Mulderache's Surgery for wayward fanfiction

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FUO : Fever of Unknown origin

Title: FUO (Fever of Unknown Origin)

Spoilers: If it looks familiar then it does not belong to me.

Disclaimer: THEY ARE CHRIS CARTER'S AND 1013 PRODUCTIONS AND OF
COURSE FOX'S.

GEORGETOWN HOSPITAL

This is ridiculous Scully, I do not have any other symptomS
except for fever. I want to go home.

Mulder lie down or I will get them to place four point restraints
on you and drug you into a coma." Her facial expression showed
him that she was not joking. Definitely in her serious doctor
mode.

He lay back down and mumbled under his breath something to the
effect that he should have never called her and told her he
wasn't feeling well. And that was mistake number two. First
mistake, was going out for a jog in the cold of night. He
probably had walking pneumonia and they were too busy to tell him
and send him home on antibiotics. He had been in his room less
than an hour and now he just wanted to go home. The emergency
room was bad enough with blood drawn from both arms and the
dreaded intravenous line. Then came humiliation with the order
from the medical doctor to urinate in the cup to check for an
infection. That will take a good three days to culture, he
thought to himself and he was not going to be here when the
results were ready.

His thoughts were interrupted when a nurse in a startling white
dress and a purple jacket entered with yet another tray of
torturous devices. " Good evening Mr. Mulder. My name is Sheila
and I will be your nurse for this night."

" I am actually feeling better. Can you call my physician to see
if I can go home?" he asked with bright fevered eyes.

Scully stood and approached the bed. " Mulder you are not going
anywhere so stop your whining. Let the nurse do her job." She
reached over and gave his arm a firm squeeze.

He had actually felt that squeeze before and understood the
connotation associated with the warning. Be quiet or pay the
price. He opened his mouth and took the now offered thermometer
and held it in place between his chattering teeth. The fever was
going back up and he would need to shed the blanket soon.

Sheila took the thermometer from his mouth and read the one
hundred and three point four fever that registered. She shook her
head and pulled back the blanket. " I need you to shed a few
items Mr. Mulder. The gown and the boxers must go and I need to
give you a tepid bath. You aren't nauseated are you?"

That was a trick question because he knew if he said yes that the
suppository would be placed between his butt cheeks. He shook his
head negatively and started to pull the gown down away from his
warm body. The boxers would go after the women left the room. " I
need some privacy please."

Sheila shook her head, " I will see everything in a matter of
time so lose the modesty now Mr. Mulder. She reached down and
started to assist him with the removal but stopped and looked at
his partner. " Are you two married?"

Scully was shocked with the attitude and was actually taken back
that someone would ask her such a question. " I am his partner.
We work together."

" Then scat, he does not need an audience." Sheila replied rather
emphatically.

Mulder had a need to duck and try to avoid the wrath of his
partner but was quiet amazed when she only acquiesced and left
the room quietly.

" I am going to see if you can have something else for fever. I
will be right back." She headed for the door and turned as if she
thought he might try to escape but instead she smiled, " Are you
sure you are not nauseated?"

Bile was creeping up the back of his throat and the need to spew
was going to get overwhelming soon but again he shook his head.
She then left to get his medicine.

He was now alone and it would be the perfect time to escape. He
could hide out at the gunmen's lair until he was feeling better.
He started to get up and a feeling of dizziness overwhelmed him
and he had to lie back down. He would escape later but right now
he was feeling a little bit weak. He looked over at the tray the
nurse had left behind and saw more syringes and what looked like
a plastic swab in a tube. Oh boy, he was going to get a throat
culture too. He was sure that they would get another chest xray
since the other one was clear. What did the doctor admit him with
in the ER? Oh yeah, FUO or fever of unknown origin. He played
with the letters in his head, UFO. This is just too close to the
job, he shook his head and tried to close his eyes and rest. He
was feeling very tired and nauseated. It was probably the flu or
a virus.

Sheila returned with a cup with two pills and a cold glass of ice
water. He reached for the medicine and noticed that his hands
were shaking.

" Here, let me assist. You will spill the water on yourself with
those shaking hands." She held the cup with the Tylenol up to his
mouth and then the straw in the glass. He swallowed them quickly
and hoped to keep them down before the urge to vomit was too
strong. If he had to admit to anything he would admit that he was
feeling a lot worse since he came to the room. But he would not
tell the nurse or Scully that little bit of information, that
would be like putting nails into his coffin.

Mulder watched as his nurse filled the basin with tepid water and
pulled a washcloth and towel off his rack. She came back to the
bed and assisted him in removing his boxers. She reached into her
jacket pocket and pulled out some ice packs and placed them on
his groin area. He laid back as she softly placed the tepid cloth
on his face and through his hair. He was starting to relax as she
washed his fevered body when his stomach decided to expel the
Tylenol. He tried not to let go but the urge was strong and he
started to retch, almost choking on the emesis that spewed from
his mouth. Sheila quickly reacted and had the emesis bowl up to
his mouth. After he finished she took the cloth and wiped his
mouth and took the towel and cleaned the area that had taken the
worse of the vomit.

