Fox awoke to the sound of his cell phone. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. He slowly answered it.
"Dana? Is that you?" asked Fox, but it came out as "Dane...'sat...chu?" His throat was still killing him and his lungs felt like they were in a bear trap.
"Yes, Fox it's me...Fox can you move?"
He lied. Her voice was the most beautiful sound in the world.
"Mmm-mmm."
"Can you tell me where you are?"
"Mmm...bridge...shore..." he whispered.
"Bridge...shore...Missy, where is there a bridge along a shore?"
"Um...there's the small river front near the town border...wait is he even in the same state?"
"Fox? Are you in Rhode Island?"
"...dunno..."
"Well, do you know where you're near?"
"Border..."
"Border? Which border?"
But just as Fox was about to answer, the phone began to beep and the same music from before began to play. He looked at the screen and saw the battery sign flashing and then nothing, the line went dead. Oh how he loathed that music now.
"Fox? Fox? Damn!" Dana rushed and dialed Charlie's cell phone. "Charlie? Yea, Fox is somewhere near a boarder..."
"Which one? We'll have to check all of them. Did he tell you which one?"
"No, his cell phone died before he could answer!"
"Crap...ok...um, we'll check near the Massachusetts border close by. They couldn't have gotten on the other side if his dad was driving. They would have stopped him because I can smell the booze on him from our house." Just then in the background Dana heard a car horn. "Stupid over here forgot his license and is driving like an old man. By the end of the day you might have to make a stop at the county jail and bail us out for 'reckless endangerment'or for 'driving like Grandma Hessie.' "
"Hey shut up or those little things you call your balls will be halfway down your throat!"
"Oh! Big tough guy! Why not try driving over 40 grandpa! Maybe find Fox before, ya know, he dies or something!"
"OK! THAT'S IT! OUT OF THE CAR!"
"GUYS! STOP IT!" screamed Dana loud enough so they would both hear her. "I know you're upset about Fox but we can't fall apart now! He said he was near a bridge...so check all the bridges. And be nice to each other!"
"On it. But next time I get to drive with Missy. She at least speeds." he answered. Dana groaned and hung up. This was no time to be arguing over cars, they needed to search for Fox before they could go back to being annoying again.
1: 47 PM
They had traveled all morning and lost track of time. Missy and Dana had passed many bridges and streams, hoping that Fox would be there. No luck. It almost seemed as if he had vanished into thin air. Bill and Charlie kept checking up with them, but it was as if he would never be found. Fox had called at 9 that morning, almost 5 hours ago. Dana's only thoughts were about Fox and if he was all right.
'Please, God! If you can hear me, please keep Fox safe and let us find him before it's too late!' She was in the middle of her prayer when her cell phone began to ring.
"Fox!"
"DANA!" asked an enraged Maggie Scully.
"Mom?"
"Yes! Where in God's name are you four!" Maggie had never thought her children would go anywhere that long with out telling her first. But after she hadn't heard from them all morning, she began to wonder if it was Bill and Charlie pulling a prank again.
"Mom, we're trying to find Fox, he's lost and injured. Please Mom, we're fine, but he's not...he needs our help! We've been looking all morning but we haven't found him yet."
"Well, have you called the paramedics to help you? They would find him faster and be able to take him to a hospital."
"We were thinking about it but then remembered the story he had told us about the teacher and social services. His father still has some friends in high places and he would probably never be seen again if someone else found him first. I just want him to be safe mom! I'm so worried!" Dana said though tears. She hadn't realized how upset she was until she heard her mom's voice.
There was a pause on the other end. Maggie knew there was nothing she could do to change Dana's mind. "When you find him call me, and I'll come with help." This was the only response she could give her daughter.
"Thanks mom. Oh and could you find Bill's driver license? He forgot it."
"I was wondering why his wallet was sitting on the table. I thought the boys were playing another joke so I didn't think much about it. He's probably having a hell of a time driving."
"Yeah I know, I wish it was just a joke. I have to go. Love ya mom, bye." she replied and then clicked the phone off.
