Part 3: UpdateA nurse opened the door for Perry, allowing him re-entry into the room some time later.
"Any luck?" Dr. Carson asked, glancing up before looking back down onto Superman's right arm.
He was working on a puncture wound near his right bicep while Dr. Price was tending to his left hand covered in burns. The wounds they had finished on were either taped closed or tightly wrapped in neat white gauze. They weren't using stitches, which made Perry wonder if it was because of the clear unease Superman had around needles or if there was another reason. Either way, they had certainly made a lot of progress and Perry was glad they seemed to be done with the most serious wounds.
"Yes, actually. My friend, Joe Harding, will be here in three to four hours with some full spectrum lamps. He owns a business that manufactures a variety of specialty lamps. Greenhouses and research laboratories tend to buy from him the most. He's driving them in from out of state himself. It was the fastest way. I didn't tell him why, but he understands it's extremely important," Perry said.
"That should help a great deal," Carson said, smiling.
Superman turned his head and managed a quiet but heartfelt, "Thank you."
“It’s my pleasure, Superman. I only wish I could do more,” Perry said, sitting back down while staying out of the way. “I also told the Hospital Admin and learned their best shot at getting any lamps in would be tomorrow at the earliest.”
"I’m not surprised. It’s definitely a good thing you’re here,” Carson said, before looking at one of the nurses. “Lights off, please.”
The lights turned off and Carson only needed to retrieve one more shard. The green glow was extremely unnerving to Perry and he was glad when it disappeared. Superman sighed in relief.
“Lights on,” Carson said.
"That was the last," Superman mumbled.
"You don't feel any more Kryptonite at all?"
"No. That pain is gone," he said, relieved.
Carson nodded, refocusing on his work.
Perry shifted his chair a little closer to Superman's bed so Superman could more easily see him.
"I'm going to avoid using anesthetic for the rest of these. We're approaching the maximum dosage for an adult of your size and considering everything I'd rather not push it," Carson said.
"Hm," Superman hummed, barely flinching as they moved to the next wound. More confident, they picked up their pace.
"Is there anyone you'd like for me to get a hold of? Like Clark or Lois? Do you want them to come?" Perry asked.
Superman frowned. "Clark said he . . . needed to go . . . some'ere."
Perry straightened, wondering why Clark hadn't told them before leaving. But then he always was rushing off to some place, and it did occasionally pay off. However, the timing was concerning.
"Was this right after he told you about Luthor's call?"
"Yeah."
"We haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon," Perry said worriedly.
"If you think Luther . . . did som'pin to him, I'm sure . . . he didn't. He woulda gloated."
"That's . . . reassuring I suppose," he said, noticing how the Kryptonian was beginning to slur his speech.
Superman hummed in agreement before seeming to drift off.
The nurse who had taken the blood sample returned a minute later with a clipboard, looking discouraged. She held the board out for Carson to see, who frowned.
"Change his saline to R.L.. It's too risky to give him blood or plasma, but from his blood make-up that should be okay and will help some," Carson directed, before returning to the puncture wound.
The nurse quickly left to retrieve the new IV.
"'R. L.'?" Perry asked.
"Ringers Lactate. It has some nutrients in it similar to plasma but carries no risk of biological rejection like blood and plasma does," Carson explained. "I don't know how his biology is different from ours exactly, but I feel giving him R.L. is worth the risk considering his current state, and his blood work seems to indicate he would benefit from it."
"Hm. I feel . . . " Superman mumbled, tightly closing his eyes. "I feel like I'm spinnin’."
"Are you nauseous?" Carson asked, wrapping up the second to last wound.
"A bit. Ears ringing now."
"How is your vision?" Carson asked, not pausing in his primary task as Dr. Price finished wrapping Superman's fingers.
"Blurry. Was getting better. Worse now."
Carson nodded to Price who took out his penlight.
"We're going to check your eyes real quick," Price said. "I'm going to touch your face."
Carefully lifting his eyelids, he panned the light across his eyes, watching for a reaction.
"Delayed but equal dilation," he commented, before holding up a finger. "Try to follow this."
Superman tried.
"Delayed again," Price said. “Anesthesia Toxicity?”
