Chapter 9
And So We Grow
Daisy didn't intend to eavesdrop. It was an accident, kind of an accident…well it was really accidentally on purpose. She had gone back to the Cage to let them know there'd be an extra long wait for the desired pizza, apparently there was unusually high traffic in the pizza industry this evening. She heard the soft voices and approached cautiously then stood outside the door. Coulson had asked if May remembered Paris. Daisy hung on that word. They'd told her that was where she began…where the spark of life ignited by their passion created her.
She hadn't told them that it had started to bother her…that she was merely an accident created by two people in a drunken stupor that fell into some fit of lust for each other. It almost mad her sad knowing that they had not intentionally become her parents in the first place. But, he asked her if she remembered and she didn't answer for a long time. He didn't say anything either. Then she spoke just above a whisper telling him she did remember. He did too, every minute. Daisy could hear the smile in their voices, quickly wiped the tear from her cheek and swallowed the sob she knew they would hear. They may not have planned on her but they did care for each other…hell, she told herself as she slowly walked away, still wiping tears…they loved each other…but, she always knew that.
Forty-five minutes later the crew gathered in the newly refurbished common room enjoying the varieties of pizza Daisy had ordered. She remembered what everyone liked and ordered it all. Having everyone just sitting around, munching their favorite pies and sipping a few brews was something she'd missed…something they'd all missed. Fitz and Simmons seemed quieter than usual, a bit anxious probably about whatever Piper had brought to their attention, but since they didn't bring it up, well, it could wait. Tonight they would just be family…like they used to be all that time ago, before inhumans and Hydra and Hive and rocks that suck people to another planet and crazy demented robots that create the Hell Mound and call it a new world. Tonight they would just be people having a good time, laughing, talking, joking and being happy just to be together. Sure, they were just putting all the insanity on a back burner. There was still so much to sort through, to settle, and to put back together but not tonight…just not this one night.
Daisy sat on the new couch. It wasn't as comfy as the old one, but she guessed it just wasn't broken in yet. She watched Mack and Yoyo laughing at some silly not so funny joke Coulson had just told. May rolled her eyes and tipped the top of her beer bottle toward her. Fitz and Simmons spoke quietly seated next to each other at the table. A few newer agents milled in and out, Piper and that new guy, Chen smiled and laughed for a bit but left quickly after sharing a piece of pepperoni-mushroom and a cold one.
She didn't remember falling asleep, didn't even think she was that tired. She'd closed her eyes and just listened to the conversations around her, even still held a bottle in both hands. Someone gently slid it from her and urged her to stand but she had no memory of getting to her bunk or climbing into bed.
The day hadn't started out so well, she or Skye or whoever the hell they were together or separately, had gotten them into a real mess and they'd paid for it. Yet, she held no resentment toward her mother, toward May. She remembered the bike incident in the Fitzwork and recalled a similar one in her actual past.
She'd found an old bike, tossed in a junk yard a few block from St. Agnes. She dug it out and worked on it for weeks before she got it to work. It was rusty and wobbled way too much but it was hers. Mary Sue had never had a bicycle and despite the fact that it looked like something from one of those end of mankind movies, she thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. She kept it stowed between the church garage and the shed that belonged to the neighbors. If anyone found it there they would just assume it belonged to them and no one would be suspicious. She snuck it out when she could and rode it through the alleys that crisscrossed the small neighborhood. Riding it into the street wasn't her plan on that Saturday morning but it happened. The Volkswagen Bug clipped the front tire and sent her sailing off onto the pavement. She woke up in a hospital bed with her arm in a cast from her fingers to her shoulder and a very large bandage around her head. Someone must have recognized her from the orphanage because the Sisters were in and out for the few days she was there...tsking at her and shaking their heads.
Daisy never saw the bike again, never knew what happened to it. She never asked and no one ever cared to tell her so it remained a mystery. A few of the older kids told her she was really stupid and she could have been killed and didn't she ever think before she did stupid things. The Sisters scolded her and told her that breaking her arm was punishment for doing something so thoughtless. They told her to think about it but all she did was feel guilty for a long time and hated that feeling.
