When Simmons had finished unpacking she went to search for Fitz, finding him quickly, in the room next to hers, sprawled across his bed looking through an old book of his.
Jemma peaked in, looking from Fitz on his double bed to around the room she noted the large messy bookcase and a desk, covered in dents, scratches, screwdrivers and a few broken pencils, bits of different machines all collected in a big clear box beside it. She wandered, her fingers reaching up to the frame on the wall with a small white t-shirt inside, with the words 'St. George's Catholic Primary; Class of 1995', the thought of a tiny Leo Fitz in that jumper was adorable. Picking up a photo frame off his windowsill to see a seven year old Fitz sat in tartan pyjamas on the sofa with a newborn Amelia.
"There's someone I want you to meet!" Fitz exclaimed suddenly, sitting up.
"Pardon?" Jemma turned to face him, frowning, placing the frame back down.
"Just he loves meeting new people, but he doesn't often." Fitz rubbed the nape of his neck nervously, perhaps a little scared, "He's really lovely, just lonely and sometimes 'ard to understand."
"You want me to meet who exactly?" Jemma raised an eyebrow.
"Just follow me!" Leo told her, holding out his hand, his eyes pleading. Jemma was almost pleasantly shocked; Fitz often liked to keep a slight physical and emotional distance, a defence trait she'd come to understand, but Leo. Leo wanted her to take his hand, and she didn't disappoint.
Leo led her down the stairs, passing her her shoes, and stopping her as she reached for her coat, telling her she wouldn't need it. Jemma was intrigued.
Leo took her hand again, leading her down the corridor, through the dining room, and out the back door. The cold air hit her like a bus, her skin prickling and eyes watering as it pressed against her, the only warm part of her the hand Leo gripped as he pulled her forward, jogging now.
They reached the small building at the back of the garden that Jemma had spotted from the sky, only now could she see the window boxes filled with snowdrops and white jasmine. The jasmine climbed the brick. The knocker Leo reached for was shaped like a Scotsman in a kilt holding a set of bagpipes.
"Someone lives in your garden?" Jemma hissed in disbelief, rubbing her free hand against the opposite arm.
A lot of muttering came from the other side of the door, there was a click and the door opened. There stood a scrawny elderly man with silver curls and an absent smile on his face. His eyes the deep Scottish blue of the River Dee, brimming with history, a life lived and fading now; grasping desperately on empty spaces, noting in his mind not to forget, but has forgotten what he must not let himself forget.
"'Eh Donny!" The old man grinned, gestured for them to come inside.
"Actually Grandpa Stuart, 's Leo, Jane's son, your daughter's son. Donny's me uncle." Leo explained calmly, smiling forcefully. He confirmed Jemma's suspicion. Leo's grandfather had Dementia, a degenerative brain disease, something Leo had hinted at before but neither scientist liked talking about their families.
"Oh…" The old man froze; there was panic and pain in his eyes, he began to stutter, "Aye! O' course! 'll make us 'nd ye lass a cuppa. 'ave a seat son." Grandpa Stuart's accent was strong, he ushered them toward the sofa, and FitzSimmons sat.
When they could hear Leo's grandpa pottering around in the small kitchen next door, Simmons slipped her hand over Leo's where it rested on his knee, "I'm sorry, Leo."
"He's happy, that's the main thing. At least I think he is. It's hard to tell because he wouldn't dare tell me if he wasn't, because as far as he's concerned I can't exist." Leo's brow furrowed, he chewed his lip, concentrating on something.
"Oh Fitz I…" Jemma trailed off.
"I'm fine. I don't talk about stuff as much as I should. That's what me ma said the last time I was home, that if I couldn't talk to her about everything, then I needed to fine someone who I could. I just need someone to listen." Leo pursed his lips, "I left home just as he was getting really bad. I remember the first time he forgot me name. I wasn't strong enough to stick around and watch him forget everything else, it's one of the reasons I didn't become an architect like me da'. I've never said that out loud before."
"Look at you though, Fitz!" Jemma curled her fingers round his hand, "You're the best engineer I've ever met, and I never would have met you if you hadn't. Good things can come out of the worst situations."
