Part 2: GlowBarb Noel had seen a lot and treated a broad range of patients from all walks of life throughout her nursing career. From homeless to even foreign nationals, including a prince, she had tended to wounds, illnesses, and delirium for over two decades. So when the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and one of the Hospital Administrators came to her with two high ranking police officers, she knew the day was only about to start.
That had been less than ten minutes ago, and now she, along with a team of doctors and nurses she had requested, were waiting.
They hadn't been told much, but knew Superman had been injured somehow by the now late Lex Luthor. A radioactive material was involved, but it seemed like short term exposure was not dangerous to humans, only to Superman. They would still be taking precautions, however, which was why they had a lead lined bio waste bin at the ready and all of them were at least wearing lead aprons. Most of her younger nurses were wearing respirators in place of surgical masks while she decided to wear an N95 mask due to the low supply of respirators.
The ambulance finally arrived and as the doors opened, the sight of the red and blue suit partially cut away with bloodied bandages gave them all a hard kick in the gut, but then their training kicked in.
He was conscious and lucid but clearly not doing well. They removed the stretcher from the ambulance.
"Superman, I'm Barb Noel, Charge Nurse,” she introduced, running alongside the stretcher as an escort of police around the stretcher ran with them. “We're going to cut away the rest of your uniform and move you to another stretcher once we’re inside. Then, per radiation decontamination protocol, wash you down before placing you onto a bed for you to receive further treatment. We want to ensure as much of that poison is gone before anything else," she said, talking clearly and directly to him as they entered the ER and immediately wheeled him to the floor they had just prepped.
"Okay," he said, though not as clearly as she would have hoped. She took note of the long lines of dried blood stretching out from under the gauze on his right cheek. The blood had trailed down his neck and had clearly been soaked up by the cloth of his uniform near his collarbone. It told her he had been losing blood for an extended period of time.
They entered the designated room and got to work.
"You're going to need to forget your modesty for a minute, but we will cover you as soon as we have moved you over," she said gently.
"I understand," he said, resigned.
That was more than she had expected, but her attention quickly fell to his form as they began cutting away what remained of his uniform. She glanced over at Dr. Carson who was currently doing a visual examination.
Carson was an extremely skilled doctor and surgeon, which was why he had been chosen to head the care for Superman. He was a tall, middle aged black man with very short hair and olive green eyes behind black framed glasses. Letting the nurses work their magic, he decided on the best course of action for his new patient.
Superman had a dozen cuts on his arms, half of which were bandaged and Barb imagined half of those would require help to keep them closed due to the amount of blood that had come through the gauze. He also had a few burns scattered across his body, although his right side in general had a higher concentration and seemed to have a sunburn-like tone overall. The only thing that really caused her eyes to pause on his left side at all was the cluster of angry bruises blooming against his ribs, as if he had been relentlessly kicked many times. However, the wounds on his right side and thigh were the most concerning due to their size and location.
They finished cutting through the belt and began to shift the material away in preparation to lift him.
Suddenly, Superman yelled out in pain and flinched hard to the left, as if trying to move away from a hot coal.
"Turn him!" Dr. Carson ordered.
Hands quickly did as he said, revealing a slender, glowing green shard that must have previously been nestled between the folds of his cape beneath him. Barb grabbed it quickly with her tweezers and swiftly dropped it in the special bio waste bin beside the stretcher.
Everyone took a moment to breathe as Superman calmed, enabling her to examine his exposed back where the shard had brushed against.
An angry burn, already blistering, was left behind, declaring to them all how dangerous this material was to the Man of Steel.
"Alright, let's move him now. Careful not to disrupt the cape. There might be other shards hidden," she advised.
"I'll get it in the bin as soon as he's clear," another nurse said.
"Good. Alright, on three," Carson said.
She covered him from the waist down as soon as he was on the fresh stretcher and the old was pulled away to the far side of the room. As soon as his shredded uniform was completely stuffed into the bin, cape and all, he visibly relaxed and the crow's feet around his eyes receded some, though not completely.
"Alright, do you feel any poison still?" she asked.
"I think . . . I think there's some in my side," he said, fogging his oxygen mask. "I feel it mostly there now."
"Once we clean you, we'll take care of that wound first," she said before looking at Carson.
"I am Dr. Carson. I'm your head physician and, if needed, surgeon. Dr. Price is assisting me, and the nurses around you are the only people allowed in this room without myself or Nurse Noel," he explained as the six nurses prepared sponges, rags and water. "This is, of course, for your safety and privacy. Do you have any questions?" he asked.
"Visitors? Inspector Henderson?" he asked.
"He and your chosen medical advocate will of course be allowed in at any time. As for other visitors, only those with your expressed permission will be allowed in during visiting hours."
He nodded, appeased.
