This story contains a major wham. It all works out in the end, but it does have a significant bad thing happen.
Amygdala
by Alicia U.
The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped neural structure responsible for producing and responding to nonverbal signs of anger, avoidance, defensiveness, and fear.
6:30 AM. The alarm clock blared its incessantly annoying tune as it did every morning.
Clark reached out to get rid of the horribly head-splitting sound. Sometimes enhanced hearing just wasn't worth it!
Whoops. It looked like they were going to need a new alarm clock.
Looking back, that should have been the first sign that something wasn’t right. Lois Lane and Clark Kent were normally creatures of habit with customs and mannerisms that had evolved into routine during their three years of marriage. Thus, they should have noticed that today was anything but ordinary.
When their first normal routine had been interrupted, it should have been a sign that their lives were about to change. A change like that happened for a reason.
No, looking back, their lives had begun to change a little more than eight months ago. Nothing had been normal since. But it had been a welcome intrusion into their normally peaceful lives.
********** 8 months ago **********
Clark Kent sighed in frustration. It had been a rough day. Superman had been extremely busy, so Clark hadn't had a moment to himself. He hadn't even seen Lois since early that morning, and even then, it had been an incredibly rushed ten minutes.
Now he was finally home, and it was time to relax, reconnect, and reaffirm their love for each other.
Clark flew through the window and softly landed in the bedroom. He looked for his wife around the house and realized that she was downstairs in the kitchen. Lois? In the kitchen? Was that she doing down there? Cooking? Weird, she didn't know how to cook! He was slightly frightened by the thought. Good thing he had an iron stomach!
He quickly spun out of the suit and into a casual pair of pants and t-shirt before he made his way downstairs to meet his wife.
When she heard his soft footsteps on the kitchen floor, she turned around and her lips turned up into a smile. “Clark! You're home! I didn't hear you come in.”
She silently closed the small distance separating them, and gently raised her hands to his shoulders, using them as a brace to gently raise her body up so her lips were able to meet his.
"I missed you," she whispered before her lips met his in a longing kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, Clark noticed the kitchen for the first time. Its only light came from two candles in the middle of the table. “Hey, what’s the occasion?” Lois was dressed in his favorite dark burgundy, sleeveless dress with her hair falling down over her shoulders in the way he always told her it looked its best.
Wow.
She looked beautiful.
And he looked horrible, like a man who had just gotten back from a hostage situation.
“I feel underdressed,” he said, laughing, when he looked down at his jeans and t-shirt.
She took a step back, surveying his tight shirt and clingy pants. "No," she stammered. "Not at all."
“You look beautiful,” he said softly, knowing that no words could ever describe just how gorgeous she looked. He pulled her close again and planted a row of kisses along her jaw and finally around to her mouth.
"Where did my parents go?" The elder Kents had been in Metropolis for the last week visiting their son and daughter in law.
Lois spoke for the first time, “Oh, I asked them if we could have dinner alone tonight. I wanted to be alone with my husband tonight.”
She grinned at him and he felt his heart flutter like it did every time she smiled that special smile she saved only for him.
“Thank you, by the way,” she added when she looked down at her dress, unconsciously smoothing unseen wrinkles.
She squeezed his shoulders lovingly saying, “Don’t worry about being underdressed . . .”
“ . . . Because we won’t be wearing clothes much longer?” he finished her sentence hopefully and raised his eyebrows expectantly pulling her closer to him.
“Maybe . . . maybe not. We’ll see,” Lois said coyly and she batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously. “First we have to finish dinner, though. I didn’t slave over a hot stove for hours for nothing.” She grinned at him knowing full well that he would see right through her.
Clark raised his eyebrows again. “Oh you did?” he wondered. “Hours, really? Didn’t you have to cover the press conference at city hall tonight?” He fought the urge to laugh at her expression of indignation.
