Previously
Dr Klein turned to his microscope, bathed in the sunlight which entered by the big windows. He smiled. He had to run some other tests, but he could have found the solution.
He remembered vaguely of the theory that another scientist had exposed a few months earlier, while Superman was accused of causing an unprecedented heat wave on Metropolis in full winter. It had been envisaged that the powers of Superman worked with solar energy. When it had seemed evident that the cause of the heat was due to a leak in the nuclear power plant of LexCorp, everybody had abandoned the hypothesis of Superman feeding on the sun.
But the opposite had never been proved. Maybe the solution was there. Maybe he just needed sun to invert the damages created by the kryptonite on his system. It could be why he hadn't already woken up, after almost one and a half month of coma, thought Klein by remembering the hospital room in which Superman was kept. Windows were blocked by shutters, to guarantee his safety against a possible sniper or something like that.
He needed to make more tests.
He returned again to his microscope and seen that the account of cells had continued to increase. It was a very good sign. An excellent sign. He called immediately the other doctors who treated Superman to speak to them about his theory and show them the sample. He hadn't spoken to them yet, but they were a team, and he had to inform them before proceeding to the necessary tests to prove his theory.
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And now:
Part 6: Rise and shine
Some doctors of the group were a little bit sceptic, but most found all the same that the theory deserved to be tested. And they had spent the next two days studying the reaction of tissues taken from Superman at the sun exposure, under different conditions, and the hypothesis of the Dr Klein had very fast been confirmed.
Superman just needed sun to recover. He was always in a coma because he had been deprived of natural light by the safety measures which surrounded him. It was rather ironic. Without knowing it, they had put his life in danger by trying to protect him.
But now, they knew what he needed, and they could act to give it to him.
The most difficult was to convince Henderson. He was responsible for the security of the superhero. If whatever happened, he would be held responsible by the whole world. It was an enormous responsbility to carry. To expose him to the sun beams also meant making him more vulnerable to the attacks of the criminals who wanted him dead.
So when the Dr Klein and the other doctors of Superman told him that he had to leave Superman outside right in the sun to allow him to wake up, the first reaction of Henderson had been to refuse. But he could see that the group of scientists was very serious indeed, and that they were also very sure of them. Superman needed to be exposed to the sun.
After a long conversation, they finally admitted that Superman did not really need to be put outside. Just staying in a sunny hospital room could be enough. It was already better, from the security point of view, even if that always forced him to take important risks.
He thus worked out a system to replace the men who guarded Superman every four hours, and every new team would take him into a new hospital room. The team going away would ignore which one. And those in place would have no right to communicate with the outside world during their work time. And at the sunset, he would return to the room with the armoured shutters. And Henderson would be the only one to always know where Superman would be. That should make more difficult for the criminals to kill him. It wasn't perfect, but it was better that nothing. And with a little luck, the superhero would wake up quickly and he wouldn't have to do that for such a long time.
As soon as Henderson had been able to do the arrangements with the management of the hospital to have about twenty rooms distributed everywhere in the building reserved so that he could choose between them in which Superman would be then transferred, he put the new system in works.
Before every transfer of rooms, he accompanied himself one of the doctors in the room which Superman was about to leave so that he could examine him, do a blood test and so determine the speed to which he was recovering.
The first day had been rather disappointing for the doctors. They had effectively noticed an improvement of his state, but the superhero recovered less faster than what they had hoped for. And Henderson had to accept a second day as stressful as the first one. He was so afraid of an attempt against his life that he was tempted to play the guard himself. Unfortunately, he also was in charge of other cases. Nevertheless, he didn't leave any more the hospital, preferring to work on the spot.
While the sun settled the second day, and while Henderson got ready, with his men, to transfer again Superman towards the secured room for the night, he noticed that the fingers of Superman moved a little. His eyelids winked some time before opening. The lieutenant had never felt so relieved in his entire life.
«Hey! Happy to see you back!» The inspector told him grinning.
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Superman ached everywhere. He would have liked to move, but he was too much tired for that. His limbs seemed to weigh tons. It was better to remain immovable some minutes furthermore. He didn't know where he was or why he ached everywhere, but he felt instinctively that he was in no danger, and that he could grant himself some moments to recover before trying to move again. His whole body made him suffer, and it was not something to what he was used. The simple fact of thinking made him suffer. He had a terrible headache.
