Chapter 22: Hurt

Disclaimer: I continue to own nothing at all.

"Ohmygod, Phil! Are you okay? Have you been keeping pressure on the wound? How much blood have you lost? Don't worry, I'm right here and I'm calling for a medical unit," I babble as I drop to my knees beside him and scramble for another piece of fabric to apply pressure with. I also manage to smack myself on the head as I rush to press the button on my earpiece to summon a medical dispatch to us. Phil just watches me fret with a little grin playing on his lips.

"Don't scare me like that again please, Ms. Greene," he finally murmurs after I've gotten my distress message out.

"Sure, like you're one to talk Phil. You got just as stabbed as I did and you don't have magical healing," I snap back softly. He's lost so much blood.

"Eve…"

"Phil, hush. Don't waste your energy."

"Your eyes turned blue," he continues anyway.

"They did?" I look up at him startled. His eyes are even more serious than usual. He is really starting to scare me.

"They still are, but they were practically glowing. I thought we'd lost you for sure."

"We?"

"The team needs you, Eve."

"Team? What team? Besides why would they need me? Phil, you are obviously delirious from blood loss. What S.H.I.E.L.D. needs, that I need, is a level headed good guy like you. You keep us crazies grounded, ya know. Fury wouldn't be able to function without you. Neither would I. So I need you to stop wasting your energy speaking nonsense and start focusing on staying awake, okay?" I croak out. He's talking like he's dying. He's not allowed to die. Nope. Nopity nope nope. I refuse.

He just smiles at me. Always has smiles for me. Even when I'm being silly or annoying. Even when I've completely messed everything up. One year of smiles isn't enough. I need more. I need a life time full of my favorite suit's smiles.I blink away the tears burning in my eyes as best I can and apply yet more pressure to the wound.

Suddenly the doors open and Fury and a couple other agents run in.

"Did Loki get away?" asks Fury enters.

"WHO CARES?! Phil's hurt! Help him!" I shout at Nick.

To say I am currently freaking out is a complete understatement. Like seriously. My brain feels like it's been set aflame. Fury finally seems to notice the blood as he quickly comes over to kneel in front of Phil.

"Sorry, boss," Phil chokes out, "The god rabbited."

"Don't apologize, Phil. That's on me," I reassure him as best I can, but my voice isn't working the best right now. Something feels stuck in my throat. He just shakes his head slightly.

"Just stay awake. Eyes on me," Fury tells Phil.

"No, I'm clocking out here," Phil tells us.

I think that thing stuck in my throat is my heart.

"Phil no…"

"Not an option," Fury informs Phil.

"Damn right, it's not," I agree vehemently.

"It's okay, boss," Phil insists.

"NO IT'S NOT!" I cry out as I feel tears well up in my eyes and start streaming down my face. Phil reaches out and places his hand on top of mine which are still holding my jacket to his wound in what is likely a totally useless attempt to keep him alive. He may have given up, but I refuse.

"This was never going to work," Phil continues, "if they, if you, didn't have something… to…"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence. His voice fades away and leaves him and then his breath does the same as he slumps over slightly.

"Phil? Phil, no. Please, Phil. Don't…"

Fury stands and gentle pulls me up as well so we're out of the way as the medical unit finally arrives. I want to fight him. I want to hit him. I want to scream and rage and tear this entire ship apart. But I don't. Phil wouldn't want that. Phil wouldn't want me crying either, but I think he'll concede me this one point. And so I cry. I let the tears just flow as much as they want because I know I won't be able to stop them even if I tried.

Then something strange happens. Fury reaches out to me and puts his arm around me.

Then I do something really crazy. Something crazy enough to finally get me shot. I turn my head into Nick's shoulder and sob my heart out. But surprisingly, Nick just lets me. If today wasn't one of the worst days of my life I'd be shouting hallelujah because this is a miracle.

I'm sure to the other agents we were the most unusual sight in the entire world. Nick Fury comforting a crying me.

By the time my sobs finally quiet if not subside, Phil's body is being removed from the room. I step away from Nick and find myself staring at the blood staining the wall. He softly pats my shoulder before reaching up to turn on his radio.

"Agent Coulson is down," he reveals to those on the channel.

"A medical team is on it's way to your location," one agent quickly fires back.

"They're here," Fury replies. "They called it."

I can't help the new wave of sobs that rack my body.

"Eve," Nick turns to me, "is all that blood Phil's?"

"..."

"Come on," he bids me to follow him.

"I'm fine, Nick, advanced healing and all that," I try to convince him. I can't look away from where Phil had been. This doesn't make sense. Why would Phil be the one to fall? Fall? Really? Isn't it funny how people almost never say "died" or "death"? We find so many other ways to say it, to distance ourselves from it, because it hurts too much to confront head on. But that's what happened. Phil died. Loki killed him in cold blood right in front of me. Phil is dead. He's gone. Forever... Phil's gone...forever…

Once again I feel Nick's hand land on my shoulder. It startles me enough to pull my attention away from the stain that's already turning to the color of rust.

"Come on, Eve, advanced healing or not I want you cleaned up and looked at. Just in case," Nick insists while guiding me out of the room and towards the medbay.

"Why?" I ask while dragging my feet as much as possible.

"I'm not losing another person, Eve," Nick admits so quietly I actually think I imagined it due to blood loss.

I don't say anything again until we're right outside the medbay.

"Nick?" I ask while resolutely looking at my feet.

"Yes?"

"Did Phil… did Phil really say what I think he said?"

"What do you think he said?"

I look up into Nick's face as I answer, "I think he said he wants to use his death as a rallying point for this supposed team. To get us all to work together to take down Loki."

Nick neither confirms nor denies it as he opens the medbay doors and ushers me in. He then leaves me in the hands of the agents inside to clean up and get a quick check-up to make sure I'm alright even though I am. When I am deemed both clean and healthy, if a bit weak and in need of some rest and food, I'm told to report back to the command center.