Explosive Developments

Sara B. 03/07

Mulder sat in the chair watching the monitors and tried to reassure himself with the fact she was still alive and that meant there was still a chance.  Her battered body remained motionless in the sterile white sheets of the hospital bed, as it had for that last three days.  Her arms were stiff at her sides in restraints to keep her from pulling at the various tubes if she came out of the coma.  ‘When’ she came out he amended quickly; when not ‘if’. 

There was a bandage around her head covering a deep gash caused by a fallen beam.  Her right leg was broken in three places and she had several broken ribs, one of which pierced a lung. 

Mulder leaned over and kissed her cheek, “Scully, I’m so sorry.  God, I’m…” he began to sob and his tears fell to her arm.

“Agent Mulder, are you alright?”   The gentle voice came from Brian Courtney R.N.  He’d come in to record Scully’s latest readings.

“Yeah, Brian,” Mulder sighed deeply.  “Better than Scully.”

“Agent Mulder, you have to give her time.  She’s holding her own.  And, considering the condition she was in when she arrived she’s doing really well.  Her heart stopped twice during the ambulance ride.”  Mulder sat back and stared at Scully completely stunned.  No one had told him that she’d died and it happened twice.  “She’s a strong determined woman, Agent Mulder.  If anyone will recover it is Dana Scully.”

Mulder could hardly breathe, “it was all my fault.”

“Why would you believe that?  You were investigating and the bomb went off; she was in the wrong place.  There is nothing you could have done.”  Brian tried to console Mulder.

“You’re wrong.  It’s because of me she’s in that bed.”  Mulder’s eyes never wavered from Scully’s too white face.

“I have a dinner break coming up.  Why don’t you join me in the cafeteria and tell me what happened?”  He saw the protest in Mulder’s eyes.  “She’s not going anywhere.  If she wakes up they’ll page us and I think you need to get it out of your system.  Besides, you look like you need to eat.  Do you even remember your last meal?”

Mulder thought about it for a moment.  Mrs. Scully brought him a sandwich at noon but most of it ended up in the trash.

~

They got their food and took the last booth nearest the door.  Once they were settled, Brian encouraged Mulder to talk.  “God, where to start?”  Mulder began and looked to the far wall as if hoping the story would be written on the masonry.  “For the last several years I’ve carried on, what I thought was a harmless, flirtation with an Agent Trina Andrews.  It was nothing, just fun.  I never dreamt she took it seriously.  Two months ago Scully and I finally got together, if you understand my meaning.  We didn’t hide it; even our boss knew and gave us his blessing.  I love her so much and I can’t believe…”  Mulder’s voice broke and Brian handed him some napkins.

“Agent Mulder, what happened?”  Brian gently prodded.

“Last week, the day before this happened, we had a major fight; big blowout.  I was flirting with Trina and Scully walked in on us.  She caught a little of the conversation and let me just say it was a bit raw.  She made the obvious leap and thought I’d been cheating on her.  I ran after her but couldn’t find her until I caught up with her at her apartment.  It was loud and painful and we both said some pretty horrible things but I was way out of line and accused her of spying on me and stormed out.

“The next morning she didn’t come to our office and I didn’t see her until we attended a meeting regarding the Chesapeake Bomber case.  Trina was lead and handed out the assignments.  She assigned me to assist her so we were together all day and I played it up. Every time Scully saw us I acted like the moronic immature child she’d called me the night before.”  Mulder got up to refill his coffee and Brian knew this was what Mulder needed; it was cathartic for the broken Fibbie.

Mulder sat silently for a moment as if trying to figure out where he’d left off, Brian remained silent.  “I didn’t know Trina gave Scully the worst job, investigate the basement, and she sent her alone which was completely against protocol.  Trina and I were working the ground floor when Mike Williams called over the radio that he found a counter and everyone needed to evacuate immediately.  We ran out and got clear just seconds before the explosion.  There we all were with the usual tittering and jokes that follow narrow misses when Skinner asked where Scully was.  She was nowhere around.  I tried to run into the building but Trina grabbed me and there was something in the way she looked and I knew Trina had set up Scully.  Luckily, Skinner witnessed the exchange and he picked up on it too and had her detained.”  Mulder’s head leaned back as he fought the tears from falling.

“Three hours we stood there waiting for the firemen to find her.  They used cadaver dogs.  When they brought her out I was sure she was dead.  She was close.  They also found her radio; the battery had been disconnected so she never got the warning to leave the building.  All the radios were checked before they were handed out so it had to have been switched.  Paul Barron remembered that Trina asked to borrow Scully’s radio for a moment before Scully headed out.  They think she switched it then.  I heard from Skinner this morning that Trina’s prints were found on the battery box. 

“Williams did a search of all the Bomber files and found out the bombing started the week it got out that Scully and I were in a romantic relationship.  Trina was the bomber and she’d been planning this for a long time.  Scully is hanging by a thread, seventeen people are dead and twenty-three others were seriously wounded because I was acting like a child.  Scully could die thinking I’d been unfaithful to her.”  Mulder’s head fell to the table.   

“Come on, let’s get back.  Agent Mulder, instead of just sitting there, tell her how you feel.  Tell her what she is to you.  Tell her everything, she’ll hear you.  It may make the difference.”

Mulder’s head was next to Scully’s right hand.  He’d spent the last several hours telling her everything and anything that came into his head.  Important things like how he loved her and the Yankees standings going into post season and the unimportant things like the weather and what movies were playing at their favorite theatre.  He told her he knew about her secret cravings for strange food combinations like Orange Sherbet and Oreo Cookies.  He promised that, even as disgusting as it sounded, as soon as she was home he’d join her in her indulgence, he was even looking forward to it.  He told her that he bought her an engagement ring a while back but hadn’t been brave enough to give it to her.  Mulder talked until exhaustion all but robbed him of his voice. 

Mulder was beginning to doze when her hand caressed his hair.  “Lemme see the ring,” demanded a weak, much loved, voice.

“Scully,” he rasped out.  With just her name he was able to tell her everything he felt.

“Mulder, so sorry for fight.  I was stupid.”

“No, Babe, I was the stupid one.  Trina was the bomber.  She planned this to get rid of you.”

“Pretty good plan, almost worked.”  Scully said sleepily.

“Yeah, but she forgot we’re the Spookys, no one separates us.”

“Damned right, where’s my ring?”

The nurse came in and immediately scooted Mulder out so the doctor could assess Scully.

Twenty minutes later Mulder was allowed back in with the admonishment not to over excite Scully.

She was much more alert when he walked in.  “Mulder, you look ragged and thin.  Where’s Brian, he’s supposed to watch you when I can’t.”

“Hey,” Brian called from the doorway, “I can only do so much.  You know how stubborn he is.”

“I resent that,” Mulder protested.

“He is a stubborn one,” Scully said as if Mulder hadn’t spoken, “I wouldn’t want him any other way.”  She graced Mulder with a precious smile and he melted.  “Now, where’s my ring?”

End