CHAPTER 13

The next morning…

Emil hangs up his coat on the rack in the outer hallway and yawns as he climbs the stairs. As he enters the bedroom, his ears perk up when he hears the steady stream of running water coming from the bathroom. He drops his keys on the bureau and opens the door to the bathroom. "I'm home," he calls out as he steps inside.

The shower stops and the curtain pulls back. "It's about time you showed up," she says in a teasing tone with eyes to match as she steps out of the tub. "Hand me my bathrobe will you," pointing to the one hanging on the back of the door as she wrings the excess water out of her dark red tresses and wraps her head with a small towel.

"You have to ask me nicely," dangling it in front of her just beyond her reach.

Her eyes narrow for a moment. "May I have my robe please?"

He thinks for a moment about handing it over, but decides instead to wrap it around her body and pull her close to him. "You are such a naughty man," she replies in an amused tone while draping her arms loosely over his shoulders, her fingers linking around his neck.

"You've known about that side of me ever since that night on your desk in your office. I still have that videotape by the way," his eyes twinkling mischievously as his fingers slip beneath the robe to gently squeeze her buttocks.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Mark my words, honey. One of these days I will find that videotape and…"

"You'll never find it," he interrupts with a smirk as he ducks his head to avoid her swat. "So when did you get home anyway?"

"About twenty minutes ago," she answers after giving him a soft kiss on the lips. "I thought you would just be waking up when I came home," she says as they leave the bathroom.

"That was the original plan, but my replacement was called out on an emergency so I had to do another shift," he replies as he changes into his pajamas.

"I wanted to come back sooner, but we were in the middle of some delicate negotiations and I had to see them through," she says with a sigh as she slips her nightgown over her head.

"I understand," he says as she pulls down the comforter and adjusts the pillows. "How did it go?" he asks.

"Fine," she replies. "The deal is done and all the necessary paperwork has been finalized."

"That's great," he says with a smile.

She gives him a small smile. "I stopped at the hospital on my way home, but I must have just missed you," she says as she slips into bed. "I was going to visit Lois but visiting hours hadn't begun yet. How is she? Are there any new developments?"

"No. She's still in a coma," he says before joining her. "I just can't figure it out," a perplexed expression on his face. Every test I've ran has come back normal. It just doesn't make any sense."

"I'm sure she'll wake up soon," she answers back in a reassuring tone.

"I hope you're right," he replies. "It's just that I feel so helpless every time Clark asks if she's woken up yet and I have to tell him not yet…" his words trailing off.

She slides over closer to him. "Before I left the hospital I looked in on Lois and I saw Clark sleeping next to her with his hand on her stomach. It broke my heart to see the pain he was in."

"Yeah," a soft sigh escaping his lips while his finger lightly traces along the band of gold on her finger.

A few minutes pass by before she speaks up again. "So how are the kids holding up under the circumstances?"

"Debra and Jason are holding up as can be expected, but Clark is really the one I'm most concerned about," he answers in a weary voice. "I will never, ever forget the devastated look on his face when I told him about the baby."

"I can't even begin to imagine what he must be going through," she replies while resting her head on his shoulder. "I suppose the only thing we can do right now is be there for him in whatever way we can."

"I agree," he says as he presses his lips against her forehead. "Especially for Lois when she wakes up. Clark has requested that he be the one who tells her about the baby."

"That's got to be the hardest thing he'll ever have to do."

"I know," he sighs as he shuts off the bedside lamp.

"I'll go with you to the hospital later," she says softly.

"Alright," he whispers back. "Good night, Baby Doll."

"Don't you mean good morning?" she replies in a teasing tone.

He can't help but chuckle. "In my defense, it is nighttime in New Zealand."

She promptly punches his shoulder.

"Hey!" rubbing his shoulder. "Punching someone on the shoulder is Lois' trademark," he retorts.

She just smirks as she lays her head on his chest and her eyes flutter closed. "Good night."

