From: ravenwald@adelphia.net   
      
   The Chilmark Project IV:  Ancient Evil part 3 of 3   
   Ravenwald & Wylfcynne   
      
      
   "Miss?  We need a history, here.  Can you tell us what   
   happened to your friend?"   
      
   Scully glanced at the young resident, and stifled a   
   smile.  "Thanks, Matt.  I'll call the Task Force when   
   we're done, here.  Someone will come and pick us up."   
      
   He nodded.  "Take care of him," he instructed.   
      
   "Count on it."   
      
   McCormick lifted a hand and backed out beyond the   
   curtain.  Scully turned back to the young resident and   
   started reciting the pertinent data.  She did not try to   
   explain Sentinels, Guides, bondmates or Immortals.   
   She just told them that there had been a struggle with a   
   multiple murderer; the suspect had done significant   
   damage to Mulder who had been the first officer   
   attacked.   
      
   All the while they talked, her left hand held Mulder's, and   
   her right hand stroked lightly up his undamaged left   
   forearm.   
      
   "Thank you, Agent Scully.  We'll have someone in here   
   to look at that arm directly."   
      
   "Thank you."   
      
   ("...Scully...?") So faint it was only a whisper in her mind,   
   it was still unmistakably Mulder.   
      
   ("I'm here,") she assured him, bending to hug him lightly.   
   ("How do you feel?")   
      
   ("...hurt...")   
      
   ("Yes, you got hurt.  Again.  You're at the Emergency   
   Room at Powers.  Again.  You're going to get poked   
   and prodded and stuck and x-rayed and stitched   
   again.  Then we're going back on leave.  What do you   
   think about spending a couple of weeks on a black   
   sand beach in Hawaii?"   
      
   He did not answer her.  Instead, he began to tremble.   
      
   ("Mulder?  What's wrong?")   
      
   ("...too many people...") he whimpered.  ("...too   
   many...")   
      
   He was starting to curl up into a tight fetal ball.  She   
   placed her hands on either side of his face and gently   
   turned his head to face her.   
      
   "Look at me," she said intensely.  "Look.  At.  Me!"   
      
   He faced her, but his eyes were glazed and unfocused.   
   ("...who...?")   
      
   That terrified her.  ("I am Dana Scully.  You are Fox   
   Mulder.")   
      
   There was a flicker of awareness in his eyes.   
   ("Scully...") he whispered, relief clear in his tone.   
      
   ("Yes, me.  Say your name.")   
      
   ("You're Scully.")   
      
   ("Right.  Say your name.")   
      
   He blinked.  ("Name?")   
      
   ("Say.  Your.  Name.")   
      
   He opened his mouth and then closed it.  The grey fox   
   that was his spirit guide walked up the edge of the bed   
   and settled down beside him.  The fox stared intently   
   into Mulder's eyes, and he sighed.  The fox touched his   
   nose to Mulder's, then rested his chin on Mulder's   
   throat, closing his eyes.   
      
   It was only then that Scully realized that the grey fox and   
   her Fox had eyes that were the exact same shade of   
   hazel.   
      
   ("Fox?")   
      
   The Sentinel and his spirit guide sighed in unison, and   
   Mulder slowly let himself relax.   
      
   ("Mulder?  Are you okay, now?")   
      
   He nodded, and rolled his head over to study her   
   expression.  She relaxed when she saw the clear   
   recognition in his eyes.  ("God, that was awful...") he   
   breathed.   
      
   ("Don't think about it now,") she advised.  Neither of   
   them noticed that the grey fox was gone.   
      
   "Agent Scully?"   
      
   She looked up and saw the same senior resident who   
   had stitched up Mulder's elbow.  Dr. Hengerer looked   
   quite frazzled, and Scully bit her lip.   
      
   "Doctor?  Please tell me you've been home at least   
   once since we saw you last."   
      
