Last Wish

Part 11

By

Trycee

Time-Line: Alternative Universe. Season 10 After Home Again and before My Struggle II.

Disclaimer: This is written for fun, not profit.

An entire day went by as they waited for Bill's arrival. Maggie Scully, true to her word, had come that morning with a photo album she had of baby William before he was adopted. She spent the entire day with her grandson as Scully and Mulder waited on pins and needles. Again, Maggie went home and they slept in the private doctor's quarters. But by the next morning, Bill and family had finally arrived in D.C. from Germany. They arrived at the hospital as Scully paced back and forth waiting.

Bill, his wife Tara and Matthew stood outside of the sectioned off Ward, blocked by two FBI Agents. Matthew was anxious having left his wife and two kids back in Germany, but he was also curious about his favorite Aunt Dana's teenage son, someone he had never met.

"Hey, Dana?", Bill said in his phone. "They won't let us in. Some FBI Agents are saying we can't get in here."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Hold on," she said, racing out of the door. Maggie followed behind her.

William turned to his father. "Do you think he'll hate me the way he hates you?"

"Who will?", Mulder asked.

"My Uncle Bill."

William watched as Mulder grew tense and subconscious. Mulder was thicker in build, with bulging muscles from years of isolation and a self-imposed rigorous exercise routine. Unlike his earlier days as an FBI Agent, Mulder was now quite stocky and impressive. William was sure that his dad had no reason to feel inadequate.

Bill hugged his much shorter sister and kissed her cheek. He moved on to hug his mother who was overjoyed to see them all. Scully smiled as she hugged her sister-n-law Tara and then her nephew Matthew, still dressed in fatigues. "How's Germany?", she asked them.

"So Unique, Dana...Mom," Tara spoke acknowledging her mother-n-law. "You really need to come visit us. But there's graffiti on nearly everything. It makes it look so ugly," Tara rattled on. "Now where is your son William? It's a miracle that you found him! Oh, I can't wait to see him."

"Does he have red hair?", Matthew asked, brushing his fingers through his own reddish buzz cut.

"If he's a Scully, the Scully genes are usually pretty strong," Bill stated.

Scully licked her lips nervously as she lead her family down the empty hallway. She stopped in front of the two Agents standing guard in front of Williams room. Bill touched Scully's shoulder. "What is this anyway? Why the guards?"

"It's just a precaution," Scully stated, as she opened the first door. "It's about to get crowded in here," she said, as she opened the second glass door. Scully walked up to Mulder's side and slid her hand into her sons hand. "This is our son, William," she said, as Mulder, stood behind her, placing two heavy hands on her small shoulders.

Bill who had once been a foreboding presence had shrunken a few inches in his older age. He was nearly the spitting of Ahab, their father, Scully noticed. His red hair was peppered with white and grayish strands. William smiled at them all.

Bill, ignoring Mulder, reached out his hand to William. "I'm your Uncle. We have the same name, you and I."

"Your a retired Naval Captain. Just like your dad, my grandfather that mom calls Ahab."

"Yes," Maggie sighed. "Your grandfather Captain William Scully..."

"Senior," Bill smiled. "And I'm Junior."

"Of course," Maggie added.

"You look like my sister," Bill grinned. "Like a true Scully."

William was pleased though he could hear Mulder's inner thought, He's a Mulder, loud and clear.

Tara beamed as she waved. "I'm your Aunt Tara and this is your cousin..."

"Matthew," William said, extending his hand.

Matthew shook his hand firmly. "Nice to finally meet you."

Maggie spoke proudly, "Matt is the spitting image of Bill just as Bill Jr. is of your grandfather, Bill Senior" she said in a soft voice.

"Yeah," William smiled. He was feeling sickly but he was still excited to meet his family.

Mulder was standing behind Scully, lending his strength to her. He could feel the tension between himself and Bill. Bill had never hidden his disdain for him. It had grown more intense especially after Scully had given up William while he was away. But, despite the years they had been together, her brother still saw Mulder as the vein of his existence. He barely acknowledged Mulder whenever they were around each other. Mulder had always received a much better reception from Tara and Matthew.

"And this is William's adoptive parents, The Van DeKamps."

Bill glanced at his mother and sister and then approached the Van DeKamps, reaching out a hand. "Ah, hey. I'm Dana's older brother, Bill Scully. William's Uncle. This is my wife, Tara and my son Matt."

Mrs. Van DeKamp smiled. "I can tell. So the red hair runs through most of the family," she said, glancing around at the room full of Scully's. "We never knew.."

