"I'm sorry. I can't do this."
"Claire, please - just listen to me," Dr. Thompkins said, holding Claire's forearm when she started to turn back towards the elevator. "I know this is highly out-of-line -"
"Out of line? We passed out of line a couple miles back, Doc. That," Claire said in a faux-whisper, her eyebrows raised as she glanced across the room, "is Superman."
Clark Kent was situated on a bed that had been moved over to be near the window - the best place for sunlight during the day - and still looked strangely pale and weak. He was recognizable nonetheless. By his bedside was Lois Lane. Of course, Claire thought to herself. Where else would she be? For once, however, Lois Lane was quiet, allowing the doctor to speak to Claire instead. Lois knew, after all, that she and Claire were not on the best of terms, and she was certainly not the person to do any convincing.
"Claire, this is important," Dr. Thompkins said, still gently squeezing her former protegee's arm. "Bruce asked me to help him recover - but there are things that I can't do alone."
"Yeah, I figure they don't cover super-beings from other planets in Earthling med school," Claire muttered, tongue-in-cheek. "I wish I could help you -"
"You're the only one who can," Dr. Thompkins corrected. "There's no one else who can be trusted with this secret."
"What makes you think I can be trusted?" Claire retorted, though the wavering in her fury betrayed the fact that they had tapped into her greatest weakness - Claire Branigan was as strong-willed as they came but was the worst of suckers for being needed. "Doctor Thompkins, I - I am in love with the person who wants Superman dead more than anything on this Earth and you want to trust me? This is insane."
The confession that she was in fact in love with Lex Luthor sent a collective shudder through the room that she couldn't help but pick up on - it confirmed what most of them had already suspected. Dr. Thompkins, however, was not to be swayed and did not let up her grasp on Claire's arm.
"You're too good of a person. You don't want anyone harmed who doesn't need to be - you promised that when you became a nurse, didn't you?" Dr. Thompkins asked, gently pivoting and coaxing Claire a few steps closer to where Clark and Lois were situated. "He has a wound that is somehow contaminated with Kryptonite. Possibly debris from the end of the battle with that creature that almost destroyed Gotham City," Dr. Thompkins explained, though it was clear from her expression that even she was not sure. "And until it's debrided, the wound isn't going to heal - he isn't going to recover. But these old hands and eyes aren't what they used to be. So I had to call in the best wound care nurse I've ever met," she said with a knowing smile.
At this, Claire couldn't help the sensation of swelling with pride. She'd seen her share of interesting wounds in her time working at the prison, and had in fact gotten quite good at taking care of them - Lex had been on the receiving end of those skills many times before in Metropolis State Penitentiary. The fact remained, however, that this too was playing on her weaknesses. This too was her losing control of the situation when she finally felt some semblance of control again.
"If I came to any of you and said that the man I loved needed help - that I needed you to save him," Claire said shakily, letting her eyes shut briefly before opening them again and glancing around the room. "Would you help me? Without any hesitations"
There was a brief silence. Dr. Thompkins couldn't speak to what her choice would be, and most definitely could not say that she wouldn't hesitate, knowing who the man Claire loved happened to be. Lois most definitely could not say that she would not have major misgivings about saving the life of Lex Luthor. One voice, hoarse and tired, spoke up - one which Claire heard for the first time, and one which left her dumbfounded.
"I would."
Clark managed the hoarse confession, turning his head to look over at Claire, who seemed hesitant to believe it but ultimately found that for whatever she reason, she did. She swallowed gently, making eye contact with Clark, and slowly nodded once - almost imperceptibly, but a clear gesture of acquiescence. Lois let out a choked sound and finally got to her feet, walking over and without warning, embracing Claire tightly.
"You're a good person, Claire," she said simply. "You're so much better than everything that's been happening to you -"
"L-let's... let's get this show on the road, yeah?" Claire said, gently clearing her throat and taking a step back from Lois - while she did in fact feel and appreciate the warmth from the woman, it was still unnatural. This still felt like being forced out of her element. Lois Lane was not a friend. She turned back to look at Dr. Thompkins. "We're gonna have make this fast before someone starts missing me downstairs."
