A/N: This got way too long and WAY too serious. I'm sorry...okay, not really. Enjoy!

If having one arm strapped up in a cast wasn't bad enough for poor Skye, she had been struck down with a nasty viral infection ten days into the wearing of the cast.

A really nasty virus.

It had all started with a little cough and the complaint of feeling cold four or five hours before when the team were all getting ready to head off their separate ways for the night. May had thought Skye had been particularly quiet since waking up in the morning but she hadn't thought it a cause for concern. Generally, it was unusual for Skye to complain about feeling unwell, but May had tasked it down to her irritable grumpiness that still came with having the cast on.

By the third time Skye mentioned not feeling so good, adding a headache and nausea to the list, May had just given her a cuddle, a couple of paracetamol and sent her off to bed, brushing it off as her feeling a little under the weather and possibly being still tired from a day of one-handed hacking. Sometimes Skye got headaches from staring at the computer for too long, but they were nothing a good night's sleep couldn't handle.

May had tucked Skye in, left her with a glass of water and a kiss on the cheek.

"Night, baby. You'll feel better in the morning." May had said.

Skye had grabbed her sleeve. "Stay, Mama? Please."

"Sleep. Bedtime." May had stroked her hair until her breathing had evened out and the hold on her sleeve had slackened.

And then, May had left. She'd closed Skye's bedroom door, and gone back to the room she shared with Phil, climbed into bed and fallen asleep in the arms of the man she loved. Before sleeping, she had given Skye a second thought. A third, fourth, fifth. But then, after the thoughts of her little girl, May had fallen asleep.

However, a gut feeling had May leaving Coulson sleeping in bed, to get up and check in on Skye a few hours later. Something had woken her up. Instincts. And May trusted her instincts. She walked the short distance to Skye's room, only to find her water untouched and Skye running a dangerous fever, slipping in and out of consciousness.

As May rushed into Skye's room and sat on the edge of the bed, Skye watched her with glazed eyes, frighteningly expressionless.

"Baby." May said, stroking back the sweaty hair off Skye's forehead. Her eyes drifted off to the corner of the room. "Baby girl, look at me. Come on, Skye." Instead of their desired affect, May's words seemed only to soothe Skye enough to close them, the exact opposite of what she wanted to do.

"Skye, look at me." May was fully aware she was beginning to panic, taking Skye's shoulders and shaking her slightly more then gently. "You need to stay awake for me, honey." She was also well aware that her panicking was not aiding Skye in any way.

May needed someone who knew what they were doing. She needed a doctor she could trust. She needed Simmons. Skye needed Jemma, she was the only one who would know what to do, who May trusted with her life.

Skye made a little whimpering sound and her hand reached out to May blindly.

"Oh, baby. I know, I know." May touched her cheek and held her hand. The contrast in temperatures was frightening.

Skye's eyes opened again, this time, although still glazed, seemed to focus on May's face. Her mouth opened and closed and her lips trembled.

"I'm going to get Jemma, okay, baby?" She kissed her head and recoiled at the heat in the touch. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get help, baby." May extracted her hand from Skye's. There was no resistance but her eyes followed May to the door.

She didn't want to leave her, felt awful for it, but there was no other way. Skye's room didn't have an intercom like her and Coulson's, and she didn't have her phone on her.

May sprinted down the hall. "For fuck's sake." She hissed. Jemma's room was one of the furthest from Skye's, a few turns before she even reached the right hallway.

"Simmons" May called. "Simmons!" The voice that called didn't even sound like herself. "Jemma, Jemma."

Simmons' door opened before May even reached it, and the alert nature of the young doctor as she stepped into the hall suggested she hadn't even been to sleep yet.

"What's wrong?" Simmons asked, already jogging to follow May back to Skye's room without question.

A bleary eyed Trip wandered out of his room, presumably woken by the commotion. He joined the convoy with May and Jemma.

"What's-," he began.

