East Side Slums, April 19, 1967. This child sure is in a great hurry to get here! Aaron Russell thought to himself as he watched his wife lay on the bed, gripping the sheets and panting hard through clenched teeth. Rose was trying her hardest not to scream so that she wouldn't frighten the other children. Renee, their oldest, stood just outside the bedroom door, handing her father clean towels and blankets while keeping her baby sister Penny out from underfoot. They didn't even have a chance to make it out of the apartment before Rose was incapacitated by labor pains; Aaron had to send his middle daughter, ten year old Michelle, to fetch the doctor at the clinic, fifteen minutes down the road.
He knelt at the foot of the bed and took a quick look in-between his wife's legs, scared to death of what he might find. She's in so much pain, more so then with the other children…oh God, what if something's wrong?! Aaron's mind flitted unbidden to the thought. We agreed we weren't going to try for any more children after Penny, and now this! I should have…we should have…Where is that damn doctor already?!
"I need to push!" Rose cried out from the other end of the bed.
"Are you sure? You can't wait just a few more minutes for the doctor…?" he asked, on the verge of panic.
She shook her head and her face grew red as she momentarily held her breath. A few more quick gasps before she bellowed, "I…NEED…TO PUSH…NOW!" as she started bearing down. At her mother's shout, Penny began crying fearfully; Renee scooped her up and took her into the other room away from the commotion.
All Aaron could do was wait at the bottom of the bed with a fresh towel in his hands, ready to catch this new life that was so anxious to get into the world.
One hour later…Renee, Michelle and Penny sat on the sofa in the living room, staring blankly ahead of them. The doctor arrived three whole minutes after the baby did, and he was now conducting an examination of both mother and child in the next room. The girls were still stunned into silence by the events of the last hour and a half…so much so that they didn't even ask their father if the baby was a boy or a girl when he briefly stepped out of the bedroom.
Dr. Marco exited just then with his coat draped over one arm and his hat already on his head. He touched his fingers to the brim and nodded to the girls, then calmly strode across the length of the living room and out the apartment door without another word. Their father stepped out of the bedroom five minutes later, beckoning the girls to him while holding a finger to his lips.
"Would you like to meet your new little brother?" he whispered. His daughters nodded solemnly. He gathered Penny up in his arms before nudging open the bedroom door.
Rose lay in the center of the bed, her head and back propped up against the headboard by several pillows, cradling a tiny, wrinkled little person in her arms.
"Come here girls; come say hello to your new little brother, Leroy."
Metropolis, February 15, 2009. Lois waddled over to the door, wishing she could borrow her husband's x-ray vision…if only, say, for the next month and a half so I wouldn't need a forklift to get me out of my seat, she thought as she gazed through the peep hole. The back of a blond woman's head greeted her and she quickly flung open the door.
"Chloe Sullivan, you are not to go sneaking in and out of Metropolis without telling us you're here ever again, do you hear me?!" she admonished her guest as she ushered her into the apartment.
Chloe stepped forward and gave Lois a big hug, then shut the apartment door behind her. "I promise. Now let me get a good look at you!" She held her friend out at arm's length and examined her nearly eight month's pregnant form. "You are absolutely radiant!"
"Isn't she though?" Clark's voice sounded as he came striding down the hall. He was dressed in his Superman uniform and carrying a plastic grocery bag by the handles. Bending down and kissing his wife on the cheek, he held the bag aloft for both women to see. "Your gelato and pickles, just what you asked for…and there's plenty for the rest of us too," he added, winking at his friend before spinning out of the suit.
"How does he…?" Chloe asked as she watched him swap outfits in the blink of an eye, then casually retreat into the kitchen to stick the treat in the freezer.
"I don't know…I just don't know…" Lois said laughing, shaking her head. They took a seat on the sofa as Jason came zipping out of his room. The books on the coffee table flew open in his wake.
"Hi, Aunt Chloe!" the child exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Hey there, Sport!" She held her arms open and he rushed in for a hug. "How are you doing? How's school? Are you excited for your new brother or sister to get here?"