“Okay, then,” she rolled her eyes. “To be absolutely technical, your mother slaved over a hot stove, and we don’t want it to be for nothing; she’s liable to kill us! So your raging libido will just have to wait until after dinner.” Now it was Lois’s turn to fight the urge to laugh at her husband’s indignant look.
“Well then, we’d better eat quickly,” Clark challenged good-naturedly. Superman had been busy today, but he’d practically forgotten about it as soon as he laid eyes on Lois. He realized that he was feeling . . . frisky.
Lois laughed at his reaction, but her expression quickly sobered when she thought of what she needed to tell him. She had tried to keep the happy facade as long as she could, but now she knew she would have to tell him. He might never feel frisky again.
“Clark, honey . . .” Lois trailed off because she was afraid of his reaction. She knew that she should just come out and say it, but she didn’t know how he would take it. Actually, after knowing each other for more than seven years, she should have known exactly how he would take the news, but she just couldn’t be sure. This was just so unexpected . . . the opposite of all of their plans.
Clark could sense the mood change immediately. Her heart rate had risen and her breathing had picked up. She was having trouble voicing whatever she needed to tell him, but he didn’t have any idea what it could be, not even a hint. He pulled her into a hug, slightly surprised she hadn't resisted, and rubbed her back hoping to reassure her, not sure if he was actually succeeding. “Hey, what is it?" When she didn't seem willing to answer, Clark traced a finger under along her throat and tipped her chin up towards him, kissing her softly on the lips. "Just tell me. You know you can tell me anything.”
He was a little worried when he realized how much trouble she was having. What could she possibly have to tell him? It had to be bad. She wouldn’t have a hard time telling him something good. However, he wouldn’t let his imagination run away with him. There were just so many things she could tell him. It could be almost anything.
Lois looked up into his eyes and there she saw the same concerned look of love that she always saw whenever he was worried about her . . . and he definitely worried about her way too much.
Finally, she decided to tell him. It was better to get it off her chest than to keep him in suspense. This was Clark, her Clark, when had he ever not understood? Plus, this was a good thing. It was wonderful news. Amazing, even. He would be overjoyed. Right? Of course. She was the one who was having trouble with the concept.
She really did try to tell him calmly, but the words all spilled out jumbled and in one long string without a breath. “Oh, Clark, I don’t know if this is good news or bad news. Personally, I think it might be good news, and I know you will, too, but I guess I'm not really sure how I feel.” She continued, not noticing Clark’s obvious worry and confusion. “I mean, I know we decided that we would wait, but it just happened. We did talk about wanting kids, but I never dreamed it would happen now . . .”
“ . . . Wait, honey,” Clark interrupted, having a good idea what she was talking about, but still not completely sure. A large grin broke out over his face when he asked, “Are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?”
Lois shyly looked up at him, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Of course he had realized what she had been trying to tell him even though it sounded to her like she had been speaking gibberish. She laughed at the goofy grin that had come over her husband’s face and she knew that her own grin was probably just as goofy. “I might be . . . Would you be happy if I was?” she asked, needing to know for certain.
“Happy?" That was an understatement. Shocked, amazed, excited, overjoyed, even those words couldn't describe his emotions adequately. He felt like he could fly to the ends of the universe and back in celebration. "Oh, Lois, of course I’m happy! What else could I possibly be? Oh my god! We're having a baby?”
Lois nodded slowly realizing that now that she knew Clark's feelings, her own mind had been set. All along, she had been happy about the baby, but she'd had a tiny twinge of doubt the whole time. That small twinge had compounded into full-fledged fear. And now everything had been resolved and her last niggling worry had been put to rest. She was now able to enjoy her good news and to forget her fears.
Clark swept her into his arms and spun her around. The warming dinner forgotten.
It was unexpected, yet such a welcome surprise.
They were having a baby! How amazing!
********** Present **********
Exactly, how amazing! That had been the night that had changed their lives forever. Now they weren’t just Lois Lane and Clark Kent, happily married ace reporting team. They were Lois Lane and Clark Kent, parents to be.
