The Friendly Skies
by Vickie Moseley

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.
<Stop this, Starbuck. He is all right. It's time to go home.
He'll be tired, but it won't be life threatening. Give him some
space. Let him sleep in peace for a while.> 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.