Puppy Love 1/2Title:  Puppy Love
Author:  Waddles 52
Summary:  Running an errand for Skinner turns deadly 
when the agents are ambushed.  Injured and stranded 
in the woods, will they find help in time?
Rating:  PG 13
Spoiler:  Beyond the Sea, Detour
Disclaimer:  Just for fun.  Not for profit.
Archives:  Yes, but ask first.
Feedback:  I would love to hear from you.  
Waddles52@insightbb.com
Thanks:  To Carla for all her encouragement and to 
Lisa for a top-notch beta job. 


"Scully, remind me to get out of town faster the next 
time they decide to work on anything in the 
basement," Mulder groaned, shifting in his seat 
behind the wheel of the SUV.

"I will, Mulder, and I'll be sure to book a flight 
with you," Scully agreed.

"This has been one, long day."  He sighed and 
wriggled his sore shoulders.

Scully took notice and began to massage her partner's 
shoulders gently as he continued to drive.  "Well, 
we're just about there.  We'll get a good night's 
sleep and pick up the dog in the morning."

Mulder thought about the events of the day as he 
continued down the road.  When he had arrived at the 
office, early as usual, he was quite surprised when 
he was greeted with the sound of water running and 
the squish of something liquid under his feet as he 
stepped off the elevator.

Further investigation revealed a broken pipe in the 
small restroom at the end of the hall.  It had 
evidently broken shortly after he and Scully left the 
night before and had been flooding the basement 
since.  Water was everywhere.

After an inspection by the building maintenance team, 
it was decided to update the plumbing in the 
basement.  Since it involved removing walls, and 
making a huge mess in general, the two occupants of 
the out-of-the-way office who had been looking for an 
excuse to take a few days off anyway, happily 
approached their supervisor.

Walter Skinner had been more than pleased to grant 
their wish if only they would run an important errand 
first.  That's how they found themselves on the 
outskirts of Charleston, South Carolina.

As soon as they picked up one Yorkshire Terrier puppy 
for Skinner's goddaughter and delivered it to their 
supervisor in time for her birthday, they had three 
days off to do whatever they pleased.

"Mulder, our turn-off is coming up in about a mile."  
Scully folded up the map and began to think about how 
they would spend their days off.  She hoped they 
could find a comfortable place with no cell phone 
reception.  She and Mulder had just recently decided 
to admit the feelings they had long denied.  With 
that out of the way, they looked forward to any 
chance to get away from the Bureau's prying eyes and 
act like a normal couple in love.

Mulder pulled into a Hampton Inn and stopped in 
front.  "I'll go check us in."

"One or two rooms?" Scully inquired.

"It's Skinner's dime and he only gave us enough for 
one room."

"Very interesting, but I won't complain.  One room it 
is, then."

"I like the way you think."  Mulder leaned over and 
gave her a quick kiss.  "I'll be right back."

The next morning, it didn't take long to find the 
kennel owned by another of Skinner's Marine buddies.  
Mulder had to admit that the puppy was cute but he 
knew right away that the little ball of fur would be 
getting all of Scully's attention until they 
delivered him to Skinner later that evening.

They hadn't gone more than two miles down the road 
when the puppy christened the back seat.  Mulder had 
to laugh.  Skinner had loaned them his shiny, new SUV 
for the trip.

"Mulder, we should probably stop frequently so I can 
take him for a walk.  Hopefully we can prevent any 
further accidents."

Mulder rolled his eyes.

"I know you're in a hurry to get back.  I am too but 
I think Skinner would be in a much better humor if we 
return his SUV in good condition."

"All right.  I see your point.  I wouldn't want him 
to cancel our vacation, so we'll take the state roads 
for a while and have a safer place to take Yip for 
his walks."

"Mulder!"  Scully slapped him playfully on his arm.  

"Would you prefer piss?  Because that's all he seems 
to do, yip and piss."

"Hopefully, his new owner will come up with something 
much more suitable than those two choices."

"I could give her a few suggestions," Mulder 
grumbled.  "Let me know when you want to stop."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the rate they were going they were never going to 
get home.  Scully was asking to stop every hour.  
They really needed to get back on I-95 soon if they 
had any hope of making it home before late evening.  
Mulder unfolded the map to see if he could figure out 
where they were.  He had to admit that North Carolina 
was pretty at this time of year.  He heard the dog 
yip in the distance and that reminded him that he 
needed to answer nature's call too.  He folded the 
map and went in search of a nice tree

Back at the car, Mulder looked at his watch and began 
to get an uneasy feeling when he confirmed that 
Scully and the puppy had been gone for thirty 
minutes.  They usually stopped for ten minutes, tops.  
He listened carefully and didn't hear a thing from 
the direction of the woods.  It was time to go have a 
look.

Mulder had traveled almost a mile through the woods 
and still hadn't seen or heard any sign of them.  
Something was definitely wrong.  "Damn it!  Where are 
they?"

He continued to walk, the woods growing thicker.  
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the now familiar 
yip from the little dog.  Mulder hurried off in that 
direction.

He hadn't walked more that a hundred feet when the 
puppy burst through the trees, his leash trailing 
behind him.  Mulder scooped him up.

"Where's Scully?" he asked, not really expecting an 
answer but still hoping to pick up a clue from the 
dog.

The little Yorkie trembled in his arms, whether from 
exertion or fright Mulder couldn't tell.  When Scully 
didn't follow behind the puppy, Mulder set out again, 
hoping that she hadn't fallen and hurt herself.