"I'm fine. Mom and Dad took me to see the new Sky Captain movie yesterday, and it was SO COOL! Dad stayed for the entire movie too, but he had to go out when we were going home." Chloe shot Lois a guilty look at that, knowing it was her call that sent Clark running the previous evening, while the other woman nodded knowingly. The little boy pressed on. "School's ok, only spelling is getting harder, but Mr. Jimmy and Uncle Perry are helping me with it when I go to work with Mom and Dad in the afternoons. Mr. Jimmy said that if I let Mom help me with my spelling homework I would never graduate the second grade," he added in a serious tone. From the back of the apartment Clark let out a deep laugh while Chloe sat on the couch busting a gut. "What?" he asked his mother, all doe-eyed and innocent.
"Did Mr. Jimmy really say that to you?" Lois asked indignantly, her cheeks flush in embarrassment.
"Uh huh. Why? Did he say something bad?"
Under her breath, Lois answered, "No, he didn't say something bad. He said something really bad…I am going to wring that man's neck with his own camera straps for that…"
Clark walked into the room and picked his son up, having heard every word his wife said. "Lois…" he said, shooting her a look. Turning his attention back to Jason, he replied, "No Son, Mr. Jimmy didn't say anything bad. Now how about you let your Mom, Aunt Chloe and I catch up a bit and then we'll head out to Grandma's to give her the Valentine's Day card you made her, ok? How does that sound?" He set him back down on the ground.
"Ok." The boy was about to speed out of the room when he turned to Chloe again. "And I can't wait for my little brother either!" he added before quitting the room.
His Aunt stared after him. "He really is gunning for a brother, isn't he?"
Lois nodded. "Yep. We've told him over and over again that it could be a boy OR a girl, but the way he keeps talking—'My brother this,' and 'Me and my brother that,'—it's making me a little nervous about how he'll react if isn't a boy. He's a good kid but he's prone to the occasional tantrum like anybody else and now that his strength is coming in…"
"Oh wow. I can see where that might be a problem. Clark, can't you just…?" she made the motion of lowering a pair of glasses while glancing at Lois' stomach.
"I could but I won't. I wouldn't even know where to start looking." She looked at him skeptically. "I mean I know what to look for, but what if I confuse part of the umbilical cord for…you know…and it turns out I'm wrong? Then Jason would get his hopes up and it would be even harder for him to accept a little sister if the baby is in fact a girl. Besides, Lois and I have agreed that this is one surprise we're willing to wait for."
"Ok then, well I'm fresh out of ideas but I'm sure it'll all work out for the best. And you never know, he may take the news better than you think if it is a girl."
"I hope so…" Lois said, glancing conspiratorially at her husband. "So, Chloe, care to tell us what brings you to Metropolis? Might it be a certain photographer friend of ours…?"
"Actually…" She launched into her story about the job interview at the 'Metropolan'. "I didn't say anything before because I didn't want you going crazy trying to accommodate me, given the condition you're in, plus it was all last minute anyway and the magazine paid for it. Jimmy and I have been in touch since your wedding, and so I called him up to see if he wanted to meet for drinks, while the rest of the story you already know. Nice job with the x-ray by the way," she said, turning to look at Clark, "I wasn't sure if you'd pick up on that or not."
"Hey now, I wasn't born yesterday!" he cried out indignantly. "Besides, I was just surprised to see you, so it was you who threw me off my A-game."
"Riiiiiiight…I threw you off your A-game…sure…" the two women laughed at Clark's expense and he just smirked.
"Ok then, but next time YOU can wait for the Police to come and haul your mugger in for you!" he added. That outburst just made them laugh harder. All the jostling soon caused Lois to excurse herself so she could use the bathroom, leaving the two old friends alone.
Chloe leaned forward in her seat, looking slightly guilty. "Clark, I wanted to ask you…about Smallville…"
"Do you need a lift? I can easily bring you out and drop you off at the farm with Jason, then come back for your bags."
"And here I thought I'd have to negotiate a price for my flight!" She flopped back into the sofa. "You should never go into business for yourself, Clark; you don't know how to bargain and you're too easy-going. What I was actually hoping for was a ride home tomorrow; the 'Metropolan' has me booked on a flight out tonight but I was hoping to spend one more day in the City."
