Resurrection Part 1

At the Smallville Medical Center…

The Kent family spent the night in a hospital room. After the doctors had stabilized Mr. Kent's heart attack, he was given something for the pain and hooked up to several beeping machines. His father was currently sleeping, tubes feeding him oxygen. Clark's mother was resting as best she could on the chair closest to her husband's bed.

Clark sat on a chair that faced his father directly.

The sight in front of him was a hard one to behold. Yet, Clark found he couldn't look away.

The one person Clark thought of in that moment was Alicia. He dialed her number right away, expecting her to answer like she normally did.

But no one had picked up.

Clark had to face the hospital and his sick father alone.

"Still here?"

Martha and Clark moved closer to Johnathan's bed. He weakly opened his eyes and continued, "I think you need to go back. Back home and get some rest."

Martha shook her head, slightly amused at her husband's attempt at brushing his current condition away.

But Clark didn't smile, and that did not go unnoticed by Johnathan Kent.

"Clark, don't worry about me, son. It's going to take a whole lot more than a heart attack to keep your old man down."

"I feel like this is all my fault."

Johnathan held out his hand. "Come here."

Clark sniffed and accepted his father's touch. He stared straight into his father's eyes as he was told, "There's a lot of things you can do. But causing cardiac arrest isn't one of them."

"Dad, before I left for Metropolis, the doctor's said you had the heart of a twenty-year old."

"If you're suggesting your biological father has anything to do with this…"

"He gave you powers to bring me home that no human was meant to have. And I don't think your heart could handle it."

"Clark, no. There were other factors," his mother admonished.

The conversation had to be cut short as a doctor walked in. He declared Mr. Kent needed to stay a few days for observation. Clark saw how worried his mother was, so he volunteered to go home and do the necessary chores.

Once he was in the hallway, Clark dialed Alicia's number again.

Again, Clark went straight to voicemail.

In desperate need of comfort, Clark sped to the inside of Alicia's house. To his relief, the kitchen light was on.

"Alicia?"

Clark entered the kitchen to see a strange woman standing at the sink. She turned and screamed at Clark's presence.

"Sorry!" Clark raised his hands in surrender. "I'm so sorry. I'm just looking for Alicia. Are you Mrs. Baker?"

"I am." The woman calmed down a bit. On a closer look, Clark could see the family resemblance. But her mother had dark brown hair that contrasted Alicia's blonde. "Friend of hers?"

"Yeah. I'm Clark. It's nice to finally meet you." Clark held out his hand.

Mrs. Baker, still visibly startled, accepted the handshake. "Well, any friend of Alicia's is welcome here."

"Actually, I'm her boyfriend." Clark frowned slightly. "Didn't she mention me?"

"Oh. Oh, Clark. Silly me," Mrs. Baker broke off into a fit of laughter. "I heard Mark. No, no, no, Clark, Alicia's boyfriend, yes, of course. Yes, she, she talks about you all the time."

"Is she here?"

"No." Mrs. Baker's eyes darted around the room. "At least, I don't think so. My daughter has a funny habit of showing up when you least expect it."

"Well, if you see her, could you let her know I'm looking for her?"

"Sure thing."

Clark mumbled his thanks and retreated to the front door. It wasn't until he was down the driveway he even attempted to use his superspeed.

She didn't seem to know anything about me. Clark thought as he zoomed down the country roads.

Clark couldn't make sense of it. Alicia had pictures of the two of them, and he knew Alicia had teleported to have dinner with her mother at least once a week.

Why had Mrs. Baker acted like she had never heard of him before?

At the Kent farm…

Clark put all his effort into the daily tasks. He didn't mind the extra work. At first, Clark worried that his powers would act up like they had the past few days. But everything seemed to be functioning normally. The work made him push the awful thoughts of how he let everyone down away.

Lana.

Pete.

Chloe.

And now his dad.

Clark took a moment to breathe in the barn. He closed his eyes and leaned against a pole. It was all his fault. Everything was his fault. He made mistakes, but it was his loved ones who would pay.

A small jab to Clark's lower back distracted his thoughts. He turned to see no one there; just a bent screwdriver on the ground. As Clark knelt to pick up the tool, there was another jab on his right arm, and the red flannel had been slashed.

"What the…"

Clark's ears picked up a small gust of wind. Within a second, Clark entered superspeed. He turned and saw that he was not alone in the barn.

An elderly woman, with stringy white hair and missing teeth, holding a stuffed rabbit, was advancing towards him with a scythe. It took minimal effort on Clark's part to knock the weapon from her hand and push his attacker back. The woman stumbled on a haybale and landed on top of her toy.

"Who are you?" Clark asked the gasping woman.

"You hurt Flopsy," she wailed.

It took Clark a second to realize she was referring to the toy. The old woman scooped up the rabbit and began to cradle it, sobbing the entire time. Clark was forgotten as the woman began to cough. Soon, her entire body was trembling from a coughing fit and she tried to catch her breath.

The strange intruder crumbled to the floor.

On impulse, Clark pulled out his cellphone, dialing for the paramedics to help the second person who had collapsed on the barn floor in twenty four hours.

Opening theme song…