Title: Both Author: Susan E-mail: susanf34@comcast.net Classification: vignette, challenge fic, Other POV Spoiler: Brand X Rating: PG Archive: No archive without permission except at the Fandomonium site. Disclaimer: On paper, Mulder isn't mine. In my head, he is. Written for Fandomonium's Voyeur Challenge. After writing "Mystery Man" a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't resist writing a second voyeur fic.:) The challenge elements can be found at the end, and both stories can be found at my site here: http://possibilities.bravehost.com/ Summary: I sure would like to be able to help him out somehow, especially after all that he's been through. ******************************************************* Both by Susan ~~~~ When I started my shift tonight, my supervisor told me that it was my turn to take care of the FBI agent in room 503. Since then, I've been in his room about every fifteen minutes. Don't get me wrong...I actually like the guy and think those full lips and gorgeous eyes of his are to die for...but I have to say he's been quite a challenge for me tonight. He insists on having sunflower seeds even though all he's supposed to have is liquids. He wants his IV removed so he can walk around even though he's not strong enough to get out of bed yet. He keeps asking for the phone even though it's after 1:00 in the morning. And he wants *me* to help him with all those things. Of course, if I had a choice in the matter, I'd give him everything he's asked for, but since I'm his nurse and not his doctor, I don't have much say about what he can and can't have. Still, I sure would like to be able to help him out somehow, especially after all that he's been through. Tobacco beetles invading his lungs and having to get them vacuumed out of there six times? In all my years of nursing, I've never seen anything like it. And apparently neither has anyone else. Now that he's finally starting to get better and is actually able to talk, he's had a steady stream of people going in and out of his room most of the day. Poor guy. He can barely rasp out a handful of words, and all these doctors, FBI people, and tobacco company representatives keep asking him the same questions about how he's feeling and what he's going to do once he gets out of the hospital. How the hell do they think he's feeling? He had hundreds of bugs crawling around inside of his lungs, for Christ's sake. I have to say he's been a much better sport about it than I would be if it were me in that bed. "Okay, Agent Mulder, what is it this time?" I teased, rolling my eyes as I walked into his room for the third time in less than an hour. "Or did you just call me because you wanted to see my pretty face again?" "I can't sleep," he rasped. "Are you in pain?" I replied, concerned that he didn't give me one of his usual witty responses. He shook his head no. "I just want to...call my partner." I felt his forehead, checking to see if it was warm. It wasn't. "I told you before. You can't call her. It's quarter after one in the morning, and besides, I don't think Agent Scully would appreciate the phone ringing in the middle of the night." "She's used to it," he said softly. "She's used to getting phone calls from you at this late hour?" He swallowed and clutched his chest at the same time. "She's used to... getting them at... *any* hour..." he said, his voice now straining to get out the words, his lungs straining with every breath. It was painful for me to watch. It was also obvious that he wasn't going to settle down for the night until he got what he wanted. Reluctantly picking the phone up off the nightstand, I set it down on the side of his bed. "Tell anyone I let you do this, and I'll cut the ties on the back of your hospital gown," I said with a smile. "I won't tell...if you won't," he croaked. I pressed the button on his remote to raise him to a more upright position, then adjusted the pillow behind his back. "Just be done talking by the time I come back in here in fifteen minutes." "Okay," he whispered as he reached out and touched my arm. "And...thank you." "Fifteen minutes, Agent Mulder," I repeated firmly, giving his IV line a quick check. I left him alone then, and as I closed the door behind me, I knew for certain that I'd made the right decision in letting him make the call. I just hoped that nobody would find out about it. Then again, would I really get into trouble if he told somebody what I did for him? Judging from all the fuss that's been made over him since he was brought in here, I don't think any of the other nurses would object to me cutting the ties on the back of his hospital gown. In fact, they'd probably argue over who gets to help me. Chuckling at the image of half a dozen nurses pinning a hot FBI agent to his bed so they could cut the ties on his gown and get a sneak peek of some skin, I dropped off his chart at the nurses' station, looked through two other patients' charts, then went back and glanced through his window to make sure he was doing okay. Much to my surprise, he was better than okay. He was asleep. And right now, that's what he needed more than anything else. Going back into his room, I carefully slid the receiver out from between his ear and his shoulder, and was surprised to find that Agent Scully was still on the line. After telling her what his condition was, I hung up, and put the phone back on the night stand, then checked his monitor and took his pulse one last time. His blood pressure was lower, his breathing was less labored, and he looked much more relaxed than when my shift started. Turning out the light above his bed, I smiled at the man now peacefully sleeping there, and as I walked back to the nurses' station, I couldn't decide what I found more amazing. The fact that someone could survive after having hundreds of bugs vacuumed out of their lungs. Or that they could be content simply listening to another person's voice on the phone. Lucky for me, I got the chance to take care of a man tonight who showed me it was possible to do both. ~end~ The elements for this story were: -Scully or Other POV (i.e. Scully/other as the voyeur) -Can have Mulder doing anything (eating seeds, reading over a casefile, changing clothes, mowing the lawn, washing dishes, surfing the net, pumping gas etc. etc.) -Pure description (i.e. little or no dialogue) -It must be a new fic. possibilities http://possibilities.bravehost.com/