Chapter 3
“Let me go back to bed.” Ward mumbled feeling himself wake up. He barely remembered falling asleep, everything surrounding his body felt heavy. Heavy until his arms started getting lighter. He went to sit up but felt a gentle hand pushing him down.
“Stay down, Ward.” He heard a familiar voice say. His eyes were suddenly wide open and he felt away as the room around him.
“Sky-no uH fuck-flower girl, what are you doing here? You hate me. Like you want me dead, hate him.” Ward said looking up at Skye who still had her hand on his shoulder keeping him down.
“Making sure you don’t destroy all of the doctor's hard work.” Skye said, trying not to smirk at his attempts to remember her birth name.
“You would be happy if I messed up the work and ended up bleeding out. You’re just a terrible person.” Ward said looking at where her hand was on his shoulder and she pulled it away with a scowl.
“I wouldn’t want you going out so easy, I think I deserve to see you suffer a little bit.” Skye said sitting down in the chair next to him.
“You literally shot me 4 times, told me to kill myself when I was suicidal, never listened to me when I tried to talk to you but you think I haven’t suffered enough? You’re a fucking bitch.” Ward said the last sentence louder than intended but the drugs were making him loopy.
“What did you just call me?” Skye asked, narrowing her eyes at Ward.
“A. Fucking. Bitch. I said it and I see you trying to do the whole May angry thing. It doesn’t work on you especially with that bob.” Ward said.
“What’s wrong with my hair?” Skye said immediately, touching the bottoms of her hair disregarding the rest of what Ward had said.
“Nothing, you’re still pretty no matter how you look, Daisy. That’s your name. It’s Daisy even though you like pink roses better.” Ward mumbled.
“You don’t have to call me that name, Grant.” Skye said as Ward looked up at her with a look of slight confusion.
“Are you done with your identity crisis?” Ward asked as Skye let out an uncontrolled laugh causing Ward to smile.
“Swinging and missing, Ward.” Skye echoed her words from the last time she sat in a hospital bed and he was the one in the visitors chair.
Ward let out a small cough waking up now before a groan. “Where’s Fitz, I miss him.”
“Fitz is catching up with Simmons.” Skye said as Ward let out a gasp and a shriek.
“They’re finally having sex?” Ward said louder than a typical question should be causing agents to look at Skye from across the lab.
“Ward, shut up, you’re drawing enough attention as it is.” Skye said, dropping her face into her hand. The roles here felt so reversed it was giving her a bad feeling in her stomach.
“Why do you care, I’m not talking about us fucking again. Unless you wanna say goodbye to your little boyfriend. I don’t do the whole cheating. It’s too complicated. I mean but I might make an exception because that pu-” Ward started tangenting but Skye put her fingers over his lips to shut him up.
When Skye pushed her fingers against his lips he pressed a kiss against her finger and Skye thought her heart skipped a beat. “If I promise to get Fitz will you stop talking?” Skye asked quietly.
“But if Fitz comes I won’t get to talk to you?” Ward said with those damn puppy dog eyes.
“You called me a bitch a minute ago.” Skye said with a sigh. He was causing her more stress in this moment than he had in the last 3 years.
“Well you are a bitch but that doesn’t mean I don’t love-” Ward started but was cut off by Fitz coming into the room disheveled and out of breath.
“Oh Ward, you’re awake. I was hoping I didn’t miss you being awake for too much time, I was busy catching up on some work with Simmons.” Fitz said walking over to his friend and sitting at the bottom of the bed.
“Sex.” Ward whispered to Skye who just shrugged her shoulders and got up from the chair. “You can take the chair, Fitz.” Skye said, feeling Ward’s eyes on her.
“Oy, was he that bad while I was gone?” Fitz asked patting Ward on the leg.
“Debatable, we’re having a conversation later about you over sharing my life.” Skye said walking over to Fitz before patting him on the shoulder and walking towards the door. She took a lingering look towards Ward before walking out of the door.
“How are you feeling, bud-uh urr man.” Fitz said after realizing Buddy wouldn’t be an appropriate nickname for his friend.
“Wait why is Skye leaving, I’m really hot, look.” Ward said opening his hand as fire shot out from it.
Fitz looked towards Skye in the food way with a panicked look and Skye quickly sent a seismic wave to get the fire to stop.
“Ward, we’re not going to have any fires in here. I know you’re hot, she knows you’re hot, we all know. Just lay back and get some rest.” Fitz said, pushing his friend to lie down gently.
“Why cant me, you, Skye and Simmons play board games like we used to. Like I know Skye, you know she’s not the flower anymore, she’s done having an identity crisis, well whatever her name is, she’s a bit of a bitch but we like her anyways.” Ward said as Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Ward, it’s not nice to say that she was having an identity crisis, she was trying to find herself after a traumatic event. It’s her given name like your given name is Grant.” Fitz said knowing why Skye wanted to leave the lab now.
