9:08 PM: Scully and Reyes had been riding for a good twenty minutes in complete silence. The UFO Compound was a little over an hour from downtown Helena, and another good ten minutes from the motel where they were all staying. Reyes' completely empty stomach was still in knots. There was nothing left inside to throw up. And yet the burning sensations from the severe acid build-up and inflammation was about to get the best of her, no matter how hard she tried to push it out of her thoughts. Still, she was determined not to show the terrible pain she was in. But then again, she had a long way yet to drive, and she was growing somewhat concerned. She was not sure how much longer she would be able to hold it together, hide the pain and just... drive.

...Damn, son of a bitch... "Um," she barely groaned, easing the tension and snugness of her seatbelt, trying to relieve some of the pressure on her abdomen and get into a more comfortable position.

Scully heard it and immediately glanced over at her. "You okay?" she asked.

...Oh damn... Reyes had not been able to keep that slightly audible groan buried deep down inside. "Um...Yeah. Fine," she managed to say, still squirming around in her seat a little bit.

Scully watched her a little more closely. ...The hell you are... "Reyes. What is it?" she said.

"Nothing. I'm fine. How about you?" Reyes replied, glancing over to her.

"I'm... I'll be okay... Sorry I'm not saying much," Scully said, still so lost in her own thoughts and memories of times together with Mulder.

"No problem. I understand," Reyes reassured her. And she did.

They both rode along in silence for a couple of more minutes.

Reyes then barely squirmed in her seat again. ...Shit... I should have eaten something, damn it... Son of a bitch... she mentally chastised herself. The pain was most always worse when she had a very empty stomach, and then those two powerful blows, dead center, was not helping her situation, and then to have left her medicine at home, too. She was just shit-out-of-luck. The digestive fluid had nothing else to gnaw on but thin stomach lining and ...Oh man!... was it going for it. And not only that, she felt so fatigued and completely sapped of energy and endurance, too.

Scully glanced over at her again, noticing the almost fully-hidden pain in her expression. Yes. Reyes almost had her pain and suffering completely hidden and buried away, deep down inside of her system. But then again, Scully was a medical doctor. And she could see these kinds of things, these well-hidden signs of pain in one's expression.

Scully quirked her lower lip for a moment, then said, "Agent Reyes? You can't bullshit me you know."

...Shit, Dana... I've got to get you to the motel... Then I'll deal with my problems... Reyes thought, glancing back over to her, not upset with her, but upset with herself, and for allowing herself to even get into this type of situation in the first place. How long had she been dealing with this sort of thing? Since she was about eight or nine years old? She had had a "fucked up" stomach for so long she could not remember a time without it. Thank God for medicines and milk. But right now, she was shit-out-of-luck because she was shit-out-of-both. And neither was going to be available any time soon. ...Shit...

"Reyes. What is it? Your stomach?" Scully tried again. She had seen her leave back at the compound for a few minutes. And she could tell, by the look on her face, that she had been nauseous. After all, she was a medical doctor. And, too, she remembered what Reyes had told her yesterday, in the cafeteria. And how that, on occasion, she could actually get physically sick from all of the "varying energies" radiating all around her. And, Lord have mercy, with everything they had all been through tonight, even a person with a strong digestive system would have had a hard time, much less someone who was highly susceptible to such things.

Reyes reached up and rubbed her temples for a moment not saying anything. She had such a frickin' headache. It was relentless!

"Rey... Monica," Scully whispered again, reaching over and lightly touching her thigh for a moment.

Reyes again said nothing.

It was funny how they both seemed to switch back and forth between using the official titles of their jobs, and then their more intimate given names, depending on their surroundings and what they were dealing with at any given moment in time. And especially for Scully, it was so unusual. She rarely called anyone by his or her first name, inside or outside the Bureau. She had picked that habit up from Mulder a long time ago. But, to call Agent Reyes by her first name? Well, that was different. Granted she was a fellow agent, but she was also her friend. And right now, her friend was in trouble, more than she was. Not quite an hour or so ago, she had been the one in trouble, all cradled up in this woman's arms, crying her eyes out. And now, here they were. The roles had changed. And now, Reyes was the one in trouble, determined to fight and hide the relentless physical pain she was in.

"Monica," Scully whispered, trying again.

"What?" Reyes huffed, glancing over at her, a little agitated.

...Whoa... That took Scully by surprise. ...You must be in horrible pain... "I... Moni," she stammered.

"Oh Dana, geez, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Oh!" she gasped, clutching her stomach. She was in trouble, real trouble here. She had no mental strength left to push the physical pain away and out of her thoughts. "God... God damn it!" she gasped again.

Scully reached over again and began to massage her shoulder, ignoring the dull pain in her fingers and knuckles for the moment. "Monica. I think we need to..."

"No! Dana, but... I'm gonna have to pull off for a moment," she panted, slowing the car down and pulling off onto the dirt shoulder.

"Of course," Scully reassured her, still massaging her shoulder.

They were about thirty minutes from town. But there was just no way Reyes could make it that long.

She put the car in park and turned off the engine. "I'll be right back. Just give me a minute, okay?" she said. Scully nodded. And with that, she jumped out of the driver's seat and went around to the back of the car.

Scully fumbled around for a few moments with the seatbelt buckle, finally got it unhooked and then opened her door.

"No, Dana. Just... Stay in the car. I'll be there in a minute," Reyes cried, from the back of the car.

...Well, what the hell? You seem to forget... I am a Medical Doctor, Ms. Reyes... Scully chuckled and swung her legs out anyway, resting her feet on the ground below. For now, she would abide by her wishes, but if things continued to go as they were. ...We'll see, Ms. Reyes, we'll see...

Reyes was leaned over, nothing coming up, nothing at all really happening. There was nothing left inside of her stomach to come up. And that was part of the problem. Plus, she was just so extremely exhausted and light-headed. What the hell was wrong with her? She had not felt so faint in years. She felt as if she would just pass out, any minute. ...Oh God! Get you're shit together would you?... she mentally chastised herself again as she rubbed her eyes and temples, forcing herself to regain control of her body and the pain inside her gut. ... Son of a bitch, Reyes! Son of a bitch! Now come on! Come on, damn it! People are depending on you here! Now, get your frickin' ass shit together! Mind over matter. Mind over matter... That's how it's done. Mind over matter.

Scully continued to sit there, so damn weak herself from all she had just been through and all of the anguish she was still feeling. Reyes stood by the trunk of the car for a few more minutes, sucking in deep breaths and unfortunately having no luck at all with easing her light-headedness, or the pain inside her gut. Scully continued to sit in her seat, and wait. She would leave Reyes alone, for now. But she had a hunch that, whatever was wrong, it was far from over. And undoubtedly, Reyes was as proud as she was, when it came to allowing anyone to see her in pain.

