Lex came in quietly and Jonathan thought wryly that anybody taking a good look at him wouldn't have been surprised by his announcement of taking a quick vacation. The two days of hoping for change but finding none had left their signs on his face, hardening the lines and dulling his eyes.
He smiled wearily at Jonathan and sat next to him on the small couch. "Nothing?"
Jonathan shook his head and then put an arm around Lex's shoulders. "I'm sure being in his own surroundings will make a difference." He'd decided long ago that it didn't do much good to be angry that it was more than ten years since they'd become close and Lex still craved affectionate touch, as much as a young child would, but still wouldn't initiate it.
Lex nodded, barely perceptibly. "Everything's being finished tonight at the house. It should be ready for tomorrow. There'll be another limo waiting at the airfield, it's slower but probably easier on him than a chopper." He'd had the farmhouse set up overnight with state-of-the-art security to prevent any kind of infiltration, whether by a camera lens or a person. The official reason was to ensure that he could safely visit the Kents for that hastily-scheduled vacation.
"It's not easy being patient, son."
Lex closed his eyes for considerably longer than a blink. "Carola Arkins keeps saying that he probably didn't get in that condition overnight and won't recover overnight, that his brain needs time to readjust to the new situation, that it was months before he even opened his eyes for more than a few minutes." His mouth quirked briefly. "She's being very reasonable and explaining things very clearly. Sometimes I want to throw something very heavy at her."
"But she'd look at you and tell you exactly what triggered that in your cerebral cortex or frontal lobe or talk about ganglia or something." He'd been pretty startled by finding he and Lex often had the same hot-tempered reactions to things and the same fierce loyalty and protectiveness towards those they loved. He should have guessed that Lex was responding the same way as he was to the psychiatrist's composed explanations.
That got a tiny chuckle, then a grimace. "It's worse in some ways to think that he knows us, recognizes us, but it's not enough to bring him back. Or thinking that maybe he's not in there to come back, that she's right when she says that it...might last."
"We've got to keep hoping and keep trying to reach him, Lex, he needs us to do that."
A very forced chuckle came from the bedroom. "Pete's with him now?"
"About a half hour now."
Lex nodded again and in the ensuing silence, they could hear his voice. "And Clark, the baby had better hope to be a boy, since we're definitely naming him Clark, boy or girl. If it's twins, we'll name them *both* Clark.
"I bet that if you asked, Lex would donate any state you pick to charity. Or imitate Elmer Fudd for the next State of the Union address." Jonathan could easily see Pete casting about for new topics or things to say in the next long pause. "Oh, Radiohead got back together. It was just for a disk and then they got together again for another tour. And hey, one good thing, the robot band thing is so over. I was going to try to make that illegal if it didn't. I mean, the government's got to be good for something, and if can't get rid of those robot bands, then it might as well just go away quietly."
There was a sound, the chair being moved back, Jonathan decided. "Clark, buddy, I don't need you to fall asleep on me, that's what Congress is for." Another pause, and barely audible, "Love you, man."
Meeting their eyes as he came out, Pete said, quietly, "Tough audience." Jonathan immediately knew to ignore the tiny crack in his voice as he added, "Gotta..." and went into the bathroom.
***
*don't want to play hide and seek what if nobody finds me*
*it's not that easy it should be but it isn't not when it comes to people*
*forgot the door and the house is lost how do you lose a house I guess it's easy it's buried very deep deeper than the caves*
*did the caves know it would come to this*
*my name is my name is doesn't matter all I have to do is wait until they all go away but flawed is better than lonely*
*should I go get the laundry before it rains*
*shaking like the long grass in the wind or after I'd run through it as fast as I could then I'd turn around and see it sliding back into place like a zipper closing*
*the air is so cold and thin because it used to be alive and now it's like me please please stop please I can't take any more but they never stop*
*maybe it's not real but I think I can see their eyes and hands and I'm the one who's not human*
*he's singing until it's almost full and but each time it's nearly full they open it up again and the corn spills all over nobody can find that one kernel because it's so dark and it's so cold it's colder than the end of the world*
*why did you send me here if you loved me*
*they're a flawed race a flawed race a flawed race*
******
AN:
Pssssssssst. Didya hear that the author eats up feedback like chocolate? Absolutely shameless.
