Never Fade Away
Chapter Two
Things weren't as bad as they could possibly be, Phoenix thought, leading Trucy in through the emergency room entrance. This could have happened a month ago, the night before he was scheduled to take the bar exam, rather than the night after he'd gotten his results back. Other than that, though... this was about as bad as things could get.
He'd gotten the call from Prosecutor Gavin about half an hour before, telling him what had happened and where to go. He'd woken Trucy at once, and had her call for a taxi while he used his cell to call the couple who had adopted Apollo as a child. They lived some distance away now, but he wasn't surprised when they'd said they'd be there as soon as they could as well. He was debating the wisdom of making another call until something was resolved one way or the other; Thalassa was overseas, and it was unlikely she'd be able to easily come to visit, but she should at least be informed.
"Excuse me," he began when he found the reception desk, "we're looking for a patient by the name of Apollo Justice."
"Oh yes," the young woman said at once. "I remember that name. Very odd. He's been placed in the ICU - he's in serious condition - so I'm sorry, no one but family can visit him right now."
"But we are family!" Trucy protested, her hair all in disarray. She hadn't even taken the time to get dressed - she was still in her pajamas. Phoenix hadn't actually changed either, but he tended to just wear his clothes to bed these days anyway.
"Oh? May I ask what relation?" inquired the receptionist.
"Apollo's my big brother!" Trucy informed her.
"And she's my daughter," Phoenix added.
The receptionist frowned at the paperwork. "It says here that his parents are two women... are you the biological father, then?"
"Er, no..." Phoenix scratched his head. "It's complicated. Apollo and Trucy only found out they were related a short time ago. Trucy is my adopted daughter," he explained, pulling out his wallet to produce his ID and Trucy's (he'd suspected this might happen), as well as a business card. "Apollo was also adopted as a child, by the two women named in his medical records, and currently is working and living with Trucy and I, at the Wright and Co. Anything Agency. They should have found some business cards to that effect on his person when he was brought in - he carries them everywhere. I believe that answers the question of family."
The receptionist peered at the collection of cards Phoenix offered. "...I'll ask."
"Ugh!" Trucy stomped her foot impatiently as the receptionist left with their references. "Why won't they just let us in to see him!?"
"Under the circumstances, I understand," Phoenix explained, mussing her hair further. "They wouldn't want to leak information to the wrong people - particularly considering who brought him here. ...You know, you really should've put on your hat. Your hair's more frightening than even mine right now."
"Daddy..."
Rather than looking offended, she looked to be on the verge of tears, and Phoenix slipped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently. "It's okay... They'll let us in after this is cleared up. And if they don't? We'll sneak in while their backs are turned."
Trucy laughed weakly. "You can't do that, Daddy... You'd get in big trouble if they caught you."
"That's okay - I know a lot of good lawyers." Granted, one of the better ones was currently in serious condition in the ICU. Phoenix was not nearly so carefree as he sounded at the moment, since as far as he was concerned, Apollo was indeed family. Still, he knew it was even more terrifying for Trucy than it was for him.
To that end, he continued with the gentle teasing until the receptionist returned, with a woman who was presumably a doctor at her side. "Mr. Wright?" the receptionist began, handing back their information. "You're free to visit with the patient, as long as Trucy is there with you, seeing as you're her legal guardian and she is a minor. The doctor will show you the way."
Phoenix stifled a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would have done if it hadn't worked. Though he would have been tempted to do just what he'd said and sneak in. "So how is he?" he asked, as they started off towards the ICU.
"He's improved, to a point," the doctor informed them. "When the ambulance was called, he wasn't breathing, and his pulse slowed almost to nothing a few minutes afterwards. He was kept alive by someone on the scene performing CPR until the ambulance arrived."
Phoenix glanced down at Trucy. She looked horrified. "But he's doing better?"
"His heart has mostly returned to a normal rhythm after treatment," said the doctor, "but he's not breathing on his own, and he hasn't regained consciousness. Various regions of his brain are showing abnormal amounts of activity - some more than normal, and some far less. Currently, I would say that he's fairly stable, but only because he's been placed on life support. To be honest... he's not in the clear yet."
