Return To Oz, Part 2
Mulder decided to spend some time trying to come up
with a better explanation for hurting his back.
Falling on his ass sounded so unmanly and downright
klutzy. Yes, a more macho explanation was definitely
in order
He tried to turn his head to check on Robbie. It
wasn't too painful. He just had to remember to keep
his lower back from moving. The little guy was
sleeping peacefully. Scully had come up with a
really good idea when she placed the bathrobe around
him. She had gone to the trunk of the car and raided
their luggage. It was probably the warmest item they
had other than their coats. Mulder wished he could
maneuver into that sweatshirt that Scully had covered
him with. The interior of the car was beginning to
cool off again.
Mulder managed to get a look at his watch. It had
been over five hours since they'd left the Stewarts.
Surely they had called the pizza parlor and found out
when they left. Help should be here soon, he assured
himself.
Then his mind just had to turn in the other
direction. He began to think of all the bad things
that could happen. Scully had gotten lost, so they
wouldn't be looking for them here at first. That was
going to add some time onto the whole thing. All
right, they could scoop up snow and let it melt in
their mouths, so they had a ready supply of water.
He had some sunflower seeds and a package of peanut
butter and crackers from the hotel vending machine.
He remembered throwing them in his suitcase when he
packed, and Scully usually gathered up the spare
crackers that came with her salads in case she wanted
to nibble on something during one of their dull,
boring drives to nowhere. Okay, so they wouldn't
starve to death immediately. That was somewhat
comforting.
Worry about how Allen Stewart would react when they
were found crept into his thoughts. He would
probably want to beat the shit out of him for being
stupid enough to let Scully drive in snow this deep.
Well, it couldn't hurt any worse than the pain
already coming from his back. He shivered from the
cold and barely kept a cry of pain from escaping. No
sense in waking the others up.
Another problem was becoming more and more pressing.
He had to pee! It seemed like cold weather always
made him need to go more often. Usually not a big
deal; now, he would have to go outside and get far
enough away from the car that he wouldn't contaminate
any possible drinking water. Damn!
Robbie whimpered in his sleep, waking Scully. She
turned to check on him and was relieved that he had
gone back to sleep. She turned her attention to
Mulder. "How're you holding up partner?"
"Oh, I'm fine, well, not fine but okay. Maybe not
okay," he sighed.
"Is the pain worse?"
"A little," Mulder answered. "The main discomfort
right now is that I need to take a leak."
"Oh, I see."
"This is embarrassing, Scully. I don't think I can
make it out there and back by myself."
"Mulder, we're partners, friends and lovers. I've
seen you relieve yourself before. So why are you so
embarrassed?" she asked, reaching up to push that
stubborn lock of hair off his forehead.
"Because, I'm so damned helpless right now. Robbie
will know that his big "hero" can't even take a piss
by himself!"
Robbie whimpered again. "Dana, got to go potty."
"Well, Mulder, I think your problem might be solved.
Everyone takes a bathroom break," Scully grinned.
"All right, Robbie. Let's get you out of that car
seat. Now, we'll have to hold on to each other when
we get outside. The snow is very deep and it is
coming down so hard that we'll have trouble seeing.
We have to stick together so we won't get lost."
"Okay," Robbie acknowledged, pushing the bathrobe
aside.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This gives blue balls a whole new meaning," Mulder
grimaced as they started their way back to the car.
"I'm cold," Robbie shivered.
"I'm going to start the car as soon as we get back,"
Scully promised.
"When will Daddy come and get us?"
"Probably very soon," Scully hedged.
"I don't really like camping in the car. I want to
go to sleep in my bed with Sponge Bob," Robbie
whined.
"I'm sure Sponge Bob misses you too, but I'll bet
he's being very brave," Scully told him.
"Mulder, are you scared?" Robbie queried.
"Nah. It's like Scully said. We're having an
adventure."
"I'll be brave like Sponge Bob, then."
"Good thinking, Buddy," Mulder praised, trying to
keep his voice even as a spasm clenched his back
muscles again.
When they reached the car, Robbie climbed into the
back seat. Mulder tried to maneuver himself so that
he could drop down onto the passenger seat. He
suddenly stopped and cried out.
