There's no Nelson and Murdock, without Nelson <Daredevil>

The Note

Matt sat upright in the bed and then swore loudly because he remembered his side had been cut open.  His sheets and pillow case were wet from his sweat.  The heat was coming out through him, everything was soaked through. He opened his eyes but the darkness remained.  He was breathing very heavily.  Slightly disorientated from his high temperature and the pain in his side he suddenly felt very queasy and he just got to his bathroom in time.  Flushing the vomit down the toilet, Matt wiped his mouth with the towel and patted the sweat off his brow.  He took a sharp intake of breath when he sat on the cold floor.  His head was leaning against the bathroom door and the cold tiles made him shiver but he didn't have the energy to get up.  Tears sprang to his eyes and Matt cried.  He cried because he had become the martyr Claire had said he was.  He was bloody and he was definitely all alone.  He even thought of the night Foggy had said to him in his living room, that he only ever needed his friend and Matt felt he had left his friend down.  He had let him down badly, the city didn't need Matt Murdock.  Foggy Nelson needed Matt Murdock.

He woke to the sound of his alarm talking in the bedroom.  He was freezing cold and now his neck hurt also from sleeping awkwardly on the floor.  Standing up really slowly, holding his side he headed back into his bedroom to turn off the alarm.  He would have loved to have taken the day off and just crawl back under the sheets but he knew he had to be brave for Karen.  After a light breakfast and a quick shower he still felt like shit and probably looked liked it too but he decided he couldn't leave her all alone in that office.  She was probably worrying about Foggy and now adding him into the equation would have made her worse.  Straightening his tie and running his hands through his hair he took his suit jacket out of the wardrobe and was just putting it on when his phone burst to life

"Karen.  Karen.  Karen"

"Hey" he answered. "I'm just leaving"

He heard an intake of breath.  Karen was trying to find her voice but the tears were coming faster.

"Karen.  Karen.  What is it?"

"Matt" she sniffed. "There's a note"

"What sort of note?"

"It was in with the rest of the mail, it's addressed to you.  They have Foggy"

"Foggy!  Who has him?"

"Matt" and the tears caught her throat

"I'm on my way" he said hanging up

**************************

"Read it again to me, slowly" Matt said his two hands resting on the side of Karen's desk.  His head tilted slightly in the direction of Foggy's side of the office.

Karen cleared her throat and picked up the note.

"Murdock" she read.  "You have twenty four hours, to give us fifteen thousand dollars up front.  We will ring your office and tell you where to bring the money.  Nobody else just you or your friend Nelson dies"

Matt slammed his fist against the desk making Karen jump.

"Fifteen thousand.  Where the hell am I going to get that kind of money, in less than twenty four hours?"

"You are not seriously considering to just hand over the money to these guys" she protested.  "This is crazy Matt.  If you hand over that amount of money they will only demand more or worse you and Foggy will both be killed"

"And what do you suggest I do?  Either way Foggy dies Karen" he covered his mouth with his hand and rubbed his fingers back and forth over his lips.  "It's a risk I have to take.  I have most of the money.  My father left me some after he died.  I'll try get the rest.  Somehow.  Somewhere"