Now You're Gone

12

Monday crept up on her and she wished she could call in sick and stay in bed all day with the hubby, but Clark was stubborn. He insisted they act like everything was normal. But there was nothing normal about their situation. She was so big she couldn't get up without Clark's assistance. It hurt to walk and she constantly had to pee. The only clothes she fit in belonged to the hubby, and even they were a bit snug. Clark was in as much denial about impending parenthood as she was.

But it was growing increasingly difficult for Lois to bury her head in the sand. Their entryway was cramped with toys and an assortment of different cribs Martha was adamant they would go through in a hurry. Baby Clark had a bad habit of breaking his crib.

She was pregnant!

And not with just any baby.

Kal-El's offspring. She carried the next generation of Kryptonians. The massive responsibility of keeping a dying race alive made her knees turn to jelly. It was a good thing she was already sitting, cause she felt like she was about to pass out from the enormity of that fact. She had already failed before. She was just one little woman. How could anyone expect her to be successful?

She was utterly alone. No one could understand what she was going through. Most moms-to-be had nine months to prepare for their bundle of joy. She had maybe four months if she could control herself. At this rate, she'd go into labor before Lucy, who was already in her last trimester.

Lois was achingly aware of the nosy eyes glued to Clark and her as they worked. True to Perry's word, Lombard was gone. Clark's desk had been replaced with a new computer to boot. It was as if the other day's scuffle never happened.

The app was still out there. Moving some furniture around wasn't going to make it go away. The seed of doubt had been woven into her coworkers' minds. Clark ignored the open stares and sat at his desk acting completely normal.

They might be able to fool the Daily Planet but the outside world was a different story. Lombard had aired his grievances on Twitter and linked an article crucifying Clark. It didn't have the reaction he expected. #ClarkKentisSuperman was trending online and people had taken to the streets to celebrate Superman being one of them. So far she had been able to keep Clark in the dark. The lug thought social media was a waste of time. But she couldn't protect him from this forever.

Clark bent down to pick up a pencil he dropped and bumped his head on the edge of the desk. Clark leaned forward too far and fell out of his seat, unceremoniously landing on his tush.

Unlike before, their coworkers continued to gawk, no doubt wondering if it was an act. This act had almost fooled her for years.

Lois told herself they were gawking at her. Even wearing Clark's baggy hoodie to hide the bump, –she looked obviously ten times fatter than before. The gremlins pushed against her pelvis, her skin stretched to the max. She didn't think she could get any bigger. She had to tie an elastic band through the button to keep her jeans from collapsing. She was constantly out of breath and hungry. She had to use the bathroom so much that she was now on a first-name basis with the janitor who had to clean up after her.

She needn't worry about coworkers noticing her pregnant belly. They had eyes only for their alien coworker. She hated that word; it made Clark sound like an invader with a secret agenda. Clark was the dorkiest, down-to-earth guy she knew. It was easy to forget he was one of the freaks on Chanel 52 news that scared people. One only had to look at his bulging purple balls to see he was not human. Lois licked her lips, eyes latching onto Clark hungrily.

Damn, this was going to be a long day. The persistent cramping did not help matters.

Fingers crossed. By next week everyone is going to forget about Lombard.