Chapter 8 – The Size of a Blueberry

For those that read Moira, you all know the significance that blueberries have to the story. They're back…just not in the way you're thinking. ;)

Thanks to my collaborator, Christine, for being totally awesome, as always!

Okay, I'm not gonna ramble cause I'm excited about this chapter and want y'all to get reading! Go go go!

Enjoy!

Astrid felt...exposed sitting on the examination table covered with white paper in a cloth gown that didn't tie in the back.

She'd already been poked and prodded by the nurse and had so much blood taken that she wasn't even sure how there was any left inside her tiny body at this point.

To pass the time until her doctor came back, she was reading and looking at the posters hanging around the room with the boring beige walls. One of the photos posted on the wall opposite of the table was filled with a bunch of women all cradling their bumps with large smiles like they loved being pregnant more than anything else.

Astrid had known she was pregnant for a week now and she already hated it. She wasn't sure what it was about the constant puking, the complete exhaustion, or the continuous need to pee along with the irritation towards every tiny thing that made those bright smiles appear on their faces.

And just like everything else, it irritated her, so she decided to read the poster explaining what horrible things her body was going to go through each month instead.

She'd made it to reading about month five when her doctor knocked on the door and returned with a smile and folder in her hand.

"Astrid," Dr. Minden said, calling her by her first name because she'd been her doctor since she was sixteen and at this point, knew her relatively well for a first-name basis, "I was delighted to hear you'd be coming in today. It's been a year since I last saw you, right?"

Astrid nodded, "Right after I got married."

Dr. Minden hummed, "That's right...And how is Prince Henry?" she glanced around the room as if looking for something she may have missed, "I'm shocked he isn't here with you."

Astrid didn't like the way her heart clenched within her chest when she mentioned his absence or the guilt that was beginning to creep up with each passing day. But she hadn't actually seen her husband long enough to speak more than a few words to him and those were usually good morning and goodnight.

"He's busy with the renovation at the orphanage," Astrid explained. And it wasn't a lie. He was busy. And her doctor didn't need to know the real reason he wasn't currently here with her right now because she already felt guilty enough as it was.

"That's too bad," her doctor spoke and tucked a strand of her dark curly hair behind her ear before grinning up at her like she knew a really good secret, "Because you are pregnant."

This wasn't exactly news to Astrid. She knew it the second the stick turned positive and never once doubted it. But it still felt a little unreal to hear it out loud now that it had been medically confirmed by a professional.

"Congratulations!" Dr. Minden patted her on the knee, her ecstatic shout breaking her usual very professional demeanor.

Astrid's face broke out into a wide smile and it wasn't forced because she was excited. The joy of the situation had grown this week because she'd had time to wrap her head around it, but she felt as if she couldn't be near as thrilled as the women on the wall until Hiccup knew. Until they could share the joy - and the fear - together.

"Thank you," Astrid replied politely.

And then her doctor made her lay back on the table so she could poke and prod her even more while discussing things like what vitamins to take and changes she needed to make to not only her diet but her routine and everything else she needed to expect from here on out.

The worst news? No more caffeine.

The best news? The puking would eventually cease - or not be near as bad as it is at the current stage.

It was a lot to take in and she was really thankful when she mentioned not to worry about remembering it all because she'd get a ton of information on paper before she left.

Astrid sat up after her doctor was finished and pushed the gown back down over her knees. She watched her throw her blue latex gloves into the trash bin by the door, "Do you have any other questions for me?"

"This pregnancy," Astrid started, "It's been a bit of a...surprise, mostly because I was on the pill."

The doctor stuck her hands into the pockets of her white coat, "Were you taking them every day?"

Astrid didn't reply immediately. She was thinking back to the last few months and trying to remember if there were times she skipped. There were definitely times she could remember skipping days and even whole entire weeks. "No, I wasn't." She replied.

"They're only the most effective when you take them every single day and around the same time."

Astrid wanted to slap herself across the face for being so naive, "That should've been common sense, right?"

Her doctor shook her head, "You'd be surprised just how many women get pregnant while on the pill. You are not the first."

"At least I'm not the only naive one," Astrid muttered.

"You are not. Trust me." Dr. Minden chuckled and walked back towards the door, "I'll let you change and we'll get an ultrasound to find out when we can expect this royal baby." She winked before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

Royal Baby. That's exactly how everyone else was going to see it. But to Astrid, this was her child. A piece of her and a piece of Hiccup. And when she thought about their child, the royal responsibilities weren't the first thing that came to her mind. She thought about things like who it would look more like and what kind of person they'd grow up to be.

