Onceuponahappilyeverafter: It's later than I anticipated; however, it is also longer than the previous chapter! Your excited comments make me want to put more into each one! Haha, thank you for keeping your email!

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Guest: Thank you!

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CdnGirl01: Honestly, your comment made my day. I am so glad that you're enjoying this. I'm trying my hardest to keep these characters as authentic as I can and to keep the situations as realistic as I can. I am so happy to hear that it's coming across so well. Thank you for giving my AU a chance!

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NOTE: I made three very slight changes to a few previous chapters, specifically in 1, 6, and 14. It has been pointed out on another site that three years is too long for a tour. It doesn't play a significant role in the story; however, I want this story to be as accurate as I can get it. I know mistakes are inevitable, research can only tell me so much, but if it's something that I can adjust, I will try my hardest to do so.

With that being said, Alex's first tour lasted nine months. Her second and third tours were done more or less back-to-back at eighteen months each with a five month break between them. A standard deployment is anywhere from six to nine months but can last as long as eighteen. Deployments with less than six months time between them are not common, but not unheard of. They don't happen often because of the toll it takes on the soldiers. It's not necessary to reread it all to look for the changes unless you want to. The other change that was made to accommodate the adjusted tours, is that Donovan's son will be entering preschool rather than kindergarten.

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One field medevac, three countries, 19 hours and 20 minutes of flight time, three hospitals, and a grand total of 9,449 miles and three days later, Alex was in her room in the ICU at National City General Hospital. Throughout all of this, Alex was completely unaware of what was going on around her.

Eliza had flown over to Maryland to meet up with Alex before the flight back to California. She was glad she did because Alex ended up staying in Maryland for an extra five hours. On the flight over, her blood pressure had dropped again and she got a low grade fever. She needed to be monitored just a little bit longer before taking that final flight. Kara had stayed behind in National City knowing that Alex would be on her way home with their mother by her side.

It felt like it had taken forever to finally reach this point.

…

The call they were all anxiously awaiting came on Sunday at 4:27pm. Eliza had called them from the ambulance. She and Alex were enroute to the hospital and were back in California.

Again, Maggie had offered to let Kara and Winn have their time alone with Alex before she visited, but they were having none of it.

"Maggie, no," Kara shook her head from the doorway. "You've been such a huge part of Alex's life for the end of this last tour. We can't ask you to stay behind. And besides, you've been keeping us sane for three days. We want you to come with us."

"You're sure?" She asked them again.

"Absolutely," Winn responded before practically dragging her out of the house towards their car. "But if you delay us any longer, Kara might just leave you behind."

Maggie turned just as Kara reached across and hit the horn of the car. In those thirty seconds, she'd gotten from the front of the house and into the car. She was ready to go.

Truthfully, Kara and Winn had grown significantly on her in the short six days that she'd been with them. The feeling was mutual as well apparently.

So they all piled into Winn's car and sped off for the hospital. It was finally happening.

…

When they got there and called into the ICU, only one more person could enter since Eliza was already in the waiting room. They were capping it at two people per patient. With no hesitation, it was an easy call to let Kara go through. After giving her a wave and an encouraging hug from each of them, Winn and Maggie headed off to the general waiting room on the first floor.

They walked in silence as they went down the hall back towards the elevators. Although it was silent between them, the sounds of the hospital were certainly not quiet. They were sounds that they were all about to be closely acquainted with during Alex's stay. There's no doubt that they're going to be here for a long time during her recovery.

As they neared the waiting room, something caught Maggie's eyes. She stopped, causing Winn to stop and look back at her, a few paces ahead. Maggie took a second of deliberation before she glanced back at Winn. Not saying a word, she turned and stepped into the room.

Not wanting to be alone or leave Maggie alone, Winn came over and looked at the plate on the door. "Chapel."

It'd been many, many years since Maggie last stepped foot in a place/room like this. She was pretty sure that it was Jamie's baptism being the last time. Once a second home, now long abandoned.

The room was empty at the moment, so she made her way up the aisle to the front. Had anyone been in there, she probably would've lost her nerve and walked out.

Maggie knelt and picked up one of the battery operated candles, flipping the switch on. They were in a hospital after all, she didn't expect them to have legitimate candles around.

