Author: MitchPell
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything that has to do with Smallville; it’s characters, DC comics, or the WB. I’m just using their stuff for a little bit of non-profitable fun.
Authors Notes: I’m pretty sure there are no spoilers. I wrote this for The_BaldTruth List Mom, Bran. I hope you feel better, chickpea. We miss you over at the list. My thanks to Adri! My awesome beta!
Summary: Chloe becomes ill, but Lex is there by her side to help her through it.
Email: mitchpell@yahoo.com
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It was seven o’clock before Lex finally pulled into his driveway. They had hit a major snag in the acquisition of Beckman Industries, which had caused his meeting to run over by several hours. He was beyond tired, starving, and relieved to be home. Lex climbed out of his Ferrari and made his way into his large city home. It would have been more convenient to stay in the penthouse at the LexCorp Towers, but despite the advantages of living directly downtown Chloe had refused. She had claimed that if they lived in the there, Lex would never come up from the offices. So they had bought a large house on the Southside. Though, it didn’t have the luxuries of penthouse, he had come to think of it as home.
He walked in the house and tossed his keys on the small table by the door. He couldn’t help but smile at the sound of little feet racing towards him. He hung up his long black coat on the hall rack, set down his black leather briefcase, and turned around just in time to see his daughter come running around the corner, her two long red braided pigtails bouncing behind her. She ran right up to him and jumped up into his arms.
Lex lifted his daughter up with a show of strain. “Man, Lena, you’re getting heavy. Soon, I’m not going to be able to pick you up.” He said as he rested his daughter on his hip.
Lena glared at her dad. “I’m not heavy. I’m just the right size.” She stated with scowl.
Lex just laughed at her antics. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “So, how was your day?” He asked as he carried her into the kitchen.
“Good. I went over to Jamie’s house. Their dog had puppies today. You should have seen them, Daddy. They were so cute. They were all white, with little red noses. I couldn’t tell what color their eyes’ were though, because they weren’t open yet.” She giggled a little. “You know what, Daddy?”
“What’s that?” He asked as he walked over to the oven to see if Chloe had left his dinner in there. She usually did whenever he came home late. He pulled open the smaller oven door, and frowned when he saw it was empty.
“Mommy didn’t make dinner tonight.” Lena told him.
“She didn’t?” He asked, in a light tone, masking his concern. Chloe hadn’t been feeling well. And despite his requests, she refused to go to the doctors.
“Nope. She still had a tummy ache. So we had vegetable beef soup and crackers.”
“I see.” He said as he turned his attention from the oven to the fridge. He pulled out some chipped ham and lettuce then handed them to his daughter. He grabbed some mayonnaise and closed the door. “So what were you going to tell me about the puppies?” He asked as he sat her on the countertop.
“They didn’t look like puppies.” She said through her giggles. “They looked more like rats.”
Lex chuckled as he retrieved the bread from the cupboard and proceeded to make himself a sandwich. “And what did Jamie say when you told him that?” He asked.
“I didn’t tell Jamie that! I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.” She explained in a tone that said she thought her Dad was crazy to think such a silly thing. “Guess what else, Daddy!”
“What?” He asked.
“No! You have to guess!” She said faking annoyance.
“Hhmm.” Lex murmured while appearing as if he were deep in thought. “I know!” He exclaimed. “You kissed Jamie, didn’t you?”
“EW! That’s gross, Daddy. I’d get boy germs if I kissed him!” She exclaimed. She sat there for a while waiting for him to say something, then said, “Well, aren’t you going to guess again?”
He smiled at her as he finished putting his sandwich together, and started putting stuff away. “Why don’t you just tell him?” He suggested.
She rolled her eyes at him then grinned. “Mr. Michaels said I could have one of them when they’re older, if I wanted.”
Lex stood up from where he was bending down to retrieve a bottle of Ty Nant from the fridge. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh did he?” He asked.
“Yep. I even picked one out. He’s the smallest one there. He was only this big, while the others were this big.” She said as she made little shapes with her hands to indicate the size of the pups.
“Don’t you think you should have asked Mommy and I if you could have a puppy first?” He asked her.
“I didn’t tell him yes Daddy. I just asked him if I could have the small one if I was allowed. I know I have to ask first.” She told him. “So can I?”
“I don’t know, Lena, a puppy is a lot of responsibility.” He told her as he walked back over the counter, handed her his water bottle, picked her up, and grabbed his sandwich.
“Come on, Daddy. I’m three years old already. I can take care of it. Please!” She begged.
“I’ll think about it,” he told her, as he made his way to Chloe’s study.
Lena snorted. “That means no.” She said her tiny voice filled with disappointment.
“No, that means I’ll think about it.” He told her, while giving her a look that told her she should watch her tone.
“Sorry.” She mumbled.
Lex knocked once on Chloe’s study then opened it, only to find she wasn’t in there. Lex could feel the worry eking its way back into his chest. Chloe was almost always in her study from around seven to ten. It was when she worked on her book. “Where’s Mommy?” He asked Lena.
“She’s upstairs in your room. She’s taking a nap.” She told him.
Lex frowned at her response, and started to make his way up the stairs.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?” Lena asked when she saw the look on her Dad’s face.
“I’m just worried about Mommy.” He told her. He opened the door to Chloe and his bedroom then set Lena down. Chloe was curled up in a ball on her side of the bed, clutching her stomach. Lex set his sandwich and bottle of water down on her nightstand then sat beside her on the edge of the bed. “Chloe.” He called softly as he gently brushed a piece of her shoulder length blond hair behind her ear. He noticed she was sweating. He placed his hand on her forehead then her cheeks, to see if she had a fever. “God, you’re burning up.” He whispered frantically. She groaned and then clutched tighter at her stomach. “Lena!” He called.
The little girl jumped at her Dad’s voice. She had been watching anxiously from where Lex had set her down just inside the doorway.
“Lena,” he said again, a little softer. He continued once she pulled her eyes off her Mom and looked at him. “Go put some shoes on then grab Mommy’s purse and meet me downstairs by the door.” He told her.
Little tears started to stream down her freckled covered cheeks. “Is Mommy ok?” She asked.
“I’m sure Mommy’s fine.” He told her. “But we need to take her to the Hospital just to be sure. So, I need you to go get your shoes and coat on. Then go get Mommy’s purse. It should be in her study, where it always is. Then meet me by the front door. Ok? Can you do that?” He asked her, making sure to keep panic out of his voice.
Lena nodded her head, then turned and walked out of the room as if she was in a trance.
Lex turned back to his wife. “Chloe.” He said in a soft voice. “I’m going to take you into the hospital, alright.”
She opened her eyes, and looked at him. “Ok.” She whispered, as tears of pain trailed down her pale cheeks.
He leaned in and kissed her. “It’ll be alright.” He assured her. Then he stood up and gathered her in his arms. He carried her downstairs where he saw Lena waiting for him. “Can you grab my keys for me Sweetie?” He asked her. When she nodded her head yes, he opened the door and carried Chloe out to the car. He placed her in the passenger seat of the Ford Explorer they had bought just before Lena was born. He glanced in the back seat to make sure Lena was in with her seatbelt buckled, before he jogged over to driver’s side.
He had tried to not speed excessively. Despite the fact that he wanted to get there quickly, he didn’t want to kill them all in a car accident. His heart was pounding and his hands were trembling ever so slightly. He could hear Chloe softly moaning in the seat beside him, and his daughter crying behind him, distracting him from the road in front of him.
Fifteen minutes later they reached the emergency entrance of Metropolis General. Lex jumped out of the car, and looked back at Lena. “Stay here, ok. Daddy will be right back.”
She nodded her little tear-stained face and pulled her knees up to her chest. Lex gave her a small smile in an attempt to comfort her, then jogged/ran into the Hospital. He made his way to the admittance desk. The nurse behind the desk was on the phone. Lex waited a whole thirty seconds before snatching the phone away from her, putting the person on hold, then forcefully setting the receiver in the cradle.
“Excuse me!” The nurse exclaimed. “I was assisting that person!”
“If it’s an emergency, they’ll call 911.” He told her. “My wife is out in my car. She has a fever, and is experiencing server abdominal pain. She’s fading in and out. I need someone to look at her.”
The nurse gave him a smug look. “There are wheelchairs right there,” she said as she pointed out them out. “You can use one of those to get her inside. Then you can have a seat in the waiting room, and we’ll get to you as soon as we can.” She explained as started to reach for the phone.
Lex grabbed a hold of her hand, preventing it from lifting the receiver. “I need someone to look at her now.” He used a tone that demanded people do as he said. Everyone listened to it, everyone but Chloe.
The nurse looked at him for a minute. Then her eyes widened with recognition. "Mr. Luthor, I'm so sorry. Just give me a minute and I'll go get one of the doctors and a gurney, and someone will be right out.”
