361/Undercover!

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Undercover!
Date of Scene: 08 March 2020
Location: St. Luke's Hospital
Synopsis: Lois and Clark go undercover at a hospital for a story.
Cast of Characters: Clark Kent, Lois Lane




Clark Kent has posed:
Their goal for the interview... is locked away inside a hospital. No visitors.

That just won't do; the scoop must be gotten.

Clark, with a big towel soaked in a bunch of ketchup held to his head, is in tow by Lois, into the front of the hospital. They're both undercover: Clark's in some ugly orange and brown plaid and overalls. Of course he is the one that's going to pretend to be hurt, to get them inside: He threw 'paper' to Lois' scissors. He's very good at losing rock-paper-scissor competitions.

The hospital is very busy, but one of the interns in the front takes notice of the 'blood' and veers over towards them with intake forms.

Lois Lane has posed:
This could be tricky. Being undercover was only half of the battle. Dressed in a very modest dress of kind of a beige color, she doesn't particularly look outstanding. Fairly normal, fairly plain, maybe forgettable. Lois places one hand on Clark's back to gently 'guide' him towards a seat. She takes a clipboard with the intake form, idly pretending to pay attention to it.

"So I'm thinking," she says, her voice low. "We use the bathroom excuse to get down the hall, get to a nurse's station to try and get a room number, just pretend to be a couple if anyone catches us on the way. What do you think?"

Clark Kent has posed:
"Wait, I think that door might be great if we can get through it, I bet there's a nurses's station, and we could blend in with other patients if we get inside." It is, however, locked looking. Clark is scanning the waiting area: technically looking through the walls like a big cheater, but he doesn't share that with her. He keeps the towel to his head, thinking.

"Maybe we could just play up the injury to get in through the main door," he suggests timidly. "I could ... fall down, I guess?" he asks uncertainly, looking to her leadership here.

Lois Lane has posed:
He has a point. There's a door in the way between them and their destination, one that needed to be opened by someone not them. "Alright, I'm gonna try something," Lois says slowly. If she can talk her way out of getting shot, she can certainly talk her way into a door. "We're gonna stand up, and then I want you to stumble. Like you're dizzy or you were about to pass out, but /don't fall/. Then, just follow my lead."

She gives him a bit of a grin. "I've got this." And she stands up.

Clark Kent has posed:
"I don't mind falling," Clark reassures her. It might be best that he not: in the past, Clark has not been the most graceful actor. Still, he's clumsy, so him tripping and falling might be a really natural thing for the poor mild mannered man. However, he's good at instructions, and dips his head that he'll do as she wants. When she rises, he does as well, stumbling and reaching out to try to grab the edge of the chair, with a lurch forwards.

Lois Lane has posed:
That's all it takes for Lois to begin the act. She drops the clipboard in her chair, quickly reaching out to 'catch' Clark. She spends a moment or two of concern as if to make sure he's okay before she nudges him gently over with her towards the desk. Her angry face is on. "He's got a head injury and you want me to just /do paperwork/ while he passes out from blood loss?" She looks positively furious, one hand resting on Clark's arm as if to make sure he's not going to fall over.

"I swear, if anything happens to him because of your negligence I am going to /sue/ this place. What does it take to get someone to see him? Does he have to pass out on the floor here? Well you're /halfway there/!"

Clark Kent has posed:
There's some reaction now, one of the orderlies comes out with a wheelchair to park Clark in; Clark's making some relatively convincing sounds of being in pain and distress as he's put into the chair.

They start to rush Clark inside, and a nurse steps forward to block Lois. "You'll have to wait here, miss," he insists, "Please finish the paperwork, we'll get him checked out right away---"

Lois Lane has posed:
"Oh no you don't," Lois says, straightening her back so as to try to make herself look taller, more imposing. "That is my /husband/. Your paperwork can get done /after/ I am sure he's not going to die or have permanent brain damage. You think you can advocate for yourself when you're bleeding and delirious? /No one/ deserves to be alone when they're in a serious condition."

She moves to go around the nurse. "So I am going to be with my husband because beyond all that he /needs/ me."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark's helpful, he keys in on her deception. "Where's my wife?" he asks deliriously, and ends up getting one of the nurses to shine light in his eyes and ask him questions for it. "She saw what happened." He sort of gestures at Lois to indicate that she should be asked the questions, and with that, Lois isn't blocked this time as they take Clark inside through the locked door into an examination area.