“This is too confusing for me. I think I’m going back to sleep.” Ward said feeling his eyes were starting to get heavy once again.
Fitz let out a small laugh and pulled the blanket up against Ward’s body. “Rest up, man, we can talk when you’re not high.”
“Wait, before I sleep, Leo the lion, my friend. I wanted to tell you I’m sorry.” Ward said gripping Fitz’s hand for where he put down the blanket on Ward’s body.
“What are you talking about, right now? You haven’t done anything since you got here?” Fitz asked looking down at his friend who was near passing out.
“I’m sorry about dropping you and Simmons into the ocean. I didn’t wanna hurt you guys, I love you guys. Even when Simmons tried to kill me. And when you tried to kill me. Then when you tried to attack me when us, Kar-Kar, Mikey-bot, Cowboy, and Daddy Phil went on that field trip.” Ward looked up at his friend.
Fitz let out a laugh and shook his head at the nicknames Ward had made up for everybody. “I’m not going to lie, I’m still mad about it but I knew the pod was supposed to float. You might be one of my friends but I don’t think you were smart enough to break that pod.”
“You’re definitely right about that. Engineering is so confusing and I don’t have those small and dainty hands that you do.” Ward said interlocking his fingers with Fitz’s. “I know you’d rather be doing this with Simmons but your hands are so cute. Oh look there she is!” Ward yelled and pointed at Simmons in the doorway looking hesitantly.
Fitz tried to pull his hand out of Ward’s grip but Ward wouldn’t let him go. “Can you give himself to get him to go to sleep, please?” Fitz looked at Simmons with a begging look in his eyes.
Simmons sighed and walked over. “I don’t think I can, he’s tired he’s going to fall asleep soon.” She said patting Fitz’s arm.
“Simmons, I like you, you’re not a bitch like Skye, but you slept with that space boy instead of my homeboy, Leo.” Ward said causing Fitz to groan immediately. “But it makes no sense because you’ve been in love with Leo for like forever.”
“I don’t see how this is your business, Ward.” Simmons said a little coldly.
“Is that because I threw you out of a plane? I didn’t wanna do that. I liked you too much to kill you though. I can’t kill things I love, I look at you two and I see Buddy. Just purity and innocence.” Ward seemed to be waking up instead of getting more tired.
“Who’s Buddy?” Simmons asked confused. “His dog.” Fitz replied. “Not just my dog, he was the best dog in the entire world. He was perfect. He was my best friend, well until I met you guys. I loved Buddy more than I’ve ever loved anyone before.” Ward said and started to tear up, letting go of Fitz’s hand to wipe his eyes.
“Oh no, mate, let’s not cry. There’s no need to cry.” Fitz said looking at Simmons for help.
“No, Simmons is mad at me and Buddy is dead, I miss Buddy so much.” Ward started crying more, he had little control over his actions because of the anesthesia drugs in his system.
“Help me.” Fitz quickly muttered towards Simmons. “I don’t know what to do.” Simmons angrily muttered back. “Tell him you’re not mad at him so he stops crying.” Fitz grunted out over Ward sobbing.
“I still don’t like him.” Simmons crossed her arms. “I know, just make him stop!” Fitz punched the bridge of his nose.
Simmons gave Fitz a ‘you owe me’ look before sitting on the hospital bed next to Ward. “Oh no, Ward, I’m not mad at you.” She said awkwardly patting his shoulder.
“No you hate me. You told me you were gonna kill me and then you tried to kill me.” Ward cried. “I always mess everything up. That’s what John told me.”
“I don’t hate you, Ward. I was just upset but some actions you did. You didn’t just hurt us mentally, you hurt us all emotionally.” Simmons said sincerely.
“I never meant for any of you to get hurt, I didn’t want you guys to get attached but I got attached too.” Ward admitted hiding his eyes behind his hands.
“I guess I don’t know everything that happened but maybe one day when you’re feeling better, we can talk about everything that happened with you?” Simmons asked softly.
Ward’s crying calmed down as he looked up at his ex-friend. “Do you promise?” Ward asked like a curious child.
“I promise, just go to sleep now so you can heal quickly.” Simmons started to lean off the bed.
“I heal faster now, look.” Ward said holding out his hand and a small fire lighting up in his hand.
“No no. No fire Ward.” Simmons said as Ward gave her a pouting look. “But.” Ward said, giving her his puppy dog eyes. “No.” Simmons said. With a sigh, Ward let the fire die out.
“Sleep, now.” Fitz said, pulling the blanket over his friend’s body.
“I will, I promise.” Ward said letting the weight on his shoulders close the weight of his eyes.
