Chapter 87: The Line He Laid

…

Link dropped to his knees and put a hand on Layna's shoulder. "Layna!?" he shouted. "Layna! Layna, wake up!"

Layna lifted her head, surprising Link. Her face was emotionless, as if it was not her bleeding out. But Link could see the sleep in her eyes, and he knew that it should not be there. She rolled onto her back, and Link saw a pair of bullet holes in her stomach as well as the single hole in her chest above her left breast. More bullet holes, more than Link wanted to count, riddled her arms and legs. Link's face paled, and he thought he would throw up from the sight of all the blood.

"'Inu… 'inu mi'atixya'ak talwban adi'," she managed to tell him in an even voice. "Taf 'inu mitaynalak talwban adi'. 'Inu mitowaynwak wabnik, Amda Kyabtin Liynk… wammu 'agoylwantya 'imayn kyabtin balw."

"Screw you, Layna!" Irleen screamed after watching Layna close her eyes. She fluttered in front of Layna's face, causing Layna to flinch. "Like hell you're getting in your last words now!"

Pap! Irleen started when she heard the sound of someone getting smacked and turned around. Layna opened her eyes again, and, in spite of her pain, she gave Link a surprised look.

Because Link had just slapped himself out of what he perceived to be an idiotic stupor. And he said in a low voice, "Not here. Not now. This isn't happening." He grabbed Layna's shoulders and pulled her into a sitting position. "C'mon, Layna, we're getting you some help."

"Kyabtin…"

"Great!" Irleen declared. But her next statement came out awkward as she asked, "So, uh… what-what's the plan?"

"I'm gonna carry her."

Irleen paused for a moment. "Uh… I know I don't have any skills in medicine or anything, but… I-I don't think you should move her. Maybe we should go bring someone—"

Link glared at her. "I'm going to carry her," he repeated in a slower, harsher tone.

Irleen gave another pause before saying, "Okay, you'll carry her. But what's your plan for getting up the ladder?"

"I'll have her on my back," Link said as he carefully grabbed Layna's right forearm.

"And if she passes out on the way up?"

Link froze as he was getting into position to pick Layna up and carry her on his back. Irleen was right; if she lost her grip and fell while Link was ascending, it would be a very certain death. He immediately started pondering other ideas. Could tying her to him work? It did not seem like a safe idea; if she fell, the sudden pull of a line attached between the two of them might yank him off the ladder. She would have to be secured to him in a way that, if she happened to lose consciousness, Link could still climb. He considered how he would be carrying her on his back. He would have to hold onto her thighs the whole way and probably lean forward so she could keep her arms wrapped around his neck. That would be the key. If her arms were secured around his neck or maybe his shoulders, even if she passed out, she would not be in danger of falling.

"Rope, rope," Link muttered as his eyes passed over the room. "I-I need…" His right hand brushed the whip on his belt, and he glanced down at it. "Rope! Perfect!" He pulled the whip out and reached out to grab Layna's other arm. He winced at the pain in his right shoulder. "H—agh…"

"Kyabtin, waba yilwiyjomotak," Layna commented, her voice almost absent.

"Hang on, Layna," Link told her. He stepped over to her other side and took her other arm into his hand. He folded her arms and rested them on her lap. Though he did not like doing it, he then wrapped the middle of his Rope whip around her forearms about seven times as tight as he could. Then he tied a reef knot out of the handle and the head of the Rope, which had been made awkward by their respective rigidity and annoying shape. But he managed to put a descent knot in and tugged on her forearms to make sure they could not slip out. With her forearms bound in opposing directions, he would be able to carry her up the ladder without having her hands in his way.

Link then removed his sword and quiver. He decided to drop the quiver on the nearby floor, abandoning it for now. The Lokomo Sword, however, he decided to unbuckle and put around Layna, who watched him with an increasingly blank stare on her face. It was a little difficult since his right shoulder was still bleeding. In fact, he was beginning to understand Layna's tired look.

