Dana was positively glowing and Fox couldn't keep
his hands off of her."
"Wow," Melody managed to get out, dumbstruck that she had
missed it. "That is so incredible. A real proposal on our
floor."
"I know," Abby said, "I just can't believe it either."
"Well, having recovered from my earlier shock - I can,"
Melody said knowingly.
"Why?" Abby asked, puzzled.
"Are you kidding? He's so in love with her, I couldn't
believe that they weren't married already." Melody
informed her, recounting Mulder's determination to see
Scully and what the ICU nurse had overheard.
"Yeah," Abby agreed. "But it's still romantic," she
sighed again, propping her chin on her hand and turned
her gaze back down the hall to Dana Scully's room.
Chapter 36
Unaware that he and Scully were the hot topic of
discussion at the nurses' station, he could hardly
contain his excitement as he bounded into her room.
He had been far too busy getting ready for Scully's
discharge and dodging her questions as to his
whereabouts and had missed her terribly. He was
bereft when he wasn't with her now, when he was unable
to simply reach out and touch her, and kiss her whenever
he wanted. And he wanted to all the time now.
He went straight to his now appointed place on the
bed, where he would expect Scully to smile beatifically up
at him as usual, inching over carefully to one side to
give him room to sit down next to her.
As he settled in and leaned over to kiss her hello, he
realized immediately that her smile was not quite as
bright today.
"Hey," he said softly, stroking her cheek. "What's wrong?
Are you hurting somewhere?" It took a monumental effort
on his part to keep the worry and fear out of his voice,
even as his stomach clenched painfully.
Scully reached up and clasped his hand in hers. "I'm
okay," she reassured him. "Just a little sad. Skinner
just left and he didn't exactly have good news."
Now Mulder was really worried. Had Skinner said something
to Scully about their getting married? They had told him
that details would be addressed after Scully's recovery
and not to worry.
"Abby told me he just left." Mulder said nervously.
"He just wanted to let us know that there still hasn't
been any sign of the Dickersons or Gibson." Scully told
him despondently. "Mom is just beside herself, even
though I told her that there's nothing she could have
done."
"That's right." Mulder agreed, slightly relieved. "In
fact, if it had just been her there Friday night, it's
possible that those guys wouldn't have done anything to
her and simply stepped up their search for the doc. Maybe
the extra time allowed him to escape."
"I tried to tell her that." Scully said. "Anyway, he
also told me that there's no way to get any further
forensic evidence to tell us exactly who Danielle was."
"Who?" Mulder asked, his confusion obvious.
"Danielle. The young woman who took care of us." Scully
stared at him. "Oh, Mulder, I'm sorry. I didn't realize
that you didn't know her name."
"No, it's okay. It just took me by surprise," Mulder told
her. "We really haven't discussed her. Actually, I wanted
to tell you something that I didn't even tell Skinner."
"What?" Scully asked, intrigued.
"Before Diana killed her, she said that Deep Throat was
her father and that Diana killed him as surely as if she'd
pulled the trigger herself." Mulder admitted painfully.
"Oh my God," Scully whispered, shocked. "And we still
don't know Deep Throat's real name."
Mulder hung his head, shaking it sadly. "Right back where
we started."
Scully reached up and pulled him down, wrapping her arms
around him and hugging him as hard as she could. "But at
least we have each other."
"Yes, we do," Mulder replied and Scully could hear the
smile as he spoke.
Chapter 37
Mulder looked out the window in Scully's hospital room
and sighed heavily. On the day of her long-awaited
discharge, the rain was coming down in buckets.
(Torrential. Raining cats and dogs. ) He sighed again.
(Knock it off, ) he admonished himself. (You don't have
to be a human thesaurus to make a point. )
Under normal conditions, he knew that he wouldn't mind
getting a little wet. (Okay, a lot wet). Scully wouldn't
mind either, he reasoned, if it meant getting out of the
hospital, but there was her cast to reckon with. The
huge, hip to foot, monstrosity that couldn't get wet under
any circumstances and the awnings over the patient loading
zones were ineffectual against horizontal rain.
And so they were forced to wait out the storm. Scully
had been dressed and ready to go when they heard the first
crash of thunder. Mulder left Jackie and another nurse to
help get Scully in the wheelchair while he had rushed out
to bring the Explorer he'd rented around. He was too
late. With a deafening crack of lightning and a
thundering boom, the rain began to pour from the black
clouds above.
Ignoring the "Do Not Park" signs posted everywhere, he'd
thrown the vehicle into park and turned off the ignition.
