By SunDale <SunDaleLabs@hotmail.com>
Rated PG-13
Submitted June 2000
Summary: Clark's revelation to Lois doesn't go as he planned.
Set in the First Series
This is my first story of any kind, so please be nice. And if you don't like it, say so kindly. Also, this contains a crash scene, so if you don't like to read about anybody getting hurt, don't read it. I don't think it is too bad, but just had to tell ya!
Feedback welcomed private to sundalelabs@hotmail.com or publicly.
***
After a very long and hard day at work, Lois wanted nothing more than to go home and have a long soak in the tub. Closing the elevator doors, she waiting somewhat impatiently for them to go down. 'Why did these things always take so flipping long?' she questioned to herself.
Suddenly, the doors opened again and Clark walked in. "Sorry, Lois, but I couldn't wait for the next elevator!" he explained, noticing that she didn't look pleased.
"Whatever," she muttered back. He wasn't exactly her favorite person today. They had just been working together on a story, when he just 'took off somewhere.' Needless to say, she had barley spoken to him since he got back.
How he longed to tell her that he had been stopping a fire in London. He knew he couldn't though. Not yet. She didn't like him very well yet. Not enough for him to be able to tell her his biggest and most well kept secret. Soon maybe. When they got a bit closer to each other. Coming out of a daydream, he realized that the elevator was not moving. Lois realized it too.
"Lois, did you push the DOWN button?" he inquired.
"Of course I did. Do you think I'm that stupid not to? Just because you don't have elevators in farmboy land, doesn't mean we don't have them in the real world. Understood?" she retorted.
"No, I don't think you're stupid, I was just saying it's a common mistake. I've done it loads of times. And I don't live in farmboy land," he calmly explained.
"Yes, well, I did press it. It must be stuck. Oh please don't let it be stuck. I want to go home! I want to take a bath." Lois whined, getting agitated now.
"Well I think it is, and maintenance doesn't come for another two hours, so it looks like we better find something to do," Clark said.
"Okay. Suggest something," Lois said sarcastically.
"Empty your handbag."
"'Scuse me?"
"Empty your handbag. There might be something interesting. Like a pack of cards."
"Do you know how rude you are telling me to just empty my handbag? Why don't YOU empty your pockets?"
"Okay then, Lois, if you want." Clark turned his pockets inside out. All there was were his wallet and a bit of loose change. "Not a lot in there really. Your turn"
"All right, fine." Lois reached for her handbag and emptied the contents of it on the floor. "Okay, here is what I have: lipstick, my purse, loose change, tissues, 'The Little Book of Calm', my mobile phone, an address book and a couple of tampons."
Lois realized what she had just said. She told Clark she had some tampons. That was not good. That was embarrassing. Oh, he was going to laugh his head off and make some male joke about 'the time of the month'. She felt her face turn a bright hue of red. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Looking up, she noticed instead of laughing, Clark had a funny expression on his face
"Something wrong, Clark?" she inquired, trying to hide her immense embarrassment.
"Erm … no. I though you seemed a bit frustrated today. I thought you were just being moody. I didn't know that you … well you … have got your … um … well you know, " Clark explained looking rather embarrassed.
"My period?" she offered.
"Yeah, that's the word I was looking for. Are you okay?" he inquired.
" Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because I know that it is painful for some people … er, women."
"Clark, I'm fine. But never mind. So, what shall we do?" Lois asked, changing the subject.
"We could talk," Clark suggested.
"How thrilling," she said sarcastically.
"Got any better ideas?" he questioned.
They talked for what seemed like eternity. They talked about their past, their lives at the moment and what they wished for the future. They each learned some interesting things about each other. All the way through the conversation, Lois felt herself want Clark as part of her life more and more. She began to realize that he wasn't just the hapless farmboy from Kansas. He was a man. A man that would love her for as long as he lived. A man that would never hurt her. Lois cringed at how horrible she was to Clark on his first days at The Planet.
When Clark asked Lois what she wanted for the future, she went quiet. The truth was that she wanted Clark. Being stuck with him in the elevator had made her think. She only thought that she loved Superman, but she now knew that she didn't. She was in love with the thought of a man so strong he could bend steel bars. The evening had made her think about Clark. Clark's hair. Clark's body. Clark's heart. She knew what she wanted: to be with Clark, the man she now knew she was hopelessly in love with. The feelings for Superman had been for Clark, only she was afraid to show them. But the big debate was whether or not to tell him. And if she decided that she should tell him, how would she go about it? She could just come out with it maybe.
"Lois? Lois can you hear me?!?!"
Lois rushed back to reality and saw Clark looking intently at her, becoming increasingly worried about the fact that she was not responding to him.
"Yeah I'm fine, Clark," She answered.
"I was worried, 'cuz you didn't answer my last question," Clark said.
"I don't want to answer by a form of words. I want to answer by actions, Clark," Lois said.
"What do you mean?" inquired Clark.
"I mean I want this," Lois replied.
Lois leaned forward and gave Clark a tender kiss on the lips. Clark was extremely taken aback by her actions. He thought she despised him with a vengeance.
"Loii
***
!" What on earth was that for?" Clark said, shocked.
"It's what I want for the future. I want you. And I know for a fact that you want me."
"Oh god, erm … what brought this on?" Clark shuddered.
"Well, I have been thinking a lot, and I know now that I want …" she cut the words off.
Clark moved a finger to Lois' lips and shushed her. Wrapping his arms round her small body, he pulled her close. She looked up into his big chocolatey eyes. They were so full of love for her. Clark looked into her eyes, and saw something that he never had seen before in her eyes. The same thing that she saw in his eyes. Love. After a moment of looking into each other's eyes, they lost control. Simultaneously, they dived into each other and shared the most soul-shattering kiss. Clark pulled her so close to him that their bodies felt like one.
Clark reveled in the feeling of kissing his heart's desire. It was so passionate, and yet so loving at the same time.
It was like nothing Lois had ever felt before. She loved this man. Suddenly, in mid-kiss, Clark broke away from her. She moaned a little in protest.
"Lois, I can't do this," Clark solemnly said.
"But why?" She asked, pleading with him.
Clark went silent. He couldn't let them get together when she didn't know the truth. If they were going to be involved in any kind of relationship, she had to know everything about him. She had to know that he was Superman. It wouldn't be fair to her if she didn't know. If she got involved with him, and he was called away while they were eating, or even worse making love, she might find out. And then she would never trust him again, or wish to carry on seeing him or maybe she wouldn't want to talk to him ever again. He had to tell her that he was Superman. If he didn't he could live with the guilt of it. No, he had to go, now.
He looked into Lois' pleading face, and his heart nearly broke. Her puppy eyes looked up at him, asking for an answer. Looking directly at her, he started to speak.
"Lois, I … uh … have to tell you something."
"What?" she interrupted.
"Well, I can't have a relationship with you until I've told you this. You see, I'm not there a lot of the time right?"
"Yeah, you just take off!" Lois laughed.
"Well, there is a reason for that. Well the reason is that … well … it's …"
"Spit it out, Clark. I'm sure I'll feel the same way about you."
"I'm not sure you will. But well I'm …" he trailed off, scared of what her reaction was going to be.
"Yes?"
"I've got an illness which requires me to take tablets all the time!" he exclaimed.
Clark's mind raced. Why had he just said that!?!? She would feel sorry for him now, and ask him about it, and bombard him with sympathy. Yet he could not say the simple words 'I am Superman.' I am Superman. I am Superman. He repeated it in his head. I've got an illness. I've got an illness. That was much more stupid. He had screwed it up now, good and proper.
"Clark! You should have told me sooner. What is it? Can I help? Is it painful?" Lois shrieked.
Clark sighed. He knew it. All these questions. He wished he never brought the darn subject up now.
"No. Look, I think we should just leave it at that. I don't really want to be talking about this right now," he replied.
"Don't you trust me? Do you think I'm going to tell everyone?"
"Lois, I absolutely trust you, it's just embarrassing," he lied, feeling awful about it.
There then was a sound of footsteps walking up towards the elevator. It was maintenance coming to fix the broken down elevator. 'Finally,' they both thought. It had been fun in the elevator, but Lois really needed to take a bath now and Clark just wanted to get some sleep.
"Clark, maintenance is here. I thought you said he didn't come for two hours. We've only been in here for …" Lois paused to look at her watch. "Oh god, we've been in here for two hours! It felt like 15 minutes!"
"Time flies," he replied. "Especially when you're enjoying yourself."
"Good job we didn't go any further then. He probably would have caught us in the middle of it. Now that would have taken some explaining! Can you imagine it? Newspaper headlines. 'Lane & Kent Have Wild Sex In Broken Elevator.' We'd get wolf whistles for the rest of or lives," Lois smirked.
Clark blushed. A shade of warm red crossed over his face as he too pictured what people would say. The elevator suddenly jolted and then began to move down. Lois and Clark stood silent, but each one of them giggled inside. After a minute or so, they were on the ground floor, ready to go home.
"You know, Clark, I really enjoyed myself tonight. And you having that illness doesn't matter. I have realized I love you now, no matter what," Lois said.
"Yeah. I enjoyed it too." He put on a fake smile. 'Yeah, until you messed up,' he thought to himself.
Lois reached in and gave Clark a tender kiss on the lips. Clark wanted to grab hold of her and give her the most passionate kiss she had ever had. To lift her up, fly her to his apartment, throw her on the bed and make mad, passionate love to her all night long. But he resisted, knowing that somehow, he now had to tell her that not only he was Superman, he had lied to her as well. Oh boy, this was not going to be easy. He took deep breaths to stop his thoughts showing in other places. That would freak Lois out.
"Look, Lois, I gotta go now," Clark told her reluctantly.
"But, Clark, I know now. You don't have to go away and take your pills," Lois said, feeling somewhat triumphant.
"Yeah, but I'm tired and need some sleep," he replied in his best weary voice.
"Oh, okay. See you tomorrow then. Lover." She added the last word with a smile.
"Yeah. Bye!" Clark shouted back.
When she was out of sight, Clark flew back to his apartment in record time. He quickly changed into something more comfortable and dashed straight to the phone. Collecting his thoughts, he picked up the phone and dialed his parent's number. After a few rings, they answered the phone.
"Hello, Who's speaking?" a voice came.
"Mom? It's Clark," Clark said into the phone.
"Oh hi, Clark. Something wrong? It's pretty late." Martha said, sounding tired
"Did I wake you?" Clark asked her, concerned.
"No, we're still up," she lied.
"Good. Well, can I come over, I need to talk to you," Clark asked.
"Sure honey. I'll have some supper ready for you. How does warm apple crumble sound?" Martha asked, more brightly than when she answered.
"Great. Thanks Mom, I'll be right over." Clark half smiled.
Clark did a lot of thinking on his flight over to Smallville. But he still had no answers as to what he was going to do. He knew that he had to tell Lois that he had lied to her and he had to do it fast. Otherwise, she would ask him every day about his supposed illness. He wouldn't be able to leave the room ever again, because she would tell him it wasn't necessary. But how he longed to kiss her again! That kiss they shared in the elevator, was the most amazing kiss of his entire life. He had never felt anything like that. It felt so right. He and Lois, together. She said she loved him. Did she mean it, or was it just the stress of being stuck in an elevator. And would she still feel the same once he had told her?
***
At Lois' apartment, she sat on her sofa staring at the phone. Should she call Clark? If she rang him, he might think that she was far too clingy. If she didn't call, he might think that she didn't care. All she wanted right now was to take him in her arms, and soothe him. He was obviously embarrassed at his 'illness', because he hadn't told her what the illness was. It had to be serious though, if he had to leave the room to take his tablets numerous times a day. And sometimes the length of time he disappeared for. Poor Clark. She thought that she would try to get him to open up a bit more. Surely he could trust her? Sighing, she left the phone and climbed into her bed. Her mind wandered to all sorts of things. Finding she couldn't sleep, she headed for some chocolate.
***
Clark got to his parents' roughly 15 minutes after he set off. Normally he could have been there in five minutes, but he had taken a slow flight so he could think about things. When he got there, a sweet smell of food hit him. It made him feel hungry since he hadn't had anything to eat for quite a while.
"Hi honey. Sit down and have some pie, " Martha said to him lovingly.
Clark moved to the kitchen table. As he started to eat, Jonathan walked in, smelling the pie. He moved over to it, but his hand was slapped back by Martha.
"Hi Son. So tell me, is it Lois?" Jonathan inquired.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's Lois," Clark replied, his face dropping.
"What is it then? Is she giving you the cold shoulder?" he asked.
"No, Dad. Just the opposite actually. Well at the Planet, the elevator got stuck. Lois and I were trapped inside, so we just started talking. Then we started to kiss. It was wonderful, Dad. But then I felt this pang of guilt that she didn't know who I am. So I started to tell her, and I got cold feet about it. So I ended up telling her that I have an illness," Clark told his Dad.
"Well, son, you've got to tell her that you lied. If not, it'll eat away at you," Jonathan said.
"Yes, but, Dad, what if she doesn't want to know me after I've told her?" He questioned.
Martha walked up to them, ready to give her wise view on the subject. "Clark, she told you she loves you, right?" Martha asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Well then it shouldn't matter to her. It might take her a few days to get over it, but she will come back to you. And that's more preferable to lying to her, isn't it?" she told him.
"Without a doubt. So when do you think I should tell her?"
"Tomorrow. Tell her tomorrow."
Clark felt satisfied. His mom always knew what to do when there was a problem. All he had to do now was wait 'til the morning, and pluck up the courage to tell Lois that he was Superman.
"Mom?" Clark began.
"Yes, son?"
"Can I stay here tonight?"
Sure honey," she replied.
***
Lois woke up after a long night. Her sleep had been filled with dreams of Clark. In her dream, he was touching her. He laid her down on the bed and ran his hands over every inch of her body. He moved his hands to the top of her blouse and started unbuttoning. Throwing it on the floor, he ran his hand over the soft tantalizing curve of her breast. Reaching behind her, he … Realizing where this line of thought was taking her, she decided not to think about the dream. She should take a long cold shower instead. Oh it felt so good to be loved. She was so glad that maintenance was lousy at their job. If the elevator hadn't have broke down, she would have never have told him that she was in love with him. No correct that. She would never have KNOWN she was in love with him. Sighing loudly, she climbed out of her king-sized bed, and headed off towards the shower, thinking of things to say to Clark at work. Only one thing came to her though. 'I Love You'
Lois parked her jeep, and rushed into the planet 15 minutes late. In the shower, she had been thinking of Clark running his hands all over her, and stayed in there for an hour longer than she should have. She saw Clark typing something on his computer. He glanced up, and saw Lois looking at him. He smiled, got up from his chair and walked towards her.
"Hi Lois," he said brightly.
"Hi Clark," she said back, equally as jolly.
They both resisted the urge to get involved in a passionate embrace there and then. Lois knew that she wasn't ready to tell people that they were seeing each other, not just yet. Anyway, Perry probably would say some sarcastic remark about it.
"Lois, I was wondering if you could come round to my place this evening?" Clark asked, while fidgeting with his shirt.
"I would love to! Say around, seven? she replied enthusiastically.
"Okay, that's great. I'll cook us a meal," Clark said.
Clark walked back to his computer thinking of ways to bring the subject up. Oh well. He had to tell her the truth this time. He pushed it to the back of his mind and got on with his work. A few seconds later, he wrote a mistake. Screwing the piece of paper up, he leaned over to the bin. His glasses slipped off his face. Muttering something to himself, he stood up, and went to retrieve them from the floor before they got damaged.
Meanwhile, Lois paused from checking her e-mails to look at Clark. Funny, she thought. Clark looked so familiar without his glasses on. She just couldn't place who it was. She would have to think about that one later. Maybe ask him if he had any cousins or relatives that she might have met. He did look rather like Superman though. How odd.
Lois laughed to herself when a stray thought came into her head: 'Clark has a cute butt.' Wonder where that came from?
Later on that day, at Lois' apartment, she was having a tough time deciding what to wear. Sure it was only a date up at his place, but a girl has to look good. She rummaged through her wardrobe and finally made her decision. Slipping on her choice of clothes, she pulled on her shoes and dashed out the door as best as she could in the shoes she was wearing.
***
At seven o'clock that evening, Lois knocked on Clark's door. She was wearing a sexy strappy black dress. She hoped it wasn't too over the top. After about twenty seconds or so, the door slowly opened to reveal Clark in casual attire. 'My God,' Lois thought. 'He looks so sexy. I could eat him up right now!'
