Chapter 13
Don't Tug on Superman's Cape
****
Lois was glad the technician from the doctor's office had given them several pictures of the baby. If he hadn't, she might not have gotten to see one. Clark kept the others in his shirt pocket, showing them to anyone who showed the tiniest bit of interest... and even to those who didn't. Clearly, Clark's excitement had rubbed off on the Planet staff because she was being treated like a queen.
She seldom had to get her own coffee and was never without a snack. The only thing she didn't appreciate was everyone wanting to know if she felt all right. She was sure that as she grew larger, she would be plagued by the 'stomach-touchers' once more, just as she had when she'd first announced she was expecting, and that was something she now reserved only for Clark.
Clark whistled as he bounded down the stairs from another short rescue as Superman. As he'd told Lois, he was taking his 'super duties' very carefully. He'd only been out twice as the Man of Steel and wasn't planning anything else today unless it was a major disaster. He had a date with his wife and wasn't about to miss it.
He entered the newsroom and zoomed in on his two favorite people. She must have sensed him because she looked up and smiled.
"Hi," he said, perching on her desk when he made it to her side.
"Hey. You look happy."
"I am."
"Any particular reason?"
"I'm healthy, you're pregnant, and we have a date."
Lois' glance turned from Clark to the wall clock, her eyes widening in vexation. "Oh boy, I can't believe it's that time already." She jumped up and started gathering files, dropping them haphazardly into her desk's bottom drawer. "And we're going to be late!"
"At four in the afternoon?"
"Yeah. God, how could I forget?" She finished what she was doing and snatched up her purse. "Ready?"
"Sure." Clark stood to follow her, his eyes twinkling with appreciative amusment as he watched her rushing up the stairs ahead of him; the view of Lois from this position was kinda nice. "Where are we going?" he asked as the elevator doors closed behind them.
"You'll see."
He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking forward to his surprise. When Lois planned the dates, there was no telling what they would be doing -- she was nothing if not inventive!
****
"I can't believe you did this," Clark told Lois, sitting back in his chair and staring around at the brightly painted room.
"You don't like it?"
"Oh no. I love it." His eyes finished their survey of the cartoon character decoration and the cribs that lined the wall. "Especially this part." Clark's downward gaze intimated which part 'this' was, as he shifted the baby in his arms, careful to hold her tiny head gently.
Astonishinlgy, Lois had planned their date at the local orphanage. She'd once written an expose on 'babies for sale' and during the investigation had made friends with a staff nurse who'd helped her uncover the criminal activity. The villains in the administration department had been replaced long since, but her friend was still in charge of the nursery and Lois decided to take full advantage of her contacts.
At present there were five newborn babies staying at the orphanage, and Lois had decided that Clark would get a kick out of feeding and cuddling them for a time. She also felt that a little practical experience couldn't hurt to ease her own growing anxiety over caring for their baby when it arrived.
Somewhat experimentally, Lois hugged the infant who yawned contentedly and snuggled into the warmth of her body. Now that felt pretty good -- this mothering thing might have advantages! "I don't know how any parents could leave their baby," she surmised, her brow creased in worry and disapproval. They had been told the small girl she held had been abandoned only hours after birth.
"Yeah. I mean, look at them. Who wouldn't want to take these little darlings home?"
"Well, at least that one wasn't abandoned."
"Death or just being left… it's all the same, Lois. She's still alone." Clark ran a hand over the tiny head.
"Not for long. She's being adopted next week."
Clark smiled down at the wide-eyed baby in relief. "Maybe you'll be as lucky as I was."
"Or as lucky as me," Lois mumbled as she put the baby she held back into her cradle.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. You ready? I think these little ones need to sleep. Besides, our date's not over."
"It's not?"
"Of course not."
Clark cast an apologetic frown down at his new friend. "Sorry, sweetheart. I have to go now." He took her to her crib and couldn't resist kissing her chubby cheeks before he left to follow Lois. They thanked their hostess and continued on their way.
