Chapter 121: Mother Dearest

"Why do all my friends love eating out here so often?" Kara wondered to Sam after their waiter departed with their finished meals.

Sam smirked. "You've got rich friends in Star City. And as far as the rich in this city go, the only place worth eating at is the Palm." She paused. "Star City. Still not used to that."

Kara nodded. "It rolls off the tongue, but at the same time, it doesn't."

"Eh, give it time. So, Kara, what's the next big project?" Sam clasped her hands in front of her, taking the check from the returning waiter and beginning the quick math to pay for the meal.

"Before Oliver had to leave, we were thinking about opening an internship program at the mall for students in the Glades." Kara rubbed the insides of her wrists. "I was wondering if you could refer me some experts to help."

"Sure. I'll talk to HR, have them email you a list." Sam took out her wallet and slid her credit card back into its slot. "Have you talked to Oliver about it too?"

"Yeah. He's gonna send me a list as well. I figured I would cross reference it, see if there's any overlap."

"Smart," Sam complimented her, causing Kara to blush.

They continued to chat as they picked up their bags and exited the restaurant. Once they got outside, Sam went ahead and talked to the valet to have their care sent over. Kara waited patiently next to her, watching the parking lot. It wasn't long until her eagle eyes caught sight of the old woman with short, perm-like hair approaching them. She frowned.

The woman ignored her entirely in favor of Sam. "Hello, Samantha," she said.

Kara felt her friend stiffen next to her, and felt her frown deepen. She watched as Sam turned around, and was stricken by the cold expression on her friend's face. Sam had always been warm, and even when she was unhappy or in distress, she was vibrant. But now, she was… cold. Kara didn't like it.

Who is this woman?

"Hello, Patricia," Sam responded icily. Kara filed the name in her head for reference. Patricia. Why did that sound familiar?

"How have you been?" Patricia probed awkwardly.

"Fine. No thanks to you."

The old woman faltered, before glancing at Kara. "And who's your friend?"

Kara opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Sam grabbing her shoulder. "Please leave," she asked Patricia. Forcefully.

Patricia, seemingly realizing that this confrontation wasn't going her way, nodded. "If you want. But Sam, please contact me some other time. My number is the same as its always been. I think… I think it's time we reconnect."

When Sam didn't answer, Patricia got the message and left. Kara watched her go, before glancing at her companion. The grip Sam had on her loosened, and almost instinctively, Kara reached up to take her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Sam's cold expression finally faded away, and she gave Kara an exhausted but grateful smile in response.

"She's my mom," Sam explained as they were driving away.

Kara blinked. "Your… mom," she said carefully.

"Yeah."

"You mean the one who…"

"Yeah," Sam repeated, this time a little more softly.

"Oh, Sam," Kara put a hand to her forehead. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Sam sighed. "You didn't do anything. I just…I just never expected to see her again. I hoped for years that she'd reach out, but she never did, and eventually I gave up on that. Now, it's been over a decade. Ruby's in high school. And it's only now that she shows up." She shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know what to think. Why now?"

"Maybe the guilt finally got to her," Kara offered, only for Sam to snort.

"Guilt? She's never felt guilt for anything. At least not for me," Sam gripped the driving wheel tighter. "Yeah, she might've raised me. But she was distant and cold, and eventually, when I got pregnant she disowned me and threw me out with only my clothes on my back. If she felt any guilt for that, it's long passed." Her eyes casted down for a moment. "I don't know why she's trying to reach out now, Kara. But whatever reason it is, it can't be a good one."

Nine months.

He had been in a coma for nine months.

That's enough time to have a kid, Eddie absentmindedly thought to himself. Well, he didn't have a kid, but he did have a boat load of things to catch up on.

The last thing he remembered was lamenting over his failure to catch the Flash, inadvertently helping Zoom, and his breakup with Iris. The last had particularly stung; Eddie had wanted to delude himself into believing that he could change her mind, that they could get back together, but deep down he had known she was right — their relationship hadn't been going anywhere. They had been stuck in a holding pattern, trying to stave off the inevitable. It hurt to realize, let alone accept, because despite that he had still loved Iris, and probably always would.

He barely had a day or so to wallow before that… shockwave (according to Nurse Wyndham, it had been a Dark Matter Explosion, whatever that meant) sent him flying. A brief memory of pain and then nothing, until he had awoken in the hospital, sometime in the future. It was mind-boggling.

Zoom had been defeated for months, taken down by the Flash and the Justice League not long after he had been sent under. The nurse had clearly wanted to say more, but refrained for whatever reason. Eddie had a sinking feeling about that, and wanted to push, but the hospital, including his presiding doctor, insisted on more tests. Apparently, Eddie's awakening was unusual; normally, it was a gradual process. Eddie, however, had woken up to his full faculties almost instantly. The desire to get out of the hospital as soon as possible won over any curiosity he might have had, and he complied.

The tests were over now, and he had been transferred to his own personal room in another ward. He had just been resting there, trying to get a sense of everything that was going on. He had only heard snippets of his diagnosis, but it seems that somehow, miraculously enough, hadn't degraded like most coma patients. He was frail, yes, but he could still move his limbs and could speak. The projections were tentative, but he could be out of the hospital before the month was over. Eddie was grateful for that, at least.

