Chapter Three - The Doctor Doesn't Always Know Best
Mulder felted the wave of dizziness cover him again and this time when his head cleared he was standing in an elevator. Next to him stood Alex Krycek and the Cigarette Smoking Man.
They were in deep conversation.
"Are you telling me that all of them are gone?" CSM stated reaching for a cigarette.
"All but Waterston - she has yet to even begin to show symptoms."
"Any chance of you getting her onboard before it is too late?"
Krycek shrugged. "I don't think so. It is pretty much known that she is not happy in her marriage but apparently she takes her marriage vows very seriously. I have been trying to break down her defenses but so far nothing."
"Give it another two weeks. If you haven't succeeded by then, drop it."
Krycek nodded and the two men rode in silence until they reached the first floor, where CSM got out without another word to his companion.
Mulder stood in the elevator relieved to hear that Scully was out of danger but wondering who Agent Waterston was. "Probably another poor agent they are using for their experimentation." he thought to himself.
To Mulder's surprise, Krycek pushed the button for the basement. Mulder followed him out of the elevator and into his former office wondering if in his current state of limbo he would be able to access the computers to locate Scully.
Krycek paused to open the door to his office and Mulder glanced up to read the two names plastered on it.
"A. Krycek and D. Waterston"
"D. Waterston" Mulder thought to himself. He knew that name sounded familiar but he just couldn't place where he had heard it before.
Mulder followed Krycek into his office and noticed at once how different it looked. First of all, it had two desks not one. Second was although, judging by the files littering both desks, this office was still the home of the X-files, there were no bizarre posters hanging on the wall or books of the occult and alien abduction lining the shelves of the bookcase.
"BORING" Mulder thought looking around the room. He was about to snoop a bit more when he heard the door open again and in walked Krycek's partner. Dana Waterston.
"Hi Dana" Krycek said smiling at his partner "How was lunch?"
"A bit dull, Daniel got stuck at the hospital and wasn't able to make it." Scully tried to smile but didn't succeed too well. She quickly took a seat at her desk and tried to look busy.
"Scully married?" Mulder thought to himself a bit shocked. He wasn't sure why, be he felt rather betrayed. That betrayal was nothing compared to the red hot anger he felt seconds later.
Krycek walked over to where Scully was doing a pretty poor job of looking at a file. He leaned over her, removed the file from her hand and spun around her chair so he was looming over her.
"Dana" he said softly pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Would you like to talk about it?"
She looked up at him her eyes trying to hold back tears and shook her head no.
"Dana" Krycek said almost whispering. "Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you don't want to be with someone who really cares about you?"
Mulder looked on in pure horror as it seems abundantly obvious to him that Krycek was about to kiss Scully.
Apparently she saw it coming too and quickly got out of her seat and walked over to the filing cabinets.
"Come on Dana" Krycek said following her "Why do you keep fighting what is going on between us. You know we care for each other. Why aren't you willing to take it to the next level?"
Scully whirled around to face him looking quite angry. "Because I am married Alex. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Go get him Scully" Mulder said cheering on his partner. He knew she would never think about breaking her wedding vows.
Scully was about to verbally chastise Krycek when she thought she felt something on her face. One look at the horrified look on Krycek's face and she knew something was wrong.
She touched her face just under her nose briefly and then drew away her hand. Looking down she noticed a small amount of blood on her fingers.
Mulder, suddenly remembering the conversation in the elevator, gasped and quickly left the room. He couldn't watch any more.
Clarence was waiting for him outside in the hall.
"I don't understand Clarence. How could she have the cancer? I am not here!"
"Fox, haven't you figured it out yet that you are not the only person who controls the fate of Dana, her sister, your parents or any of the other people with whom you have come into contact. Most of what has been predestined for them has nothing to do with whether or not you are here."
"You mean Scully was supposed to get the implant and the cancer?" Mulder anger rising "Then you're right, I don't understand."
Clarence began walking down the hall and Mulder quickly caught up with him. "You think that just because you are not with the X-files that Scully would be spared all the anguish that her association with them has caused her?"
Mulder nodded.
"You cannot count on that Fox for Dana was destined to be working for the FBI with or without you being here. However, your not being here has obviously made some impact."
Mulder frowned at this comment and Clarence turned and smiled patiently. "Her marriage for example or even the fact that she is blissfully unaware of the Syndicate and all their nasty business."
"How could that be?"
"You are not there to tell her about it. Do you think that Alex Krycek is going to ramble on about aliens and government conspiracies to her?"
"No, I don't suppose he would."
"You wanted to spare her some physical pain and perhaps you have. Krycek is not one to poke his nose into things that will not aid his personal agenda. I doubt she and Krycek will spend as much time as you did hunting down monsters and the like."
"Can we stop talking about Alex Krycek and focus on her cancer please? What is going to happen to her?"
