The aftermath
They remained in each other's arms for the following minutes, Scully's sobs were the only sound breaking the silence of the chilly night, on the dock facing the river at that abandoned candy factory. Mulder kept her in his arms in a tight and nearly desperate way, trying to process what had been revealed to him, the truth that he'd never imagined he would have to face one day. The turn of the events was so overwhelming, though, that all he could do was close his eyes and let tears of both emotion and sadness roll down his face, as no words would be able to express what he was feeling now.
The expression "more than impossible", which had just escaped from Scully's lips, was explained by science as something created not due to effort, but exactly due to the lack of it. An event that comes to exist without any explainable cause. A physical change which occurs without any physical force or interaction known by men. Then, the quantity of the equivalent physical force, which would cause the same effect, can serve as a measure of the complex probability.
More than impossible, was, to those who believe, what we call a miracle.
And the realization that they had just been granted with one was exactly what filled their hearts with awe and emotion.
The plot-twist that had just taken place in their life was unbelievable: they had just lost something – someone – they had actually never had. Even though Mulder and Scully had loved him even before he was born, William had never been theirs. And exactly at the same moment that the painful truth was revealed to them, they were surprised with something else: a gift that had never been planned nor expected, but which played an important part in soothing their pain and make up for all the sorrow and emptiness they had experienced over the years.
A new life, made not by the hands of deceitful scientists in a laboratory but from the love of a man and a woman, was now resting in Scully's womb.
The sound of sirens finally reached their ears and both realised that they were not alone in that place anymore. Scully gently pulled way just enough to look at Mulder's face.
"Skinner…" She said, with great worry in her teary blue eyes. "He…he brought me here…he found it all out…"
He nodded his head, equally worried. "Let's get back to the entrance of the factory."
Keeping a firm, somewhat protective grip in her upper arms, Mulder guided her all the way back to where they had left their cars. And when they saw the police and the scenario that had been left behind, the couple looked at each other with fear.
"We're Federal agents!" Mulder shouted out loud as the officers were quick to point their guns to them.
Scully started to run ahead, already identifying the one who was lying on the ground, apparently hit by a car.
"It's Skinner!" She said, in a loud, desperate voice, quickly checking his jugular vein. "He's still alive! I need an ambulance!"
"Call an ambulance, this man is our boss!" Mulder immediately told the policemen who were staying there.
"We just did it, it's on its way." One of them informed.
"Do you know the woman in the other car?" Another policeman asked, causing Mulder and Scully to look at each other with surprise.
Mulder was quick to walk over up to the vehicle not far from them to find out that Agent Reyes had been shot.
"Jesus…" He whispered, running his hand through his hair.
He looked back at Scully, who was standing on her feet and started to walk up to him. But he was quick to stop her on the way.
"Mulder?" The questioning look in her eyes was moving as he knew she had once been very fond of Monica.
"Please stay here, Scully…" He said, placing both hands over her small shoulders. "It's Monica. I don't want you to see her…"
Scully understood what he meant and fresh tears came down from her eyes at the realization of what had just happened. "Oh my God, Mulder…"
The ambulance arrived on the next minute and, under Scully's attentive look, the paramedics placed Skinner on a stretcher and carried him to the hospital, being closely followed by Mulder and Scully in his car.
The journey to the nearest hospital took around 15 minutes. Mulder drove fast but carefully, mindful of the precious cargo sitting next to him, and looking at his partner once in a while, through anguished eyes. Gazing back at him, Scully placed a hand on his thigh, as if reassuring him that despite all those tragic events, they were together. Mulder covered her small hand with his own, draining the strength he needed from his soulmate.
X
"His name's Walter Skinner, he's the FBI Assistant Director. He was apparently hit by a car and suffered a severe trauma."
The nurses that carried the stretcher with Skinner along the corridors of the Saint Mary Hospital paid close attention to Scully's words. She and Mulder accompanied them up to the doors of the surgery centre, from where only Scully could go on.
She assisted the surgeon and gave the team who would try to save his life all the necessary information so that they could do their job.
Sometime later, she left the surgery centre to meet a lost-eyed Mulder, pacing from one side to another at the corridor.
"They're going to perform an emergency surgery. There's a possible trauma in his back and they need to alleviate the pressure but so far, we don't know the damages extension." She informed him, with great worry in her trembling voice.
