Sorry it took me so long to get this part posted. My aunt died, and that kind of threw things off.
This part is rated PG-13 (But Ann will be glad to know it is not because Clark and Caitlyn have sex... <giggles>)
<around words indicates telepathic thought>
~around words indicates Kryptonian speech~
I hope my lady readers will have a little laugh. Sorry for you poor guys - you will probably just blush....
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From part 33
Three hours later Clark sat up in a cold sweat. He looked over at Caitlyn and put his hand on her lightly as if to assure himself that she was real. She was curled up in a ball and sleeping soundly. He was shaking and ran his hand through his hair. He got up out of bed and went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He'd had a dream - a nightmare - about being chased by the mutilator who was wielding kryptonite. He knew he was probably being silly because the mutilator was safely tucked away in jail - surely they wouldn't let him escape twice, but none-the-less, he scanned the house and grounds and listened for every heart beat. Satisfied that everything was okay, he lay back down beside his wife.
He lay there a few minutes thinking about the dream and how scary it had been. He was just falling back to sleep when a knock came at the door. He got up, grabbed some sleep shorts and pulled them on and answered the door. It was Lara and she was crying frantically. He stooped down and pulled her into his arms. "What's wrong, baby girl?" All she could do was hold him and cry. "Are you hurt? Are you sick?"
She shook her head no. "Want sleep with you."
He held her and murmured, "Shhh... it's okay. What's wrong, honey?"
"Dream... Bad dreammm." Her tears had not calmed at all but had turned into sobs.
"Okay, let's go get you teddy bear, and..."
"Nooooo... I won't go..." She sniffed. "I won't go back there," she sobbed.
He turned and saw that Caitlyn was watching them with wide eyes. He mouthed, "Put a gown on." She nodded. Clark took Lara by the shoulders and said, "Okay, you come with me, and I'll get your Teddy bear." He took her by the hand and pulled her along. She wouldn't go into her room with him though. He looked around to make sure everything was okay but saw nothing out of order. He picked up her teddy bear, walked back out and handed it to her. They returned to the master suite.
He sat on the bed and pulled Lara into his arms. "Can you tell me about the dream, honey?"
"Green monster," she cried. "Green monster." He held her tightly. He could rarely remember seeing Lara so upset. She began rocking.
Caitlyn patted the bed. "Come on, honey. Get in bed and snuggle up. Okay."
Lara pouted. "No, I want to sleep over here."
Clark shrugged. "Anytime she has slept with me, she wants to sleep on my side of the bed." He scooted over to the middle of the bed and pulled Lara against him. She snuggled up against one side and Caitlyn snuggled up on the other. It wasn't long before Lara was almost asleep.
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A New Hero Part 34 "Hmmph." Clark rubbed his eyes sleepily. Getting kicked in the butt by his sleeping four-year-old daughter wasn't his favorite way of being awakened. He started to turn over on his back when he noticed that Caitlyn was just crawling back into bed.
She smiled at Clark and brushed her hand across his forehead pushing his hair back. "Are you okay, honey?" she said concernedly.
His eyes smiled. "I'm fine. Lara kicked me. You know how sleeping kids can be."
"Oh, okay." She snuggled up against him and entangled her legs with his. Clark had awakened as men often do, and Caitlyn ran her hand over him appreciatively. "Hmmm...."
He grinned. "As much as I like that, don't forget that Lara is in bed with us."
She smiled mischievously. "I know. You wouldn't deny me that bit of morning enjoyment, would you?"
He chuckled softly. "No, my love." He leaned towards her and kissed her lightly and tenderly on the lips. "What about you. Are you okay? Haven't you been up two or three times?"
She shrugged. "Yeah." She blushed. "I have cystitis."
Clark blushed, too. "Oh. Oops."
She rolled her eyes. "I guess I should have listened to you when you said we should go slow."
Clark giggled. "And you are the doctor. Did you take something?"
She sighed. "No. I don't have anything. I just drank a lot of water. I'll get something at the hospital."
Lara popped up over Clark's shoulder and said, "What's up?"
Clark grinned and gave Caitlyn and knowing wink. Then he turned towards Lara and brushed his fingers down Lara's nose. She blinked and smiled broadly. "Just saying good mornin', pretty girl."
She gave a little laugh and piped, "Mornin'!"
Clark laughed and turned on his back. "Since you woke up in the middle of the night, I didn't think you'd wake up so early. You didn't have any more nightmares, did you?"
"Uh-huh. Did you?" She sat up, ready for her day.
"Me?" He looked perplexed. "Wh... what do mean, Lara?"
"You had a nightmare, too. You dreamed about the green monster."
"Ohhh..." Clark said as he realized that she had picked up *his* nightmare and had made it her own. "So you picked up on my nightmare, huh?"
She nodded. "Pick up other things, too. Don't mean to - just do. Didna know til last week though that I could talk to people like that. Sometimes don't wanna know stuff, but I still do."
Clark raised his eyebrows. "Hunh. We'll have to work on that. Okay?"
"M'kay." She shrugged. Someone knocked on the door. She jumped down. "I'll get it!"
It was Anamarie. She spoke to Lara. "Oh, there you are." She looked at Clark and then back and forth between him and Caitlyn. "I.. uhh... couldn't find her... and thought she might be here." She frowned ever so slightly.
Clark nodded towards Caitlyn. "Anamarie, Caitlyn and I got married."
"Oh." She looked slightly downhearted but quickly recovered. She fidgeted with a button on her blouse. "I.. uh.. congratulations. Well.. I'll.. uh.. just be..." She turned and shut the door.
Lara sat down in the floor and started talking to her Teddy bear. Then she turned to Clark and smiled. Lara had a beautiful smile. "Can I watch cartoons, daddy?" He nodded, and she turned the television on.
Caitlyn stretched and suddenly sat up. "Oh, my gosh! What time is it?"
"Hmm.." Clark looked at his watch. "Fifteen after seven."
Caitlyn's eyes were wide. "Ohh.. I've got surgery at 8:00 am. Shoot!" She turned to Clark. "Let me examine you really quickly, and then I'll get ready." She began examining him.
He sighed. "Can't that wait until my appointment this afternoon? Ow..."
She shrugged. "Well, Bernie will want to examine you. Dr. Dawson will be there and at least one, if not both, of your thoracic surgeons. I just figure you'd like to get one of us out of the way. Oh.. and Los is coming, too."
He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Except for Bernie, I thought all the other doctors signed my care over to you."
Lara turned and looked at Caitlyn evenly. "He feels better now, but daddy did hurt a bunch more than he's ever said."
Caitlyn responded somberly, "Yes, I know, Lara. He hasn't fooled me much."
"Oh. Hadn't hid it much from me neither 'cept the first couple days he was home." Lara shrugged and turned back to her cartoons.
Clark shook his head and said softly. "Definitely going to have to work with helping her control those telepathic abilities. Having her pick up on nightmares and pain isn't the best thing in the world. She could end up virtually shutting down her telepathic abilities. That's what Zared did. I don't know if he'll ever realize what a gift his telepathic abilities are now."
Caitlyn smiled and nodded. "Seems like you will have to work with her. And yes, they have turned their care over to me, but this appointment was already set up. I think it's a good idea for them to be involved in at least one more appointment."
He nodded unenthusiastically. "I guess."
Caitlyn bent down and kissed his cheek. "I'd get Los to examine you sometime this morning. Hmm... What happened with Zared?"
He looked down. "I promised I wouldn't tell. And I won't. Let's just say it really upset him." Then he smiled. "Hey, I was thinking. If you move Hannah's and Jon's appointment to say 11:30 then maybe I can still do a.. um..brunch... If you get my drift... You are going to talk to them first aren't you? And maybe you could do Hannah's exam first? Jon will probably take longer. Right?"
She nodded. "Sounds reasonable." She got out of bed. "If I don't get ready and get to the hospital, I might be running late anyway. Will you tell Jon and Hannah?"
He nodded then sat up. "What kind of surgery are you doing this morning?"
"Gallbladder. Shouldn't take long."
"Hmmm... I thought you tended to stick to the traumatic and more serious type stuff."
She nodded. "I do, but when the administrator of the hospital asks you to do his surgery... well, I wasn't going to say no."
Clark smiled. "I guess not." He swatted her on the butt. "Better get ready." He watched as she walked to the bathroom. Then he sat on the floor beside Lara. "Whatcha watchin', baby girl?"
She bounced and smiled. "Superman!"
He laughed. "You still want to watch Superman cartoons even though you know your daddy *is* Superman?"
She blushed, turned her head sideways, and grinned. "Yep-um."
He tousled her hair. "Can I watch with you?" She answered by crawling into his lap. And so sat Superman and Superman's daughter watching a cartoon about Superman. It surely wasn't anything like his life, but he supposed it was entertaining.
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Fifteen minutes later, Caitlyn walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She already had make-up on and though her hair was wet, it was 'ready to go'. She walked over to a pile of her clothing and pulled out some underwear. She grinned at the father and daughter raptly watching the cartoon, 'Superman'.
Clark said offhandedly, "You know, you can put that stuff in a drawer."
She grinned while she put on her undergarments behind Lara and Clark. "I know. I was just in a hurry. I did hang up some of my stuff." She walked into the huge closet and quickly picked out a sharp business suit.
Clark said, "Uh-huh. We'll work on re-arranging everything. 'Kay?"
Caitlyn giggled. "Okay."
