Author's Note:
Heeeeyyyy hope you guys weren't waiting tooo long or anything...
(sorry)
In any case, enjoy!
"Well look at the trouble you've gotten yourself into this time," Ms. Nellian huffed as the two newcomers clumsily made their way into her health room.
Link sighed, clutching his jaw, while Ev helped him take a seat on one of the patients' beds. Bright sunlight filtered in through the opened windows, and the cool blue and green curtains drifted with the gentle breeze flowing in. The room felt warm and pleasant on his bruised skin.
"I mean really..." Ms. Nellian shook her head and narrowed her eyes at Link's tall, lanky escort. She marched her plump figure over to Evan, who sported an easy grin, and met the man nearly eye to eye. "Now what in the islands happened this time?"
Ev backed up and raised his hands. "Easy, easy thar' Nel. The boy got himself into a -" Link met eyes with the janitor and shook his head and free arm frantically "-into a lil' accident. That's all," Ev finished gracefully.
The large woman narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Link (who now looked out the window with the innocence of a day remlit), and back to the grinning janitor with a humph.
"You listen here, Evan," the nurse growled, "I'm not having any of your nonsense. Now unless you've got anything better to do, get!"
"All right, All right, Nel!" Evan shouted as the woman shooed him out. He locked his bright blue eyes with Link's and grinned. "See ya 'round Link, and try not to fall down any more stairs!" Once the woman had shuffled Evan outside, she slammed the door in his face.
"Good riddance..." Ms. Nellian turned to her patient and quirked one thin eyebrow. "Stairs, huh?" Link shrugged sheepishly and said nothing. "Mmmhmm. Next time they'll bring your sorry corpse in here and your ghost will tell me: "I just sat at the bottom of the lake, Ms. Nellian. Really." Link stared at his boots without a word. He heard her sigh heavily.
"Come on, let's see the damage then." Link took off his shirt without having to be asked and looked up as her large, stubby fingers flitted lightly over him, checking for any damage or abnormalities. She tsked disapprovingly as she studied his face. "So," she said hotly, "I suppose you just ran into a fist-sized pole on those stairs, did you?"
Link looked down from those penetrating green eyes, and the nurse looked up at the ceiling, then back down at the boy.
After a few moments of tense silence, she asked, "Can you speak?" Link shook his head. "Where exactly does it hurt?"
Link used the hand not supporting his jaw to point just under his left cheek, then the back of his head, and his abdomen. The latter had a nasty bruise about the size of a loftwing's claw and burned just as bright a red as his own bird, Scarlett.
She sighed heavily and focused on his slacked jaw. "There's a lot of swelling there. Can you close your mouth all the way?" Link shook his head. "All right then. I'm going to feel around here, all right?" She felt his jaw lightly and nodded. "You're lucky. It's only dislocated."
Link sighed in relief. That would be a quick fix, especially with Ms. Nellian's talents.
"That being said we're going to have to put it back in place, and that's no walk in the park, honey."
He nodded. "Well...let's see here..." she said, walking over to the drawers and grazing hastily through them so the bottles clinked together every now and then. With a triumphant "Ahah!" the nurse came up carefully, holding a round, curved bottle filled halfway with dark, blue liquid. "A simple tranquilizer, dear. It'll help with the pain and loosen those muscles."
She poured out a little on a napkin and put a dab on his left cheek. "Now, it'll feel a bit strange. It's got a funny, tingling feeling, almost like when your foot's asleep."
Link felt the potion's effects immediately. The thick, sappy liquid soaked into his skin and a weird, almost electric sensation branched from the spot like a numbing wave. His jaw went completely slack.
Weird... Link thought.
Ms. Nellian seemed to read his expression. "Like I said, it feels a little strange, but it doesn't hurt anymore does it?"
Link shook his head. Although it wasn't quite relief, he welcomed the lack of pain.
The nurse nodded and told Link to brace himself. He removed his hand and she snapped his jaw back into place. Link grunted more out of shock then pain and wondered at the numbness. It felt like it should've hurt, but it was like he was disconnected from his skin. He decided he didn't like the feeling.
