Broth and water. That was all Astrid was letting Hiccup have until his immune system got stronger.
He didn't complain much, but of course, he was sleeping most of the time, and he was never one to complain in the first place. Only two days had passed since he had gotten the dreaded Eel Pox, and all in all, Astrid was thankful it wasn't worse than it was. Since he was strong at mind (unlike most Vikings), the delusions were minimal, but because he wasn't bulky or strong with muscle like most Vikings were, his physical body took more of a hit than his mental part. Although Astrid was glad he wasn't losing his marbles like most people did, she was also worried, because his body fighting the Eel Pox made him drained of energy, so all he could do was sleep, maybe eat some broth if Astrid pushed it at him long enough, and sleep again.
When he did get delusional, however, it was worse than usual. Normally, vikings who were taken down by the illness thought they were someone they weren't and mistook objects for things they weren't (there was one time when Gustav thought that all the dandelions were Berserkers with crossbows trying to kill him), but Hiccup saw visions of either his past, or his friends dying. He woke up each time with a shriek of someone's name, normally with tears rolling down his cheeks even though it was plain he was trying to hold them back.
After that, he was never fully there for another few hours. He would be shaky and terrified, and the adrenaline would sometimes make him sick, which was probably the worst symptom of Eel Pox, since Astrid was trying to keep something (even if it was simple, like broth) in Hiccup's stomach so at least he would keep up some strength. But that wasn't working, and he was weakening because of it.
Fishlegs had gotten airmail from Berk the previous night, and according to the letter, Snotlout and the twins had been sent out (with Gothi, of course, so she could keep them in line) to find the ingredients to cure Eel Pox with. The note had also mentioned that Stoick was going to come to Dragon's Edge and do whatever he could.
The more the merrier, Astrid supposed. Besides, with Hiccup being so ill, Astrid wouldn't be surprised if he wanted his father with him.
Fishlegs helped with whatever he could, making tea and broth whenever possible and running it over to Hiccup's residence. All in all, Astrid was glad that neither she nor Fishlegs had gotten sick yet. She always told Fishlegs to make sure he kept a safe distance from her and Hiccup.
She wasn't completely surprised that she hadn't gotten Eel Pox from Hiccup yet; she had gotten a particularly bad case of it a few months back, and normally, Eel Pox was one of those illnesses you only got three to four times in your entire life.
Plus, she was glad she hadn't gotten it for two reasons: One, because she knew how miserable Eel Pox was. Short breath, nausea, coughs...just feeling all around yuck all the time. And two, because if she was ill, she wouldn't be able to take care of Hiccup, which would leave Fishlegs to help both of them while at the same time trying to avoid getting sick.
For the most part, Astrid hoped the others would get the cure and get back there fast. She didn't know how much longer she or Hiccup could take.
Astrid was sitting at Hiccup's bedside, like she always was, keeping a cold rag on his forehead constantly while also trying to keep him covered with his blanket. She was torn between throwing it off and tossing another one on; his fever was high, but he was shivering, his hands as cold as ice.
She was completely and entirely at a loss of what to do. She wasn't a healer. She didn't know much about illnesses and how to help someone who was being assailed by one, least of all Eel Pox.
Toothless and Stormfly were sleeping, curled up at the foot of the bed, although Astrid could tell that even in their sleep, they were alert, ready for anything. Ready to fight, even, if they had to. Astrid felt especially bad for Toothless; the poor Night Fury had been worried sick over his rider, and Hiccup had only been ill for about forty eight hours. Astrid hoped Snotlout and the twins got back with the cure, for everyone's' sakes.
He stirred, his eyelids fluttering, and Astrid stood up immediately and fetched a bowl of broth, which she quickly brought back over to the bedside after finding a spoon. She scooped some broth onto the eating utensil and held it to Hiccup's lips. His feverish, only half-awake mind told him not to accept it, so he turned his head to the side. Except, he was so weak that he hardly moved at all, and all Astrid had to do was steady his head by putting her hand on his cheek before she could spoon feed him. The first few spoonfuls were hard, simply because Hiccup kept moaning and protesting, but after that, he either learned to accept it because she wasn't pulling away, or his hunger was getting the better of him.
He blinked his eyes open and squinted up at her blearily. His eyes were glazed over and unfocused, but he still managed to register it was her and not someone else. "Astrid," he coughed out; his voice was just about gone, thanks to his coughing. A scratchy croak was all he managed.
Astrid set the spoon down in the bowl and put her hand over his. "Hiya," she whispered faintly, trying not to sound too worried. "Feeling any better?"
