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Athena entered the room first, it was pitch black and she couldn't see a thing., Trucy reached for the light switch and as the light flooded the room it was evident that something had happened in there; There was all sorts of things scattered on the floor, but both of the ladies' sight was pointed at something that clearly was off; Edgeworth's chessboard was covered in blood and there was what looked like a bullet tucked in the shelf of case's organizers.
Looking at the floor made their hearts almost stop.
Phoenix Wright was there, lying on his back, a red stain was expanding trough his suit and then leaving a pool under him. Looking closely, a nasty wound could be seen in his head but wasn't nearly as bad as the hole in his stomach, his front suit was already dyed red and even blood was coming out from his mouth, his eyes were closed and his breathing seemed nonexistent. Maya was holding his upper body, crying and shaking him carefully.
" No, Nick...please...open your eyes..."
" Nghh... "he moaned, unable to wake up at all "Mia?...is-is that you?...?"
" I'm Maya, Nick...I'm here, please hold on, just keep breathing..."
Trucy and Athena rushed to his side, startling Maya a little.
His eyes cracked open at the mention of his name...
" Daddy!" cried Trucy.
No, not his name, but the way the person he most cares about uses to call him.
" Mr. Wright!" Athena shouted.
" Please, call an ambulance...we don't have our phones.." murmured Maya, her voice broken.
" O-of course"- Athena tried to compose herself enough to being of any help while pulling out her phone. "- Who did this to you, Mr. Wright?"
He couldn't think or talk, it's was cold and the only thing that kept moving in his body was his chest, up and down in ragged breathes. It was hurting like heck just moments ago but now he was barely feeling anything. He thought he would pass out again. But the sudden touch of Trucy's hand to his cheek jolted him awake, her figure was the only thing that was clear in his foggy eyes, he coudn't think of anybody else, not the person who shot him, not the person he was supposed to meet that afternoon. Just her, his daughter.
" Trucy..." he murmured and tried to lift his hand to reach hers, but his body simply didn't respond. That simple word was enough for finally drag tears out of Trucy, she stroked his hair with care and looked at him in the eyes.
" Don't worry Daddy, you will be fine, you always are. Just hold on while the ambulance comes...please."
Something in her voice soothed him, he smiled briefly.
Athena ended the call with the emergency services and now was at his side too, she didn't say anything, but him smiling at a time like this was almost scary. '"The worst of times are when lawyers force their biggest smiles."' Athena remembered Mr. Wright saying that phrase almost like a mantra, was it really so strong in him?
His vision was fading, the image of his dear daughter banishing like mist.
" Don't close your eyes, please Daddy, think like Apollo, you know, that phrase he used to scream all the time: "I'm fine, I'm fine". Think hard about it and you will hold just a little longer..."
Scream…. Fine….. Apollo.
Apollo.
His mind only focused in that name and his daughter, not anything else. He took all of his forces together to say at least that, of all the things he wanted to say only one reached the light:
"Apollo...find…him…"
No, he couldn't leave them with nothing, he fought to defy his body and reached for his inner chest pocket, he held strongly the tiny green object in it and handed it to Athena. She received it and held his hand, before he could say anything his forces failed him, then his eyes closed again, but this time, his chest stopped moving.
Right at that moment Edgeworth entered the office, just the smell made him run and when he saw Phoenix's still body he genuinely panicked, he just couldn't move, almost couldn't breathe. But…, Why?...?
He had seen a lot of crime scenes in his life, he had seen a lot of people dying... why did seeing his best friend wounded leave him cold and useless?
" Daddy! No! Please! " Trucy's scream bringing him back to reality. He kneeled to Phoenix's side and checked his pulse, it was so weak that it made his hands tremble, but he was still in there.
" Stay calm Trucy, he's still with us, help me to lay him down " Trucy did what she was told and laid his father's body carefully to the floor, as Edgeworth untied Phoenix's necktie his elbow sensed something unusual near his chest so he checked by moving the suit jacket and discovered a knife, plunged deeply just under his ribs. He wasn't bleeding from it as much as from the gunshot wound thanks to the knife acting like a plug, but it was in a bad place and it scared Edgeworth.
"Oh god, who did this to you Wright?"
He quickly asked Trucy for her cape and used it to try and stop the blood.
" A knife...then a gunshot...they wanted to kill him... but why?"
Athena held Trucy in her arms, crying.
" Don't you dare, Wright..."
Edgeworth may never admit it, but in that moment the panic took control of him, he couldn't contain his thoughts anymore.
" D-don't you dare to die on me, Wright... " He desperately wanted to check his pulse again, but he couldn't afford to stop pressing " hear me out you fool, I wouldn't be surprised if you could bluff your way out of this one...but even that's good enough for me, just...just...try it...hold on..."
He tried looking at anything but the bloodied blue suit, it was then when he looked at Maya. There was a look in her eyes that he hasn't seen before, not when she was looking at him anyway, but now it was clear and seemed to drill right into his soul. It was a look of pure fear...
The paramedics arrived and quickly put Phoenix on a stretcher, taking him away and leaving Edgeworth behind with his hands bloodied and having a panic attack. At the scene also arrived police officers and two familiar figures, one of them a young detective girl who looked right at Edgeworth and put her hand at his shoulder as a way to calm him, the other one a man dressed in black who reached to Athena, his sharp eyes scanning everything like a hawk. Ema tried to talk with Edgeworth but he was having trouble to compose himself, it was then when a serene officer approached Edgeworth and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
" Miles Edgeworth. You're under arrest for the murder attempt of Phoenix Wright."
He barely reacted as the officer restrained him and walked him out of the room. Trucy and Athena tried to stop the officer but Edgeworth yelled.
" Blackquill stop them, don't make things harder."
" B-but Mr. Edgeworth! "answered Athena.
" Please compose yourself Ms. Cykes, I'm trusting my defense to you. You take care of them Blackquill, don't let them out of your guard even for a second, please."
Blackquill nodded and held Trucy, Maya and Athena carefully, watching as they take Miles away...
