Note: Chief Seattle, real name Sealth, was Chief of the Suquamish tribe in the Pacific Northwest. The city of Seattle, Washington was named for him. He is most famous for his eloquent speeches and letters. There has been some discussion that he might not have written all of his own speeches. However, even if he was not the author, the words are as true today as they were in the 1800's. Be sure to check him out.
As always, thanks to Melissa for being my editor, and thanks to Michelle Hiley for some assistance with the culture and climate of England, especially Oxford. If I got anything wrong, blame me, not her. She tried her best to educate me. I am also grateful to Linda, even though I've never even had the pleasure of meeting her by e-mail. She's one of Michelle's friends and was kind enough to read over the story to check for Oxford errors. The assistance is greatly appreciated.
"Strands In The Web Of Life"
by Cathy Roberts
December 22, 1983 - Oxford, England
The laughter of the young men was boisterous as they made their way down the crowded street. With Christmas three days away, the majority of students had already left for break. But, a few remained, and amongst those remaining was an American, Fox Mulder. This was his first year at Oxford and he was just as enchanted with England now as he had been the day he arrived. He loved all of it -- from the dependable rains to the way he could feel the lifeblood of the entire island. Being here brought to life the words of a speech by Chief Seattle, "When the last red man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the white men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe...At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled and still love this beautiful land. The white man will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds."
If he stood still long enough, Mulder could feel the spirits around him. From the original inhabitants of the British Isles to all the invaders, he could feel them as they watched over their brethren. But, tonight was not a night for feeling the spirits of the dead. Tonight was going to be a night to party. He and his friends had studied hard and they were prepared to celebrate just as hard. Mulder still wasn't quite used to the fact that the pubs were open for lunch, but then closed until the evening. If he were back in the states, then he and his friends would be headed for a bar. But, he wasn't back home, he was in Oxford. So, they were on their way to a party at the flat of a friend of one of his classmates. There would be food, alcohol and fun, and afterward they would all head to the nearest pub to celebrate in style. And why not? It was Christmas, and with a few exceptions, all was right with the world.
Yet he found himself stopping on the sidewalk, an uneasy feeling welling up inside of him. And his feelings had never mislead him. Something was wrong. He stopped, not caring that his friends were now entering the pub without him. Looking around, he looked at the faces of the shoppers passing him, didn't see any sign that something was wrong. Still, that feeling persisted. Cocking his head to one side, he listened, and when the crowds thinned out, he took a few steps away from the pub. That was when he heard it. It was a small sound at first, but as he neared the alleyway, it became louder and more pronounced. It was the sound of someone crying. Stepping into the opening, he let his eyes become accustomed to the darkness there; then he saw the small figure crouched by the back wall. He slowly walked towards him, wondering why a child would be so unhappy this close to Christmas. Not everyone had the misfortunes of his life. And even more alarming to him was why in Hell the child was in a dark alley alone. Where was his family? Was he lost or hurt?
He squatted down by the child but refrained from touching him. He appeared, from what Mulder could see of him, to be about eleven or so. And from the uniform that he could see peeking out from the overcoat, a student at one of the local boarding schools. St. Anthony's, if his recollection of the colors was correct.
Finally the boy sniffed. "Go away," he sullenly said.
Mulder grinned as he recognized the American accent. "Hey, I'm far from home, too."
The boy looked up then, his eyes unreadable in the dark. "You're from America?"
"Yep. I'm from Martha's Vineyard. Do you know where that is?"
The boy nodded. "My family goes there every summer. My grandparents own a house there."
"Really? Maybe I know who they are. What are their names?"
"Robert and Millicent Carter."
Mulder nodded. He had heard of the Carter family. They arrived every June 15th, and left every August 31st. Their "house" was actually an estate, and quite a beautiful one at that. When they weren't on the Vineyard, they lived in Chicago. Mulder had even played with some of the Carter grandchildren over the summers, but it had been years since he had seen any of them. "I've played with some of your family, I think. It was a long time ago, but I remember playing with a boy named Doug."
The boy nodded. "He's my cousin."
"So, do you have a name?"
The boy nodded. "I'm not allowed to tell my name to strangers."
