Shapes of Life by Frances Hayman Finished: January 28, 1999 e-mail: FrankieH@aol.com Classification: Story, Angst, a little UST, a little humor Rating: PG Spoilers: Triangle, Folie a Deux, FTF Summary: Triangle post episode. Skinner and the Gunmen vow to help Scully with Mulder, but how much help are they, really? Distribution: OK to archive, just keep my name with it, and let me know where it goes. Disclaimer: The characters you recognize (namely Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Langley, Frohike, and Byers) belong to CC, Fox, and 1013. The others came out of my sleep deprived imagination. :) No infringement intended. Author's Notes: Thanks to Vickie Moseley for challenging me to do this. (Yeah, I know it took a while.) And to my sister Erin, for always being there when I need her!
Shapes of Life by Frances Hayman
"Mulder. Mulder, it's me."
Mulder slowly opened his eyes. He knew he should because someone was telling him to wake up. But it sure would be easier to keep them shut. The pounding in his head was also telling him that the light was going to make matters more unpleasant, but what the hey. Take a chance. Live a little. Yeah, right. He opened his eyes.
"Where am I?"
"You're in a hospital," said Scully.
"Oooh."
"Lie still."
"I feel, like hell."
"I don't blame you. You've been through the wringer, I'd say."
"What happened to me?"
"You did something incredibly stupid."
Mulder thought he detected a silent "Again" at the end of the statement. "What did I do?"
"You went looking for a ship. In the Bermuda Triangle."
"Say that again." Mulder squinted and thought he saw Skinner and the guys. But it couldn't be, could it?
"You're looking awake," said Frohike.
Mulder looked back at Scully. "You were there."
"Hmm?" asked Scully.
"You were there, Scully."
"He's delirious," said Langley.
"And he was there, too," said Mulder, looking at Skinner.
"Right," said Skinner. "Me and my dog Toto."
"You were there with the Nazi's," insisted Mulder.
"Mulder," said Scully, "settle down. It's an order."
"Not that he takes orders," muttered Skinner.
But Mulder had eyes only for Scully. "You saved the world, Scully."
"Yeah. You're right, I did."
"What kind of drugs is he on?" asked Frohike.
"I want some," said Langley.
"No, no, no," said Mulder. Why wouldn't they listen to him? "The Queen Anne. I found it. You were there, with Thor's Hammer. I told you you had to turn the ship around and then I jumped overboard."
"Yeah, I bet you did," said Scully. "The boat you were on was busted into a million pieces. And as for the Queen Anne, it was nothing more than a ghost ship."
"No, no, no. You and I were on that ship, Scully. In 1939."
"Get some rest, Mulder," said Skinner. "Because when you get out of here, I'm gonna kick your butt but good." He motioned to the Gunmen. "Come on. Let's go."
Scully watched them file out of the room.
Mulder still looked at Scully. "I thought I'd never see you again," he said quietly. "But you believed me."
"In your dreams," said Scully. "Mulder, I want you to close your eyes, and I want you to think to yourself, 'There's no place like home'."
"Hmm," Mulder laughed as he watched Scully move away. "Hey, Scully."
She walked, slightly impatiently back to the bed. "Yes."
Mulder paused for a moment. "I love you."
Scully rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, brother." And she walked away.
Mulder laid his head back on the pillow, and winced as his cheek meet the soft surface. He fingered the swollen area around his eye, remembering how the other Scully had hit him. After he had kissed her. He smiled. But did it really happen? He was too tired to think too much about it right now.
* * * * *
Scully shook her head and walked down the hall to the lounge where she knew Skinner and the Lonegunmen would be waiting for her. She smiled a little at the sight the four of them made. Who would have ever thought Skinner and the three most paranoid men she knew (Mulder not withstanding of course), would pitch in together. To help Mulder. An odd group to be sure, but good friends to have, under any circumstance.
"So, he's going to be okay, now. Right?" asked Langley.
"Well," said Scully, "he's not out of the woods yet. He has a concussion, and lots of bruises and contusions. Not to mention the near drowning."
"So, how long do you think he'll be here?" asked Skinner.
"A few days at least. But it depends on how he does in the next 48 hours. He'll have to be monitored for respiratory complications such as pulmonary edema and pneumonia, as well as cardiac arrhythmia. Luckily, the concussion seems minor."
"He did seem a little confused just now," said Byers. "Talking about you saving the world and all."
"Yeah, well, that could be due to a lot of things, including some of the medications he's on." She paused and thought about Mulder's last statement --'I love you'. Was that really him talking, or the drugs, or the concussion, or --
"He's not gonna be happy," said Frohike, shaking his head.
"Well, then," said Skinner, "I guess it's up to us to see that he stays put. For once." He looked at the assembled group, remembering a time not so long ago when he and these men had helped Mulder leave the hospital hours after being shot in the head. He wasn't sure it was the right thing to do at the time, but it had seemed necessary. And Mulder had found Scully, a task he was sure no one else could have accomplished. But now, he would see to it that Mulder followed doctor's orders. Even if it meant standing guard himself.
