Thank you all for the FDK
.
Thanks as well to Alisha, Beth and Nancy for *all* their help!
Last time:
Clark
"A couple years ago, my mom got a phone call from this guy who was my brother's mom's husband. They'd dated in high school, she'd moved away, gotten pregnant when a guy basically forced himself on her and couldn't bear to tell this guy. She gave my brother up for adoption and eventually they got married and had a couple kids of their own. Two girls. This guy said that my brother's birth mom and one of his half-sisters were in a car accident I guess about nine years ago now. It turns out that the mom or the other half-sister would have been matches for my brother, but we were never able to find them and he didn't know about my brother until after his wife died and didn't look until a couple years later when it was too late. He and my parents talked a few times and he said that, someday, he'd like to get to know our family. He hadn't known about my brother but he would have married his mom and I have to say I'm kind of glad he didn't know because then he wouldn't have been my brother, even if he would probably still be alive."
I didn't think Lois could get any more pale and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Serena and Billy both looked appropriately sad, but Lois' reaction was more than would be expected.
Jimmy looked at her and reached over to squeeze her hand. "Hey, it's okay. It's been a long time now and I don't have any hard feelings or anything like that. I know they would have done something if they'd known, but they didn't and that's just the way things are."
Lois swiped at her cheeks. "Jimmy, there's something I have to ask you."
I knew what was coming.
"Sure," he said. "Anything."
She took a deep breath and didn't look at him as she spoke. "Was your brother's name Dave?"
*~*66*~*
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
Jimmy stared at me. "How did you know that?"
"Was his mom's husband Dr. Sam Lane?" I asked, my heart in my throat.
"Yes," he answered warily.
Tears kept flowing and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop them. "He was my half-brother," I whispered.
"What?" Jimmy's face blanched.
"My dad is Sam Lane. My mom had a baby her senior year of high school. She gave him up for adoption and never told my dad. She left him a letter when she died nine years ago. He found the family a couple years ago and found out that her son had died needing a bone marrow transplant about a year after the accident."
"You could have saved his life?"
I nodded, swiping at my face again. "That's what Daddy told me."
I glanced at Clark who wasn’t really looking at either one of us.
"Can I get anyone anything else?" the waiter asked, picking up a couple plates as he did.
I shook my head and everyone else did, too. I dug through my purse and tossed some cash on the table and fled to the bathroom.
I closed the stall door behind me and leaned against it.
I liked Jimmy.
A lot. He was a great guy, but I'd never in my wildest dreams imagined that he could be my half-brother's brother.
"Lois?" It was Serena.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
I opened the door and came back out. "Shocked, I guess. That was the last thing I expected to learn at lunch today."
"I can imagine," she said sympathetically. "The guys have already headed back to work; Clark can't come in here, after all. Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head. "Not yet and I do have to get back to work anyway." I splashed some water on my face and held a paper towel to my eyes for a minute.
"I'm sure Rehalia would understand if you wanted to go home early today."
"No, it's okay." We headed out of the bathroom and towards the Daily Planet. "The whole thing is a big reason why I couldn't give my son up for adoption. I don’t know if any of this might help you, but I'd be willing to talk to you if it's okay with Jimmy and his family. I wouldn't want to make things harder for them."
"Your son?" she asked puzzled.
I tried to think quickly. "Well, our son. I didn't know I was pregnant until I was about ten weeks or so. Clark and I got married a couple days after we found out. I considered adoption, but briefly and since Clark was adopted... Well, neither one of us thought it was the right thing."
"Shotgun wedding?"
"Something like that." There'd been plenty of guns out all right. "I knew at the time that Clark was adopted but that was about it. I didn't know about the rest of his story." And *that* was the understatement of the decade.
"You two weren't a couple?"
"Not really," I said honestly. "He had a girlfriend. I had an on-again, off-again boyfriend and Clark and I got stuck at a cabin during that huge snow storm last year and we were both practically unconscious..." I let her imagine the rest. None of that was a lie.
"But you knew he was the father?"
I hesitated. "Joe and I... we didn't..."
"Ah," she said, understanding dawning.
"Anyway, he wanted to do right by me and the baby so... Here we are."
"But no one at work knows that you're married?"
I shook my head. "Not that I know of. We decided that we'd leave our relationship at the door. For the most part, it's no big deal. We don't see each other often at work. And it's not like we'd be all over each other if we were. That's just not how we are. We both wear rings. That should be enough. I don't feel the need to 'stake a claim' or anything."
"There's no doubt he's committed to you. He was very concerned about you, but I told him to go ahead."
It wasn't a question, but I still felt the need to answer as we headed into the building. "Yes, he is. He's very committed to me and Christopher."
Or something like that.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
Jimmy was quiet on the way back to the Planet and we went our separate ways when we got to the building.
When I got to the mailroom, I found out that they didn't need me and they sent me home.
I used my senses to find Christopher. He and Jessica were in the big living room while Vicki was working on dinner. I parked in my usual spot near our wing and headed in the front door.
"Hey, big guy!" I said, picking him up off the floor.
"You're home early," Jessica said with a smile as I cuddled my son.
I'd made myself start calling him that and it seemed to be sinking in. "They didn't need me anymore. You're off duty, Jess."
"Thanks. My sister called earlier wanting to know if I could go out tonight."
"Well, now you can," I said, shifting Christopher a bit so I could see him better. "Have a good night."
"You, too," she said as she left.
I wondered if I should tell Vicki or Sam what I'd learned about Jimmy. I decided it was probably Lois' place to do so and that she'd probably rather do it herself.
I headed into the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" I asked Vicki.
"Spaghetti," she told me. "Nothing fancy."
"Hey, you make a great spaghetti sauce. It's almost as good as my mom's and that's not something I say lightly."
She laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Your mom's a great cook."
"That she is."
Her eyes narrowed. "Did she teach you?"
I nodded. "Yep."
"Then you're on KP tomorrow night."
I laughed. "Okay. What sounds good?"
"Up to you," she said. "Oh, Sam said you and Lois are heading up to the cabin next weekend."
I started slightly. "I'm not sure," I finally said.
"He said something about going to Bremerton's Fall Fest again this year. Let me know and I'll pack up some stuff for you. There's not much up there."
"Thanks, Vicki." I sniffed. "I think this little man needs a diaper change."
She smiled. "I think you're right."
I headed to the living room where there was a drawer of diaper supplies and I sat on the floor with Christopher. I'd just finished snapping his clothes back up when my phone buzzed at me. I looked to see a text message from Lois saying she wouldn't be home until later, probably late. Serena was taking her to a movie.
I typed back with my thumbs that it was fine with me. There was plenty of milk in the fridge and I knew Lois borrowed her boss' office a couple times a day on days like this to pump so that wasn't an issue either.
Christopher was a lot of fun to watch as he was starting to discover the world around him. Sam and I talked football as he played and before long, it was his bedtime. I decided that I was tired enough to head to bed myself. Saturday nights invariably found Lois wearing some kind of nightgown so being asleep before she got home would be a good idea.
I stared at the stars through the ceiling.
The letter Lois had received had shaken me more than I'd let on. I knew she'd noticed that I'd only mentioned Christopher when I said I wouldn’t let Navance get to him. I'd noticed too, but not until after it was out of my mouth and it certainly wasn't how I meant it.
I wouldn't let Navance get to her either. That's why I was married to her. And because I was married to her I did my best to do something I hadn't done enough of lately. I did my best to keep my thoughts from straying to Lana as I drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~
I sat in the breakfast nook, staring into my cup of coffee.
"Hey, Princess," Daddy said as he walked in. "You're up early. Did you have a good time last night?"
I nodded. "It was fun. It was nice to go out with a friend."
"I bet."
"I met someone yesterday," I blurted. "Well, I didn't meet someone, but I found out something about someone I already know."
"What's that?"
"Have Clark or I ever mentioned Jimmy to you?"
He thought for a minute. "Maybe. He works at the Planet?"
"Yeah."
"What about him?"
I took a deep breath. "He's Dave's brother."
Daddy just stared at me. "What?" he finally asked.
"We were at lunch yesterday – me and Clark and him and Billy Norcross and Serena Judd – and he started talking about his brother who had been a part of a closed adoption and how an open adoption would have saved his life. By the time he was done, I'd put two and two together."
"How do you feel about that?" he asked quietly.
"I like Jimmy a lot, but I don't know how he feels about me now. I ran off to the bathroom and I didn't see him again. He asked if I could have saved his brother's life and I told him that I thought I could have. The waiter interrupted us and I left before we could talk anymore."
"Wow." He covered my hand with his. "I'm glad you met him, though. I hope that he's okay with it. I hope you can be friends."
"Me, too. He's a good guy."
"Who is?" Clark asked, walking into the room with Christopher in his arms and a blanket thrown over one shoulder. "And someone's looking for you."
"Jimmy," I said, taking my son from him, using the blanket to shield myself from both of them as I nursed Christopher. "Did he say anything to you yesterday?"
Clark shook his head as he fixed a cup of coffee. "No. He was quiet the whole way back to work and I didn't see him again after that."
Dad stood up as the buzzer at the front gate went off. "Yes?" he said pressing the button on the wall.
"Is this the Kent residence?"
