Chapter 13

"Mrs. Kent?"

"Lois! How are you?"

"Huge and ready to burst. I think you should get out here because I'm in labor."

"Are you sure? Are you in pain?"

"Well, I'm four days late and the contractions have been getting worse for about four hours now. I can feel it. It's time."

"But your water hasn't broken?"

"No, not yet. But these are twins and it's a long way to this hospital so I'm on my way now. I can feel the contractions. I would never risk Clark defying Jor-El if I didn't think this was for real."

"Then I'm on my way. My bag is packed and ready. But don't you think you should settle in and be certain that this isn't false labor before you have Chloe get Clark?"

"You really think I should?"

"I do."

"I guess I just didn't want him to miss the labor and it's quite a drive from the hospital Oliver oversees and the caves are in Smallville."

"Well, have Chloe be nearby and then when the doctor confirms that you're in labor, have her go to the Fortress."

"You mean you want me to sit in the car for that long, driving, this pregnant with my sister alone, without Chloe there to keep us from fighting the whole time?"

"Aren't you meeting your dad there?"

"Oh God, I forgot to call my dad."

"Lois!"

"What?"

"Call your father, dear. He loves you."

"I will. I'll see you in a few hours, and if all of this goes well, Clark too. I've waited for this day for so long. I can't believe it's almost here."

"And after all the work you've done, I'm sure you're anxious to see him, and the babies."

"Just when I can get a good night's sleep in my house, I'll never get one again," Lois joked.

XxX

"What do you mean you want me to wait by a cave for hours while you drive to a hospital we've never been to?"

"Chloe, please? And you can't let Lucy onto what's going on because she has the biggest mouth ever. She makes me look quiet."

"So what am I supposed to tell her? That on my cousin's day of giving birth…what? I'm going to get a pedicure and I'll see you in a few hours?"

"No. Tell her you're going to get Clark, just don't tell her where."

"Right, that'll be easy."

"I don't care what you two say to each other. These contractions are starting to ache and I'd like to get on the road. So you two say whatever you want while I get on the phone with the General."

Lois left Chloe at the side of her SUV and got on her cell.

"Dad?"

"Lo?"

"Dad, I'm a mother now. Could you please call me Lois?"

"You had your babies?"

"No, but I'm about to. Would you like to meet me at the hospital?"

"Are you going now?"

"I'm on my way. Lucy's with me and Chloe will be there later."

"I'm in the middle of something but when I get finished I can come down."

Lois's heart sank in pain. Why had she expected anything different? He was never going to be the perfect father. He was never going to stop disappointing her. Clark had the loving family. She did not.

"But go ahead and tell me how to get there," he said to her.

She wanted to go on one of her rants and tell him to go to hell and not even bother. She wanted to beg him just once to be there for her. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and if just once he could love her back instead of lecture her she could forgive him everything. But yet again, he wouldn't love her the way she needed. So instead, she gave him the directions and let her hopes go.

Twenty-five minutes later she was trying to breathe through the pain as Lucy navigated the map.

"K, keep going straight for three more streets. Are you okay? Shouldn't I drive? Your stomach is digging into the wheel. You're having twins for God's sake."

"Yeah, you're telling me. But I know how you drive and I pushed the seat back as far as it will go. I'm able to breathe so we're dealing. I'm the one who will get us there alive, trust me."

"Why are you always the one?"

"Because! I'm the one who will! Accept it, Luce!" she breathed.

"You're in pain."

"Of course I'm in pain! I'm in labor!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"You're sitting there, who else am I going to yell at?"

Luckily Lucy had gotten chocolate malts before the journey and there was still plenty left.

"Here, drink this," Lucy said, stuffing the straw in Lois's mouth.

"No!" Lois shot back, turning her face away. "I can't eat anything! Those are for you! They may need to do surgery on me and if they do, I can't have had anything to eat!"

"Sorry, I just thought a soothing bit of chocolate would help."

"Just…navigate before my pelvis turns itself inside out."

"I'll navigate us there. I promise."

Lucy bit her lip uncomfortably.

"Hey Lois?"

"Yeah?"

"I know I'm not your first choice. I know you weren't expecting me and that you wanted Chloe here…that she's the one you really wanted. And I can't pretend I know anything about this, but I'm here for you."

Lois stopped concentrating on the pain for a second and looked briefly at her sister. Having to look back at the road she reached her long fingers to caress Lucy's soft brown locks.

"I know I'm hard on you. I've always been hard on you and it's just that I didn't know how to be a mother to someone else, especially growing up myself. But I'm not going to make the mistakes I made on you with these babies. And you not hating me more than you do is a testament of how good a person you are. I love you."

Lucy for once, was speechless.

"Oh, now you're quiet," Lois smirked.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you."

"Good, cause another contraction is coming," Lois heaved, speeding up the SUV.

"Okay, let's get back to directions."

Forty minutes later they were checked into a room and Lois couldn't believe the size of it. On the left side there was a twin bed, curtains pulled back around it while the other half of the room had cribs for the babies, and chairs for multiple people, and an extra bed in the back right hand corner. Water coolers filled the corner while above them, two televisions provided entertainment if the magazines on the tables weren't enough.

"This is one room?"

"Yes. Now how many people do you want in the room with you while you're delivering today, Ms. Lane?"

"Um, I don't know. Three?"

"Alright, and will you be having guests?"

"One or two possibly. Probably no more than that."

"Great. I do realize this is a little bit like checking into a hotel but we need to keep this looking like a normal hospital, and believe me, we get some pretty strange things happening in here."

"I'm sure."

"And the woman who came with you when you admitted yourself?"

"Yeah, she's in the bathroom. She's my sister. She doesn't know anything yet."

"We can deal with that."

"My babies…their father, and his side of the family, they do know, but my sister and my own father do not. Anyway, just keep a look out if General Sam Lane shows up at all. Now, I'm in a lot of pain, so if I could get in my gown and lie down?"

"Of course. I'll get a gown out of this drawer right here, Ms. Lane—"

"Lois. And I brought my own," she said, pulling a comfortable cotton maternity gown out of her bag.

"Great. I'll let you change and then I'll come back in to get your vitals and the doctor will see how dilated you are."

Lois was three centimeters dilated and though in pain, told both the doctor and Lucy she wanted a natural childbirth. After being hooked up to IVs and the monitors, Lois made her call to Chloe.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm in pain, but I'll hold off as long as I can. Try and hurry."

"I'll call you the second we're on our way."

Chloe hung up the cell, left it by a small rock so that as soon as they were back they could check the time in Kansas's realm. Using the disc, she closed her eyes and in seconds she felt the cold Clark never seemed to feel.

~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~