HOME AGAIN

CHAPTER 4



When Krycek got up the next morning he fixed two cups of coffee and headed over to Mulder's room. He found him at the end of the hall at the railing watching the goings on below.



"Good morning. Did you get any sleep?" He handed Mulder a cup.



"Yes, I did; thanks." He took the coffee and sipped it as they walked down ramp to Medical.



"How's he doing?" Alex asked Jeremiah as they entered.



"He seems much better this morning though he's not awake yet. I do think he will be waking soon. All his vitals are looking good."



"Oh that's good news; thanks." Alex said as he and Mulder went into Skinner's room.



They were standing on either side of Skinner's bed when he woke up.



"What the … Mulder? What's going on? Where am I?"



Krycek reached out and grabbed his arm, "Walter!"



"Krycek!" Skinner said and jerked his arm back. "Mulder, what's going on here and why is Krycek here?"



Mulder and Krycek exchanged glances as Jeremiah joined them. "Good morning, Walter. How are you feeling?"



"I know you … you're that healer." Skinner said and turned back to Mulder again. "Mulder … explain!" He ordered.



"A…Sir; you've been … not well and Jeremiah Smith here has been looking after you."



"But why? I thought he only treated abductees?"



"You don't remember anything?" Krycek asked.



"What I remember and don't remember is none of your business, Krycek. Why are you here and what do you want?" Skinner tried to sit up and Mulder pressed the lever on the side of the bed raising him to a sitting position.



Krycek backed away a few steps and Mulder could see the pain in his eyes. Skinner didn't remember him; at least not the Krycek he'd been sharing a life with this past year.



Realization hit the three standing at about the same time. Smith tried to smooth things over. "Alex is the one who found you and brought you in. He saved your life."



Skinner stared at Smith, trying to make sense of words that made no sense to him. He glanced at Mulder for confirmation.



"It's true, Sir."



"Found me where? If he found me somewhere it was because he was probably responsible for whatever happened to me. What do you want, Krycek?"



"I … I just wanted to make sure you were OK." Krycek said.



Skinner gave him his best AD glare.



"Sir? You don't remember anything?" Mulder asked.



"Anything about what? Are you going to tell me what happened; why I'm here in this hospital bed?" He glanced back and forth between Mulder and Smith.



"You were in need of medical assistance so you were brought here. You are well now physically but apparently you are suffering some memory loss."



"Memory loss?" Skinner questioned.



"What's the last thing you remember before waking up here?" Mulder asked.



"I was at my desk; in my office. At least … I think I was. It's all kind of foggy."



"Well, don't let it worry you," Smith advised, "A little bit of disorientation is not uncommon. Just try and relax and get plenty of rest. I'm sure things will start coming back to you."



"How long have I been here under your care?" Skinner asked Smith.



"Just over night."



"Oh, good; not all that long. I need to get out of here. Mulder, do you have your car? Can you give me a ride home?" He started to get out of bed and Smith stopped him.



"Whoa there. I think you need to stay put for a while. After all; it's Saturday. You don't have any appointments on a Saturday do you?"



"It's Saturday?" Skinner rubbed his forehead. "No; no appointments today."



"It really would be best if you stayed put until a little of that confusion clears up." Smith said.



"Are you going to tell me what happened to me?"



"I can assure you that you are going to be just fine. It might take a little while to clear up the confusion in your mind but I'm sure it will all come back to you. It would be much better if you remembered on your own."



"Did he really save my life?" Skinner asked Mulder as he nodded towards Krycek who was now at the foot of the bed and ready to walk out.



"Yes, he did." Mulder answered and started to walk out as well.



"Mulder, wait; don't go. Can you stay … just a while; until things clear up a little?"



Mulder looked over to Smith who nodded OK; then he looked at Krycek who just stared at Skinner then turned and walked out the door.



"Sure. I can stay a while. But I don't think I'm supposed to answer any questions."



"Let him try and put the pieces together by himself, Mulder. The sooner he remembers, the sooner he'll be back on his feet." Smith advised as he made his exit after Krycek.



"What's this all about, Mulder? Can you tell me anything?" Skinner asked.



"Not much. Can I get you anything; how about some coffee or breakfast?"



"Actually, I am hungry; starving in fact." Skinner answered relaxing a little once he was alone with Mulder.