Hiccup shut his eyes. "Ick," he croaked. He started coughing promptly afterwards, and Astrid rubbed his shoulder. By his deep coughs, she reckoned the Eel Pox had settled in his chest, which meant he was going to have trouble breathing (which he already had anyways).
"Alright, no more talking for you," she said as soon as he got over his fit of coughing. "Your voice sounds terrible, and it's only making you cough more."
Hiccup laid back and sniffled. "Toothless?" he slurred. Although Astrid could hardly tell what he was saying at this point, the dragon obviously understood that his name was being called, because the Night Fury stood up and raced over to his rider, nuzzling Hiccup's cheek. Hiccup smiled weakly and ran his shaking hand over the dragon's head. "H-hey buddy…" he rasped. He blinked once slowly and twice quickly before repeating the session again, obviously fighting against sleep.
As much as Astrid knew and understood that he needed sleep, she also knew that if he was going to recover quickly, he would need something in his system. She spooned some more broth and held it out to him, and after a few moments of hesitation, he opened his mouth. His already flushed cheeks went redder, but Astrid decided not to mention it. It wasn't like she didn't like taking care of him. She knew he was going to be embarrassed about it, but that was okay with her.
It wasn't like there was anyone else around them who would judge. Plus, he was sick, and Astrid was certain that he wouldn't even be able to hold a spoon on his own if he tried.
After three more swallows worth of broth, Hiccup laid his head back against his pillow and closed his eyes. Astrid looked down at the bowl. It wasn't even half empty yet. He would have to eat more, or he might never recover completely. He had hardly eaten anything the past two days, and she wasn't about to let him start losing weight. He hardly weighed anything as it was in the first place. He couldn't stand to get thinner.
"Hiccup-" she tried.
"I can't," he murmured in a thick, cracked, broken voice. "M'sorry...can't…"
She understood why he couldn't, really, she did. She understood the nausea that came with having Eel Pox, and she knew how much worse eating made it, but she also knew that she always felt better after eating something when she had Eel Pox. She knew she needed to get him to eat more and just hope he didn't throw it up later.
"I know," she said, putting her hand on his cheek and holding his head, forcing him to look at her, "but you'll get worse if you don't keep up some strength, Hiccup. It'll get worse. You know it will. You'll feel better after you've eaten something."
"Or worse…"
Astrid bit her lip. There was that possibility, too. She hadn't overlooked that possibility. "Just...please," she said. "Snotlout and the twins will be here soon with the medicine, but until then, we have to do whatever we can, and right now, that's making sure you don't get sicker. So...please. For me."
Hiccup looked ready to protest again, but when he looked back up at Astrid and then shifted his gaze back to Toothless, he sighed in defeat. "Fine…" he whispered.
"Not a lot," Astrid assured him. "Just a few more bites, and then I'll leave you alone about it for a while and come back later, got it?"
Hiccup nodded silently.
The rest of the day didn't hold anything exciting. Stormfly patrolled the island while Fishlegs and Meatlug kept making sure Hiccup and Astrid were properly supplies and Astrid and Toothless remained with their sick friend. As it turned out, eating even a small bowl of broth had made Hiccup feel at least a little bit better, but it didn't last long, which made Astrid disappointed. It seemed as though no matter what she did, Hiccup's health just kept spiralling downhill.
She knew it would keep doing that, too, if Snotlout and the twins didn't get back with the cure soon. Eel Pox was one heck of an illness. There wasn't any "recovering on your own" thing tied into it. You either got the medicine to cure it, or you kept getting worse and worse until eventually, either permanent brain damage or death resulted.
She didn't want to think about it, but for some reason, it seemed as though she couldn't stop thinking about it. She was worried about her friend. She was really, really, really worried about him, and she was sure it was obvious. There was no hiding it from anyone. Not from Fishlegs, not from Stormfly, not from Toothless, and not even from her other friends.
Because she loved Hiccup.
She didn't know what she would ever do without him.
DO YOU GUYS SEE THAT ON THE HORIZON!? IT LOOKS LIKE...IT LOOKS LIKE...
A CHAPTER 4! This fanfiction is turning out to be longer than I intended it to be...even my chapters are longer than usual! I don't know why! I love writing about a sick Hiccup! I don't know why! Save me, someone! Save me from myself! I have mo BRAKES! I HAVE NO BRAKES! *crashes into mound of feels* AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
So, I'm writing another chapter, obviously, and I probably won't go over five chapters, if I even make it over four. So, ya. Look forward to chapter 4 if you want, review if you want, and if you want to continue reading, I'll see you soon! :D BYYYEEE!
