The Meridian of Mishaps

Chapter 18

Astrid had grasped Hiccup's hand and held on as tightly as she could the moment he hit the ground. Tears started to stream down her face. As the paramedics came and started to roll Hiccup away on the stretcher, Astrid felt her heart being crushed and yanked and pulled. Even after their hands had parted, she still felt as if was connected to Hiccup and an invisible string was slowly pulling at her insides as he grew further and further away. She had never felt pain like this before. No matter how loud she screamed or how hard she cried, she couldn't rid the awful feeling from her chest. What if he had a massive subdural hematoma and the surgeons weren't able to fix it? What if he lost too much blood before the paramedics arrived?

Finally, Astrid could no longer feel her legs. Everything in her body went completely numb, causing her to collapse onto the pavement in a heap of sobs. Toothless came over to her and nuzzled at her side. Stroking his soft black fur was just what she had needed. When she had finally collected herself enough to speak, she leaned over to Toothless and whispered in his ear. "You know, Toothless, there are so many things I wish I had said to Hiccup. I should have kissed him earlier today. I should have told him that I had feeling for him. Hell! I should have just said that I loved him!" That word, love, felt strange when it exited her lips, but the more she thought about it, the more right it felt. Astrid had had attractions to other guys before, but something about this one just felt different. Despite the fact that she had only been friends with Hiccup for a little bit, her attraction was intense- so intense that he had captured her thoughts and dreams. Every time she saw him and got to know him, she felt warmer and warmer inside.

And now, he was loaded into the back of an ambulance, being taken away from her, battered and bloodied, with a leg he couldn't put any weight on. At this thought, Astrid managed to pick herself off the ground, gather Toothless, and follow the ambulance. She would be there for him at the hospital when he woke up- if he woke up. She quickly brushed that last thought away, for fear that it was true. He would wake up. He definitely would, she tried to convince herself as she put the key into the ignition. There was no possible way that he hit his head hard enough on the pavement to do real damage...right? The large cat in the passenger seat meowed, almost as if he was agreeing with Astrid's thoughts.

Astrid decided to drop Toothless off back at the Haddock's house, before heading to the hospital as she was pretty sure a large black puma would probably not be allowed in the waiting room. Much to Astrid's delight, she found the house unlocked. She said goodbye to Toothless and promised him that she would stop by later to check on him and give him any updates on his best friend's condition.

When Astrid arrived at the hospital, Stoick was already there. The girl saw the large man sitting by himself in the corner, obviously crying; this vulnerable position made him appear less massive than he usually was. Slowly, she walked over to him and sat down on the seat beside him. She didn't say anything. What could she say at this moment? All she could do was place her slender hand, the same hand which she had desperately held onto Hiccup's, on top of Stoick's larger one, making him smile ever so slightly.

Waiting at the hospital seemed like eternity. Neither Astrid nor Stoick could move from their seats. Finally, a few hours later, an older woman dressed in sea foam green scrubs appeared in the doorway. As short as the doctor was, her presence dominated the room in that very moment. "Mr. Haddock?" she announced softly while scanning the faces in the room. Without saying anything, Stoick got up from his chair and walked over to where the doctor was standing, disappearing with her through that same doorway.

Astrid wanted to follow, but knew better than to. Instead she stayed put, nervously playing with a stray string on her shirt and staring off into space. She happened to catch a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Her blue, warrior paint was severely smudged; however, she really couldn't care less about her appearance at the moment as she waited for Stoick to return. He seemed to take forever to come back. Seconds ticked away like hours. Finally, the large man returned with a very solemn look upon his face. Astrid's heart sunk even further than it already had. She feared the worst. Slowly, the mayor made his way back to the seat beside Astrid. When he had sat, he took a deep breath and placed a large hand on Astrid's slouched shoulder. "He's going to be okay, Astrid." This was the softest she had ever heard the mayor speak. "He's still unconscious now as he hit his head pretty hard." He paused. "Hiccup's really going to need people to be there for him when he wakes up. He...ugh...well they couldn't save it." A massive tear dripped down his face at these words and caught on his auburn beard. "It's..it's all my fault. I did this." Astrid didn't understand. She gave Stoick a look that was a mix of confusion and empathy. "When the bullet hit Hiccup's leg, it um, caused the bone to shatter into several pieces. The bone fragments somehow managed to sever the tibial arteries. The doctors did everything they could to try to restore blood flow, but the damage ended up being too extensive and they had to amputate his left foot."