Thanks to everyone for their feedback!
This morning I took DS15mo and DD7y to the pediatric unit to do reverse trick or treating for the kids there. We saw DS' hospital pediatrician and he was AMAZED by the little man's growth. Then DD7y had her 7y check up. This is going to seem like such a little thing but when I had a minute to stop and slow down, it brought tears to my eyes.
Today was the first time in 15 months - no matter which child had the official doctors appointment - that DS didn't get weighed. Until today, every time we were there with one [or more] of his sisters, he got weighed, too. Even if it had only been a couple days for whatever reason. Even the next day at times. But he was there Wednesday for his 15mo check up and got weighed - 19lbs 3oz - and today, no one - not one of the three nurses or two nurse practitioners we chatted with - felt any need to put him on the scale.
When it totally sunk it, it makes me want to cry. I know you guys will be happy for me, even if you don't quite understand. Thank you for indulging me for a minute.
Thanks, as always, to Alisha, Beth, Nancy, CarolynK.
Last time:
Clark
I knew this wasn't the life I'd planned for myself, but at some point I had to step up and take responsibility for it. Lois was my wife and my parents, my dad especially, had raised me better than that.
I'd started asking myself what I would do if it was me and Lana in a situation. I hated that because I knew that I shouldn't be thinking about her or about me and her like that, but at the same time, if I knew what I should do to take care of Lana if the need had come up, then I would know what I should be doing with Lois.
Sort of.
It wasn't like I was going to make love to her when she had a bad day or was feeling depressed about her appearance or anything like that. Of course, I really had no idea what that part of my life with Lana would have been like either, except that I figured it was something we would have done often.
I sighed as I drove across Ohio. Only another two hours or so and we'd be at our first destination. The more I thought about that, the more I thought I should have found a way to reserve two rooms instead of foolishly believing that we'd manage to make do with one.
Lois chose that moment to stir and then asked when we were going to stop.
I looked at the road signs and decided that this gas station was as good as any.
*~*44*~*
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
Tears filled my eyes as I leaned my head against the window. Clark was inside getting us all checked in at the hotel in Richmond, Indiana. This was going to be a miserable night.
The last time we'd stopped, Lana had been in the bathroom when I'd asked if he'd reserved one room or two and he said that his parents had reserved one but that he was going to ask for a second one when we got here.
His face looked grim as he headed back out to where Lana and I were studiously ignoring each other.
He didn't say anything as he drove us around to the next building. He pulled up next to the door, but there were no parking spots close. My stomach sank. Given the number of cars in the parking lot, I would guess he hadn't been able to get a second room.
He turned the Jeep off and climbed out immediately. I followed him, stretching my back as I stood on the sidewalk. I was feeling huge already, even though I was only about halfway through this pregnancy. I was a little chilly, but I wasn't about to cover up Clark's Smallville High T-shirt at the moment.
"Back bothering you?" Clark asked as he grabbed my laptop bag out of the front floorboard.
I nodded.
"Did you bring your heating pad with you?"
I sighed. "No. I didn't even think about it."
"Want me to find a CostMart or something and get you one?"
I shook my head. "I think a hot shower will help." And then you can have some time alone with your girlfriend, I added to myself.
"Let me know if you change your mind," he said as he headed to the back of the Jeep.
I grabbed my pillow and blanket from behind my seat and tried not to look at Lana who was stretching on the other side. Clark was pulling suitcases out of the back and I pulled up the handle on mine, grabbed my other bag and headed towards the door.
"Hey, you'll need this." He held a keycard towards me. "Room 109."
I nodded and used the key to open the outside door, leaving the two of them alone for the first time – that I knew of – in a long time.
Had he been able to get two rooms and just wasn't telling me? And he'd spend the night with her?
I walked down the hall and noted we were right next to the ice machine. That would be convenient when refilling the cooler in the morning. I stuck the card in the door and walked into my home for the night. It was about what I'd expected. Two double beds, a TV sitting on the dresser and precious little else.
I stashed my toiletries bag in the bathroom and hoisted my suitcase onto the end of the dresser. I dug through and found a pair of Clark's sweats and one of his John Deere T-shirts. I hadn't *planned* on wearing his clothes to sleep in – I had pajamas that I could wear – but something about wearing them in front of Lana was very appealing.