"Something's wrong with Skye." May said. "She, she said she felt sick before, but I just thought-," May swallowed as she reached the bedroom door, rushing to Skye's side.

She hadn't moved. Her eyes were closed again. "Wake up, Skye." May sat on the floor by the bed and tapped Skye's cheek but her eyes didn't open.

Simmons pushed past her. "Get Coulson." She said to Trip. "Get all my med stuff, just get- get everything."

"I don't know what…" Trip frowned at Skye. "I don't what it looks like."

"Wake up Fitz. Tell him to help you." Jemma was pressing one hand to Skye's clammy forehead and the other to her pule points. Trip hadn't moved. "Go." She barked at him and he sprinted off.

"What did she say was wrong?" Simmons asked, all business. It was almost frightening how quickly she could change from 'Jemma' to 'Doctor Simmons'. "What did she say was the matter?"

May swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her concern for Skye was overwhelming her concentration on Jemma's questions. Skye wasn't even moving when Simmons checked her pupils. She wasn't moving.

"May?" Jemma said.

"What?"

"Tell me, what did she say was wrong?"

May stammered for one of the first times in her life. "Skye, she, she…I…she just said she didn't feel good."

"In what way?" Simmons had stripped the duvet off of the bed and was running a pen along the bottoms of Skye's feet. Her expression gave nothing away.

"A cough. Headache." May shook her head, desperate to remember anything else. "Said she was cold. She felt sick."

"Sick?" Jemma didn't look away from her inspection of Skye.

"Like she was going to throw up. But she didn't. I just gave her some Paracetamol and put her to bed. She was fine." May looked at the pale skin of her little girl. "I thought she was fine."

Simmons looked up, catching May's eye. "This isn't your fault."

The room suddenly became stifling. Cramped.

Fitz entered, and like Simmons was all business. May caught his worried glance at Skye, but just as quick it was gone and he was all for taking Jemma's orders, passing her equipment without argument, the lingering awkwardness between them gone in the light of the crisis.

Trip stood in the doorway, a permanent frown marring his usually cool features. His arms were folded across his chest.

Phil dropped down by May's side. He was still in his sleepwear, but he was as alert as ever.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't know." May said. "She was fine. I swear, Phil, when I left her, she was fine. She was fine." A sob shook May's shoulders, and Phil pulled her against him before any of the others could pick up on it.

"Mel, she'll be okay." He said. "Skye's tough."

Skye coughed. It was a gruesome sound, not healthy, and the action caused her whole body to lurch. More coughs racked Skye until the spasms seemed to shake the whole bed.

"Sit her up." Simmons said. "Up, up. Sit her up."

May practically dragged Skye up by her armpits and Jemma forced Skye to bend over, the coughing never stopping.

"Get it up, Skye." Jemma was saying, patting Skye's chest. "You're alright."

May rubbed her little girl's back, almost sitting behind her on the bed. She pulled her hair back from her face as Skye began coughing up globs of disgusting bloody mucus.

"That's it." Simmons praised, holding a dish under her mouth. "Good girl. That's it. Get it all out."

Phil rubbed Skye's arm as the coughs began to subside, giving way to frightened sobs.

"Mama." Skye cried. "Mama."

"She's here, she's here." Simmons was saying, seemingly doing thirty things at once with various pieces of equipment. After all this was over, May made a mental note to give Jemma Simmons a hug. A proper one.

"Want Mama." Skye wailed, speech slurring in the fever induced haze.

May hugged Skye close her chest, pulling her onto her lap best she could without dislodging the thermometer from her ear that Simmons held in there.

"Who do you think's giving you a cuddle, silly?" Jemma said, voice decidedly cheery despite her frown at the thermometer. "A hundred and five point eight." She mumbled to Fitz, though May heard. Coulson too had apparently picked up on it, if his expression were anything to go by.

"Bloody hell." Fitz mumbled. "We got something to take that down?"

