Tourniquet

(Okay, this will be the next to last chapter everyone. Hope you've enjoyed my story, and as a heads up, I've started work on a sequel. Send me your reviews, please and thank you!)

Chapter 16

"Look, I don't know how long it will be. Really, it's a miracle either of them survived at all."

Phoenix Wright sighed and lowered his head. "All right… Well, can I go in anyway?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "I suppose."

Without another word, Wright passed him and walked into the dimly-lit medical room to the sound of a steadily beeping heart monitor and the powerful smell of sterilized…everything. He had a bandage across his forehead and a few large bruises, but he had been released from the hospital soon after regaining consciousness. However, it had now been a week, and they still hadn't opened their eyes.

Here lay Miles Edgeworth, motionless and silent, covered to his chin with a thick white blanket. A few different tubes ran from the machines near him and under this blanket, hooked to the young man's body with thick needles. He appeared to be resting peacefully, and Phoenix was glad to see it; all of them had been so anxious.

"Hey, Edgeworth." He was speaking very quietly, but out loud as if the man could hear him. He walked over to a chair near the bed and sat down, leaning forward to look at the sleeping prosecutor. "You really gave us a scare, you know. The doctors didn't think you guys would make it."

He fell silent for a moment, watching the other man for any signs of awareness. He received none, but decided to continue speaking. Maybe something he said would get through; it was worth a try. "Franziska's here too," he informed the silence. "They really thought she was done for, but she's going to be okay as well. You two really did a good job back there; Tilea and Ares figured out what happened for the most part. I'm sure they'd be interested in hearing your version of it."

He stopped speaking again, allowing the monotonous beeping to retake the task of driving back the quiet. As Phoenix continued to watch Miles, a slight grin crossed his face at the thought of what he would say if he woke up to find his visitor.

"And what the hell are you doing here, Wright?"

Phoenix sighed again and stood up, deciding it was time to leave. "Well, I'll see ya' around, Edgeworth," he said before turning and walking slowly from the room, closing the door behind him.

Another brief rush of air displaced that which had settled in the room, this time from the slightly parted lips of its lone occupant. A soft sigh of relief, for his worst fears had just been dispelled.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Let go of me! Son of a bitch, get off!"

"Ms. von Karma, please!"

"Help! Goddamn it! Let me go!"

"Ms. von Karma! This is a hospital! Please, calm down!"

She continued to scream and fight, his reasoning with her falling on deaf ears. She had only just woken up and was desperately trying to get free of the medic's restraint. She had absolutely no idea where she was or how she had gotten there; all her brain registered was that there was a man she had never seen before trying to pin her on a bed.

Soon, a few more doctors rushed in and joined their colleague in the struggle. During this time, Phoenix Wright entered the room, having heard the racket. In shock, he dashed over to assist the doctors, hoping a familiar face would help console her, despite the fact that she hated him. However, they wouldn't let him near her, having formed a complete barrier around the bed.

After another few moments of confusion, they managed to hold her still, one of them even placing his hand over her mouth and holding her head still to keep her from hurting her neck by trashing.

"We have to put her out!" one of them shouted over her muffled screams and the frantic voices of the others. "She'll hurt herself!"

Another white-coated man broke free of the huddle and speedily retrieved a needle, quickly filling it with some type of liquid and then returning to the group. "Make sure her arm is still!" he ordered, leaning in to give her the injection.

"STOP!"

Silence suddenly swept the room; even Franziska ceased to scream, only continuing her panicked breathing. The doctors all stared at Phoenix, startled by his presence and sudden outburst. "M-Mr. Wright," one of them stammered, trying to regain his professional appearance. "We have to keep her from thrashing about. She'll injure herself further."

Wright didn't say anything immediately; he had scared himself as well. The reaction had been almost instinctive when he had seen what they were about to do. "N-no…" he began shakily, also attempting to compose himself. "Just wait. I don't think that's necessary."

"But, Mr. Wright-"

"Just let me try and talk to her," he pleaded. "Maybe I can get through to her. Just let me try."

The doctors exchanged doubtful looks, but they all agreed that, if Phoenix could indeed jog her memory, it would be healthier for her than the drugs. "Very well, Mr. Wright," the man with his hand over her mouth said. "You may try." He stepped back, allowing Phoenix to come forward.

Franziska still didn't scream, but her teeth were clenched angrily as she strained against the remaining team. She glared at Phoenix as he stepped up, afraid of everyone's reaction to this newcomer.

"Ms. von Karma," Wright said softly, leaning over her only a little so that she could see him clearly. "It's over; you're not in danger anymore."

She didn't seem to hear him or to understand.

"You remember me, don't you?" he asked, trying to smile. "You know who I am. Phoenix Wright, the foolish defense attorney."

There was a long moment of stillness, where nothing about the atmosphere of the room changed. However, to the amazement of the doctors, Franziska stopped pushing against them. She didn't look relaxed, but her expression was thoughtful as she stared up at the grinning lawyer.

"Edgeworth is here too," Wright continued, pleased with her reaction. "He's in another room. You're at the hospital."

She stared up at him a little longer before finally lowering her head and letting her muscles go limp. A simultaneous sigh of relief followed, only to be replaced by a tense concern as everyone realized that she had begun to sob.

