The Not Quite Justice League in... The Bee's Pleas!!!

[stands_for_hope]

[continued from here]

Finishing his article, clearing everything with Keith, those things took time. That was why it took a few hours before Clark was ready to make his usual call to Lois that night. He had worried that he might not make the time window that she cleared every day to talk to him and the others, but he was proud to say that he'd left himself an even half an hour as long as everything was to schedule.

After the fifth time she didn't pick up (didn't so much as text or ping him), it became clear that things were very much off schedule.

Clark made his way back to the main floor where everyone seemed to congregate and headed straight for Tony, holding up the phone to him.

"I know we're all tired and we've certainly had a long day, but... can you find out where Lois's phone is from the number here?"

In all the madness of the day, all the fighting and the close calls and the weakness brought on by the proximity of kryptonite, he'd lost track of her heartbeat. Usually, it was simple enough to pick up over the phone once again, a steady pulse that he could find his way back to once the phonecall had ended.

He couldn't hear her. He couldn't tell where she was. And she wasn't answering her phone. She always answered her phone. He didn't want to think anything was wrong, but he wasn't naive enough to discount something like this. Not after today. Not after they'd pulled out kryptonite weapons.

Comments

[stands_for_hope]

She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Looking out for everyone else. Just like you." but she let him go and breathed a couple of times before gesturing that Clark'd better get his kryptonian ass over there and kiss her.

...Clark did not disappoint, even if he did so as gently and carefully as possible.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim took a breath and put a smile on his face. She was going to be okay. And then he looked around to Steve and Diana. "Go ahead and get a shower, you two," he said, touching both their cheeks gently. "If it made me feel better, it'll make you feel better, too."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve looked like he was going to argue, but Diana was having none of it and quite simply slung him over one shoulder as she stood, leaning over to kiss James's cheek before nodding to the door.

"We will return soon enough."

Steve waved as she walked out and spread his hands in a 'what can I do?' gesture even though he wasn't really doing much of anything to prevent it happening.

"See you in a bit, Lois."

Clark may have laughed. Just the once.

[kolodnoykovki]

The doctor stared for a moment, but then shook his head and decided to ignore it. "Here are your aftercare sheets," he said instead, "and I'll call you with followup appointments soon."

"Thank you," Jim said. "Anything we need, we'll call you or take her to the ER or something."

"Good idea." But then, the doctor let himself out and that meant just three of them in the room.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark opened his mouth to say something before he cocked his head and couldn't help a chuckle. Then he wiped the laugh off his lips and settled beside Lois.

"So what's the rundown on your injuries?"

"Lots of broken," Lois admitted, "but not much internal. They were trying to hurt me, not kill me. Definitely up there with my worst travel experiences, though."

"I... should hope so," Clark said, obviously trying to keep his spirits up.

[kolodnoykovki]

"We'll make sure your breaks get set right," Jim said. "Then you won't lose any kind of functionality or anything."

She'd need her hands. He wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

[stands_for_hope]

She held her hands up, each and every splinted and bandaged one.

"That was what the doctor did. Hence me looking like Edward Sccisorhands. He said I should have full mobility, though I'm probably never going to have a flawless manicure ever again. Assholes."

The last was clearly directed at the HYDRA goons who'd been interrogating her.

"Did anyone happen to find my phone?" At Clark's shake of a head, she winced.

"Dammit. And is Kara going to be telling people about finding me captive?"

Clark wasn't sure, so he listened in to a couple of news broadcasts from around town. His nose-twitch told her everything.

"Great. So... I'll have Perry after me and we may or may not be getting a visit from my father. Lovely. I am SO bombing their Yelp score, I swear to Christ."

[kolodnoykovki]

"There was an attack on the UN," Jim said quietly, "right before we found out about you. Everything's a little up in the air right now. We can go look for your phone later, once you're getting some rest. Mention it to your boy here and you'll probably have it within the hour." Jim nodded in Clark's direction. "But for now, don't worry. You're home and you're safe."

[stands_for_hope]

She breathed in and out a few times before laying back against the headboard.

"How many people got hurt?"

Clark shook his head.

"No one, apparently. They managed to prevent any civilian casualties. But it's been a very very busy day."

Her eyes closed.

"Good. At least that means I'm the only Lane currently laid up. That makes things way less complicated."

[kolodnoykovki]

"They're blaming the UN attack on SHIELD, though," Jim said. "Mike's father is trying to help with that. Apparently he's been keeping an eye on things for a while. I don't know, I honestly wasn't... paying a lot of attention."

He'd been trying not to get accused of worse than he'd done.

"We'll find out eventually."

[stands_for_hope]

"Hopefully, Kara and Michael will figure something out. We'll have to see."

Lois nodded only to reach over and nudge Clark's arm. Clark bent closer and she kept nudging until he was half in the bed, floating beside her so as not to put pressure on anything.

"Best boyfriend," she said sleepily. "And oo, I think the painkillers are starting to kick in."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Enjoy them," he recommended, reaching out to so gently pat her leg. "And get some rest. You deserve it. I'll get somebody to look for your phone."

[stands_for_hope]

She shifted at his touch and turned her head to look at him, eyes not entirely focused but clearly trying.

"Love you, Uncle Jim. Knew you'd come for me."

She turned and kissed Clark's hair.

"Knew you'd come for me. Wasn't afraid at all..."

Then the painkillers took over and her eyes slipped closed, her breathing going deep and regular.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Love you, too, sweetheart," he murmured, glad to see her fall asleep. He reached out, then, and squeezed Clark's arm. "Stay with her, brother. She'll be glad to see you when she wakes up."

[stands_for_hope]

Clark nodded and reached over to pat Jim's side.

"I will. Go find your pair of troublemakers."

Clark looked sideways for a moment before looking up.

"And, uh... don't be surprised if they're, um..."

Clark's blushing said everything, really.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim snorted. "They just came out of a huge fight. I'm not surprised." But he still gave Clark a one-armed hug before leaving him and Lois to recover. He'd give Steve and Diana time to get the most of it out of their system, though. He wasn't feeling particularly sexy.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

As he walked out, Steve's bag started buzzing with a phonecall before the ringer started. Jim would recognize the ringer, as it was the one that Steve had set for Sam specifically.

[kolodnoykovki]

And given that Steve's bag was buzzing and Steve was elsewhere, Jim was the one who picked up the phone and said, "Yeah, this isn't who you're expecting, but somebody left his phone in his bag. Hey, Sam."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Oh thank God," came the answer. "Though I'll save the whole 'I'm hurt, I'm feeling slighted, why don't you call me for teamups anymore' line for when the big guy himself picks up.

"How you doin', Jim? I'm assumin' that everyone's in one piece and doin' as all right as they could be?"

[kolodnoykovki]

"Live closer and you can come," Jim answered with half a smirk in his voice. "Yeah, everybody's okay, generally. Lois is on the mend. I'm... still kind of wishing I could've cracked some more heads, but that's me. How's the SHIELD reputation doing?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Not really my thing," Sam admitted, "but I know the rest of the folks at the Tower up here are kinda watching half popcorn, half jaws on the ground."

[kolodnoykovki]

"At least we've taken a base out from under them," Jim exhaled. "I suspect things are going to cool down now. For a while, anyway. We've found some people who know more about Hydra movements than we do."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"You mean those Justice people who're on the news right now?" and it was clear he was turning to look at a screen himself.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Nnno, they're allies, but we found other people who have been keeping an eye on Hydra, too. The Justice people on the news are really helpful, though. One of them's kind of related to Superman. The other group's been around doing covert stuff since the eighties."

He remembered that, anyway.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Well, sounds like we've got some introductions to make. And it's always good to make friends. Anyone I woulda heard of?"