Three
Gibson surveyed the food in front of him as he sat down next to his friend and Skinner's niece, Sarah. Eating had been something they had all needed to readjust to since the invasion. The whole concept required an open mind. For most of their journeys, they had survived on preserved and packaged foods; canned fruit, tuna, potato chips, stale crackers and lollies. Scully had gotten a lot of them onto supplements as well. They'd always had water even if it had been seriously rationed, and on long walks they had sports drinks to help rehydrate them.
In the colony food was much fresher, but there were things missing which ordinarily would have come in from other parts of the country or been imported from nearby countries. They were growing fresh fruit and vegetables but a lot of crops would not be ready for harvesting again for several more months. Dinner was often basic and based on beans or fruits, but shortly they hoped to have a little wheat or potatoes, and nobody dared complain.
Gibson did not mind, but what he missed was the variety that being a looter had allowed them. Residing on the side of a mountain, they did not have any opportunities to walk to a nearby chemist and grab whatever supplements they wanted, or pocket a few packets of jellybeans for those days when walking really zapped them. There had been benefits to the situation in the north. It had been an unsustainable life because water was finite, but overall he had enjoyed himself.
He was startled by Sarah's hand resting on his thigh under the table and she leaned towards him. Her head was merely tilted in his direction, her brown eyes unseeing, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.
"What are you thinking?" she asked. "You're very quiet."
"I was just craving jellybeans," he answered, grinning when she laughed. He could hear everything she was thinking, and he knew she liked him, but she wasn't sure how she liked him, and he did not want to push the issue.
Sarah was four years older than him, and she was tall, lean and very pretty. She had been an archaeology major, and she was Skinner's niece. Gibson, on the other hand, was five foot tall if he was lucky. He wore thick glasses, had an awkward gait because of his long arms, and his brown hair was spiky and hard to control. He did not consider himself attractive or sexy, but he found himself attracted to the woman beside him. That's right, he told himself. Sarah was a 'woman', but he did not see himself as a man. He had never even had a girlfriend.
"I miss chocolate," she confessed, giggling and returning her careful attention to the plate in front of her. She poked at it warily with her fork before putting it in her mouth. Gibson had collected her dinner for her just as he always did, but he knew it had to be incredibly hard for her to eat something she could not see.
"Is it okay?" he asked her. She hummed, nodding and squeezing his thigh. Gibson shifted on the seat uncomfortably and she removed her hand, a little smirk on her thin lips. Gibson knew what she was thinking and he knew she was right, but where Sarah was concerned he liked to pretend he could not read her mind. Instead of making him more brazen, it made him a lot more nervous. He had gradually come to understand why Mulder and Scully had taken so long to share their feelings with one another. If he could read minds and was scared, no wonder they, without the benefit of his powers, had both been so terrified of losing one another. But they had known in other ways, he conceded. More subtle but more natural ways.
Gibson had a reprieve from his thoughts when they were joined at their table by Xilona and her husband David. Gibson had been working with David on fixing up the playgroup area beside the school. Xilona was one of the two doctors. They were lucky to have two, though Nathan had been on holidays at the time of the invasion and forced to stay. Both doctors were young and relatively inexperienced compared to, for example, Scully.
Xilona was a local in her late twenties, who had completed her studies in Brazil and since returned. She was petite with smooth, brown skin and dark hair and rounded intelligent brown eyes. Her smile was wide and friendly. Her husband was around Xilona's age. He was tall and thin, but Gibson knew he was strong and flexible. He had worked in one of the local hotels. Both had been assets to the colony and had been very welcoming to the late newcomers. Xilona had been particularly nice to Sarah, helping her to learn the landscape with her cane and listening to her stories about how her blindness had come about.
Everybody remembered the light, but nobody else had been close enough to it to lose their sight and survive.
"Buenos noches Xilona y David," Gibson greeted. Sarah grinned, silently thanking Gibson for letting her know who had sat down opposite them at the small table.
