Chapter 19
The car ride from Dr. Morgan’s clinic to their home was quiet as usual. Skye had a lot of questions for the doctor today and she was busy contemplating the answers she had received.
“Why did he do it if it was wrong?”
“Skye. I'm really sorry that you went through that. What happened to you was terrible, and you didn’t deserve any of it. It’s hard to understand why people do bad things, especially when those things happen to us. Sometimes, people who hurt others do it because they have their own problems. They might be angry, hurt, or confused themselves, but that doesn't excuse their actions. What’s important to remember is that their actions were about them, not you. You are strong and brave for talking about it and getting through it.”
“Why didn’t anyone believe me? I kept saying and everyone kept scolding me. Calling me a liar. Why?”
“Sometimes, people don’t want to believe that something so terrible could be happening. They might be in denial or think that it’s easier to ignore the problem than to face it.”
“It hurt.”
“I can only imagine how lonely and frustrating that must have been. You deserved to be heard and believed from the very beginning. It’s not fair that you weren’t. You should have been listened to and protected. What’s important now is that people are listening, and you have a safe place where you’re believed and supported.”
It was true. She was in a safe place now. A place where she was loved and cherished and where no one minded if she woke them up at night. She had tried sleeping alone but had woken up gasping and drenched in sweat. She had all but ran to her mom’s safe arms. Her mom had held her gently and firmly, helped her change - Skye had found it a little embarrassing next morning but she couldn’t deny how warm the love made her feel - while Phil had brought some warm milk with honey. She had slept with her mom that night and had decided to stay with Bobbi for the nights after that. Neither had minded this or Skye waking them because of a nightmare.
Skye remembered the rules at Saint Agnes. If you caused a lot of disruption during the night, you would be sent to sleep alone in another room - a windowless room with just a mattress. She and the other kids had learned to not scream when they woke up, no matter how scary the nightmare was. She had told this to her family and they had all been upset, assuring her that she could come to any one of them.
The car stopped at their home and Skye jumped out, rushing to Bobbi who had just returned from her basketball practice. “You good?” Bobbi asked. Skye nodded. They went into the house and Skye almost moaned with how delicious everything smelled. Lian was preparing the duck and the pancakes, like the ones Melinda had taught them. Phil was cooking the turkey and other side dishes, while Julie was in-charge of the deserts.
“How are all three of them even working in the same kitchen?” Skye asked. It was a decent size kitchen but still.
“Julie mostly uses the dining table,” her mom answered. “My mom and Phil just work around each other.”
Skye rushed to the kitchen after depositing her bag in the living room. She joined Lian who had put the duck into the oven for roasting and was now beginning to work on the pancakes. Skye worked with her, remembering what her mom had taught her. Leo was with Julie and Natasha was working with Phil. Bobbi, however, had stuffed her mouth with a bread roll that Phil had already made. She even brought one to Skye and fed her. “You need energy to work here,” she said.
They worked together. Melinda was banned from the kitchen. William enjoyed instigating Phil and Lian into defending their own cooking. Julie told stories from Phil’s childhood. Lian told stories from Melinda’s childhood. It was a nice family activity, everyone laughing and chatting. There were no hidden agendas. No one was upset with the other. Phil and Lian’s arguments were all fun. Skye had never experienced this and after a while, she went to cuddle with her mom. No one commented on that even. Not even a glance, as if this was normal.
“Will Maria be joining us tomorrow?” Lian asked.
“No,” Phil said. “She has gone for an undercover op. She will be back after Thanksgiving.”
“What about Izzy and Victoria?” Julie asked. “And Bobbi’s boyfriend?”
Everyone laughed at Julie’s description of Hunter. Well, everyone except Phil and Bobbi. Phil scowled - he had given poor Hunter the side-eye every time they met. Bobbi was a little red and a little too focused on the rice stuffing she was helping Lian with.
“Izzy and Vic have two new foster kids, Julie. They will be doing Thanksgiving amongst themselves.”
“I didn’t know they were looking to expand their families,” William commented.
“It was an emergency, baba. Their family had been hurting them.”
“Are they alright?” Leo asked.
“Yeah,” Skye added. “We haven’t seen them at school.”
“Their world has just gone through some big changes. They will need some time,” Phil said. He gave a look to Skye and Leo that clearly said that they should let it go. Phil rarely ever used words. His looks were enough. And while Skye wanted more information, she understood the need to let it go. Grant and Thomas deserved some privacy. Skye could relate with that.