"I'll talk to Smith and see about getting something brought in. I'll be right back."



He went out into the outer room to find Smith consoling Krycek with a hand on his shoulder and some quiet assurance.



"Excuse me; he says he's hungry. Can we get something for him to eat?" Mulder asked; his eyes not missing the slight movement of Krycek wiping a tear away with the shrug of his shoulder.



"Certainly. What about you? Have you eaten?" Smith asked.



"No. That would be nice. Whatever you have will be fine." Mulder said and after giving Krycek another look, rejoined Skinner in his room. He felt a little sick to his stomach and hoped that Smith was right and Skinner's memory would return soon.



He got back into Skinner's room just in time to see him trying to get out of bed.



"Hold on there; where you going?" Mulder asked as he steadied Skinner.



"Bathroom. I need a bathroom … now!" Skinner said, looking around the small room.



"That looks like one; hold on and let me check." Mulder went over and checked behind a closed door. It was indeed a bathroom and he helped Skinner cross the room and waited outside for him.



Skinner had barely made it inside, got the door closed and his gown pushed aside before he ejaculated. He was shocked. That hadn't happened to him in years. He finished his business then made it back to his bed with Mulder hovering at his side and lending an arm for support.



"I need to get out of here, Mulder." He said as he sat back down in his bed but even as he said it, he knew he was too weak to go very far.



"When you're stronger," Mulder sympathized, "I'm sure they'll release you."



"What the hell happened to me? Can't you just give me a clue here, Mulder? I need some help."



"I would if I could but let's just play it the doctor's way for now and see what happens. Give yourself a little time to relax and maybe it'll all start coming back." Mulder said as he pulled the covers back up.



"God, I want to get out of here! I just want to get back to my apartment and sleep in my own bed." Skinner rubbed his eyes.



Their breakfast was brought in and they ate in silence. Skinner commented when he had finished, "At least the food is good here. Doesn't taste like any hospital food I've ever had before."



"It is good. That's just the way I like my scrambled eggs; not runny."



"Mulder, I know you can't tell me anything specific but I just can't believe that I'd be out on any assignment that involved Krycek. I guess it was the three of us?"



"No. I didn't come in until the end."



"You mean I accepted an assignment working with Krycek? Or did whatever happened to me happen; and he just accidentally found me?"



"Do you have any feel for that at all?" Mulder asked.



"No, I don't. Except that I can't see me accepting any assignment with Krycek so he must have just found me somewhere." He looked to Mulder for confirmation but all he got was a blank look.



"You're not going to help me here?"



"I'll help you in any way I can, but I can't give you the answers. You have to remember those for yourself. You say the last thing you remember was sitting at your desk?"



"Uh huh; that's right."



"Which desk; the one in your office or the one in your apartment? Describe it to me."



"You know what my desk looks like; it's just a desk."



"Close your eyes and think about that desk. Can you see it?"



"Yes."



"What's on top of it? Tell me what you see."



"Papers, files, a silver frame, a deck of cards."



"Look down at the carpet. What color is it?"



"Multi colored; blue, gold, dark red, green. Gem tones, I think they call it."



"OK. Open your eyes."



Skinner did as he was told.



"You said you had papers and files on your desk. Do you remember what they were?"



Skinner strained to remember but shook his head and said, "No. Nothing."



"OK. You said you saw a silver frame. Who's it a picture of?"



Skinner thought for a moment then said, "I don't know. I think it's … no; that doesn't make any sense."



"What?" Mulder prodded.



"A little blond girl." But that's not possible. What would I be doing with a photograph of a little blond girl?"



"What color is the carpet in your living room of your condo?"



"White."



"Your office at the Hoover?"



"Beige; why?"



"That's not the carpet you just described."



"But I saw it! It was multi colored, dark gem tones."



"Are you sure it was your desk?" Mulder asked.



"Of course I am. I was doing some work … something was missing though."



"What?"



"The phone. There wasn't any phone."



"Are you sure?"



"Positive. Why would I have a working desk with no phone?"



"You probably had your cell."



"But I have a telephone on both my desks. And I don't have any photos of little blond girls." Skinner insisted.



Mulder flashed back to the night before; during his wandering around Skinner's quarters he had sat at his desk and looked at that photo in the silver frame.



"What about the deck of cards?" Mulder asked.



