Clark nodded and glanced back at Lana.
"Clark, did you hear me?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, sorry.that's great news. Where did they find him?"
Chloe's distraction became evident when she didn't answer.
"Chloe?"
"Oh yeah.they just brought him in," she whispered. "The police caught him on a bus crossing the state line. One of the other passengers recognized him from the news and called the cops on her cell phone."
Lex gestured to Clark to get off the phone.
"Uh, Chloe, I've got to go. Thanks for the info though. Are you coming back to the hospital?"
"Actually, I've got homework to do and police officers to follow around. I'll probably be by tomorrow. See you later." Clark heard her hang up and turned his attention back to Lex.
"Pete's standing outside," Lex commented lamely.
"Oh, thanks."
Clark got up wearily and opened the door to let Pete in. He stood in the doorway, as Whitney had. He seemed tense and nervous.
"Hey Clark," Pete said, serious for once. He acknowledged Lex's presence with a head tilt in his direction.
"How is she?"
"Okay, I guess. Joel's in custody."
"Yeah, I heard it on the radio on my way in." He surveyed the room and noticed the growing pile of flowers on the bed stand. He smiled half- heartedly and handed Clark more of the same. "Add it to the pile?"
"That'd be great, thanks."
"So," Pete said, trying to fill the void in the conversation, "where's Nell? Shouldn't she be here collecting flowers or something?"
Clark shrugged. "I haven't seen her since last night. She should be back from the police station by now."
"She's talking with the doctors, I assume," Lex commented.
They nodded collectively. An uncomfortable silence hung heavy in the air.
'Now what?' thought Clark. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, if you don't mind guys, I'd like some time alone with her."
Pete placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No problem man. I'm going to go home. Call if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay," Clark said and tried to manage a half-smile. He failed miserably and Lex shot him a look of pity before following Pete out the door.
He was now alone with Lana. She looked small and frail in the bed, but peaceful nonetheless, and the thought made him feel better. Clark sat back down on the chair next to her bed. He rested his head next to hers, so he could hear her soft, but steady breathing and feel it against his face. He relaxed enough then to notice that the room smelled like her. Not flowery, or fruity, but simply and distinctly Lana. He breathed in her scent, and was calmed. Placated, he finally managed to sleep.
He woke up groggy in a dark room. His eyes adjusted, and he realized where he was. Clark was surprised that he was able to sleep so long, and even more surprised that no one had bothered to wake him up and tell him to leave. 'Probably Lex's influence,' he thought, smiling to himself.
Clark spent the morning with Nell, watching over Lana, and organizing the flood of cards and flowers sent from well-wishers. It was a nice distraction. Her room was full of color, and for a moment, Clark allowed himself to imagine that the flowers could suck the sadness from the room, spilling it outside, where it couldn't touch them anymore. It was just a fantasy. Despite the color, and the varying fragrances that intermingled in the air, creating a shock to the senses when one walked in the room, it still felt cold and sterile, like any normal hospital room. But it wasn't just anyone's. It was Lana's.
Around noon, as Clark was getting tired of channel surfing through basic cable, he heard a polite knock on the door. He stretched out his long legs. "Come in," he called. He turned off the T.V. and stood up. At first he thought he didn't know her, but then he felt a glimmer of recognition. The girl was a tall redhead, pretty, and looked to be a little older than Lana. She nodded shyly at him and handed him the flowers she was holding.
"I guess she's got enough of these now."
"No, they're great. Gives me something to do actually. She'll love them."
The girl stuck out her hand. "I'm Alicia. I work at The Talon with Lana."
'So that's how I know her,' he thought. "You're the new girl," he stated and shook her hand.
"That's right. And you must be the infamous Clark Kent."
He smiled at her comment and nodded. "What gave me away?"
"Tall, boyishly handsome, charming.you fit the description she gave me so I figured it had to be you." She laughed and gestured to Lana. "She talks about you a lot, I guess. Besides, you have that worried boyfriend look about you." Her expression sobered. "Lex gave me an update in the hallway. No new news. Lex is around The Talon a lot," she said, absentmindedly. "Nice guy. Orders a latte with extra whip cream and then sits and reads a bunch of papers about stocks and investments and stuff for hours. I think he'd be in there all the time even if he didn't own the place."
