Last Wish
Part 2
by
Trycee
Time-Line: Alternative Universe. Season 10.
Disclaimer: This is written for fun not for profit.
Jackson, Wyoming:
William had started feeling ill again on the trip home. His bluish bruises all over his body ached and he felt lethargic. His parents did their best to make him comfortable, setting up a daybed downstairs in the living room by the large picture window in case he was too weak to walk up the stairs of their farm home. William lay in the bed, staring out at the same fields he'd seen all of his life but quickly the image disappeared, replaced by a place he had never seen in person but yet could see so clearly in his minds-eye. William could see a darkened office though he couldn't tell where it was. He could feel HER so clearly but he couldn't see her face. It was like he was looking through her eyes. He could feel her pain, her tears, and her strength, but it was still like a fuzzy 60's projection film from his vantage point. William often could tune in to her at will and at other times when her emotions were to great. This time he was choosing to tun in to her. He felt compelled to.
The last time William saw his real mother he was about five months old. But unlike most other human beings, he could remember his mother. He could remember her singing to him. He remembered her holding him with so much love joy and something else...fear, of what, he wasn't quite sure. William could also remembered the color of her hair though he couldn't place her face, he just knew that she had red hair like himself and he knew that she had been strong. For William, being able to feel his mother's strength even from a distance made him stronger and helped him to fight his mysterious illness. William knew when his birth mother was thinking about him and she was at that very moment, crying, upset. Despite his gifts, he could not tell just where she was. William was often frustrated. He could see so much like a window in his mind that could tune in to bits and pieces of his birth mother's surroundings and pick up on her feelings but he was blocked from knowing her whereabouts. He suspected THEY were the ones keeping him from them and it irritated him. But, the one thing that William was sure of for certain was that his birth mother needed to know what was happening to him. She needed to know that he was dying. It was his last wish, to see their faces before he died.
Mrs. Van DeKamp sat in the kitchen, watching her son stare out the window for hours at a time and it broke her heart. She was frustrated with the mysterious blood disorder that was robbing herself and her husband of their son. After a year of rushing from one hospital and specialist to the other, they were desperate to find a cure to William's illness but they had also come to grips with their reality. He was dying and so their mission changed from trying to save him to granting his last wish. William had being bounced around from doctor to doctor all over the nation who were all baffled by William's condition, all they could do was reassure them that his original prognosis was correct, William would soon die. After all the anger and tears, they decided to sign William up for the Make-A-Wish foundation to have his last wish. But unlike most teens his age, William didn't want to meet a celebrity or go to a foreign country, he wanted to meet his birth parents, a nearly impossible task. It was a long shot but they hoped that they would be successful, somehow.
The Van DeKamps' had pleaded with the adoption agency and fought with the State of Wyoming, begging them to release his adoption records, all the while, William was growing sicker and sicker. William still had days where he was relatively normal but other days, like today he could barely move and just laid in the bed staring out at the vast landscape before him.
For months, Mrs. Van DeKamp had wracked her brain trying to find a solution and then it dawned on her. She had a connection, a former classmate that had left Jackson, Wyoming and moved to the larger city of Cheyenne long before. She often saw him during high school reunions. It was a long shot. They were never really close, but maybe he could help. She sat down at her desk nestled in her country kitchen and opened her laptop. She searched for the Facebook page of her former classmate and messaged him. All she could do was hope that he remembered her and would help. She could only try.
It felt like an eternity as she waited for a response. Hours passed and it was time for her to cook dinner for her husband who had been out in the fields working all day and for William who had been laid up ill. When supper was done, she checked her messages again and was surprised to see a response. Nervously, she sat down and read the message. She covered her mouth and screamed out. William glanced up from his half eaten plate. He stared at the back of his adoptive mother's head. She was glued to the laptop screen.
"It's going to work," William said.
His mother turned to look at him, a mixture of happiness and confusion. "What?"
"It's going to work. Contact him. He'll find them."
"You think so?", she said, optismistically.
"Yeah, I know it," he said, rising up slowly from the table. He walked over to his mother and kissed the top of her head. "I'm telling you, this time, it will work. So, call him."
She smiled back at her son. "I love you, you know that."
He was weaker and thinner than he had been before but he smiled back. "I know. And mom, no matter what, I love you too."
William reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Don't cry mom. It'll be okay."
"Okay," she said, trying to appear strong in front of William.
Mrs. Van DeKamp watched as he slowly walked back to his daybed. Her husband busied himself, grabbing up the dishes and scraped the plates into the garbage can. "What is it hun? What are you looking at?"
"I need the phone," she said, rereading the message her friend had sent her. "Do you remember Joe? Joseph Billings from high school?"
He tried hard to remember but couldn't. "That was a thousand years ago."
"Remember, he was always saying he wanted to be a cop or something like that."
He cocked his head to the side and tapped his finger against his cheek. "Oh yeah... And people made fun of him because he was so short."
"That's the one."
"He's a P.I. now. I remember him mentioning it at the last reunion. He lives in Cheyenne now. He wants us to call him."
Her husband handed her the house phone and she nervously dialed his number. Her husband with suds on his hands stood behind her. He finally grabbed a towel to wipe his hands as he stood reading the screen. They both looked at eachother, as the phone dialed. Finally, her friend answered, "Hey, been along time," Joseph Billings spoke.
