Chapter 39- Another Rescue By Clark To Go On Chloe's Tally
"Chloe? Chloe?" Clark asked kneeling by the petite blond.
Chloe slowly tried to open her eyes. "Clark?" she said, her voice barely audible.
"I'm here, Chloe. I'm here," Clark said brushing the hair out of her face.
"Where's Lex?" she asked.
"I don't know," Clark answered.
"I-I-" she said, starting to sway. She fell back against Clark when she lost consciousness.
Clark carefully picked her up into his arms. He wrapped Chloe's jacket tightly around her before running full speed to his house. He placed Chloe on his couch in the loft and covered her with a blanket before grabbing the phone.
"Pete. My barn, now. And don't let my mom see you," Clark said hanging up before Pete could respond.
"Lana. I need you in the loft now. Don't let my mom know you're here," he said also not waiting for a response.
He went to Chloe and knelt beside her. "Chlo? Chloe, look at me," Clark said.
Chloe opened her eyes and winced when the bright light invaded her sight. "Turn the lamp off. It's too bright," she whispered.
Clark jumped up to flip the light off, almost knocking it over in the process. When he got back to Chloe her eyes were closed.
"Chloe?" Clark asked hesitantly.
"It hurts to do anything," Chloe explained holding her stomach.
"Tell me what happened," Clark said holding Chloe upright.
Chloe leaned against Clark's hand that was behind her back. "All I remember is falling and seeing Lex looking down at me."
"You don't remember what you were talking about or how you fell?" Clark asked.
Chloe shook her head. She started to cry when the movement made a fresh wave of pain.
"Clark, what is it?" Lana asked coming up the stairs. "Why is it so dark?"
"Not so loud, Lan," Clark said looking at her.
When Lana's eyes adjusted to the lack of light she gasped. Lana ran to Chloe's side. "What happened?"
"All she remembers is falling and seeing Lex looking at her," Clark said.
"Too loud," Chloe complained. She held onto Clark's shoulders as hard as she could to try and fight against the haze that was trying to take over her mind.
"What are you going to do?" Lana whispered.
"I don't know," Clark said glumly. "I didn't want to have to explain to my parents so I brought her out here."
Lana nodded as Pete came up the stairs. "What's up Clark?"
"Shh!" Clark and Lana said at the same time.
"Chloe?" Pete asked seeing her current state. "What did that bastard do this time?"
"Pete," Chloe said reaching out to him.
"Hey, sweetie," Pete said taking her hand.
"M head hurts," she told him. "And so does my stomach."
"She hit her head on the hot tub wall. I think Lex pushed her, but she doesn't remember anything," Clark said relinquishing Chloe to Pete.
Pete seated himself behind Chloe and Chloe leaned back against him. "Pete, it hurts," Chloe repeated.
"I'm sure it does," Pete said softly. "Why does her stomach hurt?"
Clark shrugged.
"Chloe, what's wrong with your stomach?" Pete asked pressing a hand on top of hers.
"Lex. He kicked me. Again and again. It hurts, Pete," Chloe said, tears flowing freely down her face.
"Asshole," Pete hissed. "What are we going to do?"
"That's what I asked. We know what we're not going to do," Lana said.
"Tell parents," Clark replied.
"And what do we do when Mr. Sullivan finds out that Chloe never came home tonight?" Pete asked.
"I'll call him. Tell him she's at my house," Lana said taking the phone from Clark. "Mr. Sullivan. Hi. It's Lana. Is it okay if Chloe stays over at my house tonight? Thank you! Bye, bye."
"Here we go with more lies and cover ups. What the hell are we going to do with Lex? You guys wouldn't let me deal with him before…you have to now," Pete said, his voice becoming louder.
"Pete, you're too loud," Chloe complained.
"Sorry, Chlo," Pete said, gently caressing Chloe's hair.
"We have to do something about Lex," Lana said looking pointedly at Clark.
Clark sat on the arm of the couch and put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."
Lana walked to him and put a reassuring hand on his neck. "We don't just have to think about Lex. What about Chloe?"
"She's going home with you," Pete said simply.
"What?" Clark asked.
"This is pretty much the same injury that happened at Lex's all those months ago. Someone needs to keep waking her up. Mr. Sullivan thinks she's at Lana's. Lana is the best person to stay with Chloe. I know we can't put her in Clark's or my bedroom. It's the only reasonable solution for now," Pete said.
"Good thinking. Only, how do we get her past Nell?" Clark asked.
"We carry her. Tell Nell that she fell asleep in the car, but that she really wanted to stay with Lana," Pete said.
"Wow, you're good with on-the-spot thinking," Lana said.
"I've had experience," Pete said.
"Alright, we better get her to bed," Clark said reaching to pick Chloe up.
Pete scooped Chloe into his arms before Clark had a chance to get her. "We'll take Lana's car. Me and you can walk back from her house," Pete told Clark walking down the stairs.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chloe's moan woke Lana.
"Chloe, what is it?" Lana asked crawling over to the bed.
Chloe started to cry. "It hurts so much, Lana. What do I do?"
Lana sat on the bed by Chloe and ran her hand over Chloe's forehead in a soothing motion. "I don't know, Chlo. You don't remember what happened?"
"I told Clark I didn't. I remember flying backwards. I remember Lex standing over me with a smug smile. I remember him kicking me over and over," Chloe said crying harder. "Why does he hate me so much?"
"Oh, Chloe. He doesn't hate you," Lana said softly.
"Then why does he treat me this way?" Chloe asked.
"He just doesn't know how to control himself, I think. He thinks that he is supposed to end up like his father, so he's decided to not try to be better," Lana explained.
"But he can be better. He really can Lana," Chloe whispered.
"I know," Lana said continuing to rub Chloe's head. "He is just tired of fighting what is so deeply embedded inside himself."
"He's changed so much. I don't know if I can help him anymore," Chloe said in defeat.
"Stop trying Chloe. Please stop? He will only continue to hurt you," Lana pleaded.
"I can't," Chloe whispered. "I can't leave him alone."
"Chloe? Chloe?" Clark asked kneeling by the petite blond.
Chloe slowly tried to open her eyes. "Clark?" she said, her voice barely audible.
"I'm here, Chloe. I'm here," Clark said brushing the hair out of her face.
"Where's Lex?" she asked.
"I don't know," Clark answered.
"I-I-" she said, starting to sway. She fell back against Clark when she lost consciousness.
Clark carefully picked her up into his arms. He wrapped Chloe's jacket tightly around her before running full speed to his house. He placed Chloe on his couch in the loft and covered her with a blanket before grabbing the phone.
"Pete. My barn, now. And don't let my mom see you," Clark said hanging up before Pete could respond.
"Lana. I need you in the loft now. Don't let my mom know you're here," he said also not waiting for a response.
He went to Chloe and knelt beside her. "Chlo? Chloe, look at me," Clark said.
Chloe opened her eyes and winced when the bright light invaded her sight. "Turn the lamp off. It's too bright," she whispered.
Clark jumped up to flip the light off, almost knocking it over in the process. When he got back to Chloe her eyes were closed.
"Chloe?" Clark asked hesitantly.
"It hurts to do anything," Chloe explained holding her stomach.
"Tell me what happened," Clark said holding Chloe upright.
Chloe leaned against Clark's hand that was behind her back. "All I remember is falling and seeing Lex looking down at me."
"You don't remember what you were talking about or how you fell?" Clark asked.
Chloe shook her head. She started to cry when the movement made a fresh wave of pain.
"Clark, what is it?" Lana asked coming up the stairs. "Why is it so dark?"
"Not so loud, Lan," Clark said looking at her.
When Lana's eyes adjusted to the lack of light she gasped. Lana ran to Chloe's side. "What happened?"
"All she remembers is falling and seeing Lex looking at her," Clark said.
"Too loud," Chloe complained. She held onto Clark's shoulders as hard as she could to try and fight against the haze that was trying to take over her mind.
"What are you going to do?" Lana whispered.
"I don't know," Clark said glumly. "I didn't want to have to explain to my parents so I brought her out here."
Lana nodded as Pete came up the stairs. "What's up Clark?"
"Shh!" Clark and Lana said at the same time.
"Chloe?" Pete asked seeing her current state. "What did that bastard do this time?"
"Pete," Chloe said reaching out to him.
"Hey, sweetie," Pete said taking her hand.
"M head hurts," she told him. "And so does my stomach."
"She hit her head on the hot tub wall. I think Lex pushed her, but she doesn't remember anything," Clark said relinquishing Chloe to Pete.
Pete seated himself behind Chloe and Chloe leaned back against him. "Pete, it hurts," Chloe repeated.
"I'm sure it does," Pete said softly. "Why does her stomach hurt?"
Clark shrugged.
"Chloe, what's wrong with your stomach?" Pete asked pressing a hand on top of hers.
"Lex. He kicked me. Again and again. It hurts, Pete," Chloe said, tears flowing freely down her face.
"Asshole," Pete hissed. "What are we going to do?"
"That's what I asked. We know what we're not going to do," Lana said.
"Tell parents," Clark replied.
"And what do we do when Mr. Sullivan finds out that Chloe never came home tonight?" Pete asked.
"I'll call him. Tell him she's at my house," Lana said taking the phone from Clark. "Mr. Sullivan. Hi. It's Lana. Is it okay if Chloe stays over at my house tonight? Thank you! Bye, bye."
"Here we go with more lies and cover ups. What the hell are we going to do with Lex? You guys wouldn't let me deal with him before…you have to now," Pete said, his voice becoming louder.
"Pete, you're too loud," Chloe complained.
"Sorry, Chlo," Pete said, gently caressing Chloe's hair.
"We have to do something about Lex," Lana said looking pointedly at Clark.
Clark sat on the arm of the couch and put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."
Lana walked to him and put a reassuring hand on his neck. "We don't just have to think about Lex. What about Chloe?"
"She's going home with you," Pete said simply.
"What?" Clark asked.
"This is pretty much the same injury that happened at Lex's all those months ago. Someone needs to keep waking her up. Mr. Sullivan thinks she's at Lana's. Lana is the best person to stay with Chloe. I know we can't put her in Clark's or my bedroom. It's the only reasonable solution for now," Pete said.
"Good thinking. Only, how do we get her past Nell?" Clark asked.
"We carry her. Tell Nell that she fell asleep in the car, but that she really wanted to stay with Lana," Pete said.
"Wow, you're good with on-the-spot thinking," Lana said.
"I've had experience," Pete said.
"Alright, we better get her to bed," Clark said reaching to pick Chloe up.
Pete scooped Chloe into his arms before Clark had a chance to get her. "We'll take Lana's car. Me and you can walk back from her house," Pete told Clark walking down the stairs.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chloe's moan woke Lana.
"Chloe, what is it?" Lana asked crawling over to the bed.
Chloe started to cry. "It hurts so much, Lana. What do I do?"
Lana sat on the bed by Chloe and ran her hand over Chloe's forehead in a soothing motion. "I don't know, Chlo. You don't remember what happened?"
"I told Clark I didn't. I remember flying backwards. I remember Lex standing over me with a smug smile. I remember him kicking me over and over," Chloe said crying harder. "Why does he hate me so much?"
"Oh, Chloe. He doesn't hate you," Lana said softly.
"Then why does he treat me this way?" Chloe asked.
"He just doesn't know how to control himself, I think. He thinks that he is supposed to end up like his father, so he's decided to not try to be better," Lana explained.
"But he can be better. He really can Lana," Chloe whispered.
"I know," Lana said continuing to rub Chloe's head. "He is just tired of fighting what is so deeply embedded inside himself."
"He's changed so much. I don't know if I can help him anymore," Chloe said in defeat.
"Stop trying Chloe. Please stop? He will only continue to hurt you," Lana pleaded.
"I can't," Chloe whispered. "I can't leave him alone."