"Jesus, Henry. How could you keep this from me?" crossing her arms.

"Easily," signaling the discussion was over he pushed up his glasses and returned to his book.

Watching him for a moment Mrs. Small returned downstairs defeated and torn. She had her reasons for exiling her only daughter and to this very day she hated herself for each and everyone of them.

::to be continued:: I felt bad leaving you with yet another cliffhanger.

::The Next Day @ the hospital::

Clark picked up Lana first thing in the morning so she could sit with Mack. As they walked up to the window the doctor came to meet them.

"Mr. Kent, Ms. Lang," greeting them.

"Doctor…" Clark suddenly realized he hadn't learned his name.

"Gorman, call me Dr. Gorman," he nodded to them then looked through the window at Mack.

"Any change?" Lana said hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," looking down at her then back up at Clark, "But Mr. Kent you were right about her cells. We ran tests and it seems that Mackenzie's cells; those that the human body uses to repair itself are 100 times their normal volume and working at an accelerated rate. It's quite extraordinary."

Hearing Mack's condition mapped out in such a way got Clark's head buzzing about just what Luthor Corp could have done to her. Talking before thinking, "Doctor do you think her cells could have been manipulated?"

"Manipulated?" The doctor asked in confusion.

He wasn't the only one wondering just where Clark was going with this, Lana turned around to him and gave him a curious look.

Looking down at Lana then back to the doctor, "Yeah I mean if someone wanted to could they change her cell definition?"

"I don't know where your going with this Mr. Kent but I do suppose it's possible. As of now nothing is concrete," as he finished a nurse walked up and handed him a file. Looking at it and closing it, "If you'll excuse me, I have to attend to another patient."

"Thank you doctor," Lana said and waited till he was just out of ear shot, "Clark you know something?"

"What?" Clark hadn't decided whether he should worry Lana with something he wasn't to sure of himself.

"Don't play clueless. Those questions were a little to insightful for comfort," she looked at him determined to get the truth.

Clark tried to aviod her glare but as always eventually gave in, "Remember what I todl you about Mack being affected by the meteor rocks?"

Nodding her head yes.

"Well when Chloe did all that research on Mack she found out the Henry used to work for Luthor Corp. around the time of the meteor shower…" waiting for Lana to interrupt he paused then continued, "Turns out Mackenzie was brought in for dozens of check-ups all done by Luthor Corp. doctors, in meteorpolis."

"So Henry was probably just making sure she wasn't effected," Lana still didn't understand where Clark was going with this.

"No Lana don't you see. Mackenzie was being used as a control subject to contrast the test Lionel was doing on Lex."

"Are you saying the Lionel Luthor could have made her this way?" Lana's nose cringed as she looked threw the window to Mackenzie who still lye there motionless.

"I don't know, she could been this way due to the meteor shower and Lionel found out during the check ups so he kept testing her. But then why does the rock adversely effect her? They only hurt me not the other meteor freaks."

Lana stood there putting the pieces together, "That would explain Henry's deep hatred for everything Luthor."

"Exactly."

There was a brief moment of silence. Until Lana realized the reason she came there was to sit with Mackenzie.

"I'm going in, you don't have to stay Clark," she moved past him and put her hand on the door.

Following her, "Mack's my friend and beyond that," he took her free hand, "Lana if it's important to you it's important if not more so to me."

Lana smiled at him truly touched by his words and gave his hand a squeeze; holding on to it as the both walked in.

Taking her seat Lana spoke to Mack, "Hey there."

Clark took off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair then taking his seat, "For a girl that never slept your doing a good job at playing catch up." Clark had become used to being sarcastic around Mackenzie but Lana wasn't used to it at all. Taken back she gave him a look.

Not knowing the origins of the look, " What?"

"I don't know, I've never heard you be so.."

"Sarcastic?" hoping he could fix whatever it was he messed up.

"Yeah, you caught me off guard there," she brook her eye contact with Clark and looked at Mack. Realizing that Mack probably would have appreciated that comment and had a witty retort, "I guess your more sarcastic with her?"

"Ummm," Clark treaded lightly knowing full way if he said yes that Lana would be hurt thinking he felt like he couldn't be himself around her, "No it's just that's how we talk to each other."

"Interesting," Lana didn't push any further because she could sense Clark was at a loss for words and if she dug further he would just end up saying something he didn't mean.

"I'm going to go get something to drink, you want anything?"

"No I'm fine, thanks," taking Mack's hand in hers.

"Ok, I'll be right back."

As the door shut behind Clark, Lana saw out of the corner of her eye someone standing in the viewing window. Turning her head to fully see whomever it was she found herself at a loss for words when the person turned out to be, Mrs. Small.

::The Torch::

"Pete look at this," Chloe said as she looked down at a paper and made her way over to Pete.

Glancing at it, "What?"

"It's a lawsuit. The defendant is Luthor Corp and the plaintiff is Henry Small," she explained as she read it, "Henry sued Luthor Corp about 2 months after Mack's check ups stopped. Says here," pointing to a line in the page, "He claimed that the corporation was negligent and should be held responsible for," squinting to get a better look, "medical malpractice."

Reading a bit further, "Wait Chloe one of the doctors is named," he took the paper to show her, "Dr. Jason Gorman."

Chloe stepped back and shook her head, "That can't be right Dr. Gorman works at Smallville…" stopping and realizing, "Pete what if?"

"I'll call Clark," Pete hopped off the desk and picked up the phone.

::Doctor Gorman's Office::

The doctor sat at his desk with Mackenzie medical file open in front of him. He took a hard look, bit his lip and reached for the phone.

When someone finally picked up, "Mr. Luthor?….Dr. Jason Gorman… Yes it has been a long time… Fine, listen the reason I am calling is because do you remember the Small girl that we used to contrast with Lex… yes. That's right after the meteor shower… Well she's here now and it looks like all of those tests and experiments worked…" Tapping his pen on his desk while Lionel spoke, "Right now she isn't healthy enough but in a week or so she'll be ready….."

::The Waiting Room::

Clark's cell phone rang as he bent to get Lana's water. Answering it, "Hello?" Clark stood and made his way to window, "Pete? What's up?.. Yeah I just met her doctor, what about it?…. Umm Gorman Dr.Gorman."

As Pete spoke Clark's eyes grew wide, "Your kidding?… Ok, yeah but I don't know what we could do. Ok I should tell Lana…. Yeah I'll let you know. Talk to you later… And Pete?… Thanks."

Clark hung up and turned to head for Mack's room but as he got off the waiting room carpet he noticed Mrs. Small entering the room. Instead of interrupting Clark watched curiously then took a seat to wait.

::Mac's Room::

"Mrs. Small," Lana said extremely surprised.

Nodding to her then looking at Mack, "Lana."

"Umm would you like me to move so you can.." Lana let go of Mack's hand and went to get up but was cut off at the knees by Mrs. Small's cold words.

"No, sit," her eyes intently on Mackenzie she walked closer to the bed, "Is she going to be ok?"

Sitting slowly back down, "The doctor says there hasn't been any change but she's stable."

Not reacting to the news, "Judging by your presence and the way you went to find her, she knows you two are sisters. Are you two close?"

"Ummm," Lana didn't really know how to define her relationship with Mack, "Getting there." After she said it she thought to herself, 'Good answer, Lang.'

"You know I didn't know that she was back in Smallville," Mrs. Small reached down to Mack and brushed her hair off her forehead, "My god last I saw her she was a girl and now.." her tone spoke of oncoming tears, "look at her she's all grown up."

Lana became angry at all of this. After what Mack had told her and what she herself had been threw with Mrs. Small she couldn't understand, "Yeah 8 years will do that to you."

Startled by her forwardness but not wanting to argue because either way this was not a fight she could win, "Yes, it will," after wiping a tear from her eye she looked at Lana, "I'm going to go. Don't tell her I was here."

Lana didn't respond. There were few people she had contemplated hating in her life and Mrs. Small was making her way up the list.

Taking one last look at Mackenzie, her only daughter she clutched her bag and went for the door. As she turned the knob she looked back at Lana, "Lana, I'm happy you two found each other."

"Me too," Lana said sincerely.

As Mrs. Small fled Lana sat and thought about how she truly did mean that, now if only Mack could admit the same.

::The waiting room::

Clark had been sitting for the past 15 minutes X-ray the soda machine. As he zoomed in and out of one of the coke cans he vision cut short at the sound of sobbing. Looking to see who it was Clark watched Mrs. Small walk away from Mack's room and practically run past him.

Worried about Lana he made his way to Mack's room.

::Mack's room::

As he came in he found Lana still sitting where he had left her intently staring at Mack and holding her hand. Walking over he put the bottle of water in front of her.

"How did you know?" She said grabbing it from him and opening it.

"I don't know I'm full of surprises," he said with a big smile as he popped open his soda.

"Don't I know it," she said amused as she took a sip from the bottle.

"I saw Mrs. Small came and went. Are you ok?"

"Fine," closing the cap, "I'm just glad Mack wasn't awake. Clark how does someone exile their daughter to a city and never see them," shaking her head in disbelief, "8 years Clark. Mack went eight years, grew up eight years without a mother or a father. No wonder she's got the Great Wall of China as a defense mechanism."

"Must have been so lonely," Clark bent forward in his chair looking at Mack pitifully.

Turning towards him, "You should have seen her. First time she seen Mack in eight years and it's in a hospital bed. God, she didn't even stay to be here for her."

Noticing how frustrated she was Clark took her hand and look at her, "What matters is you're here Lana. Mack's lucky to have you."

"Yeah I'm sure she thinks so…"

Clark looked at Mack while Lana looked off to the side. Suddenly he notced her thumb moved