I'm BACK!
Honestly, I have wanted to update for a little while but since summer started my schedule has been increasingly crazy. First, I started working an extra 4-5 hours at my part-time job at the Y. Then, my husband was bitten by a brown recluse a few weeks ago. So, I have had to work extra hard filling in his position at the Y.
No joke, the whole thing was bogus when we were dealing with the hospital. Urgent care (which is linked to the hospital) said that it was a cyst and it would bust on it's own, but since he was swollen and his leg was getting cellulitis they put him on antibiotics. Then, by Friday he was miserable and could barely walk. Saturday, we thought it had busted, but it was not rupturing. So, as soon as my shift was done at the Y we took off and went to the Emergency Room...that doctor told him it wasn't going to bust on it's own and they were going to have to lance it. As soon as they lanced it he felt a 100 times better, and the swelling went down almost immediately. By the end of the following week the swelling was pretty much gone. Two doctor visits later his doctor tells him he was certain it was a brown recluse bite. After looking up pictures, we are also in agreement. It has gotten better thankfully. Couple more weeks and he should be good as new!
A lot of my nights have consisted of Pokemon Go with Aaron. Weeks had been leading up to the two year anniversary weekend (which was this past weekend) and since it was how my husband and I met we had to take part! It was a great weekend, met some new friends, talked to some old. Leveled up a lot, started a new account for the fun of seeing a ton of "new" Pokemon in the Dex. Anyways, for you non-Pokemon people, I won't bore you anymore!
I have been popping in and out of here lately to read everyone else's work, and honestly a few nights ago I started writing this chapter, but was so drowsy I knew it wasn't so good, so I put the laptop up and went to bed. I should be in bed for work tomorrow, but I have gotten my second wind.
Here we are!
Hiccup had been wishing to go back to school since the end of July. His welding class had ended, and after that his only enjoyment outside of the house was going outside and sitting on his porch. His father had began to disappear more in the evenings again shortly after he had gotten comfortable about Hiccup's phantom pains. Hiccup was learning when he needed to take his medication and when he could trudge through. If anything the experience was teaching him patience and learning how to deal with the changes to his limb. Not only was he bored, but he was also feeling pretty lonely most days.
Fish hadn't come by, and had barely been texting him. He was probably drawing, playing video games, watching television, and of course sleeping until mid-afternoon each day. Actually, Hiccup himself had begun to do this himself. There wasn't any point in getting up out of bed early in the morning. And, slowly, his father was beginning to notice this.
A few weeks before school had started up, Hiccup's dad had come home to take him to a follow-up appointment. It was three in the afternoon when he had come home from work to get him, and Hiccup was still in bed. He felt his father urging him awake violently, and Hiccup woke up hearing the alarm in his father's voice.
"What is wrong?" Mr. Vast asked him once Hiccup had sat up in bed, attempting to slow his heart rate down from the shock.
"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked him, blinking himself awake more. Honestly, he felt like hell. Probably because he had been in bed technically since about ten o'clock the evening before. Fifteen hours straight of laying in bed wasn't ideal. His muscles ached from being in bed as long as he had.
"Why are you still in bed?" Mr. Vast asked him.
This wasn't Hiccup. Typically he was up by seven or eight in the morning during the summer. Hiccup was indeed a morning person. During school he was typically up around five or five-thirty. Only reason why he was up around seven or eight in the summer-time was because Hiccup usually did stay up a little later sketching at night (why he fell off of the roof) or reading, and maybe watching a little bit of television if he found a movie he wanted to watch on Netflix. Although, typically if he had the television on, he was sketching away, and he was just using it for back ground noise.
"Dad, I'm fine," Hiccup said to him. Realizing the time, he shifted himself over to the side of his bed and bobbled over to his closet to look for something to change into. He felt his muscles stretch a little bit, getting feeling back into them. He could feel his hair sticking on end. Honestly, he didn't care. He would just have to run some water through it to make it look more presentable for the doctor.
"Are you sure?" Mr. Vast asked him. His tone was questionable. Hiccup could tell he wasn't convinced.