A few minutes later, Lois pulled into the Northland Mall.
"The mall?" Clark's eyebrows rose speculatively -- just what was Lois up to now?
"Yep. I thought Daddy might enjoy buying the baby his first outfit… or shoes or whatever you want."
"Really?"
Lois chuckled when his eyes lit up. "Sure. I'm definitely far enough along. The doctor says everything's going okay and we haven't bought a single thing for this baby. Why not start today?"
"Okay." Clark hopped out of the jeep and was opening Lois' door before she could do it herself. He held her hand as they made their way toward the entrance. "You know we haven't really discussed… support."
"What?"
"Financial support.Well, I mean… since we've been married we've split the bills, but you still have your own bank account and so do I. So I was just wondering how we do this… with the baby. Do we just split the cost? Or should we open an account just for the baby's expenses? Do you buy the crib? Do I buy diapers? And what about formula and daycare and…?"
"Clark! You're babbling... and that's my department!"
He clamped his mouth shut. "Sorry."
Lois was tempted to giggle at his expression, an attractive mixture of confusion and contrition, but took pity on him instead. "Look, why don't we grab a bite to eat so we can talk before we shop?"
"Sounds great. There's a great little grill on the second floor. They make the best grilled chicken."
"Let's go." This was one conversation she could definitely handle. She'd been musing over their financial status too and had reached certain decisions. It was now time to tell Clark, even if she wasn't totally sure of the choices she'd made. This was definitely 'taking the next step', and a big one for someone with as many hangups about putting down roots as Lois. Especially since Clark had just admitted again that he could live a lot longer than two years, but she *was* ready for this. Besides, she enjoyed hearing him mention his long term future.
They arrived at the restaurant and after being seated by a friendly waiter who took their orders, Lois looked up at her partner, her teeth biting anxiously at her lip.
<Come on, girl,> she admonished herself. <You're willing to take a chance for your work; now it's time to take a chance on your private life!>
"Clark!" She seized the moment and caught his attention."You know it's funny you mentioned the money thing. I've been thinking about that, too."
"Good, because I...."
She held up her hand to stop him. "Please, let me go first," she said almost pleadingly, and seeing compliance in his eyes, hurried on. "We've been living like roommates instead of a married couple. That, of course, is my fault. I went into this thinking that just because I was married didn't mean I had to change my lifestyle. That was wrong."
"Lois, I didn't ask you to change your life."
"No, I know. But you did ask me to marry you."
"Which, you didn't want to do."
"Not at first. But I like being married, or more accurately… I like being married to you."
Clark grinned. "And I like being married to you, so there's no problem."
Lois smiled back and took his hand. "Clark, when you first mentioned our getting married, I had my doubts and reservations."
He nodded his agreement. "I think I got the message."
Lois shrugged. "Yeah, well I'm not very good at hiding my feelings and I felt like I was being controlled. That's not me and I reacted badly. I'm sorry for some of the things I said and did." Her eyes had dropped to study the table but she raised them at those words and Clark was touched to see tears sparkling in her eyes. "For so long I just couldn't decide how I felt about being married, but now I realize that it means a great deal to me and I think it's time to show you that."
Clark patted her hand gently to make her feel better. "I understand, Lois, but you don't have to keep apologising. I forgave you long ago, even if there wasn't much to forgive."
"That's not exactly true, Clark. I can be pretty... 'blunt' when I'm angry," Lois admitted ruefully. "But I'm not talking about the past... this is about the future... practically speaking."
The confused look was back on Clark's face. Obviously, he didn't know what she was referring to but was about to find out. Lois leaned over and pulled some papers out of her purse.
Clark took them from her and read a moment. "You want to open joint banking accounts?"
"Yes. I also need you to sign some papers from my lawyer to be my power of attorney. There's paperwork there for insurance at work. I've made you the beneficiary on all my accounts. I have several *CDs* I want to add your name to and I'd like to open a savings account for the baby. All I need is your signature and we're ready to go."
