He Found Her in Pieces (Chp. 2)
See Chp. 1 for disclaimer.
Mulder had woken Skinner up to get Monica Reyes' contact information. He'd turned the car toward the town he believed the Van De Kamp's to live in and dialed her number.
"Monica, It's Fox Mulder. I'm sorry to wake you." He said, though his voice held an urgency that wasn't really apologetic at all. The more he drove, the more heavy he felt.
"Mulder, I wasn't asleep actually. I was going over some case files. What can I do for you?"
"It's Scully." He said simply.
"Dana? Is she okay?"
"I don't think so. I need you to tell me the truth. Have you seen her?"
There was too long of a pause.
"Monica, Mrs. Scully said that she left her house three days ago and she hasn't heard from her. She's - I have reason to believe she may have gone to see William. Monica …"
"I haven't seen Dana. She, she wouldn't have called me if she wanted to get to William. When she asked me to take him to the Van De Kamp's to keep him safe, I made her a promise. No matter the circumstances, I wouldn't tell her anything about him. I've never broken that promise." She added slowly. "She said she couldn't have given him up if it wasn't a completely closed adoption."
"Damn." Mulder breathed out the breath he'd been holding. He pulled the car over on the side of the road. "She's gone, Monica. I can't leave her alone. I've never been able to, not when she's hurting."
"Mulder? Maybe she's just taking some time to herself. I know that the work she was doing at Our Lady of Sorrows has been taking quite a toll on her."
"She called you?" He asked.
"Yes. It's been a couple of weeks. She seemed f-"
"Please don't say fine." Mulder interrupted, leaning his head against the steering wheel. "Even she seemed fucked would be better."
"If it helps any, I ran into the Van De Kamp's yesterday at the grocery store. They didn't mention anything to me - nothing out of the ordinary."
Mulder imagined Monica in the market. He tried to imagine what his and Scully's son would look like now, seven years old.
"Mulder, listen, if somehow Dana was able to find out any information or contact anyone close to the Van De Kamp's. She can't be alone."
"Monica, he's okay? Our son?" Before waiting for her answer Mulder pulled the car back onto the road and headed toward the interstate. If Scully had wanted to hide she wouldn't have gone to her mother's, she wouldn't have risked asking Skinner for help, but there was someone, someones that would know how to hide her. Someone she wouldn't expect him to believe she would go to if she was losing herself..
"Just find her." He barely registered Monica's words as he drove as fast as he could to where he believed Scully could be.
He had to be right.
Wherever she was he knew she was close to breaking, and breaking was one of the only things that Scully never learned to do.
"Where is she?" Mulder asked before the door was even fully opened.
"Mulder." Langly said, shocked to see the former FBI agent in front of him. "Long time no … What can I do for you?"
"Just tell me where she is. I know she would have called the three of you for help. I know you're assisting her in whatever she's doing - I need to know where she is." Mulder finished, attempting to lower his voice. He was very aware that his request had come out much more like a plea than he'd hoped.
"Mulder, who are you looking for?" Langly inquired, looking briefly behind him.
"Don't play stupid, you're not good at it."
"If you thought we were helping Scully why would you come to Byers' apartment? Why would she be here? Why not the lair? Why not Frohike's place?"
"Why am I still in the hallway?" Mulder began to push past him, but he was halted by a familiar voice behind him.
"Because she didn't want you here, Mulder." Frohike answered, standing in the hallway holding a small paper bag. His voice sounded stern but sad. "She," he cleared his throat, "She doesn't want you here."
"It isn't about what she wants anymore, Frohike. It's about what she needs. I need to help her."
"That sounds a more like what you need." Frohike walked passed Mulder and Langly and into the the living room of Byers' apartment, dropping his keys and the package onto the table. He sat down on the couch. Frohike put his head in his hands and didn't look back up until her heard the bedroom door click shut across the room.
"I still haven't been able to help her sleep. Did you have any trouble getting the meds?" Byers was completely exhausted and it showed on his face. When Frohike didn't answer him, he followed his friend's gaze to see Fox Mulder standing at the edge of the threshold staring at Frohike while Langly looked down at the floor. No one was sure what to say.
Byers just nodded. "Come inside, Mulder." Langly shut the door and locked it behind them.
"So, Scully is here?" He didn't wait for the men to answer. He heard her cry out. She was screaming.
Byers immediately pushed back into the room, Mulder on his heals.
Langly tried to stop him. "You're not ready to see her like this."
The words stopped him, but it was too late. The room was barely lit by a small lamp that someone had put a scarf over to dim. He saw Byers crouch down beside a figure on the floor next to the bed. It was Scully.
She looked so much smaller than she seemed even two weeks ago. Her legs were pulled to her chest, and she was rocking back and forth. At first, it seemed as if she was oblivious to everything even though Byers was whispering to her in a comforting tone, words he couldn't quite make out. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head but was falling down in places. It looked as if a computer geek may have attempted to rectify it for her. She seemed to be shivering slightly, though she was wearing a huge oversized sweatshirt. A sweatshirt he recognized. It used to belong to her father. It simply read Navy on the front and Scully on the back. She only wore it when she was sick or upset. How had she known to take it with her? Was she sick?
