Melinda wakes up, with her head heavy and pounding. She tries to sit up but eventually fails and she falls back on her bed, leaving a soft thud sound. A nurse, along with Maria and Victoria walk in her room. All three are relieved to see her awake.
"What happened?" she asks, looking at the three.
"It seems like you gave your superiors a fright on the field," the nurse says. "Nothing serious, however, just a head concussion and…" The nurse looks at her other two companions tentatively. Maria shakes her head at the nurse.
"And what?" Melinda asks, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I'll give you three some privacy." the nurse says, leaving her room. Victoria and Maria look at each other.
"What's wrong?" Melinda asks softly. Maria sighs and runs a hand through her short hair.
"May, there isn't any other way to say this but…" Maria trails off and Victoria looks down at her feet. Melinda can feel her heart beating loudly against her chest. "You're pregnant, five weeks."
Melinda can feel a heavy weight on her chest as soon as she hears it. She slumps down further into her bed and looks away from Maria. She stares ahead.
"I…" she trails off. She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't know what to ask. Victoria seems to know which questions to ask first when she clears her throat.
"May, whose baby is it?" she asks tentatively. Melinda looks at Victoria and swallows. She shakes her head and looks away, trying to remember five weeks ago when…
"Phil." she whispers. "Before he left, he…the baby's his." Her voice catches in her throat as her eyes are trickling with tears. Maria and Victoria look at each other worriedly.
"May, I'm sorry but—" Maria starts.
"No, Maria, please," Melinda cuts her off, looking at her straight in the eyes. Her eyes are glistening with tears. "He wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent then, I was. I violated protocol. If you'd have to terminate or transfer someone, let it be me."
"May, no, stop," Victoria says, putting her hand up. "We know, and we understand. Listen, neither of you are going anywhere, okay? You will be taken care of, because it's part of the protocol. However, you will have to be relieved from field assignments."
"What?" Melinda asks. "I can still do field assignments, at least not when—"
"May, it's dangerous for both you and the baby," Maria says. "We'll be giving you a full year off field assignments, and that's final." Melinda swallows down and looks down at her abdomen.
"What do I do?" she asks.
"You'll be relieved off combat and weapon training, but will still resume with flight training. For the first few months, we could at least let you overview and brief missions," Maria answers. "When you're almost six months along, you'll get a leave, and it's either you stay in your apartment or a S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house in Long Island. Either way you'll be getting support from S.H.I.E.L.D. anyway."
Melinda nods and lies back further down her bed. "Can I…can I tell Phil about this?" she asks tentatively.
"Coulson will be notified, but of course, it's better if you be the one to tell him first." Victoria says. Melinda nods and closes her eyes.
"Does Director Stoner know?" Melinda asks quietly.
"He sent us to talk to you about your relieving from a few tasks." Maria answers. Melinda nods and the three fall silent.
"Anyway, you'll be discharged in a few hours, once you're done with all the tests," Maria says. "If you need anything, you know where to find either of us. If none, you can go home." Melinda nods and watches as her two superiors leave her room.
She has no idea how to tell Phil this news. She has no idea how she is going to tell her parents about this news. She has no idea how she is going to raise a baby. She's not even sure if she really does want to keep her baby—their baby. She put her hand over her abdomen. It's not there yet, she doesn't feel any bump in it yet but now as she thinks about it, she can feel her baby growing inside of her. She's giving life. Melinda smiles and closes her eyes.
"Whatever's going to happen," she whispers, looking down at her abdomen. "Mommy will always take care of you."