A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed this fiction. I truly appreciate all the positive feedback that I have received and I intend to use all suggestions in some way. I used the real names of streets in New York City. It's a wonderful town.
This chapter will be heavy in medical and nursing care directed to our hero. If you are uncomfortable with medical/nursing descriptions which will be somewhat graphic, stop reading now. Because of my strong medical and nursing background, I am trying to be as realistic as I can be without being gruesome.
Acknowledgements:
Thank you JessieDog for reviewing nursing care for appropriateness especially with regard to lactation issues.
I promise LexLives that I will use all of your suggestions.
Saavikam69, look out for Brad reappearing. He will resurface looking for revenge on Clark for his job loss.
Disclaimers:
I don't receive any payment for this fiction and I don't want to infringe on any copyrights. I'm having so much fun with this fiction; I just can't put the toys away. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Now on with the story. Enjoy.
Chapter 4
New York, NY, the United Nations Headquarters
Agent Thornton walked confidently down a corridor in the U.N. building. He simply used the same material that he used with the U.S. National Security Agency the previous day. He firmly believed that his fate was inextricably tied to eliminating all non-humans on the Earth for the good of humanity. The NSA members argued that Superman's behavior was purely benevolent since his arrival on the planet however, their protests withered before his photographs of the dead women and men.
The necropsy photographs of the embryos and fetuses clinched his argument. After all, they saw what horrors Kryptonians perpetrated on humans. "Do you want to wait until Superman unleashes a small army of super-powered human-Kryptonian hybrids bred in his Fortress? How long would it take for them to grow to sexual maturity? How many innocent human women would be forced to incubate their army? This is not a new idea. There are many stories of aliens or 'gods' kidnapping human women and impregnating them. It exists in literature and in recent history. Look at the powerful Greek god, Zeus, raping Europa or Ganymede. Those women could not defend themselves and look at the outcome. This example might have only been allegory or legend but look at modern reports of women who claimed to be raped by the "gray aliens"(1) to create human-alien hybrids. Can you discount these reports? In light of the atrocities perpetrated by the Kryptonian renegades, can you take a chance? Don't wait until there are too many for humanity to overcome."
He emphasized that he was not discriminating against Superman or his offspring. He would also object to the Martian Manhunter mixing his DNA with humans. However the Martian Manhunter was self-exiled to the Watchtower Satellite and as long as he remained there, he would not be problematic. He exited the building into the cool morning air assured of the mandate that he had received.
The United Nations Security Council wasted no time in deciding Superman's fate and the fate of his offspring. Agent Thornton and his team were charged to use all available resources to find Superman and his offspring. They were to be restrained for "study only" and were not to be injured in any way. Their fate would depend on Superman's coöperation, namely permanent imprisonment and voluntary sterilization. Thornton knew that imprisonment meant slow Kryptonite poisoning to suppress his and the offspring's powers. This would be a death sentence as it was for Zod, Ursa and Non. If it meant saving humanity, so be it.
A government car waited for him in front of the U.N. building. The driver was Elliot Von Nast accompanied by Mona Horn. Thornton knew that these two agents were totally committed to the cause. Both saw the atrocities carried out by Zod and his minions.
"How did it go with the Security Council?" asked Horn, her dark eyes flashing, questioning Thornton as he entered the car.
Thornton responded while lighting a cigarette. "They're committed to the search but they don't want the K-man(2) or his offspring injured. They seem to think that K-man will sit quietly in a cell with his bastard. We need to get to Metropolis to set up the search operation. Even though K-man has not reappeared in public with K-2, we need to begin the search where he was last seen. There's a private jet waiting for us at LaGuardia Airport. We'll set up an operational base in Metropolis today then, we'll start our search at the Daily Planet." The black government car pulled away from the curb to merge with traffic crossing the Triborough Bridge to Queens and a flight to Metropolis. The trio discussed search strategies.
"You know, we have no idea if K-man's offspring is male or female," said Von Nast turning onto Ditmars Blvd. to enter the airport.
"What does it matter," said Horn coolly. "We saw the human corpses. They're not human. Think of it like you're exterminating a hornet and its nest. K-man and K-2 are not our kind. They never belonged here and we need to rid ourselves of Kryptonian technology so that the likes of Luthor can never abuse it again."