Scully smiled. "I think it might take all of us if he wakes up a little more coherent the next time."
"We are at your disposal Agent Scully," said Frohike bowing deeply.
"Thanks."
* * * *
Scully sat in her place at Mulder's bedside. As usual. She smiled a little at the memory of Skinner's expression when he had declared that they'd all make sure that Mulder followed doctor's orders this time. The poor man didn't really know what he was volunteering for. Her gaze swept over Mulder's sleeping form. He always looked so innocent like that. She couldn't help herself as her hand reached to his face, pushing hair out of his eyes. He stirred a little, then settled again. She wondered again about what he had said to her. That he loved her. Of this she had no doubt, but what kind of love? He stirred again, this time opening his eyes.
"Hey," said Scully, flashing a smile.
Mulder blinked and rubbed his hand over his face. "Hey," he croaked.
"Feeling any better?"
"Um, not really."
"No wonder, Mulder. You have bruises on your bruises. I can't even imagine how you got some of them." She paused. "Feel like talking about what happened?"
Mulder shifted in the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. He gave up after a moment and looked at his partner. "Yeah, sure. I guess."
Scully frowned. "Maybe we should wait a while. Until you're more rested."
"No," said Mulder, as forcefully as he could. He took a careful breath. "No. I need to get it all straight in my head."
"Okay. How about we start at when you left DC without so much as a word."
Mulder looked down and plucked at the blanket on the bed. "Um, yeah, I guess that'd be a good place to start." Scully stared. He looked back up at her. "Right. Well, the guys brought me this satellite photo --"
"The Queen Anne."
"Yeah, the Queen Anne. And it was like, well, I just had to go. Chasing fertilizer and doing background checks can only do so much, ya' know." He grinned up at Scully.
"Go on."
Mulder sighed softly. The grin wasn't working well today. "I booked a flight, and a boat, packed a bag and went to Bermuda." He paused. "Hey, where are we, anyway?"
"You're in the hospital in Hamilton. Luckily, they handle near drowning quite frequently."
"Oh, okay. Where was I?"
"You went to Bermuda."
"Yeah, right. I got here and picked up the boat I had booked at Hamilton Harbor."
"Didn't they tell you a major weather system was moving into the area?"
"Yeah. But, um, I managed to convince the guy I had a lot of experience with boats --"
"I assume you didn't tell him about the boat that sunk in that lake while you were looking for Big Blue."
"No, I didn't give him any details. And if I remember correctly, you were driving that boat. But he let me go, and I went straight to the coordinates the guys gave me." Mulder paused and took a breath. This was wearing him out faster than he'd anticipated.
"Mulder, are you okay?"
That pause hadn't gotten past Scully. He decided not to lie, this time. "I'm tired, but I think I'm okay."
"We can finish this later."
"No, I want to go on." He closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Okay. The water started getting pretty rough the closer I got. I was really beginning to wonder if I'd find it, then suddenly, there it was. Bigger than life! The next thing I knew I was in the water, and there were pieces of my boat floating all around me. I must have passed out, because then I came around on the deck of the Queen Anne, coughing up water all over the shoes of these sailors."
"Mulder, there was no one aboard that ship."
"Yes, there was, Scully. That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. These sailors thought I was a German. And they'd never heard of the FBI! They kicked and dragged me to the Captain's quarters, and then I figured out that they thought it was 1939. I kept trying to tell them the war was over, and that it was 1998. They didn't believe me." He shrugged. "Guess I should be used to that by now. Anyway, they locked me in the Captain's quarters, and I tried to call for help on a radio that was in there. That's when I knew I was in real trouble."
"What happened?"
"A broadcast came through from England saying that Britain was at war with Germany. Scully, the date was September 3, 1939." He sighed again. "Then I heard someone at the door, so I turned the light off, and waited in the dark. I jumped the guy that came in and managed to knock him out. When I sat back and saw who it was, I was, um, surprised."
"Who did you see?"
"Spender."
"Spender?"
"Well, he looked like Spender, but he was a German officer. I took his uniform and went to see what I could find."
"Spender?"
"Yeah, he looked like Spender." He stopped again and rubbed his hand across his face.
"Mulder, you need to rest. We can continue this later."
"You don't believe me."
"It's not that I don't believe you --"
"But you don't believe I saw a guy that looked like Spender on that ship."
Scully put her hand to her mouth and sighed. "Mulder, you've had a blow to the head, you nearly drowned, and you got banged up pretty bad. I think all that's going to affect what you think you experienced."
Mulder shook his head. "So why don't you tell me what you think happened."
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes."
