Clark
Lois entered Clark's room slowly, trying to avoid waking him up. The nurse had told her that he probably wouldn't wake up for a while yet, but that it was important to keep quiet to avoid waking him up.
Clark was lying on his right side, with several pillows helping to keep him in that position. He was still conected to oxygen and serum. The monitors sounded rhythmically, indicating that everything was in order
-Oh, Clark... - said Lois anguished, approaching her husband. Lois sat next to him and took his hand - everything will be fine...
Only a few minutes had passed when there was a soft knock on the door.
-Lois? I can pass? - asked Dr. Klein, looking into the room
- Sure, come in - Lois answered, keeping her voice low. - Is something wrong?
- I spoke with the hospital managers, they agreed to transfer Clark to StarLabs as soon as he is stable enough to make the trip
- When will that be?
- I don't know yet, we have to wait for Clark to wake up and have the results of some tests to be sure, but it should be soon
- What a relief...
-Until then I will be in charge of performing the blood and urine tests on him, and then I will give the results to Dr. Rose.
- Thank you very much Dr. Klein
- It's a pleasure to help. Now I will take some samples to be able to analyze them and thus see his progress
Dr. Klein took a few blood samples, and then checked that the dialysis machine was working perfectly.
- Clark won't wake up yet. try to get some rest - Dr. Klein said before leaving the room
Lois realized that Dr. Klein was right. It had been a very long day and full of very stressful situations, she was exhausted. There was no point in staying awake now, if when Clark finally woke up she couldn't keep her eyes open.
Lois decided to try and get some sleep. The chair she'd been sitting in next to Clark's bed wasn't that uncomfortable, but she was worried about pulling on any of the monitors or tubes Clark was hooked up to while she slept, so she decided she'd better lie down instead on a small armchair that was in one of the corners of the room
A few hours later, Lois woke up as she hear the door, a nurse was coming in.
- Sorry for waking you up, I just came to change Mr. Kent's serum, and to check that everything is in order
- Oh... ok, thanks - said Lois
- Everything is in order. If Mr. Kent wakes up please call us through the button on the side of the bed, Dr. Rose wants to check on hin as soon as he wakes up
- I will, thank you.
A few hours later Lois woke up with a start, as if someone had woken her up, but the room was silent and there was no one there except Clark, who was still sleeping.
Lois looked at the time on her watch, it was close to 3 am. Since she was already awake, she decided to go sit next to Clark for a while, before trying to sleep again.
She had only been watching Clark for a few minutes as she absentmindedly caressed his hand, when she felt a small squeeze on it.
- Clark? - Lois whispered - are you awake?
Lois didn't get an answer, apparently Clark had been dreaming or something.
A little disappointed, Lois decided she might as well try to get some more sleep. She slowly got to her feet, and still not letting go of Clark's hand, she leaned down to kiss her husband's forehead before returning to the small couch in the corner.
But as soon as her lips touched Clark's forehead, Lois felt another squeeze on her hand, this time a little harder.
- Clark? - Lois whispered again - Can you hear me?
To Lois's happiness, this time she did get an answer.
Clark slowly tried to open his eyes, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed, he felt very tired and sore?
-Lois? - Clark replied, disoriented - Where are we?
- Clark! Oh, God...I was so worried - Lois replied happily, giving Clark another kiss on the forehead - We're at the Hospital...You got shot, remember?
- Ehm .. not really... I remember some masked guys getting off the elevator and... Then everything is confusing.,. Did you say hospital?! - Clark reacted alarmed
- Don't try to move Clark - Lois said quickly, preventing Clark from moving - don't worry, Dr. Klein has managed to keep everything a secret
- Dr. Klein? - Clark said confused - Lois, I don't understand anything... What's going on?
- You were shot with bullets made of Kryptonite... The ambulance brought you to the hospital, and Dr. Klein came to help... he helped during the surgery and has been helping to keep the secret -bexplained Lois
- Surgery? But how...- Clark asked alarmed
- To be able to take out the 2 bullets... - Lois replied - Honey... The bullets had a center of concentrated liquid Kryptonite... They did a lot of damage
- Oh, that explains how they could operate - Clark said - What damage do you mean? - Clark asked in alarm. He was somewhat disoriented, very tired and sore, but he couldn't determine where the pain was coming from.
- From what Dr. Klein explained to me, the liquid center acted as a kind of acid... Destroying the tissue around it - Lois tried to explain. This was very difficult, but she preferred to be the one to explain it to Clark, and not one of the doctors - one hit your left kidney... And they had to remove what little was left of it...
- What?!.. Oh, heavens... And the second? - Clark asked, a little scared by the answer
- The second… It hit your spine…- Lois replied, doing her best not to let the tears begin to fall. She had to be strong for Clark, she had to support him, not break down in front of him.
- My spine... That means...
- And it destroyed part of your spinal cord - concluded Lois
Clark was in shock, had he really heard right? There was only one way to find out... he had to try to move his legs...
