Archive: Okay for Gossamer, others ask first, thanks! You'll probably get it, just please email me first.

Author's Notes: Ever since posting Coma back in June, I've had requests to continue the story and fill in some of the open places. This is the result. While you could probably read this without having read Coma, it would help. It can be found on my page (url above), the MTA and Gossamer. Please let me know what you think! Feedback is a wonderful thing! :-)

Disclaimer: Straight simple and to the point: Mulder and Scully are property of FOX Television, 1013 Productions, Chris Carter, and probably a bunch of other people. If I owned them, I wouldn't need student loans.

"Wake up, Mulder. We're here." Scully's voice cut through Mulder's sleep muddled brain.

Squinting against the sunlight, he looked through the windshield and saw that they had indeed arrived at Mrs. Scully's house. He had wanted to stay awake during the trip from the hospital, but the energy he had gained from being release had quickly worn off.

"All right, all right. I'm moving." In the time it took Mulder to open his door and begin to stand up, Scully had walked around the back of the car and met him beside the door. "I can do it," Mulder grumbled.

Scully rolled her eyes, commenting "I'm sure you can, Mulder, but you're not going to get the opportunity to prove it. You still get dizzy too easily." As it to prove her point, Mulder staggered slightly and Scully tightened her grip on his arms.

A minute later they were standing on the porch and Scully knocked on the door. She hadn't even finished knocking when Mrs. Scully pulled the door open. "Hello Fox! Come in, how do you feel?"

Mulder smiled, and while being led through the door said, "Better, Mrs. Scully." After being led to the couch with Scully on one side and her mother on the other, he sat down and added, "Although I hate to bother you, I could just go home."

"Mulder . . ." Scully's voice seethed through her teeth. Seeing that Scully had the situation under control, Mrs. Scully went into the kitchen. Scully continued, "We've had this discussion before, we're not going to have it again. You. Are. Staying. Here." She punctuated each word with a light tap to his chest with her forefinger. Mulder opened his mouth to respond, but Scully interrupted him. "No, Mulder. Don't even try. You're here because it's the only place we can keep an eye on you and still let me get some work done."

Mulder's eyes lit up when realization hit. "Hey, that could work. That means you'll have the expense reports finished by the time I get back." He clapped his hands once and grinned at Scully. "Oh, a perk after all!"

Before walking into the kitchen, Scully rolled her eyes. "Well, if I do the expense reports, I'm leaving the insurance claim forms for you." Turning before he had a chance to response, a sly grin crossed Scully's face.

Entering the kitchen, Scully saw her mom fixing three glasses of ice tea. When Mrs. Scully handed her a glass, Scully accepted saying, "That's funny. Ice tea is Mulder's favorite."

Mrs. Scully nodded. "I know. Back when . . ." She paused, not wanting to mention the time when Scully had been missing at the hands of Duane Barry. "Well, when we've spent time together in the past, it was one of the few things I ever saw him eat or drink." She laughed, "That and sunflower seeds."

Scully nodded in agreement. "You'd be surprised about his eating habits. Whenever he will eat, it's the greasiest things you can imagine. I'm not sure how his stomach can take it."

"Reminds me of Charlie, actually. When he was younger, his motto was 'nothing green will pass these lips.'" Mrs. Scully laughed. "Don't tell him that he's the reason all of you were forced to eat so much broccoli when you were little."

Scully's mouth dropped open, "Why that little . . . No wonder I can't stand broccoli anymore." She paused, and glanced toward the living room. "I better go check on him. He's been too quiet, too long. That usually only means one thing . . ."

"Trouble," they both added at the same time. Laughing, Mrs. Scully picked up the extra glass of ice tea and they walked back into the living room. Two feet into the living room, they both started laughing softly. "Well, that explains that," Scully commented on seeing her partner fast asleep on the couch.

Mrs. Scully pulled Scully's arm saying quietly, "Come on, let's go back into the kitchen and let him sleep a little while longer. Then we'll wake him up and move him upstairs." Scully nodded and followed her mother back into the kitchen.

***

"Wake up, Mulder. Time for dinner." Mulder opened his eyes slowly. "Good boy. Now sit up slowly."

He grimaced slightly and held his arm around his chest, moving very slowly. "Didn't we just go through this, Scully?"

Grinning, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Well, if you stayed awake longer, we wouldn't have to, but as it is, you need the rest." She pointed at the plate that sat on the coffee table, "Now eat." Having managed to sit up, Mulder gave a mock salute and reached for the plate.

Half a hour later, they were done with dinner. "Okay, Mulder. Time to get you upstairs. However, we have a few ground rules first."

Rolling his eyes, Mulder asked, "Ooh, Scully. Rules? What will happen if I'm bad?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Scully swatted at Mulder's arm. "Only in your delusions, G-man. And don't let my mother hear you talk like that." Mulder held his side as he continued to chuckle. After a moment, Scully continued. "Anyway. The rules are as follows. Number one, no roaming around upstairs. I don't care how restless you get. Number two, if you happen to find a basketball upstairs, no dribbling it and driving us crazy. Number three, the most important. No coming downstairs without help. Understand?"

"But . . ."

Scully shook her head. "No buts."

"Scully . . ." Seeing the determined look on her fine features, he nodded his head. "All right. It's only for a few days. Gonna be a long few days."

"You're telling me," Scully muttered under her breath. "All right. Up." Ever so slowly, Scully helped Mulder into a vertical position. After a few seconds the dizziness passed, and they began to walk toward the stairs. When they reached the base of the stairs, Scully paused and looked up at Mulder's face. "Want to take a break?"

Mulder shook his head, "No. Let's just get this over with while I'm on a roll."

Several minutes later they reached the second floor and walked down the hallway to the room that Bill and Charlie had once shared. "Here we go," Scully said, pushing the door open.

After sitting down onto the edge of the bed, Mulder noticed his bag laying there. Pointing at the luggage, he commented, "I was going to ask about my clothes. I guess you beat me to it?"

Scully nodded, "I packed them yesterday and Mom brought them with her. Someone had to think ahead, and it's rarely you." Surprised by her words, Mulder turned to look at Scully and saw the glint of humor in her blue eyes. "Need any help getting changed?"

Mulder grinned. "Another offer, Scully? You're gonna get my hopes up!"

"Well, your hopes better be the only thing that's up, Mulder," Scully managed with a straight face.

Mulder, however, just barely managed not to choke. "Scully! And you talk about my lewd humor."

Grinning broadly, she replied, "Well, I guess worse parts of your personality could have rubbed off on me. But, I'll take that as a no. I'll be downstairs, yell if you need anything."

Mulder looked up at her, curious. "Just yell? Won't your mom care?"

"Nah," Scully laughed, standing in the doorway, "she's used to it by now."

***

Two days later, Mulder's recovery had been progressing steadily. After watching him continuously during the entire period, Scully felt comfortable returning to work. She rose early and before leaving snuck a peek inside Mulder's room. Seeing him sleeping peacefully, she gently closed the door and walked downstairs and out to her car.

When she arrived in the basement office she hadn't seen in such a long time, Scully found a message from AD Skinner to come to his office at her earliest convenience. Placing her briefcase down, she eyed the coffee maker longingly, but decided to get the appointment upstairs over with. After calling Kimberly, she closed the door behind her and walked to the elevator.

Luckily, while she was waiting to speak with Skinner, Kimberly offered her a cup of coffee. She had just finished the cup when the door to Skinner's office opened, and a young agent she didn't recognize walked out looking shaky. Fighting a grin, she stood and walked over to the open door.

"Sir?" she asked from the doorway. After he waved her inside, she closed the door behind her and walked over to the pair of seats in front of his desk. Skinner motioned toward the empty seats and waited for her to get situated.

"Agent Scully, I'm glad to see you back at work. Agent Mulder is well, I assume?" Scully could read the concern that laced the cool words, and understood his required reservation.

Nodding, she answered. "Yes, Sir. He's progressing as would be expected."

"Not giving you or your mother too much trouble?"

Scully blinked at the frank question, and fought to hide a small smile. "No, Sir."

Skinner nodded, "Very good. Now as to why I called you here. As I told you while Agent Mulder was still in the hospital, his attacker was apprehended and subsequently confessed. However, he has yet chosen to share with us why he was meeting with Mulder in the first place. Now, this usually wouldn't even be considered, but I wondered if you might like the chance to speak with him."

"Sir?"

"I thought he might be willing to give up any information to you. And, I feel I can trust you to act in the best interest of the investigation."

Scully nodded, "Yes, Sir. Is that all, Sir?"

"For now. See Kimberly and she'll give you the information for talking with the suspect. Dismissed."

Standing, she said, "Thank you, Sir," and walked out of the office.

