Good Enough – Chapter 1
"So, when should we know how bad it is?" asked the voice of a young woman. Despite the apparent gravity of the question, she sounded fairly relaxed, although, an audible degree of concern permeated her words.
"The doctors have the X-rays and have been examining them. They should have an assessment of Mr. Hero's condition within the next few hours." The reply came from the voice of another, slightly older, woman. Her tone was kind, yet professional. She had likely answered this kind of question many times before.
"You hear that Link?" the younger woman turned to the man in a large hospital bed who intently watched the conversation of the two. The bed had beige sheets and a maroon comforter. Two matching maroon pillows rested behind the man against the back of the bed. The lower part of the bed was raised slightly to elevate his legs. "Just a few more hours to find out how screwed up your leg is." She grinned teasingly and turned back to the nurse.
At the mention of his leg, Link winced. "That's great Aryll," he muttered through the pain. Link had just about been able to forget about the pain until Aryll's sisterly teasing brought it up once more. All things considered; the young man was especially glad Aryll was here with him. He had no particular fondness for hospitals, and the pain that radiated from his left leg and through his entire body proved overwhelming at times, even with the meds he had received. Once Aryll had heard of his injury, she had been the first to arrive at the hospital. The fear and worry on his little sister's face as she entered the room forced him to toughen up. Broken leg or not, Link had a big brotherly duty to stay strong.
"Are the medications helping, Mr. Hero?" Called the nurse from across the room.
"Well, I'm not in agony, so that's good," Link forced a laugh. "My leg still hurts, but everything else feels better." That was not a lie. Though his left leg produced a significant amount of pain, the damage sustained by his right elbow, left side, and back had been dulled in their effects. He wore a sky-blue hospital gown. His right arm sat in a sling directly below his chest. His street clothes, shoes, and even socks had been taken off and the gown painstakingly slipped on. Unfortunately, the painkillers had not taken effect at that time…
"Are you sure you don't want a higher dosage?" The nurse asked, still worried on the account that Link had taken a smaller amount than offered.
"He's fine." Aryll answered, rescuing her brother from the need for further protest. "Link's not really a fan of painkillers. Never has been." She shrugged. That was true enough. For as long as she could remember, Link had avoided medication. Sure, if he was really sick, he would take the medicine prescribed, but her brother would much rather have dealt with the problem on his own. Aryll was somewhat surprised that Link even accepted the painkillers at all, but she supposed that being hit by a car was a good enough excuse to overcome his aversion. Remembering the cause of Link's current condition caused her smile to fade. The notion of Link getting in any kind of car accident terrified her. She thanked the goddesses she was so close to the hospital when she got the call. Recalling her still ongoing conversation, Aryll leaned in closer to the nurse. "I'll let you know if he changes his mind."
"Got it," the nurse whispered back with a sly grin. Her crimson uniform complimented her long, dark hair and eyes. A stethoscope hung around her neck, and a clipboard sat, neatly tucked, under her shoulder. Her pointed ears denoted she was probably Hylian, the same as the other two in the room. "If there is anything you need Mr. Hero," her voice returned to its prior volume, "press the button on the remote." Link glanced at the bed remote lying beside him.
"Thank you," he replied. He supposed he had gotten fairly lucky in the nurse department. The nurse, whose name he had failed to make a note of, had a sense of humor. Given the circumstances, the levity of the hospital staff did not go unappreciated.
"Seriously, thank you," Aryll echoed. The nurse nodded and exited back out into the hallway.
"Where's Groose? Still making calls?" Link inquired as Aryll walked towards his bed. She sported a sleeveless, bright blue summer dress that cut off around her ankles and a pair of white sneakers. The blue of the dress, as well as the two red flower prints around her right knee, contrasted well with her blonde hair, just a shade lighter than her brother's. Aryll's blue eyes locked on to the identical pair lying in the bed as she reached his right side.
