“Lois, you’re on the second floor. Once you’re more mobile you’ll probably get moved up to third or to another wing on second, but you’ll need more help at first so your room is near the nurses station.” Joe pushed her chair out of the elevator. “Second door down the hall here.” Clark hurried ahead and opened the door for them. The room looked more like a bed and breakfast than a hospital room.
“Wow,” Lois spoke for the first time since entering the center.
“Lois, this is really nice,” commented Clark.
The Victorian style wasn’t really Lois’ taste, but it fit with the rest of the building. Anyway, as long as the care was cutting edge, she didn’t care what her surroundings looked like.
“Alright, Lois, let’s get you into bed-“
“I’ll do it,” Clark cut Joe off, lifting Lois into his arms and carrying her to set her against the upright pillows.
“Uh, okay,” Joe spoke in obvious surprise as the swiftness of Clark’s actions. “Um, if you need anything, the page to the nurses’ station is on the bedside table, along with the TV remote. There’s a library downstairs if you want to watch a DVD or listen to any books on CD. Oh, and there’s regular books, newspapers, and magazines if you’d prefer those. I’ll just let you get settled in. Dinner’s at five. Even if you can’t eat, it is a good time to meet our other residents. I can come back up and bring you down or your, uh, friend here can bring you. I’ll just leave the wheelchair here.” Joe made a somewhat hasty exit from the room.
“Clark,” Lois admonished.
“What? If I’m here, I want to help take care of you.”
Lois smiled at him so he knew she was actually pleased with his possessiveness. He gave her a quick kiss. “Your parents are on their way up.”
*****
Clark stayed with her through dinner. Joe had been right. It was a good opportunity to meet the other residents. Many of them were older, but there were also residents her own age as well as a few in their late teens. Some were worse off than she was but she heard some excited comments from others that were soon going to be able to leave the Center and get back to their former lives. It was encouraging to her and she allowed herself to wonder for a moment what her life was going to be like when she left. Would she move in with her parents? Or maybe she and Clark. . .
After dinner one of the nurses assisted her with getting ready for bed, ensuring she knew where the call buttons were if she needed help and reminding Clark not to stay too long as Lois needed her sleep. Clark settled on the bed with Lois to watch a DVD. She enjoyed snuggling into his body and the comfort of his arms. If only she could stay like this forever. She grinned to herself. No, she would go crazy. As wonderful as this was, she craved excitement. It was the activity of life that made moments like these so special.
She was already lightly dozing when the movie ended and Clark released her so that he could leave. “Sleep well, honey,” he said, running a finger down her chin.
But once he left she was wide awake. How long had it been since she had been alone for any period of time? Of course, she could call for help at any time, so she was not really *alone* but it was not the same as being in the hospital where she was checked on frequently during the night. It was a good feeling, that she was well enough to be on her own, yet she was almost a little. . . scared. Trying to find something else to think about she concentrated on her appointments for tomorrow. She would be meeting her new doctors and therapist and setting goals for her recovery. Thinking on these things, she drifted to sleep.
Her own scream brought her out of sleep. As she lay with her heart pounding, she heard the squeak of the nurse’s shoes as they hurried to her door, which opened and the room’s light was switched on.
“Miss Lane-Kent! Are you alright?”
She nodded. “S-s-sorry.”
The nurse smiled kindly. “I’m Nurse Reiley and it’s no problem. Do you want me to get you something to help you sleep?”
Lois shook her head.
“All right then. Just use the call button if you change your mind.”
The light was switched off and the door closed. Tears came to Lois eyes. She wanted to have Clark’s arms around her right now and to hear his voice promising her it was going to be all right. That Nigel would never hurt her again. She had been dreaming of that first time that Nigel had turned the device on her. Mrs. Cox had explained that they wanted Lois to get some bank account passwords from Lex. With typical Lois Lane-Kent attitude she had scoffed and asked how they intended to manage that.
“Like this,” Nigel said in that dry voice of his as he turned towards her with a remote in his hand.
“And what is *this*?”
Nigel depressed the button. Instantly her knees buckled under her as her head seemed to virtually explode with pain. “This,” Nigel said continuing the onslaught of pain, “is how we will manage that.” She collapsed in a heap as he let off the button. “And it can get much worse, so I suggest that you help us get what we want.”
She so weakened by the experience that she could not even question him. She just lay there quivering until the bile rose in her throat and she vomited from the pain still echoing in her head.
Lois felt sick just remembering the pain but she concentrated on her breathing, as she had learned to do, and the sickness passed. She reached for the TV remote and pushed the buttons that would bring up the movie that she had watched with Clark earlier. She was afraid to return to sleep in case the dream reoccurred.