The dog began to squirm and yip.

"What's the matter, boy?  What is it?"

A crack of gunfire was his answer, followed by a 
blinding pain in his head.  Another shot sounded as 
he began to fall.  The next thing he knew he was flat 
on his back, blood spurting from his leg and head 
with the puppy struggling to get out of his arms.  As 
he lost consciousness his grip loosened and the dog 
ran back through the woods in the direction he'd 
come.  Mulder didn't move as the gunman began to drag 
him back on the same path the dog had taken.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mulder began to regain his senses slowly.  If it 
weren't for the encouragement he heard in Scully's 
voice he would have gone back to the place where he 
had been free from pain.  Scully's voice?  Thank 
goodness she was okay and she'd found him.

"Mulder, wake up!"

He wanted to answer her but it was beyond his 
capabilities at the moment.  The pain in his head and 
right leg was too overwhelming to permit coherent 
speech.  He managed a weak groan and passed out 
again. 

Scully had noted earlier that Mulder was bleeding 
heavily from his right leg and head.  She needed to 
somehow loosen the ropes that bound them to a tree at 
the edge of the clearing.  Mulder needed her help.

She thought back to what had happened in the past 
hour.  After wandering much too far from the road, 
she decided to turn back, only to come face to face 
with an armed man.  She tried to run but he was 
faster and threw her to the ground.  After 
determining that she had nothing he could use except 
a few loose bills and change in her jacket pocket, he 
tied her to a tree and left.  Several minutes later, 
two gunshots echoed through the woods.  Hoping it 
wasn't Mulder, she began to try and loosen the rope 
bindings.

As she was trying to find the knot that tied the 
ropes around her and the tree, the puppy ran into the 
clearing followed by the robber who dragged an 
unconscious, bleeding Mulder behind him.  After 
kicking the puppy aside he searched Mulder's pockets, 
finding his money and Skinner's keys.

He pulled another length of rope from his back pocket 
and dragged Mulder over to the opposite side of the 
tree.  "I don't think your fella will be goin' 
anywhere but just in case I'm going to tie him up 
tight."

He bound Mulder's hands together and then looped the 
remaining rope around the tree, tying it off. The 
unconscious agent slumped forward when the robber let 
go.  "Well, I'd like to stay and chat but my ride's 
here."  He jingled the keys and grinned.  "Somebody 
should be by this way within the next few days.  It's 
huntin' season and these woods are full of deer, but 
just to show you what a nice guy I am, I'll leave a 
note with your location when I get through with the 
car.  Bye now."  He began to whistle a happy tune as 
he walked away.

Scully tried to loosen the ropes binding her hands 
but couldn't reach the knots.  She felt around a 
little more and located the knot that looped her 
partner's rope around the tree.  Great!  Now, if she 
could just work it loose and get Mulder to wake up, 
they might be able to get back to the road.

Scully had to stop working on the knot when her 
fingers began to cramp.  She tried to rouse Mulder 
again and this time she couldn't even get a get a 
groan out of him.  

The dog scampered over to Mulder.  Jumping onto his 
friend's lap, the puppy stretched and began to lick 
his face.

Mulder began to emerge from the darkness again.  The 
pain was still there, pounding into his head and leg 
unmercifully.  He also felt the oddest sensation on 
his face.  It was wet and it tickled.  Scully?  He 
groaned again, louder this time, and forced his eyes 
open.  The blood from his head wound ran into his 
eyes causing a horrible, stinging sensation, but 
after blinking a few times it cleared away and he was 
able to see that the little Yorkie was licking his 
face.

"Get away!" he growled.  The little dog hopped down 
and scampered back to his place beside Scully.

"Mulder!  Thank God you're awake!  Mulder, can you 
hear me?"

"Mmm, yeah.  Don't shout.  Hurts!"

His words were slurred and she could tell by his 
abbreviated sentences that he was in pain, but it was 
music to her ears.  With renewed vigor, she began to 
work on the knot.

"Scully, you okay?" he managed to get out over the 
roaring in his head.

"Yeah, Mulder.  How are you?"

"Not good.  Think I was shot."

"Hang in there.  I think I might be able to work this 
knot loose and free you."

"Great."  A word or two here and there was the best 
he could manage for the moment. The pain was too 
intense for more.  He took a deep breath and 
shuddered, then tried to assess his physical 
condition.  One of the bullets must have grazed his 
head.  Another concussion for sure he thought 
wearily.  At least, he hoped that's all it was.

He'd felt a similar pain in his leg before too, that 
time on the docks in North Carolina.  The bullet had 
nicked an artery and took a chunk out of the bone.  
Yeah, it felt just like this.  Must be something 
about North Carolina. A muscle twitched 
involuntarily.  "Oh, shit!"  The pain brought tears 
to his eyes.  He didn't think he'd be putting any 
weight on that leg anytime soon.

"Mulder, what's wrong?  Talk to me!" Scully shouted.

"Stop yelling."

"Okay, I will if you'll talk to me.  Can you tell me 
what's wrong?"

"Had a muscle spasm in my leg."

"How bad is your leg?"

"Pretty bad.  Like Raleigh, I think, but not as much 
blood."

"Broken?"

"I think so."  He leaned his head against the tree 
and closed his eyes.

"Mulder, you still with me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Stay awake.  I'm going to need your help when I get 
this knot undone."