After another minute or so Reyes came back around to the driver's seat, opened the door and got in.

"You okay?" Scully asked.

"Yeah," she lied. "On the road again," she said, smiling, and then cranked the engine.

...The hell you are, Monica Reyes... Scully smiled in return, nibbling on her lower lip. She reached over to stroke Reyes' cheek, but then caught herself. Reyes never saw the retracted gesture. She was too busy looking in her side-view mirror and pulling back out onto the road.

********************

9:33 PM: They rode in silence for another ten minutes or so. They were just a few miles out from the Helena city limits, the brightly-lit skyline coming into view. ...Thank God... Reyes thought. Maybe, just maybe, she could make it after all. If she could just get Scully back to the motel and then get some crackers, or milk, or something similar, to coat the stomach lining inside her gut, she would be fine.

Scully had continued to keep check on her, out of the corner of her eye, as they road along in silence. Something was up and she knew it. There was no way Reyes was okay, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. After all, Scully was a medical doctor and she could see these kinds of things.

"Um," Reyes groaned again, twisting in her seat. ...Fuck... Damn fucking stomach... Shit... Come on, damn it... She was determined to not give into the pain. After all, she had been through it before. She could handle it. All she needed was some milk or crackers or something and she would be fine. Just a few more miles and she would be home free. Besides, Skinner was depending on her to take care of Scully. And that was what she was going to do, come "hell or high water".

Scully glanced over at her again. "Reyes..."

"I'll be fine. Just... I'm fine, okay?" she interrupted her. "I'll get you to the motel... Then get me some milk...?"

"No. Reyes, I don't think so," Scully disagreed. "I think we need to..."

"No."

"No, what? You don't even know what I was going to say," Scully argued.

"Yes, I do. No hospitals. I'll be fine," Reyes argued back.

...Okay... So you do know... Well... We'll see... "Hum," Scully sighed.

They rode on for about another minute or so when, suddenly, Reyes hit the breaks again and moved back over to the shoulder of the road.

"What's wrong?" Scully asked, reaching over and clutching her upper thigh.

"I don't... I don't know, Dana... I swear, I don't. I feel like I could just pass out!... Right here... under the wheel. I'm sorry, Dana, I..."

"Will you hush and let me take care of you for a change?" Scully countered.

Reyes just looked at her cocking an eyebrow and a little taken aback by the comment.

"Now. Turn on the overhead and let me take a look at you," Scully instructed.

Reyes cocked another eyebrow and then did as she was told, turning on the overhead lamp with a little sheepish expression on her face.

Scully raised an eyebrow in return and smirked. ...God, you are so cute. Beautiful actually. Even when you feel like shit... she thought, as she felt around Reyes' neck and throat, checking her glands and up along her cheeks and forehead. "How long have you been feeling light-headed?" she asked as she examined Reyes' pupils and gently pulled her lower eyelids down to check the inner lining.

"Not long. I mean... back at the compound, when I first tried to get up."

Scully nodded. She did not like the color, or rather lack of color, along the inner eyelid lining at all. Nor the dry feel to her skin. "Look directly at the light," she instructed.

"Huh?"

"The overhead. Glance up and look directly at it. Just for a moment. I need to see how your pupils react."

"Oh. Right," Reyes responded, then did as she was told.

Her pupils hardly reacted at all to the sudden change in light, remaining overly dilated. ...Okay... Not good, Reyes, not good at all... Scully thought. She had taken a hold of Reyes' wrist as well. And was currently checking her pulse, while she scrutinized her eyes, detecting the sunken and dry appearance to them. She continued to hold her wrist, longer than Reyes thought needed, to just check her pulse.

"What is it?" Reyes finally asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Scully continued to look steadily into her eyes, while not only recounting the rhythm, but also evaluating the feathery weakness of her pulse. It was way too high, and way too weak and irregular. Something was wrong, very wrong. Scully slightly pinched her forearm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Reyes fussed, flinching a little from the pinch.

Scully said nothing as she examined the skin's reaction to the pinch. The skin was taking an abnormally long time to return to its usual position. ...God, Monica. We're in trouble here!... The elasticity of the skin was almost gone. She needed to get her to the ER and fast.

"What?" Reyes asked again, lightly rubbing the area where Scully had pinched her.

Scully let go of her wrist and sucked on her lower lip, deep in thought. ...Okay. It'll be faster to just switch places and drive her in... "Okay. I want us to switch places. I'll drive," she finally responded.

Reyes could not really argue with that at this point. She felt so weird - all dizzy and tingling inside, wobbly and weak in the legs. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.

Scully did the same. "Look, Monica. I'm taking you to..."

"Dana. No. Please. It's... I'll be fine. Really. All I need is some milk and crackers... and..."

"Monica? There is no room for discussion. Do you understand me?" Scully said, arching both eyebrows at her like a mother firmly instructing her child. "No arguments. That's it," she added.

Reyes cocked an eyebrow back at her.

Scully smirked back at her. "Get out of the car and get over here. Now!" she said. She was serious.

"Ah," Reyes huffed, frustrated, but then got out of the car anyway. ...Jesus!... She almost hit the ground, catching the side of the back door, lucky that the car was there, or she would have hit the ground.

Scully suddenly found instant strength in her unsteady legs and rushed around to the other side of the car. She grabbed onto her, to keep her from literally falling to the ground, as she gasped, "Aowh!" herself, wondering, ...Damn! What did I do to my hands? Shit!... "Okay. Hang onto me," she instructed, as they both began to move around to the other side of the car.

Reyes could not argue with that either. She could hardly maintain an upright position at this point, even with Scully's help. "God, Dana. What is wrong with me? I know my stomach's fucked right now, but this... This is different," she said.

"I know. I um, I think your dehydrated - very dehydrated," Scully responded.

"Dehydrated..."

"Yeah. Just let me get in the driver's seat. Okay?"

Reyes nodded, as Scully ignored the growing discomfort in her knuckles, buckled her in, shut the door and hurriedly came around to the other side, jumped into the driver's seat and cranked the engine. Whether Reyes liked it or not, she was taking her to the Saint Jean Hospital Emergency Room.

"Dehydrated... You think?" Reyes whispered again, leaning her head back against the headrest.

"Umhum. When's the last time you had any fluids, anything to drink?"

...Uh-oh... "Um... It's... been awhile," she barely whispered.

"Been awhile? Okay. And what does that mean, exactly?" Scully said, glancing back over to her as she pulled back out onto the road, cell-phone in hand. ...Shit!... Her knuckles hurt so badly. She quickly rubbed them a little bit, and then started the process of dialing the Saint Jean Hospital Emergency Room, letting them know that she was on her way, with a moderately dehydrated patient, who also happened to be suffering from acute gastritis, and would need medical emergency treatment stat.

