What the Hey You Can't Have Everything

Folc4evernaday | Rated: M | Chapter 7

"NO!" Lois, threw the lead box across the room, hitting Goode in the shoulder hard enough to throw him off balance. Clark took advantage of the situation and grabbed the gun from him, holding him at bay.

Goode smiled up at Clark. He pressed a button on a small remote in his hands. "Go ahead. This whole building will be leveled in 10 minutes anyway." Goode laughed.

Clark wasn't sure what to do. He glanced over at Lois, who was headed toward the table that had the bomb. He shook his head in dismay, "Lois, get away from there!"

"It won't hurt to try and disarm it. Besides with how many bombs I've dismantled, you should be used to this by now." Lois shrugged as she crept below the table.

"Unbelievable," Clark muttered under his breath. He took a deep breath, continuing to hold Randy Goode at bay. They needed to call the police. They needed…

He could feel his body weakening.

'No.'

He had to keep Randy Goode away from Lois.

'It hurt.'

"Police! On the ground!" Henderson called out as he entered the room.

"It's okay, Henderson, he's unarmed," Clark replied as he handed the gun to Bill Henderson. The room was beginning to spin. He tried to concentrate on the image of Bill Henderson's face, but everything around him was beginning to blur.

"Kent? Are you all right?"

"I…I'm fine. I just need to get this bullet out…" Clark fell to the ground in pain. Bill Henderson knelt beside him while two officers escorted Randy Goode away in handcuffs.

"Hey, Clark? He didn't even turn the thing on. It's disarmed, so…" Lois stopped talking when she saw Clark slumped over in pain. "Clark?"

"Hey, Kent? Stay with me!" Henderson called. Lois stared on in horror as she watched Clark get loaded onto a gurney by two ambulatory attendants. Henderson looked at Lois, "Do you want to ride with him?" Lois nodded mutely, following the attendants out of the door.

Henderson looked around the room. He saw Jimmy Olsen struggling to sit up in one corner of the room. Two bodyguards lay in a pool of blood in the middle of the room, and the two leaders of Latislan and Podansk sat in cold fear at the conference table. "Does one of you want to tell me what happened?"

President Kasparov began to speak. "He wanted Superman. Mr. Kent and Ms. Lane…they refused to give him up. I've led many armies into war, and I've seen great courage…but I've never seen the courage Mr. Kent showed tonight. He took beating after beating in the name of loyalty and friendship—protecting his wife and child…and his friend…I've never seen anything like it in my life."

"And you probably never will. CK's one of a kind," Jimmy cut into the conversation as the medic finished bandaging him up. "I just hope he's going to be okay."

"WHAT?" Mindy screamed into her phone. "I cannot believe him! He can't pull off a simple hostage situation? What is wrong with criminals these days?" Mindy huffed as she paced around her office. She had to move and fast. Her name and location had been compromised. Lois and Clark would come looking for her soon.

Lois sat by Clark's bed softly massaging the bruises that were left from where the Kryptonite had struck him. They had removed all remnants of the Kryptonite from his system. Henderson had sent the Kryptonite over to STAR labs via Dr. Klein himself. He had assured her that he would make sure it was put into a safe place.

She'd been surprised at the lack of response from Bill Henderson. Usually, he was quick to whip out half a dozen questions in under a minute, but for some reason, he sensed not to push the issue. She was sure he knew what the substance was that the doctors had dug out of Clark's body, but the fact that he hadn't pressed the issue made her wonder just how much he knew about Kryptonite and its connection to Superman. She decided not to question it.

Clark hadn't woken up since he had passed out in the penthouse. He had exerted himself to his maximum limit and was paying the price now.

Perry knocked on the door softly. "How's he doing?"

Lois closed her eyes, willing the tears that were forming behind her eyes to go away. "He still hasn't woken up, Perry."

"Hey, Lois, he'll be fine. He's a fighter, and he's got way too much to live for to give up now," Perry said, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"I-I've never seen him look so pale before."

