Changes By Mulderslady DISCLAIMER: They don't belong to me, wish they did. Only Dr Eric Marvins, Dr Evan Peck, and Karen belong to me RATING: P.G.-13 CLASSIFICATION: S, A, mild MT, MSR, slight AU KEYWORDS: MSR, mild MT, Scully and Mulder angst, slight AU SPOILERS: None URL: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/5160/ami.html FEEDBACK: Please!!! at damacia@home.com ARCHIVE: Oh yeah, anywhere!! SUMMARY: Let's make this simple, Mulder has a heart attack and realizes what's important to him. Special Thanks! Special thanks must go out to Spooky Jr. My biggest fanfic fan who begged me and cracked the whip over me to finish this story, her story that she special requested and edited for me! Thanks!! Sorry I forgot the first time :0) *********************%%%%%%%%%%%%% After all these years After all these tears between us Still I couldn't find Someone half as right as you And each time I stop to think What it is I really need. Here is what I conclude All I really need is you "All I Really Need Is You" - Neil Diamond **********************%%%%%%%%%%%% "Mulder?" Scully asked, concerned when he stumbled slightly coming out of the woods. "I'm ok, my arm hurts a little," he said as he looked up at the sky and sighed content. "I'm free," he whispered, his face contorting in pain as he clutched at his chest, falling to his knees in pain. "Oh my god, Mulder!" Scully yelled, going to his side, pulling out her cell phone and dialing 911. ************** Mulder slowly opened his eyes, looking around confused. "Where am I?" He asked softly. "Georgetown U Medical Center, Mr. Mulder," A young nurse said, smiling at him sweetly. "Need anything?" "Where's Scully?" "Scully? Dr. Scully? Hold on let me get her," The nurse said, walking out and motioning for Scully to come in. "He's conscious? Mulder?" Scully said rushing into the room. "Scully, what's going on? Why am I here?" "Stay calm, you had a mild heart attack..." "A WHAT?!" "A heart attack, but it was mild. It doesn't seem to have caused too much damage but...you're going to have to stay for observation for a few days and..." "Heart attack! Scully, I'm only 38 how..." "You're 38, have a high stress job, and you don't take care of yourself. You were a heart attack waiting to happen." "So what do I do now?" "You have to follow a heart healthy diet, not stay so stressed and then maybe we can keep you from having another one." "Can I jog?" "Yes, exercise is another thing. I noticed the little love handles. You haven't been jogging, swimming..." "Ah, you got me." Mulder teased. "Mulder, this is serious. If you don't do what the doctor says, if you don't do everything your supposed to, you will have another heart attack. This time it will be more severe and not give you any warning." "Ok, ok chill woman." Mulder said with a smile. "Just so you understand me." Scully said with a stern look "Of course, so...you've been noticing my handles," Mulder said with a leer. "Get over yourself, Mulder. I'll be back," Scully said, walking out in the hall and stopping a doctor outside Mulder's door. Mulder watched her interact with the man and frowned. She leaned into him more than he liked, tucking her hair behind her ear in that unconsciously seductive way, looking at him with those fabulous blue eyes. Mulder sighed. 'Damn I'm too old for a crush, but I've had a crush on her for years. She's totally oblivious, totally focused on her work.' He sighed again, smiling at the young nurse who walked back in. "You look kinda young to be on this ward," she said innocently. "Well I think I am. I'm 38." "Really? Oh, wow, I had you guessed at about 32 or so." "Thanks, 38." Mulder said, with another smile making the girl blush. "Why aren't you married or is Dr. Scully..." "No, she's my partner. I work with her." "Oh, so you're not married?" "No." "Engaged?" "NO." "You won't think I'm rude, but are you gay?" "WHAT?!" "Well I...it's always the cute ones." "No, I'm not gay," Mulder said laughing. "I'm wonderfully straight and single." "Why? I mean you obviously like Dr. Scully. Why don't you ask her out?" Mulder looked at the girl and sighed. "It's a long story." "You have time," she said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Well, number one she's my partner it could get weird, and number two, and the major problem, I'm not her type." Mulder said, watching her still talking with the doctor, touching his arm on occasion and smiling at him. "You never know unless you try, Mr. Mulder. I'll let you rest, just buzz if you need me," she said, getting up slowly. "Thanks, I will," he said, sighing heavily as he watched Scully finish up her conversation. "Okay, thanks, Greg. I will," she said, heading back into Mulder with a smile. "Finished flirting with the doctor?" "Hey how do you think I get you out of the hospital so fast?" Mulder smiled. "Actually we went to med school together, just