Chapter Text
Attempt #1
“C’mon Skye!” Coulson turned her head from side to side, tapping her freezing cheek. As his hand make contact with her face, water spilled from her mouth. He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her into a sitting position. Even more water fell from her mouth, but she didn’t stir.
Coulson held his fingers, numb from the cold, into the side of her neck. It took a few minutes, but he finally found a pulse. He put his hand gently over her mouth and was reassured to feel a puff of warm air against his hand.
“Coulson!” May had finally joined them. Her suit was ripped and she was bearing a nasty scratch down the side of her cheek. “Is she -”
“Pulse and breathing are there, but too slow.” Coulson rubbed Skye’s arms, wishing that he still had his suit jacket to give her, but he had took it off to dive into the water. “We need to get her warm or she’s going to get a lot worse.” He couldn’t help but notice that Skye’s breathing already looked more labored, and she still hadn’t opened her eyes.
He heard May yelling at Ward, and into her communicator at Fitzsimmons. But his attention was focused on the younger woman leaning against his shoulder. He fought against the worry and panic he could feel trying to get through. Skye was nothing more than an agent right now. That was all she could be at the moment, or he would let loose all his fear and be no help to her whatsoever.
He tried to force those thoughts through his head, but when she was unexpectedly grabbed from his arms, his hand went automatically to his gun.
“Relax.” May said, grabbing his shoulder roughly, nails digging into his skin. It brought him back to his surroundings, and he realized that it was Ward who had Skye now, cradling her in his arms as he raced back to the Bus. Coulson relaxed slightly and got up. He noticed the inquisitive look from May, but he ignored it. He would deal with her suspicions later. Right now he had to make sure Skye was alright.
*
“How long have you known?” May asked. Coulson didn’t look away from where Skye lay on the makeshift hospital bed Fitzsimmons had set up for her. She was hooked up to several monitors, so many wires in her that Coulson felt ill looking at them all. Simmons had reassured him that it was only to get her as warm as possible, that she wasn’t really in life threatening danger (anymore). Still, Coulson still didn’t like the sight of them.
“How long have you suspected?” Coulson asked. He was grateful that May had at least chosen to have this conversation outside of the medical lab. They were alone, the glass window keeping the semi-conscious Skye from overhearing the conversation.
“When you let her stay on the Bus after the Miles incident.” May said. “You’ve always had a soft spot for the ‘hopeless’ cases, Coulson, but you were never...blinded by them.” She paused. “For a while, I thought you just had a crush on her like Ward or Fitz.”
Coulson snorted. “Thanks for that.”
“How was I supposed to realize that she was your daughter? I thought it was an overly paranoid theory. I thought you couldn’t possibly keep that information from your team. At least until you dove into the water like some madman today.” May hissed, walking forward, forcing Coulson to look at her. “Now I have to ask you again: How long have you known?”
“Since before we first picked her up.”
“Shit.” May turned away, and Coulson couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or disgusted. He thought she looked a little hurt. “I thought you promised to let her live her life. Wasn't that the reason you gave her up in the first place?”
“After New York - I started thinking about things differently. I wanted to know her, see if she was doing alright. Clearly she wasn’t, considering that she was broadcasting Rising Tide manifestos out of a van.”
“Was this entire thing - this entire operation -” May waved a hand around at the Bus, “was it all just some way so you could find your daughter?”
“No.” Coulson said, irritated at her for thinking he’d abuse SHIELD privilege that way. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Go off the grid, run a small team, investigate matters my own way. New York gave me the clout to do that. Skye was just an added advantage. After I found her, I knew it was the right time to start.”
May strode away, clearly too irritated to stay for any other questions. She paused for a moment at the door, glaring daggers at him. “She’s dedicated her whole life to finding you. When she finds out she’s been living with you on a plane for 7 months -”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. I need to make her trust me first.”
“She’s trusted you since our first mission. Maybe not completely, but she started to. By putting this off, you’re not building her trust, you’re destroying it.”
And with that May left.
*
“Hey AC.” Skye’s eyes were slightly unfocused as Coulson walked up to her bedside. “Heard you dove into the water to save me. Even ruined one of your suits. That’s pretty badass.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Fitzsimmons gave me a lot of drugs.” Skye grinned. “They feel good.”
“I’m glad.” Coulson sat down next to her bed. “Where’s the others?”
“Fitzsimmons are in the lab getting more supplies, May’s flying and I forced Ward to go take a shower. He’s sweet, but 48 hours without leaving my side made him smell reaaaaaaally bad.”
Coulson stared at Skye, and took a deep breath. But as he was opening his mouth, Skye said, “Thank you for saving my life. I wasn’t sure...” She fiddled with the covers of her bed. “After the whole Miles thing.” She muttered.
“You made a mistake. I’m not going to let you die because of it.” Coulson said. He felt sick and yet relieved - May had been wrong. Skye still didn’t trust him yet. Not enough, at least, if she thought he would have just stood back and watched her drown. Clearly, she wasn’t ready for the truth yet.
Skye yawned and her eyes fluttered closed. As she dozed off, he leaned back in his chair. He’d make Ward get a warm meal and a few hours of sleep before the agent could come sit by Skye again. Tonight Coulson could watch over her.