For this particular chapter, I would just like to point out I have no medical knowledge beyond a first aid certificate. Please excuse the inaccuracies I'm sure are in here. I was considering making it a two part-er, with part two being the healing process and a bored fidgety Hiccup. We'll see... Hope you enjoy :)
It was the phone call no one ever hopes to get.
Astrid was halfway through her first class of the morning when her phone went off, earning her a disapproving look from her tutor. Not recognising the number, Astrid silenced her phone and went back to work.
Ten minutes later she could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket again, a quick glance told her it was the same number. Astrid excused herself from her group and ducked out of the room to answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Hi this is Carol, I'm a nurse calling from Ravens Point Public Hospital. This number was listed under emergency contacts for a patient who was brought in this morning. Who am I talking to?"
Astrid's blood ran cold.
"Uh, Astrid. I'm Astrid," she stuttered.
"I'm hoping you can help me," Carol continued. "The young man who was brought in, he's going to be okay, he gave us your name when we asked if we could call anyone for him." There was an indistinguishable murmur as though the nurse was talking to someone on the other side, but Astrid could not make out what they were saying. "He seems a bit confused. His ID lists him as Henry, but he keeps telling us his name is… uh Hiccup?" Carol finished.
"No," it was more breath than word, escaping with the blood that drained from Astrid's face, leaving her feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
"Astrid?" Carol sounded worried.
"H-hiccup, it's a nickname," she was on autopilot as she confirmed Hiccup's details. "Uh, I can give you his Dad's number-"
This time Astrid heard the nasal voice in the background. "Please don't call my dad." Relieved to hear his voice, Astrid slid to the floor in the corridor.
"Hiccup! Can I talk to him? Please, I'm his girlfriend."
"Sure honey, I'll put him on."
More inaudible muttering and the phone seemed to change hands.
"Hey As," Hiccup's voice sounded strained and tired.
"What happened?" Astrid asked. "I just saw you two hours ago, and you were fine!"
"Crazy thing really. I was riding my bike to work, and there was this car that ran a light. It doesn't matter. It's okay. I'm okay."
"You better be," Astrid warned. She picked herself up off the floor. "I'm heading to the hospital now. I'll be there in twenty minutes okay?"
She heard Hiccup mumble something in response, before Carol the nurse returned to the phone. "Just ask for me when you get to the desk," she was saying. Astrid wasn't listening, she was already rushing to pick up her books when the line was disconnected.
Her keys were back in her room. Astrid sprinted back to the dormitories to dump her things and grab her wallet and car keys. The drive to the hospital itself was a blur and finding a carpark was a nightmare, but the time gave Astrid a chance to calm down. She'd spoken to Hiccup and he was okay. She was still anxious to see him and she walked quickly through the doors into the Emergency waiting room and up to the nurse on the desk.
"My boyfriend Hiccu- Henry Haddock was brought in. I was told to ask for Carol?" She waited impatiently, fingers drumming nervously on the counter as the nurse in front of her made a call.
"Just come round to the door dear."
Astrid did as she was told and waited to be buzzed though. Another nurse led her past the curtained off beds into an empty cubicle. Well, an almost empty cubicle. Astrid caught sight of Hiccup's discarded prosthetic leg or what was left of it. Once again she felt the breath rush out of her.
"Wait here, Carol will be by in a minute."
The older woman turned to leave.
"Wait? Where's Hiccup?"
"He'll be back in a few minutes," another nurse bustled into the small area cleaning away equipment that wasn't needed. The woman reminded Astrid of her own mother with her dark blonde hair and warm eyes.
"He's a very, very lucky young man. I'm Carol, I spoke to you earlier."
Astrid found herself being guided to a chair. A small part of her was embarrassed for the way she was reacting. Mostly she was glad for the motherly figure who pulled up another seat so that they could talk face to face.
Carol followed Astrid's gaze to the leg. She placed a kind hand on the girl's knee. "He's okay. A little shaken. The paramedics said he lost consciousness at the scene but the doctor has ruled out any serious injuries. We suspect his arm is broken, he's off getting an x-ray. Other than that, it's just cuts and bruises. There was a fairly deep laceration on his leg, caused by one of the pieces of his prosthetic. That's already been cleaned and stitched."
A bed was wheeled into the cubicle. Hiccup was half lying, half propped up on the raised bed.
"Heeey As!" He held out his good hand, Astrid got up to grab it.