*****
Clark was anxious to leave the Planet all morning. He wanted to know how Lois’ first night had gone. He had worried about leaving her, but he also knew that Lois’ independence was important to her. Still, when the slow moving hand of the clock released him from his duties for a lunch break, he was on the roof in record speed changing as he sped up the stairwell. Seconds later he was straightening his tie as he entered the Metropolis Neuroscience Center. Noise from the dining hall indicated that it was also the residents’ lunch time. Spotting Lois he pulled out a chair to sit beside her. Her face bloomed into a smile when she focused on him. Immediately her hand reached for his.
“Wanna blow this joint?” he asked. “It’s beautiful outside.”
Her smile widened as she nodded.
He pushed her chair out into the sunshine and settled on one of the many benches beside her. “Did you have a good night?”
She nodded slowly.
“I thought-” he stopped. Obviously she was fine.
She laid her hand on his. “W-w-hat?”
“I just woke up sitting straight up in bed imagining I had heard someone screaming, but I listened and I didn’t hear any thing. For some reason it had sounded a little like you.”
Then why hadn’t he come? she thought.
“You know if you ever need me, you just need to call. I’ll be here faster than you can say. . . Superman.”
She squeezed his hand and nodded, “Okay.”
He turned his hand to catch hers. “Hey, you’re getting stronger.”
*****
She was getting stronger. Her therapists were willing to work as fast as they felt she was able. The sessions in the Center’s big swimming pool were especially helpful. Her doctor has promised that he would be allowing her to eat and drink soon. She would just be eating what was now being fed to her through the tube, but it was progress. Until she was able to chew and swallow, her food would need to be blended or mashed just like a young child learning to eat. Chris was encouraging her to try to talk more though the words might sound unintelligible even to her own ears. She hated that. Somehow it was easier to accept her physical weakness, especially when she could see progress, than to struggle to speak and to sound, well, challenged to put it bluntly. Her mind was working just fine. She could still think, she was still Lois Lane-Kent but when the words left her mouth they were all garbled and slurred.
Within two weeks of moving to the Center she was able to abandon the wheelchair though she had to lean heavily on the walker. It felt so good to stand again
The nightmares still plagued her some nights, but she had not cried out again. She had pressed the call button to summon the nurse on few occasions and requested some warm milk to help her get back to sleep. They did not understand her request to add some chocolate to it and that just made her miss Clark. He would have known that she wanted chocolate in it without even asking.
He came every day to see her kissing, cuddling, encouraging her. When he could sense that she was very tired he would scold and threaten to have Superman pay her therapists a visit. He rejoiced in each small advancement, not because it made her more the Lois that she had been but because it was a personal victory for her now.
Sometimes they would watch a movie as they had done so many times before. Sometimes they would just talk about their family, friends, his job and her recovery. And one night he held her in his arms as he whispered to her the story of a little baby that came to Kansas in a spaceship to be the son of a farmer and his wife who were unable to have children of their own and of the globe he had found that told him of his Kryptonian heritage.
While practicing her walking one day she grew tired and found her way into the small chapel to sit down and rest for a moment. She was surprised at how quiet it was. The sunlight was shining through the colored glass windows and she admired the blaze of colors that was sent across the room. It became a regular stop for her as she roamed the halls finding that she leaned less and less on the metal frame of her walker as she gained strength. It wasn’t that she was seeking any sort of religious experience but she was attracted to this small haven. One day when she had settled on the bench she noticed a man with a clerical collar dusting in the front. When he realized he had an audience he turned to her with the biggest grin on his face and she couldn’t help but smile in return.
“Hello, Father,” she greeted him.
He laughed. “Lois, you’re not Catholic and I just wear this because it makes some of the other residents more comfortable.”
She regarded him curiously. “You know my name.”
“You could say it’s part of my job description.”
“Which is what exactly?”
“Just call me Mike. Everyone does.”
“Mike. Have you had this job long?”
He nodded. “A while. How are you doing Lois?”
“Better. Walking is getting easier and I’m trying to talk more.”
“You’re making some good progress then.”
“Yes. Hmm.”
“What?”
“I just noticed that you don’t seem to have any trouble understanding me.”
“Put it down to years of practice,”
“You like being a little mysterious don’t you?” Lois supposed that his job was probably pretty dull. If he wanted to surround it with an air of mystery, she could play along. He had only to look in her file to know almost anything about her. “I think I’ll continue my walk now.”
“Come again. This is a good place to think.”
*****
Two more weeks saw her free of the walker, unless she overdid it. But she was learning to recognize the signs that her body was tiring and would give in to the need to rest before it would betray her by refusing to obey her wishes. She had graduated from the “tube goo” to soft food- apple sauce, mashed potatoes- and Clark liked to sneak her in chocolate shakes from the Fudge Castle. Her speech was clearer, but she consciously chose shorter, easier words.
Her nightmares had continued. She had spoken to one of the counselors, Dr. Frsikin, who had brought it up after reviewing her chart. She acknowledged that the dreams were actually memories of her captivity, but she didn’t want to talk about it. There were other people who deserved to hear the story first and she was finally beginning to feel as if she would someday be able to tell the story and publish it for the world to know.
