Chapter 17: The Stork Cometh
September 19, 1943
She normally didn't resent Clark's traveling between Smallville and Kansas City because at least she got to see him on a regular basis. She certainly counted herself lucky, because if he were overseas, she wouldn't get to see him at all.
During her most recent checkup Dr. Francis informed her, the baby had turned in order to get ready for the birth. He'd advised her to pay particular attention over the next few weeks to how the baby was moving and to let him know when it felt as though her little one slipped into the birth canal. When it happened, childbirth wouldn't be far behind.
So she and Clark were going to be parents of a newborn soon. The doctor had only been able to estimate of course, but he said the end of September wouldn't be out of the question and it was coming up sooner than she was comfortable with. And with Clark's traveling and occasional assignments to other parts of the country, Lois wanted to keep him as close to home as she possibly could.
But the FBI had other plans and Lois found herself standing on the porch one early Sunday afternoon with Clark. His bag was packed and he was headed back to Kansas City, for an undetermined amount of time. It was the last thing either one of them wanted and even Director Kelly's attempts to run interference for them couldn't change it.
Clark and a couple of other agents were being sent to Illinois to interview incoming prisoners of war from the North Africa campaign who'd been shipped stateside, to Camp Ellis. And as much as the Director understood the younger agent not wanting to be away from his expectant wife, the job had to come first. Clark hadn't argued because his boss had already gone above and beyond what he could have done to help him and Lois.
So Clark took her hand and she walked with him to the car.
"Take care of yourself, honey. If you need me for anything, call the field office and they'll get in touch with me."
She smiled at him and put a hand on her rounded belly. "Don't worry about us because we've got your parents and my dad, to look after us. You just take care of yourself."
He nodded and leaned over to give her a soft kiss. Then she watched with bemusement as he got down on one knee, put his hand over hers and leaned close. "Behave for your mother while I'm gone. I don't want to hear that you've been causing trouble when I get back."
"What are you doing?" She asked him and tried not to laugh.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" He looked up and grinned at her. "I'm asking our child to be nice while their dad is away."
"You're such a sap." She gave him an indulgent smile. "Now get up. You have to get going."
"Yes, ma'am," He replied smartly as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his trouser leg. "I wish I didn't have to go, not now."
"I know, but from what Director Kelly said, it's important you be there."
"I just wish my German were better." He frowned and Lois's eyebrows shot up in surprise, German? "The whole reason we're doing this is Washington seems to think if we talk to these fellows in their own language, we might get more information than we would otherwise."
She learned something new about her husband every day, it seemed. "You never told me you knew another language."
"It never came up." He shrugged a little too defensively for her liking and then proceeded to explain. "After I was recruited to the FBI, we were encouraged to learn German and Italian. It didn't make much sense to me at the time because our trouble was with the Japanese. But since we ended up in this thing with them anyway, I'm glad I did."
"You know Italian." He was full of surprises that afternoon.
His face flushed and he shrugged again. "My German's better, but that isn't saying much."
"Knowing you, you're fluent in both and just don't want to brag." She curled her arms around his neck, holding him as close as she could, which wasn't nearly as close as she would have liked. "If anyone can get those Krauts to talk, it's my G-man. But in the meantime, you need to get going." She pulled out of his arms, reluctantly, and gave him a gentle shove. "Your parents and I would feel better knowing you're in Kansas City before dark."
"The car does have headlights, you know." He gave her a patronizingly indulgent look she didn't appreciate.
"Yes I do, smart guy." Giving him her best General Lane scowl, she pushed him away this time and he at least had the grace to look embarrassed. "But they're mostly painted over for the blackouts and you can hardly see ten feet in front of you. And neither can the other drivers."
So there, she thought to herself, curbing the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him.
"I'm sorry for saying it like that." He reached for her hand and held it firmly in his, as she was trying to pull out of his grasp. "I was trying to make a joke and didn't mean for it to be at your expense."
Don't let him leave on a sour note, Lo.
"We'll have to work on that when you get home." She squeezed his hand to let him know it was all right. "Just drive carefully. Gas may be rationed, but people still drive like idiots on the highways."
"I'll call you as soon as I get to the field office." He promised her and leaned in hesitantly. "I am sorry."
"I know you are. That's why I forgive you." And she didn't hesitate at all when she grabbed the lapels of his coat and hauled him in for a kiss. As she'd hoped he would, his reciprocating kiss gave them both something to tide them over until he was home again.
When she let him go, his face was flushed to his hairline and he looked a little stunned. "You give the best goodbye kisses, Mrs. Kent."
"You don't do so badly yourself, Agent Kent." She replied after some trouble clearing her throat and proceeded to give him a cheeky smile. "But your 'I'm happy to be home' kisses are even better."
"Which you will get plenty of if this assignment goes on for too long." He leaned down and picked up his suitcase, walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk to stow it inside. While he did Lois opened the driver's door, to forestall anymore delays from him, or her.
