A/N: so, this is a completely different story than the last one. I thought it would be fun to explore what would happen in a role reversal. BETA'd by GUITARCHIQ
"Can I Lay By Your Side?"
Fitz looked down at Jemma in her hospital-like bed. Her face was close to the white of her sheets, and there was an imprint of her rough blanket on the right side of her cheek. Wrappers of chips, cookies, and many used dishes were strewn around her room in random places. There was a messy futon in the corner of the room laying open, the sheets askew from Fitz's restless sleeping the last 8 days. From the first day of her coma, Fitz had only left the room once. He had made himself a day spot by her bed in a nearby chair, where he held her hand tightly until he had to eat or go to the bathroom, hoping that there was a chance she would sense his touch and wake up. His luck had not been good. Fitz gripped her hand tightly, staring blankly at her closed eyes while rubbing his other hand against her cheek. Fitz looked horrific. His hair was a curly mess, giving off an appearance of an unkempt birds nest. There were deep circles under his eyes, and his clothes were the same ones he had worn for four days.
Fitz could only replay one memory in his head. He could remember Jemma holding the mask out to him, and him not taking it. He could remember Jemma saying I love you Leo, you're my best friend. If there was another way…he remembered the kisses she placed on his head as he refused to pick up the fallen mask that Jemma had handed to him, and he remembered realizing that the only way to save her was to wear it, and hope that he could bring her to the surface alive. It wasn't that he wanted to remember, the memory would force itself into his head, not wanting to exit. In the day, other members of the team would visit. Skye would wander in, put a hand on Fitz's back, stand with them for some time looking with sad eyes and then leave, and the others did the same, but Fitz would never notice. He could only notice Jemma.
A loud beeping brought Fitz to reality. Fitz jolted his head up with a worried anticipation. When he looked up, he met her eyes. They weren't looking at him, they were just open, gazing off into some unknown land that Fitz couldn't see even if he tried. Still, they were her eyes. Tears boiled over the brims of his eyes. He dropped her hand, and ran over to her face, kissing every part of it but her lips. Jemma could feel nothing.
A/N: I'm thinking about continuing this, but I won't know if this is good or bad unless you review! So please review!
