Chapter Text
Sitting together on the couch as a family was what the Kent’s needed. It was peaceful, comforting, and long overdue. After seeing Jonathan in the hospital over the past few days and learning about his different medical issues, the remaining Kent’s were almost desperate to keep their hands on Jon, to make sure he was okay.
After about twenty minutes of sitting together, and having a nice time, something changed in Jon. He found that he was no longer able to sleep and had gotten restless.
“Sweetie, are you okay,” Lois asked, immediately concerned.
“I don’t know. But I feel weird.”
Lois placed her hand on Jon’s forehead. “You’re burning up,” she said, immediately jumping into action. She addressed the rest of the family, “Guys, let’s give Jon some space.”
Gingerly, Clark and Jordan got up from the couch, making sure not to jostle Jon too much. Lois was the last one to move. With Clark’s assistance she scooted off the couch without disturbing their son. The minute they were gone, Jonathan shoved off the blanket; it had been so warm he felt like he was suffocating.
“Sweetie, I’m going to go grab you some Tylenol. I’ll be right back,” Lois said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading into the kitchen.
“And I’ll get some water and a granola bar in case you get hungry,” Clark added, before following Lois. Jon mumbled something unintelligible, trying his best to get comfortable despite his pounding headache.
With their parents gone and Jon rustling around on the couch, Jordan stood in the living awkwardly, unsure of what he should do.
He wanted to sit by Jon and just be there for him, but like their mom had said, Jon was really warm and needed his space. Finding a compromise, Jordan sat down in front of the couch, that way he was still near his brother without smothering him.
A few minutes later the Kent’s returned from the kitchen. Jon grudgingly swallowed the Tylenol and took a sip of water. But he flat out denied the granola bar.
“Try to get some rest honey, we’ll be close by if you need anything,” Lois said, brushing Jon’s sweaty bangs away from his face. She gestured towards Jordan to follow her, but he shook his head and stayed where he was.
Giving him a firm look, Lois gestured again, but Jordan refused to move. Still worried, he looked over at his brother, tossing and turning on the couch behind him.
Lois realized that Jordan wasn’t just being stubborn, he was concerned for Jon. Lois softened. It was so sweet the way the boys looked out for each other. “Jordan, let’s talk, just for a minute,” Lois whispered.
Jordan gave his brother a pained look before following his parents into the kitchen. He was barely in the room before he started defending his actions. “Mom, please let me go back in there with Jon. I’m not bothering him, I swear. Besides, maybe it would be better for him to have some company and-”
“Jordan, I know you want to stay close to your brother, but I really think we need to give him some space,” said Lois.
“But I’ve been giving him space, I stayed here all night while he was at the hospital,” Jordan protested.
Before Lois could explain why they needed to keep their distance, Jon screamed.
The three Kent's rushed back into the living room to see what was going on. Lois pushed her way through and got to Jon first. “Sweetie, what’s wrong,” she asked, once again placing a hand on his shoulder.
“My…head,” he gritted through his teeth.
“You just had the Tylenol, it will take a minute to kick in.”
“No…mi…graine.”
Lois shared a glance with Clark. “Jon, do you think you’re having a migraine?”
This time Jon couldn’t even talk, because he was in so much pain and just made a reaffirming sound. Clark used his superspeed to rush upstairs and then back down with Jon’s migraine medicine in hand. Luckily, Clark had watched closely when Candice had given Jon the injection the last time she was there.
The idea of jabbing his son with a needle was like a gut punch, but Clark knew he had no choice. Jon was in pain, and that medication was the only thing that would make it better.
However, Jordan hadn’t been there when Candice gave Jon the shot. So it was very difficult for him to watch his dad prepare the needle. Damn it, this was his twin brother!
