Hellcat

Chapter Three

It's been three days since Matt offered me the job at Nelson & Murdock. I wasn't sure if Karen was too pleased with my presence but Foggy seemed to enjoy it and it was good to catch up with Matt after all that time away. I think what unsettled Karen most about me was that I managed to get the blood stain completely out of the carpet in our reception area. Our. Huh. Such a simple word. But feeling like I was a part of something – something good – wasn't simple. It wasn't nothing to me, like it would have been for others. It was almost everything. Almost.

Karen was sitting at her desk, reading some paper while I shuffled around some bills and receipts on the table that we used in the second office. One office was for Matt and Foggy, the other was a sort of conference room. That was where I was working until we figured out how to make the space work. The front door opened and closed, making my head snap up. Foggy walked in with a frown and a cup of coffee.

"You know the whole "let's stay out all night" thing?" Foggy asked as Karen stood and shoved the papers into her purse. "Yeah," she replied quickly. "How about next time we skip the part with the eel?" Foggy said. I raised one eyebrow as I stood silently, moving to lean against the doorframe. "Deal," Karen replied as I looked at them with skepticism.

"Eel?" I asked. Both of them jumped and Foggy turned to face me. "Jesus, it's like you're a cat or something. We need to get you a bell," Foggy grumbled, pressing a hand against his pounding heart. Karen must have forgotten I was here and Foggy obviously hadn't noticed me when he entered. "You know you're supposed to leave the eel in the bottom of the bottle, right?" I asked them, ignoring Foggy's suggestion. "Lesson learned," Foggy said before shifted so his body was partially turned towards me and partially towards Karen.

"Hey, what do you think about getting a sign on the door?" Foggy asked, gesturing to the piece of paper taped to the glass that was currently functioning as our sign. "Well, you got a sign," Karen said, gesturing to the door. "A real one," Foggy explained. I shook my head. "Maybe once we get some clients. Right now, we're not far from being in the red. Sign splurges don't make the monthly budget this time," I explained to him, shrugging my shoulders. "Just one little sign. What could it cost?" Foggy tried to coax. "You can barely afford to pay me," Karen told him with a sliver of humor in her voice. "I thought you were working for free," Foggy told her pointedly, humor still in his words. "I... I did... for a day," Karen stammered, earning an exasperated look from Foggy. I just smiled at the two.

The door clicked open and the three of us turned our attention onto Matt. "Hey... you know she's not really free?" Foggy called to Matt as the blind man closed the door behind him. "Hey," Karen teased. But I noticed it before they did. "Jesus, Matt. What happened to your eye?" I asked him softly, pushing off of the doorframe and moving to where he was leaning his cane up in the corner near the door. "Oh, are you okay?" Karen asked, concern in her voice as I stood before Matt. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just wasn't paying attention last night. It's my fault," Matt brushed it off. But I knew better. A black eye like that was caused by a fist, not clumsiness.

"You need a dog," Foggy said as I reached up and turned Matt's chin so I could get a better look at the bruise without taking off his glasses. Matt scoffed. "I'm not getting a dog," he said, shaking his head as he gently took my hand and pulled it away from his chin. "What? You don't like dogs? Who doesn't like dogs?" Foggy countered reasonably. "I-I love dogs," Karen added, trying to help her friend. "Everybody loves dogs," Foggy continued. "Eh, I'm more of a cat person," I tossed in as I took a step back from Matt. His hand hesitated to release mine, but then it did and my skin felt cold.

A rapid knock came at the door and we all froze, turning our attention towards it. "Was that a knock?" Foggy asked, eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "Someone's at the door," Matt stated obviously. "Our door?" Foggy questioned, still surprised that there might be a client. "Uh... Karen?" Matt prompted softly. She looked to him in confusion before it dawned on her. "Right," she said before moving to open the door. As she did so, I rushed back into the conference room/my office and started clearing the table of papers. "Hi. Do you do walk-ins?" a man's voice called out pleasantly. With my arms full of papers, I stepped into the reception area to see a man with black hair and pale blue eyes, wearing a very expensive three-piece suit.