Chapter Three
"So... how are you?" Martha asked pleasantly, as if this was just any day. Never mind that Lex Luthor's sad face was splashed all over the T.V. Never mind that her son had now been gone for eight months, a week, and three days... not that Lois was counting.
Lois looked across the table at Martha. "Good. I have an apartment now. Things at The Planet are great... except for the Luthor panic."
Martha looked down. "I refuse to watch TV anymore. The things he says about..." She sighed. "About who you were. It's all so sordid."
"And bald-faced lies."
"You don't have to tell me, Honey. I know it isn't true." She patted her hand. "But I have to say, I'm not that worried. I believe firmly that you all couldn't have worked so hard for nothing."
A part of her wanted to shake Martha and ask if she was nuts. This was Lex Luthor. He'd slithered out of incarcerations four times. Run. Hide. But she only said "I like that you have faith. I wish I did."
Martha poured her some more tea. "It doesn't cost anything, you know."
Lois shrugged. "But it's a precious commodity. And at The Planet, it's in short supply. Perry has been going crazy. I'm not the only one that stands to lose out if Lex gets his power back. Perry could find himself blacklisted again."
"Oh, I'm sure that won't happen."
Lois sighed. "Why?"
Martha gave her that same enigmatic smile. "Just faith. I think that, having all this time alone, time to just sit and think... It should be lonely, but it's not. I know he'll come back to me. And I know that he'll do good things and... Well, I just find comfort in that."
Lois smiled. "I'm glad that you do." She stared at the plates of brownies, cookies, and lemon squares between them. "So all this just for my visit?"
Martha laughed. "I get bored."
"No. I like it. I should visit more often."
When Lois left, she felt worse than before. The idea of him coming back didn't hold the hope it had before. When he'd actually come back then, he'd broke her heart worse than ever. It was irreparable now. She wasn't positive she could even handle seeing him again. "Come back for her," she whispered, tilting her head to the sky before climbing into her car. "And do good things. But please... Never let me see your face again."
*************************************
"Jensen!"
"Yes, Mr. White?"
"I need you to dig on old Luthercorp. Talk to employees, get the low-down, lay-offs, the cruel world of vicious CEOs."
Lois stood up. "Perry, what are you doing? I'm on Luthor and..."
"I want everyone on Luthor now. It's crunch time. The more they flash that sad face on LNN, the more dirt I want on the printed page." He popped an aspirin in his mouth and actually chewed it, grimacing. "Some people still read. Don't they?"
"Only if there's nothing better to do." Rachel Rogers, their gossip columnist said as she sailed by. She sat herself at the desk opposite Lois' and smirked. "I can get ex girlfriend dirt. I know some very bitter women." She leaned to Lois. "You know the type. Right? Oh, wait... What am I saying?"
Lois glared at her. The woman had been at her throat since she started working there. She had no idea why.
"I want public enmity, the people crying out in protest. If the slime egts off, I want the people clawing at the doors of City Hall in outrage!" He started to his office, then turned back. "Lane!"
"Yeah, Perry?"
"I got a Doctor Grady at Metropolis Medical Complex. Some kind of young wunderkind psychiatrist. I think he's the one they're going to have examine Luthor to establish his mental state, as if we don't know. The dirty..." He ran a hand through his hair roughly. Lois saw it come away with a few graying strands. "I set an appointment for our Health and Wellness section. He doesn't have to know you're investigative. Be discreet. Act like you're doing a profile on psychology or psychiatry or whatever he does. You know how to play it."
"I'm on it." She grabbed her bag and started for the door, but nearly bumped into Jimmy.
"What about me, Chief?"
Perry sighed. "Would you stop calling me Chief? Great Caeser's ghost! How many times..."
"Okay! Mr. White? Where do I go?"
Perry strode to him. "This one's important, Olsen."
Jimmy nodded seriously. "Yeah?"
"Fleischman."
Jimmy's eyes widened. "The ad executive? How's he tied up with..."
"No, the deli." Perry started away. "Pastrami on rye with swiss and a dill pickle." He turned back. "No. Two. I'm counting on you, Olsen."
Jimmy's face fell to the floor. "Got it, Chief."
When Perry started away again, Lois went after him. "I could really use Jimmy on this, Perry. Take a few vanity shots to butter the guy up. He'll sing like a bird."
He nodded. "You may have something. Olsen!"
Jimmy turned away from the door, his shoulders slumped. "Yeah?"
"You're with Lane. Metropolis Medical. Grady. Go!"
Lois smiled as she moved past him. Maybe this could smooth things over between them. Jimmy had practically ignored her all month. She knew he wasn't ready to be friends, but civil colleagues... She'd wanted at least that. It seemed she still wasn't getting it. Jimmy was sullen and silent in the cab.
"Well," she said brightly. "Once we get there, I need you to act like you're finding the best light, like we're doing a puff piece about..."
"I don't want your pity," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"I know why you wanted me along and I..."
"Jimmy, I wanted you along because the doctor might need...
"Spare me." He turned to the window.
Lois squeezed her eyes shut. "Jimmy, I want to be friends again."
"We were never really friends, Chl... Lois. We dated, then you dumped me, then you died. If we'd been friends, you might have trusted me with..." He faced front. "If you need photos again, ask someone else."
When they entered the complex, he walked ahead of her to the directory. "Doctor Kevin Grady - 506." He adjusted the camera at his neck. "I'm ready for this farce if you are."
