Hours passed, calls went ignored and Arnold went numb as he tried to block out the worst-case scenarios that kept flooding his mind. The hospital was so quiet, so sterile. He could hear phones ringing, nurses joking and machines beeping. He hated it. He hated that she had to be here. Suddenly the usual sounds quieted when an angry sounding voice overpowered everything. He knew who it was and he feared his reaction. Would he kick Arnold out? Ban him from seeing his daughter? What would he do if he found out it was Arnold's fault his daughter was here?

He sat up when he saw Bob's usually stern face soften. The gruff man looked like he was going to crumble. Following Bob's eyesight, he looked down to realize he had a rather large bloodstain on his olive green button down shirt. Helga's blood. He may have been mistaken but he could have sworn he saw Bob Pataki's eyes water. He couldn't stop his own eyes from watering or his hand from trembling as his fingertips ghosted over the viscous substance.

He remembered the look in her eyes. It was one of terror. He'd only seen that look on her face a few times before. He saw it when they were in a cave on Elk Island when they were kids, he saw it when she was almost swept away both in the flood while they were trapped in school and when the water rose in the bio-square. He saw it when his pet parrot began reciting fragments of a poem. He saw it when they were on the rooftop of that old FTI building and her disguise fell off. He saw it again last year during a truth or dare game when Rhonda asked if she'd ever been in love. But the look has been burned in his mind since he was younger and he confronted her about her sudden act of altruism a few Christmases ago.

FLASHBACK

12-year-old-Arnold sat in the boarding house stirring his mug of hot chocolate. In an uncharacteristic moment of clarity, his grandmother realized it was Christmas and the boarders took the moment to celebrate the holiday by recalling their favorite moments of Christmas past.

"Hey Arnold, what was your favorite Christmas memory?"

The pre-teen smiled behind his mug and put it down on the coffee table. "Easy. It was when Mr. Huynh and his daughter found each other." The other boards murmured their agreement as Arnold's gaze drifted to father and daughter sitting next to each other across the room.

It made him believe that if Mr. Huynh was looking for his daughter, his parents were looking for him, that if she could be found and they could be reconciled after decades apart, his parents could come back to him, that they never forgot him and were fighting to get back.

"That was a nice thing your ugly little friend with the one eyebrow did."

Arnold shot up from his preciously slumped position on the couch after his grandfather's words. "Helga? What did Helga do?"

Phil shook his head at the memory. "The night Mai and Mr. Huynh found each other I caught her standing on the stoop without shoes on when I took out the trash. She scoffed and scampered off. I didn't think anything of it—the girl was always lurking around."

Arnold's eyes were as big as saucers listening to his grandfather. "She was," he asked more to himself than anyone else.

Phil looked at his grandson, half puzzled by his expression half hoping the young man would figure it out already. "Anyway, I ran into a guy from the records department a few days later. He was talking to his wife about how some crazy little blond girl gave up her shoes so her 'beloved' would believe in Christmas miracles. "

The blond boy felt dizzy. She was the reason he still had hope? His mind couldn't reconcile the image of the intimidating and scowling girl with the angel who helped him believe. He needed to see her. He needed the truth once and for all.

Standing up he headed towards the door without explanation grabbed his coat from the nearby coat rack and headed to the Pataki residence.

He didn't know what he was going to say, he still had no idea what to think of the situation. The only thing forefront in his mind was 'Helga lied about loving me.' He got to the front of the door and knocked frantically, the odd colored brownstone easy to recognize among its counterparts. His heart was pounding out of his chest as he waited for someone to answer.

Seconds later the door flew open and Arnold stood under Bob Pataki's intimidating stare. "What do you want kid?"

The green-eyed boy cleared his throat and addressed the older man calmly. "Hi Mr. Pataki. I was wondering if Helga was home?" He squeaked his answer, embarrassed to be going through the beginning stages of puberty.

"Hey Olga, your little friend Alfred is here," Bob bellowed in the direction of his daughter's room.

Helga was lying on her bed carelessly throwing her baseball in the air when she heard her father's voice ruining her tranquility. "It's Helga dad," she rolled her eyes, forgetting the second half of what he said. Arnold? She fell off her bed and fell face first on the floor, too nervous to be embarrassed. Giving herself a once-over in the mirror, she went downstairs to find Arnold at her doorstep.

Grabbing her coat she walked around her father and rolled her eyes. "Thanks Bob."

She closed the door behind her and watched Arnold pace in front of her stoop. He rubbed his neck nervously. "Spit it out bucko I don't have all day!"