"Okay.  What do you need me to do?"  He hoped it 
didn't require any movement on his part, but knew 
that was too much to hope.  Suddenly the rope 
loosened and he pitched forward.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah, Scully?"

"I got the knot undone.  Can you pull the rope from 
the tree?"

"Yeah, here goes."  Mulder did as he was asked and 
soon found himself free of the tree.  The loosened 
rope slid from his wrists and with a little 
maneuvering he was able to push the rope off.

"Got it, Scully.  I'm free." 

"Can you move?"

"Give me a minute," he answered, breathing hard from 
the minor exertion.

"Mulder, don't pass out on me.  I need you to untie 
me."

"I'm on my way.  Might take a few minutes.  Movin' 
kind of slow."

Mulder used his good leg to push himself back and he 
scooted around the tree until he was next to Scully.  
He looked her over.  "Thank God.  He didn't hurt you 
did he?  I was so worried," he panted.

"Get your breath back then see if you can maneuver 
around and reach my rope."

After a few seconds he lowered himself until he was 
lying on his left side.  Propping himself on his left 
elbow, he was able to reach the knot in her rope.  
Luckily, it was a pretty large knot and he was able 
to work it loose quickly, collapsing onto his side as 
soon as he was finished.

"Mulder!  Stay with me!" Scully ordered.

"I'm trying.  Kind of tired," he rasped.

"Just hang in there."  Scully moved awkwardly over to 
him.

"You sure you're okay?"  Mulder had noticed her 
uneasy movement.

"Yeah."

"Scully . . ."

"All right, all right.  I twisted my knee when that 
idiot tackled me."

"Bad?"

"Bad enough that I don't think I can walk out of here 
right now."

"Don't we make a pair?"  He groaned as another spasm 
hit him.

"Do you have your knife with you?"

"Right front pocket."

Scully reached in and found it quickly.  Mulder 
didn't even act like he felt her.  His eyes were 
closed tight against the pain.

"I'm going to cut your jeans so I can get a good look 
at your leg."

"Go ahead.  They're ruined anyway."

Scully carefully cut the material around the wound.  
The entrance wound wasn't as bad as she'd thought but 
the exiting bullet had really done some damage.  
Mulder yelped as she began to explore it.

"I'm sorry, but I need to get a good look."

"Look but don't touch."

"There.  I'm finished for the time being.  Now, let 
me take a look at that hard head of yours."

After examining the gash on his head, she removed her 
jacket and sweater revealing a white tank top.  She 
pulled it over her head.

"Scully, as much as I'd like to take you right here 
under this tree, I don't think I'm up for it right 
now."

"Now I know your head wound isn't too serious," she 
stated as she pulled the sweater back over her head.  
"If you can think about sex you're going to be just 
fine."

"I always think about sex," he informed her.

She began to tear the tank top to 
make bandages.  In a few minutes she had cleaned and 
dressed the gash on his head the best she could.

"That takes care of that, but I'm still trying to 
decide what to do about your leg. You've already got 
some dirt in it and I have no way of cleaning it."

"Before we make any decisions, let me have your cell 
phone."

"I doubt that you'll be able to get a signal.  I 
haven't seen a tower in quite a while."  She 
retrieved the phone from her jacket pocket and handed 
it to him.

He flipped the phone open and prepared to punch in 
911.  "Well, it really doesn't matter whether we can 
get a signal or not.  It's dead."

"Damn it!  I meant to let it charge overnight but 
when we got to the hotel we were thinking about other 
things.  I'm sorry.  That was really irresponsible of 
me."

"Hey, don't sweat it.  I'm as much responsible as you 
are.  I was so busy trying to distract you that I 
didn't let you take care of it.  It's okay.  Besides, 
I'm the real irresponsible one.  I left mine in the 
car."

"No, it's not okay but thanks for trying to make me 
feel better.  My gun is locked in the glove 
compartment of the SUV.  I'm going to catch hell for 
that."

"Mine is in my overnight bag in the back of the SUV 
and I left my spare at home.  We'll both get written 
up for not securing our weapons."

"There go our sparkling, clean records," she grinned.

"Your sparkling, clean record you mean.  Mine is coal 
black by now.  So, how's the knee?"

"It hurts.  I may have torn some cartilage, maybe a 
ligament.  I just know that I wouldn't get very far 
on it right now."

"I'm sorry.  What happened anyway?"

"He just appeared out of the blue.  I tried to run 
but he was faster.  He jumped me and I landed badly.  
He was able to subdue me rather easily.  It was my 
fault for straying so far from the road."

"No, it wasn't your fault.  He didn't, uh, um, touch 
you did he?"

"No, Mulder.  He didn't touch me in that way.  
Actually, as far as it goes, he was probably the 
nicest bad guy I've run across."

"Humph.  He wasn't very nice to me."

"I think he saw you as more of a threat."

"Wonder what's up with him anyway?  Why did he feel 
he needed to shoot me and take the car?"

"From the fit of his clothes and the lack of any tan, 
I'd guess he was an escaped prisoner.  He had 
probably been in solitary until just recently.  After 
he made his escape he stole a gun, some clothes and 
probably the clothesline too," she guessed, picking 
up the rope and looking it over.

"And now he has our guns and Skinner's SUV.  I don't 
think I want to be rescued.  Death from exposure 
might be preferable to facing Skinner," Mulder 
moaned.

"I'm afraid that infection would probably get to you 
before it gets cold enough to die from exposure."

"Thank you for that happy report."

