Now here's Ch 2. In one of the reviews, it was noted I made a huge blunder regarding to America's military. I am deeply sorry for those who have worked or are working in the US Defence Force, that I have made this mistake. Just so you know, in Ireland, our military is different, we don't have that many different branches as America does. I was not aware that the US Army and Marine Corps are separate branches.
In future, I do promise to research about America's Military so this does not happen again.
I take full responsibility for my mistakes. The story isn't very long Ch wise, it will be 6 Chapters long. At the end, I will fix any mistake that I have overlooked while proofreading. Thanks for noting my error!
Once again, I apologise profusely.
Chapter 2: The Call
Month Three…
(Scene: Danvers' Household, Midvale/Alexandra's POV)
I was given another holiday, this time for three weeks from work. Once again, I got a plane back home, no better place to spend it. I decided to read up on several articles on all fields of science. Eliza was with me, but she was working on her laptop. My finger slid on the screen of my iPad as I read the science articles, some of which I found disappointing or vague or look inaccurate. I stopped to sip my tea, then my mind suddenly slipped back to Kara. It's been three months now, she's half way through her tour. My little sister is still giving us Skype calls, but they're becoming less and less frequent. She's getting busier, meaning less time to talk.
Eliza is really looking forward to Kara coming home. I'm keeping Winn and James up to date thanks to Lucy, but she can only get so much information. I have told her several times, even if her Intel is small, it's something, though there's this nagging feeling in my mind that her father: General Sam Lane is not happy about these updates. What's that asshole's problem!? All I wish to know if Kara is alive and well. I have met her father, I never liked him, something about him didn't sit right with me.
All of a sudden, the phone rang. I jumped, quickly putting down my iPad on the table and rushed to the phone. I picked it up and answered.
"Hello?",
"Ms Alexandra Danvers am I correct?" Said an unknown voice,
"Yes." I said carefully, "Who am I speaking to?",
"Ms Danvers, this Private 2 Vasquez. Private Danvers may have mentioned me to your family." Vasquez answered. My heart heaved upon even though Vasquez is addressing Kara's last name.
"Kara! How is she!?" Silence. "PV2 Vasquez are you there?",
"Alex, it's… it's not good." She stuttered,
"Vasquez." I whispered, hoping mom wouldn't hear, "What happened to Kara?",
"I wish I was with her. Kara was with a team dropping off supplies to another base. Their convoy drove over a land mine. Kara is severely injured. Most of her wounds are patched up but… she had to be sent to a hospital. We were able to stop the bleeding but she requires proper medical attention. CSM Henshaw gave her the first plane back with the best medics." She explained. My heart rate was slowing. Kara… my innocent baby sister, injured by a pressure-plated land mine! How close was she!? How severe are her wounds? Does she need surgery? Will she need a limb amputated?
"The plane she's on will be arriving at the airport shortly. I suggest meet the team at the hospital. Alex, I should warn you, Kara will recover from the physical injuries, it's the psychological pain that will follow. She may not be the same person you said goodbye to at the Airport. Listen, I have to go. Send Kara my regards and that she'll make a full recovery.",
"Thanks Vasquez." And we hung up. My hands were shaking, my heart rate increasing. Kara… my sister hurt. Oh god! Then I heard footsteps, I turned to see Eliza at the doorway. There was concern written on her face.
"Alex, who was that?" She asked me. I gulped, this is not going to down well. At all. I breathed in, gathering my thoughts and choosing the right words.
"It was PV2 Vasquez. Mom… Kara is hurt, it's pretty bad. The plane she's on will be landing shortly. I was told to meet the medics at the hospital." My mother's face was pale, she looked like a ghost, pure shock or the look of being unable to comprehend something.
"Grab my keys. We're heading to the hospital now!" I sprinted to the usual area where mom keeps her car keys. Grabbing them from the drawer, I ran out of the house, tossing the keys to mom and we got into the car. Mom inserted the keys into the ignition and hit the accelerator. Hold on baby sis, I'm coming. We're coming.