"Here's your hat, what's your hurry?" He teased as he met her there, the door solidly between them.
"Your hat is on your head, where it should be and the road is waiting to take you." She pointed toward the main road. "So beat it, buster."
He smiled in answer and took his hat off, tossing it on the passenger side, before he got in and sat down. Lois shut the door firmly and she wasn't sure if it was the motion of her push or the vibrations of the door closing, but the baby moved. And if she wasn't mistaking what she felt, she could have sworn her little sprout just slipped into position.
Oh, god! She might be having this baby sooner than she thought and Clark away from home.
"Lois, is everything all right?" Clark's worried tone broke through the revelation of her situation and she pasted a bright smile on her face. No use worrying him if there was anything to worry about.
"Everything is fine." She fibbed, not liking it one bit. "The baby is so big, when he moves I feel it more."
"Are you sure?" He didn't look convinced and she didn't blame him.
The General always knew when she fibbed, too.
"I'm sure." She leaned through the open car window and gave him a soft kiss. "Now go."
He nodded reluctantly, put the key in the ignition and she stepped back as the engine started up. He gave her a wave as he put the car in gear and headed down the road to the turn off. The brake lights flashed on for a moment as he came to a momentary stop and then turned onto the main road and was gone.
She sighed in relief and looked down at her very round belly and put a hand on her restless child. "If your daddy didn't have to be out of here today, I would have told him. But he's got a very important job to do and we have to let him do it. And I need to call Dr. Francis."
oooooo
He didn't like the way she looked after she'd closed the car door.
Something had definitely happened which she'd chosen not to tell him and he didn't like that either. It was so close now to the baby being born, and he didn't want to leave her. Director Kelly had done what he could to keep Clark as close to home as possible, but the FBI was insistent he go to Illinois.
The idea he might miss the birth of his first child weighed on his mind heavily, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Mr. Kelly had done much more than he probably should have in smoothing things over for Clark and for Lois. But he had exacted what payoff he could from Washington for keeping the true nature of Clark's original mission a secret from the both of them. But the pencil pushers apparently considered the debt paid in full and were no longer cooperating.
He understood and had to accept the assignment without protest.
He still didn't like it.
oooooo
September 27, 1943
A few days after Clark left for Kansas City, Lionel came over to pick up paperwork for the Falcon. Lois was just signing the last liquor order when Jonathan opened the office door and let him in. "Your father is going to be here soon for lunch." He reminded her. "And Lionel is here."
"Thanks, Jonathan." She stood up, tucking the sheaf of papers into an envelope. "I'll be out in a few minutes to help her."
"No rush." He held up a hand. "She's got everything under control."
He started to close the door and Lois stopped him. "It's a little stuffy in here, would you mind leaving it open?"
"Open it is." He shook his head and grinned, looking so much like his son. "And you're welcome to join us, Lionel."
"Thank you, Jonathan, but I'm afraid I can't." Lionel looked rather disappointed in having to refuse the invitation. "With my son currently incarcerated at Leavenworth, I've had to come out of retirement. So I'm off to a cocktail party and dinner in Metropolis."
"That doesn't sound like much fun." Lois observed with a frown.
"It isn't." He concurred with her assessment. "But things have to be this way for awhile. And with your decision to leave the Falcon when your little one comes, I'll be managing until I can find someone who can do the job half as well as you."
"I'm sorry." She'd felt bad for having to tell him what she'd decided. But after a long conversation with Clark about what they were going to do as a family once the baby came, she knew she didn't want to sacrifice a moment with her newborn to do a job that seemed to require more and more of her time. Family had to come first.
"There is no need to apologize, Lois." He shook his head and took the envelope she held out. "I understand your decision and only hope to get a chance to meet the newest arrival."
"You know that goes without saying." She nodded and accepted an envelope from him. It wasn't the usual paperwork he always brought her, but her final pay which would be squirreled away with the money she and Clark were saving.
They had a plan for their future they'd not talked to their parents about yet and wouldn't until they were ready.
"Lionel, this is too much." Lois grasped his arm after she'd opened the envelope. "I can't accept it. It's more than twice what you pay me."
"Consider it severance." He lifted a shoulder casually. "You've done more for me than you realize and I want to repay you for it."
"Not this much." Lois held out the envelope to him which, to her consternation, he refused to accept.
"Allow me this one indulgence, Lois." He remarked, with more than a touch of melancholy. "It's quite possible I'll never have grandchildren to dangle on my knee, so I want to do this for you, for Clark and for your little one. Use it however you see fit and make an old man happy."
"You're not old, Lionel." Lois snorted with laughter, she couldn't help it. "You're well seasoned."
He lifted an imperious eyebrow at the statement and sighed dramatically. "You make me sound like a porterhouse steak."
