"Oh, well hello there. Is Hiccup around?" A tall elegant woman asked her midnight hair flowing in a long braid to her waist.
"Uh, he's in the kitchen." Jack motioned for them to come inside, and a few other the men who came in carried coolers, and groceries, but Jack hobbled in front of them. "Hey, um, there's a ton of people here, I wish you'd have told me, I would have worn something nicer." He joked as he moved to sit in a chair with a light look of pain on his face.
"Oh, Henrik we're so glad to see you!" The woman rushed in and hugged him. "Who's your friend here?" She motioned to Jack.
"He's a patient of mine, but he's rooming with me." He said politely leaving out the part where technically he's all Jack has.
"Yeah, I just got back from Iraq." Jack shook hands with the woman.
"Ah, technically you woke up three months after you left Iraq, but you know you say tomato, I say a red, juicy fruit/vegetable." Hiccup turned back to the stove and tended to the hot dishes he was making.
"Mmm, smells great, son, what are you making?" A woman with graying brown hair came behind him and leered over his shoulder.
"Well, I have the sauce that Gobber asked me to make, and I have some veggies for uncle Spitelout, and Snotty. And I made some deserts too, a few pies, and three whole cakes, because I know dad loves them. One is for you guys to take home." He added the last part softly. "Oh, hey Jack?"
"Yeah?" The man stood and lightly hobbled over to the other man.
"Can you go to the car and get my clipboard and bag, please? I forgot them." He asked kindly.
"Uh, Sure thing." He left and went to the garage door, and took the small key from the hook near the light switch. He went to the backseat, and pulled the bag and clipboard from the back, and went inside, and up the stairs, and to the other bedroomand gently set the things on the nicely made bed. He closed the door, and turned to go back to the kitchen, but he stopped when he saw a small girl.
"Well, hello there," he smiled, "I'm Jack, who are you, little lady?"
She frowned and ran back down stairs. Confused, Jack went back down to the kitchen, and happily sat in a chair at the table, he looked up to see the stove off, the dishes and Hiccup were also gone too, so he stood, and went to the living room to sit on the couch, and hopefully doze off. He closed his eyes, and his mind slipped off to nothingness.
"Jack? Are you okay?" Hiccup was next to him, no Hiccup was on him, holding him down almost.
"What happened?" Jack blinked back heavy eyes, and rubbed his head.
"Your body seized up. Astrid, can you help me?" A blonde girl came next to Jack and helped him off the couch, with the two of them, Jack was escorted to his room, and set on the bed. "Undo your leg, I'll be right back." Hiccup left him with the strange blonde girl, Jack proped the leg up on the bed, and undid the buckles, and pulled off the silicone sleeve, which the stranger took and sat both on the dresser. After that, she helped him pull himself up on the bed, and lay back against the pillows.
"Okay, here we go." Hiccup handed Jack a glass of orange juice, and three pills. Two long white oval pills, and a small, circular blue tablet. "You simply passed out from lack of nutrients, sleep, blood, and actual food, instead of a medical drip bag. You seized up probably from a bit of over-exertion." Hiccup explained as he pulled the blanket up to the man's waist. "Can you stay up a little longer just to at least eat a little?"
"Sure, what do you have?" Jack rubbed his eye childishly.
"My dad just made some burgers, how does that sound?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, but just that though, and put whatever on it, except mustard and pickles, please?" Jack yawned and stretched like a cat.
"I'll be back." Hiccup bolted for the patio, and quickly but neatly, he constructed a burger for Jack. Before heading back upstairs be grabbed two waters, Jack was going to need them later. "Alright, here you go."
"Well, that was fast," The blonde girl smirked and crossed her arms smugly at the young doctor.
"He hasn't eaten real food in a while. He needed it." Hiccup reasoned, but he was really the only one who believed it.
"Mmmmmm, man what is this made with? Jack said after finishing half of the burger.
"Dad pours grape wine on them while they cook." Hiccup smiled.
"This is one hell of a burger, would you tell him? And thank you, by the way." Jack said and quickly almost, he finished the burger, with a loud yawn he stretched and placed the plate on the nightstand, only to be taken by the blonde, Astrid, and she exited, leaving the two of them to themselves. "I really mean it, I owe you so much." Jack looked at him, and pulled himself further under the blanket.
"You're welcome, Oh, I'll be back a little later to change your gauze, kay?" He heard a grunt from Jack and left the man to sleep, he didn't close the door fully, because Toothless hated closed doors.
"Hey, how is he?" His mom asked as she and Hiccup made burgers at the food table.
"He's okay, just not in shape really." Hiccup said as he fixed the two burgers on his plate.
"Well, I hope he gets better." She said as they walked to the custom made patio chairs.
"He will, just needs time. So how is Elinor after having a fifth child?" Hiccup watched the small child enjoy being bounced up into the air on the trampoline.