It wasn't like that with Mommy-May. Daisy lay in her bed staring into the darkness, smiling and remembering. May was pretty damn mad when she dragged her into their house. She took her to her pretty blue bedroom, told her to stay there and then she left. Skye was mad too…mad that her bike was crushed…mad that mommy wouldn't let her have it in the first place…mad that she had to stay in her room and mostly mad at herself for being so mad and maybe that was what guilt was all about. In Daisy's little Skye mind she really couldn't tell the difference or figure out while she felt so overwhelmed with everything. Then May returned. She wasn't angry anymore. She talked to her quietly, explaining how much danger she had put herself in and how she could have been hurt and how she had been so very naughty in taking the key and getting the bike in the first place. She reminded her that she and daddy had spoken to her about all those things three times before.
Daisy agreed with May. Skye had been reckless and defiant (well, the key thing was actually more Daisy's). It was a weird feeling. Daisy did agree with May and wondered why she wasn't reading the kid the riot act and at the same time she felt ashamed and was so glad she wasn't yelling. Daisy was angry with her Skye-self for being so stupid and for almost getting them killed. She wondered if this frame worked the same as AIDA's and if little Skidaisy had gotten herself…well, if she…would Daisy die too? That was way too scary. What was wrong with that kid, taking such a risk? Daisy almost smacked herself, geesh she was thinking like a parent. That was really weird because she understood exactly how May felt, imagining that she'd lost her little girl…again. Suddenly a lot of things made sense. She tried to tell May she was sorry, but all she could do was cry.
Yep, Skye was crying and Daisy was apologizing or vice versa or alternately or something, she couldn't keep it straight in her mind. May hugged her, shook her head and told her that sorry was a good thing, but this time it just wasn't enough. It didn't really dawn on either her or Skye what May intended until it was done. After which what she felt was certainly not anger, but May held her and kissed her and told her how much she loved her. She knew…knew Mommy-May loved her and just wanted to stay there and love her back.
Daisy rolled to her side and tucked her hands under her pillow. She thought again about Fitz saying that not all memories were good and she smiled. At first she thought this was one of those not so good memories but the more she thought about it the more she realized the difference in her bike experiences. This memory gave her a feeling of security, a realization that May cared about her safety and her behavior and that she would do what was necessary to protect her, even if it was a little painful for both of them.
xx
"Skye! Let's go!" Melinda called from the foot of the stairs.
The little girl walked to the top of the steps and peered down at her mother. "I don't want to go to the doctor." She whined, refusing to descend the staircase.
Melinda pursed her lips and glared at her stubborn five-year-old. "You really haven't got a choice, Skye. School starts in three weeks and you have to have a physical before you can go."
Skye sat on the top step, elbows on her knees and rested her head on her little fists. "Maybe I don't have to go to school. I already know how to read and I can count to almost a hundred."
Melinda closed her eyes and counted to ten in two languages. She glanced at the large clock in the parlor. "Skye we have to leave or we'll be late and have to wait longer. Get down here."
"Mommy, you just don't understand…" the little girl began as she stood and took one step down. "I'm not sick. Can't you just tell the teachers?"
"No Skye, it doesn't work that way the doctor has to fill out the form and sign it." Melinda explained for the third time this morning and the umpteenth time since she had told her little one about this appointment.
Skye shook her head and took two more steps, holding on to the railing with both hands. "He's gonna poke at me and press on my neck and my belly and ask me lots of questions I don't like and then what if he wants to give me a shot. I don't like shots, Mommy. You know that. Member last time?"
"Yes, I do remember Skye and that is why Daddy is meeting us there." Melinda nodded.
Skye stopped with her foot dangling above the next step. "Daddy? Why does Daddy have to meet us?" (Daisy took over the thinking. 'Come on, kid, figure it out. Why would both parents have to go with you?') She pulled back her foot, sat down and wrapped her arms through the pickets on the banister. "I'm not going if he's gonna shot me!"
Melinda let out an exasperated breath and dropped her head to her chest. "Skye, please don't make me come up there." She mumbled more to herself than her child.
"Mommy, please don't make me go. I need to help Mrs. Schuster walk her dog today. I promised her and I can't go back on my word." Skye tried bargaining, knowing it wasn't going to get her very far. She was fighting a losing battle and she knew it.
"I'm not going to lie to you Skye. You're going to have to get shots today, but mommy and daddy will be right there with you." Melinda sighed.
