TITLE:    Friends (3 of 3)   
   AUTHOR: Wylfcynne   
   E-MAIL ADDRESS: Wylfcynne@aol.com   
      
   See part 1 for Disclaimers and Author's Notes   
      
   *****   
      
   Scully did go home eventually.  The staff waited until she   
   returned the next morning after ten o'clock before they   
   lightened Mulder's medication and let him wake up for   
   breakfast.  While she waited for him, she caught up on the   
   updates in his chart.  When he stirred she set it aside.   
      
   "Mulder?  Mulder, focus on me.  C'mon, wake up..."   
      
   "Ssh..."  He heard his voice slur, stopped and tried again.   
   "Scully?"   
      
   "Yes, me.  Who else?  C'mon... wake up."   
      
   He mumbled something unintelligible and faded off again.   
      
   Scully shook him gently.  "C'mon, Mulder.  It's breakfast   
   time. Aren't you hungry?"   
      
   He did not open his eyes.  "No.  Lemme sleep..."   
      
   "I never thought I'd hear those words from you!" she   
   chuckled. She waved her offering under his nose and   
   waited while he fought to wake up.   
      
   He opened his eyes and studied the greasy paper-wrapped   
   sandwich in her hand and then shifted his attention to her.   
      
   "That's a bribe," he stated flatly.  "What's going on?"   
      
   She took a deep breath.  "It's not exactly a bribe, Mulder.   
   Look, you're healing but not fast enough.  You still have that   
   low- grade fever.  You're over-exerting yourself.  Last night   
   was the last straw."   
      
   "I'm not a child, Scully.  Just say it."   
      
   "When you flinched you ripped some stitches," she   
   explained. "You didn't lose a lot of blood, but in your   
   condition, any amount is too much.  You're going to be   
   medicated to sleep every night for a week."  She stated it   
   baldly.  She had not been a party to the decision, but she   
   could not fault it.  "Lights out at 9pm, breakfast at 9am.   
   During the day you'll be on the steady flow with the patient   
   administered rescue available as necessary."   
      
   He opened his mouth to protest and then shut it.  "I hate   
   this," he muttered, not looking at her.   
      
   "Mulder, healing is like justice: delayed means denied.  If   
   you don't start getting better you're going to get worse.  The   
   longer that infection hangs on, the stronger it'll get.  This is a   
   battle; if we don't win, you lose.  If you're willing to trade your   
   leg and your career for a few sleepless nights..."   
      
   He shuddered.   
      
   She gentled her tone.  "Mulder, I know you're not just being   
   stubborn.  No one likes to be in this position..."   
      
   He smiled, albeit still a little vague with the drugs, but   
   amused nonetheless.  "Lots of guys like being on their   
   backs.  Gives a good view and you can reach all the sweet   
   spots..."   
      
   "Mulder!"   
      
   He shrugged and let his smile fade.  "I'm not fighting you or   
   Donnainess over this, Scully.  I'm not an MD --I couldn't hack   
   the math and chemistry courses.  I'm angry at the situation   
   and I still feel like a chump for getting shot in the first place   
   and putting so many people to so much trouble..."   
      
   She laughed gently.  "Mulder, you're not inconveniencing   
   any of these medical professionals.  This is their job and   
   they enjoy their job just as much as you do.  If it wasn't for   
   situations like yours, they'd be out of work!"   
      
   That concept clearly startled him.  "I never thought of it like   
   that..."   
      
   "Just like if it wasn't for monsters, human or otherwise, you   
   and I would be out of work.  So don't feel guilty."   
      
   "I'll work on it," he promised.  "Now can I have that Egg   
   McMuffin ?"   
      
   Scully laughed and unwrapped it for him.   
      
   *****   
      
   Lunchtime brought with it a rude twist to the case.  Mulder   
   was just finishing the remains of his pizza from the night   
   before when the phone rang.  Scully answered it.   
      
   "You're kidding."   
      
   Mulder put down the pizza and turned his attention to her.   
   She was listening intently to the caller, not speaking at all.   
      
   "Do you want me to do the autopsy?" she asked finally.   
      
   Mulder wilted.  Someone must have found Colleen Lalka's   
   body.  Suddenly the two slices of pizza he had just eaten   
   were as heavy as lead in his stomach.  For all that his   
   career choices and success depended on the continued   
   existence of serial killers and rapists, murder still sickened   
   him, and the intentional murder of the young and innocent   
   was often the worst.   
      
   Scully hung up the phone and turned toward him.  "You'll   
   never guess."   
      
   "They found Colleen Lalka's body."   
      
   Scully shook her head.  "No.  Ricky Lee Mathers' body."   
      
   That startled him.  "Mathers is dead?  How?  Where?"   
      
   "They found his body in a dumpster outside the pizza shop   
   where Colleen and her boyfriend Jimmy Fremd and their   
   pals like to hang out."   
      
   "So it's not a natural death."   
      
   Scully shook her head.  "No.  COD appears to be ligature   
   strangulation, but there's a lot of wounds.  It sounds like it will   
   take me a while to put it all into some semblance of order."   
      
   "When's the autopsy?"   
      
   "They're waiting for me."   
      
   "Go!  Go!"   
      
   Scully stopped and stared at him.  "You are going to sleep   
   while I'm gone."   
      
   "Scully..." he grimaced.   
      
   She shook her head.  "I'm serious.  You'll only be   
   speculating until I get back with the facts anyway.  Sleep   
   while I'm gone and I'll call when I'm a couple of miles out so   
   you'll be awake for the data from the autopsy."  She waited   
   for consent and frowned when she did not get it.  "C'mon,   
   Mulder.  You don't have the energy to spare to waste it with   
   idle speculation.  Take a nap and I'll wake you up when we   
   can discuss factual data."   
      
   He nodded slowly.  "All right.  I concede the logic."   
      
   She grinned at him.  "That's my job, Mulder.  Logic, science,   
   reason...  I'll go get Marti to put you out for a while."   
      
   "Scully...!"   
      
   "It's not that I don't trust you, Mulder, but I know you too well.   
   You'd change your mind before I was out of the lot and still   
   fret away all those hours.  Hang on a minute."   
      
   Scully went out to get the nurse and Mulder glared after her.   
   His irritation was in no way diminished because she was   
   right. He would have stayed awake.   
      
   His partner was back with the senior RN in a moment.  Marti   
   smiled at him.  "Unscheduled nap, Mr Mulder?"   
      
   "This counts toward my twelve hours for today," he   
   grumbled. "I don't usually sleep this much in a week...!"   
      
   Marti punched in the code and pushed the override on the   
   PCA.  Mulder felt himself wilt as the rush hit him.  He could   
   feel Scully's fingers on his and her voice was soft in his ear.   
      
   "Yes, we'll take it off your quota for the day, Mulder.  Now   
   just relax.  Breathe and release, breathe and release..."   
      
   Her voice faded into the darkness.   
      
   *****   
      
   Mulder blinked his eyes open and looked around.  He felt   
   groggy and thick-headed, but a moment's glance around   
   oriented him and he remembered being sedated yet again.   
   He grumbled to himself that he should be used to it by now...   
      
   Then he remembered that if he was awake, Scully should be   
   back.  There was no sign of her in the room.  He thumbed   
   the call button.   
      
   Footsteps came hurrying down the hall.  "Mr Mulder?"   
      
   It was his only male nurse, Peter Knolland.  "Pete, where's   
   Scully?  Shouldn't she be back by now?"   
      
   "She phoned.  She went home for the night and said she'd   
   be back in the morning."   
      
   Mulder frowned.  "She was only going to Baltimore for an   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)