"How are you feeling?" Alex asked as she entered Ruby's room.
"Okay I think. Better than you all look." She said as Alex looked at the screens. She then questioned. "Still alive?"
"Please don't joke about that." Sam pleaded from her side.
"I'm okay." Ruby assured her before looking back at her boss and mentor and asking.
"How's Alex?"
"Not out of the woods yet, but has turned a corner." Alex explained. "Her reaction to the antidote was a lot more extreme than yours and her recovery is much slower. We still haven't taken her off the ventilator. But we're hopeful."
"And Kara?"
"Holding it together, just." Alex replied.
"And Rubes?" Sam asked from the side.
"I told you I'm fine." Ruby said.
"You need to give your body time to recover. But you'll be fine." Alex said.
"Told you." Ruby said to her mother before looking back at Alex and asking.
"Who did this?"
"We're trying to figure that out." Alex replied. "But right now that is not your problem. You just need to focus on recovery. Can I get you anything?"
"Yes, I have a favour to ask." Ruby replied.
"Anything."
"Can you take mom somewhere? Preferably where there is a bed so she can get some sleep."
"I'm fine here." Sam said.
"No you're not." Ruby countered.
"There's a room out there with a bed and a shower." Alex said looking at Sam. "If anything happens you will be thirty seconds away."
-00-
"Alex?" Kara asked seeing her daughter open her eyes. "It's okay." She added. But when Alex tried to speak she said. "Don't speak, there is a tube in your throat to help you breathe. Just lie still." She then shouted. "Alex!"
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Alex asked walking into the room and seeing her niece was awake. "Don't answer that. I need to take that tube out first. But before I do I need to listen to your lungs okay? Again, don't answer that." Alex said as she started to listen for fluid in the lungs.
"Well?" Kara asked.
"Lungs sound clear." Alex confirmed before looking at her niece. "You ready to get this tube out?" She paused and waited for her niece to nod.
"This is going to be a little uncomfortable and feel a little weird, but it won't take long." Alex explained. "First I need to make sure everything is clean so I am going to apply some suction. When I am done I'll ask you to take a deep breath in and then breath out or cough. When you you I'll take the tube out. After that I need you to wear this mask. Okay?" When her niece nodded Alex said. "First the suction." She then put an object in Alex's mouth for a few seconds before removing it and putting it down. She then deflated the cuff and said. "Deep breath in." She paused and waited for her niece to obey before saying. "Now a hard and fast breath out." As the teen followed the instruction Alex pulled the tube out, causing the teen to splutter and Kara to grip her hand tighter. As soon as the tube was removed Alex place and oxygen mask over her niece's head.
"All done." Alex said. "But you need to keep that mask on for awhile." She then moved to one side only for Kara to replace her and wrap her arms round her daughter.
-00-
As Kara lay in the bed watching her daughter sleep, she felt herself start to lose the battle with consciousness. Just as she felt her eyes beginning to shut she heard a muffled sound from her daughter.
"Hey." Kara smiled opening her eyes and seeing her daughter looking at her. "How are you doing?"
In response Alex tried to remove the oxygen mask.
"You need to keep that on." Kara said, but Alex continued to try to removed it as she said something Kara couldn't make out.
"Okay, just for a moment." Kara said lifting the mask off.
"Water?" Alex asked hoarsely.
"Okay." Kara said putting the mask back on her daughter before rolling off the bed and going to the side with a jug.
"Everything okay?" The adult Alex asked entering the room.
"She's thirsty." Kara said.
"That's good. Give her some ice chips." Alex instructed as she looked at the monitors.
Alex then watched to see how her niece coped with the ice chips before saying. "You ready to lose the mask?"
"Is that a good idea?" Kara asked.
"She's doing fine." Alex assured her. "We'll keep her on a nasal cannula to be safe." She added as she switched the mask for the cannula.
"You need to keep the tube in for a bit longer, but at least now you can talk." Alex smiled at her niece. "As well as eat and drink." She added before passing the teen a cup and watching her drink the water. Happy she was able to, Alex took the cup from her and asked.
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay. Tired." The teenager said still sounding hoarse.
"Well, you have a bit to go before you are fully recovered. During that time you will feel tired. But it is really important you tell me every symptom you have and if anything changes. Okay?" When her niece nodded Alex asked. "Are you in pain anywhere?"
"Throat hurts."
"That should pass." Alex said. "Anywhere else?"
"I ache all over."
"Do you feel sick?"
"No. Hungry maybe."
"In that case, I will bring you in some food." Alex smiled before standing. As she did so she looked over at her sister who was silently asking for information. "She's doing fine." Alex assured her.
-00-
"Sitrep." Alex said as she entered the DEO control room.
"We have received two hundred doses of the cure so far." Vasquez said. "We have administered it to everyone here and so far it is working well. There is a ninety percent success rate. We have teams on the street with the cure trying to find more victims."
"Good." Alex said before noticing Vasquez's frown.
"What?"
"We found something that was confirmed by STAR labs. The metal in the cannisters that Aptil's team found wasn't terrestrial."
"Aliens did this?"
"Not exactly." Vasquez said. "The canisters looked like they had been tampered with. Our working theory is that we were right and the portal we found was Mongul's and he used it to transfer supplies to support his troops on the ground. We think there were weapons' dumps around the place and a group like Kai stumbled across one and got these cannisters."
"Which leads to the worrying question of what was in those cannisters and where is it." Alex said.
"I was going to ask our alien guests." Vasquez said. "Unless you want a crack?"
"Probably safer for them if I don't." Alex said darkly. "But you may want to try Lisa and Peter, so far they have been helpful."
"Will do."
"What's happening with McGuire and Rogers?" Alex asked.
"Both keeping a low profile, we have seen no evidence that they were involved with the virus. But if that changes I'll let you know."
-00-
"Hi Sweetie. How are you feeling?" Eliza whispered to her grandchild, so not to wake Kara who was lying next to the teen on the bed asleep.
"Okay I guess. Is mom okay?"
"She's exhausted." Eliza said. "She barely left your side. You gave her, well all of us, quite a scare."
"I'm okay now." The teen said feeling much better.
"I'm glad to hear it." Eliza smiled.
"Can I go?" The teen asked hopefully.
"If your mom wakes up and you aren't here she is going to panic. But I'll see if we can get your cousins here."
"And Chewie?" She asked.
"And Chewie." Eliza agreed.
-00-
"Any news?" The teenage Kara asked as J'onn ended a phone call.
"Yes." J'onn said turning to face the two teens. "Alex is recovering."
"Really?" Kara asked, not expecting good news.
"Really. But Alex is getting a little bored, she'd like to see you."
"Are you going to be okay going?" Kara asked her brother, knowing his phobia of all things hospital related.
"You don't have to go." J'onn said.
"Alex wants us there." MJ said. "I can do it."
"Okay." J'onn said.
"I'll pack a bag of her things." Kara said.
"I'll get some games." MJ added.