Chasing Lights by Ellen Field (PG13)

E Mail - cgolledge@tac.com.au <mailto:cgolledge@tac.com.au>

Summary:Set during Mulder and Scully's first year together, towards the
end of season one.
Mulder believes there is more to an abused child's disappearance than
the evidence would suggest. His curiousity leads to a remote mountain
top location and (ofcourse) plenty of trouble.
Not much of a plot to this story, just plain ol' MulderTorture.
This story sort of splintered off a longer piece I'm writing at the
moment, centred on Mulder's history with ISU and tentatively titled
'Justice Survives'. Thanks go to my sister, Carolyn Golledge, who
encouraged me not to throw away the couple of pages of text that evolved
into what you are about to read. Also for allowing me to use her
computer to post it. She writes award-winning Star Wars FanFic, which
can be found at The Corellian Embassy: www.rtis.com/nat/user/golledge


Disclaimer: Chris Carter has created a world filled with X File nuts, so
I hope he doesn't mind the way some of us choose to handle our
addiction. We know The X Files and all the great characters in it don't
belong to us. We only do it for fun and
its cheaper than taking medication.

Archive: Anywhere if you really want to.

Chasing Lights
by Ellen Field


8-12PM Tonight
Mt Riley
West Virginia

Mulder managed to lift himself up slightly on his right elbow, although
he was still sprawled where he had landed, amid the rocks and dead
branches by the side of the mountain track.

Somewhere a thought registered that he should be feeling some pain. As
he looked more closely at himself, Mulder realised he should be hurting
like all hell. But there was nothing. He felt strangely disconnected
from his body, as though it was happening to someone else, not him.

She was next to him, but he couldn't drag his eyes from what he was seeing.

"Its broken, Scully."

******

Earlier that day..............
Lunchroom
Woodport Police Station
3-45 PM

All three boys had told the same story.

Mulder sat at one end of the large wooden table, an elbow on either side
of the statements he was reading, his head resting in his hands. He knew
Scully would just about be finished with the State Trooper's incident
report he handed her five minutes ago.

He gave her another minute before he said, without looking up, "I'll
save you the trouble."

He knew he had her attention, could feel her gaze upon him, but still
didn't lift his eyes up to meet hers.

"You're going to tell me, that in all likelihood, Kevin Douglas has not
been abducted. That all evidence leads you to believe he has simply run
away, rather than go home and be beaten again by his mother's latest
squeeze."

Now he looked up. Could see that he had pissed her off, but not in an
all-out-warfare sort of way.

Scully answered. "Well, it is the most obvious answer, even you must see
that."

Mulder didn't really care for the way she said 'you', like he was
impeded by some self-imposed handicap, but he let it ride.

Scully leaned over towards him and grabbed one of the statements. "We
know that Kevin told several friends the same thing during the past few
weeks." Her eyes were scanning over the document, searching for the
exact wording. "Quote. Kevin was sick of having the crap knocked out of
him. He said he was getting out of there real soon before the prick
killed him." Scully shook her head in disgust, and Mulder knew she felt
the pain of a twelve year old boy they had never met. Just as he did.

But she wasn't finished yet. "The three boys who were with Kevin on the
camp-out say he told them he wasn't going home. His sleeping bag and
back pack are gone as well. What more do we need?"

"What about the lights they saw in the sky?" Mulder prepared himself for
the onslaught.

"What about them, Mulder?" Scully pushed her chair back, got up and
walked over to the sink. "A group of young boys, on a mountain in the
middle of the night, believe they saw a UFO." That tone was in her
voice. She held a glass up to the light, and by her expression of
distaste, decided against having a drink of water. "It's not connected
to the disappearance of Kevin Douglas."

Who could argue with logic like that? Simple. He could. And did.

"I believe it may be." He held her stare, even though it could burn
through steel.

Scully relented before he did. She picked up her bag and headed for the
door.

"I'm hungry and thirsty. Let's go get cleaned up and have something to
eat. We can talk about it then."

******

Scully's mood improved over an early dinner. So much so, that she agreed
to accompany him up to the camp site that evening, as soon as they had
finished their meal. She even laughed when he said it may throw more
light on the investigation.

With a sarcastic smile and a spark of laughter in her eyes, she replied.
"That's the last thing you need Mulder. More light. Especially
unexplained ones in the sky."

But very soon they were in the car, heading up to the mountain camp-site
where the Douglas boy had last been seen.

Chasing lights again.


X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Mountainside
8-12PM

"Its broken, Scully."

"You could say that, Mulder." Her partner had the unique gift of making
understatement a true art form.

Scully shook her head in disbelief as the moon cast an eerie light over
his arm, illuminating both bones protruding above his wrist. The wound
was oozing blood, the flesh appearing to have almost exploded as the
bones had thrust through. She pulled his sleeve back down as gently as
possible. "Just stay still, OK?" Kneeling in front of him, she
concentrated on keeping the arm immobile, while at the same time trying
to assess whether he had suffered any further injury.

"Chalk up another win to the bad guys. We better pick up our game or
we're gonna finish at the bottom of the ladder." Mulder finished his
sentence by spitting out a mouthful of dust and grit. He minimised his
vocabulary. "My gun?"

She nodded to the side pocket of her jacket. "Got it. But the torch is a
throw away." It was lying on the ground next to her, the glass cracked
and the bulb smashed. Obviously it had taken the initial impact.

Mulder tried to smile at her, but it came out lopsided. Scully carefully
studied his face. The entire left side was grazed, blood trickling from
the deeper scratches. Other than that , it looked promising. There were
no indications of head trauma. His eyes were glazed, but they were
focused, looking straight back at her. His speech wasn't slurred and he
seemed to be making sense. Muldersense, anyway.

Continuing to support his arm, she moved one hand away, slowly running
it down over both legs and back up his body, gently probing his stomach
and ribs. She moved methodically upwards, finding some swelling above
his left ear. It didn't seem too severe. Relieved that he was probably
not about to die at that exact moment, she spoke without really thinking.

"Next time you may want to think about getting out of the way. Its a
better option than letting the car hit you."

Mulder was offended. Contrary to what his partner might think, he did
have some sense of self preservation. Anyway, from the way he'd seen it,
the asshole swerved at the last second, making sure he didn't miss.
Maybe if she had run a little faster for a change, she would have been
first up the embankment. Then she could have demonstrated the Scully
technique for car avoidance.

In the future he would remember to wave her through first. Hell, he
might even find some red carpet to roll out as well.

His plans for revenge were interrupted by an even more disturbing thought.