He looks down at her. "Good morning," he replies as he lays his head down on the pillow and closes his eyes.

Debra knocks on Jason's door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," he responds.

She opens the door and steps inside. "How did you know I was awake?" arching one of his brows.

"X-ray vision," she replies as she sits down on the bed. "So did you sleep okay last night?"

"Not really," he says as he sits up.

"Neither did I," folding her legs beneath her. "I can't stop thinking about Mom and Dad."

"Yeah," he sighs before looking over at her. "Can I tell you something?" he asks her suddenly.

She turns her head to look at him. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I know, but this has to be just between us."

"I promise I won't say anything," crossing her heart.

He takes a deep breath then exhaling. "It's about Dad."

"What about him?" she asks.

He hesitates for a moment before he answers. "I've been disappointed in the way he's been acting ever since he found out Mom was pregnant."

"I'm relieved that you said that because I feel the same exact way," she promptly responds.

"You do?" a look of surprise on his face.

"Of course I do," she responds.

"I've really been trying to be supportive, but there are times I can't help but feel resentful at the same time. This summer was supposed to be our time to have some fun before going to college. I just didn't expect I'd have to take Dad's place as Superman instead. Half the time I wasn't even sure about what I was doing," he sighs. "I know it sounds unbelievably selfish but-"

"I don't think it's selfish at all," resting her hand over his. "I didn't expect to spend the entire summer flying back and forth taking care of the farm," she says before asking, "Do you want to know what I was looking forward to doing while we were in Europe?"

"Sure."

"I was really looking forward to having a cup of coffee and a freshly baked croissant at an outdoor café in Paris," a wistful expression on her face.

"Mmm, that sounds good," he replies. "What else?"

"I also wanted to visit the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam," she adds with a sigh. "So what about you? What were you looking forward to seeing?"

He thinks about it for a moment. "I think for me it would be exploring the Italian countryside on bicycles."

"Does that include the vineyards too?" she asks in a teasing tone.

"Absolutely. The legal drinking age in Italy is eighteen after all."

They share a laugh before he turns serious again. "The thing is I know Dad already feels guilty for how he behaved, so why make him relive it again?"

She nods in agreement as Jason glances over at the wall clock. "Geez, I almost forgot," grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand.

"What did you forget?"

"We were supposed to call Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Chloe to let them know about breakfast. "Do you want to go?"

"Sure," she replies. "It'll be nice not to have to cook for a change."

"Alright," he says. "We'll go visit Mom afterwards."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," she smiles back.

He gets out of bed. "I better change. I can't go in what I'm wearing."

She eyes his sweatpants and t-shirt. "That's true," she says as she gets out of bed and walks over to him. "I'm glad we talked."

"Me too," giving her a brief hug before letting go.

"I'll be ready in a few minutes," she says as she leaves the room.

"Okay," he says again as he dials the number while opening the closet door.

Chloe's hand reaches out to Jimmy's side of the bed but it hits the empty pillow. "Jimmy?" she calls out sleepily as she props herself up on her elbows.

"Good morning, Bright Eyes," he says with a smile as he comes into the bedroom. "Care for some coffee?" handing her a cup while giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Mmm," already sipping it. "You sure know how to brew a great cup of coffee."

"I learned from the best," he wiggles his eyebrows as she continues to drink it. "Breakfast should be ready in about ten minutes."

"Good because I'm starving," tipping her cup to lap up the last drops.

He just shakes his head with amusement as he takes the empty cup and set it down on the bedside table. "So did you sleep okay?" he asks as he sits cross-legged next to her.

She shakes her head. "No," she sighs as she wraps her arms around her folded knees. "I couldn't stop thinking about Clark and Lois."

"Me too," a wistful expression on his face.

"It's just that this brings back all those painful memories from when we lost Myra," her eyes welling up.

"I know," drawing her head down on his shoulder. "It never completely goes away does it?" placing his head on hers.

"No, it doesn't," she says between sniffles. "We have two wonderful kids and I wouldn't trade them in for anything, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Myra and wonder what might have been."

