Part 3 - O'Neal and Schmitt
Superman was about to go home, but as he came closer to the ambulance house which was on the way, he spotted the old paramedic. He hovered in the air above for a time, trying to decide if he should talk to him or not. Finally he chose to go down, deciding he would get some of the answers Lois and him would look for the next day, right now.
He landed softly far behind the elder paramedic who was just about done cleaning the ambulance, putting clean red 'hazard' bags and new emergency materials within. There were two others with him, one who was currently checking the tires and the other in the ambulance, helping the veteran.
He waited until they were done before he stepped forward, going into the building, the garage door to the place being wide open.
It only took a moment for them to see him.
"Uh, we'll finish up inside Boss…" one said, awed by their visitor while knowing his boss would probably want to talk to him alone. His boss gave them a nod before walking towards Superman.
Superman didn't have his arms crossed, instead just had them at his sides, patiently waiting.
The aged paramedic came to a stop a few feet from him, unsure of what he should expect. Was Superman angry? Sad? What?
"Superman, I…I
should have just told you," he began before Superman shook his head
and lifted up his hand.
"No, I'm glad
you didn't tell me. I wouldn't have believed you." He stated as
he looked at the man's name tag: 'O'Neal'.
"Because you were
certain that he wasn't?"
Superman nodded.
"But I didn't
come here to go over what had happened after I arrived, O'Neal."
"You want to know
about the fire?"
"Yes. I am pretty
certain that it was a gas heater and that it was probably an
accident, but I want to know if David had been alone and where you
had found him."
"David? Oh… sorry, I didn't know that that was his name, they haven't released much information to us. The Firemen found him along with a young woman on the eleventh floor in her apartment. She was babysitting him."
"Is she alright?"
"Well, I'm not sure, she was leaving the scene just as you landed. They had found her attempting to get into the burning area to get David, but soon after they got there she collapsed. If she hadn't been trying so hard, we might not have known he was in there and-," he didn't bother finishing the sentence, but went on. "Anyways, she was on her way to Andrews when you arrived."
"So it was the gas heater?"
"Yes, the heater system was old, and one of the pipes had severe corrosion making the gas leak enough to cause today's catastrophe. One of my firemen friends told me what they had recovered. Apparently the corroded part of the pipe was just far enough into the wall that an inspector would not have discovered it. Some other pipes ran slightly above it and gathered just enough condensation to allow moisture to gather and drip onto the gas pipe occasionally. Slowly corroding it."
"Until the gas it
held was released," Superman said, exhaling slightly.
"Superman, even if
you were there when the spark occurred, the people who had been most
hurt, and David, would still have been. Gas explosions are monsters,
all anyone can do is help the people get out after its attack, for
the damage is done."
Superman nodded
solemnly, his eyes still focused on O'Neal.
"Superman, if I'm prying just don't answer…but why would you not have believed me if I had told you?"
Superman looked at this man who had seen so much in his work, who had possibly saved more lives than even he himself. He took a breath and exhaled before finally speaking.
"I trust you will keep this to yourself?" he asked, already knowing the answer by the look on the man's weathered face. O'Neal nodded. "He had spoken to me. Don't ask me how or why, but he did. Nothing like this has ever happened, and I seriously doubt it will ever again."
"So you were
answering him," O'Neal states.
"Yes."
Silence past between them for a time, both of them thinking.
"I have seen and
experienced a great deal of things that should have been impossible,
even things that made me question my sanity, but they all happened
and all have one thing in common."
"And what is
that?" Superman asked, quite relieved to see this man actually
believed him and wasn't giving him a look of
'oh-my-gosh-superman-has-lost-it!'.
"They happened for a reason," he replied simply before continuing. "Superman, most of us can only imagine what you must see everyday, and I doubt anyone can contemplate or comprehend it all, including you. We are both in the occupation of rescue, and I am sure we both need to vent, so to speak. So, if you need any help or want to talk or anything, just ask."
"I just might take
you up on that offer," Superman replied, extending his hand for a
shake, knowing it was time for them both to be going their separate
ways.
"You know where to
find me," O'Neal said, taking his hand. "And it's Jim."
"Thanks, Jim."
And with that, Superman took to the skies.
- - -
Lois and Clark went to work the next day, Clark telling her that Superman had told him what had transpired the night before and that he would wait for them to get back to him before he went to speak to Dr. Johnson.
"How was he,
Clark?" Lois asked after they had both started their work, Lois
looking over the magazine articles.
"Who?" Clark
asked.
Lois looked around to make sure no one was in ear shot. "Superman. How was he?"
"Oh, umm."
How should he describe himself?
"I suppose he was quieter than normal…"
That wasn't exactly a lie…
"I hope he's doing better today. I don't think many people realize how much he goes through…his body might be invincible but his heart definitely isn't."
Clark looked at her,
not knowing what to say. Lois looked up at him, sort of startled to
find him staring at her.
"What Clark?"
"Nothing…" he
replied, giving her a smile before looking back to his computer
screen.
Lois couldn't help but give him an odd look, wondering what that had been about before she too went back to reading.
"Clark, I don't
think we will get anything else from reading, I think we need to go
to some different sources."
"Like who?"
"How about the one
who was babysitting. You said she was sent to Andrew's right?"
"Yeah, but I don't
think…"
"We can just see
how she's doing, we don't need to ask her questions, I'm
sure someone there will know something that can help us, after all,
we are doing this first and foremost to help Superman, right?"
