From Part 26:
He furiously dialed another number. "Deter?"
"Yes. Thorul?"
"Yes. Did you get Lane to make another appointment with you?"
"Matter of fact, yes. She came storming in here demanding that I give her a copy of the tape of her first hypnosis session. Of course, I told her that that wasn't possible without a court order. She stormed out of here, then called me back within the hour to reschedule for tomorrow morning. Strange."
"What's strange?"
"She'll only come if her husband can sit in on the session with her."
"And you're going to allow that? What if he tells her what the session was about?
"I'm going to make him sign a waiver that I cannot be responsible for any harm that may come if information is disclosed to Lane that she can't psychologically handle yet."
"They're married! Of course he's going to tell her. The entire point of this hypnotherapy session is to make Lane think she's crazy. Did I not make that clear to you when we first negotiated your fee?"
"It's clear, but I do have a code of ethics to follow. What if take her case pro bono and return your more than generous payment ?"
"Deter – you're in too deep to back out now. Do what I paid you to do!"
Lenny hung up the phone. Lane was not supposed to ever make it out of the Congo. Damn war had come to an end and his paid goons over there took a better offer. He hadn't counted on her getting to an internet kiosk and e-mailing the Planet. He couldn't bring himself to have her killed, so he tried to intimidate her instead. He realized he had underestimated her fierce determination and inner strength. Qualities he admired and loved in her, if he was brutally honest with himself. But to the world, he had to be a hard-*** like his twin brother; bereft of emotion, all business. "Nothing personal, it's just business", he'd say.
Chapter 27
Lois woke up to the aroma of freshly ground coffee brewing in the kitchen. Knowing how apprehensive his wife was about undergoing another hypnosis session, especially one that would probably shed some light on the identity of her child's father, Clark had made scrambled eggs and had run out to the bakery around the corner to get fresh bagels to go with them.
Heading to the park first to test his remaining abilities, Clark had discovered that he still had super-strength, super-speed and could even float a bit, but flying was pretty much out of the question. His vision powers were also gone, but strangely, he still had his super-hearing. Clark reasoned that for him to be free of wearing the dreaded spacesuit there had to be some type of price to pay. Perhaps in time he would recover the other powers. He would certainly miss the ability to fly the most. Fresh air and sunshine on his face felt wonderful, though.
Lois stumbled into the kitchen, like she did every morning, half-awake. Clark immediately placed a steaming cup of coffee with cream and extra sugar in her hands. "Morning, honey," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
Lois took a sip of coffee, and then looked up at her doting husband. "You are so wonderful, sweets. Did you make breakfast too? Omigod. Have I told you lately what a catch you are?"
She pulled out the chair and sat down at the kitchen table. Clark placed the eggs and a plate of bagels in front of her. "Your favorite, Madame," he said, smiling broadly.
"Merci beaucoup," Lois responded. "I hate to tell you this, because you obviously went out of your way for me, but I don't have much of an appetite his morning. Are you going to kill me?" She looked at Clark out of the corner of her eye.
"Absolutely. I hear you have a Swiss bank account that I'd like to get my hands on," Clark joked. "I know you have a pit in your stomach this morning, honey. Try to eat something, at least to coat your stomach."
"OK, doctor," Lois said, smiling, simultaneously sipping the coffee, stabbing the eggs with a fork, and reaching for an "everything" bagel. "Thanks for always staying so calm for me, Propaganda."
"Propaganda – NOT!" Clark said. "I'm at half-mast right now. I have super-hearing, strength, and speed, but no vision powers or flight. This is how I was as a teenager! I couldn't fly until I was eighteen. Honey... I know that's your favorite power of mine. If you want a divorce, I'll understand. You might have married me under false pretenses."
Lois took her napkin and slapped Clark across the cheek with it. "Clark Superman Kent! I thought only *women* were supposed to have self-esteem problems. What is *up* with you? Don't you realize what a catch you are, with or without your powers? You're hot, you're intelligent, you're considerate, you're sweet, and yet with all of that sensitivity you are the sexiest man in the world. I am *so* lucky you're the one they sent to get me from that God-awful hellhole. And you thought you were marrying a woman with no kids, and it turns out… I'm a bigger mess than either one of us thought! If anyone got the short end of the stick, it's *you*, not me!"
