Paramedics arrive at the scene and rush across the baseball field. It's the first time I look up in I don't know how many minutes. Purah is here too, I'm not sure how long she has been here with us. I lost every sense of time, everything appears to be happening in slow motion but my mind is racing all the same. I don't understand what's going on, all I know is that Mipha hasn't stopped CPR and I haven't let go of Link's hand.

"They've arrived, thank you," Impa says into the phone and hangs up the call with the 911 call operator.

The arriving paramedics take a swift look around; the fighting has stopped and most eyes are on Link. Two paramedics focus on Link, one rushes over to help Karusa.

"How long have you been doing CPR?" One of the guys asks Mipha while they place a stretcher next to Link's body.

"For about 12 minutes," she cries, still going with all the strength she has left.

"Okay, we got it from here." The man kneels down next to Link, checks his condition, then looks back up at his colleague. "Unresponsive and pulseless."

What's left of my heart shatters into even smaller pieces, but as if trapped in the body of a statue, none of it shows on the outside. Mipha steps back, giving the two men the space to lift Link's body onto the stretcher.

"Ma'am, please let go of the victim."

"I can't," I frantically shake my head and hold on tighter. The doctor takes Link's wrist and separates our hands in a swift tuck. I whimper at the loss of touch.

"It's okay," Impa rubs my back.

I neglect her words and run after them. I have to watch in horror as they lift him into the ambulance while continuing CPR.

"I'm staying with him," I demand but one of the paramedics keeps me from entering the back of the vehicle. "I need to be with him!"

"You can't. Please stay back," he warns, holding out his hand.

"I'm coming with him!" All these months Link and I have been hindered from being together, and now that we finally found a way to make it work, I'm not leaving his side! "Please let me come with him!"

"I'm sorry, nobody is getting in the back except for the EMT." The guy gets in the ambulance and secures the stretcher while another guy places something on Link's mouth that will hopefully help him breathe. "What's his name?" the EMT asks me.

"Link," I cry.

"Full name, Miss," he rushes me.

"Link Miya–Miyamoto–I think," I stammer in shock. Is that his full name? Does he have a middle name?

"Does he have any allergies?"

"I don't–I don't know." I'm too distracted by the other guy doing medical things to Link's body that my mind can't comprehend.

"Medical history?" The EMT in front of me asks, pulling my eyes back to him.

"I don't know..."

"Is he taking any meds?" I shake my head, feeling more and more useless. "Can you tell me anything helpful about the victim?"

"He is allergic to penicillin," Mipha steps up, breathing heavily. "I know his medical history and how to contact his family."

"Okay, you can ride in the front," the EMT tells her and shuts the doors to the back. What? Mipha gives me one last look of anguish before she hurries to the passenger seat and gets in the ambulance.

Before my mind can process any of this, they drive off. I am left behind, feeling paralyzed as if something just walked through me.

"Link..." I quietly whimper and my legs collapse underneath me. They're gone. He is... gone. Impa pulls me back up and supports my body.

"We'll follow them to the hospital," she says softly.

"I'll take you," a deep voice cuts in. Not trusting my ears, I look up to see if it's really him. Father is standing in front of us, his face dour and pale.

"Father," I cry and feel the urge to fall into his arms.

"Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

"I'll come too," Impa says bitterly and helps me to Father's car.

I spend the drive to the hospital praying and sending wishful thoughts skyward. My hands are folded by my lips, so tightly that my fingers are turning numb, and my eyes are shut, painfully so. I've stopped crying but my heart is violently hammering against my chest.

No one has said a word since we left the baseball field. The radio is turned off too, leaving me alone to my cruel thoughts. I want to focus on something positive, like Link's recovery, but the only thing I can think about is his face when he was screaming in pain and the look in his eyes right before he lost consciousness. He wanted to say something to me at that moment... Now I might never find out what it was!

I'm starting to hyperventilate again! My hands tighten even more. If I lose Link today–I–I wouldn't even remember what his last words to me were! And what's even worse is that my last words to him would be a lie! He can't leave like this! There is so much life left for us to live together! So many more memories we haven't made. Please Link, come back to me! Dear Hylia and every deity out there, if you have any blessings to spare, give them to Link. I beg you! Save him!