It had been a night to remember, and the feelings they experienced that night would stick with them for the rest of their lives.
Today, however, more than eight months removed from that beautiful night, something else had changed, however subtle. It was different.
Although Clark was always awake first since the alarm clock aggravated his superhearing, since their first night together as man and wife, it had always been their cute little morning routine for Clark to pretend to sleep through it until Lois finally woke up and jumped on top of him to try to wake him. Secretly, Clark knew that Lois loved this little game. After the first few times, she had known that Clark was always awake, but every morning it was the same thing.
Today, however, Lois tried to ignore the alarm completely. She couldn't bring herself to flip over in bed, and definitely didn't have enough energy to move her arm towards the clock, let alone on top of Clark. She buried her head under her pillow and waited for the annoying sound to go away.
When Clark finally opened his eyes because Lois hadn't landed on top of him, and the alarm was hurting his sensitive ears, he was surprised that Lois wasn't yet awake. After he reached over to turn off, okay, smash, the stupid alarm clock, he looked over to the other side of the bed and saw Lois curled up in a ball with her head covered by a pillow.
“Lois?” He softly tapped her shoulder hoping to illicit a reaction. “Honey, are you okay?”
She groggily pulled the pillow away from her head and tried to force her eyes open, trying to ignore his hand shaking her shoulder. “I’m tired, Clark. Let me go back to sleep.” Seeing the bright light shining in through the large window, she covered her head with the pillow. Argh! Couldn't she just shut off the sun for a while? Just a little longer?
Clark had a sinking feeling, a premonition, that something was horribly wrong, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. If he had brought it up, he would have faced the most horrible wrath imaginable -- Pregnant Mad Dog Lane. “Lois, honey, it’s time to get up.” He pried the pillow away from her head and then he said, “Okay, you asked for it.”
With the pillow out of her reach, he leaned down to within a few millimeters from her face and whispered, “Lois, get up,” before he planted a soft kiss on her cheek. He shifted slightly and kissed her on the forehead and then on the mouth.
When he felt her shudder under his soft touch, his worries again came to the surface. He’d always worried about her more than she thought was necessary, but now that she was carrying his baby, he had become the doting husband and concerned father all rolled into one. It made her crazy, but he couldn’t help it; he'd always made her crazy. Why change now? “Hey, Lois, are you okay?” he asked worriedly.
Lois wanted to push him off her. She didn’t want anyone to touch her right now. She usually loved to feel Clark close to her, but today was the exception. She just felt . . . funny. She’d been so tired lately, and now it seemed to be catching up with her. It wasn't really anything special. They'd been busy and constantly on the move and she needed to catch up on some sleep. It was as simple as that.
Clark sounded worried, though, so she had to reassure him. He was so cute when he got all overprotective. Cute, but incredibly annoying.
She smiled at him and reached out so she could run her hand along his face. “I’m fine, honey,” she said with a false smile. “I just need to sleep. I think I’ll stay home today to catch up on some of the sleep I’ve been missing.”
Clark raised his eyebrows. Lois was never one to take a day off just to sleep. She never EVER stayed home voluntarily. He usually had a hard enough time convincing her to stay home if she was sick with the flu and throwing up every ten minutes! “Are you sure you’re okay, Lois.” He covered her small hand with his larger one and brought it to his lips. “Maybe I should take you to the doctor. You look a little pale. It might be the baby.”
“That’s quite alright, Dr. Kent,” she said almost sarcastically, but he knew that she was teasing. “I’m really just tired, Clark. And we have so much work to do here.”
She rolled her eyes as she thought about the research she needed to get through for their story. “I can catch up on the Fergussen investigation. I hate staying home, though, because we have so much work to finish before I go on maternity leave."
When Lois mentioned her maternity leave, Clark unconsciously reached his hand under her shirt and began to rub her swollen belly, marveling at the feeling of the baby moving under his hand.