All that he knew was that he was in a warm and quiet place, and it was everything he needed. He could feel the beams of the sun on him, and it felt so very good. So he didn't move, taking a little of rest before having to make the slightest effort, which, he knew, would be horribly painful to him.
He did not know how long had passed by since he had become conscious of the pain which cursed through him, how long since he decided to remain immovable, not strong enough to face the pain a movement would cause him, when he became aware of the moves occurring around him. Metal noises which resounded in his head and amplified his headache.
Something was happening. He had no more choice. He had to know where he was, and what was taking place, and if possible, he had to end it to go back to the tranquility he craved. So he tried again to move, but his members always seemed so heavy, and he only succeeded at moving his fingers. He tried to open his eyes. The effort was exhausting, but finally he was blinded by the light. He only saw white everywhere, the light was too strong. His eyes burned him, so he knew that at least he had managed to open them.
«Hey! Happy to see you back!» A voice threw near him on a joyful tone.
The white halo which blinded him seemed to dissipate very fast and he noticed a silhouette bent toward him. A man. He was still a little bit vague, but he recognized him. It was Inspector Henderson. He tried to open the mouth to ask him what was happening, but his voice choked in his throat, too much dried out.
«Don't try to speak. The doctor is on his way. He is going to arrive in a second,» Henderson told him.
Doctor? Behind Henderson, he could see that all the white who had blinded him earlier wasn't only the light, although the room was enlightened. The walls were white. He was stretched out in a hospital room. Or a laboratory maybe. He felt frantic during a small moment. He was at the mercy of scientists, of researchers. He ached everywhere, what had they done to him? But the panic dissipated very fast. He trusted Henderson, and the inspector seemed happy to see him opening the eyes, and he had said that the doctor was going to arrive as if it was a good thing, thus it was probably not them who had made him that. He had said that the doctor was going to arrive, as if he was going to come to take care of him.
But what had happened to him? He tried to remember. The head was hurting him so much he needed a moment to remember. Luthor. Luthor had kryptonite. He had locked him into a cage made of kryptonite. He wanted to kill him. He was going to marry Lois. He had to prevent him from…
«Lu-- Luthor,» Superman succeeded in saying with a frog voice. This first word seemed to irritate strongly his throat. He was so hurting.
«He died. Don't worry, Superman. Luthor died,» the policeman answered him.
«Lois?» He asked, his voice obeying him a little better this time, although it still hurt him to speak.
«She's fine. Don't worry,» Henderson told him before repeating «you shouldn't speak.»
Two men with white gowns entered the room, and Superman understood that they were the doctors who were going to examine him.
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Lois couldn't stand in place anymore. Since the phone call of her father had woken her, she was incapable to go back to sleep.
Superman had woken up, his father had told her. He had regained consciousness as the sun was setting, and he would be fine. The news had provoked a discharge of adrenalin in her. She had the impression to have roamed in the darkness for such a long time, and she had just perceived a light.
When her father had announced her the awakening of the superhero, Lois had found back the hope to see Clark again, soon. She had been so happy. But the following words of her father had soon cooled down her joy. He had examined Superman with another doctor, and he was still far too much weak to undergo an interrogation.
She should continue to wait to discover what Superman knew about the disappearance of Clark. «If ever he knew something,» she added mentally with pessimism. She had never been particularly optimistic - Clark was enough for them both - but since her partner's disappearance, she became even more cynical. She had never noticed how much her thoughts could be dark in the absence of the light that Clark brought in her life. She needed that light back.
Her father had added that he had given a painkiller to Superman after the exam so that he could rest during the night. That would do him no good to tire himself pointlessly, while he was still so weak. He had called Lois to inform her right after.
It was now the middle of the night, but Lois knew that she wouldn't find the sleep again. Not after having learnt that Superman was finally saved and out of danger.
She knew that he won't be able to answer the questions about Clark before some time, but the impatience made her unable to remain calm.
She got up from her bed and went to the kitchen to prepare an herbal tea which could hopefully help her to find the serenity. But she stopped as soon as she had made a step in her living room.