"I bet you're wondering why he lives in our garden though right?"
"You needed to keep an eye on him?"
"He couldn't remember which way to go when he walked out the house anymore." Leo stood, walking to the cabinet, running a finger over the old photo frames, "He almost got run over I don't know how many times, he was living off a diet of tinned soup and shortbread. At least this way he gets one good meal a day."
"Is he on medication?" Jemma asked quietly.
"Yeah, tablets, they keep him stable enough but there's no cure for this type of disease yet." Leo Fitz glanced at her with that look in his eyes. The rare look he gave her when he needed a hug but was too proud to ask for one.
She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck carefully, as he placed his hands on her back. Jemma let him bury his head in her shoulder with a sigh.
"Can you pass the neutron ICN probe, Jemma?" Fitz asked from the side of the bed.
Jemma looked away from her notebook was held above her head as she lay on her back, "Where is it?"
"Bedside table."
They were settled on Fitz's bed as they had been for some time now, getting away from the hustle and bustle downstairs to relax, which in Fitz's case meant tinkering.
Jemma looked to her left, lifting up a book to look underneath it, "It's not here Fitz."
"Yeah it 's," Fitz said, getting agitated as he often did, "Behind the pot. No, no." He huffed as Jemma missed it once again.
"This?"
"No," Fitz sighed, "For God's sake Jemma. I'll just." He reached over her, stretching. He came to the conclusion he wasn't going to reach it from where he was, and so he stood up precariously. Placing his foot in-between her knees to try and reach it again, as she gave up and went back to her reading, his hand was on the section of headboard above an indifferent Jemma, steadying him barely. Then he made a wrong move with his other foot, pulling the bed cover out from underneath himself, and losing his grip on the headboard, he yelped violently.
He was face to face with Jemma Simmons, their noses almost touching, one thigh in-between her legs, he was pressed up against her with hands either side of her head. The only thing he could think though was how nice it felt and how warm she was. He gulped, his body heating up, ears burning. Her lips were parted in shock. He needed to move. Why couldn't he move?
"Jem?" Leo said, "I should probably …."
"Yeah," Jemma gulped, her eyes trained on his.
That was moment Leo's brother, Alfie chose to barge in. Leo rolled off Jemma and onto the floor, banging his elbow in the fall, but it was too late.
Alfie burst out into loud guffaws, shaking with laughter so badly it resulted in him falling to the floor, "I was gona ask ya if ye wanted to play some rugby since Hamish just got 'ere, looks like you two were getting in some exercise of your own, 'ey Leo?" Alfie wiped a tear from his eye as he snickered.
Fitz jumped up, reappearing from his spot on the floor, scowling, his ears burning.
Jemma Simmons curled into herself in embarrassment.
"You gona play wit' us Leo, mate?" He heard Hamish call up the stairs.
"Come on, Jem.. uh, Jemma." Leo said quickly, stumbling over himself slight, trying to maintain some dignity, aware that he couldn't leave her alone with Alfie now he though he'd seen 'that'. Leo kicked Alfie in the side as he walked through the door, but he just kept sniggering.
"Hamish! Mandy!" Leo grinned, hugging his oldest brother tight. Hamish looked most like their dad, with pale ginger curls and deep green eyes, built with broad shoulders and a few extra inches, he looked like the stereotypical Scotsman.
"Who's this then?" Hamish asked as Leo greeted Mandy, Hamish's long-time Girlfriend.
"Jemma Simmons." Jemma told them, still awkward and a little flushed from the incident in Leo's room.
"Jemma's my Best Friend, Colleague, and Lab Partner." Fitz nodded to Jemma.
"And part time lover," Alfie yelled over the bannister, before erupting into raucous laughter one more.
"He…" Leo opened his mouth to explain, and then realised he didn't have an explanation.
Hamish clapped him on the back, sympathetic to how inappropriate Alfie could be, "Let's jus' go play some Rugby."
"I dunno, I've never been much good…" Leo mumbled.