Jordan turned away before Clark administered the shot so he didn’t have to watch. Plus, if he wasn’t looking, no one would see the tears forming in his eyes. Being the observant mother she was, Lois saw how uncomfortable Jordan seemed about the whole situation. While Clark was finishing up with Jon, she walked over and pulled Jordan in for a hug. “I know it’s tough honey, but the injection is the fastest way to help.”
“You sure, Mom,” Jordan asked, a slightly panicked look in his eyes.
She ran her fingers through his dark curls and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I promise.”
They couldn’t have known it at the time, but she was completely wrong.
Throughout the rest of the day Jon dealt with his migraine. His head hurt so much that he could barely get more than fifteen minutes of sleep at a time. If he wasn’t sleeping, usually Jon was clenching the blanket because his head hurt so much. The pain medicine did nothing, in fact things seemed to get worse over the next few hours.
Jon had also developed a fever, causing Lois to work tirelessly to keep cold rags on his forehead. He could barely handle a few sips of water and was refusing all food claiming that he wasn’t hungry and his throat hurt.
Meanwhile, Lois and Clark were at a loss. Jon was rapidly falling apart and it seemed that anything that could hurt him or could go wrong, did. Day turned into night and they fell into a routine. Each of the family members took turns tending to Jon, making sure he wasn’t too hot or cold. Every once in a while they also tried to get him to eat but had no success. Since the others needed sleep, Clark kept watch for the evening shift.
It was the longest night of his life.
Clark wanted nothing more than to give Jon a big comforting hug, but the Kent’s had learned earlier, that over the past few hours, Jon had become sensitive to touch. So as painful as it was, the best thing they could do was keep their distance. They had even talked about taking him up to the fortress to see Lara. But that plan was quickly axed when they realized that Jon was too weak and that the trip would probably be more dangerous than helpful.
By the next morning nothing had improved. The worst part was, they didn’t even know what was going on. It was like some virus had suddenly taken over and because he had been so weak from not eating as much, the illness was completely tearing through his body, leaving Jon fragile and helpless.
By ten in the morning Lois was almost at her wits end. She was tired hearing Jon’s cries and moans of pain and not being able to help him feel better. Lois had just replaced the cold compress when the pain became nearly unbearable for Jon once again.
“Sweetie, I’m right here, okay. Do you wanna hold my hand?” Lois was fighting back tears as she listened to his pain in his voice. Jon shook his head and buried his face in the pillow. Over the past 24 hours they learned that sometimes when the pain got to be really bad, Jon just had to fight through it until it became slightly more bearable again.
The whole thing had become too much for Lois.
“Stay with him, Jordan,” she instructed to her other son who was hovering nearby. “I’ll be right back,” said Lois, over her shoulder as she walked out the front door and onto the porch.
Surprised by his wife’s sudden exit, Clark set down a water bottle by Jonathan and followed her outside. “Babe, are you okay?”
Lois slowly turned, revealing the tears streaming down her face.
Alarmed, Clark rushed over to his emotional wife. “Babe, what’s going on? Why are you crying?” He gently placed his hands on Lois’ shoulders, surprised to see her weeping so openly since she tended to be closed off with her deepest emotions. She opened her mouth to answer…but couldn’t. Instead, Lois practically collapsed in her husband’s arms, holding on as tight as she could.
“He’s in so much pain,” Lois whispered between sobs. “And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
“I know, baby. I know,” Clark said, stroking his wife’s hair. “He needs us nearby but it’s tough to watch.”
“Are we even doing the right thing,” Lois asked, pulling back from the hug. “I mean seriously, Clark, do we even know that keeping him here is what’s best? Ever since we got home he just seems to be getting worse and worse.”
“Lois-”
“I mean he’s been fighting a headache almost constantly, he’s sensitive to touch, he has a fever, and he hasn’t eaten anything in almost twenty four hours.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Clark said, gently cutting off his wife. He let out a heavy sigh. “This is all my fault.”
