A Death In The Family Part One: Chapter Four:
The walk into the ICU unit seemed like the last mile for Clark. Each beeping and pulsating noise took on a more urgent sense for him as he made his way over to the cubical. Lionel Luthor stood at the entrance to the room as Clark stopped at his side. There were several doctors and nurses surrounding Lex at that point. It was unclear what they were doing, but he could see enough to know they were starting to disconnect some of the systems he had been attached to.
"Is he?" Clark stopped himself before the actual words. His eyes were wide with interest, but were already starting to get puffy again.
"No," Lionel spoke softly not taking his eyes off the hospital staff. "They are getting him ready."
Clark looked at him. The older Luthor was stoic and firm in his resolve not to let his emotions show. Perhaps there were none to show, but Clark would not let himself get involved in Lionel's feelings. He wanted to be there for Lex.
"Are you going to throw me out, again?" He asked with a soft voice.
"No," Lionel returned flatly. "I won't have my son's last moments filled with your theatrics."
"I had to be here, Mr. Luthor," Clark told him with a bit of resolve in his own voice. "I want to say goodbye to him."
Lionel looked at him for the first time.
"Lex is my best friend," Clark said in a low voice. "I owe it to him to say my farewells."
Lionel turned back to the room. "Do nothing to interfere," he told Clark with a tone that let Clark know he was not going to be lenient on this matter.
"I won't," Clark assured him. He then took a few steps forward and stood inside the cubical as some of the people in the room began to exit. He watched attentively as Doctor Burns put a needle into the IV drip and released the contents.
Burns saw the puzzled look in Clark's face and he told him. "This is a muscle relaxer. It will make his final moments less agonizing."
Clark nodded his head as if he understood, but the fact that those moments would be a struggle only gave more proof to Clark's belief that Lex was not ready to die.
Doctor Burns walked over to Clark. "Are you sure you want to see this, son?"
Clark took a deep breath and answered. "I have to, Dr. Burns. I owe it to my best friend."
He gave Clark the once over and then looked back at Lionel who nodded his head one time with the same steel expression on his face.
Doctor Burns took a deep breath and turned back to the last respirator that seemed to remain in the room. He punched a code into the machine and then glanced over at Lex.
Then, as if trying to react before he could change his own mind, he quickly hit the small red button that made all the lights on the large apparatus go out. The hum of the machine pumped a few more times before the hiss stop for the last time.
The doctor turned back to Clark and Lionel. "He may breath a few times on his own. It will be a natural reaction to having the machine do it for him for so long. It will be a reflex reaction, but in a few minutes, his own muscles will stop pumping his blood, and he will pass."
Doctor Burns left the room, and Clark was surprised that Lionel made no effort to enter the cubical. Only one nurse remained on the opposite side of Lex's bed to his right, and Clark took the left side.
"Would you like to stand here?" he questioned Lionel.
"No," Lionel replied. "I will be informed when it's over." With that said, Lionel turned around and walked away, out of Clark's sight.
Clark turned his attention to Lex. His chest was still rising and lowering slowly. There was still life in his body for at least the moment.
"Is he in pain?" Clark asked the one remaining nurse who was monitoring his vital.
"No," she said with a warm, sympathetic voice.
A tear rolled down Clark's right cheek before he could stop it. "Can he hear me?"
"I believe if he doesn't hear you with his ears, then he will with his heart," she gave Clark a small smile.
"The heart," Clark repeated. He placed his hand on Lex's chest and he could feel the welts from the bruises under his gown. The feeling from knowing what physical pain he must have gone through caused Clark to take a gasp of breath releasing a small groan as a chill ran up his spine. This was all he needed, and Clark forgot that they were not alone in the room.
"Lex," Clark leaned into his ear. "We don't have a whole lot of time left, buddy. So I guess I'd better get to the point." His hand gently passed over Lex's baldhead. I came here to tell you goodbye."
A few tears hit the pillow by Lex's ear. "I wanted you to know that you are my best friend, and I will miss you."
Clark's body started shaking from his sobs. "I know you always felt alone in the world, but you were never alone Lex. I know somehow, someway, we will meet again." A heavy sob hit him at that point and he fought off the impulse to heave with a loud groan. "So I came here to tell you to go and be with your mother now. You need to let go of this pain, and I need to let you go home to be with her and God."
Clark voice could hardly make it pass his horsed throat. He had not cried this much in a very long time. "I love you, buddy," He said one final time. "Be at peace, Lex."
Lex's body gave a jerk and his arms hit the rail on the side of the bed.
"What's happening?" Clark asked the nurse with alarm.
The nurse looked at her instruments. "His body is starting to shut down, and his natural reaction is to fight it," she explained.
