Unconsciousness is a weird concept.
There is no dreaming in that kind of state. No imaginary figures. No vague memory sequences.
Just a wide expanse of empty darkness. A giant bunch of nothing.
And that nothingness fails to claim her for long.
Something…
Something's trying to bring her back…
A brightness pokes through the dark, goading her to consciousness.
One more step…
One more…towards the light.
Every passing second gifts her with awareness.
Someone's touching her…
Warm hands…
One on her shoulder. One grabbing her chin.
Maggie wants to move. To shake it away. To do something.
But her body won't cooperate with her mind.
"Maggie… Mags…"
Someone's calling her name. At least she thinks someone is.
The voice speaking above her sound warped and distorted.
Like everything is underwater and far, far away.
It's hard to hear anything over the rushing of blood in her ears.
Even harder to focus beyond the agonizing pulses now searing their way through her skull.
"This is Agent… I need a medical evac… Have a situation with…"
Though the words are frantic and disjointed, they sound painfully familiar.
But familiar is good.
Familiar is safe.
Familiar provides the impetus for the detective to open apart her eyes.
When she does, she's blinded with flashing colorful spots and an overwhelming, smothering wave of nausea.
She closes them just as fast, craving the darkness that blotted out the pain so sweetly before, but the hands are moving again, shaking her awake.
"No…No you have to stay awake."
So instead, her vision fades in and out, giving the detective blurred, incoherent snippets of the events occurring around her.
It's Alex, she realizes.
The older Danvers is still wearing her work uniform, seeming unnaturally large as she looms over her.
Eyes filled with concern, worry, the remnants of panic, and a flicker of relief.
But it's Alex.
She tries to blink her girlfriend's face into focus.
Tries to lean into her touch.
But she can only smother another groan as another throbbing pulse threatens to turn her vision sideways.
And when Alex hesitates, Maggie realizes she must look as bad as she feels.
The eldest Danvers glances back towards the alley entrance impatiently .
Like she's waiting for someone.
The detective tries to lean forward, tries to see, but Alex pushes against her.
"Hey… Don't move… Don't move, you're hurt Maggie."
The detective eyes shift away from the lights just outside alley, back towards Alex.
It's easier to look at her.
"A… Alex…"
Her girlfriend gives her a quirky relieved smile, but the worry, evident in her tone, doesn't go away.
"I'm here… I'm here… Do you know who did this?"
Does she know who did this?
Maggie struggles to wipe the cobwebs on her mind away.
Struggles to think over her pounding head.
And then…
Kara!
The nausea pummels her with an agonizing wave of vertigo when the detective makes an effort to get up again.
Makes an effort to push herself back into the alley that Kara had thrown her out of.
"Maggie. You need to stop. Please! Stop moving!"
Alex is begging.
Forcing her down as gently as possible, but the detective's ribs scream in agony anyway, refusing to be ignored.
"K-Ka…Kuh-Kara…"
Her name comes out garbled. Slurred. Smothering the importance of what she's trying to convey.
You sister's down there, she wants to say.
Your sister's hurt, she wants to make her understand.
Why can't she say it? It's a simple word. Why can't she speak…
More footsteps rapidly sound from within the alley.
Heavier than either of the Danvers' sisters, but light enough to not be considered a real physical threat.
Her eyes trail away from Alex.
Trail to the converse shoes trotting up to them.
Trail up to a pair of khaki pants and a plaid shirt.
Winn.
He stops for a second. Stares at the both of them.
Stares at the red on Alex's hands. At the crimson on her.
"Kara…" Maggie slurs again in a whisper, but Winn's already talking over her to Alex.
"ETA is five minutes."
He sounds jittery and nervous. Like he doesn't know quite what to do himself.
And somewhere within the vestiges of her mind, she remembers he's not a field agent.
Then why is he here?
The edges of her vision begin to blur once more.
The darkness attacking viciously as it fights its way inwards.
"Here take my gun, make sure no ones down there."
Maggie watches in a fuzzy stupor as Alex hands him her service weapon.
Watches in a barely lucid state as Winn disappears into the dark.
A flutter of relief flitters to the surface.
It's not even a minute later.
"Alex!"
Winn's shout echoes from further down the alley. High and shrill and filled with panic.
And without even looking, Maggie knows he found Kara.
The detective hasn't heard anything from the blonde since she was dragged back into painful consciousness.
She doesn't want to believe what that might mean.
Alex visibly tenses, but is still looking at the detective, leaning closer, trying to figure out what she's attempting to say.
And Maggie can only hope that Alex sees the desperation in her eyes as she wills her to follow Winn down that alley.
Wills her to follow.
To find out is she alive? Is she okay? Is she…?
"Alex! It's Kara!"
Alex's eyes flicker away from her own for a moment, turning briefly towards the darkness of the alley Winn's disappeared into.
And when those caramel eyes flicker back, Maggie can see the flurry of emotion that rushes across them.
A spilt second of confusion. Then worry. Fear. Anxiety. Indecisiveness.
And the detective knows she's facing an internal dilemma.
Go towards her sister. Or stay here with her.
"Go… Go…."
The detective mutters weakly, but she can't even hear herself.
So she knows damn well Alex can't.
The taller brunette leans close to her, gently takes hold of one of her hand, and meets her eyes.