She looked at Lana, studying her for a moment, before crinkling her nose in disgust. "I just don't understand! I can't believe anyone would do this to her! She's like, the nicest person I know. It isn't fair," she said sadly.
"No, it's not," Clark replied evenly.
"She likes you a lot," Alicia said sniffling. "And she loved the roses you sent. You should see The Talon now, Clark. It's like here, only there's three times as much stuff! I never realized how many people knew her until this happened. It's like she's a movie star or something. I guess when you live in a place your whole life, people get to know you pretty well. Seems like she was friends with everyone."
"Yeah, well, she's nice to everyone. Lana's the type of person that doesn't have many enemies. She's hard not to like. So, how long have you lived in Smallville?" he asked, in a desperate effort to make small talk.
"Six months, maybe? We move a lot. My dad's in the military, and somehow, we ended out here. We'll probably be gone a year from now. We don't stay in one place very long."
"That must be hard, moving so much. I've lived in Smallville my whole life. It's nice, I guess. I'd like to see the world though, travel, like you."
"Please, all I've seen lately are the mid-western states. And before that, California and Utah. That does not count as traveling. Besides, it's all the same. Same crappy food everywhere, same stores, same lame high schools. Believe me, you're not missing out on much." She checked her watch and smiled apologetically. "I have to get going. I'm on break, actually. Just wanted to pop in and say hi. It was nice meeting you. You know, Lana really cares about you. I thought you did a pretty shitty thing, being so mean to her, after what happened at that dance, but she wouldn't say anything mean about you. You're lucky she's so understanding. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore, though. When she wakes up, it'll all be a thing of the past."
"It does matter. I'm not proud of what happened. But I promise, I'll make it up to her when she wakes up." He smiled contemplatively.
Alicia grinned and nodded. "Cool. You seem like a good guy. Hang in there Clark, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Later," she said, as she closed the door.
Clark sighed and slumped down in the chair next to Lana's bed.
Just as Clark was going to pull out his English homework, someone knocked on the door for about the twentieth time that day.
"Come in."
His mother walked in.
"Hey, mom."
"Hi Clark. How are you?" She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Okay."
"You haven't left the hospital in two days."
"Yes, I did. I left for an hour to take a shower last night."
"I'm not sure that counts. Honey, I think it's time to go home."
He shook his head angrily. "No mom! I can't leave. Not until she wakes up."
"Clark," she said, pleading with him, "we have no idea when she'll wake up. Or.even if she will-"
"She has to. I know she will. And when she does, I want to be here."
"Clark, you can't just stop living your life because Lana's sick."
"She's not sick," he replied bitterly. "It's not like she has the flu, mom! Joel tried to kill her!"
"I know how afraid you are of losing her, but you have to focus on getting things back to normal."
"This isn't normal."
Martha ignored him and continued. "Your father and I have discussed it and we've decided that you're going back to school tomorrow. Lana could be in the hospital for a long time, and we don't want your grades to suffer because of it."
"How could you be worried about school at a time like this?"
"Clark, we're only trying to protect you. If you spend too much time here, it'll drive you crazy. Besides, if you don't go to school, who's going to help Lana catch up on everything she'll miss?"
Clark gave a small smile. "I guess."
"A few more hours, alright? And then we'll go home and have dinner. Okay?"
He nodded dejectedly, too tired to argue any more.
Martha kissed Clark on the top of his head. Then she took one last look at Lana and left.
Her husband met her in the hallway.
"How'd he take it?"
"I'm worried about him Jonathan. What if she doesn't make it? How will he handle it?"
"We can't think like that. We have to stay positive, for Clark's sake."
"I'm just trying to be realistic. Nell told me her doctors aren't optimistic."
He nodded grimly. "I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
The Next Morning.
"I can't go." Clark flung his backpack on the chair.
"I'm sorry Clark. You're going," Jonathan said.
"But-"
"You can visit the hospital after school," Martha interjected.
"And we promise, we'll come get you if there's any change," Jonathan said.
Clark nodded. "Anything?"
"Yes. Anything. Now, go." Martha waved him out the door. "You're going to be late."
"Just like old times," Clark mumbled sarcastically as he slammed the screen door behind him.
Martha sighed. "We're doing the right thing, right?"
"Absolutely," Jonathan said, nodding. "He'll be fine." He shook his head. "Now, all I have to do now is convince myself."
He hugged his wife as they sadly watched their son walk to the bus.
Smallville High School.
