From: "Mecedes DiNunzio" Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:49:32 -0400 Subject: Sickened Title Sickened Author Ski Email Address Snow@edmail.com Disclaimer No, they don't belong to me. They all belong to Chris. I didn't ask him if I could use them but, but, but, (sigh) but - I did! Rating PG (Let's see. G means Good, PG means Pretty Good, and R means Rotten. Right?) Spoilers Eve Summary In Eve - What if . . . Scully went back to get the keys from the table and Mulder waited outside the rest stop with the girls. And then . . . what if Mulder drank the poison that the girls put into the soda. Archive Anywhere This is for Britts. I hope you like it. Eve . . . . . . Mulder had left his keys on the table with the four sodas. When he returned from the men's room, he saw that Scully and the girls had already left the restaurant and were heading towards the car. Scully was carrying two of the drinks. Evidently she had his so, without looking back to the table, he walked out of the door. "You have the keys Mulder?" she asked as she stood outside the locked vehicle. "No, I left them on the table in case you were ready first." She handed him the two sodas. "This one's yours. I'll go get them. Be right back." Mulder grabbed the cups and took a long swallow from one of them. The girls gave each other a knowing glance and smiled to themselves. He sipped it again. "This doesn't taste like diet," Mulder commented. "It's very sweet." The girls giggled. Scully found the keys on the table. Right next to them a bright green liquid had been spilled. She studied the green substance, frowned to herself and touched it with her finger. She tasted the tip of her finger. It was very sweet. Instantly she recognized that the liquid was foxglove. She immediately knew that the girls had poisoned the sodas and she also realized that the girls must have poisoned Eve 9 too. "Mulder!" Scully raced out of the restaurant and ran to the car. She yelled to the cashier to call for the police and for an ambulance. She knew that Mulder had already swallowed the poisoned soda. "Scully, what's up? What's the hurry?" She ran right into him and knocked both of the cups of soda from his hands. They spilled all over the ground. "It's them Mulder. They poisoned Eve 9. It's in our sodas too," Scully exclaimed. The girls quickly darted away from the car and ran through the parking lot. Mulder started after them but Scully grabbed him by the arm. "No Mulder, let them go. They can't get far. There's no place to go. The police are already on their way. Sit down right now and don't move. The poison is already in your system and you need to be as still and calm as you can be. Stay right here. I want to see if there's an emergency first aid kit inside. We need to get that poison out of you immediately." Scully darted back into the restaurant. Almost in a panic she hollered, "Does anyone have an emergency first aid kit?" The cashier reached down under the counter and produced a large red metal box. Scully frantically threw open the lid and searched the interior. Her fingers felt the small brown bottle, ipecac. She grabbed it and dashed out of the restaurant once more. Mulder was sitting on a bench in front of the rest stop. He didn't look good. His face had gone pale though Scully couldn't tell if it was a symptom of the poison or if he was going into shock. She handed him the opened bottle. In her haste she hadn't gotten a spoon. "Here Mulder, take a good swallow of this," she demanded. He looked at her questioningly. "Hurry!" He did as he was told. "Ugh, what was that stuff? It tastes awful." "It's call ipecac " she answered. It's used to make patients vomit. It's very effective for emptying out the stomach. Unfortunately however, it's going to make you feel very sick. I'm sorry Mulder but, we have to get the poison out of your system as quickly as possible." Within moments, his pale complexion seemed to turn green. He grabbed at his stomach. He leaned over and began to vomit violently. Scully reached for a nearby trash can and brought it over to him. He continued to vomit. Scully stood by, supporting him by the shoulders. In the distance she heard the sound of sirens. Two police cars entered the parking lot and they headed for the restaurant, Scully waved them over to the bench. She pulled out her ID. "FBI, we have a situation here. This is my partner. He's been poisoned. We had two little girls with us. They look like twins. They're 8 years old. Dark hair, blue eyes, red plaid jumpers, red tights. They ran when we realized that they had tampered with our drinks." Mulder tried to lie down on the bench but he could not stop heaving even though there was nothing left in his stomach. Just then the ambulance arrived. The EMT's quickly tried to assess the situation. "What happened?" Scully answered, "He drank some poison in his soda. Foxglove. I don't know how much he ingested." She glanced at her watch. "About 5 - 10 minutes ago. I gave him some ipecac. He's been vomiting since. I don't think there's anything left in his stomach now but I can' t guess how much already entered his bloodstream." Scully stepped aside and the ETM's took over. They removed Mulder's jacket and tie. They took his pulse and blood pressure. "Mr. Mulder, how are you