Walter Skinner approached the basement office door with caution. He had phoned the office earlier and had been shocked to hear how ill Agent Scully had sounded. He had asked her why she was in work and she had replied that she was fine thank you, it was Mulder how was ill. Sure enough, he'd heard him in the background sneezing away and swearing loudly at the 'dust' that was causing it. There had been a loud scuffle and then he heard Mulder on the other end of the line. Sounding not much better than Scully had, he told him that he was fine but Scully was ill and should be at home.
As he got nearer to the door he could hear coughing 'Scully' and sneezing 'that would be Mulder'. He opened the door and chuckled inwardly at the sight in front of him. Scully was trying her best to swallow her coughs and Mulder was holding his nose in an attempt not to sneeze. Neither Agent wanted to show him that they were sick as he knew he'd make one or other of them go home.
Scully lost her battle with the tickle and started coughing again - each cough sounding more painful than the one before. Mulder however had won his fight and sighed with relief, as he didn't sneeze.
"A.D. Skinner. What brings you down here?"
"Well Agent Mulder. I came to check that the two of you were alright and that you were getting some work don. However, I think that you should both give up and go home - neither of you are well."
"I'm fine Sir, thank you but you're right about Agent Scully - she shouldn't have even come in this morning."
"Mulder..."
Scully began to protest but, as she got up to make her point, she felt the room spinning wildly around her. Skinner pushed her gently but firmly back into her chair and Mulder rushed over to make sure she was okay.
"I'm fine," Scully whispered. "I'll be fine, just give me a minute."
"Scully just keep your head down. When you're okay to walk I'll take you home."
"Good idea Agent Mulder, but that means you go home as well. I don't want you to infect the rest of the building."
"Sir, I'm okay to work really."
"Mulder, not another word. I though you'd be glad of the break from paperwork anyway."
As Mulder opened his mouth to object once more, he sneezed.
"You just proved my point Mulder. You can't even argue back. Go Home!"
"Yes Sir."
Mulder agreed, too tired and sick to fight back anymore. 'Why not just go home?' he thought. 'Scully might need looked after and, if not, we could keep each other company since we're both ill.'
Skinner was slightly taken back by Mulder's total surrender of the argument. He knew however that Mulder was thinking more about Scully's health than his own. He was about to comment on this to make sure Mulder took care of himself as well when Scully suddenly slumped forward in her seat into Mulder's arms.
"Sir, help me - I'm going to lose my balance. Hold her up, she's passed out."
The two men lifted Scully out of her chair and laid her on the floor. Mulder removed his suit jacket and carefully placed it under her head as a pillow and crouched beside her still form.
"Scully...Scully...can you hear me? Scully... come on back to me Scully."
There was no response from Scully and Mulder jumped up, racing to his desk drawer. He took out a bottle of water and opened it, soaking his handkerchief with it. Going back to Scully, he sponged her face, cooling down the immense heat radiating from her cheeks. Just as Skinner was reaching for the phone to call an ambulance, Scully opened her eyes.
"Wh...What happened? Why am I lying on the floor?"
"You passed out Scully. You're sicker than you told me, perhaps even sicker than you thought you were."
"Mulder I'm fine now. I just haven't eaten much today - I didn't really feel like it."
'I know the feeling' Mulder thought. Out loud he said:
"Well, now you are definitely going home or else Skinner's going to kick your ass."
"Damn straight I will. I want both of you out of here ASAP and no coming back until you're coughs and sneezes free."
"I think you must really of scared him Scully," Mulder whispered. "He's just given us a whole lot of leave. What do you say we get out of here before he changes his mind?"
Scully was mortified to realise that the Assistant Director had seen her pass out. If it had been just Mulder she could have handled it, brushed it off as nothing, but the look on Skinner's face told her that it was best to keep her mouth shut and go home. She found that she didn't even want to argue anymore - she was sick and shouldn't be working. She wanted to go home to bed.
"Right you two - go home now. Mulder don't let her drive. Agent Scully are you sure your okay to go home - not the hospital or even just the doctor's?"
"Yes sir. I just need to go home and rest. I'll be fine in a day or two. Thanks for the concern though."
Mulder started packing up files into his briefcase but two glares stopped him and he put his briefcase back under the desk.
"Alright...alright. Enough with the looks - I've put it back. Here's your bag and coat Scully. You need a hand or are you okay now?"
"Thanks Mulder. I'm good to go actually."
"Well hold on two minutes. I'm just going to go to the little boy's room. Sir can you keep an eye on her 'til I get back? I don't want her passing out again.
Mulder moved to go out the door but was stopped by Skinner's hand on his arm.
"Agent Mulder are you okay?"
"Fine Sir," Mulder said loudly so that Scully could hear. He looked meaningfully at his boss and flicked his head over towards Scully and shook his head. Skinner got the message and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"You're looking distinctly green Mulder."
"That would be the reason I'm going to the bathroom sir. Can I go now or do you really want me to throw up all over you?"
"No I don't. Off you go Mulder."
"Sir...don't mention it to Scully - she's sick and she will only worry."
With that Mulder rushed to the bathroom getting there just in time to be violently sick. He retched until there was nothing left inside him and then kept his head over the bowl, swallowing heavily until the nausea subsided. Leaning over the bowl, he remembered all the other times he had been sick since Scully had arrived over two years ago. She always knew when he wasn't well and always followed him to the bathroom when he was going to be sick. The first time she had done it, he had tried to protest and push her away but she had stuck by him. She had rubbed his back and wiped his forehead with a cold flannel, whispering soothing words in his ear. Every time since then, once she had finally got him to admit he was sick, he hadn't pushed her away. He loved it when she took care of him although he would never admit it. His stomach lurched as he realised that she wouldn't be able to take care of him this time.
