Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lois had been exhausted by the time they’d got away from Cadmus, then her exhaustion had vanished when she’d seen Kally in Oliver’s arms as he walked out of the nightclub with her. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, all she wanted to do was sleep for days. She glanced at her daughter in the backseat, sitting with her father. The toddler had dropped off to sleep almost as soon as Clark had driven off. How she envied that ability to just be able to drop off like that.
“Okay?” Clark asked softly.
“I’m tired,” she said.
“Yeah, I know. It’s okay. She’s back and she’s safe.”
“No thanks to Lex.”
“It’s pretty obvious he was trying to cover his tracks,” Clark said. “From what Alfred told …” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “… Batman, Regan Matthews told Green Arrow he was ordered to hand her over to the gang. What they were going to do with her is anyone’s guess.”
“Probably ask for ransom. The grand-daughter of a senator, not to mention a general …” she said.
She didn’t voice her other thoughts. That the gang would do worse to her.
“I don’t think they did anything to her,” Clark said.
She looked at him. How did he always know what she was thinking?
“You have tells,” he said. “Besides, it’s not surprising you’d think that. I was thinking it too.”
“How do you know they didn’t try anything?” she asked.
He shot her a look and she realised the moment he’d learned where Kally had been taken, he had used his hearing ability. Obviously whatever he’d heard had reassured him that she wasn’t being hurt.
Lois yawned, finally relaxing in what felt like days instead of hours. She had barely slept at all the night before.
She realised she had fallen asleep when she opened her eyes to see they were back in Smallville and were probably about a mile from the Inn. Clark must have picked up the change in her breathing as he reached out and lightly squeezed her thigh.
“Just tell me I didn’t snore,” she told him. He shot her a grin. She gazed at his handsome face. He was looking a little worse for wear himself. He had a five o’clock shadow and his face had that pinched look of someone who hadn’t slept. She knew he didn’t need as much sleep as normal people, but he did still sleep.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten all day. They had stopped for coffees on their way to Cadmus Labs and they’d stopped again for something before they’d left the city for Smallville. Lois hadn’t wanted to get something to eat then, anxious to get her daughter home.
Lucy must have heard the truck as she came running out as soon as Clark stopped the vehicle in the parking lot. Chloe wasn’t far behind. Both girls began talking at once, asking how their niece was. Lois managed to sift through the babble to figure out that Oliver had called Chloe and given her an update.
Lois watched her boyfriend lift Kally out of the car seat. The toddler slept on as he carried her inside the building. Her sister and cousin followed close behind.
She felt her father’s arm around her. “You okay, sweetheart?”
She sent him a weak smile. “I’m fine, Daddy. Just so tired I think I could sleep for a week and still never feel caught up.”
“I know,” he said, kissing her on the temple. “But we got her. She’s safe.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For being there, for being …” She couldn’t really put into words how it felt to have her father so supportive.
He smiled. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
She watched him go inside. He had been amazing through the whole thing. Even though she’d been initially worried about her father going with them, he had actually been incredibly helpful. Obviously his military experience gave him some insight into different strategies. Normally, Lois would have been all for charging right in, but he’d taught her a few valuable lessons about holding back and learning what was what.
It had been his idea to let them ‘get caught’. While they hadn’t been able to see much as the security guard had led them inside, Lois had seen enough to know what they were up against. When the scientist, or whatever he was, had made as if to hit her, she could sense her father’s anger. No one hit his kids, she thought.
Just as he was about to get into a smackdown with the other man, Lois spotted Clark and Batman above them. Not wanting to give her boyfriend away, she had returned her attention to what was happening in front of her. There had been shouts and she realised the others had been caught. Clark must have used his heat vision as one of the monitors in the lab sort of exploded. Chaos erupted and she’d ended up fighting the scientist while her father fought the thug he’d talked to earlier. She’d felt something brush by her and two of the armed security guards were knocked to the ground.
Batman entered the melee forcing one of the scientists against the wall. He began demanding information on Kally’s whereabouts and what they’d done to her. The scientist had stared at the black caped crusader, eyes wide in fear. Lois couldn’t help but laugh thinking the man had practically crapped his pants.
“Please don’t kill me,” he begged. “I’ll tell you whatever you want.”
