Chapter 8
FBI Headquarters5:45 p.m.
Scully had been staring at the note seemingly in a trance when the ringing of her cell had nearly given her a heart attack. After talking to Mulder, she had wasted no time in gathering up the files and placing them in her satchel. She took one last look at the note and then placed it in her jacket pocket. She knew the tone of Mulder's voice on the phone and it was an urgent one. Throwing her satchel over her shoulder, she took one last look at the roses on the desk and closed the door.
Taking the elevator to the main floor, she walked past the security desk. "Leaving for the night, Agent Scully?"
"Yep" Scully started to walk away but then turned back. "Say Reggie, you didn't happen to see the person who delivered those roses that were sent to the X-Files office, did you?"
The security guard returned her a puzzled look. "Roses? What roses, Agent Scully? There were no roses delivered here."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. All deliveries have to pass through here and I have been the only one on duty here." He looked at Scully who had turned pale. "Agent Scully, what's wrong?"
"Nothing" Scully said smiling. "Good night, Reggie."
Scully quickly rushed to the elevator and took it to the parking garage. She had decided not to pursue the subject of the mysterious roses with Reggie. He probably would have thought she was crazy anyway. Walking to the car, she unlocked the door and climbed into the driver's seat. Without hesitation, she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Her mind was so pre-occupied with the thought of getting to Mulder that she failed to see the black car that followed slightly behind her.
Mulder's Apartment6:15 p.m.
After fighting her way through the D.C. rush hour traffic, Scully finally reached Mulder's apartment. Parking the car, she quickly grabbed her satchel and got out. Walking to the trunk, she unlocked it and procured a doctor's bag. Closing the trunk, she quickly made her way to the apartment complex entrance.
Across the street, in a parked black car, sat Krycek. He watched as Scully ran into the apartment complex her bag in tow. He knew this apartment complex and he knew who lived here. He smiled as he saw the doctor's bag. "Awww is Mulder in need of medical attention?" he said sarcastically. "I only wish I were the one responsible for it! Although in my case, they would be calling the local coroner!"
Scully took the elevator to Mulder's floor. Stepping out, she walked down the hallway until she reached "42". She pounded on the door furiously. "Mulder, it's me." She waited impatiently for the door to open not knowing what to expect. The door opened and in the doorway stood Mulder not looking injured at all. "What took you so long?"
"I got stuck in traffic. I drove here as fast as I could." She looked down at Mulder's hands, which were holding a towel covered with blood. "My god, Mulder what happened?"
Mulder grabbed Scully and pulled her inside. "Mulder, what the hell is going on? You nearly pulled my arm out of its socket!"
Mulder quickly closed the door. "I'm sorry about that Scully. I didn't want anyone to see this. Well you will understand once I show you."
"Once you show me what? Mulder what is..." Her words were lost as she looked to where Mulder was standing. Below him was the body of Mendrick. "Oh my god!" she said running over to the body. She bent down and saw the stomach wound. "Mulder, what happened here?"
"It's not what you think" said Mulder looking at her. "If I told you the truth you wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
"This man showed up at my apartment and described findings on the Pendleton Murder that no one could have known. I had him come in and then he started babbling on about the past and how he needed my help. I thought it was all a joke so I started mocking him. He in turn grabbed me and I pulled out my gun to protect myself. I did not intend to shoot him just scare him into leaving. Well the next thing I knew he told me he was immortal and he reached across and made me pull the trigger." He looked at Scully who had an eyebrow raised. "Now you see why I had you come here as I knew that this story would be hard to believe."
Scully focused her attention back to Mendrick. She examined him and a grim look came across her face. "Well, the bottom line is Mulder that there is nothing I can do for this man unless I get him to a hospital. Even if I do get him to one I guarantee he will never survive the journey. He has already lost too much blood."
"So, I'm just supposed to let this man lay on my floor and die?"
"I'm sorry Mulder but I don't have the necessary supplies with me to help this man."
"Scully, you have to try and do something! You're a medical doctor for god's sake!"
"Mulder.." Scully could see the anguish in Mulder's eyes. He was right she was a medical doctor and it was her duty to try to save this man's life no matter how grim the situation seemed. She also knew that if this man died it would place Mulder in a bad situation. "All right, Mulder. I will do what I can." She rose up from Mendrick's body and walked over to get her doctor's bag. "This is two you owe me now, Mulder."
"Yeah, yeah.." Mulder said giving her a grin.
Scully took some items out of her bag and began to examine Mendrick. She took out needles and filled them with serums and also forced some kind of liquid down his throat. She looked up at Mulder. "Mulder there is nothing else I can do. He does not seem to be responding to anything. "She noticed that all of a sudden Mendrick's breathing had stopped. She felt for his pulse. "Mulder he has no vitals!" She started to perform CPR on Mendrick. After several tries with no response she felt his neck for a pulse. She looked up at Mulder a serious expression on her face. "Mulder, I'm afraid he's dead."
"What? He can't be!"
