I keep mentioning this in FDK threads, but I can't remember if I've mentioned it here... I'm playing fast and loose with technology/release dates. If they had Prometheus in 1993, they can have iPhones in 2002
. And Rascal Flatts could release 'Life is a Highway' in 2003
.
Thanks - as always - to the great BRs: Alisha, Beth, Nancy and CarolynK.
I've made some progress this week, which is ALWAYS a good thing - and I got my computer back!
Last time:
Clark
Marrying Lois for a few weeks to protect her and another innocent baby was the least I could do.
Keeping Lois in the dark about the plans hadn't been easy. She wasn't happy about it at all, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She was in a room with microphones and the three people who really knew what was going on weren't saying anything. I was sure she was going to let me have it when we were alone somewhere without microphones. I could probably figure out if there were any in our room here at the embassy but I didn't know how to do so without letting on what I could do. It was probably safest to think that any and everything was being recorded until we got home.
Our room.
It suddenly hit me.
I knew that we were going to share a room intellectually, but knowing that Lois was likely to be there any minute, waiting for me and that we had to put on a good show in case anyone was listening...
Not that kind of show but the 'I'm tired and still don’t feel well' show.
I sighed.
This wasn’t going to be an easy week or so until we could get home, but then she and Junior would be safe and that was what mattered.
I had to keep telling myself that.*~*24*~*
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
I managed to get a little bit of soup down along with some crackers.
Daniel walked me back to the room I was apparently sharing with Clark for at least the rest of the night.
He was vague about what the plan was for getting me and Clark out of Latislan. I wasn't sure if that was because there wasn't a plan or because they weren't telling me what it was.
I'd try to weasel it out of Clark when he got back from wherever he was.
I wanted to talk to Daddy but that wasn't happening. I didn't know why. I think they thought all of the phones were bugged and that the Latislanis could pull cell phone conversations right out of thin air, but I wasn't really sure. The whole embassy was probably bugged, though I wouldn't put money on who was doing the bugging – us or them.
I closed the door behind me and did my best to avoid looking at the bed. I went to the closet and got out my favorite pair of pajamas.
I went to the bathroom to change and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
I pulled the waistband of my pants down slightly and pulled my shirt up, staring at my still-flat stomach.
There was a baby in there.
A little, tiny baby who was going to be my child to take care of, to raise, to love.
By myself.
As soon as Clark and I got an annulment, I was going to be a single parent.
How was I going to tell Joe?
Not only that I'd married Clark – though I'd tell him that it wasn't a real marriage; it wasn't like I was doing anything with Clark I'd always refused to do with Joe, but I'd also have to tell him that I was going to be a mom. Joe wanted kids. We'd talked about that in a Family Living class our senior year in high school. We'd even been 'married' for one of the projects.
But to take on another man's child his freshman year in college...
I just couldn't see him doing that.
I couldn't even see Clark doing that and it was much more a 'Clark' thing to do. He was only taking on this responsibility for a few weeks until we could get away from this madman.
No, Joe wouldn't take this on.
If he did get a girl pregnant, I had no doubt that he'd take responsibility for his own child, but someone else's...
I wouldn't ask him to do that.
I wouldn't ask anyone to do that.
Instead I was going to have to figure out how to do this alone, possibly with a little help from Daddy, while trying to finish college and start my career.
I rubbed my hand over my exposed abdomen, wondering what it would look like in a few months.
"It's okay, Junior," I whispered, talking to him or her for the first time. "We'll make it together. You and me."
I looked longingly at the shower and decided that, while it was a very good idea, I didn't think I would be able to stay awake long enough.
I put my pajamas on and exited the bathroom.
I took a pillow and rummaged through the closet until I found a blanket. I lay down on the couch, curled up under the blanket and cried myself to sleep.
This wasn't how I pictured my wedding night.
Not at all.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
I was quiet as I entered the room I was sharing with Lois for the night. I figured she was probably already asleep and I was right.
I just didn't expect her to be on the couch.
