From: Humbuggie Date: 10 Jan 2003 11:39:36 -0800 Subject: xfc: It hurts 1/1 Source: atxc It hurts By Humbuggie san@sv-tales.com www.sv-tales.com 2003 This story was edited by X-Phylia. My gratitude goes to her! It hurts. It hurts. It hurts to be alone Youre on. Your own. -- Roxette Story: Mulder gets shot. And thats not the end of it. In fact, its just the beginning. Nuff said. It hurts 1 Oh great. Here we are, stuck in the middle of nowhere. With a bullet in my elbow. Hurt. Yep, it hurts horrible. Should I really say that out loud to my partner who stares at me with fear in her eyes? Would she not know? Shes been shot before. She knows what its like. She remembers the hurt. But its just a bullet in my damned arm. My elbow, for goodness sake. What a spot to be shot. Why couldnt they have shot me in the upper arm? Or the wrist. At least then I would be able to maneuver a little bit better than I can right now. Now it feels like every single movement I make with my left arm sends sharp needles filled with loads of pain up my arm, wrist, shoulder and even neck. I can hardly move anymore, because it hurts. It hurts badly. Ive never hurt so much from a gunshot wound. And I dont think I ever will. I see bolts of lightning before my eyes. Every single move makes me want to crawl into a cave and just die. Hey, wait a minute. I guess I just passed out. Because I open my eyes and there she is: my redhead partner with the most beautiful eyes staring worriedly at me as she tries to mend my arm as good and as bad as possible. And there is Skinner, our beacon of light in the darkest of hours, glaring down at me. Im on the ground and I dont even know it. Hes awake, Scully informs our boss and then she returns her attention to me and I feel quite ridiculous for sitting on the cold ground without even knowing why. How bad is it? The bullet is still in there. I cant say. It doesnt look good. We need to get him to a hospital straight right away. Fat chance of doing that out here, our boss grumbles and I realize that I really do not want to hear that right now. Hes a wee bit too honest for me and I honestly do not like it. I groan, just to let them know that I can actually hear everything they are saying. Can he get up? Skinner continues, still ignoring me. I dont think so. Erm, hello! Im right here. You can talk to me, you know. Of course I can get up. I just have to move. Just have to get my legs to stand up straight and carry me. So I start doing just that. And then Scullys there again. Dont move, she orders me, touching my throat. Im not hurt, Scully. Sure I can move. You will have to support him, sir, Scully orders him and I love her for doing just that. I love it when she bosses everyone around. She has spirit, that one. I smile and look at her. I must have mentioned that I kind of love her before. Especially when Im under her care and protection. I should have been there before; then I probably wouldnt have been shot. Alas. She looks at me with those beautiful eyes and I see worry in her face. She sees that Im not really moving or doing anything. Im not even complaining when she leans forward and starts checking me out. The arm " elbow " has been wrapped and strapped or whatever she has done with it, and it still feels terrible. Mulder, focus on me, she tells me and puts her hand underneath my chin. I look up at her and she smiles. Good, she continues. We have to move, Mulder. Its not safe to stay here. We need to get you to a shelter, and then to a hospital. Dont want to move, I babble and am surprised that this is my own voice. It sounds hoarse and filled with physical hurt. I should have been able to move, yet I cannot. Everything just hurts. I know youre hurting, but we are not okay sitting around here. Youre going to catch a lot more than a bullet if we dont start walking. Its freezing, in case you didnt notice. Hell I notice. I am clenching my teeth and my body just cannot stop shaking. I have hardly ever felt this crappy before. Oh, for a good bed and good medication to send me off to lala-land. Just let me sleep and wake me up when my arm is fixed and ready to be used again. Hes in shock, Scully says, and my warm overcoat just does not feel warm enough anymore. Any suggestions? Were going back to the car. And what direction might that be, sir? Our footsteps are still embedded in the snow. As long as it doesnt start snowing again, we might be able to retrace our steps. So, Skinner wants to play Indian, I think. But it could work. Basically, it might be all we have. And Frakes? Ill just keep my eye out for him and my gun ready. Skinner does exactly what he says and reaches for his gun. He sounds quite serious. Hmm, perhaps we truly are in trouble this time. I really should be moving up. What about Mulder? Help him up. Ill support him. The next moment Im somehow up on my feet and hanging partially over Skinners shoulder while my left arm just dangles inside its strange harness of wood and a scarf that Scully pulled from her own throat. I wince, despite the fact I am telling myself not to be such a baby and to walk on my own two feet. Anything is better than to lean into Skinner. Im only shot in the elbow, you know. But the second we start moving, I suddenly realize it isnt just the elbow that is hurting. My head pounds like crazy. It seems as if my brain were trying to find a way out through my ears. And I know that I must have hit my head falling backwards into the trees. That of course would explain the passing out. Stay with us, Mulder, Scully says and she has her hand on her gun and looks around for the man who shot me. Like Indians retrieving old tracks, we move through the forest towards whatever site the car might be. I should be laughing, but do not. It hurts. 2 So we just start dragging my body through the woods, and I order my feet to walk. They do what I say, even though Im blacking out constantly as I lean on Skinner. I black out as we walk. I wake up as we walk. And them Im outta there again. Numbness. Pain. Numbness. Pain. We follow the trail back through the forest. Did you know that every tree looks the same as the others? I dont even know where we are anymore. And its getting dark. And we hear sounds and noises, like creatures watching us. Are there wolfs here? Or bears? Or lions. Now that would be neat: to suddenly spot a lion in the middle of a forest. I blink my eyes as I see one in front of me. Hey, my wish comes true! I stop suddenly and Skinner almost slips. Lookie there, I cry out and they stare at the spot where Im pointing. The lion has changed into a tree. Strange. I grin broadly. Sorry, I say, it was nothing. We need a break, Skinner groans and he helps me onto the ground. I sit on my own coat and feel the cold snow underneath me. It actually keeps me lucid. Scully sits down next to me and checks my arm, stuck inside its compartment. The arm is totally numb. I cant feel a damned thing anymore. Only when we move and Skinner steps onto a root or branch, or when the path is uneven and we stumble. Just let me lie here. Ill wait for you guys to come back. Its getting worse, Scully explains as she checks me out. Im worried about his unresponsiveness. That concussion is not doing him any good. He should be resting. Anything we do might damage him. Im already damaged, so get me moving again. We cant stay here. Frakes " Hes long gone, sir. We shouldnt be worrying about him. There is no shelter here. He needs to stay warm. Weve come this far, Scully. I feel were close to the car. We should be alright in a few hours. I just wish these cell phones were functioning. We should have paid attention to how deep in the forest we were. I listen to them and wonder what they are doing. Discussing whether to leave me or to kill me? Ah well. I close my eyes and hope to catch a quick nap. Scully told me to stay alert but sometimes one should listen to what his body says. Were on the move again. Somehow they lifted me up and forced me into walking. We walk. And we stop. Walk again. Stop again. This is getting boring. Hey wait a minute; its starting to snow. Fresh flakes fall on me. I look up at the skies and see the grey clouds turning into darkness. This is not looking good. We walk faster. Scullys walking before us; the gun is gone. She is moving swiftly, even though she slips now and then on the blanket of snow. She is freezing, I can tell. And Skinner is panting. Suddenly she cries out. The car! Thank the lord for small miracles. Before us is the abandoned parking spot where only one car stands. No one else would be as dumb as to come here on a January winters day to stroll around in the woods. So Skinner is a good scout after all. And so is my partner. Together they brought us back to the car, standing on that small parking lot in the middle of the Sauerman Woods, Indiana. We are about ten miles from Crown Point, the nearest town. Now, that does not seem so far away, but it is when youre aching all over. Skinner unlocks the car while Scully supports me, opens the back door and helps me on the backseat. I kind of lean backwards and would probably have hit the other door if I had moved further backwards, but there was Scully, who did not mind at all that I leant on her lap for the ride. The cell phone is still dead, Scully says to me, so were going to drive back to town. Well get you to a doctor soon now, Mulder. And the good stuff, I groan. And the good stuff, she promises. Skinner steps in, turns the key and starts the car. Oh wait, the car does not start. The engine is dead. Damn it, I hear our boss curse and then hes attempting to start it again. And again. And again. Now that does not look so good. He steps out, and Scully tells me shes going