AN: The plot starts to change from the original story at this point! I hope you are enjoying the new revised edition (I think it is a much more comprehensive story now) :) I am also not a medical professional so anything to do with the medical side is from a little research - PM me and let me know about any mistakes and I will fix them up!
Chapter 5
Clark wasted no time in zipping back into the warehouse. He needed to get in and out quickly and quietly before the firefighters finished and the investigators began examining the debris.
The building was gutted. Clark gaped at the damage that had been caused in such a short amount of time. The inferno that had consumed the warehouse was bizarre.
It just wasn't natural.
The thought hit Clark suddenly. The heat emitted from the fire and the short time the blaze had taken had been unbelievable. Unnatural.
Meteor Infected!
Clark was really hoping that he was wrong but the lack of evidence in their investigation could be explained by meteor abilities. He needed to see what Lois had witnessed...maybe she had seen faces or powers?
He spent more time than he wanted sifting through the debris and then questioning any witnesses outside that he could find. All he really wanted to do was be at the hospital!
Emil Hamilton was on duty in the Metropolis General Hospital when Davis wheeled in the unconscious Lois. He immediately indicated for Davis to take her into an unoccupied private room. Clark and Oliver would be happy that he had taken on Lois's health care as he was their trusted physician.
"What happened?" Emil questioned the EMT as he checked for Lois's vitals.
"Trapped in a warehouse fire downtown...unsure of exposure time." Davis informed the Doctor as he prepped the bed for Lois to be transferred too.
Emil gave Lois a quick check over, looking for broken bones, internal damage or anything else life threatening. He found the wound on the back of her head, blood matting her hair. It had stopped bleeding but would need several stitches! Lois's breathing was noisy and rapid and her face was covered in black residue. Emil checked her lungs and noticed the layer of black soot coating her nostrils. Smoke inhalation was a big problem and Emil was positive she had breathed in many dangerous chemical irritants.
Davis had recruited some help to shift Lois into the hospital bed while Emil set up the oxygen therapy to help combat her smoke inhalation. He would get her started on the oxygen before booking her in for a chest x-ray and connecting her up to pulse oximetry to monitor her oxygen levels.
Clark barreled into the hospital emergency room. He must have looked a fright with his dirty clothes and face, hair askew.
"I'm looking for Lois Lane." He breathed out urgently to the receptionist as his eyes darted around the bustling room.
"Room 7."
Clark threw a quick thank you over his shoulder as he rapidly searched for the right room. He had just passed Room 4 when he felt a slight bump in his side. Clark glared at the careless person before recognising it was Davis.
"How is she?" Clark demanded, gripping the man's forearm.
"She is still unconscious but Dr Hamilton is treating her now." Davis informed the worried reporter. Clark realised he was gripping the EMT slightly hard and relaxed his grip. It was surprising that Davis hadn't reacted to Clark's tightening grip.
Clark gave Davis a tight lipped smile and a pat on the back, "Thanks."
Davis was turning out to be quite helpful. He'd been an asset when Oliver had been poisoned and now his help with Lois...he definately was proving himself.
"Ugh!" Davis let out an agonizing groan. He clutched at his stomach, doubled over in pain.
"You right?" Clark questioned concerned.
Davis straightened up awkwardly and grimaced. "I'm okay. It's been a long day and I'm hungry. My break is coming up!"
"Look after yourself." Clark told him before heading off to find Lois's room.
Room 7
Emil had cleaned up Lois's head wound, adding 2 small stitches. It wasn't as bad as he had first thought but she would definitely have a nice bump on her head. He had also cleaned up her wrists, which had been rubbed raw by whatever she had been restrained by. Nurses had taken Lois for a chest x-ray and he'd had the films rushed so he could see how much damage had been caused. The results were promising...with some rest and some oxygen, she would be right as reign.
Lois had been given nasal oxygen tubes so it would be easier for her to drink, eat and talk while she was being treated. Emil was happy with her progress as the nurses reported that she had stirred when being transported back to the room. It was a great sign! Emil had given Oliver and then Chloe a quick phone call to tell them of Lois's situation...both assuring him they would be at the hospital as soon as they could.
