Title: Blood (1/1)
Author: RocketMan >lebontrager@iname.com<
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully don't belong to me, and this experience
isn't mine either, but my room mate's Karen. CC, 1013, and Fox own the
X-Files.
SPOILERS:::::This new season's Beginnings, Triangle, and the movie.

Dedicated to Karen, for her courage in the face of needles and fainting.

~~~~
Blood
~~~~

"Mulder, shut up."

He closed his mouth and gave her a grin, moving his hand to where she
could clutch it again.

"It's just amusing-"

"Mulder," she warned, her pale face drawn and closed.

The hospital bed was chilly to the touch, and the blanket in her lap did
little to relieve the cold. The nurse next to her fumbled with the
instruments and guaze and blood bags.

"My Scully, passing out after giving blood. It's funny. I can't help it."

She opened her eyes and shot a murderous glare at him.

"I did *not* pass out."

He shook his head. "Yes, yes you did. I saw your eyes roll back and
slumped."

"Mulder. . ."

"Scully, you fainted. Admit it."

She closed her mouth and turned her head away from him, but he reached out
and brushed his palm along her cheek, chuckling.

"Aw, Scully. . . "

She huffed and held the guaze to her arm, eyes closed, ignoring him.

Mulder turned to the nurse and watched the girl put away the bag, clamping
down the tube and pushing the blood back.

He nodded to her as she left with Scully's blood, and then turned back to
the small woman lying beside him.

"Hey Scully. You can open your eyes. All the bad needles are gone now."

Her eyes shot open and she opened her mouth to lash out at him, but he put
a hand to her lips and smiled.

"Sh, Scully. You'll scare off the little kids out there."

"Mulder, I should have you shot." she whispered and her lips moved against
his skin sensually.

He took her other hand and squeezed, his arm draped across her stomach.

"So why did you give blood anyway, Scully? You hardly weigh enough to make
the minimum."

She poked his stomach and frowned at him. "My nephew, Matthew, is having
heart surgery to repair a valve. He's O and both Tara and Bill are type A,
but I'm O negative."

He blanked. 

She shook her head. "Basically, that means Matthew can only receive blood
from someone else who's his blood type."

Mulder frowned for a second, his face showing the questions.

She smiled. "What's your problem, Mulder?"

"I thought there was a universal donor. . . "

"Right, O neg."

"Then why can't he have blood from-?"

"Mulder, universal *donor*. Meaning giving. I can give blood and anyone
can get it. And people who are AB can receive any kind of blood, A, B, O.
But you'd have to receive O negative blood if you're O negative. None of
the others work."

Mulder lapsed into silence, then his eyebrow quirked and he found
something to say.

"Ooh, Scully. All this science almost made me forget that you fainted."

She groaned and closed her eyes.

Just then the nurse came in, rushing over.

"Miss, miss! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Scully said coldly, struggling to sit up, pushing off the
young nurse.

Mulder smiled and gave the nurse a pat on the arm. "I'll make sure she
gets home safely."

Scully stood suddenly, then found herself in Mulder's arms as her legs
refused to work, sliding right back down to the bed.

"Tsk, tsk, Dr. Scully. You should know better."

She couldn't even manage a retort, simply pushed on him to let her up.

"Your turn now, Mr. Mulder?" the nurse asked, holding out the needle.

Scully chuckled as he paled, turning to her to get him off the hook.

"Yeah, Mulder. Your turn."

The nurse pushed him to the bed, and Scully sat in the chair he vacated.

"No, really, that's okay."

The woman hesitated, then turned to Scully.

She nodded. "I'm his physician. Go ahead."

"No really, Scully. I'm a wimp. You don't want to see a grown man cry."

She smiled evilly. "Actually, Agent Mulder, I would."

"Oh, come on, Scully. I won't tell anyone you fainted."

"No you won't. Especially since no one would believe you anyway."

He frowned darkly as the iodine was liberally washed along his skin, the
crook of his arm turning a strange orange brown.

