A/N: Here it comes: The final chapter!
Link: YAY!!! FINALLY!!
Fox: Here it comes! WOOHOO!!
That's What Friends Are For: Chapter 4: The Miracle and the Truth
Fox, Zelda, Falco, and Roy stepped into the hospital. They knew it had only been two hours since they were here last, but they had to check on Link. They were just too worried. Without even asking the clerk, they rushed down the hallway into his room. Dr. Mario sat by the bed, then pulled his attention up when he heard the door open.
"Hey, you guys were here just a few hours ago!"
"It's only us four." Said Roy.
"Oh. Okay."
"Excuse me, I have a question. . . Can people in comas hear you if you talk to them?" asked Zelda.
"I'm not sure," Dr. Mario answered. "I've never dealt with people in comas before. If you want to try talking to him, then I'll leave and give you guys some privacy. . ." He got up and left.
They sat down in the chairs. Zelda held a tight grip on Link's hand as she softly spoke to him.
"Link?. . . Can you hear me? It's Zelda. . ."
". . . And Roy."
". . . And Falco."
". . . And. . . Fox. . ."
"We're just here to check up on you. . . See how you're doing. . ."
"And we have some news!" exclaimed Roy. "Bowser and Ganondorf are gone! The board mad them leave!"
"It took a lotta work to persuade them. But Fox yelled right in their faces! It was awesome!" laughed Falco, nudging the blushing Fox.
"That's right," said Zelda softly. "Now you don't have to worry about those two anymore. . ."
Suddenly, Link whispered, ". . . I still have to deal with Ganondorf when we get back to Hyrule. . ."
The four were shocked to hear him speak. They looked at him. He opened his eyes halfway and smiled.
"Link! YOU'RE AWAKE!!!" cried Zelda. She wrapped her arms around him and cried tears of happiness. The others cried out in joy as well.
"HEY, DOC!" Falco called out. "HE WOKE UP!"
Dr. Mario slammed the door open. "He did!? Hey, that's great!"
The six of them rejoiced for a moment. Then Dr. Mario dragged some of them out of the room to discuss what to do. Only Fox was left with Link. They smiled at each other.
"It's. . . great to see you awake, Link."
Link slowly nodded. "It's good to see you, too."
"What was that? I can't hear you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just can't project my voice because of this stupid respirator. . ."
They both lightly laughed.
"I guess this isn't a good time to talk, then, huh?"
"No, not really. I'll be back at HQ soon. We'll talk then."
"Okay."
"Come on, Fox, we gotta go," said Falco. "We'll see him soon."
Fox nodded and waved goodbye to Link. Link slowly waved back.
~*~
The four walked back into HQ, large smiles on their faces. It didn't take long in the lobby for everyone to realize that something was up.
"How is he?" asked Luigi.
Zelda's face beamed. "Link's awake. He'll be here soon!"
Everyone cheered like crazy with joy for the next ten minutes. They were so happy to hear that he was okay.
"So, when is he coming?" asked Young Link, excited.
"I don't know," answered Roy. "It'll probably take. . ."
". . . No time at all."
They all turned to the doorway to see Link standing there, smiling. He still had a few bandages and his left arm was in a sling, but he looked alive and well. Everyone rushed up to him and cheered in joy for his safe return. They bombarded him with several questions at a time, and he tried his best to answer them all.
"I'm fine. . . The sling will come off in three days. . . No, they've healed. . . They said no fighting for at least a week. . .No, that's fine, I'll live. . ."
Finally, among the mob of Smashers, he made eye contact with Fox. Fox gave him a signal to step out. Link had to find some excuse to get some privacy with Fox, so he made one up.
"Ooh. . . I don't feel so good. . ." he moaned and held his head in strain.
Fox seemed to understand, so he quickly stepped in and grabbed Link's shoulders to "support" him.
"You don't look so good, Link," Fox sounded very serious, but both knew he was only acting. "I think you need some rest."
Link nodded, trying to look as sickly as possible.
Apparently, it had the others fooled. They gathered around, concerned.
"Are you okay, Link?" Zelda hastily asked.
"He's fine, he just needs some rest. He only woke from his coma a half-hour ago." Stated Fox.
"We'll help you out, Link!" exclaimed Peach.
"No, it's okay, I got him," Fox pulled him away from Peach's grasp. "I'll take him to his dorm."
He quickly dragged Link out of the lobby. Link tried his best to look weak by limping with his every step. As they left, they could hear the kids whining about not being able to see him for long, but the adults quickly scolded them. They slowly went down the hall out of sight from the others.
". . . Is the coast clear?" whispered Link.
