Title: Notification

Author: ty-rant84

Summary: Sequel to Realizing, the sequel to Prevention- What no parent should ever have to see

Archiving: Just ask

Feedback: Rocks!

Parts: 3/1 (I know, it's ridiculous. That's what I tell myself every morning)

Disclaimer: I wish

A/N: I think I've even gotten hooked.

"He was just sitting there. Staring at the wall. And. I-I couldn't DO anything! He was so blank. And … just blank. Sitting there." Jonathan stared at the wall and continued to rock back and forth, a constant litany spewing from his mouth uncontrollably.

They had been at the hospital for three hours now. Ever since Jonathan had walked into the barn to see his son on the floor of the loft. Actual blood on the floor around his head. The shotgun on the floor next to the blood. The trigger curling around his limp fingers. Flecks of kryptonite catching the sun around the hole in his head.

The gaping hole that was so small. It seemed immense when Jonathan first saw it. Later, when they were in the living room, he had looked at it closer. It was so tiny and almost insignificant. Like a smear of red grease Clark had gotten while working on the truck. Everything was set up so perfectly for it to have been just that. A little bit of dirt or grime. Only the color was off. Jonathan had never seen Clark's blood before. Clark was his little invincible boy. He didn't get hurt. He just didn't. Never.

Martha had tried to fix him. They'd brought him to the living room, carried their boy from the barn loft to the living room couch. That was where Martha always fixed up injuries. At least, the ones that Jonathan had gotten. No one else ever got hurt. Martha tried to fix him though.

Jonathan had just had to stand there and feel helpless. Then, Martha had looked back to him, and he'd known. They wouldn't be able to fix this. That was when they had called the hospital.

They had actually never called there in all of Clark's time with them. They'd pretended like it was against their beliefs to go to the hospital. They had to do anything to protect that little boy. That strange little boy. No one could find out his secrets. Clark had never been admitted into a hospital before. Not even when he was adopted, the adoption had been done so quickly. In fact, Clark had almost never been away from home.

He didn't go to sleepovers, he'd never gone very far out of town. He didn't visit with relatives. Was it odd that the first time he stayed somewhere new he was in a hospital? Clark should never have had to go there. He could see people who went there. Friends and parents who were admitted, but he should never be in there for himself. Especially after he had shot himself in the head point blank with his father's shotgun. With a kryptonite bullet.

"He shouldn't have been so blank. Clark's not empty. He doesn't stare off into space like that. Staring at the wall. So blank. Our boy was so blank-."

Martha was sitting next to him. She didn't touch him and she didn't move. Not since the last doctor had came into the room. Not since she'd heard the news. Once the doctor had told her what happened. What the bullet had done. What Clark had done to himself. How there was no one else who could have done it under the circumstances. How Clark had most probably committed- committed-. No, no, NO! He did not do that. Her boy couldn't have done that. Her sweet innocent boy. No.

"Mrs. Kent. Mr. Kent? I came as soon as I heard. What happened?" Lex walked into the waiting room. So out of place in the efficient, boring room. He was holding a briefcase. It was still open though. Not really open, but the zipper was halfway undone. Lex was never anything short of immaculate. He should have done up the zipper.

"You should fix your folders, Lex. They're sticking out of the briefcase." Martha stared at the papers for a moment before jerking her head up to meet Lex's eyes.

Lex glanced between the stony Mrs. Kent and her husband. He just kept rocking back and forth. Why was he doing that? "That doesn't matter; what happened, Mrs. Kent? What happened to Clark?"

"He- he… there was some blood. And he wasn't saying anything. Didn't show up to dinner either."

"Oh god. …What HAPPENED?"

Jonathan slowly took a breath in and lifted his head a few inches, "Our son shot himself. That's what happened."

-..-.-.-.-.