I recommend that you go back and read this story from the beginning, even if you have already been reading it. Happy Holidays! Enjoy!
From Part 5:
Clark woke her with a tap on her window. She instantly came awake and hurried to let him in. To anyone else, Superman would appear as he always did, but Lois could read the weariness in his eyes and the droop of his shoulders. “Oh, Clark.” She put her arm around his waist and led him to her bed, giving him a little push to encourage him to sit. She sat beside him. “Was it bad?”
Of course, she knew that it had been horrible. Sometimes Clark would talk about it. And when it was really bad, he wouldn’t talk at all. He would just want to hold her. Her heart broke for all the times over the last few years when there had been no one to hold him after the many disasters he assisted with. Clark let out a shuddering sigh as he nodded. Lois moved behind him and rubbed his shoulders.
Lois continued to rub, even removed his cape because the folds kept getting in her way. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she realized that the tension in his body had changed. “Clar-”
Clark turned and almost lunged for her. She fell back onto the mattress. “Lois, Lois.” He pressed kisses on her face until he found her lips. After a thorough kiss that made her head spin, he kissed his way down her body to her stomach. He rubbed her belly, kissing her abdomen, taking joy in the life there. Lois watched him as he knelt there, still dressed in the Suit. Then he looked up at her with both a deep hurt and need in his eyes. “Lois-”
“Yes.” Lois plunged her fingers into his thick hair, guiding back up to her lips. “Yes.”
*****
Part Six
When Lois awoke the next morning, she stretched, and a smile crossed her face and she acknowledged how wonderful she felt and just why she felt so good.
She squinted open her eyes to see Clark laying on his belly, looking at her. “What?”
“I’m afraid to say anything. I said the wrong thing last time.”
“So you’re not making any assumptions this time?”
“Right.”
“Good, you learned something. Now let me have the sheet. I really need to go pee.” Lois pulled the sheet around her and hurried to the bathroom. She could hear Clark’s chuckle in her wake.
By the time she returned, dressed in sweat pants and a faded, well-worn Metropolis Tigers sweatshirt, Clark had a fresh plate of croissants and fruit waiting. He quickly helped her rearrange the bedding and they enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in bed.
************************************************************************
Later, Lois would remember that as the last “normal” day of her pregnancy. She and Clark enjoyed each other’s company all day- and all night!- but when she woke the next morning she had a blindingly horrible headache and felt very light-headed. Clark was easily able to persuade her to take a trip to Metropolis General’s emergency room to meet Dr. Groner. As they had instantly suspected, Lois’ blood pressure had skyrocketed and she was suffering from preeclampsia. Dr. Groner assured them that while it wasn’t a good diagnosis, of course, it wasn’t totally unexpected at Lois’ age. Lois waited until Dr. Groner’s back was turned to roll her eyes at Clark.
“You don’t appear to be having any contractions and the baby doesn’t seem to be in any distress. As you know, the only cure for preeclampsia is delivery, but I want to put that off as long as possible to allow the baby to grow. So what I’m going to do is prescribe bed rest. Complete bed rest!” she said over Lois’ protests. “I’m also prescribing an antihypertensive drug to help to manage your hypertension and magnesium to hopefully ward off any seizures.” She could tell by the way Lois and Clark’s faces sobered that they were acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. “Your job will be to avoid stressors, take your medication, and watching your diet. If you’re unable to do that at home, I’ll have to hospitalize you.”
“It won’t be a problem, Dr. Groner,” assured Clark.
“Yea, at my age, all I do is sit around playing shuffleboard all day anyway,” Lois grumbled.
“You have someone who can stay with you Lois?” the doctor inquired.
“Clark. Clark can move in with me. And if Clark has to be gone, my daughter Mariel can be with me.” Clark’s eyebrows were lost in his hairline for a moment but he agreed readily.
“Good. You’re at the very beginning of your twenty-second week. If your son is born now, his chances aren’t that good. With all the medical advances that we have made, nothing can match even one more day that he spends right where he is now.”
“Dr. Groner., I promise you, I have no intention of doing anything to jeopardize my son’s life in any way,” Lois vowed earnestly.
