Chapter Text
“Mom? Dad? Can I talk to you about something for a sec?”
Clark closed the dishwasher, wiping his hands on a nearby kitchen towel before turning around.
He was somewhat surprised to see Jonathan standing in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot as he eyed both of his parents.
The seventeen-year-old had just gone upstairs after breakfast, and Clark hadn’t expected to see him back in the kitchen so soon. It was clear from his expression, however, that something was on his mind.
“Of course, sweetie,” Lois placed her paper down on the table and gestured towards Jon’s usual chair.
“What’s up?” Clark added, leaning against the counter.
Jon had been a little quieter than usual at breakfast, but he’d just chalked that up to tiredness. But maybe something bigger was going on. He did his best to fight against the bubbling worry within.
Maybe it was nothing.
Jon’s eyes remained firmly fixed downward as he slid back into his spot. It was hard not to listen in on his heartbeat for an indication of how he was feeling, but Clark managed to resist.
“Is everything okay?”
His wife was clearly sensing something too and she wasn’t able to hold back for long.
Their son cleared his throat.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, knitting his hands together on the table. He still appeared to be avoiding their gazes.
The bubble for worry continued to simmer persistently.
“I’m fine. I just, uh, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you guys about.”
From his tone, it seemed like that thing was rather serious. Though Clark took some relief from the fact that he was coming to them at all. It was no secret that Jon tended to shut down and pull away during times of stress. Both he and Lois had been encouraging a more open dialogue in recent months— maybe that was finally sinking in.
“Of course. You can tell us whatever is on your mind,” Clark nudged, offering a brief smile.
Jon nodded slowly. Then, after a pause, he began again.
“I guess I’ve just been thinking,” he said slowly, the reluctance apparent. “I know you’re better now,” he briefly looked up towards his mom before turning back towards his hands, “but after everything last year, I’ve kinda been wondering if I should stay on top of things more than I have. Health things, I mean.”
For some reason, the teenager flushed slightly as that poured out. Evidently, he found it hard to talk about.
In part, that was probably because Lois’ illness had been rough on all of them. But it was quickly becoming clear that there was more to it as well.
Clark remembered how scared Jonathan had been back when things were at their most uncertain. That night on the lawn, when he’d pointed out that the “human” members of their family were most vulnerable had shaken the father deeply. Not only had Clark hated seeing his son so scared, he’d also realized how terribly he’d dropped the ball on connecting him to the other side of his heritage.
He’d started to remedy it that evening by reminding Jon that he was Kryptonian too. Though his discomfort around such matters probably meant that he still hadn’t reenforced that enough, despite more regular trips to the Fortress in recent months.
A fresh wave of discomfort swelled as he exchanged a brief glance with his wife. It felt as if it was on him to take up the reigns on this one.
“We have the Fortress for that sort of thing, bud,” he reminded him, hoping his son wouldn’t be upset by the reminder.
At their request, Lara had started keeping tabs on both the boys, and had indicated that there was no need for concern in either case. They’d been annoyed to learn that their anatomy wasn’t exactly normal by Earth standards (another fact Clark probably should have shared sooner), but they’d moved past that pretty quickly.
The important thing was, she had given them a clean bill of health all around.
“Your grandma will let us know if anything is ever amiss.”
He didn’t miss the fact that Jon released a quiet snort before letting the serious expression settle back on his face.
“Yeah, I knew you’d say that,” he muttered before finally looking up to meet Clark’s gaze. “Grandma’s not really a doctor, though. And she’s definitely not a human doctor.”
“Yes, but—“
Jon didn’t let him finish.
“Jordan and I have never even had a regular doctor, have we?” he cut in, glancing back and forth between his parents. “I never really used to think about it— but I realized I can’t remember ever having a checkup or anything like that.”
He was, of course, correct. For the first fourteen years of their sons’ lives, Lois and Clark had tried to keep most things pretty normal. But medical care had been one area that they’d approached with more caution.
Jor-El had deemed them healthy at birth. And, thankfully, they’d both seemed to avoid most standard childhood illnesses. Aside from a few trips to the emergency room, and some visits to clinics for mandatory vaccines, the boys had never received regular medical care.
They hadn’t seemed to need it. And, like it or not, there were obvious dangers involved.
Clark had hoped they would always just have minor differences— but even that was enough to make him wary of allowing them to be tracked by a family physician. And things like blood and tissues samples were definitely off the table.
Now, with Jordan’s powers in play and some anatomical differences confirmed by his mother, it seemed like an even worse idea than ever.