Shit. No car. No easy way to get off this crappy mountain, in the middle
of nowhere.

"Hey Scully? I'd really like to call it a night. How about calling us a
cab?"

"I'd love to. But my phone was on the front seat of the car. Yours?' Her
raised eyebrow posed the question.

"Is in my back pocket".

Scully reached over his leg and with a little tugging, managed to
extricate it from his jeans. She began pushing buttons. The phone
remained silent in her hands.

"Shit. Shit. SHIT!" The expletives increased in volume each time, the
last loud enough to make Mulder cringe.

It appeared his phone was even worse off than him, which meant more
forms to complete, in triplicate. Mulder rolled his eyes and sighed, but
paperwork was the least of his worries at the moment. He wanted to get
the hell out of this place, but he also wanted to talk through what had
just happened. He hoped Scully had managed to get a look at the driver.
All he could remember, before sailing though the air and landing in a
heap, was being blinded by the light of the car's high beam. It may well
be that this person was responsible for the disappearance of Kevin
Douglas. But what was he doing all the way up here without a car?
Whoever it was had a genuine talent for auto theft, he had broken in and
started their car within minutes.

"Scully." His voice was not in good working order. "Scully, did you...."
He coughed, hoping it would make him sound a little more human. The
movement caused all thoughts of speaking to evaporate as unbelievable
pain exploded in his arm and shot up across his chest. It was so intense
that anything, other than trying to breathe, was an impossibility. With
no car and no phone, it would probably get a lot worse before it got any
better. The thought of coping with this amount of pain for any length of
time was twisting his stomach into knots, pushing the contents of his
stomach towards his throat.

Scully saw the colour drain from Mulder's face. His eyes had lost focus
and he was holding his breath. Clearly, the pain had finally caught up
with him. The initial shock of the accident had been a barrier between
mind and body, but the wall had come down. Placing her hand softly on
his forehead, she leaned closer to his face and spoke, trying to comfort
him.

"Hey, hang in there partner. You're doing great. Just stop talking so
much and concentrate on your breathing. You'll feel better soon, I
promise".

Mulder watched Scully's lips moving, but had no hope of hearing her
words over the buzzing in his head. He could barely formulate his own
thoughts. His head suddenly felt like it weighed a ton, and holding it
up off the ground was too much hard work. He fell back onto his side.

Its only pain, get over it.

He tried to breathe deeper, in through his nose and out through his
mouth, hoping to regain some control.

How long he lay there, listening to the deafening static in his head and
praying for it all to go away, he wasn't sure. But flaring pain suddenly
jolted him back to earth. His arm was a mass of raw nerve endings, each
one being stretched and twisted at the same time.

He was now lying flat on his back, but had no recollection of how he got
there. Mulder prised his head from the ground and was rewarded with a
blurry vision of Scully, binding his forearm to a long, almost flat,
piece of wood. The strip of cloth she was wrapping around it looked very
similar to the shirt she had been wearing that night.

He took a deep breath and blinked a few times, hoping to improve his
vision. It helped a little, and took his mind off the pain momentarily.
He looked more closely at Scully. Her fleecy jacket was now zippered up,
whereas before she had worn it open with a long sleeved shirt underneath.

Yet another piece of Scully's clothing had been donated to the Mulder
First Aid Foundation, and he had missed the show. Had he been that out
of it? The answer could only be yes. He braced himself as she continued
her work. The pain was growing again, causing the world to spin. His
stomach lurched.

"Shit, Scully! Stop!" He hadn't meant to yell at her, but fuck, she was
going to kill him at this rate.

Scully felt Mulder beginning to stir and thought she heard some mumbled
threat. She had hoped he would remain semi-conscious while she splinted
his arm. That way she wouldn't have to argue with him. She cupped his
chin in her hand and tilted his head toward her. "You are going to have
to stay still for a couple more minutes while I finish up. Stop
squirming and it won't hurt so much."

"Bull ... shit". No smart arse remark this time, it was difficult enough
just to say those two words. He closed his eyes and rode the waves of
pain until he heard her talking again. Her voice floated in the air
around him and he found himself straining to catch her words as they
drifted by. Whatever the hell she was saying was not making much sense
to him.

"I want you to try and sit up." Scully wanted to strap his arm to his
chest, but it was impossible with him lying on the ground. By the look
on his face he was not really coherent, so she began to pull on his good
arm while at the same time pushing on his back. He got the hint, and
together they managed to get him into a sitting position, where he
promptly zoned out again. She finished working on him despite the added
difficulty of him leaning heavily on her.

Scully bent back a little and studied the makeshift bandages which were
now in place. She felt she had done a good enough job, given the
conditions she was forced to work under. His arm was thoroughly splinted
and secured to his chest, his left wrist almost level with his right
shoulder. Even he would have difficulty in wreaking any further damage
upon it. She had also pulled his sleeve down as far as it would go
before she had begun, in an effort to prevent any more dirt getting into
the wound. Apart from the threat of shock setting in, an infection was
on the cards. It was difficult to avoid with this type of injury.

She shivered. The air held a definite chill and signalled a cold night
ahead. Mulder was wearing only a dark sloppy joe over his customary
white t-shirt. He had thrown his leather jacket onto the back seat of
the car when they left the diner. It would be virtually impossible for
him to maintain a healthy body temperature. Scully lightly grasped his
swollen fingers. Icy cold. Time to get moving.

"Come on Mulder, wake up. I want to go home too, you know." She watched
as he shook his head slightly, causing him to wince and softly groan.

"Wha... What?"

Scully attempted to pull him to his feet, without much luck. "Can you
help me a bit here, Mulder?"

He seemed very unsteady and confused. Maybe it would be best not to move
him at all. Even though she had been a good distance behind Mulder when
he was hit, she still had full view of the event. Too good a view,
actually. The accident replayed in her mind once more in vivid detail.
Again she saw him clambering up onto the track, the flashlight bobbing
and weaving in front of her. Saw him desperately trying to draw his gun,
but never getting the chance to raise it before the car was on top of
him. She heard the thumping sound of metal on flesh. The impact had
flung him a long way and he hit the ground extremely hard, his left arm
stretched out in front, crumpling inwards as he skidded along the dirt
face down. There was no way he could have escaped a concussion. Her
anxiety grew. It was impossible to tell if he had internal injuries
without the proper instruments.

Maybe there's something else wrong. Seriously wrong.

Mulder cleared his throat gingerly. "Give me a second, Scully. I can get
up by myself."

