CHAPTER SEVEN
The ED had become a frenzy of new staff at hand over and the morning rush of overnight casualties making their way through the doors. In the crowd of new faces and lack of sleep Mulder became disorientated and made his way to the admitting desk. "Hello" he tried to get the attention of one of the busy nurses behind the desk. "Hello," they continued to push the files around on the desk and tap away at the computer. He pulled out his badge and placed it on their desk. "Can I have a moment of your time please?" The nurse looked up but was interrupted as Kate and Officer Smith approached him.
"Good morning Agent Mulder" Officer Smith greeted him.
"Nice to see you made it out of there." Kate added.
"Have you got my sketch?" Officer Smith handed him the freshly drawn sketch.
"It's Harrison" Mulder said handing the sketch to Kate and moving away from the desk towards Mrs Hall's room.
Kate stopped him short of entering. "Wait Mulder, Harrison's your Glioblastoma case, the guys who's brain is hooked up to Frankenstein's computer. How can he be your killer?"
"Harrisons' brain is very much alive it's in a state of consciousness no human brain has ever been in before and your 'Dr Frankenstein' is stimulating it's most aggressive power. Specifically he is generating murderous actions that are playing out in these women's dreams and coming into fruition in this world." Kate looked at him blankly "You see now why they put me in the basement?" She kept starring in silence. "Look my usual Dr/scientist who argues the scientific explanation is in bed with a fever, do you think you could try standing in?" She started to move her mouth. "Wait. There is new research that suggests some brain tumours may have viral origins, right?"
"Yes."
"Could a Glioblastoma stem from a simple flu virus?"
"Yes, I suppose it ca…"
"That's the connection. Each woman who had the murderous dreams were also delirious with fever from a flu virus." He was staring at her intensely suddenly all the pennies were dropping at once and then he gasped "Huh, Scully."
"What?" Kate answered thinking he really had gone mad.
"My partner, do you have a car?"
"Yes, it's in the Dr's car park, I have my own space."
"Can I borrow it?"
"Ok where are you going?" She pulled the keys out of her pocket and handed them to him as he turned and starting walking briskly away.
"I need to go wake my partner up" he called as he ran towards the exit. Then something occurred to him so he swivelled on his feet and ran back to her placing his hands on each of her shoulders. "I need you to go down to O'Neils lab. I need you to pull the plug on his experiment."
She nodded "ok."
Mulder turned to Officer Smith who was watching them confused. He pointed a sharp finger at him "you go with her."
Kate and Officer Smith exchanged a confused glance and then watched Mulder exit the busy ED. Mulder pulled out his phone and dialled the hotel number. "This is Agent Mulder I need you to go and knock on room five's door….
Yes that's Agent Scully's room…..
Yes she probably is asleep….
I need you to try and wake her…
No her phone will be off the hook…..
Thank you I'm on my way."
Scully hung up her cell phone and switched it off and then she removed the receiver from its base in her hotel phone as well. For once she was going to follow Mulders advice. Feeling a bit more steady and less likely to vomit she slowly rose out of bed to find something to try and lower her still raging fever. She poured herself a long glass of cold water, set it on her bedside table then climbed back between the sheets resting her head and hoping an uninterrupted deep sleep would find her.
Behind her eyelids she returned to her febrile dream land. Her hand was still interlinked with his as she led him to the foot of her bed. Stopped he stepped closer to her closing the already small distance between them. She kept her eyes low, suddenly feeling for the first time in his presence, a little shy. She felt like her breathing was audible to the neighbours and yet he remained calm, she could feel his eyes sitting on the top of her lowered head. He ran the side of his index finger along her jaw, painfully slowly until he reached her chin and tilted her head to meet his eyes. The room was deafeningly silent and she felt like the floor might open beneath her. His finger left her chin and in an odd move he swept it along the back of her neck, under her collar. "No bees?" He whispered.
She smiled suddenly feeling much more relaxed, realising this was his way of asking if she was sure. "No bees" she confirmed smiling one of her rare smiles. He closed the distance between their mouths slowly. She closed her eyes in sweet anticipation. His lips were soft and tender and moved gently over hers, she knew this was the single most intimate moment of her life and she never wanted it to end. They paused at the same time moving their mouths a breath away from each other she opened her eyes to look up at him - but he was gone. She ran her tongue along her lower lip and then took it between her teeth; her lips were still tingling from his. She was still dreaming she realised but the room was darker and different; she was no longer in her apartment. It was familiar though the bed, the paint, and the décor she turned on her feet looking around the room – it was her hotel room. Looking down at the bed she realised she was looking down at herself, fast asleep. Something or someone moved inside the bathroom catching the corner of her eye. She instinctively went to reach for her gun but her feet were planted firmly to the floor, like she was frozen in time and yet time moved forward around her. She turned her eyes back to the bathroom there was definitely someone in there she could see his flannel sleeve. Her breathing quickened she looked back and forth from her sleeping self to the looming presence in her hotel bathroom. A key shuffled in the lock stealing her icy gaze for just a second and then Mulder burst into the room.
"Scully" he called quietly Scully turned to see the figure in the bathroom retreat out of sight.
"I'm here Mulder" she answered but he didn't hear her, he couldn't see her; he was concentrating on her lying in the bed. He came around and knelt at her bedside to face her exposing his back to the man in the bathroom.
"Mulder I'm here," she tried louder this time. He didn't flinch.
"Scully." He carefully traced the back of his finger down the side of her face. "Wake up sleepy head."
Scully remembered what Joanne had said about watching a movie play out in front of you and this is exactly what was happening. Time appeared to slow as the figure came from the bathroom his flannel covered arms were extended and a small revolver she recognised from that day in Joanne's house was held firmly in his hands. Fingers poised over the trigger and its barrel site firmly planted on the back of Mulders head. "Stop!" Scully yelled, but no-one was paying attention. "Mr Harrison please" she tried again.
The gunman momentarily dropped his attention from Mulder and looked at her. His head cocked sideways in confusion, he had recognised his name.
"Stop" she repeated with a quiver on her lips and a single tear threatening to fall from her bottom eyelid. "Please" she pleaded. Her eyes shifted back to Mulder realising that he felt the presence lingering on his back and was reaching for his weapon. Harrison saw her shift in attention and returned his to Mulder. Time slowed to a crawl for Scully. She heard her own voice yelling "No" as that tear fell from its hiding place and trekked down her cheek and her feet still planted to the floor left her to only fold in half at the middle.
Mulder stood and turned face to face with the shooter as he pulled the trigger spitting the bullet out with a shattering crack. Mulders arms swinging to deflect the shot hit Harrisons arms forcing the bullet lower than its intended target and instead through Mulders shoulder. Scully watched helplessly as Mulders shoulder jerked violently backwards, his face grimacing with intense pain and shock and the spray of his blood splatter over her bed and her still lying asleep and seemingly oblivious to the nightmare that was playing out in that Dallas hotel room. Harrison fell to the floor knocked over by Mulders blow spilling the gun to the floor. Scully was gasping desperately trying to fill her lungs with oxygen, her tears were freely flowing, her hands planted on her knees desperately trying to keep herself upright and then everything went black.
Suddenly she was back in her bed, she woke with a startle kicking her feet free of the weight from the body that lay across them and clutching at the sheets scrambling to get herself into an upright position. She shivered and shook. Her breath was coming in short quick gasps. Then she brushed viscously at her chest and arms where Mulders warm red blood at soaked her shirt in her worst nightmare. She looked down at him lying across the foot of her bed unconscious, but there was no blood. She frowned as she looked at him momentarily confused; she brushed at her clothes one last time then shivered gathering her wits and catching her breath. Then everything started to make sense, the dream, the virus, Harrison. "Mulder" she crawled along the bed to his side "Mulder wake up". She shook his shoulders, he didn't respond. She started on his top buttons, loosening the tie and then in frustration ripped at the shirt sending buttons flying in the air popping as they tore from the expensive cotton. The wound was neat but deep. "Oh god, Mulder, Mulder wake up, open your eyes" she patted him firmly on each cheek and he stirred slightly before falling back unconscious.
Scully scrambled back on all fours along the edge of the bed until she reached the head board and then banged firmly on the wall. "Skinner!" She yelled banging hard again "Skinner I need your help!" Hearing feet scramble out of the bed in the next room she went back to Mulders side. "Come on Mulder, come back to me" she whispered then lay her cheek to his mouth, checking for signs of life, warm reassuring breath hit her cheek- he was still breathing.
Skinner came crashing into the room still doing his pants up looking half asleep "What is it, what's wrong?"
"Mulders been shot."
"What?" He looked between an unconscious Mulder and a scared looking Scully.
"Call an ambulance he's been shot!" She fired back at him giving him her 'do it or I'll kill you' stare. She held her hands firmly over the wound, still no blood was spilling through but she could feel its warmth slide through her fingers and his life pulse started to beat too slowly.
Skinner who had managed to button his fly, but had left his belt hanging was also still in his white singlet that he had been sleeping in. He put his glasses on that he had grabbed in his haste out the door and scrambled to the phone. "Yes this is Deputy Director Walter Skinner FBI I need a paramedic team now, I'm at ah ah." He looked around the room for something that had the hotel name on it but the operator answered for him reading from the caller display screen in front of her. "Yes room 5, I have an agent down!" He hung up the phone and turned to Scully. She sat on her knees with her hand placed firmly over Mulders left shoulder. "Talk to me Scully, what's going on?"
"He's shot!" she didn't look up at him.
"Where I can't see any blood? Are you ok you look like you have a fever? Are you sure?"
"I saw it" she looked up at him her exterior calm and collected except for a single tear that sat on her eyelid then spilled down her cheek. "In my dream, it was Harrison." She looked back down at her hands, reassured by the gentle pulse beneath her palms.
"Ok, Ok settle down, tell me what you want me to do."
"Get him a blanket, over there" she gestured with her chin towards the wardrobe where she had seen the spare linen.
He got up and did as she had asked covering Mulder with the blanket. "You ok?" he asked trying to catch her eyes.
"I can feel it" she said shakily. "I can feel the blood on my hands." She started to breath quickly "this is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening" the words came from deep in her throat. She looked up at him and through gritted teeth exaggerated each word "This is not happening!" Their eyes were locked.
"It's ok" He broke the silence, "the paramedics are on their way." He tried to sound reassuring but a big part of him thought she was delirious. Then he looked at Mulders face, he was pale and his skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat, making it clammy to the touch, all signs that he was, indeed, bleeding to death. He looked back at Scully whose eyes started to dart from side to side, like she was concentrating hard to find something. "What, what is it?"
"No" she answered and shifted her hands slightly.
"What Scully, What's going on?"
"No No No" she repeated adjusting her position so she was kneeling directly over him. "His heart has stopped."
"What!"
"Quickly, help me get him on the floor."
"Scully?"
"NOW!"
He scrambled onto the bed linking his arms under Mulders shoulders, his head limp rolled from side to side in Skinners lap. Scully grabbed his feet and together they dragged him onto the floor. He landed with a thud, his eyes closed, the colour had drained from his lips and his body was limp and lifeless. Just then the door burst open and the paramedics flooded the room. Scully was knelt beside him pumping furiously on his chest. Two of the paramedics were carrying a stretcher came to the other side of his body. The other carrying the medical supplies and defib machine.
"Step aside mam we can take it from here" one of the men spoke to her. She kept up her steading rhythm "Mam!"
"He needs a large bore I.V!"
"Mam please we can take it from here."
"He needs a litre of ringers wide open and have the second litre ready. Radio the hospital; tell them we need 6 units of A negative ready for when we get there!"
The confused paramedic looked up at Skinner.
"This is special Agent Dana Scully" Skinner responded. "She is a medical Doctor and this man's partner I suggest you do as she says."
The paramedic shrugged in acceptance and then grabbed Mulders arm to try and find a suitable vein to place the line. The other took her radio from her belt and started ordering the blood at the hospital.
"You" Scully looked up at the paramedic holding the medical bag, still pumping away on Mulders chest. "Get an airway in and start bagging him. You" she looked at the female paramedic holding the defibrillator. "Give me that! Skinner get down here and put some pressure on that wound."
All, but Scully passed each other a glance, the same confused expression 'this woman is nuts' they silently said to each other. But none of them dared question her and all of them did as she asked.
