***************** Guilt Part 4 Author: Morley Disclaimers in Part 1 ******************

Clark looked up from the book he was reading to see Lex Luthor walking over to him. "Hey, Lex."

"Hey," he replied. "Sorry I didn't come sooner, but I was in Metropolis."

"It's all right," Clark replied.

"How are they doing?"

Clark sighed. "My mom is awake. The doctor just wants to keep her here till tomorrow for observation."

"Your dad?"

"No change yet. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not," he replied. "The Doctor is checking on him again."

As if on cue, Dr. Branson came out of the room. "Clark." He stood up and waited for him to continue. "You're father's awake."

"Thank God!" Clark said, smiling. Lex patted him on the back. "Can I see him?"

"There's something you need to know first."

"What's that?" Clark was anxious to talk to his father, but this seemed important. "Is something wrong?"

"Clark, your father has amnesia."

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"Lana."

Lana smiled at her boyfriend. He had been so busy with his dad's store that she hadn't seen him in a while. "Hey."

"Are you heading out?" he asked, eyeing the keys in her hand.

"Yeah, Clark's parents are both awake. However, Mr. Kent has amnesia."

Whitney nodded. "That's too bad. Why don't we go to the Beanery instead?"

Lana stared at him. "What?"

"Come on, Lana, it'll be good for you."

"'Good for me'? My friend is going to through a hard time and that's all you can say? Whitney, I know you've never liked Clark, but even you can't be that heartless!"

Whitney shook his head. "How come you're there for him when his parents are sick, but not for me?"

"I would have been there for you from the beginning if you would have told me!" Lana screamed back. "I gotta go now."

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Clark slowly entered the room. Martha smiled sadly at him and pulled him aside. "Clark, I don't know what the doctor has told you."

"Just that Dad has amnesia... why?"

"He has selective amnesia. I told him you were worried sick about him and..." she trailed off.

"What, Mom?"

"He asked me who you were."

Clark stared at her in shock. His own father didn't know who he was. "A- are you sure?"

Martha nodded, tears falling. "I'm sorry, Clark. We're just going to have to work on helping him with his memories."

"I-I... I'm going for a walk."

"Clark."

"No, Mom, please. I need to be alone." Martha nodded slowly, watching her son leave.

"Martha, was that him?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Jonathan."

"God, I can't believe this!" he growled. "Why can't I remember my own son!"

"Everything will turn out all right," she told him. "You'll see. Now why don't you try and get some sleep."

Jonathan gave in and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, son," he whispered, drifting off to sleep.

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Lana climbed the steps up to Clark's loft. She had gone to the hospital only to have Mrs. Kent tell her he had just left. "I thought I'd find you here."

"Yeah."

"How are you doing?"

Clark laughed bitterly. "How am I doing? That's a loaded question, Lana."

She smiled sadly and sat next to him. "I know it is, that's why I asked it."

"I feel like I want to hit something hard."

"Admit it, Clark, you want to hit your Dad."

He looked up at her. "How did you know that?"

"I get that way sometimes. I just want to hit my parents for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's stupid, I know, but I can't help it."

"Of all the things in this world, why did he have to forget me?"

Lana shrugged. "That's not a question any of us can answer, Clark. Just give him time. I think you're a pretty difficult guy to forget."

Clark smiled. "Thanks, Lana."

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