" You feeling any better?" she asked with such honest empathy.

He did not feel like lying any longer and he shook his head. He
was feeling fairly miserable now and he felt that he could be
honest with the lady that was taking care of him.

" I will get you something for nausea. I will need to call your
physician. When I get back we will change your bed and get you
comfortable." She smiled as she pushed away the sweaty hair from
his forehead and pulled the clean sheet up over his chest.

He closed his eyes when she left the room. The FUO was starting
to turn into a problem. What did he have? Was it fatal or
contagious? Did he have the West Nile Virus? His head was now
pounding on top of everything else. Great, he would get the
lumbar puncture next. He was going to die in the hospital of the
FUO instead of a UFO related incident, how ironic . He had
suffered through a lot worse but the FUO was going to do him in
for good.

The door opened and so did Mulder's eyes. The light in the room
was starting to get to him and the sounds seemed louder. His
nurse was there again and she was sporting his medical doctor,
Dr. Evans. "Mr. Mulder, we need to do some more tests. We will
make them quick and get you something to help you rest. First, we
need some more blood, a throat culture and also a stool sample.
The nurse will get that in a few minutes. I also want to get a
spinal tap and an echocardiogram to check the valves in your
heart for any infection. I have read your extensive medical
history and feel we cannot leave out anything. We just need your
signature on a few forms and I will get started." I will be back
in a few minutes. I will talk to Agent Scully and fill her in on
the tests." He then turned to go to the waiting room to find his
patient's partner.

" What do you want to do first?" she asked as she prepared the
forms for him to sign.

" Escape." He mumbled through chattering teeth.

She looked up from her task and smiled, " Not today but I will
help you when you are better." She picked up the forms and placed
them in front of his shivering body. He took the offered pen and
signed the forms quickly then scooted back under the sheet.

Sheila shook her head, " You didn't read them."

" Been there done that. Know them by heart." He answered as his
teeth continued to chatter.

She reached over on the wall and took the aural thermometer and
checked his temp, it was now one hundred and four point two. He
would need something now for his fever. She picked up the
syringes and placed the tourniquet on the arm opposite the IV.
"Need to get some blood." Her eyes looked up at her too
cooperative patient, " Won't take but a minute." She then cleaned
the area with alcohol and betadine and stuck the needle into the
vein, with gloved hands. He did not move and allowed the
intrusion. She then filled the vials with the blood and then let
loose the tourniquet and removed the sharp object from his arm,
holding pressure to the oozing site for a few seconds. Quickly
she labeled and dated the vials and placed them on the tray. She
then picked up the throat swab, " Open wide. I need to get a good
culture.

He opened his mouth and allowed the swab to brush against the
back of his throat. Within a few seconds the test was completed.
She then turned to label the specimen. She then took out a red
cup and labeled it and then regloved. " Okay, I need you to lie
on your side with you knees brought up to your stomach. You will
feel a little pressure but I need to get some stool for culture
and to run a test to check for blood. I promise this will be
quick."

He remained quiet and turned onto his side and allowed Sheila to
take what she needed. Her gentle bedside manner was impressive
and she finished quickly. She covered him back up and they both
remained quiet until he heard her reglove again.

" I am going to give you a suppository for that fever and also a
suppository for your nausea." She spoke low as she held onto his
shoulder for comfort. She again was quick with her task and she
again covered him back up with the sheet.

He glanced over after a few minutes of silence and noted that she
was gone and so were the samples. He closed his eyes and tried to
rest. He knew that the next hour or so that he would be busy with
the doctor. Scully would be there with him and she would take
care of him along with his wonderful nurse.

The quiet of the room was interrupted as Dr. Evans made his way
back to his bedside. Sheila was also there and so was Scully. The
doctor was explaining that he need to stay still and that he
needed to stay in the position they placed him into while the
procedure was being done. He nodded understanding and allowed
them to prep his back. They gloved and gowned and placed him on
his side. He was sure his fever had gone up instead of going
down, his head was aching so badly now and he was very nauseated.

" Mulder, if you need to vomit, you need to let us know. We don't
need you to start retching during the procedure." Scully
whispered into his right ear.

" Fine right now." He paused for a second then proceeded, "Can
you turn off the lights soon?"

She felt for her sick partner and she could tell that he was
actually trying his best to cooperate. " Soon Mulder."

He was doing fine as they prepped his back with the cool betadine
fluid and he was doing fine even with the bee sting of the needle
as it pierced his back to assist in numbing the working area. He
could not hold back with a loud moan as the needle's pressure
went into the lumbar area though. He felt nauseated again and
looked up at a very attentive Scully.  "Sick" Was all he could
get out before he started retching again.