"Dana look!" screamed Missy pointing to the broken fence of the bridge. They stopped the car right before the bridge and jumped out. The two girls looked over the railing to see Fox's motionless body half way in the water. Around him they saw the tail end of the car floating up and down underneath the water, lots of different car parts scattered everywhere, and then a motionless body stuck on a rock nearby. But the girls only saw Fox and what a mess he was in.
"MISSY! IT'S HIM!" she threw the phone at her sister. "Call mom!" she ran down the side of the bridge to reach the mangled boy.
"Fox! Fox..." she slowed herself down until she was next to him on her knees.
"D-d-d-a-na-na...?" he was frozen. His lips were blue, his teeth were chattering, and he was shaking like a leaf. She pulled off her coat and wrapped it around him, but first she got a look at his injuries. There was blood everywhere and his hands were cut up like pieces of meat. Missy ran to her side.
"His right leg is broken, and he looks like he has a concussion...and like Charlie said...he's suffering from hypothermia. Give me your coat." Dana wrapped the jackets around him. She had studied medical books at home and knew what would happen if he didn't get warm soon.
Dana carefully lifted him on to her lap, she stroked his face to keep him warm. She heard her brothers pull up five minutes later. She guessed that Missy had called them after she called mom, but she never noticed. She made no move to greet them and continued to stroke Fox's face as she tried to help him warm up.
"Kn-n-n-new you'd c-come..." he whispered.
"Of course I would come Fox...I promise nothing bad will ever happen to you again. We'll keep you safe."
"I...j-j-just...catchin' up... on sleep." he smirked. Even in a situation like this he was able to make a joke. Dana laughed a little even though there was no time for jokes. He was really sick and needed those paramedics... now.
"WHOA, DUDE! IS THAT YOUR DAD?" Bill pointed to the body caught on the rock. Everyone looked over to see where he was pointing to and Missy gave out a scream.
"OH MY GOD! HE'S DEAD!" she shouted. Bill and Charlie ran as close to the edge as they could. The body was on the other side of the river and you couldn't see his face. He looked as if he was asleep on the rock, but everyone else knew better. There were bloodstains all over but by now the current had washed most of it away.
"Dude, that is so sick! I think I'm gonna hurl!" Charlie said as he rushed off to the nearest bush to... relieve himself.
Just then they heard their mother, along with the paramedics, pull up on the safe side of the bridge. Dana refused to leave Fox until the paramedics had to pry her off of his side.
"His right leg is broken, and he has a concussion. He's suffering hypothermia...he's frozen, you need to raise his temperature." she told them. They smiled at the fact a 15 year old was telling them this. It was supposed to be their job. As they closed the doors to the ambulance, the entire Scully family hurried to their cars to follow.
Dana and Missy drove together, followed by Maggie, then Bill and Charlie. Dana could not get the image of him lying there out of her mind. 'What kind of father would do that to their son? It was sick and wrong.'
After finally arriving to the hospital, the Scully family sat in the waiting room until they were called. They were all too tired and worried to make small talk but Dana was glad her family was there to support Fox in his time of need. But there were just a few questions that kept running through her mind. 'Where the hell was his mother? Why didn't she try to stop Mr. Mulder from taking him out in the middle of the night? Did she care at all? Probably not, that bitch.'
These where Maggie's exact same thoughts, but with more profanity. When it came to mothers like Teena, Maggie could use words so profane and so vulgar you wouldn't think it was the same woman!
When the nurse finally came in to say they could see him, Maggie spoke up.
"Why don't you go in to see him first, Dana." She looked at her mother and gave her hand a squeeze. She did want some time alone with him before the rest came in to crack jokes and whatnot. She got up from her chair and went for his room, hoping that her knees wouldn't collapse under her weight.
When she entered the room, she noticed that he was asleep. As quietly as possible, she slid into the chair next to his bed and gently held his hand. In a way, she wished they could be like this forever. He'd never have to worry about being hurt ever again, he'd always be happy and never afraid of what voice was behind the phone. Just holding his hand for as long as they could without interruption from the cruel world they lived in. For the time being, he was at peace. As she examined his sleeping face, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear, his eyes fluttered open.
"Hey sleepy head." she greeted.
"Hey Dana..." said a very tired, very confused Fox. "Where are we?"
"You're ok now, everything is going to be just fine." She said assuringly.
