When Dreams fade 7
Author's Notes: I'm here with a whole new chapter. I love the fact that you guys love this pairing. I have no problems with Helga and Arnold being a couple, and that's one of the reasons that I watch the cartoon. However, I'm different, and I love to write stories that are far from the norm. Thus, I came up with this little idea. I mean it's nice to dream, and want certain things, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes you don't always get what you want. So hopefully you guys/gals can understand why I wanted to write something so different. Personally I like the direction this story is taking, and I'm not just saying that because I wrote the darn thing. If this was someone else's story I would like it just the same, and I hope that you guys like it as well.
Disclaimer: What do you want me to say? Do you want to hear me say that none of these characters belong to me? Well they don't. I don't own nothing. Ya hear me. NOTHING.
Dedications: This chapter is dedicated to Puppiescute, Cam, silver sprite, and everyone else that reviewed. I'm glad that you all like my story. Thanks for sticking around.
Arnold was lying asleep in his bed, when the sound of the telephone ringing woke him up. He immediately knew who it was, because only Gerald had his new phone number. He had called Gerald earlier to tell him about his little run in with Helga, but Gerald hadn't made it back home when he called.
Arnold threw off the covers from his legs, and walked over to the phone lazily. He picked up the receiver, and placed it to his ear. He mumbled into the phone, and he listened, as Gerald started ranting and raving into the phone.
"Hey man. Are you awake? There's something that I wanted to tell you. You're not going to believe it man."
"Gerald it's two o'clock in the morning."
"Look man, something bad has happened."
"Let me guess. You and Phoebe got into another fight?" He said defectively.
"No it's not Phoebe. It's Helga."
"I just saw her today at the grocery market. Didn't you get my message?" He mentioned.
"Really? Actually I haven't checked my messages yet."
"Yeah. We had an argument about two seconds after we saw each other. Did you know that she didn't even know about the letters that I gave Harold to give to her?"
"She's been in an accident Arnold." Gerald said plainly.
"What? That's not funny Gerald." Arnold said as he felt his heart skip a beat.
"It wasn't meant as a joke. I just got through talking to Phoebe, and the hospital called her earlier today. Helga has been in a very bad car wreck, and it seemed like Phoebe was the only one that they could get in contact with. It's pretty bad."
"What hospital is she in?" Arnold said fearfully.
"Memorial Hospital."
"What about Harold? He's supposed to be her boyfriend. Why didn't they call him?"
"Phoebe told me that he had just moved to Dallas, and that they couldn't get in contact with him."
"I guess I'll head out there, before it gets too late."
"Phoebe is going to fly out tonight, and she should be there sometime in the morning. Could you do me a favor man?"
"Yeah what's up man?"
"Could you stay with Phoebes? This whole thing is tearing her apart, and I don't want her to be alone."
"Yeah. Sure. I'll call you if there's any changes."
"Hey Arnold. Are you going to be O.K.?"
"I don't know Gerald. I don't know."
Arnold hung up the phone, and he walked over to his dresser. He pulled out his clothes, and quickly dressed into the first thing that he could. He couldn't believe that Helga was lying in some hospital bed. She was just talking to him hours ago, and now she was severely hurt.
He thought about the things that he said to her, a sudden wave of guilt washed over him. He kept thinking that if he were a bit more polite, maybe she wouldn't have left the grocery store angry. So in essence, he realized that this accident could have been his fault.
He wondered why he had acted so mean to her. It wasn't like it was her fault that she never received those letters all those years ago. If anyone was to blame, then Harold was the one to blame. For some strange reason his emotions got the best of him, and he took out all of his frustrations out on Helga. He had been wrong, and now he felt like as if he'd never have the chance to make amends. He couldn't let things linger the way they were, and he wasn't about to lose Helga twice without revealing his true feelings to her.
There was a reason why he invited her to go to Paris years ago, and that was because he was really falling in love with the skinny girl with pigtails. He loved her then, and deep down in his heart he knew that he still had that love for her.
It literally tore him up inside when she declared her love to Harold. The man lied, cheated and stole to get what he wanted. Harold used Arnold's words as his own, and he in turn got the girl. Maybe this time things will be different. Harold's away in Dallas, but Arnold was right there. That had to count for something. Right?
He may have fought with Helga before she got hurt, but he wanted to make amends. So he quickly dressed and then he grabbed his car keys from his dresser. He then made his way to the hospital, with the hopes of apologizing to her before it was too late. Hopefully Helga would pull through this, and make it out all right.
Harold was on his way back home, after he heard the news of Helga's accident. He had been at his new house in Dallas when his cell phone ranged. Phoebe called him to let him know that Helga was in the hospital. In no time after that he went to the nearest ATM machine, and withdrew some cash for a plane ticket. Fortunately there were still some seats left when he bought his airline tickets.