"Okaay. Here's what I think. I think you got to the Queen Anne and went aboard her. You looked around the entire ship, saw no one, got back onto your boat, and the rough seas bashed her up against the Queen Anne, smashing it to bits. I think that you were on board the ship while Byers, Langley, Frohike and I were, probably just ahead of us, and got off shortly before we did. You hadn't been in the water very long when we found you."
"No, Scully. I don't think so."
"Mulder, that's enough for now. You really need to rest."
He sighed, deciding to change the subject. "So, when can I get out of here?"
"I was wondering how long that would take," said Scully through a grin. "Not for a few days, Mulder. There's a big risk of serious respiratory complications And then there's all that bruising. Your ribs, and lots of deep muscle bruising. You're probably going to be on some serious pain meds for a while."
Mulder nodded. "So maybe tomorrow?"
Scully shook her head. "Not a chance G-man. And I've got back up this time. I think Skinner and the guys feel a little guilty about aiding in your escape from the hospital after you'd been shot in the head, so they're going to help me make sure you stay right here." She tapped the pillow right beside his face for emphasis. Mulder squirmed again. "And it looks like you're due for some more pain medicine."
Mulder smiled. "Make sure they give the really good stuff, Scully."
"Only the best for you, partner."
* * * * *
Skinner sat in the chair next to Mulder's bed. Watching him sleep. So far this detail he had assigned himself had been pretty easy. Mulder had slept most of the day, so his biggest challenge so far had been to convince Scully to go to the hotel and get some rest. And it had been a challenge. He smiled to himself. He'd had to pull out his A.D. boss voice and grimace to get her to comply. It had even made Langley take a couple of steps back. But then, he looked like he was ready to bolt for the door most of the time.
"What are you smiling about?" asked a raspy voice from the bed.
"How're you feeling?"
"Like a bunch of Nazi's beat me up. Did I miss something good?"
"No, why?"
"That smile."
"Oh," said Skinner, looking down. "Just reveling in a small triumph."
Mulder looked around the room, then a grin spread across his own face. "You got Scully to leave?"
Skinner nodded.
"Wow. I'm impressed." He took a deep breath and grimaced. Skinner sat up, and Mulder quickly explained, "Sore ribs." Skinner nodded and settled back into his seat.
"Do you need anything, Mulder?"
"Something to drink would be nice."
"Juice or water?"
"Beer?" Skinner glared at him. "Just checking. Um, juice. Apple?"
"I'll be right back."
Mulder watched Skinner leave the room and wondered how many agents Skinner had ever fetched apple juice for. And he wasn't even really his and Scully's AD anymore. In fact, he could be in serious trouble just for being here. In a moment Skinner was back, followed closely by a nurse.
"Mr. Skinner said you were thirsty." Mulder nodded. The nurse poured a small can of apple juice into a cup and put a straw into it. "I need to check your vitals real quick before you get this, okay?"
Mulder nodded again and quietly submitted to the familiar routine. When she pulled the aural thermometer out of his ear, she frowned. "You're running a low grade fever, Mr. Mulder." She picked up the cup and handed it to him. "Think you can handle this okay?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good. I'm just going to check in with your doctor about this fever. He's due up for rounds in a bit anyway, so I'm sure he'll want to look you over."
Mulder paused in sipping the juice. "I can hardly wait."
As soon as the nurse left the room, Skinner picked up the phone.
"Sir, please don't call Scully yet. She needs the rest. And I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
Skinner frowned. "But I told her I'd call if there was any change."
"Please, just wait until the doctor comes around."
Skinner held the phone for a moment, then set it back down. "Okay, Mulder. I'll wait until your doctor takes a look. Then, I'm calling Scully."
"Fair enough." He drank about half of the juice, and felt his eyelids trying to close again. Skinner was at his side, taking the cup before he even realized he was about to spill it. "Thanks."
Mulder awoke sometime later to see Skinner dozing in the chair. The door to his room opened and admitted a middle aged balding man with a slight paunch. This had to be his doctor. Had someone told him the man's name? Skinner sat up and nodded to the man. He nodded back, then turned to Mulder.
"Mr. Mulder, I'm Dr. Jenkins. The nurse tells me you've got a fever now."
Mulder sighed and shrugged.
"Well, let's just check it again." He inserted the thermometer in Mulder's ear and waited for the beep. "Yes, it's 99.8. Not bad. The main thing we're worried about at this point is pneumonia. Have you had any --"
"I've had pneumonia before, Dr. Jenkins."
He smiled. "Well, then you know what to expect." He pulled a stethoscope out of his pocket. "Just a quick listen, okay?" He warmed the end and laid it on Mulder's chest, moving it after a few seconds in one spot. Finally he removed them from his ears. "Sounds pretty good for now. Let us know if you have any trouble breathing at all. Okay?"
Mulder nodded again.
"If your temp goes up much more, we'll have to do some more chest radiographs, just to be sure."
"But it's nothing to worry about right now?" asked Skinner.