"Good advice. I'm Fox Mulder." When the boy simply looked at him, Mulder continued, "Shouldn't you be back at school getting ready to go home for Christmas?" Mulder wasn't sure what the schedules were for the private boarding schools, but it seemed reasonable to him that they wouldn't be too far off from the Oxford schedule. After all, school was school, no matter the grade.
"I'm not going home for Christmas. The other boys left a few days ago, and I was waiting to hear from my family. Then my father called today to tell me that I would have to stay here. I don't want to stay here. I hate it here." The boy's distress was clearly etched on his face and he angrily wiped away the new tears that were starting to flow. "I didn't ask to come here."
"I'm sorry. But, since you're supposed to be staying at the school over Christmas break, don't you think that they'll be missing you right about now?"
"I don't care. I'm going to London to find a way to get home."
"I see." Mulder nodded, wondering what he could possibly do to keep the boy from attempting that. "You have your passport then?"
The boy frowned. "No. It's back at school."
"Well, you can't leave the country without it."
"I know that. I'm not some dumb kid, you know," the boy snapped.
"I know. I didn't mean to say that you were. I think I should walk with you back to your school. Then you can get your passport and leave again." Mulder knew that he would never catch up to his friends, but right now partying with them didn't seem to have the same importance as getting the boy to someplace safe.
"You won't tell them that I'm running away?" the boy couldn't keep the skepticism out of his voice.
"No, I won't tell them. You can consider that to be my Christmas present to you." Mulder stood. "You go to St. Anthony's, right?"
The boy scrambled to his feet. "That's right."
They walked out of the alley and down the street. It was obvious that Mulder's friends had given up on him. He didn't really want to get drunk, so it wasn't much of a loss to him, he thought. As they came into the warm glow of a streetlight, Mulder took a look at his companion. The boy was tall and, despite the bulk of his overcoat, skinny. Dark hair under his cap and dark eyes as well. But, pale. So very pale. He obviously needed to get outside more.
There was an ache in Mulder's heart that had been there since the night his younger sister had disappeared. He had enjoyed being an older brother and having someone look up to him. Not that it stopped him from picking on Samantha. No way. That's what little sisters were put on Earth for, right? But, he had failed her that night. Left to watch her, he had lost her instead. His parents and the police had searched for her, but they never found any sign of Sam. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. And after that night, things had never been the same. His parents seemed to despise each other and Mulder was sure they both blamed him for Sam's disappearance. And why not? He blamed himself every day for not taking better care of her. And so it was that seeing this lonely boy, all alone in a foreign country, yet determined to get home, he had felt his big brother instinct kick in. He couldn't just leave the boy at the school. He knew that he would try to get to London on his own and he couldn't just stand by and let that happen. What if he disappeared before he got there? Or before he realized that he couldn't get home and decided to return to school on his own? No, he couldn't chance that. But he had promised that he wouldn't tell the school officials that the boy was planning to run away, so how could he stop him? This was going to require a lot of quick thinking on the walk. Maybe if he proved to the boy that he wasn't as alone as he felt then the boy would stay.
"So, you still haven't told me your name. You told me the names of your grandparents and I did play with your cousin, so I'm not exactly a stranger."
"John Carter."
"So, John, have you thought about how you're going to get to America once you get to London?"
"I can fly home to Chicago. That's how I got here."
"I see. You have the money for the ticket?"
"I have close to two hundred dollars in American money and over a hundred pounds British. I can buy a ticket."
"You just might be able to manage that," Mulder said, feeling even more worried. That could be enough money for a ticket. "If they'll sell a ticket to a child."
"I'm not a child. I'm twelve years old. Almost a teenager," the boy vehemently informed him.
"Sorry. I thought you were younger."
"Everyone thinks that. All the guys at school think I'm some kind of a baby because I miss home and want to go back. Most of them have been going to St. Anthony's for years, so they don't think anything of being here. I've never been at a boarding school."
"What made your parents decide to send you here? Were you doing badly in school?"
"I don't always do well on tests. They make me nervous. But, I still mange to get good grades."
"Then why here? Are they living here, too?"
"No," John sadly replied. "They're traveling. They decided that Barbara and I would be better off at a boarding school, so they sent us here. I think my grandfather went here when he was a boy."
"Barbara is your sister?"
"Yeah. She likes it here, but I don't get to see her much. She's over at Harewoods Academy for Girls. She's younger than me, so I guess it is easier for her."