"I do have an idea.  It's not pleasant but it might 
buy you some time."

"I don't like the sound of that, Dr. Scully.  What do 
you have in mind?"

"Cauterization."

Mulder winced.  "Isn't that rather painful?"

"Yes, it's quite painful without anesthesia."

"And doesn't that require a fire to heat up the 
utensil used to cauterize the wound?"

Scully reached into her pocket and pulled out a box 
of matches, shaking them to show that there were 
quite a few.  "After our night in the Florida forest 
I always carry matches."

"Well, I don't guess we'll get cold if we can find 
enough wood and kindling close by."

Scully looked around and spied all sorts of twigs, 
branches and dried leaves around the edges of the 
clearing.  There was also a long-dead tree that had 
fallen close-by.  "Looks like we have everything we 
need."

"Except someone with two good legs to carry it over 
here."

"I can manage by scooting on my butt," Scully assured 
him.

"Now, that's a nice visual," Mulder chuckled, 
waggling his eyebrows.

"So, what are your thoughts on the cauterization?  It 
was used quite a bit through history on the 
battlefield to stop bleeding and to prevent infection 
before modern surgical procedures and antibiotics.  
It was somewhat effective."

"Realistically, how long can we wait before we're 
forced to make a decision about this?" Mulder asked 
uneasily.

"Unfortunately, we really need to decide in the next 
hour or two.  I'll need time to gather wood for the 
fire and get it going.  Then I'll need to heat the 
knife and carry out the procedure before dark."

Mulder reached for her hand.  "Scully, I trust you 
with my life.  You know that.  You do whatever you 
think is best."

"There are no guarantees, Mulder.  You can still come 
down with quite an infection.  It will be incredibly 
painful and will leave a terrible scar.  There's a 
remote possibility that you could loose your leg."

"Scully, don't sugar-coat it."  Mulder grinned and 
squeezed her hand.  "As I said before, I trust you.  
Do what you need to do."

"At this point in time, I think it may be your only 
option.  You can't afford to lose any more blood or 
get a rampant infection.  Since I haven't heard any 
gunshots, I doubt that any hunters are near.  Neither 
of us can reach the road right now."  She sighed 
heavily.  "I just don't want to make the wrong 
decision."

"Scully, go with your gut instinct.  I'll trust you 
to do the right thing.  I know the wound is bad. It's 
probably already infected.  I can feel the dirt in it 
from where he dragged me, and I'm getting weaker by 
the minute from the blood loss."

"All right, Mulder.  Lie back and try to relax.  It 
will take a while to get the fire going.  We'll need 
that no matter what we decide.  Although we've had a 
mild fall so far, it still gets very cool at night.  
Whenever I get that taken care of I'll examine it 
again then make my final decision."

"Okay, but take your time gathering the wood.  Don't 
push yourself to the point where you further injure 
your knee," he cautioned.

"I won't.  You know, this should be an interesting 
recuperation.  I don't think both of us have been 
unable to walk before," she grinned.

"You're right.  I'm sure your mom will lend us a 
hand."

"That wouldn't be much fun.  We wouldn't be able to 
sleep together if she was around," Scully pouted.

"We'll see," Mulder stated, a twinkle in his eye.

"Mulder, what are you holding back from me?"

"She knows, Scully, and she's very happy for us."

"But how?"

"Remember when she surprised us two weeks ago and you 
made me hide in the bathroom butt-naked while I froze 
said butt off?"

"Yes, I thought we hid it pretty well."

"Scully, my boxers were peeking out from under the 
couch the entire time you sat there and drank tea 
with your mother.  She called me the next day to 
congratulate us."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes.  Relax, Scully.  I told you she's happy.  
She knows we're sleeping together and she said it was 
about time."

"I don't believe this.  I won't be able to look her 
in the eye when we get back," Scully groaned.

"Sure you will.  Scully, you think of your mom as 
that straight-laced Catholic woman who made you go to 
confession every week, Mass every Sunday and 
parochial school during the week.  What you don't see 
is that she's changed with the times.  You should 
take some time to get to know your modern mom.  She's 
pretty cool."

"I'll take that under advisement, Mulder.  I'm sure 
we'll end up having a very long talk whenever we get 
back."

"I'd count on that.  Um, I need to rest for a minute 
or two.  Gettin' a little woozy."

Scully helped him ease back.  When he seemed 
comfortable she began to check his wounds once again.  
The head wound had clotted over and just oozed a bit 
from time to time.  The leg wound, on the other hand, 
still continued to bleed.  She took a strip of her 
torn shirt, tied it around his leg and pulled tight.

"Ow!  Son of a bitch! That hurt!" Mulder wailed.  
"How about giving a guy a little warning the next 
time?"

"I'm sorry, Mulder.  I didn't think."

"It's okay."

"You're still losing too much blood and I needed to 
get some pressure on the wound.  At least you didn't 
have time to tense up.  Is it easing off yet?"

"Yeah," he answered shakily. "More dizzy, though."  
He began to shiver.

"You're going into shock."  She placed her jacket 
over his torso.  "There, maybe that will help until I 
get the fire going."

"Thanks, Scully."

"You rest.  I'm going to start gathering wood."

Scully scooted away from the tree and began gathering 
anything that might possibly burn.  She threw the 
wood toward the center of the clearing.

After resting for a few minutes Mulder was able to 
sit up and scoot back to lean against the tree.  His 
head hurt more when he was sitting but he felt less 
anxious with Scully in plain sight.  Despite his 
worry about Scully his body needed rest.  Although he 
tried to stay awake, he lost the battle.  His head 
slumped forward and he slept.

