A/N: UUUUGH! I am awful. I'm so sorry for leaving you on such a massive cliffhanger for so long. Uni is hectic and keeping up with schoolwork and all my other commitments just saps my energy and motivation to actually write. I also lost inspiration for this story for a while, but I've resolved to finish it no matter what, because I always hated it when my favourite fictions just stopped and never finished. So here you go! Not a lot happens in this chapter... it does feel a LITTLE pointless, but I consider it a warm up ready for my continuing the rest of the story.
So, enjoy! I'm back, and I'm going to try and be more regular with my updates!

Love you all!

Maya had just made a trip down to the hospital cafeteria, leaving Nick and Karina up in his room. She'd gone to fetch them all something nice to eat, because she'd seen the depressed expression on Nick's face when the trolley nurse brought him some strange mush for lunch. So now she was trotting down the hospital corridors back towards Phoenix's room, three paper bags in hand. The oil from the food inside them had already begun seeping through the paper... but to Maya, that was simply an indication of quality!

She was just crossing the hallway where the main corridor crossed with the surgery corridor when yelling made her leap aside.

"Coming through!" a nurse yelled to clear the hallway ahead of her. There were about five of them, and they were all rushing a gurney down the narrow hall. They were headed towards the surgery room it seemed.

As they rushed past her, Maya could not help but take a look at the person laying on the trolley, but in the brief flash she saw, she did not expect it to be so obvious who lay there. She saw the flash of silver hair first, and that was what made her look twice. Their face was mostly hidden by an oxygen mask, and they were very pale. A nurse was fussing over them as they rushed past, keeping a drip bag elevated.

Maya's blood felt very cold, and though she tried her hardest to deny what she had clearly seen, she knew that face all too well. The final proof was the fifth woman who was fighting to keep up with the nurse's pace. The blue-gray hair and elaborate clothing were all she really needed to see.

"Mr. Edgeworth..." she breathed, standing where she was until the gurney disappeared into the surgery room. She then ran down the hall full speed towards Phoenix's room.

When she reached the room, Karina and Nick were playing cards. Nick had made an amazing recovery in recent days, to the point where he was able to sit up, and even move around a little bit with the assistance of a wheelchair. He seemed flustered with being caught up in bed, even more so since Miles had stopped returning his calls. Maya knew that he was worried for his friend's safety, and that was why she was terrified to bring him the news she had.

"Ah Maya, you're back!" he greeted when she burst through the door. "We were beginning to think you'd forgotten our lunch."

"That's not important Nick!" Maya exclaimed, immediately getting confused look from the defense attorney. After all, Maya loved food, it was always important.

"What's wrong Maya?" he asked, his voice firm. There was already alarm in his expression.

"It's Mr. Edgeworth, Nick!" she sobbed, fighting hard to contain her distress. "They were taking him to surgery!"

She watched as the colour drained from Phoenix's face, and Karina took a firm hold of one of his hands, squeezing it.

"I knew this would happen..." Phoenix choked, a hand rising to cover his mouth. "Did you see him?"

"Briefly," she answered, moving over to her seat at his bed-side, to place down their now-forgotten lunch. "I didn't see what was wrong but... he looked really pale, Nick..." She hated not having any good news for him.

"This isn't your fault, Phoenix..." Karina comforted, getting in before her brother even had the chance to claim responsibility. "We don't know what really happened..."

"What else could it be Karina?" Phoenix snapped.

All that did was agitate Karina, and in response she sat up straighter and folded her arms across her chest. "He knew it was dangerous, he was prepared for this... he told you he was."

"That doesn't matter Karina!" Phoenix snapped, making the woman recoil a little. "This was our mess! It was our responsibility to deal with it! I didn't want anyone else dragged into it, he didn't deserve to get hurt because of us!"

"Because of me you mean..." Karina sniffed, rubbing at her eyes as she began to tear up. "I got you into this mess... and I got him into it as well. So stop taking the blame on yourself!"

"Please stop talking as if he's dead already..." a voice snapped from the door.

