PREVIOUSLY...
“Lois,” he said as he handed her the glass of water, “last night you looked into my eyes and you said you should have known. And then you went on about UV radiation and Eskimos and... well, I wondered if you remembered what you were trying to say.”
For a long moment she was silent before very slowly saying... “I vaguely remember that, but...”
“If you don’t remember, it’s okay. I just thought maybe...” He couldn’t quite keep the hopeful note out of his voice. Had she figured out what was wrong with his eyes... and more importantly, how to cure it?
“Just give me a minute,” she said quickly before again falling silent.
He fought the urge to fidget as he waited, but it was hard. He was so close to figuring this thing out. He just knew it. But... what if she couldn’t remember what she had known last night, when she had examined his eyes with adrenaline running through her system? The adrenaline had to have dissipated by now. So... would she be able to find the information again?AND NOW...
“Okay, I’m trying to recreate that moment in my mind,” Lois said. “I can remember looking into your eyes with the ophthalmoscope and seeing...” Her voice trailed off. When she continued, there was an animation to her voice that had been lacking before. “You have damage to your cornea, conjunctive and retina.. Of course, I should have known. Leit blinded you with UV light. He said as much. Keratitis or... what is commonly known as snow blindness.”
“Snow blindness? I have snow blindness?” Clark asked incredulously.
“Snow blindness is caused by UV rays reflecting off the snow and into a person’s eyes over a period of time. It’s actually much the same thing as what we’ve been telling people happened. Welder’s flash is also caused by UV rays - only in that case it’s more... a concentrated blast of UV light. Yours happened over time.
“Leit said he had used UV rays to initially blind you,” Lois continued. “But it wasn’t a permanent solution. That’s why Leit and Munch came back the next day and shone the light into your eyes again. You needed more exposure if they were going to keep you blind because UV light damages the cornea and the surface of the cornea usually regenerates itself every twenty-four to forty-eight hours - unless there are complications.”
“I’ve been blind a lot longer than that,” Clark said skeptically.
“But that’s because the way you were treating it was by staring up at the sun. Clark, you took up from where Leit left off - continuing to expose yourself to UV and blue light on a daily basis. The result was that not only did you continue damaging your cornea, but also did damage to your retina, keeping you blind. Most people would know that it was the wrong thing to do because of the pain it would have caused. But you don’t have that advantage because...” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “...you don’t feel pain.”
“What?”
“It’s like you have a sunburn on your cornea, conjunctive and retina.”
“And I’ve been trying to treat sunburn with more sunlight?”
“Exactly.”
“But... Sunlight has never bothered me before. And you said that when the device used to blind me was examined, it was discovered that Leit shortened the light waves. Your speculation was that that’s why it affected me. But he couldn’t shorten the sun’s rays.”
“He wouldn’t have needed to. When you started staring up at the sun, your eyes were already vulnerable. So the sun affected your eyes the way they would any ordinary man.”
“Okay, I can buy that. But I haven’t been lying out in the sun nearly as much the past few weeks and there’s still no improvement.”
“You still get a lot of UV light in everyday life even without staring up into the sun. And you decided against a pair of glasses that might have kept UV and blue light out of your eyes.”
“So what do I do?”
“The cure for Keratitis is the exact opposite of what you’ve been doing. It’s keeping all UV and blue light out of your eyes.”
“So what are you saying? That if I keep my eyes covered for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, I’ll be able to see again?”
Lois cringed. “Actually, it’s not exactly that easy. It would have been if we had figured this out when it first happened. But you’ve done a lot of damage since then. And the retina doesn’t regenerate the way the cornea does.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“Treatment of Keratitis consists mainly of keeping the eye closed with patches, after instilling a few drops of ophthalmic antibiotic solution. Vision usually returns in about 18 hours. But given the length of time you’ve been exposing yourself to UV rays and blue light, and given the damage to your retina, I’m going to suggest you keep your eyes covered for a couple weeks. Allow your remarkable physiology time to work its magic. If that doesn’t work, we can talk about other options then. If you were anyone other than who you are, I doubt time would do any good at this point. But given that you’re... well, super, I think that has to be our first option.”
Clark nodded slowly as he processed this information.
“Did that make sense?” Lois finally asked.
“Yes,” he said, before turning his attention to Lois. “You did it. You found the Faraday information in your mind without the help of adrenaline.”
“Yes, I did, didn’t I,” she responded and he could hear the smile in her voice. “And now that I know where to look... I think I could do it again if I needed to.”
“Okay, so... I’ll put patches over my eyes and give it a try.”
“What are you going to do about shaving?”
Clark shrugged. “I figure I can get away with growing a beard for a couple of weeks at least.”
“Have you had a chance yet to write up the story about Mayson Drake being drugged and brainwashed by Church?” she asked.
“Not yet. But I plan to go into the Daily Planet this afternoon and do that - well, assuming that you’ll trust me to tell the story right,” he added with a grin.
She gave him a swat in response.
* * * * * * * * *
“Now I want to know how you managed that, Lane.”
Lois looked up from the paper she was reading when she heard Henderson’s question coming from the doorway. Her gaze followed his to where Shadow was resting comfortably on the foot of her bed. She smiled.
“I don’t exactly know,” she admitted. “I was unconscious while most of it was going on. But...” She rustled around on the night stand next to her bed, pulling out her copy of Urban Dog Magazine. This one was definitely a keeper. “...apparently it has something to do with this magazine.”
Henderson might have smiled if he actually knew how. “Super-Pooch, huh?” Still, there was definite amusement in his voice.
“Yeah, well, I owe him a lot. If he hadn’t taken that second bullet...” She glanced back at Shadow and smiled again.
“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Henderson said. “May I?” He gestured to the chair Clark had been sitting in earlier.
She nodded and he took a seat.
“I’m actually here to get your statement.”
“What? You not here to visit the invalid?”
“You? An invalid? Not likely,” Henderson snorted. “Besides, I don’t really care how you’re doing.” He shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
Lois smiled. “That beautiful bouquet you sent says otherwise,” she said, gesturing to one of the bouquets of flowers filling her room.
“Someone sent you flowers and said they were from me? When I find out who is trying to make me look human, he’s going to pay.”
Lois laughed and then instantly grimaced. “Don’t make me laugh, Henderson.”
“Far be it from me to want to amuse you, Lane.”
“So then... since we’ve established that you aren’t here about my health... or for my amusement... You said something about taking my statement?”
Henderson nodded. “The D.A.’s office is currently drawing up attempted murder charges against Mayson Drake so I need...”
“No.”
“What?”
“No. I’m not giving you a statement if you plan to charge Mayson with attempted murder.”
“How can you say that? I mean, from what I’ve seen, you don’t even like her.”
“She’s not guilty, Henderson. She shouldn’t be charged for this. It’s not her fault.” Lois let out a breath. “Okay, so maybe Mayson has never been my favorite person. And, yes, she did cause us a lot of grief. But she wasn’t acting on her own initiative. She was drugged and then manipulated by Bill Church into doing what she did.”
Henderson’s eyebrows rose skeptically.
“You can read all about it in the Daily Planet tomorrow. Clark’s over there right now writing up the story.” When he just waited patiently, she finally caved, telling him what she and Clark had discovered.
“She still fired a gun in a crowd of people. She could have killed you,” Henderson said when she had finished.
She cocked her head to the side and studied him, wondering if there was any reason that, in spite of the fact that he had helped them by telling Eduardo that Superman wasn’t blind, he hadn’t said anything about Mayson possibly killing Clark. But he continued talking, leaving her wondering what he might really know about Superman.
“Besides, Clemmons is determined to make an example of Mayson - to show that the D.A.’s office is not going to go easy on her just because she worked for them.”
“Clemmons is a jerk. Tell him if he does this, I intend to offer myself as a witness for the defense.”
* * * * * * * * *
Henderson was just leaving when Martha stuck her head in the doorway. “You up for some more company or do you need a nap? I could always go down to the cafeteria for some coffee and come back later.”
Lois crinkled her nose. “They brought me some hospital coffee earlier today and trust me when I say you don’t want any. You might as well be drinking dirty water. Come on in, Martha. I’m not feeling too tired. And with this morphine drip, I’m not even in much pain. On the other hand, don’t expect me to be really stimulating company.”
“I’ll take you however you are.” Martha came in and shut the door before settling into the chair Henderson had just vacated. “I’m sorry about the hologram.” She mouthed the final word, just in case of listening devices.
“Don’t worry, Martha. There aren’t any listening devices,” Lois said. “Clark checked the place out this morning and I’ve been awake and in the room since he left. But to get back to the topic, what exactly happened with you two?”
