Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Unanswered Prayers, 10/?

Thanks to Alisha, Nancy, Beth and Queenie.

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Lois

"Are we sleeping here?" I murmured, as we snuggled into the pillows and he pulled a blanket over us.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Christopher will be up early so we probably need to be at least clothed and he'd want to know why we had a fire in June.

"Good point," I said, snuggling in closer to him. "That's all your responsibility, including getting me clothed again.

He chuckled. "It's much more fun getting you unclothed."

"I know, but you make good points and I don't want to move."

"I know."

A few minutes later, we were snuggled in our bed, clothes back in place.

"You know, if all our dates are going to end like that, I think I want you to ask me out again."

"That wasn't part of our date."

I yawned as I felt sleep overtaking me. "Well, regardless, I hope you ask me out again."

"Don't worry," I heard him say as I drifted off. "I plan on it."

*~*10*~*
July 2006
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~

As usual, Lois fell asleep with her head on my chest as I stared at the stars through the ceiling.

I was going to be a superhero.

It had been nearly six weeks since Mom had made the costume, but Nate's health was still kind of up in the air and we were still settling in to our jobs at the Planet – thankfully, things hadn't been quite as eventful as that first week had been – so I still hadn't made my debut.

And we still hadn't come up with a name – I thought about using Kal-El but something about that seemed... wrong. We'd have to come up with something else. Maybe something with an 'S' since the family crest resembled one.

Splendiferous.

Yeah. That was it.

I sighed and decided that I wasn't going to decide anything before I went to sleep.

I shifted us both so we'd be more comfortable and went to sleep with my arms wrapped around her.

We woke with the sun streaming in the windows.

"What's your plan for the day?" Lois asked her head resting on my chest again.

"Work and..." I kissed her forehead. "...make love to my wife at some point."

I could feel her smile against me. "We'll see."

"What about you?"

"Work then take Nate to the doctor."

"What do you think they're going to say?" I asked quietly.

She sighed. "That there's something wrong or something. I have no idea what, but something. Maybe he's not digesting his food properly and getting everything out of it or something."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

She shook her head. "I think it'll be okay. As long as he doesn't get that stomach bug I had a couple weeks ago, I think he'll be fine. Maybe he just needs more 'real' food or something."

I glanced at the clock and sighed. "We've got to get going."

"I don’t want to move," she complained.

We laid there for a few more minutes before we got up and got ready for the day.

We didn't see much of each other during at work. I was covering a police academy graduation and a press conference at city hall about the plan to artistically enhance Centennial Park – whatever that meant. Lois was covering some flower thing and then taking Nate to the doctor.

It was nearly four in the afternoon when my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of the clip on my belt.

"Hello?"

"Hey." I could hear tears in her voice.

"What'd they say?" I asked her, my heart in my throat.

"They want us to take him to the Met U hospital in a couple weeks to see a Failure to Thrive specialty clinic."

I ran a hand down my face. "How big was he?"

"Just over thirteen pounds," she told me as I heard her snapping his car seat into place. "He's only gained about nine ounces in the last three months. That's just not enough – not even given... you know."

I looked at the clock. "I can get out of here. I'll meet you at home, okay? We'll talk to your dad and see what he says, okay?"

"Okay."

"Hey," I said with a small smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"It's going to be okay," I promised.

"I know."

A few hours later we were sitting in the living room talking to Sam about it. We'd given Nate the same Beef Stroganoff the rest of us had and hoped that the 'real food' would help him gain some weight before his appointment with the specialist in two weeks and another weight check at his regular doctors' two weeks after that.

Sam sighed. "I don’t see another choice," he said. "I've never noticed any differences between your kids and other kids and I don't think they would here. Especially if they didn't notice anything during his surgery and such."

Lois leaned her head against my shoulder. "I know it's what needs to be done but..."

My head jerked up as I heard it and I literally flew to the nursery.

~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~

Clark's head jerked up and there was a gush as he disappeared.

Daddy looked puzzled. "Where'd he go?"

I shrugged. "He heard something."

"How do you know?"

"The head tilt," I told him.

"This is still taking some getting used to."

"Tell me about it."

A second whoosh filled the room, followed quickly by gagging sounds. Dad and I exchanged puzzled looks and headed to the kitchen.

A grim looking Clark was holding Nate over the trash can as he threw up every bit of Beef Stroganoff he'd eaten.

