Chapter Text
Melinda tossed and turned in bed in her childhood bedroom. She got up wearily after a few minutes when she couldn’t continue to ignore the urge to go to the toilet anymore. She still had about three months to go and then her body would keep changing but there was likely no end in sight for several years yet in terms of waking up several times overnight.
On her way back past the guest room, Melinda’s senses tuned in to the sounds emanating from the room. Phil was in there and he sounded distressed. Melinda hesitated before opening the door but she couldn’t simply walk away from him. Her mother had pointedly shown them to separate bedrooms but at least at no point during the tense dinner conversation had there been a question about their usual sleeping arrangements.
Melinda carefully slid into the bed next to Phil and his restless movements immediately abated. He wrapped his arms around her form and pressed his face into her neck with a soft sigh. Melinda closed her eyes but could not get back to sleep. She could feel her baby kicking and it was a strange sensation to be lying with her partner in the guest room bed of her mother’s home. Her thoughts skipped through a whole host of different subjects. She wondered how Clint and Laura were doing. Now that their baby was due in a few weeks, Clint had already gone on leave. Melinda remembered the desperate measures the team had been forced to take to ensure that he could make it in time for Cooper’s birth. No one wanted to do that again.
Surprisingly Natasha had taken some time off too though not for as long as Clint. She was heading off somewhere for a while but would be back to help with babysitting Cooper when Laura was closer to her due date. Laura’s parents were lovely people but Clint was understandably paranoid about the safety of his son when Laura and him would be fully occupied with the delivery of their daughter. Cooper and Natasha adored each other and she was easily persuaded to be around to care for him. Maria was working hard as usual but had made the effort to not be too far away. In case of an unlikely emergency where the Barton family or Natasha needed extra support, Maria would be there. It went unsaid that Phil would drop everything and rush over if needed. Melinda herself was not in a state to provide much support for anyone else. They had an incredibly close team who were like family.
Melinda sighed as she thought on the word family. She easily interpreted the looks on her parents’ faces when they had arrived. Phil had been a chattering pile of nerves and quickly busied himself with getting their bags into the house without making eye contact with them. Melinda held her head high and stared back defiantly at her father then at her mother when she was out of the car. It had been an arduous ordeal to get through dinner but Phil had been staunchly by her side and in her opinion recklessly brave in defending her honour. They had asked about Andrew and no doubt her mother would call and talk to the man himself at some point but in the end, her parents acknowledged that what was done simply had to be faced. There was no undoing or improving past events. They could only move forward.
Phil’s hold on her loosened and Melinda was still wide awake. She decided that she would go to the kitchen and make herself some tea. The lack of sleep didn’t bother her too much but her dark thoughts did. She climbed out of the bed slowly and made her way downstairs. Melinda paused when she saw that her mother was up too. Lian May had made a pot of tea and there was another cup set out beside her.
Melinda knew that her mother had already picked up on her approach and decided that there was really no point in avoidance. Melinda joined her mother at the kitchen table. They both sipped their tea in silence. Melinda got up and stretched a little in between sips. It was a black tea with rose accents and it smelled wonderful.
“Have you told his mother yet?” asked Lian abruptly.
Melinda shook her head silently. She had not really meant to keep something like this a secret from their parents for such a length of time. It had taken her a long time to be able to accept what was happening due to their circumstances. Phil had been her rock, waiting and supporting her decisions. To be able to cope with getting through with her pregnancy, Melinda had buried a lot of her emotional turmoil in relation to the horrific events in Bahrain. The explanation to her parents had been as simplified as they could manage. For various reasons, Phil was tongue-tied and quiet anyway. Lian and William were both aware that there was a lot left unsaid but had chosen not to question them too deeply so far. In this case, Melinda was very grateful that it was the norm that her family were loving but usually restrained in their emotional dealings anyway. They had never been the family that regularly had long chats to share their lives with each other frequently.
Melinda and Phil both had no doubt that Julie Coulson would be just thrilled beyond measure at the news of expecting a grandchild. Melinda had accompanied Phil on a few visits home and before her whirlwind romance and marriage to Andrew, Julie had dropped many not-so-subtle hints about how she thought that the partners were meant to be together. Phil remained very close to his mother and they did chat a lot regularly though Phil was limited in what he could share of his life at times. They would travel to stay for a few days with Julie when they left Lian’s place. They both knew that it would be the harder challenge to deal with telling the news to Melinda’s parents.
“QiaoLian, you know that we will always support you and that you and your child will be safe and welcome in our homes,” pronounced Lian, looking at her daughter.
Melinda could feel herself getting teary at her mother’s words. She understood that her parents loved her and that ultimately the reason that they were having a hard time with all this was that they wanted her to be loved and secure when she had her baby. In their eyes, being in a stable relationship and married would have provided that kind of security for her future. Melinda wished they could understand that Phil was completely committed to being the best father that he could and that he would do his best for her welfare too.
“Phil Coulson is a good man. We do not understand why you are not married but we do know that he will take care of you and the baby. We just want what is best for you, our only child,” continued Lian.
“He is and he will,” whispered Melinda, who was choked up with emotion at her mother’s words. She was so relieved and happy that her parents did understand to a certain extent. She could tangibly sense the warmth of her mother’s love and care for her.
“Mama, thank you,” whispered Melinda as her mother stood up from the table. Lian smiled softly, brushed a lock of hair from her face and gently gripped her shoulder for a while. Melinda grasped her mother’s hand on her shoulder affectionately. It was a sweetly poignant moment that would be stored forever in both their memories.
“You are our amazing daughter and you will be a wonderful mother,” said Lian after a few moments then she hugged her daughter and went back to bed.