Chapter 3

"Emil, I need your help," Clark blurted, whirling the man in question around and practically dragging him down the corridor.

"Well, I'm right in the middle of – oof – could you hold on a minute?" Emil snapped as he stumbled. Wrenching out of Clark's grip, he smoothed the wrinkles out of his white coat, adjusted his glasses, and then looked calmly up at the man in front of him. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

Clark's hands clenched into fists and then opened at his sides in an unconscious gesture of anxiety. "It's Lois," he explained, scooting out of the way of two nurses as they walked down the hall. "She's – there's something wrong with her."

A frown creased Emil's brow. "How so? Is she experiencing side effects from the – ah – the procedure she underwent the last time I saw her?" He was careful to avoid being too explicit, in case anyone overheard their conversation.

"No, this doesn't have anything to do with that," Clark said. He heaved a heavy sigh and speared his fingers through his hair. "It's…uh…hard to explain." At the doctor's expectant look, he lowered his voice and hissed, "She wants to have sex with me."

Emil waited for a long minute but no more explanation was forthcoming. "Okay," he replied, drawing out the word dubiously. "And this is a problem?"

"Yes, it's a problem!" Clark cried. "We agreed to take it slow!"

Another beat passed between them, and then the doctor cleared his throat. "Well, Clark, that certainly sounds…uh…look, you do know I'm a doctor and not a sex therapist, right?"

"You don't seem to understand, Emil. I don't need a sex therapist; I need a doctor. Lois needs a doctor! There's something wrong with her!" Clark snapped.

"And you know this because she wants to have sex with you," Emil clarified.

"It's more than that," Clark replied. "She's – she's insistent about it. She doesn't want to take no for an answer."

"That must be terrible for you," Emil deadpanned. "Listen, I can tell that you're worried, but I have yet to hear anything that gives me cause for concern. You and Lois are dating. She wants to take your relationship to the next level. That sounds perfectly normal to me. I know your life is…complicated, but trust me. Here, in the world of…" He glanced around at the people passing by before correcting himself, "In the regular world? It's actually a good thing when your girlfriend wants to have sex with you."

Clark frowned in frustration. "Look, could you at least take a look at her? Maybe if you see her, you'll understand."

Doctor Hamilton glanced at the desk and the pile of folders that indicated a backlog of patients, and he sighed. On the one hand, it seemed like Clark was overreacting. On the other hand, he presumably wouldn't be so panicked if he didn't have cause. If he said his girlfriend wasn't acting like herself, there was probably a reason why he was concerned.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," he agreed.

"Hurry," Clark implored, before whirling and charging down the hallway.

A short while later, Emil walked into Lois's exam room, and what he saw there was a surprise to say the least. Lois was dressed in a hospital gown, perched on the edge of the exam table. She had Clark's tie in her fist, and they were kissing passionately, her legs wrapped around his thighs. He was bent over her as she lay back against the table, one hand supporting his weight as she arched her body against his.

Emil tried to get control of the room – or at the very least get the occupants' attention and break the tableau. "Good afternoon, Miss Lane. I'm Docto-oof!" Emil broke off as the edge of the counter caught him right in the solar plexus. He'd been so distracted by the scene in front of him that he'd walked right into it.

"Emil!" Clark yelped, jerking upright. He had to tug his tie out of Lois's hand in order to pull away from her. "We were just…uh…"

"I'm Doctor Hamilton, and I'm going to be looking you over today," Emil wheezed, trying to act as if nothing untoward had just happened, scanning the patient report in his hand to give Clark a moment to collect himself. In his peripheral vision, he could see Lois reach for Clark again and him dance out of her reach.

When she couldn't get her hands on Clark again, Lois sighed in disappointment and turned her attention back to the doctor. Throwing him a speculative look, she tapped her fingertip against her lower lip thoughtfully. "A threesome, Clark? I've never really been into that kind of thing before…and I'm a little surprised that you are." Bracing her weight on one palm, she continued, "And with a male doctor, no less? I would have expected a nurse at the very least."

Emil's pen twisted on the paper and then skittered across the floor as he dropped the chart he'd been holding. He coughed to cover his discomfort while Clark's face turned a lurid red. "Lois, he's not – I mean, that's not –!" Clark stammered.