But he refused to let it happen. As long as Layna was in danger, he would not allow himself to rest. He lifted her arms and ducked under so that her arms would settle either around his shoulders or his neck. He had to shove her legs apart so he could square his body up in front of her. Then he picked her legs up by the thigh. Layna suddenly jolted to life and took in a sharp breath of air. She folded her legs against his sides, which made it easier for Link to jostle her a bit until she was resting against his back. He silently apologized for it, knowing that he had probably aggravated her wounds in the process. It felt a little awkward to him; he had never had to carry someone a head taller than him. Layna was unusually light, but Link attributed that to the Sorian power bracelet giving him the strength he needed to lift her.

"Irleen," he said with a strained voice as his wounds and his sore muscles decided to remind him of their presence at the same time. "Get in my hat. If I can get a run going… I might get the boots to speed us up."

"Okay, but watch where you're going," Irleen warned him before she disappeared into his hat. "It'll hurt us all if you fall."

"Hgn… got it."

Link first walked to the edge of the step encircling the room and stepped up in front of the doorway. He managed two strides before having the will to start jogging. But his fatigue was setting in too fast, and the pain in his thigh gave him a bit of a limp. He could not get the boots to trigger before he reached the opening to the room with the ladder. The heat he felt as he crossed the exposed technoworks into the room did nothing to help, but he resisted as best as he could as he stepped up to the ladder. He took a moment to glance at the immense height and wondered if it had actually gotten taller since climbing down.

He carefully released Layna's legs. Her whole weight suddenly tugged on his collar, but she, still being conscious, adjusted her arms so they were wrapped further down around his shoulders. It pressed against the wound on his right shoulder, but it would have to be something for him to bear as he climbed; if she slipped and caught his neck, it was likely that he would pass out from the lack of air or simply fall due to the shift in weight. He put a hand on the white ladder and saw that, before he could start climbing, his palms had been soaked red from her blood. He wiped his hands on his trousers and started up.

The climb was difficult. In addition to having all of Layna's weight hanging from his shoulders, the way she had positioned her arms decreased his range of motion. He had to grip the ladder's rungs lower than what he was used to; attempting to raise his arms any higher would result in Layna slipping and hanging from his neck, something which he intended to avoid. His wounds reminded him of their presence with each step up. Perhaps the only thing keeping him clinging to the ladder was his determination to not lose another airman.

Halfway up the ladder, Layna began mumbling, "'Inu sanimyayl. 'Inu saylwobak za'atax 'imayn kyabtin. 'Inu sanimyayl. 'Inu saylwobak za'atax 'imayn kyabtin. 'Inu sani—"

"Is that her talking?" Irleen asked from under Link's hat.

"Ugh… yeah," Link spoke through his clenched teeth as he continued to climb.

"Wish I knew what she was saying…"

Link grunted in agreement. "At least… she's still… conscious."

Layna continued to mumble to herself as Link climbed, although he was noticing that it was slowly becoming more and more slurred. He looked neither up nor down to gauge his progress, feeling that he was putting all his effort into reaching the top as long as he did not know when the ladder would end. And he did not want to think about what would happen if he suddenly slipped. He focused on the ladder, the reflexive positioning of each limb to ensure that he moved up each rung with precision as he had never done before. His arms were growing tired. Layna felt as if she was getting heavier. He tried to force those thoughts aside, tried to tell himself that, as long as he kept moving, he and Layna would be all right.

The end of the ladder showed up at last, and Link hauled both himself and Layna onto the floor of the small chamber at the top. A breath later, he fought to his feet and picked up Layna's legs again. This caused Layna to give a surprised shout, and she was suddenly lucid enough to say, "Kyabtin, 'inu binwikak. Waba lwaynwoyratak."

Layna's voice carried the tone of deep pain, and it sounded as if she was trying not to cry. "It's okay, Layna," Link told her as he started walking through the chamber toward the corridors that would take them to the surface. "It's okay, because… because we're gonna get you some help."

"Kwal, Kyabtin?" she whispered. "'Inu tanolak."

"I won't let you die," he told her. "I won't let anyone on my crew die…"

The up-slope of the corridors ahead made it impossible for Link to break into a run. Of course, his new bout of exhaustion from having climbed a ladder did nothing to improve his situation. About the only positive aspect of being at the top of the technoworks again was the fact that the air was a little cooler. Sweat dripped in his eyes and blurred his vision. Still, he refused to stop. His steps became heavier. His entire body throbbed with pain, and it was becoming hard to ignore. Layna continued to ask "Kwal, Kyabtin?" in his ear. Just as before, as she seemed to slowly lose consciousness, her speech became slurred and reduced to simply mumbling the tone she was using.

