CHAPTER 4 GUYS. Sorry it's so late. Took a little break. Anyways. Send a message, post a review or favorite this to let me know how I'm doing.
Hiccup had just dropped Astrid off. He didn't want to go home to the empty house, so he was just driving around town in his car. He was thinking about Astrid the whole time. He was thinking about her personality, her looks, pretty much every fabric of her being. To him, she seemed perfect. To Astrid, he was the same. Hiccup was snapped from his thoughts when he saw Dagur harassing a bystander on the side of the road.
"What the...?" Hiccup pulled up beside Dagur which caught his attention.
"Ah! Hiccup! Just who I was looking for. I was on my way to your house when I noticed my old friend here. I just had to stop and get reacquainted. Like I reacquainted his face with my fist." The man Dagur was holding by the collar had blood dripping down his shirt and his face was barely recognizable. From what Hiccup could see, the mans jaw and nose were broken.
"Jeez Dagur. What did he do? And why were you on your way too see me?" Hiccup asked questionably. He didn't see any reason for Dagur wanting to see him, then he remembered the Boss's warning.
"Oh he did nothing. That's the thing. He could have kept me from going to jail a year ago, but he left me holding the bag. Now that he's seen both our faces, and knows we're acquainted, I guess I have to kill him now. Oh, and do I need a reason to hang out with my brother in crime?" Dagur pulled a knife out of his pocket, and started dragging the man into a nearby alleyway. Hiccup turned off the car and hopped out to follow him.
"Dagur. Wait! You aren't really going to kill him are you? He's barely alive as it is, and he probably has a concussion. He most likley won't remember any of this." Hiccup pleaded with Dagur to 'll st the man go.
"Oh how much I would like to believe that, but I can't take any chances. So he has to die." Dagur thrusted the knife into the mans neck nonchalantly. The man flailed for a second then his whole body went limp.
"Dagur, you're a murderer. How can you do something like this without hesitation?" Hiccup looked at Dagur with fear in his eyes. He just witnessed a murder, and was face to face with the man who did the deed.
"What else is new? Haha! Also very easily actually. You see, I lack something normal people have. It's called a conscience. I don't care about the people I hurt or kill. Why should I?" Dagur just laughed as he dropped the deceased man on the ground without a care in the world.
"You're a psychopath, and you speak as if you've done this before. Just how many people have you killed?" Hiccup was on guard the entire time he was speaking with Dagur. He had to be careful that he wasn't his next victim.
"Oh quite a few. Quite a few indeed. I've been killing since i was sixteen and I'm twenty now. I'd say I've killed about seven or eight, maybe ten people over four years. About to be one more." Dagur counted on his fingers the number of victims he had slain, then looked maliciously at Hiccup.
Hiccup realized what Dagur meant and tried to run, but Dagur caught him by the arm and pulled him into a head lock. Hiccup tried to get free but Dagur applied pressure on Hiccup's throat and breathing became a chore.
"Shh. The more you move, the harder it gets to breath. I'm gonna let you die slowly. You ruined my fun last night. I didn't get to blow shit up or shoot anyone. So I'm going to take it out on you. Ok?" Dagur took the knife and jabbed it into Hiccup's abdomen, then quickly covered his mouth so no one could hear him scream.
Hiccup's vision started fading to black. He was losing consciousness. He got a bit of relief when Dagur pulled the knife out and dropped him. He tried moving but every muscle contraction in his abdomen only made the wound hurt and bleed even more. Hiccup wouldn't let that stop him however. He endured the pain and stood up. He started walking toward his car when he felt his knee buckle. Dagur had stricken him in the left shin with a rusty pipe. The bone was shattered.
"You aren't going anywhere. You are going to sit there and bleed out like a good little boy. To make sure of that. I think I'll make this leg useless." Dagur started wailing on the leg he had previously broken with the rusty pipe. Every hit breaking the bone into tinier and tinier pieces.
"Dagur. Please. Stop. I'm begging you." Hiccup was overcome with unbearable pain. All he could do was plead with Dagur.
"Now why would I do that? You can beg all you want. I'm not going to let you live. To make sure you don't do anything sneaky like calling the cops, I'll be taking your phone." Dagur reached into Hiccup's pockets and pulled out his cell phone. He broke it in half and laughed.
"Now just die. It's easier than you think. Haha." Dagur walked off and left Hiccup for dead in the alley. Hiccup started panicking
"What do I do. I don't want to die. Please God, or any form of gods. Help me. I can use all the help I can get. Just please. Don't let me die." Hiccup started crying in fear of his imminent demise. He started doing something, he never thought he would. Praying. Praying to the gods for survival.
