Chapter 2
Clark woke up with a start. The shower was still running and he was still naked on the floor. He hadn't even noticed falling asleep. He now felt refreshed somehow, but not a hundred percent. With the towel, he dried himself after turning the water off.
The alarm clock read a little past eight in the morning. He had a few minutes before having to show up for work. As fast as he could, he got dressed and ready for the day. He didn't wear his Superman suit underneath, not that day. He was still weak and he still needed time under the yellow sun to heal completely. The people would need to wait on Superman a few more days.
He hid the suitcase in the closet, with the suit inside, and placed the 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside the room's door. Finally, he was ready to go to work.
The Daily Planet's newsroom was already awake and running when he stepped out of the elevator. He wasn't really late, but everybody else seemed to be there early. He felt a sudden attack of dizziness and had to stop to breathe deeply before crossing the room to find his desk.
It was a relief to finally sit down and rest his back. The stab wound still hurt like hell and he wished it would stop. Maybe at lunch time he would venture to the roof and see if the clouds were gone and the sun had granted him an appearance. Turning his computer on, he didn't notice Jimmy behind him. "Hey, CK. You all right?"
"Yeah, Jimmy, I'm fine." Clark replied, knowing he definitely didn't sound fine. "I just fell yesterday and my back hurts."
"Oh, sorry to hear. I can give you my chiropractor's number if you want." Jimmy offered, making Clark wonder how someone Jimmy's age could need a chiropractor.
"I'll be fine. I just gotta take it easy for a few days. That's all."
"Well, lying down is usually best. Maybe you should take the day off."
Clark shook his head immediately. "Oh, no. That's not necessary. We have a lot to cover after what happened."
"Right." Jimmy agreed. "Well, gotta go back to work. Hope you feel better." With that, he patted Clark's back. The pain it caused was almost unbearable. He gritted his teeth and held his breath for a few seconds.
He rested his back on the chair again, slowly. That moment didn't last for long. "Kent! I need you!" It was Perry White. Now, what could the chief want from him so early in the morning?
It was hard, but Clark stood up slowly and walked all the way to Perry's office. It suddenly felt harder than lifting that big rock into space. He opened the door and Perry offered him a chair. Clark looked up and noticed Lois was occupying the opposite chair.
He smiled at her weakly, but Lois didn't seem to notice at all. "Perry, I can do this on my own. I don't need a babysitter." Lois was saying.
"You are taking Kent with you. You two used to be the best, and I want you to cover the city's exposure to the earthquake… together."
"But, Perry…"
"You'll have fun." Perry insisted, almost talking as if Clark wasn't even there. "Now get out of here!"
Clark frowned, half understanding what was happening. "Where are we going?" he asked innocently.
"Wake up, Kent!" Perry barked, "You're going with Lois, didn't you hear? Now, go!"
Still not sure what exactly was going on, Clark stood up with a jerk, causing his back to sting with pain once more. He swallowed it and started out as fast as he could manage. Lois was way ahead of him, almost reaching her own desk; she took her purse and a notebook and turned to look at him. "Are you going to slow me down, Smallville?"
"What?" Clark really didn't feel well, and everything around him was happening in slow motion. The blurry image of Lois seemed to be saying something, but Clark didn't have the stamina to concentrate and listen.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you fell out of bed."
Not to far off, actually. "I did… fall." Clark said, slowly, finally getting to his desk and reaching for a small notebook and a pen.
"You fell?" Lois said, her frown now morphing into a worried look. Clark turned to look at her straight in the eyes and Lois found that she couldn't keep looking back at him for long. "You really fell out of bed?"
"Not… exactly." Clark said softly, following her to the elevator.
"Then, what happened?"
"I just fell… ok?" He said, snapping at her when it wasn't really necessary.
Lois gave a step back, not knowing how to react to the tone Clark had taken with her. Since when did Clark Kent raise his voice at her? Or at anyone? And he wasn't even apologizing like he apologized for everything else. Well, he had been gone for years, and since he'd been back Lois hadn't given him a chance to catch up. She had barely crossed a word with him in the few days he had been back working at the bullpen.
She pressed the button for the lobby and avoided Clark, who silently and slowly moved to one corner of the elevator, one hand holding his back, the other holding the wall as if to help him from falling.
Lois turned around. "You hurt your back?" She asked, puzzled.
"Yeah." Clark said, not looking at her, but staring at the floor.
"Clark, you don't look well." Lois said, holding her position, but sounding more worried than before. "Do you want to go home? I can do this on my own; I can fill you in once you feel better."
"No, Lois, I'm fine. Thank you." Clark said, decidedly.
"Are you sure?" Clark nodded, but somehow Lois didn't buy it. She ventured a walk over to his side of the elevator and touched his forehead. Clark moved away, almost as if he was scared of her touch, but deep inside it had felt too good to be true. Her warmth was something he needed. "My God, Clark. You're cold. Too cold. And… you're sweating."