Phoenix supposed he knew what the doctor was really saying, but he didn't want to use the word in front of Trucy. And he really, really hated having to ask his next question in front of Trucy. "...And this was caused by an overdose?"
"Not an overdose, precisely," the doctor clarified. "The young man who was with him told us that he suspected his friend may have taken a prescription medication, a depressant called Docidone. It's very popular at the clubs these days, it seems."
"Polly doesn't do drugs!" Trucy insisted, balling her hands into fists in frustration despite Phoenix resting a hand on her shoulder. "He doesn't even like going to clubs - he just goes because Klavier wants to go!"
"Actually," the doctor replied, "I would be very surprised if he had ever taken this drug before. From all indications, every test we've done, it appears that he ingested less than five milligrams - approximately the same as a doctor would prescribe as pain relief, and perhaps half what the average recreational user would take. He'd had a mixed drink as well, but that shouldn't have been enough to cause trouble. His condition isn't due to an overdose at all, but an unusual sensitivity to the drug family from which Docidone comes." The doctor looked down to Trucy. "In short, most bodies simply react to this medication. His, unfortunately, overreacted."
Phoenix considered this. "...My daughter is right - it's unlike Apollo to even consider using drugs. And from what you've said, I wonder if he intended to take this one at all." This might be an even more unpleasant situation than he'd thought.
"That was what his friend said, too..." The doctor stopped in front of a door that was propped slightly open. Phoenix could hear the hissing and clicking and beeping inside... at least it all sounded steady. "He'd never heard Apollo talk about using this medication, and he didn't see him take it, but he showed the symptoms of an overdose. Given the atmosphere in which it happened, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that someone slipped it into his drink."
Hearing the little gasp from Trucy, Phoenix squeezed her shoulder. "Considering who was there with him last night," he muttered, "I'm sure it will be investigated."
"...Speaking of that," the doctor added. "You seem to have a grasp on the legalities of visitation. Perhaps you could explain them to his friend, who put up a rather long and heated argument when we told him to come back during visiting hours, seeing as he is not family, and neither his celebrity status nor his law enforcement position mean a thing if he has not been assigned to a case or otherwise granted special permission."
She nodded towards the open lounge, just a bit further down the hall. In one of the chairs sat Klavier Gavin, mirrored sunglasses firmly in place, but otherwise looking thoroughly bedraggled. His hair was a mess, his jacket was on crooked, and his posture just wasn't right as he half-sprawled, half-slumped down in his seat. Imagine if the tabloids got a picture of that, Phoenix thought to himself. "...He doesn't have a family anymore," he told the doctor. "Any family at all - all he has is Apollo. Let him in, even just while I'm present if that's the way it has to be - and I'll take responsibility."
"Er..." The doctor looked startled. "I'm afraid we can't do that, Mr. Wright. We might be able to make an exception at the request of his closest relatives, but as the, what was it, legal guardian of a minor related to the patient? Even letting you in to see Apollo is questionable."
"His moms understand what's going on with Gavin, and they'll tell you the same thing when they get here," Phoenix said dismissively. "On my honor. Here-" He pulled out the business card he'd handed over before. "If there's any trouble over it, call me. I'm a lawyer."
The doctor clearly had no idea what to think of this idea. "...But you're the one who made the suggestion..."
"So our testimonies will match," Phoenix replied with a smile. "Trucy, do you want to go on in and visit Apollo while I talk to Gavin for a second? I'll be right there. Or would you rather wait for me?"
Trucy looked at the door, clutching the hem of her oversized t-shirt nervously. "...I'll go ahead, Daddy... I think..."
"Come along, dear," the doctor told her, her voice gentling as she turned to the girl. "And if you have any questions, you can ask me."
Despite his words, Phoenix lingered at the door for a moment as the doctor led Trucy into Apollo's room. "H-hey, big brother," he heard Trucy say shakily. "Daddy and I came to visit... and Mr. Gavin's here too. You're going to be fine." There was a pause. "...Do you... do you think he can hear me?"
"Probably not," came the doctor's soft reply. "He's very deep in sleep."
Another pause, and then Phoenix heard a sound he'd mostly heard from the opposite side of a door - Trucy's quiet sobs, which she tried to hide even from him. He leaned his head against the wall with a tired sigh, closing his eyes. Hadn't she cried enough for one life?