For some odd reason he kept thinking that he was going to lose Helga, and more than once he had to readjust his thinking. He was positive that he didn't want to lose Helga, but lately it seemed like she was getting further and further from him. He recognized the fact that he had screwed things up with her once before, and he wasn't ready to lose her a second time. He wasn't ready to lose her forever. He loved her, and there was nothing else in his life that meant as much as she did. He wondered if she had been thinking about him when she was in the accident, and that thought was too much for Harold to take. He looked at his palms, and he cried.
It has been two days since the accident, and. Helga was still in the recovery room. Things were still touch and go, and Helga's recovery was uncertain. Arnold and Phoebe were seated in the waiting room of the emergency room, and they were waiting to speak to the doctor. For the past 28 hours Helga had been in the operating room. They didn't know the extent of her injuries, and they were eagerly awaiting any kind of news from the doctor. So they waited.
Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours. There still wasn't any word from the doctor, and before long Harold came running into the waiting room. He scanned the crowded room, until his eyes settled on the dark haired woman with the wire rimmed glasses. He ran up to her, and grabbed her by the arms. He started to shake her roughly, and Phoebe could do nothing but cry.
"Phoebe how is she damn it?" Harold screamed in her face.
"I. I. I." She stammered.
"Tell me now Damn it!" He screamed frantically.
Arnold was on the other the other side of the room when Harold came into the waiting room. For a brief instant his heart stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't expect to him to come this early, and he wasn't the same fat bully that he remembered as a child. He had changed a lot, and he was now more muscular than he had ever been. So the contrast with the muscular man, shaking the petite woman was enough to make Arnold approach his former schoolmate.
"She doesn't know anything man. Why don't you just leave her alone." Arnold said as he approached Harold.
Harold looked around the room, and his eyes settled on Arnold. For a second he felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He couldn't believe his eyes, and so he turned his head to look back at Phoebe. She was still crying, and so he turned his eyes back towards the blonde man. He could do nothing but stare at him, as he made his way to a chair that was along the wall. He sat in the chair, and looked at the man that was responsible for all of this mess.
"What are you doing here?" Harold asked simply.
"Phoebe called me. She told me about the accident."
As if on cue, Phoebe sat down next to Harold. He grabbed her hand, and then he looked into her eyes.
"Phoebes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, but I'm sure you can understand how frustrating this all is. Have you heard anything from the doctors?"
"No. They're still in the operating room."
"Operating room?" Harold said through a batch of tears.
He felt like he was the one that was about to die. How could this have happened? He wanted to believe that this was some terrible dream, and that he would wake up any moment. Helga had to have surgery, and there was a part of him that blamed himself. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that things were going to be all right. He wanted Helga by his side as if nothing bad had ever happened. Why was any of this happening? What did Helga do to deserve this? Harold would be willing to trade places with her if he could, but the chances of that ever happening was pretty slim.
Suddenly a doctor dressed in a white smock, came out of the room. They looked at the doctor as he called out to Phoebe. When Phoebe heard her name, she stood up from her chair and made her way to the doctor. Both Arnold and Harold followed closely behind her, in order to hear what the doctor was saying.
"Is she going to be all right?" Phoebe asked.
The doctor looked at both Harold and Arnold, and then he set his eyes back on Phoebe.
"It's all right. This is Harold, Helga's fiancé, and this is Arnold. He's a childhood friend. So, is there any change? Will she be all right?"
"Helga has sustained some pretty serious injuries. There was some slight trauma to the head, but it's not serious enough to worry about. However, there is one thing that we're really concerned with, and that's the internal injuries that she has sustained. There was some internal bleeding, and we have done everything that we can do in that aspect. She also has two broken ribs, and one of which has punctured a rather large hole in her right lung. Our surgical team was able to successfully suture up the wound, but it's still a matter of time before we'll see any kind of improvement. If things go from bad to worse, Helga may need to be put on a list for a lung transplant. The sooner that this is done, the better her chances will of getting a donor in time. She's been put under heavy sedation, and she'll be out for the next two or three days. She won't be able to have visitors, until she is awake. So it might be a good idea, to go home and get some rest. If there's any changes we'll call you, but if you'd rather stay here then there's no problem with that. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Will she need any more surgeries?" Phoebe asked.
"Helga won't need anymore surgeries, unless her right lung deteriorates."
"Damn it! This isn't happening!" Harold suddenly yelled out.
"Harold I know this is very for you, but I'm positive that Helga's going to be fine. Fortunately she was able to get here early, and we were able to help her the best way that we could. I'm positive that she will be fine. If you have any more questions, then don't hesitate to ask me." The doctor said in hopes of calming down Harold.
"All right thanks." Harold said.
He walked away from the doctor, and took a seat in the same chair that he had occupied earlier. He looked at the doctor, who was now leaving. Then his eyes settled on Arnold. He couldn't believe that the young blonde man was here right now, and he couldn't resist the feeling of jealousy coursing through his body. How could he compete with a man that looked like him? Harold couldn't believe that this skinny little kid grew up to look as good he did. He suddenly realized that he didn't have a chance in hell with Helga, especially with Arnold looking as good as he did. He reasoned that once Helga saw the blonde man, then she would fall in love with him all over again. Harold couldn't take that, and so he stood up. He began walking towards the exit, and then he stopped when heard Phoebe's voice.
"Harold where are you going?" Phoebe asked.
Harold looked at Arnold, who now was standing in a far corner. He suddenly felt tears falling from his eyes, as he continued to stare at Arnold.
"I'm going to go home." He said plainly.
"Why? You just got here."
Harold looked down at his feet, too ashamed of tears falling down his face.
"I can't compete with that."
"Harold what are you talking about?"
"I can't compete with Arnold. She's loved him longer than she's ever loved me." He said quietly.
"That's a bunch of bull, and you know it. You can't just give up now just because Arnold walked through those doors. You're stronger than that, and we both know it. Helga loves you, and I know that because she has told me so. You better not give up on her, because if you do then it was really you that didn't love her." Phoebe said angrily.
"But I do, and that's why I have leave. I want her to be happy, and if Arnold is the one that will make her happy then I won't get in the way."
"Where in the hell have you been for the last ten years? Helga loves you. If you can't see that, then you're one very blind man. If you walk out of that door, then you're not the man that Helga said you were."
"Then what kind of man did she say I was?"
"She said that you were a man that she could always rely on. She said that she could trust you to be there whenever she needed you."
"Well that shows just how much you know. I'm sure she told you that I lied to her."
"I know all about that Harold, but you should leave the past in the past. Don't do this. Helga loves you, and if you leave then that would break her heart."
"I'm sorry Phoebe, but I don't have any more strength left in me for this. I have to leave."
"Fine. Run away. I mean that's what you always do right? When we were kids, and you got hurt what did you do? You always ran home crying to mommy. Isn't that right?"
"I'm not running away Phoebe!" Harold yelled.
All eyes turned to them, and Harold noticed that Arnold was now making his way over to them.
"That's exactly what you're doing Harold! You're running away again, just like the time when you ran away to Dallas."
Arnold stood next Phoebe, and looked at both Phoebe and Harold.
"Phoebe, is everything all right?"
"Yeah, everything's just peachy. Right Harold?" Phoebe said as she walked away.
Arnold looked at Harold, and was at a loss for words.
"I should go." Harold stated.
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two men, and they stood there staring each other. They were mentally sizing up the other, and then Harold turned around to leave.
"You're leaving?" Arnold said as he grabbed Harold by the arm, and turned him back towards him.
"Yes. I'm leaving. When Helga wakes up, could you tell her that I'm sorry?"
"Why would I do a thing like that?" Arnold asked sarcastically.
"Look I'm just asking you do this one little thing for me."
"Just like the time when I asked you to give Helga those letters, and what do you do? It certainly didn't involve you doing what I asked you to do. Now did it?"
"You were just waiting to throw that back in my face. Weren't you?"
"What's wrong? Is the truth actually hurting you?" Arnold asked.
Harold felt his face tighten into a frown, and he felt his hands clenching into a tight fist.
"If you know what's good for you, then you'd better leave me the hell alone."
"Why? So that you can just walk out of here without thinking about anybody's feelings, but your own. Right Harold?"
"Go to hell Arnold. I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you."
"That's right. You don't have to explain a damn thing to me. Just so that you know, I'm here for Helga, and I have every intention of making her mine. You screwed me around the first time, and I'm not about to lose her again to you."
"You've never had her, and you never will."
"That's where you're wrong. One simple touch from me, and I'll have her eating out of the palm of my hands."
"If you even think about touching her, I'll kill you."
"I will make her mine, and I don't have to lie about it either."
"Shut up!" Harold yelled.
"I'm going to do things to her, that she has only dreamed about. Things that you were too afraid to do, and if you think."
Arnold's speech was suddenly cut off, when Harold slammed one of his big massive fists in his face. The punch sent Arnold sprawling across the floor, and Harold was on top of him in no time. He continually threw punch after punch, wanting to ruin his pretty boy face.
Suddenly there were three orderlies trying to break up the fight, and they somehow managed to pull Harold off of Arnold. He struggled to get away from the three men that were now holding him back, and he watched on with heated anger as Arnold stood up.
"That was real mature Harold. Real mature you bastard."
