The familiar sound of an IM popping up interrupted her thoughts as she looked towards Mollie's computer and saw a message.
SuperDude: Hey Lana! You there?
Lana hastily got up and tripped short of the computer. She grumbled under her breath and slowly got to her knees and quickly wrote a reply.
Tom'sAngel: Yeah I'm here. What's up?
She quickly got to her feet and took a seat in the old squeaky chair Mollie used.
SuperDude: A busy day, but nothing too bad. Sorry about earlier I had to do something, but I'm all yours now.
Lana smirked.
Tom'sAngel: Oh really? Well, that's good to hear.
SuperDude: I knew you'd be pleased. I also thought you would like to know that I managed to get some information on Superman for your project.
Tom'sAngel: Wow! That's really sweet of you, but I already have a topic and a totally obsessed friend writing it.
SuperDude: Really? What's your topic?
Tom'sAngel: Well, my friend nearly had a seizure when she saw this article where they mentioned this girl named Lois Lane being seen with Superman and them claiming she was his girlfriend. I looked more into it and found out that it was just a lie, so she is going to write me up something about that.
SuperDude: LOL! Who is this friend?
Tom'sAngel: It's my roommate Mollie. Sometimes I think she is insane. She says that Superman is in love with her and he just doesn't know it yet.
SuperDude: LOL! She does sound pretty interesting. So, besides him being a corrupted hero, what do you think of him.
Tom'sAngel: That's pretty much all I think of him. I mean; I've never met him or anything, so I can't comment on his personality.
SuperDude: I see. So I guess you won't be sending him fan mail anytime soon. LOL.
Tom'sAngel: No I don't think so. So, do you have any information on Superman's relationship with Lois Lane?
SuperDude: I seem to remember that issue. Yeah. We will save that for later, I have to go. Ttyl.
SuperDude has signed off.
"Damn!" Lana exclaimed.
"Well, well, did SuperDude just leave you hanging again?" Mollie said while munching on another Hot Pocket.
"Yes. I'm going to go out. You want to come?"
"I would, but I have someone's homework to do. Where are you going to go?"
"I'll probably stop by Starbucks and get something to drink. Want me to get you something at least?" Lana offered while getting her jacket on and her purse.
"Sure. I'll take a bucket of caffeine with a little mocha flavoring." Mollie said. Lana laughed and headed out the door.
As she was walking down the sidewalk, the streetlights went on and the rush hour traffic started to fade. Taxis flew down the streets in a yellow blur and the many lights of the tall buildings glowed. Lana breathed in the crisp air and walked briskly down the street to the corner Starbucks to grab something warm.
Once inside, she got in the eternally long line and stood patiently for what seemed like hours as she watched the traffic at the corner. A huge semi pulled up to the intersection and stalled in the middle while furious travelers honked viciously behind. A huge pile of cars waited not so patiently behind the huge truck and were trying to find a way around. Just getting a green light, a bus started to come towards the intersection from the right of the semi. The driver was scolding a disobedient kid in the back and turned around just before seeing the huge semi. The driver slammed on the breaks and was silently praying that the bus would miraculously stop, but he knew he was too close and going too fast. Just before impact, with all 25 kids on the bus screaming their lungs off, a figure dashed in front of the bus and picked it up. The wheels suspended in the air and gradually stopped. When it was safe, the bus was lowered to the vehicle ground. The bus driver was keeled over and about to fall out of his seat.
The familiar colors of Superman's cape zipped by as he tore the door of the bus and gently took the driver out. The kids looked at each other and stared silently at Superman.
He was about to whisk the man to the hospital when he heard another distress call rattle his brains. He quickly looked around for a friendly face to take care of the man when he spotted a young woman walking out of the corner Starbucks. He quickly ran over to her and caused her to drop her coffee.
"Sorry, but I need you to take this man to the hospital." He held his head in pain as he heard the screams of some other person in pain.
"Please! I have to go." He said before she slowly nodded and he smiled gratefully before flying off into the air.
Lana stood stunned for a moment before looking at the man that was lying in front of her. She bent down to check his pulse, it was weak, but still there. She whipped her cell phone out of her purse and called the paramedics. Ten minutes later the police were on the scene and an ambulance showed up. The old man was put on a stretcher and a paramedic asked Lana if she was coming. She didn't want the nameless man to be alone when he woke up, so she agreed.
Once in the hospital waiting room, she called Mollie to let her know what was happening.
"Superman SPOKE to you!" Mollie practically screamed into the phone.
"Yes, he asked me to get a man to the hospital, so I am still here." Lana tried to explain.
"No, tell me about him. Is he really hot?" Mollie asked, totally dismissing the fact that a man might be dying right now.
