Previously on Seed of Doubt...
In the end, the sellers were in a rush to close on the house. They accepted an offer below what they were asking for, and Lois and Clark were able to secure their mortgage fast enough to close by the beginning of November. True to his word, Clark had the house in pristine condition within three days. He started with the master bedroom, all the while in awe of the fact that he would no longer ever need to spend the night apart from Lois. Next, he did the baby's nursery, painting the walls in cream tones at Lois' request, because in her words "Even if we have a girl, a Pepto-Bismol pink room is not happening." He finished the rest of the upper floor before moving to the main floor.
There, he attacked the kitchen first, replacing faucets, scrubbing tiles, and cleaning away years of caked on grease that no one had ever appeared to notice or cared enough to clean away. He left the living room for last on that floor. The floors didn't come out quite as he'd hoped, so to hide away all of the ugly scars it bore, he laid down some off-white carpeting that nicely contrasted the wallpaper Lois had picked out for the room. It was more time consuming than he remembered, even with his super speed. He'd only laid carpeting once before with his dad, when his parents had decided to replace the well worn carpeting in their own living room.
The basement, however, took him the longest. Aside from patching several unattractive holes in the walls and giving them a paint job, Clark completely transformed the place, turning it from a dark but dry storage space into a finished, livable family room with plenty of room for his son or daughter to play in one day. He added shelving to some of the walls, ready for all of the inevitable board games and toys. He replaced the inadequate lighting with brighter, more efficient lights which covered the rooms much better. He did find, to his dismay, that the hot water heater was on the verge of giving out, so a fourth day was added where the plumber came and replaced the aging tank.
He'd managed to keep Lois away from the house as he'd worked on it, wanting, instead, to surprise her with the finished product. As luck had it, they were both kept extremely busy with an investigation at work, which left Lois exhausted by dinner time. It was easy enough for Clark to say goodnight to her after dinner and then swing by the house to work at super speed for a few hours.
Now, however, the work was complete. It was time to reveal the fruit of his labor. Once more, he brought Lois to the house, had her close her eyes, and guided her into the living room.
"Are you ready to see it?" he asked her in a playful tone.
"I've been dying to see what you've done," Lois said, still with her eyes firmly shut.
"It's not completely finished," Clark warned. "We still have to pick out furniture."
"That's fine. We can look this weekend."
"This weekend is your shower," Clark reminded her.
"That's only for a few hours around brunch on Saturday," Lois argued.
"Still, some of the stores close early on Sunday..." he teased, dragging out the reveal.
Lois was on to his game. "Clark Jerome Kent," she said in a playful warning tone. "Now you're stalling on purpose."
Clark reflexively winced at the use of his full name. "You've been talking to my mother, I see," he replied dryly. "I don't think I've ever mentioned my full name before."
"We had a nice long chat this morning while you were here with the water heater guy."
"Ah."
"So, can I open my eyes now?"
Clark answered by putting his hand over her eyes. "Welcome home, Lois," he said lovingly to her as he lifted his hand away again.
Lois gasped as the room materialized before her uncovered eyes. She stood mute for several long seconds as she took it all in. Her hand went to her chest, then to her mouth. Clark could see the wonderment in her eyes and could practically feel the excitement radiating from her body. He felt as if he were seeing the house completely anew.
If this were a cartoon, he thought wryly to himself, the place would be actually sparkling.
"It's gorgeous!" she finally said in an awestruck, soft voice that fairly trembled with her shock. "I can't believe this. It doesn't even look like the same house." She shook her head. "You must have spent hours on this place, even with your abilities."
Clark shrugged it off. "It wasn't so bad. Most of the problems were cosmetic and didn't require as much effort as it appeared to. Come on, let me show you the rest of the house."
"I can't wait," Lois said enthusiastically.
Each new room brought out new gasps of delight from Lois and made Clark's heart swell with pride at having made her so happy. Lois pointed out many of the details Clark had hoped she would, like the way the fresh coat of green paint in the master bedroom perfectly matched Lois' favorite comforter in her apartment. Of course, since this was Lois, the rapid fire chatter and questions didn't surprise Clark in the least. Instead, he reveled in her random tangents and answered her questions as best he could, even discussing where they should place the furniture they planned to buy.
"So..." Clark asked after they had explored every nook and cranny of their new home. "Do you like it?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I love it. You did an amazing job." She kissed his cheek for good measure.
"I'm glad," he replied. He sighed happily. "We're home, Lois."
"Home," she agreed.
***
"Clark?" Lois called out, adjusting an earring.
"Yeah?" he replied from the confines of the bathroom.
"Are you ready?"
"Just about," he managed around a mouthful of toothpaste. He spit into the sink. "You?"
"Just need to get my shoes on," she said.
Clark rinsed his mouth out and joined her in their bedroom. "Want some help?" he asked as she struggled to wedge her feet into her sneakers.
"Please," she said, panting from the effort.
He chuckled quietly before dropping to his knees before her. He gently worked one shoe on, tied it, then the other. He winced inwardly to see how swollen her feet had recently become.
"Are you sure you want the sneakers?" he asked. "Not something like the canvas ones that don't need to be tied?"
She shook her head. "The compression from the sneakers actually feels better than when I wear shoes that are more open."
"If you say so."
"I do. Now, come on, we're going to be late for our appointment."
"Okay," Clark said. He followed Lois as she pushed herself off the chair they'd placed in the corner of their bedroom, and down the stairs. "I'll drive," he told her as he locked the door behind them.
"Fine by me," Lois said, now struggling to keep up with Clark's long strides. He realized and deliberately slowed. "I saw that," she said with a smirk.
Clark couldn't stifle his grin. "Sorry. I guess I'm still adjusting to our new pace."
"Sorry," she said as she shuffled along. "God, I feel like a penguin with this waddle."
"Aww, I think it's cute," Clark said, stopping to kiss her before he opened the door to the Jeep for her. "Here you go. Your chariot awaits."
Once Lois was securely in the Jeep, he jogged around to the other side, got in, and started the car. They drove in relative silence to the doctor's office. It was nothing more than a routine check. They were scheduled to listen to the baby's heart and a quick ultrasound to check on the growth, the amount of fluid in the amniotic sac, and the baby's position, as well as Lois' overall health.
"Lois?" the nurse called out, mere minutes after she checked herself in with the receptionist.
"Here."
"Follow me, please."
Clark trailed behind them as they moved out of the waiting room and into the hallway beyond the door. The first stop, as usual, was a check in at the office scale and a check of Lois' blood pressure. As the nurse looked at the results, Clark could see the shadow of a frown cross the woman's features.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Lois, your blood pressure is a little on the high side. I'm going to have the doctor test it again in a bit."
"What does that mean? Why is it high?" Lois wanted to know.
"It could be nothing," the nurse said. "Nerves or the stress of coming up the stairs out front. That's why I'd like to have it tested again."
"But it could be something else," Clark pressed, fear stabbing at his heart.
"It could be. We won't know until we check it again."
The rest of the appointment was a blur to Clark. He was barely aware of the measurements that were taken of the baby, though he was very cognizant of the word "breech." At least the baby's heart rate appeared to be good. But Clark's own heart was pounding, especially once the doctor came into the examination room. He recognized her as Katherine O'Malley, one of the five doctors in the office.
"Hello, hello!" Dr. O'Malley said cheerfully. "How are we feeling today?"
"Okay," Lois answered, "but a little nervous."
"I see your blood pressure was a little high today," the doctor said with a nod as she checked the chart. "Let's just run it again, just to double check. Okay?"
"Okay."
Dr. O'Malley hummed happily as she strapped the blood pressure cuff on Lois' arm. Clark imagined that the delightful tune was meant to help calm her patient. She squeezed the rubber ball on the end and watched the dial intently. Clark could see that she, like the nurse, was unhappy with the result.
