Mayson's face was white with embarrassment and fear. "I...I...I thought you knew," she said softly.
"N...No," Lois stammered shakily. A thought came to her and her shock gave way to anger. "How do you know?" she demanded.
"Lois, now's not the best time..."
"Maybe not, but I need to know why he told you about this and not me."
"I didn't tell her," Clark said groggily.
"Clark!" Mayson called out, sounding very relieved to see him awake. "How are you feeling?"
"Weak," was the reply. He coughed immediately after. "But better than before."
Lois crossed her arms, madder than ever. "So, Mayson knows that you've been keeping this a secret," she said, pointing to the S on his chest with an accusing finger, "but you didn't think it was important to tell me? I thought I knew you, Clark. Seems like I was dead wrong."
She was tempted to leave and Clark knew it.
"Wait," he called to her. "Let me explain."
"I'll give you some space," Mayson offered.
"No, you should stay," Lois challenged. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling embarrassed here."
Clark sighed, the sound thick with congestion and heavy with exhaustion. "Sit," he offered, gesturing to the armchair across the room. "Sit and I'll explain everything as best I can."
Lois sat, arms folded over her chest. Mayson leaned against the tall cherry colored dresser in the room, following Lois' lead and crossing her arms as well, though she looked far more at ease than Lois felt.
"This had better be good," Lois warned him.
"I never told Mayson about my secret," Clark repeated. "She found out by mistake."
"By mistake. What, did you start floating in midair after a make out session or something?" Lois hissed, well aware of how juvenile she sounded.
"Lois, please. Do you really think I could have ever cheated on you?" he pleaded.
That gave her pause. No, he really wasn't the type to cheat on someone he loved. And she was certain that he loved her. Or she had been, until tonight. Between fleeing from her proposal and now finding out that he and Mayson shared such an important secret while she'd remained oblivious, she was beginning to doubt his feelings for her. Still, Clark was a man of honor. He never would have cheated with Mayson, she decided.
"Well...no, I guess not," she admitted.
He nodded weakly. "It was the night when that car bomb almost killed Mayson. I heard it clicking and getting ready to explode. That's why I ran from you that night. I said it was gut instinct that made me aware of the fact that Mayson was in trouble. It was more than that. It was my super hearing kicking in at just the right moment to save a life. Anyway, my shirt ripped somehow as I pulled her away from the car. I don't know if the explosion caught it or if it snagged on something and tore or what. Everything happened too fast and I didn't even realize it had ripped until it was too late."
"I saw the Superman suit beneath his shirt, right before I passed out," Mayson supplied. "I confronted him about it one I was lucid enough."
"I couldn't lie to her," Clark added.
"Oh? But you could continue to lie to me?!" Lois snapped.
"It's not like that! She'd almost died and I..."
"Oh!" Lois spat, cutting him off. "She almost died! Well then, maybe I should go put myself into mortal peril too, so you'll finally be honest with me for once!"
She saw him flinch at the words, as though they'd been an actual, physical blow to his being. For a brief second, she regretted her words. But then her anger came back in force. She cut off the apology that had been forming in her throat before it could be fully realized.
"Lois," Clark said, his voice straining just the least bit. "Please, let me explain. I know what I said sounds bad. But it's not what it seems."
"All right. I'm listening," she said flatly.
He nodded once. "I couldn't lie to her. Not after what she'd seen. And I knew that...or at least, I'd hoped that, once I came clean to her, she'd understand why I could never be with her."
That intrigued Lois. "Go on."
"At the time, Mayson hated Superman and liked Clark, remember?"
"I remember," she confessed. How could she forget how the other woman had fawned over Clark while publicly denouncing Superman at every turn?
"It was one of the reasons why I couldn't bring myself to date her. That and, well, she wasn't you. I just...I had a hard time giving her a flat out 'no' when she'd ask me to lunch or whatever. And that's my fault, Lois. It was never anything that you did or said. I guess, in a way, Superman or not, I'm a bit of a coward."
"It didn't help that I never really gave you a chance to speak when I'd ask," Mayson admitted quietly.
"I don't like hurting people, Lois, not if I can help it. I didn't want to hurt Mayson so I tried to find ways to gently let her down. Instead, all I managed to do was to unfairly lead her on and hurt your feelings in the process." He paused a moment and coughed harshly. When he was done, his breathing was ragged and fast as he tried to take in enough air again. "So, when she discovered the truth, I decided that I was done lying. I came clean with my dual identities and explained that I couldn't be anything more than just her friend, if she even felt like she could trust me enough to be her friend."