"Well don't worry because no price is necessary—you can redeem your Superman Sky Miles anytime, God knows you've earned them."
"Thank you so much!" she reached over and gave him a hug. "There are still some things that I need to take care of here in the City…"
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "Some things or some one…?"
"Very funny you. Don't you have some village in Austria you have to save or something?"
He turned his head to listen for the sounds of an emergency requiring his attention. "Nope, 'fraid not. But I guess now is as good a time as any to head out to Mom's before something serious does pop up…" he got up from his armchair as Lois re-entered the room. "Honey, I'm going to take Jason to my mother's for a bit. We'll bring back dinner when we're done—is there anything special you want?"
Lois nibbled on her lower lip in thought for a moment. "Maybe some of those spicy Thai noodles that you picked up last week?"
He shot her another look to which she responded non-verbally, causing him to shrug his shoulders in defeat. "Alright…but when this one keeps you up at night again doing the Rumba because of all that spice don't blame me…" He placed a large hand over her stomach and she held it there, leaning up to kiss him full on the lips. Chloe averted her gaze, feeling like an intruder in her friends' home at the sight of such a tender moment; it also reminded her of the married life she had always envisioned herself as having. Lois re-situated herself on the sofa.
"What was that about spicy noodles? And the Rumba?"
Lois tossed back her head laughing, leting her chestnut hair fall down her shoulders. "You would not BELIEVE how much this one craves spice, and then how active he or she gets at night. It's insane!" She looked down at her stomach. "Nighttime is for sleeping little one!"
"I'm sure that's something I'll just have to experience for myself someday." Jason raced back down the hallway for his jacket and backpack before heading into his parent's room to urge his father along. "How come you're not going with them?"
She tossed a hand up in the air and clasped another over her stomach. "I just don't feel all that comfortable flying long distances at this stage in the game—even in Clark's very capable hands—not to mention that I have to pee like every fifteen minutes which makes traveling anywhere all the more difficult."
"And still MORE to look forward to if I ever find myself in the family way! Ok then…since it's going to be just us this afternoon, how about we do a little shopping? The mall has plenty of bathrooms AND plenty of baby stores; I need to get a jump on the title of coolest aunt ever in the eyes of my new little niece or nephew."
"Ha ha ha, well with incentives like that, why not? So long as I don't have to buy another pair of extra-extra large maternity pants I am yours for the afternoon; just give me a minute to change my shirt first. You should know though, that unlike your super-charged friend here," she hiked her thumb at Clark, now back in his primary-colored suit and re-entering the living room with Jason in tow, "I don't move at any speed faster than a waddle."
"I'll consider myself fairly warned, and feel free to take all the time you need, I'll be waiting right here." Lois headed on down to the bedroom and Chloe stood up, watching her friend as he knelt down to be at eye level with his son.
"Did you remember to bring the Valentine's Day pictures you made for Grandma?"
"Yep, they're in my backpack, see?" Jason pulled out a handful of colorful drawings.
"Ok then," he straightened up, towering over the others in the room. "Well Chloe, it looks like I'll be seeing you tomorrow. Just give me a call whenever you're ready to head out and I'll meet you at your hotel."
"Or anywhere else on Earth, for that matter. You never know, I may call up Batman and hitch a ride to Gotham or something."
"Wiseacre," he said with a chuckle as she bent down to hug his son good-bye.
She straightened up, grinning at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thanks again for the lift."
He shot her his trademark mega-watt smile then proceeded to toss Jason playfully over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, causing the boy to howl with laughter. "Bye, Aunt Chloe!" he cried out, waving, before his father turned him around and they headed out the living room window.
"No matter how long I've known you, it is still so cool to see you do that," she said aloud in the empty living room, knowing he could still hear her even with his head up in the clouds.
"Ready to go?" Lois asked, walking back into the room.
"Absolutely." Chloe grabbed her purse from beside her on the sofa and headed to the front door as they retrieved their coats. Lois took her house keys out of her purse and moved out into the hallway, locking the apartment shut behind her.
"So, you and Jimmy…"