Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or its characters, they belong entirely to their creator, Craig Bartlett.
Author Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I wasn't sure how I should bring this chapter out and I'm still not really satisfied with it, but I didn't want to make you all wait too much longer. Thank you for all your GREAT reviews, they are all so encouraging! I'm still open to constructive criticism for improvement. Thank you again for reading!
Chapter 4: Strange Events
In an empty lot an intense game of baseball is ensuing between two groups of kids from P.S. 118. A baseball has just been hit and is currently flying towards left field straight into the reach of the outfielder standing there. Closer and closer it comes, until it lands smack . . . on the ground right in front of the outfielder Arnold, who still has yet to notice the ball in front of him.
"Hey Arnold! Throw me the ball!" yells Gerald from second base.
Shaken out of his reverie, Arnold finally notices the ball and clumsily bends down to grab it, and miraculously manages to throw it to Gerald in time to tag the batter out. After he throws the ball back to the pitcher, Gerald swiftly runs over to Arnold and says, "Arnold, come on, snap out it! You need to focus! We're going against the fifth graders here!"
"I'm sorry Gerald, it's just . . ."
"I know, Helga," states Gerald with exasperation, "You've been staring at home plate the whole time, considering how you don't notice the batters actually hitting the ball or the umpire's calls, the only person you could be staring at over there is Helga."
"Is it that obvious!"
"Yeah! For me that is, you're lucky everyone else is too absorbed into the game to notice, but now that you've completely missed that last ball, they might start to."
Gerald glances over at the batter and realizes everything is set, "All right, got to get back to second base, just focus will you Arnold!"
"Ok," nods Arnold with a slight smile in return as Gerald runs back.
"All right, I will focus," quietly says Arnold to himself. He starts to intensely stare at the batter noting his every move, while his body tenses up for action. Unfortunately he caught sight of pink and his eyes suddenly and unwillingly shifts toward the catcher with her blond pigtails sticking out from behind the mask. At the sight of Helga his focus ebbs away as he continues to stare at her.
"Strange . . . for someone who is so tough, she certainly likes pink, such a girly color. I wonder why she likes that color so much, that is practically the only color I've ever seen her really wear . . ."
While Arnold is lost in his thoughts about Helga once again, the batter manages to hit the ball and it goes flying through the air into the sun and swiftly falls straight down and collides with a football, a football head that is, smoothly knocking him off his feet. The last thing Arnold is conscious of as he blanks out is Gerald yelling with fear and anxiety in his voice, but he also notes another's voice calling his name, a girl's voice, and actually, it sort of sounds like Helga's, but that can't be because she never spoke like that towards him before . . . and suddenly everything is black and Arnold feels tied down, but he hears that same girl's voice calling him, a soothing tone mixed with concern. It is so alluring . . . suddenly Arnold's eyes flutter open. "Who . . . ," thinks Arnold as his vision clears.
"Oh, you're awake," exclaims a little girl's voice.
Arnold shifts his gaze towards the voice and sees a strangely familiar little girl with a pink bow in her hair sitting on her knees beside him. He is about to ask her who she is when he notices that they both are on some type of play mat. His confusion grows as he starts to look around the place, noticing the little book shelves, toys, and most of all the little children being watched by perky adults. "This looks like my preschool . . . " thinks Arnold in wonderment. He returns his gaze to the little girl in confusion and finally asks, "Who are you? Where am I?"
She just smiles sweetly at Arnold and says, "Arnold you are so dense, can't you see the obvious."
"Huh!"
Suddenly everything seems to whirl around him, he is at the baseball game again and there stands Helga helping him up, saying in irritation, "Would you get up football head," and then he feels that everything is going to be okay. As he swiftly gets up everything washes away with a blinding light and when the light clears away he sees a whitewash ceiling with bright lights. Then he hears a distant intercom, "Dr. Willis head to Room 14B . . . ," making him realize that he is in the hospital. As he blinks in an effort to clear not only his vision, but his mind, he wonders, "What was that about? Was it just a dream?" Then a trembling sigh containing his name breaks into his consciousness.
He moves his eyes toward the side and there before him was an unfamiliar sight. In a chair beside his bed sat Helga staring at her clasped hands with what looks like concern engraved on her face, in fact, she looked like she was ready to cry. Arnold had to do a double take on this one, he couldn't help but wonder if he was still dreaming.
"Helga," Arnold tentatively says.
In one incredibly fast moment, Helga jerks her head up and jumps out of the chair, while her eyes enlarge into saucers.
"ARNOLD!" she yells in a high-pitched voice. She then immediately covers her mouth and just as quickly pulls them down. And before you can blink your eye, her whole body language changes into hostility and in her trademark tone says, "What are you looking at football head?"
