Jemma trails the doctor inside Fitz's room and stands awkwardly against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest to make herself seem smaller, less in the way. Fitz glances at her and the doctor follows his line of vision.
"Maybe you'd like to wait outside?" the doctor suggests. Jemma doesn't respond but ducks outside the door, knowing when she's no longer welcome.
The door shuts behind Jemma and the doctor turns back to him, "I'm Doctor Lansburg, your teammate told me you were having some memory issues? What's the last thing you remember?"
Telling Jemma he loved her, Jemma kissing his face, then her scream as he hit the button on the defibrillator...Waking up half an hour ago to Jemma sitting on a chair facing his bed, head down on her arms on top of his bed, fast asleep. He watched her sleep for a while before she began to move, and the panic set in. What was he going to tell her? What would she say? He was going to die. He wasn't supposed to live to hear her say she didn't feel the same.
Fitz hesitates, he has to tell the truth, but he knows he's going to be in trouble. He takes a deep breath, as deep as he can manage, and says "I remember, well I remember everything before I-I passed out, but I remember her." The doctor gives him an I don't believe you look, and so he continues, "She's Jemma, my best friend…except, well…she's more than just my best friend to me and I told her that, I thought I was going to die."
"And now you don't feel the same way?" Dr. Lansburg asks.
An image flashes in his mind: Jemma smiling, ooh'ing over the pattern of her chromatography paper, pure happiness radiating from her. "I feel the same, I just don't think she does."
"Then a word of advice?" Fitz nods, I need all I can get. "Tell her that you remember her now. The longer you wait the worst it will be." He nods again because really, what was he expecting, he knows that she's right. "Now, I want you to stand up, I'm just going to do a few tests."
Fitz swings his legs over the side of his bed and stands up, his legs shaky beneath him, he feels for the bed behind him with his hands to steady himself.
"You've been in bed for a while, it's perfectly fine, take a moment," Dr. Lansburg says as she moves in front of him. Fitz lets go slowly, and his legs manage to support his weight. "Good, now, without moving your neck, follow my finger," she instructs.
A/N: BACK! And so is Fitz's memory! Although he didn't really loose it (although he did loose the memory of passing out/swimming to the surface because your brain automatically wipes 'traumatic' incidents like that from itself. which is kind of awesome. and scary.)
Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they make me so happy and make almost getting caught writing this at work worth it!
Science Notes: Chromoaography is gorgeous sometimes (just google image search chromatography. And keep in mind when you're stuck in a chem lab, basically anything can pass for being gorgeous).