“I hope that you will find someone that you do want to talk about it to, Lois, because I think that these nightmares are caused by your not sharing them. As long as you keep these memories bottled up inside, they will continue to try to reveal themselves.”
Lois nodded. Her body was healing. She was beginning to long to return to her former life. Everyone was very nice here, but it was also just a little boring.
“I’d like to have a consultation with Dr. Thurston.”
“Dr. Thurston? He’s a great neurologist, but I would recommend talking to your family-”
“Dr. Thurston can help me with my greatest fear.”
“Which is?”
Lois looked at her.
“I’m just trying to help you.”
“I understand that, really. But I’ve never been the kind to open up about my feelings. I am much more a person of action. Dr. Thurston can help me with that.”
Dr. Friskin sighed. “I’ll call to see about setting up a time for him to come and see you.”
“Thank you.”
*****
“I want them out.”
“Ms. Lane-Kent, I’m willing to run more diagnostics, but I just don’t see the necessity of removing the implants. You have made a miraculous recovery. Why jeopardize that by causing your brain further trauma?”
“People can live without parts of their brains. *I* want to live without implants in mine.”
“But we’re not even positive what we are dealing with here! If the implants aren’t preventing you from having a normal life-”
“But that’s just it! They are!”
“What? How-”
“Dr. Friskin’s told you about my nightmares?”
“Yes. But those are caused by the trauma you’ve been through not the implants.”
“Why can’t you understand? My nightmares are caused by the fact that the implants are still in my head and Nigel St. John and Mrs. Cox are out there somewhere. No matter how much my body recovers they still have the power to control me. At any second they could come back.”
“Control you? Are you saying that these implants were used to control your mind?”
“The implants were used to cause me so much pain that I would do anything to stop it. I cannot get on with my life knowing that at any second that pain could come back. I don’t think that Nigel would miscalculate how much pain it would take to kill me next time.”
“I see.”
“I don’t think you do. When you tell a person they’re dying, you can usually give them some sort of timetable. They have some idea of how long they have to get their life in order. You can rely on tests to monitor that timetable. There aren’t any tests for me. I can live the rest of my life in fear, wondering if there is any reason to even try for a future, or Nigel could cut me down tomorrow with no warning.”
“There aren’t any guarantees in life. We could all die at any instant.”
“But I would like to decrease the odds. And I don’t want Nigel to have a direct line to hurt me. If he wants to come after me, I want to have the chance to fight for my life.”
“I can’t recommend it but I can see that these implants are keeping you from a full, normal life. Because of that, I will agree to do the surgery.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to request assistance from several colleagues, but you must understand Miss Lane-Kent that the removal of the implants could leave you worse off than you are now. Brain damage, paralysis, even death are all likely possibilities. You need to prepare for that.”
“I understand. But I want them out. I want my life back. If I can’t have that, I at least want my life to be *my* life. If something happens and I don’t live through the surgery, I want you to complete the surgery anyway. Either way, the implants are to be given to Superman immediately so that he can destroy them. I do not want them to be examined in any way. It is too easy that the technology could fall into the wrong hands.”
“While I can’t deny that I would have a great interest in studying the implants. . . it’s your brain so they’re your implants, Miss Lane-Kent, and I will abide by your wishes.”
*****
Lois’ meeting with Dr. Thurston had exhausted her. She made her way to the chapel to sit for a few moments in the stillness. But the chapel wasn’t empty.
“Hello, Lois. You look tired.”
“Hi, Mike. I am tired.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve spent the last hour arguing with Dr. Thurston.”
“He doesn’t understand why you want the implants removed.”
“Do you know everything?”
He shrugged, grinning at her.
“I just want my life back.”
“And is that what you want more than anything?”
“I want to marry Clark and live happily ever after. I’m hoping happily ever after will include returning to the Planet.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
“What?”
The door to the chapel opened and another resident came in, “Oh, Mike, I need to talk to you. It’s awful.”
Mike stood to his feet. “Just think about it, Lois.”
*****
Marry Clark. Marry Clark. It was what she wanted more than anything. What was stopping her? She loved Clark and he loved her. If they were waiting for her to get better, they could be waiting forever.
*****
She didn’t tell Clark about her meeting with Dr. Thurston or the trip she made to the hospital to begin the tests and consultations. They took enough pictures of her brain to wallpaper her apartment. Finally Dr. Thurston came to visit and told her that they were ready to set a date for the surgery.
A month. She had a month. If you had a month and no guarantee of life after that, what would you do?
*****
“Clark, can you take the afternoon off tomorrow?”
“Sure, Lois. Any particular reason?”
“Yes.”
“Which is?” he teased.
“Bring your tape recorder. I’m going to give you an interview.”