"It took me a long time to reconcile the two identities in my mind," Mayson said. "I'd spent so much time hating Superman, to the point of almost villainizing him, all the while so relentlessly pursuing him in a different set of clothes." She paused for a moment, blushing. "And, it was clear that he wasn't interested in anyone who wasn't Lois Lane. Although, I'm not sure why," she added with a playful smirk.
"You still didn't tell me that you were Superman," Lois argued, truly hurt. "How could you do something like that?"
"Because I love you," Clark said simply.
Lois arched an eyebrow. Yeah, right, the action said. He sighed.
"I needed to know, Lois. Could you love Clark Kent, without the powers? I know you've had a crush on Superman since the moment I first showed him to the world. If I'd told you the truth, back when Mayson discovered it, how could I be sure that you wanted the real me? How could I know for certain that you weren't with me to live out the 'Superman's girlfriend' fantasy? So, I didn't dare say anything at all about it. I wanted to be sure I knew what the answer was."
"But you did know that I fell in love with Clark," Lois said, fighting back the angry tears that were threatening to spill. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out and trampled on. But she'd be damned if she'd let Clark see how destroyed she was.
"I know," Clark said quietly. "I messed up, Lois. I was too afraid to tell you. Because...because of this moment, when I'd have to be afraid that my lies would have put too great a wedge between us. I was terrified of losing you. I still am."
"If you lied about this, what else have you lied about?" Lois demanded. "Are you faking sick too, just to get me over here after you ran away from me tonight? Is this your way of distracting me from...what I asked you?" she asked, suddenly very aware of Mayson's presence in the room.
"Of course not!" Clark wheezed as another cough wracked his body. "The only reason I didn't say yes was because of this!" he said, sweeping a trembling hand over the S on his chest. "I couldn't accept until you knew the truth. I was going to tell you. I was going to bring you back to my place or yours and tell you everything. Then, if you still wanted to even know me, I would have said yes. But before I could, I heard about a nuclear reactor that was leaking in Japan."
Understanding blossomed in Lois' mind. Some of her anger softened, in the slightest degree. "That's why you ran off."
He nodded. "Yes. I thought I would fix the leak and save as many people as I could, then swing by your place with an offering of wine and chocolates as part of my apology. But the longer I stayed at the accident, the sicker I felt. I've never experienced anything like this. I've never been sick before. I barely made it back to Metropolis. Mayson's place was closer than either your apartment or mine. I landed just in time. I passed out just after I landed and she found me."
"I wasn't sure what to do, so I brought him inside. No one can see him like this. Superman, brought to his knees?" Mayson shook her head. "If word got out that Superman is incapacitated, the criminal element would have a field day. It was all I could do to help him get into bed, and I thought, since you two are together, that you would know what to do. I had no idea that you didn't know about Superman yet."
"So...you're really sick?" Lois was in disbelief. "But that's...you don't get sick. How...?"
Clark shook his head slightly. "I don't know."
"What...what do we do?" Panic started to creep up her spine, replacing her earlier ire. "There's got to be something we can do."
"I don't know. It's not like there's a lot of knowledge out there on what's normal for a Kryptonian," Clark said, closing his eyes.
That's when Lois noticed the beads of sweat that were sprouting up like dewdrops on his forehead. She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. Not only was he sweaty, his temperature was alarmingly high. She swiveled her body to look at Mayson.
"Do you have a thermometer?"
Mayson nodded. "Yeah, in the bathroom."
"Get it."
For once, the Deputy D.A. didn't argue with her and did exactly as Lois had asked. A minute later she returned, a digital thermometer in her hand.
"Here," she said, extending the slender instrument to Lois.
"Thanks." She turned back to Clark. "Here, put this under your tongue."
Clark managed a smirk. "Hey, I may be a first timer, but I do know how it's done," he limply joked.
Lois couldn't help the smile she gave him. "Just checking."
She turned the thermometer on and stuck it under his tongue. Obediently, Clark closed his mouth and patiently waited for the machine's verdict. A few seconds later, the thermometer started beeping. Lois took it from Clark's mouth to read what it said.
"Error," she sighed. "I don't think it can read as high as whatever your fever is." She handed the instrument back to Mayson. "Clark, I think it's too dangerous to keep you here. You need doctors and a hospital."
"What can a hospital do for me though?" he wondered aloud.
Lois shook her head. "I don't know, exactly. But if anything were to happen, I'd feel better if there were doctors on hand to help you."
"Dr. Klein," Clark said decisively. "He's the only one who knows anything about how my body works, as limited as that knowledge might be."
"I'll call him right now," Lois said. "I'll arrange something and we'll get you the help you need. Okay?"
Clark nodded. "Okay. Lois?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should have told you sooner. I don't blame you for being mad, or hating me, or..."
