Metropolis General. By the time Clark gets there, Martha has already been admitted. Did he run around the planet a couple of times first? People drive from Smallville to Metropolis faster than he super-zipped there. He opens the door to the exam room, fearing the worst, but finds her chatting on the phone with Lois. There's a spot of blood on her shoulder and her left arm is in a sling. She holds out her other arm for a hug, then finishes up her chat with Lois. "Are you OK?" he asks, sounding very young and scared. Nothing turns us back into kids quicker than seeing our parents hurt. She assures him she's fine. She was wearing a bulletproof vest and the second bullet just grazed her. Now that he knows she's OK, he gets a little upset that she didn't tell him her plans. "I could have protected you," he says. But she's the one protecting him. It's too dangerous for any of the heroes to go out in public now. She's determined to get back on the campaign trail right away, but Clark is worried that more people will be hurt. "Clark, if you don't let me do this, there will never be a day you can come out of hiding." Her voice is pleading. She's not scared of dying. She's scared for her son. She says that she and Jonathan agreed they would protect Clark at any cost, even if it cost them their lives. "I'm willing to sacrifice the same thing your father did," she says. Oh, please don't! There's not enough of the show left to deal with all of Clark's resultant moping! "I'm not ready to say goodbye to you, too," he says. He vows to find the shooter and zips away.

Martha is left near tears in his wake. "He's just worried about you, Mrs. Kent," Chloe says from the doorway. "We all are." She goes in for a hug, accidentally squeezing Martha's injured shoulder. After apologizing, Chloe gets riled up about the heroes needing protection, but Martha isn't surprised. She says she and Jonathan always knew what a big responsibility Clark would be. Chloe mentions Martha's "red queen" role in protecting Clark. Martha narrows her eyes thoughtfully. "I've been watching you, too," she says. Chloe looks a little uneasy. Was there a spycam hidden in that sofa bed last night? No, Martha's talking about Chloe taking over the Suicide Squad. What she doesn't understand is why Chloe left Clark in the first place, so Chloe explains it was to protect him... without overprotecting him. "We both needed to leave in order for Clark to stand up on his own," Martha says. That's not how her departure's been treated so far, but whatever. Martha's worried Chloe went too far. "Clark needs you as much as the world needs him." She says Chloe is part of their family. Chloe talks about how she looked to Martha as a mother figure. She credits Martha with teaching her how to take care of the people she loves. Martha asks Chloe to watch over Clark. Chloe smiles, but it looks like she just died a little inside.