"Shots?" Skye's eyes went wide as she hugged the pickets tighter. "I gotta get more than one? How many?" She loosened her grip for a moment and pushed her self up a step without standing then wrapped her arms through the pickets once again.
"Skye, listen to me." Melinda began, taking one step up toward the little girl who now had tears streaming down her cheeks. "I know you're afraid, but it will be fast and then it will be all over. I promise."
"But…but I'm not sick. I don't need it." Skye disagreed.
"It's so you don't get sick, now please come down here so we can go." Melinda tried to keep her voice calm but knew she was slowly losing patience with her little one. Skye shook her head and backed up another step. "Skye Meiying Coulson, this is your very last warning. I want you down here right now!" She used her firmest voice without shouting.
'Aww, come on, kid, you…er…we can do this. I hate shots too…well, yeah you know that but look you won't have to do it alone cuz, I'm gonna be there with us.' Daisy realized she was talking to herself and almost laughed. She wondered if Skye would laugh if she did, but on second thought May might take that wrong. It was not wise to laugh at an almost angry parent. No sense pushing the envelope or in this case the parent over the edge.
Skye stopped backing away from her advancing mother. She pulled her arms from the railing and folded then on top of her knees then dropped her head on top and sobbed into them. Melinda climbed to the same step and sat down next to the distraught child and wrapped her arm around the little girl. "It's okay, baobei." Melinda squeezed her a little. "Nobody likes shots, but it's just something we have to do."
"You're not afraid." Skye sobbed without lifting her head. 'That's right, May's the bravest person there is. Nothing shakes her, she's absolutely fearless and hey, you're…um, we're…I'm her kid.' Skye wasn't sure where these silly thoughts were coming from but she was right. Melinda was her mommy and she wasn't afraid of anything.
"Well, I'm not afraid but that doesn't mean I like shots. I just don't think about it." Melinda explained leaning down to kiss the back of Skye's head.
"How my 'spose to not think about someone stabbing me?" Skye lifted her head and stuck out her arm. She cried bitterly.
Melinda laughed at her dramatics. "I really think it's more of a little pinch than a stab, Skye."
"Well, I got little arms!" She stuck both straight out to demonstrate then stopped and looked at her mother with wide teary eyes. "They're arm shots right? He's not gonna shot my butt, is he?" Now she was standing and Melinda had her by the wrist. Skye pulled to gain freedom, to dash back to her bedroom.
"Skye, relax, honey." Melinda pulled her onto her lap and wrapped both arms around her. Skye sat facing her mother and shook her head. Melinda held her face in her hands and kissed her forehead. "How about we think about tonight instead of all this? Tonight it will be all over. Yeye is going to make your favorite supper and it's movie night."
"I might be too sore to move or eat or watch a movie ever again." Skye wailed and fell onto her mother's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"I doubt that," Melinda smiled as she stood and carried her little girl down the stairs and out the front door.
Daisy almost laughed at herself. She didn't remember being so dramatic as a child. Probably because the Sisters at St. Agnes simply had none of it, they just ignored most of her ramblings. She did remember getting shots. One of the nuns would take a group of them to the clinic set up in the church basement. It was always a different doctor or nurse or some person who never smiled. They'd line up and everyone got a turn. Roll up your sleeves or drop your draws and -bam! Worse thing was sometimes you just got back in line for a second jab. Nobody got a lollipop or a hug, just lined up and marched back to the orphanage. If you carried on too much you just got sent to your dorm and spent the afternoon sobbing into your pillow.
Skye was still pretty upset as May buckled her into the car and kissed her head again. She pleaded with her mother and bargained as well, but May just smiled and told her it was something they would get through together. Skye was sure she wouldn't survive. Daisy did laugh and Skye reacted but hers was more of a strangled sob. Her stomach started to feel a little queasy but if she threw up then her mother might think she was really sick. That could be worse. Daisy tried to swallow the nauseous feeling and calm her Skye-self down.