"What are you giggling about?" He asked. His mouth was open as he watched 'Superman' take off into the air.
She chuckled again. "Oh, Clark. You should see yourself."
He turned toward her. "Hey! I'm watching with my daughter!"
She nodded. "I know. You're still cute!"
He raised an eyebrow. "So are you. You look really nice. I like the purple suit. Aren't you going to dry your hair?"
"Nah.. I'm running late. It'll dry in a bit. Half the time I don't dry it anyway."
"Yeah, I know," he said. She bent down to him, and he hugged her. "You want an 'express' ride? I'm sure somebody is available."
"No, it will only take me fifteen minutes to get there. I'll just have to make rounds this evening." Then she frowned. "Ohh... I.." She ran to the bathroom.
When she came back out of the bathroom, Clark turned to her. "Are you going to be okay? Should you cancel the surgery?"
"I'll get something at the hospital. I'll be fine."
He nodded. "Be careful, honey."
As Caitlyn walked out, Lara said, "What's cytis, daddy?"
"Never mind, Lara. Never mind." He put his hands over his face and shook his head. He wasn't sure if she had picked up his thoughts or if she had heard them talking earlier.
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Amanda was walking out just as Caitlyn was. Caitlyn smiled. "Thanks for taking such good care of Rya, Amanda. We appreciate it. Is she doing okay?"
Amanda nodded. "She's tired and a little fussy because I kept waking her up to do the normal post-partum checks, but she's fine. I'll be back this evening to check on her. They are supposed to tell me then if they want this birth to be 'official'. They want to talk to Su... Clark first."
Caitlyn smiled. "It probably wouldn't hurt to make Jonna a citizen." Then she looked at Amanda seriously. "Clark. Remember he's Clark."
Amanda nodded and swallowed hard. She wasn't sure what to think about knowing the 'secret'. She said, "Caitlyn, are you okay? You seem... uncomfortable."
Caitlyn scrunched up her face. "Just... maybe... cystitis. I'll get something at the hospital."
Amanda smiled a little and said, "Oh. I have something I can give you." She quickly handed Caitlyn some medication out of her bag. "If you don't get better, come see me. Okay?" Caitlyn nodded. "You know how to take these, right?" Caitlyn nodded again. Amanda bit her lip. "And Caitlyn, you might want to... umm.... well, you know..."
Caitlyn blushed bright red, nodded and got into her car.
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When 'Superman' was over, Lara turned to her beloved daddy, and asked, "Daddy, will you make very black panks this mornin'?"
Clark chuckled. "That's blackberry pancakes, Lara. Hmmm.... I have plans. How about tomorrow morning? Okay?"
"'Kay." Lara went prancing off to the kitchen to see if anyone had prepared any breakfast yet. She was hungry. She entered the kitchen and found Jenni there. "Hey!"
Jenni smiled. "Hi, sweetie. Zared made breakfast for everybody. Want something?" Lara nodded and Jenni helped her with a plate.
Lara looked up at her and grinned. "You miss'ed the meeting."
"The meeting?" Zared said.
"Yeah, hum. Mommy Caitlyn and daddy got married." She sat down at the table and started eating.
Jenni looked at Zared with wide eyes. "I guess that must have been some meeting."
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Clark knocked on the twins bedroom door. Chloe answered, "Come in." Chloe was sitting up stretching. Claire had her head covered up and mumbled.
Clark smiled and kissed each of the girls on the cheek. "Happy sixteenth birthday." He chuckled. "You thought I forgot didn't you?" They both shrugged. "Well, my flying sprites, I thought we'd go to Rome for brunch if the two of you would provide the flight."
Claire sat up. "Rome?" she said excitedly.
He nodded. "Rome. I know you girls like Italian, so I thought you might like some *real* Italian."
Chloe grinned. "So does that mean we get to go as the Purple Pixie and the Blue Fairy?"
He nodded. "Until we get there. Then we'll all change. Don't get any ideas about any more appearances, though. We'll see about that later. I'd like to get over there about ten our time, so you two get ready. I know with all your primping that it will take you a while to get ready."
Chloe smiled, "Where are we going to eat?"
"Mmm... Just a little place I know. They always have a seat for Clark Kent, and anyone he decides to bring along."
Claire said, "As long as they have good food, then I'm all for it!"
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Clark padded to the kitchen barefooted. He was still just wearing sleep shorts. He entered the kitchen and Jenni whistled. Clark rolled his eyes. "Jenni! You are really going to have to stop that. You have your own super man now." He chuckled. Two Bark and Bear thumped their tales waiting for acknowledgment from Clark. He reached down and quickly scratched both of their heads.
"I know, but old habits die hard, Clark." She winked at him.
Lara said, "Zared fix'ed breakas."