Ahead in the last corridor, Link could see nothing but blackness. Night would have definitely fallen by now, and it left him concerned that he would not be able to navigate too well in the dark. But as he slowly approached the darkness, he reasoned that, if he just turned north once he found a main road, he could keep moving until he found lights. Most clinics he had known all kept their doors open even overnight. This meant that, of whatever buildings still had their lights on at this time, there was a good chance that he could find a clinic among them. But, being in the abandoned central area of the island, he would have to travel some distance before finding any sort of population. He did not even have a watch to tell what time it was. How long would it take him to find civilization again?

"Irleen," Link spoke up. He paused before speaking as he tried to fight back a wave of nausea. "Irleen, I need you to come out; this tunnel's too dark."

"All right," Irleen replied as she emerged from his hat. She floated in front of Link and lower to the ground so that he could see where he was stepping. "How are you doing?"

"I don't care," Link answered in a heated tone. "I'm fine. How's Layna?"

"She looks like she's asleep… It's… Link, I don't wanna sound ne—"

"Don't say it," he ordered. "It's not happening."

"Link, if she's gone… you're just torturing yourself."

Link growled. Then he shouted, "Layna! Layna, wake up!"

"Kyab…tin…" Layna whispered.

"This is crazy," Irleen said. "We've been moving for so long, you'd think she should've run out of blood by now."

"She's gonna live," Link growled. "It's not an option."

Irleen opted to say nothing more, seeing that her negative outlook on the situation was just adding to Link's frustration. He was glad she decided not to press the issue. His fatigue, his pain, and his frustration were already fueling his fear that Layna's life was slowly slipping from his grasp. He considered the people who had already died because of the activities of the past couple of months. Having decided just a few days ago that all the deaths around him would end with him fueled his determination further. Layna was a good airman. And despite her training to remain in the shadows and kill at someone's order, he felt they had developed what was probably one of the strangest friendships he had ever encountered, even after counting his best friend Line. It was not fair for her to suffer for it. Her job was not to die for him; that was never her job as an airman.

Link finally found the opening of the tunnel and strode to the end of the alley, where he made an immediate right turn. As he had suspected, most of the building around him were dark with absence. Not even the streetlights in this area had been turned on. His main guide to not walking into anything was Irleen's glow as she led the way. He continued until he found a wide street two blocks down, giving him a view of the rest of the city in the distance. "Irleen," he asked, "do you remember what direction we came from?"

She motioned to the left. "That way, I think. Yeah, that sounds right."

"Get in my hat."

"Link, do you think you'll be able to run like that?"

He adjusted his grip on Layna's legs, aware that her blood was making holding her difficult. "I have to," he told her. "Layna's dead otherwise."

Irleen complied, and Link started down the road toward what he hoped was the north. With nothing in his way and not having to worry about walking uphill anymore, he found he could pick up speed a little easier. The bouncing caused Layna's arms to loosen from his shoulders, and she would have fallen off if she had not been resting against his back again. He managed a slow jog. Then it picked up to a slow run. Link's heart was pounding hard. His muscles threatened to quit on him. His own wounds stung in the cold, night air. But when his thoughts went back to Albert, Jared, and the crews of the Horizon's Eye and Cloud Moon, he let out a scream of frustration.

And then the boots finally acknowledged that he was running and activated. Buildings suddenly turned into large, grey blurs as he sped down the road. He could see light in the distance. And now that he was running, he would reach it in no time at all. At least, that was his hope; "no time at all" would be ideal for getting Layna the help she needed.

Streetlights started speeding past. Then, when Link ran past a lit window, he slowed back to a jog so he could look around. His eyes now adjusted to the darkness, he looked around for a sign or window painting of a red teardrop, which was the best-recognized sign of a clinic. He found one just a few blocks down the road from where he had slowed. He tried to pick up speed again, but his legs just would not allow it anymore.

