Jersey Dreams

Title: Jersey Dreams

Author: Anne Milne

Email: annem@iprimus.com.au

http: www.milneyfilms.com/mum

Date:

Spoilers: Jersey Devil, House

Rating: good for all

Keywords: MT, MSR

Summary: what happened to Mulder on the way home?

Disclaimer: Not mine, just having playtime. They’ll be home before dark, I promise!

Thanks: to Sara B., for the fast beta, and the encouragement.

“Watch the bumps, Scully! My chest hurts enough without you hitting every single hole in the road.” Fox Mulder grumbled. He was in quite a lot of pain following the attack on him by the Beastwoman of New Jersey. The fact that the police had killed the wild woman made him feel worse.

His partner, Dana Scully, glanced quickly at him. “Are you feeling hot, Mulder? We can pull over any time you want.” Scully looked back at the road; it was an interstate, with no bumps or potholes that she could see.

“No,” Mulder replied, “I just want to get away from Atlantic City. That idiot Detective Thompson makes me mad. He and his team committed murder, Scully, just to save their gambling revenues” 

Scully nodded her agreement. “He didn’t need to shoot her, as the tranquilizer was already starting to take effect. She was slowing down.”

“All we did was make her an easier target for them. I should have tried harder to stop the police!” Anger was starting to tinge his voice, and Scully felt she needed to jump in to stop him before he could get up a full head of steam.

“No, Mulder, if you had done anything else to Detective Thompson, he would have thrown you in jail. Probably the rest of us, too, given his attitude. We did all that we could.”

“I could have done more, though. I should have done more…” Mulder’s voice started to trail off, then he snapped at Scully, “Pull the car over. I’m gonna be sick!”

Scully expertly guided the car from the middle lane to the breakdown lane on the side of the road. She hadn’t even come to a standstill when Mulder pushed his door open, jumped out and promptly lost the contents of his stomach. Scully came over to him and rubbed his back, all the while talking softly to him, “It’s okay, Mulder, just let it out.” As the heaves subsided, she handed him a bottle of water and instructed him to rinse and spit, which Mulder did gratefully. He was looking paler by the minute and he was warm to touch, as Scully discovered when she felt his forehead.

Mulder sat back on the grass, blinking in the sunlight. “I don’t feel so good, Scully.”

“Where does it hurt, Mulder?”

“It was just my chest, but it seems to hurt everywhere, now.”

Scully checked his eyes, which were starting to glaze over. They hadn’t been partners long, but even so, Scully knew that if Mulder admitted to being in pain, then he was probably really hurting. “I think we need to get you to a hospital, partner,” she said as she looked at the highway signs. “I have a friend not far from here, at Princeton, who could check you over. I think we’re about 40 minutes from there. Do you think you can make it?”

Mulder groaned, and asked, “Can I lie in the back?”

“Sure,” was Scully’s reply. “I’ll even make a pillow for you out of my coat,” she said as she helped him get up, and back over to the car. After getting her partner settled in the back seat, she got behind the wheel, and pulled back into the traffic. Scully pulled out her cell phone, and dialed a number. It answered after four rings.

“Dr Cutty.”

“Lisa, it’s Dana Scully.”

“Dana! What a pleasant surprise! Where are you?”

“On my way to see you.”

“What’s the matter, Dana?”

“My partner was injured earlier today, and he’s having a delayed reaction response. I’m about 35 minutes away. Can you have a gurney ready?”

“Of course. I’ll have my best doctor on standby. Now, tell me more about how he was injured, and what’s going on now,” Lisa Cutty instructed.

Dana Scully talked as she drove, all the while glancing in the rear-view mirror at her partner. Hang on, Mulder, she thought. I’m going to get you fixed up.

***

As Scully pulled the car into the emergency entrance of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, she saw her friend Lisa Cutty standing by a gurney. Scully got out of the car as Cutty pulled open the back door to look at Mulder. Dr Cutty quickly started barking out symptoms and directions to the two nurses that were with her.

“We have a white male, 33 years old, pulse 100 and thready, resps 30 and shallow. Temp is elevated, skin is hot to touch and clammy. Pupils equal and responsive.” Then, to Mulder, “Agent Mulder, I’m Dr Cutty. Can you hear me?” At Mulder’s groan, Cutty continued, “We’re going to get you out of the car and into the hospital.” She stood back, and let the nurses and an orderly prise Mulder out of the car and onto the gurney.

“When was he injured, Dana?”

