Title: "The Scully Files: When You Come Back To Me Again" Part 3
Author: Cassandra Mulder
Rating: PG
Archive: Anywhere reputable, as long as you e-mail me about it first,
and leave my name attached.
Classifications: Angst, MSR, a little bit of Scully danger. (Don't worry
though, guys;)
Disclaimer: I do not own Mulder (I can wish though!), Scully,
The X-Files, or anything else associated with it. It all belongs to
Chris Carter, FOX, and 1013 Productions. (Thanks for the 1013
Syndrome guys!)
Author's Notes: This is the last installment of "The Scully Files",
and I've had a heck of a time working through this one! Just getting
the ending right is very hard with something like this! So I hope you
all enjoy it, because I'm not giving it away here! :)
I want to dedicate this to Teresa, Lily, Melissa, and my best friend in the
world, April. Thank you all for believing in me!
I also want to dedicate this in memory of my friend, my "little brother",
Jeremy Michael Hartley, who left this life at the mere age of 17 on
August 2, 2000. His life was short, but he accomplished a lot for the
Lord. I love you, Jeremy.
POV: Scully
Feedback: Yes please! dana_mulder31@hotmail.com
**************************************************************************************
On a prayer
In a song
I hear your voice
And it keeps me hanging on
Ahhh, raining down against the wind
I'm reaching out
Till we reach the circle's end
When you come back to me again.
"When You Come Back To Me Again"- Garth Brooks
*****************************************************************
5 months later
The looks and the stares bore down on her, but Dana Scully just
looked straight ahead and walked on. The questions were obvious,
but no one ever asked, and she never talked about it.
Her pregnancy was well past just showing, it was blatantly pronounced
for everyone to see.
But she didn't care what anybody thought. The only thing she was focused
on at the moment was getting through the rest of her pregnancy.
She had tried to hide her condition as long as possible, but under the stifling
heat of summer she hadn't been able to wear layers for long. When it had come
down to showing or heatstroke, she had picked showing. At least that wouldn't
kill her.
The last 5 months hadn't been easy. She'd had to deal with the consequences
of running off for a week to Oregon. A trip that yielded absolutely nothing, and
had gotten her into plenty of trouble. There had been no clues in Bellefleur, as
*all* of the abductees were still missing. And even a thorough search of the
woods had turned up nothing.
After she returned, all she got was a tongue-lashing from Skinner and strict
orders to begin working, and cooperating, with her new partner.
She had almost quit, but decided against it, not wanting to lose the X-Files for
Mulder.
So now she did the best she could to avoid Agent Ransom, and get along with
her when she couldn't.
Leigh Ransom was not an unpleasant woman, much to Scully's dismay. She
was tall, about 5'8", with long dark brown hair, and brown eyes. At 38, she was
attractive, and didn't look her years.
And right now, she made Scully feel like a cow.
Fortunately this morning, Leigh, as she insisted upon being called, wasn't in
the office yet. Scully needed a few minutes to herself.
At nearly 8 months pregnant, she felt huge. Lowering herself into a chair, she
sighed. Her mother was helping her as much as possible, but even she couldn't
make her daughter's discomforts disappear. And there were plenty of them.
Mrs. Scully had insisted that they meet for lunch once a week, and Scully looked
forward to those meetings. It was the only time she really had anyone to talk to.
They were supposed to meet at noon, and Scully couldn't wait. She was at her
wit's end.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Come in", Scully said.
It was Agent Ransom.
"Good morning, Dana", she said, smiling brightly.
Why is she always so happy?, Scully thought. But she managed a thin smile.
"Good morning, Leigh", she replied, shuffling through some papers to make
herself look busy.
"How's the little one this morning?", she inquired.
Scully glanced up. "Fine thanks."
Obviously Leigh knew she was pregnant, but she didn't know who the father
was for sure. But Scully was certain there were plenty of telling rumors going
around. And she made it a point not to get too personal, the less people knew
right now, the better. No matter how nice Agent Ransom was, and no matter how
unsuspicious Scully tried to be of her, it was better to safe than sorry.
Leigh smiled at her, looking a bit wistful. "I've always wanted children", she said.
"I've just never found the right man. I'm beginning to think I never will. But
apparently you did. If you don't mind my asking, who is he?"
Scully tried desperately to remain blank.
"It doesn't really matter now", she lied. "He's gone."
Leigh immediately regretted asking the question.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Dana. I really am", she said sympathetically.
"It's ok, really. It's not your fault", she replied, smiling slightly.
And it's not really his either, she thought to herself.
***************************************************************************
Scully was relieved when noon finally rolled around. She gathered up her
things, and went down to the parking garage to her car.
She carefully slid behind the wheel. It was getting harder to drive by the day,
but she really had no choice, there was no one else to do it for her.
Scully pulled up at the little sidewalk cafe at 12:05 p.m. Her mother was already
seated at a table waiting for her, but she stood up to greet her daughter as soon
as she got out of the car.
Mrs. Scully hugged her as best she could, and helped her into a chair.
"How are you doing, dear?", she asked.
Scully looked down at her increasingly large belly. "As well as can be expected
for a whale, I suppose", she replied, only half joking.
Her mother smiled. "I know how it feels, Dana, but I wouldn't worry about it, you
look beautiful."
"Well, I certainly don't feel that way."
"I know, honey, but you've only got four more weeks to go. It'll be here before
you know it. How's work been going?"
"Slow as usual. I don't think anybody wants anyone but Mulder to investigate
the X-Files."
"Well, when does your maternity leave start?"
"In two weeks, just in case the baby comes early or whatever. I can't wait.
I'm tired of having to maneuver around that little office. And my partner...",
she stopped.
"What's wrong with her?", Mrs. Scully asked.
"Nothing", Scully said, disdainfully. "Absolutely nothing as far as I can tell.
And that's the problem. She seems harmless, but how can I possibly trust her?
I just don't think it would be wise, right now especially."
"Hmmm...", her mother uttered, looking worried. "Dana, you've worked with the
woman for five months now. I think you've got some serious trust issues."
"Mom, can you possibly blame me? After everything that's happened in the past
eight years, it's hard for me to trust anyone. You know what A.D. Skinner told me
just before I left for Oregon?"
"No, what did he say?"
"He told me I was starting to sound like Mulder", she revealed, laughing a bit.
"Well, maybe you are, but that's not necessarily a bad thing under the circumstances."
"I know, that's what I think too. His paranoia has saved my life a thousand times over."
"It's fine to be cautious, just don't go overboard, ok? I don't want to find you
huddled up in the corner of your apartment, gun in hand. You're going to be fine."
"Don't worry. I couldn't squat down on the floor to save my life. Literally." She
ran a hand across her face. "Mom, I don't sleep anymore, and I can't stand it.
Just lying there for hours on end is driving me crazy. I can't get comfortable
for one thing, and I don't know, there's something else. I just... I guess I just
expected Mulder to be back by now. *I* wasn't gone this long, so now I'm even
more worried. There's nowhere to look for him, nothing else to do. I have the
local PD scout those woods once a week, and they never find anything. There
are people besides me whose loved ones are gone too. And there's nothing
any of us can do."
"I know, dear. All we can do is pray", her mother said trying to comfort her.
"Oh, I have. I do, all the time. But no matter what I do, I always feel like I'm
not getting anywhere."
She checked her watch. "I gotta go, Mom. I'm going to be late back to work",
she said, hugging her mother. "I'll talk to you later."
"All right, Dana. Take care. I'm just going to finish up here, and then head home."
"Ok, Mom, love you, bye."
Scully got into her car, but before she could even put the key in the ignition,
her cell phone rang.
"Scully", she said, answering her cell as she always did.
As she listened to the voice on the other end, her eyes grew wide, and her
mouth dropped open.
"Oh my God, that's wonderful!", she managed to get out. "I'll be right there."
*************************************************************************************
Scully scrambled out of her car as fast as she could, and made her way
back to where her mother was finishing up her dessert.
"Dana, what's wrong?", her mother asked, startled.
"Hopefully nothing anymore. Mom, they found Mulder!", she exclaimed.
"I- what am I doing here? I have to go."
"Do you want me to come with you, Dana? I could drive you."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Come on, let's go."
They took Scully's car.
"Where is he?", Mrs. Scully inquired.
"Well, they found him in Oregon, and he seems to be ok, and he insisted
they fly him back here", she said, desperately trying not to talk too fast.
"They're taking him to a hospital as soon as they land. I'm supposed to
go to Trinity Hospital."
She took a deep breath.
"Oh God, I'm shaking", she said, looking down at her hands. "It's just
Mulder, and I'm nervous."
"It's not *just* Mulder, Dana. It's the man you love, the father of your child."
And then she remembered something she'd almost forgotten in all the excitement.
"He doesn't know", she said, a little dazed. "About the baby, he doesn't know.
What's he going to say? It's going to be quite obvious the moment he sees me."
"It'll be ok, just wait and see."
"Ooohhhh", Scully groaned. "How am I going to explain this? I just- ok, I can do
this. Can't you go any faster, Mom?"
"I'm going the limit, Dana. Please calm down."
"Alright, I'm trying. I just want to get there as soon as possible."
There was a small window of silence.
"I wanted to take my car because it has my stuff in it", Scully finally spoke up.
"The stuff I want to give to Mulder."
Mrs. Scully glanced at her. "What are you talking about?", she asked.
"The journals I've been keeping. There are two of them. It tells him everything
that's happened since he's been gone, and... and how I feel about him. How I
truly feel. He has to know now. Oh God, I'm *so* nervous!"
"It'll be alright, Dana. He feels the same way about you, I know it. I've always
known it", she said, squeezing Scully's hand.
"I just hope they didn't hurt him. I hope he's alright. I don't know what I'll do if
he's not."
"They said he was. That's all we have to go on right now."
Just then they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Scully got out of the car as quickly as possible, and slipped between the
automatic doors. Her mom went to park the car, and then they'd meet in the
lobby later.
Scully made her way to the receptions desk, and asked if Mulder had arrived
yet. But just then she felt as if she was being watched, and looking up, she
saw Mulder standing in the second doorway straight ahead of her.
**************************************************************************************
Tears filled her eyes and a smile was on her face all at the same time, as she
hurried to his room.
She knew he noticed nothing beneath the folds of her jacket, as he took her in
his arms in that cramped, all too familiar hospital room.
He held her at arm's length, and her breath caught in her throat as she looked
straight into those beautiful hazel eyes.
And then he kissed her. She'd dreamed of this moment for what felt like forever,
and now she was in heaven feeling his arms around her, their lips together, his
breath on her face. He ran his hands down her body, and slowly pulled away.
Catching his breath, he looked at Scully a little oddly and said, "Scully,
either you've been eating a little too much comfort food lately, or there's
something you need to tell me."