to take a look too. Before I know it, she has her winter coat removed and wrapped carefully underneath my head, then she steps out too. They close the doors and Im left inside the vehicle. They are staring underneath the hood, and I hear another loud curse and nothing for a long, long time. In the dark its difficult to see what they are up to, and the snow just continues to fall. And suddenly I dont have a good feeling about this. Im not feeling too good either. I wish I were at home and had never heard of Frakes. Skinner opens the car door and looks into my eyes. Were stuck, he admits. I cant get it to start. I sigh. Were going to stay here for the night. Tomorrow morning Im going to get help. Well make the situation as comfortable as possible. I look at him. Okay. I turn my head and close my eyes, finally giving into the tagging feeling in the back of my mind that's been trying to send me to oblivion since some time ago. 3 If I had hoped I would wake up in some hospital, I could Id better think again. Instead I wake up on Scullys lap, in the back of the car, with two warm coats over me. My partner is sitting upwards in the backseat; head leaned backwards. She is sleeping with her mouth open. Skinner sits on the front passenger seat and is awake. He is keeping guard, I guess. Its freezing cold inside the car and you can actually see Skinner's breath. As I stir, he shifts a bit and turns towards me. He seems content that Im awake. Oddly enough, I feel fine. How are you feeling? he asks softly and gently. Im okay. You had us worried for a while. You wouldnt wake up. It hurts. I know. He fishes a bottle of water from the other seat and asks if I can sit up straight. I move a little bit, up and away from Scullys lap. Clutching my left arm " that now feels very, very warm " I move up until I am sitting. Scully continues to sleep. He opens the bottle and gives it to me. We have no food. What time? Nearly five a.m. As soon as there is enough light, Im out of here. I drink two sips and give back the bottle. Despite the situation, there is a strange form of companionship between us. He is actually worried and I cant help but be glad hes here. Scully would not have been able to drag me by all by herself. How is your arm? Warm. Like the rest of me. You are probably running a fever. Not abnormal considering the situation. Unfortunately we have nothing here to give you. Not even a simple aspirin. Didnt Scully bring her medical kit this time? I quip. At the hotel. Are you going to walk all the way? I have no other choice. Youre not going to try to fix the car again? It doesnt take a mechanic to see weve got serious problems. I nod tiredly. My arm feels strangely tingly. And apart from that, my abdomen feels queasy. Ah well. We can wait for another few hours. Try to rest, Mulder. You need it. I nod again because hes right, of course. So I lean back and close my eyes, trying to ignore the fact Im a wreck. No use doing anything about that now, so we might as well make the best of it. When I wake up again, Skinner is gone. Scully is outside the car. Coats cover me again. And we are still standing alone in a very snowed-under parking lot, without even as much as the car heater. Its as cold as last night. Or perhaps colder. And I wonder how Skinner is ever going to find help. 4 A long day starts and continues. We are sitting together in the back of the car. Scully is resting as close to me as she can without damaging my body even further. She leans against my right shoulder, covered with the same coats lying over me. I feel nothing, not even the urge to pee. Our stomachs are empty, our bodies tired and we both feel exhausted, as if we had run a marathon. I dont know what time it is: somewhere around noon. How long can it take to walk ten miles into town? Im sorry, I say. Why? We shouldnt be here. This is as much my fault as it is yours, she smiles. I agreed to come here. Frakes knows these woods well. If your theory pans out, we will probably find him in some cabin in the middle of the forest, living a hermits life. Well nail him. Should have known he would carry a gun. No doubt a very old one. Skinner said it reminded him of Vietnam. That old, huh? But just as effective. He probably didnt mean to kill me. He must have intended to hit a tree or something. But you were in the line of fire. You dont look like a tree though. Im wearing my green overcoat. How would you know? Youre colorblind. I know because you bought it with me. Oh yeah. Can you get blood out of clothes? You should know that by now. The bullet hole is more difficult though. It might be a permanent marker. Too bad. It could have been worse. Much worse. I could have been dead. She smiles. You wouldnt die such a meaningless death. Your death will be either heroic or of old age. But not in the woods. Definitely not. She leans further