I Gave You My Heart

Chapter 6

Hamlet took a shaky breath, wiping the silent tears from his face in one swift movement.

He glanced at Fransisco hesitantly before looking at the nurse who was staring at him expectantly.

"Horatio was with me and Fransisco last night on our nightly stroll along the edges of the forest that surrounds the back of the castle when Ophelia suddenly ran over to us," Hamlet started, his voice growing stronger as he grew more confidant in the lie. His plan was to tell a half lie that would still end with the same result as the truth, and maybe help his odds of getting out of marrying Ophelia in the process.

Hamlet told the rest of the lie to the nurse. He told her that him, Horatio and Fransisco had been hanging out in the forest, drunkenly fooling around, when Ophelia came outside and saw their figures in the dark. She didn't know who or what was there so, scared, she ran back into the castle, locking them out. Fransisco and Hamlet ran after her, trying to have some fun but Horatio had decided to wander off into the forest, where he then half-consciously soaked in the freezing mud all night. Then Hamlet explained how he had found Horatio, cold and shivering in the forest.

The nurse nodded and went and spoke to the doctor. Fransisco tried to persuade Hamlet to leave the clinic and get his mind off of Horatio but Hamlet refused. He sat there all day until nightfall. He didn't eat anything, he didn't leave his spot. He sat there in a painful silence as he watched the medics look after Horatio.

The nurse who had spoken to Hamlet before came back some time later in the night. She told him that because Horatio had been in the cold all night he had gotten really sick and now he had a fever and was burning up. He would wake up for a few seconds at a time before falling asleep. The nurse hesitated before telling the prince the next part. She told him that Horatio was in critical condition and that he could die from this fever. Tears started silently dripping down his cheeks when he heard that part.

Hamlet asked for permission to go and see Horatio and was granted it. He kneeled next to his friend and took his friend's hand in his, then he whispered, "Don't worry Horatio, you'll get better, you have to," then he quickly let go of Horatio's hand so that no one thought anything about it.

"HAMLET WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" Ophelia cried as she stormed over to Hamlet and the unconscious Horatio.

Hamlet was so emotionally exhausted he really didn't want to put up with her right then. Though he knew she had leverage over him so he complied with the loving fiancé act.

"Love, I'm so sorry I haven't seen you since morning but Horatio got sick and I had to-"

"Don't tell me the rest," she spat, "I told you to not talk to him again."

"I'm so sorry," Hamlet pretended to start getting emotional, "I really am sorry. Please forgive me, I had to help him though, please, can you look past this?"

"I guess," she sighed. Then she perked up again, "I could never stay mad at you, Hamlet," she grabbed his hand and kissed him on the cheek, "I love you Hamlet."

The prince cringed at those words, he knew he had to say them back though, so he plastered on a fake smile and whispered back, "I love you too."

Fransisco glanced once more at his sick friend, before leaving.

Horatio woke up. Sleepily, he wonder where he was. This wasn't the forest. No, this was the castle. He had been brought back.... By.... HAMLET. Now he was completely awake. Where was Hamlet?

"Hamlet! Where are you, love?" he shouted trying to stand up. The nurses passed off his erratic behavior as a symptom of his sickness, sitting him back down on the bed.

"Where is Hamlet?" he asked again, louder this time. "I need to find him!"

"Hush," said one of the nurses, trying to calm Horatio down. "Your friend is with his girlfriend right now... he'll be back soon enough. You're really sick, you need to sleep," she added.

Horatio was completely exhausted from just trying to stand up, and quickly fell back to sleep.

Ophelia giggled then pulled Hamlet out of the clinic.