She gave him a playful disapproving look. Typical Mulder, she thought to
herself.
She laughed a bit nervously. "Actually, it's the latter, Mulder. They didn't take
your sense of humor, did they? Look, before we talk about me, let's talk about
you. Are you ok? Did they hurt you?"
He looked fine, but she desperately needed to hear it from him. He looked like
he'd been given the oppurtunity to shower and shave, and it appeared he was
just a little tired.
"I'm fine. I think they just wanted to study me, but for what exact purpose, I
don't know. I think it may have something to do with that little surgery I had
last fall, but we'll talk about that later. They treated me like a king, which is
more than I can say about the others, I still don't know what became of them."
She sighed. "I'm so glad they didn't hurt you, Mulder."
"Now, tell me what's going on, Scully. What's happened while I was gone?
How have you been? I worried about you every day, although most of the
time I didn't know what day it was", he said, smiling slightly.
She ran a hand along the side of his face. "Oh, you know, I've just been
muddling through without you."
"I didn't know Dana Scully muddled", he said matter-of- factly.
"Well, she did for the last five months", she said.
Mulder was really trying to concentrate on the conversation they needed
to have, but he was having trouble. It seemed like an eternity since he'd been
able to gaze into those big blue-green eyes.
But he quickly shook his head to snap himself out of it. There would be time
for all that later.
"Ok, Scully. We need to talk, really."
Scully took a deep breath. "I know", she said, taking his hand. "I'm just going
to hold onto you here, ok?
He nodded, and looked concerned.
"There's pretty much no other way to say this." She took another deep breath.
"I'm 8 months pregnant, Mulder."
She gave him a moment to absorb that.
He finally opened his mouth. "But Scully, how? I mean... I thought..." For once
in his life, Fox Mulder had been stricken speechless.
Scully shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't any more idea than you do, Mulder.
I've had every test imaginable ran on me, only to find I'm having a baby, and
that all of the signs of my abduction are gone."
He still looked stunned. "And I'm...?"
"Yep", she said smiling, and reading his mind as usual.
"Wow, Scully. This is a big thing to come back to."
Scully looked disappointed.
Mulder noticed right away. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded, Scully.
This is amazing! I just think it's going to take a minute to sink in."
She smiled a bit at that. "I know, I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that,
I guess. There was just no other way. And I've had five months to accept this,
you've barely had five minutes." She hugged him tightly. "I just want to make
sure you're alright. You're going to need to stay at least overnight for observation."
"Will you stay?", he asked, unnecessarily using those puppy dog eyes on her.
"That's a dumb question", she said laughing. "I love you."
She had blurted it out, just like that.
Oh God, she thought, what is he going to say?
But Mulder didn't hesitate at all. "I love you too. We really screwed up and
wasted a lot of time, didn't we? This should've happened a long time ago.
Like after you came back. I wanted to tell you so many things that day. But
there was your mother, and Melissa, and I just kept my mouth shut. Like I did
every day for the following six years."
"Mulder, I wasn't any better, so what's the point? We've finally gotten it
together. Sort of anyway, so we're lucky to be together right *now*. We've
been in so many life-threatening situations, it's a wonder we *are* here.
We're together, and we're having a baby. And the main thing right now is
to take care of each other, find out how we got a miracle, and figure out
where you've been for the last five months, and... oh..." Scully put her
hand on her forehead and leaned forward.
"What's wrong?", Mulder asked, extremely concerned.
"I, uh, mmmm... my vision got really blurry", she said, trying to steady
herself. "I'm having some stomach pains, but it doesn't feel like contractions.
I may have a form of toxemia, called preeclampsia, but it rarely comes on this
suddenly. I think you'd better call a nurse."
He hit the 'call' button by his bed, and slowly moved Scully from the bed to a
chair. A full minute passed and nobody came.
"Scully, will you be alright? I'm just going to go to the door and call someone,
ok? Just try to stay upright."
"Ok, Mulder, I'll be fine. Just get somebody, fast."
Swallowing back his nerves, he dropped a kiss on her head, and went for the
door.
"Nurse!", he yelled down the hall. "Nurse! There's a pregnant woman here
having problems."
Two nurses a few feet down the hall heard him, and came running in.
"What's going on?", one of them said.
"This is Dana Scully", he said hurriedly. "She's 8 months pregnant, and
she thinks she may be experiencing preeclampsia. She's a doctor."
One of the nurses hurried over to Scully. "Miss Scully, we're going to get
you up to the maternity ward, alright?"
Scully nodded.
"Get me a gurney!", she yelled to the other nurse. "Now!"
**************************************************************************************
Less than a minute later the nurse was bringing in a gurney, and Mulder was
helping her walk to the hall. But just as they got to it, she slumped forward.
"What's going on?", Mulder asked, almost frantic.
"We need to get her on the gurney right away. She's lost consciousness.
Susan", she said to the other nurse, "page Dr. Fairington right away. Tell
him we're bringing up an emergency case."
They got Scully on the gurney, and the head nurse turned to Mulder. "Mr...?"
"Mulder", he responded.
"Mr. Mulder, most of her vitals seem fine right now, but we need to get her to
maternity to check out the baby. Are you the father?"
"Yes", he responded, although the news was still new to him.
"Ok, well meet us up there, it's on the third floor."
He reluctantly let go of Scully's hand.
"We're going to take good care of her", she said. Then the two nurses
wheeled Scully down the hall.
Mulder found the nearest regular elevator, and impatiently punched the
button for the third floor.
