Title: Good To Go
Author: Waddles52
Summary: Did you really think Mulder would stay out
of the woods after he heard the ME's report?
Spoilers: Post-ep for The Jersey Devil
Rating: PG
Category: MT
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.
Just for fun. Not for profit.
Archives: After_the_Fact, others please ask
Feedback: Wanted and treasured DASWaddles52@aol.com
"Scully, we've got to go back," Mulder said
emphatically as they walked down the steps of the
Smithsonian.
"What are you talking about, Mulder?"
"We've got to find the offspring before Detective
Thompson does."
"We are not even sure that there are any offspring.
It could have been a stillbirth, or the child could
already be dead, especially if it was very young,"
Scully countered as they reached the bottom of the
steps.
"Scully, can we take that chance? The child could be
in trouble if there is no adult to look after and
provide for it, and you know what will happen if
Detective Thompson gets wind of any sightings."
"Mulder, you haven't completely recovered from your
encounter with that beast woman. You don't need to
be traipsing through the woods."
"I'm fine, Scully. Besides, I'll have a physician
with me, won't I?" he asked hopefully.
Scully turned and began to walk away, leaving Mulder
with a disappointed look on his face. She turned
back around. "Are you coming? We need to go home
and change into some clothes more suitable for a hike
in the woods. And I also need to pack a first-aid
kit," she said under her breath.
Mulder fell into step beside her. "Great! Let's get
our things together and I'll pick you up in say two
hours?" he asked, looking at his watch.
"Fine, Mulder. You bring the insect repellant."
"Well, we're here. Do you have the slightest idea
how to go about locating this supposed offspring?"
Scully queried, adjusting her backpack.
"Think like a kid, I guess," he answered, starting
into the forest.
"Mulder, I know that will be an easy accomplishment
for you, but this is no ordinary child, if there is a
child," she emphasized. "I'm sure that self-
preservation was taught from birth. It's not going
to come out and invite us to play."
"Kids are kids, Scully," he shrugged.
Scully stepped up her pace and followed him into the
woods.
Several hours later
"Mulder, don't you think we should be turning back?
We haven't found anything other than the normal
woodland creatures, and I'd rather not spend the
night with them."
"Scully, you mean you would pass up the chance to
commune with nature, spend a night under a cloudless
sky, gaze at the stars . . ."
"Mulder, I just saw something!" Scully exclaimed.
"Where?" he asked, turning quickly.
"Down the hill, by the creek bank."
Mulder turned just in time to see a flash of what
appeared to be human flesh disappear back into the
woods. He threw down his backpack and sprinted down
the hill. Scully shrugged out of her pack and
started after him.
About two-thirds of the way down, Mulder snagged his
right foot on a tree root and tumbled down to the
creek's edge, landing on his left side. He tried to
push himself up, but thought better of it and eased
himself back down.
"Mulder, don't move," Scully advised, skidding to a
stop beside him.
"I'm okay. Go after it!" he ordered.
"Whatever it was is long gone. Now stay still and
let me see what the damage is."
Scully gently rolled him onto his back and found the
front of his shirt was becoming saturated with blood.
She pulled his shirt up and found that the wounds he
had suffered one week earlier had broken open. She
pulled Mulder's left hand up and pressed it firmly
over the wounds.
"Ow!"
"Keep pressure on that. I'll be right back."
Scully made her way up the hill and soon returned
with both backpacks. She opened hers and retrieved
the first-aid kit she had packed.
"Always prepared, huh Scully?" Mulder winced.
"I've found it pays to be prepared when traveling
with you. Move your hand."
She applied a pressure bandage to the wounds and
checked him for any other obvious injuries.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" she asked.
"I think I sprained my right ankle when I tripped
over that tree root," he groaned, trying to sit up.
Scully pushed him back. "Stay still. I don't want
you to aggravate that chest wound.'
She felt his lower right leg, satisfied that there
were no obvious fractures, then began to rotate his
ankle.
"Damn, Scully! Take it easy!"
"Well, you've definitely hurt your ankle. If I take
your boot off the swelling will probably prevent you
from putting it back on, and you certainly can't walk
out of here like that, if you can walk," she added.
"It's just a sprain, Scully. I've had them before.
It'll hurt like hell for a while, but I'll be able to
limp out of here," he assured her.
Mulder became the recipient of a "Scully Look",
something he was becoming accustomed to seeing
throughout their short partnership. The arched
eyebrow indicated that she seriously doubted his
words, so he hauled himself up and tried to take a
step.