Clark gave a small knock on the door and poked his head in. Emil waved him in and Clark felt his heart jump into his throat as his eyes absorbed the woman lying in the bed.
"She's asleep." Emil told him softly. "It's good news!"
Clark's eyes never left Lois's prone body and he simply gave Emil a small nod before moving to the seat beside the bed.
"We'll keep her overnight but signs are good!" Emil informed Clark before quietly leaving the room.
Lois looked peaceful but it felt wrong because she was such a live wire, always full of energy. Clark reached out and grasped her hand, rubbing his thumb gently back and forth across the skin.
Clark gave the office a call and informed them of Lois's accident before leaning back in the chair. He let out a large breath of relief and closed his eyes.
She cracked her eyes open slowly, grateful for the dimly lit room. Her body felt sluggish and she let out a small cough, noticing the nasal tubes that were helping her breath. There was a heavy weight on one of her arms and her eyes glimpsed a large familiar dark shape sprawled next to her bedside.
"Clark?" Lois questioned throatily. The man in questioned jerked awake and leant in towards her, grasping her hand tightly.
"You scared me," Clark whispered hoarsely.
"You can't get rid of me that easy!" Lois smiled unaware of the turmoil churning in Clark's stomach.
Chloe and Oliver arrived at the hospital soon after. Both shocked that Lois had been attacked and left for dead.
When they were all gathered in hospital room Lois dropped a bombshell on them.
"They were meteor infected!" she declared, confirming what Clark had already suspected.
"We need to find them..." Lois tried to pull herself out of the bed but Clark's hand restrained her.
"No!" He told her firmly. Lois glared at him but he remained unyielding and so she relented, laying back against the pillows.
Chloe watched the interaction silently, it was always nice to get some perspective.
"We'll take care of it Legs." Oliver broke the tension in the room and soon they were all coming up with a game plan on how to deal with the investigation.
Lois had promised to stay in the hospital until she was discharged and true to her word she was there the next day. Clark was genuinely surprised that she had stayed put. It actually showed that she was not feeling the best.
Emil had discharged Lois, informing her that she still needed rest. Lois had agreed on the provision that she could work from home. She'd not stopped working since she had woken up. Clark had returned to the hospital in the morning to pick her up, only to be presented with pages and pages of notes.
"Every detail I can remember." Lois responded to Clarks unasked question.
The ride back to Lois's apartment was filled with a tense silence and secretive glances. Clark kept looking from the driver's side over to the passenger whose life was nearly cut short. His eyes shifted between the road and Lois whose head was lolling back against the seat. He'd called the Daily Planet before they had left and informed them Lois would be working from home today.
"Clark," her voice whispered a little sore from the smoke inhalation.
"Mmmm?" Clark answered.
He watched as she licked and consequently bit her lip as if still not fully decided on what she was going to say.
"I just..." she paused, "Thank you. If you hadn't have arrived..." she trailed off.
Clark felt his brows furrow into a frown and his stomach dropped, what if hadn't received her message? He had nearly been too late as it was. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard at that thought and it wasn't until he felt a hand on his arm that he relaxed.
"Smallville, it's okay. I'm okay." Lois told him gently, her hand reaching out to stroke his arm.
For the first time in a while Clark felt his emotions get the better of him, "It's not okay Lois. You nearly DIED!"
"I've been in worse situations before," Lois gave a little laugh trying to make Clark and herself feel better.
Clark shook his head, "I wouldn't have been able to save you if I didn't have my..." he trailed off realising just what he had been about to divulge.
Lois glanced at Clark oddly, "What?"
Looking at her briefly, Clark turned his eyes back to the road, "It doesn't matter."
He was holding something back. Lately much to her chagrin he had been holding more of himself back. It created even more of a distance between them. Lois wasn't sure if it was because of whatever he was hiding or because she had begun to date Adam.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Clark pulling the car into her regular parking space. Jumping out, Clark moved around to help Lois out of the car. Her hands pushed him away and she shot a dirty look at him, "I'm not an invalid Smallville, I can still walk."
