Headers and disclaimers in part 1
 

By Waddles52
Waddles52@insightbb.com
 

The trip to the hospital was very hard on Mulder.
Every time his body was racked with chills, his
stomach muscles complained mightily.  By the time the
car pulled up to the emergency entrance, he was on
the verge of losing consciousness.  The transfer from
the car to the gurney didn't even pull him from his
stupor.  Skinner looked on, growing more worried by
the second.

The attendants took him straight to an examining
room, while Skinner was left to deal with the
admitting process.  The AD fervently wished Scully
could have been there in his place.  Mulder coped so
much better when she was with him at times like this.

By the time the AD was allowed into the examining
room, Mulder's clothes had been replaced with a
hospital gown, an IV had been inserted and he was
hooked up to the standard monitoring equipment.  He
looked dreadful and it didn't take a doctor to note
that his heart monitor was reading a rather worrying
elevated rate.

"Well, Agent Mulder.  Here we are again."

"Where's Scully?" Mulder asked weakly.  "Need her."
He seemed to be having a little difficulty breathing
and his lucidity appeared to be failing too.

"She's coming in the morning, Mulder.  She needs to
get a good night's sleep," Skinner explained gently.

"What happened?  How did I get here?  You're sure
Scully's not hurt?"

"She's fine, Mulder.  You've both been ill.  Don't
you remember?"  Skinner was a bit taken aback at his
agent's confused condition.

"Um, not sure.  Feel sick though.  So cold," he
shivered.  "Can I have a blanket?"

Skinner looked to the nurse who was writing in
Mulder's chart.  "Mr. Mulder, remember I told you
that you have a very high fever?  We need to cool you
down, not warm you up."

"I'll just get it myself," he decided, attempting to
get up.

"Easy, Mulder!" Skinner warned, gently pushing him
back.  He noted with alarm that Mulder's monitor was
starting to sound most unhappy at the exertion he was
creating by his movements.

"Mr. Mulder, you need to stay in bed or else we'll
have to use restraints.  Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh, but I'm so cold."  He sounded almost like a
little boy as he tried to curl up into a tight ball.

"We're trying to make you more comfortable, Mr.
Mulder.  I just put some nice medicine in your IV.
It should start to make you feel better pretty soon."

"Just want to get warm," he mumbled as he dozed off.

"The doctor ordered a sedative," the nurse explained.
"His temp is close to 105.  We're going to give him a
tepid bath now and try to keep him as comfortable as
possible while they get his room ready upstairs."

The doctor breezed into the room.  "I'm Doctor
Kensington."  He offered his hand to Skinner

"Walter Skinner.  I'm Agent Mulder's supervisor,"
Skinner informed him as they shook hands.

"We're going to get some lab work done here in the ER
and then we'll be sending him upstairs as soon as
they're ready for him."

"Any idea what we might be dealing with?"

"Dr. Lamas suspects a kidney infection, and my
preliminary exam agrees with that.  We're going to
insert a catheter, get a urine sample and take some
blood for a complete work-up.  After we get the
results we'll know a little more about how to treat
him."

"I see."

"He's pretty sick right now.  We're going to work on
getting his temperature down quite aggressively too.
Will you be staying with him?"

"For a few hours at least."

The doctor gave Skinner a knowing look and shuffled
his feet as he spoke again quietly.  "He'll need
someone with him until his fever is more manageable,
otherwise we'll have to put him in restraints.  From
what Dr. Lamas indicated, the hotel will be picking
up the tab on this, so I could call in a private duty
nurse if you like."

"No, I'd rather stay.  He needs someone he knows."

"As you wish."

Skinner crossed his arms over his chest.  "Exactly
how sick is he?  I mean will he recover quickly once
you find the correct treatment, or will this be a
long, involved recuperation?"

"Mr. Skinner, right now he's in serious condition.
His recovery will depend on a lot of factors, but
let's hope for the best right now."

"Which would be?"

"That he'll be up and around in a few days.  Plan on
a minimum 48-hour hospitalization.  Now, if you'll
excuse me, I'll get his orders written and see about
getting him upstairs.  Dr. Lamas did request a deluxe
private room, so you should be fairly comfortable."

"Thank you, Doctor."