into me. Get some rest, I say. Youre the one whos hurt. But youre hungry and tired. You shouldnt worry so much. I always worry. Am I so troublesome? No. Youre just subject to damage. Im taller than you are. Do you want me to start singing again? God forbid. Then again, if you can do a good Elvis, I wouldnt mind. Youre delirious. Yep. And feverish. Yep. Where else does it hurt? You should be asking me where it doesnt hurt. She looks at me pitifully now. Poor Mulder. I suppose you cant fix it with a kiss and a band-aid? I dont have a band-aid. Too bad. I like the ones with Donald Duck on them. She smiles. Four p.m., she says and it is getting dark again. We can actually feel the temperature going down. There is more to it now. We are both worried about Skinner. What if he got lost? What if he bumped into Frakes instead? What if he were lying dead or badly hurt in a ditch somewhere? Okay, stop the worrying. Skinner is a big boy. He can handle himself. But its taking a long, long time. And nobody else knows we are here. If hes not back in the morning, Im going myself, Scully says and I look at her frowningly. Here speaks the woman who can hardly read maps. How is she going to find her way out of a huge forest onto the main road and to Crown Point? Forget it. It would not work. I would have to go with her. And I could hardly do anything but sit back. Okay, I just say, furiously hoping that Skinner will suddenly show up. I would do just about anything. She tucks me into the coats again, feels my forehead, takes my pulse and says that it will work out. Yet, I can hear despair in her voice. Oh, I will hike out of here with her. I will not die in such stupid circumstances. 5 Eight p.m. Its stark dark now. Were still stuck. Still here: in this rental car without a working engine or heating. We can hardly see each other. Can I add that Im really, really, really afraid now? My body just cannot stop shivering. I feel feverish and bad. Simply and utterly bad. The queasy feeling in my stomach becomes worse. I know that lack of food is not doing us any good. And Im worried about Scully. She is not saying much. She feels the cold and is more worried about her patient than herself. Typically Scully. Something strange is happening to me. I am so fatigued I could just sleep through it all. I could close my eyes right now and just sleep through the night. But I wont. I refuse to leave Scully awake with her worries. I should be the one caring for her, and not the opposite. And then theres that sharp pain in my abdomen. It feels as if someones been stomping me with an iron-tipped boot. The pain stings and is so uncomfortable that I need to shift over and over to get a better position. With that damned arm its not easy. I told Scully and she actually pulled up my shirt and sweater earlier to take a look. There was nothing of course. Must be the hunger, she says, tucking my clothes back in. She came close to sensitive areas there. The headache seems to get worse as well but I dont tell her about that. They are probably related to the stomach anyhow. I always get them when I dont eat properly. It will pass. Im tired, Scully admits as she puts her head against my chest underneath the two coats and shifts closer so that she can rest a bit. Just close your eyes, I say. It will get better. She does that, and within five minutes I can hear her regular breathing. I have this ridiculous fear that I might not wake up if I fall asleep. I'm afraid that we will be found dead in the morning, frozen. It wont happen that quickly, but the fear is so large that I cannot sleep a wink anymore. I stay alert, experiencing the pain in full, and waiting. I wait all night long while my partner sleeps through it. And I keep on seeing lions outside the car, waiting for us to get out so we can be devoured. In the morning, as dawn breaks through, I stir and wake up Scully with my movement. We need to get ready to hike out of here. Just as she takes her head off my chest, we both hear the sound of an engine. Make that more engines. We look at the small, snow-covered entrance of the secluded parking lot. And there they are: the Cavalry. They come in the form of two police cars and paramedics. I have never been so happy to see an ambulance before. Scully had opened the car door as they arrived, walking towards them. I had wanted to follow, only to realize I had nothing left in me to do so. I was totally empty " drained from strength. I see Skinner. Scully actually hugs him, happy to see him. He is wearing a cast around his foot and stands unsteady on his legs. He's had some sort of accident. That is probably why it took him so long to get us help. Agent Mulder, says one of the paramedics who has come to help us, Im Bob. Were going to get you to the hospital. I smile. He leans inside the car and helps me as I shift on the seat