Chapter 17: The Story
Hiccup's POV
I slowly open my right eye and light nearly blinds me before my sight adjusts to my surroundings. Well a bit blurry. I wish I have my glasses on. I was in a bed. A hospital bed. Right near me is a person I seen before. Dr. Arnold.
" I see that you're awake." She gives me sad smile. " How are you feeling Henrietta?"
Before I can answer, I start to choke on the thing that is shoved down my throat. The doctor swiftly pulls the tube like object out of my throat.
I take a gasp of breath, but that breath is being accompanied by severe pain in my chest and is causing me to lose control of my breathing and start gasping again. It becomes a lot easier when the doctor loops a smaller tube across my face. The air that is being forced through my nose instead becomes helpful.
" The choking on the tube was normal. In fact, it's good. It means you were starting to breath on your own. Although given your broken ribs, so you do still need some assisting on that. Do you know where you are?" She asks me.
" Hospital." I croak.
She nods. " Ok. At least you're aware. Your family's at the cafeteria. I'll send someone to go get them."
All I can do is nod as she leaves my section. I look to see more of my surroundings. My leg itches like hell in a cast. I can't move because my torso hurts. I can't even feel the left side of my face and can only see from one eye. The same goes for my hearing.
I hear many footsteps running toward my bed and the curtain flies open. I am expecting to see Gobber and Astrid. Which that is the case, but I didn't expect to see my dad.
" Dad?" Is all I can say. What was he doing here? He shouldn't be here.
" Henrietta!" He gasps as comes over to my bedside. " I am so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you." He cries.
I suddenly remember why I am here. The dance. Dagny. The beating. Everything.
Suddenly I see a pair of police come into the ward and come towards where I am, " Miss. Haddock. We're detectives Olson and Schaffer. I know you and your family need some private time, but the we need to question you about the night of the attack." The woman officer introduces her and her partner.
" She's been through enough!" My dad says angrily. Which makes me angry that he was speaking on my behalf while I am still in the room.
" I'm sorry Mr. Haddock, but it's policy. Your daughter's conscienous and aware. She needs to be question." The woman officer, Olson, stands firm.
" Fine, but I am staying here." My dad says says.
" That's fine. Everyone else needs to go." Schaffer says. Gobber and Astrid leave the room. Although Astrid seems to have hesitated.
" Do you know how this all started?" Olson asks.
" She was kidnapped from her homecoming dance." My dad answers for me. Again. Really pisses me off. I kinda wish he isn't here.
" We know about that, but we need to hear everything from your daughter. Her words. Not yours. We will take your statement later." Olson says. My father grumbles, but complies. " Once again Henrietta. How did this all started?"
" Astrid and I went to the dance as friends." I start.
" Go on." Schaffer says as he's taking notes.
" I saw a girl bully another one, so I told her off. She left and… I had to use the bathroom. After I came out, I got hit in the back of my head. I may have blacked out. Next thing I remembered was being in someone's house."
" What happened in the house?"
" I tried to leave, but they wouldn't let me go. I first remember being shoved against the wall. Then I was yanked by my hair and was dragged towards a door to basement. I didn't want to go down there, so I grabbed hold of the door frame. That didn't stop them. I was kicked in the back and I fell down the stairs."
I start to remember those guys and girls laughing as I struggled to not go down the basement. I stabbing feeling came back into into my back when I remember someone's high heel shoe kick me down the stairs.
" I… think I broke my leg when I feel down the stairs. I was crying from the pain. They just stomp on my leg even more to cause more pain. It just became numb eventually."
" How many people were there?" Olson asks.
" Four. No wait. Five. One of them was holding a phone with a camera. I think they were taping the whole thing." I suddenly remember.
My dad's face is purple when he hears this, but I know he's not angry at me.
" Take your time." Olson gently says.
