"Bolin. Korra." Bolin jerked out of his daze and looked around. He saw a young nurse standing in the entrance of a long hallway. "You can see him now." She smiled at Bolin and turned. "He's four doors down on the left," she said as she walked away. Bolin's eyes
widened and he looked down at Korra where she was fast asleep in his lap.
"Korra," he said, shaking her shoulders. "Korra, we can go see him now!" Korra's eyes opened and she looked up at Bolin. She noticed how dim the lights were in the room and sat up groggily.
"What time is it?" she asked, not having heard Bolin. The earthbender looked out the window behind them. The city was almost completely dark, save for a few small spots that lit the night.
"Just past midnight, I think, but didn't you hear? We can go see Mako!" he said happily. Korra's blue eyes shot open, fully awake. She didn't say a word, just jumped up and ran to a random hallway.
"Korra," Bolin laughed, "this way." He got up and walked down the hallway the nurse had gone down.
"Wait up!" she cried and ran after him. They reached his door and Korra opened the door, anxious to finally see her fiancé. The door opened without a sound. They walked in slowly, silently, almost scared of what they might see. As the door revealed the white, perfectly pristine room, Korra's throat closed and her heart clenched inside her.
"Mako." she chocked. She hardly recognized him. His eyes were closed and he looked so peaceful while he slept, but the rest of him didn't look peaceful at all. He looked as if he'd been through a war. He was so pale, so deathly pale; he practically blended in with the pillows. "Oh, Mako." She stumbled forward, nearly falling against the bed before Bolin caught her. She made it to his bedside and collapsed into a chair. She stared at him, reaching her fingers out to gently caress his face.
His face was littered with bandages and uncovered cuts and bruises. The top of his head was wrapped in stark white bandages. She looked down to his chest. Most of it was covered by the bed sheets, but what she could see was wrapped in more cloth. His arms were covered and one of them looked as if it might even be broken. He had an IV sticking out of one of his forearms.
"Hey bro," Bolin said to the sleeping figure as he walked over, "looks like you made it though, huh?" Korra let a few tears escape and grabbed his hand.
"Mako," she whispered. She stood up only to sit next to him on his bed. "I'm right here, dear." She leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his temple. A few more tears slipped from under her eyelids and landed on Mako's cheek. She went to wipe them away, when she saw his eyes twitch. "Mako," she murmured, cupping his cheek. Bolin's eyes widened as he watched his brother's eyes flutter and then open to reveal a golden slit.
"K… Korra?" he rasped. The Avatar gasped in pure joy and pressed herself against him, completely forgetting about his wounds. He winced slightly as she leaned against his injuries, but wrapped a shaky arm around her. "Hey there," he chuckled lightly and coughed loudly after. He looked up at Bolin and reached out his hand. Bolin grinned as he grasped the firebender's shaky fingers.
"Glad to see you made it," he told the firebender. He hadn't expected to cry, knowing Mako was going to be alright, but he couldn't help but let a few tears of relief escape.
"Me too," the firebender smiled, "I didn't think I was going to for a while," he told them as Korra pulled back. He saw a fresh wave of tears pouring down her face. He reached up and gently thumbed them away. "Shh, everything's alright now," he told her. She nodded as she attempted to stop the tears. Bolin squeezed Mako's hand before stepping back towards the door.
"I'll just give you two some time," he said as he opened the door, "see ya bro." He closed the door and walked back to the waiting room. As much as he wanted to spend time with his brother, he knew the couple need some time alone together. Mako watched his brother leave, knowing there'd be time to talk later. He smiled and turned back to Korra. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words vanished before he could speak as Korra hurried pressed her lips to Mako's.
She's been hoping Bolin might leave them for a little privacy, but she wouldn't ask that of him after his brother had just woken up. She'd watched gratefully, however, as he'd shut the door, and leapt for her fiancé as he turned towards her.
"Oh… Mako," she mumbled against his mouth, trying once more to keep her tears at bay. The firebender kissed her back roughly, wrapping his good arm around her as best as he could without disturbing all the tubes and needles they'd put in him.
"Kor… Korra," he panted slightly. He pulled back as heard the heart monitor beside his bed go crazy. "Hang on… just a minute…" he said as he tried to get his breath back. Suddenly an older nurse walked in, a worried expression on her face.
"Are you alright…?" she trailed off as she rook in the two teenagers flushed faces, the patients rabid, labored breather, and the heart monitor returning back to normal. They both blushed crimson as she walked further into the room.
"Sorry about that," the boy said, playing with his fingers. The older woman smiled and chuckled and walked over to the young couple. She saw the stone the girl wore around her neck and supposed they were most likely engaged.
"If you promise not to tell anyone," she told them as she walked towards the machine keeping track of Mako's heartbeat, "I'll let you keep this off for the time being, but if anything happened, you have to turn it on immediately and come find a nurse, okay?" She cocked an eyebrow at the kids. They both nodded and smiled up at the lady.
