Chapter 4
Title: Strangers in a Bar
Disclaimer: See a previous installment.
~(X)~
Sitting at his desk, Mulder rested his head on his hand as he examined a case file. He was not having a good morning, first he had no hot water, and spent nearly an hour on the phone with his landlord trying to get someone to fix it, and then he had misplaced his keys, once again. When he had finally gotten to work, he was almost a half an hour late, not that anyone had noticed. Hidden in that basement office, his only visitations were unpleasant and came in the form of Assistant Director Skinner, whose usual purpose for entering was to reprimand Mulder for something he had done against protocol or regulations. A smile crossed his face only when he looked up from his work and the picture of Dana on the corner of his desk caught his eye. The picture had been taken on their second date, a month ago, when Mulder had somehow managed to talk her into rock climbing. In the picture, she was hooked into her harness, about twenty feet up, but she had lost her footing, and was turned totally upside down, laughing hysterically. Her eyes were closed, and Mulder snapped the picture moments before one of the other climbers had turned her right-side-up. The smile conveyed through to his voice when he answered the phone.
"Mulder," he said, picking up the picture to examine it again.
"Mulder, it-it's me," Dana said, sounding shaky and apprehensive on the other end.
"Dana, what's wrong?" Mulder asked, with concern in his voice. There was a knock at his door, and Skinner peeked his head in; Mulder motioned for him to enter. Skinner stepped through the door, and seeing that Mulder was on the phone, set to pacing the perimeter of the office and examining everything. On the phone, Dana took a shaky breath, and Mulder could tell that she had been crying.
"I-I, um, I need to talk to you, in person. Is there any way you could meet me at the hospital? I have a lunch break coming up.." Mulder was about to say that this would be fine, when she cut him off. " No, I-I think I'd feel better coming to you. Is that alright?"
"Sure. My lunch starts in about fifteen minutes. Take your time getting here, and please, try to calm down," Mulder said. On the other end he could hear Dana take a shaky breath,
"Alright. I-I'll be there in about twenty minutes," Dana said.
"Bye," Mulder said, Dana responded,
"Bye," and then hung up. Mulder placed the phone back in it's cradle, and looked up at Skinner, who could tell something was wrong.
"Well, what did I do wrong now?" Mulder asked, leaning back in his chair and looking at the Assistant Director. Skinner looked surprised.
"Nothing, Mulder. I just came to see if maybe you'd like to go out for lunch, but I'm assuming from that call you just received, you have plans."
"You assumed correctly then. It was Dana; something's bothering her," Mulder said, leaning forward and picking up the picture again. Skinner came over to him, seeing how concerned he was. Mulder handed him the picture.
"She'll probably kill me when she see that I picked that picture to have on my desk." He reached into his wallet and pulled out several black and white photos from an Automatic Photo Booth that the two had passed on their most recent date. There was one picture where neither was making a face, and he handed that one to Skinner.
"She's very attractive," he said, handing the photo back to Mulder, who put it back in his wallet. Mulder smiled, and said,
"I'll take you up on that lunch offer some other time," he said, and Skinner nodded, leaving the office.
For the next fifteen minutes Mulder made an attempt to work, but he couldn't concentrate. He was worried about Dana. She had sounded so upset, but hadn't given him any inclination as to why. He was deep in thought, and didn't hear Dana knock. It wasn't until she said,
"Mulder?" that he looked up and saw her standing in his office, evidence of tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. He practically ran around his desk, and embraced her, and she started crying again. Reaching behind her, he closed the door to his office, and sat her down. He pulled his chair across from her, and took her hands in his.
"What's wrong, Dana?" She looked up, and he thought he saw the smallest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, but it faded quickly.
"I haven't been feeling well lately, and I, I ran some tests on myself. It's one of the perks of being a doctor, I guess, and I got the results back, and I was scared to tell you," she paused, "Because I didn't know how you would feel. But I couldn't wait any longer. Remember, the night after we went rock climbing, when we um... got a little drunk?"
"Yeah..."
"And then we went back to my place and um...."
"Yeaahh....." Mulder said, remembering the events of the evening.
"Well, I just found out that.."
"Yeah?"
"I just found out this morning... I'm pregnant," she said, looking him the eyes. Mulder's eyebrow's shot up, and he looked at Dana, who was now laughing. Her laughter was a means of hiding her nerves, however, and she feared his reaction. Until, that is, his face erupted into a smile of gargantuan proportions, and he lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled back and held her at length, looking at her.
"You're pregnant."
"Yes," she said, smiling, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh, wow," he said, feeling slightly overwhelmed, but exultant.
"I know..." she said, knowing it was a lot to stomach.
"How far along are you?!" he asked, unable to contain his excitement.
