The beach in Midvale was always one of Kara's favorite places to go growing up. She would sit there for hours and listen to the waves crashing into the shore. It gave her a sense of peace and allowed her to focus in on one noise instead of hearing every noise at once. She was sitting out there now absorbing some sun when the noise from the ocean stopped. She looked out and could still see the waves crashing but couldn't hear a single noise. Her breath hitched for a moment and she turned to get up and go back to the house when her vision went dark. She began to panic and felt like she was in the phantom zone again. Her chest began to tighten, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She tried to call out for help, but the words weren't coming out of her mouth. Suddenly she heard a high-pitched scream and looked around to see where it was coming from. She closed her eyes and opened them again to find she was suddenly in bed with Lena. Lena was sitting next to her with a panicked look in her eye. Kara tried to focus on her but suddenly heard too many noises that were all amplified. She saw the door open and saw Alex and Maggie run in followed soon by Eliza and Jeremiah. They all looked concerned and Kara didn't know what was happening. She couldn't deal with all the noises and voices coming in at once, so she covered her ears with her hands and put her head in between her legs.
"Lena what happened?" Alex asked as she came running into the room after hearing her sister scream. She saw Lena trying to comfort her, but it clearly wasn't helping.
"I don't know. I think she had a nightmare. I heard her mumbling before she screamed," Lena replied close to tears at this point.
"Shit, I think she is having sensory overload," Alex said lowering her voice as her parents nodded in agreement having entered the room.
"I'll go get the headphones," Jeremiah said as he ran out of the room to grab them. They hadn't had to use them since Kara was younger, but Jeremiah always kept a pair just in case. As soon as Jeremiah had left, Alex went over to the bed to try and help Lena with Kara.
"Maggie can you go grab a new set of clothes for Kara?" Eliza asked noticing Kara's shirt was soaked with sweat.
"Of course," Maggie replied as she went over to Kara's suitcase wanting to help the younger girl in any way that she could.
Eliza went to the bathroom to grab a towel as Jeremiah came back in the room with the headphones. His heart broke at the sight of his youngest daughter curled up as Lena and Alex tried everything they could think of to comfort her. He handed the headphones to Alex who tried to put them on Kara but was struggling as Kara clearly didn't know what was happening and was trying to get away from Alex. Jeremiah saw the struggle and came over and with the help of Lena managed to hold Kara in place while Alex placed the headphones on her. Kara immediately relaxed a bit as the noises were blocked out but still was having a hard time controlling her breathing. She laid her head into Lena's lab and grabbed onto Alex's arm.
Maggie gave the clothes to Eliza and then went downstairs to make coffee for everyone. She was joined a minute later by Jeremiah who got mugs out.
"I figured everyone was going to need some caffeine to stay up and I didn't want Kara to feel too crowded up in her room," Maggie said as Jeremiah smiled sadly at her.
"Yeah I figured that Eliza, Alex, and Lena could handle if for now," Jeremiah replied.
"I have never seen Kara this bad before. I mean I have seen her after a nightmare, but this seemed different. It breaks my heart," Maggie said thinking of Kara upstairs.
"I know. She used to get like this when she first got here but it's been a long time since I have seen her like this. I just wish that I could take all her pain away," Jeremiah said as he grabbed the coffee grounds out of the fridge.
"I know what you mean. I remember the first time I was with Alex when Kara had a nightmare and all I wanted to do was make her feel better. She's a lot stronger than me. I mean I don't know how she can still smile after everything she has been through," Maggie said as Jeremiah smiled slightly.
"She is the strongest person I know," Jeremiah replied as the two continued to get the coffee ready in silence.
Upstairs Kara had finally begun to calm down a bit. Eliza had taken off her daughter's shirt and wiped her down as Lena got the new shirt and put it on her wife. Alex was breathing slowly and having Kara do the same. She had just gotten her breathing under control when she began to panic again.
"I can't hear anything," Kara said as Alex slowly took off the headphones ready to put them back on if she was still hearing too much. Kara slightly flinched but seemed somewhat calm so Alex softly spoke.
"Hey, do you still want the headphones?" Alex asked as Kara shook her head no.
"Who was screaming?" Kara asked as all three women looked at her confused.
"Babe, that was you," Lena said as Kara suddenly realized where she was and that she must have had another nightmare. She saw Eliza and figured she woke everyone up.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you all up," Kara said suddenly feeling embarrassed.