"You guessed it. Reception's not great up here. You're lucky he was there, you know." When Link had suffered his accident, thankfully, he had not been alone. With him had been Groose Winger, one of his closest friends. Groose had been the one to dial 911. He dragged Link's immobile body off the street, handed the phone to an onlooker and made sure the driver and everyone else involved was okay. Groose had even stayed in the ambulance with him on the way to the emergency room.
"Trust me, I know. I'm glad I convinced him to call you first." Link had desperately tried to stay conscious, despite the searing pain, to make sure that Aryll was the first person Groose called. Groose could handle informing most of Link's friends, but he needed Aryll to place the most important calls. Plus, Link knew Aryll was in the area, and, more importantly, he knew that he needed family. Now that Aryll was here and her brother in a stable condition, Groose had returned to the lobby to begin calling those who would be most concerned. "Hopefully he doesn't freak them out like…"
"Like he freaked me out? Yeah. Thanks for that one." Aryll lightly flicked Link's forehead. "Hey Aryll," she deepened her voice to imitate Groose's. "Don't freak out" she glared after repeating that command. Link recognized how little that probably helped. "Link's on his way to the hospital. He got hit by a car. I think he's fine right now, but he wanted me to call you first." Her delivery expressed the gentle mockery in her tone. "Like I really needed that."
"Was he really that blunt? Once he dialed your number, I can't really remember what happened next."
"Something to that effect. Do you have any idea how badly you scared me? This isn't the first time I've gotten a call about a family member in a car accident." Link saw the glint of tears forming in his sister's eyes. If there was anything Link hated in the world, it was the thought of Aryll crying.
"I'm so sorry Aryll." Link squeezed her hand. "I'm sure it was terrifying, but I needed you here. In case something did happen, I didn't want Groose to be the one making the call..." When Link was nine years old and Aryll was just seven, their parents died in a car crash. Both of them shuddered to remember the call that broke their grandmother's heart and shattered their entire world. Planning for the worst, Link swore that would not be the way things panned out this time.
"Look at you, thinking of everyone but yourself, even as a broken mess scraped off sidewalk." Aryll laughed through the tears. "Try and be more careful, dummy." She rustled his hair playfully.
"Tell me and be honest." Link's smile disappeared and serious eyes peered into Aryll's blue orbs. "Is he okay?" Link observed a faint notion of hesitation in his sister and continued before she could protest. "Yes, I should have asked the nurse when she was in here, but I was scared it would violate a confidentiality agreement or something. Is he okay?"
"I'm not sure. From what Groose told me, he's fine. You were the one who bared the brunt of it. You made sure of that."
"No news is good news then, I suppose." Link muttered solemnly, turning away from his sister.
"Link. Look at me." Link did as he was told. "You did everything you could." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Maybe. But was it good enough?" Aryll raised a finger and opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Link took that to mean she did not know. In fairness to Aryll, she had no doubts about her brother's effort. She understood her brother well enough to realize that no matter the answer she provided, Link would not be satisfied until he could be sure.
"Aaaaaand done!" A booming voice echoed from the doorway and shattered the silence that had swiftly fallen upon the room. "You would not believe the length of this man's emergency contacts list. Any idea how hard it is to answer the same questions over and over again. 'He's hurt. He's stable. No, he's not dying. No, I don't know how bad it is. We're waiting to find out. Okay see you later.' Twenty times Link. Twenty times. Proves I should never work in customer service. Those guys deserve a raise."
"Hey Groose," brother and sister called in unison after the entrant had finally finished his tirade. Groose was a big guy with even bigger hair. Aryll had always thought his flaming red pompadour looked stupid, but, after so many years of it being there, she had come to the conclusion it would be weirder if absent. He wore a navy-blue t-shirt, a pair of brown cargo shorts, and black sneakers. A yellow ascot hung around his neck.
"Hey guys. How ya doin Link? How do ya feel?"