He only rested there for a moment, then steeled himself to walk over to the lounge area. Klavier lifted his head a little at Phoenix's approach. "...Herr Wright."
His voice, clothing, and posture made him look for all the world like a sullen, rebellious teenager. Phoenix suspected he knew better. "Isn't it a little hard to see through those shades in here?"
"Ach..." The disgusted sound was half-hearted, almost slurred. "Nothing here that I want to see that I'm permitted to see."
"I talked to the doctor." Phoenix gestured for him to get up. "Come on. You're as much a part of Apollo's family as I am."
Klavier's chin raised a little further, as if he were surprised. After a moment, he lifted his hand to remove the sunglasses. Just as Phoenix had suspected - his eyes were reddened and still too bright. "...I'm sorry, Herr Wright. I shouldn't have taken him there."
"You couldn't have known," Phoenix told him. "And regardless, I think Apollo would want you to be here with him now."
Klavier covered his eyes. "...He asked me for help, just before he stopped breathing..."
The prosecutor looked so young at the moment that Phoenix had to stop himself from hugging him like he would have hugged Trucy. "Were you the one the doctor mentioned, the one who did CPR on him until the ambulance arrived?"
Klavier nodded vaguely. "That was me."
"Then you helped him, just like he asked," Phoenix pointed out.
For some reason, Klavier responded by laughing shakily. "Thank you... Herr Wright."
Phoenix glanced in the direction of Apollo's room. "...Trucy's with him right now. We could probably give her a little time." She wouldn't want them to see her crying, if she could help it. Phoenix sat down next to Klavier for the time being. "Why don't you tell me about what happened at the club?"
Klavier took a deep breath. "I told you what happened on the phone."
"More detail might be helpful. From what the doctor told us, it looks like someone drugged him without his knowing - and I intend to find out who."
Klavier shook his head vaguely, still covering his eyes. "It happens in places like that. There are drugs everywhere... it could have been anyone."
"Maybe we can narrow it down a little," Phoenix suggested. "Was he drinking at the bar?"
"...Nein. He wasn't interested in clubbing, so he was sitting at a corner table, writing in a notebook."
"What was he writing about?"
"I hardly think that's relevant," Klavier muttered. "He keeps a journal... I assumed that was what he was doing."
"Assumed?"
"Though he preferred to sit in the corner and write, I spent most of the night socializing. Part of the professional image, ja? He wouldn't join me."
Phoenix chuckled a little. "That's his professional image, I think... Anyway. He was drinking while he was writing, correct?"
"Not much," Klavier stated. "As far as I know, he had only a single drink, just before he collapsed. Jack and Coke. ...He had some water earlier."
"Hmm..." Phoenix shook his head. "The Docidone couldn't have been slipped into the water, could it? He would have noticed."
"Yes," Klavier confirmed. "It dissolves easily and wouldn't be visible, but it has a bitter taste."
Phoenix had thought something was a bit funny about something the doctor had told them, and this reminded him. "...Isn't it a bit odd that as a prosecutor, you would spend time at a club where, in your own words, 'there are drugs everywhere'? And you know a lot about them..."
Klavier lowered his hand to give Phoenix a dirty look. "I've prosecuted cases involving drug possession, and I prefer to educate myself on the subjects of my cases. And have you forgotten? I'm also a musician - I socialize with musicians, many of whom socialize at clubs. They know of my primary profession, and we have an unspoken agreement. If they're using something they shouldn't, they don't let me know."
"Don't ask, don't tell, is it?" Phoenix scratched his head thoughtfully. Maybe it was a good thing that he wasn't much of a pianist - being a famous musician seemed complicated if one had morals. "...So unless Apollo intentionally took the Docidone, it had to have been in the Jack and Coke. Did he get it himself, or did someone buy it for him?"
Klavier averted his eyes. "...I bought it for him myself, Herr Wright."
Caught by surprise, Phoenix hesitated. "...I see. Was there, I don't know, a waitress who brought it to the table?"
Klavier shook his head. "I set it before him with my own hands." His eyes narrowed abruptly, and he glared at Phoenix again. The effect was somewhat lost, due to the redness and puffiness of the glare. "Surely you can't think I would intentionally hurt him. I would never want to harm mein schatzi..."