“I’m not entirely sure. But looking back, I’d guess that Mayson spotted us on the roof because someone unplugged the device and closed the door to the roof. Since we couldn’t get back in, I’m glad Clark asked Perry to come up and check on us before you two took off for the hospital. Anyway, I’m sorry it didn’t work.”
“I’m not sorry. It wasn’t the way we wanted things to go down, but it seems to have worked out.” She gestured to the papers covering her bed.
“Well, I can tell you that the paparazzi hanging out in front of your apartment building have packed up and left. Jonathan and I went over to the park across the street this afternoon with some garbage bags and cleaned up a bit.”
“Thank you, Martha.”
“Well, it didn’t take too long. When your neighbors spotted us out there, they came and helped. It became a bit of a celebration. The end of the paparazzi. I had a really nice chat with one of your neighbors. Michelle something.”
“Michelle Sitkowitz?”
“That’s her.”
“Yeah, she wasn’t exactly happy with us when the paps were climbing all over the place.”
“She feels really bad about that. She wanted me to tell you.”
“I sort of got that feeling when her flower bouquet arrived.” Lois gestured to a small, but very pretty bouquet of yellow flowers. By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Where did you learn about blood packs and liquid latex?” Lois asked. “I mean, having Clark cut the palm of his hand was inspired.”
“A few years ago, we formed a small theater group in Smallville. I was in charge of costumes and makeup.” Martha shrugged. “I figured we needed some pretext for the press conference. Some reason he might have called it without knowing that Superman was about to crash the party.”
“Well, it worked. Even without the hologram.”
“I think you taking a bullet instead of letting Clark be hit had something to do with that. Although, I think Clark would much rather have the whole world know that he’s Superman...” Even though they were alone, she mouthed the final word. “...than have you get hurt.”
“Yeah, well... I just sort of reacted when I saw the gun. Anyway, it all turned out all right. By the way, did Clark go to the apartment when he left here earlier?”
“Uhh... yeah.”
Lois noticed that Martha sounded somewhat guarded. “What?”
“Nothing. Uhh... yeah, he came by to get changed before going into the Daily Planet. Apparently, he hasn’t gotten around to replacing the spare suit he keeps at the Planet.”
“Did he seem... distracted to you?”
“What? No. Not at all. What would make you think that?”
Lois’ forehead furrowed. “Martha, what aren’t you telling me? Is Clark upset with me about getting shot or something.”
“No, of course not. Nothing like that.”
“Then what is it like.”
Martha bit her lower lip for a moment before speaking. “Okay, look. I’m messing this up big time. Please... Can you just forget I said anything?”
Lois studied her for a moment more. Martha looked so uncomfortable that Lois couldn’t make herself go in for the kill. Or maybe it was the morphine. Letting out a breath, she nodded.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois was dozing when the door to the hospital room opened and Clark quietly slipped in carrying an arrangement of red roses. Lois immediately rolled over and smiled as she watched him. He now had eye patches on, his sunglasses holding them securely in place.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Clark said, carefully feeling his way over to the long ledge on the side of the room. He went to set the flowers down when he realized that the spot was full. He carefully made his way down the ledge, feeling arrangement after arrangement until he finally found a free spot to place the flowers.
“They’re beautiful, Clark,” she said.
“I hope so. I had to trust the guy who sold them to me that they were okay. But it looks like you got a lot of arrangements while I was at work.”
“Yeah. I never knew I had so many friends.” She patted the bed next to her.
He heard the soft sound and obviously understood its meaning because he slowly tapped his way over to the bed and took a seat where she had indicated. Shadow groggily woke as the side of the bed depressed and inched his way over so that he could place his head on Clark’s knee. Clark immediately scratched his head.
Lois smiled. “I love having my family all together like this,” she said softly.
Clark bit his lip.
“What?” she asked, suddenly thinking about how uncomfortable Martha had been earlier in the day.
“It’s just... Well, we might have to give him up.”
“What? Who? Shadow?”
“Lois, if you’re right and I get my eyesight back, we’ll have to give Shadow back.”
“What? Why?”
“He’s a working dog, Lois. A lot of time and money has gone into training him. He’ll have to leave us to go help someone else.”
“But...” Lois couldn’t find the words to complete her thought. She wanted Clark to get his eyesight back - that went without saying - but Shadow had become such a big part of her little family. She felt tears come to her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just... I guess I hadn’t thought of that.” Lois pushed the sad thought out of her mind. Shadow was still with them. She would enjoy him for however long they had him. And who was to say they couldn’t be granted visiting privileges afterwards? “So... your mom was here earlier,” she said, deliberately changing the subject.