***

After handing over her gun to a guard, a loud buzzer sounded and a door opened in front of her. Stepping though the heavy door, she followed another guard to a room where Lee Winters sat at a long table. After the guard closed the door behind her, she sat down across the table from him.

"Mr. Winters? I'm Special Agent Dana Scully, Agent Mulder's partner."

For a moment he observed her silently, then commented, "You wanna know why I beat him up, don't ya?"

She shook her head, "No. I want to know why you called him in the first place, unless it was just to beat him up. So what was it?"

"Why?" He appeared to be somewhat agitated. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because," she said coldly, "I'm your best chance to get a decent hearing. Being straight with me is your best shot. So," she added, hardly batting an eye, "tell me. Why call him? Why call Mulder?"

Winters stood up, running his fingers through his hair, and began to pace in the small room. "'Cause I thought he might understand."

Keeping a cautious eye on his movements, Scully didn't move from where she was sitting. "Understand what, Mr. Winters?"

"You wouldn't understand," he said, his bright green eyes settling on her face. "Get the guard, I want out of here." With that, he began to walk toward the door, but was intercepted before he was halfway there.

Scully raised her hand in front of his chest, and gave him her best no nonsense stare. "I don't think so, Mr. Winters. You very nearly killed my partner, and I want to know why. Neither one of us is leaving here till I get that answer. Understand?" Pointing toward the recently vacated chair, she added, "Now, sit down, Mr. Winters and let us continue this conversation."

Glancing around anxiously, he asked, "And if I don't want to?"

She steeled him with a look, her voice ice. "Just try and get past me. You do not play with my partner's life."

He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and returned to his seat. Without waiting for Scully to sit down, he spoke. "I wanted to tell him something."

"What did you want to tell him, Mr. Winters?" Scully prodded when he stopped talking.

He rubbed his hands over his eyes. "I overheard some stuff, and found something. I work at the dog track cleaning and stuff." When she didn't comment, he continued. "There were two guys there, the main one would come by every so often. Anyway, they were talking. Most of it didn't make any sense, and they must not have noticed I was there, at least not at first. Then one day after I noticed they had gone I found a piece of paper."

Scully looked at him, confused. "How does Mulder figure into this, Mr. Winters?"

"I had heard the men refer to an Agent Mulder once or twice, when they thought no one was around. It sounded like they were out to get him, or something. Anyway, after I found the paper, I managed to track down an Agent Mulder with the FBI. I figured that was the guy, and that he would know what to do with the paper."

Processing the new information, Scully asked, "But why attack him? What scared you?" Scully noted, with some concern that he had begun to tremble.

"A man, one of the two men, walked out of the shadows. Both Agent Mulder and I heard him, and when I recognized him, I got scared. I thought maybe if I started hitting Mulder the man would walk away, but he didn't. After that, it's a blur. The next thing I remember, Agent Mulder was unconscious, and the other man was walking toward me. I took off running and didn't look back."

"Did he follow you?" Winters shook his head no, and Scully continued. "Why do you think he didn't?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied. "I'm not sure. Maybe he thought I was too scared to do anything more. I still don't know if they know I found that damn piece of paper."

"What was on that paper, and where is it Mr. Winters?"

He looked up into Scully's eyes, genuine fear etched on his features. "I'm not stupid, Agent Scully, but the things on that paper didn't make any sense. Like I said, I thought Mulder would know. And it's hidden in my apartment."

"Where in your apartment? And what's your address?"

After finding out his address, Scully called Skinner and informed him of the new information. Within two hours, she met Skinner and an evidence team outside of Lee Winters's apartment building. However, all hopes were dashed when they entered the modest apartment only to find it ransacked.

"They got to it first," Skinner observed.

Scully sighed taking in the disheveled sight before them, "Welcome to our world, Sir. This is how it always happens." Slapping her hand on the door jam, she exclaimed, "Damn!"

Pulling her out into the hallway, Skinner asked, "Scully, do you believe what this man told you?"

Scully paused, then nodded her head. "I'm not sure why, Sir, but I do. It just felt like he was telling the truth. What about the dog track? Would it be possible to check that out?"

"Yes," Skinner answered, nodding his head. "But, their security has been compromised. They won't return there, at least not for a while." Skinner's cell phone rang, and he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small device. "Skinner." Listening to the voice on the other end, he nodded his head out of instinct. "Are you sure?" He paused, then asked, "When did this happen?" Another pause. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you."