May tuned out Simmons' instructions to Fitz. He was drawing up something in a syringe, any lack of strength in his hand impossible to be seen in the way he moved so dexterously. Skye's whole body lurched again and May stroked back her hair helplessly and whispered nonsense in her ear as Simmons caught awful fluid Skye coughed up.

"Ssh baby." May soothed. "It's alright, it's okay."

"Mama." Skye sobbed. "It's…Mama it's…hurts-," She retched as another coughing fit took over.

"You're alright. You're okay." May said, holding her as close as she possibly could without causing Skye anymore pain.

"Skye, try your very best to keep still, okay?" Simmons said. "I'm going to take some blood and give you some medicine in your hand."

May wasn't entirely certain that Skye could even conjure up enough cognitive ability to complete even the most basic of tasks. Simmons was telling her to keep still, but May was holding her and she could feel the heat of Skye's fever through her clothes. That, and Skye's continuous spewing of utter gibberish was what convinced May her little girl had no clue as to what was going on.

"It's…it's, Mama, on th'other day, Mama?" Skye craned her head to look at May. "Yes. On th'other day."

May nodded and stroked her cheek. "I know." She said, completely at a loss.

"What the hell is she talking about?" May heard Trip say.

Simmons poked a needle into Skye's hand on her good arm and drew some blood. Skye's face crumpled and she burst into tears, pushing her face into May's neck.

"She's confused." Simmons said to Trip. "Fever is causing a lack of lucidity."

"But what's wrong with her?" Trip said.

Jemma passed Fitz an empty syringe, apparently having injected Skye without May noticing. "Trip, you want to help?" Jemma snapped.

He nodded eagerly and took a step further into the room. Jemma held out a couple of vials of Skye's blood. "Take them down to the lab. Someone will be down there. Tell whoever's there to do full blood work, test for viral pneumonia."

May looked up to Simmons. Phil grabbed May's arm. "Pneumonia? That's what you think?" He asked.

"Maybe." Jemma said. She looked back to Skye who was still mumbling every few seconds but was no longer weeping. Whatever drugs she'd given her were kicking in. "Probably. I think it is pneumonia. Almost certain. She has all the classical symptoms."

"I didn't think pneumonia was that bad." Trip said.

Jemma pointed at him. "Go to the lab, Trip. Now."

Trip ducked out of the room without a pause but he was immediately replaced with Hunter and Bobbi, both looking suspiciously dishevelled but worried.

"What the bloody hell's going on?" Hunter said, looking around the room from the doorway.

"Skye's poorly." Fitz said, standing up and packing away the things Jemma passed him.

"She okay?" Bobbi said.

"She will be." Jemma said with a smile. The doctor stood and took Skye's hand that still had the cannula in, giving it a gentle kiss. "Fitz, take that down." She passed him the cardboard container Skye had been coughing into.

If she weren't so worried about Skye, May would have laughed at the disgusted look on Fitz's face. Despite that, he took the container and the rest of the things Jemma apparently no longer needed and left the room. He said something May couldn't hear to Hunter and Bobbi as he left and they nodded and followed him out of the room.

It was probably better that Skye was crying and talking crap, than being completely unresponsive as she had been before, but it was just as frightening, May thought.

"I would ask to move her down into the med bay," Jemma said, putting the thermometer back into Skye's ear, "but I'm not sure it would do her any good when I can have the equipment brought back up here for her." Simmons took out the thermometer and smiled at the numbers. "A hundred point three. Much better."

"That's quick working stuff you gave her." Phil said, checking the numbers himself.

Simmons shrugged. "The benefits of working for SHIELD, I suppose." Jemma reached forwards and brushed her fingers over Skye's head. "You'll be okay, Skye. I'll make you better. I promise."

"Thank you." May said genuinely, and Simmons smiled.

