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Rating: PG
************
Clark watched as his friend, Chloe, put the final touches on their
school's daily newspaper. He glanced at his watch. His parents should
be home heading home from their weekend trip to Metropolis by now.
"Am I boring you, Clark?"
"Huh?" He shoook his head. "No, I'm just thinking."
Chloe sighed. "About Lana Lang, no doubt." When was he going to
forget about the ex-cheerleader and focus on her?
"Actually, I was thinking about my parents. They should be on their
way back from Metropolis."
"Oh yeah! Did you talk to them before they left?"
Clark was about to reply, when the phone rang. He picked it up
instead. "This is Clark Kent."
Chloe looked up at him. His mouth was slightly open in and he looked a
little pale. The phone slipped from his hands as he sank back into the
chair.
"Clark?" Chloe asked in concern. "Clark, answer me! What happened?"
He stood up and grabbed his jacket. "My parents were in a car
accident. I-I gotta go."
Chloe watched him rush out the door. "Clark!" she called, but he was
already gone. Knowing that he shouldn't be alone, Chloe picked up the
phone. She had to find Pete and Lana.
****************
Clark ran into the emergency room of Smallville General, looking around
for any signs of his parents. "Excuse me!" he said, stopping a doctor.
"My parents were in a car accident, they were brought here."
"Their names?" he asked, without looking up from his chart.
"Jonathan and Martha Kent." The Doctor took his first look at Clark.
He nodded. "Follow me...?"
"Clark."
"Clark. I'm Doctor Branson," he said. "They were hit head on by a
drunk driver." Clark nodded. Drunk drivers were rare in Smallville,
but they were around. "They're both in critical condition."
Clark took a deep breath. "Can I see them?"
"Before I let you see them, there's something else you need to know."
Clark stared at him. What more could possibly be wrong with this whole
situation? "They're both in a coma."
Part 2
Clark stared at his parent's unmoving forms. It was his fault they
were in here. If only he could have gotten there in time. If only...
If only...
His heart thumped wildly in his chest at the realization that he could
lose the two most constant people in his life. What would happen to the
farm? What would happen to him? Would he have to quit school? Would he
be sent to
an orphanage? Would anyone want him?
Clark jumped at the hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Chloe.
"Hey, Clark. Sorry I scared you," she said.
"It's all right," Clark replied.
She glanced over at Jonathan and Martha Kent, then back at their son.
"How are you holding up?"
Clark smiled at her sadly. "I've been better."
"Do you need anything?"
"Besides the obvious?" he asked with a sigh. "Not right now. Thanks,
Chloe."
She pulled him to his feet. "I think you need some fresh air."
"Chloe..."
"Clark, you can't just sit in here. Besides, visiting hours will be
over in 15 minutes and they'll kick you out anyway."
He acquiesed. "All right, but give me five minutes." Chloe gave him a
hug and went out into the hall.
As soon as the door shut, Clark walked over to his mother. "I'll be
back tomorrow. Please hang on. I need you."
"You too, Dad. I love you both." With a sigh, Clark left the room.
**************
Clark wasn't paying attention to where he was going, he just let Chloe
lead him. He soon found them in front of the Talon. "Chloe, I'm not in
the mood for a big crowd."
"Trust me, Clark," she replied with a smile.
He glanced at the sign on the door: 'Closed for a private engagement.'
"Clark!" It was Lana. She gave him a hug. "How are you doing?"
"I'm feeling a little better thanks to my friends," he said with a
small smile. "You didn't have to close early, Lana."
"I wanted to. Besides, I know how crowds can get when you just want to
try and make sense of the world."
Pete joined them. "Don't worry about your parents, Clark. They're two
of the most stubborn people I know. They'll be up and about in no
time!"
"Thanks, Pete," Clark responded.
***************
Clark stared at the empty kitchen. "Will you be all right?"
"Yeah," he whispered. "Fine."
"Pete and I will be by in the morning to help you out. You have to
deliver some stuff, right?"
He nodded. "It's not necessary, Chloe. I can take care of it
myself."
"We know you can," she replied, "but we want to help. Please let us,
Clark."
