Abaris' Arrow
by linda-seton
Slumped in the hospital room chair with her feet braced against Gabe's bed, Chloe starts awake. She had just had some sort of nightmare about Lex and a cat that played pinochle.
And then she hears Lex's voice outside the hospital room door.
Forcing herself to stand, she pads across the floor in her sock feet. She can see Lex, a well-rested and presumably showered Lex, through the blinds covering the window of the door.
She glances at her sleeping father. He looks so pale under the hospital fluorescents which highlight every scratch and bruise. And the only reason he is in that bed is because she crossed the man just outside the room.
She slams open the door and turns all her frustration and anger on a hapless Lex.
"Chloe?"
"Get out of here! Now!"
Lex actually glances behind him to see if she really means him. "Chloe, is your father…"
"My father is fine. No thanks to you. Get out!"
She points toward the door and Lex reaches for her hand to try to calm her.
She reacts by punching him in the jaw.
Bewildered, he just blinks at her. There is no tensing of the shoulders, no instinctual forming of a fist. He's not the type who would hit an obviously terrified girl.
Lex retreats a few hesitant steps and then with a strange I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing smirk turns on his heels and hurries down the hospital corridor. He does not glance back as he shoves open the exit door.
Chloe squints as he vanishes in the harsh glow of the morning sun.
Cradling her freshly bruised hand against her stomach, Chloe turns back toward her father's room. She catches sight of Jonathan Kent being helped through the doorway of the Emergency Room by Martha and an orderly.
Chloe takes a step forward just as a doctor rushes toward the hurt man. The doctor gently lifts Jonathan's chin and Chloe can clearly see the bruises on his throat. She looks down at her hand and retreats back to her father's room before the Kents spot her.
Chloe hovers just inside the doorway of Gabe's room watching through the blinds as the Kents pass. The bruises are fairly unmistakable. Is it possible that Jonathan Kent broke into her house? And why?
"Chloe?" Gabe murmurs softly.
"Dad, you're awake!" Chloe rushes to his bedside and touches his arm. "Of course you're awake or you wouldn't be talking."
"That's my girl. Great powers of observation." He laughs softly.
"What happened? Are you all right?"
"I just remember driving and glancing off the road. And then blam, scrape, unconscious in that backyard of the Sutcliffs." Gabe sits up a little in bed and forces a smile. "I dozed off behind the wheel. I was lucky I didn't hurt anyone."
"When they brought you in you said someone ran you off the road."
"I told them I ran myself off the road, honey. There wasn't another car for miles."
"Oh," Chloe exhales and sits down beside the bed. "I thought someone was trying to kill you."
"Sorry to spoil your exclusive but I was just exhausted after the meeting in Metropolis. And that long drive back here." Gabe yawns. "Have you been here all night?"
"Since they brought you in."
"Go home and get some rest. I'll call you if I need anything. Scat." He reaches out and squeezes Chloe's wounded hand.
She flinches but smiles. "Can do." She kisses Gabe gently on the forehead as he dozes off again. Sliding on her shoes, she grabs her bag from the floor and slips out to the hallway.
She rushes toward her car without spotting a single Kent.
She had assumed that the day before was going to ultimately be the strangest day of her life. Surprise. Things just got stranger.
She slides behind the wheel of her car and tries to find a coherent thought buried beneath all the stress, hunger and sleep deprivation.
All thoughts lead to one newly smacked face.
She starts her car and begins her journey to the Luthor house.
by linda-seton
Slumped in the hospital room chair with her feet braced against Gabe's bed, Chloe starts awake. She had just had some sort of nightmare about Lex and a cat that played pinochle.
And then she hears Lex's voice outside the hospital room door.
Forcing herself to stand, she pads across the floor in her sock feet. She can see Lex, a well-rested and presumably showered Lex, through the blinds covering the window of the door.
She glances at her sleeping father. He looks so pale under the hospital fluorescents which highlight every scratch and bruise. And the only reason he is in that bed is because she crossed the man just outside the room.
She slams open the door and turns all her frustration and anger on a hapless Lex.
"Chloe?"
"Get out of here! Now!"
Lex actually glances behind him to see if she really means him. "Chloe, is your father…"
"My father is fine. No thanks to you. Get out!"
She points toward the door and Lex reaches for her hand to try to calm her.
She reacts by punching him in the jaw.
Bewildered, he just blinks at her. There is no tensing of the shoulders, no instinctual forming of a fist. He's not the type who would hit an obviously terrified girl.
Lex retreats a few hesitant steps and then with a strange I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing smirk turns on his heels and hurries down the hospital corridor. He does not glance back as he shoves open the exit door.
Chloe squints as he vanishes in the harsh glow of the morning sun.
Cradling her freshly bruised hand against her stomach, Chloe turns back toward her father's room. She catches sight of Jonathan Kent being helped through the doorway of the Emergency Room by Martha and an orderly.
Chloe takes a step forward just as a doctor rushes toward the hurt man. The doctor gently lifts Jonathan's chin and Chloe can clearly see the bruises on his throat. She looks down at her hand and retreats back to her father's room before the Kents spot her.
Chloe hovers just inside the doorway of Gabe's room watching through the blinds as the Kents pass. The bruises are fairly unmistakable. Is it possible that Jonathan Kent broke into her house? And why?
"Chloe?" Gabe murmurs softly.
"Dad, you're awake!" Chloe rushes to his bedside and touches his arm. "Of course you're awake or you wouldn't be talking."
"That's my girl. Great powers of observation." He laughs softly.
"What happened? Are you all right?"
"I just remember driving and glancing off the road. And then blam, scrape, unconscious in that backyard of the Sutcliffs." Gabe sits up a little in bed and forces a smile. "I dozed off behind the wheel. I was lucky I didn't hurt anyone."
"When they brought you in you said someone ran you off the road."
"I told them I ran myself off the road, honey. There wasn't another car for miles."
"Oh," Chloe exhales and sits down beside the bed. "I thought someone was trying to kill you."
"Sorry to spoil your exclusive but I was just exhausted after the meeting in Metropolis. And that long drive back here." Gabe yawns. "Have you been here all night?"
"Since they brought you in."
"Go home and get some rest. I'll call you if I need anything. Scat." He reaches out and squeezes Chloe's wounded hand.
She flinches but smiles. "Can do." She kisses Gabe gently on the forehead as he dozes off again. Sliding on her shoes, she grabs her bag from the floor and slips out to the hallway.
She rushes toward her car without spotting a single Kent.
She had assumed that the day before was going to ultimately be the strangest day of her life. Surprise. Things just got stranger.
She slides behind the wheel of her car and tries to find a coherent thought buried beneath all the stress, hunger and sleep deprivation.
All thoughts lead to one newly smacked face.
She starts her car and begins her journey to the Luthor house.