"The young do tend to adjust more easily."
John stopped and looked up at him. "That wasn't what I meant."
"Sorry. What did you mean, then?"
"Bobby, our older brother, died back in the spring. He had leukemia and had been fighting it for a year or so. He died at home, which was what he wanted. Bobby is...was almost two years older than me, and I'm two years older than Barbara. So, she really didn't know him the way I did."
"You were close to him?"
John nodded. "Very close. Mom had a bad time of it when Bobby died, so Dad decided that he would take her on a trip. She seemed to be more herself once they got back, and Dad then said that they would do a lot of traveling. He didn't want us staying with our grandparents, so he sent us here. To get us out of the way."
"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way. The schools here have an excellent reputation, John. Your Dad just wants you and your sister to get a good education."
John shook his head. "They don't want us around. We get in the way. Bobby was Dad's favorite anyway." John shrugged, then continued to walk down the street.
Mulder followed John, easily falling into step with him once more. His heart ached even more for the boy, feeling as he did about his own sister. "My sister disappeared a long time ago. I was supposed to be watching her and she simply disappeared. She was never found. I think the police ended up declaring her officially dead."
"I'm sorry. Were you close to her?"
Mulder nodded. "Yeah, we were close. When bad things like that happen, some families end up falling apart. Mine did. You're lucky that your parents are still together."
"I guess. It would be nice to see them though. It isn't fair to lose my brother and then feel like I'm losing my parents, too."
Mulder couldn't deny that, so he kept silent. The pair was quiet as they walked the rest of the way to St. Anthony's, and as they reached the school grounds, Mulder was surprised to find that they were now on the outskirts of town. He hadn' realized they had walked that far and he began to worry once more about John. How long ago had it been when he left the building and walked to the center of town? Certainly long enough for the housemaster to have noticed his absence and called the police or even gone out looking for him on his own. As they neared one of the residences, John stopped again.
"Thanks. You don't have to wait around."
"I don't mind. You really shouldn't walk to the train station alone."
"I'll be right back."
Mulder watched John go into the house, then he sat on the steps to wait for his return. The cold from the stones seeped into his bones and he soon tired of sitting there. He checked his watch, wondering just how long it could take for John to go to his room to get something. After twenty minutes had passed, he decided it was time to take action. He jogged up the steps and rang the bell.
An attractive older woman answered the door and he introduced himself.
"I need to speak with the housemaster. Is he in?"
She nodded. "Mr. Blevins is watching television with the children. Please come in, Mr. Mulder." She held the door open for him, then closed it and led him to the recreation room. It wasn't difficult to spot Mr. Blevins in the room since he was the only other adult present. And it wasn't hard to see which of the five children there were boarders and which belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Blevins. So, from the look of things, besides John, there were two other boarders staying over Christmas. Mrs. Blevins introduced him to her husband.
"May we speak in private?" Mulder asked.
"Of course. Why don't we go into the kitchen? I promised hot chocolate to the children anyway."
Mulder followed the man into the cozy kitchen.
"I'm here to speak with you about John Carter."
"Has he done something wrong? If so, then it wasn't something he did today. He's been hiding out in his room since right after lunch, Mr. Mulder."
Mulder ignored the implication that John had been in trouble before. The important thing was making sure that he didn't get into trouble again. "I ran into him near the town center a short time ago. I walked back here with him and he came into the house while I waited outside. That was about twenty minutes ago."
Mr. Blevins sighed. "He knows he's not allowed to leave the house without permission. I don't know how he could have left. We keep the door locked. It's a question of safety for the boys."
"Well, when we got here, he walked right on inside."
Mr. Blevins frowned, then walked across the kitchen to open one of the cabinets. He pulled down a tin from the top shelf and opened it, then his frown deepened. "We keep a spare key in here in case of emergencies. It's missing. I would guess that John either heard Mrs. Blevins and I talking about it or saw one of us checking on the key. The boys are quite adept at finding our hiding places and we have to move the key several times during the term."
"Mr. Blevins, he was trying to run away. He's upset about not being able to go home for Christmas."
