Chapter Fourteen
Clark's eyes went wide. "You mean…"
"Yeah," said Lana as she nodded her head.
"Oh, my gosh," said Clark. "We gotta get you to the hospital."
"What about the suitcase?" said Lana. A week ago, they had put a suitcase together to have at the hospital. "It's at the house."
"Let me worry about that," Clark told her as he helped her up. "It'll take me two seconds. I'm gonna get the truck ready."
Clark dashed out the kitchen door.
Chloe got out of her car as Clark dashed out the door.
"Clark, great!" she said as Clark made his way towards her. "There's something I need to—"
"Now's not a good time, Chloe," he said as he darted off in superspeed. Chloe watched him leave in stunned disbelief.
"Or not," said Chloe. Within two seconds, Clark was back and was loading a suitcase into the bed of the truck. He opened the passenger door.
"What's with the luggage?" Chloe inquired, but got no response. Clark went back into the house as Chloe stared. Seconds later, Clark emerged from the kitchen door, helping a panting Lana down the stairs. She looked back at the truck and then at Lana. "Oh…"
She rushed forward and walked with them. "Don't worry about calling people; I'll do that."
"Thanks, Chloe," said Clark. He helped Lana into the passenger seat and went around to the other side. He got in, and the car took off for the hospital. The Kents got in their truck as Chloe got into her car. She dialed Lois' cell, and pulled out of the driveway.
"Hello?" Lois answered.
"Lois, get to the hospital," Chloe told her. "Lana's having the baby."
"Okay, Pete's here, so I'll bring him," Lois told her as she hung up. Chloe dialed Lex's cell.
"Hey, Chloe," Lex said.
"Lana's having the baby," Chloe interrupted.
"I'll be right there," he said as he hung up.
Lana gasped as Clark wheeled her into the hospital.
"What is it?" he asked.
"My first contraction," said Lana. She breathed deeply as it passed. "It's gone."
Clark approached the help desk, and the nurse looked up.
"Hi," said Clark. "We're having a baby."
"Oh, congratulations," said the nurse as she called another nurse over. "This is Rachel; she'll take you to your room."
"Hi," said Rachel. She took the chair from Clark as they set off for the exam room. Clark walked next to Lana. "Is this your first?"
"Yes," answered Lana.
"Well, don't worry," said Rachel. "I'll walk you through everything."
"Thank you," said Lana.
"Now, you'll be in the exam room for a few hours. I can't give you an exact number, because it's different for every pregnancy."
They reached the exam room, and Clark helped Lana into the bed as the nurse removed the chair from the room. Lana gasped as another contraction hit. She grabbed Clark's hand and squeezed it. She took a deep breath as it passed. She noticed how hard she was holding Clark's hand, and let go.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's okay; you can't hurt me," said Clark. "You can squeeze my hand as hard as you want."
Lana smiled as the nurse came back in. "Well, your contractions are about three minutes apart, so it won't be long."
Chloe, Lois, Pete, Lex and the Kents came in, and smiled at Lana. The nurse left as they gathered around the bed.
"How are you?" asked Chloe.
"Well, I've been better," said Lana. "But, I'm okay."
The nurse came back in and shooed everyone out, saying Lana needed her rest.
"We'll see you later," said Lois. They cleared out as another contraction hit. Clark placed a hand on Lana's back and talked her through it. She exhaled as it passed.
"Okay…that one hurt," said Lana.
"Well, you heard the nurse," Clark reassured her. "It won't be long."
Lana smiled. "We're gonna be parents."
Clark smiled, too. "Good thing we had practice with Evan."
Lana laughed a little as Clark held her hand. The nurse came over and looked at the charts.
"Well, Lana," Rachel said, "you're really moving along here. You might be out of here within the next half hour."
"Already?" asked Lana.
"Sometimes it happens that fast," said Rachel. "I've seen women come in who went straight to the delivery room."
Lana grimaced as another contraction hit. Rachel checked the charts.
"Well…" she said. "The contractions are closer than I thought…you're dilated ten centimeters…it's time."
"Really?" asked Lana.
"Yeah…" said Rachel. "That's weird…"
"What?" Clark asked, worried. "What's weird?"
"I've never seen a pregnancy progress this fast before," Rachel told them.
"But you just told us there's been women who went straight to delivery," Lana said, confused.
"That only happened once, and it was because she was already halfway through labor by the time she came to the hospital," Rachel explained. "I've never seen a woman come in during the first stage of labor, and is ready to deliver within the hour."
Clark and Lana exchanged an uneasy glance.
"Yeah, that is weird," said Clark, nervous. "But I'm sure it happens."
"I've never seen it," Rachel pondered.
Lana looked at Clark, also nervous. "Well, my body's always been ahead of modern medicine."
Rachel looked at them, and smiled. "Let's get you to the delivery room."
The nurse walked away, and Clark turned to Lana. "Quick thinking."
"Let's hope they buy it," Lana whispered back. The nurse hooked the IV solution to a stand on the bed, and took the brake off. A doctor walked in and helped wheel Lana into the hall as Clark followed on the other side of Lana.
"Hi, Lana," said the doctor. "I'm Dr. Vance. I'll be delivering your baby today. This will only take a few minutes."
"Clark!" Jonathan called. Clark turned his head to see everyone staring at them. Clark bent over Lana.
"I'll be right back," he told her, and kissed her forehead. He walked over to everyone.
"Where are they taking Lana?" Martha asked. "Is she alright?"