All these images in my mind make my head spin! The moment Ganon hit Link I felt my heart cracking in my chest. I want him to suffer! Ganon and Karusa both! They deserve to feel the same pain I'm feeling! Maybe Karusa's heart lies as still as Link's, maybe Ganon will mourn him, maybe he won't care at all if Karusa recovers, maybe Karusa will wake up and walk off with a couple of bruises and nothing more. That thought makes me furious!

Father drives up to the hospital's main entrance. After we get out of the car, he drives off to return to campus. I wasn't fully listening but I think he said he has to be there for the aftermath. His early departure frustrates me but I can't put the blame on him. He is the president of Hyrule University and has to deal with the consequences of a major fight.

Impa and I hurry inside. The first nurse we pass immediately stops what she is doing to observe me with wide eyes. She seems alarmed.

"It's not hers, she's not injured," Impa says to the nurse, looking at my clothes.

I follow her eyes and look down at my top covered in Link's blood. My jeans too. And my trembling hands most of all. I'm losing touch with my sentience. Seeing all this blood, his blood, I think I have to–

As a first response to my sudden nausea, I abruptly turn my head around, looking for a bin or bucket. There is nothing but chairs and decorative plants near me! Both the nurse and Impa can read my expression but only one of them acts quickly enough to hold my hair back as I lean over the closest potted plant to empty my stomach.

"Thank you," I keck.

"Tit for tat," Impa lets out a weak chuckle. "For all the times you've held my hair back..."

I wipe my mouth with my bloody hands and regret it immediately. I use my forearm to wipe my mouth again. "I'm awfully sorry," I mutter to the nurse. Normally I would feel embarrassed, but I just feel... empty. I don't care that I just threw up in public, all I care about is Link.

"I will get a doctor to look at you," the nurse says concerned. I shake my head at her.

"I don't need a doctor, I need to see my friend, my boyfriend; Link. Where is he?"

"I can check the computer but I think you might be having a panic attack. I will page a doctor."

"No, I'm telling you I don't need a doctor! Can you please just tell me what is happening to my boyfriend?"

She gives me a sympathetic nod and walks us over to the front desk. Impa and I wait anxiously, and while I let my eyes roam the room to avoid looking down at my hands again, I realize that I have been here before... With Link when his knee was injured. I recognize the chairs we sat in as we waited for the doctor, and the hideous painting I stared at as Link got his scans done. I remember how ridiculous I was behaving that day. I was so worried about his health, his pain... I acted as if he was dying... had I known that this day would come so soon I would have... I would have told him how much I loved him right then and there!

"Can you please hurry?" I rudely rush the nurse.

"You said his name is Link?"

"Yes."

"They just brought him in."

"What else does it say? Can you please just tell me how he is?" Please say alive, please say alive, please say alive--

"He's in surgery right now," she says, looking at the screen in front of her.

"He's alive?" I hold my breath. "If he's in surgery, that means he's alive, right?"

"Yes."

I inhale what feels like the first breath of actual air in the past 45 minutes. "So he will survive? I-I mean, why—----Why is he in surgery? What's wrong with him? He's going to be alright, isn't he?"

"I'm sorry, I can't really tell you that."

"Why not? What else does it say about him?"

"Are you family?"

"Not really..."

"She's his girlfriend," Impa clarifies.

"I can only give information to the immediate family. Sorry, Sweetie."

"But... you can tell me if he's okay though, please tell me he's okay!"

"All I know is that he is in critical condition and that we are doing everything we can."

"Critical?" The floor is swaying again and I have to clutch to the counter to keep my balance. "What-what-what do you mean, critical, what does that mean? You have good doctors, so he is going to make it, right?"

"I can't promise anything, I'm sorry," the nurse shrugs and shakes her head.

"What–but–how serious is his condition? Please, please, just tell me what the surgery is for, there must be some information in the system..."

"Miss, I really can't—"

"Please!" I desperately plead, feeling powerless and weak. "Look, his family is in Japan, I'm like the only family he has in the US, so can you just... Can you at least make sure he gets the best treatment? I'll pay for it if that's an issue, can you just please make sure he gets the very best doctors–"

"Miss–"

"No, please just tell me he is going to be fine!" I slam my hand on the counter when she shakes her head again. "Please!"

