The Memoirs

Dominic was feigning sleep. Oh, he'd been asleep for a while, no doubt about that. But Macho Woman had let slip what was going to happen tonight, and since then Dominic had slept. He forced himself away from the humiliation the world was, even though he was half starved--oh, like he didn't know they were giving him less and less through the tube in his side, so he'd be hungry enough to eat. He wasn't stupid. Fine. Let him starve. He could give a rats bloody ass. He wasn't going to be fed like a child, and that, darling friends, was that.

So he slept.

And feigned it, well enough.

He'd heard his husband, and Clark and Lex, come in some time ago. They were quiet, speaking in hushed voices to one another and it had to be at least seven o'clock already. They were waiting for him to open his eyes. Well, by bloody hell, he wasn't going to.

So he dozed. He slept a little, woke a little, but never, ever let on he was awake. Better to be bored stupid than to suffer any more indignities at the hands of these merciless whelps.

Keeping in mind what Clark had said to him in the kitchen, Lex made sure that he was the first person in the hospital room, and he took the chair that was closest to Dominic's bedside.

He could see the flickers of Dominic's eyes under his closed eyelids, knew that he was awake and not asleep, but he didn't say anything, just nodding and conversing with Clark and Lionel as though nothing were wrong.

Lionel had nearly lost his temper when Lex had taken Lionel's usual seat by the head of the bed, but didn't say a word when he remembered exactly what Lex had done to bring Dominic back. He just pulled up a third chair at the foot of the bed for Clark, and he settled in on Dominic's other side, staring at the back of his lover's head and shoulders, waiting for him to wake up. "Should we wake him up? The doctors will, if we don't... it's nearly past the dinner hour now and the nurses will be coming to check and see if he's eaten anything."

That's the point, you great bloody oaf. Dominic would have glared if he wasn't pretending sleep, and didn't dare even shift a muscle and let on that he was awake. He'd rather stab himself somewhere unpleasant than be fed. Like a child. Fuck it if he was hungry enough to eat a small cow.

Clark rose a brow. He knew well enough, through Lex, that Dominic was awake. he could feel it. But he didn't say anything--there was a reason for what he was doing, and so he just kept mum, making sympathetic noises in Lionel's direction as he looked up from his book.

Lex had had enough. "You know what? I am hungry. I haven't had anything since Clark brought me ah.... an afternoon snack to the office, and I'd actually like to have dinner before everything Clark cooked goes stone cold. Clark, if you don't mind, will you unpack the cooler? I'll serve us, and Dad, why don't you go down to the snack bar and get us four--no, don't bother with Dominic's, it'll be hot by the time he wakes up--three bottles of tea?"

Lionel bristled at being ordered around like a servant, but calmed his ire again at the calming glance Clark shot him from over the top of his book. "All right, Lex. Do you want lemon flavored tea, or do you think you can possibly survive on unsweetened?" Sarcasm dripped from every word.

"Unsweetened's fine with me," Lex said, blithely ignoring Lionel's sarcasm.

Clark's lips twitched but he schooled his face to indifference as Lionel looked at him, blinking owlishly and peering at Lex. "Me too. Sweetened, though. Got enough change?"

Bastards. They were… and he... bloodiest of all hell. He didn't move but scowled inside his head, his little brain scowling at the world for the atrocities it was being forced to endure. He would have rather been lying on a beach in Maui, drinking a margarita and soaking in the sun, praying to the heavenly Gods he wouldn't sunburn. Too bad he wasn't above even sunburns.

Stupid Irish family.

Stupid mother.

Stupid brothers and sisters.

Fuck.

Lionel glared at Clark. "I have nearly five hundred dollars in my pocket, Clark, a hundred of it in small bills in deference to your nagging and Dominic's. I do believe the commissary can manage to break a twenty dollar bill for three bottles of tea."

Lex rolled his eyes. "One of these days, Dad, I'm going to introduce you to the joys of a ten dollar bill."

Lionel's glare was just deadly. "He who lives in a house of glass, son, should not throw stones, lest he splinter his own walls."

"And he who is buying drinks better get his ass in gear before dinner is started without him," Lex retorted, laying out the plates and making a big show of inhaling the trapped steam from the potatoes. "These smell so good."

"I'm telling you, one of these days, you guys are going to get mugged, and don't say I didn't warn you afterward." Clark muttered in Lionel's direction, eyebrow cocking up. "Bring some napkins if you can, too, I forgot to get some from home. Got forks and everything else, don't worry."

"Nobody would dare to lay a hand on me," Lionel said imperiously. "I shall return shortly."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Lex asked as his father swept out of the room.

"An inevitability." Clark grinned as Lionel closed the door behind him, waited for about five seconds, and then looked to Dominic. "You can open your eyes now, Dominic. He's gone."

