Chapter 1

Clark had escaped Jor-El this time, but his father hadn't. He lay deep in a coma in the Smallville Medical Center. His body once strong, his eyes once gleaming now shared the lifeless complexity that filled Clark. It was his fault that his father was in this state of mind. It was another gallon added to the burden that rested on his shoulders. It kept getting heavier and heavier and Clark continually built a wall around his heart trying to shield his anger and sadness from the world, his mom, his friends, and Lana. He was now the stereotypical teenage boy. The kind that would shield themselves from the world and retire to a remote place, rarely emotional, never open.

Clark stood outside his father's hospital room with a pair of dark faded jeans that loosely fit his tall broad structure. His white t-shirt outlined his strong figure, but was hidden by his beige jacket that fit snugly around his shoulders. He held his arms in his pockets in a tense position with a distant blank expression on his face. His mother was reading Huck Finn to his father; it had become a daily ritual of hers ever since Clark had been taken in by Jor-El, mostly to fulfill her loneliness. Clark leaned his head against the glass shifting his hands in his jacket pockets to the ones in his jeans, sighing. He heard the elevator doors open, not something unusual for a hospital.

"Clark!" he jolted his head upright from his position seeing a small petit raven haired girl staring at him with concern in her eyes. She had changed a lot. Lana was wearing dark blue jeans with black open toed heals and a black halter top showing off her perfect figure. She was indeed beautiful.

"Lana," he said sounding surprised, "your back from Paris… or is this just a pit stop." He said looking down.

Ignoring what he said she came over and said, "Clark is your dad okay?"

"No. No he's not," he mumbled looking into the hospital room He's been in a coma for the past three months. The doctors don't know if he's going to be okay." A monotone lifelessness filled his voice that made Lana look up at him with a confused stare. This wasn't the Clark Kent that she knew.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said quickly staring away from her.

"Clark, I'm here if you want to talk-"

"Lana, look I appreciate the sympathy act, but I'm fine," he snapped abruptly turning around and crossing his arms so that his back was against the glass. Soon Mrs. Kent emerged from the dreary room and looked up to see Lana facing Clark a little taken back by his reaction.

"Lana!" Mrs. Kent said astonished with tears in her eyes. She pulled her into a bear hug and Lana returned the gesture with just as much force. Clark didn't even alter his gaze, but tensed up even more tightening his arms. "Lana it's so good to see you!"

Interrupting the two women's reunion Clark inhaled and said, "Mom I'm going to go sit with dad," and he left without even glancing at Lana or his mother.

"Mrs. Kent I'm so sorry about Mr. Kent, if there's anything that I can do I would be glad to help," she said embracing Martha's shoulders with her hands.

"No, I'm afraid it's in god's hands now." She turned her gaze to Clark.

Following Martha's eyes Lana eyed Clark sitting in the corner of the hospital room with his arms crossed in a laid back position staring at his dad with empty eyes. "What about Clark is he taking this okay? He seemed so distant and alone when I talked to him. It was like a different person."

"Well Clark changed this summer. He went away like last summer and came back and found out about his father. He just froze up and hasn't been the same since." She said while walking towards the waiting room followed by Lana. "See Clark somehow thinks that it was his fault that Jonathon is in this condition." Lana looked at her with a puzzled expression as they sat down. "Clark thinks that if he were here he could have saved him."

"But it wasn't Clark's fault."

"I try to convince him everyday, but Clark won't open up and snaps back at everything attempt I make."

"Déjà vu," Lana said sitting back in the chair looking away from Mrs. Kent occupied in her thoughts. "I told him I was here if he needed to talk, but as usual he pushed me away." She said emphasizing with her hands. "But this time he rejected me with so much, what's the word… anger. It was like he was so tense and couldn't communicate. He didn't even look me in the eye let alone glance at my face."

"Clark is so lonely right now. It really hurt him when Pete moved away and then you left for Paris and now Chloe and he are in an argument. He's got nobody left and he needs a friend, someone he can open up to. I called Pete and he's coming down tomorrow. I think if anybody can get Clark to open up its Pete. He's his best friend."

"Mrs. Kent can I ask you something?"

"Of course Lana," Martha said putting her hand on Lana's.

"Why will Clark open up to Pete and Chloe, but not open up to me?"

"Well its easier for him to open up to Pete because they are both boys I'm guessing, but I'm not sure about Chloe. He does open up to her, but not as much as he does to Pete. I'm guessing that's because of her journalistic instincts he's afraid that she'll go too far. He would love to open up to you I'm sure, but –by the way don't quote me on this –but I think that Clark is still..."

"No!" Lana and Martha looked up and realized it was Clark's voice yelling. They rushed out of the lobby and over to Jonathon's room. They looked in to the room to see Clark yelling at the doctor. "I'm not going to give up on my father!" he said enraged. "It's my fault he's in here and I'm not going to let him die! This time I'm going to save him!" he bellowed shaking with anger.

"Clark!" Martha Kent screamed running into the room. She gripped her son's shoulders and Lana followed. Clark was staring off into space somewhere shaking and looked as if he was about to cry. "Clark, its okay to be angry, but never think that what happened to your father was your fault!" Clark closed his eyes and fought back tears. "Clark look at me," Martha said seriously. Clark turned around his back facing the two distraught women. Martha Kent sighed and started to cry. "Clark," she paused, "please talk to me." With no response from her son she turned around and walked out of the room. Lana glanced at Clark once more and walked out of the room comforting Martha.