Eventually she agreed to the baby shower a little close to the due date. Lately she has been having a lot of fun getting up under her own power. While she was big, it felt like she was as large as the house itself. Arnold stuck around until the girls arrived in their pajamas on telling them that she is in the bedroom. Making sure that they had everything, Arnold went off to Gerald's to hang out.

With Helga, she told them none of that diaper game of guessing what candy is what. To her, if she did that game she'll never ever eat a candy bar again just imagining it. The girls didn't seem to bring many presents since Arnold and herself went a bit crazy at the store buying her things. She did enjoy the gift cards though. Those were the best. Lanie bought her plenty of diapers.

"Oh I should of bought that for you." Sheena complained as she placed it aside. "Babies go through plenty of diapers."

"Oh gosh. That and the late night feedings." Phoebe added in. "Basically you do it so much that you are in the kitchen doing with your eyes closed. After a while, Gerald and I did rock, paper, scissors trying to decide who will get up."

"I told Harold that I did 5 hours of labor pushing our kids out, you go in there to do it. When he complained I told him that the moment he pushes a child out of his little pee pee hole, then you can win the argument." Sheena told them.

Laughing, Helga placed her hand on her belly feeling like that will bring the baby out. "I'll have to remember that if Arnold tries to pull that on me."

"What about you, Lanie? Want to have kids?" Phoebe inquired as she began nibbling on a carrot.

"Oh I do have one already." Sheena and Phoebe looked up at her in shock. "She's about 12 inches in length and whenever she misbehaves I get to lock her up in a cage. I'm a great parent." Lanie explained.

Laughing, Phoebe laid on her side on the bed right at the foot. "Oh yes, I forgot you have a bird."

"It is a 2 year old for life. I think I'm pretty set there."

Bringing her chair up nearer to Helga, Sheena put a gentle hand on her stomach. "Maybe one day you will."

"Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath right now." Lanie told them. "I do get a certain joy out of saying this to people, 'When my child misbehaves I just put her in the cage.' They all look at me quiet and in shock before I tell them that she's a bird. It doesn't get old."

"Oh you're bad." Phoebe told her before focusing back to Helga. "Have you seen her bird before?"

"Yep. That bird does act like a permanent child. Completely devoted to her until she wants to be rebellious." Helga responded as she felt a craving. "I have a girl that is demanding something. Something I don't want to eat again."

"Oh! What is the weirdest craving you've had? Mines is clams and I can't stand clams. They are so disgusting." Sheena stuck her tongue out as her stomach seemed to turn.

"I didn't crave anything strange for me. Though, Gerald's stomach turns when he sees me eat octopus." Phoebe told them as her eyes seemed to search the room for a missing memory.

Helga hid her face. "Pork chops with peanut butter smothered all over it. Arnold looked like he was about to heave when he saw me come back with the jar to smother it all over. This is what she is craving again. Don't talk to me about dipping my steak in caramel."

Lanie looked sick to her stomach. "That sounds... Yummy! Blech." Hearing the doorbell, Lanie removed herself from the room to answer it.

Feeling her daughter move inside her, Helga rubbed her stomach. "Can't believe that in a few weeks I'll be finally seeing her. We can't wait. It has been such a scary journey and now it is becoming even more surreal. Is this how you guys felt?"

"Mmmhmm. I did want to lay on my stomach after. When I was able to I just turned on my stomach and told Gerald not to disturb me."

Sheena giggled. "I was anxious to look at my feet again. I actually waved to my toes."

Helga laughed. "I'll be happy to move around again instead of being attached to this bed. I mean it is really nice to be lifted up by Arnold, but I want to get up under my own power." Seeing Lanie step back into the room she had this strange look on her face. "What's up?"

"Rhonda is downstairs. She saw the pink balloons outside and got a present for you."

Helga had to consider that knowing that Arnold was still not comfortable with her after all that she did to him, and then later her. "Um she can come up since she is still trying."

Nodding her head, Lanie left the room to retrieve her. Phoebe looked over at Helga in concern. "You sure?"

"Yeah. It would be rude for me to kick her out of here. She is trying still. It is just Arnold won't be thrilled once he finds out." Hearing footsteps coming up, Helga looked over to the doorway to see Rhonda enter inside with a basket in her hands, and looking impossibly gorgeous. "Hey."

