Chapter Eight
Scully sat at the desk in the hotel room she shared with Kayla that evening, reading and re-reading the file she had received in the mail only a day earlier. No matter how many times she perusing the genetic data that proved the relationship, she still couldn't wrap her mind around it. Even if she did find a defect in the genetic code in front of her, she couldn't discount the amazing resemblance between Kayla and Melissa. Scully tried not to watch Kayla too much as she was getting ready for bed that evening, but her movements, her facial expressions, everything was a painful reminder of Melissa.
Now Kayla was in the shower, and Scully took the opportunity to go over the file again, hoping for a break in this strange case. She told Mulder she would meet him in his room once Kayla had gone to bed, so they could make their plan for the next day, and figure out where to start.
Scully sighed, pulling her glasses off, rubbing her eyes vigorously. This had all happened so fast, she didn't know what to make of it all.
The bathroom door opened, and Kayla walked out, hair wet, and pajamas on. Scully closed the file and placed it in her briefcase before Kayla noticed, but Kayla was oblivious to what Scully was doing.
Kayla wandered over to the window, and hesitantly peeked out the curtains. Scully felt for the girl. She hadn't stopped peering out the window since they had arrived at the hotel. Scully cleared her throat.
"Kayla, you're safe. You're with us, nothing's going to happen to you." She said, trying once again to reassure the frightened girl. "There's a policeman right outside this door and one outside the hotel. There's no way anybody can get to you." Kayla turned away from the window, her cheeks turning pink. She turned toward her bed.
"Sorry." She said meekly. "Just paranoid." Scully had to smile, but she was at a loss for words. Why was it so hard to find things to say to this girl? She just felt so incredibly awkward around her. She wasn't sure if it was because she was responsible for taking care of her for the next little while, or if it was because she knew she was related to this girl, and that thought scared her to death. Scully sighed, frustrated that she couldn't figure anything out.
"Is it alright if I read for a little bit before I go to bed?" Kayla suddenly asked, as she crawled into her bed. Scully turned around, surprised she was being asked permission to read before bedtime. Scully was taken aback. Was she supposed to enforce rules too? She stood up.
"Uh, sure. That's fine with me." Scully suddenly remembered. "Oh, but maybe you should take your medicine first. That way, it's done and you can just fall asleep when you're ready." She turned to reach for her purse, where she had placed Kayla's bottle of pills earlier. She heard the small sigh coming from the girl from behind her. Scully turned back to Kayla, with the pills in her hand.
"What's the matter?" Scully asked, handing Kayla the bottle of pills, and pulling out a bottle of water from the mini-fridge next to her bed. Kayla shrugged, as she hesitantly took one of the pills, not even using the water.
"Nothing, I just think it's stupid." She said quietly, handing the pill bottle back to Scully, as she reached over for Pride and Prejudice, which was already on her bed. Scully was curious.
"What's stupid?" She wanted to know.
"Taking pills. Doctors have been giving them to me since I was young." Kayla sighed, finding her page in her book. "I'm not even sick." She never looked up, but Scully was becoming more and more interested in hearing Kayla's perspective on her condition.
"Terri tells me you have a form of epilepsy?" Scully questioned. She was interested in learning more about Kayla's condition - her training through medical school sparked her curiosity, and there was something about the way Terri had phrased Kayla's disorder that made Scully wonder. "Like I said, I don't understand it. The doctors say it's a form of epilepsy or something."
Or something.
Kayla shook her head, looking up at Scully for the first time.
"I don't believe that's true." She said quietly, expecting Scully to tell her, as everyone else had, that Kayla was thinking too much about things, and to leave things to the doctor.
But Scully was eager to understand.
"What don't you believe is true?" Scully asked.
"I don't believe I have epilepsy." Kayla got quiet all of a sudden. "I think...I think it's something else, but I'm not sure what."
"What makes you think it's not epilepsy?" Scully asked, taking a seat on the bed next to Kayla. Kayla breathed out.
"Well, I'm not a doctor, but I've tried to do research with medical journals and stuff. I think I figured out that if I were really epileptic, the medication would at least slow down the 'episodes', as the doctors call them. But the medication does nothing to stop it or slow it down. I still have them!" Kayla exclaimed. Scully went into medical mode.
"Not necessarily. You know, it can take some time for the proper medication to be established, not to mention-"
"And I have absolutely no memory of what's happening to me when these 'episodes' are happening!" Kayla said in frustration. Scully puckered her brow. That was odd. Kayla continued.
"I-I lose time from my life, it's just gone! Terri's seen me during an episode, some doctors have too. I never remember anything, but they tell me that I'm never shaking or convulsing or anything. They say I just sit there. That doesn't sound like epilepsy to me! But everyone I tell that to tells me to leave it alone! Nobody believes me!" Her body was shaking now, she was getting upset, Scully could tell. Scully tried to remain calm for the girl.
But she mulled over what Kayla was saying. If what Kayla was saying was true, then she had a good cause for not believing any of her doctors. What Kayla was describing sounded nothing like epilepsy. But it wasn't like anything she had ever heard of before. No wonder the doctors placed a diagnosis on her. They were at a loss.
She looked at Kayla, who stared at Scully with desperate eyes, looking for someone to affirm her, to put faith in her, someone to believe she wasn't crazy. Scully offered a small smile, showing she understood.
"Kayla, I believe you." Scully gave a small nod of her head. "And I'm sure one day, everything will be figured out." Kayla sighed, turning her attention to her book.
"I hope so." She said under her breath.
Scully stood up and grabbed her briefcase, that held the file she didn't want Kayla to know about. She turned and looked at Kayla again, who was already focused into her book. Scully cleared her throat.
