A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews and favorites/follows; it means a lot to someone who's just started writing. I really and truly appreciate it. J
"What does that mean?" Skye said, still panicked.
"I'm going to have to perform surgery on your wrist."
Skye blanked. Is she serious? She cannot be serious. It's just my wrist! This cannot be happening.
"Skye. Skye. Skye!" Simmons shouted. She jumped and snapped back to attention.
"Sorry, I zoned out there for a second. Do you really mean that? You're gonna have to do surgery?" she said incredulously.
"I'm sorry, but there's really no other option. The break is too severe to heal on its own," Simmons said apologetically.
"Um, okay. A-Are we gonna do this now?" Skye stammered.
FitzSimmons looked at each other. "Er…well, yes, I suppose so…" Simmons said. She and Fitz started pulling aside all the materials they needed and prepping an operating table. Skye slid off the examining table quietly and sat down in the corner. Ward walked over and sat down next to her.
"Someone should probably tell May and Coulson, so they don't walk in here confused," Skye said. She sounded confused, unsure of how to react.
Ward picked up on her turbulent emotions right away. "Hey, Skye, it's going to be fine. It's pretty minor surgery. It'll be over quickly." He tried to sound confident, because she was beginning to look panicky.
Skye looked up at him. "I'm not that comfortable with this kind of thing. I hate hospitals and medical equipment and doctors and just…ugh. They scare me," she admitted.
Ward gave her a stern look. "Skye, just because you're afraid of something doesn't mean you should sacrifice your health. You matter to the team, okay? You need to speak up when you're hurt."
Skye looked somewhat guilty. "I know, it's force of habit, I guess. I've always been on my own with this kind of stuff. Being a foster kid, it's…it's not easy."
He gave her a sympathetic look. "I know. But you've got us now, okay?"
Skye nodded, already drifting back into her own little world.
Ward trotted up the stairs and went looking for the higher-ranking officers. He made his way to Coulson's office and knocked on the door. He heard a "come in" and pushed the door open.
He found them pouring over some files together and caught a glimpse of a horrific murder scene among the documents. May saw him looking and immediately closed the folder.
"Is there a problem, Agent Ward?" she said stiffly, not bothering to turn her head. Coulson tipped his head back and polished off his drink. It was clear that neither of them had any desire to talk at the moment.
"Actually, yes, there is," he said. Both agents turned to focus on him fully, attention regained.
"When Skye was being chased yesterday, it seems that she had a harder fall than we originally thought. She didn't tell anyone, but when we started training today I saw that her wrist was broken. FitzSimmons took a look, and they think it's bad enough that they need to correct it surgically," he relayed, trying to give them a summary.
They both gave him looks of surprise.
"We thought it would be a good idea to inform you before anyone performed surgery and so neither of you came in wondering why Skye was being cut open," he said.
Coulson took a minute to absorb before responding. "That's…surprising. She seemed fine when I talked to her," he mused.
"She was hiding it – said she didn't think it was a big deal," Ward said.
Coulson shook his head. "She needs to trust us more." He sighed. "Are you sure FitzSimmons are equipped for this? Should we land and get Skye to a doctor designated for this?"
"I don't know, sir. You should probably ask them."
Coulson nodded and started towards the staircase, Ward following. After a moment's hesitation, May followed.
Skye watched as May, Ward, and Coulson entered the lab. She was beginning to feel numb and removed from the situation. At least it was better than panicking.
Coulson stepped forward. "FitzSimmons, is this advisable? Should Skye see a doctor or do you feel capable of this?"
"We're capable, sir, but it's more than that. Her wrist has not stopped swelling, and if we don't act soon, it will get harder and harder to operate. Much better if this happens sooner rather than later," Simmons responded. "And we're actually ready now. If you could all step out, that would be great."
Coulson and May stepped back immediately. Ward walked over to Skye instead.
She was facing away from him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her breathing was coming in short spurts, accelerated and panicky.
Ward took her by the shoulders. "Hey. Skye. Look at me." He shook her gently.
She slowly brought her eyes to meet his.
"It'll be fine, okay? They're going to knock you out and you won't feel a thing," he promised.
She nodded and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
He walked out of the lab and closed the door behind him. He watched as she slowly walked to the table, and gave her a thumbs up when she looked at him. She took a deep breath and laid down.
He decided to head upstairs. When this was over, he needed to talk to Skye again. She still didn't trust them fully, and he needed to fix that.
They gave Skye a general anesthetic and waited for it to kick in. As she fell unconscious, her body relaxed, tension disappearing. Simmons immediately set to work, quickly finding the displaced bone fragment and guiding it back into place. She sighed in relief when she finished sewing up the incision. Ten little black stitches served as Skye's reminder of the day. It had taken less than five minutes – a relatively quick and simple procedure.
Or so they thought.
They worked together quietly, fitting a plaster cast on Skye's wrist while she was still out. There was no noise other than the metal clink of tools being moved and Skye's quiet breathing.
Until that breathing got louder.
FitzSimmons looked up as her breathing became more difficult. It sounded as though she was struggling to get oxygen. Within a few more seconds, she was gasping.
They looked at each other in terror as they came to the same horrific conclusion – she was having an allergic reaction to the anesthetic.
Instantaneously they started moving. "Fitz, get an antihistamine! Quickly!" Simmons shouted. She grabbed an oxygen mask and fit it over her friend's face. Skye's lips were rapidly turning blue.
Fitz tore out of the back room with a syringe full of clear liquid. He searched frantically for a vein, and immediately inserted it. He removed it and both watched anxiously, hoping they had done enough.
It seemed they had not as a shrill, continuous beep became audible.
They felt their hearts stop for a brief moment in direct correlation to Skye's.
Her heart was no longer beating.
Fitz dived for the defibrillator while Simmons tore aside Skye's shirt to clear a place. Fitz slapped the pads in place and shouted, "Clear!"
They watched in sheer terror as Skye's body arced upwards and slumped back down.
There was still no heartbeat.
Ward had joined the senior agents at the bar. I need a drink, he thought.
Ward clambered behind the bar and ran his fingers over the labels of various bottles until he came to a nice scotch. He pulled it out and poured himself a generous helping. Coulson held out his own glass, and Ward obliged him as well.
They sat in silence, all somewhat subdued. Unbeknownst to them, they were all thinking about the same thing.
Skye.
Ward's thoughts had drifted back to his rookie's reluctance to get treatment again. Why? She knows us, she trusts us, and she's not really a whiner when it comes to injury. She should know that we're not going to tease her for being afraid. I think there's more to this than a fear of medical equipment.
His thoughts were snapped back to the present by a red light that began blinking right in front of them, accompanied by a shrill beep.
All three agents moved into the conference room, where the holographic screen displayed an ominous message.
Defibrillator removed. Defibrillator removed.
All three agents shared a look of horror before racing down the stairs.
They arrived just in time to see Skye's body arc on the table.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Still more to come! :)