Clark nodded and said, "Good. I figured someone had. I guess Anamarie was glad you cooked this morning, wasn't she, Zared?" Zared grunted in answer. Clark walked to the coffee pot, poured himself a cup of coffee, smelled it then made a face. He held it away from him then poured it into the sink. He grimaced and shook his head. "Thought I wanted a cup of that." He turned and walked to the refrigerator and got a can of cold Seven-Up.
Zared ran his hand over his face. "Still not feeling like drinking coffee, huh?"
Clark shrugged. "Well, I thought I was. Now, I wonder if I'm ever going to want it again. Right now, it just seems vile to me." He shuddered.
Zared nodded. "Are you still really nauseated?"
Clark put his hands up in a 'I don't know gesture'. He sighed. "Off and on. I feel a lot better, but I.. don't know. That coffee..." He shook his head in a disgusting no motion.
Zared smiled and chuckled. "I hear Jenni and I missed an interesting family meeting. I hear you *did* get married. Why such a secret? Were you afraid you would take away from Jenni's and my little wedding?"
"No. We didn't decide to actually elope until late that night... or early Sunday morning. We got married about 2:00 am Sunday morning." He sat down at the table and opened his Seven-Up. Zared and Jenni didn't know that Rya had gone into labor, let alone have a baby. "You also have a niece - Lady Jonna-El, a Noble of New Krypton, born from the House of Pe and into the House of El." He grinned. "Jon and Hannah were named god parents or honorary parents. It seems that Rya was so pleased with the little Superman onesie that Jon found that she named the baby after him." He paused. "Amanda... hmm... I don't think I even know her last name, came to help with the delivery, and she found out I'm Superman." He nodded as if it was all just another 'normal' day. "Jimmy told Cat about me, and Trace overheard it." Zared and Jenni both had their mouths hanging open. He shrugged a little. "And you know about Marisol, right?"
"Marisol?" A shocked Zared asked.
Clark nodded. "She's Krypterran and will be staying here for a few days. She's from Smallville."
Jenni giggled then said, "Aha! I've got you saying Krypterran, too."
Clark nodded and sighed. "Yep. Guess so." He turned to Zared. "Shouldn't you be at the zoo cleaning cages?"
Zared rolled his eyes and started to protest at the standing joke, but he just shook his head. "I've got the day off from the zoo. I start at the Planet this afternoon."
Clark barely concealed a laugh. "And Perry's filling in for Jimmy today." He started laughing in earnest then. "Knowing this will probably be your only day with him, I imagine you will get the full Perry onslaught."
Zared shook his head. "Elvis stories all day long."
Clark nodded. "Yep. I remember the time 'The King'..." He didn't finish what he was saying. He just laughed.
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As Chloe and Claire were getting ready, Chloe said to Claire. "Claire, I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to tell daddy what happened."
"No!"
"If you don't, then I will."
"Chloe, you promised!"
"No, I didn't. I held you while you cried. I made no such promise. You know I'm right."
Claire's lip trembled, and she said softly. "I... can't... I.. It's *my* fault. I can't."
"Claire! It's *not* your fault. You did nothing wrong."
"Chloe! Pleeasse. Don't tell, daddy. Please!"
Chloe looked at her sister and hung her head. She shook her head no. "I'm sorry, Claire. Daddy has to know. Like I said. You can tell him... or I will."
"Okay, okay. I'll tell him. But please... not while we are in Rome. Please!"
Chloe nodded in agreement. "But you will tell him this evening."
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Clark had showered and decided to wait for the girls in his office. He stopped and knocked on the door to the den.
Hannah said, "Come in." She looked up from a book and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hi, Clark."
He nodded. "Hannah. Caitlyn wants to see you at 11:30 instead of 11:00."
A look of concern crossed her face. "Is anything wrong?"
"No. It was my suggestion actually. Caitlyn thought Jon might actually want me to be there, and I decided she was probably right. I'm taking the twins to Rome for brunch so I figured if she talks to the both of you first and does your exam first then I could get back in time for Jon's exam."
She nodded. "Oh. I haven't seen them yet to tell them Happy Birthday. For that matter, I haven't seen Jon yet either."
Clark pursed his lips. "Neither have I. Hmmph." He turned to leave. "I'll see you all later."
He went to his office and sat down to wait for the girls. Meowoof followed him in and jumped up on his lap. He grinned. "It's a good thing you like it here, you know that?"
She purred happily. She knew she was going to get to stay with all these marvelous people. "Meeeow..."
He was balancing Meowoof on his lap and writing when Anamarie walked in.
She sat down with a flop. "Mr. Kent. I'm resigning."
Clark looked up with wide eyes. "Anamarie! No! You are so good with the kids, and they all like you. Please reconsider. Why?"
She hung her head... "I.. just... I've caused you so much trouble, and I... well, I just don't think there's a place for me here now." She crossed her arms.
