Further conversation was cut off by another car pulling out of a parking space ahead of them. Clark deftly maneuvered Perry's sedan into the spot. Before they exited the car, he passed Perry the parking date-time ticket.
They walked companionably to the hospital itself, ending up at the Urgent Care department. The hospital had that usual smell, not quite disinfectant-y, but still "infection control" in the background. Muffled announcements came over a public address system at intervals. There didn't seem to be many visitors this time of night – after all, it was past midnight.
They stopped at the check-in desk, and Clark asked for Richard White's room number. The clerk punched some computer keys and told him, "Ninth floor, North Tower. Room 9538." Then, as Maggie Sawyer had directed, Perry and Clark asked for Dr. Chandrasekhar. After filling out some forms, they were directed into a small exam room.
"You want me to stay?" Clark asked.
"Nah, I'm sure you've got things to do, Clark," Perry said. "I don't really need to be here, you know."
"You doing OK, Perry?" Clark asked, subtle concern in his voice.
"I feel fine physically," Perry said. "Mentally? I still keep reliving the whole episode."
Clark shrugged, and weariness lay over his features for a moment. "I know what you mean," he said.
"You do?" Perry asked. "Oh, yeah. Of course you do." He remembered how Superman had just assisted with the China earthquake, the mud-stained bodies, the devastation. If anyone saw suffering and trauma, it was Superman. Curious, Perry asked, "What do you do about it?"
Clark sighed. "I write it up as a Superman news story," he said quietly. "I try to campaign for whatever it is that will stop it from happening in the future." He perked up. "Now I can talk to Lois and you about it."
"Clark, hey, I'm no psychologist…." Perry warned.
"Perry, that doesn't matter. Just to have someone to talk to…..it's a great gift."
Awkward silence fell. A lab tech bustled in. "Mr. White?"
"Yes."
"Dr. Chandrasekhar will be in shortly. She asked me to draw some blood and get an EKG." The tech was already breaking open a skin-disinfectant scrub and screwing a Vacutainer needle into its holder.
"Well, Perry, I'd better be on my way," Clark said. "I'll see you tomorrow at the Planet." He smiled at Perry's wave and nod, and exited.
The lab tech made short work of Perry's blood draw, filling up several tubes with dispatch. Perry was glad of the tech's expertise – he'd hardly felt the poke of the needle. Not like certain ham-handed members of the police department of his past days, who drew samples for blood alcohol levels like they were digging for gold with the needle. A dull needle.
The tech bustled out, and after a few moments, another teal-clad man popped in. He introduced himself as the EKG tech, and he had Perry's electrocardiogram taken in only a few minutes.
"How am I doing?" Perry asked, as the tech removed the leads.
"Your doctor will have to tell you that," the tech said. But his smile, and the rapidity of the EKG, led Perry to believe that there was nothing remarkable on the graph.
"You were pretty fast in getting here," Perry said, making conversation. He'd learned long ago as a reporter – if you wanted to get the story at the top, make friends on the bottom. He still had sources in Met Gen in Dietary, Housekeeping, and other departments – the people that no one "saw". Or rather, they were looked at, but they were not seen.
"It's a slow night," the tech said, his teeth gleaming in his dark face. "Dr. Chandrasekhar should be here pretty soon."
As if the gods were just waiting for someone to say something like that, the public address system came to life.
"All attending doctors to the E.R. All attending doctors to the E.R. Multiple gunshot wound victims."
The EKG tech looked out at the now-bustling corridor. "Or maybe she'll be a little bit late." He gave Perry a reassuring grin. "They're not going to need this room. You just stay right here." He bundled up his machines and headed briskly to the main E.R.
Perry sighed. This didn't bode well. If he hadn't promised Sawyer he'd get himself checked out, he'd check himself out. Out of the hospital. But he'd promised.
So he paced around the small room, reading the posters on Performing the Heimlich Maneuver, The Warning Signs of Heart Attack and Stroke, and Signs of Sexually Transmitted Diseases And How To Avoid Contracting An STD. He wished he'd brought something to read. After a while, he sat back on the exam table.
