Title: Identity. Crisis. Part Two (2/2) ‘Fox, it’s getting late. Get ready for bed. Do you need help with anything?’ Fox shook his head and got up. ‘Okay, let’s get you into bed.’ Skinner pulled back the bedclothes and Fox climbed in. Tucking the bedclothes around Fox, Skinner leaned across. Fox’s arms circled his neck, almost pulling him off-balance. ‘Goodnight.’ Lifting himself up, Skinner ruffled Fox’s spiky hair. ‘Night Fox. Sleep well.’ ************** Exhausted, Skinner was asleep only seconds after his head hit the pillow. ‘I’m Walter Skinner.’ Skinner held up his ID and looked around. ‘I’m looking for Fox Mulder.’ The receptionist skimmed the list of names on the screen in front of her. ‘He’s in surgery right now Mr Skinner. Wait here and I’ll find someone to come talk to you.’ ‘Mr Skinner? I’m Dr Wallace. Are you family?’ ‘No Fox doesn’t have any family. I’m his boss.’ ‘Okay. Well, he was in an accident. A garbage truck hit his car. There was…he suffered severe head trauma. Surgeons are operating now. He’s very badly injured. If you’d like to leave a number, we’ll call you when he’s out of surgery.’ ‘I’ll wait.’ ‘It’s gonna be…several hours.’ ‘I’ll wait!’ ‘Sure. I’ll come find you as soon as I know anything.’ ‘Thanks.’ ‘Sir?’ Skinner looked up from where he was sitting. ‘Agent Scully.’ ‘I bought you some coffee. Do we know how Mulder is?’ ‘He’s in surgery.’ ‘I’ll be back in just a second.’ Using her medical credentials as Skinner had used his FBI ID, Dana managed to get a much more detailed picture of Mulder’s injuries. ‘What are his chances of a full recovery?’ The doctor shrugged. ‘Short of a miracle? Zero. Head trauma that severe, he’ll be lucky to wake up.’ Skinner and Scully stayed at the hospital, desperate for some news. Just after seven pm, a man in theatre greens approached them. ‘You here about Fox Mulder?’ Skinner looked up. ‘Yes.’ ‘Well, he made it through the surgery. But with a head trauma that severe, I would be lying if I said everything’s gonna be okay. He’ll be lucky to walk and talk.’ Scully asked: ‘Can we see him?’ ‘He’ll be moved to a room in a little while. You can see him then.’ Skinner hated hospitals. Ever since Sharon… The smell, the professional detachment of the staff. He forced himself to follow Scully down the corridor after the nurse. Fox was lying in a bed attached to and surrounded by a mass of monitoring equipment. With the dressings covering much of his body, he was barely recognisable. ‘He can hear what you say. Be careful.’ The nurse left them to it, moving to another bed. ‘Fox, it’s Scully. Don’t try to move. Just lay still.’ Scully’s hand reached gently for Fox’s hand, carefully resting in the scraped and bruised palm. ‘Skinner’s here too.’ Suddenly, Scully realised that Skinner was standing in the doorway, nervously fiddling with his tie. ‘Sir, you wanna stay with Mulder while I have a talk with the doctor?’ Skinner crossed slowly to the bed and stood at the side. Keeping his voice low, he said firmly: ‘Fox, I know you can hear me. You’re gonna get through this, you hear?’ He reached down and grasped Mulder’s unresponsive hand. ‘It’s gonna be okay Fox. Don’t be scared. I’m here.’ **************** Skinner woke suddenly, heart racing, throat dry. He’d deliberately left the doors between the two bedrooms open and he could hear Fox’s desperate shouts. ‘Help!’ He ran into Fox’s room and flicked the light on. The phone, radio and light were on the floor, their long cords gripped tightly in Fox’s trembling fist. ‘Fox, what’s the matter?’ ‘No button. No button!’ ‘It’s all right Fox. I’m here now. What do you want?’ ‘Bathroom.’ ‘Okay, come on.’ Skinner helped Fox out of bed and opened the bathroom door for him. ‘Can you manage okay?’ Fox scowled. ‘Yes.’ Skinner smiled at the rare display of Fox-like petulance. As the door closed, he realised just how much he had missed it. ************* Skinner kept his eyes closed, enjoying the feel of Fox’s hand on his bare chest, the gentle fingers softly exploring his chest hair. His eyes snapped open as several hairs were pulled sharply. ‘Ow!’ Fox’s hand was snatched away and tears formed in his shocked eyes. Skinner sighed, fully awake. ‘It’s all right Fox.’ Moving his hand across his own, almost hairless, upper chest, Fox asked: ‘Why?’ Skinner frowned. He guessed Fox wasn’t going to be interested in a lecture in genetics. ‘I don’t know Fox. Some men do, some don’t.’ Fox’s hand returned cautiously to Skinner’s own thick salt-and-pepper covering. After a few seconds, his fingertip brushed Skinner’s nipple. Which responded to the contact. Suddenly self-conscious, Skinner said gently: ‘Breakfast time Fox.’ As they ate, Skinner remembered how, in the small hours of the morning, lying awake in his bed Fox had continued to panic that he didn’t have a call button in his room. Wanting some sleep, Skinner had taken him into his own. ************* ‘We’re gonna go do some shopping Fox. Get your coat on.’ Outside. They were going outside. Fox wasn’t sure, and backed away. ‘While we’re out, I’ll buy you a present.’ Present. Okay. Worth going outside for. Probably. ‘Hey Fox. It’s been a while. How are you?’ Skinner made sure to only take Fox into a couple of shops, both of whom he’d already told about Fox’s accident. Mr Lowski who ran the convenience store at the end of the block smiled as he saw the two men walk into his shop. ‘Hi Eli. Fox, say hello.’ ‘Present.’ Eli Lowski smiled indulgently. ‘Sure Fox, what would you like?’ While Skinner filled a basket with essentials, the store owner steered the young man across the store to the toys and games. Fox pointed. ‘That.’ ‘Okay, go give it to Walter.’ Eli lifted the large box from the floor and handed it to Fox. ‘Thank you.’ ‘You are welcome. So, are you home to stay or just a visit?’ ‘Just the weekend.’ Walter called across. ‘Ducks.’ Guessing, Eli ventured: ‘You’re gonna feed the ducks?’ Fox nodded. ‘My Joshua always liked to feed the ducks. My papa took me, and I took Joshua. Now little Ethan goes with him.’ He smiled, reminiscing. ‘Such memories.’ For Fox, who had neither memories, nor any idea what the man had been talking about, this was too much, and he walked across to Walter. Skinner frowned. ‘What is that?’ Unpacking the basket as he stood behind the cash register, Eli said: ‘It’s soap crayons. You get in the bath and draw on yourself.’ Skinner’s eyebrows raised. ‘I think Fox is a little old for bath toys.’ Eli shrugged. ‘Maybe not.’ Both men watched as Fox wandered around the store, occasionally touching the displays. Skinner put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. ‘Okay, I give in. Come on Fox, let’s get going. We have some other stuff to pick up. Bye Eli.’ ‘Bye Walter. Bye Fox. Nice to see you.’ Pleased with his present, which he held in a brown paper bag, Fox smiled. ‘Bye.’ ************ ‘Soap.’ ‘Yeah Fox, this is soap.’ Fox frowned, shaking his head. ‘No.’ ‘Fox, it’s the same soap you’ve always had.’ Desperately, Fox tried to think of the word. ‘Crayon.’ Jack smiled. ‘You can’t have crayons in the shower Fox. Now you shower and press the button when you’re done, okay.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Why what Fox?’ ‘Here.’ Fox’s hand lifted his t-shirt and he looked down at his chest. His fingers scraped across his nipple and he stared at his body’s instinctive reaction. With his back to Fox as he picked up the clothes Fox had discarded, Jack had no idea what Fox meant. And he was late for the weekly staff meeting. ‘Walter’ll be here soon. Ask Walter, okay.’ ‘Stroke hair.’ ‘He doesn’t have that much hair to stroke Fox, but I guess he’ll let you if you ask.’ ‘Hair. Here.’ Jack turned. ‘Fox, did you stroke Walter’s hair? Here.’ Jack put his hand to his chest. Fox nodded. ‘Bed.’ Uneasily, Jack asked: ‘You were in your bed?’ ‘No button.’ With no idea what Fox was talking about, Jack ruffled his hair. ‘Okay Fox, I’ll see you later.’ The familiar touch on his head triggered something in Fox’s memory. ‘Touch. Ow!’ Jack stopped in the doorway. ‘Fox, did Walter hurt you?’ Confused, Fox looked around the room. ‘No button.’ ‘It’s all right Fox. You’re safe now. Rest up before visiting, okay?’ Slowly, Fox laid back against the pillows. ‘Okay.’ Jack almost ran to the meeting. ‘Rachael, I need to speak to you. In private. Now!’ ‘Okay Jack. Calm down. What is it?’ ‘I think Walter Skinner touched Fox inappropriately.’ ‘Jack, they lived together. What you and I would think of as inappropriate was okay with them.’ ‘Not any more. And Fox said he hurt him.’ Rachael looked at the nurse, eyebrows raised. ‘Fox said that?’ ‘Pretty much. I know him pretty well. And I think something happened.’ ‘Intercept Mr Skinner and ask him to come see me when he arrives, okay?’ ‘If he took advantage of Fox…’ Firmly, Rachael said: ‘Jack, just go and wait in the car park please.’ ‘Mr Skinner. Sit down.’ Skinner frowned warily. ‘Is something wrong with Fox?’ ‘Did you have a nice weekend? I’ve been off the last few days. I’ve only just had a chance to catch up.’ ‘Yeah. We had a couple of problems, but nothing too serious.’ ‘This is awkward, but I have to ask you a few questions.’ ‘What about?’ ‘About Fox. Did anything…happen? Anything which might have made Fox…uncomfortable.’ Skinner’s anger was barely controlled. ‘Such as?’ ‘Did you hurt Fox in any way?’ Skinner got to his feet, his face darkening. ‘No! What the Hell is going on?’ ‘Sit down.’ ‘No way! You think I’d hurt him? After what he’s been through? What kind of monster do you have me down as?’ ‘Did you sleep in separate bedrooms?’ ‘What the Hell business is that of yours?’ ‘I asked you a question.’ ‘Yes. No. He panicked cos he needed the bathroom and there was no call button. When I put him back in bed he wouldn’t settle. I put him in with me. Nothing happened. I didn’t touch him. When I woke up he was touching me.’ ‘Where?’ Skinner put his hand on his chest. ‘He pulled my chest hair. It hurt. I yelled. He asked me why he didn’t have any. I told him some people did, others didn’t.’ ‘Anything else?’ ‘I bought him some soap crayons. For his bath.’ ‘Did you stay with him while he bathed?’ ‘No. I made the supper. I left the door open so I could hear him.’ Skinner’s voice at last fell back to its usual low volume. ‘Did Fox say I hurt him? It’s not true! I couldn’t. I…I love him.’ ‘As he is?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m really sorry.’ ‘Yeah me too. I’m gonna find somewhere else for Fox. Somewhere where I don’t get accused of molesting him.’ Rachael nodded. ‘Of course that is your choice. But Fox is settled here. And in a few weeks, he’s gonna be ready to leave. Are you sure you want to place him somewhere unfamiliar just for a short time?’ ‘A few weeks?’ ‘Yes. He obviously managed the weekend. Once he’s had maybe a long weekend and mastered a few more skills, I think he’ll be ready to move back with you.’ ‘You sure he’ll be safe?’ ‘Didn’t I just apologise?’ Skinner’s innate politeness kicked in. ‘I’m sorry. I was upset.’ ‘Understandable. Now, Fox’ll be wondering where you’ve got to. If you do decide to move him, I can suggest a few places.’ Embarrassed at his earlier outburst, Skinner got up. ‘That’s okay.’ ‘No, it’s not. But you have to see it from my side.’ ‘Yeah. There was one thing.’ ‘Oh?’ ‘Fox remembered something. We were in Eli’s shop. He asked Fox what we were doing. Fox said we were gonna feed the ducks. I didn’t tell him that. We used to…sometimes. Fox felt sorry for them in the winter and deliberately burned toast so we’d have to feed them.’ ‘And he did that?’ ‘I think so. He put toast back in the toaster till it burned.’ ‘Wow. I didn’t expect that.’ Skinner shrugged. ‘Me either. It could be coincidence.’ Rachael nodded. ‘Yeah. Or not. It’s just possible that Fox is getting some memories back. When you have him next, try and do something else you used to do together. Go someplace where you had fun.’ Skinner looked at the floor. ‘I have to watch him all the time. I was exhausted Monday. I’m not sure I’ll cope with four days.’ ‘We will do our best to make sure he has a few more coping strategies and some more life skills before you take him again. Like only putting toast in the toaster once.’ Skinner smiled slightly. ‘Okay.’ ‘Can you come an hour earlier next week?’ ‘Why?’ ‘There are some people I’d like you to meet. People who know exactly what you’re going through.’ ‘I’ll try.’ ‘Good.’ ************ ‘Mr Skinner? Thanks for coming. Come on in. Sit down.’ Walter looked around the small office. Half a dozen people, different ages. ‘This is a get-together we have every week. People with someone at the clinic. Why don’t we all introduce ourselves?’ Finally, it was Walter’s turn. Hoping the heat in his face wasn’t obvious, he said quietly: ‘Walter Skinner. Fox Mulder is a patient here.’ ‘Thanks. Now, Mr Skinner had Fox home for the first time last week. They had a few…interesting moments.’ One of the men laughed. ‘I sure remember those. First time I took Ellen home she wouldn’t settle. Just walked round and round the apartment. I was scared she was gonna wear the carpet out. So I told her we were gonna make cookies. By the time we were done, we had enough for a bake sale.’ There was a ripple of understanding laughter. ‘Fox toasted a whole loaf.’ An older woman raised her eyebrows. ‘That’ll teach you to only put out enough stuff for each meal. Daniel cooked a whole packet of spaghetti. We had the best-fed pigeons in the neighbourhood.’ Skinner relaxed after a few minutes, slowly realising that his problems were not unique. Or as huge as he’d imagined. Every one of the people in the room had been through what he was going through. And they had coped. ‘Fox panicked cos he didn’t have his call button.’ ‘Get yourself one of those baby intercom units. One in his room, one in yours. That way you’ll hear him and he can talk to you.’ Walter smiled. Such a solution hadn’t even occurred to him. And it would keep Mulder in his own bed. ‘Mr Skinner?’ ‘Doctor?’ Rachael put a hand on Walter’s arm, stopping him as he got up. ‘Fox has mastered something new.’ ‘What?’ ‘Why don’t we let Fox show you.’ ‘Hello Fox.’ Fox looked up, a frown of concentration on his face. ‘Walter.’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘Look.’ Skinner walked across to the table. He looked down at the sheet of lined paper. Someone had written: My name is Fox Mulder. Underneath, in a shaky hand, Fox had copied the words. Walter stood silently for several moments, unaware that Rachael had closed the door as she left them alone. ‘No!’ Fox began to panic as he saw Skinner’s tears. ‘Smile!’ Skinner wiped his eyes, forcing a smile. ‘It’s all right Fox. I’m not upset.’ ‘Crying.’ ‘Sometimes people cry when they’re happy Fox.’ ‘No!’ Fox snapped sulkily, pouting, tears darkening his thick lashes. The sight of Fox’s face, coupled with the words on the page was too much for Skinner. He fled from the room, almost knocking Rachael flying. She allowed him to gather himself for a moment, then put a hand on his arm. ‘I take it you’re pleased with his progress?’ ‘He can write his name.’ ‘Well, no. He can copy his name. But it won’t be long before he won’t need to copy.’ ‘I never thought…’ Rachael smiled. ‘Get back in there. Fox’ll be worrying.’ ************ Fox dropped his suitcase on the floor and walked round. Following Rachael’s advice, as far as he could, Skinner had made sure everything was in the same place it had been the last time Fox had been in the apartment. Which had only been for four days. This time he was staying. Fox paused, turning to face Skinner. ‘Home.’ Skinner nodded. ‘Yes Fox. You’re home.’ Fox grinned. ‘Fox. Walter. Home.’ ************* Epilogue: Six months later… Walter stood in the entrance to the shop. He could see Eli watching Fox almost as intently as he was. Fox looked at the list he held, picking things off the shelves and dropping them into the basket he carried. At last, he had everything on the list. He walked to the cash register and put his basket on the countertop. ‘That’s it.’ ‘How are you today Fox?’ ‘Fine thanks. We’re going out for the day. Swimming.’ Eli rang up the last of the things from Fox’s basket. ‘Twelve-eighty. Have a good time.’ Fox reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and handed over fifteen dollars. After a moment, he said: ‘Two-twenty.’ Eli nodded, handing over the change. ‘That’s right. Oh, I have the magazine you wanted. Do you want to take it now?’ ‘Okay.’ Eli checked the cover. ‘Two-fifty.’ Fox handed back the change Eli had just given him and frowned. After a few seconds he said: ‘Thirty.’ ‘Yes Fox. I need thirty cents.’ Fox reached into his back pocket and thumbed through the change he pulled out. ‘Thanks.’ ‘No problem. Do you want me to get you one next week as well?’ ‘Yeah please. Thanks. Bye Eli.’ Eli looked up and saw that Walter was sitting in the car outside the shop, reading his newspaper. ‘What’s that Fox?’ Walter nodded at the magazine Fox held awkwardly as he lifted the shopping bags into the car. Looking out of the window, Fox mumbled: ‘Nothing.’ Patiently, Walter prompted: ‘Fox?’ Hesitantly, Fox said: ‘It’s a thing to help me learn about computers. I paid for it out of the shopping money. You said I could get something for me.’ To Fox’s relief, Walter was unconcerned. ‘Yeah. Okay. Ready to go?’ Fox nodded, smiling. ‘Yeah.’ End Home Send me feedback on this fic Return to the X-Files Fic Index Return to the West Wing Fic Index