"Tell us what happened," the nurse asks of Lois. During that, though, they are able to see some layout of the hospital area, and the zones where their prey might be lurking is likely ahead and down one of the halls in front of them and to the right, as the recovery rooms are labeled.

Lois Lane has posed:
Good, Clark's playing along. Lois hurries towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he's wheeled towards someone to help him with his 'injury'. "Well, we were in the garage, he was working on something... I don't know what, the garage is /his/ territory."

She's clearly got a story and a character right away. "Anyway, I was bringing him a snack... we've got one of those, you know, metal storage closets for tools, right? And he had the door open so he couldn't see me. So when I started talking, scared the utter crap out of him and he slammed the door shut, but that knocked some stuff off the top of it. Big old rusted crowbar. I told him to throw that away /years/ ago but he's got to keep everything. Never know when you might need it, he says. I think he gets that from his dad."

Clark's shoulder is gently rubbed while she takes a good look around, trying to determine what the next move would be.

Clark Kent has posed:
The pair are taken into one of the examination alcoves while the nurse listens to Lois's story and checks Clark over. "I'm not seeing any marks of a concussion," he says, after pulling a curtain shut with a 'shhhrrk' of sound. "Lay here for now, I'll be right back in a few minutes. Be sure to keep him awake," he instructs Lois, before exiting out of the little booth.

Clark immediately lowers the towel, using the other end to clean some of the ketchup off his face, and throws it in the wastebin. He points towards the edge of the curtain with a questioning lift of eyebrow. Do they try to sneak now? He gets up out of the wheelchair, headed over her way.

Lois Lane has posed:
"The wheelchair might be a nice tool if we need it. No one's gonna ask what's wrong with you if you're sitting in one. That's /incredibly/ rude," Lois points out. "I think I've got an idea of where we're going, I'm just trying to figure out /how/."

Bluffing was what she was good at. Sneaking, as it turned out, wasn't so great for her. It's mostly what gets her caught these days. "How do we get the room number? I'm not sure what a good story is for that."

Clark Kent has posed:
"There's probably going to be a guard there, right? Let's just... walk the hallway and look like we belong, and see if any of the rooms are clearly locked or guarded; we know he's on this side of the hospital from our source," Clark says, but returns to the wheelchair; she made a good point in them probably not being asked questions if he's in one. "We'd better hurry," Clark suggests.

Lois Lane has posed:
"Ballsy, Smallville, ballsy," Lois grins. "Alright, we'll go with your method. Confidence is key. Hopefully we'll be able to peek in the rooms and figure it out." And hopefully, there won't be any obnoxious curtains in the way. She's going for it. With Clark in the wheelchair, she starts to move down the hall, striding with a clear destination in mind, but slow enough that it doesn't look like she's rushing it. A realistic pace.

Clark Kent has posed:
There are multiple rooms, on the hallway that leads past a nurse's station. One of the nurses headed back towards them glances at them briefly, but doesn't comment or give them much attention -- not yet. They're able to continue on, past a number of doors that are ajar. They're in 'luck', there's a guard standing near one of the doors at the end, drinking his coffee, standing with some boredom. However, Lois will have to either pick a room to enter, or go back awkwardly: there's no easy way to just go past him.

Clark's on the job, looking inside the rooms. "There's my room," he says loudly to Lois, pointing at the open door to their left, across from where the guard is. The curtain inside is open, and it seems empty...

Lois Lane has posed:
Perfect. This is why they do the team thing! Lois turns the wheelchair, quickly wheeling him into the nearby room. Nothing seems to be in the way, so she shuts the door for now. "Last I checked, guards don't just sit around in hospital hallways. Especially one that doesn't look like mere hospital security."

She parks the wheelchair, moving to check the room for anything useful. "I'm thinking we're close. Across the hall, where the guard is? Has to be our guy."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark hops out of tehe wheelchair, moving to pull it out of the way, and then returns to the door, opening it a teeny-tiny bit. That way he has an excuse for, say, seeing things or hearing things that he might want to use. He watches the hallway.

"So, we'll want to either wait for him to leave, or think up a way past him," Clark decides.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois leans in close to try and peek out as well. "What are you thinking? The only ideas I'm coming up with are causing a distraction, but if /I'm/ the distraction then we're stuck splitting up and I'm not sure that's the best way to go. But I could certainly go out there and be my most charming." She flutters her lashes at Clark as if to demonstrate.

"You think splitting up's a good idea or should we try something else?" She does, however, go back to peeking around the room for useful supplies.

