Hickfield Clinic

September 4, 9:02 a.m.


Apollo stood outside of the hospital room where his boss had been assigned to. His hands clenched onto his head so tightly, that his nails dug into his scalp. He saw his boss limp, pale, body completely lounged back on the floor with his head contorted backwards.

The image burned in Apollo's brain. He felt so helpless, so uncertain and petrified on how he found his role model completely sprawled in a helpless heap of files and a small shallow puddle of his own blood. His suit was tattered and ripped along the shoulders and collar. His blazer was ripped clean in half. His dress shirt and vest had smalls drops of blood as if he choked up some before passing out. Apollo thrashed his hand into his pocket and quickly dialed for the paramedics while trying to prep Wright's body for CPR.

Apollo was screaming on the phone. Chords of Steel working full throttle on the poor operator's ear. He clenched his hands together, placed them over Phoenix's chest and pressed down. Rhythmically and uninterrupted, Apollo performed CPR as long as he could before the paramedics rushed into the office. One EMT almost tripped over the files busting into the office.

Apollo peered through the room window. His boss laid there with a blue hospital gown and blanket over him. Wright was attached to a heart monitor and IV in his arm with a tube in his mouth to help him breath. Face and body pale with the only movement being his chest from breathing. Apollo fought back tears which burned his eyes to be set free.

"You'll be fine, Phoenix Wright. You'll be fine…" Apollo's breath low and fogging the window.

'Who could have done this?!' Apollo's brain worked overtime on who could have done this to Phoenix. 'An old enemy? Someone he sent to jail? An assassin?!'

His thoughts were interrupted when Trucy and Athena almost broke down the doors of the hallway. Running at full speed towards Apollo, tears riddled across Trucy's face. "How's DADDY?!"

Apollo looked up and shook his head. Trucy bit her lower lip and lunged to Apollo, crying and screaming into Apollo's chest. He held her tightly, trying to hold back his tears once more. He clenched Trucy's magician cape hard, trying his best to be the conscience eldest during times of struggle.

Athena consumed in worry and melancholy, she focused on the window of Wright's room.

Her breath fogged the window and tears rolled down her eyes as she slammed her fist against the wall, creating a dent in the process. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET HIM GO ALONE! I SHOULD'VE BEEN THERE!"

Athena slowly fell to her knees, back against the wall and pressed her head against her knees, soaking her pants with her lachrymal sadness. Apollo looked over Trucy's shoulder, still holding onto her. "It's not your fault, Athena…"

She shot her head up with anger and looked at her colleague. "Yes it is Apollo!" her sobs messing with her clarity. Her fists curled and pressed against her forehead. "Mr. Wright would've been perfectly fine if it wasn't for me!"

"Athena!" Apollo yelled, tears almost escaping his glassy eyes. "Stop! It wasn't your fault…." He paused for a moment. He leaned back to see Trucy's face, face red and sore from she screaming and crying. He glanced back at Wright in his room. "Whoever did this… is going to pay!"

There was a long pause with sniffles and whimpers. A familiar figure in a magenta suit walked through the doors of the hallway.

"Edgeworth?" Apollo a bit fazed on seeing Wright's greatest rival/friend in the hospital. He approaches the young lawyers and slowly glided his view to the unconscious attorney on a hospital bed. He shifted his view back to the youth.

"What's his condition, Mr. Justice?" Edgeworth spoke trying to keep his composure. However, as how emotionally constipated the chief prosecutor was he actually showed sympathy in his face and tone.

"I-I-I don't know! They're doing the tests right now!" Apollo stuttered his words through his clattering teeth.

Edgeworth looked through the window to see his childhood friend in his pathetic state. Edgeworth grimaced and bowed his head. "Who did this?!"

"I-I don't know…" Apollo mustered up the words in his throat and anger in his words. His free hand clenched into a fist and shook violently.

A doctor came into the hallway, clipboard in hand. Athena raced to the doctor and startled him. "How is he Doctor!" she yelled with her face flushed.

The doctor removed his eyeglasses from his blue scrubs pocket and placed them over his nose. He began reading the test results in a well collected voice. "Well, it seems that Mr. Wright here had suffered minor lacerations to his throat and had minor internal bleeding. He's stable right now. He just suffered some oxygen deprivation and he most likely won't remember what happened the previous night."

The doctor looked over at Apollo with a bit of eagerness and content in his eyes. "I heard the EMT, and If it wasn't for you, young man," he pointed with his pen towards attorney, "it would've been more detrimental for Mr. Wright here. You actually prevented greater injuries."

Apollo blushed, momentarily releasing Trucy and rubbing the top of his head sheepishly, "Well… I did what needed to be done." The doctor looked back down at his clipboard and back at the attorneys, "We took care of his injuries. He may be able to leave today, if he wakes up. He just needs rest now."