Tara hugged them awkwardly and Matthew shook their hands.

"Well," Scully said, to cut the tension. "Let me show you to your rooms," she said, guiding Bill and family to the double glass doors.

"Dana, we're gonna check into a hotel room."

"There's a private doctors room opposite the one Mulder and I are occupying. It could save you some money."

Bill looked unamused. "Sleeping in a hospital gives me the creeps, Dana."

"Well, you all look pretty jet-lagged. How about you can rest up an hour. I have to take a blood sample to see if you or Matthew match anyway. Whoever does will have to stay here to get their first injection. They'll have to come back daily for daily shots for a total of five days before the stem cells are collected in the blood."

Bill nodded. "Alright. We'll do it like that. But we are not staying overnight in a creepy hospital, Dana."

Scully turned to Mulder and Maggie. "Be right back." She looked to her son lying in the bed, watching them all. "Be right back, honey."

"Okay, mom," he said, in a hoarse whisper.

Scully smiled and patted his leg. She turned and guided her family to the door. She avoided Mrs. Van DeKamp's gaze as she escorted her family to their room on the other side of the hall. She swiped her I.D. and the door unlocked. She pushed it open. "I'll have a bed sent down for you, Matt."

Bill and Tara walked in as Matthew lingered in the doorway. She could tell that he wanted to talk.

"How are you Matt? How's your wife and kids?"

The red haired young man who stood pencil straight towering above her at 6'3 smiled down to her. "They drive us crazy. My oldest Kaley is two and gets into everything and Bridget is one & she's still trying to be a baby but other than that, we're good."

She patted his arm. "Glad to see you, Matt. I missed so much of you growing up," she sighed. "Time flew by, didn't it?"

He smiled shyly. Scully had always been his favorite Aunt. "Hurry back to William," he said, suddenly. "It's been too long."

"Yes, it has," she nodded. "I'll wake you all in an about an hour, okay? I'll have your bed sent down..."

She turned and walked off, headed for the nurses station.

Over an hour went by, and Bill stepped back into William's room, with Matthew and Tara behind him. "Dana, you forgot to wake us up."

Scully glanced at her watch. "Oh Bill, I was distracted."

Bill kissed the hand of his even tinier mom who lit up even more. They were sitting and watching William sleep as if they were afraid to move away from him.

Maggie squeezed Tara's hand and then turned back to look at William. "What did you think of him?", Maggie asked, Bill.

"Spitting image of Dana," Bill smiled.

Maggie turned back to her son. "So are we all testing to be a match?"

Bill looked at his sister. "Mom is donating too?"

Scully shook her head no. "I called you and Matt to test for Stem Cells."

Maggie twisted around in her seat to glare at her daughter. "You aren't asking me? He's my grandson..."

Scully sighed heavily. "Mom. It's an intense process. It takes a week of shots and..."

"You didn't ask me!", Maggie said, cutting Scully off.

Scully glanced at Bill and then shook her head. She placed a hand on her mother's arm. "Mom. I'm sorry. I'll test you too."

"Okay!", Maggie said. "I'm not dying, Dana. I can still donate to my grandson."

"I know, " Scully sighed. "I made a mistake."

Maggie placed a heavy hand on top of her daughters. "I know you worry about me," she said. "I'm fine. I'm still in good health."

"I know, mom...," Scully whined. "I just didn't want to put you through this. "

"Well, I'm testing!"

Bill chuckled. "Well, mom has spoken. It's settled then."

After the blood was drawn and tested, it was determined that Bill was a direct match and so Bills Family checked into a hotel, with the instructions that Bill would return each day for shots. It was going to be a long five day wait for everyone with the Van DeKamp's housed in the Hospitals Family Apartments and Bill's Family in a hotel, unable to stay at Maggie's smaller apartment. Each day Bill recieved a series of injections that moved the stem cells from his bone marrow into his blood stream for collection. Every day, Bill left the hotel and came back for the injections until it was the sixth day and Bill was ready for the Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection.

Scully leaned over her son. "You'l start your procedure soon. How do you feel about that?"

"I know it will work," he said.

"You do?"

"Its why they're interested in me all of a sudden."

"Them, as in...them?", Scully said, searching his eyes.

"Yes, them. You can't see them but their standing right next to my bed."

Scully jumped and looked around her. "What are they doing?", she said, alarmed.

"Scanning me. They use their eyes to scan my body."

"For what?"

"I can hear their thoughts. They're saying I'm not supposed to be sick. I'm supposed to never know illness. Their curious as to why I'm dying when I was born special."

Scully gripped her sons hand. "What are they doing now?"

