【Chengyu】Turnabout: Bloodline

"...I've never seen someone so young with this disease." A doctor was saying something to him, but Wright felt as if his brain was frozen by the cold, sterile white that filled his eyes, just I heard the last sentence.Maya sat on his left, also holding back tears.Gumshoe collapsed on the seat on the right. The doctor's words just now struck him like a thunderbolt. He opened his mouth wide and panted heavily, reminiscent of a dying fish on a chopping board.

"Mr. Edgeworth had a cerebral hemorrhage. His aneurysm may have been developing for several weeks, during which he may have shown symptoms such as headache, fatigue, dizziness, etc. Today, the aneurysm ruptured, causing him to coma, as you Witnessed."

Wright just shook his head again and again.He tried to recall any chance in the past few weeks that he had been able to spot the symptoms, warn Edgeworth, and make him realize that something was wrong.Was there a moment when he saw Edgeworth drop his defenses, revealing his vulnerability.But the answer he got was no.Yu Jian is such an independent and difficult to get close person, I am afraid that for anyone, there will be no such opportunity.

"Thanks to your quick response, we were able to contain the hemorrhage in Mr. Edgeworth's brain and repair as much damage as possible. The tear in the artery is small and appears to be caused by past trauma."

Wright looked up, and the doctor's speculation caught his attention.

"Past trauma?" Maya cheered up a little, and smoothed the purple fabric on her sleeves. "You mean, Edgeworth had a cerebral hemorrhage before?"

"I'm not sure, but if there was one, it must have happened a long time ago. The wound healed well. The only sequelae was a possible cerebral hemorrhage. Now it has been resolved. I believe he will fully recover." The doctor hesitated After a moment, "Do you guys know of an event that may have led to that trauma?"

Gumshoe mused, "Prosecutor Edgeworth was sapped during an investigation about two months ago."

"Uh, no, the wound is old. I guess he was 10-15 years old at the time." The doctor nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Inspector Yujian should have been with Karma at that time." Gumshoe let out a low hoarse growl, "I think he might have been at that time—but he didn't like to talk about personal matters with me, especially about Karma. of."

"It's completely understandable. I shouldn't care about this. In other words, I have already experienced the level of confidentiality that patients ask for. Whether it is for you or for the patient, I will not go into it any further." The doctor moved his body , rubbed his neck, "That's almost the case, so I'll excuse you first?"

Maya thanked the doctor with a smile, and Wright couldn't help but grabbed his hair again.

【Obviously, that old bastard Karmahau didn't take good care of Yujian.The kind of brain injury the doctor described must have been enough to put him in the hospital!Damn—he's dead long ago, he should be thankful for that.I should probably call Maya out so I can give him a good punch in the face! 】

[Wait... let's forget about this. 】

"Inspector Yujian..." Gumshoe closed his eyes, and wiped away the salty liquid overflowing from the corners of his eyes with his thumb. "I suggested he take a vacation, I actually said it several times. I even brought him brochures about the resorts..."

"The doctor said it wasn't caused by work pressure, Gumshoe." Maya leaned her back against Wright, hugging her knees tightly. "An artery in his brain ruptured from an old injury, and that could happen anywhere. Imagine if it didn't happen in court? He lives alone, doesn't he?"

"Maynight," Cheng Butang exhaled, clenching his fists.The thought of Edgeworth possibly passing out alone at home made his heart feel like it was going to burst out of his chest.Seeing Yu Jian in this way as a near escape, the realization made him shudder.He had to take another deep breath and keep running his hands through his hair so he could say with difficulty, "He'll be fine. It's just...we should be thankful for that? Nothing—if."

"I'm sorry, Wright, I think we're probably all freaked out, aren't we?"

"Yes, so to speak." Cheng Butang supported his knees with his hands, slowly straightened his upper body, and turned to Maya next to him. "I'll be with him tonight. I'm sure he'll want to see his friend's familiar face when he wakes up."

"No offense, but before Inspector Yu Jian wakes up, you'd better adjust your expression first, otherwise you may directly frighten him and pass out again." Gumshoe stood up, and the old plastic seat of the hospital The chair let out a groan of relief at last. "I'll take Maya-san home. I think everyone at Universal Office is worried, right?"