"Almost… there… almost…" Link uttered between labored breaths. His mind was beginning to feel a little hazy. He caught himself drifting in a different direction and corrected himself.

He finally collapsed right in front of the door. Having Layna's arms in front of him caused his head to nearly snap forward and strike the ground. Layna was dead weight against his back now. He could not move his legs anymore, the fatigue from everything about this situation making them feel absolutely numb and useless.

"Link!" Irleen cried out as she emerged from his hat. "C'mon, Link, get up! This is it, right!? Let's go!"

"I… I can't… I can't move…" he huffed. He put his hands on the ground and tried to pull himself closer to the door. "Hurry… call someone…"

"Call som—call someone," she repeated. "Call… Hey! Hey! Somebody help! Heeeeelp!"

Link managed to drag himself closer to the door, a pane of glass in a metal frame. He held up his left fist and started striking the glass as Irleen continued to holler. The deep thumps should have been responded to within a second, but no one seemed to be coming. "Hah… hah…" Link breathed as he tried to holler out. "Hah… hel… help… Help…" He paused to take in as much breath as possible. He had to get the word out. If he did not, Layna would be dead.

"HEEELP!" he suddenly screamed as he put the rest of his strength into striking the glass. The glass shattered under the last of his strength, which he realized must have still been amplified by the power bracelet. While it gained the attention of a number of panicked voices inside, Link found that the larger glass shards had sliced open his forearm. The last of his strength used, he lay on the ground almost motionless.

Link was in a fog when help finally arrived. He could barely make out the crunching of glass as people's shoes trampled over the broken window. Layna had been taken away from him. Irleen seemed to disappear. He tried to grasp for something, anything to reaffirm that he was still alive. He felt something tugging on his shoulder, and he snapped to life and grabbed the wrist of whoever was touching him.

"Easy, easy," a calm voice told him. It had come from a masked man standing right in front of him. He recognized the white robe stained a dull pink around the belly area as a surgical gown. "I'm not trying to hurt you. Just let me finish this up, and I'll get to your other wounds."

As Link's awareness sharpened, he realized that, with the exception of a small cloth lying across his lap, he was completely naked. He sat on a gurney that had been placed on a table. Scratches covered his arms and legs. A thick bandage had been applied to the wounds on his left thigh and his left side just beneath his rib cage. He found that the surgeon was currently sewing up his right shoulder. Despite watching the needle thread through his skin, Link found himself too tired to be shocked by it. He took a moment to try to piece together events, but his mind was still in a bit of a haze.

Finally, he asked, "Where… where am I?"

"Hm?" the surgeon responded. "Oh. You're in a stitching room. The clinic whose front door you broke out."

The voice sounded casual about the damage Link had caused, but he told the surgeon, "I'm-I'm sorry."

"Eh. Don't be. The orderly on-duty was asleep at the desk. If it hadn't been for you breaking the window, you and the young woman might've died right out there on the street."

"Young… wo… Layna…" Link could feel his mind clearing more. He felt panic well up inside him. "Layna, where is she?"

"Okay, just take it easy for a bit," the surgeon tried to tell Link in a calming tone. "She's in surgery right now."

"I-I want to see her," Link said as he made to stand.

"No," the surgeon told him, pressing a hand against Link's chest to stop him. "You need to stay here. I'm not finished with your shoulder."

"Where is she?" Link demanded as he grabbed the surgeon's wrist with his good hand and tried to pull it away.

"Let me finish your shoulder first."

"I wanna see her now!"

"Nurse!" the surgeon hollered when Link slipped from behind his hand. He immediately released the needle he had been using to avoid stabbing either of them. "Hold him! Stop him!"

"Layna!?" Link rounded the table and found a doorway right in front of him.

Then a pair of arms wrapped him from behind, and he started struggling against them as he was lifted from the ground. "Keep him still!" a woman's voice called out.

Link did not see the needle until the blue-clad nurse stepped away from him. He struggled for a few more moments. Then sleep suddenly overtook him, and he passed out in the arms of the muscular orderly hugging him.

…

Link stirred after what felt like a second later. But as his head began to clear itself again, he found that he was no longer in the stitching room. He did not recognize the faux-stone ceiling tiles. But he was comfortable. He was in a bed, and someone had tucked him in up to his chest with a white bedsheet and a thick, green blanket. His body felt heavy. He looked to his left.