Just then an orderly came into the room with a cart full of surgical supplies, and was in the mist of walking right behind Arnold when Harold stuck out again. Harold broke free from the three men, and then he tackled Arnold to the ground, which sent him careening into the surgical cart. They landed on the floor with a sickening thud, and Harold punched and punched until Arnold was bleeding profusely.
Arnold tried everything that he could to get away from Harold, and he reached out his arms to find something that he could use to fight back. When his hands settled on a silver metal tray, he grabbed it firmly and brought it over Harold's head as hard as he could. Harold stumbled back a little, and then he continued his attack like a mad man.
Arnold noticed that Harold was angered even more, because of his attack on him. He stretched out his hands, looking for some kind of weapon to use on the brute. Finally his hands settled on something round and skinny. He tried to look up to see what item he was holding in his hands, but he couldn't tell because both of his eyes were beginning to swell shut.
However, Arnold grabbed the item as tightly as he could, and then he thrust the item outwardly in Harold's direction. Suddenly, Harold hit him in the nose powerfully instantly breaking it. Arnold lost consciousness, and the orderlies were finally able to break him away from Arnold's broken body.
Phoebe was at Arnold's side in no time, and she tried to get him to wake up. Harold on the other hand was still struggling with the orderlies that were holding him back. At first there were only three men holding on to him, and now there was five men holding him back. He looked on as Arnold regain consciousness, and he became enraged again.
Phoebe looked at Harold, and began to get angry.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm going to kill that bastard!" He shouted as he advanced closer to Arnold taking the orderlies with him. Being a football player had some of its advantages.
"You've done enough Harold. Why don't you just leave? Maybe Helga's better off without you in her life, if you're going to act like some wild animal!"
There was some truth in what Helga was saying, and that fact was something that had managed to hurt him in more ways than one. He calmed down considerably, and he felt the ordlies loosen their grips on him.
"You're right Phoebe. I'll leave. Just tell Helga that I love her, and that I always will. You tell her that for me."
The orderlies suddenly began talking among themselves, and then they were suddenly approaching Harold again. Harold noticed them approaching him, and he threw out his hands defensively.
"I'm leaving. I'm leaving. You don't have to worry about me."
"Look we need you to sit down for one minute."
"Look, I'm fine. I said that I was going to leave, and that's what I'm going to do."
"But sir, we need to."
"I'm leaving!" Harold yelled.
Suddenly Harold started to feel funny. He felt a sudden rush travel to his head, and he became somewhat dizzy. He stumbled backwards, but one of the orderlies caught him from behind. Harold couldn't understand why he was feeling this way, and then he suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain in his stomach.
"I'm not feeling too good." He said as he swallowed the large lump in his throat.
When he lowered his eyes to the spot where his belly was hurting, and he noticed that there was a scalpel sticking out of his stomach. He noticed that the blade was lodged all the way into his belly, leaving only the handle sticking out. The odd thing Harold noticed was there wasn't a lot of blood on his shirt. He looked at all the concerned faces, and was shocked to see that even Arnold looked concerned. He saw their faces, but he couldn't hear their voices. He couldn't understand what was going on, and he looked at Phoebe hoping that she had some kind of answers.
"How in the hell did that happen?" Harold asked confusedly.
Suddenly Harold's eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out before anyone could grab him. Unfortunatly he landed on his stomach, which made the scalpel go deeper into his stomach.
Arnold stood up uneasily, and looked on as Harold was rushed into the emergency room. An overwhelming feeling of guilt came over him, and he suddenly felt hot tears fall down his face.
"What have I done?" He asked himself.
He looked over at Phoebe who was standing alone, and crying into her hands. He grabbed at his chest, which was now hurting. He walked out of the waiting room, and headed back to his car. He kept thinking that maybe he was wrong to push Harold's buttons. It was clear that Harold was in love with Helga, and now Harold was lying in the emergency room because of him. What if Harold was severely hurt, would Helga ever forgive him?
"My god, what have I done?" He silently asked himself again.
As he walked to his car, his head suddenly became fuzzy. He then tried to open his car door, but before he could he fainted right there on the cold ground. He tried to get up, but he couldn't move. He heard concerned voices coming in his direction, but they soon faded away. Then he closed his eyes, and this time he didn't get back up. Tonight there was going to be another person lying in the emergency room, and there was nothing that anybody could do to change that either.
Argggghhhh! First Helga, then Harold, and now Arnold. Puppiescute, I know that you thought only Arnold was going to be in the E.R. but I didn't want the story that predictable. So I thought that I would put in a little twist. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be good. Phoebe calls Gerald, and he makes arrangements to go to the hospital. Somebody goes into a comma, and Olga makes an appearance. So stay tuned to the next chapter. It's getting good huh?