"Come in," Clark said. Her dress aroused him. He wondered why he could thing about nothing but making love to her. He took hold of her arm and guided her through the door. He placed her down on the sofa, and sat beside her.
"Lois, I have to tell you something. Now I want you to not say anything 'til I'm done, and then you can hit me all you like. But I have to tell you this." Clark began.
"Okay. You're not dying are you?" Lois asked.
"No. But please listen."
"Okay"
"Well, the thing is, that I have another part of my life that you know nothing about. I'm not really all that sure how to tell you this. But the first thing is that I lied to you. I don't have an illness. I'm perfectly healthy. In fact, I CAN'T get an illness."
"Clark, you don't have to pretend, I won't tell anyone about it," Lois interrupted.
"Lois, please!"
"Sorry. Carry On."
"I told you that I was ill, because I chickened out of telling you the real truth. Heck, I'm just going to come out with it. Every time I rush off, well it's because I'm … Superman," Clark finished; feeling better that it was in the open now.
"Ha! Clark, that is the most stupid joke to pull on anyone! You are so thick sometimes," Lois retorted.
"But it's the truth!"
"Yeah, of course. And I'm King Kong"
"Okay, Lois. I'll prove it."
With that, Clark got up of the couch. Lois' smile faded slightly. Clark spun out of his normal clothes and into his Superman suit. Lois stared at him open mouthed.
"Oh my Lord! You were telling the truth! Oh I can't believe this. Oh my! Oh my oh my oh my," Lois gasped. After a few minutes or so, Lois recovered, and felt very angry.
"How could you? How could you not tell me?!?! I can't believe you let me talk about you to … well Superman … you (!) and vice-versa. I hate you! I really really hate you! I never want to lay eyes on you again. As far as I'm concerned, this relationship is finished before it has even begun! I don't know how you could keep something like that from me. I thought we were friends? And telling me that you have an illness, making me worried, well that is just disgraceful. But it makes sense seeing as you are not man enough to tell me the truth right from the start!"
Lois jumped up, and started the pound Clark's chest with all her might. Clark stood and took it, seeing as he deserved it and anyway, it didn't hurt one bit. Her fists bashed him all over. She didn't care about the fact that it was hurting her more than it hurt him. Lois screamed a final 'I hate you' and ran out the door, forgetting to take her handbag with her.
Clark didn't bother to go after her; there was no point. She had made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing more to do with him. He flopped down on the sofa and cried. He had never cried before. Yet he just let the tears stream down from his face. Lois would never talk to him again, so there was not much point in being alive. Since he had met her, he had lived for this woman. It felt almost like she had died. He didn't know how he would be able to stand it at work. Lois would probably ask Perry for another partner. He would be stuck with Ralph or some such person he hated. Lois wouldn't look at him, let alone speak to him. This was awful. He decided that he couldn't cope with her cold shoulder. He would have to leave.
***
Lois staggered through her door, and nearly fell to the floor. She was upset, really upset. She leaned against the wall and sobbed. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't believe that Clark had lied to her. He let her pour her feelings out in the elevator. And all that time she had been fawning over Superman, he was actually Clark. But the odd thing was she felt she was still hopelessly in love with him. After all he'd done to her, all the hurt that he had caused her, she still wanted to spend her life with him. Maybe they could make this up, in time? Lois now found that she was sat on the floor, although she didn't remember sitting. She picked herself up and walked over into her bedroom. She half hoped that Clark would come over, but he didn't. She slowly stripped her clothes off and climbed into her bed without bothering to take a shower. Hugging a pillow close to her, she tried without much success to fall to sleep.
***
Clark mumbled something as his alarm clock woke him up. He wondered how Lois was feeling this morning. After taking a long shower, he put his robe on and went to find his laptop. Turning it on, he opened his e-mail and typed in the recipient's address: elvisrules@dailyplanet.com. Perry's e-mail address always made him laugh. After a minute or so of staring at the screen, he started to type.
Dear Mr. White,
Thank you for making my first days at The Planet so nice for me.
It would be my greatest wish to be able to work there forever. Unfortunately, something has happened which means that I can no longer carry on working for you. I cannot tell you this in person. I have my reasons for it. I have to resign, and please understand when I say I cannot tell you why. It breaks my heart to have to leave, but there is no there other way. Please contact me back soon.
Sincerely,
Clark Kent.
"What in the name of Elvis is that for?!?!?!" Perry bellowed as he read Clark's e-mail. Perry was not at all happy that one of his best reporters wanted to resign. He picked up the phone and began to dial Clark's number. After dialing the third or fourth digit though, he replaced the phone on its cradle.
"Lois! Get in here, now!" he shouted.
Lois ran into Perry's office, fearing the worse by his tone of voice. "Now, Lois, I have just had a very disturbing e-mail, and I want to know if you have anything to do with it."
"I doubt it. What is the e-mail?" Lois asked.
"Here you go. Come round here and read it. If you are being horrible to Clark and he wrote this as a consequence, boy you are going to know about it!"
Lois walked round Perry and read the e-mail. He mouth dropped wider and wider as she read it.
"Know anything about it then Lois?" Perry questioned.
"Erm, Chief can I take an extended lunch break? I have to do something."
"If you must. Although if this is something to do with you, you better make sure Clark comes back with you. Is that understood?" he inquired.
"Yes, Chief. Understood," she replied timidly.
Lois saw the elevator was full and rushed down the stairs. She had no time to wait for the next one. She jumped in her jeep and started the ignition as quickly as possible. She had to talk Clark out of leaving. Sure she had told him that she never wanted to lay eyes on him again, but it was a spur of the moment thing. Of course she didn't want him to go. She still loved this man; no matter how much hurt he had caused her. She was daydreaming, and was not looking at the traffic at this moment in time. Suddenly, she remembered that she was on a public road, and she could think about this later. But it was too late. In front of her, a truck loomed. Lois tried to swerve out of the way, but there was traffic on either side of her, and she didn't have enough room to move the car out of the way. She let out a horrifying, high pitched scream as her jeep collided with the truck.
Her world went dark and she lost all of her senses, feeling herself slip into a dusky haze. Every second ticked by like an eternity. Lois saw her jeep smash in slow motion, felt herself being jolted back and hitting her head on the headrest. Bouncing forward again, her head went into the oncoming shards of glass from her windscreen. Lois flopped down unconscious, feeling no more as the vehicles smashed together. An almighty smashing sound was made, and then all went quiet as crowds gathered around to see the poor woman in the middle of the awful crash. Traffic broke to a halt as the crowd of onlookers grew bigger stooping the oncoming traffic passing through.
***
Clark was lazily watching the TV when his super-hearing picked up a scream. He instantly recognized it as Lois'. Her voice had an imprint on his mind. Quicker than ever before, he spun into his suit and flew off in a haze of colors, paper flying everywhere.
By the time he got there, it was too late. He saw Lois' jeep had been turned into wreckage and was mingled with the back end of a wrecked truck. Clark's breath caught in his throat when he saw what was Lois' car. Now it was just like something in the scrap metal yard. He dashed up to the scene of the accident. He almost stumbled over when he saw the windscreen covered with blood. Lois' blood. How had this happened?
Walking closer up to the cars, he was stopped by the unhurt truck driver rushing up to him. How he not gotten hurt and Lois had? It took all of Clark's control not to grab hold of him and throw him deep into space.
"What happened?" Clark asked, as calm as possible making sure not to show his anger too badly.
"I was just driving along, and she wasn't looking at the road. I tried to swerve, but well, I'm so sorry! The truck ran into her. I couldn't stop. Sorry," the driver replied.
Clark walked past the truck driver and his heart broke into forty pieces when he saw Lois' fragile body still in the car. She looked so … dead. She wasn't. She couldn't be. It took him a huge amount of stamina to stop himself from crying on the spot.
"Oh no, Lois, no. No no no no," he kept murmuring to himself. He carefully ripped what was left of the door off the jeep. Being careful not to cut Lois with the glass, he gently took hold of her and pulled her limp body out from the wreckage. Clark checked for a pulse. She had a faint one, but needed urgent help. The ambulance had only just been called for and wouldn't be there for another minute or so. He carried her over the road, forgetting that he could use his Superpowers to take her to the hospital.
