Author's Notes:
I haven't been sleeping well since... well everything with Covid started... Now my home state is on fire. The sky is full of ash and it has been for over a weak now. They expect even once the fires that have been burning for at least that long go out that it will be a couple months before the sky's are clear again. The after noon sun is orange and the morning and evening sun is blood read. I still see ash floating down from the sky like slow snow almost every night. I work in a place where I have to be outside for several hours at a time, I'm breathing in this air and looking at the people wearing mask and the sky over cast... and my thoughts wander and I get lost deep in thoughts of worry... I just cant stop thinking about the sky. It'll be nice to see the mountains again, to see a blue sky... to be able to breathe... It's like my depression has leaked into the outside world... I hate it.
I hope that you all are finding hope and peace somewhere in this crazy world right now. For now I managed to find a spark of inspiration and wrote out this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Nineteen:
They are headed out of the shopping area when Luke has a thought. "Jessica. Where did you find the car?"
"I don't know." Jessica grumbles. He looks down at her watching as she stuffs her hands deep into her ash grey coat. "It was near some church."
"A church?" Matt asks, his head tilting toward her, dark brows peeking over blood red lenses. For a blind guy he seems awfully good at sticking strongly to reds and blacks.
Jessica looks as far away from Matt as humanly possible, her face irritated. "Okay. Fine. It was near your church Murdock. Ya happy?"
"What were you doing near my church?" Matt's voice is barely a growl but it's still threatening.
Jessica glances at Hawkeye. Luke doesn't dare ask as Matt's face fills with a silent kind of rage. He tilts his ear toward Hawkeye before he turns his face toward him, leveling his anger at the man. "Clint?"
The man doesn't even flinch. "I was looking for you." He says, voice level, eyelids half mast over silver-blue eyes. "You vanished and Foggy and I were worried-
"Foggy?" Matt's face is so expressive, it's like watching an anime. Luke thinks. The man now looks stricken almost hurt. "Foggy sent you to my church?"
Clint opens his mouth but Jessica beats him to it. "No," She says with a roll of her eyes. "He sent him to me. I told this guy to leave you be but he was insistent-
"Hey!" Hawkeye sounds betrayed. "It didn't go down like that-
"I showed him where your church was but to be fair I also told him not to go to it."
"How do you even know-
"P.I." Jessica says. "Remember? Your friends Karen and Froggy-
"Foggy." Matt corrects with a snap of teeth.
"Whatever." Jessica says with a wave and a half roll of her eyes. Luke is pretty sure from her tone alone that she had said it wrong just to get a rise out of the man. "Your friends were worried. Asked me to see if I could find you before you hurt yourself."
Matt's rage drains out of him and his head tilts toward the ground. "I would never do that to them."
"I think they were more worried about you picking a fight you couldn't win." Jessica says.
"No they weren't." Matt sighs, taking his glasses off rubbing his face and dragging a hand through his hair. He places his glasses back but not before Luke gets a clear look at haunted dark eyes. Matt's frown is heavy. "They were worried I would pick a fight I chose not to win."
The tense silence this brings over the group has Luke's skin itching. Seeing that look on Murdock's face is unsettling. Jessica looks away from Matt, her face guarded, but Luke can see the unease and anger brewing in her brown eyes.
"Look." Luke says trying to break the tension and refocus the group. "The important thing is we know where the car was left. Which means we have a good chance of picking up his trail." He takes a moment to let that sink in. "How about it guys? Let's head over that way-
Luke cuts off his thoughts getting derailed as Matt suddenly goes rigid. "The police have narrowed down the search." He says his face looking even scarier than when he'd glared down Hawkeye. "They know where the bomb most likely is."
"Where?" Danny asks quietly, sounding unsure under the tension.
"It's at a church. They just don't know which one."
"Really?" Jessica asks. "They can't narrow it down? The car was sitting on the corner right in front of-
"Hey, hey." Luke says trying to reign in her ranting then turns to try to calm down the simmering devil. "We don't know for sure. All we know is that he ditched the car there, it's possible he'd dropped the bomb somewhere else."
"We don't have time to debate this." Matt growls. "We're losing time. We should have been there an hour ago!" Matt is already running.
Jessica looks at Luke and tilts her head after the running man. "Well let's go." She says with a lift of her brow as if Luke was the one being unreasonable.
Danny and Clint are right behind the blind man. Luke wonders how clearly Matt is focusing and whether or not they are following a blind panicked man or a determined demon. Jessica is catching up to the others now and Luke lets out a sigh. It doesn't matter, they are right. The best course of action is to get to the church. If nothing else they can at least pick up the trail.
Clint is trying to keep calm for Matt's sake but he remembered Jessica had said that the church was basically Matt's family. Clint knows that if his family was at risk of a bomb going off in their home he would not be the least bit calm.
Matt is breathing raggedly as they approach the church and Clint can see that children and adults alike are already being escorted out. Matt doesn't slow, instead he picks up the pace letting out a frantic cry. "Maggie!"
