Summary: The Man of Steel faces a health crisis unlike anything he's ever faced before, and it may just kill him.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I make nothing. All characters, plot points, and recognizable dialogue belong to DC comics, Warner Brothers, December 3rd Productions and anyone else with a stake in the Superman Franchise.
WHAM warning. One of my toys isn't going to make it back into the box.
Author's Note: For the purposes of this story, the mystery baby at the end of "The Family Hour" never happened.
***
"Morning, honey," Clark said one bright June morning. He adjusted his tie as he crossed the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee from the coffee maker before they headed off to work.
"Morning," Lois said, a little smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. She came up behind him and kissed the back of his neck. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not great," he replied honestly.
"Busy night for Superman? I woke up a few times and you were gone."
"Two house fires and a car accident. Nothing that took too long. I just," he shrugged helplessly, "had a lot of trouble falling back to sleep each time."
"Well, we've both had a lot on our minds lately," Lois reminded him.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Is it...?" She gestured to her midsection.
"No...yes...I don't know," he waffled. "We've wanted and tried for a baby for so long. And now that we're going to have one...I couldn't be happier. But...I worry. Am I going to be a good enough father? I almost lost you, I don't know how many times, because of Superman, in those early days. Is my kid going to grow up hating the dad who disappears at a moment's notice? Am I going to miss the important moments - Little League games, graduations, prom night?"
"Clark, we've been over this before. You're going to be a great father. Any child will be lucky to have you for a dad."
"I know. But last night...I couldn't turn those thoughts off. I wound up finishing painting the nursery at five in the morning."
He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. Stretching, he yawned, then placed the frames back on his face. Lois gave his body a squeeze, as if the act could lend him some energy.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked, giving the small bump at the front of her work suit a meaningful glance.
"Okay. It's getting harder to find a comfortable position. But it's the getting up nine times a night to use the bathroom that's really killing me."
Clark reversed their positions and hugged her tightly, feeling her growing stomach solidly wedged between them. "I'm sorry, honey."
Again, she smiled. "I'm not. Every moment that this baby is growing inside of me, I'm happy. If it means losing a little sleep at night, so what? It's all worth it." She patted her stomach as she pulled out of Clark's embrace in an effort to emphasize the point.
"Yeah," he agreed as a contented smile crossed his features. "So, our doctor's appointment is at two, right?"
"Right."
"Are you sure you really want that cream color in the nursery? We could have waited to paint until after we find out the sex."
Lois shook her head, her now-longer hair swishing with the movement. "No. I like the cream. It's fresh and airy, don't you think?"
"I love it, you know that. I just thought you might want a light pink or blue instead."
"Ugh," she rolled her eyes as she made a face. "I grew up in a pink and white room as a kid. I felt like I was simultaneously living in Barbie's Dream House and drowning in Pepto-Bismol."
Clark chuckled, leaned over, and kissed Lois' head. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"You ready?" he asked.
Lois grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and nodded. "All set."
"You want me to drive?" Clark offered.
"No. I'll drive. You try to take a cat-nap on the way to the office."
"Okay," he relented, knowing that she was right. He needed whatever sleep he could get.
While Lois navigated the streets of Metropolis, Clark dozed in the passenger seat. The day was wonderfully warm and sunny, the comforting rays imbuing him with the energy that he so desperately needed. He kept his eyes closed the entire trip, and woke to find Lois pulling into the underground parking garage beneath the Planet.
"Hey. Feeling better?" Lois asked as Clark stirred.
"Yeah. I needed that. Thanks."
Together, they headed into the building, ready to start the day's work. Jimmy met them at Lois' desk, where he was setting down a stack of research notes and photographs. He gave them a wave and a smile as they approached.
"Hey, Lois. Hey, CK. Today's the big day, right?"
Lois nodded in affirmation and patted her stomach. "Yep. The afternoon we'll find out how the baby's growing. And, if we're lucky and he or she is willing to share, we'll find out the sex."
"That's so cool," the photographer said with a grin. "My money's on a girl."
Clark chuckled. "A girl would be wonderful. So would a boy. What's all this?" He gestured to the items Jimmy had just set down.
"Oh, that's the research you asked for. Phone records, addresses, photos, the works. You really think Martin Livingstone is the serial killer?"
"That's what we're hoping to prove," Clark said. "Thanks, Jimmy."
"Any time. I better get going though. The Chief's got me running down to snap some shots of the opening of the new wing to the downtown library."
"Isn't that near that Italian bakery? The one with the Napoleons? Ugh, what's the name?" She fumbled for a moment. "Paolini...Puleo...Paduano...?"
"Pisano's," Clark corrected her.