Clark glanced down at the papers and back up at Lois. He sat forward in his chair, unsure of what to say or even how he felt. "Why?" was finally the only response that came out of his mouth.
"What?"
"Why do you want to do this? You don't have to do it to make me feel more married or to prove you're committed or…"
"Clark, I want to do this." Her defenses shot up. "Surely you don't think I have some kind of motive behind this?"
"No! Of course, not! Lois, anything I have is yours. You have to know that. Money means nothing to me. Everything I have would be yours if I…" He let that statement go unfinished and looked at the papers again. "It's just… this is really final."
"You make it sound like some kind of death sentence."
"I don't mean to, but this is a big commitment. It would mean a lot more compromising. Neither of us could run out and spend money without talking to the other."
"Clark, you tell me now when you spend money. Not that I've asked you to... and I'm not suggesting that we should discuss every little detail.... I mean, I'm not going to tell you when I buy pantyhose, or an extra box of candy for my bottom drawer... just more important items. Come on, help me out here! What do you think?"
Clark chuckled softly at Lois' babble. She was clearly nervous, but she was also right. He had started telling her weeks ago when they'd had an argument after Lois had taken it upon herself to split the bills. They'd eventually ended up taking a detailed inventory of all expenses and savings, and since then Clark had always told Lois if he spent more than twenty dollars.
"This would be extremely…"
"Natural for a married couple?" she suggested helpfully.
Clark looked at Lois for a long moment. Her serious expression told him she was determined to do this and that she knew exactly what it meant to their relationship. He studied the papers for several moments more before he put them down and pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket. He signed his name and handed the papers back over to Lois, still not exactly sure what had prompted her actions at this time. However, everything he had was Lois' and perhaps it was best that they made it official.
"Do I need to handle the transfer of funds from my account to ours?" he enquired, delighted in the sound of that last word.
<Ours!> he repeated happily inside his head, but had to quickly focus again as Lois, returning to business, handed out instructions.
"Nope. We bank at the same place and these papers take care of everything. There will be enough money left in your account to cover any checks you have outstanding, but you need to stop by tomorrow and grab a little cash. It'll take a few days to get the new checks."
"You have been busy."
"You know I don't do anything half way."
"I guess not." Clark shot her another bright smile as the waiter returned and set their plates on the table. "Let's eat -- I'm really hungry tonight!"
He almost literally started to inhale his food, which wasn't always the case, his appetite being effected by his illness on occasion. If she'd known that rearranging their finances would have had such a desirable effect on him, she'd have done this weeks ago. Feeling extremely pleased with herself, Lois tackled her own meal. The sooner they finished the sooner they could go 'baby' shopping and somehow she thought that was going to be quite an experience with Clark.
****
Lois couldn't help but smile at Clark as she came into the bedroom from taking her shower. He was still holding the tiny pair of shoes he'd found on their shopping date.
"Are you going to hold those all night?"
"Busted!" He laughed sheepishly, looking down at the items in his hand. "Maybe! Don't you think they're cute?" He patted the window seat next to him, hoping she'd join him for a few minutes. When she did, he smiled at her. "I had a great time."
"Good. I was hoping you would. You won't think so when we write the checks for the credit cards next month."
"Ah, come on. We didn't spend that much."
"That's true." She fiddled with the laces on the shoes in Clark's hand.
"I guess we should think about making some of those credit accounts joint, too."
"Well, I was thinking since we'll be taking care of a baby *and* since they're expensive… maybe we should cancel all but a couple -- easier to keep track of spending that way."
"Sounds fair." Setting the shoes down beside him, his arm slipped around her waist and pulled her closer. As soon as his hand lit on her stomach, it moved. "Oh wow! That was…"
"Fantastic?" Lois' face glowed with excitement. "You know, I think this baby recognises your touch. It moves nearly every time you lay your hand on my belly."