She hadn't really cared about doing the housework or tidying the apartment since she had realised that she had no more lead to follow, except to continue hoping for the wake up of Superman. By sinking into despair, she had lost any interest for the world which surrounded her. And her apartment was showing the effects of it. It was usually always impeccably tidied and clean, but more than two weeks of carelessness had transformed it.
While she was wallowing in her depression, she didn't mind, but now that a new ray of hope had returned to her, she saw the shambles pervading as if for the first time.
She gave up the herbal tea, and started to tidy and clean everything. It would be more effective to tire her and allow her to return to bed, anyway.
During hours, she had bustled to try to restore the usual appearance of her apartment, and when she saw the first sun beams she smiled, for the first time in a very long time. At the hospital, they were probably exposing Superman to the sun again, and now that he had regained consciousness, the progress would certainly be faster. Soon, very soon, he could tell her what he knew about Clark's disappearance. She was so eager.
A little tired, she went to go to bed. She could always finish her housework later during the day.
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A pinching out sensation on the arm woke Clark. He opened the eyes and perceived the white walls. His recollections were a little bit vague, but he remembered that he had woken up in a hospital room, that doctors had examined him, had given him to drink and a soup then they had injected something into him and he had fallen asleep again.
Turning the head to the right-hand side to see what pinched him the arm, he saw a doctor taking a blood sample. His memories were vague but he was almost sure that it was none of the two doctors who had examined him the previous day.
«Hello Superman. You slept for a long time, it's almost noon. You feel better?» The doctor asked on a cheerful tone.
«Err... Yes, thank you,» Superman answered. He felt still weak and tired but that couldn't compare with the soreness he felt the previous day. Then, he could hardly move, whereas he knew without needing to try that he could now move if he wanted. The pain had also declined. He had still a light headache, but his thoughts were clearer.
«Who are you?» He asked the doctor who was labelling the test tube which contained the blood which he had just taken from him.
«Oh yes, sorry! I had forgotten that you hadn't met me yet. I can be scatterbrained sometimes. I am Dr Klein, a physicist researcher to STAR Labs. I'm working in your doctors team since four days only. I had asked to be a part of the team from the beginning, but…»
«Dr Klein, please,» Superman impatiently interrupted him. This man was a real chatterbox. He would have probably continued to speak during one hour without resuming his breath if he had not interrupted him. Lois was often the same. But then, he wasn't well enough to bear it. His headache had progressed only by listening to him during some seconds. Then something that he had said came back to him. "Four days". No, «four days only». Dear god, for how long had he stayed in the hospital?
«Since how long am I there?»
«Well, you stayed in a coma during approximately one and a half month. You woke up only yesterday evening. We discovered how to look after you only three days ago. The kryptonian biology is different from the human biology, and it is accidentally that I finally discovered that you needed sun. You see, I was in the laboratory to study your tissues all night long, and a laboratory assistant opened the curtains and then…»
«Dr Klein!» Superman repeated abruptly, interrupting again the stream of words which threatened to blow his skull.
«Yes, sorry,» the physicist apologized looking contrite, and Superman felt guilty of having spoken so dryly to this man who had probably saved his life, and who rather looked like a good guy.
«Thank you. To have saved me,» the superhero apologized.
«You're very welcome. I was delighted to be able to help you.»
«Do you think I can have some aspirin?»
«Does the aspirin works on a kryptonian body?» wondered Dr Klein.
«I don't know. I've never had to try,» Superman answered, tired.
Dr Klein smiled to him with compassion.
«Well, let's test it. Even if that doesn't help you, that would amaze me if it made you any harm.»
********************
Was it the aspirin which had had an effect, or was he just going better? Superman didn't know, but the headache had gone away. He felt very well. He was now probably as strong as a healthy normal human being, but he still hadn't his powers back. He had tried to concentrate to see through the walls of the room, or listen to the conversations of the persons which passed in the corridor, but he hadn't succeeded.
The last time when he had been exposed to the kryptonite, his powers had returned, but the exposure had been very short. He had remained hours in Luthor's cage. And he didn't know if this time, his powers hadn't disappeared for ever. It was possible. He knew so little about his own body.
