By the end of the day, he was feeling adrift, tired, and more than anything, lonely. For some reason he couldn’t identify, he didn’t go out that night, letting the local criminals do what they wanted.
Instead, he wrapped himself in a blanket and listened to the buzzing of the billboard. He tried to pretend that the echo of his heartbeat was someone else’s, but that only made him feel more lonely.
The end of the second day, he returned to the clinic. A quiet person sitting behind the desk stood up when he entered.
“Can I help you?” they asked.
“Um- Foggy,” he muttered.Then he cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m looking for Foggy Nelson.”
“He’s not in right now, but I’ll give him a call.” He could hear their hand move towards the phone, and the thought of Foggy being called away from his personal life- from a family, or a date, or a night in- that was too much to handle.
“No, it’s fine,” he said suddenly. “I’m- I just wanted to say hi. I can wait.”
“Subdrop, right?” the person asked.
“What?”
They stepped out from around the desk. “It’s fine, we get this a lot. And we always take walk-in appointments, even outside of hours. If Foggy isn’t available, we’ll find someone else…” Matt shook his head “or you can stay here until he does come in, but he’s on call tonight. It should be fine.”
“Really, he doesn’t need to come in for this,” Matt insisted.
Instead of answering, they reached into a drawer in the desk and pulled out a bag of chocolates. “Eat three of these,” they said. “And I’ll call Foggy. If he doesn’t answer by the time you’ve finished, and if you still want to go, then go ahead, and we’ll schedule a time for you to come in tomorrow. Does that sound fair?”
Matt took three pieces of chocolate. He took his time eating them, out of fairness, and was halfway through the second one when the receptionist hung up the phone with a smile.
“He’s on his way,” they said. “In the meantime, he wants you to finish your chocolate and take a blanket. Do you want to wait out here, or would you rather go into one of the private rooms?”
The idea of people watching him, of standing by the entrance and feeling their eyes on him, made him want to shiver. But the idea of Foggy coming in, stopping to talk to the receptionist, getting waylaid somewhere and the long slow minutes before Matt could hear his heartbeat in the same room, that was even worse.
“I’m fine here,” he said.
He could hear a car in the parking lot, sliding in far too fast. The door slammed and it wasn’t locked behind him. Foggy’s footsteps were rushed and his breathing strained, but his heartbeat went steady when he saw Matt.
“Thanks for looking out for him,” Foggy said to the receptionist, but it didn’t seem to require a response. He knelt down next to Matt and put a hand on his arm.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Matt nodded automatically.
“Hey, darling,” Foggy said quietly. “Don’t lie to me, okay? We’re going to go in the back, somewhere private, and then you can tell me the truth, okay?”
He was waiting for something, so Matt nodded again.
“Good boy. Come on now, on your feet.”
Foggy helped him up, guiding him with a hand on his arm, and Matt’s hands gripping his cane uselessly. Matt’s senses were already overloaded, and he couldn’t tell anything except that the room was soft and quiet and Foggy was there.
Foggy guided him to a soft, plush couch and made him sit, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. His heartbeat was strong, and he smelled vaguely of cinnamon.
“‘M sorry about this,” Matt muttered.
“Don’t be,” Foggy said immediately. “You tried to prove yourself, and it backfired. That’s not your fault. You did the right thing coming back to me. You’re going to be alright, okay darling? Just trust me.”
FILL: Kneel 10/11
Instead, he wrapped himself in a blanket and listened to the buzzing of the billboard. He tried to pretend that the echo of his heartbeat was someone else’s, but that only made him feel more lonely.
The end of the second day, he returned to the clinic. A quiet person sitting behind the desk stood up when he entered.
“Can I help you?” they asked.
“Um- Foggy,” he muttered.Then he cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m looking for Foggy Nelson.”
“He’s not in right now, but I’ll give him a call.” He could hear their hand move towards the phone, and the thought of Foggy being called away from his personal life- from a family, or a date, or a night in- that was too much to handle.
“No, it’s fine,” he said suddenly. “I’m- I just wanted to say hi. I can wait.”
“Subdrop, right?” the person asked.
“What?”
They stepped out from around the desk. “It’s fine, we get this a lot. And we always take walk-in appointments, even outside of hours. If Foggy isn’t available, we’ll find someone else…” Matt shook his head “or you can stay here until he does come in, but he’s on call tonight. It should be fine.”
“Really, he doesn’t need to come in for this,” Matt insisted.
Instead of answering, they reached into a drawer in the desk and pulled out a bag of chocolates. “Eat three of these,” they said. “And I’ll call Foggy. If he doesn’t answer by the time you’ve finished, and if you still want to go, then go ahead, and we’ll schedule a time for you to come in tomorrow. Does that sound fair?”
Matt took three pieces of chocolate. He took his time eating them, out of fairness, and was halfway through the second one when the receptionist hung up the phone with a smile.
“He’s on his way,” they said. “In the meantime, he wants you to finish your chocolate and take a blanket. Do you want to wait out here, or would you rather go into one of the private rooms?”
The idea of people watching him, of standing by the entrance and feeling their eyes on him, made him want to shiver. But the idea of Foggy coming in, stopping to talk to the receptionist, getting waylaid somewhere and the long slow minutes before Matt could hear his heartbeat in the same room, that was even worse.
“I’m fine here,” he said.
He could hear a car in the parking lot, sliding in far too fast. The door slammed and it wasn’t locked behind him. Foggy’s footsteps were rushed and his breathing strained, but his heartbeat went steady when he saw Matt.
“Thanks for looking out for him,” Foggy said to the receptionist, but it didn’t seem to require a response. He knelt down next to Matt and put a hand on his arm.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Matt nodded automatically.
“Hey, darling,” Foggy said quietly. “Don’t lie to me, okay? We’re going to go in the back, somewhere private, and then you can tell me the truth, okay?”
He was waiting for something, so Matt nodded again.
“Good boy. Come on now, on your feet.”
Foggy helped him up, guiding him with a hand on his arm, and Matt’s hands gripping his cane uselessly. Matt’s senses were already overloaded, and he couldn’t tell anything except that the room was soft and quiet and Foggy was there.
Foggy guided him to a soft, plush couch and made him sit, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. His heartbeat was strong, and he smelled vaguely of cinnamon.
“‘M sorry about this,” Matt muttered.
“Don’t be,” Foggy said immediately. “You tried to prove yourself, and it backfired. That’s not your fault. You did the right thing coming back to me. You’re going to be alright, okay darling? Just trust me.”
So Matt did.