Last time:
Clark
Mom glanced at me. "Aren't you two going to tell us if we have a grandson or a granddaughter?"
I grinned at her. "Oh, eventually."
She grumbled. "They would have to put a pink and blue striped hat on so we can't tell."
Lois smiled and pulled the bottle out of his mouth, carefully maneuvering him onto her shoulder. He burped quickly and spit up a bit at the same time.
"Do you mind?" I asked, moving to her side and reaching for him.
"Go ahead." She handed him over carefully before reaching for a cloth to wipe her shoulder off.
I held him carefully and turned to the assembled masses. "Mom, Dad, everybody... I'd like you to meet Christopher Jonathan Kent."
*~*61*~*
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
I'd been so glad to see everyone leave so I could get some sleep.
I was more tired than I would have imagined.
Sure, I hadn't slept well the last couple of nights and I'd given birth earlier in the day, but it had been a quick and easy delivery. Maybe it was the endorphin low or something.
There was a knock on the door and it was pushed open before I could respond.
"Hey," came a quiet voice.
"Hi, Dr. McConnell," I said back.
"Lo-is," she said with a warning tone and a smile.
"Sorry. Hi, Kristi."
She pulled a chair up and sat next to me. "How are you?"
I shrugged. "I'm tired."
"That's not what I mean and you know it. I know things aren't going well with you and Clark, are they?"
I played with the corner of the blanket. "Not really." I sighed. She already knew nearly everything; I might as well tell her everything else. "He offered to stay tonight, but I told him to go home and get some rest. Something about how he's going to be up enough soon and that he doesn't get to see his Mom and Dad and Granny all that often."
"Do you want to talk about it?" She handed me a box of generic hospital Kleenex.
I reflected that even they were about ninety times better than the ones at that other hospital half a world away. "He loves somebody else," I told her. "And it's not like I want him to love me or anything like that, but..."
"...if he slips up it puts you and the baby in danger."
I nodded. "Yeah. And we have to make it look good in public. If Navance suspects that it's not a 'real' marriage, he can still come after Christopher under Latislani law. Actual DNA doesn't matter. The courts wouldn't send him..."
"But the PR nightmare..."
"Exactly. Anyway, we moved in with Dad a while ago and he found out the whole story except that Clark's not the father. He thinks Clark's the father and Navance is still after us. We moved in and Daddy upgraded security and redid a set of three bedrooms for us, the baby and a nanny, but they weren't done we moved in so we stayed in my old room. Then on my birthday it was done and we stayed in there for the first time. We'd agreed that I probably need to wear... nightgowns and stuff that..." My voice trailed off.
"Gotcha."
"Anyway, I figured I should probably wear one that night since everyone thought they knew what was going to happen with us when we got to our new room on my birthday. I went to bed and woke up with him kissing me. It was the first time he'd ever *really* kissed me and I thought... It was going somewhere and then he called me Lana."
"And Lana's his ex-girlfriend?"
"Something like that. He actually had the gall to tell me that since Lana's having sex we should be, too. They'd been waiting until they got married, probably sometime this summer, but... When he first told her we were married, he said it was only temporary and she offered to wait for him. When he first told her about the baby, he said he wasn't the father, but he'd deny ever saying that. A couple months later, he told her he'd lied, but I know he's hoping to get back together with her once he doesn't have to be married to me anymore."
"I'm so sorry, Lois."
I smiled weakly at her. "Me, too. You know, if we'd met when he and Lana weren't together, I think maybe there could have been something between us. But instead, we're *married*, he hates me, and I'm not all that crazy about him these days but we have to pretend everything's normal and we're happy and in love and so we end up spending most of our time alone together in our room, but it's only because there we can ignore each other and no one will know any different. They think we're consummating like bunnies, I'm sure."
The door opened again. This time it was a nurse pushing the bassinet. "Someone's looking for his mom," she said with a smile.
I could see that he'd managed to get one tiny fist out of the blankets and into his mouth.
"I gotta get going," Dr. McConnell said. "I'll check on you tomorrow. Let me know if there's anything - *anything* - I can do."
"I will."
"Get some rest."