"I don't think so." She kept smiling. "You're more a filet mignon."
He feigned a look of serious consideration as he seemed to contemplate her words and then nodded decisively. "Filet mignon would be acceptable."
"I knew it would." Lois remarked, walking with him to the office door. As they reached the threshold she felt the baby move, as it had the afternoon Clark left.
She'd put in a telephone call to Dr. Francis after she'd seen her husband off, telling him what was going on. In a Monday morning follow up visit, Lois was told the baby had most definitely moved into position and as he or she would continue to do so, contractions would commence and culminate in her water breaking.
He couldn't give her a specific day, of course, but he'd advised her to stay close to home and her in-laws. And it was a good thing, too, because a contraction came which was stronger than any others she'd already experienced that day. Please, squirt. Not now!
Lionel grasped her elbow firmly to steady her when she thought she'd double over. He didn't say anything, but she'd bet dollars to donuts he knew what had just happened.
Lois tried to plaster a serene look on her face. Aren't most mothers-to-be supposed to be serene? She asked herself as she nodded to her worried boss. "The baby is pretty active these days. I think its Baby Kent's way of letting me know he's anxious to meet his parents."
"I don't believe it's that simple." He kept hold of her elbow, apparently not wanting to let go.
"Please don't tell Martha or Jonathan." She asked and he frowned at the request. "I've been having contractions since early this morning, but Dr. Francis knows what's going on and assures me everything is fine. I've had a suitcase packed since Clark left for Kansas City and the doctor has put the hospital in Smallville on alert. It's just a waiting game now and I'm not in a hurry to have the baby just yet."
"You seem to be ignoring the fact that young Mr. Kent or Miss Kent is intent on arriving very soon, seeing as how the process has begun."
"I know." Lois nodded reluctantly before giving him a wry smile. "I just keep asking our offspring, very nicely, to wait until Daddy gets home. But if this kid is as stubborn as his mother, he won't."
"My dear, I do think you should tell them as soon as possible." Lionel advised gently. "It wouldn't be fair to put them in a panic when your child finally does decide to arrive. Don't you think?"
He had a point.
"I'll tell them." She agreed with a nod. "And since Dad is coming for lunch, I'll tell all of them after he gets here."
"Very wise decision," He took her hand and patted it in approval.
"So was marrying Clark." Lois couldn't help but add.
"Agreed."
oooooo
Not long after Lionel left, Lois was sitting on the front porch swing, reading the latest letter from Clark. They came so infrequently because he usually didn't have time to write or being gone for such a short period, they weren't necessary.
But not knowing how long this assignment was going to be, he evidently wanted her to know he was thinking of her. She looked up from her letter at the rumble of an engine coming up the road and wondered why an Army truck would be stopping at the farmhouse. She stood and watched curiously as it came closer and then saw the unmistakable figure of her father behind the wheel, "Dad?"
When he brought the truck to a stop he cut the motor and hopped out, "Afternoon, Lo. How are you feeling?"
"We're fine, Dad." She frowned in curiosity as she reflexively put her hand on her belly. "What's with the truck?"
"I had to borrow it because what I brought for you wouldn't fit in my car." He moved to the back of the truck and reached in, struggling to pull something out, covered with a tarp. When he got hold of it, he carried it up the walk and set it down on the porch. "If you'll get the door for me, I'll get this upstairs."
"Dad, what is it?" Lois lifted the tarp, trying to peak underneath.
"Just get the door, Miss Nosey and you'll find out." He grinned at her as he picked it up again. "Come on now, this is heavy."
Lois opened the door and waited for her father to walk in ahead of her. He was going up the stairs and she heard, "Afternoon, Martha. I've brought something for my grandchild."
"Good afternoon, Sam." Lois heard the amusement in her voice as she came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Do you mind my asking what it is?"
"Come on upstairs and you and Lo can get a gander at it before lunch." He kept trudging up and Lois followed, with Martha behind her.
When he got to the bedroom, he set it down and pulled off the covering. It was her mother's rocker.
"This was the only thing that seemed to quiet you girls at night when you couldn't sleep." He ran a hand over the headrest and Lois saw a suspicious glimmer in her father's eyes and when he cleared his throat, she knew why. "Your mother or I would sit here with one of you at night and rock you to sleep.
"I remember it was the only thing that seemed to help when Lucy had the colic." And then he laughed. "You two were a pair. Ellen would have Lucy in her arms, singing to her as she cried and I would have you in mine, pacing the floor because you wouldn't stop crying."
"Why was I crying?"
"You were crying because your sister was crying." He chuckled at the long ago memory. "So there we were, trying to get the two of you to sleep so we could sleep."
"Dad you should keep this, it was Mom's." He never ceased to surprise her.
"It belongs to you now." He shook his head. "I know if your mother were here, she'd want you to have it. She'd say that we got our use out of it and it was time to give it to one of our girls so they could use it."