It was touch and go waiting for the paramedics. Her pulse kept dropping. Soon it was no more than a tiny little beat against his chest. The world moved in slow motion for him. As everyone around him turned into a blur of sounds and colors, the sound of a siren cut through his trance and brought him back to reality.
The ambulance screeched onto the scene. Clark walked over to it and gave Lois to the paramedics for urgent attention. When he was sure that they had her strapped in safely and receiving oxygen, he decided she needed Clark, not Superman. He sped off and returned a few seconds later running onto the scene as Clark.
The ambulance was just about to drive off. 'Drat!' he cursed to himself. Not wanting to miss her, he ran to the ambulance and jumped on the back of it just before the doors closed.
"My, my, don't you know it's dangerous to do that? You could really injure yourself," the paramedic exclaimed.
"I know, but I have to go with this woman," Clark replied.
"Okay, if you want. But you still shouldn't do that. It isn't safe."
"So, how is she?" Clark asked.
"Critical. She has got the remains of a steel bar in the back of her head. It skewered into her. Most of it came out but it has made a mighty hole in her head. There is a small hole in her skull too. If the rest of the steel bar had slipped out, she'd be dead now. She'll need some x-rays, but it's a sure thing that she had some broken bones, especially her leg. You can see the bone sticking out of her right leg. She has a lot of cuts and bruises, but that's to be expected. We are most concerned about her head at the moment. That is all we can tell you at this moment, I am afraid," the paramedic said glumly.
"But she is going to be okay, isn't she?" Clark asked tentatively.
"I really don't know at this point in time. I'm sorry Mr. …?" he questioned.
"Kent. Clark Kent," Clark muttered.
Clark sat in silence for the rest of the journey. He wondered why Lois wasn't in work. She wasn't due her lunch break for another hour and as far as he knew, she didn't have any appointments with her contacts. This was a nightmare, Clark thought. He kept thinking to himself, if only he had gotten there sooner. She must have screamed as the truck hit. If she would have screamed five seconds before, well she would have been okay. He could have saved her. She would be a little shaken, but not this. She wouldn't have had her life on the line.
Clark reached over and took Lois' hand. She was unconscious. Clark thought she was so cold and so pale. That was not a good sign.
The ambulance came to a halt. They were finally at the hospital. They unloaded her from the ambulance. Lois was rushed into intensive care to be examined and x-rayed. Clark was sent to a waiting room, having been told that him hovering around would do Lois more harm than good. After a brief argument with the nurse, he finally relented and trudged off to the waiting room, muttering to himself in disgust.
When he got to the room, he sat down in one of the tacky plastic orange chairs. He picked up a magazine and pretended to read it, ignoring the fact that he got a strange look from the nurse. After she kept staring at him like he was gay, he looked at the magazine's front cover to see what he was actually reading. Aha, 'American Woman Magazine'. That would explain the staring, he smiled to himself. Finding 'What Car! Magazine', he pretended to read that instead. The nurse went away, laughing to herself.
The minutes ticked by like an eternity. Clark wondered what was wrong, why it was taking so long. He certainly didn't want to be spending more time here than he absolutely had to. He hated this place. The fact the Lois was in here made it worse. Fending off the bad thoughts, he settled down and read some more of his magazine.
After what seemed like forever of reading about the new shaped Mini and solar powered motor homes, a doctor came through to the waiting room. Clark instantly jumped out of his seat, threw the magazine into the trashcan and rushed to shake the doctor's hand, rather enthusiastically.
The doctor began to speak. "Okay Mr. Kent, we have done some x-rays and such on you wife," he began.
"Where is she?!?!" Clark shrieked frantically.
"She is in the operating room," the doctor continued.
"WHAT? Why? What is wrong with her?" Clark interrupted again.
"If you will let me continue, Mr. Kent. It is because of the hole in the back of her head, from where the steel bar from the truck skewered it. We are trying to get it fixed, but there is no guarantee it will work. She also has her leg broken in 3 places, one of which is a serious break and could impair her walking for a long time afterwards. And a lot of cuts and bruises, but that's to be expected. When the glass shattered, a lot of it went into her. She will need stitches in quite a few different places. Her face is covered with them," the doctor explained.
"Oh no. Oh God. What happens in the operation, if you don't mind me asking?" Clark's voice raised an octave.
"We will take skin and muscle from another part of her body and cover up the hole with it. We cannot replace the part of her skull that was shattered I'm afraid. She will always have a soft part to her head," He told Clark.
"And she will live right?" Clark inquired.
"I'm sorry, it's too soon to say," he replied back, sadly.
"When can I see her?" Clark asked.
"Not 'til she comes out of theatre. About another ten hours yet," he replied.
"That long?" Clark croaked.
"Sorry, sir."
Clark sat back down on the hard seat, and tried to get some sleep. His dreams were filled with the horrifying image of Lois in that mangled wreck. He wouldn't know what he would do without Lois. She was his life. He lived for her. He tossed and turned; the plastic not being the most wonderful material to try and sleep on.
After what seemed like two minutes, he felt someone shake his shoulder. He still felt worn out and completely drained. He needed the toilet, was tired, hungry and needed a wash and a shave. Not exactly a pretty sight. He sat up and saw the doctor stood in front of him. Clark glanced at his watch. He had been asleep for fourteen hours! Didn't do much good. He felt like he could sleep in a pile of manure.
"Hi doctor. How is she?"
"She is in a dangerous way. She pulled through the operation, but has slipped into a coma. She is in intensive care at the moment."
"What are her chances of living? Please say she is going to live. I don't want her to die!" Clark sobbed again. When his weeping had subsided a little, the doctor continued.
"50/50, I'd say. Do you want to see her?"
"Can I? That would be great."
"OK. Follow me, Mr. Kent."
Clark was let down a dingy corridor. Every way he looked all he saw was devastation, people dying all around him. He shuddered at the thought. Then he thought about what life would be like if Lois died. Someone else would occupy her desk. There would be no one to get frustrated with him. No one to shout at him. He would have to get a new partner to replace her. He shook those nasty thoughts from his head. As he walked along, he kept telling himself that she was going to live. He had faith in her. He believed that she would fight for her life, that she would not be killed off that easily. He got to her room. She had a room all to herself. Clark wondered if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.
When Clark got in the room, he was shocked. Lois looked so different. She had a huge bandage wrapped around her head. Her hair was limp and looked matted with blood. A mask connecting her to the oxygen machine was half covering her face. The rest of her face was covered in stitches. Her skin was pale. Her whole body looked lifeless. On her arms, she had loads of cuts, and some stitches too. She was barley recognizable as Lois Lane. He started to sob quietly. Even though she looked like this, she still looked just as beautiful and sexy to Clark.
Clark walked over to her and took her limp hand in his. She didn't respond. She couldn't. Clark wondered what she would say to him if she weren't in a coma. She would probably tell him to blow right off. On second thoughts though, she wouldn't. It was not like Lois to use language like that. She had more class. She was a real lady. And now she was lying in this hellhole waiting to see whether or not her lifeline would be cut off, or whether she would be spared and continue to live her life to the full. Clark wondered if anyone else knew about the accident. Probably not. He better called Perry. Reluctantly, he let go of her tiny hand and got his cell phone out.
"Hello, Perry White, Editor of The Daily Planet, how may I help you?"
"Chief, it's Clark."
"Ah! It's about time that you phoned. What on earth do you mean by you want to resign?!"
"It doesn't matter. I have to tell you something."
"Clark! It matters very much!"
"There are more important things right now"
"Oh really? Like what?"
"Like Lois." " Oh Yeah. Have you seen her, she didn't turn up for work?"
"Yes, Chief. I'm afraid … I'm afraid there has been an accident."
"An accident? Involving Lois?"
"Yes. She was driving somewhere and plowed into a truck. She is in the hospital. I … well … she's in a coma! She nearly died." Clark started to break down.
"It's Okay, Clark. Oh Elvis! Is she gonna be Okay?"
"50/50. She had to have a major operation. Can you tell the others for me?"
"Sure, Clark. Can we visit?"
"Yeah I guess. Thanks, Chief. Looks like I won't be resigning after all."
"Good, good. Well get back to Lois. Send her our love."