Of course, you can imagine the strange and confused expression painted on Arnold's face at this unique reaction. Luckily at this moment the door creaks open and in walks grandpa.
"What was all that noise? Oh! Hey, Shortman! I see you're finally awake," and then he notices Helga and an expression of surprise crosses his face, but it promptly vanishes and he says to Helga, "See I said you didn't need to worry, hard heads run in the family."
"Humph, who said I was worried," Helga responds as she looks away.
Grandpa turns back towards Arnold and says to him, "You should be thankful to this little lady here, she is the one who ran and got help for you."
Arnold quickly turns to look at Helga in astonishment, who is currently far too interested in the wall to be aware of anything else. She also has a rather faint blush gracing her cheeks, but Arnold, of course, does not notice.
"She helped me again! Has Helga always been there for me?"
"Umm, thank you Helga," says Arnold with complete gratitude.
She finally turns her attention from the wall to look at Arnold and says, "You better be football head and don't you think anything of it. I just didn't want to do the art project alone! So you better be pulling your weight, don't even think I'm going do let you do any less than your share!"
Arnold responds with a smile in his voice, "All right Helga."
"Criminey, I've wasted enough time, I'm leaving now! And don't you forget we are suppose to meet in front of the orphanage on Saturday!"
"I won't Helga," replies Arnold.
"If you do forget, you'll be having an appointment with Old Betsy!" yells Helga as she huffs out the door.
Grandpa chuckles and says, "She reminds me of Pooky for some reason . . . hmm . . . anyway how are you feeling Shortman?"
"I feel fine actually."
"Good, here drink this," says Grandpa as he hands Arnold a glass from the bed stand full of a colorful and bubbly concoction. Arnold gingerly takes it from his Grandpa.
"What is it?"
"I don't know, Pooky made it for you and said that you should drink it when you wake up, I think it could be medicine," absently replies Grandpa.
"Umm . . . , I think I'll save it for later."
"Ok, just make sure you finish it all."
"Right."
"Maybe I'll finish it down the sink, but with all that bubbling stuff I might need to flush it down the toilet."
"Where is Grandma anyway?"
"Oh, just playing the doctor and helping anyone in need."
Suddenly they hear a man shriek not too far away, "AHHH! Help! Get this lady away from me!"
Grandpa smiles and flicks a glance towards the door as he says, "Yup, that's my Pooky," and returns his attention back to Arnold, "The doctor said that you'll be fine, you'll just have a slight bump on the side of your head for a few days. You'll only need to stay the night, just to be safe, and then you'll be released tomorrow."
"Good," sighed Arnold with relief.
"Oh yeah, Gerald is here too, he just stepped out to call his family. In fact," Grandpa pauses as he tilts his head towards the side, "I'm not sure where that little lady popped out from, I walked out of here only a few minutes ago to speak with the doctor. Oh well," he shrugs with indifference, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for people to appear out of nowhere.
"Wha . . . ?"
The door opens and in walks Gerald.
"Arnold," he exclaims and rushes to the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Just fine Gerald."
Gerald glances at Grandpa and says, "You were right, hard heads really do run in the family."
Grandpa nods agreement and smiles, "Yup, it comes from our diet. People really shouldn't eat raspberries, it makes them soft." Just then they hear another shriek and Grandma's voice yelling, "You just need to put this on your head and you'll feel better!"
Grandpa chuckles as he says, "I better go see how Pooky is doing. I'll be back."
As soon as Grandpa leaves the room, Gerald says, "I saw the strangest thing today Arnold."
"Hm?"
Gerald leans in as if it were a conspiracy and whispers, "When you were hit by the baseball I heard a scream and turned back in time to see Helga's face full of fear and worry directed at you, but then she quickly whirled around and ran off. I think she's the reason you got help so quickly."
"She is! Grandpa told me she was the one who got help for me."
"Okay Arnold, you've made a believer out of me. So-," Gerald takes on a serious expression, "what do you want to do next?"
"Do next?"
"Yeah, come on Arnold, you've must of already formed some type of plan."
"Actually, not yet . . . "
"Seriously, that's a first."
"Yeah, well, Helga is complicated."
"You can say that again."
Arnold bends his head in thought, "Hmm . . . you know we could follow her after school."
Gerald raises one eyebrow and says, "Arnold why can't any of your plans be normal."
Arnold just shrugs his shoulders in response.
"All right, but only after you've gotten all your rest."
"Don't worry Gerald."
"Sigh, if I don't who knows what kind of trouble you'd get yourself into."
AN: I'll try to get the next chapter up within a decent time frame.
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