Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!
Chapter 2 - Turnabout Apology
A week after the party, Edgeworth was working in his office when he heard a knock on the door. Without taking his eyes off his newspaper, he called out, "Come in." Immediately, the door opened to reveal a small group of people entering his office.
"Hello Mr. Edgeworth!" Athena Cykes and Trucy Wright announced.
Oh dear. What are they doing here? He glanced up and saw that along with the two young ladies were Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright. Phoenix made himself comfortable on the red leather sofa.
"How's it going, Edgeworth?"
"Wright. Don't be rude. Please, Ms. Cykes, Trucy. Have a seat on the sofa, and feel free to push Wright off of it."
Phoenix got up before the two girls really did push him off. "Merci, Mr. Edgeworth," Athena said as she sat down on said sofa with Trucy.
"So. Are you busy right now, Mr. Edgeworth?" Apollo asked as he sat leaned against the door.
"When is Edgeworth ever not busy?" Phoenix countered as he stood next to Apollo.
Edgeworth smirked. "At least I have work to do. Unlike a certain person I know."
"Oh…Boss, he got you good," Athena commented.
Phoenix rolled his eyes, but then Edgeworth saw a mischievous smile come up on his face. That smile…why is it that I feel rather worried all of a sudden?
"Actually, I heard you had a good time at a party last week, Edgeworth." Phoenix taunted.
His eyes widened. "What are you taking about, Wright?"
"Oh yeah. I remember. You went to some big wig party, didn't you Mr. Edgeworth?" Apollo asked.
"Mr. Edgeworth! You went to a party?!" Trucy exclaimed. "Then you have no excuses for not being able to come to one of my magic shows!"
Look what he's started! "Wright! How did you find out about this?" Edgeworth demanded, glaring at the defense attorney.
"Whoa, whoa. Hold the glare! Detective Gumshoe told me."
Gumshoe…I should've known better than to tell him about that party. "Well, I happened to meet an acquaintance of yours at this party, Wright."
"You did? Who did you meet?"
"A young woman…she was a doctor. I can't seem to recall her name, though."
"You mean Ms. Serena?!" Trucy asked excitedly.
"Ah yes! Ms. Sterling. She said you defended her six months ago, Wright."
"Yes, I did. She's a good friend. She sometimes comes to the agency to visit us."
"Serena. She hasn't been around to visit lately, now that I think about it." Athena tapped her earring as she spoke.
"Well, she's probably busy I imagine. She is head of the emergency department at the hospital."
"Wright. That young woman…how could she be a doctor at such a young age? I've rarely heard of a 25 year old doctor!"
"What's wrong with…wait." Phoenix looked at him. "Did you say 25 years old?"
"Weren't you listening, Wright? Yes, that's what I said."
The group from the Wright Anything Agency exchanged glances before they burst into laughter.
Have they all gone mad?! What are they laughing about?!
"What's so funny?" Edgeworth demanded.
"You, Edgeworth!" Phoenix spoke between fits of laughter.
Edgeworth was indignant. "How am I funny?!" I certainly don't find your laughing at me very amusing.
"Mr. Edgeworth!" Athena began, trying to control her laughter. "Serena isn't 25 years old."
Edgeworth couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Then how old is she? 23?" He asked sarcastically.
"Try adding 10 years to that value," Apollo suggested.
"33. Wait. She's 33 years old?!" Why, she's only a year younger than myself!
Trucy nodded.
Well…I did not see that coming.
"Looks can be quite deceiving, Edgeworth," Phoenix lectured.
Hm. I don't need you of all people to tell me that.
"Hmph. Well, I'm quite shocked. I was quite skeptical when I heard that she was a doctor." Edgeworth then changed subjects. "Anyway, what brings you here today?"
"Oh. We were in the neighborhood and decided to stop by," Phoenix explained.
Edgeworth looked at him for a moment. "Right. So what's the real reason you're here?"
"I was being serious, Edgeworth. We were walking by the building when Trucy here suggested that we visit you."
Trucy nodded. "I thought maybe you'd like some company!"