"What?" Clark opened his eyes and touched his own face with the back of his hand. She was right. There was definitely something wrong with him. He needed another bath of sun rays and fast. How could he get away to go where the sun could reach him?
The elevator got to its destination and the doors opened, showing the busy lobby in front of them. Clark was still startled by what was happening to him and it took him a while to start walking out of the elevator. The people wanting to get in seemed anxious for him to get off. Lois hurried to his side and took his arm. "Come on."
Every step was torture, but Clark still managed to get out of the Daily Planet's revolving doors. Unfortunately, once out on the street, as he looked up, he didn't find the sun, but a bunch of dark clouds hovering over him. Why, of all days, is it overcast today?
"Do you want me to take you home?" He heard Lois ask, but he was so enthralled watching the clouds that covered his precious sun, that he simply ignored her. "Clark?"
"No." He said, absentmindedly, "I'll be fine."
"Well, you don't look fine." Lois left him standing there in the middle of the sidewalk as she ran to catch a cab. Clark felt his knees weaken and he suddenly had trouble breathing. The world started to turn and he had to concentrate to keep standing. "Are you getting in the cab, Clark?" Lois yelled from the street.
"Right."
He was glad to sit down and relax for a little while in the cab's back seat. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a second. Without him even knowing, he fell asleep.
Lois turned to look at him and called his name. "Clark?" But he didn't wake up. "Clark?" She called again, but her partner simply sat there, motionless. "Oh my God, Clark, what's wrong with you?"
"Where to, lady?" The driver asked.
"Central Park, please."
Lois started moving Clark to see if he would react at all, but the man simply did not move. She quickly checked his pulse, just in case, but it was still there. Good thing he wasn't dead, she thought. But still, what would she do with an unconscious man as her partner? He wouldn't even be able to walk around.
Considering taking him to the hospital, Lois searched for his back pocket and found his wallet, to see if he had some sort of insurance card.
Inside was his expired driver's license, which Lois found completely pointless since Clark didn't even own a car. Three expired credit cards and one valid debit card that he had probably gotten from the Daily Planet's finance department. No sign of any insurance. Actually, Clark didn't have much in that wallet of his, but what he did have, beside a couple of twenty dollar bills, was a key to a motel room.
"Motel Metropolis." Lois read out loud, reading the room number to herself. "Sir?" She called out to the cabbie, "Change of plans, we need to go to the Motel Metropolis."
"We just passed it, lady." The man replied.
"I don't care. Turn around."
The man hesitated for just a moment. "All right." As long as the meter was running, what did he really care?
It was two blocks away, less than a mile from the Daily Planet's building. "Clark, you gotta wake up." Lois said to him, then much louder. "Clark! Wake up!" She shook him as hard as she could until Clark finally opened her eyes.
"What happened?" He said, trying to figure out where he was. "We're here?"
"Yes." Lois said, "We're here. Come on, get out."
She saw the face of pain as Clark struggled to get out of the cab, still holding his back as hard as he could. "Where are we?" Clark asked once Lois had paid the cab and stood in front of Motel Metropolis.
"You have to get some rest, Clark."
"What?" Clark protested. "No, I told you, I'm fine."
"Right." Lois took his arm again and forced him inside the building. "Let's go."
Clark didn't even protest this time, deep down it felt nice to be taken cared of by Lois. Still, the truth was he was so tired; rest was probably the best way to go. Once Lois left him in his room, he could fly up into the sun again. That would surely help him for a few hours.
"I'll be fine from here." Clark said, as the elevator door opened. But Lois didn't seem to hear; she still dragged him to the elevator and pushed the correct button. "How do you know where I'm…?"
"I'm a reporter. I know stuff." Lois said, which made Clark smile.
They stepped out on Clark's floor and Lois helped him walk to his room. When she produced his wallet and his key, Clark blinked in astonishment. "Where did you get that?"
Lois opened the door and let him in, following behind. The place was still as messy as the last time he'd been there. The 'Do Not Disturb' sign had clearly worked. Lois looked at the crummy room and guided Clark to the bed. "I don't know how the hell you fell, but maybe you should go see a doctor."
"I'll be fine." Clark repeated.
"Yeah, you keep saying that, but I'm not sure I believe you."
Once Clark's head touched the pillow, he relaxed, his eyes closed and he fell asleep immediately.
"Clark?" Lois called him. "You're asleep? Again?"
There was no answer. She thought of her options. What should she do? Thinking of Clark as her best friend for the day, she helped him take his shoes off first. With difficulty she took off his coat, Clark was really heavy, she realized. Then she looked around to find something more comfortable for him to wear when he woke up. Knowing Clark, he probably had a pair of pajamas someplace.
She didn't find anything in the drawers, so she looked for the closet. Nothing. Except… a suitcase. An ugly, old suitcase was stashed out of view, almost hidden. It had the initials C.K. engraved on it. Lois took it out and placed it on top of the tiny table by the window. She opened the suitcase rapidly only to find…
A blue and red suit?
