Super Friends 12/?
Continued...
Most of the next day Clark was busy in the pig lab and only managed to get a very quick break. As much as he wanted to see her he didn’t once run into Lois. By early afternoon, he had decided it best to just wait and talk to her at home. That would be better anyway because they could have the uninterrupted privacy that Clark wanted.
Suddenly the day wasn’t moving fast enough. Clark couldn’t wait to see Lois. When he had seen her at the hospital visiting Bruce and Vicky, he could see that she still loved him. Besides, she said it every night. Clark acknowledged to himself that he loved Lois just as much as she loved him.
It was 4 o'clock when Lois was leaving the unit to head home. It had been a long day. There had been lots of admissions of really sick kids. For the first time in a long time Lois was tired. At least being tired would insure her of falling off to sleep very quickly tonight and maybe escaping her nightly cry.
The elevator door chimed announcing it’s arrival to the third floor and the doors opened. Lois got on and pressed the button to the first floor. She prayed that the elevator didn’t stop and she could just get home. But to Lois’ chagrin, the elevator did not follow her mental instructions. The box halted on the second floor to allow a passenger on.
The door opened to the elevator and a gentleman stepped on. Lois was just sort of staring at the floor wishing the elevator to the first floor. Just as the doors closed the gentleman said hello and Lois looked up to return the greeting. To Lois’ surprise she looked up into the eyes of the last person she ever expected to see in Gotham. What business could he possibly have here?
“Lois…”
“Paul…”
“Fancy meeting you here. Well, how are you?” Paul asked with saccharine in his voice.
“I’m doing great.” Lois forced a smile. “We’ve just been busy today and I’m a little tired.” She quickly did a self-check. The emotions that she thought would surface upon seeing Paul again didn’t show themselves. She actually felt indifferent towards him.
“So…how did you end up here in Gotham? New job? New boyfriend?” Paul coughed. Then he said as if remembering, “Oh, yeah, you got into anaesthesia school here!”
“Yeah, anaesthesia school,” Lois confirmed.
The elevator door chimed and Lois and Paul got off.
“Well, Paul, it’s been good to see you again, but I’ve gotta go. I’ve got some studying to do and I’m just exhausted.”
Paul couldn’t believe that Lois wasn’t crawling all over him, begging him back. She actually seemed indifferent. Lois’ reaction or lack there of was really bothering him. It actually made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
“Uh, Lois, I just want to say that…well…I’m sorry for the way things happened, the things that I said to you. You really didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry, really.” Paul seemed sincere.
“Paul, you don’t owe me any apologies. I’ve gotten past it all. I’ve moved on with my life. See, I’m in anaesthesia school now.”
“Let me make it up to you, Lois. You said that you’re tired. I know you don’t feel up to cooking…well I know that you don’t cook.” Paul smiled. “Have dinner with me tonight. No strings. Just let me…I owe you that much.”
“Paul, you don’t owe me anything. I think I’ll just go home and go to bed. I’m…”
“Please, Lois…a peace offering. Or do you have someone who is going to get jealous and cause a big commotion…” Paul asked with some acid in his voice.
“No, Paul, I don’t have anyone…that’s going to get upset if I…” Lois quickly amended. Paul was sharp and caught the faux pas.
“Then…for old times…” Paul held out his hand to Lois.
Lois didn’t take his hand but said, “Okay, Paul. But this is goodbye. I guess I owe you a proper goodbye.” She didn’t take his hand. “I have to go home and shower and change.”
“Give me directions and I’ll pick you up in say…an hour?”
“No. I’ll meet you. Where?”
“Lois, you don’t trust me do you?”
Lois didn’t answer. She just stared at Paul, looking impatient.
“Arrington’s. Is that okay? Or would you like to go some place else?”
“Sure. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
With that Lois walked away, to her car. What had she just done? She was about to dine with the devil. She summed up that the only reason that she agreed to have dinner with him in the first place was mainly because she was lonely. She felt a need to say good-bye to him in a proper way, too. She needed closure. But then again, why did she owe him proper when he hadn’t given her the same respect. Whatever. It would at least get her mind off of Clark temporarily.
Once at home Lois showered and changed clothes. She didn’t want to dress in any way to make Paul think that she wanted anything more from him than what she had stated. After putting on a little makeup to hide her tiredness…and loneliness Lois was off to meet Paul.
Clark had been waiting for Lois to get home so that he could go over and talk to her. He was finally going to lay it all on the line and ask…her to marry him? Where did that thought come from?