And Astrid could've never imagined that a small round dot on a low-quality screen would've made her more emotional than the moment Hiccup told her he loved her or the second their lips pressed together and they were officially husband and wife, but it did.

Dr. Minden pointed her newly manicured finger at the screen with the hand that wasn't holding the device on her stomach, "There's your baby."

It was tiny and she would've missed it without the help but she couldn't take her eyes off the tiny dot - that Dr. Minden compared to the size of a blueberry. And then that made tears gather at the corner of her eyes because anything with blueberries was immediately qualified as her favorite food.

And so Astrid left the doctors office with not only a due date (April 12), how far along she was (seven weeks), and the ultrasound photo of their child that she could show Hiccup, but she also left with a feeling that she couldn't quite put into words.

It was because actually getting to see the baby she's only thought about all week made her want this a lot more than she did before. And as she slid into the backseat of the car waiting for her on the curb, she realized that the overwhelming feeling was for her to tell her husband. Tonight.

Astrid's mood had improved tremendously after leaving the doctor's office and she was all smiles as she walked into Haddock Manor - the home the children from the orphanage were currently residing in.

Haddock Manor was Astrid's favorite out of the few houses that the family owned around the country. It sat at the end of a long driveway, tucked away off the road and surrounded by trees that cast just enough shade over the large field that surrounded it. The light colored stone and the green vines growing up the sides made it have more of a picturesque and homey feel, which was the reason it was chosen above the others that were more over-the-top.

It was comfortable - even with more bedrooms than had ever been needed before now.

This was only the first of many visits that Astrid would have at the temporary orphanage. She was scheduled to show up every couple Friday's after school hours to visit with them, participate in games and activities, and just boost their spirits during yet another transitional period for the children.

Most of the younger children seemed to be more excited about the Duchess' visit than the older kids - who always seemed more interested in what was going on in their shared bedrooms than anything else. Hiccup had tried many times to persuade them to join in during their visits in the past but nothing - not even gifts on Christmas - could get some of them to amble down the stairs.

Astrid was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Ack, the older couple who ran the orphanage and were showing the stress of the job by the sagging wrinkles and white hair.

"You visiting really gives the children something to look forward to. Most of 'em have been talking non-stop about it all week." Mrs. Ack mentioned after their usual polite introductions and handshakes.

"I'm certainly excited about it myself," Astrid replied.

Mrs. Ack had her mouth open to say something else when their conversation was interrupted by an excited young voice calling Astrid's name.

"Duchess Astrid!" The cheerful voice called from behind her.

Astrid turned around and was met with the bright eyes and gummy smile of a bouncing Ingrid - the seven-year-old girl whom Hiccup became quite fond of the day she handed him the drawing of Toothless last summer.

"Ingrid," Astrid smiled, crouching down to meet the young girl eye-to-eye, "How have you been?"

"Great!" Ingrid replied, pulling at the end of one of her pigtails, "Is Prince Henry coming?"

Astrid frowned slightly, "No, he's not. But remember, he's very busy making sure your new home will be even better than before."

She gave a short disappointed sigh at the news that he wouldn't be showing up this afternoon, "I wanted to tell him the story about how I lost this tooth." Ingrid pointed at the gap in one of her top teeth.

"Why don't you tell me the story while we walk into the other room and I'll share it with Prince Henry when I see him." Astrid offered, standing up straight and tugging at the ends of her black blazer, pulling it back into place.

Astrid listened to every word about how the young girl pulled it out herself - making her feel braver than ever because it didn't hurt - and was she amazed by the high spirits of the child. She seemed so optimistic compared to the other children she sat and spent time with during her few hours at the Manor.

But she found her mind drift many times, especially when a kid didn't have the same bright look spread across their face like someone at that age should have.

It was difficult to watch some of the children not having any interest in running around with a wild imagination and acting like trolls and dragons were real. Most of them didn't know what it was like to be held and hugged by their mother when they scraped their knee after falling off their bike. And they didn't know what it was like to be placed on top of their father's shoulders while he ran around pretending they were soaring through the clouds together.

They didn't know the true love that a parent could give.

And Mr. and Mrs. Ack tried their best but there were just too many of them to give each one the same undivided attention. They were more like their guardians and no matter how hard they tried, it would never be the same and that showed on some of their faces and in some of their attitudes.

It made Astrid thankful for the opportunities that her child was going to have. It was going to have both parents, both of whom would love the child more than anything else in the world and that she was most certain about.

And all of those thoughts continued the second the newest member of the orphanage was placed into her arms. The baby was only a few months old and whined and squirmed for a few moments until he settled comfortably. It wasn't long until he was fast asleep again.

