Summery: AU Having woken up from his 15 years of coma, Gregory Edgeworth begins his weeks of recovery with questions concerning his son and the year she's missed. Miles Edgeworth, meanwhile, begins a recovery of his own to forgive himself for his past sins and move on to become a better prosecutor. With the reunion of father and son, both decide to help each other recover physically and mentally of their broken states.

"It's a miracle, Mr. Edgeworth. You seemed to have woken up with hardly any signs of memory loss. We feared for the worse, due to the gunshot damaging the artery near your heart," the nurse said gleefully.

Gregory nodded, then muttered, "m-m-meh...."

"Oh yes, you do seem to be showing possible symptoms of mild traumatic brain damage, though nothing that can't be fixed. It's a miracle that it wasn't worse. You will need physical therapy to walk again, but besides that, you should be fine. The mild brain damage should heal on its own in due time under close watch. In about a year or less, you should be able to live, talk, eat, sleep and move around on your own."

Gregory nodded, slowly moving his trembling hand over his throat. He spoke again, "M... Miles."

There was a knock on the door before the nurse called, "come right in!"

Miles Edgeworth appeared through the door, taking a deep breath. He had been told by the doctor of his father's condition. Indeed, it had been better than what he was told 15 years ago, but it was enough to make him regret his outburst last night. The last thing his father needed to see and hear was his sorry excuse for a son feeling sorry for himself. He needed to be strong for his father. He was the closest family member with the money and luxury to take care of him.

"Good morning, Mr. Edgeworth um... Junior?" The nurse asked.

"Just Prosecutor Edgeworth is fine. It will limit the confusion,"Miles replied. He decided that if he was going to care for his father, he had to not regret his career choice. It wasn't much, but it was a start. His father never regretted any of the choices he's made in his life and neither should he.

"Ah, yes. Your father will need about a week or so of recovery until he's able to walk again. Once then, he'll be allowed to return home, under supervision, until his brain heals."

"I see. How much can he speak? I heard him say my name when he...woke up."

"Yes, but not much. The only word he's ever spoken was Miles,"the nurse said as her and Miles looked directly at Greogry.

"M... Miles," Gregory spoke painfully hoarsely, reaching out for his son.

It took every ounce of strength to not shed any tears like he did before. This was heartbreaking. It was relieving that it wasn't worse, but still heartbreaking. Miles walked to his father and let him hold his hand. He looked back at the nurse.

"Is there anything else I need to know about? I know you said he has mild brain damage, but how bad is it?" Miles asked the nurse.

"The doctor will be performing a test on him in three days. It will be New Years Eve tonight, so much of our staff is limited I'm afraid."

"That's alright. I didn't have any plans for the New Years anyways. I'll spend them with my father."

"M... Miles dao," Gregory pleaded before coughing.

"It's alright, Father. Y... You're not a burden to me and try to limit your speech," Miles assured softly. He already could read what his father was going to say from his body language to thee motions written on his face.

Gregory felt pathetic, he was afraid and saddened. He couldn't speak clearly, walk, eat correctly, pee, poop or move his hand without it shaking like a leaf. Miles was a grown man with a job as a prosecutor. He certainly has more important things to do than spending all of his time and money on someone that was dead for 15 years. He also felt deep regret for missing a bulk of his son's childhood. Those were memories he could never gain back.

"Is there anything you need?" The nurse asked.

"No. Thank you very much," Miles replied, smiling at the nurse before she left.

Miles looked down at his dad, who had released his hand not too long ago. He was staring out the window with a depressed expression. Miles felt heartbroken. Here he was last night feeling sorry for himself when it was his father that needed him the most. Ms. Skye was right and Miles would never admit it, but he should've listened to Phoenix.

"Father, I'm.... sorry about last night," Miles said as Gregory turned back to look at his son, seemingly confused. "I shouldn't have burst out like that. That was inconsiderate of me."

"Na... No, M... Miles..." Gregory responded in a panicked and horse voice. He coughed again before shaking his head. He took Miles' hand with his own shaking ones, then placed it over his chest.

Miles shook his head as a few tears fell from the corner of his eyes.Gregory reached for a tissue on the small side table with shaking hands, then gave it to his son. Miles took it and wiped his eyes.

"Th-Thank you. I don't know why I'm crying. You're the one in pain,not me," Miles said, smiling bitterly. Gregory shook his head,giving his son a slight glare before reaching out with what little strength he had to pull him into a hug. "F-Father?" He felt his father's weak, shaking hands comb through his locks, while using the other to pat his back for comfort. From then, Miles could not hold back his tears any longer, because he understood what his father was saying.