And so, it became clear that even if she was playing both sides, it was clear that her loyalties would always lean in one direction. They knew that Claire Branigan would do right by her conscience, but also by the man she loved. Dr. Thompkins walked over to her large bag that was situated near the foot of the bed and pulled out sealed packs of wound care supplies she had clearly brought in from the clinic, laying them out on a nearby table.
"All we've got are the basics," Dr. Thompkins explained. "But I've seen you do more with much less, Claire."
"Yeah. No pressure," she said with a nervous laugh, clearly still in shock at herself for what she was doing. But in a strange way, this too was proof that everything that was happening with with her and Lex was real. Doing this meant that she wasn't a pawn. Doing this meant that she was a free woman with agency and chose to be exactly where she was. She first used the shears to remove the gauze bandages covering the wound on Clark's chest, and she saw Lois Lane's face pale. It was only in this moment that Claire realized they were not so different - they were two women with their own lives and ambitions who loved two when who simply were who they were. What they were.
"Thank you for this," Clark muttered hoarsely, forcing Claire to pause and blink in surprise. "I know -"
"Don't thank me just yet," Claire said with a weak but genuine grin, tilting her head gently to one side before moving back to the table and opening a package of sterile gloves that were extra long, up to her elbows. Dr. Thompkins walked over and taped the edges of the gloves with bandage tape so they stayed out of the way. "I doubt this is gonna tickle."
Claire had to pause and take a deep breath, picking up the scalpel tool that Dr. Thompkins provided and leaning over to take a close look at the wound. She saw the areas where it looked like the flesh was almost refusing to heal - as though it were still dying. This, she realized, must have been the contaminated tissue.
The tissue tainted with traces of Kryptonite, Claire realized, would still be affected by it. It would still be weak and could still be malleable, could still be treated the same way she would treat a human wound. Seeing this semblance of humanity in a figure she had known only through news stories and through tales spun into her head by Lex Luthor seemed to give her confidence again, to bring her back to a place a person she had been many months ago. This was a job and it was one she was good at. This was a patient just like any other. This was what she had loved before too many people were fighting their way into her head.
"Alright," Claire said, inhaling deeply and steadying herself to do what might very well have been the most important wound care of her entire life. "Let's do this."
She was almost frightened by the fact that a small, flimsy blade actually did something to Superman - scraped off the contaminated, dying tissue in the crevice of the wound with such ease. Within a about half an hour of cleaning and sloughing off deeper tissue, the job appeared to be done. Claire had swapped gloves and wrapped the wound on the front of his chest - only the front, as thankfully the exit wound appeared healed - before packing all of the used supplies away into a garbage can.
"We'll... we'll just need to wait and see now," Lois spoke up, still looking slightly ill. "Dr. Thompkins is going to monitor him for a while, watch him stabilize before we fly his mother out to see him."
"His mother?" Claire asked, blinking slowly and making eye contact with Lois while she re-adjusted her hair that was now slightly shoved out of place. Lois nodded.
"No one knows he's alive yet, so her being here would probably raise too many eyebrows," Lois explained. "We just need to get him stable and then we'll figure things out."
Only time would tell now, Claire realized, if she had been able to make any impact at all. It wouldn't be until the next day, at least, that any of those questions could be answered, and by then she would be far away from Wayne Towers. She cleared her throat and forced a smile, meaning to walk away but pausing and taking a breath. "Does Mister Wayne known that I'm up here?" she asked carefully without looking at anyone else in the room - and she took everyone's silence as an affirmation. She gave a choked, slightly sardonic laugh as she shook her head. "Tell him that I didn't do this because it's what he wanted. I only did it because it was the right thing to do."
Without looking back, Claire strode off again towards the elevator with great determination to simply get out of this place - out of this situation. She heard the sound of shoes click-clacking behind her and found that before she could reach the elevator doors, Lois stopped Claire and again locked eyes with her.
"Thank you," Lois said again, reaching out and squeezing Claire's hand. "I can't say it enough, Claire. And I'm sorry about -"
"About the lady friend story?" Claire asked with a knowing smirk. "All in the past. It's over and done now -"
"No, you don't understand," Lois said, clearly now feeling forced to swallow her pride. "That wasn't how it was supposed to go at all. I never agreed to have my name put to anything like that about you. I would never -"
"Like I said," Claire interrupted, though her voice was now calm rather than the acerbic tone she'd taken on moments ago, "it's over and done now. It doesn't matter."
"I will never understand," Lois said with a disbelieving laugh, "how someone as good as you is in love with someone like Lex Luthor."
Claire momentarily bristled, reflexively feeling offended - but realized quickly that she and Lois Lane saw the world through very different lenses - all because of love. And there was something freeing about finally being able to say, even with hesitation and a little bit of fear, that love was what it was. "There's nothing to understand. We love who we love - and I know he's hurt you. All of you," Claire said honestly. "But I want you to make sure that Mister Wayne gets the memo that nothing's going to hurt him without going through me first."
"Duly noted."
Claire flinched and turned around, realizing that these elevator doors must have been insanely quiet as now, Bruce Wayne was standing in the open elevator, glancing at Claire. The scrutinizing expression on his face confirmed that he'd in fact heard everything. "We'll do everything we can to keep you out of the crosshairs, Claire."
"And I'll keep throwing myself right back into them," she said with a defiant smirk. "If you'll excuse me, I think I could use a drink right about now."
"I'll escort you back down, then," Bruce said. Claire's jaw clenched slightly, but knowing that this was the only way back to the lobby level, she inhaled deeply through her nostrils and joined Bruce Wayne in the elevator. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as the doors closed and the elevator began gliding gracefully downwards.
"Are you trying to get me in the middle of a scandal again, Mister Wayne?" she asked in a constrained voice. "Coming out of the elevator and back to the party with the aging billionaire playboy?"
"Nothing like that," Bruce said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just making sure you were aware that this was not my idea."
"It doesn't matter whose idea it was," Claire replied flatly, her eyes trained solely on the door in front of them. "I'm still a nurse. I'm still obligated to do the right thing. And also, I don't like people sneaking up on me like that," she added pointedly. "Especially when said people doing the sneaking have already kidnapped me, broken into my apartment, and threatened to blackmail you."
"I didn't threaten you. I actually blackmailed you," Bruce corrected. "And you handled it swimmingly."
"Well, golly gee whiz, Mister Bat," Claire retorted. "That's sure a real nice compliment."
"I wanted to thank you," Bruce continued flatly.
"Don't worry about it."
And at that point, the chiming sound indicated that the elevator had finally reached its destination. The lit doors opened up to the lobby, and Claire immediately walked out of the elevator, away from Bruce Wayne as quickly as possible and back towards the spot where Dr. Thompkins had first run into her. Claire glanced around to confirm and sighed in relief when Lex was still standing outside, speaking with the same group of people, too enthralled in whatever he was saying to have noticed her absence. She took a deep breath and picked up another glass of champagne, realizing that she was still slightly shaking - she had been so steady when she was doing her job, and now that it was done, all of the nerves seemed to have hit in full force.
Claire glanced over to verify where Bruce Wayne was and saw him walking over into the company of the young man he had introduced Claire to before - Barry Allen - and Diana Prince. Again, Claire felt the sense of being surrounded, being watched, only verified by the fact that after a moment, all of their gazes drifted in her direction. Bruce had clearly told them about what she had done. Unabashedly, recognizing her right away, Barry threw discretion to the wind and raised his hand to wave at her - and Claire, caught off guard by the friendliness of the gesture, waved back.
She quickly realized that by doing so, she had pretty much invited the man over, and he started weaving his way through the crowd until he reached her, sticking his hand out for her to shake.
"Listen," he said, inhaling and preparing himself for what Claire already knew was going to be a very long, very quickly spoken statement. "I know things are really weird. And I know what you did just now was really hard. And I just wanted you to know that I think it's really cool - I wish I could do something like that."
