Scully
removed her glove and smiled at Beth. “You’re
doing great, six centimeters.”
“Can
I get up, move around?”
“Of
course, whatever feels okay.” Scully
helped Beth to sit up. “Let me get
Frohike. I don’t want you walking alone.” Beth smiled tiredly and nodded. Scully opened the door and spotted Mulder trying
to have a calming effect on the shorter man. Scully
had to chuckle, which caused them both to turn to her.
“Is
she okay?”
“She’s
doing very well Frohike. She wants to walk a
little. Go on in.” He was already on the way. Scully looked up at Mulder and smiled, “how’s
he?”
“A
total basket case, but he won’t let her see it.”
He put his arm around his wife and pulled her to him. “I remember how he feels.” He pressed his lips against her forehead.
“You
didn’t hide it completely you know.”
“Don’t
shatter my illusions, woman. Oh, Katy’s
with Kevin. I’m here as long as you need
me.”
“That
could be a damn long time, G-man.”
“Um.
I hope so.” His hand moved down her back
and cupped her butt. They were startled apart
by the door bursting open.
“Dana! Help her! Something’s
wrong! The baby’s coming too fast.”
“Charlie?” Then everyone was in motion. Mulder moved to Mary’s side helping Charlie
support her as Scully threw a sheet over the second examining table. “Over here, Mary, try to slow down your
breathing. Longer, slower breaths. Charlie, what happened?” It was obvious Mary couldn’t speak.
“Her
water broke and all hell broke loose. It wasn’t
like this with the boys. She’s having
contractions every two minutes. She can’t
even get her breath.”
“Okay,
okay. Mary, I want you to try to relax a
little, focus.” She turned to Mulder,
"Why don’t you take Charlie out for a minute - “
“No! I’m not leaving her.”
“Charlie,
let me check her out. You’ll only be
steps away. Please try to calm down.”
“Come
on Charlie.” Mulder took his arm, “Let
Scully do her work.”
Charlie
started to say something, but stopped, Dana was
a doctor and something was wrong. He turned
to Mary and brushed her hair off of her forehead. “Mary,
Dana’s here. I’ll be right over
there. Hold on Sweetheart.” He looked over at Mulder who nodded, then back at
his sister. “Do something, help her. The
boys are looking for Mom.”
Scully
nodded, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. “Don’t
tense up Mary. Let me check you out.” She kept up a running conversation, giving Mary
the calming sound of her voice, which began to work.
“Can you speak?”
Mary
nodded, “I want Charlie.”
“I
know. He’s right here. Mary, you’re not ready yet. It’s going to be a little while, but not
long. You hear me?” Mary nodded; already calmer knowing that Dana was
with her. “I’m going to get Charlie
and Mulder in here to be with you. Mary, Beth’s
in labor too and I need to check on her. You
guys are really going to make me earn my fee today.”
Mary managed to smile at that. Scully
winked and pulled a sheet over her.
She
moved to the door and let Charlie and Mulder back in the room. “She’s doing a lot better Charlie. I think the intensity of the contractions panicked
her a little. She’s calmer now and the
contractions are a little farther apart. It’s
not going to be long, but the birth’s not imminent.
I want you two to stay with her and let me check on Beth.” Charlie moved over to Mary’s side, taking her
hand. “Mulder, keep him calm. We’ve got a little time; she’s doing
okay now. Her blood pressure is already down.”
“Don’t
go far.” Mulder glanced over at the bed.
“Don’t
worry. I’ll be no farther than the other
side of that curtain.” Mulder leaned
down and kissed her, then let her move on to her next patient.
“Is
that Mary?” Beth asked when she got her
breath.
“Yeah.” She smiled but Beth could see the tenseness in her
posture.
“Wish
I could help you, but . . . ummmmmmm.”
“Don’t
worry about Mary. You’ve got your own
work to do. Breathe, that’s good.” Scully watched her blood pressure - it looked good
and she was calm and on top of her contractions. “Do
you want me to check you?”
“You
better, that last one . . . I wanted to push.”
Scully
looked up startled. Already? “Let’s see what’s happening, okay?” She glanced at Frohike, but didn’t ask him to
leave, she might need him. She wished her Mom
would hurry up and get here. She’d
thought Mulder would be able to assist her, but now he had his own patient. “Beth, you’re right. This little one wants out. I need you to start pushing with the next
contraction. Frohike, get behind her, lift
her, yes like that. Okay Beth, nice and
steady. You’re doing great.”