Thornton smiled to himself thinking that Von Nast and Horn were good soldiers, committed to the cause and capable of being totally ruthless. He puffed on his cigarette aware that theirs was a holy campaign to rid the Earth of those who would pollute the purity of the human race. He would succeed where others had failed. He thought of that oaf, Lex Luthor. Luthor was more interested in self-aggrandizement than ridding the planet of a menace. Thornton believed that his motives were pure and altruistic therefore assuring his success. In no time, K-man and K-2 would have no place to hide. Public option would quickly turn against them. No place on this planet would be safe for them and that's exactly what he wanted.
Clark's SUV on the way to the Kent Family compound
Clark awoke in his SUV to hear Bruce swearing under his breath. They were stuck in traffic behind an accident. The SUV crawled at five miles per hour. Jordan slept but Karala continued loud wailing. "She's hungry Boy Scout. What are you going to do about it," he hissed.
Clark looked perplexed as Bruce silently looked at his chest and jerked his head toward the baby. "You want me to feed her here? Now? Have you lost your mind? How would it look for me to 'whip out a nipple' for her every time she whimpered?"
"You better get use to it Boy Scout! Besides, what do nursing mothers usually do in this situation? Let me answer for you. They 'whip out a nipple' and feed the kid. I'll pull onto the shoulder. Traffic isn't moving anyway. Get a blanket & cover yourself up. I'll bring her over to you.
Bruce exited the SUV avoiding traffic. He thought to himself that it's good that the SUV's windows are tinted. No one would detect Clark's activities. He carefully unbuckled the crying baby from her carrier and lifted her out. He murmured little sounds to her and she responded to his voice. "She knows her uncle's voice already," he said as he grinningly handed her to Clark. Clark had used a moist wipe to cleanse his chest then placed the hungry baby under the blanket. She immediately rooted to his breast and the occupants of the SUV enjoyed the first quiet time in twenty minutes.
"See Boy Scout, that wasn't so difficult, was it?"
Clark just sighed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I guess it really isn't; I'm just so tired. How will I be able to care for the babies and still undergo the healing sleep?"
"Don't worry. I've told you already; it's all worked out. The Raohim have carefully planned to sit with you and the children for the next week if you need the time." Clark just slumped against the passenger side door, his head against the window and his daughter at his breast. Bruce frowned and activated his JLA communicator. "Tower, we are less than fifteen minutes from destination. The subject is slipping. Everyone must be ready on arrival, over."
The response from J'onn J'onzz was terse but clear, "Tower to transport understood. We're ready, out." J'onn called the JLA members waiting at Clark's house. Green Arrow as Oliver Queen assisted the Flash as Wally West to complete setting up the med bay unit in Clark's basement room. The basement playroom opened into a glass enclosed greenhouse/patio. They planned to keep Clark in bright sunshine as much as possible. Oliver turned Wally, "we've got to speed it up; they're less than fifteen minutes away & Clark's not doing well. I'll see if Ceci's ready."
He turned into the adjacent play area where Ceci Woods(3) set up an IV. "They're almost here Miss Ceci. Bruce says that Clark's not doing well. Are you ready?" Ceci turned her rotund, 5'2" frame to Oliver Queen who towered over her head.
"Yes, I'm ready, Mr. Queen. Make sure that the stretcher is ready for him. I don't want him walking around. Has Mrs. Kent arrived yet?"
"J'onn plans to teleport her in a few minutes. First he's teleporting the IV fluids from STAR Labs. We're trying to be inconspicuous with our activities. We don't want to draw too much attention to Clark's home."
"They're here," yelled Wally as he raced outside to meet Bruce and his charges.
"Go see how things are going Mr. Queen. I'll meet you outside. J'onn is teleporting Miss Martha now. Ceci took the teleported IV fluids to the basement refrigerator.
"Okay," replied Oliver as he walked outside to meet Bruce. The SUV pulled up to the garage and Bruce quickly exited. "Hey team, Clark fell asleep while feeding Karala. We need to awaken him." He opened the passenger door slowly assuring that Clark didn't tumble out. He slept soundly.
"Boy Scout, you're home! Come on. You need to give us Karala and get out the van."
"Wh…what?" replied Clark sleepily, promptly returning to a sound sleep.
"We're going to need to lift him out. I'll take Karala & you guys get him out." Bruce removed the obscuring blanket to find Karala sleeping & firmly nestled in her father's arms but latched to his left breast. Bruce attempted to remove her but she redoubled her suckling reflex to remain latched. The JLA team members looked at each other perplexed about what to do next.
"What do we do now?" asked Wally.
Oliver turned to Wally & replied, "get Ceci and Martha. Women know about these things and will know what to do."