As he left, the nurse prepared to insert the
catheter.  He grinned to himself.  He knew that
Mulder would really hate that.  He wished for the
umpteenth time that Scully was there in his place.
No prizes for guessing whom Mulder would rather have
holding his hand about now.

"I guess you'll want me to leave?" Skinner
questioned, hoping that she would say yes.

"No, it's all right.  You can stay.  He might feel a
little more comfortable with a friend here."

Skinner grimaced as she inserted the tube.  Mulder
stirred and whispered, "Scully, wait until I feel
better," then dozed off again.

That gave Skinner some food for thought.  He grinned
widely, sheepishly looking anywhere but at his agent,
and wondered how much was in the office pool at this
point.

The nurse busied herself with recording the supplies
used and keeping an eye on the monitors. "Who's
Scully?"

"She's his partner at the F.B.I. and probably the
best friend he has."

"Sounds like it might be a little more intimate than
that," the nurse grinned.  She winked and her whole
face lit up.  Skinner grinned back.

"For right now, that's still a matter of
speculation."

"Someone should be here soon to take him to his room.
Because of his high temperature, Dr. Kensington has
requested that I remain here until the transfer.  My
name is Karen Bower," she said offering her hand.

"Walter Skinner," he answered as he shook her hand.

"How long have you two worked together?"

"Around 6 and a half years, give or take a month or
two."

"Working for the F.B.I. must be a very exciting job."

"It has its moments, but it's also a lot of paper
work, continuing education and management headaches."

"Sounds very similar to nursing," she grinned.

"Are you in a supervisory position also?"

"Yes, I am.  So, what brings you to Miami, Mr.
Skinner?"

"Walter, please."

"If you'll call me Karen."

"Well, Karen, it's one of those continuing education
opportunities I was referring to.  Agents Mulder and
Scully were here to assist me and were felled by food
poisoning.  While Agent Scully is recovering nicely,
Agent Mulder has been quite ill."

"Walter, let me assure you that Mr. Mulder will
receive the best of care here."

"If everyone is as nice as you, Agent Mulder might
actually behave himself."

She gave him a knowing smile.  "Well, I happen to
think we have an excellent staff."

Mulder moaned.  "Can someone turn up the heat?  Damn
it to hell!  Don't tell me I forgot to pay that bill
again!"

"He's really out of it," Skinner chuckled.

"Poor thing," Karen sympathized as she began running
a basin of lukewarm water.  "Well, Mr. Mulder, let's
see if we can make you feel a little better."

Skinner was quickly at her side.  "Here, let me carry
that for you."

"Thank you.  Let me get his temp again before I start
bathing him."  After a few seconds she looked at the
readout on the aural thermometer.  "105.2.  He's hot
as a firecracker.  They'll probably put him on a
cooling blanket upstairs."

She began to gently bathe Mulder's face.  When she
finished there, she untied his gown and folded it
down around his waist, baring his upper torso.  She
carefully bathed his chest and arms while he
continued to shiver violently, muttering
unintelligibly all the while.

"Are you sure you couldn't at least give him a
sheet?"  Skinner felt sorry for his agent and wanted
him to be comfortable.

"Walter, I wish I could, but his temperature is
dangerously high.  He could go into febrile
convulsions, lapse into a coma, or suffer permanent
brain damage."

"Stop!  Too cold!" Mulder complained loudly, trying
to push her hand away.

"Mulder, calm down."  Skinner moved closer to the
gurney.  "She's only trying to help."

"Stop it now!  I'm freezing my balls off!"

"Mulder, I know you're uncomfortable, but if you
don't cooperate they will put you in restraints."

"Where's Scully?  She'll give me a blanket."

"Mulder, remember Scully has been ill too.  She's
resting at the hotel," Skinner urgently explained
again as Karen continued to bathe a restless Mulder.

"She's sick?  Got to go to her."  He made an effort
to rise and Skinner held him down with one large hand
on his chest.

"Mulder, she's feeling much better.  She'll be here
to stay with you in the morning."

"Skinner, what's wrong with me?  Why do I feel so
sick?"  Tears began to form in his eyes and he
angrily wiped them away.  Karen grabbed both of his
hands.

"Mr. Mulder, you have a high fever.  You've had food
poisoning and you just don't seem to be getting any
better, but if you'll let us help you, we'll have you
up and about in no time," Karen assured him.