Lois, seeing that Clark was trying to move, put her hands gently but firmly on his shoulder.
- Don't try to move yet... we should call the doctor first, he wanted to check you as soon as you woke up... - Lois said, pressing the call button that the nurse had mentioned - I'm so sorry Clark
- But... My powers... I... - Clark said absently.
At that moment the door to the room opened.
- Everything is alright? - Asked the same nurse from the door from a while ago - Oh, I see you're awake Mr. Kent, I'll call Dr. Rose
- Thank you - Lois said.
- Honey, I know this is very difficult, but Dr. Klein will be able to explain everything in a better way later, for now we must see what Dr. Rose says, okay? He was the one who performed the surgery -bsaid Lois, trying to calm Clark
- Okay - Clark said. He wasn't going to lie, he was really shocked at everything Lois was saying, but at least he had her by his side.
Just a few seconds later, the door to the room opened again, and Dr. Klein entered through it together with Dr. Rose.
- Good evening Mr. Kent, my name is Dr. Rose, I am very happy to see you awake
- I'm glad too Clark - said Dr. Klein
- Hi... - Clark answered.
- How are you feeling, Mr. Kent?
- Somewhat disoriented...tired and sore
- That's to be expected... The painkillers we gave you are quite strong, that's why you are a bit disoriented... - said Dr. Rose
- And the Kryptonite bullets, which had a center of concentrated liquid Kryptonite, generated in your body a reaction very similar to that of radiation poisoning... So it is normal that you feel tired and sore - added Dr. klein
- Oh...
- I suppose Lois brought you up to date with what happened?
- I told him in broad strokes... - said Lois
- Good. I know this is a complex situation for you, Mr. Kent, but it is best that you understands everything that is going on.
- Yes please... Not knowing just confuses me more - Clark said. He was really scared with what was happening, but not fully understanding it made it even worse.
-Well, let's start by parts .. as Dr Klein said, the liquud Kryptonite generated in your body a kind of intoxication. So the first thing was to try to lower the Kryptonite levels in your blood. Thanks to blood transfusions and dialysis, the levels have already been coming down and soon your system will be free of it - said Dr. Rose
- Fortunately, my laboratory had adequate blood for these cases - Dr. Klein added, hoping that Clark would understand what he was talking about. - We will carry out blood tests periodically, to monitor the concentration of Kryptonite in your blood
- Thank you Dr. Klein - said Clark, very grateful
- To remove the bullets we had to perform surgery. The liquid Kryptonite was apparently very concentrated, since it acted like a kind of acid on your tissues, destroying them easily. One of the bullets directly hit your left kidney, and unfortunately we couldn't save him. But luckily the other nearby organs were not greatly affected.
- Oh..
- Don't worry, your right kidney will quickly make up for the lack and do the work of both kidneys
- We will also constantly do urine tests to monitor its functioning - said Dr. Klein - for the moment everything looks as it should
- The second bullet I'm afraid caused irreparable damage. It entered your spine, fractured two vertebrae, and then lodged in the intervertebral disc. The liquid kryptonite caused a lot of damage to him. - explained Dr. Rose - With two fractured vertebrae and a very damaged intervertebral disc, the area was very unstable, so to recover stability in the area I had to put some metal plates, which possibly cause a little discomfort at the begining, but you will get used to them very soon
- Okay...
- From what we could observe during the surgery, the spinal cord was also very damaged... To confirm the damage, and determine if it is partial or total, we should perform an MRI, but due to the metal plates it is not possible to do so
- Oh... And what can be done?
- We can carry out other types of tests, but they will not be as specific. But I'm afraid that with what we were able to see during the surgery, it is very likely that the damage was total and not partial.
- What is the difference? - Lois asked.
- When the damage is partial, some nerve connections in the spinal cord still function, so eventually some degree of recovery can be achieved with physiotherapy. With total damage, this is not possible, since the cells of the spinal cord do not regenerate.
- And do you think the damage is total? Lois asked, seeing Clark's worried face.
- It is very probable. The spinal cord is a very sensitive tissue, and Kryptonite a very destructive substance. I'm sorry Mr. Kent
- At what level did the bullet enter? - Clark asked. He knew that this was an important detail.
- The injury was at L3-L4 level. That means that the mobility and sensitivity of the legs will be affected. Luckily bladder and bowel control shouldn't be affected.
- Oh... Good - Clark said
- Although you are already awake, the effects of the anesthesia in your body have not yet passed, so tomorrow we will check your reflexes and sensitivity in the legs, once the effect has already passed - said Dr. Klein
- Oh ok ..
- I'd like to see how the incision is, so I can let you rest later - Dr. Rose said.
- Okay...
- Don't move... Well, you look fine... I'll ask a nurse to come and do a quick cleaning, taking advantage of the fact that you're awake, but everything looks in order
- That's good - said Lois
- At the moment I want you to continue lying on your side, so as not to put pressure on the incision for now. Tomorrow the nurses will help you to change position during the day - said Dr. Rose
- Depending on how you feel at lunch, we will transfer you to StarLabs, there we have better equipment to monitor the effects of Kryptonite
- Really? - Clark asked, surprised.
