The Domino Effect-Part 9
Headers and Disclaimers in part 1
After arriving in Mulder's room, Skinner called
Scully to fill her in on her partner's condition and
to ask her to notify the seminar participants that
there would be a two-hour delay in the start time.
That would give him enough time to meet Karen for a
cup of coffee and get back to the hotel for a quick
shower.
He turned his attention back to Mulder who was
protesting the use of the cooling blanket, among
other things. Mulder wasn't too happy with life in
general at the moment, and was loudly making his
demands known. He wanted the damned Foley out, along
with the oxygen he was receiving by nasal cannula.
He had already told them in no uncertain terms where
they could put the cooling blanket, and he was
threatening to remove his IV.
"Mulder, calm down!" Skinner ordered.
"Why isn't Scully here? You told me she would be
here."
"I just talked to her. She'll be here after she gets
some sleep," Skinner explained. "You've got to calm
down or they will be forced to put you in restraints.
Scully won't be happy is she gets here and sees you
tied down."
"She'll be pissed at me. Don't want that." He
panted, eyes seeming unable to focus.
"Good. All you need to do is relax and let these
people do their jobs."
"All I want is a damned blanket. Is that too much to
ask?"
"Mr. Mulder, I'm Nita Ricardo. I'm going to be
taking care of you until 7AM. I have a deal to make
with you."
"Deal?" Mulder asked warily.
"Yes, Mr. Mulder. When your temperature drops to
100, I'll get you a nice, warm blanket."
"Promise?" he asked pitifully.
"Yes, I promise. I'll take it right out of the
warmer and bring it to you. Deal?"
"Yeah, deal. I'm tired."
"I'll bet you are. I need to get your vitals and get
you set up with the cooling blanket. Dr. Kensington
said you could have some more medicine to help you
sleep, so I'm going to put that in your IV now."
"Okay," Mulder agreed, closing his eyes and
shivering.
"Hang in there, Mulder," Skinner said as he stood by,
wanting to help but not really knowing what to do.
"Trying." He wrapped his arms around his chest in an
attempt to stop the chills. "Let me sleep."
"You go ahead, Mr. Mulder. I'll only wake you up of
something important comes up," Nita assured him.
"Good. Leave me alone," he sighed as he dozed off.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Ricardo. I think he's been sick for
so long that he's lost what little patience he had,"
Skinner said apologetically.
"The high fever is making him cranky. It's okay.
I've seen worse."
"Will you really give him a blanket?"
"Sure, if he still wants it. By the time his fever
breaks, I'm afraid the last thing he will want is a
blanket."
"Very sneaky."
"Well, whatever works. His temp is still way up
there," she informed him "105.2." She whistled as
she considered that, shaking her dark head.
"What can I do?"
"For right now, just keep him from pulling anything
out if he gets restless."
"Okay, I'll try."
"I'll be checking in every 15 minutes or so, but
please feel free to call me if you're concerned or
have any questions."
"Thank you."
"You can pull the couch out to make a bed. I'll
bring you some linens when I come back."
"I hadn't planned on sleeping."
"Well, you never know. If Mr. Mulder's fever breaks,
you might get a chance to catch a few winks," the
nurse said.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again," Skinner
acknowledged.
"See you in 15 minutes then," the nurse said as she
exited, closing the door softly behind her.
The AD stood beside Mulder's bed and observed him as
he slept. He appeared to be resting comfortably for
the time being. Once again he was forced to wonder
why this one man never seemed to catch a break. It
appeared that almost his entire life had consisted of
dealing with one crisis after the other. Scully
seemed to be the one bright spot in his miserable
existence.
His mind began to think about Mulder and Scully's
relationship. The big question was what kind of
relationship did they have? They had become friends
almost immediately. Everyone knew that the bond of
friendship was so strong between them that it was
rare to think of one without the other.
Many had speculated, sometimes rather crudely, that
they had long ago gone beyond friendship and had
become lovers. Skinner wasn't sure they had taken
that step yet, but from what he'd observed lately, if
the two friends weren't lovers yet, they weren't far
from it.
That brought about another question. As their
immediate supervisor, what should he do? Should he
take them aside one by one and advise them to watch
their backs?
No, he couldn't see himself doing that. He had to
admit to himself that he was all in favor of their
relationship. Even as they grew closer, their work
was still top-notch. No complaints in that category.
Skinner turned away from the sick man, determined to
do the same thing with their burgeoning relationship.
