"What about Clark?" his mom asked, fear in her eyes.
"He's in the hospital," Kara said. "I'll watch the kids while you go down there. He's in there as Superman."
Skyler's mind was reeling. That must mean his dad was really sick. "I want to go too, Mommy."
She already had her coat and keys. She nodded that he could come. He grabbed his coat and followed.
The hospital was a big and scary looking place. His mom knew her way around Metropolis General and went straight to the appropriate place. She told the middle-aged woman at the desk, "I'm here to see Superman."
The short and mean-looking woman replied, "You and every other man and woman in Metropolis. If you're not family, you don't get to see him."
Skyler was stunned. They were family, but how were they going to prove it?
"Do you know who I am?" his mom asked. "I'm Lois Lane. I have to see him."
"I know who you are. You and your husband cover all his stories, but that doesn't make you family. You can't go in and interview him right now. Listen, doll, I know you used to go on dates with him, but that was a long time ago. He's in critical condition and he doesn't need an ex-girlfriend stirring up trouble."
"He's in critical condition? Don't you understand that he has no family? He needs friendly well-wishers like my son and me."
"He has his cousin, Supergirl," she said almost smugly, "and they call you a Superman expert."
His mom had had it. She wanted to see his dad and she wasn't going to wait for this woman to change her mind by arguing about it all day.
She grabbed the woman by the collar, "You're going to let me in to see Superman and you're going to let me in now."
The woman was struggling to reach and push a button, but his mom was smarter than that. Keeping a tight grasp on her collar, she edged around the desk and pushed her further away. "Now which room is he in?"
Kara came into the hospital with Noel in her arms. She was still in her Supergirl costume, "I completely forgot you might not be able to get in," Kara apologized. Then she looked at the nurse harshly, "You will let the Kents in to see him. They are friends of Kal-El."
"Of course," the woman said with a red face, partly from the embarrassment of getting a reprimand from Supergirl and partly because his mom had a tight hold on her. "He's in room 22."
His mom released her grasp on the woman's collar without a word and headed toward the door. Kara motioned for Skyler to follow her and they all went in. "I figured it couldn't hurt to bring Noel too," Kara said. "It might be best if he knows the whole family is here."
His mom nodded to acknowledge her words and plowed on until she got to 22. When she got there, she froze in the doorway. Skyler peered around her legs to look. His dad was lying in the hospital bed. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale. He was so still, the only thing that seemed to confirm he was still alive were the waves and short beeping noise. Skyler had watched enough TV to know that was what it was for. There was complete silence as they took in the scene. Then his mom flew into a rage. She yelled at a nurse passing by in the hallway, "Are the people at this hospital all imbeciles? He needs to recover in the sunlight!"
The nurse got another of her coworkers and they moved the hospital bed closer to the window and opened the blinds. The sun was already beginning to set though.
"I'm sorry," Kara said. "I should have reminded them when I dropped him off."
"It's okay," she said, calming down a little. "Thank you," she said to the nurses, as they left the room. Then she turned her attention back to Kara. "What happened to him?"
Kara lowered her eyes. "Kryptonite. What else? The jerks we were fighting made a weapon using green kryptonite blasts."
Skyler shivered. He'd been exposed to kryptonite once. It didn't feel good. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to have a whole bunch of it blasted at you.
"They were trying to hit me," she explained, her eyes looking watery, "but Clark jumped in front of me to save me, the stupid jerk. Oliver was with us on this assignment. He used one of his gadgets to get the machine and the gang members that were there. He's going to destroy the machine, of course, if he hasn't already. Oh, Lois, I'm so sorry. It should be me laying in the hospital bed."
His mom shook her head. "It shouldn't have been anybody. It's not your fault."
She went over to his dad's bedside and pulled up a chair. She took his hand and gently placed it between hers. "Clark, you're going to be okay. Do you hear me?"
Skyler was afraid when he saw tears fall from his mom's eyes. He couldn't ever remember seeing his mother cry in his entire life, except for tears of joy. He was scared that his dad was going to leave them.
"They say people can hear and he has extra good hearing," Kara said. "He'll be fine. He just needs sunlight and rest."
The hospital had taken his dad out of his Superman costume and put him into a hospital gown. It always made people look sicker when they wore hospital gowns. He ran his finger over the cape and leather boots. He wished his dad still had it on but the costume look charred and torn much like Kara's costume.
Kara had walked over too. "I've told you this already, cousin, but you're going to be okay and I brought Noel with me. Can you say dada, Noel?" she said, putting her next to his ear.
"Dada," Noel responded and then leaned over and gave their dad a baby kiss, which consisted of her sticking out her bottom lip and slobbering, but everyone thought it was cute. Skyler wasn't too crazy about the slobber kisses himself.
His mom and Kara looked at him expectantly. He had to let his dad know he was here. He walked a couple steps forward and hesitated. He didn't know what to do. "Hi, Daddy," he said softly. It seemed to satisfy his mom and Kara.
"Someone has to tell Mrs. Kent what's going on," Kara said. "How about I find someone to watch Noel and then I'll bring Mrs. Kent back?"
His mom nodded again, something she wasn't really known for. He'd never heard his mom this quiet either. She just sat there watching his dad with worried eyes and holding his hand.
He looked back and saw Kara's retreating form. He almost wished he'd gone with her, away from the hospital that smelled funny and was full of very sick people, but his mom needed him around. He could tell and he didn't want to leave his dad either.
Skyler sat down and waited. His grandma showed up after a little while. She was worried too. She ran straight to his bedside and brushed his bangs off his forehead in a loving gesture. "My poor, sweet, baby boy," she said in hushed tones.
It was weird to hear her talking about his dad like that. Of course, he had seen his dad as a baby before. His grandma whispered some other things to him. Then she saw Skyler. He knew the worry and nausea he felt in his stomach must be present on his face because she got a concerned look.
"I'm going to take Skyler down to the cafeteria," she told his mom, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
His mom nodded and his grandma led him out of the room with an arm around his shoulder.
"Are you hungry?" she asked him.
"Not really," he replied.
"Just because you don't feel hungry right now, it doesn't mean you couldn't use something in your stomach."
She got the both of them blueberry pies. Skyler took a bite and made a face. It wasn't very good.
His grandma smiled at him, "Hospital food is never very good. Smallville hospital food isn't bad, but they're not very good with practical care if you ask me. I wouldn't let them operate on me. Their specialties are in food and the paranormal, but your dad's getting the best care here."
He had no idea what paranormal meant, but he didn't feel like asking right now. He finished the pie to make his grandmother happy and because there was nothing better to do. They went to check on his dad again. There wasn't anybody in the room. He and his grandmother were both worried, but then they saw his dad was in the lobby back in his normal clothes.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Skyler said happily, running to him and hugging him. His dad looked back to full health already.
"Hey, son. Ready to get out of here?"
Skyler was more than ready. When they got outside, his mom asked. "Aren't we sneaking out without paying the medical bill?"
"It's not the first time Superman's snuck out of the hospital before he can get billed," his dad reminded her. "Superman doesn't have health insurance and Clark Kent can't afford it. Besides, I don't get paid for defending the city, the least they can do is give me free medical care."
"That's true," his mom said, "and I'm the one who had to give my medical expertise about the sunlight, so we're even."
"You've given Smallville Medical Center and Metropolis General more than enough business over the years. I'd say we're more than even. You're 90 percent of their income. We can't find an insurance company that will stick with you for any length of time," he said, laughing.
Skyler tuned out of the boring adult conversation. He didn't understand it. He was just glad to see his dad was out of the hospital and feeling well enough to make jokes.
TBC
