This is just a random little idea that popped into my head one day.
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A Special Son
Lois and Clark’s son is special is ways they never would have imagined.
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The sweet sounds of birds chirping filled the air as Lois walked through the park on a beautiful Sunday morning. Just as it was every weekend, the park was filled with mothers and their children. Some children were running around and laughing, while others were being pushed by their mothers in strollers.
It was the children that ran around the park which caught Lois' eye most often even though she had more in common with the mothers who were pushing strollers. Lois had brought her own son to the park and was pushing him along the path that circled it and passed many of those mothers who were traveling along the same pathway she was. However, little Oliver Kent was not in a stroller. At six years old he had long outgrown his stroller and was instead in a wheelchair.
Seeing the other kids Oliver’s age running and jumping around while their mothers ran around with them reminded Lois that it was an experience her son would never get to have. He never even got to take his first steps. Oliver had transitioned from a stroller straight to a wheelchair.
For a long time Lois and Clark believed they wouldn’t ever be able to have a child, so when Lois got pregnant they had been overjoyed. But that feeling hadn’t lasted very long. Throughout the pregnancy Lois experienced many complications, including almost losing the baby as well as her own life more than once. Things became so dire during one of those instances that Lois had insisted that her doctors and Clark promise that if only one life could be saved it would be that of her baby.
During her difficult pregnancy Lois and Clark had also been informed that if their child survived he would likely have a whole host of medical problems. The fact that other than the issue with his legs which left him unable to walk Oliver was a completely normal and healthy child was miraculous. With all that could have gone wrong their son spending his life in a wheelchair had been relatively easy to accept. He truly was their miracle baby.
Though she had come to terms with her son’s disability there were occasions where Lois became wistful when she saw other children doing things her son couldn’t, but one look at Oliver’s smile was all it took to wash those feelings away.
Oliver’s condition had been harder for Clark to deal with. As Superman he was used to having amazing powers and saving people. His own son being disabled made him feel like a failure. But with Lois’ help Clark too had been able to come to terms with their son’s disability and accept that he wasn’t at fault for it. It just took him a little longer to get there.
When Lois found a nice grassy spot under a shade tree she wheeled her son in that direction. Once she made sure his chair was secure and wouldn’t roll away Lois knelt in the grass and looked up at her son. “What do you want to do while we wait for Daddy?”
“Swing! Swing, Mommy. I want to go on the swing.”
Though he couldn’t operate the swing on his own Oliver was strong enough to sit up and support himself on the swing and it was one of his favorite places to play. Getting to her feet Lois reached into Oliver’s wheelchair and picked him up. Shifting his weight around so that he was more comfortable in her arms Lois carried him over to the swings.
Upon reaching the playground Lois carefully placed her son in the swing and when he was ready started pushing. As she pushed and Oliver swung through the air he giggled with delight. It was one of the most beautiful sounds to Lois’ ears. Those sounds travelled across the wind until they reached the ears of someone who found them just as beautiful. Moments later he landed in a secluded area of the park and adjusted his glasses.
Now that he was in the park Clark no longer needed to use his super hearing to pick up on the voices of his wife and son. Able to tell that the sound was coming from the vicinity of the playground Clark guessed he would find his family over by the swings. Clark’s assumption was proven correct shortly thereafter when the swing set came into view and he saw Oliver happily swinging back and forth.
Lois and Oliver were so engrossed in their play that neither of them noticed Clark until he was right beside them. When Lois did finally notice her husband next to her she stopped pushing her son in the swing and turned her attention to Clark.
“Hey Lois, I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the park with you and Oliver, but I took care of that little problem. I’m all yours now.”
After giving Clark a quick kiss Lois turned her attention back to her son. “Oliver, look who’s here!”
“Daddy!” the child squealed when he saw his father.
The swing came to a stop and Clark gingerly took his young son into his arms. “Hey buddy. Were you and Mommy having fun?”
“Yes. Mommy is lots of fun. She pushes real good.”
“That’s great. What else do you want to do?”
Oliver looked around and pointed to the slide.
