A warm embrace
PART 1 – Mulder's musings
"Scully? What is it?"
Mulder's voice broke the silence of the hospital room as he watched through the almost darkness his partner giving a few steps up to the cabinet opposite their beds. The only source of light was coming from the monitors destined to register their vital signs: one connected to Mulder's body. The other, temporarily disconnected from Scully's so she could get out of her bed, apparently in order to look for something.
He had his foot wrapped up in an orthopaedic boot and a few scratches on his face. Scully remained with an IV tube inserted in her right arm most part of the day, only having it removed in the beginning of the night. Still, it was possible to see that her face was pale and the dark circles under her eyes were the evidence of her exhaustion.
Running out of gas during a pursuit for a murderer in a deserted road, which ended up blocked by the snow, got them trapped, leaving Scully with hypothermia and Mulder with an injured foot. Nevertheless, the killer was captured and taken into custody by the local authorities and the two brave FBI agents who caught him were immediately transported to a hospital to receive proper treatment.
Due to Mulder's annoying insistence, as he claimed that they had been partners for seven years and that he would be perfectly capable of watching over her, both agents were placed in the same room. He had also begged for them to wear warm sweatpants and shirts instead of those "stupid hospital garments". The hospital staff ended up giving in to his plea, first because he would not accept 'no' for an answer and also because they were held in great esteem as being the ones responsible for arresting a dangerous criminal.
"I'm looking for an extra blanket…" She said, her voice trembling and tired. "I'm so cold…"
"Why didn't you tell me, Scully, I would've-"
"You can't make the effort, Mulder…your foot…" She said, shivers running through her spine. "I can't find one…"
"Come here, Scully. Bring the blanket from your bed." He said, lowering his bed railing.
Scully was still feeling terribly cold and running a low fever and didn't even have the strength to refuse what he was offering. She did as he said and climbed in his bed, lying right next to him, her back facing his front. Mulder opened his blanket so she could settle underneath it and then threw the extra covering over both of them. Then, he wrapped his arms around her small shoulders bringing her closer to him in a warm embrace, having her immediately relaxed.
"Thanks, Mulder…" she said, her voice weak as she closed her eyes.
"You want me to call a doctor?" He spoke against her hair, breathing in the smell of shampoo mixed with her natural scent and taking both of her hands in his much bigger ones.
"No…I'll be fine…" She replied, feeling a wave of comfort and warmth spread through her body and spirit not only because of the new arrangements but also and most importantly because she was in his loving arms, feeling his care and evident - but still undeclared, love for her.
"You're right. The room is a bit chilly." He rubbed her hands with his, causing Scully to let out a small contented sigh while she wondered how they could be so warm if the rest of the room was so cold. "And you're still recovering, your organism needs time to adjust."
They fell silent for long minutes, listening to the humming of the monitors and the air conditioning filling the silence of the room.
Mulder let out a tired sigh, recalling all the times they had been in that same scenario, with her being injured or ill and him begging a God he didn't even knew if existed to heal her. Eugene Tooms' and Donnie Pfaster's attempt to make her one of their victims, Scully's abduction and subsequent comma, her fight against cancer, her being taken away from his arms due to a lethal virus kept inside a bee. There were so many ways she could have been taken from him now, so many times Mulder could have been left alone in this world. He knew that this time she was only being kept in hospital for minor injuries but dreaded to think of a future in which something serious could happen and leave him without her.
Only when she started to feel a bit more comfortable, due to the warmth radiating from the new accommodations, did Scully speak again even though her eyes remained closed. "You might be released tomorrow, Mulder. Your recovery is going just fine. Just have to watch out for the sprained ankle."
Mulder adjusted his face so his cheek was resting against the side of her head, secretly enjoying the feeling of the soft red strands tickling his face. "I'm not going anywhere, Scully."
That statement caused her to finally open her eyes. "Your medical records are good, Mulder. I saw them. You don't need to remain in hospital."
He breathed in before speaking again, wishing that she was in his arms like that in a totally different situation. "I'm staying."
Frowning a little, she turned her head despite the fact that she still couldn't see his face. "But why? You don't have to."
"Well, I have my reasons." Came his reply and even though Scully couldn't notice it from the start, now there was a hint of humour in the tone of his voice.
Confusion clouded over her face as she kept on talking. "What reasons, Mulder?"
It took him a few instants to reply, as he was adding a bit of suspense to answer that question.
"You see…there's this doctor…" He said, now a smile pulling in the corner of his mouth, and then lowered his voice as if telling a secret. "I think she has feelings for me…"
For a moment, Scully felt a sting of pain in her heart and her body stiffened involuntarily at those words. Yes, they were being assisted by two different female doctors and two nurses and although they were being extremely professional and neutral, she couldn't help wondering if they had showed any interest in her partner, best friend and – secretly, love of her life.
"I'm…I'm afraid I don't get it…" came her feeble reply, her voice strained with anguish as the initial comfort of being lying in his bed and in his arms had suddenly vanished.
He shifted a little again, trying to put his thoughts in order so that he could voice them to her. "Well…She's formal, keeps a very serious face most of the time and uses to throw me that stern look that tells me to watch out for my eating habits and mind my sleep." He spoke, his smile a bit larger. "And she thinks I'm bat up crazy!"
Those words caused a wave of relief to fill Scully's spirit for the second time on that night as now she realised who he was talking about. She closed her eyes and was glad that he couldn't see her face because a slight smile started to form in her lips.