Reyes did not answer her question.

"Reyes?"

"Dana... sea... bel..." Reyes barely whimpered.

...What?... Seatbelt, your seatbelt... Scully checked the tension on Reyes' seatbelt. It was fine. "It's okay. Now, tell me. When did you last drink something?" she asked her again, checking her rearview mirror and rapidly pushing the sedan over 80mph.

No answer.

"Monica, I need to know. When...?" Scully glanced back over at her. "Shit! Moni!" Reyes had virtually passed out.

They were only about twelve minutes from the hospital, driving at any normal pace. But that was just not fast enough for Scully. She was maintaining between 90-95mph, talking to the ER admitting nurse, explaining to her the situation and what was going to be needed the moment they arrived. She turned her cell-phone back off, put it back inside her pocket, and then reached over, feeling of Reyes' throat and glandular area around her neck, checking for any signs of swelling.

"Um... Dana," Reyes slightly stirred, barely responding to the gentle touch.

"Oh Moni... Baby, hang on," Scully gasped, totally oblivious to what she had just called her, clasping her hand and continuing to drive like a bat-out-of-hell.

Baby? Hum. It had just rolled out of her mouth and across her lips as natural as could be.

Reyes stirred again in her seat, turning her head to look at Scully. "Dana... No..."

"Shhh, baby, it's okay. You're gonna be fine. But I have to get you to the hospital, okay?"

There it was again. And Scully had still not noticed. And neither had Reyes. Of course, Reyes was just too sick and out-of-it to notice. But now, Scully...

"No..." Reyes managed to mumble again, sliding in and out of consciousness. She hated hospitals. And given how badly she already felt, from all of the "varying energies" surrounding her all day, the last thing she really needed right now was a hospital emergency ward, dehydrated or not.

"Monica, talk to me. When's the last time you expelled any fluids? Hum?... Moni?" Scully asked again, clutching Reyes' hand, in spite of the ache in her own knuckles, trying to keep Reyes semi-conscious at the very least.

"I don... member..." Reyes whimpered. She kept watching Scully, forcing herself to remain conscious, and attempting to regain her focus and strength.

Scully could see the hospital in the distance. "Almost there. Keep talking, keep talking to me," she said.

Silence.

"Moni?" she said again, glancing back over at her and checking to see if she had completely passed out.

Reyes smiled at her.

Scully smirked. "You know what, Special Agent Monica Reyes? You have the most beautiful smile I think I have ever seen in my entire life. Did you know that? Hum?"

Reyes giggled. "Get... told... a lot," she replied, then closed her eyes and leaned down a little farther in the seat.

"I bet you do. You're just a heartbreaker, aren't you? Hum?"

"Umum."

"No? I don't know," Scully teased, glancing back over at her, tightening her squeeze on her hand. "Stay with me, Moni. Come on. Look at me," she instructed again.

Reyes reopened her eyes, and then peered back over at her.

9:49 PM: Scully hit the first speed bump a little too hard, knocking the hell out of the back bumper.

"Shit," Reyes managed to mumble.

Scully chuckled. "Shit is right. Glad it's a rental."

Reyes raised up in the seat, realizing just where they were. "Damn, Dana," she fussed. Her mental strength was rapidly coming back into focus. And she did not need to go inside this hospital, not given the night she had already had. There had to be another way. Her inner reserves were far too depleted for her to fight and form a protective barrier around the incoming "negative energies" radiating all around her.

"It's okay. I'm just going to get some fluids in you."

"But... No, Dana. You don..." Reyes tried to argue. She was petrified with the idea of going inside of this hospital.

But Scully ignored her little whimpers of concern, as she wheeled the car right up as close to the emergency room doors as she possibly could.

Dr. Desai, the same ER doctor that had worked on Ms. Hoese, came rushing out. "Dr. Scully! I heard! Where is she?"

"Over here!" she cried as she opened her door, and then reached down to unbuckle her seatbelt. It had never been buckled. "My God," she gasped, glancing back over at Reyes. "You knew. That's what you were..." she barely whispered, momentarily overwhelmed with emotion.

Reyes winked at her, then leaned back down in the seat, inhaling deeply and regaining some of her inner strength back. She needed to somehow find the strength to build a protective barrier around her inner core and fast.

Scully reached over and lovingly caressed her forehead with her thumb, running her fingers through her thick, dark-raven hair.

Reyes smiled and double-winked at her again.

...Ohhh... Scully's heart fluttered inside her chest.

"Dr. Scully?" Dr. Desai said, as he peeked inside the car, breaking into the intimate moment.

"Passenger's side," Scully said, then quickly jumped out of the driver's seat and ran around to the other side.

Amazing. Just a couple of hours ago Scully had had no strength to hardly even sit up on her own, much less talk, stand or walk. And now, look at her go. She had a mission. Her friend was down.

"She's conscious!" Dr. Desai yelled, motioning the ER nurse to bring a wheelchair around.

"No... I'll walk," Reyes said, beginning to move her legs outside of the car.

"The hell you will!" Scully yelled at her.

"That's not a good idea, Agent Reyes," Dr. Desai agreed.

"Look... I said... I'll walk," Reyes said, looking at him rather defiantly, then looked over at Scully, determined as ever to prove that she could do it. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. That's how it's done. ...Just watch me... she thought, as she stood up, slightly wavering, Scully instantly grabbing onto her.

"Damn it, Monica!" Scully yelled at her again.

"Dana. Please. Don't... yell at me."

"I'm not yelling at you, I'm just... Shit!" Scully yelled at her again, grabbing onto her even more securely.

Dr. Desai then took a hold of her shoulders for good measure. "Agent Reyes. I think you need to..."

"Where do you want me?" Reyes interrupted him, her voice very strong, compared to just moments before.

Scully cocked an eyebrow, astonished at the strength and control Reyes had suddenly regained over her weak and dangerously dehydrated body. If it had been anyone else, once they had nearly lost consciousness, well, forget about a wheelchair. She and Dr. Desai would have been wheeling them in on a gurney.

Reyes stood there for another minute, getting her bearings and sucking in a deep breath. "Okay. Where do you want me, Agent Scully?" she asked again.

Scully was a little startled at her change in tone.

"This way," Dr. Desai said, stepping in and motioning them to follow him into the ER Ward and down to the third triage room.

Reyes continued to take deep controlled breaths as she made her way down the corridor, Scully holding onto her, just in case. Scully was simply amazed at her ability to maintain control of her dangerously dehydrated, weakened and pain-filled body.

9:54 PM: "Okay. Sit. Here," Scully said, motioning Reyes to climb up onto the hospital bed, as she began to rapidly fire off instructions to the admitting nurse, Dr. Desai looking on. Technically, she could not practice medicine in the state of Montana. But, what the hell, she knew what she was doing. Dr. Desai decided to remain quiet and simply observe. He would step in if needed.

Reyes tentatively stepped up onto the little stool, then sat on the edge of the bed, as another nurse entered the small room, needles and syringes, plastic tubes and the like in hand, ready to start an IV. Reyes was scared. She was like a little kid, frightened of her surroundings.

Scully watched her for a couple of seconds. "Monica. Come on now. We need to get some fluids in you. You know that," she reassured her, a little amused at the troubled expression on the brunette's face.

Reyes looked up at her, her eyes beginning to convey slight panic.

"Monica," Scully responded, wrinkling her forehead and placing her hand on her shoulder. ...What in the world?...

"Dana. You don't understand. I can't. There's got to be another..."

"Miss, if you would remove your shirt," the nurse interrupted her.

"No," Reyes stated matter-of-factly. No way in hell was she going to remove her shirt. Nope, no way in hell. For one thing, she had a developing bruise to hide.

"Monica?" Scully questioned, raising her eyebrows at her, and not understanding at all the fear and panic in those pretty, dark mahogany eyes.

"No, Agent Scully. You don't need me to do that, not for an IV," Reyes said.

Scully thought for a moment. ...Well... That's true...

"Um, Doctor, what about the...?" The nurse pointed at Reyes' gun and holster.

"No. It's safe right where it is," Reyes answered for her, putting her palm over the butt of her SIG-Sauer P226.

Scully smirked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

Reyes cocked an eyebrow in return. And then the other. All kinds of silent communication passed between them for a few seconds.

"Leave it and start the IV," Scully finally said, glancing at the nurse, then at Reyes, winking at her.

Reyes closed her eyes for a moment, saying a silent "thank you", and then leaned back against the bed, as the nurse retrieved her hand, piercing the skin with a needle and starting the IV.




Scully began to study Reyes' preliminary chart a little more thoroughly as another very young cute little nurse came in, holding several packets of Oral Re-hydrating Solution in her hand. She opened one of the packets up, began to mix the dry powder with purified water into a plastic cup, and then handed the little cup to Reyes.

"Here. You need to sip on this. Drink as much as you can," she said.

Reyes looked at the cute little nurse and then rolled her eyes. "What is this stuff? Looks like... ground up chalk."

"I'm afraid it won't taste much better either," the cute little nurse answered, smiling.

"Great," Reyes smiled back. "Danielle? Is it?" she asked, noticing the cute little nurse's nametag.

"Yeah. Um. Ms. Reyes. I need to..." Danielle pointed at the little patches lying on the little table, next to the bed.

"Oh. Right. Okay. But the shirt is not coming off," the brunette stated matter-of-factly yet again.

"Okay. We can do that," Danielle answered.

Scully glanced up from the chart, wondering what the hell was the big deal about her shirt. ...Surely you can't be that modest... she thought.

Reyes pulled the front of her shirt down a little bit, giving Danielle access, so she could attach the electrode patches to her chest.

...beep...beep...beep...

The EKG and respiration monitors kicked in. Danielle finished placing the Blood Pressure cuff on Reyes' free arm, getting the first accurate reading of her BP.

Scully then handed the young nurse the chart and checked the monitors, making a mental note of Reyes' vitals. "Reyes. I need you to take several swallows, every five minutes, okay?" she instructed her, pointing at the chalky solution.

Reyes just rolled her eyes again and then took a sip. "Oh... Shit... Eulgh," she grunted, her face grimacing at the taste. Scully and the nurse started to giggle at her expressions. "Mmm. I'm glad somebody's enjoying this," she smirked, her voice still weak.

Danielle began to eye her SIG-Sauer P226 9mm Semi-Automatic and the holster it was housed in, totally fascinated. ...Oooh wow... Cool... she thought. She had never met a special agent with the FBI before, and a female federal agent at that. She quickly decided that she liked her newest assignment for the night.

10:03 PM: Scully had walked back out into the main corridor of the ER Ward talking to Dr. Desai.

"Pulse is still 118. BP 76 over 52," he said, reading the latest vitals off the chart.

Scully nodded at the information. It would take a little time for the fluids, pain-killers and phernegen to fully kick in. She was still waiting on the prednisone. But, it should be arriving at any moment. That should stop Reyes' discomfort, once and for all.

"She's amazing," Dr. Desai commented. "I don't see how she walked in here. Not at 66 over 40. And a heart rhythm that high and irregular? She's one hell of a strong woman," he added, shaking his head.

"I know, I know. And I had to retake her pulse. I thought I had misread it. I could not believe what I was getting. And she was semi-conscious just moments before we arrived. I just, I can't believe..." Scully said, shaking her head as well. ...God, Monica... You scared me half to death!... she thought.

"Well, what happened? Had she been vomiting off and on all day or...?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. But then, I'd say, about two hours ago, nothing but a little gastric fluid had come up. And then nothing at all."

And that was a major telltale sign of the dehydration beginning to set in. And Reyes had not told anyone. But then she really did not think about it. She had not realized that anyone needed to be told. She had never experienced being dehydrated before. This was a whole new experience for her. She truly did not know how sick she was when she had first begun to drive Scully back to the motel. She knew she felt dizzy and weak. But, at the time, she just assumed it was everything else she and Scully had been through tonight. Being dehydrated had never even entered her mind.

"I do know that she had not eaten since around noon today," Scully added.

Dr. Desai shook his head. "Well, no wonder she was in trouble. Does she have any idea how serious this could have been? How serious of a condition she is still in?"

Scully smirked. ...No... But believe me, she's gonna hear about it... she thought.

10:06 PM: Scully walked back into Reyes' little room and sat down on the edge of the bed, Danielle looking on. Reyes opened her eyes at the sudden movement and looked up at her. Scully smiled, locking eyes with her. Reyes smiled back. Scully leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Danielle turned away and towards the counter, continuing to mix up another cup of solution, and to give them a little more privacy. Scully began to run her fingers through Reyes' hair and massage her cheek with her thumb. Reyes smiled, although she was a little uncomfortable with the intimate gesture. She and Scully had only met, and yet, the intimacy between them, for the last few hours at least, had been somewhat unnerving. Reyes just could not decipher all that she was feeling, and all that she sensed Scully was feeling as well. But, then again, she had to keep in mind, that it had been one hell of a night. And Scully was not herself. Therefore, she could not afford to make any misinterpreted or hasty assumptions with anything Scully did or said, or might do or say tonight as the night went on. But, it was true. Scully had latched onto her. She needed Reyes, desperately, given all that she had been going through tonight. And Reyes understood that. She was cool to that. She was just confused - so confused - with all of the emotions reeling inside of her head. And with Scully being so ...So... So what?... she wondered, as she thought back to the incredible, indescribable and almost overpoweringly intoxicating interconnectedness she had experienced with Scully back at the compound. It was so different from anything she had ever experienced before in her life. And she still wondered if Scully had felt it, too. Or was it just pure circumstance, and the situation they found themselves in?

