The Blood of the Innocent
This night was not supposed to end up this way. They should have been hanging out in Bucky's tiny apartment, eating Chinese take-out, arguing about what movie to watch while checking the train schedule to head to West Point the next day for the Army-Air Force game. Instead, they find themselves in a hospital room, no dinner and Sam fighting with the remote to find something tolerable to watch while distracting Bucky from the pain he was in.
"I'm sorry, Sam," Bucky groaned as he tried unsuccessfully to find a comfortable position. "This was clearly not in my plan when I invited you up here."
"What the hell are you apologizing for? You didn't plan to get hit by a truck driver. You even pushed me out of the way of it, " Sam replied as he helped to adjust the pillows and pulled the blanket up for Bucky.
"Something still doesn't sit right with it. I invite you up here for once as a break since we have hit a dead end and then this happens," Bucky protests once more as his entire right side is screaming in pain. "I know this is more of old me talking but it feels like we were targeted."
Sam sighed again as he flicked through their limited channel choices again. "We're not gonna figure this out tonight when they've got enough morphine running through you to take down a horse. Go to sleep. We'll get to the bottom of it."
Bucky muttered some sort of agreement before he passed out.
Sam paused his channel surfing on the eleven o'clock news as Bucky slept, curious if the accident that they had just been involved it made it. After major national and international news stories, a brief blurb on the truck accident but nothing more than it had occurred. The story that followed caused him to take notice. A nun had been beaten in Hell's Kitchen in what seemed to be an attempted robbery outside Clinton Church. The nun had been taken to the hospital for her injuries but the suspect had fled the scene. It made Sam pause. Who the hell would attack a nun?
It wasn't meant to be like this. Matt should have never had to receive this phone call. He and Foggy were just about to close the office for the evening when the NYPD called looking for Matt. Matt took the call and ice froze in his veins when he heard Brett telling him that Maggie had been attacked right outside the church and she was being taken to Metro-General's emergency room. The words have barely left Brett's mouth before Matt said he was on his way. He was grabbing his coat before looking at Foggy. Karen has been nice enough to bring Gracie to dance class for him while he finished up a few things.
"Matt, I don't need super ears to know. Go to Maggie. I've got Gracie. You go take care of your mom."
Matt thanked him and ran to the waiting car. First, make sure Maggie is alright. Second, Daredevil will find out who the hell was dumb enough or suicidal enough to attack her and he will send him to the NYPD in pieces like a jigsaw puzzle.
Matt arrived at the ER and had to remind himself that he can't just go bursting in there as a blind man. He paused just outside the doors to refocus before he walked into the admissions desk. "I'm here for Sister Margaret Grace Murdock."
"Are you family?"
Matt took out his wallet to get out his ID. "My name is Matthew Murdock and I'm her son."
The nurse took a quick glance at Matt's ID and started typing on her computer. "She's currently under examination. You can wait in the waiting room over to the left and I will have someone come out when there is an update."
Matt thanked her and found his way to an empty seat. Not knowing what was going on was not helping him. He wanted to update Foggy but had nothing to update. All he could do was wait and listen to the evening news.
Foggy had texted him twice. Once, when he picked Gracie up from her dance class and a little while later to reassure Matt that he would take care of dinner and bedtime.
Matt called him to thank him and told him that he didn't have any updates yet.
"Take all the time you need, Matty. I have everything covered here. I already told Karen what's going on. If you need me there, I'll call her up to take care of Gracie and I'm there."
"Thanks Fog," Matt started to say before the doctor came out and called his name. "I gotta go. The doctor's here. I'll call you back." Matt hung up with Foggy and slipped his phone into his pocket as he stood up. "I'm Matthew Murdock."
The doctor came over, shook his hand and led him over to a more private area so they could talk. "Your mother, Sister Margaret, is stable right now and her prognosis looks good. She regained consciousness fairly quickly in the ambulance. She has a lot of bruising as would be expected, a mild concussion, a few cracked ribs and some hairline fractures in her forearms. The fractures in her arms are similar to what I see when someone brings their arms up to protect their face in a fight."
"Well, she was married to a boxer at one point in time," Matt told him, feeling some of the anxiety leaving him.
"She must have paid attention because that saved her from far worse injuries."
"How long will she be here?"
"I'd like to keep her here a few days for observation and if all goes well, she should be cleared to go home."
Matt thanked the doctor again. "Can I sit with her?"
"Absolutely. I'll take you to her room."
The doctor walked Matt down to Maggie's room and was kind enough to give him a quick layout of the room before putting his hand on the chair next to Maggie's bed.
The machines were a bit distracting but Matt switched his focus so he could hear Maggie's heartbeat for himself. Focusing on that, he took her hand in his and said a silent prayer and promising her that Daredevil would find who did this.