"Hi, you've reached the office of Arina Harkinian. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
"Hi there, you've reached the personal phone number of Arina Harkinian. I'm probably in a meeting, so please leave a brief message and I'll get back to you."
"This is the office of Ramus Harkinian. I'm not available at the moment but your call is important to me. Please leave your name, number, and the reason for your call and I'll call you back as soon as possible."
"Hello, you've reached the voice mailbox of Ramus Harkinian. Please leave your message after the beep."
"By the fucking Goddess," Link snapped, tossing both phones onto the chair. He'd put their numbers into his phone and was calling two at a time now, both unsuccessfully. He'd left messages on each phone, and now was simply calling back every few minutes.
"They'll see all your calls," Makeela said from the chair across from Link. She'd arrived not long ago, spiraled into a similar panic as Link had, and proceeded to beg the doctors for any more information, which they denied for privacy reasons. Now, she and Link had settled into a restless-but-nothing-to-do state of anxiety.
Gabe had moved to the waiting room in the front lobby when the nurse had asked that only two people remain in the room for now. But Link kept him informed each time the doctor so much as looked into the room, texting him constant updates.
Link shoved the phones back into his pocket and brushed his hand through Zelda's hair. "This ever happened to her before?"
"Not a car accident. I mean, they won't even tell us if something caused it. Did she swerve? Did she get hit? How is that private patient health information?" Makeela leaned back and let out an angry sigh. "I guess it could be worse. She could be dead."
Link froze for a moment before reminding himself to breathe. He huffed a noise that agreed with her. Yes, that would be worse.
That pain in his shoulder radiated throughout him again, and he had to sit back to press his back into the chair. It made him more anxious, and he pulled the phones out again, dialing one parent on each phone.
"I told Pipit and Ilia what happened," Makeela said, talking over the ringing lines.
Link hung up as both got to the answering machines, and switched to their work phones, calling both again. "At least they answered."
"They did. They both wanted to come by, but I told them about the visitor thing."
"Maybe when she's home, she might want to see everyone."
Makeela leaned forward, nodding to the phone. "You going to take her back to your place, or bring her to her parents'?"
Link sighed and hung both phones up again: answering machines. "She'll be able to decide when she wakes up. She's going to wake up, they said."
Makeela pulled her legs up, resting them under her chin. "You know, the first time I saw her pass out was like this. I thought she was going to die, and she had to keep reminding me that she was fine after."
Eyes widening, Link leaned forward. "She passed out. That's why they can't tell us. It's medical, and it's why she crashed. It's got to be. She passed out while driving. They did scans and bloodwork as soon as she got in, so that must have been it."
"To see if she was drunk?"
"Just to see what happened at all."
"So you don't think the car skidded from the snow or anything?"
"No, I don't."
Nurse Celia came in to check Zelda's monitors, and gave them both a smug look, one that seemed to imply that they might have been right. Of course, it was just a look.
"Her numbers are looking good," Celia said, hoping to alleviate both their fears. "She's lucky to have you both."
After checking a few more things, Celia left with a promise to return again soon.
Link grabbed both phones, trying again while Makeela watched.
"Zelda, darling—"
Link's eyes widened at the voice on the other end. He hastily tossed the other phone at Makeela and stood up, pacing as Arina's voice answered the phone "—I know we haven't spoken in so long, and I'm so sorry but—"
"—No, it's—"
"—I'm in the most important meeting I've ever been in. I swear, darling, I'll call you right back."
"—No! Mrs. Harkinian—"
"Who is this?"
"It's Link. Mrs. Harkinian—"
"Who?"
Link let out a deep breath. "It's Zelda's boyfriend. Listen, I need to talk—"
"Why do you have Zelda's phone? Are you the one who's been calling me this whole time? And here I thought it was all spam. Listen, Link, I can't speak right now. If you need money, we'll talk after—"
"Zelda's in the hospital!" Link silently cursed for blurting it out, but a larger part of him didn't care. She needed to know.
"What?" Arina asked after a long silence.
