A/N: Okay, so I changed my mind. This takes place a little before SoJ, due to the presence of Trucy. Also, either next chapter or the chapter after that, there will be a sex scene. However, it will NOT be included in the video for it because I want the series (if it becomes one) to stay family friendly for YouTube.

Phoenix Wright: Turnabout Proposal and Future Imperfect

Chapter 2: Interruptions and Recovery

About fifteen minutes or half an hour later, an ambulance arrived on the scene at the small Italian restaurant, there to take Phoenix to the hospital for treatment of his gunshot wounds. He had been lucky, the bullets had missed his vital organs...but not so lucky because he had lost a large volume of blood and was starting to drift off into unconsciousness, looking rather pale. Maya gently shook him, "Nick, please! Stay with me!"

Edgeworth, not wishing to see everything he and Maya had been doing for him go down the drain, told him, "Come on, Wright. Not too much longer. The ambulance is here." He carefully took Phoenix into his arms, carried the injured defense attorney over to the stretcher and placed him on it. He then told the paramedics, "The young woman, Maya, and I will be riding with him. The two of them are close and I just want to make sure that she's okay." After a moment, the paramedic nodded and agreed to let the two of them ride with Phoenix, but told them to stay out of the way as best they could. After the three of them were in the ambulance, the paramedics ran a small metal detector over Phoenix's body, to ensure that there were no bullets left in his body. Unfortunately, there was still a bullet in his body, more precisely, his left thigh. Removing it would require surgery, something the already-injured defense attorney might not have the strength to go through if he didn't receive a blood transfusion at the hospital.

Maya spoke up and asked the paramedics, "He is going to be okay...right?"
One of the paramedics answered her, "We can treat his injuries, but...he's lost a lot of blood. It may take a while for him to get his strength back. He'll probably need a blood transfusion, as well a small surgery on his left leg to remove the bullet lodged in his thigh. But yes, he will recover, given time." He never beat around the bush when it came to someone's health. It was what he had been trained to do. However, he received a slight glare from Edgeworth for his bluntness. Maya nodded and told him, "Thank you." As they neared the halfway point, there was the sound of a car horn, one that Miles Edgeworth recognized almost immediately. It was Detective Gumshoe's car! Why was he driving alongside the ambulance? Were he and Maya still in danger?

Dick Gumshoe spoke up, yelling from within the car, "Nick, are ya in there, man?!" His sudden outburst startled Phoenix and brought him out of his semi-conscious state and into full consciousness. However, the sharp pains in his injured shoulder and leg, from his wounds, returned and he bit back a scream of pain. He then looked up toward the paramedic that was driving, breathing hard, and told him, "Please tell Gumshoe I'm in here…" The driving paramedic slowed down a bit to let the Detective catch up, then told him once he was alongside the driver cab of the ambulance, "Mr. Phoenix Wright is indeed in here. He's suffered some serious injuries and still has a bullet inside his body. We're taking him to the hospital."

Detective Gumshoe responded, "Yeah, I know. I'm escorting you guys there so I can collect the bullet once ya get it out of 'im." Maya looked at Edgeworth confused, at least for a moment, but then it occurred to her that the second bullet that was still inside Phoenix could be used as evidence in an attempted murder trial. She then spoke up and told Miles, "But Miles...we don't even have a suspect yet! What's worse is that Phoenix….wasn't even the original...target…" She broke down crying again, feeling as if the events of the evening were entirely her fault. Not comfortable with seeing her cry, Edgeworth sighed and put his arms around Maya to try and make her feel a little better. After a moment, the young woman calmed down and told Edgeworth quietly, "Thank you." Edgeworth nodded his head to indicate he had heard what she said, but gave no response. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the prosecutor spoke again and asked, "You said you were the target, Maya...did you happen to recognize the voice of the attacker or get a good look at him?" Maya shook her head, and noticed that Phoenix was starting to drift off into unconsciousness again, "Nick! Please, just hang on…"

Upon reaching the hospital, the paramedics rushed Phoenix inside, to the emergency room. Maya moved to follow them, but one of the nurses from the hospital held her back and said she needed to stay out of the way, but could wait in the lobby for news on him. Maya sighed, but nodded in understanding. She didn't want to keep Phoenix from getting the help he so desperately needed. She took a seat in the lobby and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Detective Gumshoe walked in and spoke to her, asking, "So, any word on Nick yet?"