Within five minutes, Ward was finally out like a light. Fitz laughed to himself and shook his head.
“It’s bad, it’s really bad, isn’t it, Leo?” Simmons asked, looking at their sleeping ex-friend.
“Yeah, it is, Jem. I wish it wasn’t.” Fitz said and patted on the sleeping man’s leg.
Skye found herself leaving the lab with her arms crossed around her chest. Emotions spinning through her head. She knew the drugs were talking through Ward but she figured at least some of it was the truth. Could he still love her?
She was spiraling out of control in her own mind. She shouldn’t even be feeling anything towards him. Not anymore, not after all he did to her. She should be with a guy who actually likes her and treats her with the respect she deserves.
Lincoln was a good guy, besides some anger issues, he was stable, he wanted to have just a normal life. He was someone dependable but he wasn’t what she desired in her heart but she knew she should in her head.
In her brain she was almost making mental pro/con lists between Lincoln and Ward. Well at least they both have abs but Ward’s are better. This kept going until she found herself literally walking into Lincoln. Fantastic, just what the doctor ordered.
“Oh hey Daisy, are you okay, you’re looking a little pale.” Lincoln said, bringing his hand up against her cheek, caressing the skin gently.
“I’m fine, I was just checking in on Ward until Fitz was able to take over.” Skye said putting her hand on Lincoln’s arm, squeezing a little for reassurance.
“Are you okay with him here? I know we didn’t talk extensively about it but I know you two had-” Lincoln said as Skye shook her head and leaned away from her sorta boyfriend. He was supposed to be her new something but somehow him mentioning Ward made her want to cry.
“I don’t want to talk…” Skye couldn’t help but hear her voice breaking mid sentence. “...talk about him. He doesn’t mean anything.” Skye said but the emotions in her voice betrayed her.
Lincoln gave her a look, he could see the raw emotion on her face certainly didn’t mean nothing. He knew that the other man hit a soft spot in her, something he tried to ignore but Ward being on the base was driving up tensions.
In the brief time the other man had been there, Skye was more distant, Lincoln felt like she was slipping out of his fingers. Even though Lincoln wasn’t even sure if he could say that he ever even had her.
“Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private?” Lincoln said and offered his hand towards her. Memories in Skye’s brain came flooding back of providence. The last time someone offered their hand to her. She felt her stomach turn and felt like she was going to throw up
Skye grabbed his hand and wrapped it around her shoulder so she could slump into him. She wasn't going to hold his hand. It just didn’t feel right to her. She felt like she was betraying a memory.
Lincoln squeezed his arm around her to assure her that he was there. He gently led her towards his bedroom and Skye sat down on his bed with her head on top of her knees and her face buried.
Lincoln went to open his mouth to say something, anything but all of the words were gone. Luckily for him, she didn’t even give him a chance to say anything at all.
“He calls me Skye and I feel like that weak girl from three years ago.” Skye admitted keeping her face buried. “And it shouldn’t make me act up and feel anything but it does, my stomach feels- I don’t know.” Lincoln sat next to her and put his arm around her body loosely.
“It’s because you still love him. No matter how bad he is for you or how toxic you two have been towards each other, it’s obvious that there’s still lingering feelings.” Lincoln said rubbing her back as Skye lifted up her head at him.
“Lincoln, I’m-” Skye started but put his hand up to stop her. “I’m not stupid, Skye, I went to Med school.”
“You didn’t graduate med school, you’re just a med student.” Skye said as Lincoln let out a small laugh at the relieved tension.
“Besides that point, honey, it was a bad choice on my part to get involved with a girl who was saying another man’s name in her sleep.” Skye gave him a weird look, she knew Ward was in her dreams at times but she didn't realize she was talking. She just felt awful now. She didn’t mean to hurt Lincoln too.
“As much as both try to make whatever this is work, it’s not working and we both know it.” Lincoln said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“You’re making this easier than it should be. You’re breaking up with me but I don’t feel sad and you seem like you broke up with me long ago.” Skye said with a bit of a bitter laugh coming out.
“Well, one of us should be straight forward and we can do that when you’re running away from your feelings. Ever since Ward came back, you’ve been different. Distant, quiet and attentive but not towards me.” Lincoln said as Skye sighed.
“How long were you going to let this go on for before you let your heart get broken?” Skye asked, looking at her now well friend.
“I don’t know, until you stopped being ignorant or maybe until I didn’t want to compete with a ghost. But girls like you are worth it.” Lincoln said as Skye rolled her eyes heavily.
“He’s not a ghost…” Skye said. “He’s just somebody else, he used to be this closed off stoic agent that I would only see glimpses of. He was just, he was someone that was mine. That was just all a lie and that pain makes me nauseous every single day, Lincoln. He broke my heart.”
