I Want to See Your Smile Again

Chapter 19

"You got shot!" Trucy yelps instantly, hands balled into fists. Looks like she's gonna ignore the no yelling rule. "It was so cool! Dad and Daddy and me were watching Steel Samurai 8 because Dad bet Daddy that he'd cry twice, and he'd already cried once, but then the phone started ringing and they told me to pick it up, and it was Mr. Gumshoe! And then I put it on speaker and he told me and my dads to meet him at the hospital 'cause you were in trouble and Klavier told Daddy to make your medical decisions for you 'cause you were unconscious! We drove there super quick and there was an ambulance and flashing lights everywhere and everyone was yelling and it was way past my bedtime but no one cared!"

Apollo blinks, trying to take in the barrage of words. Jeez, she didn't stop once to take a breath through all that. Impressive.

"Wait..." Apollo tries to press his finger to his forehead, but his arm isn't cooperating. Damn it, this is really awkward. "...I got shot?"

That's hard to process. Getting shot feels like that thing that happens in the movies or in the news, not like something that can happen to twenty-something brunette lawyer Apollo Justice. Come on, he's just an ordinary guy! Just how the hell would Apollo even get shot? He's a lawyer! He doesn't do anything exciting or dangerous, y'know.

"You were shot in the foot," Mr. Wright clarifies. Judging by the faint stubble on his chin and the wrinkles under his eyes, he had just as exciting a night as Trucy- except he just looks really tired, not energized by it like Trucy is.

"The doctor says that you were really lucky!" Trucy adds. "She said that you, uh,"

Trucy stops dead in her tracks, glancing at Mr. Wright for help.

"The bullet missed bones and critical cartilage." Mr. Wright says, and it there's a faint air of recitation to it. Yeah, Mr. Wright's no ballistic forensics expert- not unless there's even more he hasn't told Apollo. Let's just agree that the doctor probably told him that.

"That's good." Trucy attempts to translate. Mr. Wright just chuckles, leaning over and pointing to Apollo's foot.

"It exited the bottom of your foot here," Mr. Wright explains. "Which is good, because it missed everything important. The bad news is, that means that your foot could bleed freely, and between blood loss and lack of oxygen, you went into shock pretty quickly."

Oh, shock. That explains why Apollo remembers feeling numb earlier. "How... bad is it?"

"Well, you're definitely going to be here in the hospital for awhile," Mr. Wright sighs. "Your ears are also a bit damaged, and your neck is bruised and swollen."

Okay. Apollo's ears were probably hurt by the gunshots (those things are loud), but his neck? How would that-

There's a flash in Apollo's mind's eye, and then there's the sudden image of a fuchsia clad arm tightening around Apollo's neck. He remembers lungs burning for air and a crushed throat, clear as day. Apollo's hand twitches, as though it's remembering his strained arms, trying in vain to yank the arm of his captor away as his heart only pounds more and more.

Oh... oh right, Kristoph was holding Apollo back, choking him. Then there was Klavier standing just opposite, reaching out for Apollo with panic written clearly on his face, and Ema... Ema was coming from behind, firing at Kristoph.

This is good. Apollo can recall more and more of last night when he thinks about it.

Wait... three guns, two gunshots, ambulances, and police? That sounds for a recipe for disaster, now that Apollo thinks about it. They can't have all made it out with only Apollo'sfoot injured.