a/n: Stick with me, I'll make it better. K?
Dedicated to: ALL OF YOU REVIEWERS. Good Gully. I'd love to thank each of you personally and I try to, but sometimes I fail. so thank you for your reviews :)
Disclaimer: Yeah, that's right. I own them. I totally own them. Don't give me that look. I OWN THEM....haha SIIIIIIKE ;)
His tan calloused fingers were interlaced with hers, her pale white thumb tracing crazy patterns over his knuckles. The clock on the wall ticked off the seconds that felt like hours; every fourth click of the clock brought a drop of water. It fell from the faucet in the corner, creating a 'splat' against the stainless steel sink. Every few seconds her Converse squeaked against the tile floor, trying to scoot the stool closer to him.
The door opened, "Mr. Mulder."
"What's going on?" Mulder asked, a worried look on his face.
"Why don't we wait for your parents?" The doctor suggested, Dr. Chamberlain was a tall, blond haired man with grey-blue eyes and a warm smile. He nodded at Dana as he came in the room and checked the saline and pain medication levels.
"David." Mr. Mulder stepped into the room.
"William." Dr. Chamberlain shook his hand, "I got the test results on your boy here."
"And?"
"It's just some swelling on the spinal cord from the wreck. We'll give him some medicine and once that goes down, he should be fine. He will be in a cast for the rest of the school year, we need his leg to set correctly." Dr. Chamberlain explained and turned to Mulder, "That means no driving, no basketball and none of your stunts Fox."
"Yes, Sir." Mulder sighed in defeat.
"Mulder." Scully warned.
"I'll comply." Mulder promised.
"You better." Scully pointed a finger at him.
Dr. Chamberlain laughed, "Listen to Ms. Scully. Keep him in line Dana." Dr. Chamberlain winked at her and Scully laughed, "The surgeon will be in, in a bit to talk about setting your leg."
"Thanks Doc." Mulder extended his good hand and Dr. Chamberlain shook it with both of his, smiled at Dana, and clapped Mr. Mulder on the shoulder before leaving the room.
"I'm tired." Mulder yawned into his hand.
"Get some sleep." Scully brushed the hair back from his face and kissed his forehead.
"Don't leave." Mulder mumbled, the pain medicine numbing his body, he grasped her hand tightly.
"I'm not going anywhere, My Love." Scully whispered.
Mulder curled up the best he could with his bum leg and long body on the small hospital cot. Scully watched him for a few moments and then turned to Mr. Mulder who was still standing in the corner. He pulled a chair over, "Dana, let's talk."
"About what?" Scully asked, holding Mulder's hand protectively.
Mr. Mulder laced his fingers together and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, "About you and Fox. You know we love you. Teena and I, you've always been a part of our family."
"And Mulder is part of mine." Scully told him.
"I know." Mr. Mulder replied, "But Teena and I agree with your parents, you two are rushing this way too fast."
Scully closed her eyes, feeling hot angry tears forming behind them, "Mr. Mulder, in all due respect, you don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"Dana..." Mr. Mulder was taken back, he'd never heard Dana Scully cuss before.
"No." Dana protested, "I am sick and damn tired of everyone thinking they know what is best for us. Mulder and I aren't a couple of kids. We're almost adults and we've been best friends for fourteen years!"
"Dana-"
She cut him off again, "Yes we had sex and was that the wisest decision? Well, heck if I know, but it happened and I don't regret it and I'm sure he doesn't either! And I love him and he loves me! Haven't you learned, that no matter how hard you try, you can't keep us apart?"
Mr. Mulder sat silently for a moment, "Are you done?"
"Yes." She crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair.
"Good." Mr. Mulder rubbed the top of his balding head, "Look, Dana. I don't doubt your love for my son. I doubt two teenagers being able to make a relationship work."
"We can." Scully protested.
"That is a possiblity." Mr. Mulder agreed, "But it's not written in stone. Look at the wreck, it could've killed him and if you love him as much as you say you do, what would that have done to you?"
Scully was silent.
"I know it seems like we want you two to break up, but that's not the case." He sighed, "Kiddo, you're still seventeen. You have a whole 'nother year of maturing to do."
"What good does keeping us apart do?"
"Not a bit of good." Mr. Mulder sighed, "But you need to respect us. You need to talk to your dad."
Scully nodded, "I'm sorry for all this."
"I'm fairly certain that Fox isn't a innocent in this." Mr. Mulder chuckled.
"I love him." Scully said, looking at Mulder and his sleeping form. His bruises were dark purple and a ghastly color of yellow.