"That's for Shanghai Rummy." Skinner answered, dismissing it as unimportant.



"Who do you play with?"



"Alex … Shit! Where did that come from? I haven't played cards in years … not since college."



"With someone named Alex?" Mulder asked.



"No. There were four of us; Tommy, me, Carol Ann, Stephanie and Carl. Why on earth would I be thinking of playing cards? And with someone named Alex?"



"That was five."



"Huh?"



"You said four of you played and you mentioned five people."



"No I didn't. There were just four of us. Tommy, me, Carol Ann and Stephanie."



"Before you said Carl."



"Carl? I don't know any Carl. At least I don't think I do."



"Think about the name; does any face come to mind?"



"No. Well, maybe a place."



"A place? Where? Describe it."



"We were sitting at a table playing cards but I can't see his face."



"Just the two of you?"



"Uh huh."



"Look around. What do you see?"



"Other tables. I think we're in … a mall or something; maybe a park. I hear birds and I can see lots of greenery and shops around."



"Where is this place?"



"I don't know; it must have been an air port waiting room. I've been in hundreds of those."



"Anything else at all that you can remember?" Mulder asked.



"No. This Carl was probably someone I met in the waiting room and we were just killing time."



"You want to try and sleep for a while?"



"No. I want to go home."



"You will; in good time." Mulder assured him and lowered the bed down.



"Thanks. I am kind of sleepy. Maybe I'll remember something when I wake up."



"I'm sure you will. I'll be around when you wake up." Mulder said as he turned the lights down and exited the room.





"What is it? Is anything wrong? Did he remember something?" Krycek assailed him with questions.



"He's a little sleepy so he's resting. He did remember something but it's very little."



"What? What did he remember? Did he remember me?"



"No. The little girl. He had said that the last thing he remembered was sitting at his desk. So I told him to think about that and to close his eyes and describe to me what he saw on his desk. He said there were papers, files, and a silver picture frame with a photo of a little blond girl."



"That's Evie! He remembered Evie." Krycek was jubilant.



Jeremiah Smith joined them at that moment. "He remembered something?"



"He remembered a photo of Evie that sits on his desk." Alex said then asked Mulder, "Did he remember anything else?"



"Yeah. A deck of cards. I asked him who he played cards with and the first thing he said was Alex."



"He remembered me!" Krycek grinned.



"That name surprised him and then he said he hadn't played cards since college and that there were four of them that played. Then he named five people."



"I was the fifth?" Alex asked hopefully.



"No. Someone named Carl."



"Yes! He plays sometimes with Carl. It's working, Jeremiah, just like you said it would. He just needs a little more time. Can we go in and question him some more?"



"I think he's trying to sleep." Mulder said. "We should probably let him rest for a while."



"He's right, Alex. I know it's tempting to try and push things but it might only delay Walter's recovery. Let's let him rest." Smith said.



"Yes, of course. Maybe when he wakes up he'll remember more." Alex was smiling for the first time since they had brought Skinner in.



"I'm sure he will. That's the way it usually works; it comes back in bits and pieces. You've just got to remember not to let whatever he says get to you. You know Walter and when he comes out of this, everything will be as it was before."



"Yes, yes, of course it will." Alex paced anxiously in the small waiting room.



"Why don't you and Mulder go for a walk, come back after lunch. There's no sense in you just waiting around here. He may sleep for hours; I hope he does; he needs it." Jeremiah said and shooed the two of them out of Medical.





They walked back down through the courtyard and sat down at a bench underneath some trees. "This place is really beautiful, Krycek." Mulder said, looking around.



"Yes it is. All I have to do is spend a little time in the alleys of DC to make me appreciate even more the beauty we have here." He glanced over at Mulder then added. "Do you think you could call me Alex? It's what I go by up here. I could call you Fox or Mulder; whichever you prefer."



Mulder thought about it for a minute then said. "All right. I guess I could call you Alex. You certainly seem more like 'Alex' than the 'Krycek' that I used to know; or thought that I knew. And I still prefer Mulder, if you don't mind."



"That's fine. Are you hungry? What do you feel like eating?"



"I'm not all that hungry. I ate breakfast and I don't usually eat but twice a day."



"Scully would scold you if she heard you say that." Alex grinned.