Dinner was spaghetti with meatballs. They watched a movie after dinner and also played some board games. Skye was having the time of her life, enjoying every second of the family moments. Lian, William and Julie were going to stayover tonight. Lian and William would be using the guestroom and for Julie, there was a folding bed. Skye once again slept in Bobbi’s room. They were joined by Natasha tonight.
The next day was spent similarly. There was lots of jokes and stories. They cooked and watched the parade. They played and laughed. Skye enjoyed every second of it. She cooked with Lian and Phil. She played with her mom, her brother and William. She even danced a little with Tasha and later Phil. She was supposed to be focusing on the good in her life and the things she viewed as blessings. She had a lot of that this year and she was thankful for it. She had everything she had ever wanted.
So of course, someone had to shake things up.
“I still can’t believe it. I got an A in math,” Skye exclaimed as she and Leo walked out of the library to the school grounds. “Mom and Phil are gonna be so happy.” Skye paused there, acknowledging how sure she was of the fact. Her foster parents would be happy with her achievements. They would even find it worth celebrating.
The school was relatively empty, which was not surprising as it was almost an hour later. There were still a few teachers around. Skye walked past everything, tightening her sweater to fight the cold. It was the first week of December and the first snow had already arrived. It had been a Sunday. Skye remembered the day very clearly. Snow had always meant shovelling and sweeping at Saint Agnes, and while they did have to clear their driveway, her first snowfall with her family was fun. Do you wanna a build a snowman? There had been snowball fights too. Her mom had obviously won it.
There had been Bobbi’s basketball match. The family had attended it obviously. So had the grandparents. Maria, Izzy and Vic had been there, along with all of Bobbi’s friends. They had cheered every move Bobbi made. It had been so much fun and it also made Skye wonder what would be the scene during her art exhibition.
Phil had pulled out his huge collection of Christmas decorations. They were planning on getting a tree next week. There was also a train set that they would set up under the Christmas tree. Bobbi had told them about the gingerbread house and Christmas eve pajamas. Skye was looking forward to all of it.
As Skye spent more and more time with the family, she had also started thinking about her relationship with Phil. He felt more and more like a dad. She knew she was safe with him. She still had some issues that she was working on with Dr. Morgan but she enjoyed spending time with him more and more. He was her dad and Skye was now considering calling him that.
Skye focused on the present and noticed Phil’s - her dad’s - car. She rushed ahead of Leo, looking forward to share her grade with him. A hand gripped her arm, almost pulling her away. Skye turned to look at the man she was facing. He had short, graying hair and eyes that seemed to be looking into her brain. He was dressed in a suit like Phil usually wore but he didn’t look safe like her dad did.
“Daisy.”
Phil Coulson was in a wonderful mood. He had a wonderful wife and four perfect kids. Bobbi had won her first basketball game and was on top of her grades. Dr. Morgan had told them that Natasha didn’t need to see her anymore. She was healing so well. Leo and Skye were doing so good in their classes. They had started working on their project. Leo was building a car and Skye was developing a game. He was so proud.
The investigation of Saint Agnes had finally yielded some results. They had found an old nun, who according to Skye’s stories had actually cared about the kids. Sister McKenna. Izzy had questioned her. She told them that the nuns were instructed to mistreat the kids. The purpose of the group home was not to nurture the kids but to exploit them, so that they could be easily manipulated to do the dirty work for the owners.
Rebecca Green had finally woken up from her coma. She had been moved to a safe house. Fury had brought in a Doctor Strange to medically examine her and that had yielded results. She had been interviewed by Melinda herself. Phil would have felt a little sorry for her but that woman had goaded about how easy it had been to put Skye in homes that would mentally destroy her. She had been ordered by the boss and paid a hefty sum. Maria was trying to track down whoever had made that payment.
But despite all of this, his life was excellent.
So of course, someone had to shake things up.
Phil parked the car near the middle school and saw Skye rush towards him. He smiled internally at how comfortable his youngest daughter was with him now. And then suddenly, a man pulled her towards himself. Phil could see that his grip was tight and he was hiding a gun under his coat.
“Call 911 and stay in the car,” Phil instructed his older daughters. He saw Leo take cover. They had covered this stuff with their kids.
“Dad,” Bobbi protested.
“Call 911 and stay in the car. Is that clear?” Phil asked, authoritatively. He hated using that voice on them but he was satisfied when they answered in yes. “Call your mom.” He got off the car and walked towards the man.
“Dad,” Skye screamed. She was trying to fight the man. “Let me go. Dad. Help me.”