It had been ten minutes since Dagur left, and Hiccup had lost all hope of surviving. His vision was blurry, and his body was getting heavy. He couldn't think of anyway out of this situation. He looked at the dead man lying beside him, when Hiccup heard something. He heard a ringtone. It was coming from the dead man's shirt pocket.
"No way. He has a phone. I can call an ambulance. I'm gonna live!" Hiccup managed to roll over and grab the phone from the man's pocket. The person calling him had the title of "My Sweet Daughter". Hiccup felt bad, but he pressed ignore. He quickly opened the keypad and dialed 911.
"This is the police how may I help you?" There was a woman on the other end.
"My name is Henry Haddock, and I've been stabbed. There is also a dead body beside me. I witnessed the murder. I'm in the alleyway between the two abandoned buildings on Nadder Street. Please send help. I don't know how much longer I can last." Hiccup strained on every word. His vision started fading again, and he could hear his pulse in his ears get slower and slower. The last thing he remembered hearing before he passed out was "We are sending an ambulance to your location sir. Please hold on until they get there."
The ambulance came and picked Hiccup up. He was in critical condition. He was rushed into the hospital for immediate surgery. As for the man Dagur killed, he was sent to the morgue and his family was contacted. They came and mourned their loss.
Hiccup's surgery was touch and go. It took the doctors several hours to repair the damaged organs and stop the internal bleeding. His leg was irreparable, so that had to amputate it to prevent infection. After Hiccup was stable he was put in a room. He was still under the effects of the anesthesia, and didn't wake up until several hours had passed.
"Ugh. My head hearts. Well at least im alive." Hiccup spoke to himself. He didn't realize someone else was in the room.
"Hiccup. I'm so glad you're ok. The doctor's said you were in critical condition and I was scared you were going to die." Astrid was in the room. She was crying, not tears of sadness but joy that Hiccup was alright.
"Astrid. What are you doing here?" Hiccup was surprised that Astrid was there. He wondered how she found out.
"They called me. They saw my number on your hand. Once I got the call my mom rushed me here. She went home, and I've been here waiting for you to wake up." Astrid obviously showed signs of no sleep. Hiccup wondered what time it was, so he looked over and it was one thirty am.
"I've been out that long? Holy shit. Also, why does my leg feel wierd?" Hiccup was about to pull up the covers and see what was wrong with his leg.
"Hiccup wait." It was too late for Astrid to say something. Hiccup already had the covers removed.
"Oh my God! My leg! It's gone! What the fuck!? Why is my leg gone!?"Hiccup started panicking. His blood pressure started increasing, and he began to hyperventilate.
"Hiccup calm down. They couldn't fix your leg. This was the only choice they had." Astrid tried to calm Hiccup down. She held his hand, spoke gently to him, and it seemed to be working. She saw his blood pressure start to stabilize on the monitor.
"Ok. I'm calm now. I just can't believe, I got messed up so bad. I guess I should count my blessings and be happy that I'm alive. Did they say when I could go home?" Hiccup was trying to wrap his mind around all of the events that happened. He was trying to figure out why Dagur tried to kill him.
"They said it would be a couple of days. If you're lucky and don't push yourself maybe tomorrow." Astrid told Hiccup what the doctor's had told her. He seemed relieved that he wouldn't be in the hospital long.
There was a knock at the door and a female voice came from the other side.
"Mr. Haddock? May I come in?" The woman asked politely.
"Sure. Come on in." Astrid gave the woman permission to come in.
"I'm the one who's going to be taking care of your home caretaker situation. You will need someone to help you around the house. Do you have anyone that could stay with you for about three or four weeks?" The woman asked politely. She was trying to be as gentle and quiet as possible, as not to upset the patient.
"Sorry. No I don't. I don't have any family left. Well any family I know of. Don't really have that many friends willing to put up with me that long either." Hiccup had a melancholic smile. He didn't like mentioning family, or his lack of friends. He joked about it to make himself feel better.
"Oh. Well we could assign you a-" The woman was interrupted by Astrid.
"I'll do it. I'll move in with him and be his caretaker." Astrid was determined. She wanted to help the fragile Hiccup. She felt she needed to help him. This surprised Hiccup.
"Are you a close acquaintance with ." The woman asked politely.