"I'm just going to go over to Mulder's room for a bit, okay Kayla? If you need anything at all, just come on over." She said. Kayla only nodded, and Scully wondered if she was that captivated by her book, or if she was thinking about their conversation. Scully decided not to press. She didn't know how to even if she wanted to. What did she know about helping a teenager?
Scully left the room, told the policeman guarding the room she would be next door if he needed anything, and knocked on Mulder's door.
"Come in." He called from the inside. Scully let herself in and closed the door behind her. She found Mulder casually laying on his bed, watching what appeared to be a reality television show. Scully breathed out.
"What are you watching?" She asked, feeling annoyed. Mulder raised an eyebrow as he turned the tv off.
"What, I was getting bored? I didn't think you'd ever show up." He said sarcastically, as he jumped up into a sitting position. Scully just stared at him, as his lips curved into a smirk.
"Were you girls bonding?" He asked with a grin. Scully raised an eyebrow.
"It's not funny, Mulder, that poor girl is terrified for her life! I'm surprised she didn't get upset when I said I was coming over here for a bit." She said, as she took a seat on the spare bed.
"Well, hopefully we can figure some things out and get a lead on this case so we can nail whoever it is that's after her." Mulder said seriously, as Scully pulled out the folder she had received anomynously.
"I realized today a good place to start would be with the surrogate mother, the one who received the egg donations from that laboratory." She explained, opening the file to that spot. "It says she doesn't live too far from here." Mulder raised a hand up.
"Woah, do you think that's a good idea?" He asked. Scully puckered her brow.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Think about it, Scully. How much do we know about Kayla? The custody situation, how she was given away, details surrounding her birth and legal issues. Don't you think it would be better if we had an understanding of all of that before we barge in on this woman demanding information about someone she might not know much about?" Mulder pointed out.
Scully pondered and realized he was right. If she had been thinking clearer, she would have seen that herself. It was a good thing she had decided to bring Mulder along for this case. Her emotions were clearly clouding her judgment.
"You're right." She said quietly, hating to admit it. "What do you suggest?"
Mulder took the file from Scully and peered over it for a few moments before he said anything.
"I think the county's Social Services Department would be a good place to start. It's about an hour from here. I checked it out already. They're probably the ones who handled Kayla's case. Maybe we can learn more about Kayla's birth, and the first few years of her life, and learn more about Kayla's surrogate mother too. Maybe there will be some kind of information about what makes her so 'special?' What makes her such a target for these people who want her?" Mulder put his fingers up to his mouth, a common habit of his when he began to think. "Do you think it's money?" Scully shook her head, as she pit on the end of her pen.
"I don't know. I guess it could be, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Kayla doesn't know anything about having any money left in her name, and I know that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have any, but it just doesn't fit together. Why would whoever sent me this file say Kayla was in danger if it was just a matter of wanting money?" She asked. Mulder saw her point and sighed, leaning back against his headboard.
"Well, if it's not about money, what could it be?" He paused. "I hate to say it, but kids like Kayla are hardly a decent target for ransom kidnapping." Scully nodded in agreement.
"I guess we'll find out more tomorrow when we go to Social Services." She said in a tired voice.
"What if it's something else?" Mulder asked suddenly. Scully was beginning to feel exhausted, and wasn't feeling in the mood for Mulder's theories. But she asked anyway.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I mean, what if these people want her for something that isn't external. If it's not for money, why would they be after her?"
"I don't know, Mulder, that's what we're trying to figure out."
"Maybe it's got something to do with something she's done, something she's doing, or something she can do."
"Mulder, do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" Scully asked, rubbing her eyes. Mulder shrugged.
"Nothing but a theory." He said, spreading his hands out. "I already rented a car for tomorrow morning, so we'll be all set to head out whenever you're ready."
Scully nodded.
"Good." She said, opening up her laptop.
For the next hour, Scully began typing up a preliminary report for this case, while Mulder continued to flip through his television for something to watch. Scully tried to tune out the mindless conversations happening on the tv, while she focused the last bit of energy she had into jotting down some notes and observations.
Mulder broke the mindless silence.
"Have you told her yet?" He asked. Scully turned toward him, about to ask what he was talking about, but then she knew.
"Mulder, if you're asking me if I've told Kayla that I'm her aunt, no, I haven't." She replied. He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, why not? I think you should. I think it would help Kayla understand a little better why you were the one who was contacted, out of every FBI agent that could have been selected." He pointed out. Scully sighed, feeling frustrated.
"Now's not the time, Mulder."
"Why not?"
"We're in the middle of figuring out who's after her and why! Besides, I don`t even know if she really is my neice! This whole thing could turn out to be some hoax, or practical joke. I can't just tell her something that might not even be true!"
"You have the genetic evidence in that file!"
"Look Mulder! I'm still trying to make sense of all of this!" Scully shouted. "Two days ago, I didn't have a neice, and now I'm sleeping in the same room as Melissa's biological daughter! Daughter!" Mulder was silent as he listened to Scully. She breathed out slowly and closed her eyes.
"Just let me get my bearings straight first." She said silently. Mulder gave a nod.
Scully told him she would meet him in the morning, and she headed back to her room. The policeman sitting outside the room looked up.
"Anything I should know about?" Scully asked. The policeman shook his head.
"Nope. It's been quiet all night." He replied. Scully nodded and let herself into the room.
She found Kayla fast asleep right where she had left her. Kayla's book lay open on her chest. She must have fallen asleep while she was reading.
Scully wandered over to Kayla, and picked up the book gently. She breathed out, noticing that Kayla was nearly finished her book. Just like Melissa. Scully smiled to herself.
She placed the book down on Kayla's nightstand. As she readied herself for bed, she hoped they would be able to find something in the morning that would help them figure out who was after Kayla, and why.
Then she'd have to figure out what to do about being an aunt.
And that seemed scarier than finding the criminals.
