He could hear other agents calling his name as he ran to her.
"Agent Mulder. Agent Mulder!"
He ignored their calls and began sprinting towards his partner. Someone grabbed him roughly by the arm as he zipped by, and he violently threw the agent off of him.
"Agent Mulder," the man called wearily, grabbing him again. "Mulder, give them some space." They were trying to keep him away from her, probably for his protection as much as for hers, but there was no way he was going to stand idly by as these events unfolded. The grip on his bicep was like stone, and it made Mulder's blood run cold. Rage spread through his veins in a hot wave of burning anger.
"LET ME GO TO HER!" he screamed with a fury that scared even himself. When the other agent didn't let go of him, he continued. "You are out of your god-damned MIND if you think I'm just going to SIT HERE AND WATCH. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!" He was so angry he was shaking, and the tremble his voice gave struck that much more fear into the officers trying to keep him at bay.
He could see the reluctance in the agent's eyes as he released him. Mulder wasted no time and broke into another sprint, his mind numb as he got closer and closer to her. He couldn't think, couldn't even see straight. The only thing running through his mind was something between a plea and a threat to God.
The forest of agents was almost as thick as the trees around them, and the closer he got to his partner, the thicker it became. Mercifully, they tried as best as they could to get out of his way as he barreled at them. He finally saw the sea of paramedic uniforms and almost collapsed with relief, slowing to a brisk jog as he approached them. They were working feverishly, one of them barking orders as the rest rushed to follow them. He knew right away from the sight that she wasn't dead.
As he neared, one of the medics stopped him. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to stay where you are." Mulder heard the man but didn't listen. His eyes, wide as the flying saucers he claimed were 'out there,' were fixed upon his partner as he kept walking. Once again, a hand reached out to stop him, but he pried it off.
Dana Scully was lying on the ground, surrounded by a flurry of EMTs checking her vitals and getting pic lines started for IVs. His eyes immediately went to her chest, and upon seeing the gentle rise and fall of her body, he felt some of the tension draining away. Not much, but some. He couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. Part of him hoped for her sake that she she wasn't. There was a large tear in her pant leg near her thigh and her suit jacket was nowhere to be found. Her feet were scratched and bloody, no doubt the result of running through the woods barefoot. She also had a few cuts and scrapes on her cheeks and forehead, but thankfully nothing that appeared too serious. Her left wrist was swollen and bruised, obviously broken. She also appeared pale and dehydrated, but Mulder could not tell how severely. Standing mere feet away from her, he tried to process the image in front of him. The lump in his throat was almost too much to overcome, but he found his voice.
"Scully?" he asked quietly, suddenly feeling more panicked.
"Sir? Unless you're a doctor, you're in the way," another one of the medics snapped at him.
"I'm her partner," he stated matter-of-factly, having no intention to leave. The medic looked at him disapprovingly, but did nothing else to shoo him.
Mulder dropped to his knees on the earth next to her. He wanted desperately to gather her in his arms and make the nightmare go away, but he knew that would obstruct the paramedics too much. Instead, he ever-so-gently brushed an auburn strand of hair off of her forehead and spoke to her again.
"Scully," he said. As he spoke, tears began to stream down his cheeks, full-blown fear finally giving way to the anger he had felt moments before.
He was surprised when, though she kept her eyes closed, her brow furrowed and she turned her head slightly in response. "Mulder?"
It was nothing more than a whisper, slight and scratchy, but it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.
"Yeah, Scully," he replied with a choked noise resembling a laugh, more tears escaping his eyes. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "It's me. I need you to hang on for me, Scully. Please? Just hang on."