towards the door. As I put two feet on the ground, I am being supported. I take one step as I feel myself go through my legs. They lift me up, place me onto the gurney and help me into the ambulance. Mulder. Skinner is there, patting me on my good shoulder. I smile. You scared me there for a second, sir. I scared myself. You okay? Yeah. Made a bit of a slip. Im fine. Dont worry about me now. Worry about yourself. The ambulance is nice and warm. Scully steps in and makes sure I can see her. My arm feels like its going to fall off. They dont do anything about her improvised first aid support now and are closing the doors. Skinner will probably follow, I suppose. We drive now. I feel warm and happy and very much comforted. I dont care that we are both under cooled, dehydrated and in need of urgent nourishment. Were on our way to a hospital and soon the lala-drugs will stop the pain. The ambulance drives carefully. The paramedic is tucking me in underneath various warm blankets and helping a tired Scully; he says that its been snowing pretty badly and the roads are slippery. I dont care, and let the ambulances moves soothe me. Scully later says that I had a very happy expression on my face. You looked as if you were watching some porn movie, she grins. After some time we stop at the emergency entrance of St. Anthony Medical Center, Crown Point, Indiana. The doors fly open and I am moved out as the paramedic starts explaining the situation. But it seems as if the doctors already know. I am moved into a large, green examination room. A female doctor leans over me. Mr. Mulder, Im Lisa Danes. Were going to take care of you. Do you have any idea what day it is? I need to think about that one and start calculating how long we have been in the woods. Thursday, I say. Good. Do you know where you are? I suppose in Crown Point. Can you tell me what happened? Some jerk decided to offer me a bullet. Did you fall? I dont know. Have you been unconscious? Dont know. What hurts? Everything. She smiles. A bit more specific? Head, arm of course, abdomen. She frowns and looks at Scully, who stands in the room as well. She refuses to go warm herself up as long as Im not doing well. Knowing her, she would rather sit here all day and go change into warmer clothes later. Hes been complaining of that before, Scully explains. He was shot by our suspect, fell backwards and hit his head. Hes been unconscious for about five minutes. He has been slipping in and out of it since then. I immobilized the arm to prevent further damage. The pain caused him to black out quite a few times. They are undressing me and warming me up with blankets. My toes start tingling. The rest of me needs a little more time to warm up. That does not take too long though. I even start feeling a bit hungry. They start working on my arm, now that is something completely different. The second anyone touches it, I dont wince. I groan. I almost cry out. And no wonder, what I can see of it is a total mess. For a long moment I fear for my arm. What if I cannot use it again? Or if its badly infected? Or - ? But the doctor just reassures me as she starts poking around the elbow. I just lie there and let them do it, even though I could bite my tongue in my efforts to ignore it all. Get X-Rays down here for a local scan. And have the OR prepared. I look at lovely Dr. Danes. You cant just pull that bullet out? I ask fatigued. She smiles. Of course not, Mr. Mulder. But dont worry. Well make sure youre as comfortable as possible. She examines my abdomen like Scully did before and finds nothing. The sharp pains continue. My stomach rumbles. I need food. Scully is nibbling on a biscuit. Its not fair: why is she eating? I am the patient here. 6 X-Rays are taken of my arm and elbow. I wait patiently while the throbbing pain returns. The numbness that the cold provided is gone. Im past the shock now, and into the painful reality. Scully finally changes clothes and has something proper to eat as Skinner walks in and takes over. Hes hobbling on a cast, as we had seen before. He sits down next to me as the doctors and nurses continue to take care of me and I wait patiently. My back and ass are starting to hurt from the hard bed Im on. We are waiting for the results of the X-Rays. What happened to you? I ask tiredly. I was nearly back on the road when I slipped and fell into a ditch. I sprained my ankle and hit my head. It took me a while to come around. I crawled to the street and someone picked me up. Im sorry I did not get you help sooner, Mulder. Thats okay, sir. We thought you might be dead so we are happy to be here. Thanks, he responded dryly. I want to ask further details when the doctor returns with Scully. So? I ask. Does my arm go off? They look at me surprised but Im very serious. The fear grips me. The verdict is fortunately less dramatic, the