Could It Be?

First runner up winner Short Scene Contest #2

EXT: Rolling Acres Psychiatric Hospital

Mulder gets out of his car. He is holding a piece of paper that was shoved underneath his apartment door an hour earlier. Written on the paper are the following words: Rolling Acres Psychiatric Hospital, Room 315, Samantha. He enters the large medical facility. In the bottom of the scene are the following words:

Rolling Acres Psychiatric Hospital
4:48 P.M.

INT: Third floor nurse’s station

Mulder waits at the empty nurse’s station, drumming his index fingers on the counter. He stops when he sees a doctor approach the nurse’s station. He is flipping through a patient’s record. The doctor closes the record when he sees Mulder.

MULDER: (flashing his badge and talking in professional manner) Special Agent Fox Mulder. You are…

DR. RICHARDSON: (after looking at his badge) Dr. Thomas Richardson. (Mulder puts away his badge.) How can I help you?

MULDER: I’m here to check on a Jane Doe in room 315. I believe she is a missing person we have been looking for. What was her condition when she was brought in?

DR. RICHARDSON: She’s under my care. Let me see here. (flips through record) She wasn’t brought in. Yesterday afternoon, an orderly found her in our parking lot and brought her in. She was disoriented and incoherent. Please, let’s talk while we go to her room. (Dr. Richardson leads Mulder down the hallway.)

INT: Third floor hallway

Mulder is walking on the right side of Dr. Richardson. Mulder glances at the rooms they pass as they talk.

DR. RICHARDSON: As I was saying, she was incoherent. The only word we could understand was the word “fox”. (Mulder looks away from the doctor and has a small hopeful smile on his face.) She hasn’t been responsive since then. (Mulder stops dead in his tracks and pretends to tie his shoe to hide the disappointment in his face.)

Dr. Richardson takes a few steps and sees that Mulder isn’t next to him. He turns around and he sees Mulder tying his shoe. Mulder finishes and catches up with him. They continue down the hallway.

MULDER: (in a concerned voice) What do you mean unresponsive?

DR. RICHARDSON: After an hour, she stopped talking and responding to external stimuli. She’s been like that ever since. (They stop outside room 315.) Here’s her room.

The doctor pushes the door open and both enter.

INT: Samantha’s hospital room

Mulder sees a young woman with curly hair lying in a hospital bed on the right side of the room. She is looking upward and doesn’t respond to the presence of Mulder and Dr. Richardson. Sunlight filters through the window on the left side of the room illuminating the room and the woman in a gentle yellow glow. Mulder walks to the bed and kneels down next to the woman studying her face. His back is toward Dr. Richardson, who is standing near the door.

DR. RICHARDSON: Is she the missing person you are looking for? Do you know who she is?

MULDER: (standing up and turning around) Yes, her name is Samantha Mulder, my sister.

Dr. Richardson is shocked, but a smile immediately crosses his face. He leaves Mulder with Samantha. Mulder pulls up a chair to Samantha’s bed.

MULDER: (holding Sam’s right hand and gently moving her hand around his face) Sam, it’s me, Fox. I can’t believe I’ve finally found you after all this time. (Tears start to flow down face. Still holding her hand, he places their hands on the bed.) I know that you can’t respond to me, but I know that you can hear me. (He moves a stray curl from her face with his left hand.) Sam, I have so many things to tell you. More good than bad. Don’t worry, you’ll get better soon. I’ll bring mom and dad to see you. I love you.

Mulder cries on their hands for a few minutes. After composing himself, he tells her about the good times: growing up; their parents, relatives and friends and his career in FBI, especially working on the X-Files with Scully. Mulder tells Samantha that her abduction is the reason for his quest for the truth. Samantha continues to stare upward and doesn’t acknowledge his presence. He stalls for the time to tell her about the bad times. Finally, he tells her.

MULDER: (sighing with resignation) Sam, I have to tell you… something terrible. I can’t lie to you anymore. Dad’s gone … a few years ago. (He pauses for a few seconds.) He died because of me. (angrily) It’s all my damn fault. My quest to find the truth. All of it. I’m so sorry, Sam. I’m so… sorry… (Mulder starts to cry softly and puts his head on her hand.)

Mulder hears a knock on the door and hears it open.

NURSE #1: (politely) I’m sorry, sir, but visiting hours are over. You have to leave now.

MULDER: (lifting his head and answering in detached, professional voice) Thank you, ma’am. Can I have a few minutes? I’ll be right out.

NURSE #1: A few minutes, but no more. (Nurse leaves.)

