Chapter Two
Doctor Kim peered through the plastic window in the curtain surrounding Chloe Sullivan's bed. The girl had been placed in a closed, sterile room, at least until her burns healed some. The risk on infection was extremely high for a burn victim with her degree of injury.
"Okay?" a cool voice asked from behind his shoulder. Dr. Kim tore his sight away from the window and turned to face the man that had disturbed him. Lex Luthor stood in front of him, disdainfully eyeing the sterile scrub set he'd been forced to change into. When Kim had told him about the sterile environment, Luthor had changed immediately out of his Armani suit – but that didn't mean he was happy with the new attire.
"Yes, you may go in now," Kim nodded approvingly. "Just be aware that her skin is very sensitive to any stimulation."
"Will it hurt her?" Lex asked him, appearing for a brief moment like someone other than the cold-hearted man that Kim had seen in the media.
"She won't feel any pain," Kim assured him. "We've been giving her large quantities of morphine."
"Has she woken up yet?" Lex asked, the same concerned expression.
"Not yet," Kim shook his head. When Lex frowned, he hurried to reassure him. "The swelling from the head trauma has gone down now, and there appears to be no ill effects mentally. She could wake up anytime now, but the morphine will be exhausting her physically."
"And emotionally?" Lex prompted.
"Chloe may not want to wake up just yet," Dr. Kim told him carefully. "She's in a constant physical pain, without the morphine it would be unbearable. Also, a traumatic experience like the one that she's been through . . . she may be waiting for a reason to wake up; a familiar voice or face. You're her first visitor besides the hospital staff."
Lex nodded. "When she does wake up," he peered through the window at her sleeping form. "Who will tell her about her father?"
"Preferably we would have a friend or relative do so," Kim sighed. "In Chloe's case, with no family around, we have staff psychologists that are trained to handle these types of situations –"
"No!" Lex interrupted him. "I'll bring in someone to break the news to her, someone she trusts." Dr. Kim nodded to indicate that he understood, and then gestured for Lex to go into the room.
There were several monitors hooked up around her bed, as well as a large IV bag, slowly releasing various drugs into her bloodstream. Lex pulled a nearby chair over to her bedside; it was hard white plastic, and very uncomfortable, but was better than nothing.
He sat for a moment, taking in the bandages that adorned the exposed skin of her arms. Lex knew that if the blankets were not in the way he would see the same bandages on her legs and back as well. Miraculously, her face didn't have a trace of burned skin, only a narrow cut on her left cheek; and that was almost healed.
'Probably won't even scar," Lex thought to himself. Carefully, he reached out and took her hand in his, mindful to not put any pressure on the bandages. Chloe let out a tiny moan at the contact. He loosened his grip on her hand completely, feeling guilty for hurting her even more. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Chloe. . ."
She stirred again. Lex sat up a bit straighter, eyes roaming her face desperately; he hadn't touched her that time. Chloe moaned again. "Chloe?" he asked, louder this time.
"Mmm," Chloe turned her face in his direction.
"Chloe?" Lex leaned forward eagerly as her eyes fluttered open. She blinked at him a couple of times, letting her eyes search his face.
"Hey," she greeted quietly and grimaced slightly when she noted the machines around her.
"Hi," Lex smiled in relief.
"Do I –"she swallowed slowly before looking deep into his eyes. "Do I know you?"
Lex's grin dropped swiftly, and his eyes widened. "W-what?" he stammered uncharacteristically. Chloe blinked once more at him . . . and then broke into one of her trademark grins.
"Gotcha Luthor," she smirked. Lex grinned at himself and ran a hand over his head.
"You scared me," he admitted. Chloe smiled again and then turned serious. "How do you feel?"
"Kind of numb," she yawned. "I'm really tired."
"That's probably the morphine," Lex told her, knowing that she would appreciate him telling her the truth. "They've been giving you a lot of it so you're not in pain from the burns." He reached for the summons button and called for a nurse. Chloe looked down at her bandaged hands.
"So are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked him warily.
"What do you remember?" Lex placed his hand on hers gently. The action seemed to alert Chloe to the fact that something was wrong.
"I remember going to the safe house," she said slowly, memory working to remember. "I followed Dad in, closed the door. . . and next thing I know, I'm in here. Wait! Where's my Dad? Lex!"
"Okay Chloe," Lex tried to calm her down. "Just relax for a minute, someone will be here in a minute –"
"No!" she struggled to sit up. "Lex, what's going on? Where is my Dad? Is he okay?"
Lex painted on the neutral face that he'd long since perfected. "Chloe, if you don't calm down you're going to hurt yourself," he ignored her question. "I mean it, take a deep breath." Chloe shot him a dirty look before relaxing back onto the pillow and sucking in several shaky breaths.
