I Shouldn't Have Opened My Eyes
by: xphilernj
date: January 4, 2004
feedback: xphilernj@aol.com
Rating: R (for language)
Classification: S, M/A
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Author Notes: For the Mulder's Refuge January 2004 Fic Contest:
Mundane Activity Gone Wrong
Acknowledgements: To Fibbie who continues to love and support me no
matter what. To SweetSallie for constant support and help beyond
reason.

Summary: Could this day get any worse?

* * * * * * * * * * *

Sunday morning

I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed. Shouldn't
have opened my eyes. Shouldn't have answered the damned phone.
Shouldn't have put my feet on the floor. I should have just stayed
in bed. But no. I had to open my eyes, answer the damned phone and
gotten out of bed. Could this day get any worse? Damn! Scully just
walked through the door and she looks none too happy. So I guess in
answer to my own question, YES, it can.

* * * * * *

Saturday morning


The sun streaking through Mulder's window blinds reminded him that
his weekend had started. He stretched and smiled as his mind went
back to the evening before.


"Mulder, would you like to come over tomorrow? We could go out to
the park or to the beach. It's suppose be a beautiful day and the
first weekend we've had in a while to just be alone. No last minute
out-of-town trips and no paper work to finish before Monday."

Mulder ran his hands along her back and hummed, "Hmm...sounds good.
What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Are you sure? You didn't have plans, did you?" she asked behind a
yawn.

"Only to be with you. Pick you up around noon then?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay Scully, off to bed you go. You can barely keep your eyes
open." Mulder pulled Scully up as he stood. "Come on sleepyhead.
You go on and I'll lock up before I go." He kissed her softly on the
lips and smiled down at her tenderly.

"Night, Mulder. See you tomorrow." Scully yawned again and stumbled
to the bedroom as Mulder turned out the lights and locked the door
behind him.


With a smile he stretched once more. A long week of paper work, a
run to Maryland for a consult which had left him drained and he knew
Scully was pretty much feeling the same with having to go to Quantico
for an autopsy and then hours of paper that followed. They were both
glad to finally have a weekend off.

He threw the covers back and slowly planted his feet on the cold
floor. He shivered and ran his hands across his face trying to wipe
away the remains of a restless night. Shower. A nice hot shower
would really be great right now. As he started to rise the shrill
sound of his phone made him jump. He glanced at the clock. 6:45.

"Mulder," he gruffly answered.

"Mulder...it's me."

"What's wrong Scully?" he asked when he noticed the soft hesitant
tone of her voice.

"Mom called. She said Bill was in town for the weekend and she
wanted me to come by for lunch before Bill has to ship out tomorrow.
I'm sorry Mulder."

"It's okay Scully. We can do something tonight or maybe tomorrow if
you want. No big deal. You go have lunch with your mom and
brother." Mulder tried not to sound disappointed but was not sure he
was succeeding.

"I really am sorry, Mulder. I could call her and tell her I had
already made plans. . ."

"No. You go. I don't want Bill to be mad at you because of me. You
go and have a good time. I'll see you later. Call me when you get
home?"

"All right, Mulder. I'll call you later. I love you." Scully hung
up before it completely registered with him what she actually said.

Before Mulder could respond he heard the dial tone. 'What did she
say?' He sat for a moment and then smiled. 'She loves me.' Still
grinning he slowly made his way to the kitchen to make coffee.

7:30 AM

As the coffee brewed, he plopped down on his couch, ground the palm
of his hands into his eyes and then leaned his head back. Blinking
sleep-deprived eyes he glanced around and realized his apartment was
messier than usual. He sighed, then decided today would be as good
as any to do a little cleaning since he had no where to go. But
first he needed coffee. He figured he would need all the help he
could get to tackle a weeks' worth of neglect.

