Chapter 2: Children's Mercy Hospital of Metropolis
The next morning at 5 AM the Kent family was already up and in the truck, getting ready to leave for the day. None of them had slept so there was really no point in laying there pretending they were. The appointment they had was for 10 AM and this could give them some time to actually go to the show before the appointment. Clark sat on the passenger side, while his mother sat in the middle. It was a tight fit, but no one said anything during the three-hour ride to Metropolis. Clark read his book on the latest language he was trying to learn and Martha looked at the road with intense concentration. Jon just drove, no thoughts, just drove. Three hours later, three Kents exited the truck to the Metropolis Organic Farming Show. It was due to open at 8:00 and it was now 8:15, by the time they got a parking spot and walked to the convention center.
Inside the show the three Kents walked around in a daze. None could get their thoughts off the appointment that was to take place in just a few hours. As 9:30 rolled around, Clark decided that he was tired of being there and wanted to leave. He had not eaten due to instructions from the hospital that some of the tests would require him to have not eaten. Clark just wanted to sit in a chair and read his book, so it was with great joy that Clark got both of his parents out of the show and into the truck to go to the hospital a half an hour early.
When the Kent's truck pulled up to the Hospital, all Clark could think was that it looked like a happy place. It had bright yellow, green and blue awnings. There were what looked to be pink lights highlighting some of the statues around the front entrance. There was even children's music playing in the background. Clark was almost embarrassed to be here. His large form would be easily pointed out from the other children that were at the hospital for one reason or another. Clark began to have second thoughts on whether he would be able to go into the hospital, but one worried look from his parents had Clark standing at the curb with his mother waiting for his father to return from parking the truck. When the final Kent arrived all three walked into Children's Mercy Hospital of Metropolis, with the hope that nothing was really wrong with Clark.
The inside of the hospital was not something Clark expected to see. The bright sky blue walls with animal murals on them were a shock but even more shocking was the grass green carpet that lined the floor. It shocked Clark even more that he almost felt comfortable in the hospital; they were greeted immediately by a bubbly young woman with short brown hair, with a volunteer's uniform on.
“Hi! Welcome to Children's Mercy Hospital of Metropolis. How may I be of assistance?”
“We have an appointment at 10.” Martha said.
“Oh, well how about you follow me and I will show you to where you need to be. Do we need to wait for your son or daughter?” The woman said looking around for another person.
“Oh, we are all right here.” Jonathan said with a slight laugh. He knew that something like this would happen when going to a children hospital. Clark was just too large to be seventeen and most people took him as an older college brother than the person they would actually be talking to.
“Well, is he the patient?” The woman asked as she pointed to Clark. By now Clark was beet red and ducking his head so as to not be noticed anymore.
“Of course!” Martha said in an exasperated tone. The woman was beginning to get on Martha's nerves.
“Well, isn't he a little old to be here?” The woman asked with a snotty attitude. By now it seemed that they had drawn the notice of a young man standing at the volunteer's desk. His hair was about an inch long, and was a gleaming silver color. One would mistake him for being older than his twenty years of age. The young man made his way slowly over to the conversation to hear the woman tell the group:
“Well you will have to wait here while I check to make sure that you actually have an appointment.” As the woman walked away, the young man walked up to the group of three.
“Hello, maybe I can help you more than she can.” He said in a low voice.
“Um, well our son has an appointment at 10 and we don't know where to go.” Martha said trying to sound pleasant, if fell flat.
“I assume that Tiffany had other ideas?” The young man asked as he pointed his head in the direction of where the woman had gone off to.
“Yeah, she did. She did not even get our names to check and see if we really did have an appointment.” Martha responded with a bit more cheerfulness.
“Well, let me introduce my self. My name is Michael Azure and I am a volunteer here.”
“Martha Kent. This is my husband Jonathan and our son Clark.” Martha said as he pointed to the two men standing besides her.
“Well, Mrs. Kent lets see about getting Clark to his appointment shall we?” Michael said as he walked away toward the counter where Tiffany sat talking to another girl with blonde hair. As the two saw him approach they began to smile.
“Ladies.” Michael said by way of greeting with a slight nod of his head.
“Michael! Hi! We were wondering if you wanted to do something later today.” Tiffany asked.
“I'm sorry, but no. I have a prior engagement to attend.” Michael said while looking over a computer screen.
“Well, are you busy this weekend?” The blonde headed woman said.
“Ah, there they are. I have business to tend to this weekend as well. Sorry.” Michael said as he walked off in the direction of where the Kents where standing looking lost. As he arrived the looks of worry on the Kents face lighten significantly.
