Alright, you can all thank Diane for this part being a little longer than my last few parts have been, but you can blame her for the extra angst. 
And...you can thank both Diane and TEEEJ for always getting back to me so quickly. 
I have to warn you...I made myself cry on this one... 
Part 10
Lois sat quietly in the Jeep next to Clark and stared blankly at the building owned by Harris Shipping. The state of disrepair and the broken street lights surrounding it certainly suggested that the warehouse was abandoned. Her mind wasn’t on the building though, it was on Clark. Her Clark. She resisted the urge to feel her abdomen. This Clark didn’t need to worry about her more than he already was.
This wasn’t just the appointment at which she’d hear the baby’s heartbeat, she’d get to see it too. Not necessarily the gender, but she’d *see* the baby. She’d actually be able to witness the sight of the miracle growing inside her. That was something she hadn’t known. Not until she’d called the doctors office back to see it she could reschedule the appointment. Postpone. Put off. Stall. The receptionist had told her there was nothing available for weeks and had gone on excitedly, oblivious to Lois’s turmoil, trying to convince her that this would be thrilling. That she shouldn’t put it off anyway. “Oh, and be sure to bring your fiancé too. He really shouldn’t miss this,” she’d said.
Lois hoped she’d sounded half as cheerful when she’d conceded defeat and hung up the phone. She didn’t think of herself as a celebrity per se, but there were people that followed her and Clark’s work regularly. Apparently the receptionist was one of them. Lois had only been to this office once, the woman couldn’t have known who the father was. Unless of course she read the Planet.
Bring your fiancé. The father. He really shouldn’t miss this.
Exactly. He shouldn’t, but he would. Unless by some miracle he came back before one o’clock tomorrow. She bit her bottom lip in an effort not to cry.
“Lois?”
Clark’s voice startled her and it took a moment to register *which* Clark he was. She glanced over at him, careful not to let him see her eyes. She was sure they were about to overflow. Clark was fidgeting and he seemed a little tense too.
“Lois,” his voice was soft and full of concern, “What’s wrong?”
She swiped at a tear that had escaped. “Nothing.” Why did her voice sound so meek and unconvincing?
“Lois, talk to me. We’re friends, right? Maybe it’ll help to tell me.”
She tried valiantly to keep from losing it. And she did a pretty good job. Her body wasn’t wracked with sobs, but the tears did stream down her face, unbidden. Far past the point of being able to hide anything, especially form a man with super senses. Not to mention that pesky connection of theirs. She felt his hand come to rest upon her knee.
“Lois.”
She looked up at him, meeting his eyes.
“I hate to see you cry. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…” she took a deep breath before continuing softly. “Clark’s gone and he’s going to miss our first sonogram.”
“Oh, Lois! I’m sorry.”
***
He didn’t know what to say. Nothing would help the matter. He couldn’t bring Clark back. He could offer to go with her but he knew that would be worse for her. His wished he could be her Clark, but this time it was solely for Lois’ sake.
“It’s okay, Clark. Nothing you can do. It’s just hard to think about all these little moments that Clark is missing. I mean, even if he comes home, there’s no way to get those back.”
“I know, Lois. If there were anyway to bring him back, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“I know you would, Clark. Thank you.”
He hated to see her in so much pain. Especially when there wasn’t a thing he could do to ease it. Why was life so cruel to them both? The thought brought back something he’d overheard H.G. Wells say to Lois, “The hardest lesson is that love can be so fair to some and so cruel to others. Even those who would be gods.” What kind of game was Wells playing at here? See how much I can make them suffer? H.G. Wells was infuriating beyond belief. If he ever…<Shhh! Be quiet and move quickly>.
Huh?
Oh. OH! “Something’s happening, Lois.” He reached for the binoculars and handed them to her. He tried not to pay attention as she wiped at her eyes before lifting the device up to look through it. With his hearing engaged, he couldn’t help but notice her heart rate increasing. She was excited. Good. Something to take her mind off all this…
“Clark, what’s in those crates?”
