An Invisible Caress or Death

Disclaimer: I wish, I wish, I wish oh how I wish, but no matter what Smallville and its characters are not mine. I only play with them, torment Clark, and then send em all back home. SIGH.

CHAPTER 13 Sunshine on my shoulders

Doctor Lewis carefully slid the stretcher into the back of his van and took off as fast as he could without drawing attention. Heading towards the toxic dumpsite on the property, he kept his cover story going. Pulling over when he was satisfied, that he was out of sight; Lewis scrambled into the back and held the syringe in his hand before he reached Clark's still and lifeless body.

'I hope I'm not too late son.' Lewis whispered and plunged the injection directly into Clark's heart and then tossing it aside started with CPR doing the compressions he watched Clark's face intently.

Seconds later Clark shuddered and inhaled sharply, starting to hyperventilate, he went straight into a state of shock, his breathing stopped and his heart slowed until it was barely detectable. Swearing under his breath, Lewis grabbed his bag and prepared a second injection, this time he pressed it into Clark's throat. 'Don't give up Clark, fight damn it.' He muttered starting compressions again, minutes passed in fragments of time so slow that it felt as though it was frozen.

'Clark don't give up on me.' He gasped again, 'fight son fight.'

This time Clark gasped for breath and fought to regain consciousness. 'That's it, come on back Clark.'

'Doc?' Clark wheezed, gripping the man's arm in a death grip until he realised what was happening. 'What ... where?'

'What is we got out of there, where so far we're still on the property but well-hidden.' Lewis reassured his young patient as he quickly started to check his vital signs, 'so far so good Clark now I want you to lie down and rest, I'm going to have to cover you again, will you be alright?'

'Yeah, tired doc.' Clark's eyes fluttered shut, 'I'm free?'

'Free son, now get some sleep.' Lewis said gently running his hands through Clark's sweat mattered hair. 'So let's get you out for good.' Recovering Clark with the sheet he zipped the body bag up leaving it open enough for air to get in, although Clark had a nasal cannula and a small oxygen tank in the bag with him.

Then he piled a few other bits and pieces on top before he climbed back into the driver's seat and headed towards the exit gate. 'You can do this Jonah.' He kept reminding himself as he passed through the heavily guarded gate. Just as he drove off onto the road, the alarms sounded, pressing his foot down on the accelerator speeding away before the realised what he did.

'Hang on Clark.' He muttered as he drove as fast as he could along the dirt road praying for the highway to appear. 'Gotta get you some help.'

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Lois sipped her coffee impatiently waiting for Lana to grace her with her presence, 'ah nice to see that you can keep appointments when you want to.'

'What do you want Lois?' Lana asked sliding elegantly into the opposite chair and ordered a coffee for herself.

'Thought you might like to find out about Chloe.'

'How is she?' Lana dropped the pretence and leaned in to Lois, 'please tell me, Lex is having me watched and I can't risk going to see her.'

Taken a little aback with Lana's reaction Lois stared at her and then swallowed down on the rising lump in her throat, 'she's making some progress, it is going to be a long way back for her.'

'Is, is her injuries ... are they permanent?'

'Don't know it's all up to Chloe for now.' Lois took a breath and stared on the rest of her reason for meeting with Lana, 'Lana I'm not gonna muck around here, Chloe said something that got me.'

'What did she say?' Lana asked cautiously.

'She said that she could see Clark in her mind, that he was sad and very sick and kept in a cage.' Lois said watching Lana's face as the telltale signs started to surface, Lana knew exactly what Lois was talking about. 'She said that a very bad man has him caged like an animal and that you could help to save him.'

'Me?' Lana blinked 'how could I help?'

'I'm not sure Lana but you're not leaving here until we work it out.' Lois said her voice low and tinged with a threatening tone, 'I can promise you that.'

Just then Lana's cell phone rang, glancing at the caller ID she frowned confused, 'Lois it's the doctor Lex has looking after Clark.' She muttered without realising what she had just admitted.

'Well answer it.'

'Yes Doctor Lewis what can I do for you?' Lana asked smoothly.

'I need to know if I can trust you.'

'You know you can Doctor, I have proven trustworthy already haven't I?'

'Yes, yes but this is more than that.'

'Doctor what are you talking about?'

'I have smuggled the project out.'

'You what?'

'I have the project.'

'Could you hold for a moment doctor I think I know of somewhere to take the project that's safe.' Lana put her hand over her cell and stared wide-eyed at Lois, 'he has Clark.' She whispered urgently.

'He what?'

'Lois! Can you get hold of Oliver and see if Lewis can take him there?'

