Headers and Notes in Part 11 Part 11 of 12 Georgetown University Medical Center Georgetown, D.C. Private Room, Maternity Ward May 13, 2001 10:45 am Only mid-morning, and already her room looked like a florist's shop, a freshly showered, reasonably rested, and comfortably dressed Scully mused to herself. She used the words reasonably rested because only twice had her hungry son interrupted her sleep in the wee hours of the night... for a two am and a five am feeding. With a rather messy diaper change being necessary after the second. Mulder had arrived at 6:30 am, tiptoeing quietly inside the room until she had whispered that she was awake, holding the dozing William in her arms. When the charge nurse came in to suggest she have a shower, he had quickly volunteered his arms for baby-holding duty. Taking advantage of this 'free time', she had spent over twenty minutes in the shower, washing her hair twice, and just standing under the hot spray for a solid five minutes. The number of congratulations and well wishes had been heart-warming, leaving her with a near-permanent smile on her face. She and the delivery guy were on a first name basis now. The low dresser unit along one wall was full, as was the wide windowsill to the left of the bed. If much more flowers came, she would start donating them to the hospital floors, keeping only the plants that would last if looked after properly. Perhaps she could give her dormant green thumb a workout. She was perusing the arrangements and baskets again, for her back was a bit achy from the uncomfortable hospital bed, and standing and moving about helped. Turning her head she softly requested that her mother remind her to send thank-you cards once she and William were home from the hospital. There were fruit baskets and flowers from her immediate family, of course. A large, colorful bouquet of flowers, with a tiny balloon reading 'Welcome, baby' had arrived not long ago from Tara, Bill and Matthew, and a smaller, yet equally beautiful arrangement from Charles had been brought in not long after. It had been accompanied by a basket of fruits and cheeses and crackers, with a bottle of sparkling grape juice and two flutes in the middle. His brief note had teased about having to celebrate without champagne for the time being. Her mother had arrived precisely at nine o'clock, when visiting hours began, with a huge, cellophane-wrapped gift basket full of baby paraphernalia. Decorated in pale blue, with the now very familiar message "It's a Boy" across it, and artfully arranged, she and Mulder had thanked her mother with fond hugs and kisses. Not quite finished, her beamingly proud mother had then produced a gift bag full of gender- specific sleepers and outfits. William was wearing one of them now, a soft cotton, one-piece romper in royal blue, with a matching cap. He was sleeping peacefully in his grandma's arms in the rocking chair, a soft, baby's wool blanket she had knitted tucked around him. A beautifully crafted planter with a Peace Lily had been sent from Walter Skinner. And Scully had seen by the card...with a short note of congratulations written in his distinctive, heavy handwriting...that it had not been something he had asked his assistant to do for him, he had sent it himself. John had sent a fruit basket, with a card of congratulations, signed 'Best wishes, John Doggett'. The Gunmen had also sent flowers...a huge, colorful mix of beautiful flowers...and a large Fruit & Gourmet basket. All three men, with Langly and Frohike's scrawls barely legible, and Byers' in a not- unsuspected, neat cursive had signed the accompanying card. And there had been cards and flowers from the Bureau as well. A surprising number, actually. Kimberley, Skinner's assistant, had sent a flower arrangement in a ceramic, baby bootie-shaped vase, and the Crime Lab had sent an enormous fruit basket. The secretarial pool had sent a potted fern. The few instructors at Quantico that she had kept in touch with had sent yet another Gourmet food basket. And last, a tasteful flower arrangement had arrived not too long ago, with a generic congratulations card and the name 'Alvin Kersh' printed in block letters, most likely ordered by his secretary. Scully shuffled back over to the bed, her feet clad in the slippers she had packed in her bag, one hand loosely cupping the slight remaining roundness of her belly. Once she was home, she was going to have to get started on an after-pregnancy exercise routine. Her balance was still slightly off, for she had not yet adjusted to no longer carrying around an extra 25 pounds, and she tended to lean back as she walked. She was also still a little sore. Mulder came in then, as she was gingerly lowering herself onto the mattress, two cups of coffee in his hands. He crossed the room and put both of them down on the little table, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of apple juice. He presented it to her, and a straw, with a flourish. She took it with a quiet thank-you, and made room for him beside her on the bed. He settled there easily, as she made herself at home in the crook of his arm, leaning into his warm, accommodating body. The three of them had just started quietly debating possible middle names for William when there was a knock at the door. At Mulder's loud exaggerated whisper of 'Come in', the door creaked open, followed