Curing More than Cancer

Chapter 6

Kara stiffens when she hears Lena's suggestion. She can't stop hiding. If she stops hiding, that means she has to tell them that she hid a terminal disease for two years. None of this is going according to Kara's plan. She was supposed to be dead or very near dead at this point. None of her family or friends would be able to do anything about it, and she wouldn't have to deal with their pity. It's the one thing that she appreciated the most about Lena; she never pitied Kara. She only supported her and allowed her the space and time to process.

Kara's mind is stuck on what to do next. Her thoughts pull her into dangerous territories of extreme and ludicrous ideas. Maybe she should fake her death, and then move and change her name. Maybe she should just continue to hide everything and refuse to see her sister. Maybe she should ask for an international assignment for next week only so she is completely unavailable. Kara is only snapped out of her thoughts when the smoke detector starts to go off.

"Shit, shit, shit," Lena mutters panickily as she rushes back to the stove.

She quickly realizes that she only turned off the burner that was cooking the bacon, but forgot to shut of the one with the pancakes. She shuts off the other burner and moves the pan into the sink with the now burnt pancake. Kara watches as Lena quickly throws open her balcony doors and waves a towel around in an attempt to dissipate the smoke while she mutters obscenities under her breath. Kara can't help but laugh at the scene unfold. Not the polite little chuckle of an awkward situation, not the giggle of something amusing; this is a full bellied, boisterous laugh. This time, Lena freezes in her place and looks at Kara with a mix of horror and confusion.

"S- s- sor- sorry!" Kara gets out between laughs. Her face is beet red with tears in her eyes, and she is completely out of breath. As she gains control of herself, "I- I don't really know why that was so funny. I think it is just because you're so perfect and put together. But I just watched you run around like a totally normal person who burns their food."

Lena visibly shakes her head at the blonde and chuckles slightly. "Oh darling, I'm anything but perfect."

"Well, you're perfect to me."

And just like that, Lena's emotions went from nervous apprehension to panic mode to confused to completely smitten. The doctor catches herself thinking that this woman is going to keep her on her toes for the rest of her life. She has to stop that train of thought before she starts to imagine what the rest of her life would be with Kara in it. Lena busies herself by tossing out the burnt pancake and soaking the skillet in the sink. She can hear Kara moving around, but she can't bring herself to look. Lena nearly faints when she feels strong arms wrap around her waist and a face buried in her neck.

Kara mumbles against her skin, "You are probably right. I should stop hiding. But I'm so scared of what will happen when they find out."

Lena has to get her brain to function quickly, despite the sensation of warm breath on her neck and the brushing of wet lips on her skin. "And what do you think will happen when you tell them?"

"I don't know. And that's what scares me."

"Well, what's the absolute best case scenario?"

"Best case?" Kara asks softly. She hums when Lena nods her head. "Best case is I tell them, and they drop it immediately. They don't make a fuss; they don't get mad."

"And the worst case?" Lena asks quietly. She places her hands on Kara's arms and squeezes in reassurance.

Kara's voice breaks as she answers. "Worst case is they get so mad at me that they all leave me. Or they all kill me instead of the cancer."