   Leo Hengerer grinned at the petite Fed who had been   
   so insufferable about how he had treated her partner.   
   "Yes, Dr. Scully.  I went home, had a real dinner and   
   slept with my wife.  Do I pass?  You going to let me   
   touch him?"   
      
   She ostentatiously moved half a step to one side, so   
   Hengerer could see Mulder.  She did not surrender her   
   touch on her partner, though.   
      
   "Hi, Doc."  Mulder's voice was barely there.   
      
   "Hello, Agent Mulder.  So, what did you do to ruin all   
   that good work I put into you yesterday?"   
      
   "Caught the bad guy."   
      
   Hengerer nodded.  "Good.  Now let's take a look at the   
   damage, here..."   
      
   +++   
      
   It took far longer to escape the hospital this time.  The   
   sword cut on Mulder's upper arm was worse than the   
   earlier one around his elbow; it required three layers of   
   stitches, and most of the stitches in his elbow had to be   
   re-done.  He was whisked away into surgery as soon   
   as Dr. Hengerer got a good look at his injuries.  He had   
   received a unit of blood as a precaution when they   
   repaired his elbow the first time; this time he needed   
   two.  While he was under the anesthetic, they x-rayed   
   his left wrist, diagnosed transverse fractures of both the   
   radius and ulna, set the bones, put a temporary splint on   
   it.   
      
   Because the dagger had gone completely through his   
   right palm, it was x-rayed from every possible angle.  It   
   was most thoroughly cleaned, something the doctors   
   considered imperative when Scully admitted that the   
   hand had been pinned to the earth.  She was glad he   
   was under anesthetic for the process; it even looked   
   painful.   
      
   When the surgery was done, and he had been released   
   from recovery, Scully was so tired she felt like a walking   
   corpse, herself.  She sat with him while they evaluated   
   his hand for muscle and tendon damage.  Although the   
   x-rays had shown that there were no broken bones, they   
   made Mulder prove that his range of motion and   
   dexterity in the hand were unimpaired.  The exercises   
   made the bleeding start again, albeit slowly, and the   
   pain made Mulder snap at the doctor.  That made   
   Scully even more protective, and she snarled when they   
   tried to admit Mulder.   
      
   ("You were shocked when they wouldn't admit me last   
   time; today you're snarling because they want to?")   
      
   ("We're both too tired to maintain a shield, here, and   
   you can't handle the pain and fear of this many patients   
   hammering at your mind,") she growled at him.  ("I want   
   to get you back to Chazz's ASAP.")   
      
   He sighed.  ("God, do I want to be there...!") He was so   
   fried that he did not even flinch when yet another needle   
   plunged into his arm.   
      
   "All right, Agent Mulder.  Your luck is holding; there's no   
   muscle or tendon damage to your hand, and no broken   
   bones.  That's your tetanus booster.  That's as good as   
   you're getting," Hengerer stepped back and disposed   
   of the syringe in the sharps box.  He gave Scully the   
   scrip for more antibiotics.  "Get him out of here, Agent   
   Scully; he's cluttering up this ER.  Cast room is down   
   that hall.  Use the wheelchair; he's mighty wobbly."   
      
   Scully helped Mulder get dressed again, and took him   
   to the cast room.  They waited there for more time than   
   he could estimate, then a harried first-year resident   
   came in, glanced at the x-ray, and grabbed the stack of   
   supplies.   
      
   ("Let the kid do his job, Scully,") Mulder warned her   
   when he felt her gearing up to snap at the young man.   
   ("Any moron can do casting; he's on someone's shit list   
   already.  Just let him get   
   done with  it.  It isn't rocket science.")   
      
   Once the cast was done, she ordered Mulder back into   
   the wheelchair and took him out to the waiting room.   
   She parked Mulder near the exit doors, and studied her   
   partner.  He was leaning against the wall, his eyes   
   closed.   
      
   ("Don't go to sleep.")   
      
   ("I'm exhausted...")   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)