Chapter 22 - In Sickness and In Health

"Lois, I've been expecting you. Your Jimmy let me know that you would be arriving. I started running tests on some more of the residue from the post office and found something. The chemical mixed in the right amounts could produce the blast of an atomic weapon. This chemical though is thought to be completely harmless. It is being tested to replace argon and neon in lamps. Mixed together with this, it comes out to look more something else. Come with me." Lois and Clark followed the little doctor into a lead lined room. Clark started to feel like he didn't belong there. Trying to hide the pain, he held his head.

"Clark, isn't this neat." Lois was like a little kid when investigating. But she turned around for a moment.

"You need a Tylenol or something?"

"It doesn't help me much. I'll be ok." He followed behind her into the closet and leaned against the wall. The doctor took a canister down off the top shelf and started to open it. Clark felt a sharp pain in the place of the headache. Leaving the room, he stumbled.

"Lois?" Clark could barely speak.

"The coloring of the substance is quite similar to Kryptonite. The problem is that since it is not exactly clear the kind of reaction he would have."

"Clark, this is a really scary. Can you imagine Superman having to run all the time."

Lying on the floor, he answered under his breath, "I can." The doctor and Lois continued to talk when Lois realized that Clark was not next to her.

"Clark?! Oh Clark, I'm sorry. Doctor, help me pick him up. He feels like bricks. I should have left him at the Planet. Clark, wake up."

"What happened? Why am I on the floor? Lois, my head hurts." Clark sat up but was still uneasy but tried to hold himself up.

"Clark, you're bleeding." Clark reached up and touched his forehead. Sure enough. "I'm sorry but I think we need to go. Evidently Clark is not over whatever he seems to have caught." Lois and the doctor pulled Clark up and started with him out the door. Lois stopped. "Oh, I guess we left your glasses back on the floor."

"Huh?" Clark felt his face as he climbed into the car and instantly started to worry. A few seconds later, Clark saw dimly that Lois was getting in the Jeep.

"Here. You must not have a real strong prescription."

"No, what about Brittany?"

"I'll go back and get her. You just stay home." Lois and Clark arrived at his place and had Clark lean against the doorway while Lois rang the bell. Clark's mom and Lois struggled to move him to the couch. "Don't worry about Brit. I have some more work and then I'll bring her home. I love you."

"What? Lois." She realized what she had said.

"I have to go." Lois kissed him lightly on the lips while Clark closed his eyes. Martha watched from around the corner.

Back at the Planet, Perry and Jimmy were on the way out.

"Lois, did you get anything?"

"I did but Clark got sick again. I had to take him home and need to pick up Brit up for him."

"Well, Lex is waiting for you. You have some appointment this afternoon. Jimmy and I are going downstairs to check the copy." Walking down the stairs, she saw Lex pacing back and forth while talking on his phone to someone. She walked up and wrapped her arms around him as he hung up.

"Hey Honey. I'm sorry. Clark got sick and Brit is still here and ... you don't want to hear about this do you?" Lex sat in Lois' chair and just smiled at her. She knew from that look that he definitely did not have interests in Clark's problems. "Just let me call him." She picked up the phone and left a message with his mother. Martha decided that Clark only needed to know that Lois would be by later. Lex and Lois returned later that evening. Everyone but Perry had cleared out of the building.

"I'll call you later." Lex kissed Lois lightly and she kissed him back for the first time in awhile, picturing Ally and Clark in her mind. As Lex left, Perry walked over to Lois with Brit in his arms.

"The teacher had to go, so I decided to take her. She has a mouthful to say." Lois laughed as Perry and she worked on loading the presents into the elevator.

"You ready to go?" Brit shook her head and went skipping to hit the elevator button. Once in the car, Lois started getting uncomfortable. "So, how was your party?"

"They had cake and ice cream. I didn't get a lot. I got this. I asked daddy for but I haven't found."

"So what did you think of what you got from me?" Brit looked at her writing paper and pencils. "Brit, I never had to buy for little girls before so I really didn't know what to buy."

"That's ok. You'll get better."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want a baby someday? Daddy tells me how happy he was. I wish mom happy. I remember mommy and daddy..."

Lois looked over at Brittany, "What's wrong? What did mommy and daddy do?" Lois stopped at the stop sign and rubbed Brit's Brunette hair as Brit started to cry.

"They fought a lot. Daddy said she was on a trip, but she's not coming back, is she?" Brit looked up at Lois who was almost in tears.

"Did they hit each other?"

"No, he would go somewhere and sometimes he would take me too."

"Where would he go?"

"I don't know." Lois had a flash of Clark rubbing his head earlier today and stopped breathing. Brit continued, "He was scared. We would go for ice cream. I like chocolate. He'd sit and look at the wall or the sky." Lois kept looking at Brit, captivated. "Sometimes, he looked at you. He would disappear at night and end up on the couch."

"Did he mention me?"

"In his sleep - why? Last night." Lois just sat in the car in front of the apartment for a second.

"Here we are." She started up the stairs as Martha came out the door. "If you could help me with the packages." Trying to kick the door open, Ally appeared to Lois' dismay. "Ally, I didn't think you would be here."

"I heard Clark was ill, so I dropped by to help."

"Well, I told him that I would help when I got here, so you can leave." Ally, ignoring Lois, walked back in the kitchen and worked on the dinner for the family. Lois followed her. "I said you could go; I'll finish this up."

"Lois, don't you have wedding plans or something to work on. If I didn't know any better, I would think that you weren't interested in Lex at all. I mean you look like you are actually more interested in Clark..."

"Thanks of both of you, but I'll be fine. I'm just sorry about Brit's birthday, but I don't want you two to go to any trouble." Lois and Ally both looked up as they saw Clark watching them argue over him.

"What can I do?" Ally walked over and started rubbing his shoulders that seemed to ache. Lois tried not to cringe through every little feeling.

"Nothing, Lois can I talk to you?" Lois upped her nose at Ally and followed him onto the balcony. "Is there anyway that you can stay tonight? My mom has to leave for a funeral and I really need someone with us tonight." Lois stood there and looked at Clark sitting in his bathrobe. He looked like he was in pain and she didn't want to say no.

"I have to call Lex."

"Fine, whatever you need to do, but you could really help me out." Clark rose up and put his arm around Lois to lead him back to the living room. He saw his mom packed and ready to leave for the airport.

"I'm sorry that I can't see you off to the airport, but things happen." Martha hugged him and smiled.

"Take care of him. I'll be back as soon as I can. Clark, I really hate leaving you here."

"It's ok. Brit and Lois are here. And Ally." Clark saw her out of the corner of his eye and halfway smiled. He knew that she knew that morning was a first and last time for them. She approached him and Lois and pushed by Lois.

"You win," Ally whispered to Lois. "Can I take ya'll to the airport. It's on the way home for me." Ally picked a bag and started out to the car.

"Guess we have to go. Bye honey." His mom started down the stairs.

"I'll take good care of him." The door closed and Clark, Brit, and Lois stood in the living room together. For an instant, everything seemed to be in place.