Comments, complaints and just plain talk to sheryl_martin@tvo.org
Summary: A scare sends Scully into some deep thinking and talking with her partner.
Blood and Tearsby Sheryl Martin
There wasn't as much blood as she expected. Well, relatively speaking. But the sight of the red fluid dripping down from her nose onto the white blouse was enough to send Dana Scully's heart thudding anxiously in her chest.
Because she never got nosebleeds.
Never.
But she did know of some people who did.
And even though the little voice in the back of her head reminded her over and over that there was nothing to worry about; that it was perfectly normal to have a nosebleed; she found herself driving to the clinic at a high rate of speed.
********
The nurse looked up at the woman standing in front of her at the desk. A single smear of blood under her nose, a tissue clutched nervously in her hand, the redhead looked both angry and scared. The dark trench coat hung loosely over a stained white blouse and jeans as they stared at each other for a long minute.
"I need to have some X-Rays done. Now."
Arching an eyebrow, the nurse picked up one of the clipboards and attached a wad of paper to it; handing it over the desk. "If you'll just fill out these forms, the doctor will see you and make a decision about whether you need X-Rays or not."
The woman slammed the clipboard back down with the intensity and sound of a gunshot. "Look, I am a doctor! And all I need is some X-Rays!"
The nurse looked nervously over at the two security officers standing at the far set of doors; jerking her head with a small nod. They approached the small woman casually; but with every intention of removing her from the premises.
"Okay, okay." Scully took a deep breath. "I'm going to reach into my pocket and get some identification. I'm an FBI agent; and I am armed." She stared at the two guards. "And I'm in a bad mood right now." Not to mention that gun thing on her hip.
Flipping open the badge, she showed it to both men and the woman behind the desk. "I think this might be connected to... to a case I worked on..." How the hell was she going to explain this one? Excuse me, can you check to see that some alien hasn't planted something else in my body?
The nurse nodded. "All right... let me get the doctor anyway - he's got to sign the forms to get you treatment anyway." Casting a fast glance at the two guards; she disappeared through the double doors.
Scully scribbled fast answers to the questions on the clipboard; dabbing every now and then at the dried blood caked on her upper lip. She could feel the heat in her face; visible evidence of her embarrassment at making a scene.
The doctor quickly appeared; his face a stern mask as he approached her. "I understand..."
Scully sighed. "Look, I'm a doctor. I'm also a FBI agent. I think that there might be some... shrapnel somewhere in my body that has something to do with a case. All I need is a series of X-Rays to see if there is any foreign material anywhere on me."
He nodded. "Reasonable enough." Taking the clipboard from her hands and passing it back to the nurse; he led her down a hallway. "Sorry for the muscle - sometimes we get... strange people in here."
*********
Pulling the hospital gown tight around her as she slid off the table, the redhead nodded at the technician. He picked up the huge square black plates and headed for the door.
"Be back in a bit - Dr. Kelsey said for you to go back to your room until he gets there."
Scully nodded, grateful to get back into her own clothing. Whenever they developed a way of doing medical techniques without the subject being half naked and overexposed to the public, she'd sign right up.
Sitting back on the too-small chair in the small room, she stared at the ceiling. What if it did show something? Another implant... Taking the stained kleenex from her coat pocket, she dabbed the edge on her tongue and gently rubbed it under her nose. Might as well look decent when he tells you that they've done it again. That there's another implant and they've been doing things to you that you don't know about and maybe all those nightmares are real and they've taken you away in the night and done more experiments and hurting you and another piece of metal...
The nurse stopped still in the hallway, listening intently to the quiet sobbing behind the half-closed door. Seeing the doctor down the hallway, she walked towards him quickly.
**********
The shrill ring of the phone shocked Fox Mulder out of his reverie. Rubbing his eyes as he put the bookmark into the thick volume and dropping it on the desk, he reached for the receiver.
"Mr. Mulder?"
"Yes?"
Two minutes later he was reaching for his trench coat; straightening his tie unconsciously as he headed out the door.
*********
"So as you can see, there's nothing there." Dr. Kelsey stared from the X-Rays back to the patient. "At least, nothing that I can see."
Taking one of the plates from him, Scully scanned them critically for a few minutes before nodding. "Nothing at all." She handed it back to him.
"I'll put these in your file, if you'd like..." The man watched as she began to slump in nervous exhaustion. "Do you want me to run a full blood series? It'd only take a bit of time..."
"No." Scully shook her head wearily. "I just... just worried about that."
"I think the nosebleed was just due to allergy season." He offered. "If you had the air conditioner on too long; you probably dried out your sinuses and then sneezed or somehow aggravated it. If it happens again, come back and we'll check closer, if you like."
"Yes." She said quietly. "That sounds like a reasonable explanation." Turning away from him, she picked up her coat. "Thank you, Dr. Kelsey." Shaking his hand, the woman tried to smile. "Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all..." His hand squeezed hers reassuringly. "We make the worst patients, remember."
"Right." She chuckled. Walking past him, she entered the hallway...
... to see Fox Mulder leaning against a wall; his hands deep in his pockets as he stared at her with intense worry etched on his face.
"Mulder..." Scully sighed as she walked up to him. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Oh, I always hang out here. Good place to pick up women." He shrugged. "I always had a thing for women in uniform."
Her eyebrows rose. "Oh?"