"Oh, no," I whispered. "Is that what you heard?"

Clark nodded. "It's all over his crib but I didn't want to wake Christopher up by keeping him in there."

Tears filled my eyes. Daddy and Clark would understand but I doubted many other people would. Of all the things that could happen to Nate, a gastrointestinal bug was about the worst at the moment.

I even found myself whispering a prayer that this was a one-time thing.

He was so small... His little body wouldn't be able to handle something like what I'd had a few weeks earlier.

It was a better part of an hour before he was truly done throwing up. Daddy had finally recommended that I call his doctor's office and I spoke with an on-call triage nurse who gave us some ideas to help keep him hydrated and what to watch for as signs of dehydration.

While I was talking to her, he filled his diaper.

It wasn't good.

Dad left to go to CostMart and get some infant rehydrating drink stuff, but by the time he got back, Nate had nursed again – something the nurse had said to do as often as he wanted – and was sound asleep.

I laid him carefully in his freshly cleaned crib and went back to our room.

Clark was lying on his back, fingers laced behind his head, staring at the ceiling – or, knowing him, more likely the stars beyond the ceiling.

I slid under the covers next to him, resting my head on his chest. "What if he doesn't get better? What if he does have that bug that I had and it's not just that he didn't like dinner?"

His hand rubbed up and down my arm. "We'll deal with it," he said. "What's the worst case scenario?"

"Hospital," I said. "IV support to keep him hydrated while his body fights off the virus."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, that wouldn't be *good*, but it's not horrible."

"Except that he's half-Kryptonian," I reminded him. "I know no one noticed anything last time, but the more blood tests he has, the more times he's poked and prodded, the more likely it is that *someone* is going to notice *something* weird."

"It's a risk we may have to take," he said quietly.

"I know." A few tears leaked down my cheeks and onto his chest.

"Hey," he said quietly. "It's going to be okay, I promise."

I closed my eyes and just let him hold me.

*~*~*
August 2006
~~~~~
Clark
~~~~~

"What does that mean?" I asked Lois, pinching the bridge of my nose under my glasses and holding the phone between my shoulder and my ear.

I could hear the tears – and relief – in her reply. "It means we're admitting him back into the hospital."

Nate had been sick for nine days and had lost eleven ounces, taking him back down under twelve and a half pounds – so small he was even further off the growth charts in his doctor's office.

The nurse practitioner had seen him a few minutes earlier and reached the same conclusion we had with Sam that morning. Despite our best efforts, he was borderline dehydrated. That he wasn't *actually* dehydrated was a minor miracle in and of itself. The decision to put him in the hospital to prevent further deterioration wasn't a surprise to any of us.

We spoke for a few more minutes and I told her I'd be there as soon as I could. I set my glasses on the desk and rested my face in my hands.

"Everything okay, son?" Perry asked, clapping me on the shoulder.

We'd kept him updated on the situation with Nate over the last week. "Nate's being admitted," I told him. "Hopefully, just for a couple days while he gets over this bug but..." I sighed. "They're going to run some tests and stuff, too, to see if they can figure out what else is wrong. We have that appointment at the Failure to Thrive Clinic next week, but it's in the same building so..."

"Are you about done?"

I nodded. "Yeah. A final run though and then I'll send it to you."

"Do that and get out of here, would you?"

"Thanks, Perry."

He smacked my shoulder again. "Keep me posted and give the little guy a hug for me, would ya?"

I smiled at him. "Of course. I'll probably be another ten minutes."

He turned and yelled at Ralph as he walked off.

I skimmed over my article about the new Library Center, sending it to Perry when I was done. I sent an email to Jimmy, Billy and Serena, letting them know what was going on.

I waved to Perry as I waited for the elevator and called Bernie as I headed towards the parking garage. I filled him in and asked him again if he had any ideas about how Nate's Kryptonian heritage might be affecting him.

I knew the answer before I asked and he knew I knew but understood why I had to ask again.

He didn't know anything that might be helpful in this situation. He promised that he and Ashley would be by later in the evening to see us.

Twenty minutes later, I was buzzed into the pediatric unit in the Ellen Lane Memorial Medical Building. I found the room Lois told me was ours for the next few days.

"Hey," I said quietly as I saw her staring out the window. I was making a special effort not to hear anything special. Somehow I knew that Nate was somewhere nearby getting blood drawn and an IV started.