"Hello, Helga. Hello, Phoebe and Sheena. It has been a long time." Rhonda greeted trying to act relaxed, but Helga heard the tenseness in her voice. "I saw the balloons as I was driving past and thought I would get you something."

Phoebe stood up saying a greeting to her before taking the basket to place it on the bed. Helga saw it was an assortment of things in it. "Well this was really nice of you. Thanks, Rhonda."

"You're welcome. I wanted to congratulate you. So when is the due date?" Still in her strained voice.

"In a few weeks. I'm pretty close."

Not knowing what to do with her hands with the way she kept moving them around, Rhonda then shifted her feet. "I bet you both are excited."

Helga couldn't help but think of Arnold's smiling face. "We are extremely excited. We can't wait to meet her."

"I would be too. Well I should be off. I just wanted to congratulate you both and give you that." Rhonda started to turn making Helga look at everyone.

"Do you have to?"

"Yes. I know how Arnold still feels about me so I think it is best after all that I've done to him before and then to you after. It is really kind of you to be so nice to me after all that. I actually appreciate it." Rhonda smiled nervously to her. "I do wish you all the best in the world."

Lanie got back up as Rhonda left the room, escorting her downstairs, Lanie followed her outside. "Give this all time. I can see you are really trying."

Rhonda sighed as she looked up. "I wonder if I'll ever have something like this. A man who loves me as much as I love him. I can see how happy they are together. I've seen them in public. I've seen those pictures in the house. He does deserve that."

"They are very happy with one another. Even I wish for that one day. I may get it once I'm ready to get back in there." Lanie cocked her head to her. "Look, since that day I first met you till now, you've improved. You are still trying and that is better then nothing. Just remember that no one is perfect."

"I know that now. My parents still think I was crazy for breaking it off with Lorenzo. I still can't believe the level of guilt I get from it."

"I know they are your parents, but even they don't have a right to treat you that way. There are so many that deserve love. This includes you. Remember that. Always remember that. It is good to also think of yourself, just don't forget about anyone else."

Rhonda smiled at her. "I will. Maybe we can have lunch together."

"Sure. You have my number."

"Yeah I do. I'll call you some time this week." Descending the stairs, Rhonda waved at her as she walked over to her Mercedes.

Watching her drive away, Lanie went to rejoin the party upstairs.

After he arrived home, Arnold went into the nursery to place the diapers away and to straighten things out when he spotted the basket filled with stuff that were far too fancy for their own friends to buy. Walking back into the bedroom, Arnold questioned her. "So who brought the basket over? You told me the gift cards are from Sheena and Phoebe while the diapers were from Lanie."

"Rhonda stopped by. She spotted the balloons out front and went to buy that. She wasn't here for that long." Helga answered wondering what more will he say. "I wasn't going to just turn her away. I think it took a lot for her to do that."

Getting on the bed so he look at her more directly in the eyes, Arnold sighed. "Yes it was nice of her and no it would be rude to do that, but..."

"But what? I know you don't trust her. Even I don't have the biggest trust in her, but at least I see that she's trying. Lanie is the one who talks to her more than myself. Do you trust our own friend's judgment?"

"I do and I know it is nice that she is trying, but it is hard for me after all these years of all her drama. Even when we were together to when I caught her cheating on me. Ugh I still can't get over how she treated you when she first met you. Out of anything that still bothers me the most." Covering his face, Arnold didn't want to do this, but he won't be able to erase it out of his mind. "I fell for you so quickly, Helga. To see her hurt you like that on purpose angered me. I was so afraid I would of lost you because of that. I still can't get it out of my mind."

"I know. I can't either, but I'm willing to try. I may not have that long history together like you do, but I guess even I want to see her happy." She wanted to scoot next to him to hold him, but was a bit stuck in her position. "Lanie told me that Rhonda said you deserve this happiness you are getting from me. She told me it was genuine. Not fake."

"I know. I know. I'll keep trying."

"I know you will, but until then how about I direct your attention to something that I have for you."

Arnold uncovered his eyes to find the front of her pajama top open. Inching closer to her her kissed her. "You are incredibly sexy." Moving her top aside, he couldn't get enough of her. "You've made me the luckiest man around, Helga."

"You've made me a very lucky woman. As for you being lucky... You just wait until our child is out of me because once I bounce back, you better watch it mister." She warned playfully."

"Looking forward to that." Arnold kissed her lovingly.

OH MY GOD! She's almost here. Almost! Eeeeeeee! Yeah I can't wait till then again. Love your reviews.