Clark looked at her with wide eyes. "Anamarie, yes, you brought your sister here without telling me, but that madman knew that you were her sister. There's still a chance that he would have come here. And what do you mean there's not a place for you now?"
"I just... well.. you are married now... and..."
Clark interrupted and shook his head no. "She's a *doctor*! We both have busy careers. We.. *I* still need you. Please... *please* reconsider."
She muttered. "I don't know..." Then she stood up and said determinedly, "No, I don't think so. My contract says I have to give you a month's notice. I have a few days left before I'm going on the trip with my aunt. If you won't count the time off, then I'll return for three weeks, then I'll be gone." She turned to leave.
Clark sighed. "Anamarie. Please. Reconsider. You've been through a lot. Take your trip and think about it. Then... talk to me again."
"I don't think so, Mr. Kent. I'll type it up in a bit and make it official." She walked out.
Clark sighed and leaned his head on his hand. Damn. It was so hard to find a good nanny. Now what was he going to do? And what was up with Anamarie?
The twins walked in his office and Claire said, "Ready?"
He nodded and stood up. He closed his eyes tightly. "Yeah, let's go." They walked outside, quickly changed and took off. Superman, the Purple Pixie, and the Blue Fairy flew towards Rome.
Chloe said, "What's wrong, daddy?"
He blew his breath out and rolled his eyes. "Anamarie just quit."
Claire grinned. "I'd say that's because she now realizes there is no hope with you."
Clark shook his head. "What do you mean?"
Chloe answered. "Oh, come on, daddy. You aren't blind. Surely you've noticed her flirting with you."
He thought a moment then answered, "No, I didn't. I mean... she's *twenty-four*! I'm old enough to be her father!"
Claire pursed her lips. "I think she had hopes, daddy. I mean... successful, handsome, sexy bachelor. Who wouldn't have been interested in her place?"
"But... she's dated almost the entire time she's worked here. And I surely never encouraged her! I... Oh, crap." He sighed again. "She never thought I encouraged her... did she? I mean I had absolutely no interest in her that way."
Chloe said. "I don't think so. I think she just had hope. None of use ever encouraged her, either. Not even Lara. I mean we like her, but we never wanted the two of you together."
Claire shrugged. "You know, maybe under the circumstances, it might be best to just let her leave and not try to convince her otherwise."
Clark just shook his head. They were high in the air now, and they started flying so fast they could barely be seen. Boom!
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Rya was sitting in bed feeding the baby. She looked up as Los walked in. She smiled. "~Los.~" Then she giggled slightly as the baby smacked in enjoyment of the breast milk.
Los laughed. "~Sounds like she's hungry this morning. I'm glad she's eating well.~"
Rya nodded then grimaced. "~Yes, but it seems to make me cramp. Is that normal?~"
He nodded and said, "~Yes, I'm afraid it is. That's one of nature's ways of reducing your uterus back to it's normal size.~" He looked around. "~Where's K'al?~"
She shook her head in amazement. "~He and Zared are outside alternately freezing and dethawing water. He said something about heat vision and freezing breath.~" She looked at Los with some frustration. "~What in heavens is heat vision?~"
Los raised his eyebrows. "~I take it K'al didn't explain *everything* about the effects of a yellow sun on Kryptonians?~"
She blew her breath out. "~Maybe. If he explained it all, though, I wasn't listening. All I remember is something about near invulnerability and flying. I guess it's no wonder this has been kept from the Kryptonian people as much as possible.~"
Los nodded. "~Exactly. Lord Nor and his people wreaked havoc on this planet.~"
She smiled. "~Teach me this other language, Los. I'm good at things like that. I wish to learn quickly.~"
He nodded. "~It's called 'English'.~"
She repeated. "Eng..lish."
"~Good.~" He smiled. "Good. ~I brought you some children's books to get started. And when you get through those, I have a computer program.~" He opened one of the books and began pronouncing the alphabet for her.
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Clark and his two beautiful redheaded daughters sat in a small booth in a quiet little restaurant in Rome. After translating the menu for Chloe, he ordered for the two of them. Claire proudly ordered for herself.
Chloe giggled. "I guess I'm going to have to learn some Italian, too, huh?"
Claire laughed. "You teach me some French. I'll teach you some Italian."
Clark smiled. "I didn't even think about only one of you speaking Italian when I picked Rome."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for bringing us here, daddy. This is wonderful."
Claire asked, "Did you ever bring mom here?"
Clark shook his head no. "I just found this place a couple of years ago." He didn't tell them that he couldn't stand the thoughts of going to restaurants that he and Lois had gone to together. "So Claire. Have your thoughts about Caitlyn changed any?"
She smiled. "I like her. A lot. I guess I was like Brook. I just didn't want to share you. But after she told me about her dad getting remarried, I guess I started rethinking things." She giggled when the young waiter flirted with her.