"I know." Mr. Mulder nodded, "Why don't you talk with your dad? I'll sit with him for awhile."
"Okay." Scully sighed and stood up, "Thanks for the talk."
"I may not be the nicest person, Dana. I know I have my moments and Fox and I don't see eye to eye, but I love my son."
--
"Hey." Scully stood in front of her parents, hands in her pockets and rocking back and forth on the rubber sole of her shoes.
"How is he?" Mrs. Scully asked.
Scully took a ragged breath, "He's gonna be fine. Just some swelling on his spinal cord. The feeling should come back once it goes away."
"That's fantastic news." Mrs. Scully gave her a weak smile.
"Dad.." Scully chewed on the inside of her lip, "Can we go for a walk?"
Mr. Scully looked up, "I'd like that."
"C'mon. I'll treat you to a coffee." Scully offered and Mr. Scully stood up, following her down the dimly lit corridor and to the elevators. They didn't speak until they reached the cafeteria in the basement.
"I'm glad Fox is going to be okay." Mr. Scully gave her a warm smile, taking a sip of the black coffee.
"Me too." Scully followed him to a small table in the corner, "Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry." She looked down, stirring the sugar into her coffee, "About everything."
"Dana..." Mr. Scully looked her in the eye and gave her a small smile, "I'm sorry too. I think I over reacted."
Scully nodded, unsure of what to say.
"You're my little girl." Mr. Scully let a out a deep breath, "You were always my buddy. Bill was always striving to be just like me and Melissa would rather not be seen with me, but you, my Starbuck."
"I know." She whispered.
"It's not an easy thing." He explained, "When your youngest daughter falls in love."
"Dad.."
"It's a control thing. To go from being the man in your child's life, to seeing the man in your grown-up daughter's life." Mr. Scully explained, "Though, I think I've always played second fiddle to Fox Mulder."
"Daddy.." Scully shook her head.
"That's okay." Mr. Scully chuckled, "He loves you."
"I love him too. A lot." Scully promised.
"I know you do."
"Does that mean when Mulder is out of the hospital we can see each other again?" Scully asked.
"As long as I can be ignorant to the details."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Scully's phone beeped and she pulled it from her pocket, flipping it open, "Hello?"
"Hey." Monica said, "We're here."
"We?"
"John and I." Monica sighed, "We're good."
"I'm glad to hear that." Scully smiled, "The balance has been restored to the force."
"Haha yeah." Monica laughed, "Anyways, Mulder is up and the surgeon is here. Mulder is asking for you."
"I'll be right there." She hung up.
"Let's go." Mr. Scully was already standing and collecting their trash.
"Are we good?"
"We're fine." He hugged her, "Go to him."
"I love you." Scully smiled at her father and then ran from the cafeteria, up the stairs and back to Mulder's room. She was out of breath but smiling when she entered the room.
"You lied." Mulder gave her a puppy-dog face, "You said you wouldn't leave."
"Oh hush." Scully rolled her eyes, "You know my caffeine dependency."
"Right." Mulder smiled and she went to stand beside him.
--
Mulder's leg was scheduled to be set the next day, so that night Monica and John brought in Pizza to eat in the room. Scully sat beside him on the bed, careful not to disturb his wounds. They ate the pizza in silence for awhile.
"Thanks for the pizza." Mulder said and shook John's hand in a way that guys do. It was like a 'hug'.
"Well, I didn't want your last meal to be hospital food." John teased and Monica slapped his shoulder, "AND, I want to apologize for being an asshole."
They nodded.
"I think we've all done some messing up lately." Scully said, tossing her crust in the box.
"Yeah." Mulder agreed, "No hard feelings?"
"None." They agreed.
"Dana?" Monica asked.
"Huh?"
"Why don't you eat your crust?" She crinkled her nose, "You never have. For as long as I've known you."
"Oh God." Mulder muttered and awaited the tirade.
"When I was little my aunts and my mother used to harp at me, telling me that I should eat my crust, it'd give me more curls." She rolled her eyes, "I hated my curls. I've never ate crusts since."
"You know that's not, like, scientific right?"
"Why should I put it up to chance."
"Okay, okay." Monica held up her hands in defeat.
--
"Where are you going?" Mulder asked as the clock struck eight.
"Visiting hours are over. You're awake now. I doubt I get to stay." Scully told him, but he pulled on her arm and made her sit back down on the bed.
"No." Mulder said, "They can just try to take you away from me. Not happening."
Scully smiled and kissed him lightly, "I love you."
"I love you too."
A/N: Told you I'd make it better. :] Lemme know whatchu think, mk?