Lex jumped again and this time his feet rose and slapped back onto the bed.
"He's gong to hurt himself," Clark warned as Lex began to squirm.
"There is nothing we can do," she told him with a stern voice. "This doesn't always happen, but Mr. Luthor was a very young and healthy man. It is no wonder his body would fight to survive even after his brain has stopped."
"We have to do something before he hurts himself, more," Clark insisted.
"What do you suggest?" she asked.
Clark looked down at his friend. "I think I can do something," he said lowering the rail.
"What are you doing?" the blond nurse asked.
"I'm not going to let him die like this alone and in pain," Clark told her cradling Lex's upper body parts in his arms as he slid into the death bed next to him.
"Moving him like that may kill him sooner," she warned.
"Then he will live another two minutes instead of four," Clark snarled. "I won't let him think he is alone in his last moments of life. Lionel can walk away from him all he wants, but I will not leave Lex to die alone in this bed." His teeth were gritted as he spoke with tears streaming down his face wrapping his arms around his friend to hold him still.
She watched as she saw how affectionate Clark was to Lex in his dying moments. Clark was not afraid of what she or anyone thought about him and Lex as he cradled his friend in his arms and rested the head against his chest. Their friendship was beyond conventional stereotypes of how much caring one man should show another. Their friendship was 'the stuff of legends,' as Lex once said. Clark knew that given the chance, they would have proven that fact.
It was a few more minutes before the convulsions stopped and Clark looked up at the nurse who was monitoring him from her stand next to the bed. "He's still breathing." Clark whispered.
"For now," she replied in a hushed voice.
The tears had stopped for the moment, and Clark marveled at the peace that had taken them over. The beeps and humming from all the machines in the other rooms had been blocked out, and all that remained were the soft shallow breaths from Lex that were coming fewer and with longer pauses between them.
The time between his breaths had become so long, that Clark hardly recognized that his friend had not taking a gulp of air in over thirty seconds. Nurse Baker had taken noticed first and leaned into to listen to his heart one final time.
Clark knew when she looked up with a sad face and slowly removed her stethoscope. She placed her free hand over Lex's face and announced in a soft tone, "He's gone."
Clark surprised himself with his own reaction. The tears stopped. Perhaps he had cried himself out, or this could be the sense of relief Whitney mentioned, but all Clark knew was that he still felt an enormous grief, but his tears had stopped.
Slowly he stood up still cradling Lex in his arms and slowly lowered him back to the bed. Nurse Baker helped to put Lex back into position and then covered him with a blanket. Clark reached for it when she approached midway to his face. He gave her a look as if to say that this was his job now, and pulled the sheet until it was up to his neck. He leaned in one last time and kissed Lex's forehead for the final time. He then pulled the sheet tightly over his friend's head.
Jonathan Kent made his way over to Clark from where they were watching far off through the ICU hall doors. He touched Clark's arm. It was all he needed, and Clark felt the tears building up again, and he fell into his father's embrace.
Slowly Jonathan led him back towards the door where the others were waiting. The girls and even Whitney had tears in their eyes when Clark came out into the lobby. They all stood around watching as Martha and Jonathan tried to comfort Clark.
Whitney broke away from Lana and walked over to Clark. He placed his hands on Clark's shoulders and leaned into the embrace with his parents.
"It's not the end of the world, Clark," Whitney whispered into his ear. "It just feels like it."
Clark reached back and pulled Whitney into the hug. Lana and Chloe joined the group hug and Jonathan and Martha welcomed them into the fold.
Pete Ross watched from a few feet away. He wanted to help console his friends, but he felt like a fraud because as sad as this day was, a small part of Pete felt like celebrating and those thoughts were making him sick to his stomach.
Lionel stood on the opposite side of the door and watched as they all comforted each other. He never knew what to make of such displays of emotions.
Doctor Burns approached him. "Could I get you anything, sir?"
Lionel turned to him with the same unemotional look as before. "Release the press statement, Dr. Burns, and I will tell my staff to prepare the funeral."
With everything said, Lionel walked back into the cubical where he had been keeping himself the last few hours.
TO BE CONTINUED:
***NOTES****
To Robyn, I am so happy you enjoying the story, I hope you will continue to read on, because this story is far from over.
To Marrie, thanks for the offer, but as you can see, you can keep the chocolates. But keep reading.
Thanks to all of you for the nice reviews and help. Please continue to let me know what you think. The reviews make my day.
I also know that I ran the risk of sounding a little slashy in this chapter, but I think we can all agree that when death is involved, we tend to overcome our fears of showing effections for one another. Clark strikes me as someone who is not afraid of what people would think.
Thank you again and PLEASE KEEP READING!!!