(Trigger warning - desc. of needles)
Link fiddled with the strings on his sweater as Rhett looked on his phone. Rhett sighed and looked up at Link, and quickly slid his phone back in his pocket.
"So," Rhett said, with his eyes casually darting around the room. "Charlotte wants me to take you around, to see the Christmas stuff. Up for it?" Link looked up and nodded.
"Uhm, you look pretty pale. You ok?" he asked. Link stood up and went to his bathroom mirror, and began pulling at his face again but Rhett rushed to his side, and turned Link to face him.
"P-p please don't touch me," Link whimpered. "You k-know I don't like being touched."
Rhett's face had an apologetic look and he let go of him. "Sorry, Link. Just please don't pull your face like that. I'm just worried about- you know."
Link looked down and wiped away a small tear, not letting Rhett see it.
"Come on, let's go," Rhett smiled.
Rhett pulled out a wheelchair from behind Link's bed, and Link adjusted himself in it. He looked around his room as if he was never coming back, and started to fiddle with his sweater strings again. Rhett grabbed his backpack, and started to wheel Link out.
"Oh, hey guys. Mind if I tag along?" Charlotte called from the other side of the small lobby outside Link's room. She was frantically placing folders on random desks and talking to other nurses. Link looked around and began to get nervous. This was the only other room Link had ever been into since he arrived, but he was still very apprehensive and was starting to shake.
Rhett knelt down beside Link as if he was a small child, and pointed at lights and various other hanging decorations in the room. Link followed Rhett's finger and tried to breathe deeply, and eventually he stopped shaking, and started enjoying the new surroundings.
"Wow, look at the colours Link!" Rhett smiled, now looking at a shiny, decorated tree in the corner of the room. Link smiled and reached out his hand to touch it, but he was too far away so Rhett wheeled him over and he started feeling the branches.
Link now had a stupid grin on his face whilst he poked the little pine needles, and Rhett stared at him in awe. It was truly a rare thing to see Link so happy, and Rhett could just see the innocence and curiosity in his eyes. Sadly, this didn't last too long as Charlotte frantically rushed over to see him.
"Link, how are you feeling?" She asked. Link looked to his left to see her standing there, but his grin slowly faded until he just looked neutral.
"Fine," he answered. "I think I want to go back though."
Charlotte nodded. "Well, you look a bit pale, and you are due a blood test pretty soon anyway. Do you mind Rhett?"
"No, not at all." He answered. Charlotte budged past Rhett and took over wheeling Link back to his room, and Rhett followed behind, checking his phone once again.
"C-can Rhett stay, please," Link asked Charlotte, as she prepared the needle in the corner of the room.
"Is he okay with needles, or will he run out crying?" Charlotte joked glancing at Rhett, who hung his head in shame.
"Just teasin', Rhett," she chuckled.
Charlotte came over with the needle ready and a thick band, and tied it high up on Link's thin, pale arm. It cut off the blood circulation to Link's hand and forearm, so he fluttered his fingers as they felt all tingly.
"Now, we've done this plenty of times before, haven't we Link. If you need to, squeeze the padded side of your bed. That worked pretty well last time," she said. Rhett sat beside Link on the same chair as before and smiled at Link. Link smiled back and Rhett, and scrunched up his face, awaiting the needle.
Charlotte tapped Link's arm to find his vein, and then pressed the needle in. As quick as a lightning bolt, Link grabbed for the nearest object to him. Rhett's hand.
Rhett was too busy staring out of the window to first notice, but he suddenly felt Link's cold, shaky hand grip onto his. He looked down at his hand meeting Link's for the first time in months, and stared in disbelief.
Link opened his eyes and looked straight at the needle being removed from his arm. He only quickly got a small glimpse of his crimson-red blood in a tube before Charlotte took it away and started to take off the band on his arm.
He then looked over at Rhett, and looked down to see his hand, still squeezing Rhett's. Link jolted his hand back, and look at it. He bent his fingers forwards and backwards and started scratching viciously at it.
"Hey.. Hey Link please don't do that." Rhett said.
"I-I'm sorry, are you okay Link?"
Charlotte darted over and saw Link has scratched through his skin and little drops of blood were dripping on his sheets.
"Did something happen?" Charlotte asked. Rhett and Link looked at each other, and Link shook his head.
What just happened?
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Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but I hope this makes up for it :) I hope you didn't mind the description of the needle or anything either. xx
