Chapter 5
Title: Strangers in a Bar
Disclaimer: Once again, anything X-Files related does not belong to me. This story is merely meant as homage, blah, blah, blah.
~(X)~
"Assistant Director Skinner?" Sitting in the waiting room, head in his hands, Skinner looked up when his name was called. He rose to his feet, saying only,
"Yes?" He knew who the woman standing before him was before she even introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Dana Scully," she extended her hand.
"Mulder's told me a lot about you," he said, surprising her. She simply nodded, and proceeded to update Skinner on Mulder's condition.
"His surgery went well, but the next twenty-four hours are critical. He's in the ICU; he's still out cold, but you can go see him. The anesthesia should be wearing off soon," she said, smiling at him. He nodded, and took a step, but hesitated. "I'll show you the way." She said, stepping off in the direction of the ICUs. The two were walking in silence when Dana had to stop, to fight back a wave of nausea and a dizzy spell. Skinner looked at her in concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked, grabbing her arm. She shook her head, steadying herself.
"I'm fine," she pulled her arm away from him and pointed to Mulder's room. "He's in ICU 4. You've got a half an hour," she said, walking away to tend to her other patients. As Skinner cautiously entered the room, Mulder began to stir.
"How're you feeling, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked as he seated himself beside Mulder's bed. Mulder's eyes fluttered open, and then he closed them again, sighing.
"Like I've been to hell and back," he whispered hoarsely. "Where am I?" he asked, feeling blinded by the bright whiteness of the hospital room. He knew he was in a hospital, just not which one.
"Northeast Georgetown," Skinner said. After a moment, the name registered with Mulder, who asked,
"Where's Dana? Is she alright?"
"She's tending to her other patients. She's fine. Actually, she's the one who took the bullet out of you."
During minute twenty-nine of Skinner's thirty minute visitation with Mulder, Dana paced back and forth in front of his room, checking her watch every two seconds.
"Thirty minutes," Dana said, and just as she reached for the door handle to inform Skinner that his time was up, he opened it.
"I'll be on my way, Dr. Scully." Skinner said, shaking her hand. "Agent Mulder wants to see you.. and whomever provides the pain medication, because he says he needs more." Skinner laughed, and bid Dana goodbye.
She opened the door to his room, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. As soon as he saw her, Mulder was all smiles. Dana tried to smile back, but found herself crying. His smile disappeared at the sight of her tears.
"Oh, Dana, sweetheart," he said, reaching out his mobile hand to her. She wiped her tears away, and then pulled out a tissue and blew her nose, pulling up a chair next to his bed.
"Damn hormones," she said, managing a weak laugh. He was studying her face in concern, and he took her right hand in his, squeezing it.
"How're you feeling?" she asked him.
"I'm fine," he lied, wincing in pain as he said it.
"You're lying," she said, smiling at him. "I can always tell when you lie." She gently stroked his forehead, running her fingers through his hair.
"Maybe I should ask you how I am," he said, "you are, after all, from what Skinner has told me, the one who took that God-awful hunk of metal out of me." Dana looked at him, remembering the difficulty of the surgery, and the anguish it had caused her to have to cut him open, not knowing what the outcome might have been.
"You're going to be fine. Your shoulder should be healed enough for you to get out of here in a week or two."
"Good. That leaves me ample time to find something for you for Christmas... and something for the baby too," he said, kissing her hand.
"Speaking of the baby, I have something I forgot to show you. I was going to bring it with me when I talked to you today, but I was so worried about what you would say, that I forgot," she stood up and reached into her pants' pocket, and pulled out what looked like a miniature x-ray. She handed it to Mulder, saying, "I had the sonogram done by the doctors on the obstetrics floor as soon as I got the test results back this morning. That," she said, smiling an unbelievable smile and pointing at a certain spot on the sonogram, "is our baby. That's the heartbeat," she continued, "and there's the..." Mulder cut her off when he kissed her. It was a long, loving kiss, and Dana felt her self practically melting. They pulled apart, and Dana went from being lover to doctor, and said, "Now, really, Mulder, you should try to get some sleep. Skinner told me you need more pain meds; how bad is it?" She asked, getting his chart from the end of his bed and opened them, pen poised, ready to take notes on him.
"I'll give it to you straight, doc," he said playfully, "The pain is so bad, I'm pretty close to chewing my arm off at the shoulder." She nodded,
"Alright, Demerol it is, then."
Dana's mounting tension had given her a migraine, which, on top of the morning sickness and worrying for Mulder, made her feel as if her whole body was a raw nerve ending. She was sitting at her desk massaging her temples as completed the necessary paper work for the end of her current shift when the phone rang. She jumped and then grumbled under her breath before answering it. It was the receptionist.
