Skye took advantage of the time to grab a shower and clean up hoping it would bolster her confidence. It didn't. Charlotte's accusation had hurt, except that it hadn't been an accusation. The little girl had made a statement of fact which made it worse, like it was inevitable that Skye's inexperience would get Ward injured. Maybe she wasn't meant to be a field agent. Maybe she could get a job at the HUB where she could use her computer skills.
Skye shook her head. Who was she fooling? The only reason she'd been able to remain with S.H.I.E.L.D. after her first discretion was Coulson saw potential or at least he's said as much. Now she was fairly sure that was going to fly out the window. She'd be benched for the rest of this mission and once Ward was better, probably kicked off the team.
Her dark thoughts were interrupted by a knock. Pulling back the door, she was surprised to see Agent May. There wasn't much room in the bunks, but the two squished in and May shut the door.
"You need to stop blaming yourself," May directed flatly.
"I.." Skye trailed off.
"You made a mistake. It was your first time in the situation. Learn from it and move on," May insisted.
"How can I? Ward's down there with a tube sticking out of his chest because of me. How am I suppose to let it go?" Skye cried.
May shrugged. "It's a part of the job. Mistakes are made. Agents get hurt. Sometimes they die. We do the job and move on."
"That's pretty callous," Skye said, starting to get irritated.
"We all know what we've signed up for. Ward's no different."
"He didn't really trust me before and now this," Skye said.
May looked at her for a minute. "So prove him wrong. You can't do that wallowing is self pity."
Skye took a deep breath. "You're right. Thank you, Agent May." She walked out of her bunk in front of the older woman so she missed the small satisfied smile that briefly graced her face.
A subdued group of five assembled around the tech table, Simmons was still in the lab monitoring her patient. Coulson looked to the two youngest members of the team. "Everyone's worried about Agent Ward, but we still have a mission to complete. Here's what's going to happen. Aishani assures me nothing has changed from her last insight, so we're going forward. May, you and Skye are going to be our distractions. Skye, you need to keep your mouth shut, let May do all the talking since you don't know Arabic. Fitz, you and I will get into the main tent and see what in the hell we're dealing with. Aishani, you can monitor our progress either from here or in the lab. Simmons can assist while she takes care of Ward. We'll hike in as we've risked enough exposure today. Get your packs ready and get some sleep, we're leaving at one a.m. Any questions?"
"How are May and I going to just walk into the camp? Don't you think our clothing will raise suspicions?" Skye asked.
"You'll be wearing burkas. May'll show the costume room and how to put it on," he answered. "Any other questions?" He paused for a moment, "Good! Let's get ready."
Coulson steps quietly into the lab. Jemma looks up from her tablet to greet him with a soft smile. "How's he doing?" he whispers so as not to wake the sleeping child sitting next to her father.
She sighs. "His oxygen levels are low, his breathing is extremely labored and he has a slight temp. He hasn't woken up yet."
"You don't have him sedated?" he asks surprised.
"No. I don't want to do that because of the concussion, but if he doesn't ease soon, we may have ventilate him," Simmons answers.
It's with that sentence that Coulson notices just how irregular Ward's breathing is. "How much longer are you going to wait?"
"I set a thirty minute deadline. That was fifteen minutes ago."
"We can't call off the mission, Jemma."
"I know, Sir. I believe we have enough on board to take care of him for now." Glancing at her watch she notes the time again. "I'm going to call Fitz down. I have some prep to do to intubate and I'll need his help with the procedure."
"So it's a foregone conclusion," he states.
Jemma sighs again, "Yes, Sir."
"I'll take Charlotte upstairs with me. No child should have to watch a parent get a tube shoved down his throat. I'll send Fitz down."
"Thank you, Sir."
Coulson gathered Charlotte in his arms. She complained a little, but he calmed her with a few quiet words. Simmons set about getting her equipment ready. As he reached the top of the stairs, Aishani met him to take the slumbering child from him. He couldn't meet her questioning eyes, yet the message was clear. She took her charge to Ward's room and Coulson comm linked Fitz, letting the young scientist know his assistance was needed in the lab.
Phil sank down into one of the many comfortable couches and closed his eyes. It never gets any easier. The Oracle joined him after a moment, keeping the silence.
"Fitz/Simmons are putting him on a ventilator," the agent mutter.
"Does Charlotte know?"
"No. She was already asleep when I got down there."
"Ward's tough. His lungs need time to heal is all."
"Yeah."
