“Mulder!”
“How is she?”
“She’s inside. She needs to get to the hospital.”
Mulder glanced at Reyes, looking for hidden meanings, then nodded and hurried to her side. Blood, so much blood.
“Scully? Can you hear me? It’s Mulder. I’ve got a helicopter; I’m taking you to the hospital.
“Mulder.” Her lips moved, but the sound was only a sigh.
Then Mulder saw a tiny fist move out from the bloody towel lying on her stomach. The baby, it was still here, and alive. He felt some of the tightness leave his chest. He picked up the bundle and looked at the tiny boy. The cord had been tied off, but not cut and the placenta was in the towel with him. He definitely needed to get them to a better facility. “Agent Reyes.”
She materialized beside him. “Take the baby and get in the helicopter. I’ll bring her. Hurry.”
She nodded as she took the baby and hurried outside.
“Scully, I’m going to take you to the copter now.” His arm slid under her knees and he started to lift her. He grimaced as the blood sodden towels fell away. He needed to hurry. He grabbed a couple of towels from the pile and used them to try to staunch her bleeding, then tossed the sheet over her and lifted her into his arms. She moaned and his heart clutched.
“I’m sorry Scully, but I have to get you some help.”
She tried to lift her arms to go around his neck, but failed and they dropped back.
"It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Reyes has your son. Just relax. I have you.” He felt as though he was babbling, but his fear was too real, too immediate.
He climbed into the helicopter with her in his arms as though she weighed nothing, his adrenaline handling the rest. He seated himself in the jump seat behind Reyes and the pilot.
Reyes turned to see if he was settled, then motioned for the pilot to take off.
They couldn’t speak, but Reyes knew what had to be done.
He felt Scully relax in his arms, and then her head lolled
against his shoulder. “Scully? Scully!”
His hand came from behind her legs to search frantically for a pulse at her
throat. He fumbled
for it and when he couldn’t locate it immediately, plunged his hand down her
t-shirt.
A heartbeat! Strong and steady, she had only fainted in his arms. He was shaking with reaction as he placed a kiss on her forehead. After a moment he realized his hand was still inside of her shirt.
The shirt, he looked at it for the first time. It was one of his, one of his gray t-shirts. No, that was absurd. She’d had nothing with her when Reyes took her, except maybe her purse. He searched his memory for that. She wouldn’t be walking around with one of his t-shirts in her purse in any case, would she? But it looked as though she had given birth in one of his favorite shirts.
He couldn’t explain it, but
for some reason that caused all of the doubts, the insecurities he’d lived with
since his return to vanish, as though a switch had been flipped.
He glanced up at Reyes, who was holding the child tightly to her chest.
He wished he could see the child more clearly, but there was time.
Now it seemed there was plenty of time.