Lois giggled when she felt his cool hand against her warm skin. Even though her stomach hurt, Clark’s soft ministrations were extremely soothing. It was weird. When he touched her shoulder or her face she felt worse, but when he touched her belly, she almost felt better. It was one of those weird, inexplicable medical phenomena.
Since the beginning of her pregnancy, she had always felt this way. His touch was so soothing, and it was almost like the baby knew he was there.
She remembered waking up one morning shortly after she had told everyone at work about the pregnancy.
********** Almost 5 months ago **********
Getting ready for work was so horrible. She had nothing to wear. Maybe she should just go naked. Now that would get some attention.
She had tried on every outfit in her closet, but every outfit she had tried on flat out didn't fit. She stood before him, shocked, wearing pants that wouldn't even close.
Her husband only sat on the bed laughing, obviously amused at her farcical situation. He didn't even have the decency to hide his horrible, mocking, proud expression.
“Clark,” she whined, “It seems like once I started telling people, I just popped out! This isn’t fair!”
His grin widened as he got out of bed and wrapped his arms around her expanding midsection, sneaking a hand under her open zipper to rub her stomach. “Well, I think you look beautiful.”
“Like I trust your taste! You'd think I was beautiful even if I wore a paper bag!”
“Yeah, but in my defense, you look good in brown.”
She tried to squirm away from him, but then she stopped abruptly. "Oh my god," she breathed. "Did you feel that?" She grabbed his hand and halted its movement.
"Lois! Is that. . ."
She took a deep breath and whispered, "I think it's the baby."
"The baby? The baby's moving?"
Lois didn't answer, too in awe of the moment. This was the first time she had felt the baby and had actually realized it was the baby. She'd felt tiny flutters before, but she hadn't known if it was really the baby or just her imagination. Now she knew it was her baby.
There really was a baby inside her!
It was true. A little person, who moved, was living in her belly. And it responded to Clark's touch.
She couldn’t believe it.
They felt another flutter as Clark moved his hand again. He sank to his knees in front of her and softly kissed the area just to the left of her belly button where they felt the tiny flutter.
It was a picture that would be imprinted in her mind for years to come. Seeing her husband, Clark Kent, Superman, so in awe of something so small was sobering. She realized then that it was insane to be worried about clothing when there was a life growing inside her. This baby was part her and part Clark. The concept was amazing. She carried a part of her husband with her wherever she went.
Who cared if her clothes fit her? Now everywhere she went, people would know that she and Clark had conceived a new life. It was a symbol of their love for each other. This baby was the ultimate expression of their love.
As she thought about it, she realized that pregnancy really was an interesting part of life. No wonder Clark was so protective. She carried a piece of him wherever she went and now he had the responsibility to protect two people.
Maybe she should cut him some slack.
********** Present **********
Drawn back to the present, she couldn't help but smile watching Clark plant soft kisses over her belly, and whispering soft nothings to their baby. She remembered how she had felt that morning nearly five months ago.
Clark was going to make such an incredible daddy. Their baby would be the luckiest child in the world.
She could get used to this queen-like treatment. Even though she felt huge and immobile, Clark still made her feel cherished and beautiful, and he bent over backwards, trying to make sure she was comfortable.
Sometimes a girl needed to be waited on hand and foot. She wished he could stay with her today to take care of her. However, she knew he couldn't. There was just too much to do at work. He would stay with her in a second if she asked him, but he had more important things to do if they wanted to break the Fergussen story before she went on maternity leave.
Their eyes met and they shared a grin, not saying anything, but each understood what the other was thinking. Then Clark moved up to capture her soft lips with his own, never moving his hand from her belly.
When their kiss broke, Lois found herself whispering, “Maybe it would be better if I just stayed home today.” She felt slightly queasy and a little dizzy, but she knew that the feeling would pass. It wasn’t anything to be worried about. With just a little more sleep, she would feel a lot better. It was nothing for Clark to worry about.