"Scully. . ." he said pitifully, reaching out to grab her arm.

She held his hand tightly and smiled at the panicked look flitting across
his face.

But when he let out a startled yelp as the needle went in, she frowned and
pushed in closer to him, touching his forehead.

"Mulder. . .it's okay. It doesn't hurt."

"Just remind me why I'm doing this, okay?"

"Matthew, a little boy who has to have surgery, Mulder. You're doing a
good thing."

He shook his head and let out a startled gasp as the nurse unclamped the
tube and let his blood flow into the sack hanging on the bed.

"Here, Mr. Mulder. Squeeze this please."

She placed a small rubber ball in his hand, pushing his fingers around it.

He gently complied, his face twisting into a mask of agony.

"Mulder," Scully chided softly. "It doesn't hurt that much."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, it does."

She shook her head and brushed his hair from his forehead, sighing and
tracing the lines along his eyes, making him relax.

"Almost there, Mulder," she said, glancing down to the bag filling with
his dark purpley blood.

The bed was propped up so that he could see right into her eyes as she sat
beside him, and they were filled with a kind of sympathetic tenderness ans
genuine concern that made him smile softly.

"Just keep talking to me. It feels like they're draining me dry."

She smiled for his benefit and smoothed her hand along his forehead.

"When I was little and we had to go to the doctor's office for a shot, my
mom used to buy us milkshakes afterwards, and if we got our blood taken,
then we got ice cream from McDonalds."

He gave her a weak smile. "Do I get an ice cream, Mommy?"

She shook her head and patted his hand. "Sure baby. What kind?"

"Chocolate," he said with relish and smiled again.

"All right then, chocolate it is."

He gave a half-hearted cheer, and glanced quickly to his arm.

She softly laughed as he turned green, but curiousity got the better of
him and he peeked another look.

"Woah. That's a lot of blood."

She shrugged. "A pint."

He gaped. "That's a *pint.* It looks like gallons! It *feels* like
gallons."

She chuckled. "Nope, a pint, you wimp."

"Hey, she's calling me names," he said plaintively to the nurse, who
simply shrugged and glanced helplessly over at Scully.

"Mulder, stop harassing the nurses."

He gave her a petulant look and poked at her stomach. "Hey, you're the one
who volunteered me. I get to say whatever I want."

Scully's eyebrow raised and her fingers smoothed along his arm.

He glanced back to the bag.

"What's wrong with it?"

"What do you mean?"

"My blood is. . .purple."

"Mulder, mine was too."

"Oh."

She looked at him carefully.  "Were you not watching?"

He had a sheepish look on his face. "No."

"You're not afraid of blood, Mulder. You've been calm at crime scenes
and-"

"Yes, but Scully, it's not *my* blood and it's not *your* blood."

"If it's my blood, that makes a difference?"

"Yes."

She shrugged and glanced back to the bag.

"Oh, look at that, Mulder. All done. Now keep still so she can take out
the needle."

He paled. "The needle is still in there?"

"Weren't you watching when they did it to me?"

"Absolutely not." he said with firmness, gripping her hand tightly as he
felt the woman pull the needle from his arm.

"Okay, press down on the guaze, and hold your arm above your head."

He did as he was told and looked out from behind his limb at Scully, his
eyes looking sleepy.

"Hey, Scully. . . ."

She looked over at him.

"I think I'm going to throw up."

The nurse jumped back, rushing for the garbage can, as Scully stood and
quickly lowered the head of the bed and elevated his feet.

He gave her a weak smile, his hand seeking for hers, and once he felt her
grip it, he lost consciousness.

Scully leaned over and patted his face, taking the cool washcloth from the
nurse and placing it on his neck. She softly called his name, stroking his
cheek with her damp fingers and smiling somewhat.

His eyes flickered open and he immediately saw her there.

"Hey Scully?" he said hoarsely.

She nodded, brushing her fingertips along his lips.

"I won't tell if you won't tell."
~~~~

end
adios
RM