Maya shook her head in response, "No, nothing. But I'm sure they're doing everything they can in there to help him." Not long after she said this, a nurse came out of the operating room and told her, "Ms. Maya Fey?" She seemed to have an update on Phoenix's condition, a golden nugget of information for his lover. Maya looked over at the nurse and nodded, "Yeah, that's me. How's Nick doing?" Though she had feared the worst, she hoped that they had gotten through the worst part of it and that Phoenix would be all right.

The nurse responded, "He's still very weak, but we did have enough blood on hand to give him a transfusion, so we could get the bullet out of his leg without killing him. Detective Gumshoe, correct? Here is the bullet if you wanna take it on down to the precinct. We've stitched both wounds up now and closed up the incision site where we had to cut into his leg to get to the bullet. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him, but if he's anything like his reputation claims, he'll bounce back from this." Miles Edgeworth, who had been eavesdropping silently, finally spoke up and told the nurse, "Yes, Wright will pull through. He has this annoying habit of surprising everyone." Detective Gumshoe nodded his head in agreement. They weren't going to give up on Phoenix. Not now, not ever. As they said this, the doctor emerged from the operating room and ordered the nurse close to Edgeworth to get Phoenix a room so that he could rest.

The nurse followed the doctor's instructions and placed Phoenix in a room on the main floor, much to the chagrin of Edgeworth and Gumshoe. It placed him within easy access of his assailant, giving him the perfect opportunity to finish what he started. The doctor assured them, "We have our own security force, gentlemen. Your friend Phoenix will be safe within these walls." Detective Gumshoe told him, "Security force...so what? If this guy comes back, he's not gonna let a bunch of dumb security guards stand in his way. Can we at least supplement your security with a few officers? Please?"

The doctor sighed and nodded, "If you think it's necessary, feel free, of course. But bear in mind that they won't take kindly to police presence." Detective Gumshoe ignored what the doctor said and responded, "I don't care what they think. Nick's gotta stay safe!" Miles Edgeworth gave a soft sigh, annoyed by the detective's outburst. He then added, "Detective...do calm yourself." He looked at the doctor and told him, "It matters little what they think. Mr. Wright is going to have officers guarding his room. He's a defense attorney. He will need the extra protection, trust me. He's had several attempts on his life before this." He then looked at Maya, and told her, "And you'll stay with me until this is all over. Do we have a deal?"

Maya sighed, but nodded, "Okay, Edgie...but you have to promise me we'll come see Nick at least two or three times a week, if not more, while he's still in the hospital. I don't want him to think we're breaking up or anything…"

Miles replied, "He knows you love him, Maya. The fact that you were so upset over him getting shot speaks volumes. Anyway, I'll need your help if I'm looking into this matter. After all, you were the killer's original target. Having you anywhere alone right now is a very bad idea." The last thing they needed was another victim, and Phoenix would surely have his hide if anything happened to Maya.

Detective Gumshoe spoke up again and asked Maya, "So uhh...Maya, right? Are you sure you didn't recognize anything about the guy who hurt Nick? Did you hear him say anything?" Right now, Maya was their key witness, as she had been the closest to Phoenix when he got shot. Maya sighed and told him, "No, Gumshoe...I didn't. I saw Nick get shot and fall to the ground bleeding. I didn't hear the gunshot…" Miles nodded, absorbing this information. He then pressed her further, "So, Mr. Wright's assailant used a silencer...it doesn't really narrow down the killer, but it narrows down what the weapon could be. Only certain pistols can be used with silencers."

Dick Gumshoe nodded his head and responded, "Yeah, not anything our department issues, that's for sure. Listen, Edgie, I'm gonna take Maya back to your place. You can meet us there when you're done talking to Wright."

Maya teared up, "But...I wanna see him...please, let me have a few minutes with Phoenix before you question him about what happened and take me home. Please?"

Gumshoe sighed and nodded, "Okay, Maya, but hurry it up. We don't need to stay around here too long." He walked over to the waiting area and sat down.

