Chloe and Richard stood up and exchanged glances.
"What do you mean he's gone?" Chloe asked.
She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "Mrs. Fordman had just left the room for a moment, and I caught up with her in the hall. I took her to the bathroom to clean up, and when we got back to his room, Whitney was gone. His clothes weren't there either.
Chloe frowned. "Where could he have disappeared to? It's not like he'd know where he was going."
"Chloe-" Richard started, and put his hand on her shoulder. It awkwardly reminded her of something Clark would do, but she lightly shook it off.
"Well," he said, "he did seem kind of uncomfortable talking to us. Maybe it all freaked him out or something. I know I'd be uncomfortable having a bunch of people all talking to me, and know more about me than I did. For all we know he could still be wandering around here somewhere. Let's take a look." Richard nodded his head towards the hallway near by, and started walking. The girls followed.
* * *
Whitney finished buttoning his shirt as he carefully walked along the side of a dirt road. He knew it wouldn't be long until someone noticed he was gone. His mother's crying had distressed him so much that he got out of there as soon as Mrs. Fordman was led away by an orderly. None of the area around him seemed familiar in any way, although he didn't really expect it to be. For all he knew, someone kidnapped him and took him to this town and all these people are just crazy, even though that seemed least likely.
He continued to walk along the road, sticking to the shade of the shrubs and trees, until he came upon a farm. After carefully peering into the windows of the house and looking through the barn and fields, he decided it was safe and went up to the loft of the barn. It almost looked like someone's bedroom. At least he could stay there until someone found him. Whitney didn't care how long he had - any time away from all those unfamiliar faces was fine with him.
* * *
It seemed like only five minutes passed until the Kents' phone rang again. Clark answered, knowing who was on the other end of the line.
"Hello?"
"Clark, we need your help." Chloe said.
Clark smirked. "I thought you were mad at me?"
He heard an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line. "Whatever. Whitney's run away from the hospital. Mrs. Fordman had left the room for just a minute and he, well, he escaped or something. We think he may still be in the building, so Lana and Richard have gone to look. The staff is on alert too."
"Uh, ok. Wait, who's Richard?"
"He's a friend of Whitney's from the Marines. Now will you come and help?" She sounded very impatient.
Clark was already pulling his shoes on by the door. "Yeah, I'll be over there in a sec. See you." As soon as he hung up he was out the door and on his way to the Medical Centre.
Whitney watched out the window of the loft and saw a tall boy speed out of the little yellow farmhouse faster than he thought any man - or animal - could run. He waited for a few minutes before exiting the barn and heading towards the house.
* * *
Within moments Clark was at the hospital and through the doors, walking straight towards Chloe. She was standing by the front desk, chatting with a young male receptionist.
He tapped her shoulder. "Chloe, I'm here. Let's go."
She turned around. "Yeah Clark, just hold on." Chloe faced the receptionist again, and he handed her a thin file with a few papers in it.
"Just don't tell anyone you got these from me, ok?" he asked, timidly.
Chloe winked at him and smiled. "It's our little secret." She turned back around, smiling at Clark, and led him to the doors.
After they were out of hearing range from anyone, he stopped her.
"What was that?"
"Clark, you've been asking a lot of questions lately for someone that doesn't show a lot of interest in investigative reporting," she smirked. "I was simply getting some information. You can go a long way by telling a guy he looks hot in blue scrubs, you know." Chloe said playfully, and handed the file to Clark.
Clark opened the file and saw the name Whitney Fordman at the top.
"Chloe you didn't," he started.
"Hey, we have to know what his condition is like if we're going to find him. Besides, I need his medical report for his, um, welcome home article for the Torch."
Chloe took the file back even though Clark hadn't finished looking through it. He never seemed to understand why she did the things she did. It had to be obvious by now - her life was practically dedicated to reporting. What was important about Whitney's medical report, was that it also contained information about what went on before he arrived back in Smallville, from the military doctor in Indonesia. The thing that interested Chloe the most, though, was that the Smallville surgeons had found a green rock, or gem lodged in Whitney's chest. Close to his heart. She had no doubt it was the meteor rock from Lana's necklace that she gave to Whitney before he left for the Marines. This would be one of the best points she could use in her theory about the meteor rocks. Giving someone an extra finger was one thing, but bringing a man back from the dead?
Clark disrupted her thoughts. "Why don't we drive down the back roads first? He's obviously trying to avoid people who recognize him. Maybe he's hiding out somewhere along there."
She gave him a disbelieving look. "Sometimes I just don't know about you. One moment you're clueless, the next you're thinking like me. Richard told me that Whitney seemed like he wanted to be left alone, so you're probably right. But he wouldn't hide outside - he'd probably be looking for a barn or something."
Clark nodded. "And that makes it easier. There are only three farms in close vicinity to here. The Howards', the Doddsons', and. and mine."
"Then that makes it a lot easier. Come on, the longer we wait, the harder it could be to find him. We'll take my car."
"What do you mean he's gone?" Chloe asked.
She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "Mrs. Fordman had just left the room for a moment, and I caught up with her in the hall. I took her to the bathroom to clean up, and when we got back to his room, Whitney was gone. His clothes weren't there either.
Chloe frowned. "Where could he have disappeared to? It's not like he'd know where he was going."
"Chloe-" Richard started, and put his hand on her shoulder. It awkwardly reminded her of something Clark would do, but she lightly shook it off.
"Well," he said, "he did seem kind of uncomfortable talking to us. Maybe it all freaked him out or something. I know I'd be uncomfortable having a bunch of people all talking to me, and know more about me than I did. For all we know he could still be wandering around here somewhere. Let's take a look." Richard nodded his head towards the hallway near by, and started walking. The girls followed.
* * *
Whitney finished buttoning his shirt as he carefully walked along the side of a dirt road. He knew it wouldn't be long until someone noticed he was gone. His mother's crying had distressed him so much that he got out of there as soon as Mrs. Fordman was led away by an orderly. None of the area around him seemed familiar in any way, although he didn't really expect it to be. For all he knew, someone kidnapped him and took him to this town and all these people are just crazy, even though that seemed least likely.
He continued to walk along the road, sticking to the shade of the shrubs and trees, until he came upon a farm. After carefully peering into the windows of the house and looking through the barn and fields, he decided it was safe and went up to the loft of the barn. It almost looked like someone's bedroom. At least he could stay there until someone found him. Whitney didn't care how long he had - any time away from all those unfamiliar faces was fine with him.
* * *
It seemed like only five minutes passed until the Kents' phone rang again. Clark answered, knowing who was on the other end of the line.
"Hello?"
"Clark, we need your help." Chloe said.
Clark smirked. "I thought you were mad at me?"
He heard an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line. "Whatever. Whitney's run away from the hospital. Mrs. Fordman had left the room for just a minute and he, well, he escaped or something. We think he may still be in the building, so Lana and Richard have gone to look. The staff is on alert too."
"Uh, ok. Wait, who's Richard?"
"He's a friend of Whitney's from the Marines. Now will you come and help?" She sounded very impatient.
Clark was already pulling his shoes on by the door. "Yeah, I'll be over there in a sec. See you." As soon as he hung up he was out the door and on his way to the Medical Centre.
Whitney watched out the window of the loft and saw a tall boy speed out of the little yellow farmhouse faster than he thought any man - or animal - could run. He waited for a few minutes before exiting the barn and heading towards the house.
* * *
Within moments Clark was at the hospital and through the doors, walking straight towards Chloe. She was standing by the front desk, chatting with a young male receptionist.
He tapped her shoulder. "Chloe, I'm here. Let's go."
She turned around. "Yeah Clark, just hold on." Chloe faced the receptionist again, and he handed her a thin file with a few papers in it.
"Just don't tell anyone you got these from me, ok?" he asked, timidly.
Chloe winked at him and smiled. "It's our little secret." She turned back around, smiling at Clark, and led him to the doors.
After they were out of hearing range from anyone, he stopped her.
"What was that?"
"Clark, you've been asking a lot of questions lately for someone that doesn't show a lot of interest in investigative reporting," she smirked. "I was simply getting some information. You can go a long way by telling a guy he looks hot in blue scrubs, you know." Chloe said playfully, and handed the file to Clark.
Clark opened the file and saw the name Whitney Fordman at the top.
"Chloe you didn't," he started.
"Hey, we have to know what his condition is like if we're going to find him. Besides, I need his medical report for his, um, welcome home article for the Torch."
Chloe took the file back even though Clark hadn't finished looking through it. He never seemed to understand why she did the things she did. It had to be obvious by now - her life was practically dedicated to reporting. What was important about Whitney's medical report, was that it also contained information about what went on before he arrived back in Smallville, from the military doctor in Indonesia. The thing that interested Chloe the most, though, was that the Smallville surgeons had found a green rock, or gem lodged in Whitney's chest. Close to his heart. She had no doubt it was the meteor rock from Lana's necklace that she gave to Whitney before he left for the Marines. This would be one of the best points she could use in her theory about the meteor rocks. Giving someone an extra finger was one thing, but bringing a man back from the dead?
Clark disrupted her thoughts. "Why don't we drive down the back roads first? He's obviously trying to avoid people who recognize him. Maybe he's hiding out somewhere along there."
She gave him a disbelieving look. "Sometimes I just don't know about you. One moment you're clueless, the next you're thinking like me. Richard told me that Whitney seemed like he wanted to be left alone, so you're probably right. But he wouldn't hide outside - he'd probably be looking for a barn or something."
Clark nodded. "And that makes it easier. There are only three farms in close vicinity to here. The Howards', the Doddsons', and. and mine."
"Then that makes it a lot easier. Come on, the longer we wait, the harder it could be to find him. We'll take my car."