Chapter 35- Delivery
"Okay, we're ready to deliver," Doctor Mack said. "Which guy, if any do you want to stay?"
Chloe looked helplessly to each of her friends.
"Guys, please excuse us for a moment," Martha asked.
"What do I do?" Chloe asked desperately. "I want Clark here, because he's Clark. I want Pete, because he's my best friend. I want Lex, because he cares so much. I don't want to hurt any of them."
"Chlo, neither of them will be hurt by your decision. I promise. They know they can't all be in here," Lana said.
Chloe nodded. "Any suggestions?"
Martha smiled. "You know my choice, but I'm prejudiced."
Chloe laughed. "Lan?"
"The truth in my opinion? Go with Clark. Pete is your best friend, but he doesn't expect that to influence your opinion. Lex loves you, but he's not as close to you as Clark is," Lana explained.
"Clark," Chloe decided.
"I'll get him," Martha said with a smile.
When Clark walked in Doctor Mack turned to him. "Clark, I need you to sit on the bed behind Chloe. Chloe lean up against him, he'll support you."
Clark took his place and wrapped his arms around Chloe above her stomach. Chloe held onto his hands.
"Martha and Lana. I need you two to each take one of Chloe's legs. When she pushes you'll provide the opposite force. Chloe, put your knees over the crook of their arms," Doctor Mack instructed. "When I say go I want you to push to the count of ten. Clark, you can count for her."
Clark nodded.
"Ready? Push," Doctor Mack said.
"One, two, three," Clark started.
Chloe pushed as hard as she could.
"Four, five six, seven," Clark continued.
Chloe groaned as she kept pushing.
"Eight, nine, ten," Clark finished.
"Good, Chloe. Relax," Doctor Mack said. "When the next contraction starts you'll push again."
Chloe gripped Clark's hands tightly.
"Push," Doctor Mack said.
"Ahh," Chloe moaned.
"One, two, three, four," Clark started.
Martha and Lana pushed against Chloe's knees. "You're doing great," Martha said.
"Eight, nine, ten," Clark said.
Chloe leaned back against Clark as Clark brushed the hair out of her face.
"Again," Doctor Mack instructed.
Chloe gritted her teeth.
"Two, three, four, five," Clark counted.
"Ohhh," Chloe moaned.
"Six, seven, eight, nine," Clark continued. "Ten."
"Wonderful," Doctor Mack said. "Lana, give her a piece of ice to suck."
Lana took the cup of ice chips and helped Chloe take one.
"Thank you," Chloe said gratefully.
Lana smiled and resumed her place by Chloe.
"Here you go again," Doctor Mack said.
"One, two, three," Clark said.
Tears streamed down Chloe's cheeks. "It hurts!"
"Keep going," Doctor Mack urged.
"Six, seven, eight," Clark continued.
"I can't," Chloe said.
"Ten," Clark finished.
Chloe cried. "Owww."
"Just a few more," Doctor Mack assured her.
"I can't," Chloe said. "I can't do it."
"Chloe, it's too late to take medication. You can do this," Martha said softly. "Hold onto Clark."
Chloe nodded.
"Push," Doctor Mack told Chloe.
"One, two, three, four, five," Clark started.
Chloe latched onto Clark with all her might. "Clark!"
"Seven, eight, nine, ten," Clark finished.
Chloe collapsed against Clark. Clark gently kissed Chloe's hair and stroked her stomach.
"I can see the head. Just a few more," Doctor Mack replied.
"Do I have to?" Chloe asked.
Doctor Mack laughed. "Yes, you have to."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Chloe said.
"Now, Chloe," Doctor Mack said.
Clark kissed Chloe's head again as he began to count.
"You can do it, Chlo. Come on," Lana said with a smile.
Chloe pushed as hard as she could.
"Seven, eight, nine, ten," Clark counted.
"No more," Chloe begged. "Please?"
Clark tightened his arms around Chloe. "You're strong, you can do it."
"You're the strong one, Farmboy," Chloe said, her breaths ragged.
Clark laughed.
"One more push," Doctor Mack said.
"One, two, three, four, five, six," Clark said.
"Faster, Scooby," Chloe said between breaths.
"Nine, ten," Clark finished.
"I'm going to die," Chloe said honestly.
"No you're not," Martha said.
"Chloe, you're doing fantastic," Lana encouraged.
"How do you know? You've never had a baby," Chloe shot back.
"You never know." said Lana mischievously.
"As glad as I am to see that my sarcastic wit is rubbing off on you, Lang, now is not in the time for me to question your past!" said Chloe.
"One more push," Doctor Mack said.
"You already said that," Chloe complained.
"I mean it this time," Doctor Mack assured her.
"Yeah, right," Chloe muttered.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," Clark counted.
"That's it. I don't care if I-" Chloe started. She was cut off when she heard a scream.
"Clark?" Chloe asked in disbelief.
"It's Adora," Clark said, kissing Chloe's head over and over.
Chloe started to cry.
"You can hold her for a minute, then I have to take her to clean her up," Doctor Mack said.
Chloe took the wrapped up bundle. "This is my baby?"
"Yes, sweetheart," Martha said.
"She's beautiful, Chloe," Lana exclaimed.
"She's mine," Chloe whispered. "Look, Clark!"
Clark laughed. "She's perfect."