"Dad, I am fine," Hiccup said, grabbing a shirt from a hanger.
"You were in bed when I came home last night-"
"Dad, I went to bed at like ten-and you wouldn't have known that because you didn't make it home until after that," Hiccup said. "And you were gone when I woke up at seven this morning to use the bathroom-"
Hiccup hoped his father noticed his tone. Hiccup was not happy at all with him. Hiccup was feeling alone, and incredibly bored out of his mind. The day before, he had been sitting on the porch swing attempting to sketch, and had gotten bored trying to draw the bushes with the parked cars in the background that lined the street. He found himself himself without a purpose. Eventually, he had fallen asleep there for at least an hour before he felt too hot to stay there.
Hiccup honestly hadn't been asleep all that much. He didn't want to tell his father, but he'd had another nightmare sometime between three and five last night. He couldn't exactly remember what time, but he knew his father was dead asleep. His father didn't come rushing into the room like he had been doing lately. Perhaps it was because Hiccup was learning to control himself a little easier. He wasn't waking up screaming. Or, his father was just that dead when he was asleep lately. Hiccup blamed it on the girl friend.
After Hiccup changed, he moved a little more quickly knowing he was running late. After slapping on some deodorant and brushing his teeth, he and his father were in the car and on their way to the hospital to see his surgeon. During the drive Hiccup was nervously trying to smooth his hair just a little bit in the back.
Sitting in his exam room, Hiccup chewed on the inside of his cheek on the exam table, staring blankly at a knob on a cabinet door that he could tell was loose. It was titled to the side a bit. He sighed with slight boredom while they waited for the doctor to come inside. He didn't play with his phone while he waited for the doctor to come. He just sat, hunched over, leaning his face against the side of the crutch for a good while.
When the doctor came inside, he was mauling over Hiccup's charts to start with on the laptop. Hiccup noticed his face showed a little concern.
"You've lost five pounds in the last two weeks," he said to him, glancing over at Mr. Vast for a reaction, since he did not receive one from Hiccup. "What's your diet been like?"
Hiccup glanced at him blankly for a moment. "The same as it's always been."
"Are you eating a lot of poptarts, pizza, pop, junk food-"
"No," Mr. Vast cut him off. Hiccup could hear the seriousness in his father's voice. "We don't keep that stuff in our home. Not too often." Mr. Vast glanced at his son, giving him a good once over before continuing. "Hiccup, when was the last time you had something to eat?"
For some reason or another, Hiccup was not registering the severity of the situation at hand. He felt like he was on a fog. Honestly, he was chalking it up to his new medication for his phantom pains. But, then again, he hadn't had any for over a week.
"Um-I had a piece of cheese last night around...uh, nine maybe," Hiccup replied.
"You haven't eaten since then?" the doctor exclaimed, typing some notes into his computer system.
"He's been sleeping all day," Mr. Vast sighed. Hiccup watched his father lean forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his thighs. He was desperately trying to keep his composure. "Hiccup, what did you have yesterday?"
Hiccup couldn't remember honestly. He sat and thought for a moment. Then, found himself shrugging. "I can't remember." He watched his father's head fall into his hands briefly, and then suddenly his eyes became glassy. His father looked like he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. For a moment, Hiccup felt sorry for him. He hadn't looked that way since Hiccup had been dismissed from the hospital. His father had looked defeated trying to help him keep up with the pain medication.
"Hiccup, what have you been doing the last few weeks?" the doctor asked him. "How did you like your welding class?"
For a moment Hiccup felt excited, and had told his doctor about what he had learned, and even found himself pulling out his phone and showing him a picture of a plan he had started, showing him a drawing of a prosthetic he had in mind. His doctor sat and listened to him for a full ten minutes before he was cut off suddenly.
"Have you talked to any of your friends since the accident?"
Feeling suddenly numb, Hiccup sighed. He shrugged again. "Barely-"
"Fish isn't exactly a real personal friend of Hiccup's," Mr. Vast said with a sigh. "Is there anything else we need to touch on regarding Hiccup's leg?"