She approached the rocker and stopped in front of it; it felt so odd seeing it sit in her room. Mostly because it brought home the fact once more that she was going to be a mother very soon and it would now be her or Clark who would rock their baby to sleep. And in a small way, her mother was going to be with her to help.
"Thank you, Daddy." She blinked away tears she felt coming and reached for his hand. "I really appreciate this."
"You're welcome, Lo." He squeezed her fingers gently before letting them go. "We were happy to do this for you."
"Lunch is ready." Martha put a hand on Lois's shoulder. "So why don't you two come downstairs?"
"I'll be there in a minute, if that's okay." Lois answered. "I'd just like to sit in her rocker for a minute."
"Take your time." Her mother-in-law always seemed to understand what she was thinking. "As soon as Jonathan finishes cleaning up, your father or I will come get you and we'll sit down."
She agreed with a nod and her father and mother-in-law left her alone.
Lois sat down in the oak rocker that had not only been her mother's, but her grandmother's as well. She ran her hands along the familiar arms and leaned back against the headrest. With a soft push of her toes, she set the rocker in motion and Lois started to hum. It took a moment to realize it was the same tune her mother hummed when she'd rocked her:
'Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to buy you a mocking bird.
And when that mockingbird don't sing,
Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring.'
She began to relax and had to be careful not to fall asleep. But then another contraction grabbed her and as the sensation washed over her, she knew it didn't take a college graduate like her husband, to understand things were finally happening.
Not now!
'Please, not now.' Lois silently begged her unborn child as she put her head back, riding out the increasing pain. 'Your daddy isn't home yet, you can't be born now.'
Lois sat in her mother's chair and put her hands over her distended belly, and with small circles began to rub gently. It was a trick she'd learned when the baby started getting more active and the motion seemed to help ease the contractions.
Clark had asked her once if he could do it for her and it had ended up being the only time. Because without either one of them really thinking about what he was doing, it had turned into an inadvertently sensual experience that had left them both frustrated because she was much too far along for them to be able to make love.
She struggled out of the chair and began to pace around the bedroom. She needed the physical activity because the contractions had become more frequent and she was starting to panic.
'This is all your fault, buster.' She thought of her absent husband and to her utter humiliation began to cry when she got the oddest sensation of pressure being released. She stood stock still as she felt a rush of wetness run down her legs and knew her water had just broken.
When she looked down at the hardwood floor, there was a large puddle between her feet and it was then that she got her first really hard contraction that nearly brought her to her knees. "Martha," she caught her breath and called out calmly for her mother-in-law, trying not to convey the panic she felt. "I think this is it."
"Lois?" She heard Martha's voice at the bottom of the stairs and then the sound of quick footsteps as she ran up to her, another heavier set following close behind. She stopped in the doorway, her attention drawn to the wet floor. "Honey?"
"My water broke." She managed to say before she started to cry again. "My water can't break now, Clark isn't home yet."
Martha rushed in and put her arms around her. "I'm afraid the baby isn't going to wait for his father to get home, you're in labor and we need to get you to the hospital."
"I promised him I wouldn't have the baby until he got home, so I can't." Lois knew how unreasonable she sounded, but couldn't help it. "This kid's already disobeying his mother."
"It won't be the first time, Lo. " Her father informed her with a chuckle, "or the last."
"Great."
oooooo
Clark received the call he'd been anticipating and dreading at the same time. Anticipation at finally becoming a father and dread for being away from his wife when he did.
Interviewing the POW's had kept him out of contact with the field office for more hours than he would have liked. And by the time he'd been handed an urgent message from the desk sergeant on his way out of the prison, Lois had already gone to the hospital.
Mr. Kelly tried to get him priority seating on a military transport bound for Marshall Field at Fort Riley, but neither the FBI nor the War Department would cooperate with him. It seemed a man's wife having their first child wasn't considered a sufficient enough reason for taking a seat away from a four-star, and admiral or a politician.
It was an afternoon flight from Chicago Municipal or nothing, so the last flight out it was.
Damn.
oooooo
The nurse had told her to lie down and remain as still as possible, but Lois wasn't the kind of girl to do as she was told. She must have gotten that from Dad, because in spite of being told he couldn't stay with his daughter, he'd done just that, hospital rules be damned.
And Lois would never really be able to repay him for it.
"It's going to be all right, Pumpkin." Her father was doing his best to comfort her as she relaxed after making it through another contraction, sitting up. "Clark will be here as soon as he can, you know that."
"You haven't called me 'Pumpkin' since I was five." She put her head on his shoulder as he kept an arm around hers. She was so glad that he was there.
"Well seeing as how you are shaped like one at the moment, I thought it was appropriate." He laughed softly as his hand dropped to rub her back. "So have you come up with a name?"