by Frohike's head peeking in. Scully smiled, and added her own welcome. His head retreated, there were the sounds of shuffling and muttering, and then the door opened wider. Next, what had to be the largest teddy bear Scully had ever seen walked inside the room. Easily two feet long, and at least a foot wide, it was rather cute, with a huge blue bow around its neck. Visible around its middle were Frohike's trademark fingerless gloves, and beneath the bear, the little man's legs. A moment later his grinning, bespectacled face appeared, ducking under one of the bear's arms. Flanking him were Langly and Byers, both bearing wrapped packages. It was to be expected that a Three Wise Men analogy would be made, how could it not? "Okay," Mulder said. "Which one of you brought the gold, and who's got the myrrh?" Three slightly confused faces stared at him, unblinking, while Scully hid a smile. Then Byers cleared his throat and with a straight face said, "Would you settle for diapers and a baby keepsake book?" Before Mulder could say anything further Scully interjected with, "That's very sweet of you all. Thank-you, for the gifts, and for the flowers and gift basket." Frohike had already placed the bear as out of the way as possible, and had moved to stand by her mother and William. He bent slightly, his hands on his knees, and leaned over to look at the sleeping baby. Whether it was coincidence or not, it would never be determined, but William woke up then, his face scrunching up, and emitted a tiny, distressed sound. The sound built to shivering cries, and her mother's efforts to soothe him were to no avail. The crying turned to full- throttled wailing. Frohike did not panic, as Scully had thought he might. Instead, he held out his arms, asking, "May I?" Her mother looked to Scully for approval or confirmation, and with a little shrug, Scully granted it. The baby was handed over to Frohike with a surprising lack of awkwardness, and in moments the little man was swaying in place, rocking William in his arms. "There, there, little buddy, it's okay, I got ya," Frohike was saying low-voiced, seemingly unaware of being the focus of attention. And William calmed. Though he still cried, it was with far less force and volume. Scully knew it was hunger that motivated him, for his last feeding had been almost three hours ago, and only her breast would stop him completely. "Whoa. Uncle Frohike has the magic touch," Langly crowed. Frohike turned to face them, a toothy grin on his face. "Piece of cake," he said. The grin slid away when William, cuddled against the little man's chest, began rooting for something more than was offered, or even available. "Ahhhh...Scully...Dana...uh, what's he doing?" he asked. "He's hungry, Frohike," Scully told him, grinning herself. As Langly and Byers took a backwards step in tandem, looking panicked, Frohike blanched, then turned beet red. He quickly brought William to the bed, leaning practically in Mulder's lap to hand the baby over. "Sorry, little buddy," he muttered. "Can't help you there." He straightened, his cheeks still red, and said, "We'll take off, leave you some privacy." "Thank-you again, all of you," Scully said, accepting William from Mulder. The baby's cries were getting louder again, his mouth rooting at Scully's still covered breast even as she was settling him into position. The three men bobbed and blushed and backed out of the room, Byers calling out, "You're very welcome, Scully." Once the door had closed behind them, Scully quickly one-handed the buttons of her casual shirt open and parted it. She fumbled a bit with the clasp of the nursing bra, not quite used to it, and pulled the flap down. Bringing William's face to her breast, she stroked her nipple across his lips. His mouth opened immediately, and he clamped down with an eager, gulping snort that made the three of them laugh. "Did you see Frohike's face?" Mulder asked, his attention fully on the nursing child. His fascination with the process of breastfeeding was total and absolute. "That was priceless!" Scully had to admit it had been rather funny, and nodded. "He was very good with him though," she said softly, staring down at the contentedly nursing baby, one finger lightly skimming back and forth over his downy cheek. "Back-up babysitter candidate?" Mulder quipped. "We'll see," was her reply, her voice neutral and non-committal. After he passed a few more tests, and William was fully weaned, she'd think about it. Maybe. Her mother came over, and Mulder slid off the bed and moved aside to give her some room. She bent to kiss Scully on the cheek, one hand just barely skimming over William's cap-covered head. "I'm going to run some errands and have lunch," she told Scully. "I'll see you later tonight, okay?" "Okay, Mom," Scully replied, lifting her eyes from William to meet her mother's gaze. "Thanks, Mom. I love you." "Love you too, dear," her mom replied, then straightened and touched Mulder on the cheek in farewell, before heading out. Once she had left, Mulder moved over and started perusing all the arrangements and baskets, while Scully nursed their son. "I'm going to have to rent a mini-van just to get all this stuff home," he called over his shoulder. Scully smiled, and hummed her agreement. "Home," she repeated. She liked the sound of that. "Soon we'll take William home." *** End Part 11 of 12