Clark sat in class and doodled distractedly in his math notebook. After half an hour of fighting to pay attention to algebra, he gave up and resigned himself to drawing. Chloe sat next to him and kept glancing his way, and then motioning across the room to Pete. After a while, Clark became annoyed and confronted her.
"Chloe, what is it?" he hissed.
She looked taken aback and a bit hurt. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"
"Well, you might as well not be," she pointed out. "You haven't said a word all day."
"Yeah, sorry about that," he said sarcastically. "I've had things on my mind."
"We know that Clark," she said sympathetically. "Don't snap at me; Pete and I are just worried about you, that's all."
"Well, don't be. I'm fine."
"You are not. Just let us help you."
"There's nothing you can do Chloe. Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but I think you should just stay out of this."
"Mr. Kent!"
Clark's head shot up. He rolled his eyes and prepared himself to be chastised for talking during the lesson. Instead, his teacher, Mr. Burrell, stood at the front of the room, holding a blue slip of paper.
"Mr. Kent, you have a pass out of class. Take your things, please."
Chloe looked at him questioningly, but he shrugged. "I don't know."
He grabbed his backpack and went to the front of the class to retrieve the note. Pete and Chloe glanced at each other behind his back and began passing notes back and forth as soon as he was out of the room.
In the hallway, Clark examined the pass. It told him to report to the front office immediately. Clark felt an overwhelming sense of dread. He gripped the note tightly. He didn't even have to walk into the office; a receptionist met him outside.
"Clark?"
He nodded. 'She knows my name,' he thought suspiciously. 'The only people whose names the administration knows are the potheads and the pregnant teens. This is not a good sign.'
"Your father is waiting for you outside," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet.
"What is this about?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"I'm sure your father will let you know."
His stomach lurched. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but he suddenly felt dizzy and weak. Clark began fearing the worst.
"Thanks," he muttered and headed for the door.
His father's truck was outside, still running. He avoided his father's eyes as he opened the door and got inside, and finally dared himself to look up. Jonathan looked older and faded.
"Oh god," he said. "Dad, what happened? Is she okay?" he asked, starting to panic.
His dad's voice was calm, but betrayed a sadness that terrified his son.
"She's in a coma Clark."
"Clark, did you hear me?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah, sorry.that's great news. Where did they find him?"
Chloe's distraction became evident when she didn't answer.
"Chloe?"
"Oh yeah.they just brought him in," she whispered. "The police caught him on a bus crossing the state line. One of the other passengers recognized him from the news and called the cops on her cell phone."
Lex gestured to Clark to get off the phone.
"Uh, Chloe, I've got to go. Thanks for the info though. Are you coming back to the hospital?"
"Actually, I've got homework to do and police officers to follow around. I'll probably be by tomorrow. See you later." Clark heard her hang up and turned his attention back to Lex.
"Pete's standing outside," Lex commented lamely.
"Oh, thanks."
Clark got up wearily and opened the door to let Pete in. He stood in the doorway, as Whitney had. He seemed tense and nervous.
"Hey Clark," Pete said, serious for once. He acknowledged Lex's presence with a head tilt in his direction.
"How is she?"
"Okay, I guess. Joel's in custody."
"Yeah, I heard it on the radio on my way in." He surveyed the room and noticed the growing pile of flowers on the bed stand. He smiled half- heartedly and handed Clark more of the same. "Add it to the pile?"
"That'd be great, thanks."
"So," Pete said, trying to fill the void in the conversation, "where's Nell? Shouldn't she be here collecting flowers or something?"
Clark shrugged. "I haven't seen her since last night. She should be back from the police station by now."
"She's talking with the doctors, I assume," Lex commented.
They nodded collectively. An uncomfortable silence hung heavy in the air.
'Now what?' thought Clark. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, if you don't mind guys, I'd like some time alone with her."
Pete placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No problem man. I'm going to go home. Call if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay," Clark said and tried to manage a half-smile. He failed miserably and Lex shot him a look of pity before following Pete out the door.
He was now alone with Lana. She looked small and frail in the bed, but peaceful nonetheless, and the thought made him feel better. Clark sat back down on the chair next to her bed. He rested his head next to hers, so he could hear her soft, but steady breathing and feel it against his face. He relaxed enough then to notice that the room smelled like her. Not flowery, or fruity, but simply and distinctly Lana. He breathed in her scent, and was calmed. Placated, he finally managed to sleep.