Mr. Blevins nodded. "I know. He tries his best to hide his feelings, but he doesn't always succeed. He does have family in town though, a sister boarding at Harewoods, so that should make it easier for him. I suppose he can't help it if he gets homesick. Still, that doesn't excuse him running off into town. It can be dangerous out there, Mr. Mulder, especially once it gets dark. We have very strict rules about when and where the boys can go, and they know they aren't to go off alone."
"I thought it was odd that he was alone in the middle of town. I didn't think he should be out alone, so I offered to walk back here with him so he could get his passport out of his room. I had to think of some way to buy time in order to talk him out of trying to go to London to get home."
Mr. Blevins nodded. "That you for taking the time to do that." He looked thoughtful, then asked, "Did he tell you that his passport was here?"
"Not exactly. I mentioned that he couldn't leave the country without it and he said it was at school. Why?"
"The passports are kept in a safe in the Headmaster's office. We would never let children hold on to their passports. They have a difficult enough time keeping track of their text books, I can't imagine what would happen if we let them hold onto something as important as a passport. Would you mind waiting here while I go up to check on John?"
"No. Please take your time. I'm as anxious as you are to know that he's all right."
Mulder leaned against the counter as he waited once more for someone to return. He could hear laughter coming from the other room, and it made him feel slightly homesick. But, for a home that had ceased to exist years ago. He was so caught up in his memories that he didn't know Mr. Blevins was back in the kitchen until the man spoke.
"John is not in his room. I'm afraid he tricked you, Mr. Mulder. I need to go look for him. You said he was headed for London?"
"Yes. I had assumed he would try to take the train, but he might be brave enough to try to catch a ride. I'd like to help you look for him, if that's all right?"
"That's fine. With two of us looking, we can cover a much larger area. Let me ring around to the other houses. I don't think that all of the teachers have left for their holiday yet, so they can help us look."
"Don't you think it would be better to call the police?"
Mr. Blevin's shook his head. "Not yet. If we can't find him within the hour, then I'll call. But, I would prefer to try to find him on our own first. The school doesn't like the publicity that can result from having to call in the police."
Mulder wanted to argue with the man, but didn't think he could convince him to change his mind. Besides, he did say that he would call if they couldn't find John in a short time.
A few minutes later, Mulder and Mr. Blevins headed out into the dark evening. Other men from the school were out looking for John, so Mulder felt confident that someone would find the boy. He just hoped it would be soon. It was only five in the evening, but it was totally dark outside, and it was beginning to rain. It reminded him too much of the many English murder mysteries he had read: a dark, cold and rainy night. A missing child. A body found in the woods. He shook his head, not wanting to think of all the awful things that could happen to John. He needed to be confident that John would be found. He would be cold and wet, but he would be found.
The two men split up, with Mulder headed away from the school and town. He hadn't gone far when he stopped, thinking that John wouldn't leave England without saying goodbye to his sister. Not the way that boy felt about his family. Luckily, Harewoods was also in this direction, so Mulder wouldn't have to retrace his steps. He was almost there when he saw John a short distance ahead of him. With a burst of speed, he ran up to the boy, easily stopping beside him and altering his stride to match John's.
John looked startled at first, but then he shrugged and kept walking.
"I'm not going back."
"Mr. Blevins and a lot of other people are out looking for you. You wouldn't want them to get soaking wet for nothing, would you?"
"I didn't ask them to look for me. I didn't tell them I was leaving." John glared up at Mulder. "That must have been you."
Mulder nodded. "I was worried about you. Despite the fact that you think you're old enough to make it home on your own, there are dangers out here, John. I can't just let you walk away and not try to stop you."
"I don't need you to be my father."
"I was thinking that maybe you needed me to be your friend," Mulder gently replied.
"You're a lot older than me. Why would you want to be my friend?"
Mulder shrugged. "I guess it's because I think we have a lot in common. And, we're both here, far from home."
"You like it here. I could tell that earlier by the way you spoke about how great the schools were. I don't like it here. I don't want to be here, and I'm not staying here."
"I can't let you go out on your own, John."
"You can't stop me."
The two faced each other down on the sidewalk, neither one willing to back down. Finally, Mulder sighed.
"I'm sorry about this." He reached out and grabbed John by the upper arm, determined to throw the boy over his shoulder if he had to. He had let his initial assessment of John's physique throw off his judgement. While the boy was tall and thin, he was not so thin as to be easily manhandled, and he quickly twisted out of Mulder's grasp. Then he took off running, not hesitating to cut through the yards.