MULDER: (looking at Samantha) I have to go now, Sam. I’ll be back tomorrow. (Mulder sees a single teardrop slowly falling down her right cheek. Smiling, he looks upward.) Thank you. (He stands up and gives her long kiss on her forehead.) I love you, Sam and I know you love me. Goodbye, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. (Mulder smiles, wipes the tears from his eyes and quietly leaves.)

INT: Third floor nurse’s station

In the bottom left corner are the following words:

Rolling Acres Psychiatric Hospital
9:23 P.M.

Mulder and Scully walk up the nurse’s station. There is a female nurse on duty. Mulder stands on the left side and Scully on the right side.

MULDER: (professional voice) Special Agents Fox Mulder (both of them flash their badges) and (pointing to Scully) Dana Scully. We are here to see the Jane Doe in room 315. We believe that she is a missing person. (They both put away their badges.)

SCULLY: (professional voice) I am also a medical doctor. We are here to draw blood from the woman we believe to be Samantha Mulder, Agent Mulder’s sister (pointing to Mulder). We’ll send the blood to the FBI lab for a PCR test to confirm her identity.

NURSE #2: (surprise in her voice) I’m sorry agents, but that’s impossible.

MULDER: (in an angry voice) Why? Why IS it impossible? (He slams his palms on the countertop.)

SCULLY: (in a calm voice and grabbing his right arm) Mulder, let her talk. (looking at the nurse) Why is impossible? (A furious Mulder lets go of the counter and puts his hands up. He walks a couple of feet away.)

NURSE #2: Her father and her doctor checked her out no more than ten minutes ago. (Mulder’s face instantly changes to terror. Mulder runs down the hall.)

MULDER: (screaming as he runs down the hall) No! Samantha! No! (The nurse stares at Mulder.)

SCULLY: (barking orders and pointing at the nurse) Their father is dead. Call security now! Tell them to sweep the hospital grounds and detain them. Do it now! (Scully takes off after Mulder as the nurse calls security.)

INT: Samantha’s hospital room

Scully stands in the doorway of Samantha’s room. The shades are drawn closed. In the darkness, she sees Mulder kneeling next to the unmade bed, crying softly. She walks to him and puts her right hand gently on Mulder’s left shoulder. He doesn’t turn around. Mulder reaches up with his right hand and places it on top of hers.

SCULLY: (comforting voice) Mulder, we’ll find her. They can’t have gone far. I’ll be at the nurse’s station.

MULDER: (voice breaking) Thank you,… Scully. (He lets go of her hand, but doesn’t turn around.)

Scully lets go of Mulder’s shoulder. She turns and leaves the door wide open. She looks back at him one more time with a sad face. She walks back to the nurse’s station.

INT: Third floor nurse’s station

SCULLY: (detached voice) I would like to see her medical records, the surveillance tapes and talk to the physician in charge of her care – a Doctor Thomas Richardson.

NURSE #2: (nervously) Her doctor and the man calling himself her father were adamant that I turn over all her records. It was either the records or my job, so I gave it to them. I’m sorry, but security doesn’t have any surveillance tapes because the equipment has been down all morning. I don’t know how to say this… (pauses for a second) but there is no doctor on staff here with that name and I’ve been here for twenty years.

SCULLY: (in a shocked voice) Are you sure Dr. Thomas Richardson is not on staff here? (The nurse nods yes.)

The sound of a single gunshot and shattering glass echoes through the hallway. Scully draws her gun and runs to Samantha’s room. Through the open door, she sees Mulder sitting on the edge of the bed holding his gun on top of his right leg. Sunlight is streaming into the room through the broken window bathing the room in its glow. Scully carefully walks to the window avoiding the broken glass. She cautiously peeks out, but sees nothing suspicious. She looks down and sees an empty pack of Morleys with a bullet hole in the center.

MULDER: (jovially) Did I hit the bullseye?

SCULLY: (slightly smiling as she looks at Mulder) Yeah, Mulder, dead center. (sighing) Mulder, Samantha’s gone. Her records. There are no surveillance tapes. There is no one named Dr. Thomas Richardson on staff here. All evidence of her existence is gone.

She puts her gun back into the holster and slowly walks to the bed and sits to the right of Mulder.

MULDER: (wearily) Here, I’m done with target practice. (turns to the right and gives his gun to Scully) Sam’s not gone. She’s always safe here. (Mulder puts his right hand over his heart. Scully gives Mulder a big smile.)

Mulder, still holding his hand over his heart, turns and stares at the window again. Scully puts her left arm on his shoulder and looks outside.

THE END

Cloneme
Keeper of Mulder's stiletto weapon
Keeper of Scully’s black and white suit
Keeper of Mulder’s hypno-regression tapes
Keeper of the "Ice" worm

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