feeling?" Mulder stared at him as if to say, "How do you think I feel?" The technician tried again. "Do you feel dizzy or faint?" This time Mulder shook his head. The movement of his head made him dizzy so he said, "Yes." His contradictory answer concerned both the ETM's and Scully. "Let's get an IV into him and get him to the hospital ASAP," one of the attendants remarked. They moved Mulder onto the stretcher and immediately started an IV. They raised the back of the stretcher so that he could remain in a sitting position. They didn't want him lying down while in his present state. The last thing they wanted was a patient aspirating vomitus into his lungs. They handed him a small container to replace the garbage can." "Water. Please." "I'm sorry sir, I can't give you any water to drink. I don't want anything else in your stomach for now. But, I can give you some to wash out your mouth if you promise not to swallow it." Mulder nodded and immediately regretted the motion. His head started swimming again. The ETM handed him a cup with a small amount of water in it. Mulder took it thankfully. He sipped it, swilled it around his mouth and, as promised, he spit it out into the container. Scully sat on the bench for a moment to collect her thoughts and to absorb the events of the last half-hour. So quickly she thought. Things can change so quickly. When they pulled into the rest stop, the girls were in custody, Mulder was in perfect health, and everything was under control. Now, the girls were missing and Mulder was on his way to the hospital. She didn't dare add, not even to herself, that he could easily be near death. She could have been poisoned too. If Mulder hadn't left his keys on the table they would probably both be dead. She shuttered involuntarily. A policeman walked over to her and interrupted her thoughts. "We got 'um. They were hiding in an unlocked car. When the owners got into the vehicle the girls were hunched down in the back but, one of them sneezed ant the driver turned them over to us." "Thank God," was all Scully said. The police officer waited a moment. When Scully didn't elaborate any further, he asked, "What do you want us to do with them? Should we contact the parents?" "No, no." She studied the policeman's face trying to decide whether to tell him that the girls had succeeded in killing both their fathers, their mother, maybe Mulder and almost her. Would he believe her? She doubted it. "Take them to the station, call the juvenile department and have them held under heavy security until I can get them transported to Washington. And be careful. I know they both look sweet and innocent but they are a far cry from that. They both are extremely intelligent and devious. They are responsible for several deaths and they have no conscience. Do not let your guard down for an instant." The EMT's secured the stretcher. Scully wanted to ride with them but they would not allow her to. The ambulance took off with the siren blaring. She got the rental car and after making sure the girls were in custody, she took off for the hospital. It seemed to Scully that every time she and Mulder were on a case he ended up either injured, poisoned or incapacitated in some way or other. The hospital was not far and within 10 minutes Mulder was escorted into the ER. He continued to heave due to the medicine that Scully had given him but his color had greatly improved probably, she thought, because of the intervenes fluids that he was receiving. He was quickly transferred to a hospital gurney in one of the ER cubicles. Several people immediately began working on him. They quickly removed his clothing replacing them with a hospital gown, took his temperature, blood pressure and pulse. They took the ambulance container that he was using to vomit into and handed him an emesis bowl. He had gotten vomit all over his hands and arms and on his face, which they proceeded to clean up. At this point Scully had not yet arrived at the hospital and for the first time Mulder could remember he was grateful that she hadn't ridden with him in the ambulance. He knew he looked and smelled terrible when he came in and in a matter of minutes his soiled clothing was gone and he was in a more presentable state. He realized that he had come very close to death but because of Scully's quick action most of the poison was no longer in his system and he was totally out of danger. His stomach was very sore from the constant retching. His dizziness was gone but he felt totally exhausted. Although there was nothing left in his stomach the heaving continued. "Sir, can you tell me your name?" He heard one of the nurses ask. "Mulder" She looked at him questioningly. "Mulder, Mr. Mulder? What's your first name sir?" "Just Mulder," he replied. Scully walked in. "Fox, his first name is Fox, Fox Mulder." The nurse turned and looked at Scully, "and you are?" "Scully, I'm his partner. We're both FBI agents. Has the doctor examined him yet?" "The doctor will be in in a moment. I need some information for his chart." Scully knew the routine and was prepared to fill out all the appropriate forms but she wanted to see that Mulder was taken care of first. He no longer seemed to be in serious condition but Scully knew Mulder's ability to experience complications and she