Not the Time (Part 10A/??)
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten A |
Ten B | Ten C | Eleven | Conclusion
Not the Time (Part Ten)
It’s not the time
It’s not the place
I am afraid
When Clark’s cell phone rang and he saw that it was Lana calling, he almost didn’t answer it. He stared at it for a long moment, his teeth gritted together. In a matter of weeks his relationship with her had gone from great to dissolving into…what? He wondered. It wasn’t quite nothing, but it was pretty close.
A gut instinct told him to answer and he did so with some amount of reluctance. “Hello.”
“Clark, it’s me.” It sounded like she’d been crying.
“I saw that on the caller ID. What’s wrong?” Despite his reluctance to want to speak to her after their breakup, he couldn’t help but be concerned. Something was obviously wrong.
“I’m in Metropolis, at the hospital.”
“Lana, are you okay?” he asked, feeling a bit alarmed.
“It’s not me,” she whispered. “It’s Chloe and the baby. Something’s wrong, Clark.”
He felt like someone kicked him in the gut. “I’ll be right there.” He stood and seconds later was on his way to Metropolis. Please be okay, he prayed.
* * *
Lana was too riddled with guilt and worry to think about how quickly Clark had arrived at the hospital after her phone call. Some part of her mind chalked it up to the fact he was probably already in Metropolis. After all, these days, he wasn’t generally far behind wherever Chloe was.
“How is she?” His voice was strained and she glanced at him sideways, her eyes red.
“They’ve taken her down for tests. I don’t know anything yet.”
Clark rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to pace the hallway floor.
“Where the hell is my cousin?”
He glanced down the hallway to see a worried Lois Lane standing at the front desk, her hands curled into fists. “Lois!”
“Clark!” She caught sight of him and quickly walked toward him.
“How’d you get here so fast?” he asked, shaking his head.
Not looking pleased, she glanced at Lana. “Lex’s helicopter. What the hell happened?”
They both turned to look at Lana, who shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know. We were in the dorm talking and then…she said there was pain in her stomach, so I called an ambulance.”
The look of guilt on the dark haired girl’s face went unnoticed by Clark, but not by Lois, whose eyes narrowed.
“What exactly were you talking about?”
“Does it matter?”
Lois took a step toward her. “If you said something to upset her and she’s losing her baby because of it, you’re damn right it matters.” Her anger was barely controlled.
Lana swallowed hard, dropping her gaze. “We had a fight,” she admitted in a whisper.
Clark felt someone else approaching and turned to see a doctor headed in their direction. “Are you here for Chloe Sullivan?”
“Yes,” Lois said without hesitation. “I’m her cousin.”
He nodded slightly. “And the two of you?” He looked at Lana, then at Clark.
“Clark is her boyfriend,” Lois interrupted before he could say anything and not acknowledging his surprised look. She didn’t look at Lana, but she made a vague gesture in the other girl’s direction. “That’s just her roommate. She’s not family.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, you’ll have to wait out here.” The doctor offered Lana a sympathetic look and she tried to smile, but her eyes were burning with tears.
Not giving his ex another thought, Clark quickly followed the doctor and Lois down the hall to a consultation room. “How is she?” the two of them said together as soon as the door was closed.
The doctor perched on the edge of his desk, looking serious. “Your friend’s gonna be just fine.”
“And the baby?” Lois asked, wrapping her arms around herself.
He hesitated a moment and Clark swallowed hard, feeling ill. “When your cousin arrived at the hospital, she was in premature labor.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her face paling.
“We gave her Magnesium sulfate to stop the labor because obviously it’s much too early for her to deliver. However, the next few days are critical. We’re gonna keep her here under observation and if she does well, we’ll send her home with an advisement of strict bed-rest and a no stress environment.”
Clark swallowed hard, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “But they’re both okay?”
“For the time being, yes. I should warn you that premature labor this early on in a pregnancy is rare and very dangerous. The chances of a premature delivery are greatly heightened, so Ms. Sullivan will have to be monitored very carefully even after her subsequent release.” The doctor looked grave.
“Can we see her?” Lois asked anxiously.
“She’s resting now, but you can see her. Visits should be brief and non-stressful,” he warned.
She nodded quickly, then glanced at Clark, who looked every bit as worried as she did.
“You should go first,” he told her softly, not quite meeting her eyes. He couldn’t help but think the conversation he’d had with Chloe earlier had contributed to this every bit as much as whatever argument she may have had with Lana.
“Okay. I’ll come get you when I’m done.” She patted his arm and headed down the hall following the doctor.
Ten B | Ten C | Eleven | Conclusion
Not the Time (Part Ten)
It’s not the time
It’s not the place
I am afraid
When Clark’s cell phone rang and he saw that it was Lana calling, he almost didn’t answer it. He stared at it for a long moment, his teeth gritted together. In a matter of weeks his relationship with her had gone from great to dissolving into…what? He wondered. It wasn’t quite nothing, but it was pretty close.
A gut instinct told him to answer and he did so with some amount of reluctance. “Hello.”
“Clark, it’s me.” It sounded like she’d been crying.
“I saw that on the caller ID. What’s wrong?” Despite his reluctance to want to speak to her after their breakup, he couldn’t help but be concerned. Something was obviously wrong.
“I’m in Metropolis, at the hospital.”
“Lana, are you okay?” he asked, feeling a bit alarmed.
“It’s not me,” she whispered. “It’s Chloe and the baby. Something’s wrong, Clark.”
He felt like someone kicked him in the gut. “I’ll be right there.” He stood and seconds later was on his way to Metropolis. Please be okay, he prayed.
* * *
Lana was too riddled with guilt and worry to think about how quickly Clark had arrived at the hospital after her phone call. Some part of her mind chalked it up to the fact he was probably already in Metropolis. After all, these days, he wasn’t generally far behind wherever Chloe was.
“How is she?” His voice was strained and she glanced at him sideways, her eyes red.
“They’ve taken her down for tests. I don’t know anything yet.”
Clark rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to pace the hallway floor.
“Where the hell is my cousin?”
He glanced down the hallway to see a worried Lois Lane standing at the front desk, her hands curled into fists. “Lois!”
“Clark!” She caught sight of him and quickly walked toward him.
“How’d you get here so fast?” he asked, shaking his head.
Not looking pleased, she glanced at Lana. “Lex’s helicopter. What the hell happened?”
They both turned to look at Lana, who shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know. We were in the dorm talking and then…she said there was pain in her stomach, so I called an ambulance.”
The look of guilt on the dark haired girl’s face went unnoticed by Clark, but not by Lois, whose eyes narrowed.
“What exactly were you talking about?”
“Does it matter?”
Lois took a step toward her. “If you said something to upset her and she’s losing her baby because of it, you’re damn right it matters.” Her anger was barely controlled.
Lana swallowed hard, dropping her gaze. “We had a fight,” she admitted in a whisper.
Clark felt someone else approaching and turned to see a doctor headed in their direction. “Are you here for Chloe Sullivan?”
“Yes,” Lois said without hesitation. “I’m her cousin.”
He nodded slightly. “And the two of you?” He looked at Lana, then at Clark.
“Clark is her boyfriend,” Lois interrupted before he could say anything and not acknowledging his surprised look. She didn’t look at Lana, but she made a vague gesture in the other girl’s direction. “That’s just her roommate. She’s not family.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, you’ll have to wait out here.” The doctor offered Lana a sympathetic look and she tried to smile, but her eyes were burning with tears.
Not giving his ex another thought, Clark quickly followed the doctor and Lois down the hall to a consultation room. “How is she?” the two of them said together as soon as the door was closed.
The doctor perched on the edge of his desk, looking serious. “Your friend’s gonna be just fine.”
“And the baby?” Lois asked, wrapping her arms around herself.
He hesitated a moment and Clark swallowed hard, feeling ill. “When your cousin arrived at the hospital, she was in premature labor.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, her face paling.
“We gave her Magnesium sulfate to stop the labor because obviously it’s much too early for her to deliver. However, the next few days are critical. We’re gonna keep her here under observation and if she does well, we’ll send her home with an advisement of strict bed-rest and a no stress environment.”
Clark swallowed hard, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “But they’re both okay?”
“For the time being, yes. I should warn you that premature labor this early on in a pregnancy is rare and very dangerous. The chances of a premature delivery are greatly heightened, so Ms. Sullivan will have to be monitored very carefully even after her subsequent release.” The doctor looked grave.
“Can we see her?” Lois asked anxiously.
“She’s resting now, but you can see her. Visits should be brief and non-stressful,” he warned.
She nodded quickly, then glanced at Clark, who looked every bit as worried as she did.
“You should go first,” he told her softly, not quite meeting her eyes. He couldn’t help but think the conversation he’d had with Chloe earlier had contributed to this every bit as much as whatever argument she may have had with Lana.
“Okay. I’ll come get you when I’m done.” She patted his arm and headed down the hall following the doctor.