They have found themselves at this road so many times, but never before had they been so distant.
For the third time in nearly a year, Scully found herself fighting for her life. Her spirit drifted in and out, weighing the pros and cons of life. She could not deny it; oftentimes her spirit found the afterlife much more alluring. But the prospect of being back at Mulder's side was the biggest draw to being alive.
True, she entertained herself with some quite dashing men, but based on the rumors she heard, it was no different than what Mulder was doing. For some time, Scully had thought her life would easily readjust to life without Mulder but it was harder that she thought. Her thoughts kept drifting back to him and their many exploits. They had such an indescribable bond that unwillingly and unknowingly, Scully measured every man she met against him.
So as she walked through the valley of light, the only thing Scully pondered was the effect of her death on Mulder. She knew her family was strong and they would survive this ordeal and perhaps come out of it stronger. Mulder, on the other hand, was a more delicate situation. Though their estrangement had severed their physical beings from being together, emotionally, Mulder and Scully were closer than ever.
When Mulder ask for Scully's permission that fateful day, she revealed things to him that bared her soul. And with Victoria's rejection for marriage, Mulder began to see what a fool he had been.
The love he so desperately wanted was in front of him all along.
The monitors beeped and he watched her blood being filtered back into her system from a distance. It was her mother that sat by her side, watching and waiting for her daughter's decision. Mulder did not dare enter Scully's room.
When they burst through the hospital doors, doctors and nurses swarmed over her, poking and prodding and doing their best to keep her alive. Within the hour, she was in the operating room and within four, she was wheeled to the ICU. A bandage wrapped around her head, evidence of the trauma incurred there. The most painful evidence of her attack was the blood that still poured out of her. Unable to find the source of the bleeding and not wanting to operate further due to Scully's weakened state, the surgeons decided that she was, at least for the moment, done.
They rigged it so that the blood that leaked from her body was cleverly recycled back into her. It was a terrible but awesome sight.
The police buzzed around the halls. Mulder already answered all their questions to the best of his ability. He could only guess that they were waiting for Scully to wake up and tell her side of that story. Mulder knew that that wasn't going to happen soon.
Looking from a distance, Mulder could see Mrs. Scully stretch and get up. She needs a break, Mulder thought, this is my chance. He watched as she navigated her way too skillfully through the ICU, purposely taking the long way out to dodge Mulder.
He waited till the elderly Scully was completely out of sight before making his move. Mulder practically ran to Scully's side and immediately grabbed her hand.
"Oh Scully, Scully, Scully," Mulder said, repeating her name as many times as he could. "What a fool I've been."
Scully stirred at Mulder's words. He stared around her wildly, not sure if he should call the nurse. Mulder could feel Scully's hand flail slightly about but it stopped when she realized that it was his hands clasped around hers. Her eyes fluttered then cracked open.
"Mulder?" she said so softly that Mulder could barely catch his name.
"Yea, I'm here," Mulder said, equally breathless. He did not expect the first thing from Scully's mouth would be his name.
"Promise … you won't leave," Scully said
"Yea," Mulder gulped, trying to hold back his emotions. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Good."
Scully closed her eyes. She was tired. She had the right to be. But for the first time in a long while, Scully was certain that her sleep would be uneventful – free from any negative feelings toward the man who was still clutching onto her hand. True, there was a lot to work out between them; there were a lot of untreaded waters to explore.
But now, there was time and Scully was more than certain that, this time, everything would work out just fine.