"Lois, your blood pressure is still higher than I'd like to see it. I want you to go across the street to the hospital, okay? They'll monitor you more closely and draw some blood for testing."
Clark could hear the increase in Lois' heartbeat as a look of panic came over her face.
"Okay," was all she said in a tone that dripped of worry.
"It's okay," he tried to comfort her. "You'll be okay. The baby will be okay."
"I'll check in on things in about an hour," Dr. O'Malley promised.
Lois nodded. "Okay," she repeated.
Since the hospital was directly across the street, they simply walked over, through the ER doors, and found their way to the labor and delivery ward. Lois explained her situation to the receptionist, but it seemed that Dr. O'Malley had already called over. They knew what was going on and a nurse whisked her away to an observation room, where they hooked her up to a machine which automatically took her blood pressure at set intervals. A very pleasant Indian nurse took Lois' blood in between two of the blood pressure readings and promised that the results would be rushed to the doctor.
For a long while, no one spoke, and only the beeps of the blood pressure machine, the drone of the gears as they inflated the cuff, and the ticking of the clock on the wall broke the fragile silence.
"Clark," Lois finally said as they sat alone in the room, the only other woman in the small room having been discharged mere minutes before.
"Yeah?"
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Lois, we don't know anything for sure just yet," he reminded her.
"I know that. But I just can't help but feel like something's wrong." In frustration, she thumped the hospital bed she was propped up in with her palms.
"Lois, honey," Clark said, getting out of his chair. He stood and kissed her brow. "Nothing's certain yet. Try to relax."
"I can't," she said in a pitiful voice, almost like a child who wasn't getting her way. "I just want to go home."
"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," Dr. O'Malley said, coming in to the room, clutching a chart to her midsection. "Lois, I'm sorry, but we have to deliver your baby tonight."
"What? You can't! It's too early! I still have five more weeks to go." Her terrified grip on Clark's hand tightened. Had he been a normal man, he would have feared that his finger bones would have been crushed into dust.
"Lois, you have a condition called preeclampsia. It's very dangerous for you, and the only way we can cure it is to deliver the baby. Also, your platelet count has dropped, and if it goes any lower, we won't be able to place the epidural and you'll have to be put completely under anesthesia for the delivery. I know you don't want that."
Clark saw all of the blood drain from Lois' face. He was certain his own pallor matched hers.
"No..." Lois tentatively agreed.
"When did you last eat?" the doctor inquired.
"Uh, twelve? Twelve-thirty?" Lois stammered, sounding unsure.
The doctor nodded. "We'll get the epidural placed now and schedule you for the C-section around eight." She gestured to the nurse with her. "Wendy here will get you settled into a room. Have you filled out any paperwork yet?"
"No," Clark said, shaking his head, in a daze.
"We'll get that to you right away then," the doctor said.
Wendy dutifully unstrapped the blood pressure cuff from Lois' arm. Together, the three of them made their slow way down the hall to the room Lois would be admitted to. Clark set straight to work filling out the pages that were neatly clipped together on a clipboard. Now that it was getting close to his child's birth, his heart was racing and his hands were trembling. It was hard to focus on the questions before him and to remember to write at a speed that mimicked a normal person. Lois, on the other hand, was helped into a new bed and pillows were added to get her comfortable. She pulled the stark white sheets up to her neck, as though they gave her some protection from the uncertainty of delivering so early.
"I'll be back soon," Wendy promised, "with the anesthesiologist."
As soon as she was gone, Clark allowed some of his nervous energy to escape in the form of his super speed. He finished the paperwork in less than five seconds, and placed the clipboard on the small round table in the corner of the room.
"Are you okay?" he asked Lois in a soft, concerned voice.
"No," she admitted. "It's too early, Clark. What if something goes wrong?"
"I won't let it," he promised her with a tremulous smile. "Look, Lois, this baby - I'm sure he or she is strong. It has you for a mother, after all."