"'Kay.  Stomach hurts."

"Are you about to vomit?"

"Don't know," he moaned.  "Maybe."

Karen grabbed an emesis bowl just in time as Mulder
brought up mostly bile from his tortured stomach.

"Sorry," he gasped, collapsing back onto the gurney.

"That's all right, Mr. Mulder.  Dr. Kensington left
orders for some Phenergan if you needed it.  I've got
it right here in my pocket.  I'm going to put it in
your IV and it should start helping in a few
minutes."

"Hate being sick.  Hate being cold.  Need Scully."
Mulder was panting with exhaustion, his monitor
echoing his distress.

"Mr. Mulder, don't you want to be feeling better when
she arrives?  She sounds like a wonderful person."

"She is.  I love her.  Gotta tell her."

Skinner grinned from ear to ear.  Yes, he would
definitely need to put in a call to Kimberly about
the status of the inter-office pool.

"Well, if you want to tell her, let's work on
bringing your temp down," Karen smiled.

"'Kay.  What do I need to do?"  Mulder asked, trying
to concentrate despite the drugs and high fever.

"You just lie there and think happy thoughts about
Scully. Let us do all of the work, okay?"

"Scully's the love of my life.  So beautiful.  Can't
live without her."  Mulder's last words were slurred
as the drugs took over and he slid into an uneasy
sleep.

"Do you think he'll remember any of this?"  Skinner
chuckled.

"I doubt it.  Poor guy.  He's really got it bad for
this Scully.  I'd like to meet her.  She sounds
pretty special."

"She'll be here bright and early, giving orders and
protecting him like a mother bear with her cub.
She's an MD in addition to being a field agent."

"Wow, really?  Sounds like she has the same feelings
for him."

Skinner pushed his glasses up on his nose.  It was
all he could do not to grin like an idiot. "Yes, I
would say the feeling is mutual.  Say, if you have
some time to spare, why don't you come up to Mulder's
room after your shift is over and I'll make the
introductions all around.  Then we could stop for a
cup of coffee before I have to go back to the
conference."

"Why, Walter, I'd love to."  She flashed him a
beguiling smile.  Skinner grinned back.

Their conversation was interrupted as two people from
patient transport arrived to take Mulder to his room.
Karen busied herself getting him ready and recording
his chart notes.  As Skinner followed Mulder out of
the room, she handed him a piece of paper, folded in
half.  He quickly looked at it.  It contained her
name, address and phone number.

"Thanks," he smiled shyly.  "I'll see you later?"