Who was she kidding?
Of course he was already worried. He'd been worried since the moment she had told him about the baby, and he would probably stay worried forever.
“Well then, why don’t I stay home with you?” He leaned back onto his side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her swollen midsection. “I can use a day off too.” He stretched his legs out and moved to spoon her.
Lois knew that he would respond in that way, and although she would have loved to spend the day in his arms, she knew that he couldn’t stay with her. She awkwardly shifted in his arms so that they were face to face. “No, Clark. Oh, I would love to spend the day like this wrapped in your arms, but you can’t.”
When he was about to say something to the contrary, Lois put a finger over his lips. “I’m really okay, Clark. You don’t have to stay. I have tons of work to do here today, and you have a lot to do in the newsroom. One of us needs to keep the interview with the mayor, and one of us needs to find Bobby Bigmouth, and one of us needs to go to the staff meeting. It can't wait. I would just slow you down, honey.”
“That’s not important, Lois. Everyone will understand. You’re the most important person to me in the world. They’ll understand that I needed to be home with my very pregnant wife,” he lied, knowing full well that they wouldn’t understand in the slightest. However, his intuition told him that something about Lois wasn’t right. Maybe he was just paranoid, but he had this sneaking feeling that Lois wasn’t just tired. There had to be something else going on, and he wanted to be there to help her no matter what it was. His wife and his baby needed him, and that was more important than any scoop of the century.
Lois awkwardly sat up in bed and squeezed her husband’s thigh. “You know you’re a horrible liar, Clark.”
They both knew he had to go to work today. There was no way he’d be able to justify missing the interviews, even to himself -- no matter how guilty he felt for leaving his sick, pregnant wife at home alone all day.
Lois would have felt guiltier having him at home with her. She wanted this story even more than he did.
He knew she felt like it was her last hurrah, at least for the next few months, and he wanted to help make this the biggest story of the year.
“But, Lois, what they think doesn’t matter. I would rather stay home with you,” he pleaded, speaking the honest truth. “I love you, sweetheart. I couldn’t leave you if I thought you were sick.” His hand was still under her shirt resting on her belly, so he pulled her shirt up far enough to expose her rounded midsection housing their baby. They both laughed when the baby moved and her skin rippled. Clark leaned his head down onto her belly and whispered, “You want me to stay home too, don’t you, little one?” He planted a soft kiss just below her belly button.
Lois couldn’t believe how lucky she was; each day she realized it more. Clark was so attentive, so loving; he was going to make an incredible father. She found herself reaching out and running a hand through his short, silky hair. “Oh, Clark, I really do wish you could stay home with me . . . believe me, I wouldn’t like anything more. But, you really don't have to. Please go to work, get the interviews.” She stuck her tongue out, pouting, trying to illicit his deepest emotions. "For me?"
She shushed him before he could tell her that he would like to hold her in his arms all day. After as long as they had been together, she knew exactly what he would say even before he thought it. “Clark, really, I’m okay. I promise. You have your pager. If I feel even the slightest bit funny, I will page you. And I know Superman is always looking out for me. I promise I won't do anything stupid. Please go to work. Do it for me. I would feel horrible if one of us wasn't there and something big happened.”
“Well, when you put it that way . . .” Clark squeezed his wife’s hand, but then he said, “All teasing aside, Lois, if you’re not feeling well, I want to stay home with you. The story isn't that important.”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lois was not as healthy as she was trying to portray. There was just something not right about her. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew that something was out of place. On the surface, she looked and sounded like the Lois he knew and loved, but there was something deeper that just didn’t seem right.
“Clark!” Lois exclaimed, completely exasperated. “Please just go. I know you mean well, but now you’re driving me insane. I ‘m fine . . . really.” Even though he made her crazy sometimes with his worry, Lois knew that she’d rather have her devoted worrywart than a husband that didn’t care at all.