The tear tracks were still evident on her cheeks.
And she had one of the pillows from the bed and a blanket which meant she'd fallen asleep there on purpose.
I sighed.
Should I move her? She couldn't be comfortable lying there like that.
Finally, I decided to get ready for bed myself and then make up my mind what I was going to do with her.
I dug through my suitcase and went to the bathroom, taking a shower and doing other getting ready for bed stuff.
I pulled on a pair of shorts over my boxers and then a sleeveless T-shirt. I headed back out into the bedroom and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs in the corner, watching Lois as she slept.
This was my wedding night.
It hit me suddenly as she shifted and light glinted off the wedding band I'd put on her finger.
I flashed back to the chapel downstairs. She hadn't looked at me once during the ceremony, but I hadn't really looked at her either.
I fiddled with the band on my finger again. Part of me wanted to take it off. It wasn't real; it wasn't from Lana.
But at the same time, it meant that – for the moment – Lois was my responsibility. Her and the baby. I knew she wouldn’t see it that way, but I had to do what I could to take care of both of them.
Because she was my wife.
And this was my wedding night.
A feeling came over me I couldn't quite describe. There was an underlying sense of... something. Trepidation, fear, awe, responsibility... disappointment.
It was my wedding night and I wasn't making love to my wife and my wife wasn't the woman I'd been dreaming of for years.
Part of me said that this wasn't my 'real' wedding night, but it was my first one. I'd be a man who had been married more than once. I'd never pictured that for myself. I'd marry Lana and we'd grow old together. And now, even if Lana was my first – and only – lover, she wouldn't have the distinction of being my first wife.
How was I going to tell her about this?
Had I really thought this through?
I closed my eyes and saw Lana lying next to me on the quilt in the hayloft where we'd spent so many hours together. We'd kissed and talked and kissed and dreamed and kissed and planned and kissed some more. Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes in the afternoon. Sometimes by moonlight. In the heat of the summer, the cool of the fall, the chill of the winter and the freshness of the spring. We'd been through everything together.
I shook my head slightly and looked back over at Lois.
My wife.
And sighed deeply.
Finally, I decided that I was going to go to bed. Lois had obviously decided that was where she wanted to sleep – probably so that she wouldn't make me uncomfortable, though she couldn't know that I'd planned on sleeping on the couch or the floor – and who was I to challenge her on that?
"Clark?"
I hear her sleepy voice as I was turning back the covers.
"Yeah?" I said quietly.
"Nothing," she answered. "Never mind."
I moved to her side and squatted down near her. "What is it?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. We'll talk about it later."
I tugged on my ear and she nodded. So she thought the place might be bugged, too.
"How're you feeling?" I asked her.
"Fine. Tired."
"You need to go to bed," I told her gently. "I know you dozed off on the couch, but it can't be comfortable."
"I'm fine," she said, but wasn't very convincing.
I shifted and before she could protest, slipped my arms under her and carried her over to the bed. I stood at the end. "Which side do you want?"
She shrugged. "I don't care."
I took her to the side where there was still a pillow and set her down.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"That's why I'm here, Sweetie."
She rolled her eyes at me as she curled up on her side and pulled the covers up over her.
I moved to the couch and pulled the blanket back.
"Clark?" she called.
"Yeah."
Her eyes pleaded with me to keep up the ruse, just in case the military dictator was listening in. "Come to bed, please. I'm not feeling well, but I want you here with me."
A tear slipped down her cheek. She didn't mean it, not really, but she said it anyway.
I sighed. "I'll be there in just a minute."
She nodded and settled back into the bed.
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
I woke up with sunlight streaming on my face.
Apparently, we hadn't pulled the curtains closed.
And someone was knocking on the door.
I looked at the other side of the bed. Clark was still sleeping. I rolled myself up and padded barefoot over to the door.
I cracked it and saw Daniel standing there. I opened it further.
"Good morning," he said with his annoying, ubiquitous cheerfulness.
"Yeah," I said.
