PT 14
After refilling her mug, Chloe walked back over to the couch. Sitting back down, she savored the taste before setting her mug down again. Able to focus, she turned her attention back to Clark.
Clark muddled over some of her rant. Until today, he'd never speculated the prospect of the light affecting his children. Breaking the silence, he asked, "How was the rest of your pregnancy?"
"I was miserable. It ripped my heart out of my chest, all I really wanted was you," Chloe admitted.
Clark had felt the same. His misery had come from the death of his best friend. Her death had made him see what was before him the whole time. He'd discovered his love too late.
Chloe's eyes never left his face as she said, "When I was eight months pregnant I went to the caves again to ask Jor-El to contact Lois."
Her mention of Lois made Clark recalled his first day at the daily planet.
"Sorry I had to take…" Lois started to explain. She stopped suddenly when Clark turned around. His face told her everything she needed to know. There was no denying the resemblance to her godson, Kal.
Lois angrily snatched a silver framed picture containing a picture of her godchildren, Kal and Kali from Clark's hand. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Of all the partners to have, she'd gotten him. She placed the picture back on her desk. If it disappeared now it would look suspicious.
"Lois Lane, I would like you to meet your new partner, Clark Kent," Perry White announced.
Attempting to be polite, Lois took his offered hand.
"Nice to meet you," Clark greeted.
"Nice to meet you," Lois replied. She prayed her voice did not give her away.
"Cute kids. Yours?" Clark asked.
"Thanks. No. They are my godkids," Lois answered. She told everyone they were her godkids. She couldn't say she was their aunt, since her only cousin was supposed to be buried six feet under.
Clark couldn't recall ever seeing another picture. He couldn't remember when the picture disappeared from her desk. "Lois used to have a picture on her desk. She told me they were her godkids. I was admiring a picture of my kids the day I started working at the Daily Planet," Clark said angrily. He didn't know what infuriated him more - that he'd held a clue in his hand or that Lois knew his secret.
Reallocating his thoughts away from Lois, Clark realized where he'd been during their birth. "I'd started my training with Jor-El."
"They were born here. You can't exactly teach an unborn baby how to control super strength," Chloe snarked.
Clark watched her closely trying, to read the emotions written in her eyes. He wondered when Chloe had learned to hide them.
Lois gasped, "You're…."
"Huge, pregnant…" Chloe responded while motioning for Lois to come inside of the apartment.
Lois sat down on the leather couch and glared at her cousin.
"Lois didn't think it was funny when I said, 'surprise I'm alive'," Chloe snarked.
Narrowing his eyes, Clark crossed his arms over his chest, obviously not finding humor in her words. His words reiterated his actions, "Not funny!"
"I originally planned -" Chloe started.
Cutting her off, Lois asked in disbelief, "You planned this?"
Chloe was silent as a strong, hard contraction went through her lower back. "I thought I would have a month…"
Lois stared at Chloe in disbelief. "Are you in fuckin' labor?" she screamed.
Chloe couldn't respond verbally. Her contractions were starting to get worse making talking difficult.
"I went into labor a month early," Chloe said. She honestly had been uncertain of the time frame of a Kryptonian pregnancy. She'd based her expectations on human pregnancy.
"We need to go to the hospital!" Lois exclaimed.
Shaking her head no, Chloe stared pleadingly into Lois's eyes, her determination clear, as she continued, "I can't, Lois. You need to deliver," Chloe whimpered. She breathed in and out while slowly making her way over to the couch.
"She thought I'd lost my mind. Demanded to know who the baby's father was and was adamant that she was not going to deliver," Chloe said.
Clark understood why and wondered about Lois's answers.
"Lois continued to argue with me. I told her she had to deliver twins. She told me the father could deliver them," Chloe recalled.
Clark imagined Lois saying a lot more. She tended to be mouthy. 'It should have been me.' Chloe had taken that away from him. If he'd been there he could have found a doctor that could be trusted.
Chloe breathed in and out waiting for the pain to stop. Reaching out, she took Lois's hand in her own. "Please Lois. I'll explain everything," Chloe begged.
Lois snatched her hand away. "I think you're insane!" Lois exclaimed with a stunned expression on her face. Finally she snapped, "Your explanation better be amazing!"
"Lois never did have much patience, and demanded information between contractions," Chloe said.
Clark imagined Lois asking Chloe a million questions. Was her first question about the father? He believed Chloe hadn't told Lois, if she'd demanded he deliver. Just that Lois felt it should be him. "Did you tell Lois everything about me?" Clark asked.
Under normal circumstances, Chloe wouldn't have told Lois anything about Clark. Nodding her head yes, Chloe answered, "Lois didn't believe me. She wanted me to explain why I was dead,"
Twenty minutes later, Lois delivered the first baby. "It's a girl," Lois informed her.
Chloe smiled. It didn't quite reach her tear-filled eyes. She wished Clark was here.