"No. I wouldn't say close. I am a friend though. So it should be fine." Astrid looked at the woman. She looked deep in thought.
"Very well. You will be 's caretaker from now on. While he is in the hospital you should move in to his house. His car is in the parking lot. If you have a license im sure he wouldn't mind if you used it. Would you ?" The woman asked with a giggly smile.
"No. That's fine. Just be gentle with it. Don't wreck it either." Hiccup agreed, albeit reluctantly.
"Ok. I know where your keys are. I'll go ahead and get a head start on moving in." Astrid opened the drawer by Hiccup's bed and picked out his keys.
"Be careful." Hiccup knew how dangerous his car is. He didn't want to be responsible for Astrid getting hurt in his car.
"Don't worry. I won't drive like you. I'll be fine." Astrid joked with Hiccup then ran out of the room past the woman.
"Now that she is gone. I'm going to let the officer come in and speak with you." The woman gestured out the door and a policeman walked in.
"Hello . I'm here to ask you a few questions about your assault. Any info you can give is will be a big help. Ill keep it to yes or no questions."
"Ok." Hiccup answered simply.
"Did you know the attacker?"
"No." Hiccup lied. He couldn't put the gang in jeopardy. That would mean putting himself in trouble.
"Could you give us a description of the attacker? "
"No." Hiccup continued to lie. He didn't know why.
"Did you know the victim?"
"No." Hiccup actually didn't know the victim.
"Could you think of anyone who might have a grudge against you?"
"I'm a scrawny, non-athletic, smart kid in Highschool. I can give you a whole list, but none of them would attack me."
"Very well. Could you identify the attacker by voice recognition?"
"No." Hiccup kept up his fein of ignorance.
"Well. That's all I have to ask. I'll leave you be now . You've been a great help." The officer walked out, and left Hiccup alone.
The two day's went by slowly. Astrid hadn't visited since the first day. She was busy moving all of her stuff into Hiccup's house. She was his ride out of the hospital so he couldn't leave until she got there. This annoyed Hiccup. He wondered just how much stuff she could be moving to make her so late. He really didn't enjoy it when people were late to prior engagements.
"What's taking her so long? I hate hospitals." Hiccup was pouting in his bed. He was finally able to sit upright without much pain. He heard a knock at the door and this drew Hiccup's attention.
" ? May I come in?" It sounded like one of the nurses.
"Yeah. Come on in." Hiccup spoke loudly enough so that the person on the otherside could hear.
" . Miss Hofferson is here to take you home. I'm going to help you into a wheelchair and roll you down to meet her." The nurse had a sweet and serene smile. She walked beside the bed with a wheelchair.
"Thank god. No offense, but I do not like being here." Hiccup sat straight so the woman could help him.
"Alright. Use your arms to push yourself off the bed and into the chair. Don't worry about falling, I'm right here."the woman put one hand on Hiccup's back as support. She lowered the bed to make it easier.
Hiccup lifted himself up with his arms and slid into the chair. Once he got situated comfortably, the woman rolled him out of the room. Hiccup looked at all the sick and dying people as he passed by. It reminded him of his stay after the crash. That was the reason he hated hospitals. He thought he should be dead, but he made it to the hospital and lived. This time was no different for him. He should be dead, but he got lucky. While he was stuck in his thoughts, the woman had already made it to the exit. When he was rolled outside he looked up to see Astrid.
"How's my favorite cripple doing today?" Astrid asked jokingly.
"I'm doing fine. I just want to get some real food. I'm starving." Hiccup grabbed at his stomach. A sharp pain shot through his body. He had forgotten for a second that he had been stabbed in the abdomen.
"Alright. I'll take it from here thanks." Astrid walked over and took Hiccup from the nurse.
"Ok. Drive safe now." The nurse gave one last second before walking back into the hospital.
"What kind of food where you thinking about eating?" Astrid asked as she helped Hiccup into his car.
"I want a big, greasy, sloppy burger from that one place by the school." Hiccup's mouth practically started watering at the thought of the burger.
"Sounds good to me." Astrid had put the wheel chair in the trunk of the car then hot in the driver's seat.
"Great." Hiccup smiled. He was finally going to get some good food in his stomach.
"Haha. You can be cute when you want to. Other than that you are always so gloomy and mysterious." Astrid started the car and drove off.
"Astrid."
"Yes?" Astrid asked curiously.
"Thank you. This means alot. I didn't want to go through this alone." Hiccup was looking down at his leg and smiling sadly. Astrid noticed and gave her own smile.
"No problem."