Disguise Failed pt 6
“Hi Perry, it’s Clark. I’m sorry I went missing today. Lois was in an accident. I’m at Metropolis General with her.”
“What in the King’s name happened to her? I thought she’d be in Canada by now.”
“She was hit from the side by a limo just outside the Daily Planet. She’s broken most of the major bones on her left side. They’ve finally finished putting her back together. She’s just coming around now.”
“Elvis Presley! Is she in a lot of pain?”
“They’ve got her pretty doped up, but yes, she’s in a lot of pain.”
“So you’re staying with her, Son?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if she realizes I’m here or not, but I want to be here to help her in anyway I can.”
“Okay, Son, I’ll get down there as soon as I put the paper to bed.”
“She’ll be glad to see you Perry.”
“Umph. No doubt. Thanks for calling to let me know.”
Perry hung up the phone and shook his head slowly. “You just never know what’s going to happen. You just turn around and boom…” His muttering faded away as he focused on the article he was editing.
Jimmy burst into the office. “Chief, did you see what Superman did? It was just on LNN. He rescued someone out of a Jeep Cherokee outside the building that looks just like Lois’.”
Perry nodded. “Clark just called. He’s down there at the hospital with Lois now. She’s pretty beat up I guess, lots of broken bones. You go ahead if you want to leave and visit her. I’ll be along when I get this done.”
“What? You’re kidding! No way, Man! Lois was really in that car wreck? Aw, Man, that sucks. Yeah, I’m going down there.” He nodded and reached for the door handle.
“Good Jimmy. You go be there for her. Let her know we’re thinking of her.”
Clark moved out of the way when the nurse came in to check Lois’ vital signs, giving her hand over to the nurse momentarily. Clark reassured Lois, who appeared to be asleep, that he’d be right back when Superman was suddenly called away.
As he flew over Metropolis toward an evening rush hour car wreck, he found an accident similar to Lois’, however the young woman at the wheel was dead when he arrived, with injuries to match Lois’ as well. He got her body out of the car before it too, exploded. It was with a heavy heart that he returned to the hospital. He pulled a chair up beside Lois’ bed and gently picked up her hand again. He toyed with her fingers, then leaned down to touch his lips to the back of her delicate hand.
Someone, or many someones were very sad tonight. He thought of the husband and family of the woman who’d not been as fortunate as Lois. How distressed they would be. Death was never an easy thing for people to accept. It came to call at the most inopportune times and always left lives tattered and torn in its wake. He stroked Lois’ hand, watching her face as she slept. Her features were so flawless, so calm and relaxed as she slept. He was so grateful she’d not been the one death had claimed today. It was only by the skin of her teeth that she was still alive…or because Superman had been available on the spot, he conceded.
Jimmy arrived with a bouquet of blue carnations in a vase. He put them on the table as he greeted Clark. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s pretty groggy. She comes in and out. I think she’s asleep right now.”
“Pretty cool what Superman did.”
“What’s that Jimmy?”
“He just ripped the whole jeep apart to get her out. I guess she was pinned behind the wheel or something. Then he flew the whole bucket seat over to the hospital.”
Clark nodded as he tried to remember. He’d been overwhelmed when he’d seen it was Lois that he had just acted without thinking. He could hardly remember the incident now. Thank heavens she was…alright. Unlike the last wreck he’d seen this evening.
Jimmy stayed and chatted with Clark for awhile, but realized that Lois was probably going to just sleep for the night now. Visiting hours were over, the intercom announced.
“Let her know we care.” Jimmy directed to Clark as he was leaving, just as Perry arrived in the room with a burgundy chrysanthemum plant.
Perry was visibly shaken when he saw Lois in casts. He swiped a tear from his cheek. “I’m glad Superman got there in time.”
Clark nodded in return, realizing how close she had come to blowing up in that car. He took a deep breath, bent his head down and pulled his glasses off just long enough to wipe his eyes on the back of his sleeve.
Perry squeezed Clark’s shoulder. “You okay, Son?” Clark looked up at him, his mouth squeezed into a grimace and barely nodded his head. “Maybe you’d better get home and get some sleep. They’ve probably given her something to keep her comfortable till morning. She won’t know you’re gone.”
“I’ll be fine Chief. The head nurse said I could stay and sleep in that chair.” He nodded to the large lazyboy chair that folded down into a bed in the corner of the room. But for now he had no intention of letting go of her hand. If she woke up in pain, he wanted to do what he could to comfort her and get her through this ordeal.
Clark’s thoughts wandered to where Lois had been headed, to her apartment to pack before heading out to the airport. He’d planned on watching over her and making sure she got there okay. She certainly hadn’t. If Perry was trying to force her to rest, this was certainly going to do now. She’d probably demand her laptop as soon as the pain was under control enough to use even one hand. Clark could type for her, he decided. He’d not be able to stay all the time, but maybe Superman rescue stories would be sufficient for the paper for a few days.
Lois moaned and woke up, thrashing her head back and forth. “You okay, Lois?”
“It hurts.” She moaned, not noticing Perry standing on the other side of her bed until he spoke.