'Yeah sure, sure damn.' Lois blinked in shock before pulling out her cell and scrolled down her speed dial list to find Oliver's number.

'Doctor Lewis? Sorry can you just hold a little longer I have someone organising it now.' Lana spoke into her cell and watched Lois quickly tell Oliver what they need.

'Take him to Oliver's penthouse in Metropolis,' Lois said while still on the phone to Oliver Queen.

Lana relayed the message to the doctor as well as directions there, the two young women hanging up simultaneously. 'They're on their way.'

'Are you coming?' Lois asked standing up.

'I – I want to.' Lana hesitated, 'but I can't Lex will only find out if I do.'

'Lana...'

'I know, I wish things were different too Lois, take care of him please.'

'I will.'

Lana watched Lois leave and then pulled out her cell phone, she wanted to make sure that she gives Clark his best chance at freedom. 'Lex? I just heard that Clark is missing is that true?'

'Yes ... Lana I have to go...'

'I think I know who has him.' Lana blurted out.

'Who?'

'That doctor ... I overheard him say that Lionel was making moves to take Clark to another country.'

'He what?'

'He wants Clark for himself Lex.' Lana said, 'look I have to go I think I'm being followed, I'm coming home.'

'I'll meet you there.'

Lana hung up before Lex could say anything, hopefully twisting the knife between the estranged father and son will give doctor Lewis enough time to get to Metropolis and to get Clark to safety at Oliver's.

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Two hours later and Clark rested seemingly comfortably in Oliver's guest room, the doctor was finishing up his latest examinations when Lois arrived, letting herself in she waited for the doctor in the living room before seeing Clark.

'Hey I'm Lois Lane, I ah ... I was the one who organised for you to bring Clark here.' She said trying to sound bright and confident, 'you must be doctor Lewis?'

'Yes, thank you this is ... better than I had hoped, I really didn't know where to take Clark I just knew that I had to get him out of there.'

'What happened?'

'He suffered a cardiac arrest after an overdose of Kryptonite and then he started having seizures I had to get him out of there before ...'

'Before what doctor?'

'Before he died and I couldn't bring him back. It's not right what Luthor was doing to him, Miss Lane, the tests and the cruelty ... I have done a lot of things I am thoroughly ashamed of but the torture of an innocent man for someone else's pleasure. I'm sorry I can't condone it.'

'I don't blame you doctor,' Lois said her patience starting to fray, 'can I go in and sit with him?'

'Oh of course, it will do Clark the world of good to see a familiar non-threatening face. He, he was giving up Miss Lane.'

'Lois please, Miss Lane makes me sound like a school teacher.' Lois smiled, 'get some rest yourself doc looks like you need it too.'

'Thanks, ah I might just sit down here for a while.'

Lois patted his arm and then went through to the guest room, knocking on the door softly she went in and had to forcibly stop herself from gasping in shock.

Clark lay in the centre of the large bed, with oxygen fed through the nasal cannula and an IV of fluid running into his arm. His skin had a greenish tinge to it and covered in a heavy sweat. Large heavy and dark circles gave his eyes a sunken appearance making his gaunt appearance look skeletal. Cuts and bruises littered both arms and his bare chest looked like someone had played operation on him for real.

'Oh shit Smallville.' Lois sighed going over to the bed she perched herself on the edge and took his large hand in hers. 'You have to get through this Smallville, dunno what I will do if you don't.'

'That a threat Lois?' Clark whispered his voice hoarse and raspy.

'Smallville?' Lois exclaimed blinking back tears of happiness as she wiped her hands across his cheek, 'you in there?'

'Think so, where am?'

'You're at Oliver's, you're safe Clark.'

Clark nodded and blinked tiredly up at Lois, giving her a ghost of a smile, 'good to see you Lois.'

'Get some sleep Clark, can't having you get any sicker on my watch.' Lois said, 'I'll be right outside.'

'Stay please.' Clark said clinging her to her hand, 'just until I ...'

'Not going anywhere Smallville.' Lois said settling herself back down.

'Where's mom?' Clark asked a few minutes later, unable to sleep his body ached interminably making it had to get comfortable.

'Oh shit ... your mom she's still at the hospital with Chloe.'

'Chloe?'

'She was in that accident, well so-called accident. Chloe was in a coma Clark.'

'C-coma?' Clark blinked back the tears and tried to focus on what Lois was saying but her voice started to sound far away. 'Lois?'

'So...Clark? Smallville what's wrong?'

'C-cold ... so cold.' Clark shivered convulsively, 'hurts.'

