Clark and Lois - Despair to Hope – Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 4 – 03/22
By Ken Janney
This version is rated PG-13
* denotes emphasis *
< denotes thoughts >
[ playback of a recording ]/ 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
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
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. (See Volume 3 to follow the incidents in the Tau 040 Universe.)
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Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036
Local designation – Alt 1
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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 1 – The Outcome
May 23, 1992
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%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036
Local designation – Alt 1
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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 too extensive. She lost too much 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. I’m sorry; all of our efforts were in vain ... She passed away while we were working on her.”
Interrupting the doctor, Clark held up his hand to stop the doctor’s explanation and with a desperate tone in his voice asked, “Where is she? I must see her!” He knew that his attempt to fend off what the doctor was telling him was futile. He knew that it had to be true, but, how was he going to accept it? He knew, he didn’t know how but he had known for almost an hour. He had felt it the instant she had died. He had to believe that it was something to do with the soul mates connection; that field which bound them together. He had not had the chance to tell her so much, so much about herself and about him and more importantly, them. Just what they meant to each other and now he would never have the chance.
With a sigh the doctor capitulated and said, “She’s in the recovery area right now. She will be moved to the morgue shortly.”
Clark pleaded, “Please take me to recovery. I need to see her. I need to hold her, one last time.”
“I understand.” Dr. M’benga nodded to Dr. Bashir who said, “This way.” And doctor Bashir led him from the waiting room.
When Clark entered the recovery room the only thing he could see was her, his Lois, the love of his life.
He walked over to the bedside, leaned down and picked her limp form up and held her. Kissing her cooling lips he wept, he wept uncontrollably. He wept for what they had had, the time they had had together. Memories of the time they had had together, the activities the talks, the cuddling, the intimacies. He wept for what might have been. He remembered the time they had shared and the joy with sorrow.
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Flashback
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This was the second trip the Golf Club grounds. On the previous trip Charlie had introduced Linda to what a picnic could be. She had to admit to herself that she had had a really negative attitude that time, but, this time she was going with a more open mind. They drove into the parking area and Charlie picked up the basket out of the back of the Land Rover and they made their way to the picnic area.
When they got there they found the tree that they had been under on the previous trip and Charlie set the basket down.
Linda wandered over to the overlook and was standing there just drinking in the scenery. Charlie came up from behind and put his arms around her waist. She placed her hands over his and leaned her head back into his chest. “The power of the water rushing over and around all those boulders; its … awe inspiring. I never get tired of watching it.”
“Ziss ees zee rapids. I should tak you downstrem so zat you can see zee falls. Zay are a sight to be’old.
They had stood thus for several minutes before moving hand in hand over to where the picnic basket lay.
Charlie spread the cloth and sat down leaning back against the tree. Linda sat down near him and also leaned against the tree.
“Charlie, how long have you lived in Brazzaville?”
“I ‘ave bean ‘ere for a few months.”
“Why are you here?”
“I ‘ave bean looking for zomone or zumsing zat would cause me to stay een one place for a time. I ‘ave bean all over zee world and I ‘ave no found anysang or anyone to keep me anywhere for any time, unteeel now. I ‘ave ‘ad zum relationships wiss zum wo-men, but zay deed no amount to anysang. Zay were too zuper-fish-al and deed not last.”
Charlie opened the basket and pulled out the appetizer and shared it with her before continuing. “I was en-gage-ed once but she decided to call eet off. Eet ‘as bean a lonely life zince zat time.” Clark thought briefly about Lana. Looking back on it, she had walked out on him, just at the time when he was going to need her the most. Now, looking over at Lois he realized that actually it was for the best.
“Oh, Charlie, I am so sorry.”
“Please, not to feeeel zorry pour moi. Zat ees in zee past. I have nosing to feel zorry about now. I am enjoy my time wiss you. Zat ees what mattairs, I just ’ope zat you are enjoy your time wiss moi.”
“Charlie, you don’t know how much I am enjoying being with you.”
They munched on the appetizer for a while in silence. After a while Charlie asked, “Why are you ‘ere?”
“I’m beginning to feel that I’m here to be with you. I really like being with you. I enjoy our time together. Look at me, I never would have believed that I’d enjoy a picnic lunch and here I am, having a good time and enjoying the company of a handsome gentleman.”
Charlie got an embarrassed grin on his face and said, “And I wiss a most beau-ti-ful wo-man. ’ow ees eet zat zuch a beau-ti-ful wo-man ees not marr-i-ed?”
“I guess I just haven’t found the right man yet.”
“What would zee right man be like?”
Linda got a faraway look in her eyes and said “He would be handsome, of course. He would be a gentle man, not somebody’s punching bag, mind you but gentle with me. He would be caring and considerate and want the best for me, but he would still allow me to be me. He wouldn’t try to make me what he thought I should be. He would be a good conversationalist and have a good sense of humor.”
