Not the Time (Part 10C/??)
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten A |
Ten B | Ten C | Eleven | Conclusion
“So she’s okay?” he asked again.
Lois sighed, looking at him and letting her arms fall to her sides. “Yes, she’s fine. But she said the two of you had a fight.” She raised her eyebrows, wanting to hear his side of the story.
“She told you that?” He cringed a little.
“She told me you offered to be the father of her baby. What were you thinking?”
Clark rubbed the back of his neck and moved past her, looking down the hallway without responding.
“Don’t you think you’ve broken her heart enough? Why would you do this knowing how she feels about you?” Lois pressed.
“Lois, I don’t really wanna talk to you about this.”
“Like that’s ever stopped me,” she retorted, moving so she was standing in front of me.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” She put her hands on her hips. “I told you once if you ever hurt her again I’d kick your ass and I damn well meant it, Smallville. So what’s going on with you?”
Clark looked at her, pained, but remained silent.
It took her a moment to recognize his silence as the admission it was. Her eyes widened a little. “You’re in love with her.”
Clark sighed and looked at the floor. Without warning, she smacked him hard in the arm and he glanced up at her, startled. “What was that for?”
“Have you told her that?” she demanded.
“I tried to!” he said defensively.
“Really? What did you say?”
“I told her I wanted to help her raise the baby and that I wanted us to be a family!”
“Gee, that’s romantic,” Lois said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “It didn’t even occur to you to try ‘Hey, Chloe, I’ve been an ignorant jackass but I’ve come to realize I’ve fallen in love with you’? Preferably with a dozen red roses accompanying the words.”
Clark made a face. “Talking to you is always so helpful.”
“Believe it or not, I am trying to help.”
He sighed heavily. “All right, so what do I do?”
“Well, right now she’s completely convinced that you’re just trying to play the knight-in-shining-armor in this bun-in-oven fairytale. So you need to convince her otherwise,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Why do I think that’s gonna be a lot harder than it sounds?”
“Um, because you’ve broken her heart half a dozen times by changing your mind and throwing out the ‘just friends’ card? That could be it.” Lois smirked.
He gave her a withering look, then looked down at the floor. “So…red roses?”
Lois waved a hand. “Make ‘em lilies. Red roses are my favorite,” she informed him.
Rolling his eyes, he headed for the elevator, hoping that the hospital gift shop had lilies.
* * *
Chloe lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. According to the doctor, she had several months of doing just that ahead of her. Wondering how on earth she was going to combat the boredom, she didn’t even hear the approaching footsteps.
“Hey.” Clark’s voice was soft.
She turned her head to look at him, smiling. “Hey.” She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness.
“I brought you…” He held up a bouquet of white lilies.
Her eyes softened. “Oh…thank you,” she said softly. “They’re beautiful.” She wondered only briefly how he’d known lilies were her favorite, as it dawned on her quickly that Lois must have tipped him off. Still, it was a sweet gesture.
He smiled a little and set them in a vase by her bed. “How ya feeling?”
“Tired mostly. A little freaked out,” she admitted.
Nodding, he gazed at her intently. “But you’re okay?”
“Yeah. The doctor says I’m gonna be fine, but…looks like I’m stuck here for a couple days. And then I have to take it easy for awhile.” She sighed softly, looking down at the blanket covering her legs.
“Yeah, that’s what he told us too.”
She bit her lip, glancing at him for a second. “You got here awfully fast…did anyone suspect anything?” she asked worriedly.
“No.” Clark touched her arm. “I just told them I was already in Metropolis when Lana called me. No one thought anything of it. So don’t worry.” How could he have ever thought Chloe would betray him? She was always so careful, so meticulous about covering for him, even when sometimes he wasn’t so careful.
Letting out a relieved breath, she nodded a little. “Clark, about earlier--”
“It’s okay, Chloe,” he said quietly. “I haven’t given you any reason to trust me with your heart.”
Chloe closed her eyes. “Clark--”
“But don’t think I’m giving up.” His voice was still quiet, but full of resolve and she opened her eyes to look at him. “I am in love with you, Chloe, and I’m gonna wait however long it takes and do whatever I have to, to make you believe it.” He kissed her hand softly, then met her surprised eyes with a small smile. “But right now you need some rest.” Clark hesitated, then leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
Chloe watched in dazed, speechless silence as he slowly left her room. His words echoed in her head. I am in love with you, Chloe.
Sweet dreams.
Yeah, like she was going to be able to sleep now.
Ten B | Ten C | Eleven | Conclusion
“So she’s okay?” he asked again.
Lois sighed, looking at him and letting her arms fall to her sides. “Yes, she’s fine. But she said the two of you had a fight.” She raised her eyebrows, wanting to hear his side of the story.
“She told you that?” He cringed a little.
“She told me you offered to be the father of her baby. What were you thinking?”
Clark rubbed the back of his neck and moved past her, looking down the hallway without responding.
“Don’t you think you’ve broken her heart enough? Why would you do this knowing how she feels about you?” Lois pressed.
“Lois, I don’t really wanna talk to you about this.”
“Like that’s ever stopped me,” she retorted, moving so she was standing in front of me.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” She put her hands on her hips. “I told you once if you ever hurt her again I’d kick your ass and I damn well meant it, Smallville. So what’s going on with you?”
Clark looked at her, pained, but remained silent.
It took her a moment to recognize his silence as the admission it was. Her eyes widened a little. “You’re in love with her.”
Clark sighed and looked at the floor. Without warning, she smacked him hard in the arm and he glanced up at her, startled. “What was that for?”
“Have you told her that?” she demanded.
“I tried to!” he said defensively.
“Really? What did you say?”
“I told her I wanted to help her raise the baby and that I wanted us to be a family!”
“Gee, that’s romantic,” Lois said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “It didn’t even occur to you to try ‘Hey, Chloe, I’ve been an ignorant jackass but I’ve come to realize I’ve fallen in love with you’? Preferably with a dozen red roses accompanying the words.”
Clark made a face. “Talking to you is always so helpful.”
“Believe it or not, I am trying to help.”
He sighed heavily. “All right, so what do I do?”
“Well, right now she’s completely convinced that you’re just trying to play the knight-in-shining-armor in this bun-in-oven fairytale. So you need to convince her otherwise,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Why do I think that’s gonna be a lot harder than it sounds?”
“Um, because you’ve broken her heart half a dozen times by changing your mind and throwing out the ‘just friends’ card? That could be it.” Lois smirked.
He gave her a withering look, then looked down at the floor. “So…red roses?”
Lois waved a hand. “Make ‘em lilies. Red roses are my favorite,” she informed him.
Rolling his eyes, he headed for the elevator, hoping that the hospital gift shop had lilies.
* * *
Chloe lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. According to the doctor, she had several months of doing just that ahead of her. Wondering how on earth she was going to combat the boredom, she didn’t even hear the approaching footsteps.
“Hey.” Clark’s voice was soft.
She turned her head to look at him, smiling. “Hey.” She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness.
“I brought you…” He held up a bouquet of white lilies.
Her eyes softened. “Oh…thank you,” she said softly. “They’re beautiful.” She wondered only briefly how he’d known lilies were her favorite, as it dawned on her quickly that Lois must have tipped him off. Still, it was a sweet gesture.
He smiled a little and set them in a vase by her bed. “How ya feeling?”
“Tired mostly. A little freaked out,” she admitted.
Nodding, he gazed at her intently. “But you’re okay?”
“Yeah. The doctor says I’m gonna be fine, but…looks like I’m stuck here for a couple days. And then I have to take it easy for awhile.” She sighed softly, looking down at the blanket covering her legs.
“Yeah, that’s what he told us too.”
She bit her lip, glancing at him for a second. “You got here awfully fast…did anyone suspect anything?” she asked worriedly.
“No.” Clark touched her arm. “I just told them I was already in Metropolis when Lana called me. No one thought anything of it. So don’t worry.” How could he have ever thought Chloe would betray him? She was always so careful, so meticulous about covering for him, even when sometimes he wasn’t so careful.
Letting out a relieved breath, she nodded a little. “Clark, about earlier--”
“It’s okay, Chloe,” he said quietly. “I haven’t given you any reason to trust me with your heart.”
Chloe closed her eyes. “Clark--”
“But don’t think I’m giving up.” His voice was still quiet, but full of resolve and she opened her eyes to look at him. “I am in love with you, Chloe, and I’m gonna wait however long it takes and do whatever I have to, to make you believe it.” He kissed her hand softly, then met her surprised eyes with a small smile. “But right now you need some rest.” Clark hesitated, then leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
Chloe watched in dazed, speechless silence as he slowly left her room. His words echoed in her head. I am in love with you, Chloe.
Sweet dreams.
Yeah, like she was going to be able to sleep now.