And the Truth Will Set You…
Chapter 11
Lois always wondered if her dislike for hospitals originated with her problems with her dad. Probably not, since lots of other people hated being in hospitals who didn’t have their lives ruined by demanding yet distant fathers whose infidelities destroyed their home. Then again, it probably didn’t help.
She’d found a message from Superman’s doctor on her answering machine when she got home last night requesting her presence this morning. She’d arrived half-an-hour before the time Dr. Anderson specified so she could have some time alone with Clark. As she sat beside his bed holding his hand, she couldn’t help but be more worried than ever There was no question in her mind… Clark looked even worse than he had last night.
“Ms. Lane?”
The voice from the doorway startled her. She looked over quickly. “Yes?”
“I’m Doctor Anderson, we spoke on Wednesday.”
“I remember. How is Superman? He looks weaker.”
“Unfortunately you’re right. His vitals have been trending down. I believe his best chance to recover is for us to go in again and try to get the rest of the green crystal out of his system.”
The thought of them cutting on Clark worried her. “Do you think you know where the Kryptonite is?”
“Kryptonite?” he asked. “Is that the green crystal?”
“Yes.”
“We know where all of the remaining larger crystal fragments are located. They show up just like glass chips on an X-ray so we didn’t have any problem finding them. There are only three small pieces that we missed on Tuesday, one in his chest and two in his shoulder. Considering that he was hit five times, I’m just pleased there wasn’t more.”
Lois was glad she was sitting. “He was hit five times? The reports said that there were only three shots. In fact, I remember knocking the shooter’s arm down after the third shot.”
Dr. Anderson suddenly looked nervous. “I, um… Well, since you’re acting as next of kin, you should probably know. There were five bullets in three areas. The one in his hand and the two in his shoulder appear to have come from in front and below his location. There were two more impacts centered over his heart where the wounds suggest that they came from an elevated position.”
Lois’s mind was racing. Two shots right at his heart… From an elevated position… There was a sniper! “Do the police know this?!” she snapped.
“Of course. Inspector Henderson himself asked that the information not be made public. I’m sorry, but I know that Inspector Henderson spoke with you. I assumed that he would have told you.”
“No, he didn’t,” she responded in a surly tone. “But I’ll be talking about it with him later this morning.”
“So, Ms. Lane, about the… Kryptonite?”
That snapped her back to her reason for being here. “You have to get those pieces out of him,” Lois pleaded. “Is that what you needed to ask me about?”
“Not exactly,” Anderson replied. “I’ve been working with a scientist out of Star Labs to try to understand what we’re seeing. He’s developed a detector, sort of like a Geiger counter for this Kryptonite, and his instrument is detecting Kryptonite in his tissues where there aren’t any apparent crystal chips.”
“What? How is that possible?” Lois asked.
“We believe that when the crystal bullets shattered, they created a spray of microscopic particles. These have saturated the tissues that surround the wounds.”
“So what can you do?” Lois asked.
“We have two choices. First we can remove the chips and hope that getting the larger crystals out of him will be enough for his body to start healing itself. The other option is that in addition to removing the crystals, we remove all the surrounding tissue that shows a presence of the crystal. The risk of the first approach is that while it would be considerably less invasive and would inflict less trauma to his system, there might be too much poison left when we were done. We’re convinced that the second approach will solve the poison problem, but we’re worried about removing so much tissue. In his weakened condition, that alone could threaten his life.”
“And you want me to pick which one?”
The doctor looked uncomfortable as he replied. “I’m just glad that you’re in a position to be able to provide us guidance. If you weren’t here, there would be no one to speak for Superman on this decision.”
Lois looked at Clark. It was clear that he was in pain. She remembered how he’d looked in Smallville and how he’d described the pain of Kryptonite. She turned back to Dr. Anderson and squared her shoulders. “You have to get all of the Kryptonite out of him,” she said clearly, making a point to stress the word “all.”
“Will you sign a release to that effect?” the doctor asked, his tone still serious.
Lois didn’t hesitate a second. “Yes.”
The doctor seemed to relax. “Good. I think that is the best answer. This green Kryptonite seems to be more danger to him than the loss of tissue. We’ll take him in to surgery in a few hours.”
~~~***~~~
Lois was fuming. Under any other circumstances she’d be worrying about Clark’s surgery. But Clark’s doctor had provided a distraction that might prove valuable today.
