All right, let's get this chapter done!
About an hour or so later, at the hospital, Phoebe was sitting inside the patient's waiting room as she casually looked around nervously, very much concerned for her best friend. After a moment, a nurse appeared as she looked up.
"Your friend's in bed, all bandaged up." The nurse said as she looked down. "The poor dear... kept flinching a bit every time we tried to apply the bandages."
"Is she going to be okay?" Phoebe asked.
"The physical wounds will heal..." The nurse smiled, before sighing. "It's her mental health I'm worried about, though. She refused to talk to anybody else, she said she wanted to see you."
Phoebe gave a small smile as she looked up. "Does this mean I can see her?"
The nurse paused, before giving a nod. "I suppose so. Come with me, please."
Phoebe got up as she followed the nurse inside the hospital rooms, travelling to each one as some were laying in bed, either waiting for surgery or just bed-ridden for quite a while. Eventually, the nurse nodded as she arrived at the room. She opened the door as Phoebe walked in to see Helga.
The blonde haired girl was now wearing a hospital gown, as to cover her naked body. Her arms will well bandaged up and held up in casts as they were lifted slowly. She seemed to be okay for the most part... but judging from the look on her face, she looked like she had experienced a war. Phoebe approached as she said in a quiet voice, "Helga?"
"Phoebe?" Helga turned her head slightly, looking fearful... but calming down a little upon seeing the familiar face. "Oh thank goodness..."
"I'm... pretty surprised that you would know it's me and not... well... Fifi, the girl who... well, you know..." Phoebe said.
"What can I say? I know a lot of people, but I know the true Phoebe." Helga gave a small laugh.
"Are you feeling okay, Helga?" Phoebe asked her concerned friend.
Helga paused as she looked over, before giving a smile. "Well, I am now. Thanks..." All of a sudden, Helga's face changed as she looked down in anger. "...but you shouldn't have saved my life. Maybe I didn't want it to be saved."
"Helga!" Phoebe gasped. "You don't truly mean that, do you?"
Helga lowered her eyelids in sadness. "I wish I could say I don't."
Phoebe covered her mouth in horror as Helga gave a sigh. "When I got captured by Fifi, I struggled, tried to find a way out... but then things happened... I couldn't move my arms because they were broken, she kept electrocuting me, whipping me... it was torture... the worst part of it is..." She looked down. "I-I'm not... I'm not pure!"
"Not pur-" Phoebe asked... before remembering what she heard the officers say earlier when they went to rescue Helga. "You mean-"
"You heard it here first." Helga frowned. "I've been raped! Humiliated, tortured beyond my wildest dreams. And the worst of it is... I had hope... a lot of hope... but then it all got dashed. Dashed like my dreams. Everything I wanted to achieve in my life is now gone ALL because of him!"
Phoebe looked a little confused, wondering who she was talking about, before her eyes widened. Before she could question any further, both girls heard the door open as they turned to see the nurse letting Gerald in. Phoebe's eyes lit up. "Gerald! What are you doing here?"
"I heard the news bulletin on the radio." Gerald said as he turned to Helga. "And I came here as fast as I could."
"Gerald?" Helga asked in surprise as the boy approached, before giving a sigh of relief. "Oh, for once, am I actually glad to see you!"
Phoebe immediately felt guilt as she turned to Helga. "Helga... I'm sorry. He knows."
"Knows?" Helga raised an eyebrow.
"He... saw the shrine, he knows everything, I had to tell him about it." Phoebe said.
Helga's eyes widened in surprise... before they darkened, lowering her head down. "Honestly, Phoebe, that doesn't really matter anymore. You could tell the world, and I wouldn't lift a finger."
Phoebe looked in surprise as Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Wow... a bit of a dark attitude you're taking, I see. I'm... uh... sorry to hear about what you went through."
"It's fine, Gerald. You weren't the culprit." Helga said, still speaking in a monotone voice.
Phoebe paused as she turned to her boyfriend. "Gerald, did you try and-"
"Oh, that." Gerald sighed. "I tried to go to Arnold's grandparents and tell them what was going on..." The two of them didn't notice Helga wincing at the sound of the name. "...but Phil wouldn't let me in and listen. He kept saying something about taking Arnold out of the city and moving him to the country..."
Helga winced a bit as she shut her eyes. Phoebe, who didn't notice, gave a sigh. "Ugh, this is bad. Lulu lives IN the country, that's just giving Arnold to the bears!"
"Yeah!" Gerald crossed his legs. "But maybe the police can help him change his mind once we try to explain the evidence."
"You know, maybe you're right." Phoebe said as Helga seemed to shake in fury. "Maybe we can still save Arnold before it's too-"
"IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE!"