Maya smiled, "Thank you!" She asked a nurse where Phoenix's room was, then went to it. When she got to the room, Phoenix was just starting to wake up, as the anesthesia was starting to wear off. She ran over and sat next to Phoenix's bed, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it, "Nick?"

Phoenix awoke in the bed and looked over at Maya, a small smile coming onto his face now that he knew she was okay. He muttered weakly, "Hey Maya...how are you?"

Maya told him, "I'm okay. I'm sorry you got hurt…"

Phoenix shook his head slightly, responding, "Maya, it wasn't your fault. I'm the one who stepped in and protected you. And...I'd do it again. I love you, and nothing will ever change that fact. Okay? So, any leads…?" He paused, thinking he had recognized the voice of his attacker.

Maya responded, "Unfortunately, no, but Edgeworth and Detective Gumshoe are on the case. They'll find the culprit, don't worry." She hated seeing Phoenix so scared. Though he was keeping a strong front, she could see right through it. It terrified him that someone had shot him and he wasn't sure who it was. Then, she noticed a slight twinkle of thought in his eyes and smiled, "Oh...is there something you've figured out, Nick?"

Phoenix replied, "I recognized the voice of my attacker...but I'm not sure where I heard it."

Maya shrugged, "I didn't hear anything he said to you, so I wouldn't know."

After conversing for a few minutes, Phoenix began to get tired and yawned a bit. Though it wasn't that late, he was very tired because of everything he had recently been through. He just hoped they could catch the guy who attempted to kill him. The last thing he needed was for anyone else to be harmed by that guy. Maya told Phoenix, "You get some sleep, Phoenix. You earned it after what you did for me today. I'll just go on home with Edgeworth" She hugged him gently, then let him go. Phoenix nodded and dozed off. He knew she'd be safe with Edgeworth. The guy's house was practically a Fort Knox with all the security he had installed. After Edgeworth and Maya reached his house, they went inside and settled in.

Maya stayed in a guest room down the hall from Edgeworth's bedroom, as an extra precaution in case Phoenix's assailant came back. Both she and Edgeworth hoped that they could figure out who it was before someone else got hurt, but there would be no guarantees. They would just have to take whatever came next, even if it meant that there was an actual killing. Thinking about Trucy, the girl Phoenix had adopted not long ago, Edgeworth asked Maya, "Would you call Mr. Wright's daughter and let her know that her father is in the hospital?"

Maya nodded, "Sure, I'll tell her. It sucks to have to give her this kinda news, but she does deserve to know." She called up Trucy, who was currently at Phoenix's apartment.

Trucy picked up the phone and responded, "Wright Residence, Trucy Wright can I do for you?"

Maya responded, "Hey, Trucy. It's Maya...I've got some bad news." She sounded a little bummed out, but did her best to keep her composure. If she broke down on the phone, Trucy would pick up on her unsettledness and push her.

Trucy replied, "Really? What's up? You sound like you're sad about something."

Maya told her, "Your...your dad's been shot, Trucy. Twice."

Trucy gasped and asked Maya, "How did that happen? Is he okay? Where did he get shot? Is he going to live?"

Maya replied, "We were out on a date and someone tried to shoot me, but he protected me. He'll be okay. He was shot in the shoulder and leg. He'll recover, but he has a long road ahead of him, so he'll need the two of us now more than ever. Okay?"

Trucy answered, "Okay. I'll help him. Thank you for telling me. Dad's always been protective of everyone he cares about Maya, so it's no small wonder he took a bullet for you. I'll be there in the morning to…" She yawned into the phone unintentionally, then continued, "see him. I'm too tired to go anywhere now. Okay?"

Maya told her, "All right. See you soon then, Trucy. Good night!" She hung up the phone and looked at Edgeworth, who looked tired. She told him, "Why don't we both go on to bed, Mr. Edgeworth? I'm tired and so are you. I'll sleep in the guest room you showed me. Thank you again for letting me stay with you while we're investigating."

Miles shook his head, "Think nothing of it. I had the extra space. I figured it needed to be used for something. Anyway, get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." With that, both the young prosecutor retired to their rooms for the evening and eventually fell asleep. Hopefully, tomorrow would not only bring a new day, but also some clues as to who would've done this to Phoenix.