She sincerely believed he wouldn't be able to, but gave him the benefit
of the doubt. A few seconds later he did manage to get to his feet, and
she was there to support him as he swayed dangerously to the left.

"Steady." She gave him a few seconds to get his bearings. "You're going
to feel dizzy for a while. You're probably concussed, and you'll feel
off centre without the use of one arm." Scully saw him trying to take it
all in.

"If you haven't got anything good to say, just don't say it. OK Scully?"
He had almost succeeded in standing still and was now looking down along
the trail.

Scully knew he was weighing up his chances of walking out of there.

"Don't even contemplate it Mulder. I'm going to get you comfortable over
there." She indicated a spot about twenty feet away. "You can sit down
and lean back on that big, soft tree while I go for help."

"Big, soft tree, Scully? Since when are trees soft?" Mulder was actually
smiling again. It made her feel confident that he would be alright after
all.

"Since I said so. Now shut up and let me help you walk over there." They
began a slow shuffle towards the tree.

They went only a few feet before Mulder stopped in his tracks. "You know
how I hate to disagree with you."

Scully almost choked. "What!! You live to disagree with me Mulder, and
you know it. Now will you just keep walking so I can get out of here?"

He didn't budge. "Listen. I feel like shit and..." He swallowed a couple
of times. "I'm trying hard not to throw up. But I'm also really cold. I
don't want to sit here, without moving, for who knows how long. We only
have to make it as far as the road and then flag down a car."

He turned his head to stare at her and she saw that look in his eyes,
the one she had seen countless times before. Fierce determination that
drove him on when others would have given up long ago. Scully reminded
herself it was usually the last thing she saw before he went off and got
himself into another major disaster.

Mulder gestured with a sideways tilt of his head, signalling his
intention. " I'm coming with you. End of discussion."

She only just held her anger in check, knowing he was probably more
concerned about her running off down the mountain and breaking her neck,
rather then his own discomfort. He would also be thinking about the
person who had stolen their car and run him down in the process. It was
possible this person was guilty of abduction, perhaps even murder. And
that person could still be somewhere nearby.

It would be better if they stayed together. Not that she was worried for
herself, she would gladly kill the bastard if he showed up again.
Mulder, on the other hand, would be an easy target in his present
condition. But she honestly thought he would be incapable of walking any
distance at all. He had barely been able to stumble the last few yards,
so a few miles may just as well be five hundred. He would never make it.

Scully could feel Mulder watching her as she tried to come up with the
best solution. She knew he could usually tell what she was thinking,
although on most occasions he chose to ignore it.

"I can do this, Scully. Its only my arm that's broken, nothing else."

"You have a compound fracture of your radius and ulna. Not to mention a
concussion and most probably severe bruising and contusions where the
car hit you."

" Aha." Mulder seized upon her words. "So now the car hit me, instead of
the other way around. You change your tune so quickly when you're proven
wrong."

"You have never had the opportunity of seeing me wrong about anything,
Mulder." Things were starting to look up. She didn't think he would have
recalled anything that was said earlier, but his memory seemed to be
working as well as ever, and his partner-baiting was back in full swing.
Good indications that he was feeling better.

"Well, seeing you're so gung ho about walking several miles in serious
pain, go right ahead." There was no way to actually stop him, short of
tying him down or knocking him out. The idea of simply conking him on
the head to shut him up was extremely tempting, but it was out of the
question.

Scully reasoned with herself. When he finally did keel over she would
just carry on with her original plan.

"It makes me so happy when you give in to me. You should do it more
often." He gave her something that vaguely resembled a lecherous look
and although she wanted to kill him, he looked so stupid it made her laugh.

Mulder was wounded. "That was my sexy look.".

"Spare me, Mulder. Come on, the sooner we get going, the sooner we get
you to hospital." That comment caused him to groan loudly, but he did
begin walking.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

They started out at a slow but fairly steady pace. At first the walking
gave him something to divert his mind from the pain, and he tried not to
think too far ahead, concentrating on one small thing at a time before
going on to the next. Except every now and then he would come down a bit
too heavily on one of his feet, or worse still, stumble a little. The
reverberation that shuddered through his body was nothing short of
agonising, and his brain simply ceased to function until he could catch
his breath again. Before too long he was wishing he had listened to
Scully. Sitting by that tree, even if he froze solid, would sure beat
the hell out of how he was feeling right now. But there was no way he
was going to quit, unless ofcourse he simply dropped dead from the pain.

"Hey Mulder?"

He pretended not to hear her, but Scully never gave up that easily.
"Don't ignore me. You look terrible. Let's have a break."

Her choice of words was regrettable but had the desired effect. He
stopped, and somehow summoned the energy to reply. "No thanks, I've
already had one of those."

He put his foot out to continue, knowing if he stayed still for too long
it was likely he would not go again. But he met with resistance. Scully
wasn't moving, and since her arm was round his waist and his good arm
was over her shoulder, it made life difficult for him.

"Come on Mulder, you're not that stupid are you?" She was working up a
full head of steam. "You are going to kill yourself at this rate!"

"I'm fine. Keep going." He didn't want to waste his oxygen arguing with
her and to prove his point, he started to remove his arm so he could
continue on without her help. Scully immediately grabbed his hand and
almost snarled as they recommenced walking. He knew she was severely
pissed off now, especially when she started mumbling under her breath.
Something about finding a partner with a brain next time. He couldn't
help but smile, and he hoped she didn't catch him in the act.

******

9-15PM

It had been about ten minutes since their little disagreement, and she
hadn't directed a word at him in that space of time. The silence was
broken only by the sound of his laboured breathing, and she occupied
herself completely in making sure he did not fall. They had been walking
now for well over half an hour, and it was fast becoming obvious that
Mulder wouldn't last much longer. In the past few minutes he had begun
to lean heavily on her and she was struggling to keep him upright. His
steps grew shorter. She was a silent witness as he pushed on past the
point of exhaustion, sweat running down his face and neck, soaking the
back of his jumper.

Enough was enough. She was going to end this now. They had covered a
fair distance, mainly because this part of the track was all downhill.
He wouldn't be alone too long while she went for help. She moved her
hand from where it still anchored his right arm around her shoulder.
Touching his swollen cheek, she turned his face to hers. "Mulder". No
recognition at all. She tapped his chin several times. "Mulder, let's
rest for a bit".