"She's actually doing great, it's Fergus who isn't doing good. He's freaking out a little." She chuckled, and ate her burger in small woman bites. "Mmm, don't you have to go somewhere?"
"Ah, crap yeah, just let me finish my burgers." He said after eating half of the first.
"Want me to come with?" His mom took another bite.
"If dad's okay with it." Hiccup finished his first burger, and practically attacked his second one.
She finished a little after Hiccup and she went to the man with the big red and white-ish beard, "Stoick, I'm going with Hiccup, we'll be back in a little while, okay?" She kissed the top of his head, and walked to the sleek silver car at the end of the driveway, and hopped in the driver's seat, and Hiccup sat in the passenger side. " Where to?"
"The army base." Hiccup fastened his seat belt, and his mom pulled away slowly, then sped to the south of town.
In a record time of thirty minuts, they pulled into the parking lot of the base, and went to the main office. "I'm here for pickup. A, um, Frost, Jackson was sent home after an intense injury, and he wished for me to bring his things home for him." Hiccup flashed his liscence.
"You're... His doctor, right? Follow me, I know he has no next of kin, so I'll trust you." The burly dark skinned man took him to the back room, and handed him two suit cases, and he himself picked up a bigger bag, probably filled with clothes, and then he let out a low whistle, and a beautiful massive white dog emerged from another spot in the room, "Mr. Haddock, this is Xena, Jackson's service dog. She's served by him for ten years, ever since she was a pup." The man hooked the massive beauty to a leash and led the dog outside. Hiccup shyly followed, and he placed the cases into the open trunk, and after closing he turned to give his thanks to the man, but instead he was met with a righteous salute, He quickly mimicked the man, and after signaling off, the man gave him the leash, and he opened the back door for the dog to sit into the seat, and the dog graciously climbed inside and laid down on the seat. "Tell Jackson that Commander Bubbles gives his best regards, and hopes to see him at his discharge ceremony." The man saluted once more, before going back to the office building.
Sighing Hiccup got into the car, "Mom, were going to need to go to the store before we head back."
"Alright, son." She drove to the nearest store, and the three of them went inside, and they purchased, a few bags of kibble for the dog, and also a few cases of soft food for Toothless. After loading up the car, they headed home, and soon they were there, and Hiccup pulled two bags of Kibble and grabbed the dogs leash, and easily enough, he made it inside, and set the bags on the counter, "Hey, Astrid!"
"Yeah?" she walked inside with a small bit of burger in her hand.
"Watch him right quick?" He handed her the leash, and gladly she took the dog outside, and let her roam around off the leash.
Hiccup went outside and helped his mom with the rest of the pet food, and then the two went out to collect Jack's belongings. "Set them in the living room, I'll take them up, He said as they walked carefully up the steps to the from door. "Thanks, mom." He quickly leaned over and kissed her cheek.
After she left Hiccup carried the bag up the stairs, and quietly he went to Jack's room, he placed the bag by the dresser, and smiled softly when he noticed the small black mass of cat on top of the man's chest. He went back down and grabbed the two suitcases, and also placed them in Jack's room. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed the dog, sitting waiting for the boy, he smiled and rubbed her head as he went by and proceeded to take a large bowl from the cupboard and pour some of the food into the bowl, he grabbed another and poured some water into it and set it down for him too. As the dog ate he placed the pet food in another cabinet.
Happily he walked out to his patio, and sat watching the smaller kids running and laughing, and the more older people in gaggles which would sprinkle the yard, and all the adults were on the patio, siting and as the girls gossiped the men raved about sports, and Hiccup just sat, and soon the white dog sat next to him, and rested his fluffy white head on his knee.
After hours, the sky darkened and all of the people in his back yard were beginning to disperse, and people were soon leaving.
"Alright, son, we're leaving now." His dad came in and ruffled his hair.
"Okay, dad, I'll see you guys next week." His dad left the house, and his mom hugged him a little while longer until they hear a loud 'Valka!' separate the two of them.
The house felt a little empty, but that's why he got it, space. He needed a lot of it. The dog followed him upstairs, and Hiccup decided to lead the dog to Jack, plus he needed to change Jack's bandage, he shuffled in the drawer of the dresser, and pulled the same supplies he needed, and he moved the blanket from Jack, and quickly changed the gauze before he noticed, but before he covered him over again, he noticed a few faint white lines on Jack's stomach, gently he ran his fingers over the thin lined, and noticed the angles and depth, this guy had taken a lot of knives to the stomach. He also noticed several other scars, bullet wounds, which littered the man's biceps, and one in his chest. After a few minutes of glancing, he covered Jack over and left him to sleep, the massive dog however decided to follow Hiccup to his room, after covering over, the dog crawled up onto the bed, and laid down right next to Hiccup. And soon, while sleepily playing in the dog's soft fur, Hiccup blissfully fell asleep.