T.A.H.I.T.I./ P.T.S

Coulson never let Mick out of his sight, being absolutely positive Mick couldn't get anywhere near Quinn. They finally arrived at the Trauma Zentrum, a medical super center of SHIELD's in Zurich, Switzerland. Coulson and Simmons took point in moving Skye's chamber into the facility with Ward, Mick, May, and Fitz following. May then forced the reluctant Mick into the waiting room, rather than being there while the doctors spoke with Jemma. 

"I know you two were close," May started as Mick glared up at her. "You're going to have to be stronger than this. We need you to be there for the team, not just for Skye." 

"It's hard!" Mick snapped as May looked at the ground, almost sympathetically before pushing back the expression in favor of her more stoic one. 

"I've read your file, I know about how things happened in 2007. Your mom, dad, and sisters killed before your eyes in a fire, then Samantha being shot to top it all off." Mick glared angrily.

"Sam. Her name was Sam," he hissed as May inhaled trying to be patient with him. 

"You're stronger now, and Skye needs that strength, FitzSimmons need that strength," May said solemnly. "Coulson needs that strength." 

No sooner than she said it, the team joined them in the waiting room. Mick perched himself in the corner, Fitz and Simmons sitting on each side, Ward stood, pacing back and forth while May stood by Coulson. No one wanted to speak, nor did they even know what to say. The air of the room was clear, prayers for Skye's survival. The silence was broken when Coulson, in the midst of his frustration, pulled out his phone then stepped away a bit. 

"I should've stopped her," Fitz moaned. 

"As if you could've stopped her," Jemma said in a broken, yet playful manner. 

"She's too stubborn for her own good," Mick sighed. 

"I shouldn't have cleared her for field work, as her S.O. it's on me," Ward added remorsefully. 

"Will you all stop?" May barked. "The only one to blame is the one that shot her! Ian Quinn!"

No one dared to speak anymore, Jemma simply cuddled up to Mick, Fitz leaned back in the chair, Ward stood beside the window, and May continued pacing about. Mick brush the tear from Jemma's cheek as she slept. It reminded him of the few times Andi, his sister, cried on his shoulder during a hurricane. The memory was shattered as Coulson spoke up. 

"How is she?" He asked. 

"It's not good," the doctor spoke softly. "The shots perforated her stomach and penetrated the large and small intestines. We resected what we could but…there's been too much damage."

"Okay," Coulson said harshly. "So what's next?"

"We can keep her comfortable, but you'll need to make a decision on whether or not you want to keep her on life support," the doctor said solemnly. 

"No! That's not good enough!" Mick barked, startling Jemma and Fitz. Coulson turned to Mick, slightly annoyed, then returned focus to the doctor. 

"So there's nothing else you can do?" Coulson asked eagerly. 

"I'm saying you need to call her family and get them here as soon as possible," the air left the room. 

"We are her family," Coulson said softly. 

"Then I'm so sorry," the doctor turned, heading back toward the restricted doors. Ward then slumped into the chair behind him, while Jemma leaned back in shock. Mick then stood up, storming out of the room, unaware that May was following. He stormed into the interrogation room, no one around to stop him. 

"It's about time," Quinn started, only for Mick to punch him hard enough to knock him out of the chair, blood spewing from his mouth as well as agonizing whimpers from Quinn as the cuffs dug into his arms while chain prevented him from falling completely. "Stop!" He begged as Mick reached down grabbing him by his throat. 

"Why should I? You shot her, left her for dead!" Quinn gasped as Mick squeezed tightly. 

"Mick let him go!" May ordered as Mick slammed slammed the Quinn into the chair, turning to see Coulson beside her. 

"He deserves to die!" Mick barked as May eased toward him. 

"I agree, but this makes you just as bad as him," Coulson said as Mick reluctantly released Quinn. 

"What a good little pawn," Quinn gloated hoarsely, only for May to retaliate by slamming his head into the table, leaving him unconscious.

"Seriously?" Coulson asked as May smirked. 

"It looked fun, and he just beat me to it," May sneered as Coulson rolled his eyes, then pushed Mick and May out of the cell. 

"I can't have either of you two killing him right now," Coulson stated firmly. "We need to focus on getting Skye better." 

"You heard the doctor, there's nothing they can do," May stated plainly. 

"Precisely," Coulson said with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Nothing they can do."

"What are you getting at Boss?" Mick asked as he and May shared a curious but hopeful look before staring at Coulson. 

"There were doctors that brought me back from the dead. If they can do that, I bet they can save Skye." Coulson said as May shook her head trying to hide her smile. 

"Guess I'll start up the Bus," May smirked, heading off.

