Fic: Hidden Truths: A Sparrow Mends
Chapter 9
Chloe stared in shock at Clark, and wondered if she had heard him right.
Did Clark just offer to help them commit a crime? It was true that Lex hadn’t actually spelled it out, but Chloe could see where he was going with his reference to "unofficial channels."
It was a euphemism, and even Clark would have to know what that meant. And Smallville’s Farm boy was willing to ride shotgun. Yet, Chloe still wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting into.
"’IN?’ Clark, what the hell are you talking about?"
Clark ignored Chloe’s outburst, and kept his eyes focused on Lex. "I want to help you get the people responsible for hurting Chloe. I know that’s what you were discussing before Lana and I arrived. I think you could use my help."
Chloe rolled her eyes, irritated that she was being excluded from the conversation. "Two things: first, I am in the room, so don’t talk about me as though I’m not here. And second, what makes you think we need any help?"
Clark’s eyes moved to Chloe’s. "So, you are going after whoever hurt you."
Chloe opened her mouth to deny it, when Lex interrupted. "Why do you want to help us?"
He could see that Chloe was dangerously close to telling their mutual friend where he could stick his suggestion, but Lex didn’t see the problem with accepting his offer.
Clark had saved them both from certain death on more than one occasion. He was a trustworthy friend, who could be counted on in a crisis.
True, he had a moral code that was usually inflexible, but only when Clark deemed it to be. This must be one of those more flexible times. Lex paused, and waited for Clark’s answer.
Clark took a deep breath before he answered. "I offered to help because I don’t want any of my friends getting hurt."
Clark then turned to look at Chloe. "I told you I’d help you if you needed it, and I think you need it."
Chloe bristled at Clark’s implication, when he surprised her yet again. "Chloe, I’m not implying that you and Lex can’t handle whatever you’re planning, but I think I should come along as back up."
Lex nodded his head at Clark’s offer, and looked at Chloe for her reaction. "Chloe, I think this is a good idea. Clark’s always helped us in the past, and we can always use more muscle."
Chloe still looked worried, unsure of how much Clark needed to be told. She was also confused, considering that she didn’t even know what Lex was planning.
But, Clark surprised her for the third time that night. "Guys, the only thing I want is to keep either of you from any serious injury. Just tell me what you’re planning; that’s all I need to know."
Lex and Chloe exchanged glances, glad that their friend did not need chapter and verse on what had transpired. They gave Clark a brief review of Drs Flint and Baxter and their search for evidence against them. Clark nodded his head in understanding, and asked where they were going to look for this evidence.
Lex explained that they needed to find Flint and Baxter’s patient files from twelve years ago. He was convinced that if they could find out what had transpired between Claire and Baxter while she was under her care, that it would help shed light on Flint’s murder.
Lex didn’t say it, but Chloe knew he wanted to finally put his mom and Julian’s ghost to rest. Claire and Lillian both suffered under Flint’s care, and Baxter held the answers to why. They just needed to get her to tell them what she knew.
Chloe pointed out that the records would probably be at the facility Baxter had taken her mom to. All they would need is to locate the facility and find the records.
Before Chloe had finished speaking, Lex had taken out his phone and dialed his assistant, giving her the information he needed researched. He ended the call, and told Clark and Chloe that they would have the location by the morning.
Lex and Clark said goodnight to Chloe, with promises from Lex to let her know what was the next step in their plan.
She somehow knew that it wouldn’t involve them going to the front door and politely asking for the records. She just hoped Lex wouldn’t call in his own personal Delta Force.
True to his word, Lex called Chloe at 6:30am. He kept his comments brief and to the point.
The facility was located in a rather seedy section of Metropolis. The three of them would meet at Chloe’s house at sunset and go to the facility.
Lex would get them inside the building, and they could poke around, and hopefully uncover enough dirt to bury Baxter.
Lex would tell Clark of the plan, and it would be up to Chloe how much of the nights’ activities to tell her dad.
She decided to tell him everything; she didn’t want any secrets separating them anymore. Gabe, to his credit, didn’t ask how they were getting inside the facility. He just hoped that Claire’s records would still be there.