Astrid kept thinking about the baby's young and innocent face - with the small nose and tiny hand that held onto her finger at one point - as she said her goodbyes and stepped back into the car that was to take her back home.

It wouldn't be too long until that was her and Hiccup's own child she'd be rocking back and forth in her arms as it snored softly and snuggled deeper as it slept.

And just that thought alone filled her with so much joy.

So, she pressed her phone to her ear and listened to it ring and ring.

Finally, when she thought he wasn't going to, he picked up.

It had been a hectic day. It was the end of the week and everyone was tired while daydreaming about the weekend and what'd they be doing on the days they wouldn't be standing in a place that no longer looked like a home.

The orphanage was completely torn apart. Walls had been knocked down, most of the floor on the second level had been torn up - except for the one patch Hiccup was standing on in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

They were making good progress on the part of the job Hiccup hadn't planned for. He was proud of the crew and how focused they were on the not-so-easy task of practically rebuilding the entire structure of the home.

Fishlegs was explaining and pointing around the room surrounding them while talking about which wall would be best to tear down, but Hiccup wasn't totally listening if he was being completely honest to himself. He was just as worn out like everybody else and if the word wasn't food or sleep or Toothless or Astrid - the four things he wanted most - then they didn't have his full attention.

The loud ringing and vibration coming from his back pocket brought him back to reality, however.

He excused himself for a moment, walked out of the room, and answered it with a smile on his tired face when he saw who it was, "Astrid!"

"Hiccup? Is that you? It's been so long since we've had an actual conversation I wasn't sure if I'd remember what you sounded like." Astrid joked from the other end. Her chuckle was the best sound he's heard all day. Probably all week. It was as soothing as the waves crashing against the shore compared to the drills and hammering constantly going on around him.

He played along, "Oh, really? I wouldn't think the voice of your husband would be a sound you could forget."

Astrid snickered, "You're right, who really could forget that nasally voice of yours?"

Hiccup set himself up for that one, "You're hysterical."

"Anyway," Astrid said, changing the subject, "I just called to ask if there was a way you could get home early tonight?"

"What is considered early?"

Astrid hummed, thinking for a moment, "Before dinner."

It was Hiccup's turn to pause and think before answering, "I should be able to. Is everything alright?"

He could practically hear the smile from over the phone, "Everything's great, Hiccup. I just have something to tell you."

She had him intrigued, "And you can't tell me now?"

"And if I did that then you'd have no reason to come home early, would you?" She spoke, cheekily.

"As long as you're there, I'll always have a reason to come home early." As soon as the words left his mouth he knew she was rolling her eyes.

Astrid chuckled again, "God, of course, I had to marry the cheesiest man on Berk."

It was this kind of conversation with his wife - the lighthearted bickering - that made the hectic day improve to the point where he wouldn't care what happened next. He'd missed her. And he didn't just miss holding her close and having the feeling of the world disappear around them as they pressed their lips against one another. He missed talking to her because she was the one person he could tell anything to. The one person he trusted with everything. The one person he could talk about anything with and still have it be the most enjoyable conversation.

"I'll be there, Astrid," Hiccup spoke sincerely, "I promise."

A promise. It was the one word that Astrid took the most seriously. It was the one thing you never broke.

"Good," Astrid replied, "I'll see you tonight then." And it wasn't a question of whether he'd show up or not because he'd promised.

She was about to hang up, but then Hiccup spoke the three words that never failed to make either one's heart speed up the second it was said before the line went dead, "I love you."

They didn't say it often because they didn't always need to. They showed their love for one another in other ways. It would be little things - surprising Astrid with blueberry muffins for breakfast, telling the other to be safe before they left without the other, or grabbing their hand and intertwining their fingers when they needed support or a reminder that they weren't alone - no matter where they were.

But something told Hiccup to say it this time.

And Astrid loved that he said it because they were three powerful words that they never overused, "I love you too, Hiccup."

Both hung up the phone with wide smiles on their faces and the growing feeling of excitement - and nerves - for the evening ahead.

All the exhaustion Hiccup felt before the phone call was gone now. He felt as if he was walking on air as he began to make his way back to the room Fishlegs was still talking to himself in.

But Hiccup never made it back to the small bedroom because as soon as the phone was placed back in his pocket and he took the first step, the floor cracked and caved in from under him.

And the last thing Hiccup heard as he fell - and before everything faded into a dark nothingness - was his wife's chuckle that was way better than the sound of the sea.

Just gonna leave this here and run away and await the screaming I already know I'm gonna get. Blame Christine for what happened at the VERY end here…was totally her idea. HAHA!

See ya next chapter! But will we see Hiccup? HAHA jk jk don't hurt me. LOL

Thanks for reading!