12228/Visiting Bellevue

Visiting Bellevue
Date of Scene:	22 September 2020
Location:	Bellevue Hospital - Lower Manhattan
Synopsis:	Matt meets a friend of Claire's for some information on criminal activity. And to receive a quick threat.
Cast of Characters:	Daredevil, Sandra Billings

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Daredevil has posed:
Bellevue. Matt's been thinking about visiting since he last saw Claire. When she came to his apartment after a particularly horrible shift and he stayed with her instead of going out to work, he decided to get as much information as he could about the two kids she couldn't save. Find out if it's something he could help rectify. Make up for lost time.

The doors to the hospital slide open and a man wearing a grey suit, red sunglasses, and a walking stick walks in. His stick taps the floor in a swaying arc out in front of him and he heads across the foyer. The sounds and scents assault his senses, but he's used to them at this point. He could pick this hospital's scent out of a lineup of hospitals, if such a thing existed.

He turns and heads in the general direction of the reception desk.

Sandra Billings has posed:
At this time of night, this particular ER so close to Hell's Kitchen is in no shortage of stab wounds, gunshots and broken bones. There is also those who are falling victim to drugs and alcohol. The lobby has a number of patients, some more critical than others as nurses and assistants rush about to put people on stretchers or to fill out paperwork.

From behind the desk is a young woman, plump in stature with mousy brown hair. She is currently hanging up the phone with a loud sigh in her throat, followed by handing off a clipboard to a nurse that rushes past. As she looks up at the man, she puts on a chipper tone to the best of her ability.

"Hello! What can I do for you?"

He doesn't look like he's sick, dying, or bleeding, so that's good news. He most likely is looking for a patient to visit. Family or friend. That's how it goes. On her scrubs is an ID that says: Sandy.

Daredevil has posed:
Turning slightly at the sound of the woman's voice, as if it wasn't until she spoke that he could zero in on where the desk was, Matt smiles and approaches the desk until his walking stick taps the partition. He tucks the stick close to this body as he rests his forearms on the desk and tilts his head, noticing the ID. He also recognized her voice from the phone call he had ended prematurely.

"My name is Matthew Murdock. I'm hoping to speak with a nurse here," he says, knowing that he's speaking to exactly who he's looking for. He has to keep up appearances, of course. "Sandy.." he pauses for a moment and lowers his head, tilting it to one side, "I'm afraid I don't know her last name." His head lifts and faces her again, offering her his friendly smile. Just a poor, helpless blind lawyer hoping he can ask a couple of questions of course.

Sandra Billings has posed:
"Hello Mister Murdock. Give me a moment." Sandy shifts out from behind the desk as another named Rebecca sneaks in behind her. "Here you go. Hope you enjoyed the El Bano break." She says to her friend with a giggle. As she rounds the table towards the man, she says. "I'm Sandy and I'm right in front of you. What can I do for you?"

She reaches out to touch his arm gently. "This is me. If it's okay, I can lead you off to the side so we're out of the way of traffic and we can talk. "It's a busy night. Are you here for a patient?" She asks curiously as she looks to lead him a few steps towards one of the walls that is clear of people.

Daredevil has posed:
When another woman returns from her restroom break and Sandy steps out from behind the desk to greet him, Matt continues exaggerating his disability. When she announces that she's in front of him, his brows raise and he turns to face her, "Oh." His head dips and he chuckles quietly, "Thank you."

When she offers to lead him to the side, he nods politely and follows along as she leads him. "I'm a friend of a colleague of yours," he says as they walk, "Claire Temple." As they approach the wall, he stops and turns towards her and lowers his voice a bit.

Turning his head slightly to make sure no one is around, he continues. "She was really upset about two young boys who were beat up pretty bad." He pauses and purses his lips, knowing the delicacy of what he's doing and what he's asking. "I got the impression that they didn't really have much and might've been wrapped up in something bad." His head lifts and he looks at her, "I'm a lawyer and was hoping I could get some information. Not about them. Nothing that would compromise the integrity of the hospital." He pauses again, pursing his lips once more, trying to be selective with his approach. "Just something... anything that might help bring those responsible to justice."

