Can't Hold On

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    "Hiccup, a little help please," Astrid said with a chuckle and reached out her hands.  He laughed and pulled her up.  She was almost eight months pregnant and getting up was not exactly easy anymore.
    "You're sure you don't want to sit this one out?  It's just a regular meeting, nothing major," Hiccup suggested.
    "I want to do as much as possible while I still can.  After the baby comes I'll have to stay home for awhile, and you know I hate that."  She looked down as if she was embarrassed by what she was going to say next.  "And, this might sound cheesy but I want to be with you.  Once the baby's here it won't just be the two of us anymore.  Of course I'm excited about the baby, but I'll miss having you all to myself too."  Hiccup smiled and kissed her forehead tenderly.
    "Well then, shall we?"  She nodded and the two walked hand in hand to the Great Hall.  Hiccup helped Astrid get to a table before going to talk to people.  After awhile, Astrid started feeling sharp pains in her stomach.  She tried to ignore it, but it kept getting worse and worse.  Then she felt a gush and something running down her legs.
    "Hiccup," she said quietly, not wanting to attract too much attention to herself.  He was beside her but in the middle of talking to someone and didn't answer.  "Hiccup," she tried again, a little louder this time.  The pain was increasing and she was almost in tears from trying to hide it.
    "Astrid, just a minute," Hiccup said quickly, barely looking at her at all.
    "Hiccup," she said as loud as she could manage and grabbed his arm.  He turned around and his expression immediately changed.
    "Astrid what's wrong?" He asked anxiously.
    "It's the baby, I think my water broke."  His eyes widened when he saw the liquid dripping to the floor.
    "Can you walk?"
    "I can try."  He helped her stand up, but she almost immediately doubled over in pain.
    "It's okay, I gotcha," he said tenderly and picked her up, being careful not to cause her any pain.  He headed home has quickly as possible, calling for his mom and Ingrid before leaving the Hall.  They ran ahead and started getting everything ready for Astrid and the baby.  They helped her lay down and she screamed.
    "Astrid, you need to breathe," Ingrid said gently and put a cold cloth on her forehead.  "The baby needs to get as much oxygen as possible."  Astrid nodded but the tears didn't stop.  Hiccup sat on the bed beside her and grabbed her hand.
    "You can do this, Astrid," he said reassuringly.  She shook her head.
    "I can't stop it!" She cried.  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  It's too early for the baby to come but I can't stop it!"
    "Astrid it's not your fault," Hiccup assured her.  "The baby is just excited to see the world.  And I was the same way remember?"  She laughed a little.
    "It looks like we'll have a mini Hiccup," she said and slowly started to calm down.
    "I don't think the world is ready for another of me," Hiccup laughed.
    "Well ready or not, the baby will be here very soon," Valka interrupted.  "Astrid, you're only a few more contractions away from being able to push."  The couple's eyes widened in shock.
    "Already?!" Hiccup exclaimed.
    "She must have started contracting before she realized what it was," Valka said with a shrug.
    "I thought it was just strong kicks."  They couldn't help laughing a little at that.
    "That just proves how strong you are.  You went into labor without even knowing it," Ingrid said proudly.
    "To bad I couldn't give birth without knowing it," Astrid replied before feeling another contraction.  She squeezed Hiccup's hand tightly until the contraction was over.  "Who's bright idea was it to have a baby again?"
    "It wasn't exactly planned if I remember correctly," Hiccup replied and kissed her forehead while Ingrid checked how close she was to pushing.
    "Please tell me this is almost over," Astrid said, exhaustion evident in her voice.
    "One or two more contractions," Valka said with a gentle smile.  Those two contractions seemed to take forever but they finally came and she was ready to push.  She pushed as hard as she could and practically broke Hiccup's hand in the process.
    "Thor this hurts!"
    "You're almost done, the head is out," Valka said and handed Hiccup a new cold cloth to keep Astrid from passing out.  "Alright now push as hard as you can."  She nodded, took a deep breath and pushed.
    "Keep going!  You're almost done!" Ingrid exclaimed excitedly.  Astrid kept pushing but she couldn't help screaming in pain.  Suddenly it was over, and a new high pitched scream filled the room.
    "It's a girl!" Valka exclaimed and wiped off the new baby girl before laying her on Astrid's chest.
    "Oh she's beautiful, Hiccup," Astrid said, tears of joy filling her eyes.
    "She's perfect," Hiccup agreed and rested a hand on his daughter.  He couldn't quite believe she was really his.
    "Congratulations," Ingrid said shakily, trying to hold in her own tears.  This was her first grandchild and she was so thankful that she got to help bring her into the world.  "Hiccup, would you like to cut the cord?"  He looked down at Astrid and nodded.  Ingrid showed him where to cut and assured him that he wouldn't hurt either of them.  He carefully cut the cord and the two women left the new parents alone with their daughter.
    "I can't believe it," Astrid said softly.  "She's really here and she's healthy even though she came early."
    "That just proves that she's a warrior like her mommy," Hiccup said and kissed her tiny head gently.  She opened her eyes and looked up at her parents for first time.
    "Hiccup, look at her eyes.  They're beautiful."
    "She definitely has your eyes.  What should we name her?"  Astrid looked down at her baby and thought for a moment.
    "Zephyr.  It means west wind and that's what brought us to New Berk and she's the future of the village.  I think it fits her too."  She finally let him hold her even though she didn't want to, but it was almost worth it to see the expression on his face.
    "It's perfect," he said with a smile.  "And so are you.  Both of you."

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