Clark and I looked at each other.
"Who's asking?" Dad asked.
"Jimmy Olsen."
Dad looked at me and I nodded. "Come on up."
Dad glanced at himself. "I think I need to go change before I meet him. I'd rather not be wearing my pajamas."
"He won't care, Dad."
"Still... Would you mind letting him in Clark?"
"Sure, no problem."
Dad headed upstairs and I took a sip of my coffee.
"You okay?" Clark asked me quietly.
I shrugged. "We'll see."
He glanced towards the front door. "He's pulling up." He stood and headed towards the front door.
I closed my eyes. I hadn't gotten home until late. It had been a good night. We'd gone to a late dinner and a movie and I'd lost myself in it. Once I'd gotten home, I sat and watched Christopher sleeping for a long time. I wasn't even sure how long. I was so glad I hadn't given him up for adoption. Regardless of the outside threats, I wouldn't have and I was glad of that.
I had finally gone back into my room and went to climb into bed only to find Clark sprawled across the whole thing. I still wasn't quite sure how he managed that since the bed was about half the size of Delaware. The blanket only covered him to the waist and, even though he was on his stomach, his physique was impressive. For a minute, I wished I was allowed to find out for myself just how impressive... Even the next morning, I had to shake my head slightly to clear the sight of him out of my mind.
I wasn't sure why it had such an effect on me – the emotional day maybe? I'd seen him walking around shirtless more than once since we'd moved in with my dad.
"Lois is in here," I heard Clark say as footsteps approached the kitchen area.
Well, here went nothing.
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~
"Hey, Jim," I said, a bit subdued.
"Nice place," he said wryly.
"It's Lois' dad's. He lets us live here while we're in college."
"Ah."
I could see the wheels turning in his head. That this was where his brother would have lived if Ellen hadn't given him up for adoption. "You should have Lois tell you the whole story sometime."
"Is she here?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"She's drinking her cup of coffee." I paused. "Her dad's here, too. He went upstairs to change because he didn't want to meet you in his pajamas."
"I don't know about this," he said suddenly. "I didn't sleep at all last night and I even hacked into the Planet's computer to get the address and came straight here as soon as I thought it was late enough, but..."
"They're nice people," I told him honestly.
"They could have saved my brother." His voice cracked as he spoke.
I nodded slowly. "If they had known, Lois would have donated her bone marrow in a second. It's not my place to tell you the whole story, but I do know that they wish they had known a lot sooner and not just because it would have saved your brother; because they really wish they had been able to know him. They've been talking about calling your folks since Lois found out she was pregnant, but I think part of the reason why is just that. That she could have helped your brother if they had known and she wonders if you and your parents resent her and Sam for that."
"I didn't," he said honestly. "Until yesterday. I don't know why it makes a difference knowing who it is, but it does." He took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go. I want to see her and meet her dad."
"Come on in," I said opening the door behind me. We walked between the two staircases and Jimmy's eyes were wide as saucers. "Lois is in here."
A noise on the stairs stopped me and I looked up to see Sam standing there. His face was ashen and, while he looked more presentable, he didn't look good. He came down the stairs, never taking his eyes off Jimmy.
"Uh, Sam, this is Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy, this is Dr. Sam Lane."
"Hello, Jimmy," Sam said holding out his hand.
Jimmy didn't take it. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why didn't you look for him sooner?" The tears were coming, I could tell.
"I wish I had," Sam whispered. "I didn't even know about your brother until after Ellen and Lucy died. It hurt that she hadn't told me for so long and I just couldn't bring myself to look for him for a long time. All I knew was that it was a closed adoption, where he'd been born and what his birthday was. She wasn't even sure he was a boy. She'd overheard a nurse talking and thought that was what she'd heard, but she wasn't sure. She couldn't even remember the name of the agency for sure."
"My parents put the information out everywhere they could. They went to the adoption agency and pleaded with them to open the records. The agency refused but said they'd contact his biological mother. All they said was that she was deceased; no information about other children or anything. They went to the courts to try to get the records unsealed so that they could contact her family themselves, but the courts refused. How'd you finally find us?"
"I hired the best private detective I know. I don't know how he found the information."
I watched as emotions played across Jimmy's face. "I want to hate you," he finally said, in a voice filled with tears.
Sam sighed heavily, tears in his own eyes. "I know. I hate me. I wish I had found Dave sooner. In time to help him."
I couldn't read the face Jimmy made then, but I couldn't stop what happened next.
Jimmy pulled back and punched Sam square in the jaw.
Sam staggered back and fell when he hit the stairs behind him.
"I deserved that," he said quietly.
"Damn right you did," Jimmy said before turning to walk out the front door.
*****
TBC