"Oh, shit!" he cried as he began to lose his balance.
Scully grabbed him around the waist and helped him
back to a sitting position.
"Well, maybe I'll hop out of here," he moaned. "Just
give me a few minutes and I'll be good to go."
Another 'Scully look' found its target.
"Scully, just tighten that bandage around my chest
and give me a hand up. I'll be okay."
Scully fixed the bandage without saying a word, then
rummaged through the first-aid kit and came up with a
small bottle of ibuprofen. She shook out three
tablets and handed them to Mulder. He accepted them
along with the bottle of water she handed him next,
and swallowed them down.
After she had put everything back into her pack, she
extended her hand. Mulder grabbed it and was soon
back on his feet. He tried to walk again and took a
few steps, heavily favoring his right ankle.
"See? Good to go," he announced, all the while
thinking the he'd be lucky to make it up the hill.
His ankle probably wouldn't get him out of the park,
but he had to give it a try.
"Ready?" Scully asked, handing him his backpack.
"Yeah," he answered, hanging it carefully on his
right shoulder, trying not to aggravate the newly re-
opened wounds. "Like I said, I'm good to go." He
started up the hill, wincing with every step, Scully
following close behind.
After two hours of walking and resting it became
apparent to Scully that Mulder had reached the end of
his strength. She caught him as he stumbled once
again and helped him ease himself to the ground.
"Mulder, no more," she pronounced, pushing him into a
reclining position.
"Scully, just let me rest for a minute and I'll be
good to go," he said, repeating the phrase she had
heard too many times over the past two hours.
"Mulder, you are not good to go. You are exhausted
and you're bleeding again. We've got to stop here
for the night. In the morning I'll hike out and get
some help."
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I
can't go any further tonight," he sighed. "But we
will walk out of here in the morning."
"Just try to rest, and we'll see how you feel in the
morning. Let me change those bandages and get your
ankle elevated."
She pulled Mulder's backpack off his arm and placed
it under his leg, then brought out her first-aid kit
once again to get the few bandages left. She cleaned
the wound and applied antibiotic ointment in what
little light remained. She taped the last gauze pads
over it and pulled his shirt down.
"Feeling any better?"
"I think I'm lying on a rock," he groused, trying to
raise up.
Scully helped him up and removed the offending stone.
He lay back down and sighed. "Scully, I'm sorry. It
seems like I'm always dragging you into some big
mess."
"Mulder, I wasn't forced to come with you."
"I know, but I still feel bad about getting us into
this predicament."
"It's okay. I'm just glad I'm here to help."
"Thank you."
"I've got some granola bars. Would you like one?"
she offered.
"Thanks, but my stomach is a little off right now.
Maybe later?"
"Sure. Just ask."
Mulder began to shiver. "Damn! Why am I so cold?
It's still pretty warm out here."
"You're going into shock, probably from the pain and
exhaustion. Do you have a jacket in your backpack?"
she inquired.
"Yeah. I think so."
Scully opened the pack, trying not to disturb his
injured ankle. Luckily it was right on top. She
took it out and helped Mulder put it on. She took
her own jacket and placed it over him.
"Do you fell any warmer?"
"Yes, thanks," he closed his eyes. "I think I'll
just rest now."
Scully sat beside him and observed him while he
slept. "What have I gotten myself into?" she
questioned for the umpteenth time since the start of
their partnership. He was so driven, out to find the
truth even at the expense of his own well being, yet
she felt drawn to him, drawn to his search. She
didn't have any answers to her questions, but somehow
she knew that this was where she was meant to be.
She laid beside him and put her arm over him, trying
to give him some of her body warmth. He moaned and
shifted closer to her.
"How odd," she thought, that they just seemed to fit
together.
She closed her eyes and began to doze. A short
distance away, a small figure observed them for a
time then disappeared back into the forest.
Scully was awakened by the distant rumble of thunder.
She glanced at Mulder who was already awake, watching
her.
"Mulder, what was that you said about a cloudless
sky?" she asked, bringing herself to a sitting
position. Drops of rain were beginning to patter on
the leaves.
"Well, it was cloudless," he sighed, pushing himself
up on his elbows. "Ow!"
"Be careful. You don't want to pull that wound open
again. Here, let me help."
With Scully's help he sat up and handed her back her
jacket. "I think you might need this."