His eyes immediately lost the teasing gleam and he caught both her hands in his, “Lois-”
“I’m ready. There are things you need to know, things we need to talk about.”
“Do you want your parents there?”
“No. I’ll talk to them later. I just want you, Clark.”
He caught her lips in a kiss. “I’ll be here. Always.”
She returned his kiss whispering, “I know.”
*****
She led him into the chapel and sat down on one of the chairs. Clark carried his reporter’s notepad and his tape recorder. She took the pad from him as he sat down.
“You won’t need this. This isn’t really an interview. I just want you to record it for. . . posterity.”
He looked troubled, “Lois-”
“I just need you to hold me, Clark. Hold me tight.”
He instantly pulled her onto his lap and into his arms.
She let him hold her for a few minutes then she said, “Start the tape.
“It was right after my Tae Kwan Do class. Ironically we had been practicing attack deflection as several women in the class had requested a session. I was one of the last to leave. I was heading to my Jeep when someone grabbed me. I don’t know why I didn’t call for you. I think I was still in the mindset from the class and I just started to fight. I realized very quickly I wasn’t dealing with an amateur and by that time I was so busy that I didn’t have time to yell, “Superman.” Within just a few minutes, he had me in a stranglehold. That’s when Mrs. Cox came out of the shadows. She had a syringe and needle in her hand. I tried to struggle, but the person holding me was too skilled for me to be able to break away.
“When I woke up I was in my apartment. Actually, I think I was in Lex’s bunker in the room made up like my apartment. I couldn’t stay awake though. Then I was on a ship. Lex was there. He was holding my hand. I wanted to jerk away, but I couldn’t move or speak. One of Nigel’s cocktails. Apparently it is one of his specialties. One which he didn’t just practice on me. Lex’s eyes were glazed and a little wild looking. He was talking to me but he would fade off only to pick up the same topic a few minutes later as if no time had elapsed. But I understood that Lex thought that I was there willingly.”
“So Lex wasn’t the one that arranged to have you kidnapped?” I thought he was.”
“I’m not sure when Nigel and Mrs. Cox decided to take over, but you must admit that Lex was slipping. Arianna Carlin was in on it originally. I think Miranda’s pheromones gave them the idea. Lex was given the hundred percent solution and it made him completely besotted with me. I rejected him for you. Apparently he was completely inconsolable for a few days and let Nigel run things. It was the foothold that Nigel needed. By the time that Lex was back somewhat close to normal at least as far as his business went, the trio had hatched a plan. Arianna just wanted to get back at Lex for divorcing her and was quite happy to become rich in the process. Nigel St. John and Mrs. Cox had just gotten greedy. Lex paid them exorbitant salaries, but it wasn’t enough. They wanted everything.
“The doppelganger was their first attempt to get Lex’s pass codes to his personal accounts. Pretending to be me she apologized for not being grateful to him for buying the Planet to save it. She was far more open with her. . . gratitude than I had ever been. He bought her everything she asked for including that infamous trip to Bermuda.
“When Superman caught Arianna and my look-a-like, Lex realized that he had been fooled. He tried to fire Nigel and Mrs. Cox, and that was when Nigel started using drugs on him. I think he tried assorted “ truth serums” on him, but Lex had had training and was able to resist. He became confused though and his control on his businesses slipped further. But Lex stubbornly refused to hand over control of his personal assets to the two. They decided to try fooling him again. I never saw her but apparently they made a clone of me? By this time Lex knew he was ill. He thought I came to visit him. But the day that she asked him about the accounts he was incensed knowing that he had been fooled again. Nigel and Mrs. Cox realized that they had to have the real thing.”
“Nigel was the one who grabbed you?”
“Yes.”
“I found that he used to be British Secret Service.”
“I think he’s been a lot of things. When the ship docked we were taken to some sort of lab. Nigel told me that he wanted Lex’s pass codes. I could help him or else. If I had known what “or else” meant I might have gone along with it. But, of course, in Mad Dog Lois fashion I refused.
“When I woke up my head ached abominably. When I reached up to touch it, I found bald spots and stitching. I demanded that I be told what had happened but Mrs. Cox said it was just a little insurance. I figured it was one of those GPS chips they have developed for livestock, in case I got away. I told myself that they had put it under my skull because they knew I would cut it out from under my skin if I ever had the chance to escape and do so. Everything healed fine. Stubble was growing back on my head. They told Luthor that I had a brain tumor removed but that it caused me to be confused. He was so messed up he believed them. So no matter what I said to him he just patted my hand and told me it was okay.
Then Mrs. Cox told me that they needed the pass codes for a certain account that Lex had and I was going to help them. That was the first time they used the device on me. The pain just. . . just exploded in my head. I’ve never felt anything like that. It consumed my whole body. When Nigel let go of the button I was vomiting from the pain. I think I passed out.
“Why didn’t they just use the device on Luthor?”