also knew that less than a half-hour ago he was staring death right in the eyes. His blood pressure had dropped significantly in the parking lot. She knew the IV would help bring it back up again but, he had been very close to shock and she wanted to make sure he was stable. She was about to make a fuss when a tall, dark haired man came in. "Hi I'm Doctor Malenowski. Mr. Mulder how are you feeling." Mulder looked at him with a pained expression. " I've been better." "Yes, I'm sure of that. What happened?" Mulder cast a glance at Scully. She understood the silent request and replied for him, "He ingested some foxglove. I don't know how much. It was dissolved in his soda. It was a 12 oz. size and he drank about < of it. I realized he had been poisoned about 3 to 4 minutes afterwards and administered ipecac. He's been vomiting ever since. That was about 20  25 minutes ago. Nothing's been coming up for the last 15 minutes or so but, the heaving has continued. His blood pressure dropped significantly at first but came back up with the increase of fluids from the IV. He experienced considerable dizziness initially." Dr. Malenowski listened intently to Scully's report and turned to Mulder. "Does that sound right to you?" "Yeah. But I don't fell dizzy anymore. I think that's past now." "Okay then. Tell me, how did the poison get into your soda? That certainty doesn't sound like an accident to me. Was it intentional?" He didn't think Mulder or Scully looked like people who would purposely poison themselves, and he didn't think Scully seem like the kind of person who would try to kill someone. Through experience however, he'd learned that looks could be very deceiving. Unfortunately it seemed that even ordinary people were capable of heinous deeds. He had examined Mulder's chart but there was no mention that they were members of law enforcement. He had already seen the police in the waiting room so he knew he would not have to contact them himself. He was sure that he had a possible attempted murder or suicide on his hands. "You're right," Scully admitted immediately. "We're Federal Agents. We were transporting . . ." she paused wondering how to word her next statement. ". . . suspects, and they must have added the liquid into our drinks. They have already killed three other people using it." The doctor nodded, understanding the situation more accurately. He began to examine Mulder. He took out a small penlight and examined his eyes. "Does this hurt at all?" "No." He then checked Mulder's ears, nose and throat. "Your throat is rather red. I assume that's from all the vomiting. Am I right? Was it sore prior to this event? Mulder confirmed that he was fine before he drank the poison. "Do you think you could lie back for me?" Mulder pulled up his legs and settled back onto the gurney. He instinctively rolled onto his side pulling up his legs. He wrapped his arms protectively around his waist. The doctor gently pushed Mulder's shoulders back onto the surface of the gurney. He moved Mulder's arms down to his sides and laid his hands on Mulder's stomach. He carefully felt the entire surface of his abdomen. Mulder involuntarily winced whenever the doctor pushed down. It was obvious that the muscles of his stomach had been strained considerably. As soon as the doctor finished his examination Mulder again rolled over to his side and resumed his fetal like position. "Well, of course I'm going to need a blood test to see if any of the toxin was absorbed by your stomach. And a urine test as well. Actually I'll want samples of blood every hour for the next 4 or 5 hours in case there is any residual foxglove in the stomach though I doubt it because of the immediate first aid that was given." He turned to Scully, "I dare say Ms. Scully, your quick thinking probably saved your partner's life." Looking at Mulder he added, "The effects of the ipecac should wear off soon. If you still feel nauseous in 15 minutes or so I'll order some compezine but I'd rather not if we can avoid it. Your system has been through enough already." "Also, I want to warn you, if there is any trace of the toxin in your blood we will have to proceed to more extensive measures to eliminate it from your body." Mulder didn't like the sound of what he'd just heard. "What do you mean by more extensive measures?" "Well, I really don't think we will get to that point but, if we do, I'll have to order an enema. If there is anything left in your stomach, it will pass into the rest of your digestive system. If it does, we need to remove it before it can be absorbed through the walls of your intestines. Like I said however, your partner here used some very quick thinking and I'm sure that there is absolutely nothing left in your stomach. I wouldn't worry about it." "That's easy for you to say," Mulder grumbled. "There is no way I'm letting anyone near me with something that even vaguely resembles" he couldn't bring himself to say the word. "resembles anything!" Scully knew how Mulder could be in hospitals and she was glad that she wouldn't have to be the one who would have to make that decision or more importantly, if the decision was made that an enema was warranted, to be the person who had to administer it. The doctor wasn't at all surprised by Mulder's reaction. It