As soon as he arrived at the receptions desk for maternity, he asked if
Scully had been admitted.
"Yes, sir", the lady at the desk answered. "Just a minute ago. The doctor
will be out to see you as soon as they finish evaluating her condition."
Mulder nodded, and turned to the waiting room chairs. Sitting down on the
edge of a chair, he put his head in his hands.
Now Mulder was not a praying man by any means, but he found himself
praying for Scully and the baby's safety. They were both far too important
to lose.
He was interrupted by a tall man in his mid-forties, who had jet black hair
and dark eyes.
"Mr. Mulder?", he asked.
"Yes", Mulder replied.
"I'm Dr. Fairington. I just wanted to let you know what's going on. Dana's
condition is not as dire as it may seem, but she has developed eclampsia,
a severe form of toxemia. She has experienced one mild seizure, and we've
started her on medication to prevent any more of them. We do need to take
the baby by cesarean section though. Dana's vitals have calmed down a bit,
so surgery can be done, and we need to start as soon as possible. I'm assuming
she would be alright with you signing the consent forms?"
"I, uh, yeah. Whatever needs to be done, just as long as they're both ok."
"The baby's heart rate is normal right now, so that's a good sign. We just need
to go ahead and deliver so that nothing else goes wrong. The baby appears to
be healthy, and 32 weeks is fine for delivery. If you'll come to the desk we'll make
sure you get your signature on the necessary forms."
Mulder ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. "Ok", he said. He'd
never been so nervous in his life.
He signed everything that was necessary, and turned back to the doctor. "Are
you sure she's going to be alright?"
"Yes, Mr. Mulder. I'm not expecting any further complications. About all we'll be
watching is her blood pressure for signs of hypertension. But that's just
possibility. I'm almost certain we won't be dealing with that. What she's
experiencing is not uncommon, and I've handled many cases like this before.
I know what I'm doing, and we'll take good care of them, ok?", he reassured
Mulder, smiling.
"Yeah, ok", he replied trying to think clearly. "About how long will you be?"
"It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours at the most, so don't worry, Mr.
Mulder. I'll be out to see you as soon as I'm done. I better get to her now."
"Alright, well I'll be here", Mulder said, trying to keep the tremors out of his voice.
Everything *has* to be alright, he thought to himself.
***********************************************************************************
Every time I turn around
When I'm lost and when I'm found
Like an Angel standing guard
There you are
Every time I take a breath
And when I forget to breathe
You're watching over me
There you are
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are.
"There You Are"- Martina McBride
**********************************************
Scully slowly opened her eyes, and Mulder's concerned face came into focus.
"There you are", she murmured softly. She shifted her body wait a bit,
and winced at the sudden pain in her lower abdomen. "They took the baby,
didn't they?", she asked him, her eyes growing misty. "Is it alright?"
"Everything's fine, the baby's fine. It's a girl, Scully. Have you picked out any
names?"
"I had one for either situation, boy or girl. What do you think of Samantha
Rianne?"
"I think it's beautiful. You sure?"
"I'm sure. Where is she?"
"She's in the nursery right now. They're supposed to bring her in in a little
while." He gently brushed the hair back from her face. "I'm sorry, Scully",
he said, sighing.
"Sorry for what?", she asked.
"For not being here all this time. I'm sorry you had to go through what you
had to alone. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you."
"But it wasn't your fault, Mulder. And I had my mother. We got through
alright. But you were abducted, you didn't leave on purpose, so what could
I blame you for? It happened, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it. Everything
turned out alright, Samantha and I are fine, and you've been returned to us. I'm
not saying it wasn't hard, or I wasn't miserable and scared without you, because
I was. But that's all over now. Everything's fine", she said, taking hold of his hand.
"Yeah", he said softly, "but for how long?"
Scully sighed, stroking the side of his hand with her thumb. "Let's not think
about anything but right now, ok?"
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Ok", he said. "So what now?"
"Well, first of all, I want to see my baby", she said, smiling. "And then I want to
know what painkiller I'm on, and if they have anything stronger."
"Is it bad?", Mulder asked, worried.
"I can handle it. I'm fine. Could you go and ask them to bring Samantha in?"
"Sure thing, be right back."
He was back from the nurse's station in less than 2 minutes.
"They'll be here with her in a minute. She's beautiful. She got lucky, she has
your nose", he said smiling.
Scully laughed a bit. "Ha Ha", she said.
Just then a nurse came in carrying Samantha. She had Mulder help Scully
sit up a little more, and then she placed the baby in her arms.
Scully's eyes filled up with tears. "Oh God, she is beautiful", she said.
The newborn little girl *did* have Scully's nose, and a little round head full of
fuzzy red hair. But she had Mulder's eyes and mouth. Scully was delighted at
that. She was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen in her life.
Scully looked up at Mulder to find that he had tears in his eyes too. She had
never been happier than she was at that very moment. She had the man she
loved back, and the miracle of a child she'd always wanted.
As Mulder leaned down to kiss her, she could only hope all of this would last.
***************************************************************************
Somewhere, not all that far away, a leggy brunette entered a dimly lit room,
containing only an oxygen tank and a hospital bed.
"Mulder's back in D.C., and Scully's had the baby", "Agent" Ransom informed
the man in the bed.
Through a thick cloud of smoke, the man replied, "Very good. Tell the others to
proceed with the plans."
"Yes, of course. Right away", she said, walking out and shutting the door behind
her.