"Dr. Scully, your mother is in the waiting room."
"Thanks, Laura."
"Mmhmm," she responded, and the two hung up. Dana stood up slowly, and felt woozy. She steadied herself on her desk, and waited for the dizziness to pass. She walked out to the lobby, and found her mother pacing the perimeter of the octagonal room.
"Mom? What're you doing here?" Dana asked, giving her mom a hug. Her mother looked both relieved and worried, though in varying degrees.
"I kept calling your cell phone, but I got no answer. I called the house, and then I thought to call here. I heard all about Fox getting shot on the news. Well, they didn't say his name, but I-I knew it was him. Mother's intuition, I guess," she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"He'll be alright, Mom. He's just in a lot of pain, and he's pretty much in and out from the Demerol, but the bullet came out clean. It's just going to take a while to heal because it hit the muscle and tore it," Dana said, giving her mother a tired smile. It had been a difficult day.
"Sweetie, you don't look so good. At least you get to go home in a little while and get some sleep," Maggie added, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder as the pair headed back toward Dana's office.
"I wish I could go home and go to sleep," Dana said, sighing. "I've got another shift after this one." She didn't tell her mother that she had volunteered for this shift after Mulder had been brought in that morning. 'I couldn't bear the thought of being too far from him while he was stuck here; especially during the turbulent twenty-four hour period following his surgery', she had told herself, to justify the additional shift. Her mother looked at her,
"Couldn't you get someone to cover for you?"
"No, Mom, really, I'll be fine. But you know what, I'm not feeling so well right now, probably because I haven't eaten anything. Let's go to the cafeteria," she said, smiling at her mom. Her mother agreed, but before the two left, Dana said, "You head down, Mom. I've just got to use the Little Girls' Room before I go. I'll be right with you," she said, and as soon as her mother was out of the office, Dana raced to the bathroom and succumbed to the nausea that had been ebbing away all day. She splashed cool water on her face, dried it off and headed out to the cafeteria. The two were sitting down to eat, Dana with a yogurt and decaf coffee, and Maggie with a sandwich and a Coke, when Dana's beeper went off. She gave a loud, aggravated sigh, and pulled it off her waistband. She looked at it, and smiled.
"What is it?" Maggie asked, taking a sip of her soda. Dana looked at her, and said,
"Mulder's awake," she said, smiling. Dana finished her yogurt and coffee, and apologized, but told her mother she had to help prepare the staff for the start of the next shift and check on her patients.
Dana walked in the door for about the twenty-seventh time that night and found that Mulder had finally drifted off into a sound sleep. She hoped the pain killers were finally working well. She'd had to change his dose four times before they even took effect. Since it was nearly midnight, things had quieted down, temporarily. Dana took advantage of this and pulled up a chair next to Mulder's bed. She wanted nothing more than to sit and watch him sleep.
"As long as you're alright, Mulder, we'll all be alright," she whispered, gently kissing his hand. "I don't know what I would do without you. I don't know if there is anyone else I would ever love the way I love you." Dana laughed at herself. She had once again bared her soul to Mulder, after spending a lifetime of not letting herself get too close to anyone. She yawned, finally beginning to grow tired after working for sixteen hours straight. Resting her head on Mulder's bed and curling her legs beneath her, she promised herself,
"Just...five minutes..." She yawned. "and then...I'll head home.." Dana's heavy eyelids won the battle, however, and she was soon fast asleep.
Mulder awoke the next morning to the bright sunshine on his face, and was surprised to find Dana sound asleep, her head resting on her arms on his bed. He reached over on the tray next to his bed and poured himself a glass of water. His movements caused Dana to stir, and she sat up quickly, looking, and feeling, disoriented.
Mulder smiled at her, and she glanced down at her watch. She got a funny look on her face, and said,
"Excuse me, Mulder," and dashed into his bathroom. Mulder cringed when he heard her being sick.
"Morning sickness," he muttered to himself. "Poor thing." Dana returned moments later, still looking a little green. She managed to smile at him, seating herself beside his bed again. He noted her attire, and questioned,
"You never went home yesterday?!" She shook her head, yawning.
"I came in to see you at the end of my second shift, and fell asleep. So, how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Are you asking as my doctor?"
"Yes."
"Well then, I feel absolutely fine. Never felt better," he said, grinning at her.
"That's good, but you're still here for another week," Dana replied, grinning at him, knowing what he was getting at. Mulder gave an aggravated sigh,
"You know me too well..."