Batman backed off a little, but not so far that he couldn’t grab the other man if he wanted to. The scientist told him they’d collected blood and some spinal fluid. He had no idea what it was for, but had been told the child was part of a research project into child cancer. He had been alarmed when Batman had told him Kally had been kidnapped. It looked like most of the workers there had been misled.
The other scientist had finally explained to them that the labs worked on some very sensitive projects and he had thought they were corporate spies. Lois didn’t believe the man’s story for a second, but thanks to Batman, they were able to leave without further incident.
When they’d stopped briefly for a bathroom break, Clark had checked Kally over completely, making sure to check the site where the scientists had taken spinal fluid. The area was bruised but thanks to her metabolism, already starting to close over. They’d decided that since she didn’t seem to be showing any immediate ill-effects they wouldn’t mention it to the rest of the family, but they were going to get her checked out by Emil once they’d had a little time to recover.
Lois joined her family inside, laughing as Kally, now obviously awake, began telling her grandma all about her adventures in a babble that Bubsy was barely able to keep up with. Chloe had pulled Clark aside. Lois approached her cousin, seeing Clark looking a little worried.
“They weren’t supposed to be back this early,” he said.
“What is it, Smallville?”
“My parents,” he replied. She frowned. They’d actually taken advantage of a break from the senate and taken a week’s vacation in New York. They hadn’t been due to come home for another day. “They came home and found I hadn’t done my chores or anything and called here. Chloe had to tell them what had happened. They’re pretty upset.”
She nodded. “You better go talk to them.”
“Uh, no need,” Chloe said. “They’re here. They just pulled up outside.”
Sure enough, Martha’s car pulled up in the parking lot and just seconds later, the couple ran in. Martha saw her and came over.
“Lois?”
“We just got back,” she said.
“Kally’s fine, Mom,” Clark told his mother.
Jonathan frowned at his son. “What the hell happened, Clark?”
“Lex is what happened,” Lois’s father replied. “And when I get hold of that bald bas … er,” he paused, looking around, but Kally seemed to be still busy telling her grandma all her adventures. “Excuse me,” he said. “But yeah. I’m going to wring that boy’s neck.”
“Dad, we talked about this,” Lois said. As much as he wanted to go defcon one on Lex and make sure he paid for what he did, there was still no proof. Those that had direct communication from Lex were either refusing to talk or were too afraid of what the bald billionaire would do.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” a voice said. Bruce walked in. “I heard the news. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Lois said. Clark looked at him.
“What do you mean? Are we just going to sit back and let Lex get away with …”
“On this, yes. But we can still find a way to make him pay. I have some very close acquaintances who could begin to make life very difficult for him. Business-wise.”
“How?” Jonathan asked.
“Let’s just say that Lex could miss out on some very lucrative contracts.” He looked at Lois’ father. “In fact, I think you might be able to help with that, General Lane.”
“I’m not a general anymore, Mr Wayne.”
“Please, call me Bruce. You might have retired from the army, sir, but you still know a few people in military circles. I’ve heard Lex has been bidding for a civilian contract to develop new systems for the military. Of course, he still needs to get the senate committee on side. That’s where you come in, Jonathan.”
He led the two men away. Lois looked at Martha and laughed. “I hope he knows what he’s in for,” she said.
Martha grinned. “You wouldn’t be trying to say your dad was difficult, would you?”
“Perish the thought,” she replied. Then again, he was angry enough about the whole situation that he would probably welcome any suggestion Bruce had on how to get revenge. She watched them talking for a bit then saw her father adopt what she often called the shark’s grin. Whatever scheme Bruce was cooking up, it appeared her father liked it.
Bubsy smiled at them, handing Kally over to Lois.
“I need to go help Jenny in the kitchen,” she said. Martha offered to help and the two women left the room. Lucy followed them.
Lois kissed her daughter. “I missed you, munchkin,” she said.
Kally said nothing but buried her face in her mother’s neck. Chloe smiled.
“So, I heard a little bit of what was happening. Want to fill me in on the rest?”
They went into the parlour, which was empty of guests. Lois sat on the couch, her daughter in her arms. Clark sat next to her and began relating to Chloe what had happened. Lois finally learned what Clark had heard in the club.
“From the sounds of things, Kally was giving those guys a real run for their money,” he said.