"Count on it.  All right, let's get this poor patient
to his room so he can get more comfortable," the
nurse ordered.  "Come on, Walter, I'll accompany you
there."
 

~~~
 

The Domino Effect-Part 9
 

Headers and Disclaimers in part 1
 

After arriving in Mulder's room, Skinner called
Scully to fill her in on her partner's condition and
to ask her to notify the seminar participants that
there would be a two-hour delay in the start time.
That would give him enough time to meet Karen for a
cup of coffee and get back to the hotel for a quick
shower.

He turned his attention back to Mulder who was
protesting the use of the cooling blanket, among
other things.  Mulder wasn't too happy with life in
general at the moment, and was loudly making his
demands known.  He wanted the damned Foley out, along
with the oxygen he was receiving by nasal cannula.
He had already told them in no uncertain terms where
they could put the cooling blanket, and he was
threatening to remove his IV.

"Mulder, calm down!" Skinner ordered.

"Why isn't Scully here?  You told me she would be
here."

"I just talked to her.  She'll be here after she gets
some sleep," Skinner explained.  "You've got to calm
down or they will be forced to put you in restraints.
Scully won't be happy is she gets here and sees you
tied down."

"She'll be pissed at me.  Don't want that."  He
panted, eyes seeming unable to focus.

"Good.  All you need to do is relax and let these
people do their jobs."

"All I want is a damned blanket.  Is that too much to
ask?"

"Mr. Mulder, I'm Nita Ricardo.  I'm going to be
taking care of you until 7AM.  I have a deal to make
with you."

"Deal?" Mulder asked warily.

"Yes, Mr. Mulder.  When your temperature drops to
100, I'll get you a nice, warm blanket."

"Promise?" he asked pitifully.

"Yes, I promise.  I'll take it right out of the
warmer and bring it to you.  Deal?"

"Yeah, deal.  I'm tired."

"I'll bet you are.  I need to get your vitals and get
you set up with the cooling blanket.  Dr. Kensington
said you could have some more medicine to help you
sleep, so I'm going to put that in your IV now."

"Okay," Mulder agreed, closing his eyes and
shivering.

"Hang in there, Mulder," Skinner said as he stood by,
wanting to help but not really knowing what to do.

"Trying."  He wrapped his arms around his chest in an
attempt to stop the chills.  "Let me sleep."

"You go ahead, Mr. Mulder.  I'll only wake you up of
something important comes up," Nita assured him.

"Good.  Leave me alone," he sighed as he dozed off.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Ricardo.  I think he's been sick for
so long that he's lost what little patience he had,"
Skinner said apologetically.

"The high fever is making him cranky.  It's okay.
I've seen worse."

"Will you really give him a blanket?"

"Sure, if he still wants it.  By the time his fever
breaks, I'm afraid the last thing he will want is a
blanket."

"Very sneaky."

"Well, whatever works.  His temp is still way up
there," she informed him  "105.2."  She whistled as
she considered that, shaking her dark head.

"What can I do?"

"For right now, just keep him from pulling anything
out if he gets restless."

"Okay, I'll try."

"I'll be checking in every 15 minutes or so, but
please feel free to call me if you're concerned or
have any questions."

"Thank you."

"You can pull the couch out to make a bed.  I'll
bring you some linens when I come back."

"I hadn't planned on sleeping."

"Well, you never know.  If Mr. Mulder's fever breaks,
you might get a chance to catch a few winks," the
nurse said.

"I'll keep that in mind.  Thank you again," Skinner
acknowledged.

"See you in 15 minutes then," the nurse said as she
exited, closing the door softly behind her.

The AD stood beside Mulder's bed and observed him as
he slept.  He appeared to be resting comfortably for
the time being.  Once again he was forced to wonder
why this one man never seemed to catch a break.  It
appeared that almost his entire life had consisted of
dealing with one crisis after the other.  Scully
seemed to be the one bright spot in his miserable
existence.

His mind began to think about Mulder and Scully's
relationship.  The big question was what kind of
relationship did they have?  They had become friends
almost immediately.  Everyone knew that the bond of
friendship was so strong between them that it was
rare to think of one without the other.

Many had speculated, sometimes rather crudely, that
they had long ago gone beyond friendship and had
become lovers.  Skinner wasn't sure they had taken
that step yet, but from what he'd observed lately, if
the two friends weren't lovers yet, they weren't far
from it.

That brought about another question.  As their
immediate supervisor, what should he do?  Should he
take them aside one by one and advise them to watch
their backs?

No, he couldn't see himself doing that.  He had to
admit to himself that he was all in favor of their
relationship.  Even as they grew closer, their work
was still top-notch.  No complaints in that category.

Skinner turned away from the sick man, determined to
do the same thing with their burgeoning relationship.
Yes, he decided, the best course of action would be
to just turn his back and ignore the whole thing.  He
wouldn't become involved unless forced into it by
some unforeseen problem in the future.

He settled down on the recliner beside Mulder's bed
hoping that his agent would have a smooth course in
getting over this illness so that he and Scully could
have some quality time to concentrate on their
personal relationship.  Skinner began to think of
ways to give them the time they needed.  He was so