'Naw, we'll…I'll be fine, kid. I'm fine and I've had lots of shots. Got shot for real once…ugh, that's not something a kid should hear…that is if you can even hear me or think me or whatever it is we're doing here. You can't remember something that hasn't even happened to you yet, can you? It won't be like the last time when we were…no, when I was a kid. This time May…Mommy will be there. You won't have…I…I won't have to do it alone with some overworked clinic doctor who just stopped in and jabbed as many kids as he had to then breezed out. Nobody's gonna scold you for crying or send you to your bed so they don't have to listen. You…we…I…god, we need another pronoun…are going to have Melinda May right there with you…me…us. We'll be fine.'
xx
Coulson opened his eyes to a shrill scream. He expected to find Skye in some kind of peril but found himself seated in a room full of small children. Some sat with adults who he assumed were parents, some milled around a small library looking area and others played with small toys and blocks at a little table in the corner. The screaming child, a girl, sat on a man's lap grasping a ratty looking blanket. A stern looking woman sat inside an office in front of him. She shook her head and said something about it being the last time she would push back his appointment and slid the window that separated them closed. Phil smiled and stepped over a few children then sat down in one of the empty chairs. He barely noticed the pain in his head, although it throbbed in tandem with the cacophony in the large room. He glanced at his watch and the clock on the wall and wondered what the hell he was waiting for and where was May.
Twenty minutes later, May carried Skye through the door and made her way across the room to meet him halfway. "Where have you been?" Phil whispered as he took the sobbing child from his wife and wrapped her in a tight embrace. He could see Skye had been crying, but she didn't look sick or hurt. "I've made so many excuses the receptionist won't even open the little window for me anymore." He kept his voice low and calm, wondering why he was making excuses and what they were for exactly.
Melinda let out a sigh and nodded toward the child wrapped around him. "It took me fifteen minutes just to talk her out of the car, Phil." She smiled as they made their way across the waiting room to a pair of side by side seats.
"You're an hour late." He explained with a smile toward the other parents in the room as he turned Skye on his lap ignoring the little whine she eeked out. "I let two other parents trade appointments with us. That receptionist is a barracuda!" Phil wasn't sure how he knew the exact amount of time they were late or what the two parents traded to him, but he sensed the tension in both May and their daughter.
Melinda nodded at him while she continued a fake smile toward the rest of the room's occupants. "I'm sorry, Phil but you know how she can be." She nodded toward the little girl attempting to hide her face in her father's jacket. " We shouldn't have to wait too long. Our little drama queen usually gets us out of the waiting room on the express track." She reached to take Skye who shook her head and squirmed farther into daddy's embrace. Phil squeezed her tighter and kissed the top of her head causing her to sob a bit louder.
Two children who were playing with blocks picked up their heads at the sound and looked to their parents. A third child scrambled on to a man's lap and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Another child who appeared to be no more than two and already had tears on her cheeks began to wail so loudly that the parent stood and walked out the door into the hallway. Phil looked up as the receptionist tapped on her sliding glass window and crooked a finger at him.
Phil blew out a puffy breath and stepped to the window with Skye still in his arms. "I see your family has finally arrived." The woman sneered at him as she pushed her dark rimmed glasses up on her nose. He smiled and nodded. "The nurse will be out to get you in a few minutes." She was curt but not rude and tilted her head at the door next to her office. Before she could slide the window closed, a nurse with a much friendly expression poked her head out of that same door.
"Coulson?" She smiled.
xx
Daisy felt ridiculous sobbing, uncontrollably. She swiped the tears away from her…no, from Skye's face and stared at the cellophane covered red lollipop she twirled in her hand. She looked at her left arm and the two hot pink band aids there then turned to the right and noticed a purple patch at the same level on that side. She had no idea what color the band aid she sat on was or if the two nurses, one doctor, and both parents had managed to even get one there. She almost smiled at how her little Skye body had put up a great fight but in the end (pardon the pun) squealed like 'this little piggie' when one of them jabbed her backside with that spear. She thought about wrapping her arms around herself in a kind of weird hug but knew that Skye probably wouldn't move her (or their) arms for quite a while. May actually had to lift those little arms to get them back into her red and white sun dress. She was sure her cheeks were still bright red, partly from crying and mostly from giving Coulson and everyone else in the room an up close and personal view of a 'full moon'. Saying she was mortified would be an understatement.
Phil carried the little girl from the car and set her down just inside the back door. She refused to meet his eye. William May turned from the stove and smiled at his favorite granddaughter.