Sandra Billings has posed:
Once they are together, Sandy furrows her brows as she listens to him. "You know my Claire bear, huh?" She pauses for a moment, then lifts her brows upwards. "Oh. You are /that/ Matt." She says as she clears her throat loudly. "We've talked about you over drinks before. Got a card on you by the way ... maybe some ID, just to make sure you aren't yanking my chain?"

From nurse to protective older sister, she folds her arms over her chest. "And then after I verify it's you .. /maybe/ I can .. talk about those two kids." She says as her voice lowers a bit more down to a whisper with a hint of emotion in her throat. No one likes to see kids hurt after all.

Daredevil has posed:
Claire bear? Matt resists the urge to smile at that, although one corner of his mouth can't help but turn upward just a bit. Then it fades as he's identified as /that/ Matt. Both brows rise above the dark red sunglasses and then he does smile, "Ah, hopefully nothing too terrible I hope." Then she asks for ID. He likes Sandy. She cares for Claire. She's protective. She's good people.

Nodding, Matt reaches up and pats the chest of his coat, then the other side. Really playing it up. He finally reaches down and into his rear pants pocket to fish out his wallet. He opens it and starts fumbling for his ID, then sighs exasperatedly and hands it over to Sandy. "Should find my driver's license in there somewhere." Like the state of New York would give the man a license to drive. Funny, Matt. "Like I said, I'm not asking you to tell me anything you shouldn't. I just want to see if there's anything I can do to help their families."

Sandra Billings has posed:
"Nothing too good either." Sandy says in a clipped manner as she watches him. She shifts her jaw to one side, then reaches out to take his wallet. Flipping it open, she looks for his ID, casually allowing her eyes to wander along the rest of the contents without actually digging through it. Just in case something stands out before she hands it back to him.

".. Okay. Just.. come with me. I have an office here." She reaches out to take his arm gently, then leads him through a pair of automatic doubledoors. It's not too far down the hallway that she makes her way into one of the side offices. Flipping on the lights and closing the door behind them, she lets out a long sigh.

"I need a sugar break. I have a ton of Twizzlers if you want one." The sound of her opening a canister is heard as she takes out a long red vine, then tears the top off with her teeth for a few chews. "So, you're a lawyer and .. you're going to contact the families, or have they already contacted you? Just trying to figure out if you're an ambulance chaser or if you actually care. Because, no offense, but you're really white." She's blunt, like a rock to the head.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt just remains silent. Not really sure how to react to her after that. Best not to at this point. His wallet is pretty empty other than his state ID and a debit card. Matt doesn't carry cash on him, so there's nothing in there in terms of currency. The only other thing is the bulge in the leather. A circular imprint that suggests that there's something where cash would ordinarily be that's been in there for a long time. If she were to sneak a peek she would see a St. Christopher charm that would typically go on a necklace.

When she hands it back to him, he puts it back into his pocket and follows her as she guides him through the doors and into her office. The opened bag of Twizzlers hits his nostrils with the scent. "No. Thank you," he says through a slightly forced smile. He stands silently for a moment, watching her. The smile fades and the usually-soft face is gone. "I don't know these boys. I know plenty kind like them." He steps to the side and leans back against the wall just beside the door. The folds his walking stick and holds his hands loosely in front of himself. "This city is full of people who end up just like them. Kids and adults. They can't get ahead so they do anything they can to make ends meet. Things they wouldn't do if they had another choice." His teeth clench and the muscles in his jaws ripple beneath his stubbled cheeks. "People are out there taking advantage of them. And they end up here. With good people like Claire, like you, trying to pick up the pieces and put them back together." He's beginning to look like he's holding back anger as he speaks.

