Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Clark's Heart (9/10)

I agree with Morgana, Clark did not call a Press Conference to announce he would be going away so why did he feel the need to announce he was back from somewhere he would not reveal anyway? I always was curious how him having the heart attack in public in Part 1 was hushed up but it never came up. Again it would seem as though the press conference might even bring out the heart issue from Part 1 making the connection between Superman's heart problem and Clark needing a transplant even greater. That and the only thing accomplished plot wise by the news conference was him making a point that HE had nothing to do with Clark getting a heart. The Dirt Digger guy really had nothing anyway as Clark was on life support for a few months (I will get to that in a bit) which puts him up the list over people who are getting along with their damaged heart but not on life support, that plus his age of around 30 makes him an ideal candidate (if he wasn't Kryptonian). How long he was out... Well Lois claimed he was out a few weeks but earlier (the previous part) she claimed that she was 7 months along and just prior to Clark having the first heart attack they had the ultrasound that determined the health/progress/sex of the baby and as everyone said that takes place late in the first trimester or very early in the second so she was 3 to 4 months along when the first heart attack occurred and 7 months along when the surgery took place. The period of time between the first attack and the final attack appeared to only be a week or so. That would make it more like around 2 to 3 months he was out according to my math and of course the longer on life support the worse the prognosis tends to be unless you happen to be Superman. Of course Lois's specific comment was that he had been out a few weeks so that could have been 10-12 weeks if she was trying to soft pedal it. At lot of those things would have pushed Clark up the list if he could have had a human heart so the Dirt Digger guy did not have much if any case. Of course you folks will correct me if I am wrong or .

Again I did not see the need for the press conference or why Clark would even put one on especially since he really did not have much of a story to tell...

Mike

Well, I guess I'll chime in and say I liked the press conference scene. It was rather symmetrical with the show when Clark went up to the NK ship. That was referenced with Jonathan and Martha's comments in this story. Clark just wanted to show that Superman was healthy and back on duty. Since Clark was still "recuperating" that separated the identities more.
Since I've successfully experienced pregnancy twice, I'll also give kudos to Lois for holding it all together. Those hormones are no joke even when they are 100% human, let alone influenced by a half Kryptonian baby.
Now just wait until Christopher David Kent is born and asserts his independence with his folks! I really think a sequel would be good for this story.

Artemis

Just one other thought. How is Clark going to explain the lack of a scar after a heart transplant? He is never going to go shirtless in front of anyone but Lois and their parents again? He will have to be careful not to slip up and forget. Sounds like Lois would like him to have a scar to remind the two of them of this experience.

Mike

I'm actually leaving him with a faint scar. (You'll see in the next chapter.) I thought it would be cool/evil/sad for him to have that constant reminder that his friend died but was about to save his life in doing so. (Clark's not happy about the reminder, now he's barely speaking to me.)

Yeah but as I said Lois is certainly speaking to you. "LEAVE THE SCAR!!!", oops

I have two good friends that have had open heart surgery and the scar is quite obvious. If the scar fades then Clark would have to hide the lack of a scar the remainder of his life (at least this one) to keep his secret. I guess that could open up possibilities in the area of follow on stories but this story has so many possibilities in the follow on area already...

That I believe is a huge strength of the story, the many different situations you had coming at both Lois and Clark almost at the same time. I will have to wait for Part 10 to see how many of those you wrap up and how many remain hanging out there as opportunities for follow up stories.

Mike

Yes, Clark will probably have to embellish his scar if he's ever, say, at the beach with Jimmy. (I do believe I call it "nearly invisible" in the next chapter, or close enough.) At least he's not in danger of showing it off as Superman though!

It's amazing in modern medicine that scars become nearly invisible when they age for a while,so I don't think you have to do much embellishment except for the first several months.
Artemis

This means that Superman can't disrobe, everyone will see the scar and wonder how Superman could get a scar.

Yes, so? When is Superman likely to take off his uniform? My idea would be only to his family and Dr. Klein. And they all know what happened. Clark, on the other hand, can use swim shorts to go swimming without concern.
Just my 2 cents.

Artemis