“She said she was going to come here when I left her,” Clark responded.
“She was acting... strange.”
“Strange how?” Clark asked, suddenly sounding as wary as his mother had.
“Are you mad at me?”
“What? No. What would ever give you that idea?”
“Just from the things she said. And now... the way you went all... strange on me when I told you about it. You’re mad at me, aren’t you. You know, for getting shot.”
“No, Lois. Never. I mean... I sort of wish you hadn’t jumped out in front of a bullet, but...”
“See. I knew it. You are mad at me.”
“No, really. I’m not.”
“You don’t have to worry about me going into remission or anything just because you tell me you’re mad at me. I can take it, Clark. What I can’t take is not knowing. Wondering when the axe is going to fall. Just tell me that you’re mad at me.”
“But I’m not mad at you.”
“Then why was your mother so cagey? Why was she acting as if there was some big secret that she didn’t want me to know about? Don’t protect me. Just tell me the truth. What was it that Martha didn’t want me to know?”
“That she gave me Grandma’s engagement ring,” Clark said, silencing her completely. He let out a breath. “Not exactly how I planned to tell you that.”
“Your Grandma’s engagement ring?” she asked in a small voice.
Clark nodded. “It’s sort of a family heirloom. Anyway, Mom brought it with her from Kansas because... Well, she thought I might want it.”
“She gave you your Grandma’s engagement ring?” she asked again, still sounding a little frazzled.
“Yes,” Clark said softly. “And since the secret is already out...” He reached into his pocket and removed a small velvet box. “And I guess it can’t hurt that you’re drugged up on morphine,” he added, smiling nervously.
She reached over and stroked his cheek gently, giving him the courage to continue.
“Lois, with everything that happened this past week, I realized something. That we make a great team. Together... we’re stronger than either of us is alone. I’ve always known that, really. But this week really drove the point home. I tried to push you away. But you were right. We belong together and as long as we face whatever comes in the future together, we’ll get through it.” He took a deep breath.
“Lois, none of us know how much time we have. But there is one thing I know without a shadow of a doubt...” He opened the box. “...whatever comes, whatever time we have left, I want to spend it with you. I love you, Lois Lane. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?
“If you aren’t ready yet,” he quickly continued, “I understand. And I’m not trying to pressure you to...”
Once again his voice was cut off by fingers coming to rest against his lips and a forehead coming to rest against his. She took a deep breath. Like him, if she’d learned one thing over the past week, it was that although there would always have challenges to face... they would always triumph if they tackled them together.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“Yes. Oh, god, yes. I want nothing more than to marry you,” she added, reaching up and burying her good hand in his hair so that she could pull his head to hers. His lips met hers as they sealed the promise of forever.
When they finally broke apart long enough for him to slip the ring onto her finger, she couldn’t even see it due to the unshed tears that were clouding her vision.
* * * * * * * * *
Epilogue
Two Weeks Later
* * * * * * * * *Lois, Clark and Shadow waited patiently just outside the courtroom as other members of the press bustled past them on the way to file their stories. But since this was still Eduardo’s story, they were in no rush to leave.
A couple minutes later, the doors to the courtroom opened again. Mayson Drake stepped through with a short, African American woman wearing an expensive business suit. Mayson caught sight of Lois and Clark and gave a brief nod. She turned back to the woman walking beside her. The two of them chatted for a moment more before shaking hands. As the other woman walked off, Mayson approached Lois and Clark.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” Mayson said.
“I wish we could have done more,” Lois responded.
“Considering the fact that Nirvana couldn’t make someone do something that was totally against their nature, I’m amazed that I was only charged with reckless discharge of a gun,” Mayson said. “When I heard the charge, I couldn’t plead guilty fast enough - before the D.A. changed his mind. And then to walk away from the whole thing with only probation... Angela Winters...” She gestured in the direction the other woman had gone. “...my lawyer tells me that the D.A.’s office only agreed to probation after you practically threatened them.”
“You didn’t think you were being reckless,” Lois objected. “You expected...” Here she lowered her voice to a whisper. “...Superman to catch the bullet.”
Mayson smiled. “Lois, I didn’t even think about what would happen to the bullet. They were right. I deserved what I got - probably more - especially after everything I put the two of you through. So... thank you.”