He smiled wearily at Jonathan and sat next to him on the small couch. "Nothing?"
Jonathan shook his head and then put an arm around Lex's shoulders. "I'm sure being in his own surroundings will make a difference." He'd decided long ago that it didn't do much good to be angry that it was more than ten years since they'd become close and Lex still craved affectionate touch, as much as a young child would, but still wouldn't initiate it.
Lex nodded, barely perceptibly. "Everything's being finished tonight at the house. It should be ready for tomorrow. There'll be another limo waiting at the airfield, it's slower but probably easier on him than a chopper." He'd had the farmhouse set up overnight with state-of-the-art security to prevent any kind of infiltration, whether by a camera lens or a person. The official reason was to ensure that he could safely visit the Kents for that hastily-scheduled vacation.
"It's not easy being patient, son."
Lex closed his eyes for considerably longer than a blink. "Carola Arkins keeps saying that he probably didn't get in that condition overnight and won't recover overnight, that his brain needs time to readjust to the new situation, that it was months before he even opened his eyes for more than a few minutes." His mouth quirked briefly. "She's being very reasonable and explaining things very clearly. Sometimes I want to throw something very heavy at her."
"But she'd look at you and tell you exactly what triggered that in your cerebral cortex or frontal lobe or talk about ganglia or something." He'd been pretty startled by finding he and Lex often had the same hot-tempered reactions to things and the same fierce loyalty and protectiveness towards those they loved. He should have guessed that Lex was responding the same way as he was to the psychiatrist's composed explanations.
That got a tiny chuckle, then a grimace. "It's worse in some ways to think that he knows us, recognizes us, but it's not enough to bring him back. Or thinking that maybe he's not in there to come back, that she's right when she says that it...might last."
"We've got to keep hoping and keep trying to reach him, Lex, he needs us to do that."
A very forced chuckle came from the bedroom. "Pete's with him now?"
"About a half hour now."
Lex nodded again and in the ensuing silence, they could hear his voice. "And Clark, the baby had better hope to be a boy, since we're definitely naming him Clark, boy or girl. If it's twins, we'll name them *both* Clark.
"I bet that if you asked, Lex would donate any state you pick to charity. Or imitate Elmer Fudd for the next State of the Union address." Jonathan could easily see Pete casting about for new topics or things to say in the next long pause. "Oh, Radiohead got back together. It was just for a disk and then they got together again for another tour. And hey, one good thing, the robot band thing is so over. I was going to try to make that illegal if it didn't. I mean, the government's got to be good for something, and if can't get rid of those robot bands, then it might as well just go away quietly."
There was a sound, the chair being moved back, Jonathan decided. "Clark, buddy, I don't need you to fall asleep on me, that's what Congress is for." Another pause, and barely audible, "Love you, man."
Meeting their eyes as he came out, Pete said, quietly, "Tough audience." Jonathan immediately knew to ignore the tiny crack in his voice as he added, "Gotta..." and went into the bathroom.
***
*don't want to play hide and seek what if nobody finds me*
*it's not that easy it should be but it isn't not when it comes to people*
*forgot the door and the house is lost how do you lose a house I guess it's easy it's buried very deep deeper than the caves*
*did the caves know it would come to this*
*my name is my name is doesn't matter all I have to do is wait until they all go away but flawed is better than lonely*
*should I go get the laundry before it rains*
*shaking like the long grass in the wind or after I'd run through it as fast as I could then I'd turn around and see it sliding back into place like a zipper closing*
*the air is so cold and thin because it used to be alive and now it's like me please please stop please I can't take any more but they never stop*
*maybe it's not real but I think I can see their eyes and hands and I'm the one who's not human*
*he's singing until it's almost full and but each time it's nearly full they open it up again and the corn spills all over nobody can find that one kernel because it's so dark and it's so cold it's colder than the end of the world*
*why did you send me here if you loved me*
*they're a flawed race a flawed race a flawed race*
******
AN:
Pssssssssst. Didya hear that the author eats up feedback like chocolate? Absolutely shameless.