“If they killed him they wouldn’t ever get what they wanted. Apparently they lost quite a few subjects testing the device out. They couldn’t take the chance of using it on Lex.
When I came to, we were on the move again. Once they had ensured that the device was working properly they needed to get us somewhere that Superman wouldn’t find us.”
“Did Luthor ever wonder if t was really you?”
“Once. I didn’t want to help them, Clark. But the pain was so bad. They would dope him up so he wasn’t really completely aware and then try to get me to ask him for pass codes. I guess they felt that with me his defenses would not be up and I might succeed where they had failed. But he must have been adjusting to the drugs because one day he was more lucid and he asked if I was really Lois. I insisted I was because Nigel was starting to press the button. I got where I could feel it coming. Lex became very angry and only settled down when Nigel showed him a copy of the Daily Planet that mentioned my disappearance.
Lex was very happy then because he thought I had come to him on my own. The next time they drugged him he did give me some of the pass codes. I purposely transposed some of the numbers when I gave them to Mrs. Cox. That was. . . that was a bad idea.”
Lois shuddered and Clark’s arms tightened around her. “It was so bad. I didn’t think the pain could get any worse. And I was so sick I couldn’t keep any food down for two days. Once I gave them the correct pass codes they were busy for a few days. That’s when I called you. There was a phone left on the desk while Nigel and Mrs. Cox were absorbed in transferring funds from Lex’s accounts into their own. They bounced the money around hoping to lose anyone that might have been watching Lex’s accounts. I didn’t reach you but I got to hear your voice on the machine. It gave me strength and hope. I knew you were looking for me.”
“You don’t know how much I wish I had been able to speak to you. I was so exhausted I let the phone ring in stead of picking it up. And then Henderson’s guys weren’t able to find the records of the call.”
“Nigel had them altered. He literally had operatives everywhere. By the time anyone started tracing the call, he had had the evidence deleted. He took great joy in telling me that the effort had been futile.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Oddly, he didn’t use the device to punish me for that. Maybe he felt knowing that I had failed was punishment enough. But they did pick up their efforts after that.”
“He knew I would find you.”
“It was everyday. I was so sick from the pain that anything I ate came back up. Luthor noticed that I was dropping weight and became very worried. I couldn’t hide my sadness from him. I think it became obvious to him that I wasn’t really there by choice. Either Nigel slacked off on the drugs or Lex adjusted again because he finally realized what Nigel and Mrs. Cox were doing to me. There was no pretense after that. We were both prisoners together. They no longer pretended that they were working for Lex. They just wanted those pass codes.
“During that time I got to know Lex more than before. Lex Luthor was an evil man. He did horrible things and felt no shame for doing them. All he cared about was making money and being the best. Power. He grew up with nothing. Raised by a mother that was a drug addict and would do anything to feed her habit. He spent his entire childhood feeling powerless. But he had a talent. He could gamble and win. It started small, of course. He didn’t have any money to play but he studied gamblers. Then he stole a valuable ring and with the money that he got for it he entered a game. And he won. And he continued to win. His games moved from back room hidden tables to exclusive games with the rich and famous. While they played cards, he gleaned knowledge on business and the stock market. He split his efforts then between investing and gambling. He instinctually knew what stocks to buy and when to sell.
“The last time he played poker for any reason other than as a social game he won a business from a man who was known to be a gambling addict. But his new life as an up and coming business man did not keep him from keeping tabs on what was going on in his old haunts and he employed a gang of thugs and began to pressure other businesses for protection money. He lived a double life from then on. He genuinely cared about children when he first began to donate heavily to children’s organizations, but soon his lifestyle even corrupted that good in him. He was a keen businessman. But he was also “The Boss”. Nothing happened that he did not have his thumb in it somehow.
“But the part of him that was with me in that room was the child that had never been loved, who was once again powerless against those bigger and stronger than he was. His only way of striking back was to refuse to speak. Nigel and Mrs. Cox were getting very nervous. So the gloves came off. They found they could accomplish far more torturing me in Lex’s presence to get him to talk than trying to get me to trick Lex into talking. As evil as he was, he really did love me. I didn’t love him, I could never get past all the evil that he had done, but I did feel compassion for him.
“Then Nigel and Mrs. Cox panicked. They came in waving a gun as well as the device. There was so much pain and I just faded in and out. Finally Mrs. Cox shoved the gun in my ribs and promised Lex she would pull the trigger if he didn’t give her the last pass code. Lex agreed to tell them if they would let him move me to the bed. He picked me up and settled me in the bed before turning to tell them the codes.
Nigel laughed. Mrs. Cox called him a fool and she shot him, right between the eyes. (Note: I changed the shooter to Mrs. Cox rather than Nigel as I have in the earlier posts.) Then Nigel turned to me and pressed the button on the device. I knew it was over. In that horrible voice of his he said, “Goodbye, Miss Lane-Kent. It’s been a pleasure killing you.” The pain came then and that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital. I must have died, at least for a few seconds. Long enough to make Nigel think he had killed me.”