"Mister Allen, right?" Claire said with a smirk, tilting her head to one side and rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "I'm fairly certain you can do plenty of things that I can't. It was nothing, Mister -"
"Barry."
"...Barry."
Claire harbored no chip on her shoulder when it came to Barry Allen - he had never wronged her and she had no reason to dislike him. In return, even with such limited interaction, Barry seemed to almost latch onto her as a friend - something of which both Claire and Barry admittedly had very few.
Barry opened his mouth and seemed as though he was about to say something else when the sudden motion of an arm slinking around Claire's waist caused her to whirl around, finding herself face to face with Lex. He steadied the champagne glass she was holding, gently pulling away from her so it wouldn't spill, and cocked his head to one side.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," he smirked before looking up at Barry and raising his eyebrows pointedly. "Thanks a million, Mister Allen. I'll take it from here."
Claire fought the urge to roll her eyes, but Barry did not as he gave a small laugh. "It was good seeing you again, Claire."
"You too," Claire said with a weak wave as he walked off back towards Bruce and Diana. Claire sighed slightly and turned back to look at Lex, tilting her head questioningly to one side.
"Miss me?" he smirked. Claire knew that this was a part of the deal, that Lex was protective over what was his and doubly so when it was a metahuman that he felt was encroaching upon his space. "Tastefully disheveled is a good look on you, Claire, but you hardly look like you've been enjoying yourself."
Claire realized that she was more tousled than she'd been when Lex had left her inside - she'd had her hair tied back and her sleeves rolled up a matter of minutes ago, so the change in her appearance was a bit more pronounced than she'd perhaps surmised. She quickly took a breath to steel her herself and shrugged. "You know I don't like being anywhere he is," Claire said honestly, shifting her gaze furtively to where Bruce Wayne was mingling with other guests. The explanation seemed sufficient for Lex at the time being, and he pulled her closer, tightening the wrap of his arm around her waist as she pointed out sourly and sardonically, "This is exactly the way I wanted to spend my birthday."
"Is it?" Lex asked with an amused smirk. "Because I was about to suggest that we take our leave, but if this is your ideal way of spending an evening -"
"You don't need to tell me twice," Claire said, raising her eyebrows and spinning slightly to grab a hold of Lex's hand, all but tugging him towards the door.
As they made it out the main doors of Wayne Towers and Lex pulled out his phone to call the limousine back to get them, Claire took in a deep gulp of the fresh outside air as though she was thirsty for air. It was beyond relieving to be away from everything that had happened inside of Wayne Towers, and she unconsciously leaned in closer to Lex, who seemed content enough to drape his arm possessively over her.
In Claire's mind, what she'd done - even if she couldn't tell him - was for him. She had done a strategic favor, and simultaneously made it clear that she would always be a barrier between them and Lex Luthor. Then, before she could think better of it, the words from earlier that day slipped from her lips again.
"I love you."
It was a quiet statement, almost inaudible while she leaned into his side as closely as she could - but because it came from Claire, Lex most definitely heard it and made the uncharacteristically affectionate gesture of kissing the side of her head. As the limo pulled up again and he opened the door for her, he realized that what he had said to her in the day had not been entirely true.
Of course he'd known that he loved her for some time before actually saying it - and he had known that she loved him for even longer. Perhaps, Lex admitted, he had pursued her love long before he'd actually loved her because he had a genuine curiosity. It was something he wanted to know what it felt like to receive, and he'd known he was receiving it every time she defied his expectations, every time she stayed.
And saying the words was more than just a token. Saying the words was, in its own way, an act of heroism. So when Claire fell asleep in the back of the limousine before Lex could suggest another glass of champagne, he draped his arm over again, letting her head drop onto his shoulder. There'd been enough heroics for one evening. Lex didn't even know the half of it.
A/N
A little bit shorter than other chapters. Currently working on the next update while also trying to get some progress made on my thesis, so all positive thoughts and good vibes you can send my way are much appreciated! Next update will hopefully come sooner, but I can't make any promises. Thank you, as always! Until next time, cheers!