untitled
'BACK
TO BASICS'
By: Skinfull
"For
Christ sake Mulder what the hell were you thinking?"
Dana Scully paced her way around the small family room in
Yellowstone Park Medical centre. It was to hot for this crap she
thought as she wiped her brow again with her sleeve and continued
her pacing. Outside the heat seethed against the window
threatening to break in and make her more uncomfortable than she
already was.
"Camping ala Mulder," she mused but before her anger
could continue the doctor walked in.
"Mrs Mulder?" He was bordering on seventy years old and
his glasses were the thickest she had seen in a long time. His
hair and long since departed him leaving his head with only a few
grey tufts that stuck out without control.
"Scully, Dana Scully," she corrected idly more
interested in Mulders state than her name.
"More and more young ladies are keeping their names after
marriage these days. Damn shame. Well I'm Doctor Barns." He
seemed to talk to himself as he walked further into the room and
took a seat, inviting her to join him.
"How is he?" she asked hoping to move things along
quicker than his doddering pace.
"He has taken a bad bang to the head."
"Is he unconscious?"
"Sedated at the moment but he was alert when he came
in."
"What kind of trauma has he sustained?"
"He fell, as you know, and took most of the impact to the
head thankfully he was wearing a helmet; his left leg is broken
but it's a mild hairline fracture that will be more of an
annoyance than anything."
"What about his head?" she asked again not liking the
way the doctor was skimming over the details.
"His speech and reaction has been some what impeded,"
Doctor Barns finally admitted.
"Speech?"
"There is a small area of the brain that handles our
language centre and we fear he may be experiencing some bleeding
in that area which is hampering his ability to talk." He
watched her face carefully for her reaction before continuing.
"His understanding is also not up to par. While he has the
ability to understand a simple term like 'give me your hand'. If
I complicate it by specifying the left or right hand he looses
comprehension altogether."
"What about his muscular reaction?" she asked her mind
whirring with medical journals and facts.
"All reactions are normal."
"Why was he sedated?" she asked standing with an
eagerness to go to him.
"He became increasingly violent as his frustration set in
and awareness of his disability."
"Violent?"
"He punched one of my nurses and with his broken leg
restraints were impractical."
"Can I see him?"
"Of course. He should be waking up soon and it might help if
he sees a friendly face."
Scully followed the doctor out to the nurses station where he
collected Mulder's chart and then led her to a small room at the
end of the corridor. Mulder's head had been bandaged and his legs
put into a cast but with the sedation still working he still
looked like he was sleeping.
"His temperature is a bit high but I expect it will go down
once the adrenaline stops pumping and he relaxes for a
while," the doctor said as he skimmed over Mulder's vitals
on the chart.
"Is he scheduled for an MRI?" Scully asked rounding the
bed to take his hand in hers.
"A scan in the morning. Has he ever experienced this
before?"
"Head trauma, yes. But loss of speech or comprehension,
no."
"Any drug abuse?"
"No."
"None of any kind? Hash? Cocaine? Speed? This can all affect
the brain."
"No not at all."
"He's an FBI Agent?" the doctor said as he read over
Mulder's details that Scully had filled in earlier.
"Yes we're partners."
"Something going on in Old yellow we should know
about?" he asked folding his arms across his chest and
facing her curiously.
"No not at all," she replied sternly glancing down at
Mulder's unmoving features with a frown.
"He should be awake in a little while but please call the
nurse if he is any trouble."
"I will thanks."
Doctor Barns watched as she pulled a chair over and placed it
next to the bed the sat on the edge to reach for his hand.
Leaving the chart at the end of the bed he left the room closing
the door quietly behind him.
"For Christ sake Mulder what the hell were you
thinking?" she murmured again as she brushed his fringe out
of his eyes and held his hand a little tighter.
*****
The room was dark when he opened his eyes except for a strange
dim blue light that seeped under the door. His head thumped
mercilessly when he moved it so he scanned the room with his
eyes.
Scully.
He smiled at the image of her sleeping awkwardly in the small
chair beside him - her chin resting on her chest and her hair
shielding her from his scrutiny. One delicate hand snaked out
from beneath a thick blue blanket and was clutching his but when
he tried to turn in the bed to see her more clearly a sharp
unending pain flared up from his knee to his ankle. The soft moan
he emitted was enough to wake her and when she sat up with a
start her eyes wide and fearful he tried to smile but the pain
was seeping his energy away.
"Mulder! You're awake."
