Chapter 12: Fears
TWO DAYS LATER
Nursette found herself wondering the smurfette village. Flu season was coming up, and almost everyone of the smurfette village had been given their shots, including Hefty. There just happened to be one smurfette that hadn't had her shots yet, Toughette. Every year is the same song and dance. Ever since a traumatic experience she had as a smurfling, Toughette was extremely afraid of needles. Apparently every year it seemed to get harder and harder to get the strong smurfette to take her shots.
Normally Nursette will gather up as many smurfettes as possible to tie down Toughette. The only problem was that not many of the smurfettes were crazy enough to want to hold Toughette down this year. Nursette stopped in front of three smurfettes as they tend to their gardening chores.
"Have any of seen Toughette?" Nursette asked them.
"No Nursette," The blond smurfette answered quickly.
"Alright. If any of do happen to see her, please let her know I'm looking for her." Nursette suggested.
The amber-haired smurfette thought for a moment before speaking up. "Let me guess, Toughette is still trying to skip out on her flu shots again?"
"Afraid so." Nursette sighed.
"What you need is more muscle in order to get that girl to sit still long enough for you to give her the shot." The raven-haired smurfette suggested mostly in a jokingly manner.
"What a great idea Floraette." Nursette chirped, snapping her fingers. "Have any of you seen Hefty Smurf?"
The three smurfette all pointed towards the left end of the village, towards the river.
"Thanks." Nursette didn't waist any time, she headed directly towards the river. She got to the edge of the village when she heard voices heading her way. It was obvious they were coming back from the river. Nursette stops once she saw Hefty walking up with Valvette draped over his shoulder, and Toughette walking two steps behind.
"Put me down, Hefty Smurf!" Growled Valvette.
"I thought you said you smurfed your ankle and wanted to be carried?" Hefty innocently responded, with a hint of irritation in his voice.
"Well, that was before you started smurfing me like a piece of furniture."
Toughette, finding this scene very humorous, started to laugh at Valvette.
"You think this is sooo funny, don't you?" Valvette snapped at her.
"You bet I do." Toughette chuckled.
"What happened here?" Nursette cried out as she ran up to the trio.
"Oh nothing," Toughette began explaining. "Valvette just slipped on some mud, and claims that she had smurfed her ankle."
"Not to mention my dress is now ruined." Valvette screeched.
Hefty shook his head in disbelief and rolled his eyes skyward.
"Hefty Smurf, I'm not going to tell you again. Put me DOWN!" Valvette ordered.
"With pleasure." Sighed the Smurf. He threw Valvette off his shoulder. With crossed arms, he just watched as she lost her balance trying to stand on her feet and falls back causing her to land on her tail.
"Ouch!" Yelped Valvette as she landed with a hard thud. She looked up at Hefty with a harsh glare. "You know, Hefty, you may be a strong smurf, but sometimes you can be a real lout!"
"Eh, whatever." Hefty simply shrugged. Toughette again starts chuckling at her sister's expense. "If you all will excuse me, I have things to smurf still." He adds while jerking his thumb towards the other direction.
As Hefty walked away, Toughette smirks down at Valvette.
"What are you looking at? Help me up." Valvette snapped at her strong sister.
Toughette took a moment to contemplate whether or not to help her sister. She shrugged nonchalantly before extending her hand out to Valvette.
"Uh, Hefty wait." Nursette quickly called out as she ran after the smurf. "I want to ask you something."
"Yeah, what is it Nursette?" Hefty responded without even stopping
"I need your assistance with something." Nursette said as soon a she caught up.
"With what exactly?" Hefty stopped and faced Nursette crossing his arms firmly over his chest.
"Well, with Toughette." Nursette nervously chuckled as she tried to find a decent way to explain her reasons.
"Oh?"
"Um, you see. Every year I ask all the smurfettes of the village to receive a flu shot, just like the one I gave you the other day. And of course, every year I have a tough time smurfing Toughette to get her shots."
"Well, why don't you just smurf her now. She's right over there." Hefty interrupted pointing in the direction in which they came.
"If only it were that easy. Trust me, I would have smurfed her a long time ago."
Hefty raised his eyebrow curiously, "What do you mean?"
Nursette sighed as she thought of a way to tell him. "Walk with me Hefty, I'll explain."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
HOUR AND A HALF LATER
"Let me guess, Nursette needs help moving her desk again?" Toughette pondered as she allowed Hefty to lead her towards the clinic.
"Er, that's it. Yeah." Hefty lied.
"Honestly, what would she do without us around?" Toughette grinned as she flexed her arm to show a muscle.
"Heh, I know what you mean." Hefty smiled back.
As soon as they arrived to the clinic, Hefty knocked on the door gently with his fist. "Come in." Nursette's voice was heard from the other side.
Hefty opened the door then ushered Toughette to go in first.
"Oh please, don't tell me. Smurfettes first?" Toughette sarcastically said, crossing her harms over her chest.
"It's only the smurfy thing to do." Hefty grinned.