The pain was so overwhelming this time that he
couldn't speak, or even swallow. Saliva trailed down
his chin and dropped onto the snow below. Alarmed,
Scully tightened her grip on his arm and waited for
the spasm to subside. Mulder was eventually able to
move his arm enough to bring his hand to his mouth to
wipe away the drool.
"Better?" Scully asked, worry lines creasing her
forehead.
"Getting there. That was the worst yet," he gasped.
"Mulder, I'm so sorry. I'm going to look in my
medical kit when I clear the tailpipe, but I don't
think I have anything stronger than ibuprofen. That
might help a little though."
"It's worth a try. I wish I could lie down," he
groaned.
"Unless you want to stretch out on the snow, you'll
have to sit."
"I know. I know. All right, I'm ready to try and
get my ass on the seat.'
It was just as difficult, if not harder, to get
situated this time. Mulder tried his best to keep
from crying out, but was unsuccessful. By the time
Scully got his feet in the car, Robbie had moved
behind Mulder and started to pat the agent's
shoulders while he cried softly.
"What's the matter Robbie?" Scully asked.
"I just feel so sorry for Mulder. He hurts so bad,"
he sniffled.
"Hey, big guy, I'm okay. I'm just being a big baby,"
Mulder assured him, trying to keep his voice as
normal sounding as possible.
"Mommy says it's okay to cry when you're hurt."
"Your Mommy's right, but I'm trying to be really
brave right now."
"You can still be brave even if you have to cry."
"Thanks, Robbie. Are you sure you're only four years
old?" Mulder asked incredulously.
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, Robbie. Do you want to sit in your car seat,
or would you like for me to move it so that you can
lie down?" Scully asked.
"I think I want to lay down," he answered as his
eyelids began to droop.
"Good choice, little man," Mulder encouraged. "I
wish there was room for me back there too."
"Next time get a bigger car," Robbie suggested. "Or,
get a truck like my Dad gots."
"We'll take that into consideration. Now, let's get
that car seat moved and get you settled in," Scully
chuckled.
She moved the seat and re-wrapped him in the
bathrobe. Robbie was asleep as soon as his eyes
closed. Scully pressed a kiss to his forehead and
gently shut the door.
"Where's mine?" Mulder asked, unsuccessfully trying
to leer through his pain.
"Where's what?" she asked, a puzzled look on her
face.
"My kiss."
"Oh, you mean this?" she smiled, and then capturing
his lips enthusiastically, kissed him. "I was saving
the best for last."
"Oh, Scully, if I could move . . ." he couldn't
finish as the next spasm took over.
"Mulder, I'm so sorry you hurt so badly. I'm going
now to clear the tailpipe and check my medical kit."
"'Kay," he grunted through the pain.
"I'll be right back," she promised and closed his
door, shutting out the freezing air.
"Please let her find drugs," he begged silently,
grinding his teeth. Even a lone Tylenol would be
welcome right now. An injection of Demerol or
morphine would be heaven.
After a few minutes Mulder heard the trunk slam and
soon Scully was back in the car. She turned on the
engine, making sure the heat was on full blast. As
she turned on the lights, all they could see was a
vast white sea of snow stretching in all directions.
The road was barely discernable. Mulder noticed,
too, that she had set a fast food drink cup on the
dash.
"Looks like it might be letting up a bit," she
remarked as she shook snow from her hair. "Mulder, I
found two sample packets of Motrin IB, two tablets
each. I also found this," she grinned as she pulled
a pre-loaded syringe from her right pocket. "Ta da!"
"What is it?" Mulder asked, hope in his eyes.
"It's 100 cc's of Demerol. I actually forgot I had
it and, even better, it hasn't expired. Of course,
now we have some decisions to make."
"Decisions?"
"Uh-huh. Do you want the full dose right now? Do
you want to split it in half? It won't give as much
pain relief that way, but it will last a little
longer, or do you want the Motrin now and save the
Demerol for later if the pain gets worse?"
"What would you advise?"
"Well, the full dose would provide the most pain
relief and would probably allow you to get some
sleep, but once it's gone you could get even worse,
and the tablets would be useless."
"Go on."
"If I give you half now, it would take the edge off
and we could supplement it with the Motrin, then give
another dose later on with the rest of the tablets."