"What is this?" Lois said to herself. She took out the blue top and unfolded it in front of her. The emblem displayed before her was a red and yellow letter "S", one that she had seen too many times before. She brought the shirt to her face and smelled it. It was his scent. What was Clark Kent doing with Superman's suit?
She turned to look at Clark, then back at the suit. Was he keeping it for him? Why? "Clark?" She called to him, although it was improbable he could hear her. "Clark, what are you doing with Superman's suit?"
Her partner wasn't waking up. She walked to where he was and stared down at him. "Clark? Wake up. You gotta tell me why you have Superman's suit in your suitcase." Still no response. "Clark?"
Then she remembered. Clark had been holding his back… was that the same side where Superman had been stabbed? No… it couldn't be. She swallowed hard, blood leaving her face. She undid his vest and white shirt and tried to turn him around to see what it was he had been holding with his hand earlier that day.
She gasped, before her, a white and green wound that still hadn't closed was on his back. But… that would mean…
Letting Clark go, she covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes couldn't blink. She stared at her partner once again, looking at his face intently, then, slowly, one of her hands reached out for his glasses and trembling, took them off.
"Oh, my God…" She dropped the glasses to the floor, not caring for anything else in the world but what she was staring at…. Superman's face. Clark Kent was Superman? But, how could that be?
Suddenly, Clark moved to one side, but the wound on his back ordered him not to do that. Maybe it was the pain that woke him, or maybe it had been Lois' rapid breathing. It sounded like she was almost scared of him.
"Lois?" Clark said. "Where are we?" Lois didn't answer him. She just stared at him in horror, as if she was staring at something really scary. Clark frowned and tried to get up, the pain reminding him it wasn't such a good idea. "Lois, what's wrong?"
She gave a step back. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't. "I… I just… You… I didn't know… I…"
"What's wrong, Lois?" But then he knew. He looked around and he noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses. He couldn't see the frames around his eyes. It was then that he realized Lois knew who he really was. She knew the truth.
"I'm sorry." Lois uttered, "I didn't know and I wanted to help Clark… I mean you, I wanted to help you, and I opened the suitcase and…" She didn't have to say anymore. It was clear what had happened. She had finally figured it out.
Clark nodded, resting his head on the pillow once again. He knew it was useless to pretend anymore. "My back hurts, from the wound." He told her, assuming she understood what he was talking about. "I didn't want to miss work. I didn't want to be absent the same day Superman was absent. I didn't want anybody to figure it out. But the wound won't heal, Lois. And I don't know why."
She listened to his words; she heard Superman and Clark when he spoke. They were really one and the same and she hadn't noticed for years. "You're sick?" She said, though it later sounded like a stupid question in her mind.
"I guess." Clark said. "I don't know what to do. After seeing Jason yesterday I flew to the sun, but it only helped a little. I just feel so tired."
"Then, let's go back to the hospital." Lois suggested.
"No!" Clark raised his head from the pillow and the sudden movement made his back ache again. "Damn!" He cursed. Suddenly, Lois couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not funny. I really am in pain here."
"No. It's not that. It's just that. I never thought I would hear Superman curse."
"My name is Clark." He said.
"Is it?"
"Yes. That's my name." Clark assured her.
"Okay. But if you won't let me take you to the hospital, what can I do?"
"Nothing. I'll be fine." Clark said yet again.
"Stop saying that, please! How do you know you'll be fine? You don't know! I think I know almost the same about your body as you do."
Clark smiled. "Oh, right."
Lois suddenly blushed, remembering that she had made love with the man before her, only thinking he was somebody else. She had seen him just like he had seen her. And after one of those nights of passion, Jason had been brought into the world.
"I didn't mean that!" Lois said, "I mean, there is no one else here like you, so you can't know if what's happening to you is normal. I've seen you get hurt before and you heal up pretty quick. Why haven't you healed now?"
"I don't know."
"So let's go to a hospital."
"They won't know either."
"How do you know?"
"Lois…" He said, "I feel tired, I think I need to replenish my energy. I doubt a doctor could give you a diagnosis like that. I've felt like this before… not for so long, but I've felt this weak before and I just need sustenance."
"You're telling me that you just need a sun bath? That's all?"
"Well," Clark reconsidered, "A few of them. Sort of like therapy."
"Is there any other type of "sustenance" you can take? Like… food?" Lois ventured. Clark looked puzzled. "How long since you ate?" Once again Clark seemed to think about it, he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. "What? You don't eat?"
"I do eat."
"Do you have to eat or…"
He stared at her, almost ashamed to confront her with it. "I haven't eaten since you were kidnapped and that's probably one of the reasons why..."
"What? It's been three days!" She sounded alarmed, Clark looked away. "And you're not hungry at all?"
"I am a little hungry." Clark said, not wanting to accept it in front of her. "Just a little." Without wasting anymore time, she grabbed her purse and took the motel key in her hand. "Wait, where are you going?" He asked her.
"To find food for you and then I'm going to find you some sun. I'll think of something. I'm telling you… men, you're all the same. Even you… Clark Kent."
And with that she stormed out of the room.
To be continued…