"Thank you. Are you feeling any better?" she
inquired, slipping into her jacket.
"Still a little shaky, but much better."
"You should probably try to eat that granola bar.
How's the ankle?"
"Throbbing like a son-of-a-bitch," he winced as he
moved it slightly.
"I'll get you some more ibuprofen," she offered. She
opened her pack and brought out the granola bar and
the ibuprofen tablets and handed them to him.
"I've got another bottle of water in my pack," Mulder
told her.
She retrieved it and gave it to him. He swallowed
the tablets and began to nibble on the granola bar.
"Still not hungry?"
"Not really." He wrapped the bar back up. "I'll try
again later. It looks like the storm is going to the
north of us," he said as he observed a distant flash
of lightning. The rain had already stopped.
"Scully?"
"Yes, Mulder?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, but for what?"
"Taking care of me and not saying I told you so."
"Mulder, we're partners and we should take care of
each other, besides I did see something. It could
have been what you were searching for," she offered.
"I don't guess we'll ever know," he sighed and lay
back down.
"We can always come back when you've recovered,"
Scully suggested.
"You would do that?" he questioned.
"Yes, I would, but I would bring a bigger first-aid
kit," she grinned.
Mulder chuckled and then closed his eyes. After a
few minutes it was apparent that he was sleeping.
Scully sighed and lay down at his side once again,
hoping for the swift return of daylight.
They were both awake a dawn. Mulder finished the
granola bar and took some more ibuprofen. Scully had
already shouldered her backpack.
"Mulder, I'm going to go for help. You should be all
right until I return." She turned to go.
"Scully, wait. I intend to walk out of here with
you, well maybe limp," he amended.
Another arched eyebrow zinged his way but she didn't
say a word. She stuck out her hand and helped him
up.
Mulder took a few tentative steps, groaning with each
one. "It really stiffened up during the night, but I
think I can make it. I really don't think we're that
far from the car, Scully. Could you hand me my
pack?"
She picked it up and slung it over her right
shoulder. "I'll carry it for a while. You just
concentrate on walking."
Mulder decided not to protest, and started moving
very slowly in the direction of the car. Scully
followed closely behind, ready to catch him if he
stumbled.
After half an hour Scully called a halt beside a
fallen tree. Mulder gladly sat down as Scully
dropped his pack and eased out of hers. They heard a
rustle ahead of them and they both reached for their
weapons. Then quickly put them down when Ranger
Boulay came into view.
"Agents!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting to find
you here. I saw the car last night, and when it was
still here this morning I thought I'd investigate.
Are you all right, Agent Mulder?" he asked when he
saw the dried blood on Mulder's shirt.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I tripped over a tree root and got
a little banged up."
"Agent Mulder has a badly sprained ankle," Scully
explained further. "Do you think you could help us
back to the car?"
"Of course."
Several hours later in an Atlantic City emergency
room, Scully strolled into Mulder's cubicle. He was
resting comfortably with his ankle propped up and
iced, and sporting fresh bandages on his chest.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"I called the office to let them know we wouldn't be
in today. Has the doctor read the x-rays?"
"Severe sprain. Nothing broken. They're going to
put it in an air cast for the trip home. I'm just
waiting for that and then we're out of here."
"Good. I also talked to Ranger Boulay, Mulder.
There have been several sightings of what appears to
be an eight to ten year old child in the past week.
He's been keeping it quiet, but it's probably only a
matter of time until Detective Thompson hears about
it."
"Damn. We were so close," he sighed.
"I know, Mulder. A child that age might be able to
survive. We'll come back when your ankle is healed,"
she promised.
"I just hope it's not too late."
The nurse came in with the air cast and crutches.
Scully helped Mulder put his shirt on while the nurse
fastened on the cast. The nurse went over his home
care instructions and handed over a prescription for
Vicodin with advice to get it filled at the hospital
pharmacy. Scully took it from her before Mulder
could protest. Mulder signed the forms and the nurse
left to get a wheelchair.
"I'll get this filled while you're waiting for the
nurse," she offered.
"Thanks, partner," Mulder smiled, thinking how nice
it felt to be able to say those words and mean them.
"I'll meet you in the waiting room," Scully directed,
thinking that the word partner was finally beginning
to sound comfortable.
Scully left and Mulder leaned back, left to his
thoughts of Scully and the feeling that he finally
had a partner who would stay by his side.
End
