Just a short update, since I know it was far too long since the last one.

The usual disclaimer, and Kal apologizes for the slow updates, but the AI mistakenly blew up the fax machine, thinking it was alien technology (which it is, I guess...)

16. Forgotten

Lois opens her eyes to glowing pastel walls – that, most definitely, are not in her apartment. She wrinkles her nose at the antiseptic imbedded in the sheets, and looks around without moving her head. Clark recognizes the careful assessment as her 'hostage/hiding-out' mode. Trembling, he whispers to her, "Lois – do you know where you are?"

The early sun glints through the large window, slanting across Clark's hair and reflecting in his eyes. She notices his skin's reaction to the rays -- a subtle pulsation of colour across his flesh, radiant in the sunshine. The sight of him warms and comforts her -- for reasons she can't put her finger on. She shrugs it off, as a coat placed across her shoulders by an unwanted suitor.

At her deprecating eye roll, Clark lets out a breath of relief. She scoffs, "Duh… a hospital – but why are you here, Clark? Hey, that was one wild dream…" Looking him up and down, Lois crinkles her brows in a knot. "But…, you're in a costume – like that Cirque de Soleil show – Lucy and I went to last week.

That was over five years ago… "Uh, no; Lois, tell me about your dream."

Ignoring Clark's request, Lois starts to investigate her state in the bed. She checks out the saline drip, leading into the plastic IV tube in the back of her hand. Running her palms along both arms to her shoulders, and then patting her chest, she assures herself that nothing is broken.

"I can feel my toes," Lois lifts the edge of the sheet and peeks underneath. She tugs at it, so, without changing his seated position, Clark levitates a few inches above the blanket to release the tension. Lois holds the coverlet over her head and talks to her toes. "Hello feet – there you are. Nothing wrong here, I wonder why…" Lois lowers the sheets and freezes mid-sentence when she notices her visitor in tights floating above the blanket. She reaches forward and waves her hand through the gap beneath Clark, while he watches her with a mix of amusement and concern.

"I'm still dreaming…"

A small smile in place, Clark vainly searches her face for recognition, "No… you're not. But, I'm starting to think this is a nightmare."

Lois frowns and pats his arm. "No, no… I'm fine – you're a real boy scout, y'know?

Clark laughs at the familiar nickname, but his relief is cut short when Lois's pupils contract, and her heart rate spikes. "Wait… who are you?"

Clark holds his breath, and as her heart rate slows, Lois seems to come back to herself. Leaning back into the pillows, she points at the impossible gap. "So – how do you do it? Is it a magic trick -- like David Blain or… that demonic guy – Chriss Angel?"

Clark lowers to the bed, puts his hands on his knees, and stands up -- taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly before he answers her. "Um, Lois it's not magic – it's me. I… I'm not … human."

Lois sniffs, and smirks at him, sitting upright, pushing back against the pillow as if to appear as foreboding as her tiny frame can allow, "Ri…ght. Well, nice meeting you… I… think I should get some rest now." Her hand feels around for the call button, and, crushed, Clark realizes that the love of his life thinks he's a few kryptonite meteors short of a planet. He backs toward the window and attempts a reassuring wave before he leaves.

Still looking at him like he doesn't know he's wearing his underwear on the outside, she can't resist the last word… "Hey -- can I have an exclusive… before you leave in your little rocket ship for whatever planet you hail from?"

At that moment, a pretty, dark-haired nurse flings opens the door. Flustered, she ignores Lois in her urgency to speak to the Man of Steel, "Superman –- on the TV – th…they're looking for you." She turns on the small set mounted above Lois's bed, and a view of the courthouse -- and a frantic Cat Grant -- fill the screen. Lois cringes at Cat's strident tone, "…Everyone's asking – is he gone? Has he left us again? We're reminded of the last time Superman missed his court date, and Lex Luthor was acquitted… with both Lex Luthor and Katherine Kowalski absent, the prosecution…"

Superman's face pales, and he mutters, "Great Krypton – how could I forget?" Furious in his urgency -- conflicted -- but reminded of his responsibility, he turns his tortured gaze to Lois. "I'm sorry Lois -– I have to go." His words are left hanging in the air -– his egress so sudden, almost a vacuum remains -- and Lois's breath is taken with his departure. She waggles her arm in the air at the open window, and gibbers to the nurse, "D…did you see that?"

The nurse shrugs, "he's Superman, honey, what did you expect?"

Half to herself, half to anyone else who may hear, Lois rants, and paws at her sheets. Her IV line, and her lack of strength, combined with a considerable wave of vertigo, stops her -- and her head falls back to the pillow. "I didn't expect… him… I don't know what I expected. Nurse, where are my clothes? I feel fine…. I want this story."

Pressing a button to deliver a dose of calming sedative, the nurse pats Lois's hand, and smoothes her hair from her face, "Of course you do – but, let's wait till Dr. Schwartz has a chance to check you out."

Enroute to the Arctic, Clark's brain spins. He hears Lois fall into a fitful slumber, and forces himself to attend to the matter at hand. Father warned me not to get attached. I guess he had a point.

How did I forget about Katharine?

Clark pulls his cell phone out of the hidden pocket of his cape, and turns it on. "Hello… Perry, Clark here."

Clark hears the phone bang to the desk and then the sound of it being fumbled into place at Perry's mouth,

"Clark – where have you been? It's all over the news, and your damn cell wasn't on again, and I couldn't ask anyone --"

"--Perry, this isn't a secure line."

"Oh, right. So… where are you anyway? C-caught in traffic?"

"No, um… Lois, had a… mishap, She's at Metropolis General, and, as you know, I need to be somewhere else. Can you get over there? Look, Perry, her memory… don't mention Jason to her – God, she doesn't even remember me. I have to go…"

"On it, Clark – I'll be with her in twenty minutes. Great Caesar's Ghost, son, you two don't do anything by halves, do you? Who's watching Jason?"

"My mom."

"Your… mother? You really have a – uh, I ,mean… um Clark? Hello? Hello?" Hanging up the phone and grabbing his overcoat, Perry bellows to Jimmy to grab his camera and call them a cab. As he jabs his finger at the elevator down button, he mutters to himself with a grin, "Huh – Superman has a cell phone."

Clark looks askance at the tiny piece of earth technology lying in his palm. I have to start turning on this thing when I'm in the suit – it really is handy…

…just a minor adjustment.

While still in flight, Clark holds his Nokia at arm's length, and focuses a pinpoint beam of heat vision at a select spot. He wrinkles his nose at the scent of burning plastic.

There… no more GPS.

TBC

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