When Churches Come Crashing Down
Folc4evernaday
Part 36
NOTE: This part includes a major WHAM in it.
***
The living room was covered in their shed clothing. Clark held Lois against him with the cotton throw wrapped around them as he continued to tease her about the compatibility quiz. Her embarrassment over taking the quiz was now long gone. Her legs intertwined with his as she rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “A 73%?” Clark laughed, wrapping his arms around Lois as he read over the results.
“What can I say; we’re still newlyweds.” Lois shrugged, tugging the living room throw over her more tightly.
“You cold?” He asked, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
She looked around the room at the disarray of their shed clothing and smiled. “A little,” She admitted, reaching above her head for his dress shirt.
“There you go stealing my clothes again,” He teased, rolling them over so she was straddling him as she slipped the dress shirt on.
“What’s yours is mine,” She shot back, leaning down to kiss him.
“I do have to admit it looks much sexier on you,” He whispered against her lips.
“Hmmm, you’ve been trained well, husband,” She teased.
He laughed, wrapping his arms around her as he rolled them over again so she was beneath him. “Trained?”
“Mmm hmm,” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her level as she leaned up to capture his lips.
“I love you,” He whispered, cupping her cheek with his thumb.
She stroked her hand against his cheek, “I love you, too,” She kissed his palm, “Personally I think we’ve done pretty good for a 73% compatible,”
He groaned, tightening his arms around her. “Makes you wonder what Lucy’s compatibility test score was,”
“Mmm, depends on who she was taking it on,” Lois said softly.
“What do you mean?” Clark asked.
“Well, she started dating that Dan Scardino a few months ago.” She noticed the grimace on his face, “I know. My thoughts exactly,” She shuddered against him.
“So, what happened with Jimmy?” He asked.
She rolled her eyes, “Do guys just not talk?”
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. He didn’t look good this morning that’s for sure,”
“Lucy said they got into a fight because he was following her and got the wrong idea when she was breaking up with Dan,” Lois explained, turning on her side to face him, propping her head up with her hand as she leaned on her elbow for support.
“The DEA agent?” Clark asked, surprised.
“Yeah, they dated a bit for about a month,” Lois explained. “She keeps trying to open herself up to everyone but Jimmy,”
“I really hope they can work things out before that baby comes. I’d hate to see him or her stuck in the middle of this mess.”
“You’re telling me,” Lois sighed, “Oh, by the way, I have to go with her Friday for her doctor’s appointment. She’s going to find out the sex of the baby and she wanted me to come with her.”
“Friday?” Clark asked.
“Yes, a few days shy of Jordan’s party,” Lois explained, seeing the question in his eyes.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since he was born,” Clark shook his head.
“I know,” Lois sighed, “We’ve missed too much,”
“That’s for sure,” He tightened his arms around her. “but we’re not going to miss anything else” He promised, placing a hand over her swollen abdomen, smiling up at her as their child kicked against his palm. “I think she’s got your roundhouse,”
“She better be careful in there. If she stretches me out too much I may never go back in shape,” Lois sighed, looking down at her round middle that used to be a tiny waist before her two pregnancies.
“I like your shape,” Clark whispered, leaning over to kiss her.
She smiled at him, “Even if I’m getting fat?”
“You’re not fat; you’re pregnant, and for the record, you are the most beautiful,” He placed a kiss on her cheek, “and sexy,” another kiss against her collarbone, “pregnant woman I’ve ever seen,”
“You’re very biased,” She argued, enjoying the feel of his hands against her skin.
“Very, but it’s still true,” He argued.
She laughed as he tugged on her earlobe with his lips, “Keep this up and we’re going to have a repeat of this…Oh, Clark,” She whispered, feeling him nuzzle her ear.
“Encore,” He whispered, tightening his arms around her.
She smiled against his lips until she felt him stiffen in her arms, “You’ve got to be kidding me…”
He held up a finger, “Shhh…” He pulled out of her arms immediately spinning into his Superman suit, “Call your mom. See if she can watch Jordan…”
“Clark…?” Lois stared at him perplexed.
