Day 124 – Outside Daisy's Med Lab Room – just after dawn
"Have you lost your mind!?"
"Absolutely not!"
Coulson and May bellowed simultaneously.
Before Fitz could speak or Jemma could continue her well prepared speech, May slammed a fist on the nearest table and growled. "There is no way you are even telling her about this damn moronic idea let alone letting her make that kind of decision."
Coulson was shaking his head. "We are not taking that risk. Do it again Fitz, find something else because this is one damn ridiculous theory." The man's voice rose dangerously.
"But, sir…" Jemma interceded.
Coulson held up a hand and turned away for a second. "No, Jemma. This is absolute nonsense. We are not letting her…her…almost die in order to have some magic spark bring her back. No_way." The anger in his voice was undeniable.
"It isn't magic, sir." Fitz tried again. His frustration matched Coulson's ire. "It is absolute science. I've tested the theory more than six times over the night and it's the same every time."
"Well, you're not testing it on her." May spoke before Coulson could respond. She looked through the observation window where the curtain had been drawn back before she and Coulson met with their scientists.
Daisy had slept longer than the med staff expected. Her temperature dropped to 86 despite their attempts to keep it from doing so. Jemma checked on the girl several times during the night and after the last warming procedure felt that, rather than putting the child through the discomfort of the somewhat useless treatment, it might be better to cease their efforts. This was before she and Fitz attempted their lengthy explanation of the latest results of their basically only theory to both their superiors.
"Sir, we don't fully understand Dr. Liu's science, but in all likelihood…" Fitz tried again.
"No, no and no," Coulson shook his head. "That's just it. Isn't it? We don't understand the science from wherever the hell that outer dimension is, or was, and we aren't taking some cockamamie risk to see if Daisy can survive its…" he let out an exasperated breath.
"Its damn ice virus," May snarled without turning to look at any of them. She pulled her hands into tight fists.
"It isn't a virus…" Fitz began, again launching into his theoretical explanation.
"There is no way…" Coulson continued his objection.
May's litany of offensive adjectives blended into the cacophony of the now heated argument.
Within seconds the three of them were shouting over each other and not one was making an attempt to listen to anything that was being said. Arms flew as each tried to make a point that none of the others cared to hear. A chair clanged to the floor although it could not be determined by whose hand it did.
Over the combatants Jemma observed more than heard the vital monitors' alarms on the other side of the glass. Before she could reach the door her team had surrounded Daisy's bed, checking leads and listening closely to the small, weak beat of the little girl's heart. The charge nurse slipped into the outer room ignoring the argument there and whispered to Jemma before shaking her head and returning to the child's bedside. The monitors continued to scream their warning of eminent crash.
"Stop," Jemma's shaky voice tried to silence her teammates. "Stop," she tried again, a bit more forcefully yet they did not hear. "PLEASE. STOP!" She commanded then looked surprised when it became silent and they turned to face her, still holding their positions as if frozen in the moment.
"All of this…this," she waved her arms out toward them unable to find words to describe their fracas, "may be pointless." Jemma blew a breath over her lip and spoke slowly, quietly. "Her vitals are diminishing…"
May did not wait to hear any more. She turned and headed for the door, followed closely by Coulson.
"Wait," Jemma almost commanded then continued when they stopped and turned to her. "It is getting extremely difficult for her to breath. I'm afraid we will need to place her on a respirator…I…she may not have much time."
"No," May breathed a second before she went through the door.
Coulson took a step then turned back. "You start that damn warming procedure again, Simmons. NOW!
Before she could tell him it would not help, he too hurried through the door to his daughter's side.
Fitz stepped next to Jemma and watched as Coulson and May pushed aside the med team and moved close to their child. He shook his head unable to imagine how the loss of someone so dear to them could be survived. He truly hoped he would never be in a position to find out. Daisy was his friend…no more than a friend…more like a pain-in-the-bahoochie kid sister. He couldn't bear to watch her die…he wouldn't let her and he would do anything to save her. But he was just as adamant that his theory would prove true. This was part of the process Dr. Liu had set in motion. All of their efforts were only prolonging the girl's inability to revert to her original self.
