Next of Kin - SuperCorp

Next of Kin Part 16 - Love Not Despite But Because

Kara's sleep was restless and dark. She dreamed of Krypton's destruction, seeing Lena's face gasping for breath with eyes rolled back amongst her lost family. An entire planet gone, having left Kara with an image burnt into her mind and scars in her heart, and now her world was so small. It had taken her years to begin to open her heart to this new planet, to put on the symbol of the House of El and stand between these humans and danger. Her family had been three, the House of Danvers, for most of her safe, new existence on this place called Earth. Now she added new family to her house one name at a time, and though it filled her with inexpressible joy, it was also terrifying. Kara Zor-El was well aware that if she were to lose any of these people, to see the light go out in their eyes, it would burn her like all of Krypton exploding again. What is the use of a heart if we don't open it to loss, for then we close it to love? Given the choices of the possibility, the probability, of pain or being as still inside as space that had swallowed her world, Kara loved. All she could do was love, and pray to the light of Rao above that it protect each of these fragile humans in a way that it hadn't protected her home world, and to keep her heart safe.

There had been sounds around Kara for hours, most of them encouraging. She could hear Lena breath, hear the other woman's heartbeat, and even occasional murmurings. There were other sounds too, more alien and not in her kind of way. Part of her mind knew it was because of her environment, though most of her slept. She'd spent more time asleep in the hospital than at home lately, so she knew this place well.

When she felt Lena's hand tugging out of hers, Kara's eyes opened slowly. Seeing another hand reaching over her to grab Lena by the wrist met with an immediate and violent reaction.

"Ugh! Fuck!" Nurse Knight yelled, his arm twisted painfully as he was slammed down into the bed and into his patient.

"Kara!" Lena screamed as the blonde reacted and then a man's upper body struck her upper legs. "Stop it!"

Three quick blinks later, Kara had released the man and stepped up and out of her chair, moving behind it to shield herself from accusations. "I...I saw someone...I'm sorry."

"Jake, are you all right?" Lena asked as the man righted himself.

Rubbing his wrist and flexing his shoulder, Jake nodded. "You okay Miss Luthor?"

Lena made a noncommittal gesture. "No worse for wear." She looked over at Kara again, one eyebrow rising pointedly.

"I just woke up and saw someone grabbing you Lena. It was total instinct, like self-defense class instinct," Kara added, her hands fidgeting together so quickly the friction might make them ignite. She reached out toward the nurse, but then pulled her hand back shyly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"A little blonde girl that weighs maybe a buck-twenty soaking wet just kicked my ass while she was asleep." He grinned. "Don't tell anyone, and by that I mean don't let it get back to Kalia, and we'll call it even Miss Danvers."

Biting her lower lip, Kara held down her pinky with her thumb, letting the other three fingers extend upward as she held her hand up. "Girlscout's promise."

"You were a Girlscout?" Lena rolled her eyes. "Of course you were."

With a laugh that rumbled in his chest, Jake said, "I'm not touching that one with a ten-yard stick. I need a B.P., Miss Luthor. She has a new line in her other arm, so we need this one unless you're going to beat me up again, Miss Danvers."

Hand covering her face while her other arm wrapped around her waist, Kara shook her head.

While Nurse Knight took stats and updated Lena's chart, Kalia showed up. Surprisingly, she had a box of a dozen donuts. Kara's eyes lit up as soon as she saw them, and her stomach called out in greeting.