The last bit of coffee gurgled and sputtered as he pulled a cup from
the cabinet above. As he was pouring the hot coffee into his cup a
yawn caught him unaware, causing him to miss the cup and spill onto
his right hand. When he jerked his hand away from the hot liquid the
cup flew across the counter and the pot hit the floor.

"God. . .! Shit!" he yelled as the coffee and glass splattered
across the kitchen floor. On reflex he jumped up on the counter
hitting his head against the cabinet above. "Son of a bitch!" he
yelled again, rubbing the back of his head. He winced when pain shot
through his hand and up his arm. He turned his hand over to find an
ugly blister beginning to form.

Surveying the damage around him, he carefully slid off the counter
and reached for the broom he had thankfully left out. He swept up
the broken glass and coffee and wiped up as much of the liquid as he
could with a dish towel. That done he headed for the bathroom to
tend to his hand.

He ran his hand under the cool water and then patted it dry, smeared
ointment over the burn and lightly wrapped it in gauze. Satisfied
with the bandage he decided to take a run and stop by the deli down
the street for a cup of coffee and maybe a danish. Changing quickly,
he grabbed his keys and wallet on the way out the door.

8:30 AM

Mulder often jogged when he was stressed out or trying to untangle
the newest knot that had formed in a case he was working on, or just
to simply think about how he and Scully had become closer and getting
closer still. His mind started to wander toward his favorite
subject. Scully. How the simple, mundane activities were enjoyable
now and how he looked forward to those simple tasks of the normal,
everyday things with her. Only with Scully. He sighed thinking of
the day they had planned and how it might have ended when his foot
twisted and his body plummeted to the ground.

"Son. . .of. . .a. . .!" he gasped as he rolled to his
back. 'Wonderful. Will the day get any better?' he thought as he
slowly sat up, surveying the damage. 'Great. Scully is not gonna be
happy to see this,' he mused to himself as the blood oozed from his
torn pants, around his knee. Upon further exploration, he realized
his elbow had also suffered the same. Gingerly, he rose to his feet,
favoring his left ankle and knee, then tempted fate by gently
pressing his injured foot against the ground. 'Shit. This doesn't
look good. Okay. No coffee this morning and definitely no more
running.' Luckily, he thought, he wasn't that far from home.

9:15 AM

His shirt and pants were soaked with sweat and blood as he hobbled
through the door of his apartment two hours later. He glanced at the
clock on his way to the kitchen. Ice. 'I need ice for my ankle.
Damn, it hurts. Gotta get off of it. Gotta get the swelling down
before Scully finds out,' he mumbled. Retrieving the ice, he headed
for the bathroom to clean up the scrapes on his knee and elbow.

Discarding his clothes on the bathroom floor he winced at the sight
before him in the mirror. Sweat soaked hair. Face pale with tired,
red rimmed eyes. He grabbed a washcloth, turned on the tap and
gently bathed the injuries to his elbow and knee. He quickly applied
ointment to the scrapes and then bandaged them as well. Mulder knew
he should have taken a shower first but he wanted to get the swelling
down in his ankle as quickly as possible. He went to his room and
grabbed a pair of boxers, pulled them on and headed for the couch.

Mulder plopped down on the couch and groaned when all his muscles
decided to protest rather loudly. He ran his hand over his
eyes. 'Damn. Gotta headache now. This is all Bill's fault. If he
hadn't shown up, Scully and I would be at the beach or maybe the park
enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon,' he groused to himself. He
propped his foot up on the coffee table and placed the ice pack over
the injured ankle. He reclined and closed his eyes. 'I can't
believe this day already. Can it get any worse? God, I hope not.'
He knew it wasn't Bill's fault. But still. . .

1:45 PM


Mulder winced from the ache in his head and the ringing in his
ears. 'Damn. It's the phone.' He groaned as his muscles protested
once again, got up and answered in a not so cheery voice. "Mulder."
He grunted as he sat back down.