"Sūnnǚ, nǐ hǎo, wǒ de tiánměi nǚhái?" He squatted down in front of her and wiped away a lone tear. "Kūqì, xiǎo nǚhái? Shì fēicháng zāogāo ma?" William rarely spoke English to his granddaughter wanting her to know the language of her ancestors and he thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Phil could not understand a word. He questioned her crying and asked if it were so bad.
"Yéyé wǒ bùnéng dòng wǒ de shǒubì. Tài kěpàle wǒ bùnéng zǒulù huò zuò xià" Skye limped across the kitchen holding her arms stiff at her sides, her crying renewed as she told her grandfather she might never move her arms again or sit down. (Not only was Daisy impressed with her mastery of Mandarin, but if it were possible she'd pat herself on the back for knowing exactly what she said.)
William stood and smiled at the little girl who continued sniffling. "Lái ba, yéyé huì wèi nǐ zhǔnbèi tèbié de xiǎochī." He put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him.
"Wǒ bùxiǎng yào tiándiǎn wǒ bù rènwéi wǒ kěyǐ chī tā." Skye refused his offer, claiming she might never be able to eat again. (Daisy couldn't help it. She laughed out loud and was surprised that Skye did not. Apparently, she couldn't control her little self completely or she was just too upset to give in. Grandpa was telling her he had a special snack and she wanted no part of it, silly kid.)
"Wǒ zuòle nǐ zuì xǐhuān de hétáo bǐnggān." William tempted her, holding up a freshly baked walnut cookie.
Skye stared at it for a few seconds while Daisy's mouth watered. 'Come on, kid. I love those little things…May makes them…I could eat a dozen.' Skye sniffled and drew a shaky breath. "Well, maybe just one." She lifted her arm slowly, almost robotically and took the offering. Daisy smiled and felt Skye do the same, despite her 'mortal pain'. Grandpa patted her head and smiled.
May finally entered the house and scolded her father for giving the little girl treats considering her behavior since early morning and the dramatics at the doctor's office. William shook his head and insisted she needed a little comfort after such a horrendous ordeal. Phil watched his little girl nibble her favorite treat, then scooped her up and carried her to the large chair in the living room. He cuddled her close and kissed her temple.
It had been a rough morning. Skye's eyes drifted closed as she snuggled into her father's embrace. Phil smiled and gently patted her back as his eyes closed as well. Somehow holding her this close, smelling her strawberry scented shampoo and feeling her little arms hugging him made the pain in his head less. He wondered if the pain was really subsiding or if he just imagined it because of her closeness, but it really didn't matter. He took a deep breath and drifted away on a smile.
xx
"Time to get up sweet pickle," Phil spoke softly to the little girl buried under a soft blue blanket.
"I'm not a pickle…" came the groggy voice as the lump rolled over and pulled the covers tighter around her head. "It's still night, daddy." Skye's muffled voice came from under the mound.
Phil laughed, getting his bearings in this new development. He peeled back the blanket and scooped the little girl into his arms. "Big day today, little girl, gotta get an early start," he smiled as she let herself go limp and refused to open her eyes. He tossed the little girl over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. "Blueberry pancakes for breakfast today, just like you ordered." Phil purposefully bounced down the stairs causing the little girl to juggle up and down like a rag doll. At the bottom of the stairs, he slid her to the floor and stood her in front of him. In true Skye-like fashion, she let her legs turn to jelly and began to drop to the floor, but Phil caught her and tickled her sides.
"Daddy, stop!" Skye giggled despite a valiant try to resist. "I gotta go the bathroom." She crossed her legs and opened her eyes wide before dashing into the hall powder room.
Phil laughed as he leaned back against the closed door and folded his arms over his chest. He waited a moment then tapped on the door. "You're not sleeping in there I hope." He smirked as the bowl flushed and the door opened. Skye glared up at him. "Wash your hands?" He smiled down at her without uncrossing his arms. Skye stepped back inside. Phil listened to the water running then smiled down at the little girl rubbing her eye. He scooped her up and spun her around in the hall before hurrying into the kitchen.
Melinda smiled as she set a plate of pancakes on to the table. "Good morning, Nǚ yīng. All ready for your first big day?" She took Skye from Phil's arms and squeezed her once before kissing her forehead. She set her on the floor and let her climb onto her chair.