Dominic stayed still for a moment longer, but when he felt two sets of eyes on him, opened his own and glared. Just... glared.

"Welcome back," Lex said dryly. "Was the show for Dad's benefit, or are you feeling just, generally anti-social?"

"Fu… ck. You." Dominic said, bared his teeth, growled, and turned his head back to the window, glaring at it fiercely.

"Clark already takes care of that for me, but once you're better, maybe we can work something out." Lex flashed at grin at his lover, and then back to his stepfather.

"Quite well, if I do say so myself." Clark pretended to preen, but dropped it when he realized Dominic wasn't looking at them. "Why were you pretending to sleep, Dominic?"

"N..one..of y… ou... bloody... busi… ness." Dominic snarled, best he could, without looking at him.

"Because he's a stubborn ass," Lex predicted. "I don't know for sure, but if I didn't know better, I'd say he's scared of having to lift a fork himself. See, it's easier for him to lay there and feel sorry for himself with the feeding tube, but if he tries to feed himself and eat real food, then it's gonna be harder to feel sorry for himself."

Dominic bared his teeth again and growled. "Get. Out."

"Sorry, can't do that," Clark answered, all to cheerfully, as he fixed Dominic's blankets at the foot of the bed. "Its true, isn't it?"

"Translate that to mean, I'm hitting close to home." Lex ignored the growl as he pulled the lid off the meatloaf, and then the biscuits and then finally the green beans. "Of course it's true, Clark."

Clark saw Dominic's eyes skitter to the delicious smelling food, slightly cold now, before turning away, and knew they'd hit jackpot. "Dominic, we know the doctors put you on less liquid through the feeding tube, babe. We know they want you to eat. We know you're going to throw a fit over it. So how can we do this as painlessly as possibly?"

"V… ile... cur. Get...out!"

Enough of this shit! Lex thought to himself. He'd been overworking lately, he was teeny bit tired, and he was short on patience. "Dominic, look at it this way. You can either let me feed you until Dad comes back and you can feed yourself, or you can wait for him to come back and watch me feed you the entire meal. It's up to you." Lex reached down to the bed controls and started gently raising Dominic upright.

"G...et... OUT!" He roared, as loud as he could, and though it was mildly croaking, he managed it all the same. "Incurab..le...incom… petent... ass! G...et...out!"

"He's starting to sound like Lionel in his dotage." Clark muttered out of the corner of his mouth, watching Dominic, who had murder in his eyes, start to go upright.

"I told you my father's a bad influence on people," Lex muttered back, completely ignoring the bellow to get out and kept cranking up the bed until he was sitting up entirely, situated properly. "Now, do you want to start with the mashed potatoes or the meatloaf?"

Fuck. His knee gave a dull whine... it still hurt entirely too much for it being on his bum leg, and he'd been informed he'd have to have another surgery on it. Bollocks, if he thought it properly, and he scowled at the two boys looking at him calmly. "I… hate... you."

"Awee. You are sounding like Lionel in your old age. That's cute." Clark grinned at him just to see the fury go up a notch in those blood shot green eyes, and glanced at Lex. "I'm gonna step out, keep Lionel at bay. Take as much time as you need... when you're both done, come get us, kay?"

Lex shook his head. "No, Dominic apparently doesn't care, so, let Dad come back when he wants to. Dad can watch me feed him."

Clark watched the blood drain out of Dominic's face, and rose a brow at Lex, before glancing at Dominic again, and back to Lex.

"Y… ou… woul..dn't." Dominic croaked.

"Yes, I would," Lex said, just staring serenely back at his stepfather.

"H..ate you."

"And I'm sure you'll hate me even more by the time this dinner is done," Lex said, scooping a spoonful of potatoes up and holding the spoon out.

If he was honest with himself, Dominic had been having livid fantasies over Ms. Birds cheese sandwiches and boiled potatoes, with cheese and bacon and oh, dearest God, he was starving. He looked at Lex as hatefully as possible, though he knew he was being totally and completely uncooperative, he didn't give a ruddy shite. He glared at Lex, then at Clark, who immediately turned and left with two plates of food, before hissing at Lex again. "N...ev..er fo..rgive you."

"It's a chance I'm willing to take," Lex said, hanging onto his patience and holding the spoon out steadily.

Alright. Fine. Swallow his pride, and get full. Christ, he was starved. Fucking doctors. Fucking Lionel. Fucking world. He glared darkly but stopped putting up a fight, even as the last shred of his dignity went right out the window.

Lex nodded approvingly as Dominic opened his mouth, and he guided the spoon carefully into Dominic's mouth. "There we go. Want to try and hold the spoon yourself next?"

