Winn wasn't sure what to do with himself. All that time they had been friends... He didn't even know her at all. He knew it all now, and was horrified by the things she had experienced. Once Kara told him what happened with Superman, she began tearing up again.
She generally didn't like to cry in front of anyone except Alex, so she was trying to slow her tears. Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as she'd hoped.
Winn leaned over and took her in his arms. He had so many questions, but they no longer seemed important. He held her gently, now understanding why her eyes had been so pained.
She had been through hell at Cadmus, and much more, and it seemed as though it hadn't been thoroughly dealt with. Kara was okay for the most part, but there were some things that indicated to Winn that she still needed help. Or a friend.
He decided right then that he would be both.
"Shh, it's okay, Kara. I'm here for you, and I always will be. I now know that you've been to hell and back, but you've made it to the other side. I... I'm proud of you, and more importantly, I'm here with you. For you."
Kara looked at him, and found comfort in her best friend's gaze. It had been too long since she had last seen it.
She missed it dearly.
Right when things started to be looking up for the two, she felt intense pain in her abdomen, and jolted upright.
Winn was slightly alarmed at the sudden movement and turned to look at her.
She quickly doubled over, rotated to the side, and threw up. Kara then fell to the ground, supporting herself with all fours.
She gasped out,"Get... Alex... Think... might be... kryptonite..."
She was heaving in breaths. Her arm was clutching her stomach, willing the pain to stop. She had been fine, but all of a sudden, it felt like her whole body was on fire.
Did I get it in my system? Is this just extra painful because that's what I expect from kryptonite?
By this time, Winn was already long gone, sprinting to find Alex.
When he did, he almost knocked her over.
"Winn! What the hell are you doing?"
He was panting, trying to properly convey the urgency of the situation. "Super- Kara. She needs you, NOW. She said something about kryptonite... She threw up! Alex you have to help her!"
Alex grew serious alarmingly fast. "Where is she? Take me to her, fast."
With that, Winn nodded and sprinted back the way he came.
When they finally got there, Alex immediately ran to Kara's side. "Kar, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?"
Kara gasped out,"Everywhere... Hurts everywhere."
Her arms buckled from under her and she collapsed to the floor.
Alex was doing her best to keep the panic at bay, but wasn't doing much of a good job. Her sister was seriously hurting, and she had no idea how to help.
"Winn! Get Vasquez to prepare solar beds, and tell her to put them on max power. While you're at it, tell someone to get J'onn in here ASAP."
Winn nodded dutifully, before turning. "Who's J'onn, again?"
Alex realized her mistake, but it was too late. Frankly, it wasn't her top priority. "Henshaw! Get Henshaw! I'll explain later, just hurry."
Winn gave a short nod, before running off.
Alex turned back to Kara, and began to examine her. Kara was having difficulty breathing, but she couldn't even find an entry wound where kryptonite could have gotten into her bloodstream.
Of course, since she was so close to such a potent source, like the bullet, the effects could have been amplified. But nothing to this level.
What the hell is causing this?
Alex kept running through potential options in her head as she reached down to Kara. She helped her little sister up and slung her arm around Kara's torso. She began half-helping, half-dragging Kara to the hallway.
J'onn showed up looking confused, but picked up on the urgency and decided not to question anything. He took Kara immediately and flew her to the sun bed.
By the time Alex had ran there, Kara was beginning to feel better.
"Kara? Are you okay?"
Kara was exhausted from whatever just happened. She was still in pain, but managed to force out,"Fine. Good now. Not hurting as bad."
Alex sighed in relief and took her sister's hand. "I don't understand, you don't have kryptonite in your bloodstream. What caused this?"
Kara gave a half-hearted attempt at a shrug, before passing out entirely.
Alex became greatly worried. She wasn't sure what this was, or how to help, and Kara was back on the sun bed.
J'onn wasn't sure how to help either, so he just cleared the room, giving Alex and Kara privacy.
When J'onn had finally gone, Winn poked his head out from the wall. He didn't want to be kicked out, so he hid in the back.
When he opened his mouth to speak, he startled Alex. She jumped.
"Winn, what the hell are you doing in here?"
He was genuinely concerned for his friend. "I just wanted to... Alex, is she going to be okay?"
Alex looked at him, emotions spilling over. "What's it to you? I think you should leave, so I could figure this out."
Winn squared his shoulders. She was lashing out. This was his friend, and although she was Kara's sister, he refused to accept this. He needed to help her.
"Kara, or Supergirl, or whatever I should be calling her right now, needs help. And I don't mean physical help. Have you ever considered that her pain was psychological? The effects of the kryptonite took their toll, and she was subconsciously sent back to Cadmus, so she projected her past pain onto her current systems? Sort of like phantom pain?"
Alex was shocked beyond words. Who is this kid? Why does he care so much about Kara? How does he know about Supergirl and Cadmus?
"I... How did you... Wait, you're... WINN! God damn it, why didn't I realize it before?! You're that Winn. Her friend. Her best friend? From middle school."
Winn nodded, impatient. "So... about that theory I had..."
Alex refocused, and considered his theory. "I think you may be right. It could be that on top of her guilt for fighting Superman. I know she has a guilt complex. It must have been weighing down on her, and she began self-projecting from the guilt and from the psychological trigger. Could have been repressed... I... God, why wasn't I there? What was I doing? She was fine when we came back, smiling even. How-"
Winn interrupted. "She was feeling guilty, and I wanted to help. She told me everything. I'm no doctor, and definitely no psychologist, but maybe she just needs time for this to heal."
Alex's brows knitted together. "I just don't understand... She had time, I knew she wasn't completely okay, but she had... she had time. What- God, I don't know how to help her."
Winn quietly suggested,"Maybe when she wakes up, she can see and talk to Superman. I think that'll help with the guilt at least. As for the other stuff, I don't know, maybe she just needs friends and family. She needs to know she has people."
Alex shook her head. "She does know. She knows she has me. I don't understand what's happening."
"Maybe she needs Superman too."
Alex considered him carefully. "Maybe you're right. I need to find an antidote for whatever is poisoning him, taking over his brain. I don't even know where to start, though."
She looked at Winn, giving him yet another once over. "You know, kid, you're pretty smart. Thanks for the help."
Winn sat next to Kara and took a hand. He smiled wide. "I've been told I'm too smart for my own good." He grew slightly more serious. "She'll be fine. Kara's always been resilient and strong, and I know she'll get through this. I don't know what those numbers on the screen mean, but seeing how you're not freaking out, it's safe to say she's fine physically. You did wonders in her original recovery. It might just be a matter of getting her over this final hurdle. I'll stay with her while you go find out what's wrong with Superman."
Alex nodded gratefully, and squeezed Kara's hand one last time before standing. She turned to Winn.
"You call me the second she wakes up, got it?"
Winn felt a slight twinge of fear at her sudden commanding tone, and nodded emphatically. Alex smirked. She liked this kid. Somehow, she had gone from a nervous wreck to teasing him. Just by being around him. He's good for Kara... But... She won't mind if I bully him a little, I'm sure...
She raised her voice slightly at the wide-eyed boy. "I'm sorry, Agent Schott. I didn't quite catch that."
Winn's eyes widened even further and he fumbled out,"Uh, um... Yes, Alex. No- Agent. No. Miss? Ma'am? Uh... I'll be sure to call right away."
Alex smirked once again before walking away.
She shook her head to herself chuckling, before she got to her lab and buckled down to get some work done.