Kara woke up in a haze with pain searing through her abdomen. She jolted up, not knowing how much time had passed or where she was, but mainly just wanted to see if Alex was okay. Kara was half expecting to find herself in the cell room where she had been shot, but instead discovered that she had been moved to the sunbed.
Alex rushed over to her from where she was checking her vitals and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "God, Kar. I was so worried. It has been days."
Kara gave a small smile. "I'm fine, Lex. I promise. It's just a little bullet wound."
Alex laughed despite the bad taste of the joke. She was just relieved to see that her baby sister was okay. "Are you still feeling any pain?"
Kara shook her head in an attempt to placate her worried big sister, but Alex saw right through when the movement made her grimace in pain. Alex just stared at her expectantly.
Her little sister reluctantly nodded then. "Maybe it hurts a little."
Alex stared with disapproval from the attempted lie, but didn't dwell on it. "I think maybe just a couple days under the sun bed and you should be fine. Just don't aggravate it. You also had a broken rib, but I think you should be healed now. No sudden movement, okay?"
Kara nodded. Then she noticed the tear streaks.
"Lex, are you okay? Is this about me being shot? I told you I was okay. I swear I am. I'm sorry I lied about being in pain, but seriously, I'm going to be fine. You don't have to worry anymore."
Her big sister shook her head. "Of course I'm going to keep worrying. Are you kidding me? You're an alien, who's also my little sister, who is being hunted by an anti-alien organization, in which our father just joined and is apparently willingly a part of."
The realization dawned on Kara. "Those tears aren't because of me, are they?"
Alex shook her head. "They are, but only part of it. Honestly, I don't really want to talk about it right now."
Kara looked at her sadly. "Me neither. But we should. We always bottle up our emotions and realistically, it gets us nowhere. Please, Lex. Tell me what's going on inside that head of yours."
Alex's eyes welled up again. "He just... I can't believe that he did... that. He didn't give reasons for his involvement with Cadmus, and he literally gave your worst enemy the gun which had the means to kill you- which almost did kill you."
She shook her head. "I asked him why he only wanted to save me and not you, and he couldn't give me a straight answer. I don't know what's happening with him. I don't know what's happening at all anymore."
Kara scooted over and patted the spot on the bed next to her. Alex happily snuggled up tight to her little sister. Kara put her arms around Alex and held her.
"I'm sorry I don't have all the answers. But he kept saying all of this was to protect you. Maybe it really is. Maybe there's something going on that we don't know yet. He could just be trying to help you. I'm all for that, even if it comes at my expense. I may not like what he's doing, but if it's for you, then maybe I'll just have to deal with it."
Alex sighed. "I don't want his protection if it means he'll willingly sacrifice you. If he wanted to protect me, why did he give Lillian a kill weapon? He knew if you died, I would have also. He wouldn't have you shot to help me. He knows it would do exactly the opposite of help. It would destroy me if you died, especially if it was because of him. And I'm sure he knows that."
Kara nodded. "I know what you're saying. The whole thing did seem a little sketchy to me. I wasn't the biggest fan of the whole 'letting Lillian shoot me' thing he had going on. I thought that maybe we could save him from the hold Cadmus had on him, but it doesn't look so great right now."
Alex gave her a weird look. "I understand that he hurt both of us. Don't get me wrong, I am majorly pissed at him for what he did. Not only to me, but to you also. He's tearing this family apart. But there's hope for him. We can save him. He did want to protect me. I think there's still a little bit of him left in there somewhere. You're all about hope and staying positive. But it sounds to me like you're giving up on him."
Her little sister didn't know how to respond. She thought that if Jeremiah was like this and continued to act like this around Alex, it would destroy her sister. She just wanted to help. To protect her, like she always had.
Kara nodded tentatively and hesitantly, knowing it wasn't going to end well.
Alex was loyal to a fault, and would stand by her father despite the circumstances. Even if she was pissed, even if she was doubtful. Even if he had just provided the most dangerous criminal with the weapon to kill Kara. She'd always stand by him. Kara knew there was no way this "Jeremiah joining Cadmus" thing would end in Alex's favor. She wanted to protect her big sister from the hurt she would feel. But Alex wouldn't understand that, even if she tried to explain it to her.
Alex shook her head in anger and disapproval. She stood from Kara's bed and started walking towards the door. As she opened it, she turned and faced Kara. "I think you should get some rest."
With that, she closed the door and left Kara alone.
And her little sister was left knowing she was in the right, but hating herself for it.