“Possible,” Carson said with a frown. “Ann, can you bring in a unit of propofol and benzodiazepines, along with succinylcholine? Though unlikely, I want them on hand if they’re needed.”
“Yes, doctor,” she said as the previous nurse returned with the Ringers' bag and connected it to his I.V. line.
“If an arrhythmia shows up, I want to give him a bolus of 1.5 mL/kg of twenty percent lipid emulsion immediately,” Carson said.
“Agreed,” Price said, glancing at the heart monitor. It seemed unchanged.
“We’re almost done here. As soon as we are, I’d like you to try to eat and drink something and then go to sleep, okay?” Carson said, talking directly to Superman now as he finished with the last wound which thankfully wasn’t too bad.
"'Kay,” Superman said.
One of the nurses gave an acknowledging nod to Carson and left to get a tray of food. Soon after, Carson leaned back, moving the tray of instruments away.
“We’ll check the bandages tomorrow morning and go from there," he said as the nurses returned with the requested medications and tray of food. "Superman, if it is alright with you, Mr. White and I will give you some peace to eat while we talk in the other room."
He nodded, clearly too out of it to be able to follow a conversation anyway.
Perry followed Carson as Dr. Price and the nurses got Superman squared away with a late (very late) dinner.
"So, is he going to be okay?" Perry asked.
"I honestly can't say yet. We'll keep an eye on the possible anesthesia toxicity, although I'll admit that's not a high concern of mine.
"He definitely has radiation poisoning, as you’ve likely noticed, and I am concerned about his vital signs there. Granted, considering what I'd expect them to be for a human in his situation, I'd say he's a miracle. However, even with that good comparison, his vital signs are not improving. They're getting worse actually."
"What can we do?" Perry asked.
"Nothing more than what we are already doing or expect to do in a few hours with those full spectrum lights.
"We did try to get a chest x-ray while you were out, but his body is too dense. I suspect he has some cracked ribs on his left side, four to six ribs, but we can't be sure. Fortunately, if they are cracked, they haven't punctured his lungs and his blood pressure doesn't indicate that he's still losing blood, so I'm confident there's no internal bleeding." Carson rubbed his forehead, undeniably wary. "I'm hoping food and sleep will do him good. More often than not that makes the biggest difference in trauma patients."
“Do you know if the hospital is going to make a statement?” Perry asked.
“That’s up to the Hospital Administrator, but I suspect so. We can only hide him for so long, and it may be best if we bring it out directly on our terms instead of it being leaked,” Carson said.
“I agree,” Perry said as Barb stepped into the room.
“He’s asleep, doctor,” she said.
“If you or Superman need me, here is my pager number. I’m going to make a few more calls and return, but I'll stay in the hospital. I think I'll contact the Superman Foundation as well. I should have done that earlier,” Perry said.
Carson took his business card with a handwritten number on the back.
“Before you go, did you provide Security with a description of your friend and his truck?” he asked.
“Yes, they have it. And I'll go out to meet him when he's due to arrive," Perry said.
"Alright. Very good."
Perry headed off with that.
O o O o O
Well, he had made all the calls he needed, including to Alice, Jimmy, Mr. Stern, and the Superman Foundation.
Thankfully, Alice was very understanding even though he didn't give specifics and couldn't promise when he'd be home. He didn’t talk to Lois, as she was resting in the guest bedroom, but that was just as well.
He did learn from Alice that Lois had called her mom and let her know she was staying at a friend's house to avoid the press. Perry felt bad about not realizing Lois' mom was at the wedding, but in the end he was just happy Lois had avoided the press and that Mrs. Lane didn't seem too upset.
However, with that potential crisis averted, he quickly realized he was faced with another. He wasn’t sure when he would tell Alice and Lois about Superman being the reason he was at the hospital, but knew telling Lois now would be most unwise.
He got a hold of Jimmy and Jack at Clark’s place next, but unfortunately Clark was still missing. It was concerning but there was nothing anyone could do at the moment. However, he did task them to look into where that Kryptonite went after the fiasco in Smallville. He doubted it had remained with that geological society or whatever it was, and hopefully whatever they learn would help Superman or at least Henderson's investigation.
As for Mr. Stern, he got some good news. It was quite gratifying to hear a man of Stern's calibre express himself so plainly over recent events, and his heart soared at the strong possibility of the Planet's eventual return.