"Sir?" Scully asked after he punched the end button and replaced the phone in his pocket.

"It's a good thing you spoke with Lee Winters today, Scully."

Realization dawning on Scully, she sought conformation of her fears. "Sir?"

Skinner nodded, "Lee Winters was found dead in his cell ten minutes ago."

***

The rest of the day passed relatively smoothly compared to the morning, and after an afternoon of filling out reports, Scully was ready to go home. Collecting her things, she left the office at five and drove by her apartment for extra clothes and changing into jeans and a tee shirt. Then she drove the familiar route to her mother's house.

She managed to arrive just in time for a late dinner, and found Mulder half laying on the couch. Although the television was on, and he carefully clutched the remote, he was fast asleep. Mrs. Scully, having heard Scully unlock the front door, walked down the stairs.

"Hi, Dana. How was work?"

Placing her bag down on a chair, she sighed. "Frustrating, but other than that it was nice to be back. There was plenty to catch up on. How'd your day go with the restless wonder?"

Mrs. Scully laughed, and Scully walked over to where Mulder was sleeping. "Not badly at all. He slept a lot, and the rest of the time we talked. Of course, when I wasn't in the room, he was channel surfing."

"Yeah, he'll do that to you. I don't know how he can, considering microfiche machines make him so seasick he wants Dramamine. Heck," she laughed, "when he starts flipping the channels to fast, I have to leave the room or I want Dramamine."

Mrs. Scully gestured toward the kitchen, "Would you like some dinner?"

"That'd be great," she smiled. "Has Mulder managed to eat today?"

Pushing Scully toward the kitchen, her mom laughed. "With my influence? Of course. Dana, if I could get the four of you to eat during some of your more stubborn spells, I can convince Mulder to as well."

When Scully was almost done with a bowl of her mom's homemade soup, she heard Mulder stirring around. Rinsing out her bowl and placing it in the sink, she walked into the darkened living room. "Hey," she said softly.

Mulder looked up at her from where he had managed to sit up on the couch. "Hey, yourself. Have fun at work?"

She walked over and offered him a hand to help him stand up. "If you're asking if I finished all of our paperwork, I hate to disappoint you," she had a twinkle in her eye as she added, "but I left the insurance forms for you."

Seeing that Mrs. Scully had walked into the living room to hear Scully's comment, he looked at her and said dryly, "This woman has no sympathy for the crippled." However, the look in his eyes betrayed the truth in his words.

Mrs. Scully merely nodded, but Scully replied, "I'll be sure to cry for you, Mulder. As soon as I drag your lazy butt up these stairs." When he opened his mouth to comment, Scully cut him off. "Mulder, behave." Instead he settled for a grin.

It was when she had him settled upstairs that she decided to broach the subject of his attacker. "Mulder, the man who beat you up was captured while you were in the hospital, you know that. This morning, I went to talk to Skinner, and he asked me to go speak with Lee Winters. It took some convincing, but I eventually managed to find out why he wanted to talk to you."

Having Mulder's undivided attention, Scully outlined the events of the interview, and consequent trip to Lee Winters' apartment. She concluded with "While we were there, Skinner got a phone call. Someone killed Winters in his cell at the prison."

"Typical. We get a chance to find out the smallest scrap of information, and they destroy it. Scully, how are we supposed ever win the war, if we can barely escape the battle?" Raw hatred sparked in Mulder's eyes.

Scully shook her head sadly, "We do what we can, Mulder. We do what we have to do. My concern was to find out why he did what he did. For the moment, everything else was secondary to your health."

"Thanks, Scully."

She looked at him confused, "For what?"

"Just for being you. For trying so hard."

***

Again early the next morning, Scully left for work while both Mulder and her mother were still asleep. It was two hours later before Mulder managed to stagger out of bed and down to the bathroom. He still had trouble believing how soundly he had been sleeping ever since coming to stay with Mrs. Scully. In the time he had been there he hadn't faced a single nightmare. For what he could figure it was some sort of record.

Still sore, he climbed into the shower and stood under the steaming water. Careful not to move too quickly, or not to exhaust the entire hot water supply, he turned off the water. He then cautiously got out of the shower and dried off with a towel. Pulling on a clean set of clothes, he walked back into what had become his room.