"I hope this works," Mick said kicking himself for holding on to any hope. 

Coulson managed to get Skye transferred onto the Bus inside of a Medic unit, which was quite surprising. The doctors were completely against his plan, as Trauma Zentrum was the best medical facility on the earth. Mick sat bedside of Skye, looking at her, but seeing Sam instead. He tried hard to fight back the imagery, but he wasn't sure which was worse. He held her hand, it was still cold, just as pale as her face. 

"I know I told you several times that I'd tell you how it all began for me," he said softly. "I need you to hang in there for me, I swear if you do, I'll tell you everything." 

"Mick, we need to let her rest," Jemma said as she finished setting up the links to her monitoring system. He nodded, then followed Jemma into the lounge, where Coulson stood with Ward, and now Fitz. 

"It's time you all know the truth," Coulson said in dismay as Mick raised a brow. 

"I was never really in Tahiti," Coulson started. He then explained how doctors messed with his brain, how he wished they would have let him die, even the questionable things they did that he didn't quite understand. 

"But that's not," Fitz stammered in disbelief.

"It's just not medically possible," Simmons finished, completely astonished. 

"Clearly I'm living proof that it is," Coulson said with a sigh. "And if that's not good enough, I need you two," he zeroed in on Fitz and Simmons. "To figure out what they did so we can replicate it." He handed them a level 10 file. 

"Sir, you can't," Simmons started to stammer now. 

"It's not even legal for us to know this exists!" Fitz gasped. 

"Clearance doesn't matter right now. We need to save Skye," Coulson said, looking back over his shoulder at the Medical Pod. 

"So what do we do?" Ward asked.

"Research the other doctors, see if you can find anything," Coulson handed both Mick and Ward a list of names. "Any more questions?" Everyone dispersed without a word. 

Mick tried to occupy his mind by going to the lab with Fitz-Simmons with his laptop. He began researching some of the doctors, seeing most of them went off the grid after 2012. 

"Can you believe any of this?" Fitz asked as he kept dipping through different pages of the report. 

"It's both fascinating and terrifying!" Jemma said as she skimmed through some things. 

"Getting any idea's?" Mick asked as Fitz shook his head. 

"Not really," Jemma frowned. 

"Not unless you can find us access to this GH-325 and micro-robotic neurons surgeons," Fitz said as Jemma looked at him curiously. 

"GH-325?" Jemma questioned, taking the paper and glancing over it. The Bus lurched as Mick glanced up, and the three stared at each other curiously. "Any idea?" 

"Turbulence?" Mick suggested then quickly changed the subject. "Didn't you say something about a Doctor Streiten?" 

"I did, and I reached out to the Bethesda Trauma center for some confirmations, why?" Jemma asked as Mick turned his laptop toward her. 

"Coulson wrote down her name, but she's not appearing in the SHIELD database at all," Mick said as Fitz stared at the screen skeptically. 

"That's odd," he remarked as Jemma's phone began to ring. "Hello?" She paused. "Yes, this is her," she paused, then her face began to contort. "Are-are you sure?" She seemed quite bothered by what she was hearing. "This isn't possible!" She gasped as she set the phone on the table. 

"What's the matter Jemma?" Fitz asked after seeing her at a loss. 

"Mick, have you found anything about any of the doctors on that list?" She asked nervously. 

"No, not one, even the one Coulson said he found," Mick sighed. 

"Something tells me you're not going to," Jemma said weakly. 

"Why are you saying it like that?" Fitz asked as Jemma sighed. 

"Bethesda Trauma just stated they've never treated Agent Coulson," she seemed quite distraught. 

"But why is that listed in these bloody files?" Fitz fussed, then slammed down the papers he was reading. 

"But who could forge a level 10 file?" Mick asked as Simmons shook her head in disbelief. 

"Maybe we call in backup?" Fitz suggested. 

"Like who? Ward isn't going to know anything, Skye's well, you know, and Coulson believes all of this is real," Jemma frustration peaked. 

"Call in the Calvary," Mick smirked only to have a glance of disapproval from both of them. "She's quiet enough not to tell Coulson that this whole file is nuts, and she's good at solving problems. 

Jemma reluctantly called May in, then began explaining everything only for May to seem quite skeptical. 

"None of that makes any sense," May finally spoke. 

"That's the problem we're facing too," Fitz huffed. 

"The doctors, the operating room number, the time he was supposedly there, none of it is real," Jemma sighed. 

May clearly tried to wrap her mind around everything only to come to the same conclusion as everyone else. Something about Coulson's death and resurrection is completely off. "So now what do we do?" Mick asked as May frowned. 

