Chapter Thirty-Three: I Need You

Phoenix Wright and Pearl Fey
Hickfield Clinic, Maya Fey's ICU Room
September 8, 2020, 5:00 PM

Since the day she'd been admitted, as soon as Trucy had left for school, Phoenix and Pearl, who'd been staying with him during the daytime before work and at the Gumshoe's in the evening, had set off to the hospital to sit vigil with Maya.

Phoenix sat quietly in the chair next to his silent, unmoving girlfriend on the hospital bed, tightly squeezing her tiny hand in both of his as he silently prayed to whatever God was listening, for his Maya to come back to him, as she had all those other times.

Despite Mia's reassurance that he wasn't at fault, he still couldn't help but lament about how he wished he'd allowed her to visit with him instead of being so absorbed with his own issues and obsessive paranoia!

Now that he'd finally gotten the chance to see her, it may have been too late.

"I missed you," he whispered brokenly, bringing her icy hand to his lips. "I should have invited you to visit. I'm sorry my love, I'm so, so sorry. Please don't leave me. I'm begging you, please come back to me!"

Looking down at her slumbering form, he realized how intensely he'd missed her. He always did, he finally acknowledged. Even during the days when she'd only been his assistant, he'd always been an empty shell whenever she hadn't been around; a depressed wreck of a man, quite frankly.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on the cool metal bed frame, lost in his Maya-fueled flashbacks.

In all the years he'd known Maya Fey, he'd loved her for half of them. More than that, if he was honest with himself. As he recalled the incidents that had occurred abroad when they'd traveled for the League of Attorney Exchange, he mentally reprimanded himself for yet another opportunity that had passed him when he'd been too gutless to admit how he'd felt about her, how much she'd meant to him.

"I was such a coward, my love. Despite all the instances that you were nearly lost, I still didn't take that as a sign to let you know how much I loved you! Somehow, I could never admit exactly how much you meant to me when you were there to see, even though everyone around us could! For the longest time, I couldn't even admit it to myself."

Three times. He'd almost lost the woman he loved three bloody times if you added the Witch Trial in Labyrinthia to the Engarde and Hazakura incidents. Was fate going to play a cruel game of baseball with him now? Three strikes and he was out? The fourth time wasn't the charm?

Three days had passed since she'd been admitted, and though Maya's physical condition improved, she still showed no signs of waking.

Poor Pearl had been a wreck that day when he'd brought her in. During her last torrent of tears, a few moments ago, one of the kindly orderlies had taken the distraught child under her wing and offered to see if she could sneak Pearl some custard from the staff kitchen. That had given him a few minutes alone with Maya to freely speak his mind to her, in hopes that she could hear him.

For the three days since her arrival at the hospital, Maya's twilight world was bombarded with both bitter and sweet memories.

Phoenix continued pouring out his love and thoughts to her, realizing how much he'd missed talking to her and discovering that though she may not actually hear him, he would have no regrets at all if she had. Their relationship had transcended the petty issues which had inspired his distancing, he understood that now.

"Forgive me, Maya. I'm sorry I pushed you away after I got disbarred – and how I've kept you at arm's length since, all because of my underlying thought that I wasn't good enough for you, that you would reject me, the hobo bum that I became. How could I have underestimated you that way? I was so stupid not to realize that you're the hope that moves me to courage again."

His voice trembled with emotion.

"I realize that you would never reject me. Even now, with a whole village against you, telling you to sever ties with me, you still prove your steadfast loyalty is always to me. It's me who's been keeping us apart. I swear, I thought it was for a greater good…not because I didn't want you by my side. Never that. You're a part of me. When it comes to loving you, you're my only reason, you're my only truth."

A tear rolled down his face as he softly stroked her pale cheek.

"I'm so sorry I didn't fight harder to keep you by my side where you belonged, where you were happiest. I will try to move heaven and earth to make sure we can be together more often, if only you come back to me. You told me that day in Kurain, that you needed me, too. And Maya – more than the air I breathe… I need you!"