"Like I got hit by a car." Link smirked. Aryll snickered. Groose looked unamused.
"Are ya feeling better?" Groose huffed. Part of him wished Link would act as if he had just been in a serious accident, but another part felt relieved to see him taking it so well.
"Drugs do wonders as it turns out." Link shrugged. "My leg's still bad though." Maybe if he had accepted the higher dosage, his leg would not hurt as much. Then again, it was important to him that he remain conscious and awake for as long as possible. If lucidity required some extra pain, he would take that trade any day of the week.
"Makes sense. That was where you got hit the hardest."
"No need to remind me." Link winced again, regretting his decision ever so slightly.
"So," Aryll cut in, curious of the success of Groose's mission. "How is everybody?"
"I cannot believe this, but every person on that list picked up. Except Nabooru, but she called me back like half an hour later."
"She tends to be pretty busy this time of day." Link affirmed. Nabooru was an old friend, and one of the hardest workers he knew. On days like these, Nabooru was always hunting for new clients. It made Link smile to think that she cared enough about him to call Groose of all people back.
"Mikau said he'd be here later today. Lulu might be with him, might come tomorrow, he wasn't sure. Darunia, Ruto, Saria, Mido, Medli, Makar, and the Lon sisters said they'd be in sometime today or tomorrow at the latest. Everyone else only said they'd be here ASAP. They all wish you a speedy recovery."
"Thank you, Groose. It really means a lot to me, buddy. News like this can really get out of hand."
"One minute you tell your best friend you're in the hospital, the next another friend calls and asks what to wear for the funeral." Aryll laughed.
"No funerals today." Groose crossed his arms sternly, as if attempting to intimidate the Grim Reaper.
"No funerals today." Aryll repeated and stared daggers down onto her brother.
"Look, I'm fine. At least, I'm going to be fine."
"Any updates on the whole…situation?" Groose gestured to Link's bedridden form, unsure of how to describe his friend's condition.
"You mean being hit by a car?" Aryll answered.
"Yeah. The 'being hit by a car' situation. Have we learned anything about that yet?"
"Nothing other than that the doctors should be in with an assessment of my X-rays within the next few hours."
"Hours? If this isn't the slowest hospital I've ever seen!" Groose snapped his fingers and shook his head indignantly, the top of his hair rustling with the motion.
"Under regular circumstances, X-ray results can take days to get back to the patient." Aryll retorted, earning an inquisitive glance from both her brother and his friend. "I looked it up while we were waiting." Both men nodded in understanding. "Since this," she raised and lowered her hand towards Link, "is an emergency, you get them back faster. Those doctors need to make sure just how many bones you managed to break in this little stunt. But since you're not dying, we can wait a little while. You're not dying right?" Aryll cocked an eyebrow.
"Not presently."
"Good. Remember, no funerals."
"No funerals, got it." Link nodded his head affirmatively. As soon as Aryll looked away, he glanced down at the sheets covering his legs. He certainly hoped that would be true. Link had not been lying when he answered Aryll's question, but an exhausted and stressed part of his brain wondered if he was unaware of any more serious problems caused by his accident. He tried his best to shoo those thoughts away, but they maintained a solid grip on the back of his mind. Even if he was not actually dying, who knows how serious his injuries actually were. Staring intently at his covered legs, he wondered if he might ever walk again.
"Yo! Big brother!" Aryll's calling shook him out of his trance. "You still with us?" Placing a gentle hand on her brother's right shoulder, Aryll too began to faintly wonder if her brother was really okay.
"Sorry, sorry. I got lost in thought."
"Don't hurt yourself!" Groose cried before trying and failing to hold back his subsequent laughter.
"Darn it!" Aryll snapped her fingers in frustration. "I was gonna say that!"
"Thanks guys." Groose and Aryll observed Link giving both of them a flat look.
"Anyways," Aryll cleared her throat and returned to the topic she clearly wanted to bring up. "Aren't you going to ask about how my calls went?"