Three Hours Later…
(Scene: Midvale University Hospital, Waiting Room, Midvale/Alexandra's POV)
As soon as mom parked the car, we asked the receptionist about Kara. The only information we got was by the time we reached here, which was an hour ago thanks to traffic, the medics arrived at the hospital with my sister. She is currently being treated for her wounds and I can thank God, she doesn't need any amputation. Whatever way the blast caught her, she must have been sitting at the back of the convoy truck and when it rolled over the land mine, the shockwave did injure her, but threw her out of the truck, away from the epicentre; where most of the damage is done.
Now, Eliza and I have been sitting here for the past three hours, waiting for news, any changes. I can already deduce that Kara won't be going back to the field for a long while. Not until her injuries are healed and she is tested psychologically. Vasquez's words ran through my head in a constant loop:
"She may not be the same person you said goodbye to at the Airport." I have read up about Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, for short: PTSD. Caused by a traumatic experience most commonly but there are other ways of developing it. I just hope it won't be severe, Kara is strong! She'll get through this, right? Then the Doctor exited Kara's room. Both mom and I stood up.
"How is she?" Eliza asked him,
"We have cleaned, bandaged and with some, stitched the wounds Private Danvers has received. We have her on a drip to to provide fluids and numb the pain, whenever she wakes up. She's unconscious, but… you may see her if you wish." He explained. I nodded.
"Thank you Doctor." He smiled back and left walking off. Eliza and I stepped into the room. I closed the door gently and turned. My heart just grew heavy, Kara was lying there, on the bed, unconscious. An IV was attached to her arm for fluids, along with a machine to monitor her heart rate and pulse. Apart from the machines, my little sister's body was covered with bandages.
Her torso, head and arm are wrapped up, some wounds that weren't bandaged, we're throughly cleaned and stitched. I know, judging by them, some of the wounds will scar. They can't be that bad, my sister will just see them as battle scars. She can show the world, she is a survivor, a warrior. I watched as mother sat down and clutched Kara's limp hand. I heard her mutter:
"Oh my baby girl!" I placed a hand on mom's shoulder,
"She'll get through this mom. Kara's strong." A memory flooded back into my head, the first time Kara let me comfort her. It was during school, Chemistry class and she had one of her worst panic attack/post-trauma trigger.
(Flashback/Scene: Midvale High School, Midvale/Alexandra's POV)
I was making my way to Chemistry class with Kara at my tail. She's in the same year as me, despite our two year age gap. Main reason: Kara is like super smart, the principal put her in with the First Year peers and after three days, one of my sister's teachers approached the principal, telling him and Kara still remembers her words because well… it stuck.
"Mr Raymond, I would like to advance Kara by two years! Her intellectual ability is greater than any student I've seen! She's making First Year look like Sixth Grade! Kara is unlike any student I taught! Let her skip two years and put her in some Advanced Classes! I'm telling you, she's going to be bored."
And boy was she right, the Science and Math subjects were a breeze to Kara, they came to her so naturally. History and Geography were no bother and! And! She knows modules at University Level! Languages though, are a struggle for her. Extra classes and grinds didn't work, whatever way Kara's brain was 'wired', she worked better with subjects that require theory and out-of-the-box thinking. So, it was kind of Mr Raymond to offer Kara and myself some Advanced Classes. We both had science, Kara had Maths as well.
Raymond managed to get a few contacts, called in some University Professors, all with PhDs to come in and give us lessons. And this is when Kara put them to shame! They were gobsmacked at my foster sister's intellectual ability and memory! Kara is naturally smart and to top it all off, like me, she has photographic memory! They even began showing Kara some of their research and thesis they were writing up. Man! The world can only give Kara so much information before she thirsts for more.
We finally reached the Chemistry Laboratory. Kara and I entered Mrs Keating class. We took our seats, Kara sitting beside me as usual. Kara and I sit right near the teacher, my sister has a thing for needing to be near the teacher. Main reason: it keeps those who pick on her, a distance from her. Mrs Keating has a sharp eye, our Chemistry class is small, so she misses nothing.
Our teacher is aware that my sister still gets bullied from time to time and some of those assholes are in our class! So, she keeps them in check, if they attempt anything, the sharp glare usually does the trick. And that's just a warning. Mrs Keating is capable of worse, which I can thank God, have not seen and I'm not planning on seeing her pissed off, angry side.