The wind was blowing hurricane force, nearly knocking him
to the ground as he ran out and by the time he'd gotten to
the door, he was completely drenched.
Jackie was just getting off the elevator, pushing Scully
in the wheelchair with her casted leg sticking straight
out in front of her, when she caught sight of the dripping
Mulder, now looking like a drowned rat. Without a word,
she backed into the elevator with Scully and waited for
him to catch up to them.
Scully stared up at him, smiling sadly. "Guess we should
have watched The Weather Channel, huh?"
"It's okay, guys," Jackie tried to console them. "Census
is low so nobody's waiting for your room. You can make
yourselves comfortable and I'll have them send up
something to eat, if you want."
"Nothing personal, Jackie," Mulder said ruefully, "but
I don't think either one of us wants to spend another
night here."
Jackie smiled in sympathy. "Oh, I understand. I always
tell my patients that I don't ever want to see them in
here again unless it's to visit."
Mulder and Scully exchanged amused glances as they were
ushered back to her recently vacated room and got Mulder
dried off.
Mulder was pulled from his reverie by a blinding streak of
lightning followed immediately by an explosion of thunder
causing him to reflexively jump back.
"Mulder," Scully called worriedly, raising her voice to be
heard above the rain pelting the glass, "please come away
from the window - you're scaring me."
He guiltily looked over at her, lying on the bed. She had
stubbornly refused to get under the covers saying that it
made her feel like a patient all over again. Quickly he
shut the curtains and resolutely turned his back on the
raging storm outside.
"Are you sure you don't want to get more comfortable?" he
asked, looking at the flowing skirt she wore. Maggie had
gotten Scully several different lightweight skirts that
they both felt world be easier to get over the cumbersome
cast.
"I'm fine, Mulder, really," she said, "but I'd feel
better if you were over here instead."
Mulder grinned. "Well, you know that I always feel better
when I'm next to you."
Another thunderclap drowned out Scully's reply and she
flicked her eyes over to the window, seeing a flash of
lightning around the edges of the curtains.
Mulder sat down next to her on the bed. "You want me
to doodle on your cast?"
Scully arched one eyebrow. "I don't think so, Mulder. I
have no intention of seeing any obscene pictures on this
thing and then trying to explain it to the doctor."
"How about I put it where you can't see it and then - I'll
- explain it to him," he teased her.
Scully swatted at him playfully as he easily backed out of
her reach with a laugh.
After explaining weather conditions to Maggie and the Lone
Gunmen, they spent the next two hours playing a variety of
card games and eating the sandwiches Mulder brought up
from the hospital cafeteria.
At last the thunder ended, but the wind and rain
showed no signs of stopping and Mulder finally laid down
next to Scully, his head nestled comfortably in her lap.
The sound of the falling rain soon lulled him to sleep as
did feeling Scully's hands lovingly roaming across his
face, his hair, stroking his shoulder and arm lightly.
She marveled when she felt him drift off to sleep and
thanked God that she was alive to do so.
Chapter 38
"Mulder, wake up," Scully gently nudged him.
"Huh? Wha - ?" Mulder mumbled incoherently, trying to
burrow deeper into her lap.
"Come on, Mulder. Wake up," she said insistently,
gripping his shoulder and shaking him. "The rain stopped.
Come on - let's go."
With a yawn, Mulder sat up and stretched lazily. "Wow.
That's what I call a power nap. How long was I asleep?"
he asked, his voice still rough with sleep.
"Three hours," Scully answered, thinking how sexy that
"just woke up" voice was and how she rarely got to hear
it. Usually he was the one waking her up from a sound
sleep. (Might have to try waking him up more often, ) she
briefly considered.
Mulder shook his head in amazement. "Unbelievable." He
looked at her closely. "How about you? Did you sleep?"
Scully shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry. I'm much
too excited to sleep anyway. I kept thinking the storm
would quit any minute and I didn't want to be asleep when
it did." She pushed him up. "Now enough chit chat, come
on. Let's go. Let's get this show on the road."
She didn't add that she'd been worrying about what her
life was going to be like for the next several weeks. Her
tiny apartment, the wheelchair, the awkward crutches. She
imagined being confined to bed or the couch while Mulder
went to work, or being "babysat" by her mother. She loved
her mother, of course, but she just couldn't picture them
remaining friends cooped up in her apartment for days on
end. She hadn't expressed her fears to either Mulder or
Maggie, preferring to deal with it when she was
discharged. Now the time had come and as much as she
wanted to leave, part of her was dreading what came next.
Mulder bit back the chastising words that nearly escaped
his lips. (Well, maybe it'll work out for the best this
way, ) he reasoned. (If she sleeps in the car, then I
won't have to explain where we're going.)