"After Kali was born, Lois wanted to know why Jor-El wouldn't let you leave training. She hadn't expected me to answer since she snarked, "oh that's right, Clark thinks you and his children are dead." So I explained again, that you believed I was dead, couldn't remember because Jor-El had taken your memories," Chloe babbled. All she'd wanted was Clark to be there with her. "I just wished you were here."
Clark wished his daughter's birth had not been taken from him. He was anxious to hear about his son's birth. Jor-El had insisted his son already had his abilities.
"That's just wrong!" Lois snapped.
Chloe breathed in deeply as the contractions worsen. "I think this one agrees with you," Chloe whimpered. She swore that she felt his super-strength.
Clark wondered why she'd suddenly become silent.
"My contractions were ten times worse. I could feel his super strength," Chloe recalled.
Tears formed in her eyes at the intense pain. Her insides felt as if they were being ripped apart.
Cleaning the little baby girl, Lois mumbled to herself. Bundling her up in a blanket, she placed her in the bassinet. Moving back over to Chloe, Lois swore she saw blood. "I'm not a doctor. But I think you are hemorrhaging," Lois cried.
Shaking her head no, Chloe breathed in deeply.
"You don't have a choice." Lois was starting to panic. Her erratic actions showed her rapidly increasing concern. "You're going to bleed to death. I'm calling an ambulance!" Lois screamed.
Chloe grabbed Lois's cell phone and crushed it.
"Lois started to panic when I started hemorrhaging," Chloe recalled.
Lois looked around frantically. "Where is your cell phone?" she demanded. She paced the room and then marched over to her purse. Reaching inside, she grabbed a piece of Nicorette gum and quickly popped the gum into her mouth. "I'm going to buy me a pack of smokes and a big bottle of rum after this!" Lois snapped.
"Lois was determined to call an ambulance," Chloe said.
"Chloe, you're losing an awful lot of blood," Lois cried.
"I need to push," Chloe gasped. Biting into her bottom lip, she swore if Clark ever forgave her, there would either be drugs that worked for Kryptonians or he was never having another child.
"The first opportunity I had, I explained to Lois that I'd heal. I don't think she thought it was possible to heal after losing so much blood," Chloe said.
As Clark listened, he wondered how Chloe managed to lose so much blood. He hoped Lois was exaggerating.
"After another twenty minutes of labor Kal was born. Right afterward John Jones showed up. He told us Jor-El had sent him. Before either Lois or I could do anything, he flew out of the window with me."
"He took you to the sun to heal," Clark concluded.
"Later, I discovered that he lost his powers. He told me it was only fitting," Chloe said.
Clark understood John Jones had taken his memories from him. Someone willing to abuse their abilities should have no right to those powers.
"Kali weight 8 pounds 10 ounces with a length of 19 inches. She looks like me but with your eyes. Kal weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces with a length of 22 inches," Chloe informed him.
Clark wished once again that he had not missed out on their births, 'Next time' Clark thought.
Chloe stared at him and then said, "No."
Clark had every intention of making more babies with her. His mind filled with dirty thoughts.
Sensing Clark start to think less about talking and more about other things, Chloe grabbed the photo album. Opening the album, Chloe showed Clark the twins' first picture.
Tears welled up in his eyes as Clark admired his two bundled babies.
"Kal almost broke Lois's finger when she mentioned his eyes. He could understand and comprehend information right after birth. Super human mentality, basically he is what humans would perceive as a genius. Kali does not have the same ability," Chloe babbled.
Clark continued to stare at the picture. 'Pure red eyes.' Could that be the reason why Kal wore shades? He intended to enforce a new house rule, no shades inside the apartment. Flipping the pages, he slowly looked through all their baby pictures.
"Is that everything from their birth?" Clark asked.
Chloe shook her head and replied, "There was one more thing." Once Clark tore his eyes away from the pictures, she said, "Lois argued with me about me taking the twins to the Arctic."
His heart clenched painfully in his chest and his eyes narrowed in annoyance as Clark grumbled, "You took them to Jor-El."
Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and snapped, "No you stupid Kryptonian! I took them to meet their father."
Chloe walked into the ice fortress with the two bundles cradled in her arms. She went over to the beam of light in which Clark was encased. "Clark I don't know if you can hear me but I'm going to try." She studied his face hoping for a sign. "I'd like you to meet your babies," she said.
Chloe blinked back the tears as she continued, "They are only a few hours old. This is your son, Kal-Clark and this is your daughter Kali Mohana." She glanced downward to notice that Kali was still asleep but Kal was intently gazing at the light. Focusing back on Clark, she swore she saw his eyelids flutter as if his eyes were going to open. Minutes passed while she waited to see if Clark was aware they were there.
Kal would start fussing soon, so Chloe reluctantly moved away from the light. "Jor-El! Why can't you release Clark from his training long enough to meet his children?" Chloe asked.
"Kal-El has no knowledge of fathering your children," Jor-El responded.
"That was the first time I went to the fortress and argued with Jor-El!" Chloe snapped.