Learning to Bear It
Part 6
Foggy's mother and father met them in the waiting room, and as Foggy pushed Matt's wheelchair towards the exit, his mother said, "Matt, don't worry about the bill, we're having it sent to us."
"Oh, Mrs Nelson, no, you can't …" Matt tried to protest.
"I don't think you're in any shape to say no," Foggy's father put in, the tone of his voice exaggeratedly jovial.
"And not only that, but you're coming over to our place for as long as you need," Foggy's mother announced. They went through the door and down the outside ramp. Foggy wished he'd noticed it when he was trying to drag Matt up the steps.
"Good idea!" Foggy said. "The doctors said for him to keep the weight off his leg for at least three weeks."
"Two weeks, Foggy, they said two weeks." Matt tried again. "And I don't want to … inconvenience you."
"You could only inconvenience us if you asked us to carry you up the six flights of stairs to your apartment," Foggy's father said.
"Or the three flights to mine," Foggy put in. They crossed the street to the hospital parking lot.
"We only have to carry you up one flight to our apartment," Foggy's father pointed out. "Much easier."
"And we've got a couch that folds out into a bed. It won't be inconvenient at all. So that's settled." Foggy's mother smiled.
"And I'll come visit you every day after work," Foggy put in. His stomach growled again. It had been a long time since those sandwiches, and they'd only been a drop in the bucket. "If I time it right, I can get there for supper most days."
"Foggy!" Matt protested, even as his parents laughed. Then Matt went on, "You'll probably be working late … every night if I'm not there."
"We can hook you up on Skype," Foggy said. "You won't have to miss much."
"Looks like … I'm overruled," Matt said.
"Face it, Matt," Foggy said. "In this argument, you just don't have a leg to stand on."
As he'd been awake all night, Foggy left a message on Karen's phone that he wouldn't be in the office until after lunch. When he got to work, he told her the official version of the story, the one he'd reported to Officer Brett Mahoney at the precinct: Matt had been kidnapped, but had managed to escape despite the injuries to his leg, maybe with a little help from Daredevil – he wasn't sure, and had contacted Foggy, who'd found him and taken him to the hospital. Foggy didn't mention the warehouse or the kidnappers to either Brett or Karen; he felt himself becoming more like Daredevil in that respect, not wanting to kill outright, but also having no qualms about leaving injured bad guys to fend for themselves. Well, maybe just a few qualms.
Karen accompanied Foggy to Matt's apartment to pick up things that Matt would need, and they had a pleasant, if quick visit at Foggy's parents. Somehow, Foggy's mother had managed to get Matt to take one of the painkillers that morning, and he was still a bit groggy after sleeping most of the day. It was also obvious that Foggy's mother was doing everything she could for Matt, and once, Foggy caught sight of a wistful, longing look on Karen's face. During the walk on the way home, she confided that she'd felt a bit left out, not being able to help at all. Foggy tried to reassure her that, while his mother could care confidently for Matt, she could hardly keep their practice running the way that Karen did. It seemed to help, or at least it made her smile.
The next day, Foggy went over alone. It was a Friday, and he was planning on waiting until Monday or maybe even Tuesday before letting Matt have a Skype connection to the office. He was still thinking about it when he opened the door and let himself in. The apartment was very quiet, but there was an inviting scent of cooking food coming from the kitchen. Matt was sitting up on the sofa bed, his splinted leg on a pile of pillows, and a purring cat on his lap which he was stroking … a purring cat?
"Mom!" Foggy cried. "What are you doing?"
The cat lifted her head and glanced over, looking about as annoyed as a cat could look. Then she jumped off Matt's lap, landed on the floor, and shifted back to her human self.
"Hello, Foggy, did you have a nice day at the office?" she asked casually. "Your father called, he'll be working late at the hardware store."
"Mom!"
"I was just helping Matt meditate," she replied.
"Oh, is that what they call it these days?" he shot back.
"Franklin Patrick Nelson," his mother said in her most forbidding voice. "Get your mind out of that gutter. I might be able to shapeshift into a cat, but I am definitely not a cougar."
"I like the purring," Matt said. "It helps me relax."
"Well, then, we'll get you a real cat, and not my mom!"
"She was showing me all the other animals she could shift into," Matt said. "The ferret was kind of fun, too."
"Perhaps a little too energetic for you," Foggy's mother said. "I just can't help doing that little war dance because I always want to play when I'm a ferret."
"I'm sure I'll appreciate it better next week," Matt said. "You'd better check the oven. I think that casserole is done."
Foggy's mother glanced at her watch. "You're right! Well smelled!"
She went into the kitchen and Matt said, "Sorry, Foggy."
