"Code blue, I repeat code blue in Room 322. Dr. Gregory report to Room 322
stat."
Slowly Mulder opened his eyes as a stream of people in lab coats ran down the hall past the waiting room. He painfully rolled his neck around trying to get all the kinks out. "Mental note to self: never sleep sitting up on a couch," he thought. Looking down he saw that someone had come over and covered Scully, "Dana," he corrected, and himself with a couple of thin white hospital blankets. He gently lifted his arm off of Scully and looked at his watch. He shook his head in disbelief as he read the digital screen. 2:38pm flashed at him. As the seconds dragged on he saw the numbers flip -
"Josh!"
- to 2:39.
Dana lifted her head up sharply, breathing hard, her eyes open wide searching futilely for him.
"Hey," Mulder said, touching her shoulder lightly. She jerked around and looked into Mulder's worried hazel eyes. Her breathing slowed and became steadier as she grew more aware of her surroundings. Slowly she sat up and rubbed the back of her neck.
"I just had a bad dream."
"You want to talk about it?" he asked gently.
"No. That's alright. I'm going to go check on Ethan." Without another word she walked down the hallway.
Mulder sighed and stood up, raising his arms above his head and stretching out his weary muscles. Exhaling loudly he walked across the room to a water fountain and winced as he heard several popping noises when he bent down to reach the spout.
"Is there a Fox Mulder or a Dana Williams here?"
Mulder straightened up and wiped his mouth, saying, "I'm Fox Mulder." Turning around he saw the nurse behind the desk holding a telephone receiver out to him.
"You've got a phone call."
Puzzled as to who would be calling him he took it and nodded his thanks to the nurse who resumed her paperwork. "Mulder. Yes. No sir. Alright. Ok, we'll be down there as soon as possible. Thank you. Bye."
Dana had walked up while he was on the phone and now stood beside him, arms crossed in front of her. The sweatshirt he had bought her was a couple sizes too big and the sleeves covered her small hands, Mulder noticed. "Mulder, what was that about?"
"The uh, fire chief called to say that they a safe or something in the wall."
"Yes, that was where Josh and I put our wills and a few other personal items," she said, not looking him in the eye.
"How's Ethan doing?"
"He's going to be ok," Dana said, nodding her head as if to reassure herself. "They said he'd have to be in here for about a week or two if he keeps getting better." She ended with a sniffle and ran her sleeve across her nose like she did when she was younger instead of asking for a tissue. "So uh, how are we going to get back to the house? Unless your car somehow mysteriously appeared while we were sleeping we don't have any way to get back." Dana gave a tiny smile, perceptible only to Mulder. He gave a little crooked smile, glad that her sense of humor was back at least.
"Excuse me. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and I think I can help you." Mulder and Dana turned to see the nurse that had given the phone to Mulder. "My shift ends in a few minutes and I have a car. I could drive you wherever you need," she offered.
Dana stared at her for a minute as if she had never seen a human being before. Snapping out of it she shook her head slightly and said, "I uh... sure. Thank you."
The nurse smiled and held out a hand. "My name is Cheri Huston."
"I'm Dana Williams and this is my, er, this is Fox Mulder," Dana said, shaking Cheri's hand.
"Just give me a second to get my coat and we can go, alright?"
"Ok."
::Williams residence, 3:30pm::
Not much was left of the once grand house on Birch Lane. The charred remains were a mere skeleton of what once held many memories. The fire chief led Dana and Mulder through what they deemed the "safe" part of the wreckage. Dana looked over to her side and recognized objects from her bedroom on the ground. The entire second floor had caved into the first. She stopped for a moment and picked up a scorched photograph of her and Josh on their wedding day. Cradling it to her chest, she looked to the sky, now visible through what used to be the roof, and closed her eyes.
Mulder noticed she was no longer behind him and turned around, watching her clutch the picture to her chest and considered going over to stand next to her, but decided against it. He let her have a moment's peace to herself and followed the chief again. He led him to a wall that was miraculously still standing. The dial to a small safe was protruding from it and he thought how it was a miracle it wasn't melted.
Dana walked up and stood in front of the safe and took a deep breath before turning the dial expertly, confidently. She pulled and the door popped open, revealing several papers and folders as well as a small box. Puzzled, she grabbed the box and opened it, revealing a single key.
"What is it?" asked Mulder.
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed with small worry lines dancing across her face. "It's a safety deposit key, but Josh and I never had one."
**************
Yeah! I am back in business baby. Thank you thank you Gothic Spook! You helped me get my writing shoes back on. I might have this sucker nailed down by New Years if y'all are nice and review!