"She's okay, but she's in the hospital."
"Put her on the phone. Now."
"I can't. The doctors gave her something to help her sleep. I've been trying to get ahold of you and Mr. Harkinian for a while to let you know."
He could hear shuffling and slamming on the other end of the phone. "What happened?"
"They won't tell us details, but it sounds like she might have passed out while driving and ended up in an accident."
"Oh gods, hang on, Link. I'm going to get Ramus on the line. Wait, where is she?"
"Mipha's Grace Hospital."
"Okay, stay on the line, Link. You said you couldn't get ahold of his office?"
"Or his cell."
"Okay."
The line went silent, and Link checked to make sure he was just on hold before glancing at Makeela. "She's getting ahold of him somehow."
"Perks."
Link made a face and sat back in his chair beside Zelda. It was a solid few minutes before the line clicked back on.
"Link, are you still there?" Arina asked.
"I am."
"Tell me what happened!" Ramus asked, sounding distinctly out of breath.
"Ramus, I already told you! Link, where are you exactly? Ramus will be there first. I'm a little further away."
"You're both coming?" Link couldn't help but ask. "Uh, we're in the emergency department."
"Who brought her there? You? Were you in the car with her?" Ramus sounded more out of breath, and Link had a feeling he might even be running.
"An ambulance. I was at work. They called me when they went through her phone."
"That can't be legal," Arina muttered.
"No, no," Link interjected. "She forgot her wallet at Makeela's and was on her way back to get it when the accident happened."
"She's staying at Makeela's now? Not your house?"
"No, she's still with me. She was just there to hang out."
"Gods-damned elevator!" Arina muttered into the phone. "Link, my phone will be on, I swear. Call me if she wakes up before I get there or if anything at all changes. I want to know immediately."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Same here, Link. I'll be there in about ten minutes. Don't hesitate to call."
"Yes, sir."
Both hung up at the same time.
Link lowered the phone from his ear, completely surprised. "They're both coming. Sounds like her mom even left 'the most important meeting of her life.' Are you as surprised as I am?"
"Yes," Makeela admitted, handing Link his phone back. "They've always been busy, and I've seen them miss a lot of things. I've even seen them miss her being sick because they were too distracted."
"And you think this was the right call? Getting them here?"
"I do. Even today, she was talking about how much she misses them."
Link leaned back, taking Zelda's hand again. "Parents, man. Are yours this crazy too?"
Makeela chuckled. "No, I can't say they are. Yours?"
A light grin settled over Link's face. "I mean, they were. Aryll's not. Not in the typical way, anyway. She is my sister though, so I feel some level of craziness emanating off of her all the time, just on principle."
"And you never see your parents?"
Link looked up at her, a confused look crossing his face. "No?"
"Oh, gods, are they dead? I'm so sorry!"
Looking from Zelda to Makeela, Link couldn't help the confusion that was etching his features. "Did Zelda never actually tell you what happened?"
"No. I mean, obviously I know you live with your sister, but she never told me what happened to your parents. She said it wasn't her story to tell, so I didn't push her."
Link scoffed, surprised. "I always assumed you knew. I mean, I told her when we weren't that close, so I never expected her to keep it from you for my sake."
"She's too good," Makeela laughed.
"Too good for the both of us," he chuckled, squeezing Zelda's hand. "Um, no, my mom left us when I was young, and my dad is in jail."
Pausing for a moment, Makeela shrugged. "She did tell me why you were in jail. I was concerned."
Link let out another small laughed and nodded. "It's fine. I always figured she'd tell you."
"I know we were all pretty awful to you when you two became friends, but I'm glad you toughed us out."
"You were fine. It was more Revali, Ruto, Ravio, the 'R' squad, really."
Makeela snorted and made herself comfortable. "The 'R squad.'"
They sat together for a while, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Zelda's parents. They'd already agreed that Link would reluctantly leave first to keep the space to two people, especially since Ramus and Arina both liked Makeela.
Link spent a solid few minutes tracing an absentminded path along the back of Zelda's hand before tracing the lines down to her palm.
