Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2000

Title: The Fifth Time
Author: Susan Frankovich
E-mail: susanf@ticnet.com
Classification: VA, third person point of view
Spoilers: End Game
Archive: Anywhere, just ask first please.
Disclaimer: These characters belong to each other,
not me. The few words of Scully's dialogue in the
beginning of the story were taken directly from End
Game.

Author's Notes: The Colony/End Game story is one
of my all time favorite two-parters, and I've always
wanted to write a vignette about it. Last night I
watched End Game on FX and was finally inspired to do
just that.:) This vignette is written from the point
of view of one of the nurses who was there when
Scully first came bursting through the hospital doors.
I don't write many third person POV poems or stories
so I'd love to know if I was successful with this one...

Summary: She was afraid for him, and so was I.
***************************************************************

The Fifth Time
by Susan Frankovich
~~~~~~

The first time I saw her was when she burst through the
ER doors in a breathless panic.

"I'm Dana Scully...Agent Mulder's partner. What are his
vitals?"

She immediately got the attention of everyone in the room,
especially Dr. Jameson, who was not at all pleased about
having an FBI agent tell him how to treat a patient.

But as she pleaded her case and explained what needed to
be done for her partner, I could tell he believed that
what she was saying was true.

Dr. Jameson then proceeded to do something I've never seen
him do in all my years of working with him.

He let her take over *his* ER room.

I was impressed with the way she took command of the
situation, but I was even more intrigued with the way
she looked at her partner.

And the way she gently ruffled his hair right after
bringing him back to life.

And the way she spoke with such determination.

"He's going to make it."

It was that brief gesture and those few words that told
me for sure what I had suspected the moment she came
crashing through those two doors.

She and Agent Mulder were more than just FBI partners.

~~~~~~

The second time I saw her, she was sitting by his bed
in intensive care. She was holding his hand and her eyes
were closed.

I think she was praying.

I waited a few seconds, wondering whether or not I should
go inside and disturb them, but quickly decided against it
when I heard her begin to softly cry.

She had been so in control in the ER, so focused on saving
his life before that I don't think she really let herself
comprehend all that was happening to him.

But she was alone with him now.

And she wept.

I quietly closed the door and left, saying a brief prayer
of my own.

~~~~~~

The third time I saw her was the next morning.

The other nurses told me that she had stayed by his side
through the night, only leaving his room once to make a
quick phone call.

Of course, that didn't surprise me.

She had been relentless in her vigil over him, yet
somehow she always remained calm and professional when
dealing with me or the other nurses.

In all honesty, I don't know how she managed to keep
herself together.

God knows if it was Thomas lying in that bed fighting
for his life, I don't know how I would manage to keep
on top of things the way she has, let alone stay so in
control of my emotions.

But this morning for the first time, I saw a different
side of Agent Dana Scully.

Yes, she was smart and strong, but she was also a woman
in love.

I heard the way she whispered words of encouragement to
him when she thought I wasn't listening.

I saw the way she gently placed her hand in his after I
finished taking his vitals.

I saw the deep concern in her eyes when I told her that
his blood pressure still hadn't stabilized.

She was afraid for him, and so was I.

~~~~~~

The fourth time I saw her was two days later.

I had just come on for my shift and was looking at Agent
Mulder's chart to see when his last set of vitals were
taken when she came out of the women's restroom.

She looked exhausted, and for the first time since she
had made her heroic appearance in the ER, I sensed a
change in her.

She was losing hope.

When I led her into her partner's room, she moved slowly.
However, once I opened the door, she quickly walked over
to him and took her usual spot next to his bedside.

She carefully grasped his forearm with both hands and
bowed her head. Then I quietly closed the door, saying
yet another prayer for both of them as I left.

After updating some files on the computer and gathering
the chart for my next patient check, I realized that I
had left my stethoscope in Agent Mulder's room. Not
wanting to disturb them, yet really needing to retrieve
my stethoscope, I headed back towards his room.

I was just about to turn the door handle when I heard
something.

Voices.

Two voices.

I closed my eyes for a moment and let out a huge sigh
of relief, then opened the door.

And when I saw her for the fifth time, she was smiling.

~end~


~All my poems and stories can be found at:
http://members.tripod.com/sfrankovich/index.html