Sorry for the long wait this is an intense chapter and a very long one so it took a while. I've also had a lot of Uni work to do and things have been kinda crazy. Thank you so much for all of the support and please please please leave a review! Also warnings for alcohol misuse and other intense things in this chapter. I will be updating battle scars next!
The small party stayed beside Phil's bedside for the next hour. Doctors had filtered in and out constantly but came to the decision that they would let him wake naturally which they estimated to be some time the following day. Following this news, May and Skye seemed lighter than they had been in days. May's eyes had their glow back whilst Skye couldn't keep the smile off her face. May suggested that she order food into the hospital room instead of eating out and no one seemed to mind. Bobbi waited until May went to make the call before turning to the remaining guilty party.
"Explain yourselves."
Immediately both Fitz and Jemma started to ramble a number of excuses backed up with various scientific methods but Bobbi raised a hand stopping them both. "Let's try again shall we? Skye care to explain?"
Skye swallowed and looked down at her feet before finding courage and meeting Bobbi's eyes. "I need you to trust us. I found something that I thought could help but it hadn't been tested, we knew you would never agree so we done it on our own. I would never have done it if I didn't believe it would work and so far it is."
Bobbi sighed "You should have trusted at least me. I'll let you keep your secret because quite honestly the less people who know about this seemingly miracle drug the better. But on the first sign that something is going wrong you've got to tell me what it was that you gave him. Deal?"
The three teens nodded, relived. May suddenly came barging in carrying three pizza's in her hands. Everyone quickly settled down and dug in a happy silence overcoming the room. Afterwards, May jumped up in surprise "It's getting late, we should get you three home you have school in the morning"
The three teens groaned but followed May's orders. Skye gave Phil a final kiss on the cheek and a whispered promise to be back the next day and then they left. The car journey back was filled with sleepy chatter. Eventually, May and Skye were back home by themselves.
"Bobbi's keeping me updated. Tomorrow morning I'll drop you off at school and then go straight to the hospital, hopefully he can come home in the next few days. I can't believe it"
Skye smiled, wrapping her arms around May "I told you he's strong"
May stroked the girls hair in response "your bed or mine?"
Skye bit her lip, looking at the floor "I'll be ok in my bed tonight"
"Skye" May sighed tapping the girl on the chin until she looked at her, "I want you to be honest with me. If you want to sleep with me tonight then you can. It makes me feel better having you there when Phil isn't."
Skye's face immediately broke into a smile "I'll race you up there!" she yelled running up the stairs.
May sighed, following at a slower pace. She knew that eventually Skye would have to sleep in her own bed and that it wasn't healthy but at the moment they needed each other. Despite how she acted, May hated being alone with her thoughts and she knew Skye was the same. Plus she knew Skye's nightmares had been worse lately and by hearing the mutterings in the girls sleep she could start to piece together bits of the girls horrors.
May climbed into bed next to Skye who was already lying down tapping away at her phone.
"I know I've been a bit distracted lately and not having either of us at school must be difficult at the moment, but I promise that things will start to get back to normal."
Skye hummed in acknowledgment still staring at her phone.
May rolled her eyes "How do you feel about Lincoln coming back tomorrow?"
Skye sighed and put her phone down, "I don't know. Things have been hot and cold for a while now, but he seems better so I'm hoping we can go back to normal, well, as normal as we can be"
"Anything else?"
Skye sighed in frustration "what do you want me to say May? All of this is messed up. You leave me for two weeks and I'm worried sick and then you come back and Coulson is dying. School sucks and I find out that my birth m- uh and I find out that exams and stuff and now Coulson might get better which is great and I should be happy but I just feel sick. I can't sleep and I just wish things were normal. What if you have to go on another mission and you both die?"
May's eye's narrowed at Skye's near slip and her heart sank when the girl called her May but she decided to play it tactfully "Firstly, Phil and I agreed that we would do no more missions until you went to the academy, if you went and this time we will keep that promise. But I can't deny that our work is dangerous it always has been but we will try our best to keep you and ourselves safe. As for school I know things are hard but it can only get better. Take it day by day and we won't care if you fail all of your tests, we just want you to try hard and be happy about the effort you put in ok? These tests are just and indicator it's only the end of year tests which counts but that doesn't mean you don't have to try. I want you to talk to Andrew about all of this tomorrow and see if it helps, if not we can maybe have a check in with Bobbi to see if she can help with your nightmare's. But I want you to know that I'm proud of you and please don't keep anything to yourself. It's important that you trust us."
Skye nodded shyly "Thanks. I love you mom, goodnight."
May kissed the girl on the head "goodnight, I love you too"
Skye ran up the steps of St. Agnes, excitement bubbling through her chest.
"Are they here yet? Are they here yet?" Skye bounced up and down, hair flying wildly.