“Oh, Lois. I wish so much that I had found you sooner.” Clark’s face was wet with tears when she looked up at him.
“I know you tried, Clark. I always, always knew that you would come for me.”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
He kissed her hungrily, but they held their passion in check. This wasn’t exactly the place for anything too passionate and her body was already telling her that she had overdone it. She reached over and turned off Clark’s tape recorder.
“Clark, Dr. Thurston is going to take the implants out.”
“I thought he said they weren’t causing any problems.”
“Dr. Thurston would leave them in, but I want Nigel St. John and Mrs. Cox out of my head. Can you understand that?”
Clark nodded. “It’s a risky surgery though.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Next month. He is bringing in some expert surgeons to assist. I told him that I want the implants given to Superman immediately. You have to destroy them, Clark. No one should have to go through what I suffered.”
“But I want to stay with you.”
“Do you?”
“Forever, Lois.”
“Do you really mean that, Clark?”
“I do, Lois. You’re my whole world. I can hardly breathe when you’re not here.”
“Then marry me, Clark.”
He set her from him to look into her face. “Lois, did you just say what I think you said?”
“Why wait, Clark? I love you and you love me. We know that we never want to be apart. So what are we waiting for?”
“But you’re having surgery-“
“And if something goes wrong, I want you making the decisions. You know me better than anyone else. I trust you to do what you know I would want. My parents are too cynical. You’ll know what I would do if I had to make a choice.”
“You could just give me medical power of attorney.”
“Don’t you want to marry me, Clark?”
“So much.”
“Then let’s do it. If we wait for life not to be so crazy, it’ll never happen.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Let’s do it. Let’s get married.”
“When?”
“I think your mom and sister are going to want in on that question.”
“Martha too. But I don’t want anything big, Clark. Just my parents, Ben, Alisha, and her parents.”
“My parents, Jimmy, and Perry.”
“Right.”
“And Henderson.”
“You want Henderson at our wedding?!”
“He worked tirelessly to find you, Lois. Everything that he could do, he did. He was a big help to me.”
“Then he’s invited too.” Lois tried to stifle a big yawn.
“I think we need to get you back upstairs to bed. You’ve really worn yourself out.”
“Can you play this recording for our parents. I just don’t feel up to telling it all again, but they deserve to know. Henderson, too, as I’m sure there’s some legal stuff he’ll need to clear up.”
“I can do that. Now let’s get you to bed.”
He swung her up into his arms and carried her out of the chapel, heading to her room. He laid her on the bed and pulled the covers over her.
Then he sat beside her as she started to drift away.
“Lois?”
“Hmm?”
“We’re getting married.”
A sleepy smile crossed her face. “I know.”
*****
Married! He was getting married. They’d only been dating a year and she was gone or unconscious for most of that. Clark shook his head in amusement. Life with Lois Lane-Kent was anything but normal.
Lois deserved a real proposal, though, and before their mothers descended with wedding suggestions. He needed a plan.
*****
It was lunchtime the next day when Clark arrived and swept Lois out of her chair just as she finished eating.
“Clark!”
“Hello, fiancée.” He was heading out the door of the Center.
“Clark, where are you going?”
“You have an appointment.”
“I don’t want to see any more doctors, Clark.” Clark stopped in front of a large car. “Clark, this is a limousine.”
“I know.”
“Where are we going?”
“You are going to Metropolis Day Spa. Mom spent the day there not too long ago and really seemed to enjoy it. I talked to your therapists about what was okay for you, so just sit back and enjoy.”
“I think I like being your fiancée, Clark.”
*****
She was in heaven. She spent time in the whirlpool, got a massage, a facial, manicure, pedicure, and best of all a haircut. The portions of her head that had been shaved for the implants were about three or four inches long so the rest of her hair was cut to that length and then shaped around her face. Someone else started on her makeup. She was so relaxed she just closed her eyes and sank into the chair.
“Miss Lane-Kent? Mr. Kent left this for you.”
Her eyes flew open. The receptionist was handing her a note and a red rose. She opened the card.
“Lois, put this on. We have reservations at Uncle Mike’s. Love always, Clark. P.S. Raspberry flavored Lois is still my favorite.” Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up from the note to see the garment bag.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where you can change. I’ll help you if you need anything.”
“If it zips, I’ll need help. My arms just don’t want to go that way any more.”
The garment bag held a beautiful burgundy dress. She smiled. Clark had said he liked her in burgundy. There were also some lacy black under things and black pantyhose. I wonder who picked those out, she thought blushing. There were some dressy but sensible black flats in the bottom of the bag. Clark trying to take care of my by ensuring my footwear won’t challenge my ability to keep my balance, she acknowledged. He seemed to have thought of everything.
A tap came from the door and her helper opened it.
