Once again, Clark was not left alone long. He was soon joined by others, to keep watch over him in his sick bed.
"It was Diana here that got Lex. I mean, the latest guy Lex hired to try to kill you. Wasn't actually Lex in there – sorry, I know that probably comes as a big shock – that it wasn't Lex in the suit clearly made by Lex. From Lex Corp parts. That Lex will say is only circumstantial evidence, and in no way leads back to him. But you should have seen it. Craziest uppercut I've seen in awhile. It was incredible. I wish I had a video of it." Wally enthused.
"Oh, you know how Wally exaggerates. I was just doing my job, that's all." Diana tried to play it off, but Clark could tell she was pleased.
"No. I agree with Wally. It was truly impressive." John added, unusual for him.
"Come on Shayera, don't hold out on me! Say it was impressive! It's not hard to say. It's not wrong! It was impressive!" Wally put the pressure on, barely able to sit still.
"...It was impressive." Shayera admitted, after a brief pause. Clark thought she waited just to get a rise out of him, and sure enough, Wally hopped out of his chair and raised his fist into the air in victory.
"Thank you!"
Diana smiled her own approval, while Wally kept up a non-stop conversation, describing how the man who was not Lex looked as he was taken into custody by the authorities. "He still looked arrogant. Guess his employer rubbed off on him. But it's hard to look that arrogant when you've got a giant bruise forming on the bottom of your chin, courtesy of Diana…."
Wally reenacted John in the air, ring finger forward, struggling to hold Lex still. "It was crazy, man. Lex paid for a lot of firepower. Missiles were going off, John really had his work cut out for him."
Then Wally acted out the movement and the sound of Shayera's mace breaking through Lex's latest body armor contraption. "Just ripped through it, man. Lex was probably screaming somewhere. Probably just saw it as, what, a giant pile of burning money? And that's when Diana came in. And POW! That was it. K.O. No coming back from that… well, we've taken up enough of your resting time, right? Because I'm thinking in: three, two, one, yep, there's J'onn coming to give us the boot."
Sure enough, J'onn had appeared at the door while Wally clucked his tongue.
"Such a mother hen, J'onn! But we get it. When it's time it's time, so we'll see you soon, Big Blue!"
Wally was the first to leave, with a smile that could light up any room and a joyful wave goodbye.
John stood next, clasped Clarks' shoulder in solidarity, said no words and Clark felt no words were necessary, appreciated the gesture, before John followed Wally out.
Shayera approached next, and she also clasped his shoulder, however she looked as though she did want to say something more, yet was struggling, so Clark spoke first.
"Thank you for getting me out of there."
Shayera softened, despite her armor. "Yes, the Hawkgirl Express, if I recall Wally correctly? I should really charge. But I'll give you a pass. You're not as heavy as you look."
"It was a good flight. I'd recommend you."
Shayera gifted him a rare smile, as she too headed for the door, but not before adding, "I'm glad you're well, Clark. Take care."
As welcome as their company was, as the room lights were dimmed, as his eyes grew weary, as he heard Diana speaking with J'onn in the other room – asking if Clark was truly going to be fine, and J'onn assuring her that he would be – amongst other things that he soon wasn't able to follow, it all simply became din – Clark wondered where the missing link was.
Where Bruce was.
Diana seemed to know his silent question, as on her way out, facing the closed door, she whispered, only loud enough for him to hear, even if they weren't the only two people in the room.
"He'll be here soon. Probably in the middle of the night when the rest of us our sleeping, knowing him, but he'll be here. And if he's not, he'll have me to answer to. It's not everyday the Man of Steel takes a tumble like that. Seeing you fall like that... I was scared. And you know I don't say that lightly."
"Scared the rest of us too. Haven't seen Wally run that fast in awhile. Or seen John lose his composure like that in awhile. And haven't seen Shayera's flying that determined as she was while carrying you. Did you apologize to J'onn for all the empathic stress we caused him? I joke, but knowing you, you probably did. I wouldn't put it past you, you are the kindest of us all. But you would have been right, we weren't easy to be around.
"Rest well, Superman."
The doors swished open and shut, and then she was gone, and it startled him, leaving Clark to wonder if she had truly said all that, or if that was just a dream.
A desire, maybe.
Or kryptonite induced delirium.