A tiny nod of his head was the only response. Scully began to guide him
towards a rocky outcrop on the high side of the track. Hopefully it
would provide some relief from the wind that was beginning to pick up.
She hoped it would be enough to prevent him sliding further into shock
while they were separated.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Mountainside
9-18 PM

The wind gusted and blew. Mulder was not really walking any longer,
since walking involves the lifting of feet from the ground. He was
reduced to pushing one foot out, then dragging the other up to meet it.
Scully was close to him, he could feel her. But he had no idea what they
were doing. Logical thought was a thing of the past, sensations now his
only connection to the conscious world. Heat and cold at the same time.
Overwhelming tiredness. Weight. And pain, mostly pain.

Hands were on his shoulder, his arm. Pushing at him. His knees buckled,
and he was falling through the air, until his back connected somewhere,
hard and jarring. Pain blasted through him. An explosion of light behind
his eyes led to darkness.

******

Scully had steered Mulder to the ridge which ran a short distance along
the right hand side of the track. Her arms and legs were throbbing, on
the verge of collapse from supporting his weight for so long. She
couldn't imagine what was keeping him on his feet after all he had endured.

With some difficulty she managed to swivel him round. Now all she had to
do was get him onto the ground somehow. Telling him to sit would have
been useless. Although he remained conscious, Mulder's eyes told a
different story. He was definitely not in the neighbourhood right now.
So Scully put her arms around him and pushed gently, intending to lower
him to the ground. A good plan in theory, but his legs gave way suddenly
and she was unable to prevent him falling backwards, pulling her down at
the same time.

They impacted with a thud. Mulder's back collided with the rock face,
and she felt the air expel from his lungs with a whoosh across her face.
They slid the rest of the way, ending up in a skewed, half-lying,
half-sitting position. Scully quickly lifted herself off to one side.
Mulder was now unconscious. Understandable, given the circumstances.

She felt for a pulse at the base of his throat and was relieved to find
it fairly strong, not nearly as bad as she had anticipated. He was a lot
sturdier than his appearance suggested. All the running and swimming was
paying dividends, his level of fitness sustaining him.

She continued her examination, gently slipping her hand down till it
rested just above his injured arm. The strapping was all still in place,
and she prayed the fall hadn't hurt his arm any further. His respiration
seemed regular enough, but it was shallow, her hand hardly moving with
each breath he drew.

Scully remained like that for a short while, huddled close to his body,
content to simply feel every rise and fall of his chest. Her exhausted
body relished the respite, but her mind refused to do the same. Up till
then, she had been continually moving, always focused on the task at
hand. It had prevented her thoughts from wandering into dark places. But
now the gravity of the situation descended over her, and for the first
time that night her emotions got the better of her. She felt sick to her
stomach and her eyes began to water.

A low groan beside her pulled her back to the moment. He was coming to.
As she wiped at her cheek she searched his face for recognition.
"Mulder? You in there?"

He was attempting to open his eyes, but managed only to get one eyelid
half way up. A little cough caused another groan to escape. Followed
closely by one word. "Thirsty."

Scully ran her fingers through his hair. "Sorry partner. No water." Even
if she had some, he would only be able to rinse his mouth out, not
drink. He would be in surgery as soon as she could get him there, and
she remembered how badly he had reacted to the anaesthetic after he was
shot over in Raleigh.

God. Things are bad enough. Don't go there.

"Can you hear me Mulder?" He hadn't responded at all to her words. His
eyes were closed and she thought he may be out to it again, but he
softly answered. "Yeh, Scully." After a second, he added "Tired."

"I know you are. But you have to listen carefully to me." Her found
herself stroking his cheek, rubbing her thumb across the unmarked side
of his face with a gentle motion. "OK?"

Another almost imperceptible nod signalled he was with her.

"I'm going to leave you by yourself for a little while. You have to stay
here. I will be back as soon as I can. But you have to stay still, don't
move. Understand?"

She spoke loud and clear, repeating her words slowly in the hope he
would comprehend. The message had to get through. There was a distinct
possibility Mulder would get up and look for her if he didn't understand
where she had gone.

His lip curled up slightly, an imitation of his smile. "Not deaf, Scully."

She laughed softly, relieved. And felt even better as he opened both
eyes. They were a little glassy, but he seemed lucid. It made what she
had to do so much easier.

"You know what's going on then?"

"Unfortunately." He placed his right hand on the ground and began to
manoeuvre himself into a more comfortable position. She tried to help,
and with some pushing and pulling, he finally sat a little more upright.

"How's the pain?" It was a stupid question. The answer was carved in his
face.

"No worse."

It was the best reply she could have hoped to hear right now. She pushed
herself slowly to her feet and began removing her jacket. She was glad
she had felt cold earlier, her layered clothing was proving more than
useful as a mobile first-aid kit. But there was a limit to her
resources. Now down to a sleeveless t-shirt, she felt goose bumps break
out on her arms. Mulder was squinting at her as she squatted down to
cover his chest, tucking the sleeves of her jacket carefully behind his
shoulders. "I'm going now."

He began to speak, but she cut him off. "I'll be moving. I'll be warm
enough."

She removed his gun from her jacket pocket and looked at it, finally
laying it on the ground by his side. He probably couldn't even pick it
up, let alone aim and fire it. But it made her feel better to leave it
with him, almost like she wasn't leaving him completely defenceless.

"Your gun is near your right hand. Don't shoot yourself." This time his
smile was closer to normal. "Remember..."

Mulder finished for her. "Don't move. I know." He closed his eyes. "Be
safe Scully."

She lay a hand on top of his head.

You too, Mulder.

She turned and left him there.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Scully found herself wanting to run at full speed despite her aching
body, but the slope and surface under her feet prevented it. The thought
of what would happen if she fell and hurt herself was even more of a
deterrent. So she paced herself as best she could, her eyes fixed a few
feet ahead on the track, ready to avoid any pothole or bump in the road.
The pounding of her feet became her mantra, each step a positive
reinforcement in her mind, willing her onwards.

Every so often she would look up and around, trying to gauge her
progress. Just a quick glance up, then back to the ground. In was in the
middle of this procedure that something caught her eye, causing her to
lift her head even higher. She slowed down, then completely stopped.

Two white lights danced and weaved directly above her. So bright they
seemed to burn their way high across the night sky. Their movement was
virtually identical to the unidentified lights she had watched with
Mulder outside Ellens Air Force Base nearly a year ago. She was frozen
in place for several seconds, staring up at the heavens. Then her feet
gradually began to move under her again, almost of their own volition.
She tore her eyes from the vision above, and shook her head at the
irony. Mulder had dragged her up here, hoping to see what she had just
witnessed. He was missing the performance, and she didn't have the time
to worry about it. Not right now. Scully centred herself, refusing to
analyse what was happening in the sky overhead. She extended her stride,
and picked up the pace.

