This is my FIRST update today, and definitely not my last. Sorry for the no shout-outs that last chapter. So, I'm giving some to you now. :) Shout-outs:
flowingcrane3: Yeah, poor guy. Thank you for your review! :D
xFaerieValkyriex: Yeah, comas are strange things. *shrugs* I think it's kind of crazy how your body can almost shut down and yet you're not dead. It's kind of strange. Yeah, I babble a lot. :D
silverwolvesarecool: YES and he woke up because he heard Astrid's voice and he loves her AAAH. :D
AnimeAngel: Haha! :D
Silver Electricity: Astrid's still after me!? RRRRRUUUUUUNNNN! I NEED COFFEE! *drinks all the coffee you gave me from all previous reviews and such* NOW I CAN FLEEEEEEEEE! YAY!
Wanli8970: Haha! Tell Flara I'm sorry. :)
She couldn't help it. She launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around Hiccup, tears finally shoving past her lids, despite her attempts to keep them back. Hiccup tensed, but only for a second before he hugged her back.
"Three weeks..." Astrid mumbled. "You were in a coma for three weeks. I thought...I thought for a second that...you wouldn't...you wouldn't even wake up."
"Well...I'm awake," he said. Three weeks, though? Had it really been that long? "What happened?"
"You were hit by a car running a red light," said Astrid, pulling away from him. "Most of your body has already healed in the time you were unconscious."
"I guess that's good," said Hiccup. "What do you mean 'most'?"
"Well, I doubt you could be cured from being hit by a speeding vehicle in only three weeks, Hiccup," said Astrid. "That, and there is one major injur..." She cut herself off. No, she didn't want to be the one to tell Hiccup about his leg. She didn't want to see his reaction.
"One major what?" said Hiccup. Astrid mentally screamed at herself. This was it. She had to tell him now that she had him in suspicion. "Astrid, tell me," said Hiccup. She didn't respond. "What is it, Astrid!?" he demanded.
"You..." Before she could answer, her eyes fell on Hiccup's legs. Well, now it was leg, but that was really beside the point. Hiccup tossed the blanket off his lower body and gasped.
"What?" said Astrid. Wow, that sounded dumb, she thought to herself. You couldn't have said something encouraging?
Hiccup swallowed. "I don't have a leg," he said. "No, wait, I don't have a leg..."
"Hiccup?" said Astrid.
"I don't have a leg..." he repeated, his voice absence of emotion. "No, Astrid, I don't have a leg." His voice was growing slightly hysterical, and Astrid wasn't liking it one bit.
"Don't freak out," said Astrid. "Please don't freak out."
"Freak out!?" said Hiccup. "I don't freak out! I'm not freaking out! Are you freaking out!? No, I just...I don't have a leg...I don't...it's...gone." Astrid studied his face, and then realized he had tears falling from his eyes.
"It's gone..." he said.
Then, he pulled Astrid into a hug, and started crying into her shoulder. She didn't know what to do other than just hug him back.
"It's okay," said Astrid.
"No it's not," Hiccup sobbed. "It's not okay. It will never be okay."
He broke down into another round of sobbing, and Astrid felt herself panic. She hated seeing people cry; especially someone close to her. And seeing Hiccup cry just killed her.
"No, it's okay, buddy, don't cry, please," said Astrid.
He found he couldn't stop. He just couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. It was useless. He couldn't stop. Being hit by the car, waking up three weeks later only to learn that he didn't have a leg anymore had just been too much. And now, there was no stopping his falling tears.
"Nothing has changed," said Astrid. "It'll be the same as it was before."
"N-no it won't," said Hiccup, shaking his head. "No it won't. Everything's changed. Nothing's the same."
"Now you see here, Hadley Haddock," said Astrid, pulling him back and holding him by the shoulders. Hiccup waited for her to continue; she never used his real name unless she was serious about something. "I don't care if you have one leg or three," she said.
"I-I know..." said Hiccup. But did he really know? Would he ever be able to walk? Run? Hop? Skip? Would he even be able to stand? What did she mean when she said nothing has changed? "But why?"
"Because you're my friend," said Astrid. "And how many legs you have has nothing to do with it."
"Well..." said Hiccup, "that's good. I suppose..."
"Yeah," said Astrid. She snapped her fingers and stood up suddenly. "Your Mom'll be here in a little bit more than likely," she said. "She's been so worried about you, Hiccup. Well, so have I."
"Sorry I scared you all," said Hiccup.
"It's not your fault," said Astrid. "Wait a minute, I have an idea."
"What are you doing?" said Hiccup, watching as Astrid reached into her pocket.
"Do you want to give your Mother a surprise?" asked Astrid, holding her phone out for Hiccup to grab.
"Sure," said Hiccup. Three weeks without any conversation to his mother. Strange, it felt like it was just yesterday he was waving goodbye to her, watching her leave on the plane...
Wait a minute.
"I thought she was overseas," said Hiccup.
"As soon as Ruff called and told her about the accident, she came right back," said Astrid. "She was terrified. You wanna call her up now?"
Hiccup nodded and gently took Astrid's phone from her. As soon as he took it, he handed it back. "I can't really...see right now," he said. "I don't have my glasses."
"Oh, right," said Astrid. "Here." She took the new ones Valka had picked up two weeks ago and handed them to him. Hiccup put them on, and then took the phone again.
"It's under Valka Haddock," said Astrid.
"Okay, thanks," said Hiccup. He tapped in her name and then clicked "Call." He put it on speaker, and then listened to it ring with bated breath. It only rang one time before Valka picked up.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hey, Mom, it's Hiccup," said Hiccup.
There was a scream on the other line. "HICCUP!" she shouted. "YOU'RE AWAKE!"
Hiccup pulled the phone away, and then looked at Astrid's satisfied expression.
"Yeah, I'm awake," he said.
"Hiccup!" she shouted again. "You're...you're AWAKE! AAAAHHH!"
"Um...yeah," said Hiccup. "Where are-"
"I'm in the car, right now, on my way over," said Valka excitedly. "You're awake..." Hiccup heard a motor start in the background. "How are you doing, Hiccup?" Valka asked over the phone.
"Better than expected," Hiccup answered. "I've missed you."
"Me too," said Valka over the line. "I'll be there in a few minutes." There was a shriek of joy just before the call was ended. Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other, and then laughed.
"See?" said Astrid. "I told you she was worried."
Hiccup smirked. "And now she's probably breaking speed records," he said.