Kally looked up at the sound of her name and reached for her father. He took her, smiling down at her.
“You’re like your mommy, Kally. She’s tough and brave and I think you’re the bravest little girl in the world.”
“They were mean, Daddy,” she said. Or at least that was what Lois thought she heard. “They were gonna hurt Uncle Ollie.”
Lois blinked. Oliver had been in Green Arrow disguise. How had Kally known? And since when was he ‘Uncle Ollie’?
“No, baby,” she corrected. “That was Green Arrow.”
“It was Uncle Ollie, Mommy.” The toddler was insistent. Lois wasn’t even going to try asking her daughter how she knew. “That man was gonna hurt Uncle Ollie.” She looked at her father. “He was mean, Daddy.”
“He was very mean, sweetie. But you know, you can’t tell anybody about your Uncle Ollie.”
“Not even Grandpa?” she asked.
“No, not even Grandpa. It’s a secret. Do you know what a secret is?”
The toddler shook her head. “No.”
Lois listened as Clark tried to explain the concept of secrets. Kally seemed to be listening to what he was telling her but from the frown on her little face, it didn’t appear that she completely understood the idea.
Chloe looked stunned. “Out of the mouths of babes, huh?” she said in a low voice. “I don’t know how true this is, but I think children see the world a lot more clearly when they’re very young. Before they’ve developed stuff like cognitive reasoning. I guess before they develop a more cynical view of the world. That’s why they say you can never really reason with a child.”
“You get that from psych class, Chlo?” Lois asked her.
“Well, yeah, I guess. I just mean … I don’t know.” Her cousin shook her head. Lois had to wonder whether Kally’s perceptiveness was just part of her still developing brain or if it had something to do with her half-Kryptonian heritage. Not that she was that willing to find out.
Kally was still happily chattering with her father when Bruce came in, followed by Jonathan and Lois’ father. The three men were not alone. Oliver appeared behind them. Lois glanced at Clark and he nodded. They left Kally with her grandfathers and went to talk with Oliver.
“First,” Clark said. “Thank you.”
Lois smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes. Thank you.”
He returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Second, Kally somehow knows you’re Green Arrow.”
Oliver looked at Clark with a shocked expression. “What?”
Clark raised his hands. “Don’t ask me. I’ve no idea how she knew. But she does. I tried to explain to her about secrets, but …”
“Yeah, I get it,” Oliver replied. “She’s just a little kid.”
“We’ll just have to do our best to make sure she doesn’t blab it to everybody,” Lois told him.
Clark nodded. “I sort of understand what my parents went through when they found me. I mean, it was probably easy at first, since I didn’t speak English, but I was still pretty strong at that age. How they managed to keep me from revealing that to anyone I don’t know.”
The blond archer nodded. “I can see how that would be challenging. It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
“Oh, and by the by? You’re Uncle Ollie,” Lois said.
He grinned. “I am, huh? Well, I have always been a hit with the ladies.”
“Yeah, damp down on that ego there, sport,” she said. “Remember I didn’t like you at first.”
His face fell. “You had to remind me. Okay, so maybe not with all ladies. Uh, speaking of which, your cousin …”
“Nice try, Romeo, but if there’s one thing I don’t do, it’s matchmake. You want to know anything about Chloe, you go direct to the source.”
“You know, it’s no wonder Kally’s so feisty, with the genes she’s got. You really should have seen your kid, Clark. She probably could have taken those guys on all by herself.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Clark said proudly. “She got that from her mother.”
Oliver looked over toward Kally, who still seemed quite happy.
“She’s okay?”
“So far, but we were wondering if you’d ask that doctor friend of yours … Emil? Could he check her over?”
The blond man nodded. “Of course, Lois. I’ll give him a call. What exactly did they do to her?”
“Ran a few tests. They said they did a spinal tap.”
Clark nodded. “From what they said, I think it was done fairly early on, so she’s had time to recover. We’d still like to get her checked out, but we’d rather not say anything to the rest of the family. Not yet, anyway. We don’t want to worry them unnecessarily.”
Oliver promised to make the call as soon as possible. He told them he had gone back into the club after they’d left with Kally to make sure the gang wouldn’t do anything in retaliation. He smirked.
“I think they’re too busy licking their wounds, so to speak,” he added, suggesting that their pride had been wounded by the fact that they hadn’t been able to control a two-year-old.
Bubsy and Martha came out telling them dinner was ready. Lois was hungry enough that she didn’t care what was being served, but it appeared the two women had cooked up a veritable feast of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and all of their favourites.
Kally wanted to sit on her father’s lap while she ate and they allowed it, knowing she’d probably been frightened by all the strange people around her, poking and prodding. Lois worried that her daughter might have some anxiety over the whole ordeal and watched her carefully.
By the time dinner was over, the toddler was yawning widely. Lois felt her own exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to curl up with her boyfriend and sleep. Lucy and Chloe went to take care of clean up while the older adults chatted in the sitting room. Bruce and Oliver had suggested they should head back to their respective homes, thinking that the family needed some private time, but Bubsy had insisted they take rooms upstairs for the night.
Emil Hamilton turned up a short time later. Kally was already half asleep and Lois hated to rouse her, but she wanted to reassure herself that the child hadn’t been physically harmed or too traumatised by what had happened. She took the doctor out to the cabin so once Kally was examined she could be put to bed straight afterwards. Clark followed them.
Lois sat the toddler on her bed and watched as Emil examined her, checking the puncture site and the areas where the scientists had taken blood. He frowned.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
The dark-haired man shook his head. “Not wrong, exactly. How long ago did you say this test was done?”
“We’re not sure, exactly,” Clark said. “Probably not long after she was taken to the lab.”
“Well, she does have bruising around the area, which is understandable, but the area looks as if the procedure was done longer than twenty-four hours ago. Is this unusual for her?”
“Not exactly,” Lois said. She glanced at Clark and he nodded. “We think she has a higher than normal metabolism that helps her heal a little faster than normal.” She explained about the bruise Kally had had on her forehead when she’d still been learning to walk and how that had appeared to heal much faster.
“Remarkable,” the doctor commented. “Is that the only ability she has manifested?”
“So far,” Clark said. “We don’t know when or if she’ll get any other of my abilities. The best guess is when she’s a teenager.”
Emil nodded. “Of course. Puberty is when the human body begins the change into adulthood. Are your abilities hormone-related?”
Clark chewed on his lip. “Uh, not really. I mean, one might be but I don’t know about the rest. I think it just has something to do with the way my body stores energy.”
Lois hid a grin, remembering the story Clark had told her of how he had discovered his heat vision. He shot her a look.
“I’d be interested to know more. That’s if you wouldn’t mind, Clark.” The other man grinned. “I’ve met a few, uh, what I suppose we’re calling meta-humans, but I’ve never met someone from another planet before. I’d like to know more about your physiology. It would certainly help me with treating this little lady.” He grinned down at the toddler, who was clearly struggling to stay awake. “I haven’t seen anything of concern. But keep a close eye on her for a few days.”
“Don’t worry,” Lois said. “We’re not letting her out of our sight.”
Clark coughed. “We still have school,” he reminded her gently. “We can’t wrap her in cotton.”
It was weird. So much had happened that she had forgotten it had barely been twenty-four hours. Not to mention that they had to be at college the next day for class registration.
“I’m sure your parents or mine will watch her while we’re at school tomorrow,” Clark added.
Emil nodded. “He’s right, Lois. While it’s completely understandable, you cannot watch her twenty-four hours a day. I do suggest keeping an eye on her overnight. I would not be surprised if she has some residual anxiety, and you might see some differences in her behaviour for a little while.”
“In what way?”
“It’s hard to say,” the doctor replied. “She may just be quieter than normal or she may experience some fits of temper. Children are very resilient but at this age they don’t always know the appropriate ways to express their emotions. If she does have tantrums, try not to get too angry with her. Just perhaps take her to a quiet corner and talk to her until she calms down. Reassure her that she’s not in trouble.”
“What if she starts feeling unwell?” Clark asked.
Emil took out a business card and handed it to him. “Call me. Even if it’s just to talk over your concerns.”
Lois nodded. “Thank you for everything, Dr Hamilton.”
“Emil,” he said. “And if you don’t mind my saying so, I think you both need to get some rest yourselves.”
“Don’t worry,” Clark said with a smile. “We will.”
Lois had been exhausted by the time they’d got away from Cadmus, then her exhaustion had vanished when she’d seen Kally in Oliver’s arms as he walked out of the nightclub with her. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, all she wanted to do was sleep for days. She glanced at her daughter in the backseat, sitting with her father. The toddler had dropped off to sleep almost as soon as Clark had driven off. How she envied that ability to just be able to drop off like that.
“Okay?” Clark asked softly.
“I’m tired,” she said.
“Yeah, I know. It’s okay. She’s back and she’s safe.”
“No thanks to Lex.”
“It’s pretty obvious he was trying to cover his tracks,” Clark said. “From what Alfred told …” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “… Batman, Regan Matthews told Green Arrow he was ordered to hand her over to the gang. What they were going to do with her is anyone’s guess.”
“Probably ask for ransom. The grand-daughter of a senator, not to mention a general …” she said.
She didn’t voice her other thoughts. That the gang would do worse to her.
“I don’t think they did anything to her,” Clark said.
She looked at him. How did he always know what she was thinking?
“You have tells,” he said. “Besides, it’s not surprising you’d think that. I was thinking it too.”
“How do you know they didn’t try anything?” she asked.
He shot her a look and she realised the moment he’d learned where Kally had been taken, he had used his hearing ability. Obviously whatever he’d heard had reassured him that she wasn’t being hurt.
Lois yawned, finally relaxing in what felt like days instead of hours. She had barely slept at all the night before.
She realised she had fallen asleep when she opened her eyes to see they were back in Smallville and were probably about a mile from the Inn. Clark must have picked up the change in her breathing as he reached out and lightly squeezed her thigh.
“Just tell me I didn’t snore,” she told him. He shot her a grin. She gazed at his handsome face. He was looking a little worse for wear himself. He had a five o’clock shadow and his face had that pinched look of someone who hadn’t slept. She knew he didn’t need as much sleep as normal people, but he did still sleep.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten all day. They had stopped for coffees on their way to Cadmus Labs and they’d stopped again for something before they’d left the city for Smallville. Lois hadn’t wanted to get something to eat then, anxious to get her daughter home.
Lucy must have heard the truck as she came running out as soon as Clark stopped the vehicle in the parking lot. Chloe wasn’t far behind. Both girls began talking at once, asking how their niece was. Lois managed to sift through the babble to figure out that Oliver had called Chloe and given her an update.
Lois watched her boyfriend lift Kally out of the car seat. The toddler slept on as he carried her inside the building. Her sister and cousin followed close behind.
She felt her father’s arm around her. “You okay, sweetheart?”
She sent him a weak smile. “I’m fine, Daddy. Just so tired I think I could sleep for a week and still never feel caught up.”
“I know,” he said, kissing her on the temple. “But we got her. She’s safe.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For being there, for being …” She couldn’t really put into words how it felt to have her father so supportive.
He smiled. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
She watched him go inside. He had been amazing through the whole thing. Even though she’d been initially worried about her father going with them, he had actually been incredibly helpful. Obviously his military experience gave him some insight into different strategies. Normally, Lois would have been all for charging right in, but he’d taught her a few valuable lessons about holding back and learning what was what.
It had been his idea to let them ‘get caught’. While they hadn’t been able to see much as the security guard had led them inside, Lois had seen enough to know what they were up against. When the scientist, or whatever he was, had made as if to hit her, she could sense her father’s anger. No one hit his kids, she thought.
Just as he was about to get into a smackdown with the other man, Lois spotted Clark and Batman above them. Not wanting to give her boyfriend away, she had returned her attention to what was happening in front of her. There had been shouts and she realised the others had been caught. Clark must have used his heat vision as one of the monitors in the lab sort of exploded. Chaos erupted and she’d ended up fighting the scientist while her father fought the thug he’d talked to earlier. She’d felt something brush by her and two of the armed security guards were knocked to the ground.
Batman entered the melee forcing one of the scientists against the wall. He began demanding information on Kally’s whereabouts and what they’d done to her. The scientist had stared at the black caped crusader, eyes wide in fear. Lois couldn’t help but laugh thinking the man had practically crapped his pants.
“Please don’t kill me,” he begged. “I’ll tell you whatever you want.”
Batman backed off a little, but not so far that he couldn’t grab the other man if he wanted to. The scientist told him they’d collected blood and some spinal fluid. He had no idea what it was for, but had been told the child was part of a research project into child cancer. He had been alarmed when Batman had told him Kally had been kidnapped. It looked like most of the workers there had been misled.
The other scientist had finally explained to them that the labs worked on some very sensitive projects and he had thought they were corporate spies. Lois didn’t believe the man’s story for a second, but thanks to Batman, they were able to leave without further incident.
When they’d stopped briefly for a bathroom break, Clark had checked Kally over completely, making sure to check the site where the scientists had taken spinal fluid. The area was bruised but thanks to her metabolism, already starting to close over. They’d decided that since she didn’t seem to be showing any immediate ill-effects they wouldn’t mention it to the rest of the family, but they were going to get her checked out by Emil once they’d had a little time to recover.
Lois joined her family inside, laughing as Kally, now obviously awake, began telling her grandma all about her adventures in a babble that Bubsy was barely able to keep up with. Chloe had pulled Clark aside. Lois approached her cousin, seeing Clark looking a little worried.
“They weren’t supposed to be back this early,” he said.
“What is it, Smallville?”
“My parents,” he replied. She frowned. They’d actually taken advantage of a break from the senate and taken a week’s vacation in New York. They hadn’t been due to come home for another day. “They came home and found I hadn’t done my chores or anything and called here. Chloe had to tell them what had happened. They’re pretty upset.”
She nodded. “You better go talk to them.”
“Uh, no need,” Chloe said. “They’re here. They just pulled up outside.”
Sure enough, Martha’s car pulled up in the parking lot and just seconds later, the couple ran in. Martha saw her and came over.
“Lois?”
“We just got back,” she said.
“Kally’s fine, Mom,” Clark told his mother.
Jonathan frowned at his son. “What the hell happened, Clark?”
“Lex is what happened,” Lois’s father replied. “And when I get hold of that bald bas … er,” he paused, looking around, but Kally seemed to be still busy telling her grandma all her adventures. “Excuse me,” he said. “But yeah. I’m going to wring that boy’s neck.”
“Dad, we talked about this,” Lois said. As much as he wanted to go defcon one on Lex and make sure he paid for what he did, there was still no proof. Those that had direct communication from Lex were either refusing to talk or were too afraid of what the bald billionaire would do.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” a voice said. Bruce walked in. “I heard the news. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Lois said. Clark looked at him.
“What do you mean? Are we just going to sit back and let Lex get away with …”
“On this, yes. But we can still find a way to make him pay. I have some very close acquaintances who could begin to make life very difficult for him. Business-wise.”
“How?” Jonathan asked.
“Let’s just say that Lex could miss out on some very lucrative contracts.” He looked at Lois’ father. “In fact, I think you might be able to help with that, General Lane.”
“I’m not a general anymore, Mr Wayne.”
“Please, call me Bruce. You might have retired from the army, sir, but you still know a few people in military circles. I’ve heard Lex has been bidding for a civilian contract to develop new systems for the military. Of course, he still needs to get the senate committee on side. That’s where you come in, Jonathan.”
He led the two men away. Lois looked at Martha and laughed. “I hope he knows what he’s in for,” she said.
Martha grinned. “You wouldn’t be trying to say your dad was difficult, would you?”
“Perish the thought,” she replied. Then again, he was angry enough about the whole situation that he would probably welcome any suggestion Bruce had on how to get revenge. She watched them talking for a bit then saw her father adopt what she often called the shark’s grin. Whatever scheme Bruce was cooking up, it appeared her father liked it.
Bubsy smiled at them, handing Kally over to Lois.
“I need to go help Jenny in the kitchen,” she said. Martha offered to help and the two women left the room. Lucy followed them.
Lois kissed her daughter. “I missed you, munchkin,” she said.
Kally said nothing but buried her face in her mother’s neck. Chloe smiled.
“So, I heard a little bit of what was happening. Want to fill me in on the rest?”
They went into the parlour, which was empty of guests. Lois sat on the couch, her daughter in her arms. Clark sat next to her and began relating to Chloe what had happened. Lois finally learned what Clark had heard in the club.
“From the sounds of things, Kally was giving those guys a real run for their money,” he said.
Kally looked up at the sound of her name and reached for her father. He took her, smiling down at her.
“You’re like your mommy, Kally. She’s tough and brave and I think you’re the bravest little girl in the world.”
“They were mean, Daddy,” she said. Or at least that was what Lois thought she heard. “They were gonna hurt Uncle Ollie.”
Lois blinked. Oliver had been in Green Arrow disguise. How had Kally known? And since when was he ‘Uncle Ollie’?
“No, baby,” she corrected. “That was Green Arrow.”
“It was Uncle Ollie, Mommy.” The toddler was insistent. Lois wasn’t even going to try asking her daughter how she knew. “That man was gonna hurt Uncle Ollie.” She looked at her father. “He was mean, Daddy.”
“He was very mean, sweetie. But you know, you can’t tell anybody about your Uncle Ollie.”
“Not even Grandpa?” she asked.
“No, not even Grandpa. It’s a secret. Do you know what a secret is?”
The toddler shook her head. “No.”
Lois listened as Clark tried to explain the concept of secrets. Kally seemed to be listening to what he was telling her but from the frown on her little face, it didn’t appear that she completely understood the idea.
Chloe looked stunned. “Out of the mouths of babes, huh?” she said in a low voice. “I don’t know how true this is, but I think children see the world a lot more clearly when they’re very young. Before they’ve developed stuff like cognitive reasoning. I guess before they develop a more cynical view of the world. That’s why they say you can never really reason with a child.”
“You get that from psych class, Chlo?” Lois asked her.
“Well, yeah, I guess. I just mean … I don’t know.” Her cousin shook her head. Lois had to wonder whether Kally’s perceptiveness was just part of her still developing brain or if it had something to do with her half-Kryptonian heritage. Not that she was that willing to find out.
Kally was still happily chattering with her father when Bruce came in, followed by Jonathan and Lois’ father. The three men were not alone. Oliver appeared behind them. Lois glanced at Clark and he nodded. They left Kally with her grandfathers and went to talk with Oliver.
“First,” Clark said. “Thank you.”
Lois smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes. Thank you.”
He returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Second, Kally somehow knows you’re Green Arrow.”
Oliver looked at Clark with a shocked expression. “What?”
Clark raised his hands. “Don’t ask me. I’ve no idea how she knew. But she does. I tried to explain to her about secrets, but …”
“Yeah, I get it,” Oliver replied. “She’s just a little kid.”
“We’ll just have to do our best to make sure she doesn’t blab it to everybody,” Lois told him.
Clark nodded. “I sort of understand what my parents went through when they found me. I mean, it was probably easy at first, since I didn’t speak English, but I was still pretty strong at that age. How they managed to keep me from revealing that to anyone I don’t know.”
The blond archer nodded. “I can see how that would be challenging. It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
“Oh, and by the by? You’re Uncle Ollie,” Lois said.
He grinned. “I am, huh? Well, I have always been a hit with the ladies.”
“Yeah, damp down on that ego there, sport,” she said. “Remember I didn’t like you at first.”
His face fell. “You had to remind me. Okay, so maybe not with all ladies. Uh, speaking of which, your cousin …”
“Nice try, Romeo, but if there’s one thing I don’t do, it’s matchmake. You want to know anything about Chloe, you go direct to the source.”
“You know, it’s no wonder Kally’s so feisty, with the genes she’s got. You really should have seen your kid, Clark. She probably could have taken those guys on all by herself.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Clark said proudly. “She got that from her mother.”
Oliver looked over toward Kally, who still seemed quite happy.
“She’s okay?”
“So far, but we were wondering if you’d ask that doctor friend of yours … Emil? Could he check her over?”
The blond man nodded. “Of course, Lois. I’ll give him a call. What exactly did they do to her?”
“Ran a few tests. They said they did a spinal tap.”
Clark nodded. “From what they said, I think it was done fairly early on, so she’s had time to recover. We’d still like to get her checked out, but we’d rather not say anything to the rest of the family. Not yet, anyway. We don’t want to worry them unnecessarily.”
Oliver promised to make the call as soon as possible. He told them he had gone back into the club after they’d left with Kally to make sure the gang wouldn’t do anything in retaliation. He smirked.
“I think they’re too busy licking their wounds, so to speak,” he added, suggesting that their pride had been wounded by the fact that they hadn’t been able to control a two-year-old.
Bubsy and Martha came out telling them dinner was ready. Lois was hungry enough that she didn’t care what was being served, but it appeared the two women had cooked up a veritable feast of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and all of their favourites.
Kally wanted to sit on her father’s lap while she ate and they allowed it, knowing she’d probably been frightened by all the strange people around her, poking and prodding. Lois worried that her daughter might have some anxiety over the whole ordeal and watched her carefully.
By the time dinner was over, the toddler was yawning widely. Lois felt her own exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to curl up with her boyfriend and sleep. Lucy and Chloe went to take care of clean up while the older adults chatted in the sitting room. Bruce and Oliver had suggested they should head back to their respective homes, thinking that the family needed some private time, but Bubsy had insisted they take rooms upstairs for the night.
Emil Hamilton turned up a short time later. Kally was already half asleep and Lois hated to rouse her, but she wanted to reassure herself that the child hadn’t been physically harmed or too traumatised by what had happened. She took the doctor out to the cabin so once Kally was examined she could be put to bed straight afterwards. Clark followed them.
Lois sat the toddler on her bed and watched as Emil examined her, checking the puncture site and the areas where the scientists had taken blood. He frowned.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
The dark-haired man shook his head. “Not wrong, exactly. How long ago did you say this test was done?”
“We’re not sure, exactly,” Clark said. “Probably not long after she was taken to the lab.”
“Well, she does have bruising around the area, which is understandable, but the area looks as if the procedure was done longer than twenty-four hours ago. Is this unusual for her?”
“Not exactly,” Lois said. She glanced at Clark and he nodded. “We think she has a higher than normal metabolism that helps her heal a little faster than normal.” She explained about the bruise Kally had had on her forehead when she’d still been learning to walk and how that had appeared to heal much faster.
“Remarkable,” the doctor commented. “Is that the only ability she has manifested?”
“So far,” Clark said. “We don’t know when or if she’ll get any other of my abilities. The best guess is when she’s a teenager.”
Emil nodded. “Of course. Puberty is when the human body begins the change into adulthood. Are your abilities hormone-related?”
Clark chewed on his lip. “Uh, not really. I mean, one might be but I don’t know about the rest. I think it just has something to do with the way my body stores energy.”
Lois hid a grin, remembering the story Clark had told her of how he had discovered his heat vision. He shot her a look.
“I’d be interested to know more. That’s if you wouldn’t mind, Clark.” The other man grinned. “I’ve met a few, uh, what I suppose we’re calling meta-humans, but I’ve never met someone from another planet before. I’d like to know more about your physiology. It would certainly help me with treating this little lady.” He grinned down at the toddler, who was clearly struggling to stay awake. “I haven’t seen anything of concern. But keep a close eye on her for a few days.”
“Don’t worry,” Lois said. “We’re not letting her out of our sight.”
Clark coughed. “We still have school,” he reminded her gently. “We can’t wrap her in cotton.”
It was weird. So much had happened that she had forgotten it had barely been twenty-four hours. Not to mention that they had to be at college the next day for class registration.
“I’m sure your parents or mine will watch her while we’re at school tomorrow,” Clark added.
Emil nodded. “He’s right, Lois. While it’s completely understandable, you cannot watch her twenty-four hours a day. I do suggest keeping an eye on her overnight. I would not be surprised if she has some residual anxiety, and you might see some differences in her behaviour for a little while.”
“In what way?”
“It’s hard to say,” the doctor replied. “She may just be quieter than normal or she may experience some fits of temper. Children are very resilient but at this age they don’t always know the appropriate ways to express their emotions. If she does have tantrums, try not to get too angry with her. Just perhaps take her to a quiet corner and talk to her until she calms down. Reassure her that she’s not in trouble.”
“What if she starts feeling unwell?” Clark asked.
Emil took out a business card and handed it to him. “Call me. Even if it’s just to talk over your concerns.”
Lois nodded. “Thank you for everything, Dr Hamilton.”
“Emil,” he said. “And if you don’t mind my saying so, I think you both need to get some rest yourselves.”
“Don’t worry,” Clark said with a smile. “We will.”
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