"Simmons and I will talk to Coulson, I guess you two get some rest in the meantime," May seemed quite unsure of herself in the moment which was extremely rare. 

Mick found Ward sitting with an unfamiliar, toned dark skinned man at the bar in the lounge. "Hey Webby!" Ward called out in a teasing manner as Mick raised a brow at the two men. 

"You gotta be messin' with me, tell me he's just playin," the man smirked as Ward looked at Mick expectantly. 

"About what?" Mick asked still unsure where this new guy came from. 

"Sorry, Mick, Agent Triplett," Ward motioned to the man who nodded with a smile. 

"Nice to meet you," Mick shook Triplett's hand. 

"So Ward's just messing around huh? You don't really shoot webs," Triplett asked skeptically. 

"Thought that was NTK?" Mick frowned as Triplett's eyes widened. Mick then shook his head again as Ward motioned to his wrists. Reluctantly he pulled his sleeve up, showing the silvery web emblems emblazoned on his under arm near his wrist. 

"Does it hurt?" Triplett asked. 

"No, and I'm really not in the mood for a Q and A," Mick said as his focus turned towards the medical pod. 

"You're not the only one that cares for her," Ward said with a strange glare in his eyes and his hand on Mick's arm, almost daring him to react. 

"I never said I was?" Mick replied just as harshly. 

"Just making sure you know," Ward said before returning to his drink. Mick brushed it off as he headed toward Skye's bedside. 

He checked her vitals, then quickly sent the results to Jemma. Things were looking much worse now, Skye was very weak. It almost seemed as if only the machines were keeping her alive. 

He slumped down in the chair, his mind fighting against the bitter memories forcing their way back. His first few weeks at SHIELD Academy were horrible, the constant nightmares of seeing his family going up in flames like witches in the Salem Trials. The intense battle he faced against the deranged Jake Carson and Arachnid. Watching the life leave Sam's eyes, forced to relive that terrible event over and over. His eyes would open, and Davis would be sitting there wearing that same sympathetic look that everyone gave him now. The only reprieve was sitting at lunch in the commons ground with Jemma, Fitz, Davis, Jerren, and Patten. 

He opened his eyes to see Coulson standing beside him with a strangely hopeful expression. "Just wanted to let you know, Fitz-Simmons cracked the code. We're on our way to a place called the Guest House. I'm bringing Ward, Fitz, Agent Triplett and my old friend Agent Garrett to see if we can get our hands on the miracle drug." 

"So I'm benched?" Mick frowned. 

"May suggested it. Plus, if things go south, you and May can protect Skye and Simmons." 

"Sir, I'm sorry for punching Quinn," Coulson rolled his eyes while shaking his head. 

"You did what we all wanted to do, and trust me, if she doesn't make it, you're the least of his worries." Coulson grinned in a way that was both reassuring and very threatening. Mick glanced out the pod, seeing Garrett watching them curiously, something about that look bothered him, but more than likely it was just his mind messing with him. 

"I keep having flashbacks," Mick admitted as Coulson started to leave. 

"Trauma does that to us," Coulson said. "But friends and family get us through it."

"How do I get passed my feelings for her though? I see her like this and it reminds me of Sam." 

"Maybe you need to do some digging and find out if you really have feelings for Skye, or are you just imprinting those from Sam onto her," Coulson said as Mick stared blankly. He never even considered that to be part of the equation. 

Once they landed Jemma stayed in the medical pod, closely watching Skye's steadily weakening vitals, May stayed isolated in Mission Control, leaving Mick to sit by Skye while Jemma ran to the lab alone. He needed to find the truth, was his feelings for Skye simply imprinted from his loss of Sam? 

He remembered graduating from the Academy, never once meeting any of the girls Davis constantly tried to set him up with. Jerren moved off to join Mr. Stark as an intern in 2010, Patten had already been pulled for field work as he graduated earlier. Jemma and Fitz were on their second or third degree in the sciences, which confounded Mick. He watched as some of the graduates had family members who had been agents show up to congratulate them, others made calls to let their family know. Mick, however, had no one to call. He was alone. It was then Agent Coulson that called, saying how proud he was, and that he had stuff to deal with so he couldn't come celebrate. Mick then left the Academy for New York to assist Patten with a group called the Big House Gang, who used a strange form of tech to forge magic and smuggle weapons. 

The distractions didn't help, every time Mick was alone he thought about Sam and how he failed to protect her. He was just as restless, but at least he had a purpose in trying to protect others. He pushed those feelings down until Director Fury ordered him to seek out people with powers. That landed him back at the Stark Expo in 2011, where he first met Skye. He saved her from debris during the armor attack, then promised her an interview. It was that day, he felt something he hadn't felt in years. She was pretty, she had the same spunk as Sam, just as independent. The year following his deep cover ended up with him working with Rising Tide's leader, Wren Hightower, ending with Mick in Los Angeles, making friends with the girl who somehow stayed on his mind. 