The muffled flurry of activity down the hall hadn't gotten any quieter, and he figured his doctor would be busy for a few more hours. With quick decision, he got up and flipped down the light switch, darkening the room, with illumination provided only by the hall lights coming through the partially open door. Perry laid down on the exam table, pulling out the extender for his longer legs. The events of the day ran through his head, over and over, but gradually, Perry's breathing slowed and he drifted off to sleep.
The harsh light woke him. A petite Indian woman in a white doctor-type lab coat had entered the room, followed by a scrub-suited nurse, an LPN by her badge. "Mr. White?" she asked.
Perry fumbled his way into a sitting position. His eyes felt gummy, his mouth dry. "Doctor?" he replied.
"I am Dr. Chandrasekhar," the woman said, confirming his suspicions. "This is Ms. Wilson," she said, indicating the nurse. She shook Perry's hand with a firm grasp. "I understand Lieutenant Sawyer has sent you to us."
"Yes – there was a situation – "
"Do not say anything, Mr. White. Please do not tell me anything until after I have completed the exam and made my medical notes."
Perry must have had a questioning look.
"Lieutenant Sawyer has asked me to follow this protocol so my court testimony will not be tainted in any way."
"Oh. OK, then, Doctor." Perry could see Sawyer asking this. The Lieutenant was a careful woman. Her cases, at least the parts that Sawyer was responsible for, would stand up in court. "Doctor, then, why don't you ask the questions and I'll answer as best I can?"
"That will be fine, Mr. White," Dr. Chandrasekhar said with a hint of amusement. "I will touch you for the exam – is that all right?"
Perry shrugged. "OK."
The exam that followed gave new meaning to the word thorough. Perry was glad that the doctor had let him keep his shorts – she'd certainly checked every other square inch of his body. He was very grateful she'd skipped the prostate check. At least she'd picked up on his embarrassment, and she and the nurse had left the room during the disrobing. The nurse made little comment, handing things to Dr. Chandrasekhar during the exam, and entering the doctor's spoken notes into a tablet computer.
At the end, Dr. Chandrasekhar indicated to Perry that he could dress himself, and stepped out of the room again. He heard her making some final comments to the nurse as he tied his shoes. She re-entered the room, and said, "Mr. White, I am glad that you are not like the usual person I examine that Lieutenant Sawyer has sent to me."
"Hmm?" Perry asked noncommittally.
"Mr. White, you will be glad to hear that your physical condition is excellent," the doctor said in her careful diction. "When I heard that a Lieutenant Sawyer patient was coming in for exam, I was imagining a much sicker patient."
"She does tend to deal with that," Perry murmured.
"Ah, yes, Mr. White, but you are in very good shape. I will send a copy of your blood tests and EKG to your primary care physician to put into your medical record," the doctor said. "You have the test results and physical examination findings of someone twenty years younger than yourself."
"That's nice," Perry managed to get out through his surprise. "I thought my cholesterol was high?"
"Oh, no. It is very nice," Dr. Chandrasekhar said. "Now, Mr. White, if you will sign this paper allowing us to send the results of today's visit to Lieutenant Sawyer…."
"If I don't?" Perry asked jokingly.
"Then she will have to get a court order and she will be angry," Dr. Chandrasekhar said matter-of-factly.
"Well, I certainly don't want Maggie Sawyer mad at me," Perry said, scrawling his name on the release. "Am I OK to go now?"
"Yes, Mr. White," the doctor said. "Have a nice day." Her face had turned at the sound of another public address announcement, and Perry was reminded of the look that Clark got when he heard of some disaster needing Supermanly assistance. It was the same kind of look.
"Bye, doc," Perry said, as Dr. Chandrasekhar left the room and walked briskly down the hall. He stood in the quiet exam room for just a moment, thinking. You have the test results and physical examination findings of someone twenty years younger than yourself.
So, Perry thought, healing his broken fingers wasn't all Lois had done for him. He drew in an incredulous breath, shook his head, and left the room.