Bruce turned to them and said confidently, "I know what to do. You don't need to be a woman; you just need to surf the Internet. He took a small bottle of hand cleanser out of an inner jacket pocket & swiftly cleansed his hands. Carefully he inserted his pinky finger into the corner of her little mouth forcing her to break the suction grip she had on Clark's breast. Neither Karala nor Clark awoke during this minor procedure. "See, nothing to it when you know what to do." He placed the sleeping baby in her carrier while Oliver removed Jordan from the SUV.
Oliver replied drily, "I'll remember that the next time I have a baby latched on to one of my breasts. Wally clutched his chest and muttered, "wow, that's gotta hurt." Meanwhile, Ceci and Martha joined the men in the driveway.
"Hi everybody," said Martha as she greeted the JLA members. She kissed each baby while they slept. Then, she turned to the passenger side of the SUV and gasped to see three League members attempting to coerce Clark out of his seat. Bruce glanced up to and smiled at her. "Sorry you had to see this Mrs. Kent. We're just gently coaxing him out of the van. He's isn't really cooperating." Bruce pushed while Oliver pulled on Clark's arms and Wally attempted to get his legs out of the vehicle.
"Come on fellas; I'm tired. Just let me sleep here," mumbled Clark in a sleepy haze. He attempted to roll up into a tight ball in the van.
"Excuse me gentlemen, I might be able to help you here," said Martha softly. She turned to the van and said in a clear firm voice. "Clark Jerome Kent!"
He immediately jerked his head up and responded with his eyes closed in a sheepish voice. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Come out of the van this instant and coöperate with these gentlemen."
"Yes ma'am," he responded again in a quiet sheepish voice with his eyes half closed. He stopped struggling and put an unsteady foot out of the van. Within seconds, he stood wobbly next to the van with Bruce holding him up on one side.
"Wally pull the stretcher next to the van," to which Wally responded by having the stretcher within inches of Clark.
"Now Clark, open your eyes so you can see where you're going. Do you see the stretcher? I want you to get onto the stretcher and get comfortable. We'll have you indoors in a few minutes."
"Thanks Mom. I'm so tired and I just need some sleep," he responded weakly while settling onto the stretcher. He rolled onto his side and buried his head into the soft pillows with a faint smile on his face.
"I know son and we're going to help you get that rest," as she kissed him softly on his forehead. She then nodded to the men to take him into the house.
Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "If we want him to do anything, don't fight him. I suggest we call his Mom. He'll listen to her even if he's comatose." The stretcher bearing its sleepy occupant proceeded to the rear of the house to enter the improvised basement med bay.
Ceci called out, "Bring the stretcher over here please gentlemen. We need to get him out of his clothes." She pulled back the sheets & bedspread on the bed while setting up the intravenous infusion angiocath. She turned back to find the JLA members looking at each other. "Come on gentlemen, we're wasting time here. Start by taking off his jacket, trousers and shoes. Don't you fellas have showers up there on that Watchtower of yours? After all his equipment is no different from yours."
"I don't think you understand Ceci. This is Superman we'll be undressing!" Wally responded meekly.
Ceci rolled her eyes at that statement. "Oh, I'll do it myself. Clark, this is Ceci. I need to get you out of your clothes. Sit up." She helped him into a sitting position as Martha entered the room carrying Jordan while Bruce followed her cooing at Karala.
Bruce looked at the comical scene of Ceci pulling Clark's jacket off while Wally and Oliver stood staring at their feet. "What are you people waiting for? Help the lady" he said gruffly. Karala promptly started crying because of being frightened by the Caped Crusader. "I'm sorry sweetheart; Uncle Brucey didn't mean to frighten the little Miss," he murmured to her while rocking her gently. He scowled at Wally and Bruce who quickly returned to the task of assisting Ceci.
With much struggling, Clark was stripped down to his boxers. The entire time, he shivered and complained of being cold. He was finally maneuvered onto the bed where he rolled onto his side to get the pressure off his back. That was when Ceci had the opportunity to carefully look at his wounds. It took less than a minute for her to size up the damage.
She called Martha and the JLA team aside to explain the problem. Taking a deep breath she explained, "I hate to say this but Clark's wounds have become infected. It's been more than three days since the Presentation ceremony. He needs to have his wounds debrided and he's going to need antibiotics to clear up the infection.
Bruce spoke up first. "Tell us what you need and you'll have it.
"We can set up a minor surgery suite from the equipment we have here but we're going to need a surgeon to perform the actual procedure. Clark's going to need some strong IV antibiotics. I'll choose two that would be safe to a person breast-feeding a baby. I would suggest that we enlist another of the Raohim, Dr. Bryant."(4). He'll be discrete and confidential about this project."
