Stop and Smell the Roses
by Sally Rush

---

Mulder paced in the surgical waiting room. It had been four hours. He sat down hard in a chair, catching his own head in his hands before it hit the floor. The roses he were holding tumbled loosely to the carpet. Red petals spilt out. He had anguished over red or pink but decided to go for the gold. Or the red, rather. The red roses, that spelled out true real love.

A Doctor appeared in a green surgical dress. A nurse rushed outside wearing a blue dress. The green was nothing like Scully's eyes, Mulder thought. Scully's eyes were much more beautiful. "Beautiful". He caught himself. How long had it been since he had started to think of her this way? Finally the doctor's voice perpetrated Mulder's dreaming-like state.

"Agent Mulder..."

"Yes ... sorry" Mulder looked up nervously.

"...Ms. Scully is sleeping peacefully, we believe her surgery was a success."

Success. The word revertebrated in Mulder's ears. Scully would be OK. It was not too late.

"Can I see her?" Mulder asked hopefully.

"Of course, Agent Mulder. We normally only allow family in but Dana is only asking for you." The Doctor advised and glanced sorrily at Scully's mom and brother William huddled in the corner of the room.

Inside Scully's darkened corner of the recovery room Mulder stood at her bedside. He held her hand which was limp and pale, like dough which would never rise to make bread. Her face was completed bandaged so that all he could see was her green eyes and her rosebud mouth. Her once lustuous hair now hung limp around her soft skin.

"Scully..." Mulder whispered.

Her eyes opened weakly and she gazed at him. "Mulder? ..." she started hesitatingly.

"Scully, how are you feeling?"

Scully cringed with pain. "How ...?" she started to ask falteringly.

Mulder met her eyes straight on. "You're going to be OK, Scully ... " he paused, "Dana." He tried the name on for size and found that it fit very well on his lips.

"My ..." she tried to lift her hand to her face but Mulder took it instead.

"Scully ... Dana ... you look beautiful." There. He had said it.

Tears rolled out of her huge scared eyes and wet the bandanges on her face. "But ... my nose ..." she choked.

Mulder smiled reassuringly. The doctors will be fitting you for a prophylactic ... you will get a new nose Dana. And hey, "he joked, "The old one was a little too pointy anyway."

Scully smiled weakly in spite of herself. Suddenly her eyes deepened though and she looked more seriously. "Mulder ... I ... " she stopped. "I love you too, Dana."

New tears fell from her swolen eyes but now they were tears of happiness and relief.

Mulder left her to sleep and picked up his roses on the way past the waiting room. Chuckling he dropped them in the garbage while a surprised nurse watched in amazement. Going down in the elevator he found himself singing along to the musak: If you change your mind I'm the first in line Honey I'm still free Take a chance on me ... If you need me, let me know Gonna be around If you got no place to go and You're feelin' down Take a chance on me ... Take a chance on me ...

The sun broke out of the clouds just as he hit the sidewalk and he laughed out loud and decided to go and clean up his apartment.

* * *

Back at the hospital, the doctor stood at Scully's bedside holding her clipboard with her patient information on it. "How long have you known?" he asked, queryingly.

"Just a few weeks ... I ... wasn't sure."

"Well congratulations, Dana. Or should I say ... 'Mom'. Lucky baby!" He added enviously and then walked away.

THE END.

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