Chapter 10
Its amazing how fast things can get done. It seemed that
one minute I was
worrying a hell of a lot about needing a C-Section far from a
hospital then the next minute it was happening.
Ive never seen anyone more nervous then Mulder.
Well, besides myself that is.
Mark had contacts and that at least put my mind a little bit more
at ease. In a half
an hour there were three more people in the room, and I was
already prepped. I spent five minutes discussing the
choice of anesthetic and won my argument with a spinal. I
wanted to be aware of what was going on - it was my body.
It was still raining, the dark clouds giving their all. I saw
Mulder with a suspicious
eye and had almost forgotten why this birth had become rushed in
the first place.
Can anything in my life be simple anymore?
Not since the X-Files, thats for sure. Not that I would
trade this for a job in the
medical profession. Mulder had told me to "go be a
doctor" once, and part of me had
wondered what would have happened if that was the path I chose to
take.
Oh, well, no use wondering about "what ifs."
"Ready for this, Scully?"
I look up to find Mulder dressed in scrub wear and I know
theres no turning back
now. I am going to be a parent in just a few minutes.
"Ready as Ill ever be."
And it begins. I feel as if Im holding my breath as the
doctor makes the first
incision. I notice Mulder is looking away. Funny he was never
squeamish during
autopsies; then again it was never a living breathing person that
you knew and loved.
The idea of names was running through my head when felt something
being lifted
out of me. I couldnt help but feel a little empty at that
point. I had been pregnant for
nine months and now it was over.
"Its a girl," I hear Mark say but Im drawn
to the fact that the little human, not yet
even cleaned off and crying her little head off, was mine. All
the years I pictured
becoming a mother never prepared me for this moment. I felt more
happy and proud then I ever did. The excitement was making me
lightheaded.
"Oh my God, Scully, we have a little girl," I heard
Mulder murmur. He, too, is
glued to our child as it there were nothing else in the world
that mattered.
At that moment, there is nothing else.
Im speechless, overjoyed, and actually a bit dizzy.
I see my little girl being moved out of my site and vaguely
notice someone cleaning
her and handing her to Mulder, but things seem a bit out of
focus.
" . . . a little bleeding . . ."
I hear words around me but there are jumbled and make no sense.
Mulder is
holding our daughter and being ushered away. I think he is . . .
dont take the baby away.
Things suddenly become dark.
Some time later
The first thing I notice is soft sheets. Like the ones that were
on the bed Mulder
and I had been sleeping in. The next thing I notice is pain. Not
bad pain, but enough pain that Id be sore for awhile, I
figured. My mother had a C-Section. With me actually. I remember
she said it wasnt a picnic. At least I was feeling. I was
okay, I figured, even though I could still feel an IV running
into my left arm and could hear a heart monitor beeping softly in
the background.
I opened my eyes.
Mulder was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a little bundle,
and softly singing.
I never thought Id see that. I stir a bit more and Mulder
stops, and realizes hes
been caught. He blushes and I know, then, that hell be a
great father. I wonder why I
even thought hed hate the idea. For day one, hes been
the most supportive enthusiastic guy a woman could have. Yet,
hes blushing at being caught in a rocking chair with his
daughter, singing.
There are worse things you could be caught doing, Mulder. A
couple of tapes
comes to mind along with a mental note to do a quick inventory
when we get home. Then again, he had seemed to kick that habit
when he and I started doing the real thing.
"Scully, shes beautiful." He gets up and I notice
the cast on his hand for the first
time (yikes, guess he did break something) and carries the bundle
to the bed, sitting down next to me, and pulling aside the
blanket.
Shes perfect. Ive never seen a more perfect child in
my life.
I know Im being partial, but I dont care.
Shes my daughter.
Wow.
Mulder is beaming, and I think back to when I woke up. I have no
idea how I got
here; its big void. Something went wrong, I figured.
"Mulder, what happened?"
He looks up from our daughter. "You just bled a little after
delivery. The doctor
says youll be fine, but that you have to take it easy for
awhile. He also recommends that we let nature take its course for
the next one though."
Next one? Did I just hear that?
"You want more kids, Mulder?"
"Of course I do. A whole set of kids. Why? Are you
surprised?"
"A little," I admit. One baby was one thing, but many
others were another. Then
again, why am I surprised. Mulder has shocked me over the years.
Many times. I should be used to it.
He sighs and hands me the baby. I breath in her scent and get my
first look at her.
She has a full head of brown hair, like her father, but other
then that, Im not sure who
she resembles.
"She has your nose, Scully." I look up at Mulder.
"I wasnt sure about this whole
idea, at first. I didnt think that Id be a good
enough father."
"Mulder-" I start, but he interrupts me.
"But now, Im ready to give it a try. As long as you
are. Id be ready to give
another one or two a try, too."
"Well, lets get past one at a time, Mulder."
"I meant what I said when I asked you to marry me, Scully. I
mean, weve done
the kid thing. Marriage should be a piece of cake.
Hell, you even win with the name.
We can call her Anne."
I look from my daughter to Mulder.
"No, you win, Mulder. Beth has grown on me. Elizabeth Anne.
And marriage
will make my mother very happy. Me, too." Mulder smiles. I
swear he knew in advance
Id cave in. "But I name the next one. No questions
asked."
"As long as its not Fox, we have a deal."
I run my hand over my babys tiny toes. Suddenly, my eyes
catch something.
"Mulder."
"What?" His eyes are draw to my hand.
"Whats that look like to you?" I point to a mark
on the bottom of her foot. Its
looks like a puncture of some kind, and Im panicking. I
subconsciously reach up to the
back of my neck.
Mulder just shakes his head. "Its nothing, Scully. At
least, not what you think. I
had Mark draw blood, just so we could run a check on her. Make
sure everythings
okay."
I relax. I should have known that. Geez, Dana, youre only a
doctor. "Then its
over?" My voice is unsure and sounds much like a child
asking that question to her
mother right after the doctors given her a shot.
"I wouldnt say that. Nothing seems to be over for
us."
I look back down at Beth, and see her blue eyes looking at me. I
think about
calling my mother. I think about getting her baptized
(theres my Catholic upbringing). I
think about the joy Ill see in my mothers eyes when I
tell her Im getting married. I think about Beths
first day of school, of what kind of person she is going to be.
Of what kind of life shes going to lead.
I only want the best for her. I suddenly wish everything would
settle. Mulder and
I may not have the X-Files, but we still have every bit of
conspiracy surrounding us. Hes looking for the truth.
I didnt know what I was looking for.
But somehow I think Ive found it in Beths eyes.
"The End"
For now.
I started this story over a year ago. It was a hard story for me
to complete. I was slightly turned off the X-File for a short
time this year and suffered bouts of writers block, but
after watching "Requiem" I felt inspired to complete
it. As so I have. However, this may just be the beginning. I am
considering turning this story into the beginning of a series of
stories that spawn off into an Alternate Universe after the 6th
season episode, "The Ghosts That Stole Christmas." The
next will probably be told from Mulders point of view and
involve Scully, Mulder, and baby in a life together as a family
and something that will always remain, Mulders quest for
the truth. Id love to hear from readers about that idea.
Thank you everyone who has helped on the long journey to complete
this story.
Feedback is appreciated at JenR13@aol.com
|| Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 ||
|| Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Back to Main ||