[A/N: This was a fun chapter to write. Sorry it took a while- I have a ton of schoolwork to do. Mostly reading, but still. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this next segment! I'll try to update again soon :) Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it: I don't own Hey Arnold. ]
Helga jerked backwards in shock, tripping over her chair and falling to the floor.
Criminy! He thinks I'm Cecile! Well, not Cecile-Cecile, me-Cecile! I think… Oh man, better think fast…
Helga quickly jumped back up, trying to play off her outburst.
"Oh, umm… oui-oui, Arnold…" she rubbed her neck and looked away, trying to think of her next move.
Arnold clutched his head, his face distorted with pain. "What happened?"
Helga looked back up at him, "You were in an accident, Arnold… and it was pretty bad…" Her voice was quiet.
"Oh…"
Helga inhaled deeply. "Yeah, you umm… you've actually been in a coma for a while now. Something about bleeding in your brain and pressure and…" Her voice hung in the air as she couldn't quite verbalize her thoughts without showing how upset the whole situation had made her.
Arnold was contemplative. Looking around at the equipment he was hooked up to and the now yellowing bruises and shrinking scabs on his arms, he leaned back against his pillow. Despite having woken up from what appeared to be a deep sleep, he actually seemed really tired.
What do I do now? Should I go? He isn't saying anything. Maybe if I go now he'll forget I was here.
Helga barely had the chance to think about leaving for a moment longer before Arnold spoke to her again.
"You came all the way back here to see me?"
He thinks you're Cecile, Helga. Play along. Criminy, he must have really hit his head hard; I'm not even in disguise!
"Umm, well ya know… I was in the neighborhood and…"
Arnold smiled at her. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again…"
"Well… here I am?" I am so lame! This is going to end badly, oh man, is this going to end badly…
"Yeah…" Arnold's gaze shifted downward. "So where did you go?"
"Oh, I've been… around… I guess…"
"Really?" Arnold was puzzled. He hadn't seen Cecile in years. Not since that fateful night at Chez Paris. "Why haven't I seen you?"
Helga's voice softened as she looked at her hands, fidgeting with her fingernails. "I guess you weren't looking hard enough…"
Arnold looked up at the ceiling, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. He was in a hospital, apparently just having woken from a coma, and now the one girl that had mesmerized him years ago had suddenly appeared at his bedside. Who is this girl? Why is she here now?
"I know you said before that you couldn't tell me…" Arnold broke the silence, returning his gaze to Helga as she looked up at him. "… but I'd really like to know who you are?"
No, no, no! I need to get out of here. Now it's bad!
"Actually Arnold, I-I shouldn't be here… I'm really sorry… I should go," Helga turned abruptly, heading for the door.
"Wait!" Arnold called after her. She paused with her hand just over the doorknob. "Please don't go…"
Helga's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't just leave him, could she? She felt torn inside. Her secret felt like it was moments from being revealed but at the same time, he was so vulnerable right now… and he was probably scared, too. After everything he'd been through, the least she could do was stick around for a little while. She slowly turned back around to face him but her gaze fell to the floor as she avoided his eye contact. Sighing deeply, she walked back over to the bed and sat down in the chair.
"I won't ask again…" Arnold was still watching her, hoping she'd look back up at him. "I'm just… well, I'm really glad you're here,"
Helga actually smiled as she finally met his gaze. "Yeah, Arnold… me too."
The two were quiet for a minute before Helga spoke up again, "I should probably go tell someone that you're awake… you're kind of a big deal right now, ya know,"
Helga stood up, her eyes never disconnecting with Arnold's. She felt her heart race as she tentatively patted Arnold's hand and walked back to the door, peering through the blinds first to make sure no one she knew was outside.
The area was clear so she left the room and approached the nurses' station to inform them that Arnold had finally woken up. One of the doctors and a couple nurses quickly hurried into Arnold's room to check on him while Helga stood back watching. As involved as she wanted to be, she couldn't help but periodically poke her head around the doorframe to make sure no one from her class or Arnold's family was on their way to see him. That would cause problems, unquestionably.
The doctors finished with Arnold, checking his vitals and his state of mind, and left the room.
A nurse with long, straight blonde hair stopped to tell Helga, "He's fine, sweetie. Perfectly aware of his surroundings and it doesn't look like his mental capacity has been altered at all!" She smiled and patted Helga on the shoulder.
Yeah, except for the fact he's looking at me, Helga G. Pataki, and thinks he's seeing Cecile…
They were alone again. Arnold was sitting up, sipping from a glass of water that'd been sitting on the nightstand. Helga shifted her feet uncomfortably, wringing her hands together behind her back.
"Arnold, I really should go now. I'm glad you're awake… really glad… but I have… homework to do… so, umm…" Helga's head was still tilted down as she glanced up at Arnold in his bed.
"Okay," he obliged. Helga started to walk back out before he stopped her again.
"Could you umm…" Now Arnold looked a little nervous himself. "Could you come see me again tomorrow? The doctor said I still have to stay here for a few more days… for observation. I know my other friends and my grandparents are gonna want to see me but… well, I was hoping I could get to talk to you more, too…"
Helga's heart skipped another beat. "Yeah," she cleared her throat. "Umm, sure. I could do that…"
"Great," Arnold smiled at her again and Helga felt like her knees would buckle right then and there.
"Okay, uh… 'tress bean'… see you later, Arnold,"
. . . . . . . .