"Keep your chin up, Lois. Think positive. When was the last time you ate?"

"Um, breakfast? I think—" Lois struggled to remember the last time she did eat. Clark had fixed them breakfast that morning after they had made love. She swallowed more tears as the memory came to her.

"Here," Perry handed her a handkerchief. "I didn't mean to hit a nerve, Lois. I just want to make sure you were taking care of yourself. Can I get you anything?" Perry asked.

"No." She shook her head, willing the tears to stay buried long enough until Perry left. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. The only one that had that privilege was Clark. "What I need is Clark. I appreciate you coming by, Perry. It's really thoughtful of you, but if you don't mind I'd really like to be alone with my husband."

Perry nodded, taking the hint. He knew this was hard on Lois. Clark had always been her rock. He kept her balanced and whenever he wasn't there she was continually a mess. He knew everything would work out in the end. It always did, but it still hurt him to see Lois so distraught. He wished the reporters that made claims against Lois that her marriage to Clark was a fraud could see her now. There was no way you could fake the love that shone through her eyes when she looked at Clark. Perry closed the door behind him and headed for the cafeteria. Lois may have wanted to be alone right now, but he wasn't about to leave her completely alone just yet.

Inside the hospital room, Lois was talking to Clark as he slept. "Kinda ironic, huh? After all the messes, we've both been in you're the one that ends up in the hospital bed. I must have cheated fate thousands of times-you have no idea how much I need you, Clark. You have to wake up. Please?"

"Since when does Mad Dog Lane NEED anyone?" Clark asked groggily. His voice was hoarse. He winced in pain as he opened his eyes.

"Clark? Oh, my God!" Lois lay across his hospital bed, flinging her arms around his neck. She began covering his face with kisses. "You're okay."

"Mmm..." Clark smiled back, returning her kiss with enthusiasm. "Very okay. I could get used to waking up like this."

"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"I'm feeling no pain right now," he said, kissing her and pulling her close. "I'm still a little sore, but it'll go away in a few days. How's the baby?"

"Fine. The doctor took some blood to run some tests but said everything should be fine. You scared me, Clark. You passed out. They removed the bullet and all the shards of Kryptonite, and you still didn't wake up. I was so afraid that you…."

"I told you before; you aren't getting rid of me that easily," Clark said. She smiled back at him, and then the tears she had been suppressing took over, and she began to cry. He held her close and allowed her to release the emotions that had taken an obvious toll on her in the past few days. She felt relief wash over her, as she reveled in the fact that he was alive and well.

Perry knocked on the door, carrying a tray of food for Lois. "Lois? I know you said you wanted to be alone but…" Perry stopped mid-sentence when he opened the door and saw Lois and Clark. Lois smiled up at him, lifting her head up from Clark's chest. Perry smiled happily, "Great shades of Elvis! Son, you gave us quite a scare! Are you all right?" He was by their side within a few minutes.

"I'm fine, Chief," Clark replied good-naturally. "What have you gotten there?"

"I brought some food back for Lois. She said she hadn't eaten since breakfast, and I wasn't sure what to get her, so I brought back a little of everything."

"Oh, Perry, you didn't have to." Lois was touched that Perry had gone out of his way for her.

"Nonsense. You've been through hell, and you need to keep up your strength," Perry said as he laid the tray down on the table beside them.

"Thank you, Perry," Clark said.

Perry nodded. "Besides, I heard from a little birdy you're eating for two now…"

Lois' eyes widened as she looked back at Clark then back at Perry again, "Chief…"

Clark sighed sitting up to put an arm around Lois, "We're not really telling anyone yet….We just found out."

Perry nodded. "Might want to tell your birdy then,"

"Tweet tweet," Jimmy said behind Perry as he stepped into the room.

"Hey, Jimmy…" Clark smiled at his young friend. He noticed the bandage on Jimmy's head, "How's your head?"

"Better than yours…" Jimmy said pointing at the bruises that still covered Clark's face. "How you doing?"