Dr. Jenkins turned. "Not at this time. But we'll watch him carefully."
"So that means you don't have to call Scully yet, sir."
Dr. Jenkins chuckled. "Ah, Dr. Scully. I was wondering where she was."
"A.D. Skinner here managed to get her to go to the hotel and get some sleep," said Mulder.
"I'm impressed," said Jenkins.
Skinner blushed. "Well, I don't need two agents incapacitated."
"Don't forget to get some rest yourself, Mr. Skinner," said Jenkins. "I need to continue my rounds, but I'll check in on you later." He shut Mulder's chart and left the room.
"Has Scully been giving him a hard time?"
"You could say that."
Mulder lay back in the bed and smiled. "That's my Scully." Skinner settled back into the chair. "Sir, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Mulder. Do you need some more juice?"
"No. I need my laptop."
"Your computer?"
"Yeah. I want to get all this stuff in my head written down."
"Mulder, I don't think --"
"I'll be good. I won't get out of bed. I'll take my medicine. Please, just get my laptop."
Skinner sighed. "Okay. Byers is up next. I'll have him bring it over."
"Thanks, sir. For everything."
"You're quite welcome, Mulder. Now go back to sleep."
"Yes, sir." Mulder closed his eyes, rolled onto his side and went to sleep.
Skinner watched him for a moment, to make sure he was really sleeping, then slipped out into the hall to call Byers. When he returned to the room, he sank into the chair. He was exhausted. Soon, his soft snores joined Mulder's.
* * * *
Byers pushed the door to Mulder's room open and walked in. He shook Skinner's shoulder. Skinner woke up and rubbed his face. He sat for a moment, shook his head then nodded toward the door. Byers went out, and waited for him. Skinner pushed himself out of the chair and had to grab it when a wave of dizziness washed over him. He closed his eyes, and stood for a moment until it passed. He must have been more tired than he thought. But now that Byers was here, he could stretch out in a real bed for a while. He went to the door and saw Byers waiting patiently.
"How's he doing?"
"Pretty good. He's developed a low grade fever -"
"Does Scully know?"
"Not yet. The doctor seems to think it's nothing to worry about for the moment. And Mulder convinced me not to call her yet." He sighed. "I hope I don't regret that."
Byers laughed. "Me too." He looked closely at Skinner. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I always forget how exhausting sitting in a chair can be, when it's in a hospital."
"Well, I'll take over for now. I brought the laptop."
"I'm sure he'll ask for it as soon as he's awake again. Said something about wanting to get it all down. I guess he was talking about that Nazi story he started telling Scully."
"Amazing what the mind can come up with," said Byers.
"Especially Mulder's. Remember, I've been reading his case reports for several years now."
Byers smiled. "Go get some sleep, Mr. Skinner."
Skinner nodded and headed down the hall as Byers stepped into Mulder's room. Skinner looked at his watch. Midnight. He could still get a few hours of sleep in. He also intended to do a little looking around while he was here. After all, he was on vacation, and if he came back from Bermuda without a little sun and a couple of mementos, someone might question why he was really here. But he was so tired. He stepped into the lounge, intending to straighten his tie and put his coat on before leaving the hospital, but weariness took over and he stretched out on the couch. He was asleep in minutes.
* * * *
"Byers, give me the damn computer."
"Just let me make sure it won't interfere with any of your equipment --"
"It won't. I've been through this kind of stuff before."
"I don't know --"
"Byers --"
The door opened and the night nurse walked in. "Mr. Mulder, you should be asleep."
"I've been asleep all day."
"And you need the rest. Now what were you arguing about?"
Byers stepped in. "He wants to use his laptop to work on his, um, report."
The nurse looked at Mulder. "I was under the impression that Mr. Skinner was your boss. I'm sure he isn't expecting a report any time soon."
"Technically, he's not my boss at the moment. The 'report' is for me. I need to get some of this stuff rolling around in my head written down."
The nurse sighed. "Let me take your temperature. If it isn't any higher, you can work with your computer for, say half an hour."
"Forty-five minutes."
"This isn't a barter session, Mr. Mulder." She took his temp. "99.8 still. Okay. You've got thirty minutes. Then I'm coming back in here. I'll confiscate the computer if I have to."
"Thirty minutes is fine. Thank you," said Byers.
Nurse Cindy Christopher walked out of the room. She'd had a feeling this one was going to be obstinate. Something about those eyes. She walked down the hall, intending to get a cup of coffee. She stopped at the door to the lounge area used by family and friends of patients and saw another of the people here with Mr. Mulder, sleeping on the couch. Skinner was his name. Poor man must be exhausted. She shook her head and promised herself she'd check on him later.
Thirty minutes later, she stepped into Mulder's room again. Mulder was busily pecking at the keyboard. "Time's up, Mr. Mulder."
"Just let me finish this --"
"Save it now, or I'll unplug it."
