A Hope ~ Hiccstrid Fanfiction

Chapter 19

Hiccup

"Right so that's covered!" I told Mr Foster, moving on from one topic to the next at our meeting.

That's when Ruffnut ran in. She sounds slightly puffed and she looked at me and just nodded. She was staying with Astrid while she was 9 months pregnant, looking after her - much to Astrid's annoyance.

"Okay, meeting dismissed!!" I yelled as I ran towards Ruff.

Astrid sat on our bed, breathing heavily. But somehow she managed to smile at me, "This is it!!" She smiled.

Ruffnut had gone to get Gothi and I was helping Astrid through her contractions.

5 hours later we heard a cry.

I was next to Astrid, my hand on her shoulder. Mum and Astrid's parents were outside and Astrid was tired. Her face was scrunched up in pain. Gothi was cleaning up our newborn girl.

Yes - we had a baby daughter.

Gothi handed the precious little girl to me. Her little eyes staring up at my face, seeing it for the first time. "Hey little girl, I'm your daddy!" I told her, she just stared at me.

I lay next to Astrid as she looked at her daughter for the first time. She was smiling... but something was up. She still looked like she was in pain - a lot of it. Gothi was pacing in the room - obviously concerned. There's only so much she can do - what was wrong?

I decided to just focus on our little girl and Astrid. Astrid's head was laying on my shoulder as our girl grasped her finger. "Heey!" she whispered, exhausted.

We just stared at her. Astrid's eyes staring at me, but I could spot my nose and face shape. "She'll look like you," I told her, noticing more and more of Astrid's face.

"Mmmm?" Astrid mumbled, "no she'll look like you."

"She'll be the perfect combination of both of us." I concluded.

"Yes- she's perfect." Astrid whispered in awe. Still looking pale, sick, tired and in pain, but happy.

I started to think about names- she didn't look like a Isabel, Sara or Lila. All I could think of was -

"Hope. She's our hope at a family." Astrid said suddenly, almost reading my thoughts. It was perfect, we had talked about the 'hope' that this pregnancy brought for us both. The name was perfect, and it suited our girl in every single way.

"Hope..." Astrid mumbles before falling asleep on me. I let her rest hoping that it would end the pain I know she was feeling and that she'll wake up healthy. But something worried me, the concerned look on Gothi's face and the hushed whispers from outside. But I ignored that and just kissed my sleeping wife's forehead as she slept. Hope also closed her eyes and slept for her first time in this world.

I let the perfection of this moment sink in. I had my two favourite people in the world cuddled up with me. Little Hope was so still, so innocent, so perfect. I could hardly believe she was ours. Astrid lay against me, her chest rising and falling, I could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat from where she lay.

But that delicate moment of perfection ended when Astrid's heartbeat did.

I'm sorry.

M Xx