Hit and Run

Chapter 18: I'm So Sorry

The news of what had happened to Astrid spread faster than wildfire.

As she was rushed to the hospital, the police had called her parents and informed them of her accident. Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson had rushed to their daughter's side at record speed upon hearing the news.

Hiccup was the one who had to break it to the rest of the group. They had agreed to meet up at the hospital over the phone and upon arrival, they were left waiting in the waiting room as the doctors worked on reviving Astrid.

They all sat in silence, gazes locked onto the linoleum floor beneath their feet.

The muffled beeping of a machine, the bubbles rising in the water dispenser, the receptionist's loud tapping on his keyboard and the occasional cough from other visitors. Those were the only sounds that could be heard in the waiting room.

Hiccup sat in the chair closest to the front desk, head in his hands, guilt washing over him.

How he wished he had gotten there earlier, how he wished he hadn't wasted all that time standing around, how he wished he had jumped in immediately, rescuing her sooner.

"What happened, Hiccup? You didn't really specify over the phone" Heather's words were the first ones spoken since their arrival. Her voice was low and raspy and her eyes red and puffy from crying, the news of her best friend being taken away in an ambulance took a toll on her.

Hiccup hadn't really gone into detail of what happened, he was still in shock when he called them. All that he had said was that Astrid was on her way to the hospital and that they should meet him there.

Hiccup lifted his head up from his hands, revealing his own puffy, red eyes as he brushed the hair out of his face. No one said anything, they just stared at him curiously, all wishing to hear his answer to Heather's question.

Hiccup let out a deep sigh. "She... she was in an accident, drove right off the bridge and into the river. Had I just arrived sooner, perhaps I could've—"

"I'm just going to stop you there" Ruffnut interrupted. "We all know that there would've been nothing you could do, regardless if you arrived sooner or not. Stop trying to pin the blame on yourself, it's not only stupid, but very cliché as well"

Hiccup nodded in response, not even bothering to comment on Ruffnut's unusual choice of words. He just sat in his seat, and once again turned his attention to the floor beneath his feet.

The faint sound of tapping against the linoleum floor could be heard from where the group sat. The sound grew louder and louder with each passing second until the doors to the waiting room were thrown open, revealing a tall, muscular man with his dark hair in a ponytail.

He smashed his large hands down on the front desk, managing not only to capture the attention of the receptionist, but the attention of the entire room.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him. He seemed so familiar, but where had he seen him before?

"I'm looking for Astrid, Astrid Hofferson, could you tell me where she is?" The man asked the receptionist through heavy panting, as if he had ran an entire marathon before arriving at the hospital.

That's when Hiccup recognized him. It was Eret, Astrid's boyfriend. Hiccup had never been a big fan of Eret, mostly because he was Astrid's boyfriend and that he had proved to Hiccup several times that he was not excellent at his job.

"I'm sorry, sir, only family members are allowed beyond these doors" The receptionist looked up from the computer screen in front of him and gestured towards the doors that lead out into an empty hallway littered with other doors.