"Were you lying?" He looked up at her hoping she would tell him the truth.

She seemed confused and slightly irritated as she tapped an impatient foot on the step. "What are you talking about?"

"He stopped and stood in front of her, hands on her shoulders and eyes matching hers glare for glare. Thank you summer growth spurt. "Were you lying when you said it was the heat of the moment? Do you love me?"

"Of course not." She had to look anywhere but those dazzling green eyes which threatened to pierce through her soul.

"Then why'd you help me save the neighborhood, why'd you help me find Mr. Huynh's daughter?"

Her eyes got big and he could see her lip tremble. He felt like he was torturing her, but he had to know. "Because."

"Because why?" He could feel his frustration bubbling to the surface as he struggled to stay patient.

"Because I'm allowed to do nice things Arnold."

"But I thought you hated me."

He was exposing her, layer by layer and she could feel herself melding into his touch. Her shoulder already scorched from his hands. But she wasn't ready. She didn't know if she would ever be ready. That fear of rejection trampled the truth. It won every time.

He got closer to her now, his voice desperate. "Please Helga. I need you to tell me the truth. Tell me how you feel."

She pushed away from him. "You're right. I do hate you. In fact, I'm pretty sure I hate your stinking guts. Leave me alone or I'll pound you, got it?" She shoved him and he lost his footing, falling on the hard concrete. Message received loud and clear. She did a lot of things but she never physically hurt him. He knew she was lying but wouldn't stick around for the truth. He was done—done trying, done giving her the benefit of the doubt. She ran over to him and offered her hand, shocked and angry that she caused him physical harm. "A-Arnold? I'm so sorry I didn't mean to—"

He swiped her hand away, electing to stand on his own. "Save it. I get it. You're just a mean and angry bully. You'll never change. Don't worry—I won't bother you any more. In fact I'm pretty sure I never want to talk to you again!"

He turned around and walked home, sure the sniffling he heard behind him was a figment of his imagination.

END OF FLASHBACK

He felt lost. She was always his compass, his anchor. When he was ready to doubt everything she gave him hope. He never knew why she did but he had a sneaking suspicion that every time things looked bleak and wrongs were suddenly righted, it was because of her.

The doctor looked around and found Arnold sitting by the reception area. "are you here for Helga Pataki?" The teen nodded and Bob Pataki came barreling over, his despondent wife in tow. "We're here for her. She's our daughter."

He gulped and took a calming breath before asking the question Arnold both hoped for and dreaded: "How is she?"

The doctor spoke pensively, sensing the tension and despair between the three. "Well she's okay. We were able to stop the bleeding but…" He looked around trying to gather his words and everyone waited for him to continue with bated breath. "Her body went into shock and there's some swelling on her brain from how hard she hit the ground after getting shot. We had to remve a small piece of her kidney that was damaged from the bullet." Miriam chocked back a sob and clung to her husband who looked a little worse for wear. "We're monitoring her closely, but she hasn't woken up yet and with the amount of trauma she went through, she's not out of the woods yet."

Miriam was full on sobbing at that point, but the doctor's words still hadn't registered. Was he saying she could…no, no! Arnold couldn't say anything for fear of speaking it into existence.

"She's in a coma now and we're just waiting for her to wake up. She already made it through two major surgeries. She's strong." He smiled slightly and then frowned looking at Mr. and Mrs. Pataki. "At any rate, I wouldn't advise against making arrangements just in case…"

Bob stepped closer to his daughter's doctor and began speaking his first words since the doctor's arrival. "Look you don't know her, but that girl in there is a fighter, so kindly take your advice and shove it up your—"

"B," she spoke softly into his ear caressing his arm. "This isn't going to make it better. Yelling and screaming isn't going to make her better."

He looked at her parents who were broken and grieving and asked, "Can I see her?"

The doctor, who introduced his self as Dr. Antoni, nodded his consent. Before he left, Arnold felt Bob Pataki's hand on his shoulder. "Arnold?"

"Yeah Mr. Pataki?"

"Be good to her."

Arnold nodded and went down the hallway wiping his suddenly clammy hands on his jeans. He walked to her room feeling like a fool. He was equal parts afraid and excited. She was amazing, she was always amazing. Why hadn't he seen it before? Why didn't he see beyond the taunts and pranks? Why didn't he just look into her eyes? They always told him everything he needed to know. They couldn't hide the truth. Moreover why didn't he believe them when they told him 'she loves you,' 'she needs you,' and 'you give her peace.' And what's worse, why didn't he believe his own when they responded with 'you need her more'?"