Back at home, Helga was pacing back and forth in her room, trying to come up with a plan for tomorrow.
"Okay, I can't just walk in there like normal. That's way too risky. Do I still have that dress?"
Helga went into her closet and found the dress she'd worn on Valentine's day two years ago. She held it against her body in front of the mirror. She'd gotten taller in those two years and her body was starting to fill out.
Oh, please fit. Please, please fit…
Helga fought to squeeze herself into the dress. She got it on but it was a bit more snug than it'd been before and the hemline came up higher. She analyzed the image staring back at her in the full-length mirror. It didn't look bad but it definitely accentuated her developing curves. And the hemline wasn't too high; just high enough to hit a few inches above the knee.
I guess I can work with this… it could be worse. At least I don't look like a hooker.
Helga stripped the dress off and redressed in her normal clothes before hanging the Cecile dress in the front of her closet.
I can't believe I'm gonna do this again…
Helga crawled onto her bed and lay on her stomach with her head resting against her crossed arms. This was definitely going to be interesting. She knew it was going to be risky going into the hospital as Cecile. Sure, she'd pulled off the disguise before but what if someone recognized her? She knew Gerald wouldn't since he'd been fooled before… unless he'd somehow wised up in the past couple years. But what if someone else saw her? Or worse, what if Arnold recognized her, as Helga, after all?
Helga groaned and rolled over, weighing her options in her head.
She wanted to be with Arnold so badly, especially now that he was okay. Or seemed so, at least. She'd been so worried about him and now to know that he was going to be fine just made her want to hug him and never let go. She'd come so close to losing him, it seemed. Maybe it was time to reveal her secret. They always say that you should tell the ones you love that you love them because you may not get the chance one day. Arnold had had his close call. Maybe this was a sign that Helga needed to express her true feelings to Arnold before it was too late? He deserved to know, didn't he?
Helga rolled her eyes at herself.
And that is exactly why I'm going to see him again… in disguise… as Cecile…
. . . . . . . .
The next day at the hospital, Arnold's grandparents and Gerald had come to visit.
"You really had us goin' there, Shortman," Grandpa explained. "You really took a whoopin' in that accident!"
"What happened exactly?" Arnold looked at Gerald in his wheelchair, one leg propped up in a cast, before returning his gaze to Grandpa.
"Well, you boys were in a car accident. A drunk driver ran a red light and hit you guys,"
"Jamie-O got a concussion and I broke my leg," Gerald interjected, gesturing to his cast.
"But the truck hit your side of the car, Arnold, so you got the worst of it. That's why you have all those bandages on your head: they had to do surgery and put you in a coma 'cause of the pressure in your noggin! Oh I tell ya, you had practically the whole dang neighborhood worried about you. Even your one little friend, you know, with the pink bow and the one eyebrow?"
"Helga?" Arnold and Gerald's incredulous response came in unison.
"Yeah, that's her. She was in the waiting room the night of the accident. She sure looked upset. Why, I've never seen that girl so quiet. And then she was here every day after that, too. Strangest thing, she never came in the room. She's an interesting friend you have there, Shortman. But yesterday your Grandma and I left early thinkin' maybe she'd go in and see ya if we weren't there. Sure enough, she did. As soon as we turned the corner, she was walkin' through your door."
Arnold's mouth was agape for a minute before turning into a soft smile.
Gerald's eyes were wide with surprise.
"You're kidding, right?"
"Oh no," Grandma spoke. "Miss Eleanor was here every day. Very sweet, actually," She smiled to herself knowingly.
"Well, anyway Arnold. We should get going now. It's almost eight o' clock and you could probably use your rest. We'll come back and see you again tomorrow," Grandpa stood up and Grandma followed.
"I'll see you later man," Gerald and Arnold said good-bye with their infamous handshake before Grandpa wheeled him out of the room with Grandma lagging behind.
"Goodnight, Kimba," she smiled at him again.
"Bye Grandma,"
The door closed and Arnold was alone.
I can't believe Helga was here… Why would she come see me? I thought she hated me…
Arnold didn't have much time to mull over his thoughts before he heard his doorknob turning again.
She came in discreetly, as if she didn't want to make a large commotion. A tiny pink bow sat atop her head with long blonde waves cascading down and over her shoulders, giving a soft look to her face. Some of her hair was swooped to the side, covering an eye and giving her a mysterious look. The dress she wore was stunning on her slender, feminine body and was accentuated by a pair of strappy pink heels. Where had he seen shoes like that before? Where had he seen her before?
I have a red shoe like that from when… I… wait a minute…
Arnold recognized that dress. And the shoes, though a different color, were eerily similar to a shoe he'd held onto for the past few years, hoping he might find her again. He felt like he was having déjà vu.
All of a sudden something clicked in his head. Like wheels and gears in an abandoned factory that had finally begun to turn, creaking and grinding with age and rust but moving nonetheless.
Her eyes were soft, sincere, and vulnerable as she looked around the room, avoiding Arnold's gaze before she slowly looked up at him.
His jaw was practically on his chest as he stared in wonder. She slowly approached him, wringing her hands together and breathing deeply.
Helga felt her heart pounding and sweat beading at the base of her neck.
Oh man, why is he so quiet?
"Umm, hi Arnold. I-I came back… like you asked…" she shifted in place.
Arnold's mouth had gone dry so he closed it, shaking his head and gulping.
"Helga!?"