He couldn't. Lex should know that by now, if he knew so bloody much about his life right now. He couldn't lift his hand to fucking scratch his nose. He pasted on an indifferent look on his face, stony and hard, even as the horrid hospital potatoes melted like cardboardy ambrosia on his tongue.

"Of course you can't," Lex said, not quite aware of the fact that Dominic's surface thoughts were leaking out. "But notice I said try."

He swallowed, forcing himself not to choke and squeezing his eyes tightly shut until he could swallow it down. His throat barely wanted to cooperate, the blasted fucking thing. "D...on't..d...o... that." He managed, swallowing hard again and pulling in a deep breath.

"Do what?" Lex asked softly, pulling the tray closer and taking a spoon of the softened meatloaf next, offering it to Dominic.

"R..ead." He shook his head to the spoon, still forcing what he had going on down. "My thoughts."

Lex paused, waiting for Dominic to let him know that he was ready for another bite. "Sorry; I didn't realize I was."

"Wh...y? Doin...g..this?" Dominic croaked out, then nodded that he was ready again. Typical. Be raised on potatoes, eat them at every meal for twenty years, and what's the first thing he ate after a three month coma? Potatoes. Though it was oddly comforting, in a way.

Lex picked up the spoon again, and offered it slowly. "Because I'd like to have you home, instead of cooped up here all the time. I think you could get better faster if you were at home, that's all."

Whatever it was on the spoon was gross. Really gross. But Dominic didn't give a shit, and swallowed it slowly, so he wouldn't choke on it, either. That was the last thing he needed. He was so ashamed of himself, and prayed to God it would be over soon. He wanted them to take the bloody tube out of him and he wanted to be home so badly. "...W..want." He muttered, swallowing hard. "Home."

"I know you do. But this is the first step. Showing that you can actually like, eat without having to have the tube in your side. They can take it out, fix your knee, and send you home. Dad's already got the medical supply people stepping and fetching, and you wouldn't recognize the downstairs gym." Lex pulled the spoon away, and picked up a bite of green beans, waiting for Dominic's signal.

Dominic made a face at the green stuff, wincing up at Lex with an I have to eat that too? look before acquiescing with a grimace. "Wan..t... Freddie."

"They're green beans and I'm sure they're as good as the ones Clark cooked." He made a face. "You'll have to tear him away from his new best friend. Ms. Bird has apparently acquired a kitten of her own, and they're terrorizing my dogs."

Dominic didn't quite have it in him to smile, but he did give an approving nod as his stomach, so used to no food, grumbled painfully. "W..ater."

Lex dropped the spoon into the potato-colored glop, and picked up the water pitcher, and held it so that Dominic's hand could come up and help guide it so he could drink at his own speed.

Dominic took the cup with his weak right hand and lifted his head the smallest bit... almost did choke at the first swallow, but after that he did just fine, the cool liquid flowing down his throat. That was good. Christ.

Lex kept the cup steady as Dominic drank from it, watching him swallow with difficulty at first, and then later with ease. "Feel better?" he asked with a little grin.

He glared at his step son and wrapped himself up in his pride again. "L...little... ob..noxious brat." He muttered. "Give... me that gr..een shit ag... a...gain and I'll h-h... ave your hide."

Lex poked at the green sludge with the top of the spoon. "It's green beans." He paused. "I think. Or possibly peas."

Alright. At that? Dominic couldn't help snickering. "T..astes..li..ke...pic..kles."

"Pickles?" Lex poked them again. "That's a possibility too, I suppose. But, I think you're right. No more green. So, which would you like to try next... potato or meatloaf?" He prodded the dark pile, then the potato pile.

"I have... ch...oice?" Dominic asked, eyebrow up high.

"Well... sort of. You've got to eat them both, so you get to pick which one?" He poked both piles again.

"Surpr..rise me." Dominic muttered, and set his hand on his lap, comfortably, shifting against tubes and IV's and god knew what else making everything from the waist down a nightmare. "W..ish...cheese...sand..wich."

"I think anything off this tray is going to be a surprise," Lex frowned, picking up the spoon and choosing the meatloaf pile. "Well, in a few days, you may be able to have one, if all goes well."

He doubted that, but he didn't say it, just sideglancing at the chocolate milk-looking medicine feeding through the tube in his side. "Want... tubes… out of me." They were terrible, itchy, painful. The one in his side hurt all the time, whenever he shifted around. He wondered briefly if the hollow feeling it made him have would ever go away. "Did... L..lionel... inter… view?"

"I think he did," Lex said, waiting for Dominic to show he was ready for another bite. "Clark muttered something about it in passing when he came home from a long lunch with Dad at the Italian place."

Hah. He smirked, something thudding painfully down in the bottom of his heart as he did it, and nodded at Lex to show he was, indeed, ready. "Good."

Lex offered the bite again, and sighed. "I know. I offered to do the interview in Dad's place, but Clark wanted to try once more with Dad, and apparently, it worked this time."

Oh ew. It was worse the second time, and Dominic swallowed it, making a face and shaking his head. "No... more. Glad...Lionel... head… from ass."

Lex stirred the meatloaf up. "You're going to have to eat a few more bites, at least."

He shook his head. Nope. That was it. No more eating today. "Stom..ach… cramping." He managed, and it wasn't ALL a lie--it was cramping.

Lex nodded. "I'll call the doctor and let Dad back in," he said, reaching for the call button even as he sent the call through his link to his aushna'.

He nodded, letting his eyes close and he turned his head a little. He rubbed an itch from his belly slightly as he got more comfortable, sighing as he rested. It had tired him out, dammit.

Clark lifted his head at the call in his head and sideglanced at Lionel. They'd been sitting together, eating their dinner in the waiting chairs outside of Dominic's room, and he crooked a small smile at him. "Ready?"

"I have been ready since we sat down out here," Lionel snapped crankily.

One Lionel Luthor, on the move. Watch out, he's wicked cranky.

Dominic yawned, deeply, to the window. His eyelids fluttered closed as he all but melted against the bed sleepily, murmuring warmly over how cozy that was even as he tugged the blanket up a little.

And this is different from normal how, exactly? Lex rolled his eyes. "Dom? Dad's on the way back and Clark says he's in a pissy mood. Just warning you, all right?"

Lionel didn't bother with the niceties of knocking, just shoved the door to Dominic's room open. "Lex, move out of my chair this instant."

"Fuck." Dominic muttered under his breath, and he blearily opened his eyes to peer at his husband. "St..amped..ing...rhino."

"Hi, Dad," Lex needled. "I'm glad to see you too. Yes, Dominic did fine eating dinner, and the doctor's on the way to check him over. No, no, we didn't have any problems, thank you for asking."

Lionel didn't lower himself to answer, just stood there, glaring at his son, arms crossed over his chest. "Move. Now."

Dominic felt the little food he'd eaten come up, and with a shudder he swallowed hard against it, pleading it to stay where it was. He shifted the smallest bit, uncomfortably, his bladder starting to make noises about needing to be emptied but he wouldn't dare. Instead, he opened his eyes and glared at the two men beside him, as much as he could.

Lex didn't budge from his spot beside the bed, glaring up at his father with just as much intensity as Lionel was glaring down on him with.

"Alexander, move."

"No."

Clark inched around them and plopped down in the chair Lionel had vacated earlier, right in Dominic's line of sight. "They'll probably get thrown out by security. You can stick with me, alright? I've got a voice for Harry Potter, let me tell you."

Dominic blinked at Clark again before peering at Lionel and Lex, having a war of wills. Idiots.

"Lex, if you do not get up out of that chair this moment, you are going to force me to do something very unpleasant."

Lex looked over at Dominic. "What do you think, Dom? Should I let him have the chair?"

He nodded. He wanted Lionel. Sort of. Any time he didn't have to do anything disgraceful. "X-men," he muttered, flicking his eyes toward the DVD sitting on the table at the foot of the bed, and yawned again. With the few bristles coming back for his goatee, it made him look so very young, as young as Lex, even, and if he'd known that he would have been horrified. As it was he rubbed his stubbly head against the pillow, shifted, and sighed softly.

"Oh, well, I've been relegated to human DVD changer," Lex scoffed, squeezing Dominic's hand gently as he rose and surrendered his seat to Lionel. "Your wish is my command, oh X-Men craving one." He picked up the remote at the foot of the bed and tossed it to Clark, and took the DVD out of it's case and stuck it in the player. "There, there we go. X-Men are ready to go."

Mmmm. Dominic looked at Lionel as his husband sat beside him, reaching his good hand for Lionel's fingers even as he shifted a little comfortably and yawned a third time, letting his eyes fall to half mast. The hunger was still pulling at his revolting stomach, but for now, felt pretty good.

Lionel's fingers twined gently through Dominic's as they reached for his, and he moved his chair as close to the bed as he could get. He pressed a quiet, unobtrusive kiss to Dominic's hand, and smiled softly at him, watching him instead of the movie.

Lex disdained the last chair, instead choosing to sit on Clark's lap, so that they'd both be in Dominic's line of sight, even though Dominic had shifted and seemed to be falling asleep again.

Dominic saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, and his lips twitched as he watched them both for a second.

And then his eyes widened, and he had enough movement in him to push himself heavily to the side where he was sick off the side of the bed.

 

-fin-

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