After placing the candle back down, she took another moment before choosing to sit in the third pew. Winn hesitated, but slid in next to her.

"You know…" Maggie began quietly after a few minutes. "I used to go to church every Sunday when I was little… My parents would make me go every week and I used to look forward to it…" She trailed off with a longing tone to her voice, her eyes distant and in the past. Maggie shook her head before looking down at her lap.

"I figured it couldn't hurt…"

Winn, as awkward as ever but being the deeply caring person he was, tentatively reached out and put an arm around Maggie. She froze at the contact, but surprised the both of them by reaching up and holding onto his hand. She relaxed into him, taking in the support he was offering.

"What changed that?" Winn asked.

Maggie sighed and shrugged, "the usual family drama, I guess you could call it…" She liked Winn and was growing used to being around him and relaxing around him, but that was definitely not a story she wanted to get into right now.

Winn sighed too. He respected her choice not to open up more than that. They all had those skeletons in the closet.

He chuckled humorlessly before shifting so they were both more comfortable. "I never had religion… I come from two scientists, not that all scientists are atheists or anything but, one of them abandoned me and the other one was crazy and died in jail after murdering people… Religion has never been a part of my life. They didn't take me to church or anything like that… So it's never really been on my side… You know, religion, prayer, it's never worked out for me… But… If there was ever a time to try, now would be it…"

So they both sat there in the solace of the chapel and prayed.

…

Kara had met with Eliza in the waiting room. After giving her a big hug, she asked, "how is she?"

Eliza calmly led her over to a chair and had her take a seat.

"Kara…" Eliza began slowly. "You need to be prepared when you go in there. The Alex in there on that bed is not going to look like the Alex you're expecting… She has been through hell and back…"

"I'm sure I can handle it," Kara tried to reassure her.

Eliza looked at her youngest skeptically. "Please, just whatever you're imagining, triple it. I'd rather you expect worse and be relieved than not prepared enough…"

One of Alex's doctors came into the waiting room just then. "You both can go see her now if you'd like. She isn't awake yet. We've started to slowly wean her off sedation, but it could take several hours or even a couple days before she becomes more aware. It's up to her now. She has a lot of drugs in her system, so you need to give it some time. You should talk to her while she's like this as if you were having a normal conversation. It'll help her to know you're there even if she doesn't really realize it right now. She may even hear you."

"Thank you," Eliza nodded and smiled before the doctor left again. She turned to Kara, "you go ahead, sweetie. You can have some time alone with her. I'm going to get something to eat."

With that, Kara got up and went to the designated room.

"Oh Alex," Kara said brokenly, tears coming to her eyes and falling. She scrubbed them away quickly as more fell. Despite her mother's forewarning, Kara still wasn't expecting what she saw in front of her.

Her sister was connected to so many wires and tubes. The ventilator she was connected to made everything look so much worse and scary. A special neck brace was in place to keep her neck stable and prevent any adverse effects of the brace with the ventilation. Her face was pale with a nasty cut stitched up under her right eye. The bruises were dark but fading around it. Her right arm was up in a sling with a large cast just barely visible. Her left arm was a mess of bandages that hid stitches and more bruising. Her left leg was propped up and in a walking boot. And what was even harder to take in was the lack of her right leg. The blanket just went flat much sooner than it should've.

Alex's hair was longer than she remembered it to be. It fell in uncoordinated waves down just past her shoulders. The bed was set so she was halfway between sitting up and fully laying down. In that bed, she looked smaller and younger than ever.

Kara sat down and ever so gently took Alex's good hand making sure not to jostle any wires or tubes.

"Hey Lexie…" She said and took in a shaky breath. "I've missed you so much… Everyone's here, you know? Mom, Winn, and Maggie. We're all so worried about you…"

Kara felt a little awkward talking to her like this but the doctor said that talking might help Alex feel more comfortable and potentially wake up sooner. There was something mentioned about studies showing that it was beneficial or something like that. That she might hear even while sedated. Kara was lacking on the details right now since she had tuned it out as soon as the doctor said they could see her.

"I'm glad you're home… That's where you are right now… In National City… Mom and Maggie fought for you to get the whole way here…"

Kara chuckled sadly and put her head down on the edge of the bed.