Lagging behind him in the elevator, she thought about when they'd met. He was such a sweet, doofy guy. And she'd used him. The guilt had always stayed with her. It was probably why she'd dated him. It was a way out of longing for Clark. She'd used him twice. He had every right to hate her.
Apart from that, something was nagging at the back of her mind. Doctor Kevin Grady, the wunderkind psychologist. Why was his name so familiar?
Kevin Grady was definitely young to be so successful. He took a seat across from Lois and Jimmy on the couch, settling himself in a wingback chair.
"I'm so glad you could take the time to speak with us, Doctor Grady," she said, smiling as wide as she could. "Of course, we know all about you, but we still have to ask for all the pertinent info. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. I think people in my field should make sure the public is enlightened about mental health." He looked at her closely and she found herself shifting in her seat.
She smiled tightly and placed her tape recorder on the coffee table. She hated him already. He was no older than her and already a smug doctor. And he kept staring at her, a small frown on his face. It was unnerving. Did he think she was one of the masses that needed his brand of help? It was a sore spot, considering her family history.
She clapped her hands on her thighs. "Okay. Great. Well, we'll talk a bit, then Jimmy will get your image for the paper."
"Sounds great." Now he was staring at Jimmy, that frown making another brief appearance. What was wrong with this guy?
"Doctor Grady," she began, pasting on a smile as she pressed record. "What would you say is your area of expertise?"
"The link between the conscious and subconscious mind, especially as it applies to repressed memory."
"Mm-hmm. And what would you say that involves?"
"Well, the mind would often prefer to bury traumatic experiences, either of a violent nature or an emotional hurt..." He trailed off, staring at Jimmy, then suddenly closed his eyes.
"Doctor?"
"I'm sorry. Where were we?"
"The mind was trying to bury traumatic experiences," she said quickly.
"Yes. Well this is a defense mechanism and can often result in deviant behavior. These memories almost always manifest themselves in repetitive behavior, reliving tragedies over and over. the girl with an abusive father finds herself with an abusive husband. The man who was betrayed by his wife finds himself with more women who'll betray him. It's no use to mask depression stemming from the past with drugs, however helpful some of the medications may be, or numbing the mind with distraction. It's good to be aware of these things so a person can sort them out and break the cycle." He stared off. "It would be better still if they could be more than buried, more than dealt with... erased."
"Well..." Something about him made her nervous. "As a psychologist, I'm sure you know that's impossible."
He seemed to come back to earth. "Of course. But we can always dream..." He gave a small laugh.
She returned it, hoping she sounded genuine. "Yeah... Anyway, if someone has gone through a particularly violent ordeal or done something truly awful, they would wish to repress that. Am I right?"
He nodded, still staring. She found herself staring back. He was definitely familiar and her mind searched for the name. Grady. Kevin. Doctor. The name Lawrence popped into her mind somehow and she couldn't imagine why.
"But... uh... Well, if a person went into a state of shock, let's say, could part of their memory be missing?" He shifted in his seat. She knew she was too close to the Luthor angle. She changed tacks. "I only ask because I have a relative who was catatonic for years. It took drugs to pull her out, but the effects weren't lasting. Is there a way to come out of that state for good? Just cured?"
"Not without a miracle."
She leaned forward. They were getting to the good stuff now. "How so?"
"Well, there are some treatments: benzodiazepines, intramuscular lorazepam, zolpidem. But ultimately there is no permanent cure."
"So a person in a catatonic state cannot snap out of it for good?"
"No. Unless you're talking about shock relating to post-traumatic stress disorder. But shock, even the worst kind, wouldn't last above a week. And a person doesn't just snap out of it, not healthy and whole." He looked closely at her. "The mind can handle only so much before it gives up and takes the body with it."
She found herself standing, though she had no idea why. She wanted to leave this room now. The shrill ring of her cell suddenly saved her from running. "Excuse me." She stepped to the side and flipped the phone up. "Lane, here."
"Scrap the shrink," Perry barked.
She smiled and turned to Jimmy. "Could you snap the Doc for me, Jimmy?" She turned to Dr. Grady. "Smile nice, now."
He gave her a strange look and nodded.
"I got a source at the P.D.," Perry was saying. "Covert meeting, here. I think we got something big."
"I'll be there." She hung up. The doctor and Jimmy were just standing there talking. She cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry not to delve deeper, but I have a meeting. I think we have all we need."
"I'm sure you do," Grady said strangely.
"Well... Should we go back, Jimmy?" She turned off her recorder and put it in her bag.
Jimmy seemed hesitant. "You know, I... I think I should hang back, get some better shots." She knew that the shots were meaningless and so did Jimmy. What was with him?
"Oh. Um, okay. I'll see you back there." She took one last look at the doctor before leaving. He was staring again. She felt uneasy all that night.
**********************************
Her uneasiness didn't ease. At eleven p.m. she got a call that only escalated it.
"Hello?"
"I... I don't know what to do. I feel so..."
"Martha? Calm down. What's wrong?"
"I got flowers and..." Her voice was shaking. "They're from Lex. They said 'Looking forward to seeing you again.' Chloe, I... Does that mean that... I feel so... so..."
Lois ignored the name drop and breathed deep. "Martha, don't panic. I'll be there as soon as possible."
When she hung up, she knew one thing for certain. People just didn't snap out of shock with swiss cheese for brains. Lex Luthor knew as much as ever. And it was too much.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Four
No comments:
Post a Comment