Title: Revelations
Author: Colleen
E-mail: DRR
Rating: PG
Author's notes: at the end of the story
Summary: John has a secret.
Disclaimer: John Doggett and Monica Reyes belong to Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish (and I suppose they belong to Chris Carter too, but considering how he treated them, he doesn't deserve them).
Revelations
John Doggett sat by his partner's bedside, gently stroking her hand while listening to the steady drone of the machines monitoring her vital signs. Snippets of recent conversations floated through his head as he gazed at Monica.
"Brain death is truly death, John."
"Your friend signed an organ donor card."
"I can't see you disappointing anyone, John."
Tears welled in John's eyes. "You were so wrong, Mon. I disappointed myself. If I wasn't such a chickenshit, I would have kissed you that night like I wanted to and you wouldn't be lyin in this bed right now." He stood up abruptly, roughly swiping away a tear that was making its way down his cheek. "I swear to you, Mon, I am not going to let them use you for carving practice. I will stop them - regardless of the consequences."
John pressed a quick kiss to Monica's cheek before leaving her room and all but running to his truck. He gunned the motor and headed for his house, fighting the urge to ignore the speed limit. He hated to leave her for any reason - afraid that without him there to guard her, the hospital would let her be sliced and diced. After a drive that seemed to last forever, John pulled into his driveway, killed the engine, and ran into his house. He went straight to his bedroom and removed a small, locked box from the drawer in his bedside table. It was what some people would refer to as a 'memory box' - filled with odds and ends that held special memories for him. Luke's first baby tooth, school report cards, and the Father's Day card that Barbara had used to announce her pregnancy were just some of the things he had saved over the years. Normally, opening this box would inspire a trip down memory lane, but not this night. He bypassed everything else and removed a folded piece of paper. "Got it," he thought, as he jumped into his truck and headed back for the hospital.
John was about ten minutes away when his cell phone rang.
He snatched it off the seat beside him and pressed the 'talk' button. "Doggett."
"John, it's Dana. Monica's parents are here saying their goodbyes. I thought you might want to be here when they shut off the life support."
He gripped the phone so tightly that for a moment he was afraid it would break. "Dana, you tell those doctors that if anyone even tries to shut off her life support, I, as her next of kin, will sue the hospital into the next century."
"John, what are you talking about? Her parents are her next of kin."
"No, Dana," he said, glancing at the paper in his hand, "I believe that her husband is her next of kin."
With that, John punched the 'off' button and tossed the phone on the seat. He gunned the motor and sped the rest of the way to the hospital, the need to get back to Monica overriding everything else in his mind. He parked his truck in emergency room lot, not much caring if it was towed, and ran into the hospital and up to Monica's room. As he strode down the hall, he saw a group of crying women exiting her room. Her aunts and her mother, no doubt. John pushed into her room and found Dana and Skinner standing over her bed. Dana took John's arm and pulled him aside.
"The transplant teams are in place, John."
"No one is cutting her up for spare parts. I wasn't kidding on the phone, Dana. I am her next of kin."
"John, the hospital isn't just going to take your word for this. They need some sort of proof."
"I realize that. That's why I went home to get this." John handed Dana the folded paper. As she scanned the document, her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped slightly.
Skinner walked over to Dana, his eyes questioning. "What is it?"
Dana silently handed him the paper. His eyes also went wide as he took in the marriage certificate in his hand. He skimmed the paper but three details jumped out at him.
Date: July 23, 1993
Bride's name: Monica Julietta Reyes
Groom's name: John Jay Doggett
Skinner looked at John in disbelief. "All this time and neither one of you thought to tell anyone you're married?"
"First things first, please sir. I have to show this to the doctors. I am not going to authorize her life support being shut off."
Skinner looked at John. "All right. I will get this taken care of, but when I get back, I want some answers."
He walked out of the room as John collapsed into the chair by Monica's bed. He brushed his fingers along her cheek, wanting nothing more than for her to open her sparkling brown eyes. Dana pulled up another chair next to him and squeezed his shoulder. "John, talk to me. What is going on here?"
He let out a long sigh. "It happened in New York. Barbara and I were in the middle of divorcing when Luke was abducted, and the final papers came through just days after we buried him. Monica found me in my hotel room one night with my gun at my temple. She managed to talk me out of it, and then we spent the rest of the night talking and getting wasted. Not to sure what happened after that, but when we woke up in the morning, Monica had flowers in her hair and that marriage certificate was sitting on the dresser. She was horrified by the whole situation - kept talking about how she had taken advantage of me. That wasn't the case at all, but she was so upset that I told her I would have the marriage annulled and she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore." He shrugged and looked at the floor. "I never did. I liked the idea of being married again, so I just kept putting it off." He looked at Monica again. "And now, I'm really glad I did."
Dana let out a soft whistle. "So, she doesn't know?"
"No. I never seemed to find the right time to tell her. I don't want her to hate me, Dana. We've been getting so much closer lately. I just don't want to blow that. When she wakes up, I'm going to tell her, I swear. No more secrets between us. I love her, Dana, more than life."
She smiled. "I can see that, John. I'm sure she will understand. And, don't worry about Skinner. He turned a blind eye to me and Mulder for years. I'm sure I can talk to him for you."
"Thanks, Dana. You're a great friend to us. Now, I just have to wait for her to come out of this."
Dana clasped the hand that wasn't holding Monica's before leaving to go find Skinner.
John laid his head on her bed, closed his eyes, and whispered, "Hurry back, Mon. I have a lot to tell you."
Amidst the hum of the machinery, a soft word broke the silence.
"John?"
THE END.
Author's notes: I always wondered how John was so damn sure that he could keep the hospital from shutting off Monica's life support in 'Audrey Pauley'. As far as I know, that's a decision for the next of kin. And that got me to thinking "What if ?" Hope you liked it. I love feedback, but flames will be used to roast Polish sausages. :)