"All right, now hold your jaw in place while I get the remedies." Link cupped his jaw once more and watched her hustle back to the other side of the room. The familiar sound of tinkling bottles rang in the air, and with another "Ahah!" she produced a very familiar red liquid.
Ms. Nellian chuckled at Link's expression. "If you hate it so much, then don't get yourself hurt every other day."
It's not like I can help it... he thought sourly.
Ms. Nellian fished out a straw just as the door came open with a bang.
"ZELDA! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO KNOCK-" Ms. Nellian shouted, unheeded, by a blonde-headed whir making a beeline for the occupied bed.
"Link, do you have any idea how worried SICK I was and why didn't - By Her Grace!" Zelda swore. "What...what..." Zelda couldn't seem to say whatever she meant to as she took in his beaten, half-naked body, open and displaying all the damage. Her face twisted and darkened from shock to a fierce scowl, and Link understood well if Ms. Nellian wasn't here, Zelda would be screaming her outrage about a certain someone. The next instant his face darkened into a deep plum and he grabbed the blankets to cover himself.
"Zelda!" he bit through the pain, more than a little embarrassed at a girl seeing him without a top.
His best friend rolled her eyes and spat, "It's not like I've never seen you naked before, Link."
From the corner of his eyes he saw Ms. Nellian's eyebrows shoot up. Zelda seemed to notice this and turned an even deeper shade of plum then Link. He had never seen Zelda more flustered in her life.
"I-I mean when we w-were just kids, and we s-swam in the lake, a-and it's n-nothing - I mean, not..." Link rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling.
"Hey! Don't you make that face!" Zelda snapped, pointy ears a bright, crimson red.
Ms. Nellian cut in, "Well, if your quite done, Zelda, the door is over there. You can get on to your next class now."
His friend pursed her lips and crossed her arms stubbornly. "It's my free hour, Ms. Nellian. My next class isn't until 2:30."
The nurse narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Zelda, you aren't a direct relative. Go out and study so I can fix him up."
Link rolled his eyes. Here we go again.
Zelda tilted her chin up. "I don't need to study and besides, my father is Link's legal guardian. I'm his daughter, so technically speaking Link is my brother by law. Therefore, I'm the closest thing to a direct relative he's got. I'm staying here." The girl plopped down in the visitor's chair to make her point.
Ms. Nellian looked like she had something to offer that, but after a moment she thought better to leave it be. Link wanted to bang his head on the wall and tell Zelda to just leave him alone. She treated him like such a child!
"Fine. Stay there and don't move, don't speak, and don't so much as lift a finger without my say so or you're out of here. Understand?" Zelda nodded and the large woman let out a disproving grunt.
After a few minutes Zelda was up and doing whatever she could to help the nurse, putting in her knowledge and asking questions. Link held up his bruised arm for inspection and looked at Zelda's eager face knowingly (though to her credit she was trying to look grim in light of the situation). Zelda aspired to be a doctor and already took several premedical studies even before the real upper classes began and she started her freshman year. It hardly surprised him that Ms. Nellian had caved into her charm and astounding, prodigal level of knowledge. Once Link was nearly fixed up and spitting out a galleon of bitter, stinging red potion, and Zelda was helping clean up, the girl paused over the round, blue bottle the nurse had used earlier.
"What's this?" Zelda asked curiously.
Link made a face and replied (his jaw having taken the effects of the red potion), "That's just a numbing potion. It feels really weird, though. Ms. Nellian used it on my face and it felt like my whole head went asleep."
Ms. Nellian nodded and became very grave. "Be careful with that potion and keep your hands away from the top, lil' lady. One little splash and you'll go into a full-fledged coma."
Zelda widened her eyes in more awe than fear, but still held the bottle more gingerly as instructed.
"Why's that?" Zelda asked once more.
Ms. Nellian seemed more than happy to answer whatever little thing the girl asked. "Because it's made from jay berries. That's a poison, dear. They found out that it's juice, when diluted and taken in small doses, has tranquilizing abilities. It's very useful for relaxing joints and muscles, as well as relieving pain. I use it to help put back a displaced joint, like with your friend's jaw here earlier. It also has one other use..." Ms. Nellian took the bottle from Zelda and locked it into a drawer with a warning sign that read: DO NOT OPEN. TRAINED USE ONLY. "And that is to put someone to sleep. Permanently."
Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Why do you use it, if it's that dangerous?"
"Because it's useful and I'm a trained professional," the nurse replied simply. The large woman turned to Link. "Now I want you to be careful-"
"Um..." Link interjected with a tentative, raised hand.
Zelda (to his irritation) filled in for him, "Ms. Nellian, Link is in the Wing Ceremony tomorrow."
The woman pursed her lips and Link never saw her so sour. "Fine. Try to avoid any unnecessary strain on your core muscles, and do not open your mouth all the way for at least another week to give that potion a chance to do its work. Mind your head as well, you've gotten a few minor concussions. Nothing the potions won't fix, but still be careful. I want you checking in every day to make sure everything's healing properly, and make sure you take this," She tossed him a bag of remedies, "twice a day. It'll help with the pain and make sure the swelling and bruises stay down. Got it?"
Link nodded and Ms. Nellian turned to Zelda. "Make sure he does as he'd told and keep him out of trouble." Zelda gave a firm nod and salute for good measure. Ms. Nellian rolled her eyes good-naturedly and Link scowled. He could take care of himself, dammit.
The nurse looked over them and proceeded to shoo them out, but just before she shut the door behind them she called for Link to come in, alone.
"Do you know that man?" the woman asked seriously as she shut the door in Zelda's questioning face. Link stared at her in confusion. "The janitor."
"Oh, um...kind of. I just met him today and -"
"I want you to keep your distance from that man, Link. Understand?"
Link gaped. "Why?"
The woman shifted as if uncomfortable with whatever she knew. "I just need you to stay away from him. He's no good."
Link stared, floored and somewhat offended. "But he seemed alright! I mean he did me a favor back there and he didn't seem like he meant any harm or anything..."
Ms. Nellian shook her head and looked at him with those sharp green eyes. Link had never met someone with such a penetrating gaze. He felt almost like she could see straight through him. "Stay away from Evan Ralls."
"What was that about?" Zelda asked as Link stepped out of the health room.
He looked up at her and questioned, "Do you know an Evan Ralls?"
Zelda furrowed her eyebrows in her own, thoughtful sort of way. "I...I know I've heard that name from somewhere... I think it has something to do with pumpkins?"
"Pumpkins, huh? That's not vague at all."
"Hey, you asked, and I gave you an answer. I'll look it up if it's bothering you so much."
"Don't bother."
Zelda looked a little hurt. "...Well, fine then," she muttered.
They walked down the hall for some time, silent.
"Hey...you still up for-"
"Zelda, forget it."
Zelda halted and glared down at him. "What is the matter with you? I'm just trying to help-"
"Well no one asked you!" Link snapped. "Why can't you just mind your own business for once, huh? I don't need your help, I don't want your help, and I didn't ask for it either! Can't you just LEAVE ME ALONE?"
Zelda bit her lip, hard, but never one to go down easily shouted back, "Do you have ANY idea how worried I am about you? How every single day I wonder if you'll get beat up, or if you'll even come back? What the HELL am I supposed to do if you end up dead one day, huh? If one day that BASTARD takes it too far and all that's left is a pile of broken bones?"
"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" Link bellowed.
"NO YOU CAN'T! NO YOU CAN'T, LINK!" A few tears ran down her face. "You know where you'd be if it wasn't for me and my dad? That's right, you'd be nothing but a drop out without a home!"
"WELL AT LEAST I WOULDN'T GET BEATEN UP EVERY DAY BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID BITCH!"
Zelda froze and Link wore a very similar expression to the one he wore earlier when his foot went back off the cliff.
"...Zelda-"
She raised her fist to smack him, but then she looked over all the bruises and sores on his face and put her fist down. He wished she had hit him. It would've been better then what she said next.
"You're such an asshole, Link," Zelda whispered and wiped at a few angry tears before she stormed away.
"Zelda, wait!" He called, starting after her. "Zelda!"
"You know what?" Zelda asked, whirring around. Link stopped in his tracks. "Why don't you just leave ME alone?"
He stared up after her as she marched up the stairs. Link heard the slam of a door and wondered if he'd just lost the best friend he ever had.
Author's Note:
Drama bomb. Teenagers, am I right?
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