She’d gone directly from the hospital to Bill Henderson’s office at MPD. Bill wasn’t there, but they’d let her sit in a waiting area until he returned. Lois had tried to get them to let her wait in Bill’s office, but she had no luck with that request. Either they were especially disciplined, or her reputation preceded her.
It had been nearly half an hour when Bill walked up looking relaxed. “Lane, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
She almost snapped at him right then, but just managed to contain herself. “Bill, we need to talk in private.”
His face turned serious. “Okay, follow me.” He turned and started for his office. Bill held the door and after Lois had entered, he closed the door and took his seat behind his desk. “What’s this about?” he asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the sniper?”
For only an instant, he looked surprised. “How did you find out?”
“Does it matter?”
“This time it does,” he responded in a very serious tone. “I’ve done my best to keep a lid on that information. So far as I know only the paramedics, the surgical team and five people here in the department know that there were more than three shots fired. So please, Lois, you have to tell me where you got that information. I need to know where the leak came from.”
Lois froze for a moment. Bill had crossed the line and they both knew it. They’d had this discussion many times before. Lois didn’t give up her sources. “Bill, how can you ask me to give up a source?”
“Because, Lois, this time you aren’t in this as an investigator, you’re part of it.” He sat up and leaned over his desk toward her. “You’re the one that broke up the shooting. You were one of the victims. And you’re the one who’s acting as the primary victim’s next-of-kin. With all that’s at stake, I think you need to be more concerned about helping me get to the bottom of this.”
She just stared at him for a minute. He had a point, but giving up a source went against everything she believed in as well as many years of protecting sources. “Bill, would it be good enough for me to tell you that this source isn’t a threat to your investigation?”
Bill’s expression remained cold. “No. Whoever your source is, I need to find out who else they may have told. Lois, this could compromise everything I’m trying to do. It might even be a threat to Superman’s life.”
“It won’t,” Lois insisted.
“Lane, I know how you feel about this. But not matter who this is, the very fact that they said something to you means that they might have spoken to someone else. I can move quickly if I know who this is.” He paused for a moment. “Are you willing to risk Superman’s life?”
That wasn’t playing fair and Bill knew it.
“Lois, please,” Bill pleaded. “I know how you feel about this. I’m trying to do what’s best for you and him.”
Lois knew she was going to end up regretting letting go of a source, but these were extraordinary circumstances. “Fine! But in exchange for my source I want your promise that you’ll share your information.”
“Will you promise not to publish anything until I give you the go ahead?”
That was almost as hard. She hated to make that kind of promise. It basically put Bill in control of her story. But this was about much more than a story. “This time I’ll agree. I won’t publish the information you give me or anything I learn based on that information until you’re ready.” She took a deep breath. “My source was Doctor Anderson. As you pointed out, I’m serving as Superman’s next of kin and we were discussing treatment options. He thought you’d already told me about the extra bullets when you and I talked on Wednesday. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t said anything to anyone else.”
Bill considered this for a moment. “I’ll still need to talk to him.”
“So, Bill, why didn’t you tell me? You know you can trust me not to wreck your investigation.”
“I’m sorry, Lois, but I was trying to find the right time. The only real chance I’ve had since you’ve been out of the hospital was late yesterday. I knew how much this was going to upset you and I decided to let you get a good night’s sleep. I was planning to tell you this morning. I don’t expect you to thank me, but I was trying to do what I thought best for you.”
She glared at him. Knowing Bill, that was probably true and he was trying to take care of her. Men! “Fine!” she snapped out. “So let’s talk about the case. Have you made any progress in tying Donaldson to Bureau 39?”
“Give me a break. We talked late last night and it’s still before 10:00 a.m. Besides, after your comments last night I’m being more cautious than ever about with whom I share information.”
“I’ll be starting the Star’s investigation in earnest today. Do you know anything about this sniper?”
“Well, we’ve analyzed the trajectory. The bullets appear to have been fired from an upper floor, possibly a rooftop, of a building across the street. So far, we have nothing to go on. Based on the timing, the place where Superman was hit, and the lack of evidence, it looks like a professional hit.”
Lois had been sure of that from the moment she’d learned about the extra bullets. “Bill, this whole thing stinks of a setup. You’ve been out on the street, are that many people really mad at Superman?”
“Well, a few are. With all that’s been on the news about him deserting Metropolis for China, I’d expect a little dissatisfaction.”
“But rocks and eggs? That just doesn’t feel right.”
