When he got back to the loft, he found Alicia sprawled out on the couch. The oversized jacket that had hidden her stomach earlier was now parted enough for the change to be noticed. He crept up to the side of the couch and knelt down next to it. Careful not to wake Alicia, he slowly placed his hand on her stomach.
He was just sliding his hand a little over to the left when he felt a small kick against his hand, causing him to jump back in surprise. He looked up to Alicia's face to see if the sudden noise had disturbed her sleep. When he saw that she was still asleep, he placed his hand back on her stomach. When he felt another kick, instead of jumping back again., he just grinned. He sat there like that for a couple of minutes, the baby continuously kicking against his hand, before he saw a paler hand cover his own.
He looked up to see that Alicia had awoken. She was smiling at him, a smile of happiness and contentment. "The baby recognizes his daddy."
"His?" Clark asked, eyebrows raised.
"Or her. I haven't been to a doctor so I don't know the sex of the baby, yet," she replied with a shy smile before a serious look came over her face. "Clark, I am in the last stage of pregnancy."
"But… it's only been a few months. Is that why you looks sooo, well, big?"
"Geez, Clark. That makes me feel really good," she said, pulling her hand from where it still rested on top of Clark's.
"Alicia, I didn't mean it like it sounded. You're still really beautiful. I'm sorry," he said, grabbing her hand back.
Alicia looked at him for a second and, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and face, gave him a weak smile. "No. I am just a little oversensitive to things right now."
They sat like that for a few minutes before Alicia finally closed her eyes and fell asleep. Soon after, Clark, too, fell asleep.
That is how Martha found the two when she went to go check on them an hour later. Clark's head was resting on Alicia's stomach and an arm was draped over her legs. Alicia had one of her hands in Clark's hair and the other thrown over the back of the couch. Martha could only smile at them before going back into the house.
She returned to the loft with two blankets. She draped one over Clark and the other partially over Alicia. As she was turning around to go back to the house, she heard her name being called out in a soft whisper.
"Mrs. Kent."
She turned back to find that Alicia had woken up. She gave her a small smile, "Alicia."
Alicia glanced at Clark and, seeing that he was still asleep, kept her voice at a whisper. "I just want to tell you. I am sorry for how this all happened. I only regret how it happened, not what."
Martha studied her face for a minute and saw nothing for honesty there. "I know, Alicia," was all she said. Then, she turned back and walked out of the barn, leaving Alicia totally stunned and staring after her.
Alicia lay awake, thinking about her very brief conversation with Mrs. Kent when a sharp, burning pain went through her stomach causing all of her muscles to clench up. All of the air rushed out of her lungs making her feel like someone was suffocating her. She was about to wake Clark up when the pain went away and she was able to regain her breath.
She sat there for a minute and was just about to close her eyes to go back to sleep when it happened again, worse than before. Unable to breathe, much less talk, she tugged on Clark's head to wake him up.
Clark opened his eyes, unsure of where he was at the moment, when he felt another pull on his hair. He turned his head to look and Alicia and instantly became fully awake. He jumped up to his feet and looked around frantically.
Alicia smiled weakly up at Clark through the pain and waited for it to subside before trying to speak. "Clark… I think I'm going into labor."
"But… you're only three months pregnant!"
"Yes, but this is not a normal pregnancy, is it?" She had hardly finished when another wave of pain swept through her.
Clark's eyes widened at the sight of Alicia practically near convulsing. He dropped her hand and turned to super-speed into the house. Coming up to the door of his parents' bedroom, he fumbled with the doorknob in his haste to open. Frustrated, he just burst through the door, sending wood flying in all directions, and causing his parents to instantly wake up.
Both Jonathan and Martha sat straight up in bed, looking around them before their eyes finally settled on Clark, who looked completely mad at the moment. It was Martha who spoke first.
"Clark, honey, what's wrong?"
His mother's voice seemed to calm him a degree. He looked at her, avoiding eye contact with his father, and made sure to express his worries to her instead of his father. "There is something wrong with Alicia," was all he said before super-speeding back to the loft and to Alicia.
I need baby names (preferably Krypton-sounding) and I want to know if you think Alicia should die during childbirth. I really hope this chapter is is good as the rest. I am trying to work through a serious writer's block. Now, it is up to your readers on how this story is going to go. Also, I just realized that my story takes place before a certain episode (where Alicia kinda shows Chloe Clark's secret). But, for future reference, Chloe DOES know Clark's secret.