Almost forgetting his lack of speech she was about to start the
interrogation when she remembered the results of his frustration
last time. Instead she stood and reached out to his head to gauge
his temperature. His hand clutched his sore leg and he looked at
her with bowed eyes of misery wondering why he was in so much
pain.
"You fell off the cliff yesterday. You took a bad bang to
the head and your leg is broken."
His mouth opened and he tried to ask her why he'd been sedated
but when no sounds came out he clamped his mouth shut again -
memories of his situation flooding back.
Scully watched as his jaw clenched and his brow furrowed deeper,
his eyes swirling darkly in anger.
"Relax Mulder. The injury may have caused an internal bleed
in your head, which could be putting pressure on your brain
stopping you from talking. You are scheduled in for a cat scan
this morning and we should get this all cleared up."
As she spoke his eyes roamed over her face but they lost their
dark colour and glazed over. His comprehension faded the more she
talked so she took a deep breath and sat on the edge of his bed.
"Mulder. Don't try to talk." She spoke slowly
pronouncing her words clearly and shook her head. "Can you
understand?"
He nodded vigorously after a slight hesitation. His eyes were
wide with expected lucidity but when it didn't come he frowned.
"Let me get the doctor," she said but as she stood to
leave he grasped her hand tightly a frightened expression
conveying all he needed to her. "I'll be right back."
Peeling her hand away from his she stepped out into the hallway
keeping the door open with one hand she waved at the nurse with
the other telling her Mulder was awake. Back by his bedside he
took her hand again and watched her face intently as if all the
answers would appear there.
"He'll be right here Mulder."
As if waiting for his cue the doctor chose that moment to arrive
and he bustled in happily smiling cheerily at Mulder whose grip
on Scully tightened.
"Ah Mr Mulder. Good morning although I hate to call it
morning when it's only 4am. How are you feeling?"
Mulder stared back blankly glancing up at Scully once then back
to the doctor still with no answers.
"Okay Mr Mulder can you touch your nose for me?" the
doctor asked pointing to his own nose. After a slight hesitation
Mulder tentatively reached a shaky finger up to his nose.
"And your ear?" he asked this time not showing him.
Mulder's finger moved off his nose and hovered in the air before
his face. He glanced up at the doctor blankly frowning as he
tried to remember what he'd been asked to do.
"Your ear, can you touch your ear for me?"
Slowly Mulder's hand touched his ear and he smiled at the
doctor's gleeful response.
"Very good Mr Mulder...now with your left hand."
But when Mulder just smiled back and touched his nose slowly with
the same hand Scully wanted to look away.
"Okay Mr Mulder that's fine."
The doctor fished a pen out of his pocket and held it up in front
of Mulders face at eye level. "Follow my pen with your eyes
Mr Mulder." He dragged the pen to the left and to the right
of Mulder's face but Mulder glanced up at him - his eyes pouring
out his confusion. "Okay Mr Mulder that's fine. Relax."
"Is there any change from earlier? Is he any more
lucid?" Scully asked softly.
"No he's not but he's not any worse." The doctor pulled
a small penlight out of his breast pocket and switched it on.
"I just want to look in your eyes Mr Mulder."
Seeming to understand Mulder opened his eyes widely and stared
straight ahead as the doctor flashed the light over his eyes and
pulled it away to see the reaction.
"Little dilation on the left hand side and normal reactions
on the right hand side."
"When is the scan?" Scully asked unable to sit by
without doing something anymore.
"In about five hours."
"Couldn't we get one sooner?"
"I'm afraid not. Besides he's not deteriorating so if there
is any bleeding in there it's not getting any worse."
"Do you think maybe he could write something?" Scully
asked watching as Mulder glanced between the two of them.
"Possibly." The doctor took a small notebook out of his
pocket and a pen and held it out to Mulder. "Could you write
your name for us Mr Mulder?"
Eagerly Mulder took the pen in his left hand and balanced the
book on his knee. He stared at the blank page and frowned then
looking at the pen as he twisted it round in his hand.
"Is he left handed?" the doctor asked softly but
Scully shook her head.
Taking the pen from his left hand the doctor placed it into his
right but Mulder grunted his disapproval before switching it back
into his left hand and frowning at the page again.
"Okay Mr Mulder that's fine."
Retrieving his pen and paper again the doctor patted Mulder's
shoulder and smiled weakly at Scully. Her worry was obvious but
there was little he could offer her in the way of comfort.
"He's not diabetic is he?"
"No."
"Epileptic?"