Dr. Kim chose that moment to join them, and he slipped into Chloe's room with a pleasant expression on his face. "Chloe," he greeted her warmly. "It's nice to see you awake. I'm Doctor Kim. I've been handling your case since you were brought in to Metropolis General on Thursday night. How are you feeling?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Dandy," she snarked. "I love not knowing what's going on, where I am, what day it is –"
"I see your charming attitude is unaffected," Lex cut in. Chloe shot him another look and turned to the doctor.
"So when can I get out of here?" Chloe asked Kim. "I want to find my Dad, maybe have a Josh Hartnett movie fest." Dr. Kim looked at Lex warily, for a second, before giving Chloe a placating smile.
"Well Chloe," he pulled up a second chair and sat beside Lex. "You have several third degree burns, covering about 40% of you body. You're going to have to be kept in a sterile environment –"he gestured around them. "- To keep the burn from becoming infected. So will be a while before you'll be able to leave. I'm sorry."
Chloe nodded slowly and averted her eyes. Lex could see them filling with unshed tears. "Do you have any questions concerning the treatment that you're going to receive?" Kim asked her.
"Are they going to heal completely?" she asked the doctor.
"We hope so," Kim smiled sadly. "But there will be a lot of scarring. You've lost the epidermal layer of the skin on a large portion of your body, so once it's healed it will never look the same as it did." Chloe looked away again and Kim took that as his cue to leave. "I'll leave you with Mr. Luthor now. If you have anymore questions, I'll be around in about two hours to check on your meds."
"Thank you Doctor," Lex nodded to Kim and allowed the older man to leave. "Chloe?" Lex asked her timidly when she made no effort to speak to him.
Chloe turned to him again, eyes glistening. "Lex, what happened?" she choked out. "What's going on?" He shifted uncomfortably.
"If you'd like I could go and call Martha Kent," he suggested, thinking she might prefer hearing the news from someone other than a Luthor. "I could have her here within the hour –"
"No," Chloe shook her head. "Just tell me, what happened?"
"Chloe," Lex took her hand again, as much for his own support as for hers. "There was an accident – an explosion. When you closed the door on your way into the house. . ."
Chloe's breathing became labored. "My Dad?" she blinked rapidly, trying not to cry in front of him. "Is he. . ."
Lex swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm sorry Chloe," he whispered. She wasn't stupid; she knew what had happened without having to be told. Her shoulders began to shake as she sobbed silently. Lex felt sick.
TBC...
Doctor Kim peered through the plastic window in the curtain surrounding Chloe Sullivan's bed. The girl had been placed in a closed, sterile room, at least until her burns healed some. The risk on infection was extremely high for a burn victim with her degree of injury.
"Okay?" a cool voice asked from behind his shoulder. Dr. Kim tore his sight away from the window and turned to face the man that had disturbed him. Lex Luthor stood in front of him, disdainfully eyeing the sterile scrub set he'd been forced to change into. When Kim had told him about the sterile environment, Luthor had changed immediately out of his Armani suit – but that didn't mean he was happy with the new attire.
"Yes, you may go in now," Kim nodded approvingly. "Just be aware that her skin is very sensitive to any stimulation."
"Will it hurt her?" Lex asked him, appearing for a brief moment like someone other than the cold-hearted man that Kim had seen in the media.
"She won't feel any pain," Kim assured him. "We've been giving her large quantities of morphine."
"Has she woken up yet?" Lex asked, the same concerned expression.
"Not yet," Kim shook his head. When Lex frowned, he hurried to reassure him. "The swelling from the head trauma has gone down now, and there appears to be no ill effects mentally. She could wake up anytime now, but the morphine will be exhausting her physically."
"And emotionally?" Lex prompted.
"Chloe may not want to wake up just yet," Dr. Kim told him carefully. "She's in a constant physical pain, without the morphine it would be unbearable. Also, a traumatic experience like the one that she's been through . . . she may be waiting for a reason to wake up; a familiar voice or face. You're her first visitor besides the hospital staff."
Lex nodded. "When she does wake up," he peered through the window at her sleeping form. "Who will tell her about her father?"
"Preferably we would have a friend or relative do so," Kim sighed. "In Chloe's case, with no family around, we have staff psychologists that are trained to handle these types of situations –"
"No!" Lex interrupted him. "I'll bring in someone to break the news to her, someone she trusts." Dr. Kim nodded to indicate that he understood, and then gestured for Lex to go into the room.
There were several monitors hooked up around her bed, as well as a large IV bag, slowly releasing various drugs into her bloodstream. Lex pulled a nearby chair over to her bedside; it was hard white plastic, and very uncomfortable, but was better than nothing.
He sat for a moment, taking in the bandages that adorned the exposed skin of her arms. Lex knew that if the blankets were not in the way he would see the same bandages on her legs and back as well. Miraculously, her face didn't have a trace of burned skin, only a narrow cut on her left cheek; and that was almost healed.
