Clark and Lois The Lost Years Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 3 20/46
By Ken Janney
This version is rated PG-13
* denotes emphasis *
< denotes thoughts >
[ playback of a recording or TV Commentary] / telepathic communications /
(#) footnotes
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Reminder:
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 - Canon Lois and Clark universe also called – Prime
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 – Canon Alt Clark universe also called – Alt 1
Previously –
She was in and out of consciousness as he flew. It took almost five minutes to get her to Brazzaville. That was where the nearest quality hospital was located. Because of her condition he had hurried, but he still had to take it slow enough so as not to aggravate the injury.
He landed as softly as he could outside the hospital and carried her in to the Emergency Room. Placing her gently on a gurney he started shouting for help. Immediately a nurse and an ER doctor rushed over and the doctor took charge. The doctor started shouting orders. “We have a gunshot wound people. Two lines – D5W and normal saline. Type and cross-match. The surgeon will need the complete picture, CAT Scan – STAT and prep for surgery.” The ER team was very efficient. The two IVs were started almost before he had completed all the orders. Blood was drawn for the type & cross-match for whole blood transfusions. They sent her immediately for a CAT scan. A CAT scan will give a virtual 3-D image allowing the doctor to follow the path the bullet had taken and more easily determine the extent of the tissue damage, where the bullet was lodged, extent of internal bleeding etc. More information than a simple x-ray would give. In many cases the extra time is worth the benefit. In reality the difference in time is not as great as some would think.
Charlie followed her progress through the rooms using his x-ray vision up until they took her into surgery.
The doctor stopped as he hurried on his way to the surgical suite to get permission to operate. He introduced himself as Dr. M’benga. Charlie gave him permission to operate, calling himself her husband. Doctor M’benga said, “I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not sure she is going to pull through. The CAT Scan indicates sever internal injury. I’ll do my best. I’ll have a better idea when we complete the operation. When I finish I’ll come here and find you.
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In the middle of the surgery. -
Imperceptible to human or even superhuman senses there was a disruption of the space/time continuum when there was a problem with the operation. What could most easily be described as a ‘snap shot’ of the current universe - Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau 036 was created, although it was slightly out of phase with the original. This was caused by a difference in the vibratory characteristics of the copy. A later analysis of the data would show that a new universe had been created with vibratory characteristics Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 040.
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Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 040
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Three hours later
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Charlie saw Doctor M’benga and another doctor approaching from the operating theater. They had been operating on Lois for three hours. They were obviously fatigued and they came in through the waiting room doors and looked around. When the doctor saw Charlie he walked over to him. With the fatigue and also concern written all over his face he introduced his assistant, “This is Doctor Bashir.” Then Doctor M’benga said, as if by way of excuse “We did the best we could.”
And now –
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Chapter 20 – The Outcome
May 23, 1993 11:30 PM
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Dr. M’benga continued “The internal injuries were very serious. The results of a gunshot of that caliber at close range … the soft tissue damage was extensive.”
“She lost a great quantity of blood internally. We had to remove the spleen and the left kidney which were both damaged by the bullet. We also had to resect portions of the bowel.”
“The next few hours will tell the tale. We have moved her into recovery. She will be there until she wakes up from the anesthesia and then she will be moved to a semi-private …”
Clark interrupted at this point “I would like her moved to a private room.”
Dr. M’benga continued “As you wish; a private room.”
Clark said “Please have her moved from recovery to the room immediately. I need to be … no, I *must* be there when she wakes up. I don’t want her to wake up and not know where she is and not have someone that she knows there with her. The worst thing that I can conceive of would be to wake up and be totally alone or have no one but strangers around. I’ve been alone doctor and I don’t want that happening to her, ever. I am the only one that she knows here therefore I have to be with her when she awakes. She was unconscious from the time she was shot so she will not even know where she is. Just make sure that there is a chair in the room with her.”
Dr. M’benga turned to Dr. Bashir and said “Please see to it.” Dr. Bashir acknowledged and turned away to make the necessary arrangements.
“Dr. M’benga, what are the reporting requirements in a case like this? She was shot by one of the rebels as we were in the process of being abducted. I’m sure that the rebels didn’t hang around to be caught so the chances of locating them are vanishingly small.”
“It is extremely unusual for the rebels to be here in the city. They mostly stay in the north in the Bantu districts. What was their interest in an American couple? Were they possible planning to hold you for ransom? Their motives are really beside the point. I suppose we could possibly report this as a street crime. The police could ask you for a description of the shooter.”