"Alright, I'm going to have the lights turned off for a moment. This material glows, so I want to see if we can use that to our advantage," Carson said, nodding to a nurse to turn off the lights.
The area fell into darkness with the only yellow and white light coming from the far windows and emergency hall lights beneath the doors. However a very faint, translucent green ebbed forth before them, heavily blanketing the right half of Superman's frame in a ghostly glow. Blotches of brighter green dotted him and two even dared to gleam through the dressings in his side. Superman slowly lifted his glowing hands, no doubt looking down at himself.
"Lights on. Dr. Price, you and your team will switch off with us half way through while we wash up to avoid recontamination," Carson stated, his eyes calculating.
"Yes, doctor," they said, stepping back. They had yet to touch Superman or anything that might have the radioactive material.
"Alright, now that we know where it's at, let's get it," Carson said.
"Worse than expected?" Superman asked, his breathing more labored than before.
"It's nothing we can't handle," Carson said confidently.
They washed him quickly, turning the lights off and back on every so often until there was nothing glowing on Superman's exposed skin any more. They went through several sponges, very careful to not reapply anything they had just removed. Half way through, Price's team swapped with Carson's, bringing a geiger counter they had managed to procure.
"It's not detecting high enough radiation to be a threat to human biology," Price said, relieved as he continued scanning the gathered debris. The geiger counter rarely clicked. "Even at the highest reading I’ve measured, we would need to be around it for an extended period for it to become a concern."
"Good," Superman whispered before anyone else could comment.
Carson's team left and rid themselves of all contaminants before returning fifteen minutes later to swap back. Upon their return, Price and his team had finished and soon left with the contaminated water and sponges. Barb was pleased but not surprised by their efficiency but her pride quickly fell to the wayside while looking back to their patient.
Settled into the fresh bed, Superman was looking very pale as Ann, another nurse, placed a warm blanket over him. The cut on his face was particularly prominent, even with the oxygen mask partially covering it. Barb wasn't sure if he felt better or not, perhaps 'not as bad' would be a more accurate description.
"Do you know why it affects you the way it does?" Carson asked.
"I’m not sure,” Superman said softly. “I think I absorb sunlight. So maybe I absorb this . . . but it hurts me.”
Barb stopped herself from glancing at Carson. She knew he was just as concerned with Superman’s vital signs as she was. Alien or not, intuition screamed at her that his blood pressure should not be so low, or his heart rate that high. It was no doubt linked to severe blood loss.
Carson moved to speak but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was partially opened by Dr. Price who peered in.
"Inspector Henderson and Mr. White are here. Is it alright for them to come in?" he asked.
"Superman, are you alright with them being here while we treat you and discuss your situation?" Carson asked.
Allowing visitors in during treatment was out of the ordinary, but Barb wasn’t surprised Dr. Carson was making an exception.
"Yeah."
Carson nodded to Price, motioning for them to come in.
O o O o O
After Henderson had taken a shower and changed into a new set of clothes in a side room in the hospital, he and Perry followed the officer toward the designated area where Superman was being treated.
Perry's feelings on hospitals were usually pretty neutral compared to most people's, but this visit was different. There were police at every entry and two officers at every hall junction leading up to Superman's room.
It was only in warzones or particularly sensitive areas where so much security existed at such a high alert. If he didn't know better, he would have believed the President had been taken to this hospital in an emergency.
But he knew it was even more serious.
The strongest man alive was in intensive care. The being who unequivocally proved they were not alone in the universe and who had saved them from the annihilation that would have followed from Nightfall had almost been killed. Still might not make it. They didn't know how bad things were or if there was a point of no return after an extended period of Kryptonite exposure.
Was it like radiation poisoning for humans?
"This is Dr. Price. He can take you from here. Please tell Superman we're pulling for him," the officer said before departing.
Perry and Bill looked at Price.
"Wait here for a moment," he said, going to the door down the hall. He opened it and spoke with someone in the room before looking back and waving them over.
"We just finished removing all the loose contaminants covering him," Price said, stepping aside and offering them lead aprons. “But just to be safe, put these on.”
Perry and Henderson quietly entered after putting on the aprons, not sure what to expect.
There were three nurses in the room, each with some radiation protection, but not as much as Perry expected.
A tray of medical instruments and a heavy duty biowaste bin was at the foot of the bed with a doctor, but their eyes were on the individual in the bed.
His red and blue uniform was gone. Instead, there was only bare skin and bloody bandages. Though a blanket covered most of him, his arms were out. His left, inner forearm had an I.V. line even though his skin should be impervious to needles, but that was the least of it. His skin on the right half of his body looked raw and cuts and sores were scattered among bandages.
Like a man suffering from severe radiation poisoning, Perry mentally lamented. He steeled himself.
"Hey, son," he greeted, approaching the bed and imitating his late grandfather.
