The Girl on the Bus

Chapter 5 - A Sympathetic Ear

Dr. Kelly Olsen was lovely. Not physically, though she was a beautiful woman, but her presence was calming. Her smile was like being wrapped in a thick blanket while enjoying a mug of hot cocoa on a rainy day. Within minutes of sitting in her office, sneakers discarded and legs criss-cross applesauce on the big chair, a sense of safety had enveloped Kara.

"This is a judgment free zone," Kelly had promised, and Kara believed her.

The whole office was comforting with several stuffies, just begging to be hugged, in an oversized basket. Children's artwork, each in a frame, hung on the wall like a kindergarten gallery at the Met. Kelly's desk was one of those large oak pieces, the kind that would survive even if an earthquake brought down the whole building, but it sat at the opposite end of the room from where Kelly sat attentively in a chair, close enough to Kara to reach out and touch.

They talked for a half an hour about everything and nothing, the doctor even sharing little tidbits about herself. They were like two old friends who'd just met, and Kara slowly opened like a flower in the spring. The tension that had knotted her shoulders to steel melted away, and her arms, which had previously been crossed over her body, hung loose.

It wasn't until ten minutes before their session ended that Kelly said, "Your sister is worried about you."

"I know," Kara admitted. She knew, the neighbors knew, when things got heated, people a block or two over probably knew. Alex Danvers was many things, but subtle wasn't among them. "Did she tell you why?"

Kelly shook her head. "She told me you had some trauma in your past, and she didn't know if it was related to that, but lately, something about your behavior has been concerning her. Do you want to talk about it?"

No was the real answer, but she was here already, and the clock on the wall that had been spinning happily during their earlier conversations had decided to slow to a crawl. "I guess you could say I'm seeing someone, and Alex doesn't approve of her."

"Oh, and is this a romantic relationship?"

Kara bit her lip in a failed attempt to subdue her smile. "Yeah. I really like her, and she says she likes me too. She's a college student, just like me, though she's studying engineering, not art. She's nice, really listens to me, shares private stuff about herself with me. It's only been a couple of weeks, and I know that's fast, but I feel like I've known her forever."

"She sounds pretty special. Alex doesn't approve?"

"She doesn't."

"Is it because you're dating a girl? Not to be blunt, but I was fairly certain your sister was gay."

Kara couldn't stifle her laugh. "You mean because she looks gay, dresses gay, and only dates women?"

Kelly chuckled in return. "Yes, that last one was my deciding factor."

"It's not that," Kara said. "Alex doesn't see her, Lena, her name is Lena, not like I do."

"Lena, that's a pretty name." Kelly added some notes to her pad, and though Kara leaned forward, they were well out of view. "So, has Alex told you what she doesn't like about your girlfriend?"

"Oh, it's not that she doesn't like Lena, though I'm sure she doesn't. Alex doesn't see Lena."

Kelly only shook her head.

"Okay, so here's what happened. I saw Lena on the bus and spoke to her... eventually. We hit it off, and I wanted Alex to meet her, but when I took Alex there, she couldn't see Lena."

To Kelly's credit, she only quietly said, "Oh," before adding, "But you could."

Kara nodded.

"Could anyone else—" Kara was shaking her head before Kelly could get the question out. "I... see. So only you can see Lena."

"Yeah."

Casual note taking changed to frantic scribbles. Kara checked the clock again, waited as the second hand did a complete circuit without a word being spoken by either of them. Maybe she could just wait it out, and then she'd have to leave to make space for the next patient and—

"We're out of time, but I'd like to see you again," Kelly said. "Can you do the end of the week? I have some openings on Friday."

Talking to Kelly was nice even if a bit concerning at the end. Maybe Lena had been right, and Kara did need a confidant, someone to listen, someone trained and non-judgmental, but Kara had only promised Alex one session.

That meant the next session would be for Kara.

"Are you going to tell Alex what we talked about?"

"No. You're an adult. What we talk about stays between us. I promise."

Promises were as good as carved in marble in Kara's book. "I can do Friday."