"Four weeks," she said, and placing a hand on her stomach, she added with an inward smile, "I'm going to be a mom." Mulder sat back, and still looking and feeling astonished,
"I'm going to be a dad." He embraced Dana again, and this time, the tears that formed rivers on her cheeks were tears of joy.
Dana felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest as she reentered the hospital, nearly two hours after she had gone. Smiling, she hurried into her office, to check her messages. There were two; one from her new partner, and friend, Dr. Gina Regenski, about the meds being received by one of her patients, which Dana made note of; and the second was from Dr. Pearson, the Chief of Staff, about the upcoming Christmas party. Dana rolled her eyes as she jotted down the specifics; the party was something she always made sure to miss. Seeing Dr. Regenski pass her office, Dana rushed out the door to catch up with her.
"Gina!" she called, jogging to meet her. "Any new ones while I was gone?" Dr. Regenski, who had four inches on Dana's height of 5' 2", and long brown hair, turned, surprised to see her co-worker so happy.
"Afternoon, Dana." She pulled out the charts, and said, "Nope, no new admissions. It's still as slow as it was this morning." The two parted ways, Dr. Regenski headed to her office, and Dana back to hers.
Dana sat at her desk, and put on her glasses. She pulled out some general paper work and opened her laptop. An hour had passed, and she was nearly asleep when her beeper went off at the same time that one of the nurses burst through her office door.
"Dr. Watterst--- Scully," she paused briefly, looking apologetic, before continuing, "We've got a critical coming in." The nurse rushed out and toward the ER, with Dana trailing close behind. She and Dr. Regenski reached the ER as soon as the paramedics were coming through the doors.
"What am I looking at here, gentlemen?" Dana called, rushing to meet them. She kept an even pace with the paramedic in front of the stretcher.
"Thirty-three year old male, victim of a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. From what the other Agent on scene said, he was preparing to make an arrest, and the guy pulled a fast one on him. We stabilized him, and he's on oxygen, but it looks pretty deep," the paramedic said, handing the charts to Dana. She handed the charts to Dr. Regenski, quickly thanking the paramedics, and she moved to the head of the stretcher to assess the patient, but when she got a good look, she stopped short, feeling a knot in the pit of her stomach. She stood, frozen at the side of the stretcher, and Dr. Regenski called to her,
"Dana, do we have a name?" Dana stood stock still, and managed to call out,
"Yeah." Dr. Regenski looked at her peculiarly, and prompted,
"And what IS his name?"
"His name, is Fox Mulder."
Title: Strangers in a Bar
Disclaimer: See a previous installment.
~(X)~
Sitting at his desk, Mulder rested his head on his hand as he examined a case file. He was not having a good morning, first he had no hot water, and spent nearly an hour on the phone with his landlord trying to get someone to fix it, and then he had misplaced his keys, once again. When he had finally gotten to work, he was almost a half an hour late, not that anyone had noticed. Hidden in that basement office, his only visitations were unpleasant and came in the form of Assistant Director Skinner, whose usual purpose for entering was to reprimand Mulder for something he had done against protocol or regulations. A smile crossed his face only when he looked up from his work and the picture of Dana on the corner of his desk caught his eye. The picture had been taken on their second date, a month ago, when Mulder had somehow managed to talk her into rock climbing. In the picture, she was hooked into her harness, about twenty feet up, but she had lost her footing, and was turned totally upside down, laughing hysterically. Her eyes were closed, and Mulder snapped the picture moments before one of the other climbers had turned her right-side-up. The smile conveyed through to his voice when he answered the phone.
"Mulder," he said, picking up the picture to examine it again.
"Mulder, it-it's me," Dana said, sounding shaky and apprehensive on the other end.
"Dana, what's wrong?" Mulder asked, with concern in his voice. There was a knock at his door, and Skinner peeked his head in; Mulder motioned for him to enter. Skinner stepped through the door, and seeing that Mulder was on the phone, set to pacing the perimeter of the office and examining everything. On the phone, Dana took a shaky breath, and Mulder could tell that she had been crying.
"I-I, um, I need to talk to you, in person. Is there any way you could meet me at the hospital? I have a lunch break coming up.." Mulder was about to say that this would be fine, when she cut him off. " No, I-I think I'd feel better coming to you. Is that alright?"
"Sure. My lunch starts in about fifteen minutes. Take your time getting here, and please, try to calm down," Mulder said. On the other end he could hear Dana take a shaky breath,
"Alright. I-I'll be there in about twenty minutes," Dana said.
"Bye," Mulder said, Dana responded,
"Bye," and then hung up. Mulder placed the phone back in it's cradle, and looked up at Skinner, who could tell something was wrong.
"Well, what did I do wrong now?" Mulder asked, leaning back in his chair and looking at the Assistant Director. Skinner looked surprised.
"Nothing, Mulder. I just came to see if maybe you'd like to go out for lunch, but I'm assuming from that call you just received, you have plans."