“I agree. I’m just saying that there are people who seem to have bought into the LNN line. I’ve seen the interviews of those people we arrested on Tuesday morning. They really were angry at Superman. It’s amazing how easy it is to get some people upset. But from what I’ve seen, most of the city is completely behind Superman. A lot of people seem to be upset with LNN for the attacks.”
“Well, according to Lex, that has stopped. But none of that explains the sniper. Bill, think about the bigger picture.” Lois held up her hand and started counting on her fingers. “First, LNN attacks Superman. Then there are a series of incidents where people accuse Superman of improper behavior, which moves Superman to call a press conference. Then a gunman appears with bullets from a little-known substance that can harm Superman. And he’s backed up by a sniper.” She stopped and waited to see where Bill would go with those parts.
“You’re saying that all of this was part of one comprehensive plan against Superman?” Bill asked.
“I don’t see another explanation where all the parts fit so well,” Lois replied.
“I see your reasoning,” Bill said. “But are you seriously suggesting that someone in a very senior position at LNN was involved in a plot to kill Superman?”
Lois hesitated. If Bill was going to conduct any real investigation, he deserved to know what he was up against. Now that she knew there had been a sniper, Bill needed to understand Lex’s involvement. “You know I was dating Lex Luthor?”
“Sure.”
“Did you know I broke up with him?”
“No. None on my business.”
“In this case it is. One of the reasons I did was that Superman revealed to me that Lex is heavily involved in crime in Metropolis. Based on what Superman told me, and what I’ve learned on my own, Lex is very close to the figure known as The Boss. The more I see, the more I believe he may be the Boss.”
Henderson leaned back in his chair. “Lane, I don’t have time for fairy tales.”
“Think about the role LNN has played in this mess in light of what I just suggested. You have to admit that the pieces fit very well.”
Henderson was quiet for a long moment. Lois finally felt that she should push the issue. “You know I’ll go ahead with my own investigation. I’m not asking your permission. I just thought you should you know what you are up against. I believe is that Lex is either the Boss or his partner. What you believe is up to you.”
Lois got up and started for the door. She’d just touched the doorknob when she heard Bill’s voice. “I believe you.”
She turned to face him and he continued. “That fits with some crime patterns I’ve seen over the past few years. But it doesn’t make either of our jobs any easier.”
“No, but we’re better off understanding what we’re facing,” she said. “I’ll let you know if I come up with anything.” She was about to turn the doorknob when she thought of a loose end. She turned back to Henderson one more time. “What do you think the story is for the officer that shot me?”
Bill’s face turned cold. “I told more than I should have last night. He’s under administrative review. I can’t express an opinion.”
She just stared at him for a few seconds. She should have expected that reply. “Well, what you believe is up to you, but I believe he was paid to make sure Donaldson would be in no condition to talk. And I’ll bet he was told that collateral damage was not to be a deterrent.” Lois watched but Bill never even twitched. “Like I said, just my opinion.” She opened the door and stepped out. At the last second she stuck her head back in. “Just the same, watch your back.”
~~~***~~~
As Lois approached the conference room at the Star, she had to remind herself that worrying about Clark would do him no good. The meeting with Bill had been a good distraction for a few minutes, but she needed to get the investigation started.
As she entered the room she had to admit that it was great to see Jimmy. Under other circumstances she’d have expected him to be watching for her arrival. However, something much more interesting had caught his attention. Emily seemed to find Jimmy’s company equally distracting. But there was work to be done. “Good, morning,” Lois said as she cleared the door.
“Ms. Lane,” Jimmy yelped in a startled tone, clearly embarrassed at missing Lois’s arrival.
“Good, morning, Ms. Lane,” Emily said in much calmer tones. “How is your shoulder this morning?”
Lois closed the door and sat down in the chair at the head of the table. “It’s aches a little, but it feels much better than yesterday. So, have you two been getting acquainted?”
“Sort of,” Jimmy answered defensively. “When you asked me to come in, I expected I’d be working solo like I did at the Planet.”
“Not this time,” Lois said. “I think there’s plenty for all of us. Especially in light of my injury.”
“I’m happy to see you up and around,” Jimmy said quickly. “When I watched the LNN coverage and saw you on the ground, I was scared you might be…”
“Not yet. But we need to get to work. I have a list of issues to investigate. I’ll leave it to the two of you to figure out how to split the work. Jimmy, I expect you to do the majority of the computer based work but that’s only a suggestion. First, there’s the LNN angle. The network started an anti-Superman campaign. We need to try to find out where the directive for that campaign came from. I’m not sure you’ll be able to find out much but we need to try.”