He enhanced his vision and his jaw dropped. Guns. Hundreds of guns.
“What? Clark, what do you see?”
“Guns. Heavy artillery. And not just a little.”
She looked at him excitedly. “Clark, this is it! It’s gotta be!”
“Yeah. Now we have to find proof that this is Mindy Church behind all this and what exactly they’re doing with all those guns.”
“Do you recognize anyone?”
He looked back to the warehouse and shook his head. “Nope.”
“Oh well, looks like Ms. Harris is going to be getting a visit from Lane and Kent.”
There was a gleam in her eye when he glanced back at her. Yes, this was just what she needed, what they both needed to get their minds off all the pain. If only it hadn’t hurt when she’d said ‘Lane and Kent.’ He’d never be the real Kent in this partnership.
***
Clark watched Lois as she pulled the Jeep into the visitor's parking space in front of the Harris Shipping corporate building the next morning. They had set up an interview with Ms. Harris earlier before leaving the Planet building. Lois was riveting to watch whenever she sunk her teeth into a story. Clark remembered how her eyes had lit up, and he had felt the excitement radiating off her as soon as she'd made the phone call.
Lois unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door. Clark followed suit. Outside, he found himself quickening his pace to catch up with her. He made it to the large glass doors moments before she did and opened one for her, allowing her to precede him into the building.
As they approached the secretary’s desk, he heard her ask under her breath, “So, do you think Harris is in on it?”
He just shrugged. He had a feeling she might be, but the secretary had already acknowledged their presence.
“Can I help you?”
Lois spoke up first. “Yes. Lois Lane, Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. We have an interview with Ms. Harris.”
“Of course, go right in, she’s expecting you.” The woman motioned to the open door to her right.
They entered and saw a young, average-built brunette woman with fading blond highlights sitting behind a desk with a laptop in front of her. She closed it quickly and smiled up at them.
Clark wondered what exactly she’d been working on.
“Ms. Harris, I’m Lo--”
“Lois Lane and Clark Kent. I know. I read…your work.” She was grinning an awful lot like she was delighted to see them. Clark became a little uncomfortable, she was eyeing him hungrily.
Lois noticed too and must have held back her glare because she just smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Ms. Harris. We--”
“Oh, please, call me Diane.”
“Lois smiled graciously again. “Diane, we had a few questions for you.”
“Of course. Please, have a seat. How can I help you?”
“You own the old warehouse on Columbus and fifth, right?”
Clark smiled inwardly. Lois sure didn’t waste any time. He noticed Diane’s smile falter for a split second.
“Yes.” He could hear Diane’s heart racing, thought he wasn’t quite sure if it was because she was lying of because she was devouring him with her eyes again.
Lois continued, "We're doing a story on the poor business practices of corporate owners. We're going down the list of all the folks who have warehouses that fail to meet Metropolis's strict building codes, and or have buildings which may be contributing to the rock-bottom real-estate prices in their particular neighborhoods. In order to give owners a chance to explain themselves before we go to print, we're asking each person with a warehouse in question, what these broken down buildings are being used for, and if there are any immediate plans to resurrect them? How do you respond?"
Oh, Lois was good. He had to marvel at her interviewing technique. Diane was decidedly uncomfortable, though she was hiding it well.
“Well, Ms. Lane, we don’t have any plans currently, but we do use the warehouse for storage at the moment so the space isn’t going to waste. Isn’t this a bit of a…well…trivial story for a reporter of your caliber? And they sent two of you? My, news really must be slow.”
"It's rare we find corporate owners so completely out of touch with what interests the public. This has been enlightening. Thank you for your time, Ms. Harris."
The woman didn’t respond, she simply glared. Clark couldn’t blame her, but he himself was smiling on the inside. Lois was incredible.
***
Outside the building once again, they headed back to the Jeep.