Clark started laughing hysterically at Lois' rant. "We are *quite* the pair, aren't we?"
Lois looked at Clark slyly. "You know, I think I need to work up an appetite for breakfast first," she cooed, letting the straps of her nightgown fall seductively around her shoulders. Within minutes, a sexy piece of black lacy lingerie lay on the kitchen floor while its owner and her husband floated merrily above the kitchen table, ensuring that they would be hungry enough to finish the morning feast that waited for them below.
~~~~~
A thrilling Metro cab ride later, at exactly 7:55 a.m., a couple obviously very much in love exited the yellow vehicle and entered the lobby of the building that contained the office of Dr. Maxwell Deter, Psychiatrist. They kissed before entering the elevator, during the ride up to the eleventh floor, and as they walked down the hallway towards room #1113.
~~~~~
The waiting room was empty, much to Lois' relief. It was embarrassing enough to be going to a shrink without having strangers witness it as well. Unfortunately, due to the publicity surrounding the April Fool's Day attempted terrorism, Lois was now as visually famous as her husband. The majority of people simply looked at her with recognition and smiled proudly at her, but being seen in the offices of a very prominent psychiatrist's office could incent someone to call up some sleazy tabloid newspaper. Before you know it, her name would be mud!
Deter's receptionist had not made it in yet; Maxwell himself greeted the couple and invited them into his office.
"Lois…how good to see you again. And Mr. Kent…Superman… I don't believe I've had the pleasure before. I'm thrilled to meet you," Max said enthusiastically, and, apparently, sincerely.
Clark shook his offered hand, smiling. Internally, his super-hearing was noting that Maxwell's heart rate was racing wildly. Why was the good doctor so nervous?
"Please call me Clark, Dr. Deter –"
"Oh, please – it's Max-"
"Max, then. I appreciate you're allowing me to be present during Lois' session. We recently became aware of some unsettling information and it's important that I be here to support Lois emotionally."
"Unsettling information? Lois, are you remembering events from your time in the Congo?"
"Not exactly, Dr. Deter; however during a recent OBGYN exam, I was told that I had given birth. I have no conscious recollection of that. An event like that could have only occurred while I was in Africa. Therefore, before we start a new session, I would like to hear the recording of my last session, if it's possible," Lois said, politely.
"We're willing to sign whatever waiver you need us to sign to make that happen," Clark added.
Maxwell sat back in his chair, giving thoughtful consideration to their request. Leonard Thorul be damned, here before him was two good people that could honestly benefit from his therapy. While he was torn between his deal with the devil and his professional ethics, suddenly the money didn't mean anything to him anymore.
"First off, the only way I can comply with your request is if these sessions are not paid for by the Daily Planet," Deter began.
"Fine," replied Clark.
"Secondly, I need you to sign a waiver that says you will not take legal action against this office should the premature disclosure of this information cause Ms. Lane irreparable psychological harm."
"Done," Clark and Lois answered in unison.
Several minutes later, after a payment arrangement agreement and "hold harmless" waivers had been signed, Maxwell opened his filing drawer and removed the tape of Lois' last session and popped it into the recorder, hitting "play".
Clark held Lois' hand as they listened to her reveal her memory of giving birth and her anxiety at having her child swiftly taken away from her. Tears were flowing down Lois' face as she relived the pain of carrying her baby for nine months without even being able to see the fruits of her labor!
Deter stopped the tape. "This session I was going to have you backpedal in time to discover who the father of the child might be. Are you ready to do that, or would you like to reschedule? This is an awful lot to absorb in one sitting, I know," he said empathetically.
"Could you give us a minute?" asked Clark.
"Certainly." Maxwell left the room.
"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry for you – you never got to see your child!"
"Clark – the weird thing is, I heard myself tell the story - but I still barely remember the details. Why can't I remember?? Why??" Lois buried her face in Clark's neck, sobbing hysterically. "I can't remember my own child! How horrible a person am I, anyway?"
"Honey, obviously it was so painful you buried it deep below the surface. That's what "hysterical amnesia" is. It's the mind's way of coping with severe emotional pain. Don't be so hard on yourself. Now, do you want to go on, or have you had enough for today?"
