The New Girl

            By Caitlin "Jinx" Wasson

Chapter Ten

Sick

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            "Agents, where is Agent Heart?" Skinner asked from the doorway of their office.

            "She was sick this morning and needed to see a doctor," Mulder replied.

            "Why do you ask? What's wrong?" Scully asked.

            Skinner stepped all the way inside and shut the door, a grim look on his face. "I received a call from Quantico. When they performed the blood tests, they found an extremely high level of leukocytes in Agent Heart's blood, a symptom consistent with--"

            "Leukemia," Mulder finished. "Does she know?"

            He nodded. "How do you know?"

            "She told us she battled the cancer for two years. Three months ago, she went into remission but I guess it's back," Scully answered. "She received treatment without knowledge of her superiors so it wouldn't be on her transcript."

            "Dr. Shobocker says she needs to go in for conclusive testing to find the exact severity of the disease," Skinner said.

            "She goes in tomorrow. Her boyfriend was bugging her about it this morning," Mulder told him.

            "Please express my concerns to her," Skinner told them. "That's all."

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            Rianna rolled the black paint onto one of the dressers she'd bought. The furniture she'd purchased was simple, a double bed with a wrought iron headboard she had sprayed black, a small nightstand, two ugly dressers in desperate need of paint, and a floor lamp she'd gotten for five dollars at the thrift store. None of it was what she was used to but it would do.

            "There," she thought as she rolled the last bit of paint onto her dresser. She checked her watch, 5:00 PM. She had just enough time to go buy linens before Mulder and Scully got back.

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            Scully and Mulder opened the door to the apartment.

            "Rianna?" Scully called tentatively.

            There was no answer. There was a note laid on the counter.

            "Hey guys! Gone linen shopping. Don't touch the furniture in my room. I just finished painting. My cell phone is on (555-8698) if you need to reach me. Later! Rianna," Mulder read. "Do we dare see what she's done?"

            Scully pushed past him and into Rianna's bedroom. The floor was covered with sheets of plastic and the new furniture was coated with a black lacquer.

            "You'd think she'd been here a month," Mulder said. "I guess she doesn't know yet."

            "She has to know," Scully replied. "She's just trying to distract herself."

            "I thought I was the one with the degree in psychology from Oxford," Mulder said.

            "I still had to take basic psychology," Scully answered. "I don't think there's any huge emergency yet. If she's not back in 20 minutes, we'll call her."

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            Rianna dug through the sale rack at Macy's. She'd already found her bedding and was looking at clothes.

            She grabbed a pair of jeans, size zero, and kept looking, shuffling through the racks of dresses until she found three she liked, a slinky black one, a sunny red and blue sun dress, and a hot red number.

            Suddenly, she felt a twinge of pain in her temple. She ignored it and went to the dressing room to try on the clothes.

            "How many m'am?" the attendant asked.

            "Four," Rianna told her.

            The lady unlocked the door.

            Rianna walked in and hut the door and tried it all on. She liked everything and decided to buy it, even if it was too big. At the cash register, she handed the lady her purchases and started writing a check.

            As she handed it over, another dart of pain shot through her head. Rianna's breath caught tightly in her throat. She couldn't breathe.

            The woman went on, oblivious to what was going on.

            Air whooshed into her lungs but Rianna was still dizzy. She grabbed the edge of the counter tightly. Her head spun and she was painfully aware of the throbbing in her head, the sound of her ragged breathing, and the ever-quickening pulse of her heart.

            "Okay m'am here's your- m'am?" The woman's voice was distant. "M'am, are you- oh my god!"

            Rianna collapsed on the floor. 

            Through her slitted eyes, she saw a swarm of sales associates and customers flock around her. "Call 911! Get and ambulance…"

            The blackness engulfed her, dark and cold like an iron fist closing in at all sides. Rianna submitted willingly, wishing to end the pain she felt.

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            "It's been half an hour, I'm going to call," Scully told Mulder as she took out her cell phone.

            "Okay," Mulder agreed. "I'm not sure it's necessary but if it'll make you feel better, go ahead."

            Scully punched in the number.

            In the hospital, five miles away, Rianna's cell phone rang. A nurse answered it. "Hello?"

            Scully was taken aback. "I'm sorry. I was looking for Rianna Heart."

            "This is her phone," the nurse answered. "I'm nurse Jenkins from Georgetown Memorial Hospital. Rianna Heart collapsed in a Macy's store. We're taking her into the ER now."