catching up." "Oh, so what Skinner say?" "He gave you 3 weeks off once your released." "Okay, Scully...thanks." "You're welcome. I gotta keep you around or I'll have to end up doing work that made sense scientifically. I'd be lost," she said, bending and kissing him on the forehead gently. "Get some sleep, okay?" "Yeah, I'll try. Goodnight." ************ 5 days later ************ Mulder plopped down on his couch out of breath. "I was never this winded before." "Yeah, but you weren't fresh off a heart attack either. Get up I made your bed." "Scully, before the wedding? I haven't even told your Mom yet." Scully glared at him, pushing him into his room. "That's better, under the covers. Drink this bottle of water with your pills each time. You know the drill." "Yeah, I know." "I'll call to check on you later, okay?" "Alright, bye, Scully." Scully waved, heading out the door as Mulder silently wished for her to stay. ******************* 10 Weeks Later FBI ******************* "Mulder, hey, how you feel?" Scully said, with a smile as he walked into the basement office. "Great, what's up for the day?" "Reports and reports for the rest of the week from the looks of things." "That sounds good. I don't think I'm ready for anything too exciting yet," Mulder said, softly rubbing his chest a little. "That's something I never thought I'd hear from you... are you ok?" "Yeah." "You're sure?" "I'm fine, Scully, I think I pulled a muscle swimming this morning. Don't baby me." "Fine, here you get the finance reports." "But..." "They're your charges." Mulder sighed, nodding as he started on his pile. ************* 6 Weeks Later ************* Mulder stepped out to the lap pool in his red Speedo. He looked down and frowned, remembering what Scully had said in the hospital. 'I noticed the love handles.' "They're going away slowly but surely," he muttered to himself as he pulled down his goggles and dived into the pool. On his 15th lap, he stopped at the edge of the pool, taking a break when he saw a pair of small feet staring at him. He looked up, coughing hard when he saw Scully in a two piece that showed off her fine muscled lines. "Hey." "Hey, what's up Gidget?" "Mind if I join you?" Scully asked. "Come on in, the waters fine." Scully dived in, doing a perfect butterfly lap. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" "I want blond streaks like you." Mulder smiled ruffling his chestnut hair that was beginning to sprout pool bleached blond streaks. "Gotta swim four times a day, seven days a week for this." "Really? So, Mr. Love handles, think you can beat me?" "I'd lap you in a heart beat," Mulder said, confidently. Scully was glad to see his personality was coming back. He had been overly morose and sullen when he was released, then more overly paranoid than usual about what he ate and did. It was good to see him doing what he was told for once and liking it. "Show me then." Mulder smiled at her, putting back on his goggles. "On three. One. Two. Three." *********** Scully smiled at him as he pushed up his goggles. "WOW, you're competition!" Mulder said, amazed. "There's a lot of things you never knew about me, Fox Mulder." "You just keep unfolding like a flower, Dana Scully," Mulder teased. "I'll always keep you guessing," Scully said, leaning in close to him, tickling his sides and swimming away. "Later, Mr. Handles." Mulder smiled, watching her walk away. "She wants me." he said to himself, flipping down his goggles and going for another lap. **************** 7 Weeks Later Dr. Pecks Office **************** "Looking good, Agent Mulder. You lost 15 pounds, brought your cholesterol down 16 points and decreased your stress levels. So, how do you feel?" "I feel great. I have more energy and stamina, but I tend to get light headed and a little winded when I do little things. Walking, bending and getting out of bed, should that happen?" "No, not with your other activities. Those sound like side effects from your blood pressure medication. You've been maintaining a steady BP of 130/70, so we'll decrease the dosage a little and see if that helps. Remember, you need to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. It's very important to stay hydrated with this medication." "I am. I think I drink more than that actually." "Well, good. Say, how's Dr. Scully?" Dr. Peck said, writing Mulder a new prescription for his blood pressure medicines. "She's doing fine. She's been swimming with me regularly," Mulder said guardedly. "If you see her today, tell her to call me, okay?" Dr. Peck said, handing him his new scripts. "Sure will. Bye, Dr. Peck." Mulder said, through gritted teeth walking out quickly. He grimaced slightly, holding his chest a little. "Stupid veggie burger," he said, when the pain passed. **************** 3 Days Later Gym, FBI Building **************** "Hey, Spooky, come on we need a fifth," an agent