"Mulder? What's wrong? Are you all right?" Scully's concerned
voice brought a smile to his face and then faded just as quickly when
he remembered his morning so far.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. How was lunch with your mom and Bill?" he
asked trying to divert her concern.

"Just great."

'Ooh, oh. I know that tone.' He carefully tiptoed into the
obvious. "Scully, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Mom says hello. Just the usual bullshit from Bill
and I'd rather not talk about him right now, okay?"

"Sure. Want to come over and join me for some pizza and a movie?
Maybe we can salvage at least part of the weekend," he said with a
grin.

"Yeah, I would. I miss you. How about I pickup a movie and a pizza
on the way?" she offered.

"Okay. I'm gonna go jump in the shower and be ready by the time you
get here. And. . .I miss you, too. Be careful."

"I will. See ya soon."


2:00 PM

After removing the bandages from the injuries to his arms and legs
and noticing the swelling had gone down in his ankle he carefully
stepped into the shower. The water was warm but still stung against
the scrapes and bruises that now adorned his body. It seemed every
part of his body hurt. He literally hurt from head to toe. He
quickly washed and then started on his hair. As he ran his hands
through his hair, massaging his scalp, he groaned. 'Must have hit my
head and didn't realize it. Another knot on my head. Nothing new.'

He turned off the tap, reached out and grabbed a towel from the
rack. He carefully dried the injured areas and then wrapped the
towel around his hips and gingerly stepped out of the shower. When
his sprained ankle came in contact with the floor it gave way and he
felt himself falling once more. The last thing he remembered was his
head coming in contact with the corner of the cabinet.

3:30 PM

Scully knocked and then used her key to let herself inside of
Mulder's apartment. After closing and locking the door she placed
the movie she had rented and the hot pizza box on the coffee table.
She noticed a bag, with what was now water, on the table. 'I wonder
what this was for. I guess I better go find out.'

"Mulder. It's me," she called out as she headed toward the bedroom.

A twinge of panic started to rise and cause the hairs on the back of
her neck to tingle when he didn't answer.

"Mulder? Are you here?" she called out again when she got to the
bathroom door.

"Oh my God, Mulder!" she cried out and dropped down beside his prone
body. "Mulder? Can you hear me? Talk to me, Mulder."

She pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket and dialed 911. Then
she really got a good look at him as she checked his pulse. She
breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the tiny sensation beating
steady and strong. She quickly gave the dispatcher Mulder's address
and a quick run down of what she saw.

Head injury due to a fall, burn on his right hand, skin abrasions on
the left elbow and knee and a swollen ankle. "No. I just found
him. He was alone when he fell. Yes, Thank you." She hung the
phone up, looked down at her partner and shook her head. She quickly
got up, ran to the front door and unlocked it to let the paramedics
in before returning to Mulder.

"Mulder, what did you do?" The tears began to form as she ran her
hands through his hair. She shivered when her fingers came in
contact with the bump on his head. "Oh, Mulder. Why didn't you call
me?"

She sat on the cold bathroom floor, lost in thought, tears trailing
down her cheeks and her fingers still trailing through his hair when
the paramedics touched her shoulder.

"Miss? We need you to move so we can help him," the young man softly
said.

Scully simply nodded and with the help of the young man moved out
into the hall. She answered their questions as best she could. Not
knowing what had happened to him, she felt lost.

5:00 PM

Scully was sitting beside his bed, her hand entwined with his
uninjured one and her head resting on his arm when her mom slipped
inside the room. Mrs. Scully smiled when she saw her daughter and
placed her hand on Scully's shoulder.

Scully jerked awake, looked over at Mulder to find him still asleep
and then turned to see her mother standing beside her.

"Mom. I'm glad you're here."

"What happened to him, Dana? Did someone do this to him?"