And he found that the bed left of his was occupied by someone. They had just a sheet and no blanket, and a white cloth had been placed over the person's face.

A body. It was a dead body.

As soon as Link's brain processed that information, he paled. He had been too late. He had lost Layna.

"Ah, you're awake." Link looked down at his feet in the direction of the voice. Standing at the foot of the bed was a tall, middle-aged man wearing a clean, white coat over a pink work shirt and tan slacks. Although Link had not seen his face before, he recognized the voice of the surgeon who had been working on him. "How are you feeling?"

Link glanced back at the corpse next to him. "Is… Is that…?" he tried to ask through a creaky voice, but he found he did not want to complete the sentence.

The surgeon grinned at him. "Try looking on the other side."

Link looked to his right. To his great relief, Layna lay asleep, peaceful, with her chest visibly rising and falling to confirm that she was alive. He allowed himself a smile and a relaxed sigh.

"She's not quite out of danger yet," the surgeon told him. "But, barring being shot, stabbed, or spontaneously bleeding out, she should be recovered in time, Captain."

Link gave another sigh of relief. "Thank you," he told the surgeon. "I was worried that I'd lost her."

"You probably would've. In fact, with as much blood as the both of you were losing, you found us just in time."

Link gave him a concerned look. "Was… was I that bad?" The surgeon opened a footlocker sitting hidden behind the foot of Link's bed. He pulled out a pair of trousers and held them up to show Link the dozens of bullet holes in the legs. Link had to take a moment to recognize them as his own trousers. When he did, his eyes opened a little wider. "Oh. Wow."

"The undersuit you were wearing tells the story better," the surgeon told him as he dropped the trousers. "Unfortunately, that was so saturated with blood that we had to cut it off and burn it. Though, I imagine some of it belonged to her."

"I-I thought I only took a couple of bullets," Link said.

The surgeon reached down as he replied, "You did." He picked up a small, metal pan. Link sat up, a particularly difficult move since his whole body throbbed with the movement, as the surgeon rounded the bed. He managed to raise his head enough to see one small round, two regular rounds, and an oddly-shaped bullet in the pan. "I've pulled almost every manner of object out of a human body. But I have never seen a bullet like this before. Now I know you sailing types are good at inventing new ways of injuring yourselves, Captain, but I have never seen so many bullet wounds as you and your friend here."

"Well, it's a pretty long… sto…"

Link froze. "Sailing types"? "Captain"? He felt his heart pounding hard in his chest, and that just seemed to make his body ache more. He could not believe it. The doctor knew who he was.

The surgeon shook his head, an amused grin on his face. "So you are Captain Link," he said. "I have to say, you don't have much of a game face."

Link glared at him. "Are you planning to turn me in to the Skyriders?"

The surgeon gave a silent chuckle and reached below Link's bed. "Not particularly," he said as he drew out a small crate. He sat down on it and placed the metal pan next to Link's feet. "I should, but it doesn't sit well now that we've actually met."

Link's face relaxed. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. You need to realize that you're in danger of being found if the Skyriders are still here."

Link shook his head. "It's the same no matter where we go."

"They were here searching for you a couple days ago. They seemed pretty sure they would find you or one of your crewmen…" He paused and then nodded at Layna. "Or crewwomen here."

Link nodded his understanding, believing that Captain North had expected them to get to the nearest clinic if any of them had been injured escaping Tabletop Island. "What about the Skyriders? Did any of them need treatment here?"

"No, though I noticed one of them had a broken arm in a sling."

Link sighed. Then he closed his eyes and tried to suppress a yawn. "What time is it?"

"About half past five in the morning."

"The morning?" Link asked, his voice betraying shock. "How-how long was I out?"

"Eight hours or so. We had to sedate you so we could finish closing your shoulder." He hunched forward. "What happened to you two? Who was shooting at you?"

Link sighed. "Those-those monsters that have been… attacking people. In the center of the island. One of them had a… a gun, I guess. Something I don't think anyone's ever seen before. I think it's the thing that was shooting those strange bullets. I-I didn't think I'd been hit by one, though."

The surgeon glanced back at the pan. "You weren't. That was pulled out of her shoulder. Among others. Not that you didn't get an unimpressive amount, either. Three bullets generally mean a grave, you know. What were you two doing, staring at it while it shot you?"

"We took cover," Link said. "But… I guess it wasn't good enough. And… I think the shooter was a little… No, I'd say he was quite insane." He glanced over at Layna. "Where was she shot?"

"Four in her legs, three in her arms, the left shoulder… two in her stomach and one in her chest," the surgeon said. "Tough girl. All the weapons we found on her helped, too; she had…" The surgeon started gesturing. "… The nurse told me she had a circular blade of some sort right about here. The bullet hit it, and the other surgeon that saw to her thinks that the blade may have deflected the bullet from her lung. She'll have a few nasty scars, but from what he told me, she already has quite a few."

Link glanced at her again, remembering how little he actually knew about most of his crew. "How long do you think it'll be until she's able?"

"Between the injuries she sustained and the painkillers we've got her on, she should probably stay off her feet for a couple of weeks while she recovers. Where's she from? I've never seen a woman like her before."

"She's Gelto. She's from the surface."

The surgeon's eyebrows rose. "Oh, wow. Tough luck she came all the way up here just to get shot."

Link nodded. Then he remembered something and asked, "Hey, Doc? About a month or so ago, do you remember anything about the King and Queen of Hyrule being on this island?"

The surgeon adjusted his seat and said, "Well, I remember something about them being out this way, but that was longer ago, I think. I'd've assumed they'd gone back to Castle Island by now. Why do you ask?"

Link just shook his head. "Curiosity. I've been… well, I've been out of contact for a while; that was just something I remember before then."

"Līnca!" Link jumped at the sound of Irleen's high-pitched voice. She bounced through the air as if out of nowhere and landed on the bed near Link's feet. "Con katàwì? Katòhan?"

"Oh," Link moaned. "Uh… doctor, I had a… a couple of gems in my pocket. Could you hand me the smaller one?"

"Sure," the surgeon replied, standing and moving to the footlocker again.

"Haħ?" Irleen asked. "Oħ. Līntána."

The surgeon rummaged for a moment before holding up the amethyst. "Is this it?" he asked.

"Yes, that's it," Irleen replied.

The surgeon stared at her for a moment. "So she does speak Hylian," he said. "The orderly who took your clothes claimed he heard her speaking Hylian, but she's been speaking something else this whole time."

Link pulled his left arm (the only part of him that did not feel absolutely numb) out from under the bedsheet so he could hold out his hand. The doctor gave the translator gem to him, and he asked Irleen, "What were you saying?"

"I was asking how you were doing," she replied.

"Oh. Okay, I guess."

"Right. Look, I hate to bother you, but, even with the Lizalfos all dead, we still need to repair the technoworks."

"Tech-technoworks?" the surgeon asked.

"It's a… It's a long story, Doc," Link told him. "How much longer do I need to recover?"

"Are you kidding?" the surgeon replied, raising an eyebrow. "Three bullet wounds and numerous lacerations? You need a couple of days to rest up. Any strenuous work in that time, and you could wind up tearing out those stitches. We didn't give you any blood, but you do need to let your body rest and restore the blood you lost."

"Not to mention you ran until you couldn't move your legs," Irleen added.

"You have some severe issues with exhaustion and, it seems, a bit of malnutrition. You have to rest."

"The longer I rest," Link said, "the longer I risk the Skyriders finding me."

The surgeon shook his head. "The Skyriders haven't been back, and I suspect they won't be for a while." Then he crossed his arms. "Besides, even if you would drive yourself too hard, you might want to consider that your airman is in worse shape than you. She won't be going anywhere for a couple of weeks. Unless you plan to abandon her."

"Link doesn't abandon anyone," Irleen argued, jumping up from the bed. "Do you know what he went through to save her!?"

"Then he won't have any trouble resting for a couple of days. We can keep you safe here. But you have to trust us." He glanced between both of them. "Other than having the Skyriders after you, you seem like a decent young man. Just give yourself and your friend here some time to rest. That's all I ask."