Clark knew he couldn’t argue with her. He was just upsetting her, and the last thing she needed was for him to induce any unnecessary stress. Maybe he was imagining things. She was probably right. He really couldn’t afford to miss today. However, he couldn’t tear himself away from her. “I don’t know, Lois . . .”
She looked at him and she hoped he would get the idea that she didn’t want to argue about it any more. “Clark Kent! You are going! Now get out of this bed and into the shower.”
Clark decided not to argue for the moment. If she was sick, she didn’t need him getting her upset. He reluctantly got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom, still not sure if he was actually leaving her or not.
Lois heard the water of his shower, so she knew that she had the leg up. He was probably going to end up going to work. Good. Even though she desperately wanted him to stay with her, this was the best thing for him, for both of them.
Ten seconds later, Clark emerged from the shower and toweled himself off. He turned his gaze to his wife who watched him intently.
"You're amazing, Clark. I still can't believe you."
Clark shrugged, embarrassed that she was still in awe of his powers. They were just something he could do. No big deal.
He was more concerned that Lois seemed almost asleep again. The twinge of guilt and worry again seeped to the surface. "Are you sure I should go?"
"Clark! What did I tell you? I'm fine! What do I have to do to convince you?"
He smiled sheepishly. "What can I say, honey? I worry about you."
"Clark! You're Superman. You can hear me calling from half way around the world."
"I know, but. . ."
"Clark! Please just go!"
At this point in their conversation, Clark had resigned himself to the fact that he had to leave, so he was now completely dressed in front of Lois. He stopped to look at her again and was struck by the same weird feeling. It had the potential to become even worse if he prodded her again. Lois had never been known for her cool temper.
"Okay," he consented softly. "But remember, I am going under duress. I wanted to stay." He moved in to kiss her softly and then more deeply as she reached up, threaded her hands through his hair and pulled his head closer.
When Clark finally pulled back, Lois whispered, "There, now do you feel better?"
Clark nodded quickly. "Honey, you know I'm just worried about you."
"And you have no reason to be," she argued, fighting back another yawn. "But I love you anyway."
"I love you, too," he answered, kissing her softly on the forehead before he finally obeyed her wishes and left the room.
When he finally got downstairs, he saw his parents sitting at the kitchen table. They had been staying with Lois and Clark for a few days now, helping prepare for the birth of their first grandchild.
Before either could speak to inquire about Lois, he said, “Can you guys keep an eye on Lois today? She doesn't seem right, but she is making me go to work."
Martha frowned at the thought. "What's wrong?" Whenever Clark had a strange premonition, more often than not, he was right.
"I don't know exactly. Something doesn't seem right today. I guess she seems off somehow. I am not even sure."
"Maybe she's just tired, son," Jonathan said sensibly. "You two have been awfully busy these last few days."
Martha added, "She has been pushing herself to finish that story."
Clark frowned, knowing that it was mostly his fault. He should have been doing more, but there had been several big disasters recently that Superman couldn't ignore. If he had been pulling his weight. . .
Jonathan put a hand on his wife's shoulder to quiet her, seeing the expression on his son's face. Martha was exacerbating the situation.
"Don't worry, Clark," Martha said, changing the subject. "We'll take care of her. If she wants you to go, you really should go."
Clark sighed deeply, knowing his parents were right. He trusted his parents, didn't he? They would take care of her, wouldn't they?
He was worrying too much and second guessing his every though, wasn't he?
Yes, he was.
Maybe he really should just go. The sooner he left, the sooner he would be home. Plus, nothing was stopping him from buzzing by their house as Superman a few times an hour. He reluctantly agreed, “You'll call me if anything . . . anything at all . . . happens?”
“Don’t worry! We will!” Martha said, patting her son on the back. She looked at the clock and said, "Aren't you late?"
Clark frowned and groaned. "Oh no!" He spun into the Superman suit and rushed away, not forgetting to say, "Bye, Mom, Dad, I love you."
**********