"Okay Chief. Bye"
"Oh Lois. Why did this have to happen?" Clark sighed to himself. Clark got up and gathered his belongings together. It was time to go the doctors had basically kicked him out on his ear. He was so upset about Lois. It was his entire fault. If he hadn't have told her he was Superman, she wouldn't' have been going to his apartment at her lunch break, and she wouldn't have crashed. He hated himself. He felt like committing suicide. Only he knew that he couldn't do that, because Lois would need him to be strong for her when she awoke. 'If she awoke,' he thought glumly. He left the hospital feeling very low.
Later that evening, Clark tried to concentrate on the TV, but found his thoughts filled with Lois. He couldn't bear it.
"Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" Clark screamed as he jumped up from the sofa.
He let loose at everything in sight. He smashed up the TV, threw the ornaments to the floor and pounded holes in the sofa. It was the only way to rid himself of the pent up emotion that he normally could control so well. It didn't matter to him his belongings got broken. His heart was broken, so why shouldn't everything else be the same? He was like a while animal locked up in a cage. Begging for its release thrashing about to get out of the hellhole. Clark felt like he was in a living hell. His life was lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines and dying people.
To end his outburst, he grabbed a small bible and ripped it up mercilessly. He shouted out "I hate you God, you filthy thing."
He threw the remains of the little book into a pile a broken wineglasses. He took a look around him and collapsed on the floor in a big heap, hugging a broken photo of Lois to his heart. Like a tiny mouse scared of the huge cat. Clark cried himself to sleep whispering Lois' name over and over.
In the middle of the night, Clark woke, feeling terrible. He looked slowly around at the mess that was his home. It reminded him of Lois' jeep, all smashed up and wrecked. What had he done? He thought to himself. He felt something against his chest, prodding him slightly.
He looked down and found the smashed photo of Lois. His best picture of her was now broken into smithereens. Her face was torn straight across the middle. There were cuts on the photo all over it. It looked like her injuries from the accident. 'Oh there I go again. Just can't stop thinking about it,' he thought to himself. But the photo … her smile looked evil, her glinting eyes that used to look so happy now looked full of rage. In his head he heard her voice say 'I'll get you Kent, I'll get you!' This was his price to pay for loving her. He wanted to talk to her so much, to explain why he didn't tell her. Of course, it would be a one sided conversation. She wouldn't be able to reply, or hear him. The voice in his head came back to him, causing him to violently shake his head trying to rid himself of the mangled thoughts that wrecked the inside of his head, making him feel nauseous beyond belief. He slowly picked himself up off the glass-covered floor. The place needed tiding. Is if wasn't fixed, some kind old lady would probably come and tell him he had burglars. Not what he wanted to deal with right now.
Clark had smashed his place up partly because of anger but mostly because he had to get his feeling out. He felt better having taken his anger out on something, but sad that his best things was broken. All his foreign souvenirs, his cups and saucers, his family photos. All destroyed. Tears fell from Clark's glistening eyes like tiny rivers. He sat on the floor in remorse.
After a while, Clark got up and studied the mess. Deciding not to leave it like that, he super-sped round his apartment piling all the broken stuff up outside in a heap. His home now had fewer things in it than it had two days ago: he had broken most of his things. The only broken item he kept was the photo. Taking the very best of care, he scotch-taped the huge tear together. It looked almost as good as new. There was no longer a frame to it, so he just simply pinned it on the wall. Collecting his coat, he went to the car to set off for the hospital once more.
He was driving from his apartment when the lights changed to red straight away. He angrily slammed his hand on the horn, eliciting hoots and blasts from all of the other road users. Clark couldn't be bothered with the lights anymore, and sped through at red, causing some bad language from the other people. Clark ignored it and sped along 60 km over the limit. He didn't care about the cops. All he wanted to do was the get to the hospital to see Lois. The doctor said he would call if he had any news, but seeing as Clark's phone resembled kitty food, there wasn't much chance of it working.
Anything could have happened to her. Clark once again scolded himself for being so stupid. He had known the doctor might call and yet he still smashed up his phone. Once on the journey to he hospital, Clark contemplated crashing his car. At least then he wouldn't have to see Lois suffer. He could die and he wouldn't suffer, or have to see Lois in pain.
"Only one problem, Kent. You are Superman. A car crash couldn't kill you," he said out loud when he had thought the situation through properly. And anyway, even if he could kill himself, he would just be chickening out of facing the truth. No, he had to fight with all his power on this one. He had to be strong for Lois. He knew she would never give up. She would never even think of killing herself. She would go headlong into the problem and sort it. And that was exactly what he was going to do. He had to overcome the evil pictures that ran through his mind. Think about the future. The future with Lois. She was going to live; she had so much to live for. And he was going to make her life perfect in every way.
Clark came out of the overcast of thoughts and lazily looked in the rear view mirror. Damn. There were about three cop cars following him. One of them flashed at him to pull over. At first he kept going, be finally decided it would be better for him if he pulled over like they asked him to. He would rather not get in a full-scale chase and appear on some criminals' program. He indicated and pulled away from the traffic to the parking space. He got out of the car and brightly walked up to the officers.
"Good Morning! Isn't it a fine day today? Not too windy and just the right temperature!" Clark said with a false high spirit.
This obviously annoyed the officers. "Cut the bunkum. We are here to warn you about speeding. You were going at 120vkm/p/h That is 62 km more than you should be going at. Now, you don't appear to be drunk, but I have to breathalize you. It is common procedure. Put your this into your mouth please."
Boris, the cop, shoved a plastic bag with a tube on the end into Clark's mouth. Clark was instructed to blow into it for ten seconds. He did so, and accidentally using his super breath bust a huge hole in the bag.
"Boy, that is some blow you've got there! Now lets try another bag, only not so hard," Boris said.
"Sorry," Clark said sheepishly. He obeyed him and lightly blew into the bag. They waited for 30 seconds until it was ready.
"Well, you're not drunk. So, care to tell me why you were bombing down the built up road like it was a freeway?" Boris asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. My girlfriend, well my friend is in hospital and she's critical. I need to see her. Please just let me go. I will pay a fine, just not right now. She was in an accident. I beg you, I have to get to her," Clark pleaded.
"Is that the truth, or are you just trying to get out of trouble?" Boris asked him, half knowing that he was telling the truth.
"Sir, I'm Clark Kent, investigative reporter for The Daily Planet. Do you really think I would lie to you?" Clark told him. "Please, just give me a fine."
"Forget the fine, son. I shouldn't do this, but I know how you feel. My wife died in an accident. I was at work and I couldn't get to her in time. Just get on your way, but make sure you keep it under the maximum speed. Good day, Sir," Boris said, a slight smile appearing in his usually somber face.
"Thank you. I promise it won't happen again," Clark yelled back.
Clark quickly jumped back in the car and hit the gas. This time, he stayed only 2 km/p/h above the limit. Surely they wouldn't bang him up for that. He got to the hospital twenty minutes later than he had intended to arrive.
He dashed up the stairs to Lois' ward and straight into her room. The nurses were giving her a bath, and he was sent back outside on his ear for a few minutes. After twiddling his thumbs impatiently, the nurses emerged a few minutes later and told him he could go in to see her. He walked through the door into the dinghy little room. Well her hair looked clean now. But apart from that, she looked the same as she did the day before. The doctor walked into the room shortly after Clark had gone into it.
"How is she, doctor?" Clark asked.
"She is stable. She is not on the critical list anymore, but things have been known to change, so I wouldn't plan any welcome home parties yet," the doctor said.
"Okay, thank you, doctor," Clark said half gratefully.
"Call me Arnold," the doctor replied.
"OK, thanks, Arnold," Clark said, a little jollier.
"Welcome. Anything you need, give me a shout," Arnold replied. He left Clark alone with Lois. Clark suddenly thought that he hadn't called his parents.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a phone. Well he did but … Although Lois must have one. He still had her handbag in his car! He had put it there meaning to take it back round to her, but it had slipped his mind. Clark looked at her, and rushed back to the car. He knew he probably shouldn't go through her things to get to her phone, but he was sure that she would understand. At least she might have done if she wasn't mad at him. He dialed his parent's number. After letting the phone ring for twenty times, he gave up and turned it off.