said, waving Mulder onto the basketball court. Mulder jogged over, smiling as they threw the ball into his hands. "Okay, lets start." ** ** Mulder passed the ball, moving into position for a perfect three pointer. They passed the ball back to him and he laid it up for a perfect swish. Mulder smiled at the winning shot, groaning when an excruciating pain torn at his chest, bringing him to his knees and stealing his breath. The pain and pressure increased, knocking him on his back as he went unconscious. ************************* Georgetown Medical Center Emergency Room ************************* "Massive AMI, he stopped breathing on his own in the ambulance!" An EMT, said pushing the stretcher, with Mulder on it, in quickly. "Get the paddles charged stat, get him in the OR we're going to have to open him up. What's his name?" The ER doctor asked the EMT. "Fox Mulder." "Fox Mulder, can you hear me? Fox can you hear me? I'm Dr. Marvins." The doctor checked his eyes quickly. "His pupils are fixed and dilated, tube him! Where are those paddles!" ****** Later ****** Scully ran into the ER quickly, asking the ER desk clerk; "Hi, Agent Fox Mulder? He was admitted through here?" "Yes ma'am, he's in the OR now, they had to do an emergency bypass on him." Scully exhaled heavily, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "Do you know if his primary care doctor is in there? A Dr. Evan Peck?" "Yes ma'am. He and Doctor Eric Marvins are working on him." "Thank you, I'm in the waiting room if they finish soon." She went into the waiting room, pacing a little before calling Skinner and filling him in. "Yes, Sir, I'll call you back when I know more. Thank you, Sir." Scully hung up, closing her eyes. 'DAMN IT! For once you do everything you should and you still get screwed over, Mulder,' she thought, as she sat back in her chair getting comfortable. ********** "Dr. Scully? Dana?" Dr. Peck said, shaking Scully awake gently. Scully opened her eyes, slowly stretching. "Evan, how is he?" She asked sleepily. "He's stable. He was worse. He died on the table twice while we had him open and coded when he got him upstairs. We had to take him back down, open him back up and put in a pacemaker." Scully closed her eyes, absorbing all the info she'd just heard. "How bad of a bypass?" "Triple. The blockage was amazing, I'm surprised it wasn't a fatal AMI." "Can I see him?" "Sure, in a minute. I don't recommend he stay alone after this... this massive of a heart attack." "Oh, he won't! How long will he be here?" "Two weeks max." "How about work?" "I don't recommend it." "Don't recommend what?" "That he go back to work." Scully reeled at that. "You don't recommend it? Do you know what that's going to do to him? He lives for that job..." "And he needs to live for something else. I'm sorry, he can no longer work as he has at the FBI. He has to cut down on a lot of his activities. He has to be more sedatary, I'm sorry." "Don't be, he'd rather be alive. Can I see him?" ****** I.C.U. ****** Scully watched him sleep, tears running down her face. She wiped them away angrily and sighed. "It's going to be okay, Mulder, I promise I'll take care of you," she said, sitting next to him, laying her head on his chest and listening to his erratic heartbeat. ************ 7 Days Later ************ Scully smiled when she walked into his room and saw him sitting up. "Hey," she said, walking in slowly. "Hey, what's going on?" "Nothing yet, how are you feeling?" "Better, I'm feeling stronger... I can't go back can I?" Scully bowed her head. "Skinner wants to give you early retirement and wants you to consult from home." Mulder slammed his fist against his bed, cursing under his breath. "I did everything right, how could this happen to me, Scully?" "Mulder, this happened because you weren't doing what you were supposed to before this happened. A couple months of being good doesn't make up for years of misuse." Mulder sighed. "So what do I do now? I'm 38 years old, I've had a triple bypass. DAMN IT SCULLY, I have a PACEMAKER!" "You're going to do what you've been doing, just only not like before. You'll consult on cases, you'll swim, you'll walk, you'll enjoy your retirement and thank God that you're able to do it instead of being dead," Scully said sternly, sitting in the chair next to him. "I'm sorry, you don't understand how worried I was. Evan told me that you died twice on the table before they put in the pacemaker. Do you know what it would have done to me if I'd lost you like that?" "Evan?" Mulder said, jealous. "Dr. Peck. I'm going home to get your room ready." "That's one perk at least," he said with a smile. "For you maybe, I'll never get my couch back." ************* 6 Weeks Later ************* Mulder exhaled heavily as he sat on the bed. He collapsed across it, falling asleep instantly. "Wimp," Scully said, pulling him across the bed more and