From: raenright@aol.com (RaEnright)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: Hope 1/1
Date: 6 Jul 1995 12:42:33 -0400


	Not on your life.
	This *is* a story, but there's more to it than that. In July
there's an event held yearly in San Francisco called AIDSwalk, to help
raise money for assistance to AIDS victims. 
	I've met a few AIDS victims in hospitals and believe me, it's not
something I ever want to see again. I recently spoke with a man who is HIV
positive, who is still healthy and hopes to be that way for a while.
Afterwards I got the germ of an idea for this, involving one of the
victims I spoke with in the hospital. It's a downer, folks, but it sort of
wrote itself and I had to post it. Think of it as therapy on my part.
	All characters excepting Natalie Holm are copyright 1995 Chris
Carter, Fox Broadcasting, And ten-thirteen productions. Natalie's name has
been changed and permisssion granted to use her in this story.
	This takes place during One Breath(I had to get Mulder into a
hospital somehow).

Hope
	Mulder paced the hallway of the hospital nervously. He just
couldn't stand to be there anymore, with Scully lying there...he had to
get out, to do something. Maybe get his mind off the fact that his life
was falling apart before his eyes... 
	His head hurt.
	He leaned against a wall and rubbed his forehead.
	The wall gave way and he fell backwards into a private hospital
room.
	"Well, visitors. How nice." A young voice emerged from the corner.
"Hello, Mystery Man."
	"Uh...I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was a door-" Mulder picked
himself up and dusted off his coat. "I hope I didn't disturb you..."
	"Are you kidding? You came in in the middle of All My Children.
How could you?"the voice laughed. "You're the first human being I've seen
all day."
	"This place is crawling with nurses-"
	"Nurses don't count." The voice said. He was surprised at the
bitterness in it."Um...sir, could you switch the lights on? I want to see
you a little clearer."
	He groped for the switch on the wall and flicked it up.
	A teenage-looking girl sat in the hospital bed, an IV attached to
her arm. She had a short cap of light brown hair that looked like a wig,
and dark green eyes. 
	"Well, you do look better in the light." She smiled at him.
	"I'm sorry to disturb you..." he turned to go.
	"No wait! Please? I don't get many visitors, and I'm sick of
soaps." She gestured with the remote control. "The nurses won't give me
cable."
	"All right." He pulled out a chair. He may as well sit with
someone who could respond to him.
	"So, what are you in for? You look pretty healthy to me." She
grinned.
	"I'm...visiting someone."
	"Cancer or coma? That's almost all they treat up here."
	"Coma."
	"Oh." She thought for a minute. "By the way, I'm Natalie."
	"Mulder."
	"Your parents insane?"
	"That's my last name. My first name is Fox."
	"Like I said-"
	"I know." He shook his head. "Why are you here? If it's not
personal-"
	"Cancer. Karposi's Sarcoma. Lovely, isn't it?" her voice rang with
irony as she held out an arm. It was covered with what looked like big
purplish bruises. "It's everywhere, you know? It's floating around us as
we speak. But our immune system keeps it at bay. So I guess you know what
happened to me."
	" Your immune system broke down?"
	"Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome."
	"AIDS?" 
	"My T-Helpers went on strike. Oh sorry, inside joke." She picked
at the bedspread. "The T-helpers are like the white blood cells."
	"I'll have to remember that."He didn't quite know what to say. She
watched him. 
	"Do you know nurse Owens?"
	"I'm sorry, I don't."
	"She's the best. But there's something odd about her." Natalie
shifted suddenly. "What's the name of your friend?"
	"Dana Scully."
	"Okay. I'll tell her to keep an eye on her."
	Silence fell over the room again. Natalie shifted again. "Mr.
Mulder...do you know what it's like to be stuck in a hospital for weeks on
end?"
	He snorted. "Yeah. It's a job requirement. I love the green
jello."
	"Better than the pink potatoes." She laughed. "Not like it's gonna
matter much to me."
	"What do you mean?"
	"Symptoms of HIV or AIDS: Enlarged lymph glands, tiredness, fever,
night sweats, diarrhea...and loss of weight. I'm down to one-ten, from
one-sixty. That's in three months. From here I'm running on hope."
	"I'm sorry."
	"It beats Jenny Craig. The boredom is what's killing me. My
parents have to work, and even then..." She shrugged and smiled again.
"I'm tired of Parcheesi."
	"It can get monotonous." He agreed. 
	"You know why I'm here? It's so insignificant I could laugh." She
let out a hoarse bark to prove it. "You know how they're always talking
about sharing needles?"
	"Yes?"
	"They never say anything about disposing of them. I was putting a
piece of paper towel in the bathroom trash at a fast food place and I got
stabbed. Can you believe it? And I was worried about getting sick from the
toilet germs...Some druggie tossed her needle in the trash of a burger
joint."
	"And you got it from that?"
	"Yup. Paper towel. So insignificant." She shook her head. "Hey,
wanna play a board game? I've got Monopoly and Scrabble..."
_____________________
	"Where were you, Fo-Mulder?" Melissa corrected herself mid-word.
	"I...had some errands to run. Has she changed?"
	"Not yet. Are you okay?"
	"Yeah." He looked across the hall at the door. "I met someone who
helped out."
_____________________
	"Mr. Mulder." The short woman in the white suit approached him. "I
have a message for you."
	He smiled. Scully was fine. She was recovering. He could have
kissed the stocky nurse. "Yes?"
	"Did you know a Natalie Holm?"
	He frowned. "I do..."
	"She...asked me to give this to you." The woman held out a slip of
paper. "She...died, an hour ago."
	"Oh." He looked down.
	"She said you'd know what she was talking about."
	He took the piece of paper. Scrawled on it in black ink was a
simple message.

	Never give up hope.
		-Natalie

END

	For more information about AIDSwalk, please email me at
RaEnright@aol.com
	Natalie was an X-Phile too.