Click.

Eddie glanced to the side as he watched the door open. A small smile crossed his face when he saw a hopeful Joe peek his face in. Upon seeing him awake, an elated look crossed the older man's face. He glanced back for a moment, before opening the door more fully and entering inside. Eddie smiled at him, though his smile faltered for a bit when he saw Iris following him. Iris gave him an awkward smile in return and a tentative wave. Eddie awkwardly smiled back.

The real shock, however, was when Barry of all people followed her inside. He gave Eddie a short nod that Eddie hesitantly returned, before closing the door behind him. Together, the three of them gathered chairs from around the room and sat themselves around his hospital bed. For a moment, silence reigned over the room as they waited for someone to speak.

"So… Zoom's really gone?"

Everyone stiffened, and no one noticed the dark look that briefly passed over Barry's face. "Yeah," Joe answered with a sigh, "he's gone. But… not before causing a ton of damage to the city. Even now, we're still recovering."

Eddie blinked. "Seriously? What did he do?"

Everyone cringed. "Eddie… there's a lot you need to know. But, it's a bit out there, and you just woke up—"

"Guys," Eddie stared at them all flatly. "I'm stuck here for at least a couple of weeks. You can't hide everything from me forever."

Joe and Iris stared at him at dismay. Barry, meanwhile, merely sighed and stood up. Wary of all the attention on him, he reached over to the side of his chair, where a bag he had carried in sat. He reached inside and picked up a computer tablet, turning it on and accessing one of the apps. He handed it to Eddie.

The detective looked down. "What's this?"

"A primer on everything that's happened since Zoom's invasion, courtesy of a donation by S.T.A.R. Labs," Barry explained. "Just for you. Consider it a favor for all the work you did with us while you were on the Anti-Metahuman Task Force. We figured you'd want to know everything that happened while you were asleep, and this was the best method. It's pre-loaded with documents, statements, and articles made since Zoom's defeat."

Eddie skimmed through the first article, and his face grew disturbingly blank. "It says here that Zoom was from an alternate universe."

"Yes."

"This article is from the New York Times."

"Yes."

"… what the hell?"

Of course, Eddie didn't believe it until he saw the video of Earth-2 Malcolm Merlyn exiting from a portal and shaking hands with the President. After that, he had quickly skimmed through all the articles about the situation, including the subsequent replication and dispensation of the Doppelsensor. Along with the full-reopening of S.T.A.R. Labs as a research facility.

"So, S.T.A.R. Labs is a thing again," Eddie asked, glancing at Barry. "I know you've been trying to get the place reopened for some time."

Barry nodded. "Yeah. The creation of the Doppelsensor along with the word of the JL was enough goodwill to finally clear the rest of the red tape and allow us to reopen. With the advent of the multiverse, we're now the forerunners in metahuman and transdimensional science." He rubbed his arm. "I know I was gone for ten years, but I think S.T.A.R. has never been more popular or successful. Every major scientific mind in the world wants to work with us. Combined with the influx of funding and commissions, we've already decided to construct a second facility in another part of the city."

He wasn't lying. Even with Hartley, Caitlin, Cisco, and Ronnie full employed as scientists again (with the former three holding executive positions in various departments), their roster of scientists and staff had expanded at an unprecedented rate. Barry already had to transfer Team Flash's headquarters to a satellite warehouse at the edge of the city. He had quickly modified it so it could only be accessed through the primary entrance, the secret back-up entrance, and through a breach, either created by Cisco or by one of his breach devices. With S.T.A.R. Labs now fully operational again, they couldn't risk their continuing their superhero activities there. Not without compromising everyone's identities.

Eddie inhaled deeply. "And this whole… metahuman integration initiative?"

Iris gave a half-shrug. "After the Metapocalypse, it was determined that metahumans weren't going anywhere. And since no one wants to mimic the X-Men comics in real life, it was decided that it was better to have metahumans be able to both control their powers and use them in ways constructive to both their lives and society as a whole. So, S.T.A.R. Labs opened their doors to all metahumans, helping them get guidance in controlling their powers and recommending possible jobs. So far, it's worked — metahuman crime is at its lowest since right after the Particle Accelerator Explosion."

"That's actually the new job of Dante," Barry commented. "Cisco's brother," he elaborated when Eddie shot him a confused look. "He was a metahuman created by Zoom's Dark Matter Explosion, and one of the main proponents of metahuman integration. He's currently working as a job counselor for newly-found metahumans and as a point of contact for a newly-opened law firm that specializes in metahuman discrimination."

What he didn't mention was that the main reason Dante took the job was because it was both more respected and way better-paying than his old one. The fact that it also allowed him to collaborate with S.T.A.R. Labs more often was also a plus. Cisco and him had fully committed to patching up their relationship, and being allowed to work together had further facilitated that. The younger Ramon, after all, was now the head of S.T.A.R. Labs' metahuman science division.