taking off his shoes. She slowly undressed him, folding his pants neatly and taking off his socks. She unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off gently so as not to wake him. She gently ran her fingers down the thick scar on his chest and sighed, as she pulled a fleece blanket over him and closing the door behind her as she left. She picked up the phone quickly when it rang as not to wake him. "Hello?" "Dr. Scully? Hi this is Evan." "Evan, hey, I'm glad you called. I just got him in and settled. He's finally asleep. This sleeping pill can he take that with his other night meds or should it be at a separate time?" "He should take it an hour before or after the others." "Okay thanks. Were calling to check on him?" "No, I was calling to check on you. How are you doing?" "Tired. I'm seriously considering a nap myself." "How about a seminar instead?" "Tonight? No way, thanks for thinking about me though. Call me up the next time there's a good one on Forensics, okay?" "Okay, Dana, don't push yourself too much or you'll end up like Mulder." "I won't. Thanks for calling, Evan, bye," she said, hanging up and turning when she felt him behind her. "What's wrong?" "Why'd he call here?" "To check on you, how do you feel?" "Okay, I'm kinda hungry." "I'll whip up a nice salad and some soup, nothing too heavy for you." Mulder nodded, laying across the couch and turning on the TV as Scully started cutting lettuce. ************** 6 Months Later ************** "Hello?" Scully said, as she picked up the phone. "Hi Dana? Evan." "Evan, hey, what's up?" Mulder frowned at the tone of her voice. Six months together, many near kisses and missed opportunities to tell her how I feel. Six months of watching and hearing how she lights up when she's around Dr. Evan Peck. My nemesis in the battle for Dana Scully. I rack up points when we're alone, we've gotten very comfortable with each other, holding hands in public and private, it's a common occurrence for her to kiss me on the cheek and forehead, for her to curl up into my arms, laying across my lap, crawl into my bed at night and listen to my heart beat. I wish I could tell her. I have to tell her before I lose her forever to the ever charming, healthy, virile Dr. Peck. "Sure, 8? Okay, yeah, it'll be fun. Bye." "Precious Evan?" Mulder said, in a disgusted tone. "Yes, we're going to the forensics seminar at the Pavilion. We should be back by 12 or so, okay?" "Fine," Mulder said, shortly. "Want me to get you anything? I'm going out..." "No, that's ok." "How about a Clockwork Orange?" She asked concerned at his curt manner. "I said no, just go out and enjoy your little date!" "Mulder, stop it. Jeez he's just a friend." "To you, maybe. Not to him, Scully." Mulder said, glaring at him. "So, what should you care, what if I did like him? You're not my boyfriend, you're not my husband, Fox Mulder. I can live my life and see whoever I want. They don't need to meet your approval!" Mulder bowed his head, sighing heavily. "I don't know what's the matter with you lately," Scully said, changing her shirt, running her hands through her hair and turning to look at him concerned. "You need to talk about something?" She asked running her hands through his hair lightly. He closed his eyes, reveling in her light touch. "Yeah, I do." "What? You don't feel well..." "I wish you'd stop babying me. I wish you'd stop treating me like an invalid. I wish I wasn't the way I was. I wish you'd love me as much as I love you," he said, biting his bottom lips quickly as he realized what he just said. "Of course I love you, Mulder, you know that." "I didn't mean as a friend," Mulder said, in a frustrated tone. "Mulder..." "I'm tired of being your buddy, the person you lean on. I want to be your confidante, the person you come to with your greatest fears. I want to be your lover as well as your friend," Mulder said, softly not looking at her. She reached out, taking his head in her hands, making him look at her. She slowly ran her fingers down his face, her eyes softening as he leaned into her hand. "God Dana... I love you," he said softly, kissing her hand gently, letting his lips caress her skin. She ran her fingers through his shaggy hair, letting it flow through her fingers she kissed him on the forehead gently, moving to his cheek before gently capturing his lips with hers. She tasted him briefly pulling away with a smile. "I want you to be mine, Scully," he said, softly reaching his hand up to brush some errant strands of hair from her face. "Please say you'll be mine." She kissed his palm gently, picking up the phone dialing Evan's number. "Evan? Hi, Dana, look something jut came up... maybe another time. Later," she said, hanging up the phone. She kissed him harder, with more passion, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet. "Come on, Let's put those love handles to good use."