Dana Scully sat back on her heels as she rested her forehead against the cool porcelain of the bathroom toilet. Her throat burned and her sides hurt from retching. Before she knew it, Mulder was at her side, rubbing her back and looking at her, concerned.
"Scully, that's four mornings in a row. You have to go see a doctor, I'm worried about you."
She weakly held up a hand in protest. "Mulder, it's just a bug. I'm fi-" she retched again and he quickly swept her hair back from her face.
"You're going to the doctor today. I'll call."
"It's just a little stomach bug, it's nothing."
"But Scully, what if it is something?" His brow furrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
A million different images raced through his head, of her lying motionless in a hospital bed, of nosebleeds coming out of nowhere, of her rushing out of the office to be sick multiple times in a day. His fingers trembled as he recalled holding her thin, emaciated form close and feeling her ribs through her thin blue hospital gown. "What do you think, Scully? I'm scared that...it might be back."
"The cancer?"
He tried furiously to blink the tears away, but one escaped. She wiped it away tenderly. "I'm fine, Mulder. Really. But if it will help you, I'll make an appointment for today and get checked out. Okay?"
He managed a smile. "Thank you."
He helped her stand, since she was still a little shaky. He patted her shoulder and turned toward the door. "I'll grab you some orange juice. Sound good?"
She nodded eagerly.
"And I want you back in bed until we've scheduled an appointment with your doctor, okay? You need to rest, sweetheart."
She smiled softly at the term of endearment. "Thank you."
She brushed her teeth and settled back against the pillows to make the call.
Mulder returned. "I'm scheduled for eleven o'clock today," she informed him. "You go on into work and I'll meet you after."
He lightly grasped her shoulder. "No, you won't. As soon as you're done at the hospital, you're coming back here to rest. Something's not right, and I don't want you in harm's way until we've sorted all this out, Dana."
She sighed, but nodded, resigned. "Okay."
He dressed quickly, kissed her forehead gently, and left for work with a quiet "I love you."
"I love you too, Mulder. Thank you for taking care of me."
"My pleasure."