Disclaimer: I do not own anything LoZ related.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They make me feel warm and tingly inside :D
Chapter 7: Link Finlay
St. Rauru Regional Medical Center
Central Square
Friday, July 29th, 9:02 P.M.
What a horrible dream. Goddesses. I thought we were done with bombings…
In my dream we were at an Indigo-Go's concert. Zelda was going on about some loser she dated in high school and then the Observatory/Laboratory/Thing exploded beneath us… I just grabbed Malon because she was nearest and then we fell into the water and here I am. Goddesses, my sheets are scratchy. I'll get Zelda to wash them for me.
I try to roll over and the bed squeaks extremely loud and I jump a foot. I shout out in pain. What the hell? My ribs feel like they're on fire. I freeze and don't move an inch. Slowly, when the pain passes, I open my eyes.
I'm in a hospital bed, in a hospital gown. What in the hell is wrong with my chest? No one is in the room, so I pull up my gown.
My chest has swollen twice the size it usually is. It is blackish-blue and it hurts like HELL. Was my dream real?
Dammit. What happened to the others?
I hit the nurse button on my nightstand. No one answers, so I hit it again. And again. And again. And again. I continue to hit it until somebody comes in.
"Mr. Finlay, what is the matter?" asks the nurse.
"Why am I here?" I demand. "What's wrong with my chest? What happened to the others?"
"Wait one moment," she says.
"No!"
Too late, she's already left. I curse again. A few minutes later, Malon appears. She's drenched, bruised, and cut.
"What happened?" I demand. "Are you okay?"
"I'm the best off out of all of us," Malon informs me. "I'm just bruised and scratched. You've got a deep bone bruise in your ribs, you're the worst off. You took the pressure for yourself and me. When we started to fall, you grabbed me. You saved me. Thank you, Link."
"Anytime," I answer. "What's up with Sheik and Zelda?"
"They both have concussions," Malon says, biting her lip. "Zelda's pretty bad off…"
"When are we getting out?"
"That's up to Ewer," Malon says. "Remember her? From the last time a bomb went off around us?"
"Bomb?" I say. "…shit."
"Yeah," Malon says. "He's back. The cop was in here earlier, she called him The Phoenix. I guess that makes sense, because Phoenixes burst into flame just like his bombs. Hopefully, he won't rise from the ashes whenever the cops get him."
"Hopefully," Link says. "Where are Sheik and Zelda?"
"They're both right down this hall."
"I want to see them."
"They're not going to let you."
"I don't care. Help me up," I say. Malon does what I ask her to. With a mighty groan, I'm standing. I have one of my arms around her, kind of balancing my weight out.
"They are going to kill you if they see you," Malon says.
"I feel like I'm already dead," I say. Malon doesn't answer. We walk out of my room. Malon guides me down the hall. My ribs hurt so bad it feels like I can't breathe, but I'd never tell anyone that. Malon takes me into a room. I can feel her breath tighten.
All the lights are off, and my cousin is lying in bed with her hair spilled across the pillow. The room smells like vomit and she is clutching the pillow so tightly that her fists are pale white.
"Hi, Zel," Malon says softly. "I brought a visitor."
"Hey," I say. Malon shushes me and Zelda groans.
"She's sensitive to sound and light," Malon said.
"Notsenstivetosound," Zelda slurs. "Justhisdumringin."
"I don't hear any ringing," I say quietly.
"Neither do I," says Malon. Zelda pulls her head out of the pillow and opens her eyes at me slowly.
"Link?" she says, sounding confused.
"Yeah," I say. "I'm here."
Zelda continues to give me this vacant stare that truthfully kind of creeps me out.
"Link?" she says again.
"Yeah, Zel?"
"Why are there-"
Zelda suddenly lurches over the side of the bed and vomits into a pail. Malon leaves me and I brace myself on the wall. Malon scoops up her hair and holds it behind her neck.
"You're okay, Zelda, come on, pull out of it," Malon tells her.
"Mal, turn off that light," Zelda moans.
"There's no light on, Zelda, and the blinds are pulled shut. Come on, snap out of it."
"There's a light… Right over there…" Zelda points at the mirror and then vomits again. She looks up at me. "Link?" she says, confused. "Howlongyoubeenhere?"
I blink. I can't see Zel like this.
"Get better," I say, and then hobble down the hallway back to my room.
Auru Hotel, Room 2-B
Hyrule Castle Town
Saturday, July 30th, 9:04 P.M.
"Ohh…" I say, sitting on the couch and rubbing ice cubes on my chest. The hospital released me, Zelda, and Sheik this morning. I was ordered to rub ice cubes on the bruised area three times a day for five to ten minutes, which is what I'm using now. Remember when we were giving Zelda a hard time because she couldn't pronounce acetaminophen, Malon's pain pill? Yeah, all four of us are stuck on it now. It's not so funny that every ten minutes I go, "Malon! Bring my ace-ace-my pain pills, please!"
Yeah, Malon's pretty much moved in 'till Zelda and I get better because neither of us can really take care of ourselves. Sheik's over all the time, too. Room 2-B has just kinda become the haven for the sick, I guess. I've told Malon she needs to be a nurse because she's like really good with bringing us whatever we want and she's just really good to have around. I don't know when I'm gonna get better, I hope soon.