Fox looked back. "Yeah."
"Good." He straightened up and they walked down the hall normally.
"Good call, Link."
"Hey, I'm used to escaping crowds. It was easy."
"Ah. . . Say, Link?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you actually hear everything we said to you while you were in your coma?"
Link gave a lopsided smile.
"You did!? No way!"
"I'm dead serious."
"But I heard most people forget everything after they wake up."
"Well, I guess I'm just special, huh?"
Fox laughed and lightly nudged him. They stepped into Link's dorm and locked the door behind them. They quietly sat on the bed and looked at each other, wordless. Finally, Fox decided to start.
"So, you, uh, heard the little. . . monologue I gave, huh?"
Link nodded, his face unreadable at first, but then he smiled. "You don't have to be sorry, Fox. . ."
"Of course I do! If I didn't fight them, none of this would've ever happened!"
"Fox, you and I both know that no one saw that coming. None of this is your fault."
"But. . . I owe my life to you. . ."
"No, it's more like I owed my life to you and returned the favor."
"Wha??" Fox shot him a confused look.
"I didn't tell you!? With Onett and the car crash and. . ."
Fox shook his head. Link gazed at the ground in a frustrated manner.
"Dammit. . . I'm so stupid. . . I can't believe I didn't tell you. . ."
"Now, wait, don't beat yourself up about it. Just tell me."
Link's gaze went up slightly as he began telling the story.
". . . It was about a month ago. . . It was a free-for-all match on Onett between you, me, and two others, I don't remember who. We were against each other, but it was only a practice battle, so it didn't matter much. . . Well, the systems went haywire and cars started coming at about ten times their normal speed. Very dangerous. Well, me being the stupid one, I ran down there-I think it was to grab an item-not even thinking about the cars. One was coming toward me, and I didn't see it. But you did. So you jumped down, grabbed me, threw me up, and took the crash yourself. You had a concussion, so you didn't remember anything about the fight. Thankfully, you didn't lose anymore of your memory. . ."
Fox looked at him unbelievably. "You're kidding."
"No, and as a matter of fact. . ." Link got up and fumbled around in his closet. He brought out an old newspaper and handed it to Fox. ". . . the incident was put in the news."
Fox looked at the picture first. A bloody figure was being carried on a stretcher. Link stood right by him looking terribly worried. Behind them was an extremely wrecked car. The headline read. . .
Super Smasher Fox McCloud Hit by Out-of-Control Car
Fox was shocked beyond belief. Was that. . .really him on the stretcher?
Then he remembered that time he was in the hospital for seemingly no reason.
So that's why. . .
Link nodded, as if reading his mind. "See? It's true. And look on page seven," He helped flip the pages. "Those are your x-rays."
"Oh. . . my. . . god. . ." The x-rays looked absolutely horrific. Were those. . . his?"
"See, if you could survive that, you could've handled Bowser and Ganondorf, right?"
They both lightly laughed, but not for long. Fox looked up at Link, who sadly averted his eyes away.
"If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I should've told you earlier. I just didn't want to traumatize you. The others decided to keep it a secret, but deep down, I knew that I owed my life to you."
Fox just stared at him. "So, this was just. . ."
". . . a way to repay you." Link finished, slowly turning back to him. "Of course, even if that never happened, I still would've helped you."
"Well, then I'd owe you, huh?"
They both laughed for a moment, then went quiet again.
"I. . . can't believe I would do that. . ." sighed Fox.
"Well, you did. And everyone saw you do it. They called it an act of bravery."
"More like an act of stupidity. . ."
"Well, whether it was an act of bravery or stupidity, one thing is certain-you were looking out for me. And I was, too. That's what friends are for, right?"
"Right. . .That's what. . . friends are for."
They looked at each other and smiled. They finally embraced in a warm, friendly hug.
"Welcome back, Link." Fox choked back his tears, but some fell.
"Thanks, Fox." A few tears fell down Link's cheek as well.
The two friends were finally reunited.
THE END
A/N: YAY! HAPPY ENDING!!!
Link: YAY! I'M AWAKE NOW!!!
Fox: YAY! IT WASN'T REALLY MY FAULT AFTER ALL!!!
All Three: YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool! I'm done! Okay, now I need some help. I started writing SSL III, but I have the writer's block. .
Fox: WRITER'S BLOCK SUCKS!!!
I know. I was hoping you readers out there could help me with some ideas.
Link: That's right, people! Give her reviews! Do it for. . . uh. . . your pleasure!
Right. . .(sweatdrops) You guys are complete weirdoes.
Both: We know.
I figured as much. Well, you heard my request! REVIEW!!!!!!!