He nodded his head in understanding. "Do you think he's gonna be alright?"
Scully let out a tired sigh. "It's hard to say, Mulder. He was hit in full force. The doctors are trying everything they can."
The sadness on her face was palpable and also her exhaustion. Biting her lower lip, Scully searched for his arms and closed her eyes once Mulder wrapped her small form in a tight embrace.
The two FBI agents stood there, with their hearts racing and fearing for the destiny of their boss – and loyal friend, who had just risked his life for them.
"I-I need to sit down…" She said, wiping the tears that insisted on falling from her eyes and feeling her legs giving in.
Mulder's heart was racing again due to the constant reminder of her current condition. Looking around, he saw three seats disposed as a row not far from them and guided her up to them. Once she was sitting, he knelt in front of her and took her hands. Scully tried to keep her breathing at a regular pace, aware of the turmoil of emotions they were both going through at that moment. With tenderness, she placed the palm of her hand against his face, so many words written in those deep blue pools.
Glancing at her with curiosity, Mulder reached out and wiped her tears away, stroking her cheek with tenderness. "How did you know?"
Scully let out a soft sigh and raised her eyebrows, recollecting everything that had happened to her over the last few days.
"I…I started to feel different recently. Initially, I didn't give it too much thought. But then came the dizziness and the chills so I thought something could be wrong."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She pondered about the answer. "Well…Because I myself didn't know what was going on. I thought I could simply be tired due to the latest events in our life, Mulder. Finding William, moving back to our home, my recent fall in the pit of that elevator…"
He felt a chill run down his spine and shook his head at that latter event, now twice scared at the tragedy that could have happened. "My God, Scully…"
They fell silent for a few seconds, both of them reflecting on how multiple miracles had been given to them over the last few months.
Scully took a deep, trembling breath before speaking again. "You were still sleeping when I left early in the morning. I went to the agency and signed the last papers to return the smart house. Once it was all finished, I decided to pass by the hospital and talk to Dr. Joyet just to make sure everything was alright given what happened to me a few months ago." She let out a tired sigh. "I wasn't planning to do it; it was a last-minute decision. I just wanted to be certain there wasn't any sign of a new seizure. I could never imagine…" A sob interrupted her sentence, but she didn't even need to complete it as he already knew what it implied.
After another sigh, she kept on talking. "When I got the result, I thought there was a mistake and I asked her to repeat it."
Mulder continued to hold her both hands in his as she continued to speak. "I took another exam and an extra test." Her blue eyes searched for his as if begging for his understanding.
Mulder nodded his head quietly, imagining her anguish when she found out what was truly happening and not being able to tell him immediately.
"I got the final results and was on my way back home to tell you when Monica called." She added. "You already know the rest…"
He raised from the floor and took a seat next to her, gathering her small form in his arms in a tight embrace and kissing the top of her head repeatedly. Scully adjusted her body and wrapped her arms around his torso, finding comfort in the warmth radiating from him.
X
The night hours passed painfully slowly as they remained sitting in the corridor, determined not to move from there until they heard some news about Skinner. Scully, though, felt the effects of her condition hitting hard on her after a whole day filled with tension and horrible events. She lay down on the three small seats, using Mulder's leg as a pillow, and finally gave in to sleep. Mulder, for himself, remained awake with his eyes lost somewhere in an invisible point ahead of him, reliving all that'd happened since from early in the morning. Twenty-four hours before, Scully entered their house with an overwhelmed look on her face, having Monica on the phone to give them the piece of information that would change their lives forever.
It was then that he came to understand Scully's hesitance of letting him go, the way she looked at him seconds before he left and how she nearly spoke something that she ended up concealing to herself until that moment on the dock. Only now, when he managed to put his thoughts in order, he realised that Scully had something to tell him even before Monica's call. Only now he could imagine her anguish by not being able to reveal what she had just found out.
Just come back alive she said, instead of the truth that she already knew, as she was fearing deeply for his life. It made all the sense now: when Scully found out she was pregnant with William, Mulder didn't come back to her alive. She just didn't want it to happen again. Not this time.
The doors of the surgery centre were finally open and noticing that two doctors were on their way to talk to them, Mulder bent down and gently rubbed her temple with his fingertips in order to wake her up.
"Scully…" He spoke, in a low voice, watching with usual fondness, as she slowly opened her eyes. "I think the surgery is over."