"Okay, we're ready to deliver," Doctor Mack said. "Which guy, if any do you want to stay?"
Chloe looked helplessly to each of her friends.
"Guys, please excuse us for a moment," Martha asked.
"What do I do?" Chloe asked desperately. "I want Clark here, because he's Clark. I want Pete, because he's my best friend. I want Lex, because he cares so much. I don't want to hurt any of them."
"Chlo, neither of them will be hurt by your decision. I promise. They know they can't all be in here," Lana said.
Chloe nodded. "Any suggestions?"
Martha smiled. "You know my choice, but I'm prejudiced."
Chloe laughed. "Lan?"
"The truth in my opinion? Go with Clark. Pete is your best friend, but he doesn't expect that to influence your opinion. Lex loves you, but he's not as close to you as Clark is," Lana explained.
"Clark," Chloe decided.
"I'll get him," Martha said with a smile.
When Clark walked in Doctor Mack turned to him. "Clark, I need you to sit on the bed behind Chloe. Chloe lean up against him, he'll support you."
Clark took his place and wrapped his arms around Chloe above her stomach. Chloe held onto his hands.
"Martha and Lana. I need you two to each take one of Chloe's legs. When she pushes you'll provide the opposite force. Chloe, put your knees over the crook of their arms," Doctor Mack instructed. "When I say go I want you to push to the count of ten. Clark, you can count for her."
Clark nodded.
"Ready? Push," Doctor Mack said.
"One, two, three," Clark started.
Chloe pushed as hard as she could.
"Four, five six, seven," Clark continued.
Chloe groaned as she kept pushing.
"Eight, nine, ten," Clark finished.
"Good, Chloe. Relax," Doctor Mack said. "When the next contraction starts you'll push again."
Chloe gripped Clark's hands tightly.
"Push," Doctor Mack said.
"Ahh," Chloe moaned.
"One, two, three, four," Clark started.
Martha and Lana pushed against Chloe's knees. "You're doing great," Martha said.
"Eight, nine, ten," Clark said.
Chloe leaned back against Clark as Clark brushed the hair out of her face.
"Again," Doctor Mack instructed.
Chloe gritted her teeth.
"Two, three, four, five," Clark counted.
"Ohhh," Chloe moaned.
"Six, seven, eight, nine," Clark continued. "Ten."
"Wonderful," Doctor Mack said. "Lana, give her a piece of ice to suck."
Lana took the cup of ice chips and helped Chloe take one.
"Thank you," Chloe said gratefully.
Lana smiled and resumed her place by Chloe.
"Here you go again," Doctor Mack said.
"One, two, three," Clark said.
Tears streamed down Chloe's cheeks. "It hurts!"
"Keep going," Doctor Mack urged.
"Six, seven, eight," Clark continued.
"I can't," Chloe said.
"Ten," Clark finished.
Chloe cried. "Owww."
"Just a few more," Doctor Mack assured her.
"I can't," Chloe said. "I can't do it."
"Chloe, it's too late to take medication. You can do this," Martha said softly. "Hold onto Clark."
Chloe nodded.
"Push," Doctor Mack told Chloe.
"One, two, three, four, five," Clark started.
Chloe latched onto Clark with all her might. "Clark!"
"Seven, eight, nine, ten," Clark finished.
Chloe collapsed against Clark. Clark gently kissed Chloe's hair and stroked her stomach.
"I can see the head. Just a few more," Doctor Mack replied.
"Do I have to?" Chloe asked.
Doctor Mack laughed. "Yes, you have to."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Chloe said.
"Now, Chloe," Doctor Mack said.
Clark kissed Chloe's head again as he began to count.
"You can do it, Chlo. Come on," Lana said with a smile.
Chloe pushed as hard as she could.
"Seven, eight, nine, ten," Clark counted.
"No more," Chloe begged. "Please?"
Clark tightened his arms around Chloe. "You're strong, you can do it."
"You're the strong one, Farmboy," Chloe said, her breaths ragged.
Clark laughed.
"One more push," Doctor Mack said.
"One, two, three, four, five, six," Clark said.
"Faster, Scooby," Chloe said between breaths.
"Nine, ten," Clark finished.
"I'm going to die," Chloe said honestly.
"No you're not," Martha said.
"Chloe, you're doing fantastic," Lana encouraged.
"How do you know? You've never had a baby," Chloe shot back.
"You never know." said Lana mischievously.
"As glad as I am to see that my sarcastic wit is rubbing off on you, Lang, now is not in the time for me to question your past!" said Chloe.
"One more push," Doctor Mack said.
"You already said that," Chloe complained.
"I mean it this time," Doctor Mack assured her.
"Yeah, right," Chloe muttered.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," Clark counted.
"That's it. I don't care if I-" Chloe started. She was cut off when she heard a scream.
"Clark?" Chloe asked in disbelief.
"It's Adora," Clark said, kissing Chloe's head over and over.
Chloe started to cry.
"You can hold her for a minute, then I have to take her to clean her up," Doctor Mack said.
Chloe took the wrapped up bundle. "This is my baby?"
"Yes, sweetheart," Martha said.
"She's beautiful, Chloe," Lana exclaimed.
"She's mine," Chloe whispered. "Look, Clark!"
Clark laughed. "She's perfect."