********************************************************************
THE END
Author: Cassandra Mulder
Rating: PG
Archive: Anywhere reputable, as long as you e-mail me about it first,
and leave my name attached.
Classifications: Angst, MSR, a little bit of Scully danger. (Don't worry
though, guys;)
Disclaimer: I do not own Mulder (I can wish though!), Scully,
The X-Files, or anything else associated with it. It all belongs to
Chris Carter, FOX, and 1013 Productions. (Thanks for the 1013
Syndrome guys!)
Author's Notes: This is the last installment of "The Scully Files",
and I've had a heck of a time working through this one! Just getting
the ending right is very hard with something like this! So I hope you
all enjoy it, because I'm not giving it away here! :)
I want to dedicate this to Teresa, Lily, Melissa, and my best friend in the
world, April. Thank you all for believing in me!
I also want to dedicate this in memory of my friend, my "little brother",
Jeremy Michael Hartley, who left this life at the mere age of 17 on
August 2, 2000. His life was short, but he accomplished a lot for the
Lord. I love you, Jeremy.
POV: Scully
Feedback: Yes please! dana_mulder31@hotmail.com
**************************************************************************************
On a prayer
In a song
I hear your voice
And it keeps me hanging on
Ahhh, raining down against the wind
I'm reaching out
Till we reach the circle's end
When you come back to me again.
"When You Come Back To Me Again"- Garth Brooks
*****************************************************************
5 months later
The looks and the stares bore down on her, but Dana Scully just
looked straight ahead and walked on. The questions were obvious,
but no one ever asked, and she never talked about it.
Her pregnancy was well past just showing, it was blatantly pronounced
for everyone to see.
But she didn't care what anybody thought. The only thing she was focused
on at the moment was getting through the rest of her pregnancy.
She had tried to hide her condition as long as possible, but under the stifling
heat of summer she hadn't been able to wear layers for long. When it had come
down to showing or heatstroke, she had picked showing. At least that wouldn't
kill her.
The last 5 months hadn't been easy. She'd had to deal with the consequences
of running off for a week to Oregon. A trip that yielded absolutely nothing, and
had gotten her into plenty of trouble. There had been no clues in Bellefleur, as
*all* of the abductees were still missing. And even a thorough search of the
woods had turned up nothing.
After she returned, all she got was a tongue-lashing from Skinner and strict
orders to begin working, and cooperating, with her new partner.
She had almost quit, but decided against it, not wanting to lose the X-Files for
Mulder.
So now she did the best she could to avoid Agent Ransom, and get along with
her when she couldn't.
Leigh Ransom was not an unpleasant woman, much to Scully's dismay. She
was tall, about 5'8", with long dark brown hair, and brown eyes. At 38, she was
attractive, and didn't look her years.
And right now, she made Scully feel like a cow.
Fortunately this morning, Leigh, as she insisted upon being called, wasn't in
the office yet. Scully needed a few minutes to herself.
At nearly 8 months pregnant, she felt huge. Lowering herself into a chair, she
sighed. Her mother was helping her as much as possible, but even she couldn't
make her daughter's discomforts disappear. And there were plenty of them.
Mrs. Scully had insisted that they meet for lunch once a week, and Scully looked
forward to those meetings. It was the only time she really had anyone to talk to.
They were supposed to meet at noon, and Scully couldn't wait. She was at her
wit's end.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Come in", Scully said.
It was Agent Ransom.
"Good morning, Dana", she said, smiling brightly.
Why is she always so happy?, Scully thought. But she managed a thin smile.
"Good morning, Leigh", she replied, shuffling through some papers to make
herself look busy.
"How's the little one this morning?", she inquired.
Scully glanced up. "Fine thanks."
Obviously Leigh knew she was pregnant, but she didn't know who the father
was for sure. But Scully was certain there were plenty of telling rumors going
around. And she made it a point not to get too personal, the less people knew
right now, the better. No matter how nice Agent Ransom was, and no matter how
unsuspicious Scully tried to be of her, it was better to safe than sorry.
Leigh smiled at her, looking a bit wistful. "I've always wanted children", she said.
"I've just never found the right man. I'm beginning to think I never will. But
apparently you did. If you don't mind my asking, who is he?"
Scully tried desperately to remain blank.
"It doesn't really matter now", she lied. "He's gone."
Leigh immediately regretted asking the question.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Dana. I really am", she said sympathetically.
"It's ok, really. It's not your fault", she replied, smiling slightly.
And it's not really his either, she thought to herself.
***************************************************************************
Scully was relieved when noon finally rolled around. She gathered up her
things, and went down to the parking garage to her car.
She carefully slid behind the wheel. It was getting harder to drive by the day,
but she really had no choice, there was no one else to do it for her.
Scully pulled up at the little sidewalk cafe at 12:05 p.m. Her mother was already
seated at a table waiting for her, but she stood up to greet her daughter as soon
as she got out of the car.
Mrs. Scully hugged her as best she could, and helped her into a chair.
"How are you doing, dear?", she asked.
Scully looked down at her increasingly large belly. "As well as can be expected
for a whale, I suppose", she replied, only half joking.
Her mother smiled. "I know how it feels, Dana, but I wouldn't worry about it, you
look beautiful."
"Well, I certainly don't feel that way."
"I know, honey, but you've only got four more weeks to go. It'll be here before
you know it. How's work been going?"
"Slow as usual. I don't think anybody wants anyone but Mulder to investigate
the X-Files."
"Well, when does your maternity leave start?"