Well, although they have been a little disruptive, I shouldn't say anything rude. She did have good intentions in mind. "Well, I appreciate the visit, Trucy."
Trucy smiled brightly.
Apollo sighed and stood up straight. "I'll have to be leaving soon."
"Oh, that's right! You've got a date with Junie, don't you?" Athena asked, a sly smile on her face.
Apollo blushed. "It isn't a date. We're just hanging out with Robin, Hugh and Myriam."
"Alright, Apollo. Whatever you say."
"You're one to talk, Athena! Don't think I didn't see you sneak a peek at Prosecutor Blackquill's office."
Now it was Athena's turn to blush. "No you didn't. But now that you mention it, I should go pay him a visit while I'm here." She stood up and walked over to where Apollo stood.
"Of course. You were lying, anyway."
"Oh yeah?! Then prove it! Show me some evidence to support your claim!" Athena yelled. The two continued to argue as they walked out the door.
"Those two," Phoenix shook his head. He then turned to Trucy. "Trucy. We better head out too. Didn't you want to go to the store to get something?"
"Yes! I need more props for my magic tricks!" She stood up and sped out the door.
"Well Edgeworth. I guess I'll see you…" Phoenix was cut off when Trucy ran back in and grabbed him by the sleeve, dragging him behind her.
"Come on Daddy! Oh, and bye Mr. Edgeworth!" They both disappeared in a flash out the door.
Edgeworth shook his head. Hmph. I guess I'll have to read the paper later. He pulled out a case file. Detective Gumshoe had informed him that a murder had occurred late last night, and a suspect had been arrested and was awaiting trial.
Edgeworth looked through the papers. That's odd. There are no medical records on this person. He sighed. Gumshoe…of course he would've forgotten to get them. Looks like I'll have to get them myself.
Edgeworth had spoken to the police department, who said he was to contact one Dr. Sterling about the medical record, and in order to speak with her, he had to go to the health clinic where she worked.
Edgeworth walked into the main lobby of the health clinic. He was able to locate the ER, and he spoke with one of the people at the registration window.
"I'm here to speak with Dr. Sterling?"
"Ah yes! She said she was expecting a visit from someone. You're a prosecutor, correct?"
"Yes. My name is Miles Edgeworth."
"May I just see an ID please? It's for safety purposes."
Edgeworth presented his driver's license and was allowed entry. He walked through the open door, only to see Serena standing right nearby. Her head was bent down looking at a chart. She began walking towards him and looked up. Before he knew what was going on and before he could stop walking, he saw her slip and she fell right on top of him.
Ow. Edgeworth landed hard on his back, with the doctor right on top of him.
Serena immediately scrambled up on her feet and covered her mouth, eyes wide and looking terrified. "Oh my goodness! Mr. Edgeworth! Are you alright?" Edgeworth sat himself up. "Here. Let me give you a hand." Serena helped him up. "I'm so sorry! I can't believe I just did that! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you feel dizzy? Are you nauseous?!"
Well, save for the shock I received upon falling, no. And I just fell. I'm not going to die.
"I'm fine, Ms. Sterling." He brushed himself off and fixed his clothes.
"I'm so sorry!" Serena looked at the floor. "I must've slipped on that puddle of water," Serena pointed to the floor, where one could barely make out a small puddle of water.
Oh. I guess I can't blame her for that, then.
"I had called to get someone to clean that puddle up, Serena," the secretary explained. "I thought someone had done so already. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you."
"It's alright. I'll just get it cleaned up myself." Serena rushed into one of the rooms and came back out with a towel and began wiping the floor. "There. Much better. We can't have safety hazards like these around." She discarded the towel and addressed Edgeworth.
"Mr. Edgeworth. You came here to see me about some medical records, correct?"
Edgeworth nodded. "That's correct."
"Okay then. How about we go down to my office? Please. Follow me."
I never knew someone could walk so fast! Edgeworth had to work hard to catch up to the pace that Serena was walking. Her white coat flared behind her like a cape as she flew down the hall. Then again, she is a doctor. Being able to move fast would be a helpful skill to have.