            "What?" Scully asked in disbelief.

            "Your friend is in the hospital," the nurse repeated slowly. "Her medical files haven't arrived yet. What is her medical history?"

            "She has leukemia. Treatment hasn't started hey," Scully told her. "Has she regained consciousness?"

            "No," the nurse replied.

            "I'd order a CT scan," Scully replied. "My partner and I will be there as soon as possible."

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            Rianna woke to a haze of bright lights and beeping machines. No one was in the room with her. Fluids dripped into her arm through an IV and oxygen was coming through the prongs in her nose. Monitors beeped incessantly, recording her heart rate and blood pressure. A button on the wall was labeled to call he nurse. Rianna wanted to, but she was too tired to reach up and press it.

            "She's in room 106. She hasn't woken up yet," a voice said, coming toward her room. Rianna could hear Scully's quick, precise footsteps coming down the hall, followed by the thumps of Mulder's footfalls. "We're still waiting for the exact results but there was a suspicious- you're awake!" They had rounded the corner and entered her room.

            "A suspicious what?" Rianna asked.

            The nurse rushed over and began examining her.

            "A suspicious what?" she repeated.

            "I'm sure you'll want a doctor to tell you. They can explain it better in easier terms," the nurse said.

            "Please tell me what's going on," Rianna requested. "I don't need it in simple terms. I'm a doctor, I can handle it."

            The nurse hesitated and then shook her head. "I'll call Dr. Rogers. He'll want to tell you."

            She hurried out before Rianna could object.

            "Why does everyone treat me like a child?" she wondered aloud.

            Mulder and Scully grabbed chairs and scooted up next to the bed.

            "What happened?" Mulder asked.

            "I had this incredible headache and then I couldn't breathe so I felt dizzy and I fell and I passed out," Rianna sad.

            Scully was really concerned. "This is serious."

            "I know," Rianna said. "You probably already know already but my leukemia is back. This is a really typical side effect."

            A hurried looking doctor rushed in. "Miss Heart?" he said.

            "Doctor," Rianna corrected. "Dr. Heart."

            "Oh," he replied. Making a note in her files. "Sorry, I didn't know. I'm Dr. Readen."  

            "It's okay," Rianna assured him. "My files haven't come in yet, I presume."

            He nodded. "Before I tell you what's going on, would you mind filling out some forms for the record?"

            "I would like to hear what's going on first," she insisted.

            "I understand," he told her. "But I need you to fill these out first."

            She resigned with a heavy sigh and filled out the papers. "I don't know if someone told you or not but I have leukemia. I was in remission for three months but yesterday, I found out it came back."

            The doctor nodded. "Agent Scully told us. I'm sorry."

            "Don't be," Rianna replied. "Now cut to the chase. Tell what's going on."

            He hesitated and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Dr. Heart, we ran a CT scan to find a possible cause and we found something," he said. "A mass."

            "Where?" Rianna asked.

            "Your cerebrum," Dr. Readen told her somberly.

            "Where exactly?" Rianna questioned, gulping. "Is it operable?"

            "Due to the location, just slightly above the cerebellum, it is inoperable. However, this does not mean it's untreatable. The chemo and radiation for your leukemia will treat the tumor as well."

            Rianna nodded, completely in shock. "What would you give me as my prognosis?"

            "We won't know until we run a few more tests and a brain scan," he said. "But preliminarily, I'd give you a 65% chance of survival."

            Rianna fell back against the pillows, staring.

            "She's in shock," Scully said, feeling her forehead. "Hand me that blanket, will you?" she gestured to the doctor to hand her the blanket at the end of the bed.

            He tossed it to her.

            "Why don't you come back later when you receive her medical files?" Scully suggested. "I'd be interested in seeing them myself. As much as I haste doing this, I'm going to have to write up a report on her condition."

            The doctor nodded. "Are you a doctor as well?"

            Scully nodded. "Don't worry, I know how to handle this."

            After he left, Scully collapsed in a chair. She was in shock as well. Mulder took off his jacket and arranged it around her shoulders. She buried her face in her hands, tears falling for the sister she hardly knew.

            "It's like I'm numb," Rianna said flatly. "I'm not angry or sad.  Don't feel anything. It just isn't right."

            "And I thought cancer and brain tumors were out of my life," Scully choked. Mulder rubbed her shoulders soothingly, comforting her.

            "Where's my phone?" Rianna asked. "I need to call David."

