Chapter 8

Marth had been out cold for twenty-seven hours. Link had come back to his senses and the rage left his face and he had begun to cry softly. Him and Zelda had carried Marth to shore and into the medical ward. Now Zelda was waiting by his bedside patiently until he would come around. He looked so helpless, lying there, naked with needles and tubes shoved into his ankles and wrists. He was hooked up to about a million different machines; she had no idea of what any of them were. Zelda was no medical expert.

Link had cried for a long time on Zelda's shoulder, saying how much he wanted her back and how sorry he was. Zelda had hugged him and given him one last passionate kiss before they said their final goodbye. Zelda had left Link sitting on the bed, watching her with desperation in his heart. Zelda tried not to think about Link. It just made her feel worse. The boy that she had known from age ten was gone and in his place was a man Zelda had come to know as, the-guy-she-used-to-date.

Suddenly the door creaked open revealing Samus. Her armor was off and her auburn hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. She kneeled down beside the wooden chair that Zelda was sitting on.

"I know you are going through a rough time." She said. Zelda knew she was trying to be compassionate but to her it sounded as if she was being treated like a child. "It'll all work out." Samus continued. Zelda didn't reply for a couple seconds but then she turned to Samus and looked at her with eyes glazed with tears. Samus stared back, smiling slightly. "I bet you need a hug." Samus held out her arms. Zelda stretched out and hugged her gently.

"Thank-you, I needed that." Zelda's voice cracked a bit on the last sentence. She really appreciated all the things the others were doing. She knew that they were all her friends but she didn't realize that they cared that much. It was enough to bring tears to your eyes. Samus held her there for a moment before releasing her grip. "It will all work out." She repeated. Zelda nodded weakly. To her, Samus felt somewhat like a security blanket, and right then she needed all the security she could get.

They suddenly heard a cough and the steady beeping on Marth's heart monitor got a little faster. She turned so sharply that she could feel her neck crack. She almost fell off her chair! Marth was coming around! He coughed again and then opened his eyes. "Where am I?" His words came out as a whisper; his throat was so dry he could hardly speak.

"You're here...with me." Zelda replied in a comforting tone. He shifted his head so that she was in his view. Zelda proceeded to tell him all that had happened. He listened quietly. After she finished, he looked down at his stomach. There was a long scab where Link's dagger had cut him. There was a dull ache in and around it. It had a slightly red lining around the edges and it had started bleeding a little from moving.

"Oh! I'll get something for that!" Samus exclaimed and rushed to the sink where she wetted a paper towel. She gave it to Zelda and she cleaned the wound a little. "It's infected." She mumbled, not quite to herself. "It's not a big deal." Marth reassured her. "Yes, it is! You are already weak and you do not need some unnecessary illness to go along with it." Zelda preached. Samus giggled, her freckles lighting up. " You sound like his Mother." She laughed. Zelda glared at her and threw the paper towel, slightly stained with blood at Samus playfully. She shrieked softly and juggled it around in her hands before throwing it in the garbage can.

"Yuck!" She made a gross face. Marth had come to realize he was naked. He was holding the sheets up just below the scab very tightly as Zelda was rubbing some anti-bacterial cream on it. Zelda lowered her head and kissed the wound. "There, all better!" She said cheerfully and then topped it off with a Band-Aid. She kissed him on the lips. They tasted faintly like the salt water they were in twenty-seven hours earlier.

"Heh, what a great time, I'm in a bed and all tied up from all these tubes." He joked. "I'm all yours Zel'. He stretched out, striking a sexy pose. He realized his lack of clothes and pulled the sheets back up before they saw anything. Zelda sighed with exasperation.

"Boys will be boys." Samus chimed in. "Watcha' mean by that?" Marth asked.

"Never mind." Samus waved her hand back and forth. Symbolizing that if she told him he wouldn't understand. He nodded, not wanting to have to figure out some weird girl thing. Zelda sat by and stroked his hair. She giggled because it was so cute. Zelda felt a slight tap on her shoulder. "Yes, Samus?" She asked, almost instinctively.

"I'm not Samus." The voice said. It was distinctively male. She twisted around. Link was standing over her. "Oh, Link, you scared me." Zelda gasped. Link sat there for a moment before remembering what he was going to say.

"Marth…I'm sorry." He stuttered. Marth looked shocked. Link had never been so humble. He had always been proud and noble. Now it looked like someone had taken his ego and smashed it with a mallet. His hair was tangled and matted. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were flushed a rosy colour.

"I got carried away," He continued. "I don't know what got into me." He looked like he was forcing the words out. Zelda felt sorry for Link. He reminded her of a little lost puppy trying to find his way home. She just wanted to hug him and tell him that it was all right. It was an option but this time she knew that she would stay committed to Marth and not give Link any hints. He needed to know that it was over and that there were no exceptions. Samus looked confused. Her eyes darted everywhere, to Link, to Zelda, to Marth. She gave off the impression of being everywhere at once. Link turned around and sighed, hunched over like a man three times his age and stumbled out of that room.

Zelda turned over to Marth who still looked pretty shaken from Link's sudden apology. He glared at her in a childish manner then passionately kissed her. It was as if to restore her faith in him although she hadn't lost any of it.

To be continued…