Eating in the colony had become an interesting compromise of space and community. The old markets, which had been extremely popular, existed now in a 'help-yourself' fashion at meal times, with servers rotating on a kitchen roster. Pre-prepared food was made in the kitchens of the old hotels and brought to the markets. Other fresh food stalls were set up.
Even though everyone was hungry and there were no rules about how much they could eat, most people were careful not to be seen to be eating too much. Everybody was afraid and there was a strong focus on helping the whole community. However, Gibson knew there were individuals who would be better off not in the colony. Unfortunately since they had been in the area at the time of the invasion they had not been screened at the processing centre and there was nothing anyone could do about their disgruntled, unhelpful presence.
Tables had been constructed or retrieved from indoors and brought into what had been the market street, set up along the winding stretch of road. Twice a day they were filled as people trickled in constantly for a few hours at a time in search of lunch and dinner. Most people had some food at home for breakfasts, and they ate two large meals a day to keep them going. Gibson's and most other people's stomachs had adjusted to the routine.
People could sit anywhere, and most tables could seat four to six people. Gibson and Sarah had picked a small table of four. Sarah felt out of her depth amongst a lot of people speaking another language, and Gibson's main priority besides helping the community was keeping Sarah comfortable.
"Where is Walter tonight?" David asked, his English very good. Gibson tilted his head to the side and pointed downhill to more crowded tables.
"Down there somewhere with Ricardo and Elmo and the other leaders."
"So when are you gonna start sitting with them?" Xilona asked. "Got your heart set on leadership as well?"
"Not really," Gibson replied. "I'm happy where I am doing what they tell me. Less responsibility. Plus they're doing a really good job. It's cool there's a balance there of locals and people who were sent here."
"Yeah they've kept it together," David agreed. "Listening to the locals is important." Gibson nodded. "But you're pretty good at that yourself Gibson. You should put your hand up next time they need someone. I'm sure since you live with Doggett he'll let you."
"I don't want everyone to think that's 'why' though," Gibson replied. "If I get anywhere like that I want to earn it. John and Walter earned their spots because of what they'd done in their lives and their careers before the invasion. They've done more than I could ever see myself doing, training and fighting and being in law enforcement. That's not really me."
"I still can't believe you all walked all the way from the United States," Xilona laughed. "North-east corner, right?" Gibson and Sarah nodded. "That's incredible."
"We stole a LOT," Gibson deadpanned, causing the other occupants of the table to laugh. "So what did you do today Xilona?"
"I went with Nathan to get more Coca," she replied. "We're going to be using it as the dominant medicine from now on."
"Oh good," Gibson smirked. "I always wondered what cocaine tasted like pure."
"Very funny," Xilona chuckled, eating her dinner. "Why don't you ask Sarah?"
"It tastes BAD," Sarah huffed. "I wouldn't want to use it all the time though, but it did work."
"When will you run out of the more traditional supplies?" Gibson asked.
"Soon," Xilona replied. "I'm afraid what Nathan and I are concerned about is if we experience an outbreak of yellow fever or malaria or cholera or dengue or typhoid."
"I think we were vaccinated for most of those," Sarah mentioned casually.
"Yeah, you were, and some of the rest of these people were, and most of these locals have tough guts, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen to all of us really fast."
"Would that cause a lot of deaths?" Sarah asked softly.
"Depends on the severity of the cases and what we're dealing with. In a lot of cases all we can do is give fluids and monitor but an outbreak could put a lot of people off their feet for a long time and yeah, there's a chance older or younger members of the community could succumb more easily to infections and dehydration. The good news is we've got plenty of Quinine here for malaria and we do have water. So uh, all cases of aches, fatigue, vomiting or diarrhoea are to be reported to us asap. Spread it around."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure everybody knows," Gibson chuckled. "Have you had anything like that before we came?"
"Thankfully no, so we still have antibiotics and vaccines here, but they are limited and I don't see any more coming in, do you?" Gibson grimaced. "So we're going back to the old days, where people did die from these things. It's something we will just have to live with."