"I feel like I'm doing all of this wrong… I'm trying to convince you to wake up faster… I know you've got a lot of healing to do. I bet that's exhausting… But I need you to wake up… You know you're really scaring us, right?... Ever since I got this feeling and then the phone call…" Kara trailed off.

She sighed and gave Alex's hand a light squeeze. "I just want you to know, that no matter what, you'll have all of us, okay? We're here to support you and help you through this… You've made it this far, you can't give up now. You've gotta fight through this recovery. None of us are leaving you alone to do this. You're not getting rid of us…"

Kara glanced back at the door before resting her other hand on her own stomach. "You have to wake up, Alex. You know why?..." Her lip wobble and more tears fell. She didn't bother wiping them away this time.

"Because you're going to be an auntie…" She sobbed out. "I've been waiting to tell you because I wanted to do it in person… That's why Mom is making Winn and I go to cooking classes." She sniffled and covered her face with her other hand.

"Mom said she didn't want her grandbabies to eat like we do... Yeah, babies. It's not just one baby… it's twins… There will be two of them to spoil."

She wiped away some of the tears from her eyes. "You're either gonna have two nieces or nephews… I think they're gonna be boys but Winn keeps saying it's gonna be two girls… We still have a while before we find out though… He's been so good throughout this with the morning sickness and mood swings… I'm at twelve weeks now…"

Kara sighed in desperation, "but Alex, these little babies are going to need their auntie… I know you're tired and exhausted, and that's okay. You're allowed to rest. You don't have to wake up just yet if you're not ready, but I need my sister… We're all really really worried right now…" She couldn't stress that enough. They were all terrified, not knowing what they future held for her.

Not knowing what else she could say and suddenly finding herself at a loss for words, Kara just hung onto her sister's hand. She was unsure of the amount of time she spent in that room. Nurses and doctors came in and out, occasionally having her move, but she stayed there resolute with her sister.

…

Eliza had come to find Winn and Maggie. Kara was still in the room with Alex, but Eliza just assumed she'd stay there until someone came for her or she got kicked out. So she was going to send in one of them to go get Kara and swap turns.

Eliza found them right where they had been for the past two hours.

"Hey," she whispered to them as she approached. "One of you can go in to see her now."

Winn turned to Maggie and opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off before he could get the words out. "No, you go see her. I've got time… I saw her last week." She patted his hand and leaned away from him so he could have his arm back.

Reality was, Maggie wasn't ready to see Alex quite yet. She was unfortunate enough to know exactly what she would find when she walked into that room. She'd seen things like that happen before, but it was different now with Alex. This time it had an even deeper impact, if that was even possible. She needed just a little more time to prepare herself.

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

Maggie nodded, "yes. You're her brother-in-law. You should go see her."

Winn nodded and stepped out of the chapel leaving Eliza and Maggie alone. Eliza took the recently vacated seat next to Maggie. She looked on ahead as she spoke.

"I know the odds the doctors have given me. I know them myself, too… But her physical odds of recovery are only a part of the equation right now…" Eliza turned to look at Maggie. "I need to know what her odds are of really recovering from this…"

Maggie sighed and deflated some. She shook her head, "I can't say for sure. I've seen it go both ways… She'll either never recover or she'll bounce back. But Alex has a family behind her. She has a support system and she knows it… That will help significantly and sways her in the direction of success…"

Maggie gave her a sad smile, "Alex has a very long journey ahead of her. It will be ongoing and never end. She's going to be faced with challenges for the rest of her life now both physically and mentally. I'm not sure she's ever going to be a hundred percent… But like I said, she knows she has a team behind her. She just needs you by her side, even if she tries to push back."

Eliza nodded slowly, "thank you… And thank you for having her back."

Maggie nodded and ducked her head. She wished there was more she could do.

…

"H-hey Alex…" Winn said as he came and took a seat next to Kara. Just like Kara, Winn wasn't prepared for what her saw. This was the same big sister he'd come to know and love and have a healthy fear of, but he'd never seen her so vulnerable.

Winn had never even seen her cry. At least, not that he was allowed to verbally acknowledge. (There was that brief moment at his wedding where he could've sworn he saw a tear in her eye as she hugged Kara, but he wasn't allowed to speak of that moment.)

