Well, it's Monday again. I really hoped to post earlier in the day, but real life jumped up and bit me this morning, and by the time I'd made countless phone calls I was feeling very frazzled.
Fortunately, it looks like my problems might turn out OK. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
It is still Monday here, so I'm not breaking my schedule entirely, but I'd like to apologize to those who are now into Tuesday.
OK, without more ado, here is the next part ....
Chapter Two
Kent And... Olsen
“Mom!” Matt's outraged voice drifted down to the kitchen where Lois was preparing pancakes for breakfast. “Can you tell Sara to hurry up and get out of the bathroom. She's been in there forever, making herself bea-uty-ful for her latest crush, which in no way ranks higher than my early study period. I still have an essay to finish.”
Lois left the pancake batter cooking on the burner and, hurrying over to the door, raised her voice to call back ... though why she did that, she had absolutely no idea. Matt could hear a pin drop. “See, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Your school work comes before your superhero patrols. I know you were out late last night.”
Matt appeared at the top of the stairs. “Mom, there was a bridge collapse. Do you expect me to let people die?”
“No. Of course not,” Lois conceded with good grace, about to return to her pancakes when she had a second thought. “Did you happen to spot a Planet reporter covering the story? If you did, I hope you gave him the exclusive ... and if there wasn't, I'll be asking why just as soon as I get into work.”
“Don't worry. The answer is yes to both your questions, but could you do something about Sara for now?”
“Your Dad should be finished showering any minute, so you can use our bathroom. It only takes you seconds to get washed and dressed, Matt, so stop complaining.” She waved her spatula warningly toward the second floor. “But, Sara, that doesn't let you off the hook. Don't take all day getting ready. I don't want you to be late for school.”
“Mom.” A much younger voice spoke from behind Lois, just as a certain smell assailed her nostrils. “I think the pancakes might be about to burn.”
“Oh, da ... darn!” she exclaimed, in deference to Vicky's young ears, as she ran back to the stove, snatching a pot holder and pulling the pan off the heat. Over the years, Lois had learned to get by when it came to cooking, but she'd never reached the levels of an accomplished chef and she was easily distracted.
“Why isn't Dad making breakfast?” Vicky asked reasonably, clearly preferring her father's cooking.
“Because he's busy getting ready for work.” Lois dumped the burnt remains unceremoniously into the trash bin and prepared to start again.
“But he always makes our pancakes ... at least he has since he's been better.”
“Well today he's decided to come into work with me,” Lois explained, wiping the surface of the pan, then pouring in some fresh batter. “Between you and me, sweetie, I think he's a little nervous, so I said I'd cook this morning. You don't mind, do you ... and maybe we could keep the fact that Daddy's worried between us?”
Vicky bit her lip as she gave the matter serious consideration. She'd really enjoyed these last few weeks with Daddy cooking breakfast and them all sitting down to eat as a family, but she also knew how much he wanted to be a good reporter again. Vicky wanted to be a reporter herself when she grew up, so she understood how he felt. More than anything, she wanted her dad to be happy ... and there was always weekends when she could ask him to make her favorite blueberry muffins. She'd even offer to help him.
“That's fine, I guess,” she said a little disappointedly, then with sudden insight she realized she might have upset her mother. After all, her mom had had to do all the work while her dad was missing. “Your cooking's not that bad. I'll set the table, OK?”
Lois smiled lopsidedly as Vicky turned her back and went to fetch the plates and silverware. “Thanks, Sweetie, for such glowing support.” Then she returned her concentration to the mixture in the pan. One near disaster was enough ... and where was a superhero when you needed him? There were 'almost' two in this house and not one had sped to her rescue.
*****
A hazy sun, playing hide-and-seek with ominous gray clouds, held Clark's attention as Lois drove through the rush-hour traffic toward downtown Metropolis. They'd already dropped Vicky off at the school, while Matt and Sara had opted to make their own way as normal, considering an escort by their parents as decidedly uncool. Unless they were running really late, of course.
On his second day back at work, Clark had chosen to brave the staff meeting, hoping that Lois would assign him a story he could sink his teeth into. It might be too soon, but he'd been rolling around the house on his own for a couple of months, obeying Bernie's orders, and frankly, he was tired of taking things easy.