Sarah flinched when Gibson suddenly reached out and grabbed her thigh. Gibson always touched her to help her with directions or to get her attention, but never so roughly.
"What's wrong?" she asked. She couldn't see, but he bit his lower lip and shook his head.
"Nothing," he mumbled, but his strong fingers remained digging into her thigh. Sarah frowned, unconvinced.
"I'm sure we'll be fine," Xilona was continuing. "Nathan hasn't had much experience with a lot of the potential problems we'll face and I've been spending a lot of time taking him through all the more common infections and injuries that are sustained in this part of the world. I actually haven't had much experience with anything not able to be treated using modern medicine, so it will be a learning curve for us all. He's a very good doctor. But the purpose of this conversation is that I have a question: as you have both been vaccinated, should any outbreak occur would you be willing to assist me in a nursing capacity?"
"I'm blind," Sarah stated obviously. Xilona laughed. "I'd help if you could find me something to do that I could do without...risking anybody's lives or health."
"There are always things to do in those situations," Xilona promised. "Do you think Captain Doggett's wife would also be willing?"
"Yes except for her son," Sarah replied, reaching for Gibson's hand when his grip on her got even tighter. She let her palm rest over his wrist, trying to urge him to relax. She did not know if he was keeping a straight face, but Xilona and David had not mentioned anything, so perhaps all his energy was going into not showing them whatever it was he was feeling. "I think they gave Nicky every shot they could but he was only around one at the time. Monica and John would be deathly afraid of anything happening to that boy."
"Hi John," Gibson announced suddenly, causing Sarah to snap her mouth shut and Xilona and David to turn around. Gibson had given them enough warning that John had not overheard their very serious conversation, and they all offered him smiles. "Alone tonight?"
"Yeah," John replied, waving his hand around his face to stave off insects. "Xilona, a word please?"
"At your service, Captain," she teased, jumping off her chair and following him away from the people and fiery torch light. David excused himself to go and speak to his other friends and Sarah gripped Gibson's hand against her, turning to him in the chair. She could feel his breath on her face and she could sense his mind was elsewhere. She hoped that he heard her.
Are we alone now? What is wrong?
"I left really early this morning," Gibson mumbled vaguely in reply to her silent questions. "They weren't up yet, but I just heard John then. Monica's really sick."
"What?" Sarah gasped. "What's wrong? Is it bad? Like what we were just talking about? Is that why you grabbed me?"
"I heard him coming," Gibson confirmed. "I don't know how much I should tell you."
"I'll act surprised," she hissed desperately, squeezing his hand. "Please Gibson."
"Try not to look so scared and I'll tell you," he urged, glancing at her face and watching her mask of control go down. She exhaled and plastered a steady, unmoved expression on her face. He smirked. "Good," he whispered. "John doesn't think it's that bad, he's just being cautious because she hasn't kept any water down today. Monica sounds like she wasn't very worried, but Xilona's mind is on what we were just discussing also, she's been worrying about it a lot, and she's going to want to...She does want to, check on Monica right away."
"But how do you diagnose these things?"
"Blood under a microscope is the best they can do here. I'm not sure how sterile the needles are though, cos they would need to save them for the future."
"Why aren't they worried?"
"They think she might be pregnant," he whispered.
"WHAT?" she exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of some nearby colonists. Gibson chuckled, nodding when he saw Skinner approaching them. Gibson knew they were sitting very close together and holding hands, and he shifted slightly back from her along their seat.
"Shh, your uncle's coming," he whispered. Sarah nodded, refocussing.
"Hi," Skinner announced, taking a seat and grinning. "Haven't seen the two of you all day. Not interrupting, am I? Not eavesdropping, were we?"
"Why would I be doing such a naughty thing like that?" Gibson asked innocently. Skinner laughed. "We were actually just talking to Xilona and David about all the medicines they have here. Really interesting."
