May tried to give Skye a modicum of privacy during the long drive. She didn't waste time trying to chat and carefully didn't look when she noticed Skye quietly weeping. If I were anyone else, I'd probably feel very awkward in this situation, she reflected. Good thing I'm not someone else. She'd definitely seen much worse.
When they arrived at the motel Skye had made a reservation for, Skye handled the check-in while May surveyed the building for emergency exits and escape routes. It was unlikely, but they could have been recognized or trailed. Always prepare for the worst, May could hear her mother's voice saying.
Their room was the same room one could find in second-rate motels all over the world: sink outside the bathroom, ugly comforters on both of the double beds, TV perched precariously on a piece of furniture not designed to hold TVs. No one stays at the Waldorf-Astoria when traveling out-of-town to get an abortion, May figured, but it would be nice if the carpet wasn't stained, at least.
Fortunately Skye didn't seem too bothered by her surroundings. She'd lived in a van for months on end, before, showering at friends' houses and leeching Wi-Fi from a diner. Besides, at the moment, a dingy room with a stained carpet exactly matched her mood.
May pulled the comforter off her bed and stuffed it into the closet. She put her duffel bag on one of the luggage racks and eyed the patch of wall that pretended to be a headboard for any tell-tale splotches of bedbug blood. "What time is your appointment tomorrow?" she asked Skye.
"Bright and early, 7AM. I figured it would be best to get it out of the way so I have more time to recover," Skye explained. "You don't have to come with me, of course. I'm sure you'd rather hang out by the pool and pick me up after."
May gave her one of her patented "You know what I'm going to say" stares. "We're wanted criminals. I can't let you go anywhere alone and in a vulnerable state." Besides which, these places are always surrounded by screaming protesters, and I don't want you to go through that alone.
Skye looked grateful for the offer, but still insisted, "I don't want you to be sitting in the waiting room, bored, for hours."
May held up her tablet. "I never get bored." She picked up the "local information" binder and started leafing through the restaurant lists. "Now, let's get some dinner in you. You'll have to fast tomorrow morning."
Skye felt awkward but could see the subject was closed. She sat next to May and started looking for places to eat.
Skye woke the next morning to find that May was already up. After she dressed in the loosest clothing she owned, May drove to the clinic and managed to find parking a few blocks away. As they walked back towards the entrance, Skye could see that there were already a handful of people holding pro-life signs. At 7 in the morning? Why do they have to be so damn dedicated to a cause? She started walking more slowly, dreading what they might shout at her.
Their suddenly reduced pace didn't slip by May unnoticed. She'd expected Skye might have second thoughts. She stopped, turned to face the younger agent, and placed her hands on Skye's shoulders. "Look at me. I can see you're nervous. Just tell me, are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do?"
Skye didn't flinch. May gave her credit for that. She said, "No, this isn't what I want. I don't want any of this to be happening. But this is what needs to happen so that I can move on with my life, so I can forget about Ward and finish the work we have to do."
And it may be illegal for people to force you into it, but you can't outlaw unfortunate circumstances. "Then you've made your decision. So don't worry about the people outside. They don't know anything about you or have any right to judge the choice you're making. Come on," she said, putting an arm around Skye's shoulders. "Don't look at them. Just talk to me. What's your favorite movie?" Distracting each other with chit-chat, the two women pushed past the shouted insults and made it inside.
So many forms. Skye gave blood, urine, and every tidbit of medical history she could remember to the nurses. There was an ultrasound to confirm the timeline—unnecessary, since Skye hadn't had sex with anyone else except Ward for months. A doctor explained how the procedure worked and that it would probably hurt a bit. He called it emptying your uterus, not even referring to what he'd be removing. He rattled off potential side effects and risks, while Skye nodded a lot. Then a social worker came to ask her a few questions, to make sure no one was forcing her to do this.
"I apologize if it seems intrusive, but we have to ask," she explained with a smile. "Can you tell me a little bit about your reasons for seeking a surgical abortion?"
Not without blowing my cover. "I'd rather not."
The social worker pressed on. "Has your partner done anything to pressure you?"
Time to tell partial truth. "It's not what he did, it's what he didn't do."
The social worker seemed interested now. "What didn't he do?"
"Tell me that he had a criminal record and was wanted for murder," Skye said in her best deadpan. The nurse looked mildly surprised, but not incredulous. Maybe she's heard worse stories. No one comes here to abort a child conceived in love and prosperity.
"Has he ever threatened you or physically harmed you?" the social worker asked.
Well, his friends sicced a brainwashed cyborg on me. And he did threaten to rape me, but only in the hopes I'd get rattled and surrender the bomb I was threatening him with. "No. And he's locked up now, probably going to be given a life sentence, so he's not my problem anymore."
"One last question," the woman asked, making a few notes with her pen, "Do you feel safe at home?"
I don't have a home, I have a bunk in a classified location. "Absolutely. My family is very supportive."
The social worker left and Skye was led into a procedure room and given a sedative. After that, she had trouble thinking about what was happening. She could still feel everything, though.
When the pains started, she forced herself to breathe. I am an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. We don't scream. We don't cry. We don't break. I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. We don't scream. We don't cry. We don't break. I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Don't scream don't cry don't break.