“Ms. Lane?” Emily interrupted. “This sounds more like investigative reporting than research.”
“You’re right, it is,” Lois answered. “I can’t realistically investigate LNN because of my past association with Lex. Too many people know who I am. Within minutes of my showing up someone would make sure Lex knew I was there. Jimmy knows that sometimes story research means in-the-field investigation. Do you think you’ll be up to it?”
“I think so,” Emily replied. “It’s just that I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t want to mess up.”
“You won’t,” Lois replied, trying to project confidence in the young woman. “Jimmy’s been through some of these with me. I’m sure that together you will be fine. I know you aren’t a seasoned investigator, but there’s no better way to learn. Okay?”
Emily nodded. “Great,” Lois said. “Now, we need a deep background search on both of the shooters at the press conference. We need to see if there is any link at all between Donaldson and Bureau 39.”
Lois paused as both of her young colleagues jotted down notes. When they finished Lois continued. “I also want to see what we can find out about the policeman that shot me and Donaldson. We know his name but the whole situation feels wrong. I’ve worked with and around police officers for years and his actions don’t fit the situation. Two things stand out. He discharged his weapon without first yelling for Donaldson to stop. Then he shot even though another person was in the line of fire. I know the police will be investigating, but there’s nothing wrong with looking for information about his background as an officer. Something may turn up. I also want you to look into his personal and financial situation.”
“You think someone paid him off,” Jimmy accused.
“Yes. That’s the only idea that makes sense. I think he was paid to make sure that Donaldson was silenced after Superman was shot.”
“Wow,” Emily whispered.
Jimmy replied with a hushed laugh. “If you are going to work with Lois very much, you’ll get used to this sort of thing.”
Lois just smiled. Jimmy was right, her investigations did seem a bit more … intense, than most other reporters. “Okay, I still have a few more issues to go over and then we’ll need to split up the work.”
As she outlined the remainder of the plan for the investigation and she watched the two young people interact, she became more confident that they would work well together. And they might have the potential for something more.
~~~***~~~
At this rate, Lois figured that before too long she’d know the whole hospital staff on a first-name basis. She was the only person in the surgical waiting room. She looked around her for what must be the fiftieth time since she arrived. This was a quiet room with a white tile floor and bad art on the walls. It did make the perfect place for people who were too nervous to be able to enjoy any environment. A few minutes after she arrived she’d even picked up the twelve-year-old Sports Illustrated and opened it to look inside. That was how out-of-it she was.
She had been there nearly twenty minutes before Clark’s doctor came out to see her. She must have been fretting, because she stood nervously as soon as she saw him approaching. Lois meant to ask about the surgery but she ended up just waiting for the doctor to say something. Lois Lane without an opening question… she really was completely out of sorts.
Doctor Anderson had apparently seen this sort of nervous reaction before. “The surgery went well,” he said in a confident tone of voice.
“Were you able to get all the Kryptonite out of Superman?” she asked anxiously.
“Yes,” Dr. Anderson replied. “The detector from Star Labs worked very well. Since this material seemed to be so toxic to Superman, we were very careful. As we removed the contaminated tissue from Superman, a nurse moved it to a different room. We didn’t consider the surgery finished until the detector was completely silent.”
“So how is he?” Lois asked.
“He’s still unconscious. We’re treating him just like we would an ordinary patient that had been through a similar procedure. It’s still hard to believe that he reacts so much like a normal person. I mean, once the powers are gone, everything else about him, even his blood type, is perfectly human. He’s O-positive by the way. Anyway, for now all we can do is wait.”
~~~***~~~
As she drove slowly toward her apartment, Lois was in a decidedly down mood. Somehow, she’d been sure that once the Kryptonite was gone, Clark would get well immediately. The fact that he hadn’t, wasn’t necessarily a bad sign. After all, he’d been through a lot. However, the lack of an instant super-speed recovery was still very disappointing. She just wished she could talk to someone.
Then it hit her. Martha and Jonathan! They needed to know more than what was being released to the press. She’d meant to call them earlier in the day but other things just kept coming up. She couldn’t call them from home since the phone might be bugged. Still, the Star building had a pay phone in the lobby.
Less than ten minutes later, she was doing something she hadn’t done in years. She was placing a collect telephone call.
While the operator was negotiating the call, Lois actually had a flash of fear that Clark’s parents might refuse the call. Had Clark told them that she’d broken up with Lex? Those fears peaked the instant she heard Martha answer the phone with “Hello?”