"Oh com'on it'll be fun." Hamish insisted, "Hurry up, Alfie, we're going out back."
Half an hour later Mrs Fitz, Mandy, and Jemma were sat in the lounge, it was beginning to get dark, when the quiet was broken.
The back door slammed and sound of frequent footfall drew closer, "Ma'!" A worried voice rang out, it was Amelia. The door swung open. The 17 year old was still had her wellies and coat on, "There was a pile up, an' Leo was on the bottom. Da' thinks he's needs to go to the doctor but..."
The older women ran one after the other past the seventeen year old into the dining room as Hamish and Alfie half supported half carried Leo in from the garden, closely followed by a pale-faced Mr Fitz. Everyone was talking at once. Leo's face was scrunched up and red in pain; he was trying very hard not to cry. Everyone was crowded around him; Jemma couldn't get to him. If she could just get though, she could help.
"I'm sorry Ma'." Alfie was white faced.
"What do we do?"
"Take him to hospital?"
"Can anyone tell what's wrong?"
"Should I get an ice pack?"
"Argh! Everybody!" Leo yelled with as much force and anger as he could muster, "Jemma has PhDs in Immunology an' Genetic Cellular Biology. She's practically a Doctor… no, scratch that, she is a Doctor, wit' some extra qualifications thrown in as well. If ya'd just let her though she can bloody tell ye what's wrong wit' me!" He was breathing hard, and with that he collapsed against his brothers.
The outburst had silenced everybody, they turned to look at Jemma in awe.
"Would you mind popping him on the table please?" Jemma asked politely, but it wasn't a request. "Amelia," Jemma called on the girl, but focused on Fitz, "Would mind going under the bed in my room and getting the silver case out of my suitcase?"
As Amelia ran off the Fitz family watched as Jemma asked, "Where's the pain Leo?"
"Left side of me torso." His face was still contorted in pain.
"Should we get some painkillers for him?" Mandy asked.
Jemma unzipped his coat and began to unbutton his shirt, "I'll see whether it's serious enough to go to hospital first. Best not to give him anything until that's decided in case they want to give him something it might interfere with." She looked at Leo apologetically, "Sorry Fitz."
"'S 'kay," He hissed as she opened his shirt to reveal an angry red and purple bruise starting to show down his side.
"External bruising in the External Oblique and Rectus Abdominus," She said aloud, more for her benefit than anyone else's. Anyway, she thought his family deserved to know what was going on, even if they didn't understand it. They stood vigil around the table, watching her work.
"Are you going to have to check my bones manually?" Fitz questioned bitterly, not enamoured by the idea of anyone touching his injury.
Amelia appeared at the doorway, passing Jemma the silver case. Simmons opened it and positioned one of the pieces of equipment above the bruise, "No, I'm not going to put you through that." She pressed a couple of buttons and scanned his torso, checking his bones for density and structure.
She sighed with relief, then remember he wasn't out of the woods yet, "No broken bones, just going to check for damage to any internal organs, I'm worried you might have …hurt your spleen."
"Ruptured?" Fitz bit his lip.
"We'll see but I don't think so." Jemma shook her head uncertainly; pressing his thumb against the small needle attached to her other piece of equipment to take his blood, testing levels of different blood components. Splenic ruptures were often cause by contact sports and Fitz had been playing without padding on frozen ground with men noticeably larger than him.
The machine beeped for five long seconds before showing her the results, she double checked to be sure before exhaling, "Just external bruising, you can get him so Ibuprofen now." She told them all.
She watched as the entire Fitz family collectively relaxed.
No more rugby though, especially without padding, in fact you should probably get some rest now… Leo." Jemma was starting to like the sound of his first name more and more.
Leo Fitz chuckled, "Deal!" He sat up, clutching his injury as carefully as possible, letting out grunt of pain, he moved to the edge of the table, he put a hand on the point where her shoulder met her neck and smiled softly, letting his thumb rest over the pulse in her neck, "Thanks Jemma."
Alfie helped down, and put arm around Leo's shoulders to support him as they made their way up to Leo's room.
And there you go!