155. Chapter 155
She bites the inside of her cheek as the phone rings, rings, rings, and she half expects the Queen of All Media to let it go to voicemail at the unknown number, but a curt voice picks up, and Maggie gulps.
“Yes.”
“Hi, Ms. Grant?”
“Yes, this is she. And this is?”
“Maggie Sawyer, NCPD, ma’am. I’m sorry to disturb you, but – “
“Is Supergirl alright?”
Maggie’s eyebrows shoot up at the clear concern in the woman’s voice, and she thinks Alex’s protectiveness of Kara might have caused her to overlook how much Cat Grant cares for her former assistant.
And Maggie knows that Cat knows, even if she pretended to believe Kara’s insistence that she wasn’t that Alex told her about.
“Yes, yes, Supergirl’s fine, but – but have you seen the news?”
“I haven’t – my son has a science competition today that he’s rather nervous about and – I don’t know why I’m telling you this. You called me for a reason, Detective, I suggest you get to it, I’m a busy woman.”
“Yes ma’am,” Maggie says, watching Alex take care of M’gann through the glass wall separating them. “Livewire is loose, and Supergirl…“ She thinks of how distressed Kara was this morning, how out of sorts, how anxious, how enraged, how terrified, and she remembers the news about Livewire chaining Cat Grant to a bench in a park, Livewire targeting Cat Grant, Livewire trying to kill Cat Grant.
“Supergirl could use someone to talk to. You, particularly. I think the only reason she hasn’t called you is she doesn’t want to risk Livewire going after you again – “
“I’m sorry, and you – and you know all this because – “
“I’m um… I’m Alex Danvers’s girlfriend, ma’am. Kara Danvers’s sister’s girlfriend. And I’m… I’m with the NCPD’s science division, and we do quite a lot of work with Supergirl.”
A long pause. Maggie bites her lip as she waits.
“So. You must be a decent detective after all. You figured it out about those ridiculous glasses too, hm?”
Maggie chuckles, and doesn’t answer, not directly, because it’s not her secret to confirm, but the littlest Danvers needs her. Or, more specifically, needs Cat.
“Supergirl needs you, Ms. Grant. So does Kara.”
Another long pause, and Maggie hears children in the background, and she understands suddenly why Cat left National City, why she put her career on hold. Her son was in a science competition, and she was there, of course she was there. Just like Maggie was hoping she’d be there for Kara.
“Detective Sawyer? Thank you. Kara is… lucky you came into her and her sister’s lives.”
“I’m the lucky one, Ms. Grant. Um, good luck to your son today.”
“Oh, Carter doesn’t need luck. He has his brain.”
“Of course, ma’am. Thank you. For helping Supergirl.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll call her right away. Goodbye, Detective.”
Maggie hangs up, sighs, and slips the phone in her pocket before slipping into the med bay to see Alex, to see M’gann, to hold her hand, to whisper stories to her about the bar, to whisper how she needs her to fight, how Alex is going to take good care of her, how she’d better wake up soon, because Alex is her girlfriend now and she’s gotta see them together.
When she hears Kara yelp at the caller ID as her phone rings in the hallway a mere minute later, Maggie smiles softly, because she might not be able to help Alex be a doctor right now, but she can help Kara be Supergirl.
“Ms. Grant!” Kara answers, her voice pitched high, her voice pitched nervous, her voice pitched eager.
“Keira, what is this I hear from a Detective Sawyer about Livewire being on the loose?”
“Maggie called you? I… Ms. Grant, you and Carter are in no danger, I promise, I’ve – “
“And how would you know this, dear? Snapper have you covering the story closely, does he?”
Kara splutters and Kara adjusts her glasses, and Kara’s heart hammers because Ms. Grant, Cat, Ms. Grant.
“Yes, yes, of course, and I um… my sources, who I met through reporting, you know, being a reporter, tell me that undercover agents have been sent to Carter’s school to protect the two of you… did you wish him luck on his competition today?”
“Yes, Keira, he received all five of your ridiculous emoji-filled texts this morning, and he was so pleased her nearly dropped his project and destroyed it. But that’s not what’s important right at this moment, Keira, and you know it. Are you alright?”
“Ms. Grant, of course, I – “
“Kara.” Her voice is soft, her voice is simple. Her voice is full. Kara blinks and swallows the lump in her throat.
“Yes, Ms. Grant?”
“I told you to dive. I told you to dive, and I was right: it’s rare that I’m not, as we both know. But Kara, you are strong enough and you are smart enough to know that when you choose to dive away from what you’re truly afraid of, rather than diving into it, you will lose, every time.”
“Ms. Grant, I don’t know what – “
“Supergirl isn’t a hero because she locks away her nemeses. Supergirl is a hero because she has a capacity for forgiveness. For hope. And to inspire that hope in others. Fear drives anger, Kara. Don’t let that fear drive you.”
“I… I don’t know what I have to do with Supergirl – “
“Oh, Keira, you know you’ve never figured out when to let people help you, have you? If you’re to rise, you need to learn that one, and soon.”
“I let people help me – “
“Livewire is not Supergirl’s fault, Kara. Supergirl did not destroy her, and Supergirl is not responsible for the destruction she’s wrought.”
“I’ll um… I’ll let Supergirl know you said so.”
Cat sighs and Kara can just see her taking off her glasses and putting her fingers on the bridge of her nose.
“Do that, Kara. Do that. And keep safe, will you?”
“Yes, Ms. Grant. Always. And Ms. Grant?”
“Keira.”
“Thank you. For calling.”
“Well I wasn’t about to let you spiral down into one of those ridiculous glasses-adjusting moods you get into, was I? I’ll tell Carter you sent him more of those absurd emojis.”
Cat hangs up before Kara can thank her, before Kara can tell her she misses her, before Kara can ask when she’s coming back, before Kara can tell her she needs her.
She looks up and into the med bay, and she stares idly at Maggie, holding M’gann’s limp hand as Alex runs tests on her, and she wonders where Maggie got Cat’s number, and she wonders how she got so lucky to have such an attentive future sister-in-law, how she got so lucky to have people who care enough to stop her from spiraling, to still her from crashing, to catch her when she’s in danger of a fall.
She wonders what would have happened to Leslie if she’d had people, too, and she sighs, and she grimaces, and she gulps, and she sets her jaw, because she’ll find her, and she’ll stop her, but she’ll refuse to lose herself in order to do it.