"She probably would. I sure wish she was here to see all this. She's never going to believe me when I tell her."



"Well maybe later on, after Walter's well again, we might be able to arrange a visit and you can bring her up here."



"Is that possible?" Mulder asked hopefully.



"Sure it is. Visits are allowed at the agent's discretion."



"That would be wonderful! I know she'd love it. She'd have a million questions for Smith."



"I'm sure he would be able to handle them in an appropriate way." Alex smiled.





"Alex, Alex, Alex!" Evie came hurtling towards them and threw herself into Alex's open arms. "I've been wanting to come see you and Uncle Walter but Momma said I had to wait until he got better."



"Hey, sweetheart! How you doing?" Alex welcomed her with a hug.



"I'm fine. How is Uncle Walter? Is he better yet? Can I go see him?" She asked with a toss of golden curls.



"Not yet, I'm afraid. He's resting and he's still not well. Once he's up to having visitors, I'll come get you and take you to him; how will that be?"



"Oh that would be wonderful! I hope it's soon!"



"Me too. In the mean time; I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. His name is Fox Mulder but he likes to be called Mulder."



"Hello, Mister Mulder." She held out her little hand and Mulder took it. "Are you the one who helped Alex retrieve Uncle Walter?"



"Hello, Evie. Yes, I helped Kr … Alex bring Walter back."



She scooted over between them on the bench and reached her arms up and gave Mulder a hug.



"Thank you. He hasn't been my Uncle for very long but I love him a lot and I'm always sad when he goes away."



"You're welcome." Mulder untangled himself from her arms and handed her back over to Alex.



"How's your Daddy feeling, Evie. Is he all better now?" Alex asked her.



"He's fine now. He still takes a nap in the afternoon because he still is some weak but mostly he's OK."



"I'm glad. It must have been awful with all the men sick."



"It was! And you and Uncle Walter were gone and I was really lonesome for you."



"Well, we're back now and soon everything will be back to normal." Alex assured her.



"Are you going to stay with us now, Mr. Mulder?" She asked.



"No; just for a little while. I want to wait until Walter is all better before I leave."



"Maybe when he's better we can have a party? What do you think, Alex?" She asked.



"I don't know, honey. Walter will probably be pretty weak for a while and need to rest a lot."



"Oh, yeah; like Daddy. Well, at least, maybe you can all come over to our place and have spaghetti. You know how much Uncle Walter loves Momma's spaghetti!"



"I think he'd like that." Alex grinned and set her down on her feet as her mother approached.



"There you are, Evie. I've been looking for you." Carolyn smiled then said to Alex, "How's Walter doing? Any better?"



Alex and Mulder both stood up and Alex's eyes cut to Evie and her mother got the hint. "Evie, honey, will you go check on your Daddy for me. He's over at the news stand and I want to make sure he doesn't over do it."



"Sure, Momma." She skipped off after her father.



"He still has no memory of me at all. He keeps asking to go home to his old condo below. But he is having small breakthroughs now and then."



"Oh good! I'm so glad. I remember one time when Aaron was just out of chamber; he was so confused it was really frightening."



"I remember that, Carolyn. It only lasted a few days though. I'm hoping and praying that Walter will come out of it soon."



"I'm sure he will, Alex." She put a hand on his shoulder then turned to Mulder. "And you must be Mulder?" She turned and extended a hand out to Mulder.



"Mulder, this is Carolyn, Evie's mom, and an old school mate of mine. Carolyn, this is Fox Mulder."



"Nice to meet you, Carolyn. You have a beautiful daughter." Mulder said as he gave her hand a light squeeze.



"Thank you! And I've been told that you like to be called Mulder and that you are the one who came to the rescue and helped Alex bring Walter back to us. We are all so grateful!"



"I'm glad I could help." He answered.



"Poor Alex was just so desperate to find someone to go with him; I know that I and several other women offered to go but he refused. He said he needed a man with a man's strength to help him."



"It was no place for a woman, Carolyn." Alex said.



"Poppycock!" Carolyn snapped.



"We had to practically carry Walter quite a long ways and we were being followed. Do you think you could have carried Walter?" Mulder smiled at her.



"Well, you're probably right about that. Alex always knows what he's doing. We all just wanted so badly to help. I'm glad you were there for him."



"I'm glad he called on me." Mulder assured her.