"She's fine," said Clark. "They're taking her to the delivery room."
"But she hasn't even been here for an hour," said Lois. "Nobody's labor is this fast…unless you're got superpowers."
Clark laughed uneasily. "Well, Lana's always been ahead of modern medicine."
"I still say it's weird," said Lois as she and Lex walked away. Chloe, Pete, Martha and Jonathan all looked at Clark.
"Don't look at me," said Clark. "I've never been around for a Kryptonian birth."
"What about—"
"Chloe, I don't think anyone—Kryptonian, or otherwise—would remember the day they were born," Clark told her. He paused, thinking. "Oh, no."
"What?" asked Jonathan.
"What happens when they start doing tests to make sure the baby's healthy?" asked Clark. "They'll see it isn't completely human, and since Lana's test will come back normal—"
"Son, it'll be okay," said Jonathan. "They still have your results from when you were shot. Hopefully, they'll see that you're both normal, and that it's just human error."
"I gotta get back to Lana," Clark said as he rushed off to the delivery room. He came in to see the doctor and nurses getting ready. Lana was gasping in pain. Clark came over and took her hand. "I'm here, Lana."
"Alright, Lana, it's time," said the doctor. "I need you to push."
Lana took a deep breath, and pushed. She slumped back onto the bed as Clark stroked her hair out of her face.
"Alright, the baby's crowned," the doctor said as he got a towel out. "A couple more pushes."
Lana pushed again as the nurses got their instruments ready. Lana fell back as she rested.
"Okay, Lana, one more push," the doctor told her. "You're almost there."
Lana shook her head as she gasped. "I can't…I can't."
"Yes, you can," Clark reassured her. "I'm right here; I'm not leaving."
Lana took a deep breath and gave one last push. They heard crying as Lana relaxed. The doctor cut the umbilical cord as the nurse cleaned the baby off.
"It's a girl," the doctor told them. He held the baby up so Clark and Lana could see her. Tears fell down Lana's cheeks as she looked at the baby. Clark kissed Lana as they looked at their daughter.
"Baby Lara…" Lana said as a nurse placed her in a bed.
"Why don't you go tell the others?" Lana said as Clark held her hand. "I'll meet you in the room."
"Okay," Clark said. He kissed her, and smiled. "Happy Mother's Day, Lana."
Clark walked out to the waiting room and everyone stood up.
"Well?" asked Chloe.
Clark smiled. "It's a girl."
Chloe came and hugged Clark. Then, his parents hugged him, too.
Lana sat in bed, waiting for Clark to come. She wasn't disappointed; he walked through the door and sat next to the bed.
"How's it going?" he asked her.
"Great," said Lana. "Tired, but great."
Clark smiled as the nurse walked in with the baby.
"Congratulations," the nurse told them as she handed Lana the baby. "You are the proud parents of a perfectly healthy girl."
"Healthy?" asked Clark. "You mean…all the tests came back normal?"
"Yep," the nurse said. "Perfectly normal; healthiest baby I've ever seen."
The nurse walked out as Lana cuddled her daughter. Clark watched as Lana whispered to her. Everyone came in and smiled.
"Where's my little niece?" Chloe asked as they gathered around the bed. Lana handed the baby to Clark, who handed her to Chloe.
"I'd like you to meet Lara," Clark said as Chloe smiled at the baby.
"That's a beautiful name," Lois said. "Where'd you get it?"
"It was our mothers' names," Lana answered.
Lois scrunched her face in confusion. "How do you know your mom's name, Clark?"
Everyone stopped before Martha spoke up. "It was his first word. We put two and two together."
"She's beautiful," said Chloe. She took a finger and started to touch Lara's hand. Lana wrapped her fingers around Chloe's finger. Chloe started laughing, but soon bent over suddenly. She came over to Clark and Lana so Lois and Lex wouldn't hear her.
"She's breaking my finger!" she hissed. Clark took the baby from Chloe, but she still had her finger. Clark gently peeled Lara's fingers off of Chloe. Chloe quickly bent over and fake-sneezed a couple of times. "Oh, it think I'm coming down with something." She turned to Lex and Lois. "You two, go get a doctor."
"But, Chloe—" Lex began.
"Do you want me to die?!" Chloe exclaimed. "Go, go, go!"
Lex and Lois, extremely confused, hustled out of there as Chloe grabbed her finger.
"What happened?" asked Pete.
"That kid has got some strength," Chloe said. "She about squeezed my finger off my hand."
"Looks like she takes after her father," Lana said as Clark laughed.
"You're gonna have to control that strength," he told his daughter. Lois and Lex rushed back in with a doctor.
"Oh, I'm feeling much better now," Chloe told them. "It was probably just allergies."
The doctor looked annoyed, and exited the room. Lois looked at her cousin.
"But you…" Lois started, but shook her head. "Never mind; I don't want to know."
Clark brought Lara over to Martha and let her hold the baby. Martha cuddled Lara as Jonathan looked over her shoulder.
"Hi," Martha whispered to Lara as the baby looked at her. "Say 'hi' to your grandma and grandpa." Lara started to cry as Martha held her. "I think she wants her mother."
Martha handed her to Clark so he could give her to Lana. As soon as she was in Clark's arms, she calmed down and stared at him.
"Looks like you still have the magic touch," Lana laughed. Clark handed her over to Lana, and Lana cuddled her.
"Happy Mother's Day, Lana," Chloe said as everyone watched Lana.