Chloe couldn’t explain it, but she felt a sense of excitement building in her stomach that told her they were on the right track. She often had that feeling right before a break in a story would happen. It was strictly intuitive, but it had never let her down before. Chloe just felt that soon they would have the answers to her mom’s disappearance.
**********
Chloe, Lex, and Clark stared at the building in front of them. Chloe turned to Lex and asked him incredulously, "THIS is Baxter’s facility?! It’s a dump!"
Clark nodded his head in agreement. "I was kind of expecting something a little more grand than a warehouse. How did Dr. Baxter care for patients in a place like this?"
The warehouse was not in the best of shape. Trash was everywhere, and there did not appear to be any working lights. It looked as if a person hadn’t stepped inside of it for at least ten years.
When Lex had been told the location of the facility, he had been surprised. The location was one of Metropolis’ worst slums. But, he decided to reserve judgment till he saw the place.
Once he saw that it was nothing more than a warehouse, he let his mind wander. Lex could hazard a guess as to what this building actually was, but he didn’t want to upset Chloe without proof. But one look at Chloe’s face showed him that she was already on her way to guessing what he suspected.
"Baxter never had a facility," Chloe said slowly. "This was always a warehouse, storing God knows what." Chloe closed her eyes, stunned by how easily Baxter had duped the courts.
Who knows what happened to her mother after being released into Baxter’s care? And more importantly, who knew if her mother was actually even still alive?
No, she wouldn’t allow thoughts like that to enter her brain. They would find out what happened to her mother, and bring Baxter to justice. She was positive, and now all they had to do was prove it. Chloe turned to her friends, and asked, "Ready to do some crimes?"
Neither man smiled, but Chloe could see the beginnings of a smirk forming on Lex’s lips. He pulled out a key card from his jacket, and walked towards the door.
He ran it through the scanner, and heard the lock click. Lex reached out and clasped Chloe’s hand in his, and smiled to reassure her.
Clark pulled the door open, and waited for Lex and Chloe to stand beside him. The three friends took a deep breath, and walked into the warehouse.
WARNING: This chapter deals with the abuse, and death of children. I am not going into gory detail, but it is a disturbing part of the story. I’m sorry if this upsets anyone. I know it was very difficult and upsetting to write.
Chapter 10
Chloe looked up at the clock, and could hardly believe how much time had passed. They had been searching the warehouse for the past three hours.
Clark had been the one to find the file room, leaving Chloe stunned that he had been able to see the door at all. The door had been fashioned to look like a part of the wall. Yet, Clark had noticed it.
Chloe shook her head, and decided to chalk it up to "the mystery that is Clark Kent." There was a time and place to grill Clark, but this was not it. Instead, she turned her attention to the file room itself.
It was the only place that actually held any type of furniture; the rest of the area was empty space. The file cabinets had been arranged in rows, and in what seemed to be a random order.
Their only option was to go through each cabinet, one by one. They each took a row, and began the search.
After an hour, Clark again saved the day when he found the file on Chloe’s mom. Chloe eagerly paged through it, confident that all of her questions would be answered.
After reading through it, she was left just as baffled. Dr. Flint’s diagnosis had been depression that could be controlled through anti-depressants. His notes did not contain a mention of any psychotic behavior.
Indeed, Flint had appeared to believe that all Mrs. Sullivan needed was to balance the chemicals in her brain, and her mental illness would be under control.
Contrast that to Dr. Baxter’s diagnosis, which had Claire Sullivan being one step removed from a deranged psychopath. Baxter’s notes recommended that Mrs. Sullivan was a danger to herself, and she needed to be properly medicated.
But, with that medication, she would not harm anyone else. There was not a mention as to why she killed Flint, what prompted the violence in her actions, and why Baxter was now convinced that Claire wasn’t a threat to anyone’s safety.
There was not a judge in any court who would have signed off on releasing any person with this as a recommendation. Chloe looked closer at the judge’s signature, but the handwriting was so blurred, she could hardly read it. Baxter wanted her mother released, but the question was why.
She looked up to see if she could get Lex’s attention, but he was absorbed in the file in front of him. She walked over to show him her mother’s file, but was stopped short by the horrified look on Lex’s face. Chloe could feel her heart beginning to pound in her chest.