Clark Kent has posed:
"/Shoot/," Clark 'swears.' The man cannot actually swear, that is as close as he gets. Which means it's serious! He closes the door gently a tiny bit, with a flinch, and looks to Lois in alarm. "A doctor is coming. I don't think she saw me, but right at us. ....What's our excuse for being in here?" he asks, quickly.

Lois Lane has posed:
There's not a lot around them. Hospital bed, curtain, some supplies, the wheelchair they had brought in. There was her, there was Clark, and there was nothing else. "Okay Clark, look at me," Lois says, very slowly. "I'm gonna do something and just go with it. I don't think we have any other options. Just trust me on this one."

She doesn't give him much of a chance to answer. She doesn't know how much time she has. The doctor could be here any second now. "Oh hell," she mutters, then she just promptly throws her arms around Clark's neck and kisses him. It's not some little chaste peck either. This has to look convincing.

Clark Kent has posed:
"What?" Clark gets out, before Lois flings her arms around his neck and is kissing him. It's a deer-in-headlights moment. After all, Lois just planted a big one right on him, and it has to look convincing. Clark's convinced. He steps back, bumping into the bed, taking Lois with him with one arm loosely around her...

The door opens, the doctor taking in the sight. "Ah!" the doctor says sharply, surprised by finding them. "Hey! What do you think you're doing in here?" she asks, a bit set back by the PDA. "Find a hotel room!" she admonishes, blushing, stepping back into the doorway.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois is aware of the fact that the doctor's caught them. That's part of the point. She's mostly focused on the kiss. It's got to look convincing, after all. She's hoping that she can hold onto the kiss long enough that the doctor just walks out and leaves them fully alone again.

Sure, that leaves an awkward period of time where she needs to be kissing Clark in /front/ of someone which is certainly aside from the fact that she's /kissing Clark/. She's having a hard time separating real Lois from the angry wife she was playing before. It's a little confusing, but she's not willing to give up the ghost on that story.

Besides, it's really not bad. Nope, she's staying /right/ where she is.

Clark Kent has posed:
"You're not supposed to be in here," The doctor repeats, as the two of them seem to ignore her. The wind has gone out of her sails a little bit, though.

Clark holds the kiss at least: if she feared he'd mess things up for them, he doesn't, although she'll feel his tension: but also some response. It's not like kissing a dead fish as she might have suspected it might have been with Clark. His arm is around her, fingers buried in her hair.

"...Be gone in /two minutes/ when I come back through, or I'm calling security," the doctor says awkwardly but with some force, finally, moving back into the hallway and letting the door shut.

Clark's become receptive, warm, leaning into the ruse. And her.

Lois Lane has posed:
Is he... actually acting? For a second Lois is impressed at the fact he's getting some acting chops for this kind of thing. But then it occurs to her... is this wounded man kissing his wife or is it Clark enjoying kissing Lois? Too many blurred lines when secret identities are involved.

She's waiting for the door to shut, but only half her brain can focus on that. The rest of it is wrapped up into /why do I like this/. She's kissing him and not letting go. It's only the thud of the door shutting that actually startles her into breaking the kiss. When it happens, she almost looks... disappointed.

Straightening herself up, she looks back to Clark, her cheeks flushed. "Uh, good work, Smallville. We've got two minutes to figure out how to get into that other room." She looks down at where her hand rests on his arm still. "You think of something, I'm gonna, uh, need a minute." ... did she just say that?

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark isn't flushed at first. He looks a little disconnected or stunned, staring back at her. He then gathers himself, and lifts his hand to adjust his glasses unnecessarily. Come on Clark. He swallows and looks towards the door quickly. "I think the jig is up, Lois. We better just call this one a loss; I don't want to get a bad relationship with the hospital security," Clark says. He steps towards her, hand moving to the side of her waist to guide a little with a palm towards the door. He hasn't flinched from her hand on his arm - he hadn't thought much of it, really: it was natural, wanted.

"Can't... win them all," he says, clearing his throat. "We'll get another way."

Lois Lane has posed:
"Rats," Lois mutters under her breath, following towards the door with the gentle guidance. "We were right here... so close and yet so far." But, to be fair, even if they tried to continue, she's not at the top of her game right now. Exiting quickly sounds more and more like a good idea. "Okay, we'll go with that plan Smallville. Bad relationship with hospital security means we'll get kicked out next time." This is for future stories' sake now.