He woke up groggy in a dark room. His eyes adjusted, and he realized where he was. Clark was surprised that he was able to sleep so long, and even more surprised that no one had bothered to wake him up and tell him to leave. 'Probably Lex's influence,' he thought, smiling to himself.
Clark spent the morning with Nell, watching over Lana, and organizing the flood of cards and flowers sent from well-wishers. It was a nice distraction. Her room was full of color, and for a moment, Clark allowed himself to imagine that the flowers could suck the sadness from the room, spilling it outside, where it couldn't touch them anymore. It was just a fantasy. Despite the color, and the varying fragrances that intermingled in the air, creating a shock to the senses when one walked in the room, it still felt cold and sterile, like any normal hospital room. But it wasn't just anyone's. It was Lana's.
Around noon, as Clark was getting tired of channel surfing through basic cable, he heard a polite knock on the door. He stretched out his long legs. "Come in," he called. He turned off the T.V. and stood up. At first he thought he didn't know her, but then he felt a glimmer of recognition. The girl was a tall redhead, pretty, and looked to be a little older than Lana. She nodded shyly at him and handed him the flowers she was holding.
"I guess she's got enough of these now."
"No, they're great. Gives me something to do actually. She'll love them."
The girl stuck out her hand. "I'm Alicia. I work at The Talon with Lana."
'So that's how I know her,' he thought. "You're the new girl," he stated and shook her hand.
"That's right. And you must be the infamous Clark Kent."
He smiled at her comment and nodded. "What gave me away?"
"Tall, boyishly handsome, charming.you fit the description she gave me so I figured it had to be you." She laughed and gestured to Lana. "She talks about you a lot, I guess. Besides, you have that worried boyfriend look about you." Her expression sobered. "Lex gave me an update in the hallway. No new news. Lex is around The Talon a lot," she said, absentmindedly. "Nice guy. Orders a latte with extra whip cream and then sits and reads a bunch of papers about stocks and investments and stuff for hours. I think he'd be in there all the time even if he didn't own the place."
She looked at Lana, studying her for a moment, before crinkling her nose in disgust. "I just don't understand! I can't believe anyone would do this to her! She's like, the nicest person I know. It isn't fair," she said sadly.
"No, it's not," Clark replied evenly.
"She likes you a lot," Alicia said sniffling. "And she loved the roses you sent. You should see The Talon now, Clark. It's like here, only there's three times as much stuff! I never realized how many people knew her until this happened. It's like she's a movie star or something. I guess when you live in a place your whole life, people get to know you pretty well. Seems like she was friends with everyone."
"Yeah, well, she's nice to everyone. Lana's the type of person that doesn't have many enemies. She's hard not to like. So, how long have you lived in Smallville?" he asked, in a desperate effort to make small talk.
"Six months, maybe? We move a lot. My dad's in the military, and somehow, we ended out here. We'll probably be gone a year from now. We don't stay in one place very long."
"That must be hard, moving so much. I've lived in Smallville my whole life. It's nice, I guess. I'd like to see the world though, travel, like you."
"Please, all I've seen lately are the mid-western states. And before that, California and Utah. That does not count as traveling. Besides, it's all the same. Same crappy food everywhere, same stores, same lame high schools. Believe me, you're not missing out on much." She checked her watch and smiled apologetically. "I have to get going. I'm on break, actually. Just wanted to pop in and say hi. It was nice meeting you. You know, Lana really cares about you. I thought you did a pretty shitty thing, being so mean to her, after what happened at that dance, but she wouldn't say anything mean about you. You're lucky she's so understanding. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore, though. When she wakes up, it'll all be a thing of the past."
"It does matter. I'm not proud of what happened. But I promise, I'll make it up to her when she wakes up." He smiled contemplatively.
Alicia grinned and nodded. "Cool. You seem like a good guy. Hang in there Clark, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Later," she said, as she closed the door.
Clark sighed and slumped down in the chair next to Lana's bed.
Just as Clark was going to pull out his English homework, someone knocked on the door for about the twentieth time that day.
"Come in."
His mother walked in.
"Hey, mom."
"Hi Clark. How are you?" She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Okay."
"You haven't left the hospital in two days."
"Yes, I did. I left for an hour to take a shower last night."
"I'm not sure that counts. Honey, I think it's time to go home."
