CHAPTER 2
Much to her dismay, the hospital staff provided May with a wheel chair as she and Coulson entered the hospital's premises. A nurse then took charge of May and asked Coulson to fill out a few forms while she wheeled May into one of the clinics for a few tests before heading to the operating room.
He'd done this before. And she'd also done this before on his behalf. Not that they were frequent hospital visitors when they still worked together in the field, but for the few instances that one was admitted to the hospital, the other would be filling out the papers without eliciting any questions from the other team members. Maybe it was for a fact that both of them had known each other for years, but mostly because the two of them had already told passed on to the other the necessary medical information they be asked about in times like these.
He proceeded to the waiting area once he filled out the last of the papers. He sat on one of the blue plastic chairs. The place was quiet, with the exception of the television with the news on, and conversations of doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who happen to pass by.
Deep inside, Coulson's grateful that the waiting area was empty if not for him, because somehow it meant that no other agent was fighting for his or life on the operating table. But then, someone might be, it's just that he or she doesn't have someone waiting for the news that he or she survived. Coulson simply brushed the thought away.
An hour quickly passed by. Coulson was surprised when the team arrived, and Skye handed him a cup of coffee.
"How's May?" she asked.
"I don't know yet. The operation on her arm won't be over in a few hours, so I don't think the doctor would be coming out to tell us anything until then." Skye nodded and eased back into her chair.
A calm silence settled in the waiting room, which was from time to time disrupted by small talk between the Skye, Simmons, Fitz, and sometimes, Ward. Coulson remained quiet, with his attention shifting between the television screen and the door to the operating right at the end of the hall.
Almost two hours had gone, and Fitz told Coulson that they'd be heading down to the canteen to get some snacks.
"Do you want us to get you anything? Water? More coffee?" asked Simmons.
"I'm still good," he replied.
"Are you sure, Sir? You've been here for hours and the last thing you had was the coffee we brought you," Simmons insisted.
"Don't worry about me," he gave them a small grin, "Maybe I'll grab a bite when I'd already talk to the doctor."
As the rest of the team went off, he momentarily closed his eyes. It was only right then that he felt the fatigue. He glanced at his watch. It was almost four hours since he had brought her in and it's possible that they'd have to wait for four more until her operation's over. His eyes shifted back to the news program on the television, crossed his arms in front of his chest, sat a little bit straighter, in an effort to be more comfortable in his present seat. He began to wait again.
They found the canteen on the second floor. The canteen was small, with only about fifteen circular table lined inside, each with four plastic chairs. The four of them of them took a spot in the far left corner of the room, despite the fact that the place was empty aside from the staff.
"May wouldn't be here if it weren't for me," said Simmons, before taking a sip of her orange juice. "May wouldn't be lying on an operating table right now if, if –"
Simmons groaned.
Ward placed a hand on her shoulder. "Quit blaming yourself, Simmons. It's part of our job and sometimes we can't just avoid it. May's injury was nobody's fault.
Fitz nodded in agreement. "Ward's right, Jemma. Even if, technically, someone is at fault for Agent May's injury and it's the guy who hit her do there's that."
Skye rolled her eyes at Fitz as she took a bite of her ham and egg sandwich.
"May's going to be fine," asserted Skye before taking a large gulp of her soda. "It's May we're talking about here. Don't you remember the time she broke her wrist just to save our butts when those bad guys hijacked the Bus? If she could do it, I'd say that she'd already snapped her arm back to normal like what she did with her wrists, but as completely bad-ass as she is, she's going to be fully recovered and back to flying the Bus in no time."
Coulson was starting to feel stiff. His eyelids started to feel heavier. "Maybe I do need another cup of coffee," he thought, as the sleepiness slowly overcame him.
"Phil, long time no see." A woman's voice brought him back to the land of the awake.
His eyes caught sight of a person standing in front of him in green scrubs. He noticed that his team was already back and they were standing. Why? Coulson rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the urge to shut them again and go back to sleep.