As he got nearer to the door he could hear coughing 'Scully' and sneezing 'that would be Mulder'. He opened the door and chuckled inwardly at the sight in front of him. Scully was trying her best to swallow her coughs and Mulder was holding his nose in an attempt not to sneeze. Neither Agent wanted to show him that they were sick as he knew he'd make one or other of them go home.
Scully lost her battle with the tickle and started coughing again - each cough sounding more painful than the one before. Mulder however had won his fight and sighed with relief, as he didn't sneeze.
"A.D. Skinner. What brings you down here?"
"Well Agent Mulder. I came to check that the two of you were alright and that you were getting some work don. However, I think that you should both give up and go home - neither of you are well."
"I'm fine Sir, thank you but you're right about Agent Scully - she shouldn't have even come in this morning."
"Mulder..."
Scully began to protest but, as she got up to make her point, she felt the room spinning wildly around her. Skinner pushed her gently but firmly back into her chair and Mulder rushed over to make sure she was okay.
"I'm fine," Scully whispered. "I'll be fine, just give me a minute."
"Scully just keep your head down. When you're okay to walk I'll take you home."
"Good idea Agent Mulder, but that means you go home as well. I don't want you to infect the rest of the building."
"Sir, I'm okay to work really."
"Mulder, not another word. I though you'd be glad of the break from paperwork anyway."
As Mulder opened his mouth to object once more, he sneezed.
"You just proved my point Mulder. You can't even argue back. Go Home!"
"Yes Sir."
Mulder agreed, too tired and sick to fight back anymore. 'Why not just go home?' he thought. 'Scully might need looked after and, if not, we could keep each other company since we're both ill.'
Skinner was slightly taken back by Mulder's total surrender of the argument. He knew however that Mulder was thinking more about Scully's health than his own. He was about to comment on this to make sure Mulder took care of himself as well when Scully suddenly slumped forward in her seat into Mulder's arms.
"Sir, help me - I'm going to lose my balance. Hold her up, she's passed out."
The two men lifted Scully out of her chair and laid her on the floor. Mulder removed his suit jacket and carefully placed it under her head as a pillow and crouched beside her still form.
"Scully...Scully...can you hear me? Scully... come on back to me Scully."
There was no response from Scully and Mulder jumped up, racing to his desk drawer. He took out a bottle of water and opened it, soaking his handkerchief with it. Going back to Scully, he sponged her face, cooling down the immense heat radiating from her cheeks. Just as Skinner was reaching for the phone to call an ambulance, Scully opened her eyes.
"Wh...What happened? Why am I lying on the floor?"
"You passed out Scully. You're sicker than you told me, perhaps even sicker than you thought you were."
"Mulder I'm fine now. I just haven't eaten much today - I didn't really feel like it."
'I know the feeling' Mulder thought. Out loud he said:
"Well, now you are definitely going home or else Skinner's going to kick your ass."
"Damn straight I will. I want both of you out of here ASAP and no coming back until you're coughs and sneezes free."
"I think you must really of scared him Scully," Mulder whispered. "He's just given us a whole lot of leave. What do you say we get out of here before he changes his mind?"
Scully was mortified to realise that the Assistant Director had seen her pass out. If it had been just Mulder she could have handled it, brushed it off as nothing, but the look on Skinner's face told her that it was best to keep her mouth shut and go home. She found that she didn't even want to argue anymore - she was sick and shouldn't be working. She wanted to go home to bed.
"Right you two - go home now. Mulder don't let her drive. Agent Scully are you sure your okay to go home - not the hospital or even just the doctor's?"
"Yes sir. I just need to go home and rest. I'll be fine in a day or two. Thanks for the concern though."
Mulder started packing up files into his briefcase but two glares stopped him and he put his briefcase back under the desk.
"Alright...alright. Enough with the looks - I've put it back. Here's your bag and coat Scully. You need a hand or are you okay now?"
"Thanks Mulder. I'm good to go actually."
"Well hold on two minutes. I'm just going to go to the little boy's room. Sir can you keep an eye on her 'til I get back? I don't want her passing out again.
Mulder moved to go out the door but was stopped by Skinner's hand on his arm.
"Agent Mulder are you okay?"
"Fine Sir," Mulder said loudly so that Scully could hear. He looked meaningfully at his boss and flicked his head over towards Scully and shook his head. Skinner got the message and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"You're looking distinctly green Mulder."
"That would be the reason I'm going to the bathroom sir. Can I go now or do you really want me to throw up all over you?"
"No I don't. Off you go Mulder."
"Sir...don't mention it to Scully - she's sick and she will only worry."
With that Mulder rushed to the bathroom getting there just in time to be violently sick. He retched until there was nothing left inside him and then kept his head over the bowl, swallowing heavily until the nausea subsided. Leaning over the bowl, he remembered all the other times he had been sick since Scully had arrived over two years ago. She always knew when he wasn't well and always followed him to the bathroom when he was going to be sick. The first time she had done it, he had tried to protest and push her away but she had stuck by him. She had rubbed his back and wiped his forehead with a cold flannel, whispering soothing words in his ear. Every time since then, once she had finally got him to admit he was sick, he hadn't pushed her away. He loved it when she took care of him although he would never admit it. His stomach lurched as he realised that she wouldn't be able to take care of him this time.