S3 alternative for clouded_heart

[thoughtbubble]

The nuns urge him to stay still but Matt starts walking very slowly with a cane as soon as his legs no longer give away whenever he stands. Stubborn as he is, even with nowhere to go, he leaves his bed and the wheelchair behind to pace in the halls while kids play outside. His body resists the movement, stiff joints, soreness, and sudden sharp pains in muscles and shooting through wounds, before subsiding when he clutches his side or shifts to the other foot. With his powers missing, everything seems muffled, like he's trapped in a giant container and can't truly touch the outside world. He wonders if he'll ever be able to get his gift back, if maybe God decided he didn't deserve it.

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[clouded_heart]

There is one thing Matt will almost certainly hear, because of all the things Franklin Nelson has been described as, quiet has never been one of them. He enters the orphanage quietly enough but it's the weekend and the kids are loose and the cries of "Mr Nelson!" are clear but the response of "Down, monkeys! I can't hand out cookies when I'm fighting for my life!" is equally clear.

Children withdraw and are suitably rewarded with a box of cookies to be shared among them fairly and they charge off, leaving Franklin standing with Sister Thomas.

"You look tired, Franklin. Are you still not sleeping well?"

"I don't think I've managed a full night's sleep since that night. The doctor gave me some tablets, but I don't like them. They don't stop the nightmares, just mean I can't wake up from them." His shrug is audible in his tone. "It'll pass. Eventually. Or so she says."