Mulder held the door open and let her walk out into the morning sunshine first. She could see his tension building by just looking at him as they walked back to the car shrouded in silence. He sat in and slammed the door sitting still for a moment trying to regain his composure before starting the engine.
"You okay?" Scully asked tentatively.
"They never get it do they?"
Inwardly she sighed. She knew he was about to go into a barrage of rhetorical questions that she couldn't answer, leaving her with nothing to do but sit and listen to his monologue of torture.
"They judge me on a reputation, never having worked with me or spoken to me for that matter. Is that fair?"
"Mulder, we've checked in with the field office. We'll have nothing more to do with them."
He turned the key and felt the car come to life beneath him. Reversing out of the parking space and pulling out onto the road Scully noticed how white his knuckles were as they gripped the steering wheel.
"I spoke to Niamh Campbell, William's doctor," she began trying to get his mind off the comments thrown at him by the other agents. "She said that William was admitted into New York University hospital last night. She said she'd meet us there this morning."
"So where to?" he asked letting some of his tension go with a deep breath and a long sigh.
"Straight for another four blocks then take a left and keep going until we see the hospital."
They arrived easily despite the early morning traffic and Mulders tension. After getting details for William Ryan they found his room empty. Crossing the corridor to the small private waiting room Scully knocked lightly before pushing the door open and stepping in where they saw a tall woman lying cramped on a small couch. Scully approached her and knelt down by her head touching her shoulder lightly.
"Niamh?" she said softly and instantly the woman's eyes shot open, blinking rapidly as she sat up.
"Dana?"
Niamh brushed her hair away from her face and looked at Scully with a wide-eyed expression before grabbing her into a big hug almost knocking her in the process.
"Oh my god Dana, it's so good to see you!" she said smiling.
"It's good to see you too."
They released each other and leaned back for a better look and stood up. It was only then that Mulder realised how tall Niamh was. Towering over Scully like himself she stood eye to eye with him and looking down he noticed she hadn't put any shoes on.
"It's a shame it couldn't be under better circumstances," Niamh said and Mulder noticed he deep brown eyes shimmered with a worry and grief he had often seen in Scully's blue ones. The two women gazed at each other with a sadness often seen between friends who lived so far apart.
"Niamh, this is my partner Fox Mulder, Mulder this is Dr Niamh Campbell," she said gesturing between them both.
Mulder reached out and took Niamh hand in a firm handshake aware that he was being appraised for later discussion he inadvertently felt his chest sticking out and his shoulders broadening.
"Ahh the infamous Fox Don't-Call-Me-Fox Mulder, star of many a tale."
"Really?" he said smiling at Scully catching the beginning of a blush. "And you're an old friend of Scully's?"
"Less of the old but yes I knew Dana way back in the day. When she was the best fighter on the street."
"Oh I'd say she still is," Mulder said clearly enjoying Scully's discomfort as much as Niamh.
"So…" Scully began with a little cough, "What happened to William?"
Mulder and Niamh exchanged a knowing glance before Niamh stepped past them and led them into the empty room across the hall.
"Each time Billy draws one of his…pictures, he experiences an episode of extreme inconsolable fear. He screams and yells and nothing will stop him, you just have to wait it out. But then yesterday morning he just wouldn't stop, it had gone on for hours and Sally brought him in. He had to be sedated."
Mulder walked around the room examining the contents as Scully picked up the child's chart and flicked through the pages.
"It says here that he was given Dilantin, that's an epileptic drug?"
"Last night he had a fit. While under sedation."
"But 250mg in one dose seems a bit excessive."
"You didn't see it Dana. With the amount of sedatives Billy was on he shouldn't have been able to take a fit, let alone one so strong."
"Any history of epilepsy?"
"No, none." She looked down at the empty bed for a moment her hand reaching out to stroke the pillow. "He has been having tests done all day. He's having a CT at the moment."
"And what triggered the episode he had yesterday?" Mulder asked.
"Well…strictly what triggered it I don't know," Niamh admitted.
"Were there any more pictures?" he asked coming round to them and standing just behind Scully.
Niamh reached into the small locker beside the bed and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. Wordlessly she handed it to Scully, who looked at it before passing it to Mulder.