Clark reached forward with his other hand and smoothed Lois' mid-section. Immediately the life beneath his hands came to life. He laughed softly, his eyes lighting up. "This is awesome!"
"You should feel it from my side."
"Yeah. I'll bet that's something."
"It is."
They chatted conversationally for several minutes as the baby continued to move. Finally the activity died down, much to Clark's disappointment.
"Guess the little guy's tired."
"Clark, he or she will move again," she told him as she turned her head to look up at him, her fingers moving over his hands where they remained on her stomach.
"I guess." But his expression was less accepting than his words.
Lois couldn't help but laugh at his pouting.
"It's not funny," he protested as he drew away and lifted the shoes again.
At the note of disappointment in his voice, she caught his arm, rubbing it gently. "I didn't mean to poke fun at you. I'm sorry."
He shifted back to face her. "So am I. I was just enjoying that."
"We both were." Lois reached to capture Clark's hand while she stared directly into his eyes. "I'll make sure when I get bigger and the baby starts moving like something possessed to *lie* against you so we'll both lose sleep."
Clark stared at her in shock. Had she realised what she'd just intimated? Somehow, he didn't feel confident enough to put it to the test just yet. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently as he rose to his feet. "Goodnight, Lois, and thank you for the date," he said softly as he released her hand.
"Goodnight and you're welcome."
With a final smile, he took the little pair of shoes and made his way to his room. Being able to hold her while she fell asleep would have made this day brilliant, but he wasn't ready to question where her change in attitude was taking them. Though he was sure there was only a faint chance he'd be rejected, he felt the next move should come from Lois.
****
Neither Lois nor Clark noticed that he seemed to be staying amazingly healthy. Over the next few weeks, he wasn't sick at all. There hadn't been any nose bleeds and the diminishing of his powers seemed to be at a standstill. He wasn't fully super any more, but he wasn't getting weaker either.
On the other hand, Lois' energy levels had increased incredibly, a state of affairs that proved to be invaluable at work. They cracked several major investigations in the span of a couple weeks. Lois even convinced Clark to start jotting down his thoughts about his illness, while she agreed to do the same from her point of view. Perhaps no one but themselves would ever read the results, but both felt that an account of the day to day living with a terminal illness might strengthen them sometime in the future.
Emotionally, they continued to grow closer. Conversations became more intimate and they shared their weekly dates as if they were a religion. There had been romantic dinners, a football game, a night at the ballet and the latest box office smash. Amazingly, though, both were just as happy spending nights watching a video at home.
The duo became comfortable almost immediately with their new financial arrangement, sitting down weekly to pay the bills, and Lois astounded Clark with how well she'd adapted to being part of a joint venture. Just as he had done, she kept him apprised of her spending and seldom bought anything over an allotted amount without first talking it over with him. He also noticed she'd started to confide in him a lot more than before, telling him of the frustrations of her past and her dreams for the future, a circumstance that gave him hope that one day soon she might be his wife in every sense of the word.
Some of the new accord between Lois and himself Clark accredited to spending Thanksgiving with his parents. The older Kents had flown out to be with them for the holiday and had shown Lois a real traditional celebration. This was something which Lois was completely unused to, and yet, once again, she found herself loving the warmth of being part of a family.
Martha had even persuaded Lois' folks to join them for dinner, and remarkably her parents had managed to get along with each other for the duration. Neither Ellen nor Sam were totally comfortable in each other's company, but they had tolerated the other's presence in a fairly friendly manner, which Lois had previously thought was an impossible situation.
Taking advantage of how well things had been going in their relationship, Clark asked Lois to join him for Christmas in Smallville. To his surprise, she readily agreed and even said she was looking forward to it immensely. In fact, she acted like it was a foregone conclusion that she should spend Christmas at the family home. This made Clark extremely happy and very optimistic. But realising that Lois often went on the defensive and guarded her feelings when she felt pressured, he toned down his enthusiasm, content to let her lead the way. He still hoped for so much more, but for now he was happy with the closeness they shared.
