Hiccup felt edgy watching his father from his seat at the kitchen table. His father stood at the kitchen counter top reading and re-reading the partial letter from Hiccup's mother. Mr. Vast touched the picture multiple times, looking at the date on its white back, and then studying the image on its front for a long while.
The left jean pocket vibrated when a text from Astrid came in. Hiccup knew it was her. She'd probably just gotten to the car from track practice and was looking for him, only finding the keys in the ignition. He hadn't been able to send a text message to her before his father showed up and took him away, practically lecturing him and steaming the whole ride home. Hiccup hadn't dared to pull his phone out to tell her where he was. He quickly pulled out his phone and read the text.
4:47 PM - WHERE ARE YOU AT?
4:48 PM - DAD CAME.
That was all he said before placing the phone face down on the table.
Finally, his father picked up the letter and the photograph and crossed the kitchen floor towards the table. He pulled the seat out with his foot, and finally took a seat across from Hiccup.
"Your mom - " Mr. Vast froze a moment. "She - I -" Hiccup could see the pain his his father's eyes building up. His chest tore with emotion, but Hiccup didn't want to move. He held his breath. "Your mom I know has always cared about you - " his father breathed. "Even though she wasn't here to show - "
"Dad, why would Snotlout give this to me?" Hiccup asked him. "It is from her, right? It isn't a trick?"
Hiccup assumed the reason why his father was looking over both items so with so much detail he because he didn't understand why either. However, when Hiccup met his father's eyes again, they didn't seem confused or searching for answers to questions.
"I had suspicions as to where your mom was staying at. I had assumed a hotel at first. Although, knowing that Snotlout gave this to you, I wouldn't be surprised if she was staying at the Jorgenson home..." Mr. Vast trailed off for a moment.
"What does that mean?" Hiccup asked.
"Mr. Jorgenson, Spitelout, is actually your mother's half brother."
Hiccup felt his stomach come to his chest at the realization he actually did have living relatives. "How - "
"It's a long story that I can't remember completely," Mr. Vast admitted.
"You never thought to say anything to me while I was growing up?"
"What do you mean, Hic -"
"Snotlout was the one who got into that accident with Astrid! He was the one that bullied me, tormented me since I was in the second grade - You don't remember the guy and his goons chasing me home from the park in fourth grade?"
Mr. Vast placed a hand up towards Hiccup. "I remember, yes. I haven't forgotten. Spitelout and I had a long discussion about that after that incident."
Hiccup suddenly remembered something. He remembered the fist fight his father almost had with Snotlout's dad when the man came to collect his son from the police car that day. After Spitelout and his friends had broken two windows in the house before the neighbors called the cops on them.
"That day, were you guys fighting because of Snotlout - or were you fighting because of Mom?"
His father's eyes suddenly became glassy.
"Maybe a little bit of both. Spitelout was mad at me for not forcing your mom to stay in the institution she placed herself into. Mad at me for not making sure you and Snotlout grew up together since you both were so close in age. But - life didn't hand us the magic lemons, Hiccup. It just didn't work out the way we wished it would have..."
"Why were you so paranoid that I didn't ride the bus home?"
The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. He wanted to know. His father didn't give him a good explanation why earlier.
"I was afraid your mother might - try to take you again. And - may put you in harm's way. Like she almost did year ago - "
"Dad - I'm seventeen years old. Do you really think Mom is going to take me as though I am five?"
Their eyes meeting, Hiccup suddenly saw the reality behind the look. Reminding himself that his father was on a short fuse emotionally, he paused. Who knew what his father was thinking? Who knew how his mother would react? Then he remembered the letter.
"Mom said she was backing down," Hiccup responded.
Mr. Vast shook his head. "That's your mom. She gets super up and then crashes."
Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "Dad, that was, like, more than ten years ago. You don't think she's changed?"
"I'm sure she has," Mr. Vast said to him. "I have. You've changed - you've grown up. But - I don't want to take the chance of losing you. Hiccup, what if I can't find you if she does?"