Athena was relieved by the news, jumping joyously with Trucy with their hands intermingled. She let go and looked down to realize she was slightly peeved knowing the fact that Mr. Wright might not know who his attacker was, but she had an idea.

"To be frank with you, Mr. Wright actually recovered quite quickly." HIs brows raised highly. "His vitals are very good and stable. A little more than average, in fact. I'd say the man is lucky. Not only to be recovering well, but to have loved ones around him," the doctor said with great assurance.

"May we see him, doctor?" Trucy whimpered, her face with partly dried tears.

"Sure!" the doctor nodded waving the clipboard with emphasis.

The whole gang went into Phoenix's room. The doctor slowly removed the breathing tube from Phoenix's mouth, "he won't need this anymore."

Trucy held one of Wright's hands, as Athena held the other. Apollo and Edgeworth stood across the bed, looking at the resting man as the doctor left the room.

"Daddy… please… wake up…" Trucy begged the sleeping man.

"Boss, you...'re going to be alright. We're here." Athena added to her plead.

Trucy got up and kissed her adoptive father's forehead. She stroked back some spikes and they landed flat on the pillow. Slowly sitting back down, she kept a firm grip on her father's hand.

Trucy felt a flinch in the limp hand and jerked her head in shock. "Daddy!?"

His eyelids began to flutter, and slowly opened. "T-Trucy…?" weak but audible.

"DADDY?! DADDY?!" she jumped up and down on her chair with excitement to her waking father.

"Mr. Wright?!" Apollo and Athena said in unison.

"What happened…?" the weak Wright lifted himself to a sitting position. "Edgeworth?!"

Edgeworth looked at his childhood friend with a smile of relief. "Wright… are you fine now?" Edgeworth kept his composure solid, but did have empathy in his voice.

Phoenix looked around to his confusion, he was in the hospital. "I guess. But what happened? Why am I here? Did I get hit by another car?!"

"Do you know who attacked you?!" Athena ushered. Her face very close to Phoenix's.

"I was attacked?!" Phoenix responded quickly with wide eyes.

"Yeah… I found you at the office...you were…" Apollo shuffled the words.

"I already have a team investigating the premises. So far, the only clue we have is this…" Edgeworth handed over a very small tube with a strange gelatinous liquid. "We're stilling analyzing what it is."

"That looks like…. ugh… gross…!" Apollo quickly whipped the idea out of his head, remembering the appearance of the substance similar to what he found at the office.

"The labs are still puzzled that it doesn't have natural traits, but was compromised by your blood, Mr. Wright," Edgeworth said bluntly.

"My blood?! Was I stabbed?! Where's the wounds?!" the man shuffled around, feeling his body for any cuts or bruises. He lifted his gown, showing his abdomen and chest. Athena looked away, blushing, knowing she saw her boss's toned physique.

Phoenix looked at Athena's back turned and lowered his gown hastily, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry you had to see that Athena…"

"It's… ugh… fine boss…," Athena stuttered.

"So where are the wounds?" Phoenix still giving a confused look.

"In your throat, Mr. Wright." Edgeworth declared.

Phoenix quickly grabbed his neck, fiddling around quickly with his hands and then coughed when he hit a sensitive area. Phoenix glanced back at his childhood friend. "Thank you, Edgeworth, but I won't need an investigation. I'm fine. That's all that matters." Phoenix giddied.

"Mr. Wright don't be a fool. This is assault plain and simple! This requires an investigation!"

Edgeworth retorted.

Athena fiddled her mind with the word. 'Assault?'

"I enjoy your help, Edgeworth, but it won't be needed, really!" Phoenix assessed.

"Foolish suggestion. Fine. I'll call off the investigation." Edgeworth answered angrily.

"Foolish? Speaking of which, how is Franziska?" Phoenix asked.

Edgeworth looked at Phoenix, "She is fine. She's out in her own investigations."

"That's good to hear. But thank you for the effort, Edgeworth."

"I should have expected much from you, Wright. I hope you get well soon."

"I will. Thank you again."

Edgeworth left the room, leaving the defense attorneys mingling happily at Phoenix's recovery. He walked up to the doctor, still writing down information on his recent patient.

"Excuse me, doctor. If you don't mind, I'd like to have Mr. Wright's hospital bill mailed to me." Edgeworth handed the doctor his business card. The doctor looked at Edgeworth with an impression on his face. "Wow," the doctor spoke," he really is lucky." The doctor grabbed Miles's business card and walked off into his office.

Edgeworth glared at the vial, containing the foreign substance in his fingertips. He wasn't going to listen to Wright. He replaced the vial in exchange of his cellphone and dialed a number. The phone hummed a bit until someone answered, "Hello? Yes, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Gather as much information as you can, detective. Wright will be returning to his office soon and he expects all off the premises by his return."

"Yes, sir"

Edgeworth quickly hung up and dialed another number. The phone took a little while longer until another voice was heard. "Hello Prosecutor Edgeworth?"

"What did the results say?"