"Yeah, but what
else do we need to look into?""I don't know,
but I'm sure any information we find out will help Superman when he
actually goes to Dr. Johnson."
"Alright."
- - -
Saint Andrew's Hospital
"Mr. Kent, Ms.
Lane, you are not family," the nurse started, standing in front of
them, hands on her hips.
"Yes, but -"
"You are not going to do any interviews, she has just gone through a lot. Losing her home and having lost so much more. That boy was like a brother to her you know, so I think she would appreciate being-left-alone," she snapped, using every fifty-six inches of her being to intimidate.
"Nurse Schmitt…" Clark said, taking a soft step towards her, making her need to look up even more, her eyes still narrowed. "Can we talk somewhere?"
He had asked so gently and his eyes had been so pleading that the anger in Nurse Schmitt lifted slightly.
"Fine," she answered, not about to let them know that her hatred towards them had melted somewhat. She was not a fan of the press.
Clark could not imagine his luck. He had spoken to this same woman a few weeks ago after dropping off some people from that mall fire. Though he had spoken to her as Superman, he knew she had a heart of gold despite her hard exterior that possibly rivaled his invulnerability.
She was the first hospital worker that he had ever really come in contact with while in his suit, and he was surprised at how relaxed she was around him. He internally smiled at the memory of her remarkable authority, not even blinking an eye when she told him, told him, where to place the people he had just flown in.
Her coworkers gaped at her, then gaped even more when Superman actually did as she said, and then many more stared in near shock when he said, "Thanks, Nurse Schmitt, I'm glad you're here directing me."
That statement had gotten him a heart filled smile as well as a blush from the short drill sergeant-like nurse.
"Make this quick
Mr. Kent. Don't make me call security," she said, closing the
door of the small empty patient room behind her once the three of
them had entered.
"Yes. Well, we
aren't here for a story." Clark stated.
Schmitt's eyes grew wide in skeptical disbelief before looking to Lois for confirmation.
"He's right,
we're not here for a story."
With a raised
eyebrow, Schmitt asked the first logical question that came to mind.
"Then what are you
doing here?"
"Nurse Schmitt, we are here to gather information for a friend, a friend who you had met a few weeks ago."
Lois gave a sideways glance at Clark, curious to see where he was taking this.
"And what 'friend'
may that be?" Schmitt asked while bordering annoyance. She was not
the type to be tricked or swindled in anyway.
"I believe he told
me you had helped him in delivering patients to the correct areas
here. He told me himself that he was relieved to have someone, what
was the word? Oh, to 'direct' him," Clark said with a smile.
Her suspicious and hard look evaporated almost instantly, and if Lois hadn't seen it herself she would not have believed such a stern woman could transform in such a way. She looked as if she was about to go bake cookies for them.
"Oh! Well. Mr. Kent, my apologizes. What do you wish to know?" she asked, shocked at the word he used, instantly knowing the 'friend' he was referring to was none other than Superman.
"Well, our mutual friend wants to have any information concerning David," Clark went on, becoming serious. "He feels that it will be beneficial to him for he wishes to talk to the boy's mother," he told her softly.
She nodded knowingly
and upon seeing Clark's questioning look at seeing her response,
she decided she needed to come clean. "One of the paramedics who is
my friend seemed to think that Superman might want to do that. He had
been at the scene."
"Oh."
"He only confided
in me since he knew I was one of the few people he knew of who had
had a conversation with Superman that was longer than, 'thanks'."
Clark smiled at that as Schmitt went to one of the chairs and sat down.
"Am I right to
assume that what I'm about to say will stay between us?"
"Yes Ma'am,"
Lois agreed, pulling the stool that was in the corner out to sit on.
Clark continued to stand.
"Am I also right to assume you know about May Johnson's husband and daughter?" she looked to Clark who sadly nodded his head. "Okay. That had happened two years ago mind you, just to be clear." She sighed, sliding herself to the edge of her chair before she continued. "Dr. Johnson I don't know personally, but I know many who do, and I know many who knew her son, David. Not because of her being a doctor, but because of her son."
"What do you mean,
'because of her son'?" Lois asked.
"Her son was a
patient. He had cancer."
Lois and Clark locked eyes, both feeling as if they had been internally bombarded by an incomprehensible force that could only be described as immense, shouting at them that they were onto something bigger than themselves. There was no question about it now, there was no chance what-so-ever that any of this could just have been coincidence. There was something extraordinary at work here.
"He had been diagnosed a month ago and had started his treatment soon after. Some of his treatment being here, while the rest was at Saint General. That was why Ms. Megan began babysitting him, or rather, home schooling him. School was obviously out of the question and so Megan, who just finished college and who was a long time friend of the family, was asked to teach him and watch him while his mom was at work. She was paid by Dr. Johnson of course, though Megan said it wasn't necessary because she could easily work from her computer while David did his school work. She had a knack for making websites."
"Will she be alright?" Lois asked, only knowing her condition was no longer 'critical'.
"Physically at least. She arrived here with smoke inhalation that concerned the doctors at first and moderate burns to her hands and such, but she is recovering well now. She is still not receiving visitors, except family and close friends, before you ask," she continued.
Clark and Lois nodded, understanding.
"Thank you."
"Anything I can do
to help a fellow friend," she replied, before standing up to escort
them out, her drill sergeant persona suddenly being switched back on
as she stepped out of the room.
- - -
Part 4 should be up by tomorrow.
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