If it isn't one thing, it's another! I am so sorry this chapter took so long! Really! The library closed for renovations, so I was out of luck. I did have plenty of time to write, though…
Anyway, I don't own the Legend of Zelda. That. Would. Be. Awesome. …but I don't…
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"Today, Echo and Aryll were outside when Aryll stole Echo's crutch as a joke. I swear, Echo shined when she stood up, and ran after Aryll. Echo ran!"
"I wish you could have seen it," I whispered, looking up from the notebook I was writing in. I was sitting next to Link's hospital bed. I leaned over to peck his forehead gently before going back to scribbling on the page.
It had been three months since Link's accident. Three months he spent unmoving, still in a coma. Three months I had been visiting him every day.
Actually, I was doing good; as well as I could be doing. I didn't spend my time depressed. Link wouldn't have wanted me to. I did well in class, still spent time with Echo, and went out with Saria and Midna every once in a while. However, things were always subdued. It almost felt like life was on pause, while Link took a break, and I was just waiting for him to hit play again.
With a sigh, I closed the journal and placed it on Link's bedside table. When (I refused to think 'if') Link woke up, he would want to know what all he had missed, so I began a journal for him, writing in it every day. Midna, Echo, and even Aryll, who had moved in with Echo to be close to Link, wrote in it sometimes.
I stood, stretching slightly. Scooping up my duffel bag, I threw it across my shoulders. Giving Link's forehead another kiss, I made my way to the door.
"Oh, are you leaving already?"
I looked up and saw a nurse smiling at me. She was the nurse who took care of Link. With all the time I spent at the hospital, I had become familiar with her; she was a nice woman.
"Yeah, I have to go early today. We have a basketball game today."
"How's that going, Sweetie?" she asked pleasantly.
"We're tied for District. If we win tonight, we'll go on to State."
"Well, good luck," the nurse smiled. I nodded.
"Thanks. Um, if anything changes…"
"I've got your number written down. If his condition changes, I'll call you."
"Thank you!"
I ran down the stairs and out of the hospital, to Impa's awaiting truck in the parking lot. She pulled away quickly, giving me a questioning look.
"No change," I told her. She was the one keeping Link's grandmother updated on his condition. While Aryll had moved down and lived with Echo, their grandmother had flown back, unable to stay away from her ranch for more than a few days.
The rest of the drive back to the school was silent. Impa wished me luck as I headed towards the locker room. I changed quickly and was the first one to leave the locker room. Everyone was nervous; our school hadn't made it to State in six years.
I sighed, grabbing a basketball to warm up.
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Amanda Colins had been a nurse practitioner for seven years, and had never seen anything as cute as Sheik Shadows. During her time caring for Link Daniels, she had seen a lot of Sheik. She knew that the love he held for the comatose Link was the type of true love she had only ever read about.
Fondly shaking her head as he ran off, leaving from another visit to his boyfriend, Amanda stepped in Link's room. Businesslike, she checked his charts, before leaning over to take his temperature.
As her hand brushed against his forehead, she jumped when she heard a slight moan. Eyes wide, she glanced down and saw the briefest flash of blue. Shocked, she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Link? Link Daniels? Can you hear me?"
"-es. Y-yes," he croaked out.
"Hold on one moment. I've got to go get the doctor."
Amanda rushed out, returning only a minute later with the doctor hurrying behind her.
"Link, son, can you hear me?"
The doctor placed a stethoscope on Link's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Link nodded very slightly.
"Wh-where am I?" Link asked, voice rough from disuse.
"You're at the hospital, son. You were in an accident."
Link listened quietly as the doctor explained the situation, while the doctor gently checked Link over. After a moment, the doctor nodded, satisfied.
"You appear to be in extremely good shape, considering that you've been in a coma. I'll be right back."
The doctor left, and Amanda stepped up towards Link.
"Link, I'm Amanda Collins. I've been your nurse for the last three months."
Link took her hand and shook it weakly. She bustled about, helping him to sit up and propping a pillow behind him. She stretched his legs and arms out.
"Oh, yes, this is for you," she handed Link the journal off of his bedside table. "Your friends have been writing this for you."
With a small smile, Link flipped it open to the first page:
"Well, Link, I guess you're finally awake. I don't know how long you'll be in a coma, so I thought I'd write this for you. I know that you'll want to know what you missed when you wake up, but we both know how bad my memory is."
Link chuckled lightly at Sheik's familiar handwriting. He flipped through the journal, noting that, despite a few other handwritings, most of the journal was written by Sheik. Link found the last page written and began to read:
"I can't believe it's already been three months. Today is the last basketball game in the District. If we win, we go to State. The team's counting on me; I've been playing point guard. Can I tell you something? I'm actually nervous. Silly, right? We've played plenty of games, but this one seems different. Oh, I've got to leave now. I'll be back after the game."
Link looked up, eyes wide. There was no clock in the room, so he turned to the nurse.
"What time is it? Was Sheik here today?"
"Actually, he just left. It's about six now."
"I have to go!"
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"Sheik!"
I looked up and saw Midna headed towards me. I waved at her.
"Hey Midna."
"Are you nervous?" She asked.
"No," I lied. In truth, I was nervous, for the first time at a basketball game. I was playing point guard, and the team's best shooter was out due to a wrist sprain. The game was riding on me, the second best shot.