"Mr. Nick?"

His head jerked up, and he looked hopefully at the figure on the bed but found Maya still lying there with her eyes closed.

"Mr. Nick, it's me."

Pearl had returned to the room, calmer now, and with drier eyes. She'd slipped back to the bedside so silently he hadn't even noticed.

"Hi, Pearls." Phoenix swallowed back his disappointment and forced a smile for the little girl's benefit. "Did the nice lady get you some custard?"

Pearl nodded.

"It was vanilla and very yummy."

"That was very nice of her."

"Yes." She nodded again. "Normally it's one visitor at a time, but I didn't want you to have to leave, so I snuck back in."

She grinned as she gestured to the hospital gown she was wearing.

"I swiped this off one of the trolleys in the hall. I thought maybe I'd be less noticeable in this than my robe."

Phoenix chuckled at the sight of the tiny spirit medium in the oversized blue gown which completely hid her hands and arms and trailed to the floor. All he could see was her sweet face.

"Yup, you definitely blend in with the rest of the patients now, Pearls."

He turned back to Maya, not caring if Pearl heard the next words he was going to say as he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Pearls is here with me now, and she needs you and loves you as much as I do. Please come back Maya, for the both of us."

"We love you, Mystic Maya," Pearls whispered, clutching her cousin's hand.

"Nick..." murmured Maya sleepily. "Pearly…"

"Huh?"

Phoenix blinked and his eyes widened as he looked down at the figure on the bed, praying his eyes weren't deceiving him. He stared at the little girl, uncertain if she'd heard what he had, or if it was wishful thinking. The child's eyes were also transfixed on the bed.

Maya's eyelids slowly slid open. An expression of utter bewilderment rapidly crossed her face.

"Mystic Maya, you're awake!" Pearl cried, bouncing up and down in excitement. "You woke up for your Special Someone! His kiss of love brought you back to us!"

Maya's head slowly turned, her disorientated eyes taking in the sight of the people who mattered the most to her in the world, her expression now showing signs of recognition mingled with confusion.

"Nick? Pearly?" She struggled to sit up. "What –?"

"You're at the hospital," explained Pearl. "We've been so worried!"

"You collapsed unconscious at Hazakura Temple," Phoenix added. "Thank heavens you came back to us!"

"No!" The patient looked panicked now. "No, I need to finish that Special Course!" In desperation she lurched into a sitting position, only to have her continued ill-health immediately collapse her back to the bed. Defeated, she groaned, "I can't fail my mother!"

"Maya, it's okay now," the hobo soothed, stroking her hair. "You've been very sick. Please don't worry about it."

Exhausted, the Master could only lie back against her pillow, eyes wearily drifting closed although the stubborn tilt of her chin remained.

"You don't get it, Nick! I've got to do this. I've got to get out of here!"

Phoenix looked helplessly at Pearl. Maya was right, he didn't get it…any more than he knew what on earth to say to get through to his obstinate, strong-willed girlfriend. He was absolutely certain that as soon as visiting hours were over in an hour, and he had to leave to go to work, Maya would stagger, and crawl if necessary, even in her still-weakened state, to sign herself out of that hospital and continue on the same destructive, over-exerting path she'd been spiraling on. And there would be absolutely nothing he could do to stop her!

"Pearls," he pleaded. "Please…do something! You try to reason with her!"

"Pearly," Maya swung desperate eyes to her cousin. "You understand, don't you? I need to finish my course! I'm the Master! It's my duty! You tell him for me!"

Pearl bit her thumb as she looked at Phoenix with troubled eyes, shaking her head.

"She wouldn't listen to me either, Mr. Nick." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "But I know who she will listen to!"

Phoenix Wright and Mia Fey
Hickfield Clinic, Maya Fey's ICU Room
September 8, 2020, 5:15 PM

Phoenix watched as Pearl closed her eyes and appeared to be shimmering slightly before filling her loose-fitting outfit with a much older, shapelier woman.