****
Just one week to go and he'd be taking Lois to the farm for an old fashioned Christmas. It was that thought which bouyed him up while he diverted a tornado on the plains of Oklahoma.Yet thinking of Lois also made him wish he didn't have to face her back at the apartment.
Since this freak storm had been completely out of season and the district unprepared, he'd come to help despite her protests. She'd been angry with him and theoretically he knew she'd been right. Redirecting this storm was a massive undertaking, but how could he not help? The huge twister had been heading for a small town and many people would have been killed or injured if he hadn't intervened. But he had to admit that controlling the whirlwind had stretched his powers to the limit. It was all he could do to contain the vortex and send it back into the higher atmosphere where it had begun. He'd even had to rest up before he could make the journey home. Now, as he flew slowly towards Metropolis, his only hope was that Lois would take pity on his exhausted state and decide to wait until later to argue about it.
Clark should've known better than to think Lois would let anything drop when she was aggravated. She did, however, let him sit down on the couch before she launched into her spew, which was more vociferous because of the time she'd spent anxiously awaiting his return.
At first, she'd filled her time by staying glued to the TV screen, watching the LNN reports, where she and Clark had first been alerted to the tornado which had appeared to take the meteoroligists almost by surprise.
Some daring camera crew had gotten close enough to film Superman's progress as he darted around the giant funnel, weighing up his options on how best to deal the whirling wind. He'd looked so small and insignificant against the towering vortex and her heart had missed a beat as she found herself praying to a god she hardly believed in to protect her husband.
But that had been hours ago, and she'd spent the interim period stalking the apartment, scanning the skies through the picture window and channel hopping, hoping to find that he'd stopped to deal with some other disaster. And all the while, her imagination was running wild. She pictured him as he'd dropped from the sky, exhausted and alone, to die of hypothermia in the cooling temperatures of the night.
She couldn't even warn the authorities that Superman might be in trouble.... What could she tell them? That he might be sick with the same ailment as Clark Kent? That wasn't an option! So she'd waited as fear and frustration mounted.
She'd started out on this journey to save Superman for the world, now it seemed the world and the superhero might rob her of Clark. That was a prospect she didn't want to comprehend....
Then he was back, sitting in the living room....
"Clark, what are you doing?"
"Look, Lois, I'm not up for this tonight."
"Of course not. I'm not drowning or suffering from smoke inhalation or trapped in my mangled car in some twister in the Mid-west."
Clark cringed at her strident and unwarranted attack, but he put up a feeble fight. "What do you want me to do? I can't let them die!"
"No one's asking you to. I'm just asking you to slow down. What do you think happened before you came on the scene? Clark, Metropolis has an excellent police and fire department and so does the rest of the country."
"I know that, but I just can't turn off my hearing and not respond to calls."
"Oh really? You didn't answer one single call the whole time we were on our honeymoon. Did you not hear any emergency calls or anyone shouting for help? You can't tell me you didn't hear anyone for three whole days. We've been to Smallville and on dates. And what about the weekend you took off because you were sick? Or even the two weeks you were in bed with that infection?" Lois ticked the list off on her fingers, pure fear making it difficult for her to keep still.
"That was different."
"How? Please tell me, because I'm really trying to understand here!"
"I want to do as much as I can before I lose my powers."
Clark's shoulders were hunched, his demeanour one of total fatigue, and in the background of her mind, she did understand his painful dilemma. Seeing him like this was causing her exasperation to recede. Only she couldn't allow that to happen, not if she wanted to stop him from pushing himself into an early grave-- hadn't Dr Klein warned them! That very thought had tortured her through the hours as she'd waited.
Now she panicked, and wielded her emotions as a weapon. This was an art Lois had perfected through many years of hurt and isolation, but this time, she was fighting out of love.
"Does that include killing yourself?" She let her first barb fly, prepared to use any missile in her arsenal. "At the rate you're going you'll die before this baby gets here. Everything we've done will have been for nothing."
