Continuation of the prompt from The Little Roguex. "An overprotective Phil and Fitzsimmons chapter because assuming Fitzsimmons cannot contact their families much now for fear of putting them in danger they would eventually feel jealous that Phil favors Skye over everyone else. Like Phil would bend over backwards and deal with tons of messy alien stuff for Skye yet Fitzsimmons cannot even get a goldfish or a dog. It is obvious that Skye is the favorite child and no matter how strong Fitzsimmons are it has to still hurt them."
This one's focused on Simmons. I got this idea in my head of what would happen if the team doctor was the one who was sick or hurt, and it just kind of fit.
Simmons woke up and ran straight for the bathroom. She barely made it before she began throwing up. She wasn't sure what was causing it, but she hadn't been this sick in a long time. Jemma sat on the bathroom floor for a few minutes too weak to move very far from the toilet. Eventually when she got her strength back up she headed for the common room to get a drink of water. She knew how important it was that she stay hydrated.
She had just made it to the kitchen went she felt the vomit coming again. Coulson saw her out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly grabbed the trash can and brought it over to her. He walked with her over to a chair and made her sit down.
"Water or tea?" Coulson asked after making sure she was comfortable, or at least comfortable as she could be when she was constantly throwing up.
"Tea, sounds amazing." Simmons said as normally as she could but it came out as more of a moan. Coulson expected no different from the young British scientist. He also gave her some saltine crackers, and immediately started making chicken noodle soup, one of the few things that he actually could cook.
After Coulson had given her a bowl of chicken soup, that was surprisingly good, he walked Jemma back to her bunk. He held her hair back when she threw up again on arrival.
He got her into her bed and tucked her in with a makeshift puke bucket, and turned to leave so he could let her sleep.
"Will you stay?" He barely heard her voice, it was so weak and scratchy.
"Of course." He walked over to her desk and pulled the chair to the side of her bed where he sat and held her hand until she managed to fall asleep. Coulson was extremely surprised, but touched by the request. He had overheard Skye and Fitz talking on Fitz's birthday a week ago, and had been extremely worried that Simmons thought the same thing: that Coulson didn't care as much about her as he did Skye.
Simmons did think that Coulson favored Skye over the rest of them and it hurt her, maybe that was even part of why she took Skye having powers the way she did, but it was little moments like this where Coulson showed her that he cared about her, that made it worth it. Simmons had two PhD's. She was the team's go-to doctor, and she was a SHIELD agent for goodness sake. Jemma shouldn't need someone to take care of her when she got sick. Coulson would have been justified in giving her the day off and letting her fend for herself, but here he was. He had made her tea and soup, and now he was sitting by her side watching over her like he would with Skye.
Her sleep was deep but fitful. She was shivering under the pile of blankets that Skye had put on her, and her head was burning. Fitz had come in to check on her temperature and it was far too high.
Coulson had a bucket of cool water and rags sitting beside him brought by May. He kept dabbing at her forehead trying to cool her down.
Simmons eventually woke up from her less than restful sleep when she felt the need to vomit again. Coulson gently pushed her into a sitting position and handed her puke bucket.
May tied back the girl's hair and offered her some medicine which she took without a fuss.
"Have you eaten at al today, sir?" Jemma asked softly, her voice still scratchy and painful from all the vomiting.
Coulson neglected to answer her question.
"Sir if you don't take care of yourself-"
He cut her off. "You're my priority."
The sincere words made her fell a lot better, not health wise but definitely emotionally. She could no longer think that she was less loved than the others because here was Agent Coulson, the director of SHIELD, ignoring his own wellbeing to comfort her when she was sick.
"I'm not going to get any better if I'm worried about you not taking care of yourself." Jemma added puppy eyes to her pleading, and he left begrudgingly.
Jemma was left alone with May who sat down in the seat Coulson had just previously occupied and took the young girl's hand.
"Are you feeling any better?" May asked softly reaching up her other hand to run through her loose brown ponytail.
"A little bit." She said with a weak smile.
"Lie back down and try to get some more sleep." May put her hand on her little girl's side and helped lie back down.
Jemma slowly rolled onto her side with her back to May. May moved to sit on the edge of Jemma's bed and began to rub small circles on her back while singing a Chinese lullaby.
"Good night little one. Get some good rest." The older agent whispered to Simmons's sleeping form when she had finished the lullaby. "And get better."
Skye watched the exchange from the doorway to Jemma's room and took comfort in knowing that both Fitz and Simmons had felt the same parental love from Coulson and May that she often enjoyed.
They deserved it more than anyone.