WASHINTON, D.C
"What are the conditions?"
I sighed, tipping my head back. The roar of the crowds behind me was growing stronger by the minute. There had to be hundreds of people gathered on the lawns, shouting and waving handmade signs. I couldn't read them, but judging by the red paint and horrible, cartoonish alien heads, they weren't kind. Lex looked at his watch pointedly, and I groaned.
"We've been over them, like, five hundred times."
It was true, if a bit hyperbolic. The drive to Washington had been several hours, during which Lex had drilled into me his three conditions.
"So let's go over them five hundred and one times." Lex said. "You aren't coming in with me unless I know you're going to behave."
I rolled my eyes, and sighed again, but conceded.
"Fine. Condition one. I'm within arms reach at all times. Condition two/ I don't talk to anyone, unless you say so." I paused.
"Condition three?" He pressed.
"Condition three. I don't ask any questions. I just don't see-"
Lex cut me off.
"You don't have to. Just as long as you follow the conditions, you'll be fine."
He gestured me forwards, and we began walking up the long marble steps. I could feel the eyes of the crowds on my back. There was a barricade stopping them, but it didn't soothe me any. It felt like they could sense my guilt-because I was guilty. Being here reminded me of how much I had to be grateful for. Most, if not all of these people knew someone who had been injured or killed. The only reason I was alive was because I had been in the right place at the right time. It weighed on me. I could have been behind those barricades. I could be screaming, hoping my voice was heard.
Lex's assistant was waiting for us at the top of the stairs. As we approached, she handed Lex a phone and began detailing the agenda of events. Lex was only half-listening, his gaze wandering over the crowded halls. Mercy kept throwing glances over shoulder at me, her face unreadable.
"Will she be alright?" She finally asked. Lex looked up from the phone, and nodded. He handed it back to Mercy, and wrapped an arm around my waist.
"She'll be fine." He made eye contact with someone down the hall, and waved, smiling. "Ah, Senator, I was hoping to talk to you."
Senator Finch was walking towards us. Her gaze flicked to Lex's hand on my waist, and the way i was leaning into him. I felt my face burn as she raised an eyebrow.
"Mercy, why don't you go on in and make sure no one takes my seat?" Lex waved a hand at his assistant. She hesitated, and then nodded, walking away.
Finch crossed her arms, and waited. Lex was practically thrumming with excited energy. Tension filled the air, so thick I felt it pressing down on my shoulders.
"I see you've brought your ward." Her voice was slick and insinuating. "How nice for her to get out of that mansion you keep her locked up in."
I stiffened, and Lex drummed his fingers along my hipbones.
"Isn't it? I thought she might like to see how her government is treating the man who ruined her life." Lex smiled. "And I think the people outside ought to know the truth, too."
"The truth?" Finch asked. Lex smirked, tipping his head to the side.
"Mm. yes. The truth. That a certain junior senator blocked a vital import license. Who would have guessed? The chair of the board is soft on security."
"Security and murder aren't the same thing." Finch said softly. "We aren't living in an age where an eye for an eye is an acceptable punishment. Believe me, I wish I could have saved the lives that he took-or made sure no one got hurt because of him. But murder isn't something I can use as a bargaining tool."
Lex let go of me, and placed his hands firmly on his hips.
"Is it murder if the man you're killing has already killed? It doesn't matter." He waved a hand. "You had better go in. You'll be on the hot seat in there, Junebug."
She shrugged on her jacket.
"I grew up on a farm. I know how to wrestle a pig."
I opened my mouth to object to Lex being called a pig, but he interrupted me.
"Do you know the oldest lie in America, senator? It's that power can be innocent."
Finch rolled her eyes, and walked away. Lex turned to me, and took my hand. He was smiling like the cat that got the cream, and my chest seized. He had done something bad; I could feel it in my bones.
Inside the courtroom, people were beginning to sit. I tugged at Lex's hand.
"Shouldn't we go in?" I asked. Lex shook his head, still smiling. He started back down the hallway-back towards the front door.
"We aren't going in. Mercy is taking notes for me. She told me earlier that I have a phone meeting in a few minutes." He was walking faster now, checking his watch. I stopped suddenly, the pain in my chest growing.
"Why did we come all this way just to leave before the trial begins?" I asked. Lex's face darkened, and I remembered condition three too late. Suddenly, the cheering outside grew to a fever pitch, and I knew Superman had I arrived.
"Ruth, let's go. Now." Lex grabbed my arm. My chest tightened dangerously, and I gasped for breath. Heavy footsteps came down the hall, and a silence fell over us all. I watched as Superman stepped from the shadows, and into the courtroom. The doors closed behind him with a sharp bang. Lex was pulling in earnest now, a note of fear entering his voice.