Mulder stopped typing and looked up at her. "No need to get nasty." He looked slightly wounded by her harsh tone.
"Don't try that puppy dog look on me, mister. It won't work. Now save what you've done. That's all for now."
Mulder sighed, and saved what he had written. "I would have been finished in a few minutes."
"Well, you can work on it later." She held out her hands for the computer.
"Byers can hang on to it," said Mulder. "Um, there's some classified stuff on here that --"
"Yeah, right," said Cindy. She turned to Byers. "Can I trust you not to give this right back to him when I leave?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Okay," she said. "But I think I need a little insurance." She took out the battery pack and the power cord. "You can just get these at the nurse's station later, okay?"
Mulder glared. Byers snickered.
Cindy maintained her grim expression until the door was closed, then a big grin lit her face. This was going to be fun. She stowed the battery pack and cord in a bag and put Mulder's name on it, placing it in a prominent place on the desk. Then she remembered Mr. Skinner, and walked down the hall, grabbing a blanket on the way. She peeked into the lounge, and saw that he was still sleeping. She unfolded the blanket and carefully laid it over him. As her hand brushed his shoulder, she frowned. He felt very warm. She carefully laid her hand on his forehead. He was definitely too warm. She shook her head. Just what she needed. Sick relatives, or friends, or whatever. She took the thermometer out of her pocket, and took his temperature. 101.8. He was hotter than Mr. Mulder, so to speak. Well, he wasn't a patient, yet, so she'd just let him sleep for now, and let Dr. Scully take care of him when she came in.
End part 1/2
Subject: New story for the list 2/2 Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 16:12:28 EST From: FrankieH@aol.com To: smiley1958@earthlink.net CC: EMXC@aol.com
Hi again, And here's the second part of my post Triangle story called "Shapes of Life." Thanks a bunch! Frances Hayman
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Shapes of Life by Frances Hayman Part 2/2 Disclaimers and stuff in part 1
"Good morning, Dr. Scully," said Cindy.
"Good morning. How is Mulder?"
"He started running a low grade fever last night, but that irritating nature you warned us about has started to emerge."
Scully frowned. "How high is his temp?"
"A steady 99.8. But there's another problem."
"What?" asked Scully warily. She knew things had been going too smoothly.
"Mr. Skinner."
"Skinner? What about him?"
"He slept in the lounge last night. When I went to cover him with a blanket a few hours ago, I discovered that he's running a fever, too. 101.8. And that was, oh," she paused and looked at her watch, "about three hours ago."
Scully shook her head and closed her eyes. "Okay. I'll look in on Mulder first, then check on Skinner."
"Oh, you might want to take this to Mr. Mulder," said Cindy, holding out the bag with the computer battery and power cord.
Scully took the bag. "What's this?"
"Computer accessories. Seems, Mr. Mulder talked Mr. Byers into bringing his laptop to him last night. I let him have it for a while, but I thought I'd better make sure he got some rest."
Scully smiled. "Good thinking. Do you think you might like to move to DC? We could sure use you there to help manage Mulder during his frequent hospital stays."
"No thanks!! I moved here from New York several years ago. Except for hurricanes, this place is great!"
Scully shrugged. "It was worth a try." She took the bag and made her way to Mulder's room. He woke up as soon as the door squeaked. Byers did not.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad. They won't let me have my computer."
"So I heard." She held up the bag. "Need this?"
Mulder took the bag and looked inside. "Yes!"
Byers woke up at his exclamation. "Good morning, Agent Scully."
"Good morning, Byers. I believe you aided Mulder in doing some computer work last night?"
"Um, yes. But only for about 30 minutes. And that was because Mr. Skinner called and asked me to bring the computer when I came."
Scully frowned at Byers, then turned back to Mulder. "What was so important, Mulder?"
"I just needed to write down what happened. Try to get it straight in my mind."
"Did you?"
"Not quite. I didn't get finished last night before --"
"Nurse Cindy confiscated your batteries and cord."
"Yeah."
"Well, here they are. Knock yourself out. For a little while. I'll be back in a bit."
"Where are you going?"
"To check on Skinner."
"What?"
"Cindy said he spent the night on the couch in the lounge. And he's sick." She sighed. "I sure hope he's a better patient than you are."
Mulder snorted. "I wouldn't count on it."
Scully turned to Byers. "Did Skinner say anything to you last night?"
"No. Just that Mulder had a fever, but it was nothing to be concerned about." Byers paused. "But he did look pretty wiped out."
Scully nodded. "Okay. Can you stay here a little longer?"
"Sure."
"Just make sure he doesn't over do it," said Scully, pointing a finger at Mulder. "I'll be back as soon as I know what's going on with Skinner."