Lois and Clark didn’t tell their son he couldn’t do something just because he didn’t have use of his legs. They taught him that he could do almost anything that he wanted to, even if he had to do it in a different way. Clark grew up feeling different from everyone else and knew how hard it could be. He wanted his son feel like he belonged, even if he was a little different.
Oliver didn’t know that his dad was unlike other fathers however. He and Lois had decided not to tell their son that his dad was Superman until he was older. Having Superman as your father was a very cool thing for a kid, so Lois and Clark wanted to wait until Oliver was old enough to understand why he couldn’t tell anyone who his father really was. They were very careful to limit their son’s interactions with Clark’s superhero side as much as possible to keep him from discovering the truth for himself.
So when Oliver indicated he wanted to play on the slide his parents didn’t tell him that it wasn’t possible due to his disability. Instead they simply said okay and carried him over there.
Clark set Oliver at the top of the slide and gently held him until Lois got into place at the bottom of the slide to catch him. Oliver wiggled with excitement as he sat on the slide, hence Clark’s reason for holding him. He didn’t want his son inadvertently sliding down before Lois was in position to catch him. Once Lois was ready Clark released his hold and Oliver pushed off with his arms and slid down into his mother’s waiting, open arms. Immediately Oliver said he wanted to go again, so Lois carried him back to the top of the slide and passed him off to Clark who got him situated for another round.
Lois, Clark and Oliver continued to play at the park for the next half-hour, playing on everything from the swing, to the slide, to the monkey bars. They’d had a lot of fun, but now it was time to go. Gathering his son in his arms Clark followed Lois to the nearby shade tree where she’d parked Oliver’s wheelchair earlier. After getting him back into his chair they headed out of the park to return home.
Back at home Clark began preparing lunch for the family, while Lois and Oliver sat around the kitchen table playing Chutes and Ladders. Normally Lois’ competitive streak would have her do whatever it took to win, but now she didn’t need to win. She was just enjoying the time spent with her son. Lois never would have believed there would be a time when she wouldn’t mind losing. But then she had changed in many ways she never would have imagined before Oliver was born.
Lois never thought she would enjoy spending her weekends at the playground or watching cartoons. Most surprising was that her career was no longer the most important thing in her life. She still loved being a reporter, but she didn’t stay at the office all hours of the night anymore. She didn’t always get there first nor have the best story every time. Instead she kept more normal hours so that either she or Clark could drop Oliver off at school and pick him up after. She allowed others to take potentially prize winning stories when she felt it would take too much time away from her son. Winning a Pulitzer Prize was no longer her ultimate goal. Though she had received one of those illustrious awards four years ago and knew how amazing it felt to win one. Now her ultimate goal was the health and happiness of Oliver. If she never won another award in her life that would be okay with her as long as her child was healthy and happy.
As they were finishing up their game Clark announced that lunch was ready. Lois and Oliver quickly completed the last few rolls of the die until one of them emerged victorious. After winning Oliver helped his mother put the game back in its box to clear the table so they could eat.
Shortly after lunch Clark’s super hearing picked up trouble regarding a massive fire at a retirement home. The out-of-control fire was big news, so Lois was watching the events unfold on TV as firefighters and Superman fought to put the fire out and free all of the trapped elderly residents. While she was watching Oliver wheeled himself into the room.
“Where’s Daddy?” Oliver asked upon seeing Lois sitting on the couch alone.
“He had to go to work. There’s a big fire. Daddy’s going to write about it for the newspaper.”
“Is Superman there?”
“Yes, he’s helping the firemen put out the fire and rescue all the people,” Lois answered without fear that her son might recognize the superhero as his father. With lives still in danger there was no time for interviews, so the occasional flash of Superman on TV appeared as not much more than a small blue blur in the distance.
Oliver sat by the couch and watched the news story with his mother and didn’t leave until it was over. When he returned about twenty minutes later he had a piece of paper with him. “Look Mommy. I’m a reporter, just like you and Daddy,” Oliver said as he showed her the paper.
Written in crayon were three sentences. Superman stopped the fire. Superman saved all the people. The firemen helped.
There weren’t a lot of details and many of the words were misspelled, but Oliver hadn’t been writing for very long so Lois was very proud. She immediately put the ‘article’ up on the refrigerator, which made Oliver beam with pride. If he did decide to follow in her and Clark’s footsteps he was getting a good start.
Oliver was so excited about his Superman story getting ‘published,’ in the form of being put on display on the refrigerator that he couldn’t wait for his dad to get home so that he could show him. When Clark came in the door Oliver displayed incredible speed as he wheeled himself over to the door as fast as his little arms could take him.
“Whoa! Slow down buddy,” Clark said as he took hold of the armrests of his son’s wheelchair to halt his rapid propulsion. “You’re going to crash into something going that fast. Why are you in such a hurry today?”
“I want to show you something!” Oliver answered excitedly.
Going a more normal and appropriate speed this time Oliver turned his chair around and began leading his father toward to kitchen to show off his work. Oliver stopped in front of the fridge and tried to get the paper his mother had pinned to it with a magnet, but it was out of his reach. Instead he pointed up to the paper and told Clark to look at it. By that time Lois had entered the room and explained how their son had become a junior reporter and wrote about the Superman rescue he saw on TV.
Like Lois, Clark was proud of his son and his misspelled, but adorable report. But at the same time he was worried that while watching Superman on TV Oliver may have recognized him. A silent exchange from Lois told him that the secret was still intact. Feeling more at ease now, Clark complimented his son on a job well done.
Pleased by the reactions of his parents to his story Oliver wheeled away with a smile. With Oliver playing in his room Lois and Clark had finally gotten some alone time. They planned to take full advantage of that and just as soon as Clark wrote up the fire story, using a bit of discreet super speed, and sent it to Perry, he and Lois snuggled up on the couch together to watch a romantic movie.
Less than a third of the way into the movie Oliver returned from his solo play, so Lois and Clark had to stop their movie. Now they wouldn’t be able to finish watching until after he went to bed.
When Oliver’s bedtime arrived hours later Clark volunteered to help Oliver with his bath and get him ready for bed. Clark pushed a reluctant Oliver toward the bath for one his least favorite activities. While her husband handled the difficult task of getting their son clean, Lois headed into the kitchen to make some fresh popcorn.
After fixing a big bowl of popcorn Lois went to see how Clark was doing. When she found the men in her life the sight that met her eyes made her laugh. Both boys were dripping wet. “Who took the bath, you or Oliver?”
“I think we both did,” Clark said, laughing himself.
“Why don’t you give him to me so you can go dry off,” Lois replied still amused by the situation.
Clark handed their small son over to Lois and excused himself.
“Did you get Daddy all wet?” Lois asked once Clark was out of the room.
In response Oliver laughed mischievously.
Lois chuckled at her son’s amusement. “Come on. Let’s get you ready for bed.”
Resting the child on her hip Lois held Oliver with one arm while she opened his dresser to procure his jammies. Upon locating the sleepwear Lois carried her son over to the bed. Oliver was easily able to put his shirt on without assistance, but with his legs he had trouble with the pants. Lois had to help him with the pajama bottoms, but she encouraged Oliver to do as much as he could by himself. Oliver got a pant leg over one foot, then the other and was able to pull them part of the way on, but then needed his mother’s help after that.
By the time Lois helped Oliver get into his dinosaur jammies and was beginning to tuck him in, Clark had dried off and changed out of his wet clothes. Not wanting to interrupt Clark stood at the doorway to watch his wife and son from afar.
When Oliver was securely tucked into bed Lois sat on its edge and brushed a curl of dark hair from his forehead. “You look more and more like your father every day.”
Lois was often struck by just how much Oliver did look like Clark. Other than his eyes which were a gentle blue Oliver looked so much like a younger version of her husband. With her husband’s looks he was a very cute little boy and would grow into a very handsome young man. After a few moments of just gazing at her beautiful son Lois bent down and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight baby. I love you.”