"Well, I had this crush on my postal clerk when I was seven..." Falling into step beside her as they headed down the corridor, he saw her smile. "Mind you, she was only thirty-five, but I could tell that she liked younger men..."
Walking to her car, he waited until she had unlocked the driver's side. "Why don't I drive you home?"
"How did you get here?"
"I took a cab." Plucking the keys from her hand, he grinned. "Mulder's Taxi Service; coffee included at the end of the run."
Shaking her head, she walked to the other side of the car. "Why did they call you?"
"Why did you come here?" He responded softly, putting the key in the ignition as she fastened her seat belt.
"I... I had a nosebleed." The woman choked out the words like a curse. He nodded.
"Oh."
"Yes."
"And?"
"Nothing. The X-Rays are clear."
"Oh."
"Home, Mulder."
"Right."
***********
Tossing the keys onto the table as he walked through to the kitchen, Mulder noticed the television was still on; the coffeepot still heating a new batch. "Want a cup?"
"Sure." Throwing her coat onto the chair, Scully slumped into the comforting embrace of the couch with a sigh. "Double cream..."
"I remember." With a soft smile he handed her a mug; sitting across from her in the chair. "So... want to tell me how you ended up asking for X-Rays in the hospital?"
"I was just sitting here, and suddenly there was this pain in my nose and this..." She gestured at the dried stain on the front of the blouse. "And I thought it would be a good idea to check out the possibility that..." Her voice trailed off.
"That they had come back for you."
"Yes." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "Mulder, I can't live like this."
"Like what?"
"Worrying that every time I feel an ache or pain that it might be something to do with my... disappearance."
"Abduction."
"Whatever." She waved a free hand in the air. "After I found that first implant, I just became so paranoid."
"Healthy attitude, Scully." Leaning back in the chair, he put his own cup down. Their eyes met and locked, each sensing the other's discomfort with the topic at hand. "Scully, I worry about the same things."
Her look held a sense of soft laughter. "The same things?"
"The same." Mulder's face grew solemn. "I think about when Samantha was taken; what I can't remember. What might have happened to me when you found me at that airfield; a hole in my memory. The missing time when we were working on that first case." He paused. "The one with the implants." Dropping his eyes to the floor, he continued. "Six minutes or six months; time is relative. But I try not to dwell on it too much; try not to think of what they could have done during those times to me." To us.
She nodded, looking down into her coffee. "But it's so hard not to explore the possibilities. And I want to know."
"So do I." He agreed. "But if that means going into paralysis every time I have a headache or scratch at a bug bite; then they've won." Seeing the frown on her face, he continued quickly. "If we just sit around and chase our tails all day; worrying about what might have happened, then we won't have any chance of getting the truth - finding out what really happened to you - to both of us." His words tumbled out one after the other in a roller coaster ride of speech. "They'll win if we stop looking because of what they've done; what they could do. There's nothing left for me except to keep searching for the answers to questions that I don't even know to ask. But I have to." His eyes met hers again. "You have to, Scully. Because if you stop looking; if you stop hunting; you'll die. Not physically; but close enough."
Putting her mug down, the redhead got to her feet and strolled around the room; her arms crossed. "I understand, Mulder... But sometimes it's so hard not to jump at every sound; every bad dream that might be a memory..." Stopping at his chair, she looked down at him. "But I'll try."
Her awkward smile sent his heart soaring. "Good. Because I'd have a helluva time breaking in a new partner."
"Probably because no one else would have you." She retorted. Putting a hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn, Scully looked at the clock. "Go home, Mulder. I'll foot the cab."
"It's only ten..." He protested.
"And we've got work tomorrow. Or are you going to tell Skinner why we're not doing our job?"
"I could tell him we were abducted..."
"Disappeared."
"Whatever." His face grew solemn. "Tell you what - why don't you go to bed and let me watch a bit of television out here; then I'll lock up when I leave."
She stared at him. "Leave you out here?"
"Uh-huh."
"Don't you dare order cable for me."
"Promise." Raising his hands in mock supplication, he rose from the chair. "Go to bed, Scully... I'll hold down the fort and then go home - promise."
Putting her hand over her mouth again, she yawned. "I'm too tired to fight with you. Just don't forget to lock the door." Putting her half-full cup into the sink, she paused in the hallway. "Thanks, Mulder."
He shrugged. "I get the Gunmen to put me through a metal detector every few weeks. I can get them to do the same with you." His grin was infectious. "Frohike would be glad to do the honours..."
"Good night, Mulder." The bedroom door closed with a loud click.
************
The digital clock read 3:45 am when she woke up with a start; not so much from a bad dream but from still hearing the television set blasting out of the living room. Pulling her white robe on over the dark blue silk pyjamas, Scully ventured quietly into the main room.
Mulder lay sprawled across the couch; his lips slightly apart as he snored lightly. The remote control dangled precariously from his right hand, inches from the floor. The loosened tie trailed along his half-open shirt as he dozed fitfully; his feet balanced on the far end of the couch.
With a smile she retrieved the control before it fell; punching the off button before putting it back on the table. Reaching up, she flipped the edges of the afghan lying on the back of the sofa over the sleeping man; watching as he licked his lips with a slight mumble.
"Good night, Mulder." Scully said softly. "Thank you."
*****************
"In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."Richard Bach - "Illusions"