Part 15 - Media Circus
The next morning, Clark happily took the second to last donut and sat down. He had just come back from the hospital, telling Nurse Schmitt that tomorrow at 5 pm Superman would be able to make a visit.
He could hardly wait, and the fact that Nurse Schmitt was the one heading the whole thing made it even better. He knew no one more qualified to make everything run smoothly.
His thoughts drifted to David for a moment. The feeling of David's spirit-hand touching his physical one still sent ripples up his arm, his request still echoing within him.
'Mr. Kent, if you can, make a visit to my friends who are in the hospital. I'm sure they would be happy to see you.'
He smiled to himself at that memory.
It had been so great seeing him again, and not in the condition he had left as…
Clark quickly shook himself out of those thoughts, not wanting to remember that flight.
That had been the worst day of his life, his most agonizing hour of all his 24 years on Earth.
Never again.
If he had to go through something like that a second time…
Clark, stop thinking like that, he commanded himself. It happened. It's over. It's done. Don't dwell on it.
He went back to work, now finished with his donut.
.
.
The rescues that day, so far, had been easy. Just a little car accident that thankfully only left minor injuries. He hoped that the day would continue like that, but even more so for the next.
"Alright people, conference room!" Perry boomed, causing poor Jimmy to jump.
They all quickly assembled in the room, everyone with their pens at the ready, sitting around the big table.
It quickly became apparent to all that Perry had some news he wanted to have covered, and covered well.
Perry leaned forward in his oh-so dramatic way. "I was just told that Superman is going to be making a little visit to the Children's Ward at Saint Andrew's Hospital tomorrow."
Everyone perked up at that – everyone but Clark.
"Great," he mumbled, not knowing he had said it just loud enough to be heard.
"Kent, something wrong?"
Everyone turned and found Clark leaning back in his chair, hand touching his forehead, actually looking a little upset.
He closed his eyes, feeling all the stares upon him.
"Clark?" Perry asked, his voice rising in slight concern.
Clark couldn't help but answer on impulse.
"He didn't want this to become a media circus, Chief," Clark said quietly, though it had a defined firmness to it that didn't go unnoticed by Lois, or Perry for that matter.
"Who? Superman? How would you know about that, Kent?"
Clark straightened up, suddenly realizing what he had just unintentionally done.
"Uhh, he sort of talked to me about it."
The way he said it almost made it sound more like a question than an answer.
"Are you telling me, Kent, that you knew about this and you didn't tell me?"
Uh-oh.
"Uh, Chief, he sort of told me in confidence."
"Oh."
Everyone held their breath as they watched the chief lean back in thought.
"Alright then, we can respect that. Lane, Kent, tomorrow just you two cover the hospital, take Jimmy along too though. The rest of you, find something useful to do. Get the public's opinion and find out if this is just going to be a one time only thing or what, but remember, we run a respectable newspaper. Superman has graced us with two interviews, let's not make him regret it. Well, what are you all standing around here for? Go and get ready for tomorrow!"
They quickly did as they were told, trying not to look as if they were bolting toward the door, despite the fact that they were.
Perry, now alone in his office, his declaration still echoing in even his ears, rotated around in his chair to look out the window. He knew Lane and Kent were working diligently behind him at their desks, and he knew Jimmy was hovering over Clark, ecstatic at his task tomorrow.
"I understand you want to give the kids something special and I respect that…"
He didn't really know why he was talking out loud, but a part of him did hope that he would be heard.
"I am thankful for your desire to base yourself here in Metropolis, but just know that this paper will probably be the only one that will respect your wishes, especially if you don't publicly voice them yourself…Superman."
"CK, you still here?"
Clark shook himself slightly.
"Yeah, sorry, just thinking, Jimmy."
"You certainly do that a lot, CK."
"Yeah…I guess I do."
He was now thinking for real this time. After having just heard what Perry had told, well, him beyond those closed doors, something had struck him.
He knew Perry was right.
The other newspapers and news stations would not care about how they handled their 'professionalism.'
He would need to do something about that, now that the news was out.
And come to think of it…how the heck had that happened?
He'd have to figure that out later, after he figured out how to deal with it.
His thoughts momentarily drifted back to the night he had taken David to the hospital.
That could have been very bad if Jim and Henderson hadn't thought and acted quickly.
The media might have gotten a picture, and who knows how far it would have gone.
Clark was now even more thankful that it hadn't happened that way.
But this was not a tragedy.
This was going to be a service.
A pleasure.
