A/N: I inserted my cousin in a Smallville fic!
Alex is my cousin. He barely walks, and knows maybe 4 or 5 words, but he's by far the most intelligent person I've ever known.
~~~
Sherry gazed down at the boy with a small smile, fighting the tears pricking at her eyes.
She regretted it, all of it, everything.
She regretted being so naive and trusting.
She regretted punishing her child because she was out of control.
She regretted that he was suffering for her mistakes.
But most of all, she regretted what she now knew she had to do.
Sherry had never been prepared to be a mother, from the very beginning.
She'd tried, she'd tried hard, and she'd had help, God knows she'd had help.
But she just couldn't do it anymore.
She couldn't handle it.
She couldn't possibly take care of a "normal" child, let alone one who was crippled and mute, and still expect to live a normal life.
She didn't want to get rid of him, but she now felt that she had no choice.
She'd driven for hours, out to some hicktown in the middle of nowhere, somewhere where nobody would know her.
Alex deserved to have a family who could love him, take care of him properly.
And Sherry just couldn't do it anymore.
She slowly pushed his wheelchair into what appeared to be an old theater, where many people who she could only assume were residents-it wasn't exactly a big tourist area, obviously-were sitting around talking and drinking coffee.
She sat down at a table and positioned Alex across from her, then looked around the room slowly.
Surely, someone here would take pity on the sweet little boy.
A waitress came over just then and asked to take her order.
"Oh, uh...just a cup of coffee. Black." She smiled. The waitress-who looked younger, maybe 15 or 16-smiled back tentatively.
"Pardon me saying so, but you look just a little young to be working in a place like this."
The girl smiled again. "Well, in this town, not much is normal."
"Oh." She glanced over at her son. Not normal, hmm...
"What's your name?"
The girl flashed a brilliant smile for the 3rd time. "Lana. Lana Lang."
She nodded then turned and ignored Lana, who walked away after a moment and joined a couple other teenagers at the bar, a tall dark-haired boy who looked as if he were extremely depressed, and a short blonde who looked simply defiant-and, Sherry observed as she saw the frown on the other girl's face while she watched Lana talking animatedly with the tall boy- envious.
Interesting.
But she had no time to reflect on her observation, as Alex started to squirm in his seat and she had to take him out and place him on her lap, and Lana began walking back over with her coffee.
~~~
After another cup of coffee, Sherry stuck a small piece of paper in Alex's coat pocket, which read:
My name is Alex. I am 8 years old.
I'm lovable and a great companion, and I need a home.
I'm special though, and my mommy can't take care of me anymore. She hopes that someone will find me who can.
I can walk just a little bit, but it's best for me to be in my wheelchair, especially when I go places. I say three words: "Hi," "Mom," and "love."
I'm very very smart, even though I can't really show you, expect when people really really love each other, I will know, and I will put their hands together and say "love."
Please take care of me.
Sherry took Alex to a secluded corner booth, kissed his cheek and hugged him, wiped the tears from her eyes, and slipped out the door silently, alone.
~~~
Chloe couldn't help but smile at how exhausted Lana looked, despite how guilty she felt for the thought afterwards.
"Long day?"
Lana sighed. "That's an understatement. So, why are you still here?"
"Oh, I was thinking maybe I would offer the assistant manager a break of sorts," she lied. "Need help?"
In reality, she was waiting around because she was perceptive, and she knew Clark. He would probably show up any minute. She wasn't going to let him avoid her forever.
And she was trying to overcome the temptation to run home and get a certain pink prom dress so she could throw it in his face and tell him what an idiot he was, and why did he care so much for this girl who didn't feel the same way when she'd been falling all over herself for him, and would do anything for him.
But she knew she couldn't do that. She'd be a self-labeled hyprocrite if she did.
She moved slowly towards the other end of the bar, almost in the far corner from the door.
"Hi!"
She whipped her head around fast. "What was that?"
"I don't know."
Lana reached up and flipped on a light.
There sat a little boy in a wheelchair, smiling brightly at them. "Hi!" he said again.
The girls glanced at each other nervously.
".....Hi...."
~~~
"So, you just found him in the corner? No clue where he came from?" Clark questioned, sitting down across from Chloe, on the other side of Alex.
"Just this note," Chloe answered, handing it to him. He looked over it as Lana spoke up.
"There was something..."
Chloe turned to face her. "What?"
"Earlier...there was a woman in here...she had a little kid in a wheelchair with her, but I didn't see his...or her...face. She seemed upset about something, troubled."
Chloe turned back to Alex. "Guess that means our new friend here has officially been dumped," she said, smiling sadly.
Clark laughed a little.
"What?"
"This note. 'When people really really love each other, I will know, and I will put their hands together and say 'love?'' Sounds like he's better off without whoever left him here."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Stranger things have happened, Clark."
She caught his eye for a minute, and then he quickly looked away. Alex sent a big smile Clark's way. "Hi!"
Clark smiled. "Hi."
Alex turned back to Chloe. "Hi!"
"Hi."
He looked at Clark, then back at Chloe.
He reached over and grabbed Chloe's wrist and lifted her hand, then reached for Clark's.
"What is he doing?"
"I don't know."
Lana came over and sat on Clark's other side.
Alex gently pushed Chloe and Clark's hands together, closed Clark's hand over Chloe's, smiled, and said, "Love."
