As Kara, as Kara, entered the hospital waiting room she saw Diz pacing up and down.
"Diz?" She called.
"Is she okay?" Diz asked turning.
"The doctors are with her." Kara explained before pulling him into a hug.
"What you doing?" He asked confused.
"Seeing her like that must have been scary." Kara said holding him tightly. "She'll be okay."
"You don't know that." He said.
"Kara is really tough." Kara said finally releasing him. "Alex and Lena will figure this out." She said before pausing and asking. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"We were watching a movie." Diz started. "And then Kar fell asleep. Then I think she had a nightmare. Then she woke up screaming. Then you guys came."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine." He said.
"Did she eat or drink anything unusual?"
"No. Nothing. I mean we shared a pizza and I'm okay. Every thing seemed normal except, she was really spaced out all evening. She said she was feeling guilty about not going to Midvale. But I offered to take her and she said no. If she had gone maybe-"
"What happened wasn't your fault." Kara said.
"We walked back. Maybe if I had driven she would have been okay." Diz said.
"Diz, Kara's leg has been fine for months."
"But it isn't now. What if I made her do too much on it?"
"Kara knows her limits." The older Kara said. "Right now no one knows what happened. But what matters is you were there for her when she needed you."
"I couldn't do anything though." He said.
"I know it doesn't feel like it, but sometimes being there is enough." She said before asking. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine." He said.
-00-
"How is she?" Lena asked entering Kara's hospital room.
"Still knocked out from the pain meds." Alex said from where she sat at her daughter's bedside. "Have you found anything?"
"All the tests we have done so far indicate the nanites are working fine."
"That didn't look fine." Alex pointed out.
"I know, but I don't think the nanites were to blame. But to rule them out completely I need another sample."
"Do what you need to do." Alex said causing Lena to put on some gloves and expose Kara's leg before sticking a needle in it.
Having got the sample she labelled it and looked at Alex.
"How are you doing?"
"I should have never have gone to Midvale. What was I thinking leaving her?"
"It wasn't your fault. I was the one watching her. And she was fine when she got back." Lena said. Before she could say anything else she saw the teen start to move. "I'll give you some space. I'm going to run some tests." She added leaving Alex alone with her daughter.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Alex asked when her daughter opened her eyes.
"Mom?"
"I'm right here." Alex smiled squeezing her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"That'll be the drugs."
"What happened? My leg?"
"It's okay."
"But it hurt so much." She said looking down half expecting it to not be there.
"I know." Alex said. "How is it now?"
"Fine. What's wrong with me?"
"The scans are all normal."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know. All I know is your leg is okay."
"Then why did it hurt so much?"
"I don't know." Alex repeated. "But we'll figure it out. For now just rest. Diz is outside, do you want me to get him?" Alex asked.
"No. I don't want to see anyone."
-00-
"How is she?" Diz asked when Alex walked into the waiting room.
"Sleeping." Alex said.
"What's wrong with her?" Diz asked.
"We don't know yet. But at the moment she is okay." Alex replied.
"Can I see her?"
"No. No one else is allowed in there." Alex lied not wanting to hurt his feelings. "You guys may as well go home."
"I'll take you home." Kara said to Diz.
"But-"
"Diz, no one will be allowed in until tomorrow at the earliest. Go home and get some sleep." Alex said. "I'll let you know if something changes."
"Okay." Diz agreed reluctantly.
"Can you look after MJ?" Alex asked her sister.
"Sure. Call if you need anything." Kara said leading Diz out of the waiting room.
-00-
"What's going on? Where's mom?" MJ asked as Kara walked into the Midvale house.
"What are you doing up?" Kara asked before noticing it wasn't just MJ.
"No one was answering our messages." The teenage Alex said.
"Where's mom?" MJ asked.
"She's fine." Kara said.
"Then where is she?" MJ asked.
"With your sister." Kara explained.
"What's wrong?"
"It's her leg, it started hurting a lot. Right now she in hospital, but last I heard all the tests were coming back normal. Your mom is going to stay with her until she is released. Right now there is nothing you can do, so you should get some sleep. If I hear anything else I will let you know."
"How bad is she?" MJ asked.
"The pain has stopped, but they are still running tests." Kara replied. "Right now no one can see her apart from your mom. Tomorrow, well later today, I will take you back to National City. But for now get some rest."
"Okay." MJ agreed, a frown etched on his face.
"Night." The teenage Alex said hugging her mother before disappearing upstairs. Once the two teens had gone off to bed Eliza asked.
"What weren't you telling us?"
"Nothing." Kara said. "Except for how much pain she was in."
-00-
"Good news. You can go home." The doctor said entering the teenager's room the next day.
"You figured out what's wrong with me?" Kara asked.
"That's the good news. There is nothing wrong with you." The doctor replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Everything is normal. The scans came back just fine. Your leg is in good working order."
"Then why did it hurt?"
"We think there was a slight mismatch between the nerves that the nanites repaired and the ones not affected by the accident. In a way it was like phantom limb syndrome."
"So how do I stop it happening again?"
"Most people get used to it." He said. "There are drugs we can give you if you do start having regular flare ups, but as this could be a one off event I'd prefer not to. Anyway, I will start the paper work. You should be back home in a couple of hours.
-00-
"Any pain?" Alex asked as she and her daughter walked into the house.
"No, it's fine."
"You don't seem happy about that." Alex said.
"Well, doesn't it point to me being nuts? And I just imagined it."
"I was there. What you felt was real." Alex said.
"And yet no one knows the reason. So there is nothing wrong with me apart from being crazy. Or there is something wrong and it could happen again at anytime."
"Kara, you are not crazy." Alex said hugging her.
"I'm just going to lie down for a while." The teen said pulling away from her mother.
-00-
"How is she?" Kara asked when she entered the house that afternoon.
"Physically, she's fine. But that is making her feel more stressed as she has no idea if it will happen again."
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs. She wanted to be alone."
"How are you doing?"
"I hate seeing her like this." Alex said sounding worried and frustrated.
"Want me to talk to her?"
"Yes please."
"MJ is at my place if you want to see him. I wasn't sure if you guys needed space."
"Thanks.
"And Eliza said if you want her down here let her know."
-00-
"Hey." Kara said entering her niece's bedroom.
"Hi." The teen said unenthusiastically.
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay."
"You don't sound very convincing." The older Kara pointed out before adding. "Diz is worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"MJ is worried about you, you haven't answered any of his messages." The older Kara went on.
"My phone is off."
"Now I'm worried about you. I thought being connected to your phone was as important as breathing." Kara said. When she was met by silence she asked. "So why are you ignoring Diz?"
"You were there." The teen said after a few minutes.
"Where?"
"At Lena's when I was acting crazy."
"You weren't crazy, you were in pain." The older Kara said.
"And you saw them right?" The teen went on ignoring her aunt's comment.
"Saw what?" The older Kara asked confused.
"The scars."
"On your leg?" The older Kara guessed.
"Yes."
"What about them?" The older Kara asked lost.
"Diz saw them too. Impossible not to."
"I am pretty sure Diz has plenty of his own scars." The older Kara said.
"Not like mine."
"Did he say anything?"
"No. Not that I noticed, but I was too busy screaming like a banshee."
"And now you're hiding?" The older Kara asked not understanding where her niece's insecurity was coming from.
"You've lost people, I mean you lost a planet." Her niece said after another pause.
"Yes." The older Kara said.
"So you know how it hurts. I don't want to go through that again. What's the point of seeing Diz just to get dumped."
"I think you need to give Diz more credit, he spent the night in the waiting room with me. Whether it is on your terms or some else's or the universe's, it still hurts." The older Kara said. "The only way to not get hurt like that is to shut yourself off from everyone, but that causes a whole different kind of pain and loneliness. I also think you'd much rather spend your time with Diz than me. But if you want to spend tomorrow hanging out with your coolest aunt that's fine."
"I have school tomorrow." The teen reminded her.
"I can pick you up from school. You know, hang out by the gate. Or ... you can call Diz."
"Won't you get into trouble with mom for encouraging me to see Diz?"
"Your mom doesn't scare me. Most of the time." The older Kara said. "And you are deflecting."
"What if he doesn't want to see me?"
"He stayed in the waiting room for hours and has been calling Alex and MJ asking about you. Put the poor guy out of his misery and call him. Or I could fly you to him?"
"What if my leg flares up again?"
"You press your necklace and I will be right there."
-00-
"Everything okay?" The older Alex asked when Supergirl flew into the apartment.
"Yes. I was just delivering something."
"How's Kara?"
"With Diz."
"You got her out of bed?"
"And over to Diz. And before you say anything she really needs to talk to him right now. I'll pick her up in a couple of hours."
"You know you aren't Kara's personal taxi service?" Her sister asked.
"It's fine." Kara shrugged.
"If Kara can go out can I?" MJ asked.
"No. It's a school night and your grades are terrible." His mother pointed out. "So tonight you can do your remedial studies."
"But-"
"No buts." Alex said.
"I'll help you." His cousin offered.
"Then we can have a sisters' night." Kara said to the older Alex. "Let's go."
"I am pretty sure one of us should have stayed to supervise." Alex said as they left the apartment.
"They're fine."
"MJ will have started slacking the second he was left unsupervised." Alex pointed out.
"Have a little faith." Kara said as Alex's phone buzzed. "Problem?"
"Not really. But I have to go."
"Want me to fly you?"
"No, it's fine. I'd prefer it if you can stay on stand by for Kara."
"Sure." Kara said.
"And make sure MJ keeps working."
-00-
"Thanks for taking me." Kara said to her aunt.
"Of course. I take it Diz was okay?" The older Kara asked.
"And patient." The teen said. "You were right he didn't care about the scars."
"You okay, I mean apart from the leg. It's not like you to be so insecure." The older Kara commented.
"Maybe it's lack of sleep."
"Is mom mad I went to see Diz?"
"I explained that I took you because you needed to see him."
"How did she take it?"
"Lectured me about being a taxi service." The older Kara said. "But other than that she worried about you. So how are you doing?"
"I don't know. I feel scared."
"That will happen again?" Kara asked.
"Partly. But it is more than that."
"In what way?"
"Everything seems so I don't know, temporary and it's like I am not in control of anything. It's nothing. It's probably just lack of sleep and all the drugs they gave me." The teen said.
"It will get better." The older Kara said hugging her niece. "Just remember you aren't alone."
"I will." The teen said as she opened the front door where her mother was waiting.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm tired though so I'm going to bed." The teen said.
"Night." Alex said as the teenage Kara walked off. Once she was gone Alex looked at her sister and asked. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know. She seems different. More insecure than I've ever seen her. But she is talking."
"Thank you." Alex said.
"Looking after each other is what family does and we will always be family." Kara reminded her. "So want to talk about took you back to the DEO tonight?"
"It's nothing and it's all dealt with."
"If you don't need me for anything else, I'm going home."
"Can you send MJ back? Hopefully he is still doing his homework."
"Of course." Kara smiled.