A Chance Meeting

Chapter 16

It was hard going back to work. Everyone in the restaurant seemed so happy, so... normal. People came in and ordered food, sometimes by themselves, sometimes in a group.

Sometimes in a family.

They were blissfully unaware of the death of a beloved woman. A woman that loved her son. A woman with a son that loved his mom so much that he endured countless adversities just to look after her when she fell ill. The Earth herself wept when Hiccup was notified of his mother's passing.

And yet, the next day had been bright and sunny, not the slightest trace of remorse from mother earth. Then again, she bore witness to countless deaths every day, maybe she had grown numb to the death of loving mothers.

I, on the other hand, had not. I cried with Hiccup all night and all the next day. I tried over and over to tell him something that would ease the pain in his eyes, but the words wouldn't come. Couldn't come. Because there was absolutely nothing I could say, nothing I could do, that could make him feel better. Instead, I just grieved with him.

He didn't do anything for the rest of that night and the following day. He didn't even speak.

He still hasn't spoken. It was like he took a vow of silence or something. It worried me.

I may be at work physically, but my mind was still at my apartment, with Hiccup. I could see him curled up in a ball on the couch, exactly the way he was when I left to go to work. Booker had offered me another day off of work, but I had politely declined because I just needed to get out of the house for a while. I thought being here could help drag me out of my depression.

It didn't.

"How are you holding up, Astrid?" Books said, coming out of the kitchen. He had been the only person I had told about Hiccup's mom so that I could get yesterday off to comfort Hiccup. I hadn't even told Ruff or Fishlegs or Hazel yet. I could tell Hiccup wanted as few people around him as possible for the moment and they would break down the door to give their condolences. I would wait for him to signal that he was ready to face the outside world.

"I'll be honest, I thought coming here would help, but it's only made things worse," I ran my hand through my greasy hair. I hadn't bothered to shower before showing up for work. "Everyone here is acting like nothing's happened and all I can think about is Hiccup and what must be going through his mind. I can't even imagine my mom passing away, and Hiccup has now lost both his parents. He has no brothers or sisters, either. He's completely alone."

"Aye, that's not true." Book put his meaty hand on my shoulder, "There's more to family than flesh and blood.

"While death is always a tragedy, it is important for those close to the lad to remind that he isn't alone, because I'm sure that's how he feels right now. I'm glad you came in for work, it's always a pleasure to see you, but I think there are places you should be instead. As much as I'm sure he doesn't want to, funeral arrangements have to be made, any living relatives and family friends should be notified. Those tasks are impossible for anyone to do alone; someone has to be strong for him. And that someone is you." He jabbed his finger right in the center of my chest, "You came back too soon, as I'm sure you've realized by now, so I'm granting you another few days off of work because I know that both him and his mother meant a lot to you and there are a still a lot of difficult times yet to come for the both of you."

I thanked him by pulling him into a big hug before grabbing my things and heading out the door.

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"Thank you for being here with me," Hiccup murmured, "I don't think I could've done this alone."

I looked at him, a little surprised. It was the first time he had spoken aloud since he found out that Val had... passed away.