"Are you guys his new team?" she addressed the three agents and Skye, and the four nodded. "Well, looks like you've got Sleeping Beauty right here."
He knew that voice. And he knew that kind of sarcasm.
"Annie," Coulson stood up and shook her hand. Annie pulled him into a quick hug, and seeing Coulson's team failure to hide their surprise in their interaction, she turned to them.
"I'm sorry that I haven't properly introduced myself yet," she flashed them a smile, "Dr Anastasia Wu, but please, please refer to me as Dr Annie at all times. I'm an orthopaedist-slash-orthopaedic surgeon. Nice to meet you all."
"Are you, by any way, related to Agent May?" Fitz almost immediately inquired.
Annie was a few inches taller than May, but she lacked May's muscle mass, making her leaner. They were almost of the same age, but the two of them never talk about who's older than who. Despite her heart-shaped face and high cheekbones, it's a fact that they were both aware of that there looks could easily deceive some people into believing that they were in fact, relatives, even if the reality is that they are in no way related to each other by blood.
"Aside from our friendship, which from time to time branches into a doctor-patient relationship, we're not related to each other," she replied and quirked up an eyebrow, "or is it because we're both Chinese?"
Skye tried not to laugh as a blushing Fitz muttered a flurry of apologies and explanations.
"How did Melinda's operation go?" Coulson asked when the two of them had separated from his team.
"It went as smoothly as an open reduction operation could go. The way her arm bones broke made us rule out giving her a closed reduction instead because it could lead some serious nerve damage in her arm."
Coulson breathed out a sigh of relief. "Do you know what room the nurses took her to?"
"Room 406. She'd still be out because of the anaesthesia, but she'd be waking up in four or five hours," Annie answered
"Thank you, Annie. Me and Mel could always count on you."
His words made her smile. "It's nothing. I'd be checking up on Mel a little bit later after I sort out a few things at the Nurses' Station. And it's nice to see you again, Phil, especially after what happened in NYC. Back in London, I just saw what happened through a TV screen, but you were there to witness it first-hand. They told me that you took a pretty long vacation after, it's good that you decided to unwind and just clear your head…"
"Yeah," something momentarily crosses his face, "I'd better go back to the team now. They were waiting with me for hours for the operation to be over. Better tell them that Mel's in her room already."
Her room was small, but the space was just enough for to fit in a small TV in once corner, a couch by the door, and a small table with chairs by the window, aside from the hospital bed.
Coulson took a look at May. While lying on the bed, deep in anaesthesia-induced slumber, she looked almost the same as usual, but paler, and of course, the sling on her arm couldn't be more conspicuous.
No one said a word for a while. Fitzsimmons and Skye found their way to the couch, and Ward took a seat on one of the plastic chairs by the window. Coulson grabbed one of the chairs and sat by the left side of her bed. The silence they shared in the waiting area resurfaced yet again in the small room while the four of them faced another round of waiting ahead.
Two hours had already passed. Coulson passed a look unto his team. Simmons and Skye fell asleep slouched against each other, while Fitz who sat next to Simmons, looked like he won't be staying awake for too long. Coulson turned to Ward. He was still awake, but the resulting weariness of the previous mission could already be read on the features of his face.
"Ward, Fitz," he called out, instantly waking Fit from his sleepy daze, "Wake up the two. It's already really late. The four of you should better head out and take a rest. And Fitz, tell Simmons to let Skye stay in her quarters for a while until I've arranged for a place for her here."
While Fitz was waking up Skye and Simmons from there deep slumber, Ward inquired "Will you be staying for the rest of the night, sir? We could ask one of the nurses to bring in another bed for you before we go."
Coulson shook his head. "I haven't actually decided yet, but I want to be here when Dr. Wu will be checking on May. And let's not bother the night shift nurses anymore. They still got a long night ahead of them."