It was then that it hit hard. These feelings were residual. He cared about Skye because she reminded him of Sam! He then looked at Skye, rather than seeing Her as Sam, he saw Sam watching them in a faint glow. "You deserve to be happy," Sam's voice echoed. 

"She doesn't see me like that," Mick said. 

"I didn't either when we first met," Sam smiled. "She needs you though." 

"And I'm here for her," Mick frowned. 

"Does she know?"

"No," Mick said harshly. "And she never will. People I love die."

"Not all of them. You still have Jerren, Davis, and Patten," Sam said firmly. 

"Because I've pushed them away," Mick admitted. 

"Your new friends haven't died," Sam said as Mick turned to Skye. 

"Yet," he muttered. 

"She won't die, I promise," Sam said as Mick glanced at her curiously. "I promise you, Mick."

"I'm sorry I failed," Mick said as a tear fell. 

"That wasn't your fault, you have to let it go. Let me go," Sam urged as Mick stared at the ground. 

"I've tried, for years," Mick sobbed. 

"You can lie to anyone but me," Sam said as she laid a hand on Mick. He was dumbfounded by how warm and real she felt. "I love you Mick Bellouve, but it's time for you to move on. Live your life, protect your friends. I won't be mad." 

"I'll try," Mick said closing his eyes feeling the tears streaming down. When he opened them, it was Skye's hand on his. Her vitals had seemed to stay stable, weak but stable. 

Triplett walked in with Jemma, who seemed rather surprised to see Mick crying. "Everything okay?" Triplett asked as Mick nodded. 

"I'll be fine, it's just hard seeing someone I care about like this," Mick said softly. 

"So you two were a thing?" He asked as Mick shook his head. 

"I'm pretty sure she's into someone else," Mick said as Triplett nodded. 

"I know how bad that sucks, been there several times," he reached his hand out patting Mick on the shoulder. Skye's vitals began to plummet sending Simmons into a panic. 

"I need that epinephrine!" She squeaked as she rushed to Skye's side, prepping a place for the injection. Triplett quickly grabbed and uncapped it, handing it off. 

"Wait! Use this!" Fitz slid into the pod holding a vial of green liquid. 

"What?" Jemma gasped. "How much? Where?" 

"Doesn't matter just use it!" Mick barked as Simmons shook her head, against her better judgement injected the serum in Skye's right arm while Triplett injected the epinephrine in her left. Her vitals continued to flatline as the Bus lurched. 

"Don't give it to her!" Coulson barked, as he noticed the looks on everyone's face as Skye's vitals stayed flat. 

"It's too late," Triplett said sorrowfully.

"You promised, she wouldn't die," Mick knelt beside Skye, then kissed her forehead. "Please don't let her die." 

Her vitals suddenly sprung back, her heartbeat seeming to normalize, only briefly however. Skye gasped, arching her back, seeming to be in intense pain. Her vitals climbed, showing her heart rate climbing to dangerous levels. 

"Skye!" Ward called out in a panic, as he slammed his hands on the window. 

There was a calm as Skye exhaled, the machine's alarm stopped, her heart rate monitor began rhythmic beeping. "Is she okay?" Coulson asked as Jemma seemed quite relieved. 

"She appears to be stabilizing," Jemma smiled slightly as everyone stared at her hoping for an explanation. 

"So she's going to be okay?" Ward asked as Simmons shrugged. 

"That one is a heck of a fighter," Triplett said with a smirk. "What was that stuff?"

"Don't know," Jemma said. "I just know it worked." 

"Thank you," Mick said softly, as he saw Sam's shimmering hand brush across Skye's face before disappearing. 

"I didn't do anything," Jemma said as she looked at Mick curiously. 

"I'd say you worked quite the miracle," Triplett patted her on the back, before leaving the pod. 

"We need to let her rest now," Simmons said as the others nodded. 

Mick followed everyone out as He noticed Ward standing by the window, staring at Skye longingly. Before he could react, Jemma wrapped her arms around him and sighed heavily. "That was more stress than I can handle," she moaned as Fitz turned to them with a curious glance. 

"Agreed. Mick said as he rubbed Jemma's back. "You did good, Sis. You did good." 

Jemma stepped back, looking at him with a goofy grin. 

"You haven't called me that in years," she teased. 

"Is it a problem?" Mick asked as she shook her head.

"Not at all, she leaned her head on Mick as the walked toward the lab.