Lois picked her head off of Clark's neck and looked him square in the eye. "I'm not going to be able to rest until I know for sure who the father is and why this was done to me. Let's do it!"
"That's my 'Mad Dog'!" Clark exclaimed, smiling through his own tears.
Dr. Deter re-entered the room. "What's the verdict?"
"Let's keep going," Lois asserted. "I'm ready."
~~~~~
Clark was amazed to see his strong-willed wife succumb to hypnosis fairly easily. It was a fascinating profession, he remarked to himself, unlocking the secrets of the subconscious mind. Especially Lois' subconscious mind!
"Lois, last time you told me that you had given birth but you never saw the baby. Is that correct?" Max began.
"Yes, that's right. The men came and took my child. I never saw my own child!" Her voice was laced with emotional pain.
"Lois, now I want you to go back in time. We're going to meet the father of your child. Deep down inside, you know who he is. He can't hurt you now. You're in a safe place. I want you to see the father of your child, but you're going to be an onlooker. If it's too painful to remember this, pretend you're in a protective bubble. OK?"
"Ok," Lois agreed. "I see him. He's wearing a hat and dark glasses."
"Where are you?" Deter asked.
"In the jungle. I'm only wearing my underwear. I've been traveling for a couple of days now, and he's got a flask of water. He's offering it to me. Oh – he's calling me 'Ms. Lane or Ms. Kent'!! I'm telling him that I don't know who 'Mary Kent' is! He's grabbing me and kissing me and telling me he loves me. I'm too tired and weak to fight him off. He's telling me that his brother doesn't have to know about us. Wants to know how I stayed so young. I have no idea what he's talking about! Owww! He's got me on the ground, he's trying to please me. I keep telling him to get the hell away from me but he's not listening!"
Clark was squirming in the chair, painfully listening to Lois' recollection of this rape scenario. When Lois had mentioned 'Mary Kent', his own anxiety level had shot to the ceiling. He now knew for sure that the father of Lois' child was indeed Lenny Thorul! The fifteen year old boy that Lois had gone to visit had developed an unhealthy obsession for her! Wells had been so right about being very careful when visiting the past. Here was a prime example.
"Lois, is he raping you?" Deter asked.
"Yes, I'm not responding to him the way he wants me to, so he's forcing himself on me. His sunglasses have fallen off. He looks like Lex Luthor, but there is something softer - a look of kindness - in his eyes. I never saw that in Lex's face, ever. This guy seems to have some type of emotional attachment to me, but I swear that I've never met him before. He's finally done, with tears in his eyes. He's telling me that he will always love me. I'm screaming back to him that he's crazy and that I better not get pregnant because of this!"
"What happens after he leaves, Lois?"
"There's a refugee camp nearby. I stumble into the camp, and some of the women help me find something to wear and give me some more water."
"Lois, what happens when you find out that you're pregnant?"
"I'm traveling to different refugee camps and the other women notice my swollen belly. I'm throwing up a lot, but I figured it had to do with the quality of food and water over there. Eventually some men pick me up and bring me to a doctor. I don't remember anything after that until after I have the baby. I wonder why?"
"Lois, I think that's enough for today. I'm going to count from one to ten. You will open your eyes at 'ten' and you will remember everything that you told me, but you will feel refreshed and relaxed as well. Ready?"
"Yes," replied Lois.
At 'ten', Lois opened her eyes, wildly searching around the room for Clark. She ran over to him, whispering, "It's him, Clark. It's Lenny Thorul. He's the father."
"I know," Clark said. "Looks like you and LL should have stayed in Smallville after all. You guys just *had* to go to San Diego that day!"
"It was *** for tat, sweets. You and CK were gallivanting in Ma and Pa's earth. We just wanted to have a little fun and do a little investigating. Who knew *this* would happen?"
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," Clark mumbled, rolling his eyes.
~~~~~
Maxwell Deter was in a semi-state of shock. All he had to hear was that Lois' attacker resembled Lex Luthor and he knew at once that Lenny Thorul had been the culprit. All the piece began to fit together – why Thorul didn't want Lane to remember anything from the Congo – why he was insisting on making her think she was crazy. Damn guy was just another man in love with Lois Lane!