"Me too," kissing the top of her head. "In some ways it's going to be worse for Clark and Lois because they'll never get to see their baby. They'll never even know if it was a boy or a girl. At least we had Myra for as long as we did."

She was about to reply when the telephone rings. "Who can that be?"

"It's probably Jason or Debra. Remember we asked them to breakfast and they said they'd call to let us know whether or not they could make it?"

"I forgot," wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her pajama top. "Did you also ask Clark?"

"I did but he said maybe another time," shaking his head sadly. "I tried to convince him to come but he said he wouldn't leave the hospital until she wakes up," he replies as he gets out of bed. "I'll get the phone while you get dressed," giving her a brief kiss before picking up the phone.

Dinah was already up making the coffee when Oliver arrived home. "Look at what the cat finally dragged in," she remarks as he plops himself down on one of the stools in front of the counter. "Coffee?" she asks as she pulls out a mug from the cabinet.

"No thanks," shaking his head. "All I want to do right now is get some shuteye," resting his head on the counter.

"Rough night?" sitting down next to him.

"You have no idea," he mumbles under his breath.

"I did some patrolling after I visited my mother at the rehab center last night. So tell me what happened."

"Nothing out the ordinary for Metropolis. I just feel worn down because of all the extra patrolling I've been doing since Clark's been out of commission."

She looks at him with a confused expression on her face. "I thought that Jason was subbing for Clark. Isn't he doing okay?" she asks as she pours herself some coffee.

Oliver lifts his head up. "Jason's doing fine under the circumstances, but…"

"But what?" she asks.

"He hasn't had his formal training yet. He needs to learn that there's more to being Supermanthan just rescuing cats from a tree. He has to be able to make split second decisions. If you have to choose between stopping a mugging and responding to a five-alarm fire, which should be your priority?" he shakes his head with a sigh. "He's still green and finding his way."

"Have you talked to Clark about any of this?" she asks while adding some cream and sugar to her coffee.

"I was going to discuss this with him yesterday, but then the accident happened," he replies as he gets off the stool and stretches his back.

"Well you can't go on like this, Ollie," she says as he lies down on the couch before sitting down on the coffee table in front of him. "As Black Canary I understand why you're doing all this for him, but as your wife…" resting her hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're going to say," he says while laying his hand over his eyes.

"You have dark circles under your eyes and you need your rest," she says in a weary voice while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You're not the only one who's tired," she said while stifling a yawn.

"I know," reaching up to touch her cheek. "I wish we could go to the bed and breakfast that we went to on our honeymoon for a few days."

"Me too, but Clark needs you right now - especially considering Lois' condition," she replies.

"I know," he sighs. "I guess it was just wishful thinking," shrugging his shoulders as he gets up and walks away.

She looks up at him. "Where are you going?"

He pauses at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm going upstairs to bed. Are you coming?"

"I'm too tired to sing right now," she answers back.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Mrs. Queen," rolling his eyes. "I was actually talking about sleeping."

She gets up and walks over to him. "Yeah, me too," she smiles as he takes her hand and leads her up the stairs.

"Where the hell is my favorite tie?" Perry bellows as he pulls out the drawer from the bureau and dumps all the ties on the bed.

"Did you check the jacket you wore yesterday?"

He looks up and glares at his wife. "Now why would it be in there?"

"Because you have the habit of taking your tie off the second you leave work," she counters.

I'm sure I'm not the only man in the world who does that, he mutters under his breath as he pulls out the jacket from the closet and slips his hand into the pocket.

"Well?" she asks with her arms folded against her chest.

He has a sheepish look on his face as he pulls out the missing tie. "Sorry I snapped at you."

"Apology accepted," she says with a smile as she walks over to him and takes the tie from him. "So tell me why you've been particularly snappish this morning," she remarks casually as she drapes the tie around his neck.

He doesn't answer until she finishes tying it around his neck. "It's about Clark," he says at last.