"Ruth!"
My vision paled, and I felt my knees hit the hard floor as my ribs spasmed. There was no air in my lungs. Lex was shouting my name now, and I could see his voice floating in and out of my view. The senator had begun speaking, and her voice was muffled through the thick doors.
Lex scooped me up, or at least I assumed he did, because one moment I was on the floor and the next I was moving. The walls went by in a blur of art and plaques, and with every step the crowds outside grew louder. Within seconds, we were outside, the cool air only making it harder to breathe. Lex set me down, and my knees crumpled again.
"Come on, Ruth." He urged. "I know you're in pain, love, I know. Can you walk to the car, or should I carry you?"
"I can walk." I gasped out. Lex straightened, and began down the steps. He reached the bottom before looking back up-and the look of panic in his eyes when he realized I hadn't moved nearly made me scream.
And I would have, if at that exact second a wave of sound and fire hadn't hit me full in the back, knocking me unconscious.
***
The first thing I heard when I came to was screaming. I couldn't see, or feel, but I could hear-and the screams scared me so much that it took far too long for me to realize that I was the one screaming.
Seconds later, the pain hit.
My chest felt as though I had been hit by a truck. My leg was hot and wet, and I knew the thin, baby skin over it had burst.
And still I could not see.
And still I screamed.
A hand touched my forehead, and a rough voice said something unintelligible to me. There was a smooth palm on my cheek, and the the world came flooding in, bright and painful.
"I need you to stop screaming." The same rough voice said, but gently. "You're going to hurt yourself."
I blinked, and shut my mouth. It was abrupt. One moment I had no control over myself, and the next, I could move. I clutched at my chest, relieved to find myself whole. I thought for sure I was scraps and ribbons of broken bone, judging by the pain.
"That's a good girl." I opened my eyes, and saw the kind face of a paramedic. He was pulling open a red bag, drawing out rubbing alcohol and rolls of bandage. "It's alright. You have a bit of a concussion, and I wouldn't be surprised if you had broken some ribs, there, too. Your leg is bleeding a little, as well, so I'm going to cut your tights so I can get to it."
I coughed weakly, and raised my head a little. All around me, people were laying, crying and hurt. Smoke filled the air, and I was brought rudely back to that horrible day downtown.
"Lex." I croaked. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, and I almost vomited in fear. "Where's Lex?!"
The paramedic looked up at me, a pair of silver scissors glinting in his hand. Blood trickled into one of my eyes, and I raised a hand to it.
"Hey, take it easy." He dropped the scissors and reached forwards, trying to lay me back down. I smacked at his hands, scrambling away.
"Where's Lex?" I wailed. A policeman turned to look at me, and raised his hands. I stood, stumbling as dizziness took over.
"Miss, you need to sit down." The policeman said. "You're injured."
"No! I need to find Lex!" I shouted at him as forcefully as I could. All I could see was Lex, dead or hurt, everywhere I looked. There were rows of bodies, their faces covered, and each and every one of them was him to me.
The policeman murmured something into his radio, keeping his gaze trained on me. The paramedic was coaxing me towards him, his arms outstretched. I felt like a cornered animal. They both wanted to trap me, and if I let them get me, I would never see Lex again.
"Help!" I screamed. "Help me!" Heads turned, civilians and emergency responders alike. A crackle came from the policeman's radio, and he listened, his face blanching.
"Tell him we have her here." He said quickly. "And tell him fast."
The ground was swaying beneath me, but I refused to sit, or give into the urge to lay down and sleep. All I wanted was to be back at home with Lex, in his study or curled up in bed, listening to him read. I was so, so tired, and the blood from my head was blinding me in one eye, but still I stood my ground. I was afraid that if I sat, I would be swarmed. At least if I was standing I could fight them off.
"Ruth!" A voice called from behind me. "Ruth!"
My knees gave out, and a pair of arms caught me as I fell. The familiar scent of soap and bourbon washed over me, and I sobbed.
"Oh, darling." Lex said. "Oh, Ruth."
"I thought you were dead." I cried into his shoulder. "I thought you were dead and that they were going to take me away and I'd never see you again, and I was afraid, and I hurt so bad and-and" I dissolved into tears again. Lex cradled me, rocking back and forth.
"I'm right here." He said. "I'm alright. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Let me see you." He leaned back a little, and winced at my bloodied face.
I wiped at my eyes, and he caught my wrists.
"Can I get a paramedic?" He called. "Don't touch, Ruth, you'll make it worse."