"No."
"Has he ever had a seizure?"
"Yes. Due to head trauma but not in a long time and they
were all centred in and around the time of a procedure he had
preformed."
"What kind of procedure?" the doctor asked suddenly
intrigued by her evasiveness.
"It was a form of aggressive therapy that had unwarranted
effects but he has shown no long term side effects. I'm sure this
is a separate case."
"Oh I'm sure it is too. If he wasn't so young and previously
healthy I would be inclined to admit him for a stroke."
"A stroke?" Scully was alarmed and she glanced down at
Mulders frail body.
"It's just a possibility we will need to think about if it
shows up on the scan."
As if sensing the mood Mulder sat up and leant back on his hands
but tugged on Scully's sleeve to get her to face him. She turned
and her frown melted into a small smile as she covered his hand
with her own.
"Well if you can just relax we'll have the cat scan as soon
as we can and get this cleared up."
"Thanks." Scully didn't take her eyes off Mulder as the
doctor turned and left. He was watching her closely and she was
reminded of a scolded puppy that didn't understand the situation
he had been thrust into. Stepping closer to the bed she wrapped
her arms around him and he eagerly buried his head into her chest
revelling in the warmth and comfort he found there. She pressed a
soft kiss into his hair and felt his arms tighten around her
waist. "Its okay Mulder, everything is going to be
okay."
When she pulled away form the hug and grasped his chin to make
him look up at her she noticed his eyes were brimming with unshed
tears, red rimmed with the effort of keeping them at bay and
drooping heavily closed.
"Relax Mulder. Lie down and get some rest. It'll be time for
the scan soon."
He wanted to protest but when he opened his mouth the words
evaded him and he lay back heavily screwing his eyes closed
tight. The feel of her hand gently brushing his frown away had a
better effect than he imagined it would and soon he felt himself
drifting into a hot restless sleep marred with nightmares and
tension.
Scully sat by his side uttering soft words of encouragement and
comfort to his tossing head as he slept the darkness away and
woke with the breakfast arriving at seven. Silently he ate his
toast buttered shakily with his left hand and sipped the tepid
milk. Scully sat by his side speaking animatedly about how she
had managed to follow the ambulance to the medical centre after
one of the youths he was climbing with barged into her tent while
she was changing.
He smiled at her story but she wasn't sure if he was reading her
and knew it was her desired effect or if he genuinely thought it
funny and couldn't help the slight curve of his pale lips. By the
time the breakfast had been cleared a porter arrived with a
wheelchair and asked Mulder to jump in.
"If ya can slip the leg onto the tray we'll keep it steady
during the ride," he said pointing at Mulders cast but when
Mulder looked back at him blankly Scully came around and helped
him get settled into the chair.
"There you go." She placed a blanket over him covering
the open gown and offering him a little dignity for the trip to
the radiology department.
Sitting in the waiting area beside the chair Scully had claimed
the porter handed his appointment card into the technician and
left them alone.
"This will only take a few moments and then it'll all be
over," she said needing to fill the silence even if it was
with soft cliches of hope...
He reached out and took her hand onto his lap, interlocking their
fingers he held her tightly offering her what little reassurance
he could but draining her of all the hope he needed too. She
squeezed back and smiled but the radiologist who cheerily came to
wheel Mulder into the room interrupted their silent tete a tete.
"Okay Mr Mulder this way. We'll be back in a jiffy,"
she beamed at Scully. Mulder turned his head as much as he could
trying to watch Scully as long as he could as if afraid that she
wouldn't be there when he got back.
Scully sat in the waiting area alone save for the early morning
cleaning crew who mopped the floor carelessly around her. Wanting
to ring Skinner but needing to wait till Mulder was back she
restrained the urge and stayed in her seat. Soon after the red
light went out and the soft buzzing ended the large metal door
opened and Mulder was wheeled back out to her side. His smile was
tired and he was fixing his gown but there was a glimmer in his
eyes that wasn't there before.
"You okay Mulder?" she asked touching his arm and
finding it warm but covered in Goosebumps.
"Scu...lly," he murmured softly a soft sheen breaking
out on his forehead with the effort.
"Mulder!" Her grip on his arm tightened and he grasped
her hand in joy.
"Scu...lly!" he said again still stammering and out of
breath.
"Can you say your name?"
"Scu...lly," he said then shook his head and tried
again. "Scu...lly."
"It okay Mulder relax...just relax." His shoulders
slumped and he rested back into the chair. Breathing heavily he
dipped his head and sighed. "This is a great sign Mulder.
It'll all come back to you eventually, just relax and let it come
at it's own pace."
"Scully," he murmured again but she could tell it
wasn't the word he was searching for by the clenched fist on the
arm of his chair.
"It's going to be a while before the results come through so
a porter will bring you back to your room and the consultant will
be in to speak with you as soon as possible." The
radiologist spoke softly and from behind her the elderly porter
arrived and started to steer Mulder in the right direction.
Back in the room it took some manoeuvring to get Mulder back into
his bed with the large heavy cast but they finally managed it. He
lay back and closed his eyes over afraid to face the situation.
Now that the scan had been taken it was only a matter of time
before a more concrete diagnosis would arrive and he was nervous.
Real nervous.
"Relax Mulder. If they had seen anything dangerous they
would have told us straight away and you'd already been in the
OR."
"Scully," he said softly then slammed his closed fist
down on the hard bed. "Scully!" he said more tersely
this time and she understood even though he was using the wrong
words.
"Mulder, relax," she soothed her hand against his head
but it was having little effect. "Shhhh."
He snorted at her gesture to silence him when he had hardly
spoken two words in the last 18 hours. He turned his head away
from her and closed over his eyes letting her gentle caresses
lull him back to sleep.
Scully escaped the room after making sure he was slumbering and
went to the water cooler at the end of the hall. Sipping the cold
liquid she rested against the low windowsill and tried to still
her thudding heart. Feeling guilty for taking the time to herself
she poured the rest of the drink away and started to make her way
back to her room.
"Mrs Scully?" Looking up she saw the doctor standing
before her an x-ray folder in his hand.
"Yes. You have the results?" she asked running her
fingers through her hair to keep it off her face.
"Yes. You understand that the neurologist will want to speak
to you in a while but I thought you'd want to know what we found
straight away."
He was turning away from her waving his hand around the hall in
an old gesture for her to follow him as he made his way towards a
small examination room.
"So what did you find?" she asked tentatively when he
closed the door and switched on the x-ray lights. "Any signs
of a stroke?" she made herself ask.
"No, none at all. As we expected there was some bleeding in
the skull from a ruptured vein but it was minimal. More seriously
there was swelling..." his finger pointed out the area of
the brain he was talking about and Scully could see the small
swollen part he meant. "The bleeding has stopped and most of
it has been absorbed back into the body but the swelling will
take time."
"Is that what is causing his condition?"
"I believe so."
"So when the swelling goes down he'll be fine? 100%?"
"There are no guarantees but I would like to say he should
make a full recovery."
"He said a word this morning," she murmured softly
almost afraid to show any hope.
"Oh?" the doctor exclaimed clearly pleased.
"He said my name but it is all he seems able to say. He is a
bit more lucid than he was last night but still so easily
confused."
"Well he has taken quite a knock to the head and it will
take time to heal. This is a good sign though and you should see
it as such."
"I will. Thank you Doctor Barns."
He held the door open for her and they both stepped out into the
hallway where he shook her hand and left her with a parting
smile. More confidently now Scully made her way back to Mulders
room where she found him still sleeping.
Claiming the seat next to his bed she shifted in the cold plastic
trying to get comfy when he turned towards her a goofy smile
teasing his thin lips.
"Scully."
"Mulder."
"Scully."
"How are you feeling?" she tried to settle her pounding
heart at the sound of his groggy voice knowing it would take time
before he was back to full fitness.
"Scu...lly...scu...lly..." he said closing his eyes and
taking a deep breath at the sound of the wrong words passing his
lips.
"It's okay Mulder. Listen to me for a moment." Her hand
reached up to his shoulder where one of her fingers could brush
his cheek gently. "I spoke to the doctor. The neurologist
will need to confirm this later but..."
"Scully." He urged her to continue using the only words
he could and speaking to her with his eyes.
"There are no lesions on your brain. The damage sustained
was minimal thanks to the helmet you were wearing. But there is
still some swelling there." She spoke clearly and loudly as
if he was deaf but he seemed to understand or at least that's
what his eyes were telling her.
"Scully?" The questioning tone was different and she
basked in every bit of progress he made.
"It will take a few days for the swelling to go down but
they expect a full recovery after that."
"Oh scully..." he seemed to want to say more - she knew
he wanted to but the thankful tone he was using was enough for
her to understand.
"Calm down Mulder it's not going to happen straight away.
You need to relax and it'll come back of it's own accord."
