Scully woke up when she heard the commotion of her IV bag being changed by a nurse. For a brief second, she forgot where she was. But then the pain came, and it didn't take long to remember.
"How are you feeling?" the nurse asked.
"Would that happen to be a morphine drip you're hooking me up to, or is that just wishful thinking?" Scully said sarcastically.
"That bad, huh? I'll ask the doctor and see what I can give you for the pain."
Scully looked around the room and noticed all of the flower arrangements that had arrived. The nurse started to leave, but Scully stopped her.
"Nurse, would you mind reading the cards for me on all these flowers? I'm wondering who they are from."
"Sure, no problem." The nurse walked over to the window ledge and started with a purple and pink bouquet of mixed flowers. She pulled out the card and read, "'Sorry to hear about the accident. Let us know if you want us to beat someone up for you. The Lone Gunman.' Nice friends you have," the nurse quipped.
"Oh, you have no idea..." Scully confided.
The nurse moved to the vase of red and white carnations. "'Sorry I can't be there with you. Get better soon. Love, Queequeg.' Who's Queequeg?"
"My dog, but he died a while back. Must be from Mulder." Scully smiled.
"I have a feeling a lot of these are from Agent Mulder," the nurse said. "He's been very concerned about you. Did you know that he's been coming here everyday just to sit and watch you sleep?"
Scully raised her eyebrow in response.
"Next!" The nurse pulled the card from a bouquet of orange tiger lilies. 'Why didn't you call me? Fox tells me you're fine. Call me! Love, Mom.' You better call her!" the nurse warned.
"I was going to...eventually," Scully muttered.
The nurse took out the card from the vase of a dozen red roses. "'Roses are red, violets are blue, I am your one true partner, and I would never shoot you.'
Scully let out a laugh and then a cry of pain. "Ow! I told him not to make me laugh." She put her hand over her bandage to try to stifle the sting.
The nurse smiled and then moved to the basket of daisies. "How about this one? 'Get well soon. From the Grey Alien, not the Green one.' Must be an inside joke?"
Scully nodded. "How'd you guess?"
"Two more. Wow, another vase of red roses." The nurse pulled out the card, read it to herself first, and then smiled. "Aw, this one's really nice. 'Scully, you make me a whole person. I need you. Get better soon. Mulder.'"
Scully stared out into space and was suddenly transported back to the time in his hallway almost two years ago. She had told him she was transferring to Utah and then he made that same stunning confession to get her to change her mind. He had held her close in his strong arms. They almost kissed then. It was an intense, sensual moment. They hadn't talked about it since, so she was surprised to hear those words again. Words like that are very rare from Mulder. It's not easy for him to express those kinds of feelings, and it usually takes a tragedy of some sort to bring it out in him. But deep down Scully has always known how he feels about her, by his actions. And she knows she feels the same, although it has been even harder for her to admit.
"Dana? Are you ready for the last one?" the nurse shook Scully out of her dream-like state.
"Um, yeah, go on." Scully gazed at the gorgeous arrangement of orchids; her favorite.
"'Scully, I meant what I said to you the last time I was in the hospital. You know what I'm talking about. Don't ever forget it. Love, Mulder.' Sounds like you and Agent Mulder have a special partnership," the nurse added. "Well, I'll go see about getting you some pain medication."
Scully was left alone, speechless.