Mulder was still snoozing when Scully finished 
collecting wood.  She scooted over to the large pile 
of flammable material and arranged it in the best 
configuration to get the fire started easily, 
stacking the surplus to the side.  She figured there 
was enough wood for several hours at least and the 
dead tree would be a steady source of nourishment for 
the fire during the night.  She set two fairly 
straight branches off to the side, away from the rest 
of the wood, intending to use them to splint her knee 
tomorrow.  Scully had made up her mind to try and 
reach the road.  She was afraid Mulder wouldn't last 
much longer without medical intervention.

Although she wanted nothing more than to cuddle up 
next to Mulder and rest, she knew that she had to get 
the fire going first.  After wasting only two matches 
the fire was burning nicely.  Those practice sessions 
with Bill the last time he was in DC really paid off.  
She had vowed to always be prepared whenever a case 
took her anywhere near a forest, yet, here she was, 
stuck in the woods with a dead cell phone and a few 
matches.  Even at that, it was an improvement on that 
night in Florida several years past.

The tired agent finally allowed herself to rest for a 
few minutes, then scooted over to Mulder.  She noted 
that the bleeding had slowed quite a bit but he was 
still losing more blood than she liked from that leg 
wound.  She would definitely need to cauterize it to 
close the wound and stop the bleeding.  Yip came to 
rest beside her.  She stroked his soft coat while she 
considered the unpleasant task ahead.

She suddenly remembered the daypack around her waist.  
It was odd that she hadn't even thought of it until 
now, and even weirder that the robber hadn't noticed 
it.  She opened it with shaking fingers, hoping that 
she would find something useful.  She couldn't seem 
to remember what she'd put in it.  She found her 
billfold with about $50 cash and her credit cards.  
There were also a handful of wet wipes, several 
alcohol pads, a few small band-aids, some sample 
packs of Tylenol, a package of peanut butter crackers 
and a big surprise.  Nestled in the bottom of the 
pack was a loaded, capped syringe with 150 ccs of 
Demerol.

She remembered debating with herself whether to 
include it and threw it in at the last moment even 
though the last thing she anticipated was the 
situation they found themselves in.  She would be 
able to give Mulder two, maybe three injections 
depending on how well he tolerated the pain and the 
50 cc dose she planned to give him to start.  She put 
everything back inside and zipped up the pack.  She 
had rested long enough.  It was time to wake Mulder 
and help him move closer to the fire.

Mulder was slow to awaken. She should have insisted 
that he stay awake but she knew that his body was 
begging for rest.  At least he was oblivious to pain 
during the short time he slept.  

He finally woke with a huge groan and looked around 
confused, blinking at the last few rays of the late 
afternoon sun.  "Scully?  What's up?"

"You need to be.  It's time to move closer to the 
fire, partner.  The sun will be going down soon and 
it's already getting a bit cooler."

"You already got it going?"

"Yep, and I only wasted two matches," she beamed 
proudly.

"I'm impressed."

"To tell you the truth, so am I," Scully laughed and 
then winced as it jiggled her knee.

"How's the knee?"

"I won't lie to you.  It really hurts, but I'll be 
okay."

"I hate to see you suffer, Scully.  I wish there was 
something I could do."

"Just knowing that you care helps.  How are you 
doing, Mulder?"  

"I feel like hell," he sighed.

"That good, huh?  Do you think you can help me scoot 
you over to the fire?"

"Yeah, but why don't we stay here for a while?  You 
need to rest after all of that exertion gathering the 
wood and starting the fire," he shivered.

"Still cold?"

"Yeah."

"All the more reason to move.  Come on.  I've got a 
surprise for you when we get there."  She put her arm 
around his waist.

"No hints?"  

"Come on.  I'll hold onto you in case you get dizzy, 
but I think if we both use our good legs and push off 
at the same time we can do this."

Mulder looked at the fire.  He was really proud of 
his partner.  She'd really done a good job but it 
seemed like an impossible distance away.

"Come on.  Daylight's wasting and we have an 
important decision to make."  Scully began to pull 
him away from the tree as she pushed off with her 
right leg, trying not to move her injured left knee.

By the time the agents reached the fire they were 
both tired and breathing heavily.  The strain of 
doing most of the work was visible on Scully's face.  
She helped Mulder lie down on his back then laid 
beside him on her right side, her left arm across his 
chest.  They lay there as their breathing returned to 
normal.  Finally, Scully forced herself to sit again.  
She opened her fanny pack and began to pull out the 
items she would need.

"So, what's my surprise?"

"Oh, a little something I found in my pack," she 
smiled, pulling out the syringe.  "Just this."

"What is it?"

"Demerol.  150 ccs."

"The good stuff, huh?"

"Uh-huh.  It should make the cauterization procedure 
a little easier to handle."

"So, you've decided?"

"Only if you agree," she assured him.  "Let me take a 
good look at that wound again before we decide 
anything definite.  Would you like an injection 
before I start?"

"No, go ahead.  I can handle it."

Scully put the hypo back in her pack and opened one 
of the alcohol wipes.  She only had five so she had 
to use them sparingly.  She gingerly pulled the 
bandage away causing Mulder to flinch but he didn't 
make a sound.  Scully carefully wiped away some of 
the dirt and dried blood.

