“There! Down there, hurry!” he yelled over the sound of the chopper and was already out of the cab before the pilot could give him the go ahead. They were coming; he had to get her out of there.
He headed toward the building closest to Monica’s car. He hesitated at the door, hearing the sound of Scully’s moan. Oh god.
Mulder stepped inside then and the three women turned to look at him. “We’ve got to get out of here. There’s a line of cars headed this way.”
“Mulder, we can’t.” Monica grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, clearly drawing strength from his presence. “It’s too late. We can’t move her.”
“We’re under two minutes here,” the unknown woman, wearing some sort of uniform, confirmed. “Come on, Honey. Let’s get you to the bed.” She had her arm around Scully’s back and Mulder bristled at the contact.
“Move,” he said shortly and lifted Scully into his arms. He carried her the few steps to the bed as she clutched at his shirt. “It’s gonna be okay, Scully.”
She didn’t respond, couldn’t respond, breathing heavily but her eyes were fixed on his and he couldn’t look away. When her breathing eased, she grabbed his hand. “What? Who’s . . . “
“Shh. Don’t worry. You just have this baby, Scully. I’m not going to let anyone hurt either of you.”
He felt the stranger move to the side of the bed and hand Scully a glass of water. “You just rest while you can, Honey,” the older woman said. “I need to check you out.”
Scully nodded wearily and closed her eyes, though her hand tightened around Mulder’s.
“You’re ready, Honey. This baby wants to come out.”
Mulder’s eyes widened. Those cars were on the way and it was too late to move her. Shit!
Without warning Monica moved toward them with a pot of boiling water and flung it into the game warden’s face. The woman screamed in agony, falling to her knees, her hands covering her face. Monica pulled her gun from behind her back.
“What! Monica, what’s happening?” Scully managed to gasp out. Mulder was too dumbfounded to speak.
“She’s one of them, a super soldier,” Monica explained, not taking her eyes from the woman. “Move, move out of here,” she prodded the woman.
The game warden crawled out onto the porch. Cars were arriving now, parking haphazardly. The woman straightened up then, letting her hands fall to her side. “This baby will be born.”
Monica lowered the gun in shock, and watched Billy Miles stand up from where he had been lying dead in the street. They were getting out of the cars and walking toward the building.
“Monica!” Mulder’s voice was laced with panic.
Monica took a deep breath and turned away from the turmoil and back into the building. “It’s okay, Dana. It’s going to be okay.”
Mulder looked away from Monica and back to Scully when she groaned. Okay? It didn’t sound like it.
“It's going to be okay,” Monica repeated, trying to be calming to both of them.
Scully looked up at the door as a group of people, led by Billy Miles silently entered. “No!” Scully groaned in horror. “Mulder!”
He started to position himself between her and the people. “Mulder, don’t let them take it! It’s our baby!”
Even with everything else going on, that statement got through to him. Our baby; not my baby.
“No one’s going to take our baby, Scully. I’m not going to let them.”
Monica knelt between her knees. “Dana, listen to me. You have to push. Mulder, help her.”
Help her? How?
“No! It’s ours!” she screamed at the beings standing silent, watching her.
“Dana, please!”
“No! They can’t have it!”
Monica looked up at Mulder, her eyes pleading for help.
He moved closer, leaning over her. “I’m not going to let anyone take our baby, Scully. Trust me.” She couldn’t speak, but her eyes begged to believe him.
Mulder settled himself behind her. He leaned down and whispered. “Remember what we learned in class. I’ve got your back, Scully.”
His arms around her actually seemed to help. Drawing his gun would do no good, not against these things, but they would not take this child while he lived.
“Push, Scully,” he spoke much more calmly than he felt, but he could feel her gather strength.
“Dana, push,” Monica repeated.
“Keep breathing, Scully.”
“Please don't let them take it!” she begged.
“Push. Dana, push!”
She cried out, chilling his blood. She took a breath and bore down again. Mulder glanced at the assemblage but no one had moved.
“That’s right, Dana. One more,” Monica said urgently.
The head was out, he watched Monica wipe its face a little, then Scully was pushing again. Before he could even speak, the baby seemed to tumble into Monica’s hands. It immediately cried out its rage. “It’s a boy!” Scully collapsed back on Mulder’s chest.
Monica put the screaming newborn on Scully’s stomach and her hands immediately clutched him to her. Mulder’s hand covered both of hers and the baby quieted, warm again or comforted somehow.
A movement near the door caused Mulder’s head to come up and his arm tighten around these two precious people. Then he realized they were leaving. With a jolt he realized they had wanted to witness the birth.
Monica looked over to where Mulder was staring and watched them leave. Scully’s brow furrowed, but she only seemed to burrow back into Mulder’s chest, the baby tight against her.
After a long moment, Monica seemed to clear her throat. “We need to finish up.”
“You, you need to tie off the cord,” Scully said weakly.
Monica glanced up at Mulder’s worried face, then picked up the dental floss. At Scully’s instruction Monica tied off the cord and when it quit pulsing, handed Mulder a tiny pair of scissors.
He looked down at them for an instant. “Fingernail scissors?”
“You didn’t exactly give me any time to pack for this trip,” she said dryly.
It took a bit of work, but he managed to separate them.
“Dana, you’ve got to push again.”
Scully nodded wearily, looking over at Mulder and their son. She pushed feebly and Monica looked back over at Mulder.
“You can do this, Scully. You have to.”
Her eyes fluttered and his blood pressure moved up another notch. “Scully?”
“We’ve got to help her, Mulder. She’s bleeding.”
His head jerked in her direction. Now that she’d made him aware, there was the tang of iron in the air. Shit!
“Scully, Scully! Wake up, you have to push.”
She forced her eyes open and bore down once more. “That’s it. You can rest now, Dana.” Monica covered the afterbirth with one of the remaining towels, then turned to Mulder. “She needs to be in a hospital.”
He nodded. “Your car - “ The noise that had been building caught his attention then. “The chopper! Monica, go wave it down. Hurry!”
Monica was already on her feet, heading for the door.
“Scully, we’re going to get you to a hospital. I’m going to keep you safe.”
Monica returned then, “He’s down. He’s radioing for the nearest hospital.”
Mulder nodded and put the baby and bundle containing the placenta in Monica’s arms. He leaned down and whispered in Scully’s ear. “Just relax. It’s going to be okay.” He lifted her as gently as he could but winced as she moaned. There was nothing else he could do, she needed help and fast.
He and Monica hurried outside and he climbed into the back with Scully in his arms. Monica took the seat and held the boy against her. The chopper took off immediately.
Monica looked back at them. She couldn’t hear what he was saying to Scully over the sound of the rotors, but she knew. She turned away; this was too intimate, more than witnessing the birth.
The small hospital didn’t have a heli-pad, but the police had cleared a space in the parking lot. Monica climbed down and handed the bundle to one of the nurses, keeping the baby close. Then Mulder climbed out with Scully in his arms. He helped them place her on a gurney and trotted beside them as they hurried her inside.
At the door, Monica called to him and he hesitated. She placed the infant in his arms.
“Aren’t you - “
“I need a cigarette.”
He managed a quirk to his lips and nodded, then he was gone, his son clasped to his chest.
She sank onto the small wall and her shoulders slumped. What the hell was going to happen to that little family now?