Ch 7 – Displacement
"That's not fair, Daddy," Lois said, clenching her jaw.
"Life's not fair, Lois," Sam Lane replied, using one of his usual responses to her protest. "And you don't have much of a choice. You can suck it up and make the best of the situation, or you can act like a spoiled brat."
Lois narrowed her eyes. "You pulled me out of Met U. I shouldn't be upset? You taught me to take care of myself, but you keep jumping in and making decisions for me!"
Sam didn't flinch. "Lois, you were in a coma. The doctor's didn't know how long it would be before you woke up. I want you to take care of yourself, but your decisions get you here," he gestured at the room.
"When can I get out of here?" Lois asked, planning to call and schedule a meeting with the Dean of Admissions the next day. After all, she knew the routine.
Knowing what his daughter was thinking, Sam shook his head. "You're done, Lois. You've missed almost 2 weeks of the semester. Met U will reconsider your admission next fall. You're going to be released tomorrow, but you still need to be monitored. Someone will need to wake you up during the night for the next week to make sure you don't slip into another coma."
"So I'm going back to the base with you?" Lois frowned.
"No. I head to Washington DC in the morning. Considering your circumstances, Lowell County Community College has agreed to let you finish out your freshman year there. Unfortunately, their housing is full, so you can't stay on campus."
"I'm going to Uncle Gabe's?" Lois wondered if she could get used to sharing Chloe's full size bed.
"No. You're uncle's apartment is too small. I'll work something out by the morning."
Lois hoped that meant she could get her own place. Again her father shook his head.
"I need to know you won't be getting into anymore trouble while I'm gone. I can't do my job protecting the country if I'm worrying that my daughter is going to show up on the 10 Most Wanted list."
He moved closer to the bed and brushed a hand over her hair. "Go with me on this one, Lo. If you can fly straight, we'll discuss an apartment for Met U next fall."
Straightening, he walked to the door. Before he left, he looked back at his daughter and nodded. She returned the gesture. They had never been good at goodbyes.
Seeing General Lane leave the room, Clark slipped back in. Lois was staring out the window. She heard him come in, but didn't turn around.
"How much of that did you hear?"
Clark leaded against the wall. "All of it," he answered.
Lois sighed and turned to face him. "So, I'm out of one more school. Aren't you going to laugh like last time?"
"It's not as funny this time. Lois, I'm sure he means well…"
"Of course he does. That's the problem. I don't like being 'managed'. It's not like I meant to wind up in the hospital." She gave Clark a pointed look.
Clark wanted to steer away from any reminders of their earlier conversation… at least until he'd discussed it with his parents.
"Hey, the Community College isn't too bad. I bet you can take some of your classes in town if you want."
"Smallville has a Community College?"
"No – it's just an extension of Lowell County Community College. They teach some of the courses at the high school and at the Library."
"Oh, heck no. I'm not going back to your high school if I can help it."
Clark shrugged. "Well, the drive isn't bad. It's about 30 miles west of our place. Past the Wild Coyote."
He changed the subject. "It's obvious that your dad loves you," he offered.
"I know. He's just a little tight fisted sometimes. I grew up saluting officers, shining boots, and using rulers to measure the folds of my sheets when I made my bed. Now I rarely even straighten the covers when I wake up."
"I think I have something that will cheer you up," he said, handing her a large manila envelope.
Lois' eyebrows rose as she accepted it. Removing the contents, she grinned.
"Yes! This is great, Clark!" It was the information that Lex had given him about the last known whereabouts of Chloe's mother. Lex hadn't known whom it was that they were researching because they had used her maiden name.
For the next hour, they sat and talked about a little of everything, but nothing of great importance. Lois seemed grateful for the company, and Clark was happy when she gained enough of her composure back to start teasing him.
Lois grabbed her small bag and raked a hand through her hair. She was happy to get out of this place. Her dad hadn't told her who she would be staying with, but she assumed that Chloe would be her escort.
Her nurse rolled a wheelchair into the room and started going over her discharge papers with her. Lois had scrawled her name across the last sheet when Martha Kent entered the room.
"Mrs. Kent," Lois said, surprised.
The nurse turned to the visitor and smiled. "Oh good, I was hoping I would get a chance to explain her prescriptions to you."
Lois was confused. Why would Clark's mother need to know about her medicine? Lois barely heard anything the nurse was saying, and was shaken back to reality when the nurse gently pushed her into the wheelchair.
"Well, let's go!"
When they reached the exit, the nurse waved and rolled the chair back into the building. Martha smiled and pointed to the Kent's truck.
"You ready?" Martha asked.
"I think I'm missing something," Lois replied.
"Did you leave it inside?"
"No, I meant that I'm a little confused. Where's Chloe?"
Martha laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. I thought your dad would have called you. You're going to be staying with us."
Lois followed Martha to the truck and climbed in, shocked into silence.
"Mrs. Kent…" Lois began, as the truck left the hospital parking lot.
"Call me Martha, please," Martha said, briefly smiling at Lois before turning her attention back to the road.
"…Um, okay… Martha. I don't mean to be rude, but why? Sure, Chloe's place is small – but the last time I stayed at your house, Clark was stuck on the couch. I don't want to put him out of his room."
Martha laughed. "Oh, don't worry about that. We've worked everything out."
Lois stayed quiet for a little while, watching the passing scenery. Knowing Clark, he had told his parents about their little adventure. She wondered what they thought of her now.
Clark bounded up the stairs to his loft. He noticed Lois standing next to his telescope, looking out on the fields.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked.
Since he saw the truck outside, he knew that they were back from the hospital. He'd thought she would already be inside the house.
The night before, they had cleared out the attic. It had once served as a loft bedroom before it became storage space. After a good cleaning, some airing out, and the addition of a few pieces of furniture, it was ready to be lived in.
"I don't know." Lois answered. "When we got here, your mom said to go on in. She went to talk to your dad."
She gestured out to the field, where Jonathan sat on a tractor next to the fence. Martha was leaning on the fence from the other side and it was apparent that they were in heavy conversation.
"I get the impression that your father might not like the fact that I'm here. I kind of feel like an intruder…"
Clark shrugged and grinned. "Maybe not. But he'll give in. Mom has her ways.
"I don't like it, Martha. First, Clark gets back from his recruiting trip and the first thing he talks about is running into her. Then, he jumps off of a building trying to keep her out of trouble. And let's not bring up the party."
"Relax, honey. What happened at LuthorCorp was not Lois' fault. Clark did what he thought was best at the time."
"But now she knows something is different about our son. I can't see how having her here is going to make it easier to deny that to her." Jonathan frowned and pulled his work gloves off.
"I don't think there is any denying it now. She's figured out a lot on her own, and if we left her to it, she could get into more trouble trying to figure out the rest."
He ran a hand through his hair. "See, trouble. That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm glad Clark has a new friend, but they seem to get into a lot of trouble when they're together."
Martha chuckled. "All the more reason to have them both under our roof. At lease that way we can monitor them."
Seeing Jonathan's look, she continued. "Oh, I don't think you have anything to worry about, honey. They are like oil and water. Strictly friends. Besides, Clark told me he wasn't over Lana yet." She sighed. "I think it might be good for him. Something has happened to everyone that has learned his secret. Sure he has us, but he's so alone. Lois may be the one that can hold her own through it."
"She keeps getting kicked out of schools…"
"She wasn't kicked out of the last one. Her dad pulled her out. We talked a little bit on the way home, and I think I understand what she's going through. She's really bright. She just needs to be challenged. I think she got bored with high school…"
"And what? Just stopped going?" Jonathan was having a hard time sanctioning that type of behavior.
Martha simply smiled. "Clark carries an enormous amount of guilt around. I'm afraid that he's always being so careful that he never has a chance to just… be himself. As strange as it sounds, I think he can relax around her. Give her a chance, honey. She's out of her element. Her life has been ripped from her just when she thought she had it under control, and she's seen some pretty extraordinary things – things she hasn't revealed to anyone, out of respect for us. The rent money her father is sending will help a little too."
Sighing, Jonathan climbed off of the tractor and stood facing the fence, across from Martha. He smiled wryly at his beautiful wife. "You always did have a thing for strays."
"Yeah, strays and farm boys. Plus, it gave me an excuse to get you and Clark to clean out the attic!" Martha reached out and stroked his face. "You used to have a soft spot for lost city girls."
Jonathan grinned and moved closer. "I still do. And look where it's gotten me," he teased, leaning down to kiss her.
In the barn, Clark turned away from the scene. "Looks like you're in," he told Lois.
Lois' brow creased. Martha Kent had her own share of mojo, she decided. "Yeah."
"Come on. I'll show you your room."
tbc