"Good. That's good. 'Cause I love her a lot." He grinned. "I love you two a lot, too!" Then they proceeded to talk about almost everything. Almost everything except the thing Clark needed to most know. They ended their meal with a happy birthday wish and a serving each of tira misu.
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It was 10:45 am, and Hannah still hadn't seen Jon. She knocked on his door, and when he didn't answer she walked in. He was still asleep. That was pretty unusual for Jon. She sat down on the bed beside him and shook him awake. He sat up with a start and rubbed his forehead and eyes sleepily. "Jon, honey, it's 10:45. You need to get ready. Do you need to take a shower?"
He shook his head no. "I took one earlier this morning. Did you say it was 10:45? Our appointment is in fifteen minutes." He swung his legs around to the floor. He rubbed his back.
Hannah answered. "Caitlyn changed it to 11:30." She ran her hand down his arm. "Jon, are you okay? You seem to be a little pale and shaky." She felt his forehead. "You seem a little warm, too."
He stood up. "I.. You were right. I didn't realize anything was really wrong until sometime this morning, but I feel like crap." He sat back down on the bed and shivered. "Maybe I didn't want to realize it. I was really hoping..."
She hugged him, and she was near tears due to being worried about her beloved Jon. "I know, honey, I know. Now point me to what you want to wear, and I'll get it out for you. Okay?" He nodded.
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Hannah and Jon walked in the lab at 11:20. Danny greeted them. "Hi." He narrowed his eyes. "You don't feel good, do you, Jon?" Jon shook his head no. Danny nodded. "Caitlyn is on her way." He looked at Hannah. "I have paperwork for you." He handed her a clipboard with some papers on it and she nodded. He left them in Caitlyn's office and walked out.
Hannah leaned over to Jon and said, "I'm not sure I like Jenni's father knowing why we are here."
Jon shrugged. "Me either, but he works here. I'm sure he will be quite professional."
She nodded. "I don't doubt that. It's just weird." She started filling out the papers.
Jon lay his head on the desk and muttered. "I don't want to even think about what she's going to do to me."
Hannah leaned over and rubbed his back lightly. "She'll do what's necessary." Jon grunted and Hannah continued to fill out her paperwork.
A few minutes later, Caitlyn walked in and smiled. She nodded at Hannah then sat down. She reached over and felt of Jon's forehead. "I believe you have a fever."
Hannah nodded. "I thought so, too."
Caitlyn asked, "When did you start feeling bad?"
Jon rubbed his forehead. "Last night... early this morning..." He shrugged.
Caitlyn nodded. "If you weren't Krypterran, I'd draw blood first, but we will wait. Okay?" Jon nodded. She proceeded to ask them some questions. Then she said, "I don't think I need to tell you how things work. You both are pretty smart, but I will say that when you decide to have sex that you will need to remember that we don't know if birth control pills, or other types of birth control that involves medication will work for Krypterrans. Perhaps Los can help with that, but right now I'd say that if you want to avoid pregnancy that will involve the use of condoms." They both nodded. "I want you to watch a couple of short films." They both rolled their eyes. "They are good. I promise. They aren't silly." She motioned for them to follow her. They entered another room with a television and DVD player set up. "Here are the DVD's. Take as long as you want." Before she shut the door, she grinned. "I'll be asking questions to see if you really watched." They just looked at each other and shook their heads.
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Before Caitlyn could change into scrubs, she saw Bernie. He smiled at her. "Wow, Bernie. You look well rested. That little vacation must have done wonders."
He nodded. "It did. I just hate it that I missed Zared's and Jenni's wedding."
Caitlyn shrugged, "Well, they understood. They didn't give everyone a lot of warning. That's not all you missed."
"Oh. What else did I miss?"
"Well, the Mutilator interrupted the graduation party. No one got seriously hurt, though."
He interrupted and touched her cheek. "Is that how you got this nasty bruise?"
She nodded. "I thought I had it covered up with make-up. Not so good, huh?"
"Well, I can still see it. Did anyone else get hurt?"
"He kicked Clark in the abdomen, and I thought he was going to have to be admitted to the hospital, but he was pretty upset about that idea, so Dr. Dawson and I let him come home. And that's not all that happened over the weekend. Lois made not one, but two visits. She gave Clark something called a T-5 - don't ask, I don't know - that allowed Clark to go to New Krypton and get Zared when he was a baby and bring him back to Earth. Then Zared went to New Krypton and found that he had two older brothers - identical twins, and he brought them both here for a visit. Their names are K'al and Los. Lois made her second visit to congratulate Zared and Jenni. Chloe and Claire made their debut as the Blue Fairy and the Purple Pixie and rescued Trace Alderbrant, Jimmy Olsen's stepson, in the process. Then Clark and I decided to elope. Then K'al's wife, Rya showed up, promptly went into labor, and Clark became a grandfather. His other son, Los, is a physician and will be here in a bit."