She stepped closer to Lex, and tried to read what had him so sickened. He saw her coming, and quickly flipped the folder closed. A look of disbelief crossed his features, and mingled with disgust.
He began to mutter to himself, and Chloe had to lean in to catch what he said. "My God, how many were there?"
Chloe’s stomach clenched in fear, and she reached out her hand to grasp his. "Lex, please tell me what is in that file!"
Lex snapped out of whatever trance he had been in when he felt her touch his hand. He hesitated about showing Chloe what he had found, knowing that it would upset her.
He paused, and then showed her what had him so preoccupied. He didn’t offer her an explanation, just handed her a sheaf of papers.
The papers appeared to be court documents, similar to her mother’s, of various diagnoses from ten separate patients’ files. Chloe looked back at him, sat down on the concrete floor and began to read.
‘The patient, Anna Cummiskey, suffers from severe postpartum depression. After extensive drug therapy, the patient became violent and drowned her three-month-old child. Mrs. Cummiskey is a danger to herself and others, and it is with great regret that I must recommend that she should be confined to a mental hospital for the remainder of her life.’
‘The patient, Jane-Martine Butler, had severe depression, brought on by the birth of her son. She was treated with a regime of drug therapy. Unfortunately, Mrs. Butler shook her two-month-old son with such force, that it resulted in the baby suffering a massive head trauma, which left him brain dead. At my last visit, Mrs. Butler was catatonic, responding to little stimuli. She is currently in Metropolis University Hospital’s Psychiatric Ward.’
‘The patient, Margaret Banister, became increasingly violent during her pregnancy, but her rage disappeared after the birth of her twins, one boy and one girl. The patient seemed to be adjusting well, but she still had crying jags. She was given drug therapy to help stabilize her mood swings. However, Mrs. Banister broke the arm of her three-year-old daughter after the little girl ate a cookie before supper. The police were called when Mrs. Banister jumped off of the roof of her apartment building, after slitting the throats of her twin babies.’
Chloe closed her eyes, when the words on the page began to swim in front of her. There were many more accounts of women who were diagnosed with some form of postpartum induced depression. In every case, Dr. Flint prescribed his own brand of anti-depressives, and in every case, the patient killed their child.
No wonder Dr. Flint’s supposed miracle drug couldn’t get FDA approval.
The women taking the drugs were becoming increasingly violent. Yet, Flint continued to prescribe them.
Lex stood silently by as Chloe read each case study, and he watched her face become pale as each new horror was revealed. Finally, Chloe stopped reading and looked up, her eyes round with fear.
Before she could even begin to formulate a question, Lex answered her. "Apparently, Flint’s anti-depressives increased his patients’ violent tendencies. According to these files, he was aware of the side effects and tried to find the right dosage through trial and error."
Chloe’s mind could hardly absorb what she was hearing, and Lex’s seeming detachment unnerved her.
His facial expression was calm, but Chloe could see that his jaw was clenched, and the white-knuckled grip on the folders were two signs that Lex was nowhere near as calm as he would have her believe.
It was a small comfort that he was as enraged as she was.
Flint’s trial and error led to the abuse and deaths of countless children. Their mothers hardly faired any better, with them either committing suicide or ending up in jail.
To think that her and Lex’s mom were at this evil doctor’s mercy made her skin crawl. She glanced at Lex, and wondered how much of this information Lionel Luthor had before he signed his wife up as a guinea pig.
Again, Lex answered her unasked question. "Chloe, I’m going to have to talk to my father. He’s the only one left who can tell us about Flint."
He glanced around the warehouse uneasily, suddenly wanting nothing more than for the three of them to vacate the premises and breathe fresh air. "I’m calling the FBI as soon as we’re outside. The files stay where we found them. I want all evidence to remain in this room."
Lex took one more look around the room, and nodded his head. It had taken him more than ten years, but he was finally finding justice for his mother and brother.
He turned to Chloe and said, "I’m going to bring the car around front. Go grab Clark. We’re leaving."
Chloe immediately put down the file in her hand, and she started to walk towards the row Clark was in. She was startled by the sound of Clark’s voice reverberating against the walls. "Guys?!"
Chapters 11 and 12
Chloe stared in shock at Clark, and wondered if she had heard him right.
Did Clark just offer to help them commit a crime? It was true that Lex hadn’t actually spelled it out, but Chloe could see where he was going with his reference to "unofficial channels."
It was a euphemism, and even Clark would have to know what that meant. And Smallville’s Farm boy was willing to ride shotgun. Yet, Chloe still wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting into.
"’IN?’ Clark, what the hell are you talking about?"
Clark ignored Chloe’s outburst, and kept his eyes focused on Lex. "I want to help you get the people responsible for hurting Chloe. I know that’s what you were discussing before Lana and I arrived. I think you could use my help."
Chloe rolled her eyes, irritated that she was being excluded from the conversation. "Two things: first, I am in the room, so don’t talk about me as though I’m not here. And second, what makes you think we need any help?"
Clark’s eyes moved to Chloe’s. "So, you are going after whoever hurt you."
Chloe opened her mouth to deny it, when Lex interrupted. "Why do you want to help us?"
He could see that Chloe was dangerously close to telling their mutual friend where he could stick his suggestion, but Lex didn’t see the problem with accepting his offer.
Clark had saved them both from certain death on more than one occasion. He was a trustworthy friend, who could be counted on in a crisis.
True, he had a moral code that was usually inflexible, but only when Clark deemed it to be. This must be one of those more flexible times. Lex paused, and waited for Clark’s answer.
Clark took a deep breath before he answered. "I offered to help because I don’t want any of my friends getting hurt."
Clark then turned to look at Chloe. "I told you I’d help you if you needed it, and I think you need it."
Chloe bristled at Clark’s implication, when he surprised her yet again. "Chloe, I’m not implying that you and Lex can’t handle whatever you’re planning, but I think I should come along as back up."
Lex nodded his head at Clark’s offer, and looked at Chloe for her reaction. "Chloe, I think this is a good idea. Clark’s always helped us in the past, and we can always use more muscle."
Chloe still looked worried, unsure of how much Clark needed to be told. She was also confused, considering that she didn’t even know what Lex was planning.
But, Clark surprised her for the third time that night. "Guys, the only thing I want is to keep either of you from any serious injury. Just tell me what you’re planning; that’s all I need to know."
Lex and Chloe exchanged glances, glad that their friend did not need chapter and verse on what had transpired. They gave Clark a brief review of Drs Flint and Baxter and their search for evidence against them. Clark nodded his head in understanding, and asked where they were going to look for this evidence.
Lex explained that they needed to find Flint and Baxter’s patient files from twelve years ago. He was convinced that if they could find out what had transpired between Claire and Baxter while she was under her care, that it would help shed light on Flint’s murder.
Lex didn’t say it, but Chloe knew he wanted to finally put his mom and Julian’s ghost to rest. Claire and Lillian both suffered under Flint’s care, and Baxter held the answers to why. They just needed to get her to tell them what she knew.
Chloe pointed out that the records would probably be at the facility Baxter had taken her mom to. All they would need is to locate the facility and find the records.
Before Chloe had finished speaking, Lex had taken out his phone and dialed his assistant, giving her the information he needed researched. He ended the call, and told Clark and Chloe that they would have the location by the morning.
Lex and Clark said goodnight to Chloe, with promises from Lex to let her know what was the next step in their plan.
She somehow knew that it wouldn’t involve them going to the front door and politely asking for the records. She just hoped Lex wouldn’t call in his own personal Delta Force.
True to his word, Lex called Chloe at 6:30am. He kept his comments brief and to the point.
The facility was located in a rather seedy section of Metropolis. The three of them would meet at Chloe’s house at sunset and go to the facility.
Lex would get them inside the building, and they could poke around, and hopefully uncover enough dirt to bury Baxter.
Lex would tell Clark of the plan, and it would be up to Chloe how much of the nights’ activities to tell her dad.
She decided to tell him everything; she didn’t want any secrets separating them anymore. Gabe, to his credit, didn’t ask how they were getting inside the facility. He just hoped that Claire’s records would still be there.
Chloe couldn’t explain it, but she felt a sense of excitement building in her stomach that told her they were on the right track. She often had that feeling right before a break in a story would happen. It was strictly intuitive, but it had never let her down before. Chloe just felt that soon they would have the answers to her mom’s disappearance.
**********
Chloe, Lex, and Clark stared at the building in front of them. Chloe turned to Lex and asked him incredulously, "THIS is Baxter’s facility?! It’s a dump!"
Clark nodded his head in agreement. "I was kind of expecting something a little more grand than a warehouse. How did Dr. Baxter care for patients in a place like this?"
The warehouse was not in the best of shape. Trash was everywhere, and there did not appear to be any working lights. It looked as if a person hadn’t stepped inside of it for at least ten years.
When Lex had been told the location of the facility, he had been surprised. The location was one of Metropolis’ worst slums. But, he decided to reserve judgment till he saw the place.
Once he saw that it was nothing more than a warehouse, he let his mind wander. Lex could hazard a guess as to what this building actually was, but he didn’t want to upset Chloe without proof. But one look at Chloe’s face showed him that she was already on her way to guessing what he suspected.
"Baxter never had a facility," Chloe said slowly. "This was always a warehouse, storing God knows what." Chloe closed her eyes, stunned by how easily Baxter had duped the courts.
Who knows what happened to her mother after being released into Baxter’s care? And more importantly, who knew if her mother was actually even still alive?
No, she wouldn’t allow thoughts like that to enter her brain. They would find out what happened to her mother, and bring Baxter to justice. She was positive, and now all they had to do was prove it. Chloe turned to her friends, and asked, "Ready to do some crimes?"
Neither man smiled, but Chloe could see the beginnings of a smirk forming on Lex’s lips. He pulled out a key card from his jacket, and walked towards the door.
He ran it through the scanner, and heard the lock click. Lex reached out and clasped Chloe’s hand in his, and smiled to reassure her.
Clark pulled the door open, and waited for Lex and Chloe to stand beside him. The three friends took a deep breath, and walked into the warehouse.
WARNING: This chapter deals with the abuse, and death of children. I am not going into gory detail, but it is a disturbing part of the story. I’m sorry if this upsets anyone. I know it was very difficult and upsetting to write.
Chapter 10
Chloe looked up at the clock, and could hardly believe how much time had passed. They had been searching the warehouse for the past three hours.
Clark had been the one to find the file room, leaving Chloe stunned that he had been able to see the door at all. The door had been fashioned to look like a part of the wall. Yet, Clark had noticed it.
Chloe shook her head, and decided to chalk it up to "the mystery that is Clark Kent." There was a time and place to grill Clark, but this was not it. Instead, she turned her attention to the file room itself.
It was the only place that actually held any type of furniture; the rest of the area was empty space. The file cabinets had been arranged in rows, and in what seemed to be a random order.
Their only option was to go through each cabinet, one by one. They each took a row, and began the search.
After an hour, Clark again saved the day when he found the file on Chloe’s mom. Chloe eagerly paged through it, confident that all of her questions would be answered.
After reading through it, she was left just as baffled. Dr. Flint’s diagnosis had been depression that could be controlled through anti-depressants. His notes did not contain a mention of any psychotic behavior.
Indeed, Flint had appeared to believe that all Mrs. Sullivan needed was to balance the chemicals in her brain, and her mental illness would be under control.
Contrast that to Dr. Baxter’s diagnosis, which had Claire Sullivan being one step removed from a deranged psychopath. Baxter’s notes recommended that Mrs. Sullivan was a danger to herself, and she needed to be properly medicated.
But, with that medication, she would not harm anyone else. There was not a mention as to why she killed Flint, what prompted the violence in her actions, and why Baxter was now convinced that Claire wasn’t a threat to anyone’s safety.
There was not a judge in any court who would have signed off on releasing any person with this as a recommendation. Chloe looked closer at the judge’s signature, but the handwriting was so blurred, she could hardly read it. Baxter wanted her mother released, but the question was why.
She looked up to see if she could get Lex’s attention, but he was absorbed in the file in front of him. She walked over to show him her mother’s file, but was stopped short by the horrified look on Lex’s face. Chloe could feel her heart beginning to pound in her chest.
She stepped closer to Lex, and tried to read what had him so sickened. He saw her coming, and quickly flipped the folder closed. A look of disbelief crossed his features, and mingled with disgust.
He began to mutter to himself, and Chloe had to lean in to catch what he said. "My God, how many were there?"
Chloe’s stomach clenched in fear, and she reached out her hand to grasp his. "Lex, please tell me what is in that file!"
Lex snapped out of whatever trance he had been in when he felt her touch his hand. He hesitated about showing Chloe what he had found, knowing that it would upset her.
He paused, and then showed her what had him so preoccupied. He didn’t offer her an explanation, just handed her a sheaf of papers.
The papers appeared to be court documents, similar to her mother’s, of various diagnoses from ten separate patients’ files. Chloe looked back at him, sat down on the concrete floor and began to read.
‘The patient, Anna Cummiskey, suffers from severe postpartum depression. After extensive drug therapy, the patient became violent and drowned her three-month-old child. Mrs. Cummiskey is a danger to herself and others, and it is with great regret that I must recommend that she should be confined to a mental hospital for the remainder of her life.’
‘The patient, Jane-Martine Butler, had severe depression, brought on by the birth of her son. She was treated with a regime of drug therapy. Unfortunately, Mrs. Butler shook her two-month-old son with such force, that it resulted in the baby suffering a massive head trauma, which left him brain dead. At my last visit, Mrs. Butler was catatonic, responding to little stimuli. She is currently in Metropolis University Hospital’s Psychiatric Ward.’
‘The patient, Margaret Banister, became increasingly violent during her pregnancy, but her rage disappeared after the birth of her twins, one boy and one girl. The patient seemed to be adjusting well, but she still had crying jags. She was given drug therapy to help stabilize her mood swings. However, Mrs. Banister broke the arm of her three-year-old daughter after the little girl ate a cookie before supper. The police were called when Mrs. Banister jumped off of the roof of her apartment building, after slitting the throats of her twin babies.’
Chloe closed her eyes, when the words on the page began to swim in front of her. There were many more accounts of women who were diagnosed with some form of postpartum induced depression. In every case, Dr. Flint prescribed his own brand of anti-depressives, and in every case, the patient killed their child.
No wonder Dr. Flint’s supposed miracle drug couldn’t get FDA approval.
The women taking the drugs were becoming increasingly violent. Yet, Flint continued to prescribe them.
Lex stood silently by as Chloe read each case study, and he watched her face become pale as each new horror was revealed. Finally, Chloe stopped reading and looked up, her eyes round with fear.
Before she could even begin to formulate a question, Lex answered her. "Apparently, Flint’s anti-depressives increased his patients’ violent tendencies. According to these files, he was aware of the side effects and tried to find the right dosage through trial and error."
Chloe’s mind could hardly absorb what she was hearing, and Lex’s seeming detachment unnerved her.
His facial expression was calm, but Chloe could see that his jaw was clenched, and the white-knuckled grip on the folders were two signs that Lex was nowhere near as calm as he would have her believe.
It was a small comfort that he was as enraged as she was.
Flint’s trial and error led to the abuse and deaths of countless children. Their mothers hardly faired any better, with them either committing suicide or ending up in jail.
To think that her and Lex’s mom were at this evil doctor’s mercy made her skin crawl. She glanced at Lex, and wondered how much of this information Lionel Luthor had before he signed his wife up as a guinea pig.
Again, Lex answered her unasked question. "Chloe, I’m going to have to talk to my father. He’s the only one left who can tell us about Flint."
He glanced around the warehouse uneasily, suddenly wanting nothing more than for the three of them to vacate the premises and breathe fresh air. "I’m calling the FBI as soon as we’re outside. The files stay where we found them. I want all evidence to remain in this room."
Lex took one more look around the room, and nodded his head. It had taken him more than ten years, but he was finally finding justice for his mother and brother.
He turned to Chloe and said, "I’m going to bring the car around front. Go grab Clark. We’re leaving."
Chloe immediately put down the file in her hand, and she started to walk towards the row Clark was in. She was startled by the sound of Clark’s voice reverberating against the walls. "Guys?!"
Chapters 11 and 12