"Really primitive," Sarah corrected. "Uncle Walter I think we were safer in the desert."
"Try not to let yourself get scared," Skinner assured them both seriously. "We're a very healthy group so far and everybody is taking precautions. This may seem like the dark ages sometimes but everyone here knows the risks and the preventative measures. A lot of these people have been living here a very long time. And you've been vaccinated."
"But what if they don't work?" Sarah asked, thinking about Monica.
"We're just taking every day as it comes, honey," Skinner replied, reaching over and squeezing her shoulder at the worry in her voice. "We'll be okay."
"They're coming back," Gibson commentated. Skinner wondered briefly who he was talking about until he saw John and Xilona returning from the darkness. John pegged Gibson with a knowing glance.
"So are you coming with us?" he asked.
"I want to go too," Sarah insisted.
"Oh, we've shared?" John taunted Gibson with a smug smirk. "Sarah I think you should stay with Skinner. I'm sure Gibson will come find you first thing in the morning, but I'd like him home with us in case he has to mind Nicky."
"Okay," she whispered, her voice shaking with fear.
"What's going on?" Skinner asked. "Is it Monica?"
"She's all right," John promised, holding both hands up to urge his friends to calm. His own thoughts had been mixed and confused; he was worried and excited and frightened, and he could see that had confusion had rubbed off on Gibson and Sarah. "But I want Xilona to check her out tonight. Skinner, I want you to postpone language class until tomorrow morning, and tell everyone here to pack up and go home. As of tomorrow, as a precautionary measure we don't stay out after dusk. I don't care how local they all think they are. And I want everyone to make sure they've got proper mosquito netting in their homes."
"Okay," Skinner nodded seriously. "Nothing after dusk at all?"
"That's right," John confirmed. "All night classes will be held during the day. If that means we fall behind in some construction so be it. Gibson?"
"I'm coming," he promised, standing and reaching for Sarah's head, touching her cheek briefly. "I'll come to your house soon as I can," he added, ignoring Skinner's observant smile as Sarah nodded and let him go.
xxx
Sarah missed being able to watch the sunrise, but she liked to lean against the large, kitchen window and feel the sun hit her in the face, warming her. That morning, however, she was waiting for something a little more obvious. Her best friend did not disappoint. She heard his shoes slapping on the gravel as he ran down to her driveway, and she knew he knew she was thinking of him. She allowed herself to smile and stuck her head out of the open window, even though all she saw was blackness. Gibson ran right up to her and gripped her hands over the low windowsill.
"Good morning!" he greeted. He sounded happy, and Sarah was about to open her mouth to ask when Skinner came up behind her and stuck his head out the window also.
"Well?" he pressed. "Sarah told me what you told her."
"I know," Gibson puffed. "Duh. Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course," Skinner urged. Gibson disappeared from the window and Sarah turned as she heard the front door clatter. Skinner pulled the window shut behind her and they stood side by side as Gibson came to a stop just a metre in front of them, dressed in his usual jeans and dark shirt. "Well?" Skinner repeated. "How is she?"
"Still really sick," Gibson replied. "And Xilona's taken some blood and is gonna look at it today, but Mon's been ordered to bed rest and fluids and they're thinking about even putting her into the hospital until they're sure they're just dealing with a really, really bad case of morning sickness."
"She is pregnant?" Sarah exclaimed. Gibson nodded, aware Sarah could not see him but unable to help himself.
"That would be a very excited yes," Skinner commentated for his niece, laughing. "So uh, how'd they figure that out?"
"With a really intrusive-sounding physical exam, which I don't think you need to know the details of." Sarah giggled as Skinner blushed. "Nathan heard on the grapevine after everything was cancelled last night and came by this morning. They BOTH examined her. He said everyone is worried, and Xilona came back to do the blood test but they don't think it's anything bad, considering how sick we all know she was the first time. I really thought she'd pass out some days. They're mostly afraid that if she gets really weak she'll be vulnerable so...yeah, I knew I promised to come tell you and John said it was okay so here I am."