Yes, he decided, the best course of action would be
to just turn his back and ignore the whole thing. He
wouldn't become involved unless forced into it by
some unforeseen problem in the future.
He settled down on the recliner beside Mulder's bed
hoping that his agent would have a smooth course in
getting over this illness so that he and Scully could
have some quality time to concentrate on their
personal relationship. Skinner began to think of
ways to give them the time they needed. He was so
deep in thought that he was startled when nurse Nita
Ricardo came back in, bringing the linens for the
sofa bed.
"Sorry, Mr. Skinner," she grinned, putting the linens
on the sofa. "How's Mr. Mulder?"
"He's been sleeping peacefully." Thank God, he
thought to himself.
"Great! That's what he needs more than anything
right now. I'm just going to take his temperature
again, then I'll leave you alone for another 15
minutes."
"No, problem, Ms. Ricardo. I was just sitting and
thinking."
"I imagine your line of work gives you plenty to
think about," the nurse ventured.
"You have no idea," Skinner sighed.
"All right. All finished. A little better. His
temp's down to 104. If he keeps this up I may have
to come up with that blanket," she laughed.
"Well, let's hope you do."
"See you in 15," she promised and was out the door.
"Come on, Mulder. Keep up the good work," Skinner
encouraged softly.
Mulder moaned and rolled awkwardly onto his left
side, facing Skinner. "You say something?" he asked
sleepily, opening one eye.
"Yeah, your temperature is down a little. Good
going."
"Still cold," he muttered closing his eye.
"Go back to sleep, Mulder."
Skinner didn't get an answer as Mulder began to snore
softly.
Nurse Ricardo was back right on schedule carrying a
small bag of IV solution with an orange sticker on
it. "The infectious disease doctor that was
consulted suggested an additional antibiotic, so I'm
going to hang it and take Mr. Mulder's temp again.
Is everything still going okay?"
"Yes, he was awake for a few seconds, but went right
back to sleep."
"All right. I'll make a note of that. His temp is
now down to 103.4."
"That's good news."
"Yes, it is. He's beginning to perspire so I'm going
to get a washcloth and wipe off his face. You might
want to wipe him down from time to time. Try to keep
him as comfortable as possible."
"Okay, I will."
"Good," she agreed, going into the bathroom and
coming out with a basin of water, a washcloth and
towel. "I'm just going to wash his face right now,
but if he becomes really uncomfortable, you can pull
his gown down and wipe his chest and back."
"All right," Skinner agreed hesitantly.
"You'll do fine," the nurse grinned, patting him on
the back. "I'll be back in 15 minutes. Call me if
you need me."
Skinner stood beside Mulder's bed, observing him. In
what seemed like no time, the younger man was covered
in a sheen of perspiration. The AD wrung out the
washcloth and wiped Mulder's face. He moaned in
response and tried to shift his position, only to be
stopped by his painful muscles. His gowm was
drenched in sweat.
Skinner decided that he needed to untie Mulder's gown
and at least make an attempt to make the sick agent
feel a little more comfortable. He bathed him
gently, gingerly dabbing at his fevered skin, glad
that no one was present to see his awkward
ministrations.
He finished rinsing out the washcloth and turned back
to dry Mulder's back and chest. He was startled to
find Mulder watching him.
"Having fun?" Mulder asked sleepily.
"Are you?" Skinner countered as he began to dry him
off.
"Tons."
"How are you feeling?" Skinner asked as he retied
Mulder's gown.
"Surprisingly hot."
"Your temperature is coming down quite well," Skinner
explained.
"Don't know what's worse, freezing or sweating,"
Mulder sighed. "Still tired."
"Go back to sleep. You need the rest to heal"
"Why don't you go back to the hotel, sir?"
"Can't, Mulder. I promised Scully I'd stay with you
until she gets here at 7:00."
"I won't hold you to that."
"No?" he chuckled. "You might not, but Scully will."
"Sorry sir, you're right," Mulder grinned as he wiped
a rivulet of sweat from his forehead.
Skinner leaned over with the cloth and wiped Mulder's
face again. "Better?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Try to get some more sleep, Mulder."
"You too, sir."
"I will after the nurse checks your temperature
again," Skinner assured him.
Mulder nodded his understanding and closed his eyes.
As Skinner rinsed the washcloth, he noticed that
Mulder's gown was already soaked through and wondered
what he should do about it. Fortunately the nurse
came in for a temperature check just then.