Can't win them all? Part of her isn't entirely sure she lost.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Yeah. We're here too much for that," Clark agrees. He focuses on just... the mission. And his blush that has exploded on his cheeks. Fearing she'll see it, and inwardly berating himself for /slipping/, he cracks open the door, looking into the hallway. He reaches back for her hand without thinking... and then leads the way into the hall abruptly.

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois' hand meets his and she doesn't pull away from it. Instead, she lets it serve as a helpful guidance... and perhaps it looks convincing if the doctor happens to spot them on the way out. She keeps pace with him, hand staying in his as she looks around. She's aware but unable to focus much on anything around her. Clark's hand is suddenly very noticible and distracting. Why did he grab her hand? Was it for the act? Was it because they needed to hurry?

Clark Kent has posed:
Whatever the reason, he ended up with her hand. Clark moves them both out into the hallway, a little oddly leading, for him: usually he trails along after her like a helpful puppy. In a way, he's running from that room. From something. He doesn't know. He's intent on focusing on the /mission/. Which is now to get out of the hospital. Distract her from... he doesn't know. It's all just instinct now.

As they get to the elevator, he pushes the button, and then finally looks down to their linked hands.

Lois Lane has posed:
As Lois turns her attention to watching Clark and not what's ahead of them for the moment, she sees his gaze lower and automatically goes to follow it. Now she understands that both of them are entirely aware of what their hands are doing. Which, of course, means she has to figure out if she holds on or lets go. It's too awkward to let go now, right?

She's actually not sure /what/ to think right now, mostly because that kiss was absolutely not what she imagined kissing Clark would be like. Which, of course, she had never done. Ever. Not even once. The problem with the hands remains, so she draws her gaze away from that and instead looks at him. "Lovely weather we're having," she says. It's a joke. A distraction. But she's not moving her hand.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Yeah," Clark begins to say, but a family comes into the elevator before the doors shut, and cause Clark to move aside just a little, towards her. There's nobody there to see their linked hands anymore, with the position in the elevator, it's cloaked behind Clark's large frame: Lois is too, actually; Clark's not small.

The family laughs and chatters together about how well Uncle Raymond is doing, drawing a slight smile to Clark's face politely. The elevator heads to the base floor.

And Clark still has her hand.

Lois Lane has posed:
There's a quick glance back down to their hands, and further confusion sets over Lois. Oh god, did he just call her bluff? She plasters on a polite smile so as the other occupants of the elevator don't get to see a mildly alarmed face on the female reporter. Slowly, she turns her gaze up to Clark to try and stare him down to determine why /he's/ not the one letting go.

Her hand, however, remains steadfastly where it is.

Clark Kent has posed:
The elevator opens, and the family gets out first, letting Lois and Clark follow after them. The family heads off quickly, leaving them some space. Clark clears his throat, embarrassed, and lifts her hand with his, spreading his fingers and palm open to free her. "Sorry," apologizes the polite man, with a quick smile and dip of head, blush returning.

Lois Lane has posed:
"Ha, no problem," Lois says, smiling back at him. Her hand slowly slips away from his and back to her side. "So I guess we're abandoning the story and maybe trying a different angle? Something else?" Work has always been an easy converation to fall back to, and she doubts he'll bring up the hand thing. Maybe not even the kiss. The moment will just slide on by. She clears her throat, moving to take the lead towards the exit and beyond that to the car.

She's certain he'll likely chalk that up to acting. It was, wasn't it?

Clark Kent has posed:
"No.... maybe we can talk to one of his relatives, maybe they'll know something about it, or can talk to him," Clark suggests, rapidly trying to think of other ways to get the scoop. Yes, work. "I'll push on my detective contact, maybe there's something we haven't thought of," Clark adds, coming back to the car. "We'll get it," he says, with a smile as they reach the car.

Lois did call it correctly: Clark won't bring up the hand thing. Or the kiss. Things are back to normal.

Right?

Lois Lane has posed:
"Good thinking, Smallville," Lois says, glancing briefly over at him and then away just as quickly. "Relatives might know, we could maybe convince them to ask him some questions for us... just have to get on their good side." She unlocks the car as they get close to it.

Sliding into the car, Lois lets out a deeply held breath, giving herself a moment to recompose herself, then settles. It's all behind them now. Entirely.

Even if she's still thinking about it.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark stays outside of the car another moment. Maybe he's giving her a moment for herself. Maybe he's taking one on his own. Either way, there's a brief lag before he gets into the car, and fumblingly buckles up.

"Coffee?" Clark suggests, with a quick smile.

Entirely behind them.