"I'm just going to run a few tests." The doctor threw the poor beleaguered man a lifeline and practically attacked Lois with a thermometer, trying to get through the standard tests in record time.

He was just pulling the blood pressure cuff off her arm when she leaned forward and grabbed the hem of his white lab coat, running it thoughtfully between her fingers. "You know, Clark, I'm not up for a threesome, but now that I think about it, you may have been onto something. I never thought about it before, but these white coats are kinda sexy."

"Ahhh…" Emil said nervously, not sure if she was trying to come on to him or if she was teasing Clark, who looked like he was about to suffer an apoplectic fit as his face went straight from red to deep purple. Whatever Lois's intentions, the doctor was in a very uncomfortable position – and possibly a dangerous one. On the receiving end of the Blur's jealousy was probably not an enviable place to be.

Sure enough, Clark practically lifted him off his feet and set him aside so he could put his body between his girlfriend and the doctor who was currently the recipient of her attention. For her part, Lois didn't seem the least bit perturbed to have been so thwarted, because she jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Nipping his earlobe with her teeth, she purred, "You bring me here to do a little roleplaying, Clark? I'm a sick patient, and you're the hot doctor who's willing to do everything in his power to make me feel better?"

He groaned, an agonized sound, as she ran her palms down his chest. "N-no, that's not –" he stammered, and he had to suck in a sharp breath before he could continue. "That's not exactly what I had in mind, Lois."

She slipped her fingers under the line of his pants. "No? You'd prefer me to be a nurse? Or maybe a candy striper?"

"But where would we get the nurse's cost - no!" he caught himself. Grabbing her hands, Clark spun her around, holding her against his body, her arms tight across her chest so she couldn't grab onto him again. "Are there any other tests you need to run, Doctor?" he asked desperately in a strained voice.

Emil cleared his throat. "Well, I should probably check her heart," he said, lifting his stethoscope.

Lois grinned and wiggled in Clark's arms, causing him to let out another agonized groan. "I think he wants me to lower my gown," she said teasingly, tilting her head back so she could throw Clark a saucy grin.

"No. He doesn't," Clark growled through gritted teeth, pulling her tighter against his body in an attempt to minimize the effect of her squirming. "Her heart is fine."

"But he said –" she began to protest.

"It's fine!" he snapped, interrupting her. Emil wasn't about to argue the point; if Clark said that Lois's heart rate was normal, he was more than happy to take him at his word.

"Well, then, I think I'll just take a sample of blood and we'll be finished here!" Emil said hastily, grabbing a vial and a syringe out of a nearby drawer. "Er…she really should be seated for this," he added apologetically.

Clark winced. "Right," he said, but he didn't move.

Emil waited a minute, and then he prompted, "Clark?"

"Give me a minute, here," Clark snapped. Then, sucking in a sharp breath, he released Lois's arms and whirled her around. Grabbing her waist, he lifted her easily and perched her on the edge of the exam table, angling his body so his hips were tilted away from Doctor Hamilton's view.

"Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you do that?" Lois purred, pinning him between her legs again. "I never told you this, but right after we first met? When we were in the hospital together, and I said you'd have to go through me if you wanted to leave, and you moved me out of the way? It was a hell of a turn-on." Leaning towards him, she breathed, "Remember how we first met? When I found you naked in a cornfield and brought you to the hospital…if you ask me, we should relive that moment. You're just wearing a few too many clothes…"

Clark grabbed her hands as they reached for his tie. "Lois, please," he begged, the muscles of his neck corded as he tried to retain the tenuous grasp he had on his control. "Could we do this fast, please?"

He had been talking to the doctor, but Lois grinned. "How fast do you want it?" she asked suggestively.

"Jesus," Clark moaned, holding her arm out so the doctor could take a sample of blood.

Emil drew the blood as quickly as he could. "Okay, I think we should be done here," he said, hurriedly stepping away and scribbling a note on her chart. "Lois, why don't you go ahead and get changed back into your regular clothes? I'm just going to have a quick word with Clark in the hall."

"He can stay if he wants," she offered as Clark broke away, but Emil didn't miss a beat as he propelled the man in question out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Well?" Clark demanded, his eyes focused on the door to the exam room.