"I've had better days," Clark muttered, rubbing the side of his head.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Perry said, giving Clark a stern look. "I can't believe that man. He nearly killed you trying to get to Superman. I still can't believe the fight you put up. Why didn't you just call for help? It would have saved you a lot of pain and aggravation."

Clark wasn't sure how to respond. He tried to be as honest as he could, but it was hard answering questions about his friendship with Superman. How did he answer questions about Superman and him 'defending' Superman as Clark?

"Superman's my friend, Chief. I couldn't betray him like that. Besides that was what Randy wanted. He wanted me to call him, so he could attack him. I wasn't going to be a part of that."

"Well, son, you are definitely a lot stronger than most men. I know many men who would have sung like a canary to protect their own skin." Perry patted him on the shoulder gently.

"Clark's not most men, Chief," Lois replied. She stroked his chest methodically, refusing to lose contact with him for even a moment. He turned to look at her, locking his gaze with her. He could see the fear and anxiety written all over her face. He gently squeezed her hand, silently reassuring her that he was there with her.

"Uh-huh." Perry nodded. "Well, I gotta head back to the Planet and get the paper to bed. Seems I'm gonna be out two reporters for at least a few weeks…" He gave Clark a stern look to emphasize the point he was trying to make. "…and a photographer for at least a few days…" He looked at Jimmy with the same expression.

Jimmy smiled sheepishly. "Well at least we got one hell of a story to tell."

They all burst into laughter. "Yeah, Jimmy, but maybe next time you want a story you can NOT end up in the hospital." Perry patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's give these two some privacy." He guided Jimmy to the door with him.

"Thanks, Chief," Clark said, watching Perry and Jimmy leave, closing the door behind them.

Lois smiled to herself as she turned back to Clark and laid on top of him. She leaned in to kiss him, slowly capturing his mouth with hers as she tugged lightly at his bottom lip.

He groaned against her lips as she dipped her tongue into his mouth, exploring his taste. She slowly broke off the kiss and pulled away. Clark stared at her slightly dazed. "Wow,"

She leaned in to kiss him again. He met her lips with feather light kisses. She groaned against his lips, "Don't ever scare me like that again, Mr. Kent…" She warned.

He kept his kisses light as he brushed his lips against her skin. "I will do my best, Mrs. Kent…" He kissed her softly, cupping her cheek. "Any word on when we can get out of here? As much as I'm enjoying this.." He motioned to her body pressed up against him, "I can't stand hospitals. I want to get out of here and go home."

"You sure you're all right?" Lois asked cautiously.

Clark shook his head. "I don't seem to have any of my powers…but other than that…" He shrugged. "I guess."

Lois nodded, lifting herself up from his embrace, "I'll get them to discharge you…"

"The sooner the better…" Clark added. Lois nodded, leaving the room to find a nurse to start the discharge process. Clark smiled, wrapping the hospital blanket around himself to help keep him warm. He could feel the cold chill of the air hitting his skin, an obvious sign that his powers were not in working order. Only time would tell when and if his powers would return.

Lois unlocked the front door to their town home while negotiating their way through the crowd of paparazzi that was camped out in front. "Get out of those rose bushes! That's private property!"

"One day at a time…" Clark whispered in her ear as they stepped in the foyer.

"When is Perry running that expose on Goode?" Lois asked as she opened the door to their townhome.

"I don't know I think…" He stopped when he saw his parents sitting in the living room.

Martha ran up to hug them both. "We caught the first flight out when we saw the news…Mr. White let us in…Oh, honey…" She stroked Clark's cheek gingerly.

Clark forced a smile for his mom. "I'll live,"

Jonathan patted Clark on the shoulder. "You're banged up pretty bad…"

"He had Kryptonite…" Lois said solemnly, walking with them to the living room.

"Kryptonite?" Martha shook her head angrily. "How…Why?"

"We don't know." Clark sighed, trying to portray a calm he didn't feel. He didn't want to worry his parents any more than they obviously were. "We think he was working with his sister running Intergang."