"How's he doing?"
"As you predicted, now he's hot."
"Actually that's good. Let me get his temp and then
I'll take off that wet gown and cover him with a
sheet. There's no sense in getting him another gown
until his temperature stabilizes."
She inserted the thermometer in his ear and looked at
the readout as she ejected the cover.
"It's still coming down. 102.5," she announced.
"I'll be right back with that sheet."
Nurse Ricardo returned with the sheet, and then
spread it over her patient, before tucking it in at
the foot of the bed. As she was loosening the ties
of his gown, Mulder opened his eyes.
"Well, hello, Mr. Mulder. I'm just trying to make
you more comfortable." She finished untying the
gown, pulling it down and unsnapping the sleeve over
his IV. With one swift yank, the wet garment was
removed.
"I think we'll just leave that off for a while."
"Okay," Mulder said uncertainly. "Thirsty."
"I'll bet you are," the nurse smiled as she poured a
cup of water. "Let me get a straw for you and we'll
be all set. Just take a few sips. If that stays
down okay, you can have some more."
She held the water while Mulder sipped greedily.
After two long sips he stopped. "That was good."
"Well, let's wait a few minutes before you try any
more."
Mulder nodded his agreement.
"Are you still feeling cold?"
"No, I'm feeling rather warm now."
"That's good news, Mr. Mulder. That's because your
temperature is going down."
"Can I go home now?" Skinner suppressed a grin at
the pleading in his sick agent's voice.
"Oh, I don't think you're anyway near ready for that
just yet. Let's give it a couple of days at least,"
the nurse smiled.
"More water?"
"All right. You can have two more sips, then you can
have as many ice chips as you want."
"Only two?"
"Uh-huh. You need to take it easy on your poor
stomach."
"Listen to her, Mulder," Skinner advised. "You don't
want to strain those stomach muscles any more."
"What's wrong with your stomach muscles, Mr. Mulder?"
The nurse gave him a thoughtful look.
"Sore from too much vomiting," Mulder supplied as he
finished his last sip of water. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," the nurse answered, looking into
the water pitcher. "Looks like you could use some
more ice."
"If you'll give me directions, I'll be glad to go and
fill the pitcher," skinner volunteered.
"Right next to the nurse's station. You can't miss
it," she answered, handing him the pitcher.
When Skinner returned, the nurse was waiting for hi
at the door.
"Mr. Mulder has gone back to sleep. He expressed
some concern that you were missing out on your sleep.
He said something about a seminar that you had to
lead. I promised him I would try to talk you into
catching a few winks."
"Thank you, Ms. Ricardo, but I'd rather keep an eye
on him for a while longer. I feel kind of
responsible for him right now with his partner also
recovering from food poisoning. She would normally
be here in my place. She is much better at dealing
with a sick Mulder than I am."
"He knew you'd say that," she laughed. "Since his
temperature is going down, I won't be back for
another half hour unless you need me. I pulled the
sofa bed out and put a sheet, pillow and blanket on
for you. I'm afraid Mr. Mulder won't rest well
unless you try to get some sleep too."
"You're probably right. I'll lie down, but I won't
promise that I'll sleep."
"Suit yourself, Mr. Skinner. Is there anything I can
do for either of you before I leave?"
"No, I think we're set. Thank you for being so
kind."
"It's just part of my job. See you in around 30
minutes."
Skinner put the pitcher on the tray table and pushed
it where Mulder could reach it easily. His charge
was sleeping soundly, so he took off his glasses and
collapsed on the bed, rubbing his tired eyes. He was
asleep within minutes.
Both men slept through the nurse's next visit. After
taking her patient's temperature she pulled down the
sheet to his waist, gently wiping the perspiration
from his upper body, checked his IV, adjusted the
bedclothes and left quietly.
Sometime later, the AD was awakened by Mulder's
groans. He quickly put his glasses on and made his
way to his agent's bedside. He observed the heavy
perspiration coating the man's body. The sheet had
been kicked aside, exposing Mulder's nude body to the
cooler air. Skinner pulled up the sheet then grabbed
the wet washcloth and began to wipe his face.
Mulder opened his eyes.
"How're you doing, Mulder?"
"Okay," he answered weakly.
"I don't believe that for a minute."
"Can't get anything past you."
"That's right. So, how are you feeling?"
"Back hurts," Mulder gasped, gripping the side rail
so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Hurts
bad."