The paramedic from before came over, holding his bag.
"I tried to help her before, sir, but she was hysterical, and I didn't want to hurt her." He explained apologetically. "She has a concussion and a some broken ribs, and her leg is bleeding. Once I have her patched up I would recommend a hospital."
"No!" I cried, trying to wriggle away. "No! I want to go home!"
Lex wrapped an arm around my waist, and held me still.
"Ruth, stop." He said lowly. "You're going to hurt yourself more."
Lex nodded at the paramedic, who gently cleaned the wound on my face. It stung, but I stayed silent, hoping to convince both men that I was fine, that I didn't need the hospital.
"I need to cut her tights." The paramedic said nervously. "I'm sorry."
He seemed shaken in Lex's presence, and I was reminded again of how powerful he was. Itr seemed funny to me. Even in our first interactions, I was never afraid of Lex, not to the extent this man was.
The scissors bit the thin black wool of my tights, revealing the mottled horror of my leg. The paramedic gasped when he saw it, and then composed himself.
"How old is this?" He asked.
"A few months." Lex said. "A metal rod went through it."
The paramedic nodded, and set himself to cleaning and dressing it. I clenched my teeth when he poured the alcohol over it, but said nothing. I had endured worse.
"Alright, Mr. Luthor. The closest hospital is the Capitol Hospital, over that way." He gestured east. "It will be crowded, but they should still have room."
Lex shook the man's hand.
"Thank you." He said, and he sounded genuinely grateful. "If you ever need anything, call this number. I'm always looking for people like you for my medical team."
The paramedic took the card Lex offered, his cheeks tingeing red.
"Come on." Lex said to me. "The car isn't far from here. I'll carry you."
"I'm not going to the hospital." I said, and folded my arms. "I'm fine."
Lex didn't even dignify it with a response. He simply picked me up, and started towards the car. He was right-it was nearby, pulled onto the grass. I realized that the policeman had probably radioed in to say he found me, and Lex had driven right through the crowd to get to me. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so utterly scary to have not known where he was.
"You're going, Ruth." Lex said as he set me down on the passenger seat. "Don't argue."
The drive to the hospital was surprisingly shirt. Everyone was rushing the other way-towards the accident, not away. Everyone wanted to help, or to see if their loved one was alright. I pitied those who would only go home with a body bag, but I envied them, too. They, at least, would get to bury their dead. I didn't get that. I never said goodbye.
Lex didn't say anything, but he held my hand over the console. Squeezing tight his knuckles went white. It occured to me that as terrifying as it was for me, it had to have been ten times worse for him. He had been searching the faces of the dead, wandering that field of devastation. He had seen the full horrors of it. I wanted to cry for him. I wondered how long he had been waiting for the call that they had found me.
The hospital was crowded, but Lex threatened and bribed his way through until he found me an empty bed in the upper floors. The walls were painted with pretty rose patterns, the windows frosted glass.
"I don't need a doctor." I said for the hundredth time. "I need to go home."
Lex didn't answer me, only stroked the hair away from my forehead. A nurse had drawn blood and started an iv, pumping painkillers into my bloodstream. I was a little loopy from the drugs; everything was soft-edged and sweet.
"Please. I feel fine." I insisted.
"You only feel fine because you're hopped up on morphine." Lex laughed. "You have a concussion and broken ribs. You need a doctor."
"You're a doctor, aren't you?" I asked.
"Not the right kind of doctor, darling. Not a medical doctor." He smiled, and I took his hand in mine.
"You're so pretty." I told him. "I'm so happy you found me."
Lex laughed a little, and kissed the end on my nose.
"You are very high." He told me.
The doctor walked in just then, holding a clipboard. He was young, and Lex narrowed his eyes just slightly as he looked at me.
"Ruth." The doctor said. "I'm doctor Adam Reiht. You can call me Adam." He looked at Lex, who stood to shake his hand.
"You must be Mr. Luthor."
Lex nodded, and sat back down.
"Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is Ruth definitely has broken ribs. Five of them, actually, which isn't surprising, since she was thrown down a flight of marble stairs. The good news is she should be fine to go home tomorrow morning, provided you keep an eye on her. If she shows any signs of brain damage, bring her into the nearest hospital. I'll prescribe some painkillers for you to take home."
"Not codeine." Lex said immediately. "She's had a bad reaction to that before."
Adam nodded and wrote something down.
"Alright. Get some rest, Ruth. We'll see you again in the morning."
A/N: sorry this went so long! There just wasn't a good place to cut off.
Also happy halloween!! I hope y'all got some good candy