"Any other options?"
"You could take the Motrin first to see if you get
any relief, then make a decision about the Demerol."
"And what do you suggest, Dr. Scully?"
"I have mixed feelings. I want to see you get some
real relief and that would involve injecting all of
it at once. On the other hand, we don't know how
long we'll be here, so it might be better to mix the
two. I don't know, Mulder," she sighed. "You're
conscious and lucid, so the decision is yours to
make."
"As much as I would like to drift away into drug-
induced oblivion, we don't know when help will
arrive, so I'm going to take two Motrin and try to
hold off on succumbing to the Demerol as long as I
can. If it gets unbearable you can put the entire
thing into my arm. Does that sound reasonable to
you?"
"Very much so, except for the arm. It'll have to go
in your hip or leg. I think you're making the right
decision, though."
"What's in the cup, by the way?" he queried.
Scully tilted it over so he could see it. "Melted
snow to help the tablets go down. It's a good thing
you're such a slob. I found this on the floor when I
tucked Robbie in. Now we have something to melt snow
in for drinking water."
"I knew my aversion to emptying trash would
eventually come in handy. Okay, hand 'em over," he
directed as he took the cup from her.
She tore the sample packet open and handed Mulder the
tablets. He took them along with a few sips of
melted snow. "Better fill this back up," he said
handing it back. "And pack it down really well."
"Good idea. Why don't you try to rest now? I'll
take the next watch," Scully offered.
"Scully, there are about 1000 evil little guys with
ice picks buried all along the nerves of my spine.
They're working overtime tonight, so I seriously
doubt that they'll let me rest or sleep. Thanks for
the offer, though."
"Well, do you mind if I keep you company?" Scully
asked as she scooted over toward him.
"I would love to have the pleasure of your company."
The partners passed the next few hours by talking
softly, cuddling and checking on Robbie. Scully
started the car again and turned on the lights when
the cold got too uncomfortable to bear. The snow
continued to accumulate, but not at the alarming rate
of the earlier hours.
The Motrin hadn't helped Mulder a bit, but he found
that the pain was bearable as long as he didn't make
an effort to move. Then his bladder began to send
insistent signals again.
"Scully?"
"Hmm?" she mumbled sleepily from her place on his
shoulder.
"I hate to do this to you, but unless we want to add
to our problems by enduring a flood of major
proportions, I need to get outside and take another
piss."
"I don't suppose you could wait?" she asked, tilting
her head up to look at him.
He shook his head no.
"Is there anything else you might have shoved under
the seat that you could use as a urinal?"
"No, that one cup was it. If you can just help me
out, I can hold on to the car and make it a few feet
to the road. I don't think I have to worry about any
traffic."
"Mulder, I don't know."
"You need to stay with Robbie anyway," he pointed
out.
Scully mulled it over and finally decided that it was
the only way. If Robbie woke up alone he would be
very frightened. "Let's go, then," she decided.
"Thank you. I need to hurry."
"All right. I'm on my way."
Scully carefully made her way around the car to
Mulder's door and opened it. She carefully lifted
his legs out, one at a time.
"Oh, shit!" he exclaimed. "You'd think I'd be used
to it by now," he gasped.
"Mulder, be very careful. I think some freezing rain
must be mixing in with this. It seems a lot slicker
than before," she warned.
"I'll hold onto the car as long as I can," he
promised as he pushed himself out of the seat. It
took every ounce of strength he had to keep from
screaming in pain and frustration. "Scully?" he
asked shakily.
"Yeah, Mulder?"
"Have the Demerol ready when I get back," he ground
out through clenched teeth.
"I was just going to suggest that. All or half?"
"The whole thing, Scully," he grunted as he began to
shuffle gingerly around the car.
When he felt he was far enough away, Mulder relieved
himself and began to shuffle back to the car.
Despite the freezing temperatures, perspiration
beaded on his forehead, the result of pain and
exertion. Just as he reached for the passenger door
to steady his self, he slipped and fell against the
side of the car.
"Mulder!" Scully exclaimed as she made her way to
him, deep snow slowing her progress.