Sighing, he walked back up to the Jeremy ward where Lois was. "Oh Lois. Why did this have to happen? I wish I could turn back the time," he said drawing a breath of stale air. Clark once again began to cry. Lois looked so ill, so fragile. Nothing like the strong Lois he had seen only a few days before. The one that was in his arms, kissing him. He knew he shouldn't, but he decided to look in her bag, see if there was anything that might be useful. He had already gone through it, so he didn't suppose it mattered too much. Apparently, Arnold called Lois' parents so he didn't need to do that. He had also called anybody that was really close to her so Clark didn't have to do everything. He parents were in Thailand trying to get back together by going on some cheap holiday. Something he absently wondered how Lois turned out as beautiful as she did.
He leaned closer to the bed and tipped her handbag out on it. There was the same stuff in there as a couple of days ago. Only he saw another addition. It was a picture of Superman, but it had some glasses drawn on it. Underneath, it said, 'Clark'. She must be really mad at him, he thought. But wait. What was that? In a corner of the picture, a tiny heart was drawn in the same pen. She must have done that at the same time as she wrote Clark on it! So she must still have some feelings for him? Clark grinned for the first time since the accident. She still wanted him. He looked quickly back towards the bed as he heard a stirring noise. His heart jumped for a second. However it was only Lois moving around, she had not woken up yet. His heart sank back down to its low position.
Clark suddenly felt his throat go very dry. He thought he had spotted a water cooler a few meters away. Getting to his feet, he strode out of the room. Not really looking where he was going, he banged into a couple walking past. He muttered sorry and walked past them. However, they called his name and he turned around to face them.
"Mom, Dad? What are you doing here?" Clark asked, feeling a lot lighter now they were here.
"Well, Mr. White called us to say sorry about Lois, as he knew we are fond of her. But we didn't know anything about it, so he told us about the accident. Is she okay?" Martha replied to Clark, looking concerned.
"I guess so. She is in a coma. Sorry about banging into you before. I'm just frustrated," he said, his thirst forgotten.
"It's OK son. We understand," Jonathan told his son. "Anyway, things are slow at the farm, and we couldn't leave you on your own up here to cope with Lois when she is like this."
"Thanks, Dad," Clark said gratefully. "I really need you at the moment,"
"So, are you gonna tell us what happened, or are we going to have to tie you up and force it out of you?"
"No. And anyway, I could break away!" Clark replied laughing for the first time in a few days.
***
About an hour later, Clark finally finished telling his parents about what had happened. He had broken down in tears at one point, and it had taken him a while to recover. His parents were very understanding though and let him take as much time as he needed to tell the story. When he was done, his parents were almost in tears too, tears of sadness for their son. After a last look at Lois, the Kents went back to Clark's apartment. Clark slept on the sofa so they could have the bed. He actually ended up on the kitchen counter, thanks to floating in his sleep.
***
<2 weeks later>
Clark once again made the journey to the hospital. Lois' wounds were healing up fast and her operation went well and she was recovering. They were expecting her to wake up in the next day or so. Clark had bought lots of new things for his apartment to replace the old things he broke. It had been hard work for him to carry on writing articles for The Planet, but he struggled on as best he could for Lois' sake. He was excited about when she would wake, but also dreading it in case she didn't wish to see him. He had made sure that he had kept his speed down since the run-in with the cop. His parents were still staying at his place.
He walked casually up the stairs to Lois' room. When he got there, to his great shock and surprise, she was sat up in the bed, eating a bowl of what looked like cheap frosties. At first she didn't she him there, and continued eating, making a face with every spoonful. Half way through it, she muttered something in disgust and dumped the bowl down on the little bedside cabinet. When she did look up, she froze.
"Hi Lois," Clark said warily.
" Hello, Superman. Sorry, I meant Clark," she replied.
That sounded mad, Clark thought to himself. He didn't reply to that sarcastic comment and took a seat next to her bed.
"So, when did you wake up?" Clark asked her softly.
"Last year," she snorted, obviously not wanting to talk to him at the moment.
"Lois, I know that you are mad at me but…" Clark began.
"Why would I be? You only deceived me. I'm not mad at all," Lois replied.
"Lois, I didn't do it on purpose. You have to let me explain why I couldn't tell you," Clark said.
"No I don't. Now leave me alone," Lois retorted.
Clark turned around and went out of the door. His guesses had been correct. She didn't want to talk to him. She loathed him. Clark found the little waiting room and sat in it thinking to himself that he would go back later. Maybe by then she would have calmed down a little.
Lois' heart yearned for Clark. Her mind told her that she was mad at him, but she knew deep down that she understood why he hadn't told her. A very deep way down. Clark would have to do a lot of apologizing before she would let her true feelings of love for him surface. She still had no idea how she had got here though. Nobody had told her. All she remembered was Clark telling her that was Superman. Then suddenly—god knows how many days later—she woke up in this sickening pokey room. It sure needed brightening up. Her mind flashed back to Clark. He looked so forlorn as he walked out the room. Lois felt so much in love with this man it was unbelievable. But he had hurt her. She had to give him credit though. He hadn't used her. He stopped kissing her in the elevator before things went any further. She presumed this was because he felt guilty about making love to her when she didn't know the whole truth about him. Lois admired him for that. Not one of the other guys she had been out with had felt guilty about anything they had done to her. Like Claude. He made her so mad. He didn't even have a conscience. 'The bastard,' Lois inwardly thought. She knew that she wanted to know why she was in here. If only she hadn't had sent Clark away. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she leaned back against the soft fluffy pillow and fell into a Clarkfull sleep.
A couple of hours later, Clark thought about going back to see if Lois was more tranquil than before. Okay, he knew he deserved it but he was hoping for a better reception from her than the icy one that she gave him.
***
He walked into the room gingerly for the thousandth time that week. Lois had fallen asleep again. 'You'd think she wouldn't be tired at all,' Clark smiled to himself. Something occurred to him. He realized that now she was awake, she would want something nice to look at, you know brighten up the dull depressing room. He was sure he had seen a flower vendor on the sidewalk outside the hospital. Sure it was cheesy, but hey anything to make Lois happy!
Clark trekked down to the vendor and bought a huge $60 bunch of multicolored flowers. Right next to the flower stall there was a chocolate vendor. He though about getting Lois a little extra treat. Better than the hospital food that they provided for her. He got three Double Fudge Crunch bars. That was sure to lighten her mood. She could never resist chocolate.
When he got back up to her room, Lois had changed position, but she was still asleep. He hesitated, then leaned towards her and planted a small kiss on her forehead. She stirred, smiled and hugged her arms closer to herself. Clark smiled too and placed the chocolate on the bedside locker. He asked a nurse for a vase and then arranged the huge bouquet of flowers on the small table in the corner of the room.
They certainly did help to make the place look a bit brighter. Clark then sat down beside Lois and started to read her his article in today's copy of The Daily Planet. It was about Lois' accident. He had been working on it for two weeks, so they had to print it in a very small size. In fact, it was a good thing he was Superman or he would have needed a magnifying glass to read it! He knew that there wasn't much point in reading it to her seeing as she was in the land of nod (sleeping), but it made him feel better to be doing something.
About half way through the article, Lois awoke. She turned herself around to look at whoever was rambling on. Clark still hadn't realized that she was awake yet. As she listened to it, she could tell how much time he had put into it and with how much love and passion he had wrote it with. Love for her. Lois suddenly burst into a fit of giggles for no apparent reason, causing Clark to look at her, his face a picture of concern.
"Was it my article? Perry said it was great," Clark asked, looking at her.
"I'm allowed to laugh, aren't I?" Lois questioned him.
"Yes, I just wondered…" Clarks started. "Oh never mind," he cut himself off.
""Clark," Lois began. "Why am I here? Is there anything seriously wrong with me?" she asked losing the sarcastic tone in her voice.
"Well…" he began.
It took Clark quite a while to explain to her everything that happened. She pressed him for every nano-detail, not letting him leave anything out. He even ended up telling her about how he smashed his home up and how he blamed himself for everything that had happened. Along the way, he had started to sob and Lois had felt an irresistible urge to hold him and soothe away his tears. She resisted and simply handed him a paper handkerchief to dry his eyes with. He thanked her and continued his tale. He told her that she now had a soft patch in her head and she went silent. She froze for a moment before cascades of tears came trickling down her face like a waterfall of pent up emotion.
"Lois? Lois are you OK? Do you want me to get the Doctor?" Clark asked her worriedly.
"No, I don't want the doctor," she sobbed. "How will anyone ever want to love me again now I've got a soft spot on my head?" she wailed, collapsing into Clark's arms.