"Okay, hang in there while I get the nurse."
The older man reached over to push the call button
requesting pain medication for his charge. In a few
minutes the nurse arrived.
"So, what's going on here?"
"Mulder woke up with considerable pain in his back,"
Skinner explained.
"When did this start, Mr. Mulder?"
"About 10 minutes ago, I think. It's getting worse.
Please! Give me a shot! Knock me out! Shoot me!
Just make it stop!" he pleaded, writhing under the
sheet. His face was screwed up in agony. Skinner
looked on, alarmed by this new turn of events.
"Okay, I will, but I need to ask you some questions
first. Is it hurting on one side or both?"
"Right side. Oh, shit! It hurts so bad!"
"All right, Mr. Mulder. I've got some pain
medication for you. I'm going to put it in your IV.
It should work pretty fast. Here you go." The nurse
slowly injected the painkiller into one of the IV
ports.
"Oh, shit! Gonna be sick!" he exclaimed and
proceeded to expel the little bit of water he'd
managed to get down earlier all over his chest.
Nurse Ricardo fumbled for the emesis bowl stored in
the nightstand. By the time she got it under
Mulder's chin, he was having dry heaves. When the
retching stopped, Mulder collapsed onto his pillow,
exhausted, chest heaving. "Sorry about that," he
apologized once he got his breath back. "Unnh!"
"Mulder?"
"Another pain. Bad!"
The nurse turned up the oxygen flow up a notch. "I
know this sounds impossible, Mr. Mulder, but try to
relax. I'm going to get someone to clean you up and
change your bed while I put in a page to the on-call
physician. I'll be right back as soon as I get
through to him. Let me take your temp before I go,
though."
When she finished she shook her head. "It's 103."
Skinner looked surprised while Mulder appeared
oblivious to the whole thing, able to concentrate
only on the pain tearing through his back.
"I'll be right back."
By the time she returned, Mulder had been cleaned up
and his bedclothes changed. "The doctor should be
here in a few minutes. Did the medication help any,
Mr. Mulder?"
"Not much," he answered through gritted teeth. "Call
Scully. Need to talk to her."
"I was just getting ready to do that, Mulder,
Skinner told him, dreading the phone call.
"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice said from
the doorway.
End Part 9
Headers and Disclaimers in part 1
After arriving in Mulder's room, Skinner called
Scully to fill her in on her partner's condition and
to ask her to notify the seminar participants that
there would be a two-hour delay in the start time.
That would give him enough time to meet Karen for a
cup of coffee and get back to the hotel for a quick
shower.
He turned his attention back to Mulder who was
protesting the use of the cooling blanket, among
other things. Mulder wasn't too happy with life in
general at the moment, and was loudly making his
demands known. He wanted the damned Foley out, along
with the oxygen he was receiving by nasal cannula.
He had already told them in no uncertain terms where
they could put the cooling blanket, and he was
threatening to remove his IV.
"Mulder, calm down!" Skinner ordered.
"Why isn't Scully here? You told me she would be
here."
"I just talked to her. She'll be here after she gets
some sleep," Skinner explained. "You've got to calm
down or they will be forced to put you in restraints.
Scully won't be happy is she gets here and sees you
tied down."
"She'll be pissed at me. Don't want that." He
panted, eyes seeming unable to focus.
"Good. All you need to do is relax and let these
people do their jobs."
"All I want is a damned blanket. Is that too much to
ask?"
"Mr. Mulder, I'm Nita Ricardo. I'm going to be
taking care of you until 7AM. I have a deal to make
with you."
"Deal?" Mulder asked warily.
"Yes, Mr. Mulder. When your temperature drops to
100, I'll get you a nice, warm blanket."
"Promise?" he asked pitifully.
"Yes, I promise. I'll take it right out of the
warmer and bring it to you. Deal?"
"Yeah, deal. I'm tired."
"I'll bet you are. I need to get your vitals and get
you set up with the cooling blanket. Dr. Kensington
said you could have some more medicine to help you
sleep, so I'm going to put that in your IV now."
"Okay," Mulder agreed, closing his eyes and
shivering.
"Hang in there, Mulder," Skinner said as he stood by,
wanting to help but not really knowing what to do.
"Trying." He wrapped his arms around his chest in an
attempt to stop the chills. "Let me sleep."
"You go ahead, Mr. Mulder. I'll only wake you up of
something important comes up," Nita assured him.
"Good. Leave me alone," he sighed as he dozed off.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Ricardo. I think he's been sick for
so long that he's lost what little patience he had,"
Skinner said apologetically.
"The high fever is making him cranky. It's okay.
I've seen worse."
"Will you really give him a blanket?"
"Sure, if he still wants it. By the time his fever
breaks, I'm afraid the last thing he will want is a
blanket."
"Very sneaky."
"Well, whatever works. His temp is still way up
there," she informed him "105.2." She whistled as
she considered that, shaking her dark head.
"What can I do?"
"For right now, just keep him from pulling anything
out if he gets restless."
"Okay, I'll try."
"I'll be checking in every 15 minutes or so, but
please feel free to call me if you're concerned or
have any questions."
"Thank you."
"You can pull the couch out to make a bed. I'll
bring you some linens when I come back."
"I hadn't planned on sleeping."
"Well, you never know. If Mr. Mulder's fever breaks,
you might get a chance to catch a few winks," the
nurse said.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you again," Skinner
acknowledged.
"See you in 15 minutes then," the nurse said as she
exited, closing the door softly behind her.
The AD stood beside Mulder's bed and observed him as
he slept. He appeared to be resting comfortably for
the time being. Once again he was forced to wonder
why this one man never seemed to catch a break. It
appeared that almost his entire life had consisted of
dealing with one crisis after the other. Scully
seemed to be the one bright spot in his miserable
existence.
His mind began to think about Mulder and Scully's
relationship. The big question was what kind of
relationship did they have? They had become friends
almost immediately. Everyone knew that the bond of
friendship was so strong between them that it was
rare to think of one without the other.
Many had speculated, sometimes rather crudely, that
they had long ago gone beyond friendship and had
become lovers. Skinner wasn't sure they had taken
that step yet, but from what he'd observed lately, if
the two friends weren't lovers yet, they weren't far
from it.
That brought about another question. As their
immediate supervisor, what should he do? Should he
take them aside one by one and advise them to watch
their backs?
No, he couldn't see himself doing that. He had to
admit to himself that he was all in favor of their
relationship. Even as they grew closer, their work
was still top-notch. No complaints in that category.
Skinner turned away from the sick man, determined to
do the same thing with their burgeoning relationship.
Yes, he decided, the best course of action would be
to just turn his back and ignore the whole thing. He
wouldn't become involved unless forced into it by
some unforeseen problem in the future.
He settled down on the recliner beside Mulder's bed
hoping that his agent would have a smooth course in
getting over this illness so that he and Scully could
have some quality time to concentrate on their
personal relationship. Skinner began to think of
ways to give them the time they needed. He was so
deep in thought that he was startled when nurse Nita
Ricardo came back in, bringing the linens for the
sofa bed.
"Sorry, Mr. Skinner," she grinned, putting the linens
on the sofa. "How's Mr. Mulder?"
"He's been sleeping peacefully." Thank God, he
thought to himself.
"Great! That's what he needs more than anything
right now. I'm just going to take his temperature
again, then I'll leave you alone for another 15
minutes."
"No, problem, Ms. Ricardo. I was just sitting and
thinking."
"I imagine your line of work gives you plenty to
think about," the nurse ventured.
"You have no idea," Skinner sighed.
"All right. All finished. A little better. His
temp's down to 104. If he keeps this up I may have
to come up with that blanket," she laughed.
"Well, let's hope you do."
"See you in 15," she promised and was out the door.
"Come on, Mulder. Keep up the good work," Skinner
encouraged softly.
Mulder moaned and rolled awkwardly onto his left
side, facing Skinner. "You say something?" he asked
sleepily, opening one eye.
"Yeah, your temperature is down a little. Good
going."
"Still cold," he muttered closing his eye.
"Go back to sleep, Mulder."
Skinner didn't get an answer as Mulder began to snore
softly.
Nurse Ricardo was back right on schedule carrying a
small bag of IV solution with an orange sticker on
it. "The infectious disease doctor that was
consulted suggested an additional antibiotic, so I'm
going to hang it and take Mr. Mulder's temp again.
Is everything still going okay?"
"Yes, he was awake for a few seconds, but went right
back to sleep."
"All right. I'll make a note of that. His temp is
now down to 103.4."
"That's good news."
"Yes, it is. He's beginning to perspire so I'm going
to get a washcloth and wipe off his face. You might
want to wipe him down from time to time. Try to keep
him as comfortable as possible."
"Okay, I will."