Mia looked around her, wide-eyed and slightly dumbfounded, as usual, from the channeling. She then glanced down at her surprisingly covered frontal region, clad in a hospital gown, which fit her much better than anything she'd ever worn when previously summoned, and gasped.

"Phoenix! Should I be happy that I'm covered up for once?" She asked dryly, putting a hand to her face and tapping her cheek with her index finger. "Or should I be worried that something happened to Pearly?"

"Sis!" Maya cried ecstatically, her arms upward.

Mia looked down at the hospital bed then, and her eyes welled up slightly at seeing her sister awake at last. She leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around Maya, hugging her close, as though she never wanted to let her go.

"Maya, thank God you've come back to us," Mia breathed, the relief evident in her voice. "I was so worried!" She stroked her sister's hair back from her face and smiled lovingly.

Phoenix watched the two sisters hug, a lump in his throat. Few things brought him greater pleasure than seeing his Maya happy, and Mia's visits were always a joy to behold, even at precarious moments such as these.

However, he knew Maya wasn't going to be happy for long once he did what he was about to do. Nevertheless, it was his way of atoning for how he'd failed to save her back in Labyrinthia two and a half years ago. He was going to be successful in his endeavors this time around, even if it meant doing whatever it took to save her.

This time, from herself.

Phoenix finally spoke, his expression grim.

"You should be more worried now, Chief. It seems despite the miracle of being brought back to life, my tenacious little engine that could is hell-bent on busting out of here ASAP to resume the activities that brought her here in the first place!"

"Nick!" Maya wailed plaintively, tearing herself from Mia's embrace and turning to look at him with an expression of utmost anger and betrayal. "How could you!"

Mia crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side as she looked down at Maya, her tender expression suddenly weary.

"Is that so, Maya?"

"Sis, you don't know what's been going on!" Maya protested. "It's not like he's saying at all!"

"Oh I know very well what's been going on, little sis," Mia stated firmly, in a voice to be reckoned with. "This may be your first time seeing me in a while, but believe me, this isn't my first visit. Phoenix, with the help of Pearly, has kept me up to speed on everything that's been going on. You and me, Maya …we need to have a little talk."

Maya puffed out her cheeks in exasperation.

"Fine then!" She pouted, already knowing full well that unlike with her pushover boyfriend, there was no way she was about to win any sort of battle of wills against her revered older sister. "Say what you will!"

There was a tense silence in the room.

At that moment, Phoenix's phone rang, the loud Steel Samurai ring tone echoing loudly in the sudden tension-filled atmosphere. He hastily answered, not even checking to see who it was; he was just grateful to be granted the opportunity to get a reprieve from his girlfriend's icy glare in his direction.

"H – hello?" He said timidly, turning away slightly but still keeping sight of the two siblings from the corner of his eye.

His jaw dropped when he heard the voice on the other end of the line, and his eyes were the size of saucers as he looked at Mia and Maya, then slowly began backing out the room.

"I'll leave you to your chat, lovely ladies. I – I have to take this call."

Mood music from this chapter - full video and lyrics on thejordanphoenix dot com:

Barbara Streisand – The Way We Were

Leann Rimes – I Need You

January 2, 2022: This story is now being uploaded to be more family-friendly as the previous version was removed for being too steamy and setting off the site smoke alarms, and for having song lyrics. No harm, no foul. Seriously, I'm not worried - who the heck only reads a story for song lyrics and like, TEN chapters of canoodling out of 195? That's grossly underestimating my amazing and loyal readers, wouldn't you agree?

In the meantime, as I go through the painstaking task of ensuring my new version complies with regulations per the admin's advising, the full uncut version of Turnabout Everlasting, and Filling The Void (the other far too sexy for this site previous casualty, which I've started reposting in a less risqué format) plus all 100+ chapters of Singing In The Courtroom can be found on THEJORDANPHOENIX dot com

All 196 chapters are now on my personal site and going forward, I will be posting there first when I write new chapters, so make sure to follow me for the latest updates and direct music video links! (I am still taking reader song requests, BTW) 😄