"I want you, sweetheart. I still love you. I don't care about it," Clark whispered, suddenly realizing that probably wasn't what she wanted to hear from him right now. She hated him at the moment.
Lois was startled. In all the mess, she had almost forgotten why he had told her his secret in the first place. She didn't need anyone else to love her. There was a man right under her nose that wanted to pour his heart out to her. Someone who would give her everything, who would never use her or take anything from her without giving her something in return.
"Thank you," Lois said in a barely audible whisper.
Clark hugged her so tight she felt like her ribs would crack. She needed this, craved for this so much. It was like a dream. Clark was surprised that she hadn't slapped him for saying that. She had said 'thank you'. That was good. She hadn't rejected his hug, she had let him embrace her and she had hugged him back. Maybe, just maybe she was starting to forgive him. It truly didn't matter to him what injuries she had. He loved her. That was all that mattered.
"I love you, Lois," Clark said, out of the blue.
Lois hesitated for a few seconds, then leaned in towards Clark and whispered "I love you too, Clark Kent,"
Clark felt like flying round the whole hospital shouting out with glee. He didn't but he wanted to. Lois looked at him with shiny eyes that threatened to spill tears again.
"Carry on with the story then," she laughed.
Clark brought his arm round her and pulled her closer. He finished off telling her what had happened by asking her if she had the negative for 'the smiley pic'.
"Why on earth do you want that!" Lois questioned slightly bemused at why he wanted another copy of it.
"Well, er, I ripped it when I smashed up my place. It's my only good picture of you," he explained sheepishly.
"Maybe somewhere. When I get out of this place I can have a look for you," she replied.
"So are you still mad at me?" Clark asked pulling her one of his smiled that turned her into a pile of quivering jelly.
"I understand why you didn't tell me sooner. I was pretty nasty towards you back then. And now I feel privileged to be one of the only three people that know that Clark Kent and Superman are the same person," Lois smirked.
"I'm glad you understand. I never ever wanted to hurt you. That was the last thing on my mind." Clark said sounding more happy than he had done in ages.
"Clark?" Lois began.
"Yes, honey," Clark answered.
"You're not still going to leave, are you?" she asked, mostly jokingly.
"No. Leave you? Never ever. I couldn't, not now. It'd break me up," Clark replied.
"Why did you say you were going to leave?" she inquired.
"Because you said you hated me. I couldn't be around you knowing that you would never speak to me again," he told her.
"Why did you stay after I had the accident then?" Lois asked another in a string of questions.
"You needed me. I just couldn't leave you," Clark answered.
"Are you saying I can't look after myself, Mr. Kent?" Lois smiled.
"I'm saying that unless you're a damn good sleep walker that you can't when you are in a coma," he laughed.
As they each started to have a laughing fit, Arnold came in and informed Clark it was time for him to leave. He reluctantly got up and gathered together his belongings. He kissed Lois' cheek at first, until she pulled him into a sensual kiss. When she did let him up for air, he waved bye to her and drove home with a huge grin on his face. Clark left his car at the hospital and flew home, performing a series of acrobatic moves in the process. When he reached his apartment, he swooped down onto the sofa and let out a shout of joy. The only other time he had felt as happy as this was when Lois initially kissed him in the elevator. Only this was better because this time she told him her feelings, she knew his secret! When she came out of hospital, he would have to ask her to move in with him. A picture formed in his mind: He and Lois were stood outside his apartment. Then he lifted her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold. It was like flying with her, only on the ground. He pulled her closer and brushed her full lips with his.
It was a nice picture. Clark smiled to himself. He heard a clattering from the other side of the room. His parents jumped out of bed and walked towards him on the sofa. Clearly his shout of joy had woken them up. Martha pulled his legs off the sofa so she could take a seat.
"Now, Clark, care to tell me what that was all about?" Martha asked, sounding tired.
"Sorry I woke you both. It's a long story," Clark apologized.
"It's okay. But why did you shout? And wake both of us? Jonathan is still fast asleep. I think he dies at night!" Martha laughed.
Clark explained what had happened. His smile keep growing wider and wider as he got to the good parts in his story. It took him a while to explain what happened, because he keep pausing to say 'Lois loves me!' He was so happy that she had accepted him for who he was and had understood. When he did finish, his parents were beaming.
"Clark, that's great! See, I told you she would come around, didn't I?" Martha smiled.
Yeah, son That is wonderful news. Won't be long before you start pushing a little stroller around!" Jonathan joked.
"Not yet, Dad. I don't think we are ready for that. Anyway, I need to sleep now, so I will see you in the morning." Clark said.
"Night son," they said in unison.
***
After a peaceful sleep, Clark woke feeling fresh and happy. He super-spun into his clothes and dashed off to the hospital. When he got there thirty seconds later, Lois was trying to pull herself out of the bed. For a moment, he stood at the door watching her. She was getting annoyed and muttering things under her breath. She had been in bed so long she couldn't move her muscles very well.
"Hi, Lois," Clark beamed.
"Hello, Clarkie," Lois smiled back.
"So, what are you doing, sweetheart?" Clark asked, knowing full well what she had been doing.
"I was trying to get up. I'm fed up of lying here!" she said agitated.
"Do you need a hand?" Clark offered.
"No… I can manage… Yes please," Lois relented.
Clark walked over to Lois. Smiling, he wrapped his arms round her waist and pulled her up out of her bed. She leaned her weight against him and slowly let him straighten her legs. When she was straight, Clark let go of her and let her stand on her own. She lasted for two seconds before wincing in pain and collapsing back on the bed.
"What is wrong with me, Clark?" Lois whimpered.
"I guess you're just not strong enough yet. Give it time," Clark said pulling her into an embrace.
"I want to walk now, Clark," Lois whined.
"I know. I know you do," Clark soothed her. He helped her back into the bed. He rummaged around in his pocket and found a bar of chocolate. Lois' face lit up when she saw it. He mouth started watering, but she remained silent for a while.
"Having a snack, Clark? Hope you enjoy it," Lois forced a smile.
Clark would pretend to start eating before handing it to Lois, whose face brightened. She began to eat it immediately and in less than ten seconds she had devoured it all. It was so good to see her smile like this again. Clark titled his head as he looked at her. Becoming aware of his gaze, she turned her head slightly to watch him. He smiled at her. That warm smile killed her. She loved his smile. It was so full of happiness, warmth and a new thing she noticed in it. Love. She now noticed that as well as being just the famous Kent grin, it was also full of love towards her. She wondered how she could have missed that before.
After a few moments of silence between them, Lois pulled her hand up from its place beside her. She caressed his face, loving the feel of the silky skin beneath her touch. He raised his hand gently and placed it over hers. He took a firm—yet oh so sweet—hold on it and lowered it down back to the bed. He softly stroked her delicate hand in a way that sent shudders down her spine.
A door swinging open interrupted their tender moment. The nurse walked in and smiled apologetically at the couple.
"Time for physio, I'm afraid. Now, Mr. Kent, if I can ask you to leave the room while I get Lois into a wheelchair," the nurse told them.
"Can't I stay with her?" he pleaded.
"I'm sorry. You will only distract her and that will never do. I'm sorry, but you really do have to leave," she told him.
Clark looked at her disgruntled and collected his things. He had wanted to stay with Lois for the rest of the day, but he obviously couldn't. He knew that she had the go to physio to strengthen her muscles again, but he wanted her to stay with him a little longer. Now that he had got her back, he didn't want to let go of her, afraid he might lose her again. He promised himself, that as soon as she got out of the hospital, he would never let her out of his sight. He gave Lois a tender kiss, which portrayed a mixture of emotions: good luck, I love you and take care. He left the room thinking about what he would do in the future. His plans involved Lois.
Lois never knew that such a short, tiny kiss could show so many feelings at once. All of his movements around her made her feel special, cherished. She longed to have him sweep her up in his arms and fly her somewhere. Anywhere. Wherever it would be, it would feel right, as long as she was with Clark and his gentle touch and kind soul. In the space of a couple of short weeks, her whole life had turned around. Going from the heartless reporter who only had time for her career, she was now feeling all these wondrous feelings that she had never felt before. Even in her earlier years, she had always wondered what love felt like. Back then, her adolescent crushes had felt like love. But she knew she was in love with Clark. None of the so-called hunks had made her have this feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling that she would die if he ever left her. Oh it felt so *good*. She sighed loudly as the nurse bundled her into the chair and wheeled her down to physio.