“That would be no problem. I got a very good look at him.”
“In that case this should become a fairly routine matter. We don’t have quite the number of shootings we used to have before Mayor D’Arnet. I will need to report the shooting to the police in the morning. They will probably take a few days before they come in to interview you and Mrs. King. The wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly.”
“I would hope that they would wait until Mrs. King is strong enough for an interview.”
“I am sure that they will not be coming in before she is able to see them.”
Clark had another question for Dr. M’benga “Doctor, how long will she need to remain in the hospital? I would like to take her to our suite as soon as possible. We will be near by at the Bonne Nuit de Sommeil.”
He replied “That all depends entirely upon her. If her will to live is strong enough and she has the correct motivation she could be recovered enough to be released in three weeks. Actually, that also depends on how well you will take care of her afterwards. We’ll see as time progresses.”
After a few minutes Dr. Bashir returned and said “Mrs. King will be moved to room 105 in just a few minutes. It is just down the east corridor from the lobby.”
Clark said “Thank you Dr. Bashir. I’ll go there immediately. Is there anything I need to know to look for? Will she be being monitored?”
Dr. M’benga answered “Yes, she will be on a number of monitors. There will be EKG, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, etc. She will have a couple of IVs going and she has been catheterized. At this point we have given her three units of whole blood as well as the electrolytes she was given when she first arrived. We need to be wary of peritonitis because her bowel was pierced. We will however, give you as much privacy as we can, under the circumstances.”
“Since you will be with her, I would encourage you to actually talk to her. The unconscious mind is a tricky device. Even though there is no conscious recognition of the spoken word the brain will record what is being said and in some cases the unconscious mind will even manifest the words and treat it like a dream. The unconscious mind is not totally inactive which can be demonstrated by an EEG. In layman’s language, talk to her for as long as you can. She may not respond but she will hear you and if her desire to be with you is strong enough it will insure that she wakes up from the anesthesia. Your presence and your words will act like an anchor to keep her grounded here with you and she can, metaphorically, pull herself back to you by that anchor line.”
Clark said “Thank you Dr. M’benga. I’ll be vigilant and if I see anything amiss I will immediately use the call button to summon the nurse.” He reached out and shook Dr. M’benga’s hand and then he exited the waiting room and after passing through the lobby proceeded down the east corridor to room 105.
Lois wasn’t there as yet so he sat down to wait. He was very nervous and found that he couldn’t remain in the chair for long. He got up and started pacing back and forth across the room as he thought. To a certain extent his thoughts were jubilant. <She is going to be all right! I got her here in time!>
As he continued to pace back and forth Clark worried over what had happened. The longer the delay the more he had an opportunity to mull over the circumstances of her injury. Unconsciously his pacing got faster and faster until he was crossing the room at superspeed. When he caught himself and realized just what he was doing he noticed the path he had worn in the tile by his travels. He hoped that it wouldn’t be noticed by the staff when they brought her in.
He couldn’t get past the nagging feeling that somehow he was the cause of her injury as well as her savior. <What if I hadn’t been there? If I hadn’t been there, would she have even been there? It was because of me that we knew where the shipment was located. Is it my fault that she was shot? Would she have found the shipment and followed it if I hadn’t been there? If that had been the case would she have been shot anyway and without me there to get her to the hospital wouldn’t she have died at the scene? It was a mortal wound.>
He thought back on what Herb had told him. It was his belief that whatever happened was simply history playing itself out. What if Herb had been wrong? He had allowed for that possibility. <Was this history being played out or was this a change in history? This *has* to be a change in history. In 1997 she was dead and now she will be alive. Simple logic dictates that this cannot be history playing itself out. That would only pertain if we immediately moved to 1997. Her continued presence in this time frame is not what had been recorded as history. This can’t help but be a change of history. If she had died then the situation which existed when I found out about her because of the other Lois would have indeed been the case. Now that situation will not exist. I can’t be sure. If only Herb was here. Why didn’t Herb think this through before we did this. In order to put history aright Lois would have to die and I’m not about to let that happen. But at this point we have no idea what the final outcome is going to be. Herb could go back to 1997 to check and see if everything is as it was when I left, but he’s not here so there’s no one to ask.> These thoughts kept circling around in his mind.