He understood Jon’s desire for normalcy, and his concerns about his own health— frankly, he was impressed that the seventeen year old was that conscientious— but there was no choice but to face the reality of the situation. Anything else was too much of a risk.
Clark felt a familiar pang of guilt at that.
“No, we never had a family doctor,” his wife interjected, taking on the explanation. He was very grateful for that. “We never would have hesitated to get you the necessary care if you needed it, but you and your brother were extremely healthy kids. You were never really sick.”
The teen pressed his lips into a thin line. “And yet you still let us think that we were normal,” he noted, folding his arms across his chest.
For the most part, the bitterness over the big secret had faded over the years. Though there were still flashes of it from time to time.
“I’m not a kid anymore,” Jon started again, still not deterred from his idea. “And even if I seem fine, it’s probably a good idea to have regular checkups. With a human doctor. Just in case.”
Clark hated the thought of anything ever being wrong. What had happened to Lois still filled him with anxiety and fear— he couldn’t even conceive of his boys being on a similar situation one day. It was too much.
He swallowed thickly, knowing that the time had come to point out a fact that was both obvious and uncomfortable for all.
“Jonathan, you’re not completely human. It’s too dangerous.”
The boy didn’t hold back a scoff that that.
“I’m part human. And it’s also dangerous not to,” he challenged, eyes narrowing with a stubbornness that reminded Clark of his wife.
It was apparent that his son had spent time thinking all of this through before coming to them and wasn’t ready to back down.
He caught Lois’ eye again— they both knew it wasn’t going to be an easy fix.
Clark held back a burdened sigh.
“The Fortress—“
“Knows about Kryptonians,” Jon cut him off again, “that’s fine for you, dad, but maybe it’s not enough for Jordan and I. Grandma never actually studied a real human, maybe there are things she’ll miss. Things she can’t know.”
Clark had to admit that it was a fair point. The AI’s knowledge was purely theoretical when it came to this planet. How could they be sure that it was enough?
His boys didn’t fit into one simple box. The kernel of doubt was enough to raise his own worries.
Jon drew a long breath, straightening his shoulders determinedly.
“Mayor Lang just helped get two new doctors at the Rice County clinic,” the teen continued, obviously having thought this through. “Maybe we can look into them a bit. See if one of them might be someone we can trust. Or maybe we could just tell Doctor Frye. You already trust her, right? She and Grandma were friends.”
“Doctor Frye is two years away from retirement,” Lois pointed out.
That was true. And one of the reasons why Lana had been working hard to bring two younger physicians in.
“Fine, maybe not her. But someone,” Jon replied, a pleading hope in his voice.
He really seemed to want this. And while Clark wished things were simple, he knew that they weren’t.
“Jonathan, this isn’t something we can rush into. I don’t think it’ll take a decent doctor long to realize that you’re different. And you know how dangerous our secret can be.”
His son scoffed again, a flash of anger flickering across his gaze.
“Even if I’m….weird, I deserve to have some say over my own health,” he shot back.
“Of course you do, sweetie,” Lois agreed. But it did little to placate him.
“I’ll be eighteen in six months,” Jon pointed out, “I can find a doctor on my own then if you’re not going to support me. I just thought you’d understand. That you’d help.”
His eyes landed on Lois, and a silent exchange seemed to pass between them. One that Clark knew he could never fully understand.
The fact was, he didn’t share the potential vulnerabilities Jonathan felt. But Lois had experienced them first hand.
It made Clark wonder if he really had a right to weigh in on this at all. No matter how protective he felt.
“Of course we want to help,” his wife replied softly, reaching out to place a supportive hand on their son’s arm. “It’s just…complicated. And it might take some time to figure things out. But if this is what you want, I’m sure there is a way.” She paused, tilting her head towards Clark “there’s always a way.”
It was one of his oft used phrases, and he did believe it at his core.
Though it was harder than usual to grasp on to as his mind buzzed with worry and guilt and surprise.
It seemed like there were so many things that could go wrong. And the notion of trusting a complete outsider was always something that scared him. He’d spent his own childhood fearing that his physical traits would give him away, and discovering his spaceship had made nightmares about alien dissection all too real.
There was nothing worse than the thought of his children being vulnerable and exposed. Because of what they’d inherited from him.
Then again, it was unsettling to think that his own fears might hold them back from the unique care they might require. He’d never forgive himself if the Fortress failed them. If they had to suffer because he’d been too afraid.
“Dad. Please.”
His son’s words were softer now, but the tone made it nearly impossible for him to hold his ground.
“We’ll find a way,” he agreed, silently praying that he really could.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Silvia Martinez slumped into her chair, grateful for the silence that finally surrounded her.