"Why don't we take a peek and see?" Clarence said smiling again.
At just that moment, Mulder realized he was standing in a different corridor. Looking around he recognized it as being the ward on which Scully spent her last few days when she was fighting her cancer.
Outside of her room stood an older distinguished looking man talking with her doctor. Mulder recognized the doctor but had no idea who the other man was.
"Dr. Waterston, I don't know what else to tell you. We have tried every possible treatment at our disposal and nothing has helped."
The older man nodded and paused before replying. "How much longer do you think?"
"I would say days maybe, if you are lucky, a week or so."
Waterston nodded again. "Thank you Doctor."
The younger doctor turned to walk away when Waterston called out to him "One more thing Doctor"
When the doctor had turned back he continued "You haven't told her have you?"
"No, I haven't. At your request we have yet to tell your wife that her condition is fatal."
Waterston nodded and opened the door to his wife's room.
"Bastard" Mulder said looking for Clarence who seemed to have disappeared yet again. "Scully would hate not knowing the truth. Doesn't he know her at all?"
He followed Waterston into Scully's room and stopped short when he laid eyes on her. She was deathly pale with huge dark circles under her eyes. She looked up when her husband entered the room and did her best to smile at him.
"Daniel, you look like you have seen a ghost. Surely my time isn't that close at hand yet?"
"Nonsense darling" he replied walking over to her and kissing her on the forehead. "Nothing could be farther from the truth."
Scully looked at him for a second trying to gauge whether or not he was telling the truth before continuing. "So I take you think I am well enough to leave town and get to your seminar after all. I am sure everyone will be thrilled that you can make it."
Mulder couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could this man leave her at such a time?
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"No, not at all" Mulder could tell that Scully was lying but Waterston obviously didn't notice.
An awkward silence filled the room which Scully finally broke.
"Daniel" she said a bit meekly. "I was thinking about calling some holistic healers that were friends of Melissa's. I thought they may have a suggestion or two for me."
Mulder smiled at Scully's idea but Waterston did not. "Dana, don't be ridiculous - those people are nothing but freaks who are out to steal our money."
"But Daniel, their techniques have been proven over the centuries in many Eastern cultures"
"You tell him Scully" Mulder said.
"Dana, I know this is difficult for you but I really must insist."
Scully sighed realizing that she was wasting her energy on a fight she wouldn't win.
"You look tired darling. I am going to go now and let you get some rest."
"But you just got here" Scully whined "yours is the first friendly face I have seen all day."
"Now Dana, you need your rest. I am your doctor so you have to listen." He tried to sound like he was joking, but couldn't quite pull it off. "I will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning and should be back before the weekend. I will call you when I get there."
Dana just nodded and accepted the kiss he put on her cheek. Waterston quietly left the room not noticing the single large tear slowly making its way down Scully's cheek.
Mulder took the chance and walked over to the bed where she lay and took a good long look at her. He had seen her like this once before when she was lying on the thin line between life and death. He had pulled her back from death then and wondered to himself who would pull her back this time.
He gently laid his hand on hers and she flinched suddenly as if somehow aware of his presence. "Hang in there Scully - it will be alright."
He knew she couldn't hear him and probably wouldn't have believed him if she could but he felt he had to say it if only to make himself feel better.
He stayed in the room keeping guard over her until she fell asleep.
Only then did he go again back into the corridor where Clarence was patiently waiting for him.
"Call you tell me if she lives or dies?" Mulder said looking Clarence straight in the eye.
"No, I am afraid that I am not allowed to do that. I can tell you Fox, that no one in Scully's life at the present time would even consider the course of treatment you provided her."
"Are you trying to tell me that she will just die without anyone doing anything? What about her husband? Melissa? Krycek?"
Clarence pointed to a small bench located down the corridor from where they stood. "Have a seat Fox"
He sat down next to Mulder and continued. "Melissa is dead. She was shot."
Mulder looked shocked. "By Krycek?"
"No she walked into an attempted robbery. The man attempting to rob the convenience store meant to shoot the owner but shot her instead."
"Same type of death, different circumstances" Mulder muttered to himself.
"Exactly. Her mother is in California where she lives down the street from her brother. I guess seeing Dana settled down gave her the reason she needed to leave the East Coast and go West."
Mulder leaned forward on the bench putting in hands between his legs and looked at the floor. "I suppose Krycek's devotion to Scully doesn't go far enough for him to look for the cure to his cancer."
"Oh, he knows how he could stop it but doing so isn't in the best interest of himself or the Syndicate. Remember Fox, you aren't around so they can't use Scully as a pawn against you. This time that fact works to her disadvantage."
"And her husband?" Mulder asked quietly.
"It seems he is rather tied up with his work."