'I love you, son. Don't forget that. I'll always love you. Nothing you do can change that.'

The young prosecutor remembered hearing his father tell him that so many times as a child whenever he was hurt or crying. It was only his aunt that told him not to cry. Miles squeezed his eyes shut and cried his heart out. He never realized how much he needed this, his father's love, the very thing he missed for these past 15 years. It came to him that even 15 years later and as a grown man, his father's love never changed. Even hearing that he became a prosecutor didn'tchange that.

"I love you too, Father. I'm sorry for everything. I... I didn't become the Defense Attorney I promised I'd be. I was taught under Manfred Von Karma, the man you went against before... this. It turned out he was the one that did this to you. I only found out a few days ago. I've done a lot of things you never approved of.... Now... I realized what a fool I was. My boss told me I should pay you a visit and..." Miles confessed. He always confessed everything when his father did this to him. It seemed even now that never changed.

Gregory listened to his son and nodded. He moved his son's head to face him before straightening his cravat. Miles was confused, not being sure what his father was trying to convey. Then, he saw his father smirking and chuckling a bit before pointing to mirror in front of them, then pulling Miles' face beside his own. Miles then began understanding. Regardless of who his mentor was, he was the son of Gregory Edgeworth, not Manfred Von Karma. Even if he may not realize it, Miles was an Edgeworth and always would be.

"I... thank you. Though, I have done a lot of horrid things you wouldn't approve of. I realize now I was wrong, but..." Miles muttered, then his mouth was covered by his father's hand. Gregory shook his head, then removed his hand, taking Miles' hand into his own. The young prosecutor nodded. "I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you get well. I'm sure Mr. Shields will be pleased to hear you're awake now. He's been running Edgeworth Law Offices."

Gregory smirked slightly, then began messing with Miles' cravat again with curious eyes. Miles couldn't hold back a laughter. He untied his cravat, then said, "if you're curious, I can show you how to tie it. It's quite simple really. Like tying a tie."

Gregory laughed, enjoying this simple, silly moment with his son. He eventually felt nauseated and had to be given medication and rest.Miles made sure his father was being cared for during his days of recovery. With New Years Eve approaching, he felt himself becoming more confident, relaxed and sure. The fact his father was happy and loved him was enough for Miles. He didn't need anyone to tell him what he should do in his life. He already has his life set for him.

While Gregory was being treated for his nausea Miles treated himself to breakfast, then bought some stuff. He then remembered the gift basket his colleagues made for him and decided to share it with his father. Well, maybe not the snacks and candy, but the tea should be fine. He made sure to ask the nurse before doing so.

Miles brought in a bouquet of flowers of different colors. He watched his father moan as he woke up.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Miles asked as Gregory shook his head."How are you feeling."

Gregory nodded his head, smiling as he cocked his eyebrows at what Miles was doing. He held two cups of hot tea that he made. Miles poured some icy cold water for his father, since his taste buds were still sensitive.

"I made some tea for the both of us. My colleagues made me a Christmas gift basket. Since my trial came around Christmas, they had to send it in late," Miles replied, giving his father the lukewarm tea.

Gregory smiled, nodding before taking a small sip of the tea. He cringed a bit before Miles watered down the tea a bit more. His father needed time for his taste to return to normal. Gregory stared at the tea with saddened eyes. Miles couldn't imagine the agony his father was going through right now. Even with mild brain damage, he was dealing with emotions he had no control over. The doctor said some of the symptoms included feeling depressed or anxious, mood swings or having problems with memory or concentration. It's possible he might've not remembered anything from DL-6. Though, with Gregory's issues with speech, it was hard to say if he had memory problems or not. Though,it might explain why his son being a prosecutor or being taught under Von Karma wasn't problematic. He probably didn't remember the guy.

"Father, do you remember how you ended up here?" Miles asked calmly. Gregory looked like he was thinking for a moment before his eyes widened in a slight state of panic. "I-It's okay if you don't.Um... sorry for asking."

Gregory shook his head and only held Miles' hand. He looked at his son and smiled before flickering with the cravat. Miles couldn't hold back a chuckle. Maybe there was some form of memory his father did have or was trying to remember. Maybe the cravat held some form of faint memory? Manfred Von Karma would've been the only person in Gregory's life that worse this piece of clothing. Did he remember Manfred? If so, why did he find it humorous to find this piece of cloth that symbolized him around his son's neck humorous?

"Do you remember Manfred Von Karma?" Miles asked, watching his father look up at him and nodding. "Do you hate him?" Gregory shook his head. He was still playing with the cravat. Miles couldn't understand what his father was thinking at this moment. There was something going on in his head that he couldn't understand. Shouldn't a father be angry or devastated at the man that shot him, took his son, then tried to pin the attempted murder on him?