Nerves still plagued him, but sometime during the night he'd decided that jumping into the deep end was probably the best course of action. He'd either sink or swim, and if he was going to sink, he was better off finding out sooner rather than later. It wouldn't help either his career or Lois' if The Planet should retain a washed-up reporter because of his past reputation or the fact that he was married to the boss.
So he was hoping that today he wouldn't be left to twiddle his thumbs learning current systems or doing research, and it boded well for his idea that Lois had agreed to his early start as long as he left a little sooner in accordance with Bernie's regime.
Mind you, doing research might not be a bad idea. At least the cautious part of his mind theorized, totally appalled by the 'deep end' option ....
“I think the sun might eventually break through today, though it's starting to feel colder, which is only to be expected since winter is almost here ....”
Lois' voice broke into his thoughts. It was unlike his wife to give him a weather report, so he guessed it must have been obvious that his mind was drifting. He shook himself back into awareness.
“True, Honey.” Clark glanced at the sky again, deciding Lois' forecast might be a bit optimistic, then he smiled at his wife. “Metropolis looks good to me in any weather, though.”
“Where were you?” Lois wasted no time on further small talk.
“Thinking. Wondering if the Chief might have a story for me today.”
“Right at this moment, the Chief isn't here and your wife doesn't know, but if your wife might be allowed to offer you some advice, I'd say you shouldn't expect too much too soon.”
“You can offer me advice at anytime, but I've got to find my feet some day, and I doubt putting that off will make me any less stressed.”
Lois concentrated on negotiating the Jeep around a delivery truck double-parked by the curb. “Clark, don't be in a hurry to run before you can walk ... and before you object, I'd take the same position with any of my employees who were returning to work after being sick.”
Clark compressed his lips, swallowing a sigh. “But would you really?” He swiveled in his seat to face her. “We've already established that I shouldn't get any preferential treatment. Lois, you can't afford to have a member of staff who doesn't pull their weight.”
“True. But you know I'm professional enough not to bring my private life into the office. In fact, I feel a little insulted ....”
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I guess I'm still a little edgy, which is all the more reason why I should get back to doing my job as soon as possible.”
Lois pulled up behind a line of cars waiting in traffic with a jolt, testament to the fact that Clark wasn't the only one who was a bit on edge. “And you should let me do my job, which at the moment is a wife driving to work with her husband.” She looked over at Clark. “Perhaps we have to learn to compartmentalize our lives better.”
“We never did before,” Clark said sadly, his shoulders drooping slightly.
“Whether we like it or not, our working lives have changed.” Lois' tone echoed Clark's regret. “There's no going back, and we can't ignore what's happened in between.” She reached over to touch Clark's leg briefly, before accelerating once the light turned to green. “But I will take your suggestion into consideration ... just as I would listen to other colleagues. Please, Clark, help me make this work.” She risked a sideways glance at him, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. “Trust me?”
Again Clark sighed, only this time audibly. “Honey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised this issue here. It wasn't fair ... or professional, and I do trust you. I trust you with my life, so I should trust you with my job.”
“I'm glad you realize that, but we're about to swap hats.” Lois flashed him a rueful grin as she pulled into the underground parking lot.
At this hour, the place was still fairly unoccupied, though probably not for long. Clark waited silently while Lois found her usual spot and deftly slid the Jeep into the space.
“Before we do ... swap hats ... I mean, do you think you have time to accept a groveling kiss from your husband who's been such an inconsiderate jerk?”
Quickly, Lois scanned the area. Satisfied they were alone, she checked her watch with mock seriousness. “I think I might be able to fit that into my schedule ....”
Wasting no additional time, Lois and Clark locked themselves into an embrace, sharing, without words, a multitude of feelings. There was no doubting their deep love for each other, but both were beginning to acknowledge that their careers might now be a little more difficult to manage than they had first believed.
*****
A short time later, the large conference room was filled to capacity. The staff members who had arrived earliest were seated round the long table, while latecomers lined the sides of the room and crowded into every corner.
At the head of the table a chair stood empty, awaiting the arrival of the editor-in-chief. Lois had picked up the trick from Perry. It was much easier to call for quiet when the boss made a grand entrance, particularly if you'd allowed your employees a few minutes to say their good mornings and catch up on the gossip.