"Hey, it's okay," Wright said, kneeling on the floor so that he was at her level. "It's all over now. Don't cry." He nearly leaned forward to hug her, but thought better of it. He didn't want her to freak out again.

"Sanders may be gone, but the fight isn't over yet."

Wright whipped around to see the two agents enter to room, Ares with his left arm in a sling and Phoenix with a thick bandage around her right forearm, which concealed a bullet wound. They both appeared rather tired, for the task of closing up their investigation and clearing away the mess that had been left would not set itself aside to give them time to make a recovery.

Wright got to his feet. "What do you mean?" he asked, wiping sweat from his forehead with his jacket sleeve.

"Both of them still have a lot of suffering left," Ares replied. "Really, I'm surprised she recognized you so quickly."

A look of worry crossed the attorney's face. "W-what happened in there?" he asked. "You never told me any details."

The two agents looked at each other, and seemed to converse without speaking. They both looked at him again, and it was Ares who spoke. "Come with me," he instructed, gesturing toward the door. Wright followed him, leaving Tilea in the room.

The female agent approached the team purposefully, noting their apprehensive expressions. "Please allow me to speak with Ms. von Karma alone," she requested, something about her tone conveying that she would not take 'no' for an answer.

Hesitantly, the medics began to leave the room, knowing that protesting would get them nowhere. Meanwhile, Tilea took a seat in the chair beside Franziska's bed, the prosecutor watching her the entire time through tear-filled eyes.

"Good afternoon, Ms. von Karma," Tilea greeted her, leaning forward and speaking a bit more softly than was usual for her. "I am Agent Phoenix Tilea, head of Field Ops. for the FBI. My partner and I met you at the Prosecutor's dinner. Do you remember?"

Franziska appeared to be racking her brain, trying to dig out the matching image. Finally, the picture of the two agents sitting across from one another at the four-person table in the back of the ballroom floated before her mind's eyes, and she nodded slowly.

"Good," said Tilea, the shadow of a smile upon her lips. "You're doing well. I came to tell you what's going on. Can you understand me?"

Again, Franziska hesitated and then nodded.

"Everyone involved in your kidnapping has been killed, and that includes the man responsible for your injuries."

Her crying had nearly stopped as she listened, but fresh tears sprang into her eyes and she covered her face. "I-I… I'm…" She was having a great deal of trouble speaking now. "I… killed him… I'm a… a murderer…" She was shaking with sobs of pain and fear. The memory of her torment was burned into her mind and the prospect of further punishment for her own crime loomed menacingly before her.

Tilea shook her head. "No, you're not a murderer," she stated. "You didn't kill Brad Sanders. You shot him in self-defense, but you didn't kill him."

"Huh?" She lifted her head again, giving Tilea a confused gaze. "I-I didn't?"

Tilea shook her head. "No, you didn't."

"Th-then… Who did?"

Tilea breathed in and brushed her bangs away from her eyes with the hand of her uninjured arm. "Miles Edgeworth."

Franziska gasped. "M-Miles…" The fear returned, this time for his sake. She opened her mouth to ask about a thousand questions at once, but Tilea's soft laugh stopped her.

"There's no need to worry," the agent assured her. "Mr. Edgeworth is fine. He hasn't awakened yet, but he's alive and on the road to recovery. And don't worry about any charges against him," she added, knowing that this would be another concern of the prosecutor's. "He was under the direction of the FBI at the time. He had a temporary license to kill if necessary, and Sanders was our main target."

The German woman listened carefully to this explanation, clinging to every word as they cleared away her fear, leaving only the physical and emotional scars. After Tilea finished speaking, Franziska had one more question to ask. "May I… see him?"

Tilea shook her head apologetically. "Neither of you is well enough to leave your rooms. You'll see him again soon, however. I'll see to it personally." As she said this, she indicated herself by pointing to her heart, this action signaling her sincerity.

"Thank you," Franziska sobbed, unable to stop her crying. Even though she felt relief, it was not from the immense pain searing through her body and mind. She couldn't figure it out; everything was going to be all right; why then was she feeling this way?

"Recovery extends beyond the physical plane."

Franziska quickly looked back up at the agent, not having expected her to speak again so soon. "What?"

"What you have been put through doesn't just go away, Ms. von Karma," Phoenix stated with total seriousness. "Nor will Mr. Edgeworth be able to simply put this behind him after taking the life of another human being."

Once again, she seemed to have lost the look of a government agent and appeared as a woman; her black eyes shown with an infinite understanding of the human mind. This time, however, it was Franziska who witnessed the change.

"The feelings the two of you share are about to be put to the test, yet they are now more important than ever. You both have sacrificed something to save the life of the other, and while this will bring you closer, it can also drive you apart over time. Your love must run deeper than your sacrifice and deeper than your scars, else it will never survive the healing process. Instead of dwelling on your pain while you're here, I advise that you figure out why it is that you love him and hold fast to that truth, because the sea ahead is a rough one." With that, she stood, giving the German woman one last glance before her humanity left her and Phoenix was replaced by Agent Tilea, who began to move toward the door of the room.

"Good day to you, Ms. von Karma."