Clark walked over to Lois’ apartment to find her not there. He stood outside of her door in the hallway wondered where she could be. She was due home from work a little after four. He thought that maybe she had to run an errand and he’d just missed her. Maybe she went to her favorite place at the park to be alone. She was spending a lot of time there lately.
Clark would sometimes fly over that park and see her staring out into space deep in thought. She always seemed so sad and preoccupied. Occasionally he’d witnessed a tear roll down her cheek. Sometimes she’d wipe it away and other times she seemed oblivious to the fact that she was crying. Oh, how Clark wished he could just go down to her and wipe her tears away, tell her that it was going to be okay, tell her that he loved her, still, that he’d be there for her…ask her to be his wife.
He realized that he had hurt her so badly. He had to, like Bruce had told him let her decide for herself if she wanted that life with Superman…with him. He was so much in love with her. How could he have been so stupid? He saw how guarded she was when he first met her, so why had he taken the chance and betrayed her trust. She didn’t seem to trust easily. If the situation hadn’t shown it’s ugly face, he would have asked her to marry him by now. He knew that he loved her and that she at least *had* loved him, too. But, somehow now, he didn’t think that love was the issue.
When Clark realized that he’d been standing outside of Lois’ apartment for a while, thinking, he finally left to go and look for her. First he went to he favorite place in the park. Lois’ preferred spot was rather secluded by the wild flowers that took residence there. He knew that it was not likely that she would be there at this late hour in the evening, but it wouldn’t hurt to look.
Just as Clark suspected, Lois was not at the park. He had looked a few places for Lois but she was nowhere to be found. He had even gone back to the hospital parking lot to look for her Jeep, just in case she was working late but…nothing. Clark decided to head over to the Gotham gym to work off some of the emotional strain that he suddenly felt. He would give it a rest and then try to find her again later. If Clark were honest with himself, he was starting to get worried.
Lois met Paul at the restaurant as promised. He had a reservation so they were immediately seated when they entered. Lois and Paul ordered dinner, a full course of seafood, salad, bread…and beer for Paul. Lois didn’t seem to be able to eat too much these days. She ordered a bowl of clam chowder, a salad and had water to drink. Somehow, she felt that wine was not an option. She needed to keep a clear head tonight. Conversation seemed forced and superficial. It didn’t seem to flow as naturally as with Clark.
“So, Lois, not eating much, huh? Trying to stay trim?”
“No, Paul, I just don’t eat very much,” thinking painfully about the comment he had made to her on that dreadful night, about being fat.
“Lois, look, you’re not fat. I just wanted you to be mad at me so that I wouldn’t hurt you so much.” He sounded sincere.
“Paul, how could you expect me to be anything but hurt? I had to call of my wedding, send back gifts, stop the seamstress from finishing the gowns. What the…” Lois said, noticing the gradual rise in her voice as emotions began to over take her. More quietly and more in control now, Lois finished, “I am okay with it now. I have some closure now and can go on. I came here to get away from old memories. I don’t hate you or anything. I wish you luck, happiness and many children. I…”
“You make this sound like goodbye forever, Lois,” Paul said sounding disappointed. “I admit that when I asked you to dinner I was hoping that we could start to see each other again. You see…you’ve taught me so much about unconditional love and I want the chance to reciprocate that wonderful emotion to you. Please, say you’ll give me another chance. Those other women that were chasing me, they saw someone successful, dollar signs, someone who could take care of them. They didn’t want to be self sufficient, like you. Look at you, back in school to better yourself, for your masters. You’re a smart woman and I admire you for that. One of them was already making plans for our half million dollar house and her Volvo station wagon.”
“Paul, I’m sorry that things turned out the way they did…for you. I now know that I don’t want the same things that you want out of life. I do wish you happiness, though.”
“Lois, what do you want out of life?” Paul seemed really interested in Lois’ answer.
“You know, it’s really not important, now. Please, I really need to get going. It’s getting late and I’ve had a long day. I’m really exhausted. Please accept my thanks.”
“Lois, please don’t go. You hardly ate anything. You…”
Standing, Lois quickly cut Paul off, “Really, Paul, I’m fine, but I need to go.”
“Let me walk you to your car,” Paul insisted, standing.
“Sure,” Lois said very reluctantly.
Paul paid the ticket and proceeded to follow Lois out to her car. Lois opened her Jeep door with the key remote and started to get inside. Suddenly, Paul’s awful lips were covering Lois’ as he leaned into her pinning her to the side of her Jeep.
With every chance Lois could get to form a work she managed to say, “Get…off…of me! I don’t want you…I don’t want this! I told you, Paul…this is goodbye!”
Lois’ struggling only made Paul angrier and pin her tighter.