"I'll be right back." she whispers fast and low. "I'm going to check something, but Winn's going to come and take care of you for a minute. But I'll be back ok? I'll be back."
Maggie manages an imperceptible nod.
And the colors swirl as Alex disappears from her vision.
And then her girlfriend's gone.
And so is she.
…. …. … …
Maggie realizes two things when the forefront of consciousness is propelled forward again.
First, the migraine, though admittedly not nearly as angry as before, had taken a seemingly permanent residence in her mind.
Second, she's on a hospital bed. And she hates hospitals.
There's a lot of white. Too much white.
White walls. White ceilings. White sheets. White bandages.
She lifts her an arm. Examines the countless butterfly stitches.
A sharp ripple of pain crept up her injured body when she attempts to shift her position further, and the detective winces as the twinge radiates to other less sore areas.
She draws in a breath, as deep and as slow as she can without aggravating her ribs.
Then closes her eyes and tries to pinpoint what exactly hurts the most.
So far her mind is screaming everything.
"You have four broken ribs, a fractured clavicle, and a fairly nasty concussion. Not to mention all the superficial scrapes and bruises. "
The deep, rumbling bass of a voice interrupts her from her self evaluation.
"Jesus Christ!"
She murmured hoarsely, momentarily surprised by the sudden input.
It's J'onn.
He leans in the doorway. The ever calming, authoritative presence.
She'd forgotten he could read minds.
"Where's…"
Maggie pinches the bridge of her nose when a residual wave of nausea sweeps over her.
"Where's Alex? I ordered her to get some rest, but you know how she is. She should be here soon."
His attempt at humor goes unnoticed as Maggie works to comprehend everything he's saying.
"You told her to get some rest?" the detective echoes.
"You've been out for over seventy-two hours. We received your messages within the hour after getting off of a twenty-four undercover operation. I don't think she's gotten any real sleep in over four days. So yes, I sent her to get some rest."
Maggie smirks tiredly.
Of course Alex would be the one to worry.
"I'm surprised you were able to get there so fast…"
"Maggie." J'onn steps into the room. "You called Alex, Winn, and I multiple times within the span of a ten minute period and didn't answer at all after that. My only regret is that we weren't able to come sooner."
For a moment there is silence.
"Is Kara…?"
J'onn pauses.
An indecipherable glint flashes in his eyes.
"She's getting better… She was under the sun lamp for a quite a while. Whatever happened… It's taken a toll."
It's taken a toll.
Maggie thinks back to the bar. To the two burly, heavily tattooed men. To the vacant look in Kara's eyes.
"Move along lady. She wants this."
It's taken a toll.
That leaves much up to interpretation.
"Maggie!"
Alex appears from nowhere, pushing past J'onn and into the DEO medical room.
And Maggie, despite the nausea, the soreness, and the worry, smiles.
"Don't ever do that again!"
And Alex's hand is in hers again.
Warm and familiar.
"You haven't been on a war rampage have you? I don't think the DEO could survive another after the one you whipped up the last time I got shot."
Maggie murmurs dryly.
Her sarcasm would have been more convincing if she didn't sound so tired. So weak.
And Alex only smiles wistfully. Holding her hand tighter.
Behind her J'onn makes his exit, giving the women some much needed privacy.
"Well, when you don't answer after blowing up my cell with all those calls. Of course I had to worry… Trust me, the DEO was fine with helping. It was Winn who tracked down your phone."
Her girlfriend was up again, circling the bed, looking for her hospital charts.
"Oh, so you mean it was you who made Winn track down my phone? Jesus, Alex I'm surprised you didn't send in the entire organization."
Maggie jokes, but the raspiness of her voice makes it sound like she was speaking with gravel in her throat.
"You didn't know what it looked like, Maggie. When Winn and I arrived, you weren't even moving. Whatever threw you, threw you hard. And then Kara…"
Maggie swallows hard, she can clearly hear the sadness the weighs heavily in Alex's voice.
She thinks back to Kara's seizing, convulsing limbs.
Remembers Supergirl's arm flying out at her.
Remembers the pain.
And then because she know's Alex will give her a honest answer, Maggie asks again,
"How is Kara?"
The relief in Alex's expression falters.
The light in her tired eyes dim just a bit.
"Kara's… Kara's processing…"
Maggie watches Alex avert her eyes to the entrance, as if the younger woman is going to appear at the door any moment.
"Processing? What's that supposed to mean?"
Alex shakes her head. Shrugs her shoulders.
"Something… She was in the sun lamp for over a day. And usually she just jumps back, but this time…"
Alex trails off.
And Maggie sees the gears working ferociously in her mind.
"I mean physically she seems to be okay, but mentally… She's walking around like a ghost, Maggie. And she keeps saying she's fine, but she's a horrible liar."
The taller blonde looks completely out of it.
Swaying in her seat as the two men hold her up.
"Don't worry about it, she's just a bit drunk."
"Maggie… Do you know what happened that night?"
Maggie looks away, salt stings the edges of her own eyes as she thinks.
She didn't really know the entirety of events that happened that night.
Didn't know what happened before she dragged those men off of Kara.
Didn't know how far they'd gotten.
Didn't really know if Kara did either or if she even fully understood.
"Alex… Maybe you should sit back down for this…"
Because if Alex hadn't gone on a rampage before, she damn would now.
…..
(Danvers sisters and Maggie Kara moments coming!)