"I know when she's like this it seems scary, it is scary." Simmons said, looking at where Skye was still sniffling in May's lap. "But I'm optimistic that this is a fluke illness that Skye can fight off. She's strong and Coulson's right." She smiled. "We've got some good medications in the lab. If it is pneumonia, then I can have her feeling much better in less than twelve hours."

"And if it's not?" May asked.

Simmons raised an unusually cocky eyebrow. "With all due respect, Agent May, I'm not often wrong."

May couldn't help but smirk at that. Jemma was not often so outspoken, but it made her feel a whole let better that their resident doctor seemed optimistic regarding her little girl's health.

"Right." Simmons clapped and began gathering the last of the medical things scattered on Skye's bed. "I'm going to run down to the lab, get checking on Skye's blood results, so listen." She addressed Phil and May with a seriousness that was not often seen in Jemma Simmons, so May listened up.

"Skye is one of my best friends in the entire world and I love her very much, so please know I am doing my absolute best at this moment in time. I'm not an MD but I'm a fantastic biochemist and I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

"We do." Coulson said without pause.

"Good." Jemma smiled brightly. "I'll be back as soon as I can with an IV for Skye but before then, you need to say with her." May found herself nodding along to Simmons's instructions, stroking Skye's hair to keep her calm. "If she starts coughing, try patting her chest, get her spit up anything she can. It's awful for everyone, mostly Skye, but it has to be done."

"Got it." Phil said.

Simmons continued. "Try and get her to have a drink. Just water for the minute, but if it's too distressing, don't force her. The drip will take care of any dehydration. Yes?"

They both nodded.

"Good. " Simmons held up the thermometer. "Keep checking her temperature, if it starts to creep back up, call me." She walked over to the door but turned around at the last second. "Oh, and Skye will be feeling rotten right now. She's probably a bit out of it with the drugs and the fever too, so lots of cuddles."

May smiled and hugged Skye a bit tighter in response.

"Are those cuddles prescription, Doctor Simmons?" Phil asked.

She grinned. "Of course. To be administered immediately." Jemma left the room and strode down the hall.

Coulson had been right. Whatever drug Simmons had given Skye to bring her temperature down was working fast. Skye's crying had stopped, and although May could feel her laboured breathing as she hugged Skye to her chest, she didn't seem to be in the same distress she was before.

May readjusted her position in order to rest more comfortably against the headboard, with Skye still in her arms.

"You okay, baby girl?" She asked quietly, kissing Skye on the cheek. May's anxieties dissipated slightly at the cooler feel of Skye's skin.

"Hmm." Skye made an incoherent noise and snuggled closer to May. She opened her eyes and looked up at her with a tired, but more focused expression now that the fever was breaking. "Mama?"

"What is it, baby?" May combed her fingers through Skye's hair. "I'm here. Mama's here."

Skye's face contorted and she coughed, making a horrific wheezing sound that had May patting her chest, just like Simmons had said.

"It's okay, it's okay." Phil said over and over until the coughing fit ended and Skye slumped back against May. He put the thermometer back in her ear and checked the numbers, nodding in satisfaction and putting it back to one side.

"You want some water, baby?" May asked, and Phil picked up the glass and offered it to Skye. She whined pathetically and hid her face in May's t-shirt. Phil put the glass back down on the dresser.

"Hurts, Mama." Skye mumbled into May's chest. She was half asleep and drooling onto her t-shirt but May couldn't have cared less, as long as she was okay. "M'sick."

"You are, baby." May agreed. She looked to Phil who was watching them both with a fond expression. "You gave me scare."

"And me." Phil said. "You are not allowed to terrify me this much, young lady."

At his words, Skye reached her broken arm out to him. Phil stroked an exposed part of her thumb.

"Scared you." Skye slurred. She had an almost drunk smile on her face as the drugs really kicked in. Skye huffed a little giggle and nuzzled her nose into May's chest. "Scared you, huh?"