Author's Notes: I'm here with a whole new chapter. I love the fact that you guys love this pairing. I have no problems with Helga and Arnold being a couple, and that's one of the reasons that I watch the cartoon. However, I'm different, and I love to write stories that are far from the norm. Thus, I came up with this little idea. I mean it's nice to dream, and want certain things, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes you don't always get what you want. So hopefully you guys/gals can understand why I wanted to write something so different. Personally I like the direction this story is taking, and I'm not just saying that because I wrote the darn thing. If this was someone else's story I would like it just the same, and I hope that you guys like it as well.
Disclaimer: What do you want me to say? Do you want to hear me say that none of these characters belong to me? Well they don't. I don't own nothing. Ya hear me. NOTHING.
Dedications: This chapter is dedicated to Puppiescute, Cam, silver sprite, and everyone else that reviewed. I'm glad that you all like my story. Thanks for sticking around.
Arnold was lying asleep in his bed, when the sound of the telephone ringing woke him up. He immediately knew who it was, because only Gerald had his new phone number. He had called Gerald earlier to tell him about his little run in with Helga, but Gerald hadn't made it back home when he called.
Arnold threw off the covers from his legs, and walked over to the phone lazily. He picked up the receiver, and placed it to his ear. He mumbled into the phone, and he listened, as Gerald started ranting and raving into the phone.
"Hey man. Are you awake? There's something that I wanted to tell you. You're not going to believe it man."
"Gerald it's two o'clock in the morning."
"Look man, something bad has happened."
"Let me guess. You and Phoebe got into another fight?" He said defectively.
"No it's not Phoebe. It's Helga."
"I just saw her today at the grocery market. Didn't you get my message?" He mentioned.
"Really? Actually I haven't checked my messages yet."
"Yeah. We had an argument about two seconds after we saw each other. Did you know that she didn't even know about the letters that I gave Harold to give to her?"
"She's been in an accident Arnold." Gerald said plainly.
"What? That's not funny Gerald." Arnold said as he felt his heart skip a beat.
"It wasn't meant as a joke. I just got through talking to Phoebe, and the hospital called her earlier today. Helga has been in a very bad car wreck, and it seemed like Phoebe was the only one that they could get in contact with. It's pretty bad."
"What hospital is she in?" Arnold said fearfully.
"Memorial Hospital."
"What about Harold? He's supposed to be her boyfriend. Why didn't they call him?"
"Phoebe told me that he had just moved to Dallas, and that they couldn't get in contact with him."
"I guess I'll head out there, before it gets too late."
"Phoebe is going to fly out tonight, and she should be there sometime in the morning. Could you do me a favor man?"
"Yeah what's up man?"
"Could you stay with Phoebes? This whole thing is tearing her apart, and I don't want her to be alone."
"Yeah. Sure. I'll call you if there's any changes."
"Hey Arnold. Are you going to be O.K.?"
"I don't know Gerald. I don't know."
Arnold hung up the phone, and he walked over to his dresser. He pulled out his clothes, and quickly dressed into the first thing that he could. He couldn't believe that Helga was lying in some hospital bed. She was just talking to him hours ago, and now she was severely hurt.
He thought about the things that he said to her, a sudden wave of guilt washed over him. He kept thinking that if he were a bit more polite, maybe she wouldn't have left the grocery store angry. So in essence, he realized that this accident could have been his fault.
He wondered why he had acted so mean to her. It wasn't like it was her fault that she never received those letters all those years ago. If anyone was to blame, then Harold was the one to blame. For some strange reason his emotions got the best of him, and he took out all of his frustrations out on Helga. He had been wrong, and now he felt like as if he'd never have the chance to make amends. He couldn't let things linger the way they were, and he wasn't about to lose Helga twice without revealing his true feelings to her.
There was a reason why he invited her to go to Paris years ago, and that was because he was really falling in love with the skinny girl with pigtails. He loved her then, and deep down in his heart he knew that he still had that love for her.
It literally tore him up inside when she declared her love to Harold. The man lied, cheated and stole to get what he wanted. Harold used Arnold's words as his own, and he in turn got the girl. Maybe this time things will be different. Harold's away in Dallas, but Arnold was right there. That had to count for something. Right?
He may have fought with Helga before she got hurt, but he wanted to make amends. So he quickly dressed and then he grabbed his car keys from his dresser. He then made his way to the hospital, with the hopes of apologizing to her before it was too late. Hopefully Helga would pull through this, and make it out all right.
Harold was on his way back home, after he heard the news of Helga's accident. He had been at his new house in Dallas when his cell phone ranged. Phoebe called him to let him know that Helga was in the hospital. In no time after that he went to the nearest ATM machine, and withdrew some cash for a plane ticket. Fortunately there were still some seats left when he bought his airline tickets.
