3 paramedics rushed to Clark's side, as Lex stepped out of their way. The first one to reach Clark, slipped on the massive amount of blood on the wood floor, but caught himself on the couch.
"What happened to him?" The Second paramedic asked.
"He was shot." Lex said as the paramedics counted together.
"One... Two... Three..." They hoisted Clark on to the stretcher, but Clark didn't cry out, he was already unconscious.
Lex stayed there, kneeling in Clark's blood as they rushed him out of the room.
Lex covered his face with his hands, but let out a gasp as he got blood all over his face. Lex's mind would not stop racing with thoughts, while his body seemed incapable of moving.
Clark knew this was going to happen, he had sent him that message... how could he have known? Why would Lionel shoot Clark? Lex couldn't get Clark's raspy words out of his head 'I stop him.' How? What did that even mean?
Then Lex remembered the second part to Clark's message- the security tapes.
The motivation finally allowed his body to move as he ran, his shoes slippery with blood, as was the rest of his body, to the security room. He found the monitor for Lionel's office, and popped out the tape and tucked it under his arm.
Lex was hit with a sudden realization. Clark was taken to the hospital alone. Why hadn't he followed Clark? Lex ran as fast as he could to his car, making up for lost time. The drive to the hospital had also given him time to realize that he had to be there, to make sure whoever the doctor was who worked on Clark, would not reveal his unique DNA to anyone.
Lex received stares from everyone, as he entered the hospital, drenched in Clark's blood, he ran up to the main desk, "My brother, he just came in here with gun shot wounds, his name is Clark Luther."
Clark wasn't the nurse's patient, but vividly remembered him; "They are taking him into surgery." Her tone felt as if she also said 'I'm sorry.'
"I need to be there with him." Lex's voice was filled with urgency and worry.
"Down the hall, first door. He might not have gone in yet." She pointed.
Lex didn't have time to thank her as he dashed off in the direction she pointed him.
He entered the room just as Clark was being rolled out of the room. There was an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Lex could see he was still bleeding, due to their efforts.
"Are you his guardian?" A doctor asked him.
"I'm his older brother." Lex told him. The doctor looked worried.
"He needs to go into surgery immediately, but we need the guardian's consent." He explained.
"I'm his guardian." Lex lied, and the doctor knew it, but Clark was in critical condition.
They pushed Clark into one of the operating rooms.
"I'm sorry sir, you can't go in there." A nurse blocked his path.
Lex was about to protest, but it would only hurt Clark. They wouldn't find anything unusual about Clark in surgery, only in blood tests, so he stepped to the side, where a nurse escorted him to the waiting room.
Lex couldn't help his brother... and it was killing him. If Clark died, Lex would lose it. He would hunt Lionel down and kill him.
Lex had no idea why the thought popped into his head, but he pulled out his phone to call Lana. If Clark did make it, he would want the girl he loved most there, by his side.
"Hello?" Lana's voice already sounded worried.
"Lana, it's Lex." His voice was shaky.
"No..." Lana cried, "What happened?"
Lex didn't know how she sensed it, "Clark's been shot twice."
Lex heard Lana gasp, "Is he..." Lana couldn't say the word, saying it made it a possibility. He couldn't die.
"He's in surgery, but he isn't doing well. He most likely won't make it." Lex gave her the blunt truth. He was so rattled by tonight's events that he couldn't sugar coat it even a little.
"... Are you at Smallville Medical Center?" Her voice cracked.
"Yeah." Lex said.
"I'll be down there in 15 minutes." She hung up.
&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&Jonathan heard his daughter crying into the phone in the kitchen. He walked in just as she hung up.
"Lana, what's wrong?" Jonathan knew it was about Clark.
"Clark's was shot twice... Lex said he probably won't make it." Lana sobbed, "I have to go see him."
She grabbed the keys off the counter. Jonathan wrapped his arms around her as he felt her whole body shake with each sob, "You are in no condition to drive; I'll take you."
Jonathan felt a spasm of guilt and sorrow wash over him. What had Clark done? Jonathan didn't dare ask Lana if she knew who shot him. She was already emotionally shattered.
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Lana
turned her gaze away from Lex once she saw the blood that covered
him. Jonathan went up to him, "Lex how's Clark?"
Lex
looked like he had been through hell and back, as he looked up,
"Jonathan... oh... uh... Clark's still in surgery, I don't know
anything."
Lana finally mustered up the courage to look at
Lex again, this time keeping her gaze, "What happened to him."