"OK students, settle down now! We are going to carry out an experiment on the level of reactivity of the Alkaline Metals.",
"Can we react Potassium with water?" One of the students asked eagerly. Of course, who doesn't enjoy watching reactive metals set alight and explode? Everyone has this stereotypical view of Chemistry.
"No, we cannot Blake." Mrs Keating deadpanned, "Anyone care to explain?",
"Potassium is the third most reactive metal after Sodium in the Alkaline Metals. So, it's more or less safety precaution." Kara explained.
"Smartass Danvers." I heard one of the students mutter behind me. Thankfully, Kara didn't pick up on it, otherwise, she'd stay quiet for the rest of the class. I don't understand why people are trying to break down her self-confidence after my parents and I tried so long, to rebuild that. Selfish eejits, the whole lot them.
"As Kara explained, the Alkaline Metals can be quite dangerous, so Sodium is safe enough." Mrs Keating left for a moment to get a decent sized glass basin and the Sodium in the Store Room that is always locked.
"Hey, Kara!" Kara turned upon hearing her name. It was Jessica, the girl who usually sits behind us and the one person in class, who doesn't pick on my sister. She's very good in Chemistry but does have her limits. To be fair though, she only asks for Kara's help if she's in dire need.
"What's up Jess?" Kara asked,
"I'm just having difficulty in understanding Chemical Bonding and the differences in strength of Van-der-Waals Forces, Dipole-Dipole and Hydrogen Bonding. Also, how they affect boiling point of a molecule. Think you can help me?",
"Sure. I'll explain it to you at lunch OK?" Jess smiled, with a look of relief on her face.
"Thanks Kara! You're a life-saver!" Our Chemistry teacher returned with all the apparatus and the Alkaline Metal.
We all got up from our seats as Mrs Keating directed us to the back of the lab. She fill the basin with water, laid out some kitchen roll and opened the jar containing the metal, submersed in oil. She took out a piece with a pair of forceps and placed it on the kitchen roll. Then she took a scalpel to cut it. Sodium is a soft metal, the surface was shiny for a moment until it turned to a dull gray. The metal is already reacting to the Oxygen in the air. The Chemistry teacher placed a small amount of Sodium into the water. We watched as it moved around on the water's surface, making a buzzing sound, but it didn't catch fire.
The class had a disheartened look on their faces, so Keating put in another, a tad bit larger. The piece set fire this time, then it extinguished. I thought that was enough observation, Kara thought the same thing but the class persisted in putting another piece in. With much relucantance, Mrs Keating dropped a medium sized piece in the water. The process repeated, move around, ignite then… the students and teacher screamed or jumped back, so did I as the Sodium exploded, with a pretty loud bang! The ceiling caught fire, but it was small and it extinguished itself.
No damage done. I turned to my left but Kara wasn't there! I looked left and right, Kara was nowhere in the lab. But I did notice the door swinging wide open. Holy crap! Did she run!? She exploding Sodium must've triggered my sister's PTSD! She's still vulnerable after what happened to her parents, that means anything regarding to a fire or explosion, that would remind of her of the house fire she was in and the flashover that nearly killed her, she flees. Mrs Keating noticed one of her students were missing and she frowned.
"Where's Kara?" I put my hand up.
"Yes Alex?",
"I'll go look for Kara. The fire and the explosion of the Sodium triggered her PTSD." Mrs Keating's face paled. She's well aware of The Phantom Fire and how sensitive the topic is for my sister. It's in her record.
"Go look for her. You are dismissed.",
"Thank you." I ran. Now, where could Kara go? Somewhere quiet, peaceful, where no one can bother her. A place only I would know… the school rooftop! There's a greenhouse up there that belongs to the caretaker! After Kara discovered it, she liked to go up there ever since if she wanted to be alone. The caretaker of the school let her have access to roof, so that means he may let me up as well. I hope Kara's trigger isn't that bad, otherwise I have to call mom.
(Scene: School Rooftop, Midvale High School, Midvale/Alexandra's POV)
I reached the roof of the school, there was the Greenhouse, but… where was Kara? Then, I found a streak of dirty blonde hair down by the corner of the Greenhouse. I walked over to her, yet, keeping in mind not to approach her from the back. I positioned myself in front of Kara, she was a little distraught, I can thank God the trigger isn't severe, but she's shaking and confused. I placed a comforting hand on my sister's shoulder.