For some odd reason he kept thinking that he was going to lose Helga, and more than once he had to readjust his thinking. He was positive that he didn't want to lose Helga, but lately it seemed like she was getting further and further from him. He recognized the fact that he had screwed things up with her once before, and he wasn't ready to lose her a second time. He wasn't ready to lose her forever. He loved her, and there was nothing else in his life that meant as much as she did. He wondered if she had been thinking about him when she was in the accident, and that thought was too much for Harold to take. He looked at his palms, and he cried.
It has been two days since the accident, and. Helga was still in the recovery room. Things were still touch and go, and Helga's recovery was uncertain. Arnold and Phoebe were seated in the waiting room of the emergency room, and they were waiting to speak to the doctor. For the past 28 hours Helga had been in the operating room. They didn't know the extent of her injuries, and they were eagerly awaiting any kind of news from the doctor. So they waited.
Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours. There still wasn't any word from the doctor, and before long Harold came running into the waiting room. He scanned the crowded room, until his eyes settled on the dark haired woman with the wire rimmed glasses. He ran up to her, and grabbed her by the arms. He started to shake her roughly, and Phoebe could do nothing but cry.
"Phoebe how is she damn it?" Harold screamed in her face.
"I. I. I." She stammered.
"Tell me now Damn it!" He screamed frantically.
Arnold was on the other the other side of the room when Harold came into the waiting room. For a brief instant his heart stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't expect to him to come this early, and he wasn't the same fat bully that he remembered as a child. He had changed a lot, and he was now more muscular than he had ever been. So the contrast with the muscular man, shaking the petite woman was enough to make Arnold approach his former schoolmate.
"She doesn't know anything man. Why don't you just leave her alone." Arnold said as he approached Harold.
Harold looked around the room, and his eyes settled on Arnold. For a second he felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He couldn't believe his eyes, and so he turned his head to look back at Phoebe. She was still crying, and so he turned his eyes back towards the blonde man. He could do nothing but stare at him, as he made his way to a chair that was along the wall. He sat in the chair, and looked at the man that was responsible for all of this mess.
"What are you doing here?" Harold asked simply.
"Phoebe called me. She told me about the accident."
As if on cue, Phoebe sat down next to Harold. He grabbed her hand, and then he looked into her eyes.
"Phoebes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, but I'm sure you can understand how frustrating this all is. Have you heard anything from the doctors?"
"No. They're still in the operating room."
"Operating room?" Harold said through a batch of tears.
He felt like he was the one that was about to die. How could this have happened? He wanted to believe that this was some terrible dream, and that he would wake up any moment. Helga had to have surgery, and there was a part of him that blamed himself. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that things were going to be all right. He wanted Helga by his side as if nothing bad had ever happened. Why was any of this happening? What did Helga do to deserve this? Harold would be willing to trade places with her if he could, but the chances of that ever happening was pretty slim.
Suddenly a doctor dressed in a white smock, came out of the room. They looked at the doctor as he called out to Phoebe. When Phoebe heard her name, she stood up from her chair and made her way to the doctor. Both Arnold and Harold followed closely behind her, in order to hear what the doctor was saying.
"Is she going to be all right?" Phoebe asked.
The doctor looked at both Harold and Arnold, and then he set his eyes back on Phoebe.
"It's all right. This is Harold, Helga's fiancé, and this is Arnold. He's a childhood friend. So, is there any change? Will she be all right?"
"Helga has sustained some pretty serious injuries. There was some slight trauma to the head, but it's not serious enough to worry about. However, there is one thing that we're really concerned with, and that's the internal injuries that she has sustained. There was some internal bleeding, and we have done everything that we can do in that aspect. She also has two broken ribs, and one of which has punctured a rather large hole in her right lung. Our surgical team was able to successfully suture up the wound, but it's still a matter of time before we'll see any kind of improvement. If things go from bad to worse, Helga may need to be put on a list for a lung transplant. The sooner that this is done, the better her chances will of getting a donor in time. She's been put under heavy sedation, and she'll be out for the next two or three days. She won't be able to have visitors, until she is awake. So it might be a good idea, to go home and get some rest. If there's any changes we'll call you, but if you'd rather stay here then there's no problem with that. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Will she need any more surgeries?" Phoebe asked.
"Helga won't need anymore surgeries, unless her right lung deteriorates."
"Damn it! This isn't happening!" Harold suddenly yelled out.
"Harold I know this is very for you, but I'm positive that Helga's going to be fine. Fortunately she was able to get here early, and we were able to help her the best way that we could. I'm positive that she will be fine. If you have any more questions, then don't hesitate to ask me." The doctor said in hopes of calming down Harold.