He was reading a book when he heard the phone ring sometime later. He could hear Mrs. Scully's voice speaking into the phone, but did his best not to eavesdrop onto the conversation. He looked up when she knocked softly on the door and walked into his room, concern written in her warm eyes.

"Fox, that was Mrs. Douglas next door. She's an elderly woman who lives alone and she called because she's having chest pains. She doesn't have anyone else to help, so I need to go out. Will you be okay by yourself?"

Mulder nodded. "No problem, Mrs. Scully. I'll be fine."

She started to walk out of the room, but paused. "Fox, would you like me to help you downstairs? I don't want you to try it on your own."

"Go ahead, Mrs. Scully. Don't worry 'bout me, I'll be fine." She nodded, and quickly walked downstairs. He heard the front door close and her car start up in the drive way. Picking up his glasses from where he had placed them on the bed when Mrs. Scully had walked in, he started reading his book again.

It wasn't an hour later that he had grown bored. True to his nature, when he was finally starting to feel on the mend, he found it harder and harder to stay put. He contemplated calling Scully at work, but didn't want to interrupt any work she might be accomplishing. Especially if that happened to be a certain pile of insurance forms.

Standing up, he walked around the bed. He had intended simply to walk to the bathroom and back to stretch his legs. However, after walking into the hall, he decided instead to watch television downstairs. Thinking back on Scully's ground rules, and even Mrs. Scully's comments of that morning, he decided to risk it anyway. "I'll just climb back up before either of them gets home," he muttered as he took the first step.

A couple of minutes later he was about a quarter of the way down the stairs. Although he was trying to take it slowly, he was fighting a bout of dizziness. He paused, closing his eyes, and then reached his foot out to take the next step. Suddenly his head was swimming and his foot caught on the carpet.

The next thing he realized, he was tumbling down the remaining stairs. Just shy of the bottom step Mulder's head cracked against the wood railing and he slumped onto the ground floor unconscious.

***

When Mrs. Scully returned from taking Mrs. Douglas to the emergency room, she carried her purse into the kitchen and poured two glasses of iced tea. She was headed upstairs to give Mulder one of them when she found him sprawled out at the foot of the steps with blood covering part of his face. Placing the tea down, forgotten, she rushed over to his side and felt for a pulse. Although she didn't know what it meant, she was relieved to find one. Seeing the phone resting on an end table by the couch, she reached over and dialed 9-1-1. While speaking with the operator, she brushed Mulder's hair away from his forehead, but careful not to touch the deep cut on his face.

Sometime later, an ambulance pulled up outside and a pair of medics rushed in the house. Efficiently they inserted an IV and placed a immobilizer around his neck. Mrs. Scully mentioned his previous surgery, and the medics paid careful attention not to further injure his chest.

With a temper that made obvious where Scully gained hers, Mrs. Scully argued to be allowed inside the ambulance and won. Only minutes later they were rushing to the hospital.

***

"Scully," she said into the receiver after her phone rang.

For most of the day she had been putting a dent in the huge amounts of paperwork that the bureau required, but quickly placed her pen down when she heard her mother's shaky voice. "Dana? It's Mom."

"Mom? What's wrong?"

Scully could feel her stomach twist into a giant knot in the fleeting instant it took her mother to respond. "It's Fox, honey. We're at Mercy Hospital."

***

With no hesitation, Scully grabbed her keys and ran to the elevator. In the time it took her to drive to the hospital, she went over her conversation with her mom. Mulder had fallen, apparently trying to walk down the stairs. Damn! she thought, slamming her hand on the steering wheel.

"Why does he never listen to a thing I say?" she muttered under her breath. A nervous laugh escaped her lips when she thought He better make it. So then I can kill him myself.

After she finally reached the hospital, she was forced to search for a parking spot. Eventually, she pulled into an available slot and jogged to the Emergency Room entrance. Walking through the automatic double doors she found her mother quickly. She crossed over to where the older woman was sitting.

"Mom? Have you heard anything?"

Mrs. Scully stood and pulled her daughter into a warm hug. "Dana, I'm so sorry."

Scully pulled away quickly. "You're sorry? Wait, he's not . . . You don't mean he . . ."

"No!" Mrs. Scully interrupted when she realized her daughter's misunderstanding. "No, I haven't seen the doctor yet."

"Then why . . ."

She watched as her mother retook her seat. "I'm sorry that he fell. If I'd been there it wouldn't have happened."