Mulder just sat for a while lost in thought. Finally he raised his head and looked at Clarence. "I know where I want to go now."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So what do you think? Any
Mulder felted the wave of dizziness cover him again and this time when his head cleared he was standing in an elevator. Next to him stood Alex Krycek and the Cigarette Smoking Man.
They were in deep conversation.
"Are you telling me that all of them are gone?" CSM stated reaching for a cigarette.
"All but Waterston - she has yet to even begin to show symptoms."
"Any chance of you getting her onboard before it is too late?"
Krycek shrugged. "I don't think so. It is pretty much known that she is not happy in her marriage but apparently she takes her marriage vows very seriously. I have been trying to break down her defenses but so far nothing."
"Give it another two weeks. If you haven't succeeded by then, drop it."
Krycek nodded and the two men rode in silence until they reached the first floor, where CSM got out without another word to his companion.
Mulder stood in the elevator relieved to hear that Scully was out of danger but wondering who Agent Waterston was. "Probably another poor agent they are using for their experimentation." he thought to himself.
To Mulder's surprise, Krycek pushed the button for the basement. Mulder followed him out of the elevator and into his former office wondering if in his current state of limbo he would be able to access the computers to locate Scully.
Krycek paused to open the door to his office and Mulder glanced up to read the two names plastered on it.
"A. Krycek and D. Waterston"
"D. Waterston" Mulder thought to himself. He knew that name sounded familiar but he just couldn't place where he had heard it before.
Mulder followed Krycek into his office and noticed at once how different it looked. First of all, it had two desks not one. Second was although, judging by the files littering both desks, this office was still the home of the X-files, there were no bizarre posters hanging on the wall or books of the occult and alien abduction lining the shelves of the bookcase.
"BORING" Mulder thought looking around the room. He was about to snoop a bit more when he heard the door open again and in walked Krycek's partner. Dana Waterston.
"Hi Dana" Krycek said smiling at his partner "How was lunch?"
"A bit dull, Daniel got stuck at the hospital and wasn't able to make it." Scully tried to smile but didn't succeed too well. She quickly took a seat at her desk and tried to look busy.
"Scully married?" Mulder thought to himself a bit shocked. He wasn't sure why, be he felt rather betrayed. That betrayal was nothing compared to the red hot anger he felt seconds later.
Krycek walked over to where Scully was doing a pretty poor job of looking at a file. He leaned over her, removed the file from her hand and spun around her chair so he was looming over her.
"Dana" he said softly pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Would you like to talk about it?"
She looked up at him her eyes trying to hold back tears and shook her head no.
"Dana" Krycek said almost whispering. "Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you don't want to be with someone who really cares about you?"
Mulder looked on in pure horror as it seems abundantly obvious to him that Krycek was about to kiss Scully.
Apparently she saw it coming too and quickly got out of her seat and walked over to the filing cabinets.
"Come on Dana" Krycek said following her "Why do you keep fighting what is going on between us. You know we care for each other. Why aren't you willing to take it to the next level?"
Scully whirled around to face him looking quite angry. "Because I am married Alex. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Go get him Scully" Mulder said cheering on his partner. He knew she would never think about breaking her wedding vows.
Scully was about to verbally chastise Krycek when she thought she felt something on her face. One look at the horrified look on Krycek's face and she knew something was wrong.
She touched her face just under her nose briefly and then drew away her hand. Looking down she noticed a small amount of blood on her fingers.
Mulder, suddenly remembering the conversation in the elevator, gasped and quickly left the room. He couldn't watch any more.
Clarence was waiting for him outside in the hall.
"I don't understand Clarence. How could she have the cancer? I am not here!"
"Fox, haven't you figured it out yet that you are not the only person who controls the fate of Dana, her sister, your parents or any of the other people with whom you have come into contact. Most of what has been predestined for them has nothing to do with whether or not you are here."
"You mean Scully was supposed to get the implant and the cancer?" Mulder anger rising "Then you're right, I don't understand."
Clarence began walking down the hall and Mulder quickly caught up with him. "You think that just because you are not with the X-files that Scully would be spared all the anguish that her association with them has caused her?"
Mulder nodded.
"You cannot count on that Fox for Dana was destined to be working for the FBI with or without you being here. However, your not being here has obviously made some impact."
Mulder frowned at this comment and Clarence turned and smiled patiently. "Her marriage for example or even the fact that she is blissfully unaware of the Syndicate and all their nasty business."
"How could that be?"
"You are not there to tell her about it. Do you think that Alex Krycek is going to ramble on about aliens and government conspiracies to her?"
"No, I don't suppose he would."
"You wanted to spare her some physical pain and perhaps you have. Krycek is not one to poke his nose into things that will not aid his personal agenda. I doubt she and Krycek will spend as much time as you did hunting down monsters and the like."
"Can we stop talking about Alex Krycek and focus on her cancer please? What is going to happen to her?"