Lois put her hand on Clark’s shoulder. “No, it isn’t. There’s no telling what the doctors would have found if they did the blood test. You were just trying to protect him. Besides, from what you told me Jon was pretty freaked out anyway. So at the time, getting him out of there was necessary.” Clark looked down at his wife, relieved that she was being so understanding, despite his rash decision.
“But that was then and this is now.” The tears still stained her cheeks, though there was a determination in her eyes. Her heart might be breaking, but she needed to be strong for her sick son. “And now, things have changed. So we have to do something, possibly something we don’t want to do.”
“Are you saying we take him back to the hospital? Come on, Lois, be realistic.”
“No, that's not what I’m saying,” Lois yelled, desperate for Clark to understand her perspective. “But if we don’t do something, he could die.”
“You don’t think I know that,” Clark fired back. “Of course I know his life’s on the line.”
“Okay, so let’s put this argument aside and get him some help.”
“How are we supposed to do that exactly,” Clark asked, tired of speaking in circles.
“We get him medical help.”
“Lois-”
“Just listen for a minute,” she said, cutting him off. “I’m not saying we take him back to the hospital, that’s still too risky.” Knowing they were running out of options, she took a deep breath and continued. “What if we call Dr. Miller directly and ask him for help?”
“How is that any different than going to the hospital?”
“Because he’s just one person. We don’t have to worry about other nurses or doctors, or his lab results ending up in some file somewhere,” Lois explained. “Plus, he’s been treating Jon for a while now.”
Clark considered the pros and cons of Lois’ plan. “It’s still pretty risky.”
“I know,” Lois said, taking her husband’s hand. “But we're talking about Jonathan’s life. We might have to take a chance and trust someone outside the family. I’m not just going to sit here and let him die, Clark. I won’t.”
“You’re right,” Clark said with a sigh. “I don’t like it but you’re right. Plus, Jon has always trusted him.”
“So we’re in agreement? It’s time to call Dr. Miller?”
Clark nodded. “I don’t think we have another choice.” A few days before when Lois had put Dr. Miller’s number in her phone’s contact list Clark was surprised, since he assumed they would never need it. But, now, it was going to save them.
Still standing by the railing on the porch, Lois called Dr. Miller, leaving her phone on speaker so Clark could be involved in the conversation. The phone rang for a few seconds before Dr. Miller’s deep voice came over the line.
“This is Dave Miller.”
“Hi Dr. Miller. This is Lois Lane.”
He paused, obviously surprised to be hearing from her. “Hello Ms. Lane, what can I do for you,” he asked in a strained tone.
“It’s Jonathan. He’s getting worse.” Lois got choked up. It was difficult to admit just how bad things were and that they couldn’t handle it on their own. “Clark and I were wondering if you could come take a look at Jon.”
“If he’s worse then he needs to go back to the hospital,” Dr. Miller said firmly.
Tears gathered in Lois’ eyes once again. “I’m afraid that’s not an option.” Clark placed his hand on Lois’ shoulder.
“Dr. Miller, this is Clark. Lois is right, we can’t take him back to hospital, but we would be very appreciative if you could take a look at him.”
“And I would appreciate it if you stop denying your son the help he needs.”
“It’s complicated,” Clark retorted. “Look, can you help us or not.”
Dave Miller sighed. Dealing with the Kent’s could be exhausting and confusing. “I was already on my way when you called.”
“Wait, what?”
“After you took Jonathan yesterday, I just didn’t feel good about Jonathan leaving while he was still so weak. I tried telling myself that it wasn’t my problem anymore and to just let it go, but I couldn’t. So I decided to drive over to the house and insist on seeing him no matter what you both said.”
“I’m not sure what to say, except we’re glad you are coming.”
“Give me ten minutes,” Dr. Miller said before hanging up the phone.
“Are we doing the right thing,” Lois whispered, dropping her head on Clark’s shoulder, voicing the question that had been on their minds from the moment Jon came home.
“I’m not sure,” Clark admitted, “but you were right, we needed to do something. I just hope that it’s enough.”