Been *dying* to post this chapter...

Nice pun...



Yep, the tension is ramping up.

Everyone will be going "poor Clark" but when he goes Code Blue he is out of it, totally unconscious . I always am thinking of Lois as she stands there watching her husband dying and not being able to do anything about it. Always a person of action it will be killing her not being able to do anything about it.

Mike

Sweet and sad... Clark's heart is now 'tender' in other ways as well.

If this had happened on a normal day, Clark would be freaking out, big time... But I suppose it isn't as important that Clark was caught being 'super,' all things considered.

Oh boy, here comes the worst, I think...

Obviously I want to know what happens, but at the same time, I'm so worried for Clark! Please be gentle...

Thank you! Yes, this is going to be harder on Lois than it is on Clark. (I'm an equal opportunity torturer.)

Yep. The worst is coming. More for Lois than Clark - as Mike said, he was unconscious when the code was called. This is going to torment Lois though.

Gentle? I'm not sure I'm familiar with that word, as a writer.

You. Are. EVIL!

This is not looking good for Clark. I agree with what others have said in FDK for earlier story parts about it being too obvious a choice for Clark being the one to die, but that isn't enough to alleviate my fears. If this was the heart attack to end all heart attacks, at least he and Lois had had some time together to get some measure of closure.

I like your accelerated posting schedule. Any idea when you'll be posting the next part?

Joy,
Lynn

I'm enjoying this (I use the term lightly, poor Lois and Clark).

I did notice one mis-type though.


I think you meant "MYSTERIOUSLY"

Poor Clark. He shouldn't have been up at all at that end part. *on the edge of my seat*

Why, thank you, Lynn!

I thought it might be fun to allow Lois and Clark a nice, quiet, tender moment before blindsiding them both with the next attack. And, of course, give Clark a chance to tell her some important things, and focus on his son a bit.

It's not really an accelerate schedule for posting. I was just itching to get this part posted (it and the next chapter are my favorite cliffies) and I wanted to maintain my Thurs/Fri and Sun/Mon schedule. So, look for a new part late Sunday or sometime on Monday.

Thanks! Somehow, that typo escaped me (several times), my beta, and my spell check. Go figure!

Poor Clark indeed, but the next one was coming whether or not he was awake for it.

Oh my ....

Wait a second DC, you can't just leave us hanging like that! What on earth is happening in that hospital room.

YOU GOTTA POST QUICKER!!!!!!

You'll find out what's going on (via flashback) in the next chapter. In a few days. Because I torture everyone.

Glad to hear about the flashback, I was wondering since Clark's heart issue seems to be virtually at the end as this chapter closes. I figured that Sam and Bernie would have some things to try but we have not gone the direction much at all.

Thanks for the update.

Mike

No problem. And no, the flashback is NOT from Clark's POV. It's from Lois'. In case anyone was wondering.

That probably would fit in the story as we have not heard much from Lois as to how she is handling this in the first 6 chapters. I was hoping for a flashback from Sam and Bernie's POV as they really are Clark's only hope for recovery unless we have some sort of a time machine intervention...

Mike

I thought about it, but I didn't want to take the focus off Lois and Clark. And I only switched to Lois' POV because, well, look at what I did to poor Clark.

I understand but being a geek it would be fun for me to see what they were working on. Of course that stuff is much more detailed to write and requires quite a bit more research to make it believable so I understand.

As far as what you have done to Clark, this point was an eventuality that was destined to happen based on chapter 1, what happens next in the story timeline will be the really interesting and major WHAM part. I am just assuming the flashbacks are setup for that final part of the story.

So last night was your Friday update and we will get one Sunday/Monday? Don't worry about me, I have got a lot of reading to catch up on in the archive anyway

Mike

Thanks for understanding. I suppose I could have done just like an inner monologue with vague medical details, but, again, that would have shifted the focus. I totally get the geek aspect - I'm right there with you!

The flashbacks fill in (briefly) what happened after the code was called until about 2 hours later.

Sun/Mon is the next posting - stay tuned!