Then he felt it.
Her fingers moved against his.
It wasn't enough for him to call it a grab, nor was it small enough for him to think he'd imagined it.
"Zelda?"
Makeela's eyes shot up, and they both leaned forward.
Her hand moved first, this time, her fingers trying to draw his nearer. He grabbed her more securely and brushed his other hand through her hair. "Zelda?"
This time, he watched her visibly swallow before blinking her eyes open, narrow slits that betrayed her desire to fall right back asleep, but awake all the same.
"Link?" she muttered, trying to focus her blurry vision.
"Yeah, it's me. Makeela's here too."
"What happened?" Zelda whispered, moving her other hand up to feel her head and stilling when she saw the cast. "Last I remember, I was in my car and then there was the ambulance after… gods…" Her lip began to wobble, "I don't remember getting here from there."
Makeela hopped off her chair. "I'll get the nurse!"
"You're okay. We've got you covered," Link said, squeezing her hand.
Zelda groaned and ran her other hand along the tubes that were taped to the back of her wrist, a clunky motion thanks to the cast. "I hate needles."
Link leaned forward and kissed her forehead, brushing her hair back again and again. "I'd pull them out for you, but I think they'd probably call security on me."
"Maybe don't do that then," she said with a light grimace and a short chuckle before it faded. "I'm so tired."
"They gave you something to sleep when you came in, so I think it's wearing off. Nurse Celia will tell you more though. They wouldn't tell me much."
"How'd you know I was here? You didn't find me, right? Oh, gods, please say you didn't have to find me on the road."
"No," Link said, forcing a comforting smile to his face. If he'd had to see her in a smoking car, airbag deployed, head on the steering wheel, any of it really, he might have died a bit inside. Or possibly had a heart attack then and there. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to go through that again. Even the one fender bender he'd been in since the accident had sent him into a wheezing panic. "No, they called Makeela and I from your phone. You left your wallet at her house, so they didn't have your ID right away."
Zelda tilted her head back and pressed her hand to her forehead, stressed. "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
She looked away from him. "Because… car accident. You must have been sick."
"Oh fuck, Zelda, please." Link didn't know whether to be sorry to Zelda, or angry with himself for making thatone of the first thoughts in her mind. "Don't ever be sorry."
He was about to say more, but Makeela and Nurse Celia came in.
"Hey hon, good to see you're up. Are you in pain?"
"Not much."
"Okay, then I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay?"
And though Celia was about to kick Link and Makeela out, Zelda insisted they could stay and hear.
After answering all the base questions: name, birthday, year; they let her explain what happened.
"I just started to feel sick, but I thought it was just hunger or something. And I was going to stop for a donut, but I didn't have my wallet. So, as I was going back to Makeela's house to get it, I just saw a ton of black around my vision. And I don't know how I turned the wheel, if it was an accident, or on purpose trying to pull over, but I must have hit the gas as I was starting to drift out. I passed out, but I woke up when I felt the impact, and the airbag hit me so hard, I thought it was the wheel at first. Then I passed out again."
Nurse Celia pulled out lab results and scans, explaining that her arm appeared to have been caught between her and the airbag, pushing her wrist backwards. And her results were consistent with her stories. Lowered levels of this and that, things that Link tried to take mental notes of so he could look them up later. No traces of alcohol in her system, which didn't surprise her in the least. Questionable vitals, though when they'd gotten her chart, it was more understandable given her medical history.
They wanted to observe her head, since it appeared she might have had a concussion from the impact forward into the airbag, and backwards into the seat all with her dead weight as she passed out.
Celia was running some new tests, specifically checking her blood pressure, cuff around her arm, when there was a commotion out in the main lobby of the ER.
The arrival of Ramus Harkinian was heard throughout the entire floor.
"Where is Zelda? Zelda Harkinian? Eighteen-year-old female, car accident!"
Link's eyes widened, and he popped out of the curtained room to wave him over and hopefully silence his outburst.
