Part 4: Frustration

When Hiccup got the call from the hospital he canceled his meetings for the day and rushed over to Berk General as quickly as he could with mid-day traffic.

He walked briskly into the ER and to the nurses' station. "Excuse me, I was called for Astrid Hofferson? I was told she was in an accident," Hiccup asked the nurse on duty.

"Are you a family member?" The nurse questioned.

"No, I'm her roommate," Hiccup answered while worrying. "Is she alright? The person on the other end didn't tell me what sort of indecent it was."

"Sir, you'll need to take a seat for now while I check for you," she told him. "I don't see you on her emergency contact list so I will need to ask her attending physician."

Hiccup sat in between others in the waiting room as the nurse walked away with a file. Worry was eating at him and he wondered what the hell could have happened. Astrid had been fine when she left for work that morning. More than fine really. There had been a skip in her step.

Hiccup had to wait for about 40 minutes before the nurse motioned for him. She was standing next to a rather built man in a lab coat. "This is Dr. Grimborn," the nurse introduced. "He's Miss Hofferson's attending physician and will fill you in on the details."

Hiccup followed after the doctor who was holding a chart. "Miss Hofferson came into the ER this morning around eight o'clock with severe first-degree burns to her face and neck. We of course informed her emergency contacts but their arrival only agitated Miss Hofferson more." Here Hiccup frowned. "As she became increasingly violent we had to sedate her to avoid further injury to her parents."

"Wait what?" Hiccup asked. He wasn't sure if he had heard that right. Though he isn't all that aware of her family situation he has known that over the past three days Astrid had said that she and her parents were not quite on speaking terms.

"Before my patient passed out she asked one of the nurses to grab her phone and contact you," The doctor stated.

"Do you know what.... Caused the burns?" Hiccup asked.

"Some scalding liquid, either coffee or tea must have been thrown at her face. That was what the EMTs informed us. The police should know more about the matter. They are waiting to interview Miss Hofferson as soon as she gains consciousness. I would rather she has some calming presence near her."

"What do you mean I can't sit in the room with my daughter?!" The question came from an older blonde woman that was glaring at a security guard barring them entrance to a room. Hiccup's eyes widened as the doctor turned right into that hallway and headed straight for the woman and middle-aged man he now noticed next to her.

"Mrs. Hofferson, how many times must I repeat myself? Your presence was anything but comforting for your daughter. She is my patient and I will not have her in an agitated state," Hiccup swallowed as he realized that these must be Astrid's parents and he kicked himself for not noticing the resemblance sooner.

"Mister Haddock, if you please," The doctor indicated for the security guard to let Hiccup enter. As the door closed behind Hiccup he could hear Astrid's mother ask "Why does he get to go in?!"

"Hiiiyaaaa Hiccyyyy...," Astrid managed to slur. She was awake, though quite a bit groggy. The nurse that was setting a new IV back tried to hide her smile and act professional. "They gave me the goooooood stuff!"

"The good stuff?" Hiccup questioned.

"Morphine," The nurse replied before checking if Astrid was comfortable. Doctor Grimborn came inside the next minute along with two detectives.

"Viiiiggggoooooo," Astrid mumbled.

"I see the pain medication is working," the doctor said as he checked her chart while the nurse left, probably to check on some other patients.

"Miss Hofferson, Detectives Alvin and Mildew," they introduced themselves. "Are you feeling up to answering some questions for us? Your coworker gave us her statement and we've reviewed the security footage from your office as well. We would just like to ask you a few questions to fill in the blanks."

"Miss Hofferson, your colleague informed us that the man that assaulted you claimed to be your soulmate. Is this true?" Alvin asked while bringing out his notebook. Hiccup's eyes widened and he looked from the detectives back to Astrid's bandaged face. Astrid nodded while taking Hiccup's hand in hers as if for support.

"Yes, Eret Eretson," Astrid muttered while grimacing in pain. "The son of a snot-nosed troll he is," she grumbled.

"Could you tell us a bit more about the altercation? Your coworker had left you two to talk so she could not enlighten us on what led up to the incident," Mildew questioned.

"Perhaps...," Alvin now looked at Hiccup and their entwined hands. "Are you perhaps her lover?"

"No... NO!" Hiccup quickly stated. "I'm her roommate,"

"I met Hiccup after I broke it off with Eret," Astrid stated. "Did you think I was sleeping around?"

"No, sorry, we have to ask that." Alvin apologized. "We sometimes have cases where people are already in a relationship and they find their soulmates. Most of those incidents revolve around jealousy,"

"Eret never once cared for me," Astrid tried to laugh at that notion but she just ended up coughing. The doctor steadied her and then offered her a glass of water.

"But you are soulmates, yes?" Alvin questioned.

"That man got it into his head that I'd be there forever so he figured I'd put up with whatever he did. He never cared. Not once in the three years that I've known him did we spend Snoggletog together. He can't even remember our anniversary." Astrid managed to utter.

"So the fight pertained to you leaving him?" Alvin then questioned to which Astrid nodded.

"He wanted me to come back but just to clean the apartment we shared 'cause his parents were bitching at him how dirty it was," she huffed. "I refused, he got angry and the next thing I know he throws tea on me and runs away,"

"Will you be pressing charges?" Mildew asked. "Your parents outside stated that no charges should be filed since it was an accident,"

"Thah fuck!" Astrid exclaimed only to start coughing again.

"Gentlemen I think perhaps you need to leave now. I'm sure you can interview my patient further at another time," Viggo stated.

Both Alvin and Mildew nodded and left but not before placing their business cards on the nearby table.

"Miss Hofferson please do not resort to violence," Doctor Grimborn uttered. "We already had to remove many of the sharp objects from this room as a precaution."

"When will she be able to go home doctor?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, given the state of her injury I would like to keep her here for two more days of observation. The burns are severe but not severe enough that they would require skin grafts. However, her bandages need to be changed at regular intervals and the burned area needs to be monitored for infection."

"Should I get some of your clothes and bring them to you?" Hiccup asked to which Astrid nodded.

"Miss Hofferson is currently staying at your address am I correct?" the doctor asked.

"Yes...,"

"Then you will need to fill out some paperwork for us. Her emergency contacts had no knowledge of her current residence. Also when you get home Miss Hofferson please apply a generous amount of sunscreen to the affected area for a few months. Direct sunlight will be a detriment to healing as the skin will still be tender."

When the doctor left Astrid turned towards Hiccup. "Hiccup thanks for doing this," Astrid tried to smile but she grimaced instead.

"It's fine Astrid, really. Though could you maybe tell me if there are any essentials you need besides a change of clothes?" Hiccup asked nervously.

When Hiccup stepped foot out of the hospital someone called out to him with a "HEY YOU! YEAH, YOU BOY!" He turned and frowned when he noticed that it was Astrid's mother who was now walking towards him. Several heads turned upon Hiccup being called so loudly in front of the hospital but most people went about their day again. The person that seemed to be Astrid's father trailed behind his wife passively. It felt as if he had given up on reigning her in long ago.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Hiccup asked as the woman got closer. He really shouldn't have answered and he'll probably regret it soon but also not answering would be rude as well and might set the lady off even more.

"Who are you?!" Astrid's mother demanded to know once more as she stopped just in front of him.