"Mr. Luthor," she began again, exasperated with him. It was almost funny, the way that she'd bounced back so quickly from her earlier terror. Some girls were like that –- he remembered quite a few from days gone by, and briefly wondered what kind of diamond earrings would best suit Allison Cameron's face and hair. Not that she'd be willing to wear them afterwards, he'd wager. His tired mind was wandering. It didn't matter. He knew what she was saying, and she would not be able to convince him.
"Are you done?" he interrupted.
"No! Why won't you at least consider it?"
"We're done. Think of something else."
The blond guy (was it Chase? Not a good sign when he was forgetting people's names) wheeled Clark back in, and Lex went to him. He felt as if he had to touch Clark as much as he could, now, before he lost him forever. Lex hoped he wasn't mad enough to preserve the body and keep it with him always, his own Osiris, his own Philip the Handsome, but he wasn't making any guarantees.
"What's going on?" Clark whispered, his eyes darting from Lex's face to the enraged woman behind him.
"Nothing. Shh," Lex soothed, but Dr. Cameron didn't let it go. She came up to Clark's bedside. Lex felt like growling at her.
"Dr. House thinks that perhaps your illness is related to kryptonite, to a lack of exposure to kryptonite. Mr. Luthor's records indicate that you've been kept away from the mineral for almost two years, and that even in your childhood there was always a certain amount of it around. What's the longest you've ever gone before without having it near you?"
Clark licked cracked lips and blinked up at her. "That's a smart idea." He closed his eyes again. "Try it," he said.
"Clark, no!" Lex couldn't believe that he was willing to do this. He put his hand on Clark's face, noticed that Dr. Chase already had a hand on his shoulder and actually did growl at the man. Chase jerked backwards with a satisfying look of fear on his face, and Lex felt a little better. He turned back to his boyfriend. "Clark, this is nuts. There's no way in hell that kryptonite is good for you!"
Tired green eyes stabbed him to the heart. He'd only seen them look that beaten, that weary, once before. The Joker was going to fry slowly in his own greasepaint. Lex would heal him up with all the worst experimental treatments he'd ever come up with, and then torture him to death again. "Clark, listen to me, please. Isn't it more likely that you're sick as a delayed reaction to almost dying from the kryptonite in Kansas City? There's no way, there's just no way..."
"It's worth a try. Please, Lex." Clark swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."
Lex stepped back and ran his hand over his head. He didn't even care who saw. He took his cell out of his pocket, flipped it open and dialed. "Mercy? Lex. Bring me some k. How long? That quickly?" His next ragged breath was not in any way a sob. "Fine. I'll be waiting."
It wasn't long. It wasn't long enough. Lex knew that Mercy had most likely been on guard outside the hospital ever since they'd arrived. She had a lot of autonomy these days, protecting Lex however she saw fit. She was the best security he'd ever had, not that there was a lot of competition for the title. He'd had no idea that she still carried kryptonite with her, but that was the only way she could possibly promise to be here that fast with some. He didn't know whether to be grateful or enraged, and he didn't have time to decide which it was.
Mercy stepped into the room less than five minutes after he called. She no longer wore the mini-skirted chauffeur's uniform of evil, but she still always dressed in black, and looked like something dangerous. Lex knew that she knew how to disable everyone in the room and get him out of there. It would have been a comforting thought, if his own life were a thing he cared about today.
"Boss," she greeted him.
"Mercy," he acknowledged. "Do you have it?"
She walked smoothly up to him and reached into her shoulder holster, under her jacket. Lex noticed Dr. Chase was transfixed by the sight of her. On another day it would have been enough to make him smile.
Mercy handed over a small object wrapped in lead foil. "Bullet," she said. "I don't have many left."
She had a very good poker face, but Lex knew her well enough to see that she was curious. Explaining would hold off on having to expose Clark to the kryptonite, and there was always the small chance that the plan would really be so insane that she'd say something; that used to happen sometimes.
"The doctors here think that Clark may be sick because it's been too long since he was last exposed to kryptonite. They want to try..." Lex looked at Clark and didn't finish the sentence. He really didn't want to do this.
"Exposing him," Mercy finished. She looked calm. She looked stolid and goddam reliable. She wasn't going to object.
Lex sighed. He handed Dr. Cameron the bullet. "Fine," he said.