'Doc! Hey Doc we need you now,' Lois yelled as Clark started to seize again, 'Doctor Lewis!'

'What's wrong?' Lewis ran in blinking away the sleep.

'I don't know he was fine one minute and the next ... I think he's having some sort of seizure or something.'

'Oh shit.' Lewis ran to the bed, slid the pillows out from under Clark's head and pulled the covers back, 'help me get him into the recovery position.'

'What's wrong?' Lois asked watching the doctor check Clark's position again, he glanced up at her as though he had just realised she was still there.

'Miss Lane, Lois could you please hold his shoulder, that's it and just talk to him in a calm low voice. Just let him know that you're there.'

'I can do this.' Lois muttered moving closer to Clark she started to talk of her childhood as an army brat while the doctor took care of monitoring the seizure. Finally, it passed and Clark lay limply against Lois' hand, his eyes open but glazed and unfocused. Worriedly the doctor took another reading of Clark's blood pressure and temperature, making notes with how long the seizure lasted and the time it started.

'What was that?' Lois asked in a whisper, her face pale and drawn she turned fear-filled eyes up at the doctor.

'Clark has just started having seizures, it has something to do with the amount of toxicity in his blood from the Kryptonite.'

'What is this stuff you're talking about?'

'The Kryptonite?'

'Yeah.'

'It's the green meteorite.'

'That makes Clark so sick?'

The doctor went to answer her question in detail when he caught his patient staring at him, a slight trembling shake of his head made the doctor think twice about what he was going to tell her. 'Yes apparently Clark is allergic to it, when he comes into contact or it enters his blood stream it acts like poison.'

'And Lex has been pumping that stuff into him as well as surrounding him in it?'

'Yes I'm afraid so.'

'Why?'

'To see why the rocks affect Clark so much, he never really allowed me to be privy to everything that he was doing.'

'Sounds like Lex.' Lois started to stroke Clark's hair absently, when she felt him lean into her hand seeking her touch and comfort.

'Smallville?'

'Tired.' Clark whispered, 'mommy where's daddy?'

'Doctor what's wrong with him?'

'Just a little confused, it's not uncommon after the enormity of his seizure ... Clark, Clark look at me it's Doctor Lewis.'

'D-doc?'

'Yes that's right, get some sleep, you're safe here.'

'Sleepy ... where's mommy?'

'She'll be here soon.'

'Owkay.' Clark yawned and settled down to sleep, the doctor lifted his weary gaze to give Lois a small smile.

'We need to get in touch with his mother.'

'I can do that,' Lois said leaning over she brushed her hand over Clark's cheek, 'I'll be right back Clark, I'm going to ring your mom and tell her where you are.'

'Mmm.' Clark mumbled as sleep finally claimed him.

'What are his chances Doctor Lewis? Honestly?' Lois looked at the doctor with a hard stare.

'Reasonable, as long as we can keep him free of any contact with the ... meteorite rocks the better his chances of a complete recovery.'

'I'll go and ring Mrs Kent.' Lois backed out of the room, her heart still pounding from what she had just witnessed.

'Thanks doc.' Clark whispered for what the doctor was not sure but he suspected about not telling Lois everything.

Martha stood in the bedroom doorway in shock, the frail and ill looking young man in the bed was her son and yet she could not quite get to believe it. 'Oh Clark.'

'Mommy?' Clark called out, his voice soft and filled with fear, 'make them stop mommy make them stop.'

'Clark, sweetheart, mommy's here.'

'Hurts, no more please no more.' Clark cried out pushing himself across the bed. 'Just kill me Lex, kill me.'

'No Clark sweetheart,' Martha cried out and hurried to her son, cradling him against her chest she caught his hands and held them tight, she started rocking him and humming a tune. Slowly Clark stopped writhing and clung to his mother. Feeling safe for the first time in a long time, tears fell down Martha's face as she rocked her son the way she did when he was only a baby.

She could hear the voices in the other room, Oliver must have arrived and was talking to Doctor Lewis and Lois, but she ignored them and what they were saying about Lex and Clark, she just wanted to be with her son 'they tried to break our son Jonathon.' She whispered tearfully. 'They tried to hurt him.'

'Mom?' Clark muttered as he moved into her embrace, 'mom so scared, I don't want to be scared anymore.'

'Clark sweety you're going to be fine, you're safe and Lex can't get you now.'

'So tired mom, so tired of it all.' Clark sighed.

'Sh Clark ... go back to sleep honey I'm not going anywhere.'

'Mom? I'm sorry mom, I am so sorry.' Clark wept himself to sleep clutching his mother tightly.

TBC