"Link!" Ramus huffed, hurrying inside and grabbing Link by the arm with him. "Tell me what happened."
"Someone else can tell you," he said, stepping aside.
Zelda looked over at them, and her eyes bugged out. "Dad?"
"Oh gods, Zelda! You're alright!"
Zelda glanced at Link, tears brimming on her eyes. She shook her head: a question.
"Oh, I might have called your parents."
Smiling, Zelda turned her attention to her father. "Did you leave work, or is it late?"
"Your mother is on her way too, but we were both at work. She had a meeting out of town, so she'll be here soon. Are you okay?" He turned to Celia. "Is she okay?" Then to Link. "She's okay, right?"
"I'm okay, dad."
Link stepped back with Makeela. "I'll be right outside," he said, gesturing to her father. Zelda seemed to understand his hesitation to be in the same room and nodded at him. So, Link ducked out, needing some space to clear his head.
He left the ER and sat on the concrete steps just outside, relishing the air and the breeze.
Alone, it was all too easy for everything to creep back up, for it to all hit him at once. And without Zelda to focus on, he could feel everything inside him flip and spiral as thoughts of his own father and Mikau invaded his mind.
He could see Mikau lying in the wreck, eyes wide. He never knew if this was a vision he'd conjured whenever he imagined that day, or if it was a memory of what he'd really seen, but it was something he'd seen in his mind far too often to feel settled. And now, he could see Zelda beside him, blank stare and bloodied. Bruised like she was.
Link covered his face in his hands, groaning. And when he pulled away, he could feel his fingers wet with more tears.
"Fuck," he muttered to himself.
"You okay?" He looked up to see Makeela moving to sit beside him. "I figured I'd give them some time alone."
"Yeah, just thinking about Mikau and Zelda."
"Mik… who?"
"Mikau," Link said, looking at her, puzzled. But his expression softened as he chuckled. "She didn't tell you that either?"
"Like I said, she doesn't tell me things that are just between you guys."
He wiped his eyes and sat back, taking a deep breath as he played with the patch on his arm, more and more desperate to rip it off and grab a pack of cigarettes from the convenient store just down the street.
"He was my best friend. Pipit knew him, too. Not as well, but he did. And he died in a car accident that my dad caused while drunk. I was in it, too. Got hurt, but I survived. My dad survived but got jail. And Mikau didn't make it. I was… maybe fifteen at the time? I can't even think right now. Fifteen sounds right."
"Oh, gods, Link, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. But Zelda does, obviously?"
"Yeah, I told her… man, before our first date? Seems so long ago now. Anyway, I don't have a lot of memories from the accident." He fiddled with the patch again. "So, I just keep thinking of them. I look at her and I see what could have happened."
"Aww, Link," Makeela said, resting her head on his shoulder. "That sucks."
Link chuckled again and wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah. But Zelda's okay. I just need to keep reminding myself of that."
Makeela stood up and pushed Link's head playfully. "Best way to do that is to be in there with her. Come on, let's go. If her dad gets on you, we'll have your back."
Link brushed himself off and nodded. His arm itched, but he ignored it and grabbed his phone from his pocket. "I'll let Gabe know and then call Zelda's mom to tell her she's awake then meet you inside."
"Okay!" she said, returning through the doors.
Link leaned against the building, running his hands along his face before looking at his screen, a picture of him and Zelda. He let the breeze hit his face for a long moment, staring at the screen, before he finally called Gabe.
A/N: Happy holidays! I forgot to post this a few hours ago but oops so if you celebrate than Merry Christmas Eve!
Reviews: Oracle of Hylia: I KNOW ME TOO! DK21 XcL: HAHAHHA RIGHT! The great Link, brought down by a cell phone! zViridian: I KNOW HE's BEEN SO GOOD AND THEY NEED TO SEE IT... BUT WILL THEY? ElenaGilbert24: LINK WITH HIS TEARS AND HER HAND! I wish I could put a heartbreak emoji here, but I don't think I can. Just pretend it's there! They answered this time at least! So that's... good? I mean, it took a while, but they answered!