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Gregory released the cravat from his hands as Miles stood up straight. A familiar face came through the door with a huge grin and a plant. It was Raymond Shields.

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth! Good to see you awake after all these years!"Raymond greeted as Gregory covered his ears painfully.

"Neh!" Gregory grunted.

"Pipe down, you fool. Father is suffering brain damage, so he's sensitive to loud noises," Miles sternly rebuked.

"Oh... sorry," Raymond whispered as Gregory uncovered his hears,then stared at his colleague in confusion. Raymond placed the plant on the shelf by the window. "How are you feeling, boss?"

Gregory sighed, then muttered hoarsely, "Wahi."

"He's retained memory, but it seems hard for him to concentrate on specific events as far as I know. The nurse said they're not going to test him until after the Holidays," Miles explained.

"I see. So, how are you doing? I heard about the court case at Gourd Lake. You could've called me to defend you, you know,"Raymond said.

"No offense Mr. Shields, but considering your faith in me, the trail would've turned out the same as it did with Yonni Yogi. Could you look at me in the eye and tell me that I didn't murder Robert Hammond?" Miles looked straight at Raymond with that cold, hard glare he always carried. Raymond knew that glare. His own look was one with a large amount of distrust, thus he couldn't give an answer.

Gregory could see there was bad blood between his son and colleague.He felt disheartened and conflicted. Sure, he was a Defense Attorney and his son was a Prosecutor, but Miles meant so much more to him than anything else in the world. The idea that anyone would think of his son as a cold-blooded murder was unthinkable! Miles would never murder anyone. Not his Miles.

"H-Hey um... Mr. Edgeworth," Raymond said as Gregory looked up."Listen, it's fine. Don't worry about us. I'm just glad you'redoing okay. The doctor said you'd be a vegetable by the time you woke up and now look at you. You're doing great." He grinned his biggest. He didn't want to cause stress to his boss.

Gregory nodded, showing a small smile, but it was clear that he was conflicted. He felt his son's hand pat his shoulder, telling him,"it's alright. What's going on between Mr. Shields and I, we can deal with it. You need to focus on recovering, Father."

"He's right. Focus on getting better. You've got enough on your plate as it is," Raymond grinned as Gregory chuckled slightly."Anyways, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to be spending the New Years with Father, since he's just now woken up. Once he's discharged, I'll have him stay at my place until he completely recovers. The doctor says he needs to be under close watch."

"Ah, I see. That's great. You'll be back in the field in no time,Mr. Edgeworth. Who knows? You might even meet your Prosecutor son in court."

"I'd like to avoid conflict of interest, thanks," Miles sighed with irritation as his father smiled awkwardly at the idea.Not that family members facing each other in court has never occurred or happened before, but it can create conflict of interest if certain lines are crossed. It wouldn't surprise Gregory if the fate of a defendant was already decided before the court started, because the Defense and Prosecutor were related by blood. It would certainly start a distrust towards the courts if that happened.

"Anyways, I should get going. New Years Eve is coming up and my sister, brother and their kids are waiting for me," Raymond replied.

"I understand. Have a happy New Year," Miles responded.

"You too. And, Miles..." Raymond said. It was the first time in years he's called Miles by his first name, since becoming a prosecutor. It surprised him to say the least. "Take care of your old man, would you?"

"I certainly will," Miles replied, taking a bow.

"I mean it," Raymond said, taking Miles by the hand, then talking quietly out of Gregory's rang. "You already lost me when you chose to be under Von Karma. I won't forgive you, if you abandon your father too. Right now, he needs you."

"I understand," Miles replied in a whisper. He didn't bother telling Raymond that he was no longer going to follow any of Von Karma's teachings. It was a decision he made too recently and needed time to put it into practice.

Raymond exited out the door, waving with a grin, "later, Mr.Edgeworth."

After leaving, Gregory's face seemed to be conflicted with emotions.Miles looked at his father and smiled. He already had his future set.He, looking at his father right now, already knew what he had to do now. He would continue being a prosecutor in order to help his father recover from this. He would give his father the strength to keep going. They both needed each other.

Miles found himself sitting next to his father on the hospital bed,watching some game shows. It was the best New Years Eve and morning for the Edgeworth's. With all of his worries gone and his new resolution, Miles was ready to begin his new journey as a prosecutor.Of course, his troubles weren't completely gone.

 A few months later, while dropping his father over to his place after being discharged, he would find a dead corpse inside the trunk of his car.