The doctor went to speak but Mr. Vast stopped him.
"Hiccup's recovery-" He was emphasizing.
The doctor put a set of gloves on, and began examining Hiccup's leg, noting that it was healing well, and that Hiccup would need to start going to therapy more than once a week once school started.
"Other than that, no," the doctor said. "You mentioned the new medication for the random pains were working-"
"Yes, they are," Mr. Vast said rather quickly. He stood up and handed Hiccup back his crutches. "Hiccup, please go wait in the hallway while I talk to your doctor."
Hiccup did as he was asked, told his doctor "thank you" and disappeared out into the lobby. There, he sat himself down in a seat, and waited patiently. Time passed in a slow, hazy cloud. His brain felt a little fuzzy, and he shook his head to try to stay focused.
About fifteen minutes later, the nurse called his name again, knocking him out of his daze. Slowly, he made his way towards the examining room again. There, the nurse let him back inside the room. Hiccup made eye contact with the doctor, and found himself scanning the room for his father. He saw him on the other side of the room in a chair, looking very upset and worried. His face was red, and when his spoke, his voice had begun to break with emotion.
"Hiccup-" was all his father began to say before the doctor interrupted.
"Hiccup," he said, motioning to the exam table. Hiccup sat down, pushing himself up so he was balanced on the table. "Your father and I have concerns. You are not yourself-"
"How do you know I'm not myself?" Hiccup snapped out, a bit of anger showing in his voice.
"Hiccup-tone," his father said to him. He watched Mr. Vast sit up a little straighter, and drawing in a shaky voice.
"You must eat," his doctor said sternly. "You are already thin-"
"This is how I have always been-"
"Yes," his doctor sighed. "But with you losing weight so rapidly, we have to address this. Why aren't you eating?"
Hiccup found himself shrugging. "I'm-just not hungry."
"And you are sleeping your days away," the doctor said. "Which, according to your father, it's like you."
Hiccup shook his head. "No, it isn't. But-"
"Are you still having nightmares?" the doctor asked.
Hiccup was taken aback by this question. It took him a moment to speak. "A bit-"
"That's a lie," Mr. Vast snapped. "You had one the other night-and the night before that-"
"How would you know?" Hiccup asked his father instantly. "You haven't been home-"
"Hiccup-"
"You slept through the one I had last night-"
"ENOUGH!" the doctor said. "I'm not a counselor. Someone of whom you will be seeing starting tomorrow, Mr. Vast-"
Hiccup glanced over at the doctor. He felt his gut twist nervously. "A counselor-"
"Yes," he said. "And, in the mean-time, I want you back here in my office in a week from now-" He had turned back to his computer and was typing more notes into Hiccup folder. "I want to make sure you aren't losing anymore weight."
"I'm fine-"
"Your new counselor-her name is Kim. You will go until Kim says you are cleared," the doctor said to him. He jotted down a time on a piece of paper for Hiccup, and an office number to Kim's location inside the hospital. "She will be expecting you at ten a.m. tomorrow."
...
Hiccup found himself becoming a little dizzy on the silent drive home from the doctor's office. His father must have sensed it, because once Hiccup was standing he felt his father supporting him by the shoulder as they made their way into the house. His father led him to the kitchen table, pulled out Hiccup's chair, helped him take a seat, and then went right to the fridge. Hiccup watched him loosen his tie around his neck. When his father returned, he was pouring a glass of orange juice. Then, he firmly sat the glass in front of Hiccup.
"Drink that," he said to him. With that he walked away, and began getting the toaster out of the bottom cabinet, then went to the bread box and pulled out the bagels.
Hiccup sipped on his orange juice. He felt nauseated. His hand shook as he took the first few sips. Actually, he felt weak. The glass of orange juice shook in his hands, and it took everything he had not to drop it onto himself. He sipped half of the glass before setting it down on the table.
Finally, the bagel was ready, and Hiccup watched his father slap on a generous helping of cream cheese to it's surface, and then sat one half down in front of Hiccup, than he took his own seat across from him with the other half for himself.