Slowly, she managed to sit down, looking at him first and then at the two doctors who had just reached them. Mulder stood on his feet to hear the piece of news, but she remained where she was, not trusting her legs to sustain her weight right now.
"The surgery was long but we managed to alleviate the pressure on his middle back and contain the internal bleeding." One of the doctors said, watching as both agents heaved a sigh of relief.
"But we still don't know how he will react. His condition is still very serious and I'd say the next 48 hours will be crucial to determine what the next steps will be." The other doctor spoke with caution.
"We understand." She said, nodding her head.
"We're staying here." Mulder was quick to say, "This man is our boss and a close friend. We want to make sure no one has access to him except from the doctors and nurse in charge."
Even though they found the tone of his voice rather stern, the doctors seemed to understand his worries as the man who was fighting for his life was a federal agent and whatever it was that'd taken him there, it certainly had to do with serious matters.
When they left, Mulder and Scully remained alone once again. It was then that she looked back at him with permanent worry due to his last words.
Mulder knelt down in front of her, now eyeing at her with fierce protectiveness.
"I'll stay, Scully. You-you need to rest, you-"
"I'm staying too, Mulder." She gently objected, aware of his concern. "I'm fine. I admit I'm tired, but I'm a doctor and even though I trust the ones who are taking care of Skinner, I owe this to him. I could never walk away knowing that he's not alright."
He nodded his head. "We both owe this to him. Only now his strange behaviour has become clear to me. He was investigating everything involving William and his origin. Dealing with people who didn't want the truth to come clean."
Biting her lower lip, she lowered her head for a second. "Well… these people no longer exist."
"And along with them, the threat they represented…" He added, and then the look on his eyes turned into a more affectionate one. "And I guess saving the world wasn't the only big great thing we managed to accomplish…"
The crying smile that broke on her face – the first time he had seen her give after all those terrible events, was like a reward. She had been through so much and yet she had never looked more beautiful to him.
"I guess we've just been granted with a genuine miracle," she spoke, a tear falling from her eye.
Mulder smiled, eyeing her with a mix of wonder and emotion. "I guess that's a way of God to tell me to shut my mouth up because He knows better."
With a tearful smile, Scully placed the palm of her hand against his face. "Despite everything that's happened this night…I'm…feeling so incredibly blessed, Mulder."
"You definitely are, Scully!" He replied, looking at her with wonder.
"And I'm grateful too. Grateful that I'm able to generate a new life… and to give this to you…" She started to cry as those words escaped from her lips.
Mulder stood up and sat down right next to her, involving her small form in a warm, loving embrace which she gladly accepted and returned. Kissing the top of her head, he spoke again. "Scully?"
"Yes?"
"I love you. Just so much…"
Aware that she was smiling against his chest, he added. "…and this little one…"
Mulder already knew the impact of those words, even though he wished he could only hear or see her laughter: Scully let out a sob, as tears fell from her tired yet hopeful blue eyes. This time, however, those were tears of happiness.
X
On the hours and days that followed, both agents stood firmly by the door of room number 601 of St. Mary's Hospital, where Assistant Director Skinner fought for his life. Scully made sure to supervise every doctor or nurse that entered the room for the regular check. She and Mulder remained sitting side by side and either talking to each other in a low voice or just in comfortable silence, when she usually leaned against him, closing her eyes as he wrapped a protective loving arm around her shoulders to bring her closer, his head on top of hers.
For many times, she dozed off to a light sleep, which was understandable due to her condition, and these were times when Mulder watched her in quiet wonder, imagining how their life would be from that moment on and aware that perhaps for the first time in his existence he had a treasure: the woman he loved back to him and carrying their child. They were so precious that the simple fact to watch her leave for a quick lunch, at the restaurant on the ground floor of the hospital building, was enough to fill his heart with anguish. It only ceased when he saw her walking on the corridor back to him, the pink colour rising on her cheeks as she noticed the way he looked back at her.
For a couple of times, during their vigil, Scully would suddenly rush to the lady's restroom, which was fortunately nearby. Mulder couldn't help but run after her, knowing that sickness would make her return dinner or lunch and she would spend the next hours feeling a bit weak and nauseous. Her condition worried him terribly and he so wished that she could take a break and rest. He could stay there until their boss was fully recovered. But she insisted on remaining there and he knew he had lost that battle. Truth to be told, he was afraid of letting her go.