“Clark, she knows something! Did you see her face? Quick, listen. See if she’s calling anyone right now.”
Lois watched as Clark tilted his head a fraction. Her Clark had always done that too. She found the gesture odd. Did they need to tilt their heads? Did the motion help them hear better? She watched Clark’s expression change. Yep. Harris was in on it. Whatever *it* was. And Clark was worried. “What do you hear, Clark?”
“She called Mindy Church. Looks like we were right.”
“Yes!! I knew it. Now we just have to find some proof…”
“Lois, this could be dangerous. She told Mindy we might be on to them. And from what I’ve heard of Mindy, she’s not someone you want after you. Maybe you should…”
“Oh, maybe schmaybe,” she scoffed as she unlocked the Jeep and got in. Once both doors were closed she continued. “You’re just like Clark. I’m not worried. I have my own personal bodyguard and early warning system, remember? She patted his chest for emphasis. And besides, she thinks Superman is gone, anything she tries won’t be effective.”
She watched Clark roll his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “But Lois, *you* have to be more careful now. The baby. Speaking of which, isn’t your appointment in an hour?”
She frowned. Clark was right, she did have to be more careful now that she had a baby on board. In the excitement of the story, she’d almost forgotten she *was* pregnant. The last time she’s had a lead this thrilling had been months ago. He’d mentioned her appointment too. She didn’t want to think about that. Not when they just had a break in their story. “Clark, I’m canceling the doctor. I can reschedule. This is big. Huge! I can’t leave you to work alone.”
“Lo-is. Come on, you have to go. You'll only be gone an hour, right? I think I can work on my own for that long”
Her heart fell right along with her excitement. She *should* go. She just didn’t want to. Not without Clark. She sighed and started the car. “Fine. I’ll drop you off and meet you back at the Planet.”
***
Lois sat outside the doctor’s office in her Jeep. She didn’t want to go in. She kept thinking, maybe if she waited just a little longer, Clark would come back and he wouldn’t have to miss this. But she knew she couldn’t. This was important. Never mind this being a momentous occasion, she had to know that her baby was okay. This pregnancy was unprecedented after all. And on top of everything else, she was more than a little worried that something could go wrong. *That*, she knew, would be devastating. And the thought was also what got her out of the car and inside the office. That, and the fact that she had to pee really bad. Honestly, did she *have* to come with a full bladder?
A perky young blonde glanced up as she entered. This *must* be the woman she’d spoken with on the phone.
“Ms. Lane! I’m so glad you could make it. I’m a big fan of your work. It’s a pleasure to actually meet you.”
Yep. Definitely her. “Oh, thank you.” Lois wasn’t still used to her apparent celebrity status, even after all these years. “It’s always nice to meet a fan.”
The woman blushed a little. “You must be so excited. Is Mr. Kent coming?”
“Uh, no. We had a big break on a story and he’s stuck in the office. He wishes he could be here though.” The lump in her throat was back.
“Oh, that’s too bad.” The woman frowned a bit. “If you want, we can make a videotape of the sonogram, that way he can watch it later?”
A hint of a smile found its way to her mouth. “I think I’d like that, thank you.”
“Well, go ahead and have a seat, I’ll let Dr. Sangio know about the tape then. The nurse will call you when she’s ready.”
“Thanks.”
Lois turned and found an empty seat in the waiting room, away from the other women. She hoped no one would talk to her. She’d heard that pregnant women were rather chatty in the company of other pregnant women. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.
The babies and mothers from the parenting magazines in front of her seemed to stare at her. Almost like they were taunting her. Look how happy we are. Baby and me. That would be her in a few months. Except, she was sure that the women in the magazines had something she didn’t. Husbands. Fathers.
