Ficlet: Waiting Room

[fandomcorner]

Title: Waiting Room
Author: Hils
Rating: G
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Words: 426
Summary: Clark waits.
Inspired by bagheera_san's idea to write a missing scene ficlet for each new episode. This is my offering for Cure
Thanks to danceswithgary for the beta



Clark is always surprised when the staff at the Smallville Medical Center don't recognize him. Or, if they do, they choose not to comment on the fact that, more often than not, he arrives with an unconscious person in his arms.

Today is no exception.

He’s not sure that the doctors believe him when he tells them he saved Lex from a mugging. They simply place Lex on a gurney without a word, and wheel him into one of the wards, leaving Clark with the paperwork to fill in.

He fills in the forms without even thinking about it, slightly unsettled that he knows every detail about Lex right down to his insurance information.

They have been here too many times.

He hands the paperwork to the nurse behind the desk, and she barely even looks at him.

“Mr. Luthor has a concussion, but should make a full recovery,” one of the doctors informs him. “Would you like to wait with him until he wakes up? I’m sure he’d like to thank the man that saved him.”

He shouldn’t stay. He knows that. What can he possibly have to say to Lex after everything that has happened between them? It’s only just starting to sink in that he just killed a man to save Lex’s life.

He feels sick.

There hadn’t even been time to think about it. Lex was in danger and Clark had to save him. That was all there was to it. The mere thought of choosing Knox over Lex hadn’t even entered his head.

He wonders if Knox had a family and friends who, right now, have no idea that the person they care about is gone forever.

He’s in Lex’s room before he’s even realized he’s been walking.

The light shining down on Lex’s face makes the cuts and bruises stand out vividly against his pale skin, and Clark has to physically hold himself back from running his hand over Lex’s face, to reassure himself that Lex is here and still alive.

He hates that Lex can still make him feel like this, tender and concerned, as though they were still friends. As though they were lovers.

What he hates even more is the fact that no matter how much guilt he feels for what he did to Knox, he can’t help but feel relieved that he got to Lex in time, and that terrifies him. What else was he capable of when it came to protecting those close to him?

He takes a seat next to Lex’s bed, and waits.

Comments

[myownghost.livejournal.com]

i like clark knowing lex's insurance info! i'm glad he'll be there waiting when lex wakes up, even with all his mixed feelings. nice job, hils.

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I like to think his confused feeling were why he was all snarky when Lex woke up ;)

[morganichele.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Him having to hold himself back from touching him to make sure he's okay...*whimper* I like this a lot. And I LOVE that he knows all the insurance stuff. :-P
I like how you have this, too:
he can’t help but feel relieved that he got to Lex in time, and that terrifies him.
Very nice. I enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing it. :-)

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

YAY! I'm so glad you liked it :)

Thanks for commenting :)

[littlehollyleaf.livejournal.com]

*claps* Just lovely my dear. Just the right blend of love and dislike. And I love the idea of Clark knowing Lex's insurance - it's laughable and likely at the same time :D

Thanks for making... well, actually this time it wasn't a bad ep, so... thanks for making a not so bad ep better!

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

Hee!!!

I think the blend of love and dislike explains why Clark acts the way he does around Lex ;)

Writing these snippets is so much easier when you have good source material *g*

[danceswithgary]

What he hates even more is the fact that no matter how much guilt he feels for what he did to Knox, he can’t help but feel relieved that he got to Lex in time, and that terrifies him. What else was he capable of when it came to protecting those close to him?

Exactly! This is what he should be afraid of!

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with everyone else: the insurance info bit was a brilliant detail - especially since it might very well be true. And the whole bit about Clark bringing in unconscious people and the hospital people knowing him, too. It's one of those little things that make you stop and realize that Clark these days is more or less Superman without the costume.

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's something they've really explored fully on the show. I wish they would though. Like when Clark killed Wes last Season

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

*beams*

This comment made me all kinds of happy.

Thank you!

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

I think Clark is so used to rescuing Lex that the notion of doing anything else is incomprehensive. LOL

[bradygirl_12]

Love it, love it! :)

And I too think that Clark's anger at himself, at Lex, and his horror at having killed a man combined to make him so snarky when Lex woke up. If he felt sick at having saved Lex as he said, he wouldn't have stuck around. He was feeling sick at having killed a man, which of course turned out not to be true.

Excellent missing scene, Hils! :)

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it :)

[bradygirl_12]

Oh, and I agree with everyone else: the insurance detail is perfect! ;)

[jakrar.livejournal.com]

This is just perfect, and leaves me feeling a bit more mellow toward the Clark we saw in "Cure." *pauses for thought* Keep this up, and you might actually convince me to like Clark on SV again!

[sussixer.livejournal.com]

This really was what was missing, thanks. Like everyone else, the ins. info. was a perfect detail. Showing that the angry reaction they actually showed was based in fear and confusion was great.

In a recent interview (I think TV guide) Gough was quoted saying that Clark has never killed anyone directly, they either get squashed in a fight or something else incapacitates them. Biz. and Kal maybe, but never Clark. I think they are wrong. I swear he has killed at least five or six mutants by now.

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

YAY! That was one of those things where I didn't even think about it until I started writing. I'm glad people like it :)

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

OOH! Now there's a challenge!

I shall try! LOL!

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

Well he killed Wes in Season 6 for a start!

[ender24]

//Clark is always surprised when the staff at the Smallville Medical Center doesn’t recognize him. Or, if they do, they choose not to comment on the fact that, more often than not, he arrives with an unconscious person in his arms. //

what a brilliant thought!

//What else was he capable of when it came to protecting those close to him?//
well, i hope for clark, he will find the answer to that :)

[fandomcorner.livejournal.com]

Thanks for commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)