Link: YAY!!! FINALLY!!
Fox: Here it comes! WOOHOO!!
That's What Friends Are For: Chapter 4: The Miracle and the Truth
Fox, Zelda, Falco, and Roy stepped into the hospital. They knew it had only been two hours since they were here last, but they had to check on Link. They were just too worried. Without even asking the clerk, they rushed down the hallway into his room. Dr. Mario sat by the bed, then pulled his attention up when he heard the door open.
"Hey, you guys were here just a few hours ago!"
"It's only us four." Said Roy.
"Oh. Okay."
"Excuse me, I have a question. . . Can people in comas hear you if you talk to them?" asked Zelda.
"I'm not sure," Dr. Mario answered. "I've never dealt with people in comas before. If you want to try talking to him, then I'll leave and give you guys some privacy. . ." He got up and left.
They sat down in the chairs. Zelda held a tight grip on Link's hand as she softly spoke to him.
"Link?. . . Can you hear me? It's Zelda. . ."
". . . And Roy."
". . . And Falco."
". . . And. . . Fox. . ."
"We're just here to check up on you. . . See how you're doing. . ."
"And we have some news!" exclaimed Roy. "Bowser and Ganondorf are gone! The board mad them leave!"
"It took a lotta work to persuade them. But Fox yelled right in their faces! It was awesome!" laughed Falco, nudging the blushing Fox.
"That's right," said Zelda softly. "Now you don't have to worry about those two anymore. . ."
Suddenly, Link whispered, ". . . I still have to deal with Ganondorf when we get back to Hyrule. . ."
The four were shocked to hear him speak. They looked at him. He opened his eyes halfway and smiled.
"Link! YOU'RE AWAKE!!!" cried Zelda. She wrapped her arms around him and cried tears of happiness. The others cried out in joy as well.
"HEY, DOC!" Falco called out. "HE WOKE UP!"
Dr. Mario slammed the door open. "He did!? Hey, that's great!"
The six of them rejoiced for a moment. Then Dr. Mario dragged some of them out of the room to discuss what to do. Only Fox was left with Link. They smiled at each other.
"It's. . . great to see you awake, Link."
Link slowly nodded. "It's good to see you, too."
"What was that? I can't hear you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just can't project my voice because of this stupid respirator. . ."
They both lightly laughed.
"I guess this isn't a good time to talk, then, huh?"
"No, not really. I'll be back at HQ soon. We'll talk then."
"Okay."
"Come on, Fox, we gotta go," said Falco. "We'll see him soon."
Fox nodded and waved goodbye to Link. Link slowly waved back.
~*~
The four walked back into HQ, large smiles on their faces. It didn't take long in the lobby for everyone to realize that something was up.
"How is he?" asked Luigi.
Zelda's face beamed. "Link's awake. He'll be here soon!"
Everyone cheered like crazy with joy for the next ten minutes. They were so happy to hear that he was okay.
"So, when is he coming?" asked Young Link, excited.
"I don't know," answered Roy. "It'll probably take. . ."
". . . No time at all."
They all turned to the doorway to see Link standing there, smiling. He still had a few bandages and his left arm was in a sling, but he looked alive and well. Everyone rushed up to him and cheered in joy for his safe return. They bombarded him with several questions at a time, and he tried his best to answer them all.
"I'm fine. . . The sling will come off in three days. . . No, they've healed. . . They said no fighting for at least a week. . .No, that's fine, I'll live. . ."
Finally, among the mob of Smashers, he made eye contact with Fox. Fox gave him a signal to step out. Link had to find some excuse to get some privacy with Fox, so he made one up.
"Ooh. . . I don't feel so good. . ." he moaned and held his head in strain.
Fox seemed to understand, so he quickly stepped in and grabbed Link's shoulders to "support" him.
"You don't look so good, Link," Fox sounded very serious, but both knew he was only acting. "I think you need some rest."
Link nodded, trying to look as sickly as possible.
Apparently, it had the others fooled. They gathered around, concerned.
"Are you okay, Link?" Zelda hastily asked.
"He's fine, he just needs some rest. He only woke from his coma a half-hour ago." Stated Fox.
"We'll help you out, Link!" exclaimed Peach.
"No, it's okay, I got him," Fox pulled him away from Peach's grasp. "I'll take him to his dorm."
He quickly dragged Link out of the lobby. Link tried his best to look weak by limping with his every step. As they left, they could hear the kids whining about not being able to see him for long, but the adults quickly scolded them. They slowly went down the hall out of sight from the others.
". . . Is the coast clear?" whispered Link.
Fox looked back. "Yeah."