doctor says. But you do need to have that surgery immediately. The bullet is still embedded in your elbow, more specifically into the synovial membrane and cavity. We need to go in to repair the damage or you might have permanent problems there. In English? I ask confused. Let me try to explain this as simply as possible, the doctor continues. Every free-mobile joint, like a knee and elbow, has a synovial cavity that is lined inside by synovial membrane. Basically what this does is to produce joint fluid that reduces the friction of the moving bones. All of this is surrounded by a joint capsule, which is supported by ligaments. In short, Mulder, Scully says. The bullet struck that capsule and has caused the synovial fluid to start leaking. It also partially tore your ligaments, causing the extreme pain youve felt. Compare it to a football-injury: if the ligaments are completely torn, they might never heal again. In your case, the ligaments are not that far torn yet, but they can and will be if they leave the bullet in there. This is quite an intense operation, Dr. Danes completes the medical lecture. The surgeon would rather put you to sleep because it might take some time for everything to be repaired, and were not sure we would get your arm completely numb with local anesthetics. You are already in a weak state and we dont want you to suffer more than necessary. So Im off to lala-land? I ask, secretly happy that I wont have to stay awake while they mess with my arm. Yep. The nurses are going to transfer and prepare you in a few moments. Scully grasps my right hand and smiles reassuringly. You will be fine. I nod and watch them as my partner goes to discuss further details with the doctor outside. A few seconds later the blankets are being removed except for one, and clad in a surgery gown, I am on my way to the very cold OR. I am promptly rolled into one of the prepped rooms and look around me. Usually, when I end up in here, I have no idea of what is happening to me. This is a positive change for once. Hey, its only my arm. What could possibly go wrong? Ill be out of here in a jiffy. As the anesthesiologist counts down from ten to one with me and I feel the mask slip over my nose and mouth, I think about home and my good old apartment. I would not mind a bit of lala-time with Scully either. 7 I wake up a couple of hours later and instantly know something is wrong. I have difficulty waking out of my stupor for starters. Several times nurses and doctors shake me, ordering me to open my eyes. What kind of drugs did they give me? I feel horrible. Nausea creeps up. My abdomen feels like its going to explode as sharp pain crosses through the numbness Im trying to fight off. Actually, Ive never felt this crappy after surgery before. I finally open my eyes and find a nurse looking at me. She turns and says Im awake. Dr. Danes appears and flashes her little light into my eyes. Mr. Mulder, can you hear me? I nod and become aware of the fact my arm is in a full cast resting on my belly. I cant move it. The cast feels heavy on me and I shift, trying to move it to somewhere else. My joints hurt. How are you doing, sir? I want to say something, only to realize an oxygen mask is placed over my mouth and nose, helping me to breathe better. Okay, now I am worried. It hurts, I moan behind the mask. Where, sir? Head. Joints. Arm. Thats normal. But the surgery helped, you will fully regain the function of your arm. Just rest now. We will upgrade the pain medication a bit. I want to beg them to knock me out but its not even necessary. I fall asleep again in the recovery room and wake up in a quiet, comfortable private room. Its evening and Scully and Skinner are both there, each sleeping in a chair. I feel strangely happy. 8 Scully reads to me since Im struggling with just about anything I can get my hands on. My right hand starts to ache when I hold up a book or magazine too long. It even hurts from flipping channels. Im growing slightly impatient sitting straight up in bed. Ive been here for two days now, and feel that theres no need to stay here much longer. My arm, in cast, rests in a heavy sling on my chest. I am not hurt anywhere else, so why stay? I can easily go home now. In fact, I ache to do so. I dont even care about Frakes anymore. As far as I am concerned, he can stay in his little hideout in the woods and croak there. Skinner, still wearing a cast around his ankle, is organizing the search party now. They found the spot where I had been shot and were now tracing Frakes tracks from there on. And I did not care. I know youre eager to go home, Scully says friendly, but we need to make sure your arm is mending well. I dont hear the doctor complain. She still wants to make sure. Whatever, I shrug and Scully looks at me strangely. Mulder, are you feeling okay? I dont want to admit