"You know it won't do any good." He sighed as he wrapped an arm around Jemma's shoulders.
She shook her head, afraid that speaking would release the tears she was fighting to contain. She wasn't certain if he was referring to the warming process or the respirator but she refused to do nothing. Daisy had to survive. She meant a lot to all of them. They could not lose her to something so…so insane. Warm oxygen could be sent through the ventilator, forced into her lungs. Perhaps it would bring her temperature back to normal. Maybe it was the answer….the answer to keeping her alive, but at what cost. Were the crystals the secret to her transformation? Would eliminating them keep her a child indefinitely?
"Using warmth can damage the crystals, Jemma. If you do that they may not be capable of doing what they are meant to do. You can only save her by letting her go." He spoke softly next to Jemma's ear. It was almost as if he could read her mind. If there were time she would fall into his strong arms and let her emotions free but now she needed a level head. She needed to be a doctor. Daisy needed her to be strong.
xxxxx
Jemma had stayed with Fitz all night with the few exceptions of checking on Daisy. He ran his experiment several times, even tried injecting the crystallized blood into a few rats. Unfortunately, their healthy, 'this dimension' blood simply absorbed the snowflake shaped cells without any effects. During one of Jemma's trips to the med lab he injected himself and waited for something…anything to happen. She was frantic when she returned, chastising him for his stupidity at using himself as a test subject.
Fitz laughed and inquired who else did she think would volunteer. He produced a blood sample, his own, taken ten minutes after the injection and transferred a prepared slide to the microscope. Sure enough the crystalline structures flowed alongside the healthy cells in his blood. Jemma gasped unwilling to have Fitz experience the same fate as Daisy. He assured her it would not happen. They watched as the crystals grew in size and were quickly absorbed by the hemoglobin. Fitz insisted Jemma draw another sample. Once done, he prepared yet another slide and looked through the microscope. The crystals had completely disappeared just as they had in the mice, leaving Fitz's blood with the same reaction…none.
Jemma let out a relieved breath before slapping the young man across the shoulder and raising a finger to his nose. "Don't you ever do that to me again Leopold James Fitz."
Fitz smiled for a second before kissing her cheek. "You sound like my mum." He shrugged before letting out a defeated huff. "It proved nothing. But, every failure gives me another piece to this puzzle. Why does it disappear in my blood…in the damn blinkin' rat's blood but not Daisy's?" He paced a few feet then turned back, mumbling to himself. "It isn't the GH factor. I've tried Coulson's blood as well with the same results as the bloody rats." He tossed back his head and drew a long noisy breath then let it out just as loudly. "Daisy was subject to the same factor and yet her blood reacts differently."
Jemma stared at the large projection on the wall. She was sure Fitz had taken everything into consideration but threw out her idea regardless. "Daisy's inhuman DNA is the factor you and your mice cannot replicate. It may be what has kept this process from initiating sooner." She stated matter-of-factly. "It's the one factor you cannot duplicate."
For a moment they both stared at the image on the wall, watching as Fitz's healthy blood cells floated in high definition.
"Yoyo!" They turned and faced each other, shouting their friends name in tandem.
xxxx
"Damn it, Fitz. Do you know what time it is?" Mac grumbled, rubbing a hand across his stubbly chin. He held the untied strings of his hastily thrown on sweat pants with the other.
"Three forty three and two…no three seconds," Fitz answered, moving side to side to see around the large man standing in the doorway.
Mac pulled his hand down his face and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Turbo, I haven't had…" he paused for a second, "a full night's sleep in…"
Fitz pushed him aside and slipped under his arm. "Sorry Mac, didn't mean to wake you. Just need Yoyo for a wee bit."
"Wha…" Mac started as Jemma who had been standing behind, smiled and also slipped into the room.
Elena sat in the bed, a bit disheveled, with the blanket pulled up to her chin. "¡Maldita sea! ¿Qué hay de malo en que ustedes dos se estrellen aquí en medio de..." She stopped and glanced at Mac before shaking off the blush on her cheeks. "…en medio de la noche?" She finished with snarl.
"I'm so sorry," Jemma whispered as she pushed a stray hair from her face and sat on the bed next to the incensed woman. "This will only take a moment." She explained as she opened the small kit she carried.
Fitz, realizing Elena's state of undress, quickly turned to face Mac. "We don't have time to explain, Mac." He cast a quick look over his shoulder to give Jemma a 'go ahead' nod.
"We just need a bit of your blood and you can get back to…" Jemma stopped, covering a blush of her own. "To your good night's sleep," she finished with a nervous smile.
"My blood?" Elena croaked, pulling the blanket closer. She eyed the items in Jemma's hand.
"Daisy…" Fitz started. "Daisy needs your blood…er…we need your blood for Daisy…to…"
Jemma pulled Elena's arm from beneath the blanket and tied a band around her bicep. Yoyo looked at it then back to Jemma, nervously. "What Fitz is trying to say is we think we've found a way to help Daisy but we need an inhuman blood sample in order to test his hypothesis."
"Theory," Fitz corrected.
"Theory, yes," Jemma corrected herself with a curt nod. She continued her task as she spoke. "You are the only other inhuman on the base." She stopped, pulling the plastic tip from the hypodermic with her teeth.
Elena made an exaggerated 'ow' face as Jemma slid the needle into her vein then popped a sample collection tube onto it. A second later she had placed a large cotton swab on the site and bent Elena's elbow back.
"Thank you," Jemma smiled as she picked up all of her supplies and hurried from the room.
Fitz watched her disappear into the corridor. He looked from Mac to Elena then smiled as he patted the large man's bare chest. "Well then…um, ah…yes, then…carry on…" He stepped out and almost ran to catch up to Jemma.
Mac watched for a moment then let out a soft chuckle and turned to Yoyo who was checking the tiny wound on her arm. He closed the door when she looked up and smiled. He smiled back.
xxxx
Fitz and Jemma watched as the crystals flowed in Elena's blood sample, multiplying as they floated in the fluid. Just as they had in Daisy's sample, the crystals grew into one solid mass then crackled with tiny electric sparks before dissolving. They looked at each other with satisfied smiles then repeated the procedure not once but three times. Each time the experiment repeated the same result.
"You were right, Fitz." Jemma smiled. "This has to be the solution. Dr. Liu could not have known how his sending Daisy back would be affected by his technology. He had no idea she was inhuman. She had no powers there. There was no need for anyone to know."
"This had to be something in Skye's DNA. He used that to send her back. His method seems to be somewhat like that of the one imagined in that old space saga." Fitz snapped his fingers a few times attempting to jog his memory. "They used a machine of some sort to disassemble a person's molecules then sent them through space and reassembled them when they arrived at their destination. Liu had no sample of Daisy's DNA or he would have noticed this anomaly."
"Oh, Fitz, that is merely science fiction television, just something from a writer's imagination." Jemma pishawed.
"When this is all over we'll have to find a copy and watch. I'm sure some of this very technology grew from those ideas." Fitz shook his head. "Perhaps in Liu's world it was more than imagination."
"Mmmmm, your young men dream dreams and your old men see visions." Jemma quoted.
"Well, I wouldn't consider us very old, then. Would you?" Fitz shrugged.
Jemma shook her head. "We have one more obstacle to overcome." At Fitz's nonverbal question she replied, "Coulson…and May."
Day 124 – Daisy's Med Lab Room – 700 hours
May held Daisy's much too cold hand in her own. The little girl's breathing was no longer regular but labored and full of small struggled gasps. Her eyes fluttered open then shut then opened again.
"Mom," she exhaled on a difficult breath. She had bearly enough breath to say it, but it felt good calling May that. She'd waited a very long time to be able to use the name without the fear of breaking it. May was unbreakable. Daisy tried to smile but wasn't sure her mouth was cooperating.