"I'm haven't come at an inconvenient time, have I?"
"Oh no! We only have a couple of patients here on the floor, so we're not too busy at the moment. You actually came at a good time." They turned a corner. "So the police department contacted the medical records staff about the file, and medical records called me, although I'm not sure why."
They stopped when they'd finally reached a door that had a nameplate which read, Serena Sterling.
Serena fished her pocket for her keys and unlocked the door. Flipping the light switch on, she held the door open for Edgeworth. "Please have a seat."
She followed behind him and sat behind her desk, while Edgeworth sat in a nice leather chair opposite of her. He looked around the office.
Not bad. It seems to be pretty organized. Not much decoration though. There was a bookcase that covered one whole wall of the decent-sized room. There was a file cabinet near the door, a sofa opposite the bookcase, and of course, her desk. The desk had a cup filled with pens and pencils on it, along with a pad of post-it notes, a desk lamp, and a couple of files on it.
He brought his attention to the doctor sitting across from him who was looking through some manila folders. She's wearing glasses. I don't recall seeing her wearing glasses at the party.
"They had the file ready for you down at the medical records department."
"So will I have to go there?" Wonderful. It's probably quite a walk from here.
"No. Actually, I had some spare time on my hands, so I ran down and picked up the file myself." She handed him the file she was briefly looking at. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. I appreciate it, actually. That would save me a lot of time."
"Good. So this person was murdered?"
"That's what everyone's claiming; however, the victim's medical history is in question, and we're awaiting blood test results along with the autopsy report." Edgeworth read through the files.
"Of course. So…Is there anything else I can help you with?" Edgeworth looked up at her. She must be in a rush.
"No. I don't think so." He continued reading through the file. "Hm…that's odd."
"What's odd, if you don't mind my asking?"
"It says here that the victim was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy." What is that?! I haven't heard of this before.
"Would you like me to explain what it is for you?"
"Why would I want that?" He quipped, sounding a little irritated.
"Well, you looked a little confused, that's all."
Ngh…I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"I suppose an explanation…would be rather helpful, yes."
Serena smirked. "Right. It's a heart muscle disease, hence why it's called cardiomyopathy. With this particular kind of cardiomyopathy, the left ventricle of the heart becomes dilated to the point that it can't properly and efficiently pump blood to the body. The heart muscle has a hard time contracting too."
"I see." I guess it would've been rather difficult for me to figure that out on my own.
"It can cause irregular heartbeats, blood clots, or even sudden death."
"Sudden death?" That's interesting.
She nodded. "That's right."
"Thank you, Ms. Sterling. This information will hopefully prove to be useful in the investigation." Perhaps she could be summoned as a medical expert to speak at the trial…Hm. I should ask her for her contact information, in that case.
"Glad to know I could help." He watched her scribble something onto a post-it paper and handed it to him. "This number on the top is for the phone I have here in my office. If I don't pick that up, then you can call the ER and ask for me. And if I'm not at work, you can call me on my cellphone, which is the other number. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything else."
"Thank you." It's almost like she's read my mind.
"Is that all?"
"Yes." Edgeworth was about to get up when he remembered something. "Actually, there was one more thing." He was face-to-face with a file. She's already reading another file! I haven't even left!
"Yes? What is it?" She lowered the paper to see him.
"I just wanted to apologize for my rude outburst at the party."
"Rude…outburst? I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."
"At the party last week. I…questioned your age and your profession. It was very rude of me, and I apologize for that."
"Oh, that's fine. It's not a big deal. It…happens a lot, so I'm used to it."
"That must get annoying, I assume."
"Quite honestly, it gets really annoying." She shrugged. "But I try not to let it bother me too much."
Somehow I find that a slight bit hard to believe.
"Anyway, thank you again. It was nice to see you."
"You too, Mr. Edgeworth. Goodbye, and good luck with your investigation."
Yeah…there wasn't too much in this chapter. I do have the next chapter done though. It'll be focusing more on the other characters. I'm still figuring out how the story format is going to be, so please do bear with me. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review or private message me!