From the moment they decided to remain at the hospital, both agents, each in their own time, rushed up to a nearby store and bought a few clothes, as their house was considerably far to go and come back. Scully was a doctor before anything else, so she had some privileges at the hospital. One of them was to get access to a room with a shower so at least they could bathe and change during the days they remained there.
On the 12th day, to their joy, Skinner finally recovered his consciousness and, later on, the doctors released him from the ICU and he was transferred to a regular room. The injuries were serious, though, and they were not sure he would be able to walk again. Each thing at its own time, however, for what mattered now was that his life was safe.
A couple of days later, he was finally informed that he would go home.
"Hey, Walt!"
Skinner turned his distant eyes from the window and turned to the door, when he saw a smiling Mulder coming in.
"The news is that the famous assistant director is finally leaving this hospital. You got a celebrity status, I might say!" He joked, walking up to Skinner's bed.
The assistant director managed a short smile, knowing that he owned his life to his two closest friends.
"Well, if I'm a celebrity why then is the catering service such a crap?"
Still with irony, Mulder nodded. "Chill out! You'll get to have a few traits once you get home, I myself made sure you got the best!" He said, with mischief, picturing the whisky and beer bottles that he sent to be delivered at Skinner's apartment.
"Thanks, Mulder. I wouldn't expect anything different from you." Came the quick, amused reply.
"Just don't let Scully know about it, she'll bite my head off!"
With a smile, he nodded his head. "Where is she?"
"Talking to your doctors, to make sure about your treatment from now on."
"Maybe it's not that difficult to get used to a wheelchair." He said, with bitterness.
"We don't know if it's permanent, sir. She thinks there's a good chance of your recovery, especially with stem cells research, which she's been studying for a few years."
"I trust her. You both saved my life, agent Mulder. I cannot ask for anything else." He replied. "Plus, I had a duty to fulfil. You and Scully deserved the truth."
"You put yourself at risk for us, sir. We'll never forget what you did." He stated. "Oh… And you can drop the 'agent' part!"
"What are you talking about?" Skinner wanted to know, frowning with confusion.
"Scully and I are off the FBI. Kersh made sure to tell us in person. While you were unconscious at the ICU, he came in here and collected our badges." Mulder explained, and even though he was actually telling his friend that he and Scully were now officially unemployed, his words contrasted with the pleased expression on his face.
"I'm sorry, Mulder!"
"Oh, don't be! We didn't have any intension to go on. The mission we started 23 years ago has finally come to an end. And we accomplished it with flying colours as the cigarette smoking son of a bitch is finally dead and along with him all the ones who were fighting to get his most treasured weapon. And the virus he intended to unleash is now buried with all of them."
Skinner heaved a sigh of relief at hearing that. "Glad to hear that, Mulder. But I'm just so sorry about all the terrible things that had to happen first."
A bitter expression appeared on Mulder's face and he nodded, aware of what his now former boss was implying by that comment. The pain he and Scully endured all through those years, the image of William being shot by that evil man, the news about his true origin…So much suffering they had both been through had caused him to make a silent promise: to spend the rest of his life devoted to his soulmate and to the little being that rested within her.
"Well…Somehow, we've made it. We're here after all this time, after so many years of searching for the truth. We're survivors, literally and metaphorically speaking."
"Yeah, we sure are." Skinner nodded in agreement, also aware of how incredible their journey had been.
Wanting to lighten the mood, remembering he had a lot of things to be grateful for, Mulder spoke again. "Plus, I was particularly proud to watch my Scully telling Kersh where he could stick our badges!"
His clear amusement caused Skinner to laugh too.
"I'm sure you both will be fine, Mulder. You always had each other to hold on to, that's the truth."
Mulder's face softened at those words and his smile turned into a more tender one. "Well, it may be the truth but now there's something else we both can hold on too. Someone, to be more specific."
Skinner looked at him slightly confused by those words. "I'm afraid I don't get it…"
Mulder made a short pause, realising that it was the first time he would say it out loud and still not believing his own following words.
"Dana is pregnant." He said quietly, his voice still holding awe at what he had just said and watching how his former boss' face turned into a very surprised one.
"What?!" He exclaimed, with a half laugher.
