Excellent scene.
First, the description:
Through the drifting cloud of dust, the stage clung like a drunken shed to the front of the hospital, while many of the windows were gaping holes, some strung with giant, shark-like teeth. An eerie silence had fallen over the stricken arena, punctuated, now and then, by the agonizing scream from a survivor, or the soft barking of the police dogs as they went about their work, searching for the dead and injured. Further away, the sirens of the fire engines echoed through the canyons of downtown Metropolis, increasing in volume as they converged on the site.
Sight, hearing, smell, all referenced in those vivid passages. You really make the scene come alive, Jenni.
“But what if I could have contained the explosion?” Matt's expression was stark. “I should have been able to stop it, somehow.”
“Son, don't torture yourself with 'what ifs'. You couldn't have foreseen what was going to happen.” Clark flexed his back stiffly.
And you wrote so well the bitterness of "might-have-been". I can just see the characters in their post-rescue fatigue, dealing with their survivor guilt. A very moving chapter.
They were bowed, but not broken. Jimmy might need a little more persuasion to see things his way, and Matt ... well, he was probably biased in his favor. But Lois ... As she met his eyes, she smiled and gave a tiny nod of her head. Clark felt a spark of energy flow into his weary mind and body. Lane and Kent were once more a team.
Yippee! Yahoo! The universe is back in balance!