"John," Mulder called, as he began to chase him. "Stop. I'm sorry. Stop."
Mulder knew he was in good shape, but he was surprised that John could out run him. Of course, John had the edge in that he could duck under branches and squirm his way through hedges that Mulder had to go around. Soon though, they were back on a road and Mulder knew they were headed toward the river. Beyond that, they would reach one of the main roads and John could just manage to catch a ride away from Oxford. As he approached the bridge, Mulder skidded to a stop. There was no sound or sign of John. The only things Mulder could hear were the steady rain and the river rushing by below him. Had John been fast enough to cross the bridge already? He didn't think so. He could have sworn he had spotted him just a few seconds earlier. He looked around, trying to think about where someone might hide. Inside, he was fighting back the panic that screamed at him, telling him he had lost John the same way he had lost Samantha so very long ago. No, he shook his head. He would find John.
A splash and a cry caught his attention and he suddenly knew that John had tried to hide under the bridge. Rushing to the side, he looked down, grateful that there were street lamps lining the path that ran parallel to the river as well as lights on the bridge. With their light, he was able to see John struggling in the cold water.
"Hang on," he shouted as he ran back to the bank. Slipping off his shoes and coat, he slid down the slope to the river, then jumped in. The icy water stung his skin, even through his clothes, but he pushed aside all awareness of his discomfort. He had to reach John, and he had to reach him quickly. He could see the dark head bobbing under and knew that John's heavy wool coat was pulling him down. Finally though, he stretched out his arm and his hand grabbed the material. Pulling with all his might, he pulled John around until his face was out of the water, then headed back for shore. By some miracle, Blevins and another man were waiting there, and Blevins took John from him while the other man helped him get out of the water. John's lips were blue and his skin was cold, but he was breathing.
"We've got to get him warm. Jennings, call for an ambulance," Blevins said as he stripped John's sodden coat from his body, then began to peel away his uniform. Once that was done, he removed his raincoat and jacket, wrapping John in the jacket first, then in the raincoat. "It's a good thing Jennings and I thought to head for Harewoods to look for John. We saw you running and I assumed you were chasing the boy." He gave Mulder a careful look over. "I think you should get out of those wet clothes, Mr. Mulder."
Mulder nodded, then shivered as he pulled off his soaked clothes and quickly donned his overcoat. When Jennings returned, he offered his raincoat to Mulder, who gratefully accepted it with shaking hands, knowing the added material would help get him warm. He didn't like the fact that John wasn't shaking. That couldn't be a good sign. After what felt like an eternity, the ambulancemen arrived, taking both of them in hand, then to the hospital, where they were separated for treatment.
Hours later, Mulder was once more warmly dressed, courtesy of the Blevins family.
"My clothes are a bit large for you, but they'll do until you can get home to change," Blevins remarked.
"Thank you. All I want to do is go home and crawl into bed."
"Would you like to visit John before you leave? He's been asking to see you."
Mulder nodded. He had earlier asked about the boy and had been relieved to find out that he would be fine. He was being kept overnight as a precaution, but his lungs were clear. Aside from being cold and embarrassed, John was fine. He followed Blevins to John's room. Pausing in the doorway, he watched the two children in the room. The girl was obviously John's sister, and she was fussing over him. As for John, he looked very pale and small against the starched white sheets. John looked up, then smiled as he saw him.
"Please come in. Barbara, this is Fox Mulder. He saved my life."
The young girl smiled up at Mulder, unshed tears in her eyes. Mulder knew that despite her age, she had to be upset over the fact that she had almost lost another brother tonight. "Thank you so much, Mr. Mulder," she said. "I don't know what I'd do without Johnny."
"It was nothing. I like going for swims in icy cold rivers during rainstorms. It's a hobby of mine." He gave her his best smile and was gratified to see the sadness leave her eyes.
"Barbara, I think that Mrs. Bailey is ready to go back to the school. I'll take you to her," Blevins said.
"Yes, sir." Barbara climbed onto the bed to give John a big hug, then she followed Blevins out.
"Thank you," John said. "I'm glad you were there to pull me out."