***
<3 weeks later>
"I can't believe I'm going home, Clark!" Lois squealed happily as Clark appeared in her room.
"It's about time. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to be well enough," he replied.
Lois prepared to get up out of the bed. Clark walked over to her, intending to give her a hand, but she stopped him.
"I have to do this on my own, Clark. My leg has had plenty of time to heel and I've being having physio. I have to do it on my own," Lois told him.
With that, she slowly turned herself around so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She gave Clark a small smile and pushed her hands into the bed. Her feet touched the ground and she gave a small push of her hands. She was now on her feet, but still holding on the bed with one hand for support. Clark moved closer towards her in case her knees buckled. Gingerly at first, she let her hand fall from the bed and straightened her legs. They quivered slightly at first, but then she felt stronger and walked over to Clark, feeling a great sense of triumph coming over her at the fact she could walk. It was a big thing for her. Since the bone had torn one of her vital leg muscles, the doctors had been skeptical that she would ever be able to walk on it again. But she had tried, and endured endless hours of physiotherapy. And for the first time, it felt like it had all been worth it.
Lois suddenly felt a spurt of energy, and ran towards Clark, throwing her arms around him. He pulled her close and hugged her back. Their bodies were pressed tightly together in a way that felt so right. Lois raised her head and looked up into Clark's warm eyes. A smile spread all across her face as she looked at him. He gazed at her with an expression that was full of love. Their lips met in a tender kiss, which soon turned into a passionate embrace, something that Lois had been longing for a long time. They broke it up when a doctor handily came in to give Lois her possessions they had rescued from her accident. Lois inspected them all carefully.
There was a ripped blouse, remains of a skirt and a few bits of jewelry. Tears began to well up in her eyes as memories of the accident came flooding back to her. Clark saw this and put his arms around her again, letting her cry on him. His shirt started to get wet, but he didn't care. Lois was all that mattered to him, and a stupid shirt getting wet was the most unimportant thing in the world right now. After she had had a good cry, she shook her head and smiled slightly.
"Clark, will you get rid of these for me? I don't want to see them," she asked him.
"Of course I will, Lois. While I'm disposing of them, why don't you go and get ready to go home," he told her.
"Oh I forgot! I don't have anything to go home in! Oh Clark, what am I going to do now?" she moaned.
Clark smiled at her, walked over to wear his things were and produced an outfit for her to wear. His grin grew wider as he handed the garments to Lois.
"You think of everything don't you. Thank you," she told him gratefully.
She disappeared into the toilet area while Clark flew down to the trash bins. When she had taken her clothes of in the cubicle, she paused to run her hands down her body. It wasn't too scratched up anymore. Most of her cuts had faded now. There were a few lingering scars, but they were not too obvious to people. She liked the way she looked. Her mind wandered to Clark. Would Clark like her body? She decided that she would let him look at it, but would he like what he saw? Or was she too skinny, or were her breasts too small, she wondered. No. Clark would like her however she looked, she decided.
She hurried and pulled her clothes on. Collecting the hospital nightgown, she came out of the toilet to find Clark already waiting, with another bunch of flowers in his hand. She tossed the nightgown in a passing laundry cart and walked up to him to accept his gift. "Clark! You must have spent a fortune on all these bunches of flowers. Don't you think you should be saving your money?" she half scolded him.
"No I don't. If it makes you happy, anything goes," he smiled.
"Okay, but I still think you're nuts. Anyway, are we going to get out of here or what?" she laughed.
"Sure we are honey. Come on,"
He held his arm out to her and she took it happily. They walked through the swinging door arm in arm, and never looked back. Outside, Lois caught a glimpse of Clark's car. She glared at it evilly before flouncing past it. Clark walked out with the bags, startled to find that Lois had disappeared. Screwing his eyes up against the sun, he saw a Lois-shaped figure jogging down the road, rubbing her eyes profusely. Dumping the bags in the car he ran after Lois easily catching her up. She stopped and turned around to face Clark.
"What's wrong, baby?" Clark queried.
"Clark… I can't get in that car! I want to walk home. Please, Clark," she whimpered.
"But why, Lois?" he asked, realizing straight away that he had made a mistake when he asked that question.
"Don't you get it? I don't want to be in a car, Clark. I'm scared it will happen again. You really thought that I would be able to just come out here, get in the car and we would drive home like nothing had ever happened?" she shouted, rage growing in her eyes.
"No of course not. But I thought that you might give it a try. For me?" Clark begged.
Something in his eyes softened her. However, it was hell for her to even think about getting in the car. Before, traveling in a car was a completely natural thing for Lois to do. But then she had had that accident and her point of view about cars had changed. She now thought of a car, as a death trap that only fools would dare to go in. But Clark was a very persuasive man, and it was hard for her to avoid the pleading look he was giving her. She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering him.
"Okay, I guess I can give it a try. But you have to promise to drive very slowly and give me time to get familiar with it again," she stuttered, not confident about what she was saying. But her heart told her that Clark would look after her, so she let him take hold of her and walk her back down the road to were the car was.
Clark looked like a little boy with a new toy. He was practically jumping up and down on the spot. Lois smiled at him as they walked towards the vehicle. Her smile was returned with a beaming smile that was full of love and passion. It gave her the strength she needed to actually get in the car. He opened the door slowly, and let her do everything at her own pace.
"Oh well. Here goes nothing," she muttered as she stepped into the metal structure. It seemed so scary to her, being in a car again. Fear must have shown on her face because Clark kept whispering soothing words to her. When the worry lines disappeared from her face, he closed the door and walked round the other side. He quickly got in and did his seat belt but stayed parked, wanting to make sure that Lois was absolutely okay before he set off. He gave her a questioning look. She thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head to signal him that she would be okay. He gave her hand a small squeeze before leaving the space.
A little while later, Clark's car pulled up outside his apartment. Being gentlemanly, he got out of the car and walked round to the passenger side. Lois jumped out into his arms, glad to get out of the car. The journey had been like a nightmare for her. On the way, they had passed several trucks and Lois had closed her eyes and squirmed about every time she had seen one. She kept thinking that they were going to have a collision with one, just like she had. Of course they hadn't but nevertheless, her breathing was jumpy and she just wanted to get out of there. Clark had taken it slowly which she was grateful for, but it hardly changed the fact that she really didn't want to be there.
"Are you okay, Lois?" Clark asked frantically, stroking her hair and holding her close. "You got pretty bad back there. I thought you were going to have a panic attack."
"Clark, please don't ever make me do that again!" Lois cried.
"On no no no I won't. Anywhere you want to go, I promise I'll fly us there. It'll be faster anyway," he soothed her.
"Oh yeah. You can do that, can't you? I'm sorry I got scared, I just couldn't help it," she told him.
"Don't be sorry! I feel so guilty about making you go in the car when I knew you didn't want to," he said in a sad voice.
"Well I could have refused, but I got in willingly in the end. So it isn't your fault," she replied.
"But it feels like it is, Lois. You were almost in tears there. I don't know whether I can forgive myself for that. I forced you to do it, Lois. Me. You didn't want to go in the car. It is my fault!" he wailed.
"Clark, listen to me. It is '*not* your fault. It is nobody's fault. It just happened, I got upset. Please believe me, Clark, I don't blame you. You shouldn't feel guilty. You would never hurt me, I'm sure of it," she tried to persuade him.
"No, I would never hurt you intentionally. But I don't know…" he whispered.
"Clark, come on. Repeat after me 'It is not my fault. It is not my fault'. Do it, Clark," she told him.
"It is not my fault," he said a little reluctantly.
"There you go. Isn't that good?" she said in a happier voice.
"I suppose so," he said.
"Well, are we going in or are we going to stand out here all day?" she exclaimed, swatting his arm playfully.
"No I guess not!" he laughed, taking a hold of her arm. Remembering the bags, He quickly grabbed them from the car and stood beside Lois again. Together, they walked into Clark's apartment. Lois looked around, taking in all the changes that had occurred. There was definitely fewer things cluttering it up. Lois headed towards the plush sofa and took a seat. Clark placed the bags in the doorway and sat next to her.
"Feels weird being back," Lois commented.
"Yeah," Clark replied.
"I love you, Lois," Clark said.
"I love you too," Lois replied.
THE END (possible)