When Perry had been a boy, he had ended up in the hospital after an accident. His grandfather was the only one who made him feel like it was going to be okay, and he did that by not focusing on his injuries, but on him.
"I see you're getting the royal treatment already, but if you need anything from me or my people, just ask," he said, unhesitatingly placing his hand on the uninjured corner of Superman's shoulder.
"Thanks," Superman said with a tired smile.
Perry never thought he would hear Superman sound so faint.
"We're combing through LexCorp now and have secured all of the Kryptonite at the scene," Henderson said, following Perry's approach. "And like Perry, if you need anything, just ask. I do, however, need to get your statement before I head back. Is that alright?"
“Sure,” Superman said, before Henderson looked at the doctor.
"I'm Dr. Carson, Superman's primary and overseeing physician," the man beside Superman said, before indicating the chairs off to the side. "We need to continue treatment, so if you stay, you'll need to stay over there and hold your questions until we get a few things squared away," he said, not looking pleased but understanding it was necessary.
"Of course," Henderson said while the nurses began moving around the bed.
Perry nodded appreciatively and took the chair beside the Inspector who decided to remain standing.
"Are you okay with the sight of wounds?" Carson asked them after a split second.
"I've seen my fair share," Perry reassured as Henderson nodded.
"Okay. Well, Superman, before we start, you’ve lost a fair amount of blood and your blood pressure seems low. It is certainly very low for humans, and your heart rate is high," Carson said as one of the nurses reclined the bed, easing Superman back. "So, if you're not opposed, I’d like to take a blood sample now to see if you could receive a blood transfusion or some blood plasma. If not, we can stick with a normal saline drip or try one with more nutrients."
Superman looked startled, and for a long moment they all thought he was going to answer a vehement 'no', but instead he closed his eyes for two seconds before opening them again.
"Destroy after and . . . seal information learned," he said.
“Of course,” Carson agreed, relieved. “Barb?” he asked, requesting the Charge Nurse to take the sample that very moment.
She cleaned a non-injured part of his left arm and prepared it for the blood draw on the opposite side of the bed as Carson, mindful of the IV that was already in that was providing him fluids.
"Have you ever used any earth medications?" Carson asked.
Superman exhaled slowly, his eyes falling on the needle in Barb’s hand.
“You don’t have to watch,” she said gently, sensing his unease. “There might be a slight pinch but I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“I’ve never had blood drawn,” he nearly whispered.
“Well, counting down in my head from fifteen helps me. Go ahead and start now,” she said, suddenly easing the needling in without preamble, to the amazement of Superman who simply stared. Perry liked this woman. “I’ve found the anticipation is what unnerves patients the most. Best to just get it over with,” she said with a smile.
Superman smiled in return before looking back at Carson once Barb taped a cotton ball to the needle prick.
"Just basic pain reliever . . . but it didn't work," Superman said, answering Carson's earlier question. "But I had my powers then."
"Hm. Well, I’m going to try giving you some local anesthetic for wound debridement, unless you prefer I don't," Dr. Carson said.
"Please. Hopefully it'll work," Superman said, handling his vulnerable condition rather well, Perry thought, although he did suddenly look queasy.
"Well, if it doesn't, we have a few other things we can try," Carson said assuringly. “Now, let’s get you onto your side.”
Barb handed the vial of blood to another nurse who quickly left the room with it before they gently helped Superman turn onto his left side and carefully removed the largest bandage. Superman’s wrapped hand closed around the bed’s metal side rail. While Henderson was passive, Perry nodded to him encouragingly.
Perry kept his gaze on Superman's hands and face, but he still saw the exposed wound. It was a three inch gash above his hip with burn marks on the edges. Perry had been a war correspondent during the Vietnam War, so this by far wasn't the worst injury he had ever seen. But he was still glad Superman couldn’t see it from how he was laying. He really hoped the anesthetic worked.
Superman exhaled shakily, drawing their attention.
"Alright there?" Dr. Carson asked.
"Yeah . . . No." He took a few breaths, clearly trying to stay calm.
"What's wrong?" Perry asked.
"Just give me a second," he said, taking a deep breath, holding it, and slowly releasing it.
"Ah. Well, no one likes being poked and prodded, and considering your situation, being a little nervous is to be expected," Carson said gently.
"More than a little," Superman corrected, closing his eyes. "Okay. Okay, I'm good."
“You’ll feel three pinches in succession in, three, two, one,” Carson softly warned. The first injection went smoothly and Carson followed it up with two more around the wound. “Okay?” Carson asked.
“Yeah,” Superman breathed, though his hand didn’t let go of the railing.
“We’ll give it a moment to begin working. It should start feeling numb in a bit and then the only thing you should feel in the area is pressure, no pain,” Carson said before giving a subtle nod to Henderson.
