CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Walter Skinner ran up the stairs to the floor where Mulder's hospital room was.

His feet were tired, he had been pounding the streets looking for people who were sick or dying, to tell them to go to the hospital. He had been helping the military take control of the streets as things were starting to get out of hand. People had started looting. He was so angry that people turned to such stupid acts in times of crisis, but he had managed to stop them. An angry young man with a hood had slashed his arm with a knife, and he was bleeding heavily, but he pushed it from his mind as he made his way towards Mulder's room. He needed to catch up with Scully, and see if Mulder was all right. He still felt responsible for them after all these years, and they were his friends, after all.

As he turned the corner and saw the room in sight, he saw Scully pacing the corridor outside, her arms crossed over her chest and her hair tied back, her blue suit that she had been wearing for the past 24 hours was now covered by her doctors coat. Skinner felt relieved to see her, and made his way towards her, just as she turned to see him as the sound of his shoes hitting the floor caught her attention.

"Sir?" She exclaimed as she saw him. He looked a state.

"Scully. How is he?" He asked breathlessly. He looked up at her face and saw that her mascara had run. She looked pale, but there was a glimmer of hope still in her eyes.

"He's not good. But John is coming here with William." She said, smiling as she said her son's name. Skinner felt relief wash over him and pure happiness.

"Wow. I can't wait to see the little guy." He said with a smile, and Scully let out a laugh, she couldn't help it.

"I know, me too." She said. "Although he's not so little anymore."

They laughed for a moment, remembering William as a baby and preparing themselves to meet him for real.

"So, how long are they going to be?" Skinner said, breaking the silence, but Scully was now looking at his arm with worry.

"Sir, you're injured!" She exclaimed, then reached out and grabbed his arm. Skinner winced as she pulled it towards her and checked him over with her eyes, the pain running up his arm.

"It's not that bad." Skinner said between gritted teeth, but Scully shot him a look and raised her eyebrow. Skinner blushed. "Ok, it might be worse than I thought."

"You are going to need stitches. Downstairs is in total chaos, I'll do it for you. Come on." She said, leading him into Mulder's room where she could work.

Washington DC International Airport – 4.33am

John led William to his parked car and opened the passenger door for him. William was silent, and he got into the seat and buckled his seat belt. He had hardly said a word on the flight back. John was concerned, but he didn't want to pry. He couldn't even imagine what he was going through.

"Should be about a twenty minute drive into the city. The roads were pretty bad on the way out, but I think the military have taken control of the streets now." John said, trying to make conversation as he pulled out of the parking lot. William sighed and turned to look out of the window, the dark night still quiet and eerie. "You want to stop for a drink or anything?" John asked, feeling his throat drying up himself. He felt a slight sickness in his stomach and he wondered if the virus was fighting back, it had been a while since he had had the IV.

"No." William said in a small voice, facing away from him. John nodded in silence. "When will I be able to know if my parents are getting better or not?" He asked.

"It'll take a while to make the vaccine, but I am sure your Dana will be able to tell you exactly how long we should expect to wait. I'm sorry man, I'm not a doctor or a scientist." Doggett said in a low voice, looking at William sympathetically. He still couldn't believe how much he looked like Mulder and Scully.

"Do you think they will survive?" He asked, his voice breaking with emotion. John caught his breath and swallowed nervously, unsure of what to say next. He had no idea.

"I sure hope so. I really do." John said awkwardly, and William turned away from him again to look out of the window. "But listen, I will make sure we are updated all the time. I'll call Monica as soon as we get to the hospital, all right?"

"Thank you." William said quietly, still looking out of the window.

John sighed to himself, his own heart breaking for the boy. He was incredibly brave, just like his parents.

Mulder's Hospital Room – Our Lady of Sorrows 4.55am

Scully checked her watch and felt her stomach turn with anticipation.

She was so nervous, she couldn't believe that William was coming, her William, her baby boy…

Skinner glanced at her from the other side of the room as she sat by Mulder's side and held his hand, her feet tapping on the floor continually, the nerves clearly eating her up inside.

Scully's phone rang suddenly, making her jump out of her skin. She stood up and grabbed it and saw that Doggett was calling. With her trembling hands she swiped across and answered it.

"Yes…?" She breathed. Skinner rose to his feet and walked over to her, his now bandaged arm in a sling. He stood by her side, ready to support her.

"Dana. It's John. We are just on our way upstairs now. Are you ready?" He said into her ear. Her heart nearly exploded inside of her. She stumbled slightly as she realized that William was now in the same building as her. "Dana? Can you hear me?" He asked when she didn't answer.

"Yes, yes I'm ready. We're ready. Skinner is with me, we are in Mulder's room." She blurted out, desperately trying to gather herself. She was suddenly terrified that William would hate her for tearing him away from his adoptive parents, but she had to do what was necessary.

"All right. We will be there in a minute." Doggett said, then put the phone down.

Scully felt all the breath in her body leave her as the phone line went dead. She grabbed onto Mulder's hand again and felt almost as if she would faint. Skinner looked at her with concern and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right Dana." He said reassuringly. Scully shook her head and tears coated her throat.

"What if he hates me? What if he doesn't want to see me?" She asked him, her heart racing uncontrollably.

"Stop, just calm down." He said.

"I can't… I can't…" She said breathlessly. Skinner placed his arm around her shoulder.

"Scully, you need to calm down. You have to be strong for Mulder and William. Stop thinking negative thoughts."

"I've waited so many years for this moment, and now I'm terrified of what he might think of me." She said in a small voice as she kept her eyes on Mulder. She wished that he was there with her, she needed his strength and love. "I need Mulder, I can't do this alone."

"I'm right here with you. I'm your friend and I'm here to support you." Skinner said to her and she nodded silently in appreciation, but she was still aware that she was trembling. She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined Mulder holding her, telling her that it was going to be all right...

Before Scully could dwell on it any further, the door opened and she turned to face her son.

AGHHHHHH !

Please review!

Scully needs a Mulder hug!