Dr. Groner nodded. “I’m keeping you overnight, just to make sure that you’re stabilized. Someone will come by soon and take you up to Labor and Delivery. Let’s just make sure that this is only a visit.”
Dr. Groner left and Lois focused on Clark’s concerned face. “Clark-”
“Oh, Lois. Yesterday. . . I would have never. . . I’m so s-”
“Clark, don’t even go there. We’ve known all along that this was more than a possibility. I wouldn’t trade the last two days for anything.”
“But, Lois! If-”
Lois laid her finger across his lips and met his eyes. She held his gaze until he nodded. “But just so you know, buddy, no more funny business until Pulitzer arrives. In fact, it could be about the time the next Pulitzers are awarded before-”
Clark silenced her babbling with a kiss.
*****
While Lois got very little sleep during her night in the hospital, with expectant mothers coming and going at all hours, her condition hadn’t shown any signs of worsening so Dr. Groner went ahead and released her upon her solemn vow to stay in bed.
When she got back to her apartment, she found that Clark had moved a small amount of his stuff into the apartment and Mariel had managed to find time to make and freeze several day’s worth of food so Clark wouldn’t even have to cook. “I figure Dad’ll have his hands full keeping you in bed.”
“Now, I’ve promised to be good. I don’t know why everyone assumes I won’t,” Lois grumbled good-naturedly. But she knew that the rest of this pregnancy, however long, was going to seem like forever.
*****
Each week was a milestone that she and Clark celebrated and marked off the calendar. She cried when at twenty-five weeks Dr. Groner said that Pulitzer’s chances had improved significantly. As much as she had balked at the prospect of being pregnant in the beginning, she had never wanted anything so fiercely as she wanted this baby to have every chance at a normal life. Not even the Pulitzer that lay on a shelf in her living room, neglected, and collecting dust.
Clark, Martha, and Mariel put together a simple Thanksgiving dinner, with Clark overseeing a healthier version made for Lois. JC, one handedly, moved the couch into Lois’ bedroom, and everyone piled onto the bed, couch, or floor to eat while they watched the first Christmas specials play on the TV. Clark and Lois sat close together on her bed, playing with their granddaughter, exclaiming over how smart and beautiful she was. Mariel elbowed JC and nodded at her parents. JC rolled his eyes and muttered, “Just like the old days,” but there was a very pleased smile on his face. After a few hours Clark chased everyone out and joined the clean-up crew in the kitchen.
“So, Dad, you and Mom. Are you ever gonna get married again? I mean, the baby could come any day.” JC voiced the question they were all wondering about.
“Someday. Probably. Right now we just take one day at a time. Sure, I’d re-marry your mother in a minute. But we have something more important that we need to focus on.”
“I never really understood why you guys split in the first place. I mean, Mom went on investigations before, and it was never a problem. And I know you guys love each other, so it wasn’t that. I don’t think you guys were staying together just for us, but when you got a divorce so soon after we graduated. . .” Mariel’s voice trailed off.
“Oh, sweetheart, our divorce never had anything to do with you or your brother. I’m sorry you ever thought that for a moment.”
“But-”
“For two people who make their living with words, we did something pretty stupid. We forgot to talk to each other. We assumed that after twenty years words weren’t necessary. You mom assumed that I would understand that she was ready to do more investigative reporting, and I assumed she understood that I was ready to pick up more responsibilities as Superman.” Clark shook his head. “It was a lesson that we should have learned year ago.”
“Guess you won’t forget again?” JC asked wryly.
“I sure hope not. And I hope that you both can learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.”
*****
For the rest of the world, Christmas came so soon after the Thanksgiving holidays. Parties, family get-togethers, and gift-buying filled the days quickly. Not for Lois and Clark. Clark assigned more of his duties to the night editor so he spent only a necessary time at the Planet each day and carried out his Superman duties when Lois was asleep. Which wasn’t often. Spending all day in bed didn’t make her tired enough for her to sleep well, and Pulitzer was getting big enough now to make his presence known and his mother uncomfortable. But he was growing, which was the point. Each week Lois reveled in the opportunity to leave her bed and apartment to visit Dr. Groner and see the progress their son was making. The changes that were happening as he prepared for life outside her womb. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched him kick and squirm or suck his thumb. Or jump when he had the hiccups.