Contacting the Superman Foundation was both easier than he had thought and yet harder. Mr. Brown was certainly thorough in verifying that Perry was who he said he was, but then once he was positive of his identity, he agreed the Foundation would follow Perry's lead. Apparently, Superman had a list of people the Foundation was to treat with special consideration. Perry didn't inquire further but Mr. Brown expressed his thanks, promising the Foundation would prepare for the likely fallout that would follow once the hospital gave a statement. Brown agreed it was best for them to be proactive instead of reactive, especially where the press was concerned. He promised to send Perry a statement from the Foundation for him and, if possible, Superman to approve as soon as possible.
Phone business done, he quietly returned to Superman's room, nodding softly to Nurse Barb Noel who was double checking the IV bag above the bed.
He silently eased down into the chair beside the bed.
For a long moment he assumed Superman was asleep, but then he saw his eyes open.
"Would you like to be alone?" Perry asked gently.
"No. I would like a favor." He glanced at Barb with a silent request.
She finished her work and pulled back.
"I'll be outside," she said understandingly, leaving half of the room lights off to keep the illumination low so he could sleep if he wished.
As she left, Perry leaned forward.
"What do you need?" Perry asked.
"If things get worse," Superman said, his shallow breathing forcing him to talk slowly. Perry wasn't sure if he sounded worse than before or not, but he certainly didn't sound better. "Call the Kents. Tell them Kal-El said . . . they can talk to you."
Perry frowned, confused but accepting. "Alright. Clark's parents?"
He nodded.
"Who is Kal-El?" Perry asked.
"Me."
"Oh. Okay. Anything else?" he asked.
"Nothing right now. Thanks," he said.
"Of course." Perry shifted forward. “Superman, I felt it prudent to inform your Foundation of what's happened. I spoke to Mr. Brown directly and he wanted me to let you know he has everything handled there. He's working on a statement now, for when this likely comes out."
"Thanks. That's good."
"No problem. Uh, concerning the Kryptonite, Mr. Brown doesn't feel trying to hide it's existence or effect on you would be wise, considering everything."
Superman sighed but nodded. "I agree. Trying would be difficult now . . . if not impossible."
"Okay," he said, deciding to move on. "If I hear from Clark or Lois, do you want me to tell them anything? Do you want me to tell them what is happening?”
“I trust your judgement, Mr. White,” he said, closing his eyes. “Tell them whatever . . . you feel they should know.”
“Alright.” Perry eased back, hoping his friend would arrive before too much longer while wondering why Superman would want him to talk to the Kents.
Hm. Did the Kents know him well? It would explain how Clark can always get a hold of him.
He focused on Superman's face. His forehead had a light sheen of sweat on it and a frown of discomfort remained even as the clear signs of sleep appeared.
Perry remained, keeping vigil as his eyes suddenly froze on Superman’s face.
“Great shades of Elvis,” he breathed, his voice so soft it was silent.
“Mr. White?”
He looked to the door and found Dr. Carson. He stood up and went to him, knowing by the look on his face he wanted to talk.
“Yes?” he asked, joining him out in the hall.
“The hospital administrator is going to make the announcement in a few minutes,” Carson said. “He'd like to pass a few things by you beforehand.”
“Alright, thanks,” he said, heading back out.
O o O o O
Lois gratefully sipped the mug she had gotten from Alice as they watched the news together. Of course, besides the death of Luthor, the primary focus was what was going on at the Metropolis General Hospital.
Although she felt bad, a part of her was relieved the media was so distracted. Had it not been for this mysterious patient, she had no doubt that she would be the focus of the press. Granted, she was certain it was only a matter of time before they turned their focus onto her.
'Thank you, George. I am in front of Metropolis General and we just learned that the Hospital Administrator will be coming out to give a statement,' the reporter on the television said, standing with a sea of other reporters near the main entrance of the hospital. 'We--' He cut himself off as people came out of the doors.
The man in front came to the podium with another at his shoulder.
'Good evening. I'm Jeff Kraft, the Hospital Administrator, and beside me is Captain Wallace of the MPD.' He motioned to the uniformed man beside him before turning back with a deep breath. 'I am going to give a statement and then Captain Wallace will follow up.