"Still drinking a couple of swallows every five minutes?" Scully asked, breaking into her thoughts and pointing at the chalky solution.

Reyes locked eyes with her for a moment and then nodded. "How much longer?" she asked.

"Oh, I'd say... until you feel like you need to urinate."

"What?! That could be all night!" Reyes fussed, not happy at all with that idea.

Scully cocked an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. But you're too dehydrated."

"Shit!" Reyes fussed again, picking up the cup and taking another large swallow, her forehead wrinkling at the taste.

Scully smiled, amused at her expressions. "By the way. You planning on shooting somebody, Agent Reyes?" she teased, touching the belt of Reyes' holster.

Danielle had to stifle a giggle at the playful banter between them.

Reyes smirked. "No. But I prefer to keep it on."

"Umhum. Well, that's okay," Scully said, understanding the security reasons. As long as Reyes was conscious and coherent, she saw no problem in that.

Danielle set another fresh full cup of solution next to the almost empty one.

"Eulgh," Reyes groaned again, glanced over at her, and then winked.

"Sorry. But you need to drink it. Doctor's orders," Danielle said, giggling and glancing over at Scully.

Scully winked at her, too.

Danielle's heart skipped a beat from the two gorgeous female FBI agents winking at her.

"Danielle, could... could you leave us for a moment?" Reyes asked.

"Sure. I'll be right outside," she said, smiling, and then left the room.

"What's that all about?" Scully asked, picking up the freshly-made cup of ORS and stirring it a little more completely with a straw.

Reyes continued to watch her, not answering, concern written all over her face.

"What?" Scully asked again, as she continued to stir the ingredients in the cup.

"Dana. You're exhausted. We need to get out of here. Get you to the motel."

Scully glanced back up at her, their eyes locking yet again. "Reyes? Do you have any idea how sick you are? Any idea at all? We can't leave. You can't leave."

"Yes I can. As soon as my BP gets a little higher," Reyes argued, glancing back over at the monitors. "Besides, John can come and get you. Take you back," she added.

"No. I'm not leaving you."

"But, Dana?"

"No... No, Monica. I could have lost you, too, tonight. Do you...? Oh God, Moni," Scully stifled a sob, as her eyes watered up with unshed tears. She put the cup back down on the little end table next to the bed, reeling with pent-up emotions inside.

"I'm sorry, Dana. I... I didn't..." Reyes mumbled.

"God, Monica. I can't, I couldn't take it if I lost you, too," Scully whimpered, as she placed her head against Reyes' upper chest, fresh new tears beginning to roll down her cheeks and splashing against the brunette's warm, soft skin.

"Shhh. It's okay," Reyes quietly reassured her, closing her eyes, thinking about all the events that had led up to this very moment. She then began to run her fingers through the redhead's soft, silken hair, glancing over at the monitors. Pulse: 102. BP: 80/58. ...Oh man, come on! I gotta get outta here!... she thought, knowing that Scully would hear none of it. Not until her BP was at least around 100/76. And even then, Scully may not agree to it.

After a few minutes, Scully wiped her eyes and rose back up, making direct eye contact again. "Monica? Why did you not eat dinner? Why did you not take time out, get yourself something to drink? And why did you not tell me how you were feeling? This... People can die from this! From being so badly dehydrated. God! Do you understand that? Do you have any idea at all? You... You could have died on me!" she stifled another sob from the emotions reeling inside of her, fresh new tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

"I... Dana, I'm sorry. I... I didn't realize, and... And there was no time," she replied.

"No time? What do you mean, 'no time'?" Scully asked, wiping a couple of stray tears from her cheeks, then taking Reyes' free hand inside her own, beginning to lovingly stroke her fingers up and down and between her knuckles, playing with her ring.

Reyes closed her eyes for a moment and then looked back up at her. How could she tell her? She couldn't. Not now anyway, and probably never.

"Agent Reyes? Tell me," Scully pleaded.

Reyes kept looking at her with that deep piercing gaze of hers. ...I can't, Dana. I just can't... she thought.

"Moni? Tell me! Please," Scully begged, lowering her head down against Reyes' chest once again.

Reyes closed her eyes, so weak, so exhausted and so vulnerable herself at this point, causing her typical good decision-making to be somewhat hindered. "I... I failed you, Agent Scully," she suddenly whimpered.

...Failed me?... "What? What in the hell are you talking about?" Scully fussed, abruptly rising back up and starring into her eyes, shocked at Reyes' choice of words.

"You know."

"No. I don't know. Monica Reyes, you did not fail me. You... You saved me. You saved my life tonight. Don't you know that?" Scully said, biting at her lower lip a little as her eyes flooded with fresh new tears, remembering some of what Reyes had done for her back at the compound just a couple of hours before. "My God, Monica. You rescued me from myself tonight. You sheltered me, made me feel so safe, secure. You protected me and held me in your arms, rocking me like a baby. You... I... I'll never... Oh God, Moni," she whimpered again, as she began to cry, her warm tears streaming down her cheeks.

...Oh no, Dana. No. Don't cry... Oh no... I didn't mean to make you cry... Reyes thought, as she reached up with her pierced hand, pulling the IV tubing along with it, and began to wipe Scully's warm, wet tears from her cheeks. "Shhh... Dana... That's why I couldn't tell you. I... I just..." she hesitated, tears beginning to run down her own cheeks as well.

"What?" Scully whimpered, looking back up, stunned to see Reyes' tears, too, and then began to wipe them from her cheeks as well. ...God. You're such a sweet and gentle soul. And you cry when I do. Where have you been all my life?... she wondered. And where in the world were all the tears coming from, as dehydrated as Reyes was? The body is truly a miraculous thing.

Dr. Desai heard some commotion and glanced inside the stall. ...Whoa!... He could sense the extreme intimacy between these two special agents and decided the best thing for him to do right now, was get the hell out of there and get lost.

"What, Monica? What were you going to say?" Scully sniffled, quickly regaining most of her composure, and hoping to ease Reyes' need to cry, too, for Reyes did not need to be crying right now, not given her present physical condition. "Shhh... Come on, now... Shhh," she soothed, as she continued to wipe Reyes' tears from her cheeks, allowing her tears to fall where they may.