"Zelda," Impa wraps her arms around me from behind and calmly pulls me a few steps away from the counter. "I know it hurts like hell and I know it's not fair but you can't see him right now. We just have to wait a bit, okay?"

"No!" I weep but don't fight her. I feel my muscles giving in. Impa holds me up and quietly talks to me. 

"He's going to get out of surgery and then we can get more info. Right now we have to be mentally strong for him."

"I don't even know if he has insurance," I cry. "I don't know anything about him, I'm a terrible girlfriend!"

"He is an international athlete, he definitely has insurance. And you're a good girlfriend, even if you don't know his medical history. You know him like no one else does, right? You always tell me that, so don't say you're a bad girlfriend." I turn around to throw my arms around her and hug her as tightly as I can. "Also, you've only been his girlfriend for 16 hours so no one expects you to be good at it," she tries to be funny but it only amplifies my pain! Link and I have been dating for less than a day and now he's being ripped away from my heart!

"I'm so scared, Impa!"

"I know... I'm sorry... I'll stay with you until he's out of surgery, okay?"

I nod against her shoulder and sniffle. I need to buy tissues somewhere, I feel so gross... When our hug loosens, Impa uses her thumb to wipe the smudged makeup underneath my eye and puts on a hopeful smile for me. When her eyes shift and focus on something behind me, that smile disappears in a heartbeat.

Looking at her face sinking into sorrow, I fear what's waiting behind me. Slowly, I turn my head toward my shoulder. Mipha is standing a couple of feet away, so pale in her face that she almost looks like a ghost standing in the hallway.

We look at each other for a quiet moment. I can see the reflection of my own pain in her eyes and instantly know that she feels as empty and cold as me right now. She is fighting to hold back the tears. I look at her trembling hands, she looks at mine, that's when we fall into each other's arms.

"Is he going to be okay?" I ask her in a series of stifled sobs.

"I don't know, he's in surgery for now," she cries. "I'm so sorry for leaving you behind like that... I just wanted to help any way I could!"

"It's okay, you saved him! I'm just sad I couldn't do the same..."

"It's a good thing that you didn't ride in the back... It's not something either of us needed to see..."

"Why? What happened?"

"It's just not healthy to see your friend under the hands of medical staff. Not when they have to insert tubes and... I mean I didn't even see him but... They had to use the defibrillator!" Tears break free and start flooding her face. "They shocked him and–and it didn't work the first time, so they had to do it again–" With a trembling lip, she cries, "He was dead, Zelda! He was gone!" Now we are both just crying in each other's arms, sharing the pain of losing the one we love most. "He had a rhythm for a moment but when we arrived at the hospital, they lost his pulse again..."

"But they said Link is in surgery now..."

"He is... They took him to the OR after they got a heartbeat."

"Which means he has a chance!" My attempt at cheering her up is weak but I am trying my best to keep her as optimistic as possible. I need her to stay strong so she can help me understand what is going to happen next. "Thank you, Mipha, for giving him a chance!"

"I could have done more," she says in a feeble voice. "He might be suffering from traumatic pneumothorax or pulmonary edema. Maybe I could have done something to help him breathe... I just—panicked and acted out of instinct rather than to assess the situation..."

"I don't know what those medical terms mean but what I do know is that your instincts saved his life. Mipha, he would be dead if it weren't for you..." I create some space between us that will allow us to take deeper breaths. I need to ask her something but I dread the answer will rob us of the little hope we preserved. I just have to know... "What are his chances of surviving all of this?"

"I don't know what exactly we are dealing with... He has head trauma, a dangerously low GCS, broken ribs, and possibly a collapsed lung. If he makes it through the surgery—" her voice breaks "—he might not even survive the first night." She weeps and tries to find some comfort in my arms. 

I have never seen her like this. When I saw her at the scene, so focused on saving Link, I thought she was invincible. I really did. I always admired her composure. I thought it made her the perfect doctor. But now I see that on the inside, she is just as breakable as any of us. Somehow that makes me admire her even more.

I look over to Impa, who is just standing there, watching Mipha and I hug. I wonder how she is dealing with all of this. She is another person I admire for her strength. Is she breaking on the inside too? 