Foggy sank down into the nearest armchair with a sigh. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's just weird, you know? I've never seen her do that with anybody but family. Though I guess you're kind of family now. My parents seem to have adopted you, anyway."
Matt smiled politely. "She told me she used to be a cat with you, when you were younger. And turn into a dog, too, so you could play fetch."
"Yeah." Foggy remembered those times, back before he'd started rejecting anything to do with shapeshifting. "That was a long time ago. So … um … you're okay with all of this?"
"I thought I was dreaming, except for the smells," Matt admitted. "I've never dreamed in smell before. But your mother and I talked, and she helped me understand a lot of it."
"Oh, damn, I should have been there, I should have been the one to explain it," Foggy moaned.
"As I recall, your father had to drive you home because you were so exhausted after everything," Matt said, then he smiled a little. "But, yeah, I guess I'm okay. It just, you know, took a little getting used to."
"Foggy, I could use some extra hands in here!" his mother called out, and to Foggy's surprise, Matt called back, "Can't you turn into an octopus, Mrs Nelson?"
She laughed out loud, which she probably would not have done had Foggy made the remark, but Foggy still smiled as he heaved himself out of the armchair. "Coming!"
His mother had arranged a laptray for Matt with his supper on it, and when he came to the door of the kitchen, she handed it to him. "Careful, don't spill."
"Since when do we have laptrays?" Foggy asked. "Man, all those times I could have had breakfast in bed!"
"I just bought them this morning," his mother replied. "And they are definitely not for breakfast in bed. Except for Matt. And if I can convince your father to get up early on Mother's Day."
Matt was grinning when Foggy brought him his food and settled the tray in his lap, then described the plate. "Okay, we have a glass of juice at one o'clock, a fork at three o'clock, and casserole at … every o'clock."
"It smells really good, Mrs Nelson," Matt said as Foggy got his own plate and sat down at the table that had been pushed over to one side to make room for the sofa bed.
"Thank you, Matt," Foggy's mother replied, smiling.
"Tastes really good, too," Foggy said, before he took his first bite. Then he realized, "Wait – Mom, this tastes different than what you usually make."
"Matt suggested a different kind of cheese," his mother replied. "And he was right, it actually tastes better."
Foggy began to have an inkling of how Karen could feel left out.
They ate the casserole, had cream pie for dessert, and Foggy helped his mother wash up the dishes. When that was done, his mother went off to her bedroom to watch tv without bothering Matt, and Foggy returned to the living room. He was just about to ask Matt what he wanted to do all evening when there was a buzzing sound from the apartment above, and Matt suddenly caught his breath.
"Matt?" Foggy asked. His friend had broken out in a sweat, his face was white, and he'd clenched his good hand into a fist. The buzzing sound came again, and Foggy recognized it even before Matt gasped out, "Drill!"
"Oh, g-d, yeah! You want me to go upstairs and tell them to knock it off?"
"No … they're probably just hanging a picture," Matt replied, obviously trying very hard to sound casual and not choked.
The buzzing sound came a third time, and Foggy said, "Or they're going to be doing do-it-yourself all evening. That's it, I'm going to tell them I've got somebody down here with PTSD."
"No!" Matt cried. "No, Foggy, please, it's okay."
"It's not okay, Matt. You're not okay. If I could hear your heart, I'd probably hear palpitations."
"My heart isn't … it's just … pounding," Matt admitted. Then he said, "Foggy, I know your mom said you don't like shapeshifting, but would you …?"
"Would I what?" Foggy asked. "I can't turn into a cat and purr at you. Did my mom tell you that, too?"
"Would you turn into a bear?" Matt asked, his voice small and very hesitant. The buzzing came again, and the expression on Matt's face made Foggy shift immediately into his bear shape and crawl up the empty half of the sofa bed. As soon as he'd settled down at Matt's side, snuggling close so that they were touching, Matt put out his good hand and rested it on Foggy's neck. Foggy responded by reaching out a paw and laying it on Matt's thigh. When the drill buzzed again, Matt's good hand gripped a handful of fur, and he laid his injured hand on Foggy's paw, his fingers digging into the fur there as well.
They waited like that for a long time, but there was no more buzzing. Matt relaxed eventually, and began to explore Foggy's head with his good hand, delicately feeling his ears, eyes, and nose. When his hand got close enough, Foggy gave his fingers a little lick, and Matt laughed softly, just as he'd hoped.
"And to think that all this time," Matt said, even as the drill started up again, "I thought I had to keep you safe."
And maybe all this time, Foggy thought, he'd been wrong to believe that his shifting abilities were worthless because he couldn't change into ten different animals. He nuzzled Matt's hand and decided that maybe, just maybe, his bear shape was enough.
The End
written July 2015
Return to Daredevil Fanfiction
"Oh, Mrs Nelson, no, you can't …" Matt tried to protest.
"I don't think you're in any shape to say no," Foggy's father put in, the tone of his voice exaggeratedly jovial.
"And not only that, but you're coming over to our place for as long as you need," Foggy's mother announced. They went through the door and down the outside ramp. Foggy wished he'd noticed it when he was trying to drag Matt up the steps.
"Good idea!" Foggy said. "The doctors said for him to keep the weight off his leg for at least three weeks."
"Two weeks, Foggy, they said two weeks." Matt tried again. "And I don't want to … inconvenience you."
"You could only inconvenience us if you asked us to carry you up the six flights of stairs to your apartment," Foggy's father said.
"Or the three flights to mine," Foggy put in. They crossed the street to the hospital parking lot.
"We only have to carry you up one flight to our apartment," Foggy's father pointed out. "Much easier."
"And we've got a couch that folds out into a bed. It won't be inconvenient at all. So that's settled." Foggy's mother smiled.
"And I'll come visit you every day after work," Foggy put in. His stomach growled again. It had been a long time since those sandwiches, and they'd only been a drop in the bucket. "If I time it right, I can get there for supper most days."
"Foggy!" Matt protested, even as his parents laughed. Then Matt went on, "You'll probably be working late … every night if I'm not there."
"We can hook you up on Skype," Foggy said. "You won't have to miss much."
"Looks like … I'm overruled," Matt said.
"Face it, Matt," Foggy said. "In this argument, you just don't have a leg to stand on."
As he'd been awake all night, Foggy left a message on Karen's phone that he wouldn't be in the office until after lunch. When he got to work, he told her the official version of the story, the one he'd reported to Officer Brett Mahoney at the precinct: Matt had been kidnapped, but had managed to escape despite the injuries to his leg, maybe with a little help from Daredevil – he wasn't sure, and had contacted Foggy, who'd found him and taken him to the hospital. Foggy didn't mention the warehouse or the kidnappers to either Brett or Karen; he felt himself becoming more like Daredevil in that respect, not wanting to kill outright, but also having no qualms about leaving injured bad guys to fend for themselves. Well, maybe just a few qualms.
Karen accompanied Foggy to Matt's apartment to pick up things that Matt would need, and they had a pleasant, if quick visit at Foggy's parents. Somehow, Foggy's mother had managed to get Matt to take one of the painkillers that morning, and he was still a bit groggy after sleeping most of the day. It was also obvious that Foggy's mother was doing everything she could for Matt, and once, Foggy caught sight of a wistful, longing look on Karen's face. During the walk on the way home, she confided that she'd felt a bit left out, not being able to help at all. Foggy tried to reassure her that, while his mother could care confidently for Matt, she could hardly keep their practice running the way that Karen did. It seemed to help, or at least it made her smile.
The next day, Foggy went over alone. It was a Friday, and he was planning on waiting until Monday or maybe even Tuesday before letting Matt have a Skype connection to the office. He was still thinking about it when he opened the door and let himself in. The apartment was very quiet, but there was an inviting scent of cooking food coming from the kitchen. Matt was sitting up on the sofa bed, his splinted leg on a pile of pillows, and a purring cat on his lap which he was stroking … a purring cat?
"Mom!" Foggy cried. "What are you doing?"
The cat lifted her head and glanced over, looking about as annoyed as a cat could look. Then she jumped off Matt's lap, landed on the floor, and shifted back to her human self.
"Hello, Foggy, did you have a nice day at the office?" she asked casually. "Your father called, he'll be working late at the hardware store."
"Mom!"
"I was just helping Matt meditate," she replied.
"Oh, is that what they call it these days?" he shot back.
"Franklin Patrick Nelson," his mother said in her most forbidding voice. "Get your mind out of that gutter. I might be able to shapeshift into a cat, but I am definitely not a cougar."
"I like the purring," Matt said. "It helps me relax."
"Well, then, we'll get you a real cat, and not my mom!"
"She was showing me all the other animals she could shift into," Matt said. "The ferret was kind of fun, too."
"Perhaps a little too energetic for you," Foggy's mother said. "I just can't help doing that little war dance because I always want to play when I'm a ferret."
"I'm sure I'll appreciate it better next week," Matt said. "You'd better check the oven. I think that casserole is done."
Foggy's mother glanced at her watch. "You're right! Well smelled!"
She went into the kitchen and Matt said, "Sorry, Foggy."
Foggy sank down into the nearest armchair with a sigh. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's just weird, you know? I've never seen her do that with anybody but family. Though I guess you're kind of family now. My parents seem to have adopted you, anyway."
Matt smiled politely. "She told me she used to be a cat with you, when you were younger. And turn into a dog, too, so you could play fetch."
"Yeah." Foggy remembered those times, back before he'd started rejecting anything to do with shapeshifting. "That was a long time ago. So … um … you're okay with all of this?"
"I thought I was dreaming, except for the smells," Matt admitted. "I've never dreamed in smell before. But your mother and I talked, and she helped me understand a lot of it."
"Oh, damn, I should have been there, I should have been the one to explain it," Foggy moaned.
"As I recall, your father had to drive you home because you were so exhausted after everything," Matt said, then he smiled a little. "But, yeah, I guess I'm okay. It just, you know, took a little getting used to."
"Foggy, I could use some extra hands in here!" his mother called out, and to Foggy's surprise, Matt called back, "Can't you turn into an octopus, Mrs Nelson?"
She laughed out loud, which she probably would not have done had Foggy made the remark, but Foggy still smiled as he heaved himself out of the armchair. "Coming!"
His mother had arranged a laptray for Matt with his supper on it, and when he came to the door of the kitchen, she handed it to him. "Careful, don't spill."
"Since when do we have laptrays?" Foggy asked. "Man, all those times I could have had breakfast in bed!"
"I just bought them this morning," his mother replied. "And they are definitely not for breakfast in bed. Except for Matt. And if I can convince your father to get up early on Mother's Day."
Matt was grinning when Foggy brought him his food and settled the tray in his lap, then described the plate. "Okay, we have a glass of juice at one o'clock, a fork at three o'clock, and casserole at … every o'clock."
"It smells really good, Mrs Nelson," Matt said as Foggy got his own plate and sat down at the table that had been pushed over to one side to make room for the sofa bed.
"Thank you, Matt," Foggy's mother replied, smiling.
"Tastes really good, too," Foggy said, before he took his first bite. Then he realized, "Wait – Mom, this tastes different than what you usually make."
"Matt suggested a different kind of cheese," his mother replied. "And he was right, it actually tastes better."
Foggy began to have an inkling of how Karen could feel left out.
They ate the casserole, had cream pie for dessert, and Foggy helped his mother wash up the dishes. When that was done, his mother went off to her bedroom to watch tv without bothering Matt, and Foggy returned to the living room. He was just about to ask Matt what he wanted to do all evening when there was a buzzing sound from the apartment above, and Matt suddenly caught his breath.
"Matt?" Foggy asked. His friend had broken out in a sweat, his face was white, and he'd clenched his good hand into a fist. The buzzing sound came again, and Foggy recognized it even before Matt gasped out, "Drill!"
"Oh, g-d, yeah! You want me to go upstairs and tell them to knock it off?"
"No … they're probably just hanging a picture," Matt replied, obviously trying very hard to sound casual and not choked.
The buzzing sound came a third time, and Foggy said, "Or they're going to be doing do-it-yourself all evening. That's it, I'm going to tell them I've got somebody down here with PTSD."
"No!" Matt cried. "No, Foggy, please, it's okay."
"It's not okay, Matt. You're not okay. If I could hear your heart, I'd probably hear palpitations."
"My heart isn't … it's just … pounding," Matt admitted. Then he said, "Foggy, I know your mom said you don't like shapeshifting, but would you …?"
"Would I what?" Foggy asked. "I can't turn into a cat and purr at you. Did my mom tell you that, too?"
"Would you turn into a bear?" Matt asked, his voice small and very hesitant. The buzzing came again, and the expression on Matt's face made Foggy shift immediately into his bear shape and crawl up the empty half of the sofa bed. As soon as he'd settled down at Matt's side, snuggling close so that they were touching, Matt put out his good hand and rested it on Foggy's neck. Foggy responded by reaching out a paw and laying it on Matt's thigh. When the drill buzzed again, Matt's good hand gripped a handful of fur, and he laid his injured hand on Foggy's paw, his fingers digging into the fur there as well.
They waited like that for a long time, but there was no more buzzing. Matt relaxed eventually, and began to explore Foggy's head with his good hand, delicately feeling his ears, eyes, and nose. When his hand got close enough, Foggy gave his fingers a little lick, and Matt laughed softly, just as he'd hoped.
"And to think that all this time," Matt said, even as the drill started up again, "I thought I had to keep you safe."
And maybe all this time, Foggy thought, he'd been wrong to believe that his shifting abilities were worthless because he couldn't change into ten different animals. He nuzzled Matt's hand and decided that maybe, just maybe, his bear shape was enough.
The End
written July 2015
Return to Daredevil Fanfiction