- I can't say that I like the idea very much, but we don't know anything about Kryptonite... And to avoid possible complications, it is preferable that it be there - Dr. Rose said - anyway, Dr. Klein will keep me updated of your recovery, and in any emergency I will go there
- Oh, thank you very much - Clark said.
- Well, I'll leave you so you can rest a little more ... good night - said Dr. Rose before leaving the room
As soon as they were alone Clark looked at Dr. Klein
- Dr. Klein... Thank you for your help.
- There's nothing to thank Clark... I'm sorry I couldn't help more
- Do you believe that my body can regenerate the damaged spinal cord? - Clark asked hopefully.
Before Dr. Klein could respond, the door opened and the same nurse from before entered the room.
- My name is Emily, and I have to clean your surgery incisions, Mr. Kent.
- Hello Emily, - Clark replied.
A few minutes later, with Emily already out of the room, the conversation continued.
- I don't know Clark. Your cell regeneration is very fast, but I cannot guarantee that this time it will be effective. I doubt very much that another kidney will grow...
- Yes, me too...
- Possibly the fractures in your vertebrae will recover soon, but I don't know what will happen with the missing pieces
- Missing pieces?
- Small pieces of the vertebrae that came off when they break and that it was not possible to put them back together
- Oh...
- The intervertebral disc was almost completely destroyed... But I guess it could also recover... - Dr. Klein said - But as for the spinal cord... I'm not so sure... From what we could see, there was no major damage to the adjoining vertebrae, at least not to L2... The greatest damage was taken by L4, which is good considering bladder and bowel control
- Some good news... i guess... - Clark said
- But the damage was extensive... From what could be seen with the naked eye, the spinal cord... disappeared... by a stretch of almost two complete vertebrae... It would be a true miracle if it managed to regenerate to return to normal and join both ends
- Oh now I see
- It would be something impossible for a human body, but we don't know how yours will react once all the Kryptonite leaves your body... - explained Dr Klein - There is a small possibility that when your powers return, your accelerated healing power will kick in and you regain mobility and sensitivity in your legs... It's small, but it's a possibility... Don't lose hope until we've ruled that out
- Okay...
- According to my calculations, you should be completely free of Kryptonite in about two days... After that, you should give your powers a few days to activate again...
- The last time I had Kryptonite in my blood... I went to the nuclear plant... - Clark said, remembering what happened with the Top Copy incident.
- Yes... That worked that time, but the concentration in your blood was much lower, and you weren't weak from having lost blood or having undergone surgery. Dialysis is a bit slower, but less risky at this time
- Okay...
- You look tired, try to rest... Good night - said Dr. Klein before retiring
As soon as Dr. Klein left the room, Clark fell silent, staring intently at the wall in front of him.
- Clark? - Lois said, a little nervous with her husband's silence that had already been going on for several minutes- Clark?
- Hmmm... - Clark answered.
- Everything will be fine... As Dr Klein said, there is still a small chance... - Lois said, sitting in the chair next to her husband
- What if it doesn't work? Clark asked.
- Do you remember the time you went blind for a few days? .. just like you said that time "you will have to learn to be the best version of yourself"... If you can't walk... you will still be Clark Kent, the best investigative journalist (after me, of course), a great son and husband, and a wonderful father... - answered Lois with affection - If that happened... it would be a big change... and it would take time to adjust... but I'll be there for you, ok?
- Thanks - Clark said - But... what about Superman?
- We'll worry about later, okay? ... For now the most important thing is that Clark recovers soon so he can leave the hospital and go home... John must be missing you
- Who is with John, the babysitter?
-No, the babysitter couldn't stay all night...he's with Jimmy
- Oh that's good
- Your parents should arrive first thing in the morning, they didn't find earlier tickets
- Oh dear, dad can't be too happy that I'm in a hospital surrounded by doctors who might experiment on me.
- No, he wasn't... But I explained to him that Dr. Klein was helping us keep the secret... Hopefully we can go to StarLabs soon, I'd be much calmer there
- Yes, me too - Clark said, just before giving a big yawn
- I think it's time to sleep... You need to rest so your body can recover - Lois said, standing up to kiss Clark.
- You will leave? - asked Clark a little disappointed
- Of course not... I'll sleep on the couch over there... You wake me up if you need anything, ok?
- OK Goodnight
Clark had a lot on his mind, but he was so tired that he fell asleep in no time
Lois on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking of everything that the doctors had said... and Clark'reaction to it. He had mostly said very short replies and had remain strangely calm, but that was probably because he was under the effects of very strong painkillers
What if this ends up being permanent? What are they going to do with his apartment?...his apartment is not accessible at all...Clark couldn't even get to the front door let alone the second floor...
Lois lay awake for a while, as more questions popped into her mind. Finally, about an hour later, she fell asleep.