"Hell, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have fallen into the river in the first place. You were trying to hide from me, right?"
John nodded. "I didn't realize how muddy it was and I slipped. But it wasn't your fault. I was the one trying to run away. That was dumb."
"Not so dumb. You want to be home. There's nothing dumb about that, John. Since we're both here over the holidays, why don't we take a day trip to London? Maybe the day after Christmas? How does that sound to you?"
"I'd like that, but I don't think that Mr. Blevins will let me go anywhere now. Even if I hadn't tried to run away, they have strict rules about who we go off with."
"Well, we'll see how things are once they release you tomorrow, okay? Maybe Mr. Blevins will allow you to have visitors."
John nodded. "Okay."
"Well, I had better get going. I'm sure that Mr. Blevins will want his clothes back first thing in the morning, so I need to get home and get them washed. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sure."
Mulder was almost out the door when John spoke again.
"Mr. Mulder?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad I met you, even if I did make you take a swim in icy cold water in the middle of a rainstorm."
Mulder grinned. "I'm glad, too, kid." And he knew that he really meant it. "By the way, most people just call me Mulder."
John smiled. "I'll try to remember that."
***********************************
County General Hospital, December 22, 1999
John Carter picked up the chart and read over it carefully, wanting the latest vitals to be good. As a doctor, he knew that the gunshot victim was not out of the woods yet, but that Benton and Corday had done the best job possible to make sure that he lived. Right now, the life of Fox Mulder was in the hands of God and not in his. He returned the chart to the box at the foot of the bed, then settled into the chair, looking carefully at his old friend. How long had it been since he had last seen Mulder? Ages. He remembered the night they met. He had been feeling sorry for himself because his parents weren't going to be home for Christmas and didn't see any reason why he and Barbara should travel from England to Chicago. Determined to run away, despite Mulder's worries about the dangers, he had instead found himself drowning in the river. Luckily, Mulder had been there to save him. And he was there the rest of the school term as well, and the one after that. He had been like a big brother to him, there to listen when he needed to talk. There to just walk when he didn't want to talk, but didn't want to be alone either.
"How's he doing?"
John looked up at Elizabeth Corday and shook his head. "No change. Is his partner still waiting?"
Elizabeth nodded. "She's also a doctor, so she knows the odds right now. A real trooper. It's a good thing for him that she was there to do emergency first aid on him. I don't think he would have lasted until the paramedics arrived."
John nodded, then turned his attention back to Mulder. He couldn't die. There were too many things he just now realized that he needed to say to him.
"You said he was a friend of yours?"
"Yeah. We met back when I was in boarding school in Oxford."
"As in Oxford, England?" She grinned as he nodded. "You never mentioned that you lived in England."
"It was only for two years. I don't know what possessed my parents to send us there, but they did. Later they decided that my sister and I would be better off going to a boarding school here."
"He doesn't look young enough to have been at boarding school with you."
"He was at the University. He saved my life. God, it was sixteen years ago tonight. I slipped and ended up in the river and he jumped in after me. If he had been slower, or not been there at all, then I wouldn't be here right now."
Elizabeth nodded, then quoted, "Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
"Chief Seattle supposedly said that."
"I've been reading up a lot recently about Native Americans. Even if Chief Seattle didn't say that, it's true. If he hadn't saved your life sixteen years ago, then you wouldn't have been here tonight to save his."
"I guess you could look at it that way. I didn't do anything special, just what I normally do."
Elizabeth shook her head. "You really don't know how good you are, do you? Mark and Luka were ready to give up on this man, but you refused to let him die. You saved him, John."
"You and Benton saved him in the O.R. All I did was get him stabilized for surgery."
"I'd say he owes more to you than he does to us. I promised to keep his partner updated on how he's doing. Would you like to come with me?"
John nodded. He had not caught more than a glimpse of the petite red-head who had accompanied Mulder into the E.R. and he was interested in finding out if she was also Mulder's friend.
"Hang in there, Mulder. I'll be right back."
John ended up spending nearly an hour with Dana Scully. After sharing many stories about Mulder, he finally convinced her to return to her motel to get some sleep, promising to call her immediately if Mulder's condition worsened.
