Putting Back The Pieces

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Skye surprised Simmons by getting May on board with the notes idea. Simmons had thought May would stick with Coulson, but apparently she was ready to help.

Visiting hours were on Thursdays, so that's when it all began. Skye was the first to slip a note under the blanket on Fitz's bed. Gillian had the job of helping Fitz decode the message, and each Thursday the cycle started over.

At first, Simmons thought everything was going fine, and that Fitz would get better faster. He started to form longer sentences, but he started to forget words that had been so easy to fire off before the accident.

One Thursday, while she sat with him, he talked about unthinkable things.

"Simmons?"

"Yes, Fitz?"

"What... what would the team do if I left?"

"What do you mean? You can't exactly leave when you're stuck in the Med Ward of a safe house."

"No. I mean like... like, if I died."

"Fitz, why would ever think about that?" Simmons was scared and so sad at the same time.

"It just seems like, like I'm, so close." He looked right at Simmons, and she knew that Fitz was telling the truth about what he thought. That's what hurt her the most.

"Fitz, you're not dying. You're getting better every day. And if.. If you did, they'd never forget about you."

"What about you?"

"I would never forget you, Fitz. You know that!" Simmons laid her head on his shoulder, leaning back on the chair, "And right now, I will do everything I can do to help you get better." Her heart still ached, though, with the thoughts of what she might do if he did die. Fitz read her mind.

"Simmons, if I do die, promise me one thing."

"Of course Fitz." Her voice wavered.

"Don't follow me." He looked at her the way he had underwater, when he told her that she meant so much to him. When he had pressed the button. Jemma's heart broke, and tears followed.

"I'll try, Fitz," She said, and kissed his cheek. Simmons got up and walked out, and silently shut the door.

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Simmons found it hard the next week to write the final letter. It would be about what had happened underwater, and she could hardly get a few sentences without getting stressed about what it would do to Fitz. He was already in bad shape, so Simmons thought throwing a bunch of terribly sad stuff into his head might hurt him.

Still, she forced herself to write, 0 after 0, 1 after 1.

"Agent Simmons?" Simmons flew around. It was Coulson.

"Sir! What, what are you doing here?" She strategically placed herself so she hid the letter.

"Just came to say that Triplett got out of the MedWard, and to ask how Fitz is doing. I haven't been able to get down there as much as I'd like."

"Oh. He's not doing the best lately. I hope he'll do better soon." Coulson frowned at that, but then noticed how she was awkwardly leaning, and his expression went serious.

"Simmons?"

"Yes, sir?"

"What are you hiding?" Jemma's stomach flopped. There wasn't much she could do now.

"What? I'm not hiding anything."

"Simmons. Are you secretly communicating with Fitz?" Simmons sighed. There wasn't a way to keep him from knowing.

"Yes, sir," She said quietly.

"Simmons, I thought I could trust you! This is probably what's declining Fitz's health. Why did you do this?"

"He wanted to know what happened.... and I tried to help him. And now that I think about it, it probably is preventing him from getting better. I'm in the way; he's too worried about me.

"Sir, I request a temporary release." At this, Coulson's expression softened immediately.

"Simmons, I didn't-"

"No, it's not you who made me think that. I know that I need to help him, and this is the best way. Please, sir." Coulson sighed, and Jemma's stomach continued to flop.

She was really leaving. She was about to say goodbye to everything she knew for awhile. But she thought she was doing the right thing, so that slowed the flopping.

"Okay, Simmons. I'll have Koenig bring you to wherever you'd like to go tomorrow morning. Are you sure?"

"Yessir. It's the right thing." Coulson smiled weakly and confiscated the letter. Without thinking, Simmons hugged him and cried. He let her stay there until she pulled away.

"Can... can I say goodbye to Fitz tomorrow morning?"

"Of course." Coulson walked out, leaving Simmons to pack her things.

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Jemma had decided that the best place to go to was her parents' house in London. Fitz's mother visited there a lot, so she hoped to speak to her as well. His mother was a wonderful person, and she needed to know what had happened.

Early that morning, Simmons dragged her suitcase with her to the MedWard. She left it outside the Ward and made her way silently to Fitz's room. Her lanyard had been temporarily fixed, so she could make one last visit.

He was sleeping peacefully when she came in. Fitz was a deep sleeper, unfortunately, and wouldn't wake up until he made himself. Simmons watched him, and the tears ran down her face. She bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Goodbye, Fitz. I'll be back to help you if this doesn't work. See you soon, okay?" Silence. She kissed his forehead and stood up, wiping tears out of her eyes.

"I hope," She whispered to herself.