He stood there frozen in place when she finally looked up and, he thought, straight through him.
She said a single word that came out more like a deep, aching moan.
"No."
Langly caught Mulder as his knees began to buckle and Byers shut the door to shield Scully from anything she might actually be taking in. He pulled Mulder over to a chair at the dining room table and sat down beside him.
"It's not good." He said as the color began to come back into Mulder's face. "Can I get you some water?"
Mulder didn't answer but Langley moved to get the water anyway. They were all dumbfounded. Langly had never seen Scully like this, and he was still pretty scarred from the condition she was in when they'd found her two nights ago.
"She said she didn't want you here." Frohike said, the anger palpable in his voice.
"Stop saying that," Mulder voiced through clenched teeth. "Someone tell me why she's here. What's happened to her? Why did she call the three of you? I want answers. And then I want to go in with her - alone."
Frohike got up and walked over until he was directly in front of Mulder.
"Why don't you tell me how it even got this far? Why is she in Byers' apartment and not in her home? Why didn't she call you?" He asked, pushing Mulder in the chest.
Byers cracked open the door to the guest bedroom. "Langly can you get me the bag of medicine and a glass of water?" Langly handed Byers the water he'd poured for Mulder and the bag Frohike had carried in earlier.
"Wait, what are you giving her?" Mulder asked feeling a bit defeated.
"Scully has a concussion, and it's making her nauseous. There's some medicine to settle her stomach." Byers began.
"And?"
"And she hasn't been able to sleep since we found her." Langly answered.
"So, you took her to the hospital?" He asked, though he knew what the answer would be. "She saw a doctor?"
Byers sighed. "She is a doctor, Mulder."
"Dammit. Yeah. Of course she is, a medical doctor."
Frohike shook his head. "She wouldn't go Mulder. She gave explicit directions before she would even tell us where to come and get her. Are you ready to listen?"
Mulder nodded. Whispering, "She needs my help."
"I'm going to try and get her to sleep." Byers said disappearing back inside the room where Mulder desperately wanted to be.
"What is going on?"
"I'm going to tell you the facts, and then I need to relieve Byers. He's been up sitting with her all night. We've been taking turns, but I had to leave to get the medicine. Beyond that, it's her story to tell."
"If she starts talking." Langly said as he and Frohike took seats at the table.
"Shit."
Byers tread softly back into the room where he hoped to find Dana Scully resting peacefully. As far as was concerned, there weren't many people in the world that deserved peace more than she did. He watched, albeit not firsthand, this woman being tortured literally and figuratively over the years. Her strength had always astounded him. Her strength still amazed him even as she sat next to the toilet in the bathroom of his home, her head resting on her knees - hidden from him. He slowly sat down next to her.
"Dr. Scully." He said, watching as she jumped slightly, even though his words were almost a whisper. She shook her head where it was resting on her knees. "Dana." He tried again, touching her shoulder, realizing how much she was trembling.
"We got you some medicine to help with the nausea. I know you didn't ask for it. I also got you some ginger ale. I'm not a medical doctor, but it always made me feel safe when my Mom would give it to me as a kid."
He strained to hear her, "Mulder. He's - is he really here?"
"I'm not sure which answer you want to hear. But, yes, he found you. Did you really doubt he would?"
There was no answer. She hadn't spoken more than a few words since they'd found her several days before, and he hoped the question she'd asked meant that was going to change.
"At least, take this for your your stomach?" He said as she looked up at him. He handed her the water and a single pill. She reached to take it but turned quickly becoming sick again. Byers rubbed her back, concerned about the seriousness of the concussion she'd suffered. Scully sat back against the wall, took the water, and swallowed the medicine he offered her. Her chin quivered, and she couldn't seem to make her world stop shaking.
Wordlessly, Byers sat the glass on the sink and picked up his friend, whispering to her calmly. "It's all going to be okay. I'm just going to help you into bed." She nodded, and then he was shivering as he felt her breath against his neck. "You're going to get through this, Dana."
He placed her on the bed and straightened out the covers that had been tangled at her feet. It took him only a moment to fill the syringe with the sedative Scully had requested in her initial instructions, when she'd called Frohike from Pennsylvania. She shuttered as he walked toward her, but she didn't say anything or shrink away. "I know you've heard this before, but it'll be a big stick and then a small sting." His eyes stung as she simply nodded her consent. He knew she just wanted to sleep. Byers rubbed the spot where the medicine went into her arm and then lifted the covers over her. He took her hand and sat with her, watching, until her eyes fluttered closed.
"Sweet dreams. Only, sweet dreams tonight."
He wouldn't leave her until he was sure she was fully asleep. Then, he would face Mulder. He knew it wouldn't be long until she needed his care more than the men that had found her on the hotel room floor. He knew she always did, but while Byers sat watch he would consider it an honor.