He put a hand on Kara's back. She was currently asleep with her head on the bed facing towards Alex. He spoke softly so he wouldn't wake her.

"You know, part of me feels like you're going to jump off that bed and put me in a headlock like you used to… Or just hit me upside the head… That this is just one of your really elaborate pranks that goes along with your twisted sense of humor… But Alex, I'd do anything for you to jump up and tackle me or smack me or put me in a headlock right now…" He spoke sadly.

All those things he used to dislike but love about Alex, he was deeply missing right now. She was a hard-ass to him but he knew she was that way because emotions weren't her thing. Affection wasn't her thing. The very point behind her sisterly tormenting was because she loved him just as much as he loved her. They're family.

Alex was the final person that made him feel accepted into this family. He'd never been sure, but the night before his wedding, Alex had come up and hugged him.

"You be good to her, you hear? You're my brother now but if you ever make her cry, I'll beat you to a pulp." He had nodded very quickly at that. He knew Alex was good on that promise. But she had surprised him with a hug and put her forehead to his. When she pulled back she reached and patted his arm. Not in the hard way she usually did, but in a softer more meaningful way. That was when they really became siblings.

Now he just wanted his sister to be okay.

"But hey, I can modify a controller and get you all set up with an xbox in here… I can make it so you only need one hand to play. Your other one looks a little banged up right now, but that's no problem. I can play like that too to make it fair…"

He paused and smiled, "I can play with you when you wake up… That's probably not allowed in the ICU room, but when you get upgraded to a new one on a regular floor, I can totally hook you up. I've been practicing my Mario Kart skills for months waiting for you to come home just to play you. I can't lose like I did last time… That was just embarrassing. And it got me a year's worth of mocking…"

"You're my sister, Alex. I've really missed you… Kara doesn't know it yet, but I've already been thinking about how we can adjust our house so you can use it… We can put a ramp over the front steps. I can get railings put up in the bathroom on the first floor where your room is… You've got a place with us like you always have… It'll be done before you even leave this hospital so you can't object to the modifications. They're minor, you don't have to worry about it."

Kara began to stir underneath his hand. Winn knelt down to be on a closer level with her.

"Hey, baby," he whispered to slowly bring her back awake.

"Winn?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. She sat up remembering where she was. She looked over all the monitors and back at Alex. Once she was convinced that nothing had changed with her sister, she turned her attention back to Winn.

"What time is it?"

"Time for us to go find some dinner… Eliza said the food isn't too terrible here." He told her standing up and pulling Kara up with him.

"What about?.." She turned back to Alex.

"She'll be fine. Maggie's waiting for her turn. Alex won't be alone." He rubbed her back reassuringly.

Kara would've fought a little harder but the rumble in her stomach would not be ignored. She nodded and with a light kiss to her sister's hand, she left the room with Winn.

…

Maggie had her head bowed in the pew when Eliza came in to get her. She was zoned out and lost in her thoughts. Eliza had gone out to sit in the regular waiting room a little while after sending Winn off, leaving Maggie to herself.

"Maggie?" She asked, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Maggie hummed back.

"It's your turn to go in and see her if you're ready." Eliza said.

Maggie sat up straight and looked to see a comforting smile on Eliza's face. Eliza Danvers, ever the brave one who could make everyone feel safe in a time of chaos.

When she got up, Eliza surprised her once again with a hug. "I'll walk with you to the waiting room. Kara and Winn went to get food. I'll be close by if you need to go or when you finish."

…

"Jesus, Danvers." Maggie said when she stepped into the room. "Three days I'm gone, and this is what you get yourself into?..."

She took a seat and chuckled sadly. He eyes were wet with unshed tears. "You really couldn't make it a week without me… How did you ever survive three deployments?"

The beeping of the machines was all that answered her. Maggie looked up at the screens displaying important information about Alex. She wished she could read them. She made a mental note to look up what everything meant later when she had access to her phone again.

The room was certainly not quiet with all the working machines and their various sounds. They were rhythmic but in no way soothing.

"So I met your sister and brother-in-law… And your mom." Maggie chuckled a little. "It's a little early to meet the mother in my opinion… That's something I've always tried to avoid in relationships…" Maggie trailed off. Her attempt at humor was falling flat to her own ears. There was only so much deflecting Maggie could do.

She shook her head and sighed, "we don't have a name to what we are yet, Alex. We kissed a few times, and I expected to take you on a few dates. I was hoping to call you my girlfriend…"

Maggie took a seat and held onto Alex's hand. "There's so much potential for us. We're just getting started, you and me… And when you wake up, I want you to be my girlfriend if you want to be mine… I want to date you… I've honestly never been so excited about a first date in my life… You're a special one, Danvers, and I want to make you feel that way…" She trailed off and paused before continuing again.

"I want to sweep you off your feet and bring you flowers, if that's the kind of thing you like… Or maybe we go play pool or something. I'm all for movies or tv shows for a night in…"

Maggie's voice grew tighter and cracked as the emotions began to weigh on her. She'd been pushing them down as hard as she could, but even she had her breaking point.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, Danvers, if you don't wake up soon. If you die, I will pull a Frankenstein and revive you just so I can kill you again myself. You've got a whole team of people waiting for you to open those pretty eyes of yours…

"You can still be a chihuahua breeder or a math tutor or librarian or massage therapist… You can still be that mechanic if you want to be… But you need to wake up and get better to do that. And you've eight days before I take a flight to Metropolis. You need to be awake before then. I can't leave without giving you hell about not staying safe…

"You broke your promise to me. You weren't supposed to come back this way… A-and I want to hate you for that, but I can't." A single tear slid down her cheek as she said it. "Not when you're laying here like this… I've got your six, Alex. You won't be alone…"

Maggie trailed off when a nurse came in to do another check. She quickly wiped away her fallen tear. It was the second time that this nurse had come in while Maggie was in there. There was no such thing as privacy in the ICU, and for good reasons.

The nurse did her typical check but paused. Maggie's concern grew when she left the room quickly only to return with Alex's doctor.

"Ma'am, we need to examine her, could you please go to the waiting room?" The doctor asked.

Confused, Maggie still nodded and left the room. When an ICU doctor or nurse tells you to leave the room, you leave the room no questions asked.

"What's going on?" Eliza asked when she saw the look on Maggie's face.

"I- I don't know…" Maggie said shaking her head.

A moment later, they got their answer when the doctor came up to them.

"We cannot hold off on the surgery for Alex's arm any longer. We'll be taking her down in a few minutes when the OR is ready. The blood flow to her hand has decreased. If we wait any longer, there could be severe damage done to it. We're looking at internal fixation to repair it." She explained to them.

Eliza nodded, "okay." She understood what would happen if that wasn't fixed. Even the slightest jostle to the smallest bone fracture could cause a decrease in blood flow and irreversible damage if not treated. The doctor was right, this couldn't wait. What had been fine two days ago, was no longer fine.

The nurse then came in and gave a nod to the doctor.

"Sit tight," she said. "It'll be a couple hours."

…

Kara had been understandably distraught after learning that her sister had been wheeled away for emergency surgery when she wasn't there. Maggie had gone with Eliza to tell Kara and Winn seeing as now was the chance to get up and move around. The doctor had said that it could take a couple hours. There was no sense in sitting right there for all of it, at least for the first half.

They found Kara and Winn still in the cafeteria finishing up their dinner. Maggie let Eliza handle that news while she went and found food for herself to eat.

Maggie had picked out a sandwich that she could easily pull the cheese off of and grabbed a banana too. She waited patiently in the small line before it was her turn.

"So, how's your day going?" The guy at the register asked her while he rang up her food.

Maggie snorted, "I bet you get some interesting answers asking a question like that in a place like this."

He shrugged, "there are less tears than you think. Usually it's the first time someone's been asked that in a day. The people who come through this line aren't the ones being asked 24/7. Just a little something to make them feel like they're cared about too."

Maggie nodded. He did have a point. She glanced over to see a very worried Kara now caught up on the news and sighed.

"It's been a rollercoaster," she said finally answering him. She then paid for her obscenely expensive food and thanked him for his efforts.

She came back to the table and took a seat next to Winn. "Uh… Where'd they go?" She asked in reference to the now vanished Eliza and Kara.

"Eliza stepped outside with her. They both needed the fresh air…" He said to her. "I was told to stay here and keep you company… Honestly, this all works a lot better since there are four of us. No one ever really has to be alone, especially when visiting the ICU."