Slowly Mulder opened his eyes as a stream of people in lab coats ran down the hall past the waiting room. He painfully rolled his neck around trying to get all the kinks out. "Mental note to self: never sleep sitting up on a couch," he thought. Looking down he saw that someone had come over and covered Scully, "Dana," he corrected, and himself with a couple of thin white hospital blankets. He gently lifted his arm off of Scully and looked at his watch. He shook his head in disbelief as he read the digital screen. 2:38pm flashed at him. As the seconds dragged on he saw the numbers flip -
"Josh!"
- to 2:39.
Dana lifted her head up sharply, breathing hard, her eyes open wide searching futilely for him.
"Hey," Mulder said, touching her shoulder lightly. She jerked around and looked into Mulder's worried hazel eyes. Her breathing slowed and became steadier as she grew more aware of her surroundings. Slowly she sat up and rubbed the back of her neck.
"I just had a bad dream."
"You want to talk about it?" he asked gently.
"No. That's alright. I'm going to go check on Ethan." Without another word she walked down the hallway.
Mulder sighed and stood up, raising his arms above his head and stretching out his weary muscles. Exhaling loudly he walked across the room to a water fountain and winced as he heard several popping noises when he bent down to reach the spout.
"Is there a Fox Mulder or a Dana Williams here?"
Mulder straightened up and wiped his mouth, saying, "I'm Fox Mulder." Turning around he saw the nurse behind the desk holding a telephone receiver out to him.
"You've got a phone call."
Puzzled as to who would be calling him he took it and nodded his thanks to the nurse who resumed her paperwork. "Mulder. Yes. No sir. Alright. Ok, we'll be down there as soon as possible. Thank you. Bye."
Dana had walked up while he was on the phone and now stood beside him, arms crossed in front of her. The sweatshirt he had bought her was a couple sizes too big and the sleeves covered her small hands, Mulder noticed. "Mulder, what was that about?"
"The uh, fire chief called to say that they a safe or something in the wall."
"Yes, that was where Josh and I put our wills and a few other personal items," she said, not looking him in the eye.
"How's Ethan doing?"
"He's going to be ok," Dana said, nodding her head as if to reassure herself. "They said he'd have to be in here for about a week or two if he keeps getting better." She ended with a sniffle and ran her sleeve across her nose like she did when she was younger instead of asking for a tissue. "So uh, how are we going to get back to the house? Unless your car somehow mysteriously appeared while we were sleeping we don't have any way to get back." Dana gave a tiny smile, perceptible only to Mulder. He gave a little crooked smile, glad that her sense of humor was back at least.
"Excuse me. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and I think I can help you." Mulder and Dana turned to see the nurse that had given the phone to Mulder. "My shift ends in a few minutes and I have a car. I could drive you wherever you need," she offered.
Dana stared at her for a minute as if she had never seen a human being before. Snapping out of it she shook her head slightly and said, "I uh... sure. Thank you."
The nurse smiled and held out a hand. "My name is Cheri Huston."
"I'm Dana Williams and this is my, er, this is Fox Mulder," Dana said, shaking Cheri's hand.
"Just give me a second to get my coat and we can go, alright?"
"Ok."
::Williams residence, 3:30pm::
Not much was left of the once grand house on Birch Lane. The charred remains were a mere skeleton of what once held many memories. The fire chief led Dana and Mulder through what they deemed the "safe" part of the wreckage. Dana looked over to her side and recognized objects from her bedroom on the ground. The entire second floor had caved into the first. She stopped for a moment and picked up a scorched photograph of her and Josh on their wedding day. Cradling it to her chest, she looked to the sky, now visible through what used to be the roof, and closed her eyes.
Mulder noticed she was no longer behind him and turned around, watching her clutch the picture to her chest and considered going over to stand next to her, but decided against it. He let her have a moment's peace to herself and followed the chief again. He led him to a wall that was miraculously still standing. The dial to a small safe was protruding from it and he thought how it was a miracle it wasn't melted.
Dana walked up and stood in front of the safe and took a deep breath before turning the dial expertly, confidently. She pulled and the door popped open, revealing several papers and folders as well as a small box. Puzzled, she grabbed the box and opened it, revealing a single key.
"What is it?" asked Mulder.
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed with small worry lines dancing across her face. "It's a safety deposit key, but Josh and I never had one."
**************
Yeah! I am back in business baby. Thank you thank you Gothic Spook! You helped me get my writing shoes back on. I might have this sucker nailed down by New Years if y'all are nice and review!