And I am back! I apologize for the hiatus on this story. I will try and not let something like that happen again. I am once again inspired to write. However, updates will be slow and I apologize for that. I will try and update on a regular basis.
I hope you enjoy this chapter after a much too long break!
Pain.
That was the first thing Hiccup was aware of when he woke up and he immediately wanted nothing more than to fall back into the blissful state of unconsciousness. The second thing he noticed was that someone was holding his hand. Despite his body's protest for more sleep Hiccup forced his eyes to opened and cringed at the bright lights overhead.
Where was he? This obviously wasn't his house, neither was it Jacks or Merida's, and he even though he had never been to Rapunzel's house he was certain he wasn't there either.
A soft snore caught his attention and he shifted his head to see who was in here with him and maybe ask if they knew where here was. Wild fiery red curls gave him the answer to who was with him and a small smile appeared on his face as he looked at the sleeping girl next to him. Merida had several small bandages on her face as well as some noticeable bruises forming, looking down at their intertwined hands he noticed hers was in a brace. Frowning He tried to place how she had gotten hurt but nothing was coming to mind. He would just have to ask when she woke up. With that thought he finally allowed himself to drift back to sleep.
The next time Hiccup woke up it was to the sounds of a hushed argument that was slowly getting louder with each comment. Hiccup groaned and mumbled a "shut up" just loud enough for the rooms other occupants to hear before pulling the blanket over his head and attempting to fall back asleep.
That idea was quickly ruined by the bed shifting with someone's added weight that he soon found sitting directly on top of him. Groaning again he made a weak effort to push the added weight off, thinking it was just Toothless. When no movement was made Hiccup shifted the blanket off his head to scold the dog.
"Toothless get-" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw that the added weight was not his crazy dog but Merida. His cheeks took on a slight shade of pink as his mind processed the fact that his best friend who he was currently crushing on was straddling him. "Merida? Wha-" but again he was cut off before he could finish speaking.
"Ye moron! Ye promised that somethin as stupid as a car would not hurt ye! But look where we are! In a 'ospital! Idiot!" She smacked him on his head over and over again.
"Ow. Merida! Stop!" Hiccup said as he tried to block her hits the best he could with one arm. His right arm was wrapped up tightly and he couldn't move it without pain racing up and down his arm.
"Merida!" "What are you doing!?" Two voices yelled and moved to yank the struggling red head off Hiccup. Once the angry Merida was no longer on top of him he looked to see who had pulled her off him. Jack and Levy were standing a little ways away from the bed, Jack holding Merida back as she continued to try and get to Hiccup.
"The doctor said his head was fine! Ahe don't see the problem with meh hitting him there!" Merida yelled but finally stopped struggling against Jacks strong hold. After a moment of hesitation Jack released Merida but stayed close enough to catch her if she tried to jump Hiccup again.
"Doctor? We're at a hospital?" Hiccup tried thinking back to what had happened. He remembered singing, a red light turning green, a car colliding with their own, pain, and then nothing, "That car. It hit us." he said in a quiet voice.
"It did. You and Punzie got the worst of it." Jack said, his gaze shifting to the floor in guilt.
"Hey, this isn't your fault. Our light was green, its the other drivers fault." Hiccup tried to assure his friend. Jack nodded but didn't lift his gaze up from the floor.
"Uh, Hiccup?" Merida spoke from the seat next to his bed, when she had moved to sit he wasnt quite sure.
"Yeah?"
"We need ta talk." She looked up to meet his gaze before turning her attention to their two friends and seemed to give the some unspoken que to leave the room.
"We're gonna go see how Zel is doing. She didn't take it too well when she woke up and found out the doctors had cut most of her hair off. Hopefully shes calmed down a bit." Levy waved goodbye and pulled Jack out of the room after her.
"They cut off Rapunzel's hair?" Hiccup turned to his best friend for an answer but she was looking down at her hands instead of him, "Merida?"
