Quick reminder to those who referenced banjo music; Korra's idea was for Asami to have a child by Tonraq, and they're only related by marriage.
Also, I'm adding going to be explaining a little of why things worked out differently than in the canon, as well as laying some groundwork for later.
Talk To Me
Asami's body ached, but it was a distant, disconnected pain, as if her mind was wrapped in cotton wool. She could hear voices, but they were garbled, distant, and it took an effort to make out the actual words.
"...abrasions and lacerations to her left arm, probably from raising it to shield her face. Two of her fingers on that hand and her wrist are broken, but they look clean and should heal without any trouble." A strange voice spoke in a flat monotone, "Aside from the concussion, her head seems relatively undamaged; there are a few minor cuts, but none that will require stitches. Chances are she sill have at least one black eye, if not two, but like the rest of the bruising, it'll look far worse than it actually is."
"Oh, she'll love that." A familiar voice responded dryly, but try as she might, she couldn't put a name to it, "Any internal damage?"
"Two, maybe three broken ribs; it's hard to tell if the last is broken or just badly cracked without a more in-depth exam." The first voice continued, "So far there have been no signs of further damage; our duty healer examined her when she came in, but as I'm sure you can understand, there were a lot of people hurt in the crash, some of them a lot worse."
"I understand, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help; I studded under Master Katara." The familiar voice sounded warmer, "The White Lotus are mobilising as many healers as they can, but they don't have many here in the city, so it may take time."
"Right now, time is what your wife needs more than anything." The first voice was insistent, "She was lucky, far luckier than I would have expected from what I've been told of the accident, and now the best thing we can do for her is manage her pain while her body starts to heal itself."
"Is it okay if I stay with her?"
"We're about to move her to a more private room, so you may want to go tell your friends and family while we get her settled."
"Thank you again, doctor. And I meant what I said earlier; if there is ever anything you or anyone at this hospital needs, just say the word."
"I'll keep that in mind; having the Avatar owe you a favour could come in useful some day."
Asami drifted back to oblivion, unable to work out who the voices were or what all the fuss was about.
Korra sat in a small courtyard set in the middle of the hospital, a cooling cup of tea in her hands. It had been two days since the accident, but Asami still hadn't fully woken up, instead drifting in and out of a semi-conscious state. The doctors insisted that it was a good sign, showing that she wasn't in too deep a coma, but Korra that was cold comfort to the Avatar.
"Mind if I join you?" Kuvira's soft voice brought her back to reality.
"Sure." Korra gestured towards the spot on the bench next to her.
"Thanks." the metal-bending detective sat, "I needed some air."
"You don't have to stay." Korra assured her, "I understand if it's all difficult for you, given, well, everything."
"It's not that." Kuvira shook her head, "I've never liked hospitals; too many bad memories."
"You don't really talk about your past." Korra looked at her friend, "I'm not trying to pry or anything, it's just..."
"My parents died when I was young; my mother of cancer, then... I've been told my father just gave up. Suyin and Baatar took me in, gave me a home, probably would have adopted me, but I was too angry, to afraid of losing another family, they I acted out whenever the subject was raised." Kuvira looked down at her feet, "It took Su years to break through the walls I'd built up around myself, and by then I guess it was too late for anything formal. But I still consider them the closest thing I had to family, before I arrived in Republic City, that is."
"Mako worships the ground you walk on." Korra managed a smile, "And Sen loves you as only a child can..."
"It's more than that." Kuvira took a deep breath, "When I first arrived in Republic City, I was... well, I was a bit of a bitch. Partly that was me not wanting to get close to too many people here in case things didn't work out and I moved back to Zaofu, but a bigger part was jealousy. I saw how close you and Asami were to Mako, how much he loves the two of you and the children you share, and I felt threatened by that because I didn't know if his feelings for me were as strong. But despite all that, despite everything I said and did, the two of you have never been anything but open and caring for me, and I've never thanked you for that."
"You're a good person, Kuvira." Korra put a friendly arm around the other woman.
"I once came very close to being a very bad person." the detective admitted, "Not long after Hou-Ting was killed, while you were still... recovering, Master Tenzin, President Raiko and Fire Lord Ursa came to Zaofu. They wanted Su to take a leading role in restoring order in the Earth Kingdom. They felt they could trust her, and the Beifong name still carries a lot of weight. But much to my surprise, she flat out refused to do anything but protect those who were already flocking to Zaofu. I was so shocked that she wouldn't take a more proactive roll, that I almost did something, well, foolish. But Su came to me and explained that she didn't fell that she had the right to try and impose her ideals and way of doing things on the rest of the Earth Kingdom. If lasting change was going to come, it would have to be because people genuinely wanted it, not just because it was the only alternative to chaos. She was worried that she'd only create a new empire from the ashes, one that would inevitably fall or turn into something far, far worse than the old Kingdom. I look at how the Earth Kingdom is now, with King Wu as a central rallying point for the various states, but with little real power beyond that as an impartial arbiter, and I shudder to think what I would have created in his place."