"I don't know." Lana thought back to the encounter. She hadn't really had time to think, but something about his eyes just hypnotized her. He looked to genuinely concerned about the man that he had never met. She quickly reverted back to her conversation.
"Lana!" Mollie whined.
"Alright fine. He was pretty hot. He had really intense green eyes and dark brown hair, and he is pretty tall. He had a good foot over me." Lana said in an unenthusiastic tone. Mollie shrieked with excitement.
"You are so lucky!" She finally said.
"Yeah, sure." Lana said before saying goodbye and turning to see a doctor coming towards her.
"Are you Miss Lang?"
"Yes."
"You brought in Mr. Haubert correct?" The doctor asked.
"If that is his name, then yes."
"The bus crash victim." The doctor continued.
"Well, there wasn't really a crash. There was almost a crash, but Superman stopped it. Then he pulled the man out of the drivers seat and told me to take him to a hospital." Lana explained.
"I see. Well, Mr. Haubert had a minor heart attack. It isn't unreasonable to have one at his age and in his situation. He is going to be fine. He will have to stay here for observation overnight though."
"Okay."
"Do you know anyone we can contact? Friends, family?" The doctor inquired.
"No, I'm sorry." The doctor just nodded.
"Well, don't you worry about it, we will find something. Thank you very much for your assistance." The doctor was about to walk away when Lana stopped him.
"Actually, could I just see him before I leave?" Lana asked politely. The doctor looked her over carefully and then nodded.
"A few minutes. He's in room 139." He said briefly before heading down the hall again.
Lana went to the room and looked in the window to see the elderly man sitting up and staring blankly at the wall.
She cautiously opened the door and entered the small room.
"Hello Mr. Haubert. I just wanted to see if you were alright." Lana said meekly.
"Are you the young woman who brought me in?" He asked, turning to face her.
"Umm, yes I am."
"Thank you." He said before smiling.
"You're welcome." Lana said shyly before turning towards the door.
"Oh, could I get your name. I just wanted to know the name of the person that saved my life." Lana didn't see anything dangerous about telling him.
"My name is Lana. I'm glad you're okay. Bye." She said sweetly before exiting.
Lana walked back to her dorm with no coffee and a weary expression on her face.
"Well hello!" Mollie said cheerfully as Lana entered.
"Hey." Lana said unenthusiastically.
"What's eating you? You should be like... the happiest person on the planet right now. You met and talked to Superman!" Mollie said while jumping to get her Hot Pocket fresh out of the microwave.
"I don't know. I guess it was just a long night." Lana said while throwing her purse on her bed.
"Well, it's about to get longer. You have to look over your project that I slaved over while you were talking to Superman. To think, if I had gone to get the coffee instead of you, I would have met him." Mollie said with a hint of depression in her voice.
"If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't that magical. He asked me to take an old dying guy to a hospital, held his head for a second and then flew off." Lana said; trying to sound bored.
"Well, still. I would have melted." Mollie said wistfully.
"And Mr. Haubert would be dead. So it is a good thing I went." Lana said lightheartedly.
"Who's Mr. Haubert? The old dying guy?" Mollie asked.
"Yep. He isn't dying anymore though."
"Well that's good. Good thing Superman was there." Mollie said before grabbing two more Hot Pockets and retreating to her room.
Lana went to her room and signed on.
SuperDude: Where were you?
Tom'sAngel: Sorry, you will never guess the night I had.
SuperDude: What happened?
Tom'sAngel: I ran into Superman actually. There was almost a bus crash, and he came and saved the day. Then I had to run the bus driver to the hospital.
He didn't respond for a few minutes.
Tom'sAngel: You there?
SuperDude: Yeah, sorry. Is the guy all right?
Tom'sAngel: He's fine now. I was sitting at the hospital for a few hours and then they let me talk to him for a minute.
SuperDude: Well that's good. It sounds like Superman is growing on you. You haven't said anything bad about him yet.
Tom'sAngel: I don't know. I mean, it looked like he had some sort of hearing problem though, he was hunched over and holding his head for a minute when he was talking to me. I kind of felt sorry for him I guess.
SuperDude: You shouldn't. He has superhearing. That's how he knows when people are in trouble. He was probably just getting another call from someone.
Tom'sAngel: How do you know.
SuperDude: Well, everyone knows that.
Tom'sAngel: I didn't.
SuperDude: Well, now you do. I have to go. Talk to you tomorrow Lana.
SuperDude has signed off.
"Again with the leaving!" Lana said to herself. She had been talking to him for months, and he was always doing that.
"You are seriously going to have to get used to that." Mollie yelled from the next room.
"I know. Night Mollie." Lana said before slipping under her comforter and falling asleep. Those piercing green eyes appearing in her dreams all night.