THE SYMPHONY OF SILENCE
PART I
Lex was alone in the hospital bed, staring in silence at the cold, white ceiling. The thrum of the hospital around him seemed stale and oppressive, smothering him with the nauseating scent of ammonia. He vaguely remembered the circumstances that led him to this dismal threshold of hell. He remembered the hint of some strangely sweet flavor in his whiskey; mindless with relief at his father's imminent life sentence, it had taken him several swigs before the thought surfaced in his mind about just what that strange taste could be.
And by then, it was too late.
His throat seemed to clamp shut upon him, constricting like a noose pulled tight about his neck. Blind panic surged through him as he clawed frantically at his throat, desperately groping for some miracle remedy—there had to be something he could do! Vomit, scream, anything! But his voice choked in his throat, and his legs gave way beneath him like putty. The glass table rushed towards him, and the last thing he remembered was the shattering pain of glass piercing into his skin...
He'd awoken here, apparently rescued by one of his more vigilant security guards, one that Lionel had not managed to bribe into corruption. Distaste filled him, acrid and bitter, at the thought of his father. He could not bring himself to hate the man, not right now. He was still in too much pain from what had happened; from what he'd been told. He did not have the energy to hate his father right now. How could one rage against such pure, unadulterated evil?
Lex felt his eyes sink closed, sheltering him only briefly from the pain assailing his consciousness. No one had visited him; he'd been alone in this hospital room for several days, racked with pain and weakness as he slowly clawed his way towards recovery. The bleak silence of his room was the worst part of it. The darkness.
But I don't even deserve this much.
This was his destiny, his fate. He had hurt and alienated every true friend he'd ever known, and he'd condemned one to a fate she did not deserve.
Chloe...
They'd broken the news to him only yesterday. What had happened to her. She was just a girl, a young, innocent girl. And then Lionel Luthor had come into her life, like some malignant cancer that blackened everything in its wake.
Lex forced his thoughts away from her, the pain too sharp, too fresh. He felt it burning in his chest like acid, infinitely more agonizing than the poison that had nearly taken his life. He almost wished-- No, he did wish, that it had succeeded and consigned him to oblivion. That would be easier than facing the bleak reality stretching before him now.
She was just an innocent girl. The enthusiasm in her beautiful, inquisitive face, the boldness flashing in her bright eyes. He should never have let her do it. He had been so eager to take down his father, he'd never considered the danger that she faced. On some level he'd been aware of it, but he'd never truly expected her to pay the price. Not this terrible, terrible price.
I know you won't let anything happen to me.
Lex choked on a sob, remembering her trusting smile, the slight plea in her voice even as she offered him his salvation. He was supposed to protect her. He should have protected her.
God, Chloe, he thought with despair, I would never have done this, if I had just known... I never would have sacrificed you for my own selfish vendetta.
"I'm sorry," Lex whispered bleakly to the air.
He received no reply. No one was there to answer him.
Not anymore.
TBC