Disclaimer: I own nothing. Really. If I owned Hey Arnold, I would not
currently be sitting here, wasting my life by writing a fan fiction about
it. I would merely produce it. So guess what? If you sue me, I can laugh in
your face.
CHAPTER 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Subconscious Sequence~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helga stared at the little boy with tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm not lost..." she stuttered with a quavering voice. The dark clouds overhead thundered ominously. "I...I thought...I was finally home!" Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, her emerald eyes gazing pleadingly into the little boy's amber ones.
The boy continued to watch Helga calmly. "This isn't your home," he said quietly. "Your home is the most beautiful place. It is far beyond anything you, or anyone else for that matter, could ever imagine, for it is the dwelling place of God Almighty. There is no pain, no suffering, no ugliness, and no..." the little hand reached up to Helga's cheek and wiped a crystal drop away, "tears," he finished.
Small drops began to fall from the clouds, mirroring the drops on Helga's pale face. "So I am still lost?" she cried, her voice breaking. The beautiful field of flowers that had surrounded the two slowly began to fade, a reflection of the dying hope within Helga's breast. With the fleeting hope that she had finally found home, Helga had been able to hold back any memories of how she had come to be in this world. As the hope faded, her mind strained to keep the flood of memories from overpowering her senses; strained to keep forgetting everything that had hurt her.
The boy's small hand crept into her frigid one, and Helga felt a sudden renewing of strength within her mind. She was once again able to lock out the memories. Her focus narrowed to the two hands.
As though from a distance, the boy's melodious voice rang out. "It is not yet time for you to return to your physical body, Helga. There are many more things that need to happen, both here and in the world where your body resides, before the memories will be allowed to reappear in this place. For now," he said soothingly, placing his fingers on her forehead, "you need to rest."
With the touch of his fingers, Helga's eyes slowly drifted closed, and she lay down on the ground, surprised to find that it was soft. Her last thought was that the boy's comforting touch hadn't left her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Subconscious Sequence~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arnold paced the floor of the sterile room, his eyes darting from the glass enclosure around the room, to the other occupants, to the floor, and then repeating the dance with every turn he made.
One of the nurses, a sweet, older lady, had gasped upon meeting his blue gaze when showing him the waiting room. The anguish and pain that she beheld within his stare was enough to break her heart. She told one of the other nurses later, "I hope the girl that was in the crash makes it. If not, there is going to be two graves to dig, because that boy won't make it."
The other two occupants of the waiting room weren't doing much better. Phoebe, upon receiving the news that Helga was not expected to awake from the coma, had burst into another round of tears and collapsed, leaving Gerald to carry her to the waiting room. The doctor, realizing that these three were probably the only people available for Miss Pataki, as her only other family couldn't be reached, had informed them that they could see her in a few hours, after the doctors had monitored her for awhile. So Gerald was currently comforting his girlfriend and looking worriedly at his best friend, silently wishing the nurse would hurry up and let them see Helga.
While Arnold was on the last step of his dance, and Gerald was talking quietly to Phoebe, who was staring at her pale hands, the elderly nurse who had shown them to the waiting room entered.
"The doctors have said that you may see Miss Pataki now, one at a time. You can only stay for a few minutes, but Dr. Crenshaw said that talking to her would be a good idea. It would let her know that she has people waiting for her," the woman's sweet voice penetrated the frozen air in the room. Arnold jumped, and then looked over at Phoebe and Gerald, motioning for them to go first. Gerald nodded, and, taking Phoebe's hand, stood up, walking over to the nurse. Tears still fell from Phoebe's dark, bottomless eyes, but the flow had slowed.
Phoebe, Gerald, and Arnold followed the nurse down the ominously silent hallway. The only noise was the slapping of their soles on the carpet. When they reached Room 1123, the nurse silently pushed the door open and motioned for Phoebe to enter. Gerald and Arnold watched Phoebe slowly make her way over Helga's beside before the door swung silently shut.
Inside the room, the only sounds were the beeping of the monitors hooked up to Helga. Phoebe stared down at the pale silent figure lying in the bed. Her features had lost the vitality and passion that defined the very existence of Helga. Phoebe felt her heart breaking as she realized that, no matter what the doctors and nurses said, this wasn't Helga. Helga was never silent and still. She was a firecracker, a beautiful young woman whose soul yearned for love and passion, and yet was able to fend off the only thing she had really ever been given: neglect and hate. For the first time since she and Helga had begun to lose touch, Phoebe felt how much she had betrayed Helga.