Maggie nodded, "I can see that." She pulled the cheese off her sandwich preparing to eat it. She intended to just throw the cheese away like she normally did but Winn stopped her.

"Can I have it?" He asked with such hope in his eyes that Maggie couldn't say no.

She chuckled and held it out. "Have at it, kid. It's all yours."

Winn thanked her and happily ate it. "It's the little things, you know?"

"I guess it is…"

…

Alex pulled through the surgery. It had taken them three hours to get the internal fixation into her arm and wrist and to repair the damage that they found. Again, the anesthesia would be wearing off, but it was another thing added to her system that would delay her waking up.

"Her oxygen levels are looking good. When she wakes up, we can start weaning her off the ventilator to see how she does." The doctor informed them all after explaining what had been done during the surgery.

They were now back to waiting.

Beep…. …. Beep…. …. Beep…. …. Beep…. ….

Alex wasn't quite sure what that annoying sound was but it was making her head pound. And that ringing. It was rather loud wherever she was. And… Everything hurt. She didn't think being dead was supposed to hurt like this… right?

Alex…. …. She heard her name but it was really muffled. It almost sounded like she was underwater trying to hear. There that ringing was again.

Alex, can you open your eyes?

She didn't want to. She wasn't ready to open them yet. Was that Kara? But sleep was pulling her back under.

Beep…. …. Beep…. …. Beep…. ….

Come on, you're a badass Danvers… Be strong and wake up. It doesn't have to be now, but you better. I'm here waiting for you with your sister, brother-in-law, and mother, for you to wake up. I'm persistent. I'm not going anywhere.

Beep…. …. Beep…. …. Beep…. ….

Come on, Alexandra. You've been so brave, and you're doing so well, sweetie. We just need you to wake up for us.

Mom?

It had been nearly two days since Alex landed back in National City. She had technically woken up twice that morning, but she was nowhere near cohearent. The doctors assured the Danvers family that she should wake up properly soon… Once again, it was just a matter of time. That did little to calm their fears though. With the amount of trauma and blood loss Alex had sustained, her body was just trying to heal and protect itself. Add two surgeries onto that and the amount of drugs in her… It was just taking a while for it all to get through her system. Her vitals continued to slowly improve and hold steady at near normal levels. She was getting there.

Her body was at a point where it was really recovering. Some bruises were starting to fade around the very edges. It wasn't much, but it was progress. Her blood pressure had come back to within normal range. It was on the low end, but still normal. Her oxygenation was good. She was already taking strides, even while unconscious, towards being extubated.

Between Winn, Kara, Eliza, and Maggie, Alex was never alone, not even at night. They did it all in shifts.

She was making progress. Alex would wake up when she was ready.

…

Alex…. …. Come on sweetie…. …. Open your eyes for me.

That definitely sounded like her mom. There was light pressure on one of her hands.

Come on sweetie, you can do it. We're all waiting for you. Take your time.

Beep…. …. Beep…. …. Beep…. …. Beep…. ….

There was that annoying sound again. Why was there always beeping? And that ringing was getting louder.

Alex felt a light squeeze on her hand and she willed herself to squeeze back.

"She's waking up!" Someone said excitedly… Sounded like Kara. It was still like she was underwater and her ears were ringing, but it had been loud enough to make her head hurt and spin. She would've groaned had her body cooperated with her.

There was a hand resting lightly on her face, rubbing her forehead.

"That's it. Come on, Alexandra. Open those beautiful brown eyes."

Alex furrowed her brow before peeking her eyes open. The lights were too bright and her head was swimming. She slammed her eyelids back down trying to make the offending light disappear again.

"There, sweetie, try again. The lights are dimmed."

Alex did as instructed and opened her eyes slowly. Her mom and sister's faces appeared in her line of sight. Each of them had red rimmed eyes. Alex was really confused as to where she was and why they were both here.

She tried to speak, moving her mouth, but something wasn't right. Her extremely foggy brain wasn't catching up to what was going on. She had a strong urge to lick her lips and that was when she discovered the tube in her mouth.

In an instant, she panicked. All the alarms went crazy around her as her heart sped up and she fought against the ventilator.

"Alex?" A new voice entered her ears. It was too muffled.

She welcomed the black darkness again that followed.

The doctor looked at Eliza, "that was progress. Next time should be even better."

…

Alex was starting to stir again. It had been three hours since she had woken up the last time and had to be sedated again. She opened her eyes slowly, unprompted this time, still very confused and disoriented.

Eliza came into view and put her hand on her daughter's head. "Easy sweetie. I need you to stay calm. You're currently intubated. You need to let it do its job, okay? Don't fight it."

Alex would've nodded if she could. Instead she just blinked up at her mom. She wasn't a fan of being intubated, then again, who was… She couldn't move at all right now.

Another person entered her line of sight.

"Sergeant Danvers, I'm Dr. Elizabeth Marks. If you can hear me, blink once."

Alex hesitated, letting the words sink in around the ringing.

One blink.

"Good. Are you in any pain? Blink once for yes and twice for no."

One blink.

Moments later, the overall hit-by-a-tank and crushed feeling faded.

"Better?"

One blink.

"How is your hearing? Good or bad?"

Two blinks.

"Once for ringing and twice for muffled."

One blink. Pause. Two blinks.

The doctor nodded and wrote it down in the chart.

"Do you know where you are?"

Two blinks.

"Okay. You're at National City General Hospital in California."

Several blinks.

"I know you must be very confused right now. I'll try to explain everything the best that I can… Do you remember what happened?"

Alex tried to remember. She really did. She could remember… Geez her head hurt. She could remember skyping with Kara and Maggie… Then it was all a massive blank. That freaked her out.

Two blinks.

Alex's heart rate started to increase as she struggled to maintain her grip on her panic. Her mind had always been her unwavering ally. It had never failed her, not once. Yet here she was, with a large whole of information missing.

"Alex, I need you to calm down. I know you are scared right now."

Blank stare.

Even in this state, Alex still wouldn't admit that.

"Five days ago, there was an incident involving an IED. You're recovering from two major surgeries and have a concussion. It is understandable that you don't remember it right now."

One blink. One very slow blink. Those pain meds were good. Warm and fuzzy…

Eliza and Dr. Marks watched as Alex's eyes slid shut. A marching band could walk through the ICU and she wouldn't so much as twitch. She was going to be out for at least the next hour.

"Each time she wakes up, she's been more coherent. We're going to start weaning her off the ventilator and hopefully have her extubated by the end of the day. We don't want her on it any longer than she needs to be. Her oxygenation is good, and she is responding well to questions asked of her." Dr. Marks explained to Eliza.

"How soon can she be moved out of the ICU and into general?" Eliza asked her.

Dr. Marks sighed, "my best guess is if everything goes well with her extubation, tomorrow morning. We'll remove the feeding tube and she'll be good to move rooms. She'll feel significantly better once those things are out of her."

Eliza nodded, "I'm letting you know now that as soon as she is off the ventilator and realizes that she has a feeding tube in, she'll want it out. Just a heads up, be prepared. With her head back on her shoulders, Alex Danvers will be a force to be reckoned with."

"It might be easier for her to have it tonight, though. Her throat will likely be very sore from being intubated. I'm not sure she'll want to eat, and she needs to eat to gain enough strength to recover."

Shaking her head and smiling Eliza said, "I think you'll find that she'd rather be in pain while swallowing than have a tube in her."

Dr. Marks chuckled, "very well then. I'll have some broth ordered for her for dinner."

…

Maggie had given Eliza some time alone with Alex. She had walked around the hospital a few times, and found herself sitting in the garden on a bench. There were so many confusing and conflicting emotions running through her right now. One week ago, all of their lives were completely different, Alex's most of all.

Maggie had finally begun to find a rhythm to her day. She thrived on routine when she could get it. Her new routine involved numerous hours spent inside the hospital.

She was beyond worried for Alex but extremely concerned for how she would react to her being by her side right now. Alex is a very proud and stubborn person. She's not one to take help when it's given to her because of those qualities.

But then again, they had created a special bond in their four months spent working together. Maggie knew that Alex didn't show her softer side to just anyone. It was reserved for her family and now Maggie. She'd been letting her in more and more.

But now? Maggie had a feeling that dynamic was about to change. This was something a lot more significant then sharing favorite ice cream flavors.

