First Day

This was the first day of many that would come. Lena knew that, it was not going to be easy, Kara would need a lot of help and not just physical help, but mentally this would take a toll on her. She couldn't sleep thinking about Kara in the next room, the way she needed Lena's help yesterday, it just broke her heart, but she held it together for Kara. She wouldn't show her how hard this was for her; Kara needed her to be strong, to hold it together for the both of them. The tears just ran free now, Lena stopped trying to hold them back. It was heartbreaking just to think about it.

Xxx

Kara woke up screaming from pain, it was all over her, she could feel the kryptonite in her blood, feel it moving through her, burning her from the inside. Her body contorted with such strength despite her still being weak to willingly do it on her own.

She was gasping for air, her chest was heaving when Lena barged in the room panting, her eyes bulking red from crying all night, look of complete terror on her pale face.

"Kara, I'm here, I'm here, what is it?" She didn't know what to do, so she grabbed a glass of water, it looked like Kara needed it. "Here, drink a little." She gave it to Kara who drank it all in one go.

Squeezing her eyes shut Kara couldn't think much less speak with such a pain coursing inside her body. But after Lena gave her the water she managed to let out a word. "Hurt…" And then she passed out.

Xxx

When Kara came to herself, she felt a lot better than she had before, she was a bit foggy and confused. She didn't seem to be in the bedroom she fell asleep in. She was on the balcony on a lounge chair. The sun was shining right at her, it was a beautiful day. She just couldn't get up.

Someone beside her said something, only then she realized there were three people there with her, Lena, Alex and another woman she didn't know who it was. And it was Lena who was talking with her.

"Kara, are you feeling better darling? I gave you some painkillers and something so you could sleep better. We brought you here so the sun could help you a little." Lena was seating on the chair on Kara's right side, while Alex was on a chair on her other side, standing in the corner of the balcony was someone she didn't know, who was wearing all white.

"I…'m…I think I am." She shook her head trying to get her thoughts straight. "Where am I?" She tried to sit up her hands slipping and her head went back down with a thud.

"Hey hey calm down sweetie, you're on Lena's balcony, the sun will help you recover, or you can go back to the DEO if you'd like." Alex reached her hand to hold Kara's so she wouldn't try to sit up again and hurt herself.

"Ok no, I'm okay. Just a bit thirsty and hungry." Lena and Alex chuckled. Lena offered Kara a glass of water that was sitting beside her.

"That won't be necessary Alex, as we are speaking someone is stalling sun lamps in Kara's room, they were only ready today, but it won't take long. As for lunch I had my chef prepare something very nutritional for you Kara, I think it's almost ready." Lena was happy to help Kara, and had even hired a chef so they would have home cooked meals.

"Wow Lena, you didn't need to do this much for me. And a nutritional meal? Since when do I eat one of those, don't you know me?" Kara made a disgusted face.

"Hey I told you I'm here to help my best friend. And yes you'll need to eat better now, you have to recover and eating like you eat is not going to help, so buckle up that starting today you'll eat a nutritional diet." Lena got up from the chair and approached the woman on the corner.

"Kara, we have to talk serious now. You'll need a lot of help from now on and to start of today you'll be doing physical therapy so you can learn how to do things again, and there will be someone here helping you aside from me and Lena, let's say she is your "helper" for everything, she works for the DEO so your identity is safe. Lena told you two talked about this." Alex tried to explain everything so Kara would be comfortable.

"Yes, we talked about it last night. I do think this is the best way. I don't want Lena to exert herself trying to help me. But I am still a little frazzled with everything. I can't seem to hold anything right on my hands, will that get better soon?"

"Hey, It will Joanne will help with that, and the physical therapy okay? You'll start right after lunch. I will eat with you guys, but after I have to get back to work. Do you want anything? I can bring you anything you want next time I come."Alex gave Kara's hand a light squeeze.

"That's her name? She seems nice. Yes, actually I would love to have my journal. Writing helps me process things. Thank you Alex, you are the best sister."

Lena approached the two Danvers with the woman who was waiting by the corner. "Kara, meet Joanne Fritz, she'll be staying here with us to help you, like we talked yesterday." Lena introduced the nurse to Kara.

"Hi Kara, we'll be spending a lot of time together, I hope I can count with your understanding." Joanne had an open and friendly smile for Kara, making Kara's smile to appear on her up until now sad face.

"Hi, nice too meet you Joanne, I do hope you're strong, I can be quite heavy." Kara laughed for the first time since she got there.

"Now that everyone is acquainted, let's have some lunch. The table is set. Let's get inside." Lena was leading Alex inside while Joanne stayed back to help Kara. The two stayed by the door and watched as Joanne helped Kara to her chair.

It went smoothly Joanne had a real gentle way of handling it, like she was doing it her whole life. Kara was taking it well, as well as expected. Joanne seemed really strong by Alex's standards, Kara was really heavy and had a lot of muscles even if they had already started to lose some of them.

Xxx

The lunch Lena's chef had prepared was an eggplant lasagna and green salad. Not at all bad, but not something Kara would eat normally. Although everyone was eating it so at least she wasn't the only one to have to eat it.

Joanne helped her during the meal, and after everyone finished she took Kara to the bathroom. Their first real challenge at least for Kara.

Joanne kneeled so she was on Kara's eye level to talk to her. "So Kara, we'll be doing a lot of this together, you can just relax, I know what I'm doing, you don't need to be scared. If there is anything that bothers you, you can say it and we'll talk about it. Nothing is silly here."

"Okay, thank you. This is just a little new for me, but it's okay."

"Alright then, so we'll do everything very slowly now and you can tell me at every step what works for you and we'll go from there. Deal?"

"Deal" Joanne proceeded to help Kara in the bathroom, after that she changed Kara's clothes and prepared her to go to physical therapy. She would be doing that on a spare bedroom Lena had prepared for this.