"Oh, Helga," her voice cracked on the name. "You have to wake up. You have to come back. You can't leave me, even though I left you. I need you, Helga. I need to tell you I'm sorry..." she trailed off in tears as the door opened, and the nurse motioned for her to come out. She slowly left Helga's bedside, but not until after she had squeezed her hand, praying that wherever Helga was, she felt that link to those who loved her. Phoebe passed Arnold as she left, and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it too. Arnold looked at her gratefully as he continued towards the bed.
Arnold too stared down at the pale face against the white pillow. His memory began to play all the times he had seen that face scowl at him in anger, and then the few times that he had managed to glimpse the person behind the mask. His thoughts flew to the journal he had read for the past six months, the ones that had truly opened her beautiful soul to him, and his face cracked. Tears began to spill down his face and he grabbed her hand.
"Helga, you have to come back. You have to wake up. I don't want to know that I waited too long to tell you. I read your journal online, you see. I know all about you, and I love you. I love the woman who lives beneath the masks that you constantly wear to protect yourself. I love the beauty of your soul, and I want that to come back. I want to see you scowl at me, and know that you really don't mean it. I want you to come back..." Arnold's voice got quieter, and he began to murmur to Helga, grabbing her hand and rubbing it between his two palms, desperate to feel the life that once filled the slender fingers. His anguished eyes took in every feature on her face, memorizing it, imprinting it into his brain. He prayed she would open her eyes and flash those precious emeralds at him, but alas, there was nothing, except the slow, steady movement of her chest as her lungs continued to take in life-giving air. It was this alone that allowed Arnold to leave the room when the nurse came to gently push him out.
A/N: I appreciate all the reviews. I am sorry it took a bit longer to get this chapter out. There was an idiot trying to mess my life up, and I had to prevent it. So, anyways, as you can tell, Helga isn't dead. And yes, Arnold is in love with her because of her online journal. You didn't think there was a point to that reference in chapter 2, did you? Haha, I love Advanced English class. It makes you think ahead. So how did he stumble across it? How did he know it was hers? I wonder *devilish smile*. *singsong voice* I guess you will have to read the next chapter to find out...
CHAPTER 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Subconscious Sequence~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helga stared at the little boy with tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm not lost..." she stuttered with a quavering voice. The dark clouds overhead thundered ominously. "I...I thought...I was finally home!" Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, her emerald eyes gazing pleadingly into the little boy's amber ones.
The boy continued to watch Helga calmly. "This isn't your home," he said quietly. "Your home is the most beautiful place. It is far beyond anything you, or anyone else for that matter, could ever imagine, for it is the dwelling place of God Almighty. There is no pain, no suffering, no ugliness, and no..." the little hand reached up to Helga's cheek and wiped a crystal drop away, "tears," he finished.
Small drops began to fall from the clouds, mirroring the drops on Helga's pale face. "So I am still lost?" she cried, her voice breaking. The beautiful field of flowers that had surrounded the two slowly began to fade, a reflection of the dying hope within Helga's breast. With the fleeting hope that she had finally found home, Helga had been able to hold back any memories of how she had come to be in this world. As the hope faded, her mind strained to keep the flood of memories from overpowering her senses; strained to keep forgetting everything that had hurt her.
The boy's small hand crept into her frigid one, and Helga felt a sudden renewing of strength within her mind. She was once again able to lock out the memories. Her focus narrowed to the two hands.
As though from a distance, the boy's melodious voice rang out. "It is not yet time for you to return to your physical body, Helga. There are many more things that need to happen, both here and in the world where your body resides, before the memories will be allowed to reappear in this place. For now," he said soothingly, placing his fingers on her forehead, "you need to rest."
With the touch of his fingers, Helga's eyes slowly drifted closed, and she lay down on the ground, surprised to find that it was soft. Her last thought was that the boy's comforting touch hadn't left her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Subconscious Sequence~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arnold paced the floor of the sterile room, his eyes darting from the glass enclosure around the room, to the other occupants, to the floor, and then repeating the dance with every turn he made.
One of the nurses, a sweet, older lady, had gasped upon meeting his blue gaze when showing him the waiting room. The anguish and pain that she beheld within his stare was enough to break her heart. She told one of the other nurses later, "I hope the girl that was in the crash makes it. If not, there is going to be two graves to dig, because that boy won't make it."