But the newspaper business was a hectic one, and Lois gave them only a moment or two before she opened the door and swept between the workers standing by the wall and those seated at the table. She carried a file under her arm, though nowadays it was mainly a prop as there were individual computer screens in front of every seat around the table. Yet Lois still resisted the lure of a totally technical world.
“Morning, everyone!” she announced as she took her seat. Actually, she'd already greeted a number of employees, but she had learned it paid to be polite. A satisfied staff was a well- motivated staff. There was a chorus of replies, though the group wouldn't win any prizes for harmonizing.
“OK. What have we got going today?” she asked, scanning the faces before her. “Anyone still checking out ongoing stories? Anyone got any new tips that need chasing down, and, more to the point, anyone got anything ready for the latest online update or for the evening edition of the newspaper?”
Lois, in fact, was well aware what most of her reporters were working on, though, clearly, some new tips had come in overnight and early that morning. She'd also learned, however, that this was a good time for her people to air their ideas and troubleshoot problems. So she sat back in her chair to listen to the general conversation, encouraging brainstorming and adding her opinion when she felt it was needed.
Finally, Lois called for order as she'd reached the point in the meeting where she would set deadlines and assign new stories. She couldn't resist glancing toward Clark, who was sitting halfway down the table on her right, next to Jim. Since their discussion in the car, she realized that Clark expected to be on her list, and fortunately, she wasn't about to let him down, though in her opinion, it was a little too soon for him to be tackling a story. She'd hoped to persuade him to do some editing, but Clark had been rehired as a reporter and reporting was exactly what he and the others expected him to do.
The delegations were almost over and she noticed Clark beginning to fidget somewhat. She cleared her throat and tried to adopt a purely businesslike facade. “Clark, the word's out that the Metropolis Bus Company is hiking its fares when the price of green fuel is finally coming down. See if you can get an interview with them and find out what's going on there. The public deserve a fair deal!”
There was a general chuckle in the room at Lois' pun, but she saw Clark raise an eyebrow. Surely, he couldn't be taking their laughter personally?
“Clark?” This time she gazed directly at him and when he didn't reply, she challenged him. “Do you have a problem with that?”
The pen in Clark's hand was tapping lightly on the wood, but he slipped it back in his pocket and sat back in his chair. “No, Chief,” he answered politely ... too politely.
Just what was Clark hoping for? The bus story might not be the hottest, or the most difficult, but it wasn't a fluff piece ... and it was the best she was prepared to do at this point in time. She and Clark really needed to talk, but not here in front of other staff.
That was one lesson she'd learned long ago.
Lois' contemplation was suddenly interrupted by Jim's shout.
“Chief! There's a breaking story.”
The small screen in front of her was beeping, attracting her attention. The Planet's computers were set to warn of incoming stories, and everyone in the room was trying to read the latest newsflash from the nearest available monitor and Lois was no exception, apart from the fact that no one dared crane over her shoulder.
There was little information, other than the fact that some delivery truck had exploded, though thankfully with no serious injuries to the driver or passersby. A live feed appeared on the screens and Lois watched the scene unfold. Just as she was about to send Jim to investigate the story, Clark spoke up.
“Lois, that's the truck we passed on the way to work this morning.”
Leaning closer to the screen, Lois began to recognize the street they'd driven down before turning onto Main Street. She remembered being annoyed by the delivery man's double- parking, but she had to admit she hadn't paid much attention to the logo on the truck. She'd had other things on her mind, but it seemed there was nothing wrong with Clark's awareness, nor his recollection.
“Lois, please, let me take it?” Again Clark's voice came at her, and she tampered down a feeling of irritation that he should put her on the spot like this. She stayed silent for a few seconds before reaching a decision.
“OK, but you're partnered with Jim on this ... and I still want you to follow up with Metro Bus!”
Clark nodded, sending her a grateful smile as he rose to follow Jim, who had already reached the doorway. “I can do that, Chief.”
Lois' stare focused on the two men as they hurried through the bullpen and disappeared into the elevator before turning back to the staff. “What are we waiting for people? We have a job to do, so let's get to it!”
There was a scrape of chairs and pounding of footsteps as people filed through the conference door, but Lois remained still, a strange feeling of deja vu creeping along her spine. It had been years since she'd been anywhere near an explosion.
What was she thinking? She and Clark had just happened to drive by a truck which had somehow exploded some time later. It was a coincidence ... nothing more.
*****
tbc