“Earlier today. It was about six hours ago, in Atlantic City. He was attacked by…” Dana didn’t quite know how to explain. At Lisa’s questioning look, she finished the statement. “By a wild woman, okay!”

“You mean like a mud wrestler or…”

“No, I mean a wild woman. A Beastwoman, raised in the wild. A feral human female.”  

Lisa Cutty could not believe what her old medical school friend was saying. “You mean, the Jersey Devil? But that’s impossible!”

“No, it isn’t. The police ended up shooting her and she was definitely human.”

The conversation took place as Mulder was wheeled inside the emergency room doors. Once inside, Dr Cutty took over. “Get him into exam room four. We need to check the original injury to the…” Looking at Scully, who pointed to her chest, “chest. Then get the portable X-ray in here, take blood, do CBC and chem7, bacterial culture. That’ll do for starters. Dana, is your partner allergic to anything?”

“He doesn’t respond well to some anaesthesia, so he’ll need Compazine for the nausea.”

“Set up a litre of saline, wide open to rehydrate.”

The ER nurse started to move, when Mulder groaned and grabbed his stomach. “Gonna be sick,” he moaned.

“Quick, turn him to his side! Get a bowl, now!” Cutty snapped, just in time to see Mulder retch painfully, and bring up the water he’d had 40 minutes earlier. “Never mind. Get a towel. Now, let’s have a look at your chest, Agent Mulder.”

Lisa Cutty prided herself on her lack of squeamishness, as did Dana Scully. Neither of them were prepared for the angry red mess on Mulder’s chest. “What is going on here? Exactly where did this attack take place, Dana?”

“In an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city.”

“Can you find out what was manufactured there, please? Now, you do your job, and give me the space to do mine.” Lisa Cutty was not unkind, but Dana Scully knew that she needed to find out what the factory had produced. She went outside to make the call. In the meantime, Dr Cutty was getting the wound irrigated, which was causing Mulder no end of pain.

“Agent Mulder, I’m going to give you a sedative to help you relax while we get this wound cleaned. Is that alright with you?” At Mulder’s weak nod, Cutty injected the sedative into the IV port, and watched as Mulder’s face relaxed. She turned to one of the nurses and asked her to get House.

***

Meanwhile, Dana Scully was having problems of her own. When she had called Atlantic City PD, she had been transferred to Detective Thompson. He had rather rudely refused to help, and added that he hoped Mulder ended up with a very permanent reminder of his trip. Scully’s next call was to her Assistant Director, Walter Skinner.

“No, sir. Agent Mulder did not upset the local police. The detective in charge of the case was more interested in protecting the gambling dollars than the citizens.”

“Is there anything I can help you with, Agent Scully?”

“The only thing I need is to find out what the derelict factory on 10^th and Fort manufactured, to give the doctor something to work with.”

“I’ll get Kim onto that right away. She’ll call you with the answer. Keep me posted.” Then, there was nothing. Skinner had disconnected.

Scully turned and re-entered the hospital. She noticed that exam room four was being prepped for its next occupant and asked one of the nurses about Mulder. He responded that the FBI agent had been moved to the fourth floor, and into Dr House’s care. Scully thanked him and went to the elevators to find where Mulder was.

***

As Dana Scully walked down the hall, she noticed a commotion in one of the rooms. I hope that’s not Mulder’s room, she thought, and then saw Lisa Cutty emerge from the room.

“Dana! Have you found out what was being made in that factory?”

“No, Lisa. I’m waiting on a call back from the Bureau.”

A male doctor stuck his head out of Mulder’s room, and asked, “Why don’t you call Atlantic City PD? That would have to be quicker than getting some flunky from DC do your dirty work.”

Lisa looked at Dana and made the introductions. “Special Agent Dr Dana Scully, meet Dr Gregory House. Dr House is our resident on freaky things.”

Dana smiled briefly, and replied, “Nice to meet you, Dr House. My partner would probably like to compare notes on freaky things,” while shaking House’s hand.

“Dr Scully, or Agent or whatever. Your partner is showing all the hallmarks of a severe allergic reaction. So, the sooner you can get that information, the better. What did you do, upset the local cops?” House questioned.

“No, but the local PD took a dislike to my partner and refused to share the information we need when I asked earlier. It would seem that you and he share other attributes as well: charm springs to mind,” Scully parried.