"Let me get you something to eat and then you go take a nap. It's going to be a long night," Aishani stated. Phil didn't acknowledge her as she got up to do as she said.
The Oracle took her time preparing food for the everyone on the plane. She made a tuna salad, laid out the bread, cheese and the sandwich press so that everyone could assemble a sandwich when they were ready. She pulled together a quick tomato soup that she could leave on low so it would be hot no matter when someone wandered in. With a hot sandwich and bowl of soup on a tray, she rejoined the senior agent on the couch, slightly nudging him to get his attention.
"Here, eat," she directed.
Coulson muttered, "Thanks," as he reached for the sandwich, dunking it in the soup before bringing it to his mouth.
"I see some things never change," Aishani chuckled. Phil gave her a slightly embarrassed grin, "Nope."
The plane's com clicked at that moment. "Agent Coulson, Agent May we need your assistance in the lab immediately," Fitz's voice sounded panicked. Both members went running with Skye and Aishani on their heels.
The two senior agents raced into the lab to find their scientists struggling to keep a thrashing Ward from falling off the table as he fought the ventilator and them. Only the Oracle's hand on her arm prevented Skye from following them in. "We'd only be in the way," she told the younger woman.
The two watched in stunned silence as May and Coulson held Ward down allowing Simmons to inject a clear liquid into his I.V. It was apparent when the drug started to take effect as Ward's movements slowed. When they didn't completely stop, a few quick nods were exchanged and May disappeared into the back of the lab only to reappear with a handful of straps. Skye made a disgruntled noise as she watched her S.O. being strapped down to the table. If the Oracle hadn't still been touching her she would have barged into the lab, yelling out all the words clogging her throat.
When Ward was no longer in danger of falling, Aishani stepped into the room with Skye in tow. "If he's stable now, you all go up, eat then get some rest. Simmons if you'll tell me how to interrupt the readings, I'll sit with him while you eat," the Oracle ordered. All of them realizing arguments would not be tolerated, they complied. Watching to make sure they didn't try to rebel, she sat down on the stool previously occupied by his daughter and stroked the patient's arm. "Ward, you have to quit scarring these people. You need to remember that three of them aren't true field agents and need to be eased into this kind of shit. Besides, I'm almost positive Simmons' list of monikers doesn't include M.D.," she whispered into his ear.
They were sitting, lost in their individual thoughts when a child's voice broke the silence, "Where's Aunt Aishani?"
Jemma jumped up to take the child's hand. "She's sitting with your daddy while I get some food."
"I want to see my daddy," Charlotte requested.
"How bout we get you a late lunch and then I'll take you down with me to see your dad," Simmons suggested.
Charlotte screwed up her face in thought. "What's for lunch?" Upon learning it was tuna, she readily agreed to a sandwich and soup for dipping on the condition they went immediately down to her dad when they were finished.
Letting the girl finish her meal, Skye moved to her side. "Sweety, there's something you need to know about your dad before you go see him."
"Skye," May cautioned.
"What?! She needs to be told," Skye hissed, exasperated.
"Do you think you're the right person to be telling her?" May asked ignoring Skye's tone.
"Charlotte, your daddy's lungs aren't working correctly so he needs a little help breathing," Simmons jumped in hoping to prevent an argument. "I had to put a tube in his mouth so air could be pushed in."
Charlotte considered Simmons' pronouncement. "Bet he didn't like that very much," she stated.
Simmons chuckled despite the seriousness of the conversation. "No, he did not. In fact, he put up a bit of a fight, trying to get out of bed."
"Did you tuck him in tight so he couldn't wiggle? That's what he does to me when I won't stay in bed," Charlotte said with a smile.
"Why yes, yes we did. How did you know?" Jemma asked.
"I'm five," the child stated as if it was the answer to everything.
Over the top of the small head, Simmons and Fitz had a silent conversation. Fitz left quickly to make it to the lab before Charlotte.
Jemma and Charlotte made their way down the stairs to the lab slowly, trying to give Fitz as much time as possible. Simmons smiled in relief. Ward was covered neck to foot in a couple of blankets that reached the floor. Charlotte grinned up at her, "At least he's not cold. The tube looks like his scuba gear."
Simmons, extremely grateful for the innocence of children, smiled in agreement.
While the trio of females watched over the downed agent, the remaining team did as they'd been told. They finished their meals, tidied the kitchen and headed for their bunks. Coulson updated HQ before hitting the rack.