"In two weeks, just in case the baby comes early or whatever. I can't wait.
I'm tired of having to maneuver around that little office. And my partner...",
she stopped.
"What's wrong with her?", Mrs. Scully asked.
"Nothing", Scully said, disdainfully. "Absolutely nothing as far as I can tell.
And that's the problem. She seems harmless, but how can I possibly trust her?
I just don't think it would be wise, right now especially."
"Hmmm...", her mother uttered, looking worried. "Dana, you've worked with the
woman for five months now. I think you've got some serious trust issues."
"Mom, can you possibly blame me? After everything that's happened in the past
eight years, it's hard for me to trust anyone. You know what A.D. Skinner told me
just before I left for Oregon?"
"No, what did he say?"
"He told me I was starting to sound like Mulder", she revealed, laughing a bit.
"Well, maybe you are, but that's not necessarily a bad thing under the circumstances."
"I know, that's what I think too. His paranoia has saved my life a thousand times over."
"It's fine to be cautious, just don't go overboard, ok? I don't want to find you
huddled up in the corner of your apartment, gun in hand. You're going to be fine."
"Don't worry. I couldn't squat down on the floor to save my life. Literally." She
ran a hand across her face. "Mom, I don't sleep anymore, and I can't stand it.
Just lying there for hours on end is driving me crazy. I can't get comfortable
for one thing, and I don't know, there's something else. I just... I guess I just
expected Mulder to be back by now. *I* wasn't gone this long, so now I'm even
more worried. There's nowhere to look for him, nothing else to do. I have the
local PD scout those woods once a week, and they never find anything. There
are people besides me whose loved ones are gone too. And there's nothing
any of us can do."
"I know, dear. All we can do is pray", her mother said trying to comfort her.
"Oh, I have. I do, all the time. But no matter what I do, I always feel like I'm
not getting anywhere."
She checked her watch. "I gotta go, Mom. I'm going to be late back to work",
she said, hugging her mother. "I'll talk to you later."
"All right, Dana. Take care. I'm just going to finish up here, and then head home."
"Ok, Mom, love you, bye."
Scully got into her car, but before she could even put the key in the ignition,
her cell phone rang.
"Scully", she said, answering her cell as she always did.
As she listened to the voice on the other end, her eyes grew wide, and her
mouth dropped open.
"Oh my God, that's wonderful!", she managed to get out. "I'll be right there."
*************************************************************************************
Scully scrambled out of her car as fast as she could, and made her way
back to where her mother was finishing up her dessert.
"Dana, what's wrong?", her mother asked, startled.
"Hopefully nothing anymore. Mom, they found Mulder!", she exclaimed.
"I- what am I doing here? I have to go."
"Do you want me to come with you, Dana? I could drive you."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Come on, let's go."
They took Scully's car.
"Where is he?", Mrs. Scully inquired.
"Well, they found him in Oregon, and he seems to be ok, and he insisted
they fly him back here", she said, desperately trying not to talk too fast.
"They're taking him to a hospital as soon as they land. I'm supposed to
go to Trinity Hospital."
She took a deep breath.
"Oh God, I'm shaking", she said, looking down at her hands. "It's just
Mulder, and I'm nervous."
"It's not *just* Mulder, Dana. It's the man you love, the father of your child."
And then she remembered something she'd almost forgotten in all the excitement.
"He doesn't know", she said, a little dazed. "About the baby, he doesn't know.
What's he going to say? It's going to be quite obvious the moment he sees me."
"It'll be ok, just wait and see."
"Ooohhhh", Scully groaned. "How am I going to explain this? I just- ok, I can do
this. Can't you go any faster, Mom?"
"I'm going the limit, Dana. Please calm down."
"Alright, I'm trying. I just want to get there as soon as possible."
There was a small window of silence.
"I wanted to take my car because it has my stuff in it", Scully finally spoke up.
"The stuff I want to give to Mulder."
Mrs. Scully glanced at her. "What are you talking about?", she asked.
"The journals I've been keeping. There are two of them. It tells him everything
that's happened since he's been gone, and... and how I feel about him. How I
truly feel. He has to know now. Oh God, I'm *so* nervous!"
"It'll be alright, Dana. He feels the same way about you, I know it. I've always
known it", she said, squeezing Scully's hand.
"I just hope they didn't hurt him. I hope he's alright. I don't know what I'll do if
he's not."
"They said he was. That's all we have to go on right now."
Just then they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Scully got out of the car as quickly as possible, and slipped between the
automatic doors. Her mom went to park the car, and then they'd meet in the
lobby later.
Scully made her way to the receptions desk, and asked if Mulder had arrived
yet. But just then she felt as if she was being watched, and looking up, she
saw Mulder standing in the second doorway straight ahead of her.
**************************************************************************************
Tears filled her eyes and a smile was on her face all at the same time, as she
hurried to his room.
She knew he noticed nothing beneath the folds of her jacket, as he took her in
his arms in that cramped, all too familiar hospital room.
He held her at arm's length, and her breath caught in her throat as she looked
straight into those beautiful hazel eyes.
And then he kissed her. She'd dreamed of this moment for what felt like forever,
and now she was in heaven feeling his arms around her, their lips together, his
breath on her face. He ran his hands down her body, and slowly pulled away.
Catching his breath, he looked at Scully a little oddly and said, "Scully,
either you've been eating a little too much comfort food lately, or there's
something you need to tell me."
She gave him a playful disapproving look. Typical Mulder, she thought to
herself.