For once she actually saw Bernie completely, totally surprised. He was speechless. She smiled. "Is Carolyn working today?" He was still dumbfounded, and all he could do was shake his head no. "I wanted to ask her about kryptonite's radioactive properties."
"Oh. She's taking the day off. I... I can probably answer some of your questions. That's more her specialty, but I have taken care of Clark a long time, so I do know a little about that nasty green rock." She nodded and they began discussing the radioactive properties of kryptonite and how different amounts and strengths of it could affect Clark differently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caitlyn knocked on the door before she entered the room Jon and Hannah were in. She found them in an embrace. They broke apart and smiled at her. She smiled back. "I take it you decided those films weren't 'stupid'?"
They both nodded. Jon said, "Not too shabby. I was expecting a birds and bees kind of video. Those were more about decisions."
Caitlyn nodded. "Exactly. Deciding to have sex is a huge decision. Questions?"
They shook their heads no. Hannah said, "Maybe a few things to discuss between ourselves."
Caitlyn smiled. "Come on."
They stood up. Jon laughed. "I thought you were going to 'quiz' us."
She raised an eyebrow. "You've told me enough to let me know you watched the videos." They nodded. She led them into an exam room. She handed Hannah a gown. She nodded towards a bathroom. "You need to take everything off and leave the gown open in front. Use the bathroom if you need to. I want to get a urinalysis, too, but we'll get that after I examine you. Okay?" Hannah nodded.
Jon grinned at Caitlyn. "I've got to tell you that scrubs do nothing for you."
Caitlyn laughed. "Do you mean to tell me that you think a shapeless, unisex shirt and pants hides the fact that I'm a woman?"
"No, that's impossible. You're too..." He blushed before he completed his sentence. He had been going to say well endowed.
Before Caitlyn realized it, she said, "Well, your father seems to enjoy them." Then she turned bright red and covered her face with her hands.
They both smiled then Jon changed the subject. "You are going to do a cystoscopy on me, aren't you?"
She nodded. "Most likely." He scrunched up his face.
Hannah came out of the bathroom and said, "Okay, now what?"
Caitlyn nodded. "First, Danny is the only nurse here today. I hope it's okay if he's here."
She shrugged. "He's a nurse. It doesn't matter to me."
Caitlyn replied, "Okay. Next, are you sure the two of you want to stay with each other while the other gets examined?" She pursed her lips. "I mean are you *really* sure."
Hannah nodded. "We're sure."
Jon said, "Yeah."
Caitlyn patted the exam table. "Hop up here. I'm going to do a complete exam on you - not sure a gynecological exam."
Hannah nodded. "I know." Caitlyn started the exam with the usual - nose, mouth, ears... "Okay, drop your gown to your waist for me. "Do you do breast exams on yourself?"
She nodded. "Mom a fanatic about it. She made me start as soon as there was something to examine."
Caitlyn nodded. "Good. That's very important.
Hannah continued. "Even though she does exams, it was still dad that found the lump in her breast. Mom had to have a mastectomy."
Caitlyn nodded. "I didn't know that. Did she have reconstruction surgery?" Hannah nodded. "Do you want Jon to learn how to do this?" Hannah nodded again.
Caitlyn motioned Jon over and showed him what to do. Jon swallowed hard. "Hannah, are you sure you want me to do this?" She nodded.
Caitlyn said, "It's not a bad idea, Jon. Since her mom has had breast cancer, she's at increased risk. Being half Kryptonian has probably decreased that risk, but we don't know if it's been eliminated." Jon nodded. He was very embarrassed, but he would do anything for Hannah. After Caitlyn had shown him what to do, she said, "Okay, Hannah, lie down for me." Hannah did so. Caitlyn turned to Jon, "You need to do this with her sitting up and lying down. Okay?"
Jon nodded then giggled. "Does dad know how to do this?"
Caitlyn laughed, "I haven't the foggiest idea. I'll teach him."
Hannah laughed, too. "Probably a good idea. You have a lot there to take care of."
Caitlyn blushed. "So Jon reminded me earlier."
Hannah continued, "Now, me. I'm almost as flat as a flitter."
Jon rolled his eyes. "Good grief. What a conversation. What the heck's a flitter anyway?"
Hannah and Caitlyn both laughed at Jon's discomfiture. Caitlyn did an abdominal exam then explained what she was going to do next.
Hannah giggled. "A speculum. I bet a man invented that thing."
Caitlyn shrugged, "I don't know, Hannah." She shook her head. "I don't know." She walked to the door and called Danny.
Danny smiled as he walked in. He nodded at Jon, "Your dad just got here. The Sprites dropped him off."