"Kara, it's OK! Nothing's going to hurt you!" I said softly,
"No! No! I… I see it! The fire, my parents! The explosion! It's too vivid!" She muttered, frantically,
"Look at me little sis! You're in the school. There's no fire, the reaction of Sodium and water scared you." I tried to explain, "Please look into my eyes Kara." My sister lifted her head slowly. Her eyes were red around the rims, she must've been crying, but the main thing is now, she's coming to her senses.
"I'm sorry!" She quickly apologised. I shook my head.
"There's no need to say sorry baby sister.",
"There is! I should be over this but I can't! I keep seeing their faces!" Kara sobbed, "I'm a mess.",
"No, you're not!" I told her with strong conviction. "You are the strongest kid I've ever met. What you went through, so help me God no child out there would want to experience, has made you stronger. Your parents would be so proud and happy you are in the care of two loving parents and a sister who will lay down her to protect you." Kara smiled softly, just as the bell rang.
"Thanks Alex, I needed that pep talk.",
"You're welcome. Now come on, the bell just rang, we'll be late for Double Physics." We both stood up and left the rooftop.
(Flashback Ends)
Kara is strong woman, or was. Just looking at her makes her look so small, helpless, like the helpless little girl who first stepped into our house. My sister was aware of the danger of joining the army. Even if she wasn't on tour, parts of America were hit bad Hurricane Katrina. She was sent out to help those in need or were stranded on the rooftop of their homes because they didn't get out quick enough. She came back after that… with an arm protected by a cream cast and a sling supporting the weight!
She was supposed to be saving people! Of course she wasn't the only one there, Vasquez was with her. They were rescuing a family, a couple and their two daughters. They had a puppy, who was no where near to be seen. Of course Private Danvers quickly deduced that the puppy was still in the house. Kara took off the jacket of her uniform and before PV2 Vasquez could argue with her, Kara leaped into the flooded house. Vasquez and the family waited fifteen minutes before hearing some colourful language coming from my sister, before she emerged with the young, dripping wet puppy in one arm and the other she was trying to support against her chest.
Yup, people guessed right, Kara risked a broken arm to save a puppy. The one group of animals she has a soft spot for. Unfortunately, Eliza didn't take it kindly and she gave my poor baby sister a scolding that will properly make any soldier look small. Eliza barely have Kara a chance to justify her actions. The young family never forgot Kara's face though. They approached CSM Hank Henshaw and asked for her address, he was reluctant, but he couldn't say no to the pleading look in the children's eyes. He gave it to them. The next day, Kara was up early for breakfast, not before she saw a letter addressed to her. It's kind of odd since she rarely receives letters, unless it's something from the US Military.
When she opened it, Kara never thought in the eyes of the young kids, she was a hero. Kara received a card by the two girls, with a drawing done by the father. He must have good photographic memory like Kara, because he captured every single feature of her. The card was a drawing of my sister in her uniform, holding a puppy. At the back of the card, written by the kids themselves was: "Our hero: Supergirl!" My little sister cried, she'd always down grade her abilities, in her eyes, she wouldn't think about the bigger picture of the rescue, just plain old Kara, carrying out her duties. Oh so through the eyes of the victims think otherwise.
I sat in the chair and attempted to make myself as comfortable as possible. God knows when Kara will wake up. Even though I'm a logical, scientific person, I know it's up to Kara when she wants to wake up. It's for her to decide, not us. She's probably in some plane of her consciousness, or world between Life and Death, something that Science can't explain. I pray to God she does wake up. Hell knows what she saw on the field, hopefully it won't make her think "I can't live in this world." No! My sister is stubborn as a mule, she will wake up! For me, Eliza, Jeremiah, who I'm sure is watching her, her friends: Lucy, James and Winn. For all of us! Whatever you think, you better not leave us! Or so help me Kara! I will somehow drag you back to the living and make Heaven hell for you myself!
Ch 2 wrapped up! The third chapter is still in progress.
