Riders of B E R K

Part 43: The Hatching Pit

The Hatching Pit

I was exhausted when I was finally allowed off duty. It had been crazy since the end of the battle, with dragons, casualties and corpses all jostling for attention.

We had sustained casualties in the attack: two severely injured with gunshot wounds, two hit with Aurisdraconis darts and critically ill and three lesser gunshot wounds. Apart from the unconscious Skrill, all the dragons were fine and Mulch was beside himself in quiet joy at being reunited with Blanche. Hiccup was relieved to be back with Toothless once more.

It had been hectic before we left: I was working with Fish, Ruff and Bucket to stabilise the injured for transfer while Snotlout and Eret had swept the base and secured the perimeter. Hiccup had taken Tuff and downloaded everything from the system he needed before wiping the evidence from computers, security cameras and any other devices. Then Tuff had set some charges and blown the remains of the building to hell.

We had taken the corpses of Alvin and Dagur with us when we returned to BERK. Dagur went on the morgue with his twin brother while we put Alvin's remains on ice as well. Hiccup and I both felt this was one for the General to discuss with our backers. To be frank, it was way above our pay grade.

Hiccup, Snotlout, Gustav and I had flown back with the four most seriously wounded because our dragons were the fastest. But even so, one was becoming very unstable by the time we hit the main garage and I had to hand over to and help the waiting trauma teams when we arrived. I snatched a quick glance across at my boyfriend and he gave me a reassuring nod before I turned back to intubate the security guard as he crashed.

The infirmary had been hectic with the volume of casualties. Gothi had gone into surgery with the major gunshot wounds leaving Ragnar and I running the rest. Both the Aurisdraconis victims were intubated and in a coma and the minor injuries were relatively straightforward but time-consuming. At one point I thought I saw Hiccup having his wounds treated by the techs but I was suturing. When I looked up, he was gone.

Back at my room, I dumped my flight suit-I had changed into scrubs on arrival-and cast my bed a longing look. But I wanted to check Hiccup was okay so I dragged myself down the hall. Pausing, I rapped on his door but there was no answer: he was probably asleep...but then I recalled the look on his face after he shot Dagur and I knew he didn't want to be alone.

"Location of Commander Haddock," I murmured into my com.

"Commander Haddock is in stairwell B," came the computerised voice. I glanced around and then headed for the stairs. It was the set closest to my room actually, though I had wandered down the flight by the infirmary in my exhausted daze. I opened the door and peered on. I saw him immediately. He was sitting on the top stair, his feet two steps down and his body resting against the bannister. I stared at him: his head was bowed and he was breathing slowly, heavily. I hoped he was asleep and felt guilty because he was waiting for me.

"Hiccup?" I asked gently. He jerked and his eyes snapped open, the forest green depths momentarily startled before they swung up to stare at me-and then he smiled. His bruised face warmed with the expression and I lunged forward to wrap my arms around him as he rose and embraced me fiercely. His lips found mine, fierce with need and I returned the kiss desperately. Finally, we broke and I hugged him tightly, feeling his head nuzzle my shoulder as his lips ghosted my cheek again. "Why are you here?" I asked him softly. He sighed.

"I was waiting for you but I thought it was seriously pathetic to just sit outside your door like a homeless kid," he murmured, his tone embarrassed.

"So you thought you'd wait for me at the top of the stairs..." I murmured, a small smile on my lips. He sighed.

"Um...yeah...not quite as publicly pathetic," he sighed as I looked up into his face. There was sorrow in his eyes-exactly what I expected. Hiccup was a good man, a generous, kind, patient human being. He had suffered way beyond where most would have broken but he had finally killed Dagur, his worst tormentor, only because the man was trying to murder me. He killed Dagur for me, not for himself, though he had suffered so horribly at the man's hands. And he felt horribly guilty at the act. I pressed my hands against his cheeks and forced him to stare into my eyes and smiled gently.