Everything had just seemed too perfect, too neat. In hindsight, it was obvious that a trap had been set for Phoenix. The sleeplessness and worry that had been plaguing him made him abrasive and reckless, and surely it have been obvious to everyone that he was on edge.
But then the verdict was read and Zak Gramarye's trial had ended. Zak had seemed sleazy, sure, but Phoenix didn't take him for the type to vanish without a trace and leave his young daughter behind. The rest was largely a blur now, and the only words ringing in his head, over and over, were forged evidence.
The judge warned him of the upcoming Bar Association review, not that it mattered. Even then, he had known what their decision would be.
In the moment, everything had come crashing down so fast that it felt like only an instant, a blink and then it was all over. As soon as Phoenix stepped outside the courthouse, however, time had slowed to a crawl.
His gut reaction had been to run, to just start running and not look back, to get lost in a crowd and just disappear like Zak had. Maybe if he ran far enough, the nightmare would end and his world would make some sense again. And then he thought of Maya, alone in that cold white room, and he knew he couldn't do it.
Badge or not, he still had Maya.
Once again, he found himself wide awake in the middle of the night, wondering how he could have been so careless. He was in such a rush to get the trial over with that he had used a piece of evidence that just seemed too convenient. He should have known better.
He did know better, but he had ignored that persistent voice in the back of his mind telling him something wasn't quite right.
He felt as much rage and grief as he did disgust. He scorned them all as he remembered how they stood in that silent courtroom, analyzing him. That smug prosecutor, so young and sure of himself in his first trial. Gavin must have been so proud to have been two steps ahead. The defendant, who manipulated his child into doing his dirty work. Misham, who was so eager to aid the corrupt and the guilty for the right price. Himself, for slipping when he could least afford it.
Phoenix can't help but wonder how the world will treat him now. The disgraced lawyer, the liar, the cheat, the fraud. It had only been a few hours since the news broke, and already those titles were being hurled at him.
Maybe the one blessing was not having to endure the pain with Maya. For once, she was free from the chaos his life so frequently attracted. Then again, he would now have to be the one to tell her, sooner or later.
If there is a later
He pushes the creeping thought back as best as he can.
Maya would have known the right things to say. She would have been just as angry and hurt, eager to get to the bottom of how he had been swindled. She may have even held him back, and this mess could have been prevented.
He missed her, and it was in this solitude that he needed her the most. He was alone in his pain, and the sorrow had already begun to eat away at him. Maya would have listened, would have made him laugh, would have told him that she believed in his innocence.
She was his rock.
"Please, Maya," he pleaded in a cracked voice caught between tears. "Please come back to me soon."
It was impossible not to notice that some of Hickfield's staff gave him strange looks now. They were too professional to say anything, of course, but he was sure that whispers about the disgraced attorney must have passed around the building.
He was sure it didn't help that he had ditched the suit for something more casual, but there was little point in dressing the part if he no longer held the role.
It had become such a routine now that he was sure he could get to the clinic in his sleep. He would stop by the visitor's desk, sign his name, and follow the halls to Maya's room. Phoenix had begun to spend more time there, finding little else to do outside of sitting in his office, which had started to feel like a prison.
There had been no change in her condition, and to him, that was all the more reason to keep up with his daily visits. She wasn't getting worse, he reminded himself, and the day would come when she opened her eyes.
He took his usual seat by her bedside.
"It's Nick. You'd laugh if you could see me," he said to her. "I look like a mess."
Phoenix paused. Even if she couldn't hear him, the words were still hard to say.
"I lost my badge yesterday, Maya. That's probably the part where you'd tell me to stop misplacing things..." he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. He could almost hear it in her voice.
"They think I paid to have evidence forged. Me, can you believe it? I can barely pay the rent."
"Maya, I don't think you would believe me if I told you. It was all too much. I was set up, and I took the bait. Someone called in a tip and they knew it was coming, and like an idiot I played right into it. The judge didn't even get a chance to read the verdict before the defendant ran out and disappeared."
"I'm... not even sure what to do right now. Can I prove my innocence? Where do I even begin?"
Phoenix ran his hands through his hair, briefing covering his face.
"That little girl I mentioned, the one who made me think of Pearls? I've started trying to track down one of her relatives. She's sitting in an orphanage right now and I don't want to think about her staying there. Her own father left her, the least I can do is try to help."
His voice dropped. "I can't take care of myself, so I might as well help Trucy before it's too late for her, too."
If only helping Maya could be so simple as making some phone calls and digging up records. He had all the time in the world now, but all he could do for Maya was wait.
She looked so frail, swallowed up by the sheets and the wires and tubes. She was still bandaged and bruised, and any illusions of Maya enjoying a peaceful sleep were shattered by the pallor of her skin and the coolness of her hands.
"I never expected to not be able to practice law one day. I feel like a stranger at my own office."
Phoenix sighed. "I haven't told anyone besides you. Well, I'm sure Edgeworth knows, but everyone else will have to hear about it on their own. I don't want sympathy, I don't want pity. There's nothing that can be done for me now."
"I can't stand not having you here with me, but at least you're away from the tabloids and photographers. They've had a field day with finally getting some 'dirt' on the great Phoenix Wright."
Phoenix sat in silence next to Maya now, realizing that if he continued speaking he may not be able to stop. It had been a rough twenty-four hours and he needed to get his head on straight.
"You know I'm innocent, Maya, and frankly, that's all that matters to me right now."
He stayed for another hour, taking in the calmness of her hospital room. She would be here with him soon; she always returned to him.