"Do they need help getting her to hospital?" Skinner asked.
"They're out of range now but when I left they hadn't decided. Monica's against it, wants to stay at home, but uh, if she is sick and John's not there a lot of the time then I think it's best. I told them we'd all help look after Nicky and he can stay with her a lot of the time too. I mean if she's just pregnant there's no reason he can't. But if they take her, Skinner, I think John and Nathan will stretcher her." Skinner nodded seriously, sighing and running a nervous hand over his bald head. "But um, no need for any panic yet. Monica was not impressed last night when John brought Xilona home, but everyone just wants to be really safe. So what happened last night? I got a bit from Nathan this morning but not much. His mind was more on doctor stuff."
"Well I never said anything specific but people had been watching you lot, as they do, and it didn't take long for somebody to put a few bits and pieces together, especially not once I started spouting off the new curfew rules which were not happily accepted by some but overall I think everyone felt a flutter of panic, and they think anything to reduce risk is a good idea. I got a little team together before we disbanded and we're going to meet this morning to go over water and sewerage issues. I assume John's preoccupied with personal matters?"
"Oh good," Gibson sighed. "John...I think he'd like to be involved. I was going to go back to the house and see if I can see Monica, because I haven't been allowed to yet! Maybe you could come, and then if they take her to hospital you all can go and Sarah and I can take Nicky and make sure he gets there safely too."
"You don't think they would have left already?"
"When I left Nathan still had his hand somewhere I don't want to say and Monica was trying not to hurl while he did his job, so I'm thinking no." Skinner laughed, walking past Gibson and patting him on the back.
"Give me five, I'll get changed."
"You ready?" Gibson asked Sarah hopefully. She nodded, smoothing her hands down her white, cotton skirt.
"Why? Is my top on inside out?"
"No," he laughed. "Just wanted to do this." He walked up to her and hugged her, standing on his tiptoes to meet her height as she ducked and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I am really sorry I worried you last night," he added as they pulled away, the hug brief but tight.
"It's okay," she assured him casually. "I want to know all that sort of stuff. It's pretty scary not being able to see. You probably know that better than anyone else because you know what goes on up here." She tapped her head and Gibson hummed, taking a subtle step back from her as Skinner returned in a fresh shirt to go with his jeans.
xxx
"I brought you a present," Gibson announced from the doorway of the hospital room Monica had been assigned. It was a proper, though very small, hospital, and all the medications had been imported, so once they ran out then that was it. None of the equipment worked either, as no power stations were being run to create electricity, and the colony was not exactly filled with solar power engineers. At night they travelled with fire.
Monica was half sitting up against a mountain of pillows under the blankets in a clean, red shirt and she smirked at him.
"Is it my son?" she asked expectantly.
"No," Gibson replied, pushing a hand behind him to keep Sarah and Nicky out of sight. With his other hand he produced something he knew she would enjoy. "Look what I got out of a vending machine."
"Ooh," Monica gasped when she saw the red sports drink. "How did you manage that?"
"It had already been broken into," he teased. "Nobody wanted the Powerade." He walked into the room and gave it to her. "Now don't drink it all at once. I know you keep throwing up the water."
"I did that last time too," she reminded him, and he nodded calmly. "I seriously do not think I have a communicable disease, Gibson."
"I know that, but they are all very worried that 'someone' will get one, and there has to be a first, and you're John's wife. You get very, very special treatment."
"Yeah, well, if what I went through last night and then again this morning qualifies as the 'very, very' special treatment, I think I would settle for moderately okay treatment." Gibson chuckled, watching her take a wary sip of the sugar and enzyme loaded sports drink that had been her favourite flavour the last time she was pregnant. She only took a tiny sip and then replaced the cap and set it by the bed, not wanting to waste it.
