CHAPTER 37: RE-CREATION

With great jubilation from Hiccup, Gothi gave him the all clear for getting out of bed with crutches only. Astrid was very aware how weak someone could become after a two week stay in bed, so she stayed right next to Hiccup, as did Toothless on his other side.

Hiccup knew he had lost strength between blood loss and a prolonged stay in bed, but he hadn't expected to feel as weak as he did. Again he felt frustrated but didn't want to show his weakness to Astrid.

"Hiccup? I can tell you're upset. Don't be. I'm here for you." Astrid corrected herself when Toothless whined and nudged Hiccup very gently. "We're here for you. You have been so patient and you only have to be patient a little longer. Everyday you will get stronger."

"Uh, yeah. I know. I just hate feeling like a burden." Was Hiccup's strangled response.

Astrid bit back a little. "You're only a burden to me when you talk like that, so stop it or I'll have to punch you. Then you'll fall down and we'll have to start all over again."

Toothless had to catch Hiccup when he started laughing. When he caught his breath he first said to Toothless, "Thanks bud." Then to Astrid. "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

"Yes, but a lady never gets sick of hearing it from her man." She leaned in for a kiss. "Let's try again." She signed.

This time he was determined to make it around the room, not for himself, but for Astrid and Toothless. He was more motivated by doing so for those he loved, than for himself. For that same reason he was determined to stop selling himself short. If his dream girl could come to love him, then by Thor he would start to love himself as well. Not in a narcissistic way but in a healthy way.

He managed two laps and collapsed on the bed. "We'll do it again this afternoon, alright? I'll go for three laps next time."

"Way to go tiger, and here's your reward." Astrid signed with a smooch.

"Ahhhh, those lips are so sweet. What do I get for five laps?" Hiccup inquired hopefully.

"A punch in the shoulder for overdoing it." Hiccup pouted, causing Astrid to laugh. She kissed him again. "That's for being more like your loveable old self again."

"Thank you, Astrid. I really do love you."

Kissing Hiccup one more time she answered him with, "I told you your lady never gets sick of hearing that. I love you too or I wouldn't put up with your yak dung." She winked, and he chortled. "I have to take care of a few chores. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"Yeah. Ask Gobber if he could blow twenty of the lantern glasses. That's all the door winkers are needing. Then I'll have something productive to do after they're ready."

Astrid signed "okay", and blew him a kiss.

Hiccup was even more determined now to rebuild his strength. He needed to get back into the forge. Gobber was an excellent blacksmith, but Hiccup actually surpassed him in one aspect of smithing. Fine detail work, which was needed for making his "Joystick" control. As good a name as anything else since it would allow him to experience the joy of flying again with Toothless, Stormfly, and Astrid. He sighed and thanked Father Odin for bringing her into his life. He would do what exercises he could do in bed. Push ups, lift metal bars or hammers. Chin ups once he was stable enough on his crutches to get to something to pull up on. He started with the pushups that he could do in bed and nearly cried. Five was all he could manage. Yup, he felt like a hiccup now. Well, then he would just do five at a time, three or four times a day.

In the meantime he would honour Astrid's request and create for her a diagram of the ASL Finger Spelling Alphabet.

Hiccup and Astrid also enjoyed their evenings together by finishing and packaging up the Door Winker units for the Scholars Institute.

A determined Hiccup, with his supportive Astrid and Toothless, managed to forgo his crutches after a month of physiotherapy.

Not long after he had received his crutches, Gobber had brought him a peg leg he never would have expected. It was made of metal connected to a wooden cup shaped fitting for his stump. The foot of the leg, a thick L shaped metal plate, slid into a channel cushioned by a spring. "Thank you Gobber." Hiccup signed. He had gotten so used to signing now, he forgot to speak to hearing people on occasion. Since Gobber was the only active Blacksmith in town he had been kept too busy to learn any ASL. Good thing Astrid was there to interpret since Hiccup was too enthralled with his new leg and foot, to notice Gobber's confused face.

"What do ya think o' that little Hiccup flarre I thrrew in?" Gobber asked.

Astrid had to nudge Hiccup's shoulder.

"Huh, what?

"Gobber asked you what you thought of the little Hiccup flare he threw in?" Astrid interpreted.

Hiccup made an exaggerated examination of his new leg. Pursed his lips and nodded his head. "Hmm, I might make a few tweeks."

Astrid punched his shoulder and he laughed. "It's great Gobber. Thanks again."

Gobber pointed to Astrid, "I like her. She keeps yoo humble."

Astrid always felt a little embarrassed when she had to interpret about herself, but she did so anyway.

"Don't go crrazy with that leg. Use some rrags forr paddin', even then it will take time for yoor stump to toughen up. Use yoor crrutches along with the leg."

When Astrid finished this interpretation, Hiccup replied, "Yes, good and honorable master of my blacksmithing trade. But seriously Gobber, I really appreciate your help. I will follow your advice. You have had to go through this yourself, so I will heed your advice."

"Just think boyo. Now you can join in with the the stump parrade celebrrations!" And Gobber skipped out the door singing one of the awful stump parade songs.

When Astrid finished Gobber's last statement she had to ask, "Is he for real?"

"Yup!" Hiccup said as he signed. "It's a yearly thing to celebrate the survival of amputees and to thank them for their sacrifices. The parade is actually very creative, but the post parade bash is hilarious. Drunk amputee Vikings telling their crazy stories of how limbs were lost. Highly exaggerated. It's like they try to outdo each other."

Now that he was back on his foot, Hiccup got right to work on the new joystick control for Toothless. His concern over Toothless's lack of flying time drove him to finish it. The dragon was good about his own exercises as he frequently went outside, gripped a tether bar or held onto a boulder just to flap his wings. It still bothered Hiccup, because he couldn't guess how long a grounded dragon would stay sane.

Gobber had found Hiccup's original plans for the dragon's tail fin, and created a new one, saving Hiccup that effort.

Forge work was like a whole new round of physio. All his home exercises didn't quite prepare him, and he was sore for days until his muscles got better re-accustomed to working with a hammer and bellows. The joystick controller was more complicated to produce, and he had to try several iterations before creating an operable one to his liking. He tested it much the same way he had with Toothless's original rigging and declared it a fabulous success. After which they put it to a real flight test with all the other dragons and riders as emergency escort. Astrid and Stormfly didn't want to leave anything to chance. Now that Hiccup had a team to support him, he could minimize his risk. By now Hiccup's ear drums had healed and his sense of balance had indeed returned. Toothless put Hiccup through his own tests. Loops, barrel rolls, Sea stack slaloms, vertical spins and breathtaking dives. Toothless grinned in pride for his boy when he shouted, "Yeah baby!"

Sign of the Chapter - Parade: Both open five hands are pointing down, and one is slightly behind the other. Make two sweeping motions with both these hands, diagonally away from you. Think of it as groups of people marching along.