However, that still didn't mean the cameras and reporters could just go in there and ruin it for the kids.
Tomorrow was going to be their day, and theirs alone. Not one with cameras all up in their faces.
The only question now was how.
Rotating in his chair a little bit, he found Jimmy looking up to the television.
'Just answer this, Doctor. Did he say why he wanted to make this visit?' one reporter asked, his microphone aimed at the slightly overwhelmed doctor.
'Yes, and has this got anything to do with what happened at Saint General?' another questioned.
Clark followed Jimmy's gaze, finding the press hounding the poor hospital Head Administrator.
"Well, looks like Superman's wish to not make this a media circus isn't going to come true, huh?" Jimmy asked out loud, thankfully not seeing the flash of fury pass through Clark's eyes.
How dare they stir up what had happened that night! They already know a mother had lost her child! Why can't they let the past be the past?
"We'll see about that," he stated, getting up and going to the stairs.
"CK, where are you-?" Jimmy asked after him, just as the door to the stairs slammed shut.
Jimmy was understandably worried at Clark's sudden and unexpected statement and departure, and so without a second thought, he ran after him.
Charging through the door, he heard an odd echo of… running footsteps?
He wasn't sure because the echo had this odd ring to it, almost like hummingbird wings.
But what caught his attention most of all was that this echo was coming from above, not from below…
Instincts winning out, he dashed up the stairs, coming to the door that led to the roof.
"CK?" he called, the door to the roof shutting behind him.
But there was no answer, except for a sonic boom overhead. . . .
O o O
Superman shot toward the hospital, seeing news vans and reporters crowding around the entrance.
He didn't know exactly what he was going to say, but he knew exactly what he was going to do.
Still a ways off, he purposefully slowed and then sped up suddenly, sending an echoing crack that was closely followed by a boom down across the city below.
The windows below him shuddered but didn't break, the whole city seeming to pause even after the tremor of air had passed.
He was inwardly pleased at the reporters' startled jumps as they quickly wondered what they had heard.
But like carnivorous scavengers they turned back to the man they were 'interviewing', some muttering something about an overzealous fighter pilot who must have flown in the city's no fly zone.
He focused his hearing upon them as he approached from behind.
"Dr. Tolman, you must know something…"
"Look, I only agreed to this briefing to give the truth and to banish these rumors," he answered.
"Rumors? What rumors?"
The poor man audibly sighed.
"I have given you the hospital's statement. Yes, Superman has gracefully promised he would make a visit tomorrow at 5 pm to our Children's Ward. He went to one of our staff and proposed this."
"Who?"
"I'm not going to give out that information," he answered, getting ready to turn and leave; however, he froze as something on the hospital lawn caught his gaze.
"Could you just speculate, doctor, as to why he wants to give his time to your hospital?"
He didn't answer, but continued to stare beyond them.
They were about to question him further, but a voice from behind caused them to become silent.
"Do I really need to give a reason?"
They all turned around, his voice alone causing them to slightly gasp, but that couldn't compare to the sight they now saw.
He was on the lawn of the hospital, directly 15 yards from the professional entrance, not even two feet from the decorative garden which he purposefully placed between himself and them, making it serve as a kind of buffer.
His arms were crossed but relaxed, and while his stance didn't use all of the authority at his disposal, it definitely used plenty.
All now had their eyes on him as he shifted his weight on the grass.
They waited, completely at a loss for words now that they were in his presence.
"I know everything has one, but isn't it sometimes better to just accept, instead of hounding people for one when they themselves don't know? And even when they do, has the decency of respecting privacy disappeared?
"I pray not."
They simply stared, and some, Clark happily noted, actually looked a little ashamed.
His attention then focused onto Dr. Tolman who was utterly dumbfounded, just able to stand there in disbelief at finding Superman looking right at him.
"I look forward to tomorrow," he said, speaking directly to Dr. Tolman.
"As do we Superman..," he replied, not knowing what else to say.
Superman gave a smile.
For many, this was the first time they had ever seen him do so openly, but it was short lived as his eyes focused onto the press.
"I'm happy to do this for the kids, for tomorrow is their day," he said pointedly, as he slowly rose himself from the ground. "Let's keep it that way," he finished, narrowing his eyes slightly before he simply disappeared from the spot he had been occupying, leaving only air and one of the loudest sonic booms they had ever heard.
The echo of it resounded across the city, and the meaning behind it was crystal clear. The press would have to be suicidal to do anything unprofessional the next day.
O o O