Listening

Every day, she walked through these doors.

Every day, she checked in at the front counter, and took the elevator up to room 237.

Every day, she smiled at the passing nurses, though the smile didn't reflect her true emotions.

And every day, she sat down next to his hospital bed with a cup of coffee.

It had been, what, a year now? All the trashy romance novels she'd ever read that featured the death of a loved one had a sobbing, breathy woman saying that a year away from him had felt like ten.

Mia didn't really know what it felt like. First, there'd been the sobbing at his bedside. Then, there'd been the anger, anger towards Dahlia, and anger towards herself, for being clueless, and helpless, and so, so, stupid.

Then, one day, she'd felt nothing at all.

It was as if her emotions had just…given up on her overnight.

At first, she was scared, but even that feeling went away eventually.

Nonetheless, she'd come every day, sitting next to Diego like this, talking and laughing and imagining his responses in her head. She didn't know what else she would do.

So every day, Mia slipped her hand into Diego's and smiled.

"Hey, Diego. It's me again."

Some people said that the comatose couldn't hear what went on in the outside world.

Diego Armando, however, heard every word that Mia said.

If not for her, he would have let himself sink into the depths of hell long ago.

He would feel her hand in his, and picture her face. The warm smiles, the sarcastic eye-rolls, the huffs of frustration when he'd joke about her breast size. He'd hear about her life, her friends, her achievements, and her shortcomings. He'd hear about her new protégé, Phoenix Wright, who, after she'd proved him innocent, had followed her around like a lost puppy.

He'd hear her terror when she thought that she'd lost her feelings when she'd lost him.

And, one day, he didn't hear her anymore.

But he still held on. Even as he floated in endless darkness, even when he felt he'd cry from loneliness and despair, he held on. For her. For Mia.

After all, a lawyer can't cry until it's all over.