Hospital memories

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Hiccup woke up three days later. The first thing he saw was Astrid's warm smile. The first thing he felt was Astrid's fist colliding with his arm thoug... a pleasant welcome, sarcastically thinking. The first thing he did was smile.

He felt dizzy, he was disorientated, the last thing he remember was entering in that car, serching that teddy bear, the explosion... and later Astrid.

His head hurt a little and all his body was sleepy, specially his left leg. He stirr and slowly he started feeling all his limbs. Except the left leg, he didn't knew what was going on, it seemed that it didn't feel like cooperating with him.

"Morning stalker." Astrid said smiling, she tried to contain her happiness, but it was a difficult task, she hadn't leave his side in those three days, her back was aching, that chair was killing her. She let Hiccup a couple of minutes to wake up and stirr. With each second the moment that she fear coming closer, the happiness he was feeling because he had woken up would soon turn in shock and pain.

"Water." Was all he could say, his mouth was dry. She gave him a glass filled with water and he drank it slowly. "Better thanks, for how long have I been sleeping?" Hiccup asked.

"Three days." Astrid simply replied. "Have you been... here all the time." Hiccup asked rubbing the back of his neck.

"Maybe..." Was all she said. Here it comes, Astrid thought.

"Astrid, why don't I feel my left leg?" He asked, he wasn't expecting that answer he received.

"They tried their best... they really did... it was too damaged." She gulped, she couldn't continue, she couldn't said that, she was not the one to say that... it should be a doctor or his father. She just couldn't. But Hiccup was not an idiot, he understood it perfectly. He didn't react abruptly, in fact he didn't react. He just moved the blanket and looked at the place his leg used to be. He sighed. He stayed that way for ten minutes, just looking. He smiled sadly, maybe remembering what it was walking and running with two legs. He never expect to lose a leg, it was all to weird, it didn't seem real.

He was just a teenager, he never imagined that he could lose a leg. He was shocked. He had lost something that was part of him, he had never feared losing a leg, he feared losing his father, Gobber, Astrid... not his leg. He had seen people with just one leg, Gobber for example. He knew that he was going to need a prothesic, having a piece of metal attached to his leg did't sound like a great idea, like something he would ever get used to...

He didn't cry or shout. That wouldn't make a difference, it was better to accept it. The sooner the better, and keep living as usual, with one leg less... but as usual.

But as much as he tried to believe his own thougts he couldn't. He wasn't prepared for that, he was too young for that. He wanted to walk and run as he used too. Not with the sound of metal following him everywhere. He loved silence...

Hiccup didn't know for how long he stared at his leg... he sighed as he glanced at Astrid. It was obvious that she was tired, her eyes were puffy, maybe from the lack of sleep. She had a hand on her back, he was sure that her back hurt. Her braid was a mess, maybe she hadn't had a proper shower in those three days. But anyways, she still was the most beautiful person he had never seen.

For one second as usual, he forgot that she was ill. That the cancer was trying to kill her. Been in that chair for three days didn't help her. She knew it but she didn't care, she wanted to be with him. She was feeling weak, her stomach hurt. But she could only pay attention to the boy with meesy auburn hair and sad green eyes that was looking at her.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. They didn't say nothing, their argument was in the past. They had to talk, but it wasn't the moment. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe in an hour. Who knows, they had time...

She punched him again, that time harder. "Hey! What was tha for?" Hiccup said.

"That's for scaring me." With that Astrid grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him, quickly.

"And that's for everything else." Astrid smiled and Hiccup smile goofily, his missing leg didn't matter for that small fraction of time.

When Stoick entered in the room to his usual check up on his son, he found him awake and smiling goofily at Astrid. He hugged his son, not letting him go, he was so scared... he couldn't lose him to.

"Son... you're awake, you're..." Stoick said still hugging him.

"Of course, you'll need more if you want to finish with me, look at me I'm all Viking fury." He said mockingly while flexing his non existant muscles.

"I'm proud of you son." He said. "Why?" Hiccup asked as he arched an eyebrow.

"For nothing in particular just..." He pointed to him. "For this." "But you just gesture all of me." Hiccup replied.

"I know, I'm going to tell the doctors, I'll return soon." He left the room and in that moment something popped into Hiccup's face. He remembered something that his father told him while he was asleep.

'Son, don't let her go, she's worth a lot.'

He smiled, his father was right there, as a friend or maybe as something else she was worth everything.

"Why are you smiling?" Astrid asked curiously. "Nothing... nothing in particular." He said.

"Oh... By the way stalker, I've missed you." Astrid replied while smiling at him warmly.

"Me too."