Monica was aware that John had a hand firmly holding her waist as he helped
her into the house. She was still weak from not properly eating or drinking
for a couple of days, and had only been out of bed once or twice in the
last day in hospital. She hated to think it, but she could definitely get
used to his arms around her.
"You okay?" John asked as they got inside. Monica nodded. "Come on, Scully reckons you need to rest." She walked, on her own, into the bedroom, with John following closely. She looked around. The sheets had been changed, and the bed wasn't strewn like it had been the night she was taken, it was folded back neatly like they do in hotels. She turned briefly back to John and he managed a smile.
*
"What really happened?" Monica asked half an hour later as they were sitting on her bed, talking. "I mean, if it was just my eyes, I wouldn't have been so well looked-after-"
"Of course you would've been!"
"You know what I mean. I've never seen Scully that...well...protective of me, and I've been in hospital before. We all have." Doggett hesitated.
"It wasn't a dream, Monica." She watched him carefully. "You had a seizure. It was some other kind of projection."
"What?" Monica exclaimed. "You never told me that-"
"Scully never told me that. She wasn't sure what was going on. If I had known, I would've told you."
*
"I think I've found him," Scully told John over the phone later that night. Beside him, Monica was fast asleep.
"Who is he?" he whispered.
"She asleep?"
"Ahuh."
"He's a scientist, local, whose thesis five years ago was on near death experiences and whether or not they exist."
"You think he's trying to prove it himself?"
"Yep. He works at the hospital we just left from, and so several of his victims could have been admitted to hospital, so that he could monitor them- "
"What about the eye thing?"
"He's just being creative? Another woman experiencing loss of sight has been brought in, except she doesn't have the same sheath over her eyes and she couldn't see through the blindfold like Monica could. She won't recover from her injury."
"What else?"
"I'm in the lab now with a team, working on the matter we got off Monica's eyes, and it consists of her DNA sequencing. It appears to be the start of a whole new lens. I don't know why she couldn't see people in particular, but however it grew, seems to be similar to the organ transplants they're manufacturing now."
"As in, this was some kind of organ transplant but the eye wasn't able to see people, because, like, people are moving around or something?"
"Perhaps. We don't know enough at the moment, but it wasn't put there to harm her. I think the light triggered it to grow itself. I'm trying to keep it quiet because whatever it is, we don't want a bunch of eager scientists jumping all over us here."
"Okay. What now?"
"He's being arrested. I'm going but I want you to stay with her."
"Yeah, sure."
"John, have you asked her about the medication you found?"
"That's her business."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." They hung up and John looked down. He could see Monica watching him.
"Was that Scully?"
"Yeah," he replied, as she reached out and turned on her bedside lamp so she could see him.
"What did she say?" He told her what Scully had told him, and she seemed to accept it. "What now?"
"She'll go to the arrest. I've been ordered to stay here."
"You can leave any time," she smirked.
"How old were you when you had bulimia?" he asked suddenly, without any thought. Monica's face drained of blood and John wished he could take back what he said.
"Twelve," she replied softly. "You went through my rubbish?"
"Of course I did. You were missing-" She nodded.
"I know, I know, it's just weird when you learn that someone's done to you what you do to everyone else all the time. You know-" John smiled.
"You don't have anything I haven't seen before."
"Don't I?" John shrugged. "What about my tattoo?"
"What tattoo?" John asked, wide-eyed all of a sudden. Monica laughed.
"Gotcha!" He rolled his eyes at her. "Um, listen, John... I'm really sorry that what I saw was uh...shown, to everyone, I mean I don't even remember it and-"
"It's okay."
"I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Well it's not like we have that kind of a relationship-"
"What I'm curious about," John started. "Was that if it was a near death experience, I thought your life flashed before your eyes."
"Maybe only for some people."
"So what was it for you?"
"I think maybe it was...everything I thought I missed out on, maybe." She watched him carefully.
"You think you missed out on me?" Monica didn't reply. She was lying in bed and he was sitting in the chair next to her. "Monica?"
"I...I don't know-"
"You don't have to apologise for seeing something like that, you know, cos it must be something that even if you don't realise it, you really want, or need-" Monica nodded as she shrugged, drawing her gaze from him and looking up at the ceiling of her apartment. She felt John get out of the chair and lean over her. She watched him. "You are beautiful, Mon," he whispered, leaning over and kissing her cheek gently. Monica closed her eyes, falling asleep as John went back to his chair, waiting for Scully to call back with news of the arrest.