"Zǎoshang hǎo, māmā." Skye greeting her mother in Mandarin, used to doing the same with her grandfather. She sniffed the steaming pancakes in front of her then looked around the kitchen. "Where's Yéyé?"
"Yéyé is visiting his friend, Mr. Liu today. You know that, baobei. Mr. Liu is in the hospital and Yéyé was very worried about him."
Skye nodded her head and watched as Phil poured syrup over her hotcakes. She picked up her fork and scooted closer to the table. "Who made breakfast?" She raised her eyebrows looking from one parent to the other.
Melinda laughed. "Daddy made the pancakes. I just made sure they had just the right amount of blueberries and that they didn't burn while he wrestled you out of bed."
The little girl pushed a rather large piece into her mouth and chewed most of it before she gave a thumbs up. "Why does school start so early? I like to sleep more." She informed her smiling parents.
"That's just the way things are, Skye." Melinda replied as she chewed her own much smaller bite.
Skye swallowed and pinched her face in thought. "I think we should change that." She announced then took another large bite.
"Little bites, Skye. You're going to choke." Melinda shook her head.
Phil took a long sip of coffee and nodded toward the little girl. "We'll give it a try, angel but I think it's more or less set in stone."
Skye finished the last bite of her pancake and held up her plate. "More please," she smiled as Phil placed another kid-sized flap jack on her plate and smothered it with syrup.
Phil volunteered to clean the kitchen while Melinda directed a very sticky Skye to the upstairs bath and into the tub. Twenty minutes later Melinda stepped into the kitchen and cleared her throat when Phil failed to turn around. He looked over his shoulder at her standing in the doorway with the biggest smile he'd seen in years. He dried his hands on the dish towel and turned completely toward her wondering where their little girl was.
Melinda gave a quick wink and stepped to the side. "What do you think, Daddy? She's all ready."
Skye stood chewing her bottom lip. Her brand new freshly starched uniform made it official. Phil smiled and gave a shrill whistle. "Aren't you beautiful?" He stepped toward her taking in the whole package, including brand need T-strap slippers. "Guess we better get moving."
xx
May helped her little girl slip her brand new back pack over her shoulders as they stepped out of the car and walked toward the large concrete building. Skye slipped her hands into her parents and held tightly. "I'm not sure about this." She whispered. "What if I don't like school?"
Melinda stopped and squatted down in front of the anxious little girl. "Everybody has to go to school, Skye. It's the law."
"Laws are dumb," Skye pouted as she looked at her feet.
Melinda looked up at Phil, who shrugged his shoulders and patted the little hand he still held. She snarled at him. He wasn't helping. Phil thought for a moment then dropped down next to May. He tapped Skye on the chest to get her attention. "Did you know in Alabama it is against the law to drive blindfolded?"
Skye laughed a silent laugh. "That's silly, Daddy." He rolled his eyes and nodded at her as he stood.
"Yep, that's a silly law." He tapped her nose. "Going to school isn't and you are going to have a great day because you are Skye Coulson and you always have a great day."
Skye furrowed her brow and turned down the sides of her mouth as they started walking toward the door. "Not always, Daddy. Sometimes I have not so great days, sometimes even bad days."
"Don't we all?" Melinda quipped as she pulled open the double door and waited for Phil and Skye to step inside.
Kids and parents were everywhere. Some were hurrying into classrooms others lingered in the hallway chatting with friends they hadn't seen in weeks or clinging to parents who weren't ready to say goodbye. The woman at the center of it all smiled at the Coulsons as she reached out a hand.
"Good morning," she spoke loudly over the din in the hallway. "I'm Mrs. Preston, school principal."
"Yes," Melinda nodded as she shook the woman's hand. "We met at orientation." The principal nodded. "This is Skye." She smiled as she put a hand on her little girl's back and nudged her forward.
"Good morning, Skye Coulson," Mrs. Preston said a bit louder than needed.
A younger woman standing behind the principal scanned a large clipboard she held then smiled over it. "Room 6, Miss Wicks." She informed her.
"Well, you are a lucky little girl." Mrs. Preston smiled down at Skye who took a deep breath and squeezed her parents' hands tightly. "Welcome to our school. It's your very first day of kindergarten and it's your teacher's first day, too. Let's go meet her, shall we?" She put out a hand for Skye to take but the little girl shook her head refusing to let go of either parent. "Okay, that's not a problem." The principal smiled at the Coulsons. "Mommy and Daddy can just come with us."
