Chapter 19 [Ralston-Keyes Clinic, Denver, CO—An hour after Lana's Collapse]

[A/N: Okay, Nemu, because you asked before, here's another familiar face for you….]

Clark sat in the waiting room pensively. After he had handed Lana over to the oncological staff, he'd retreated into the private corner and waited for news. His mind struggled with conflicting emotions. He fumed over Oliver's holier-than-thou attitude toward his efforts with Lana. He could barely contain his anger toward Lois over her selfishness. He wanted to scream at the world for being so unfair.

But being Superman meant he couldn't….not really….

He forced himself to sit with dignity. He made himself be strong for his sake as well as Lana's. He had to keep his own resolve going. He needed to formulate a plan to deal with his love's situation…whatever that came to be….

Lana, I'm not leaving you! I don't care! He sighed deeply while trying to think of what to say to his mother and the Queens. He needed their help even if he had all of the super powers in Smallville seemingly.

A while later he smelled fresh cocoa in the area. He glanced over to see Karen approaching with two cups and setting one down at his side. "Karen, sorry I didn't mean…."

"You're not bothering anyone, Superman. The doctors are almost done with your friend's tests. You looked like you could use a hot cocoa," the nurse assured him. She took a sip from her own cup. "You know it's okay to be human once in a while. You remind me of the way my twin brother was when we were growing up. He had so many enemies that he couldn't open up to any of us. He lost his first wife because of them. After that we got him to finally work toward that point. He's dealing with things better and has a great wife now."

"But he's not Superman or anything. It's not like he's separated from everyone," he presumed.

"He's half-possessed and deals with demonic stuff. You should meet him sometime." Karen looked toward the door to see a slightly overweight woman with dark hair enter the area. "Speaking of the woman I just mentioned, she's here. Superman, Dr. Dubois. Dr. Angela Dubois, Superman. I'll let you two talk. It'll be okay, Superman. Good luck." With that she returned to her rounds.

Dr. Dubois offered the Man of Steel a wistful smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Superman. I really appreciated what you did for the children a couple of days ago. It really picked their spirits up."

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm glad to do it. As long as they're doing great then so am I," he affirmed with a grin of his own. He noted the seeming heaviness of the files in her hand. "Any word on Lana?"

"Yes there is. Is there any next of kin I can ask first? No offense, Superman, but unless you two are married…?" she wondered.

He shook his head. "Lana has no living family left since her Aunt Nell died a year ago. She's living with Martha and Clark Kent in Smallville, Kansas. Otherwise she's single and by herself, Dr. Dubois."

"I see." Dr. Dubois sucked in a deep tortured breath and opened the chart. She scanned the contents and glanced at him again. "Can you give me your word, Superman, that you'll keep this between us?"

"You've got it. I promise," he vowed.

"Thank you." She looked earnestly at him. "Miss Lang developed two massive tumors. One is at the base of her spine. The other one is along the muscles between her eyes and the optic centers of her brain. They're both inoperable. If I try, I could kill her either way. Other tumors are growing throughout her body as well. That's why it took me so long to get back to you. I consulted with two of my colleagues in New Jersey on the case. They said the same thing. Whatever radiation she absorbed fried her body's ability to fight back. I give her a month tops."

He tried to contain himself but couldn't quite do it. He allowed two sobs to escape before regaining control.

For her part, she could feel his intense sadness. While she knew the hero cared for everyone, this seemed deeper to her than most situations. "She's awake if you'd like to see her. We can let her rest here and observe her some more. I wish there was more that we can do for her."

"Me too. Thank you, Doctor, for caring," he expressed. He shook her hand. "I appreciate you giving Lana everything you could think of."

"It's my pleasure, Superman. Just be patient with her. Tell the Kents she'll need their love now more than ever," she concluded before departing with the file in question.

He shook his head. The situation arising there brought another issue to light. As the boyfriend/super hero, he could've been denied the ability to hear Lana's prognosis. He might've been banned from helping to take care of her. Certainly nobody would allow the Kents to serve as her medical decision makers in an emergency…not the way things stood at that moment….

…but things could be changed if Lana was agreeable….

If she agrees, I could do a lot more for her! He had a plan forming in his mind. He walked out the front door and streaked off into the night. A few minutes later, he returned with a smile on his face. He hoped that his idea would work while stepping into the waiting elevator car and heading up to the emergency suite.

If only it did work…..

[Emergency Suite]

Lana sat numbly in a wheelchair and stared at a mirror she couldn't see. From the waist down, she couldn't move either. She'd needed help to pull her pants and shoes on. She couldn't comb her hair or see if her faces needed washing.

Both her real eyes and their reflective counterparts stared at …and past…each other blankly; the parts of the brain too tumor-infested to do anything to help in that regard.

I shouldn't bother Clark with this. He's given up enough. She exhaled a sharp pained breath. Maybe I can just go away. Question is where can I go like this? It's not like I can just run away and hide!

The door creaked open slowly; a sound picked up clearly by her ears.

"Who's there?" she called.

"Lana, it's me." Clark shut the door to insure their privacy. "Glad to see you awake and sitting up. You gave us all a scare." He squatted in front of her not being sure of what to say. He remembered what it was like to be blind for a couple of days himself but that seemed like a lifetime ago. One thing he knew though, she had stuck by him at that point despite their relationship issues….

…and because he loved her so much, he'd do the same….

"I must look a sight," she presumed moodily. "Can't walk and can't see. Dr. Dubois was really nice about it. She offered me some physical therapy but given that I have a month to live, I don't know about it. Therapy was such a pain last time and it's not going to give me back my sight or legs."

"Doesn't matter, Lana. We can rig you something at the farm to build your upper body strength. Mom and I can arrange things so you can memorize them. Sandra's ready to come in and help too. We can keep you going," he assured her.

"Clark, what's the point? I'm just an invalid! Okay?" Lana snapped. "You might as well just leave me here."

Frustration crashed up against his brain wanting to tell her to knock it off and work with him. Still he realized that wouldn't work. "I am never going to do that. All right? I won't leave you! Mom and I want you around. I love you. All right? This isn't about pity, Lana. This is about love."

"But I don't want to be just your broken China doll! I can't help you!" She broke down into a series of sobs and tears.

He embraced her tightly. "You help me every day by being there. I want you there with me. When the time comes, don't you want to feel like you've done what you could? Don't you want to be loved for a short time rather than a prisoner for a long time? I'll do that for you and more."

"That's very…nice, Clark. I appreciate…the commitment but…" she stammered.

"You haven't seen the commitment yet," he insisted while getting down on one knee. "I want to spend the rest of our time making you happy. I've rerouted all of my commitments so that I can be in Smallville for you. Now I'm going to be there for you. I'm not your keeper but want to be your partner in every way."

"Sounds almost like a proposal. You…." She stopped short as her brain registered what he was getting at. "You're proposing?"

"I am," he stated firmly. From his cape's inner pocket, he produced a small box and opened it revealing a single caret diamond ring on the inside. "Lana, will you marry me?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "Y…you're serious? Here I am—useless and you're wanting to commit? Clark, I…."

"Lana, please. Stop that. Promise me you won't call yourself that again," he insisted indignantly.

She went mute feeling stunned by his sudden resolve and purpose. How she had wished in high school he could've thrown everything away like this for her. And he's pushing her to take pride in herself too?

Literally he was growing up before her eyes….

Finally she relented after several heartbeats, "I promise. I won't call myself that again. Clark, you really want me?"

"I want you. The last few days have cleared so much for me. We were always meant to be together. Now we can be. So what do you think? I don't need an answer right now," he admitted passionately.

"You don't get out of it, Clark." She managed a smile for his benefit and raised her left hand slowly toward him. "Yes. Yes I'll marry you. Put it on there."

He grinned and slid the gold and diamond bauble on her ring finger. Then his lips brushed the back of her hand softly. "Thank you."

"No, Clark. Thank you. Can we go home now?" she requested. "We need to tell your Mom."

"Just try and stop us." He made sure her coat was on straight before opening a window to the east. "Ready?" He cradled her softly in his arms before they took off toward Kansas and home once more.