To be continued...
"You okay?" John asked as they got inside. Monica nodded. "Come on, Scully reckons you need to rest." She walked, on her own, into the bedroom, with John following closely. She looked around. The sheets had been changed, and the bed wasn't strewn like it had been the night she was taken, it was folded back neatly like they do in hotels. She turned briefly back to John and he managed a smile.
*
"What really happened?" Monica asked half an hour later as they were sitting on her bed, talking. "I mean, if it was just my eyes, I wouldn't have been so well looked-after-"
"Of course you would've been!"
"You know what I mean. I've never seen Scully that...well...protective of me, and I've been in hospital before. We all have." Doggett hesitated.
"It wasn't a dream, Monica." She watched him carefully. "You had a seizure. It was some other kind of projection."
"What?" Monica exclaimed. "You never told me that-"
"Scully never told me that. She wasn't sure what was going on. If I had known, I would've told you."
*
"I think I've found him," Scully told John over the phone later that night. Beside him, Monica was fast asleep.
"Who is he?" he whispered.
"She asleep?"
"Ahuh."
"He's a scientist, local, whose thesis five years ago was on near death experiences and whether or not they exist."
"You think he's trying to prove it himself?"
"Yep. He works at the hospital we just left from, and so several of his victims could have been admitted to hospital, so that he could monitor them- "
"What about the eye thing?"
"He's just being creative? Another woman experiencing loss of sight has been brought in, except she doesn't have the same sheath over her eyes and she couldn't see through the blindfold like Monica could. She won't recover from her injury."
"What else?"
"I'm in the lab now with a team, working on the matter we got off Monica's eyes, and it consists of her DNA sequencing. It appears to be the start of a whole new lens. I don't know why she couldn't see people in particular, but however it grew, seems to be similar to the organ transplants they're manufacturing now."
"As in, this was some kind of organ transplant but the eye wasn't able to see people, because, like, people are moving around or something?"
"Perhaps. We don't know enough at the moment, but it wasn't put there to harm her. I think the light triggered it to grow itself. I'm trying to keep it quiet because whatever it is, we don't want a bunch of eager scientists jumping all over us here."
"Okay. What now?"
"He's being arrested. I'm going but I want you to stay with her."
"Yeah, sure."
"John, have you asked her about the medication you found?"
"That's her business."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." They hung up and John looked down. He could see Monica watching him.
"Was that Scully?"
"Yeah," he replied, as she reached out and turned on her bedside lamp so she could see him.
"What did she say?" He told her what Scully had told him, and she seemed to accept it. "What now?"
"She'll go to the arrest. I've been ordered to stay here."
"You can leave any time," she smirked.
"How old were you when you had bulimia?" he asked suddenly, without any thought. Monica's face drained of blood and John wished he could take back what he said.
"Twelve," she replied softly. "You went through my rubbish?"
"Of course I did. You were missing-" She nodded.
"I know, I know, it's just weird when you learn that someone's done to you what you do to everyone else all the time. You know-" John smiled.
"You don't have anything I haven't seen before."
"Don't I?" John shrugged. "What about my tattoo?"
"What tattoo?" John asked, wide-eyed all of a sudden. Monica laughed.
"Gotcha!" He rolled his eyes at her. "Um, listen, John... I'm really sorry that what I saw was uh...shown, to everyone, I mean I don't even remember it and-"
"It's okay."
"I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Well it's not like we have that kind of a relationship-"
"What I'm curious about," John started. "Was that if it was a near death experience, I thought your life flashed before your eyes."
"Maybe only for some people."
"So what was it for you?"
"I think maybe it was...everything I thought I missed out on, maybe." She watched him carefully.
"You think you missed out on me?" Monica didn't reply. She was lying in bed and he was sitting in the chair next to her. "Monica?"
"I...I don't know-"
"You don't have to apologise for seeing something like that, you know, cos it must be something that even if you don't realise it, you really want, or need-" Monica nodded as she shrugged, drawing her gaze from him and looking up at the ceiling of her apartment. She felt John get out of the chair and lean over her. She watched him. "You are beautiful, Mon," he whispered, leaning over and kissing her cheek gently. Monica closed her eyes, falling asleep as John went back to his chair, waiting for Scully to call back with news of the arrest.
To be continued...