“It’s Lucy…” He said grimly before ricocheting out the window, leaving her to figure out what in the world just happened.
***
Jimmy stared at the cement beneath him that was covered in Lucy’s blood. He could vaguely hear the sirens around him. His eyes were swollen; staring into space as everyone surrounded him. All he could do was stare at Lucy; holding her in his arms. His body was soaked in her blood. He had no idea what had happened after the gunfire. All he’d known was that he needed to comfort her. She had cried at first before losing consciousness.
A flashlight sprayed into his eyes and he squinted at the ambulatory attendant that was looking at him in concern. Jimmy stared at the cement beneath him that was covered in Lucy’s blood. He could vaguely hear the sirens around him. His eyes were swollen; staring into space as everyone surrounded him. All he could do was stare at Lucy; holding her in his arms. His body was soaked in her blood. He had no idea what had happened after the gunfire. All he’d known was that he needed to comfort her. She had cried at first before losing consciousness.
A flashlight sprayed into his eyes and he squinted at the ambulatory attendant that was looking at him in concern. “Are you all right?”
Jimmy heard a familiar voice and turned to see Superman, kneeling next to him, “She … she was shot. She’s pregnant,” Jimmy said softly.
“Jimmy, are you…?” Clark asked concerned. His young friend was covered in blood. He wanted to assess the situation to make sure he didn’t have any injuries as well.
“Superman…it happened so fast…All I saw was a red light and then so much…blood…”
“Okay, Jimmy, these guys are here to help, but first I need you to let go of her. Can you do that for me?”
Jimmy thought for a minute. “I…”
“Please, let them help her.”
“The baby,” He whispered, letting go of her to allow the ambulatory workers to start working on helping Lucy.
“We’ll do everything we can,” one of the workers said. Clark watched in dismay as his young friend followed Lucy into the back of the ambulance. The way Jimmy had described the gunshot… There was no way anyone could have stopped it…even if he had been there. Someone had tried to kill Lucy. He silently prayed she and her baby would make it but only time would tell.
***
“Jimmy, what in the Sam Hill?” Perry asked, looking at the young man that sat on the floor of the hospital covered in blood. “Are you all right?”
“She’s in surgery,” Jimmy said flatly, staring at the double doors in the waiting area.
“What? Son, you’re not making any sense. What happened?” Perry pleaded with him. He sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You want me to call someone?” He asked uncertainly.
“Lucy,” Jimmy said quietly.
“You want me to call Lucy?” Perry asked, not understanding.
“No, Chief, Lucy’s in surgery,” Jimmy explained tearfully.
“Oh, God,” Perry sighed, understanding Jimmy’s grief. “Have you called Lois and Clark yet?”
“No,” Jimmy shook his head. “I… I can’t…” He stammered, “I-I couldn’t stop it. I was there. I can’t …. I can’t tell her…”
Before he could finish Lois burst through the doors looking around the room. She spotted Jimmy and Perry and headed over, “Lois, how did you…?”
“Uh, Superman…” she said quickly before turning to Jimmy, “What happened? Where is Lucy?”
“In surgery,” He said apologetically. “Lois, it's bad…”
Lois felt a lump in her throat, “The baby…?”
“We don’t know yet, darlin’,” Perry said, looking around, “Where’s Clark?”
“Um…” Before she could finish Jimmy spotted his friend coming through the double doors.
“CK!”
“He was parking…” Lois supplied hurriedly.
Clark hugged his young friend and placed a supportive arm around Lois, “It’s gonna be okay,”
“You don’t know that,” Lois said, looking up at him accusingly.
***
Amanda walked past the police tape that had been left, closing off Top Copy’s main conference room. She’d been hearing the buzz most of the day about how the police wouldn’t let anyone upstairs. Now it was after hours. The police were gone and no one was left to keep her from snooping.
She turned the knob to the door, hoping to have it just glide open, but it was locked. Frustrated, she pulled out a pick from her purse. During her time on the outside, she’d had to learn to pick many a locks to get where she needed. Now was no different. After struggling for a moment she heard a click and turned the door knob until the large wooden door opened.
