Happy Wednesday! For those who are just tuning in, here is the Table of Contents for the earlier parts of this story (Thank you, Mike M!).
As always, reviews are appreciated! Disclaimers and author's notes are at the beginning of Chapter 1. Chapter 7"That was fast," Lois muttered as the door to her room opened.
Kal stopped just inside the door. "Pardon?"
She was silent for half a second before answering, “I thought you were Perry coming back in.”
“Oh,” Kal moved to the chair by her bed and sat down. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he folded up his cane.
"I'm fine" she answered, a little too quickly.
Kal rolled his eyes. "Right, you're fine. It would be more convincing if you didn't sound like you were talking through gritted teeth. How about the truth this time?"
"I'm a little sore." Lois reluctantly admitted.
"What happened to you anyway?"
"That's what I want to know, too" Perry asked as he reentered the room. "I'm sure Henderson will be by as well." Kal began to stand as he heard Perry enter the room. "Keep your seat, Son, there's another chair over here."
As Perry settled into the other chair, Kal repeated himself, his voice steady. "Lois, what happened?"
Lois opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Perry cut in. "You trying to get yourself a story out of this, Ellis?"
Kal faltered slightly. "What-?" Sitting up straighter, he continued. "No, sir, just worried about Lois's safety."
Perry let out a slow hum, his Southern drawl edged with speculation. "Uh huh."
Trying to stave off Perry's concern, Kal kept his tone as sincere as possible. "Lois, you don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable sharing." Even though he was speaking to Lois, the words were meant for Perry. Lois knew who he really was and why he was asking—but Perry didn't, and Kal wasn't prepared to change that. He exhaled, trying to lighten his tone. "I know your propensity for danger so I figured this happened while you were chasing a lead. On the off chance it was a case of wrong place, wrong time… I need to purchase a lottery ticket before I head home."
Lois scoffed and Kal could envision her rolling her eyes at him. "I do not get into danger that often," she countered, "however, I was following a lead in the Southside."
Kal's posture stiffed. "The Southside?!" His voice came sharper than he intended. "Lois, please tell me you didn't go into the Southside alone."
"Why wouldn't I?" She rebutted. "I've been on my own most of my career- and have 4 Kerths as a result."
Kal opened his mouth to debate the point but clamped his mouth shut. He had almost fallen into the rhythm of arguing with Lois the way Clark used to, but Kal wasn't Clark. He couldn't be. And he couldn't afford for anyone—especially Lois—to start making that connection. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to refocus. "Never mind that. Let's get back to the original question-what happened?"
Lois exhaled, her voice steady but edged with frustration. "I had a lead on Intergang. They're moving in on the Southside, trying to finish what Lex started a few years ago. One of my informants tipped me off about a meeting—some of the higher-ups were getting together with local 'business' leaders."
She paused, jaw tightening. "I guess I got a little too close to the action. When Intergang decided to clean house, I was caught in the crossfire."
Kal's stomach twisted. "You were shot? The news said it was an explosion."
Lois shook her head, then realizing he couldn't see it, said, "Figure of speech. They blew up the building where the meeting was supposed to be. I was close enough to it to get hit by the debris when it went up."
Kal ran a hand over his face. "Lois… you shouldn't have gone in alone." He didn't say it like an accusation—more like someone who had nearly lost something he cared deeply about. "They could have killed you. If they think you saw something you shouldn't have—"
"I'm fine," Lois interrupted, her tone stubborn.
"And you need to stay fine." Kal snapped back, more sharply than he intended. "When Henderson gets here, we need to talk to him about lining up some protection for you."
"No, we will not. I refuse to be babysat just because someone might have seen me."
Kal stood, arms folded over his chest. "Lois, you need to be protected. Superman isn't around any more to come flying to the rescue." He paused, jaw tight. "That means you need Henderson. I'm surprised he hasn't shown up already."