"Mom, don't." Scully sat down next to her mother and took her hand. "Don't be sorry. There was an emergency, you had to go. Besides, Mulder's stubborn, he probably would have done it anyway. If he had just listened about trying to walk down the stairs, he wouldn't be here. None of us would be."

A few minutes later a young doctor in scrubs walked into the waiting area and proceeded to walk over to Scully and her mom. Scully stood, and waited for him to speak. "You're with Mr. Mulder?" When they each nodded, he asked "I really should speak with his family. Are they here?"

"No," Scully said coldly. "We're as close to family as you're going to find, and I hold his power of attorney as well as being a medical doctor." She paused when he nodded, and her tone softened. "What can you tell us?"

He gestured for Scully to sit back down and sat across from them. "Mostly, he aggravated the pre-existing injuries. We weren't able to get his records up here before we were forced to operate, but as best I could tell, one rib was originally cracked and two broken, correct?" When Scully nodded, he continued. "Well, the cracked rib is now completely broken. Also, we had to re-stitch the damage to the lung. There was some internal bleeding, but mostly from the torn lung tissue. He was lucky, the artery wasn't re damaged."

Scully listened to the doctors description of the operation, dreading the question she would be forced to ask next. "What about his head? The last time he fell into a coma because of the inter cranial pressure."

The doctor shook his head slowly. "At this point, he's not in a coma, but yes it is a major concern. We have a temporary monitor set up now, and as soon as he's transferred to ICU from recovery, we'll insert a longer term monitoring device. If you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to. After he's transferred, I'll have a nurse come and get you. I'll clear it for you to be able to go and sit with him."

As she watched the doctor walk away, Scully felt relieved that he had guessed her next question and wasn't going to argue with her about it. It was then that she remembered needing to call AD Skinner. Glancing over at the pay phone on the wall, she excused herself and went to call him.

Forty-five minutes later, a nurse approached Scully and her mom and guided them through the hospital to the ICU ward. Scully found herself flashing back to the scene so few days ago when she walked into a similar area. She closed her eyes briefly and walked into the curtained off area that shielded Mulder from the rest of the ICU.

Sinking down into a chair next to the bed, she gently took his hand. "Mulder, we have to stop meeting like this. I can't believe you did something so stupid." Closing her eyes and forcing herself to take a breath, she waited before speaking again. "But that doesn't matter right now. Right now, you just have to wake up. Do you hear me? You said you heard me last time."

She could see the bandage covering the damage caused by his latest blow to the head, and on the other side of his forehead she could see where the inter cranial pressure monitor was inserted. She sighed, settling in for a long evening.

Just outside of the ICU ward, Mrs. Scully waited on an overstuffed couch. The doctor had limited Mulder's visitors to one at a time, so she was forced to wait outside. She was sitting there drinking a cup of coffee when AD Skinner arrived.

"Mrs. Scully." She stood, but he motioned for her to retake her seat, and sat next to her. "How is he?"

She shook her head. "The last I heard, they had managed to control the damage to his lung, but his head was causing them concern again. Like last time, we're stuck waiting until he wakes up."

"Is Dana in there with him?" he asked, making a point to use her first name with her mother.

"Yes," she nodded. "In fact, why don't I go and get her. I'm sure she will want to talk to you." With that, she stood and walked through the large doors toward Mulder's bed.

A few seconds later Scully appeared through the doors and moved to sit on the couch beside Skinner. "Sir."

"Scully. Is there any change?"

"No, Sir. The level of his inter cranial pressure indicates that he is not in a coma state, just an unconscious state due to the trauma. However, they will continue to monitor it for some time after he wakes up. At this point, I'll be relieved when he does wake up."

Skinner nodded in understanding. "Would you like me to get you anything? Coffee, tea?"

"No, but thank you, Sir," she replied. "I should get back in there, I'll keep you up to date on any changes, Sir."

"Alright. I'll stay here for a while longer, but don't hesitate to call if sometime should happen later." Scully nodded and left through the double doors.

Early the next morning, Scully woke up from where she had curled up in the seat beside Mulder's bed. She didn't remember having fallen asleep. She was even more surprised to hear Mulder's voice. "Hey, sleeping beauty. Guess I messed up again, huh?"

All signs of sleep disappeared from Scully's eyes, and her gaze shot up to Mulder' face. "You're awake? How long? Why didn't someone wake me?"

Mulder smiled faintly, "Scully, stop. Don't make me laugh, it hurts."

"Well, it should you big lug," she muttered.