She scrunched her nose up when the foul smell reached her nose. She covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief and squatted down to crawl under the police tape to enter the room. She stood up and gasped, taken aback at the scene. She’d seen pretty graphic scenes before of trauma victims, but this was new to her. The carpet all around the corner of the office was covered in blood. There was blood all over the walls behind it. It looked like the corner of the room had been painted in it.
“Oh, my…” She gasped.
A chair in the corner turned sharply, “Who’s there?”
She backed away, trying to make a run for it, but he was too fast. He caught her by her wrists, stopping her from moving. He was strong. “Let me go,” She fought against him. Her hand burned with pain when she struck his hard chiseled chest. She stopped, looking up, “Who are you?”
He was dressed all in black. His face was covered by a mask. He could easily be a fly by night criminal looking to rob the place but there was something in his eyes that told her differently. “A stranger that wants the truth,” He said quietly, still not releasing her. “Who are you?”
“Someone else that wants the truth,” She said, looking around. “What happened here?”
“Someone was murdered,” He said quietly.
“I kind of figured that,” Amanda snapped, “Who?”
“I don’t know,” The stranger said. There was something so familiar about him, but she couldn’t place it. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out,”
***
Jimmy had disappeared hours ago. Perry had already left for the night, thinking the doctors would be taking all night to let everyone know what was going on. Ellen had been calling repeatedly to check on a status update for Lucy. Lois stood to her feet when she saw the dark-haired surgeon, Dr. Reginald Burke, and two residents standing behind him. Dr. Burke had reassured them he was the best for this surgery and he would do everything for Lucy. He had promised. She felt Clark’s hand gently squeeze her shoulder from behind. She looked back at him, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself for the worst. She knew something was wrong. It didn’t take three doctors to tell the family about a surgery. Something had gone wrong.
Lois stared at Dr. Burke’s solemn face, shaking her head. “No,” She said softly.
“I’m so sorry,” He apologized. “We did everything we could, but his little body wasn’t strong enough for the surgery,” His head fell as he spoke, “I’m sorry,”
“He?” Lois squeaked in between tears.
“Yes,” He nodded, “It was a boy…If he had been just a few more weeks along we might have,” He sighed, “I’m very sorry,”
“He??” Lois felt the tears escape as Clark hugged her tightly from behind, “And Lucy?”
“She’ll be waking up whenever the anesthesia wears off. The surgery was successful. We were able to repair the damage from the bullets path, but it will be a long recovery before she’s back to a hundred percent. Moving, walking, even laughing will be difficult,”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think there’s going to be any danger of that happening anytime soon,” Lois said dryly.
“When can we see her?” Clark asked.
“You’re more than welcome to sit with her,” Dr. Burke motioned to the hallway behind the double doors he’d come out of, “The nurse will give you the details,”
“Thank you,” Lois said softly, watching Dr. Burke disappear behind the double doors once more. “This is going to kill her.”
“She’s lucky to be alive,” Clark reminded her. “Someone wanted her dead,”
“Instead they killed her baby,” She shook her head, “Where’s Jimmy?”
***
“Mayson,” Detective Wolf waved at her when she stepped out of her car.
“What have we got?” Mayson asked, stepping towards him.
“Here,” He handed her a white doctor’s mask, “You’re going to need this,” She nodded, and placed it over her nose and mouth. “Try and stay upwind,” He said over his shoulder as he waved her on to follow him.
She nodded mutely, following him down the docks, “Oh, God,” She gasped when the smell hit her nostrils through the paper mask.
“I know,” Detective Wolf groaned. “It’s worse without the mask. A couple of the guys have already gotten sick. We’ve closed the perimeter off to the public,”
Mayson stared at the water hitting the edge of the docks. It had a reddish hue to it, “Is that blood?”