"I thought you caught the guy that was running it before…The Handyman?" Jonathan asked, uncertain of the name.

"Maybe not," Lois sighed, taking a deep breath as she leaned against the couch.

"Honey, are you all right?" Martha asked in concern.

"Fine," Lois nodded. "Just tired and…" she shook her head trying to focus.

"Are you sure?"

Clark smiled, looking at Lois happily. "She's fine, mom. It's just a side effect…"

Lois smirked back at Clark then smiled broadly, "I guess since Perry and Jimmy figured it out we should go ahead and tell you…I'm…" she stopped mid sentence then darted out of the room towards the nearest bathroom.

"…pregnant." Clark finished.

"Pregnant?" Jonathan grinned happily, patting Clark on the shoulder happily.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Martha hugged Clark as he stood up to follow Lois.

"Lois?" Even without his super-hearing he could hear Lois through the bathroom door. It seemed the morning sickness had begun.

Three weeks later, Lois and Clark entered the newsroom together for the first time since Randy Goode's attack. The cold shoulders that had met them a few weeks before were replaced with words of kindness and friendly embraces. After the attack from Randy Goode, both President Kasparov and General Navance put their differences aside and worked on the peace talks among themselves. They came to visit Lois and Clark at the hospital to wish them well and commended them both for their loyalty to their friend Superman.

After a week of negotiations, the two leaders finally had reached an agreement both sides found reasonable. The peace treaty was signed, and the leaders left to return home shortly after but not without saying goodbye to Lois and Clark first. They wanted to say goodbye to Superman but were saddened to find that he hadn't been around lately. He had been avoiding the public ever since the scandal had broken out and hadn't been heard from since.

Fearing the worst, President Kasparov and General Navance held a press conference commending both Lois Lane and Clark Kent for their heroism and offering an apology to Superman for their skepticism of him. They also went so far as ridiculing the reporters who had hounded both Lois and Clark throughout the scandal.

News of the origins of the photograph in question came into light and speculation into Lois, and Clark's sex lives became tabloid headlines for a short time until publishers realized there was no story given that Lois and Clark were married.

Things were gradually getting back to normal, everything that is except Superman. Clark was slowly regaining his powers, but he still was not at full capacity. He worried about the consequences if he was never able to perform the way he had in the past.

Lois had been surprised when several women had approached her apologizing profusely to her for the way they treated her. Although it gave her a slight thrill to see these women lie in the beds, they had made for themselves, she couldn't get pleasure from it. It just didn't seem right. Nothing seemed right in the way things had played out.

Clark had been hurt for no reason other than greed, and the life of their child had been put at risk. It scared her. The past few weeks she and Clark had taken full advantage of their extended vacation time. They had made love every moment, they found available to them. His recent brush with death had heightened the desire she felt for him, making her cling to him more and more. She didn't know what she would do when his powers did return, but she was content to deal with that issue when the time came. For now, she held her husband close and prayed for the safety of their unborn child. So many unknowns came with the birth of this child. They would have to face them together, just as they had faced so many adversities in the past. Together.

"It's a shame about what happened to your brother," He took a long puff from his cigar before exhaling. "I know it's hard to see family go through such predicaments,"

"Randy will be fine," Mindy shrugged, "Let's get down to business, Mister…?"

"Smith," He held out his hand to shake hers, "You can call me, Mr. Smith,"

"Intriguing," She smiled up at him. "Well, Mr. Smith, tell me what exactly it is you want,"

His eyes narrowed, "I want Superman destroyed and revenge on the two reporters who helped get him to where he is today. It's time Metropolis got a new hero to look up to,"

She laughed, "As much as I admire your plan, I have to warn you; it's been done and failed repeatedly. What makes you think you can pull it off?"

"I have something others don't," He replied.

"What's that?"

"Knowledge." He stated simply. "As my father told me so long ago, 'knowledge is power,'"

The End?

Author's Note: Read the Sequel "Doe for President" to find out what happens next.