Jon giggled. "I wonder if they knew they would end up being called 'The Sprites'?"
Hannah laughed, too. "I doubt it."
Caitlyn said, "Scoot down. More... more..."
"What... you want my butt hanging off the table?"
"Something like that." Caitlyn smiled.
Hannah harrumphed. "At least I know you've been through this, too."
"Yes, I have. Almost every woman has." Caitlyn said softly, "Hannah, this will be a little uncomfortable. Just try to relax for me. Okay? I'm surprised your mom hasn't had you do this yet."
Hannah said, "No. She hasn't pushed the issue. She just told me not to wait too long. Ow..." Hannah squeezed Jon's hand tightly, and he bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Sorry, sweetie." Caitlyn looked up. "I'm almost done with this part. Then I'll do a manual exam." She smiled at Danny. "If you want to go ahead and take the slide for the pap and get it processed, I'm done with you." He nodded. "Oh, and Danny, I'm going to want to cath Jon and do a cysto on him. Okay?"
As he was walking out, Danny said, "I'll get it set up."
Jon frowned. "Guess I'm not going to get out of it, huh?"
Caitlyn shook her head no. "Okay, a little more discomfort, Hannah."
Jon said, "You know... I just thought about something... I.. uh... She's Krypterran. Is that going to be... a.. a problem?"
Caitlyn said, "No, Jon. Not if I was able to do this exam. I doubt that would ever be a problem anyway. Folks - part Kryptonian or not - were made to have sex." She took his hand. "Here, put your hand right here on her abdomen and push down lightly. That's her ovary."
Jon raised an eyebrow. "Wow. I never realized... you could really feel stuff that well."
Caitlyn nodded. "Depends on what it is. Okay, I'm done, Hannah."
Hannah sat up. "Even if it was a problem, I don't think it would be problem with us, Jon. You are also Krypterran." She wrinkled up her nose. "That wasn't very pleasant. I bet that really hurts if you have some kind of problem going on."
Caitlyn nodded. "It can. You can get dressed. If you can, give me a urine specimen. If not, we'll get one in a bit."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caitlyn walked out of the exam room. She smiled as she noticed Danny showing Los around the lab. She found Clark sitting in her office. He was dressed as Superman.
He nodded. "It's weird. Everyone in the lab right now knows about me. I don't have to worry about calling you 'Caitlyn', Caitlyn."
She grinned. "Well, you are looking pretty *super* right now so if they didn't know you wouldn't have to worry about it. You aren't so pale now, and I believe you've gained a little weight."
He closed his eyes in thought. "I know I feel a heck of a lot better. How about you?"
"Yes, I feel better. I took something for pain that works on the urinary tract. And Amanda gave me antibiotics, too, so I started those."
He leaned forward. He said worriedly, "You saw Amanda?"
"Only on the way out of the house. I didn't see her as a patient." She shrugged.
"Do you need to see her?" Clark asked with concern.
She shook her head no. "I don't think so."
He patted her hand. "I'm sorry about... this, honey."
"I'm not complaining." She grinned. "It's aggravating, but I certainly enjoyed myself." She kissed him on the cheek then sat down. "Did Los examine you?"
He threw his head back and frowned. "No. I forgot. Sorry."
She shrugged. "That's okay." She smiled. "How did the birthday brunch go?"
He smiled. "Oh, it was great. I have some great kids, you know that?" She nodded. "Something's up with those two, but I wasn't going to push the issue on their birthday."
"Hmmm..."
He smiled. "How's everything going with Hannah and Jon?"
She smiled. "Fine, so far. Jon's not too happy that he's going to have a cystoscopy done, but he hasn't protested too much."
Clark's eyes were sad. "You are going to draw blood, too, aren't you?"
She nodded. "Yes, and I'm going to go ahead and start an IV. That way, I'll be able to give him something to help him relax so the cystoscopy will be a little easier."
Bernie poked his head in. "You better come on. Jon looks like he's ready to bolt."
Clark stood up, "Oh, no. He's not going anywhere."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark walked out to find Jon almost hyperventilating. He was standing outside an exam room - a different one than the one he and Hannah had just been in. Hannah was holding his hands and talking to him. He was shaking his head no.
Clark walked over to them. "Jon, are you trying to run away?"
Hannah said, "No. He just got a very sudden case of nerves. He's really scared."
Clark took Jon by the shoulders and led him towards the exam room. "The last episode he had with this was really hard on him." Hannah was well aware of that. She had seen how sick he had been. Then Clark hugged Jon. "Shhh...It's okay. It's okay."
Jon trembled then whispered. "I hate being sick."
Clark hugged him. "I know."
Jon pulled away from his dad. "Okay. I'm ready." He was shaking, but quietly walked into the exam room, picked up a gown and started undressing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tbc