"All right thanks." Harold said.
He walked away from the doctor, and took a seat in the same chair that he had occupied earlier. He looked at the doctor, who was now leaving. Then his eyes settled on Arnold. He couldn't believe that the young blonde man was here right now, and he couldn't resist the feeling of jealousy coursing through his body. How could he compete with a man that looked like him? Harold couldn't believe that this skinny little kid grew up to look as good he did. He suddenly realized that he didn't have a chance in hell with Helga, especially with Arnold looking as good as he did. He reasoned that once Helga saw the blonde man, then she would fall in love with him all over again. Harold couldn't take that, and so he stood up. He began walking towards the exit, and then he stopped when heard Phoebe's voice.
"Harold where are you going?" Phoebe asked.
Harold looked at Arnold, who now was standing in a far corner. He suddenly felt tears falling from his eyes, as he continued to stare at Arnold.
"I'm going to go home." He said plainly.
"Why? You just got here."
Harold looked down at his feet, too ashamed of tears falling down his face.
"I can't compete with that."
"Harold what are you talking about?"
"I can't compete with Arnold. She's loved him longer than she's ever loved me." He said quietly.
"That's a bunch of bull, and you know it. You can't just give up now just because Arnold walked through those doors. You're stronger than that, and we both know it. Helga loves you, and I know that because she has told me so. You better not give up on her, because if you do then it was really you that didn't love her." Phoebe said angrily.
"But I do, and that's why I have leave. I want her to be happy, and if Arnold is the one that will make her happy then I won't get in the way."
"Where in the hell have you been for the last ten years? Helga loves you. If you can't see that, then you're one very blind man. If you walk out of that door, then you're not the man that Helga said you were."
"Then what kind of man did she say I was?"
"She said that you were a man that she could always rely on. She said that she could trust you to be there whenever she needed you."
"Well that shows just how much you know. I'm sure she told you that I lied to her."
"I know all about that Harold, but you should leave the past in the past. Don't do this. Helga loves you, and if you leave then that would break her heart."
"I'm sorry Phoebe, but I don't have any more strength left in me for this. I have to leave."
"Fine. Run away. I mean that's what you always do right? When we were kids, and you got hurt what did you do? You always ran home crying to mommy. Isn't that right?"
"I'm not running away Phoebe!" Harold yelled.
All eyes turned to them, and Harold noticed that Arnold was now making his way over to them.
"That's exactly what you're doing Harold! You're running away again, just like the time when you ran away to Dallas."
Arnold stood next Phoebe, and looked at both Phoebe and Harold.
"Phoebe, is everything all right?"
"Yeah, everything's just peachy. Right Harold?" Phoebe said as she walked away.
Arnold looked at Harold, and was at a loss for words.
"I should go." Harold stated.
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two men, and they stood there staring each other. They were mentally sizing up the other, and then Harold turned around to leave.
"You're leaving?" Arnold said as he grabbed Harold by the arm, and turned him back towards him.
"Yes. I'm leaving. When Helga wakes up, could you tell her that I'm sorry?"
"Why would I do a thing like that?" Arnold asked sarcastically.
"Look I'm just asking you do this one little thing for me."
"Just like the time when I asked you to give Helga those letters, and what do you do? It certainly didn't involve you doing what I asked you to do. Now did it?"
"You were just waiting to throw that back in my face. Weren't you?"
"What's wrong? Is the truth actually hurting you?" Arnold asked.
Harold felt his face tighten into a frown, and he felt his hands clenching into a tight fist.
"If you know what's good for you, then you'd better leave me the hell alone."
"Why? So that you can just walk out of here without thinking about anybody's feelings, but your own. Right Harold?"
"Go to hell Arnold. I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you."
"That's right. You don't have to explain a damn thing to me. Just so that you know, I'm here for Helga, and I have every intention of making her mine. You screwed me around the first time, and I'm not about to lose her again to you."
"You've never had her, and you never will."
"That's where you're wrong. One simple touch from me, and I'll have her eating out of the palm of my hands."
"If you even think about touching her, I'll kill you."
"I will make her mine, and I don't have to lie about it either."
"Shut up!" Harold yelled.
"I'm going to do things to her, that she has only dreamed about. Things that you were too afraid to do, and if you think."
Arnold's speech was suddenly cut off, when Harold slammed one of his big massive fists in his face. The punch sent Arnold sprawling across the floor, and Harold was on top of him in no time. He continually threw punch after punch, wanting to ruin his pretty boy face.
Suddenly there were three orderlies trying to break up the fight, and they somehow managed to pull Harold off of Arnold. He struggled to get away from the three men that were now holding him back, and he watched on with heated anger as Arnold stood up.
"That was real mature Harold. Real mature you bastard."