"You assumed correctly then. It was Dana; something's bothering her," Mulder said, leaning forward and picking up the picture again. Skinner came over to him, seeing how concerned he was. Mulder handed him the picture.
"She'll probably kill me when she see that I picked that picture to have on my desk." He reached into his wallet and pulled out several black and white photos from an Automatic Photo Booth that the two had passed on their most recent date. There was one picture where neither was making a face, and he handed that one to Skinner.
"She's very attractive," he said, handing the photo back to Mulder, who put it back in his wallet. Mulder smiled, and said,
"I'll take you up on that lunch offer some other time," he said, and Skinner nodded, leaving the office.
For the next fifteen minutes Mulder made an attempt to work, but he couldn't concentrate. He was worried about Dana. She had sounded so upset, but hadn't given him any inclination as to why. He was deep in thought, and didn't hear Dana knock. It wasn't until she said,
"Mulder?" that he looked up and saw her standing in his office, evidence of tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. He practically ran around his desk, and embraced her, and she started crying again. Reaching behind her, he closed the door to his office, and sat her down. He pulled his chair across from her, and took her hands in his.
"What's wrong, Dana?" She looked up, and he thought he saw the smallest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, but it faded quickly.
"I haven't been feeling well lately, and I, I ran some tests on myself. It's one of the perks of being a doctor, I guess, and I got the results back, and I was scared to tell you," she paused, "Because I didn't know how you would feel. But I couldn't wait any longer. Remember, the night after we went rock climbing, when we um... got a little drunk?"
"Yeah..."
"And then we went back to my place and um...."
"Yeaahh....." Mulder said, remembering the events of the evening.
"Well, I just found out that.."
"Yeah?"
"I just found out this morning... I'm pregnant," she said, looking him the eyes. Mulder's eyebrow's shot up, and he looked at Dana, who was now laughing. Her laughter was a means of hiding her nerves, however, and she feared his reaction. Until, that is, his face erupted into a smile of gargantuan proportions, and he lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled back and held her at length, looking at her.
"You're pregnant."
"Yes," she said, smiling, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh, wow," he said, feeling slightly overwhelmed, but exultant.
"I know..." she said, knowing it was a lot to stomach.
"How far along are you?!" he asked, unable to contain his excitement.
"Four weeks," she said, and placing a hand on her stomach, she added with an inward smile, "I'm going to be a mom." Mulder sat back, and still looking and feeling astonished,
"I'm going to be a dad." He embraced Dana again, and this time, the tears that formed rivers on her cheeks were tears of joy.
Dana felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest as she reentered the hospital, nearly two hours after she had gone. Smiling, she hurried into her office, to check her messages. There were two; one from her new partner, and friend, Dr. Gina Regenski, about the meds being received by one of her patients, which Dana made note of; and the second was from Dr. Pearson, the Chief of Staff, about the upcoming Christmas party. Dana rolled her eyes as she jotted down the specifics; the party was something she always made sure to miss. Seeing Dr. Regenski pass her office, Dana rushed out the door to catch up with her.
"Gina!" she called, jogging to meet her. "Any new ones while I was gone?" Dr. Regenski, who had four inches on Dana's height of 5' 2", and long brown hair, turned, surprised to see her co-worker so happy.
"Afternoon, Dana." She pulled out the charts, and said, "Nope, no new admissions. It's still as slow as it was this morning." The two parted ways, Dr. Regenski headed to her office, and Dana back to hers.
Dana sat at her desk, and put on her glasses. She pulled out some general paper work and opened her laptop. An hour had passed, and she was nearly asleep when her beeper went off at the same time that one of the nurses burst through her office door.
"Dr. Watterst--- Scully," she paused briefly, looking apologetic, before continuing, "We've got a critical coming in." The nurse rushed out and toward the ER, with Dana trailing close behind. She and Dr. Regenski reached the ER as soon as the paramedics were coming through the doors.
"What am I looking at here, gentlemen?" Dana called, rushing to meet them. She kept an even pace with the paramedic in front of the stretcher.
"Thirty-three year old male, victim of a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. From what the other Agent on scene said, he was preparing to make an arrest, and the guy pulled a fast one on him. We stabilized him, and he's on oxygen, but it looks pretty deep," the paramedic said, handing the charts to Dana. She handed the charts to Dr. Regenski, quickly thanking the paramedics, and she moved to the head of the stretcher to assess the patient, but when she got a good look, she stopped short, feeling a knot in the pit of her stomach. She stood, frozen at the side of the stretcher, and Dr. Regenski called to her,
"Dana, do we have a name?" Dana stood stock still, and managed to call out,
"Yeah." Dr. Regenski looked at her peculiarly, and prompted,
"And what IS his name?"
"His name, is Fox Mulder."