Sheila and Scully reacted immediately and kept him from
dislodging the tube draining the fluid for culture from his back.
They were both giving soothing words of comfort and Dr. Evans was
asking how much Phenergan he had received and ordered more
intravenously. Within minutes they were giving him the medicine
and he felt sleep take a good hold and it was welcomed.

FOUR HOURS LATER

When he awakened again he still felt nauseated and Sheila was
still at his side along with Scully. They were talking in soft
low whispers and trying to keep from bothering his sleep. He
rolled over to let them know that he was awake and he felt the
cooling pad underneath his body and his clothing was still
missing. "Scully?" he asked. He could not face the slightest
light in the room so he kept his eyes closed. He felt achy all
over and his back was sore.

" It's fine Mulder. I right here." She picked up his hand and
held it tightly. " How are you feeling?"

" Like someone stuck a huge needle in my back." He moaned as he
tried to sit up some but was met with a firm hand to his chest.

" Sorry, you still need to lie flat for a bit longer Mr. Mulder.
We don't want to make your headache worse." Sheila instructed her
patient.

He nodded and got into a comfortable position. "What is wrong
with me?" his voice sounded pitiful even to his own ears.

"Your diagnosis is still fever of unknown origin until we need
get some cultures back. Your white count is elevated and you have
developed a flat red rash. We are running some more blood work to
rule out Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lymes disease or West
Nile Virus. Also we got a CAT scan to rule out any other
problems. So far we can't identify the cause of your fever
Mulder." She took her hand and rubbed it across his fevered brow.
Her touch felt wonderful and even Sheila blushed at the way
Scully caressed his face.

"Mr. Mulder, I will get you something to help you rest. Is your
nausea better?" she asked as she started taking his vitals.

He gave it some thought and then looked up at his nurse, " I
really don't feel nauseated right now. But my head does hurt."
His words were low and his eyes were at half-mast. He quickly
shut them against the light coming in through the door.

" We'll get you something for that headache." She took the aural
thermometer and placed it into his ear and the reading was
actually better. It was one hundred two point one. She smiled and
showed the numbers to Scully, who also smiled at the improved
temp. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She placed the thermometer
back on the wall and left.

" I like her. She is a lot like you Scully." He turned over and
let out a big yawn. "She has that touch."

Scully smiled and assisted her partner into getting into a
comfortable position. Within a few minutes he was again asleep.
She reached down and kissed his forehead. She sat down beside his
bed and held his hand. When Sheila returned both were asleep and
she gently closed the door and left them alone.

The Next Morning

When Mulder awakened he felt much better and the rash was gone.
So was Scully and his nurse. He sat up in the bed and flipped on
the television. As he was surfing through the morning news
channels the door opened and in walked his partner. "Good morning
Scully."

" Good morning Mulder." She reached over and kissed his cheek.

" Everything looks good this morning. Your lab work and spinal
tap all look good and even your white blood count is back to
normal. Whatever was bothering you has improved and your doctor
is completely baffled." She smiled and took her seat beside his
bed. " By the way, your nurse told me to tell you that she
enjoyed taking care of you and that she was off tonight but if
you were still here tomorrow night that she would see you then."

" Will I be here?" his attention now fully focused on her answer.

Scully smiled, "No. I think you will be out of here by tomorrow
morning if your Fever stays down. You are looking much better."

"I do feel better. Really." He smiled. " Do I get something to
eat soon. I'm starving."

The words had just left his mouth when the morning nurse walked
in with a tray of clear liquids and the smile left as quickly as
it came. "I'm not eating that. I want eggs, toast and bacon." He
demanded nicely.

The older nurse smiled, " You will eat this and if you keep this
down I will increase your diet to full liquids by dinner." She
placed the tray down on the bedside table and took out an old
fashioned rectal thermometer. " Roll over first, I need to get
your temp."

His mouth gaped open and Scully almost laughed out loud. "Why
can't I have the aural thermometer?"

" I'm from the old school and this is the most accurate. Now
roll!" her voice firm and authoritative.

Scully turned her back and almost giggled out loud. She heard a
low moan from her partner's bed. Well, she thought to herself,
Mulder will want to leave after this so she had better get his
AMA ( against medical advice)  papers ready.

Place Unknown

" I gave him the antidote as instructed. He was feeling much
better this morning when I left." Sheila spoke to the man who had
hired her to care for his son.

" You did well, you will be properly paid for your good work. You
must never let him see you again." The man took a puff off his
cigarette and smiled at the lady before him. He looked across the
room and motioned for the man with the false arm to take care of
the hired nurse. The man nodded and led her out of the room. She
would never know what hit her.

The end.

(This one is for you Sheila!)

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