The other two occupants of the waiting room weren't doing much better. Phoebe, upon receiving the news that Helga was not expected to awake from the coma, had burst into another round of tears and collapsed, leaving Gerald to carry her to the waiting room. The doctor, realizing that these three were probably the only people available for Miss Pataki, as her only other family couldn't be reached, had informed them that they could see her in a few hours, after the doctors had monitored her for awhile. So Gerald was currently comforting his girlfriend and looking worriedly at his best friend, silently wishing the nurse would hurry up and let them see Helga.
While Arnold was on the last step of his dance, and Gerald was talking quietly to Phoebe, who was staring at her pale hands, the elderly nurse who had shown them to the waiting room entered.
"The doctors have said that you may see Miss Pataki now, one at a time. You can only stay for a few minutes, but Dr. Crenshaw said that talking to her would be a good idea. It would let her know that she has people waiting for her," the woman's sweet voice penetrated the frozen air in the room. Arnold jumped, and then looked over at Phoebe and Gerald, motioning for them to go first. Gerald nodded, and, taking Phoebe's hand, stood up, walking over to the nurse. Tears still fell from Phoebe's dark, bottomless eyes, but the flow had slowed.
Phoebe, Gerald, and Arnold followed the nurse down the ominously silent hallway. The only noise was the slapping of their soles on the carpet. When they reached Room 1123, the nurse silently pushed the door open and motioned for Phoebe to enter. Gerald and Arnold watched Phoebe slowly make her way over Helga's beside before the door swung silently shut.
Inside the room, the only sounds were the beeping of the monitors hooked up to Helga. Phoebe stared down at the pale silent figure lying in the bed. Her features had lost the vitality and passion that defined the very existence of Helga. Phoebe felt her heart breaking as she realized that, no matter what the doctors and nurses said, this wasn't Helga. Helga was never silent and still. She was a firecracker, a beautiful young woman whose soul yearned for love and passion, and yet was able to fend off the only thing she had really ever been given: neglect and hate. For the first time since she and Helga had begun to lose touch, Phoebe felt how much she had betrayed Helga.
"Oh, Helga," her voice cracked on the name. "You have to wake up. You have to come back. You can't leave me, even though I left you. I need you, Helga. I need to tell you I'm sorry..." she trailed off in tears as the door opened, and the nurse motioned for her to come out. She slowly left Helga's bedside, but not until after she had squeezed her hand, praying that wherever Helga was, she felt that link to those who loved her. Phoebe passed Arnold as she left, and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it too. Arnold looked at her gratefully as he continued towards the bed.
Arnold too stared down at the pale face against the white pillow. His memory began to play all the times he had seen that face scowl at him in anger, and then the few times that he had managed to glimpse the person behind the mask. His thoughts flew to the journal he had read for the past six months, the ones that had truly opened her beautiful soul to him, and his face cracked. Tears began to spill down his face and he grabbed her hand.
"Helga, you have to come back. You have to wake up. I don't want to know that I waited too long to tell you. I read your journal online, you see. I know all about you, and I love you. I love the woman who lives beneath the masks that you constantly wear to protect yourself. I love the beauty of your soul, and I want that to come back. I want to see you scowl at me, and know that you really don't mean it. I want you to come back..." Arnold's voice got quieter, and he began to murmur to Helga, grabbing her hand and rubbing it between his two palms, desperate to feel the life that once filled the slender fingers. His anguished eyes took in every feature on her face, memorizing it, imprinting it into his brain. He prayed she would open her eyes and flash those precious emeralds at him, but alas, there was nothing, except the slow, steady movement of her chest as her lungs continued to take in life-giving air. It was this alone that allowed Arnold to leave the room when the nurse came to gently push him out.
A/N: I appreciate all the reviews. I am sorry it took a bit longer to get this chapter out. There was an idiot trying to mess my life up, and I had to prevent it. So, anyways, as you can tell, Helga isn't dead. And yes, Arnold is in love with her because of her online journal. You didn't think there was a point to that reference in chapter 2, did you? Haha, I love Advanced English class. It makes you think ahead. So how did he stumble across it? How did he know it was hers? I wonder *devilish smile*. *singsong voice* I guess you will have to read the next chapter to find out...