"You don't think I'd put up a good fight?" Hiccup asked him. "I might only have a leg and a half - but I'd put up a fight."
"Would you, though?" Mr. Vast said. "What if you simply sat down in the car to talk to her and she just took off driving? Would you jump from a car moving at seventy an hour?"
Hiccup hadn't considered this. Of course, his father had experienced and worked multiple cases. Something told him his father had represented a man or woman who did this with their own flesh before. How else would have thought of this himself?
"Hiccup - I don't want you to think I don't want you seeing your mom," Mr. Vast said. "Just - I want you to want to see her. I want you and she to meet in mutual territory. And, I would prefer to not lose you in court - " Hiccup heard the small choke catch in his father's throat. The tears hadn't fallen, but he heard the emotion more than break through.
"Now," Mr. Vast said after a pause. "I have a case I need to work on. But - do you have anything that you want to ask? Anything you need to know? I don't just - want to leave you alone without addressing anything you may have questions over."
Hiccup thought for a moment but nothing they hadn't already discussed came to mind. He'd need to mull over his own thoughts for a while. Instead he asked, "May I go sit on the porch and do my homework - or sketch?"
"Yes."
"And - if Astrid wants to come over, can she?"
Mr. Vast nodded. "I'll be in my office, then." And with that, Hiccup watched his father pick up the letter and the photograph. He went to step away, then paused. Instead, he gently placed the letter and the picture back in front of Hiccup. "In case you want to keep these -" A small smile stretched over his face. "You know - I forgot how little you really were until I saw this picture again."
Hiccup touched the corner gingerly. "I've never seen a hospital photograph of myself as a baby."
"This may have been the only one we had taken," Mr. Vast replied. "It was a trying time - the day you were born. You were so little, and very sick - He paused and looked at the healthy seventeen year old sitting in the chair beside him. After giving his shoulder a quick squeeze, he left the room and shut himself in his office.
...
Hiccup rested against the porch swing with his sketchbook and headphones. The soft piano and violin music echoed into his ears, and he found himself just focusing on the music than anything else. He was thankful for the peace. He needed it. The school day and the excitement both physically and mentally drained him. Between the issue of trying to focus on his studies and also the emotional turmoil he was experiencing - he felt again like a jumbled mental mess.
He'd managed to calm Astrid down with a few text messages. He'd asked her to go home and focus on her homework even though he'd wanted to see her and tell her what was going on. It was in her best interest to go home and focus on herself rather than focus on him.
6:01 PM - ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE ALL RIGHT?
6:02 PM - ASTRID - I AM FINE. PROMISE. OXOX
The three times he promised her he was all right and at home hadn't been enough to explain - he knew this. She knew his father was a little - hard at times. Very caring but hard. And - what he wished was what he wanted for Hiccup. Somehow, she'd understood over the months they'd gotten to know each other and had spent together.
Laying down on the swing, he stuck his good leg towards the ground, pushing himself back and forth slowly. His eyes focused on the roof of the porch as he glided back and forth, rocking himself. Feeling his eyes fluttering, he listed deeply to the piano solo, and somehow sleep engulfed him.
...
"Hiccup - Hiccup," he heard his father in his ear almost instantly. The bud had been removed in the left. The wooden slats in the swing were digging into his boney backside. He noted the pain starting in his bad knee from the angle. He sighed. Getting up was gonna be rough.
He felt his father's hand slip into his own, and his father slowly helped him sit up.
"What time is it?" Hiccup asked, blinking his eyes so they would adjust.
"Almost nine - I wondered where you'd gone."
"I promised I wasn't going far."
"I know. I just didn't expect you to be out here this long."
Hiccup knew his father probably became lost in a work project. He most likely wouldn't have noticed Hiccup was "missing" until he searched his bedroom, the kitchen and the living room. The last place for him to check would have been the shower before he would check outside.
"Astrid's been looking for you."
Hiccup rubbed the small of his back, massaging the knots from sleeping on the slats. "I told her I was fine."
"She's worried." Apparently, for his father to know this, she had been texting or calling him. Hiccup had no choice but to try and talk to her.
