The next chapter, in which Astrid and Hiccup finally meet once again!

Chapter 5: Hospital Beds

Conversations with Rachel had always been easy. And now, sitting together on her hospital bed, Astrid thought how their silence had been equally as effortless.

The last time they'd sat like this had been years ago, in a similar situation, with Astrid sitting on the bed in Rachel's childhood bedroom, still sniffing, the wounds of her uncle's cold eyes with her packed bags on the kitchen table.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked now, and it took Astrid a second to shake off the lingering memory of her uttering the same words that day.

She shrugged and winced, her ribs stinging as she moved.

"I guess relative to the fact I got hit by a car I'm doing okay." She hesitated. Quietly, she added, "I know that's not what you meant. I don't know. I feel weird. I keep thinking it's some kind of nightmare."

Ruffnut hummed but stayed quiet otherwise and Astrid felt comforted momentarily by her quiet support and space to talk.

"I mean … is this, like, actually happening? Like, am I actually married and 28?"

Ruff smiled. "Yeah, actually."

"Huh. Feels weird. Am I … happily married?"

Ruff sniffed, smirking lightly. "A bit too happy, if you ask me. Kidding. Yeah, you are. You guys are really sweet together. It actually makes me kind of want a relationship. Maybe."

Astrid nodded, staring at the IV drip connected to her arm, almost distracted by the cable running along her blanket.

"Okay good. It's strange not really knowing him. It's like one of those dumb TV shows, you know the ones where people get married and that's the first time they meet? Those. It feels like you're the only person I really know at the moment."

Ruff said nothing and just, in a rare moment of physical intimacy for her, took her hand and squeezed it lightly, smiling softly at her.

Astrid leaned her head against Rachel's shoulder and sighed.

"I'm glad you're here, Ruff."

Astrid had trouble keeping her eyes off the door. Ruff had left to grab something to eat for both of them ("Dude, I am not leaving until you've had something other than dry-ass bread and lighter cheese!") and Dr Emrys had come back in to let her know her … husband would come by in a bit. She still didn't really know how to feel about that word, let alone the fact she even had one.

She'd asked Ruff about it, earlier, after she'd finished crying and they'd just sat together on her bed, and Ruff had been holding her hand, telling her everything would be okay. Her reply hadn't really been as satisfying as he'd hoped.
"I mean, you definitely are married, I promise, but … I feel like you should see him first before we talk about him, don't you think?"

She tried keeping her eyes off the door, she really did. And she definitely tried pretending like she hadn't been staring at it for the past 10 minutes when it opened, really. And yet, she wasn't really ready when he did walk in.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

He was tall and quite lean. He had a sharp jawline and the beginnings of a beard; his freckled face was framed by messy auburn hair. His left leg was amputated from the upper calf down. His tired, green eyes fixed on her.

Astrid closed her eyes and cursed. Oh no, he's hot.

Hiccup's hands were shaking. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been this nervous – especially to see her. He tried not to think about the moment Matthew had told him to leave the room. He tried not to think of her bruised face in the ICU, the breathing tube and the heart monitor.

He took a deep breath, exhaled, and then slowly knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard her say and within a heartbeat, he'd opened the door and there she was, sitting up in bed, her face still covered in bruises, and she was okay and breath-taking.

"Hi," he said, softly, and let his eyes drink her in, and he saw her blush lightly. He pointed to the chair next to her bed. "Is … it okay if I sit?"

"Yeah, of course," she said, quickly, her voice shaking and all he wanted was to take her in his arms and hold her until she remembered him again.

But he didn't and instead, sat down next to her and forced himself to not stare.

"You look better," he heard himself say and thought, Liar. She still looked rough but never any less beautiful. He ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"Thanks," she whispered and hesitated. "It's, um, nice to meet you. Again. I – I'm sorry, I don't –"

"Oh, it's – it's okay," he said, maybe a bit too quickly, and thought his heart might explode. "It's … nice to meet you, too. Again."