Clark gasped at her last remark. Lately, she'd been telling him how much she loved their baby, so how could she say something like that?
"Is that all this baby means to you, Lois?" Clark's voice was low and full of pain -- pain that was etched in his ashen face as he struggled to his feet.
"Clark, no!" He was already half way to the bedroom before she reached out to grasp his arm, but he jerked from her as if he'd been branded.
"Don't touch me! I thought I was getting to know you. I thought you were starting to love our baby."
"Clark, I do love our baby." Too late Lois realised that in her fear she'd said something unforgivable, again. When would she ever learn? She moved in closer to him, her eyes begging him to understand.
"Stop!" That one outraged word hit her, bringing her to a halt, yet when he spoke again his voice was devoid of all emotion but sorrow. "Then you should have never said that! I don't want to die. At one time it was because I was just scared. Now… now it's because more than anything I don't want to leave our baby. The best day of my life was the day you told me you were pregnant. As much as I love you, I love this baby more. And it's not because he or she is part of me or because he or she might save my life, it's because this baby is alive and part of you. To me that means more than my life ever could."
Lois was left standing alone in the room, her heart tearing apart inside her. Clark was right! She shouldn't have made that comment, implying that the baby was 'nothing'. That wasn't what she'd meant at all, but she should have known how it would appear to Clark.
He had such a gentle heart, and once more she'd stomped all over it in her anger. That was the unhealthy side-effect of allowing terror to take over; it caused you to lose control and hurt those you cared most about. She had to find better ways of communicating with him when she was upset, without resorting to her old 'tried and true' methods of taking no prisoners.
Especially since his feelings were important to her, his very existance was important to her... as was the existance of their baby. But Clark could be forgiven for doubting that. She might have first suggested having a child to save Clark's life, but she'd stopped seeing their baby in that way long ago.
At exactly what point in time her feelings had changed, Lois couldn't say. All she knew was that this baby meant the world to her.... So did Clark.
<Okay, girl, now you just have to learn to express your concerns without trashing your relationship with Clark. Should be a piece of cake!>
****
<How could she have been so wrong?> Lois ruminated, as she sat at the computer in her bedroom. <This was harder than negotiating world peace, never mind eating a piece of cake.>
And she had eaten humble pie! For days she'd tried to explain that she'd spoken unthinkingly out of anger and fear for him, but though Clark had been polite and still attentive of her condition, he'd been the one to 'build the barricades' this time, shutting her out. She understood that he wasn't mad, he was hurt. Having a baby was the most wonderful event in his life and somehow she'd managed to tarnish that. No wonder he refused to listen. She wouldn't give him the time of day if the situation was reversed. At least, the old Lois wouldn't -- this was a new and improved version and she really had to make Clark see that. Her happiness depended on it.
She'd contemplated giving him some space to work through his bruised emotions, but Lois preferred the more active approach, so she found herself doing things for Clark: making sure his medication was up to date, keeping the apartment tidy... a job that Lois didn't completely enjoy and bringing him coffee in the newsroom when he returned from his occasional outings as Superman.
Lois was aware of a few raised eyebrows in the office at that role reversal, but she didn't care what others thought, only Clark. And, lately, she did suspect that her perseverance was paying off. The last time she'd put his coffee mug on his desk, she was sure she detected a tiny smile that tried to answer her own larger one.
Actually, Clark was closer to giving up his childish huff than Lois realised. It was true that her words had wounded him deeply, but he knew her better now -- enough to understand that perhaps she'd struck out at him because she really was afraid that he'd die and leave her and the baby behind.
So okay, she hadn't chosen her words well, but that was his Lois... full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes. He didn't want, nor did he have the right to change her. Besides, he'd fallen in love with her fiestiness, her loyalty and her passion, so he really should learn to live with them -- to look beyond the exterior and see into her heart. If he ever won that heart then all the arguments and hurt would be insignificant.