Miss Wicks was a godsend. She was young and perky. She greeted Skye and her parents with a wide smile and cheerful 'hello'. It only took a few minutes for her to convince Skye to hang up her back pack and join the group of children examining the many learning centers in the classroom. She took a few minutes to speak with Phil and Melinda, assuring them that all would be well. When the bell rang, startling all the children, it was time to say the final farewells as several parents slipped from the room after last hugs and kisses.
Phil squeezed his little girl. This was the first time he had to leave her with someone other than William May. He didn't expect to feel the way he did…like he was abandoning her. He could see the tears just waiting to spill from the little girl's eyes. He kissed her forehead and assured her he would be back to get her at the end of the day. May took her turn hugging her baby girl and reminding her to be good and crossing her fingers that Skye's stubborn streak didn't make its debut the very first day of class. She kissed her on both cheeks and felt the stab of pride and loss as Skye sniffed back her tears and waved goodbye as Mrs. Wicks closed the heavy wooden door.
"Well, that was e…" Phil started to say as they turned to walk away.
The classroom door opened expelling a sobbing Skye who raced to her parents wrapping her arms around Phil's legs. He wanted to pull her into his arms, take her home and never let her go again, but that wouldn't be fair to either of them. Melinda looked back at the teacher who stood in the doorway, attempting to see her little escapee as well as supervise the children gathered behind her.
"Xiànzài shì xuéxiào, yǒnggǎn de nǚhái de shíhòule. Wǒmen ài nǐ. Bié kū, Skye. Nǐ cōngmíng ér yǒnggǎn, jiù xiàng māmā hé bàba yīyàng." She brushed Skye's bangs from her eyes and nodded twice. Skye hugged her mother tightly, kissed her cheek and walked back to the classroom.
May turned and quickly wiped the tear that trickled over her cheek.
Daisy had kept 'quiet' throughout the whole first day of school experience, letting Skye have 'all the fun'. She tried not to think about her very first day of school. She'd been with her first foster family, the Fosters. It was funny because she was so little she thought it was called a foster family because of their name. It didn't take long for her to see the error in that. They had two other children, also foster kids. She cringed remembering the other children's giggles when she was introduced to the class, but then who wouldn't giggle at a scrawny little kid named Poots. She had a self-inflicted hair cut that morning…gave it to herself because her bangs kept getting caught in her eyelashes. So she found a nice sharp pair of scissors and just snipped them off…right up to her hairline. She remembered the sneakers she wore that day. They were hand-me-downs, boys' sneakers. One had a blue lace, the other was dirty white and the shoes themselves were black high-tops. Her jeans were too big and held up with a large safety pin that she lost the first time she used the lavatory, forcing her to hang on to them with one hand for the rest of the day. She was proud of her brand new sweatshirt, it was purple with a sparkly unicorn on the front…so proud of it that she wore it every day for the first week. Two weeks later it didn't matter because then she was back at St. Agnes and everyone wore second-hand clothes and went to school in the orphanage classrooms where the sisters were the teachers and it didn't matter what your silly name was or who laughed at it.
Daisy kept quiet and observed and sucked in every minute of Skye's first day of school because she hoped she could use it to erase the real memory. She let herself feel all of Skye's emotions and basked in all the hugs and kisses Phil and Melinda were so great at giving. She cried with Skye when she had to leave them, cried for Skye. It was Daisy that ran from the classroom, aching for one last hug, one last kiss from both of them and then May spoke to her in that melodic language that she now understood. She said they loved her. She told her not to cry, that she was smart and brave just like her parents…just like Coulson and May.