<Did the fact that she had survived the gunshot wound now constitute a change in history? Aside from the obvious fact that she should be dead and now she is alive how could this be history as it was. It’s impossible for this to be a continuation. Well, frankly I don’t care if it’s a change in history or not. So what if this changes history. If it does, then I’m all for it. This way she’s with me and I’m not alone anymore. All it will change is the fact that she can now appear in the future and dispel the erroneous rumors of her death. But, do we skip ahead or go with the flow? Do we hop a ride with Herb or live out the time? All I care about is the fact that she is going to survive. We can now have a life *together*.> These specific thoughts and many like them occupied his time until Lois was wheeled into the room and transferred to the bed by the staff.
When the staff had completed transferring her to the bed he moved over to her side. Lois looked very drawn and pale, but as far as Charlie was concerned she was the most *beautiful* woman he had ever seen in his life – bar none. She was still unconscious from the anesthesia so there was a peaceful look on her face. He was happy to see that they didn’t have her on a respirator because that meant that she was breathing on her own which was a good sign.
He glanced at the monitors to see what they were displaying so that he would have a point of reference. There was an automatic blood pressure cuff on her left arm which inflated and deflated at regular intervals adding the recorded pressures to the display. There was an electronic line which displayed a tracing of her heart rhythm. There was a display of the number indicating the oxygen level in her blood and another which indicated her rate of respiration. From his limited knowledge they all looked to be within the normal range.
He moved the chair over next to the bed and he sat down in it on her right side, the side away from all the monitors.
Clark reached out and took her hand in his and said “Lois, I’m here. I’m not leaving your side, not for a minute. I know that you can hear me. At least that’s what I have been told. That a person that is unconscious can still hear what is being said and it registers on the unconscious mind. It acts like an anchor to bring the person back. I want you back.”
“The doctors have told me that you will recover and I want to do everything I can to make that happen. I want you to hear me. I want you to know how much I love you. I can’t say that enough, I love you. You need to know that. I’ll be saying that to you a lot. I love you Lois Lane. I want you to be with me always, forever.”
“I think you love me too at least I hope you do. The last thing you said before you blacked out was ‘Charlie, I lo.’ I can only hope that you were going to say ‘love you’.”
“I know that we haven’t been together for very long but there are some things about us that you don’t know about. There are some things that make a difference. We are meant to be together. We were never meant to be apart. I *had* to find you. After meeting the other Lois and seeing what she and her Clark had, I *had* to find you. I know what they have and I want that for us. I really need to tell you all about them and the times I’ve been with them. You and she are like two peas in a pod. Your personality is just like hers. I couldn’t help falling in love with you. I thought that I was in love with her and I might have been, but, now that we are together I see that it was a pale shadow of what we have together. When I touched her I felt a similar tingle to what we share but ours is so much stronger it shocked me as much as it did you the first time we touched. I had been expecting it so it didn’t startle me quite as much as it did you, but I was still surprised at the strength of it. The first time I put your sun tan lotion on you, I couldn’t believe what I felt. The tingle felt like it traveled all the way up my arms and when you touched me, in the jungle that time, it felt like liquid fire everywhere you touched me. ”
“We are going to be *so* happy together. Already you have made a difference in my life. All the time since Lois left I have had a hollow place in the center of my chest. A Lois sized hole that no one else could fill. Then you came along. Now that hole is a perfect fit for you. When you were shot, when you passed out on me I thought I had lost you again. I almost died there beside you.”
“I knew that I had to act to save you. I know that Herb warned me that I couldn’t risk revealing my powers because I hadn’t been revealed as Superman as yet, but I had to act. I couldn’t let you die even if it meant revealing what and who I am. I couldn’t let the only woman I have or ever will truly love die no matter what the repercussions.”
“I flew you here as fast as I was able to, given your condition. The doctors say it was a near thing. But, you’re tough. You’re a strong woman. You’re the only woman fit to be the partner of Superman. I need you with me. I need you so much. Come back to me Lois. Come back to me. I love you, more than you will ever know.”
Clark continued on in this fashion for several hours. Finally the emotional drain and the energy expenditure caught up with him and he fell asleep holding her hand and with his head on the bed next to her. Without realizing it he was doing the best thing he could possibly be doing for her. The simple act of holding her hand and being with her. Time would reveal just how important that act could be.
comments go here To be continued in Chapter 21 – A Declaration of Love
