"Why?"
Matt forced his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the new stitches he sported in his shoulder coupled with the scratchy gauze hastily taped to his head. His attempt to sit up resulted in a groan of pain as he lowered himself back down to the cot.
He must have grabbed someone’s attention, as he heard footsteps closing in from across the room.
Heather, he concluded. She stood by the cot he lay on, and let out a shuddering breath while she assessed the scene. Matt did not doubt that he looked terrible. He could feel the dry blood threatening to flake off of his skin, and he probably looked like someone out of a horror movie.
He realized that he was no longer wearing the hospital gown, but rather a pair of shorts and no shirt. The bruises made themselves known when he tried to take a deep breath, shooting pain up his torso and back.
He forced a smile in Heather’s direction, his futile attempt at reassuring her. He could practically feel the erratic beating of her heart.
“Hey,” Matt whispered.
Heather grabbed his hand in hers. Matt leaned into the touch, grateful that she was here despite their current circumstances.
“Hey.” She responded.
He made another attempt at sitting up with Heather guiding him. His body protested at the movement, but he felt slightly better than he did at the hospital.
She sat down next to him, her hand still in his drawing small circles on the backside of his hand. Matt wanted to say something, anything to remedy the situation he put her in, but his mind drew a blank.
His senses began to clear, and he quickly noticed that Frank and Karen were gone.
“Where’s Karen?” Matt asked. Worried lines were etched into his face, partly because she was alone with Frank and also because he needed to talk to her.
“They went to run an errand about 30 minutes ago, they should be back soon.” Heather supplied.
He nodded, not caring to think about what constitutes an ‘errand’ in Frank’s mind. Matt figured now was as good a time as any to have the long-overdue talk with Heather. He wondered where he should start, given that in the past 24 hours, his girlfriend found him bloodied in a hospital, helped him escape to a vigilante's house, and witnessed him doing things that were impossible for a blind man.
“Matt,” Heather interrupted his thoughts. “What’s going on?”
He sighed, knowing that she damn well deserved an explanation.
“What has Karen told you?”
“Um, just some of the history between you and Fisk when you were going against him in court a few years ago.” She said as she readjusted her position on the cot. “She also mentioned how he seems to still have it out for you now, although we’re both a little confused as to why the man you took a bullet for wants you dead.”
Matt took in this information, contemplating what to say next.
“I’m still so confused Matt,” Heather admitted before he got a chance to respond. “How did you do those things back in the hospital? How did you fight and find the stairs and-”
Matt grabbed her arm, attempting to calm her down and lower her heart rate. She was shaking, the adrenaline hours prior no longer working its way through her body.
“I’ll tell you everything.”
He proceeded to tell her about being blinded as a kid, growing up in the church, and figuring out he had other heightened senses. His analogy of a ‘world on fire’ felt slightly overused at this point, but he figured it was the most accurate description.
Heather was silent as Matt talked, taking in the information and compartmentalizing when she could.
Matt explained how everything went down with Fisk, getting him convicted and sent to prison, and moving on with his life.
“Heather,” Matt spoke softly. “I’m going to tell you something, and you have to promise you will not say a word to anyone.”
He knew that what he was asking was a tall order, but he trusted her enough despite her views of vigilantism to know the truth.
“I’m Daredevil.”
—--------------
It was so quiet Matt could hear the sounds of cars driving almost five streets over. Heather sucked in a breath at his reveal.
She spent a minute thinking, attempting to digest the revelation that Matt had just dropped on her. While it seemed insane at first glance, it did make some sense.
It would explain why Fisk wanted Matt dead if he knew he was Daredevil, their long and complicated history was more than enough motive to finish what he started. Her thoughts were racing, trying to solicit answers that had any ounce of logic to them.
Her boyfriend having superpowers was a revelation that she couldn't come to terms with. Sure it was New York and superheroes with powers was just another Tuesday for her, but for it to be her own significant other?
She shook her head, “Matt, I-I”
He urged her to continue, understanding how this newfound information he revealed to her was a burden to carry.
She wiped another tear from her face, briefly annoyed that all she had done in the past few hours was cry.
“Why?”