"I... Agent Mulder... Dana, I'm so sorry, that I didn't..." Reyes hesitated again, starring deeply into her eyes. ...Oh, Dana. God! He was alive! I felt his presence, too! And he was still alive! But I couldn't... I didn't... I... I failed him, too!... "I failed him, Dana!" she gasped, beginning to full out weep at the memories of Mulder's horrendously persecuted life-force, flooding throughout her soul yesterday, in the cafeteria, as she fondled Scully's necklace, and then again, off and on all day today. And then again, tonight, in Scully's motel room. And then, at the very worst time of all, the just mere minutes before he had been found, lying dead, prone, in that field. The very few mere minutes that she may never be able to forgive herself for. ...Just minutes, Dana. Just mere fucking minutes. Practically seconds! And we would have found him. Alive! How can I tell you that? How can I, Dana? How can...?... I... I can't!... she mused, so overwhelmed with feelings of remorse and guilt. Her sensitivity to "cosmic energies" had not been strong enough to find Mulder in time to save his life. And she held herself so responsible for that. She had failed. She had failed them all. But especially, she had failed Mulder and Scully.

"No. No, you didn't. If anyone did, I did," Scully responded. Reyes' sobs were growing stronger as Scully held her more closely against her neck and chest. "Shhh... Monica, I need you to..." ...Oh Christ. Now how the hell can I tell you to stop crying? After everything we have been through tonight?... she mused, shaking her head at the irony. "Hey... Moni... Baby... Shhh," she whispered again, climbing up even higher onto the bed, wrapping Reyes up even more securely in her arms. She quickly glanced over at the monitors, taking note of Reyes' vitals, not liking at all what she was seeing. Reyes' BP had begun to drop again. ...Oh wow... This is the last thing we need right now... "Moni, baby, don't cry." ...Not now anyway... she thought, as she glanced up at the Saline bag, checking to see how much fluid Reyes had already absorbed through the IV. As soon as she had the chance, she would bump up the flow rate.

Reyes straightened up a little, noticing for the first time tonight the intimate term Scully had just called her. No one ever called her that. Well, not "Moni" and "Baby" together, in the very same sentence anyway. Nope, no one, but her very first lover. And that had been years ago, practically a lifetime ago. She inhaled deeply as warm memories of that time flooded her consciousness. She loved being called "Moni" and especially "Moni, baby". Yep. She had missed that and had missed that immensely through the years. She could come to that all night. And for whatever reasons, reasons that she had never understood, none of her male lovers had ever seen fit to call her that. Yes, she had missed it, missed it with a passion. And now Scully had just called her that several times tonight. She had missed out on the first few times, but she had most definitely heard these last two times. Ironically, Scully had still not even realized it herself, that she had called her "Moni, baby" again, for the second time in less than a half a minute. Nor the effect that it had had on Reyes. It may have been just for a few moments, but it had had an awesome affect on Reyes' emotions, among other more physical things.

After a couple of minutes had passed, Scully began to sense that Reyes had regained most of her composure and was no longer crying. She eased up on her hold, and then helped her lie back down against the bed. She sat on the edge, watching her, watching her expressions, and trying to decide whether to go ahead and say what she was thinking or not. She didn't want to upset Reyes again, but she also didn't want Reyes to feel any guilt over the events of the night, either. None, whatsoever, about Mulder, or what all had happened tonight. And not only that, Reyes needed to understand, that without her help, they would never have found the missing Mulder in the first place, dead or alive. And, most importantly, she wanted her to feel good about what she had done. And how she had helped them these last two days. So, Scully decided to go ahead and give her a little talking to.

She then rose up somewhat and made direct eye contact again, for the third time, in so many minutes. "Monica Reyes. Now you listen. You listen to me. You found him. You. You did it. For all intensive purposes, you found Mulder. So, there is no way in hell that you failed anybody tonight. Do you understand?" she said.

"But, Dana... I..." Reyes tried to argue.

"No. No, Agent Reyes. It was you. Now listen. Without your help, your expertise, your tenacity and perseverance, your incredible insight into this case, having the instincts to go back out there to the area last night, seeing the spaceship, finding the next victim, observing those two men in that get-away truck, running the plates..."

"But wait... Dana..."

Scully put her fingers over her lips and carried on. "...which led, mind you... which led... to finding the UFO Compound, helping me find Absalom, you having the damn presence of mind to study those videotapes, while Doggett and Skinner stood around scratching their asses, watching me do what I always do, interrogate a suspect," Scully hesitated for a moment, shaking her head at the irony of it all. "And then... the most important, most critical break in the case... observing Jeremiah Smith, inside that compound, changing faces and ... Oh... Oh my God," she hesitated again as it hit her, like a ton of breaks. ...My God, Moni... No. There had not been any time. No time at all for Reyes to take a break, take a time out, get something to eat, or drink, or take a breather and regain some of her stamina back. "Oh Monica. I just... I just realized," she said, just sitting there, starring into her eyes.

"What?"

"You. You never took the time, did you? You... never... stopped."

Reyes just shrugged. No she had not. She had been on the run since sometime last night, after she had witnessed the UFO. She had not even had any sleep yet. And it was going on twenty-six hours. Twenty-six hours with no sleep and very little to eat or drink. No wonder her physical body was worn to a frazzle. But, she had succeeded in finding not only the UFO Compound and the missing Ms. Hoese, but another young missing male victim and the missing Agent Mulder as well. Yes. Without Special Agent Monica Reyes, they would still be looking.

Scully had to fight back fresh, new tears as she rose from the bed, completely silent, and utterly speechless at what she had just begun to understand. She reached over to the Saline bag, checking the amount left in it. ...My God! How did I not see that? I'm a Medical Doctor for Crissakes! How in the hell could I miss that?... she thought.

..."You've been on overload, Dana. Too much on your mind"... an unfamiliar older female voice suddenly echoed inside her head.

"Huh?" Scully glanced around, looking at Reyes.

Reyes cocked an eyebrow at her. She had not said anything.

Scully shook her head. "I... um... I'm going to speed up the flow rate on your IV. Your vitals. We need to get that BP up."

Reyes nodded in understanding.

Then Scully was again speechless. What a night it had been. And she was still just so exhausted herself.

Reyes reached over, clasping her forearm. "You need to sit down. Before you fall down," she whispered.

Scully looked over at her and smiled, again sitting back down on the bed. Reyes began to play and run her fingers through her auburn-red hair again with her free hand. Scully reached over and clasped the cup of solution, then handed it to her, cocking an eyebrow at her. Reyes smirked, and then took another two big swallows. Scully smiled, as she put the cup back down on the table, then leaned back down against her shoulder, snuggling in close and placing her arm across her chest. Reyes continued to play and run her fingers through her hair, then kissed the top of her head. No words were spoken. Nothing needed to be said.

********************

10:11 PM: An older nurse came flying into the little room, noisily swinging the curtain back, scaring the hell out of both of them, with a needle and syringe in hand.