“Can I ask you something?” Lois asked.
“I guess so,” Mayson replied somewhat cautiously.
“How long had you been taking Nirvana?”
Mayson’s expression instantly lightened - probably relieved that Lois hadn’t asked something about her feelings for Clark. “Since... Well, it would have been before we met.”
“And were you always with Bill Church when you took a pill?”
Mayson nodded. “Since they weren’t yet approved by the FDA, Bill said he didn’t feel comfortable letting me keep them. But he told me to give him a call whenever I felt a migraine coming on.” She let out a breath. “I’d always been a little anxious about someone with superpowers flying around Metropolis, and Bill knew that, but it wasn’t until I started taking those pills and Bill started really playing up the fact that Superman was a vigilante that I became... well, hostile, I guess, towards him. Knowing what I know now, I suspect he wanted someone in law enforcement who was a potential ally against Superman.”
“So are you saying you’re no longer leery of Superman?” Clark asked.
“I wouldn’t exactly go that far, but how much of that is because of the drug and brainwashing? What it comes down to is that now that I realize that my perception of Superman was manipulated by Bill, I’m not quite so convinced that Superman’s the danger I thought he was. And probably even less so now that I know...” She glanced around cautiously and lowered her voice. “...who is actually wearing the suit.”
“So what’s next for you? Are you going to be returning to the D.A.’s office?” Clark asked.
Mayson shook her head. “I just pled guilty to a criminal offence. I expect to lose my license to practice law any day now.”
“Oh, Mayson, I’m so sorry,” Lois said.
“Don’t be. I’ve already got a new job.”
“Really? Where?”
“I got a call from someone named Charles Carmichael in Los Angeles. He offered me what sounds like an investigator’s job with a company called Carmichael Industries. He said that his entire company is made up of... well, wacky misfits, so I should fit right in. From the job description, it sounds like exciting work. Besides, after everything that’s happened, I think a change of scenery will do me good.”
“So everything worked out for the best?” Clark suggested cautiously.
She smiled wryly at Clark. “Well... I am sorry for all the problems I caused you. I can’t know how things might have been different if not for the drug, but I really don’t think I would have gone public with what I knew if I hadn’t been taking Nirvana.”
“I know you wouldn’t have,” Clark said.
“So what’s next for you two? I think I heard something about you getting married?”
“Yeah,” Lois said, glancing over at Clark. “Today in fact.”
“What?”
“Originally, we were going to get married this morning, but we wanted to be here just in case Clemmons tried to pull a fast one,” Lois explained.
“So I ruined your wedding?”
“Not at all, Mayson. We just delayed it for a few hours,” Clark said.
“Well, once again. Thank you so much,” Mayson said. She stepped towards Clark, before glancing at Lois. When Lois gave a nod, Mayson gave Clark a kiss on his fury cheek. Then she turned to Lois.
They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Lois said, “What the hell.” She stepped forward and gave Mayson a hug. She was surprised by the strength of the hug Mayson gave her in return.
“You’re welcome to come to our wedding if you want,” Lois said. “It’s only a small group of friends and family.”
Mayson laughed. “I think that might be one step too far.”
Lois nodded knowingly. If their positions were reversed, it would be more than one step too far for her as well.
“Oh,” Mayson said. “One thing I should probably tell you. I gave a final statement about the whole incident to Toby Raynes.”
“What sort of statement?” Clark asked, somewhat nervously.
Mayson actually laughed and then glanced around before speaking. “Don’t worry. I lied through my teeth,” she whispered. “Said that I always knew you weren’t Superman, but because of Bill’s brainwashing, I made the claim because Bill convinced me that it was a way to discredit Superman - you know, because no one would trust Superman if they thought he was hiding his real identity. And because you look a little bit like Superman and had gone to Kansas at the same time that Superman disappeared, you were the obvious choice.
“When she asked why I shot at Clark if I knew he wasn’t invulnerable, I told her I was so drugged up that I actually started to believe my own lie. Hopefully it will help put an end to anyone else out there that might still have doubts because of my earlier interview with the Star. And I didn’t give my interview to the Planet because I thought it might be more persuasive coming from another paper.”
“Thank you, Mayson,” Clark responded, touched that she would have thought to do that for him.
* * * * * * * * *
“It sounds as if Mayson is doing better than I would have expected,” Clark said as he descended the steps to the courthouse. Lois on one side of him. Shadow on the other.
