Chapter 2
Clark reentered the kitchen hoping the chicken was cooked. If not, he would have to speed up the process. His eyes fell on the stoves clock. Two hours had passed since she had arrived on his doorstep.
He focused his attention on the duty at hand. He pulled vegetables out of the refrigerator and began preparing them for the soup, following his mom's recipe. He smiled at himself once he completed the small task. Now all he had to do was wait until let the soup got ready to serve.
He came back and found Lois in the same position he had left her. He wanted to touch her but he was afraid that she might break, even though he knew she wouldn't. He shook his head trying to get the lingering thought out of his head.
He watched her, as he tried to figure out what she could be thinking of.
Lois lay on his comfortable blue couch with one hand tucked under her head and the other pulled into her chest. She let out a deep sigh thinking back to a time where life was happy and uncomplicated.
---
It was a sunny, cloudless, warm day and Lucy and Lois were in the playroom playing dress up.
"I get the blue dress!" Lois called out, as she pulled clothing out of the clear plastic bin.
"I get the pink one!" Lucy hollered, running across the play room.
"Fine, I don't even like the color," she spoke, throwing the pink piece of clothing as far as she could muster.
Lucy cried out in happiness, "my favorite dress!"
Lois rolled her eyes. Too bad it resembled a tutu.
They remained up there playing dress up until they heard their mom call them for lunch. They ran down the stairs into the living room.
"Daddy, guess what?" Lucy asked.
Sam tore his gaze from the television. "What is it?"
"I'm a princess!" she declared showing off her pink tutu.
Playing along, he asked, "is that so?"
She nodded in affirmation.
"Well, does that make me the king?"
"No," she replied in a silly manner.
"No?" he rushed over to his two girls and picked them up.
Laughter filled the room as Sam tickled his daughters, who were stuck in his arms.
"Sam, get the girls ready for lunch," he heard his wife above the laughter.
"Ok sweetheart," he called back, the tickling coming to a stop,
"I don't want to eat!" Lois pouted still stuck in-between her father's left arm and his hip.
"You don't?" Sam asked, feigning shock.
"No. I want to play with you daddy," she said smiling up at him.
Sam put Lucy down and told her to get washed up. She skipped happily towards the bathroom, following her father's orders.
"What if we play for five more minutes and then go eat? Deal?"
"Deal!" she called back.
He took her small hands into his larger ones and began spinning her around in circles. Her giggles turned into laugher as he spun her faster, eventually plopping her down on the couch.
"Again!" she said, still dizzy.
Sam laughed as his daughter tried to stand on her feet, but failed miserably.
"Lo, sit down for a few minutes and let the dizziness pass."
She flopped back on the couch, "okay daddy."
Sam sat on the couch next to her and rubbed her brown locks. She crawled into his lap and gave him a bear hug in which he returned.
"I love you daddy."
"I love you too Lo," he replied back.
---
A single tear ran across her cheek. She missed the good old days; too bad they would only existed in her memory.
"Lois, the soup's ready," he called, breaking her out of her thoughts.
She pulled herself into a seating position and gratefully took the soup. With one waft, she recognized it as Martha's recipe. She was never able to pass up the opportunity to eat good food, regardless of her emotional state.
Clark sat on the couch after watching her eat three bowls of soup. She laid her head on Clark's lap and eventually drifted off to sleep. It would be the first time in two days that she would have gotten some.
Once Clark was certain she was fast asleep, he carried her to his bed. He took off her shoes and jacket, and tucked her in. He pulled his desk chair out of the corner of his bed room and placed it by the bed. He would stay up all night to ensure she got a good nights rest and if she needed him, he would be right next to her.
-TBC-