Once Lois rose to her feet and she noticed Clark in the doorway he stepped into the room and approached the bed to say goodnight to his son. After whispering words of love and a wish for sweet dreams Clark kissed Oliver’s forehead just as Lois had done a moment ago. Together they then walked out of the room glancing back for a second at the door before pulling it to, leaving only a tiny sliver of light creaking through.
Back in the living room Clark reset the movie while Lois grabbed the popcorn. Settling back into their cozy positions on the couch they resumed the movie where they left off while enjoying their bowl of warm popcorn.
The few hours Lois and Clark got to themselves each night were well-earned and before either the popcorn or movie were finished they found interest in each other. With the movie and their snack forgotten Lois and Clark were solely focused on one another. By the time they remembered their movie and turned their attention back to the TV the film had ended.
“Oh well,” Lois said. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”
She then found that comfortable spot in Clark’s lap and brushed her hand through his hair as she leaned in to kiss him.
The hours passed quicker than even Superman could track and Monday had soon arrived. While they were busy getting ready for work Lois and Clark heard a small voice calling for help down the hall.
“I’ll go help Oliver,” Clark announced just before a massive gust of wind filled the room and he disappeared.
When Clark reappeared in front of Lois he was freshly showered and fully dressed in his suit and tie, complete with glasses.
“Cheater,” Lois accused playfully.
With a departing kiss Clark left the bedroom at human speed and headed toward his son’s room.
“Good morning,” Clark said in greeting when he stepped into the doorway.
Smiling brightly, Oliver returned the greeting.
Oliver was unable to get out of bed and into his wheelchair on his own. He hadn’t mastered that task yet. So every morning, and on occasion in the middle of the night, either Lois or Clark would have to help their disabled son make the transfer from bed to wheelchair.
“You ready?” Clark asked.
In response Oliver nodded his head.
After Oliver scooted over to the edge of the bed Clark prepared to pick him up. Little Oliver learned over the chair, put his hands on the armrests and lifted himself a few inches off the bed. That was as far as he could get by himself. Clark helped Oliver complete the move by gently lifting him and settling him into the chair.
Clark remained in his son’s room to help him get ready for school. In the meantime Lois was busy getting ready herself. She didn’t have superpowers like her husband to do things at super speed, so even though Clark had to get Oliver ready at human speed his earlier super-cheating allowed him to finish helping their son before she had done everything she needed to do to get ready for work.
As soon as everyone was ready they loaded up into Lois’ car and headed for the elementary school Oliver attended. At the school Clark got Oliver and his wheelchair out of the car, then they and Lois headed inside the building. While Clark pushed his son’s wheelchair Lois walked by their side through the hallways to Oliver’s kindergarten class.
A desk in the front row, the one nearest the door had no chair with it. That was Oliver’s desk, its location chosen because of the accessibility factor for his wheelchair. Clark and Lois got their son settled at his desk and told him to have a good day at school as they wished him goodbye.
After dropping Oliver off at school Lois and Clark drove straight to the Daily Planet to begin their workday. It was a busy day in the newsroom, especially for the Daily Planet’s top two reporters, Lois and Clark. Together they had uncovered the beginnings of what would be the biggest story Metropolis had seen in weeks.
That afternoon Lois arranged to meet a source who would speak only with her, so after lunch she left the bullpen to find out what he had to say, while Clark stayed behind at his desk. By the time Lois finished meeting with her source it was the end of the school day, so instead of returning to the Daily Planet with what she had learned she drove off in the opposite direction.
Lois arrived at the elementary school about fifteen minutes after classes were over and picked up Oliver who was sitting with the small group of children who were still waiting for their parents. After getting Oliver, along with his wheelchair secured in her car Lois finally returned to the Daily Planet.
Oliver loved coming to the Daily Planet, especially getting to ride in the elevator. Going up in the elevator was a lot of fun. He even got to push the buttons. When the elevator doors opened on the newsroom floor Lois wheeled Oliver out and down the ramp, then over to her desk.
It took a while to get to her desk, not because of the distance or because of the wheelchair. It took more than twice as long to get to her desk because no one was more popular at the Daily Planet than Oliver Kent. The moment they exited the elevator everyone who passed stopped to say hello to the child and some even went out of their way just to go see Oliver.
