This comes after "Dream a Little Dream" and continues the story after Mulder and Scully have left the hospital at the end of Endgame. OK, I'll admit it, I'm in this scene. You'll recognize me. But the scene stealer is my son Patrick, who really has gone up to complete strangers and started very personal conversations. It was too good to pass up, forgive me. He's almost 5 and he's not gotten *any* better! Standard disclaimer: Don't you know by now that CC, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox own all this and I'm just borrowing it? Do you think I would ever be so bold as to try and infringe on this copyright or try to make money off this work? How could you?!? You know me better than that! OH, a slight dedication. To Melissa and Steve and little Nicholas. Now, they have kids (yeah!). No warnings, one bad word and just a little hint at real feelings. I love mail. I love comments. Make my day, write me : ) I'm at vmoseley@fgi.net. The Friendly Skies by Vickie Moseley Eisenhower Field Hospital Dead Horse Alaska February 28, 1995 Fox Mulder sat on the edge of the bed, sweat glistening on his forehead, struggling to lace the boot on his left foot. After fighting with it for 5 full minutes, he was finally successful, but this mundane activity had sapped every ounce of strength from his body. He allowed himself to sag back on the bed and catch his breath. He watched the door warily. If Scully or Thea, the head nurse were to walk in on him now, find him sweating over tying his shoes, they would have him hooked up to the IV's and monitors so fast it would make his head swim. He had the strength of ten men yesterday. Of course, he was lying in bed at the time. He wanted to go home. He wanted out of this goddamn hospital and if Scully and the other doctors didn't agree, he had threatened to pull the IV out himself and *walk* all the way to Washington! There had been an argument. No, that wasn't accurate. There had been a fight. Scully had never been angrier, he had never been so mean. He said things he regretted before they even left his lips. Fortunately for him, she ignored most of it. In the end, they came to a Mexican standoff. But Scully admitted that his condition had improved sufficiently for him to make the long trek back east. And he had relunctantly agreed to continue taking the antiviral drugs, which to his mind was a terrific consession. The drugs were still experimental, they didn't come in pill form. Only injections. Four frigging times a day he agreed to be stuck for the next week. Then he got to spend the night in *another* hospital while they performed more *tests*! But this time, the hospital would be in DC and if he got fed up enough, he _could_ walk home. Or get a cab. Or something. He saw shadows moving down the hall and decided it was *show time*. He pulled himself into a sitting position, then slowly stood up. A wave of dizziness threathened to push him back on the bed again, but he fought it down and steadied himself by leaning against the bed. He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Thea, giving him a look. She wasn't happy about his leaving this soon, either. But she also knew he needed to go home. "What you doing, loverboy," she asked, letting her southern drawl drip on the words. Usually, she was very professional and few people could tell that she hailed from Mobile, Alabama. But with Mulder, she had let her hair down. She wouldn't admit it, but she had grown rather fond of him. "Waiting for you, my sex kitten," he teased. She laughed. It was a private joke. When he awoke from the coma, Mulder had been mortified to discover how weak he had been. He couldn't feed himself, he couldn't dress himself, hell, he couldn't shave himself or bathe himself. It embarrassed him to death. So he responded in the only way he knew how. He joked about it. And to his emmense pleasure, Thea had joked back. Sometimes their conversations would have made a longshoreman blush, but it was all in fun. It was a defensive mechanism, he knew it, she knew it, no body got mad, no body got embarrassed. "Well, I can see you worked yourself into a sweat, just thinking about me," she said coyly. Damn it, he'd been caught. His eyes went wide, like a deer in headlights. She shook her head and chuckled softly. "Honey child, you don't be as sick as you've been and jump right out of bed, rip roarin' and ready to go. It's gonna take some time. You have got to learn some patience with yourself! Now sit back on the bed while I 'fondle' you for a minute." She pulled a blood pressure cuff out of her pocket and at the same time stuck a thermometer in his mouth. He sat quietly, at least nothing she did required the use of sharp objects. After a few moments, she took the thermometer out of his mouth and read it, rolled up the blood pressure cuff and stuffed in back in her pocket. He held his breath. One wrong reading and he'd have to take the boots off. She finally smiled, her big brown eyes twinkling merrily. "Looks like I'm losing another sex slave," she teased. He got off the bed, suddenly feeling great, and embraced her in a bear hug. "You aren't losing a sex slave, Thea, you're gaining an FBI agent. If you ever need anything, you call me, your hear," he said tenderly. She pulled back and sniffed. "You just take care of yourself. And I don't *ever* want to hear about you wandering 'round the Arctic Circle with nothing but a flashlight again, got that!" "Scout's Honor," he pledged solemnly and hugged her again. Scully walked in and surveyed the two of them. "If I'm interrupting. . ." she said with a grin. "Not at all, Dana," Thea replied, wiping something out of her eye. "You better get this boy outta my sight before my Daniel finds out I've been havin' an affair!" Thea started to go, then turned to Dana and gave her a big hug. "Y'all take care of each other! And drop me a line now and then, let me know how you're doin', y'hear," she said softly and left the room without looking back. "Well, hot shot, you ready to go?" she asked. "It's not like I got a lot of luggage, Scully. I didn't expect to stay in the great Northwest for a month." "The chopper's waiting out on the field," she said, and held the door open for him. She followed him in silence for awhile before she put her hand on his arm. "Mulder, I really think it might be best to break this trip up. We could make the first leg to SeaTac in Washington and then lay over a night so you can rest. Then we make the rest of the trip home. You'd get home tomorrow night, but you wouldn't be in the hospital," she added as enticement. He shook his head emphatically. "Scully, I want to be home! I want my own bed, my own pillow, my own couch and my own remote control! We went over this yesterday. Are you trying to break our agreement?" he asked suspiciously. She bristled and he was almost afraid they'd have another knock down drag out fight in the middle of the airstrip. "Mulder, I am not breaking any agreement. You are out! That is what you wanted. 'I want out of this goddamn hospital!' You shouted it so loud that I think they picked it up on the satellite tracking station. But I also assume that you want to *stay* out! If I think this little jaunt across the lower 48 is too much for you, I'm gonna haul your ass into another hospital and put you in restraints. End of discussion!" Mulder looked at her and saw the fire in her eyes. He suddenly realized that he saw in there something else. She wasn't fighting with him just to prove her point. She was really concerned and she was protecting him from himself. He realized what the last month must have been like for her. When she was in the coma, he had nothing to do, but at least he wasn't responsible for her treatment. He didn't have to decide what experimental (and possibly lethal) drugs he could use to try and save her life. He had almost lost her, he felt responsible and it had cost him. Now, Dana had almost lost him, and the responsiblity of keeping him alive had cost her something, as well. He had come too close to the edge. She would be very protective of him now, just as he had been to her all those months after the abduction, even now, today. This was going to take some working out. "Let's see how I feel in Seattle," he said contritely. She frowned at him, confused. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Fox Mulder?" "Geez, Scully, can't you win gracefully?" he whined and put his arm around her shoulders. The trip to Anchorage was bumpy, but uneventful. Mulder's stomach was conspiring to revolt, and when they landed he was happy to be out of the chopper. He looked over and was somewhat relieved to see that Scully was looking a little 'green around the gills', too. They boarded the plane to Washington state and settled into their seats. Immediately after take off, Mulder laid his head back on the seat and fell fast asleep. Dana surveyed her partner. He was still very pale. The dark circles were still there under his eyes. Very softly, she reached over and took his wrist, checking his pulse. It was a little fast, but nothing to get overly concerned about. She got a little bolder and reached up to feel his forehead. He was warm, but not feverish. Mentally, she slapped her own hand. She sighed and fished the magazine she had brought out of her carry on and read for a while. At ten o'clock, Mulder's wrist watch chimed. Scully glanced at her own watch and reached up into the over head compartment for her black medical bag. She measured the clear fluid from a small bottle into the syringe and flicked the needle before waking him up. There was no sense waking him too early and giving him a chance to tense up. She knew he hated needles, but there was simply no alternative. She hated hurting him, but she hated the thought of the retrovirus getting a strong hold in him even more. She reached over with her other hand and shook him gently on the shoulder. "Mulder, time for the medicine." He didn't stir. He snored in response. "Well, nobody said you had to be awake for this," she muttered. She shifted in her seat and took his arm, deftly giving him the injection. His eyes shot open wide! "Damn it, Scully, that was a sneak attack!" he all but shouted. "Did it hurt?" she asked, feigning innocence. "Hell, yes, it hurt!" "Is it over?" she asked. "Yeah, it better be," he muttered. "Then quit complaining." She put the syringe back in the case and put her bag back in the overhead. The pilot came over the intercom announcing their arrival at SeaTac Airport. Scully saw Mulder breath a hugh sigh of relief. They were halfway home. They had an hour and a half layover in Seattle. Scully had to admit that Mulder was holding up pretty well, so she decided not to mention staying the night again. They found two seats in the boarding lounge and after Scully had him settled, she wandered off in search of 'provisions.' As she walked the halls, trying to avoid bumping into other travellers, Scully felt almost overwhelmed. They had been holed up in that secluded hospital for so long. She realized with a start that she had not been *outside* in almost a month! She walked into the nearest newsstand and started her search. The one thing Mulder had asked for in the hospital was sunflower seeds. And, of course, in the middle of the Arctic, at a stripped down hospital on a military base, that was the one thing Scully could not provide. She made a request of one of the corpsman she had meet