They all looked over to find Franziska standing there, looking a lot less composed then usual. "You really ought to have more faith in him."

"Franziska!" Phoenix exclaimed, sitting completely upright. "How is he? Is he alright? What happened?"

Franziska raised a hand and waved it at him, urging him to settle down. "I don't know what you've heard.." she began, glancing sidelong at Maya, "but he's in surgery. He was attacked by a gunman, they're trying remove the bullet from his shoulder now."

Phoenix hung his head in his hands, terrified to think that the prosecutor could have vanished so abruptly if things had only gone a little differently. "How is he doing?"

"Stable," Franziska replied, practically cutting the attorney off. "They stopped the bleeding in the ambulance, but he's lost a lot of blood... we have to wait till after the surgery to know for certain." She moved then, walking up to stand at the foot of Phoenix's bed, her stiletto heels clicking on the floor.

"You listen to me, and listen well, Phoenix Wright," she demanded, urging his attention up from his hands with her voice alone. "Miles Edgeworth will not be taken down by one cowardly shooter who cant even make a straight shot. I know he's in this case until its finish, and that is not here."

Phoenix stared into Franziska's icy gray eyes for several long moments before he finally swallowed, fighting to breathe after having held it for so long. "I'll believe that when I talk to him myself."

Franziska smirked in an amused fashion as she turned to head back to the door. "I shall keep you updated Phoenix Wright, but this incident will not disrupt your recovery, am I clear?"

"Yes," Phoenix replied, biting back the urge to call her 'mother'.

"Very good," she finished with a wave, "take care."

With that she was gone, without so much as another word.

"She's... every bit as frightening as you told me," Karina offered with a nervous laugh.

"She's nice really," Maya chimed, her mood seemed to have done its usual effortless rebound. "She just likes to be in charge of everything."

Karina giggled before glancing over at Phoenix, her expression falling in an instant. Her brother sat still, eyes locked on the bed-sheets, his hands clutching at the fabric. There was a vein sticking out in his jaw from where he clenched it so tightly.

"Hey, Phoenix?" she began, reaching up to touch the side of her brother's face. "He'll be OK, you know that right?"

"I know... that's the problem..." Phoenix replied tersely.

"P-problem?" Karina squeaked, utterly confused by his comment. "You wanted him to not be OK?"

"Franziska is right, Karina," Phoenix snapped, still avoiding her gaze as she tried so desperately to catch his. "As long as he is physically able, Edgeworth will pursue this case. He's always been that way... whether it's pride or- or something else entirely, he'll fight this case till it's finished... one way or another."

"You're worried they'll try again... aren't you?" Maya concluded.

Phoenix nodded, his mouth drawn into a thin line. "He'll leave the moment he's able to, and then they'll be after him harder then ever."

"Have a little faith, Nick!" Maya exclaimed, puffing her cheeks in irritation. "If there's one thing Mr. Edgeworth is good at, it's being immovable. He'll be fine."

Phoenix had to snort in mild laughter. She was right about that, Miles was indeed immovable when he put his mind to something. He didn't bother hiding his scepticism though, "I hope you're right."

"Shut up and eat your lunch, Nick," she snapped, thrusting the paper bag into his face, effectively ending the discussion.

It was three hours before Phoenix and his companions were given any further news on Edgeworth's situation. Franziska returned, looking a little more composed then she had been for her previous visit.

"He came out of surgery an hour and a half ago, and has been awake for about half an hour," she said, not bothering with a greeting or any other meaningless conversational formality.

"And?" Phoenix encouraged.

"He's fine, Phoenix Wright," she snapped in retaliation, not appreciating his tone. "He's still a little groggy, but otherwise thoroughly annoyed. I suspect he'll start pushing to be discharged within an hour, once his anaesthesia properly wears off."

Phoenix rolled his eyes, that sounded just like Edgeworth.

"He does not know that you are aware of his attack," Franziska cautioned. "I suspect it is his intention to keep this as quiet as possible..."
"I don't care," Phoenix dismissed, "I'm going down to see him now." As if to make a point the attorney pressed the call button on his bedside.

