Something Worth Saving

Chapter 16

"I don't believe it," Coulson whispered, wide eyed as he stared at Trip and Skye.

"Believe it," Skye grinned, "because he is here to stay."

"Can't get rid of me that easily, boss," Trip joked as Coulson continued to stare.

"But you-how?"

"I'll explain later, AC, right now I think we should probably spread the good word."

Coulson nodded vacantly and then snapped back to reality, "right, you're right. Trip, feel like having a medical exam?"

Trip scrunched up his nose, "not really, but I don't have a choice, do I?"

Skye laughed and patted his shoulder as she walked in front of him. "Not in the slightest."

Coulson knocked on the door to the med-bay. "Simmons, can you perform a routine checkup for an old friend, please?"

Simmons looked up from her microscope and gasped. "Trip. But you-you died! How are you here?"

Trip scoffed, "Hydra? Take me down? Please."

Simmons stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "I'm glad you're back."

He grinned and returned the hug. "Me too. Now, I'm ready to get this medical exam over with."

She nodded and moved towards her desk to grab a stethoscope while he took a seat in the chair across from her desk. He pulled off his shirt and Simmons rested the stethoscope on his chest. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "your heart rate is different."

"Simmons, I was changed just like Skye was," he said quietly.

She nodded and then turned to Coulson, "were going to start running out of quarantine rooms." She then turned back to Trip. "After I take a blood sample, Coulson can take you to your room. I'm sorry to keep you in quarantine, but it's only for a little while for observation.

He nodded and smiled. "I understand."

"Good," she smiled as she started to draw blood.

Trip turned to Skye. "You're right, Dr. Simmons is pokey."

Skye pointed at Trip and looked at Simmons. "See?!"

Simmons rolled her eyes as she removed he needle from Trip. "It's science!"

Trip laughed and put his shirt back on. He stood up and walked towards Coulson and Skye. "Lead the way."

They left the med-bay and walked towards the hallway with the quarantine rooms. On the way, they made their way through the lounge.

Skye's eyebrow raised as she saw Fitz, Ward, Hunter, and Mack playing poker. "You're out of your room."

Ward looked up and shrugged.

Hunter smiled up at her. "Fitz was okay with it and Mack and I never knew the guy, so we didn't have a grudge against him in the first place."

Mack nodded in agreement.

Trip and Coulson stepped through the doorway a moment later. Ward's eyes widened and he pointed at Trip. "You died."

"So I've been told," Trip replied. "I must've been gone a while, because last I checked, you were living in the basement."

Ward opened his mouth to reply but Skye came to his rescue. "I'll explain everything later. To everyone," she clarified. "Just let me get him settled."

She took Trip by the arm and led him towards his room. She opened the door and led him inside. She then moved to the glass enclosure inside the room and opened the glass door. "Here you are."

Trip bowed as he walked past. "Thank you."

Skye grinned as she closed the door behind him. "Anytime. Simmons said she would be here in a minute to help get you settled. Let me know if you need anything," she smiled as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

She crossed the hallway and knocked on the door to Katrina's room. She opened the door when she heard Lincoln and Katrina laughing with each other and both occupants in the room looked up when they heard her enter. "Skye," Lincoln smiled as he looked up from his tablet, "how can I help you?"

"I'm actually here to tell Katrina something. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Simmons needed an extra hand around here. I'm a doctor so I volunteered. I'm just checking her vitals like Simmons normally does."

Katrina tilted her head to the side as she looked at Skye. "There's another Inhuman here."

Skye nodded. "That's what I came to tell you. I brought in Trip. He used to work for us, we were friends, so he agreed to come along."

"Can I see him?" she asked desperately.

"When you get out in a week," Skye smiled sympathetically. "He'll be out then too."

Katrina frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay."

"Wait, isn't Trip the guy that died?" Lincoln spoke up, confused. "He's here?"

"He transformed just like we did, except he was invisible, which is why I couldn't see him when his shell broke."

"So how do you know him?" Lincoln directed the question at Katrina.

"I sensed him nearby. I could tell he was confused so I approached him," she shrugged. "I explained what was happening and I helped him learn how to use his powers. He's been with me since then."

"You helped him learn how to use his powers?" Skye's eyebrows shot up. Katrina nodded and then Skye asked, "do you think you could help us?"

"I do."