"What does it say?"
"New Orleans, 221 20:50," Niamh said quietly.
"Could be any airline," Scully said solemnly, but Mulder had stepped out of the room and she could see him on the phone.
"Who is he talking to?" Niamh asked as she watched Mulder pace by the door.
Scully thought of Frohike and smiled a little.
"Just a guy we know that might be able to help us find out."
"Listen Frohike, don't give me any of that crap," he was saying as he stepped past the room.
Scully looked over to the friend she hadn't seen in years and smiled.
"How are you doing?"
"To be honest with you Dana, I've been better." She sighed and sat onto the bed. "I've been working with Billy since his parents were killed. It's…it's the hardest case I've ever had."
"And he's not talking at all?"
"Not a syllable. His communication skills are limited to nods and screams."
"How is his guardian coping?" Scully asked sitting next to her.
"Very well. He means the world to her. When I told her about you coming down here she thought I was going to have him taken from her."
"We don't want to do that, but we will have to investigate the whole situation," Scully said and then added, "is there any possibility that Billy could be getting this information from her?"
"What do you mean?"
"Information of terrorist activity."
"You're kidding right?" Niamh said but the look on Scully's face told her she wasn't.
"It's a possibility that we will have to look into."
"Dana, it's not possible. Sally works for a TV company here in New York, I don't think she is very political, she probably doesn't even vote."
Scully looked down at her hands and felt the anger pulsating from Niamh's eyes.
"We have to check out everything," she said simply.
"I didn't call you up here to tear what little is left of this family apart," Niamh said heatedly as she stood from the bed. "If that's what you are doing you can just go back to Washington and hunting those bloody aliens."
She brushed past her and stormed out of the room barging through Mulder who was standing silently in the doorway. He hesitated at the sight of Scully's bent head but finally stepped over to her.
"What happened?"
"Nothing. She's tired."
Scully stood and reached up to curl a lock of hair behind her ear. Stepping past Mulder without looking at him she started to walk out of the room but he didn't follow.
"Shall we go and talk to Sally Ryan?" she said stopping and half turning to him.
"Yeah." He came up behind her and she resumed her pace to the elevator.
"What did Frohike say?"
"He's trying to get into the New Orleans air traffic control database to see if he can access their schedule."
Scully shot him a look and frowned not sure if she wanted to hear the rest. Mulder smiled at her expression and nudged her gently with his elbow.
"Don't worry Scully, he only uses his hacking skills for good!"
***
Sally leaned against the tall window watching as Billy was slowly moved into the tunnel. She could hear his quiet whimpers through the intercom but there was little she could do about it. The Doctors called to Billy about the procedure making sure he was going to be ready for the loud penetrating noises before switching it on.
"Okay, Mary go ahead," The neurologist said.
Mary took the controls and switched the machine on, bouncing the room to life with an almighty crack. Billy jerked under the sudden noise but Sally watched as his body restraints held him in place for the scan to take place. She looked away unable to watch him struggle without helping and leant against the window, her head bent down to hide her silent tears.
"Excuse me, Sally Ryan?"
Sally looked up to se a tall man standing in front of her with a smaller red haired lady beside him.
"Yes?" she said shakily.
"I am Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI, this is Dana Scully, could we have a word?"
"I don't want to leave Billy."
"Just outside, for a moment," Scully urged firmly.
Sally glanced around to see Billy laying still, the noise from the CT Scanner fading. She kissed her lips to her fingertips and pressed them against the window before walking out to the corridor with Scully.
"How long have you been looking after Billy?" Scully asked.
"For about four months now. Once he came out of the hospital he moved in with me and we've been living together ever since."
"Did he know you before that?"
"Yes, his mum is my sister."
"But didn't they live in San Francisco?" Scully asked noticing Sally's distrustful posture.
"I travelled a lot with my job and I got to see them maybe once a month," Sally replied defensively, returning Scully's stare.
"So you got on well with the family?" Mulder said taking her attention away from Scully for the first time.
"What are you implying?"
"We are just trying to establish the relationship-."
"Relationship? He's my god-dammed nephew, I took him in because I love him and he should be with family. He had no one else."
"Did you?" Mulder asked flatly.