Before they could make it into the room, I was locked in the bathroom with the shower running.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
"Can I get the key to my room?" Lana asked as Lois walked through the door.
I sighed. I should have made arrangements earlier. "They only had one room left. My parents made the reservations and I guess they only made one."
She glared at me. "You mean, I have to spend the night in a room with you and your *wife*?"
I couldn't look at her. "Please don't make this any more difficult than it already is, Lana."
"Pardon me for not being excited about this."
"I'm not either and I doubt Lois is."
"I don't care how Lois feels about this."
I sighed. "Do you need anything else out?"
"No."
I stacked my suitcase, both of our laptop bags, and the cooler on the sidewalk. "I'm going to park. I'll be right back."
"Do I at least get my own key?"
"They wouldn't give me three. If I give you one, I can't get in the door. I'll be right back." I quickly started the Jeep and maneuvered it into the closest spot, halfway down the building. I jogged back to where Lana was waiting. "Here." I handed Lana the keycard before I slung both laptop bags over my shoulder and picked up the suitcase and cooler.
She didn't say anything as she opened the door and headed down the hall.
She stopped before the room and opened that door as well.
It didn't surprise me to hear the shower running. I was sure that Lois' back was bothering her more than she'd let on and a shower would probably help quite a bit.
Lana glared at the bathroom door. "I have to go to the bathroom. Couldn’t she have at least waited until we'd all had a chance to go?"
"There's a bathroom in the lobby if you can't wait." I found myself hoping that she would go.
She glared at me and headed out the door.
I flopped backwards onto one of the beds. I stared at the ceiling for a long minute, before deciding that, with Lana gone and Lois in the shower, I could do a quick change thing and be done with it. In seconds, I was in a pair of shorts and a muscle shirt which had become my sleep attire of choice since Lois had become my roommate the previous fall.
A minute later, the shower stopped and before long, Lois came out wearing a pair of my sweats and my favorite John Deere T-shirt – I'd wondered what had happened to it.
She glanced around. "Where's Lana?"
"She couldn't wait to go to the bathroom so she headed to the lobby," I told her.
"So we didn't get two rooms then, I take it."
"They were full."
"Ah." She stuck a wad of clothes into a bag and shoved it into her suitcase. "So how is this going to work?"
I shrugged. "About like usual I guess. We climb in bed, go to sleep and then wake up, only Lana's here too."
She sighed. "Well, which bed do you want?"
I shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."
She finally sat on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom. That wasn't surprising. She was up at least once a night, I knew, to go to the bathroom. "If you don't mind, I think I'd rather at least pretend to be asleep by the time she gets back." With that, she curled up under the covers and closed her eyes.
Deciding that was probably the best thing all around, I did the same, foregoing brushing my teeth – they were as invulnerable as the rest of me and I didn't need to worry about minty fresh breath for anyone special.
It was ten minutes before Lana opened the door. I heard her stop and guessed she was staring at us. I'd done something I rarely did on purpose. I was facing Lois' back, nearly spooned with her but not quite. Close enough that Lana probably wouldn't know the difference.
She wasn't quiet as she got ready for bed but Lois and I ignored her and kept up the pretense of sleep.
Once she finally climbed into bed, my heart broke anew as I heard her nearly silent tears hit her pillow.
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
My heart had been pounding as Clark scooted over next to me in bed, close enough that I could feel his shirt brush against me when either of us shifted slightly. In and of itself, that wasn't terribly unusual, but usually it was because our bed was so small and our backs would brush up against each other from time to time.
Lana had stomped around the room, making as much noise as she possibly could while she got ready for bed.
I pretended to be asleep and figured Clark was as well. I could hear her crying after she crawled into her bed, but I didn't really give it a second thought. Well, not really. I felt badly for her. I did. She should have been engaged to Clark and, if I was still pregnant but hadn't gotten caught in Latislan, it was quite possible that I'd either be engaged or married to Joe. Or at least considering marriage to a man who found me attractive and would want to at least spend time with me and talk to me on a pretty regular basis. Who would make love to me, eventually.