"Ssh," she gently interrupted. "None of that matters right now. Getting you healthy is all we need to focus on. And, when you're better, we can talk more about this."
"I want to tell you everything," he said, his voice as solemn as though he was swearing an oath.
"And I want to know everything," she assured him. "Rest now, and I'll call Dr. Klein."
Again he nodded, this time weaker than ever. Lois watched as he closed his eyes and settled further into the pillows, chewing her lower lip in worry. For Superman to get sick, something had to be seriously wrong. Lois only hoped that he would survive whatever was attacking his body.
Get better, she thought as she watched him sleep. Please.
After a couple of quick heartbeats, she left the room, leaving the door open so she and Mayson could hear him if he needed help. She padded silently down to the living room, where Mayson had retreated after seeing the thermometer fail to get a reading on Clark's fever.
"He's alseep," Lois said, by way of a greeting.
Mayson nodded distractedly. "That's good."
"I'm going to call Dr. Klein, from S.T.A.R. Labs," Lois continued. "With a fever like that, he needs more help that either one of us can give him."
Mayson nodded. "That's a good idea."
Lois hesitated for a minute, wondering if she should say what she was about to.
"Mayson?"
"Hmm?"
"I think...I think you should come with us, to the hospital, when we go."
"What for? I'm nothing but a third wheel at this point." The despair in her voice was unmistakable.
"Clark trusted you enough to help him tonight. I think he'd want you to come. And...I want you to come. Look, you and I have had our differences. And maybe we don't really like each other all that much but...I'd feel better, if you came with us."
Mayson looked up, studying her, as if trying to discern whether or not Lois was telling the truth. "You would?"
Lois nodded. "Former Girl Scout's honor."
The other woman nodded in turn, slowly, as if not quite trusting the entire situation not to backfire on her somehow. "All right."
"First thing's first though. I need to get in touch with Dr. Klein."
Lois sat on the couch and grabbed her purse. She opened it and dug around inside until she finally found her phone, which had gone into hiding under her heavy wallet. She flipped open the cover and scrolled through her contacts until she found the number for S.T.A.R. Labs. A sleepy sounding guard picked up.
"S.T.A.R. Labs, this is Jeffrey Wolcott speaking."
"Hi, this is Lois Lane, from the Daily Planet. I need the emergency contact number for Dr. Bernard Klein."
"Ma'am, Dr. Klein isn't in right now. If you call back after ten tomorrow morning..."
"No, you don't understand," Lois sharply cut him off. She stood and started pacing. "I need to get in contact with him now. It's an emergency."
"Ma'am, I'm under strict orders..."
"I'm calling on Superman's behalf."
"Right," the guard said, dragging the word out mockingly. "Superman."
"Give me the phone," Mayson said in barely more than a whisper, and Lois belatedly realized how loud the volume on her phone was. Shrugging, Lois handed her the phone.
"Now you listen here. This is Mayson Drake, Deputy D.A. I need that number and I need it now, or so help me I will personally see to it that the police pay you a visit and get that number for me. Do you understand?"
Lois nodded approvingly. She had to admit it, having Mayson on their side was a definite perk.
"Yes, ma'am," Lois heard the man nervously gulp. "Just a minute while I look it up for you."
Less than two minutes later, Mayson hung up and handed Lois both the phone and a sheet of paper with Dr. Klein's home number on it. Lois took it with a nod. For the first time in her life, Lois felt gratitude toward Mayson, and that maybe, just maybe, the woman wasn't so bad after all.
"Thanks," she said.
Without waiting for an answer, Lois dialed the number Mayson had managed to get. A yawning Dr. Klein answered.
"Dr. Klein? It's Lois Lane," she said by way of an introduction. "I know it late, but Superman needs your help."
"What?" Dr. Klein said after another yawn.
"Superman. He's in trouble. He needs your help, right now."
"What's going on?" At least he sounded a little more alert now.
"He's sick," Lois said.
"Sick? Can't it wait until the morning?"
Lois rolled her eyes. "The thermometer can't even register how high his fever is," she explained. "Plus, he's Superman. He doesn't get sick. He said you were the one to call, that you've been his doctor before."
"Meet me at Metropolis General Hospital," he replied after a couple of seconds, finally seeming to understand the urgency of the situation.
"Thank you," Lois said, a little bit of her worry dissipating. At least Clark would be getting some help. Then she ended the call. "Okay, we need to figure out how to get him to Met Gen," she said to Mayson.
"Taking him in one of our cars is risky," Mayson mused.
"So is calling an ambulance," Lois countered, gently, not to argue with Mayson but in an effort to look at all their options.