"I know, I know," Phoenix said quickly. "I'm just trying to pinpoint when everything happened, so that we know where to focus... Why don't you tell me about the events surrounding this drink? What was happening before, during, after...?"
Klavier stared down at the floor. "...Everything happened very fast."
"We'll try to slow it down, then," Phoenix reasoned. "Let's start with... why did you buy him a drink?"
"Ach..." Klavier rested his head in one hand tiredly. "He wouldn't dance with me. I was hoping he might relax enough to join me on the dance floor, just for a little while." This was such an absurd thought that Phoenix nearly laughed. The look on his face must have given it away. "...I may have had a drink too many already," Klavier admitted.
Phoenix felt slightly bad about wanting to laugh... but they probably needed a laugh right now anyways. "So you bought him a drink. Who made it?"
"The fraülein working the bar. I believe her name was Amanda. She has served me many times - she has no reason to want to hurt either myself or Apollo."
Unless she was jealous, Phoenix thought. Klavier couldn't be completely blind to the fact that the gossip columns had been full of stories about the former rock star's alleged courtship of a male lawyer in recent weeks. There was a certain portion of his fanbase that was irate. "And then you took it back to his table?"
"Yes," Klavier confirmed, then changed his mind. "No. On the way back, I spotted some people I knew at a table along the way, and stopped to talk for a moment." He closed his eyes, thinking. "They toured with the Gavinners, and wanted to ask about Crescend."
Phoenix winced slightly. "You get that a lot lately, huh?"
Klavier nodded. "I admit I had a sip of Apollo's drink. It was an uncomfortable conversation."
That one statement caused a theory to spark in Phoenix's mind. "Hold it - you had a sip of his drink? After buying it at the bar and coming over to their table?"
"Yes..."
"So it probably looked to most people like you were buying that drink for yourself." This would make a lot more sense than someone trying to drug Apollo, Phoenix realized. Apollo didn't have many enemies, and those he did have were largely locked up. It was unlikely that anyone in a club would want to drug him. Lots of people in that club knew Klavier, though, and their lives overlapped enough that someone might have a grudge. "Were the people at that table friends? Or only people you knew in a professional sense?"
"Their morals were a bit looser than mine - we didn't spend much time together on that tour, unless we were onstage." Klavier looked up, surprised. "...Ach. You can't mean..."
"That drug may have been aimed at you," Phoenix confirmed. "But let's not jump to conclusions just yet. You talked to the people at this table for awhile, and then what?"
"I brought the drink back to Apollo at his table," Klavier said. His eyes were still wide, startled. "He... didn't really want it," he admitted. "He seemed depressed... He told me to go do what I wanted to do, and he would stay there. So I left him alone," Klavier sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "I danced, I made conversation. And fifteen minutes later, I went back to see if the drink had put him in better spirits. He said he felt dizzy, and suddenly became ill... then collapsed."
"And that was when you called for an ambulance," Phoenix deduced. "Was he alone at the table all this time?"
"As far as I know. I looked back to him from time to time, but never saw anyone else there, when my view was unobstructed."
"So it's also possible the drug could have been placed in his drink during those fifteen minutes while you were away from the table," Phoenix stated. "There are really only three possibilities: the girl at the bar when it was made, your fellow musicians while you were talking to them, or... someone we don't know about, stopping by Apollo's table while you weren't looking."
Klavier said nothing, but continued to sit there, face buried in his hands. Eventually, Phoenix gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "Thanks for the information, Gavin. Now - Trucy and Apollo have had enough alone time, I think... You want to see him too, right?" Klavier lowered his hands enough to nod slightly. "Then come on."
It was definitely fortunate that this had happened in the middle of the night, Phoenix thought as he watched Klavier get to his feet, shuffling off in the direction of Apollo's room. There would be enough talk on the morning radio and news shows as it was without potentially embarrassing pictures.