Title: Strangers in a Bar
Disclaimer: Once again, anything X-Files related does not belong to me. This story is merely meant as homage, blah, blah, blah.
~(X)~
"Assistant Director Skinner?" Sitting in the waiting room, head in his hands, Skinner looked up when his name was called. He rose to his feet, saying only,
"Yes?" He knew who the woman standing before him was before she even introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Dana Scully," she extended her hand.
"Mulder's told me a lot about you," he said, surprising her. She simply nodded, and proceeded to update Skinner on Mulder's condition.
"His surgery went well, but the next twenty-four hours are critical. He's in the ICU; he's still out cold, but you can go see him. The anesthesia should be wearing off soon," she said, smiling at him. He nodded, and took a step, but hesitated. "I'll show you the way." She said, stepping off in the direction of the ICUs. The two were walking in silence when Dana had to stop, to fight back a wave of nausea and a dizzy spell. Skinner looked at her in concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked, grabbing her arm. She shook her head, steadying herself.
"I'm fine," she pulled her arm away from him and pointed to Mulder's room. "He's in ICU 4. You've got a half an hour," she said, walking away to tend to her other patients. As Skinner cautiously entered the room, Mulder began to stir.
"How're you feeling, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked as he seated himself beside Mulder's bed. Mulder's eyes fluttered open, and then he closed them again, sighing.
"Like I've been to hell and back," he whispered hoarsely. "Where am I?" he asked, feeling blinded by the bright whiteness of the hospital room. He knew he was in a hospital, just not which one.
"Northeast Georgetown," Skinner said. After a moment, the name registered with Mulder, who asked,
"Where's Dana? Is she alright?"
"She's tending to her other patients. She's fine. Actually, she's the one who took the bullet out of you."
During minute twenty-nine of Skinner's thirty minute visitation with Mulder, Dana paced back and forth in front of his room, checking her watch every two seconds.
"Thirty minutes," Dana said, and just as she reached for the door handle to inform Skinner that his time was up, he opened it.
"I'll be on my way, Dr. Scully." Skinner said, shaking her hand. "Agent Mulder wants to see you.. and whomever provides the pain medication, because he says he needs more." Skinner laughed, and bid Dana goodbye.
She opened the door to his room, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. As soon as he saw her, Mulder was all smiles. Dana tried to smile back, but found herself crying. His smile disappeared at the sight of her tears.
"Oh, Dana, sweetheart," he said, reaching out his mobile hand to her. She wiped her tears away, and then pulled out a tissue and blew her nose, pulling up a chair next to his bed.
"Damn hormones," she said, managing a weak laugh. He was studying her face in concern, and he took her right hand in his, squeezing it.
"How're you feeling?" she asked him.
"I'm fine," he lied, wincing in pain as he said it.
"You're lying," she said, smiling at him. "I can always tell when you lie." She gently stroked his forehead, running her fingers through his hair.
"Maybe I should ask you how I am," he said, "you are, after all, from what Skinner has told me, the one who took that God-awful hunk of metal out of me." Dana looked at him, remembering the difficulty of the surgery, and the anguish it had caused her to have to cut him open, not knowing what the outcome might have been.
"You're going to be fine. Your shoulder should be healed enough for you to get out of here in a week or two."
"Good. That leaves me ample time to find something for you for Christmas... and something for the baby too," he said, kissing her hand.
"Speaking of the baby, I have something I forgot to show you. I was going to bring it with me when I talked to you today, but I was so worried about what you would say, that I forgot," she stood up and reached into her pants' pocket, and pulled out what looked like a miniature x-ray. She handed it to Mulder, saying, "I had the sonogram done by the doctors on the obstetrics floor as soon as I got the test results back this morning. That," she said, smiling an unbelievable smile and pointing at a certain spot on the sonogram, "is our baby. That's the heartbeat," she continued, "and there's the..." Mulder cut her off when he kissed her. It was a long, loving kiss, and Dana felt her self practically melting. They pulled apart, and Dana went from being lover to doctor, and said, "Now, really, Mulder, you should try to get some sleep. Skinner told me you need more pain meds; how bad is it?" She asked, getting his chart from the end of his bed and opened them, pen poised, ready to take notes on him.
"I'll give it to you straight, doc," he said playfully, "The pain is so bad, I'm pretty close to chewing my arm off at the shoulder." She nodded,
"Alright, Demerol it is, then."
Dana's mounting tension had given her a migraine, which, on top of the morning sickness and worrying for Mulder, made her feel as if her whole body was a raw nerve ending. She was sitting at her desk massaging her temples as completed the necessary paper work for the end of her current shift when the phone rang. She jumped and then grumbled under her breath before answering it. It was the receptionist.
