Title: A Night To Remember

Author: Waddles 52

Summary: Mulder’s big plans for Valentine’s Day have

to be changed after a car accident lands him in the

hospital in California.

Rating: PG 13

Category: MT, MSR

Disclaimer: As if you didn’t know by now. Just for

fun. Not for profit.

Archives: Written for VS10, Valentine’s special.

After two weeks it can go just about anywhere as long

as you let me know.

Acknowledgements: As always to Vickie, who got me

started on this fun journey, and to Lisa for

listening to me rant and rave about life in general.

Feedback: I would love to hear from you at

Waddles52@wmconnect.com

“Have you got everything packed and ready to go?”

Mulder asked rather impatiently. “I don’t want to

miss our flight.”

“I’m just double-checking to be sure we have

everything,” Scully answered, turning in a circle to

survey the motel room.

“Okay. I’m going to take the bags down to the

rental.”

“We’ve got plenty of time, Mulder. Calm down!”

Scully laughed, used to seeing a much more laid-back

partner.

It was February 13th and they had been working a case

in California for the past two weeks. They were both

relieved that the case had wound up that morning

because they had big plans for Valentine’s Day.

Mulder was being very secretive about the plans he’d

made, but Scully was sure it would be a night to

remember. With a last look around the room she

locked the door and headed for the car.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting in bumper-to-

bumper traffic. Mulder tapped the steering wheel and

kept looking at his watch, all the while cursing

under his breath.

“Mulder, if you don’t relax you’re going to have a

stroke,” Scully chided him.

“I just want to get home,” he sighed. “I have quite

a few things to do before tomorrow night.”

“We’ll get there. Look, the traffic is starting to

move,” Scully pointed out.

“Hallelujah!” he exclaimed as he stepped on the gas

pedal.

The traffic jam seemed to disappear and the car was

soon traveling slightly above the speed limit.

“I would sure like to know what has gotten you so

uptight about tomorrow night,” Scully stated as they

continued to move at a steady pace.

“It’s a surprise, Scully, but trust me, you’re going

to love it.”

“Maybe I should be very afraid.”

Mulder’s expression changed to one of disappointment.

“Mulder, I’m just teasing you. All of your surprises

lately have been very nice,” she purred, laying her

head on his shoulder.

“Let me assure you. This is going to be over the

top,” he grinned.

“You’re sure you won’t give me a hint?”

“Nope.”

“You’re mean,” she giggled, punching him on the

shoulder.

“Take it easy! You know how easily I bruise.”

“Mulder, look out!” Scully screamed.

Mulder’s attention was drawn to a tractor-trailer

that had jack knifed in the curve ahead. In the span

of just a few seconds they found themselves in the

middle of a massive pile-up.

“Shit!” he exclaimed before darkness claimed him.

“Mulder, wake up!” Scully pleaded. The cars had

stopped their demolition derby maneuvers and all was

quiet.

“What? Scully, you okay?”

“Some bumps and bruises, but I think I’m okay. What

about you? You took a pretty hard hit on your side.”

“Hurts.”

“Where, Mulder? What hurts?” she asked as she

unbuckled her seat belt and tried to move closer to

him.

“Everything. Left side. You okay?”

“I’m all right. Don’t try to move, okay?”

“Hurts too much to move. Scully, you okay? What

happened?”

Scully sighed as she tried to open her door. At the

very least he had a concussion. They wouldn’t be

leaving today for sure. She pushed the door open and

made her way over to Mulder’s side.

She observed cars all around them, at odd angles and

in various states of destruction. A few people were

beginning to survey the damage and check on others.

With a little help from the man in the car behind

them, Scully was able to get the driver’s side door

open. She knelt beside Mulder to check his injuries.

She looked him over and moaned, “Oh, Mulder.”

Mulder was on a bumper car ride at the carnival.

Scully was sitting next to him as the car came to a

shuddering halt. He looked over and realized she was

gone. “Scully?”

“I’m here, Mulder,” he heard her answer to his right.

He slowly pried his eyes open to find that he was in

a hospital bed instead of the ride.

“Where? What happened?”

“We managed to wind up in the middle of a 17 car

pile-up. How are you feeling?” Scully asked,

dreading the answer.

“Left side hurts. You okay?”

“I’m a little banged up, but it’s not too bad. You

managed to get the worst of it.”

“Gotta get up and catch our flight,” Mulder

announced, making a move to sit up. Instead he was

overwhelmed by waves of pain and nausea as he quickly

sank back into the pillows.

“Mulder, take it easy. You’ll be doing well if

you’re out of here by my birthday.”

“No, we have to be home by tomorrow,” he insisted.

“I don’t think so. Mulder, your left side is a mess.

