Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first thing she feels is pain. Everywhere. But, it's not a normal pain that stabs and fades or a dull ache that tweaks with every twist - it's a deep-seated pain. One that she knows is supposed to be much stronger than it is, but it's subdued at the moment. One that will make her scream, but right now it just reminds her of what to come once the medicine wears off. It's unnerving in its patience.

The second thing she feels is cold. Air-conditioned air biting at her exposed arms and face. Then comes the dryness of her throat and the stickiness of her eyelashes. Both minor inconveniences are exaggerated by the bone-weary pain she's avoiding.

Finally, comes the headache inducing sound. The dull hum of the air-conditioner, the ticking of the clock overhead, the incessant beeps of the monitors creating a cacophony of sounds that stab at the neurons in her brain.

She grimaces, then grunts at the pain that shoots through her face when the grimace itself hurts.

Fuck me, she thinks. 

Slowly, groggily, Lena opens her eyes and takes in the room around her.

Too bright is her first thought. Her eyes squeeze shut and her fists squeeze the white sheets pooling around her.

Slowly, slowly she tries again, prepared this time for the blinding overhead lights. It doesn't burn as badly, but her eyes water nonetheless, rivering down her cheeks as her blinks turn rapid to clear the film.

Lena sighs when her eyes finally adjust, hesitant to look around the room before she checks that all of her extremities are, in fact, still working. She wiggles her toes and clenches her thighs, suppressing a groan when the muscles respond with a deep ache. Her fingers stretch in her hands and she raises her arms mere millimeters off the mattress before letting them fall back to the safety of the bed.

She huffs out a breath. Okay, how the fuck did I end up here?

She looks down at her arm when there's a sharp tug against her left. Wires upon wires are coming from the crease of her elbow and the back of her hand, and, oh god, she mentally bemoans.

Last thing I remember I was driving to dinner with Ka-

"Kara," She shoots up as much as she can with all of her injuries and wires attached, enough for her back to seize as she looks around the room. Her throat burns, scratchy from disuse.

She's alone in a hospital room, and she needs to know if Kara is okay. Her heart rate monitor speeds up as she fumbles her still numb fingers against the wires protruding from her arms.

The door to her room slides open and shut, and a "Lena," is called as footsteps hustle to her side. Delicate fingers wrap around her own and cease the near exsanguination she was about to perform on herself to get the damn needles out of her so she can get to Kara.

"Lena, hey," and finally she stills, the voice registering in her panic-induced haze.

"Kara," Lena whispers, eyes already filled with tears at the sight of the blonde. Kara returns the shaky smile with her own, gripping tightly at Lena's fingers. 

"Hey, sleepyhead."

That's more than enough for Lena to collapse forward into Kara's chest and let out a painful sob. It hurts throughout her entire body, but she doesn't care because she thought Kara was… she was…

It's minutes later that Lena's grip lessens on Kara's cardigan, her body heavy with exhaustion after such a rollercoaster of emotions flooding her already weakened system. Kara grabs the nearest chair and pulls it right up to the edge of the bed, taking Lena's hands back into her own.

"It's okay," she coos, blue eyes sparkling from her own unshed tears. "I'm right here."

And God, Lena thinks. Kara's usually bright smile is dimmed, skin dark beneath her eyes, hair greasy and limp. Her fingers tremble slightly in Lena's grasp.

"You look like shit," is the first thing Lena says.

It makes the half smile turn full, the blue shine just a touch brighter as Kara laughs her full-belly laugh. Tears leak out of her eyes, and Lena reaches up despite the pain to capture them with her thumb.

"I'm not the one that's been unconscious for half a day."

"I have?" Lena queries. "What happened?" 

"Oh, you know," Kara shrugs. "An alien spaceship crashed into us on the 405. It totaled the car."

"I'm sorry, I… what?" Lena's bewildered expression makes Kara shift uncomfortably.

"They were okay! Just a few scratches, but you were hurt and I… I kind of blew my powers trying to get you here as soon as possible."

Lena reels back, mind racing at all this means. "Did anyone see you?" She asks, worried already at the aftermath of Kara potentially outing herself as Supergirl let alone the aftermath of her being associated with a Luthor.

Kara shrugs again. "Lena… I don't care about all of that. I -"

"You should care, Kara. This puts you in danger. Because of me."

"Lena, stop." It's sharp and so unlike Kara that Lena does, in fact, quiet. "You think I'm more concerned with keeping my identity secret than your well-being? You - there - I - there was so much blood, Lena. You were - I don't care, I don't give a shit about any of that. I care about you. I love you, Lena. I would never trade you for some stupid secret. Not again." Kara's breaths are heaving slightly, a sign that she truly did blow her powers. The tremble in her fingers picks up.

Lena blinks quickly, mind racing while simultaneously stuck on one part of Kara's rant. "You - you love me?"

Kara lets out a sharp laugh, one that suspiciously sounds like she's holding back tears. She sits back in her chair, releasing Lena's hands and pushing her fingers through her hair. "Of course I love you, Lena. When have I not loved you?"

"I…" Lena's heart rate skyrockets to the point that the monitor beeps a warning. She slips off the sensor from her finger, a flatline sounding from the screen. She reaches over and turns off the monitor completely because she doesn't want the entire hospital privy to the way Kara makes her heart stutter. "Kara, I don't even know a time when I haven't loved you," she says, eyes boring into Kara's own so she can feel the weight of her truth being spoken.

Kara's entire posture sinks into the chair. The tension in her shoulders melts away and she let's out a huff of a breath that feels both exhausted and exhilarated. "If you're okay, Lena, I'm going to kiss you now," she says, eyes wide and hopeful.

"God, yes, please," Lena responds, laugh bubbling from her throat. She's halfway out of the bed by the time Kara leans forward, practically spilling into the blonde's lap when their lips finally meet.