Stars and Water

Chapter 21

Clark wanted to leap up and run home with Bart. Just seeing him there gave Clark new determination. As soon as he rested a little he was going to go, he just needed to close his eyes for a second and he'd be fine, he thought. Paul, feeling Clark's body trembling with exhaustion, gently helped him lay back on the mattress. It felt so good to lie down; his head didn't hurt as much when he held still. He wanted to talk to Bart but he was so tired. Clark fought the darkness closing in on him but it won in the end.

"He needs to rest." said Paul quietly, guiding Bart away from Clark with a light hand on his elbow. "He lost a lot of blood and he was unconscious for ten days, really it's a miracle he's alive at all. If you had seen what he looked like when we found him you'd understand."

The image of Clark, horribly torn up and lying in a pool of his own blood came into Paul's mind. They hadn't expected him to survive an hour. The injuries had been overwhelming and he and Rebecca had worked for hours just to put him back together and wrap him up. By the time they were done Clark had stopped bleeding but Paul had noticed how pale he was and was afraid he'd stopped because there wasn't any blood left.

Clark needed stitches, he needed a transfusion, he had broken ribs and his head was obviously injured. Paul didn't even want to think about the internal injuries they had tried to patch up. They weren't doctors but he knew enough to understand how bad off Clark was and he felt helpless as he sat and watched this brave young man struggle to live. Looking at Sarah just brought home how much they owed him, if Clark looked like this, Sarah would have been torn in two if the bear had gotten to her. Paul still didn't understand how Clark had survived, much less healed so quickly, but he felt it was a miracle and he was so glad Clark was okay he was a little afraid to question it.

Sarah saw Clark lay back down and went to him. Noticing he was asleep she settled in to watch over him. No bugs were going to bother him if she could help it and if he needed anything she would be right there.

Bart looked over his shoulder at Clark's pale face below the bandages, yeah, he understood. Clark looked totally messed up. "Look I've got some of Clark's friends nearby and I'm going to go let them know he's alive and see if we can get him out of here. I'll be back with help, okay?"

Relief washed over Paul, someone who knew what they were doing could take over Clark's care, and yet he didn't want to just let him disappear and never know what became of him. "That's great Bart, we'll be waiting." He said.

Clark was in a nightmare, it was in the woods and trees were flying around him and he was surrounded by a horrible roaring wail that rose in pitch until he had to slap his hands over his ears to try and shield them. Then he was running after a dark, rippling form that moved faster than he could and left devastation in its wake. Fear tore through him as he saw the cabins and he tried to get there before the phantom but he couldn't beat it. He watched in growing horror as a woman stepped out on the porch holding a baby. The image was so horrible his mind couldn't hold it, blood and screaming and Clark barreling into the phantom with all he had and being ripped and thrown aside. Lying stunned and helpless for a moment as more people came to see what was wrong and got caught up and destroyed. Then the phantom had moved on before Clark could even try using the crystal and he was left in the carnage, sobbing.

Sarah heard Clark moan and she gently patted his cheek with her hand. She understood nightmares; she had them all the time. Lying down carefully next to him she wrapped her tiny arm around him and murmured reassuringly just like her Mommy did when she had bad dreams.

Bart ran as fast as he could to find Mrs. Kent. It seemed to him she was the first one he should tell that her son was alive but needed help. When he got to her office in Washington they told him the Senate had taken a recess and she was at home in Smallville. He decided to go see Chloe on the way, maybe she'll give me a kiss this time, he thought hopefully, remembering the hug. When he got to the planet he ran into, literally, Lois.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, "Where did you come from!" and she glared at him. Bart cringed, this girl was frightening. "You might want to try opening your eyes next time!" she snapped "and what are you doing by Chloe's desk?"

"I, um" He had to clear his throat and look away from her to get a word out. "I'm looking for Chloe, do you know where she is?" he decided to try his most appealing look on her, maybe he could charm her into helping him.

Lois looked at him coldly, "Who are you and why do you want to see my cousin so bad?"

Or not, "My name is Bart, I'm a friend of Clark's and…"

Lois interrupted "Are you one of the people he went hiking with because really, you should have called, everyone has been worried sick, well except me of course, I don't worry about Smallville, he just drives me nuts. So, is he back safe and sound? I'm going to kill him for worrying m…Chloe like that. What?" She glared at Bart again.

"You must be Lois," he said, "Clark was right, you do talk a lot." He kept forging ahead while her mouth was still hanging open. "Look I really need to talk to Chloe, she's expecting me. Do you know where I can find her?"

Lois gave in and told him, "She went to see Mrs. Kent, in Smallville."

Bart grinned, "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it." Lois grumbled as she walked away. Bart disappeared the moment she turned, pouring on the speed, heading for Smallville and the Kent farm.

Clark woke up with a start to find Sarah sound asleep with her head pillowed on his arm and her little hand on his chest. The nightmare was still with him and he had to take deep breaths to contain his emotions. He didn't really remember all that had happened while fighting the phantom but he knew he had just remembered some of it. Seeing the people die while he was helpless to stop it had hurt him as badly as his physical injuries and would probably take longer to heal. He looked at Sarah as she slept trustingly snuggled against him and felt a little of her peace seep into his heart. He was so glad he had at least managed to save her and the people who loved her from the phantom.

Rebecca approached and stooped down, brushing Sarah's curls off her forehead. "It's her naptime." she explained, "Is she disturbing you? Do you want me to move her?" she looked into Clark's face and thought about how much Sarah was drawn to him. It's not only that he saved her life she thought; there is something special about this young man. Normally she would feel uncomfortable having her daughter latch onto a stranger like this but instead she felt relieved whenever Sarah was with Clark.

