On to chapter two...which has also been newly re-vamped. Please bear with me. :)


Mrs. Kent gripped her husband's hand firmly, unwilling to let it go. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, to see the pain undoubtedly etched into every line of his face. She needed comfort now, reassurance that her baby was going to be okay.

Any hope she may have had of receiving such good news was banished when she saw Lana Lang walking down the hospital corridor. She was holding onto the wall for support, sobbing silently, and it appeared that every step was causing her pain.

Martha knew that Lana would not be in such a state simply after seeing Clark in the hospital. The poor girl had witnessed many horrors in her life, and was not easily reduced to this type of emotional breakdown. No, something must have happened to Clark.

That can't be, she told herself. Clark has to be alive. But somehow, deep in her gut, she knew that he wasn't. Her son had left her. A kindly looking nurse followed shortly behind Lana. Martha glanced worriedly at her husband, who put his arm protectively around her and assisted her in standing.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent?" The nurse asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Said Jonathan. "How's Clark? Is he going to be alright?"

The nurse sighed. "I'm sorry...we did everything we could, but we lost him."

Martha let out a sob of absolute despair, and folded into her husband's arms. Jonathan seemed to be in a state of shock, and simply hugged Martha fiercely, tears welling in his eyes. Lana was still leaning against the wall, across from the lobby, and watched their reactions with tears in her eyes. She couldn't imagine how they must feel. She herself felt like she would never again be happy...she couldn't fathom losing a child.

SVSVSVSVSV

Chloe rushed to the hospital. She had gotten a police escort after hurriedly explaining what had happened with Gabriel. Knowing all of the policemen in Smallville as a result of frequent encounters over the years had definitely helped them in eliminating her as a suspect, although they insisted on staying with her. She had called Lois, Pete, and Lex, and expected that they all would arrive soon.

She had begun to cry without realizing it. If she lost Clark, she didn't know how she would ever survive. He was the only one who had always been there for her...the one who had not only saved her from death countless times, but the one who had counseled her through hard times in her life. he was the one who assured her that she was not destined to follow her mother's footsteps into insanity, the one who had helped her through the loss of countless boy interests (she had a nasty habit of falling for psychopaths), and the one that she had loved. She always knew that he didn't love her back, at least in the way that she did, and she had accepted that long ago when she discovered the depth of his love for Lana. She would never want to take that away from him.

She burst through the door to the hospital, and was instantly greeted with a very annoyed Lois at the front desk.

"What do you mean, his location is confidential? I need to see him, now!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but Mr. Kent is in intensive care. Only immediate family may visit him."

"Maybe I'm not family, but I have seen Smallville in his birthday suit, and slept on his flannel-clad bed! Doesn't that mean something?"

"Are you telling me that you're his girlfriend, miss?"

"Girlfriend?" Lois laughed. "Of course not...I mean YES, yes, I'm his girlfriend, and that's why I need to see him, okay?"

"I'm sorry, that makes no difference. You can't see him now."

Lois had just seen Chloe, and immediately ran up to her, giving her a hug.

"Are you okay, Chloe?"

"No, Lois, I'm not. I just saw my best friend get shot, I was kidnapped, and had to shoot Gabriel after I stopped a missile from obliterating Smallville. How do you think I am?"

"I know you need to see him, but I can't get any info from this stupid bimbo at the front desk!"

Chloe sighed. She had no energy to fight the receptionist.

"You know who we need now? LEX!"

She shouted his name, for he had burst into the door at just that moment.

"Chloe? Lois? Where's Clark? How is he?"

Neither of the girls had ever seen Lex so flustered and worried. He was panting, and his eyes held unshed tears. Chloe felt a stab of sympathy for the man. His last moment with Clark had been an awful fight...she was sure that he was regretting his actions now.

"We don't know anything, Lex!" shouted Lois. "Little miss blondie here doesn't seem to want to tell us."

Lex's face became resigned as he walked up to the front desk. He came back not twenty seconds later.

"She has no news of his condition, but Clark's in room 423."

TBC


Short, I know. Ooops. Reviews are nice.