"Ah, hell." Wright covered his face and tried to get up from his seat, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.He turned his head and met Maya's stern gaze.That gaze held him in place far more than her hand.

"You just said that Yu Jian will need you here when he wakes up." She smiled brightly, and even gave him a playful wink. "I'll take good care of Meiguan and Chunmei—why not turn the office into a battlefield for pillow fights?"

Wright watched Charlie-kun's life disappear before his eyes.

"Before you end up with important documents, I advise you to take my wallet. There is no food in the apartment. Although I don't want Meiguan and Chunmei to eat ramen with you every day, at least bring them something to eat. Wright took out his wallet (thankfully, still there) from the suit jacket he had managed to recover, and handed it to Maya. "I believe there is no need to tell you the password."

"Hey, you're joking again, Wright." Maya smiled, took the wallet, and stuffed it into her clothes—somewhere. "Do you think there will be any changes tomorrow? Let's text?"

"Of course. But maybe not so soon. I've heard that brain surgery can really put people out for a long time." Wright tried his best to smile at the girl in front of him, and she twisted a lock of hair like Thoughtful. "You're going to explain all this to Chunmi gently, right?"

"I don't remember the doctor using any heavy words, so I can't Google any horrible images to show them...."

"Maynight..." Cheng Butang begged.

"I'm kidding! No Google, no YouTube videos, I get it."

Knowing that this has entered Wright's normal pattern with Maya, it's time to save Wright from his friend, the Gumshoe has started dragging her down the hall.

"Remember to call me!" Maya shouted, waving her arms.

Wright watched them leave, waving exaggeratedly in the corridor until the corridor door swung slightly behind them.He fell silent, staring at the wall in front of him.He knew Edgeworth was on the other side of it, and his breathing was steady, the rhythm of his heart beating accurately on the machine.

Wright didn't realize he was asleep until the hum of the bumpers on the floor in front of the door woke him up.He flinched, opened his eyes, and the plain white wall became somewhat blurred.The unfamiliar surroundings caused a little panic for a moment, but the feeling quickly faded.Cheng Butang stabilized himself on the chair and let his mind slowly wake up.

"Yujian..." he said to himself quickly, "God, I hope you're okay."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Wright looked up at the man through his fingers.Standing in front of him was the doctor who operated on Yu Jian yesterday.He was a little surprised and didn't know how to answer for a while, but the doctor obviously took his silence as a tacit consent to continue the conversation.

"Mr. Edgeworth should be about to wake up from the coma caused by the operation. I think you'd better be inside, so that you can help calm him. You were there when he fell down yesterday, right? A... familiar face, that's fine." Say." His accent was so thick that Wright could barely understand what he was saying. "Do you agree?"

"Yeah. I want to see him." Wright jumped up from his seat, and the enthusiasm made the doctor take a step back.Just thinking about Edgeworth gave him an adrenaline rush, and he couldn't wait to find out how he was doing.

The doctor (he must be approaching 40, Wright thinks) turned his back on him and led him to the door of the ward that he almost stared out last night.Maybe not last night but this morning?He has no way of knowing.With a soft click, the door opened.When closed, it dragged and rattled across the reinforced wood floor.

Wright wasn't sure if he could face the sight in front of him.

The room is filled with countless pipes, all kinds of medical equipment and the noise made by these equipment.He was a little overwhelmed, and his breath was choked in his chest like this.

"Mr. Wright, I understand this may be difficult for you..."

"I'm fine." He took a sharp breath and pressed the sleeve of his suit jacket over his right eye. "He's not on the cold stone slabs of the morgue. I can handle this...just..." He sniffed, "I...I just..."

"Just a shock." The doctor turned to his patient and nodded. "He's so young. I believe he's the youngest patient with this disease on my ward. Given that, he must have been different. In the past The trauma of his brain is the direct cause of his cerebral hemorrhage, which is by no means a natural occurrence due to age, chronic diseases, high blood pressure, etc. But it may also be caused by some of his own living habits, such as substance abuse."