"Don't be ridiculous you foolish fool!" Franziska protested, uncoiling and recoiling her ever present bull-whip. "That is both highly impractical and unnecessary."

"I don't recall needing your permission," Phoenix retorted.

At that moment the nurse arrived, and Phoenix relayed his desire to her. She seemed a little hesitant, but it only took her a few moments to be convinced. "Alright Mr. Wright... you've been making a good recovery, so I think we can afford a short visit. Provided things stay civil."

"Civil!" Franziska scoffed, "those two fools wouldn't know the meaning of civil!"

'Ironic... coming from you,' Phoenix thought bitterly.

Soon enough the nurse had helped him into his wheelchair, despite all of Franziska's protests, and she was fussing over the final details of his comfort.

"The moment there's any pain, we come straight back," she stated.

"Yes, whatever. Can we go now?" he snapped, getting a reprimanding glare from Karina for it.

"Alright Mr. Wright, let's go," she relented, shaking her head as she steered him out of the ward, Franziska, Maya and Karina on their heels.

Edgeworth was well and truly awake when they reached his room. He was sitting up in his bed, arguing with a nurse who was holding a glass of water and some pills in a little cup.

"Will you just give me the damn pills so I can leave already?" he snapped at her. The poor nurse looked even more flustered then he did.

"Don't go taking this out on her, Edgeworth," Phoenix reprimanded as his own nurse brought his chair to a stop just inside the room.

The prosecutor's steely gaze flashed in his direction first, the rest of his torso rotating to face him afterwards. "Wright..." he acknowledged. The silver glare would then throw daggers at Franziska, who stood in the doorway with Maya and Karina.

Edgeworth looked strange without his wine-coloured suit jacket and black vest. He had obviously been quick to change out of his surgery robe, already a white shirt that looked brand new, there were even creases across the chest and sleeves that suggested it had been folded and packaged until very recently. Perhaps the weirdest features however, were the sling in which his arm rested and the absence of his cravat. His arm was fastened so that it rest diagonally across his chest, presumably in a position that put the least strain on his injured shoulder. All the was visible of the injury was the edge of a bleached white bandage that showed beneath his shirt-collar.

"Don't even bother saying what you're going to say, Wright," Miles growled, snatching the pills and glass from the nurse and knocking them back with a quick swig. "I've no interest in hearing you try to be the voice of reason."

Phoenix raised one eyebrow. "Then you know I am being reasonable when I say that you should drop this case?"

"Can I go now?" Miles demanded, ignoring Phoenix completely for the time being.

The intimidated nurse shook her head, hugging her clipboard tightly to her chest, as if she thought it served as some kind of protection. "You need to give the sedatives a few hours to wear off properly first, and we have to make sure everything went smoothly with the surgery."

He growled, sitting back against his pillow, the fingertips of his good hand drumming against the crisp white sheets. Now he turned his attention back to Phoenix.

"All this means is that I'm on the right track, Wright," he snapped. "It's not an invitation to give up the chase."

"You didn't seem to need an invitation to start with," Phoenix retorted.

"Will you two stop?" Karina demanded, her voice pitched with frustration. "Maybe if you two just worked together instead of bashing each other about, we could get to the bottom of this faster and save my daughter!" Phoenix and Miles both flinched, feeling rightly chastised for their behaviour. "You've both been acting like children."

The defense attorney and the prosecutor exchanged a long stare, neither man's gaze loosening even a little, until finally Phoenix sighed and broke eye-contact, giving the tiniest of nods. "Alright... do what you need to do."

Edgeworth gave a self-satisfied smirk, massaging his arm just below the shoulder. "I already know my next move, but I'm going to need to talk to your secretary, Wright."

Phoenix looked surprised, both his eyebrows arching high above his curious expression. "Barbara? Why?"

"Because..." Miles began, turning to the nurse and requesting that she bring him a cup of tea. "She's going to lead me right to Othello."