"Dr. Scully, your mother is in the waiting room."
"Thanks, Laura."
"Mmhmm," she responded, and the two hung up. Dana stood up slowly, and felt woozy. She steadied herself on her desk, and waited for the dizziness to pass. She walked out to the lobby, and found her mother pacing the perimeter of the octagonal room.
"Mom? What're you doing here?" Dana asked, giving her mom a hug. Her mother looked both relieved and worried, though in varying degrees.
"I kept calling your cell phone, but I got no answer. I called the house, and then I thought to call here. I heard all about Fox getting shot on the news. Well, they didn't say his name, but I-I knew it was him. Mother's intuition, I guess," she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"He'll be alright, Mom. He's just in a lot of pain, and he's pretty much in and out from the Demerol, but the bullet came out clean. It's just going to take a while to heal because it hit the muscle and tore it," Dana said, giving her mother a tired smile. It had been a difficult day.
"Sweetie, you don't look so good. At least you get to go home in a little while and get some sleep," Maggie added, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder as the pair headed back toward Dana's office.
"I wish I could go home and go to sleep," Dana said, sighing. "I've got another shift after this one." She didn't tell her mother that she had volunteered for this shift after Mulder had been brought in that morning. 'I couldn't bear the thought of being too far from him while he was stuck here; especially during the turbulent twenty-four hour period following his surgery', she had told herself, to justify the additional shift. Her mother looked at her,
"Couldn't you get someone to cover for you?"
"No, Mom, really, I'll be fine. But you know what, I'm not feeling so well right now, probably because I haven't eaten anything. Let's go to the cafeteria," she said, smiling at her mom. Her mother agreed, but before the two left, Dana said, "You head down, Mom. I've just got to use the Little Girls' Room before I go. I'll be right with you," she said, and as soon as her mother was out of the office, Dana raced to the bathroom and succumbed to the nausea that had been ebbing away all day. She splashed cool water on her face, dried it off and headed out to the cafeteria. The two were sitting down to eat, Dana with a yogurt and decaf coffee, and Maggie with a sandwich and a Coke, when Dana's beeper went off. She gave a loud, aggravated sigh, and pulled it off her waistband. She looked at it, and smiled.
"What is it?" Maggie asked, taking a sip of her soda. Dana looked at her, and said,
"Mulder's awake," she said, smiling. Dana finished her yogurt and coffee, and apologized, but told her mother she had to help prepare the staff for the start of the next shift and check on her patients.
Dana walked in the door for about the twenty-seventh time that night and found that Mulder had finally drifted off into a sound sleep. She hoped the pain killers were finally working well. She'd had to change his dose four times before they even took effect. Since it was nearly midnight, things had quieted down, temporarily. Dana took advantage of this and pulled up a chair next to Mulder's bed. She wanted nothing more than to sit and watch him sleep.
"As long as you're alright, Mulder, we'll all be alright," she whispered, gently kissing his hand. "I don't know what I would do without you. I don't know if there is anyone else I would ever love the way I love you." Dana laughed at herself. She had once again bared her soul to Mulder, after spending a lifetime of not letting herself get too close to anyone. She yawned, finally beginning to grow tired after working for sixteen hours straight. Resting her head on Mulder's bed and curling her legs beneath her, she promised herself,
"Just...five minutes..." She yawned. "and then...I'll head home.." Dana's heavy eyelids won the battle, however, and she was soon fast asleep.
Mulder awoke the next morning to the bright sunshine on his face, and was surprised to find Dana sound asleep, her head resting on her arms on his bed. He reached over on the tray next to his bed and poured himself a glass of water. His movements caused Dana to stir, and she sat up quickly, looking, and feeling, disoriented.
Mulder smiled at her, and she glanced down at her watch. She got a funny look on her face, and said,
"Excuse me, Mulder," and dashed into his bathroom. Mulder cringed when he heard her being sick.
"Morning sickness," he muttered to himself. "Poor thing." Dana returned moments later, still looking a little green. She managed to smile at him, seating herself beside his bed again. He noted her attire, and questioned,
"You never went home yesterday?!" She shook her head, yawning.
"I came in to see you at the end of my second shift, and fell asleep. So, how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Are you asking as my doctor?"
"Yes."
"Well then, I feel absolutely fine. Never felt better," he said, grinning at her.
"That's good, but you're still here for another week," Dana replied, grinning at him, knowing what he was getting at. Mulder gave an aggravated sigh,
"You know me too well..."