He should’ve reckoned with his continuing inability to die. A few days later he woke up in the basement of Rand Memorial Hospital, where Temple ran her clinic for the vigilantes.
Karen was there, in a chair next to his bed. “You’re awake,” she said. “Claire asked me to advise you as soon as you were that there are no moral judgments made within her clinics’ walls, but if you try to kill any of her other patients she will kick you out.” Every syllable she spoke was sharpened; it felt like a slap across the face.
Murdock was also there. He’d been standing a little bit away, talking on his phone, but on seeing Frank was awake, he came over. “Afternoon, Frank. Karen’s mad at you.”
“I noticed.” This wasn’t surprising, either.
“What the hell do you think you’re about?” she hissed to him. “Going and telling me who I belong with like that, like you’ve got a right to make that decision for me? Like I should be relieved for you to be dead and out of the way?”
“Oh come on,” he said. “I thought you had sense enough to know what I said for yourself.” Except of course she didn’t, because ideals and feelings inevitably won out with her. “I never expected you to spend the rest of your life putting up with the Punisher, even when I was the only one in the picture. And if you try to tell me you don’t still have feelings for him there, well, you could confirm to me she’s lying right away, couldn’t you, Red?”
“That still doesn’t mean you make that choice for me,” she said. “What, were you planning to run away and leave a note on my coffee table, if you hadn’t gotten nearly killed?”
Frank hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it might have come to that. Though he wasn’t sure he would’ve even had the strength for it. Much as he’d known it would be for the better, he’d still dreaded the day he’d have to give her up from the start.
Before he could figure out an answer, Murdock asked quietly, “Karen, which of us do you want? Do you know?”
Karen drew herself up, and tried to sound aloof as she said, “I don’t know yet.”
Frank suspected it was a lie even before Matt shook his head and said, “Karen…”
When she looked around, suddenly fidgety, Frank said, calmly as he could, “Karen, if you do know, it’ll be less painful for all three of us if you get it out right now. And you don’t have to be sorry. You said yourself, take what love we can, and apologize to no one, not even each other.”
But that made Karen laugh bitterly, before saying, “Fine, you want the truth? The truth is, I’ve been trying to answer that question for the last few days, and every time, the answer’s always ‘both.’ I’m a greedy bitch who doesn’t want to give either of you up. I know I have to choose, of course, and I really don’t know which way that’ll go, but I’ll hate it either way, and you two don’t need to go preaching to me about why of course I’ll be better of choosing the other one-Matt’s been doing it to, Frank, did you know that? Just shut up, both of you, before I choose neither!”
As she stormed away, Frank, not wanting to deal with the rest of that yet, just demanded, “You really think she’d be better off with me? Exactly how bad are you? You weren’t planning to be an idiot about her again, were you?”
“I…I’d hope not to be,” said Matt softly. “But I don’t know. Honestly, I feel like it would be just as easy for her to lose either of us, because I’m going to be Daredevil again, and yeah, Frank, I know you haven’t seen your last fight.” He sounded resigned on that last one.
“Well,” said Frank. “Maybe it’s just as well, then, to leave her to choose on her own.” The thought was even a little relieving.
“It would be…” Matt paused, looking very lost in thought. Then he said, “Unless…what if we didn’t make her?”
Fill: Even If We're Just Dancing in the Dark 5/?
Karen was there, in a chair next to his bed. “You’re awake,” she said. “Claire asked me to advise you as soon as you were that there are no moral judgments made within her clinics’ walls, but if you try to kill any of her other patients she will kick you out.” Every syllable she spoke was sharpened; it felt like a slap across the face.
Murdock was also there. He’d been standing a little bit away, talking on his phone, but on seeing Frank was awake, he came over. “Afternoon, Frank. Karen’s mad at you.”
“I noticed.” This wasn’t surprising, either.
“What the hell do you think you’re about?” she hissed to him. “Going and telling me who I belong with like that, like you’ve got a right to make that decision for me? Like I should be relieved for you to be dead and out of the way?”
“Oh come on,” he said. “I thought you had sense enough to know what I said for yourself.” Except of course she didn’t, because ideals and feelings inevitably won out with her. “I never expected you to spend the rest of your life putting up with the Punisher, even when I was the only one in the picture. And if you try to tell me you don’t still have feelings for him there, well, you could confirm to me she’s lying right away, couldn’t you, Red?”
“That still doesn’t mean you make that choice for me,” she said. “What, were you planning to run away and leave a note on my coffee table, if you hadn’t gotten nearly killed?”
Frank hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it might have come to that. Though he wasn’t sure he would’ve even had the strength for it. Much as he’d known it would be for the better, he’d still dreaded the day he’d have to give her up from the start.
Before he could figure out an answer, Murdock asked quietly, “Karen, which of us do you want? Do you know?”
Karen drew herself up, and tried to sound aloof as she said, “I don’t know yet.”
Frank suspected it was a lie even before Matt shook his head and said, “Karen…”
When she looked around, suddenly fidgety, Frank said, calmly as he could, “Karen, if you do know, it’ll be less painful for all three of us if you get it out right now. And you don’t have to be sorry. You said yourself, take what love we can, and apologize to no one, not even each other.”
But that made Karen laugh bitterly, before saying, “Fine, you want the truth? The truth is, I’ve been trying to answer that question for the last few days, and every time, the answer’s always ‘both.’ I’m a greedy bitch who doesn’t want to give either of you up. I know I have to choose, of course, and I really don’t know which way that’ll go, but I’ll hate it either way, and you two don’t need to go preaching to me about why of course I’ll be better of choosing the other one-Matt’s been doing it to, Frank, did you know that? Just shut up, both of you, before I choose neither!”
As she stormed away, Frank, not wanting to deal with the rest of that yet, just demanded, “You really think she’d be better off with me? Exactly how bad are you? You weren’t planning to be an idiot about her again, were you?”
“I…I’d hope not to be,” said Matt softly. “But I don’t know. Honestly, I feel like it would be just as easy for her to lose either of us, because I’m going to be Daredevil again, and yeah, Frank, I know you haven’t seen your last fight.” He sounded resigned on that last one.
“Well,” said Frank. “Maybe it’s just as well, then, to leave her to choose on her own.” The thought was even a little relieving.
“It would be…” Matt paused, looking very lost in thought. Then he said, “Unless…what if we didn’t make her?”