"Eat," his father urged him.
"Dad-"
"EAT," his father said again.
It took Hiccup a few minutes, but he was able to stomach a couple of pieces of the bagel. He watched his father for a moment, trying to figure out what his next move would be.
"Keep eating," his father urged him again.
"Dad-I'm not hungry," Hiccup said to him again, and picking up the glass he took a sip of his juice. It actually seemed easier to pick up than it had prior. "Thank you."
"Hiccup, three more bites...please." He heard his father's desperation in his voice. He saw the fear written in his father's eyes. Slowly, Hiccup did as he was asked. He suddenly felt like a two year old wishing to get up from his seat at the dinner table, and his father telling him a few more bites he could.
The cream cheese seemed to stick inside Hiccup's mouth as he tried to quickly get the last bite down. He took another sip of his juice, and had it down.
"Satisfied?" Hiccup asked him.
His father sighed, and nodded. "Are you feeling any better?"
Again, Hiccup shrugged. "Can I go to my room now?"
Without looking at him, Mr. Vast nodded, giving a small sigh in return.
Hiccup retreated back to his room, closing the door halfway behind him. He found himself plopping down into his bed, burying his face into his pillow, and almost instantly falling asleep.
...
Waking up two hours later, Hiccup felt drool on the surface of his pillow. And, he was lying in it. Pushing himself up to his one good knee, he rolled himself over to sit up in bed, and wiped the drool from his lips and chin away with the back of his hand. Glancing at the clock, it was a little bit after six. He had to use the bathroom.
From where he stood in the bathroom, he could hear his father's voice. It sounded muffled. It was coming from outside. Flushing the toilet, he washed his hands, and headed down the hallway on one crutch. Looking towards his right, he could see the front door was open, the screen door closed. From where he stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall, he could hear his father talking again.
"...he isn't himself...His temper has been short. He's coming off more-angry than I have ever heard him before...Katherine, the doctor wants him to see a counselor tomorrow..."
Oh, goody. His father was talking to the girlfriend. Hiccup felt a twinge of jealousy annoyance go through him.
"...If I was him, I would probably be going through this, too," he heard his father say. "I mean, the kid had his whole life mapped out. His whole routine is a mess. He's definitely depressed..."
Hiccup bit the inside of his lip, and leaned his forehead against the wall. He felt so weak, both physically and mentally. He knew he needed to take better care of himself. Glancing towards the kitchen, he wondered if they had a jar of applesauce in the house. That actually sounded good. He headed in that general direction.
Luckily, inside the doorway of the fridge, there was half a jar of applesauce. Add some cinnamon to it, he could eat what was left. Which was enough to fit into a large bowl. After pouring himself a small bowl to be safe, he headed back towards the fridge to put the jar away. Suddenly, the jar fell from his hands, and it shattered onto the floor. A second later, he heard the screen door open and slam shut, and looking up from the broken jar and the wet mess on the floor, he saw his father joining him in the kitchen. The phone was still up to his ear.
"Everything is all right. I will call you back..." His father mumbled something odd, then hung up. Their eyes met.
"Sorry, Dad," Hiccup said to him. He felt his head hanging.
"No reason to apologize. It was just an accident, Hiccup."
Hiccup went to grab the shattered fragment of the lid with his hand, but his father stopped him.
"No, I have it," he said to him. His father picked up the bowl of applesauce from the counter, added a spoon from the drawer, and sat it on the table.
"I'll get you some cinnamon, just sit down and eat. I will clean this up."
Feeling guilty, Hiccup sat down in his spot at the table. And, his father went and grabbed the cinnamon from the cabinet door. Sitting the shaker down to Hiccup, Mr. Vast went to cleaning up his mess on the floor.
I know the completion of this chapter was a little weak, but I typically keep my chapters around 3000 words. I have ideas for the next chapter, just bare with me. Hiccup will be on his way to school too! Thanks for sticking it out with me through my mini hiatus! Please let me know what you think!
