If it's so simple, why doesn't it have a simple answer?
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. Oh, the pain.
Goodbye to Helga Chapter 1: The Checkup
There was never a busier day in the city of Hillwood.
Everyone in PS. 118 was having their weekly checkups and vaccine shots. There seemed to be a bug going around this time of year and you can never be too careful. Students were standing outside the nurse's office for what seemed like all morning. Finally, the blonde girl with pigtails a.k.a. Helga G. Pataki was the last one after her best friend, Phoebe.
"All right, Miss Pataki. I'll need you to let me check your heartbeat." Nurse Shelley said, preparing her stethoscope.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The ten-year-old scowled, pulling down the front of her shirt collar, revealing her bare chest. Helga's attitude had changed rather drastically after the events of FTi. Her temper seemed more controlled now and calm. She and Arnold were nice to each other most days after that "heat of the moment" thing.
Helga winced as the incoming coldness of the metal stethoscope gave her a shiver down her body. She sat back and took it. She noticed Phoebe smiling at her from behind the curtain. Helga shot her a blank expression instead.
"Hmm, everything seems to be in order." Nurse Shelly said. "You're just about done, Helga."
Helga nodded her head, taking the removed stethoscope into her hands and observing it curiously. "So, doc, can I get outta here or what?" She asked.
"Not yet, Helga," She replied, taking the stethoscope from Helga."I still need to see how your breathing pattern is."
Helga sighed, feeling as though she'll never get away. She lifted up the fron of her dress, revealing her stomach and underwear. She blushed. It was the nurse's job, but she felt so awkward in the process.
"Now breathe in." She instructed Helga to do.
The ten-year-old obeyed and did what she asked.
"And breathe out." She said.
Helga let out a tired exhale and relaxed.
The nurse examined Helga's stomach very closely and gasped. "Oh, my," She could barely finish her sentence, seeing the giant black mark on the child's stomach. No, it couldn't be.
Nurse Shelly rushed towards her computer and turned back to look at the mark on Helga's tummy. "Oh, dear, oh, dear." She kept repeating over and over. Phoebe stood worriedly from behind the curtain and walked to stand over near Helga.
The nurse typed for what seemed like the longest time until Helga broke her train of thought.
"Yo, Doc, can I leave or what?" She asked with a huff.
The nurse then walked back over to Helga slowly and knelt down to her level. "Helga," She started. "How long have you had that black dot on your stomach?"
Helga raised her brow and leaned her head down to look at her belly. Sure enough, there was a huge black mark near her bellybutton. "Oh, that. I don't know, about five or six years?" She figured. The truth was she didn't know how long it was there, but it's not like it could cause any damage to her body, right?
"Helga... I'm afraid you're going to have to go to the hospital." The nurse said.
Without haste, an ambulance quickly showed its way through the back end of PS. 118. Students all gathered around to see what the commotion was all about. Helga was laying on a gurdle, a blanck expression on her face as she didn't know what the heck was going on. The paramedics, pushing her gurdle, heaved through the surrounding crowd of children. She was soon hoisted up into the loading part of the truck, ready to be driven off to the hospital. Phoebe quickly followed after her, telling the driver that she wanted to come and see about her best friend.
Arnold saw all the commotion and got there just in time to see the van pulling off and the person who was in it. "Helga!" He called out to her, but he only got a smile and a wave from her because she thought this would all be over soon. And besides, she liked having this much attention from the other kids and especially Arnold. The truck drove off with the siren wailing and the sound fading as it got farther and farther away from the school.
"Go to the hospital, Helga. There may be something wrong, Helga." She sat there on her bed, complaining and mocking Nurse Shelly. "Hmph, there's nothing wrong with me. I'm strong as an oak. I'm Helga G. Pataki for cripes' sake." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Before long, the doctor came in along with Phobe looking teary-eyed. The doctor looked really stern for some reason and it bothered Helga. "Well, what's the diagnosis, Doc?" She asked him.
The doctor looked down to study the floor. "Helga, I don't know how to put this, but... you have cancer and given how long that mark has been there... you have 24 hours to live." Dr. Devance said slowly.
Helga's eyes widened at this. She was utterly speechless. Is she really dying? "24 hours?" Helga was able to say.
"Oh, no, Helga!" Phoebe's eyes were tearing up and wrapped her arms around her best friend's torso. How could her best friend die like that? This wasn't fair.
"Oh, Phoebe, I'm going to die, I'm going to die." She buried her face in Phoebe's hair.
"Helga, please listen. At first you'll feel no pain at all until sometime tomorrow evening when your heart suddenly stops." Dr. Devance explained, drying some of his tears. "But in the meantime, you're going to be expected to go through five stages. The first one is Denial."
"No way, because I'm not dying." Helga denied as she shot up from her best friend's grasp.
"The second is Anger." Dr. Devance listed.
"What? Grr-Ahh!" She growled, pulling on her pigtails.
"And after that comes fear."
Helga's expression changed to a worried one. "What's after fear? What's after fear?" She asked over and over.
"Bargaining." He simply replied.
Helga walked up to Dr. Devance, pulling him by the collar. "Doc, you gotta get me out of this. I'll make it worth your while." Helga tempted him.
"And finally... acceptance."
"Well, we all gotta go sometime, right?" Helga shrugged.
The doctor fixed his glasses. "Miss Pataki, your progress astounds me, but I'd advise you to do something to ease the pain."
"Anything, Doc." Helga said.
"Make these last few hours your best." The doctor whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone. And Helga, to make the news less hurtful to your friends, don't tell any of them." He advised her as he walked out of Helga's room.
Helga rubbed her forehead. "Oh, Crimeny, this is going to be just like the time I thought I had Monkeynucleosis." Helga noticed Phoebe sitting in the corner, sobbing her little eyes out over her best friend. She walked over to her and helped her up.
"Helga, you can't die." Phoebe sobbed.
"I know, Pheebs. You're here, my friends and family are here. That place with the cherry gummy bears I love so much are here." She pouted before pausing. "Phoebe, as my best friend in the whole world, I need you to do something for me."
Phoebe looked her in the eyes. "Yes, Helga, anything."
"You heard what the nurse said, don't tell anyone about what you just heard." She informed her before thinking for a minute. "Well, I suppose you could tell Geraldo." She rolled her eyes.
"Thank you, Helga." She said. "And I-I promise."
Helga shot her a sad smile. She held her head up high for her best friend and had on a look of determination. "And I, Helga G. Pataki vow that tomorrow shall be the best day of my life!" She declared, raising her fist in the air. "Now, come on, Phoebe, we've gotta strategize."
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