This
wasn’t going to take long. Beth was made
to have children. But Scully couldn’t
help but be aware of the sounds from the other side of the curtain. Mary was in a lot of pain and they had nothing to
give her.
”Can
you see, Fro? Beth? The head’s out, don’t push. That’s right.” She suctioned out the nose and mouth. The infant started to cry even though he wasn’t
yet born. Scully grinned up at Beth. “I think he’s in a hurry, guys. Let’s finish this, okay?”
Beth
began pushing again and Scully let the baby rotate in her hands as the first shoulder
emerged. “Beth you’re a wonder. One more, I think that’s all it’ll take.” Beth groaned loudly and the boy slipped into
Scully’s hands. “I’ve got him. He’s beautiful!” She laid the boy on Beth’s chest and covered
him with a towel. “Rest a minute and
then you can deliver the placenta. You okay
Frohike?”
He
managed to nod, his hands helping Beth hold their son.
“Scully! Scully we need you!” Her head went up at the panic in Mulder’s
voice and she hurried to him, stripping the gloves from her hands. She shoved the curtain aside and didn’t
bother to replace it.
Mary’s
baby was also being born, but in this case the cord was plainly visible twisted around the
neck. “Mary, do not push. Do you hear me?
Charlie talk to her.” She
reached for a fresh pair of gloves. “Mulder,
support the head, let me see if I can get the cord . . . “ She was busy then. She was aware that her mother was here and trying
to help Charlie, but she was ready to panic herself.
Not counting Katy this was her third delivery on her own. The two in medical school hardly counted. She found herself frantically trying to recall the
lecture and film on this part of her training.
“Hold
. . . hold her. I need to, just hold her!” She was reaching in to help the baby;
instinctively Mulder followed her movements slipping a finger in to keep the cord from
tightening further around the baby’s neck. “We’ve
got to hurry. Mom here, put your hands here
and help her. Mary push. We’ve got to get this baby out!”
With
Scully’s hands guiding the baby, the others following Scully’s instructions, the
baby emerged, blue and still. Scully glanced
over at Beth as the other new mother gasped. Beth
and Frohike were watching horrified, tears on Beth’s face. She looked into Scully’s eyes and nodded. Scully took a deep breath and removed the cord
from where it was twisted around the child’s body.
She
began massaging the tiny girl's and then administered CPR.
She was working on autopilot as the others stood there, afraid to move. "Come on baby, do this for me. We need you."
It was as though she heard Scully. A
thin wail came from the infant and Scully leaned against Mulder who held her close. After a quick moment Scully was back to work. "Mary? Can
you hear me?"
"I
. . . I think she passed out." Maggie
tried to sound calm. Scully's hands reached
for her throat to check her pulse.
She
nodded. "Good. Mom, help me again." Maggie nodded and they delivered the afterbirth. Scully clamped the cord and cut it.
"Dana,
bring her here." Beth reached out for
the other child. Oh god, she still had to
finish up Beth's delivery. Charlie was a
wreck, she glanced at Mulder who nodded, then she took the tiny girl over to Beth.
Frohike
took his son and Beth put the second baby to her breast.
Mulder moved over as well to assist Scully, but also to support her. This was too much for her. He could only help so much, but he'd be there
beside her.
*****
Things were finally beginning to calm down. Scully had had to do a little stitching on Mary, but she was conscious again and had held her daughter. Frohike had shown a surprising affinity for looking after the infants and was assisting Maggie with their clean up. Beth was resting and Walter was attempting to keep Charlie sane.
"Mary? I . . . "
"Dana." Mary took her hand.
"You were incredible. You
saved her, I can't - "
"Mary,
don't. I just wish you hadn't had to go
through all of that. If we had more equipment
or something . . . "
"I
know. You did it with nothing. I know it was a team effort, Charlie told me, but
you were the one that held it all together. I
was no help and Charlie was, well he wasn't exactly calm.
I've never seen him like that."
"He
had reason. And I'm only his sister, not
exactly inspiring when you remember we used to bathe together."