He turned to her and smiled. "Thanks again, for everything."
"You're welcome." She turned to leave. "Oh, and Clark, don't hesitate
to call if you need anything."
He nodded and watched her leave. Clark found new hope that his parents
would be all right. And because it was his fault they were lying in
hospital beds, the question was: Would they still want him?
Part 3
Clark had just finished his chores and packing up the truck when Chloe,
Pete, and Lana arrived. They stared at him in shock. "What?" he
asked.
"How did you do that?" Lana said.
"Do what?"
Chloe gestured to his truck. "That."
"I couldn't sleep so I decided to start my chores early," he
explained.
Pete just continued to stare at him. "Early?! Clark, we already know
you get up at 5 am!"
"Just get over it," Clark growled. "I'm going to be late delivering
everything."
"Sorry, Clark," Lana said. "We didn't mean to strike a nerve."
Clark ran a hand through his hair. "No, I'm the one who should be
sorry. You guys have done so much for me and I screamed at you." He
leaned against the truck. "It's just that..."
"What is it, Clark?" Chloe asked, taking his hand in hers.
He glanced over at Lana. She smiled at him encouragingly. "I'm
scared."
"Who can blame you?" Pete questioned. "Hell, I'm scared! Clark, I'm
scared what's happening to you."
"I'm sorry, guys." He looked at his watch. "I only have room for one
other person. Who's coming with me?"
Lana and Chloe agreed that Pete should go with him. "We'll meet you at
the hospital in an hour," Chloe told them.
***************
Chloe and Lana sat in chairs near the Kent's room. They both jumped
when Lana's cell phone rang. "Hello?" She looked up to see Clark and
Pete heading towards them. "I can't talk right now, Whitney."
"What's going on?" he asked.
"I'm at the hospital," she replied. "I'll call you back later."
"Is Nell okay?"
"Not Nell, Clark's parents. I'll call you back tonight!" Before he
could respond, she said goodbye and hung up. She knew Whitney would
over react and she didn't have the energy to deal with that too!
They all watched as Clark silently slide into his parent's room.
"Guys, we have to do something," Pete said. "Clark hasn't said a word
since we left his house."
"Mr. States-the-Obvious," Chloe joked.
Clark found Dr. Branson leaning over his mom. "Mr. Kent, I have a
surprise for you."
"Mom!" Clark said with a smile.
"Hey."
Dr. Branson jotted something down on his chart, then looked at Clark.
"She still needs rest, young man." He nodded, glancing over at
Jonathan. "Your father still needs some time to heal. It shouldn't be
too much longer before he wakes up as well."
"Thank you," Clark replied. The doctor nodded and left. Clark looked
back at his mother. He seemed afraidt to touch her. "I'm so glad
you're all right."
"Clark, honey, what's wrong?" she asked. She patted the bed. "Have a
seat."
"Mom..."
"Humor me?" She could tell something was bothering him, and she knew
right away what it was. "Clark Kent, stop blaming yourself this
instant! You can't be two places at once! Especially when you didn't
even know where we were!"
Clark choked back his tears. "But, Mom, I could have prevented this
from happening."
"You don't know that for certain, Clark. There are other scenarios
that could have played out. You can't save everyone."
Clark nodded and kissed her cheek. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Part 4
Clark looked up from the book he was reading to see Lex Luthor walking
over to him. "Hey, Lex."
"Hey," he replied. "Sorry I didn't come sooner, but I was in
Metropolis."
"It's all right," Clark replied.
"How are they doing?"
Clark sighed. "My mom is awake. The doctor just wants to keep her
here till tomorrow for observation."
"Your dad?"
"No change yet. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not," he
replied. "The Doctor is checking on him again."
As if on cue, Dr. Branson came out of the room. "Clark." He stood up
and waited for him to continue. "You're father's awake."
"Thank God!" Clark said, smiling. Lex patted him on the back. "Can I
see him?"
"There's something you need to know first."
"What's that?" Clark was anxious to talk to his father, but this seemed
important. "Is something wrong?"
"Clark, your father has amnesia."
****************
"Lana."
Lana smiled at her boyfriend. He had been so busy with his dad's store
that she hadn't seen him in a while. "Hey."
"Are you heading out?" he asked, eyeing the keys in her hand.
"Yeah, Clark's parents are both awake. However, Mr. Kent has
amnesia."
Whitney nodded. "That's too bad. Why don't we go to the Beanery
instead?"
Lana stared at him. "What?"
"Come on, Lana, it'll be good for you."
"'Good for me'? My friend is going to through a hard time and that's
all you can say? Whitney, I know you've never liked Clark, but even you
can't be that heartless!"
Whitney shook his head. "How come you're there for him when his
parents are sick, but not for me?"
"I would have been there for you from the beginning if you would have
told me!" Lana screamed back. "I gotta go now."
****************
Clark slowly entered the room. Martha smiled sadly at him and pulled
him aside. "Clark, I don't know what the doctor has told you."
"Just that Dad has amnesia... why?"
"He has selective amnesia. I told him you were worried sick about him
and..." she trailed off.
"What, Mom?"
"He asked me who you were."
Clark stared at her in shock. His own father didn't know who he was.
"A-are you sure?"
Martha nodded, tears falling. "I'm sorry, Clark. We're just going to
have to work on helping him with his memories."
"I-I... I'm going for a walk."
"Clark."
"No, Mom, please. I need to be alone." Martha nodded slowly, watching
her son leave.
"Martha, was that him?"
She nodded. "Yeah, Jonathan."
"God, I can't believe this!" he growled. "Why can't I remember my own
son!"
"Everything will turn out all right," she told him. "You'll see. Now
why don't you try and get some sleep."
Jonathan gave in and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, son," he whispered,
drifting off to sleep.
****************
Lana climbed the steps up to Clark's loft. She had gone to the
hospital only to have Mrs. Kent tell her he had just left. "I thought
I'd find you here."
"Yeah."
"How are you doing?"
Clark laughed bitterly. "How am I doing? That's a loaded question,
Lana."
She smiled sadly and sat next to him. "I know it is, that's why I
asked it."
"I feel like I want to hit something hard."
"Admit it, Clark, you want to hit your Dad."
He looked up at her. "How did you know that?"
"I get that way sometimes. I just want to hit my parents for being at
the wrong place at the wrong time. It's stupid, I know, but I can't
help it."
"Of all the things in this world, why did he have to forget me?"
Lana shrugged. "That's not a question any of us can answer, Clark.
Just give him time. I think you're a pretty difficult guy to forget."
Clark smiled. "Thanks, Lana."
Part 5
Two days later, Jonathan Kent was sent home with a promise that he
would take it easy. He wasn't happy about it and Martha could tell he
was about to break that promise.
"Jonathan, don't worry about anything. Clark and I can take care of
the farm. Please, at least give yourself a week before you start up
again."
Jonathan sighed. "Fine, but I don't see how you're going to get it all
finished before Clark has to get to school."
"Morning!" Clark said, coming through the front door. "Mom,
everything's done and the truck is loaded," he told her.
Marth smiled, giving Clark a peck on the cheek. "Thank you,
sweetheart."
Jonathan looked confused. "How...?"
"I got up at 4:30," he replied, picking up his school bag. "See you
later."
"Jonathan, we have to talk about something," Martha said.
****************
Chloe was busily typing away at her computer when Clark entered. She
was so engrossed in the editorial that she didn't hear him come in.
He leaned over her shoulder and quickly read what she had. "'How
cafeteria food is bad for you'."
"Damn it, Clark!" she exclaimed. "You scared me!"
Clark laughed. It felt good too, he hadn't laughed in a while. Chloe
smiled when she saw his. "Sorry," Clark said.
"It's all right. It's just good to see you smiling."
"I do feel much better."
"Kent." Chloe and Clark looked up to see Whitney. "Stay away from
Lana."
Clark walked over to him. "What?"
"I'm sick of you fawning over my girlfriend. I swear, if you do
anything to tear us apart, I will come after you." Whitney laughed.
"You liked Lana's meteor rock necklace, didn't you? Maybe I'll let you
have again sometime."
Clark knew he could throw Whitney into the next county, but he couldn't
show it. However, before he could say anything, the quarter back was
out the door.
"Clark? Earth to Clark!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Chloe," he replied. "I have to go."
Chloe crossed her arms as he left. Clark has been through so much and
Whitney was forcing him to stay away from one of his best friends. And,
knowing Clark, he would listen.
****************
"Lana, wait up!"
"Hi, Chloe. What's up?"
"Um, have you seen Whitney?"
Lana shook her head. "He's been a real jerk lately. He doesn't seem
to think I should be friends with Clark."
"Yeah," Chloe replied. "I got that impression."
Lana stopped walking and turned to face Chloe. "What do you mean by
that?"
"Whitney came by The Torch earlier today. He practically threatened
Clark. He told him to stay away from you."
"He did?" Lana asked in a whisper. She didn't want to believe that the
guy she spent nearly two years with would ever do that. "God, where's
Clark? I have to talk to him."
Chloe shrugged. "I haven't seen him since then, about two hours ago."
***************
Nell opened the door to see Whitney standing in front of her. "Whitney?
Is Lana all right?"
"She's fine, but she wants her meteor rock necklace and I told her I'd
get it for her."
"Sure," Nell said, albeit slightly confused. She wondered why Lana
would want it after not wearing it for a while. "I'll go get it."
A few minutes later, she came down stairs holding a small lead box.
"What's that?" Whitney asked.
"Lana keeps the necklace in here. Clark gave it to her a while ago."
Whitney nodded. "Thanks, Nell." He ran out the door and to his truck.
There needed to be a repeat of homecoming night.
Part 6
Clark had just entered the barn when he heard a noise behind him.
"Whitney! What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, Kent," he replied, pulling something from his pocket.
"I have something for you."
"What's that?" Clark asked warily. He felt the effects before he saw
Lana's necklace.
"What's the matter? Not feeling well?"
Clark shook his head. "I've been feeling sick all day," he gasped out,
dropping to his knees.
Whitney put the necklace on him. "You know, I actually thought you'd
be more of a challenge to fight. I guess I was wrong."
Chloe, Lana, and Pete rushed in just as he slammed his foot into
Clark's stomach. "Stop, Whitney!" the cried.
"Well if it isn't the Clark Brigade. I was wondering when you three
would get here."
"Whitney, what the hell is wrong with you?" Lana asked in anger.
Whitney pulled Clark to his feet and shoved him towards his friends.
"That is! I don't know what is so special about Clark Kent! He's never
going to amount to anything." With that, Whitney stormed out.
Clark looked into Chloe's eyes, as if trying to tell her something.
"Neck...lace."
"Do you want me to take it off?" He nodded. "God, Clark, are you
allergic to the meteor rocks?"
Feeling refreshed as soon as the necklace went into Lana's pocket he
said yes. He figured, why hide it? They don't have to know the real
reason.
"All this time you've been allergic to that stuff and you never told
us?" Pete asked.
"Yeah... I'm sorry guys."
Lana smiled. "It's all right, Clark. How are you feeling now?"
"Much better, thanks."
******************
Martha set down a plate of fries on the table. "Clark, are you sure
you're all right?"
"I told you already, Mom, I'm fine."
"I'm sorry to keep bothering you like that, honey, but you've never
been exposed to the meteor rocks as long as you were today. I got so
scared when Lana told me what happened."
Clark nodded. "I know." He looked around. "Where's Dad?"
"Oh," Martha said with a smile. "I meant to tell you! I brought him
to the cellar and everything seemed to have clicked. He's outside
fixing the fence."
Clark grinned wildly and ran out the door. "If I was doing that, I'd
be finished already."
Jonathan abandoned his task and took Clark into his arms. "It's good
to see you, son."
"You too, Dad." Clark regarded him for a few minutes. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Jonathan asked in confusion.
"For not being able to save you and Mom. I--"
"Clark," he interruppted. "I don't know what kind of person you think
you are, but you can't be everywhere at once. Especially if you don't
even know where people are to save them."
Clark nodded slowly. "It's just that I have all these abilities and
I'm wondering what it is I could possibly do with them. I can't share
them with the world. Some people might understand, but others might
think I'm some sort of freak... like Eric."
"Son, no one knows what the future will bring. I think you have the
potential to do anything you want, and I know you'll be able to put your
abilities to good use."
Clark smiled. "Thanks."
"Now, lets go inside for dinner before your mother sends a search
party."
Lana sat alone on her porch thinking about the past few days. If she were Clark's parents, she would have pressed charges against Whitney. How could he do something like that?
She knew Whitney was always jealous of her friendship with Clark, but this was beyond anything she could ever imagine. He must of realized that Clark was allergic to the meteor rocks the day he strung him in a corn field.
"Hey, Lana." She looked up to see Clark standing in front of her. How long had he been standing there? "Not too long," he said as if reading her mind.
"Hi. How's your dad?" she asked, making room for him to sit next to her.
Clark smiled. "He's feeling great, thanks."
Lana smiled back. "I take it you're feeling pretty good yourself?"
"I am," he replied. "But, I didn't come here to talk about me. I came her to see you."
"That's sweet, Clark, but I'm okay. Really." He gave her a look that said, 'pull the other one'. "Fine! I've been thinking about what Whitney did to you and it hurt me. I can't figure out what I ever saw in him! Maybe I was blinded by his good looks and all-around man of Smallville High. I don't know. The point is, I went from loving him to hating him in a matter of seconds."
She took a deep breath and continued. "When I saw him kick you, I wanted to pull him away and kill him. He had no right to do that to you."
"Lana, you can't change what happened. He obviously didn't care about you or your feelings. There are plenty of guys who would give anything to be with you."
"Anyone in particular, Clark?" she asked, gazing into his eyes.
Clark didn't know what to say to that. He had loved Lana since the day they met, but right now... It just didn't seem like the right time to say anything. Besides, there was someone else who was on his mind.
"Um... well, that is, I don't know personally."
Lana sighed. She was never going to get Clark to open up to her. She knew he really liked her, but she also knew there was another person holding him back from her. And it wasn't Whitney.
"You'd better get home," she said. "It's getting late."
Clark nodded and got up. "G'night, Lana."
"Night, Clark, and thanks."
He smiled. "You're welcome."
***************
Clark headed down the hallway of Smallville High. "You can do this!" he encouraged himself.
"Clark, who are you talking to?" He turned and found himself face to face with Pete. "Have you finally gone mad?"
"No, I haven't. Not yet anyway. I was going to tell Chloe and I'm trying to decide how to go about it."
Pete eyed his friend. "Tell Chloe? As in, 'Chloe, I wanna go out with you'. 'Chloe, I'm not obsessed with Lana Lang anymore, I'm obsessed with you.'?"
Clark nodded. "Something along those lines, yeah."
"Good luck!" Pete said, clapping his friend on the back. "And call me when you get home tonight."
Chloe poked her head out of the Torch office. "I thought I heard voices out here."
"You heard... voices?"
"Yeah, but I couldn't tell what you two were discussing so intently. Come on in. Besides, I think your article is late, Mr. Kent."
Clark smiled and handed it to her. "I don't know if it came out good or not. Feel free to trash it if you want."
"I'm sure it's good, Clark," she replied.
"Um, Chloe, there's something I want to tell you." She looked up at him expectantly. *God, her eyes are beautiful!*
"Heeellooo!" Chloe said, waving a hand in front of Clark's face. "Are you with me?"
Clark cleared his throat. "Yeah, right here." He decided he didn't need words and bent his head to her hers.
*Finally!* Chloe thought happily as his lips descended onto hers. She never thought a kiss could feel so wonderful. She didn't want to stop, but they both knew they needed to come for air.
"Chloe, I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how I feel about you," he said. "Do you think we could try to work this out?"
Chloe nodded. "Definately!"
Clark smiled at her. That was taken care of. Now he had to decide whether or not to tell her everything. He kissed her forehead. 'One step at a time, Clark.'
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