She chuckled lightly, and he cleared his throat. He felt her gaze burning on his skin as she looked at him, and he folded his hands in his lap, wishing she didn't feel like she had to be careful about what to say to him. His index finger and thumb were fiddling with the ring of paler skin at the base of his finger, the absence of his ring he'd got so used to glaring at him.

"Here," she said, softly, and with trembling fingers, pulling his wedding ring off her finger – his hand shot out to hold her back. Their fingers brushed. Hiccup lingered. Their eyes met.

Astrid could feel her skin boiling. He cleared his throat again, quickly pulling back his hand.

"Keep it on, it's okay. Just until you …" Remember me, he'd wanted to say and bit his tongue. "Get better."

She hesitated, nodded, and then put it back on.

"Okay." Her own voice seemed distance, like it wasn't hers. Then again, who was she, really? Right now, she was the wife of a man she did not remember.

"I'm … Henry, by the way," he said into the silence, his voice soft. "I don't know if anyone's told you my name yet. But, um, most people call me Hiccup – it's this silly nickname my Uncle came up with when I was a child, and um, well, it stuck and I've grown to like it. Also, he's, uh, not really my uncle, I mean, he is, all things considered, but he's my Dad's best friend, but basically like one and also my mentor and friend. So, um ..." He trailed off, painfully aware that he was rambling and took a deep, shaking breath, trying desperately to calm down.

The entire time he'd spoken, her eyes had been glued in his face, almost desperate to take in the details. His eyes looked tired and had dark circles under them. His hair stood up in every direction. When he spoke, she saw a small gap between his front teeth.

"Hi, Henry," she said finally, equally as quiet and finally, finally, they looked at each other, and Hiccup's heart was throwing itself against his ribcage in recognition of her presence as the sea and the cliffs collided.

And then, he was smiling, at it was a real smile, and she smiled back, and, for a moment, everything was as it was, five years ago, and maybe they were stood in her flat right now, and he'd just put out her third fire this week.

And then, the moment was gone. She averted her eyes, and he thought to see her blush, but it was probably just a trick of the light.

"What happened to your leg, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked, pointing at it. Hiccup's lips curved into a soft smile again, but this time, there was a certain sadness around it.

"I lost it a couple of years ago, actually. Let's just say, the hazardous nature of my occupation finally caught up to me – I'm a firefighter."

She nodded, and knew he was evading her question.

"How are you feeling?" he asked suddenly, and she felt her ears burn as she felt his intense gaze on her again, his forest-green eyes gentle and honest as she looked back at him.

For a second, she considered not telling the truth. Sugar-coating, maybe embellishing a little bit. She caved.

"Honestly, I feel like shit. Everything hurts – like, everything. I didn't even know they could hurt, you know? My ribs are messed up, it hurts to breathe, I can't even walk, and my stupid wrist is keeping me from being able to sit up properly." She stopped. "Sorry, I don't … mean to bombard you."

He chuckled. "Oh, it's okay. Trust me, I get it – broken ribs are not fun. It sucks. I, uh, broke a couple a couple years back."

Astrid paused, unsure what to say. She knew that she should remember, really. And yet, she didn't.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I feel like I should be remembering that, shouldn't I? It just … feels very unreal, you know? I don't," she paused, trying to not be painfully aware of his gaze on her. "I don't remember you. I don't remember being with you, at all. It's just … weird."

She saw him cringe ever so slightly at that, almost as if she'd hit him. Hiccup felt the tears welling up in his eyes, and so he quickly turned away from her, rubbing his face, willing the tears to stop.

"I know. I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely and Astrid couldn't help but feel a bitter sting of remorse. "I know this must be a lot harder for you than it is for me. I promise I'll remember you don't remember me. I will."

His voice sounded hollow, and his eyes were almost pleading with her. Somewhere, deep down, Astrid was still hoping she'd wake up to find this had all been some cruel nightmare. Instead, she nodded, looking down at her folded hands.

"Can you," she then said quietly. "Can you tell me how we met?"

(If you feel like reading their almost-entire backstory, have a look at It's Just A Spark haha) Should I recount the events from IJAS from another perspective orrrrr... what are we feeling?