“Well from what I heard him yelling about..” Lincoln let out a small laugh. “You weren’t the peachiest either. You did shoot him after all, not saying he didn’t deserve it but I don’t know much healthy relationships that start like that. But you two really sound like you can make it work, you deserve each other.”
“How do you know that, you’ve known Ward for like a day?” She asked him, all irritated.
“Well I see the way he looks at you, then how you look at him. You’ve never looked at me that way and I don’t think you ever will. You guys just have something special going on. You guys have a banter.” Lincoln said with a small smile on his face.
“Lincoln, I never meant to hurt you. That’s the last thing I wanted to do, you’re just good and nice and everything I should want.” Skye said looking into his eyes.
“I know you didn’t, I just want you to be happy. Even if it means you want to be with that annoying pain in the ass.” Lincoln said as Skye laughed, a real laugh.
“I know, he’s the worst. He used to make me wake up at 5 in the morning for training. Every day.” Skye said, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah? Why don’t you tell me more about him.” Lincoln said leaning against a pillow with Skye on his shoulder.
“There were a lot of good times but then I just think about how everything hurts. I just don’t know how to get rid of all of that pain and hurt, Lincoln.” Skye said, playing with her hands.
“Well, why don’t you just talk about the good times for right now.” Lincoln said calmly.
“Well if you insist… We met when I was in my van…” Skye started hers and Ward’s long and complicated history.
“So let me get this straight, you expect me to believe some sob story about Garrett leaving Ward in the woods?” May asked Coulson as they sat in his office.
“I don’t know what to believe, Melinda but that’s what he told me. It makes sense about a lot of things. His lack of people skills.” Coulson said, swirling the glass of bourbon in his hand.
“You also forget that Ward is a liar and a manipulative bastard. He’s played all of us before and I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t do it again, Phil.” May argued back.
Ward sitting in their med bay was making her blood boil, he was easy prey sitting there. May also knew that if he attacked Ward while he was vulnerable like that, Coulson would rip into her. Ward had said something to get Coulson wrapped around his finger and May wasn’t buying it for a minute.
“I don’t think he’s lying this time though. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he has to be telling the truth.” Coulson said looking down at the glass. Some of the things that Ward said were too terrible to make up.
“I’ll believe you when we have concrete proof of Ward not being a disgusting hydra agent.” May said, rolling her eyes.
“Well, Garrett destroyed any records of Ward and his existence. It was like he just went from military school to the academy but the years don’t line up. They shouldn’t line up. I don’t think anybody ever questioned it because he was just that good.” Coulson said tapping his finger.
“Well if you can’t get in actual information, you can let me go in and interrogate him while he’s still drugged up.” May said cracking her knuckles. “Phil, I don’t know how you could believe him for a minute.”
“I know it was personal between you two but I’m not letting you beat the shit out of him while he has a broken chest.” Coulson declared.
“You’re the one who broke his chest because he killed your girlfriend.” May said astonishedly. “If interrogation is completely out, what do you suggest we do then? There’s no physical evidence of anything.” May said the frustration cracking through her voice.
“We put him through the lie detector.” Coulson said in a small voice, it sounded almost like a question compared to the statement that it was supposed to be.
“We already put him through the lie detector at providence and remember what happened there? He beat the lie detector because we didn’t have any control over him.” May said. “It’s not going to be accurate.”
“Well last time, he was able to confuse the pain spikes so Koenig wouldn’t tell if he's lying, what if we make sure that he’s not going to be in pain at all.” Coulson said as May gave Coulson a very confused look.
“What are you saying we do?” May asked curiosity setting in, in her tone.
“I think I have to go talk to Simmons.” Coulson said getting out of his office chair and going to exit the room as Fitzsimmons stormed in almost knocking Coulson off of his feet.
“Well speak of the devil.” May muttered to herself as the two scientists just started talking at the same time.
This went on for about twenty seconds before Coulson was starting to get a headache from the two and wasn’t understanding a word that they were saying.
“Slow down, one at a time, it’s been a long enough two days.” Coulson said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Sir, there's somebody at the opening of the base but we don’t know if we should let them in or not.” Fitz said sheepishly, touching his ear.
“First of all, how did somebody find the base, second of all let’s see who this bastard is.” Coulson said walking over to his desk to turn on the cameras at the front of the base to see who found them.
“Well sir, this is where it gets a little awkward. We know who it is but that’s where it gets unsettling.” Simmons said as Coulson turned on the cameras.
There was a very angry ex agent Kara Palamas knocking on the opening rapidly. “Coulson if you don’t let me in I swear to god!” She yelled into the camera. “I know you have Ward, I want him back.”
Coulson sat down in his chair not knowing how he was going to get out of this one. He remembered Ward and Palamas were comfortable with each other. She was going to kill him. Well fuck.