She didn’t know if this was something she could do alone. And that scared her. She hadn’t thought much about that, but now that the thought had entered her mind, it terrified her. She wasn’t prepared for this. The idea of actually giving birth, alone, was even more daunting than it would have been if Clark were here. And what if the other Clark was still here when the time came? Having him there would be…well, it would be nice to have *someone* there. He’d *have* to be there. Everyone would expect him to be. According to everyone else, *he* was the father. She felt her chin trembling. Oh, God. She couldn’t cry. Not here. She did her best to dab at her eyes without being too obvious that they were brimming with tears. The scenes from the movies came to her – the doctor hands the baby to the mother. The mother smiles at her child and then she looks at her husband and they share a teary smile before he kisses her sweetly.
What if the other Clark had to be there for that? Everyone would expect the picture perfect scene from them. They were the perfect couple. Would everyone expect them to be married by then too? A tear escaped and she swiped at it quickly. How on Earth was she going to do this?
“Lois Lane?”
She raised her head. “Yes.” She hoped her eyes weren’t too red.
“Right this way.”
Lois followed the nurse to an examination room down the hall. She eyes the table wearily. The nurse told her to go ahead and get up on the table and unbutton her slacks. She’d said the doctor would be along in a minute before she left Lois alone in the room. The paper rustled underneath her as she settled on the table. She took one more swipe at her eyes and blinked a few times. Maybe it wouldn’t be too obvious that she was a blubbering wreck.
Dr. Sangio walked in then with a smile on her face. “Hello, Lois, it’s been a few weeks. How have you been doing?”
She could tell Dr. Sangio had noticed her red eyes, but she wasn’t saying anything. “Fine. A little emotional, I guess, but fine, thanks.”
She smiled knowingly. “Hormones. They’ll get you every time.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“So, you ready to start?”
“Sure.” She hadn’t asked about Clark. Good. One less explanation she wasn’t sure she could give. At least not without crying.
Dr. Sangio rolled a large cart full of electronic equipment towards Lois. The machined looked only vaguely like they did in the movies. The doctor flipped a switch and the small TV screen lit up, an eerie looking green, and Lois heard a few beeps.
“Okay, Lois, we try to warm this stuff up a little, but it still might feel a bit cold once it’s on.” She took a tube of jelly and squirted some one Lois’s abdomen. Lois flinched at the sensation and watched silently as Dr. Sangio spread the substance over her belly.
“You ready to see your baby?”
Lois nodded. She was and she wasn’t, but regardless of whether she was ready or not, the doctor touched the sonogram device to her stomach and the room suddenly filled with a rapid thump thump. The screen next to her changed to a grainy, unclear image. Lois tensed. Though, she wasn’t sure if it was because of the pressure on her bladder or the one on her heart. The heartbeat was so fast. Was that normal? She looked at the screen, trying to find a baby, but she wasn’t sure of what she was seeing.
Dr. Sangio must have seen the worry in her eyes. “A hundred and forty six beats per minute, perfectly normal. And this,” she pointed to a green mass on the screen, “is your baby.” Lois followed her finger as she spoke. “This is the spine and here’s the head. It’s hard to tell at this point in your pregnancy, but it looks like it might be a girl.”
Lois couldn’t hold the tears in and they streamed down her cheeks. Her baby. A girl. The doctor wasn’t sure, but Lois knew. It was a girl. Clark’s baby girl. And he wasn’t here. He’d missed it. He wasn’t here to hold her hand and kiss her. He wasn’t here to see the miracle he’d help create. She was shaking and she could feel the wet heat of the tears on her face.
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
Lois just nodded. She couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. She watched mutely as the doctor moved the device around a bit more and pressed a few buttons on the machinery. Dr. Sangio wiped the sticky gel off with a soft cloth. She handed Lois a few black and white pictures.
“Here, your baby’s first picture. I know you’re probably ready to explode, so you’re free to go to the bathroom now,” she smiled. “I’ll give you a few minutes and then I’ll come back in case you have any questions for me.”
Lois watched her leave the room. She stared down at the pictures in her hand and traced the image of her baby with her finger. Another first that Clark had missed.
tbc...