Trucy had composed herself by the time the two men entered, and was sitting by the bed, holding Apollo's hand. She looked up. "Oh, hi, Daddy! And..." She unconsciously tried to smooth her hair back, which amused Phoenix - you'd think that the fact Klavier was dating her brother might have cured her of that little crush. "...Hi, Mr. Gavin. Uhm..." She bit her lip, and Phoenix realized maybe it wasn't just the crush at all. "Uh, thanks... so much... for helping Polly tonight." Her voice grew tight. "I'm so glad you were there with him..."
"Yeah," Phoenix agreed, going to give her a little hug before she could lose her composure again. "If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be here now."
Klavier made a little choked sound as he approached the bedside with the rest of them. It was no wonder, Phoenix thought, looking down at his protege. He looked more dead than alive, and that was probably true, given all the tubes inserted into his nose and mouth and arms. But the monitor said his heart rate was steady and only slightly slow, and there was another machine making his lungs pump air. Phoenix had the strange, almost irreverant thought that Apollo would be really upset if the intubation damaged his 'Chords of Steel'.
He rested a hand on Apollo's cheek, and sort of wished he hadn't. It felt cold and stiff. "Poor kid..." he murmured. "He's tough, though - he'll pull through. Right, Trucy?"
"Y-yeah," she stammered, and managed a small laugh. "He's really stubborn. He'll be back to waking us up in the early morning hours for the usual reasons in no time. Ha... but you know how stubborn he is already, Mr. Gavin."
Klavier remained silent, staring down at Apollo. Phoenix had some idea how he felt, so he squeezed Trucy a little tighter. "Why don't we back off a little?" he murmured to her. "Men are strange - a lot of them have trouble letting their feelings show when other people can see it."
"Hmph... Not you, Daddy," Trucy teased him gently. "But... yeah, I'm okay now."
The room was large enough that he and Trucy could head off into a corner unoccupied by medical equipment, and Phoenix quietly related what he'd found out from Klavier, and his suspicions. Trucy was relieved to see that her daddy was already hard at work on the case, of course; Phoenix didn't remind her that it wouldn't make Apollo wake up any sooner. At least there was something he could do to help the two of them feel a little better.
Phoenix tried not to look over at Klavier and Apollo for awhile, so as to give them what privacy he could despite having to remain in the room, but he did happen to catch a glimpse of Klavier sitting in the chair Trucy had vacated. A little later, he glanced back that direction and saw that Klavier was slumped forward, resting his head on Apollo's stomach. ...It was a good thing Phoenix had told himself not to look, because it was a heartbreaking sight. That was it, he decided - after he called Thalassa, he had someone else he really needed to call who was overseas as well at the moment.
The problem was, time continued to pass, and Klavier didn't make a move. It was late, Trucy had calmed enough that she was yawning, and... honestly, Phoenix was wondering if Klavier had fallen asleep, given how exhausted he'd looked in the lounge. He hadn't, it seemed, from how quickly he sat up when Phoenix finally touched his shoulder. "...It's late. We really have to get going."
Klavier nodded, but kept his face turned away until he'd put his sunglasses back on. "Herr Wright, fraülein... thank you for letting me have this time."
"It's okay," Trucy assured him. "Honestly, it's stupid of them not to let you in."
Secretly, Phoenix agreed. "Listen, Gavin - there's something I want to look into while I'm already here at the hospital. Would you be willing to accompany Trucy home tonight? It should save you from the fangirls that are probably already standing vigil around your own place... and, well, you'd have your choice of a couple empty beds," Phoenix finished, somewhat reluctantly.
"I... I would appreciate it," Klavier said quietly. Probably he was thinking along the same lines as Phoenix. "I'll take good care of her." And for a moment, he looked more like his usual self, unkempt hair and all, as he gave Trucy a wide smile, leaning forward a little to address her. "Well, fraülein... shall we go? I could sing you to sleep..." That got a little giggle out of her, and the sound of his daughter's laughter on a night like this was a sweeter sound to Phoenix than any of the Gavinners' music had ever been.
After he'd finished with a little bit of research in the hospital's reference library, having been denied access to the information he particularly was interested in, he left a note to Apollo's adopted parents before calling for his own cab. When he arrived back at the office, he found just what he'd expected - Trucy asleep in her bed, Klavier curled up and tangled in Apollo's sheets and blankets, clutching his pillow. He smiled a sad smile, and went to bed.