I open one arm for her to join the hug and after some hesitation, she steps closer and laps her arms around us. I think she wants to be strong for me, and while I would be lying if I said I don't need her to be, I don't want her to feel like she has to hide her pain from me. I know she is hurting too. She's not a fan of Link and doesn't always agree with him, but she cares about him like family.

Impa, Mipha, and I move to the surgical waiting room. The majority of the next hour is spent in silence until Impa gets up to get a snack from the vending machine down the hall. Mipha and I are sitting next to each other, staring at the glass wall... Counting the minutes.

"I'll try to get a hold of his parents," Mipha sniffles. She pulls up her phone and scrolls through her contacts. Of course she has his parents' phone numbers saved in her phone... "It's only 7.30 AM over there but his parents should be up by now."

I return my eyes to the wall. At the sound of a male voice, Mipha gets up, walks a few steps away, and starts talking to him in Japanese. More discouragement mantles me. I wish I could speak Japanese. I wish I was close to Link's parents. I wish—I wish Mipha didn't have to do this all by herself. She sobs into her hand as she explains what happened... I feel horrible for her. Delivering such news to the parents must be devastating on both ends.

Impa returns while Mipha is still on a call. She stretches her hand out in front of me to offer me a Mountain Dew. Just looking at that green can makes me nauseous.

"I hate Mountain Dew," I raise my lip in disgust.

"I know," she smiles and reveals a bottle of water from behind her back.

"Thanks." I bring my hand up to take the bottle from her but freeze mid-motion when I notice my hands again... So much blood...

"Let's go to the bathroom to clean you up."

"I'll go, you stay with Mipha. She'll need someone by her side when she's done with that phone call."

"Who's she talking to?"

"Link's parents."

"Oh."

"Yeah..." I slowly get up, finally feeling a little less lightheaded. "Where is the closest restroom?"

"You leave through these doors, take a left, walk all the way to the vending machines, that's where the restrooms are. There's a sign on the ceiling too."

"Okay. I'll only be a minute..." I leave the waiting room and head down the hallway.

When I enter the restrooms, I hear a feeble crying noise echoing off the bright, white walls. I walk up to the only person in sight; a girl with pale skin and saturated lips. She bends over one of the sinks, both hands on the counter to support her trembling body. She looks exhausted... When she forcefully presses her lips together, I can imagine the scream she is holding back. I feel the need to comfort her but I don't have the energy to take care of her right now, and looking at her makes me uncomfortable. I focus on my hands instead, that's why I came here after all.

I collect some soap in my palm and turn on the faucet. The girl continues to sniffle and whimper while I rinse my hands under the tepid water. I try to ignore her but the sight of red water running down the drain is enough to push my eyes back up. I thought looking at her would still be better than watching Link's blood pour down the drain, but I was wrong... She is looking right back at me with those tired, bloodshot eyes. She has been crying for a while, that's evident by the swollen skin around her eyes.

Suddenly her lips curl into a smile. "I'm fine," she lies.

She's not very convincing. But what can I really do to help her? I want to hug her and take some of her pain away, but when I reach for her hand, the only thing I touch is the cold mirror in front of me.

Who is that person staring back at me? I don't even recognize myself. Even after removing the baseball hat, she still doesn't look like me. She looks... defeated. I force another smile. 

"I'm okay," I lie again. That's a little more convincing.

I take a deep breath and exhale it slowly. If I focus on my hands, I can hold them still for a few seconds before they start shaking again. I spot some more traces of blood around my mouth and wipe it off with a paper towel. Is it Link's blood? Or is it from the guy I bit? Could it be my own from pressing down on my lips with such force?

I return to the surgical waiting room and take a seat in the same chair I sat in before and resume staring at the same smudge on the same glass wall. Mipha is still on a call and Impa is sitting next to me, looking at me as I continue staring forward.

"Are you okay?" She asks. "I know it's a stupid question but–"

"I'm okay," I give her the same smile I gave that stranger in the mirror.

"Do you want to talk about something? I can try to distract you a little."

"To be honest, I just want to sit here until he's out of surgery... You can go though. You don't have to wait here and–"

"No, I'll stay. I'll stay with you."