"Anyway," he interrupted, his eyes bright, "I woke up about thirty minutes ago. This newest excuse for a tormentor called a doctor has already been here. And before you ask," he said when she opened her mouth, "I wouldn't let them wake you up."

Scully sighed, "Mulder, I need to talk with the doctor, you know."

"He'll be back in a little while. He didn't do anything except read all these monitors anyway. And believe me, I want to get rid of this metal rod in my head." He paused, his throat still scratchy. "Besides, you needed your sleep more. I know how you act when I'm in the hospital. You've run yourself ragged for days over me." Toward the end, his voice had taken on a serious tone.

"Why did you do it, Mulder?"

He smiled, "I guess because I was restless and I thought I could get away with it is a thin excuse, huh?"

"Mulder," she tried to be serious but failed when a new thought hit her. "You do realize what this means, don't you?" When he didn't reply, she continued. "Because of your little stunt, you have to go back to square one. You're not going back to work anytime soon, mister."

When he groaned in complaint, she laughed. "Sculllly . . ."

"But Mulder, you do owe my mother an apology. She felt terrible for leaving you alone. She thought it was her fault." He nodded his head, his eyes downcast. "Speaking of Mom, I hope she's not still here."

"Actually," Mulder answered, "Doc said they found her a room so she could get some sleep."

Ten minutes later, Mulder's doctor pushed the curtain aside and entered the small area. "Ah, Dr. Scully, I see you're awake," he said with a smile. "If you would like, we can speak outside." Scully cast a long glance at Mulder and followed the doctor through the opened curtain. "It looks good, Dr. Scully," was the first thing he said.

"The pressure?" she asked.

The doctor nodded his head. "I've finally gotten a chance to look at the notes from Mr. Mulder's stay at Georgetown. Unlike last time, the pressure is staying steady and not fluctuating like before. Since he's awake and stable, we're going to move him to a regular room soon."

"How long will he need to stay?"

The doctor thought for a moment. "Barring no further complications, I would like to have him under observation in house for two days. After that, he will need to stay with someone for at least two days, but it would be better if he isn't left to fend for himself for closer to four. His personal physician will have to clear him for active duty after that."

"I'd rather you let me tell him, if you don't mind."

"No," he agreed. "I'll join you in case there are any specific questions, but you're free to tell him. I have the feeling he will take it better coming from you anyway."

Scully laughed, "Well, I don't know about that, but there should at least be less name calling."

When they reentered the curtained area, Mulder was laying with his eyes closed. Wary of waking him, and assured by the monitors that he wasn't in any immediate danger, Scully retook her seat. Mulder's eyes popped open a second later, and he saw the two doctors staring at him.

"What?" he asked nervously.

Scully smiled. "Well, you're not going to like this, Mulder. But I was right, you're back to square one. And this time if you don't follow the rules, I swear I'll break your leg." By the end she was fighting relieved laughter.

While they explained the recovery schedule, Mulder was motionless with a resigned look on his face. When Scully finished, he whined in his most pitiful voice, "But Scullly . . ."

***

Two days later, Mulder was cleared to be released from the hospital. They had finally removed the inter cranial monitor earlier that morning. Ever since waking up, he had tried to be on his best behavior. He still felt pretty badly for putting everyone through so much more misery because he had wanted to watch television.

"Ready to go?" Scully asked, as she walked into the room carrying a bag of clothes.

Mulder nodded, "You better believe it." He reached for the bag Scully was holding. "Give me my clothes so we can blow this place!"

Scully laughed, "Gee, no one would think you're eager to be out of the hospital."

"Not even funny, Scully."

"Well, seeing as how I made sure to bring the insurance forms home for you to fill out while you're recuperating . . ." Scully's eyes shone with mirth at her threat.

Mulder's however, flashed with alarm. "You know, on second thought, I've grown to like this particular shade of beige on the walls. And the jell-o really isn't all that bad once you get used to it."

"Mulder." She interrupted, handing him his bag, "I'm kidding. The forms aren't at home."

Relief washed across his face and he began to pull out the sweats he wanted to wear. "That's a relief," he mumbled.

An evil grin lit Scully's face when she finished, "Nope, they're waiting for you at work."

She quickly left the room to get final clearance on his release, and his whining "Sculllly . . ." fell on deaf ears.

fin

• Kalynn's X-Files Fan Fiction
  
• Kalynn's Fan Fiction