Ms Carter laughed "Yes now calm down and straighten up your clothes, you look a mess."
Skye giggled and took her social workers hand as she was led to the office. Immediately a couple stood up, they were young, the lady small and pretty whilst the man was large and stern.
"Mary meet Mr and Ms Smithers" Ms Carter introduced.
Skye stepped forward and let out a small curtsy with her award-winning smile "nice to meet you"
Ms Smithers smiled politely but immediately the husband turned on the social worker "This is Mary? She looks nothing like her picture. We were expecting a child uh slightly younger and, how do you phrase it, more American"
Ms Carter's eyes flared whilst Skye ducked her head, all excitement zapped out of her in an instant. "Mary here is about eight years old. As far as we can tell she was born in America and she is certainly an American citizen. Now, she's a bit behind in school from all of the moving around but she is keen to learn and desperately wants to fit in and find a family." Ms Carter pressed.
The man shook his head "This is a joke. Let's go somewhere else we don't accept kids like her in our house"
Skye watched as the couple stormed from the office. She didn't fully understand why they didn't want her, she guessed they just didn't like her. Maybe they could sense that she was a sinner. That's what the nuns called her. Before Ms Carter could stop her, Skye ran from the office and caught the couple up.
"Wait! Please! I promise I'm a good kid. I won't talk unless you ask me to and I'm really good at cleaning. I can be well mannered if you want and I promise I will be good!" Skye panted, tears threatening to fall.
The man bent down so his face was close to Skye's "Hey, kid. Those things are probably true but your just not what we're looking for. It's not your fault it's your parents."
Skye sniffed and watched as the couple walked away. "What's wrong with my parents? Did they give me something bad?" Skye looked up to Ms Carter with big brown eyes.
Ms Carter sighed "there's nothing wrong with you, it's them who have something bad."
Suddenly she was somewhere else. She felt taller, older? Looking around she could tell she was at a foster home.
"Oi, kid come're" A gruff voice rumbled.
Skye moved towards the voice stopping just before a battered armchair.
"Your what, ten now? Why don't you try some of this?"
Skye reached out and took the glass bottle from the mans large hands. She hadn't been out a lot but she could tell it was some sort of alcohol and knew she shouldn't drink it. Skye shook her head "I'm ok thanks"
The man laughed spitefully "How dare you. I tell you to do something, so you need to do it. It'll help you sleep trust me. All of it down you neck"
Skye sighed and took a sip. Immediately she grimaced, the liquid felt like it was burning her throat and chest and the smell was appalling. But she wouldn't dare argue. Holding her nose she tried to chug it down as quickly as possible but she coughed and spluttered some out. Luckily, the man laughed and watched as she drank the rest.
"Good now take these"
"What are they?" Skye asked, taking the small pills from the mans hands.
"Medicine, they will help you be more normal. Look kid, I'm gonna give you some good advice. Your not normal, your jumpy and skittish and you barely smile. At your age you should be playing and happy and this will make you feel happier trust me. It'll help you sleep as well and be less annoying for me. So take it"
Skye did as she was told and that night she had the best nights sleep ever. The next morning she woke up with her head pounding until the man gave her more pills. This continued over the next few days, she got up took her medicine and went to school. Life seemed better when she took them. But she was being sent back again. She couldn't keep living at St Agnes without the pills! She needed more, they made the pain go away. Carefully, Skye sneaked downstairs and searched the cupboards. After several attempts she found a large jar full of the blue pills. Quietly, she emptied half the jar and stored them in her pockets. That would last her a few weeks at least. She popped two into her mouth and swallowed, her chest feeling less tighter than before. Just before she was about to leave her eyes fell upon a crate of alcohol. Sneakily, she pocketed a few of them too.
The scene changed. She was in an empty hall, glasses of empty drinks lay around her whilst she puked uncontrollably. She heard laughter and looked up to see Raina standing over her. Skye shuffled backwards until her body bumped into another. She stood up and turned around, gasping. Lying on the floor was Natasha's body wet and covered in blood. Skye screamed and rushed forward.
"It's all your fault"
"Look what you did"
"You're a freak!"
"Your cursed, everyone around you dies"
"You should be glad you haven't met your biological sister yet or she'll die too"
"Natasha!"
"Skye! Skye it's ok, you need to calm down. Listen to my voice"
Skye shot up, eye's darting around and breathing heavily. May had tried to wake the girl gently when she'd started thrashing around in the night but Skye had ended up waking herself up. Slowly, May put her hand out to comfort Skye but the teen flinched away and jumped out of the bed instead.
May watched as she ran to the corner, forcing her forehead against the wall and tried to control her breathing. Skye was breathing extremely heavily, tears streaming down her face but May didn't want to move and scare her.