Except for the whole music thing a couple nights earlier, I wasn't sure what the last real conversation was I'd had with Clark. One that didn't include only the weather or assignments in the four classes we had together or looking over the fall schedule which had come out the week before and discussing classes and internships. We had *not* discussed what I was going to do about school except register for classes. The baby hadn't entered into the discussion at all. I had no idea what I was going to do for childcare, much less where we going to live in about eight weeks. That was something we were going to have to figure out and soon.
Maybe if we had to play happy in front of his parents, he'd at least stay in the same room with me for a while and even have a discussion about some of this, with input from his folks. I'd talked to his mom several times since that first conversation and I liked her a lot, though I was afraid that she was going to be entirely too intuitive for my own safety and the safety of my baby.
When my eyes opened in the morning in Richmond, Indiana, I could tell Clark was already out of bed. The water was running in the bathroom and I could still see a lump under Lana's bed, so it wasn't her.
I shoved the covers back and sat up, realizing that I hadn't been up in the middle of the night and my bladder was now screaming at me. Fortunately, Clark chose that moment to exit the bathroom.
"I'm going to go get us all some coffee," he said quietly.
I paused. That would leave me here alone with Cruella. Not a good plan. Finally, I shook my head. "We can get some when we leave. I'd rather get on the road pretty quick so we can get off the road faster this evening." Lana started stirring and I headed into the bathroom.
When I was done, I brushed my teeth and repacked my toiletries bag. I had heard the door to the room open and close again. Lana brushed past me into the bathroom with hardly a glance and I noticed that my suitcase was gone, as was Clark's. I sighed. It wasn't worth chasing him down so I could change clothes and the ones I was in were very comfortable. We were going to be driving for another eleven hours and comfort was important. I was just glad I hadn't spent the night before throwing up like I had so many nights recently. I'd been glad that Clark hadn't been there for most of those nights, too.
I picked up my purse and grabbed one of the keycards off the dresser. I really didn't want to stay alone with Lana. I glanced around and noted that all three laptop bags were gone as well. About the only things left were Lana's suitcase and the cooler.
I headed out the door. Clark was putting the suitcases in the Jeep by the time I got outside. He'd apparently left them on the side walk and pulled it into a recently vacated spot near the door.
"Lana's up?" he asked as he glanced at me.
"Yep. She was in the bathroom when I left."
"Ah."
I handed him my bag and stuck my purse in the passenger seat. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. It was kinda chilly out this early in the morning.
He looked at me again and had the good sense to look chagrined. "You didn't have any other clothes out, did you?"
I shook my head. "No, but it's okay. This is comfortable," I told him, playing with the hem of the shirt. I gasped suddenly.
"What?" He slammed the hatch shut. "Are you okay?"
My hands had immediately gone to my stomach. "Yeah," I whispered. "I think I just felt the baby move. I mean, really move."
His eyes widened. "Really?"
I nodded, biting my bottom lip. I felt it again and smiled at him.
"Again?"
I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure I really wanted to do this, but it was the right thing to do. He'd been hurt when he'd missed the first ultrasound and the first time I heard the heartbeat. "Would you like to...?" My voice trailed off.
"You don't mind?"
I shook my head and his much larger hands joined my smaller ones on my belly and we waited.
Suddenly, we felt it. Our eyes locked and for a minute, I could actually believe that he was the father of this baby and we were truly in this together. One of his patented Kent grins crossed his face.
"Was that it?"
I nodded. "Pretty cool, huh?"
The baby moved again and we both smiled. Clark's eyes moved to something behind me and the smile disappeared. He removed his hands and turned back to the Jeep. "Got everything?"
I didn't need to ask or look to know what he'd seen and Lana moving into my line of sight confirmed it. "I do," I finally said. "Just the cooler, I think."
Clark nodded. "I already filled it with new ice."
I turned back to the hotel. "Then I'll get it while you load the other suitcase and I'll double check the room and we can go."
Clark started to say something but I was back inside before he could. He was probably going to tell me not to try to carry the cooler, but I didn't care. It wouldn't be *that* heavy. I quickly double checked the room and bathroom then grabbed the cooler and headed back outside.
Minutes later, we were driving around to the front desk to check out. "I'll take care of it." I held out my hand. "Who has the other key?"
Lana handed it over without looking at me and I quickly escaped inside. If Clark had checked us out, I would have been left alone in the car with Lana and I had absolutely no desire to spend any more time with her – especially alone – than absolutely necessary.
*****
TBC