"Scully...eh...eh...mmm...eh..." He nodded his head
towards the door and pointed with his left arm.
"You want me to leave?" He brought his fingers up to
his mouth making gestures of eating then put his head on the
pillow and closed his eyes. "You want me to go get something
to eat and some sleep."
"Scully." He smiled widely, the biggest one she had
seen on him since she arrived at the hospital the day before.
"I'm okay Mulder. I'll wait with you."
"Scully!" Sternly now he pushed her towards the door.
"Okay I'll go get something to eat but I'll be back by lunch
time." Taking his hand she squeezed it gently and kissed his
cheek before turning and leaving the room with a backward glance
in his direction as the door swung shut behind her.
*****
Refusing to go back to the tent in Yellowstone Park Scully drove
into the nearest motel she could find. They found it odd for her
to check in without luggage but she had been on the receiving end
of such looks before and they didn't bother her any longer. The
hot shower did wonders for her aching muscles and eating a stale
sandwich from the vending maching in the reception office was
more satisfying than she anticipated.
With a quick look at the clock she saw that she had been gone for
a little over an hour but knowing that he would be mad if she
went back too soon she lay down on the lumpy bed and rested her
eyes for a moment. The soft murmur of the TV and the regular
sounds of the traffic passing lulled her into a sleep she wasn't
expecting and it was with some surprise that she woke to a
darkened room.
"Mulder!" she called out as she sat up straight and
gathered her bearings. The clock struck six and she moaned at the
late hour before grabbing her keys and racing through the light
rain to her car.
Rush hour traffic had peaked and she found the fifteen minute
journey had extended to a little under and hour. Parking quickly
in the closest space she could find she rushed through the
hospital entrance oblivious to the chaos about her. Walking
swiftly trough the busy corridors she punched the call button for
the elevator and tapped her foot impatiently for it to arrive.
It seemed like an aeon for the lift to deposit her on the third
floor and even longer for her to make her way to his room.
Finding him sitting up and playing solitaire on his bed table. He
looked up as she walked in and smiled.
"Scully!" he said obviously pleased to see her.
"Hey Mulder sorry I'm late but I fell asleep for a while
longer than I anticipated."
"Forget...it."
"You've been playing solitaire?"
"Yyyesss."
"Where did you get the cards?" She moved a red eight
onto a black nine.
"Nnnurssse."
"Well I'm glad you weren't bored then." Then she
realised he had been speaking. "Oh my god Mulder! You're
talking!"
"A...bit...still...scully...no...still...slow," he
managed to say the effort visible in his tired eyes.
"Slow? No way - it's like nothing ever happened!" she
said running her hand through his hair and pulling him into a
long hug. Resting his head against her chest he could feel the
erratic beat of her heart and squeezed his arms a little tighter.
"Thanks Scully."
"Mulder don't thank me yet." Leaning back she cupped
his face with her hands letting her thumbs carefully caress his
warm cheeks that were regaining a little colour. "When I get
you out of here and you are able to defend yourself you're going
to tell me what the hell you thought you were doing climbing that
rock face with a couple of scouts." Her voice was sweet but
he could see the little tension that broke through and he tried
to smile but his face seemed hesitant.
"Scully...sorry..."
"Oh Mulder...I was so scared," she admitted and this
time allowed him to pull her into a hug. This time it was his
heart that beat beneath her head and his arms that offered the
comfort. "I didn't know what to think."
"S'okay Scully...I'm...fine..."
"Sorry I shouldn't be doing this." She pulled away from
him and sat on the edge of the bed letting her fingers remove the
traces of the tears that had fallen. His hand made gentle circles
on her back and he watched her collect her thoughts. "I'm
supposed to be here for you."
"Scully...forget it."
"So...what do you want to talk about?"
He laughed a muffled sound that struggled to break free but she
thought it was the most beautiful sound she'd heard in a long
time. Gathering the playing cards from the table she shuffled
them impressing him with her Vegas shuffle and single-handed
switches.
"So how about a game of cards?"
"Scully...strip...poker?"
"But you're only wearing a hospital gown. Wouldn't be very
fair!"
"I'll take...my...scully chances." He managed to get
out still mixing his words but getting stronger with every moment
that passed.
"Okay you asked for it. One eyed Knaves are wild and nothing
less then a pair of tens opens." She pulled some loose
change out of her pocket and divided it up between them.
"Scully you...play...a hard...game!"
"C'mon Mulder less talk more poker!"