"Oh…does she?" Her voice came out low and weak but her heart rate sped a bit.
"Yep. Well, I admit I have some…unique ideas about many things."
She opened her eyes again and raised her eyebrows. "Unique?"
"Yeah, exclusive, rare, out of the ordinary."
"Humm…" Came her reply, in a tone of mock criticism, which caused Mulder to chuckle with amusement as he kept on talking.
"But she can't fool me anymore, Scully. Those blue eyes – the most beautiful I've ever seen in my whole life; they look at me in a way that tells me the opposite of her occasional scolding. Not to mention her eyebrows – when she raises them in a sign of warning all I can see is that she's enjoying my theories and begging me to keep on talking!"
Her smile grew wider and she tried to stop it by biting her lower lip. "Aren't you too certain about the way she feels?" She asked, now playing his game.
He let out a soft sign, considering that question for a moment. "I'm almost sure, Scully. I'm an FBI trained agent."
Still smiling, she went on with her questioning. "I see. Is she pretty?"
Mulder let out a small laughter. "Pretty?! Ha! She's…just gorgeous, elegant, graceful. The most beautiful woman I've have ever met. Her face is perfect – cute nose, rosy lips and adorable chin that scrunches once in a while as she speaks." Scully felt her heart aching with love at those words as he went on talking. "You see…I've been keeping it in secret for a long time, but I have a soft spot for the mole just above her upper lip and the freckles that spread over her face. She attempts to hide them, I've noticed, but as I said she can't fool me."
Scully closed her eyes again, committing to memory every word he was saying.
"Not to mention her hair – it lights up the gloomiest room and makes her as unique as my theories!"
Mulder made a pause as he felt her chuckling at that last sentence.
"I know she would like to be a little taller, but to me her height is just perfect as I can hold her in a way that both of us seem to fit together. And those eyes…They're so blue, so bright…a mirror of her kind heart and beautiful soul."
A single tear made its way down her cheek and she felt a lump forming in her throat. Moved with emotion, she managed to speak again.
"It seems to me that…that you also have feelings for this doctor you're talking about, Mulder…"
"Yeah…" He replied, with mock defeat. "I'd say you're right, Scully."
"Aren't you planning to let her know about it?" She asked, feeling her heart skip a bit at that last comment.
"You mean like I should…invite her to have dinner with me and then tell her that she's been on my mind and in my heart for all those years we've known each other?"
Scully couldn't avoid a sniffle as fresh tears made their way down on her face at that confession and Mulder felt it as he tightened the hold around her small shoulders, bringing her even closer to him. He knew she was crying and it was not his intention to cause that. But on the other hand, he knew her too well now to know that his Scully could be formal and serious most part of the time, but she was also a very emotional person.
"I think…this might be a very good idea." Her trembling voice came out.
"I see. What if she doesn't feel the same about me? What if I'm wrong?"
She let out a soft sigh, trying to recover from the surprise caused by that love confession. "Well…I guess you'll never know if you don't take the risk, Mulder. After all you're an FBI trained agent as you said so yourself. You should trust your instincts and rely on the evidence you've collected all these years."
He could tell her words came from her heart and it caused his own heart to be filled with joy as that answer was a confirmation of his suspicions. Smiling, he nodded his head.
"Yes, I guess you're right, Scully. For the second time in the last 20 minutes!"
"I'm always right, Mulder." Came her witty reply, while she let go one of his hands to wipe the tears that kept falling.
"Oh, now you're showing off!"
He felt her chuckling again. Then, surprising him, Scully shifted her position to lie on her other side, facing him for the first time, their noses almost touching. The dim light coming from the monitors allowed him to see that her eyes were still wet and, on her face, he could trace the emotion coming from the depths of her soul.
Mulder raised one hand and gently brushed his thumb against her cheek, wiping away the remaining tears and then caressing her face with the back of his hand.
"Do you think an Italian restaurant would be nice? I mean, she likes pasta and I know she enjoys a good wine." He asked, looking straight into her blue pools, watching with joy as they lit up even more at that suggestion.
"I think it's a lovely idea, Mulder."
"I was thinking about Alfredo's or Giuseppe's…"
"Maybe Alfredo's. They serve a delicious fettuccini."
"Okay. What about Saturday, at 8 PM? I'd invite her go right now if we weren't stuck in a hospital bed after almost being frozen to death during an investigation."
"I think it's perfect." She smiled at him – a broad smile that would be etched in his heart forever. He returned her smile with an equally large one of his own.
"It's a deal then!"
"It's a deal!"
She inched a bit closer and snuggled against his chest, while he rested his head on top of hers, both of them closing their eyes and feeling their hearts ten times lighter.
Long minutes passed as they remained comfortably holding each other.
But just when he'd judged she had already fallen asleep, Scully broke the silence.
"And Mulder…"
"Yes, Scully?"
"Staying stuck in this bed doesn't sound so bad after all."
"Oh, no?"
"Nah. It's quite warm and cosy here in fact." She replied, clutching his shirt and burying her face against his throat.
Smiling as if he had won the lottery, Mulder gently run his fingers through her hair and then pressed his lips on the top of her head.
"I think you're right, Scully. Again! Jesus, what's going on here?!"
Enjoying her soft giggling, he dared to tighten his loving embrace a bit more.
To be continued...