'Probably won't even scar," Lex thought to himself. Carefully, he reached out and took her hand in his, mindful to not put any pressure on the bandages. Chloe let out a tiny moan at the contact. He loosened his grip on her hand completely, feeling guilty for hurting her even more. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Chloe. . ."
She stirred again. Lex sat up a bit straighter, eyes roaming her face desperately; he hadn't touched her that time. Chloe moaned again. "Chloe?" he asked, louder this time.
"Mmm," Chloe turned her face in his direction.
"Chloe?" Lex leaned forward eagerly as her eyes fluttered open. She blinked at him a couple of times, letting her eyes search his face.
"Hey," she greeted quietly and grimaced slightly when she noted the machines around her.
"Hi," Lex smiled in relief.
"Do I –"she swallowed slowly before looking deep into his eyes. "Do I know you?"
Lex's grin dropped swiftly, and his eyes widened. "W-what?" he stammered uncharacteristically. Chloe blinked once more at him . . . and then broke into one of her trademark grins.
"Gotcha Luthor," she smirked. Lex grinned at himself and ran a hand over his head.
"You scared me," he admitted. Chloe smiled again and then turned serious. "How do you feel?"
"Kind of numb," she yawned. "I'm really tired."
"That's probably the morphine," Lex told her, knowing that she would appreciate him telling her the truth. "They've been giving you a lot of it so you're not in pain from the burns." He reached for the summons button and called for a nurse. Chloe looked down at her bandaged hands.
"So are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked him warily.
"What do you remember?" Lex placed his hand on hers gently. The action seemed to alert Chloe to the fact that something was wrong.
"I remember going to the safe house," she said slowly, memory working to remember. "I followed Dad in, closed the door. . . and next thing I know, I'm in here. Wait! Where's my Dad? Lex!"
"Okay Chloe," Lex tried to calm her down. "Just relax for a minute, someone will be here in a minute –"
"No!" she struggled to sit up. "Lex, what's going on? Where is my Dad? Is he okay?"
Lex painted on the neutral face that he'd long since perfected. "Chloe, if you don't calm down you're going to hurt yourself," he ignored her question. "I mean it, take a deep breath." Chloe shot him a dirty look before relaxing back onto the pillow and sucking in several shaky breaths.
Dr. Kim chose that moment to join them, and he slipped into Chloe's room with a pleasant expression on his face. "Chloe," he greeted her warmly. "It's nice to see you awake. I'm Doctor Kim. I've been handling your case since you were brought in to Metropolis General on Thursday night. How are you feeling?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Dandy," she snarked. "I love not knowing what's going on, where I am, what day it is –"
"I see your charming attitude is unaffected," Lex cut in. Chloe shot him another look and turned to the doctor.
"So when can I get out of here?" Chloe asked Kim. "I want to find my Dad, maybe have a Josh Hartnett movie fest." Dr. Kim looked at Lex warily, for a second, before giving Chloe a placating smile.
"Well Chloe," he pulled up a second chair and sat beside Lex. "You have several third degree burns, covering about 40% of you body. You're going to have to be kept in a sterile environment –"he gestured around them. "- To keep the burn from becoming infected. So will be a while before you'll be able to leave. I'm sorry."
Chloe nodded slowly and averted her eyes. Lex could see them filling with unshed tears. "Do you have any questions concerning the treatment that you're going to receive?" Kim asked her.
"Are they going to heal completely?" she asked the doctor.
"We hope so," Kim smiled sadly. "But there will be a lot of scarring. You've lost the epidermal layer of the skin on a large portion of your body, so once it's healed it will never look the same as it did." Chloe looked away again and Kim took that as his cue to leave. "I'll leave you with Mr. Luthor now. If you have anymore questions, I'll be around in about two hours to check on your meds."
"Thank you Doctor," Lex nodded to Kim and allowed the older man to leave. "Chloe?" Lex asked her timidly when she made no effort to speak to him.
Chloe turned to him again, eyes glistening. "Lex, what happened?" she choked out. "What's going on?" He shifted uncomfortably.
"If you'd like I could go and call Martha Kent," he suggested, thinking she might prefer hearing the news from someone other than a Luthor. "I could have her here within the hour –"
"No," Chloe shook her head. "Just tell me, what happened?"
"Chloe," Lex took her hand again, as much for his own support as for hers. "There was an accident – an explosion. When you closed the door on your way into the house. . ."
Chloe's breathing became labored. "My Dad?" she blinked rapidly, trying not to cry in front of him. "Is he. . ."
Lex swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm sorry Chloe," he whispered. She wasn't stupid; she knew what had happened without having to be told. Her shoulders began to shake as she sobbed silently. Lex felt sick.
TBC...