"Apparently we still have some scoot in our boot." Mulder's remark finally causing the other man to laugh.
It was at that moment that they heard another voice inside the room.
"Good morning, sir."
Scully was smiling too, unaware of Mulder's little joke or the subject they were talking about but happy to see Skinner in an amused chat.
"Hey…" He greeted her with a smile.
"The doctors are optimistic about the following months, sir. You'll need close assistance but the prognostics and the available treatments are promising. I myself will be working on it. I volunteered to."
"I couldn't be in better hands." He said, with gratitude.
A nurse came by the door and interrupted their talk.
"Excuse me. The car that will take you home is ready, Mr Skinner."
"Thank you. I'm on my way in a minute."
She left on the following moment and Skinner looked at his two dearest friends.
"It was an honour and a privilege, sir." Mulder spoke, shaking Skinner's hand firmly.
"I'm the one who's honoured, Mulder."
As their handshake was over, it was Scully's turn to say goodbye to their former boss, at least for the next few days. She gave a step closer and held him warmly.
"Thank you for everything, sir. And I promise I'll do my best as a doctor." She said, with her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sure of it." He said, and as they pulled away, he still held her both hands. "And I'm happy for you."
Watching as her face clouded over with slight doubt, he added. "Mulder just told me the good news."
With a crying, moved smile she turned to Mulder, noticing the mix of joy and pride in his hazel eyes at the opportunity to tell their friend that he would become a father.
"I couldn't help it!" Mulder spoke, with an apologetically smile. "I've been quite emotional these days…it must be my pregnancy hormones!" He added, causing the trio to laugh openly.
X
When Mulder and Scully left the hospital building, the first sunrays in the morning were crossing the light blue sky and bringing some warmth to that slightly chilly day.
The couple stopped by the main entrance, which was practically empty at that time, contemplating the view for a moment, processing everything that had happened on the last two weeks and with their hearts filled with expectation at the future that laid ahead of them.
"Do you think he'll be fine?" Mulder wanted to know, still not facing her.
"I'm under the impression that he already is. He seems…at peace."
Mulder finally turned to look at her, marvelling at the way the sunrays made her red hair more vivid and the blue of her eyes even deeper. He would never get tired of contemplating her beautiful image in the years to come.
"Yeah, I know the feeling."
She looked at him and playfully raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "Oh, you do?"
Smiling, Mulder gave a few steps so that he could be right in front of her and offered her his hand. "I got everything I need right here." His eyes were diving deeper into hers as if the connection they had always shared allowed them to talk with each other through silent words. "How could I not feel at peace?"
Scully took his proffered hand and as their fingers entangled, she returned his smile. "I do too…How is that possible? How is it that I feel so full of life and hope after all we've been through?"
"We prayed together, didn't we? That day at the church, when you told me that your leap of faith forward was for us to be together, a Greater force was really listening." Wiping a lonely tear that rolled down her cheek, he concluded. "And I promise you I prayed with all my heart, Scully."
"I know…" She replied, more tears now falling from her even bluer sparkling eyes. "We've lost so much… But in the end…We received so much…"
Without letting go of her right hand, he stroked her cheek with his left one. "A gift…a miracle…Maybe we deserved it. At least, I'm pretty sure you do! I'm still in doubt about my virtues, though!"
His smile only faded when he bent down and pressed his lips against her rosy ones, happy when she returned that soft caress, their hearts beating in synchrony. Every time he kissed her, Mulder took the opportunity to savour that moment the most he could, enjoying the sweet flavour of her lips, gently pressing the back of her head with his hand so that it would last one more pleasant second.
When that caress was finally over, they pressed their foreheads together for a moment.
"And what will happen to us now, Mulder?" Scully broke the silence but did not move.
It was Mulder who gently pulled away and, with that charming, smugly smile that would always make her heart skip a beat since from the moment they'd first met, he took her hand to his lips.
"We'll think of something!" He replied, with a playful wink, in a clear reference to her own words, spoken to him on the night they made love for the first time since they had reconciled with each other. The night when the little one who was now resting in Scully's womb was conceived.
Laughing, and still with tears falling from her eyes, she nodded. "Let's go to our home, Mulder."
With tenderness, he wiped away her tears and both walked away hand in hand, having the gentle sun and soft breeze on their back. Hearts filled with peace.
The end.