"Why don't we take a peek and see?" Clarence said smiling again.
At just that moment, Mulder realized he was standing in a different corridor. Looking around he recognized it as being the ward on which Scully spent her last few days when she was fighting her cancer.
Outside of her room stood an older distinguished looking man talking with her doctor. Mulder recognized the doctor but had no idea who the other man was.
"Dr. Waterston, I don't know what else to tell you. We have tried every possible treatment at our disposal and nothing has helped."
The older man nodded and paused before replying. "How much longer do you think?"
"I would say days maybe, if you are lucky, a week or so."
Waterston nodded again. "Thank you Doctor."
The younger doctor turned to walk away when Waterston called out to him "One more thing Doctor"
When the doctor had turned back he continued "You haven't told her have you?"
"No, I haven't. At your request we have yet to tell your wife that her condition is fatal."
Waterston nodded and opened the door to his wife's room.
"Bastard" Mulder said looking for Clarence who seemed to have disappeared yet again. "Scully would hate not knowing the truth. Doesn't he know her at all?"
He followed Waterston into Scully's room and stopped short when he laid eyes on her. She was deathly pale with huge dark circles under her eyes. She looked up when her husband entered the room and did her best to smile at him.
"Daniel, you look like you have seen a ghost. Surely my time isn't that close at hand yet?"
"Nonsense darling" he replied walking over to her and kissing her on the forehead. "Nothing could be farther from the truth."
Scully looked at him for a second trying to gauge whether or not he was telling the truth before continuing. "So I take you think I am well enough to leave town and get to your seminar after all. I am sure everyone will be thrilled that you can make it."
Mulder couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could this man leave her at such a time?
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"No, not at all" Mulder could tell that Scully was lying but Waterston obviously didn't notice.
An awkward silence filled the room which Scully finally broke.
"Daniel" she said a bit meekly. "I was thinking about calling some holistic healers that were friends of Melissa's. I thought they may have a suggestion or two for me."
Mulder smiled at Scully's idea but Waterston did not. "Dana, don't be ridiculous - those people are nothing but freaks who are out to steal our money."
"But Daniel, their techniques have been proven over the centuries in many Eastern cultures"
"You tell him Scully" Mulder said.
"Dana, I know this is difficult for you but I really must insist."
Scully sighed realizing that she was wasting her energy on a fight she wouldn't win.
"You look tired darling. I am going to go now and let you get some rest."
"But you just got here" Scully whined "yours is the first friendly face I have seen all day."
"Now Dana, you need your rest. I am your doctor so you have to listen." He tried to sound like he was joking, but couldn't quite pull it off. "I will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning and should be back before the weekend. I will call you when I get there."
Dana just nodded and accepted the kiss he put on her cheek. Waterston quietly left the room not noticing the single large tear slowly making its way down Scully's cheek.
Mulder took the chance and walked over to the bed where she lay and took a good long look at her. He had seen her like this once before when she was lying on the thin line between life and death. He had pulled her back from death then and wondered to himself who would pull her back this time.
He gently laid his hand on hers and she flinched suddenly as if somehow aware of his presence. "Hang in there Scully - it will be alright."
He knew she couldn't hear him and probably wouldn't have believed him if she could but he felt he had to say it if only to make himself feel better.
He stayed in the room keeping guard over her until she fell asleep.
Only then did he go again back into the corridor where Clarence was patiently waiting for him.
"Call you tell me if she lives or dies?" Mulder said looking Clarence straight in the eye.
"No, I am afraid that I am not allowed to do that. I can tell you Fox, that no one in Scully's life at the present time would even consider the course of treatment you provided her."
"Are you trying to tell me that she will just die without anyone doing anything? What about her husband? Melissa? Krycek?"
Clarence pointed to a small bench located down the corridor from where they stood. "Have a seat Fox"
He sat down next to Mulder and continued. "Melissa is dead. She was shot."
Mulder looked shocked. "By Krycek?"
"No she walked into an attempted robbery. The man attempting to rob the convenience store meant to shoot the owner but shot her instead."
"Same type of death, different circumstances" Mulder muttered to himself.
"Exactly. Her mother is in California where she lives down the street from her brother. I guess seeing Dana settled down gave her the reason she needed to leave the East Coast and go West."
Mulder leaned forward on the bench putting in hands between his legs and looked at the floor. "I suppose Krycek's devotion to Scully doesn't go far enough for him to look for the cure to his cancer."
"Oh, he knows how he could stop it but doing so isn't in the best interest of himself or the Syndicate. Remember Fox, you aren't around so they can't use Scully as a pawn against you. This time that fact works to her disadvantage."
"And her husband?" Mulder asked quietly.
"It seems he is rather tied up with his work."
Mulder just sat for a while lost in thought. Finally he raised his head and looked at Clarence. "I know where I want to go now."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So what do you think? Any