Clint had never heard such a tone from the man. He glances over at Luke and the larger man nods once like they just shared some kind of thought. Clint's only thought is that they're running out of time. Luke shoots forward picking up his pace as Matt disappears into the building.
"Damn it." Jessica says sounding board, not winded in the least despite the seven blocks they just ran and the dire situation. Clint would probably feel jealous if he wasn't already used to being around people who could run miles without breaking a sweat. Instead he just feels like they aren't pushing hard enough.
As they enter the building they hear a loud "boom" and several surprised screams from behind them. They make there way into an inner courtyard as the smoke starts to rise.
Clint is confused by the lack of fire until he sees Luke on his knees, his yellow shirt smoking. The front burnt away.
His eyes don't linger on the man though as a panicked gasp draws his attention to the form of Matt curled up on the ground. A nun kneeling over him, hands hovering as he lets out a pain filled moan. His feet pushing uselessly against the dirt.
As Clint moves closer rounding around the woman he can see Matt is gripping his ears tightly. His face twisted in pain and fear. His glasses are a few feet away and Clint picks them up as he jogs over to check on the man. Worry is clawing sharply at his chest.
Danny watches as Hawkeye rushes to Murdock's side calling out to him. "Matt!" The man being addressed is moaning like he is in pain , hands gripping his ears tightly.
Luke stands up from the small crater he is kneeling by and what is left of his shirt falls off, fluttering to the ground. It has Danny thinking about ash and smoke and he swallows bile fighting back the memories of the dead.
"Shh." The nun says as she seems to break out of her shock and starts to run her hand through Matt's hair. The man flinches fully and shrinks away from her. "Who-" he gasps.
Danny looks to Jessica who is chewing on her bottom lip brows drawn together in worry.
When she notices him looking she stops and glares at him before glancing at Luke. Luke is watching intently as Hawkeye tries to calm Matt with the nun's help. "You okay?" She asks and the brick house of a man just nods in response. She snorts. "Good."
With that Jessica makes her way over to Matt. She doesn't bend down to his level though, she just stands there, a few steps from his head, arms crossed glaring down as if she stares hard enough and angry enough her gaze might fix him. "Hey, Murdock."
Matt doesn't respond, he's been coaxed into laying on his back now but he's gasping and his fingers are digging into the grass. The nun leans over to take one of his hands placing his palm to her chest.
Danny watches as his fear filled eyes dart around lost. His mouth is moving as if he's trying to work out words. Danny's not sure but he thinks he sees blood coming from Matt's ear.
He walks closer in step with Luke and can finally hear Matt's quiet words. "It's gone. It's gone."
"Breathe. Mathew." The woman says stern but gentle.
"I don't think he can hear us." Hawkeye says looking nervous. "His hearing was already fucked from the first bombing." Danny blinked. He hadn't known that.
The woman takes her hand not holding Matt's to her chest and brushes his hair back. "Sis-sister Maggie." Matt says and licks his lips. "Good. Good. I thought…" Tears were in his eyes and he shakes his head letting out a keening sound at the back of his throat. "I can't hear." His whole body begins to shake at the admission. "Not even… it's gone. Please don't leave." His free hand reaches up and grips the hand in his hair. Desperate. Tightly gripping screaming for her to stay, as if she would stand and leave him here.
Danny is convinced in this moment that Matt is not Hand. He'd just heal otherwise.
There is something that Danny can do here. He's only just learned about it and he isn't sure how much he can do but it is worth a try.
Stepping forward Danny holds up his fist not tapping into his chi yet. "I can help." He tries to keep his gaze steady.
Hawkeye and the woman of the cloth look at him at once before sharing a look that they then trade with Luke and Jessica. Both of whom just shrug. They don't know about his healing.
The woman is the one who, after staring him down, nods her ascent, and Hawkeye moves aside giving him room. Danny takes a deep breath as he stands over his once team mate.
He is hoping he can call him a friend once again. With that thought he gets on his knees and makes a fist. He ignores the woman's gasp as it lights up and the small thrill of excitement and anxiety beginning to stir in his gut.
Opening his palm slowly he moves it over Matt's head. He frowns as he feels the chaotic energy in his friend. As if he were in great pain. Instinctively his other hand moves out over Matt's abdomen and he can feel the damage. It leaves him feeling nauseated. He isn't sure how Matt is up and running around. How he hasn't been screaming with every step. His bones are cobbled together. Weak throughout but especially in his back and hip. Danny doesn't have to wonder where the worst of the crush like injuries came from. They all saw the building fall.
He takes in another deep breath. Guiding the energy to heal. He focuses on Matt's ears first and it is surprisingly easy. Like Matt's body is wired to focus healing there first. Then the lower body begins to heal. Scars in muscle fade and brittle bone gain back life and strength. If Danny had any doubts about Matt just surviving the collapse they are gone now. He feels he has to heal what he can. For not looking for him. For not believing he wasn't Hand.
"That's enough! Danny stop!" Matt's voice breaks his concentration and- wow. His head hurts. His chest hurts. Danny gasps, it feels like his stomach has turned inside out. The world tilts as he looks up to see the nun reaching for him. Then everything goes black.