"Wow Lena, you went above and beyond for me. I don't really know what to say anymore." Kara was bewildered with what she saw in the room, every type of equipment one would find at a clinic of the sorts.

"Kara, I think I already told you this, but I am here to help you, and I will do anything so you can get better faster." She gave Kara a little squeeze on the shoulder.

"Okay I know. But nonetheless, I need to thank you for this."

"You don't need to. I'll need to leave you two alone now, I'm going to my lab, I need to work on the serum I will be back later Kara." Lena gave Kara a kiss on her forehead.

"Bye Lena." Lena left and Kara started her first session of physical therapy.

It was one of the worst things she had ever done. Everything was ten times harder than she imagined, she couldn't do anything right. Everything was done to her instead of her doing the exercises.

Kara didn't know it would be this difficult. A little traumatic if she though a little about it. It finally sank inside of her how much time this would take, and how much effort she would need to put. And even so, putting everything she had hadn't amounted to almost anything today. The only thing she accomplished was to hold a few things with her weak hands.

Joanne tried to sheer her up saying that was already a great development for her. But Kara had help buildings with those hands and this didn't seem like something she should be proud of.

She left the first session devastated, and after that she took a shower with Joanne's help.

She asked to go to sleep for the rest of the afternoon. She didn't want to do anything anymore, just sleep so this nightmare could be over faster.

Xxx

When Lena got home, she expected Kara to be starting dinner, but she found her crying in her room with all the lights of.

She had talked to Joanne before entering Kara's room, she'd said she'd been like that since after her physical therapy session, she hadn't left or eaten anything until now.

Lena knocked on the door. "Kara, can I come in? Are you okay in there?"

"I'm fine. I just want to be alone Lena." Lena could hear Kara sobbing inside.

"Sorry darling, but I want to talk to you." She entered the room, but didn't light any of the lights. She knew Kara didn't want Lena to see her.

"Leave me alone please." Kara was pleading between sobs.

"Hey, I am your best friend and I will not let you go through this alone." Lena sat beside Kara trying to get through her friend.

"I don't want you to see me like this." Her sobs getting stronger by the minute.

"You don't need to be ashamed of anything Kara, I'm here for you for the bad times and for the goods." Lena tried to touch Kara's hand but she flinched.

"You hate me, I know deep down you still hate me for what I did." Kara was trying to push Lena away.

"I don't hate you, I was just hurt Kara. But that is in the past, you need me now and I'm here for you." She held Kara's hands in hers, getting closer to her friend.

"We are going through this together; if you fall I'll be by your side to pull you back up. And when you stand up I'll be the one holding your hand." Lena gave a kiss on the back of Kara's hand.

"I can't do this Lena, it's too hard. Why didn't you people just let me die, it would've been easier." Kara was going through a spiral of self-loathing, something Lena knew all too well about.

"Hey stop that. Don't say that Kara, I know you love to live, you're the happiest person I know and you love your life. This is just a hard patch that will end someday, and you'll be stronger for it. I know it's not easy, but you have all of your friends and your family to help you. You can lean on us." Lena took Kara with her arms squeezing her tight.

"I know. I just don't want to be burden to you. You all but stopped your life to take care of me. I am dragging you with me through all this problems."

"You are not a burden Kara, you are my best friend who happens to be needing some help now. I know that if it were me you would be doing the same thing. You have helped me so many times let me help you now too." They were both sobbing now.

"I know. I just I can't do anything Lena, it was so hard, I feel so weak, I don't know if I can do this." Kara tried to turn and buried her head on the pillow, Lena didn't let her.

"Kara, I know that you're super strong and being weak like this is different and must be awful, but this is temporary, you'll regain your strength, it'll take some time, but you'll succeed, I am sure of this. You're persistent and relentless, I've seen you take on enemies twice your size and strength and come out wining, you just have to think this is one of them. In the long run you'll win, you'll defeat it with your endurance and your tenacity. It will be a long race darling, but I can assure you you'll come out winning."

"Thank you. It was just too hard trying to do those exercises and not getting anywhere. It just felt so bad, and pointless." Kara's sobs were getting weaker.

"It's not pointless, it'll be hard in the beginning, and today is just the first day. You'll start to get results and it'll fell a lot better then. I promise you that I'm trying to speed up this process, but if we take the kryptonite too fast off of you your cells won't take it, it has to be slow. But it's going to happen alright?" Kara had stopped crying. Lena was rubbing her hands on Kara's arms.

"I know. Sorry to ruin your shirt."

"Don't worry about it. Are you hungry? I brought you dinner from that Chinese place. Just for today." Lena could see a smile forming on Kara's face.

"I am, but I don't want to let go. Can we stay here a bit more?" Kara's voice had such a sad tone that Lena couldn't say no to her.

"Of course, as long as you want."

They stayed holding each other for two hours until Kara decided to let go of Lena.

Lena brought the dinner to her bed so they could eat together there. After they ate and Joanne helped Kara get ready for bed, Lena trolled passed Kara's room and knocked.

"Hey, can I come in?"

"Of course Lee, always."

Lena sat on the bed beside Kara "I was thinking that maybe we could watch a movie together today. Anything you want. What do you say?" Lena had smirk on her face, trying to get one out of Kara.

"I would love to. Hum, can I really choose? This is dangerous you know that." Kara was trying, but it was still difficult to feel better.

They watched Kara's favorite movie "The Wizard of Oz" for the tenth time, even if Lena wasn't a fan of musicals she would always watch them with Kara, she would do anything for Kara. Lena didn't mind, she just wanted her friend to feel better. So they watched the movie and then three more, all the time bundled together on Kara's bed. They ended up falling asleep on each other's arms.