Who Will Wake Him?
Title: Who Will Wake Him?
Warning: Silly with a capital S!
Summery: Richard has a surreal encounter at the hospital...
Author's Notes: Set at the end of the movie. A sort of Missing Scene. Beta’d by the lovely Sheera. All mistakes are the fault of my inability to take good advice.
Who Will Wake Him?
Richard waited for two hours, and finally decided to go looking for Lois.
Breaking through the crowd at the vigil was difficult but he managed and even kept all his limbs intact. He didn’t even begin to know how to begin to explain the situation to the guard. “I’m, ah, looking for Lois Lane. I’m her…” Back-up boyfriend? Eternal fiancé?
The guard merely glowered at him, crossing his arms.
“It’s alright, he’s on the list.” A nurse appeared at the door. She smiled provocatively at the guard before grabbing Richard’s arm and hauling him through the barricade.
“Where have you been?” She hissed, pulling him along at a brisk pace.
“I’m sorry… do I… do we know…?” Richard tried breathlessly to get a word out but she was paying him no mind.
“Doesn’t matter, you got here just in time, watch the-”
Richard, unable to disengage from the determined nurse’s grasp, was pulled along straight into a sound collision with a corner turn. Richard, meet wall. Wall, meet Richard. Richard is a pilot who enjoys horror movies…
“Sorry!” She grimaced. “We haven’t got a lot of-wait! In here!”
At the sight of a guard, she pulled him into what looked like a supply closet and shut the door behind them, throwing them into the darkness.
“Do you-”
“SHHHHH!”
“Do you know where my wife is?” He asked, voice lowered. No time to explain the complexities. Better to just refer to her as his wife and apologize later. “I’ve been waiting for over two-”
“Oh, her, she left a while ago. Cute kid, by the way. Yours?”
I wish, oh Lord do I wish. “Can I just ask-why are we hiding in here? And where are you taking me?”
The door creaked open as the nurse peeked out. “Coast is clear, let’s go!”
Before she could grab him again, Richard stepped back, evading her grasp. “Go where?” He asked, thoroughly confused and more then a little irritated.
She glanced at him in annoyance. “We’re going to save Superman’s life. You’re the only one who can.”
After that, she didn’t need to take his arm. Richard, mollified for the moment, surrendered to her sense of urgency. Trailing behind her, he wondered what exactly it would entail. A blood transfusion? Bone marrow? He was still confused as to what had hurt the man of steel in the first place. He hadn’t had the chance to ask Lois.
They arrived quickly, avoiding guards as they went. Why is that? Along the way they stopped and picked up a white lab coat she instructed Richard to put on. (“For hygiene reasons,” she hissed. ) After he had it one they breezed past the guards with no problem, but Richard was seriously beginning to wonder what they were doing here. He knew for a fact he wasn’t here in any kind of official capacity, and felt every inch the intruder as they walked briskly down the corridors.
Before long, Richard was staring down at a prone and costume-less Superman. The shock of seeing such a powerful being fighting for his life was severe. The nurse came up behind him and patted his shoulder sympathetically, stripping the lab coat off him in one smooth motion.
“What should I do?” He began to unbutton his shirt thinking that perhaps it would be some type of blood transfusion after all. One they wouldn’t want to be public knowledge, I’m sure. If they’d come up with some sort of way to puncture Superman’s skin, it would only make sense that the operation remain a secret, to protect the method from falling into the wrong hands. That must be it.
“Whoa boy! Let’s keep this PG, okay?” The nurse stepped forward and began to re-button his shirt… slowly.
Richard began to feel this situation was all manner of wrong. “Um… PG?”
“Yeah, we don’t need any nudity. At least,” Her eyes racked up and down his body. “not today.” She winked. “A kiss will do just fine!”
For the first time, Richard could see her eyes clearly. There was a spark of mischief in them that didn’t bode well. “Um, miss… you’re a very nice girl…”
“Not me!” She laughed sharply, then thought better and covered her mouth, glanced outside to see if the guards moved. They didn’t seem to have heard.
“Not me…” She gestured towards the bed. “Him!”
Richard was sure, at this point, that the woman had cracked under some job related stress. “Miss, I think you might be a little confused.”
She glared at him sternly. “This man saved your wife and child, and you’re just going to let him die?”
“I really don’t think kissing him is going to help!”
She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath for deliverance from such idiocy. “How does the fairytale prince wake the princess?”
“This isn’t a fairytale!” Richard was becoming irritated at how lightly she was taking the situation. This was a man’s life at stake here, not a game. Not just any man, either. Richard owed more to this man than she could ever understand. “And he’s not a princess.” And I’m no prince. But that was also beside the point.
“Are you going to argue about gender roles with me or are you going to save that man’s life?” She stopped, tilting her head as though she’d heard something in the distance. “Look, we don’t have a lot of time. Even if you don’t believe me, what can it hurt to try?”
The millions of things which it could hurt-notwithstanding the things Superman might hurt should he ever find out-flitted across Richard’s mind. Still, Richard found himself taking step after step towards the bed.
The last vestige of sanity in his mind whispered to him. What about Lois? “What about Lois?” He repeated to himself.
“Who?” The Nurse snapped, patience wearing thin.
Richard blinked for a moment seeming to shake off the spell of this most surreal situation. “Lois, my wife.” He stressed, almost as though to remind himself.
“Oh, her.” The Nurse’s voice beyond dismissive. “She already had her chance. Does he look awake to you?”
Richard decided to forgo considering the implications of that phrase. The Nurse came to stand behind him. “We really don’t have a lot of time.” she said solemnly. And Richard seemed to feel it too. As though time were crowding around this moment. Waiting...
He looked up at the nurse, whose name tag he now realized was missing. Her eyes no longer held mischief. They were dead serious.
“Now or never, flyboy. Could you live with yourself if you let him die?”
Richard walked out of the back entrance to the hospital in a daze to find Lois and Jason waiting on the curb.
“About time!” She jumped up and brushed the dirt off her suit. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting over two hours!”
Where I said I’d be… he failed to mention. “Sorry. I’ve got parking over on the other side. Are you… do you…?”
“Let’s just go home.” She brushed past him, sounding exhausted.
They went home. Neither felt the need to discuss what happened at the hospital. And when the news came to him the next day of how Superman had made a miraculous recovery, Richard almost choked on his coffee.
Only Jason noticed.
Warning: Silly with a capital S!
Summery: Richard has a surreal encounter at the hospital...
Author's Notes: Set at the end of the movie. A sort of Missing Scene. Beta’d by the lovely Sheera. All mistakes are the fault of my inability to take good advice.
Who Will Wake Him?
Richard waited for two hours, and finally decided to go looking for Lois.
Breaking through the crowd at the vigil was difficult but he managed and even kept all his limbs intact. He didn’t even begin to know how to begin to explain the situation to the guard. “I’m, ah, looking for Lois Lane. I’m her…” Back-up boyfriend? Eternal fiancé?
The guard merely glowered at him, crossing his arms.
“It’s alright, he’s on the list.” A nurse appeared at the door. She smiled provocatively at the guard before grabbing Richard’s arm and hauling him through the barricade.
“Where have you been?” She hissed, pulling him along at a brisk pace.
“I’m sorry… do I… do we know…?” Richard tried breathlessly to get a word out but she was paying him no mind.
“Doesn’t matter, you got here just in time, watch the-”
Richard, unable to disengage from the determined nurse’s grasp, was pulled along straight into a sound collision with a corner turn. Richard, meet wall. Wall, meet Richard. Richard is a pilot who enjoys horror movies…
“Sorry!” She grimaced. “We haven’t got a lot of-wait! In here!”
At the sight of a guard, she pulled him into what looked like a supply closet and shut the door behind them, throwing them into the darkness.
“Do you-”
“SHHHHH!”
“Do you know where my wife is?” He asked, voice lowered. No time to explain the complexities. Better to just refer to her as his wife and apologize later. “I’ve been waiting for over two-”
“Oh, her, she left a while ago. Cute kid, by the way. Yours?”
I wish, oh Lord do I wish. “Can I just ask-why are we hiding in here? And where are you taking me?”
The door creaked open as the nurse peeked out. “Coast is clear, let’s go!”
Before she could grab him again, Richard stepped back, evading her grasp. “Go where?” He asked, thoroughly confused and more then a little irritated.
She glanced at him in annoyance. “We’re going to save Superman’s life. You’re the only one who can.”
After that, she didn’t need to take his arm. Richard, mollified for the moment, surrendered to her sense of urgency. Trailing behind her, he wondered what exactly it would entail. A blood transfusion? Bone marrow? He was still confused as to what had hurt the man of steel in the first place. He hadn’t had the chance to ask Lois.
They arrived quickly, avoiding guards as they went. Why is that? Along the way they stopped and picked up a white lab coat she instructed Richard to put on. (“For hygiene reasons,” she hissed. ) After he had it one they breezed past the guards with no problem, but Richard was seriously beginning to wonder what they were doing here. He knew for a fact he wasn’t here in any kind of official capacity, and felt every inch the intruder as they walked briskly down the corridors.
Before long, Richard was staring down at a prone and costume-less Superman. The shock of seeing such a powerful being fighting for his life was severe. The nurse came up behind him and patted his shoulder sympathetically, stripping the lab coat off him in one smooth motion.
“What should I do?” He began to unbutton his shirt thinking that perhaps it would be some type of blood transfusion after all. One they wouldn’t want to be public knowledge, I’m sure. If they’d come up with some sort of way to puncture Superman’s skin, it would only make sense that the operation remain a secret, to protect the method from falling into the wrong hands. That must be it.
“Whoa boy! Let’s keep this PG, okay?” The nurse stepped forward and began to re-button his shirt… slowly.
Richard began to feel this situation was all manner of wrong. “Um… PG?”
“Yeah, we don’t need any nudity. At least,” Her eyes racked up and down his body. “not today.” She winked. “A kiss will do just fine!”
For the first time, Richard could see her eyes clearly. There was a spark of mischief in them that didn’t bode well. “Um, miss… you’re a very nice girl…”
“Not me!” She laughed sharply, then thought better and covered her mouth, glanced outside to see if the guards moved. They didn’t seem to have heard.
“Not me…” She gestured towards the bed. “Him!”
Richard was sure, at this point, that the woman had cracked under some job related stress. “Miss, I think you might be a little confused.”
She glared at him sternly. “This man saved your wife and child, and you’re just going to let him die?”
“I really don’t think kissing him is going to help!”
She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath for deliverance from such idiocy. “How does the fairytale prince wake the princess?”
“This isn’t a fairytale!” Richard was becoming irritated at how lightly she was taking the situation. This was a man’s life at stake here, not a game. Not just any man, either. Richard owed more to this man than she could ever understand. “And he’s not a princess.” And I’m no prince. But that was also beside the point.
“Are you going to argue about gender roles with me or are you going to save that man’s life?” She stopped, tilting her head as though she’d heard something in the distance. “Look, we don’t have a lot of time. Even if you don’t believe me, what can it hurt to try?”
The millions of things which it could hurt-notwithstanding the things Superman might hurt should he ever find out-flitted across Richard’s mind. Still, Richard found himself taking step after step towards the bed.
The last vestige of sanity in his mind whispered to him. What about Lois? “What about Lois?” He repeated to himself.
“Who?” The Nurse snapped, patience wearing thin.
Richard blinked for a moment seeming to shake off the spell of this most surreal situation. “Lois, my wife.” He stressed, almost as though to remind himself.
“Oh, her.” The Nurse’s voice beyond dismissive. “She already had her chance. Does he look awake to you?”
Richard decided to forgo considering the implications of that phrase. The Nurse came to stand behind him. “We really don’t have a lot of time.” she said solemnly. And Richard seemed to feel it too. As though time were crowding around this moment. Waiting...
He looked up at the nurse, whose name tag he now realized was missing. Her eyes no longer held mischief. They were dead serious.
“Now or never, flyboy. Could you live with yourself if you let him die?”
Richard walked out of the back entrance to the hospital in a daze to find Lois and Jason waiting on the curb.
“About time!” She jumped up and brushed the dirt off her suit. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting over two hours!”
Where I said I’d be… he failed to mention. “Sorry. I’ve got parking over on the other side. Are you… do you…?”
“Let’s just go home.” She brushed past him, sounding exhausted.
They went home. Neither felt the need to discuss what happened at the hospital. And when the news came to him the next day of how Superman had made a miraculous recovery, Richard almost choked on his coffee.
Only Jason noticed.