"If I don't go in first are you going to throw me in?" Toughette asked suspiciously as she remembered the day they escaped Gloria's capture.
"Look, I'm just trying to be polite here!" Hefty snapped.
"Hey, don't do me any favors, ok. I'm not that type of smurfette." Toughette growled back.
"Fine." Hefty huffed.
The both of them stood there for a brief moment before Hefty grabbed hold of Toughette's arm, and pushed her in the clinic before he casually walks in afterward. The first thing Toughette noticed is Nursette holding a syringe. Instant panic hits her, then anger. She turns back towards the door to head back outside.
"Hefty, I'm going to pound the smurf out of you!" Toughette screeched as Hefty closed the door.
"Look Toughette, this is important. If you don't get your shots at least once a year, you could get sick." Hefty counseled.
"I'll take my chances." Toughette spat.
"Come now, Toughette. This won't take long, I promise." Nursette said as soothingly as possible.
"Get away from me with that thing." Toughette jumped two steps back from Nursette when she got uncomfortably closer with the needle.
"Wow, I never seen anyone so afraid of a little needle before." Hefty commented shaking his head in disbelief.
"Hey! I have my reasons, ok!" Toughette blurted out with panic in her voice.
"It's just a little flu shot. If you would just sit still this would only take a moment." Nursette tried to reason as she kept taking more steps closer.
"No!" Toughette kept backing away from Nursette until she felt Hefty's arms rapping around her. "No! Stop! Get off of me!"
"Listen to Nursette this won't take long… Now sit still." Hefty ordered as he lifted Toughette into a nearby chair. As she continued to struggle, he mentally commented on how much strength she really had. The strength seems to enhance when fear is present. He struggled to keep Toughette still as Nursette prepared her arm to receive the shot.
Toughette whimpered as the needled pierced her skin. For what had seemed to take minutes only turned out to be seconds before Nursette released the needle from Toughette's arm.
"There. Done." Nursette announced proudly.
"You see, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Hefty added, trying to be supportive.
"Get away from me." Toughette said in a low growl as she rubbed the sore spot on her arm.
As soon as both Hefty and Nursette took a step back from Toughette, she bolted for the door and ran into the forest.
"Is she going to be alright? Should we go after her or something?" Hefty asked in concern.
"Naw, she'll be fine. Toughette maybe angry for awhile, but she'll get over it soon enough." Nursette chimed as she cleaned the needle and placed it back in its case. "Thanks for your help. Usually I would need three, maybe four other smurfettes to help me smurf Toughette her shots." She concluded.
"Hey, no problem. I smurf for a challenge." Hefty proudly stated, even though he still showed concern over the fact Toughette left so angrily. "So, um, how come Toughette is so afraid of needles?"
"Well, when Toughette was a smurfling, she wondered into the forest. She wondered so far that a human found and captured her. Fortunately, Mama Smurf just happened to be following Toughette, and was able to smurf a spell on the human. She rescued Toughette before the human pierced a sharp 'human sized' needle into her."
"Wow, that is pretty intense." Hefty commented.
"Yes, it was. Ever since then she has been afraid of needles of any size."
"I guess that makes sense."
As Nursette placed the syringe case away on the shelf, she paused to think for a moment. "Hefty, why is it that you are afraid of heights?" She suddenly blurted out before turning to see the smurf's reaction.
"What? H-ho-how did you…" Hefty stammered, but finding he's a loss for words.
"It's ok, Hefty. Mama Smurf sensed something as you and the others were escaping Gloria's capture the other day. I was just wondering that's all." Nursette asked.
"Really? Was I that obvious?" Hefty nervously answered.
"Well, I think Mama Smurf was the only one that really noticed. She has a keen sense of things." Nursette saw the discomfort of this discussion in Hefty's face. "Look, I understand if you don't want to talk about this. It's just that information about each member of the village helps me smurf the right medications if, or when they get sick, or if they are possibly injured."
"I-I understand." Hefty lets out a deep sigh before continuing. "I guess you have the right to know… To make a long story short, it started a long time ago. Baby Smurf was not feeling so good. In order to try pleasing the little guy, a group of us put together a circus for him. I was smurfing a balancing act on a wire high above ground. Now back then, I literally feared nothing. That is, until Brainy Smurf knocked over one of the pillars that held the wire up. I went flying across the village, and landed on the tent as it was being put up. I was lucky to not have been badly injured, but still, my ego took a major beating. Most times I can over come this fear, but ever since then, high places make me very nervous."
"I see. Thank you for sharing this with me." Nursette said as she allowed the information to sink in.
Not knowing what else to say, Hefty simply shrugs his shoulders and says, "Eh. Guess someone was bound to find out sooner or later."
Nursette couldn't help but to let out a chuckle. "Well, I do admit, thanks to Tattlerette, information does have a habit of leaking out to everyone. But don't worry, I'll try keeping your secret safe for as long as it takes."
"Thanks. Um, I'm going to finish up on some chores now."
"Alright. Take it easy, ok."
"Heh, usually do. Later." Without another word being said, Hefty left quietly to attend more of his chores.