******


With every passing moment, she could feel her energy dwindling away. She
had reached the bottom of the mountain about twenty minutes ago, and now
was on the stretch of track that led to the road. She wished she had
paid more attention earlier. Surely she must be nearing the end by now.

This particular section seemed determined to break her. She was running
a gentle curve upwards and to the right, but it was neverending. She
finally topped the crest, and to her upmost relief saw the end was in
sight. The point where the track merged with the sealed road was
probably only a few hundred yards ahead. As she drew nearer, she slowed
down, finally coming to a halt.

She bent over, braced her hands on her knees, and drew sweet oxygen deep
into her lungs. The throbbing in her legs and pounding of blood in her
ears told her she had pushed herself hard, and confirmed her fear that
she tiring fast. But she knew in herself that she could do whatever it
would take, even if it meant running all the way into town. Scully
forced herself to begin again, but not before she stole a glance
upwards. The lights had disappeared.

She turned out onto the road a moment or two later. Where another
miraculous sight greeted her.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Range Road
10 miles south of Woodport
10-05PM

It was nothing short of a god-send. As Scully turned the corner, she saw
a blue flashing light and heard the muted sound of voices speaking over
a two-way radio. A patrol car was pulled over on the side of the road,
the driver's door open and the interior light on. Words drifted towards
her. "That's affirmative. We may need to get some more Bureau people out
here." She began running at full speed again, slowing down to call out
as she approached.

"Hey, over here. I need assistance." The driver climbed out and a torch
was swung in her direction. She raised a hand to shield her eyes.

It was the same officer that had briefed them on the disappearance of
Kevin Douglas that afternoon. He was a huge man, about six-four or five,
so he wasn't that difficult to recognise. "Agent Scully?" He sounded
more confused than surprised.

She had reached the car and was leaning on the boot, finally out of
breath. "Yes."

The light shifted from her face as he walked over to stand beside her.
"What the hell is going on here?" He shone the torch down and out from
where they stood, moving it over something at the bottom of the gully.
It was the roof of a car, lying on it's side. After a second, Scully
realised it was their car, the front end completely stoved in.

She didn't take the time to think. "I need an ambulance. My partner's
further up the mountain. He's been seriously injured." Her voice
remained calm while her insides were twisting.

The trooper, whose name she couldn't recall at the moment, took his coat
off and wrapped it around her. He then moved back towards the open car
door. She followed him, slipping her arms into the sleeves and rolling
them back as she went. The coat swam on her and she could still feel his
warmth inside. It felt wonderful.

She kept speaking to him as he reached into the car. "We were looking
over the area where the Douglas boy went missing." She fell silent when
she saw the radio mike in his hand.

"Dispatch. This is Myers again." He released the button and was
immediately acknowledged. "Agent Scully has been located." He looked her
up and down. Holding the mike away from his mouth, he asked "You OK?"
She nodded, and he continued. "She's unhurt. Agent Mulder has been
injured up on Mt. Riley. We'll need an ambulance ASAP. I'll commence
transport, tell them we'll meet them on the way. Over."

The answer crackled back. "Affirmative. Will do. Over."

Myers nodded towards the passenger side of the car. "Get in, Agent
Scully. The ambulance has to come from Huntington. We'll save time this
way."

Scully could feel the weight lift from her shoulders. She was in good
hands. This man was an exception to most small town law enforcement, he
worked quickly and efficiently. The car was moving as she closed the door

******.

Myers accelerated hard out of a tight U-turn, and barely slowed at all
to take the turn-off up the mountain. Scully held on to the top of the
seat belt to steady herself. Her body was stiffening up already, and it
hurt every time the car went over a bump or rounded a corner. Still, she
wished they could go faster.

Myers didn't take his eyes from the dirt road as he spoke. "Tell me what
happened."

Scully watched the road as well. "There's not a lot to tell. We were up
at the spot where the boys camped overnight." From the corner of her eye
she saw him nodding, as if to remind her he was already aware of that fact.

"There were no signs of anyone else up there, but we obviously disturbed
someone. We had been up to the mountain top and were heading back down
to where the tents had been pitched when we heard our car start up.
Agent Mulder ran ahead of me, up onto the trail, and was purposely run
down by the assailant. I didn't get a clear look at the driver."

Myers listened intently before he replied. "I have a good idea who it
was. Someone was nearly run off the road earlier tonight on their way
into town, almost ended up next to your car in that ditch. I was
responding to his call when you showed up. He gave me the licence plate
number of the car that almost hit him. The registered owner is Dave
Springer."

Scully took a second before she understood. "The boyfriend of Lyn Douglas."

Myers smiled tightly. "None other. A car's been sent over to the Douglas
place to pick him up. We're bringing him in for questioning."

Scully smiled. Now if only the rest of the night would turn out as well.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

They were nearing the spot where she had left Mulder. "Slow down. We're
getting close."

This seemed to take Myers by surprise. "We're nowhere near the top yet."

"I know. We walked a fair way down the...." She spotted the ridge not
far ahead. "He's up by those rocks." She strained to see. "There!"

Myers looked where she was pointing, and a few seconds later was hitting
the brake. Scully was out of the car before he had his seatbelt off.

Mulder was slumped to the right, his body at a right angle to his legs.
Blood had soaked through to stain her jacket. Scully fought a tidal wave
of panic as she knelt down beside him. Until she saw he was still
breathing.

Myers had arrived and was crouched down on Mulder's left side. "God.
He's in a bad way. How did he walk anywhere like that?"

Scully wasn't listening. She had pulled the jacket away and was trying
to find a pulse. The shirt-bandages round his chest and arm were soaked
in blood. She slapped gently at his face. "Mulder, wake up." She tried
two more times before she gave up.

"He's in shock. We've got to stop this bleeding and get him to hospital
quickly. Help me get him into the car." She started to pull Mulder up.

Myers stopped her, holding her arm. "You open the back door. I've got
him." Before she could argue, he grabbed Mulder's right shoulder,
pulling him back to a sitting position. He then slipped one hand under
Mulder's knees, the other round his back. With a bit of effort, he rose
slowly to his feet. Mulder's head slumped backwards.

Scully picked up Mulder's gun, stuffed in into her waistband and ran to
the car. She glanced back to see how Myers was doing.

He was struggling, but he smiled briefly and managed to spit out, "Its
OK, I lift weights. Just get the door."

It was already done. She rounded the back of the car and jumped into the
rear seat. As Myers approached she heard him say, "He's awake."

