Table of Contents
From Part 5:“CK.” The tension in Jimmy’s voice made him pause, and he glanced back at the younger man.
“Yeah?”
“Take care of Lois, okay? She... We might not always show it, but she means a lot to us here.”
“I know.” And he had to struggle to keep his voice even.
As he turned to go back to the conference room, one of Henderson’s men beckoned him over. He changed course, feeling guilty relief that he didn’t have to rejoin Lois just yet.
**********
Now read on...“
Yes, I’m still holding!”
Blinking back tears yet again, Lois held the receiver away from her ear as the aggravating elevator music recommenced. Didn’t the hospital understand that this was an emergency? A genuine life and death situation? What was wrong with the lab that she had to be kept on hold for almost ten minutes?
She’d already been given the runaround. Dr Sutton, she’d been told, was “with a patient.” Sure, she had to accept that his other patients were important, but surely he would have left instructions that she was to be put straight through if she called?
Apparently not. The best the ER receptionist had been able to offer was to get a message to Sutton “whenever it was possible.” Which could be any time in the next few hours. So she’d asked to be put through to the lab. That wasn’t possible either, apparently. Infuriated, she’d called again and pretended to be a drug company representative and was now waiting for a human being to pick up the phone.
“Lab.”
At last! “Yes. I’m calling about test results for Lois Lane.”
“Who is this?” The voice on the other end of the line turned faintly suspicious.
“I’m Lois Lane.” She almost snapped the words out.
“Wait a minute... you’re a
patient?”
“Do you have the results yet?” Lois demanded.
She heard a sigh. “We do not disclose test results to anyone but the attending physician or a member of nursing staff assigned to the case. I don’t know how you got this number, but we don’t speak directly to patients.”
“You don’t understand!” Lois exclaimed. “This is an emergency! I... I’ve been poisoned and time’s running out. I need to know if anyone’s actually
doing anything to save my life!”
“You should talk to the attending physician, Ms Lane.” The professionally calm tone on the other end of the line did nothing to reassure Lois.
“You think I didn’t try? He’s busy with patients.” She had to take a deep breath to steady her voice. “Every minute that goes by means I’ve got less chance of surviving beyond today. I need to know what’s happening!”
She heard shuffling noises, as if paper was being shifted around. “As I said, we don’t deal directly with patients. But I can tell you that the lab’s been backed up for a couple of days now. We’re still working through the backlog of tests from the water contamination over on the east side - every hospital lab’s got the same problem. Plus we’ve got a couple of our staff off sick - they drank contaminated water. So we’re going to be slower than usual getting through blood work.”
Disbelieving, Lois said, “But Dr Sutton must have marked my test as urgent...”
“So has half the medical staff. You really need to speak to Dr Sutton.”
Thinking quickly, Lois said, “Don’t you use private labs for overflow work?”
“Sometimes. But - and I really shouldn’t be telling you this - the contract’s expired and management’s in the process of renegotiating it, so we won’t be sending anything to an outside lab for the time being.”
This was unbelievable! Her life depended on the result of this blood test, and the hospital was making it impossible for her blood to be analysed! At the rate this was going, by the time Dr Sutton had her test results she’d be six feet under.
She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “What if I pay to have my test done somewhere else?”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that, Ms Lane. Laboratories don’t deal directly with the public. Look,” the woman added, as Lois let out a despairing sigh, “here’s what I can do. I’ll speak to Dr Sutton. If he confirms what you’ve told me, I’ll do my best to make sure that your test gets priority. Okay? Now I really have to get back to work.”
There was a click, and the call was disconnected.
Was that it? Was that really all that could be done?
Her life was depending on a backed-up, understaffed lab where no-one seemed to understand the concept of a life-and-death situation. God. Could it get any worse?
The door opened, and Clark entered carrying a couple of armfuls of files. “Sorry I took so long. One of Henderson’s guys wanted to ask me about Barbara Trevino.”
Trevino. One of the many people who’d tried to kill her... And Trevino was a scientist. But she shook her head after a moment. “Too tall to be Trevino.”
Clark shrugged very faintly. “Trevino’s still in prison. But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be behind it.”