She took Lex's hand in hers, hoping to ease the pain she knew he was
feeling, because she experienced it too.
"I'm not sure..."
Lex had been trying to piece together the night's events but his
fragile mind wouldn't allow him rational thoughts.
"Who shot
him?" Jonathan asked, taking a seat next to Lana.
"My
Father." If Lex hadn't been in such deep grief, his eyes would
have flashed with anger.
"No..." Lana didn't want to
know... this shouldn't be happening. She broke down again. Lex hugged
her, hoping if he focused on her, that his mind could wander from the
imposing heartbreak.
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"Mr. Luther, I know you are upset, but I will let you know the minute there is any news on Clark." She said patiently.
Lex returned to his seat next to Lana. Jonathan had gone, to let Martha know what happened and where they were.
"What's this?" Lana asked him, as she held up a video tape.
"Oh... um... the security tape from Lionel's office." Lex had forgotten about it.
"You mean... from tonight?" Lana's eyes darkened.
"Yeah... Clark told me to get it." Lex explained further.
"Then we have to watch it." Lana needed to know what happened. She couldn't shake the horrible feeling that maybe Lionel shot Clark in self defense. Lana didn't want to think about it, but she had to. The only thing worse than Clark fighting for his life in a hospital, was him deserving it. She didn't think Clark was capable of murder? but he was so angry.
"You're right." Lex agreed.
So Lana and Lex reluctantly found a nurse lounge with a TV/VCR in it. Lex locked the door. He didn't know what he was going to find, and couldn't afford for anyone to see.
Lana had filled Lex in earlier, about how Lionel had been drugging Clark, and how Clark found out, driving off in a rage.
Lex looked at Lana before pushing the 'play' button. They held hands as they watched.
They saw Clark and Lionel obviously fighting from their gestures and facial expressions, but they couldn't hear what was being said, just distant shouting, the audio wasn't good enough to pick up their voices clearly.
Lex and Lana both tensed up as they watched Lionel take the gun from Clark. Lana didn't want to see...
Clark kept speaking, as Lionel grew angrier.
Clark was about 4 feet from Lionel, when he raised the gun and pulled the trigger twice. Clark stumbled backwards as he gripped his stomach.
Lana let out sob and turned away in horror. She didn't want to see that, it felt as if she had been the one shot. When she got the courage to look again, Lex was huddled over Clark, speaking to him. Clark opened his eyes half way and said something.
"What did he say?" Lana wanted to know. But regretted asking, when she saw Lex's expression; he was going threw so much turmoil, what he was thinking was a mystery to her.
"He said... 'I stopped him.'" Lex got it now; he was painfully aware of what his brother had attempted.
Lana still didn't understand what happened. She knew, of course, that Lionel had shot Clark out of rage, but she didn't understand why Clark had let Lionel take control of the gun without more of a struggle or what Clark had meant by his last words.
Lex was a Luther and knew the game all too well, but he knew how innocent Lana was, and sensed her confusion, and gave he gave her answers, "He brought it on himself, Lana."
"How can you say that!" Lana said defensively, misunderstanding his meaning.
"No, I don't mean that... he wanted Lionel to shoot him." Lex clarified.
"Why would he possibly want that?" Lana asked.
"Because he wanted Lionel to be taken down for... either murder or attempted murder." Lex wasn't sure if Clark was trying to get himself killed or if he was just extremely careless. Lionel could have shot him in the face, or struck a vital organ which would kill him instantly.
Lana was reeling from the gained knowledge. She immediately felt great guilt upon her shoulders, "I should have stopped him... I saw how angry he was and..." the rest was cut off by a sob.
Lex thought that the only pain worse could have been to feel responsible, and his heart felt for Lana, "No, Lana, it's not your fault. Clark knew exactly what he was doing, you couldn't have stopped him." It hurt Lex more to know Clark's intentions were good, because it proved even more what a good heart Clark had, and that made it all the more painful if he lost Clark.
"Let's go see if they know anything about Clark." Lex wrapped an arm around Lana's shoulders as she choked back tears and exited the room, but not before taking the tape with them.
&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&"Mr. Luther, sit down." The doctor said it with sympathy, but it did nothing to ease Lex's troubled heart.
"How was the surgery? Is he okay?" Lex pressed him for answers that he wasn't sure he wanted.
"There were some complications... Clark lost a massive amount of blood..." The doctor's eyes shone with bad news.
Lex felt Lana's hand trembling in his at the doctor's words.
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&TBC...
Okay please R&R
and don't shoot me. wink