The doctors who had studied him while he was in a coma knew more than him about his own body. What was it that the Dr Klein had said? That he needed sun. The sensation of the sun on him had always helped him to feel better, stronger in a certain way. But he didn't know until then if he was imagining it, or if that was true. Apparently, it was.
He should ask the Dr Klein if he thought wether his powers were going to return. He said that he would come back to see how he was going two hours later. And that had to make two hours now! He was so bored, stretched out on his hospital bed without doing anything that if someone told him that five hours had already passed since the Dr Klein had left him alone, he would believe it. He should maybe ask him also if he could have a newspaper, or anything else.
The door opened, interrupting its thoughts. It was the Dr Klein.
«So, feeling better? Still an headache?» He immediately asked.
«No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you. Look, I wondered… Will my powers return?» Superman asked, ill-at-ease.
«What? You don't know it?» The physicist wondered.
«It's because… Well, let's just say that the kryptonian biology isn't my strong point. I know nothing about it,» the superhero admitted, even more ill-at-ease.
«I see. You're more into litterature. I like reading, too. But it's especially books on physics that I read, you see. I began one last week which is absolutely fascinating…»
«Dr Klein?»
Certainly, this man was incapable to concentrate on a subject without deviating from it. And he apparently liked speaking unlimitedly. But Superman couldn't help himself and found him very nice. He liked him, and he was rather satisfied that he was the one to look after him rather than a cold scientist who would remind him too much of his situation of an alien at the mercy of researchers who could find fascinating to have the opportunity to discover how it works.
«Yes? Oh! Yes, sorry. Yes, your powers will return. You just need a little time, rest and sun. I'm still not sure to have understood how, but your cells react to the sun light in a surprising way, and the damages caused by the radiations of…»
The nice doctor broke off by seeing Superman sighing of discouragement.
«I'll spare you the details,» he concluded.
«Thank you, Dr Klein,» Superman answered, really grateful to the scientist to have broken off alone this time. «I also wondered if I could have a newspaper?»
«No, I'm sorry. I don't believe it would be a good idea,» the physicist answered after a brief hesitance. «You need rest, and I doubt that reading stories about the crimes that you couldn't prevent would help you to relax.»
«You have no idea how much I'm bored!» Superman insisted.
«I'll go and see what I can find,» Klein answered in a conciling tone, before leaving the room.
He returned one quarter of an hour later with a television put on a small table on castors. He put it in a corner of the room and connected it.
«Here it is. I hope that you like television. Let us see what's airing…»
The scientist used a remote control to switch on the screen and channel-flick. Superman was able to have brief outlines of the news of the world, but the Dr Klein changed channels so quickly that he had no time to understand what took place. Finally, the good doctor stopped on one of the channel.
«And here it is. A good movie to relax! That should help you to wait until the inspector Henderson arrives. He said that he would be there within a little more than one hour. He wanted to speak to you for his investigation. I have just called him to tell him that you were well enough to answer some small questions,» the Dr Klein explained by confiding the remote control to one of the two policemen who never left the room, before going out.
Superman turned his attention to the television to reduce his boredom, and quickly recognized the film which passed in the screen. It was "The Princess Bride", a children's tale. He sighed. He had no right to see the news, he had to content himself with children's tales! Let's hope that Henderson wouldn't be too long to come…
He had already seen the film and he had liked it, but he really wasn't in the mood to see it again, especially that this time, the story woke bad recollections. The Princess Buttercup had chosen to marry the vilainous Prince Humperdinck, without a thought for the poor farmboy Wesley who was in love with her. Wesley had even a second identity, he was the Pirate Roberts, and he was tortured by the bad Prince and was left for dead, while the wedding ceremony was taking place in the castle…
Certainly not the film which he needed at the moment. At least Lois wasn't Luthor's wife. His recollections of the previous evening were always a little bit vague but he remembered that Inspector Henderson had told him that Luthor had died. He had also told him that Lois was fine.
Lois.
He so wanted to see her again. But at the same time, the wound which she had caused him by rejecting him was always painful. He knew that at the end of the film, Buttercup went away with Wesley and that they lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, it was where stopped any resemblance with his life. Lois would never notice Clark, son of farmers from Kansas…
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