The sting of the alcohol was excruciating when it 
mingled with the damaged tissue.  Mulder had vowed 
not to be a wuss so he put all of his concentration 
into not screaming.  So far, it was working even 
though he nearly lost it when Scully began to dab at 
his leg with one of the larger wet wipes

"How's it looking?"

"Well  . . ."

"The truth, Scully."

She sighed loudly.  "To tell the truth, Mulder, I 
don't like what I see."

"Yeah, I tried not to look but I caught a glimpse."

"I'm already starting to see signs of infection 
around the edge.  It will need to be cauterized."  
She took the knife she had borrowed earlier and 
pulled out the largest blade.  Balancing it on a 
piece of wood, she made sure the blade was positioned 
over the fire.  "While we're waiting for that to heat 
up, I'd like to go on and give you that shot of 
Demerol and clean that head wound more thoroughly."

"You're the Queen of Pain today, aren't you Scully?  
While you're at it surely you could think of a few 
more ways to inflict torture upon my body."

"You're right, Mulder.  I probably could.  When was 
the last time you had a prostate check?"

"Uh, never mind.  That was really a dumb, smart-ass 
suggestion."

"Yes, it was.  Now, which hip do you want this in?"

"The closest one."

Scully helped him pull his jeans down to expose 
enough skin to allow the injection.  Mulder grabbed 
her wrist before she could deliver the medication.  
"Don't give me all of it.  I want you to save some 
for yourself."

"But Mulder . . ."

"No buts.  Either you promise to save some for 
yourself or I won't allow you to use it on me."

Scully reluctantly agreed and administered the 
injection.

"How much Demerol is left?"

"I gave you 50 ccs, so that leaves 100."

"What's your normal dosage, Scully?" he grilled.

"Around 35 ccs because of my small stature."

"Do not give me the last 35 ccs, no matter how much I 
might beg for it.  I know you plan to walk out of 
here tomorrow and you're going to need it."

"Whatever you say, Mulder."  She checked the knife 
and decided it wasn't hot enough yet.

Ten minutes passed before Mulder indicated that he 
was getting drowsy.  Scully checked the knife once 
again and found that it was more than sufficiently 
heated to do the job.

"Mulder, I'm sure you know that this is really going 
to hurt.  Don't be afraid to moan, groan, scream or 
curse.  The only thing I ask is that you don't kick 
me."

Mulder smiled.  "You're just as nervous as I am about 
this aren't you?"

"I won't deny it."  Scully was so tense it was 
visible.

"Hey, relax.  You're going to get a muscle cramp.  
You can do this and don't mind me if I do scream.  
You know how much of a wimp I am."

Scully chuckled.  "You can even let loose with a 
girly scream if you must.  Ready?"

Mulder swallowed hard and shook his head yes.  
Without wasting any more time, Scully laid the heated 
knife blade across the larger exit wound.  Mulder's
screams echoed through the forest.

Even though he was hoping to get through the 
procedure by concentrating on the time he and Scully 
would spend together when this was all over, his 
resolve flew out the window when the blade made 
contact with his skin again.  He screamed for all he 
was worth.

Scully was praying he would lose consciousness, at 
least until the pain eased off, but no such luck.  He 
was aware until the very end and then he passed out.  
Scully leaned over to kiss his forehead.  He felt a 
little warm but it could be from the fire.

The next few minutes passed slowly.  She ran her 
fingers through his hair, knowing how much he liked 
it.  A tear started in the corner of her eye and she 
swiped it away quickly.  No sense in Mulder seeing 
her so upset, but it had really hurt her to cause him 
so much pain.

Mulder moaned and opened his eyes.  "Over?" he asked 
hoarsely.

"Yes, and you were very brave."

"Funny, I didn't feel that brave."

"Trust me.  You were.  How's the pain?  I can give 
you more Demerol if you want."

"No, not right now.  How's your knee?"

"I'd be willing to bet that it doesn't hurt as much 
as your leg right now."

"Not fair.  There would be no way to prove that.  
Level with me, Scully.  How're you doing?"

"My knee will be fine.  It's not so bad right now."

"I'm sure it will be fine eventually, but try to rest 
a little.  Quit worrying about me."

"I'll make a deal with you," Scully proposed.  "I'll 
stop worrying about you when you stop worrying about 
me."

"I can't"

"There you have it."

"Why don't you give yourself a little of that 
Demerol?  I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a 
while.  I can keep an eye on things," Mulder 
suggested, yawning.

"Why don't we both stay awake for a while then?  I'll 
have to gather some more wood for the fire before it 
gets really dark.  Then I'll rest."

Scully checked her partner's leg wound again, causing 
a small gasp of pain when she touched his leg.  She 
knew he must be suffering tremendously from the 
cauterization alone, not to mention the damage from 
the bullet.  She smiled at him then carefully moved 
so that she was lying beside him.

"Mmm, you feel nice," Mulder whispered.

She put her left arm across his chest.  "So do you.  
Let's just lie here for a while."

The puppy snuggled up to Mulder's right side.  "Guess 
the little guy's tired."

"Yes, it's been a very long day for all of us."

Mulder tried his best to keep his eyes open but the 
combination of blood loss and the sedative effect from 
the drug finally defeated him.

Scully grinned when he closed his eyes.  She knew 
that he wouldn't be able to stay awake for long.  For 
now, the throbbing in her knee would keep her awake.  
She held him close as the twilight faded into night.