Clark smiled at Rebecca, "She's fine where she is. Let her sleep."

Rebecca nodded "Maybe you can get some more rest too, there's no knowing when your friends will come and you'll need your strength if you're going very far." She moved away and Clark allowed himself to relax, basking in the thought of going home.

Maria pulled decided to distract herself with her guitar. She was just beginning to relax, concentrating on the notes when the phone rang and she broke a string. She flew to the phone and her hand trembled as she held it to her ear and listened to Chloe's voice saying the words she had prayed to hear for days.

"He's alive! Oh thank God…" gasped Maria and she had to sit down suddenly. "Yes I want to come, thank you Chloe," and she began to sob, "I'll be fine, really, thank you." And she hung up the phone, wiped her eyes and ran to change her clothes before her trip to Smallville.

Clark woke up to the sound of a small plane landing on the nearby river. He rolled on his side and pushed himself up with difficulty and found himself face to face with a tearful Sarah.

"You're leaving." She said sadly, "I don't want you to go."

Clark gathered her up in a hug. "I have to go sweetie, my Mom is worried about me, and I need to go home."

Sarah understood about mothers. "I'm going to miss you," she sniffed, and then she burst out crying "Who will keep me safe from the monsters? Daddy can't, he doesn't even think they're real!"

"Sarah, I won't let any monsters get near you ever again." promised Clark firmly. "I'm going to make sure they never hurt anyone again."

Sarah shoved her hand down deep into her pocket and reached out to him with his crystal filling her palm. "You're going to need your light to beat them." She said solemnly.

"Sarah, thank you!" Clark took it into his own hand with relief. "How did you find it?"

Sarah looked down and didn't answer right away. "I was gonna keep it 'cause it's pretty."

Clark smiled at her as she glanced sideways at him to see if he was mad. "It's okay Sarah, I'm just glad you gave it back to me," she turned to face him again as he said, "and you're right, I do need it to win." She grinned and snuggled against him while he rested his head on her silky hair. That was how Bart found him moments later.

"Hey Stretch, nice to see you sitting up, eyes open and all that. The Calvary is here to take you home!" He yelled. Sarah wiggled out of Clark's arms, stood up as tall as possible with her hands on her hips, and looked at Bart with open hostility. Clark grinned at Bart's reaction as he stepped back a bit. "Whoa, down girl, I'm here to help!" he looked up at Clark, "What is it with you and women? Oh, Your Mom sent some clothes when I told her yours were trashed." said Bart, tossing a bundle of clothes in Clark's direction. "Relax man, I didn't tell her how bad off you were; just your clothes."

"Thanks Bart, did anyone else come with you?" Clark asked, looking past Bart towards the river.

"Dude, it's not like I could carry them and I didn't think you wanted to wait while we flew all the way in. I came as fast as I could, you know me, back in a flash." Bart grinned mischievously.

Clark struggled to get to his feet and Bart's grin fled as he saw how unsteady Clark was. "Hey, let me help you." He said as he put Clark's arm across his shoulder and braced himself to support his friend as they walked to the tent so Clark could change.

Once out of sight Clark gladly took off his shredded clothing. Rebecca had done her best to clean them in the river earlier and if anything that had left less fabric to wear. He'd had to put them back on because Paul, being a small, slender man, hadn't had anything that would fit him. After he removed his clothes he started on the bandages.

"Whoa Clark, are you sure that's a…oh, I guess its okay." said Bart staring at Clark's unmarred skin. "Wow, talk about quick healing! Wish I had that power. Does it hurt at all?"

"My head still hurts but the rest of me is healed." replied Clark, pulling on his favorite plaid shirt. "I must have lost a lot of blood because I still feel weak. I guess it takes time to make blood cells." He managed to dress himself okay but still needed Bart's help a few times when he lost his balance.

When they came out of the tent they found Rebecca, Paul, Sarah and the Bush Pilot gathered around Paul's little pick-up truck.

"You say a bear did all this?" asked the Pilot, shaking his head. "That must have been a world record Grizzly. Well, let's see if we can get it right side up and then try to start it."

Bart went over to help and Clark tried but no one would let him touch the truck. They sent Sarah to stand with him and she gave him a very knowing look for such a tiny girl. "You don't like not helping." She said, "Me neither." And she took hand.

With a lot of heaving, yelling and a, "One, two, three, push!" the truck was back on its tires once more. A cheer broke out when the engine roared to life. The Pilot walked over to Clark while brushing off his hands, "so, you ready to fly out of here?"

"Yes sir, I'm ready to go home." answered Clark.

The Pilot was already on board and so was Bart. Clark stopped on the river bank to say goodbye. Sarah flung herself at Clark's legs while Paul rested his hand on his shoulder and Rebecca wrapped him in a careful embrace. "I wrote our address and phone number on this piece of paper." she said, tucking it into his shirt pocket. "Let us know how you are, okay? If you ever need anything don't hesitate to call."

Clark thanked them all warmly and after crouching down for one last hug from Sarah he turned and climbed into the plane.

The next day found the family on their long drive home. They came to an area in the woods where the trees had been uprooted and tossed like straw. A chill went down Rebecca's spine, no bear could do this. They drove on and found smashed vehicles and destroyed cabins. Paul slammed on the breaks and stared. There amidst the destruction he saw a familiar bright patch of material. Part of Clark's shirt.

"See, I told you he fought a monster." said Sarah. "He beat it too. I saw him. He's special."

"Oh my God." said Rebecca, Paul was speechless. They drove the rest of the way in silence, each deep in their own thoughts about Clark.

To be continued…