The Kents made an appointment for the following Tuesday, and left, confirming that Deter couldn’t professionally disclose any of this information to anyone at the Daily Planet. Deter's mind was swirling, realizing that he was in the middle of a big fat mess, one that could cost him his life if he handled the situation the wrong way. Just when he thought things couldn't be any worse than they were, his receptionist buzzed him to advise that Mr. Leonard Thorul was in the waiting room and insisted on seeing him right away!
~~~~~
Max opened his office door and locked eyes with Thorul who was sitting impatiently on the couch in the waiting room. "What a pleasant surprise this is," he said, lying through his teeth. "My next patient is waiting, so I can only spare several minutes."
Thorul stood up aggressively and nearly stormed through the door, closing it firmly behind him.
"I just saw Lane and Kent get into the elevator back there in the hallway. Did you disclose any information to her from the previous session?"
"Look. I'm going to give Edge Enterprises all the money back. This game is over. They're paying me out of their own pockets now and the conversation is strictly confidential."
"You forgot one thing, Deter. They both work for *me*. If I decide to fire them, they can't pay *you*! Did you think of that? Or are you some bleeding – heart 'pro-bono' shrink now that just 'wants to do the right thing?' Thorul grabbed him by his tie and got right in his face. "What's the matter with you, anyway? I was told you were the man for this job. Obviously, my information was false."
Deter broke away from Thorul's grip. "What are you hiding, anyway?" He figured if he was going to die anyway, he may as well find out *why*. "The kid's yours, isn't it?"
"What do you know?"
"I know that Lane recognized her attacker as looking just like Lex Luthor!"
"What's that got to do with me?" Lenny Thorul's eyes grew as wide as saucers.
"I *know*, Thorul. I *know*. I don't know it *all*, but I know he's your brother. Lane remembered that her attacker looked 'just like' Lex Luthor, but with 'kindness' in his eyes. The Lex Luthor I've done business with doesn't have a kind bone in his body, so it had to have been you. You can have me killed, but Lane and Kent now know that her baby's father is you. Killing me won't change that. You've painted yourself in a corner now, Thorul. As long as I'm alive, I can't disclose that information to anyone because of professional ethics. Have me killed, and I guarantee that Lane and Kent will have it all over the evening news. The next move is yours. And by the way, your time is up. I have a paying customer waiting for me in the lobby. You want to talk again, make an appointment with my receptionist."
Lenny Thorul was truly a sweet man deep down inside. His real personality had been buried for years. After he met his twin brother, he had spent months copying his brother's mannerisms and evil ways, but it never sat well with him. He practiced rage and coldness in front of a mirror so that he could come across that way to the outside world. He had become truly conflicted trying to emulate someone who was his complete opposite in almost every way.
All at once the *real* Lenny Thorul, the boy who got a part-time job at age fifteen so he could help his mother out financially, came spilling out. He sat down in the couch in Deter's office and covered his eyes with his hands.
"Deter…. You don't understand. I've loved that woman since I was fifteen."
"And how is that possible? You're older than her."
"I can't explain it. It's tortured me all of my life. Here's the article she wrote about me in the Smallville Press. I keep it in my wallet." He handed the article, which had been preserved in Mylar, to Deter.
"Mary Kent? Ah…that's why you kept calling her Mary Kent. But she had no idea who you were talking about. And Kent…that's her husband's surname. And he's from Kansas…"
"Here's a picture of her and her twin sister checking into the Hotel Del where my mother worked, back in 1973. Don't tell me that's not Lane."
"Two of them. Identical twins, it seems. Very bizarre. And one of them came to see you?"
"Yes, she came to the high school to interview me for the Smallville Press. I was a geeky 15-year old and she was like a goddess to me, Max. She left, and mailed me a copy of the article she wrote about me. I tried to find her, but there was no trace of her. Then, 20 years later I find her, looking like she hasn't aged one day. Something in me snapped. I had to have her."
"Thorul, if what you're saying is true… *you* should be making an appointment with *me*, before you do anything else stupid."
"No! Just keep your mouth shut, Deter. I'm going to have to deal with Lane and Kent in my own way. I'll not have her interfering with Lena's life now!"
"Who the hell is Lena?" Maxwell asked.
"Our daughter – mine and Lane's. This conversation is confidential, correct?"
"Absolutely."
"I'll be in touch."
~~~~~
TBC