Emil frowned. "All the tests I ran were normal, but maybe the blood test will tell us something more. Can you think of anything that might explain her sudden change in behavior? Clark? Clark?"

Clark jumped, finally tearing his eyes off the door to look down at the doctor again, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "Er…no," he offered. "I mean, not as far as I know. I'll look into it. I should give Chloe a call to see if she can – Ollie! What are you doing here?" he broke off as the tall blonde man strolled up to them. Doctor Hamilton knew Oliver Queen well, so no introductions were necessary.

Oliver looked surprised to see his friend there. "I came to see Doctor Hamilton, actually. Just looking into something for Dinah. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well, I wanted the doctor to have a look at –" At that moment, the exam room door flew open, and Lois stood in the doorway, thankfully fully clothed. "Lois," he finished weakly.

Oliver opened his mouth to ask what was up, but Lois cut him off. "Ollie!" she cried as she caught sight of the newcomer. Brushing past Emil, she leaned towards her ex-boyfriend and asked in a low voice, "You know, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you. Where did you get your outfits?" Oliver let out a nervous chuckle, thrown by her uncharacteristic behavior, and she continued, "Because I have to say, all that leather is kind of sexy, and I was thinking…"

Clark had no intention of letting her finish that thought. Instead, he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, putting his body between her and her ex-boyfriend.

"Uh…I kinda wanted to know what she was about to say," Ollie interjected.

"No," Clark barked.

"But I think she was –" Ollie tried again.

This time, Clark's voice was an angry growl. "No. Don't even think about it."

Ollie's eyes almost bugged out of his head when she leaned on tiptoes and breathed in Clark's ear, "Getting a little possessive, there, Smallville? We could always go back into the exam room and picked up where we left off."

Emil cleared his throat as Ollie's eyebrows shot up. "Uh…where exactly did you leave off?" he prompted curiously.

Clark ignored him, and Lois tried to move around him, he held her where she was. Trying to pretend he hadn't been interrupted, he said, "I really want to look into this, see if I can find out what happened. But I'm not sure I should leave her, and I think it's clear I can't take her with me."

"I could probably have her admitted into the hospital for a few hours, if you'd like," Doctor Hamilton suggested.

"Or I could keep an eye on her for a while. I don't really have plans this afternoon," Ollie offered.

Clark shook his head firmly at both offers. "No," he retorted. While Lois seemed to be focusing the majority of her efforts on him, he remembered her provocative questions to both Emil and Oliver. He didn't want to take the chance that she would redirect her efforts, if he left her alone.

Figuring the two men could use a few moments to work things out, Emil tapped Lois on the shoulder until he had her attention. "There's some paperwork I need you to fill out before we can release you. If you'll come with me?"

As they walked away down the hall, Clark shoved his hands in his pants pockets and asked, "What about Chloe? I could leave her at Watchtower for a couple of hours."

His suggestion was immediately shot down, however, as Ollie shook his head. "She's still out of town, remember? Victor and Bart needed her help."

Clark grimaced. "Right." He growled something darkly under his breath. Running a hand through his hair, which had already been mussed by Lois's fingers, he sighed heavily. "I just wish we had a clue what happened to her," he muttered.

Ollie shot him a sympathetic smile. "Look, I know you're worried about leaving her alone, but she'd be safe with me for a few hours. It wouldn't be a problem, really."

This time, Clark didn't even bother to consider the suggestion. "With her curious about your leather collection?" he shot back. "Not a chance."

"What do you think is going to happen? Lois means a lot to me. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"That's my point," Clark snarled through gritted teeth. "Lois means a lot to you, and right now, she's…persistent. Very persistent. Are you absolutely sure you wouldn't give in if she pushed you hard enough?"

Ollie was honest enough with himself that he simply grinned and shrugged. Clark had a point, but he couldn't resist the urge to needle his friend, just a little bit. "Well, she is my ex-girlfriend. I'm pretty used to how persistent she can be." Clark growled, deep in his throat, and started to storm off. "Are you sure you don't want me to watch over her for a little while?" Ollie called after him."

"Absolutely not!" Clark shot back over his shoulder.

As he watched Clark walk away, Ollie sighed. "Some guys have all the luck."