Charlie gave a soft chuckle “What you deescribe ees a paragon. I ‘ave never met a paragon. Are you sure zat one eeven exeests?”. All the while he was thinking <She's describing me. I wonder if she realizes that?>
Linda laughed, but she was giving him a very appraising look as she did so.
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End Flashback
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He pulled her body to him and rested her head on his left shoulder. He kissed the side of her face and then held her cheek to cheek his tears wetting the side of her face.
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Flashback
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Lois had recently moved into the suite with Charlie. They had gone to the jewelers and purchased the wedding rings so that they could pretend to be married and had succeeded in passing themselves off as married to the staff at the local Planet office.
Charlie had found the Ubuntu, had purchased it and the refit was in progress.
Clark opened the door for her as they returned from the hotel dining room where they had had a delicious dinner.
Lois sat down on the couch and Charlie started the conversation. “I’m not sure we're ever going to get the shipping times for the cargo. The information that you can find on the internet is spotty at best. I bet that someday you’ll be able to find just about anything you want to on the internet.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t depend so much on the information age. Some good old fashioned legwork might just be the order of the day here.”
With a sly grin he said, “I know that you have the legs for it, but, I’m not so sure about mine.”
She had grinned back at him and pulling her skirt up a little said, “You really think so?”
Giving her legs a very intent study he said, “Definitely! The best I have ever seen.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Flattery might just get you somewhere.” She patted the sofa next to herself.
He moved over and accepted her invitation. As he sat down he put his arm around her shoulder. She reached up with her hand and laced her fingers in his.
“You know, Charlie, I kinda like this arrangement. I like spending this time with you. There is something that has been bugging me though. Why did you feel that you needed to pretend to be a Frenchman?”
“That’s easy to explain. I didn’t want you to think that you had any competition on this investigation. If I wasn’t an American then I was less of a threat.”
“But why French?”
“This used to be a French colony and the French influence is very strong. Besides they say that French is the language of love. I really wanted you to like me and so I thought that if I was a romantic Frenchman I could sweep you off your feet and carry you off to my lair.” He ended the sentence with a flourish of his eyebrows.
She looked around the room and said, “Huh. Looks like a rather normal hotel room to me! I don’t see anything that speaks ‘lair’ at all. Besides, I didn’t move in with you until you had come out of the closet and revealed that you were an American. So much for the romantic Frenchman wooing me into his lair.”
Charlie laughed, “Maybe I need to work on my French accent some more.”
She laughed with him, “I think your French accent was adorable.”
“Ah, zee Mademoiselle she ees mak zee fun of moi.”
She laughed even harder, “No, not at all. I loved it. It was the French accent that actually convinced me to take you up on your offer of help with my luggage. That reminds me, when we got here, you got room 503 for me. How did you do that? I had a reservation in the name of Lane, not King.”
“I didn’t give them a name or even say that you had a reservation. I simply asked the clerk to give you the room next to me and told him to put it on my bill.”
With a shocked expression she looked at him, “You mean that you’ve been paying for my room all this time? I was planning to submit the charges on my expense account when I got back. The desk clerk probably thinks that I’m your ‘girlfriend’ if you know what I mean.”
“I never thought of that. Now that we have the rings and you have moved in, I’ll tell him that you were my fiancé and that you were living in a separate room until we were married at which time you moved in with me. It was all right and proper. You insisted on separate rooms until the wedding. Will that take care of it, you think?”
“I do think that would be better than letting him think I was a kept woman. Thank you.”
“I never wanted it to appear that way. I have the highest respect for you and I would never want anyone to think badly of you. Let’s do this. I haven’t closed out room 503 as yet. Let’s go down to the desk clerk together, we can close out that room and explain that you were in that room until we were married. Now that we are married we don’t need the extra room anymore.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. I like that idea. That should clear my reputation.”
“Please believe me that I would never knowingly do anything that would in any way damage your reputation. You mean too much to me for me to do anything like that. By doing this with the clerk it should enhance your reputation, if anything. Here is a woman whose morals are above reproach. She was engaged to be married and insisted on separate rooms until the ceremony.”
“Thank you. I know that you really don’t have to do this. You could just let everyone think what they want, but you are willing to protect my reputation and I really appreciate it. A reputation is something that is easily tarnished, but, sometimes it’s all that you have and if it’s lost it’s hard to get it back.”
“Let’s go down stairs right now and polish up your reputation until it shines like the sun.”
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End Flashback
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We did too. Of course it didn’t do my reputation any good. To the French a guy having a kept woman was a badge of honor. I didn’t care though, I wanted her reputation cleared.
Clark found that reliving these memories was comforting even while he still held her cooling body.
comments go here To be continued in Chapter 2 – More Memories
