The New Girl

           

By Caitlin "Jinx" Wasson

Chapter Fourteen

Trying

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            "I'm kind of nervous about giving someone who weighs 70 pounds enough of these drugs to kill a cancer," Dr. Readen said.

            "Don't worry," Rianna told him. "I lived through it last time at 60, I'll do it again at 70."

            "Okay," he shrugged and took the cap off his needle and injected it into her arm. She closed her eyes and a tremor shook her body.

            David squeezed her hand and kissed her fingers.

            She swallowed hard. "It's even worse than I remember it."

            "It's okay, Sweetie," David reassured her. "You'll be fine. Just relax."

            She nodded.

            He stroked her hair. "I'll be right here the whole time. You'll be fine."

            "I know," she whispered. "I just never liked the chemo."

            "Let's think of something more pleasant," he told her.

            "Okay."

            "Where do you want to have the wedding?" he asked.

            "Back in Texas, at my house," she replied. "We can have it in the garden. That way we aren't spending a small fortune on flowers."

            "How many people?"

            "300 max." She smiled. "I want a big wedding."

            "Anything you want, I want too, Sweetheart," he told her.

            "I love you," she told him. Her eyes slid closed as she slipped into the darkness of sleep.

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            The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake.

            "Hey Hon," David whispered. "Are you ready to go?"

            "Yeah." Rianna sat up and a wave of dizziness swept over her. "Whoa."

            "Dizzy?" David asked.

            She nodded.

            "The doctor said they want to put you in a testing program for a new drug called Chematin. It's supposed o help with the debilitating nausea, dizziness, and vomiting from chemotherapy," he told her.

            "When can I start?" she questioned.

            "Tomorrow," he told her. "They want to wait a day for some reason. If it were up to me, you'd have had this last time but I couldn't get a hold of anybody at the company."

            "It's okay," Rianna assured him. She swung her feet around and caught her breath as another wave of dizziness hit her hard. Where was her wheelchair? Oh yeah. They'd left it in the car.

            "Hold on, Sweetheart. Let me carry you," he said.

            Rianna willingly let herself be scooped up into his warm, strong arms.

            "Are you going to carry her the whole way to the car?" a voice asked.

            It was Skinner from his position in the doorway.

            "Oh! David, Skinner. Skinner, this is my fiancé David," Rianna introduced them.

            "Hi," David said. "To answer your question, she's so light, I could carry her cross country without getting tired."

            Skinner nodded. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

            "How sweet," Rianna said. "We're planning on heading home to watch a movie with Dana and Mulder if you want to come."

            "I wouldn't be interrupting anything, would I?"

            David shook his head. "Nah. We're just going to relax so Reese can have a little recovery time. We don't want her barfing all over the place."

            "Okay," Skinner replied.

            "Then let's get going," Rianna said. "We told Dana and Mulder we'd be there fifteen minutes ago."

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            Rianna settled in the easy chair with David. She had changed into an ancient pair of sweats and fuzzy white slippers. A trashcan was beside the chair in case the chemo caused a round of vomiting like it often did.

            "What are we watching, Scully?" Skinner asked.

            No one had questioned his presence with the group; he just fit somehow.

            "I think we need to let Rianna pick. After all, she did just have a toxic substance released into her body kill a cancer," Scully said.

            "You make it sound so glamorous," Rianna joked faintly. "How about Armagedon? It's not too girly for all the guys in the room."

            "Anything you want," Mulder replied. He got off the couch and popped the tape into Scully's VCR before settling down on the sofa with Scully again.

            "Those two are just too cute," Rianna thought to herself. "I wonder why they aren't dating…"

            Rianna spent more time watching Mulder and Scully than the movie. Mulder had his arm around Scully's shoulders and his other hand was joined with hers, resting in her lap. She rested her head on his shoulder and had her free hand around his waist. Mulder planted a kiss in her hair, ever so softly.

            "Can I ask you guys a question?" Rianna asked, pointing at Mulder and Scully.

            "Sure," Scully replied.

            "Why aren't you two together? Now, just think for a second about what I'm saying," Rianna said. "On just about every case, there is someone who thinks you're together. You're obviously in love with each other. Am I right?"

            David and Skinner nodded; Scully and Mulder stared.

            "Look, open your eyes. You're curled up together on the couch much like David and myself," she pointed out. "I see the same things in your guys' eyes towards each other that I see when I look at David. You love him Dana, admit it. And you Fox, you love her too!"

            Everyone was silent.

            Scully's heart beat faster. She knew Rianna was right—about her at least. What about Mulder? Did he really love her?

            "I think Dana and I need to talk," she heard Mulder saying. "Alone." He gave her a meaningful look. "Bedroom?"

            She got up and followed him into her bedroom, shutting the door.

            "Keep your clothes on! We'd like to see you later!" David called to them jokingly.

            "So…." Scully said.

            "So…." Mulder replied.

            They sat in an uncomfortable silence.

            "I love you," Mulder blurted out suddenly. His face reddened and he looked away.

            "Really?" she asked, hardly daring to believe.

            "Are you kidding? Of course I love you!" he told her in disbelief.

            "I love you too," she told him.

            He moved closer to her so she had to look up to meet his eyes. "Really?"

            He knew the answer. Wordlessly, he bent his head and kissed her.

            "Mmmmm…" Scully thought. "He tastes so good…"

            Both pulled back reluctantly at the same time, leaving their foreheads together.

            There was a knock on the door. "Hey, if you guys can manage to keep your clothes on and stop making out n there, we would like to see you and finish watching the movie," David called.

            Reluctantly, they pulled apart. Before they left, Mulder kissed Scully again gantl, holding her hand as they walked back into the living room.

            Rianna smiled and clapped. "Finally."

            Scully grinned and blushed. Mulder dropped her hand and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

            "Okay," Rianna said. "Back to the movie."

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I'm baaaaaaaaack!!!! Seriously, I finally got this whole story done. (No this isn't the last chapter.) I've almost finished writing the rest of Meant To Be II (I also have plans for a third), I started Partners II, and I also have plans for a sequel to this one. Questions? Comments? Ideas? R& R and I'll love you forever!

Luv Y'all!

Jinx