Chapter Five
“Vitals are stable. Blood pressure: high. Heart rate: resuming to normal, dropped 15 counts in last half hour,” Nelson rattled off. He was talking to the doctor that was examining Clark, Dr. Elle. Elle walked to Clark 's side and carefully lifted one eye, shining a flashlight and staring into his pupil. She did likewise for the other.

“Did we get the information we needed from his mother?” Dr. Elle asked.

Nelson flipped the page on his clipboard and moved his finger down the page, looking for “Parent or Guardian Authorization”. “No ma'am, we have not been able to track down his folks yet. His father went into surgery moments ago and his mother is no where to be found.

“Hold everything,” Helen Bryce said, storming into the room and pushing her own tray. “I have authorization to take over this patient.” She smiled at Elle, “Family doctor.”

Elle nodded, “Did you make contact with his mother?”

Helen nodded, “Yes, I found her. She was just getting bandaged up. Griggs wants you in OR stat. And Nelson, I need two buckets of lukewarm water and a blood sample test.”

Nelson, the young 18 year-old intern, nodded, “Right away.” he sat the clipboard down on the table by the door and skidded out.

She watched the young man leave and quickly went to work. “Alright, Clark , we're going to get started.” She bent down over Clark 's face and carefully watched for his chest movements. He was breathing, steadily. “Good sign, you're breathing.” Helen rolled her eyes, come on, don't blow it, stay focused.

Glancing out the door quickly before she took her next move, she looked carefully for onlookers. She reached onto the second shelf of the tray and pulled out a needle, and out of her pocket she slipped a needle, sterilized to its fullest. Cautiously inserting it on the tip, she turned her attention back to Clark . “This won't hurt a bit,” she grabbed a cotton ball with alcohol on it and rubbed the crook of his elbow with it. Then she looked for the biggest vein and stuck the needle in, drawing out enough blood to make her sample.

The blood shone a bright red as she held it up against the light. Curious, she thought. She took the vile out of the needle holder and set the holder onto the tray behind her. She set the vile on the vile rack she brought with, next to another similar looking vile.

“Here are your buckets, Dr. Bryce, and the sample test,” Nelson chirped as he reentered the room. He pushed the cart in next to her own and stood still, waiting for more orders.

“Thank you Nelson,” Helen said, turning to face him. “I can't have anyone else in here while I do it, so would you go see if Griggs needs anymore help?” Nelson nodded, a little confused, but did as he was told. Helen again watched him leave, and as soon as the door was shut she turned back to Clark , “Now we're going to find out what you're really made of.”

She took the two viles, one with the laminated label and the other fresh out of the squeeze, and set them each separately in the water buckets, laying them each at the bottom carefully, making extra sure that they did not crack open.

She turned back to Clark and picked up his arm, feeling for a pulse around his wrist. She timed six seconds on her watch and quickly multiplied it. 70. Normal ? She made a face and laid his arm down back at his side. She took her stethoscope off her neck and brought down one side of Clark 's wet shirt to reveal his bruised chest. Hesitating slightly, she reached down and held the scope against it, again confirming his heart rate was normal.

“Well, buddy, I'm not sure why you are in here, but we will find out,” Helen mumbled. He was bruised all over, but is heart rate was normal? I should take his blood pressure, Helen thought, almost snapping her fingers. She reached down for the pump and quickly hooked it up. She pumped it, harder and harder until finally it stopped. When it dropped, she almost shook her head, 120 over 80? What's wrong with this kid: nothing!

Checking her watch, she knew the samples would be ready. The unnervingly cold air in the room was invigorating, but she couldn't say the same for the blood samples. She didn't want to do anything to them to alter them, or keeping her from finding out what was really wrong. She turned back to the tray with the water buckets and took the sample kit off the tray, breaking the seal and removing its contents. She set it up and covered the container with the plastic bag from her own tray.

Before she went ahead and did the sample test, she retrieved a pallet for a microscope and placed a droplet of water on it. Then she took another eye dropper and screwed off the top of the newer blood sample, taking a droplet from there she placed it over the water and put a thin piece of clear plastic over both droplets. Her breath quickened and she glanced at the door out of nervousness.

The microscope was the last step, so she placed the pallet under the microscope and focused it. She took a close look, then backed away in confusion. What the…, she said to herself. She looked at it again, tried to refocus it but the microscope didn't lie.

Quickly making another pallet for the other blood sample, she compared the two. They were nowhere near to the same blood. The first one, the one taken a few months ago, was bizarre, she had never seen it before. It was extraordinary, inexplicable. But the one she looked at just now from the sample from his arm she had just taken was normal. She could not identify it just by sight, but she had seen it before, it had an explanation.

She prepared to do the sample test, to test the type of Clark 's blood. She hadn't done it before because she had been to scared, but she wasn't going to make that mistake this time.

The results: A+.

The Sullivan House
“I hate just sitting here waiting for something to happen,” Chloe mumbled as she paced the floor. The TV was still on, and Lois was sitting in front of it, gaping at the cows floating down the streets from the footage from the news crew.

Lana laughed as she flipped through a magazine, “You aren't sitting. Why don't you call?”

Chloe stopped and stared at her, “You of all people!”

Lana made a face, “What's that supposed to mean?”

Chloe shook her head, “Nevermind.” Geez, Clark is in love with you and you're in love with him, yet you sit on your pretty little ass and don't let it bother you, or don't make it seem like it bothers you. Chloe sighed and sat down on the couch across from her cousin, it would almost make it easier if she acted like she likes him. I know the only reason she doesn't act like that is because of me.

Lana smirked, “I'm worried too, but we don't know anything. It doesn't pay to worry before you can. Besides, this is Clark we're talking about.”

Lois turned around at her comment, “What do you mean by that?”

Lana shrugged, “Chloe and I have a theory, its probably not true, but its kinda fun to fantasize.” She sighed and closed her book, “Besides, it was sort of ruined when he got sick.”

Chloe nodded, “A couple months ago, Clark was sick for the first time in his life, I can guarantee that.”

Lois raised an eyebrow, “That's your theory?”

Lana shook her head and laughed, “No, it's just a part of it.” She glanced from Chloe back to Lois. “ Clark has always been a mystery to us, and we've never figured him out. He is so spontaneous and unpredictable we feel that there's more to him than the eye can see.”

“Like what?” Lois asked, suddenly becoming very intrigued.

“Like, he's always in the right place at the right time. You think you're going to die and all of a sudden he's there to pull you out of the water,” Chloe said, casting a glance at Lana to her left. “Or when someone with two bodies tries to kill you by throwing you off a bridge, he'll be there to stop him.”

Lois giggled, “Are you talking about Ian?” Chloe nodded and looked at Lana, who had grown quiet.

“crackle This is an urgent request from the Smallville Medical Center ! There is a patient there with an O blood type and the hospital currently has no blood to give him. If anyone out there, who isn't on any medication or currently taking drugs, is willing to donate, please try to find a way to the hospital immediately!” A news break flashed across the screen and they all focused their attention back to the TV set.

Chloe sighed, “I'm B+.”

Lana laughed, “ AB+ .”

Lois remained silent. The girls looked at her, then looked back at each other. “Lois?” Chloe asked, “What are you?”

Lois stared at the screen, “O.”