"Mr. Haddock? You have a visitor."
I looked up from doodling in my notebook to the nurse who stood in the doorway, her hands folded neatly at her middle. I blinked. "Visitor? I didn't know I could have guests yet."
It had been just two days before that Snotlout visited, and my father and I had talked about… things. I wondered who it could be. I didn't have any friends at school, or anyone that really would take the time of day to push aside their plans to come and see me.
"Yes, it was just decided early this morning," the nurse explained, giving me a warm smile. "You're already doing better, so Doctor Bennett decided-"
"Doctor Bennett?" I cut in, confused. "Who's that?"
The nurse smiled gently. "The man who's been taking care of you."
Oh. That doctor.
I nodded slowly. "Uh, sure. You can send them in. My dad'll be back soon, anyway." Dad was at home right now, grabbing a few of my old items like clothes, books, and journals to keep me from going mad with boredom.
"All right, sweetie. Feel better." The nurse swung open the door, and in came-
Amanda Hofferson. And with her… dog?
I stifled a gasp, sitting up in bed. My notebook slid off my lap and my pen fell to the floor. "A-Astrid?" I stuttered, painfully aware of my unkempt-hospital look. "Hi, Astrid… hi, Astrid, hey, Astrid…" My ears burned. I felt like an idiot.
Astrid didn't seem to mind, though, still composing a calm look. "Hey."
The nurse winked in my direction, making me redden even more. "I'll leave you two alone now." She closed the door.
I swallowed, trying to figure out what to say next. Astrid beat me to it, though. "This here is Stormfly," she explained, gesturing to the giant yellow dog that stood beside her. "She's an Akita. Thoroughbred."
Breathing in and out heavily, I managed to nod. "She's… beautiful."
She smirked, approaching my side of the bed. "Yeah. She's somewhat of a caregiver dog. I take her to the hospital sometimes to visit patients. It improves their mood a lot of the time."
I bit my lip, deflating. So that was the only reason she was here.
Astrid seemed to sense my disappointment and shook her head, inviting herself onto the chair next to my bed. "But I also personally wanted to check up on you, Hiccup," she said. Her braid slipped over her shoulder as she shrugged. "I'm sorry about the car crash, and your leg."
Wincing, I looked down at my hands. "Yeah."
"And… your mom, too." She inhaled. "Hiccup, I just want to let you know that I'm here for you if you want to… you know, talk about anything. My uncle just recently died too, so maybe we could both help each other out."
My eyes widened, and I looked back up at her. She was staring straight at me, waiting for an answer. "You… you would want to hang out with me?" I repeated. "But I'm… I'm not…"
"Oh, hush. You're practically the most popular person in school right now," she chided, waving me off. "Ever since the car crash, that is."
I felt my heartbeat speed up. "What?"
Astrid gave me a cocky smile. "Yeah. Everyone's talking about you. You're almost like some type of superhero." She hesitated. "Oh, and Hiccup, I.-"
The door suddenly opened. My head jolted up and I recognized by father entering the room with a box full of my things. He was whistling loudly but stopped when he saw Astrid. "Who's this?" he asked me, voice full of bewilderment. "Another friend?"
Astrid stood up, holding out her hand. "Amanda Hofferson. You can call me Astrid, though."
Dad released one hand from gripping the box he was holding, and the two shook hands. "I'm Hiccup's father," he smiled. "Lovely to meet you, Amanda."
"Astrid," I reminded him. Both Astrid and my father turned to me, looking confused. I reddened. "Her… her nickname is Astrid, I mean."
Dad cocked his head. "Alright. Astrid, then." After an awkward moment, he cleared his throat. "Well, I'm back from getting your things, Hiccup. I got a few of your old shirts and jeans in here… plus some of those books and journals of yours." He nodded to the box as he set it down on my bed.
I offered a weak smile. "Thanks, Dad."
Astrid started to back towards the door. "Well, if you and your dad want to talk, I can go."
No! I thought anxiously. You just got here. But it was best that she left now anyways, I reminded myself, before I did something stupid. Again.
It took all my willpower to nod. "Yeah. I guess I'll see you soon."
"All right, then." Astrid pulled Stormfly over to the door, and the dog followed behind. Astrid waved me goodbye. "Remember what I said earlier. If you need to talk about anything, tell me. I'll give the front desk my number, and they can give it to you."
I felt myself beginning to blush. A girl was going to give me her number. And this was Astrid Hofferson. The most popular girl in the school. I'd never have guessed this could have happened. "Okay," I agreed, fighting back a nervous tone.
She grinned. "Talk later, Hiccup."
Just as she was about to leave, Dad stopped her. "Are dogs allowed in the hospital?" he asked, and pointed to Stormfly. "I didn't think they could be in here."
Astrid's hand dropped from the doorknob as she shrugged. "Oh, Stormfly's a special dog. She has a certificate which allows her to enter hospitals and visit patients. You see, she's kind of like an emotional support dog."
Dad folded his arms, looking intrigued. "Really? There are dogs that do that?"
Nodding, Astrid opened the door. "Yup." She smiled. "Well, it's time for me to go, I guess. My mom's waiting for me in the car."
"Bye," I whispered, unable to raise my voice over the shock of what had just happened.
Another wave of her hand and then she was gone. Dad turned around, cocking an eyebrow. "Astrid Hofferson... hmm. Seems like a nice girl. Hmm. So." He cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Anything you, uh, want to talk about, son?"
I coughed. "No."
But I was smiling.
The next day, I was taken off my oxygen machine and moved into my hospital room. I learned that the room I had been staying in was the recovery room, a place where they had kept me in until my blood pressure, pulse, and breathing were checked. But now that I was in the clear, I was placed in the healing ward.
I was moved into my own personal quarters, rather than rooming with someone else as usual. I figured Dad had pulled a few strings because I was the mayor's son. But right after we made the move, he left with an "errand" to do.
I was alone.
And I was bored. And cranky. The nurses practically had to force feed me my pills at lunch, putting me in a sour mood. I wished I could get out of bed and start practicing with my prosthetic- which was due in any day now-, but Doctor Bennett told me that I had to wait a little longer before starting. I hadn't been happy.
Finally, after a whole afternoon of doing nothing, my dad returned. As he came into the room, I saw two things. One: an extremely wide smile on his face. Two: a large box.
I narrowed my eyes. "Hi."
"Hello, Hiccup!" Dad cheerfully edged himself into my room, closing the door behind him. "I've got a surprise for you."
Surprised, I set aside the journal I was writing in. "What do you mean? Is this... 'surprise'… in the box you're holding?"
My father nodded and set the box down on my bed. "You're going to love it," he said, before looking thoughtful. "At least, I think you will. It'll help cheer you up, son. I think it's just the thing you need."
Now I was curious. "Okay… so what is it?"
Beaming, Dad placed his hands on the top of the box. "Surprise!"
And then he opened it.
I nearly gasped. Because right inside the box, there was a dog. It looked not to still be a puppy but was still plenty young in its years. It was black, small, and its tail was thumping against the side of the box eagerly.
"Dad, I…" I inspected the dog again. My breath hitched. "I…"
"I knew you'd like it!" My father grinned, scooping the black dog out from the box and cradling it in his giant arms. "I know it's not the prettiest pup, but he's apparently well trained and a German Shepherd mix. Those dogs learn fast."
My eyes bulged as Dad walked over with the black puppy. "W-what's his name?"
Dad dropped the dog on my lap, where it immediately began to nibble at my hospital sheets. I couldn't hold back the laugh that itched to come out. The pup seemed determined to tear the fabric apart.
"Toothless."
I looked up at my dad, confused. "What?"
Dad shrugged. "That's what they told me his name was. Toothless. I'm sure there's a good story behind that, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to get it." He shifted his shoulders. "So, I've got his papers all signed… he's officially a Haddock! Oh, and he's also certificated to be an… emotional-support dog, was it? Yes, I believe that's it. He can stay with you for the rest of your time here, if you'd like. The doctor has already agreed."
I could hardly believe it. "Thanks, Dad." I was more grateful than I could put in words. "This is really… nice of you." I started to scratch at Toothless's chin, and he stopped biting the sheets for a few seconds to lick my fingers.
Maybe… maybe I was wrong. Maybe there was just more than one thing to live for. I had my father, and now I had Toothless.
I smiled.
And with them... living just didn't seem so hard anymore.