Lex nodded then released her hand. He went back out to his car then over to Chloe’s door. Picking up her hand, he squeezed it gently and spokes softly. “There coming, my Dove. Just hang on a few more minutes.”
No sooner had he uttered these words than the nurse and two doctors came out of the hospital. Lex helped them lift Chloe out of the car and onto the gurney. “I’ll be right back.” He told her as they started to wheel her inside.
Lex jumped back in the car, and quickly pulled it into the emergency room parking lot. He shut off the engine, took a deep breath, and then just sat there for a minute.
“Are you ok, Daddy?” Lena asked from the backseat.
“Yeah, Sweetie, Daddy’s fine.”
“Is Mommy alright?” She asked.
He turned around and smiled at her. “Do you want to go see?” She nodded her head. “Ok,” he said, “let’s go see.” They climbed out of the Explorer. Lex locked the doors then held out his hand to Lena. She reached up and took it, and he led her into the hospital.
The nurse told Lex that he would have to remain in the waiting room until the doctors were done examining, his wife. She gave him an admittance form, then directed him the waiting chairs. Lex led his daughter over to two of the chairs that were off to the side. He sat down, and hoisted Lena up onto his lap. She had stopped crying, but was still sniffling. Ignoring the looks and the hushed whispers, Lex dug around in Chloe’s purse and found a pack of tissues, which he gave to his daughter. Then he retrieved Chloe’s medical card from her wallet and began filling out the admittance form.
“Daddy?” Lena asked.
“Yeah, Sweetie?” Lex asked without looking up from the form.
“How come people keep looking at us and whispering?” She asked.
Lex shot a death glare out into the crowd of injured citizens then looked at his daughter and smiled. “Because. They just want to know why such a beautiful little girl looks so sad.” He told her as he wiped at her tear-stained cheeks.
Lex and Chloe had worked to keep Lena out of the public eye. However, between Lex’s Multibillion dollar company and Chloe’s best selling novels, it had been quiet a challenge. But one they had overcome. Though only three, Lena went to a private school for gifted children. Most of the other kids that attended her school were from well off families also, so she didn’t stand out amongst the other students. She was close friends with the neighbors’ boy. But the Michaels kept to themselves, and never treated her differently because of her family. Lena was still too young for extracurricular activities, so she didn’t interact with a lot of people. They didn’t want to shelter her too much, but they were cautious.
Around fifteen to twenty minutes after Lex had returned the admittance form, one of the Doctor’s returned. “Mr. Luthor, I’m Dr. Ramon. We’ve had a chance to examine your wife.” The doctor informed him.
“What’s wrong?” Lex asked.
“Well, it appears that her appendix has ruptured. So, we’re going to have to take her up to surgery, and removed the appendix and clean up the infection.”
Lex cursed under his breath, and shook his head. “I’ve been trying to get her to go the doctor’s all week.” He said in a low voice, as if he were talking to himself. “Is she going to be alright?” He asked.
“Most people fully recover, but we’ll know more once we get her upstairs and have a look.”
Lex nodded his head in understanding. He glanced quickly at the gawkers. “Do you think we could get a more private waiting room?” He demanded, not so much as asked.
“Of course.”
The doctor led them into a small lounge then told Lex that he would let them know once Chloe was out of surgery. Lex thanked him then sat down in one of the chairs, letting Lena climb back onto his lap.
“They’re going to cut mommy open aren’t they?” She asked.
“Yeah, they are.”
“Why?”
“Well, one of mommy’s inside parts got infected, so they’re going to take it out.” He told her.
“Doesn’t she need that part?” Lena asked.
“No. See the appendix is a part we have but really don’t need.” Lex explained.
“If we don’t need it, then why do we have it?”
“Because, a long time ago, people used to need it.”
“But not anymore?”
“Nope, not anymore.” He reassured her.
Satisfied, Lena buried her face in her Dad’s chest. Lex rubbed soothing circles on her back with one hand as he got out his cell phone with the other. He flicked it open, and called Gabe.
“Gabe, it’s Lex. Look, I’m at the hospital. Chloe’s appendix ruptured.” He paused for a minute to listen to his father-in-law then continued to speak. “Yeah, Lena’s with me.”
“Hi, Grandpa!” Lena yelled towards the phone.
“He says hello.” Lex told her. “Yeah, they think she’ll be alright…No, no we’re fine, unless you wanted to come pick up Lena? I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”
“I want to stay here with you, Daddy!” Lena exclaimed.
“Hold on a second,” Lex told Gabe. “Are you sure, Sweetie? Daddy’s not sure how long he’ll have to stay here before he can see Mommy. It will probably be best if Pappy comes and gets you, and you spend the night with Grammy and Pappy.” He told his daughter.
Lena started to cry again. “No! I want to stay with you!”
“Ok, ok.” Lex said in a soothing tone. “Yeah,” he said in the phone. “She’s pretty shook up…Ok, hang on a minute.” He held the phone out to his daughter. “Pappy wants to talk to you.”
She took the phone and held it up to here ear. “Hi, Pappy…Yeah, yeah, I’m sure…I want to stay here with Daddy. I want to be here when the doctors finish taking out Mommy’s appendix…Ok…I love you too, Pappy. Tell Grammy I love her too. Bye.”
Lex took the phone back for her. “Look. I’m not coming into the office tomorrow. You can handle things without me right? Good…Yeah, I’ll call you as soon as I hear something. All right. Thanks, bye.”
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Four hours later, Lex was awakened by the opening of the lounge door. He snapped his head up from where it was resting on the back of the chair. Wincing, he rubbed his neck, trying to relieve some of the stiffness it had gotten from the position he was sleeping in. Lena was curled up on the seat beside him, with her head resting in his lap. “Mr. Luthor,” Dr. Ramon said in a soft voice as to not wake up the young girl, “your wife just got out of surgery.”
“How is she?” Lex asked.
“She’s fine. Everything went well. We expect her to recover completely.”
Lex nodded. “Can I see her now?”
“She’s still in the recovery room, but you will be able to see her shortly.”
Lex stuck out his hand for the doctor to take. “Thank you.” Lex said while shaking the Dr. Ramon’s hand.
Ramon smiled. “You’re welcome.” He said, and then turned and left.
Lex gently shook his daughter shoulder. “Lena,” he called. “Wake up, Sweetie.” She groaned and rolled over. “Come on, honey wake up. Mommy’s out of surgery and we’re going to go see her soon.” When she didn’t respond, Lex gently picked her up. He stood up and laid her back down on the seats. He stretched out his stiff muscles, and cracked his neck. He walked back over to his daughter, leaned down, and whispered in Lena’s ear. “I’ll be right back, Sweetie.”
“Mm-ok.” She mumbled.
Lex slipped out of the lounge and made his way over to the vending machines. He bought himself a bag of Twizzlers, and some M&M’s then went back to the lounge. After woofing down his snacks, he called Gabe and filled him on Chloe’s condition. Just as he hung up the phone, Dr. Ramon returned.
“You can go see her now,” he told Lex.
Lex walked over to him and asked. “Where is she?”
“She’s in room 142, up on the second floor. I can take you up, if you’d like.”
“All right.” Lex walked over, and picked Lena up, resting her head on his shoulder. They followed the doctor upstairs, and into Chloe room. She was asleep. But Lex was relieved to see how much better she looked.
“I’ll leave you alone,” Ramon said, then left them.
Lex thanked him again then turned back to his wife. He carefully laid Lena down beside her on the bed, and pulled one of the chairs up next to it. He sat down, and picked up one of her hands, squeezing it gently. He brought it up to his lips, and kissed the soft skin. Lex let out a long sigh of relief. She was ok. She was going to be all right. He wouldn’t have known what he would have done if she weren’t. Nothing was more important to him than her and Lena. They were his whole world. They were all that mattered. He stood up, leaned over, and kissed her. “I love you, Chloe.” He whispered. Then he sat back down and rested his head in his arms on the edge of her bed. He didn’t know how long he sat there watching over them, before he fell asleep.
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Chloe shifted a little on the bed, and slowly opened her eyes. It took her a moment to recall that she was in the hospital, but last night’s events slowly came back to her. She looked down to see Lena sleeping beside her. She brushed a strand of her daughter’s red hair out of her face. Then she turned to Lex. She slipped the hand he was holding out of his, and rested it on his smooth scalp. He stirred and lifted his head to look at her.
“Hey.” She said.
“Hey.” He replied. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. I’m a little sore, but better.”
“Good. You really had me worried there for a minute.”
“I’m sorry.” She said, her eyes welling up with tears. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you before…”
“Hey, it’s all right.” He reassured her as he took her hand and kissed it. “You’re going to be fine. And that’s all that matters, nothing else matters. Ok?”
“Ok,” she whispered. She pulled gently on his hand, and he rose out of his chair and embraced her. “I love you, Lex.” She whispered.
“I know.” He told her, before kissing her passionately, yet gently, on her tender lips.
The End
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