Reyes jumped and flinched, grabbing onto Scully's torso.

"It's okay. Just the nurse," Scully reassured her.

Reyes eased up on her hold and lay back down, closing her eyes. She was beginning to feel so sick at her stomach, all over again.

Scully glanced up at the nurse. ...Idiot... You about scared her half to death!... she smirked.

"Oh um, excuse me," the nurse stuttered, suddenly noticing the intimate scene and beginning to convey slight contempt in her expression.

"Oh no, you're fine," Scully commented, and then noticed the expression of contempt on the older nurse's face. ...Oh. So. You've got a problem?... she thought, wrinkling her forehead. ...Damn bitch... She turned back and on pure instinct lovingly kissed Reyes, just on the edge of her lips, like a lover would do, before rising back up and easing off the bed. Reyes was so busy fighting the growing nausea in her gut, she had not even noticed the intimate gesture. But the nurse had. And the old biddy looked away, embarrassed and full of contempt at what Scully had just done.

...God. What are you doing in the medical field? You homophobic bitch!... Shit!... Scully thought, pissed. She was pissed at the unmistakable homophobia radiating around the room. Granted, the nurse was mistaken. They were not lovers. Reyes was not even gay. But it was the principle of the thing. What if they were? They had every right to show love and affection, as any couple would do, when one is so sick. Scully was pissed. "Is that the prednisone I ordered?" she finally asked, pissed as hell, with a little bit of anger coming through in her tone.

"Oh, um, yes. Yes it is, I'm sorry. I... Ah!" the nurse stuttered, and then gasped, glancing over at Reyes, her eyes growing wide at the holstered SIG 9mm lying on the little table by the bed next to her.

Reyes had unhooked the holster clip attached to her belt and removed her holstered firearm from the small of her back, then placed it on the little table next to the bed, scaring the nurse half to death. She had not even thought about it, that it would scare the nurse. Her stomach was going into spasms. And the loaded holster had grown uncomfortable against her back. So, she was just making herself a little more comfortable. She glanced over at the nurse, smiled and put her hand over the butt of her gun, then lifted it off the table, opened the drawer, placed it out of sight, closed the drawer, and then closed her eyes again, not wanting to see, hear or sense anything else for a few moments. She felt like she could throw up at any second.

Scully noticed the fear in the nurse's eyes, glanced over at Reyes, then noticed the empty belt clip, and then glanced back up at the nurse. She smirked. "Here. I'll do it," she said, taking the syringe from her hand and turning to face Reyes. "Okay, Moni. I need you to roll over, pull your pants down."

Reyes' eyes flew open at Scully's request. "Do what?" she mumbled, a little surprised.

Scully giggled at her reaction. "Come on, Sweetheart. Roll over for me. Let me get a piece of that cute little ass," she said, as she smirked again. The old biddy about tripped over her own two feet clanging and banging against everything in her path, trying to get out of the room. She just could not get out of there fast enough. ...Damn nurse. That's what you get for crashing in here and scaring her half to death... Scully snorted, as she stood there giggling, with her mouth hidden behind her palm.

"Do what?" Reyes asked again. ...Sweet... My cute little... I must be hearing things... "You are kidding me, right?" she said, starring at her.

"No. I need to give you an injection. And I thought while I was at it, I'd have a little fun with that nurse," Scully replied, cocking an eyebrow and still slightly giggling.

"Holy shit!" Reyes exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting up so high they were virtually hovering around the roof of the building. Scully snorted at her expression. Reyes smirked at the irony, and then joined in with a few little giggles herself. "God. She thinks I'm gonna shoot her and now she thinks I'm gay. Well. That fits. We all know what they say... Female cops and federal agents," she commented, cocking an eyebrow at her and shaking her head.

"Is that a problem, Agent Reyes?" Scully said, cocking an eyebrow back, and quite interested indeed in what her response would be.

"What?" Reyes panted, holding her stomach.

"The nurse... Thinking you're gay," Scully tried again. She really would like to hear Reyes' response to the question.

"Ugh... Dana!" Reyes' expression had quickly changed into panic.

"Uh-oh... Hang on," Scully quickly responded, as she laid the syringe down, grabbed a plastic container off the table by the bed and placed it next to Reyes' chin, helping her to lean over the container. She would just have to hear the response to her question on some other day, if she were lucky.

"Ugh... God... Dana... It hurts!" Reyes groaned in pain.

"I know. Try to get something up. It'll help," Scully responded.

But nothing, nothing at all, was coming up. But Reyes' body and the convulsions inside her stomach didn't know the difference. Finally, after a few failed tries, she leaned back down against the bed, exhausted.

"Oh, God, Dana. I can't... I can't take this," she whimpered, as she rubbed her stomach along the area where Scully had punched her twice in the gut - by accident - earlier in the night. The pain was horrendous. But she would never let Scully see the developing bruise, not if she could help it.

Scully quickly moistened a cloth and began to wipe her forehead, around her eyes, and cheeks, and along her neck. "It will get better. You're just so sick. I need to give you this. It will help," she said, picking the syringe back up off the table. Reyes began to unzip her pants and roll over. "Oh no. You don't need to roll over. I can administer it through the IV tube. It's much faster that way anyway. I was just messing with that damn nurse." Reyes stopped, zipped her pants back up and rolled back over, flat of her back. Scully began to administer the latest drug into the IV tube as Reyes looked on.

Dr. Desai reentered the room. "Dr. Scully. Could you come with me for a moment?"

"Of course. Give me a minute," Scully said. He nodded and left the room. "I'll be just outside, okay?" she whispered. Reyes nodded, while Scully placed the little plastic container next to her on the bed and handed her the cool, moist cloth. They both glanced over at the monitors at the same time. Pulse: 79. BP: 92/68. "Good... Getting better," Scully observed, smiling. Reyes quirked her lips, and then smiled back. Yep. It would soon be time to get the hell out of that hospital. Reyes' stomach had begun to burn and sting again, in spite of all the medications being pumped into her system.

10:14 PM: Scully reentered the main corridor in search of Dr. Desai. "What is it?" she asked, walking up to him.

"They just brought a Mr. Fox Mulder in. I didn't know..."

Scully's heart about stopped and fell to the basement. "I um... Is... Agent Doggett or Agent Skinner here?" she stammered.

"No. Not yet. They should be here within the hour."

Scully suddenly felt so limp, like she could collapse to the floor.

Dr. Desai grabbed onto her shoulders. "Dr. Scully? Maybe you need to sit down."

"I... um..." She placed her face in her palm, tears beginning to flood her eyes.

Dr. Desai helped her over to a chair inside the nurse's station. "Look, Dr. Scully. It's... I don't think it's necessary for you to... We can have the resident medical examiner in by the hour and the county coroner has already pronounced..." he hesitated.