All the attention he got was another reason Oliver enjoyed coming to the Daily Planet so much. His favorite person at the Daily Planet, other than his mom and dad of course, was Jimmy Olsen.
Jimmy Olsen hadn’t greeted Oliver on his way to his mother’s desk, but the photographer did come see him soon after. Crouching down on the floor by the wheel of Oliver’s chair Jimmy spent several minutes talking to the six-year-old, listening to all of his stories, until Perry came out of his office bellowing his name.
“Jimmy! I thought I told you to…” Perry stopped short of finishing his sentence when he saw Lois and Clark’s son sitting in the newsroom.
Saying goodbye to Oliver and Lois Jimmy continued on with what his boss had ordered him to do.
After spending about an hour at his parents’ work Oliver was waving goodbye to those who remained in the newsroom while he was wheeled back up the ramp and into the elevator. The next few days were about the same until Thursday when Oliver and Clark left the Daily Planet without Lois.
Lois stayed behind to continue working on the major news story that had come to her and Clark’s attention on Monday. She would be stuck in the newsroom for hours, so Clark was on his own with Oliver tonight.
Without Lois around Superman was off duty for the night. He couldn’t leave his son home alone while he went out flying all over Metropolis. He just hoped it would be a quiet evening with no major trouble.
While Superman took the night off, Clark was kept quite busy. Oliver demanded all of his attention, making his dinner, helping him with his reading, entertaining him by playing every game under the sun. Clark also had to put Oliver to bed on his own since Lois still had not returned home from work yet.
Upset that his mother wasn’t home, Clark had a lot of trouble trying to get his son to bed. Despite the fact that he couldn’t exactly avoid being put in the bed since he was incapable of walking and in a wheelchair Oliver refused to lie down or be tucked in. He kept insisting that he couldn’t go to sleep without saying goodnight to Mommy as well. Clark finally got Oliver to bed after he called Lois at the Daily Planet so that she could say goodnight over the phone and promise that he would see her first thing in the morning.
Friday morning as promised Lois was the one to go help Oliver get out of bed, ready for school and into his wheelchair. And since the story she and Clark were working on wasn’t quite finished yet, she was also the one who took Oliver to a birthday party one of his friends was having that afternoon. They tried to avoid working late as best as they possibly could, but things didn’t always work out that way, so they would try to alternate who stayed at work and who stayed with Oliver.
Immediately after picking Oliver up from school Lois took him to the party, which was at the home of the birthday boy. There were games, cake and ice cream, followed by the opening of presents.
When all the presents were opened all of the children jumped into the pool, all except Oliver. Swimming was one thing that Oliver’s disability prevented him from doing. He had played in a pool before, but only with his mom and dad. That wasn’t an option here.
Since Oliver couldn’t participate in the rest of the party activities he and Lois left a little early. They said their goodbyes to the birthday boy as well as the others guests and before leaving Oliver was given a party favor bag and a big red balloon.
Because he had to leave the party early Lois decided to take Oliver to the playground at the park for a little while. It was close by and on the way home anyway. Arriving at the park a short time later Lois wheeled Oliver over to the same shade tree where she parked his wheelchair last weekend.
Before going to play Oliver wanted to see what was in his party favor bag. However, the bag was tied tightly closed with a ribbon, so Oliver had to enlist the assistance of his mother to get into the bag to see what goodies he had received.
While Lois was busy trying to untie the stubborn knot Oliver lost his grasp on his balloon. As the helium-filled balloon floated toward the clouds Oliver tried to retrieve it. The end of the string was always just out of his reach, but Oliver never quit trying to recapture his red balloon.
Suddenly Oliver realized something was wrong. He could no longer see his mother and the ground was much further away than it should be. Realizing that he was in mid-air Oliver panicked and started to fall.
A scream drew Lois’ focus away from the knot she was working on and she snapped her head up to Oliver’s wheelchair. When she saw the empty chair her heart stopped. Her son had vanished. Another scream caused Lois to look up and that’s when she saw Oliver desperately clinging to a tree branch nearly eighty foot off the ground.