"Oh, right yeah." Concern overshadowed Link's face. "How did Grandma and Grandpa take it?" When their parents died, Link and Aryll were taken in by their grandparents, who raised them as their own children. Link could hardly imagine how terrified his grandmother would be to receive another call about a Hero boy in a car crash. That was the reason he needed Aryll to make that call. There was simply no way Groose would understand.
"About as well as can be expected. Thankfully Grandpa was the one who picked up. The news scared them at first, but I managed to stop them from freaking out. Oh, and Uncle Tross told me to tell you to stay strong."
"Noted." Uncle Tross was the younger brother of Link and Aryll's father. When he heard that his brother and sister-in-law had died, he took it upon himself to take a more active role in their children's lives. Tross could be oblivious and forgetful at times, but he loved his niece and nephew dearly, as much as his own son. "Any of them say they when they'd be able to visit?" As he realized how desperately he wanted to see his family, the recognition of the day's prior peril hit him like a freight train. The thought of reuniting with his loved ones, after such a close brush with death, suddenly rocked his composure. He felt the shadows of tears in his eyes and clenched his fists tightly in an attempt to stop them from coming. In doing so, he remembered someone else.
"Well, here's the sitch-" Aryll began.
"Zelda!" Link cried, kicking himself mentally for having gone so long without thinking about her. "What about Zelda? How long did she say until she was going to get here?" He tried to mask the near panic that gripped him and caused his voice to tremble, but his attempts proved less than successful.
"Uh. Okay. She said that-" Again, Aryll began to answer the question, only to be cut off once more, this time by the sound of an oncoming conversation in the hallway.
"This room here?" Inquired the silvery voice of a young woman all too familiar to the bedridden young man. The sound of heels clicking against the ceramic floor accompanied the voice, whose question practically sang in Link's ears. After such a long and arduous day, it seemed as if an angel had descended from the heavens to grace Link with her presence. Not a moment later, the same nurse as before entered with the young woman following close behind her. The young woman was shorter than Groose but taller than Aryll, likely even without her black heels on. She had golden, back-length hair and dazzling, crystal blue eyes. She wore a white blouse with a black jacket and a matching black skirt that fell just past her knees. On her right shoulder hung an expensive-looking handbag crafted from red leather. As she entered the room, she briefly acknowledged Groose and Aryll before locking eyes with Link, who looked as if the newly risen Sun had shined forth a ray of bright morning into the cold hospital room.
The nurse motioned for her to step forward and moved to the side of the room, allowing her to pass. "Right this way, Mrs. Hero."
"Thank you," she replied pleasantly. Even whilst delivering such a simple phrase, her voice sounded like sweet cream poured gently on a fresh pastry. "Hello dear." The young woman addressed Link with a warm smile. The angel had come, his angel.
"Hi honey." Link replied, hoping his blush was not too noticeable. He did not understand why, but her very presence nearly made him shudder with awe. In truth, he cared little to find out. He was simply overjoyed that she was here.
"Hi Zelda," beamed Aryll, taking notice of her brother's clearly elevated mood. "Link's been waiting for you."
He most assuredly had.
A/N: Hello dear reader. I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter of this Modern Zelda AU. While I've technically been writing fanfiction for years, this is the first piece of work I've actually had the guts to publish on here. We'll see how big of a mistake that turns out to be. With that in mind, this Author's Note may be a bit longer than any subsequent ones. The first few chapters are already completed, but after that I'm not sure how regular updates will be. Currently, I'm planning to publish one chapter per week. As to the story itself, I originally conceived it as a Oneshot, but I was having so much fun developing the characters that the thing practically wrote itself into a story. As for the predicted length of the story going forward, I don't think I'd say even if I knew. Still, if you're interested in seeing it continue, I'd strap in for a bit of a long haul. If you liked or even disliked the first chapter, please let me know. I'd love to hear your feedback. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter.