The next time Lena saw Kara, it was four days later. They had texted back and forth occasionally, but their schedules had been too busy for them to meet up until now.
When she saw Kara's beautiful face, Lena's heart skipped a beat, but it immediately dropped when she saw the frown residing on it.
"Kara? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lena asked immediately as she walked over to Kara's table
The blonde gestured for Lena to sit down.
"I screwed up. With Sam, I mean... I screwed up big time." Kara cried.
Lena was absolutely sure that nothing Kara could do would make Sam angry enough to cause this reaction, so she knew immediately that this was Kara's self-deprecation talking. "What happened? I'm sure that whatever it is can be resolved. Sam loves you." Saying those last three words were like a dagger to the heart.
"I told Ruby that she could go to a friend's house, but I forgot to let Sam know… She was terrified when she got home, and Ruby wasn't there."
"Where were you?" Lena asked.
"I was at Alex's going over new training techniques for the D.E.O agents."
"So, shouldn't that have been Ruby's responsibility to tell her mother where she was going? She's sixteen now, Kara. She's old enough to send a text." She soothed. "Kara, darling this is her fault, not yours. Yes, you could have made sure she knew, but it was Ruby's responsibility if she knows her mother wants to keep tabs on her."
"She's going to leave me, Lena. I don't want that."
Lena's heart ached at the sight of Kara's heart belonging to someone other than her, but Kara needed a friend, and Lena was there. "She won't, Kara. I know that for a fact."
"I should have told her." Kara cried. "Why didn't I just tell her?"
Lena wanted to cry… Kara was so in love with Sam that a simple mistake set her off into a frenzy of fear… but that was obviously a side effect from the break up of her relationship with Lena. "Hey, Kara… Kara shh. It's okay." She cooed. "It was a simple mistake. One that Ruby had the option to mend had she chosen to do so. This isn't your fault, and Sam will know that."
Kara shook her head. "I should have told her, Lena."
Lena didn't know what to do, Kara seemed terrified that she was about to lose her girlfriend, and although it killed Lena to do it, she had to help.
"Would you be mad?" She asked. "If you didn't know where they were for a few minutes?"
"No. I'd be happy they were okay," Kara replied confusedly.
Lena nodded. "And don't you think that that is how Sam feels too?"
Kara shrugged. "I-I don't know, as soon as I told Sam what I did, and she called Ruby to make sure she was okay, I flew out the window and came here."
"Ah," Lena said. "So, she didn't even say she was angry with you?"
"I-… No." Kara frowned. "But, that's her daughter, Lena. I shouldn't have intervened."
"You two live together, Kara… I think you have a right to intervene if it's that serious already." God that tore Lena to shreds… Kara was living with someone else… which meant they'd most likely gone farther than Lena wanted to think about.
Kara shook her head. "We moved in together as roommates about three months after you, and I broke up. When we started dating, we just kept things the way they were because it worked out well."
"So… you two haven't…"
"Had sex?" Kara asked, her face flushed.
Lena coughed. "I-… Sorry, curiosity got the better of me."
Kara shrugged. "If you really want to know I'll tell you. It's not like it's that big of a secret. She and I are two consenting adults, so of course we have."
That was it. Lena couldn't handle it. She had to get out of there. "I have to go, I just remembered something I forgot to do at the office. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Go home and fix things with your girlfriend."
Kara frowned, "Wait… Lena, what's wrong?"
Lena shook her head. "N-Nothing. I just really have to go." She said as she scrambled for the door.
As soon as she reached the backseat of her car, she broke down in tears... She hated every single part of this situation.
XXX
Lena was working in her office when she heard boots touch down on her balcony. "You left in quite the rush." Kara started. "It got me thinking."
"Oh? About what?"
"How hard it must've been for you to be with me." Kara replied. "I always left our dates like that. Suddenly, without any explanation, or at least not one that made sense… It was rude and annoying. Just like you tonight."
Lena frowned. "I always thought it had to do with you being a reporter. I didn't think anything of it."
Kara shook her head. "Don't lie, Lena. I know it had to be difficult sometimes."
Lena shook her head, because honestly, it wasn't. Being with Kara was the best thing that ever happened to her, and the random exits were never enough to ruin her happiness that Kara's love caused. "I'm being honest Kara. My love for you was strong enough to handle it without much thought."
"Well, either way, I'm sorry I did it."
Lena shook her head. "You were saving the world, that was far more important than dinner dates and chess tournaments."
Kara lowered her head and smiled. "We were good together though, weren't we? We made such a great team."
Lena nodded, her heart yearning to reach out and touch Kara… but they hadn't even hugged yet. Much less held each other. "We were the best."
Kara nodded, a regretful smile on her face. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like right now if you hadn't left?"
Every day. Lena thought
"Sometimes." She said instead.
Kara nodded. "I do too." She paused, "Is that a bad thing?"
Lena laughed. "No, darling… Curiosity is normal. Nothing you could ever do would be bad."
Kara smiled and sat down beside her on the couch. "You were right about Sam."
"Told you so," Lena teased with a wink.
"She was mad at Ruby, not me."
"And rightfully so."
Kara chuckled and shook her head. "Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask of you. Something that I'd like to stay between us."
Lena cocked her head, ready to listen. "Anything." She replied honestly; because she would do anything for Kara.
"I don't want to scare Alex or Sam until I know that there's something to be scared of, but I've been experiencing some pain in my stomach lately, and it won't go away. That's not normal either, because I am supposed to be invulnerable to everything. I've tried to think of any way to stop the pain, but everything I try to do just seems to make it worse. I tried human Tylenol all the way up to Morphine and Fentanyl, but they have no effect on me. I know it's a lot to ask, and I know you're just getting settled back into National City, but I have no one else i can ask with the resources and intelligence that you have. You can say no, but... would you mind being my doctor?"