"I've never heard of it. He's a dead-on guy through and through. I don't think a guy like him does drugs. The only drug he consumes in significant quantities is the caffeine in the top black tea he drinks like water." Cheng Butang smiled wryly, but was forced by the scene in front of him to withdraw his smile. "You feel……"

"what?"

"Do you think..." Wright hesitated again, then said resolutely, "...will he still be the same person?"

"I have no reason to believe he wouldn't. The hemorrhage is far from any part of the brain associated with personality, speech, vision, or any other similar function. It does very little damage to the personality."

"So, why did he pass out like that?" Wright asked, "One second he was fine, the next..."

"The body just did what it was supposed to do. It automatically shut down its own consciousness to help other organs last longer. The bleeding was severe, but the damage was surprisingly not horrific. His motor function may be slightly affected , but that will gradually return as he recovers. As for the rest, only time will tell."

Cheng Butang turned his eyes to Yujian on the hospital bed, and finally let himself examine the scene.

Countless instruments were attached to various parts of the Inspector's body, some of which beeped rhythmically.Edgeworth's muzzle was carefully buttoned with an oxygen mask, his mouth was slightly open, his lips chapped from lack of moisture.He couldn't help but look for a lip balm in Edgeworth's suit pocket - he could almost guarantee that the man would have one stashed in his pocket for such a small problem.But he knew that Yu Jian needed oxygen more than wet lips at this time.

【Made Sword won't agree," he thought with a slight self-mockery.

Then Wright notices that his head is completely covered in bandages, and it's conceivable that a chunk of hair underneath is missing, or worst case, all.He wondered how Edgeworth would react to that, and it probably wouldn't be good.Wright, however, couldn't imagine a Edgeworth without those sleek silver-gray hair, the bangs that droop over his eyes whenever he's researching evidence or sources, or brush his chin when he's fidgeting.

"Can you stay with him?" asked the doctor suddenly.

Cheng Butang raised his head and blinked: "Of course. Are you leaving?"

"It's the best way. A stranger, even a doctor like me, is not the best person to accompany a comatose patient. I wasn't there when he passed out. You were there. You will be the one who woke up The anchor of his memory, and I would only compromise the security he feels from you if I stay. Once he is adjusted, or I think he is good enough to receive such news, I will come back and fully explain what happened." Doctor Explains that Wright was not given a chance to agree or disagree before leaving the ward and closing the door behind him.

Wright took a few steps towards the hospital bed in the middle of the spacious single room.

"You're such a bastard," he whispered, smiling, trying to tease an unconscious man. "I bet you've been in pain, but you haven't said anything to anyone..." He stopped in front of the chair by the bed, then pulled it over and sat down. "I bet you don't think any of us would care, that it's not important or worth caring about, do you?"

The Chief Prosecutor could only answer him with silence.

"Yes, that's right, you're ignoring me as usual." Wright looked down at Edgeworth's outstretched arm beside him, with an IV stuck in it.On the other side, he could see the red lines for blood transfusions, and given Edgeworth's lack of biological family members, he could only imagine that they came from the hospital's blood bank.

He covered Mitsurugi's pale hand with his palm, and then closed his fingers, filling every gap between his opponent's fingers.He hoped that this would make Yu Jian understand how scared he was, how much he wished to see him wake up, still the wise and proud person.

He was too afraid to see the young Attorney General's career end like this, gazing serenely into the distance like some kind of plant, drooling into his bib—this man deserves a better life.Wright reminded himself that the doctor said he wouldn't have changed much from before, but no one was quite sure about the possibility.The only definitive change might be a new athletic clumsiness - something Wright can't deny is Edgeworth's loveliness, especially when he's unapologetically flustered by his own inelegance.

Suddenly, he felt the fingers in his palm twitch, and a soft moan leaked from the lips of the person lying on the bed.Cheng Butang was shocked and sat upright in an instant.In the few seconds he was preparing for Edgeworth's return of consciousness, he felt even more nervous than he had been in court for the first time.

"Made Sword?" he whispered hesitantly, not sure if that was going to help. "Hey, it's okay, you're safe, partner."

TBC