"Of course she is," Hiccup sighed, but gave a weak laugh. "Gods love her."
"I have some work to catch up on but I wanted to make sure you were okay," Mr. Vast responded, ignoring Hiccup's comment. "Do you need help getting back inside?"
Shaking his head, Hiccup smiled slightly. "Thanks, Dad. If it's okay, I'd like to stay out here and watch the traffic go by."
"It's late."
"It's nice out. And, let's face it. You probably won't let me go hiking until this whole matter is over and settled. Am I right?"
Mr. Vast sighed loudly, and let his shoulder's slump. "You are probably right."
Hiccup let out a breath, then turned to face the street. Just as he had, Astrid was pulling up across the street and parking. Hiccup felt his chest tighten. He knew his father saw her as well.
"You know - earlier I was ready to tell her. She knew something was wrong. But - now, I don't know if I'm in the mood, too." Hiccup groaned.
"You don't have to tell her anything," Mr. Vast said to him. "If you don't want to."
"She's only here because she cares," Hiccup responded with a smile. "Quite frankly, Dad, I need that in my life."
Mr. Vast placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I know you do."
Astrid was on the porch a moment later, looking at Hiccup with concern. Then, to Mr. Vast. They both gave her a soft smile before Hiccup stood up stiffly, walked towards her. Placing an arm around her shoulder he said, "C'mon inside. I'll pour us a glass of tea."
...
Astrid sat next to Hiccup on the couch. He'd presented the letter to her to read, and while she read he removed the prosthetic, watching her eyes scan the letter intently. When she turned to look back at him, her hand rested on the photograph. He'd expected her to be in shock. They'd had conversations about his mother in the past. Not long ones considering there had never been much to talk about. Just that she was there and then, "poof" she wasn't. The teary look in her eyes was concerning. Perhaps it was the anxiety of it all that made her appear worried.
"What does this mean?" she asked him.
"Well - " he began. "Easiest way to put it is - I really don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked.
"My mother apparently is known to - go from one extreme to the next. Dad's worried she may snatch me up and take me on one hand. On the other - she writes this and says she is backing away. I really don't know."
"Hiccup, she's here in the city. She's a short few miles from you - somewhere in the town. Aren't you curious?"
"Of course I am," he replied simply. "But - " He paused. Clearly she had been expecting more than just a simple straight forward answer from him. "Astrid, I've already had my little episodes with this with Dad. Now that I've slept off my lack of sleep from last night - and talked to Dad about the letter and the photograph - I'm not getting worked up."
She looked at him, studying him. "This morning you looked like you'd been hit by a truck."
"Eh - I still feel like I did," he said with a small laugh, my hand going to the small of my back again to rub the small knot again. "I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you at all about everything before now."
She sunk into the back of the couch. It was clear she was exhausted from the day as well. Although, she'd had other things to worry about.
"I'm sorry you drove over here for something I could have told you about over the phone."
"Hiccup, this is a big deal. This isn't something you can really say in a text message or on the phone."
He looked at her.
"Aren't you concerned she's going to just jump out and take you away?"
He shook his head. "I'm not five years old anymore. From how my father describes her she's my size. Not tall, not broad or muscular. Just - just Valka."
Judging by Astrid's body language, she didn't simply agree with what Hiccup was putting down. But, she seemed to decide enough was enough for the night. She slowly reached for her keys to her car.
"I should get home. I told Dad I wouldn't be gone long."
"Your dad?" Hiccup asked.
Astrid had a weak look on her face. "Mom's taking care of Grandma again tonight. Dad's out on patrol. Since I am home alone - he's kinda concerned."
Hiccup frowned. He didn't like the idea of her going home to an empty house. "Katherine - "
"I'll be okay," Astrid said to him, knowing what he was leading up to. She gave him a smile and stood up. "I'll let you know once I make it through the door, okay?"
"And that it's locked, right?" he asked.
She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Yes, of course."
Giving her hand one last squeeze, he watched her leave the house. He sighed when he heard the door close behind her. Leaning out the window he made sure she hopped into her car safely, then she drove off. For now, she was safe.