"I don't know. He hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said he had a
slight concussion, sprained ankle, abrasions on his elbow and knee
and a burn on his hand. He said they would be trying to wake him
every so often because of the concussion but they don't expect him to
be fully awake until hopefully sometime in the morning. He's got a
pretty bad bump on his head." Scully took a deep breath and
shivered. "I don't understand why he didn't call me. But, it's just
like him not to. He probably didn't want to worry me." She shook
her head as she ran her fingers through his hair and a tear dropped
to her cheek.

"Dana, he'll be all right. But you need some rest. Why don't you
come home with me tonight and we'll come back first thing in the
morning. They can call you if anything changes." Mrs. Scully new it
would be a futile request but she had to try.

Scully shook her head. "No mom. I can't leave. I have to be here
in case he wakes up. I'll be fine."

"Yes, dear. I know you will. And so will he," she softly
said. "You take care of Fox and I'll pray for the both of you," she
whispered in her daughter's ear and then kissed her cheek. She
placed a kiss on Mulder's cheek and then turned and left the room.

Scully kissed him on the lips, then placed her head down upon his arm
once more and closed her eyes.

* * * * * * * * *

Sunday
6:45 AM


I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed. Shouldn't
have opened my eyes. Shouldn't have answered the damned phone.
Shouldn't have put my feet on the floor. I should have just stayed
in bed. But no. I had to open my eyes, answer the damned phone and
gotten out of bed. Could this day get any worse? Damn! Scully just
walked through the door and she doesn't look none too happy. So I
guess in answer to my own question, YES, it can.

"Hey," he whispered with a faint smile on his face.

"Hey, yourself. How are you feeling this morning?" Scully sat on
the side of his bed.

"A little tired. Ache all over and have a bit of a headache.
Morning? What day is it?" he asked feeling confused.

"Sunday morning. You've been her since they brought you in last
night. Mulder do you remember what happened?"

Mulder's confusion turned to worry when he thought back on the day
before. "I'm sorry Scully." he groaned. "I guess I screwed up
again, huh?"

"Mulder? What did happen to you? I got to your place and found you
out cold on your bathroom floor." She looked down at their hands
entwined and then whispered, "You scared the hell out of me."

He pulled her hand to his lips. "I'm really sorry. I guess you
could say I had a really shitty day." He chuckled and then closed
his eyes. "After you called I decided to do some cleaning but got
sidetracked." He opened his eyes and tilted his head toward her. "I
had made coffee and accidentally spilled it on my hand. I wrapped it
up and thought I would take a run down to the deli and pick up a
cup. On the way there, I must have twisted my ankle and fell,
scraping my elbow and knee. When I finally got home I cleaned up the
scrapes and put an ice pack on my ankle. I must have fallen asleep
and then you called."

"Why didn't you call me? I would have come."

"I know you would have. But I didn't want to interrupt your visit
with your brother, giving him something else to bitch at you about.
I was doing all right."

"What happened after I called?"

"I took a shower and when I stepped out, my ankle gave way and I
fell. I don't remember anything after that."

"I suppose you wouldn't. You were out cold when I got there. You
had a concussion from the blow you took to the head when you fell.
You must have hit the cabinet on your way down."

Mulder shook his head and shut his eyes for a moment and then glanced
over at the window. "Another mundane day gone wrong."

"The doctor says that you can go home this afternoon as long as you
have someone with you for at least 24 hours. I've already called
Skinner and told him we wouldn't be in tomorrow."

"You gonna stay with me Scully? What *will* your mother say?" he
inquired with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, mom will be by your apartment later this evening to check up on
you," she said with a wicked grin.

Mulder's mouth opened and closed but he couldn't think of a thing to
say.

"Mulder, I want you to promise me something. From now on, I don't
care where I am or who I'm with, I want you to call me if you need
me. Will you promise me that?" she asked and then
whispered, "Please."

Mulder pulled on her hand until she leaned over, kissed him softly
and then laid her head on his chest. "I promise," he whispered as he
kissed the top of her head.

Could this day get any better? Maybe, just maybe.


The end