"Good." He straightened up and they walked down the hall normally.
"Good call, Link."
"Hey, I'm used to escaping crowds. It was easy."
"Ah. . . Say, Link?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you actually hear everything we said to you while you were in your coma?"
Link gave a lopsided smile.
"You did!? No way!"
"I'm dead serious."
"But I heard most people forget everything after they wake up."
"Well, I guess I'm just special, huh?"
Fox laughed and lightly nudged him. They stepped into Link's dorm and locked the door behind them. They quietly sat on the bed and looked at each other, wordless. Finally, Fox decided to start.
"So, you, uh, heard the little. . . monologue I gave, huh?"
Link nodded, his face unreadable at first, but then he smiled. "You don't have to be sorry, Fox. . ."
"Of course I do! If I didn't fight them, none of this would've ever happened!"
"Fox, you and I both know that no one saw that coming. None of this is your fault."
"But. . . I owe my life to you. . ."
"No, it's more like I owed my life to you and returned the favor."
"Wha??" Fox shot him a confused look.
"I didn't tell you!? With Onett and the car crash and. . ."
Fox shook his head. Link gazed at the ground in a frustrated manner.
"Dammit. . . I'm so stupid. . . I can't believe I didn't tell you. . ."
"Now, wait, don't beat yourself up about it. Just tell me."
Link's gaze went up slightly as he began telling the story.
". . . It was about a month ago. . . It was a free-for-all match on Onett between you, me, and two others, I don't remember who. We were against each other, but it was only a practice battle, so it didn't matter much. . . Well, the systems went haywire and cars started coming at about ten times their normal speed. Very dangerous. Well, me being the stupid one, I ran down there-I think it was to grab an item-not even thinking about the cars. One was coming toward me, and I didn't see it. But you did. So you jumped down, grabbed me, threw me up, and took the crash yourself. You had a concussion, so you didn't remember anything about the fight. Thankfully, you didn't lose anymore of your memory. . ."
Fox looked at him unbelievably. "You're kidding."
"No, and as a matter of fact. . ." Link got up and fumbled around in his closet. He brought out an old newspaper and handed it to Fox. ". . . the incident was put in the news."
Fox looked at the picture first. A bloody figure was being carried on a stretcher. Link stood right by him looking terribly worried. Behind them was an extremely wrecked car. The headline read. . .
Super Smasher Fox McCloud Hit by Out-of-Control Car
Fox was shocked beyond belief. Was that. . .really him on the stretcher?
Then he remembered that time he was in the hospital for seemingly no reason.
So that's why. . .
Link nodded, as if reading his mind. "See? It's true. And look on page seven," He helped flip the pages. "Those are your x-rays."
"Oh. . . my. . . god. . ." The x-rays looked absolutely horrific. Were those. . . his?"
"See, if you could survive that, you could've handled Bowser and Ganondorf, right?"
They both lightly laughed, but not for long. Fox looked up at Link, who sadly averted his eyes away.
"If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I should've told you earlier. I just didn't want to traumatize you. The others decided to keep it a secret, but deep down, I knew that I owed my life to you."
Fox just stared at him. "So, this was just. . ."
". . . a way to repay you." Link finished, slowly turning back to him. "Of course, even if that never happened, I still would've helped you."
"Well, then I'd owe you, huh?"
They both laughed for a moment, then went quiet again.
"I. . . can't believe I would do that. . ." sighed Fox.
"Well, you did. And everyone saw you do it. They called it an act of bravery."
"More like an act of stupidity. . ."
"Well, whether it was an act of bravery or stupidity, one thing is certain-you were looking out for me. And I was, too. That's what friends are for, right?"
"Right. . .That's what. . . friends are for."
They looked at each other and smiled. They finally embraced in a warm, friendly hug.
"Welcome back, Link." Fox choked back his tears, but some fell.
"Thanks, Fox." A few tears fell down Link's cheek as well.
The two friends were finally reunited.
THE END
A/N: YAY! HAPPY ENDING!!!
Link: YAY! I'M AWAKE NOW!!!
Fox: YAY! IT WASN'T REALLY MY FAULT AFTER ALL!!!
All Three: YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool! I'm done! Okay, now I need some help. I started writing SSL III, but I have the writer's block. .
Fox: WRITER'S BLOCK SUCKS!!!
I know. I was hoping you readers out there could help me with some ideas.
Link: That's right, people! Give her reviews! Do it for. . . uh. . . your pleasure!
Right. . .(sweatdrops) You guys are complete weirdoes.
Both: We know.
I figured as much. Well, you heard my request! REVIEW!!!!!!!