Detective Wolf motioned to the white sheet laid out on the dock. There were seven small bumps beneath it. “You know those crazy stories you hear about when you’re in training and you think I’ll never have to deal with that kind of case?” Mayson nodded skeptically, “Guess again,” He said, pulling the sheet off and revealing the small limbs that had been cut off of a human body and thrown into the bay.
“Oh, my God!” Mayson gasped in horror.
“We still don’t’ have any head or feet or hands, but we know whoever it is or was…was male,” Wolf explained.
“I…I…” Mayson shook her head, “Who would do something like this?”
***
Candles were lit, glowing throughout the room. Lois stared at her feet, uncertain of what to do. Jimmy sat in the first pew with his head bowed and his hands folded together as if he was holding on for dear life. “Jimmy?”
He looked up, turning to look at her, managing a weak smile, “Hey,” He shrugged his shoulders, attempting to recompose himself. “You all right?” He asked. She’d done her best to hide the tearstains on her cheeks but obviously not enough to hide it from her young friend.
She took a seat next to him, looking everywhere but at him, “I could ask you the same thing. Lucy was shot three times tonight. One of those bullets struck your child,”
“The doctors are doing what they can,” He said stiffly.
“Yeah, but they can’t do miracles,” Lois said. “You’re hiding in here while Clark and I are left to deal with the fallout.”
“Lucy isn’t going to want to see me,” Jimmy argued.
“Wouldn’t want….Jimmy, I’ve been doing my best to stay out of whatever’s going on between the two of you. You’re both adults. You make your own choices, but I can’t do it anymore. Three bullets. One in the shoulder. One in the side. One in the chest. You don’t think she would want you there when she wakes up from something like that? You two are best friends,”
“Were,” Jimmy corrected. “I lost my best friend the night that pheromone got released in Metropolis,”
“If that’s how you really feel then why are you still here?” Lois asked. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, “You still care about her and you care about …” Her voice cracked a bit, “Jimmy, you need to be there when she wakes up. I can’t…I can’t be the one she sees when she wakes up. This isn’t about what you want; or what she wants. It’s…it’s about…” She stopped, shaking her head as the emotion she fought to suppress began to overtake her.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry….” Jimmy said, realizing how much of a toll this was having on Lois as well, “I’ll go sit with her. I promise. Just stay nearby?” He asked, squeezing her hand gently.
“Thank you,” She said softly.
She watched Jimmy get up and leave. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard the heavy doors close behind him. Tears escaped the corners of her eyes; she cupped her mouth, trying to suppress the cry that had escaped her lips. She could hold back the pain that had overtaken her. She felt her knees go weak and her heart felt like it had been ripped from her chest as she knelt over, trying to breathe.
Two strong arms wrapped around her, soothing her, “I know, it’s okay,” Clark whispered, holding her close to him.
“I can’t do this.” She cried. “I can’t be this strong. I can’t….”
“It’s okay,” He soothed, holding her close. “She’ll get through this…”
“How?” Lois cried. “Losing Jordan killed me….Oh, God, Lucy….” She cried, clinging to Clark as he held her tight.
“I know…” he managed hoarsely.
***
“You’re treading on dangerous territory, Agent Scardino,” Arianna warned as she took a sip of her wine. “If the police had caught wind of your involvement in Mindy’s poisoning,”
“I was careful,” He cut her off. “Luthor has no idea he’s being played a fool nor does Mindy,”
“And that’s how we’ll keep it. Soon ACL will control all of Metropolis. Intergang will be obsolete along with LexCorp.”
“The ultimate power over Metropolis,” Dan observed amused. “Too bad it’s illegal to monopolize a whole city like that,”
“Too bad no one knows,” Arianna added.
“How long are you gonna have me playing both sides of the coin?” Dan asked. “You asked me to help you take over Metropolis. As far as I can tell you’re doing a good enough job of that on your own,”
“I need someone to keep Lex and Mindy sidetracked while I steal everything they’ve worked so hard for right beneath them; just like he did to me,” Arianna explained.
“That’s one case of a woman scorned,” Dan mused.
“Hell hath no fury,”
***
TBC...