was typical. The procedure he might have to consider was uncomfortable and embarrassing. He made a noncommittal nod and turned to the nurse. "Will you call admitting for a room? And have his blood drawn as soon as possible." "Mr. Mulder I'm going to have to keep you until I'm sure you're going to be okay. If all goes well, you should be out of here either tomorrow or the next day. I don't foresee any complications. Do you have any questions before I leave?" Mulder grunted a simple "No" "Ms. Scully?" "No, not at this point." "Okay then, I'll check in on you in a little while after I get the results of the first blood test." With that the doctor left the cubicle. The nurse made a call and announced that Mulder would be put into room 1013. She quickly withdrew the blood needed for the toxin screening and then handed him a urinal. "I'll need you to give me a urine sample now too." Scully made a hasty exit to allow Mulder some semblance of privacy however the nurse remained in the room. Mulder sighed loudly, took the vessel from her and proceeded to relieve himself into the container. As soon as the nurse walked out with the samples, Scully returned to his side. She tried to comfort him. "I'm sorry Mulder. I know how much you hate hospitals but you look so much better that you did just an hour ago and you haven't thrown up for the last 15minutes. They'll probably release you tomorrow and we can back to DC" She pointedly avoided mentioning the possibility of him needing more tests. He knew he was beginning to feel better. His stomach hurt considerably but he realized that the pain was not like before. Now it felt more like muscle pain and not the terrible stomach cramping that comes with vomiting. He wasn't at all dizzy. He didn't even feel as tired as he had only a little while ago. There was no doubt about it, he had had a close call, but close only counted in horseshoes and darts he told himself. He suddenly remembered the girls. "Scully, the girls, where are they?" "Don't worry Mulder, the police found them almost right away. They're in protective custody. I told them to keep them until we can arrange for transportation to DC." Mulder nodded, he found it hard to believe that two little innocent looking girls could have done this to him and that they were probably responsible for several deaths. They were only 8. That's how old his sister Samantha was when she was abducted. He couldn't imagine her doing anything so drastic as what these two little girls had done. He just didn't want to accept the fact that they were so evil. Scully noted his solemn mood and remained silent. She gently rubbed his back trying to comfort him in whatever way she could. Before long an orderly came in and wheeled Mulder up to his room. Scully settled down in the chair next to his bed. She reached for his hand remembering other times she had sat by his bedside. Between the two of them they had spent enough time in hospitals for several lifetimes. He was injured so often that one wondered if he had a death wish, which wouldn't be surprising considering all the physiological trauma he had gone through in the past. With her cancer, Scully had been in and out of hospitals not too long ago. Yes, together they were a pair. "A perfect pair?" she wondered to herself. As she watched him she couldn't imagine being without him. He completed her in a way that she knew no one else would ever be able to do. She didn't want to admit it to herself but, she knew she loved him. A lone tear welled up in her eye and threatened to fall. Mulder saw the tear. The pure emotion of the moment caused him to reach out to her with both arms. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to take her pain away. "Scully, it's all right. I'm going to be fine. You heard what the doctor said. After a day or two I'll be out of here. You saved me. Again." Rather than making her feel better, his words brought out a flood of tears that she could not control. She began sobbing. "Oh Mulder, I was so scared. What would I do if anything happened to you? You do this to me all the time. What if one of these times you aren't all right? What if . . ." she couldn't finish the thought but he knew what she meant. He was taken aback by her grief. He was in a hospital again, sure but he was going to be okay. There had been other times when he was in much worse shape and she remained in control. What had happened this time? Why was she so upset now? "Scully?" He looked into her eyes. He saw the pain and beneath the pain he saw fear. Fear for him. A fear so deep that he involuntary shuttered. She felt his body quake which broke the spell. "Mulder, you're shivering. Are you okay? She immediately regained control of her emotions. Her hand flew to his forehead to see if he was developing a fever. He wasn't hot but she was not convinced that there wasn't something else wrong. She buzzed for the nurse. Within moments the nurse came into the room. "Is there a problem Mr. Mulder? Do you need something?" Scully answered for him, "He seems to be shivering. His head's not hot but I think you need to check his temperature." "Scully," he whined, "I'm okay, I don't have a fever. Trust me." She shot him a stern look and he quickly closed his mouth. Silently he said to himself, "Yes Mother." The