He shook his head angrily. "No mom! I can't leave. Not until she wakes up."
"Clark," she said, pleading with him, "we have no idea when she'll wake up. Or.even if she will-"
"She has to. I know she will. And when she does, I want to be here."
"Clark, you can't just stop living your life because Lana's sick."
"She's not sick," he replied bitterly. "It's not like she has the flu, mom! Joel tried to kill her!"
"I know how afraid you are of losing her, but you have to focus on getting things back to normal."
"This isn't normal."
Martha ignored him and continued. "Your father and I have discussed it and we've decided that you're going back to school tomorrow. Lana could be in the hospital for a long time, and we don't want your grades to suffer because of it."
"How could you be worried about school at a time like this?"
"Clark, we're only trying to protect you. If you spend too much time here, it'll drive you crazy. Besides, if you don't go to school, who's going to help Lana catch up on everything she'll miss?"
Clark gave a small smile. "I guess."
"A few more hours, alright? And then we'll go home and have dinner. Okay?"
He nodded dejectedly, too tired to argue any more.
Martha kissed Clark on the top of his head. Then she took one last look at Lana and left.
Her husband met her in the hallway.
"How'd he take it?"
"I'm worried about him Jonathan. What if she doesn't make it? How will he handle it?"
"We can't think like that. We have to stay positive, for Clark's sake."
"I'm just trying to be realistic. Nell told me her doctors aren't optimistic."
He nodded grimly. "I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
The Next Morning.
"I can't go." Clark flung his backpack on the chair.
"I'm sorry Clark. You're going," Jonathan said.
"But-"
"You can visit the hospital after school," Martha interjected.
"And we promise, we'll come get you if there's any change," Jonathan said.
Clark nodded. "Anything?"
"Yes. Anything. Now, go." Martha waved him out the door. "You're going to be late."
"Just like old times," Clark mumbled sarcastically as he slammed the screen door behind him.
Martha sighed. "We're doing the right thing, right?"
"Absolutely," Jonathan said, nodding. "He'll be fine." He shook his head. "Now, all I have to do now is convince myself."
He hugged his wife as they sadly watched their son walk to the bus.
Smallville High School.
Clark sat in class and doodled distractedly in his math notebook. After half an hour of fighting to pay attention to algebra, he gave up and resigned himself to drawing. Chloe sat next to him and kept glancing his way, and then motioning across the room to Pete. After a while, Clark became annoyed and confronted her.
"Chloe, what is it?" he hissed.
She looked taken aback and a bit hurt. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"
"Well, you might as well not be," she pointed out. "You haven't said a word all day."
"Yeah, sorry about that," he said sarcastically. "I've had things on my mind."
"We know that Clark," she said sympathetically. "Don't snap at me; Pete and I are just worried about you, that's all."
"Well, don't be. I'm fine."
"You are not. Just let us help you."
"There's nothing you can do Chloe. Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but I think you should just stay out of this."
"Mr. Kent!"
Clark's head shot up. He rolled his eyes and prepared himself to be chastised for talking during the lesson. Instead, his teacher, Mr. Burrell, stood at the front of the room, holding a blue slip of paper.
"Mr. Kent, you have a pass out of class. Take your things, please."
Chloe looked at him questioningly, but he shrugged. "I don't know."
He grabbed his backpack and went to the front of the class to retrieve the note. Pete and Chloe glanced at each other behind his back and began passing notes back and forth as soon as he was out of the room.
In the hallway, Clark examined the pass. It told him to report to the front office immediately. Clark felt an overwhelming sense of dread. He gripped the note tightly. He didn't even have to walk into the office; a receptionist met him outside.
"Clark?"
He nodded. 'She knows my name,' he thought suspiciously. 'The only people whose names the administration knows are the potheads and the pregnant teens. This is not a good sign.'
"Your father is waiting for you outside," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet.
"What is this about?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"I'm sure your father will let you know."
His stomach lurched. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but he suddenly felt dizzy and weak. Clark began fearing the worst.
"Thanks," he muttered and headed for the door.
His father's truck was outside, still running. He avoided his father's eyes as he opened the door and got inside, and finally dared himself to look up. Jonathan looked older and faded.
"Oh god," he said. "Dad, what happened? Is she okay?" he asked, starting to panic.
His dad's voice was calm, but betrayed a sadness that terrified his son.
"She's in a coma Clark."