Scully looked at Mulder's face as his head and shoulders were laid in
her arms. His eyes were partially open, but she doubted he saw anything.
She slid backwards, dragging the dead weight of his body as Myers
pushed. It was a tight squeeze. They had to bend his legs in order to
shut the door.

A second later, Myers was in the driver's seat and they were on their way.

******

Mulder was unconscious again as Scully set to work, trying to stop any
further blood loss. The wound hadn't been bleeding like this before. It
had probably started sometime during their hike down the mountain.

When I let him fall.

She pushed that thought away as she unwound the outer binding that held
his arm to his chest. She then wrapped it over the top of the saturated
bandages on his wrist and applied pressure with both hands. All she
could do now was hold tight.

Myers was looking at her in the rear view mirror, holding the radio mike
in one hand. "Agent Scully? You hear me? They want to know his condition."

She had been concentrating so hard, she hadn't heard him speaking at all.

"He's in shock. Compound fracture of the left forearm has caused severe
bleeding. Possible head injury." She listened as he relayed the
information, kicking herself mentally at the same time. She should have
rechecked Mulder's arm more thoroughly before she went for help. Not
that it would have done any good, there had been only one option
available, she had no choice other than to take it.

But she should not have given into him earlier. Mulder shouldn't have
walked anywhere, not in this condition. What had she been thinking?

Myers was speaking to her again. She answered him. "Sorry, I didn't hear
you."

He twisted a little in his seat to glance at her. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. How long till we meet up with the ambulance?"

"They're not far north of Woodport. Shouldn't be longer than ten
minutes." They were now back on the main road. Myers turned on the siren
and planted his foot.

Scully's eyes were drawn to her partner's face again. The paleness
accentuated the myriad of scratches and crusted blood. A purple bruise
was forming on the side of his forehead. She bent down and whispered,
"Not much further Mulder. Hang on."

The last thing she had expected was an answer. But she saw his lips
move, and his eyes slowly open. Between the noise of the siren and the
weakness of his voice, she scarcely managed to make out the two words he
murmured.

"See them?"

Scully didn't have to ask. She knew exactly what he meant. "Yes. I saw
the lights."

She swore she saw him smile, just before his eyes rolled back in his
head. He was oblivious once more.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

10-48PM
Highway
Northern outskirts of Woodport

Myers backed off the accelerator as he caught sight of the ambulance.

Scully was sitting sideways on the back seat, her back resting on the
rear passenger side door. Still holding Mulder's arm in both hands, she
wedged her shoulder against the front seat to brace herself as the
patrol car slowed and stopped.

Myers had already jumped out, but stuck his head back through the open
door and said, "Hang on a minute."

She wasn't going anywhere. Her hands were wet and sticky with Mulder's
blood. It had slowed because of the pressure she was exerting, but she
still didn't want to risk moving until everything was completely set up.

Only a few seconds elapsed before the door opposite opened and a
paramedic leaned in. "We're bringing the stretcher round your side. You
can hop out now and we'll move him."

Scully didn't want anything left to chance. "He'll need blood substitute
started immediately." Her statement was met with a strange look.

"I'm a doctor." That got a better reaction.

"OK. Good." He closed the door and she heard his footsteps crunch
quickly through the gravel as he headed for the ambulance.

Seconds later, the door clicked behind her and she leaned away as it was
opened. She had been stiff before, but now that she tried to move, she
felt like stone. A voice sounded next to ear.

"Come on. I'll give you a hand." Myers practically lifted her up and
away from the car. The stretcher was moved to the open door and Mulder
was quickly transferred.

Scully watched the paramedics work, ready to intercede if it was
warranted. It wasn't. Twin IV lines were up and running within seconds.
A pressure splint was put in place and inflated, making her wince as
they jostled Mulder's arm to position it. A blood pressure cuff was then
attached to his right arm.

"Pressure is bad, 80 over 60. Let's move."

They began loading the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. The
paramedic holding the IV bags turned to Scully.

"You coming with us?"

She nodded once, not daring to rely on her voice at the moment.

Myers still had one arm under her elbow and now helped her up through
the back door after the stretcher. "I'm going to the station, see if
there's been any progress with Springer. I'll be in touch." He squeezed
her arm.

Scully eyes were transfixed on Mulder, so her head turned only
marginally in reply. "OK."

The door closed, followed a split second later by the slow whoops of the
siren. It wailed into full life as the ambulance started up and gained
momentum.

The paramedic was attaching an oxygen mask to Mulder's face. Scully
watched his gloved hands as they worked, her gaze wandering up the man's
arms towards his chest, eventually coming to rest on a name tag. She
read it, then read it again.

Paramedic W. Skinner.

Lucky you're out of it, Mulder.

He'd have a fit otherwise.

She must have laughed, because Skinner the Second was staring at her,
probably in the belief she was about to fall apart.

Scully felt compelled to explain. "Your name. It's the same as our
assistant director, even the initial. Your patient there doesn't always
see eye to eye with him."

He smiled warily. Most likely thinking she was a little crazy instead of
in shock.

"Well I don't have any relatives in the FBI, so I guess he's safe with
me." Skinner was taking another BP reading and gave the update before
Scully had a chance to ask. "It's only picked up a little, but that's
normal. It takes time for the volume to increase."

Scully was well aware of that fact, but didn't bother to remind him. She
silently observed as he placed a stethoscope to Mulder's chest and
listened. She didn't wait till he removed it. "How's his respiration?"

"Its good, better than expected, actually."

Scully began to relax a little for the first time in what had been a
long and arduous night. A night she would like to forget, but would
undoubtedly remember for a long time to come. In fact, it promised to go
straight to the top of her ten worst nightmares list. She allowed
herself the luxury of closing her eyes for a few minutes, her hands
resting on the blanket that covered Mulder's legs.

"You're not a Walter are you?" She reopened her eyes with the question.

Skinner gave her another odd look before he shook his head in the
negative. "Wayne."

Scully smiled but didn't comment further, preferring to concentrate on
other things.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

County Hospital
Huntington
11-40 PM

Scully tried to follow the paramedics and Mulder into the ER, but was
waylaid by an admitting clerk holding the obligatory sheaf of papers in
her hand. The information gathering process was easier this time, most
of it still relatively fresh in her mind, plus she had already given a
lot of the details to the paramedic en route. A little over five minutes
later she was finished, and she made her way to the bathroom. When the
clerk had asked her to sign the admittance form she had at first offered
her own pen, but took one look at the dried blood all over Scully's
hands and quickly found another one for her to use. Now was a good time
to clean herself up a little.