He was trying to push away from the car, but kept
losing his footing. His attempt to keep from
screaming in pain failed. When Scully finally
arrived to steady him, he was hoarse with the effort.
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"Ribs will be a little sore," he groaned.
"You'll be lucky if that's all. Come on. Slow and
easy does it."
With Scully to steady him, he made it back to his
seat without any further trouble.
"Before I put your feet inside I want to check those
ribs," she said, unzipping his coat.
"Hey, not in front of the kid," he grinned briefly
before it turned into a grimace.
Scully carefully pulled his shirt and sweater up and
whistled when she saw the diagonal bruise already
forming across the right side of his chest. "That's
going to be colorful," she predicted as she palpated
the area.
Mulder jumped, holding back a groan as his back
muscles went into spasm once again.
"I don't feel anything out of the ordinary, but that
doesn't mean you couldn't have a fracture," she
reported, reaching into her pocket for the Demerol.
"I'm just going to shove your jeans down a bit and
put this in your hip. Then we'll get you situated
again. It should be dawn in another hour or so.
Maybe we'll be found then."
"Ouch! Easy!" he exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Mulder. There," she comforted as she
tried to massage away the sting of the injection.
"Let's get your feet back inside."
Mulder endured the pain once again as Scully
carefully moved his feet back inside the car and
helped him get situated. She closed his door and
carefully made her way around the back of the car to
be sure the tailpipe was clear. When she got back
inside she started the engine and turned on the
lights and heater. Mulder was shivering badly again.
"We'll have you warmed up in no time," she promised.
"Thanks, Sc ... Scully."
"Just relax and let the Demerol work its way into
your system. You should be more comfortable soon."
"Couldn't get much worse. Hmm, starting to feel a
little woozy now," he reported.
"Just give into it then."
"'Kay. Wake me if you need me," he yawned and closed
his eyes.
Soon Mulder was snoring softly. Scully turned off
the lights and engine before checked on Robbie. The
bathrobe had slipped slightly as he moved in his
sleep. She tenderly tucked it back around him.
She looked back to Mulder, wishing she had a camera.
He had managed to lean his head back and his mouth
was wide open. Well, whatever it took. He needed
the rest. Scully sighed and settled in to wait some
more.
Shortly before dawn, Mulder began to stir. "Mmm, no
rescue yet?" he asked sleepily.
"No, sorry. Looks like the snow has stopped
though."
"Hope they find us soon," he wished, gritting his
teeth.
"Getting bad again?"
"Uh-huh."
"Dana? Mulder?" a little voice called from the back
seat.
"Good morning, Robbie," Scully greeted.
"Are we still having a venture?" he asked sleepily.
"Yes, we are, but I'll bet it won't be long before
your dad finds us now that it is getting lighter
outside," Scully answered, trying to reassure him.
"I'm hungry."
"Do you like peanut butter and crackers?" Mulder
asked.
"For breakfast?" Robbie answered, surprised.
"Yeah, for breakfast."
"Mommy makes me eat oatmeal."
"Just for today we're going to change the routine.
We're having an adventure, remember?" Scully reminded
him.
Robbie shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. Does Mulder
still have a boo-boo?"
"Yeah, buddy, I still have a big boo-boo, but I'll be
okay. Don't worry," Mulder assured him.
"So, Mulder, where are you hiding this fabulous
peanut butter and cracker breakfast?" Scully inquired
as the first light of dawn appeared in the east.
"In the zip-up pocket in the front of my suitcase,
right next to my sunflower seeds."
"I'm on it. You want the seeds?"
"No, I don't really feel like eating."
"I'll bring them anyway. You may want some later."
"Whatever."
Scully opened the door and started to head for the
trunk. Mulder and Robbie were surprised when she
came right back.
"Guess what? There's a snowplow headed this way!"
she exclaimed. "It looks like you might get to eat
your Mommy's oatmeal after all, Robbie!"
"Great news, Robbie," Mulder agreed.
"I'm going to stand outside and flag them down,"
Scully decided.
"Good idea. I'd hate for them to pass us by," Mulder
agreed.
"There is not a chance in this world that I would let
that happen. Hang in there," she smiled as she shut
the door and made her way to the middle of the road,
ready to stop the oncoming snowplow.
End Part 2
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