“Will you accept a collect call from Lois Lane?” the operator asked.
“Of course,” Martha replied.
“Very well,” the operator said. “Ms. Lane, you may proceed with your call.” Then Lois heard a click as the operator disconnected.
“Lois, we saw the news, are you all right?”
“Yes, Martha.” Lois wanted to talk about Clark but was nervous talking on a line where the operator had negotiated the call. “Martha, this is probably being paranoid, but there’s another phone here. Could you call me back on that phone? I just want to be sure we have a private line.”
Martha understood immediately. “I understand, Lois. Please give me the number of the other phone.”
Lois gave her the number of the phone next to the one she was using. Only a few seconds after she hung up, the other phone rang. Lois picked up the phone. “Martha?”
“Yes, Lois. Is Clark okay?”
“Oh, Martha. I’m so sorry. I wanted to call sooner, but until tonight, I didn’t think to call on a pay phone. My work phone is tapped and I’m afraid that my home might be again too.”
“I understand, dear. Please, is Clark okay?”
“He’s in a coma. He was shot with Kryptonite bullets.”
Martha’s reply was much calmer than Lois had expected. “We figured that. Have the doctors been able to help him?”
“Yes. With his powers gone because of the Kryptonite, his doctors have been able to treat him like any other patient. I don’t know how it’s possible since we know he’s an alien, but with his special abilities removed he seems just as human as you and I.”
“Well, when he was little, before he got the powers, he was just like any other boy. So what have the medical people done?”
“He’s had two surgeries,” Lois said. “The first surgery was right after the shooting to get out the bullets. The second one was earlier today and they went back in to clean out the rest of the Kryptonite. It’s all out of him now, but he’s still suffering from the effects of that poison being in his body. Do you have any suggestions that I can pass along to the doctor?
“No. I wish I did. He has never been hurt before, so I don’t know what to suggest.”
“Okay. Well, his doctor seems capable and they have some scientists from Star Labs helping out. I promise I’ll tell you as soon as I get any more information.”
“Thank you. How are you doing? We saw that you got shot that day also.”
“I’m fine. My right arm is in a sling. Mostly I’m worried about Clark. I just want him to be okay.”
“I hope so too, dear. We’re so glad that you’re there for him.” There was a slight pause before Martha continued. “He told us you that you two had mostly straightened out your… misunderstandings.”
“We have. At least, we’ve made a lot of progress.” Suddenly she felt a catch in her throat. “Martha, I’m just so scared. I feel like I’ve finally found him and… I don’t know what I’ll do if he…” She couldn’t go on.
Several seconds passed without a reply. Then it hit Lois that this had to be at least as hard on Martha as it was on her. It was her son that was struggling in the hospital. “I’m sorry, Martha. I know this is hard on you and Jonathan.”
“You don’t need to apologize. We’re all worried about him. Now, why don’t you go home and try to get some rest. You need your strength to recover. And Clark will need you healthy when he gets out of the hospital.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Thank you, Martha.”
Lois was about to hang up when she heard Martha’s voice again. “Lois?”
“I’m still here,” Lois replied quickly.
“When all this is over, we’d love it if you and Clark could come out and spend a weekend with us on the farm. Ever since you spent those days with us last time, Jonathan and I have thought of you as family. Even if you and Clark end up just being friends, we’d love to have you as part of our family.”
Family… Being part of a family, and being happy about it, was a combination that Lois hadn’t experienced in years. And this family. She loved Martha and Jonathan. She loved Clark, she knew that now. Being part of his family too. It was too… perfect.
“Lois?” Martha was still on the phone.
“I’m here,” Lois said quickly. Why was she starting to cry? “I’d love to come out and visit. I’ll be sure to get Clark to fly us out as soon as he’s better.” Lois hoped Martha couldn’t hear her voice cracking.
“Dear, I know Clark is going to be fine. I don’t know how. I just do.” Martha sounded so confident.
The tears started to flow. “I’m just so scared,” Lois choked out.
“Honey, my son may do some pretty stupid things sometimes. Lord knows you’ve seen more of that than most, but if something’s important, he always comes through. He’s going to get through this. Now, why don’t you go home and as you’re going to sleep, think of ways to torture Clark when the two of you are in Smallville.”
Clark’s mom was so special. “I’ll do that. And Martha… I love you.”
“We all love you too, dear.”
As the phone clicked dead, the tears kept leaking from her eyes.
TBC
Bob