'Less than three hours ago, Wallace and his team found Superman in LexCorp Tower. He had multiple injuries and required immediate medical attention, which was swiftly provided by first responders. He was then transported here for further treatment and is now resting. When he arrived, he was conscious and able to answer questions. His current condition is critical. We do not know how long it will take for him to recover, but he will remain here until further notice. Thank you,' he said to the astonished assembly of press and onlookers.
A cacophony of voices immediately followed, some shouting out in dismay, others screaming questions.
'What happened?'
'Did Luthor do it?'
'What hurt him?'
'Is he going to be okay?'
'Is this why the hazmat team went in?'
'What treatments are being done?'
'Is there a danger to the public?'
'Did he need a blood transfusion?'
'Can he get blood transfusions?'
The Captain stepped up, lifting a hand.
'Please, please!' Wallace shouted over the chaos. It quieted. 'The investigation is ongoing so I will not go into details. However, due to public health concerns, I must address the hazmat team that went in following our retrieval of Superman from the scene. First and foremost, again, there is no threat to public health. Second, there was radioactive material found but the level of radiation the material gave off was so low it barely compared to the radiation we are exposed to on a typical day from the sun. So rest assured there was and is no danger to the public or to the first responders who were initially exposed. All of the radioactive material has since been gathered and stored in lead containers at a secure location out of an abundance of caution.'
'Was this material what hurt Superman?' someone yelled out.
'It was involved, but I won't say anything further due to the ongoing investigation.'
Kraft stepped back up, asking for calm.
'We will provide an update when his condition changes. Thank you,' he said, turning and being escorted back into the hospital.
Wallace returned to the stand but Lois' heart was thudding so loudly she couldn't hear his platitudes on city response and how they would continue to handle city emergencies during Superman's recovery.
"Lois?" Alice asked uncertainly.
She looked like she was about to throw up.
"Luthor tried to kill him," she gasped. "I know it."
"Oh, Lois," Alice started, only to be interrupted by the telephone.
Apologetically, she got up and answered it as Lois wiped her eyes.
"Perry?" Alice asked, causing Lois to freeze. "Yes, I just saw. -- Okay. -- Wait, Lois is with me. -- Yeah. As you'd expect. -- You are?” She listened for several minutes, nodding and grimly humming her understanding as time went on. Lois was too afraid to interrupt. “Okay. I'll tell her. -- I understand. -- Yeah, stay as long as he needs you. -- Good. -- Okay. Good night. -- Love you too."
She looked up after hanging up to find Lois waiting anxiously.
“What did he say?” Lois asked.
“He’ll be staying with Superman for now. Superman asked him to act as his next of kin and medical advocate which is why that Inspector asked him to go to the hospital,” Alice said. "He also said not to worry about Clark. He knows where he is."
“Is Superman doing alright? How bad is it?” she asked, partially relieved to hear about Clark but more concerned about the current state of Superman.
“Perry said there was a story you and Clark Kent did several months back. He said that crazy Colonel was right. Kryptonite does exist and it can hurt Superman.”
“But how is he?” Lois asked earnestly.
“Not well, but they’re hoping to be able to do something soon to help him. Perry called a friend who manufactures special lamps and the doctors are hoping that will help until the sun rises.”
“The sun?” she asked before recalling the heat wave (...that was caused by Luthor’s power plant…). “The theory of him getting his powers from the sun was right.”
“Perry said it’s also why that Kryptonite stuff hurts him. He’s absorbing whatever that stuff gives off.”
Lois’ eyes suddenly widened, remembering something else. “Henderson had blood on his clothes. He said it wasn’t his. Oh my gawd! Did he need a transfusion?”
“They tested his blood to see if they could give him a blood transfusion or plasma, but they can’t."
Lois looked miserable as Alice quickly moved on.
"Perry said he's sleeping now, and they took care of his wounds pretty fast after he arrived."
Lois sniffled.
"Perry wanted me to tell you it's not your fault, and that he'll call as soon as there's a change."
She wiped her eyes and nodded.
"It goes without saying that you can stay for as long as you need," she said after a moment.
"Thank you," Lois said.
"Perry talks about you all the time. I'm happy to help you," she said soothingly.
O o O o O
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