Scully holds Mulder's hand all the way into Magnus' office like a lifeline. It's funny how she can't admit Mulder is the father anywhere but here. She still hasn't told Dana, or her mother. At least she has a few weeks before she mentions it to anyone else.
Mulder's face is almost unreadable and she wonders what he's thinking.
"Thank you for making time for my paranoia, doctor."
"It's not a problem at all. Every mother needs to put her mind at ease."
She smiles to the two and motions for them to take seats. "Now, how did all of this paranoia begin? That way I know what to look for beyond anything with defects."
"I was attacked by a basilisk," Scully begins, still holding Mulder's hand in her lap. She hasn't thought of herself as a mother, but Magnus's smile is reassuring. "The wounds were fairly deep. It took Doctor Whitcomb several stitches and she was concerned enough to prescribe a complex drug cocktail."
When she says it out loud, it doesn't make any sense that she's so afraid, but it still gnaws at the pit of her stomach.
Helen isn't sure how to put it. They are friends, but... "I would be careful, Dr. Scully. Whitcomb is a very dangerous woman if you lean onto her bad side. And I am certainly not on that side."
It seems hard to believe. Dana seemed so trustworthy. Yet, at the same time, she's not the one Scully called. Maybe it's because Mulder trusts her, but, the more time they spend with Doctor Magnus, the harder it is to believe what Dana said about her.
Scully looks from Mulder to Magnus and finally just has to ask. "Are you an empath?"
Helen shakes her head. "Hardly. I am merely someone that can live for very long. I have been around the block a few times, thus I can pick up on body language related to feelings. But, that is all."
Scully smiles, visibly relieved. The idea that Helen was reading her thoughts is in hindsight a little ridiculous. After all, Mulder basically reads hers and he's just an Oxford educated behaviorist.
"I'm sorry," she offers, almost embarrassed. "It was foolish of me to carry that idea for such a long time without just asking you."
He squeezes Scully's hand a bit and smiles to himself at the slight color that's arisen in her face. She's definitely embarassed, whether she'll admit it or not
"Morning, Doctor."
He's not used to being in the company of someone whose authority he respects, rather than wants to flout. It's a bit odd to him to be consulting an expert. Usually he is the expert. But Dr. Magnus deals with realities and experience. He's only ever dealt in supposition, theory, and legend. Normally, the difference would make him uncomfortable, but this is too important for that. If something's wrong, he's got to know. Not being able to claim his child publicly is hard enough. If something were wrong? He's not sure he can handle that.
She smiles at Mulder. "Morning, Mulder." She folds her hands on her desk and nods. "And it is perfectly understandable to be worried. But, I assure you I would have told you if that was the case."
"The chance something could be wrong is minute, isn't it?" Scully asks, unable to keep her mind off the baby. Sometimes, she can still remember the smell of the creature when it came out of the darkness. The idea that it could be hurting her baby terrifies her, no matter how tiny the chance might be.
"I've never heard if a report of a basilisk being harmful to a fetus, but it's not a very widely studied subject? Is it?" He looks to Magnus. If anyone would know, it'd be her. She's been dealing with abnormals for decades longer than he can easily think about.
"The fact that she wasn't actually pregnant at the time of the attack is good though, right?"
"As with any possible physical trauma while pregnant, it's certainly not a good event." Helen folds her hands again. "However the basilisks are physical creatures. If there is no physical penetration, than I highly doubt there is anything wrong with the fetus. Though it is possible something was injured from impact, but not mutated."
Scully nods, comforted by not having to be the doctor in this moment. She hasn't even started looking for a Seattle doctor and she's never realised before just how important it is to instill confidence. It's something Magnus does easily.
This is out of his realm of experience. Scully's the doctor, not him. All he can do is sit back and hope this goes well. He leans back in his chair, sighing a bit. It's the best he can do to look at ease.
Mulder's face is almost unreadable and she wonders what he's thinking.
"Thank you for making time for my paranoia, doctor."
Reply
She smiles to the two and motions for them to take seats. "Now, how did all of this paranoia begin? That way I know what to look for beyond anything with defects."
Reply
When she says it out loud, it doesn't make any sense that she's so afraid, but it still gnaws at the pit of her stomach.
Reply
Reply
Even Mulder looks worried and she looks back to Magnus. "She was decidedly afraid of you, Doctor."
Reply
Reply
Scully looks from Mulder to Magnus and finally just has to ask. "Are you an empath?"
Reply
Reply
"I'm sorry," she offers, almost embarrassed. "It was foolish of me to carry that idea for such a long time without just asking you."
Reply
"Morning, Doctor."
He's not used to being in the company of someone whose authority he respects, rather than wants to flout. It's a bit odd to him to be consulting an expert. Usually he is the expert. But Dr. Magnus deals with realities and experience. He's only ever dealt in supposition, theory, and legend. Normally, the difference would make him uncomfortable, but this is too important for that. If something's wrong, he's got to know. Not being able to claim his child publicly is hard enough. If something were wrong? He's not sure he can handle that.
Reply
Reply
Reply
"The fact that she wasn't actually pregnant at the time of the attack is good though, right?"
Reply
Reply
"Are you going to start with blood tests?"
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment