The Guilty Party
Part 10
By the time they got to Matt’s apartment on the sixth floor, Foggy could see that his friend was no longer trying to hide his limp. They’d been walking most of the afternoon; first to see Sergeant Brett Mahoney, to talk to him about the Daredevil Fanclub and ask if the police couldn’t show up at the Watch Party, or at least somehow warn the members not to approach Daredevil, and then to go grocery shopping for Matt.
“You should put some ice on your leg,” Foggy said as Matt unlocked the door.
“I don’t think ice will help,” Matt said.
“It’s basic first aid,” Foggy said. “RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevation. You got any ice in here?”
“There are some cold packs in the freezer.” Matt led the way in and used his right hand to gesture towards what Foggy assumed would be the kitchen.
“Right, then, you go sit down and I’ll bring you one—“ Foggy stopped as he got his first glimpse of Matt’s living quarters, illuminated by an electronic advertisement exactly opposite the windows. “You have that thing shining in your living room all the time? Good thing you’re blind!”
Matt laughed a little. “That’s pretty much what you said the first time. But the rent’s cheaper, anyway.”
Foggy used the brighter moments to find a light switch in the kitchen area. “Hey, Matt, you ever see Blade Runner?”
“Nope,” Matt replied, sinking down onto the sofa. “Haven’t seen it, or Firefly, or Serenity, or Almost Human, either.”
“How’d you know I was going to ask that next?” Foggy put the shopping bags on the counter and opened the freezer.
“Because that was the next thing you said, that it reminded you of all those futuristic science fiction shows.”
“So Almost Human is one of those shows? And I probably saw it, but don’t remember, right?” Foggy finally found the ice pack. As he walked into the living area, he continued, “Do you remember what I said about it, did I like it, should I watch it again?”
Matt jumped slightly as Foggy placed the ice pack over his right knee. “I don’t – I don’t remember.”
“Sorry,” Foggy said. “I should have warned you. You got any ace bandages here, you want me to wrap it up?”
“No, this is fine,” Matt said, and as Foggy turned to go back to the kitchen, he saw how Matt moved the ice pack from his knee to a spot higher up on his thigh. He shrugged mentally, and turned his attention back to the groceries.
“Hey, Matt, you got a Braille labeler in here somewhere?”
“Should be in the drawer.”
“Which one? No, wait, I found it. You want me to make dinner while I’m here? I haven’t forgotten how to make spaghetti. Or you’ve pretty much got everything I need to do my mom’s Easy Cheesy Casserole.”
“You spoil me for choice,” Matt said. “Easy Cheesy, if you don’t mind. And thanks, Foggy.”
“Hey, what are friends for?”
Foggy decided to assemble the casserole first and slide it into the oven, then take on the task of labeling all the cans and packages and putting them away. When he’d finished and there were still a few minutes left before the food was ready, he went into the living area. Matt had become increasingly quiet while Foggy was working, and now he sat sideways on the couch, his right leg up on the cushions and his head bowed as though he’d nodded off. But as Foggy approached, he looked up.
“I can go home, if you’re too tired,” Foggy offered. He had to explore his apartment at some point anyway, get familiar with it now that he knew it really was his and not just a practical joke, but although he knew he was putting it off, he didn’t know why.
“I wasn’t asleep,” Matt said with a quick but guilty smile. “I was meditating.”
“Meditating?” Foggy asked. That was a new one. “Since when do you meditate?”
“I’ve always done it,” Matt said. “Just, usually, not when you were around.”
“What do you need to meditate about?” Remembering Karen from the office, Foggy couldn’t help adding, “Girls?”
“Sometimes.” Matt showed his quick smile again, but then he patted his leg. “To-day, to help with the pain.”
“Sure you don’t want me to take you to the doctor?” Foggy knew he’d asked that before, and wasn’t surprised when Matt shook his head.
“You could take an aspirin or something,” Foggy went on.
“It just needed some rest,” Matt said. He straightened up and swung his leg around so that his foot rested on the floor again. “See? It feels better already.”
“You don’t have any aspirin, do you?” Foggy hadn’t seen any in the kitchen. Now he headed towards the bathroom, ignoring Matt’s protests, and checked the cabinets there. There was one plastic bottle of ibuprofen, but when Foggy lifted it up, he could tell it was empty.
“You know what?” he said, coming back into the living area. “We passed a drugstore on the way here, I’m going to go buy you some.”
Matt tried again. “Fog, it’s okay, I don’t need it, I’m fine.”
“Nope, I’m doing this. Don’t know why you didn’t think of it while we were shopping, but you cannot convince me that you can just meditate the pain away. You’re not some kind of Jedi, Matt.”
Matt sighed. “Foggy—“
“You don’t really want to stop me or you would have gotten up to block the door,” Foggy said.
“I was only going to ask you to take out the garbage if you’re going downstairs anyway. It must be pretty full by now,” Matt said, and Foggy stopped, surprised, in the act of reaching for his jacket.
“Yeah, no problem,” he said, then added quietly, “I knew you weren’t okay.”
He pulled the edges of the garbage bag together and made a knot , then pulled it out of the container. There was a ripping sound, and something clattered to the floor.
“Damn,” he said, and bent down to pick it up.
The smell.
The garbage.
Bending over.
And all the bad memories came back.
Go to Part 11
“You should put some ice on your leg,” Foggy said as Matt unlocked the door.
“I don’t think ice will help,” Matt said.
“It’s basic first aid,” Foggy said. “RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevation. You got any ice in here?”
“There are some cold packs in the freezer.” Matt led the way in and used his right hand to gesture towards what Foggy assumed would be the kitchen.
“Right, then, you go sit down and I’ll bring you one—“ Foggy stopped as he got his first glimpse of Matt’s living quarters, illuminated by an electronic advertisement exactly opposite the windows. “You have that thing shining in your living room all the time? Good thing you’re blind!”
Matt laughed a little. “That’s pretty much what you said the first time. But the rent’s cheaper, anyway.”
Foggy used the brighter moments to find a light switch in the kitchen area. “Hey, Matt, you ever see Blade Runner?”
“Nope,” Matt replied, sinking down onto the sofa. “Haven’t seen it, or Firefly, or Serenity, or Almost Human, either.”
“How’d you know I was going to ask that next?” Foggy put the shopping bags on the counter and opened the freezer.
“Because that was the next thing you said, that it reminded you of all those futuristic science fiction shows.”
“So Almost Human is one of those shows? And I probably saw it, but don’t remember, right?” Foggy finally found the ice pack. As he walked into the living area, he continued, “Do you remember what I said about it, did I like it, should I watch it again?”
Matt jumped slightly as Foggy placed the ice pack over his right knee. “I don’t – I don’t remember.”
“Sorry,” Foggy said. “I should have warned you. You got any ace bandages here, you want me to wrap it up?”
“No, this is fine,” Matt said, and as Foggy turned to go back to the kitchen, he saw how Matt moved the ice pack from his knee to a spot higher up on his thigh. He shrugged mentally, and turned his attention back to the groceries.
“Hey, Matt, you got a Braille labeler in here somewhere?”
“Should be in the drawer.”
“Which one? No, wait, I found it. You want me to make dinner while I’m here? I haven’t forgotten how to make spaghetti. Or you’ve pretty much got everything I need to do my mom’s Easy Cheesy Casserole.”
“You spoil me for choice,” Matt said. “Easy Cheesy, if you don’t mind. And thanks, Foggy.”
“Hey, what are friends for?”
Foggy decided to assemble the casserole first and slide it into the oven, then take on the task of labeling all the cans and packages and putting them away. When he’d finished and there were still a few minutes left before the food was ready, he went into the living area. Matt had become increasingly quiet while Foggy was working, and now he sat sideways on the couch, his right leg up on the cushions and his head bowed as though he’d nodded off. But as Foggy approached, he looked up.
“I can go home, if you’re too tired,” Foggy offered. He had to explore his apartment at some point anyway, get familiar with it now that he knew it really was his and not just a practical joke, but although he knew he was putting it off, he didn’t know why.
“I wasn’t asleep,” Matt said with a quick but guilty smile. “I was meditating.”
“Meditating?” Foggy asked. That was a new one. “Since when do you meditate?”
“I’ve always done it,” Matt said. “Just, usually, not when you were around.”
“What do you need to meditate about?” Remembering Karen from the office, Foggy couldn’t help adding, “Girls?”
“Sometimes.” Matt showed his quick smile again, but then he patted his leg. “To-day, to help with the pain.”
“Sure you don’t want me to take you to the doctor?” Foggy knew he’d asked that before, and wasn’t surprised when Matt shook his head.
“You could take an aspirin or something,” Foggy went on.
“It just needed some rest,” Matt said. He straightened up and swung his leg around so that his foot rested on the floor again. “See? It feels better already.”
“You don’t have any aspirin, do you?” Foggy hadn’t seen any in the kitchen. Now he headed towards the bathroom, ignoring Matt’s protests, and checked the cabinets there. There was one plastic bottle of ibuprofen, but when Foggy lifted it up, he could tell it was empty.
“You know what?” he said, coming back into the living area. “We passed a drugstore on the way here, I’m going to go buy you some.”
Matt tried again. “Fog, it’s okay, I don’t need it, I’m fine.”
“Nope, I’m doing this. Don’t know why you didn’t think of it while we were shopping, but you cannot convince me that you can just meditate the pain away. You’re not some kind of Jedi, Matt.”
Matt sighed. “Foggy—“
“You don’t really want to stop me or you would have gotten up to block the door,” Foggy said.
“I was only going to ask you to take out the garbage if you’re going downstairs anyway. It must be pretty full by now,” Matt said, and Foggy stopped, surprised, in the act of reaching for his jacket.
“Yeah, no problem,” he said, then added quietly, “I knew you weren’t okay.”
He pulled the edges of the garbage bag together and made a knot , then pulled it out of the container. There was a ripping sound, and something clattered to the floor.
“Damn,” he said, and bent down to pick it up.
The smell.
The garbage.
Bending over.
And all the bad memories came back.
Go to Part 11