Eventually, Skye turned and faced May "Help" she whispered, hand clutching her chest "I can't breathe" she gasped.
May climbed out of bed and guided her daughter to sit on the edge of the bed. Gently, she rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered calming words "it's ok, just take deep breathes, that's it"
"Mom" Skye whimpered.
May put a hand to Skye's forehead and recoiled, her head was burning hot and covered in sweat.
"How about you have a warm shower?" May suggested, gently guiding Skye to her feet and towards the bathroom. Just before Skye had made it to the shower, she bent over and retched. Quickly, May pushed her head towards the toilet and Skye collapsed against the basin, her body involuntary puking all the contents of her stomach.
"Better?" May asked when the shuddering seized.
Skye nodded but as she tried to stand her legs shook and she fell again.
"How about I run you a bath instead? That way I can help you"
Skye eyed the bath wearily, she avoided them at all costs since the well, but she didn't have enough energy to argue so let out a small nod instead.
May pulled Skye upwards and started to undress the girl but she pulled away.
"I can do it" Skye insisted.
May shot her a disbelieving look and Skye yielded allowing May to pull up her top and take off her pyjama bottoms. For the girls modesty May left her underwear and managed to half pull, half carry Skye into the bath.
Skye didn't know how to feel. A part of her wanted to pull away, the dreams warning of people dying ringing clearly in her mind but she felt extremely weak and tired. The nights of tossing and turning were finally catching up to her and her worries about her sister and Jiaying amongst school tests and dramas were all overwhelming. Even the small joy of Coulson getting better wasn't enough to replace the panic that he was going to die again.
May started to massage shampoo into the teens hair and Skye let herself relax. She felt like a child and her heart panged when she realized this was what she had missed out on.
"Come on, let's get you back into bed. Do you want some water?" May asked as she guided Skye back to her bed after towel drying her hair.
Skye nodded and accepted the water greedily. After she had a few sips the girl put down the glass and snuggled back under the blankets "I'm sorry".
May settled down next to her and was pleased when Skye let her wrap an arm around the teen.
"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" May asked.
Skye shook her head "I don't want to even think about it"
Sleep became almost impossible after the mid night crisis. Skye was too afraid to close her eyes so instead she tried as hard as she could to stay awake. When she felt May shift in the morning Skye let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, May pretended like nothing had happened and made breakfast after a quick mumble of good morning.
"You don't have to go to school today if you don't want to" May said around some toast.
Skye sighed "Yes I do. We already skipped our morning workout and I need to revise and stuff. Besides, I'll have my phone on me constantly, if anything changes text me to let me know. I'll meet you at the hospital after school."
"Ok" May replied.
The drive to school was quick and Skye gave May a brief hug before heading to class. After Skye had left May picked up her phone and dialled Andrew's number.
"Hey Mel, what's up?" Andrew answered.
May paused, trying to find a good way to word what she was trying to say, "It's Skye. I'm worried about her, well I'm always worried about her but her nightmare's have gotten worse. Last night she was physically sick and shaking, it was awful. Obviously, she won't talk to me about it. She seems to think that bottling things up will make things go away. But that's not all, last night she said some things and I think she slipped up. I'm pretty sure she was about to mention her birth mom but stopped herself. I know she's been sneaking away and doing God knows what while I've been distracted with Phil and who knows what crazy Cal told her when she visited. Oh and Phil, I think Skye's scared about our jobs and blames herself for his accident. I don't know it's all messed up and on top of this Lincoln's back today and her exams are coming up. She won't tell you all of this of course." May sighed "I guess I'm just worried she's going to go backwards again. She didn't eat anything this morning and she's been sleeping with me. I saw the scars on her stomach… Andrew she won't talk to me"
"Mel, calm down. Skye is a complex person and she will reveal parts of herself when she's ready. We can't force her we just have to trust her. But don't worry I will keep an eye on her and try to help her nightmares. If I find out anything which you need to know about then I will call you ok?"
"Ok thanks Andrew."
"No problem. Oh and give my best to Phil for me. I heard he will be waking up soon".
After her conversation with Andrew, May called Bobbi and filled her in agreeing that they should give the girl a physical examination if things got worse.
Bobbi was already in class when Skye walked in and she smiled warmly at the teen.
"Hey Skye, how're you?" Bobbi asked.
"Fine, how's Phil?"
"Good he could wake up any minute now. Most of his damage is healed. I hope you know that, despite what I said last night, I am proud of what you did"
Skye smiled "Thanks"
At that moment the bell rang and Jemma came into the class sitting down next to her.
"Are you okay?" Jemma asked.
"Why wouldn't I be? Phil uh my dad is gonna wake up some time today, May's there with him and I have you and Fitz to thank for that."
Jemma blushed "It was a team effort. And what I really meant was how do you feel about seeing Lincoln again?"
Skye sighed "Well I still don't know what properly happened whilst I was away but I hope he's better. It's going to be an intense day though"
Jemma nodded and silence fell as Bobbi started the class.
Once communications class was over Skye and Jemma went to their lockers to get their English books out. As Skye opened her locker her eyes fell upon a small purse which had been stuffed hastily in the back. Carefully, she pulled out the purse and glanced inside. Instantly her heart dropped. She had totally forgot… inside were several photo's of her biological mother and sister. Some included Cal. The night she had broke into Jiaying's place she had stolen some pictures and thought it was too risky to keep at home so she hid them here.
Skye jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Quickly she stuffed the purse back into the locker and pulled out her English books, wiping her eyes and slamming her locker shut.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me" Lincoln quipped.
Skye let out a breathy laugh "I am. How are you?"
The intensity of Skye's gaze made Lincoln pull her closer, it was like she was analysing his whole appearance and could see through his playful act. "I'm fine, great actually. How's Mr C?"
Skye smiled "getting better."
"Come on love birds we got a class to get to" Fitz interrupted dragging the couple along to English.
As the group sat down in their usual spaces Skye noticed how the many looks she usually attracted had shifted, the stares and whispers were now aimed at Lincoln. Skye could feel him tense and put a hand on his leg to help calm him.
"Ignore them" she whispered.
"Easy for you to say" Lincoln replied shooting her a look.
Skye rolled her eyes "Do as I say not as I do"
As the class progressed Skye could feel Lincoln getting more and more paranoid so when the bell went he practically ran from the class. Skye raced to catch up to him and found him hunched against some lockers half way down the corridor.
"Hey what's the matter?" Skye asked trying to comfort him but Lincoln pulled away.
"It's nothing I just need a minute ok? I'll meet you in our next class I just want to calm down first"
Skye nodded "Ok, text me if you need me and I'll be there"
Skye backtracked and found Trip and FitzSimmons who were waiting for her.
"Where's Lincoln?" Jemma asked, worry lacing her face.
Skye shrugged "cooling off. It's best to just leave him when he's like this. Now let's get to geography"
Geography dragged and Skye couldn't stop worrying about Lincoln. Ten minutes passed and the seat next to her remained empty. Twenty minutes and still no Lincoln. By the time it got to thirty minutes past Skye couldn't handle it anymore. Leaning into her friends she whispered that she was going to go and find him.
After being excused to go to the toilet Skye decided to search floor by floor. Every minute that ticked by she grew more upset. She knew what it was like to feel lost and she still didn't know the half of what Lincoln was going through and it scared her.
Turning the next corner Skye sighed in relief as she saw scruffy blonde hair sticking out of a locker. Skye ran up to him and Lincoln jumped, trying to close his locker. Before he could, however, Skye spotted the glass bottle propped up between his text books.
Before Lincoln could react Skye snatched the glass retreating away from Lincolns outstretched arms. Deciding to make sure, Skye took a swig of the drink and grimaced.
"Vodka? Lincoln what the hell!"
Lincoln moved closer, in a flash his hand shot out snatching the bottle but Skye didn't give up. It became an intense tug of war. Both parties gripping the bottle with dear life until Lincolns hand slipped and Skye pulled a bit too hard causing the liquid to spill down the front of her black jumper. Skye recoiled, managing to keep a hold of the bottle and hiding it behind her back.
"Enough!" Skye yelled.
She couldn't believe it. Lincoln had turned up to school with alcohol. Images of the incident at the bridge flashed through her mind and pieces clicked together. She had smelt alcohol on his breath that night and it ended up in a nightmare.
"Lincoln" Skye whispered her voice shaking as she stepped closer to him "What's going on?"
Lincoln let out a harsh laugh "Nothing stop looking at me like that."
"Nothing? Lincoln you brought this into school! Do you know how much trouble-"
"Of course I do!" Lincoln slammed his locker shut in frustration "I just… I just feel like I'm on a downward slope. That night I spent at yours was the only time I had felt something since… after what happened people treated me like I was a broken object and I didn't think I could face today without something to help me. I… I don't know what to do"
Skye sighed and grabbed his hand "I know what it feels like to be treated differently, to feel constantly lost and it's okay. Things will get better. Look I know something happened whilst I was away and you don't have to tell me what but you need to tell someone. This isn't healthy."
"I can't tell anyone. I did something bad and I deserve to suffer for it. You should stay away from me, especially at school because I will end up hurting you too."
"I don't understand" Skye stuttered. Lincoln's face was not the kind loving one which she had memorized, instead he had a crazed look in his eyes. 'I can't do this right now' she thought 'Everything is too much'.
"Skye, give me back the bottle I need it, just to get through today" Lincoln pressed stepping closer to Skye.
"No. Your drunk Lincoln you're not acting yourself"
"Skye"
"No!"
Suddenly Lincoln sprung grabbing Skye's arm. Skye let out a hiss of pain as Lincolns hand squeezed her wrist.
"Let me go" Skye threatened.
"No I need it"
After a second of struggling Skye managed to throw him off. Lincoln swayed and without thinking he lashed out punching Skye hard in the stomach. Skye staggered back pain in her eyes. The man she loved was now attacking her. Before he could attack again Skye kicked him hard in between the legs and as he bent over she raced from the hallway and out into the courtyard. She couldn't believe Lincoln had just tried to fight her but in her mind, she knew that he wasn't okay and she was going to get help but right now she needed to get rid of the bottle. The first step was getting rid of the liquid. Skye lent up against the side of the math building and took deep breathes. Her wrist stung and her stomach felt like it was doing flips. Her mind flashed to previous foster homes and her nightmare from the night before. She understood how something like this could help numb the pain and right now she felt it constantly. She wasn't ok and she hadn't been since Natasha died….
Without thinking Skye pressed the top against her lips and drunk, the burning in the back of her throat was intense but urged her onwards. Immediately, she felt lighter, number.
"Skye!"
Skye jumped hiding the bottle behind her back and turning around prepared to face Lincoln again but instead she came face to face with a stranger.
"Uh yeah?" she replied casually leaning against the wall.
"I uh… hi. My names Nathanial, Nathanial Malick."
Skye raised an eyebrow. The dude was shifting from foot to foot and seemed really creepy.
"Oh you didn't work it out. I was the one who was putting the notes in your locker, NM? Anyway this is probably gonna sound really creepy but I've been watching you for a while how messed up your life's been and how people seem to give you so much attention. Why is that?" He said.
"Uh no offence but I want to be alone right now" Skye replied. Did this kid follow her out of class or something?
"Ah well I don't want you to be alone right now." Nathanial started moving closer, corner Skye against the wall.
"Hey get away you creep!"
Suddenly Nathanial took off running and Skye closed her eyes trying to slow her heart rate and breathing. She had left class to find Lincoln practically drunk and now she found out that this Nathanial kid had been sending her creepy messages for the last month and was now trying to get with her. WTF.
To make matters worse Skye opened her eyes to see who had scared Nathanial off only for her heart to sink. Standing three feet away was Ward, Grant Ward.
"Did he hurt you, are you okay?" he asked.
"Like you care" Skye bit back.
Ward sighed and raised his hands in a surrender "Look I've been meaning to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for everything I did. That wasn't me, the real me. I need you to understand my parents were crappy people. They hated us and when they were gone my older brother used to beat me and my younger brother up. I ended up rebelling and acting out until Garrett found me, your old foster dad. He made me do things that I didn't want to do and I got involved with all that Hydra crap and they wanted me to do them things to you. I just wanted to let you know that I never got any say"
Skye let out a harsh laugh "Yeah? Really? Because you could have had me fooled. You murdered Natasha, you're a murderer!"
"Am I? Or did Natasha keep getting failed her whole life by people like you?" Ward questioned.
"How dare you-"
"What's that?" Ward asked and before Skye could react he had the bottle in his hands "Oh look at you, I don't think this is meant to be at school is it?"
Skye snatched it back "leave me alone" she growled.
Ward moved closer, his breath now tickling Skye's cheek but Skye didn't pull away.
"Skye I mean it. You and I are more alike than you think. You nearly killed Raina and Coulson, what makes you any better than I am? Hell, you've got a longer criminal record that I have and was it really my fault Natasha got killed or yours? Even Lincoln seems to be going downhill since he started hanging around with you again. I know things about you Skye, your just as much of a monster as me"
Maybe it was the alcohol which made her do what she did next. Or the fact that she felt like a monster so had to embrace it. Or maybe she just wanted to dull the pain so when Ward leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, Skye didn't pull away.
Their kiss intensified, both parties eager to feel something. It was only when the bell rang that they pulled apart Skye blushing, hands thrown over her mouth in shock.
"I… I didn't" she stammered but Ward just smirked.
Skye ran back to class to grab her bag before telling FitzSimmons and Trip she was going to go to her session with Andrew early. They looked worried but allowed her to go. Skye knew she needed to dispose of the bottle but there were too many students around… before she could do anything stupid Skye shoved the bottle into her bag and made her way to the bathroom.
The stain on her top had faded but still smelt of Vodka so she spent the next ten minutes scrubbing at it to try to make it better but only succeeded in getting more wet. Skye sighed and went to grab more tissue from a stall but paused when something caught her eye. On the wall of the stall there were scribbles most of them were hard to make out but she could tell her name was mentioned most. Skye blinked back tears and locked the stall behind her.
'Skye's a freak'
'Child killer'
'Skye made Lincoln want to die'
Stood out amongst the messages and Skye decided she had enough. Sliding onto the closed toilet lid she sobbed. After a few minutes her phone pinged with a message from Simmons.
'Look at Facebook now' – Jemma
Skye pulled up FB on her phone and saw a photo which she had been tagged in. Clicking the notification what she saw horrified her. In the photo there were two teens kissing and they looked a lot like her and Ward. Skye immediately gasped trying desperately to breathe. She felt light headed and her body shook. What had she done? After a few minutes she pulled the half empty bottle of Vodka from her bag and chugged forcing herself not to stop. She needed the pain to go away. She needed to fix everything but couldn't so the only solution was to drown her sorrows.
"I don't know what to do. I don't believe it. Skye wouldn't do this" Simmons whispered to Fitz and Trip in RE class.
"She's going through a lot" Fitz countered.
"Or he could have forced her to do it" Trip suggested.
As soon as the photo got out the whole school had been talking. Both Lincoln and Skye were nowhere to be seen and rumours had been flying.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Ms Smith stood up to answer it, it was Andrew. After a quick whispered discussion Ms Smith cleared her throat "Jemma Simmons could you please step outside for a minute?"
Jemma tried to act confidently as she stood up and made her way outside but her legs were shaking, was she in trouble? Had something happened?
"Yes sir?" Jemma asked facing Dr Garner in the empty hallway.
"Jemma do you know where Skye is?" Andrew asked.
Worry gripped her heart "Isn't she with you?"
"No she didn't show up and I saw that she wasn't in class. She didn't leave school either"
"I'll go and check the girls toilets?" Jemma offered and Andrew nodded.
The pair made there way over to the nearest bathroom and Jemma entered.
"Skye?" she called softly poking each stall. All of them were empty apart from one which was locked so she knocked.
"Skye are you in there?"
There was no reply so she waited another minute before sneaking a peek underneath the door. Usually she would never do such a thing but this was Skye, her sister she was thinking about. Crouching down she saw a body crumpled up on the floor.
"Skye?" she called and when there was still no answer she rushed out to Andrew.
Andrew must have noticed the panic on the girls face as he ran over to her quickly.
"Sir, I think it's Skye. She's on the floor!" Jemma rushed.
Immediately Andrew was on his phone calling several teachers down to the bathroom, the first one to arrive was Maria Hill who came sprinting from her office all the way down to the bathroom. She quickly barked orders for other teachers to wait outside and together her and Andrew went into the toilet.
"Skye?" Ms Hill called.
When there was no reply she sucked in a deep breath before barging the door open, carefully enough to avoid harming Skye.
When the door opened the sight that met them was intense. Skye was lying sprawled on the floor with vomit on the floor next to her face. The empty bottle lying on the other side of her body a clear sign of what the teen had done.
Ms Hill took a moment to recover from the site and then administered first aid, turning Skye into the recovery position and saying reassurances. Meanwhile, Andrew pulled out his phone and called an ambulance. In their several years working with young people neither of them had seen anything quite as heart-breaking and horrifying than the pale girl fighting for life on the toilet floor.
From that moment onwards everything seemed to be going in slow motion. The bell rang just as the ambulance crew arrived and moved the teens body onto a stretcher. No matter how hard Ms Hill tried to detour the crowds, students gaped from all angles and rumours started to fly.
"She's tried to kill herself like Lincoln" Aida whispered.
"You go to the hospital with her. Don't tell May until it's confirmed that Skye will be ok. Unfortunately, this is a matter of underage drinking so I will have to inform the police, but I'll personally request Hunter. In the meantime I will conduct a locker search, I doubt Skye would be able to obtain this by herself and if any other student has anything illegal we will find out. Keep us updated." Ms Hill told Andrew who nodded, jumping into the back of the ambulance.
The ride to the hospital was quick, the blue flashing lights and sirens screeched down the streets. Skye remained unconscious, her pale face fallen to one side as her already thin body lie still. As soon as the ambulance stopped doctors rushed to the stretcher, grabbing it and running into the building. Andrew raced after them but Bobbi pulled him back.
"They're taking her to the children's ward to try to pump the alcohol out. Ms Hill called me so I've been waiting here for the ambulance to arrive. May doesn't know yet, I didn't have the heart to tell her especially now Phil's woken up." Bobbi said.
"Phil's awake?"
"Yeah about twenty minutes ago he woke up in little pain, it's basically a miracle. Anyway now he's got to wrap his head around this" Bobbi sighed "Skye has done some stupid things in her life and this tops it. But there's always a reason for it. I'm going to go up there now Hunter should be on his way, your welcome to come up too."