She laughed a bit nervously. "Actually, it's the latter, Mulder. They didn't take
your sense of humor, did they? Look, before we talk about me, let's talk about
you. Are you ok? Did they hurt you?"
He looked fine, but she desperately needed to hear it from him. He looked like
he'd been given the oppurtunity to shower and shave, and it appeared he was
just a little tired.
"I'm fine. I think they just wanted to study me, but for what exact purpose, I
don't know. I think it may have something to do with that little surgery I had
last fall, but we'll talk about that later. They treated me like a king, which is
more than I can say about the others, I still don't know what became of them."
She sighed. "I'm so glad they didn't hurt you, Mulder."
"Now, tell me what's going on, Scully. What's happened while I was gone?
How have you been? I worried about you every day, although most of the
time I didn't know what day it was", he said, smiling slightly.
She ran a hand along the side of his face. "Oh, you know, I've just been
muddling through without you."
"I didn't know Dana Scully muddled", he said matter-of- factly.
"Well, she did for the last five months", she said.
Mulder was really trying to concentrate on the conversation they needed
to have, but he was having trouble. It seemed like an eternity since he'd been
able to gaze into those big blue-green eyes.
But he quickly shook his head to snap himself out of it. There would be time
for all that later.
"Ok, Scully. We need to talk, really."
Scully took a deep breath. "I know", she said, taking his hand. "I'm just going
to hold onto you here, ok?
He nodded, and looked concerned.
"There's pretty much no other way to say this." She took another deep breath.
"I'm 8 months pregnant, Mulder."
She gave him a moment to absorb that.
He finally opened his mouth. "But Scully, how? I mean... I thought..." For once
in his life, Fox Mulder had been stricken speechless.
Scully shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't any more idea than you do, Mulder.
I've had every test imaginable ran on me, only to find I'm having a baby, and
that all of the signs of my abduction are gone."
He still looked stunned. "And I'm...?"
"Yep", she said smiling, and reading his mind as usual.
"Wow, Scully. This is a big thing to come back to."
Scully looked disappointed.
Mulder noticed right away. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded, Scully.
This is amazing! I just think it's going to take a minute to sink in."
She smiled a bit at that. "I know, I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that,
I guess. There was just no other way. And I've had five months to accept this,
you've barely had five minutes." She hugged him tightly. "I just want to make
sure you're alright. You're going to need to stay at least overnight for observation."
"Will you stay?", he asked, unnecessarily using those puppy dog eyes on her.
"That's a dumb question", she said laughing. "I love you."
She had blurted it out, just like that.
Oh God, she thought, what is he going to say?
But Mulder didn't hesitate at all. "I love you too. We really screwed up and
wasted a lot of time, didn't we? This should've happened a long time ago.
Like after you came back. I wanted to tell you so many things that day. But
there was your mother, and Melissa, and I just kept my mouth shut. Like I did
every day for the following six years."
"Mulder, I wasn't any better, so what's the point? We've finally gotten it
together. Sort of anyway, so we're lucky to be together right *now*. We've
been in so many life-threatening situations, it's a wonder we *are* here.
We're together, and we're having a baby. And the main thing right now is
to take care of each other, find out how we got a miracle, and figure out
where you've been for the last five months, and... oh..." Scully put her
hand on her forehead and leaned forward.
"What's wrong?", Mulder asked, extremely concerned.
"I, uh, mmmm... my vision got really blurry", she said, trying to steady
herself. "I'm having some stomach pains, but it doesn't feel like contractions.
I may have a form of toxemia, called preeclampsia, but it rarely comes on this
suddenly. I think you'd better call a nurse."
He hit the 'call' button by his bed, and slowly moved Scully from the bed to a
chair. A full minute passed and nobody came.
"Scully, will you be alright? I'm just going to go to the door and call someone,
ok? Just try to stay upright."
"Ok, Mulder, I'll be fine. Just get somebody, fast."
Swallowing back his nerves, he dropped a kiss on her head, and went for the
door.
"Nurse!", he yelled down the hall. "Nurse! There's a pregnant woman here
having problems."
Two nurses a few feet down the hall heard him, and came running in.
"What's going on?", one of them said.
"This is Dana Scully", he said hurriedly. "She's 8 months pregnant, and
she thinks she may be experiencing preeclampsia. She's a doctor."
One of the nurses hurried over to Scully. "Miss Scully, we're going to get
you up to the maternity ward, alright?"
Scully nodded.
"Get me a gurney!", she yelled to the other nurse. "Now!"
**************************************************************************************
Less than a minute later the nurse was bringing in a gurney, and Mulder was
helping her walk to the hall. But just as they got to it, she slumped forward.
"What's going on?", Mulder asked, almost frantic.
"We need to get her on the gurney right away. She's lost consciousness.
Susan", she said to the other nurse, "page Dr. Fairington right away. Tell
him we're bringing up an emergency case."
They got Scully on the gurney, and the head nurse turned to Mulder. "Mr...?"
"Mulder", he responded.
"Mr. Mulder, most of her vitals seem fine right now, but we need to get her to
maternity to check out the baby. Are you the father?"
"Yes", he responded, although the news was still new to him.
"Ok, well meet us up there, it's on the third floor."
He reluctantly let go of Scully's hand.
"We're going to take good care of her", she said. Then the two nurses
wheeled Scully down the hall.
Mulder found the nearest regular elevator, and impatiently punched the
button for the third floor.
As soon as he arrived at the receptions desk for maternity, he asked if
Scully had been admitted.