at the hosptial, but he was only able to get his hands on shelled and unsalted seeds. Mulder had accepted them gratefully, but it wasn't the real thing and Scully knew it. She stood in front of the candy display and roamed her eyes over every item there. Then, on the bottom shelf, she found what she had been looking for! She quickly snapped up all 5 bags on the display, then snagged a bag of chocolate covered raisins for herself. Feeling very triumphant, she made her way back to the boarding lounge. When she got there, she found Mulder deep in conversation with a very short young man. He looked up when she reached her seat. "Dana, this is Patty Cakes. His other name is Patrick, but he doesn't like it," he smiled, giving her a 'gosh, how could that happen' grin. "He's been to visit his Aunt Barbara. Patty Cakes, this is Dana." The little boy was not more than 4, with bright red hair and a gentle sprinkling of freckles across his nose. "Hi," he said giggling. "You got hair like mine," he added. Dana smiled. "Yes, I do. Do you like having red hair?" "People always want to touch it," he said, "but it's OK. Mommy says they're jealous." "That's a big word, Patty Cakes!" Dana said, trying not to snicker. "Do you know what it means?" "It means they want my hair, but I'm not gonna give it to them. It's stuck on my head, see?" and he pulled a lock on his forehead to prove his point. Mulder laughed behind his hand. "Who's that under your arm?" Dana asked, pointing to the stuffed animal tucked securely in his arm. He pulled the toy out and held it up for them to see. "It's Simba! He's the Lion King. We have the movie at home." Mulder looked to Scully to clear up his obvious lack of knowledge in this area, but she shook her head. She'd fill him in later. "Where are your kids?" Patty Cakes asked, out of the blue. Mulder gulped and Dana snickered. "We don't have any kids, Patty Cakes," Mulder said. The little boy thought about this for a minute. "Then are you like Melissa and Steve?" he asked. "I don't know. Who are Melissa and Steve?" Mulder asked, intrigued. "Oh, actually, they are my friends. They had a big party and Melissa wore a *big* white dress and we had birthday cake with no candles. Then Melissa and Steve got up and *danced* in the dark with everybody watching!" He stopped to catch his breath. "They don't have any kids. Mommy says they will someday. Are you like them?" Mulder sat for a minute. He could try to explain the situation, that he and Scully were just partners, which was positively too difficult a concept considering the child's age, or he could just follow along. "Yeah, Patty Cakes, we're like Melissa and Steve." He was rewarded with a jab in the ribs from Scully and a huge smile from the little boy. A middle aged woman with ash blonde hair and a very tired expression came over. "Patrick Brian, I told you not to bother people!" she sighed and scooped the boy up into her arms. "I'm so sorry, he just loves people. I hope he wasn't a pest," she added. Mulder and Scully both smiled and shook their heads. "He wasn't a pest at all. He's very friendly. How old is he?" Dana asked. "He's three and a half. He'll be four in August," Patrick's mother replied. "He's very advanced for three!" Dana said, taken aback. "He's a smart one!" "Too smart," his mother said with a tone of exasperation. "He'll leave me in the dust by the time he's six, I'm afraid." "Mommy," Patrick interrupted, "They're like Melissa and Steve. They don't have any kids. But you will someday, won't you?" he said, directing the question to Mulder. "Maybe," Mulder said, blushing. "If we do, I hope they're as smart as you are, Patty Cakes." The little boy beamed from ear to ear. "Well, we're about ready to get on the plane Patrick. Tell your friends goodbye." "Good bye, Mulder. Good bye, Dana." "Good bye, Patty Cakes. Have a good trip," Mulder called and watched the little boy run over to the window to look out at the airplanes. He turned his attention to Scully. "It was nice to talk to someone without a needle in their hands," he said maliciously. She gave him a steady gaze and slowly raised an eyebrow. He quickly sought to change the subject and noticed the brown paper bag on her lap. "Scully, if there are sunflower seeds in that bag, it must be love," he teased. Scully froze. It was an old game, but this was the first time he had guessed right. She looked at him and suddenly realized how much he meant to her. How desolate she had been trying to find him. How frightened she had been through his illness. How excited she had been when he woke up and talked to her. How much she would miss him if he were ever gone from her life. She bit her lip. He was giving her a questioning stare. "You got me this time, Mulder. I guess it is love," she said almost in a whisper and pulled out the bag of sunflower seeds. Mulder eyes went wide. A thousand thoughts tumbled through his mind. Everything he had felt when she was missing, all the joy when she was sitting in the hospital bed, telling her mother to call him Mulder. It all hit home in one split second in the middle of SeaTac Airport. He nodded slowly. "Guess it's about time we figured that out," he said and accepted the bag she was holding. "Well, Mulder, I guess I must *really* love you, because I have four more bags where that came from," she smiled, which turned into a gently laugh at her own expense. He was startled at her display and didn't know what to do. Finally, he reached over to pull her into an embrace, but the steward announced the boarding of the plane. He stood and pulled her to her feet, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the top of her head before taking her hand and leading her to the gate. The end