I lean my head against her shoulder and shut my eyes for a bit. They are burning from all the tears they've shed. Every time a doctor walks into the room, I ask them for information on Link's surgery. None of those doctors seem to know anything about Link or his condition though. 

After a couple of hours, Impa goes to the cafeteria to buy us some food. I know she means well but I can't even look at food right now. Mipha's reaction is not much different from mine but at least she tries a few bites before she decides to toss it.

More hours pass, the sun sets, people come and go, the hospital gradually becomes quieter, and we still haven't heard any news. I'm not just worried anymore, I'm starting to get seriously agitated. Why is nobody updating us? By now, pretty much every doctor in this hospital has been queried about Link at least twice, and not just by me. Daruk and Urbosa both showed up earlier among a couple of new faces but each of them came and left with the same knowledge.

My mind hasn't taken a break from the trepidation. Scenarios of Link's funeral keep playing in my head. I can't stop those thoughts. Would he be buried in the states or in Japan? Would I write a eulogy? I'm not ready to speak at his funeral!

I need to get my mind off of these terrifying thoughts. Impa is stretched out over a row of chairs, sleeping soundly, Mipha is praying in the little hospital chapel on the other side of the building. I'm all alone with my thoughts... Although I have been avoiding looking at my phone all day, I have to do something other than think about Link's death. 

When I turn on my phone, the first thing I notice is the time. Link has been in surgery for over 10 hours now. I see some new texts and missed calls on my lock screen. Father, Sidon, Urbosa, Daruk... I scroll down... Two texts from Revali? I open his chat. It's just a question mark followed by another empty text with two question marks.

*Still in surgery* I reply and open Google.

My mind is screaming at me not to do this but I do it anyway. I look up everything. Once I start, I can't stop. I read article after article, from head traumas to detailed explanations of different types of pneumothorax', until I enter GCS in the search bar. Mipha mentioned it earlier but I don't know what it means. Glasgow Coma Score...

"You shouldn't be looking at that," Mipha's voice appears next to me. I didn't even notice her sitting down next to me. "The more you find, the more worried you'll get. Trust me, I should know..."

"I'm already worried. I just want to know what's going on," I sigh. "Did you know that this is a teaching hospital? What if some incompetent first-year resident makes a fatal mistake due to first-day jitters? Also, do you think they cracked his chest? I read something that said cardiac massage can get the heart back to beating in rare cases, but his chest would need to be cracked open--"

"Hey, I understand what you are going through and that you want to make sense of it all, but reading a dozen articles on every possible injury he may have isn't going to make you feel better."

"What's his GCS score?" I ask, completely ignoring her advice.

"I don't know, I'm sorry."

"Please tell me. I can handle it."

"It was a 4 when they brought him in."

"Does that mean he'll be in a coma?" I whimper.

"It's not a certainty but a possibility nevertheless."

"Can he recover from that?"

"He's strong and healthy. I believe recovery is more than likely. But I can't promise anything until we know the details."

"You already sound like one of them..."

"Who?"

"The doctors," I huff.

"I'm sorry..."

"Yeah, so are they."

"You're angry, I understand that. But I'm just as worried for him," she says as calmly as she can, sounding slightly defensive.

"Sorry," I rub my tired eyes and take a deep breath. "I'm sorry. You're right."

"What time is it?"

I squint my eyes at the little number in the corner of my phone. "2:13."

The glass doors slide open and a surgeon that I haven't seen before walks in, steering straight at us. Mipha and I jump up in sync and anxiously hold our breaths until the doctor speaks.

"We encountered minor complications but overall the surgery went well. Link is stable now." 

And just like that, I feel the weight of the world fall from my chest. I am so relieved and so scared at the same time! Why are all the doctors so vague? 

"What exactly does that mean? What happened during the surgery? And can we see him now?"

Impa wakes up from my panicked dump of questions. She sits up and stretches herself while Mipha and I squeeze each other's hands in fear of what comes next.

"Giving out any more information would be a violation of the patient's privacy rights."

"Are you kidding me? We are his family! Maybe not by blood but we are all he has in this country! He would want us to know what is happening to him. Please, we've been here all day, all night, praying for him, not knowing if he's going to be alive or dead! The least you can do is tell us what's wrong with him!"