When Scully saw herself in the mirror, she was taken back somewhat by
her appearance. It looked like she could do with some medical attention
herself. Her hair was everywhere it shouldn't be and in some places hung
in matted strands of dried blood. More blood was smeared across her
face. She turned the tap on and lathered up her hands, scrubbing them
before turning her attention to her face, washing away the trail of
blood from her cheek. There was not a lot she could do with her hair
without a comb, except rinse the blood out and straighten it with her
fingers. Who really cared anyway? She cupped her hand under the running
water and brought it up to her mouth, but her hand began to shake, and
most of it was spilt before she had a chance to drink. Giving up, she
turned the tap off and returned to the waiting room.

Scully tried to settle herself into one of the plastic chairs. No success.

So she began walking up and down the hallway, ignoring her protesting
limbs, getting closer to the ER each time. A portable x-ray unit was
wheeled in and before she knew it, she had taken up guard duty outside
the treatment room. The two small windows set high in each door were
moving her body in a tidal sway, drawing her close, only to push her
away. She paced back and forth between the corridor walls. Five and a
half steps, turn, stop for a few seconds, then repeat.

After a few minutes she braced herself, stood on her toes and peered
through the glass. The activity inside was relentless. Two doctors
worked steadily, standing on either side of table, obscuring her line of
vision to the patient. It appeared the x-rays had already been taken,
the technician had pushed the machine aside and was removing the plates,
placing them on top of the machine. A pair of nurses were a flurry of
movement around the room. She tried to catch sight of Mulder's face but
it was impossible.

She could see the line on the heart monitor though, and it held
particular fascination for her. It was so far behaving itself, which was
fortunate for all concerned. If it happened to change its tune, the
doctors would have some company in there, whether they liked it or not.

Scully turned as she heard footsteps down the corridor. Myers was
striding towards her. She moved away from the door to meet him.

Myers removed his hat, ran a hand through his dark hair and nodded a
greeting. "Agent Scully. How is he?"

No medical staff had spoken to her since they had arrived. "His
condition improved marginally on the way here, but I haven't been given
any new information." Scully began moving towards the windows again,
just as the x-ray unit was pushed back out through the double doors.
Myers restrained her with a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll fill you in on the latest with Springer. Come and sit down before
you fall down."

Now that she thought about it, her legs felt like lead and a headache
was brewing. She followed him back to the waiting room and dropped down
in the nearest seat. Myers made a detour to the back wall but soon
returned, a steaming cup of coffee in each hand.

He held one out to her. "You look like you need a lift, so I put a
couple of sugars in."

He was still doing more than he had to, and doing it right. Scully
realised she hadn't thanked him or even acknowledged his help.

She took the coffee from him. "Thanks. I mean thanks for all you've done
tonight. I'm just sorry I didn't say so earlier." As she sipped it, she
looked over the top of the cup at him. She hadn't really noticed before,
but his eyes were an unusually deep shade of green. They lit up when he
smiled.

"Just part of the service, Agent Scully." But the smile slowly
transformed to a frown. "I wish I could give you some good news
regarding Dave Springer. We haven't been able to locate him. But we
should have him soon, an APB's been posted and there's some of your
people on the way. Which reminds me.." He pulled a notebook from his
shirt pocket and flipped it open. "I've been in contact with the bureau
in Washington." He scanned the page. "Got transferred to an AD Skinner."
Myers pulled a face. "I think I woke him up."

Scully's stomach dropped. She hadn't even thought to phone Skinner yet.

Myers was still talking. "I filled him in on everything. He said he
would be in contact with you soon. Your car is being towed back to the
station here in Huntington, where they'll dust for prints. Springer has
a record, a couple of assaults and a break and enter, so it should all
be plain sailing once we find him."

Scully's opinion of Myers didn't look like slipping a notch. "The
camp-site and surrounds will need to be thoroughly searched. Did Skinner
say who he's sending to assist in the investigation?"

Myers closed the notepad and shook his head. "No. Just that he would
arrange it with the Charleston Field Office. You think they may find the
Douglas boy's body up there?"

"I think that may be the case. Springer might have gone back to the site
trying to dispose of some evidence. It looks like he left his car
concealed and went up the mountain on foot, so it's obvious he didn't
want to be seen up there. Maybe the body is .... Scully stopped mid
sentence as the ER doors opened outwards. She had kept one eye on the
corridor during the entire conversation, waiting for this moment. She
was on her feet immediately.

One of the doctors was heading towards them, and she moved to meet him
halfway, dropping her almost untouched coffee into the bin on the way.
He waved his hand at her as he approached, signalling her to stay put.
Scully was mesmerised by the amount of blood on his sleeve and gown-front.

His hand was stretched out to her. "I've been told you're Agent Mulder's
partner and listed next of kin. I'm Dr. Perry."

She shook his hand. "Dana Scully. This is Officer Myers." Now that the
pleasantries were out of the way, she wanted him to cut to the chase.

Dr Perry gestured towards the row of chairs. "Let's have a seat, shall
we?" He guided Scully back to her chair. Myers stood a discreet distance
away.

The doctor half sat on the seat next to her, twisted sideways to make
direct eye contact. "We've stabilised him. He'll be taken up to surgery
shortly, but first we want to run a CT scan."

That worried her. "Do his neuros indicate head trauma?'

"His neuros are OK, the scan is only a precaution."

So far, so good. "The haemorrhaging?"

"We have controlled the bleeding, and the orthopaedic surgeon is on her
way. There is a good deal of vascular damage to his arm, and what looks
like a small tear to the radial artery as well. Presently everything's
going as well as can be expected."

She wanted to see for herself. "Has he regained consciousness?"

"No. Remember he's lost a lot of blood, a second unit is being
transfused now. But his vitals are quite good considering his condition,
so it's possible he could wake soon. Would you like to see him before
he's moved?"

"Yes. I would." She would be in there anyway, with or without an
invitation.

Dr Perry rose to his feet and began walking. Scully turned to Myers
before she followed.

"Would you mind calling Skinner again for me? Tell him I'm checking on
Mulder's condition and will contact him in the next fifteen minutes or so?"

Myers looked happy to have been asked. "Consider it done. Do you want me
to arrange some accommodation for you while I'm at it?"

Scully shook her head. "We booked in up at Woodport earlier this
afternoon . I'll be spending the night here in any case." She reached
over and shook his hand. "Thanks anyway, and thanks again for everything
else."

"No worries. I can organise a car for you to use tomorrow. I'll see you
in the morning. He grinned at her. "Maybe I'll get my jacket back then."