“Whatever, Dana,” Lisa interjected, “your partner needs help now. Obviously, that Beastwoman had some sort of toxic substance under her nails, and if she was living in the factory, it was probably from there.”

“Can I sit with him for a while, please? I’ll check with the Bureau while I’m in with him.”

House smirked. “Oh, I see, a partner who is also your partner. I thought you weren’t allowed to do that”

“Dr House, my relationship with Agent Mulder is strictly professional and I suggest that you back the hell off if you don’t want the IRS auditing you for the next ten years,” Scully responded angrily. House just shrugged and walked off.

“Page me when you find out what I need to know,” floated down the hallway back to them.

Dana looked at Lisa, then into Mulder’s room. “I’m going to sit with my partner now,” she said. Lisa clasped Dana’s shoulder and left her with her partner.

Dana sat at Mulder’s bedside, and clinically noted his condition. Pale, quick shallow breaths, hot clammy skin. She could see his eyes darting from side to side under his closed eyelids. Oh, Mulder, she thought, not fever dreams as well, as she sat back and called the A.D.’s assistant for an update.

***

Fox Mulder was running screaming through the woods. “Help me!” he shouted, “I need some help!” He could hear something very large crashing through the branches behind him, its breath seeming to be hot on his neck. His chest hurt where he had fallen over a log earlier and he could feel the sticky warmth of fresh bleeding. Mulder looked around him as he ran, trying to find a place where he could hide and rest for a few minutes. Finally, he saw a hollow between some trees that looked inviting, dove headfirst in and huddled on the ground.

He willed his breathing to slow and then started to take inventory of his injuries. Chest hurts, he thought. Could be cracked ribs, dammit! His head felt heavy and he wondered if he’d banged it on the ground earlier when he tripped over the log. He flexed the fingers on his left hand, then his right. Why was there blood coming out of the back of his right hand? And why did his throat feel blocked? He’d have to ask Scully about that. After all, she was a doctor.

Scully? Where was she? His foggy brain tried to go back over the last couple of days, when he and Scully first started looking for the Jersey Devil. They'd checked around the outskirts of Atlantic City first, then decided to go into the wild parkland just beyond the city limits. He remembered Scully suggesting that they should probably have backup, which Mulder refused, saying it would scare off the Devil. They'd been walking down a trail, when two large beasts ambushed them. Mulder turned, grabbed Scully’s hand and started running for both their lives. They had been together and they both tripped over the log. Mulder got up and kept running….oh, no! He’d left Scully behind. That meant that the beasts caught her, and he'd seen the damage they could do to humans. He started to sob.

First, it was Samantha. He’d let her be taken, and had begun a search for her that was still going on. And now, Scully. His partner, and he’d left her behind.   How was he ever going to tell her parents? How was he going to tell the A.D.?

He held his head in his hands, and was wondering what to do next, when he felt a sharp pain in his left hand, and noticed that it was now bleeding. He tried to move his arms, but couldn’t move them. What’s happening to me? he thought. Scully! Help me!

***

“Shh. Mulder, it’s okay. Don’t fight the vent. The doctor is just about to take it out. Okay, Mulder, big breath in, good, now blow out. That’s it. You’re doing great, partner.”

Mulder opened his eyes slowly, and saw his red-haired partner beside his bed. “What happened?”

Dr House answered his question. “When that Beastwoman attacked you, she put some heavy metal traces under your skin. Seeing as you didn’t let the paramedics clean the wound out properly, infection had set in, which was complicated by the heavy metals. Once we knew what was in there, we could begin an appropriate treatment. Don’t everyone thank me, I’m just doing my job. Cutty, you can take over now.” House turned and left Mulder’s room.

Lisa Cutty smiled a little. “Agent Mulder, we’ll need to keep you in for another 24 hours, just to make sure that everything’s healing up properly. All being well, we can release you this time tomorrow.”

“That sounds good to me,” Mulder rasped. Scully held a tumbler of water to his lips and instructed him to take small sips. Refreshed, he nodded at Dr Cutty, who waved at both of them as she left the room.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Scully.” At her confused expression, Mulder went on, “I dreamt that there were two Devils, and that I’d left you behind with them.”

“It was just a dream, Mulder. I know that you’d never leave me behind.” When Mulder grinned at her, Scully added, “Besides, if you do leave me behind, I’ll hurt you worse than that Beastwoman did. Rest up, partner. We go home tomorrow.” Scully squeezed his hand, and stood up to leave.

“Hey, Scully? Any chance of you sneaking me in some real food?”