deep in thought that he was startled when nurse Nita
Ricardo came back in, bringing the linens for the
sofa bed.

"Sorry, Mr. Skinner," she grinned, putting the linens
on the sofa.  "How's Mr. Mulder?"

"He's been sleeping peacefully."  Thank God, he
thought to himself.

"Great!  That's what he needs more than anything
right now.  I'm just going to take his temperature
again, then I'll leave you alone for another 15
minutes."

"No, problem, Ms. Ricardo.  I was just sitting and
thinking."

"I imagine your line of work gives you plenty to
think about," the nurse ventured.

"You have no idea," Skinner sighed.

"All right.  All finished.  A little better.  His
temp's down to 104.  If he keeps this up I may have
to come up with that blanket," she laughed.

"Well, let's hope you do."

"See you in 15," she promised and was out the door.

"Come on, Mulder.  Keep up the good work," Skinner
encouraged softly.

Mulder moaned and rolled awkwardly onto his left
side, facing Skinner.  "You say something?" he asked
sleepily, opening one eye.

"Yeah, your temperature is down a little.  Good
going."

"Still cold," he muttered closing his eye.

"Go back to sleep, Mulder."

Skinner didn't get an answer as Mulder began to snore
softly.

Nurse Ricardo was back right on schedule carrying a
small bag of IV solution with an orange sticker on
it.  "The infectious disease doctor that was
consulted suggested an additional antibiotic, so I'm
going to hang it and take Mr. Mulder's temp again.
Is everything still going okay?"

"Yes, he was awake for a few seconds, but went right
back to sleep."

"All right.  I'll make a note of that.  His temp is
now down to 103.4."

"That's good news."

"Yes, it is.  He's beginning to perspire so I'm going
to get a washcloth and wipe off his face.  You might
want to wipe him down from time to time.  Try to keep
him as comfortable as possible."

"Okay, I will."

"Good," she agreed, going into the bathroom and
coming out with a basin of water, a washcloth and
towel.  "I'm just going to wash his face right now,
but if he becomes really uncomfortable, you can pull
his gown down and wipe his chest and back."

"All right," Skinner agreed hesitantly.

"You'll do fine," the nurse grinned, patting him on
the back.  "I'll be back in 15 minutes.  Call me if
you need me."

Skinner stood beside Mulder's bed, observing him.  In
what seemed like no time, the younger man was covered
in a sheen of perspiration.  The AD wrung out the
washcloth and wiped Mulder's face.  He moaned in
response and tried to shift his position, only to be
stopped by his painful muscles.  His gowm was
drenched in sweat.

Skinner decided that he needed to untie Mulder's gown
and at least make an attempt to make the sick agent
feel a little more comfortable.  He bathed him
gently, gingerly dabbing at his fevered skin, glad
that no one was present to see his awkward
ministrations.

He finished rinsing out the washcloth and turned back
to dry Mulder's back and chest.  He was startled to
find Mulder watching him.

"Having fun?" Mulder asked sleepily.

"Are you?" Skinner countered as he began to dry him
off.

"Tons."

"How are you feeling?"  Skinner asked as he retied
Mulder's gown.

"Surprisingly hot."

"Your temperature is coming down quite well," Skinner
explained.

"Don't know what's worse, freezing or sweating,"
Mulder sighed.  "Still tired."

"Go back to sleep.  You need the rest to heal"

"Why don't you go back to the hotel, sir?"

"Can't, Mulder.  I promised Scully I'd stay with you
until she gets here at 7:00."

"I won't hold you to that."

"No?" he chuckled.  "You might not, but Scully will."

"Sorry sir, you're right," Mulder grinned as he wiped
a rivulet of sweat from his forehead.

Skinner leaned over with the cloth and wiped Mulder's
face again.  "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Try to get some more sleep, Mulder."

"You too, sir."

"I will after the nurse checks your temperature
again," Skinner assured him.

Mulder nodded his understanding and closed his eyes.

As Skinner rinsed the washcloth, he noticed that
Mulder's gown was already soaked through and wondered
what he should do about it.  Fortunately the nurse
came in for a temperature check just then.

"How's he doing?"

"As you predicted, now he's hot."

"Actually that's good.  Let me get his temp and then
I'll take off that wet gown and cover him with a
sheet.  There's no sense in getting him another gown
until his temperature stabilizes."

She inserted the thermometer in his ear and looked at
the readout as she ejected the cover.

"It's still coming down.  102.5," she announced.
"I'll be right back with that sheet."

Nurse Ricardo returned with the sheet, and then
spread it over her patient, before tucking it in at
the foot of the bed.  As she was loosening the ties
of his gown, Mulder opened his eyes.

"Well, hello, Mr. Mulder.  I'm just trying to make
you more comfortable."  She finished untying the
gown, pulling it down and unsnapping the sleeve over
his IV.  With one swift yank, the wet garment was
removed.

"I think we'll just leave that off for a while."

"Okay," Mulder said uncertainly.  "Thirsty."

"I'll bet you are," the nurse smiled as she poured a
cup of water.  "Let me get a straw for you and we'll
be all set.  Just take a few sips.  If that stays
down okay, you can have some more."

She held the water while Mulder sipped greedily.
After two long sips he stopped.  "That was good."

"Well, let's wait a few minutes before you try any
more."

Mulder nodded his agreement.

"Are you still feeling cold?"

"No, I'm feeling rather warm now."

"That's good news, Mr. Mulder.  That's because your