Scully smiled as well. "If you're lucky." She headed for the treatment room.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

ER
12-05AM

Scully threaded her way across the floor, dodging discarded packaging
and bloody dressings, her shirt-bandages among them, till she stood by
Mulder's side. He didn't look much better than he had in the ambulance.
He lay motionless on the table, his injured arm propped up on his chest,
a small pillow underneath to elevate it. There were two more pillows
tucked in alongside his body, one on top of the other, supporting his
elbow and keeping it in place.

A swathe of bandages covered his arm from elbow to knuckles, with two
fibreglass splints poking out of the wrapping near his fingers. They
would temporarily immobilise the broken bones until the arm was operated
on and properly set. She catalogued it all before moving on. He still
wore an oxygen mask, which obscured a major proportion of his face. But
from what she could see, they had cleaned up most of the abrasions.

A nurse was moving round him, an empty blood bag in her left hand. She
bent down and gathered up some plastic wrappers and Mulder's jumper and
t-shirt from the floor. They had been cut from his body and were now
just more rubbish to throw away. Another few bits and pieces were added
to the load before she headed over to the refuse basket by the door.

Dr Perry was standing at the foot of the bed, writing notes on Mulder's
chart. It made a clanging noise as he rehung it. He walked over to the
nurse and said something before exiting the room. There was no sign of
the other doctor.

Just the two of us again, Mulder.

She hadn't spoken the words aloud, but it was almost as if he responded
to them anyway. Mulder's right hand began to lift from the bed, probably
about to move towards the face mask. Scully gently pushed his arm back
down with both her hands and didn't move them away as she leaned in a
little closer to him. His eyes were moving underneath the lids.

"Make up your mind, Mulder. Are you going to wake up or not?" She was
only inches from his face as she whispered.

It appeared he had decided. A few blinks, then his eyes opened half-way.
He tried to lift his arm again, then mumbled something beneath the mask.

Scully spoke louder. "Don't move your arm. You'll pull everything out."
His oxygen levels were being monitored by a clip on his index finger and
blood and fluid lines were inserted in his forearm.

Mulder's rolled his eyes towards her, but it took some effort. More
muffled words emerged and she could tell he wasn't happy. She lifted the
mask, moving it down underneath his chin. His whole face was now
visible, and it was evident he was in a good deal of pain.

"I'm putting this back on in a second, OK? Mulder blinked once, and she
took it to mean he agreed. He tried to speak again, but his voice were
barely audible, a husky echo in his throat. She caught two words,
'water' and 'now'. The rest were indecipherable.

He still wanted that drink, and he still couldn't have it. "No water
yet. Soon." Mulder looked like he intended to argue but began shivering
instead, and Scully noticed for the first time how cold the flesh of his
arm felt beneath her hands. She called out to the nurse on the far side
of the room.

"Could we have another blanket please? He's awake and he's cold."

The nurse immediately stopped what she was doing, and came over to check
the patient herself. "Back with us already?" She inspected the monitors
before turning to Scully with a smile. "Dr Perry asked to be notified if
he came round." As she headed for the double doors she called back,
"Don't worry, I won't forget the blanket. Back in two seconds."

Scully returned her attention to Mulder. "We'll get you warm in a minute."

Mulder blinked again. She started to replace the mask over his mouth but
he shook his head a fraction and croaked out, "Wait."

She hesitated, but when his eyes started to droop she began to put it on
anyway, thinking he may be about to pass out. But he must have felt the
movement and struggled back awake again.

"You found a cab. Thanks."

Scully's smile sounded in her reply. "I did. Full service, the driver
even carried the luggage." She thought Mulder would be in no fit state
to recognise the joke, but he opened his eyes a little wider and even
frowned.

"You, Mulder. You were the luggage."

He groaned, whether in pain or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
Scully tried to replace the mask yet again, but he still had more to say.

"Am I fixed?" He sought to answer his own question by taking a look down
at his arm, but didn't have the energy. His head only moved an inch
before it dropped back onto the pillow.

Scully was fast running out of patience with him. "Will you just lie
back and let me put this back on? Then I'll tell you all about it." She
finally got the mask back over his nose and mouth, and then pulled the
blanket up higher towards his neck, leaving his right arm with the
attached paraphernalia uncovered. If the nurse didn't bring that extra
blanket soon, she would go and find one herself. She opened her mouth to
speak to Mulder again, but as she looked back at his face, she saw his
eyes were closed.

"How about you just go back to sleep instead." He wouldn't remember any
of this conversation later anyway. She brushed a strand of hair from his
eyes. There would be plenty of time to tell him everything when he was
feeling better.

The door opened, and the nurse entered with the blanket in her arms.
"Trolley's on the way. The scan should only take ten or fifteen minutes,
then he'll go right on up to surgery."

The blanket had come straight out of the warmer and Scully helped to
cover him, tucking it in close to his body. She hadn't forgotten about
Skinner. "Can you tell me where I'd find a phone?"

The nurse was checking Mulder's temperature, holding a digital
thermometer in his ear. "The surgical theatres are on the first floor,
you'll find a phone in the waiting room right next to the elevators."

Scully nodded and thanked her, then looked again at Mulder. He seemed to
be resting a little more comfortably. Now that she had seen with her own
eyes he was doing OK and had even talked to him, she might be able to at
least sit still while he was in surgery.

But then again....

She headed for the elevator. On the ride up she prepared herself for
what lay ahead. First a conversation with Skinner, to be followed by
another long stretch of waiting room torture. As the lift doors closed
behind her on the first floor, Scully looked at her watch and wished for
morning.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X


I have decided to end here, or else I'll never get back to finishing my
other story. But if you liked it and want to hear more, I have more
ideas where this story leads and could extend it to two parts. Just drop
me a note.
To all you Skinner fans. I like him too. But this story takes place when
he was still new on the scene, and was an unknown quantity to M&S. And
if my memory serves me, he actually wasn't very approachable.
I have extensive medical training from years of watching shows like ER
and Emergency 911. I was a nurse for a very short time, I quit because I
kept throwing up. So when you people with the real thing notice all the
mistakes, just try and ignore, OK?
Also, I live in Australia, so my US geography comes from an atlas (and
my sister). Plus I made up Woodport and Mt Riley. My apologies for any
inconsistencies.
Thanks for reading, this is my first story. I began writing while
waiting for Season Six to start - 10th Feb. '99 down here at the bottom
of the world. Do you know how hard it is to not read all those great
stories with new season spoilers in them? Now that's REAL torture.
I would really appreciat