FicWad

When the Kents received the phone call in the dead of the night from the hospital, informing them of Lana's accident and that their son was there, Jonathan dressed quickly, assuring Martha that there was no reason for both of them to go into town. She had agreed, only because it was possible that Clark would decide to come home on his own before Jonathan had arrived, and she did not want him to come home to an empty house, especially after all that had happened.

"Don't be angry with him, Jon. Listen to him, let him explain everything before you say anything, all right?"

Jonathan gave his wife a quick kiss as he hurried to the door. "I know. I promise not to yell, criticize, or complain, at least not until I know all of the facts. Besides, from the way that nurse sounded, I'm not sure what to expect. She said she had to ask him three times before he answered her when she asked him what his name was. She said he was the one to bring Lana in, and that he'd been sitting with her for a while, but that he'd moved out into the waiting area. She said she was worried about him because there were traces of blood on his face, like he'd been in a fight and hadn't had the time to clean up."

"Blood? Jonathan, if he was bleeding, then that means there was kryptonite involved."

He nodded gravely. "I'll bring him home, Martha. I'm his father. I'll always bring him home when he needs me to."

Clark sat still, almost motionless in one of the waiting room chairs just across the hallway from Lana's room. He looked, as Jonathan's father would have said, rough. He was not crying, but looked as though he wanted to very badly. There was a smear of blood under his nose and some on his chin, and his eyes held an expression of sadness and defeat that made Jonathan's heart ache for his son. There was definitely more to the story than Lana's injury and Lex's strange behavior.

"Clark?"

There was no response, so he tried again, this time sitting down in the chair next to him and taking his hand firmly but gently.

"Clark. One of the nurses called me and told me you were here. We've been worried."

"Dad?" The dazed look in his eyes lessened somewhat with recognition.

"I'm here, son. I came to get you and bring you home. You can come back and visit Lana tomorrow if you want. I'll drive you in myself."

He shook his head. "Can't."

"Can't what, Clark?"

"I can't visit her tomorrow, or the next day, or - or ever. She doesn't want to see me."

"Son, the nurses told me she was sleeping. How do you know that she doesn't want to see you? You're one of her best friends!"

Clark shook his head. "She woke up. I was sitting with her, and she woke up and told me that I was right all along, that knowing me was too dangerous for her. So, she doesn't want to see me. Not now, not ever."

Fighting down a surge of righteous anger at Lana for blaming his son for her injuries, Jonathan squeezed his son's hand. "Then it's her loss, not yours." He hesitated for a moment, looking around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. The waiting area was empty. "Clark, can you tell me what happened after you left with Lex? Where is he now?"

Clark closed his eyes, leaning forward to rest his head in his hands. "I - I don't know. He was right, dad. Someone drugged him. His bodyguard Darius put it in his Scotch. Whatever it was made him ... not himself. He was seeing things and - and so I took him to the stables to hide, and Lana brought him some food. She stayed with him while I went to find out about the drug and the bodyguard, and when I came back, Lex was gone and Lana was on the floor of the stable, unconscious. The - the doctor said she was trampled by one of the horses."

Helplessly, Jonathan listened with a growing sense of horror as the tale unfolded. Chloe researching Lionel Luthor for a story, finding out more than she had bargained for, Lex using her research to discover that his father and Morgan Edge might have conspired to kill his grandparents for insurance money, Lex being drugged by his own staff, alone, dangerous, and on the run. Clark fighting Morgan Edge, who was armed with a new face and kryptonite, being threatened yet again by a friend as Lex aimed a gun at him, crawling through the shards of kryptonite to save Lex from being run over by a car, and having it ultimately mean nothing, as Lex was dragged away to God only knew where. It was worse, so much worse than he had even imagined, and he found that he had no idea what he could do to make things better for his son.

Clark was still sitting with his head resting on his hands, leaning forward in his chair. Jonathan laid a hand on his son's back in a comforting gesture. He had never understood men who did not show their sons affection, and had even less understanding of men like Lionel Luthor, who seemed to enjoy taunting theirs. Perhaps it was because he and Martha had wanted a child so badly before Clark came into their lives, or perhaps it was because Clark was the sort of child that one could not help but love.

When he felt his son trembling, he did not hesitate to help him to his feet and toward the door. He was not embarrassed to hug his son in public, but he knew that Clark was a teenager who would die of embarrassment if people saw him crying in a hospital waiting room. Jonathan Kent knew that he had many faults, not the least of which were his temper and stubbornness, but no one could say truthfully that he was not a devoted father, or that he had forgotten what it was like to be a teenager.

After they made it to the truck, Clark let go of the tears he had been holding back. Jonathan waited patiently, patting his son encouragingly on the back just to remind him that he was not alone. When the tears were spent, he wiped his eyes on his sleeve, trying to get his voice under control.

"Dad?"

"Right here, son. Take your time, there's no rush."

"The - the worst part of it is that Lex can't trust his own father. I mean, you've grounded me and yelled at me, but - but I mostly deserved it."

Jonathan resisted the urge to smile at Clark's use of the word 'mostly', and listened as Clark haltingly explained what he was thinking. "When I do something you don't like, I don't have to worry that you'll hurt me or - or disown me. You even talked to Jor-El to get me home from Metropolis this summer. It's just not fair. You're not even my biological father, and you risked everything for me. I know you were mad when I left with Lex, but you didn't stop me and you're here now. Lionel treats Lex like dirt."

"Biology has nothing to do with it, Clark. You are my son. I've watched you grow from a little toddler into a great kid, and now you're almost a man. Put the emphasis on the 'almost'. You're still a teenager, and so I get to be the boss of you for at least a few more years." Jonathan smiled, and felt relieved when he got a small, watery smile from Clark in return. "If anything, the problems that Lex and his father have should prove to you that biology means squat. All the blood ties in the world weren't enough to save their relationship, and here we are, not even from the same planet. I couldn't love you any more than I already do. And, I couldn't be more proud."

Clark looked up to meet his father's eyes. "Proud? You mean you're not mad that I left with Lex and that Lana's in the hospital because of me?"

"I wasn't happy when you left with him, but after everything you told me, you did the right thing. You had to give him a chance. What happened to Lana you had no control over. She agreed to help you and Lex. You didn't force her. I know she looks pretty bad right now, but they told me she was going to make a full recovery."

"Is Mom mad?"

"Worried, but not angry. Speaking of your mother, we need to be getting home or she'll start calling people and won't stop until she finds us."

At this, Clark managed a real smile.

During the truck ride home, they rode in silence until the Kent farm was in sight. The lights in the living room and kitchen were on, and through the window, Martha Kent could be seen pacing back and forth.

"Dad?"

Jonathan turned off the ignition of the truck and turned to face his son. "Yeah?"

"What would happen if I was around the kryptonite and got shot while I was under its influence?"

At this question, Jonathan felt as though a cold fist was squeezing his stomach, but he answered truthfully. "I don't know, Clark. I'm glad we don't know the answer to that one."

"Well, we almost found out tonight."

"Thank God we didn't."