Sandra Billings has posed:
"It's really hard to like a guy who doesn't like Twizzlers." Sandy says as she takes out a second one, then closes the lid and puts her container back on her desk. Turning around to lean against the desk, the sound of creaking can be heard with her weight upon it. She folds her arms over her chest.

"The two of them were teenagers, barely teenagers and Claire and I both worked on them. They were fourteen, cousins as well because you know how it is with family. They had so much lead in them they could be pencils. Someone really took their anger out on them with a couple of pistols. I'm honestly shocked they even made it through the doors."

There is a heavy sigh in her throat as she gives a lick of he rlips. "I recognized the ink on their chest and arms. They're apart of this gang called The Black Dragons. I see enough of them in here now and again for something stupid or another. The other night though, about five of them came through here, all of them mumbling incoherently, cold as ice to the touch, screaming about a demon of shadows and an angel of light, none of which showed them any mercy. Was talking to the cops that night and they said they were apart of a .. human trafficking ring it seems like. Found multiple containers of mutant kids shoved in shipping crates. I don't know if this .. was related to any of that. But what I do know is that these kids were too young to be dragged into any type of mess like this."

"I held Jermone's hand as he passed and I could see how messed up it made Claire. For me? That's just another Friday. I don't know about her.. but I can tell this may have been Claire's first time seeing kids die."

Daredevil has posed:
Their opinions of Twizzlers aside, Matt and Sandy seem to at least feel the same about the circumstances surrounding the cousins' deaths. He listens intently and without a word as she explains about the Black Dragons. Black Dragons. Trafficking humans. Maybe mutants? Wrinkles spread across his forehead as she continues. No wonder Claire was so shaken. He looks at Sandy and is both impressed and surprised that she's so un-phased by it. Then again, he understands. He sees some messed up stuff every day. You become desensitized. She sees it more than he does.

His head lowers and his eyes close for a moment. This is exactly what he came here for. Much more than he expected, really. The rage that he was initially feeling is sharpening. It's beginning to focus. His head remains down for a few beats. Then he looks back up at Sandy. The lawyer nods, his lips pressed together tightly, "I see."

"Thank you," he says quietly. He's already suiting up in his mind. His whole body is aching to be in his home gearing up to get out into the city to find out more about The Black Dragons. He pushes off of the wall and shifts his weight restlessly. "For the information. And being a good friend to Claire." He glances down and begins to unfold his walking stick until it reaches the floor.

Sandra Billings has posed:
"Best friend." Sandy interjects. Nurses stick together. "Also, if I were you, I'd be careful when poking your nose into the Dragon's business. They get a whiff that you're looking into them and things may go from bad to terrible." She takes another bite of her Twizzler, chewing through the red candy easily. "They have a thing for bone saws and oil drums."

As she studies him for a long moment, she clears her throat quietly. "So, just to make things clear with Claire." She leans forward a bit. "Make sure that you are on your best behavior. Don't damage her. Don't mess her day up." There is no 'or else' tagged on the end of her statement. Somethings don't need to be said.

"Capice?"

Daredevil has posed:
Best friends. Got it. Matt was about to turn and reaches for the door when she issues her first warning. This one about putting his nose in The Black Dragon's business. He glances over his shoulder towards her and waits for her to finish. If only she knew what hell awaits anyone he meets from their organization, if you can call it that. He simply nods, "Noted. Appreciate the warning."

His attempt to leave is interrupted once again as she issues her second warning. This one he saw coming. When she mentions Claire, he pauses again and lowers his head until she gets through her threatening recital. A friendly smile crossing his face, Matt looks at her one last time, "Crystal clear." He offers the woman a nod and then turns to open the office door. "I'll show myself out. Thanks again, ma'am."

Sandra Billings has posed:
"You're welcome, Mister Murdock." Sandy says as she takes another yank off her Twizzler, watching him go with a cheeky smile on her face. She snags a few more and stuffs them into her apron, then heads out after him so that she cna get back into the rush of things. She can already hear her name being called down the hallway with a sense of urgency. It's going to be a long night.