Another great chapter. I'm looking forward to the next part.

Thank you! Soon, I promise!

I'm glad that Lois and Clark got some time together to talk. I wish that they had settled on a name for the baby, though. It's such a couple thing to do together, and I imagine that Lois would have a very hard time naming the baby by herself if Clark doesn't survive the story.

I'm glad that the next chapter was posted before I got around to reading this one. These cliffhangers are killing me! (er, or killing Clark, I suppose.)

Sorrynotsorry about the cliff hangers.

You will definitely find out the baby's name before the story is over.

I'm guessing that the baby will be named after whoever dies. And I'm beginning to think that Mrs. Mxy is right about the life-force-transfer device, and that Sam (probably) or Bernie (possibly) will be the one(s) to die.

Hmmm... Bernard Sam Kent? (It wouldn't be "Sam Bernard Kent," since that sounds too much like a large rescue dog.)

Joy,
Lynn

Luckily for (most) kids, the middle name is only used when they are *really* in trouble - especially if you wind up with a name that is almost St. Bernard!

You are partially right about honoring the dead person.

Lynn,

I am probably not one to comment on the life-force sucking machine and how it might or might not help as I am a non-believer in DC's premise of how Clark's heart could have become compromised.

That said Bernie said (in BU) that he had already compensated for the energy drain and Clark made reference to losing a few years for a friend. The take around here was that he lost around a decade of life. Now if you take some of the examples of FanFiction around here (Home Series, Lonely is the Man, etc) it seems that Clark would live to be over 200 so say 200 is his normal life expectancy (it is actually probably more) and he lost 10 years to Jimmy and Schenk then he lost around 5% of his life force (which Klein thought he had already replenished). But for the sake of argument he lost 5%. Now if his heart is now damaged beyond any repair I fail to see how regaining 5% of his life force will repair it by itself. I am sorry but the life-force machine should not have any appreciable effect on Clark and his condition. I am sorry I am a techie who can suspend certain beliefs in the name of science fiction but if his heart has failed and his regeneration has failed to fix it he should not invulnerable or have much of any of his superpowers as they appear to be all tied together. Since I tend to not like death fics that is one of the reasons I am still reading this one.

In the end I believe (as you) DC will sacrifice someone to save Clark and allow him to live to see his son grow up and my expectation is that she will write an ending full of hope and remembrance of the person who sacrificed his (or her) life. Since DC made a point about the name of the baby and the baby is a boy I doubt if it will be Ellen .

This next chapter (Part 8) while very interesting as a setup is not what keeps me here. By the fact there are two additional parts after the death I expect the heart (pun intended) of the story will be in those parts and that is what I eagerly await.

Mike

Well, Mike, I agree with your assessment of the life force machine. (It's not in this story, other than the mention that it affected him shortly before his dealings with Deathstroke, making him perhaps a bit more vulnerable to Deathstroke's attacks.

Don't dismiss a woman dying. You never know. Ellen could be honored with an Elliot. (This is in no way a hint, btw.)

It reminds me of A Smallville Valentine by Supermom where a Smallville doctor Tom Hannah (Rachel's husband) delivers Lois and Clark's baby girl at the Smallville Valentines Dance. When he comes in to check on Lois and the baby, Clark announces that they decided to name the baby after him. His response was that "Tom was a funny name for a girl" (they named her Hannah). So your never know...

Mike

Paired with the current trend (that I hate) of putting boy names on girls (I'm not talking "accepted" ones like Ashley, which I used for one of my daughters - I mean names like Ryan and Elliot), you really do never know!

One further hint - whoever dies - the name used won't be the person's actual, legitimate name.

Oh, you ARE bad...

Mike

So when Ellen dies, they're going to name him "Mom"?

Absolutely!!!

Mike

I know.

WHAT? Cardiac arrest!?!

Evil Cliffhanger Ficcy Queen! I bow before you. If I sacrifice a goat, will you post the next chapter sooner?