Andrew nodded and the pair made their way up to the children's ward. When they arrived Skye had already been hooked up to a drip and was sleeping.
"She looks so small" Andrew noted.
Suddenly Andrews phone rang "It's Maria, I have to update her"
After Andrew had stepped out Bobbi decided to do a quick health check. She had been meaning to do a physical examination of Skye for a while but things kept popping up. Carefully, Bobbi raised the girls shirt and sucked in a breath. A nasty dark bruise littered her stomach amongst the other scars and scratches. Bobbi quickly checked her ribs and was glad to see they weren't broken. Then her eyes caught the red mark around her wrist and her mind started racing. The disappointment she had felt was now replaced with worry and understanding, something had happened to make the girl do this.
"Bobbi"
Hunter raced in enveloping his wife in a hug, "I came as quick as I could but this doesn't look good. Underage drinking and possession is harsh here and to top it all off Skye already has a criminal record. I don't get it I thought she was in a good place now"
"Self destructive behaviour" Andrew chipped in, walking into the room. "We don't know if Skye had any previous encounters with alcohol it could be already programmed behaviour from a foster parent or she could have been influenced another way. Maybe this is a way of punishing herself for all the bad things."
A doctor walked in and handed Bobbi a chart "Skye's still underweight and slightly malnourished. I guess she hasn't been progressing as much as we thought. I mean who's actually been watching her the last few days? Most of us have been here with Phil and we know she's been sneaking around. And Lincoln was back today… wait Lincoln" Suddenly the pieces seemed to fit together.
A slight movement from the bed cut her off as Bobbi rushed to Skye's side.
"Hey, hey it's okay slowly" Bobbi reassured as Skye's eyes started to flicker open.
"Skye I don't know how much you remember but your in hospital. You have alcohol poisoning. They put you on a drip to help increase your water levels." Bobbi informed her.
Skye mumbled something that no one could make out and then gazed unfocused at the ceiling.
"She's still groggy. I'm going to go get May." Bobbi said leaving the room and before she could protest Hunter and Andrew followed.
"Hey"
May's head whipped around towards the source of the noise and immediately let out a relieved sigh "hey" she replied moving towards the bed, a small smile playing on her lips.
"What happened?" Coulson asked as he gently sat up.
"You nearly died"
"Oh just a casual Tuesday then"
May let out a small snort which made Coulson laugh too.
"Seriously Phil we've been so worried. You nearly died"
"I'm sorry. How's Skye?" he asked.
"As well as can be expected. She's coped better than I have that's for sure. She's strong" May replied.
"What day is it?"
"Monday"
Phil nodded in reply "I'm hungry and thirsty"
May rolled her eyes "Go and get something then"
Phil put on a wounded face "I've just had a near death experience Melinda. Anyway, I do want to get up." At May's raised eyebrow he added "I feel fine"
May sighed and helped Phil from the bed. He was wobbly but managed to stay up by himself and take a few steps with May's help.
"I just want to go home. I hate hospitals" Coulson complained sitting back on the bed exhausted.
"I guess I'll get the food then" May said.
Before May could leave Bobbi, Hunter and Andrew entered the room.
"Glad to see you up mate" Hunter said.
"How are you feeling?" Bobbi asked.
Coulson took a moment to consider it before replying "fine actually. Apart from a dull aching from the wound I've never felt better. That sleep must've done me some good"
"At least you helped put Hydra back in the ground. I was telling Bob, I know our mission right now is to keep Skye safe but I wouldn't mind going to do some more missions again, you know like old times" said Hunter.
Bobbi slapped him playfully on the arm "and I said I kinda like the peace and quite but then again it's not all peaceful"
May sensed the shift in mood and raised an eyebrow "what's happened now?"
Bobbi sighed "I don't even know how to say this, Andrew you were there"
Andrew sat down on one of the hospital chairs before beginning "well there's still a lot that we don't know. We don't know the whole story yet but I was meant to see Skye for our usual session but she didn't show up. I waited another ten minutes before I started growing concerned. I checked her class in case she forgot but her teacher said she hadn't shown up. Jemma, bless her, offered to help look for her and we found Skye passed out in the girls toilets."
"Is she alright?" Coulson asked, his face screwed up in concern.
"She is now, physically I mean but the worst part is, she was passed out with an empty bottle of Vodka next to her. She has alcohol poisoning." Andrew replied.
The silence in the room was deafening. No one knew what to say or how to respond. Bobbi placed a hand on May's shoulder but she shrugged it off "where is she? I'm going to kill that kid"
"Mel, calm down. You know our Skye and you know that she would never do something so stupid without reason. Something's obviously hurt her." Phil reasoned.
