Melinda May was the only person in the world who didn't have to knock before entering Phil Coulson's office. She waited until after his first appointment of the day to walk in, though, hoping to find him alone.
"Good morning," he said brightly when he saw her. "I didn't expect to see you this early in the day. What's up?"
"There's a small personnel situation I need your permission to resolve," she said as she took the chair across from him.
"All right," Phil answered distractedly, looking at the looming pile of paperwork in front of him. "But I trust you won't mind if I sign a few reports while you fill me in?" May nodded. "Ok, shoot," he said as he reached for the folder on the top of the pile.
"Skye has a small medical issue. I need your permission to give her a few days off, and to take her back to California to see a doctor." There's no chance he's not going to ask more questions. Still, best to break these things gently.
Phil looked up from a quartermaster's report, brow furrowed. "Is she all right? What kind of medical issue?"
May kept up her best poker face while she answered, "Female trouble."
Unfortunately, Phil had played poker against her before. "Female trouble," he said evenly. "Do you mean the kind of female trouble that can be resolved with painkillers, the kind that requires surgery, or the kind that's likely to result in a whole lot of sleepless nights nine months down the line?"
The roundabout phrasing brought a small smile to May's lips. He never met a situation he couldn't infuse with some sarcasm. "There's no need to be coy, Phil. She's pregnant."
Phil sighed and set his pen down. "Was it Ward?" he asked, a weariness in his voice.
"Yes. When they were at Providence together." When I left them alone at Providence, the back of her mind whispered.
"Did he force her?" Phil asked. "I will cut him down to half rations right now if he hurt her."
He didn't have to force either of us, May thought. The memory of his hands on her made her skin crawl now, but she couldn't say she didn't enjoy it at the time. "No. It happened before she realized he was Hydra. You know they'd been attracted to each other for months."
"I know. He still asks about her every day." Phil thought for a moment. "It's a bit out of character for neither of them to think about being safe, though, isn't it?"
So many questions. This isn't a case, Phil. "I'm not a gynecologist, Phil. And no matter what they did or didn't think about, what's done is done."
Phil ran a hand over his face. "You're right. I know. The question now is how to move forward. I'm guessing this trip to California is for an abortion?"
That's the first time I've heard the word used all day, May realized. "Yes," she said, watching for his reaction.
He looked sad. That wasn't what she was expecting. There was a long pause. Is he really going to try to stop her? "Listen, Phil, I know you don't approve of this, but Skye can't possibly have this baby now. Even if Ward wasn't the father, this is no life to drag a child into. Besides which, we still don't know what her 0-8-4 status means . . ."
Phil interrupted her. "Calm down, Melinda, I'm not trying to force Skye into anything. I just—don't like this. And I don't just mean abortions. I don't like that I have a member of my team locked in a vault, and I don't like that he managed to seduce and betray two other members on my watch. I don't like that Skye is pregnant with his child and probably scared out of her mind." He grimaced. "I don't like much about the situation we're in, these days. But," he added with a sigh, "The only way out is through."
"The only way out is through," May agreed. It was a line from a training exercise they'd had to run, a million years ago. Learning to withstand torture was deeply unpleasant, as was teaching others to do the same, so there had been a whole bunch of slogans and mantras to help participants get through it.
Phil was rummaging in a desk drawer, pulling out several blank forms. "All right. If you're going to do this, let's do it safely. Here's two leave passes. How many days did you say you'd need?"
"Four would be best. We might be able to squeeze it to three if we have to."
Phil waved away the latter suggestion. "You can have four. If there's any complications I'd much rather have her in an American ER. If anything happens, you know how to get in touch with me for an emergency extension." He signed both passes, then pulled out a requisition form. "I'll fill this out for American cash. Skye can fill in the correct amount once she's spoken to the clinic and the hotel."
May said, "She offered to pay for it herself."
"Nonsense. She's an agent in my command. Tell her to think of it as an employee health plan." He signed that form too. "Is there anything else you'll need? She's free to take her van, of course."
"That about covers it. We'll leave Sunday and try to get back on Wednesday, if that's all right."
"I think we can get along without you for that long," Phil said with a smile. Then he got serious and added, "Just one more thing. I'm not a doctor, nor a woman, but I do know that abortions can be painful, even dangerous . . ."
"They're pretty safe when a doctor does them," May reminded him. "Safer than childbirth, on average."
Phil nodded. "Still, Skye's important to me. Not just as an agent whose help we badly need, but also as a trusted friend. I want you to stay with her, make sure she follows the doctor's advice and doesn't ignore anything that might be a red flag. Bring her home safe and well."
"Understood," May said, unable to suppress a smile. "But do you even have to ask, Phil? You know I care about our team. Like family." Like the children we never had.