Simmons and Skye already rose from their seats and were trying to fix their wrinkled clothes. "We're lucky that the administration isn't actually particular about visiting hours. Get some sleep and you could all return in the morning. If I remember correctly, visiting hours start by 10."
"Goodnight, AC," said Skye, and sleep was still evident in her voice.
"Goodnight, Skye."
Coulson fell asleep sitting almost immediately after they had left. He didn't want to admit it to the team, but he was tired as they were. He underestimated how exhausting it was to wait and to worry.
He woke up when he felt something was tapping against the hand he rested on top of May's bed.
"Hey," May greeted. Coulson could still hear the grogginess in her voice.
"Annie said you won't be waking up after at least four hours," He pulled his seat closer to her bed.
"So Annie was the one who did my operation? I was out before she even arrived in the operating room," May smirked. "And are you telling me to go back to sleep even if you're looking like you need it more than I do." She added.
"Not really," he replied, "I'm actually glad that you're awake earlier than Annie expected. The rest of the team were actually here a while ago, but I told them all to get some rest and just visit you in the morning."
"So why are you still here? I could manage by myself, you know. You can just come back in the morning like you just told them." He didn't reply immediately, as if he was thinking of the right words to say.
"Annie told me that she'd be stopping by tonight, so I figured out I'd be staying by then. That way if she has some important reminders about your arm, I'd be here to hear them so I can also make sure you'd be following them once you're released."
May only nodded.
Moments later, Coulson decided to turn the TV on, and the two were skimming though the available channels, hoping to find something decent to watch at the late hour.
Both pair of eyes were fixed on the screen. Neither has said a word since the previous conversation had ended but the silence was welcomed.
From the years of knowing each other, they were aware of the fact that they were not the type of people to fill the silence with pointless babble only for the sake of filling the quiet with words, especially her.
The words are gone, but it's okay.
"I'm sorry. Another patient came in hours ago. The poor guy broke his leg in three places," Annie explained as she entered the room, clipboard in hand.
Coulson turned the TV off. He and May have settled into watching a random game show that neither of them was even interested in.
"How does it feel?" Annie pointed at May's right arm.
"It still hurts, but the pain's tolerable." Answered May.
"That's expected given that both bones on your arm broke as I said to Phil a while ago. And I have to commend your pain tolerance, even if it's nothing new to Melinda May."
May tried not the smile in pride but failed.
"I'll still be working on the prescription for the meds you need to take." Annie jotted down a note.
"I have to remind you that it's going to be more frustrating and difficult once you get out of here. It'll be 6 to 10 weeks until that arm will be completely healed, and that time also includes rehab. Meaning, it'll be 6 to 10 weeks off duty. No flying around the planet in that plane of yours. There's no doubt that things that you could easily do before would get pretty tough."
"How many days will she be staying here?"
"Could be as long as five days, but if nothing unusual comes up, she could be out in two."
May's lips were pursed and with that, Coulson realized that the reality that it would be a while before she could return to her place in the Bus has finally sunk in.
After a few more minutes and a few more questions, Annie decided that it was already time to leave.
"I better get going. I haven't had any dinner or even lunch yet." She spun around the leave.
"Thanks again, Annie."
Annie gave him a little wave. "Don't mention it."
She stopped abruptly on her tracks just as she was already in front of the door, turning to face them again. "Before I go, Mel, you'd be needing someone to stay with you to help you with most things, like cooking or doing the dishes, while you recover. Too much movement on your right arm will be bad and could only cause complications."
"That won't be a problem, then," Coulson chimed in. "I could easily file a leave."
A/N - HELLO EVERYONE! Once again, I apologize for the long wait. I hope the length of this chapter compensates for it (twice as long as Chapter 1 see see.) Hopefully, Chapter 3 will be out this week. And if there's anything you'd want to correct, especially on the facts regarding fractures, please don't hesitate to talk to me. It would be greatly appreciated. :-)