Fic: Hidden Truths: A Sparrow Mends
Chapter 6
When Lex dropped Chloe off at her house, he felt how angered and frustrated she was, and how hard she tried to hide it.
He wished he could do more to help, when he was struck by an idea. He had a file cabinet full of papers, old calendars, and discarded notes from when his mother was alive. Perhaps one of those documents could shed some light on Dr. Flint and his medical practice.
His father packed them up when Lillian died, and Lex had never had the heart to look at them. It was time to change that. He decided to keep his search to himself because he couldn’t bear for Chloe to be disappointed again.
He shook his head at his own sentimentality and realized that Chloe was talking to him.
She recognized his blank look, and rolled her eyes at him. She repeated that she knew that her dad would be waiting dinner for her, and did Lex want to stay? He declined, and told Chloe he knew that Gabe would want to question her alone.
Besides, he knew that Gabe grew concerned when he and Chloe spent too much time together. Gabe never voiced any disapproval of Lex and Chloe’s friendship, but he didn’t wholeheartedly embrace it either.
Chloe tried never to give her dad any reason to distrust her relationship with Lex. They were friends, nothing more. She knew it and Lex knew it, but everyone around them seemed to need convincing every once in a while.
Chloe was very grateful that Lana was working at The Talon, so she and her dad could talk freely.
She told him about Dr. Baxter’s evasiveness, and her claim that Claire was released from her facility and back into society with the court’s permission. Gabe’s reaction was identical to Lex and Chloe’s, with the addition of some very colorful expletives. Chloe then explained how Lillian Luthor had also been a patient of Dr. Flint’s at the time of Julian’s death.
At this news, Gabe became very still. Chloe noticed his rigid posture, and reassured her dad that they were in no danger of any repercussions. Lionel was in jail with his bank accounts were frozen, Lex was in charge of Luthor Corp., and they were still under his protection.
Gabe knew that Lionel was not a threat from jail, but he still had contacts. He knew that Lex was looking out for them, and it alleviated some worry, but now he had to concern himself with exactly WHY Lex was protecting them.
He hadn’t missed the closeness between his daughter and his boss. He just didn’t want to contemplate how deep their bond went.
For her part, Chloe didn’t want her father worried, but she wanted to keep him apprised of events. All he could do was make her promise to be careful, and do not do anything foolish.
After dinner, Chloe was looking forward to an early night; she was physically and emotionally drained. She was just heading to her room when the doorbell rang.
She went to the door, and was surprised to see Clark Kent standing there with a load of books in his arms. Her curiosity peeked, she opened the door and let him in.
"Hey Clark, you do know that Lana’s working at The Talon tonight, right?"
Clark nodded and had the good grace to look ashamed. "I’m actually here to see you. I’ve got your homework assignments."
Chloe thanked him, and wondered to herself why Lana didn’t just bring them home with her. Clark answered the unspoken question. "Lana was going to bring them, but I told her I would. I kind of wanted to talk to you."
Chloe waited for him to speak, but she was mentally prepared to tell him off. The last thing she needed right now was for Clark to ask her to help him research something.
She sighed and looked at Clark and was shocked by what she saw. Her friend looked gravely serious, and appeared to be in deep contemplation of what he was going to say next. "Chloe, I know you’re working on some mysterious assignment, and you probably don’t want to talk about it. I just want you to know that if you need any help, I’m here for you."
Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then she laughed, amazed at her friend’s unexpected generosity. Clark smiled at her shocked expression, secretly pleased that he had surprised her. He hugged her, and was out the door in a matter of moments.
Chloe stared at the door for a minute, and wondered if she had dreamed that her normally sanctimonious friend had actually matured. She shook her head in amusement, and started walking towards the stairs when the phone rang.
She stopped and waited. "Chloe! Phone!" Chloe barely resisted the urge to stomp her feet in frustration. ‘Christ, what does a girl have to do to get some sleep around here?’
Chloe took a deep breath, and mustered the nicest tone she could. "Hello?"
"Hey, Chloe, I’m glad I caught you. You weren’t sleeping yet were you?" At the sound of Lex’s voice, all of her fatigue vanished.
"No way! You know that I’m a total night owl. What’s up?" She could hear Lex shuffling papers around, and she figured he was looking for something.