"What have they got you on?" Gibson asked curiously, noting the intravenous line in the top of her left hand leading to a bag of saline. She fiddled with her engagement and wedding rings and sighed, resting back against the pillows.
"Just electrolytes and saline, the usual to 'rehydrate' me. I kept telling them not to waste a whole bag on me and save it for somebody who is really sick, but they wouldn't listen."
"You were pretty woozy you know," Gibson pointed out. "I was having trouble making sense of you last night. You sound a LOT better this morning. Your head is clearer."
"Yeah, well this drip 'might' be working," she conceded, rolling her brown eyes as he laughed. "So does Sarah have Nicky then? Are they okay?"
"They're fine," Gibson promised, turning back to the door. "You can come in now!" he called. Monica grinned when Sarah eased her way blindly around the doorframe with Nicky on her hip. Gibson walked up and touched her elbow, guiding her forward.
"Here's mommy!" Sarah exclaimed, allowing Gibson to take Nicky from her and guide her to a chair. Nicky threw himself at Monica for a long cuddle and she held him against her chest protectively, planting a kiss on his smooth forehead. "He was fine on the walk," Sarah explained. "A bit fussy. I think he knew everyone was worried and he missed you all last night, Gibson said he was crying for you, but we told him he'd be with you again soon."
"We brought a bag of his stuff too," Gibson added. "I left it at the nurse's station because I wasn't sure if you wanted him to stay with you while you're here, or what you and John had decided."
"We haven't decided anything yet," Monica replied. "But I haven't been away from this little boy a night since he was born. I missed him too. I don't know if I can leave him."
"If you stay well they'll probably let you go home," Sarah reasoned. "You sound okay. How do you feel?"
"Honestly I couldn't eat anything right now," Monica replied. "But that drink is going to really help Gibson, I know it. Thank you." He smiled, shrugging casually. "I don't know if Gibson told you Sarah, but I got really thin the first time from throwing up so much. You have never heard John, Mulder and Gibson really panic until you put them in a basement with a woman who can't keep any food down and spends all day getting up to go to their aptly named 'hurling corner'. It was not pretty."
"How pregnant are you?" she asked.
"I couldn't be more than six weeks," she guessed. "I think four. They're thinking eight, but I'm sceptical. I think I would have noticed by now if I was but I suppose there's a possibility I lost track of time. But I didn't stop throwing up until, what was it Gibson, month five?"
"Somewhere there," he agreed.
"They better not keep me here that whole time," she huffed. "Have you spoken to John?"
"No, but I know he'll agree to whatever's best for you whether you like it or not," Gibson taunted with a laugh as Monica scowled and returned her attention to the baby lying sprawled across her chest and stomach. Gibson knew Nicky had not slept much the night before, disturbed by all the visitors and not getting to see his mom. Nicky looked keen to make up for all the energy spent on tears, his breathing already deep and steady beneath Monica's palm.
Sarah explained to Monica the changes that were being made, and that John and Skinner had gone to a meeting to brainstorm other ideas to help prevent the spread of any diseases.
"I hope this isn't because of me," Monica mumbled, blushing. Sarah shook her head.
"No, it was really weird. Xilona was talking to us about it before John came, and then Gibson heard and realised and got really worried, and I think because Xilona and Nathan are such young doctors, and Xilona is the only one with experience with these sorts of diseases, that uh, they're just afraid of screwing up. I bet Scully when she was twenty-something got nervous like that all the time too."
"Scully when she was forty got nervous all the time like that," Monica assured her. "I trust Xilona and Nathan, so I'm not worried. They've taken very good care of me and I do feel better, but I really do not think I have yellow fever or typhoid or anything like that. As John very cleverly pointed out yesterday when he asked me if I was pregnant, I don't have stomach cramps or any pain except from constantly throwing up. I promise Sarah, I'm fine."
"Yeah, I know now that I've spoken to you," she whispered, stretching her hand out blindly across the mattress. Monica found her hand easily and squeezed. "I'm really happy for you Monica," she continued. "And I really hope nothing bad happens like it did last time you were pregnant."
