Sacrifices

Chapter 6 - Time's Curse

The days were long and exhausting. Most nights Nia and Brainy looked after the pets as I worked late. I'd kept her apartment because I'd moved in before she disappeared, after everything I just didn't have the heart to leave it. Even the idea of leaving it and having her come back with nowhere to go just wasn't acceptable. 

One particularly long day left me to fall asleep in my chair, again. Hearing a door woke me slightly. What got me to open my eyes was the chair moving and a familiar smell as someone held me in their arms. 
"Kara?" It was apparent she hadn't realised I was awake as her breath hitched carrying me somewhere. 
"You should go home, Miss Luthor." 
"I am." I didn't hear anything after that, sleep had once again chased me away from the land of consciousness. It may have just been my imagination but I could've sworn there had been a kiss placed on my forehead. If only such a dream could be real. 

When I finally awoke the next morning I completely believed the sort of memory to be true. Believing her to have come see me made the day a little less dull. To cover the excruciating silence I'd chosen to leave the news on, when a mention of her came on I almost found myself feeling a little giddy. A lot of the details went in one ear and out the other, but not all of them.
"The city is safe for now, but what happened to Supergirl?" By now my attention was solely on the monitor. "Sources claim the girl of steel faced resistance while helping to land the plane, with others saying there were green flashes across her body." How did someone else get Kryptonite? The DEO and I were the only ones who were supposed to access. She could be dying, or dead. Where could she be? "And we have some breaking news for you folks. One of our reporters have spotted her falling through National city itself. Over to you, Mike." She was nearby, I had to help her. I needed to find her. 
"Thank you Claire," the news report only stayed on until I had enough evidence to find her.

The heels had been ditched by this point, trainers were the way to go for this one. My elevator had been quick to take me to ground level and no one dared stand in the way of my walking. The look on my face was synonymous with the last thing they would ever see, should they attempt to stop me. I was getting to my hero before she died. This my chance to be her hope, and be it I shall.

Thankfully for habit, my phone was in my pocket so I pulled it out to call Alex. She answered almost immediately.
"Lena, do you have anything for me?" We had the same goal here, formalities could be tossed aside.
"I think she's trying to get to L-Corp, meet us there? She needs help."
"I know." The same worry hung over us both like smog, clouding the clear skies and slowing our breathing. We couldn't loose her again when we hadn't really got her back yet. As I hung up, the hero in question started her descent and air Supergirl was coming in hot. With kryptonite in her system this was gonna hurt.

The crater started at my feet, carved around a twitching Supergirl. Earth's defender lay almost lifeless before me, why her? I was by her side in but a second. The poor woman barely able to hold on to consciousness as everyone walked as if this were any other day. My body ached at the pain of it, my insides burning like no pain I'd ever felt before. Who knew psychological pain could cause such real trauma? I didn't believe it possible until it happen to me. Thankfully I was saved from having to look after Kara myself when the DEO ushered me out of the way. I was only a normal, and surprised they let a Luthor so close.

Brainy and Alex did their best to stabilise her while still working to get her to the DEO, thankfully the transport vehicle had an extra seat for me. The words used about Supergirl didn't make me so thankful however. My body still ached as I heard her screams. She didn't deserve any of this. She should've been given time to heal surrounded by people who loved her and only a few weeks after returning she was fighting for her life, again. There was this growing anger rising in me. The superheroes helped us, but who helped them?

No. Alex had yelled a phrase I had long ago memorised.
"Set up my office, coming in hot." She needed the real medical tools for this, and possibly a suped up defibrillator. Overhearing to find good news had only bought the opposite. 

I was torn from the thoughts by the doors being flung open. The patient had been rushed out first as I followed along behind, I wasn't going to just let her leave this time, or leave her. All the way to the operating room I followed them. Somehow I even made it past the doors, into the very room. As I stood in the corner, watching, waiting, hoping I found myself talking quietly to her, there was always a possibility she could hear me afterall. I told her to keep fighting, promised to buy her all the potstickers she could eat, told her I loved her and promised to wait, no matter how long it took.

Hours later the surgery was finally done. The success of the operation was still unknown but her heart was beating and that was the real important bit. A fall from that height with Kryptonite in her system should've surely killed her as it would've anyone else. She'd never been that good at following the rules of nature, so here she was. Kryptonite cuffs had been used to tie her to the bed too, there was no way she was pulling out any important cables this time. She was going to survive, she had to and whether she liked it or not she needed our help.

Author's Note:
In the words of a vine legend,
"Honey, there's a big storm coming." That is all.
~ Sophie