She came back to finish helping Lois slip the dress over her head and zip it. “Your limo is here. If I may say so, we’re all a little envious. Your fiancée is gorgeous and you can just tell he loves you so much. He kept calling all afternoon to see how you were. He was afraid all this would tire you out.”
“I’m so relaxed I may fall asleep, but it didn’t tire me out.”
She let herself nap a little on the ride across town. When the limo pulled up to Uncle Mike’s restaurant, Clark opened her door and reached in for her. He stopped, gazing at her. “Wow.”
Lois laughed and took his hand as he helped her out of the limo. “I hope you like it.”
“I love you.” He kissed her softly for a minute before releasing her. “Your dinner awaits. Uncle Mike shut down the restaurant and cooked just for us tonight.”
He led her into the restaurant to a candlelit table where a bottle was chilling. He helped her into her seat and then removed the cork from the bottle and filled her glass. “No champagne. Dr. Thurston said no alcohol, so this is chilled grape juice.”
“It’s perfect.”
He filled his glass and raised it as he seated himself. “To us.”
She clinked her glass with his. “To us. To forever.” As they drank, Uncle Mike emerged from the kitchen.
“I checked everything out with the dieticians at the Center so eat up,” Uncle Mike assured her. Her plate looked a little less appetizing than Clark’s but she knew Uncle Mike’s food wouldn’t disappoint.
“Mmmnn,” she moaned as she took the first bite.
“Good?” inquired Clark.
“Delicious. Clark, this is all so wonderful. I feel so lucky.”
“You deserve every second. If I could bring you the moon, I would.”
“You probably could.”
Clark laughed. “Maybe, but I kindof like it where it is.”
“Me too.”
Clark sighed. “You look so beautiful.”
“Thank you. Did you pick it out?”
“Yes. Did the burgundy give me away?”
“Did you pick out *everything*?”
Clark flushed a little. “I hope that was okay. We are going to be married.”
Her gaze dropped. “Clark, you know we can’t. . . you know. Not for a while anyway.”
Clark’s finger lifted her chin. “Lois, I’m not marrying you for the “you know”. I’m marrying you because I can’t live without you.”
“I just. . . I know it’s been a long time since. . . since you were with Lana.”
Clark brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Lois, I was never with Lana. Not in that way.”
“But Clark! You dated Lana forever. You were going to marry her.”
“Making love is about love. And when you love someone you have to trust them. I’d never told Lana my secret. I couldn’t share myself with anyone unless they knew everything.”
“Oh, my-”
“Lois, it is different for me. *I’m* different. I needed to be sure. I needed to know that I was with the one person I would share everything with.”
“So, you’ve never. . .”
“Well, I mean, I’ve had girlfriends. Our relationships were not completely platonic.”
“Of course not.”
“So while I’ve experimented enough to know I work the same way as a human does, I’ve never. . .”
“Right.”
“But now I am sure, Lois. You’re the one I’ve waited for.”
“Oh, Clark. I just wish I’d-”
“No, Lois. Your experiences helped to make you who you are today. Maybe-”
Lois was trying to smother her laughter behind her hands.
“What!”
“If you would let me finish, I was trying to say that I wish I’d known so I wouldn’t have made such a fool of myself throwing myself at you! I can’t believe I was so forward. But I thought you were experienced and I was afraid that I would lose you if we didn’t make our relationship a physical one because I assumed you were accustomed to having one!”
“I thought you were-”
Lois was shaking her head.
“No?” he asked incredulous.
“No.”
“What about Paul? I thought you and he. . .”
“Almost. But I couldn’t make love to another man when it was always you in my head. You who I really wanted. It wouldn’t have been fair.”
“Wow.”
They looked at each other and burst out laughing. But their mirth was changing to another emotion as they looked into each other’s eyes. Clark pushed his chair back and was by her side in an instant bending down to crush his lips against hers. As their lips moved he sank slowly to one knee in front of her. He pulled his lips from hers.
“Lois. There is no way I can ever express how sorry I am that you’ve had to go through all this. Through the kidnapping and incarceration. Through the horrible pain. Then the struggle through the recovery. But I am so glad that it happened to me.”
Lois gasped. “Clark, what do you-”
Clark silenced her by laying a finger across her lips. “Sometimes you think you're immortal and you start to think the people around you are, too. It can just take a second to realize how wrong you are about everything. I almost lost you, Lois, and it is the most horrible thing I’ve ever gone through. But it made me realize how much I took you for granted. You are the most wonderful, beautiful, brave woman in the whole world. You deserve to be treasured for who you are and I finally saw that. So, Lois Lane-Kent, will you marry me and let me cherish you every day for the rest of our lives? Because I know now that you are my very soul.” As he spoke he pulled a burgundy velvet covered square from his pocket and cracked it open to display to her.