"Lincoln was back in school today and he's known to have had drinking problems in the past. Skye also had bruises on her wrist and stomach so maybe she got into a fight and decided to, I don't know drown her sorrows? We don't know if she's been subjected to drink in the past" Bobbi added.
"We also know Skye's nightmare's had been getting worse. Skye is complex she doesn't show her suffering and it builds up and once in a while she explodes as we've seen before" Andrew said.
Hunter stepped forward, "Guys I'm sorry to say but I've been given strict orders from the boss on what to do. I shouldn't even be on this case but I managed to sway it, however the station know I'm too close to this so I have to act in accordance to what is expected of me. Right now it looks as though she could be charged with possession and consumption of alcohol as a minor which is a criminal offence. If it's also found that she has a fake ID, which she probably does, she can also be charged with age misrepresentation. Honestly guys, if this was any other kid they would be looking at 6 months in jail and a fine but I'll see what I can do given Skye's complex needs and background. Plus we still need to talk to her and see if there's anything we're missing."
No one wanted to speak. Disappointment and worry hung heavily. May wanted to go and beat some sense into Skye but at the same time she just wanted everything to be okay. Coulson had just woken up, things were about to get better and now this had to happen. Part of May blamed herself, she had been distant the past few weeks allowing Skye to help her, but she should have been there to help Skye.
"I suggest we let Hunter question Skye first. Andrew and I will be in the room with her and then we can go from there. I can call you when you can see her?" Bobbi broke the silence.
Everyone agreed and left to go to the children's ward leaving May and Coulson on their own.
"She needs to learn Phil. No matter the punishment we will stand by it" May said.
Coulson nodded "I just want our little girl back. One minute she is happy and healthy but one slip up later she is back to being distant and upset and now she wants to hurt herself? She already has a criminal record, she's too young to ruin her life like this"
"We will fix this. Back in that warehouse I thought we were both going to die and the last thing I remember before we both passed out was Skye. She is the reason we keep going and she needs to know that she is wanted."
"How are you feeling?" Bobbi began.
Hunter was sitting on the chair to Skye's right next to Bobbi whilst Andrew sat on the other side. Skye had managed to sit up but was defiantly staring at the wall opposite.
"Skye?" Hunter prompted.
Skye shrugged. Before the three had got there Skye had thrown up and cried a bit more but she wasn't going to say that.
"Ok well can you tell me what happened, how you got the alcohol?" Hunter asked recorder in hand.
"After May dropped me off at school I went to the shop around the corner and stole the bottle of Vodka. I then brought it to school and hid it in my locker. I planned on drinking it later but after a couple of arguments I decided to drink it all instead" Skye replied her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"What about the bruises on you wrist and stomach?" Hunter questioned.
"I don't know maybe I hit myself in my sleep" Skye replied.
Bobbi sighed "Skye we know that's not what happened. I can tell your lying about everything. Just tell us the truth"
"I am!"
"Then why? Why did you steal the bottle?" Hunter asked.
"Because the voices in my head told me to" Skye bit back.
"Skye" Bobbi scolded. "If you want to confess to these crimes then fine, you can punish yourself. But downing that drink nearly killed you. You nearly suffocated on your own sick and you could have caused another seizure or stroke. You could have died"
"What if I wanted to?" Skye countered.
"Don't Skye. Just don't. You need to stop with this act. I know you care what May and Coulson think about you and I know your not telling us everything that happened. Skye please just tell us the truth, I know your not a bad person" Bobbi pleaded.
"I am. I am a bad person. I'm a murderer and a bad daughter. My parents knew it, the nuns knew it, the people at school knew it. I don't deserve to be loved I deserved to be locked up so do it. Send me to jail because I know you want to. I killed Natasha and I've stolen from people, done countless bad things. I don't deserve to be happy. I cheated on Lincoln, I kissed Ward! I kissed the person who helped to kill Natasha just because he understood me, because we are both too screwed up to care and we're both monsters. I just want her back but I've made things worse! And I want so desperately to find my biological sister but I know she will probably get hurt because of me or hate me and I want to see my real mom even though I have May and I don't understand why. I've been told Jiaying's a bad person but so am I so maybe she might be the only one to know the real me and I need to ask her things but if I do talk to her then I hurt my other family. And to top it all off Coulson and May nearly died because of me!" Skye was shaking, tears streaming from her face as she let it all out. Months of pain and anger came flooding out of her as she gasped for breath "I can't let any of it go and I want to but I can't"
Before Skye could resist Bobbi was there, her long arms wrapped around the skinny child. Once Skye realised what Bobbi was doing she tried to pull away but Bobbi was stronger. Skye went limp, allowing her fatigue to overcome her.
"It's okay just sleep, we will talk about all of this tomorrow okay?" Bobbi whispered.
Once Skye had drifted off the three adults looked to each other no one knowing what to say.