I take deep breath and continue, " I don't know how long it lasted. It felt like forever and ever. But I feel every punch, kick, being picked up and thrown at the wall. It all just became numb. That's all I can recall during the beating. When they were done, their leader forced me to apologize for what I did to what I know was a phone with a camera and I had to say something else to make myself feel unworthy.
" What were your exact words?" Olson asks.
I look at my dad. I can't say it. Not while he's here. I can't say in front of him.
" Henrietta tell them what those monsters made you say." He says
" I can't." I shake my head frantically. " I can't."
" We need to know otherwise anything you keep out will be used against you when we prosecute this case and you have to testify."
"Testify!" I shout before a shock of pain in my chest hits me. I almost tried to sit up.
" You questioned her enough!" My dad steps in.
" We can't leave without know who did this to her. Do you want them put in jail or not." Schafer asserts his authority.
My dad was reluctant, but he grudgingly gave in.
" Now then." Olson says. " We need to know who was the ringleader in your attack. Can you tell me that at least?"
I close my only open eye and nod reluctantly.
" Good. Now a name." She urges me.
" Dagny. Dagny Osvin." I tell her. Everyone immediately freezes.
" Dagny?" My father gasps. " But Oswald's a good man. Why would his daughter do something like this."
" Actually we're not surprised." Schaffer says.
" Huh?" I look at the detective in confusion.
" What do you mean not surprised?" My dad asks the question for me.
" She's been arrested several times before for ties to brutal assaults. Although, judges have dismissed them due to lack of evidence and her victims recanted their accusations. Which is why she has no record." Schaffer explains.
" My daughter is not dropping these charges. I won't let her get away with this!" My father shouts.
" Dad." I said in order for him to calm down.
" Even so, we need evidence against her. Do you remember anything else? Do you know where the house was?" Olson says.
" It was a green house. On a street called Kennings. I know because the house was on a corner near the street sign. I was able to see it from the car. Even without my glasses."
" Your glasses?" Olson says.
" I'm near sighted. Why is that important?" I ask in confusion.
" Were you wearing them when you were being beaten?" She insists.
" Yes. I think lost them though in the house."
" We might be able to build a case then." Schaffer says as puts away his notebook.
" Huh?" I said in confusion
" If we find your glasses in the house the you were assaulted in, the case is strong enough to move forward towards the person who was involved living in the house. Although we need something to tie Dagny. Perhaps if we can find the video she had someone tape it can easy make ironclad case. We'll keep in touch Miss. Haddock. You just get some rest." Olson says as she and her partner heads out of the ward.
My father sits in the chair next to my bed. " Oh Henrietta. I am sorry."
" It's not your fault." I croak to him. " You weren't there."
" I shouldn't have left alone though. Dagny is going to pay for it." He says angrily.
" Please just let it go." I beg him.
" I can't and I won't." He says. " They nearly killed you last night."
" I asked for it." I admit. " I told Dagny off when she was bullying a girl."
" You were standing for yourself and that girl. There's a difference in that." He says stubbornly.
" I should've known though that she was going to do this."
" Stop doing this to yourself Henrietta."
" For god's sakes dad! Stop calling me Henrietta!" I shout. That shut my dad up.
He tries to say something but I continue, " Just please go. I just want to be alone. Ok?Just leave me alone!"
He says nothing. He gives me this sad look before he turns and leaves the ward. When he does step out of the place, I start crying. It wasn't loud and hard. It's too painful to do so but, I just want to break down right now.
It hasn't been twenty minutes and people are trying to get me to do what I have to do. I have enough of people telling me what I should do for today. All I want to do is just cry out of pain. And out of sadness.
I want so much to correct people, but I paid for being myself. I never realized how being myself got me into so much trouble.
Sorry I haven't posted a bit. Trying to balance out the stories.
I am trying to figure out how to reveal Hiccup's secret to the rest of the gang and to outright admit that she is a he. I thought I had it down, but it just seems a bit too sad for me. I want it to be tough, but not too much.
Please Review.
