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Kay wanders through the hallway of the Edgeworth Law Office, having just slipped in through a window. Even though she hasn’t visited Uncle Ray’s law office many times before, it is always easy to find a way inside a building. After all, she couldn’t call herself a Great Thief if she weren’t skilled at getting into buildings.
One of her favourite things to do when she sneaks into someone’s house (or in this case, office) is to rearrange their stuff, and then watch their confused reaction from a hiding place before jumping out and laughing. She does this to Mr Edgeworth all the time, and it never ceases to make her laugh (and annoy him).
So she creeps through the office’s hallway, picking up a vase of flower as she passes them (the flowers are in a vase marked with criss-cross patterns, and Kay can’t help but grin and whisper, "X marks the spot.”, something that would make Mr Edgeworth groan if he heard her), before peering into the main room of the office. Kay opens the door a crack, but doesn’t see Uncle Ray anywhere. Still, while she is here, she swaps the vase with a pot plant from the big office, hoping to thoroughly confuse him when he does appear.
But there doesn’t seem much point in hanging around when the place seems deserted, so Kay moves to leave. But when she walks through the hallway and past the bathroom door, she stops dead. She just heard a noise. A noise that sounded disturbingly like a sob.
Her heart rate increasing, Kay creeps closer to the shut door, hoping she didn’t just hear what she thought she did. But… but as she stands there and strains her ears, she hears it again. Yeah, someone is totally crying. Their sobs are quiet and muffled, but she can hear it. And…
Oh no.
It sounds like Uncle Ray.
But… but why is he crying? What’s wrong? Is he upset? Is he hurt?
And because subtlety has never been a trait of hers, Kay doesn’t hesitate. Instead, she bangs hard on the door and calls, “Uncle Ray, are you okay?”
She hears the gasp, a sound of shock and confusion, even from the other side of the door.
“Kay?” Uncle Ray says, his voice weak and quiet and totally different to how it normally sounds. Something is totally wrong with him.
“Yeah, it’s me. Um… are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Kay frowns. “Because I thought I heard you crying.”
“N-No, I’m not crying, Kay.”
She so doesn’t believe him.
So Kay tries the door.
“What are you doing?” he says, panicked.
But it’s locked.
But a locked door isn’t a match for a Great Thief.
“Kay, stop it. Please don’t come in!”
So even though Uncle Ray is begging her to go away, Kay picks the lock and the door swings open.
And she just stares.
Uncle Ray has clearly been crying, his eyes pink and puffy. But that isn’t what Kay focuses on.
Because all she sees is the blood and the razor in his hand.
She stumbles backwards, eyes wide. Uncle Ray doesn’t move, seemingly frozen in place. But his hands tremble, the bloody razor blade shining in the light. And the blood… it’s slicked all over his bare thigh, oozing from two thin cuts. But even with all the blood, Kay still sees the dozens of scars that look exactly like the open wounds.
Oh God, just how long has he been doing this to himself?
“Uncle Ray?” she whispers after what feels like hours of agonising silence.
His head is bowed, his eyes screwed up. “I’m sorry, Kay. I never meant you to see this. I…” He trails off, biting his lip.
Her mouth hanging open, Kay steps forwards. She reaches for a roll of toilet paper and bundles up a load of it, before standing over Uncle Ray.
“Uncle Ray? Can I p-put this on your leg?”
He doesn’t speak, but nods his head.
“Sorry if it hurts,” Kay says, carefully pressing the toilet paper against his leg.
And it does. Uncle Ray winces, blood soaking through the makeshift dressing, and Kay wants to cry.
“Sorry sorry sorry.”
“No, its okay,” he says weakly. “I… Thank you f-for helping. I’m the one who should be sorry. You sh-shouldn’t have had to see this.”
Kay smiles sadly, not knowing how to respond. Instead, she says, “Do you have a first aid kit?”
When Uncle Ray nods, Kay locates the first aid kit and opens it. Soon, she has stuck a dressing over his leg and wrapped it in bandages, and flushed all the bloody tissue down the toilet. And when Uncle Ray washes his hands, the sudden lack of blood makes the whole situation somewhat less terrifying.
But not by much. Because a man she considers both an uncle figure and a friend is self harming, and it looks like he’s been doing it for years.
Kay helps Uncle Ray to his feet, watching the wince and wanting to sob, and leads him into the office. When he sits on the couch, he looks up at her.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
“I just want to help you,” Kay says. “Which means I’m gonna tell Mr Edgeworth.”
She thought he might argue, beg her not to tell Mr Edgeworth about this, but he doesn’t. Uncle Ray just nods his head, sighing.
“I understand. I’m just so sorry you had to…”
“No, it’s okay,” Kay says, echoing something he said earlier. “It was scary, but it’s actually kind of a good thing I saw. Because… now you don’t have to go through this alone.”
Uncle Ray looks up at her, tears shining in his eyes. “Kay… you’re a wonderful girl, do you know that?”
“Of course I do,” she says, grinning. “I’m a Great Thief, after all.”
And even though he looks dreadful and must feel it too, Uncle Ray chuckles.
“Want a hug?” Kay says.
Uncle Ray nods and Kay wraps him in one of her best hugs, rubbing his back.
“Everything’s gonna be okay, Uncle Ray,” Kay whispers, vowing to help him through the troubles sure to come.