Flowing Memories – Chapter 7

Chloe sat in the chair with her feet wrapped up in the seat with her. Lex continued to move the bed in a more upright position. She had since called the doctor in from the nurse's call. He had looked over Lex and scheduled another CT scan to check for the possible abnormalities. Leaving the two again in the room again alone, Chloe admired Lex as he flipped the stations on the TV, catching the CNN news of the day and shaking his head in amazement. "I can't believe that I've lost 6 years like that."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Chloe spoke apprehensively.

"Huh?" Chloe's eyes widened realizing that he had heard her. "Ok, out with it." Lex crossed his arms and pursed his lips together. "You said it wasn't the first time."

"You just had an experiment go wrong and kind of lost some valuable time a couple of years back." Chloe halfway smiled at the slight stretching of the truth. "Anyway, what do you remember?"

Lex lowered his head and slightly chuckled. "Just stupid stuff I guess – I remember bit and pieces. Like I remember being put in charge of one of my father's plants as a test, but have no idea where. I guess here in Smallville." He waited as Chloe shook her head yes. "And I remember drowning." Lex wrinkled up his forehead in confusion.

"That's when Clark pulled you out of your car, and…"

"And I thought I had hit him with the car. How weird would that be." Chloe grinned uncomfortably as Lex continued. "And I remember that you and this other girl, some brunette really like this Clark. And I remember always drinking coffee in an Egyptian tomb – maybe it was a pyramid."

Chloe let out a roar of laughter and slipped out of the chair. "I'm ok," she said getting back in the chair as Lex put out a hand for her to grab. "No, it's the Talon, coffee shop, and you own it. You bought it for Lana, the brunette." Chloe stopped as Lex looked at the ceiling, undoubtedly trying to picture her. Damn. "Anyway, it doesn't make money but you've held on to it and it is decorated like an Egyptian something."

"But that has nothing to do with coffee. Remind me to get that redecorated or sell to Starbucks." Chloe giggled a little more realizing that without his fond memory of Lana he only could base his feelings on his business instincts. Looking over at Chloe's expression, he shook his head, "What?"

"Nothing – it's just funny. And you remember Starbucks – a man after my own heart." Chloe crossed her arms and batted her eyelashes jokingly. Lex playfully slapped her on the arm and rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Lex took a deep breath and stared at Chloe. She grinned and peered back at him. "I remember you. I remember the day that my father had your father and you over to the house in Metropolis to talk business. They talked – we stared at each other perturbed. Did you and I ever get into a fight?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just remember that day we got into this argument and you wouldn't let me have the last word. We argued over something stupid…" Lex sat and rubbed his forehead in deep thought.

"Boarding school."

"That's right!" Lex snapped, "And you thought I had the best education because I got to go to some nice private school and you got the public schools. And I told you at least you got to see your family since mine didn't care." Lex suddenly closed his mouth and eyes. Chloe watched as his facial expression changed from jovial to sad. He turned, looking out the window, and closed his eyes again.

"Lex, I'm so sorry."

"Why? You didn't have him as a father – and now I don't even have him." Lex dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his temples. He felt a slight touch on his arm and looked through his hands to see a soft smile.

"But you're not alone – you have a lot of people that care about you." Lex smiled and pulled Chloe's head gently into his shoulder. Chloe could feel herself get flushed as she closed her eyes and laid her hand on his chest. Breathing in she was enveloped by his scent. Lex broke her concentration pushing her back to see her face.

"Best of all, you, a familiar face. You ok?" Chloe grinned and nodded yes as the nurse brought in two trays of food. Pulling the table over, she sat the trays down on the table over the bed. Lex adjusted in the bed. "Come on – get up here." Chloe motioned it was ok, but Lex didn't take no for an answer. Chloe propped herself up on the bed and dangled her legs over the edge.

"Remember my 15th birthday party? I was appalled that my father thought inviting all the kids of Luthorcorp families out to an amusement park would be ideal. That I think ranked up there with the most embarrassing thing he ever did to me. Not only did I have no friends, but he tried to push more on me." Lex was sitting up slightly, eating dinner and trying not to laugh because it still hurt his ribs. Chloe sat and ate, watching him in awe as he spilled memories like an old woman going through a scrapbook.

"And you, Chloe Sullivan, you were a riot." Chloe dropped her fork and stared at him in confusion. "You were 10 or 9, right?"

Chloe shook her head yes, making more of a confused smirk.

"Well, you had your little camera and were taking pictures of everything around and then would ask people to rate the rides. You wrote everything down – you were so detailed that even my father said you would by a good reporter someday." Lex looked at Chloe sideways as he took another drink. "Do you still do the reporting thing or have you moved on to something else?"

Chloe hesitated in answering, knowing too much information might send him into a depression like earlier. "Umm, actually I work at the Daily Planet."

"Wow, you stuck to your goals. That's a good thing. I'm sure I have goals, but I have no idea what they are. I mean right now as far as I know, I should be leaving for another fine year of some snooty college where they teach me to be ruthless and vindictive like my father is…was." Lex pushed his tray away and leaned back into the pillows. He looked over at Chloe with such sad eyes she concentrated on not crying. "Tell me what happened to me and my dad."

"It's too much right now Lex. You should rest." Chloe picked up the trays and moved them out of the room and returned to see Lex trying to release the bedrail. "What are you doing?"

"Feels like prison." Chloe gently pushed him back in bed and released the rail. Pulling the chair closer to the bed, she laid her head on the edge of the mattress and sighed. Lex touched the top of her head and tried again. "About my father – you know something and you're not telling me." Chloe looked up and saw that signature Lex Luthor stare- some things never change.

"We uncovered evidence that your father had killed your grandparents and used the insurance money to start Luthorcorp, or at least his first business. Then he brainwashed you and you forgot everything, kind of like now. Sorry about that last part – that's actually what happened." Chloe stopped as Lex glared at her about the comment and motioned to keep going. She was somewhat put off by the fact he was back to his old self all of a sudden. "Anyway, I got his confession on my cell phone after being hopped up on some weird drug your corporation was producing and you had him arrested. He got life and eventually died of a liver ailment. The end. I told you it wasn't pleasant."

Lex sat and envisioned the steps that his father had taken to save his own skin at the expense of his own son. "Anything happen to you?"

"Yeah, he tried to kill you and me even from prison but obviously failed." Lex and Chloe looked at each other and laughed.

"Sounds like we have more in common than just our childhood."

Lex and Chloe talked for several more hours in between visits from the nursing staff. For a brief time Martha and Jonathon dropped by and introduced themselves and explained that the company was taken care of as well as his personal issues. They discussed how they were handling the press and his other ventures. Chloe watched as Lex acted interested but bored. He halfway flipped through charts and graphs that Martha and shook his head in agreement or disagreement. Bidding the both goodbye after Chloe begged Jonathon to let her stay, the two were alone again.

"I guess I should let you get to your work – looks like a lot to catch up on." Chloe got up and slung her bag onto her shoulder. She leaned over his bed and rubbed his face. He smiled and laid his hand on the pile of files and the laptop from the mansion.

"Chloe," She turned and looked back.

"Yeah?"

"Could you move this stuff over there and sit down." Chloe looked at him puzzled and didn't move. "Chloe, please – I don't feel like working." Chloe stared at him in astonishment. Lex not working – something really was wrong here. She agreed anyway and removed the folders as he persuaded her to sit and watch some late night movie with him until they fell asleep on the hospital bed.