Author's Note: Yes it's a very short update but I've had a busy week. It starts in a weird place because it is the last chapter continued.

4 months, 2 weeks and 3 days

Astrid hadn't been sure how to react at first. Shock was the first thing to register in her mind. And then the fear that a small piece of her had been torn away for good came, and she just couldn't shake it, like the cold that lingered over the city. Missouri had never been a warm state to live in but the cold was unnerving.

She guessed that she had started crying shortly before Ruff got there and found her sitting on the kitchen floor. She couldn't even speak.

It was all a nightmare coming true.

"You're gonna be okay, Hofferson. Hiccup and Heather will be here soon. They'll take good care of you," Ruffnut whispered. She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around Astrid's waist, allowing her friend to cry into the shoulder of her jacket.

"Please… I-I didn't…" Astrid trailed off, her lower lip quivering.

"Its not your fault. It happens, okay? You're going to be alright," Ruff said.

"No… the baby c-can't be…"

"I don't know." Ruffnut glanced at the clock on the microwave and sighed. "I really don't know."

Astrid nodded and pulled her friend closer with her right arm. Her left arm remained locked over her belly. She inhaled the scent of Ruffnut's hair spray and, for a single precious moment, was at peace.

Then the door opened and she came rushing back to reality. Her baby was dead and it was all her fault.

She felt another pair of arms around her, lifting her up. She didn't open her eyes to look up; she knew it was Hiccup by the sound of his voice in her ear. She could tell by the tremble in his voice that he was close to tears also.

"Oh Gods, Astrid, honey…" Heather whispered. "We're going to get you help. You'll be alright."

"I need someone's phone!" Ruff said.

"I can't find mine… Hiccup?"

"It's in the car," he said. "Let's just go. We're wasting time here."

"But traffic-"

"We don't have time to argue about traffic, Heather!" Ruff shouted.

"I'm just trying to be logical. Don't act like you're so high and mighty, Rachel. At least I'm trying to be useful unlike you," Heather huffed.

"Who sat with her for nearly an hour before you got here? Me!" Ruff said.

Astrid buried her face in Hiccup's shirt. He kissed the top of her head and adjusted his grip under her knees before nudging the door open and walking into the hall. She heard Heather and Ruffnut follow, still arguing.

The short walk to the car seemed longer than usual. Hiccup held her in his lap while Heather climbed into the drivers seat. Ruffnut sat beside her in the passenger seat.

Raindrops danced on the roof of the car as they sat in silence. Hiccup smoothed Astrid's hair with his hand, his own tears soaking into it and making it stick to her forehead.

She never once could force herself to look down. She knew what she would see. Blood, all over both of them. She could feel it running in rivers down her legs and staining his pants, still warm.

Astrid said nothing as she was lifted out of the car. She could see the clinic rising into the grey clouds in front of them as Hiccup walked. Then they were in a large room, all white and blue, and Heather was talking with an older woman in green scrubs holding a clipboard. The woman left and came back a minute later with a wheelchair, which Astrid was seated in.

Astrid kept her arms wrapped around her middle as the nurse pushed the wheelchair down the hallway, wishing she would feel something, anything, that would let her know that her baby was okay. But she knew it was pointless. The blood and the lack of movement… She was kidding herself.

"Alright Astrid, I understand you've been having some issues over the past few days, including bleeding?" Dr. Anderson asked as she came into the room, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

Astrid nodded.

"And for how long?"

"Just today," Astrid said. "I don't know what caused it…"

Dr. Anderson nodded. "Light bleeding is actually fairly common early on in a pregnancy. It could have been caused by a recent exam or the growth or a polyps. But.."

"Is the baby okay?" Hiccup asked quietly.

Dr. Anderson sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. "I do have news. The bleeding can be considered normal, but that is not what I'm worried about." She glanced between Hiccup and Astrid before continuing, "We were unable to find a heartbeat. I'm very sorry."

Astrid inhaled sharply. "But the bleeding, he should be okay-"

Dr. Anderson shook her head. "I don't know what caused the bleeding. But labor will have to be induced to remove the baby. I can get you in for an appointment next Tuesday at earliest," she said.

A choked sob left Astrid's lips. "No… no please, you have to help us!" she cried.

"There is nothing we can do for this baby, Astrid."

"Please! I'm begging you!" Tears streamed down Astrid's face and made it impossible for her to see clearly. She leaned forward and reached for the woman but Hiccup held her arms against her sides. "Please…"

"Shhh…. Y-you're going to be okay. We'll figure this out," Hiccup said, crouching next to the bed.

Astrid turned her head to look up at him. "I just d-don't understand… I did e-everything! I read the b-books and I went to the classes and… I don't know w-where I went wrong…" she whispered.

"It's not your fault. Don't ever think that. Neither of us could done anything to prevent this," Hiccup said. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, his face buried in her neck.

"I-I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

Hiccup nodded, tears running in rivers down his own cheeks.

They must have sat there for hours, holding each other and crying, before a nurse came in to let Astrid know that she had been released from the hospital. Heather and Ruff were silent during the drive home, and didn't argue with her when she went over to Hiccup's apartment. As Hiccup slept beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist, she found herself wishing that she could just fly away. But that was impossible, because the little bird with broken wings had never seen the sky outside of a cage.