The doctor takes a good look at each of us and finally nods in agreement. "His pulse is weak. The injuries on his back were calamitous. We had to perform a lumbar fusion on his spine to repair multiple fractures, he also has a partially collapsed lung, a torn ACL from hyperextension, and a patellar fracture from the impact." 

I barely understood half of what the doctor just said but it's enough to make me choke. I can't even comprehend what Link must be going through right now! 

"We are treating his fever with antibiotics. Unfortunately, Link suffered severe head trauma and required craniotomy, which helped relieve some of the pressure on his brain but... due to the severity of the injury, we had to put him in a medically induced coma."

"I'm sorry–He's--in a coma?" 

"Not a normal coma," Mipha explains before the doctor has a chance. "They can wake him up once the swelling goes down. It should only take a couple of days."

"Sometimes it takes longer, we can't know for sure," the doctor corrects her.

"Is he going to be okay? At least for the night?" I ask.

"We can't know for sure. He has been transferred to the ICU for close monitoring."

"Can I see him? Where is the ICU? Which room?" 

"I'm sorry," the doctor shakes his head at me. Before I can open my mouth to verbally attack him, somebody else enters the room. Each of us turns our head to the door as my father walks in.

"Father? What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

"Exactly. Time to go home, there are some things we have to talk about."

"I'm not going anywhere. Link just got out of surgery."

"How is he?" Father looks at the doctor, who yet again shrugs and shakes his head.

"I really can't give out any more information without the patient's consent. All I can say is that Link is stabilized now."

"He won't let me see him," I complain to Father. Tears fill my eyes and I'm afraid I won't be able to hold them back. "Link may not survive the night and this–this arrogant arse won't let me see him!"

"Zelda!" Father scolds me angrily.

"It's true!" I cry. "Link needs me, he needs me to be there by his side, why would anyone forbid that?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor says again. I'm so sick of hearing those words!

"I have to see him!" I step forward. "I have to!"

"We are still waiting for his parents to arrive," the man says.

"His parents are on the other side of the world! Link is all alone tonight, we don't even know if he'll survive the next 24 hours and you dare refuse my visit?" When he doesn't reply, I raise my voice in a fierce tone. "Let me see him!" I take another step toward the doctor. "We are not alone when we arrive in this world and we should not be alone when we leave it." Teardrops splatter on the white tiles between our feet. "When my mother passed away, she was all alone. She shouldn't have been. She shouldn't have had to leave this world all alone. I should have been there..."

Father's brows crease in sorrow. "Zelda, you couldn't have–"

"No, I couldn't have. But this time I can. So please... Let me see him."

The doctor exchanges a thoughtful look with Father before he quietly sighs. "Room 415."

"Thank you," I say in a feeble whisper.

"But only one person is allowed to stay in his room," the man adds.

Impa is the first to exclude herself, Father doesn't even consider himself as an option. That leaves Mipha and me. We look at each other, unsure what to do or say next. She is his best friend, she has medical knowledge, she is clearly the better option. But there is no way I'm leaving Link's side tonight. I just have to find a good argument to–

"It should be you," Mipha says with glossy eyes.

"Mipha..."

"You're right. He needs you."

I give her a thankful nod and don't waste any more time in the waiting room. Father offers to take Impa and Mipha back to the dorms. In the meantime, I make my way to the ICU. The doctor escorts me to Link's room. When we arrive at his door, I hesitate to step inside. My heart is racing, my hands are cold... I'm scared...

With leaden steps, I walk into Link's room. The doctor remains standing in the hallway. Both hands pressed against my mouth, I stifle a cry. Link is lying on his back, tubes go in and out of his body... He has some in his arms, his upper body, his mouth... I blink the tears away and approach the bed on frail legs. 

The skin around his eyes and nose is so bruised that it appears black... My eyes wander up to the bandage wrapped around his forehead. I notice that some of the hair on the side of his head is shaved off underneath that bandage. He must have had surgery there.

I step closer and take his hand between both of mine. His knuckles are red and ripped open... Images of Karusa's lifeless body plague my mind when I look at Link's damaged hands and the brace around his right knee.