“Please! Stop! Get off…” Lois continued to yell as she fought to get from between Paul and the car. He wasn’t a very big man but he was a lot stronger than Lois.
“You little tramp! You owe me! I was your fiancé for God’s sake and you said that you wanted to wait until we were married. Well, we’re not…we can get married if that’s what you want now, so I at least deserve what I’m entitled to for waiting for so long, being so patient with you! Did *anybody* ever get it before?” Paul asked mockingly.
“Please, get off of me…” Lois begged, sobbing.
Then a baritone voice broke the terror of it all.
“The lady asked you to leave her alone. Let her go!”
“No, see Batman, you don’t know what’s going on here. You see, she promised me. I gave her another chance and now she says that she doesn’t want me any more. No slu…what kind of man do you think I am to let something as fat and ugly as her, refuse me, turn me down?”
“Off now or I will whip your but,” Batman threatened as he grabbed Paul by the back of his neck.
Lois turned her head what little bit she could and caught sight of the Batman who had come to her rescue. She noticed that Bruce had Paul by the back of his neck and Paul slowly released her.
Bruce looked at Lois as he started to walk away with Paul still in his grasp. He then said to Lois, “Get in your car and wait a minute.”
Bruce proceeded to escorted Paul to his car. When they reached Paul’s Corvette, Bruce said, “The lady has every right to press charges against your sorry existence. The only reason I’m not taking you to jail is that she knows you and I’m going to let her decide. Don’t go too far,” Bruce finished as he pushed Paul into his car.
Lois couldn’t believe how much of a jerk Paul really was. Nothing had changed, at all. Batman was walking back to her with his cape flowing behind.
“Lois, you okay?”
“Yeah, Bruce, I think so. Thank you. I just want to go home,” Lois responded as she sat down across the driver’s seat of her car.
Batman gave Lois a strange look.
“Clark didn’t tell me. I figured it out. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe. I would never do anything to betray you or Vicky.” Batman gave a slight nod of gratitude.
“Let me to drive you? You’ve had a rough night and I just want to make sure that you get home safely.”
“I’m okay, Bruce, really. You don’t have to…”
Bruce asked, “Would you like me to call Clark, instead? I kno…”
“No! I don’t want him to know. Please, don’t tell him. Bruce you’ve got to promise me that you wont tell him about this,” Lois pleaded.
Sounding concerned, Bruce replied “Lois, I cannot make a promise like that to you. What happened between you two anyway? You two seemed to be so much in love.”
“I’d really rather not talk about it but I guess I could say that I think you know the reason. You’re all in this together, so to speak.”
“He loves you, Lois. Why won’t you just hang in there for a little bit…for him?”
Lois yelled in a teary response, “I’ve told you…he broke up with me…he stopped seeing me…”
“Why?”
“He said that it was too dangerous to have a relationship with me, basically.”
“Have you talked to him…today?”
“Not since the hospital.”
“Let me get you home,” Bruce said as he slid into the driver’s seat of Lois’ Jeep.
The ride home seemed longer than usual, to Lois’ apartment. It gave her time to think some. All she wanted to do was shower, and go to bed.
Bruce got Lois home and inside safely. Bruce pulled back his cowl since he didn’t have to hide from Lois.
“Lois, Clark is going to come around. I know he will. He loves you.”
Lois just looked at Bruce with a new sheet of tears forming.
Bruce opened his arms and hugged Lois to him. His embrace was reassurance of strength and confidence.
Bruce made sure that all of the doors and windows were locked before he left her. The Batmobile had followed them by remote control and was waiting for Bruce outside of Lois’ apartment. He pulled up his cowl and headed to his waiting car.
Bruce couldn’t leave fast enough for Lois. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to hold back her erupting emotions. She went into the bathroom and turned on hot water for a bath. She didn’t feel like a shower tonight. She wanted to soak in a bath. Lois poured bubbles into the tub as the water ran. Finally, she unclothed, stepped into the tub and closed her eyes. Suddenly the tears started to overflow. Weeks of pain came pouring from her eyes. Lois sobbed first silently and violent sobs overtook her body. She cried because she felt so stupid for going to dinner with Paul. She thought that they could part amicably and be done with their differences, but no such luck. Lois stayed in the tub for an hour before attempting to get out and only then because the water started to get cold.
Lois got out of the bathtub and put on a pair of pajama sweat pants and tank top. She slipped on her bedroom slippers and sat in the corner of the couch. She put her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her as the tears started to flow endlessly again. There was nothing on in the apartment; no lights, no TV, radio. Just silence and an occasional nose sniffling and pulling Kleenex from a box.
tbc...