"I'll try," I told her with a smile as the nurse handed me my son.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
It was unusual for me to drive when my parents were with me, but these were unusual circumstances. They didn't know where they were going and, really, I needed something to focus on.
We hadn't left the hospital until near dark. Officially, visiting hours ended at eight, though I could have spent the night. Lois had smiled at me and suggested that I take my parents and Granny back to the house and spend some time with them.
I was sure that no one else had noticed the icy undertone to her suggestion.
"Clark, are you sure there's enough room for all of us?" Mom asked.
I chuckled. "Yeah, there's enough room."
We drove, talking about all kinds of things as we drove to Pittsdale. It was about a forty minute drive from campus and I was growing slightly nervous about the impression that the Lane Estate was going to make on my family. Dad had made a comment about Sam paying for last minute tickets and having at least two people working for him and multiple cars and all of that, plus having a cabin besides all of that.
I turned for the last time before getting to the drive. The houses couldn't be seen from the road, but wrought iron fences lined the streets with the occasional gated drive. I sighed slightly as I pulled into the drive that marked the dead end of the street. I lowered the window and punched in my access code.
Dad whistled. "Impressive."
"Just wait," I mumbled.
We drove along the winding drive and I heard the gasps as the house came into view.
"That was my reaction, too," I told them.
"I guess there really is room for all of us," Mom said, still in awe.
"If you guys want the nickel tour tonight, I'll give it to you. Otherwise, I can show you where you're staying. I'm sure Ollie already took your stuff in when he got back." Ollie and Vicki had brought one car back and Sam had driven the one he and Vicki had taken to the hospital. We were in the Jeep. The main garage door was open and I pulled into the porte cochere and then into the middle garage space on my left. "You guys will be right upstairs from where we are now. Do you want to stop there first or take a tour or what?"
"Tour," Mom said. "Definitely."
I grinned. "Let's go."
We headed in the house and I showed the around the first floor: Conservatory, Kitchen and breakfast area, the big living room, between the staircases and through the library to the east wing. I told them what I knew about why Sam and Ellen had built such a big house and what Sam did with it these days. We headed through the Billiard Room and into the Entertaining/Ball Room or whatever it was called. I pointed out Sam's office and then we headed out onto the covered porch before going back into the Billiard Room and then up the stairs to the suite of rooms where Lois, the baby, the nanny and I would be living for the next undetermined period of time.
I could see the glances my mom and dad shared as I punched a code into the solid door that led to the east wing.
"Why the security?" Granny asked.
I sighed. "It's a long story. Can I tell you in a bit?"
Mom and Dad shared another look.
We walked down the outer hall. "That's our room," I said, pointing to the double doors, but walking past. "This is the nursery." I figured Mom and Granny at least would be more interested in that so we headed there first.
As I suspected, they gushed over the animal décor. Lois and Vicki had picked it out. I'd just been along for the ride, but I did like it.
"That door," I told them, pointing, "goes to the room for the nanny Sam is going to hire so Lois and I can both go to school and do internships and work and stuff, but if one of us is home, the baby's all our responsibility." I shrugged as Mom looked like she was going to say something. "That's the way it should be, so basically, she'll be a really convenient daycare for us and not a nanny in the stereotypical rich kid sense. That's the door to our room." I pointed to the opposite side as I headed out the door onto the enclosed balcony. We enjoyed the view for a minute, though we couldn't see much as the sun was setting on the other side of the house. We went through another door. "And this is our room."
I belatedly noticed that the bed was still unmade and there were a few clothes lying around. Of course, I hadn't slept in here the night before, so I couldn't *really* be blamed for the unmade bed. I wondered if Mom wouldn't notice that only one side had really been slept on. Probably. Maybe she'd figure that Lois hadn't really slept. I contemplated shifting into high speed to fix it, but since Granny was there I decided it best not to.
We didn't linger, but headed back out the main door pretty quickly – after Mom and Granny admired the bathroom and walk-in-closet. I used my code to open the main door to the wing again and then locked it behind me – it wouldn't do to get out of the habit even though Lois wasn't home.
Mom and Dad shared another look as I did.