“I’m glad. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. I hope her new job turns out to be every thing she hopes it is.”
Clark nodded. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. Talking about things working out well... I’ve got a wedding present for you.” He stopped them, turning her towards him on the sidewalk at the foot of the courthouse steps.
“What?”
“I went down to the Metropolis Center for the Blind yesterday. Lois, even if I get my eyesight back, we’re going to be able to keep Shadow.”
“What?” Lois gasped in surprise. They still didn’t know if Clark’s eyesight would return since they hadn’t removed the patches from his eyes, wanting to be sure to give them time to heal. But still... “Why?”
“Apparently, they’re concerned, with everything that has happened, that he might not be a suitable guide dog anymore.”
Lois instantly bristled. “He’s the best guide dog in the world! How dare they say he might not be a suitable guide dog? He went above and beyond in the call of duty. Is this because he was injured and can’t run as fast anymore, because if it is... If they are discriminating against him because he has a disability, I’m going to write...”
“Lois!” When she fell silent, Clark continued. “It’s not because he was injured. It’s because a guide dog has a very narrow set of parameters. And apparently, attacking the bad guy isn’t one of them. They might have continued to employ him if it had just been the incident in front of the Daily Planet, but when I informed them about his encounter with the two thugs when I was undercover in cardboard city and his reaction when you were attacked by Leit and how he kept the paparazzi back... Well, they said that given all that, they wouldn’t feel comfortable giving him to someone else.”
Lois narrowed her eyes at him. “And tell me something... What made you decide to tell them all about those other incidents?”
“I felt ethically bound to do so,” Clark said, sounding a little too innocent.
A slow smile made its way across Lois’ face. “You did, huh? And I don’t suppose you knew that by telling them this they might have serious second thoughts about giving him to someone else.”
“I might have read something about that,” Clark admitted. “That’s why I felt such an ethical obligation to inform them.”
“Right.” She looked down at Shadow who instantly wagged his tail. “Don’t let him fool you with that Boy Scout act of his, Shadow. Underneath that mild manner pretense and those wild ties, he’s a sneaky one.”
Clark laughed.
“So... no matter what happens, he’s ours?”
“He’s ours.”
That earned him the desired reward - a slow, meaningful kiss.
“But... is it really fair of us to have a dog?” Lois asked,, suddenly wondering if they were being fair to Shadow. “Given the hours we work. If you aren’t blind, it’s not as if we’re going to be able to take him with us everywhere.”
“Maybe not. But I talked to Perry and he said Shadow will always be more than welcome at the Daily Planet, that we can bring him to work every day if we want. In fact, he feels Shadow might be an asset - keep you from getting in quite as much trouble. Shadow will still have a job - just not quite the one he was originally trained for.”
“What about Mr. Tracewski? My landlord. He only allowed Shadow to move in because he’s a guild dog.”
“I spoke to Mr. Tracewski. Apparently, he was quite impressed by the way Shadow saved our lives. So he told me that even if I do regain my eyesight, he will look the other way - just this once. And since we have our own vehicle...”
“You mean,
I have a vehicle,” Lois said, bumping his hip playfully as they resumed their trip to her jeep.
“Hey, if he’s
our dog, then this is
our vehicle,” he said as they stopped next to the jeep.
She laughed. “Touche.”
“So... since we have
our own vehicle,” he repeated, “it’s not as if we have to worry about taking him in taxis and if I ever need to take him back to the apartment... Well, if I get my eyesight back, I will be able to do that fairly quickly now that paparazzi aren’t following my every move. And if we go on a holiday or something, Mom and Dad said we can take him to the farm so that he can chase rabbits and dig holes in Mom’s flowerbeds.”
Lois crouched down and scratched Shadow’s head before tugging softly on the tips of his ears. “So what do you think, Shadow? You want to be
our dog?”
Shadow’s lips instantly turned up in a smile.
As Lois, Clark and Shadow climbed into the jeep, Clark changed the subject. “Oh, and I’ve got some other good news.”
“Well, I’m always up for good news,” Lois said as she turned the key.
“I spoke to Perry this morning and he tells me that he went down to the Metropolis Psychiatric Hospital yesterday and Steven Baker was well enough that they were actually able to swap some stories about Vietnam.”
“So they are making progress with Leit’s victims?”
Clark nodded. “Now that they are using an adrenaline catalyst, they feel that in time, they will be able to help the men fully recover. How are your Faraday leaks doing, by the way? I don’t think I’ve heard you have a leak in quite some time.”