Lois breath caught in her throat. She had not been expecting this. Well, she had been expecting a ring, eventually, but not this, such a precious, heartfelt proposal. She could hardly see the ring. All she could see was a kaleidoscope of rainbows through the tears pricking her eyes. She sniffed and nodded as her tears spilled over. Clark brushed one away with his thumb. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
Clark pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. “It is a trillion cut diamond. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the one. It reminded me of the symbol of the house of El.”
Lois wiped at her tears so that she could see the ring. The triangle shaped stone did resemble Superman’s “S”. “It’s perfect, Clark.” She held up her hand and she and Clark admired the ring together.
“Anyone ready for dessert in here?” came Uncle Mike’s voice. “I’ve had a request for my chocolate raspberry tortes, heavy on the raspberry.”
“Look, Uncle Mike.” Lois held her hand out for his inspection.
“Well, look at that. Congratulations you two.”
“Thanks.” Clark cleared his throat as he stood and seated himself.
They enjoyed Mike’s tortes although it could have been sawdust for all the notice they gave to the taste. They were too busy “accidentally” getting raspberry on each other’s mouths and fingers that had to be softly mouthed off.
They were seated in the limousine travelling back to the Center when Clark asked, “When?”
“When what?”
“When are we getting married? Everyone will ask the second we announce it.”
“Well, I want to do it before my surgery, and I’d actually like to do it close to the time of surgery so I have the wedding to look forward to and little time to worry about the surgery.”
“And where?”
“I don’t see why we can’t have the wedding in the Center’s chapel. It would be perfect for such a small ceremony and I’d like to have Mike marry us.”
“Mike?”
“Yes. He works there. I don’t know why but I just feel like I’ve known him all my life.”
“Your surgery is on a Tuesday, right?”
“Yes. I have to go in early on Monday for all the final testing.”
“So what about Sunday?”
“That would be perfect. Even though it’s a small ceremony, we’ll still need to arrange for flowers, and wedding clothes, and a photographer.”
“Lois, it sounds like a lot of work. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I would say yes, but Dr. Thurston will refuse to operate if I’m not in tip-top shape so I’m going to let our mothers handle it. If my mom tries to go overboard yours will manage to temper her enthusiasm.”
“When you are released from the Center, I’ll take you on a honeymoon, I promise.”
“I know you will, Clark, but the important thing is that we’ll finally be husband and wife.”
“Mmmm.” He leaned over and kissed her. “That sounds like heaven.”
*****
When Lois called their parents the next day Ellen immediately panicked over the short time left to arrange her daughter’s wedding but Lois firmly reminded her that the chapel was small, the guest list short, and the bride and groom simply not up to a lot of fuss.
Lois introduced Clark to Mike. Mike extended his hand to Clark. “I'm Mike.”
Clark took the proffered hand “I know you...” but he couldn’t place from where.
“You worry too much, Clark. About Lois. About everybody. You two are going to be just fine.”
“Uh, yeah, well thank you,” Clark stuttered.
“You two ought to get on your way. Lots of plans to make.
“Yes, we should,” Lois agreed and the couple exited the chapel.
“That was so weird,” Clark commented. “I’m sure I’ve met him before.”
“That’s funny. I felt the same way. Must just be something about him. Obviously, he’s in the right profession.”
*****
They were both surprised at how quickly the weeks passed. Ellen and Martha did all the preliminary shopping and then would bring Lois pictures and descriptions for her to make final decisions, keeping the stress to a minimum. Following Lois’ descriptions of a simple wedding dress, no longer than calf length, they selected a few dresses and then picked Lois up to go to the bridal store for her to select her choice and have a preliminary fitting done. While she wanted to pick the dress that looked the best on her, Lois also took great care to ensure that it was easy to walk in. She was hoping that she would be able to walk down the aisle and stand for the short ceremony without the assistance of the walker. Of course, she thought with a smile, if she had to lean on Clark halfway through the vows it wouldn’t be so bad.
She intended to walk up the aisle alone. As much as she loved her father, a part of her didn’t feel like he deserved to play that role in her wedding. Jonathan was certainly as deserving or, for that matter, Perry. And what about Ellen who had been both mother *and* father to her. No, she didn’t need anyone to give her away. Lucy would stand up with her and Jimmy with Clark.
*****
“Nervous?” Jonathan asked him as Martha stood in front of their son to adjust his cravat again.
“Oddly, no. I’m excited, but also strangely calm. This is just so right, you know. I only get nervous when I think about the next couple of days. All our dreams could come true just to have them snatched from us.”
“That’s not going to happen, son,” Jonathan assured him patting his shoulder.
“I hope not. Dr. Thurston would not agree to this if he wasn’t confident that it could be done,” Clark said quietly.
“You’re both going to be fine,” Martha assured with confidence. “And today is about getting married. Worry about the future tomorrow.”
Clark grabbed both his parents in a hug. “I don’t know how or why I was so blessed to have you guys be the ones that found me, but I am so thankful. I love you both so much.”
*****