Bruce moved away from the group to call J'onn at the Watchtower. Quickly explaining the change in plans, he returned to tell the group that J'onn would contact the doctor and have antibiotics teleported to Clark's home. He dismissed Oliver and Wally to resume their patrol activities and thanked them for their help. In the meantime, he would stay but in his Batman guise until after Clark's procedure was complete.
Martha approached Ceci with the next pending problem. "Ceci, Clark fed Karala on his way home but Jordan is getting fussy. There are no more bottles of milk. We may need to start pumping him now.
Ceci frowned, "I guess I need to start that IV now after all. I'll need your moral support." She turned back to the improvised med bay and leaned over her sleepy charge to whisper into his ear. "Clark, it's me Ceci. You're getting dehydrated and we need to keep up your milk supply for the babies. I'm going to start an IV to give you some fluids and nutrition to prevent dehydration." Clark just responded, "Hum, humm."
"I guess that's a go Martha. Let's roll him onto his back. His veins are good so I'll insert the IV into his left forearm." She applied a tourniquet & antiseptically cleansed his skin. The #18 gauge angiocath slid easily into his vein and within seconds was taped securely to his skin. She allowed the IV to infuse quickly to replenish Clark's waning milk supply. "We can set up two bassinets close to his bed. The sound of a baby crying will stimulate the milk let down reflex making it easier to pump his milk. Now for the last procedure; he hates it but it has to be." Leaning over the bed again she told him, "Clark, I'm going to insert that urinary catheter." This time Clark sleepily opened his eyes. "Noooo Ceci, you know I hate those things."
Before Ceci could reply, Martha intervened, "Clark, son, listen to me. You have the right to decide what you want done to your body but you have only two choices. You can have a very discreet catheter with a hidden bag collecting urine or the titular Chancellor of Krypton will pee all over himself in the presence of two justice league members for the next two or three days. Make up your mind now!"
Clark groaned and moaned, "Okay, okay, you win; can I sleep now? Please?"
"Let's hurry Ceci before he changes his mind." They got him out his boxers quickly and carefully while preserving his sense of modesty. Ceci then lubricated and inserted the catheter with a minimum of complaint from their subject. She anchored the device to his thigh to prevent torsion. "Thanks Martha, I couldn't have gotten this far without your help.
Martha turned to her friend with a tortured look on her face. "We've taken care of the urine issue. What do we do about solid excrement? You're aware that I toilet trained him as a child." Ceci just shrugged her shoulders. "He isn't going to be eating anything for a few days so nothing will go through his GI tract. We'll worry about that in three days or so." Meanwhile let's start the pumping process & take care of your grandchildren." One hour later, Clark drifted into the deep healing coma, the babies were fed and the two women took a well-deserved break for a cup of tea knowing that Dr. Bryant would soon arrive to perform the debridement procedure.
Dr. Bryant arrived on his motorcycle less than 90 minutes after Clark arrived at home. He explained to Bruce, disguised as Batman, that J'onn reached him while he was in the Operating suite otherwise he would have arrived earlier. "I knew that when Mr. John Jones left a message to call him as soon possible, it must be very serious."
They walked to the rear of the house. "Ceci will explain everything to you, Dr. Bryant. Kal-El or Clark as he's known at home needs your expertise to care for the wounds he received during the Presentation Ceremony. Dr. Bryant removed his jacket and washed his hands.
"I feared that this might happen so I brought a few supplies from the Operating Suite. I have several scalpels, forceps, hemostats, suture material and scissors. What about gauze, antiseptics, tape and bandages?"
"I've got it all but for anesthesia; I only have 2% Lidocaine which I planned to use when I inserted a PICC5 line. I don't have anywhere near enough for his entire back." Ceci paced back and forth while thinking of a plan.
"We're going to make it work. How deep is his coma right now?" Dr. Bryant approached Clark's sleeping figure. He applied deep pressure over Clark's right eye. He didn't move. "I think we can debride his wounds while he's comatose. We better get started."
Clark was rolled onto his abdomen with his arms stretched above his head. Dr. Bryant made the first incision and Clark didn't move. They quickly removed dead tissue from Clark's back only using the Lidocaine when Clark's back muscles quivered involuntarily or if he moaned. One hour later, all dead or infected tissue had been removed and Clark lay on his side propped up with pillows. The room was cleaned up and all debrided tissue was teleported to Watchtower for disposal. Ceci then started IV Amoxicillin to be followed by IV Vancomycin since both medications were deemed to be category B.(6) Clark's bed was then moved into the glass enclosed patio to soak up as much sun-light as possible.