nurse looked at her questioningly. " I'm his partner and I am a doctor. I want you to check to make sure he doesn't have a fever. If you don't, I'll call his doctor myself." The nurse went to get the thermometer. She returned and inserted it into Mulder's ear. As Mulder had predicted, it registered a normal 98.6. He thought that perhaps this was the first time his temperature ever was perfectly normal. He smiled to himself. Scully visibly slumped. Mulder noticed. "Scully, you're tired. I can see it. You've been through the wringer with this almost as much as I have. I want you to go get some rest and something to eat. I feel fine now. The worst is over. Maybe you better check in with the local PD and make sure the girls are safe and secure. I feel a little tired myself. I'm going to take a little nap. And I want you to go to a local motel and get yourself a room. I don't want you sitting up all night in this hospital. I'll be out of here tomorrow and you'll need to alert so that you can drive." Scully began to protest but, she saw the logic in what he was saying. He was fine. She was exhausted and she did want to check in with the local PD about the girls. "Okay, I suppose you're right. But you've been here almost an hour, I want to stay for your next blood test. I'll call you later and let you know where I am. I don't really like leaving you. You are notorious, you know, for developing the most uncommon complications." Mulder just looked at her. He knew she was right. Just then the door opened and the technician came in to take blood. "Well, Scully, I guess they didn't forget. Right on time too." The technician completed her task, not without several complaints from Mulder, and left. Scully looked him over again. She had to admit, he looked okay. Tired, worn out, but okay. "Listen Scully, you go ahead. I promise Ill be good. Ill stay right here in this bed and I won't get up till tomorrow. Go get some rest. Call me when you get settled and I'll let you know the results of the blood test." Scully relented, "Okay Mulder, but also promise me that you'll call me on my cell phone if you have any problems at all. As soon as you find out about the blood test call. If you develop a fever or" Mulder interrupted. "I know, I know. I'll call, I'll call. Now get going." He let out a huge yawn and Scully took that as her cue to leave. She picked up the bag with Mulder's soiled clothes and walked out the door. Mulder waved to her sheepishly and she returned the gesture. He was tired. He settled down to sleep. His stomach no longer bothered him if he kept still. Sure the muscles ached but, that was nothing compared to how it felt when he was throwing up. He closed his eyes and drifted off. The next thing he knew he was being shaken awake. "Mr. Mulder, Mr. Mulder. I need you to wake up now." He pried his eyes opened. He felt like he had just fallen asleep and here was the nurse waking him up again. How was he supposed to get any rest he wondered. "I need another blood sample Mr. Mulder." He groaned and rolled over on his side. "Go away." She ignored his comment, took his arm, wrapped a small hose around it just above the elbow and inserted the dreaded needle. After she inserted the needle, she released the hose and blood began to fill the suringe. Mulder groaned again. Suddenly he remembered the promise he'd made to Scully. "Hey, I need to know, what was the result of the last test? Was there any trace of the poison in it?" "I'm sorry Mr. Mulder, I can't say that, you'll have to ask your doctor for that information. I'm not at liberty to tell you." "What! It's my blood. It's my body we're talking about here. What's the big deal?" "Sorry, it's hospital policy. But if you want, I'll call the doctor for you. He stopped by earlier but you were asleep and he didn't want to wake you." "You don't understand. It's my partner. I promised to let her know. I don't want her worrying about me." He knew he was whining but he couldn't stop himself. "Do you mean Dr. Scully?" He immediately noticed the use of the title doctor. He wondered, did he miss something. He decided that someone tried to give Scully a hard time and she must have given it right back. That was his Scully. She continued, "Dr. Malenowski called her as soon as we got the results from your last test." This upset Mulder more than not knowing. "What? You mean it's okay to let her know the results but you can't tell me. That's crazy. She's not the one sick. I am." She tried to appease him again, "Let me go call your doctor." With that she headed out the door. Mulder decided to call Scully himself. He reached over to the small table that was next to the bed. He grabbed his cell phone and pressed the memory button #1. "Scully," she answered. "Hey Scully," he grumbled. "I just asked the nurse for my test results but, she wouldn't tell me anything. She said I had to ask the doctor but she also slipped and told me that you already knew the results. So, tell me, what's the story?" He didn't mean to sound so concerned about the results. He was sure that they would be okay since he himself felt fine. He hadn't vomited in over an hour and a half. He wasn't dizzy, he didn't feel feverish or anything. What he was worried about was the "further tests". He would fight the nurses tooth and