"Yes, sir", the lady at the desk answered. "Just a minute ago. The doctor
will be out to see you as soon as they finish evaluating her condition."
Mulder nodded, and turned to the waiting room chairs. Sitting down on the
edge of a chair, he put his head in his hands.
Now Mulder was not a praying man by any means, but he found himself
praying for Scully and the baby's safety. They were both far too important
to lose.
He was interrupted by a tall man in his mid-forties, who had jet black hair
and dark eyes.
"Mr. Mulder?", he asked.
"Yes", Mulder replied.
"I'm Dr. Fairington. I just wanted to let you know what's going on. Dana's
condition is not as dire as it may seem, but she has developed eclampsia,
a severe form of toxemia. She has experienced one mild seizure, and we've
started her on medication to prevent any more of them. We do need to take
the baby by cesarean section though. Dana's vitals have calmed down a bit,
so surgery can be done, and we need to start as soon as possible. I'm assuming
she would be alright with you signing the consent forms?"
"I, uh, yeah. Whatever needs to be done, just as long as they're both ok."
"The baby's heart rate is normal right now, so that's a good sign. We just need
to go ahead and deliver so that nothing else goes wrong. The baby appears to
be healthy, and 32 weeks is fine for delivery. If you'll come to the desk we'll make
sure you get your signature on the necessary forms."
Mulder ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. "Ok", he said. He'd
never been so nervous in his life.
He signed everything that was necessary, and turned back to the doctor. "Are
you sure she's going to be alright?"
"Yes, Mr. Mulder. I'm not expecting any further complications. About all we'll be
watching is her blood pressure for signs of hypertension. But that's just
possibility. I'm almost certain we won't be dealing with that. What she's
experiencing is not uncommon, and I've handled many cases like this before.
I know what I'm doing, and we'll take good care of them, ok?", he reassured
Mulder, smiling.
"Yeah, ok", he replied trying to think clearly. "About how long will you be?"
"It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours at the most, so don't worry, Mr.
Mulder. I'll be out to see you as soon as I'm done. I better get to her now."
"Alright, well I'll be here", Mulder said, trying to keep the tremors out of his voice.
Everything *has* to be alright, he thought to himself.
***********************************************************************************
Every time I turn around
When I'm lost and when I'm found
Like an Angel standing guard
There you are
Every time I take a breath
And when I forget to breathe
You're watching over me
There you are
When I'm looking for the light
In the middle of the night
Searching for the brightest star
There you are.
"There You Are"- Martina McBride
**********************************************
Scully slowly opened her eyes, and Mulder's concerned face came into focus.
"There you are", she murmured softly. She shifted her body wait a bit,
and winced at the sudden pain in her lower abdomen. "They took the baby,
didn't they?", she asked him, her eyes growing misty. "Is it alright?"
"Everything's fine, the baby's fine. It's a girl, Scully. Have you picked out any
names?"
"I had one for either situation, boy or girl. What do you think of Samantha
Rianne?"
"I think it's beautiful. You sure?"
"I'm sure. Where is she?"
"She's in the nursery right now. They're supposed to bring her in in a little
while." He gently brushed the hair back from her face. "I'm sorry, Scully",
he said, sighing.
"Sorry for what?", she asked.
"For not being here all this time. I'm sorry you had to go through what you
had to alone. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you."
"But it wasn't your fault, Mulder. And I had my mother. We got through
alright. But you were abducted, you didn't leave on purpose, so what could
I blame you for? It happened, and you shouldn't feel guilty about it. Everything
turned out alright, Samantha and I are fine, and you've been returned to us. I'm
not saying it wasn't hard, or I wasn't miserable and scared without you, because
I was. But that's all over now. Everything's fine", she said, taking hold of his hand.
"Yeah", he said softly, "but for how long?"
Scully sighed, stroking the side of his hand with her thumb. "Let's not think
about anything but right now, ok?"
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Ok", he said. "So what now?"
"Well, first of all, I want to see my baby", she said, smiling. "And then I want to
know what painkiller I'm on, and if they have anything stronger."
"Is it bad?", Mulder asked, worried.
"I can handle it. I'm fine. Could you go and ask them to bring Samantha in?"
"Sure thing, be right back."
He was back from the nurse's station in less than 2 minutes.
"They'll be here with her in a minute. She's beautiful. She got lucky, she has
your nose", he said smiling.
Scully laughed a bit. "Ha Ha", she said.
Just then a nurse came in carrying Samantha. She had Mulder help Scully
sit up a little more, and then she placed the baby in her arms.
Scully's eyes filled up with tears. "Oh God, she is beautiful", she said.
The newborn little girl *did* have Scully's nose, and a little round head full of
fuzzy red hair. But she had Mulder's eyes and mouth. Scully was delighted at
that. She was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen in her life.
Scully looked up at Mulder to find that he had tears in his eyes too. She had
never been happier than she was at that very moment. She had the man she
loved back, and the miracle of a child she'd always wanted.
As Mulder leaned down to kiss her, she could only hope all of this would last.
***************************************************************************
Somewhere, not all that far away, a leggy brunette entered a dimly lit room,
containing only an oxygen tank and a hospital bed.
"Mulder's back in D.C., and Scully's had the baby", "Agent" Ransom informed
the man in the bed.
Through a thick cloud of smoke, the man replied, "Very good. Tell the others to
proceed with the plans."
"Yes, of course. Right away", she said, walking out and shutting the door behind
her.
********************************************************************
THE END