<laughs so hard she chokes on oolong and Reese's PB Cup minis>

No need to kill the goat! 7's been up for a few days now. (Although you may want to make the sacrifice after that one...)

ETA: Thanks for the title.

I am pleased that your outcome will not include the life force machine. Now I am really interested in the technique you came up with. Even if Clark is the one who dies I expect that Sam and Bernie will have at least something to attempt and that will be interesting to see what they (you) came up with.

Most of my problems with your postings are that they occur in the middle of the night. I get up, check my mail, see the posting then have to go read it before going back to sleep. Really messes up my sleep patterns... I need to learn to ignore the e-mails in the middle of the night.

Mike

Sorry. Thought I was doing a good thing, leaving chapters for people first thing in the morning. (A little cardiac arrest with your bagel? A missing Clark with your Danish?)

Remember, I'm sticking with a "realer" drama here. So, no sci-fi youth sucking machines, time travel, etc. Clark either needs a transplant, some kind of bionic fix to his heart, or he dies. (Realer, but not ruling out any kind of sci-fi at all, since it's an alien man who flies who is dying and all.)

I actually have NO time to read in the morning so I get up in the middle of the night to get my cardiac arrest . I actually relax more once I get to read it interestingly enough.

This isn't going to be a kind of two parter is it? Like Nobody's Hero/Just a Man? I mean this entire story has been pretty depressing and even if you end it on some kind of an up note I will file it away and probably not read it again. I mean I read Just a Man probably about every year but have only read Nobody's Hero only once not really being into despair and that story had a lot of despair.

I (like Nan Smith) am on here to have fun and enjoy and I really don't enjoy depression so I normally avoid those stories. As I mentioned earlier I normally read death fics but rarely re-read them because I really don't tend to like them. Reading Trusting Me, Trusting You Corrina hit it for me when she had Clark thinking about Lois giving him back Hope(after the Trask torture). I view the Lois and Clark ideal as Hope for mankind but the way I view it they don't work properly when not together. Lois without Clark is a bitter woman who barely gets along in the world. Clark without Lois is an outsider who figures he will never fit in and eventually quits trying. But together they become more than the two of them individually. Again not being totally against death fics like Nan is but because of the above belief I normally do not seek them out particularly if they deal with Lois or Clark's death. The exceptions tend to be ones like Grandma Lois where the death part occurred before the story and the story is about the hope the kids bring to the world and how Lois can help that happen and the ones where the death is after a long productive, loving life.

The only reason I probably have stuck around this story as long as I have is the banter we have had going back and forth. Well that and the belief that you will not kill Clark. I also haven't gotten emotionally invested in the story for reasons I have discussed before. The problem is that I LIKE to get emotionally invested in the stories (back to that Hope thing again).

Anyway back to the story. This hint and one of your earlier statements that the name would not be in the given name. This makes me maybe jump to Perry having a stroke (high blood pressure and all) and them transplant his heart but your statement about this being as real as it can be with an alien that flies makes me wonder about the transplant concept as their are waiting lists and a lot of red tape to getting a heart. Can you imagine the boy growing up being called 'Chief'?? Bionic?? Now that makes more sense and would be much more interesting...

I guess the answers will start becoming more clear in about 14 hours huh?

Mike

Hi, Mike!

I used to be a post-midnight reader too (and writer!) until my girls were born. Now I'm lucky if I have brain power enough to last until 12:30 most nights.

This is not a two-parter. Though I am sure there will be some questions about certain things/twists, I have no plans to write a sequel at this time. (Like Wells, I never say never. I always leave the door open in case my muse wanders back that way.) Funnily enough, Nobody's Hero/Just a Man was never intended to be a two-parter. It's just one big fic that I opted to split for a) the cool titles and b) the complete 180 in tone.

I'm usually one who likes to read lighter stuff on the boards. And certain types of dramas. Female Hawk's "Accused" wasn't totally dark, but it wasn't a happy fic, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Likewise, the most depressing fic I'm read so far is probably Mouse's "Distraught" - and I loved it, despite my staunch viewpoint that Clark would never contemplate suicide, let alone commit it. (It's SO well written that I am willing to overlook that.)

