Chlark Fanfic: The Fallen Sky, Chapter 18
Oct. 21st, 2013 10:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
babydee1I always seem to be apologising for the delay on this one. Again, sorry it's taken so long!
Lots of angst in the chapter, so please heed the warnings.
Awesome banner by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ellashy.
Title: The Fallen Sky
Author:babydee1
Pairing: Chlark, Oneshot
Rating: NC17 (this chapter PG)
Warnings: Angst; ***character death/loss of a child***
Timeline: Season 8 (Hex - Doomsday) Season 9 (My version)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Months after walking away from her in Doomsday, Clark returns to Chloe…but finds that she’s a changed woman from the one he left behind.
Feedback: …always welcome. J
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Previously: “Hello, Lana.”
Chapter 18
A Tragic Loss
Clark stared at his ex-girlfriend in surprise, marvelling at the difference in her appearance. A short, cropped haircut and modern glasses gave her a more mature, confident look, and for the first time since he’d met her, she seemed genuinely, honest-to-God happy.
Finally she broke the silence. “You look well.”
He swallowed. “You look…radiant.”
She glanced down at herself and snorted. “I believe the phrase you’re looking for is huge and pregnant, but I’ll take radiant over that any day,” she said pleasantly. She pointed to the bench behind him. “Mind if I sit?”
“Please.” She walked carefully towards it, the thin layer of snow crunching lightly beneath her feet. Clark quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the bench down for her, and she murmured her thanks as she took her seat.
“Isn’t it a bit cold for you to be out?” he asked. “It’s like, forty degrees out here.”
She patted her belly and smiled. “Nah, we’ll be fine.”
He took a deep breath. “Because…because of the kryptonite?”
“Oh, that.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s gone. Believe it or not, it was neutralised by the Kawatche caves.”
“The caves?”
She nodded. “After about a year in which I spent almost every penny I owned searching for a cure, it finally occurred to me to go back to where it all started. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the radiation leaching out of my veins, and all my abilities disappeared. I’ve done a complete blood-work scan, and everything’s fine. I’m back to normal.”
“That is so good to hear,” he said honestly. “I thought maybe the kryptonite had made you invulnerable to extreme temperatures.”
“Oh, no!” she laughed. “No, that’s just the little one messing with my internal thermostat. I’m constantly warm, and the only time actually I feel normal is when I’m out in the cold. Pete’s taken to calling me ‘Penguin.’
Pete. It made sense that she would be in contact with him, since he was now based in Topeka. In fact, when he’d gotten her text message, he’d assumed the message had come from him.
“How is my old buddy?” he asked.
“He’s fine; working long hours at the DA’s office, but he’s rising through the ranks and ticking all the boxes,” she replied. “I’ll take you home to see him when we’re done here.”
He frowned. “Home? You’re living together?”
She smiled. “Married people often do, Clark.”
“You’re married? To Pete?”
“Mmm-hmm. I now go by Mrs Lana Lang-Ross.”
He pointed at her belly. “That’s his baby?”
She smiled. “If that came from anyone but you, I’d be offended by that remark.”
“I’m sorry, I just didn’t expect…” Wow. He glanced at her left hand, noticing her wedding band for the first time. The world had moved on in his absence, it seemed.
“How far along are you?” he asked.
“Six and a half months,” she replied, patting her belly affectionately. “But… I assume you didn’t come here to talk about my baby.”
His smile faded. “You know about what happened to Chloe?”
“I was there,” she replied quietly. “For some of it, anyway.”
He sat down next to her and clasped his hands. “I went to see her, Lana. She’s not the same person she was when I—when I left,” he said soberly.
Lana nodded, her eyes serious. “She’s been through a lot these past few months, Clark. It changed her.”
“She’s like a completely different person,” he said. “The light in her eyes is gone.”
Lana narrowed her eyes. “Losing a baby does that to a person. Even when you only think you’ve lost a baby, that pain…it never goes away.”
