Part 4 - Dr. Price
"Anything else? Or are we done you think?" Clark asked Lois as they made their way to her car from Andrews Hospital.
"No, I think there is one last thing to do."
"What's that?"
"You said there was a doctor who met Superman when he brought David to the hospital?"
"Yeah, Dr. Price, "Clark answered, closing the door as Lois put the keys in the ignition.
"And he seemed to know David, right?"
"Yeah," he replied, looking at nothing in particular as Lois started the car.
Clark's stomach suddenly seemed to churn, the memory of holding David rushed at him, and the smell of burning unexpectedly filled his nostrils as the images of the day before flooded his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to force down the memory, to push it away, to bury it.
"Do you think Dr. Price could, I don't know, mention to Dr. Johnson that Superman might want to talk to her, you know, so it wouldn't be as big of a shock when he goes to her?" Lois continued, not noticing Clark's queasiness.
Clark stayed silent as Lois waited to hear his answer.
"Clark? Hello…are you ok?"
Her eyes suddenly focused on him in concern.
"Yeah…yeah, I'm okay. I guess the hospital smell just caught up to me…" he said, realizing the smell that had really gotten to him was the spark for the ignition. His acute sense of smell had for some reason intensified the small simple thing that had resulted from the turn of a key.
"Can you handle going into another hospital?" she asked, now driving, casting him a worried glance as she turned onto the next street.
"Yeah, I'm good now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Alright."
O o O
Saint General Hospital
They entered the hospital and Lois asked a nurse if they could talk to Dr. Price, Clark standing slightly behind her.
The young nurse gave a smile at Clark as she answered.
"Yes, though I should warn you, he might be short with you."
"Oh?" Lois asked, not having missed the nurse's flirty smile to Clark.
The nurse didn't elaborate as she motioned them to the waiting room and left to go get the doctor.
"Well, I think you have a fan," Lois teased (sort of) once the nurse was out of earshot.
"Lo-is."
"Clark, I'm just teasing," she said, taking a seat.
"Can we just do what we came here to do and go?" he asked, his voice laced with no emotion as he took a seat beside her.
"Alright," Lois replied, taken aback by her partner's sudden abruptness.
A few moments later, Dr. Price entered and made his way to them.
"I was told you wanted to speak with me?"
Lois immediately gathered from the man's posture alone that he was tired, drained, and annoyed.
She would need to tread lightly.
"Um, yes. I'm Lois Lane and this is my partner, Clark Kent. I know we don't know you at all, but we sort of have a favor to ask," Lois looked to Clark, hoping he would continue since he had done so well with drill sergeant Schmitt.
She looked at him expectantly as she found him staring at Dr. Price.
Clark met the good doctor's eyes, the same hazel eyes he had stared into just the night before.
Lois slyly elbowed him, prodding him to talk, to say something.
She didn't like her partner looking like a deer caught in headlights.
Somehow Clark got himself to focus enough to talk.
"We would just really appreciate it if you could give a message to Dr. May Johnson. Could you just let her know that Superman might be stopping by to talk to her sometime?" Clark asked rather quickly, his whole being internally begging him to get out of there. Away from everything that reminded him, especially away from the doctor standing in front of him.
Dr. Price looked like a fish out of water for a split second before he collected himself.
"Sure, Mr. Kent." He paused, as if he was taken by surprise, because he was. "Is that all? I mean, no questions for a story or anything? I sort of expected…"
Lois decided to cut in, believing Clark was getting sick from being inside of another hospital because he didn't look so good.
"No. Some things are more important than a story," she stated, giving the doctor a smile before she looked to Clark. "Come on partner, I think you need some fresh air."
She started to steer the slightly surprised Kent out as she looked back to the stunned doctor.
"My partner isn't a fan of hospitals, no offence," she said.
The doctor's gaze followed them out, taking a mental note of those two and promising himself that he would show his thanks to them later if he could.
Not all people were out for their own gain. There were people out there who thought about more than just themselves.
O o O
Lois had been slightly worried about Clark after she dropped him off at his apartment yesterday, but he seemed better the next day at work so her worry quickly dissipated. She just swore to herself to never drag Clark into another hospital if she could help it.
The next day had included a few rescues and many orders from Perry. Clark was thankful for his invulnerability as he questioned how it was possible for his coworkers not to be deaf, especially poor Jimmy Olson. Perry was certainly a very energized boss and his voice was just one testament of that.
Clark was now sitting on his couch, talking on the phone to Lois. She had called about an hour after he had gotten home from work. Luckily Superman had not been needed.
"So you told him what we learned?" Lois asked, referring to Superman.
"Uh, yeah Lois, I told him."
Though not in so many words… he thought.
"Did he say anything?"
"Not really, but he's going to go talk to Johnson soon."
That was the truth…
There was silence for a long moment.
"Lois? Are you still there?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry Clark, I was just thinking."
"Thinking? About what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Clark, how do you talk to a person who has lost their family?"
"I-I don't know, Lois."
"Do you think Superman knows how?"
"No."
"I wish there was more we could do to help."
"Sadly Lois, I think this is something he's going to have to figure out himself," he replied, now in deep thought.
"Well, tell me when he's talked to her."
"I definitely will."
"Alright. Bye, Clark."
"Bye, Lois."
Clark got up and looked at the clock.
8:07 pm.
"Well, I guess now is just as good a time as any," Clark muttered to himself before he spun into his suit and left to fulfill a promise.
O o O