From: susanf34@comcast.net   
      
   *NO ARCHIVE*   
      
      
      
   ~All headers, disclaimers, author's notes, etc. can be   
   found in part one. susanf34@comcast.net   
      
      
   Liquescent (3/3)   
   by Susan   
   ~~~~~~   
      
   5:52 pm   
      
      
   The next time I opened my eyes, it was two hours later,   
   or so I was told anyway.   
      
   During that time, I had apparently slept soundly, so   
   soundly that I had been snoring.   
      
   "I'm impressed, Mulder. I didn't know your nose could   
   make a sound like that," Scully teased, lightly pressing   
   the back of her hand against my forehead.   
      
   "It's a gift," I replied, somehow managing to smile at   
   her despite the fact that my lips felt painfully dry   
   and cracked.   
      
   "Want some water?" she asked, leaning over and picking   
   up a cup from the tray beside my chair.   
      
   I nodded my head.  Pushing myself to a more upright   
   position, I swiped my hand over my mouth and said, "It   
   feels like I've been sucking on a metal pipe for the   
   past two hours."   
      
   "A lot of patients have a metallic taste in their mouth   
   when they're finished with a chemo treatment. It should   
   go away after awhile though."   
      
   I sipped some water through the straw, but unfortunately   
   the metallic taste on my tongue got even stronger. Quickly   
   releasing my mouth from around the straw, I handed it   
   back to Scully, who then set it back on the tray.   
      
   "While you were out, Janice came in to check on you a   
   few times as did Dr. Madison."   
      
   "So, what's the verdict?  When can I go home?" I asked,   
   suddenly feeling a strong urge to get the hell out of   
   here.   
      
   Followed by a strong urge to throw up.   
      
   Which I promptly did...right on Scully's shoes.   
      
   "Jesus, I'm sorry, Scu..." I mumbled, flopping my head   
   back against the pillow and closing my eyes.   
      
   But before I could finish my sentence, she interrupted   
   me and said, "I've had worse things on my shoes before."   
      
   Opening my eyes back up at that comment, I was surprised   
   to see that she was smiling.   
      
   I just upchucked scrambled eggs on her shoes, and she was   
   actually smiling at me.   
      
   What a partner.   
      
   What a woman...   
      
   She walked over to the sink, turned on the water, and wet   
   a washcloth. "At least this time, it's not some green stuff   
   that's going to eat through the sole," she stated, lifting   
   her foot up and wiping off her shoe.   
      
   I managed another half-smile before closing my eyes again   
   and thought back to that time two years ago, a time when   
   she sat in vigil beside my bed in Alaska and used her   
   science to save me.   
      
   And now here she was beside me again, but it wasn't her   
   science I was relying on this time.   
      
   It was someone else's.   
      
   "I pressed your call button so Janice or someone else   
   should be in here to clean this up in a minute.  You   
   still feeling nauseous, Mulder?" she asked, placing a   
   cool washcloth on my forehead.   
      
   "A little."   
      
   "Just lie still."   
      
   "You don't have to tell me twice," I replied dryly, not   
   wanting to move for fear of throwing up again.  "I guess   
   this means I'm not going home anytime soon, huh?"   
      
   "Probably not."   
      
   "Stay with me," I said, not caring how needy I sounded.   
      
   She took the washcloth from my forehead and brushed it   
   over my cheeks.  "I'm not going anywhere, Mulder...but   
   only if you promise not to throw up on my shoes again."   
      
   "I'll try not to."   
      
   Gently pressing the washcloth on the sides of my neck,   
   she said, "Well then, that's good enough for me."   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   Mulder's apartment   
   8:35 pm   
      
      
   Two hours later, when I hadn't done any more vomiting   
   and my blood pressure and temperature had stabilized,   
   I was sent home, and although it was a relief to be in   
   my own bed now, I couldn't help feeling apprehensive   
   about making it through the night without any problems.   
      
   "I'd like to stay here with you tonight if that's okay,"   
   she suggested, adjusting the pillows behind my back.   
      
   "Are you coming onto me, Scully?" I lamely joked, knowing   
   full well that she wasn't.   
      
   "Would you like me to?" she asked, a flicker of arousal   
   passing over her eyes as she set a cup of ice water on   
   my nightstand.   
      
   "Let me get all these chemicals out of my system first.   
   Then we'll talk," I replied, enjoying her unexpected   
   flirtatiousness.   
      
   Letting out a puff of air, she sat down on the edge of   
   my bed. "I really do think I should stay here tonight,   
   Mulder...just in case."   
      
   I reached for her hand.  "You won't get any argument   
   from me."   
      
   "Now that's a first," she said, raising her eyebrow   
   into that familiar arch.   
      
   "Well, don't get used to it because once I'm feeling   
   better, I'm going to be more than ready to give you a   
   hard time again."   
      
   "Promise?" she asked, the arousal in her eyes suddenly   
   replaced by a sadness and vulnerability that caught me   
   completely off guard.   
      
   Quietly pulling her into my arms, I brushed my hand over   
   her hair and reassuringly replied, "I guarantee it."   
      
   ~~~~   
      
   Tuesday morning   
   7:02 am   
      
      
   I don't remember falling asleep, but when I woke up it   
   was morning already.   
      
   I also don't remember asking Scully to sleep in my bed,   
   and yet there she was, curled up on the right side of   
   my mattress, sleeping on top of the sheets still wearing   
   the same clothes she had on yesterday.   
      
   And she was drooling.   
      
   The woman who is always in control, who never has a hair   
   out of place, who is cool, calm, and collected in any   
   kind of crisis was actually lying in my bed drooling on   
   my pillow.   
      
   Being careful not to move the mattress too much, I raised   
   myself up to a sitting position, then leaned over her and   
   dropped a quick kiss on her temple.   
      
   As much as I can figure out, she must've come in here   
   sometime during the night to check on me and was just   
   too exhausted to go back out to the living room and   
   sleep on the couch.   
      
   Or was it possible that I'd actually asked her to stay   
   in here with me?   
      
   Ever since the chemo treatment yesterday afternoon...or   
   was it in the morning...my mind was so cloudy, I couldn't   
   remember much of anything.   
      
   Dr. Madison had told me that a small percentage of patients   
   experience short-term memory loss after chemotherapy, and   
   apparently I must be one of those lucky few.   
      
   I vaguely remember Scully driving me home and helping   
   me into bed, but beyond that, whatever I did and   
   whatever I said to her since then was now just a big   
   blur to me.   
      
   "You okay?" she murmured, her eyes still closed.   
      
   "Yeah, I'm okay," I replied, not quite sure if she was   
   awake, asleep, or somewhere in between.   
      
   "That's good," she mumbled, rolling over and flopping her   
   arm over my leg, her hand resting dangerously close to my   
   groin area.   
      
   "Yes, it *is* good," I said softly, brushing back some   
   loose strands of hair off her face.   
      
   Yes, seeing her like this, so natural and unguarded, her   
   hair tangled and her clothes wrinkled was very good indeed.   
      
   Of course, when she wakes up and realizes where she is   
   and what she's doing, things may not be so pleasant, but   
   for now, I intended to relish this rare opportunity to   
   have her so close to me.   
      
   "Mulder?" she said, her eyes lazily opening, then slowly   
   widening as she realized where she was.   
      
   "Mornin', Scully," I said as if she were just walking   
   into the office instead of lying beside me in bed.   
      
   Quickly sitting up and nervously pushing her hair back   
   with both hands, she looked away from me and replied,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)