Also, she'd said she was sorry and had been trying to make amends. She didn't deserve his continued brusqueness, and there never really had been any doubt in his mind that she loved their baby; the truth shown in her eyes. It was time to set things right and try to recapture the intimacy they'd been building before he'd allowed his exhaustion to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Clark had been resting in his room, but having reached a decision, he felt there was no time like the present to put his thoughts into action. Lois was downstairs. It would only take a moment to get down there and apologise for his churlishness. Rolling over to get off his bed, he noticed the pillow he'd hugged to his face was covered with blood.
"Oh damn! Not again!" he swore loudly, taken aback by the unexpected sight of his blood. It had been quite some time since he'd had a nosebleed and this was a big one.
"Clark?!" Lois called. "Are you okay?"
When she didn't receive an answer, she rose and ran upstairs, worry lending her speed. The sight of Clark clutching the sheet to his nose as he tried to staunch the flow of blood didn't reassure her. She rushed to his side and reached out to clamp his nose shut. "Lean forward. Always lean forward. It keeps the blood from running down your throat."
Clark did as he was told, relinquishing control to her. He had started to tremble slightly. There seemed to be more blood than ever before and it was scaring him.
Lois pressed the sheet firmly over his nose with one hand as her other held him forward. "It's okay. It's already starting to slow down. See?" She released the pressure on his nose warily, a little unsure herself, but, thankfully, it wasn't bleeding as badly. Her action seemed to calm him, yet she clamped his nose again in an attempt to stop the flow completely, smoothing her other hand up and down his back in comfort.
"I'm sorry, Clark" she whispered, her eyes filling with unbidden tears, blurring her vision. "I really do understand what it means to you *not* to be able to help people when they're in trouble. I've never known such a generous soul... but the world needs its Superman. Isn't it better to take it easy now?" She swallowed the massive lump that had formed in her throat before whispering, "And I don't want to lose you, Clark... I'm so afraid that you'll fly off some day and collapse where we'll never be able to find you.... But I never meant to hurt you. I am so sorry."
At once, Clark lifted his hand to cover hers which was still bunched in the sheet. "So am I," came his muffled reply. "I've been such an *** ."
Lois leaned her forehead against the side of his face. "A lunkhead," she corrected.
A tiny chuckle escaped his lips. "Forgive me, please?"
"There's nothing to forgive." She kissed his ear softly and stood, once again removing the linen, only this time she was pleased to see that the bloodflow had ceased. "Good, it's stopped. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
Clark rose slowly, feeling a little weak. He allowed Lois to wrap her arm around his waist, but by the time he made it to the stairs he felt strong enough to go down alone. She rejoined him again at the bottom and his brows rose as she accompanied him all the way to the bathroom.
"You wash, I'll watch," he told her with a grin. Perhaps it was the relief that he wasn't going to bleed to death, or maybe he was just lightheaded, but he certainly felt daring.
Lois' mouth opened in amazement at his comment. Clark hadn't made a single sexual insinuation since they'd gotten married, but she was pretty certain that was the conitation of his suggestion. Lately, she'd been the one doing the suggesting.... Habit prompted her to dampen his ardour, but an evil thought crossed her mind instead.
"Shower or bath?" And she glanced up at him through her thick lashes.
Clark stopped dead, returning her look in shock. "What?"
"Well, a bath would be relaxing, but the water would get bloody. Of course, a shower would have the added benefit of me being in there with you."
Clark's eyebrows rose out of sight. "Lois, I was just…"
Lois laughed softly. "Relax, Clark. I was only teasing you."
"Oh really? And what if I had taken you up on your offer?"
Lois reached out to unbutton his shirt. "I guess I'd have seen the rest of your package," she told him softly. Her eyes never left his chest as she pushed his bloody shirt off his shoulders. "Nice," she commented before turning from him to start his shower.
Clark was left to watch her exit the bathroom. He shook his head with a grin. Maybe he should have said yes. He would *love* to see her package!