“I guess.” Even to herself, her tone sounded defeated.
Clark’s brows narrowed. “What is it, Lois? You’re not giving up already?”
“Clark, you won’t believe it! The lab hasn’t even started on my blood test yet!” Frustration poured out of her as, near to tears, she told Clark about the phone call. “And I can’t even get it done at another lab because they don’t...”
She trailed off and her eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? “Lex!” she exclaimed, as Clark stared at her.
“Huh?”
“Lex Luthor. He owns LexLabs! He could pull strings...”
She could tell from Clark’s expression that he didn’t like it. Clark and his irrational dislike of Lex Luthor! Well, he’d better not even start. Not when this could be the key to saving her life.
But he nodded, obviously pushing his own feelings aside. “Yes, that could work. You going to call him?”
She already had the phone in her hand. Now, all she had to hope for was that Lex wasn’t out of town or unreachable somehow. After giving her name to a series of flunkies at LexCorp, she was transferred to Lex himself.
“Lois! What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”
“I need your help, Lex. It’s urgent.”
“Oh?” She could hear the surprise in his voice. “What’s the problem?”
As briefly as she could, she explained what had happened.
“Lois, my dear, that’s appalling!” He sounded utterly shocked, which was... nice. Reassuring. Even if she needed action from him rather than sympathy. “How are you feeling? What can I do? Do you need money? Medical treatment in Switzerland? Private detectives to track down the bastard who did this?”
“A blood test. You own LexLabs...”
“But of course; my facilities are entirely at your disposal.” His agreement was immediate. “But isn’t the hospital taking care of that?”
Again, she explained. “I don’t even know whether they’ll get around to my test today. Even if they do, it could already be too late.”
“Consider it done.” Lex’s calm, decisive tone was immensely reassuring. “I’ll contact the hospital to get your sample released, and LexLabs will be on standby. I assume that it’s best to go with the original sample?”
Lois nodded then, remembering that he couldn’t see her, said, “Yes. Dr Sutton took it from the injection site.”
“You can leave it in my hands. The director of the lab will be in touch with you as soon as the results are available, and they’ll be faxed through to your physician as well. And, if I may, I’ll find out who’s the best poisons expert in the country and I’ll have him sent the results too.”
“Thanks, Lex.” Lois closed her eyes briefly. “I knew I could count on you.”
“Any time, Lois. We
will find a cure.”
*********
Lex Luthor.
The last person Clark wanted involved in any way. And yet Lois was right. The blood work was essential, and if Luthor could speed the process up it would be crazy not to ask for his help.
And Luthor was coming through for Lois. Listening to the conversation, Clark could almost believe that the older man was everything he seemed: genuinely concerned for the well-being of a friend, wanting to do everything he could to help.
Yeah. Even Al Capone loved his mother.
As Lois replaced the receiver, Clark said, “All taken care of?”
“Yeah. He’s going to have the sample picked up and taken to LexLabs.” She tilted her head from side to side, as if relieving a stiff neck. He stepped towards her and began to massage the muscles gently. “Oh, that’s good,” she murmured.
“Of course, the hospital and LexLabs are on opposite sides of the city,” she continued. “It’s going to take about an hour to get the sample over there.” She turned her head and looked up at Clark. “I wish I knew how to contact Superman. He could have it there in seconds.”
Superman.
He stood, frozen, his hand resting unmoving against Lois’s neck.
Superman. Why hadn’t it occurred to him before?
There was so much he could do to help her using his powers. Of course, he already had been, but doing it surreptitiously meant he couldn’t do as much as if he were in the costume.
Besides...
He’d never told her before. Had never seen any reason to. There’d been the small matter of her crush on the Spandex, apart from anything else. But this was different. This really was a matter of life and death. And, even if he couldn’t save her life this time, he wanted her to know before... Before.
“Lois.” His mind made up, he moved to stand in front of her.
She looked up at him. “What is it? Can you contact Superman for me?” Hope resonated in her voice.
“I can do better than that.” He reached for her hand; she wrapped her fingers around his. “Lois, I’m Superman. And I’ll do whatever you want me to, starting with taking that sample to LexLabs for you.”
Her eyes widened, and then she frowned. “What did you say?”
