Smallville

Justin.

I just thought I'd stop by and say goodbye.

I heard you were going back to Smallville tomorrow.

Yeah, Smallville.

How's it going?

You tell me.

You've been here five months. You've come a long way.

Your body has done a lot of healing.

Except for my hands.

They'll never get better and I'll never draw again...

...and that's the only thing I was ever good at.

You suffer severe nerve damage. It's lucky you have movement in your hands.

- I did everything I could, you know that. - Really?

Is that what you told the five patients who filed malpractice suits against you?

Now, I can understand your still being angry...

...but blaming me isn't gonna change your condition.

You were in an accident and you have to accept that.

I was in a hit-and-run.

You know, when I was your age, I wanted to be a violinist.

So I applied to the Conservatory, but I failed the audition.

The instructor told me that I had the hands of a surgeon...

...and that's why I moved into medicine.

As one door closes...

...another one opens.

You're young, you'll find something new.

Goodbye, Justin.

Have a nice life, Dr. Wells.

Rene, honey, I'm sorry.

- Another ungrateful patient? - Aren't they all?

- So you think he'll sue? - He doesn't have any proof.

He's alive, he should be thanking me.

What's going on?

You okay?

Get us out of here! Hurry up! Come on!

Get us out of here now. Get us out of here now! Hurry up! Come on!

- Help! - Help us!

That's it.

- Give me a hand up. - All right.

Okay, grab my hands.

Crush

I see you in a uniform flying.

Have you ever considered a career in the Air Force?

I'll think about it.

What are you smiling about?

I landed a summer job at Mayor Siegel's working on his re-election campaign.

I thought you were helping your mom at the court.

Judge Ross can get some KSU students to schlep her files.

Who wants to hang out with their parents all summer?

- Yeah. - Sorry, Clark.

Did you notice Kwan's son down at the Air Force booth?

Growing up with Kwan, the Air Force would seem like Club Med.

- Wow, you look nice. - Thanks, I was going for professional.

Did you know the Daily Planet only takes four high school interns from the state?

- You're a shoo-in, Chloe. - Tell him that.

He said they received over 500 applicants last year.

- I doubt I'll get an interview. - There's always the Inquisitor.

- Didn't Lex offer to hook you up? - I'm interning at the Planet.

I don't care if it's delivering coffee.

Why don't you try again Saturday when you're in Metropolis?

Why are you going to Metropolis?

We're going to Metropolis, Clark.

The student journalism conference?

You were supposed to sign us up. I know you didn't forget. It's too late to get in.

Sorry. I've been at the Talon all week with Lana working on a history project.

- Everything else becomes less important. - Whoa, that's not true.

How much time have we spent together in three weeks?

- We see each other every day. - It was 45 minutes. My car broke down...

...outside the Talon and you gave me a ride home.

- I had to tear you away from Lana. - Don't you think you're being unfair?

No! Whenever Lex and Lana are around, no one else exists.

Wait, Chloe, why are you being so hypersensitive?

Most men are from Mars, but you're from a distant galaxy I've never heard of.

I know I screwed up, but why is Chloe having a breakdown?

- You're not the most observant person. - What are you talking about?

She wanted to spend a day with you. She was gonna ask you to the spring formal.

Yeah, but that'd be like...

Date?

Maybe if you took off your Lana blinders, you'd realize Chloe likes you.

Clark, I'm not interested in an apology.

- Not the welcome I was expecting, hi. - Hey!

How are you? It's good to see you. When did you get back?

Yesterday. I just wanted to thank you, by the way, for sending all those emails.

- They got me through a tough time. - I'm sure lots of people kept in touch.

For most of my friends, it was out of sight, out of mind.

I know the feeling. So when can you start drawing your cartoon again?

Everybody's been waiting for the further adventures of the flaming crow's feet.

Unfortunately my drawing hand's kind of shot.

- Oh, I'm sorry. - It's okay.

I'm in the process of re-evaluating my life.

So listen, is there any chance that maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee...

...or one of those nonfat, no-foam lattes that you like?

Yeah, why not? I'm in the process of re-evaluating my life too.

Let's go.

What are you doing here?

I'm here for the same reason you are.

- The anniversary of her death. - It's been nine years.

Why the sudden burst of sentimentality?

I deserve that, just disappearing from your life.

I'm sure all that LuthorCorp stock my mother left you helped.

Is that what your father told you?

All those years I thought you loved me.

But you were just in it for the money.

I know you're angry and you have every right to be, but we need to talk.

I can't believe there's anything you'd say that would interest me.

Goodbye, Pamela.

This one's my favourite strip.

- Really. - Yes.

Hey, guys.

- Hey. - You know Justin.

Yeah. Of course, welcome back. How are you feeling?

Oh, just kind of taking it one day at a time.

Did they find the driver who hit you?

No. No, I couldn't give the police much. I didn't remember anything for a long time.

Well, what do you remember?

- A little bit of the license plate. DDI. - Well, we should look into it.

- Call the police. - Lf we find something, we'll pass it on.

Okay.

Anyway, I talked to Lex. He scored us two tickets to the conference.

Don't worry about it. Justin's signed up so I'm going as his guest.

- Yeah, or we could all go together. - No.

Clark's not that interested in journalism anyway.

Right, okay. I should probably get going, listen...

Thank you.

- Hi. - Hey, Clark. Is your mom around?

- I wanted to order more of her pies. - She's in class, I can help you.

I thought you'd be helping Chloe proof the latest edition.

- She had enough help. - Are you two still fighting?

Who said we were fighting?

Kind of caught it yesterday at the career fair. What's going on with you two?

Chloe likes me.

So how do you feel about her?

Like maybe we could be more than friends.

- I saw her with Justin. I got kind of... - Jealous?

It's like you find out this secret and it colors everything.

Just can't believe I never saw it before.

Sometimes the right person can be in front of your eyes and you never know.

- So how many pies did you want? - A dozen.

How's Whitney? I hear his dad's feeling better.

He's great.

Everything okay?

Never better.

Good luck. I hope things work out with Chloe.

Me too.

Bye.

Damn it.

Pete.

- Hey. - Hey, you seen Chloe?

Not since English. She's probably hanging out with Justin.

- What do you think about that guy? - He seems pretty cool.

Never got to know him that well before, he was always buried in a sketchpad.

Chloe seems to like him.

Careful, Clark, you almost sound a little jealous.

I'm not jealous, I'm concerned.

Why, because Chloe's falling for a nice guy? It's got me worried too.

Look.

Justin had this in his portfolio yesterday.

"Going Down. Doctor Loses Hands in Freak Accident."

- So? - That was Justin's doctor.

Don't you think it's weird he's carrying that?

I liked the tragic irony.

You always talk about people behind their backs?

- Justin, I didn't mean... - Yes, you did.

I start spending time with Chloe, suddenly you realize she exists and want me out?

- Chloe and I are just friends. - You had your chance with her.

Now you let me have mine.

What the hell are you doing here?

I wanted to see what kind of young man you'd grown into.

A very busy one.

So if there's nothing else...

We were close once, Alexander, you were like a son to me.

You were an employee. You were paid to watch me while...

...my mother's health failed and my father crisscrossed the globe on business.

I loved you like my own.

After the meteor shower, I was the one who never looked at you differently.

Just because you knew me at a vulnerable point...

...doesn't give you the right to waltz back in a decade later.

Things have changed. I've changed. What do you want from me?

I want you to know what really happened.

- You lied to my mother on her deathbed. - No, I didn't.

I had every intention of staying, but your father sent me away.

After the funeral, he called me into his office and told me...

...if I ever had contact with you again that he would disinherit you.

Why would he do that?

Because he wanted you to be his son, not hers.

So why show up now?

Does the statute of limitations on my father's threat expire?

I needed to see if you'd found a way to be true to yourself...

...in spite of Lionel's efforts.

And to be honest, I wanted your forgiveness.

I'm afraid you'll have to find a way to grant it to yourself.

Goodbye, Alexander.

I wish everything sold as well as your mom's organic apple pies.

- Every little bit helps. - Hey, Clark.

- Hey, Whitney, how's your dad? - On the mend. Happy to be home.

Hey. Keep Saturday night free.

Got two tickets to Our Town at the Metropolis Playhouse.

- Wow. What inspired you to do that? - Saw you reading it at school.

Thought I might start making up for some lost time.

- See you. - Bye.

Whitney has paid more attention to me in the last two weeks than he has all year.