“Ever since I’ve been learning to access the information on my own, it doesn’t tend to leak out of me. Who knows? I might even get through our entire wedding ceremony without some incomprehensible leak about the atomic weight of plutonium,” she said with a smile.
“Well, just so you know,” Clark responded. “If the preacher asks you if you take this man and you respond with the atomic weight of plutonium, I’m going to take that as a yes.”
Lois immediately leaned over for one final kiss before pulling the jeep into the road, loving this man who loved her, faults and all.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois fiddled nervously with her engagement ring as her mother put the finishing touches on her wedding dress. Since they had rushed the timetable for this wedding, it was a simple affair - organized almost completely by Martha and Ellen while Lois had recovered in hospital. And in truth, a simple affair was absolutely what Lois had wanted. Give Ellen Lane too much time and she would have turned this into a society affair. As it was, Martha had needed, on many occasions, to veto some of her more over-the-top ideas.
A small chapel had been found and a young minister had been hired. Their reception would take place in the hall attached to the chapel. Approximately thirty people and one dog would be in attendance. Yes, Lois was completely content with the arrangements.
“You about ready?” Perry asked from the doorway. “‘Cause we got a young man out here who is about to go into panic mode if his bride doesn’t show up soon.”
Lois smiled - thinking about Clark always seemed to have that effect on her these days.
Her father had been unable to attend, so Perry would be walking her down the aisle.
“Done,” Ellen Lane announced, giving Lois a quick kiss on the cheek before wiping away the lipstick. “I’ll see you in there,” Ellen said before quickly scooting away.
Lois turned back to Perry when Ellen disappeared through the closed doors.
“Thanks so much for doing this, Perry,” Lois said.
“Oh, hell, honey. I’m just thrilled to be asked. Now... you don’t need me to give you the lecture about the birds and the bees do you?”
Lois laughed. “I think I’ve got that one covered,” she said.
“Oh, good. Then just let me give you a quote from the king. ‘You only pass through this life once; you don't come back for an encore.’ I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone to live that quote better than the two of you. So continue to live every day to the fullest. Embrace love. And no matter what happens, hold on to each other.”
Lois hugged him, tears in her eyes.
“Now...” he said, clearing his throat suspiciously, “let’s go find that super guy of yours.”
* * * * * * * * *
Clark stood at the front of the church fiddling nervously. At his side were his two best men. Jimmy and Shadow. Of course, he’d never told Jimmy that he was sharing the duties, but it had been a running joke between Lois and Clark for the past week.
“You got the rings?” he asked, turning towards Jimmy.
“Just like I did the last time you asked, C.K.”
“Right. Right. Sorry.”
The door opened and his heart leapt into his throat when the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen stepped through. He met her eyes and saw her face transform - from expectation, to shock, to realization and then to total joy.
“You can see,” he heard her whisper.
He gave a small nod. His folks had helped him remove his eye patches when they had arrived at the church. He had wanted his first image, assuming his sight had returned, to be of Lois walking down the aisle. That hadn’t been quite possible, but this was close enough. But even if he hadn’t been able to see, he’d wanted to shave before his wedding and he couldn’t do that while his eyes were covered with patches.
In the hope that he’d be able to use them, he’d brought his old glasses along. He wanted to wear them for the ceremony, but then planned to switch to a dark pair of glasses that he’d picked up at the Metropolis Center for the Blind, that would keep all UV and blue light out, until he was certain his eyes were fully healed.
That meant it would still be some time before Superman could return to the skies of Metropolis. And they would have to choose their time for Superman’s reappearance carefully. But with him and Lois working together, he had no doubt that they would work it out.
But for this moment, Superman was the last thing he wanted to think about. This was about him and Lois. And for now, he didn’t want anything to obstruct his vision. He wanted to experience this moment in time for everything it was worth.
Lois’ eyes never left his as she walked down the aisle, missing the woman Henderson had brought as his date, missing the bow tie Shadow was wearing, missing the teary smile on the face of his mother, missing everything but him.
When she finally arrived at the front of the church and Perry had surrendered her to him, he looked deeply into her eyes. “You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
If possible, her smile widened even further.
“So... you ready to do this? Ready to walk into the future with me?” he asked.
“All my life,” she responded.
* * * * * * * * *
The End
* * * * * * * * *“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
* * * * * * * * *
For credits, see the feedback thread for this final part.
ML