Just then an orderly came into the room with a cart full of surgical supplies, and was in the mist of walking right behind Arnold when Harold stuck out again. Harold broke free from the three men, and then he tackled Arnold to the ground, which sent him careening into the surgical cart. They landed on the floor with a sickening thud, and Harold punched and punched until Arnold was bleeding profusely.
Arnold tried everything that he could to get away from Harold, and he reached out his arms to find something that he could use to fight back. When his hands settled on a silver metal tray, he grabbed it firmly and brought it over Harold's head as hard as he could. Harold stumbled back a little, and then he continued his attack like a mad man.
Arnold noticed that Harold was angered even more, because of his attack on him. He stretched out his hands, looking for some kind of weapon to use on the brute. Finally his hands settled on something round and skinny. He tried to look up to see what item he was holding in his hands, but he couldn't tell because both of his eyes were beginning to swell shut.
However, Arnold grabbed the item as tightly as he could, and then he thrust the item outwardly in Harold's direction. Suddenly, Harold hit him in the nose powerfully instantly breaking it. Arnold lost consciousness, and the orderlies were finally able to break him away from Arnold's broken body.
Phoebe was at Arnold's side in no time, and she tried to get him to wake up. Harold on the other hand was still struggling with the orderlies that were holding him back. At first there were only three men holding on to him, and now there was five men holding him back. He looked on as Arnold regain consciousness, and he became enraged again.
Phoebe looked at Harold, and began to get angry.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm going to kill that bastard!" He shouted as he advanced closer to Arnold taking the orderlies with him. Being a football player had some of its advantages.
"You've done enough Harold. Why don't you just leave? Maybe Helga's better off without you in her life, if you're going to act like some wild animal!"
There was some truth in what Helga was saying, and that fact was something that had managed to hurt him in more ways than one. He calmed down considerably, and he felt the ordlies loosen their grips on him.
"You're right Phoebe. I'll leave. Just tell Helga that I love her, and that I always will. You tell her that for me."
The orderlies suddenly began talking among themselves, and then they were suddenly approaching Harold again. Harold noticed them approaching him, and he threw out his hands defensively.
"I'm leaving. I'm leaving. You don't have to worry about me."
"Look we need you to sit down for one minute."
"Look, I'm fine. I said that I was going to leave, and that's what I'm going to do."
"But sir, we need to."
"I'm leaving!" Harold yelled.
Suddenly Harold started to feel funny. He felt a sudden rush travel to his head, and he became somewhat dizzy. He stumbled backwards, but one of the orderlies caught him from behind. Harold couldn't understand why he was feeling this way, and then he suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain in his stomach.
"I'm not feeling too good." He said as he swallowed the large lump in his throat.
When he lowered his eyes to the spot where his belly was hurting, and he noticed that there was a scalpel sticking out of his stomach. He noticed that the blade was lodged all the way into his belly, leaving only the handle sticking out. The odd thing Harold noticed was there wasn't a lot of blood on his shirt. He looked at all the concerned faces, and was shocked to see that even Arnold looked concerned. He saw their faces, but he couldn't hear their voices. He couldn't understand what was going on, and he looked at Phoebe hoping that she had some kind of answers.
"How in the hell did that happen?" Harold asked confusedly.
Suddenly Harold's eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out before anyone could grab him. Unfortunatly he landed on his stomach, which made the scalpel go deeper into his stomach.
Arnold stood up uneasily, and looked on as Harold was rushed into the emergency room. An overwhelming feeling of guilt came over him, and he suddenly felt hot tears fall down his face.
"What have I done?" He asked himself.
He looked over at Phoebe who was standing alone, and crying into her hands. He grabbed at his chest, which was now hurting. He walked out of the waiting room, and headed back to his car. He kept thinking that maybe he was wrong to push Harold's buttons. It was clear that Harold was in love with Helga, and now Harold was lying in the emergency room because of him. What if Harold was severely hurt, would Helga ever forgive him?
"My god, what have I done?" He silently asked himself again.
As he walked to his car, his head suddenly became fuzzy. He then tried to open his car door, but before he could he fainted right there on the cold ground. He tried to get up, but he couldn't move. He heard concerned voices coming in his direction, but they soon faded away. Then he closed his eyes, and this time he didn't get back up. Tonight there was going to be another person lying in the emergency room, and there was nothing that anybody could do to change that either.
Argggghhhh! First Helga, then Harold, and now Arnold. Puppiescute, I know that you thought only Arnold was going to be in the E.R. but I didn't want the story that predictable. So I thought that I would put in a little twist. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be good. Phoebe calls Gerald, and he makes arrangements to go to the hospital. Somebody goes into a comma, and Olga makes an appearance. So stay tuned to the next chapter. It's getting good huh?