Last Wish
Part 6
By
Trycee
Time-Line: Alternative Universe. Season 10 After Home Again and before My Struggle II.
Disclaimer: This is written for fun, not profit.
"You know, don't you?", Mulder questioned William. "What you are."
"I've always known."
Mulder glanced down at Scully and she stared back at him. "We have to save him, Mulder."
"What's wrong with him? What did they do?"
"It's my blood," William answered. "It's killing me. It's part human and part Alien."
Scully reached out and slid her hand into Mulders. He knew what Scully was thinking and he pulled her toward his side, anchoring her to him. Scully could feel Mulder's eyes upon her. She looked up at him continuing their wordless conversation.
"You're worried because you couldn't save Emily," William said, interrupting.
Scully bowed her head and Mulder placed his hand on her neck, messaging it.
"Emily had green blood too," William continued.
"And it killed her," Scully whispered, as Mulder guided her to his chest, enclosing his arms around her. She cried for a moment before turning to look back at their son, alive though sickly lying in the hospital bed.
Mr. Van DeKamp who had been silent finally interrupted. "I'm sorry. I'm a little confused. I'm not sure what your both talking about, but we have faith in God. And if God sees fit to take William home, then we have to know that its Gods will."
Mulder noticed both Adoptive parents for the first time. He turned in back of him and could see Mr. Van DeKamp seated , without speaking. He was shorter and older than Mulder. Mulder accessed that he was a farmer, wearing jeans and flannel shirts and cowboy boots. His wife was wearing a long dress down to her ankles. Mulder figured they were from the western states.
Mulder played Mrs. Van DeKamps words around in his mind. "What do you mean, if God see's fit to heal him?"
Mr. Van DeKamp looked at his wife and stepped closer to both Mulder and Scully. "What I mean is that if God calls him home, there's nothing we can do. "
Mrs. Van DeKamp smiled warmly. "We trust in God. We have to leave it in his hands. We tried over sixty doctors from all over the country who all said the same thing. So now, we have to believe that God knows best. We just want to make him comfortable until he goes home to Jesus. That's all we can do."
"There's plenty we can do!", Scully said, aghast.
Mulder looked at the Van DeKamps. "Isn't that why you came here? To save him?"
Mr. Van DeKamp shook his head. "We came for him to meet his mother before he...", he said, stopping himself.
Mr. Van DeKamp looked at his adoptive son, laying in the bed, holding the hand of his real father and he felt jealous and threatened at that moment. "He's a sick boy," he said, looking at his son. "He grew sicker when we arrived here in D.C.. William knows whats happening. "
Mrs. Van DeKamp whipped out her older antiquated flip phone."We can take pictures of you all together," Mrs. Van DeKamp said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. "William can look at the photos of you," she said, fumbling to take a picture.
Scully looked horrified. "You expect us to just give up on our son?"
"OUR son," Mr. Van DeKamp barked, as he stood up, his face turning red as he grew angrier.
Mulder's chin stiffened and he stepped towards Mr. Van DeKamp. Scully placed a soft hand on his arm. "Mulder...", she said.
Mulder looked down at Scully and then over to William. He cleared his throat and stepped back. "I get that you're his adoptive parents..."
"But, I'm a Doctor", Scully cut in. "And he is my patient as well as my biological son," Scully said, shaking her head as she gazed at both Van DeKamps. "I won't give up on him that easily."
"I knew this would be a problem," Mrs. Van DeKamp spoke under her breath. "This was my biggest fear..."
"About what?", Scully asked, crossing her arms in front of her. "What?"
"That you would try to take over OUR son. He's not 18 yet. We, his parents, are the ones that make decisions for him."
Scully looked up at Mulder, communicating in the way only they could. Mulder nodded and then broke his gaze and turned to William. "What do you want, son?"
Mrs. Van DeKamp gawked and then turned towards her husband who was growing agitated by the minute. Mulder too was aggravated, his fist flexing as Scully held his arm.
William raised a finger and pointed it toward the flourescent lights. They began to turn and spin counter clockwise casting the room in spinning light and dark shadows. The Van DeKamps looked on in surprise. "JESUS CHRIST," his adoptive father screamed as the light fixture flew off from the ceiling and crashed to the floor.
His adoptive father stared at him in horror. "Will? Did you just...?"
William interrupted. "Mom, Dad," he said, looking at the Van DeKamps. "There's things about me you can't possibly understand."
"How in the world did that happen?"
"I'm special," William said. "And they understand me."
"More than us?", Mrs. Van DeKamp asked.
"Yes," Scully added. "We do."
"They know more than I can explain to you," William said. "I need their help."
E.R. Nurse, Nurse Bradley raced into the room with a Security guard on her tail. "Everything okay?", they questioned, noticing the light fixture on the ground.
"A light fell."
"We heard yelling," Nurse Bradley said, surveying the scene. Scully stepped forward. "This patient is William Van DeKamp," she said, pointing towards William. Scully locked eyes with Mulder and then turned back to Nurse Bradley. "William is my son. Our son," she said, referencing herself and Mulder.
Nurse Bradley shook her head in disbelief and laughed nervously. "What do you mean, he's your son, Dr. Scully? I've worked with you in the E.R. for several years. You don't have kids," she chuckled until she saw them all staring back at her.. She'd known Dr. Dana Scully for seven years. She'd never known her to speak about having a child.