Your shoulder, knee and hip were dislocated. You’re

probably going to need surgery on that knee, by the

way. You also have three broken ribs, a left tib-fib

fracture and a mild concussion. You’re not going

anywhere.”

“Maybe tomorrow?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Damn, Scully. My surprise.”

“Your surprise can be rescheduled. You need to stop

worrying about that and let yourself heal.” Scully

took his right hand in hers. “You really gave me a

scare.”

“I don’t really remember much about it. Are you sure

you’re all right?”

“Yes, Mulder. I’ve been checked out and they didn’t

find anything more than a few scrapes and bruises.

You got most of the impact.”

“Feels like it. Hurts.”

“I know. After the doctors check your orientation

and responses they will probably let you have a

pretty strong pain killer.”

“Hope so. Why don’t you leave? You’ve got to be

tired. You look like you could use some rest.”

“I’ll find a motel in a bit. I want to stay with you

a while longer. Don’t worry about me. Just close

your eyes and try to sleep.”

Mulder finally convinced Scully to leave shortly

before midnight. The doctor had been in and decided

that he was sufficiently oriented to receive narcotic

painkillers. A hefty dose was administered and

Mulder slept for several hours.

The pain woke him with a vengeance. “Damn, why do

things always get so screwed up?” he thought. He had

made reservations at an exclusive restaurant with the

finest cuisine, service to match and strolling

musicians to add to the romantic atmosphere. He was

sure Scully would have loved it. After that he had

planned to drive to one of the most popular bed and

breakfasts in Maryland. To keep the romantic theme

going, he had reserved the honeymoon suite. Skinner

had even given them a few extra days off.

“Damn it! When will we ever catch a break?” he

sobbed. He tried to stop them, but the combination

of pain and frustration won out and the tears

continued to fall.

A nurse came in to check his vitals and IV. He

tried to brush the tears away but the nurse was very

observant and also very concerned. “Mr. Mulder, are

you having a lot of pain right now? I can get you

something for that.”

“I’m okay,” Mulder answered, rather shakily.

“You don’t look okay to me. What’s going on?”

Normally Mulder would have ignored her, but for some

reason he started to tell her about Scully and his

big plans that had been wrecked as surely as the car.

Patti Sims pulled up a chair and listened to her

patient pour his heart out.

Early Valentine’s morning, Scully entered Mulder’s

room expecting to see him in the same agitated

condition as the night before. Instead he was

sleeping peacefully, and was that a smile on his

face?

Mulder was in considerable pain throughout the day

and took the painkillers willingly. Whenever he was

awake his mood was very upbeat and he smiled a lot.

In fact, everyone on the staff seemed to be smiling a

lot. “Must be Valentine’s happiness,” she sighed.

Though she was puzzled by Mulder’s mood shift, she

decided to embrace it. He was due for some more pain

medication around six and she thought that would be a

perfect time to get something to eat. To her

surprise, Mulder refused his medication and his

dinner, not that he would have been able to eat much

anyway.

“Mulder, you need to try to eat a little something,”

she coaxed. “And you know you’ll be in agony without

your pain meds. What gives?”

“I don’t like feeling so groggy and as far as

hospital food goes . . .” he left his comment in the

air.

A young nurse came in and checked Mulder’s IV.

“Scully, this is Patti Sims. She’s my night nurse

and she put up with my crappy mood last night.”

“You have my sympathy,” Scully responded.

“Oh, he’s not that bad,” Patti replied.

An aide entered, carrying a dozen long-stemmed roses.

“Dana Scully?” she inquired.

“That’s me,” Scully answered.

“I have a delivery for you.”

Scully accepted them with a look of surprise on her

face. “Mom must have sent these,” she thought as she

opened the card. She was shocked when she saw that

they were from Mulder. “Mulder, how?”

Before she could get an answer to her question,

another aide pushed a cart into the room. It was

covered with a white cloth but Scully could tell that

it was food. A wonderful aroma filled the room.

“Mulder, what have you been up to and when? I’ve

been with you all day.”

Again, before her question could be answered a young

man wearing a tux entered the room. He was carrying

a guitar.

“Miss Scully,” Patti began, “Mulder was so upset that

you had to miss out on your Valentine’s plans that we

decided to help him out.” She pulled the cover from

the cart, revealing a feast of surf and turf.

“I know it’s not Antonio’s,” Mulder explained, “But

Patti assured me that Fredrico’s would come in a

close second.”

“You planned to take me to Antonio’s?” Scully asked,

her face reflecting her astonishment.

“I had the reservations for three months.”

The guitarist began to play softly.

“I’d planned on a violinist, but I think this will

do,” Mulder smiled. “Dave comes highly recommended.”

“He’s my husband,” Patti supplied.

“Go on and eat before it gets cold,” Mulder

suggested.