Clark hunkered down so that his face was level with hers, and with his free hand he pulled off his glasses. “I’m Superman.”
************
It was happening already.
Her body - her nervous system - was already giving up on her.
It had to be. Otherwise she’d just have heard Clark tell her that he was Superman. And that couldn’t be true. Right?
Right. It just couldn’t.
Superman was... well, Superman! And Clark was... Clark. Different guys. Different names. Different... well, just different. Totally different!
But those eyes...
She’d never seen Clark without his glasses before. He looked so... altered. Without the shield, his eyes seemed warmer, deeper, more intense than before. And it wasn’t just his eyes. The whole shape of his face was different.
In fact, if it wasn’t for the hair, and the light grey suit, she could swear...
God, she was going crazy. Now she couldn’t even see straight. She was looking at Clark and seeing Superman. There were two faces in front of her. One, good old familiar Clark, a look of deep concern in his gaze. The other, the calm, capable expression of Superman. As she stared, they seemed to merge into one another and then separate again. Moving, blending, shifting, splitting, right before her eyes. Drifting out of focus...
She blinked. Nope, everything was still hazy. And she was still seeing double.
God. It wasn’t just her ears. Now her eyes were giving up on her. It was already happening.
“Lois?”
She let out a low moan.
“Lois? Lois! Are you okay?”
She was being shaken, at first gently and then more roughly. An insistent voice - Clark’s? Superman’s? - was calling her name.
Again, she blinked, and suddenly everything was clear again. Focused. Except that Superman still crouched in front of her in Clark’s clothes.
“Lois.” His voice was gentler now, but underlaid with worry.
“I... I spaced out for a minute.”
“I noticed.” And she could still hear the worry she knew he was desperately trying to hide.
“I’m going crazy.” She raked fingers through her hair, realising as she lifted her hand to do it that Clark still held her other hand. “For a moment there... I thought you were Superman.”
“I am.” And now his voice was calm. In control. And full of that
aura that Superman had about him. The way he seemed to radiate confidence, assurance,
hope, just by being there.
Clark was Superman.
Well, at least her ears weren’t letting her down after all. Yet.
Clark was Superman.
“Why didn’t you
tell me?” she exclaimed, wrenching her hand away from his.
“I thought I just did.”
“Don’t be cute!” She pushed at his chest. “You know what I mean.”
He remained exactly where he was, crouched in front of her. “Lois, I didn’t tell
anyone! You’re the smartest woman - smartest
person - I know. You of all people have to be able to figure out why I don’t tell people about this.” Abruptly, he straightened, moving back from her as he did so. Instantly, she felt the loss of his presence - the loss of his
comfort.
Clark and Superman were the same person. It was way too much to take in. And if she let herself think about all the times... Everything she’d said... and done... with each of them... He’d saved her life countless times.
Clark had saved her life.
She swallowed suddenly. Was Superman going to be able to save her life this time?
“Lois.” Clark’s tone commanded her attention. “Look, I know it’s been a shock. I know you’re working up to be mad, too. You can yell at me all you like -
later. Right now we have more important things to do, remember?”
Yeah. Like figuring out a way to save her life. “Okay.” And she nodded.
“Okay. I need you to call Luthor back and tell him to let the hospital lab know that I - that Superman’s on his way to pick up the sample. All right?”
Nodding again, Lois reached for the phone. Her head was spinning. Her brain was rebelling against the instructions she was trying to give it. Clark was
Superman! All this time, and he’d never told her. No, she’d never guessed! Not an inkling. It had never even occurred to her that there might be more to the ‘hack from Smallville’, as she’d unfairly dubbed him, than appeared at face value.
How could he possibly be Superman and she have no clue at all? Not even a
suspicion that there was something different about him?
“Lois.”
She looked up at the note of impatience in Clark’s voice, and saw him frowning at her. He was wearing his glasses again and, as he gave her a ‘get on with it’ wave of his hand, he seemed so familiar again. Her partner. The guy she worked with eight, ten, sometimes twelve hours a day. The person she thought she’d known better than anyone.
The man she hadn’t known at all.
“Okay. Lex.” And she dialled.
**********
...tbc