Chapter 39
Jackie was off duty, but Melody came in with the
wheelchair and she helped Mulder get Scully out of bed and
into the chair. Mulder glanced around the room one last
time to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything as Melody
wheeled Scully out.
Scully looked around for Mulder's car. Not finding it,
her confusion was made complete when Mulder opened the
only vehicle at the curb. "What's with the Explorer?" she
asked, puzzled.
"It'll be more comfortable for you to stretch out in,"
Mulder explained as he gently scooped her up. He eased her
into the back seat as Melody helped guide Scully's casted
leg.
Scully kissed his nose affectionately as she let Melody
and Mulder get her settled for the trip home, propping her
leg up with pillows and covering her snugly with a wool
blanket.
The heavy rains had brought cooler weather and Melody
shivered in her lightweight scrubs. "Do you have
everything?" she asked one last time, before Mulder
shut the door.
"I think so," Mulder responded. "I filled the
prescriptions yesterday and took them home with her
crutches and wheelchair."
"And I have the doctors' phone numbers and dates for
follow-up visits, as well as their lists of do's and
don'ts," Scully added with a grimace.
"Good. By the way, Abby called a little while ago and
wanted me to give you this." Melody handed Mulder a
slip of paper.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Her address. She wants a wedding invitation." Melody
said with a mischievous smile.
Mulder and Scully laughed in delight. "Don't worry,"
Mulder told her happily, "You're both invited. And
thanks for everything. Tell Abby too."
Scully nodded in agreement. "That's right. Your names
will be on the top of the list. Now get back inside
before you freeze out here." She scolded with a grin.
After a last round of good byes and well wishes, Melody
hurried back inside and Mulder jumped in the Explorer.
Huddled under the blanket, Scully waited patiently for him
to get the heater going, wishing that she had one of her
sweaters.
Mulder adjusted the vents and shifted in his seat so that
he could check on Scully stretched out behind him. "Is it
any warmer back there?" he asked in concern.
Scully nodded and reached out to take his hand and
squeezed it reassuringly. "Take me home, Mulder," she
said, unable to keep the fatigue out of her voice. Now
that she was out of the hospital, the adrenaline faded
away leaving her obviously exhausted.
Mulder kissed her hand. "Your wish is my command. Try
to rest, okay, Scully."
Scully needed no further encouragement and settled
back against the pillows. Her eyes slipped shut
immediately and within minutes she was sound asleep.
Chapter 40
With Scully sleeping behind him, Mulder pulled out his
cell phone and called Maggie to let her know that they
were on the road.
"Did you tell her?" Maggie asked, unable to hide her
glee. Although she'd had her doubts about Fox's plan at
first, it had turned out perfectly thus far and she could
hardly wait to hear Dana's reaction.
"Not yet," Mulder replied, as he flicked his gaze behind
him to check on Scully. "She's asleep right now."
"I'll call the boys and let them know." Maggie said.
Mulder had to choke back his laughter every time that
Maggie called the Lone Gunmen "the boys". He teased them
about it relentlessly even though he knew that they were
touched by Maggie's endearment.
"Are you sure you don't need me to come over?" Maggie
asked hopefully, breaking in on Mulder's thoughts.
"We'll be fine," he said with a quiet laugh. "Thanks again
for everything you've done."
"It was my pleasure, Fox." Maggie told him. "You just
take care of my baby girl."
"Always." Mulder vowed with an affectionate glance back at
his fiance.
As he turned off the phone he realized that Scully had
shifted slightly, causing the blanket to fall away from
her feet. Diligently keeping his eyes on the road, he
managed to pull the blanket back over them without waking
her up.
He began to mull the word fiance over in his mind.
Fiance. Over the past years, Dana Scully had been so
many things to him; so many necessary things. Now she was
taking on a new role, albeit a temporary one. He intended
to elevate her to wife as soon as humanly possible. That
meant a wedding.
He groaned silently. While he knew that he'd never get
away with the quick Vegas ceremony he envisioned, he
desperately hoped that he wouldn't be subjected to an
overblown, ostentatious affair, rivaling a royal wedding.
Then he remembered sadly that Dana was Maggie's only
daughter now. That, directly or indirectly, depending on
his mood, he was responsible for Melissa's wrongful death.
He shook his head and vowed right then and there to go
along with whatever Maggie and Scully wanted. He owed her
that much. He owed her so much more.
Chapter 41
"Hey, sleepyhead - rise and shine back there." Mulder
called, as he pulled into the driveway. He turned on the
interior light, causing Scully to groan and immediately
cover her eyes.