“Well it seems the Clark will be on the tenth floor and if you follow me I will take you to where you need to be.” Michael said with a small smile from the relieved looks on their faces.
“Thank you.” Jonathan said to the young man walking slightly ahead of them.
“Don't worry about it. It seems that if you are over the age of ten, Tiffany refuses to help you. I don't see why they let her return, but what can we do about that?” Michael said with a humor in his voice.
As the Kents followed Michael he could the sense that they were worried for what was about to occur. He decided to try to at least make it a little more bearable while they were here.
“So Clark, how old are you?”
“I'm seventeen.” Clark said while looking at his surroundings.
“So that would make you a what? Junior or a senior?” Michael asked with curiosity.
“No, I'm a sophomore.” Clark said while his face was turning red. Clark was always embarrassed by the fact that he was in fact a year behind everyone else his age.
“Late birthday?” Was the question thrown back at Clark.
“Uh, no… I didn't know any English when I came here when I was four.” Clark said turning an even brighter shade of red while looking at his feet.
“Oh and where are you all from? Out of the country I assume?” Michael said with interest.
“Well Clark is from Europe, while Jonathan and I were born and raised in Kansas.” Martha answered.
“Where in Europe?” Michael asked.
“Ah, I…..I…” Clark began to stutter and tried to answer the question that he did not want to answer. That was part of the problem in his friendship with Lex. Lex always wanted to know more about Clark, than Clark really wanted to tell people. It is one thing to be adopted, but to be adopted from overseas was just plain weird to the people of Smallville. Most of the citizens believed that Clark was truly Jonathan and Martha Kent's son. The Kents never really disagreed or opposed the idea and they planned to keep it that way until Clark felt comfortable enough to tell who he wanted.
“I don't remember too much from where I'm from, it just seems that the languages stuck with me.” Clark said while trying to look anywhere but at Michael. Michael understood that this was a hard topic to talk about in this family and decided to change the subject.
“That's quite all right. And what do you speak, if you don't mind my asking?”
“Serbian and a few others.” Clark said turning even brighter red than he was before.
“What other languages beside Serbian?”
“Uh, well I speak Italian, French and Spanish mainly. I know a couple others but that is because I pretty much know some form of it already.” Clark said as he looked at his mother to see if she understood that he felt totally uncomfortable talking about this to a total stranger. Martha saw the look in her son's eyes and decided that the young man that was being helpful was digging too deep into Clark's past and she would have to put a stop to it.
“So Michael, why do you volunteer here? Besides the good looking volunteer girls.” Martha said by way of changing the subject. She hoped that Michael would take notice of the change and not comment of it.
“Well I was once a patient here myself. I was a leukemia patient about five years ago. Once I recovered and was able to get the chance to help, I jumped right in. The hospital is always in need of good volunteers, as you could see.” Michael said letting the change of topic breeze by him like Lex would.
“Well I'm glad to see that you are in good health and that you were able to help us. I think we would have missed the appointment if we waited for that young woman to come back.” Martha said while continue to follow Michael down the long hallway to the main bank of elevators.
“Thank you. I appreciate your praise. Now if you will follow me into the elevator we can get this appointment started.” Michael said while holding one the of the large silver elevator door open with his hand. Martha, Jonathan and Clark stepped into the empty elevator and were quickly followed in by Michael. Each one of the floors on the ride up seemed to take forever. Clark seemed to be unwilling to look at anything that was not located near his shoes and Martha and Jonathan were too worried about Clark to even continue the conversation that had taken place just a few seconds earlier. As the final chime of the elevator went off, Clark's head lifted up to see the floor as the doors opened. What he saw was not a comfort to him in any way, shape or form.
“The tenth floor is what could we call “Dexter's Laboratory,” don't worry about the look of the place it is only that way for your protection.” Michael said by way of greeting them onto the cold and sterile looking floor. A short walk to a frosted glass window ended the trip into the tenth floor.
“Well, lets get you signed in here and they should call you shortly.” Michael said as he wrote on a piece of paper outside of the frosted glass window, and then directed the three over to a set of chairs.
“Is there anything else you need?” Michael asked with the utmost sincerity in his voice while standing near Clark's chair.
“Uh, I don't think so. I mean is there anything I need to know? Maybe you can show my mom and dad where to get something to drink if they need it or something.” Clark said while stuttering his way through those few sentences. Clark got the feeling that Michael was a lot like Lex, when he dealt with someone on a personal level. He wanted and would get your undivided attention. It had taken Clark a great amount of time to even stop stuttering in the presence of Lex. It seemed to Clark that Lex's personality just screamed for respect and attention, and Clark was always worried that he would start to babble in some other language beside English when speaking to Lex.