Scully walked over to survey the cart loaded with

salads, shrimp cocktail, lobster, steak and assorted

vegetables and desserts.

“This is amazing, Mulder.”

“Patti and the others really stepped up and pulled

this together.”

“Thank you,” Scully offered. “I don’t know what to

say. I’m really overwhelmed.”

“Why don’t you fix that man of yours a plate?” Patti

suggested as she brought some battery-operated

candles from under the cart and placed them around

the room. After she placed the last candle she

strode to the door. “Miss Scully, you have a very

special man here.”

“I agree. Thank you for helping Mulder with the

arrangements. This will be a night I will always

remember.” She brought a plate to Mulder and kissed

him softly on the lips.

“Oh, I have one more thing for you.” Patti pulled a

card from her pocket and handed it to Scully as Dave

finished one song and began to play another. “Take

good care of him,” she smiled as Scully opened the

card. Patti and the aide left the room while Dave

continued to play in the background.

Scully offered Mulder a bite of the shrimp cocktail.

“Sorry babe. I don’t think I can handle that right

now. I might try a little of the baked potato after

you read the card.”

“Okay,” she agreed, putting the plate down. She

opened the card and brushed a tear aside as she read

it. “The Beaufort Inn? Mulder, you really had this

planned out didn’t you?”

“Only the best for my Scully. We’ll just have to

arrange another trip, maybe the Bahamas or Jamaica?”

“Mulder, I love you,” she smiled and hugged him very

gently. “And I’m not just saying it because you went

to all this trouble and expense.”

“I know that, Scully. You put up with so much shit

from me that I just wanted to show you how special

you are, and like always my plans got screwed up.”

“It wasn’t your fault you know, and the fact that you

were able to pull all of this off from a hospital bed

makes it even more memorable.” She gave him another

kiss.

Mulder shifted a bit so he could deepen the kiss.

Despite his efforts to conceal it, a cry of pain

escaped.

“Mulder, that’s enough. You’ve got to have some pain

medication.”

“I don’t want to be groggy. I want to spend this

time with you.”

“And I won’t enjoy myself if you’re in agony,” she

countered.

“How about a compromise? Half a dose?” Mulder

ventured.

“No, you need the full effect of the medication.”

“That’s my final offer, Scully. Half or none at

all.”

“All right, Mulder,” Scully decided. “This is

against my better judgment, but I’ll go along with it

for an hour, then you get the rest.”

Mulder could tell by the set of her jaw that she

meant it, so he agreed.

After the medication was administered, Dave played

while Scully ate and fed Mulder a few bites of the

baked potato. When she offered him another bite he

held his hand up. “No more. I’m sorry, but I’m just

not hungry,” he sighed.

“I figured as much. Whenever you’re better we’re

going to Antonio’s, my treat.”

Mulder started to protest.

“No, Mulder. This works both ways. Can’t a woman do

something for the man she loves?”

“You do, Scully. Every time I’m in the same room

with you and I breathe the air that you breathe,

you’re granting me a great privilege.”

Dave sensed that he was no longer needed so he took

his guitar and quietly left. Neither Mulder nor

Scully noticed.

“Mulder, you’re getting really sappy,” Scully

giggled, “But I like it.”

“I just can’t help it when I’m around you,” he

smiled, then winced.

“Mulder, that’s it. I’m calling for the other half

of your pain medication now,” she decided, reaching

for the call button.

“This time you’ll get no argument from me. I’m sorry

to be a party-pooper, but I don’t think I can hold

out much longer.”

Patti came in with the ‘magic needle’ and deposited

the rest of Mulder’s pain meds into his IV. “The

muscle relaxant that the doctor ordered is in this

too, so give her a quick kiss before you sail away.”

“That fast, huh?” he questioned.

“Yep.” She deposited the hypodermic in the sharps

container and left.

“Stay awhile?” he asked Scully.

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me out of here,” Scully

assured him.

“Lay with me?” Mulder asked, already feeling the

effects of the combined medications.

“Until they make me leave.” She slipped out of her

shoes and lowered the rail. Mulder was asleep by the

time she carefully arranged herself beside him. She

put her arm across him, careful to avoid his injuries

and the various lines and monitors.

“Dana Scully, you are one lucky woman,” she thought

as she snuggled into him as much as she could. A

special Valentine’s surprise despite his painful

injuries and his love every day, every minute. Yes,

this truly was a night to remember. She whispered in

his ear. “Sleep well, Mulder. I love you.”

A few minutes latter Patti looked in the door to

observe her patient. He and his love were sleeping

soundly. She closed the door and smiled. “That

worked out quite well.”

She picked up the next chart and started down the

hall, glad that she had been a participant in their

night to remember.

End