"Good," she agreed, going into the bathroom and
coming out with a basin of water, a washcloth and
towel. "I'm just going to wash his face right now,
but if he becomes really uncomfortable, you can pull
his gown down and wipe his chest and back."
"All right," Skinner agreed hesitantly.
"You'll do fine," the nurse grinned, patting him on
the back. "I'll be back in 15 minutes. Call me if
you need me."
Skinner stood beside Mulder's bed, observing him. In
what seemed like no time, the younger man was covered
in a sheen of perspiration. The AD wrung out the
washcloth and wiped Mulder's face. He moaned in
response and tried to shift his position, only to be
stopped by his painful muscles. His gowm was
drenched in sweat.
Skinner decided that he needed to untie Mulder's gown
and at least make an attempt to make the sick agent
feel a little more comfortable. He bathed him
gently, gingerly dabbing at his fevered skin, glad
that no one was present to see his awkward
ministrations.
He finished rinsing out the washcloth and turned back
to dry Mulder's back and chest. He was startled to
find Mulder watching him.
"Having fun?" Mulder asked sleepily.
"Are you?" Skinner countered as he began to dry him
off.
"Tons."
"How are you feeling?" Skinner asked as he retied
Mulder's gown.
"Surprisingly hot."
"Your temperature is coming down quite well," Skinner
explained.
"Don't know what's worse, freezing or sweating,"
Mulder sighed. "Still tired."
"Go back to sleep. You need the rest to heal"
"Why don't you go back to the hotel, sir?"
"Can't, Mulder. I promised Scully I'd stay with you
until she gets here at 7:00."
"I won't hold you to that."
"No?" he chuckled. "You might not, but Scully will."
"Sorry sir, you're right," Mulder grinned as he wiped
a rivulet of sweat from his forehead.
Skinner leaned over with the cloth and wiped Mulder's
face again. "Better?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Try to get some more sleep, Mulder."
"You too, sir."
"I will after the nurse checks your temperature
again," Skinner assured him.
Mulder nodded his understanding and closed his eyes.
As Skinner rinsed the washcloth, he noticed that
Mulder's gown was already soaked through and wondered
what he should do about it. Fortunately the nurse
came in for a temperature check just then.
"How's he doing?"
"As you predicted, now he's hot."
"Actually that's good. Let me get his temp and then
I'll take off that wet gown and cover him with a
sheet. There's no sense in getting him another gown
until his temperature stabilizes."
She inserted the thermometer in his ear and looked at
the readout as she ejected the cover.
"It's still coming down. 102.5," she announced.
"I'll be right back with that sheet."
Nurse Ricardo returned with the sheet, and then
spread it over her patient, before tucking it in at
the foot of the bed. As she was loosening the ties
of his gown, Mulder opened his eyes.
"Well, hello, Mr. Mulder. I'm just trying to make
you more comfortable." She finished untying the
gown, pulling it down and unsnapping the sleeve over
his IV. With one swift yank, the wet garment was
removed.
"I think we'll just leave that off for a while."
"Okay," Mulder said uncertainly. "Thirsty."
"I'll bet you are," the nurse smiled as she poured a
cup of water. "Let me get a straw for you and we'll
be all set. Just take a few sips. If that stays
down okay, you can have some more."
She held the water while Mulder sipped greedily.
After two long sips he stopped. "That was good."
"Well, let's wait a few minutes before you try any
more."
Mulder nodded his agreement.
"Are you still feeling cold?"
"No, I'm feeling rather warm now."
"That's good news, Mr. Mulder. That's because your
temperature is going down."
"Can I go home now?" Skinner suppressed a grin at
the pleading in his sick agent's voice.
"Oh, I don't think you're anyway near ready for that
just yet. Let's give it a couple of days at least,"
the nurse smiled.
"More water?"
"All right. You can have two more sips, then you can
have as many ice chips as you want."
"Only two?"
"Uh-huh. You need to take it easy on your poor
stomach."
"Listen to her, Mulder," Skinner advised. "You don't
want to strain those stomach muscles any more."
"What's wrong with your stomach muscles, Mr. Mulder?"
The nurse gave him a thoughtful look.
"Sore from too much vomiting," Mulder supplied as he
finished his last sip of water. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," the nurse answered, looking into
the water pitcher. "Looks like you could use some
more ice."
"If you'll give me directions, I'll be glad to go and
fill the pitcher," skinner volunteered.