“I’ll try to keep this short,” Henderson said, placing the tip of his pen on the notepad. "How did you get in the cellar?"
"Luthor called Clark late Saturday. Wanted to talk to me, so I went. . . . I think I got there just after seven. A Mrs. Cox led me down to Luthor and then left," Superman said, talking slowly but with purpose, no doubt to distract himself from how he was feeling. "He wanted me to get Clark to the wedding," he added.
Perry didn't bother to hide his scoff.
"Yeah," Superman agreed. "He also wanted me to go."
"Why?" Henderson asked.
"Make Lois happy."
Perry frowned.
"She okay?" Superman asked after a moment.
"She'll be okay. Right now she’s at my place with Alice," Perry assured, smoothly interjecting.
"So what happened next? I gather you refused to ask Clark to go to the wedding for him?" Henderson asked.
"Yeah. He didn't like that. Then the cage came down." He exhaled shakily.
Carson looked up, appearing as if he was thinking about stopping the conversation. He glanced pointedly to the heart monitor instead.
"So how did you escape?" Henderson asked, moving it along.
"I heard the organ music; thought I had some time to try . . . before Luthor. . . ." He took in a shuddering breath. "I somehow stood and then . . . rammed into the bars. They shattered and . . . I fell on them."
"We think you got out about an hour before we got down there,” Henderson said.
"Luthor passed through before you. I barely made it behind the barrels. . . . He didn't see me. He had an axe," he said. “Broke a barrel and ran off.”
"Great shades of Elvis," Perry whispered, horrified at the mental image and by the knowledge of what could have happened.
"I think I fell asleep after, and then I woke when you came in."
“Thank you, Superman. I’ll keep you updated on the investigation. If you think of anything you feel may be important, feel free to tell Perry and he’ll tell me,” Henderson said as Perry nodded.
Superman smiled appreciatively before frowning.
"There is something. A few days ago, the alarm at the Metropolis Bank on Main went off. . . . I went and learned it was a false alarm by the guard there, but then I felt the presence of kryptonite. It was only for a few seconds and I didn't see anyone suspicious, but looking back. . . ."
"It was a test run," Henderson concluded grimly.
"Wish I had realized that before, but mind on too many things," Superman said to himself.
"I'll look into their security system and see if and how it links back to Luthor. The cameras might have also caught something," Henderson said, jotting down a note.
"Thanks."
Henderson nodded before heading out, gently closing the door behind him. Perry looked back at the doctor.
"Alright, let's see where we're at," Dr. Carson stated, lifting a pair of forceps. "Can you feel this?"
"Uh, no," Superman said, surprised.
"This?" he asked, placing the tips of the forceps against his skin further from the wound.
"No."
"Very good. Let me know if you feel anything other than pressure here," he said as two nurses shifted forward.
They got to work.
Superman laid there in silence, and Perry suspected he was afraid to move. Not too long after, he suddenly stiffened as Dr. Carson removed a green shard before dropping it into the shielded biowaste bin.
Superman relaxed in relief.
"Whoa," Superman said. "That helped."
"Let me know when you can't feel anymore," Carson said.
"Alright."
They continued for a few minutes longer before Superman interrupted their pensive thoughts with a soft chuckle.
"Did I miss something?" Perry asked, not the only one confused.
"Just thinking about what my dad would do if he was here."
"Oh?" Perry asked, intrigued.
"He'd have kittens. He's always telling me to stay away from doctors and scientists, because they'd dissect me like a frog if they ever got the chance. It's just ironic."
Perry smiled, seeing the humor as he grew curious. “‘Your dad’?”
Superman closed his eyes, as if suddenly realizing what he had said and regretting it.
“Nevermind,” Perry said reassuringly.
Dr. Carson cleared his throat. “About what you told me earlier, that you might absorb sunlight so might be absorbing the radiation this poison gives off, I’m going to have the hospital make some calls. See if we can get some sunlamps in here. I would just open the windows and have the police increase security to however much they want to allow that, but it’s already dark and unfortunately that far window doesn’t face where the sun sets or rises,” Carson said before nodding to one of the nurses to go to the hospital administrator about the request for sunlamps before adding another task. "Let Dr. Price and his team know they can return to help as well."
She nodded and left immediately.
“I have some contacts. I can make some calls as well if you feel that would help,” Perry chimed in.
“Can’t hurt. But they have to be full spectrum, which is fairly new. A suntanning lamp won't do. If he does absorb sunlight, we have no idea which part or combination of the light his body uses,” Carson stated.
"Okay. I think I know exactly who to call. That alright, son?" Perry asked, looking at Superman.
"Yeah, Mr. White. Thanks," Superman answered.
"I'll be back soon," Perry said, heading toward the door.
"I'll be here," Superman returned.
Walking out, Perry couldn't help but think about how strange it was to realize Superman had a sense of humor.
O o O o O
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