"Honey, you never need to apologize for that," Eliza said as she kissed her daughter's head.
"I know but this weekend was supposed to be a fun getaway and now all of you are up in the middle of the night dealing with me," Kara said as she couldn't look any of the women in the eye.
"Kara you would do the same for any of us. This is what family does for each other," Alex said as she was still holding Kara's hand.
"They are right Kara. You can't apologize about things that you can't control. None of us mind taking care of you and helping you out," Lena said as she ran her fingers through Kara's hair.
"Tell you what why don't we all go downstairs and put a movie on and snuggle up on the couches. I can get Jeremiah to make some of his world-famous popcorn," Eliza said as she was glad to see a small smile on her daughter's face. She knew Kara wouldn't want to talk about what happened tonight and everyone was wide awake now, so she figured it would be good to make sure Kara felt loved and supported.
"Sure, if you all don't mind that would be great. I want to take a shower first though, I feel gross." Kara said as Eliza and Alex got up and headed downstairs to get the movie set up. Lena stood up and hesitated not sure if she should wait for Kara downstairs or stay with her.
"Lena would you mind sitting in the bathroom while I take a shower. I know that sounds childish, but I don't want to be alone right now," Kara said finally looking into her wife's eyes.
"Of course I will," Lena said as she grabbed Kara's hand and helped her off the bed. Kara headed into the bathroom as Lena went and grabbed a new towel and washcloth for Kara out of the cabinet and headed in to sit while her wife took her shower.
In the meantime, Eliza and Alex had joined Maggie and Jeremiah downstairs. Jeremiah went into the main room to help Eliza set up the tv and couches for the movie as Alex joined Maggie in the kitchen. Alex entered and smiled at her wife.
"Hey babe, how is Kara?" Maggie asked as she took in her wife who looked warn down.
"Not good but hopefully she will be. She finally calmed down a bit, but I just hate seeing her like that," Alex said as Maggie wrapped her up in a hug and held her for a few minutes. Maggie knew how close the sisters were and when one was hurting the other hurt almost as bad. They broke apart and Alex made a mug of hot chocolate for Kara who was just coming down the stairs with Lena. They came into view of the kitchen and Alex watched as Lena whispered into Kara's ear. Kara shook her head and made her way into the main room as Lena went into the kitchen.
"Hey you okay?" Alex asked as she grabbed Lena's shoulder.
"No, I was terrified when I woke up and saw Kara like that. I just wish she didn't have to go through that," Lena said as both Maggie and Alex shook their heads that they understood. They grabbed the mugs and popcorn and headed into the main room where Jeremiah and Eliza were cuddled together on a chair.
"Where's Kara?" Alex asked as she looked around for her sister.
"She just wanted a minute outside," Eliza said as she pointed out to the back deck. Lena turned to go get her when Alex put a hand on her arm.
"Hey, do you mind if I go?" Alex asked.
"Of course not, go ahead," Lena said as she went to sit on the couch. Alex opened the door and found Kara looking off into the distance.
"I remember the first night I found you out here doing the same exact thing you are doing now," Alex said as she smiled at her younger sister. "It was a few months after you got here and I woke up one night and saw you weren't in bed. I figured you were downstairs watching tv, but I couldn't find you there either and then I looked out and saw you standing and staring up at the stars." Alex said as Kara looked towards her.
"Yeah I remember that night. I was afraid to sleep, and I wanted some fresh air, so I came outside and was immediately calmed by how peaceful the sky looked at night. That was also the first night I ever really thought of you as my sister," Kara said as Alex hugged her side and kissed her head.
"Are you ready to go back in?" Alex asked as Kara nodded her head and the two headed back in. Alex went over and cuddled up next to Maggie who was on one of the couches as Kara joined Lena on the other couch. She went into Lena's open arms and put her head on Lena's shoulder. Jeremiah grabbed the remote and started playing the movie as everyone settled in. Halfway through the movie Kara looked over to see Eliza and Jeremiah both asleep as well as Maggie. She saw Alex was still awake and knew she wouldn't go to bed until Kara managed to fall back asleep. It was a habit that Alex had as a kid on nights like these and continued to this day. Kara tightened her grip on Lena who was also still awake and snuggled closer to her.
"Are you okay?" Lena whispered into Kara's ear.
"No, but I will be. I have everything I have ever wanted right here in this room," Kara said as she kissed her wife's lips before they both returned to watching the film.
