(Hospital) Meeting Chris

[redhairedninja]

 Leila had passed out before too many questions could be asked. When she awoke, everything was white. She was in a white room with white sheets in a white nightgown. A quick look around told her she was in a hospital, which was not a good sign. Mom was reading in an armchair, waiting

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[kid_super]

Flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. It was the only way to even come close to fixing this.

Chris had woken that morning feeling so relieved that the whole thing from yesterday was over... until he'd sat down to breakfast that very morning.

Mom and Dad had been talking about a story they planned to run. The story about a girl who'd gotten shot right after being released as a hostage by an unidentified alien terrorist.

It made Chris want to sink into the floor and die.

That was why, after his afternoon patrol with Krypto and Kara, he'd gone straight to the florist's shop and zipped from there to the Metropolis Children's General with lots and LOTS of flowers.

He was just lucky she was receiving visitors.

When he stepped through and knocked on the wall next to the curtain, he gave a small "Hi." and hoped the flowers would do the rest of the talking.

[redhairedninja]

Leila's eyes widened when she noticed her visitor. "Hi," she whispered, trying to sit up. Flowers, she loved flowers. She couldn't believe Chris had come back, especially after Dad had vowed vengeance like that. "Thank you so much. Apparently, I have Stockholm Syndrome, because I'm happy to see you," she said, motioning for him to sit down. "My parents left, you're safe."

[kid_super]

Chris glanced around quickly before helping her arrange the massive amount of flowers by her bedside, and floating his way into a sitting position on the side of her bed.

An awkward silence happened. She was smiling and not mad, and something about a syndrome, but she was still here in a HOSPITAL and it was his fault. It just blurted forth.

"I am so, SO SORRY! I thought I could just zip away, and then I heard this morning that you got shot and I knew I should have stayed, and maybe Superman could have rescued me later if they kept me, but now you have a hole in you, and I don't know what to do!"

[redhairedninja]

Leila smiled, far too high on painkillers to mind the aches. She could see how upset he was, but it was a highly concentrated kryptonite laser. If he had gotten hit with it, he’d be in the morgue. She would be fine a few days. She owed him her life, taking a burn for him seemed like a proper sacrifice. “It’s fine. They shot at the guy kidnapping me and hit me instead. Believe me, the poor guy is my dad’s most trusted aide, he’s suffering a lot more. According to Mama, Dad’s been working him like a dog,” she said with a laugh

[redhairedninja]

Leila raised an eyebrow, but giggled. “You are normal, you know. Just because you can fry machines with your eyes and fly, and lift cars and freeze things with your breath and move faster than sound and…okay, this isn’t helping my point, but you are normal. You’re just…special,” she said softly.

She imagined what would have happened to her…friend had she walked away when he had pleaded for mercy. He would be strapped to some table, being monitored and watching him suffer. She had to admit, she had never thought of aliens as…human…well, human was the wrong word, people. He was supposed to be another species.

If he wasn’t ten stories up with her, she would have forgot he was him. “I’d like that. And I’ll be eighteen in only six years and then I can study magic.” It was a lifetime away, but she would have to bear it. “And then I’ll be a hero.”

She'd have compiled six years of data showing he was no threat. Win win.

[kid_super]

Chris blinked. It was the first time anyone had ever--ever!--referred to him as "normal." He'd never have guessed that it actually felt good.

"Six years! Rao! Well, at any rate, I intend to be around for it. But seriously, I'm gonna have to give you sneaking lessons. You never know when you're gonna need 'em," he watched the protest form on her face--"Not necessarily to use on your mom and dad, but just... in general."

[redhairedninja]

Leila wanted to scold him for tempting her further, she just kept breaking rules with him. Her dad had always said you couldn't drown if you didn't go into the water. "Call it reconnaissance and we have a deal," she finally said, adding to her list of crimes she would one day confess to her parents and beg their forgiveness. "Just to avoid bad people."

[kid_super]

"Recon. 'Kay."

Chris nodded. Leila would need to know how to spot bad guys, avoid 'em, and trick 'em. At least a bit. As grateful as he was that she had set him free... he knew that if he had been some bad guy, she would have been fried by now.

Also, it would be a way to look out for her, especially since she wasn't allowed to practice her magic.

He grinned.

"I'll see you next week then. You'll know it's me, but your dad won't. promise."