Lois was so tired that she didn't have the strength to object to being compared to a pumpkin. She wanted to rest but it seemed that every time she tried, another contraction woke her so she finally sat up, tucked under her father's arm.
She wasn't exactly in the mood to talk about names, but her father was trying to distract her and she loved him for it. "We never really had the chance to decide. Clark's been gone so much, we never settled on anything." She sighed, just as another contraction hit. "Oh!"
"Tell me what I can do." His calm tone helped keep her calm and he kept rubbing her back as every muscle in her midsection pushed her baby again.
"What you're doing is fine." Lois tried to catch her breath as the contraction finally passed and when she looked up at her father, he was white as a sheet and she couldn't help but smile. "You do realize if the doctor catches you in here, you're going to be in a lot of trouble."
"Well seeing as how the fellow who got you into trouble isn't here, where the hell else am I going to be?" He grinned.
"He didn't get me into trouble." She smiled back and wearily rolled her eyes. "And you're really going to have to watch your damns and hell's around your new grandchild."
"I know, Lo and I will." He promised with a nod.
oooooo
It seemed to take forever for the plane to taxi toward the runway and as it finally did, Clark knew he wasn't going to get much sleep for all of the worrying that was keeping him from resting.
Great! A lot of use he was going to be to her without any sleep.
If he'd had more time, he would have taken the train because at least he would have been able to get some rest. But with the sonorous rumbling of the twin engines throughout the aircraft, that wasn't going to happen.
That was until he was offered a place to rest.
He wasn't sure how the stewardesses had come to find out why he was flying home, but as he finally started to doze off, one of them put a hand on his shoulder and quietly told him about an empty berth because of a last minute cancellation.
A sleeping berth on an airplane? He'd never heard of such a thing.
He demurred at the kind offer because it wasn't a long trip between Chicago and Metropolis, but the stewardess was insistent. She was rather blunt in telling him how ragged he looked and wouldn't be of any use to anyone without a bit of rest.
His bleary eyes made the decision for him and after a heartfelt 'thank you', he was escorted down the aisle where seats were being folded down and converted into berths, just like the ones he'd slept in on long train trips.
His family would never believe it.
Clark sat down on a freshly made up berth and was surprised at how comfortable it was. The stewardess assured him that he would be wakened in plenty of time to tidy up and get back to his seat before the aircraft reached the Metropolis airport. He was also told his father-in-law's driver would be waiting at the airport to get him back to Smallville, ASAP.
If anyone could get him to Lois without time to spare, it would be Lieutenant Chester Allen Andrews.
oooooo
When Dr. Francis checked in on her an hour after she'd arrived, he'd told her to walk as long as she felt able between contractions, so Lois walked. With Dad's help, which included a supportive arm around her back and the other holding her hand, she walked the halls close to her room.
At least she did until a nurse, all starched up in a crisp white dress, cap and dour expression ordered her back to her room. Didn't she know she was in labor, for heaven's sake? As if Lois hadn't a clue what was happening to her. And didn't she know, no one was allowed to be with her?
If she'd felt more like herself, Lois would have given the sour old biddy a piece of her mind, but she couldn't. She was tired, impatient to finally have her baby and missing Clark terribly.
The Kent's had gotten word, just as they were bundling her out of the house, that the field office had left word for the expectant father to get home as fast as was humanly possible. And just before Dad followed behind them, he put in a call to Fort Ryan asking his driver to head over to the Metropolis Airport to pick up his son-in-law. 'Keep an eye out for that tall fellow when he gets off the plane, Chet.' He had asked. 'Lo is in a state right now and the faster we can get her husband to her, the better she'll be.'
So in very un-Lois fashion, she started to cry. And seeing his feisty, outspoken daughter reduced to tears, the General did what the General did best. He started issuing orders, with the absolute certainty they would be carried out.
"Sir, you can't do that!" Nurse Starchy drew herself up to her considerably short height and glared up at him. "You simply can't."
"I most certainly can." Dad stood tall and glared right back. "Not only am I a general in the Army of these United States, I am also this young woman's father." He added. "And the only other people she takes orders from are her husband and her in-law's. So if I hear you take that tone with her again, you will answer to me. Am I clear?"
"Dad," Lois objected softly, not having the heart to interrupt his defense of her with the news flash she didn't take orders from anyone.
"Well." The nurse huffed in indignation before she turned on her heel and walked away muttering to herself. "We'll just see about that."
"Daddy, I don't think it's a good idea to upset the nurse." She smiled at him as she leaned on his strength because she sure needed it.
"To hell with the nurse," He frowned at her. "She made my little Lo cry, and I won't stand for it."
Lois laughed then as she remembered being bullied by a boy who couldn't have been much older than her own six years of age at the time. Dad had caught him taunting his little girl and had taken him by the scruff of his collar and quick marched him to the home of what turned out to be a senior ranking officer. But he hadn't cared.
He proceeded to inform the boy's mother, in no uncertain terms, if he wasn't dealt with swiftly and decisively by her or his father, he would have no such trouble doing so. He made it clear that he would not tolerate any mistreatment of either of his daughters and would rain down retribution on those who did.
Years later, he admitted to Lois that his actions could have easily gotten him busted down to Captain, or worse. But the Lieutenant Colonel, who was the boy's father, actually thanked Dad for not coddling his son, as his mother was apt to do.
When she and the boy met again years later at another post, it was he who gave Lois her first kiss.
Now if only the boy who got her in the family way would get his carcass back to Smallville, she'd be able to present him with their first child.
oooooo
He couldn't get off the plane fast enough.
Clark could hear the soft tick of a clock in his head, had since he'd boarded the flight in Chicago, ticking down the time to when he'd become a father and not being there for his wife. Even if he couldn't be in the room with her while she brought their child into the world, he wanted her to know he was there, waiting, along with her father and his parents.
He headed to the airport terminal to pick up his suitcase, when he was met by a familiar-looking Army driver.
"Agent Kent?" He stood straight and tall, expectant.
"Lieutenant Andrews." Clark put out his hand and he and the lieutenant shook. "Should I ask why you're here?"
"The General requested I get you to Smallville as quickly as possible." He answered as he led the way into the airport. "Mrs. Kent has been taken to the hospital."
"I know. I got word in Illinois." He replied as his heart fluttered furiously in his chest. "Is she all right?"
This was really it.
"I can't say." The lieutenant gave a small shrug. "He didn't volunteer any information and I didn't ask. But by the tone of his voice on the telephone, I think it would be prudent to get you there yesterday."
"Understood," He did, more than the other man realized and made a beeline toward the baggage claim area.
Hang on, honey. I'm coming.
oooooo
"Sir, you're simply going to have to leave." Nurse Starchy was back and this time, had reinforcements with her. She looked like a Marine DI and for the first time since she'd gone into labor Lois was afraid, because it didn't take her long to figure out why they were there. So she tried to hide behind her father.
It was the safest place she could think to be at the moment.
"Mrs. Kent, we have to get you ready." The nurse built like a Mac truck walked toward them, looking none to pleased she wasn't cooperating. "Twilight sleep means you have to be flat on your back so we can administer the medication."
"Like hell you will." As tired as she was, Lois was ready to fight. "Dr. Francis and I discussed natural childbirth and it's what I'm doing."
"Mrs. Kent," Nurse Starchy let out a dramatic sigh and stepped forward as though she were dealing with a stubborn child. "It is the practice of this hospital to administer Twilight Sleep to all of our expectant mothers. It makes the birthing process go so much easier."
"Easier for whom, may I ask?" Lois's father kept her tucked behind him. "All I've seen you do since she's been here is agitate and frighten her and that is going to stop. She and her doctor, a fine fellow from what she and my son-in-law tell me, have decided on this new way of having her child and by God, she's going to do it, hospital policy or no. "
"Sir, if you don't remove yourself from this room so we can prepare Mrs. Kent, we will have you removed." The larger nurse put her hands on her hips and frowned. "It is against hospital policy for our mother's to have visitors during this time."
Oh, crap! They were going to toss him out. She grabbed at his jacket, held on tight and whispered, "Take me with you."
"You're not going anywhere, Lo." Dad replied in a low voice. "And neither am I."
"Sir, you must leave, now."
"That's General Lane to you, madam." He informed her in his most commanding tone. God knows, she'd heard it enough as a rebellious adolescent. "And no soldier who has been properly trained leaves a man behind, or in my case, my daughter."
"The administrator will hear about this." Nurse Starchy informed them. "This simply isn't done."
Dad chuckled, though Lois couldn't hear any humor in the sound. He'd just about reached the end of his patience. "You continue to tell us that, yet we keep doing it. So I would suggest the two of you vacate this room so my daughter can have her child in peace."
Both of the nurses seemed to realize the General wasn't about to back down, so they did the smart thing and the only thing they could.
They beat a hasty retreat.
And no sooner had they left, when Lois was hit with a contraction which took her breath away. Clark!
Dad supported her while she bent over, trying to ride out the pain and when it finally subsided, she shook her head as he helped her back to her bed and she sat down. "I don't want to do this any more."
"I imagine you don't. But it's either get through this, or carry that child around for the rest of your life." He tried to humor her. "And I don't think you really want to do that, do you?"
"No."
"Well then. Until Dr. Francis gets here, you need to remember what he instructed you to do." Dad gently reminded her. "The whole reason you and he decided to do this is because you didn't like the idea of not remembering the birth of your first child. So just try and stay calm and the next time you feel a contraction, concentrate on relaxing as much as you can. If you want me to talk to you while it's happening, you can focus on my voice. What ever is going to make this go easier for you."
"You won't leave me?" She grabbed his sleeve, worried he'd have to do just that.
"I won't leave you until he gets here." He promised. "Since he reminds you of me, it'll be like I'm there when the main event happens."
"I do love you, Daddy." She sighed and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "Even when you drive me crazy, I still love you."
"The feeling is mutual, honey." When Lois's father laughed this time, she heard the warmth and caring for her in the comforting sound as he squeezed her hand, "Entirely mutual."
oooooo
The car had barely come to a stop in front of the hospital, when Clark opened the door and hopped out. He sprinted for the front door and yanked it open, nearly knocking down a nurse in the process.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Clark apologized as he kept running. "My wife is having a baby."
"Head up to the second floor nurse's station," She called after him. "It'll save you time!"
"Thank you." He called back and narrowly missed plowing into a doctor in his rush to get up the stairs. "Sorry! My wife is having a baby."
"Give them your name at the nurse's station and they'll direct you to the waiting room." He informed the expectant father as he took them two at a time. "And tell them who her doctor is!"
By the he got upstairs Clark didn't need to bother asking because his mother was standing at the desk, sipping a cup of coffee. "Mom!"
"Clark!" She put the cup down and rushed over to him, got her arms around his neck and held him tight. "We were so worried you weren't going to make it."
"So was I." He hugged her back before she let him go. "How is she?"
"She's still in labor and Sam says she keeps asking if you're here." She sighed. "She'll be relieved to know you are now."
"Sam is with her?" Clark was confused. "I thought family wasn't allowed."
"They aren't, but your father-in-law wasn't about to leave her alone after she started to cry." Mom's look of concern worried him.
"Crying?" A cold sliver of fear shot through him because Lois never cried. "What aren't you telling me? Is something wrong?"
"Everything is fine." His mother put a hand on his arm to reassure him. "I just think Lois is wishing she'd chosen to have your baby at home."
Clark looked around at the stark white environment of the small hospital, the smell of ammonia, of the unsmiling faces and couldn't help but wish she had, too.
oooooo
September 28, 1943
Lois couldn't ever remember being so tired or sleeping so deeply. And when she finally woke, saw her rumpled husband slumped in a chair next to her bed.
He'd been able to see her for only a few minutes to explain what had taken him so long to get there before she was taken to the delivery room and was told that he couldn't come with her.
Were they kidding?
After all, he'd gotten her in the family way. Well, to be fair he'd had a lot of help from her and it was only right that he be there to see the life they'd created together come into the world.
But it was against the rules. Cretins!
"Wake up Dad. You can sleep in another eighteen years." Lois called to him softly, reached out a hand and smiled as he stirred. Clark looked around with absolute confusion and seemed to be trying to orient himself as to where he was. "Hospital, baby, fourteen hours of labor, remember?"
It was his turn to smile as he sat up and took the hand she offered, "Hi ya, Gorgeous."
"You really are tired after that flight, aren't you? I'm hardly gorgeous." She tried to admonish him, but his happy smile was infectious and she smiled even more when he laughed.
"What you should have said was, 'Hi ya, Handsome.' Then I would have gotten up, sat on the edge of the bed and kissed my son's mother."
The last time she'd seen him so happy was the day they got married.
"Hi ya, Handsome, now get over here and kiss your son's mother." She laughed with him as he stood up and stretched before he sat back down, gingerly, on the edge of the bed.
"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" He asked just before he leaned over and kissed her.
"I think you told me that as I was cursing your name for ever having met you." She smiled at him as she held his face in her hands. "Sorry about that."
"It's understandable under the circumstances." He grinned. "You were having our baby and by the time I finally got here, the show was just about over."
"Have you seen him yet?" Lois was anxious for Clark to see him.
He shook his head. "I wanted to wait until you were awake and we could see him together. We'll need to come up with a name, you know. Hospitals have this funny rule about babies having names."
"We already know that his middle name is going to be Jerome." And she shrugged at his look of surprise. "We can't break family tradition."
"He doesn't have to have that name, even Dad said so." He sat back and took her hands in his.
"We're not going to break family tradition and that's that." She was insistent.
The look on his face told her that he knew the argument was lost and it was his turn to shrug his shoulders. "Jerome it is. But it still doesn't solve the problem of his first name."
"Well, neither of our fathers wants him named after them and you don't want him named after you. So what else would you suggest?" Lois frowned at the idea of their baby son not having a name.
"We could run through the alphabet." He suggested.
"The alphabet? That's as bad as picking his name out of a telephone directory."
"Or we could get a dictionary." He contributed further.
She put her head back and sighed. "We're terrible parents and we haven't even gotten the little guy home yet. We can't even do something as simple as pick out a name for him."
"Honey, we're not terrible parents." She could see he was trying not to smile and it irritated her. "We just want him to have a name he can live with for the rest of his life."