Gerald and Phoebe jumped as they turned to see Helga, with a furious scowl on her face, her teeth gritting in anger, and if she could move, she would literally punch somebody in the room right about now. Helga growled as she yelled, "Don't you two get it? It's already too late! Lulu ALREADY got to Arnold! Arnold is no longer pure, just like I'M NO LONGER PURE!"
Gerald and Phoebe jumped as Helga frowned, "Yeah, I knew Lulu's true intentions, you don't need to repeat them to me! Because I already know! I... I witnessed it on a video Lulu recorded, just to humiliate me! You should have seen his face! He wasn't uncomfortable, he wasn't feeling bad for anything, he had a smile. A HUGE FREAKING SMILE! ARNOLD WAS ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!"
"Helga..." Phoebe covered her mouth before Gerald frowned.
"He could have just been manipulated into liking her! You don't know that!" Gerald started to say.
"WAKE UP, TALL HAIR BOY!" Helga snapped her head towards Gerald, shutting the boy up. "I saw the video! He wasn't raped, he wasn't even forced to do this... he WILLINGLY done the deed! ARNOLD HAD SEX WITH A RED-HAIRED BITCH!"
She growled as she looked down. "Even saying his name makes me feel pure unadulterated hatred..." She sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Let Arnold be with his bitch. Lulu clearly won. I'm just some pathetic loser with no virginity that might get a job somewhere as a... as a hooker! So just give up on him! Arnold's not worth anybody's time!"
Gerald and Phoebe looked at the girl in surprise as they noted just how broken Helga was, how clearly upset she was. Helga sighed as she turned her head, "Thank you for visiting me, but... I just want to be alone..."
Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other, looking down as they noticed that from the last line she said, Helga was feeling VERY suicidal. Phoebe frowned as she looked back at the down Helga Pataki as she marched over to her. "Helga, do you want to know what I think?"
"What?" Helga said with a venomous feeling in her mouth.
"I think you're giving up on Arnold WAY too easily." Phoebe frowned. "Because you've forgotten one thing."
Helga remained silent as she turned her back, but Phoebe continued on. "YOU'RE Helga G. Pataki! The most ruthless, toughest girl that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting! And while you have had some stumbles, the Helga I know would never let them bug her. She'd go on and continue like nothing happened!"
Gerald's eyes widened as he knew what Phoebe was doing. "I know Arnold... probably... no, most definitely... did bad deeds, but you know what? I may not have known about it until recently, but I know you love Arnold! Heck, after thinking about it, I can see why you wanted to keep your crush on him a secret. But the Helga I've seen would never whimper like a coward! She'd try to fight back against people who stood in her way!"
"So what if Arnold lost his virginity? You just told us you don't have yours either!" Phoebe said. "Was what Arnold did wrong? Yes, most definitely. Is Lulu secretly a manipulative bitch? YES! But the Helga I know would not willingly give up Arnold! He's still the same person, just... lost! And if we let Arnold get lost without us... without you... he wouldn't be Arnold at all."
Helga remained silent as the two of them looked at each other, before Phoebe sighed. "Think about it, Helga. I know change is a little scary, but there's one change that we don't want happening, and that change, if we are correct, could very well be happening tonight! You rest here, Helga and... don't think about doing something... horrible. Come on, Gerald."
Gerald paused as he gave a nod, then followed Phoebe out the door, leaving Helga alone as she stared out the window, seemingly thinking about what Gerald and Phoebe have told her.
A few moments later, just as Phoebe and Gerald were out of the hospital, they noticed one of the officers waiting outside as she paused awkwardly.
"So... how's the victim?" The officer asked in concerned.
"Bandaged up, staying in the hospital... probably for a while." Phoebe said as she looked up. "So, did you find anything interesting?"
"Well... judging by a very... VERY interesting video we watched today..." The officer blushed. "It would appear your suspicions may be right about this Lulu girl. And if she had done it for so long, then she disguised herself very good."
"Then you do realize we need to stop her OR Arnold from leaving!" Gerald said.
"Well, that will be arranged." The officer said as he motioned over to the car. "We'll drive over to the boarding house right away and make sure your friend's grandparents get all the information... and while we're at it, secure Arnold. If you're right and he's not in his right mind... it may take some therapy to get him out of it..."
Gerald and Phoebe looked at each other, before nodding. As they climbed into the car, the officer pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Officer Pudney, this is Officer Jones. Take your unit and stop by the apartment buildings where the Sawyers live. We're going to be taking them in for questioning."
Oh boy... we are now getting closer and closer... next time, Lila's dad drops Lila off at the train station... where she meets up with Arnold. But before she can try to say anything... Lila is going to find that... Arnold is not quite himself, if you know what I mean. You'll see soon enough! Find out next time!