"Caitlin is another proponent too," Barry continued. "She was turned into a metahuman as well by the Explosion. It gave her ice powers. She's now one of the foremost minds in biochemical engineering, particularly in the field of cryogenics."

"That's… nice," Eddie finally said after a moment. He didn't know Caitlin all that well, and he didn't know Dante at all, so he didn't have much of an opinion on their change in fortunes. But it was nice to know about the recent changes in the world. It made him wonder about how it would affect his work on the task force. Speaking of which…

"What about the CCPD?" Eddie asked, directing his question towards Joe and Iris. "Any big change there?"

There was another awkward exchange of looks, making Eddie frown. "Guys?"

Iris turned around and smiled brightly at him. A bit too brightly. "I finally got promoted to detective." It sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Congratulations," Eddie told her genuinely, before his expression flattened. "Now what are you hiding from me?"

Joe rubbed the back of his head. "After you went under the city got back under control, the Anti-Metahuman Criminal—"

"Criminal?"

"Criminal," Joe stressed, "Task Force needed new leadership. I was the natural choice since I was your partner and deputy in regards to cases involving the task force. So I was installed as the head. However, David felt that it was too much of a safety risk for me to keep going out on cases without a partner. So—"

"—he assigned you a new partner," Eddie finished. "Who?" He didn't sound particularly happy, but he didn't sound particularly surprised either.

"Not me," Iris quickly stated. "Too much of a conflict of interest." Since not only was she Eddie's ex-girlfriend, but also Joe's own daughter.

"It's a new officer, recently transferred in," Joe added. "Her name is Patty Spivot. Blonde, and real sweet."

"She's like a nicer version of Barry," Iris stage-whispered, causing Eddie to briefly crack a grin while Barry gave her a jokingly-offended 'Hey!' and a playful push on the shoulder.

Despite himself, Eddie chuckled at the interaction. "Well then, as long as you like her, I don't see any problems."

"Great. She's actually come with us to visit you a couple of times. I think she's been looking forward to meeting you for real."

"That's nice to hear," Eddie hummed. "Anything else?"

"Ralph is a metahuman too," Barry said before anyone else could comment.

Eddie paused as he thought that revelation over. "That's terrifying," he finally said.

There was another beat.

"Yeah."

"You have no idea."

"It was. It really, really was." Iris shivered.

"What are his powers?" Eddie asked curiously.

"He can stretch," Barry answered, bobbing his head up in amusement. "Stretch far. And originally, he couldn't stretch back. We had to bring him to S.T.A.R. Labs so they could stabilize him."

"I don't get why you're so amused by that," Iris told him, nose scrunching up. "It was terrifying. And kind of disgusting. Dad vomited."

Eddie glanced at Joe in disbelief. "You did?"

"I did," Joe sighed.

Barry gave a half-shrug. He wasn't going to admit that all his years as a League scientist and an assassin had meant he had seen worse. Well, that and the fact his sister was a super-powered alien. Compared to her, a guy he could stretch a lot hardly meant anything.

"Well, that must be useful for booking perps," Eddie noted.

"Oh, for sure. We were on this cas—"

Knock-knock.

A nurse peeked their head into the room. "I apologize, but visiting hours are almost over. Could you please finish your visit within the next fifteen minutes are so?"

"Sure." Joe glanced at his old partner. "Well, I guess this is it today. We'll see you in a couple of days, alright?"

"Right," Eddie agreed, watching as Joe stood up. Barry was quick to follow, though Iris hesitated for a moment. She reached over and squeezed Eddie's hand briefly, before letting go. She gave him one last look before turning away, following her father and best friend out the door.

Eddie watched them go with a smile, but once the door was shut closed, it was gone. His expression faltered, and he flopped back onto his pillow and stared up at the ceiling. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the sounds of the air conditioning running and the rushing steps of doctors and nurses and patients and orderlies alike.

Nine months.

Nine freakin' months.

God.

Eddie had gone to sleep one day and woken up the next to find out it was the end of the world.

It wasn't, obviously, but it sure as hell felt like it.

What am I going to do? He thought to himself, staring up at the yellowed linoleum tiles like they held all the answers of the world. What the fuck am I going to do?

Predictably, the ceiling didn't answer.

Okay, so this is a world-building chapter. You get to see more of what's going on in Central City, particularly the part about metahuman integration. I've always wanted to do something like this, and this arc was the best way to show it.

As you can tell, things are different here. Ralph and Caitlin are publicly known as metas. Cisco is not, but some do suspect since Dante is also a publicly known meta. Ralph is known because, as a cop, he's already working in active law enforcement and there's no reason for him to hide it considering integration has become an initiative in this city. As for Caitlin, she's not a superhero (at least not publicly) and she doesn't have a split personality. So, there's no reason to hide it, and this allows her to use it for research purposes. She does have combat training, since she's best friends with Barry, but for the most part she's mainly support.

Patty Spivot is indeed Joe's new partner, but as Mardon is already in jail, she's more of her peppy self. You'll see more of her later.

That's it for now. Don't be afraid to review, flames will be ignored and deleted, and don't forget to update the TV Tropes page!