“Matty? You awake?” Matt roles over on his side and groans. “I heard Foggy leaving. You can’t be asleep that quick. Look… I’m sorry. I know… I know I’m messed up.” Mike takes in a deep breath. “Also, I really messed up. I’m going to make it up to you, ok?”
Matt opens his sightless eyes and gazes up in his brother’s general direction. His brow is speckled in sweat. “Mike, whatever ever it is you’re thinking… Don’t.” Matt coughs. It’s a very wet cough. He reaches towards the box of tissues by his beside, but they are just out of his reach. Mike finished grabbing Matt’s laptop and braille reader and puts it in his bag. Then, he takes a tissue from the box and hands it to Matt.
“You know Foggy is going to screw up the Dictaphone. All it takes is one wrong push on that slide in the wrong direction, and he’s taping over a section in the middle. I’m going to go be you for a couple hours. There’s still plenty of time to make it to this class and the next.”
Matt tries to sit up, but he’s too dizzy and sick. His stomach feels like it may toss its contents at any moment. Mike grabs the empty waste paper basket and brings it over to Matt. “Thank goodness this thing has a liner, eh, Matty?” Matt notices the way Mike drops his R’s… Sounds a lot like Dad… Wish he were here…
Mike looks over at his brother, wondering if maybe he should just stay… It’s hard to leave when Matt’s so sick. He goes over to Matt’s bedside table and pulls out his talking thermometer.
“Here, let’s see how you’re doing. If it’s above 101, I’ll take you to the nurse’s office myself.”
Mike takes the thermometer out of its case and Matt opens his mouth to receive it. Mike sits down on the bed next to Matt while they wait. “Honestly, Matt, I feel really guilty that I’m so excited to go to class. Even if I have to pretend to be you to do it. I’ve been keeping up with the reading, this whole time. I’m sorry… I guess I’m not sorry enough not to go, but… Maybe you’re right. I’m just afraid what would happen. I don’t think I’m strong enough to leave him when he gets back.”
The thermometer announces in a monotone electronic voice, “One hundred point nine,” and Mike takes it from his mouth and puts it back in its case.
“Mike… Foggy won’t believe you’re me. You’re too healthy.” Matt leans over and coughs a bit. Mike hand him the water bottle on his bedside table.
“Oh, I got that covered. And, I do mean covered…” Mike goes over to his school bag, which is identical to Matt’s school bag, and opens the front pocket. “I carry around foundation. I’m not proud of it, but I do get bruised, doing what I do… Gotta cover up the occasional black eye, here and there… I put this on my cheeks, and I’ll be pale as you, Matty…”
“Mike… NO…”
“Yes, Matty, no discussion. I’ll get you some good notes.” Mike looks down at his watch and notices the time. Then, he realizes, he’s still wearing a digital watch and takes it off, stuffing it in the front pocket of his school bag. “Well, Matty, if I want to make it just on time to class, I need to leave in the next few minutes.” He walks over to Matt, leans down, and plants a kiss on his forehead. Matt squirms in bed a bit, and wipes the area with the back of his hand. “I’ll come check in on you soon. Feel better, ok?”
Matt tries to sit up, but he’s too nauseated. His ‘World on Fire’ isn’t giving him the usual amount of information about his surroundings.
Fortunately, he knows the room and his brother well, even if there isn’t much he can do. “Fine. But, try not to make Foggy too mad at me. Really, you should just introduce yourself like a normal person. I’m sure after he got over the shock, he’d be your friend, too.”
Mike smiles at the idea, though he knows that would never happen. He grabs Matt’s cane, puts on a pair of sunglasses, and heads out the door, carrying both his school bag and the laptop bag. Friends are for normal people. That’s something he’ll never be…
Re: Where Matt has a real identical twin named Mike who is sighted and is Daredevil
Matt opens his sightless eyes and gazes up in his brother’s general direction. His brow is speckled in sweat. “Mike, whatever ever it is you’re thinking… Don’t.” Matt coughs. It’s a very wet cough. He reaches towards the box of tissues by his beside, but they are just out of his reach. Mike finished grabbing Matt’s laptop and braille reader and puts it in his bag. Then, he takes a tissue from the box and hands it to Matt.
“You know Foggy is going to screw up the Dictaphone. All it takes is one wrong push on that slide in the wrong direction, and he’s taping over a section in the middle. I’m going to go be you for a couple hours. There’s still plenty of time to make it to this class and the next.”
Matt tries to sit up, but he’s too dizzy and sick. His stomach feels like it may toss its contents at any moment. Mike grabs the empty waste paper basket and brings it over to Matt. “Thank goodness this thing has a liner, eh, Matty?” Matt notices the way Mike drops his R’s… Sounds a lot like Dad… Wish he were here…
Mike looks over at his brother, wondering if maybe he should just stay… It’s hard to leave when Matt’s so sick. He goes over to Matt’s bedside table and pulls out his talking thermometer.
“Here, let’s see how you’re doing. If it’s above 101, I’ll take you to the nurse’s office myself.”
Mike takes the thermometer out of its case and Matt opens his mouth to receive it. Mike sits down on the bed next to Matt while they wait. “Honestly, Matt, I feel really guilty that I’m so excited to go to class. Even if I have to pretend to be you to do it. I’ve been keeping up with the reading, this whole time. I’m sorry… I guess I’m not sorry enough not to go, but… Maybe you’re right. I’m just afraid what would happen. I don’t think I’m strong enough to leave him when he gets back.”
The thermometer announces in a monotone electronic voice, “One hundred point nine,” and Mike takes it from his mouth and puts it back in its case.
“Mike… Foggy won’t believe you’re me. You’re too healthy.” Matt leans over and coughs a bit. Mike hand him the water bottle on his bedside table.
“Oh, I got that covered. And, I do mean covered…” Mike goes over to his school bag, which is identical to Matt’s school bag, and opens the front pocket. “I carry around foundation. I’m not proud of it, but I do get bruised, doing what I do… Gotta cover up the occasional black eye, here and there… I put this on my cheeks, and I’ll be pale as you, Matty…”
“Mike… NO…”
“Yes, Matty, no discussion. I’ll get you some good notes.” Mike looks down at his watch and notices the time. Then, he realizes, he’s still wearing a digital watch and takes it off, stuffing it in the front pocket of his school bag. “Well, Matty, if I want to make it just on time to class, I need to leave in the next few minutes.” He walks over to Matt, leans down, and plants a kiss on his forehead. Matt squirms in bed a bit, and wipes the area with the back of his hand. “I’ll come check in on you soon. Feel better, ok?”
Matt tries to sit up, but he’s too nauseated. His ‘World on Fire’ isn’t giving him the usual amount of information about his surroundings.
Fortunately, he knows the room and his brother well, even if there isn’t much he can do. “Fine. But, try not to make Foggy too mad at me. Really, you should just introduce yourself like a normal person. I’m sure after he got over the shock, he’d be your friend, too.”
Mike smiles at the idea, though he knows that would never happen. He grabs Matt’s cane, puts on a pair of sunglasses, and heads out the door, carrying both his school bag and the laptop bag. Friends are for normal people. That’s something he’ll never be…