"Oh Link..." I just want him to look at me, to smile at me, hug me... All this time I've been telling everyone how much he needs me when in truth, I am the one who needs him. 

It takes me a couple of minutes to find the courage to let go of Link's hand. I only do so for a few seconds, the time it takes me to grab the chair that is standing by the window. I place it right by the side of his bed and return to holding his hand. I never want to let go of him. I just want him to get better soon. 

Why did it have to come to this? He doesn't deserve to suffer like this... I blame myself. Had I told him about the hickey when it happened—no, had I listened to him and stayed away from Lorule's campus, this wouldn't have happened. Ultimately I am the one to blame for all of this... Had I not run away from Link and Pik the day I met Karusa, maybe none of this would have happened...

Every couple of seconds I look at Link's chest, making sure he is breathing. The horrors I felt when Link lay in my arms, his chest frozen in time... Goosebumps cover my arms and legs when I think about that moment... The moment Mipha told me he didn't have a pulse I felt my own heart giving out. 

I bring my lips down to his hand and plant a shaky kiss on his knuckles... This wasn't supposed to happen. You weren't supposed to leave like that. Your heart shouldn't have stopped. You have such a bright future ahead of you. So I'm going to bid you one last time... 

"Stay..." 

My throat is sore, my eyes are closed. I kiss his hand again, gently as if they could break at the mere touch of my lips. Please just stay a little longer...

"There is so much we still haven't done... Let's go to Japan, you and me." I lean my forehead against his fingers and clench my jaw. "Take me snowboarding in Switzerland. We will try every brand of chocolate until we get a stomachache." 

A tear rolls down my cheek as I think about all the things Link wanted to do with me... Why did I have to say no each time? Why couldn't I jump over my shadow and enjoy the time I had with him? Now I would do anything to jump into the pool with him. I would climb any roof with him.

"We still have to drive to the desert," I remind him... "You said you'd take me there, remember? For our second date, you wanted to take me to the desert so I could finally see my first shooting star... All you have to do is fight one more time. For us... Please... If you do this for me, I promise we will do all the things I always turned down. We can–we can go play tennis and use the jacuzzi at my house right after. You always wanted to do that, didn't you? And–and we can play air hockey and pool in the game room. We will go camping and ride your motorcycle together, okay? There are so many things we can do once you get through this..."

I look up at him and smile a little. "We can even take that stupid shower together." I expect him to laugh, but he doesn't...... and that breaks my heart.

-----

(Hey guys! First things first; canonically Link's full name is Link Link. That's been confirmed by the creators of The Legend of Zelda. However! I wasn't gonna do that because–yeah just no. So I chose the second best option; since Miyamoto is the creator of The Legend of Zelda, he is technically the creator of Link. Sooo...  :) yup.

Now, here are some things I wanted to say about the last chapter. I was going to title it "Zelda's Awakening" as a reference to the memory in botw but, along with the warning at the top of the chapter, that would have spoilered Link's coma. Even though a lot of you saw it coming a long time ago. Ever since I started referencing the games, you've been waiting for this moment to happen, or rather, feared this moment could happen. 

I tried my best not to make it predictable. The first time you expected Link to fall into a coma was during the soccer game. You were supposed to think that and I'm glad most of you were surprised when that wasn't the case. Then you thought he was going to fall into a coma during the baseball game, and while yes it happened this time, I still tried to catch you off guard by having them fight before the game even started.

I changed and will continue to change major aspects of that last memory, like adding Mipha and Impa into the scenes. The champions aren't dead, so it makes sense for them to be a part of this. Other things will be different from the game, for example, Link won't be in a come for 100 years for obvious reasons. If I did everything the way the games did it, the plot would be pretty predictable, so don't expect the obvious and keep an open mind!

That being said, it's extremely difficult to surprise you guys and have shocking plot twists when everyone already knows some of the plot just by knowing the games. But I still try to make it as entertaining as I can. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had to do some research because I'm not a doctor but some of this stuff is actually based on real events so I hope I got it all right hehe

Thanks for still supporting this Wattpad story and for all the heartwarming messages on the last chapter! I really love you guys so much and I always tear up when you write those sweet comments for me! Xoxoxoxoxo -Ace)