Scully made her way to the lounge where she saw Skinner sprawled on the couch, the blanket half on the floor. She knelt down beside him and laid her hand on his forehead. Cindy was right. He was definitely feverish, and his breathing sounded congested. She gently shook his shoulder. "Sir, wake up." Skinner barely stirred. She shook his shoulder harder. "Sir, it's Scully. You need to wake up now." Finally, Skinner took a breath and shook his head, then started coughing. He wiped a hand across his face then blinked a few times and looked at Scully.
"Scully, what time is it?"
"About 6:30am. Never made it to the hotel last night, I see."
He struggled and Scully helped him sit up. "No, I guess not. I was just going to sit down for a few minutes. I just got so tired all of a sudden."
"No wonder. You're running a pretty good fever."
"Fever? No, I'm just tired."
"Yes, fever. And I trust you don't always wake up coughing like that."
"Not usually. But really, I'm fine. If I can just find some coffee --"
"Sir, wait right here." Scully left and came back with a thermometer and a stethoscope.
"Scully, really --"
"Sir, with all due respect, be quiet. You're as bad as Mulder." He stopped talking and when Scully put the thermometer to his ear he didn't protest. She pulled it away after a few seconds and showed it to him. "See, fever. It's 102. Now, let me listen to your lungs."
Skinner hung his head for a moment, then nodded.
"Doesn't sound too bad." She patted his hand. "Let's get you down to the ER and get you checked out."
Skinner shook his head. "I'm sure it's just a cold or something, Scully. I'll go back to the hotel --"
"And I assume you got your medical degree at the same time as Mulder, sir?"
"Ah, no, I just --"
"That's what I thought. Humor me, please?"
"You're not going to give up, are you?"
"No, sir."
Skinner sighed. "All right. But I need to make a pit stop first."
Scully smiled. "Right." She stepped back to let him get up. When he wavered, she steadied him. "Can you make it okay? I could get a wheelchair --"
"No! I just need to get my balance." He straightened and walked to the door.
"Yeah." Scully followed him out and down the hall. When Skinner reached the men's restroom, she said, "I'll just wait right here for you."
Skinner threw a mild glare over his shoulder and went in. He took care of his more immediate needs first, then walked to the row of sinks. The man looking back at him from the mirror looked like shit. Warmed over. He shook his head and bent down to splash water on his face. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit and he barely made it to the toilet in time. He hadn't eaten much in the last day, but it felt like he threw up everything he'd even thought about eating for a week. He sunk to his knees to catch his breath. This, he really didn't need. He had come down here to help, and now he was going to be a hindrance at best.
"Sir, are you all right?" asked Scully through the slightly opened door.
"I'll be out in a minute," Skinner croaked.
"Are you sure --"
"I can make it on my own, Agent Scully. I'll be out in a minute!" Skinner immediately regretted the tone he had taken. He drug himself up, went back to the sink and cleaned up some, then made his way to the door.
"Sir? How long have you been nauseous?"
"Just now. I've got the flu, don't I?"
"Probably. But let's get you checked out and see."
* * * *
Mulder slumped back in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He was nearly done recording what had happened to him aboard the Queen Anne, and his head hurt. He knew it was because he was working on his computer without his glasses, and not the concussion. He hadn't thought to tell anyone to bring his glasses. Ah, well, maybe Scully could get them for him later. He closed his eyes, still holding on to the computer.
He heard voices like they were far away, maybe somebody in the hall, but he didn't care. Then he felt the computer being pulled out of his grasp. He quickly opened his eyes and sat up, making the room swim and waver in front of him.
"Easy, Mulder," said Scully. "It's just me. I didn't want you drop this."
"Scully," he wheezed, closing his eyes again.
She pushed him back onto the bed gently. "Lie still and let the dizziness pass, Mulder." He let himself be pushed back and let go of the computer. Scully cupped her hand on his cheek. He still felt warm, he was pale, and his breathing had a definite raspy sound. She shook her head. Just once it would be nice to get through a medical crisis without complications. After a moment, he opened his eyes. "Are you okay now? The dizziness gone?"
Mulder started to nod, then changed his mind. "Yeah." He looked around. "Where's Byers?"
"He's taking Skinner back to the hotel."
"So what's going on with him?"
"A pretty nasty case of the flu."
"Oh boy. I'll bet he's thrilled."
"Oh yeah. I just hope you don't get it on top of all this." The phone beside Mulder's bed rang, and Scully picked it up. "Scully." She paused and listened. "He did what?" Mulder looked at her, a question in his eyes. Scully raised her hand for him to wait just a moment. "Is it swelling?" Another pause. "And he's breaking out in red blotches, now? Yeah, you better bring him in to the ER. Call me when you get here. Okay?" She hung up the phone.
"What was that?"
"Langley went walking on the beach this morning and stepped on something he thinks was a jellyfish that had washed up. By the time he got back to the hotel his foot was starting to swell, and now he's breaking out in big red blotches."
"Way to go, Langley. Guess he knows now he's allergic to jellyfish."
"I guess." Scully sunk into the chair. "How long has your chest been hurting?"
"What? Since I woke up. Bruised ribs, remember?"
"No, I mean when you breathe. You act like you're struggling to get a good breath now, and you sound raspy."
Mulder hung his head. "It's not that bad, Scully."
"Why didn't you say something, Mulder? You're probably developing pneumonia." She got up and looked at her watch. Not quite 8am and already this was her third medical problem of the day. Now she remembered why she went into pathology. "I'm going to check with the nurses about getting you a chest radiograph --"
"Dr. Scully, good morning," said Dr. Jenkins, pushing open the door to Mulder's room.
"Dr. Jenkins, hello," said Scully. "I was just explaining to my partner here why he should tell someone when he's having trouble breathing."
Jenkins frowned. "I thought we discussed that last night, Mr. Mulder." He took out his stethoscope and listened, the frown deepening. He checked Mulder's temperature. "Not sounding too good, now. And your temp is up to 101. I'll order a chest radiograph, a CBC, and we'll get the pulse ox hooked back up. You'll probably be on oxygen shortly."
Mulder grimaced. "Not that thing under my nose. It always gets so raw and irritated."
"Not a new experience, I see," said Jenkins.
Scully snorted. "Hardly. Mulder's made enemies in hospitals across the United States."
"And a few foreign countries," added Mulder.
"I'm not sure I want to know all the sordid details," said Jenkins.
"You don't," said Mulder.
Jenkins turned to Scully. "I heard another of your party made an appearance in the ER this morning. Flu, wasn't it?"
Scully nodded. "A.D. Skinner's got a pretty bad case. He should be back at the hotel by now. I was just telling Mulder that I hoped he didn't get that on top of everything else."
"That would not be good," said Jenkins.
"And," sighed Scully, "Langley stepped on something on the beach this morning. Now his foot is swelling and he's breaking out in a rash. He's on his way to the ER."
Jenkins shook his head. "A jellyfish?"
"Probably."
"This group is determined to keep us busy." He paused and made some notes on Mulder's file. "Someone will be in to draw your blood and then take you to radiology. I'll check back when we have some results." Jenkins nodded to them both and left the room.
"Well, that should keep you busy while I check up on Langley," said Scully. "Promise me you'll try not to irritate the staff too much."
"I always try," said Mulder. "Now if you'll hand me my laptop, I'll finish up my little narrative before any vampires come in."
"What are you working on, anyway?"
"What happened to me."
"You mean that Nazi story you were telling me?"
"Yes."
"Mulder, you can't seriously think --"
"I know what I remember, Scully. Now, whether I traveled back in time, or I dreamed it, it's still a good story."
"Planning on selling the movie rights?"
"I don't know," said Mulder with a grin. "Maybe. If they give me control over who plays me."
Scully laughed. "Will you let me read it when you're done?"
"Um, maybe. I'll think about it."
"Why the reluctance? Something in there you don't want me to see?"
"No, not really."
The phone rang, interrupting them. Scully picked it up. "Scully." She listened. "Okay, okay, Frohike, I'll be right down." She hung up the phone and looked at Mulder. "There heeere." He laughed. "Are you going to be okay while I take care of this?"
"Sure, Scully. I'm a big boy. And I promise I'll try to behave."
* * * * *
"Take a deep breath and hold it."
Mulder took a breath and held it until he heard the big machine beep, then let out the breath in a bout of coughing that doubled him over. The x-ray tech came out from behind her shield.
"Easy, Mr. Mulder." She helped him sit back in the wheelchair. "Just take it easy and I'll have these developed in a few minutes."
She patted his shoulder, grabbed the film cassettes and left him alone. In the freezing cold room. He huddled in the wheelchair and shivered. Why radiology departments and ER's were always so cold had to be an X-File in itself. Now the morgue he could understand, but they were supposed to be taking care of living people here. At least he had managed to finish recording his experience before frostbite set in and he lost a couple of fingers. He should let Scully read it. But what would she think of herself as an OSS agent? What would she think about what had happened between them on the ship? Maybe he'd just delete that part. Or maybe not. He had meant what he had told her yesterday, that he loved her. He didn't know why it had slipped out then, maybe because he knew she'd write it off to the drugs and trauma. He shook his head. This was too much for his fuzzy brain to process at the moment. Now if that tech would just hurry up so he could get back to his nice warm bed, he'd be a happy man. At least for the moment.
* * * *
Scully eased the door to Mulder's room open, hoping not to disturb him if he were sleeping, but what she saw was an empty bed. She thought briefly of trying to track him down in radiology, but decided to just wait here. She sat in the chair, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Langley was on his way back to the hotel, full of antihistamines and covered in hydrocortisone cream. He'd probably sleep most of the day, if he was lucky. Skinner on the other hand, wasn't doing much sleeping at the moment, according to Byers. He'd spent the last hour or so in the bathroom, afraid to get too far away from the toilet. Scully shook her head. When it rains, it pours. She looked around the room, trying to locate a magazine or book to keep her occupied until Mulder returned, when she saw his laptop. She wondered if he had finished his story. He had seemed eager to tell her what he thought had happened yesterday, but today he had been a bit reluctant. She picked up the computer, and soon had the correct file opened.
"What am I doing?" she said aloud. Invading Mulder's privacy, that's what, she thought. But if it would give her a clue as to what was going on in that head of his -- after all, he did have a concussion, and a fever. If his writing wasn't coherent, it might clue them in to other possible complications. She knew she was rationalizing, but it did sound pretty good, so she settled in to read, just to check on Mulder's mental state and physical well-being. Yeah, right.
* * * * *
The orderly pushed a shivering Mulder back to his room. "Just a couple of minutes and we'll get you warmed up," said the tall black man in a lilting Jamaican accent. "It's a mystery to me why they send patients running around the hospital in nothing but these flimsy gowns. Can't be healthy."
Mulder huffed. "Tell me about it." When they entered the room, Scully got up from the chair, setting his laptop on the side table.
"There you are." She quickly noted his shivering and helped the orderly get him back into bed where he collapsed, breathing quick and shallow. She pulled the covers up and placed her hand on his cheek. "Oh, Mulder. Why is nothing ever easy for you?"
"You g-g-got me, Sc-c-cully."
"Try to relax."
"Yeah. I'll t-t-try." He looked over at his computer. "S-s-o. What d-d-did you think of my story?"
"An OSS agent, Mulder?"
He shrugged.
"Do you really believe any of that really happened?"
He sighed and grinned. "You know me, Sc-c-cully. Extreme p-p-possibility is my middle name. After all, we are talking the Bermuda Triangle here."
"Rips in the time-space continuum?"
"Something like that."
"And I, she, saved the world by turning the ship around?"
He nodded. "You believed me. At least enough to do something." He paused. "You're my one in five billion,Scully, in any time or dimension."
Scully hung her head a little. "But I hit you."
Mulder rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, you did. I probably deserved it."
Scully patted his hand. "Probably." She paused this time. "Was it a good kiss?"
Mulder smiled, and pulled the covers up a little higher. Before he could say anything, Dr. Jenkins walked in.
"Mr. Mulder, looks like you're going to be with us for a while. You've got pneumonia. The good news is it doesn't look too bad right now. We'll start you on some new meds to help with this problem."
"So, Doc, any idea when I'll be getting out of here?"
"Patience, Mr. Mulder. We'll see how you respond."
"Best case?"
"Hmm, well, three or four days. IF you cooperate."
"That long?" whined Mulder.
Scully laughed. "At least, Mulder. At least. Don't forget we've got a couple of other people to consider now, too."
"Well, Scully, just make sure Frohike and Byers don't get sick or hurt or anything. Okay?"
"I'll do my best, Mulder."
"Somebody will be in to start your new meds and give you a breathing treatment shortly. That should get things started. I'll check in later." Dr. Jenkins picked up Mulder's chart and left the room.
Mulder nodded and snuggled into his bed. The shivering had stopped now that he had warmed up, and he was getting very sleepy again. His eyelids drooped, and he felt Scully's cool hand on his forehead.
"Just rest, Mulder. I'll be right here."
And he knew that she would. As always. "My one in five billion." He sighed and went to sleep.
* * * * *
An uninhabited island somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle
The young Jamaican man stretched out on the sand. Thrown off the ship. He couldn't believe those German dogs had actually thrown him off the ship. Of course, now that he was out of the water, he really thought this place was better than any place controlled by those Nazi's. Where ever this place was. No matter. Somebody was bound to come across him sooner or later. And if they didn't, well, he could survive here.
He thought back on what had happened. That man that the sailors had pulled out of the sea had told a strange tale. He was crazy, for sure. How could anyone come from the future and end up in the water, then at the mercy of those Nazi pigs. How had he gotten there, and why? What was the FBI? If he ever got off this island, he might just have to look up one Mr. Mulder. What had they said his first name was? Oh, yeah, Fox. Boy, he was glad his momma hadn't landed him with a name like that. Samuel wasn't all that bad.
Samuel slowly rose to his feet and began walking along the beach. He stopped when he saw something orange bobbing in the waves just a few feet off shore. He waded in and as he got closer, saw that it was a box of some kind. He pulled it to shore and fiddled with the strange latches until he had it open. It contained packages with writing in English on them, some matches, first aid supplies, a sheet of shiny material folded tightly, a booklet, and various other items he couldn't identify.
"Survival," read Samuel from the front of the booklet. He was very glad that he had taken advantage of the opportunity to learn to read. He picked up one of the smaller packages and looked at the label. "Meals Ready to Eat, expiration 04/99." He wondered what that meant.
THE END
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