“Darlin’, I’m so sorry you’re in here. I got over here as fast as I could.” Perry was having a hard time keeping his voice steady. Lois was like a daughter to him. “I’d have never sent you to that resort if I’d have known this was going to happen to you on the way.”
Lois leaned her head to look at him and tried to smile, but it wasn’t working. Clark saw the pain in her face. “I’ll get the nurse.” He reached up and pushed the call button attached to her pillowcase. He slowly stroked her arm as he held her hand, his forearm lying on the bed alongside her.
She opened her eyes a bit and looked into Clark’s eyes as he was leaning towards her. “Thanks,” she mumbled, barely audibly.
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “Not a problem. Where does it hurt the worst?”
“My ribs. Are they broken?” Clark probably couldn’t have heard her if it hadn’t been for his superhearing.
“Yup, along with about five or six other bones. I wouldn’t try chasing any criminals tonight.”
She grinned with her eyes closed. “Not tonight.” She squeezed his hand back.
He remembered he shouldn’t be cracking jokes when he saw her smile. The last thing she needed with broken ribs was a reason to laugh.
Perry spoke up. “Darlin’ you take care and don’t be trying to disobey orders here, okay?”
She nodded groggily as the nurse left the room after inserting some more medication into the intravenous bag hanging beside the head of her bed.
“Night, Lois. If you need anything at all, just let us know. Clark will be staying here with you.”
She nodded slightly before falling back into a deep sleep.
She woke up several more times throughout the night, always because of pain, sometimes in her ribs, sometimes because of the stitches. They had only bandaged her ribs, explaining to Clark that just like toes, the ribs really can’t be put in a cast. Leaving enough room for breathing would make the cast useless. Needless to say, she’d have to stay pretty still for a long time. Clark had been using his heat vision over her ribs in the early hours after her accident to try to alleviate some of the pain, but hesitated to continue lest he cause any swelling.
Later in the night, he blew cold air on her ribs when the nurses had begun to keep ice on her wounds. It wasn’t hard to keep the ice packs cold. He also made sure to keep her blankets warm and covering her so she wouldn’t get chilled from all the ice packs.
The nurses had noticed how nicely the ice was lasting in the packs and how warm the blankets still were.
He sat for hours holding her hand, stroking her forearm and doing his hot and cold exercises while she slept peacefully for the most part. He did have to abandon her twice to tend to Superman duties, but otherwise his vigil had been constant.
The odd time she reawakened, she was alert enough to recognize him, accepting his presence without question. Clark had always been there for her as they’d worked together for the past month or so. He’d seemed to want to make things easy for her, in spite of her continually telling him that she could take care of herself.
Her dope-induced dreams included a search for a way to publish Superman’s identity in spite of Perry’s demands. Eventually, she’d found an out of the way paper in the wilderness in Canada that had been eager for her information. The grapevine spread the news quickly and soon every major newspaper in the world had the story of Superman’s identity over the wire services.
As she lay awake now, watching his face and listening to his gentle words, feeling the comfort of his warm hand on hers, she felt a twinge of guilt. Sleep reclaimed her again and the consequences of her actions became fodder for her next dream. This time Clark was being hunted by space creatures, intent on kidnapping the now grown Kryptonian baby that had escaped their planet. His Kryptonian parents were found and tortured until they finally succumbed to a painful death for sending him away from the planet. Later, on earth, they had found Clark’s parents in Smallville and had tortured them to death, too. Clark had been forced to watch, begging her not to cause them this suffering. After their deaths, Clark had blamed her and had sought revenge. He had stranded her in the blazing desert of Death Valley. She’d nearly died finding her way back to Metropolis. Working with him again, unable to find evidence against him to have him arrested, she was finally unable to stand his punishing looks any longer. She left the Daily Planet and moved to the wilderness where she wrote her memoirs and contemplated suicide, knowing that Clark would never forgive her for all she’d done to him.
She awoke shaking and in a sweat. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Clark’s gentle expression. He was holding her arm and hand, noting her racing heartbeat. He was about to call the nurse when he noticed the stricken look on her face.
“What’s wrong, Lois? Are you in pain again?” Concern evident in his furrowed brow, he squeezed her hand slightly.
Her bottom lip was quivering as she barely shook her head. As she tried to breathe deeply to get rid of the images in her mind, pain shot through her midrift and she gasped out a scream.
Clark leaned forward and pressed the call button.
“You go home and get some rest, Son, you haven’t slept in days have you?” Perry’s hand was on Clark’s shoulder. “I’ll sit with her until you get back.”
Clark was unsure about leaving, but Perry was right, he did need to sleep. His long vigil was taking a toll on him, together with his alter ego’s demanding exertions. The fold-down chair hadn’t been practical. Since he often floated in his sleep, he’d had to remain partially awake to ensure the nurses didn’t come in and find him above the chair. He was also worried he might float over Lois and crash down on her if he were startled awake. In the past, he’d found himself in other parts of his apartment more than once, far from where he’d fallen asleep.