"They're scanning you too."

Scully stiffened as fear gripped her. Mulder stood up to stand behind her, his hand firm on her shoulders.

"Don't worry, mom...they won't hurt you anymore. But you still interest them, You and Dad."

Mulder shook his head. "What do they want?"

"They recognize you. They know you," William said, as his eyes followed the invisible beings that were walking around his bed and scanning him and his parents.

Scully turned into Mulder. He held her tight against him.

"Don't worry, mom. They're gone now," William sighed. "They're not interested in taking us."

"They're not?", Mulder asked, gripping Scully tightly against him, feeling her shake slightly in his arms.

"No," he said, listening to all of his parents internal unspoken conversation, as Mulder kissed her forehead and lips, as his hands ran up and down her back, trying to calm her fears.

"They're not going to take us, Mom. We're safe," William added. "We're safe."

Bill was placed in a separate room, as Scully and two nurses wheeled in the large machine that would collect Bill's blood. She connected the Stem Cell Separator machine and then ran a test, making sure it was working properly. Then she began to prep Bill for the stem cell removal while Maggie, Tara and Matt sat along his bedside, waiting patiently for the procedure they had flown halfway around the world for. Scully stood next to her brother as he laid in a hospital bed, his neck propped up by a pillow. She pierced his skin and inserted the IV Line on both arms and flushed them. She then connected the tubes and turned on the switch, watching as the blood was drawn from Bills left arm and spun in the machine, separating the stem cells and returning his blood to him in his right arm.

Scully was nervous. This was what she had been waiting for, a possible cure for her son. But, this wasn't an anonymous donor, this was her eldest brother and she had her mother, sister-n-law and nephew all watching her every move. She listened as the machine spun, separating out the stem cells and giving her hope that with each spin that there was a potential that this could save her sons life.

"How long will this take, Dana?"

"Bill!", Tara shook her head.

"I'm just asking!", Bill shot back.

"About four to six hours. For the next three days," Scully said, checking the machine.

"Jeez, Dana Why didn't you tell me? That's a long time."

"Dad!", Matthew said, shaking his head. "Come on, this is for William."

Scully stared at her brother. "You met him," she scoffed. "I want him to live."

"Of course, sis," he said, his face as red as his hair. "It's just I've been pretty miserable the last few days," he coughed. "Chills, fever from the shots. I just want to be sick in my own bed that's all..."

"That's something William can't do," Scully said, glaring at her brother.

Bill tossed up his hands. "I didn't mean it like that. Look, I came to do this for him. We've been here a week already. I'm prepared to be here for however long it takes. We're here to do this for you and for William. Ignore me. I'm grumpy. You know I get cranky when I'm not feeling good."

"Yes, you've always been a pain when you're sick," his mother added.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Look, Dana, William is a good kid. I'll do anything for him."

Scully nodded. "He is. Thank you."

Matthew looked at his aunt. "Do you think this will work?"

Scully checked the tubing and the monitor that was separating Bill's blood. She reflected back on a conversation she had with Williams adoptive parents."Mrs. Van DeKamp told me they had been to thousands of doctors all over the country trying to save him. No one understood how to help him. They tried Blood Infusions, they even tried Stem Cell Therapy like this before but nothing changed it."

Her family was quiet as she continued. "I know what your thinking. Your thinking, 'Well, how will this work this time?' But, I know something now about William's DNA that they didn't. They wouldn't even know to look for it. It's something that exists in my DNA and Mulder's that created this problem. Something put there when he and I were taken. And my hope is to use Familial DNA, Family Genes, to repair those foreign cells in his DNA that's making him sick."

"And then what?", Bill asked.

"Hopefully, with the stem cell therapy, it will heal him."

"That's not what I meant, Dana Will his adoptive parents then leave with him back to wherever they live?", Bill asked, as Scully stiffened.

"I mean, is there some way to get him back now that you know where he is?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead," Scully said, turning to look into her brother's blue eyes. "First we need to get him healed and then Mulder and I and the Van DeKamps can discuss all that."

She switched on the tv on the wall and handed him the remote. "A nurse will check on you every hour. This is your nurses button if you need help or for any reason."

"Okay," he said, clicking the remote.

"Oh, and Bill?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank You."

Bill placed a hand on top of hers. "Your still my kid sister. And this is my nephew, Dana. I'm sure you would've done the same for Matthew."

She turned to look at her tall nephew, she'd seen so little of in the past few years. He was grown now, with a family of his own, and the stature of a soldier. "I would."

"Then same for me, sis. I'll do whatever it takes."

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