"You mean you hope I'm not cursed or that it's not a 'sign'?" Monica asked with a laugh. "Mm, me too. Walking through a desert is one thing. I'm not walking through the Amazon."
"Are you excited?" Sarah asked hopefully.
"Uh, a little bit. I didn't even realise until John suggested it... I suppose those months of me throwing up traumatised him more than me. His mind went straight there. Then suddenly I have doctors prodding me and asking me all the questions and telling me John was right and uh, then I'm on a stretcher being walked up through the town past 'everybody', and nobody put a paper bag over my head. Very embarrassing. But I suppose I am a little bit excited. It uh, wasn't planned. Not like Nicky was. It's still sinking in."
"I used to want children," Sarah sighed, letting go of Monica's hand and sitting back in her chair. "I guess I'm expected to here but I don't think anybody 'really' expects me to. I'd be a horrible mother."
"You would not," Gibson scoffed.
"I can't SEE," she insisted. "It's one thing if I can put the baby in a cot and then remember that was where I left it, but when they're walking and augh, I just wouldn't know. He or she could be throwing knives and I wouldn't know." Monica chuckled, running her fingers gently through Nicky's soft, curly hair underneath her chin, very grateful for her sight.
"Well you've always been very good with this baby," she assured her. "If you find a daddy happy to take the lead sometimes then I think you'd be okay." Sarah sighed deeply, nodding.
"I uh, I'm gonna go for a walk," Gibson mumbled, turning and heading straight out the door. Monica did not miss the way he looked longingly at Sarah or the blush on his cheeks, but Sarah, unfortunately, missed it all.
"Hey," she whispered to the younger woman, causing Sarah to lift her head and lean forward slightly. "Do you uh, do you like Gibson?"
"Sure I like him," she replied, shrugging. "He's been great. He's always there when I need him."
"Does it bother you he can read your mind?"
"Sometimes," she admitted. "I'm pretty used to it now though. I mean, I know what was going on in the house in Virginia some nights with Mulder and Scully and you and John. And if that didn't really bother you, and if him being inside your head while you had a baby didn't really bother you, then it's not like I have anything to complain about. I'm sure he's heard 'everything' before, as he keeps telling me. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I mean I shouldn't say anything, but-"
"Did he make a face before when I was talking about kids?" she asked. Monica did not answer audibly and Sarah interpreted the silence in the affirmative. "I know he sort of likes me," she admitted. "I've had boyfriends before. I know how they act. He's never had a girlfriend, has he?"
"I don't know," Monica answered honestly. "Has he kissed you yet?" Sarah shook her head. "Do you want him to?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "He's my friend and he's...not like anyone I ever dated in high school or college. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it's just, I don't know...I don't have many friends, and if we messed it up somehow...plus there's Walter. I think it's just too uncomfortable a situation. Has he even kissed anyone before?"
"I don't know," Monica sighed. "But he's had a very tough life, and I doubt it. On the upside, I'm sure academically he knows a LOT. He lived with Mulder for a year. Mulder's no prude and I'm sure his missing Scully turned into fantasy-land more than once. Surely some thoughts are just too strong to ignore." Sarah giggled, remembering her friends.
"I wonder if they still have 'quiet time'," she teased. Monica laughed. "So uh, you think I should talk to Gibson?"
"Just remember that he can hear you. I doubt he got far enough away before we started this conversation to miss even this. I'm sure he's polite enough to try to block it all out for the sake of privacy, because he certainly afforded that to the rest of us in our private moments. But he does know what's in your mind, Sarah, and maybe they are things that should be said aloud, just so they're not misinterpreted."
"Okay," Sarah whispered seriously. "Thanks Monica, I...I can't talk to Walter about this so-"
"That's what I'm here for," Monica assured her. She reached for Sarah's hand and brought it to Nicky's back. "Just help me hold him there for a sec. I want another sip of that drink."