Clark heeded the warning and took an obligatory step backwards. Following her slowly up to her apartment, he grabbed her keys from her and opened the door. Since Lois had decided not to live on the farm and instead rent this place, he had only been here a handful of times. It seemed that old habits didn't die, no matter where you lived.
Taking his first peek into Lois's apartment, Clark cracked a slight smile. Dirty dishes were piled up in the sink and empty takeaway containers were strewn across the lounge room. Moving into the main living area Clark glanced towards where he knew Lois's bedroom was located. He could just imagine the mess, an array of towels, dresses, make-up and anything else she would leave lying on the floor.
Clark turned around to see Lois just standing in the middle of the room staring at him. She looked exhausted and her wrists were a stark reminder of what she had endured. Clark could feel the tension between the two of them and he wondered if it was just a result of what had happened or a build-up of the last couple of months.
Lois took a step forward at the same time Clark did. He was standing directly in front of her now, reaching down he grabbed her wrists and brought them up for inspection. Though it had only happened mere hours ago, the rope burn had caused both bleeding and discolouration and had to be painful. Clark used his thumb to rub over the marks and Lois felt a tingle rush down her spine and her heart rate spike. It just wasn't like this with Adam.
"I'm sorry Lois," Clark whispered continuing to stroke the exposed skin around her wrist. Lois hissed in pain when he hit a tender spot. Dropping her hands abruptly, Clark made to move away from her but Lois's hand on his chest stopped his movement.
"Clark," she whispered. She watched his pupils dilate and his eyes darken as their gazes met.
Her hand still rested on his chest and she watched in slow motion as his hand reached up to cup her cheek. Feeling the situation spiralling out of control Clark pulled his hand back and stepped around Lois.
"You should rest," Clark stammered in a low voice. "I should go."
Lois knew that she wasn't as quick on the uptake as usual when it took several moments for her to realise that Clark had broken the connection between them and was going to leave. She knew that Clark was just trying to give her space but Lois also felt he was leaving because emotions seem to be running high and he couldn't cope.
Lois felt her eyes well up as the build-up from the past couple of months finally took its toll on her. The deterioration of her relationship with Clark coupled with him saving her life had her displaying emotions she normally held back.
Clark had reached the door to the apartment, reaching for the door knob he felt the sudden urge to look back for a moment. What he saw surprised him. Lois was standing in the middle of the room, tears making tracks down her face and the most vulnerable expression he had ever seen.
"Smallville," the way she said his name had him striding back towards her, doing something that surprised them both. Using his momentum he half lifted her as his lips crashed into hers urgently, hotly. Just one small taste was all it took for things to explode between them. Her hands moved to wind around his neck and into his hair.
Moving quickly he braced her back against the wall behind them as if she weighed nothing. Neither of them seemed to be thinking of the consequences, lust had just kicked them both in the guts. Her tongue pushed into his mouth and tangled with his, Clark growled low in his throat. Pulling his mouth from hers for the briefest gulp of air, he started attacking her neck.
Lois sighed and leant her head back against the wall as she played with the hair at the back of Clark's neck. All thoughts had left her mind and she just revelled in the feelings that were coursing through her body.
Who would have guessed Smallville could be so forward, that the farm boy could kiss so well. Wrapping her legs around Clark's waist she used the opportunity to pull him in closer. His mouth moved back up to hers and began to taste it hungrily. Lois swore if she'd been standing her knees would have given way.
Time seemed to have lost meaning between the two of them until Clark suddenly pulled his mouth away from hers and dropped her to the floor. Lois's face was flushed and she glanced at him confused, why had he stopped? It wasn't until she heard the persistent knocking on her front door that she realised why Clark had pulled away.
Reality filtered back into her brain and she used her hands to push back on Clark's chest. Smoothing down her clothes and hair she walked quickly to the front door. Pulling it open roughly, Lois gasped when she saw who it was.
"Adam!"
TBC