"Trying Scully...to get...my clothes off?" he examined
the hand she dealt and tried not to grimace at the bad selection.
"I might not have to try that hard. And by the look of your
poker face this might be a quick round!" He laughed again
and pushed a quarter into the middle of the table. "You
opening tough guy?"
"Yeah."
"Well the...how many you want?" She put down he hand
and picked up the pack.
"Two."
"Two? Just two? Feeling lucky? Going for a flush?" He
said nothing but smiled as he shook his head at her attempt to
disarm him. "And the dealer takes three."
She dealt out the cards and they each took a moment to check out
their new hands.
"I...bet...Scully...a quarter," he said pushing the
right coins into the middle with the openers.
"Whoa big spender...well I'll see your quarter and raise it
a dime."
"Dime!" he said laughing. "See...raise
another...dime."
The money slowly piled up in the corner until finally Scully
wanted to see his hand. Calling the bet she paid the appropriate
amount and put her cards on the table.
"Full house. Tens over eights."
"Ha ha ha!" he said slowly making it sound more
maniacal than cheerful. "Flush...royal."
"Oh you win this time..." she peeled off her jacket,
happy to be rid of the heavy coat anyway in the warm hospital
atmosphere, and tossed it onto the chair beside them.
"No fair."
"What? I was wearing a coat, I lost now I'm one item of
clothing less then I was before."
"Scully...no...fair!"
Laughing she picked up the cards again and shuffled them
thoroughly. Dealing them again she passed the coins to him and
put in her openers at the sight of her pair of queens. The
evening passed leisurely with mixed but slow conversation and
soon Scully found herself perched on the end of his bed opposite
side of his cast having shed her jumper, shoes and socks she was
left wearing only a thin pair of linen trousers and a pale blue
shirt.
He had won every hand so far and was basking in his victories
well, considering his lack of vocabulary. Often he tried to tease
her after another triumph but when the words escaped him he
became frustrated and annoyed frowning as she shuffled the cards
again. She tried to look chastised when he started his teasing
but it seemed only to madden him her placating him like that so
she stopped.
Dealing out a final hand Scully realised with some trepidation
that if she should loose again she would be revealing a lot more
than her caring side so she studied her cards and decided the
best plan of attack.
"Two please."
"Mulder takes two...and dealer takes one."
"One?" he glanced up at her but she was facing her
cards and refused to meet his eyes. He chuckled at her
determination and started to shuffle his own hand.
"So...you gonna bet? It was your openers," she urged.
"Quarter."
"See it...raise it a dollar."
"Dollar?"
"Big stakes now Mulder nothing to loose!"
"See it...raise...it..."
"Okay...see it...raise it another dollar."
"Okay...I...call."
"Call?" She looked up at him in surprise. He hadn't
called a game yet choosing instead to bet higher and high hoping
she'd fold but now he must know.
"I call," he said again putting in the right amount and
smiling at her. "What have...you...scully...got?"
"eh...I have-"
"Excuse me," a nurse stepped into the room and looked
sternly between the both of them. "Visiting hours are over,
I'm afraid you need to leave."
"Leave? Okay. I'll just be a minute." The nurse left
and Scully turned back to face her smile matching his frown.
"Just when...scully...getting...interesting!"
"Sorry Mulder. I'll come back and see you in the
morning." She sat off the bed and reached for her socks and
sneakers and he watched in silence as she pulled them on.
"How are you feeling?"
"Cheated."
"Oh relax I would have had you anyway." Standing up she
came over to his head and delighted in the familiar gleam in his
eyes dimmer than usual but still present it offered her all the
hope she needed.
"Thanks Scully."
"It's great to hear you talking. I'm glad you're getting
back to normal Mulder."
"Normal?"
"Well it's all relative. I missed the sound of your
voice."
"Me...too."
Laughing she hugged him closely and forced the tears that wanted
to spring forth to stay at bay.
"G'night Mulder."
"Night."
Kissing him lightly on the lips catching the end of his words she
felt his lips move beneath hers and relished in the security that
he would be fine. She felt his hands squeeze her waist for a
moment as their lips connected but pulled away and smiled.
"See you tomorrow."
"Scully...tomorrow."
She left the room with only a quick glance over her shoulder and
Mulder reached for her card. Knowing he had four of a kind he was
eager to see if she would have beaten him. Seeing five cards with
no matches Mulder tossed them back onto the table and sighed.
"Cheated!"
THE END
Disclaimer:
Not mine, I just like to get them in the sack as often as
possible.