After a few minutes rest she put her tiredness and 
pain aside and reluctantly moved away from her 
partner and scooted over to the dead tree.  The 
temperature was dropping and they would need more 
wood to keep warm throughout the night.  With one 
last glimpse at her sleeping lover, she began the 
task of gathering wood.

By the time she felt the growing stack of wood would 
last through the night her injured knee was sending 
sharp pains up and down her leg.  She managed to 
crawl back to Mulder and after checking his pulse she 
dropped down beside him. In the time she was away 
Mulder's face had become flushed with fever but on 
the good side, his leg wound was no longer bleeding.

The puppy got up and shook himself off then walked 
around to Scully.  He looked up at her with sad eyes, 
his tongue hanging out.

"I know, little guy.  I'm thirsty too."  She reached 
out and petted him.  He responded with a wag of his 
tail then sat down beside her.  She snuggled into 
Mulder.  Although she vowed to stay awake, her need 
for rest overrode her pain and her promise.  Her eyes 
closed and she slept.

Mulder woke to find Scully plastered to his left side 
and even that wasn't enough to stop the shivering 
that accompanied the aches in every joint of his 
body.  The pain in his injured leg was excruciating 
and despite his efforts to keep from waking the small 
woman in his arms, a groan escaped.

"Mulder?"

"S'okay.  Go back to sleep," he urged.

Scully rose and pushed a button on the side of her 
watch.  The Indiglo display lit up and the pale, blue 
light revealed that it was 2 AM.  She felt Mulder's 
forehead and sighed.  He was burning up.

"Sorry I woke you."

"It's a good thing you did.  The fire is almost out.  
Just give me a minute or two and I'll have it going 
again."

"Good.  I was getting a little chilly."

"I imagine you were.  On the other hand, your body 
heat was keeping me quite comfortable."

"Guess we finally found a good use for a fever, 
although I don't feel like it's doing me much good."

"Actually, it is trying to help your body, but we'll 
save the medical school lecture for some other time."  
The doctor/ F.B.I. agent carefully made her way to 
the fire.  After throwing on a few good-sized chunks 
of the dead tree it was soon roaring again.

Mulder observed her slow, painful movement back to 
his side.  "How's the knee?"

"Oh, I'm definitely aware that my knee is injured but 
it's not any worse than it was earlier."

"Wish I could say the same for my leg."

"Do you want more Demerol?"  Scully busied herself 
taking his pulse.

"Not yet.  I don't like the way it makes me feel and 
it makes me have goofy dreams."

"Mulder, with that fever and the amount of pain you 
must be in, a few goofy dreams might be a small price 
to pay for some relief."

"Not yet," he repeated.  "When are you planning on 
leaving?"

"Actually, I didn't say anything about leaving.  You 
did."

"But I know I'm right.  I saw you set aside those 
straighter branches.  You're planning to make a 
splint and hike out of here."

"You are right, Mulder.  I need to get to the road 
and get some help.  It can't be more than a couple of 
miles and I really don't think you can wait on the 
chance that a hunter might happen by."

"Of all the dumb times to leave my phone in the car," 
he sighed.

"It wouldn't have worked anyway."

"Might have.  Why don't you look around for something 
to make another splint?  I'm going with you."

"Mulder, you're too weak and my knee is too sore to 
support you.  Face it.  It's me or wait for a 
hunter."

"I'll worry about you," he protested.

"And I'll worry about you too, but I have to try."

As her partner began to shiver anew Scully lay beside 
him and encircled him in her arms.  He grimaced as 
her movement jarred his leg.

"Sorry."

"S'okay.  Just the broken bone.  The least little 
thing sets it off."

"All the more reason to hike out of here and get 
help."

"It's easing off now."  He took a deep breath.  "I'm 
okay.  Guess I'll have matching scars."

"This one is a little lower and the wound is already 
much bigger.  By the time the surgeon goes in to 
repair and debride, your old scar will pale in 
comparison."

"You don't think I'll lose it?" Mulder choked out.

"Your leg?  No, I don't think so."

"That worries me, you know?  It hurts so much more 
than that time in Raleigh."

"Mulder, you got to the hospital right away and you 
were on a morphine high the first 48 hours.  You 
slept through the worst of it."

"I remember bits and pieces.  Bleeding so much on the 
dock and having trouble breathing in the ER.  Telling 
you not to deal with Boggs.  Worrying about you when 
you were gone so long."

"I'm amazed you remember that much."

"It was a nightmare I'd like to forget.  Ow!  Sorry," 
he gasped.  After a few seconds his breathing settled 
down.  "Another muscle spasm.  Need to lie on my 
side.  Stayed on my back too long."

Scully noticed that he was struggling.  "Do you need 
help?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

His partner helped him move to his left side, knowing 
that he must really be suffering if he accepted help.  
"Mulder, I'm going to give you a little more Demerol.  
Not much.  Just enough to take the edge off."

"You're saving some for yourself?"

"Yes.  Now relax and let me do this."

"This is as relaxed as I get right now."

The doctor/F.B.I. agent carefully injected 30 ccs.

"Ow!"

"Told you to relax."  She lay down beside him again 
and Mulder pulled her into his arms.  "I'm so sorry 
about this, Mulder.  I should have paid more 
attention to what I was doing.  I shouldn't have 
wandered off."

"Hey, it's okay.  We just happened to be in the wrong 
place at the wrong time.  No one's to blame except 
the guy who did this."

"It was such a pretty day and the puppy was so frisky 
. . ."

"Speaking of the pooch, where is he?"