"Clear!" She yelled with the paddles firmly positioned across Mulders chest. His body convulsed violently upwards. "Charge it again" Scully demanded. The paramedic obeyed. "Clear" they all stood back and again his body lurched off the floor. Still a long ring and flat line echoed across the medical machinery. "Again" she yelled. "Come on Mulder" she begged him as the machine charged, "we aren't finished yet partner, you can't leave me yet. Clear!" Again the electricity violently rushed through his body but when he landed on the floor the monitor began to beep a slow steady rhythm. "Thank god" she exhaled, throwing the paddles to the floor and hanging her head in exhaustion. Everyone else in the room sat staring at her awaiting their next order. She looked up and then around at them all. "What are you waiting for get him on the stretcher and into the ambulance and where's that other bag of fluids?" They all jumped into action getting him onto the stretcher, continuing to pump the ambu bag supplying vital oxygen to his brain. The heart monitor lay beside him on the stretcher it's slow but steady beep a reassuring reminder his heart was still beating. Scully never let go of his hand as they lifted him into the back of the ambulance.
"I'll put some clothes on and meet you at the hospital" Skinner called to her but the ambulance doors slammed shut before she could respond and the engine and siren whirred into action and began its rapid descent from the car park.
Dr Kate Reefton was pacing in front of the ambulance entrance. She had a surgical team on standby and six units of blood waiting to be transfused. Just over an hour ago she had made her way with Officer Smith down to the basement lab, trying her best to explain Mulders theory to him as they made their way down the long elevator ride.
"Sounds like a crock of shit" he stated honestly. "You know Mulder has a certain reputation for coming up with these ghost stories. I heard things about him. You know he believes his sister was abducted by aliens?"
"Aliens?" she enquired.
"Yeah he's been waving his gun at the sky from his basement office ever since. Dunno why that partner of his has hung around so long. Ha" he snickered. "Maybe he has a really big 'gun' " He chuckled. "You know I have a big 'gun' I could show it to you sometime?" he smirked at her suggestively.
She gave him an unimpressed smile. Yes this is what she had come to expect from local law enforcement. Ignorant beer bellies with filthy minds. But she liked Mulder; he seemed to be clued on, different to the others. When they reached Dr O'Neill's lab they found the door locked and their calls and knocks were left unanswered.
"This is a waste of time" Officer Smith exclaimed. "The bureau can shove it, I've been up all night for two nights on this and I'm chasing what - dreams, a dead man? Give me a break" and he walked away indignantly. Kate hesitated for a moment then followed him.
Now she was waiting for Mulder to arrive on a stretcher. The paramedic said they had successfully resuscitated him at the hotel but his heart had stopped again in the ambulance. He said 'a crazy red head' was calling the shots, talking about virus', brain tumours and phantom gunshot wounds. She was probably delirious with fever like last night's 'wacko' he had surmised through his crackling radio. But Kate's gut told her otherwise. Mulder was right and she hadn't stopped O'Neill as he had asked her too and now he could die.
She had stopped pacing and was biting her nails nervously when the ambulance pulled up to the door. The door burst open and a stretcher fell onto its wheels with a loud crash. Mulder was too pale and his head lolled from side to side as the stretcher hit the ground. Sitting astride his waist was the 'red head' in question, furiously pumping on his chest. "Agent Scully?" she guessed running next to the stretcher as it was pushed through the hospital doors.
Scully looked up at her as she continued CPR. "Who are you?" She asked breathless from the exertion.
"Dr Kate Reefton, I've been working with your partner tonight. He told me his theory I know what's going on Agent Scully, tell me what happened."
Scully hesitated then un-creased her brow. "Single gunshot wound to the left shoulder, through and through. He went into cardiac arrest at the hotel but we got him back after three rounds of adrenaline and shocks. We maintained his BP and heart rate on route until about two minutes ago. He's had 3 litres of ringers, but I can't see the blood, I, I, I don't know how much he has lost." Seeing a friend and ally in Kate's eyes she let her guard down and her voice began to shake. "I can't see the blood."
"Stop the stretcher" Kate directed at the ambulance crew. She gestured at one of the paramedics "can you take over CPR please." He nodded and started to kneel up onto the stretcher. "Come here" she took Scully's arm, "hop down, your exhausted let someone else take over." Scully complied and tiredly came down from the trolley. Her world began to spin again and she felt herself falling. The sound of the stretcher wheels running along the floor became distant and so did Kate's voice, she was yelling "take him to O.R. four they are prepped and ready and someone get me another gurney over here." Scully closed her eyes and gave into the darkness again.