"Malon, can you bring me my pills?" I ask. I've given up on asking for the actual name. It really is hard to pronounce.
"It hasn't been long enough, yet," Malon tells me. "Do you want anything else?"
"Oh, Goddesses," I say. These ice cubes hurt. "A beer, please!"
"No can do," Malon answers.
"Dr. Dew, then," I say. I know I can't have a drink. I would only want a drink to get drunk and get out of this pain for awhile, but a hangover is definitely not what I need right now. Malon faithfully brings out a can of pop. "Malon?"
"Yeah?"
"You're the best."
"It's taken you long enough," Malon teases, walking out to the kitchen. I grin and pop open my can. I take a huge swig, set it back down, and continue to ice my chest.
Zelda's in her room, she couldn't take the noise. Sheik's beside me on the couch, with his eyes shut. He can take my loudness although it pains him. I try to keep it quiet. Kinda.
What Malon told me is true, Zelda and Sheik both have concussions. Sheik has to go back for check ups, but I doubt he actually will take that bad ass Lamborghini down to St. Rauru's again. He's supposed to get plenty of sleep at night and rest during the day. He's supposed to experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, ringing in ears, confusion, and slow and slurred speech. So far, he's doing okay.
Zelda's is worse. She has the same stuff going on, but she's also puking, really clumsy, seeing bright lights, double vision, and keeping up with the vacant stares. So far, she's doing better than right after the bombing. Orender told us that if there is another one like it then she's going to assign us personal bodyguards. Which, that wouldn't really bother me. Me and Sheik can fend for ourselves, but Zelda and Malon can't. I don't know what I would do if something happened to either of them.
There is a knock on the door.
"Who's that?" Sheik asks. Whoever it is knocks again, this time more violently. I stand up with a groan.
"Keep icing, I've got it," Malon says.
"Whatever," I say, slumping back down. Ouch.
The visitor is now pounding on the door.
"What in the hell?" I say. Malon puts her hand on the knob. "Look and see who it is," I say quickly before she opens it. Malon stands on her tiptoes and peers out the peephole.
"What?" she says.
"Who is it?" Sheik asks. Malon stands normally and opens the door.
"How are you-?"
"Where's Zelda?" says a male voice.
"Who's there?" I call. Sheik winces.
"Where is Zelda, I have to talk to her! This is her room, right?" says the voice. I stand up and exhale sharply. Damn… I walk over to the door and am surprised to see Lulu Acquarone dressed in jeans and a tee, Japas Poplawski, otherwise known as Sodapop, and Mikau/Mike Merobb.
"Is Zelda Royale here?" says Mike urgently. Up close, I can completely tell that this is the loser Zelda dated. But, it appears the loser has grown out his hair and learned to play the guitar and sing. What can I say, loser has turned himself into something.
"What's it to you?" I say.
"Link, go lay down," Malon says. I ignore her.
"I have to talk to her," Mike says.
"Mike, chill out," Lulu says.
"I have to apologize," Mike tells us.
"Mikau?" Sheik says.
"Sheik?" Lulu says.
"Hey," Japas says, stepping into the room, his bright red hair… I don't know, taking my attention. "Do you remember me? Sodapop?"
"Yeah," I say. Sodapop, I liked. Lulu, I liked. Actually, there was even a period when Lulu and I were almost dating, but she iced me out. Mike, I never really liked. He was a pansy. All of us had gone to the same high school together. Sheik and I were the oldest, and those guys were either sophomores or juniors, I can't really remember. Then I graduated, and Zelda and Malon were freshman while the future Indigo-Go's were still in high school. "You remember me?"
"Yeah, Link!" Sodapop says.
"Enough of introductions!" Mike says. "Where is Zelda?"
"In her room, relaxing! That blast knocked her pretty out of shape!" Malon says. "Those two, too!"
"That's why I'm here!" Mike says. "If I hadn't given you the tickets-"
"Hey, Link," Lulu says. I nod at her. "He's been talking like this since the explosion. You realize you guys are going to get a ton of publicity off of this, don't you?"
"Yeah," Sheik says from the couch. I can tell by his tone of voice he wants them to go away so he can get some sleep.
"We're not going to give another concert for a good long while. It wouldn't be a good idea," Lulu says. "So we can't offer you more concert tickets."
"Yeah," says Sodapop. "So we just came by to say sorry, and this isn't the last time you'll be hearing from us."
"We're in this together, now," says Lulu, smiling.
"Yeah," says Malon. I agree, but I can't really see how they're in it as much as we are. The first time they didn't get bombed. Hell, they didn't get bombed the second time, either. Their concert did.
"So, you guys look like you need some rest," Lulu says. "Go fix your chest."
I forgot. I'm not wearing a shirt, so they get to see my ugly, bruised, swollen chest.
"Right," I say.
"Tell Zelda I stopped by?" Mike says.
"Right," I repeat, shutting the door. "Freaks."
A/N:
Yeah, yeah, I know, weak ending. I have to go study for finals now and take a shower and watch Survivor (GO BOB!!!). I don't know when I'll be updating, hopefully soon. See ya then ;D
