Chapter 7: Released
Abigail spent more time in the hospital than she would have liked, but the day finally arrived when Doctor Scully finally signed the release papers and sent Abigail on her way. The nurses fussed over her, as they would any patient, and made her make the ride out of the hospital in a wheelchair. As soon as she was at the front doors, Abigail stood up, stretched, and looked around at the people that milled about. There were people of all walks of life in the gardens and the lead up to the hospital. It was a peaceful kind of place, and yet no one really wanted to be there. A stone display of the hospital's patron saint stood at the entrance as the drive looped around it and a small foot garden made up the primary sights at the front of the hospital.
"Most people only see you on their way out," Abigail whispered to the statue as she passed it, walking through the little garden to the parking lot on the other side. "We like to arrive by the rear entrance. It's more exciting that way." She added as she walked into the parking lot and left the little garden behind her.
The parking lot was packed with vehicles but Abigail spotted the car and the person who had given her his word that he would be waiting for her. Dressed in a black suit with a tie far to bright for his complexion and dark aviator sunglasses was Agent William Blake, partner and keeper of the young woman who was too busy to care about anyone but herself. William was a young man, standing a foot taller than Abigail, but bordering the same age as the young woman. He was a handsome young man, with dark eyes and sandy coloured hair. He looked like he had stepped out of a surfing magazine, with his dark, tanned complexion, but his face was serious and very seldom did he smile at anyone but the woman who walked toward him. Truth be told, William had loved Abigail from the moment they had been partnered with each other and the more he came to know her and her personality, the more he realized that she needed someone to protect her, although he would never tell her that. They worked together in the violent crimes division and of the two, Abigail was the more aggressive in the team. She worked hard, believing that she had everything to prove and nothing to loose, but he wasn't so sure she understood just how much damage she was doing. William was of a skeptic mind, working in the FBI for the greater good of all and yet he was stuck with a reputation of a puppy dog that followed the crazies into the unknown but he was good at guarding his own secrets. His record was tainted by his involvement with the woman who had a brilliant mind but who had a crusade that many in the FBI saw as unreasonable and completely absurd. William tried with all his might to make Abigail see the difference in the cases they studied, but he knew where her passion lay and was going to help her accomplish whatever she had to, if it meant one more moment with her.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," William stated as he watched her, dressed in street cloths, walk up to his car.
"Did you bring me my work clothes?" Abigail asked without greeting him.
"Hello to you to," he said as he fell into the driver seat and she followed him into the car. "You don't think you are going in to work today, do you?" he asked.
"If I tell you no, would you believe me?" Abigail asked.
"No," he answered, "but seriously, Abby, you just got released from the hospital, why are you doing this to yourself?"
"Because, everything that I believe and everything I have been working toward is starting to come together," Abigail said excitedly, "I met him, William, I met Agent Fox Mulder!"
"Whoopee," William stated sarcastically as he backed out of his parking spot and into the lanes of the lot, "so you've been working the whole time you were in the hospital, why am I not surprised? Why can't you just be sick and deal with it?"
"I'm not sick," Abigail stated as she pulled the plastic off her dry-cleaned suit that William had brought with him, "I was attacked, and so were you. Why are you not in worse condition then I am?"
"They didn't want me," William stated, "Surprisingly, I wasn't touched at all."
"But do you believe me now?" Abigail asked, "you saw the alien ship, you saw my attackers, you brought me into this hospital. You have to believe the proof that was right in front of you."
"How could I not believe?" William asked, "You've been filling my head with these stories for five years, yeah that's right, we've been working together for five years now Abby, and we are already stuck in a rut. We'll never move up in this job because of what you have decided to focus on. God, and all you care about is getting back to work," He stated as he watched her strip out of her clothes and pull on her suit.
"I never said you had to follow me," Abigail stated clearly annoyed with his ranting and raving.
"No, you didn't," William sighed.
"Well then you have no reason to complain. You either want to be here with me or you don't." she snapped, "you can go into the office, talk to your superiors and get moved to another office or better yet another state and you wont have to deal with me anymore, if you'd prefer."
"That's not what I want," William sighed, "I would just like to feel like I have some say in what we do."
"When you start pulling the X-files out of oblivion and fighting the future without hesitation, then I will give you some room to lead. Until then, I'm it baby, and you'd better deal with it," she stated, putting on her own tie and sunglasses and settling down for the rest of the ride. "Now, if you object to me going into work today you can drive me to my apartment, I'll pick up my car and I'll meet you at the office. If not we can save time and you can just take me there. We have a very important meeting to plan for and if you are in this as much as I am, you are going to be pretty impressed with who's going to be at my party!"
"Fine," William sighed, "I'll take you to the office."
"Ha, there is a reason that the other agents call you my puppy dog, you know that right?" she laughed.
"Cause you don't let me off my leash ever," William stated.
"I have you where I want you," Abigail stated as she looked over her aviators and batted her eyes.
"I'd kiss you if I wasn't so pissed off right now," William stated.
"I'd knock you out if you tried," Abigail retorted and silence fell between them.