Alex is my cousin. He barely walks, and knows maybe 4 or 5 words, but he's by far the most intelligent person I've ever known.
~~~
Sherry gazed down at the boy with a small smile, fighting the tears pricking at her eyes.
She regretted it, all of it, everything.
She regretted being so naive and trusting.
She regretted punishing her child because she was out of control.
She regretted that he was suffering for her mistakes.
But most of all, she regretted what she now knew she had to do.
Sherry had never been prepared to be a mother, from the very beginning.
She'd tried, she'd tried hard, and she'd had help, God knows she'd had help.
But she just couldn't do it anymore.
She couldn't handle it.
She couldn't possibly take care of a "normal" child, let alone one who was crippled and mute, and still expect to live a normal life.
She didn't want to get rid of him, but she now felt that she had no choice.
She'd driven for hours, out to some hicktown in the middle of nowhere, somewhere where nobody would know her.
Alex deserved to have a family who could love him, take care of him properly.
And Sherry just couldn't do it anymore.
She slowly pushed his wheelchair into what appeared to be an old theater, where many people who she could only assume were residents-it wasn't exactly a big tourist area, obviously-were sitting around talking and drinking coffee.
She sat down at a table and positioned Alex across from her, then looked around the room slowly.
Surely, someone here would take pity on the sweet little boy.
A waitress came over just then and asked to take her order.
"Oh, uh...just a cup of coffee. Black." She smiled. The waitress-who looked younger, maybe 15 or 16-smiled back tentatively.
"Pardon me saying so, but you look just a little young to be working in a place like this."
The girl smiled again. "Well, in this town, not much is normal."
"Oh." She glanced over at her son. Not normal, hmm...
"What's your name?"
The girl flashed a brilliant smile for the 3rd time. "Lana. Lana Lang."
She nodded then turned and ignored Lana, who walked away after a moment and joined a couple other teenagers at the bar, a tall dark-haired boy who looked as if he were extremely depressed, and a short blonde who looked simply defiant-and, Sherry observed as she saw the frown on the other girl's face while she watched Lana talking animatedly with the tall boy- envious.
Interesting.
But she had no time to reflect on her observation, as Alex started to squirm in his seat and she had to take him out and place him on her lap, and Lana began walking back over with her coffee.
~~~
After another cup of coffee, Sherry stuck a small piece of paper in Alex's coat pocket, which read:
My name is Alex. I am 8 years old.
I'm lovable and a great companion, and I need a home.
I'm special though, and my mommy can't take care of me anymore. She hopes that someone will find me who can.
I can walk just a little bit, but it's best for me to be in my wheelchair, especially when I go places. I say three words: "Hi," "Mom," and "love."
I'm very very smart, even though I can't really show you, expect when people really really love each other, I will know, and I will put their hands together and say "love."
Please take care of me.
Sherry took Alex to a secluded corner booth, kissed his cheek and hugged him, wiped the tears from her eyes, and slipped out the door silently, alone.
~~~
Chloe couldn't help but smile at how exhausted Lana looked, despite how guilty she felt for the thought afterwards.
"Long day?"
Lana sighed. "That's an understatement. So, why are you still here?"
"Oh, I was thinking maybe I would offer the assistant manager a break of sorts," she lied. "Need help?"
In reality, she was waiting around because she was perceptive, and she knew Clark. He would probably show up any minute. She wasn't going to let him avoid her forever.
And she was trying to overcome the temptation to run home and get a certain pink prom dress so she could throw it in his face and tell him what an idiot he was, and why did he care so much for this girl who didn't feel the same way when she'd been falling all over herself for him, and would do anything for him.
But she knew she couldn't do that. She'd be a self-labeled hyprocrite if she did.
She moved slowly towards the other end of the bar, almost in the far corner from the door.
"Hi!"
She whipped her head around fast. "What was that?"
"I don't know."
Lana reached up and flipped on a light.
There sat a little boy in a wheelchair, smiling brightly at them. "Hi!" he said again.
The girls glanced at each other nervously.
".....Hi...."
~~~
"So, you just found him in the corner? No clue where he came from?" Clark questioned, sitting down across from Chloe, on the other side of Alex.
"Just this note," Chloe answered, handing it to him. He looked over it as Lana spoke up.
"There was something..."
Chloe turned to face her. "What?"
"Earlier...there was a woman in here...she had a little kid in a wheelchair with her, but I didn't see his...or her...face. She seemed upset about something, troubled."
Chloe turned back to Alex. "Guess that means our new friend here has officially been dumped," she said, smiling sadly.
Clark laughed a little.
"What?"
"This note. 'When people really really love each other, I will know, and I will put their hands together and say 'love?'' Sounds like he's better off without whoever left him here."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Stranger things have happened, Clark."
She caught his eye for a minute, and then he quickly looked away. Alex sent a big smile Clark's way. "Hi!"
Clark smiled. "Hi."
Alex turned back to Chloe. "Hi!"
"Hi."
He looked at Clark, then back at Chloe.
He reached over and grabbed Chloe's wrist and lifted her hand, then reached for Clark's.
"What is he doing?"
"I don't know."
Lana came over and sat on Clark's other side.
Alex gently pushed Chloe and Clark's hands together, closed Clark's hand over Chloe's, smiled, and said, "Love."