"Stop,
I don't feel like laughing. I need to thank
Beth too. I guess the kids are practically
twins now."
"Well,
they were born within minutes of each other. Frohike's
having a ball looking after them. Now that's
worth seeing."
"Dana,
go home. Everything’s under control here
now. Mulder's worried about you."
Mulder
tapped on the door then and stuck his head in. "Did
I hear my name?" The two women smiled at
him. "I came to claim my wife. I'm taking you home for a little while."
Mary
chuckled and pulled Dana into a hug. "Go."
Scully
allowed Mulder to lead her from the room, then stopped.
"I can't leave."
"Scully,
your Mom's here and Walter, and you know Charlie and Frohike aren't going anywhere. You need to rest."
"Mulder
- "
"No. It's not like you're leaving town. Just lie down for a little while." He was right and she knew it. She sighed and leaned against him. After a moment she straightened up. "Wait here Scully. I'll tell your mother where you'll be." She nodded resignedly.
Once
at the house he tried to lead her into the bedroom but she was too agitated, evading him
and heading to the kitchen. "Scully -
“ He was getting exasperated - once again she wasn't looking after herself. He touched her shoulder to turn her and was
surprised to find her in tears. "Scully,
what?"
"I
didn't know what I was doing!" She
lifted shaking hands to show him. "Mulder,
this isn't my field. I'm an expert on dead
bodies! And that's what we almost had here
today. I can't be a doctor to these people. Mary should have had a section. I've never
done one! I observed one years ago. I can't do this job. She's my sister and I could have killed her and
her baby with my incompetence."
"Scully,
no. You did everything right. Don't start doubting yourself now. Scully, it's just nerves. What happened with Mary was tense, but it's over. And you learned from it - so did I. Now, for a little while, put it aside. Come on, Kevin has Katy. I want you to lie down." She nodded tearfully. "I'm going to make you some tea. Go on."
He
watched her until she entered the bedroom, then moved to the kitchen. She wasn't in the bed when he entered. He put the tea down and moved around the bed to
tap on the bathroom door. When there was no
answer he opened the door and spotted her on the floor.
"Scully!" He had her in his arms immediately. She was stirring before he got her to the bed.
"I'm
okay Mulder." He didn't bother to
respond, his expression saying it all. "I
am okay. I'm
also pregnant."
That
took him a couple of heartbeats. "Are
you serious?" She nodded. "Walter was right. Scullys' do breed too fast. How long have you known?"
"I’ve
suspected for a couple of days. I did the
test this morning, just before Frohike brought Beth in.
It's been busy since then."
"And
you had to watch what Mary went through. Damn
Scully." He enveloped her in his arms.
"I
can't handle it all Mulder. I feel so
inadequate. And now . . . "
"I'm
going to get you some help. Beth will be back
on her feet in no time and Byers can cut back on the research and be more hands on. I'm not exactly helpless."
"It's
not that, you're all wonderful. If it hadn't
been for you today . . . I just need someone to confer with, someone with . . . with
training. Mulder, what if Charlie and Mary's
daughter has problems because of what I didn't know?
I'm not a pediatrician or a gynecologist.
What if Walter has a heart attack or - "
"Scully,
stop it! Stop it." He held her closer.
"Maybe you weren't trained in those areas, but the people that live
here are damn lucky to have you. I think most
places would kill to have you. As for me,
you're my life Scully. If you'd been a dogcatcher before, it wouldn't
make any difference to me. I love you - you
and our kids . . . kids, damn!"
She
had to chuckle, despite the tears still on her face.
She
wasn't in the bed when he woke the next morning. He
didn't hear her or Katy moving around. Damn
it! He threw on some clothes and raced for
the clinic. He found her in the lab with
Byers.
One
look at his face made her look over at Byers, who was already practically cringing. "Listen, I'll, uh. Yeah - “ Byers let himself out of the room
quickly.
"Mulder
- "
"Don't. We talked about this last night. Those babies are important to me. Beth and Mary are family, but nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important than you are. You and the baby you're carrying.
I swear I will drag you home and strap you to the bed."
She
couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him so angry.