She stood up and I wrapped my arms around her. Even though we both knew this was for the best and more precautionary than anything at the moment, and that there was no real danger to our son because we were seeking appropriate medical attention, it wasn't an easy thing for either of us – and I didn't think the half-Kryptonian thing had anything to do with it.

"He's going to be okay," I whispered.

"I know." She took a deep breath. "I know it's the best thing for him and it's what we need to do, but it's still hard."

"I know."

~~~~~
Lois
~~~~~

I had a hard time falling asleep.

I couldn't believe how quickly I'd gotten used to sleeping in Clark's arms.

Dr. Mayors thought that the only thing wrong with Nate at this point was the gastrointestinal bug. I'd talked with him and the hospital nutritionist and the consensus was that he needed a higher fat, higher calorie diet, even if it meant less nursing and more Pediasure – a high fat, high calorie drink for kids, similar to Ensure for adults. Our appointment in a few days with the specialists would most likely confirm that.

I rolled onto my side in the very uncomfortable pull-out chair. I stared at my little boy sleeping soundly in the metal, industrial, hospital crib.

Clark, Daddy and I were going to take turns here at the hospital with him. Fortunately, I was already scheduled off for the next two days and Clark the day after that.

I finally managed to doze off and then spent two of the most boring days of my life staring out the hospital window.

Nate was doing better. His stomach still looked distended from time to time – like one of the kids from one of those 'feed the children' commercials. His ribs were so pronounced and his head so disproportionately large compared to the rest of his body. They said that was actually a good sign at this point, because his brain growth wasn't stunted or anything. His body could catch up, they thought, but it was harder for a head to catch up.

It made sense in my head anyway.

On the fourth day, we went home with instructions to keep an eye on him and follow up with the specialist in a couple days.

A couple days later, the specialists said essentially the same thing. High fat, high calorie diet. Reduce the nursing, increase Pediasure.

I wanted what was best for my son. That went without saying – or so I thought. They'd bent over backwards trying not to offend me while suggesting that nursing wasn't enough for him.

As much as I enjoyed nursing him regularly, and how good I knew it was for both of us, his health was much more important and they all looked very relieved when I said so.

"So?" I asked Clark once the boys were in bed.

"So what?" he asked pulling his shirt over his head.

I let my eyes linger over his now-bare chest.

He grinned at me. "So what?" he repeated.

"When is the new superhero making his debut? Nate's doing fine. Bernie's been helping out a lot. When's it your turn?"

He sat on the bed and held out his hand towards me. I took it and he pulled me to him. "Are you really sure about this?"

I kissed him softly. "Yes. I am. So when is the new superhero making his debut?"

He smiled at me and kissed me again. "As soon as we come up with a name, I guess."

"Not Kal-El," I asked puzzled.

He shook his head. "No. I don't want anything that connects to *me* - even if it is my Kryptonian name that only six people alive know."

"Okay, then. What're you thinking?"

He shrugged. "Something with an S? To go with the family crest thing."

"Like Stupendous Man?" I asked, one hand playing with the hair at the back of his neck.

He groaned. "No. And not Splendiferous either."

"Surprising Man?"

He shook his head.

"Stunning Man?"

He rolled his eyes.

"You are you know," I told him. "You're stunning."

"Well, let's still stick with 'no' on that one," he told me, tangling his fingers in my hair. "You're the only one around here who needs to be stunning."

"Fine. Be a superhero without a name." I snapped my fingers. "That's it!"

"What's it?" he asked, puzzled by the leap I'd made without him.

"Your new name," I told him with a grin.

"What is it?"

I shook my head. "Not telling. Just make sure I get the first interview with you. And I'll make sure Bernie and Ashley knows what it is, too. Just in case."

"But you're not going to tell me?" he asked with a raised brow.

I shook my head. "Nope."

"So what if someone asks me?"

"Tell them to read about you in the Daily Planet. That they've shown themselves honest or whatever with your brother so they'll have your first exclusive and more information can be found there soon."

He rolled his eyes. "So I'm pulling someone out of a burning building and they say 'hey, what's your name?' and I say 'read about it in the Daily Planet'?"

I nodded. "That's about it." I stood up and headed for the bathroom, smiling to myself.

Superman.

It was perfect.

*****
TBC

My son, after he got sick, before he went to the hospital. What we've taken to calling the 'alien pictures'. I can't get the picture from the hospital off the phone...