It had been another busy day in her northern Metropolis clinic and, while her feet ached and she was dying for a hot bath, she wanted to take advantage of the quiet time to finally finish some of the paperwork that had been mounting on her desk.
After two years, she still wasn’t fully used to the administrative demands involved in running a private practice. It wasn’t her favourite element of her job, but she’d wanted a change and did enjoy the more patient oriented nature of her new work.
She was finally on the path she’d expected to take— and she was pretty sure it felt right. Her six year tenure at the DOD after med school had been an unexpected detour and, while she’d learned a lot during that time, the overwhelmingly high stakes and secrecy had started to get to her.
Most of her work there had been with metahumans, though she’d also found herself on a small research team devoted to a very unexpected— and very unique— patient.
Her natural curiosity had made it impossible to pass up the chance to study Superman himself. She’d learned a lot about Kryptonian biology, and even been in the room a handful of times when the lead doctor had treated the famous hero’s injuries.
Sometimes, she still wondered if those days had been real. Part of her did miss the thrill.
But it had also been an unstable place, especially under Lieutenant Anderson’s tenure. She’d opted for something safer after that. Something she could actually talk to her friends and family about.
Her practice was calmer. Treating kids with the flu was certainly less stressful than dealing with horrific injuries sustained on secret government missions.
At 34, Silvia was finally starting to feel like she might be able to settle down and focus on other elements of her life too. Perhaps it felt mundane at time, but it was also nice.
She was fulfilled, and generally happy. Heaps of paperwork aside.
Letting out a tired sigh, she picked up the next file on her desk and scrolled through the spreadsheet on her screen. She’d probably let herself go home once she got through half the pile.
That was enough. And maybe Marissa would have time to do the rest in the morning.
“Grisham, Grisham,” she muttered out the patient’s name as her eyes scanned the computer.
A few moments later, she clicked on the name, entering the blood pressure results she’d collected earlier. She was quick but careful.
She could almost feel the allure of the hot bath calling to her. She was so close.
Before she could flip to the next page, however, an unexpected sound from behind her jolted her from her paperwork haze.
She sat upright, whirling around in her chair to see what had caused the rapping. Her office was on the eighth floor of an old high rise, and she half expected to see a poor injured bird struggling against the glass.
But what she saw instead was far more shocking.
Even in the evening darkness, the bright blue and red instantly struck her. She sucked in a breath, the reality of the situation sinking in half a second later.
Superman was outside of her window.
Superman.
And as their eyes met he offered her a small smile and a wave.
Numbly, she waved back, too shocked and confused to fully wrap her head around what was happening.
He pointed towards the latch on the window and, after giving herself a visible shake to jolt herself into action, she lurched forward. Pulling the window open with two shaking arms.
Only the thin screen separated them now and Silvia felt her breath hitch in her throat.
Unlike most people, she’d seen him up close before. But this was still a total shock. Countless questions began to swirl within.
Did he remember her? Had he sought her out?
Why?
She couldn’t voice any of that right away, however. Instead she swallowed, only managing an embarrassingly squeaky “hi.”
He smiled warmly again, nodding in her direction as he remained suspended in mid-air eight stories up.
“Dr. Martinez,” he greeted with a surprising degree of familiarity. Apparently, he did remember her. “May I come in? There is something I was hoping to discuss.”
Silvia nodded quickly. Because of course she did.
This was Superman, and there was no way she was going to say no. No matter how stunned she was by his unexpected arrival.
“Yeah! Of course!”
She fidgeted with the latches on the screen, pulling it off after a few awkward seconds of wiggling.
The next thing she knew, Superman was standing in her tiny office, his bright suit a stark contrast to the beige filing cabinets that surrounded them.
It was impossible not to stare, though she felt like a foolish child for doing so.
“I’m sorry to startle you,” he said with a sincerity only he could achieve. Silvia had been struck by it before, and she was struck by it now.
It wasn’t a superpower, but his ability to put people at ease was certainly a gift.
She finally managed to let out a breath.
“It’s okay,” she mustered, glad that her voice was now sounding a little more steady. “Is there something I can help you with?”
It seemed silly to ask the most powerful being on the planet that question, but it popped out anyway. It seemed apparent that he wasn’t here by accident, and her curiosity was growing with each passing moment.
The man smiled again, but she could sense a seriousness within him that she’d never really seen before.
He nodded slowly.
“Yes,” he answered, an uncharacteristic vulnerability flickering to the surface. “I think you might be the perfect person to help. But first, we need to talk…”