"Thank you ma'am," Korra mumbled, blushing slightly. The woman chuckled as she walked back around towards the door.
"I was once a teenager myself you know," she smiled and winked at them before walking out of the room. Korra grinned and wiped away a few stray tears. Mako turned back and saw her wipe them away, and he took in the rest of her countenance.
He realized that her hair more messed up than usual; she didn't even have her main pony tail in. She had slight bags under eyes and the usual sparkle that lit her iris's had dulled somewhat.
"You're exhausted," he said, taking her face in his hands. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
"I'm…. I'm fine," she managed threw a yawn. "Thanks, if you hadn't of said anything I wouldn't have yawned." she grinned at him. He rolled his eyes and leaned in to kiss her. "I'm so glad you're okay," she mumbled. Mako smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I don't know what I would've done without you." Mako could practically hear her tears starting again. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. He could taste the saltiness of the tears on her lips. Korra sighed shakily against his mouth and pulled back. "I'm… I'm sorry," she whispered, pressing her forehead against her fiancé's. The firebender smiled and kissed her nose.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he looked her in the eyes and grinned. "Come here you," he said softly. He wrapped his arms around her and began pulling her onto the hospital bed. She complied wordlessly, crawling up beside him. She tried to move around as little as possible, not wanting to disturb his wounds. She curled up next to him and laid her head on his shoulder.
"I was so scared," she whispered against his throat. "Then Toza told me… I… I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe… Oh Mako, I was so scared." She silently let the tears fall as she leaned back to look at him. His orche eyes danced as he watched her. He didn't say anything; he just leaned down and kissed her. Korra's eyes flitted close and she replied gently. She cupped his cheek as he began to pull away. "We have to get married… soon," she told him. He laughed and leaned his head back against the pillows of his bed, running his fingers up and down Korra's back.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," he said softly. "I might need to heal a little first. I want to be standing at the end of the aisle, not sitting in a wheelchair." He looked down at her and winked. "It might also put a damper on your honeymoon plans," he whispered teasingly. Korra giggled and kissed his jaw.
"Yea that might be for the best," she said as she gently wrapped her arm around his waist. "Well, we could get Tenzin and Lin, and probably a doctor in here tomorrow morning to talk about plan. How does that sound?" she asked him, beginning to press soft kissed to his exposed throat and shoulders.
"Sounds… like a plan," he gulped, trying to suppress a shiver at the Avatar's soft touch.
"Good," she murmured, tracing light circles on his collar bone. "Now, you get some sleep," she told him, kissing her way up to his mouth.
"Only," he stopped her kissed, pressing a finger to her lips, "if you stay with me." She grinned and snugged closer to the firebender.
"I promise," she mumbled and closed her eyes, smiling against his bandaged chest. Mako grinned and relaxed into the pillows. He closed his eyes and tightened his arm around Korra, falling into deep, peacefulness of unconsciousness.
"Bolin!" Tenzin called as he walked down the hall to the waiting room. The earthbender looked up.
"Mr. Tenzin, sir!" he said, standing up and saluting. The airbender rolled his eyes and waved the young boy off.
"Where's Korra," he asked curtly. Bolin jerked his head towards the hall where Mako's room was.
"She's with Mako. I decided they might want to be alone for a little bit." he informed Tenzin. The older man nodded and began to walk towards the door.
"I just need to talk with Korra for a moment." he told Bolin. As he made it to the door, an older nurse with graying hair walked up as well. "Is it alright to see him?" he asked her.
"Of course," she smiled and opened the door. The two walked in to find Korra and Mako fast asleep together on the hospital bed. "I don't think you're going to get that talk in," the nurse murmured as she walked over to his silent heart monitor.
"I was actually going to try to talk her into coming back to the island for the remainder of the night, but it appears that I'm too late." he said as he stroked his beard. He jumped slightly as the heart monitor suddenly came to life. He gave the nurse a questioning look as she turned the volume down slightly, as to not wake the sleeping couple. She laughed quietly and walked back to the airbender.
"When left alone together, his heartbeat became a bit more accelerated than normal. I don't think they wanted doctors and nurses running in every time they decided to kiss." She chuckled and stuck her hand out. "I'm Kai, by the way. I'm guessing they're engaged," she said, eyeing the two lovebirds. Tenzin chuckled and nodded his head, shaking Kai's hand.
"Tenzin, and yes, they are engaged. Just last night actually, I believe that's why Korra took it so hard," he motioned to the peaceful looking Avatar.
"Ah," she said softly, "well, anywho, she'll be fine here for tonight. Why don't you go on hone to your family and get some rest yourself, you look like you could use it." She smiled and walked past him to the door. Tenzin nodded and turned, leaving the young couple alone for the night.