"Is Clark up?"
I shook my head.
"We have a video conference in twenty minutes. I need both of you there."
I nodded. "Okay."
"I'll have someone knock in about fifteen minutes so you can get downstairs."
I nodded and shut the door. I should have asked who we were conferencing with. I opened the door to call after him but he was gone.
"Clark," I called quietly.
He didn't move.
"Clark," I called a bit more loudly.
"Huh?" he mumbled, without moving.
"We have to leave in fifteen minutes for a video conference."
He pushed up off his stomach and turned to look at me. "With who?"
"Daniel didn’t say." I moved to the closet and pulled out a pair of pants and one of the nicer shirts I'd brought. I didn't know who we were meeting with but I was sure it wasn't Lana.
I headed to the bathroom as Clark rolled over and sat up. "I'll be a few minutes if you want to change."
He nodded again as he swung his feet over the side of the bed. "How're you feeling?"
I shrugged. "I feel fine at the moment."
"That's good. I'll holler when I'm done."
I nodded as I went into the bathroom to change.
Fifteen minutes later we were on our way to an office, led by one of Daniel's aides.
Daniel showed us to a couple of seats at the end of a conference table. "Navance isn't happy," he said without preamble.
"We didn't expect him to be," Clark said.
"We're going to get you two out of here today when the ambassador heads to Podansk for talks. You'll go wheels down, wheels up pretty quickly. You'll stay at another embassy for a few days and then we'll get you home late next week."
"That's what you'd said."
"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" I demanded. "You get me out of the hospital and are getting me out of the country – and I'm grateful for that, really I am – but no one talked to me or showed me written PDA messages or anything else to tell me we were going to have to get married or sneak out of the country. I did expect that we were going to have sneak out, but why didn't anyone tell me? And what the heck does wheels down, wheels up mean?"
"Because we were afraid of how you were going to react," Daniel said. "We didn't want to tip off Navance. And it means that the wheels of your plane will land there and then they'll take off again pretty quickly."
"Oh." I slumped back in my seat. They had a point. I wouldn't have taken the news quietly. "Who are we meeting with then?"
"Navance. We're not about to let him in the embassy and he doesn't want to come. And we're not letting either of you go anywhere just yet." He looked at me. "I want both of you to keep your mouths shut and let us deal with it. Act married."
I nodded as Clark wrapped an arm around me. "Fine."
A few minutes later, the screen came to life.
The florid face of the Latislani general filled the screen. "I want my child back," he said without preamble.
Daniel shook his head. "Mrs. Kent does not carry your child."
Mrs. Kent?
Who?
Right.
Me.
"Who?!" he bellowed, echoing my own sentiments.
"According to Latislani law," Daniel said, almost bored, "the child a woman carries is the child of her husband."
"The mother of my child is not married."
"Ms. Lane married Mr. Kent and that makes the child his. Period. That is what Latislani law says, isn't it?"
He sputtered, obviously caught unaware by the news. "They will not be allowed to leave the country with my child."
"You will not order an American couple having an American baby around."
Clark's other hand gripped one of mine, knowing, I was sure, how much I wanted to tell this man where he could go and how he could get there.
"This is not a real marriage," he hissed.
"It was legally performed. All the paperwork is signed, sealed. Is are dotted and ts are crossed. This conversation is over." He made a slashing motion across his throat to a man sitting at a computer on the other side of the room. Colored bars filled the screen.
He turned to us. "We're going to have to get you two military uniforms for when you get out of here in a couple hours and see what else we can do to disguise your appearance."
"What? Am I going to be a redhead or something?"
He shook his head. "We're not sure yet, but we better get on it."
Three hours later, we'd made it to an Air Force jet with the ambassador who I finally met for the first time. Apparently, another plane was meeting the ambassador in Podansk so that we could take this one to some undisclosed location.
I stared out the window as the plane took off into the wild blue yonder. My first real look at the country of Latislan.
I could only pray it was also my last.
*****
TBC