"That's the place," Lois said, looking relieved that Clark had stepped in to fill the gap in her memory. "You think you could pick me up one?"
"A Napoleon? No problem," Jimmy said. "Anything for you, CK?"
"Sure, I'll take one," Clark said. "Thanks."
"Oh, and half a pound of those tri-color almond cookies," Lois added. "No, wait. Better make it a pound."
"A pound? Right," Jimmy said, raising an eyebrow.
"No judging," Lois said with a grin. "It's the baby who wants it."
Clark laughed as he pulled out his wallet and handed Jimmy a twenty dollar bill. "This should cover it. Let me know if it doesn't, okay?"
"Sure thing, CK."
"Great, thanks, Jimmy. I appreciate it."
"I'd better get going," Jimmy said, checking his watch. "Catch you guys later."
With that, Jimmy breezed away, stopping only to grab a donut from Kevin as the other research assistant strolled by with an open box. Clark pulled out Lois' chair for her. She sat with a grateful sigh. Clark rubbed her shoulders briefly.
"You okay?" he asked.
She smiled. "I'm great. I know I'm only halfway through this pregnancy, but it still feels good to sit down."
"You are doing a great job," he assured her, putting his hand to her stomach. "I can't wait until I can feel this little guy or girl moving around.
"Oh, he or she is definitely moving," Lois said, her hand coming up to cover his. "It's weird. I know it's the baby, but it just feels like...muscle spasms. It's so faint, sometimes I half wonder if it's just my mind playing tricks on me."
He smiled at her for a moment before asking, "So...where do you want to start with this stuff?"
Lois looked at the stack of photos and papers. "Maybe you could give the photos a really thorough check?" she suggested.
Clark nodded. "As my lady wishes." He took the photos and crossed the aisle to his own desk.
At one o'clock, the two broke for a fast lunch on their way to the doctor's office. There, they sat with the genetic counselor. That was awkward for them. Not only did they not have a family history for Clark's side to look for possible indications of issues that could be passed to the baby, they had to carefully sidestep even the most basic ones that they otherwise could have answered. It simply would not do to give the impression that the baby was a mix of human and alien genes.
Finally, the torment of the meeting was over. Lois and Clark were led to another room, this one hosting an ultrasound machine. The doctor and technician were already there, waiting for them to arrive. They swiftly got Lois comfortable on the table and began the scan. Lois and Clark could see everything on a separate computer screen, while the doctor and technician watched on another.
"Here's the head," Dr. Bonny said, while the technician, Kendra, pointed it out with the arrow on screen. "See the face? The baby is looking straight at you."
"Those black spots...those are the eyes?" Lois asked, entranced.
"Mmm-hmm," the doctor hummed.
Kendra quickly marked places off on the image and did a calculation as she measured.
"It's a beautiful face," Clark said, his hand in Lois' as he sat in a chair next to the table. "Looks just like you," he joked.
"Funny," she retorted, dryly.
As the scan progressed, more measurement were taken. Each time, Dr. Bonny or Kendra would explain what they were looking at, take numerous measurements from as many angles as they could, and declare everything to be "good."
"Would you like to know the sex?" the doctor asked, as they grew ready to check that particular part of the baby's anatomy.
"Yes," Lois and Clark said, almost with one voice. "Please."
"Okay," the doctor said with a smile. Then, "See that, there?" She had Kendra move the arrow on screen. "You are having a healthy little boy."
"A son?" Lois asked, blinking back tears. "Did you hear that, Clark? A boy."
"I did," he said, squeezing her hand in excitement. "A son."
"A little Clark," she said, smiling. "A perfect little boy."
Clark said nothing. He merely stood and kissed Lois' brow.
"Just a few more quick checks," the doctor said, as Kendra moved the ultrasound wand expertly over Lois' midsection. "Ah, there we go. The feet." She looked at the images for a few silent moments.
"Everything looks just fine, Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Your son seems to be perfectly healthy. I see absolutely no reason to worry about anything. Kendra will print you off some pictures to take with you. It was very nice meeting you both."
"Thank you," Clark said, shaking the doctor's hand while Lois toweled off the ultrasound gel from her stomach. "Thank you so much."
"You're quite welcome," Dr. Bonny said, smiling. "Take care now."
"Goodbye, Doctor. And thank you," Lois said.
"Here you go," Kendra said, as the last image printed. She handed them a strip of photos. "Best of luck to you both, and congratulations."
With that, she followed the doctor out of the room. Clark helped Lois off the table. He let her rearrange her shirt before wrapping her in a big, warm hug, which she eagerly returned. Then he was kissing her, over and over, his euphoria at finding out their child was healthy completely overwhelming him.
"Everything's okay," he said in wonder. "Our boy is perfect."
"I know. Before today...I was so afraid. I mean, this child...his origins...I was terrified that the mix of our genes might...you know." She gestured vaguely.
"I know," he said in a near whisper. "I feared the same thing. But everything's fine. Okay? Our son is fine."
Lois nodded. "Shall we? We still have plenty of work waiting for us, back at the Planet."
Clark grinned. "What do you say we stop and get some celebratory ice cream or something first?"
"Mmm," Lois said, eyes closed briefly. "Sounds wonderful."
"Come on," Clark said, putting his arm about her shoulders as they walked down the hallway, heading for the exit. "Chocolate?"
"Is there any other flavor?"
Clark chuckled. "I guess not. At least, not when it comes to the great Lois Lane."
"Hey, how about we hit up that specialty chocolate shop on Schuster? I think they have those chocolate cigars that are wrapped in either pink or blue foil. Could be a cute idea to tell the bullpen."
"Yeah," Clark agreed with a grin. "I like that idea."
***
"Congratulations, you two," Perry exclaimed with a laugh in his voice. "I'm so happy for you, I can't even see straight."
"Thanks, Chief," Lois said.
Help! Somebody help! Please! Clark's attention to the conversation at hand snapped as the call for help exploded in his ears. Then, suddenly, a police scanner call interrupted the initial plea for help. All units proceed to the Metropolis Bridge. Part of the structure has collapsed. Repeat. Part of the Metropolis Bridge has collapsed. Proceed with caution.
"Clark? You okay there, son?" Perry asked, concern in his eyes.
Clark shook his head, trying to dispel thoughts of the bridge and focus on his immediate surroundings. "Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I just realized that I, uh..."
"Forgot," Lois added, stammering as she fumbled for an excuse.
"My credit card," Clark finished. "At the chocolate shop. I better go get it."
"I'll go with you," Lois said.
"What about the Savino trial piece?" Perry demanded to know.
"Oh, that? We'll finish it when we get back," Lois said hurriedly.
"Lois! Clark! Chief!" Jimmy called as he raced across the bullpen. "The Metropolis Bridge just collapsed. At least, a portion of it did."
"We're on it," Lois called back. "Thanks, Jimmy."
"Jimmy..."
"I'm on it too, Chief. I just need to grab my camera and bag. I'll see you guys there, I guess," Jimmy said, cutting Perry off and waving to Lois and Clark as they headed toward the elevators.
"So, let me guess, that's what you were hearing," Lois said matter-of-factly as the elevator door closed the two of them off from the newsroom.
"Yeah."
"How did it sound?"
Clark shook his head. "Not good. It's still a bit early for rush hour, but..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
Lois nodded. "I suppose that's true."
The car came to a halt as they reached the underground garage. The door opened and the two strode purposefully through the concrete maze toward Lois' car. When they reached it, Lois opened the passenger door. Turning to Clark, she kissed him.
"Be careful, okay?"
"I will," he promised.
After carefully checking the area, he ducked out of sight behind the side of Lois' Jeep and spun into the familiar red and blue of Superman's costume. Then, before Lois could even blink, he was streaking from the parking garage and zooming toward the scene of the disaster. As soon as he was free of the garage, he sharply angled up, gaining altitude, until he was above the tallest skyscrapers. It was easier to maneuver up at that height, without needing to skirt around anything. All obstacles simply ceased to be a problem, if Clark stayed above them.
A sonic boom rang out in his passing, as he pushed himself to go ever faster. He was only too aware of how much every second counted. A second could prevent someone from being injured. A second could be the veil between life and death. And every second that he was not on the scene weighed heavily on his mind, made his heart beat wildly in his chest, made his fingertips twitch in anticipation of what was to come.
He covered the distance in less than a minute. As soon as the bridge came into view, he altered his angle once more to ease into a landing without having to slow his descent. He only slowed when he was mere feet from the ground, and only because he didn't want to crack the pavement when he touched down.
"Superman! Thank God!" one of the police officers said as Clark landed in a flash of primary colors.
"Officer," Clark said, inclining his head in respect.
"The bridge - what's left of it - is too unstable for us to get to where we need to be," the man said in a rush.
Clark looked at the man's name tag. Reynolds, he could see. "Don't worry, Officer Reynolds. I'll get to them. Have your men get as close as they can while staying safe. I'll bring the people and cars to you."
"You heard the man," Reynolds said to the surrounding men and women. "Move it! Let's go!"
Clark was already on the move, his focus fixed on those he could help. With his enhanced vision, he easily located those who were in the most dire circumstances. He directed his efforts to those people first, pulling people from crashed vehicles and from the cold water of the Metropolis River below the bridge, though not many had survived the fall. Then he moved on to those who were not in immediate danger, but who were stuck on the bridge, unable to move forward or backward in the absolute and utter chaos of the scene.
Clark never slowed. He didn't know how long he had before more of the bridge might give way, or even if any more would. Once the people were cleared from the scene and safely away from the destroyed bridge, he turned his attention to the vehicles cluttering the roadway. Those he simply moved to the side, off of the bridge and to where the police could easily tow them from the scene. He allowed himself to finally slow as the last truck was removed from the road.
Then it was time to address the dead. Clark flew down into the ravine and river again and again, recovering as many bodies as he could. He respectfully laid each one down on the ground by the numerous ambulances that had arrived as he'd worked. He didn't check for signs of life. He didn't have to. While he'd been saving those he could, many of the bodies had gone cold and a bluish tint had crept into their lips and skin. Clark worked in silence, his heart quietly breaking as each new body was rescued from the river.
As he moved, he could seem teams of first responders steadily making their way down the steep embankment to either side of the river. They, too, began the heart wrenching process of recovering the dead, though they focused more on the broken and splattered body parts that had hit the ground rather than the water. It was a gruesome sight, Clark had to admit, as he glanced around at the blood and gore.
At long last, he rose from the water with the last floating body he'd been able to find. He laid the woman down in a clear spot on the ground.
"That's all I could find," he said as he walked up to Officer Reynolds. "At least, on the surface. There may be more beneath the water. I could take a look, if you'd like," he offered.
"Thanks, Superman," Reynolds said, putting his hand on Clark's shoulder in appreciation. "But you've done plenty. We've got dive teams coming. They can take it from here."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. We really appreciate the help though. And the offer."
Clark nodded solemnly. "Okay then."
He turned around to scan the surrounding area. He'd lost track of how much time he'd spent at the bridge collapse. But, he gauged, it must have been a while. The crowd had all but dispersed as he'd begun to lay out the corpses he'd managed to recover. He could see Jimmy tucking his camera in his bag as he hopped onto his motorcycle, no doubt in a rush to get the shots developed in time to them into the evening edition of the paper. Lois, as predicted, stood front and center, feverishly jotting down notes for the story they would write together. She saw him and waved him over.
"Superman!" she called, like any eager reporter and friend.
He waved in a friendly manner, but he was still too far off for her to hear him over the continuing din, so he said nothing. Instead, he turned to one of the female police officers as she approached him. She offered her hand and Clark shook it firmly.
"Superman, I just wanted to extend my personal thanks," the woman said. Her badge identified her as Major. "I didn't know it until just a few moments ago, but my sister was one of the people you pulled from the water. Thanks to you, she's going to live."
"I'm happy to hear that she'll be okay," Clark said sincerely. He gazed back at the scene for a quick second. "I wish I'd been able to do more, but I'm glad so many are safe."
"Safe because of you. Anyway, I need to get back." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the cleanup that was going on. "Thanks again, Superman."
She strode away, blonde ponytail swaying as she went. Clark turned back to the still dispersing crowd. He was about to gesture to Lois that he would happily provide a Superman statement for their article, but as he stepped forward, everything went wrong.
Pain shot through his chest and arms. Nausea washed over him and he had to fight the urge to vomit. His knees buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the asphalt, while weakness flooded him. His first thought was that someone nearby had Kryptonite, but after a few moments of agony, he realized that whatever it was that he was feeling, it was not the same as the sickness he usually experienced when exposed to the radioactive stone. His heart sped up and it felt difficult to draw a breath.
"Superman?!?!"
It seemed everyone in the area was calling his name. He tried to answer, tried to stand, but failed on both accounts. Someone rushed to his side. The policewoman, Major, he thought it was, but it was difficult to tell. It was as if his very thoughts were swimming through pain. He was, however, very aware when Lois dropped to her knees in front of him. Miraculously, no one was pushing her away. Perhaps that was because the friendship between Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and Superman was so well known, that none of the first responders paid any mind to her presence there.
"Superman?" she asked, sheer, naked terror in her voice.
It was enough to pull Clark back from the edge of the abyss.
"Superman?" she called again, cupping his chin with her hand and forcing him to make eye contact with her. "What's wrong?"
Clark drew as deep a breath as he dared. It didn't make sense him. He'd always believed that he was completely healthy. He didn't understand how or why this was happening to him. But he knew the signs - knew it from a hundred or more rescues he'd made with people experiencing what he was currently feeling.
"I think," he gasped out, his chest tightening further with the effort of speaking. "I think I'm having a heart attack."
To Be Continued...