that Im actually not feeling so good but I do it anyhow. Im still having headaches, I blurt out. And every joint in me aches. I need to get out of here, dont you see? A little while longer. You keep on saying that, I respond sharply. Just let me go home. Soon. She leaves the room and I think shes upset with me for being so short in my responses, but she returns with Dr. Danes and I feel instantly guilty for treating her like that. Dr. Danes, who is quite hot really, smiles patiently as Scully explains I have requested to go home, at the same time adding I am still suffering from headaches. I cannot explain why these headaches seem so bothering. I had headaches before " plenty of them. But this ones a real drag, and instead of getting better, it just gets worse. And then there are those pains in my abdomen. I stopped complaining about those, hoping they would pass. But often I would wake up in the middle of the night and find I cannot sleep. Dr. Danes takes my vitals. Blood pressure: 126/82. Pulse rate: a steady 75/min. You do seem to have lost some weight, she remarks. I always lose weight in hospitals. I dont like pudding. She smiles. Your vitals seem in order. I would say those headaches come from the hit you took, but you did not suffer a concussion. They should subside in a few more days. To be honest, Agent Mulder, I dont see any reason why you shouldnt be able to leave. You look fine to me. Then I can go? You seem very eager to go home and I think you might be better off there. If you think youre fit enough, go for it. Thank you. I look in victory at Scully who is not a hundred percent eager to drag me home, but she knows I will win. I will nag as long as necessary to get her to agree. Ill talk to Skinner, she promises. Okay? Great! Scully leaves the room with the doctor and comes back a few minutes later. I feel agitated and eager now that I knew we are almost out of here. I can manage at home. I can order pizza. But my partner watches me with narrow eyes. That afternoon they find Frakes dead. All this time he was lay in the woods, frozen to death. He never reached that cabin people claimed he knew about. He had died by forces of nature. But I cannot help thinking that his death is not a coincidence, even though there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that he died in any other way. Our wild goose chase has been for nothing. Frakes first came to my attention when an article appeared in a tabloid in which he claimed he had been subjected to several tests. Several men dressed in strange clothing took him out of the woods where he lived in seclusion. He was taken to a compound and subjected to tests. Then he was released again. This happened a few times. Nobody believed him. The reporter paid him and let him go back into the woods. I would not have believed the story had it not been for a certain part, in which he claimed to have seen several other people during his experiences. One of the people he described in detail was a missing man from the state of Oregon, who had vanished about a year ago. I had worked on this case. The drifter talked about details of this man that he had no way of knowing. He even mentioned his name and nickname, a detail not disclosed to the public. Since this case had always intrigued me " and frustrated me beyond anything " I knew I had another chance in solving the disappearance. So I persuaded Scully into going after Frakes: track him down, talk to him and try to stimulate his memory somehow. If we could find the compound, we might find our missing person. Scully did not believe Frakes story but she agreed. So we flew up to Indiana, talked a few days with locals, checked into a hotel and started looking for our guy. A few locals claimed he had access to a cabin in the woods. He used to stay there. Others said he was very secluded, had a gun and fired away at anybody or anything. The police would not help, saying Frakes was a harmless innocent. Skinner happened to be in the area and offered to come over. That Tuesday we set out to track Frakes down. Hiking into the woods, we were following the snow-covered path that supposedly leads to the cabin. We werent even halfway when that bullet struck me hard, slamming me into the trees. And now it was over. We had no case. Nothing really. I had been shot for nothing. Scully and Skinner come into my room and we discuss going home. The decision has been made. 9 It must have been a funny sight: Scully accompanying two invalids through the airport towards the right terminal. Skinner is able to walk pretty well on his cast and complains constantly that his foot started to itch. I feel the same slight itch underneath my own cast. The first, heavier cast has been replaced with a lighter one early this morning. I almost feel human again. She goes to buy the tickets and leaves us sitting on a