"It's still so early."
"I know," he said, dipping his head in acknowledgement. "I know. But we have to keep you both safe. And if this is what needs to be done, then I trust that the doctor is doing her best to make sure that you and the baby both have the best chance of coming out of this healthy."
"I'm still scared."
"I am too." He sat on the edge of her bed and took her small hands in his own, much larger, ones. He gazed deeply into her eyes. "You've done a fantastic job of keeping our baby safe and healthy," he reminded her. "Thank you."
"I just...I can't believe this is happening so fast," Lois said. Was Clark imagining it, or did her voice sound much more confident? And had her racing heartbeat dropped ever so slightly?
A knock sounded at the door, followed by, "Hello!"
"Come on in," Lois said reflexively.
A tall, skinny, young man with a curly mop of brown hair and a smiling face strode into the room, dragging a table full of medical supplies with him. He stuck his hand out to Lois.
"Hi, I'm Fred. I'll be your anesthesiologist tonight."
"Hi," Lois said. "I'm Lois, this is Clark."
"Nice to meet you both," Fred said, a smile on his lips as he shook Clark's head. "Uh, Dad? I need you to step out for a bit, to keep the area as sterile as we can."
"It's okay," Lois said when Clark hesitated. He hated her to be alone. "We need the hospital bags anyway."
Clark reluctantly nodded. She was right. They needed the bags they had left at home, and the baby's car seat, as well as the camera. Now was the time to get those things. He knew that once the baby was born, he would never want to leave Lois' side.
"Okay," he finally said. "I'll be back before you know it."
"Thanks. And, Clark?
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell anyone yet, okay? I don't want anyone to know until the baby is here and we know exactly who this little person is. Please?"
"My lips are sealed," he promised, crossing his heart for good measure.
Lois smiled at his antics then shooed him away with a hand. "Go."
Clark nodded, then forced himself to leave. It was hard to fight the urge to just fly back to their house at super speed and return with the necessary items. The only thing that stopped him was the need to install the car seat base into the Jeep - a task they had been planning on accomplishing in the coming week. Grudgingly, he drove through the Metropolis traffic, back to their home. He raced up the stairs to their bedroom, grabbed the hospital bags, the camera, and the extra pillow Lois had set aside for her inevitable hospital stay, and bolted back to the Jeep. He unceremoniously dumped everything into the trunk, then ducked back into the house to grab the car seat.
With a little help from his speed reading ability, he blitzed through the instructions. Getting the seat secure in practice, however, took him the better part of half an hour. He just couldn't seem to get the straps right and tight enough, fearing to pull too hard and break the seatbelt that was anchoring the seat in place. At long last, he got it firmly in place and a wave of relief washed over him. He could now, finally, return to Lois. He went inside, grabbed the actual car seat, snapped it into the base, and hopped back behind the wheel. He drove with all speed back to the hospital, his heart in his throat, even though he knew he still had a few hours before Lois was scheduled for her surgery.
It felt, to him, like he didn't breathe the entire drive back, and only let go of the air in his lungs when he pulled into the first available spot in the hospital's parking lot. He idly wondered if that was, in fact, true, as he grabbed the bags out of the trunk. The elevator up to the labor and delivery floor was tortuously slow and he tapped his foot impatiently.
"Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath, only stopping when an old woman joined him in the elevator on the third floor.
After a small eternity, the elevator finally opened, spilling him out on the fifth floor. He quickened his pace, nodding and giving the nurse at the reception desk a small smile as he came to a halt before her. She signed him in and then he was on his way again, making a beeline for the women he loved. When he finally reached her room, he felt much of the tension he'd been carrying melt away.
"Sorry it took me so long," he apologized before saying anything else. He dumped the bags into the far corner of the room by the sofa bed, then gestured to her pillow, still in hand. "Do you want this yet?"
"Not yet, and don't worry. I know that the traffic at this hour isn't exactly conducive to a speedy trip."
