Part 10
Lex dropped the phone on the carpeted floor. The nurse, who woke up during his damage control with Clark, convincing him that it was one of his paramours who had nothing better to do, blinked fearfully up at Lex. He sent her out, and she scurried away without being told twice. He was thankful that Clark was so gullible. It wasn't that farfetched that Clark could call him a liar. Several months after the accident, Lex had paraded at functions with a blonde green-eyed woman in his arm, with smiles and voices nearing Chloe's every time.
He hoped to hell that Clark was still idiotically innocent he would fall for the blatant lie.
For now, he sat on the side of the bed where Chloe was glaring at him, feeling betrayed and afraid. "Chloe."
"What did you do that for?" she spat out. Her voice was still not as loud as it should be, but he was glad that she still had her temper. It showed that she was recovering nicely. "All those expensive schools and you're still rude."
"Chloe, why did you call Clark?" he asked softly, still touching her face. He wondered when he would get over having to have physical contact. Never, he supposed. When you came as close as he did to losing the one you love, you latch on tight as a bloodsucker.
She fell back on the bed, exhausted, but there was still spark in her eyes when she answered, "I needed help."
"You have a nurse. She was sleeping on the job and she will be fired. I'll get you another one. Or you could have called for me. I would have come." He tried to embrace her but Chloe pushed him away.
"I needed help for you. from you. I don't know," she cried in frustration.
"From me?" he repeated, hurting. "Chloe, I would never hurt you."
"Where. Is. My. Son?" she gritted out.
Lex picked up her hands and held on tightly, tightening his grip when she tried to pull them away. "Look at me, Chloe. Listen carefully. There's no Alec. Remember what I was telling you earlier? No Alec, Chloe. Not yet at least."
"No. Why do you keep saying that?"
"Because it's what's real, Chloe. It's what's true!"
"No!" she said, louder this time. "I have a baby, Lex. We have a son. How can you just forget about him?"
"He wasn't real. Chloe, I already told you, the last two years were numbers on a computer screen," he insistent. "It wasn't real." She was shaking her head firmly, blocking him out. There was only one way for her to believe, one way for her to put the last two years behind. Carefully, he bundled her up in his large coat and took her to the office. He sat her in front of the computer and opened a sealed drawer.
The videos of Bliss gleamed under the light. He reached for one and fed it into the machine. And scenes that she remembered played on the screen. It was the night of Lex's nightmare that she and the baby died. She comforted her. The exact words she remembered saying, the blinking hologram of her did too. Everything went as she remembered, only this time, when Lex stood up in the morning to go to the office, the screen went black, and it was no longer their bedroom when the lights went back on. Only a vacant room.
Lex inserted another CD, of Thanksgiving. And then another. It was Alec's baptism. Another. Chloe's birthday. Another. They watched a movie. Another then another and then another and another until Chloe stumbled away and heaved dryly on the carpet.
And then he was there kneeling right behind her, wrapping her in his warm embrace. She closed her eyes against the pain and dizziness but no matter how tightly her eyes were shut, she still felt the trickle of tears down her cheek. He wiped them away, one by one, and kissed her ear, her nape, murmuring words of assurance.
He had to repeat it. Damn him to everlasting hell. "There is no Alec, Chloe."
"You bought him," she said thickly. "You fucking bought me a baby while I was in a coma. You fucking bought me a life." How can words like that have come out so emotionlessly? She didn't think it was possible until she heard herself say them.
"I had to keep you with me."
"You can't buy everything, Lex."
He stiffened behind her, but his arms around her didn't slacken. "What would have had me do, Chloe? Do what your dad and Clark wanted and let you die?! I lied to everyone you loved, cheated families out of their lands, conducted illegal research and funded the worst experimental research depravities in the history of mankind, Chloe-all to keep you alive and bring you back to me," he recounted.
She turned in his arms and touched his cheek. "You did all that, Lex." It wasn't a question.
Still, he nodded. "Blood, Chloe. A lot of it on my hands. I threw ethics out the window. I did anything and everything to find a way to bring you back to me."
The tears silently streaked down her face. She moistened her lips. "Then yes, Lex. I would have rather you let me die." And then she laid her head on his chest and cried for herself, for the child she lost, but most of all- for Lex, and everything he did.
Lex dropped the phone on the carpeted floor. The nurse, who woke up during his damage control with Clark, convincing him that it was one of his paramours who had nothing better to do, blinked fearfully up at Lex. He sent her out, and she scurried away without being told twice. He was thankful that Clark was so gullible. It wasn't that farfetched that Clark could call him a liar. Several months after the accident, Lex had paraded at functions with a blonde green-eyed woman in his arm, with smiles and voices nearing Chloe's every time.
He hoped to hell that Clark was still idiotically innocent he would fall for the blatant lie.
For now, he sat on the side of the bed where Chloe was glaring at him, feeling betrayed and afraid. "Chloe."
"What did you do that for?" she spat out. Her voice was still not as loud as it should be, but he was glad that she still had her temper. It showed that she was recovering nicely. "All those expensive schools and you're still rude."
"Chloe, why did you call Clark?" he asked softly, still touching her face. He wondered when he would get over having to have physical contact. Never, he supposed. When you came as close as he did to losing the one you love, you latch on tight as a bloodsucker.
She fell back on the bed, exhausted, but there was still spark in her eyes when she answered, "I needed help."
"You have a nurse. She was sleeping on the job and she will be fired. I'll get you another one. Or you could have called for me. I would have come." He tried to embrace her but Chloe pushed him away.
"I needed help for you. from you. I don't know," she cried in frustration.
"From me?" he repeated, hurting. "Chloe, I would never hurt you."
"Where. Is. My. Son?" she gritted out.
Lex picked up her hands and held on tightly, tightening his grip when she tried to pull them away. "Look at me, Chloe. Listen carefully. There's no Alec. Remember what I was telling you earlier? No Alec, Chloe. Not yet at least."
"No. Why do you keep saying that?"
"Because it's what's real, Chloe. It's what's true!"
"No!" she said, louder this time. "I have a baby, Lex. We have a son. How can you just forget about him?"
"He wasn't real. Chloe, I already told you, the last two years were numbers on a computer screen," he insistent. "It wasn't real." She was shaking her head firmly, blocking him out. There was only one way for her to believe, one way for her to put the last two years behind. Carefully, he bundled her up in his large coat and took her to the office. He sat her in front of the computer and opened a sealed drawer.
The videos of Bliss gleamed under the light. He reached for one and fed it into the machine. And scenes that she remembered played on the screen. It was the night of Lex's nightmare that she and the baby died. She comforted her. The exact words she remembered saying, the blinking hologram of her did too. Everything went as she remembered, only this time, when Lex stood up in the morning to go to the office, the screen went black, and it was no longer their bedroom when the lights went back on. Only a vacant room.
Lex inserted another CD, of Thanksgiving. And then another. It was Alec's baptism. Another. Chloe's birthday. Another. They watched a movie. Another then another and then another and another until Chloe stumbled away and heaved dryly on the carpet.
And then he was there kneeling right behind her, wrapping her in his warm embrace. She closed her eyes against the pain and dizziness but no matter how tightly her eyes were shut, she still felt the trickle of tears down her cheek. He wiped them away, one by one, and kissed her ear, her nape, murmuring words of assurance.
He had to repeat it. Damn him to everlasting hell. "There is no Alec, Chloe."
"You bought him," she said thickly. "You fucking bought me a baby while I was in a coma. You fucking bought me a life." How can words like that have come out so emotionlessly? She didn't think it was possible until she heard herself say them.
"I had to keep you with me."
"You can't buy everything, Lex."
He stiffened behind her, but his arms around her didn't slacken. "What would have had me do, Chloe? Do what your dad and Clark wanted and let you die?! I lied to everyone you loved, cheated families out of their lands, conducted illegal research and funded the worst experimental research depravities in the history of mankind, Chloe-all to keep you alive and bring you back to me," he recounted.
She turned in his arms and touched his cheek. "You did all that, Lex." It wasn't a question.
Still, he nodded. "Blood, Chloe. A lot of it on my hands. I threw ethics out the window. I did anything and everything to find a way to bring you back to me."
The tears silently streaked down her face. She moistened her lips. "Then yes, Lex. I would have rather you let me die." And then she laid her head on his chest and cried for herself, for the child she lost, but most of all- for Lex, and everything he did.