“He is not your father,” the man shouted. “I am your father. Not him. It’s going to be alright, Daisy. We can be a family now.” The man was unhinged, Phil could see it in his eyes. He was entirely focused on Skye, allowing Phil to take small steps towards them. Skye was hurting and crying. She was scared. Phil needed the man’s attention on himself. He needed to give Skye an opportunity to escape.
“Let go of my daughter,” he said, when he was close enough. The man turned to look at him, his eyes burning with rage. Phil anticipates the punch that came his way.
“I AM HER FATHER, NOT YOU.”
His anger loosened his hold on Skye who perfectly did a tai chi form, he had seen Melinda do a thousand times, and escaped. She ran to hide behind Phil, holding his coat jacket. Phil heard the sirens and so did the man. He saw the moment the man’s hand moved towards the gun. Fisting his palm, Phil pulled back a little and punched the man, knocking him out.
“NYPD. Don’t move.”
Phil put his hands up in the air and turned to face the officers. If they thought they could take him away from his kids, they were wrong. He could see Leo peeking out from his hiding place. Skye was shivering a little and he was sure his older daughters were worried too.
“Sir, please step away from the suspect.”
Phil stepped back and let the officers take charge of the scene. They were two police cars and they also had an ambulance. He turned a little, opening his arms for Skye, who hugged him tightly. His phone chimed. Mom’s on her way with Auntie Maria. He looked at back at the officer in charge. “My son’s there. And I have two older daughters in the car.” He pointed at the relevant spot. The officer - Officer Reyes - sent one of her officers to get Leo and another one to get Bobbi and Tasha. “This is my foster daughter. I came to pick her and my son and found this man trying to hurt her. He is armed.” He removed a hand from Skye and welcomed all his kids into his arms. They were shaken up.
“Sir, please let the paramedics check you out,” Officer Reyes said. She gestured them to one of the ambulances. Phil pulled his kids with him and followed the paramedic. He wasn’t hurt but the man’s grip on Skye’s arm had been tight. He wanted to ensure that she wasn’t hurt. He told that to the paramedic. She smiled gently at his daughter.
“Dad,” Skye whispered. For the first time since the action had started, it registered in Phil’s brain that Skye had been calling him dad.
“I am right here, angel eyes. Just let this nice lady check you. Mom will be here soon and then we’ll go home.”
“Don’t let him take me away,” she said.
Phil wanted to promise her that he wouldn’t. But he didn’t know how this will work. If this man was Skye’s biological father, then this could complicate things. He was going to prison for attempted kidnapping but this would still push on Skye’s healing. Not to mention the court proceedings. He was saved from answering the question as two cars stopped. One of them was Melinda’s. He watched in relief as his wife rushed to them with Maria on her heels.
“Mama,” Natasha whispered, lunging to the safety of her mother’s arms. Melinda held her and ran a hand on Bobbi’s back and Leo’s cheek. She looked at Skye, who was still in his arms. At least she was letting the paramedic check her.
“Sir. Your daughter has a few bruises on her arms but nothing else that you need to worry about,” the paramedic said. “Sweetheart, did you hit your head on something?” Skye shook her head in negative. “Does anything hurt?” Another no. The paramedic gave them a sympathetic smile.
“Do you know the man from somewhere?” a new voice asked them. Phil looked at the source. Captain Lopez. Phil had worked with her when he was still in the FBI. Something in him eased. Gonzales had found at least ten dirty officers in FBI and he suspected that this extended to other departments too. Captain Lopez was not - and could not be - one of them.
“No,” Phil answered as Skye shook her head.
“He called me Daisy,” Skye whispered.
Phil locked eyes with his wife and read the pain. Skye was hurting and they could only help from the sidelines. Phil wished that there was pill that could fasten the mental healing. The police captain excused herself and Maria followed her.
“Shall we go home, kiddos?” Phil asked his kids. They nodded. They decided to take Melinda’s car. Phil took the driving seat. Bobbi sat next to him. Melinda sat between Skye and Leo, while Natasha climbed in the back.
“Mama,” Skye whispered.
“Yes baby?”
“Will he take me away from you?”
“Not so easily baby girl. You are a very important part of our family and we won’t let you go.”
Melinda was not wrong. They had some rights and Skye’s feelings and wishes would be taken into consideration. Not to mention the crimes he committed today. But somehow, this wasn’t a comforting thought to Phil. He was scared and worried. His children had been through something traumatic and he wanted to help them somehow.