Clara (Part 10)

Clara was in the hospital for three days before being released.  Her mother and brother stayed around that whole time plus another day after that, while her sister and father went back home after the doctors can given the all clear for Clara to go home the next day.  She didn't see Chris at all during that time, though she did get one text from him two days in that simply said, "I hope you're doing okay."  Clara thought longer than she cared to admit before texting back, "I am.  Thanks."  And that was that.

It was the evening after all of her family had gone home that Clara heard a knock at her door, and even though she had never given him her new address after she had moved, she was not at all surprised to see him there.

"I hope you don't mind me just kinda showing up," he said when she opened the door.

She gave him a look that was half smile, half smirk, and said,  "Would you have avoided showing up here if I did mind?"

At that he frowned.  "A few months ago, probably not.  But now..."  He sighed.  "I do care, Clara."

She sighed and felt her heart beat a little faster as she remembered what had almost happened the night she was shot.  He had been trying to ask her out on a date.  There was no question about that.  The question now was whether he was going to bring it up again or not.  She hoped he wouldn't, but if he was, she'd rather it happen now than when they were back out in the field.  As quickly as all those thoughts had passed through her head, she stepped aside from the open door way, gestured for him to come in and said, "Alright, let's get this over with."

Chris looked nervous as he entered her home.  He glanced around, perhaps noting the similar arrangement to her old apartment, where he had previously invaded her space uninvited and unwelcomed.  Perhaps he was thinking how different it was to now been invited in, and wondering just how welcome he was.  Wanting to make him feel at least a little more at ease, Clara gestured to the couch and said, "Would you like to sit down?"

To her surprise, Chris shook his head and let out a sigh.  "No, I don't think this will take long."  He looked up at her from where his gaze had fallen to the floor and said sadly, "I don't think I can do this anymore, Clara."

She frowned.  "Do what?" she asked, fearing he was about to make some awful confession of love to her or some such nonsense.

"Go out and risk us getting hurt, risk you getting hurt.  I... I care about you Clara."

"I never asked you to care," she replied.

He nodded, knowing.  "Yeah, but I can't help how I feel."

"And I can't help how I don't feel," she said, looking at her feet, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at him.  She gave a slight start when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Sorry," he said, pulling his hand away when she looked up.  He sighed again.  "I can't stop you from doing what you do," he said.  "But I don't think I can do it anymore.  Seeing you in that alley, covered in blood, I was scared.  I know I said I wanted to help people, but I just can't... not like this..."  He closed his eyes as he asked, "Do you think that makes me a bad person?"

"Hey, no, of course not," Clara said immediately and without thinking, allowing herself to smile, just a little.  She very nearly placed her hand on his shoulder at that, but she stopped herself before she even raised her hand.  "You do what's right for you.  As long as you don't share my secret, my identity, that's all I care about."

There was silence for a moment and then Chris dared to ask, "So you really don't care about anything else?"

Clara's expression dipped back into a frown.  "No, I'm sorry, I mean, I care about you as a person, but not, not the way you want me to, ya know?  I don't think I'm capable of that."

"I think you're wrong," Chris said, and then he turned red as he quickly added, "about not being capable I mean, but if you don't feel anything... extra... for me.  I understand.  It kinda sucks, but I understand."

"Sorry," Clara said again.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Chris told her.

"Friends?" Clara asked, surprising herself as she held her hand out.

Chris smiled and shook it.  "Friends," he agreed.  He then glanced down at his wrist and chuckled when he realized he wasn't wearing a watch.  He glanced up at the clock on her wall instead and said, "I suppose I should be going, but take care of yourself, Clara."

Clara nodded.  "You, too, Chris," she replied.

"I'll do my best to keep any more mentions of you out of my magazine, just, be careful."

"I'll try," she promised.

And then with one final nod, he was gone.


It was another week before Clara felt recovered enough to go back out as the "Lady Ninja".  The first night back out, she worried briefly that someone might realize the Ninja had disappeared while she was absent recovering.  What she didn't know was that Chris had thought of this and had been going out in her place while she recovered, but stopped the night he saw her finally re-emerging from her apartment with her gym bag in tow.  He told himself at the time that he wasn't stalking, he was just making sure she was covered, and after she was back out there, he would never look after her again.  He told himself it was over, it was really over, as he drove away that night.  He and Clara might say there were still friends, but it was easier if they weren't even that.  Otherwise, for him at least, it would be too hard.


Clara took it easy at first, not wanting to risk getting shot again.  She stopped fewer crimes, on account of going to nicer parts of town, but she felt safer herself, and that was important, too.  Within a few months, she felt ready to go back fully to her old ways, back without bluetooth devices and men who were more charming than they should have been worrying about her and trying to ask her out on dates.  She never saw nor heard from Chris a single time during that duration.  She considered texting him several times, when she wasn't out on her quests, because she figured that was what friends do, but she also figured he could contact her if he really wanted too.  After all, he was the one who cared in a personal way.  Clara was not capable of such things.