I hope that, by the end, I can change your emotional investment in the story. I'll admit, I never would have thought up this premise if not for Facebook. A former friend's husband got very sick shortly after their wedding and needed a heart transplant (which he did receive) in order to live. So that sparked the idea of "what if Clark's heart went into failure?. Yeah, I get inspired in weird ways.

The idea of a baby "Chief" is cracking me up! Next part to hit the boards probably before I go to bed (twins dependent, of course).

I thought you might like the "Chief" and since you said the tribute would not be in the baby's given name I thought "must be a nickname hence they would not saddle the kid with it as a given name" and the first one I came up with was Perry. Of course if Clark dies they might call him CK despite his birth certificate. I could go an speculating right up until you post tonight but that, while fun, is probably not productive. However you might be able to use my ranting in a future story who knows?


I know I like to knock how dark the story has been but it really has not been that dark, just the overhang of Clark's condition as been the dark part. I mean the letters, the time together, the pulling of Sam and Bernie together to fight the problem have been classic Lois and Clark. At least you did not separate Lois and Clark and force them into things that did not fit their very nature (Death Comes Knocking). Your story still had them fighting together to make it through as they always do. I suspect a reasonably pleasant ending, I mean since someone will die it will not be a classic 'happy' ending. I guess the reason I asked about a sequel is that if the death is not Clark I could see another story (probably shorter) to cover how they deal with the passing and develop a tribute to the person who passed as part of saving Clark. I will stay with you to the end (I have already invested a couple of weeks), probably re-read it when it hits the archive to see how it flows in one steady read instead of the fits and starts of the serialization...

I have deliberately not read Accused because it did not look like my cup of tea but neither did TMTY but Corrina sent me a PM indicating that I might want to try it as the torture stuff was early and the remainder was much more uplifting (as she put it "smooths out"). After TMTY I might try Accused since I am very impressed with Corrina's ability to spin a tale and keep with the very nature of the L&C ideal. I mean TMTY is not a happy fic either but so far (I am about a third of the way through) it is an uplifting and exciting story. While both Despair and Distraught were well written, so was Betrayal of Justice by Catherine Bruce but I really did not like any of them and I read them each once and probably will never again read them as they were totally devoid of the Hope I mentioned earlier. How your story fits remains to be seen, however if I did not have faith in your story here I probably would just quit because if all I want is death and despair I can just turn on the news...

Well enough of my ramblings, it will be interesting so see if and how the discussion changes after the next part in, well shortly...

This is the problem with long posting cycles, it gives too much time for FDK's to degenerate like this one has .

Mike

Hiya, Mike!

Glad you're finding this piece to be true to L&C, even if it does have a darker premise (Clark might die). I'll admit that the Clark nearly dying episodes are some of my favorites - Top Copy, Home Is Where The Hurt Is, etc. So, I guess the emotional stuff sort of dribbled off into my fic. (Also, the desire to at least partially gut my readers - what can I say? I'm evil.)

Accused was awesome. I love the premise of the Superman persona working against Clark, giving him the option of being a murder suspect and keeping his secret, or giving up the secret to the police and clearing his name.

Chapter dropping in a couple of hours...

PS - I love how the FDK threads have gone. It's made me laugh. A lot.

All I can say is that at this point, I am thrilled to be a bit behind and have new chapters accessible!!! Yikes--this is just getting worse and worse for our poor Clark.

I loved the moments they had together in the hospital...Clark being able to tell Lois things he needed to tell her, fun snuggling and doing the crossword puzzle, baby naming--but it was read with such a sense of evil foreboding ( ). While it was such a special time for Lois and Clark, it was just so bittersweet, also.

And now a code blue

Thinking positively (for Clark),
Laura

Thanks, Laura!

To be honest, I think Lois and Clark both had the same sense of foreboding that you had! (Even if they hid it from each other.)

The next chapter doesn't end any nicer than this one, btw.

DC posted:

Eek!!!

Really enjoying the story, DC
Laura