"I'm sorry Mulder. I told you I did all that I could."
"So much for him being immortal!" muttered Mulder.
"What?"
"Nothing." Mulder fell back on the futon and rubbed his forehead. "So, now I have the dead body of a total stranger in my apartment. This is just perfect! If I am suspected of murder, I will lose my job as well as well as face a prison sentence!"
"Mulder, you're innocent. You didn't kill this man.."
"It doesn't matter, Scully. My fingerprints are on the weapon! It's just going to look like I shot a defenseless man! Some higher ups in the bureau have been looking for a chance to get rid of me! This is all they would need!"
"But Mulder..."
"But nothing, Scully. It's over!" Mulder buried his head in his hands.
Scully walked up and sat next to him on the futon. "Mulder, listen to me." She said placing her hand on his shoulder. Mulder shrugged off her hand. "Listen to me dammit!" she said spinning Mulder around to face her. "There is a way to avoid all this. We get rid of the body. There is no evidence without it."
"And how can we do that?"
"Well, I am a medical doctor. I can say that I found this body on the street and bring it in as a John Doe. It will just look like this man met with an unfortunate gang incident and without the weapon, no one will know."
Mulder pushed himself off the futon and brushed past Scully heading to the window. "Scully, I won't let you risk your career for me. How many times have you almost been killed or fired because of me?"
Scully walked up behind him and placed her arms around him. "Did it ever occur to you that I chose to be put in that situation?" She lay her head on Mulder's shoulder. "That just maybe Mr. Fox Mulder does not know everything like he thinks he does?" Mulder said nothing and continued to stare straight ahead. "I'm not just doing this for you, you know. I'm doing this for me as well. I mean if something happened to you, they would re-assign me. What other area of the bureau could possibly offer me something as exciting or someone who would challenge my theories? Except maybe Agent Doggett who would infuriate me and cause me to kill him. Then I would be in prison like you." Scully could feel Mulder starting to feel less tense.
A grin spread on Mulder's face. "Scully, why is it you can take a situation like this and make lightness of it?"
"I guess I've just been around you too long." Scully said smiling. Mulder turned around to face her. He looked deep into her eyes and gently held her face. Scully could feel her heart beating faster and faster as he looked at her. Caressing her cheeks he moved his face closer to hers.
"I...I think I should get going Mulder." She said pulling away from him and stepping away from the window.
"What? Scully, I'm sorry if I did anything to.."
"For....forget it Mulder. Just help me with the body. I'm going to need a large garbage bag and then you are going to have to help me get the body to my car."
Mulder nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Scully stood in the living room playing with her cross necklace. Her and Mulder had worked together for over 8 years and had shared many moments together. Her mind raced back to the time when her and Mulder had been working on the case involving the bombing of the federal building in Dallas. Her and Mulder had been re-assigned and Scully had planned on quitting the bureau. She had gone to tell Mulder and he had confessed how much she meant to him and "how she had kept him honest." He had held her face his hands much like he had just done and her heart had been beating just as fast. She wondered if Mulder knew just how difficult it had been for her to resist the temptation he had given her. Her thoughts were broken up as Mulder walked into the living room holding two large garbage bags. "Will these work?"
"Well, they're going to have to" Scully said turning back around. She walked over to Mulder and took one of the bags. Walking over to the body she placed the bag over part of it. Mulder walked over and covered up the other half of the body with the other one. Scully stood up and looked at the two garbage bags covering the body. "Well, it's not the best body bag I've seen but it will due for now. Now, let's get this body out to my car."
Nodding, Mulder picked up one end of the body while Scully picked up the other. "Well the loss of blood didn't make him any less heavier!" Mulder scoffed.
Scully smiled as they headed towards the door. Mulder fumbled for the door handle struggling to hold onto the body. "Guess I should have opened the door first!" he said grinning. He finally succeeded in grabbing the door handle and pushed the door open. Mulder and Scully carried the body to the elevator and took it to the main floor before heading to Scully's car. As they walked it appeared that either no one was home in the area or they just plain did not care what they were carrying. Reaching the car, Scully fumbled for her keys. She unlocked the back door and slid her part of the body into the back seat. Mulder pushed his end and soon the body was in the back seat. Scully closed the door. "Well, let's just hope that no one saw us carrying this to the car."
Mulder looked around. "Don't worry, I don't think anyone did. If they did I will just tell them I had some laundry to do."
"That would be some laundry for two people to have to carry out."
"Have you ever seen my laundry, Scully?"
Scully raised an eyebrow. "Well I'd better get this body to the morgue before anyone REALLY get suspicious. I will contact you later on."
Mulder opened up the driver door for her. "Thanks again, Scully. I promise you I won't forget this."
"I'm sure you won't. See you later Mulder." Scully stepped into the seat and closed the door. Mulder stepped back as the car pulled out of the parking lot. He waved as he watched the car disappear into the street. He just hoped that he had made the right decision in sending Scully with the body. He also hoped that the incident that had just happened in the apartment had not pushed Scully away from him forever.