Hiccup didn't make it to his bedroom to sleep. Once she text him ten minutes later, he laid himself down on the couch, replied to her text letting her know he knew, and closed his eyes. He was asleep again within moments.
...
Hiccup woke up just before five in the morning. He was under a blanket. He knew his father had made sure to cover him up in the middle of the night. The gesture made him smile.
Despite his dad's crazy dedication to his firm, his clients, and his employees, Hiccup knew his father cared. Over the recent months Hiccup was seeing it more and more. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he'd let Katherine in verses shutting her out. Even now, he wasn't sure why he loathed her so much in the beginning. She was good for his father, good for him, and good for Astrid. She seemed to have been their saving grace as of late.
After attaching his prosthetic to maneuver around, Hiccup's first intention was to go to bed another hour or so. However, due to falling asleep so early, he felt well rested. Instead he decided to shower and get ready for school.
It was too early to remotely think about heading to the bus. He had an hour, and he loved over his syllabuses from all of his classes to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Crap. The five remaining questions for English he'd forgotten to finish. Debating whether or not to do them during lunch, he quickly decided to do them before. After grabbing his English book and a pad of paper, he reached for a banana and went to the front porch.
The air was somewhat crisp but the smell of spring was delightful. He could smell the pollen collecting in the damp air. He longed to be back in the woods again then. The wild flowers would be growing. The birds would be chirping loudly around him in the trees. The squirrels would be playing games on the hiking path. Perhaps he'd come across some deer along the way. He didn't care. He just wanted to be there.
For now, he'd have to settle for the old porch swing. He settled himself down, peeled his banana and began answering his questions that needed completed for Mr. Bryce's assignment. For all he knew, Mr. Bryce may forget about the assignment for the day. He did that on occasion. For Hiccup, since he was in the last class of the day, occasionally Mr. Bryce would be so out of sorts he'd forget on occasion to collect their assignments. But - it was rare and it did happen. He always managed to cover it up with "And just because I didn't collect your papers today doesn't mean I won't tomorrow -" as the bell would ring and people would be jumping up and rushing out the door.
Living on one of the main drags in town, at 6 AM he was use to seeing cars out and about. Nurses heading to work on their shift, people heading north to the big city as they tried to beat rush hour traffic. Sometimes his dad would have been rushing out the door in a panic to be in a different county for court. Nothing out of the ordinary.
After finalizing his five book questions, Hiccup leaned over the side of the porch, tossed his banana peel into the bin, and went to head into the house. Suddenly, he felt his knee buckle and down he went on the porch. Immediately he cursed the prosthetic. His book and paper had flown across the porch, but that was the least of his worries. Turning over he glanced back at his legs.
Somehow, the whole "ankle" part of his prosthetic just broke off. Hiccup felt his heart shatter. Astrid had just tightened the piece just a few days prior because it had been lose. He hadn't noticed any strange wearing since. Feeling the emotions catch in his breath, he reached towards his leg to remove the limb.
"Are you okay?"
The voice scared Hiccup suddenly. The person wasn't but a few feet away from him. Turning towards the street, a pretty middle-aged woman was staring down at him, worry on her face. Hiccup's breath caught in his chest.
His mother.
...
I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out to you. With the recent national scare taking place, I have had to make arrangements to work from home, as well as cancel all of my swim activities with my team. To be honest - it's been rough. The whole staying home thing and working isn't troubling me - being away from my kids has been the hardest. My husband is working overtime all weekend long since he is an essential employee. I am happy he has found a job he loves and enjoys, and the company does treat him very well. No complaints at all. Weekends are just hard since I haven't been able to interact with my kiddos. We also have been dealing with the loss of a pet recently. My anxiety is up, my heart hurts, and my mind hasn't been quite so clear as of late.
Tonight I tried to get this chapter out to you guys so you knew I was alive. I apologize if it's a mess. It's taken me literally a week to write it. Thank you for being patient and to those who have sent over messages of encouragement to continue. They have not gone unnoticed. Just - life currently.