May cradled her head. "Yes, you did. And not much scares me." She mumbled the last part and Coulson stood up from his position on Skye's carpet and kissed the side of May's head.

"When she's better, I'm going to kill her for putting us through this." He whispered in May's ear.

"It's not she could have helped it, Phil." She smirked.

May patted the spot next to her on the bed and Phil sat down, reaching over a hand to rub at Skye's back. She made a little content squeak as she began drifting back into sleep, rather than unconsciousness.

"New rule." He said. "All SHIELD employees must wear facial masks and carry hand sanitizer at all times."

"No point, it probably wouldn't have helped." Jemma Simmons announced as she marched into the bedroom, arms full of various medical equipment. "Skye's just been unlucky, I suspect. A bit of hand sanitizer wasn't going to stop this."

Another agent, presumably someone from the medical department followed Simmons in. "Thank you, Agent Davidson, just leave that there." Jemma said. The other agent kept his eyes averted from Skye's bed as he wheeled an IV next to Jemma and scampered out of the room.

"He seemed nice." Phil said.

"Bobbi and Hunter may have threatened him just a little bit before he came up here. I don't know what they said but he's been looking a little pale ever since." Simmons said. She turned her attention to Skye and smiled gently. "I take it she's been okay. No emergencies?" Jemma began pulling on a pair of latex gloves.

"No." May said. "She coughed a little but was okay after."

"And she just fell asleep a few seconds ago." Phil added.

"Yes." Jemma spoke as she worked on hanging the IV and preparing the cannula. "The drug we used to bring down her fever is strong but it's good. Just like this one." She walked around to the other side of Skye's bed, dragging the IV with her. "Can you just hold out her hand?"

May carefully, not to disturb Skye, lifted her unbroken hand to Jemma. "So whatever's in that IV is going to cure her?" She asked sceptically, eyeing the bag of suspiciously neon green fluid.

"Hopefully." Simmons said and May pulled back Skye's hand. "Hey! Do you want me to cure her or not?"

"I want you to tell me why you are planning on filling my daughter's veins with Cool Aid." May felt Phil tense beside her, but her stubbornness refused to allow her to look away from Jemma.

Simmons smirked at May. "I can assure you, Agent May, that I am very capable of allocating the correct drug to the infection. Your daughter," Jemma smiled and May rolled her eyes at Jemma's pure delight, "is in safe hands." Simmons reached out for Skye's hand again, turning back into serious Doctor mode. "This drug was designed by one of SHIELD's best chemical researchers. She's easily the best in anti-viral drug development."

May held out Skye's hand. "Who?"

Jemma pushed the cannula in. "Me."

The green liquid began its steady drip into Skye's bloodstream and Simmons wrapped her hand gently with bandages to cover the cannula.

Phil smiled and petted Skye's hair. "Well, I suppose we can trust it will work, then. Huh, Mel?" He nudged her arm.

"I guess." She said with a monotone, but she smiled at Jemma.

"Although I must apologise for the colour." Simmons said as she began putting various packets from the equipment into the trash. "I've been trying for years to get it to run clear." She shook her head at the IV bag hanging on the stand. "Always green. Always."

"As long as it makes her better." May kissed Skye's head again.

"It will." Simmons said, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Skye's arm. "It is pneumonia, by the way. I checked the results myself. But she'll be fine." Jemma reached forward to press a kiss to her cheek. "Won't you, Skye? You'll be better before you know it, darling."

Skye made a little noise in her sleep and grabbed at May's shirt. She didn't look as pale or clammy as she had not so long ago, and though her breathing still rattled in her chest, May had every faith that Jemma's drug would do the job.

"Thank you, Jemma." May said sincerely. "Really."

"Skye's my best friend." She smiled. "I'd do anything for her."

"Yeah." May said, looking down at her little girl. "I know the feeling."

A/N: Hey! Review please if you would like to see more in this series I've got going on! If you have any suggestions, let me know. :)