Back from the Dead

Living Ghosts

Usually when a person gets a weird and cryptic phone call to come to a location, they call the police and let them deal with it. But not this guy...Raymond was going straight to the Los Angeles General Hospital with no idea what was expecting him. Maybe it was the desperation in the caller's voice...or maybe it the familiarity with that voice. Either way the man was going to the hospital with no way of knowing what to expect.

He really hoped this was not just some cruel joke made by someone. Even if part of him knew...He still hoped. And if it was a prank then he'll at least have the satisfaction of suing the asshole for emotional damage.

He parked his car once he arrived at the hospital and told the front desk he was heading to room 215, "to visit a friend". The old lady behind the counter barely spared him a glance as she pointed towards the left hallway. Once he arrived at the door he knocked twice and entered before receiving an invite. What he saw inside made him freeze.

Gregory Edgeworth, in the flesh. Casually reading a book in his hospital bed. The man aged a bit in the past 17 years, his hair greyed quite a bit and his age lines had deepened, but it was unmistakably Mr. Edgeworth. The older man looked at Raymond before smiling warmly.

"Ray...It's good to see you kid."

"Mr. Edgeworth... you- you're alive! I can't believe it."

"Can't believe it myself kid. After Misty channeled me I thought I was a goner."

"I-I think I need to sit down..." the younger attorney as he took one of the plastic chairs in the room. "You're alive? How- I...I don't understand. I went to your funeral." 

"I know it's confusing and I'll explain to the best of my ability. But first, I need to ask. What happened to Miles? Is my son alive?"

"Miles? Yeah the kid's fine. Alive and well I guess. Why do you ask?"

"I've been trying to get in contact with him for the past 6 months, but the nurses didn't let me. For a while I thought it was because he had died..."

"Assholes." muttered the curly haired man. "But yeah, the kid's alive. Last I checked he was in Germany, proposing to his boyfriend."

"P-proposing?"

"Yeah...Guess you missed quite a bit."

"I suppose so..." said the older attorney while clutching his arm and looking to the side, similarly to Miles. He looked back at his old protégé and smiled warmly again. "How about I tell you how I landed myself in this predicament and then you catch me up on all that I missed."

"Sounds great! How about you tell me why you are stuck in the hospital in the first place?"

"Well, according to the doctors here, I have been shot in the chest nearly 17 years ago, in the courthouse elevator. The bullet barely missed my heart and I have been in a coma ever since."

"Damn that bastard von Karma..."

"Von Karma? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Nevermind, I'll explain after you're done."

 "Alright. I woke up 6 months ago and have been doing physical therapy ever since. I can now walk with the assistance of a cane, though not for long periods, but I'm working on it. Actually I only managed to contact you thanks to regaining my ability to walk and calling from a payphone, since it's obvious that the staff is determined to keep me here for as long as possible, for some reason."

"Yeah and I think I might know why..." Gregory raised and eyebrow at the younger man's bitter tone but otherwise did not interrupt him. "First I guess I should start with who shot the bullet that put you in a coma. 17 years ago, you, Miles and Yanni Yogi entered the elevator and an earthquake shook the building at 2:00 PM, while you were inside. Yogi panicked and started attacking you, in his panic he dropped his pistol. Miles picked up a pistol that had fallen from Yogi's belt and, hoping to make Yogi let you go, threw the gun, this resulted in a bullet being fired-"