"He's curled up over here beside me.  He really needs 
some water."

"We all do," he sighed.

"Well, I managed to bring matches and some cheese 
crackers with peanut butter but nothing to drink.  
We're so dry now we couldn't even get the crackers 
down.  I thought I was prepared."

"Scully, hush," he whispered.  "You're feeling guilty 
about things you have no control over.  Knock it 
off."

"Thanks.  I guess I do sound pretty pathetic."

"Nah, rather endearing actually.  Just don't make a 
habit of it, okay?  Now, let's get back to sleep.  
You need the rest."

"As do you," she reminded him.

The puppy managed to work his way between them, 
causing Scully to laugh as she moved over slightly to 
make room for him.  She expected a comment from 
Mulder but his eyes were already closed in sleep.  
She reached over to feel his pulse and was relieved 
to find it, somewhat weaker but steady.  She kept her 
fingers on his pulse point as she too gave in to 
sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mulder continued to sleep as Scully affixed the 
splint to her left leg.  Weak, early morning sunlight 
filtered through the trees letting her know that it 
was time to start her trek.  Although she hated to 
wake him, she couldn't leave without saying good-bye.  
She shook him gently.  "Mulder, can you wake up for 
me?"

He was slow to wake and he looked at his 
surroundings, confused, until Scully came into focus.  
"Still here?"

"Of course, I'm still here.  I couldn't leave without 
giving you a good-bye kiss."  She placed a tender 
kiss on his lips.

"Mmm, glad you woke me."

"That was your wake-up kiss.  The good-bye kiss will 
come a little later.  I'd like to take a look at your 
wounds before you leave."

"Please don't. Hurts too much."

"Oh, Mulder."  She hated to leave him like this.  She 
knew that he was burning up with fever and his pain 
levels must be off the charts.  She could tell from 
the sound of his voice and his shortened sentences 
that he was worse.  "I need to check the bleeding.  I 
promise I'll be as gentle as possible."

He sighed and nodded once.  "'Kay."

Despite being as careful as possible, she was unable 
to check him without causing an anguished groan when 
she touched him.  There were 70 ccs of Demerol left 
and she was going to give him the entire amount.  He 
could fuss at her later.  Mulder was in agony and she 
wouldn't let him suffer as long as she could prevent 
it.  While he was still reeling from the pain she 
uncapped the needle and leaned over to embrace him, 
her right hand on his left hip.  When he groaned 
again as another spasm of pain gripped his leg, she 
moved her hand under the waistband of his jeans and 
injected the last of the painkiller.

"Scully, damn it!  You needed that!"  Anger shone in 
Mulder's eyes when he realized what she'd done.

"Not as much as you.  They can shoot me full of 
painkillers after I get help, but until then I'm your 
doctor and I thought you needed it more.  Besides, it 
would have made me very sleepy and sluggish and I can 
make better time without it."

Mulder didn't comment but anger continued to blaze in 
his eyes.

"Mulder, I love you so much, and I can't let you 
suffer when I can do something about it.  You would 
do the same thing if our positions were reversed."

"Come here," he whispered.  He enveloped her in his 
arms and held her as tightly as he could.   "Love you 
too and I understand.  I don't agree but I do 
understand.  Thank you for loving me."

Scully kissed him hard, smoothing his sweat-damp hair 
from his temples.

"'Zat my good-bye kiss?" Mulder managed when they 
came up for air.

"That was my 'I love you kiss.'"  Scully pulled 
away from him and pushed herself over to the 
fire.  She made sure the few remaining coals were 
covered with dirt.  "It should warm up fairly quickly 
and I don't want to take a chance on a stiff breeze 
blowing embers around.  I don't think either one of 
us could outrun a forest fire."

"Good idea."

Scully scooted back over to him.  "I'm going to leave 
in a few minutes.  Is there anything I can do to make 
you more comfortable?"

"Be careful."

"I will.  I promise, and I want you to rest and hang 
in there for me.  Can you do that?"

"I'll try."

"Don't worry," Scully kissed him tenderly.  "That's 
my 'good-bye until I send help' kiss."

"Love you."

"I love you too."  She wiped away the tears that had 
started with the back of her hand.  "See you soon."

As she pushed herself to a standing position, Mulder 
blew her a kiss.  She pantomimed catching it and blew 
one back.  After a long, loving look she limped away.  
Her partner kept his gaze on her until she was out of 
sight

Mulder pulled the puppy close and closed his eyes, 
praying that Scully would be the first thing he saw 
when he opened them again.

Scully found that the pain was much worse than she 
had anticipated.  More than once she was tempted to 
turn back and wait with Mulder in the hope that a 
deer hunter would stumble upon them.  The lack of any 
gunfire in the area urged her on.  They couldn't 
depend on a hunter arriving in time to save Mulder's 
leg, or more importantly his life.  That thought 
alone spurred her on.

She found a sturdy branch and used it to lean on.  
The support it afforded allowed her to move a bit 
faster.  Hungry and thirsty, she continued to push 
past her physical discomfort, her thoughts focused 
only on reaching the road to get help for her 
partner.  With loving thoughts of him to keep her 
moving, she was taken aback when the trees began to 
thin and she found herself only a few yards from the 
road.

"Thank God!" she exclaimed.  Pushing her body those 
last few feet, she almost collapsed beside a 
guardrail hugging a curve in the road.  Scully sank 
onto the seat it provided and prayed that a car would 
soon appear.