Returning to the I.C.U., John took up his silent vigil once more. This time his patience was rewarded when Mulder opened his eyes and began to look around the room. He looked up at him, his expression unreadable, but he made it plain by the way his hands reached for the tube that he wanted to be extubated. John quickly obliged him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit. What happened?" Mulder's voice was raspy, but audible.
"You were shot at point blank range from behind. Luckily for you, your partner was nearby and she immediately called 911 and did all she could to keep you alive until help arrived. She'll be relieved to know that you're awake."
"Is Scully here?"
"I sent her back to the motel to sleep. She'll be here first thing in the morning."
Mulder squinted up at him. "I know you."
John grinned. "Yeah, you know me. We first met sixteen years ago in Oxford."
Mulder weakly smiled. You've grown up, John Carter. You kept saying you were going to be a doctor one day. I'm glad to see that you made it."
"Yeah. Well, you need to rest now. You'll be here for at least a week, so we'll have plenty of time to catch up with each other."
When Mulder opened his eyes again, Scully was seated by his side. She smiled when she saw him awake.
"That was a close call, Mulder."
"Believe me, I know. Any idea who shot me?"
"Not yet. We're working on it though. Skinner is determined to leave no stone unturned."
"This is not where I was last night," Mulder said as he looked around. He knew that he had not been in a regular room before.
"Last night was two nights ago, Mulder. It's Christmas Eve."
"Oh well, I never really liked Christmas that much anyway."
"Really? That's not what John tells me."
Mulder pressed the buttons on the side of the bed until he was sitting up. It was much nicer to try to talk to Scully from that angle. "Am I allowed water?"
"Sure." She poured him a cup, then helped him take a few sips.
"So, just what has John been telling you about me?"
"Just that you were the greatest friend a lonely and scared boy could have."
"Well, for a kid, John wasn't too bad as a friend either."
"Especially not the other night. He saved your life, Mulder. You had lost a lot of blood. Too much, really. The other doctors were ready to declare you dead. He wasn't. He brought you back."
Mulder slowly smiled. "I guess it's true then that what goes around, comes around."
"He told me that you saved his life. From what I've heard from the other doctors and the nurses, the night you saved John Carter, you saved a Hell of a lot of other people."
"So maybe him saving my life now will be a good thing, too? I think that trying to save mankind is a good thing, don't you?"
"A very good thing. If you can just live long enough to do it."
"I'm doing my best."
She shook her head. "Right. Hold that thought while I let them know you're awake again."
When the door to his room opened, Mulder was expecting it to be Scully returning. But he was pleasantly surprised to see John Carter coming to visit him.
"Dana said you were awake. How do you feel?"
"I've been better. I hear I should thank you for saving my life this time around," Mulder grinned.
"It was the least I could do. You know, when I was waiting for you to wake up in the I.C.U., I kept thinking about all these things I wanted to say to you. I wanted to thank you for being my friend when I needed one the most. You kept telling me to never give up on my dreams."
"Good advice to give. It wasn't so easy for me to follow though. I've gotten better at it over the years."
John grinned. "Me, too. I've let some dreams slip by, but I think I've managed to hold onto the important ones."
"I think I've managed that much as well. You know, I should be thanking you, too. After Samantha disappeared, I thought that I was a failure as a brother. Not good enough to keep anyone safe. You helped me to see that I wasn't a total failure. You listened to my advice."
"I think that maybe we were what each of us needed at that time."
"Yeah." Mulder agreed. He suddenly yawned. "Sorry."
John smiled. "I'll let you get some sleep. The more you rest, the sooner you'll be out of here. Dana did mention that you don't like hospitals too much."
"I think she was making an understatement. I hate them. They're fine for other people, but not me."
"Well, we'll do everything we can to get you out of here as soon as possible. Despite the fact that you had to get shot in order to end up in here, it was nice to see you again."
"Same here. We should make an effort to keep in touch from now on."
"Yeah," John agreed, telling himself that since he now had an address for Mulder, he would do just that.
Mulder watched John leave the room, thinking that he wouldn't let this friendship slip through his hands again. He didn't have many friends, and he was beginning to realize that he needed one. Besides, it would be interesting to see if fate would have them save each other again. There was still a connection between them, Mulder could feel that much, despite the pain medication he was taking. He fell asleep, knowing that the night he made the decision to not go into a pub was one he would never regret.