"It wasn't even that. It was getting the car seat installed," he admitted sheepishly. It felt strange, admitting that he, Superman, had almost been defeated by a small, innocuous plastic device. "But, it's in now and secure. How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," she said, sounding confident. "It took Fred longer than I'd thought to get the epidural in. The nurse placed a catheter. It's kind of amazing to not have to get up every fifteen minutes to use the bathroom."
Clark chuckled. Maybe he was rubbing off on Lois, he thought. After all, he would have never expected Lois to find an upside to a catheter, of all things.
"You're comfortable?" he asked instead.
Lois nodded. "As much as I can be."
She was propped up in the bed with pillows to keep her balanced between her side and her back so as not to jostle the epidural line, from what Clark could see. Wires ran from a machine next to the bedside down below the sheets on the bed. A cursory glance at the monitor told him that it was monitoring the baby's heart rate and any contractions that Lois might have been experiencing, even if she wasn't feeling them.
"So, what can I do for you? Maybe get you a drink of water or something?"
"I'm not supposed to have anything before the surgery," Lois said with a sigh. "I'm allowed a few ice chips though."
Clark's heart sunk. He knew that Lois had been extra thirsty lately, often toting along a bottle of cold water with her even on assignments. He gestured to the door. "Let me get you some ice then."
"No need. Wendy brought some right before you got back." She shook the Styrofoam cup on the table next to her, reached in, and popped one in her mouth.
"Oh," Clark said dejectedly. He hated that he wasn't there to help Lois, now especially.
"Thanks for running back home to get everything," Lois said, looking at the untidy pile of bags on the floor. "You found everything okay?"
"Yeah, I mean, everything was basically packed already," he said, nodding. He took a seat in the rocking chair in the room. It was hard wood, but it didn't bother him in the least. He rocked absently.
"So, Lucy called my cell while you were away."
"Oh?"
"She wanted to know if we could have dinner with her tonight, now that she's finished getting the apartment completely set up and furnished."
Clark cringed a little. He knew how excited his soon-to-be sister-in-law had been at the prospect of having them over once she converted Lois' old apartment into a place that was totally hers.
"So, what'd you tell her?"
Lucy winced at little at the lie she'd told. "That we were on a stake-out. She's going to kill me when she finds out that I lied to her."
"Well," he said with a smirk, "she can't get too upset with us once she sees the adorable niece or nephew we're giving her."
Lois laughed - a deep, hearty laugh that stretched much longer than it might have otherwise lasted. It was as if all her fear and anxiety from the day were bleeding out of her in that simple act of laughing. When she finally mastered herself again, she gave Clark the biggest smile she had. It warmed his heart and he found some of his own apprehension melting away in response.
They talked for a while, easily slipping into the playful banter that had defined their relationship almost from the very start. Miraculously, the time flew by, almost without them even noticing. Only the darkening sky outside the windows in Lois' room and fleeting glances at the clock gave them any reference for how much time was slipping by. Soon enough, they were so deeply engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even take notice of those two minor details. They were both laughing hard when Wendy reappeared with Fred.
"Now that's a sound we like to hear around here," Frank joked as the two stepped into the room.
"Is it time already?" Lois asked, sounding genuinely surprised that so much time had passed. Clark saw her sneak a peek at the clock on the wall to confirm it.
Wendy nodded. "It's time to meet your baby, Mommy. Daddy, we're going to take her in to the operating room and get her prepped. She'll get nice and numb for the procedure and then we'll let you come in. Here are some scrubs for you to wear. These go over your shoes and this one here is for your head," she said, pulling the various pieces of pale blue cloth apart to briefly show him what was what. "Ready, Mom?"
"As I'll ever be," Lois said, though Clark could see that she was both eager to meet her child and terrified because it was still so early.
With that, the two wheeled Lois right out of the room, leaving Clark utterly alone. In the sudden silence, the brightly lit room seemed cold and dark. It needed Lois to fill the void with the light and love that only she could provide. He felt silly for feeling lonely in the now empty room. After all, it wouldn't be long before he was reunited at her side. He quickly pulled the scrubs on, then sat down to wait for the nurse to come and collect him. The scrubs fit him tightly, but, in a way, that was comforting. It reminded him of his Superman costume - the blue suit that always made him feel invulnerable and braver than he might have otherwise felt.
Twenty minutes dragged by with all the speed of a glacier. Finally, a nurse that he didn't know came to get him. He trailed her silently as they walked down the hallway to the operating room, his heart firmly wedged in his throat, his stomach in knots, and beads of nervous sweat peppering his forehead.
"Right in here," the nurse said, opening to the door.
"Thank you," he somehow managed around the dry lump in his throat. He made a beeline for Lois, immediately sitting in the chair that had been placed at her head on her left side. "Lois, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I can't feel most of my body, but I'm fine. I kind of feel like I'm just a head and upper chest. It's so odd."
"Lois?" the doctor said. "We're ready to begin now."
Lois nodded, though the doctor couldn't see through the surgical drape that reached from her body, just below her breasts, halfway to the ceiling. "I'm ready."
Clark placed a quick kiss on Lois' forehead, despite the presence of the paper mask he wore. "You'll do fine," he encouraged her. He took her hand in his own, hoping to lend her strength.
Silence fell over the room as the medical team worked with practiced efficiency. They didn't need to speak to know what needed to be done. Everyone had their job to do. Clark felt his stomach clenched tighter regardless. He wished he knew what was happening. He was tempted to sneak an x-rayed peek at what was happening past the blue paper barrier, but knowing that he'd be seeing Lois' blood and the gaping wound in her body stopped him before the thought was half completed.
It's not a gaping wound, he had to remind himself. It's a small incision. But it's still a wound. It's still going to hurt her. A lot. But it's necessary, to bring this new, amazing little person into the world. I just wish I could take on her imminent pain.
"Ahhh," Lois winced at one point. "I can feel that. I feel tugging. Ow. Ow."
Fred wordlessly upped the amount of medication in the epidural. After a few seconds, he asked, "Better?"
"Much," Lois said, the strain of pain and fear gone from her voice again. "Thank you."
Seconds ticked by, becoming hours in Clark's mind. Whole minutes were years. He wanted the surgery to be over. He wanted his child to be born and pronounced healthy. He wanted Lois' incision to be stitched up and on its way to healing. He said nothing, however, and adopted the mask of Superman - that stoic look that gave away none of his inner emotions. Lois had a similar look on her face as she stared up at the ceiling, though her grip on his hand was like a vice.
"Lois?" Dr. O'Malley said, jarring Clark from his inner reflection. "Congratulations! You have a beautiful little girl."
"A girl?" Lois asked. Then, as it sunk in, "A girl! Is she okay?" Her tears began to leak from her eyes and roll down the sides of her face, leaving muddy tracks of mascara to mark their passing.
"She looks good," the doctor responded.
Clark held his breath as he waited for the tiny, commanding cry that would announce to the world that Lois Lane's daughter had been born. It didn't fail to impress him when he finally heard it, half a heartbeat later. He felt his entire body shudder in relief.
"We have a daughter," he said to Lois, his mirth spilling over into his voice. "A girl!"
"It's a girl," Lois repeated, awestruck.
"Dad? Do you want to cut the cord?" a nurse asked.
Clark nodded and stood. He went to the warming table and beheld his daughter for the first time. She was a tiny, squalling, pink baby, the size of which humbled Clark. He'd never seen a child so small in all his life. Or, if he had as Superman, he couldn't remember in that moment. She had a head of sparse dark hair which was matted down and wet from her time spent floating in her watery home. Her fists were clenched as she cried, while the nurses dried her with soft, thick towels.
My daughter, Clark thought with absolute certainty. My daughter. All doubts vanished. My daughter.
He took the scissors when they were offered to him and snipped through the spongy umbilical cord precisely where the nurse directed him to. He glanced at the baby's stats on the warming table's computer display.
Seventeen inches. Four pounds. Six ounces. Eight forty-two PM.
Pure perfection.
"How does she look, Clark?" Lois called out.
"She's beautiful," he replied, spellbound.
The nurse swaddled the newborn and briefly showed her to Lois with a cheerful, "Here she is!"
"She's gorgeous," Lois breathed. "Can I hold her?"
"Only for a moment," the nurse said. "I need to get her over to the NICU."
"What? Why?" Lois asked, pure terror in her voice.
"At this age, her lungs are still immature, even though she's breathing on her own. We'll get her on extra oxygen to help with that." She laid the bundle of blankets containing the precious newborn on Lois' chest. "She also will probably need some help maintaining her temperature, so we'll keep her nice and toasty warm."
Clark wasn't sure if Lois was even hearing any of this. She was simply gazing into their daughter's tiny face and crying with what appeared to be unadulterated joy. She nuzzled the infant's nose with her own.
"I love you," he heard her whisper.
Then the nurse was taking the baby, placing her in an isolette, and whisking her away. Lois began to cry harder, the once silent tears now mixed with a bereaved moaning. Clark couldn't blame her. Having his daughter taken away to the NICU so swiftly after her birth ripped a hole right through his heart. The pain felt ever so similar to a Kryptonite blade stabbing him through the aching organ. It would be worse for Lois, he knew. She was a mother without her newborn in her arms.
And as for himself, he hadn't even gotten the chance to touch her, let alone hold her. Mentally, he kicked himself for not at least taking one finger to stroke her delicate cheek. He watched, frozen in place, as his brand new baby girl was wheeled away, torn in two as to if he should follow behind or stay with Lois.
A pained sob from Lois convinced him to stay put. She needed him. The nurses would ensure that their daughter was well taken care of. He once more reached for Lois' hand and she grabbed it with a death grip. He gave her a gentle squeeze as he forced himself to sit down again.
"I want her back," Lois sobbed.
"I do too," he confided. "But the nurses will take good care of her. They'll get her perfectly healthy so she can come home with us."
"Four seconds," Lois lamented. "I got to hold her for four seconds."
He wasn't sure what he could say to make her feel better, so he said nothing. He simply reached over and gently lifted away her tears with his index finger. She gave him a thankful, but watery, smile in return.
"Lois?" Dr. O'Malley said after a time. "You're all done. Wendy's going to bring you back to your room now."
"When can I see my daughter?" was her immediate response.
"Soon. You need to rest for a bit and then you should be able to go over to the NICU to see your baby."
"I don't want to rest."
That made Clark smile internally. That was the feisty Lois he'd fallen in love with.
Dr. O'Malley finally emerged from behind the partition, her pale yellow scrubs flecked with blood. "I know. But you have to also give the NICU staff some time to evaluate your daughter so they can address her specific needs."
"Fine," Lois replied, grudgingly.
Minutes later, Lois was back in her room. Wendy hooked up a bag to Lois' IV, explaining that the medication inside would help prevent seizures that were sometimes brought about by the preeclampsia. She was warned that it might make her feel ill. Clark could see that it didn't take long for Lois to start feeling the effects of it. Wendy gave him the okay to get Lois some cold water to sip, giving Lois a warning not to drink too fast. Lois sipped at first, then experimented with a larger swallow of water. Almost immediately, she threw it right back up into a basin that seemed to have materialized in Wendy's ready hands. Clark could do nothing more than to hold Lois' hair out of the way.
Once she was done, Wendy gave her a couple of pills to swallow to help with the pain. Lois eagerly swallowed them down, though she admitted to still feeling numb from the epidural. Wendy gave her one last check and then disappeared to her other duties, leaving the new parents alone in the room together.
Thus began the longest night of Clark's life.
To Be Continued...
