CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Georgetown Memorial Hospital, Washington D.C.
Nearly two weeks had passed since Scully had found and rescued Mulder.
He had been transferred to Georgetown after a few days, then had stayed in as a precaution, just in case his lung collapsed again.
But, it hadn't, and now it was time to go home.
Mulder was standing up by his hospital bed and was packing away his things - a few t-shirts and one pair of pyjamas, which Scully had brought him from home. He straightened himself up as she zipped up the bag, then winced slightly in pain as he moved a little too fast. His ribs were still very painful and not fully healed, but he couldn't wait to get out of this hell hole...
She suddenly appeared at the doorway, her red hair the first thing he noticed and then her smile, her beautiful smile.
Mulder smiled back at her as she peeped around the corner, then watched as she walked into the room to greet him. She brushed a piece of loose hair away from her face and he heard her heels click along the hospital floor. The sound made him feel comforted, as he had listened out for it when he had been in the hospital alone, waiting for her to visit him. He knew when he heard that sound that she was coming, and he was always so happy to see her.
Scully came to his side and he noticed that she still had her car keys in her hand. She was dressed for work and had obviously just come from the office.
He realised he had no idea what time it was but he knew it was sometime in the afternoon...
"Hey partner." She said with a playful yet affectionate smile. Mulder looked down at her and noticed how beautiful she looked. He studied her face for a moment, not knowing what to say as he gazed into her blue eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat and realized in that moment how lucky he was to have her in his life...
"Hey." He said finally. She frowned in slight concern as she noticed his delayed reaction.
"You ok?" She asked gently.
"Erm… yeh.." He said, nervously clearing his throat which he immediately regretted as it hurt like hell. "I'm good. Just looking forward to getting home."
Scully noticed him flinch slightly and she knew that he had just experienced some pain. She placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed it gently.
"Well I'm here to take you home." She said softly.
"Great, let's get out of here." Mulder said, lifting his bag but she stopped him immediately.
"No Mulder, no lifting. I've got this." She said, moving her hand which was on his arm to the handle on the bag. As she did, she brushed her hand against his as she closed her fingers around the material. They paused for a few seconds as their skin touched. Scully caught her breath and felt a flutter in her stomach, then pulled the bag away from him, her breathing returning to normal.
She looked up at him and was aware that she was possibly blushing, but Mulder was looking at her with those loving, deep brown eyes which she could get lost in…
"Agent Mulder, going home?"
The chirpy voice of Mulder's nurse came from the doorway, snapping them both back to reality and making them turn towards her. Scully took a step away from Mulder and started towards the door.
"Yes. Thank you for looking after me." Mulder said to her. The nurse nodded and gave him a soft smile, but Scully could smell her attraction to Mulder a mile off. She looked her over and saw she was blonde and attractive, probably Mulder's ideal woman. She forced a smile at the nurse and opened the door with Mulder following behind her.
But she wasn't that bothered by the nurse. She knew Mulder was a very attractive man and that he deserved attention from other women. Just as long as they weren't secretly trying to kill him…
Mulder caught up with her as she walked down the hallway towards the exit. He noticed she was walking briskly, her heeled feet clipping along loudly. He smiled to himself as he knew what had just happened there. And it was totally adorable…
"I think your Nurse has a crush on you." Scully quipped as they walked past reception.
"Yeah well, what can I say?" Mulder laughed, then caught her eye playfully. Scully couldn't help but grin back.
"I'm glad to see you're back to your old self Mulder."
Mulder's Apartment
Scully helped Mulder as they neared his doorway. He was struggling slightly as this was probably the first time he had been on his feet for this long since the ordeal. "You ok?" She asked softly, wrapping her arm around him as she helped support his weight.
Mulder didn't answer, clearly slightly embarrassed by his display of weakness. Scully wouldn't let him feel this way.
"Mulder don't be hard on yourself. Look, here we go." She said as she opened the door with her free hand, then pushed it open. Mulder thanked her and made his way inside. He was so happy to be home.
She let go of him momentarily and placed his bag down in the kitchen then hurried up to him again, supporting his weight once more as they made their way into the apartment. She helped him walk towards the sofa, then sat him down carefully. He gritted his teeth in pain as the movement hurt his ribs and she looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
"I feel totally useless." He said dryly, hanging his head as he raised a hand to his chest. She stood in front of him and put her hands on her hips.
"You're not going to do anything, Doctors orders." She said firmly. Mulder raised his hands up in defeat and sunk back into the sofa and the cushions that Scully had placed behind his back to help keep him upright.
"You want some coffee? May be a glass of water?" She asked as she went back to the kitchen. Mulder grunted a frustrated yes and she smiled to herself a little. He was going to be irritable, but she was going to take care of him. He needed to rest.
"Scully? When can I go back to work?"
"When you've had a few days of rest." She called back from the kitchen as she prepared the coffee. "I'm going to cook you dinner tonight, no arguments."
Mulder was silent, clearly surprised a little at her words, but thankful. She smiled to herself again she didn't even have to look at him to know his reaction...
After she had made the coffee she walked back towards the living area and sofa, tiny as it was, with two steaming hot coffee cups in her hands.
But as she neared Mulder she saw that he had fallen asleep. Scully felt her heart ache with love for him as she watched him sleeping, his head propped up against the cushions and his face so peaceful. She smiled lovingly as she carefully sat herself down on the sofa, trying not to wake him.
She placed his cup on the coffee table and raised her own to her lips, blowing on it gently.
As she took a few sips, Scully glanced over at him and studied his handsome jawline, then his stubble which had grown slightly from his time in the hospital. He was so good looking, she had always known it, since the day they met. But now... she loved him, totally and completely.
The thought that had been invading her mind came up again - what if he remembered what she had said when she had come face to face with Sophie in that basement?
Her heart raced a little faster as she thought about the possibility of him bringing it up sometime. Would he? Would he ask her about it?
No, probably not. Mulder wasn't the type… and besides he had probably forgotten by now...
She sighed anxiously as she tried to push the thoughts away, concentrating on the reassuring sound of his breathing. Scully didn't want anything to come between them. She loved him, but they were professional partners and she had no idea if he felt the same way. And this wasn't just the love that she had felt for him for years, this had transformed into real love. Before, she had loved him as a friend.
But ever since Sophie, she had realized that it was so much more than that...
Scully bit her bottom lip as she looked at him again. She was so glad that he was safe and that he was at home, where she could look after him. After all they had been through, they deserved this quiet time.
Placing her half drank coffee down on the table, she pulled the throw which lay on her side of the sofa over her body, then gently wrapped it around Mulder's as well. Scully took pleasure in these moments, when she had the opportunity to be close to him, without any fear of objection.
Being careful not to put too much weight on him because of his injuries, she snuggled her head against his upper arm and rested against it, taking in his comforting scent. She closed her eyes as their breathing slowly came in tangent with each others.
Scully fell asleep slowly. And it was the deepest sleep she had had in weeks…
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Mulder and Scully forever xxxx