temperature is going down."

"Can I go home now?"  Skinner suppressed a grin at
the pleading in his sick agent's voice.

"Oh, I don't think you're anyway near ready for that
just yet.  Let's give it a couple of days at least,"
the nurse smiled.

"More water?"

"All right.  You can have two more sips, then you can
have as many ice chips as you want."

"Only two?"

"Uh-huh.  You need to take it easy on your poor
stomach."

"Listen to her, Mulder," Skinner advised.  "You don't
want to strain those stomach muscles any more."

"What's wrong with your stomach muscles, Mr. Mulder?"
The nurse gave him a thoughtful look.

"Sore from too much vomiting," Mulder supplied as he
finished his last sip of water.  "Thanks."

"You're welcome," the nurse answered, looking into
the water pitcher.  "Looks like you could use some
more ice."

"If you'll give me directions, I'll be glad to go and
fill the pitcher," skinner volunteered.

"Right next to the nurse's station.  You can't miss
it," she answered, handing him the pitcher.

When Skinner returned, the nurse was waiting for him
at the door.

"Mr. Mulder has gone back to sleep.  He expressed
some concern that you were missing out on your sleep.
He said something about a seminar that you had to
lead.  I promised him I would try to talk you into
catching a few winks."

"Thank you, Ms. Ricardo, but I'd rather keep an eye
on him for a while longer.  I feel kind of
responsible for him right now with his partner also
recovering from food poisoning.  She would normally
be here in my place.  She is much better at dealing
with a sick Mulder than I am."

"He knew you'd say that," she laughed.  "Since his
temperature is going down, I won't be back for
another half hour unless you need me.  I pulled the
sofa bed out and put a sheet, pillow and blanket on
for you.  I'm afraid Mr. Mulder won't rest well
unless you try to get some sleep too."

"You're probably right.  I'll lie down, but I won't
promise that I'll sleep."

"Suit yourself, Mr. Skinner.  Is there anything I can
do for either of you before I leave?"

"No, I think we're set.  Thank you for being so
kind."

"It's just part of my job.  See you in around 30
minutes."

Skinner put the pitcher on the tray table and pushed
it where Mulder could reach it easily.  His charge
was sleeping soundly, so he took off his glasses and
collapsed on the bed, rubbing his tired eyes.  He was
asleep within minutes.

Both men slept through the nurse's next visit.  After
taking her patient's temperature she pulled down the
sheet to his waist, gently wiping the perspiration
from his upper body, checked his IV, adjusted the
bedclothes and left quietly.

Sometime later, the AD was awakened by Mulder's
groans.  He quickly put his glasses on and made his
way to his agent's bedside.  He observed the heavy
perspiration coating the man's body.  The sheet had
been kicked aside, exposing Mulder's nude body to the
cooler air.  Skinner pulled up the sheet then grabbed
the wet washcloth and began to wipe his face.

Mulder opened his eyes.

"How're you doing, Mulder?"

"Okay," he answered weakly.

"I don't believe that for a minute."

"Can't get anything past you."

"That's right.  So, how are you feeling?"

"Back hurts," Mulder gasped, gripping the side rail
so tightly that his knuckles turned white.  "Hurts
bad."

"Okay, hang in there while I get the nurse."

The older man reached over to push the call button
requesting pain medication for his charge.  In a few
minutes the nurse arrived.

"So, what's going on here?"

"Mulder woke up with considerable pain in his back,"
Skinner explained.

"When did this start, Mr. Mulder?"

"About 10 minutes ago, I think.  It's getting worse.
Please!  Give me a shot!  Knock me out!  Shoot me!
Just make it stop!" he pleaded, writhing under the
sheet.  His face was screwed up in agony.  Skinner
looked on, alarmed by this new turn of events.

"Okay, I will, but I need to ask you some questions
first.  Is it hurting on one side or both?"

"Right side.  Oh, shit!  It hurts so bad!"

"All right, Mr. Mulder.  I've got some pain
medication for you.  I'm going to put it in your IV.
It should work pretty fast.  Here you go."  The nurse
slowly injected the painkiller into one of the IV
ports.

"Oh, shit!  Gonna be sick!" he exclaimed and
proceeded to expel the little bit of water he'd
managed to get down earlier all over his chest.

Nurse Ricardo fumbled for the emesis bowl stored in
the nightstand.  By the time she got it under
Mulder's chin, he was having dry heaves.  When the
retching stopped, Mulder collapsed onto his pillow,
exhausted, chest heaving.  "Sorry about that," he
apologized once he got his breath back.  "Unnh!"

"Mulder?"

"Another pain.  Bad!"

The nurse turned up the oxygen flow up a notch.  "I
know this sounds impossible, Mr. Mulder, but try to
relax.  I'm going to get someone to clean you up and
change your bed while I put in a page to the on-call
physician.  I'll be right back as soon as I get
through to him.  Let me take your temp before I go,
though."

When she finished she shook her head.  "It's 103."

Skinner looked surprised while Mulder appeared
oblivious to the whole thing, able to concentrate
only on the pain tearing through his back.

"I'll be right back."

By the time she returned, Mulder had been cleaned up
and his bedclothes changed.  "The doctor should be
here in a few minutes.  Did the medication help any,
Mr. Mulder?"

"Not much," he answered through gritted teeth.  "Call
Scully.  Need to talk to her."

"I was just getting ready to do that, Mulder,
 Skinner told him, dreading the phone call.

"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice said from
the doorway.