“Excellent idea, Mr. and Mrs. Kent would you like for me to wait with you, and then show you where everything is on this floor?” Michael asked just in case the family felt that they did not need his help anymore.
“That would be helpful.” Martha said with a small smile on her face. She too felt that this young man was a likeness to Lex Luthor, but did not want to comment on it. She thought it was funny that Clark seemed to attract the scions of Metropolis as either friends or as it seemed a volunteer. Martha knew the last name Azure. That name was almost a big as the last name Luthor, in the city of Metropolis. Azure Interprizes, was the leading Biotech and Biomedical research firm in Metropolis and quickly becoming the world.
Michael sat next to Clark and waited patiently with the family. He seemed to have this urge to get to know the young man sitting next to him better. He could not quite place his finger on why he felt this way, but figured that if all else failed it got him away from Tiffany and her friend. It seemed that the two had taken to flirting with him since they found out that his last name was Azure, he had always tried to not say that name so that he may be recognized for himself, but a friend had other ideas. A small smile appeared on Michael's face as he thought about his good friend Lex Luthor, if one could say they were good friends with a Luthor at all. Lex had heard that Michael had been volunteering his time at the hospital and thought it would be a good idea to drop the hint that Michael the volunteer was not some normal young man, but the scion of the Azure dynasty, just as Lex was of the Luthor dynasty regardless of how ever much he did not want to be. Lex had made sure that everyone in the hospital knew that he was Michael Azure and that he was to be treated with all the respect and courtesy of a Luthor if need be. Michael of course was livid with Lex for weeks, but when Lex came by the next month in his standard black business suit and trademark lavender dress shirt, and sat with the leukemia patients that were on the floor, Michael's anger faded away. Michael could not fault his friend if he was willing to come into the hospital and visit sick kids on his lunch hour. Lex always seemed to please his friends in the most unconventional ways. That thought made Michael smile again.
“Happy thought?” Clark asked as he looked at the guy next to him.
“Yeah, just thinking about a friend I have not seen recently.” Michael answered back.
“Oh, if you don't mind me asking why haven't you seen them recently?” Clark asked trying to get to know the young man sitting next to him.
“It seems that his father felt that Metropolis was a bad influence on him, and decided to move him somewhere else. I have not been able to contact them due to my busy schedule. It's either school or here.”
“You should always make time for your friends. You never know what could happen in a short space of time. It's just a thought.” Clark said with his voice full of sadness. Just the thought of friends made Clark think of Lex and what he would have done when he found out that he was sick. Lex had always taken a personal interest in Clark's wellbeing and was always greatly hurt, when he knew that either Clark or his family was untruthful to him.
“I might just have to take that piece of advice.” Michael said looking at Clark wondering what would make someone like Clark say something like that.
“Kent, Clark.” A tanned man called from a set of gray door near the area where the Kents and Michael were located. Clark stood up and looked to his parents one last time before walking ahead. Both Jonathan and Martha began to stand up but were stopped by the man that had called Clark's name.
“Have a seat and we will call you when you are needed.”
Jonathan and Martha sank into their seats and watched as Clark slowly trudged to the double doors where the man stood standing. Neither could fight the feeling that they were leaving their baby boy at the mercy of the hospital.
“It will be alright. He won't be in there for too long with out you. They usually make the patients change into a hospital gown and I don't think Clark would want you both in there with him when he changes.” Michael said trying to be as helpful as possible.
“So we will be able to go with him afterward?” Martha asked still looking at the doors.
“I don't see why not. Most of the younger patients have their parents with them. Just because Clark is older doesn't make this situation any less frightful.”
“No, I don't believe that it is does. I just hope that it won't be long.” Martha said watching her husband watch the double doors. Ten minutes later the same man that had called Clark back, walked back out.
“Kent.”
“That's us!” Jonathan all but yelled. He had been tense about leaving Clark alone, but now more so than ever. The thought that his son could possibly be sick made him want to run in fear.
“Follow me.” The man said as he walked through the double doors. Martha gave a look at Michael, who was sitting in his chair and wonder if the young man would still be sitting there when they returned.
“I will be here when you return.” Michael said by way of answering the unasked question in Martha's eyes.
“Okay.” Martha said as she followed the man that had called their name through the double gray doors. Following the nurse was an easy task that seemed to only make Martha more anxious with each step that she took. Jonathan, Martha and the nurse made it to the end of the hall before they stopped. At the end of the hall was a room with the number 10-1689 on the wall plaque.
“This is where your son is. The doctor that will be performing the tests will be in shortly. Please make yourself as comfortable as possible.”
Martha did not wait any longer to walk into the room. What she saw was Clark sitting on a hospital bed looking like he was about ready to throw up.
“Clark! Are you alright?” Martha asked in a breathless voice.
“Uh? Yeah, mom. Just didn't think that this would all be happening quite like this. I thought a quick trip to the doctor and we would be home with a prescription or something to fix me. I guess by the looks of it, it's more serious than that.” Clark said with a small half smile of his face. It had come as a great shock when the nurse told him to undress and put on a gown.
“Well it is better safe than sorry. We will be here for you, don't worry about that.” Martha said as she made herself comfortable sitting on the bed where Clark was sitting in the middle with as much of the covers on him as possible.
“Could they make this place any colder?” Clark asked.
“You're cold, dear? Well let me see if we can get you an extra blanket.” Martha said as she walked out of the room in search of a nurse to get an extra blanket. That left Jonathan in the room alone with Clark.
“You all right there dad?” Clark asked.
“I will be as soon as we know what is going on with you. I don't like the idea of …….I don't like the …..I just don't like it here.” Jonathan said while looking at his son with a sadness that Clark had never seen.
“It will be okay dad. It has to be.” Clark said trying to reassure himself and his father. Jonathan just nodded his head and looked out the window that was in the corner of the room.
“Could they put us any higher up?” Jon asked Clark.
“Dad you know how I hate heights. I did not even think to look out that window.” Clark said looking more nervous than before. At that moment Martha walked in with a warm blanket to drape over Clark.
“Clark are you okay? You look worse than when I left you.” Martha said.
“Oh, I'm okay. Dad just pointed out the fact that we are on the tenth floor to me.”
“Jonathan!” Martha said in an angry voice.
“Sorry, Martha! I just don't like hospitals. You know that.” Jon said by way of defending him self. At that moment a tall Indian woman with a white lab coat walked in with a clipboard and glasses in hand.
“Clark Kent?” The woman asked by way of greeting.
“Yeah, that's me.” Clark said from the bed. The doctor made her way over to the bed and shook Clark's hand.
“I am Dr. Nalliah and I will be the main doctor to perform any and all tests on you today. We should have the results of the tests by the end of the day or early tomorrow morning. Do you have any questions before I begin?”
“Well what kinds of tests will you be doing?” Clark asked as his face turned red. He felt like an idiot not knowing what these people where going to do to him for the next few hours.
“Oh, well most of it will be based on a simple blood test.”
“Okay then. I guess that answers my question.” Clark said as he looked at the door to see a short plump woman standing at the door with her phlebotomy kit in her hands.
“Well let's get your blood.” The plump woman said as she made her way over to Clark's bed.
“Oh, quite a large one you are. How old are you?” She asked trying to make small talk.
”Seventeen.” Clark answered her quietly.
“Seventeen! Well, you are a strapping young man if I do say so may self. My daughter would just wet herself to meet someone with your looks.” The woman seemed to rattle on and on about Clark's looks and it made Clark more and more embarrassed, he had always been told by his parents that he was handsome, but hearing it from a complete stranger made Clark very uncomfortable. As the woman finished and walked off, Clark was beet red and not looking at anything but the blanket in his lap.
“Well, it seems that you have a visitor. I will let them in if that is alright.” Dr. Nalliah said. The three Kents looked at each other and could not figure out who would be here to visit Clark when they had told no one about the appointment.
“Sure.” Clark said looking toward the door and waiting to see who had managed to find out that Clark was here. Clark was relived to see Michael with his silver hair standing in the doorway.
“Told you it wouldn't be too bad.” Michael said with a smile on his face.
“Nah, not too bad. I don't even want to even think of what comes next though.” Clark said to Michael as he made room for the young man on his bed. Michael sat down at the end of the bed where Dr. Nalliah had just been standing.
“So let's say we take you all around the hospital's tenth floor.” Michael said as he stood up.
“Can I leave now? I mean, I would think I would have to stay here.”
“Oh, you can't leave but you have to be back in this room in an hour. I cleared it with your nurse.”
“Okay, well is there a robe or something? I don't think I want to walk around in this thing alone. They had to get my gown from Metropolis County Hospital for it to even fit me.” Clark said trying not to look at Michael as he said this. His parent could have been back sooner if the nurse would have found an adult gown for Clark to put on. It seemed that the largest size they had was nowhere near a size that would fit Clark's large frame, and so they had to get one from another hospital.
“Sure thing. Let me go and see what I can find.” Michael said as he exited the room.
“He is a very nice young man.” Martha commented after she was sure that Michael had left and was out of the hearing distance.
“He reminds me of Lex in some ways. Do you get that feeling?” Clark asked fidgeting.
“In some ways he does. Does that bother you Clark?”
“No, yes…..I guess it does bother me in the fact that he reminds me so much of Lex. I just didn't think that anyone would remind me of Lex. Do you get what I am saying?” Clark asked his parents.
“I understand, honey.” Martha said in her most soothing voice. She knew that Clark was still hurt from Lex's brush off of friendship from Clark. Michael walked into the room holding out another gown for Clark to put on, before Martha could speak again.
“Well, here we are. Let's get going. We only have 59 minutes left.” Michael said as he handed the gown to Clark. Clark looked at the gown and then to his mother for help. It took him forever to figure out that the opening went in the back and he did not want to stand up and show a stranger what he had on underneath the gown. Martha saw the look and decided to help her son out.
“Jon, Michael why don't you go and wait outside for Clark and I?” Martha looked to husband to make sure he understood that the young man that was in the room was making Clark uncomfortable, and needed some time to himself before going out on the floor.
“Sure. Michael, come on. You can show me where I can get a juice.” Jonathan answered, while walking out of the room with Michael following behind. Clark waited until the door closed before he stood up and tried to put the gown on.
“Clark, dear. Not like that, put it on the other way. Like a robe. That way you don't see the back.” Martha said while she watched Clark put the gown on the same way he had the current one on his body.
“Uh?” Clark asked as he fought with the gown more.
“The other way, you said a robe turn it so the opening is in the front.” Martha said now chuckling at the hard time Clark was having.
“Mom!” Clark said blushing. It seemed to Clark that he had blushed more in this day than he had in the presence of Lana Lang and that was saying something. Since it seemed that all Clark could do was blush and stutter in front of the dream girl next door.
“Clark come on. Your father will only wait for so long out there.” Martha said chuckling still.
“Mom, I don't want to go out there. I just want to sit here and read my book.” Clark said as he made his way to the door.
“Clark, Michael is just trying to be helpful. I don't think reading would be a good thing right now. You need something to distract you. We all need it, until they come back with the next set of tests that they want to run.” Martha said as she held the door for Clark. Martha and Clark were greeted with the sight of Jonathan yelling at a machine that looked to hold drinks as they walked out of the room.
“Give me my juice! Is that so hard to ask?” Jonathan yelled at the machine.
“I don't think it matters if you yell at it, it isn't going to give you the juice. Let's just call someone to help.” Michael said as diplomatically as he could.
“Fine!” Jonathan said as he saw his son and wife watching him with laugher in their eyes.
“Having trouble there?” Clark asked as he pointed to the machine.
“Yeah, it took my money and then didn't give me my juice.”
“Are you sure there are any left of the juice. I think the blinking light might mean something.” Clark pointed out.
“Blinking light?” Jonathan asked confused.
“Yeah dad the blinking light, right here that says sold out.” Clark said pointing to the light in question.
“Well I'll be.” Jon said as he looked at the light.
“Right dad, so pick something else. I think the machine is working just fine. Operator error, and all that.” Clark said laughing. Just then a phone began to trill.
“That's me.” Michael said by way of explaining. Michael answered and began to walk away from the Kents. All three of them watched his back hoping to see what was going on. Michael turned around after the phone call ended.
“Well, it seems that I must cut my time here short.” Michael said as he walked back over to the Kents.
“That is quite alight, dear. You are after all a busy young man. We didn't think that you would spend the whole time we were here with us.” Martha said as she stared at the young man in front of her.
“Thanks. It seems that my father has fired his administrative assistant and now would like me to go and help him until he has found a replacement. I really, really don't want to do it, but what am I to do?” Michael said as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Well I guess hiring the replacement quickly would be the answer.” Martha answered.
“Yeah, well I better get going. It was nice meeting you all. Clark, I hope things are alright, and if you are ever in the area come and visit me. I could use more stimulating conversation.” Michael said as he walked toward the elevators. The three Kents watched as the young man walked on the elevator gave one last wave and disappeared out of sight when the doors closed. After the doors closed Clark spoke.
“Well maybe I should get back to the room now.”
“Yes dear. That sounds like a good idea. How about your father actually get his drink and then we can wait for the doctor.” All three Kents agreed and Clark and Martha walked back to the room.