"What about Clark?" she asks as she makes a minor adjustment.

He lets out a big sigh. "The board of directors told me last night that I have to fire him if he doesn't come back to work today."

Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. "They said that?"

"I'm afraid so," he remarks as he puts on his jacket. "He's been out for over a month – and that was before the accident."

"Don't they know that Lois is in a coma?" she asks next.

"Of course they know," he scowls as he slips his wallet into his pocket and grabs his keys from the bureau. "To them it's always going to be about the bottom line and not about the human element."

"When are you going to give Clark the bad news?"

"I'm on my way to the hospital right now," he replies.

"Has there been any change in Lois' condition since last night?" she asks as they exit the bedroom.

"I don't know, but I'll find out and let you know," shaking his head sadly as they walk to the front door.

"Alright," she says while opening the door. "Maybe I'll go see her after I drop Katie off at nursery school."

"Give her a hug and a kiss from her grandpa," he smiles.

"I will on one condition."

He looks at her curiously. "And what pray tell is that?"

"I want a hug and a kiss too," she replies in a teasing tone.

He promptly pulls her into his arms and gives a big kiss. "Baby, you're the greatest."

"And don't you forget it!" she grins back as he walks out the door.

Almost nineteen years earlier…

"Clark."

"Mmm," he murmurs in his sleep.

"Clark," she says again. "Wake up," punching him on the shoulder.

His eyes immediately fly open. "What? Are you okay?" he asks in a worried tone. "Are the babies okay?"

"I'm fine and the babies are fine," she reassures him. "They're still kicking up a storm," her fingers lightly caressing her belly.

"Then why in the heck did you wake me?" he asks.

"I'm in the mood for some Twinkies."

He sits up in bed. "You woke me up just to get you some Twinkies?" staring incredulously at her.

"The babies want them," she replies with a grin. "So hurry up, Smallville. Chop, chop," clapping her hands a couple times.

He grumbles under his breath as he gets dressed, then super-speeds away, returning in less than ten seconds. "There," handing her the paper bag.

"While you were at the store, did you get any Swedish Fish?"

"You didn't ask me to get any, so I didn't," he replies in an annoyed tone.

"You know how much I love them. Please? Pretty please?" she bats her eyelashes at him.

"Al-right," leaving once again. "Here you go," tossing the bag at her.

"What about the milk?" she asks as she tears open one of the packages of Twinkies.

"What about it?" now starting to get a little annoyed.

"I can't eat Twinkies or Swedish Fish without a cold glass of milk," she replies.

"Fine," rolling his eyes as he goes back to the store. "Here you go," setting an empty glass along with a gallon of milk down on the bedside table. "You want me to pour it for you?" he asks as he changes into his sleeping attire and slips back into bed.

"That won't be necessary. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself," she replies as she fills the glass and drinks the whole thing before taking a bite out of one of the Twinkies.

He looks up and was about to give her a smart remark but the words die in his throat as she sucks some of the creamy filling out of the delicious golden cake. He can't keep his eyes off her tongue as it swipes some of the excess filling off her lips.

"Uh…Lois…"

She looks up at him. "What?"

"I think you missed a spot."

"Huh?" furrowing her eyebrows in puzzlement as he kneels down next to her.

"Right here," gliding his tongue across her bottom lip. "And right here," moving down to her chin. "And don't forget here," making his way down her neck to the base of her throat.

"Mmm," she gasps out softly as he nips at her clavicle. "I think there might be one more spot you forgot."

"Oh?" looking at her curiously.

She slowly unbuttons the flannel shirt she was wearing and opens it, exposing her bare chest.

"That's one big spot," he grins widely as he lowers his head…

Clark opens his eyes and looks over at Lois. "Come on, Lois. Wake up," gently nudging her upper arm. When she doesn't respond, he sighs and closes his eyes once more.

"Clark."

His eyes pop open at the sound of his name spoken in the soft tone of a woman's voice and he looks up.

"Lois?"

TO BE CONTINUED…