Sally turned the full power of her anger onto him and stormed back into the examination room. Mulder looked over to Scully and twitched his eyebrows in a surprised gesture.
"Defensive," he commented.
"Well Mulder wouldn't you be? If someone was trying to take the only link you had left to your family?"
Mulder heard the stinging tone in her voice and he could only imagine what thoughts of Emily were flying through her head. Softening the retort he had ready he turned to face her fully.
"We'll need to investigate her further, look into her job. If she is working for a TV company she could have many contacts."
"I know Mulder, but we could have been nicer."
"We didn't join the FBI to be nice Scully," he said and instantly regretted it.
She looked at him for a moment as images of Donnie Pfaster, Eugene Tooms, Melissa and Emily flew past her eyes. She didn't remember anyone mentioning those when she joined the bureau but the look on Mulders face told her he knew what she was thinking.
Before she could change the subject Mulders phone did it for her, ringing loudly in his pocket he reached for it with an apologetic glance.
"Mulder."
"Mulder, I have some answers for you," Frohike said.
"What have you got?" he said gesturing to Scully to get a pen and paper ready.
"Flight 221 is a private jet marked for landing in New Orleans at 20:50."
"Private jet, landing in New Orleans at 20:50," he repeated for Scully to write down, "where is it coming from?"
"LAX. Departure time at 18:30."
"LAX, 18:30. Thanks Frohike, I owe you one."
"Put the lovely Agent Scully on and we'll call it quits," Frohike said smiling.
"She's just left, sorry Frohike, next time!" he said before hanging up.
Scully looked at him a little confused but he shook his head and started to dial another number.
"I'll call Skinner, you get onto LAX about the plane, it doesn't leave for another," he checked his watch, "seven hours so we shouldn't have a problem stopping it."
They both paced the small corridors each listening to the others conversation when their own was on hold. After speaking briefly to Skinner Mulder dialled to get through to the civilian database and asked the technician to e-mail all he could on a Sally Ryan with the address he gave. He hung up and turned to Scully who was arguing down the phone about the jurisdiction of a Federal Agent in LAX. He listened for a moment until she held the phone away from her ear a shocked and angry expression on her face.
"They hung up on me. I don't think they believed I was an FBI Agent," she said furiously.
"Well you are smaller than the average Agent and with those delicate hands the guns must he hard to hold," he began but she looked at him with such incredulity that his words caught in his throat. "I spoke to Skinner and he said he is going to send a team out to the owner of the jet to have it checked over, but apart from an actual threat and I quote "that wasn't plucked from the sky" we have no jurisdiction."
"But the evidence-," she began.
"Points to nothing Scully, a few doodles drawn by a very sick little boy does not equate to mass terrorism."
"How can you say that? You saw what was written on the pages, you know about the accidents?"
"Yes but it all boils down to what you see. The shroud of Turin, The Virgin Mary in Lourdes, short hand in a boy's scribbling."
"You cannot be serious Mulder," she said staring to walk away. "I thought you'd-."
"What?" he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Thought I'd believe it because it's there to be believed?"
"No but because the evidence is there to suggest-,"
"Do you believe it?" he asked quietly, loosening the grip he held on her arm.
"I believe that they are true warnings of future disasters."
"But not that the boy is psychic, or has pre-cognitive information on future events?"
She hesitated for a moment but it was all that he needed.
"So why should I?" he said. "Because I'm Spooky Mulder? Because I've been chasing shadows my whole life? Well Scully it's a life I've chosen and it's all I've got but that doesn't mean I'm going to chase any fool around that claims to know the future."
"Mulder I-," she began.
"And if you think I will then you're just like the agents at the field office today." He let go of her arm and started to walk away but turned back to face her, his face angrier than she had ever seen. "Actually, you're worse, because you know me better than that."
She watched him storm away, her mouth a little open as she stood in shock of what had just happened.
A fight with Niamh and now a fight with Mulder, this was a bad day rapidly turning worse she thought.
Unsure of what had upset him so much she let him go and walked in to talk to Sally again, hoping that with only one Agent to talk to she might feel more relaxed and ready to talk.
** About that summary…MSR? You know I'm gonna have MSR! It's a given!! By The Way…favourite chapter alert…I'll have to stop announcing that**