"You're not helping."
"Lois, we don't have to come up with a name for him this second." He tried to reason with her, but with the way she felt she didn't want to be reasoned with.
"I don't want to introduce him to his grandparents without a name." She wouldn't budge, especially with something so important.
"Okay. " He sighed, "How about Colin?"
She wrinkled her nose in disapproval.
"Charles?"
"My son is not going to have a pretentious name like that." She huffed as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Matthew?" He looked at her, his eyes raised in question.
She rolled that one over in her mind because it was a nice name. "I'll put it on the 'seriously consider' list."
"Now we're getting somewhere." He smiled. "So let's hear some names from you, Mom. Is there anything that you really like?"
"I like the sound of that." It was the first time she'd heard it.
"Me too," He leaned over and gave her a brief kiss. "But that name is already taken."
"I was in labor for fourteen hours, giving birth to your son and you want me to come up with a name, too?"
"Nice try." And he laughed. "You can't think of anything, can you?"
"I am a terrible mother." Lois put her hands on her face and shook her head in dismay.
"You're not a terrible mother." Clark pulled her hands away gently and his smile was just as gentle. "Just close your eyes and think about it, because I think you already know what his name is."
"How can you be so sure?" She frowned at him suspiciously because he already seemed to know.
"Because I know you," He smiled at her. "And I know what your heart is telling you."
"Clark Junior?" She looked at him expectantly.
"We already agreed, no juniors." He shook his head as he brushed his thumbs soothingly over the backs of her hands. "Come on honey."
She closed her eyes and as she relaxed under her husband's warm touch, thought about it. Who was the one fellow who'd stuck with her through most of her labor? Who'd rubbed her back and held her when the pain got to be too much for her that she wanted to give up and say 'forget it'?
"I know he didn't want the baby named for him, but I think it would be swell if we did." Clark commented as she opened her eyes and looked into his. "So what do you think?"
"Samuel."
"Yeah."
"Samuel Jerome Kent." She said it out loud and knew they'd found a name for their son when he smiled.
"It's a good name." Clark nodded. "And I think your dad will appreciate it, even if he doesn't let on."
"I love you." She pulled her hands out of his so she could put her arms around his neck, and then kissed him. He kissed her back, but before anything could come of it the door to the room opened and a nurse was standing in the doorway with a small bundle in her arms.
"There's a young man here who wants to meet his parents." The nurse smiled at them. "And I imagine that those very same parents want to meet him as well."
Clark stood up and Lois saw the expectant look on his face as the nurse came closer. He helped her to sit up and tucked the pillows behind her back before the newborn was placed in her arms.
"I'll leave the three of you to get acquainted." And the new parents were left alone with their baby.
He was so small. But he didn't feel so small at the time, did he, Lois Joanne?
Then as new mothers are wont to do, the first thing she did was to check his fingers and his toes. Then she proceeded to kiss each and every one of them. That got the baby to open his eyes and she nearly cried when she saw that they were the same shade of blue as his father's.
It was something she'd hoped for, but tried not to wish for too hard because she didn't want to be disappointed if he'd inherited her gray ones.
"He looks like you." Clark commented.
"Maybe you should start wearing those glasses again." She looked up at Sam's father and shook her head. "With his dark hair and blue eyes, he's a picture of you."
He sat down next to her and she leaned against him as he ran his hand over the baby's head. "We did a nice job. Maybe next time we can give Sam a baby sister."
"What if all we have are boys?" And she laughed as she lifted her arms so that he could take his new son.
"Then they'll marry nightclub singers, like their dad." He grinned as he took the sleepy baby carefully from her and settled him in the crook of his arm, and she knew he was remembering a long ago conversation. "I would like us to have a daughter, though."
"If all we have are sons that are as thoughtful and handsome as their father, I can live with that."
"But maybe I want a daughter who is as stubborn and beautiful as her mother." He kissed her cheek. "It seems to me that given time we can both have what we want."
She was surprised when she felt her face flush with a thought that she shouldn't have been having. "What I want is something we can't do for at least six weeks."
The comment seemed to take him by surprise as well because he didn't say anything for a moment. And when he finally did, he cleared his throat, a sure sign that he was flustered. But then he chuckled. "Well if anyone can talk your doctor into changing that timeline, you can."
"I don't know. He's a lot like the General and doesn't like his directives being challenged."
"That's why you picked him, even if you won't admit it. Besides, I like him and his reasons for what he does are always sound."
"He's a lot like you too, then." She tried to stifle a yawn. "I hadn't thought of that."
"Honey, why don't you try and get some rest." He suggested as he carefully got up off the bed with the baby. "You and Sam have had a big day and he's already gone back to sleep."
She nodded reluctantly and slipped down into the bed, dragging the pillows with her and sighed as her eyes began to close, too tired to argue with him.