Daisy realized probably for the first time that when you're a foster kid, no one ever tells you that you're like anyone else…well, no one good anyway. No one ever says 'you have your mom's eyes or your dad's smile. No one ever said you laughed like your mother or you smiled like your father. You were never like anyone, you just were and no one really noticed. But May said it, she was smart and she was brave just like them…just like her daddy…just like her mommy. That meant more to her than any memory she or Coulson or May or even this crazy string of ones and zeros created. For a second she was jealous of Skye and the way they loved her so much, then she remembered Skye was her and she was Skye…they were one. They loved her, Daisy and she loved them back.
xx
Phil sat on the edge of the mattress having pulled himself from the program before May and Skye would wake. His head throbbed and another of Simmons' migraine cures worked a miracle but this time he had to agree to an MRI and a CAT scan. He was sure they would find nothing. He remembered an aunt that suffered from migraines and weren't they hereditary or genetic or predisposed. Hell, he'd been through enough in the past year to give him a brain implosion and that included having his skull burst into flame while he was still using it. Now that was bizarre and maybe that was the cause of this damn torture. But, if a shot in the ass took the pain away, he'd take it. And why or why or why did a shot there take care of a massive headache?
"Phil?" May's hand on his shoulder brought him from his thoughts. He turned and smiled at her. She narrowed her eyes staring into hers. "Head again?" She pursed her lips and tilted her head in that way that would not allow him to lie to her.
"Taken care of," he smiled as he squeezed her hand then slipped off the table and walked around it to join her. "Another first step," he grinned as she put his arm around May's shoulders and stared down at the still sleeping Daisy.
"First one away," May frowned as Phil looked confused. "She's taken the first step toward independence, Phil. First day of school is a big thing, first step into the world without us…" It hurt even to say…even though it wasn't real.
Simmons smiled as she eased the head gear off of Daisy and began slowly to shut down the programs at her station. As usual, the girl remained asleep after the program closed. She drew a deep breath and mumbled a few unintelligible syllables. May shook her head. Coulson snickered.
"Méiyǒu māmā, bùyào líkāi wǒ!" Daisy spoke out loud as if wrestling with a bad dream. She almost begged May not to leave her.
May rested her hand on the girl's arm surprised at hearing her speak the language so fluently. "Wǒ zài zhèlǐ, nǚ'ér. Zài zhèlǐ gěi nǐ." She spoke softly assuring Daisy she was there for her.
The girl opened her eyes, blinked at the couple staring down at her. "Zhè shì xiànzài de xíguàn" She smiled, not even realizing she told them in Mandarin that this was becoming a habit.
"Méiyǒu māmā, bùyào líkāi wǒ!" Daisy spoke out loud as if wrestling with a bad dream. She almost begged May not to leave her.
May rested her hand on the girl's arm surprised at hearing her speak the language so fluently. "Wǒ zài zhèlǐ, nǚ'ér. Zài zhèlǐ gěi nǐ." She spoke softly assuring Daisy she was there for her.
The girl opened her eyes, blinked at the couple staring down at her. "Zhè shì xiànzài de xíguàn" She smiled, not even realizing she told them in Mandarin that this was becoming a habit.
May hid a small laugh and looked to Phil whose look of total confusion said it all. "Hungry?" She asked as she helped Daisy to sit up and get her bearings before standing.
"Wǒ è sǐle." Daisy agreed she was famished, still unaware she was not speaking English.
"Let me guess. Pancakes?" Coulson smiled finally catching on to the crazy conversation.
"Lánméi?" Daisy's brows raised in anticipation.
Coulson looked to May for translation. "Blueberry sounds great." She agreed with Daisy, explaining to him as well.
Fitz and Simmons smiled at the exchange between the newly forming family and went about their tasks with the program and equipment.
Daisy clapped her hands together, smiled and hopped off the table. She took a few steps toward the door then turned back. "Bàituōle huǒjìmen! Coulson's zhìzuò lánméi jiānbing." She almost skipped out the door.
The scientists exchanged a wide-eyed glance then looked to May who shrugged her shoulders. Coulson watched the girl leave the room and took a step before turning back to his partner. "You think she's stuck?"
Fitz flicked a few switches with Simmons typed into her tablet. "I really don't think that's possible." He stammered trying to make sense of the situation. "The program shouldn't do that."
"I certainly hope it's temporary." Simmons frowned. "She's hard enough to follow as it is."
May just smiled as she gave Coulson a soft shove. "Let's go, daddy. You're daughter's expecting blueberry pancakes." She spoke over her shoulder as she passed him then looked to the young scientists. "That last bit? She's expecting you two to join us."
Fitz and Simmons put down their respective instruments and followed May out of the Cage. Phil stood for a moment. "Daughter," he said to himself then followed the others.