Scully nodded in agreement. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Dr. Desai leaned over and grabbed some Kleenex from the counter, handing them to her. "Aowh," she barely groaned, taking them from his hand.

"You need to put some ice on those."

"Hum?" She glanced up at him.

"Your knuckles, you need to get some ice on them, before they..."

"Oh. Right," she said. She had completely forgotten about the continual ache in her knuckles and hands.

"What did you do to them anyway?" he asked, as he took one of her hands into his, examining the damage.

"I... fell," she answered.

To be quite honest, she had no idea what she had done to her hands and knuckles. She just could not seem to remember. Actually, she could not seem to remember much of anything after finding Mulder, until Skinner and Doggett had walked into that little room. She had glimpses of Reyes, her scent, her voice, her arms, her eyes, her chest, her body, her warmth, feeling completely safe, secure, and protected, but nothing else. She remembered that she had cried and cried and cried, until there were no more tears left inside of her to be shed. But now, the tears, the cries and the sobs could all come crashing in all over again.

********************

10:29 PM: Scully sat quietly behind the nurses' station, with her eyes closed, as she rested two instant ice packs over her swelling knuckles. And, no matter how hard she tried, she just could not seem to remember how she had injured her knuckles in the first place. ...Ohhh... And she was just so tired - exhausted really.

"Dr. Desai! Examining Room 3! Stat!" a young nurse's voice rang out over the intercom system. It sounded like Danielle's.

Scully jumped to her feet, the ice bags falling to the floor beside her. "I'll take it," she called to the nurse at the station, and then jogged down to Examining Room 3.

"What's happening?" Scully asked, as she hurriedly ran into the little room.

"Dr. Scully. She's... Something's not right," the older nurse panted, pulling the curtain back for Scully to see. Reyes was leaned over the side of the bed, with the help of Danielle, vomiting her guts out.

"God Monica," Scully breathed, glancing at the monitors. Pulse: 85. BP: 90/64. ...Well... That's better...

"Dana... You... you've got... to get... me out," Reyes panted, between heaves.

"Jesus!" Scully gasped, seeing the blood-streaked excrement filling the plastic container. "I want another dose of phernegen. Now," she said, to the older nurse standing beside her.

"But..."

"NOW!"

The older nurse turned to go and retrieve her request.

"Dana... Plea... Get me out... ugh," Reyes heaved again into the little container, blood-streaked excrement coming up.

"Jesus, Monica. I don't understand. This should not be happening," Scully said, running to the bed, taking over where the older nurse had been. "How long has she been doing this?" she asked calmly, hiding her growing fear. She had never seen anything quite like this before, pumping a patient full of medicines, just to see them take a sudden turn for the worst.

"About ten minutes," Danielle answered, glancing up at Scully.

"Ten minutes! And you didn't come get me?!" Scully yelled at her, angry as hell.

"I... I didn't know. She didn't..."

"Danielle... Leave us... Please," Reyes whimpered between heaves.

Danielle glanced back up at Scully, not knowing what to do.

Scully nodded to her to go on. She could handle it, then said, "Danielle, check on that phernegen. I need it stat!" hoping that Danielle could come through for her, and bring her another round, in spite of the older nurse or Dr. Desai.

"Yes, Doctor," Danielle said, and left the room.

"Monica. This should not be happening. I don't understand."

Reyes lay back down against the pillow for a moment, clutching Scully's forearm. "Yes you do... I told you... If you don't... get me out, I... I could die... Bleed to death," she panted, as she palmed her stomach, proving her point.

"What? I don't..." Scully looked at her, confusion written all over her face. ...No... No way... "No. No Moni. You need to be in here. Look at your vitals," she argued, glancing back over at her vitals. Pulse: 126. BP: 68/42. "Jesus!" she exclaimed. Reyes' heart rate was rising as her BP was dropping. She was crashing and fast.

"Dana... You remember... wha... what I told you... about me and hospi...? Ugh... Oh God," she began to heave again, almost falling off the bed.

Scully grabbed onto her shoulders, holding another fresh container against her chin and mouth, as she vomited more blood-streaked fluid into it. "My God!... Moni!" she gasped at the sight as Dr. Desai came rushing into the room.

"Dr. Scully. My nurse tells me you've ordered another round of phernegen. I cannot allow..." He stopped mid-sentence at the sight before him. Reyes was already hooked up to the second bag of Saline. Scully reached over and bumped the flow rate up as fast as she possibly could, and it not be of danger to Reyes. "What are you doing?!" he cried.

"Leave us, please," Scully said, glancing around and making eye contact with him.

"Dr. Scully. I cannot allow you to..."

"Ugh... Ugh," Reyes began to vomit again.

"I said... leave us, please," Scully said again, starring directly at him, as she held onto Reyes.

Dr. Desai ignored her request and came around to the other side to give added support. "I don't understand this at all," he commented, glancing over at Reyes' rising pulse and dropping blood pressure. "Ms. Reyes. Do you have a peptic ulcer?"

"NO! But I'll soon have!... If you don't get me... the hell out of here!" she cried, leaning her head against Scully's shoulder. "Dana! You know what... to do. I trust you," she whimpered again into Scully's neck.

Danielle hurriedly came back into the room with another syringe of phernegen and handed it to Scully.

"Easy now. Lie down. Lie back down for me," Scully instructed. Reyes lay back down against the bed, waiting for the next round of vomiting. Scully held the syringe of phernegen up to the light, checking the dosage. She could not afford to overdose her. And she was pushing her luck already.

Dr. Desai clasped her forearm. "Dr. Scully. I cannot allow you to admin..."

Reyes rose back up off the pillow, sitting up, pissed as hell. "I'll do it... my own damn self!" she panted, as she grabbed the syringe out of Scully's hand, pulling the plastic protective cover off the needle with her teeth.

"Wait! Moni!" Scully shouted, grabbing her hand. "Danielle, would you...?" she glanced over at Danielle. Danielle nodded then took the syringe back from Reyes. "Monica? Give me a minute with Dr. Desai, okay?" she said, then grabbed him by the arm and hurriedly escorted him out of the room.

Danielle glanced over at the IV monitor and slightly gasped. She had never seen a flow rate turned up that high before. "Agent Reyes? Could you lie back down for me, please?" she asked.

Reyes lay back down against the pillow. "Oh... God!" she painfully groaned, rolling to her side and clutching her stomach. The pain was almost unbearable. She would not be able to stay inside this hospital much longer, no matter what Scully or Dr. Desai said.

"It's okay. The injection will help," Danielle said, running her hand along Reyes' cheek and forehead, trying to be of some comfort.

Main Corridor of the ER Ward: