11
The jet touched down quietly on a strip cut through the ancient pine forest. May was sure it hadn't been used since von Richthoven had his first flight lesson. The team stretched out their limbs in the crisp morning air. The agent let out a long breath that quickly turned to pseudo-steam in front of her face. The difference in the temperature outside the plane was more than eye opening.
Two of the younger agents did a quick perimeter check, reporting that the only life was a large snowshoe rabbit and yes, in fact there was a pile of Luftwaffe debris on the far north edge of the makeshift runway.
"Looks like the guy's brakes couldn't handle the terrain." One agent remarked. "Not much left of whatever it was."
May shook her head and grumbled, "The Red Baron's first landing attempt, no doubt."
Coulson chuckled softly while her snarled silenced the other agents.
"Extraction right here in twelve hours of your call, sir." The pilot reported as he did a quick walk-around check of the plane. At May's look of disbelief, he continued. "Can't leave her here, ma'am, too easy to spot from above. She's safer on the ground in at the Switzerland base." He nodded once then quickly climbed the ramp and hit the button to bring it closed.
The team stepped back and watched the jet lift into the air and disappear over the trees with a slight wing tip as a good luck wish. May shook her head and stomped her feet on the frozen ground. "How far to this castle?" She remarked to no one in particular as she searched the horizon for some evidence it might be close or that it did exist.
Coulson looked up from the compass in his hand and nodded. "About ten miles…no make that twelve…just north of here."
"Great," May growled as she adjusted her pack and trudged in the direction the others had already begun to take.
Coulson shrugged his own pack on to his back and hurried to catch up. "Couldn't get any closer, too much foliage."
"Nothing like a hike through the snow covered wasteland first thing in the morning," May snarled through her teeth. Her discontent at the situation did little to stop her from remembering her jaunt through the Christmas tree Park just two days ago with Skye. That cold did nothing to dim the little girl's spirit. This cold was strangling May's.
"Listen, May. I'm really sorry the burner didn't work. I guess there is no service at all in these places, but once we reach the castle we can grab the item and use the sat phone." He smiled broadly despite her glare. "Barring any unforeseen hazards we should reach the site in about 5 hours." He smiled again as he stepped past her.
May stopped and shook her head. Sometimes she just wanted to slap the optimism right out of him. She took two steps then stopped again as one of the other agents appeared a few hundred feet ahead. He waved an arm and called to them. She quickened her step and matched it with Coulson's as they approached the young man.
"Yer not gonna believe this." The guy shook his head as he led the way through the thick copse of various sized conifers.
Coulson stopped next to the other four men standing shoulder to shoulder. May stepped to the end of the line and swallowed the words she wanted to spew. Coulson pushed back his knit hat and scratched his head.
"Well this throws a wrench into things…" he let out a breath as he peered over the edge of the cliff the team stood on, separating them from the opposite side of a wide crevice.
xx
Skye rubbed her eyes, blinked twice, then rubbed them again. The dim light in the room seemed unfamiliar and for a moment she panicked but the soft snoring closed to her ear calmed her…for a moment. She pushed herself upright and placed both hands on William's chest.
"Yeye…Yeye," she softly prodded. "Yeye, I needa get ready fer school…Yeye…."
"Shh, shhhh," William comforted, gently pushing her head against his shoulder. "No school today, sunnu. Rest now."
"But…" the little girl protested as her head met her grandfather's chest.
"Shhhhhhh," he quieted her again as he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
Skye looked around the small room, realizing she was snuggled into her grandfather's lap on the large recliner in the spare bedroom that had become his. The blanket that covered them both was from the bottom of May's bed. The little girl pulled it closed and took in the scent of May…her soap…shampoo…everything that was her. Holding the soft cover to her cheek she snuggled closed and joined William in sleep.
Keeping his granddaughter at home for the day was not a difficult decision for William May. The first nightmare woke her a little past midnight. He hurried to her bedside, believing the fever had returned. She did indeed feel warmer than she had earlier. He hesitated only a few seconds before calling Mrs. Gibbons a second time. She arrived within minutes and acknowledged the fact that Skye's temperature was slightly elevated which she alleviated with a quick dose of liquid fever reducers. It was more than an hour before the little girl relaxed enough to sleep. William thanked the woman and apologized several times as he escorted her to the door.
At three, William gathered the child into his arms after she woke frantically a second time. He walked the floor of her bedroom, humming softly and assuring her all was well. Skye did not feel as warm and William felt it was too soon for more medication and much too early to disturb their kind neighbor. Once he was sure she was again asleep he laid her back in her bed and lowered himself into the rocker on the opposite side of her room. When Skye woke screaming at five a.m. William hurried to his daughter's room and collected the blanket from her bed then gathered his granddaughter in his arms and retreated to the recliner where they now slept. It was large enough for both of them and comfortable enough for the man to rest with the little girl against him.
That was where they woke at half past nine, brought to consciousness by the buzzing of the door bell. Bundling Skye in the soft blanket, William gently placed her on his bed then cinched the belt on his robe, pushed his feet into his slippers and shuffled to the door. He opened it to May's very worried looking neighbor. William smoothed back his poky hair and smiled.
"Mrs. Gibbons…is there a problem?" He began after clearing his throat.
"It is almost ten." She announced, stepping around him. "I've seen and heard nothing from this apartment all morning. I was afraid…" Her voice faded as she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen.
William closed the door and followed. "We were awakened many times throughout the night by Skye's anxiety. I felt it better she not attend school today." He explained as he entered the room but the woman was already making her way to the child's bedroom. "Mrs. Gibbons…" he called after her as she pushed the door to Skye's bedroom open.
They met, nose to nose as she exited and he attempted to enter the room. William took a step back and held out a hand toward the end of the hall. "When became apparent my granddaughter would not sleep comfortably I took her to my room for the remainder of the night. You will find her there."
Mrs. Gibbons patted the man's shoulder and smiled. "You are a good grandfather, William." She slipped past him and continued down the hall to the spare room.
Skye had wrapped herself completely in May's blanket, only her face was exposed. Mrs. Williams smiled at the sight before placing a hand on the child's forehead. Satisfied that the little girl did not seem overly warm she was certain letting her sleep a few more hours would not hurt. She could easily do a temperature check if it were necessary when the child woke.
xx
Mrs. Gibbons stepped into the kitchen, surprised to see the kettle and two fine china cups on the table. She smiled at William as he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. "It is the least I can do for such a fine neighbor."
She shook her head. "It is not necessary, William." But she accepted his invitation and sat down.
William nodded as he poured the steaming amber liquid into her cup. "You have been a comfort to my sunnu as well as to me in the past few hours, Mrs. Gibbons. It is uncommon to find such a generous neighbor in these times."
"Celia, please," she smiled. "I must be honest with you," the woman began as she stirred honey into her tea. "Having your daughter and that little girl as neighbors for the past few months has been a blessing." He cocked his head in an unspoken question. "I spent so much time…well, just wasting time at social gatherings and making myself look interested in all the meaningless functions that I was sure I would end my days in total boredom." She laughed at the look on his face. "Then May brought home that little sweetheart and everything changed."
William sipped his tea then set the cup in the saucer. "I would not have thought my Mellie would give me such a gift."
Celia Gibbons sniggered again. "May was a bit standoffish. We never said as much as excuse me when we bumped into each other in the hall. I don't even think she knew my name. The fact is I wasn't even sure anyone lived here until all the hullabaloo with that little one started. And of course the night she fell ill brought us together. I am proud to say that now I am trusted with Skye whenever May needs a caregiver."
"Melinda does not trust easily. She is much like her mother. You are a special person to have gained this trust." William explained.
"I think Skye may have had a bit to do with that." Celia smiled. "She wondered over to my place so often, May had little choice and when the little one needed after school care, I was more than happy to oblige."
"It is good that you are here for them." William nodded, "for all of us."
"It's certainly my pleasure, but you seem to have quite a knack with this. Giving her May's blanket was brilliant." She nodded around a sip of tea.
"Something I learned long ago. Mellie would sleep in her mother's bed whenever Lian was away. It helped her to feel her mother was close." He explained.
"Your wife did a lot of traveling?" Mrs. Gibbons asked.
"It was required of her in her position. Much like Melinda, she was the best at what she did. It was not the best for our relationship or our child. We lost when Melinda was young." William hedged the true nature of his wife's occupation.
"Has she been gone long?" The women asked quietly.
William smiled. "Oh, Lian has not passed nor has she retired, but in the last few years she has slowed down her activity quite a bit."
"I apologize for making that assumption." Celia blushed, bringing a hand to her lips.
"I jokingly tell Melinda that her mother calls to see if I am still alive, but in truth we speak more often than in the past. The years have changed both of our paths. It is not well with her that her child has taken the same way, but it was not surprising." He assured her.
"Does she know about Skye?" The woman asked as she set her empty cup in its saucer.
William held up a hand and waved it side to side. "It is not my place to deliver this information. Melinda will tell her mother in her own time. Theirs is a strained relationship. Neither will give much to the other in the fear of showing weakness. But I like to think that my daughter has a bit of me in her as well."
Celia reached across the table and patted the back of his hand. "From what I've seen, she has a great deal of her father and she is a wonderful mother. She truly loves that little girl."
"Yéyé?" Skye's small voice came from the doorway to the hall.
William smiled as the little girl hurried into his open arms. He pulled her into his lap, wrapping both arms around her. "Have you had enough rest, sunnu?" She nodded against him.
"I dint hear no phone ring." The little girl mumbled against his chest.
William looked to Mrs. Gibbons as he rubbed his hand gently on the little girl's back. "No, qīn'ài de háizi. It was not likely she would call. Melinda is quite far away." He felt the child shudder against him and quickly added, "but she is safe and soon will be with us."
"Promise, Yéyé?" Skye asked through a sob.
"I promise she will do her best to return quickly." He nodded as he hugged her closer.
"Aw, sweetie, things will turn out fine just like when May had to stay in New York for a few days in the fall. You worried then too and she was home before you knew it."
Skye sniffled and turned from her grandfather's embrace. She swiped her sleeve under her nose. "But she called erry night just ta say g'night ta me."
The woman rose and stepped closer to the little girl, brushing the hair from her eyes. She felt the heat in the child's temple. "How about we get cleaned up while your Yéyé makes you something to eat?" She put out a hand and waited for Skye to take it.
William eased her to the floor and nudged her toward Mrs. Gibbons. "I'n not hungry. I don't wanna eat nuttin." Skye shook her head as she took the woman's hand.
Mrs. Gibbons patted the small warm hand as they headed for Skye's room. "Perhaps he can also brew some of that special tea as well." She said a little louder over her shoulder. "A few bites of maybe some toast would be…" Her voice faded as she and the little girl entered the room and closed the door.
William filled the kettle and set it on the stove.
xx
"We could split up and follow it east and west. Maybe there's a place narrow enough to cross." One of the agents suggested.
"That could take days." Another grumbled.
A third agent peered over the edge. "Could repel down then climb back up the other side."
"Could sprout wings and fly…" May grumbled from where she sat on a fallen tree trunk.
Coulson paced, seemingly ignoring all of them. He stopped and stared at the trees then turned back to the gap and then back to the trees before pacing in the opposite direction and doing the same when he stopped. May watched, glancing toward the tree line just as he did and then to the wide space that separated them from their target. It took her very little time to realize what he was considering. She slapped her hand against her thighs, pushed herself off the stump and stood next to him.
"Don't…" she growled quietly so only he heard.
He looked at her as if she'd appeared out of thin air. "Don't?" he countered.
"There is no way." She snarled.
Coulson look up at the towering pines. "It might." He breathed.
May looked in the same direction. "Not in this lifetime." She almost smiled.
For a moment they stared up at the bright blue sky framed by the tall trees. "And just how do you suppose you'd manage to cut one of those things down. They've got to be almost ten feet around." May asked the sky.
"No idea…" he spoke to the same sky then turned to her, but that's the most you've said since we left.
May huffed in his direction and walked away.
"Probably cut right through it with one of those rifles Tech just developed." He continued speaking to the tops of the trees. He let out a long breath. "Of course there'd be no way to judge which way it would fall or if it would even reach." He gave a shrug and joined her on the wide stump. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and stared at the snow on his boots. "Any input?" He asked them.
"Get that damn plane back and get the hell out of here." She grumbled without looking at him.
Coulson smiled as he stifled his laugh and nodded slightly then shook his head. "Not really an option," he commented as he sat back and rubbed his hands on his thighs. He blinked at the large snowflakes that had begun to fall.
May looked up as well. The blue sky had grown grey in a short amount of time. The tops of the trees bent with the force of the wind which had yet to reach the ground. "Just what we need," she hissed.
"Coulson! Sir!" One of the agents called from a few yards away. He stood waving one arm in an attempt to gain their attention.
Coulson stood and took a few steps then flicked on his com. "Wilson?"
"Sir…Bradshaw's got some old rope bridge about 2 klicks east." The man's voice came through clearly.
"Got it," the senior agent replied and turned to inform his second but May was already on her feet and passed him without comment.
xx
Skye's fever had indeed returned, but Mrs. Gibbons helped her to dress, brushed her hair and lead her back to the kitchen where William had her tea ready. The little girl slid onto her chair and stared into the cup. The now familiar smell assaulted her nose. She grimaced and pushed the cup a few inches away. William pushed it back.
"I'm not likin' it , Yéyé." She shook her head. "It makes my mouth all yucky." She gently nudged it back."
William chuckled, added a large spoon of honey to the tea and set it back in front of her. "Yet you will drink it." He gave a nod, but he looked more stern than usual.
Before the little girl could protest, Mrs. Gibbons sat at the table next to her. "The tea helps your fever and your tummy, sweetie." She smiled as she tapped the edge of the cup with one finger. "It's much better than the special medicine the doctor gave us the last time you couldn't keep anything down. Isn't it?" Her smile turned to a frown.
Skye's pout grew as she let out a soft breath. "I dint hafta taste that stuff but I dint like it none." She shook her head, let out another breath and leaned forward to sip the tea then sat back with a shiver.
"See," Mrs. Gibbons smiled. "Not so bad, right?"
The little girl shook her head and stuck out her tongue. "It ain't as bad as the real bad stuff, but it's still real yucky." She took another sip with the same grimace.
"A few bites of toast will help with the taste." William chuckled as he set a plate on the table.
Skye puffed out her cheeks and leaned on her elbow, hand on her forehead. "I gotta eat too?" She exhaled and stared at the plain toast cut into two perfect triangles.
"You must have nourishment, Skye. You do not want to be too weak to greet your May when she returns." William smiled as he laid a hand on the child's head. "Perhaps just half for now?" He pursed his lips and raised his brows.
"Then I gotta eat the rest next time." She more stated than asked just above a whisper. Sometimes Sr. Jeremy gave you the same thing you didn't eat at lunch for supper and then for lunch again the next day. All the kids learned real fast to eat it the first time.
Mrs. Gibbons frowned and shook her head at William's confused look. "No, darling," she said softly. "I think I'd like to share it with you. Your grandfather will make you something new for supper. I'm sure." She took one half of the toast and placed it on a napkin then smiled broadly. "Perhaps you and grandpa will consider joining me for dinner this evening. You can even come help."
Skye nibbled the edge of her half of the toast then put it back on the plate. "He's my Yéyé, 'member? Ashun kids don't got grandpas they gots Yéyé's. Sr. Ergeena says I ain't all ashun but Mays says I's enough, so I got a Yéyé from her." The little girl explained.
"I understand and I am sorry." Mrs. Gibbons apologized. "You and your Yéyé are welcome to join me for dinner this evening. I've got a roast I've been saving and I bet you would be a great help making my very special chocolate cake." She leaned forward and whispered. "It has a secret banana filling."
The little girl sipped her tea and shivered. She smiled for a moment before her frown returned. "May can't call if we ain't here."
Mrs. Gibbons opened her mouth to reply but William shook his head from where he stood behind the child, silently letting the woman know there would be no such call. She reached forward and patted the little girl's hand. "Well maybe your Yeye can bring his cell phone. I am sure if May gets no answer here she will call him there. That way you won't miss her call if she does call."
Skye chewed the small bit of toast she had taken and thought for a moment. "You gots a cell phone, Yéyé?" She turned to ask her grandfather. At his nod she continued. "Does May know yer number, cuz she can't call it if she don't."
William smiled and nodded again. "I believe she does know it even if she does not use it often."
Skye looked back to Mrs. Gibbons and spoke quietly. "I don't know if my Yéyé eats roasted cuz he makes just chicken and noodles." She paused then added, "an real good donuts."
William laid his hands on Skye's shoulders and patted gently. "Sunnu and I would be honored to join you for dinner. I will be sure to bring her tea so as to keep the fever away."
"Then it is a deal." Mrs. Gibbons stood and clapped her hands. "And I must get to work and you," she tapped the little girl on the tip of the nose. "As soon as you've finished your tea and toast you ring my bell and we'll start on that cake."
Skye turned up one side of her mouth and breathed softly but before she could refuse William assured the woman he would escort his granddaughter to her front door.
xx
Coulson, May and their handful of agents hiked the short distance and made their way across the precarious bridge, made even worse by the now blinding snow and howling wind. Once on the other side they made their way through the thick forest for only a mile before the storm was too fierce to allow them to continue. The small group pitched tents and paired up to dig in for the night.
The junior officers quickly chose their bunk mates and hurried away to make ready leaving Coulson and May as the last two left to share accommodations. May let out a soft growl and went to work erecting the small silver tent before Coulson could decipher the directions. He pulled the small battery operated heater from his back pack and set it on the crinkly floor. It made a soft hum when he flicked the on switch.
There was little room to stand inside the small tent leaving both occupants on their knees to roll out sleeping bags and pull K-rations from their equipment. Coulson opened a small can and sniffed once before setting it down next to where he sat cross-legged on the sleeping sack. He looked up and around at the tin-foil-ish ceiling a foot above him.
He chuckled once. "Kinda like sleeping inside a Jiffy Pop thinger."
"Yeah, well keep your pops on your side of the tent." May warned as she poured amber liquid from the thermos she'd pulled from their supplies and handed him the small plastic cup. She poured another for herself and sipped it slowly.
Coulson snorted. "Middle of nowhere and you bring tea." He raised the small cup in a pseudo toast as she smiled over the lip of her own. He took a sip and swallowed as his eyes widened.
"Figured we'd need something a little stronger than Oolong," she smiled around a sip.
Coulson coughed a few times and took another sip. He attempted to speak but gave a curt nod instead.
They each finished two small cups and nibbled on what might have been turkey at some point before rolling into their sleeping bags and listening to the wind howl outside.
The storm continued through the night.
It would be a long hike in the morning.