"He's had a bit of pain medication," Carol commented, also rising. "He's going to be a loopy for a bit and then he's probably going to want to sleep, which is fine if he's got someone to keep an eye on him."
Astrid moved to sit on the edge of the bed so she could run a hand through Hiccup's hair.
"I'll keep an eye on him."
Hiccup tried to scoot up so he was sitting straighter. He caught sight of his left pant leg, which was cut to allow the doctors access to the cut just below his knee. His normally pale skin, blanched grey.
"Not again." His breathing came in short sharp bursts as he began to panic.
Astrid gripped Hiccup's chin and forced him to look at her.
"Hiccup, babe, you're okay. You were in an accident. Your leg is okay, just the prosthetic is damaged. He lost it in a similar accident five years ago," Astrid explained for Carol's benefit. She planted a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. "You're lucky you're so thick headed," she joked.
"The doctor should be by in a bit to go over a few details. Henry will need to make an appointment to get a new prosthetic fitted, but he won't be able to walk around on that leg until the stitches have been removed."
"Oh, he's going to love that," Astrid remarked.
"He's going to be sore for a few days. He probably won't want to move around too much," Carol walked over to the bed. "And we'll sort out some crutches for him in the meantime so that he can get around."
"I don't feel sore," Hiccup piped up from the bed. "I feel fantastic!" His whole demeanour had changed in a matter of seconds and the colour was back in his cheeks.
"Yeah, well, you're high," Astrid told him dryly. "Of course you feel good. You just wait until those painkillers wear off."
Carol laughed softly from the end of the bed. "I'll give you two some privacy," she said, drawing the curtain and leaving the two nineteen-year olds alone.
"You should call your Dad." Astrid stood and went to Hiccup's satchel which was sitting on the floor in the corner. Rifling through it she she found his phone, still intact.
"That'll be a fun conversation," Hiccup uttered sarcastically. "Hey Dad. Guess who was hit by a car this morning? Don't worry, I've still got the other leg."
"He cares about you Hiccup." Astrid returned to the bed. "Plus, you'll have to tell him at some point." She pointed to the discarded leg. "I doubt those things are cheap and the longer you put it off, the worse it will be."
"I know," Hiccup scrubbed his left hand – the right was in a bright green cast – across his face. "But he'll want me to come home-"
"That's probably a good idea," Astrid cut in.
"We're only halfway through the semester, I'll miss too many classes!" Hiccup complained.
"How are you going to get to class? We live on the third floor of our dorm. Besides, you can watch your lectures online and I'm sure your tutors would understand."
"I can do that from here and I'll have crutches to get around."
"Hiccup, you're more bruise than man right now. I know you feel great now, but you're going to feel like crap in a few hours." Astrid placed Hiccup's phone in his hand. "Just call him. We can sort the rest of it out later."
...
It was late in the afternoon by the time the couple returned to campus stocked with painkillers and a set of crutches Hiccup could barely use. He'd protested the use of a wheelchair out to Astrid's car, frustrated at his lack of mobility but gave in easily when informed it was hospital policy. They were met in the campus carpark by Hiccup's cousin Scott.
"Don't look at me like that," Astrid warned. "There's no way I'm getting you up those stairs on my own."
Hiccup conceded to the fact she was right.
"Hey Cuz, looks like you're on your last leg," Despite the teasing, Scott pulled the car door open so Hiccup could climb out of his seat.
"Oh ha, like you haven't used that one before," Hiccup winced as he stood.
Between the three of them, they got Hiccup upstairs to his room and Scott took his leave. Somewhat comfortable on his bed, Hiccup asked Astrid if she was going back to her classes.
"I've only got one more on today," Astrid shrugged. "And I did tell the nurses I'd keep an eye on you." She snatched Hiccup's laptop off his desk and brought it over to the bed. She crawled up onto the bed beside her injured boyfriend and propped the computer on her lap. "I might need a few days off to keep an eye on you." She winked playfully, the stresses of the day were finally past.
Astrid started up a movie with the intention of taking it easy for the rest of the afternoon and within thirty minutes the excitement of the day had caught up with the both of them. Hiccup drifted off first before the opening credits had even finished playing. Not long after, Astrid found her own eyelids growing heavy and she nodded off beside him.
Let me know what you think. I know that I struggle with descriptions of things and I'm working to improve that. Constructive feedback is always appreciated :)