~~~
 

The Domino Effect-Part 10
 

Headers and disclaimers in Part 1
 

Skinner swung around, surprised to see Scully.  "What
are you doing here?"

"I can't explain it, but I just knew that I should be
here.  Guess that feeling was accurate."  She quickly
made her way to Mulder's bedside.  "What's going on,
partner?"

"Back hurts really bad."

"When did this start?"

"About 15 minutes ago."

"Any other symptoms?"

"Vomiting, temp's back up," the nurse answered.  "The
doctor on call should be here any minute."

"Scully, what's wrong with me?" Mulder gasped, trying
to fight the pain.  Even the drugs in his system
weren't enough to disguise the fear that shone
through his eyes.

"I'm not sure, Mulder, but we're going to find out."
She turned around to face the nurse.  "Have you given
him anything for pain?"  Her fingers were running
through Mulder's sweat soaked hair, soothing him.

"Demerol."

"How long ago?"

"About five minutes, Scully," Skinner supplied.

"Hello," a voice greeted from the doorway.  "I'm Dr.
Southard."

"Come in, doctor," Nita invited.

Seeing how crowded the room was getting, Skinner made
a decision.  "I'm going to wait outside."

"All right, sir.  I'll fill you in when we know
something."  Scully didn't bother to look at him, so
intent was she in trying to soothe her partner's
suffering.

Skinner left the room and leaned against the wall.
To say that he was concerned would be an
understatement.  "How much more can he take?" he
wondered, hoping that for once it would turn out to
be something minor.

Who was he kidding?  Mulder and minor complications
didn't go hand-in-hand.  He just hoped that they
could figure out the problem, treat it and get the
poor man back on his feet as soon as possible.  His
thoughts were interrupted by a gentle touch on his
arm.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Scully?  Do you have any idea what's wrong with
him?"

"Well, he has all of the symptoms of a kidney stone."

"That would explain the pain."

"Yes, it would.  The doctor is scheduling him for
some diagnostic procedures ASAP.  We should know more
then."

"And what do we do in the meantime?"

"The doctor has ordered some additional pain
medication which will hopefully give him some
relief."

"And if it does turn out to be a kidney stone?"

"Depending on its size and location, it will either
pass or some sort of intervention will be scheduled."

"Intervention as in surgery?"  Skinner shuddered at
the thought of Mulder having to go through a major
operation as ill as he already was.

"Probably not.  The most often used procedure is to
break them up and let the smaller pieces pass."

"Good.  I'd hate for him to undergo surgery in
addition to all he's already been through."

"Remember that this is still a preliminary diagnosis.
We won't know anything definite until the test
results are back.  Why don't you go back to the hotel
and try to get a few hours of sleep, sir?  I intend
to stay here with him."

"I think I'll stick around for a few more hours.  I'm
meeting someone for coffee at around 7," he
explained.  "And this night is pretty well shot
anyway."

"All right, sir."

"I think I'll go downstairs for some coffee.  Could I
bring you anything?"

"Some hot tea would be nice."

"All right, one hot tea it is, then.  I'll be back
soon.  Don't hesitate to page me if you need me."

"I think we have everything under control for the
moment.  I'm going to sit with Mulder, then."

As she turned to go back in the room Skinner caught
her hand.  "Scully, I meant what I said earlier.  You
won't be helping Mulder any of you make yourself sick
again.  He's worried about you as it is."

"I'm fine, sir," Scully assured him.

"I'll have to trust you on that then, Scully."

"Yes, sir.  You will."

Scully went back to Mulder's room.  The nurse was
injecting the additional pain medication as she
arrived back at his bedside.

"We'll let you know as soon as we hear about those
tests, Mr. Mulder."

He nodded his understanding while she deposited the
used syringe and needle in the sharps container on
her way out.

"Well, Mulder, I must say that you're keeping things
interesting on this trip."  Scully smiled down at him
reaching for his right hand.

"Never a dull moment.  You okay?"  He squeezed her
hand.  "And how did you know I needed you so badly?"

"For the last time, I'm fine and I just had a very
strong feeling that I needed to come to the hospital.
I really can't explain it."

"And they call me Spooky," he tried to laugh but it
brought on another spasm of pain.  "I just worry
about you," he managed to get out.

"Well, stop worrying about me and concentrate on
yourself.  Is the additional medication helping?"

"No, just made me woozy."

"Perhaps it will make you sleepy enough to get some
rest."

"Scully, what's wrong with me?  This is something
more than the food poisoning isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, but we're not 100% sure what the problem
is yet.  We'll know more after the tests."

"What kind of tests?"

"An ultra sound and X-rays with some dye injected.
You already have an IV, so it won't hurt."  She
reassured him when he winced.

"Couldn't hurt any more than this."  He tensed up as
another pain tore through him.

"Just try to relax, Mulder."

"I'm glad you're here," Mulder intoned softly,
rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.  "I missed
you."

"Mulder, it's only been a couple of hours since we
saw each other."  Scully couldn't help but smile.

"Doesn't matter.  Even five minutes away from you is
too long.  I love you Scully."

For once, Scully found herself at a loss for words.
She had heard his declaration of love previously, and
like this time he had been under the influence of
some pretty heavy drugs.  She stroked his cheek with
the backs of her fingers, her eyes not leaving his.
"Get some sleep, Mulder.  I promise you that we will
discuss this at length when you're better."

"Okay, but can you just tell me if I have any reason
to hope that you return my feelings?"

"Yes, there is hope, Mulder.  Now, close you eyes and
rest.

Mulder visibly relaxed, a huge grin on his face.  The
medication seemed to be helping.

Suddenly, Mulder's body stiffened and though Scully
didn't think it possible, he turned even paler.

"Mulder?"

"Scully, help!" he croaked.

"Mulder, what is it?"

"Pain, bad!"

Scully reached over and pushed the call button.  "I
need some help in here!"

Mulder was sitting up straight in bed, trying to keep
from screaming in agony.  Perspiration began dripping
from his forehead, evidence of the intense pain and
his effort to hold it in.

"Mulder, talk to me.  You're scaring me," Scully
pleaded, holding onto his arms.

At that point, Mulder could no longer hold it in.  He
groaned loudly and then began keening out loud with
the intensity of the pain.

Two nurses burst through the door.  "What happened?"
Nurse Ricardo demanded.

"Another intense spasm," Scully explained.  "It must
be excruciating."

"Mr. Mulder, can you tell me where it hurts?" the
other nurse questioned while Nita adjusted the oxygen
flow.

"Back, right side!  Arrrgh!  Help me, please!" he
cried.

He continued to sit up straight in bed, his left hand
gripping the bed railing and his right squeezing
Scully's hand.  Scully put her free arm around him
trying to comfort him, but he was past hearing her
soothing words.  The pain was his entire world at
that moment.

Scully's vision blurred as tears began to fill her
eyes.  "Call the doctor and get his ass up here!
Stat!"
 
 

End Part 10