He started to talk with little preamble. "Chloe, I have some news for you. I found some of my mother’s old papers, and some of them are about Dr. Flint, and her sessions with him. You have to read them"
Chloe could here the excitement in Lex’s voice, and she didn’t even pause. "When?"
Lex chuckled at Chloe’s tone. She would have been at the mansion in ten minutes flat if he’d asked her. "Can you meet me tomorrow night at 8 o’clock? I have meetings in Metropolis all day tomorrow, and then I need to finish up at the plant. I hope that’s okay."
Chloe would have met Lex at 4 am if he would have asked. "8 o’clock it is." They said their good nights, each knowing that the other wouldn’t have any peace until they met again.
***********
The next day at school seemed to drag for Chloe, more so than usual. She stared so hard at her watch she practically bore a hole though her wrist. She managed to get through her classes, and escape to The Torch, but that didn’t even offer the relief that it usually did.
Her mind wandered towards Lex and what information he had uncovered and when she looked at the clock and nearly cried in relief. It was 5 o’clock and she could head home for dinner, and then it would be that much closer to 8 o’clock.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture, it was 7:45pm. Her dad wished her good luck, and told her to be careful.
Chloe grabbed her keys, and her bag, and headed for her car, arriving at the plant with minutes to spare. She noticed that the lot was partially filled because the plant’s second shift was run with a skeleton crew.
Chloe got out of her car, to stretch her legs, and walk off some of her nervous energy. She began to make a circuit of the lot, counting off the cars as she walked. She noted three cars, one SUV and five pick-up trucks.
As Chloe walked by, another SUV pulled up. ‘Okay, make that two SUV’s.’ she thought wryly.
Chloe was on her third go around, when she saw movement in the corner of her eye. Too late, she had failed to notice that one SUV she had passed had their back door partially open.
Hands grabbed her roughly, and tried to lift her off the ground. Chloe twisted out of their grasp, throwing her and her two assailants onto the pavement.
Lex walked out of the plant, already checking for where Chloe was parked. He saw it immediately, but did not see her.
He headed for her car, and when he passed the first truck, the sight before him caused his skin to grow cold.
Two men stood over a third, smaller figure that Lex dimly recognized as Chloe. She was being lifted up, and about to be placed into an open van.
Lex didn’t remember if he called out to the men to stop, or when he began to run towards them. The men heard him, dropped Chloe back onto the ground, leaped into their SUV, and sped away before Lex had even gotten to Chloe’s prone body.
He reached her, and was sickened to see Chloe’s hair, drenched in her own blood.
He grabbed his cell phone, and dialed 911. He smoothed Chloe’s hair off her face, careful of her head wound.
He grasped her hand, and brought it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. He began to whisper to her, telling her to hold on, that help was coming.
Internally, he raged at himself, he knew what had happened to his mother, and what had almost happened to Chloe’s mom. And now Chloe was lying unconscious in a parking lot after trying to investigate Dr. Baxter.
People had a nasty habit of getting hurt or worse when they tried to find out about Dr. Baxter. Lex cursed himself for not placing better security measures around the plant.
He was going to find the men responsible for hurting Chloe, and then he would turn his attention towards Dr. Baxter.
She and Flint got away with destroying too many people’s lives. Now, Chloe was injured.
It was going to stop there. He would make sure of it.
Chapter 7
Gabe Sullivan pushed through the doors of The Smallville Medical Center, and headed straight for the Emergency Room.
The nurse recognized him immediately, and waved him to Chloe’s cubicle. He closed his eyes briefly, and tried to squelch the fear that had become almost second nature to him since he and Chloe had moved to Smallville.
No matter how many calls he received, his heart still nearly stopped. He should have been immune to the fear that possessed him whenever he was told that Chloe had landed in the Emergency Room again. He loved his daughter, but one day, she was going to be the death of him.
He grasped the privacy curtain and called out softly, "Sparrow, it’s Dad. I’m coming in." He didn’t hear Chloe respond so he tentatively pulled the curtain aside. He blew out a sigh of relief when he saw his baby girl sitting on the hospital bed with a bandage on her forehead.
She looked pale and her shirt was stained with her blood, but she appeared to be okay. When Chloe spied her dad, she smiled and said, "Hi Dad. Fancy meeting you here."
He rolled his eyes at her behavior, and asked instead, "How are you, and what the hell happened?"
Chloe’s expression dimmed slightly, "I’m okay, and I was almost kidnapped."
Gabe’s felt his knees start to buckle. "What do you mean, ‘almost’ kidnapped?"
Chloe grabbed her dad’s hand. "Dad, sit down and let me tell you what happened. I was waiting for Lex at the plant when two guys tried to grab me and throw me into their van. Lex stopped them, and I got dropped on my head. Hence, ‘almost’ kidnapped."
Gabe winced at his daughter. "You were dropped on your head? Do you have a concussion?"
Chloe quickly shook her head, and immediately wished she hadn’t. "No concussion, just a fierce headache. The doctor’s getting ready to release me."
Gabe nodded, and glanced around the waiting room. "Where’s Lex? I mean, shouldn’t he be here, barking orders at the staff?"
Chloe looked slightly crestfallen as she answered. "He had some phone calls to make. He said he would see me back home."
Gabe saw Chloe’s pained expression, and he rushed to reassure her. "Then you’ll see him at home. After all, Lex has always kept his promises to you, hasn’t he?"
Chloe smiled softly, but she didn’t reply. Lex did keep his promises, especially to her. He would be astonished to hear that Chloe was losing faith in him.
Gabe smiled gently at her and asked instead, "So what exactly is Lex planning on doing to these would-be kidnappers?"
******
When Gabe pulled into the driveway, neither Sullivan was surprised to see Lex’s car already parked there. Gabe got out of the car, and walked around to Chloe’s side to help her out.
Chloe smiled gratefully at her father when he put his arm around her to help her up the steps. Neither noticed that Lex had opened the door when he saw them pull into the driveway.
Lex surprised himself and them when he yelled, "I expected you back twenty minutes ago. Did you get lost coming home?"
Both Gabe and Chloe stepped back in shock at the irate expression on the billionaire’s face. Lex frowned when he realized just how out of control his outburst was.
He sighed, and ducked his head in embarrassment. "Gabe, Chloe, I’m sorry for shouting. I was just anxious for Chloe to come home. I have some news for her, but that doesn’t excuse my behavior."
He looked apologetically at the father and daughter and ended his speech with a quiet, "I’m sorry."
One look at Lex’s contrite expression was enough for Chloe. She walked up to him, and grabbed him by the shirtfront. "Now, how am I supposed to thank you for saving my life, when you’re hollering at me?"
Lex looked startled then started laughing, thankful that she had forgiven him so quickly.
They both looked at Gabe who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Lex, you saved my daughter’s life. There are no words to express my gratitude."
And with that, Gabe crossed the room and engulfed the couple in a hug.
.
After a minute, Chloe finally broke the silence. "Dad? Kind of need to breathe now."
Gabe released them both, and wiped his eyes. "You two go into the living room. I’ll be out with some coffee."
Lex turned to Chloe, and silently held up a manila folder. Lillian’s journals. In all the excitement, Chloe had almost forgotten about them, and she was glad to see that Lex hadn’t.
These files could contain some evidence proving Flint’s misdeeds that could also lead to Baxter being implicated. Lex led Chloe into the living room and handed her the folder.
Chloe appreciated Lex’s sacrifice of not only his privacy, but his mother’s. Yet, Lex had no qualms about giving Chloe his mother’s personal journals. The fact that he trusted her so implicitly was a welcome change to being mistrusted at first glance because she was a reporter.
Chloe picked up the journal and she began to flip through it.
‘Tuesday evening, July 6th - Dr. Flint told me to write all my thoughts down in this book, that it might help me understand my feelings regarding….it. I know that Lionel wants me to be more attentive, but I can’t. It’s ruining everything. I know Alexander was excited, but now he looks worried. Another person I’ve disappointed.’
‘Friday, afternoon, July 16th - The vitamins are rather foul-tasting but Dr. Flint has assured me that they will help me have more vitality and patience with it. I know Lionel would like to have a ‘more functioning family unit’ but I am having trouble sleeping. My dreams are dark.
‘Monday, morning, July 26th - The noise in the penthouse is overwhelming. Everyone seems to be pounding their feet while they walk. Why is everyone shouting? It is loudest of all.’
‘Sunday, night, August 8th- Alexander is truly a godsend. He hates it when I say this but he is his mommy’s angel. I worry for him. He is more sensitive than his father realizes. He watches over us, but he takes too much to heart. He is its only protector.’
‘Thursday morning, August 19th- - Dr. Flint has increased the number of vitamins I take to help improve my strength. But all the pills seem to do is make me sleepy. Yesterday, I slept from 8pm to 6am. I must have needed it, but it kept crying, and Lionel is going to talk to the Dr. about reducing my dose.’
Saturday, September 25th. - It cried again, but it always cries. Alexander picked it up and I tripped him. Lionel shouted but I turned him off. Redness colors everywhere. I can’t seem to find my dolly. The light hurts my eyes; I didn’t know the moon was so bright.’
Chloe looked at the rest of the journals in confusion. "Lex, these entries don’t make any sense. I don’t think I understand."
Lex’s expression had been grim throughout Chloe’s silent reading and now he spoke up. "Chloe, these don’t make any sense because my mother was drugged. The pills she was taking weren’t vitamins; they were an experimental new drug that Flint was trying to get FDA approval for."
Chloe was stunned. "Doesn’t a patient have to give his or her permission to be given an untested drug? Your mother seems to have believed she was taking vitamins! And how do you know for sure she was drugged?"
Lex looked sickened at what he was about to reveal. "I’ve had Flint and Baxter investigated so many times over the years, that I know every research grant they have ever received. At the time of my mother’s death, my father gave Flint permission to use my mother has a guinea pig for his new drug. He eventually got FDA approval, but just barely. Mysteriously, Luthorcorp helped finance several of the empanelled doctors’ research efforts. And Flint was on the receiving end of several of those benefits."
Chloe swallowed hard, and tried not to look too horrified. "Are you saying that your father paid Flint off to drug your mother?"
Lex sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It certainly looks that way doesn’t, it? I always knew my father was ruthless, but I thought he genuinely loved Mom and Julian. Looks like I was wrong."
Lex turned away when he said this, and tried to cover his hurt and anger.
Chloe saw the pain in his eyes, and without a word, she embraced him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she silently patted Lex’s back, seeking to give him the comfort he needed.
Lex placed a kiss on her hair, pulled her closer to him, and he rested his chin on top of her head. The pair stayed that way, each taking comfort from the other’s presence.
Chapter 8
When Lex dropped Chloe off at her house, he felt how angered and frustrated she was, and how hard she tried to hide it.
He wished he could do more to help, when he was struck by an idea. He had a file cabinet full of papers, old calendars, and discarded notes from when his mother was alive. Perhaps one of those documents could shed some light on Dr. Flint and his medical practice.
His father packed them up when Lillian died, and Lex had never had the heart to look at them. It was time to change that. He decided to keep his search to himself because he couldn’t bear for Chloe to be disappointed again.
He shook his head at his own sentimentality and realized that Chloe was talking to him.
She recognized his blank look, and rolled her eyes at him. She repeated that she knew that her dad would be waiting dinner for her, and did Lex want to stay? He declined, and told Chloe he knew that Gabe would want to question her alone.
Besides, he knew that Gabe grew concerned when he and Chloe spent too much time together. Gabe never voiced any disapproval of Lex and Chloe’s friendship, but he didn’t wholeheartedly embrace it either.
Chloe tried never to give her dad any reason to distrust her relationship with Lex. They were friends, nothing more. She knew it and Lex knew it, but everyone around them seemed to need convincing every once in a while.
Chloe was very grateful that Lana was working at The Talon, so she and her dad could talk freely.
She told him about Dr. Baxter’s evasiveness, and her claim that Claire was released from her facility and back into society with the court’s permission. Gabe’s reaction was identical to Lex and Chloe’s, with the addition of some very colorful expletives. Chloe then explained how Lillian Luthor had also been a patient of Dr. Flint’s at the time of Julian’s death.
At this news, Gabe became very still. Chloe noticed his rigid posture, and reassured her dad that they were in no danger of any repercussions. Lionel was in jail with his bank accounts were frozen, Lex was in charge of Luthor Corp., and they were still under his protection.
Gabe knew that Lionel was not a threat from jail, but he still had contacts. He knew that Lex was looking out for them, and it alleviated some worry, but now he had to concern himself with exactly WHY Lex was protecting them.
He hadn’t missed the closeness between his daughter and his boss. He just didn’t want to contemplate how deep their bond went.
For her part, Chloe didn’t want her father worried, but she wanted to keep him apprised of events. All he could do was make her promise to be careful, and do not do anything foolish.
After dinner, Chloe was looking forward to an early night; she was physically and emotionally drained. She was just heading to her room when the doorbell rang.
She went to the door, and was surprised to see Clark Kent standing there with a load of books in his arms. Her curiosity peeked, she opened the door and let him in.
"Hey Clark, you do know that Lana’s working at The Talon tonight, right?"
Clark nodded and had the good grace to look ashamed. "I’m actually here to see you. I’ve got your homework assignments."
Chloe thanked him, and wondered to herself why Lana didn’t just bring them home with her. Clark answered the unspoken question. "Lana was going to bring them, but I told her I would. I kind of wanted to talk to you."
Chloe waited for him to speak, but she was mentally prepared to tell him off. The last thing she needed right now was for Clark to ask her to help him research something.
She sighed and looked at Clark and was shocked by what she saw. Her friend looked gravely serious, and appeared to be in deep contemplation of what he was going to say next. "Chloe, I know you’re working on some mysterious assignment, and you probably don’t want to talk about it. I just want you to know that if you need any help, I’m here for you."
Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then she laughed, amazed at her friend’s unexpected generosity. Clark smiled at her shocked expression, secretly pleased that he had surprised her. He hugged her, and was out the door in a matter of moments.
Chloe stared at the door for a minute, and wondered if she had dreamed that her normally sanctimonious friend had actually matured. She shook her head in amusement, and started walking towards the stairs when the phone rang.
She stopped and waited. "Chloe! Phone!" Chloe barely resisted the urge to stomp her feet in frustration. ‘Christ, what does a girl have to do to get some sleep around here?’
Chloe took a deep breath, and mustered the nicest tone she could. "Hello?"
"Hey, Chloe, I’m glad I caught you. You weren’t sleeping yet were you?" At the sound of Lex’s voice, all of her fatigue vanished.
"No way! You know that I’m a total night owl. What’s up?" She could hear Lex shuffling papers around, and she figured he was looking for something.
He started to talk with little preamble. "Chloe, I have some news for you. I found some of my mother’s old papers, and some of them are about Dr. Flint, and her sessions with him. You have to read them"
Chloe could here the excitement in Lex’s voice, and she didn’t even pause. "When?"
Lex chuckled at Chloe’s tone. She would have been at the mansion in ten minutes flat if he’d asked her. "Can you meet me tomorrow night at 8 o’clock? I have meetings in Metropolis all day tomorrow, and then I need to finish up at the plant. I hope that’s okay."
Chloe would have met Lex at 4 am if he would have asked. "8 o’clock it is." They said their good nights, each knowing that the other wouldn’t have any peace until they met again.
***********
The next day at school seemed to drag for Chloe, more so than usual. She stared so hard at her watch she practically bore a hole though her wrist. She managed to get through her classes, and escape to The Torch, but that didn’t even offer the relief that it usually did.
Her mind wandered towards Lex and what information he had uncovered and when she looked at the clock and nearly cried in relief. It was 5 o’clock and she could head home for dinner, and then it would be that much closer to 8 o’clock.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture, it was 7:45pm. Her dad wished her good luck, and told her to be careful.
Chloe grabbed her keys, and her bag, and headed for her car, arriving at the plant with minutes to spare. She noticed that the lot was partially filled because the plant’s second shift was run with a skeleton crew.
Chloe got out of her car, to stretch her legs, and walk off some of her nervous energy. She began to make a circuit of the lot, counting off the cars as she walked. She noted three cars, one SUV and five pick-up trucks.
As Chloe walked by, another SUV pulled up. ‘Okay, make that two SUV’s.’ she thought wryly.
Chloe was on her third go around, when she saw movement in the corner of her eye. Too late, she had failed to notice that one SUV she had passed had their back door partially open.
Hands grabbed her roughly, and tried to lift her off the ground. Chloe twisted out of their grasp, throwing her and her two assailants onto the pavement.
Lex walked out of the plant, already checking for where Chloe was parked. He saw it immediately, but did not see her.
He headed for her car, and when he passed the first truck, the sight before him caused his skin to grow cold.
Two men stood over a third, smaller figure that Lex dimly recognized as Chloe. She was being lifted up, and about to be placed into an open van.
Lex didn’t remember if he called out to the men to stop, or when he began to run towards them. The men heard him, dropped Chloe back onto the ground, leaped into their SUV, and sped away before Lex had even gotten to Chloe’s prone body.
He reached her, and was sickened to see Chloe’s hair, drenched in her own blood.
He grabbed his cell phone, and dialed 911. He smoothed Chloe’s hair off her face, careful of her head wound.
He grasped her hand, and brought it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. He began to whisper to her, telling her to hold on, that help was coming.
Internally, he raged at himself, he knew what had happened to his mother, and what had almost happened to Chloe’s mom. And now Chloe was lying unconscious in a parking lot after trying to investigate Dr. Baxter.
People had a nasty habit of getting hurt or worse when they tried to find out about Dr. Baxter. Lex cursed himself for not placing better security measures around the plant.
He was going to find the men responsible for hurting Chloe, and then he would turn his attention towards Dr. Baxter.
She and Flint got away with destroying too many people’s lives. Now, Chloe was injured.
It was going to stop there. He would make sure of it.
Chapter 7
Gabe Sullivan pushed through the doors of The Smallville Medical Center, and headed straight for the Emergency Room.
The nurse recognized him immediately, and waved him to Chloe’s cubicle. He closed his eyes briefly, and tried to squelch the fear that had become almost second nature to him since he and Chloe had moved to Smallville.
No matter how many calls he received, his heart still nearly stopped. He should have been immune to the fear that possessed him whenever he was told that Chloe had landed in the Emergency Room again. He loved his daughter, but one day, she was going to be the death of him.
He grasped the privacy curtain and called out softly, "Sparrow, it’s Dad. I’m coming in." He didn’t hear Chloe respond so he tentatively pulled the curtain aside. He blew out a sigh of relief when he saw his baby girl sitting on the hospital bed with a bandage on her forehead.
She looked pale and her shirt was stained with her blood, but she appeared to be okay. When Chloe spied her dad, she smiled and said, "Hi Dad. Fancy meeting you here."
He rolled his eyes at her behavior, and asked instead, "How are you, and what the hell happened?"
Chloe’s expression dimmed slightly, "I’m okay, and I was almost kidnapped."
Gabe’s felt his knees start to buckle. "What do you mean, ‘almost’ kidnapped?"
Chloe grabbed her dad’s hand. "Dad, sit down and let me tell you what happened. I was waiting for Lex at the plant when two guys tried to grab me and throw me into their van. Lex stopped them, and I got dropped on my head. Hence, ‘almost’ kidnapped."
Gabe winced at his daughter. "You were dropped on your head? Do you have a concussion?"
Chloe quickly shook her head, and immediately wished she hadn’t. "No concussion, just a fierce headache. The doctor’s getting ready to release me."
Gabe nodded, and glanced around the waiting room. "Where’s Lex? I mean, shouldn’t he be here, barking orders at the staff?"
Chloe looked slightly crestfallen as she answered. "He had some phone calls to make. He said he would see me back home."
Gabe saw Chloe’s pained expression, and he rushed to reassure her. "Then you’ll see him at home. After all, Lex has always kept his promises to you, hasn’t he?"
Chloe smiled softly, but she didn’t reply. Lex did keep his promises, especially to her. He would be astonished to hear that Chloe was losing faith in him.
Gabe smiled gently at her and asked instead, "So what exactly is Lex planning on doing to these would-be kidnappers?"
******
When Gabe pulled into the driveway, neither Sullivan was surprised to see Lex’s car already parked there. Gabe got out of the car, and walked around to Chloe’s side to help her out.
Chloe smiled gratefully at her father when he put his arm around her to help her up the steps. Neither noticed that Lex had opened the door when he saw them pull into the driveway.
Lex surprised himself and them when he yelled, "I expected you back twenty minutes ago. Did you get lost coming home?"
Both Gabe and Chloe stepped back in shock at the irate expression on the billionaire’s face. Lex frowned when he realized just how out of control his outburst was.
He sighed, and ducked his head in embarrassment. "Gabe, Chloe, I’m sorry for shouting. I was just anxious for Chloe to come home. I have some news for her, but that doesn’t excuse my behavior."
He looked apologetically at the father and daughter and ended his speech with a quiet, "I’m sorry."
One look at Lex’s contrite expression was enough for Chloe. She walked up to him, and grabbed him by the shirtfront. "Now, how am I supposed to thank you for saving my life, when you’re hollering at me?"
Lex looked startled then started laughing, thankful that she had forgiven him so quickly.
They both looked at Gabe who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Lex, you saved my daughter’s life. There are no words to express my gratitude."
And with that, Gabe crossed the room and engulfed the couple in a hug.
.
After a minute, Chloe finally broke the silence. "Dad? Kind of need to breathe now."
Gabe released them both, and wiped his eyes. "You two go into the living room. I’ll be out with some coffee."
Lex turned to Chloe, and silently held up a manila folder. Lillian’s journals. In all the excitement, Chloe had almost forgotten about them, and she was glad to see that Lex hadn’t.
These files could contain some evidence proving Flint’s misdeeds that could also lead to Baxter being implicated. Lex led Chloe into the living room and handed her the folder.
Chloe appreciated Lex’s sacrifice of not only his privacy, but his mother’s. Yet, Lex had no qualms about giving Chloe his mother’s personal journals. The fact that he trusted her so implicitly was a welcome change to being mistrusted at first glance because she was a reporter.
Chloe picked up the journal and she began to flip through it.
‘Tuesday evening, July 6th - Dr. Flint told me to write all my thoughts down in this book, that it might help me understand my feelings regarding….it. I know that Lionel wants me to be more attentive, but I can’t. It’s ruining everything. I know Alexander was excited, but now he looks worried. Another person I’ve disappointed.’
‘Friday, afternoon, July 16th - The vitamins are rather foul-tasting but Dr. Flint has assured me that they will help me have more vitality and patience with it. I know Lionel would like to have a ‘more functioning family unit’ but I am having trouble sleeping. My dreams are dark.
‘Monday, morning, July 26th - The noise in the penthouse is overwhelming. Everyone seems to be pounding their feet while they walk. Why is everyone shouting? It is loudest of all.’
‘Sunday, night, August 8th- Alexander is truly a godsend. He hates it when I say this but he is his mommy’s angel. I worry for him. He is more sensitive than his father realizes. He watches over us, but he takes too much to heart. He is its only protector.’
‘Thursday morning, August 19th- - Dr. Flint has increased the number of vitamins I take to help improve my strength. But all the pills seem to do is make me sleepy. Yesterday, I slept from 8pm to 6am. I must have needed it, but it kept crying, and Lionel is going to talk to the Dr. about reducing my dose.’
Saturday, September 25th. - It cried again, but it always cries. Alexander picked it up and I tripped him. Lionel shouted but I turned him off. Redness colors everywhere. I can’t seem to find my dolly. The light hurts my eyes; I didn’t know the moon was so bright.’
Chloe looked at the rest of the journals in confusion. "Lex, these entries don’t make any sense. I don’t think I understand."
Lex’s expression had been grim throughout Chloe’s silent reading and now he spoke up. "Chloe, these don’t make any sense because my mother was drugged. The pills she was taking weren’t vitamins; they were an experimental new drug that Flint was trying to get FDA approval for."
Chloe was stunned. "Doesn’t a patient have to give his or her permission to be given an untested drug? Your mother seems to have believed she was taking vitamins! And how do you know for sure she was drugged?"
Lex looked sickened at what he was about to reveal. "I’ve had Flint and Baxter investigated so many times over the years, that I know every research grant they have ever received. At the time of my mother’s death, my father gave Flint permission to use my mother has a guinea pig for his new drug. He eventually got FDA approval, but just barely. Mysteriously, Luthorcorp helped finance several of the empanelled doctors’ research efforts. And Flint was on the receiving end of several of those benefits."
Chloe swallowed hard, and tried not to look too horrified. "Are you saying that your father paid Flint off to drug your mother?"
Lex sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It certainly looks that way doesn’t, it? I always knew my father was ruthless, but I thought he genuinely loved Mom and Julian. Looks like I was wrong."
Lex turned away when he said this, and tried to cover his hurt and anger.
Chloe saw the pain in his eyes, and without a word, she embraced him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she silently patted Lex’s back, seeking to give him the comfort he needed.
Lex placed a kiss on her hair, pulled her closer to him, and he rested his chin on top of her head. The pair stayed that way, each taking comfort from the other’s presence.
Chapter 8