"Oh, well good luck!" Midna called, before running off again. I shook my head, before turning back to the coach. He looked up.
"Well team, this is it. This is when it matters," he looked at each of us before continuing. "I want you to go out there, and do your best."
The buzzer sounded and the game started.
I have to admit, the other team was really good. They kept us on our toes, tied the whole game. Finally, the last thirty seconds came. I took the ball down slowly, knowing that I had to make this shot count; we were still tied. I came down the court with my head tilted to the left, one of our many signals. I faked to the right before slipping to the left. My wing, I couldn't tell who it was past the adrenaline rush, screened to guy waiting there for me. I dribbled around them and heading straight for a lay-up. Just when I reached up, a solid form stopped me and I fell.
The referee blew his whistle.
"Block! Two shots!"
With a grimace, I stood up and headed for the freethrow line. A glance up at the clock showed me that we had less than two seconds less, and were tied at fourteen points each. The game was riding on me to make one point; the team was tired, and I knew that we would fall behind if we went into overtime. Ignoring the slight throb in my ankle, a nodded to the ref, who passed me the ball.
Shifting to face the goal, I took a deep breath and let the ball fly. It bounced off the backboard, and the audience groaned.
"Shake it off, Shadows!" I heard coach yell. Shaking my shoulder, I nodded at the ref. He passed me the ball again. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.
My mind slipped back to Link, as it always did. I had promised to win this game for him, and I wanted to see it through to the end. Opening my eyes, I shifted my feet and bent my knees.
I swear, I felt Link's hands on my arms, much like the first night we confessed to each other. I tucked my elbow in, his imaginary hands guiding me. I could almost hear him telling me to let it go, so I did.
Just like in a movie, I watched the ball fly in slow motion. It curved through the air, landing right in the net with a 'swish'. The clock started, and the two seconds were up.
The crowd roared. My team circled around me, shaking me joyously.
"We won! We WON!"
"You did it Shadows!"
"One point!"
We shook hands with the other team, before running back over to our bench, shouting happily. Everyone was patting my back, and I was grinning like a fool.
"Oh Sheik, you did it!"
Midna ran over to me, squeezing me tightly. I was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes. Saria followed, congratulating me before turning to Mido, who was also on the team.
"Ok, ok," I told them. "Let me go get changed, and we'll go out to celebrate. Wanna come?" I asked Mido. He shifted nervously.
"Um, y-yeah. You go on ahead, I'll meet you in the locker room later."
I gave him a questioning look. The rest of the team rubbed their heads nervously.
"Go on, we'll be just a minute."
I shrugged my shoulders at my teammates antics and headed for the locker room. As I opened the door, I pulled my necklace out of my shirt. It held the ring Link had made for me. I always wore it, even during the games.
I entered the locker room, tugging at the hem of my shirt, before freezing. My mouth dropped open.
Sitting there, right on the bench in front of me, was Link. My brain went into overdrive and shut down at the same time. I stood there, mouth agape.
"Wha-?"
"Sheik," he said, voice rough. I launched myself at him. His breath left him with an 'oof' and I broke down, sobbing.
"Link. Link…" I gasped. He rubbed weak circles on my back.
"Don't cry. Shh… don't cry."
I pulled back to look up at him.
"It's really you?"
Instead of responding, he bent down and lightly brought his lips to mine. It was short and sweet, but it was the best thing I had ever felt. He pulled back with a grin, and I buried my face in his neck, kissing it softly. He chuckled, the skin beneath my lips vibrating.
"I woke up right after you left. The doctor checked me out, and I begged him to let me come. I read your journal," he explained. I leaped up with a gasp, suddenly remembering his condition, and looked at Link properly.
He was pale, but his eyes sparkled. I could tell that he was weak, so I crouched down next to him.
"You shouldn't have," I told him. "You should still be at the hospital."
"I wanted to be here," he protested. "I'll go back after this."
I just watched him, smiling widely. I had waited so long to see him awake again, smiling. Just to hear his voice made my heart swell. He leaned in for another kiss, but stopped. He reached out and picked up the ring off my chest.
"You don't wear it?" he asked, slightly hurt. I nodded.
"I've kept it with me the whole time," he looked at me confused, and I smiled. "I haven't worn it, because I was waiting for you to put it on for me."
A spark lit in his eyes and grew, spreading out until he was smiling brightly. With hands that were no longer shaky, Link reached out, slipping the necklace over my head. Fumbling with the clasp, he got it open and tossed the chain behind him. He held out the ring, and it shone in the dim light of the locker room. Without taking his eyes off of it, he grabbed my left hand and gently slipped the ring on my ring finger. It fit perfectly.
Looking up and catching Link's gaze, I reached out, fisting his shirt and pulling his mouth to mine. A tear slipped out of my eye, and Link rubbed it away with him thumb before deepening the kiss. I moaned happily.
I was back where I belonged.
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Well, there it is. Hope that wasn't too cheesy! As it turns out, I'm good at writing fluff. ^_^
I'm posting the epilogue right now as well, so go read it. I just wanted to tie up everything. Oh, and I've never been in a coma myself, but I'm sure you don't get out of bed as soon as you wake up… but this is a fanfiction, so Link did! If anyone could, it's him. ^_^
So, let me know what you think! Good? Bad? Purple? Let me know; the review button is waiting!
-Snow-