bench. I stare at Skinners cast and he at mine. And we both grin broadly. Scully returns with the tickets, helps us through the security towards the terminal and carries our bags. Shes a rock, that one. Finally we sit on the plane and I dont admitting that Im exhausted. She does remark that Im a bit pale. Im just happy were heading home. Before the plane taxis to the runway, I close my eyes and drift off. Skinner and Scully chat away next to me. We must have been halfway when I wake up feeling horribly nauseated. The plane is going to crash if you want to listen to what my abdomen is telling me. Every single move hurts me. And that head of me pounds incredibly. My god, Im not airsick, am I? Im not going to start now after thousands of flyer miles. Excuse me, I groan, push past them and rush to the lavatories up front. A flight attendant looks at me strangely. Are you alright, sir? she asks. Yeah. I shove the door open and force myself inside, just in time to empty the contents of my stomach into the small loo. Oh great. I look up and find myself staring wearily back. Im actually sweating cold as I lean into the door and try to get a grip. Yep, air sickness. That has never happened to me before. My stomach makes even worse summer salts and about ten minutes later, I finally dare to open the door and stroll back to my seat. Scully is standing before me, looking worried. Whats wrong? Everything, I groan, slipping back into my seat. She tries her best to take a look but I brush everyone off, close my eyes and pray that the worst is over. Scullys car has been parked for over a week at the long-term parking lot. The inside is extremely cold. She offers to take me home first before doing the same for Skinner. I am happy shes thinking of me first. In silence we drove home, even though Skinner is obviously eager to speak with her. I know he wants to ask her what is wrong with me. If I knew, I would say so. She opens the apartment door and lets me in. I walk through the door, enter my apartment, and am suddenly lying on my back, clutching my abdomen. Mulder! Scully is in one swift moment at my side, grabs my hand and tries to see what exactly Im clutching. The sharp pain that carves through me is almost too much to bear. I pant. What is it? she asks in panic. Mulder, talk to me. Pain, I just groan. And the headaches that grasp me are enormous. Another hospital and I lie fatigued " make that exhausted " on a bed while they take blood samples and try to figure out why in gods name Im aching so much. CT scans show nothing wrong with my abdomen. My vitals seem perfectly in order. Yet my head seems to explode and I can hardly sit up straight because of the pain. I receive oxygen and listen wearily to their questions. Scully responds to them one by one, explain what has happened in Indiana and hopes for the best. She does not understand it either. What is this? Am I dying or something? Ah well. I lie back, close my eyes and drift off. That is the only place where I feel fine. I wake up in a small room with monitors beeping. My heart rate beats a steady 70 per minute. Scully sits next to me and holds my hand. So worried. 10 Lead poisoning. I rest in yet another hospital bed and stare fatigued at my partner. What? Thats what youve been suffering from, she speaks in triumph, and I instantly know I caught something I should not have been catching quickly. Why is that every time something happens to me, it needs to be something this exotic? She sits down and shows me results of blood tests. Not that I can make much out of them, really. They had to do some research for this one, she explains, because plumbism " or lead poisoning " is quite rare and often occurs only when a bullet is embedded inside a human body for a while and had access to sensitive places such as the synovial cavity, where that bullet struck you. The bullet was shattered, allowing its lead to dissolve into your system. That can happen quite fast, you know. The problem with this kind of poisoning is that its difficult to trace. But its symptoms are exactly what you were suffering from. It happens so rarely and is so unpredictable that it is almost untraceable. But you knew, I groan, sitting up. Only because one of the attending doctors here had a similar case some years ago. A man was shot three years earlier and came back in later with progressive headaches. He had your symptoms; and lead poisoning. And what now? Were starting an aggressive course of medication right now. You should be feeling better in a day or so. Good, I smile exhausted. Because I am aching to sleep on my own couch. Poor darling. She leans forward and kisses me on the cheek. I grin broadly, already feeling better. But it will be a while before I go into any wood to chase wild hunches anymore. That, my friend, is a certainty. The End Humbuggie www.sv-tales.com