Link sighed. He had to admit that the opportunity to rest was quite appealing. And, if Layna was in seriously bad shape, maybe it would be best to remain. So he nodded and placed his head back on the pillow. "Okay, Doc. We'll rest."

"Yes, well, I'll have an orderly keeping an eye on you two just in case. The nurses will also be on-hand if you need anything. I think breakfast will be in about…" He turned to glance at a clock on the wall on the far side of the ward. "…mmm, another hour?" He paused and appeared to agree with himself. "I have some paperwork to fake, so I'll be by to check on you later before I leave. I'll let my relief know what's going on."

Link nodded. "Thanks, Doc."

"Yeah, thanks," Irleen said. The surgeon nodded and left through a door on the far side of the ward.

Link turned his head to stare at Layna. He considered how she would react when she woke up, whether she would remain in bed or try to ambush the next person to set foot in the room. The thought brought a sad smile to his face. He did not want to think about it, but he realized that, after all the trauma of being shot up by the Gatolfos, there was a chance that she might not be the same stealthy, acrobatic "watcher" that had been following him around for a month. Would she live with it? Would she let one of the other Gelto take her place?

"You saved her, Link," Irleen spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. "One can only guess at how she's going to respond to it. It could be that she'll follow you around until you die."

"I'm just glad she made it," Link said as he continued to watch Layna. "Too many people have died because of me. I… I don't want to see anymore…"

Irleen allowed a moment of silence before saying, "You pulled Layna out of the worst possible situation. Maybe… maybe those other people died because you weren't there to save them. I saw you try once, remember? And… I know now that, even if you didn't know what to do… you would've saved the Horizon's Eye. But it's not fair of you to blame yourself when you didn't even have a chance. I-I don't want to say that these things just happen… but instead of saying that they died because of you, maybe you should think that they died because of Cunimincus. If it hadn't been for him, none of this would have started in the first place." She paused. "I don't know if it helps, but…"

"Thank you, Irleen," he told her, turning to look at her. "It… sounds a little weird, but… yeah. Yeah, it does help."

Irleen released a large sigh and asked, "So now what do we do?"

Link glanced over at the clock. "It'll be a few more hours before Leynne and Lilly meet up with the Symphony," he told her. "I know it'll be a problem, but do you think you can bring him here when they do?"

"I suppose I could. I might have to fly around for a bit; I'm not sure where we are."

"That's fine. Just make sure you can find us here again."

"Got it." She then sailed out of the room. Link looked back up at the ceiling and was just beginning to contemplate everything that had happened to them last night when he heard Irleen flutter through the room again. He looked up just as she passed over the foot of his bed. "Wrong way," she told him with an embarrassed giggle before disappearing out the other doorway in the ward.

Link allowed himself a chuckle and glanced back up at the ceiling. Now that he had decided to allow Layna and himself to rest, he felt so much more relaxed than ever before. It seemed to him as if he had had to go to sleep every night thinking about all of the people that wanted him and needed him ever since he had returned to the sky. It was quite possible that he was on painkillers that made him so comfortable, but it was a comfort he could live with for now. Besides, the surgeon was right. Link could not go anywhere without causing Layna to want to go with him; he felt he understood how she thought by now (for various situations in which she was not likely to spontaneously kiss him). If he stayed with her, it should make her rest long enough for her wounds to heal.

The quiet of the ward allowed Link to hear a sharp breath from nearby. He turned to find Layna staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, Layna," he said. He offered her a grin and held up his left hand to give her a thumbs-up. "We made it."

Layna turned her head slightly and gave him a look of utter bewilderment, as if she had not been expecting to still be alive. Link found himself worried for a moment. Then he was shocked to see Layna give him a thankful smile before turning to look back up at the ceiling. He chuckled to himself, relieved that her response had been so simple and, at the same time, so communicative when compared to the usual affair of either of them speaking and being misunderstood by the other.

A nurse stepped in a moment later. Link half-expected Layna to react, but she had gone back to sleep. The nurse approached Link's bed and slid the crate back underneath it. Then she asked, "Do you need anything?"

Link nodded. "Yeah," he told her. "Where's the head at? I've been holding it in for a while."