Matt gasped as he woke up, his senses all flooding in to piece together where he was and what had happened. He was in a bed. His bed. He could feel the silk sheets and down duvet underneath him. He was also in a lot of pain. He could feel the bruises and cuts covering his body, and every muscle ached. He could barely breath and only groaned when his body wouldn't allow him to sit up or even roll over.
Someone was in the room with him, because they were gently stroking his hair trying to convince him to put his head back down onto the pillow. "Who?" Matt asked, his mouth dry.
"It's just me, Matt. It's Foggy."
Normally, Matt would be comforted by the touch and voice of his friend, but the intense nightmares he'd woken from had him finding it difficult to separate the new reality he was in from them. He cried softly. "It hurts," he said to Foggy.
"You're just disoriented, Matt," Foggy said. "From the drugs Claire gave you. Do you remember? To help you sleep through the pain?"
"No," said Matt. "I can't... please. Go away," Matt said desperately.
"I'm not going anywhere," Foggy said. "I'm here for you, man."
"I can't lose you, Foggy," Matt pleaded, desperate.
"You won't, Matt. You won't. I promise," Foggy said.
"You can't promise that," Matt said.
"I can too," Foggy said.
"I'm not... You can't stay," Matt said. Foggy finally realized that maybe his friend wasn't fully lucid. What had he been dreaming about?
"Why do I have to go?" Foggy asked.
"Because you'll have to. You'll have a family someday. You won't need me anymore," Matt said.
"I'll always need you, Matt. And my kids will need you too. You'll be their cool Uncle Matt," Foggy said, amused.
"But you could go to jail, Foggy. You could lose everything. Because of me. I can't..." Matt said.
"I knew the consequences of sticking with you when I found out about Daredevil, Matt," Foggy said. "I made a choice to stay, remember. If I go to jail, at least I'll have you to protect me while I'm doing my time. I could be your bitch," he joked. "Somehow I don't think anyone would want to mess with you."
"You could die. Karen could die. I could get you both killed," Matt said, distressed.
"And you could die and leave me alone. That's actually the more likely scenario given what you do and that you're currently laying here barely alive," Foggy said sadly.
"I could... I could have to go. People could find out about Daredevil," Matt said.
"They could. And we would deal with it. Together," Foggy said. "I wouldn't let you leave even if you tried to."
"Foggy..." Matt said, "You were right. I am a murderer. I'm a criminal. You have to go. I have to go. We can't do this." He thrashed in the bed, trying to sit up but barely awake or making sense, panicking. Foggy pushed him gently back down and kept his hand firmly on his chest to keep him there.
"Matt, I want you to listen to me," Foggy said. "There is nothing in the universe, no circumstance or situation that you can ever find yourself in where I will not forgive you, be there for you and be your friend. We are in this together. Nelson and Murdock, remember? Don't you ever forget that. Do you hear me?"
Matt nodded, his breathing evening out.
"I love you," Foggy said. "And you mean everything to me, you idiot. I'm not going anywhere. Now go back to sleep and let the drugs do their job so that Claire doesn't yell at me when you pop your stitches again."
As Matt lay there and listened to his friend grumble, he knew that despite the man's kind words, someday one of his dreams would become a reality. He knew, deep down, that all he could was appreciate and soak in Foggy's presence while he had it in his life and create memories that would give him solace once he was gone. It was that thought that comforted him as he let himself drift back into a drug-induced, but thankfully now dreamless, sleep.
FILL: Ends of the Line (6/6)
Matt gasped as he woke up, his senses all flooding in to piece together where he was and what had happened. He was in a bed. His bed. He could feel the silk sheets and down duvet underneath him. He was also in a lot of pain. He could feel the bruises and cuts covering his body, and every muscle ached. He could barely breath and only groaned when his body wouldn't allow him to sit up or even roll over.
Someone was in the room with him, because they were gently stroking his hair trying to convince him to put his head back down onto the pillow. "Who?" Matt asked, his mouth dry.
"It's just me, Matt. It's Foggy."
Normally, Matt would be comforted by the touch and voice of his friend, but the intense nightmares he'd woken from had him finding it difficult to separate the new reality he was in from them. He cried softly. "It hurts," he said to Foggy.
"You're just disoriented, Matt," Foggy said. "From the drugs Claire gave you. Do you remember? To help you sleep through the pain?"
"No," said Matt. "I can't... please. Go away," Matt said desperately.
"I'm not going anywhere," Foggy said. "I'm here for you, man."
"I can't lose you, Foggy," Matt pleaded, desperate.
"You won't, Matt. You won't. I promise," Foggy said.
"You can't promise that," Matt said.
"I can too," Foggy said.
"I'm not... You can't stay," Matt said. Foggy finally realized that maybe his friend wasn't fully lucid. What had he been dreaming about?
"Why do I have to go?" Foggy asked.
"Because you'll have to. You'll have a family someday. You won't need me anymore," Matt said.
"I'll always need you, Matt. And my kids will need you too. You'll be their cool Uncle Matt," Foggy said, amused.
"But you could go to jail, Foggy. You could lose everything. Because of me. I can't..." Matt said.
"I knew the consequences of sticking with you when I found out about Daredevil, Matt," Foggy said. "I made a choice to stay, remember. If I go to jail, at least I'll have you to protect me while I'm doing my time. I could be your bitch," he joked. "Somehow I don't think anyone would want to mess with you."
"You could die. Karen could die. I could get you both killed," Matt said, distressed.
"And you could die and leave me alone. That's actually the more likely scenario given what you do and that you're currently laying here barely alive," Foggy said sadly.
"I could... I could have to go. People could find out about Daredevil," Matt said.
"They could. And we would deal with it. Together," Foggy said. "I wouldn't let you leave even if you tried to."
"Foggy..." Matt said, "You were right. I am a murderer. I'm a criminal. You have to go. I have to go. We can't do this." He thrashed in the bed, trying to sit up but barely awake or making sense, panicking. Foggy pushed him gently back down and kept his hand firmly on his chest to keep him there.
"Matt, I want you to listen to me," Foggy said. "There is nothing in the universe, no circumstance or situation that you can ever find yourself in where I will not forgive you, be there for you and be your friend. We are in this together. Nelson and Murdock, remember? Don't you ever forget that. Do you hear me?"
Matt nodded, his breathing evening out.
"I love you," Foggy said. "And you mean everything to me, you idiot. I'm not going anywhere. Now go back to sleep and let the drugs do their job so that Claire doesn't yell at me when you pop your stitches again."
As Matt lay there and listened to his friend grumble, he knew that despite the man's kind words, someday one of his dreams would become a reality. He knew, deep down, that all he could was appreciate and soak in Foggy's presence while he had it in his life and create memories that would give him solace once he was gone. It was that thought that comforted him as he let himself drift back into a drug-induced, but thankfully now dreamless, sleep.