"Mulder -"
"Come on, Scully. Time to go inside." He turned the
light off and then the engine.
"Thank you," she muttered, trying to let her eyes adjust.
Scully glanced around, realizing how dark it was. She
pulled herself up as far as she could. (Wait a minute.
Why is it so dark? Where are all the streetlights? Where
is all the traffic? )
"Mulder, what's going on? Where are we?" she asked,
trying to see outside.
"Just a minute, Scully and all will be made clear." Mulder
answered her with a grin as he climbed out of the
Explorer.
Scully impatiently waited for him to help her out, her
curiosity piqued. She heard the door open behind her, and
then Mulder was easing her backwards, out of the car.
Gripping the top of the doorway, she tried to help him,
but he admonished her to let him do all the work. Scully
huffed silently and tried to mask her discomfort as the
pain in her leg flared when Mulder lifted her up. She bit
her lip to keep any sound at bay, burying her head in
Mulder's shoulder.
"Sorry, Scully," Mulder whispered contritely, as he got
her out at last. He stepped away from the car and Scully
shook her head.
"I'm okay," she whispered back, kissing his cheek. She
looked around, trying to determine where he had taken her,
since it obviously wasn't to her apartment, his apartment,
or her mother's house.
It was so dark and quiet, she knew immediately that they
weren't in the city. "Mulder, where are we?" she asked,
seeing a charming clapboard house with a brightly lit
porch.
Mulder just held her tighter and moved up the steps. With
some careful maneuvering, he was able to get the front
door open and step inside, with jarring her leg any
further.
Scully caught smell the fresh paint and caught sight of a
light switch within her reach. "Mulder - let me get the
lights." She indicated the switch over his shoulder and
Mulder paused long enough for her to turn them on. She
looked around expectantly.
It took a minute for Scully to realize why the couch
seemed so familiar. It was hers. And wasn't that lamp
the same one on his desk? What was her computer doing
here? And who put her wall hanging in the hallway?
Mulder moved to her (?!) couch and set her down,
delighting in the look of utter shock on her face. Her
blue eyes were wide as she looked around, missing nothing.
Familiar items mixed with unknown, all in a place she'd
never been before.
Finally she found her voice - barely. "What's going on?"
she asked, her voice as soft as a whisper. "Where are we?"
"Quonochontaug."
Scully's mouth worked, struggling mightily to make sense
of it, to respond verbally. She felt like Alice and her
she was, right in the middle of Wonderland without any
warning.
When she saw that Mulder was grinning from ear to ear,
nearly bursting with excitement, she threw up her hands in
defeat. "I give up."
"My mom said that the house is ours to do with as we
please, for as long as we want. The guys hooked up cable
- satellite dish - the computer. You mom maade or bought
enough food to last into the millenium. I think that the
whole town got together to get this place ready to live
in, including wheelchair ramps and made sure that the
furniture and stuff was arranged so that you could
maneuver around them easily."
Scully was still having a hard time taking it all in, and
blinked in surprise. (The whole town? ) "You mean I'm
going to be living here?"
"Well, me too, if that's okay," Mulder said with a wink.
"But - but - won't that be a long commute? Or are you
just going to be here on weekends?" Scully asked,
confusion maintaining its firm grip.
Mulder took her hands in his. "Oh, didn't I tell you?"
he asked innocently.
Scully's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Tell me what?" she
asked slowly, not sure if she was ready to know what.
"I'm not going back to D.C. without you. Period." He
announced.
Scully simply stared at him. Realization of the full
meaning of his words sunk in. "The X-files - ?" she broke
off uncertainly.
"I told you, Scully. I don't want to do this without you.
The X-files will always be there. I'm not going back to
work until you've recovered.
She opened her mouth to point out that her level of
recovery was unknown at this point, but he cut her off.
"I know what you're going to say. I do. And we'll cross
that bridge when we come to it. The only future I can see
is you by my side, whether it's the FBI, the X-files,
whatever. So, if you'll have me, this is where I'll be."
He paused a moment. "I love you, Scully. With all my
heart."
Scully didn't try to stop her tears as the liquid fire of
his love coursed through her heart, her soul and her mind,
burning away confusion, doubt and uncertainty.
The complexity of their lives fell away. It was simply a
man named Fox Mulder, passionately in love with a woman
named Dana Scully, who reciprocated that love and at this
moment in time, nothing else mattered.
"I love you, Mulder. Stay with me." She said, opening
her arms.
"Always." He vowed with a radiant smile as he moved to
pull her close, kissing her softly. "Welcome home."
**********
The End