"Mulder, I'm sorry. I
couldn't sleep. I didn't want to disturb you
- "
"Well
you did. Scully, I'm serious about this. Just a little over a year ago I didn't know if you
would be alive when I woke up each morning. Now
you're back at work, you're looking after Katy and everyone else and Scully, you're pregnant. I'm
through asking, you have to look after yourself."
His hands were gripping her arms as though he was getting ready to shake
some sense into her.
She
nodded and he lay his forehead against hers. "One
more thing," he lifted his head and she opened her eyes. "When this baby's born, I'm taking over birth
control for this family, because Scully - you suck at it."
That
caught her off guard and startled a laugh out of her.
"Yes sir."
He
gathered her against him. She might think she
would look after herself, but he knew better. He'd
have to keep a close eye on her. He
took a deep breath. "How are the babies
doing?"
"Melvin,
Jr. is doing great, so is Beth. The only
reason they're still here is Melissa. Mary's
not doing that well. Her milk hasn't come in
and she's still bleeding too heavily. If
Melissa could nurse, we could get her uterus contracting, and that would help, but she's
just not strong enough."
"What
if you got Melvin, Jr. - God I can't call him that, MJ.
What if MJ nursed from Mary? If
he's stronger . . . what?"
"You're
a genius!" She kissed him quickly and
was out of the room.
In
a moment Byers stuck his head in the door. "Is
it safe?"
Mulder
glared at him, but nodded. "Have you
checked their blood?"
"Sure
have. It worked Mulder. Their immunities are almost at the same level as
Katy's. We've got a preventative
vaccine."
Mulder
nodded. "Get working on it Byers. I want to get everyone vaccinated as soon as
possible." Byers resumed his seat at the
table. "I'm gonna go see how everyone's
doing."
*****
Mulder
looked around the living room. It was
crowded; he hadn't realized how many people had joined his family here. It wasn't that often that everyone was gathered in
one location. Even now some were missing -
Charlie was at the clinic with Mary, Beth and the babies.
Mary was recovering very slowly; he knew Scully was worried about her. In fact Mary was the real reason that Beth was
still there. Frohike, however, had managed
to tear himself away long enough to attend this meeting.
He watched Todd find a seat for Anne, then settle himself beside her. His nephews were there, Will seemed nearly grown
and Sam was close behind him. They were both
worried about their mother and it showed in their faces.
He
watched Scully walk over to join Maggie and Walter. Katy lifted her arms to her mother and
she picked her up. His eyes narrowed. Scully shouldn't be lifting her now, should she? He'd have to ask Maggie. The answer from Scully would not satisfy him. Kevin left his side and moved to Scully, holding
out his arms to Katy who happily went to him. Mulder
watched Kevin for a moment; he was good with Katy. They
had bonded when he had kept her as a newborn, but had he picked up Mulder's thoughts? Had Kevin known that he didn’t want Scully .
. . Later, there was business to take care of.
Mulder
looked over at Walter, who nodded. "Everyone
here?" People looked around, speaking to
neighbors and friends. Some people even spoke
to Krycek and Kelly. At first Mulder had
thought them an odd paring, but they had a lot in common - neither was really trusted by
the rest of the community - not wholly anyway. But
they had found each other and seemed happy enough.
"Can
we get down to business guys? I've got
information you might want to hear." The
assembled crowd quieted down and turned their attention to Mulder.
He
glanced over at Krycek one more time. He and
Walter had debated a long time on whether or not to have him here for this, to share this
news with him. Krycek had been on his best
behavior, doing the most menial of tasks with no complaint.
He actually seemed sincere. Mulder
gave himself a mental shake - be in the present Mulder, this is important.
"I
have good news. Our crack staff of
scientists,” he grinned at Byers and Langly, "have come up with a vaccine for
the virus. Our two newest residents, MJ and
Missy, seem to have an immunity."
There
was complete silence for a long moment, then everyone was talking at once. Mulder found Scully's eyes and held them. Her smile was really all he needed.
After
everyone had had the time to congratulate each other and begin to discuss the
possibilities ahead, Mulder put up his hands again.
"Okay guys, a little order here.
We'd like to start work on the vaccine right away. We need to know everything we can about it. We're going to need help in the lab and volunteers
to take the vaccine itself. Hands went up all
over the room and Scully nodded. He'd been
uneasy about asking for this, still not quite understanding who he was to these people. Maybe he was still resisting.
*****
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