They stared into each other's eyes; he could stay like this forever. "Thank you."
Nov. 9 - One Week later
9:53 AM
Fox was amazed he was alive after the week he had. All the fuss that was made over him, all of the examinations he took day after day, the special treatment the nurses gave him (after Maggie had a word with them), and most of all, the abuse his ribs were taking from laughing so hard at the stories Missy and the boys told him. Apparently, those girls Marsi and Maria were at it again. Missy told them all a colorful story about how Maria and Marsi broke up in the gym locker room after school on Thursday. Anna had been in there at the same time and heard the WHOLE thing. Ends up that Marsi actually had another friend named Diana she was…with. Actually he didn't mind Dana being there everyday, it was what he always looked forward too. If anything he wished they could both be bolted to the chairs and just stay there forever. His mother had only called once, but never visited. She said it was because she didn't like hospitals, but everyone knew that she just didn't care. Maggie was more then just a little pissed off when she heard that Teena wasn't even going to visit her only son when he was so beat up like this. But Fox didn't care if she came or not, it wasn't like she'd always been there for him anyway. What bothered him the most were the bandages. Fox had a cast from his mid-thigh to his toes on his right leg preventing him from walking very far (unless he used his crutches), medical wrap around his head where he had a deep cut, and finally bandages all around his hands. They actually hurt the most of all. When they were first cut, he didn't have anything to cover them with so his hands were partly infected. And they were the reason he wasn't using the crutches as much as he wanted to. When he wrapped his hands around the handles, they burned. He decided to just let them heal all the way before he tried to use the crutches.
As for his father's body, the paramedics took it to the morgue where Mrs. Mulder confirmed it was him the next day. The funeral took place two days later where a few people the Mulders knew came over to pay their respects. Even Mr. and Mrs. Scully went to be nice, but the children refused to go and ended up staying in the hospital room with Fox. It's not that Fox really did or didn't want to go, he just couldn't. The hassle to get him all the way back out of the hospital to the funeral home just wasn't worth it. Also, the hospital's psychologist explained that it was better off he didn't go anyway. It would bring back too many memories and he wasn't really stable enough to handle them yet. It was better off that he spent his days in his room surrounded by loving friends and family.
But today was more then just any other day. Fox had just woken up from a deep slumber when he looked up and saw the entire Scully family standing around his bed. Although they were there almost every day, everyone there, including William, seemed to have a twinkle in their eye.
"Whoa, I didn't know it was a party." Fox said to them. Missy, Charlie, and Bill chuckled a little bit, but Dana didn't seem to really notice. She just kept smiling in the trance she had been in since he woke up. He was a little bit confused at the entire scene but waited for some one to explain their behavior. Maggie spoke up first.
"Fox, there is something we want to tell you. See, after you mother refused to visit you after all that happened, I just couldn't see you going back home to her. I just couldn't! Mr. Scully agreed with me and the children never want to see you with her ever again. So there was only one thing we could do. We hired a lawyer and spoke with social services and..."
'WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT YOU!" Dana shouted out. She just couldn't hold it in anymore, she was too excited.
"DANA!" yelled her siblings, but they couldn't help it either. They all started to giggle and laugh from trying to keep the secret in for the past few days. It was hard enough seeing that they were the gossip kings and queens.
Fox couldn't believe what he just heard. Could it be true? Could his prayers finally be answered? The expression on his face was priceless. It went from confusion, to hope, to the happiest-person-that-ever-walk-the-earth. The Scully children watched his face and couldn't help but be excited. After Fox was laughing for the sake of his pure euphoria all the children ran up and hugged him. They were laughing and yelling and loving every minute of it. Maggie and William didn't even mind. They were hugging each other and admiring all their children and Fox, their soon to be adopted son.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!" asked Fox. It seemed too good to be true.
"YES!" said Charlie and Bill giving him a small punch in the head. Nothing to hard though.
"We love you!" said Dana. There had never been a truer statement. She did love him, more then the rest. And even though they all loved him, Dana was at the top. Fox looked at her and then at them all. Tears were running down his face so William and Maggie joined the pile and they all hugged Fox tightly. This was the happiest moment of his life. Well, so far.
End Part 3/5