"Right next to the nurse's station. You can't miss
it," she answered, handing him the pitcher.
When Skinner returned, the nurse was waiting for hi
at the door.
"Mr. Mulder has gone back to sleep. He expressed
some concern that you were missing out on your sleep.
He said something about a seminar that you had to
lead. I promised him I would try to talk you into
catching a few winks."
"Thank you, Ms. Ricardo, but I'd rather keep an eye
on him for a while longer. I feel kind of
responsible for him right now with his partner also
recovering from food poisoning. She would normally
be here in my place. She is much better at dealing
with a sick Mulder than I am."
"He knew you'd say that," she laughed. "Since his
temperature is going down, I won't be back for
another half hour unless you need me. I pulled the
sofa bed out and put a sheet, pillow and blanket on
for you. I'm afraid Mr. Mulder won't rest well
unless you try to get some sleep too."
"You're probably right. I'll lie down, but I won't
promise that I'll sleep."
"Suit yourself, Mr. Skinner. Is there anything I can
do for either of you before I leave?"
"No, I think we're set. Thank you for being so
kind."
"It's just part of my job. See you in around 30
minutes."
Skinner put the pitcher on the tray table and pushed
it where Mulder could reach it easily. His charge
was sleeping soundly, so he took off his glasses and
collapsed on the bed, rubbing his tired eyes. He was
asleep within minutes.
Both men slept through the nurse's next visit. After
taking her patient's temperature she pulled down the
sheet to his waist, gently wiping the perspiration
from his upper body, checked his IV, adjusted the
bedclothes and left quietly.
Sometime later, the AD was awakened by Mulder's
groans. He quickly put his glasses on and made his
way to his agent's bedside. He observed the heavy
perspiration coating the man's body. The sheet had
been kicked aside, exposing Mulder's nude body to the
cooler air. Skinner pulled up the sheet then grabbed
the wet washcloth and began to wipe his face.
Mulder opened his eyes.
"How're you doing, Mulder?"
"Okay," he answered weakly.
"I don't believe that for a minute."
"Can't get anything past you."
"That's right. So, how are you feeling?"
"Back hurts," Mulder gasped, gripping the side rail
so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Hurts
bad."
"Okay, hang in there while I get the nurse."
The older man reached over to push the call button
requesting pain medication for his charge. In a few
minutes the nurse arrived.
"So, what's going on here?"
"Mulder woke up with considerable pain in his back,"
Skinner explained.
"When did this start, Mr. Mulder?"
"About 10 minutes ago, I think. It's getting worse.
Please! Give me a shot! Knock me out! Shoot me!
Just make it stop!" he pleaded, writhing under the
sheet. His face was screwed up in agony. Skinner
looked on, alarmed by this new turn of events.
"Okay, I will, but I need to ask you some questions
first. Is it hurting on one side or both?"
"Right side. Oh, shit! It hurts so bad!"
"All right, Mr. Mulder. I've got some pain
medication for you. I'm going to put it in your IV.
It should work pretty fast. Here you go." The nurse
slowly injected the painkiller into one of the IV
ports.
"Oh, shit! Gonna be sick!" he exclaimed and
proceeded to expel the little bit of water he'd
managed to get down earlier all over his chest.
Nurse Ricardo fumbled for the emesis bowl stored in
the nightstand. By the time she got it under
Mulder's chin, he was having dry heaves. When the
retching stopped, Mulder collapsed onto his pillow,
exhausted, chest heaving. "Sorry about that," he
apologized once he got his breath back. "Unnh!"
"Mulder?"
"Another pain. Bad!"
The nurse turned up the oxygen flow up a notch. "I
know this sounds impossible, Mr. Mulder, but try to
relax. I'm going to get someone to clean you up and
change your bed while I put in a page to the on-call
physician. I'll be right back as soon as I get
through to him. Let me take your temp before I go,
though."
When she finished she shook her head. "It's 103."
Skinner looked surprised while Mulder appeared
oblivious to the whole thing, able to concentrate
only on the pain tearing through his back.
"I'll be right back."
By the time she returned, Mulder had been cleaned up
and his bedclothes changed. "The doctor should be
here in a few minutes. Did the medication help any,
Mr. Mulder?"
"Not much," he answered through gritted teeth. "Call
Scully. Need to talk to her."
"I was just getting ready to do that, Mulder,
Skinner told him, dreading the phone call.
"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice said from
the doorway.
End Part 9