Maggie had to put herself in Alex's shoes… Well… Shoe… That was sobering.

Going from high independence to complete dependence on others for normal activities was going to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing Alex has ever had to do.

There was absolutely no control that Maggie had in this situation and that tore at her. She could be as supportive and helpful and caring as possible, but that was only on her side of the equation…

Sighing, Maggie shook her head and went to go get coffee before going back into the hospital.

…

As Maggie approached the room, she could see that it was just Eliza and Alex in there. She stepped in and handed Eliza her coffee.

"Thank you," Eliza said, holding it and taking a sip.

"What'd I miss?" Maggie asked, taking a seat. She'd been gone for a while getting fresh air, trying to clear her head, and getting coffee.

"Well," Eliza began, "I had Winn take Kara home to get some rest. I banished her for the next four hours. Alex woke up again and has no memory of what happened, but she was able to answer a few questions."

Maggie nodded along, "sounds like progress to me." She came around and stood next to Alex's left side taking her hand. She gave it a light squeeze and was shocked to feel a little pressure back. She moved so she'd be more in Alex's line of sight.

Maggie gently moved away the few hairs that were out of place on Alex's forehead and smiled as her eyes fluttered open. She still kept a hand on Alex's. "Hey, Danvers." She said and gave Alex a full dimpled smile.

Alex slowly picked her hand up to reach Maggie's arm. Right now, that was probably the only limb Alex could feel somewhat normally.

Maggie could see Alex's eyes brighten. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You doing okay?" Maggie asked.

One blink.

Maggie turned to Eliza.

Eliza already knowing what Maggie was going to ask, said, "one for yes, two for no, and many when she's confused."

Alex's eyes shifted over to see her mother. She moved her hand away from Maggie and reached out for her mom.

Eliza came over and took her hand. Alex squeezed it lightly three times. Whether it was, "I love you," or just a reassurance, it did the trick. Eliza smiled in return. Both Maggie and Eliza could feel their tension leaving knowing that Alex was doing okay.

…

Extubated, feeding tube out, and now sporting an oxygen mask, Alex was exhausted but feeling ever so slightly more comfortable. That also could have something to do with the next round of pain medication she'd been given…

It was still just Eliza and Maggie right now. Apparently all the late nights awake and worrying had caught up to Winn and Kara since they hadn't come back in yet. Odds were high that they were both asleep as soon as they hit their bed.

Dr. Marks was checking a few more things when Alex tried to speak earning everyone's attention.

Her voice didn't come out as more than a squeak the first time but she was persistent.

"Da-age… Re-ort."

"What was that, Alex?" Eliza asked, not understanding.

Maggie got it though. "Damage report. She wants her damage report."

She got up from her seat and held onto Alex's hand. "Are you sure you want your damage report?... Maybe tomorrow would be better…"

"-o. N-o." Alex said.

"Okay, okay." Maggie said. "Just take it easy with that voice, Danvers. I want it to heal well."

Maggie knew she was fussing over her but she couldn't bring herself to stop at this point. She'd even fed Alex the ice chips once when she wanted them.

Dr. Marks nodded, "very well."

She cleared her throat before beginning. "You had a dislocated right shoulder, ruptured eardrums which is why your ears are ringing and sounds are muffled, strained neck from whiplash accompanied by a mild concussion… Which, we can actually take that brace off now." She said before removing Alex's neck brace.

She slowly moved Alex's head side to side and up and down. "How is it feeling?"

Alex gave her a thumbs up but the grimace betrayed her.

Dr. Marks sighed before continuing, "you have a surgically repaired broken right wrist and arm, bruised ribs on both sides, there was shrapnel down your arms and legs, fractured left tibia accompanied with burns, bone contusions to your lower back, and you're still fighting off a low grade fever from bilateral ear infections."

"You have been given a significant blood transfusion, you were in hypovolemic shock, your heart arrested twice, and you're lucky to be alive right now, Sergeant Danvers."

All things considered at this point, Alex thought it wasn't so bad… That was until the doctor continued speaking.

"The main injury, though, is that you had an above the knee amputation to your right leg…"

Thank you for reading! Thoughts? Drop a comment if you liked reading or have suggestions! You can find me on Tumblr at The-SuperLizard, or on Twitter at The_SuperLizard.