She took a deep breath and looked up at Hiccup with tears in her eyes, "Her hair was soaked an' tangled with blood, they said the best option was ta cut it off. She was still unconscious when it was cut. Like Levy said, she was no' happy about it"
"But Rapunzel's hair isn't what has you in tears, is it Mer?" Hiccup asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Again Merida looked away from him but took another deep breath and looked Hiccup right in the eyes, "The car hit ye directly. Ye took the worst of it. Yer injuries are more than just bumps and scratches like Jack and meh, heck Rapunzel is in better shape than ye!"
"Wow, Merida, slow down. What happened that I don't know about?" He tried to calm his near hysterical friend.
"Ye lost yer leg Hiccup. The doctor's couldn't save it. The metal from the car door was wrapped to tightly and cut top deep into yer leg, they couldn't save it." Merida was full on crying now and Hiccup just stared in shock at what she was saying.
"My leg? But that's impossible. I would now if my leg was gone" he said in a quiet voice that was filled with disbelief. With shaky hands he moved the bed covers off himself and stared at his legs, or rather leg, His right leg was in a cast while his left leg stopped just below the knee.
All he could do was stare. His leg was gone. If it wasn't for the fact that he was staring at it he wouldn't have believed it, and even now, with the proof right in front of him he didn't want to believe it. A loud sob from next to him shook him out of his thought and he turned his attention back to Merida.
Without thinking he pulled her onto the bed next to him and hugged her tightly, "Shh Merida. Don't cry, please don't cry." He gently stroked her hair and held her as she continued to cry into his chest.
"How are ye taking this so calmly?" She asked once she had calmed down a bit. She was still holding tightly onto Hiccup.
"Truthfully, I'm freaking out, but I'm alive. We all are. That's all that really matters." He said and rested his head on top of hers.
"Hiccup? The doctor said that the reason yer left leg was the one that got caught was cause ye were turning yer body. Did ye see that car before the rest of us?" Merida asked in a small voice.
She felt him tense up and for a moment he said nothing.
"I did. But I didn't have time to say anything. And I wasn't trying to avoid being hit, can't really avoid something like that. I was trying to cover you" he said a bit sheepishly, a faint red tinting his cheeks at the confession.
"Ye were trying ta protect meh?" She asked a bit shocked detaching herself from him so she could look him in the eyes.
"Yeah, but I guess I didn't do a very good job, huh?" He gently brushed some of her hair out of her face to get a better look at the cuts and bruises that covered it.
"Why would ye do that? Ahe would be fine, maybe a little worse off than ahe am now, but ahe would have been fine." She hugged him tightly and again buried her head in his chest.
"Merida-" Whatever Hiccup was about to say was cut off by a knock at the door.
"Hiccup?" The door slowly opened to reveal his father on the other side.
"Hi dad" Hiccup greeted with a small smile, Merida was still holding onto him tightly and Hiccup guessed she wouldn't be letting go anytime soon, and even when she did she would most likely stay somewhere close.
"Its good to see you awake son." Stoick walked into the room and took the seat Merida had abandoned.
"Yeah." His gaze went down passed the girl clinging to him to rest on his missing leg again.
"I, uh, brought you a surprise. Gobber is on his way up with it" His dad said a bit awkwardly, not quite sure how to comfort his son.
An awkward silence filled the room as no one knew what to say. Merida detached herself from Hiccup and now sat at the edge of the bed.
"Calm down you mangy mutt!" Gobbers voice echoed into the room from down the hall followed by a loud bark.
Hiccup immediately perked up, "Toothless! You brought Toothless?" He turned to his father who smiled at his son, "How on earth did you manage that?"
"I have my ways son" Stoick stood to go help Gobber with the over excited dog.
Once he was out of the room Merida sat back in the chair, "Ye know, Toothless could qualify as a support dog. Ahe could talk to meh mum and see if she knows how to do that kinda thing. Ahe mean if ye want" She spoke quietly and stared at the ground as she said it.
Hiccup looked at her and decided he didn't like this new unsure Merida, he wanted the old confident Merida back. He stretched his good arm over to her and took her hand in his and smiled when she looked up in shock, "I think that's a really good idea."
Merida smiled back at him, and her smiled stayed for the rest of her visit as the two of them, along with Stoick and Gobber, tried to keep Toothless from wrecking the hospital room.
Yay! More Mericupp! Please review!