After the materials were teleported to Watchtower, Diana Prince in her alter ego of Wonder Woman arrived to sit with Clark. She was always amazed by the sight of children. She held Jordan carefully in her arms, her Amazonian bracelets barely visible. She mused to Martha and Ceci, "I was the last child born on Themyscira. Queen Hippolyta, my mother, was unable to bear children so she formed a baby out of clay and begged the gods to give it life. Her wish was granted and I came to be. But that was many thousands of years ago. That these tiny beings will eventually grow into full grown adults is still amazing to me. I was the only person to age on Themyscira. No one else has aged or changed." Martha and Ceci looked at the beautiful youthful appearing Amazon who was thousands of years old.
"You must have had the most incredible experiences Princess. Maybe you can share some of them with us," said Ceci in wonder at the Princess.
Diana looked at her, a small tear running down her cheek. "I think you have the more incredible life Miss Ceci. You assisted these miraculous children enter the world. I would give up immortality to have the opportunity to feel the miracle of life grow within me. I would be able to watch them as they grow and learn." Jordan observed her intently then gave an immense yawn as if he tired of the discussion. She gave a small laugh at his antics. "See, he's listened to me bore you with my prattling. He's ready to take a nap." She gave the dozing baby to his grandmother. How's Clark doing?" She advanced to his bedside where she could see the IV fluids infusing at 200 ml/hour. On further inspection, she barely recognized the carefully concealed urinary catheter. She swept his tumbled black hair out of his face and sighed for what might have been between them.
"His body is repairing itself now since he's undergoing the healing sleep. As far as I could tell from the Lara AI, this is an important step in healing Kryptonians. Already, the wounds on his back have improved just with the debridement and a few doses of antibiotics. Clark needs to understand that the Raohim are committed to help him. He just needs to let us help him.
Martha and Ceci fed the babies while Princess Diana sat at Clark's bedside. She knew that the League assumed Clark's immense patrol of the planet. She hoped that the people of Earth understood the sacrifices he made for them. Diana planned to talk to him about reducing his patrol responsibilities when his gifts returned. After all, he now had family responsibilities.
Meanwhile at Metropolis Police Department
Lois Lane-White was in full mad dog mode when she finally tracked down Bill Henderson. "Come on Henderson, you're never this secretive with me. This must be a really hot story. All I've gotten so far is that it has something to do with some bodies that you're exhuming outside the city."
Henderson stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor. Grabbing Lois' wrist, he directed her toward an empty conference room. "You might a great reporter but you don't know how to be discrete. Tell me, what do you know about Superman?"
"I'm virtually his press agent," she smirked.
"Then what would you say if I told you that you don't really know the man," hissed Henderson.
Lois pulled back in shock. "What are you talking about? I'm following up on that cache of bodies you located. What does that have to do with him?"
"The bodies are the legacy of the renegade Kryptonians, Zod, Ursa and Non. They tried to breed an army of human-Kryptonian hybrids using human women impregnated with Kryptonian sperm. Then they planned to accelerate the growth of the hybrids in Superman's Fortress. We don't know how many hybrids survived. They would be about seven years old by now. Not only that but now Superman learned how to procreate by himself using Fortress technology. All of this will be released to the press in one hour by the United Nations' Secretary General and the President of the United States, simultaneously. They're going to ask Superman to turn himself over to U.N. custody along with his offspring. They want to know about any contact he has ever had with human females."
Lois gasped and restrained herself from assaulting Henderson. Her only thought was of her son, Jason. Somehow she had to protect him from this witch hunt against Kryptonians.
To be continued. Please, please review.
(1) Gray aliens allegedly crashed at Roswell, NM in 1947. Since that time, many reports have circulated alleging that these aliens are conducting a breeding program mixing human-alien DNA to produce viable offspring. wiki/Grey_alien
(2) K-man is the code name for Superman during the search operation. K-2 is the code name for his child.
(3) Ceci Woods along with Dr. Maria Prenden worked with Clark to get him to term with his pregnancy. They are also privy to Clark's secret and several members of the JLA. Ceci is a nurse-midwife and a family nurse practitioner. She is functioning in the nurse practitioner role.
(4) Dr. Andrew Bryant (created by Shado Librarian for her fiction, Shadows in Darkness), is the surgeon that assisted Dr. Prenden in the birthing of the twins. He is aware of Clark's dual identity.
(5) PICC line is a peripherally inserted central line.
(6) Category B medications are those medications that have been studied and determined to be safe when given to pregnant or lactating lab animals.