"It has," she said, nervously. "I was surprised that you remembered me."
"Of course," he said. "And I'm sorry to hear about your boy," he said.
She sighed. "Yeah...", she said, anxiously.
"I can help you," he said. "I have connections, an Adoption Consulant at the Wyoming Family Services. As you know, Wyoming is a closed adoption state but this friend of mine helps me out when I need them too."
"How much would it cost?", she asked, glancing up to her husband, who looked back at her nervously.
Joe chuckled. "Nothing. There won't be a cost to you. I don't charge family or friends," Joseph said. "I do this for a living, it's not a big deal for me. I've been a Private Investigator for over a decade. I know how to get things done. And it would be my pleasure to find your boys biological parents...hopefully, soon..."
Mrs. Van DeKamp sighed in relief. "Thank You so much Joe."
"Not a problem. I'll contact you soon," he said, hanging up.
William listened as his parents hugged each other excitedly but he was focused on some other place. He had always known of his real parents and so despite growing up in Wyoming with the Van DeKamps, he knew that he belonged somewhere else. He could see a small white house, it felt like on a farm surrounded by trees. He couldn't see what was happening but he felt at peace there. He closed his eyes and began to sleep for the first time all day.
His mother, Mrs. Van DeKamp, covered him with a blanket and stroked his short red hair. She stood over him, praying to God that this time, it would work. She prayed that he would not die before he met his birth parents. She had faith just as he did that this would work this time. She just had to believe.
Mulders House, Virginia:
"Mulder, I didn't come here to argue."
"I'm not arguing...", he argued, his hands on his hips. He was frustrated. "Scully...this is hard for me. Can you understand that? "
Scully crossed her arms in front of her as she stood against the porch. "I didn't come here to talk about our separation, Mulder."
He was trying to be patient. This was what SHE had wanted, not him. He was trying to give her space to figure out where she wanted the relationship to go. He hoped it was in the same direction he was in, but he'd learned recently that there were no guarantees in their relationship. He'd always assumed there would be. Mulders depression and obsessions had finally pushed Scully away but nothing had changed as far as he felt. He stilled loved her.
"I came because the only person I can talk to about William is you," she fretted, staring into his eyes. "My mom and I can't exactly relate to each other, Mulder. She has never lost a small child, Mulder and I have lost two of them. Just like I have never lost an adult child or my husband."
Mulder looked on as she continued. "My mom can't relate to the guilt that I carry around with me on a daily basis for giving William up."
Mulder reached out and pulled her towards him instinctively, anchoring her to him.
"You're his mother, Scully. A Mother's Instinct is a well documented phenomenon. If you feel that way, then I would bet my life on it that you're right but... "
"But?", she questioned, looking up into his sullen eyes.
"It could just be your anxiety from working with sick kids."
She pulled back and Mulder dropped his arms, sadly.
"You're right," Scully added. "It could just be my hospital work and our latest case on the X-Files causing me to develop anxiety. He's probably just living his life. He could be the captain of his basketball team...", she said, starry-eyed. "Handsome and tall just like you," she smiled, her eyes settling on Mulder. "With red hair...and my eyes."
"Probably having to chase the girls away," Mulder grinned proudly.
She grinned back at him. "I bet he is." Her smile quickly faded. "I hope all that's true," she said, as the nagging feeling returned. "But what if I'm right?", she said, looking up into his worried eyes.
Scully could see Mulder was at a lost for words and looked helpless as he stared back at her. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it quickly.
Scully touched her cross around her neck. "I have to keep the faith that he'll be okay. I mean, I have to believe that, right?"
"Right," he sighed. "It'll be okay, Scully. He's okay."
She could feel the tears tickling at the corners of her eyes. She swiped at them quickly and coughed, trying to straighten herself up. "It's getting late."
Mulder nodded. He wished she would stay but he no longer had a say in those things. They were separated and this had been the first time he'd seen her outside of work in two months. Just looking at Scully hurt his heart. He needed her and having her stand in front of him again, back on their porch so close he could feel her warmth bounce off of him in waves, was like ripping open a wound after it had begun to heal. "Call sometimes, Scully, outside of work, that is. Don't be a stranger."
She sighed heavily. "I will." She locked eyes with him. "Thank You for once again being there, Mulder. I know its hard," she paused, her eyes cast away from him. "Our separation...but thank you for being there."
"Of course," he said, touching her shoulder. She seemed to be battling with herself, he noticed, before pulling away.
"I work at the hospital tomorrow but I'll see you the day after at the office."
"Okay," he sighed.
Scully turned and walked back down the steps. He watched as she turned on her car. She looked at him one last time before pulling off, leaving him to stand on the porch as mosquitoes buzzed at the porch light that cascaded light over him. Mulder's mind went back to William as it often did. He could not feel William the way Scully could, but he too had fears about William. He often worried that his son was being abducted and would one day be taken away like Samantha, never to return. It was his greatest fear. Mulder hoped with all hope that William was healthy and happy, wherever he was. Mulder stepped into the home, alone again, and turned off the porch light, plunging the little white house into utter darkness.
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