nail if it was decided that he needed an enema but, he knew that he would probably loose that battle if it really came down to it. He didn't want to admit to Scully that he was desperately afraid that it would be warranted. He would be so embarrassed, he knew he would be. He didn't think he could face her if the doctor ordered the procedure. "Well Mulder, you can relax. So far there's no trace of the poison in your blood. I don't think there will be either. I really think we got it all out of you system before your body had a chance to absorb any of it. " Mulder let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He was greatly relieved. "Thanks Scully." "Listen, I stopped at the Police station. The girls are in the local juvenile hall. I made arrangements for them to be picked up in the morning. I also got a room at a local motel. It's just down the road from the hospital. I got some take out and ate it in the room. Do you want me to come up for awhile? It's 9:00 now but I'll gladly come over if you want." "No, that's all right Scully, I'm kinda worn out. I was asleep until the nurse came in and woke me up for the hourly blood test. I think I'm just gonna go back to sleep." Secretly he wanted Scully to get some rest too. He knew she'd be at the hospital first thing in the morning and that she would probably call every hour until midnight or so, to get the results of his blood tests. "Besides they just made an announcement that visiting hours are over. If you came over now they'd give you a hard time." "Ha! Do you think that matters? If you wanted me to come over I'd be there and I'd like to see someone try and stop me." Mulder knew she was right. When it came to hospitals Scully usually got her way. "Well you're right about that. I've seen you in action before. But, seriously, there's no need. Like I said I've just about had it. I'm gonna turn in." "Okay Mulder, sleep tight. And don't worry about the tests. If I hear any bad news I'll call you. See ya in the morning." Mulder pressed the End button and put the phone back on the table. He decided to get up and go to the bathroom before he went back to sleep. He left a sample in the bathroom as instructed by the nurse and returned to bed. Before long, he was sawing logs. The nurse came in and woke him up 3 more times to take blood. Each time he fussed and complained but each time he fell right back to sleep. The bright sun streamed into the room and across the foot of Mulder's bed. He woke up at 6:00 and just lay there waiting for time to pass. He mentally catalogued his aches and pains and concluded that for a hospital stay he felt pretty good. The only discomfort he felt was soreness of the stomach muscles from all the retching the day before. He was ready to be discharged. He knew that the doctor wouldn't be around until later in the morning and he was getting antsy. He turned on the TV to an all day news station. He didn't really pay attention to it but it was company. Before long the new shift started and the daytime nurse came around to check his vitals. He could tell by her expression that all was well. Soon after that his breakfast tray came in. He wasn't too keen on eating but, he knew from experience that doctors usually wouldn't dismiss a patient with an empty stomach. He examined his tray. He was happily surprised with what it held. Toast  okay he could handle that, cold cereal  that was okay too, milk that goes without saying, and juice. Hum, he thought, this isn't bad. When he finished eating, he decided to take a shower. He checked in the bathroom and sure enough there were towels and a clean hospital gown. He would have rather gotten dressed in his street clothes but he didn't have any in the room. The clothes he'd had on the day before had been put into a plastic bag that Scully had taken with her. He didn't think he would ever wear them again anyway. They were totally covered with his vomit and he doubted they would ever get clean again. After his shower he felt like a new man. He sat down on the bed and waited for the doctor or Scully to come in. Scully beat the doctor by two hours. When the doctor finally did arrive he had Mulder's discharge papers in his hand. "Well, all your blood tests were normal. How do you feel? " "Great! Just let me out of here and I'll be out of your hair." The doctor smiled. " First I need to give you a final exam." He checked all Mulder's vital signs, tested his reflexes and examined his abdomen. Mulder didn't even flinch. "Well, I guess that's it." He signed the papers, handed them to Mulder, bid his farewell and left. Scully gave Mulder a bag with clean clothes. He took bag and went into the bathroom to change. An orderly came into the room with a wheelchair. Mulder looked at it with scorn. He felt fine. He protested but Scully and the orderly both insisted. He felt totally foolish, he realized however that if he wanted out of the hospital, he'd have to get into the wheelchair. He sat in it and let them escort him out of the building. Scully went around to get the car and they were on their way. "You know Mulder, sometime it would be really nice to complete a case without the customary hospital stay." Mulder just grumbled under his breath. "Next time, it's your turn." Scully smiled to herself and drove on.