            Mulder found her small silver and black Nokia on the small table by her bed and handed it to her. Silently, she dialed her boyfriend's number.

            He picked up after one ring. "Hey baby. What's up?"

            "David, I'm in the hospital," she told him.

            "Why, what's wrong?" he asked.

            "I collapsed. I was shopping and then I felt dizzy and passed out," she replied.

            "Why?" he questioned. "What's wrong, Rianna? You're starting to scare me."

            "David, if you aren't sitting down, you need to," she told him. She took a deep breath. "David, the cancer is back only worse. It spread. I have a brain tumor."

            "What?" he replied in disbelief. "Where? Is it operable?"

            "Just above my cerebellum. It's inoperable but not untreatable," she told him flatly. Her voice broke. "But I'm scared, David. I just can't do this again. The doctor only gave me a 65% chance, even before the rest of the tests and my files are in."

            "Just calm down for a second, Honey," David soothed, trying to be strong for her. "It'll be okay. I'll schedule a flight and be there by tomorrow. I wish I could be with you right now though."

            "But don't your patients need you?" she asked.

            "Of course," he said. "But you need me more and I need to be with you. Besides, I can go job and apartment hunting while I'm in D.C."

            "Okay. Just hurry up," Rianna pleaded. "I miss you and I want you here."

            "I miss you too," he replied. "I love you and I'll be there as soon as I can. Bye."

            Rianna hung up the phone and glanced at Mulder and Scully. Mulder had his arm around Scully's shoulders.

            "You guys don't need to stick around," Rianna told them. "In fact, I don't want you to. Just do me a favor, okay? Send Skinner over here, I need to talk to him."

            "You're sure you want us to go?" Mulder asked.

            Rianna nodded. "I kind of want to talk to Skinner and the doctor alone. Besides, David will be here tomorrow."

            "We'll be back before then," Mulder assured her. He placed his hands on Scully's shoulders and gently steered her out the door."

            Rianna sighed and closed her eyes. She was tired. As the edges of her conscious mind began to blur and sleep claimed her, the turmoil of things to come was put to rest for a few hours.

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            Skinner walked in and saw Agent Heart asleep in her hospital bed.

            "Poor thing," the nurse said. "I'll wake her up for you."

            "No, she obviously needs rest," Skinner said

            "It's okay," the nurse said. "The doctor told me to wake her up anyway. We need to draw some blood." She walked over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dr. heart? We need to draw some blood and Assistant Director Skinner is here to talk to you."

            Rianna's eyes flew open. "Blood?"

            The nurse nodded. "Which arm?"

            "I need a sedative first," Rianna told her.

            "Why?" the nurse asked.

            "Fear of needles. I freak when people try to draw blood," she said. "10cc of Triamitzeen should do the trick without knocking me out."

            "I'll have to ask Dr. Readen," the nurse said with a sigh. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

            Rianna watched her leave then turned to Skinner. "How much did they tell you?"

            "Not much," he replied. "Just that you were in the hospital and needed to talk to me. What's going on, Agent Heart? I don't like being kept in the dark."

            "Sit down," she told him. "Two years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer, leukemia. The only people I told were my boyfriend, who is my doctor. I received radiation and chemotherapy treatment. No one knew about it. That made it harder. Three months ago, I was declared cancer free."

            "You lied to your superior?" Skinner asked.

            Rianna nodded. "But only in the fact that I never told him about the cancer. Well, I occasionally wasn't where I said I was going to be, but I did get it done."

            "That isn't an excuse," he argued.

            "You can chew me out later," Rianna replied. "Now I need to get to the point, the real point." She took a deep breath. "My cancer is back, worse this time. It spread. I have a brain tumor, and inoperable brain tumor located above my cerebellum." Her voice cracked. "Now, I gotta tell you, I'm going to be out a lot for treatment and I'm really, really scared."

            Skinner stared in shock. "There's no way."

            "If I can come to grips with it, so can you," Rianna said. "And it couldn't have come at a crappier time, you know? I finally find out who my parents are and I'm diagnosed with cancer."

            "I'm so sorry," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"

            Rianna shook her head. "No. I'll be back to work in a few days and my boyfriend will be here tomorrow, I'll be okay."

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That was a long chapter! My hands are sore from typing it. Anyways, I am not a doctor, I never claimed to be. So, when regarding medical terms or drugs or whatever, I either heard it on ER, knew it from my research on leukemia, or made it up.

R&R~

Luv Y'all!

Jinx