"Maybe, but I, for one, would feel better if medical professionals moved him, just in case anything happens on the way."
Lois thought it over for a minute, aware that every second of indecision could cause further harm to Clark. "I guess it would be better for Superman to show up via ambulance than with either one of us. He's got his secret to keep safe, after all." She couldn't help the pang of bitterness that stabbed at her heart at the thought of his secret.
Mayson nodded. "I think so too."
"Okay, then it's settled." Lois swiftly punched in the digits on her phone. "Hello? Yes, I need an ambulance at nineteen twenty-two Ashbury. Apartment five B. The problem? My friend is sick. He's running a high fever, for one. No, I can't move him on my own. It's uh...a bit of a delicate situation. I need the paramedics to be very discreet. That's right. Thank you."
She hung up and ran a hair through her hair in relief. "The ambulance is on its way." She sighed and allowed herself to slump down onto the couch. "Can I be honest with you?"
"Sure."
"I'm scared."
"Me too, Lois. Me too."
"Lois?"
Lois was instantly on her feet. Clark needed her. She sprinted down the hall to where he was laying in bed.
"Yeah, Clark? Is everything okay?"
He nodded slightly. "Did you get in touch with Dr. Klein?"
It was her turn to nod. She brushed her hand over his forehead. He felt inconceivably hotter beneath her touch.
"Yeah," she breathed, keeping her voice calm and soft, trying to ward off the panic she felt bubbling up in her chest. "He's going to meet us at the hospital. An ambulance is on the way to take you there."
She expected him to fight her on the idea. But either he instinctively knew why it was better for the ambulance to take him or perhaps the illness was taking so much out of him that he didn't have the energy to argue.
"Good," he was all he said.
"I promise, Clark. We're going to get through this."
All of this, her mind said. This mysterious illness and your secret.
"Thank you," he said, stifling a cough. "For standing by me. With everything that's happened tonight, I wouldn't have blamed you for walking out that door. Thank you for staying. I...I'm scared. I need you. I can't get through this on my own."
"I'm here, for as long as you need me," she vowed.
The truth is, my heart still hurts from your lies. But I'm terrified of a life without you in it.
She took his hand in her own and simply sat there, on the edge of his bed, until she heard the paramedics knocking at the front door. She squeezed his hand in a silent show of support.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"I have to be," he said in a resigned tone. "Lois?"
"Yeah?"
"Once we know what's going on, I'm going to need you to let my parents know everything."
"You can count on me. And I'll handle Perry and everything else. All you need to focus on is getting well. Okay?"
"Thanks," he said with a singular nod.
"Mayson and I will follow you over to the hospital. You won't be alone for this."
"Dr. Klein...he doesn't know," Clark quietly warned her. "I'd like to keep it that way. Unless...unless it becomes absolutely necessary. I'm trusting you to make that decision. I'm trusting you to make all the decisions, if I'm not able to."
Lois didn't know what to say to that. Clark was quite literally placing his life in her hands. It humbled and terrified her, all at the same time.
"With luck, we won't need to go there," she told him.
A heartbeat later, the paramedics entered the room. It wasn't a huge bedroom by any means, so Lois made herself useful by leaving the room. She kept Mayson company in the living room, though neither of them spoke. It felt like an eternity passed before the paramedics emerged from the room, with Clark strapped to a stretcher between them.
"I'll drive," Mayson offered, once the paramedics were out of the apartment.
Lois wanted to say no, that she would take her own car, so that neither one was dependant on the other if they needed to leave the hospital. But she knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to drive. She was sick with worry for Clark, and still reeling from his deception. She simply nodded.
"Okay," she managed a few seconds later. "And Mayson?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks...for everything tonight. I'm glad Clark had someone he could trust and come to when he was in trouble. I...I know you and I haven't gotten along in the past but...well...you aren't so bad," Lois said in halting tones. She gave Mayson a tentative smile.
Mayson nearly blushed. "Yeah, well...you're not so bad either."
Lois chuckled lightly. "Thanks."
They left the apartment together, with Lois letting Mayson lead the way. It was a strange feeling, to be getting along with the woman who'd once been her most hated rival. But, in a way, it was kind of nice to drop that animosity toward her. More than that, it was a relief. Especially now, now that Lois knew Clark wasn't interested in Mayson in that way.
"Do you think he'll be all right?" Mayson voiced the words that were nagging at the back of Lois' mind, once they were safely inside her car and away from prying ears.
"I wish I knew. I've never seen him like this," Lois replied. "I hope he'll be okay."
Please, be okay, she silently prayed as Mayson pulled away from the curb.
To Be Continued...