We walked through the rest of the second story. Sam was already in his room for the night most likely – given the closed door to his suite. I pointed out the room that had been Lucy's, as well as Lois' old bedroom that we'd shared when we first moved in. We walked past a half-bath, the elevator and two staircases as we headed into the west wing.
"This is an apartment," I told them as we walked through the main door. One of the bedrooms had a door to the hall, but I skipped that one for now. "There's another one just like it connected by a door in the living room. Unless you'd rather have the other one, Sam said you can use this one whenever you're here." I nodded in the direction of the windows. "I thought you'd like this view better than the other one." I pointed to the kitchen. "I don't think there's any food up here right now, but you're welcome to anything downstairs or to raid the pantry down there and bring it up here – if you want milk or creamer or whatever. I'm not sure what the meal plans are for the next couple days since all of us will be at the hospital quite a bit, but you can either make something up here or eat with whoever's downstairs or whatever."
Dad sank down into one of the overstuffed sofas in the living room. "This is too much," he said quietly.
"Sam's very generous," I told them.
"And I'd imagine it's safer here than anywhere else." Mom sat next to Dad.
Granny sat in one of the big chairs and I took the other one.
"I think it's time you told us what's going on, kiddo," Granny said.
I sighed. I should have told them this a long time ago. "Do you remember the couple who got stuck in Latislan and the ruling general tried to claim their baby?"
Mom nodded, but the other two shook their heads.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked. "Everyone said that he was crazy."
"He is. He'd be certifiable if didn't control everything." I took a deep breath and launched into the story, leaving out only that I wasn't the father. "Anyway, now that the baby's here and he was in town recently, Sam wanted better security around Lois and Christopher. The whole wing where we live is locked down. Everyone has access, but everyone has their own code to get in and out. We both carry or wear panic buttons at all times. So will the nanny. Christopher will have a bodyguard or two with him every time he's off the property or, really, out of the immediate house area. Lois put her foot down on a bodyguard when she's at school or working or whatever unless the threat increases – like when he's in town."
Mom and Granny were ashen-faced by the time I was done. Dad looked grim.
Granny yawned just then.
"I think Ollie put you in the front bedroom, Granny." I'd glanced through the wall earlier and noticed her suitcases in there.
She nodded. "I think I'm going to turn in. Congratulations again, kiddo. He's gorgeous."
"Thanks, Granny," I said, giving her a big hug before she headed towards the bedroom I'd indicated.
"I think you need to tell us a bit more, Clark," Dad said once she was gone.
I sighed and closed my eyes, my head falling back. "If I'd known what would have happened, I would have flown her out of there before they even knew we were stowaways. I knew then that she could be trusted – after she practically carried me to the cabin." I ran both hands through my hair. "And if the physical danger had been too much, I would have gotten her out of there; we would have just... disappeared. But the long-term danger is more real than either of us would have guessed at the time. I still don't know why he fixated on her and the baby. And there's no way I'd ever let anything happen to either one of them, but I can't tell Sam that and I can't be with both of them at all times either."
I didn't tell them that after five years, I'd be free to try to fix things with Lana.
Dad chose that moment to stifle a yawn.
"Your room is over past the kitchen," I told them. Mom held me longer than I would have expected under normal circumstances.
"Be careful," she finally whispered.
"I'll see you guys in the morning," I told her as I gave her another small squeeze. "Sam said you guys can use one of the cars if you want to while you're here. Or you can take the Jeep and I'll take the truck when I go to the hospital. There's a couple of portable GPS units in the garage. Any of us can show you how they work. They're pretty easy and it's nearly impossible to get lost."
A minute later, I was headed back towards my room, having said good night. Knowing my parents, they'd be up for a while discussing the latest revelation about their daughter-in-law and grandson. Part of me contemplated putting on some dark clothes and heading over to the hospital to hover for a while, but Sam had at least one, maybe two, bodyguards at the hospital and the post-natal unit and nursery were locked down anyway so there was no real danger.
I sped through my before bed routine and a few seconds later, I was lying on my side of the big bed, staring at the stars through the roof.
*****
TBC