Her jaw hardened, and Clark remembered how devastated she’d been when she realised Lex had faked her pregnancy and miscarriage.
“Can you tell me what happened to Chloe?” he finally asked.
She took a deep breath. “About four and a half months ago, I got a call from the hospital telling me Chloe had just had emergency surgery and was sedated. As the only person they could reach from her phone contacts, they asked if I could come straight away. I got there as soon as I could; that’s when they told me.” She paused. “I didn’t even know she’d been pregnant,” she said quietly. “We hadn’t spoken since I left Smallville.”
“But Oliver and the others…didn’t they know?”
Lana gave him a sidelong glance. “From what I understand, the last time she had any contact with any of them was at Jimmy’s funeral.”
So she’d been all alone. Clark ran a shaky hand through his hair, his guilt twisting a painful knot in his belly. To be told such heart-breaking news…
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to wake up and be told her son was dead,” he whispered, voicing his thoughts aloud.
“He wasn’t dead, Clark,” Lana said gently. “He was born alive.”
***
“Miss Lang, I’m Doctor Roberts,” the kindly man greeted as she rose to her feet. “I understand you’re a friend of Chloe Sullivan’s?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Is she okay? All I was told is that she’s had emergency surgery…”
“Miss Sullivan went into premature labour, and all our attempts to stop her contractions failed,” he explained.
Lana’s eyes widened in shock. “Chloe’s pregnant?”
“She was. We delivered the baby, and while we were trying to resuscitate him—”
“Him?” Lana interrupted. “It’s a boy?”
“Yes,” the doctor said flatly, a little put out at having been interrupted. “We were trying to resuscitate him, but without success. Miss Sullivan became hysterical and started screaming for someone named Clark — I presume he’s the baby’s father — saying that if only she could get hold of him, he would donate blood for a transfusion and the baby would be okay.
“She tried several times to contact this Clark on her phone, but was clearly unable to reach him,” he continued. “She even resorted to screaming his name out loud in the hopes that he would somehow hear her. Unfortunately, the stress of it all got to her, and she began haemorrhaging and went into shock. We had no choice but to perform a total hysterectomy.”
“Oh, God,” Lana whispered, her face pale. “How is she?”
“Still sedated, but expected to make a full recovery.”
She sighed in relief. “And - and the baby?”
“He’s being kept on life support until his mother can see him.”
Lana swallowed. “…and after that?”
The doctor looked away. “Then she has a very difficult decision to make, I’m afraid. She’ll need to have someone with her; a friend, or family member…and that’s where you come in.”
***
“I don’t understand,” Clark said. “What did he mean; difficult decision?”
Lana let out a slow breath. “He was only twenty weeks old, Clark; his lungs weren’t ready for the outside world,” she replied quietly. “If he’d made it to twenty-four, maybe even twenty-three weeks, he’d have stood a slim chance, but twenty weeks just wasn’t viable. They kept him alive, but only long enough for Chloe to—” She stopped and wiped tears from her eyes, and Clark got the gist of what she was saying.
Only long enough for Chloe to say a proper goodbye, he realised with a growing sense of dread.
“When she woke up, they told her what had happened, and about the surgery they had to do to save her life,” Lana managed after a while. “They said her son was on a ventilator, and that she would get the chance to hold him for the first and last time.”
She paused. “She had to be the one to tell them to turn off the ventilator, Clark. She had to make that call.”
***
To be continued…
Lots of angst in the chapter, so please heed the warnings.
Awesome banner by
ellashy. Title: The Fallen Sky
Author:
babydee1Pairing: Chlark, Oneshot
Rating: NC17 (this chapter PG)
Warnings: Angst; ***character death/loss of a child***
Timeline: Season 8 (Hex - Doomsday) Season 9 (My version)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Months after walking away from her in Doomsday, Clark returns to Chloe…but finds that she’s a changed woman from the one he left behind.
Feedback: …always welcome. J
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Previously: “Hello, Lana.”
Chapter 18
A Tragic Loss
Clark stared at his ex-girlfriend in surprise, marvelling at the difference in her appearance. A short, cropped haircut and modern glasses gave her a more mature, confident look, and for the first time since he’d met her, she seemed genuinely, honest-to-God happy.
Finally she broke the silence. “You look well.”
He swallowed. “You look…radiant.”
She glanced down at herself and snorted. “I believe the phrase you’re looking for is huge and pregnant, but I’ll take radiant over that any day,” she said pleasantly. She pointed to the bench behind him. “Mind if I sit?”
“Please.” She walked carefully towards it, the thin layer of snow crunching lightly beneath her feet. Clark quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the bench down for her, and she murmured her thanks as she took her seat.
“Isn’t it a bit cold for you to be out?” he asked. “It’s like, forty degrees out here.”
She patted her belly and smiled. “Nah, we’ll be fine.”
He took a deep breath. “Because…because of the kryptonite?”
“Oh, that.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s gone. Believe it or not, it was neutralised by the Kawatche caves.”
“The caves?”
She nodded. “After about a year in which I spent almost every penny I owned searching for a cure, it finally occurred to me to go back to where it all started. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the radiation leaching out of my veins, and all my abilities disappeared. I’ve done a complete blood-work scan, and everything’s fine. I’m back to normal.”
“That is so good to hear,” he said honestly. “I thought maybe the kryptonite had made you invulnerable to extreme temperatures.”
“Oh, no!” she laughed. “No, that’s just the little one messing with my internal thermostat. I’m constantly warm, and the only time actually I feel normal is when I’m out in the cold. Pete’s taken to calling me ‘Penguin.’
Pete. It made sense that she would be in contact with him, since he was now based in Topeka. In fact, when he’d gotten her text message, he’d assumed the message had come from him.
“How is my old buddy?” he asked.
“He’s fine; working long hours at the DA’s office, but he’s rising through the ranks and ticking all the boxes,” she replied. “I’ll take you home to see him when we’re done here.”
He frowned. “Home? You’re living together?”
She smiled. “Married people often do, Clark.”
“You’re married? To Pete?”
“Mmm-hmm. I now go by Mrs Lana Lang-Ross.”
He pointed at her belly. “That’s his baby?”
She smiled. “If that came from anyone but you, I’d be offended by that remark.”
“I’m sorry, I just didn’t expect…” Wow. He glanced at her left hand, noticing her wedding band for the first time. The world had moved on in his absence, it seemed.
“How far along are you?” he asked.
“Six and a half months,” she replied, patting her belly affectionately. “But… I assume you didn’t come here to talk about my baby.”
His smile faded. “You know about what happened to Chloe?”
“I was there,” she replied quietly. “For some of it, anyway.”
He sat down next to her and clasped his hands. “I went to see her, Lana. She’s not the same person she was when I—when I left,” he said soberly.
Lana nodded, her eyes serious. “She’s been through a lot these past few months, Clark. It changed her.”
“She’s like a completely different person,” he said. “The light in her eyes is gone.”
Lana narrowed her eyes. “Losing a baby does that to a person. Even when you only think you’ve lost a baby, that pain…it never goes away.”
Her jaw hardened, and Clark remembered how devastated she’d been when she realised Lex had faked her pregnancy and miscarriage.
“Can you tell me what happened to Chloe?” he finally asked.
She took a deep breath. “About four and a half months ago, I got a call from the hospital telling me Chloe had just had emergency surgery and was sedated. As the only person they could reach from her phone contacts, they asked if I could come straight away. I got there as soon as I could; that’s when they told me.” She paused. “I didn’t even know she’d been pregnant,” she said quietly. “We hadn’t spoken since I left Smallville.”
“But Oliver and the others…didn’t they know?”
Lana gave him a sidelong glance. “From what I understand, the last time she had any contact with any of them was at Jimmy’s funeral.”
So she’d been all alone. Clark ran a shaky hand through his hair, his guilt twisting a painful knot in his belly. To be told such heart-breaking news…
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to wake up and be told her son was dead,” he whispered, voicing his thoughts aloud.
“He wasn’t dead, Clark,” Lana said gently. “He was born alive.”
***
“Miss Lang, I’m Doctor Roberts,” the kindly man greeted as she rose to her feet. “I understand you’re a friend of Chloe Sullivan’s?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Is she okay? All I was told is that she’s had emergency surgery…”
“Miss Sullivan went into premature labour, and all our attempts to stop her contractions failed,” he explained.
Lana’s eyes widened in shock. “Chloe’s pregnant?”
“She was. We delivered the baby, and while we were trying to resuscitate him—”
“Him?” Lana interrupted. “It’s a boy?”
“Yes,” the doctor said flatly, a little put out at having been interrupted. “We were trying to resuscitate him, but without success. Miss Sullivan became hysterical and started screaming for someone named Clark — I presume he’s the baby’s father — saying that if only she could get hold of him, he would donate blood for a transfusion and the baby would be okay.
“She tried several times to contact this Clark on her phone, but was clearly unable to reach him,” he continued. “She even resorted to screaming his name out loud in the hopes that he would somehow hear her. Unfortunately, the stress of it all got to her, and she began haemorrhaging and went into shock. We had no choice but to perform a total hysterectomy.”
“Oh, God,” Lana whispered, her face pale. “How is she?”
“Still sedated, but expected to make a full recovery.”
She sighed in relief. “And - and the baby?”
“He’s being kept on life support until his mother can see him.”
Lana swallowed. “…and after that?”
The doctor looked away. “Then she has a very difficult decision to make, I’m afraid. She’ll need to have someone with her; a friend, or family member…and that’s where you come in.”
***
“I don’t understand,” Clark said. “What did he mean; difficult decision?”
Lana let out a slow breath. “He was only twenty weeks old, Clark; his lungs weren’t ready for the outside world,” she replied quietly. “If he’d made it to twenty-four, maybe even twenty-three weeks, he’d have stood a slim chance, but twenty weeks just wasn’t viable. They kept him alive, but only long enough for Chloe to—” She stopped and wiped tears from her eyes, and Clark got the gist of what she was saying.
Only long enough for Chloe to say a proper goodbye, he realised with a growing sense of dread.
“When she woke up, they told her what had happened, and about the surgery they had to do to save her life,” Lana managed after a while. “They said her son was on a ventilator, and that she would get the chance to hold him for the first and last time.”
She paused. “She had to be the one to tell them to turn off the ventilator, Clark. She had to make that call.”
***
To be continued…
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-10-22 01:34 am (UTC)How can you possibly make it better?
no subject
Date: 2013-10-22 01:53 pm (UTC)Many thanks for commenting, Jen. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2013-10-22 04:46 am (UTC)Thanks for new chapter...
no subject
Date: 2013-10-23 10:57 pm (UTC)Glad you like, Maddie!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-22 09:06 am (UTC)*HUGS*
no subject
Date: 2013-10-23 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 04:18 pm (UTC)I'm so far behind on reading. It's taking some time, but I'm slowly getting around to catching up on all the stories. Great chapter! Can't wait to see this resolved, eventually.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-02 11:15 pm (UTC)It is. And now you know why she's so bitter and stone-hearted and pissed at Clark in the present day. My sincere apologies, I always knew this was going to be a difficult one, both to read and to write. :-(
"I'm so far behind on reading. It's taking some time, but I'm slowly getting around to catching up on all the stories. Great chapter! Can't wait to see this resolved, eventually."
Many thanks, Sheliana - and take your time, there's no rush! Glad you enjoyed it. :-)