He stood up, giving his seat to his boss. “Thanks, Perry. I think you’re right. Call me if you need me.” Perry couldn’t imagine needing Clark when Lois was under constant watch by him and the nursing staff.
She’d been awake for longer periods of time today. Those amounted to about fifteen minutes long every few hours or so. The heavy medication was keeping her asleep and free from pain. The black and blue bruises that had emerged and covered her body, were beginning to fade now. Her face had hit the steering wheel leaving a black eye and a large bruise on her forehead.
“Hi, Perry. Thanks for the flowers.” Lois had awoken when she realized that Clark was no longer holding her hand. She had come to depend on the comfort that seemed to radiate through her from his touch. His concern for her was surprising. He had been nothing more than a lowlife in the newsroom, to her…well…almost. Why he was spending so much time with her was a mystery. She wasn’t complaining, though. It was nice to be taken care of. She did feel better and warmer when he was there. The blankets seemed cooler, however, now that he was gone.
Her boss didn’t look so good, though. Of course, she’d been away. “How long have I been here, Perry?”
“Six days, Darlin’ but don’t you worry none about us, we’re managing just fine. Everyone’s asking about you. But we hardly see Clark anymore!”
She grinned half a smile. “Thanks, Chief.” She bent her good leg and tried to shift about in the bed, but it was no good. The casts were far too heavy for her to budge by herself, especially with her other leg in traction above the bed.
“Shall I call the nurse to help you, Darlin’?”
“No, I’ll be okay.” She settled down and looked at Perry who was gazing around her room. “What happened to my jeep? Did it get towed to a repair shop?”
Perry knew how much Lois liked her jeep. It was a brand new vehicle, with not a scratch on it…that is…until the accident. He squirmed under her gaze. “Well, it’s in worse shape than you, dear.”
She smiled. “That bad?”
He nodded. “It blew up just after Superman got you out.”
The force of those words stopped her questions. Her jeep had blown up. Totally blown up? No more jeep? Would the insurance replace it? Of course they would.
“Where?”
“Just a block down the street from the Planet. There wasn’t much left of it but a charred lump of steel when the fire department got there.”
She nodded. “Oh.” Well, at least she didn’t have to worry about paying someone towing and storage time while she lay in the hospital. Small consolation. Her jeep. She loved having that vehicle. It gave her such a feeling of power, such freedom. How many nights she’d sat in it and watched for criminal activity on the cases she’d been investigating. Now it was gone. She looked down at her body, accepting that she couldn’t have used it for awhile anyway. Her eyes were starting to feel heavy. “Where’s Clark?”
“I sent him home to get some rest, Hun. That boy’s been watching over you like a mother bear.”
“Does that mean you’re down two reporters now?”
“No, he’s still in the loop. He’s sending in Superman stories. I guess he’s had his laptop here.”
“Oh…Superman.” She nodded slowly. “Did Superman rescue me?”
“Yes, Hun. He got you out of your jeep before it blew up.”
Her eyes widened as she realized what he’d told her earlier. “I would have blown up?”
Perry nodded, his expression grave. “Superman was there almost the moment it happened. The whole scene was in flames in less than a minute.”
She was shocked. Superman had saved her. She’d be dead right now if it hadn’t been for him. He’d saved her in the Promethius, but that was different. That was a big, world famous event taking place. This was just her in a car crash. He’d been there. Had she screamed? Had he just been in the area? The dream she’d had earlier came back to her. She didn’t like that dream. She turned her head to look out the window.
“How long do I have to stay in here?”
“I don’t know dear. I guess until they can decrease your pain medication. I guess those ribs of yours are pretty badly damaged.”
“I’m getting sore, lying here on my back all the time. I want to move or roll over.”
“Wait till Clark comes back, maybe he can help you get more comfortable. He’s pretty strong you know. You’ll just hurt yourself if you try to move now.”
“Humph.” She snorted. “I don’t need help.”
“Now you just calm down there, Young’un, and don’t you be making anything worse.”
The slightest movement met with stabbing pain in her ribcage, so she didn’t take long to give up the effort.
She’d had to go to the bathroom once, but that had been all. They’d been feeding her intravenously and emptying the catheter bag regularly. She dreaded having to do that again. What an embarrassing nightmare the memory was. The pain was excruciating. The nurses weren’t strong enough to lift her very well. She’d been unable to help herself at all. Finally she’d asked for Clark to hold her just above the bedpan so she’d not had to endure any more pain in her ribs. He’d been embarrassed, looking away at the curtains surrounding the bed while he and the nurses had helped her. She didn’t know who was more embarrassed about it, she or Clark; but she certainly didn’t want to go through that again.
Sleep was trying to pull on her eyelids, but she resisted it. “What’s been happening, Perry?”
“Well, not much really, the usual gang wars, a couple of murders, some medical breakthrough in cancer research. Superman’s been all over the world lately. There were some terrorist attacks and an avalanche. Other than that he’s been around Metropolis doing the usual…” his words trailed off as he realized she’d fallen asleep again.
He pulled out his laptop to work on some of the editing that was still to be done before the afternoon edition could be printed.