"I don't—"
"Hold up, kids." Perry cut in as he rose to his feet. "Mr. Ellis seems to know you pretty well, Lois. His suggestion isn't a bad one—just not one you're likely to admit he's right about." He gave her a pointed look, then glanced between them. "Let's call a truce on this until Henderson gets here. We can find how likely it is that anyone from Intergang to put two and two together about you being near their meeting spot."
'What's going on in here?" Henderson asked from the doorway. "I could hear you down the hall."
"We were not that loud," Lois said defensively. Kal could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "And as for what's going on, I'm dealing with someone who thinks I need a babysitter."
"Lois, that is not what I said." Kal bristled. "I suggested that you might need protection— since we don't know how much Intergang suspects you know."
"Time out," Henderson said, holding up a hand. "Let's back up here. Who said anything about Intergang, and who's the new guy?"
"This is Kal— " Lois started.
"I'm Kallen Ellis" Kal said at the same time as he extended his hand toward Henderson
They both stopped, turning their heads slightly toward one another. Kal took Lois's silence as permission to continue. "I'm Kallen Ellis, a reporter for the Daily Oklahoman and a friend of Lois."
"Oklahoman?" Henderson asked, shaking Kal's hand. "What interest does a paper from Oklahoma have in an explosion in Metropolis?"
"I'm not here in any official capacity." Kal clarified. "I heard about Lois being injured and flew in to see how she was."
The silence stretched for a beat and Kal figured Henderson was probably sizing him up— trying to decide what to make of his presence. "Well, why don't you two step out so I can talk to Lane about what happened."
Kal released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Of course, Inspector," he said, unfolding his cane with practiced ease. The soft click of it locking into place grounded him in motion, gave his fingers something to do while the unease in his chest settled into a quiet thrum.
"I'll be back in a little while, darlin'," Perry added gently, his voice gruff but warm. He gave the footboard of Lois's bed a light pat—a small, familiar gesture meant to reassure her, though Kal could hear the tension just beneath it. The old man was worried too, though he hid it well.
"How about you and I chat while we wait," Perry said, tone casual but firm—clearly a statement, not a question.
Kal gave a small nod. He didn't have the energy for small talk, and if Perry was probing for something more, Kal wasn't sure he had the strength to dance around the truth much longer.
Perry let the silence hang for another beat. Finally, he pushed off the wall with a quiet exhale. "Henderson's not the type to rush a witness," he said, tone still even. "We'll be waiting a while."
Kal didn't respond, just turned and made his way down the hall, his cane tapping out a steady rhythm ahead of him. A few paces past the nurses' station, he paused in front of a small waiting area tucked into a wider stretch of the corridor. He swept his cane once to gauge the space, then turned slightly and lowered himself into one of the chairs lining the wall. The motion was smooth, automatic—he'd done this enough times by now to not need to think about it.
Perry followed a step behind, settling into the next seat over with a quiet grunt. "This spot gives a clear view to see when Henderson comes out," he said, though Kal figured he'd chosen the seat as much for proximity as for visibility.
Kal leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers loosely laced with the cane balanced between them. The faint hum of the fluorescent lights above mingled with the low murmur of voices at the nurses' station and the occasional squeak of shoes against polished linoleum. He didn't speak. Didn't move. Just let the silence settle around him like a worn coat. There was nothing to hear behind Lois's door—not Henderson's voice, not even the quiet cadence of hers—and somehow, that made it worse.
He hated not knowing how the conversation was going. Hated being sidelined, especially when it came to Lois. But more than that, he hated how familiar the feeling was becoming—this helplessness, this waiting on the edge of something without any real control.
Beside him, Perry stayed quiet too, arms crossed over his chest, gaze trained down the hallway like he was reading a room without needing to speak. The man had years of experience in newsrooms and war zones, and he carried it in his posture. He didn't ask questions he didn't already have theories about. And Kal suspected Perry had plenty.
Finally, Perry broke the silence. His voice was calm, even—but unmistakably direct. "You don't strike me as someone who just flies in for a visit," he said, eyes still forward. "So either you're a hell of a friend… or I'm missing something."
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Michael