"No one ever told me." Korra looked into the middle distance, "But I know that, whatever happened, you would have tried to do the very best you could."
The two sat in slightly uncomfortable silence for a while, then the sound of approaching footsteps broke the spell.
"Excuse me, Kuvira." Hiroshi Sato bowed slightly, "Do you mind if I have a word with... my daughter-in-law?"
"Of course." the Metalbender stood, "I have to get back on duty anyway."
She quickly made her exit, recomposing herself and regaining the gruff, no-nonsense persona she used at work.
"May I?" Hiroshi gestured to the seat next to Korra.
"Please." The Avatar nodded, still a little unsure when it came to her father-in-law. Despite what she had told Asami, she had been watching him like a hawk since his release from prison, and he hadn't so much as set as much as a toe out of line the entire time. Everything he said and did seemed to indicated that the spiritual and emotional rebirth he claimed to have undergone was genuine. And still, lingering in the back of her mind, were the memories of having to battle him in the secret Equalist base he had built under his home.
"Thank you." Hiroshi sat and rubbed his knees, "I think the years are finally catching up with me."
Korra looked at him out of the corner of her eye, unsure what to say.
"We haven't really had a chance to talk, you and I, and there is much to talk about." Hiroshi continued, his eyes fixed on the flowerbeds that filled much of the courtyard, "Asami means more to me than anything else in this world. Everything I ever did, the good and the bad, was for her. And I will admit that I reacted with anger when she turned against me, but I have no one to blame for that but myself; I raised her to stand up for what she believed in, regardless of the cost. And since my release, it has become clear to me that what she believes in most of all is you, Korra, as both the Avatar and the woman she loves. And she does love you, with the same fire and passion I used to see in her mothers eyes. A passion I see in your eyes when you're with her. I will not pretend that I had some... misgivings when I learnt of your relationship with Asami. Call me old fashioned, but it was hardly what I had in mind for my only daughter. But now, having seen the two of you together, of the life you have created with each other and the wonderful children you have brought into this world, I can not imagine her being happier with anyone else..."
"I signed the papers the judge sent over." Korra spoke softly, her untouched tea now completely cold in her hands, "As of this morning, I'm the one legally responsible for you. At least until such time as the doctors clear Asami."
There was silence between them for a moment.
"This I know, and I don't want you to think that that is why I came here and said these things." Hiroshi turned to look at Korra, "We'll never be close, you and I; my past actions made sure of that. But I want you to know that I am truly, honestly glad that Asami has someone like you in her life and."
"Excuse me, Mrs Sato?" A nurse walked over hurriedly, interrupting before Korra could respond, "The doctor sent me to find you; your wife is starting to wake up."
Asami woke slowly, her mind feeling like someone had poured a bowl of cold porridge into it. Her vision was hazy, while the world around her sounded distorted, almost as if she was underwater.
"Mrs Sato?" A voice managed to break through, "Mrs Sato, can you hear me?"
Asami tried to speak, but her lips were dray and cracked, her mouth as dray as sandpaper.
"Try sipping on this." A straw was placed against her mouth, and she sucked on almost painfully cold water that set her teeth on edge.
"Just sip;you've been through a traumatic experience, and your body still needs to to recover." The voice warned, "Can you open your eyes for me?"
Asami blinked, and a light was shone into first her left eye, then her right.
"Your pupils are both responsive." The voice sounded reassuring, "That's a very good sign."
"Where..." Asami's voice sounded raspy, "Where am I?"
"You're in the Katara Manorial Free Hospital." The voice informed her, "You were in a car accident. But don't worry; you should make a full recovery."
Asami was about to ask another question when the door to the room was flung open so hard it almost left an impression in the wall, and a slender woman with tan coloured skin and ice-blue eyes ran in, followed a few seconds later by an older man with grey hair and glasses, who lent against the door frame to catch his breath.
"'sami!" The woman fell to her knees beside the bed, a huge grin on her face, "You gave us all quite the scare there!"
"I'm sorry," Asami looked at the other woman with a confused expression on her face, "but who are you?"
To Be Continued...
(Yeah, I did it again, didn't I?)