"I'm here, bao bei." May cast a quick glance to Coulson who stood at her side. "We're both here."
Coulson covered their hands with his. "You hold on, Agent Johnson. That's an order." He tried to sound authorative but the quiver in his voice betrayed him.
Daisy's eyes closed. "Yes, sir…" she coughed, barely audible. The taste of the warm fluids they'd used to help warm her lingered in her mouth. It was like swallowing sea water. She felt as if she might vomit but didn't have the energy. The little girl swallowed several times to quash the taste.
May squeezed her hand tighter.
The charge nurse eased into position at Daisy's head, holding a laryngoscope. "We need to…"
May shook her head, unable to stop the tears streaming across her cheeks. Coulson swallowed hard. Daisy shook her head and shakily held up her free hand pleading for the nurse to give her a few more minutes. Jemma entered the room and motioned for the nurse to stand down…for now.
"Mom," Daisy gasped again.
"Shhh," May leaned close. "Save your breath, bao bei."
The little girl shook her head. "I…gotta…tell ya…some…"
"Just breathe, Daisy." Coulson whispered.
"You…too…" Daisy opened her eyes a slit and weakly smiled at him.
"We know," May pulled back a sob. "We love you, too."
Again the child shook her head. "No…I…I'm…s-sor…ree…"
May grasped her daughter's hand in both of hers and leaned closer. Coulson rested his hands on May's shoulders moving as close as he could without impairing the little girl's ability to breathe.
"Hey, kiddoe, you've got nothing to be sorry about. We're going to fix this." Coulson tried assuring all of them.
"Sor…ree…I…zn't…k-kid…you…zerve…" Daisy wheezed.
May pulled the little girl's hand closer and kissed her freezing finger tipss. She flinched at the coldness. She shook her head. "Don't even..."
The sound Daisy made could have been called a small laugh. She blinked a few times and swallowed hard then shook her head. "Di…n't…lis…listen…w-worth…a…d-damn."
Coulson leaned closer, forcing a smirk. "Just like her mom…always pushing the limit."
May sobbed a choked laugh. "Stubborn, like her father."
Daisy tried to laugh but coughed hard then drew a rattled breath. "Y-you…er…t…bes..est." She opened her eyes for a few seconds. "M-me?" She shook her head and struggled to take her next breath.
"Ne…eed…t…g-g…row." Daisy struggled. "Give…you…" she inhaled, "bur…a…k."
May resisted the urge to pull the child into her arms. "If it takes twenty more years, bao bei, it will be worth it."
"Li…k…you…c…ul," The exhale was more difficult and a few second's passed before she inhaled, "m…that-t."
"Wouldn't want you any other way, angel eyes," Coulson took her free hand into his and squeezed.
Daisy licked her dry lips and gasped for a breath. "M…b…utt…n't…take…ch…mer." She gasped again, deeper.
"I'm sorry I was so tough on you," May could not contain the sob.
Daisy shook her head. "Nee…ded…it…ba….d…kd…" She tapped her chest with the fingers of one hand. Her words were wisps of her attempt to draw and release air. She could not breathe much longer on her own.
Jemma stepped closer. "It's time." She said quietly, placing a hand on May's shoulder.
Daisy put up a hand and looked to Jemma with just her eyes. She shook her head lightly. Jemma stepped back a bit and barely nodded.
"You…vree…thi…thi…" Daisy drew a few short gasps and shook her head as May and Coulson tried to shush her. She swallowed and tried again. "wha…it…I…ways…en..ted…Mom." She smiled as May squeezed her hand. "T-too…A…C…" She lifted a finger toward Coulson then closed her eyes and struggled to take even the smallest breath.
May nodded then kissed the little girl's forehead and hugged her gently. She stepped back as Coulson did the same. "You hang in there." He smiled as he ran the side of his thumb across Daisy's cheek. Turning he took May into his arms and felt rather than heard her sob into his embrace.
Jemma stepped around them motioning her team into action.
One of the younger techs escorted them into the hall outside the door.
Day 124 – Daisy's Med Lab Room – mid afternoon
The hiss of the respirator blended with the perpetual beeps of the monitors sending out a bizarre rhythm to which someone could actually tap their foot. It was not a melody May or Coulson enjoyed. Still, they sat keeping a vigil and hoping their child would overcome this new obstacle. May's anger brewed as the clock ticked. Coulson knew she used it to mask her terror but this was a foe they could not defeat even with all of the skill and strength she could muster. He also knew not to hand her platitudes or to assure her that 'things would be okay'. Even he knew that, as it appeared right now, things were far from being okay.
Fitz paced outside the room, occasionally casting a nervous glance through the observation window. Jemma had explained to Coulson that the warming procedures they had tried earlier were no longer having an effect even though he continued to insist she try again. Only telling him that it would, in all likelihood, do more damage than good finally convinced him. Fitz waited, knowing within the hour Jemma would make another blood draw. With that he would be able to assess Daisy's condition much better than the blipping machines in her room. The time for Coulson and May to make a decision based on Fitz's theory had passed. Whatever was going to happen would do so without anyone giving it a thumb's up…or down.
The looks that May threw him each time she glanced toward the window were chilling. She knew he would do nothing to hurt Daisy. He was doing his best, with what he had, to help her. He had been since this whole crazy situation began. He owed her after what happened in the Framework…he owed her. May had to know that. But what he suggested threatened to take her child away. May was a protector and that skill was super heightened with maternal instincts. He tried not to look her in the eye knowing this would probably get much worse.
He and Jemma had discussed what the outcome of the congealing crystals could be. Jemma could not say if the process would cause the little girl pain and if so how intense it might be. She also could not predict what the ultimate outcome would be. Perhaps Daisy would simply lose consciousness for a few minutes then wake with no serious side effects. They discussed how any of this might help her transform into her adult-self and just how that might transpire. Little Daisy had once compared it to Banner morphing into the Big Guy. Jemma doubted that would be the case but could not offer a feasible alternative.
Fitz proposed that the process might take a bit more time, allowing the girl to gradually grow into herself rather than exploding into a fully grown woman in mere seconds. That, he was sure, would certainly be a painful process. Perhaps, he considered, she would simply age a year or two while sleeping and emerge older each morning until she was Daisy again. He did not buy into Jemma's fear that this might not be controlled and within a week or two the girl would go from a child to grandmother. She couldn't imagine what would be worse. Both had a laugh, at Daisy's expense, picturing a centenarian with Quake powers.
The situation was full of unknowns and ideas that could not be tested. Jemma could not help fearing this might kill their friend…their family member. She was sure neither May nor Coulson would ever forgive them, despite the fact they had very little to do with what Dr. Liu had put into action. If only he'd given Daisy more information than just a cryptic statement that it would be temporary. How did the man even know what would happen? He, himself, had admitted the only person to cross from that dimension to this was Everett and he'd never been seen again…well, on that side anyway. Dr. Liu just took the risk with his own research and blasted all of their team back or across or through or whatever and just hoped they made it. He had no way of knowing and they had no way of knowing what happened after the team left.
Coulson and May had given them a description of the laboratory there. It sounded like something out of an old Frankenstein movie combined with a Saturday afternoon 'what monster's eating the world this week?' TV movie. The equipment they described was beyond what Fitz could imagine. Neither had much of an explanation for Daisy's experience and the fact that the doctor had used some sort of sedative to knock her out left her without any memory of it.
Each pondered their own version of what had happened and what might when Jemma suddenly gasped. Fitz almost jumped at the sound. Putting a hand to her mouth, her eyes grew wide as he waited for her to speak.
"Fitz," she began, then took a breath. "What if Daisy returns through whatever portal Dr. Liu opened and the little version of her is still with us?"
Fitz scoffed. "Two Daisies, huh, that would be a bloody stramash…one leading the other on."
"I think our Daisy might have her hands full with that little one." Jemma smiled.
"I don't think that is something we need worry about. There is a very high possibility that both of them cannot exist at the same time or in the same place." Fitz assured her. "Lui was studying the probably of transported to alternate universes. It would have been one of his basic principles." Fitz hoped his assumption was correct. On the other hand two versions of Daisy existed in Lui's dimension. It wasn't too much of a stretch to believe they could do so here…but, two Daisies? He wasn't sure even May could handle that impossibility.
Jemma nodded, not quite sure she agreed. After all, nothing had made much sense in this whole crazy situation. She glanced up at the clock then stood from the table where she and Fitz had been sharing a cup of tea. He watched her knowing she was off to collect a blood sample. He gave her a quick nod. She smiled and let out a soft breath.
This would not be easy.
xxxx
Coulson stood as Jemma entered the room, hoping she had some news…one way or the other. It had been hours since Daisy was given medical aid to breathe and very little had been said other than 'she's stable' and 'she is under close observation'. Neither comment was much consolation to her parents. Jemma's appearance gave him a glimmer of hope.
She offered a small smile and squeezed his arm as he stepped before her. She could see he needed to something. "I'm sorry, Agent Coulson, there's been no significant changes since we put her on the ventilator."
He let out a frustrated breath. "What about insignificant changes?" He shook his head at the absurdity of his question.
"There's been no improvement, sir. The machine is breathing for her. It's only making things easier, not better. I can't tell you that her condition is improving." Jemma spoke softly without letting her feelings interfere with what she needed to say. "Perhaps you and May should try to get some rest. I will certain…"
"We aren't leaving." May stated flatly, without looking at the young doctor.
"Sir…" Jemma started, addressing Coulson who still stood in front of her.
"You heard May, Jemma. We aren't going anywhere." Coulson shook his head.
For a moment Jemma stared at him, then squeezed his arm a bit more and gave an understanding nod. "I'll only be a few seconds." She turned from him and walked to the bed. May rose and followed.
"Must you do that?" She laid a hand on Jemma's arm, stopping her, as she prepared to draw the little girl's blood.
Jemma swallowed hard, staring at May's hand rather than looking her in the eye. "I'm afraid it's necessary. We need to…"
"See if Fitz's theory was right?" May accused more than asked, taking her hand away.
There was no way to respond to May's statement. Anything Jemma said would verify the fact that drawing blood would somehow feed into that theory. She mechanically went through the steps of doing what needed to be done. Finishing her task, she dropped the small vial into her lab coat pocket then turned to May ready to defend herself and Fitz.
"Other than these machines," she nodded toward the beeping monitors. "This," she patted her pocket, "is the only way to accurately determine her condition. Please, Agent May, I am trying to help with the only means I have."
Before anyone could comment, Jemma slipped out of the room.
xxxx
Fitz sat back from his microscope and breathed heavily. "The process is moving much slower, but identical to what we've observed in all of the samples. It is probably because it is working in Daisy's actual blood stream. It is still warm enough to slow the process, but not to stop it."
Jemma exhaled softly. "She doesn't appear to be in any pain. Perhaps the rate of the change is more subtle"
Before Fitz could reply alarms sounded throughout the base.
"Daisy…" Jemma breathed then broke into a run as she exited the lab.
xxxx
Day 124 – Daisy's Med Lab Room – 1700 hours
The organized chaos in Daisy's room followed Jemma as she shouted out orders and moved to take charge. Coulson was demanding to know what was happening but was ignored as nurses and techs frantically bypassed hi in order to do what they were trained to do. Monitors screamed their alarms, beeping erratically as the medical team worked to stabilize the little girl.
May shouted over the noise but Jemma's voice was the only one anyone heard. She ordered May to stay out of the way or get out, without missing a beat. This was her house. She would make the rules.
May struggled to push her way into the fray but was pulled back by Coulson. He dodged the swing she took, snagging her fist in his own and pulling it down. He sandwiched their hands between them in a clumsy embrace. She struggled, attempting to pull away. He held tighter feeling her give in not only to him but to her fears dropping her head against his chest. He pulled her closer and watched the medical team try to save their daughter.
The beeping machines reached a climax then became a one note frightening siren.
"We're losing her!"
"Compressions started…"
Shouts and attempts to revive the little girl became hollow echoes in the small room.
"CLEAR!" Jemma's voice rose above the cacophony of commotion.
The little girl's body jumped with the jolt of the electricity sent through the paddles. May inhaled quickly and waited for the child to react. She turned from Coulson's embrace hoping to hear the monotonous bleep of the machine restart.
The screaming siren silenced for a few seconds as everyone watched the cardiac monitor continue to pull a straight blue line across its screen.
The squealing one note distress signal refused to be silenced.
"CLEAR!" Jemma called again only to have the same result. She looked to her team, all of whom watched the monitor continue to straight line. She alerted them and tried again.
Jemma shot orders, techs repeated each and followed through frantically trying to bring the girl back.
The siren continued shrieking, attempting to drown out all their words…their attempts…their hope of saving one small child.
May pulled away from Coulson screaming her own orders…threatening those who failed to accomplish this task. Coulson added his own scrambled comments, questions, pleas…still holding May back from pushing into the team of nurses and technicians. Until a hush fell over the room, even the siren seemed to grow quiet.
The team stepped back, each refusing to meet another's gaze.
"Call it…" Jemma was barely able to say the words. She stood holding the AED paddles in each hand.
"TOD 1726 hours…" The charge nurse flicked a switch and every machine, including the siren, fell silent.
The silence was deafening.
Jemma turned to the couple standing behind the medical team, their expressions that of shock and loss. She moved to offer comfort. She opened her mouth to speak but no words could express what she wanted to say. May pushed her aside, wrenching herself fully away from Coulson.
"NO," she screamed through her tears. "No, no, no, no…"
She pushed the others away and pulled Daisy from the bed, holding her against her chest. The child's body lay limp in her arms, cold and lifeless. She kissed her little girl's head and rocked her slowly, quietly singing their good night song in her native tongue for a moment before completely breaking down and sobbing into the child in her embrace.
Coulson watched, speechless. He pulled his hand into a fist and sent it through the nearest wall. Pulling it out, battered and bloody, he joined May embracing her and their child in his heartbreak.
Day 125 – Med Lab Room – a little after midnight
When someone you love dies, time stops.
When it starts moving again nothing is ever the same.
The silence that covered the base was ominous. Agents and techs moved through their assigned tasks without speaking. Nods and meaningful looks were the main source of communication. Even the computers in Command were muted. Closed caption type moved across the bottom of each screen.
Mac and Elena had rushed to the med lab as soon as the claxon sounded hours before. They paced outside the doors of Daisy's room anxiously waiting for word of the child's condition. An unfamiliar nurse tech stepped out but did not need to make a statement. Both could see by her expression the news was grave. Elena shook her head, refusing to believe anything like this could befall any member of their team. Mac bowed his head. The deeply spiritual man spent a few moments in silent prayer. The nurse offered her sympathy and told both agents they would be allowed into the room as soon as… She stopped unable to find the right way to explain the situation. Mac put a hand on her shoulder, closed his eyes and gave a slight nod.
It was hours before they entered the quiet dim room. Daisy still lay on the bed, now without the tubes or wired leads attaching her to the machines that had monitored and kept her alive. She looked as if peaceful in sleep. May sat in one of the chairs next to the bed, staring straight ahead. She did not respond to their entering the room or to Elena's attempts to offer comfort.
Coulson stood at the foot of the bed. His face told the tale of his anguish. Mac ignored the fact the Director had been crying. He laid a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed gently, offering unspoken sympathy. Coulson may have given a slight nod or simply swallowed, but did not acknowledge Mac's presence.
Jemma had insisted the body be taken from the room, removed to the base's morgue. There would be a need for a post mortem. May adamantly refused. She would not allow it, regardless of protocol. Every agent's death had to be recorded. This Daisy was not an agent. This Daisy was a small child lost because of some damn fool's need to prove his own ridiculous ideas. She didn't mean Fitz. Even in her anguish she knew he had tried to help…to give them something to hold on to…to save the child they loved.
May wished she had means to return to Liu's laboratory, only to end the man who had taken her daughter. He was just as guilty as that damn Zebo or whatever the hell he called him self twenty-five years ago.
For now the little girl would stay here…with her parents…her family…not in some cold storage area. This little girl would lay at rest in a shady grove next to Coulson's parents, safe in their care until they could join her. Arrangements would be made…she would not be forgotten. She would not be lost.
Day 125 – Science lab – just after dawn
"Just a few minutes," Fitz begged, holding an empty vial in one hand. "A small sample is all I need." He held it out to Jemma, silently asking her to take it.
Jemma wiped a tear from her cheek and slammed a hand on the counter top. "No, Fitz." She drew a breath around a sob. "There is no way May will let anyone near her. It just isn't possible." Pausing for a moment to still her sobs she burst, "isn't it apparent she's blames us…me…for all of this." Jemma gave in to grief. She turned away from him in a useless attempt to collect her composure. The loss of Daisy had hit her hard.
"But, Jemma," Fitz spoke softly, gently turning her to face him. "I cannot assess the progress if I have nothing to observe."
"Fitz!" Jemma exhaled through her tears. "You were wrong. This…this…crystal process wasn't meant to save her or to change her." She was on the verge of hysteria. "All it did was…kill her. It killed her Fitz."
He pulled her into a tight embrace, feeling her sob against his chest.
"She's gone…we…I failed." Jemma spoke softly, close to his ear.
"No…no, you haven't…" he comforted. "There's still a chance…"
Jemma pulled back, her hands on Fitz's chest. "Daisy is dead, Fitz. There are no more chances." She pushed away and turned from him as he opened his mouth to continue their odd argument.
Before either could do so the door of the lab opened. One of the younger techs entered then stepped back. "Doctor…oh…I…I'm sorry…excuse me…I…" The girl stumbled over her apology seeing she had interrupted the couple's private conversation.
Fitz let out a short breath, ran a hand through his hair and stepped away, busying himself with some mundane task. Jemma tried to pull a concerned smile on her face but was betrayed by the errant tears that refused to cease. She brushed a hand over her cheek. "No…no…it's fine. We…we were…" She stopped, realizing she could not offer and did not need to provide an explanation. She swallowed and simply asked, "What is it?"
The young scientist looked from one doctor to the other and hesitated for a moment before approaching Jemma with the clipboard she had been carrying. "I think you need to see this Dr. Simmons. It doesn't seem possible or correct but…" She passed the item to Jemma and waited a moment for the doctor to review it.
"How…" Jemma began without looking up from her reading.
"The pulmonary cath you had us insert is still registering. Agent May refused to let us get close enough to…" The girl began explaining. She stopped when Jemma nodded her understanding. "As you can see," she pointed to a spot on the clipboard. "It's 87.3 degrees. That's…"
"One point three degrees higher than it was hours ago," Jemma spoke to the air as if the idea had just struck her. The pulmonary artery temperature was extremely accurate. Their attempts at taking it with an alternate method could have given them a false reading.
Fitz, who had been listening, moved closer, first looking over Jemma's shoulder at the report, then taking it from her and leafing quickly through the pages.
The young tech watched for a moment then continued. "Ma'am it's been hours since," she paused unsure how say the child had succumbed. She chose not to address it at all. "Ma'am the body cools at 1.5 degrees per hour after death. Even with a core temp of 86 at TOD…" She shook her head. It made no sense. "I've checked it several times. There does not seem to be a defect…and…" She paused unsure how to tell the rest.
Fitz looked up from the report and Jemma turned to face the technician.
"And?" They spoke as one.
The girl looked from one to the other then spoke. "There is absolutely no sign of rigor, Ma'am."
Jemma pulled the clipboard from Fitz and brushed through the papers it held. Fitz pulled it back and did the same.
"Jemma," he spoke to the clipboard. "I need that sample."