“Honestly, Ms. Lane, I never expected you to make it this far. I don’t think I’ve ever had a patient so determined to follow directions to the letter.”
“I knew the first time I saw her she was pig-headed,” Clark teased. His voice softened, “And brilliant.”
Lois smiled lovingly at him.
“Ugh, you guys make me sick,” Dr. Groner teased.
“At our age, you mean?” Clark teased back.
“At your age? You guys act more like my teenage patients!”
*****
Lois lay in bed wide awake as she watched the moon move across the sky thinking about what Dr. Groner had said. She wondered if it was possible that she loved Clark even more now, if she wasn’t even closer to him now than she had been through all their years of marriage. “Clark”, she murmured softly.
Clark jerked awake. “Lois! What is it?”
“Nothing. Sorry, Clark. Go back to sleep.”
“No, I’m awake now. Is it the baby?”
“No.”
“Something bothering you?”
“No. Yes. No, well, maybe.”
Clark chuckled. “Which is it?”
“I know we don’t have to, that Pulitzer will never care. But I’m an old-fashioned girl at heart, Clark.”
Clark quirked an eyebrow, “Old-fashioned is not a word I would ever use to describe you, Lois.”
“Right. So. . . never mind.” She rolled over onto her other side, sighing as Pulitzer promptly kicked her in the ribs, then squirmed around as if trying to find a comfortable position again. Unfortunately, the position he found comfortable didn’t make her comfortable and she flipped back over again to gaze out the window.
“Lois. What is it?” Clark asked softly.
“I want to be married again before the baby gets here,” she finally blurted.
“Lois, we can’t plan a wedding. It would just be too much. It is more important that Pulitzer get here safely than that his parents are married when he arrives.”
“So let’s not plan a wedding.”
“Okay, now I’m confused.”
“Everyone’s going to be here Christmas Day already.”
“You’re talking about Christmas Day as in next week Christmas Day, right?”
“Do you know of any other Christmas Days that will happen *before* Pulitzer arrives?” she asked sharply, clearly losing patience.
“Alright. It was a dumb question. But that’s next week, Lois.”
“Which is the point. Let’s not plan a wedding. You go sometime this week and get the license. I don’t care when and how. I don’t need to know. Perry and Alice are already planning to stop by sometime on Christmas Day. We’ll just ask him to perform the ceremony while he’s here. Anybody in our family that’s still around gets to be witnesses.”
“Okay,” Clark said slowly, still visibly mulling over the idea.
“Everyone is already coming, we don’t need invitations. Everyone is already bringing all the food, so no need to plan a reception. Since it is Laney’s first Christmas, I know there will be cameras, so no need to worry about a photographer. I have to stay in bed, so no need to shop for a dress.”
“Okay,” Clark repeated, this time with more assurance in his voice.
“And Perry’s already coming. So the only thing we have to plan. . . *you* have to plan is getting the license.”
“Okay.” Clark already making a mental list of things to do. Like make sure that Perry’s ordainment by the Church of the Blue Suede Deliverance was still in effect.
“So there really couldn’t be a better time to-” she broke off. “Okay? You said okay?”
“Did you think I’d say no?”
“I just thought you might need a little more convincing.”
“I must say, Ms. Lane, that getting proposed to by you twice in a lifetime is not something I’m likely to forget. Or take for granted,” he added humbly.
“So next week.”
“Do you think Pulitzer will stay put until then?”
Lois shrugged. “Dr. Groner seemed pleased today. He’s twenty-nine weeks. We’ll just have to will him to stay put. Maybe you should talk to him in your Superman voice.”
“I would if I thought it would do any good. But he probably takes after his mother.”
*****
“Grandpa Perry! Grandma Alice!” JC and Mariel both rushed forward to embrace the pair as Clark ushered them into the crowded bedroom.
“Great shades of Elvis! It’s like a can of sardines in here! Lois, how are you handling all this, honey?”
“I’m fine, Perry. Have a seat. . . if you can find one.”
“Oh, let me see that little girl,” Alice cooed reaching for Laney.
“Actually, Perry, don’t get too comfortable,” Clark said moving to stand by the bed and taking Lois’ hand.
“Well, Clark, I’ve never known you to be unsociable,” Perry commented, eyeing Clark questioningly.
“Lois and I have a favor to ask you.”
“Clark, you know I’m more than happy to stand in for you at the Planet whenever it is that Junior there decides to make his appearance. Just call and I’ll be there with bells on.”
“What about blue suede shoes?” queried Lois.
“Blue suede shoes, sure,” Perry answered clearly wondering if all the weeks in bed had damaged Lois’ head.
“What Lois means, Chief, is we wondered if you were still ordained by the. . . the Church of Blue Suede Deliverance?”
JC hooted. “Dad, there’s no such thing!”
“Now, listen here, son. It so happens that there is. And it so happens that I am, still am, an ordained minister of the First Church of Blue Suede Deliverance,” Perry stated indignantly.
“So we wondered,” Clark continued, trying to take back control of the conversation, “if you would be willing to marry us?”
Dead silence.
Finally, “Well, now, Kent, marriage is more than just a ceremony. You need a license-”
“Got it,” Clark said picking it up off the dresser next to him.
“- and rings-”
“And those,” Clark assured, pulling them from his pocket.
“-and, and, well, I guess we’re going to have a wedding, then.”
Lois sniffed. “Sorry, guys, I’m just a little emotional.”
“Uh, Mariel, honey, leave Laney with my Alice and come stand by your mom. JC, stand up here by your dad. Clark, give the boy the rings.”
Clark complied while Perry muttered trying to remember the right words to say.
“Uh, uh, Dearly Beloved. We are gathered here to. . . ah, shucks. Folks, you know why we’re here. We’re all, each and every one of us, here because we love these two stubborn mules. There’s no one I know who deserves each other, or loves each other more than these two. So, Clark, do you take this woman to be your wife?”
Clark gazed at Lois, his eyes shiny with tears. “In my heart, I am your husband.”
“And I’m your wife,” she answered.
“Well, okay, I guess you guys just need me to say, uh, by the power vested in me by this state and the First Church of Blue Suede Deliverance, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Clark quickly leaned down to place a loving kiss on his wife’s lips.
“Uh, well, you may kiss the bride. Not that you’re waiting for me or anything,” Perry muttered. But the gleam in his eye signaled that all was once more right with the world.
Lois and Clark returned to reality as their family clapped, beaming at them.
“It’s such a surprise!” “So beautiful.” “How did you pull this off?” “When did you guys decide to do this?” Happy exclamations rang all around them as their family moved in to greet them both with enthusiastic hugs.
“Oh, by the way, Dad, did you guys want these?” JC asked holding up the rings.
“I do!” Lois said emphatically, reaching for the rings, wondering what Clark had purchased.
Clark retrieved the rings from his son. “Just a minute, everyone. Now this,” he said holding up one of the rings, “is Lois’ original engagement ring. This ring has been some pretty unusual places and seen me- us- through some pretty hard times.” Visions of the rejected ring floating in the vastness of space and of himself desperately clutching the ring as Baron Sunday used Clark’s own fears to torment him flashed through his mind. Clark then picked up the matching bands. “These are our original white gold bands, symbolizing our marriage, entwined with new platinum bands, symbolizing that our marriage is now even stronger.”
“Oh, Clark,” whispered Lois, getting all weepy again.
Clark slipped the rings on her fingers and handed her his band so that she could return the favor.
“Oh, Clark,” Lois said again when she saw the three diamonds nestled in the twists of both her and Clark’s wedding bands.
“Those symbolize out three beautiful miracles.”
“Every time I look at them, I’ll remember what is really important.”
“Me too.”
*****
Lois wondered if she had ever been happier. Of course, she wished she was off bed rest, that her pregnancy was more normal, but she felt so blessed and safe in Clark’s love. Pulitzer would be entering this world into a family eagerly awaiting his arrival and mindful of just what a blessing his creation was.
