Still Day 109 – Lighthouse Base – Gym
It didn't take me long to find May…I mean where else would she be if she needed to let off some steam. I kinda slid into the gym trying not to make any noise but I knew she knew I was there even if she didn't look at me. That punching back was taking a real beating so I just slipped down the wall, sat on the floor and watched. I guess I really made her mad cuz it took a while before she slowed down and even longer before she stopped. But she still didn't look at me, just stood there breathing all heavy and staring at the bag. I kinda thought maybe I should just sneak back out and not bother her if she was that mad or needed that much to not be mad anymore.
I started to push myself back up and she asked me if I needed something. She still didn't turn around, just kinda said it. For a minute I thought about when she left after all that stuff on the ship with the terragen crystals and Coulson losing his arm and my crazy par…people who pretended they were my parents. I kinda think that Cal really believed I was his kid, poor guy. But then May left. She didn't even say goodbye or tell anyone, she just was gone and I didn't think she'd be back. My stomach got that sick feeling that I had then and I swallowed real hard and shook my head. May said she couldn't hear my head shaking but then how did she know that's what I did. I kinda stuttered and flubbered cuz nothing came out like a real something to say. My mouth wanted to say I was sorry but my head knew it would probably make her mad all over.
Then she turned around and folded her arms and just looked at me and that was all it took. I was crying and saying please don't leave and I won't do it again and I'm sorry and everything I really didn't really want to say but it just kept blubbering out. Next thing I knew she was hugging me and we were both sitting on the floor with out backs against the wall. After I calmed down enough to listen, May told me she wasn't going anywhere and that she would never, ever leave me. I cry-talked that that was what she told Coulson. She said she was done and then just left. She hugged me tighter and said she just needed a little time to breathe but that didn't mean she was going any farther than the gym or maybe just a quick walk in the fresh air.
She told me it took too much to put us together for just some dumb kid trick to break it apart. I guess I was used to just getting tossed back so it just felt like the same thing. May said, no way and that I was stuck with her. She was in for the long haul no matter how many dumb kid tricks I pulled. Then she hugged me again and said she really needed a shower. She said I could wait for her if I wanted. I did, so I did.
Day 112 – Lighthouse Base – Hallway
Fitz fixed one of the old bikes they found on the pool level. He made these tires that don't go flat or need air but they're really light. It's a really old bike, you have to use the pedals to brake. You just push them backward. Hell, it's older that even grown up me…probably older than May and Coulson. But, I never had a bike all my own so this was kinda cool. Of course May absolutely would not let me ride outside, probably thinks I'd try to ride in across the water or get lost in the trees somewhere, so all those empty hallways were just great. I had a whole route planned out. I figured after everything that happened I should just let myself enjoy being a kid for a while…yeah, it only took me almost four months.
Right after breakfast I went to the pool floor – yeah, like the pool doors were locked now even though I did promise and cross my heart and all. It didn't matter though. May said it was just in case I forgot. I think she made it pretty clear there would be no forgetting and I was damn sure I did not need a reminder. But anyway I went to that floor and grabbed my bike. I started on the west side of the base and kinda zigzagged around the halls. They were always empty on this floor but I had to promise to stay where the cameras could see me. Anyway, I ended on the east side then took the elevator to the next floor and zigzagged around there too only this time I went south to north and kept doing the same thing for about four floors then I took a break, had some water and went to watch May in the workout room for a bit. I had to slow down from there on cuz there were people moving around between labs and rooms and stuff. A couple times I slowed down where the tunnel went off toward the warehouse and the exit into town. I kinda figured I could ride down that way if Fitz got me some kind of head light or somebody turned on the lights in the damn thing. HA! I guess I stayed there too long cuz a voice that sounded a lot like May boomed out of the intercom and told me to start moving. I got the hint and did just that…right, no more tempting fate or May or getting my butt zapped for having stupid ideas. But I promised myself when I finally got back to normal I was gonna use this bike to give that tunnel a try.
After that I did a couple more floors except for the living quarter floors cuz I might smack into someone or disturb the peace, so I skipped them. I ended up on the command floor and met the team for a bit then had lunch and somebody was always ready to go to the pool with me. That was about a two hour deal and May always met me for the last half hour. Yeah, Fitz had a bike for her too. He was working on one for everybody cuz Simmons said the exercise was good. Like we don't get enough exercise chasing bad guys and trying to stay alive with all the craziness we deal with all the time. But, May had a bike and while I was riding I thought I'd invite her to take that tunnel ride with me, maybe Coulson too. Then I wondered if he could ride a bike. Heck, by then my legs would long enough to keep up with them.
It was all pretty cool and for a while I just forgot about all the shrinkie dink stuff and Hale and broken bones and broken promises. I did a lot of thinking while I was zipping around and decided I needed to stop being a brat and looking for trouble all the time. I really didn't have to do anything to get attention cuz everybody pretty much paid attention to me all the time. I mean look at all the stuff they do and did for me. I never really thought about family but now I had one, a real one. We had a goofy life but we were in it together, all of us.
Today was pretty much the same thing but after about three floors I was kinda tired. It felt like I was going uphill and I could hardly push the pedals down. I took two extra breaks and even skipped a couple floors. It started to feel like my legs didn't even want to move any more so I just skipped the rest of the levels and rode the elevator to Command. I didn't care that everybody was looking at me when I walked my bike across it to Coulson's office. I waved a little but didn't say anything. I think even my voice was tired. I don't think I've ever been this tired, ever. I was glad Coulson's door was opened because I don't think I coulda turned the knob. I stumbled in and just waved to him when he looked up at me. He must have said something but I didn't answer. I just plopped on that old leather couch and went to sleep so fast I don't even remember getting all the way down to it.
Day 112 – Lighthouse Base – Coulson's Office
May sat at the edge of the leather couch in Coulson's office. She brushed a stray hair from Daisy's face then rested the back of her fingers against the little girl's forehead. "She didn't say anything?" She asked without turning to face Coulson who stood behind her.
"Just walked in and dropped down." He shook his head and let out a short breath. "She was asleep before she hit the cushions. All that biking must have finally exhausted her." He chuckled.
"Well, there's no fever." May sighed as she stood, but still faced the sleeping child.
Coulson shook his head again. "She's just tired, May. Kids do get tired, especially when they ride a bike about five miles a day, swim for two hours and who knows what else she's into when she's not right in our sight."
May turned and glared at him.
Rolling his eyes, Coulson easily smiled. "Yeah, like she's ever out of your sight…"
The glare intensified.
"…much…" Coulson finished just above a whisper as he turned back to his desk. "Doesn't mean there's a problem. She's just tired. Let her sleep. I'll keep an eye on her."
May barely listened. She turned back toward Daisy, leaned down and felt her forehead again. "The splint comes off tomorrow. I'll have Simmons do a thorough exam just to be sure."
Coulson huffed over a form he held. "Oh, she'll love that." He remarked without looking up. He made the comment more to himself than to his partner, but knew she'd heard it.
"There's a lot she doesn't like." May scoffed. "And I don't like her being exhausted before noon, no matter how many miles she's traveled. And if she's not up in an hour or so I won't be waiting until tomorrow."
Now Coulson did look up. "May, I think you worry too much. Never would have thought…"
"An hour, Coulson…" She interrupted, ignoring his comment.
One hour passed and then two before Daisy pushed herself up from the comfort of couch and dug a fist into one eye. She yawned mightily before stretching her arms and legs as far as they would go then drew them back with a quick shiver.
"Welcome back," Coulson smiled from behind his desk. He set down the pen he held and pushed himself to his feet. "Feeling better?" He asked as sat down next to her and wrapped her in a sideways hug, planting a kiss atop her head in a discreet way to check for any fever.
Letting out a second yawn, Daisy snuggled into his hug and nodded. She closed her eyes and smiled as she breathed in the familiar scent of his cologne. "I was really tired." The girl shrugged.
"Apparently," Coulson chuckled. "You missed lunch."
Daisy shrugged again. "M not hungry." She shook her head and let out a soft breath.
Coulson pushed the little girl aside and rested a hand against her forehead, then pulled her close and pressed his lips to the same spot. Daisy's eyes went wide. He grabbed her shoulders and gave a gentle shake then smiled as he pulled her back into a hug. "Who are you and what did you do with my Daisy?"
Daisy relaxed into the hug and giggled softly.
Tapping the tip of the little girl's nose, Coulson let out a soft breath. "You've got May stress out."
"Cuz, I'm tired?" Daisy scrunched her nose and looked up at him. "I get in trouble for sleeping, too?"
Coulson hugged her again and rocked a little to one side. "You're not in trouble. She just thinks you're sick or something."
Daisy shook her head and pushed away from him. "I'm not sick, just tired. I'm good now." She claimed around a yawn.
Coulson laughed softly and shook a finger at his daughter. "Don't let her catch you in a yawn or she'll have you admitted to Bethesda for a complete overhaul."
Laughing, Daisy fell back against Coulson and shook her head. "Uh huh, they don't admit kids and it'd be too much of a security risk."
Coulson wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You can tell her that when she gets back." He spoke into her hair.
Daisy jumped to her feet. "I gotta get my bike back down to pool level." She headed for the door then stopped with her hand on the knob. She glanced at the set of clocks on the far wall. "It's not 3:00 yet, maybe I can still swim. I'll stop and see if Simmons or Piper's free." She threw him a wide smile then hurried out the door.
Coulson shook his head and watched as she pushed her bike into the elevator and disappeared.
Despite May's objection and a serious argument with Coulson, Daisy spent the usual two hours at the pool with two off duty agents. It certainly wasn't as much fun as spending the afternoon with the team but it was better than putting off May all afternoon.
The agents seemed to be having a good time so it wasn't a total loss and they weren't all crazy about being safe and not diving backward or running or doing giant cannon-balls off the bottom of the slide. So yeah, it wasn't a total loss. They were however clock watchers and at exactly 4:47 p.m. they blew the whistle, like literally blew a whistle and ordered her out.
Daisy dragged herself to the shower, then dressed and allowed both agents to escort her all the way to her bunk where May was waiting with that look on her face. There were a lot of questions about being tired and not eating all day and a whole bunch of does this or that hurt before she was ordered to the kitchen for dinner.
Evening 112 – Lighthouse Base – Mess Hall
I really wasn't hungry and that was kinda weird because there was this beautiful cheeseburger and a whole mess of French fries. May's usually all healthy food stuff so this was a big treat but I just wasn't even a little hungry. In fact mostly I was tired. Real tired just like before. I wanted to put my head down on the table and just sleep, but May would have a fit so mostly I tried to hide my yawns. It's really hard to hide anything from May and yeah, she was right there pressing her lips on my head.
I told her I didn't have a fever and I wasn't sick, just tired and not hungry. I think I was too tired to chew. She said if I was that tired maybe I should get to bed. I think she thought that would make me eat but I was glad to just go to my room and climb in my bed but I didn't think I could walk that far. I was lucky cuz Mack was there and when I got all wobbly he scooped me up and offered me a 'lift' to my home. I wanted to laugh but his shoulder was so comfortable I just closed my eyes.
I guess he carried me all the way to my bunk and plopped me on the bed. It was pretty dark when I woke up all tucked in and dressed in my PJ's. I don't even remember changing. I slipped off the bed and schlepped into the bathroom, did what I needed and grabbed a drink. It was right about then I realized I had a whopper of a headache. Like my whole head hurt. I figured it was from not eating. You can get a real bad headache from not eating but I still wasn't even a little bit hungry. Maybe some Tylenol would help and if I wasn't so damn short I might just be able to reach it.
I stood there with the medicine cabinet door open, staring up at the top shelf where some dumb ass stuck the bottle. Geez, it wasn't like I was really a kid and things had to be out of my reach. What the hell? Did they think I had some kind of brain damage on top of this curse? I was pretty mad and that made my head hurt more so I just climbed up on the sink and reached up to grab the bottle. Course the sink was a little slippery from washing my hands and yeah I lost it and fell right into May's arms.
Damn, she's like a cat. You never hear her til it's too late. She just gave me that look, stood me up and held out her hand for the pills. I dropped them in it and blew out my own breath. Before she even asked I told her I had a headache and just wanted to take care of it myself. She told me I was lucky I didn't crack my head open. Then she gave me the pills and pointed to the cups by the sink. I swallowed them then started back to my bed with her right behind me. She was saying something about telling her if I didn't feel well and not letting things get out of hand but I was only half listening cuz that tiredness was back and all I wanted was to get back to my bed.
I made it and she pulled the blankets over me then put her hand on my forehead, but I think I was already asleep.
Day 113 – Lighthouse Base – Medical Bay
I slept a long time and May let me. It was almost ten when I finally got my eyes to stay opened. My head still hurt a little but not like it did before. I got dressed and did all the morning kinda stuff then went to our little kitchen. I was glad there was no one there, cuz I didn't want them to make me eat. I still wasn't even a little hungry and I didn't want to have to explain that. I didn't feel sick or anything just not hungry. I heard the door and there was May. She said she was glad I was up because I had an appointment with Jemma in twenty minutes.
Then I lied. I told her I already had breakfast and even cleaned everything up. She gave me the evil eye and I don't think she believed me. She just nodded her head like 'yeah, tell me another one', but she didn't make me eat. She just said that was good cuz Jemma wouldn't care if we were early. So she held out her arm and nodded at the door.
I started to argue that I wasn't sick when she reminded me that it was the day Simmons said I could probably lose the splint. She didn't tell me about her other agenda so I was good with the whole deal. I even smiled when we got there and climbed up on that damn examination table without being asked. Yeah, Jemma did the X-ray thing and said everything was good. It took a while to undo all of the ways that damn splint was attached and no wonder I couldn't get it off. All the controls were in the back and on the little buttony thing Jemma had. But finally it was off and I was FREE! I wriggled my fingers and bent my elbows and put my arms up in the arm and twirled them around until both May and Simmons told me to take it easy or I might end up back in it.
It was right then that May started telling Jemma all about me being so tired almost all the time and not eating anything since breakfast yesterday and about my big old headache. She said she was pretty sure something wasn't right and that she wanted a full examination, the whole works. Next thing I knew I was down to my skivvies with one of those 'pee in the cup' things in my hand.
This was not going to be fun and I was more than mad. I kept telling them both there was nothing wrong with me and I didn't need any poking or prodding or whatever they had planned. Yeah, like that worked. All it got me was a not so soft swat pointing me toward the bathroom.
After that I did a lot of swearing cuz Jemma took enough blood to supply a whole family of vampires. Core temperature…I hate core temperature and I said every swear word I ever heard. I think I even made some up. May just laughed and said I was playing with fire. I told her where she could put that fire and didn't even care what might happen when I did. I got some kind of shot that put me out so they could do what Jemma called 'invasive tests' to see why I wasn't eating. They even put a camera on my stomach so they could look at it. I don't think there was a part of me that didn't get tested or poked or X-rayed. It felt like hours. When Simmons was finally done I wasn't real nice to her and called her some nasty names but she just smiled and said she'd let it go since it was a rather stressful day.
May wasn't so understanding but at least she waited until Simmons and the techs where out of the exam room before she made good on her promise…yeah the one I ignored when I told her where to shove the fire. Yep, I was gonna be sitting on that fire for a little while.
I was still sniffling when I apologized to Jemma and the other techs. May grabbed my hand and said she'd see Simmons for the results tomorrow.
Jemma stopped us before we got out the door.
She didn't look like it was good news.
Day 113 – Lighthouse Base – Coulson's Office
I just sat and listened while May told Coulson all about our trip to the infirmary. I was still mad so I plopped on the big couch in his office, folded my arms over my chest and zipped my lip. If they weren't going to listen to me then I just wouldn't talk…yeah, the silent treatment…that would teach them. I'd listen but I wasn't gonna say anything to anybody.
Simmons said she couldn't find any reason for me to be so tired or why I didn't want to eat anything. Except for everything being a little lower than usual, including that damn core temperature, it was till within normal parameters. Whatever, the hell that means. Huh! I could think as many swear words as I wanted. May couldn't hear me thinking, even if she did look at me like she could. Nobody, not even Melinda May can hear you think! I even thought sticking my tongue out at her evil ear look…bet she never saw that thought coming…or hear it or whatever it. Then she told Coulson that Jemma thought maybe I was a little neemick or something but then she said maybe some B12 shots would fix it. Yeah, of course, shots…always those damn, friggin' shots…well they've have to catch me first. May could throw a punch or a kick faster than me but I could outrun her…specially with these little kid legs. In fact I could outrun them all…well, probably not Yoyo, but I could get into smaller spaces than she could. Anyway after Simmons said she had some second thoughts on the B12 stuff, May said forget it. They decided they'd just keep a close eye on me and do more testing in a week to see if things got better or not. MORE TESTS!? No way, Jose! Ain't happening. I was not doing that again. Then she said the core temperature was her biggest concern. It shouldn't go down and that could be a bad thing so they had to really watch it and that meant a trip to the med bay at least once a day to check it out. Double NO WAY!
I slammed my feet criss crossed on the couch and let out a real mad snort. They ignored me, so I kicked the little table in front of the couch. Coulson looked at me and asked if I wanted to say something but I just squeezed my eye little, like May does, and shook my head. Then I bounced my arms down hard on my chest and stared at the ceiling. May said I needed to lose the attitude and I kinda moved my lips to the same words and wobbled my head real sarcasticky. But I was doing it to the ceiling so I didn't see her move right next to me until she was leaned over looking right at me. I didn't stop, just made the same eyes at her that she was making at me. She asked me if I had something to say and I didn't answer, just kept staring right her with that evil eye look…eyebrow and all.
May does this thing with her mouth or her teeth or something, they kinda move a little like she's gonna talk but she just stays quiet. Yep, that's what she did then she turned around and closed all the blinds on the office windows and told Coulson he might want to get out cuz she and I needed a little privacy. Coulson started to say something about calming down but she gave him the look and he just took a breath and looked at me like he was sorry then opened the door. He turned back and opened his mouth to say something but it never came out. I figured I was dead then I decided if this was it, I was not going down without a fight of my own.
May just sat on the couch next to me and kept staring right at me…I kept staring back. Then she told me to start talking and to lose the attitude. I didn't say anything. She said it was my last chance. I didn't say anything. Then she just rubbed her hands on her lap and told me that someday…years from now…or maybe months…I would think about the worst walloping I ever got and when I did…this, THIS right here and now would be what I would remember.
She reached for my arm but I was up and away from her pretty fast and I screamed, NO! I told her no way was she gonna smack my ass (and yes I said A-S-S as loud as I could) anymore and I wasn't doing anymore visits to Simmons for stupid tests cuz I wasn't sick and I didn't need any temperature taking or poking or shots or anything. I screamed that I was tired of all of this and just wanted everything to be normal again. I squeezed my hands so tight it felt like my fingers would go right through my palms and I could feel all the little things in the room jiggling, even the blinds were vibrating but I pulled it all back. I was yelling all kinds of stuff about this whole stupid situation and I was crying and I didn't even notice the blood running out of my nose until I tasted it on my lip. I swiped it with one hand and looked at it like it was acid. My head started hurting like a nail was stuck through right through it and all those little breaks in my arms and shoulders felt like a thousand hot pins jabbing me.
I looked at the blood on my hands and at the look on May's face and just stopped. She was standing, maybe moving toward me but I wasn't sure cuz everything kinda was moving real slow. I think she was yelling for Coulson. And then she was right in front of me, kneeling there looking at me like she was more scared than I'd ever seen anybody. I took a breath and it hurt like getting kicked in the chest. I grabbed her arms when she reached for me. I tried to talk but it came out like a croaky whisper.
May…I don't feel so good.
Then I just fell right into her arms.
The last thing I remember was Coulson slamming the door against the wall and someone yelling a lo