"This is his adoptive parents, The Van DeKamps. I want them all moved up to the third floor in the isolation bay by my office."
Scully turned towards the Van DeKamps. "Follow Nurse Bradley up to the third floor."
The Van DeKamps looked confused but remained silent as Scully continued barking out orders to the nurse.
"I want a CAT scan ordered. I'll draw his blood when I get up there and we'll start an I.V. then, alright?" Scully ignored the Van DeKamps. "We're going to determine what's wrong with him, no matter what it takes!"
Nurse Bradley nodded and moved past everyone to get William ready to be transported upstairs.
"Dr. Scully, you need my help?", the security guard asked.
Scully looked down at the floor. "We need maintenance. The light fell."
The guard stepped away, reluctantly leaving them all alone again. Scully watched as the Van DeKamps followed behind Nurse Bradley as she wheeled William towards the elevators leaving them in the empty E.R. room. Mulder walked to Scully, tapping her on the arm. "What do we do, Scully? William has alien blood. It's making him sick."
"I know," she sighed. "Mulder...our son!", she said, disbelieving.
Mulder wrapped Scully in his arms, his chin resting on the top of her head. He hugged her as tightly as she would let him. "We have to save him, Scully."
She pulled back. "What if I can't?", she said, searching his eyes. "What if like Emily, I fail..."
Mulder sighed. "You didn't fail, Emily, Scully. I did."
"What do you mean?"
"I couldn't get Dr. Calderon to save her. I failed, Scully, not you. I failed you."
He dropped his arms and Scully could see sadness in Mulder's eyes. "Thank You for trying, Mulder. You know you didn't fail her. It just wasn't meant to be."
He sighed. "But our son is..."
"He is...", she nodded.
She looked behind Mulder, out into the hallway, and could see a few nurses gathered who were watching them. She was sure the news about their son had spread like a wildfire through the hospital pipeline. She squeezed Mulder's arm. "Go upstairs and stay there with him," she said. "I have to find someone to take over for me."
Mulder looked at Scully and then moved past the nurses in the hallway, headed towards the third floor. Scully closed the hospital room door as the nurses dispersed. She whipped out her phone, dialing Dr. Spurlock's number. She had an emergency of her own. She couldn't help him this time.
Mulder stood outside the Isolation room with various Caution signs plastered on the outside warning that the patient inside was contagious. Inside the first door there was a sink and mirror, several boxes of gloves and masks. The other door lay beyond that where the Van DeKamps paced nervously. Mr. Van DeKamp had called their friend Joseph Billings, leaving him a voicemail. Mulder noticed they glanced at him ever so often as they discussed him and the situation they found themselves in. Mulder stood against the door, trying to come to grips with everything that was happening. He glanced over to the nurses station. They were watching him closely. He sighed and stepped back into the glass doors into his teenage sons room.
He walked in and went straight to the side of William's bed. He glanced around noticing the room was larger than in the E.R. with five stiff chairs along the wall. William lay in the bed, with only a monitor connected to his finger, churning out readings on his heart. Mulder grabbed one of the chairs and placed it on the side of his son. He glanced towards the Van DeKamps who were still upset just as he was. They had pulled out a large bible and were sitting to themselves next to the door, reading it and praying. Mulder grabbed his sons hand and squeezed it, looking into the face of a boy that looked so much like Scully it was eerie. Mulder smiled, though William looked like Scully, he could see himself in the boys features. It was amazing to see the way that they're genes had so easily blended.
"You have questions for me?", William asked.
"You have questions for me?", Mulder smiled. "The last time I saw you...," he sighed. "I was kissing your mom goodbye. I had," Mulder choked up as he covered his eye lids as tears streamed down his cheeks. He looked back at his son and smiled. "I didn't know that would be the last time I saw you until now."
William squeezed his father's hand tighter. "You thought you were doing what was right. You were trying to protect us."
"I let her down and you. I should have never left. I've never forgiven myself for listening to them and leaving you and your mom. You needed me. She needed me," Mulder said, as he gulped down his tears. "I don't think she's ever truly forgiven me."
William shook his head. "They lied to you but you did what you thought was right."
"They removed me to get to you and your mom."
"She did the best she could."
"I came back right after you were adopted," Mulder said, wiping at his eyes.
"I had a good life and I was safe. But, I knew who I was and I knew who my real parents were," William whispered. "I knew I was wanted and loved by them and by you and her. It wasn't your fault. You have to forgive yourself."
Mulder sighed and nodded his head. "I'm trying... "
"Is that why you're depressed?", William asked.
Mulder looked at him surprised. "Part of it, yes. Part of it was not knowing where you were and if they were taking you..."
"And if I would disappear like your sister?"
Mulder again looked surprised at William's abilities. Mulder sighed heavily. "Fear and Guilt can cause a deep depression."
"You've always had depression," William stated. "It was covered up with your search for your sister and with the love of my mom but it was always there under the surface. Your guilt goes back to your sister. You keep thinking that everyone in your life you let down and let go of, like my mom."
Mulder shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah," he mumbled.
"It's not too late," William said, looking into his father's guilt-laden hazel eyes. "She loves you," he continued. "If only you knew how deeply. It's not too late."
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